Mystery's Choice (Vengeance Of The Fallen Book 1) (5 page)

5

Kim Owens slammed her bedroom door shut and began to pace furiously across her messy room. “They just don’t get being 16 anymore!”  She kicked a stray shoe out of her path. “This is the party of the year, I have to be there!” She flung a thick, blue strand of hair over her shoulder and didn’t even notice she was chewing on her blackened lips, the black lipstick coming off on her teeth.

She sat down on her bed and put on a pair of holey high tops. She arranged pillows under the rumpled covers on her bed, shaping them like a body. Kim opened her bedroom window and threw her purse out onto the roof overhang just below her room. She reached back and turned out her bedroom light, and crawled out onto the ledge. Kim crab walked to the edge of the overhang and lowered herself over the edge. She let go and landed with a solid thud checking to make sure no one had heard. When no lights came on in her room, she stood and ran down the street, not stopping until she rounded the corner. Slowing down, she listened for sounds of her parents following. She stopped for a moment when she noticed how quiet it was. Her entire neighborhood appeared to be asleep; there were no lights to warm the windows. No voices leaked out into the night, as they did every night since she had lived there. The Spencer’s dog was not barking for once. It was spooky. Shivering, Kim dismissed the hair standing on the nape of her neck and quickened her pace. She gasped when clouds drifted in front of the moon, engulfing the street in darkness.

Kim had begun to think about turning around and going home when she heard a whisper in the darkness.

“Your destiny awaits.”  Whispered a man’s voice.

“Who’s there?”   Kim said as she began backing towards home.

“Your future.”  A man said as he stepped from the shadows.

Kim tried to scream, but her voice had deserted her. As the clouds drifted away from the moon, she noticed his piercing blue eyes. She wanted to run but his eyes held her in place.

“I am Cain,” the man said as he caressed her face. “You have nothing to fear.”

Kim relaxed, the man was right she had nothing to fear, he would keep her safe and he would show her the way.

“Rest now my child,” he said as he lifted her into his arms.

Kim’s eyes drifted closed as they walked into the shadows…

Kim awakened to find herself chained to a bed. As she twisted around to see where she was, she noticed the bed was the only furniture in the room, save a wooden chair at the foot of the bed. The walls were rock, the ceiling curved, and there were no windows. A heavy, worn wooden door covered the only opening in the room. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on keeping it together, but the fear was swarming in, stealing her ability to think straight. She choked off a scream when the door opened. Her mouth dropped open as a beautiful woman with long, wavy red hair stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. The woman walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, carefully arranging her red robe around her.

  “I am Raevanne, Shivana of the Roodmasi.”  She said in a musical voice. Kim blanched and tried to draw herself into a little ball.

  “Ah. I see you have heard of us.”  She leaned closer and studied Kim’s face. “Where did you hear our name?”

  “I… have… had a friend who messed around with satanic worship.”  Kim swallowed hard. “He said the Roodmasi were the real deal, they had a real connection to the Dark Master.”  She began to cry. “He wanted to join them and out of nowhere he started hanging out with these sickos who wore black all the time and claimed to be able to summon demons.”  Kim sobbed and looked away, “He disappeared, along with his new buddies. They would hold their meetings in this old warehouse downtown. Me and another friend went to search it. The place looked like a war zone, chairs turned over, shell casings on the floor, the windows blown out. On one wall was this large symbol, it was painted in…” She swallowed, “blood. There were …body parts flung carelessly all over the warehouse. My friend grabbed my hand and we ran out of there. When we were back to our neighborhood, he finally told me the symbol meant Roodmasi and I should forget I saw it and I should never mention it to anyone.”  Kim turned back to Raevanne. “I swear I’ve never mentioned it before and I never will again!  So you can let me go!”

  “You are not here because of your friend’s stupidity.” Raevanne said as she brushed her hair back. “You are here to learn to be a fitting gift to the Master. Your training will begin tomorrow. I just wanted to welcome you. Now, I will also require the name of the friend who asked you to forget our name.”

Kim swallowed, thought about her friend for a moment and decided she had no choice; they might not kill her if she told. “Bryce Markham.” Kim said with a shaky voice.

“Thank you. Unfortunately, we cannot allow him to live. You will be going to the Master soon, so you are no threat to us.” Raevanne’s beautiful face held an expression that went better with picking out what to wear, than the deaths of two people.

  “No!”  Kim struggled against her bonds. “No!  Please!  I don’t want to die!”

  “Silence!” Raevanne hissed. “It is a great honor to be given to the Master!”

“My parents will be looking for me. I will be missed!”

“Perhaps. However, they won’t find you.”  Raevanne stood to leave. “You’d best get some rest, training will begin early tomorrow.”

The door opened again and a young woman with blond hair entered with a serving tray.

“Ah. Here is Abigail with your evening meal.”  Raevanne went to the door. “I will see you tomorrow, Kim.”

Kim began to weep when the door closed behind Raevanne. She jerked when she felt a hand pat her arm. She opened her eyes and found Abigail smiling at her.

“Fear not, Kim. We will not let you come to harm.”  She turned and unchained Kim’s hands. “Now eat, you will need your strength.”

Kim rubbed her wrists, and began to eat the soup Abigail placed in front of her. She was surprisingly hungry and she quickly finished it and the bread that had been served with it. Her eyelids began to grow heavy and she fought to keep them open.

