Zinc 01 - Altors, page 14
part #1 of Zinc Series
I wasn't a wuss, but I'd never been tested to these extremes before either. This was war. I hadn’t truly realized it before, but now I did. Galaxi was not joking around. Gulping, I pushed myself onto my feet, my eyes never leaving her figure. Were they really going to fight? Why was Galaxi so determined to keep me going? My heart had never beaten this fast, I was scared to death, and I screamed in fear when Conium came running towards Galax, tackling him down. I wanted to see and understand what was going on. Galaxi didn't allow me to worry or question, she was so near and had since picked up her second dagger, both of those metal points twinkling in the sunlight, teasing me.
"Attack!" She ordered, her eyes stern, her mouth unsmiling as she took off in a sprint, closing the distance between us. I didn't have a weapon. "I will kill you!" She warned loudly, swinging her right Rector backwards, just so she could throw it in my direction full force.
A strange feeling of vertigo multiplied by a hundred rushed through me when I realized she had every intention of stabbing me. I stopped breathing, seeing red while I pushed off my feet, flinging myself forward so I could land my shoulder into her stomach, tackling her down. I saw one of her daggers fall out of her hands, her eyes widening as she tried to gasp for air.
The hand that was still armed aimed for me and I realized it too late, screaming in pain and punching her hard in the face when the dagger sliced my upper arm. I closed a hand over the wound, still sitting on top of her and hissing at the sting radiating through my body. Galaxi coughed, grabbing her nose. She was bleeding from it, yet she didn't seem overly concerned, instead looked at me warily. She was a bit blurry. Or maybe my vision was.
"Tell me how you feel." She asked, her calm question confusing me. Propping herself up onto one elbow, she took a closer look at me. My eyes rolled into the back of my head, but I shook the faint feeling off and removed my palm from the wound, bringing the hand in front of my eyes so I could stare curiously at my own blood dripping from my fingers.
"Why did you do that?" I asked softly, absently, too distracted by the color red. Galaxi released her nose, her eyes filled with an amount of fear I'd never seen before.
"Galax!" She shouted, terrified as she tried to wiggle her way out from underneath me. Why was she afraid?
I shook my head, shoving that away and trying to focus my vision by blinking repeatedly. Placing my bloody hand onto Galaxi's stomach, I stared at the red hand print on her clothing.
And then my world turned grey.
"What did you do to me?!" I shouted, freaking out as whatever I did, color did not return to my vision. Looking down, my eyebrows twisted into a frown when I could see Galaxi's heart through her skin. It was glowing gold and it was the only color I was able to see other than all the grey. She was terrified, I knew because of how fast her heart was beating. Scanning my surroundings, more glowing hearts became visible, coming from people approaching the scene. Their bodies were outlined with a red glow, a warm red glow.
I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, a clear message took hold of my mind and controlled my body. Red means kill.
* * * *
Chapter 13: Solenum Everhart
“Momentary eclipse”
* * * *
I locked my gaze on the red shine outlining the enemy's body lying beneath me. I reached out to grab the weapon from the hand and once I held it, I lifted it high up with every intention of piercing it straight through the golden glow that was their heart. But another red figure took a hold of my wrist, removing me from the person I’d wished to end.
"Galaxi, Adepto super hic!" My earlier target was moved by another, but I wasn’t allowed to pay them much heed as a clicking sound reached my ears from the right. Turning to see what it was, I could only display anger at the figure who was not only snapping his fingers, but had also ruined the attack.
"Solenum, it's Galax." Familiar voice, but red meant danger. I flipped backwards, grabbing the dagger when I landed on my hands first before pushing off them to get myself back onto my feet.
"Don't!" That same voice shouted angrily, sprinting my way. I narrowed my eyes on the saber in his hand and then turned to run towards the blade I’d located when scanning my surroundings. As I ran, I leaned forward, grabbing the hilt, never stopping since he was right behind me. Determined, I dropped the dagger and then used that free hand to grab a hold of a pillar before pushing off my feet and swinging myself around in a circle. My heels connected with his chest, forcing him to fall back on the ground. He groaned in pain, his palm now grasping the area I’d harmed. I looked at the color glowing around his heart.
