He noticed the glance I threw over my shoulder at him.
"I will be joining as well. You didn't think I would let you out of my sight?" he smirked.
I did not smile back; instead, I glared intensely, and his smile faltered, prompting him to apologize.
"I am not working with them. I do not know any of the men you spoke of earlier." He sounded sincere as he added, "And I am sorry if I made you cry."
My chest felt lighter, but I was still irked. It was clear that they were still acting out their roles.
Surely they weren't required to do this 24/7?
It was dusk now. The sky was a deep indigo, and a few stars were sparkling above.
As we walked through the makeshift town, I took in the various structures. I hadn't had a chance when I was brought in, as the 'jail' was on the very outskirts.
All around us were simple houses. Actually, cottages would be the best way to describe them. Sturdy, made completely of wood. The streets were of compacted earth, no sidewalks or cars, and there weren't any power lines crisscrossing the sky anywhere, either. The shadows that danced on the ground before us came from the oil lanterns that hung from every porch.
"What is going on?" Kael muttered low so only I heard.
He was looking beyond me, at something that was ahead of us. A large crowd was gathering in what looked like the town plaza. They were all standing close together, craning their neck looking in the same direction.
As we got nearer, I could make out something in the distance, at what must have been the main entrance to the town.
It looked like a procession. There were two men on horseback in the front, dressed in all white uniforms. The fabric glowed against the darkening sky. Behind them was an ornate carriage, with gold filigree shimmering beautifully.
"How late do you all work?" I whispered to Kael, but he didn't answer; his gaze was fixed on the procession. He looked angry. A shiver ran down my spine as I imagined being on the receiving end of that look. He had been serious with me, but this look would have made me break down instantly.
The procession stopped several feet in front of the crowd.
I felt Kael's hand grip my wrist as he pulled me away into a shadowed space between two houses. We were out of sight but could still see them.
"What are you doing?"
He didn't answer, just kept looking ahead at them.
One of the uniformed men alighted from his horse and opened the door to the carriage. Out stepped a man, middle-aged, wearing a clergy's robe and hat, and holding a sceptre in one hand.
"Is he supposed to be some kind of priest?" I mumbled, more to myself, but Kael heard.
"He is the High Priest," he answered, then more menacingly added, "What the hell is he doing here?"
The High Priest turned and helped someone else out of the carriage. It was a veiled woman, dressed in a gown of white lace that trailed behind her. It looked more bridal than clerical.
"And that's supposed to be what, a high priestess?"
"That is the Saintess," he answered in a low voice, almost a growl.
They have great costume designers at this place. I mused.
Then we both watched in silence as the Saintess raised her hands toward the sky. They glowed with a gold light, and suddenly golden sparks began floating down from the sky. She kept repeating a chant, words that I couldn't understand. And the crowd answered her in unison.
Neat special effects. But who is this for? I strained my eyes looking for a familiar face in the crowd, someone from the office, who was the cause of such a performance.
The sparks fell onto the crowd, and a silence spread throughout the town. They all smiled as lights touched them.
Curious, I extended my left arm out to a falling speck, expecting it to pop like a bubble would. Instead, I was stung violently. I pulled my arm away immediately, but the action attracted more of them. We were swarmed by them.
"What the hell are these things made of?" I managed to choke through the pain. It was searing now, traveling up the length of my left arm and burning its way to my heart. My vision blurred, and my knees buckled.
Kael threw his cloak over us as he pressed me against the wall. I watched as he too grimaced when they fell on the exposed skin of his hands.
"They're burning you too?" He asked, shocked.
"Not just burning, it feels like I am having a heart attack." I gripped my chest as I glanced through the small gap in the cloak at the crowd. No one else seemed to be experiencing the same thing we were.
They seemed to be in bliss. Eyes closed, arms extended out, and heads thrown back.
"You're rejecting the blessing." Kael's face was now inches from mine, as he studied me. His eyes glowed like pale fire. I had to look away; it felt too intimate.
"Sammy."
"What did you just say?" I tried to focus on Kael's face as everything else seemed to be spinning now. I clutched at my left arm, which felt on fire.
"I said that you're rejecting the blessing." He answered through gritted teeth.
"Sammy, come with me," the voice came again, but it wasn't Kael; it sounded like a boy. But there wasn't anyone else with us.
My knees gave out, and I was falling, but Kael reached out before my knees cracked on the hard ground beneath us. I felt his right arm hold me at my waist, and his hand cupped my face.
The sparks had stopped falling.
His touch was gentle and warm, and it ebbed down my arm, cooling the fire that had been spreading, the pain fading.
The Saintess's voice was garbled, words that didn't sound like any language I knew. My ears rang, a steady pitch, and then it cleared, and I heard her.
I understood her.
"Blessed be the lights of Lumicrestia."
"And blessed those who give Light," the response came.
That was all I heard before it all went dark.
I heard him then. Not the little boy. No, this voice was older, deeper, and familiar. And it was angry.
"This is all your fault!"
Slowly, the darkness receded, and I was inside.
Disoriented and stumbling, I hit the edge of a table with my thigh. Smoke filled the large space, stinging my eyes. The lights overhead flickered dimly, and panels from the ceiling were missing, while others hung precariously. Computer screens were cracked, but the light within them still flickered. Small fires smoldered nearby. And I could also hear the siren of an alarm sounding off in the distance.
Beyond the smoke was a colossal metallic arch perched on an elevated platform.
The ARK.
I was in the lab, but it looked much older.
"I told you to stay in bed." The voice came again through the smoke.
"What happened?" I asked, and my voice sounded younger than I anticipated. There was no response, only sobbing. Through the clearing smoke, I saw his silhouette. I walked towards him. He was kneeling on the floor, cradling the bloodied body of a woman in his arms, a metal rod through her chest.
"Dad?"
"Stay away!" He yelled, pushing me back with a force that made my heart ache.