The Agrista (Between the Lines Book 1) (12 page)

  “Noted.”

  “You’re either really brave, or really stupid. My money’s on the latter,” Fallon snickered.

  Alex was wrong. It took
three
days to get to Anthros from Milités. Marie had been dreading their arrival, but by day three, she was sick with cabin fever and was prepared to kiss the ground
and
the cannibals as soon as she made her escape from Isa-hell. Being stuck in a confined space with one bathroom and four people on a diet of salted jerky and raw vegetables was not conducive to the overall morale.

  Much like a traditional flight, everyone flooded the aisle like zombie cattle, mindlessly stepping over one another as they scrambled to get to their luggage. She patiently waited for everyone to finish, tucking the Agrísta away beneath the sheets.

  “The Agrísta should
never
leave your side. What if something happens to the ship?” Alex scolded.

  “Are you referring to the ship you were so keen to leave me on because of how safe it is?” she quirked a thin brow.

  “Nothing’s going to happen to the ship!” Raeph bellowed. “You better hope not, because if something does, you’re all goners.” Not the most comforting parting words.

  “He’s not wrong,” Fallon agreed with a shrug.

  “You all know the drill, but
she
doesn’t.” Raeph gently tapped Marie on the shoulder as he barreled through the crowd. “Therefore, the rest of you are going to have to bear with me, and listen to my longwinded explanation.” He grinned like a joker upon hearing Fallon groan. Raeph threw three silver bracelets into the crowd and personally hand-delivered Marie’s. “When you’re ready to come back, push this down and speak a command into it. I’ll be there in seconds.” Raeph pointed to a large opal gem at the center of the bracelet. “
Any
time, even if it’s five minutes from now,” he whispered, leaning just a little bit too close for Alex’s comfort.

  “She understands,” Alex growled, pulling a wolfish grin from Raeph.

 
The four of them lined up at the door, impatiently waiting for Raeph to release them. Marie made sure to be last in line. As eager as she was to leave this damn ship and regain her personal space, she was hesitant to step foot on Anthros and see firsthand the horrors it held.

  Cayden shook his head when Fallon playfully tackled Alex, sticking to him with the persistency of static cling as he swatted her away. Now that Marie knew Fallon was doing it solely to get under her skin and Alex had
no
interest in her whatsoever, it was easier to ignore them, but it still irritated her immensely.

  Marie took deep breaths to brace herself as the three of them militantly marched down the steps ahead of her, shielding their eyes from the blinding light one by one. She focused all of her energy into taking that first step – symbolic in so many ways – only to have it stunted halfway when something yanked her back.

 
“There’s no shame in staying behind.” A gasp caught in her throat as Raeph held her back flush to his front.

  “Is that what you tell yourself?” Marie ripped her wrist from his grasp, infuriated that he’d interrupted her. Taking that first step was extremely difficult. His stony silence prickled the hairs on the back of her neck, and she knew she’d hit a nerve.

  Fallon often belittled Raeph’s skills by constantly giving him the job of driving the getaway car, so to speak. He was capable of so much more than that and she knew it, but they’d been friends since childhood and she wanted to keep him safely tucked away.

  It was selfish of Fallon to deprive him of his honor, and unlike her not to take risks. The unspoken confusion and resentment it bred kept them constantly at arm’s length, always butting heads and laughing it away with meaningless banter while Raeph secretly harbored a grudge.

  “This is just something I
have
to do,” Marie added weakly.

 
She’s going to get herself killed over pride. What a damn waste,
Raeph scowled. “Do whatever you want,” he shrugged, lightly shoving her forward. Marie shot him a glare over her shoulder as she stumbled over her feet. Raeph didn’t seem to grasp the meaning of appropriate touch.

  Marie took a deep breath and slid her foot forward. Raeph’s distraction had only bolstered her anxiety – a fact that didn’t escape his notice. The crack of a hand smacking her arse shattered the silence and sent her crashing down the stairs.

