The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter Three

There was a sharp burn in my left shoulder, like a bee sting. I yelled and tried to pull away, but couldn't move. It grew worse and turned into a stab. It felt like someone was trying to pull my skin off. I screamed but no one spoke or made it stop. My panic grew with the agony.

Then, it was over.

It happened so fast that seconds later, I couldn't quite imagine what it felt like. I knew I was dripping with sweat, but it was so hot it didn't make a difference. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. I knew I was shaking. I whimpered and tried to move again. Everything ached ten times worse than before.

"I'm sorry, child." A soft, feminine voice said. "It had to be done."

I startled but could not look to see where the voice was coming from. It was everywhere. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't form words. My teeth chattered together violently.

"You must learn to protect yourself." The woman said. "You must learn to heal yourself."

"W-whats going on?" I asked, voice breaking.

Pain stabbed through me again. I cringed, but locked my jaw, refusing to make another sound. My resolve crumbled quickly.

"The Venatores wont spare you. They are coming. They are the first trial," She said with urgency as the pain spiked. "You must be ready. You must learn to fight."

"Venatores?" I asked. " What are you talking about? Where am I?"

I screamed. The pain rippled through my whole body, like an invisible hand searching for something. It burned like nothing I had ever felt.

"Yes, Venatores. Hunters." The woman said. "They know where you are. You must be ready to fight them and everything else they bring."

"What are you doing to me?" I screamed.

But the pain had already faded. The voice got closer to me and I panted, trying to take deep breaths.

"You must learn to heal. The Council did not take your powers. Tell no one else, they cannot be trusted." She said. "It is dangerous for me to contact you. Father grows angrier by the second. Learn well and may Galadriel protect you."

"Why-"

"Be brave Elliot," She said, cutting me off. "You are stronger and more important than you know. Our lives depend on it."

And then I was flying. Not in the way birds do with wings, but in the terrifying way of someone who gets shoved out of a plane without a parachute.

I woke up when my head smashed against ground. Everything was so dark. There was only a streetlamp in the distance. I tired to stand up, but I was shaking too hard to manage it. My heart hurt. Or, rather, the place over the left of my chest.

With an unsteady hand, I pulled my shirt up. I was pale enough for me to see the bruising. Right where the burning was the worst, large enough to stand out, was a black marking. It looked like a stretched out diamond, with points winding in and out of the outline. In the center were five interlocking circles.

I ran my fingers over the raised skin. It felt like a brand.

The world began to spin. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and tried to breath. The dream hadn't been a dream. It had been real.

The woman's voice echoed in my head.

Venatores. Hunters.

But I had known that when the woman spoken. I hadn't been asking for a translation, but an explanation. She said I was being hunted. That I had more power than I knew. That it was a trial.

But a trial for what?

A flash of cold ran through me, making me feel more frozen than before. What if I had done something horrible? I had ran from the hospital because getting caught was a bad idea. But why would it be a bad idea unless I had something to hide? What if-

I never got to finish that thought. No more than ten yards away, something massive came into view, crouched and growling, eyes reflecting red. I pushed myself up, leaning heavily against the wall. Someone whistled so loud that the sound rang in my ears for hours later, and it lunged straight for me.