"Let's go," I said as I hurried toward a room I was certain no one other than The Ancients had ever entered into.
Chapter 21
Bethany,
"Bethany." Bishop stuck the cotton ball against my arm as Aiden appeared in the doorway of the small house we had chosen to use as a makeshift research facility. Bishop had uncovered a small microscope and a couple of slides in a teenager's room. He'd found some needles in a medicine cabinet beside some insulin. It wasn't much, but he had chosen today to return to examining my blood. I wasn't enjoying being stuck again, but I was actually grateful for the distraction from thoughts of Cade that he was providing. The look in Aiden's eyes caused me to jump off the chair I had been perched upon though.
"What is it?" I demanded.
"The ship."
A sick feeling settled in the pit of my stomach as I grabbed my gun from the table and hurried toward the doorway. The ship hovering in the distance appeared perfectly normal except for the small puff of smoke that was now trailing from the side of it. My heart plummeted into my feet; it took me a minute to catch my breath as terror constricted my chest and tears clogged my throat.
I would have much preferred to have been on that ship, to know what was going on, what he was doing and if he was ok. I understood that I couldn't be there, but as I watched the last of the smoke drift away I would have given anything to be with him.
"Cade," I breathed.
Lloyd looked at me over his shoulder as Bret squeezed my arm. "I'm sure he's fine," Bret assured me.
I nodded but I didn't believe him. Molly stepped forward and took both of Aiden's hands within hers as I waited breathlessly for something more to happen. I didn't know how much time passed but it felt like hours as my muscles became rigid and my neck was so stiff I could barely move it. The sound of Bishop's steps on the porch finally tore my attention away from the ship. "I have something to show you."
I frowned at Bret and Aiden as the doctor retreated into the house again. Forcing one foot in front of the other I followed Bishop into the house. I felt as if I'd just downed twenty sodas as my hands wouldn't stop fidgeting and jumping everywhere as I hovered behind the doctor. It was taking everything I had not to return outside to watch the ship, but driving myself crazy wasn't going to do anyone any good.
"Take a look," Bishop said and gestured toward the microscope set up on the table.
Uncertain if I wanted to see what it would reveal, I took a deep breath and cautiously approached it. Bending down I peered through the lens to the slide before me. As I watched one cell began to mix and blend with another. The invaded cell shriveled like a raisin and appeared to die.
"What am I looking at?" I was happy that my voice didn't shake.
"Your blood cells attacking my blood cells," Bishop answered.
My knees shook as I stepped away from the microscope. "So my blood won't help to keep you moving if they do release another form of the gas?"
"It won't keep me moving; in fact it will kill me. I'd like to test the others though, especially your siblings."
I nodded as I glanced over my shoulder at Abby and Aiden. Aiden was sitting at the table with Bret, Jenna and Molly. Abby was curled up on the couch behind them; her hands were tucked under her head as she slept. She looked so young and vulnerable that it tugged at my heart. Her boyfriend, Matt was curled up on the other end of the couch with his feet entwined with hers. On the floor before them Barney had one eye open as the dog watched everyone.
Aiden leaned over and kissed Molly, his hand trailed over her cheek before he walked away from her and began to roll up his sleeve. "Bethany." I turned back to Bishop as he pulled out another syringe and began to prep it for Aiden. "There is one good thing going on right now."
"That is?" I prompted when he became more focused on Aiden's vein than what he had been saying.
"Your cells have completely stabilized. There are no new changes in them and they are no longer being taken over. Whatever changes your body was going through are over with now."
Relief filled me as I nodded. I didn't mind being faster and being able to see and hear better, who would? I didn't even mind the craving for red meat or blood as long as that was all I would have to deal with. It was a far better alternative to being frozen. But it was petrifying to think that my body may have just kept changing to the point that I became someone I might not recognize anymore; someone that started to attack and feed on people, someone that could no longer be trusted around my loved ones. I knew that Cade wasn't like that, but no one had known what it was that I would become.