  Alex caught her before she took a nosedive into the sand, suppressing a smile so as not to rouse her temper. He found her clumsiness surprisingly charming. If he had known what Raeph had done to throw her off balance, however, he wouldn’t have found it nearly as amusing.

  Raeph closed the door and the ship vanished. He figured that by the time he saw Marie again, she will have cooled off. He hadn’t gone the best way about seducing her, but Raeph made no apologies for his behavior. She could take him as he is or not at all.

  Putting Isabel into stealth mode had already drawn her thoughts elsewhere, making her forget about the little incident with her derriere. He wryly chuckled as he watched her continually try to sense the ship. She sliced her arm through the air as she flared her nostrils in concentration. He could see her, but she couldn’t see him.

  “The ship is completely undetectable, as you can see. Are you sure you don’t want to stay…” Marie cut Alex off with a glare.

  “I already gave you my answer,” she ground out. “Let’s get this over with.” Marie spun on her heel and lumbered forward.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

 
A
nthros was known as the land devoid of sun, but the Southern half burned with the intensity of thousands. The only sound that filled the air was that of Marie and her companions, and not a single grain of sand stirred in the distance. Marie didn’t detect any sign of life among the endless ocean of gold, filling her with equal parts hope and futility.

  After traveling through the sweltering desert, dragging her feet over molten terrain that burned through her boots and scorched her flesh, it became increasingly easy for Marie to forget about the dangers this land held and begin to feel safe. Exhausted, to say the least, but safe.

  She wasn’t sure how long they’d been traveling, but she felt like she’d been walking directly on the sun for hundreds of miles. Fortunately, the armor she was wearing wasn’t stifling at all, but it made no difference with heat this extreme.

  No one seemed to mind that Marie needed to rest her legs about every hour or so; even Fallon, which was surprising. Marie figured the only reason Fallon didn’t complain was because she was itching for a fight, and the more time they spent here, the more likely one was to find them. Marie didn’t want to hold everyone back, and she definitely didn’t want to run into the cannibals, but she could only push her body so far.

  “Not that I’m complaining or anything, I’m just curious,” Marie said as she gasped for air. “How much farther do we have to travel? I mean, how realistic is it that we’re going to find Laylia in this wasteland? Why would
anyone
come here?” She squinted up at Alex.

  “You know, I’m not really sure why anyone would come here,” Cayden answered for Alex, since Alex didn’t seem to think her question merited a response. “But it’s the only lead we have, kid. Let’s rest here for a few moments,” Cayden’s large hand engulfed Marie’s shoulder, bringing her steps to a sudden halt. He could tell she desperately needed a break, but was holding back from saying anything.

  Marie was thankful for the suggestion. Alex looked increasingly irritated with her every time they had to stop, but she felt like her lungs were about to collapse.

  She couldn’t look at Alex directly when she stopped to rest, though. It only intensified how guilty she felt for being so needy, especially since
she
was the one who
insisted
on coming along, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

  She plopped down right where she stood and took her time stretching. Hot as it was, it felt amazing to sit down, but it was going to make it even harder when they had to start moving again. She needed to remind herself constantly that just because they hadn’t run into trouble yet didn’t mean it wasn’t out there, but at least she was safe for now. No danger was present in the miles and miles of open sand; the same view she’d been looking at since they arrived.

  Marie took a big gulp of water out of her canteen and arched her back, getting in one last stretch. She felt a slight vibration directly below her as she began to push herself up by her arms. She paused for a moment to see if she felt it again. When nothing happened, she scrambled to her feet.

  As soon as Marie found her footing, the ground shook so hard she nearly toppled over. She was surprised that no one else seemed to feel it. She considered the possibility that sporadic tremors were nothing out of the ordinary for this land, but it was the first time she’d noticed them.

  The next tremor sent her flying backward. This time, she was
sure
the others had felt it because everyone was looking straight at her. Mass panic spread through the group as anxiety stiffened their features, contorting hers like a sweeping contagion.

 
“You’re bleeding!” Alex pointed to her leg. “Why didn’t you say anything?” his eyes widened with horror.

