I took a deep breath. It was getting to be quite the long story, but right then we had the time. More than one set of eyes locked in on me as I began my tale.
I already knew humans were going to be the most difficult race to convince of the existence of Walkers. For all of their religion, faith and superstition, they’d still been conditioned to believe aliens, gods and magic were the stuff of legend. Only existing in fairytales. I was prepared for that, though. On top of telling my story, I’d also give them proof.
I hadn’t spoken of our journey from start to finish for a long time, but I did it for Chrissie. She needed to understand what she and Chandra had been in the middle of. She needed to know of the evil which threatened every single world. For her to move on, to let some of the grief go, she needed to understand the enormity of it all. Maybe Chandra’s death wouldn’t seem so senseless to her then. Probably it still would.
I talked of Quarn, stepping through the doorway and discovering First World and Walkers. I spoke of the seven worlds, the prophecy, the Seventine, and all of the battles we had fought already. My voice softened as I briefly described each of the half-Walker females. My heart swelled as I thought about my friends, my family, and our sacred animals. Finally I finished with the ancient energy the half-Walkers possessed, the power and burden which rested on our shoulders. By the time I had finished speaking we were nearing the end of the vessel’s fuel capacity, and Brace had decided to turn her toward the land.
During my long explanation, I’d mostly stared out into the ocean. Watching the splash of color through the waves, the beauty of the sea finally visible in the light of the rising sun. Now I turned back to the silent humans. Strangely enough, by the time I was done, most of them didn’t seem to require any demonstration of power.
Sure, there were a myriad of expressions blasting at me; most were disbelieving, but some actually held this gleam of more. Like a desperate hope that there was a better life out there than their wretched existence. Some of the girls looked toward Brace and Colton with new interest. Especially my mate, as his marks were both dangerous and striking in appearance. He was the more alien looking of the two males.
Chrissie leaned forward, hands pressed firmly into her thighs. “So you’re saying that one of us is this final Walker you need?”
I nodded. “You or Eva. It’s easy enough to determine; I just need to open my necklace.” I lifted it up from where it rested between my breasts. “The moonstale inside will reveal your Walker marks.”
The girls exchanged looks; I couldn’t tell what they were thinking. Before I could actually open my locket Brace’s deep tones cut the silence.
“Red.”
Just one word. That was all it took for my body to come to life and the blood to hum in my veins. I knew something was up. His tone would not have revealed anything to the others, but I knew him better than that.
Eyes followed me as I rose. It took some effort to keep my footing in the rocking vessel and step around the prone bodies, but I eventually reached his side in the center console.
What’s up?
I assumed he’d prefer to discuss whatever it was privately, or he’d have said something out loud when he called my name. Although, I wondered why he’d said anything out loud at all.
I like to say your name, Red. It conjures up all sorts of interesting thoughts.
I refused to blush. Blood better not pool in my cheeks, or else.
But there’s something going on here. I know we’re in the middle of the ocean, but I get the distinct feeling that we’ve passed this spot already, more than once.
I froze. My gaze darted out to the horizon. The rising sun splashed the dark frothy ocean with beams of red, yellow, and gold.
The scents are the same. That bird is always overhead.
My head shot up to see a seagull above us. Whoa, a bird on Earth.
The ripples of the current merge in this same spot every time. He tried to explain what his advanced senses had noticed, signs an average human wouldn’t pick up.
How could that be possible?
Brace didn’t reply for a few minutes. I shifted my body around as Colton and Lucy moved off the bench seat and joined us.
“It’s an energy transference,” Colton said, his deep voice low enough to keep our conversation private. “How the hell did they manage that on Earth?”
Brace must have mentally brought Colton up to speed, although Lucy and I were still clueless as to what this energy transference was.
“Care to fill us in, boys?” she trilled.