Rosemary had said the others that had received blood were fine too, but there had been no way to know what would happen after more time past. Bishop had given me that answer though, this was who I was, who I would be from now on, and I was beyond happy with that.
"That is good," I whispered.
He offered me a small smile before focusing on Aiden again. Stepping back into the doorway my gaze instantly returned to the ship. Cade had made it that far, that was something at least, I told myself. This standing here, impotently waiting though was enough to drive a person mad as I swiftly moved down the stairs.
Lloyd rested his rifle against his shoulder when I stepped beside him again. His eyes remained distant and cold as his gaze ran over me. He'd never been the warmest of people but I'd considered him a friend, and ally. I would give anything to fix what was wrong between us but I didn't think that was possible. He had trusted me and I had betrayed that trust. I'd chosen my path and now I would have to accept the fact that I may never get his trust back, that I deserved his disapproval.
"Any luck?" he inquired dryly.
"No. Bishop's testing Aiden now."
He nodded as he turned away again. My eyes focused on the menacing alien vessel that had been marring our sky for far too long. I wished I could see through the damn thing to what was going on inside. The not knowing was the worst part but I thought I would feel it if something were to happen to Cade.
But what if I didn't?
I turned around and paced back to the house as Aiden appeared in the doorway. "Anything different with your blood?" I asked.
Aiden shook his head. "No."
My shoulders slumped, if my blood didn't help them than they were all screwed if the aliens decided to release a new gas. I could take a lot, but I didn't think I could take losing everyone that I loved and cared about. I turned away from them and stalked to the edge of the clearing. Deep within the shadows of the forest, I thought I spotted movement amongst the trees. Frowning, I brought my gun before me as I drew within myself like Cade had taught me to do. Searching amongst the shadows, I tried to pick out what it was that I sensed out there, but I didn't see it again.
A chill crept down my spine as I took a quick step back. "There's something out there," I hissed.
"Where?" Lloyd demanded as he appeared at my shoulder.
"I'm not sure."
Another shadow seemed to flit through the woods but I saw nothing as I turned to follow it. I was straining to see through the trees when screaming erupted at the encampment. Lloyd didn't bother to look back before running into the woods toward the people we had left behind. "Stay here!" I yelled at Aiden and the others before taking off into the forest after him.
I caught up and past by Lloyd before we were halfway to the encampment. I jumped and darted around the obstacles in my way as the woods raced by in a blur of tree trunks and branches. This new found strength and speed was amazing, and though I was frightened by what was going on, I was also exhilarated by the power that coursed through me. I wasn't even breathing heavily by the time I arrived at the compound.
It took me only a second to understand the source of the chaos as people ran screaming in multiple directions at once. Three of the giant octopus/tick like Seekers had invaded the camp and were in the process of hunting down as many people as they could.
I didn't know how they had discovered us, but the small bit of security we had foun
d here was effectively ruined. I lifted my rifle to my shoulder and began to fire as one of the creatures picked up a young girl and slammed her viciously into the ground. More Seekers emerged from the woods as screams reverberated through the air and the monsters began to swarm us.
***
Cade,
I ducked down and moved rapidly through the hole into the room beyond. I hadn't known what to expect but I took a large step back as I found myself on a golden balcony that overlooked a tree with its roots embedded in a glimmering pool of water. The tree stretched almost to the top of the domed ceiling. Its boughs were full of thick green, red, and orange leaves that didn't appear to be about ready to fall from it but instead seemed to be the actual hue of the tree. Thick golden fruit that I didn't recognize hung from the lower boughs; the weight of them pulled the tips of the branches into the clear purple water below.
I didn't know what out of this would be considered The Fountain, whether it was the tree itself, the water, the fruit, or perhaps it was everything working together, but I was certain that we had just discovered the source of The Ancients immortality.