  “I didn’t even notice,” Marie nervously wiped the blood away with her palm, willing herself not to wince. She wasn’t sure why Alex was freaking out. It was just a measly scrape, after all.

  Marie stubbornly ignored Alex’s hand out offering assistance. He’d been short with her since they’d arrived because she didn’t agree with his decision for her to stay behind, and that royally pissed her off. She’d uprooted her entire life for the sake of their cause, and coming here tested her sanity at every turn. She needed patience and understanding, not judgments and petulance.

  A roar of protest emanated from her companions as Marie thrust her bloody hand into the sand, followed by a powerful rumble that made the land weep and tremble. A chill washed over Marie and settled into her bones. Something was wrong. Somehow her simple actions had become a catalyst for something unimaginable.

  Suddenly she was upside down, dangling ten feet in the air above everyone else. Something
big
had a hold of her. Bands of steel encircled her, trapping the air in her lungs and stifling her screams. Her bones felt like matchsticks against the vise grip. She willed them not to crumble as all the blood rushed to her head, stripping her of her peripheral vision.

  Images of Fallon and Cayden rushing toward her exploded in starbursts of light as black spots skittered across her sightline, mottling her vision. Cayden stood ramrod straight as he hoisted Fallon onto his shoulders. In a flash of silver, she unsheathed her sword, slicing a clean line over Marie and bathing her in a downpour of crimson.

  Marie began plummeting toward the ground, face first. Whatever had a hold of her was still wrapped around her, but there was no longer any force behind its grip. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the hard – if not fatal – landing, but never made impact.

  Alex had managed to catch her right before she hit the ground, wrenching her from the carnage and shielding her close to his chest. She listened to the erratic patter of his heartbeat, in stark dissonance with her frenzied gasps. She honed in on the haunting synchronization that deadened her to their surroundings. Everything was happening so unbelievably fast.

  She placed her hands flat on Alex’s chest and pushed herself away, craning her neck to assess the situation. She blanched when she saw the detached hand that nearly served as her coffin. The fingers were as long as her legs and three times as thick, with fingernails as big as her head that had bone fragments and rotting flesh caked underneath. No one happened to mention that the cannibals were giants.

  Unable to help herself, she slowly lifted her head to see the creature it belonged to. She drew in a deep breath and held it before fully raising her gaze. When she finally mustered up the courage to set her eyes upon the enormous beast charging toward her to reclaim its hand, a terrible scream erupted from her chest.

 
The creature stood more than fifteen feet tall, with an anatomical structure similar to a man’s. Heavily muscled with broad shoulders and narrow hips, it was a far cry from anything human. Its hair, matted into dreadlocks with god knows what, reached all the way down to its waist. Its skin was cracked and calloused, stained with blood and layered with sand.

  It had a mouth fall of jagged canines that stretched from ear to ear, and its gums were black with decay. Its face was twisted and deformed, with a flattened nose and lidless, bulging white eyes that hung limply from their sockets.

  Marie ran over to Alex in a panic, hiding behind him as he positioned himself into a fighting stance. She felt so pathetic, whimpering and cowering behind him like a little girl scared of the monster under her bed, but this was a real life monster, and she was definitely a damsel in distress at the moment. The shame of her cowardice sunk in as she trembled behind him.

  She’d lived her whole life this way; in a cushy bubble of safety, avoiding anything that might frighten her. It wasn’t living at all. She decided right then and there that it was time for a change. She was sick of running scared. She was fed up with feeling weak.

  Being around such fearless, seasoned warriors had a way of making Marie feel insignificant. There wasn’t much she could contribute other than serving as a distraction, and that carried the potential of only making matters worse.

  Fear coursed through her veins as her heart pounded wildly against her ribcage like a stampede of wild horses, transforming into adrenaline fueled bravado with each accelerated tick.

  She might die here today. She refused to accept that as her fate, but she was well aware of the possibility. Come what may, she would not allow herself to be swallowed up by Alex’s shadow. She would stand next to him, tall and proud, and face her destiny with dignity.

