The days leading up to Pride and Amber’s pledging ceremony
trickled by slowly for the troubled leader of the Gaians. It seemed as if things
had calmed down tremendously since she had arrived back at the village – almost
too calm. Amber was beginning to panic. She was unable to suppress the
anxiousness she felt in her heart every time she thought about The Guardian and
The Chosen.
Amber had found a friend in confidant in Great White,
however. Where she had not been able to pour out her feelings and worries to
the pacifist Pride, she had been able to with Great White. She found that Great
White agreed with her on most things and was able to advise her in ways that
Pride never could.
Great White had suggested Amber reinstate the Gaian
Council, which up until that point Amber had not heard anything about. The
council was made up of nine different Gaians, each of them hand-selected by
Silver Fox for their different experiences and the wisdom they had obtained
during their different trials. Both Great White and Pride were obviously on the
council, as well as Hawk, Panther, Caribou, Crow, Ocelot, and one position left
for the tribal leader. In this case Amber.
The council was only called upon when very difficult
decision needed to be made, decisions that could not be decided upon just by
the leader. Great White had advised Amber that now was such a time. The Gaians
needed to decide whether or not they were going to involve themselves with the
city’s conflict with The Chosen.
Great White and Amber had both decided that the council
should not be called upon, however, until after Amber’s pledging ceremony with
Pride. Amber was under far too much stress dealing with that as it was.
“Are you ready?” Ocelot poked her head inside Amber’s
lodge, a happy grin spreading across her face.
Amber glanced one last time at her reflection in the mirror
before she nodded. Amber was not dressed drastically different than her normal
Gaian garb, however she had spent extra time piecing together a feathered shawl
to wear about her shoulders that matched her feathered warp around skirt. She
had also spent extra time working on her hair, leaving it down in tendrils rather
than holding it back in her traditional Zulu knots.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Amber took a deep breath, stilling her
rapidly beating heart. Amber slowly counted to ten before she followed Ocelot
out the door, knowing that after her ceremony with Pride she would never again
be the same.
~*~*~
Ebony sat alone in her office, deep in thought as she
contemplated what on earth she was going to do with Alice. Alice had assaulted
one of the militia, and though Ebony had been tempted to do the same herself on
countless occasions, she could not let Alice go unpunished.
She let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples gingerly with
her forefingers, sorting out her thoughts. Alice obviously had been reacting to
something the militia had first done to her. Though Alice was very feisty,
Ebony knew she would not attack someone unless provoked.
“Hum…” She murmured, standing to her feet and crossing her
office towards the door. “Might as well go talk to her. That’s the only way
this will get sorted out.”
Less than five minutes later Ebony had arrived outside
Alice’s makeshift prison cell. Axl was standing guard, much to Ebony’s
annoyance.
“Ebony.” Axl nodded to her, stepping aside.
“Hey, Axl.” Ebony frowned, putting on her most determined
and intimidating expression. “I need to speak to the prisoner for a few
minutes. You can go do whatever it is that you do.”
Axl nodded and turned away, but not before Ebony caught the
nasty sneer that had quickly come to his lips. She refused to allow herself to
be bothered by it, however, and stepped inside the prison cell, determined to
learn the truth from Alice.
~*~*~
Amber felt her heart catch in her throat as she slowly and
determinedly walked towards the arbor that had been prepared for the ceremony.
All the Gaians were gathered around, standing in two single file lines. In the
middle of the lines was Pride, standing straight and tall, his long black hair
hanging loosely about his shoulders.
Ocelot cast a look over her shoulder, back at Amber and
smiled encouragingly as she continued to advance. Amber watched as Ocelot
slipped into her position next to Minxy. They were all waiting for her now.
‘Alright, Amber. You can do this. It’s not marriage after
all. Just a commitment.’ She mentally encouraged herself, concentrating hard on
putting one foot in front of the other.
Before she knew it she had passed beyond the first several
Gaians. She was now less than four feet from Pride, his eyes staring intently
on her. She felt, rather than saw the Gaians behind her close in and form a
circle around herself and Pride, her vision completely swallowed by Pride’s
eyes.
“Eagle.” Pride murmured, reaching out his hands to clasp
Amber’s. They were moist and clammy, and Amber could tell that Pride was just
as nervous as she.
He guided her the rest of the way, pulling her close to
him. They were now standing face to face, less than half a foot separating
them. They stood that way for several moments, neither of them able to speak.
Finally, Pride cleared his throat, his deep brown eyes
melting into Amber’s. “Eagle, you are my life. My only love. From the moment I
saw you I knew that I would never be the same. With one simple look you tamed
my anxious and wild heart. I could never belong to another. I am completely and
totally yours to have and to hold, to do with what you like. I love you Amber,
my Eagle, and today you are making me the happiest man alive.
“Eagle, I commit myself to you. I promise to love you and
to care for you through good times and through bad. No matter what your or I
face, we will not be alone. We will have each other. Eagle, I pledge myself to
you this day, now and forevermore.”
