The Seal

12

Yelun and Ziof froze, instantly making eye contact. Ziof reached for his gun, when Yelun grabbed his hands raising them. Their hearts were racing, as the footsteps got closer. Coming out of the trees, leaving them frowning in rather surprise, was a rugged mountain man, with a large rifle.

"Who the hell are you boys?" He eyed them, suspiciously.

"My name's-" Yelun was cut off.

"We don't mean any trouble. We were just trying to find a place for our friend to rest. He's very ill. We didn't mean to trespass." Ziof told him, earnestly.

The man squinted at him. "I heard a bunch of gunfire earlier, y'all had any to do with?"

Yelun glanced at Ziof.

Should they tell the mountain man the truth?

Silence.

"We met a girl," Yelun caved in. "We were taken by The Academy-"

"Criminals! I don't like those dammed bastards and none with them." The mountain man clenched his gun tighter.

"Neither do we!" Yelun exclaimed quickly. "They did bad things to her! We were just trying to save her, help her! They left a mark on her, we don't know what it means. Her eyes glow, she causes radiative poisoning, well, we think- but they came for us when we tried to get rid of the tattoo. We all ran. And so far, we've made it here. And there's so many more just like her. They all have the tattoos on their arms left to die in the Bay."

"A tattoo, you say?" The man thought for a moment, gears moving in his mind.

They nodded.

"Take me to her." The mountain man stepped forward.

Yelun and Ziof hesitantly began walking, hands still in the air.

With a gun pointed at their heads, they just hoped their friends didn't have one as well.

____

Deyja sleepily stroked her fingers through Jaxton's hair. Even with blood, grim, and dirt, his golden strands were still beautiful to her. It was starting to grow out, a length she knew he would never have let grow out to if he had scissors. She smiled and leaned her head against his, kissing his cheek.

Li and Ezeriah were fast asleep, and she wished with all of her heart, he'd wake and they'd get some alone time. It had been awhile since they had time for just each other. She remembered the day before Ezeriah came, waking up to Jaxton in her sheets pulling her bare body agonist his. She closed her eyes, sighing sadly, wondering when they'd have that again. All she wanted was him; them together the way things were before this mess. She imagined her and Jaxton on the countryside raising their children, both coming from upper class family's, living the proper lavish way.

Deyja kissed him again. The feeling of his arms around her swelled in her mind, making her heart painfully beat faster.

Deyja lifted her hand to kiss him again when she heard several footsteps. Her mind went on high alert, and she panicked. She tore the gun from his muddy pants and shielded him protectively.

Out of the trees came Yelun and Ziof, both hands in the air, with a man with a long beard behind them. A gun pointed at their skulls.

She jumped to her feet, but Yelun and Ziof both had reactions that told her stay come.

Put the gun down, Ziof telepathically told me her or in their modern terms: Mindsend.