Betrothed Episode One (22 page)

I took a
jerking step backwards.

My move
was quick, scared, and as soon as I made it, the cloud made an
equivalent quick, jerking move. It was terrifying to see. It had
all the instinctual intelligent movements of an animal, without the
hindrance of a body.

It
looked at me for one more thoughtful second.

Then it
moved.

It
rushed towards me, like water from a broken dam.

I
screamed, and so did it. A terrifying slow grating howl that ripped
through the air and echoed far into the corridor.

It
didn’t reach me.

It
didn’t reach me.

Suddenly
a shield burst into place in front of me, and the cloud smashed
into it, its diffuse body crackling against the force field,
sending sparks exploding into the room and dancing over the floor
like glittering red fireflies.

I
choked, letting go of a tiny high-pitched wail as I stumbled
backwards and into a wall.

The
cloud, far from being disintegrated, brought itself back and then
slammed its diffuse body into the force field.

The
force field buckled like it was nothing more than a thin piece of
paper being pushed by a finger.

It
didn’t fall, not yet anyway, but as the cloud brought itself back
for another assault, I instinctively knew the shield couldn’t take
another blow.

It
didn’t have to.

There
was a sound from the corridor, I heard it even over the crackling
of the force field.

So did
the cloud. It darted around, swimming through the room like a water
snake.

It
didn’t make it far.

“
I wouldn’t do that,” someone said.

The
voice was male, and I swore I recognized it, but before I could
figure out who it was, there was an enormous flash of energy
through the room.

I had no
idea where it came from, but it was so bright I had to slam my
hands over my eyes lest I be blinded.

That
cloud let out another scream, this one so guttural it shook through
the floor and trembled up my feet.

I
whimpered, clutching my hands harder over my face as I huddled
against the wall.

“
Well what do you know? This gun does work,” someone
said.

There
was another blinding flash of light.

Then a
scream, one that echoed not just around me but through
me.

The
shield in front of me failed, and I felt a rush of cold air slam
against my body. It set my head banging into the wall behind
me.

Then
silence.

Silence
until I heard footsteps. Not the rush of air indicating the cloud
was slamming towards me.

No,
footsteps. And if I was any judge, they came from a
human.

I forced
my eyes open.

I looked
up.

Someone
entered the room.

Mark.

He was
holding a gun. It was massive and had glowing lines tracing down
the barrel.

“
There you are, Annie. You okay?”

Shaking,
I forced myself to stand. “Mark?”

He
nodded. Then he spread his arms wide as if he expected me to throw
myself at him.

I wanted
to. He’d just saved me, right?

That
meant I had been wrong about him. Didn’t it?

Maybe he
hadn’t been holding me in that makeshift hospital for some
nefarious reason. Maybe he’d been doing it for my own
good.

I should
have done what he’d asked and just trusted him.

So why
wasn’t I throwing myself at him?

The
invitation was there as he swept his arms open. Yet I couldn’t
force my body forward.

Something was happening behind my left eye.

The
visions were trying to push their way through, harder than
before.

I
started to shake and I brought a hand up and slammed it over my
eye.

Mark’s
eyes narrowed with interest.

He brought a hand behind him and grabbed something from the
holster connected to his belt.

There
was a hiss, and a strange smell filtered through the
room.

As soon
as I breathed it in, I felt dizzy.

In fact,
I tipped backwards.

“
Whoa, steady there.” Mark spread a hand towards
me.

After a
few seconds of instability, my balance returned.

And,
fantastically, the pain disappeared.

There
wasn’t even a hint of tension behind my eye anymore.

I
blinked, my confusion obvious as I tentatively touched my cheek and
eyebrow.

“
You’re right, kid,” he assured me as he reached around and
locked the enormous gun onto a holster along his back.

“…
Mark?”

He
pressed his lips together and offered me a subdued smile. “You ran
away from me, Annie. I only ever tried to keep you
safe.”

I
glanced at my feet. “I … I’m sorry?” I couldn’t keep my tone
steady. Was I sorry?

Could I
trust Mark?

Of
course I could, my rational mind kept telling me. He just saved me
from that cloud, whatever the hell it had been.

But why
had he taken me to that makeshift hospital? What wasn’t he telling
me?

And why
was he pretending I was Miranda?

It was
then that I realized he’d called me Annie.

I tilted
my head to the side and narrowed my eyes at him. “Who am I,
Mark?”

He
pressed his lips together and didn’t blink as he stared my way.
“You’re Annie Carter.”

I tried
to control my expression, but it was hard. Extremely bloody
hard.

Everyone
was telling me I was someone called Miranda. Mark had even said
it.

Now he
was admitting the truth.

“
I know you want to know what’s going on, and I’ll tell
you.”

I stared
at him warily. “Why did you pretend I was Miranda? Why did you take
me to that strange hospital? Why were they running so many
tests?”

He
spread both hands towards me in a peace motion. “Because you need
to be protected.”

“
From my own name?” I asked with exasperation.

He
looked at me seriously. “Yes.”

I balked
at his strange reaction. “Mark, what the hell is going on? What did
you do with my betrothal certificate? Why did you pretend I was
somebody else?”

