Soul Riders | Star Stable

The Decision | Chapter 13

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to my readers! I am so glad this is being read, and I honestly wasn't expecting the votes and comments. Enjoy Chapter 13!

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Alex was entering Avalon's cellar to see the stranger she struck in the woods the other day. Avalon followed her down.

The woman was awake and looking around cautiously as she heard them enter. Avalon drifted to the corner as Alex confidently sauntered up to the bars. "The other day when I caught you in the forest, why did you run away? Something to hide?"

"I was trying to warn you," the woman said in small voice.

"Of what?" Alex said. She had never interrogated someone before and it was on her bucket list.

"Of the dark ones and what they plan for you." The woman said quietly.

Alex was starting to see a connection. This was sounding like Lisa's story of the cloaked rider in the woods.

"This isn't the first time you've warned one of us, correct?"

The woman nodded while staring at the floor. Not making eye contact with Alex.

"But I also wanted to watch over you. To make sure the four are kept safe. I feel as though I have to protect them." The woman added.

This caught Alex's attention. "Safe ... by stalking me?" Alex was feeling heat rise to her face. She hated when people helped her or checked in on her. She took pride in being independent. "That's not how it works around here, I can take care of myself." Alex said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I don't want anyone watching me when I don't know about it, you are no exception." Alex's cheeks were reddening. 

The woman looked up at Alex now, "I mean no harm. But I can't let the darkness take over Jorvik. I need to tell you what I know about this ... weapon." The woman was getting up to stand on her feet. 

"About this weapon," she started quietly. "I know to much." The woman was now starting to pace back and forth across the room. "I cared for her when she was a girl, I took her ... from them."

Alex interrupted, "by them you mean?"

"Dark Core," she said flatly.

Alex turned to look at Avalon, but of course she couldn't read his expression. His dark hood shielded light from his face, he didn't ever give away what he was thinking.

The woman continued. "The girl ... she was an experiment. As from where she originally came from, I'm not sure. I knew bad things were happening, that a child was involved. I had to intervene. I decided to break in to save her, I cut the power to the facility and stole the child. It was much easier than I thought it would be, I quickly mounted my horse with the child and rode away into the night." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I noticed it was a girl, she woke up with the jolts of the horse and I finally slowed down to get a look at her when we were crossing a bridge. When she looked at me her-" The woman broke off and swallowed. "When she looked at me ... her eyes were burning. It was like flames were trapped inside of them. And her lips were blue. I was shocked and frightened. I started galloping towards my house so I could examine her."

Alex interrupted, "How old was she?" 

"We believed her to be four."

The woman continued, "soon a storm over swept us, but we made it back. I helped nurse her for the night. Gave her blankets and food, but her condition didn't change. I thought she was going to die. I called a doctor but the storm was getting progressively worse. So, she was with me for the night. The next morning I went to check on her. She smiled when she saw me. Her eyes no longer holding an orange glow and the blue was gone from her lips. I assumed I must have seen something else, blamed it on the lighting. What I thought I saw never happened again, and soon after she was awaiting adoption. I knew a lovely couple who had wanted a daughter and when they met Nicolette they fell in love with her." The woman reached for a glass of water that was on the floor of her cell. "Her case was in the newspaper, people wanted to know who did this. The facility was searched but it was left abandoned." She took a sip of water. Alex was now sitting down and Avalon was in the same position still. Like a statue. "I always thought back to what I saw that night and for some reason I still haven't forgotten it. But Nicole's presence in my mind has been overwhelming these past few months. I find I'm always thinking of her ... A few weeks ago I was riding my horse and I saw a girl. A girl I remembered taking care of, her brown eyes and hair. She looked beautiful, she was everything I expected her to be. She didn't recognize me of course." The woman's voice sounded disappointed at that.