knew nothing.
***
Heat, awful and thick crowded her. Arianna tried to take in a breath. It seared her lungs. The cloying smoke had her choking on her own saliva.
She turned her head and opened her eyes. The world was in chaos. Fire licked at the furniture, at the sprawled bodies of guerillas. Their slashed throats a gruesome testament to her...what? She’d never manifested power like that before. She’d been a healer. Not a...a killer.
Her stomach churned at the sight of their festering flesh.
“Ari...” a weak groan pulled her gaze from the horror of the bodies to her mother.
“Mama. You’re alive. How? I...”
Her mother coughed. She lay in a bright pool of scarlet. “Run, Ari. The house will collapse soon.”
She scrabbled toward her mother. The roof of the house began to groan. “No. Let me heal you. We’ll leave together.”
“No. There is no time. Ari, you must go now. Don’t let our deaths be in vain.”
Hot tears slid down the corners of her eyes. She shook her head. “Mama, no. Do not ask me to do this.” She hacked on the choking black smog.
Her mother reached over, pried a machete from one of the dead man’s hands and pulled it to her own neck. “Go!”
Arianna’s hands shook. “Mama,” she croaked.
“I love you,” she said, then sliced the machete from ear to ear.
The left side of the roof collapsed. Sparks of burning wood shot through the air like a missile, puncturing Arianna’s arm. With a strangled cry she shot to her feet and ran out.
Her feet touched wet grass and a loud groan exploded behind her. She stopped and turned, transfixed by the site of the raging inferno. Numbness spread through her limbs.
Everything she’d ever loved was in that house. The heat singed the hairs from off her arms. With one last lingering look she turned and fled.
Branches slapped her face, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. She ran heedless of the night’s dangers, heedless of where she was going. Only knowing that she needed to get as far away as possible.
An hour later, finally spent of both mind and body she dropped to the ground. She lay in a heap, still unable to understand, unwilling to remember.
“Arianna,” a soothing, gentle voice whispered in her ear.
Startled, she woke up and stared into the face of a stranger with kind blue eyes. She hissed and quickly sat up, her hands outreached and ready to claw the man’s face off. Curious, but she didn’t feel the killing power flowing through her anymore. “Stay back, diablo.”
He clenched his jaw. Half in silhouette he was an alluring figure. Tall and dark, and while she could barely make out his face there was an innate power to him that entranced her.
He held out his hand. “Soy un amigo. You can trust me...Synnergy.”
She sucked in a breathe. Her arms trembled with fatigue. She eyed him, waiting for the thrum of power to flow through her veins, but nothing came. She was still inside; the tempest that often flowed through her was as calm as a placid sea.
“How do you know my tribal name?” she whispered, waiting for the intuition that had saved her life in the past to speak to her.
“Right now a mob is forming. The men you killed have been discovered and in moments you will be too. I don’t think I need to tell you what they’re planning to do with you. If you want to live, I can protect you.”
She shuddered and dropped her arms to her sides. Nothing within her screamed that this man was anything other than a Good Samaritan. She narrowed her eyes, thinking of her mother and father. They would think her a coward if she gave up now.
As much as her heart ached, she knew it was too dangerous to remain in the jungle alone and unprotected. The militia knew the jungle as well, or better than her. She didn’t stand a chance against them.
She looked at the stranger. Moonlight sliced a thin vein through the tight canopy of night. Who was this man that he confidently offered her protection?
“Aya!
***
Heat, awful and thick crowded her. Arianna tried to take in a breath. It seared her lungs. The cloying smoke had her choking on her own saliva.
She turned her head and opened her eyes. The world was in chaos. Fire licked at the furniture, at the sprawled bodies of guerillas. Their slashed throats a gruesome testament to her...what? She’d never manifested power like that before. She’d been a healer. Not a...a killer.
Her stomach churned at the sight of their festering flesh.
“Ari...” a weak groan pulled her gaze from the horror of the bodies to her mother.
“Mama. You’re alive. How? I...”
Her mother coughed. She lay in a bright pool of scarlet. “Run, Ari. The house will collapse soon.”
She scrabbled toward her mother. The roof of the house began to groan. “No. Let me heal you. We’ll leave together.”
“No. There is no time. Ari, you must go now. Don’t let our deaths be in vain.”
Hot tears slid down the corners of her eyes. She shook her head. “Mama, no. Do not ask me to do this.” She hacked on the choking black smog.
Her mother reached over, pried a machete from one of the dead man’s hands and pulled it to her own neck. “Go!”
Arianna’s hands shook. “Mama,” she croaked.
“I love you,” she said, then sliced the machete from ear to ear.
The left side of the roof collapsed. Sparks of burning wood shot through the air like a missile, puncturing Arianna’s arm. With a strangled cry she shot to her feet and ran out.
Her feet touched wet grass and a loud groan exploded behind her. She stopped and turned, transfixed by the site of the raging inferno. Numbness spread through her limbs.
Everything she’d ever loved was in that house. The heat singed the hairs from off her arms. With one last lingering look she turned and fled.
Branches slapped her face, but the pain was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. She ran heedless of the night’s dangers, heedless of where she was going. Only knowing that she needed to get as far away as possible.
An hour later, finally spent of both mind and body she dropped to the ground. She lay in a heap, still unable to understand, unwilling to remember.
“Arianna,” a soothing, gentle voice whispered in her ear.
Startled, she woke up and stared into the face of a stranger with kind blue eyes. She hissed and quickly sat up, her hands outreached and ready to claw the man’s face off. Curious, but she didn’t feel the killing power flowing through her anymore. “Stay back, diablo.”
He clenched his jaw. Half in silhouette he was an alluring figure. Tall and dark, and while she could barely make out his face there was an innate power to him that entranced her.
He held out his hand. “Soy un amigo. You can trust me...Synnergy.”
She sucked in a breathe. Her arms trembled with fatigue. She eyed him, waiting for the thrum of power to flow through her veins, but nothing came. She was still inside; the tempest that often flowed through her was as calm as a placid sea.
“How do you know my tribal name?” she whispered, waiting for the intuition that had saved her life in the past to speak to her.
“Right now a mob is forming. The men you killed have been discovered and in moments you will be too. I don’t think I need to tell you what they’re planning to do with you. If you want to live, I can protect you.”
She shuddered and dropped her arms to her sides. Nothing within her screamed that this man was anything other than a Good Samaritan. She narrowed her eyes, thinking of her mother and father. They would think her a coward if she gave up now.
As much as her heart ached, she knew it was too dangerous to remain in the jungle alone and unprotected. The militia knew the jungle as well, or better than her. She didn’t stand a chance against them.
She looked at the stranger. Moonlight sliced a thin vein through the tight canopy of night. Who was this man that he confidently offered her protection?
“Aya!
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