  Marie had every intention of holding her chin up high and looking the creature straight in the eye as it barreled toward them like a freight train, but it didn’t exactly pan out that way. She closed her eyes and took several slow, jagged side-steps out from behind Alex, weaving back and forth in sync with drawn out, shaky breaths.

  “What are you doing?” Alex hissed. Befuddlement marred his handsome features as he pursed his lips into a thin line and his eyes hardened to stone.

  Marie popped her eyes open with a surge of bravery. They were automatically drawn to the ravenous beast reaching for its detached hand. The same hand that only a few moments ago was tenderizing her for consumption, only to become the main course itself. She convulsed at the thought.

 
Her stomach churned and exploded as she watched the beast bite into its own severed hand. Acid licked the back of her throat in slow, taunting strokes, leaving it sensitive and raw as she watched flesh being pulled through the creature’s sharp teeth.

  The beast ate most of the flesh in mere seconds and sucked the remainder of it from the bones, making revolting tearing and slurping sounds that made the others shudder.

  Marie noticed a vein protruding from between its endless canines as blood and drool dribbled down its chin. The scent of decay slammed into her, causing her to lose control and she lurched forward, violently tossing up the entire contents of her stomach.

  An inhuman hunger etched an expression of endless need upon the creature’s face as it turned to Marie and Alex, its nose slightly twitching. A quick succession of warbled gasps caught in her throat, accompanying painful palpitations as she watched the monster with mirrored confusion. It stood perfectly still as it strained its ears, listening for a sound that would give their position away.

  The monster began to noticeably salivate as it flattened them with its cold gaze. Marie couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t attacking them, but what she found even more confusing was that Fallon and Cayden weren’t using this opportunity to strike. Everyone went painfully stiff, watching one another with bated breath.

  The next few seconds felt like an eternity. Marie remained as still as she could, hoping that someone would eventually give her a sign as to what their strategy was. Ignorance bred helplessness, giving rise to her fear, which was eager to manifest.

  A strong gust of wind suddenly ripped through the hills, whipping loose sand into a frenzy as it danced all around them, separating Marie from her enemy and her companions. If she hadn’t been holding onto Alex, she would’ve gotten lost in the crystalline abyss.

  The wind came to a dead halt and the sand began to settle in disjointed mounds. Marie shivered as she shook the cold hand of silence. She tightened her grip on Alex as she frantically rubbed the grime from her eyes.

  She crinkled her nose as the pungent odor of blood and sweat infiltrated her senses with a rush of urgency. It gripped her stomach and squeezed, leaving her keeled over as waves of dizziness crashed over her like an angry tide.

  Marie took an uncertain step forward to investigate. When she opened her eyes, she was face to face with the terrifying monster. Its spotted gums oozed with abuse and neglect. The length of its sharp teeth rivaled Marie’s height, and the spaces between them were chocked full with chunks of festering, rotting flesh, coated with maggots and slime.

  Alex coiled his arm around her waist from behind, ripping the air from her lungs so only the whisper of a scream escaped her lips. The creature chomped down right as Alex jerked her away, missing her by mere centimeters. Its jaw clamped together with the force of gravity as anger embossed the hard lines on its face.

  The monster savored the scent of tender flesh just a breath from his face as it tickled the back of his tongue, fueling his perpetual need to pacify his insatiable craving. Each time he fed his terrible need, it only took him further away from the very desire that made him do it: to be human again.

  Eons ago, this beast was just a simple man, but at the hands of the Nocté Bellatores, he had devolved into an abominable creature who knew only one thing. To feed. The Nocté Bellatores had taken a harmless civilization whose only goal was survival, and with a ruthless invasion and empty promises, plunged them into the darkness.

  Years of endless torture in the thralls of dark magic mutated the Anthro Pophagos into the Nocté Bellatores’ own personal garbage disposal. They’d stripped away every last thread of their humanity and sent them out into the world as wild animals, solely to beef up their security.

  In the end, their experiment had turned against them, transforming the helpless slaves they’d stolen away into a formidable foe that thrived on the power of their natural enemy, light. The Anthro Pophagos fiercely protected their land, and Anthros became eternally divided by North and South.