~*~*~
“So that’s the story, eh?” Ebony shook her head, whishing she
could disbelieve what Alice had just told her, but she knew the taller Mall
Rat’s words to be genuine. Alice had been betrayed – not only by the man she
loved, or thought she loved, but by her closest and most trusted friend.
The auburn-haired woman nodded, and Ebony could see the
unmasked pain in her fair eyes. “Yes, that’s the story. I can’t go back, Ebony.
At least not now. I was on my way to the farm when Axl and his bruisers stopped
me.”
“The farm, eh?” Ebony mused aloud, an idea suddenly coming
to her. “You were going there just to get away from Lex and Tai-San?”
“Yes.” Came Alice’s simple answer.
“I have a better idea, if you’ll hear me out.” A grin
spread across Ebony’s face as she saw the interest peek on Alice’s face.
“Alright.”
“You and me, Alice, we’re a lot alike. Now, before you
argue, listen to all I have to say. We’re both strong women who know what we
want. You have men problems, so do I. Only I wasn’t betrayed by my best friend.
“Neither of us can go back to the mall right now. What I am
proposing to you is that you stay here, with me, at the Hotel. I’m sure Danni
and Bray would just love to have you here, now that Jack has turned tail and
left. And I need you here.”
“You need me?” Alice chuckled, shaking her head in
disbelief.
“It’s true, Alice.” Ebony felt her stomach clutch as she
thought of the dead body of Spike that she, Bray, and Jack had discovered just
days before. Of course Jack and Bray had not believed that she hadn’t killed
him, but she knew the truth and somehow she had to convince Alice of that.
“Despite what you may have heard, I did not kill Spike. Someone framed me.”
“Ebony, he was found floating in your pool. How can you say
you didn’t kill him?” Alice argued, though her eyes sparked with interest.
“I was framed. By the Chosen I figure.”
“The Chosen are finished.” Alice frowned.
Ebony let out a long sigh, recalling the article that Ellie
had published stating that the Chosen had broken up after Trudy’s return to the
Mall Rats. Supposedly they had lost their visionary point or whatever it was.
Ebony didn’t believe that for a single moment. And somehow she got the feeling
that Alice didn’t either.
“No, Alice, they’re not. I believe Ellie was tricked into publishing
that article. Sure, she believed it to be the truth, but this Wolf, how
trustworthy is he? For all we know he could have been a Chosen spy sent to try
and trick the city kids into believing the Chosen were finished so that when
they strike we won’t be prepared.”
Alice nodded, listening intently, seeing Ebony’s logic. “So
why would The Chosen frame you?”
“Because The Guardian, Jaffa, knows me. He knows that I
wouldn’t believe they were through. So he had to discredit me.”
Alice laughed loudly at this. “Ebony, hun, you did that all
by yourself.”
Ebony glared at her, but refused to allow herself to get
upset. She needed to convince Alice to help her. She was her last chance. “I
know, I know. I’ve done some pretty terrible things, but I’m seriously not the
same person as I have been. Alice, I need your help. I can’t trust my men. Not
a single one of them. Somehow that body got into my pool, and I doubt some
wacko in a blue robe could have slipped inside without being noticed.”
“So you think that one of your militia is working for The
Chosen?”
“One or all of them.” Ebony nodded, pursing her lips
grimly. “And I wouldn’t doubt the Chosen have someone working for them inside
the mall.”
“With the Mall Rats?” Alice scoffed. “You must be joking!”
“Am I?” Ebony arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
Alice’s laugh stopped short, her face growing sober. “I
suppose you could be right. Trudy’s been acting mighty strange lately.”
“Exactly.” Ebony grimaced. “So, will you help me? You will
help me defeat The Chosen?”
Alice studied Ebony for a long minute before nodding. “I’ll
help you, Ebony, though I don’t know how much good the two of us will be.”
Ebony closed her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. “Thank
you.” She murmured. “But hopefully we won’t be alone.”
~*~*~
Amber’s throat felt as dry as cotton as she struggled to
try and remember the pledge she had written and memorized days before. After
listening to Pride’s words of love Amber had felt so horrible and inadequate. She
did not love Pride as he loved him. She knew that. She felt fake – like a
phony.
‘Please, I have to make it through this.’ Amber repeated
the mantra in her mind, closing her eyes, hoping that Pride and the rest of the
Gaians would think she was too choked back with emotion to speak at the moment.
Suddenly, the face of Bray appeared in her mind’s eye. He
was watching her, smiling, laughing, looking as he did so long ago – long
before either of them had even heard the words Eagle Mountain.
Amber felt her tongue suddenly loosed and she began to
speak, words that she felt from the bottom of her heart – only they were not
words for Pride, they were words for Bray. “You were my savior, my helper.
Through everything you stood by me, and though I did not always believe in you,
you always believed in me. I love you more dearly than I ever thought possible.
“When I think of what life would be like without you in it,
I grow numb. You are my best friend, my helper, my soul mate. Without you I am
nothing. And on this day, I am pledging myself to you. I love you.”
Amber slowly opened her eyes, for the first time becoming
aware of the tears that had slipped down her cheeks as she spoke. “Pride, I-I
love you.”