Chapter Ten

Amber felt her heart tremble as she stared at Bray, longing to believe his words of love and yet… “Wh-what about Danni?” She asked softly.

He smiled at her, a smile she had seen so many times. “Who cares about Danni.” He whispered, leaning in close. “I have you.”

Amber blinked, momentarily startled. It was a delayed reaction though she still had no control over it. Her hand was flying through the air, landing with a sickening crack across his cheek. “How dare you!” She seethed, feeling an anger bubble up inside her. “And are those the same words you spoke to her after I was gone?”

Bray stared at her startled, his hand cupping his injured cheek. “I, uh…” He babbled on, the confusion evident in his pale blue eyes.

Amber rose to her feet, unable to bare the sight of him any longer. “And to think,” She whispered vehemently, “I once fancied myself in love with you. The moment you are well enough to walk I want you out of my village.”

~*~*~

“You did what?” Ocelot exclaimed, her eyes widening with an ever growing respect for her friend and leader. “You actually slapped him. Bray?”

Amber nodded, feeling her cheeks flush scarlet. She didn’t know what over-took her, but as he had spoken those words about Danni and her no longer mattering to him, something clicked inside her. Everything Ebony had hinted at but not spoken directly – it was all true. Bray was not the same man he was when Amber had first become smitten with. Or perhaps, Amber realized with horror, he was the same man only she had never noticed.

“Well, I must say he deserved it.” Ocelot nodded firmly, beaming at Amber.

“How can you say that?” Amber asked listlessly, slumping into a seated position in one of the two large, high backed chairs Ocelot kept in her lodge. “You’ve barely ever spoken to him.”

“Sometimes you don’t need to speak to someone to be able to discern his character.” Ocelot explained studying Amber intently with her large blue eyes. “The moment I laid eyes on him I knew that he was no good.”

Amber shook her head, gnawing on her lower lip nervously. She half-regretted loosing her temper with Bray, and yet she knew that if she had not slapped him she would have been swallowed up with a pack of lies. He didn’t love her. She wondered if he ever had or if she was just an amusement to pass the time with.

“Bray is not bad,” She picked her words carefully, forcing her own jumbled feelings towards the man away from the surface. “He is a good leader. He just…”

“He just has no honor with women.” Ocelot finished for her.

“Yeah.” Amber smiled at the blonde weakly. “I guess I didn’t realize it before, but I should have. I saw all the warning signs. First with Trudy, then Salene. Even with Ebony I saw it. Every woman who crosses his path is left devastated and alone.”

“But you are not alone, Amber.” Ocelot assured her confidently. “You have Pride.”

“Do I?” Amber blinked, feeling the tears begin to whelm up in the back of her throat. “Or have I pushed him away too?”

“Pride loves you.” Ocelot smiled. “He’s been in love with you from the moment he laid eyes on you. You should know that.”

“I know, it’s just…” She trailed off, searching for the right words. How could she explain to Ocelot that she did not love Pride – she could not love him. She had been unfaithful to the vows she spoke to him and yet she could not bring herself to openly admit it.

Ocelot nodded her head in unspoken understanding. “Come.” She stated, her voice calm. “It is nearly time for the afternoon meetings. Moose and Robin will be sitting with Bray and Manatee. Do not concern yourself for that city boy any longer.”

“You’re right.” Amber pushed aside all her personal feelings once again. She did not have the luxury of taking the time she needed to sort them all. They were in the middle of an unforgiving war – a war that did not give time for love.

~*~*~

Ebony felt less than well-rested as she stepped out of the dim lighting of the lodge she shared with Amber and into the warm afternoon sun. The Gaians had begun to reconvene in the common area, still gathered in their small inclusive groups. Though Ebony knew she was welcomed, she still felt an outsider with this strange tribe and longed for Amber to make an appearance.

Rather than Amber, though, a different familiar face made himself known to Ebony. “A tribe of a bunch of loonies if you ask me.” Lex stated humorously, a bit of a smirk on his devilishly handsome face. “Can’t understand why Amber hooked up with them.”

“What other choice did she have?” Ebony shot back immediately, pushing down the old hurt of how Amber had left her behind that day so long ago. They had planned on leaving Eagle Mountain together – just the two of them ready to take on the world. Only Pride had found her before Ebony was able to make it back, Amber only leaving her a brief note of explanation.

“They’re pretty smart, though.” Lex continued, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “They’ve got this whole thing figured out. Did you know they have already sent over half their tribe to the Southern Province to rally support?”

Ebony nodded. “Yeah, Amber told me awhile ago.”

“Oh yeah. That’s right.” Lex studied her with a frown. “You and her have been in on this little death scheme since the beginning, right?”

