Vivien and the Scoria

Chapter 6: Changing Times

I didn't know the third man, but Rael appeared to. She broke free of the tight grasp I had on her right wrist and launched herself across the room to pull the man into a tight hug, bursting into tears as she did so. The man seemed shocked to have a sudden armful of the white haired girl, but that shock faded in a moment and he hugged her back tightly. His black hair, cut rather short for a Merasan, added to his exotic features of pale brown shin and bright green eyes. His tunic and belt indicated that he was a Tanah, but he was unlike any other Tanah I had seen. Perhaps one of his parents was an Udarah; that would explain his strange pale features.

"What's going on outside?" I asked Twister, drawing my attention away from Rael and the third man. Rowan and Twister exchanged concerned looks, and I rolled my eyes. "If it's something to do with all the stuff you won't tell me, then I'm leaving. I just saw two dozen Merasans dragged towards the Towers by three Scoria clans, and I want to know what is going on! I'm sick of being left out of all this." Twister and Rowan remained silent at my words, and I could tell that they would rather I leave and not know anything, despite the danger of the Scoria outside, than stay and find out what was going on.

The third man disentangled himself from Rael and stepped forward with this right hand outstretched. "We haven't met before. I'm Blaze Lightwood. Nice to meet you." I scowled at him and ignored his hand, forcing him to drop it awkwardly after several long moments. Everyone was looking at me now, calculating eyes trying to figure out what I was going to do next.

When the silence and stares continued, I shook my head and walked out the door again, closing it angrily behind me, though taking care to not make a sound. Regardless of how pissed off I was with them currently, I wasn't going to make a sound that would give them away to the Scoria. Bloody Twister not telling me anything. Bloody Rowan for making my life hell no matter what he did. Bloody Rael for obviously knowing what was going on and still not telling me.

I stormed out of Aernir without seeing a single soul, not even a Scoria, and made my way back up Mount Api. My anger petered out by the midpoint lookout, and I slumped to the ground. The brown dirt beneath me was already heating up with the day's sun, and I shifted uncomfortably several times before I got comfortable. My katana lay beside me at an awkward angle from where it was attached to my belt, but I didn't take it off. It was one of the few objects left from the Other-World Portals that hadn't been confiscated by Tante or hidden in Twister's shop. I didn't want to accidently leave it behind for whatever reason.

What good reason did Will and Twister have to keep me from knowing all this stuff that was going on in the city? Why did all these strangers get to know, but I couldn't? It wasn't about age – Rael was 3 years younger than me and she obviously knew stuff. It wasn't about fighting experience – I had killed as many Scoria as Will, if not more, and I had once injured a Fellan, which no-one else I knew had even come close to. So why was it that I wasn't allowed to know?

As I pondered, a thin scream came from somewhere up on the mountain. I jumped to my feet immediately, left hand clasping over the hilt of my katana. A small plume of black smoke trailed up from somewhere on the path, and I heard the scream again coming from that direction. My heart began to race as I pounded up the path, leaping over scrubby bushes as I followed the smoke off the path and past an Api graveyard from the Great War. The ground beneath my feet began to incline sharply, turning into brittle basalt, and I was panting hard by the time I stumbled to the top of a small ledge.

The source of the smoke was instantly visible. A clan of Scoria stood around an overturned cart, its wares sprawled across the rocky ground. A Fellan, identifiable because of the blue spiral tattoo inked across their bald scalp, stood over a woman who was lying on the ground. I watched in dismay as the Fellan pulled the woman to her knees by her hair, drew an obsidian dagger from its belt, and cut the woman's throat. I shoved my hand over my mouth to block the sound of a choked scream that burst out.

The Scoria all began cheering, practically crowing with glee, and the Fellan turned enough toward me to show that a sickeningly joyful smile was spread across its face. The blood from the woman's neck was spurting all across the Fellan's pants but they did not appear to care. Then, to my absolute horror, the Fellan knelt down and put its mouth to the woman's throat and began swallowing mouthfuls of her blood.

I choked and spun around, vomiting on the ground behind me. It was truly sickening. I had never seen anything like this before. Sure, I had seen my fair number of dead bodies, but never had I seen one violated like this. Wiping my hand over my mouth, I turned back around to face the scene. I watched the Fellan drink from the woman's throat until she was no more blood to give. Then, the Scoria picked up her body and tossed it into the cart, which they had set upright again.

I was clearly visible if any of then turned to face my direction; it was pure luck that they didn't. They instead moved off, back down the mountain towards Aernir. I stayed where I was, crouched among the brittle basalt rocks. I couldn't bring myself to move for what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes. Then, with trepidation, I scrambled down to where the cart stood. There was a dried pool of blood staining the rocks where the woman's throat had been cut. With difficulty, I forced myself to look at the face of the woman so I could vow vengeance for more than a faceless Merasan.

The woman was Lacey Armra, the very same woman who had passed Rael and I earlier this morning.