A.N. Greetings once again, thank all of you for your tremendous support of the last chapter, I hope that this one does not disappoint you. This chapter I have devoted to the genomes culture and you should learn a lot more about the universe that I have devised. Again I would please ask for you to tell me of your opinions once you have finished reading.
Goodbye and good fortune
Fallen Saga Creator
Guardian of the Stones – Chapter 3
Dagger ate her breakfast hungrily, the fruit was delicious, peaches, nectarines and citrus fruits all owning a place in the bowl that Jolan had given her. He had been an elderly genome, but agile nonetheless as he swung in through the window, not bothering to unlock the door. He had set the bowl down as she recovered from his entrance winked at her once and then leapt from the window. She had run to the sill just in time to see him grasp a vine and swing out of her vision. Despite her hunger she tried to eat slowly, not wanting the juices to stain her clothes.
She pondered her situation. She was obviously a captive here. When he had left Zidane had locked the door behind him and she had caught a brief glance of two genomes standing just outside, twin bladed swords slung across their shoulders. From her first impressions of Zidane she knew a little about the genomes. They were not savages because he obviously knew more than one language and the steel of his dagger had obviously been forged in the forest since the genomes had no contact with the outside world. But they seemed to have an almost religious commitment to protecting the gems and keeping them within the forest.
She knew too little to make any judgement on that. For that reason she eagerly awaited Zidane's return, both to gain some insight into why his people guarded the gems so zealously and also to try and find out a little more about what they planned to do with her. She sent up a prayer to the Good Spirits that they would let her go. If her mother found out that her party had been massacred then she would send the entire Alexandrian army into the forest to kill every living thing.
The door opened and this time she heard it through the sounds of the jungle. She turned as the genome entered but it was not Zidane. This one had the same blond hair but it was shorter, not dropping past his ears and he was dressed in heavier furs rather than Zidane's light linen clothes. She swallowed hurriedly as he kicked the door shut behind him.
'Um… what do you want?'
A side of his mouth curled upward in a smirk, his eyes arrogant rather than sparkling like Zidane's, *He was right. You are a human worth marking.*
Dagger could not understand what he said but she did not like his tone and took a step backward as he spoke, 'What is it? What do you want?' She watched as his tongue smoothed his lips and his smirk grew.
*Heh heh. You'll have to learn to speak my language after I mark you.*
Dagger summoned her magic, feeling it tingling in her fingertips as she backed against the wall, 'You stay away from me.' He chuckled and took a step closer. Dagger's hand shot forth and a blast of power struck him square in the face, sending him flying backward. But he twisted impossibly in the air, hitting the wall with all fours against it. He bounced back toward her, her second blast missing him as he smashed into her, carrying her to the floor beneath him, his hands pinning her wrists.
He snarled now, his hackles rising as blood dripped from his broken nose. *You little bitch, I'm gonna make it painful for you now.* He ripped her shirt open, and growled as he saw her white bra beneath. His tongue licked his teeth as he lowered his mouth to her flesh.
Dagger did not know what called his name to her lips but he was the only one she knew of that could possibly protect her and suddenly she found herself shouting his name, 'Zidane, help me!'
The young genome did not disappoint. His gloved hand seized a handful of her molester's hair and hauled him backward. A human would have been helpless in such a situation but her attacker was a genome. He backflipped in the same instant that he was pulled backward and freed his hair. By the time his feet touched the ground both genomes had their daggers drawn. The fight lasted no longer than ten seconds, the daggers flashing in the sunlight streaming in through the window as they clashed. The fight was vicious, the two fighting like dogs, all four of their limbs coming into play as well as teeth and heads. But at the end Zidane was the victor, one knee on her attacker's throat as his hands pinned the loser's, his narrow chest heaving as he snarled with each breath.
*Why do you protect her Zidane?* The looser spat, *She is unmarked. She is free for any to claim.*
*Marcus you idiot the writings say that none may be marked except by the one they are mated with. That is true of all, even those outside Terra. Don't you remember what the Queen did to Hasan when he tried to mark Ruby of the Prima Vista?*
Marcus quietened, his breath evening out as he relented, *Very well. But be sure that I will regain what I lost in this fight.*
Zidane grinned, *Well duh.*
Dagger had understood none of what passed between the two, the genome language a chatter of unintelligible gibberish to those who did not understand it. But she knew that she was safe as her attacker disappeared through the doorway, his tail whipping from side to side angrily as his bloodied face turned from Zidane. The young warrior had been smaller and weaker in the fight but his sheer ferocity had let him win through. However as he turned to her all traces of his viciousness vanished as he grinned as he grinned at her,
'Sorry about that. Um, Marcus is a bit of an animal. Uh, you okay?'
Dagger nodded, sitting up she pulled her shirt closed, 'Yes, I'm fine. Just a little scared.'
He kneeled next to her and his hand gently lifted her chin, 'Hey, he won't touch you again. He's a member of the Urak tribe to the North. They don't obey the Bramble laws and think that any woman who is unmarked can be claimed. It doesn't usually work out for the men up there though since genome women are damn strong. But don't worry, now that I've protected you once you'll be considered mine and none of them will try and touch you.'
She nodded again, trying to do up the few remaining buttons on her blouse, 'Um, Zidane, what is marking? You said that I was unmarked. What does that mean?'
He showed her his sharp teeth before he spoke, 'Every genome has a different pattern of front teeth. He uses that pattern to mark his property. In the case of a mate he will bite her on the shoulder and make a scar that will last forever. He wasn't going to rape you or anything but unless the mate is willing to be marked it is… painful… to say the least.'
She gave up trying to do up the buttons and simply held her shirt closed, 'What… what's going to happen to me now?'
'That depends.'
'On what?'
'On why you were with that column.'
'I…I…' Dagger paused, how could she explain why she was there without revealing the fact that she was a royal princess. 'I was the ambassador's fiancée.'
Zidane's expression darkened again, 'You're lying. If you were really his fiancée then you'd be at least a little sad that he's dead. And although I can tell that you're a little pissed off about it you weren't in love with him.'
Dagger looked at the floor, 'Okay then… I was there to see if the legends were true. I was recruited by the ambassador to help him break through the magical defences around the gem and also to heal any wounds that were received.' He looked sceptical for a moment before he seemed satisfied. 'But… why did you have to kill all of them. And why do you guard the crystals so jealously. It's not like they're worth anything to you since you don't trade with anyone.'
Zidane shook his head and his eyes shone with something like responsibility, 'If only you knew how wrong you are. Those crystals will one day soon save the world.' Dagger's eyes widened as he spoke. How could a bunch of stones possibly hold the salvation of Gaia?
A.N. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as much as you seemed to enjoy the other two and hope that you will give me your opinions as e-mails or reviews. As with this chapter, the next will be posted shortly and the legend of the gems will be revealed.
Goodbye and good fortune
Fallen Saga Creator