Marduk’s Mark [12]
Midnight
Crimson lights, azure shapes, lavender silhouettes. All around her, all moving and shifting. Changing, twirling, beating. Was it real? A dream? An illusion? A trick? None, maybe all, maybe something else entirely. All that seemed real was the pain; that horrible, rhythmic beating at her forehead. It blurred her vision, leaving her vulnerable and scared. Then there was the sound. A constant high-pitched ringing in her ears that seemed to intensify or taper off from time to time. It was all kind of random and entirely irritating. It was driving her insane as she looked for a way to diminish it, to control it. She leaned against a wall that she felt behind her, her breathing becoming fast and erratic. She was moving her head side to side not sure, which ailment was worst of them all.
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to focus herself. She placed her hands on the wall, open palms facing in the opposite direction of her face. She moved her feet erratically, unsure if the ground beneath her was solid or not. Slowly, she shambled forward, away from the wall, holding her right hand on her forehead for support due to the pain.
Gerhalt stood atop one of the taller houses in the district. He didn’t think she could have gotten far, but it deeply worried him that he saw nor felt any sign of her. He could definitely see the guards performing their pre-Inspection rounds though. They had moved out of the streets that surrounded his home, heading north and back towards the human districts. At least this means that they’re about to finish for the night, he thought to himself. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped his forehead. He still hadn’t found his mother, but at least he was sure it would be much easier now that they were about to leave their district. Unfortunately, sometimes things just don’t work out to be so simple.
The Threed that was aiding the guards extended his right arm to the side and spread his fingers out. The guards recognized that as a signal to stop and all held their ground. Gerhalt couldn’t see the particular gestures from his vantage point, but he did notice the guards all stopping in their tracks suddenly. He shivered at the thought of what may be going on.
One of the guards, the one wearing the most ornate armor of them all walked past the Threed to take point. He made eye contact with the Threed, looking for confirmation. The Threed nodded at him. He walked slowly, his right hand holding on to the hilt of a sword that rested on a leather scabbard by his left hip. He held a lantern in his left hand. He walked towards an unmarked house where a figure could be seen leaning against a wall for support.
“Excuse me,” he called. “No Deelamn is allowed outside at this hour tonight nor tomorrow. Do you understand?”
Gerhalt moved among the rooftops, hiding from the moons’ light, hoping to get closer to the guards without being noticed. He knew he wasn’t supposed to break curfew, but he also knew things would take a very bad turn if the guards caught up to his mother. Damn curse, he thought to himself. First his father, not his mother too; not again.
Muffled sounds hit her ears. Maybe a voice? She wasn’t sure; it all sounded like loud, pulsing bangs to her. She did feel a presence though; that uncomfortable feeling one gets in the skin when one is not alone. She straightened up and stood up tall, taking a step away from the wall, and slowly began to open her eyes.
The guard with the ornate armor and the lantern took a step back, startled.
“Stay right there,” he yelled. The other five guards were about to go over to his side, but the Threed motioned for them to stop.
“Shit,” Gerhalt muttered. He had found his way to the roof of a house about 300 meters from the guards. For a moment he worried that they may have heard him through the silence of the night, but the worry seemed unfounded. He was still too far for the guards. The Threed heard him though. He smiled, but otherwise acted as if he didn’t hear anything. The thick mass of hair on his head waved about, seemingly moving on its own accord.
Her heart raced, her hands trembled. She no longer cupped her forehead, choosing to hold out her arms at the sides of her body. The loud, unbearable sounds kept her dazed and confused, which made things all the grimmer when she came to terms with what she was seeing. Lanky, scaled, grotesque. Some sort of twisted, lizard-like creature. Was it the cause of the other noise just a moment ago? It opened its mouth, showing off rows of fangs, almost like a shark, and a snake-like bifurcated tongue. She thought she should be afraid of it but instead, all she felt was rage towards it. Rage and hatred coalescing into an uncontrollable need to strike it down!
“That’s enough, lady!” The guard yelled at her. He set his lantern on a hook hanging from his belt and pulled the sword out from its scabbard. He held it with both hands on the hilt, its blade covering the upper half of his face at an angle.
She heard the beast yelling again. It seemed that its body was full of fire as smoke and ashes escaped from its mouth and its nostrils. It produced a long, bony appendage from its hip which it pulled with its arms and held it as if it were a weapon. She yelled and lunged towards it, leading with her left side.
“Die, unholy beast!” she exclaimed.
“What the heck is going on,” Thomas said out loud. Dana was so tired that she didn’t hear him, let alone the yelling guard which was separated from them by a five-inch concrete wall. The lone window in the bedroom was found on a perpendicular wall that did not face the situation going on. He got up from the bed, put on his tunic and breeches, grabbed his sword, and ran towards the door.
Gerhalt ran from his position, no longer caring whether they saw him or not. He ran among the rooftops, getting closer, then he jumped towards the guard and his mother, hoping to somehow put a stop to the proceedings. The Threed extended his right arm in the direction that Gerhalt came from, then closed his fist as he jumped down. A light was produced that shined from the floor at his position, moving upwards towards the sky. When Gerhalt’s position and that of the line met it seemed as if he hit a wall with his face. He fell flat on the floor, unable to interrupt the encounter.