"Blue Blood!" I bent down onto my knees and motioned for him to get back up. He did, his hand still over his chest while he flipped the saber over in the other.
"More than an equal match to you, Altor." He waved his sword at me in a challenging manner. "I am trained and you are not. But if you insist. Try me!" He released his battle stance, spreading his arms wide, taunting me with his relaxed body language as he left his heart unprotected. He wasn't afraid of me at all!
I let out a noise of rage, keeping my blade close to my side, the tip of it dragging over the stone floor while running for him. My vision turned from grey to red, but he never moved, his arms still wide.
~~~~~~~~
Had I remembered my forearms were still weak from the exertion earlier, I wouldn't have done this. Had I not forgotten the fact that I was too enraged to see and think clearly, I wouldn't have done this. Had I not forgotten who they were and who I was, I would not have done this.
~~~~~~~~
With only two steps separating us, I flung my blade off my hip so I could attack full force, but then gasped in shock when he grabbed the blade in the middle, slicing his palm open, showing no pain. Dropping his own weapon, he then closed his free hand over my own, squeezing hard so I was forced to let go off the hilt. Once he had control, he threw the weapon across the training ground and before I could retaliate, his hand shot forward and closed around my throat. He moved us to a kneeling position while his fingers tightened around my neck. My breathing turned ragged and my vision lost its redness. Slowly, his eyes were turning blue and his coloring returned.
"I'm a Blue Blood without cruelty." He whispered, sounding pained. "I'm sorry." Then things turned black.
* * * *
Grey, blink, color. Color, blink, grey. Altor vision is what they called it; a tool, so to speak, that was given to an Altor soldier once triggered. It helped them locate who their foes were, their allies and who were to be protected. Not only that though, when you were used to seeing the world in color since birth, your vision relied on it. When all was grey, you couldn't identify things as easily as you would in color. I'd wondered why that would be a good thing in battle. The answer had been blood. You could detach yourself and be less emotional when the color of blood wasn't there to make you do a double take.
All my senses were heightened. I felt stronger, more graceful and stable. As if something had been missing, but since I'd not been aware, I couldn't have felt something lacking. Yet now I did sense the large difference. I was more alert, felt things that approached me faster than I did before, my stamina and energy didn't tire as easily. While my muscles could still get sore and I was far from unbreakable, that fragility a Civilian had was far, far away after I'd been triggered. Positioning myself in the proper battle stance had become a sixth sense and picking up a sharp and deadly weapon wasn't something I felt uncomfortable with in the slightest. It was as though a soldier manual had been uploaded into my system.
The moment I'd woken up from unconsciousness, realizing they'd settled me on Galax's bed in his quarters, I'd been instantly faced with Conium and Galaxi. The Morrisey's had clearly felt horrible about putting me in a situation as such, but after I'd finally allowed them to explain and stopped ignoring them, I'd come to find out that they'd had no choice. To trigger an Altor that carried the blue blood cell, they had to believe that they were on the verge of death. It forced a type of adrenaline no other situation could, and so it was vital the Altor in need of the trigger had no clue what was taking place.
Ivy, the person Galaxi had been talking to through via virtual connection the other night, was an Altor soldier. While Galax had continuously told me I didn't carry the blue blood cell, it turned out that something like that couldn't be decided on due to physical traits. Ivy had explained to Galaxi, who then had explained to me, that even the Altors had no idea how the trigger truly functioned. All they knew is that if the trigger didn't take place, the blue blood cells turned poisonous and killed the Altor. It was pure luck the Altors knew a death experience kept the blood from killing.
Those with Altor ancestors were to be kept a close eye on as the poison could only start showing when the person reached their adult size. While you grew, the blood of the blue and that of the Civilian inside cannot find their footing since your body keeps changing. It is when you stop growing that the blue blood can find its anchor.