“Shhh… Kim, it’s alright.”  Abigail helped her lie back on the bed. “When you wake up you will be home in your own bed.”  Abigail made sure she slept, stood and walked to the door and opened it. Daniel came into the room, carrying a trunk. He placed it beside the bed, opened it and placed the sleeping girl in it.

“Daniel, are we doing the right thing?”  Abigail asked her husband.

“Yes. Abby, there are plenty of people who would voluntarily give their lives to the Master. We can’t let them keep killing children, who have to be brainwashed into dying for him, it will bring too much attention to the Roodmasi!”  He took Abigail in his arms. “These are girls who will be missed, who have parents waiting for them, when they disappear, there are press conferences. We are doing the only thing we can do. We are doing what the Shivana would do, if not for Cain.”

Abigail sighed and stepped from her husband’s arms, she bent and fixed Kim’s limbs more comfortably in the trunk. She sighed as she closed and locked the lid.

“We must be careful my love.”  She went and checked the hall. Finding it clear, she stepped back and pushed the door all the way open. When Daniel had carried the trunk out, she closed and locked the door.

Abigail watched as Daniel carried the trunk out into the night and loaded it in the back of their mini-van. When he beckoned her forth, they both climbed into the van and drove to the gate, stopping when they saw the guard.

“Manuel, you aren’t supposed to be here.”  Daniel said as he stopped beside the guard. “Now your part in this will be known.”

“Cain’s madness must be stopped. I stand with you proudly.”  He grasped the pendant hanging around his neck, “And freely. I know the risks, my friend.”  He opened the gate. “Now get the child home before she is missed.”

“Goodbye, old friend. May Satan guide your steps always,” Daniel said as he drove through the gate.

“And yours, my friend.” The guard closed the gate.

He did not notice the glowing blue eyes watching from the shadows.

Raevanne paced furiously across her chamber floor. She could not believe the sheer audacity, which the men standing in front of her had shown. Imagine, thinking they could release a gift and live! Her temper bubbled over when she thought of Kim Owens with her knowledge of the Roodmasi, being free. She understood Cain had allowed the escape to happen because the rebels within their number must be outed and destroyed. However, the attitude of the two in front of her irritated her.

“Daniel, you can spare yourself some pain if you tell me who else was in on this insane scheme,” she said through gritted teeth. “Give us the rebels and we will allow your Abigail to live. Either way your life is forfeit. All that remains is for you to decide how painful the death is and whether or not Abigail will follow you.”  She glared at him, her emerald eyes beginning to glow.

Daniel looked at the man standing beside him and thought of the others who believed as he did. He wondered if he could give them to the Shivana to save his Abigail. Tears streamed down his face as he realized he already had. He looked up at Raevanne and knew from her smile she had plucked the information from his mind.

“Manuel go with Malcolm.”  Raevanne said to the man standing beside Daniel. She walked over and stroked the glistening muscles of her bodyguard, “Your were not the leader of our little rebellion, and you and your training as a Roodmasi Red Guard are too valuable to lose, so Malcolm will mete out your punishment and begin your re-conditioning.”

Manuel walked to the door and looked back at Daniel, “Goodbye, old friend.”  Manuel walked out the door before Daniel responded.

Daniel hung his head, “Goodbye.”

“How touching.”  Raevanne walked to the antique desk against the wall. “You have not only disobeyed your Shivana, you have defied the Master in defying Cain.”  She walked toward him, a dagger gleaming in her dainty hands. “And to make matters worse,” Raevanne took a deep breath and tried to control her rage, “You have known where my child is all this time and you did not tell me!   That is unforgivable!”  She looked up at him, hatred burning in her eyes. “I will remove you from my sight, but your torture will begin when the Master gets a hold of you. Several lower level demons have already petitioned for your flesh.”

Daniel blanched and resisted the urge to fight the inevitable. He knew to struggle against the Shivana would only bring about her blood lust. He had to try one more time, to make her see what Cain was doing to her people. “I will not fight you, my Shivana, but please, stop and consider what the Master’s son is bringing to our people, the chaos this will cause, and the witch hunts.”  He swallowed as her eyes filled with rage. “He cares only for the power he will gain in the Ascension, not for you or the people who follow you and who have served the Master faithfully all their lives!”

“You are not worthy, traitor, to have his plans explained to you!  He is seeing to it those who faithfully serve the Master will have reign over all on this plane!  After the Ascension the Earth and her spoils will go to the Roodmasi and the Master will take his rightful place on the Throne of Heaven. However, filth, you will not be here to see it.”

Raevanne smiled hungrily as she approached Daniel. He lifted his head and closed his eyes.

“And now you die traitor.”  Raevanne said as she slowly slid the blade across Daniel’s throat. He moaned as he slumped to the ground. His blood sprayed her face as he fell, making her smile.

Raevanne’s smile grew as she licked the blood from the knife. Her child was safe.

Belinda stood in the center of the Shivana’s office and said a silent prayer for strength. She knew Raevanne would suffer for what she must do, so Belinda could at least be courageous and not beg for her life. She tried to get the circulation going in her hands, but her bonds were too tight. She hung her head, she had failed them all, she should have insisted Raevanne listen to reason and now it was too late; they would all die for their treachery and Cain would destroy the Roodmasi. She looked straight ahead and squared her shoulders when the door opened. Raevanne spared her a quick glance and went to sit behind her desk.