Page 30 of Betrothed to the Yeti

I guess status is a double-edged sword. Their blind faith in the Leaders put them in Alpha’s prison, but their God rescued them as they prayed. My arms are busy lifting children through the opening, but my gaze is on Jaya. She clasps hands with the adults to give them the leverage needed to climb over the stump. As she rolls her sleeve, I’m delighted her forearm is twice as plump as those she helps. Our marriage was forced upon her, but she’s healthier because of my care. I like to think she’s happier too.

Of course, I’m happier in our home. I’m sorry I ever left.

Be careful, if you wish to never leave my temple, I’ll make so. I am the Protector God, after all.She answers with telepathic giggles that split her face into a beaming smile. Whether it’s our mental banter or rescuing her neighbors, her heart lightens every minute.

“Will you lead the group to Delta? Tell the gatekeeper, It is the wish of the Protector God that they receive care and be reunited with their family members,” I ask the Seer because I know Jaya won’t leave without her lambs…and possibly confronting her sister. With the wall on one side and me on the other, I’ve blocked a predator’s access to my little wife.

Why go after Jaya when our refugees are slower and less protected?My darkness’s mental whisper may be cruel, but I must agree Jaya comes first.

“Can I have the key to the ‘lower wall’ just in case?” Jaya asks. The Seer places the keys in her hands and squeezes them. A moment of understanding passes between the two women. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Seer washes her hands of Alpha by handing over the keys to Jaya. Giving her silent approval of whatever recourse Jaya chooses for her revenge. I doubt such a gesture would have occurred if the Seer’s mind linked with my bloodthirsty wife.

Having a large number of humans outside the walls attracts predators. While the miners or hunters do this weekly, they are fit enough to outrun or fight the animals. I don’t like the proximity of the growls nor how their pitch has risen from the low chuff of wolves to the higher rumble of tigers. The security of the sick ‘lower wall’ inhabitants falls on my shoulders and I refuse to let Jaya down. Luckily for me, the families whose members are outside follow the Seer at my command.

“You should monitor the line between the villages,” whispers my brave wife. “I can help the rest through the wall and then climb inside. If a tiger follows me, I will barricade myself inside a hut and call you to rescue me.”

Don’t pick a fight with anyone or anything unless I’m there to protect you—The darkness snarls to Jaya, bypassing my mental barriers.

My footfalls are heavy. So much could go wrong. She risks her life carelessly—even struggling to lift her neglectful father over the stump. I’m a heartbeat from losing control and tossing my charges on their pilgrimage through Delta’s gates. My bubbling rage and need to avenge the slight of Jaya burns my guts. A part of me screams for blood. Meanwhile, I smile, carry purple-tinted children, and assist the violet-colored elderly. Does she realize the mayhem my darkness will cause if I’m grievingherdeath? My inner phantom wants her in Delta, not them. He screams for us to be within the walls, tearing down huts as we follow the scent of our lambs.

Patience…The bastard is about to receive his wish.

A tiger burrows through the snow perpendicular to the line. While the snow squall he creates is lost in the swirling flakes, the moving ridge on the horizon gives him away. My left arm swings and my steps soften as I casually make my way to intercept him. Most of these people never venture outside the walls of Alpha and don’t know how many of the Elder’s warnings of predators, snow squalls, and scalding geysers are true. I can’t frighten the humans who have no clue they are hunted. When I reach where I believe the tiger will intercept the line, I set the child I carry in my right arm at the feet of an unaccompanied woman.

“Stay together,” I whisper toward the child, but the message is for the haggard lady< too. She nods vigorously and takes the child’s hand. Fists grinding my hips, my posture suggests I wait for the pair to follow my order. My knees are soft. My shoulders are loose. When the tiger surfaces, he will fulfill my need to shed blood.

The tunnel stops shimmying a few yards from where I stand. Perhaps the animal smelled me. For their sake, I hope they return to their lairs behind the mines. No more snow is disturbed. Back and forth over the purple plains, my vision scans. From the Seer chatting happily with the children at the front to Jaya helping the oldest prisoners over the stump, I see no tiger.

The end of the line is a quarter of the speed of the children at the front. The stragglers stab the snow with rods before shuffling forward. If I leave them to their speed, we will be waiting until after dark! I grab a shriveled old man and carry him bridal style to Delta.

“Send a group of men to carry the last of the prisoners,” I bark at the Seer, who smiles at me from inside the gate. Damn her joyous attitude when danger surrounds us. I suspect she isn’t as pure and noble as she pretends. I couldn’t care less if she has a vendetta against Jaya’s sisters or all of Alpha. I want to be home with my family. I don’t wait for a response from the Seer or gatekeeper before returning to my post.

In time for a shower of snow to hit my face.

When the flakes settle, a pair of tigers gobble a struggling man at the end of the line. Four more tigers flank them while snarling at a frozen Jaya. Her teeth chatter so hard her head bobs. She taps her fingers against her billowing skirts. The man’s blood splatters on her. Snarls and screams fill the air between us. From her bobbing curls to her rooted toes, she’s trapped in her terror.

Climb over the stump, quietly and slowly.Her eyes leave the gruesome event at her feet to meet mine. My nod flashes a violet light over the tiger pack. The two on the left flank of those eating snarl at me. I can’t focus on them until Jaya moves. Nothing matters until she’s out of harm’s way.

MOVE!My darkness takes over and roars at Jaya. She flinches and looks at the stump. With infinite slowness, her hands reach for the top. One knee lifts as she boosts herself. The rightmost tiger stares at her trailing leg like a Seer’s hypnotizing pendulum.

My feet pound the purple snow as I run to her aid. I shove refugees behind me as I run. They fly into the arms of the brave citizens of Delta who have come to their aid. It’s a race between my strides and the sneaking paws of the tiger advancing on Jaya. From atop the stump, she spins to check the tigers’ positions. I wish she would just run, leap, or move further into the village walls. Both of her legs are coiled beneath her, so she won’t be dragged off, but she has no leverage to jump out of danger either.

The tigers don’t have that problem. They crouch to build the momentum to spring forward… And everything goes purple as the darkness takes control.

Chapter 18

Jaya

Tiger. Tiger. Phantom. Tiger. Blood. Danger.

Pabu’s voice, his phantom’s voice, and my internal warning system scream in my head. The cacophony allows random words to filter into awareness from the incoherent jumbles. I’m lost. One thing is clear. I’m in grave danger. I blink rapidly to take in the scene below me.

Five tigers. Two feed on old Mr. Labrini, who used to yell at us for stealing tubers from his lawn. One creeps toward me with blood dripping from his fangs. Curiously, the other three have their back to me. What steals their attention from an easy meal—

A bigger predator.

Pabu’s fur is twice as long, but the new hairs are black at the roots. Black smoke swirls around his legs and feet. He doesn’t move with his usual clumsy stomps. Instead, he glides as if floating over the snow. Are his feet moving at all? His teeth have purple tips. The top ones are too long for his lips to close over them. The violet light in his eyes is brighter than the crystal pollution radiating off Alpha.

His roar smacks me in the face. I fall off my stump, luckily toward Alpha’s slums. The tigers flatten their ears and fall to the ground in supplication. To be shorter than the stump, I slink through the mud. It warmed to slush during the migration of the people to Delta Animals cry within the structure, but they are smart enough to be out of sight.

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