“
Because, kid, you’re Annie goddamn Carter. You’re betrothed
to Illuminate Hart,” he said, genuine frustration shaking through
his tone.

Mark
hardly ever reacted with anything but cool, composed calm. But here
he was, his eyes wide, his lips tight with tension, and his words
tighter.

I shook at his
statement
.

He kept
those wide-open eyes locked on me. “Annie, you’re one of the most
important people in the universe right now. You have to be
protected.”

There
was such a fervor behind his words, I couldn’t help but stare at
him. “So why … did you pretend I wasn’t Annie Carter?”

“
To keep you away from him,” Mark answered through a clenched
jaw.

“…
What?” I shivered.

“
I don’t know if you’ve ever met an Illuminate, Annie, but
they’re terrible people. They are responsible for everything that
is wrong with this universe,” as Mark spoke he pointed to the floor
with a stiff finger, emphasizing every word.

I stared
at him. “I’ve … I’ve met an Illuminate,” I admitted.

Mark
became reserved.

“
He was horrible,” I added.

His lips
twisted into a bitter smile. “They are all horrible. Are you
honestly telling me you want to be married to one?”

I went
to shake my head, but for the strangest reason I couldn’t. It took
all my energy to override whatever was stopping me until I let out
the jerkiest shake I could.

“
Of course you don’t.” Mark moved towards me, opening his arms
wide.

I didn’t
shift back.

He laid
his palms onto my shoulders and stared into my eyes. “Annie. You
can trust me, you know that, right?”

I paused
for a long time, staring up into his eyes. Eventually I
nodded.

I could
trust Mark, couldn’t I?

I reckon
I knew him better than anyone else in this universe, and he
definitely knew me better than anyone else did.

He was
my rock.

My
rational mind kept returning to that point. Mark Havelock was my
rock.

“
So why … why did you stick me in that hospital and run tests
on me?” I managed in a subdued tone as I stared at his unwavering
gaze.

“
Because this is … complicated,” he managed.

“
Complicated?”

“
We needed to confirm you were definitely betrothed to
Illuminate Hart,” he said, his eyes darting around as if he was
searching for his words.

Or maybe
that was just my paranoid mind trying to convince me he was
lying.

I shook
my head to dislodge my thoughts. “And did you confirm
it?”

He
nodded. “Which means it’s critical we keep you safe from
him.”

“
Why?”

“
Because he’s an Illuminate, Annie. You may not know much
about this universe, but I do. They are responsible for everything
that is wrong,” he repeated, his jaw becoming so stiff it was a
surprise he could push his words out.

I hated
it when people told me I didn’t know much about the universe. Maybe
that fact played across my face, because Mark suddenly shot me a
smile.

“
Hey, kid, it’s not all bad. Now I’ve found you and saved you
from that stalker, I can take you some place safe.”

“
Stalker?”

He
shrugged over his shoulder towards the center of the room. “That
cloud of energy that was attacking you.”

“
What … what was it?”

“
One of the deadliest assassins in the universe,” he appeared
to answer honestly.

I
shivered. “Why was it after to me?”

“
Because,” he paused, “because one of the Illuminates sent
it.”

“
What?”

“
Annie, this is so much more complicated than you can imagine.
But first, we really need to get out of here.” He offered me
another smile. The kind of smile that reminded me of how kind Mark
was. How often he went out of his way to protect and shepherd
me.

I
softened. “Mark, I’m so sorry,” I began, voice shaking.

He
patted his hand against my shoulder, his lips spreading even wider.
“Don’t mention it, kid.”

“
But I should never have escaped that hospital. And I
shouldn’t have told Captain Fargo about you—”

“
You spoke to Captain Fargo?” He asked, suddenly on
edge.

“
Mark, I’m so sorry.”

“…
It doesn’t matter. Just come with me, and I’ll
take you some place safe.” He extended a hand towards
me.

I didn’t
have to consider it; I took it.

Because
I could trust Mark.

As he
led me out of the room, I didn’t question where he was taking me. I
didn’t question, because it felt as if every doubt had been swept
from my mind.

For the
first time in days I was thinking clearly without a hint of pain
and with no visions on the horizon.

The
visions ....

As Mark
led me forward, his hand blessedly warm against my own, I pondered
whether I should tell him about my hallucinations, if that’s what
they were.

I opened
my mouth several times as we walked, willing myself to reveal my
secret. Yet I couldn’t.

Something stopped me.

…

Lieutenant Mark Havelock

This was
easier than I’d thought it would be. Whatever had been in that
‘medication’ was clearly working.

Annie
was like butter in my hands.

I couldn’t stop the smile of satisfaction from spreading over
my lips as I led her out of that building.

I kept
shooting her sideways glances. She looked confused, tired, but none
the wiser.

Occasionally pangs of guilt would assail me, but I pushed
them back.

I knew what I was doing, I kept telling myself, and I knew
why I was doing it.

A
brighter, more peaceful, better universe waited for me.

And in
order to win peace, you always had to sacrifice something in a
war.

“
Thank you so much,” Annie suddenly said.

“…
For what?”