The room must have been designed to jut out of the side of the ship, instead of being nestled securely into the bottom like I had originally thought, as the domed roof was translucent enough to see the sun beyond. The rays spilling into the vast room caused a myriad of gold, silver, and blue colors to dance across the white marble floor. Tapestries full of vibrant colors and breathtaking scenes hung from the walls. There were strange animals on some of them. Some of the animals appeared docile but others looked like they could rip my head off with one swipe of their car sized paws. Other tapestries also depicted scenes from different planets, with strange looking species that most certainly weren't human, but I suspected they'd also fallen victim to my people.
There were three tapestries of earth within the mix of thirty or more. They depicted sparkling blue oceans, rolling fields, animals, the pyramids, Big Ben, what I assumed was the Grand Canyon, and one of people gathered before a fire with their heads bowed as if in prayer. A tug of longing pulled at my heart as my thoughts turned to Bethany. At least she was safe right now, and if we were successful she would continue to be so, for what I hoped was a very long life.
"This is not what I was expecting," Jessica whispered from beside me.
"None of this was what I was expecting," I told her. "Let's go."
These stairs didn't move but were more what we were used to as they wound down to the bottom in a twisting design that was beginning to annoy me by the time we were a quarter of the way down. Grabbing hold of the banister I kicked my feet up and propelled myself over the side. It was a fifty foot drop, but I barely felt the impact as one of my knees bent to rest on the ground.
Rising, I raced across the floor as I narrowed in on the tree and pond. I didn't know what I was going to do with it, blow it up or poison it, but I had the driving urge to get to it soon. Behind me, I heard the muted sound of the others shoes hitting the hard floor. Climbing onto the lip of the small wall surrounding the pool of water, I couldn't help but feel repulsed as I saw what the wall surrounding The Fountain had hidden.
The roots of the tree were fibrous and crimson in color as they moved like eels seeking a meal in the water. The fine hairs covering the roots rippled over and all pointed toward me as they seemed to sense me standing on the ledge. As one, the roots rushed forward and I swore I could almost hear eager chatter amongst them as they crashed against the wall beneath my feet.
"This is the source of their immortality?" Becky inquired in a low whisper from behind me.
"I don't know what this is, but it's awful," Jessica murmured.
"Is it the water or the tree?" Craig asked.
"It doesn't matter, we're going to destroy it all," I said as one of the roots began to slide up the wall toward me. I didn't move away from it as it broke free of the water. The fact that it was out of the water didn't slow it as it slithered upward and that odd sound of excitement continued to resonate in my ears.
"They feed it too," Jessica whispered. "They feed it humans."
"No," I said as I stepped off the ledge. "They feed it us. Our vitality, our life source runs this thing and in turn it runs them."
Betty inhaled sharply as Jessica's face scrunched up. Craig and Steve took an abrupt step back as the tip of the root thrust over top of the ledge and began to poke around. "That's disturbing," Craig said.
"And right, I believe he's right," Jessica croaked.
"They must have been crazy to drink or eat from this originally," Steve muttered as he eyed the fruit like it was going to bite him, which I wasn't entirely sure that it wouldn't.
"They're not exactly sane," I replied.
"Well that's not very nice." A cold chill ran down my spine as I froze in the act of pulling out another pipe bomb from within my shirt. My head came up as from behind the tree eight Tintagelians began to emerge. I hadn't seen them in years but I knew immediately that The Ancients had just arrived.
The pipe slid back into place as I released it and lowered my hand back to my side. I hadn't seen my parents since I was born but I knew immediately who my mother and father were. I don't know how I recognized them, but my gaze focused on them as they moved to the front of the group.
"Welcome," greeted the tall slender woman I recognized as my mother. She appeared to be in her mid to late thirties, her pitch black hair was cut just beneath her ears in a sleek bob that emphasized her angular features. Her cheekbones were high; her almond shaped eyes were the same hue as mine. The complexion of her skin was a faint olive that was a little lighter in color than mine. She wasn't stunningly beautiful but she was strangely mesmerizing as a smile spread across her full lips.