The guard slashed with his sword, but he didn’t hit his mark. Xandra, using the forward momentum from her lunge rolled to the side, avoiding the blade. She reacted far faster than the guard, who was surprised to find thin air where he had swung. She produced a wide, sweeping kick at his feet that made him lose his balance and fall to the floor. The lantern broke, producing a small flame that stung the guard on his torso. He grunted in pain from the heat.
Thomas went out through the living room and saw Xandra’s sweeping kick hit the guard, sending him to the ground and the oil from the lantern burning him. Two of the other guards went to the front to aid the one in the heavily adorned armor. Thomas was surprised when he took a look at Xandra. Surely that woman couldn’t have toppled that guard so easily, he thought to himself. He got even more confused when he looked to the side and noticed the Threed standing next to what appeared to be a young man in his late teens. It was a bit difficult to make it all out in the dim light produced by the lamp posts.
“Could someone explain what the heck is going on,” he yelled.
The three guards by the Threed surrounded Gerhalt and drew their swords, pointing them at him as he lay on the floor. He looked at the guards and grimaced as he rubbed the back of his hand against his nose, then forcefully fanned it at the ground, wiping the blood away. He looked at them defiantly. The Threed went towards him and extended his left arm at him, apparently offering to help him off the floor.
Xandra stabilized herself after the sweeping kick and looked at the beast as it got up. It no longer produced fire from its stomach, though now she noticed two more beasts joining it on its flanks. She also saw another creature, but she had trouble making out what it was. She couldn’t let the beasts live, she thought to herself. The pounding noise on her head came in faster beats, producing a rhythm that accelerated her heartbeat. The first beast turned and faced her, then bared its fangs as it met her eyes with its eyes. She saw it as a grayish-black shape that stood out among the lavender hues of the world as she perceived it. She felt a burning sensation from her forehead.
“Let me take care of her,” the guard in the ornate armor yelled to the other two that came to his aid.
“As you wish, captain,” they responded. Then they went towards Thomas and urged him to return to the house. “This is a pre-Inspection night. Nobody is allowed outside!” Thomas had an incredulous look on his face.
“So no one can see you all beat up on a woman and a kid,” he asked, emphasizing the word woman with his inflections.
The two guards drew their swords at him.
“Please return to your home or face discipline.” Thomas gritted his teeth. His mind raced; this was unfair, he thought to himself, but he also considered that this was Dana’s property. He didn’t want to get her in trouble with the local authorities.
“Ok, you’ve won,” he said, then went back inside the house and slid the curtains open so he could see how the situation progressed.
Gerhalt, rather than extend his arm to meet the Threed’s, gambled on his speed and rolled to the side, then jumped with all the strength he could muster, propelling himself towards his mother. The Threed smiled. How predictable these Deelamn are, he thought to himself. It didn’t matter though; things were just getting interesting and he’d hate to spoil the show by meddling in their affairs more than necessary. In fact, he’s probably done more meddling than he’s allowed to so far, but it sure felt exciting to him. The Threed opened his mouth slightly and licked his lips. This would be a night he’d enjoy documenting alright!
As soon as he fell on the ground, he rolled and kept the momentum, wrapping his right arm against his mother’s waist during the movement and shoving her out of harm’s way as the guard swung his sword against her once more. She yelled as she felt the strong tug. The two guards, still making sure that Thomas returned inside the home were unable to help their captain stop the pair as Gerhalt pulled his mother along, running deeper into the Deelamn district.
“You fools, go after them!” the guard captain yelled. The guards nodded but then looked at their captain, unsure of which direction to go to.
“That way,” he yelled, pointing towards the south, along a street littered with closed merchant carts, barrels, and the usual banner stand. Gerhalt had run through that street just a moment ago, then had turned a right, hoping to use the winding connecting streets to lose them and confuse them. He also motioned for the guards by the Threed to pursue. They seemed unsure, but the Threed nodded.
“That’s right,” the captain yelled. “I’m your captain!” The Threed seemed amused by their lack of decisiveness, placing more importance on his authority than their captain’s.
For some reason moving away from the beasts intensified the pain in her head, making her want to return to fight it.
“Let me go,” she yelled. “I must end the beasts!” Gerhalt didn’t stop though; he kept pulling her along, going through perpendicular streets, avoiding alleys, trying to keep ahead by means of his familiarity with the layout of the district.
The five guards had searched through the length of the market street but couldn’t find the Deelamn.
“They must have gone through some of those side streets,” one of them said. Another of the guards sighed.
“So we’re empty-handed,” he replied shortly afterward.
“I think I may know where they live,” another of the guards said, one of the three that had stayed by the Threed. All other four guards looked at him in surprise.
“That kid, and the woman,” he said, then paused for a moment as rubbed his chin. “Definitely them,” he said.
“Well, spit it out, who are they?” one of them protested.
The guard stopped rubbing his chin, promptly replying.
“The woman must have been Xandra, and he must be Gerhalt. They’re the Neeves. They do a kind of combat school thing where they teach kids how to defend themselves, though Karlos wasn’t with them tonight.”
They all looked at him in surprise.
“Karlos?” one of them asked.
“He’s the teacher; probably his father.”
The guards all nodded and went back to their captain. They may not have caught up with them, but they knew who they were going after now.