“It wasn’t a little death scheme.” Ebony rolled her eyes, flipping her long braids over her shoulders. She did not have the patience to deal with Lex at the moment, her eyes searching the common area for Amber’s familiar blonde head. “It was far more complicated than that.”

“Complicated. Right.” Lex folded his arms against his chest, his face set with dogged determination. “So, Amber was here hiding out with the tree huggers. Where’s Zandra? With the Chosen?”

Ebony blanched at the mention of Zandra’s name, her stomach twisting. She could still recall vividly Zandra’s body – blood everywhere. She had tried to block it from memory, but she found that Zandra’s face was one that frequently resurfaced in her nightmares. “Lex, I’m sorry. Zandra, she really is dead.”

“And how do you know?” Lex scowled. “See, I’ve been thinking back and I don’t remember ever seeing her body. I’m willing to wager that no one does. Maybe you and Amber just dug one extra empty grave while you were digging hers, just to be on the safe side.”

“I saw it.” Ebony choked on her emotion.

“What?”

“I saw her body, Lex.” Ebony looked up at him, holding his gaze intently, praying that he would see the truth in her eyes. “She was dead, Lex. There was nothing I could do. The blood, it was everywhere…”

Lex fell silent, his head stooped. “Yeah, I know.” He said finally. “I guess I’ve always known. I’ve never stopped caring for her. Not even after Tai and I got married. Zandra was always there, in here.” Lex touched his chest where his heart belonged.

“First loves are always the hardest to let go of.” Ebony whispered, her voice tight.

He nodded with understanding. “Is that why you stuck with the Mall Rats all along? Because of Bray?”

“Bray?” Ebony stared at him puzzled. “Oh no, you’ve got me all wrong, Lex. Bray wasn’t my first love.”

“He wasn’t?”

“No.” She smiled wistfully. “There was another. Long ago. A lifetime ago.”

~*~*~

The afternoon meetings were finally called to order, but Amber found her thoughts were not occupied by strategies of war. Rather, they kept traveling back to less than a few hours before in Hawk’s lodge, sitting there watching Bray, watching his joyous expression at her face.

How could she keep lying to herself? She still loved him. And seeing him again had only affirmed that love. And when she saw that he too had never stopped caring for her she had panicked. She had twisted his words in her mind, turning him into the bad guy – not her. She was the one who left. She was the one who didn’t trust him. She was the one who needed to be sorry.

“Eagle?”

Amber jerked her attention back to the table, noticing that every eye was on her, Hawk repeating her name, his dark brown eyebrows knitted together with concern.

“Oh, I’m sorry Hawk. What was it that you were saying?” Amber felt her cheeks color with embarrassment. She hated being caught off guard – especially in front of Lex and Ebony. What must they think of her?

“We were taking a vote.” Hawk explained. “But staging an attack on the mall to try and rescue as many prisoners as possible. Until Great White gets back with the enforcements we need as much help as we can get.”

“Agreed.” Amber nodded, swallowing hard. “We should vote.”

“We just did.” Ebony stated, her tone light and jesting. “It’s divided. We were waiting for you to cast the final vote.”

“Oh.” Amber grinned sheepishly, aware that many of her Gaians were staring at her peculiarly. They had never seen her act like this. Always before she had been their calm and confident leader, guiding the meetings not being the one who spaced out, needing to be called back to attention.

“So what’s your vote?” Lex inquired, seated on the other side of Ebony.

“I think we should do it.” Amber quickly agreed, ignoring the panicking feelings stirring up inside her as she thought of having to face the other Mall Rats again. It was inevitable at this point. She had to own up to what she had done.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Amber cleared her throat and continued, slipping with ease back into her role as Eagle, leader of the Gaians. “And we must attack soon. Tomorrow night at the latest. We must use the element of surprise.”

“We can use the sewer entrance.” Lex suggested. “It is the least likely to be heavily guarded. Somehow I doubt The Guardian will be expecting any resistance to their takeover.”

Amber nodded, shooting Lex a grateful smile. “It’s decided then. We will attack the mall tomorrow night.”

“Eagle! Eagle! Come quick!” Robin’s loud cry interrupted the murmurs of agreement to Amber’s plan. “He’s gone!”

“Gone?” Amber leaped from her seat, rushing over to the younger Gaian. “Who’s gone, Robin?”

“The Mall Rat! He’s gone!”

~*~*~

Bray tore through the forest, uncaring for the amount of noise he was making. Leaves viciously slapped at his face as twigs and branches snagged at his clothing, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered any more. She didn’t love him. Worse yet, she probably hated him.

