Rise of the Mare (Fall of Man Book 2) by Jacqueline Druga Page A

the
silence of the aftermath and sobbed.

SIXTEEN – TANNER
     
    I
guess it could be considered fate. Davis had taken me off of night
watch at Lyons Estates and put me on the city watch. There were no
Day Stalker spotted and knowing they’d more than likely hit the
outlying parts, we focused on moving people to get them ready for
the nightly Savage hits.
    Even after the sun had set, hours
later, nothing happened. No Savages at all. It was as quiet as when
Vala walked a beat.
    I used the armored car to check on
different stations. The beach was clear, the garage was quiet, and
I went to Davis’ home. I knew he wouldn’t be sleeping, since no one
really had gotten any rest.
    Imagine my surprise when I walked in
and saw Vala.
    It was weird. I saw her, ran to her,
and then realized she didn’t look right. I thought she was a
ghost.
    Had she died? That’s what I wondered
and then Vala told me she was letting us know she had arrived in
Akana.
    For some reason, Davis couldn’t hear
her, but I conveyed to him that she was fine and that Nito was
stopping at nothing to get her. That didn’t surprise me.
    What did surprise me was the fact
that Davis wanted me to withhold the truth from Vala. He didn’t
want me to tell her we were attacked by Day Stalkers, that a horde
of them were on their way. I had to tell her everything was fine,
when it was anything but.
    I had a bad feeling all the way
around. On our end and Vala’s. Perhaps it was just uneasiness that she was
going to be chosen in a ceremony the next day, given to a Sybaris
and living in their city.
    On my end it was the combination of
wanting to not sit idly by combined with the pressure of keeping
people safe.
    Things were coming to a head, I could
feel it. I just didn’t know what that all would entail. I did know
one thing: Davis heard me.
    He heard me when I talked about going
after the Day Stalkers, finding the Savage nests, and taking them
out before they could strike.
    The Savages would be easy. They slept
at night. We only needed to draw them into sunlight. Why we never
did it in the first place, I still didn’t know. From what I saw, we
were going to do it now. Davis had a map, and was working on
putting together the best teams to send out.
    It was about time.

SEVENTEEN – VALA
     
    I deeply mourned the loss of my mother. It was heartbreaking, yet,
a part of it did not seem real. My soul ached and there was nothing
I could do until daylight.
    In the moments after the attack,
after the Savages were destroyed, the surviving Akanians returned.
The cried out in the night through their sorrow and cursed my
name.
    A part of me wondered if something
had occurred when I reached my eighteenth year. Since turning
eighteen, I had fled my home, watched my horse die, and witnessed
friends slaughtered.
    Now, my family was gone.
    Was it me?
    I thought much about that as I
gathered belongings and trinkets of memories while waiting for
morning. I fell asleep only briefly. The stench of the Savages
flowing into the house was overwhelming, and I knew what morning
would bring.
    The stench of rotten was soon
replaced with burning as the sun’s rays hit upon the remains,
causing them to disintegrate.
    My mother was infected with Sybaris
blood, she was a Day Stalker, even though I relinquished her from
it.
    Stepping from my home, I saw the
smoke rise from her body as she began to burn.
    Akanians attempting to retrieve their
loved ones found themselves facing flames, screaming out once
again.
    “Get out! Leave!” they shouted.
“Haven’t you done enough!”
    “Gods help you. Nito surely will know
what to do.”
    Yes, Nito. The mention of her name
drew anger from inside me like I had never felt.
    I had planned to leave, wait outside
the walls of our village, then a line of vehicles drove in. The
Ancient Sybaris had arrived… too late.
    Eight Ancients, plus two Elders
emerged. Nito was not present. While it may have surprised others,
I expected her absence.
    Iry rushed from