I'd have stayed angry at Galaxi for putting me through that, but if she hadn't, I'd have died a slow and painful death because of the poison.
I remembered the way I'd snapped, how my personality had switched and my sudden lack of memory. While I was back to normal now, putting aside the new Altor tricks I had rooted into my system, I was privy to what I'd witnessed while the Altor vision was on. I hadn't even been able to recognize Galax.
Standing at the edge of the training ground, I watched Galax take his frustration out on a dummy, unaware I was here. I needed to tell him that I understood why he had done it, why he had knocked me out cold. I also needed him to know that I didn't care he is Regius, even if I'd harshly accused him of being a Blue Blood when my body had been suffering through the change.
It didn't matter that he was of the Regius bloodline because it didn't define him, not in my eyes anyway. He was Galax, the gentlest person I'd ever met. If it meant something had to be wrong with him as the Blue Bloods organisms demanded them to be cruel, then I could only believe it was the best mistake ever to have happened.
When I stepped onto the training ground, he stopped his attack on the dummy, turning around, saber in hand and he eyed me carefully. Letting the weapon clatter to the ground, the sound of it resonating around us, he kept his gaze fixed on mine.
I wanted to scream in anger at my Altor lineage when the red vision that told me he was dangerous turned on. I had to find a way to turn it off. I needed Galax to be Galax. He lessened the distance between us slowly, clearly uncertain if he was allowed to approach me. I refused to let my blood decide how to view him.
"You're a Blue Blood without cruelty." I repeated his words, letting him know I'd heard his apology. Although my vision was blinking from grey to red and back, I kept the urge to defend myself in check, managing a smile for him.
"Galaxi was lucky I was there. Only another Altor has the strength to control a newly triggered one." He paused in his steps, and I waited patiently for him to continue before I did as well. "Or a Regius." He added. "There is this everlasting cold settled in a Blue Blood's body. Only one thing can make that fade." He gestured for me to come closer. "When I found you in the desert I was so worried, I forgot about myself." I knew what that meant for a Regius, their system forced them to be selfish. For him to admit that...
"I'm trying to ignore it, I really am." I implored, feeling sadness wash over me when the Altor vision was still forcing me to see him as a danger. He closed the last little bit of distance between us.
"Hey." He touched my cheek. "Look at me. Really look. The way you did when we first met." He whispered. Licking my lips, I breathed out shakily, nodding against his palm and allowing my eyes to truly take him in. "Don't pout, it's not fair." I chuckled weakly at his words, remembering the first time he'd said that to me.
"Your eyes are turning blue." I felt my heart speed up when his coloring returned to normal. I sighed in relief. He was Galax again. I'd managed to turn off the vision and it allowed me to focus on how close he was holding me. Having been introduced to the Altor inside of me, I could now understand why he'd been reluctant to give in to the attraction we felt for one another. After all, my kind and his kind weren't supposed to be civil with one another.
"Have you ever been in love?" He asked suddenly.
My eyebrows shot up. "Are you telling me you love me?"
He smiled. "I'm not sure yet, I've never been in love."
"I haven't either."
"You are my light." His hand slid to the back of my head, allowing him to tilt it back.
"Oh?" I murmured shyly, the smile on my face was almost painful. Laughing softly at my reaction, he then gave me exactly what I wanted. I saw his Adam's apple bob once and the tip of his nose bumped against my own. His head tilted and his breath was hot on my lips before he gently pressed his mouth to mine. A grin broke out as the feeling of my heart wanting to leap its way out of my chest was so overwhelming. The happiness that washed over me was so good, I managed to relax the tight grip I had on his shirt, allowing my hands to slide their way up and around his neck. He brushed his lips softly over mine once, twice, his arm around my waist pulling me closer, the fronts of our bodies completely pressed against one another. Lifting me up so I was standing on my tip toes, he deepened the kiss making my belly do somersaults while my mind was racing and my legs were shaky.