He had attempted to stop the tears at first, wiping them away with the back of his hand as he ran, but it was a vain effort and soon they were soaking his skin, his heart breaking inside him. He had been an idiot. A complete fool. How could he possibly believe that things could go back to the way they always had been? How could he even think that she might still love him as much as he loved her.

“You’re an idiot, Bray.” He wept bitterly as his foot tripped over a hidden tree root. He fell to the forest’s ground, twisting his ankle in the process, his entire leg suddenly exploding with pain, but it was nothing compared to the pain that was seizing his chest at that very moment.

Looking back now he realized he should have bidden his time. Waited for Amber to come to him, but he had been foolish and reckless – just like he always was. He had pressed her, pouring out his heart to her only to have her laugh in his face and mock his love.

“Why, Amber, why?” He moaned softly, pulling himself into a seated position, leaning against a nearby tree. He felt physically and emotionally exhausted. He knew that he had been in no shape to leave the village but he couldn’t bare to remain there for one minute longer. Not when he knew that she hated him and didn’t want him there.

He closed his eyes, resting the back of his head against the rough bark of the tall oak. He could die right then for all he cared. Die or be picked up by the Chosen he had been told were patrolling the forest. Nothing no longer mattered to him. Nothing at all.

~*~*~

“He just up and left? Didn’t leave a note or anything?” Lex stared at the little Gaian with disbelief.

Robin nodded, her eyes pooling with tears, though Lex couldn’t understand why. No one was blaming her for the idiot’s disappearance, they were only asking her a few questions and yet the young girl acted as if she were being interrogated.

“I don’t know where he went.” Her lower lip trembled. “He was in there one moment and gone the next. I, I…” She trailed off, the tears that had been forming in her eyes now spilling over her cheeks.

“Hey, it’s alright, Robin. We’ll find him. Why don’t you go off to your lodge and lay down for a bit, huh?” Amber soothed the little girl, wrapping her arm around the girl’s thin frame then sending her off with a warm embrace. She then turned her attention to the dark-haired beauty standing just behind Lex. “Panther, find him.”

“Yes Eagle.” Panther nodded then turned and hurried away.

“Don’t you think we should all go?” Lex queried, studying Amber with a frown. “It’s dangerous out there and we’ll find him faster with more people looking, right?”

“No.” Amber shook her head. “Panther is one of our best trackers. If she can’t find him no one can. And Panther has experience in eluding the Chosen. I wouldn’t risk one more person than I had to in order to find Bray.”

“Oh.” Lex nodded with approval. “But what I don’t get is why he took off like that. It makes no sense. I didn’t think he could really even walk.”

“He couldn’t.” Amber looked down guiltily. “And I’m afraid it’s my fault. I—we argued.”

“You okay?” Ebony dropped to a crouched position beside Amber.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Amber assured her, a look being exchanged between her and the former leader of the Locos. A bond had been formed between those two strong women that Lex held nothing but respect for. A bond that, though he knew sketchily knew the origins of, he could not even pretend to begin to understand.

~*~*~

She heard them long before she caught sight of their brilliant blue robes against the dark green backdrop of the forest. They trampled through the forest like a herd of elephants, giving Panther more than enough time to hide herself in the foliage, finding an excellent vantage point to view them from.

There were only five or six of them, but that was too many for Panther to handle by herself should they find Bray before she did. She knew she was close to him, having followed his trail. He was worse than the Chosen at leaving one.

‘Come on. Hurry up.’ She silently told them in her mind, her eyes scanning the area in front of her for a glimpse of the blue robes. Their voices were getting louder and louder and she could catch brief glimpses of their conversation.

“…Guardian will be pleased.” One of the guards, a loud-spoke one, stated proudly.

Another one, much softer-spoken, answered, his or her voice only being a muffled reply and impossible for Panther to discern.

“I don’t think this one will give us much trouble.” A third stated, Panther hearing his voice almost clearly now. They were close. “He seems half dead already.”

“Why don’t we just kill him then?” Yet another one chimed in, this one female. “He’s no good to us if he can’t work.”

“You fool. Don’t you recognize him?” The first one spat loudly. “This is the Mall Rat leader – Bray. The Guardian will have your head for saying such a thing.”

“Bray?” The girl stated, almost in awe. “You mean The Holy Brother?”

“He is not the Holy Brother.” The final guard spoke up, sounding disgruntled. “He has not been chosen. Not yet.”

Alarm filled Panther at the guards’ words. She was too late. She had failed Eagle. She waited for several more minutes until the voices had passed then began to follow them. Even if she had failed the least she could do was track them back to the city and learn where they were going to hold him.

Taking a deep breath Panther set off, steeling herself for a long trek that would most likely last through most of the night.