Unmarked Journey

unfocused and distant.

  What the hell would this... force want with Cali? Elra thought.

  'It is the opinion of the Wise that Cali is being used as a bait, to lure you to them,' Rania said, anticipating Elra's thoughts with uncanny accuracy.

  Feelings of anger at Cali's disappearance mixed with guilt at not having spoken to her. Underlying both of these was the terrifying yet exciting realization that she was at the center of events of multiversal significance: something that she had been suspecting, but not wanting to believe, for quite a while now. The rifts opening into the desert, that blinding, scorching red desert; the red warrior woman, the way her latest rift attempt had been... hijacked by another force... But what do they want with me?

  Well, whatever they wanted, Elra wasn't going to let them have it. The cost was too high: her mother, her old life (not that was any great loss, mind you) and now Cali. But at least she could do something about Cali. Whatever it took, Elra was determined to get her back.

  'We'll find her,' she assured Rania. 'We'll make sure - '

  'I told you she wouldn't even ask,' Zhen interrupted, seething with fury.

  Elra turned around, confused. Zhen was standing behind her, her face scrunched up in a picture of anguish and hatred. It was then when Elra realized most of the other people in the group were looking at her with disdain. Tears were budding in Kai's eyes; Hiero, Rania and her father were looking anywhere but in her direction.

  'Don't you even care about the person who died?' Zhen screamed at her.

  Of course. That 'Marked brethren' Rania had mentioned. 'I'm sorry, I don't know... who was he?' Elra stuttered.

  'My father,' Kai interjected.

  There was a general murmur among the group. Elra was too stunned to talk.

  Harland piped up, breaking the silence. 'You've come like a whirlwind into our lives, bringing danger and loss in your wake. We don't know what the so-called Wise see in you; but here, in the real world, we look after our own. We'd appreciate it if you moved on as soon as possible.'

  Kai looked like he was about to speak, but no words came out.

  Hiero came forward. 'Perhaps Harland's words are somewhat harsh. We understand your predicament, and how strange it must be for you to be thrust into this... situation; but this isn't our fight.'

  'What the Wise want with an unmarked bitch is anyone's guess,' Zhen said ruefully.

  'Mother!' Kai finally spoke. 'I can vouch for Elra's talent. Her understanding of Knowledge is just as good as anyone else's in the Marked community. The fact that she's only just learned about all this makes it even more impressive.'

  'Listen, Kai. She hasn't been raised like you, or me, or any of the rest of us. She hasn't grown up hearing the stories of our kind, she doesn't understand how precious Marked lives are.’

  'But ma, she's living testament to the fact that, Marked or not, Knowledge is something shared by all people! You're letting your anger and regret at dad's death cloud your judgment.'

  A hush descended over the room. There was a livid fire in Zhen's eyes.

  'Don't you talk to your mother like that, boy,' Harland growled.

  'It's true, and you know it too. The events unfolding at the moment are bigger than all of us and will affect the entire human race. The Wise see it, and I'm sure dad would have seen it too.'

  Zhen's anger erupted: she belted him hard across the face with the back of her hand. There was a collective gasp: Hiero dashed forward to get in between the two of them, and Harland roughly grabbed Kai.

  'Ouch! You bastard!' Harland winced, as he received a thorough electric shock from Kai's palm. Kai pushed himself free and backed away from the group, hands out in front of him.

  'You'll pay for that!' Harland bellowed.

  Elra came to her senses. 'Stop it! All of you!'

  'Shut up, bitch,' snarled Zhen, turning on her.

  'Mother,' Kai began, 'if you call Elra that once more, I'll become the second man in your life to leave you.' His anger and exasperation seemed to snowball. 'She may not have grown up around us, but right now her problems are our problems.'

  Rania's serene voice was added to the mix. 'You don't see the danger we are in, Zhen. You only see anger.'

  Zhen spun round. Rania's father pulled her back, out of harm's reach.

  'It's my business what I think! Keep your prying mind out of my thoughts!'

  'She's only speaking the truth, mother,' Kai grimaced.

  'The only core of truth in this whole situation is that an outsider, an unmarked, has brought death and danger into our community!'

  'Death and danger are coming for all of us, Marked and unmarked, whether Elra is here or not!'

  'And she is the key to defeating them,' Rania added. 'Her power is great indeed.'

