Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) (30 page)

“How could you?” she whispers.

Everyone says nothing and stays perfectly still. Jessica and I

are standing. I feel so far out of my depth, but the only thing

running through my head is that I would never see home again.

Josh. What about my dad? Would I get to bury him?

“Marta, please sit. This isn’t helping,” Morrick says gently

and carefully. My mother sits beside me, taking Jessica on the

other side, and holds our hands. She dries her face with the hem

of her skirt.

“Sarajane, I know this is very overwhelming, but it is your

destiny,” Mirium says.

“I can never go home?” I ask.

Mirium’s grey eyes look sad. “Not right now. No, but we are

all here to help you.” As if that will give me comfort.

I feel too shocked. “So I have to kill an angel and help the

other three back to heaven or else everyone dies?” Mirium only

nods. “So I must save the world?” The irony is a joke.

“Yes,” Mirium replies.

“And this is why either everyone is trying to kill or capture

me or use my family against me?”

“There is far more to explain, Sarajane. Deception runs deep,

but there are lots of people willing to help you. But later I will

try and educate you on, let’s say, our political front in all of

this.” I nod my head, not sure of what else to do.

My mother looks at Mirium with hate. “You knew this and

still took my daughter from her home and dropped her here?”

Mirium looks tired. “Marta, the clock has started to tick.

We left Sarajane as long as we could. If we didn’t bring her here,

someone would have tracked her down and killed her, leaving

us all with no future. You have seen that yourself with Bellona

and Lucian.”

I look at Mirium. “Why kill me if it will kill this world?”

Mirium lets out a deep breath. “Because you are too powerful

and fear of something greater makes people want to destroy it.

They do not see beyond their own personal goals or greed. They

see only what they want to. And then others do not believe

that the angels will destroy us. They haven’t so far, so you are

just a threat they must eliminate or use for their own personal

gains. Sarajane, we will continue this conversation later, but

first, Musa would like to address us all.”

Musa rises, nodding at Mirium. “I will be brief. Firstly, I

am truly sorry about Neve and John. You have my deepest

sympathies. Neve will be buried here tonight.” He looks at my

mother. “You will return to the mortal world.”

My mother hugs Jessica. “Yes, with Jessica.” Then she turns

to me. “But we will come back to you.” I can’t reply. The pain

is too much so I just nod.

Musa continues. “Secondly, I cannot house any of you much

longer.” Morrick and Mirium look at Musa in outrage, but

Musa raises a warning hand. “I am sorry, but I cannot put my

people in any more danger. Your traitor was already too much

of a threat.”

This shocked me. They had found a traitor. “Who was the

traitor?” I ask Musa.

“It was Liber, Sarajane.” Alana looks at Tristan shyly. “That’s

how I knew about the fence and the horse when I…” She let the

rest die. I didn’t blame her for not finishing.

“I will house you for a few more days, but that is it. I cannot

put my people in danger,” Musa says.

“Musa, think about what you are saying. She is our vessel.”

Morrick objects, but Mirium puts a hand on his shoulder

“It is the way it is meant to be, Morrick. We need to leave

anyway and make our way to Hummus.” So not only do I find

out I have to save the world. I have to leave to another unknown

place. “That is all, my friends. I will leave you now, and,

princess, God is gracious.” Very insightful. Then Musa leaves.

“We will leave it there for now,” Mirium says. You would

think we were just chitchatting, but everyone starts to get up

and leave. I’m the last to make my way from the room.

Mirium walks with me through the settlement. “I will come

to your hut tonight and you can ask me any questions you want.

I will answer them to the best of my ability.”

“Thanks, Mirium.”

We part then and I go to the main dining room. Everyone

is there, but only a few whisper and talk amongst themselves.

Conversations cease as soon as I walk in. Just great, now I’m

a freak.

I get a bowl of soup and a roll and sit down beside Alana and

Kiar. Alana tries to muster up some enthusiasm when I arrive.

“So you are our saviour.”

I give a small smile. Kiar doesn’t look up at me. All he does is

cut his fish into tiny little bits. “Kiar, how are you?”

When he finally looks at me, his eyes are bloodshot. “How

do you think I am?” He gets up and leaves.

Alana shifts over so she and I are face to face. “He does not

mean it, Sarajane. He is just upset.”

I bite my lip to hold back my retort. “Alana, what do I do

about everything?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I really don’t know, but it will

come to you. You are smart.”

Yeah, really smart, getting everyone killed around me.

“Princess.” I look at Mei as she smiles up at me. Ndee walks

over to take her away, but she is a welcomed distraction

“It is fine, Ndee, really.” She gives me a sceptical look. “Cross

my heart,” I say and Ndee helps Mei up beside me.

“Now be good, Mei,” she says before leaving.

“She never lets me have fun.” Her little grumpy face causes

Alana and me to laugh.