"And he was right." She was staring at me as if she expected me to say something but I remained mute as my gaze ran over the gathering of Ancients only thirty feet away. Their ages appeared to run from their late twenties to maybe early fifties, but there was an air of wisdom and age far beyond what their faces revealed surrounding them as their eyes ran over us. "About the tree, what it feeds on, what it will feed on."
My teeth clenched, my shoulders thrust back as I didn't miss the meaning behind her words. I'd blow us all up before I ever allowed her to feed me to that thing.
"You shouldn't be here." I remained focused on my mother; apparently she was the spokesperson for the group. The Ancients didn't look at each other but there was some strange rippling between them that I sensed was some form of communication. "But since you are, I think our friend will appreciate your presence, or should I say essence."
"The children Isis," another said. His skin was pale and there was a hunch to his shoulders that made me think of old men, fragile bones and death. I'd never seen one of our kind look like this, even in old age we tended to hold up well and more often than not we just passed away in our sleep.
"We will make more children Forseti. These two are too pathetic for us to even consider as leaders, or as our own. Feed them to the tree; let their life force nourish it," my mother replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.
I felt my gaze slide to the fiber still poking out over top of the wall. More roots had climbed up to join it now.
"Such a shame, the boy showed promise." My eyes slid back to them as the older looking man standing beside my mother raked me from head to toe with his charcoal eyes. Osiris, I recalled, my father.
"The boy is a waste of our time and effort," another woman stated. She reminded me of a pencil as there was little to her shape and her black hair had been pulled into a harsh bun.
"He is Kali," my mother agreed. "But he was strong."
I wasn't offended by these words; in fact I was as indifferent to them as these creatures were to me. "Sedna, Raijin why don't you grab your daughter?" my mother suggested. Sedna, a short, plump woman with ample breasts and her long hair pulled into a loose braid stepped forward. Raijin, a taller man with a hawkish nose moved to join her. I took a step to
the side so that I was standing in front of Jessica.
"Oh let's not pretend that our offspring is the reason you're here," Raijin drawled.
My hands fisted at my sides as my teeth clenched savagely. There was no way they could know about Bethany but even so my anger prickled as a cruel smile twisted Isis's mouth. "Yes we're aware that some of you are faulty," another man said. He looked to be the youngest out of them all, barely twenty-one. I vaguely remembered him as Segomo and only because he had once yelled at me to get out of his way. "That the humans can affect you in some strange way, that they can ruin you."
"They don't ruin us," I grated from between my teeth.
"They've brought you to your demise," Isis replied.
"You're too afraid of death to understand, but that is not our ruin."
I must have pricked a nerve as her mouth curled into a cruel sneer and her eyes narrowed fiercely. "We fear nothing."
"You fear living, you fear us, and you most certainly fear death. You wouldn't be feeding this monstrosity and partaking in whatever it gives to you if you didn't."
There was a second when nothing moved, no one even breathed and then, before I could even blink, she was on top of me. I threw my hands up as she grabbed hold of my throat and spun me around. Jessica launched herself onto Isis's back but she threw an arm back and knocked her aside as if she were no more substantial than a flea.
"I'll give you something to fear," Isis snarled in my face.
I clawed at her hand as I tried to pry her strangling grip free but it was like a steel vice around my throat as she bent me even further over The Fountain. I'd known The Ancients would be powerful but I'd never expected to encounter this. Bright lights burst before my eyes as my air was completely cut off. Thoughts of Bethany suffused me; her smell engulfed me as her melodious laughter drifted through my mind.
Drawing on the last remnants of strength I had, and the suffusion of energy that thoughts of Bethany brought to me, I threw my arm up and slammed it against the side of her face. A startled cry escaped her as I proved to be even more formidable than she had expected me to be. Her hold was torn lose as she was knocked aside. Launching back to my feet I dodged one of the roots that nipped at me.