FF Chapter 6

Running deeper and deeper into the city, Alex encounters dangerous beasts.

Chapter 6

      Alex chased the card across the rooftops, always careful to remember the way home. The wind carried the flimsy rectangle into an alley, and dropped it in the dirt. Alex ran up and dusted it off. It was the queen of hearts. You gave me quite a run, flying off like that! He scolded the card.

      The sun had set. The unfamiliar streets were only lit by the moon and lamps, both were dimmed by either clouds or murky glass panes, yet he could tell the library’s silhouette against the dark sky... way in the distance. His heart sank.  I’m in so much trouble!

      Before he could begin thinking of an excuse, he heard a cry from the deserted streets, and saw a young girl, about his age, run past the alley. Intrigued and already late anyway, he decided to climb the wall and follow her from along the rooftop, stuffing the recovered card back in his pocket along with the rest.

      From his vantage point he could see she was indeed about his age, and suspiciously dressed all in black, with curly blond hair that bounced behind her as she ran. He looked around to see what she could be running from, then a growl filled his ears, and his heart froze. It was dralgs! He was pretty sure it wasn’t normal for Dan’darun beasts to wander the city, but questions could wait.

      He stalked the group. The girl ran straight into a dead end, and turned around to face her attackers, terrified. The beasts skulked up to their prey, unusually cautious, almost like they were taking in the thrill of the hunt.

      Why doesn’t she just climb? Alex wondered. Go on! “CLIMB!” He shouted down.

      The girl looked up at him, startled. “I can’t!” she cried.

      Alex couldn’t understand why. HE never had any problem climbing anything! He gritted his teeth and jumped. It was at this point Alex realized he didn’t have a plan, and didn’t need one. He pulled the knife from his boot and landed on top of the first dralg, killing it. Spinning around he got the second one before it could react. As the beasts fell, the mark on his arms burned. His heart was racing! Someone was behind him! He wheeled around, ready to strike. He heard a short shriek of surprise. It was the girl.

      The look of terror in her eyes was painful. She was scared of him! Gritting his teeth against the searing pain in his arms, he took deep breaths, forcing his heart to slow. As the adrenalin of the hunt left his system, he put his knife back into his boot, and rose slowly.

      He turned to the young girl he’d just saved. “Um, Hi.” His tongue was in knots. “Do-do you mind not telling anyone about this? I’d be really grateful.” This girl saw him use beast mark powers. If Future learned about this he’d be grounded for the rest of his life!

      “You-You have a mark! A beast mark!” She cried.

      “Yes, I do. Please don’t tell anyone else!” he begged.

      Before the two could continue, the growls of the dralg were replaced by the yells of men. The young girl looked at Alex, panic written all over her face.

      “I’ll make you a deal. Get me somewhere safe, and I’ll never speak of this again!”

      Alex smiled “Deal!” He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. This freed up his arms to climb the wall. He was planning his route up the steep surface when he felt a pounding on his back.

      “This isn’t how you’re supposed to carry a lady!” His cargo cried.

      “Really?”

      “No! You carry her in both your arms.”

      Alex though for a moment, then flipped her around until she sat in his arms. “You’re right, this is a bit easier.” Focusing the energy to his feet he leapt up the alley, jumping from one wall to another, until he landed on the roof.

      He looked around, when the young girl spoke up. “Where are we going?” She asked, dizzy from the rapid climb.

      “To my home, the library. They’ve kept me safe for years, they can protect you too.” He spotted the familiar spire in the distance, and sprinted across the rooftops, jumping across whole streets when needed.

      “This is crazy!” The girl cried, watching the city whiz by.

      Alex laughed. “Really?” The noise had gotten louder. He looked behind him. They’d been spotted!

      The girl looked at his arms, the mark was glowing. “Is this the power of the beast mark?”

      “I guess, but I’ve always been good at climbing.” It felt weird to tell the truth about his mark, but it felt good too. Besides, she’d promised to keep it a secret.

      “I mean you’re outrunning horses! No human should be able to do that!” she laughed deliriously. 

      “It does feel like I’m going faster than usual, but nowhere near what my Aunt Lo can do. She can chase me down faster than a dralg. It’s like she teleports! And my Uncle Erald can lift a whole bookcase with one arm.”

      “Do they have the mark too?” She asked. Who WAS this family? They sounded like monsters!

      “Yes… they do” He admitted. “Everyone at the library does. Speaking of which…” He leapt over the wall surrounding his home. “Here we are.”