Chapter Four

 

Elise could hear heavy thudding sounds outside and for a moment thought that they were the drums again. The longer that she listened, though, the clearer it became that these were not drums, but something else, something stronger and deeper coming closer with every passing moment. Soon she heard voices along with the sound and she realized that someone was coming toward the compound. Dropping the blankets in her hands, she ran out of the building and toward the entrance to the compound, her heart pounding in her chest.

Lila was close behind her and they ran in silence until they reached the arched entryway.

“Do you see them?” Lila asked.

Elise scanned the darkness outside of the compound, trying to see through it to find any indication of anyone who might be approaching. The heavy sound stopped and an instant later she saw a wall of people coming toward her. She stepped out of the way and they streamed past her, rushing into the protective surroundings of the stone wall. She noticed one of the warriors carrying a man over his shoulder, and then another, and another. She ran toward the first man and gestured for him to follow her.

“Bring them in here,” she said, rushing toward the building that she and Lila had prepared.

Elise stepped inside the building and turned to the door. All at once the space around her was filled with sound and tense energy that bordered somewhere between fear and anger. She watched as the men placed the wounded on the tables and then spread blankets on the floor to add more. She scanned the group for familiar faces, but she saw only Zyyr and Lynx. The rest were unknown to her, and she felt off-balance and bombarded. There were more of them than she expected, and though it was reassuring to know that their numbers were high enough that they might have a chance against the army that she had seen swarm the ship, it was also overwhelming.

Ciyrs stepped up beside one of the tables and used a small knife to cut away the bloodstained clothing that the man was wearing. His chest exposed, Elise saw a deep gash across it and felt her stomach turn. Lila’s warning to her repeated through her mind. There are going to be injuries. Now she fully understood why the Mikana woman would give her this stark warning. Even coming to terms with the idea of the true hand-to-hand combat in her mind hadn’t fully prepared her for this. She remembered the injuries that Nylek and Kyven had suffered, but she hadn’t expected to see so many people suffering similar wounds after this first battle. It didn’t seem that these men were as severely wounded as either of those men who were now on Uoria, but the wounds that she did see were still horrifying and she felt her mind starting to reject everything that was happening around her.

Pushing through the men, Elise ran outside and ducked behind a nearby house. She pressed her back against the stone wall and drew in a breath, willing her muscles to stop shaking and her mind to stop racing. Everything was pressing down on her. It felt almost as though she were watching it, standing on the other side of a screen just witnessing what was happening and not able to affect it at all. She struggled to bring herself into the reality of the moment, reminding herself that she was there, she was a part of this, and she could interact with it. She could make a difference.

Opening her eyes, Elise forced herself to look down at her hands. They were streaked with blood from pressing through the group on her way out of the building. The longer she looked at them, the less terrifying it seemed. Soon the fear gave way to anger and then determination. It wasn’t just blood, it was a strong and vivid reminder of each of the people who had suffered at the hands of the hybrids. That filled her with a drive that she hadn’t experienced before, and she pushed away from the building, turning back and rushing toward the makeshift hospital. More of the group were streaming through the compound entrance and she ran toward them.

“What can I do?” she asked.

“Water,” a man with large, damaged wings said with a low, gravelly voice. “Bring water.”

Elise nodded and ran to get the pitcher filled with water. She carried it back toward the men who were gathered outside and offered it to the winged man. He held it to his lips and drank it down eagerly before passing it to another man standing close behind him. Elise realized that none of these men were showing signs of injury and felt hopeful. The more she saw who had gotten through without damage, the more confident she felt that this was not the end. As the men passed the pitcher of water, she headed back to the fire and grabbed up another pitcher, bringing it to the pump to fill. When she got back, she handed off the pitcher and offered to bring the winged man some of the food that she and Lila had prepared.

For the next several minutes she scurried around the courtyard, refilling the water pitchers, serving food, and helping men distribute fresh clothes that they had brought with them on the ship. She was accepting back the half-filled water pitcher when she looked up and felt the pitcher fall from her fingers. A gasp stuck in her throat and she stumbled back a few steps. Ahead of her a massive beast was coming through the entrance into the compound. Though none of those around her seemed frightened by its presence, Elise felt herself shaking.

“What is that?” she asked one of the few women who had come with the group and who had started helping her with her tasks.

“It’s a Meldor,” the woman said.

The word sent a shiver through Elise. Hearing it reminded her of what Kyven had gone through under the ground because of that creature. The animal started coming closer and Elise backed up further, not wanting to turn her back on it for fear that it would attack her in the same way.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” a voice told her.

Elise looked up and saw a woman sitting astride the Meldor.

“Is this thing safe?” she called back.

The woman patted the animal’s flank and it stopped walking. She reached behind her back and Elise saw that she was untying the fabric from the front of her body. That was the first time that she noticed that the woman was holding a baby. The woman leaned down and carefully handed the baby to a man who stood close beside the animal. Once the baby was safe, the woman swung her legs over to the side and carefully climbed down until she could jump to the sand in front of Elise.

“This is a Meldor,” the woman said. “I can assure you that it is perfectly safe.”

“And who are you?” Elise asked.

The question came out sounding more aggressive and accusatory than she had intended, but she felt intensely protective of the compound and everyone in it, and this woman and the creature that she rode felt like a threat.

“My name is Severine,” the woman said. “This is my mate, Rilex.” She gestured toward the man now cradling the baby. “I have the trust of those who were on Earth. You can trust me. And you can trust the Meldor. It is just an animal. All it needs is to be taken care of, just like the men. Food, water, and rest. That’s all.”

Elise looked at the animal again and saw it turn its head toward her. Huge dark eyes stared at her and she saw no viciousness in them. Instead, they seemed deep and soulful, with a hint that seemed like a slight veil of fear over them, as if it, too, had experienced something harsh and painful. She turned back to Severine and nodded.

“Alright,” she said, gesturing to the cluster of buildings on the other side of the compound. “We aren’t using those buildings. They might have some things left in them, but they should be mostly empty. There is one that has double doors nearly the size of one wall, like it might have once been a barn or a stable. If it fits inside, it will be safe there. Bring it there and I’ll bring some water.”

“Thank you,” Severine said.

A few minutes later, Elise was walking away from the building that now housed the Meldor. Though there were still people rushing around, the compound felt calmer and more under control than it had when the group had first arrived. Feeling as though everything had settled down, she took up one of the lanterns from the ground and started through the clearing toward the far side of the compound. She knew that many of the people who had arrived would settle into the buildings closest to the main headquarters that they had established, which left much of the back portion of the compound empty and quiet.

The lantern created a pool of yellow light in front of her and she followed it into the peaceful stillness of the shadows. Elise chose a spot beside one of the buildings and eased herself onto the ground. Her body relaxed as she settled down, tension from her muscles sliding out and her joints loosening. She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes to rest for a moment. She had been sitting there for only a few moments when she heard footsteps coming toward her.