  'Bullshit,' Zhen scowled, and strode right up to Elra so her face was inches away from hers. 'What power?'

  'Mother... I have seen - '

  'I don't care what you've seen,' she said, cutting Kai off. She stared into Elra's eyes, and all Elra saw were two dark pools of fear. '...I want to see. I think we'd all be interested in seeing, actually.'

  Kai rolled his eyes, looking pained and apprehensive. Elra looked around at the others, staring them in the eye, one by one. After a few seconds of inaction, a barely visible grin grew on Harland's gruff face. Zhen's lips were pursed, but Elra was sure they restrained a perverse smile.

  She broke away from the group and walked off in the direction of the door. She was ready, so ready: she had felt the energy building up since the conversation had taken an antagonistic turn. They wanted a demonstration of her capabilities? They'd get one.

  She became minutely aware of where everyone stood in the room. She let the built-up energy weigh heavily in her hands for a moment, while silently counting down.

  'That's right, leave, you unmarked b - ' Zhen began.

  Wham. In one move Elra spun around and ripped apart the very air in front of her, both hands seemingly tearing at the seams of reality itself. There were gasps and screams from the assembled group: most satisfyingly, Zhen's physically recoiled from the shock. Rania was smiling and Kai... Kai's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, not three feet away, on the other side of the rift.

  She'd done it, it had worked! She'd managed to connect two points in the same room. Now, instead of there being six or seven meters between her and Kai, they could practically reach out and touch each other.

  In fact, that's exactly what Elra did. Grinning wildly and totally ignoring everyone else in the room, she tentatively reached out and quickly jabbed her hand through the rift, as if she expected it to hurt. Dazed, Kai pressed his palm against hers, their fingers intertwining.

  Somewhere in the room someone fainted. Elra realized what it must look like for the others: two rifts, meters apart, with Elra's hand entering one and exiting another. The group stood there in silence for a few seconds, dumbstruck, as Kai's expression gradually unfroze and began returning Elra's smile.

  'This has gone far enough,' Hiero interjected, coming to his senses. Elra withdrew her hand and let the rift melt back into the air. ‘Arguing and one-upmanship get us nowhere. Now, the way I see it, Elra needs to hurry onwards, to meet the Wise and to discuss what is to be done, leaving the rest of us to grieve in our own space.'

  Elra felt like she was the one who needed space: the atmosphere in the room was suffocating. After acknowledging Hiero's little speech, she headed straight through the exit door and descended the stairs to walkway level. Carefully pushing open the secret little door Kai had showed her, she slipped out onto Tower Bridge itself and mingled with the tourists. It felt good to be in the open air and, dare she admit it, it was nice to be alone.

  Thirty-two

  After everyone had left, Harland and Zhen sat in the kitchen.

  'Want a cuppa, love?' Harland asked, tiredly.

  'Jasmine, thanks, if you wouldn't mind.'

  Harland got up and put the cast iron kettle on the stove, lighting the gas ring casually with h
is finger.

  'I have to admit, that was a pretty good show she just put on for us.'

  'Good or not, she isn't one of us, Harland,'

  'Aye, I know that,' he agreed. 'At least we now know what the Wise see in her. No wonder they wanted her on board for whatever business they're up to.'

  There was a brief lull as Harland poured the tea and set the mugs out on the table. He sat down in his chair heavily.

  'Do you really believe all this... parallel universe stuff?' he chuckled.

  Zhen rolled her eyes. 'They're the Wise. They're always seeing connections, visions, foreshadowings and the like. Ivory-tower nonsense. They're barely in touch with reality.'

  'Which is worrying, given the power they wield.’

  'Quite. And that unmarked cow... they'll be wielding her soon enough,'

  He gave her a knowing look. 'As we've said before, we must ask ourselves: is this in all of our best interests?'

  'I don't think they've had the interests of the Marked community at heart for a long time. Something's going to break. Soon.'

  'Perhaps...'

  'Not here. We should talk about this somewhere else. But I know that kid with Change Knowledge in Harriston has been thinking along these lines for quite a while – what’s his name again?'

  ‘Tamarlane. I last saw him when he was a nipper. Had quite the talent, if I remember. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it's time for a trip Stateside. Make some friends, form some bonds… Tell the truth, I'm getting tired of all this. We, as a people, need to grow a backbone. May I be frank?'

  'Need you ask?'

  'It doesn't help that elements in our own