“She cares about you, Mei.” But I know that is a hard thing

to understand at such a young age.

“I wish you were my mammy.” That would mean I had her

when I was sixteen.

“Maybe sister would be better?” I smile at her thoughtful

face.

“Can I tell you a secret, princess?” I wink at Alana, and she

looks away as if the wall is so interesting. I bend down so she

can whisper in my ear. “My brother would really like you.” She

looks around once she has it said.

“Why is that a secret?” I whisper back to amuse her.

Her little face looks bewildered that I didn’t know. “We don’t

speak of excels.”

I am, taken aback. I know she means exiles. My heart is

pounding. “What is your brother’s name?” I look at her sad

face.

She doesn’t whisper in my ear this time. She just whispers

his name while looking in my face with her big brown eyes.

“Carew.”

Oh God, he looked like this tribe, but what did he do to be

exiled? I couldn’t ask this child. Alana clears her throat and

Mei sits up straight, looking a little frightened. I give Alana a

scowl. “Don’t worry, Mei. Your secret is safe with me.” I kiss

her forehead, the poor child.

She sits with us, telling us all about her friend who can make

water balls they launch at other kids. The more I spend time

with this child, the more I know I’m going to miss her.

Alana pulls me away. It’s time to bury Neve.

Kiar, Tristan and Morrick are already there and Neve’s body

is tied to a wooden raft, ready to be set free into the water.

“Would anyone like to say anything?”

Kiar moves beside Morrick. “Yes, I would.” I bow my head

as he speaks. “You were the best guardian I have ever worked

with, Neve. You were more than my friend; you became my

brother and I will never forget you.”

My heart breaks for him. Tristan speaks briefly then, saying

he died an honorable death in the path of war. Alana shakes

her head when she is asked if she wants to say anything.

Then it is my turn. My stomach tightens. I feel I should say

something. “Neve, you made me laugh at times it felt it was

impossible. You put your life in danger for my sister, and I will

always be grateful. I will miss your big smile and crooked nose,

and I’ll always keep my promise to you.” I nod at Morrick that

I’m finished. It doesn’t seem enough, but it’s the best I can do.

Alana squeezes my hand as Morrick, Tristan and Kiar push

the raft out and light it on fire. His body drifts out to sea. Kiar

stands looking out. I can see by his shoulders he is crying. I rub

his back, but he shrugs my arm off. “Go away, Sarajane”

I am taken back by his anger. “Kiar, please.”

He turns to me. “Because of you I have no brother, so just

leave me alone.”

“You blame me?” I ask him.

Tristan gives him a warning glare. “Nobody blames you,

Sarajane. He died at war, the way most of us will go. Kiar

knows that. Isn’t that right, Kiar?”

Kiar doesn’t turn around. “Yes, that’s right.” But his body

language says it all. I don’t feel mad at Kiar. I blame myself.

“Don’t do that to yourself.” I look at Tristan and smile sadly.

“I can’t help it.”

He goes to move closer, but I don’t want his sympathy. I take

a step back. “I have to meet Mirium so I better go.” I turn my

back and leave. I don’t wait for a reply.

Mirium is waiting for me in my hut. “That was tough?”

I pour myself a mug of water. “Yes, but I don’t want to talk

about it.” Mirium’s presence will be a good distraction. “So I

ask any question and you answer it?” I take off my boots and

sit cross-legged on the couch.

“I will be as honest and exact as I can.”

“Okay, so there are really three angles here, right now as we

speak?” I ask.

“Yes, they are in Hummus.” This is hard to believe.

“Real life angels with the wings and all?”

Mirium smiles. “Yes, they are very much real.”

“Can everyone see them?”

Mirium considers this. “No, they are kept safe, as they are

dying, and if they die, we die. Not many people even know

they’re still here. If everyone knew, how would we keep them

safe?”

“So this fourth angel, Lucian, he is like a bad angel that I

have to kill?”

“You can’t kill him. You must vanquish him to the

underworld, and yes, he is bad.” Mirium finishes.

“So explain to me how Bellona ties into all of this and why

she wants me.”

“As far as we have gathered, Bellona is working with Lucian

to capture you. She must be getting something in return to do

this deed with Lucian. We are not sure if Lucian knows who

you are or if he just wants your power. None of that is clear to

us,” Mirium says

“What have the exiles got to do with this?” I ask.

“We believe the exiles are being used by Lucian, but they are

soulless creatures now, so they do not always follow orders as

they should, but he seems to have recruited them.”

This makes me think of Carew. “Will Carew become like

them?”

Mirium’s eyes widen briefly; then he smiles a little. “Ah,

I should have seen this coming. So you met Carew?” I nod.

“When someone is exiled from their community, they have

committed a crime so they are banished to the mountains, never

to return. They live, sleep and eat whatever they can scavenge.