Parting my lips, he caught on instantly, the tip of his tongue tentatively seeking out my own before toying with it. It was a bunch of spit swapping, creating a mess of saliva, but I swear, I don't think I'd experienced anything more powerful and so intensely right. My breathing was erratic, as was his. I let out a startled moan of pleasure when he sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling softly before gently releasing it. When I opened my eyes, I saw that his were hooded, the crinkles around them telling me he was smiling. When my heels touched the ground again and he placed a kiss on the tip of my nose, I couldn't stop the huge sigh of relief flowing out of me.
"Fireworks." Fucking finally.
* * * *
Narrator
“Poorly constructed lies.”
* * * *
Including the Civilians into the war once more would effectively put their lives in great peril. The Regius were stronger and could easily overpower them. Of course, the Altors wouldn't allow this, and neither would the Palliums.
Were there enough Altor soldiers to keep the Civilians safe in case they were to be brought into the ordeal again? Probably not. The Civilians are precious to both parties because without them, the Altors and Palliums would have nothing left to protect, while the Regius would have no one to rule over were they to gain the upper hand in this war and re-claim their throne. Or more accurately, the number of Civilians was far greater than that of the Altors and Regius. While damage could be done, the Regius could never get rid of everything and everyone. Keeping the Civilians clueless made it so that if the Regius were to win this battle, they would be able to recreate Zinc, mold the minds of those weaker into something that would benefit them.
Were the Civilians truly that? Was it the lack of strength in their blood that made them bow down so easily to the will of the Regius? Is it that weakness that made the Civilians believe in the poorly constructed lie?
Physically, they were indeed not as strong and could never become it, but the blood that is blue and resides within the system of the Regius and Altors couldn’t be considered strong if a weaker race wasn’t there to make that difference. If only the Civilians knew how much power they had. How many lives had been destroyed to keep them safe? The amount of dreams that had been flushed down the toilet to see them live peacefully was overwhelming. Countless friends being separated, numerous lovers parting in death much too quickly and all that pain, just to make sure they could live their lives cluelessly.
I did not understand how the Altors could support this. It angered me that they were to be kept clueless. Yet, I knew it wasn't the Civilians who had to pay the price. It wasn't their fault, after all. Their lies didn't alter the ways and beliefs of a country.
Maybe ignorance is in fact, bliss.
* * * *
Chapter 14: Calycanthus Esquivel
“I’m not like that.”
* * * *
Stretching my legs out over the couch, I absently noted that my hair was greasy and that I should probably take a shower. It was a faint thought though as I got distracted by the ticking sound of the clock on the wall. I'd been up since three in the morning, another nightmare waking me.
The ceiling in my bedroom had become boring, despite the cute glow in the dark dandelion stickers stuck to it. So, I'd gone downstairs, hoping the ceiling in the living room would be more interesting.
I sighed, comforted by the light that streaked through the window of the front door, telling me that dawn was finally nearing. I hoped the letter I'd sent days ago had gotten to Marguerite's. Hopefully, Solenum would understand that I wasn't able to come back to her myself. I was in Altor custody right now and it had been made more than clear that I could try to leave, but it wasn't going to be a successful attempt.
Five-thirty in the morning. Maybe I could catch a couple more hours of sleep before the others in the house would wake. Yawning one last time, I was about to push off the couch, but then I saw a pair of bare feet slowly walking down the stairs. It was Datura. I knew because the tip of his braid was swinging back and forth, identifying him even before his face had come into view.
My eyebrows furrowed at the soft melodious hum and I tilted my head when he lazily made his way past me, his eyes were closed and he seemed to be unaware of my presence. This guy was useless before seven.
I bit back a grin when he pulled onto his comfortable looking pajama pants, removing a wedgie. He hummed the tune more clearly, a bit louder and started to make coffee. There was something about him that made me both want to know him so much better, yet at the same time that mystery and hint of darkness pooling in the ruby red of his eyes made me want to back away.
