Rise of the Mare (Fall of Man Book 2) by Jacqueline Druga Page A

Savage flying with her. The vision went from my mother to the
carnage around me then into the air as I projected, holding on to
my sister, hoping that I saw where they took her before my
projection ability timed out.
    The Savage held her carefully and
tightly, my sister screamed and cried, wriggling her body, soaring
high in the sky, but not for long. The Savage began its descent
following a torch from a wooded area.
    As I kept on to that projection, I
thought the Savage had made his way to their camp. Instead he
landed by a black vehicle parked by the torch in what was once an
old city block. A city overgrown just like Angeles City.
    Nito emerged from the car and the
Savage released my sister at her feet.
    Sophie screamed and cried, and Nito
reached down, lifting her.
    “ You’ve done well
beast,” She said. She raised Sophie ,then
cuddled her with fake concern. “There, there child, you are safe.” She
then turned to the Savage. “You
will be rewarded for this.” She snapped her
finger and one of her guards stepped forward, opening the back of
the car. He lifted out a bound woman and threw her to the
ground.
    “ No! No!” the woman begged and pleaded. “No, please don’t!”
    Without hesitation, the Savage lunged
for the woman, grabbed hold, lifted her in his claws, and flew
away.
    The wall went blank.
    Silence reigned in the room.
    The king stepped back from me and
faced the counsel.
    “You see?” Nito said nervously. “You
see? The Mare distorts the truth. The Savages came, just like I
–”
    “Enough.”
    “I rescued the child.”
    “Enough!” the king roared. He locked
into a silent stare of the counsel, as if they were communicating
somehow. Eyes still on the counsel, he said to Nito, “Where is the
child?”
    “I have her at my—”
    “Get her.”
    “She may be resting. You know how
human children need their naps and—”
    “Get her!”
    His voice shook my body.
    Nito did not move.
    “Never mind. Guards, bring the
child.”
    The king was angry and it wasn’t what
I expected. What I believed would be a passive trial ended up
filling the room with tension. Nito could no longer maintain her
cool exterior and her face showed it when the doors opened.
    “Sophie!” I shouted when my little
sister walked into the room. She was wearing a dress of fine
material and looked like a little princess. I took one step forward
and Iry grabbed my arm.
    “ I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I
am so sorry.”
    “What? What?” I flashed a look at
Iry, then to Sophie. Why wasn’t she running to me? Why didn’t she
welcome me? And then I knew why.
    The four males on counsel gasped.
    “What have you done?” The king rushed
over to Nito. “What… have… you… done?”
    “She was injured. It was the only way
to save her life.”
    Nito had turned my little sister.
Sophie was no longer a complete human, but was now a hybrid. More
Sybaris.
    My soul broke and I wanted to
cry.
    “I just wanted to help her,” Nito
said plaintively.
    “By condemning her to a life without
growth!” The king clenched his fist and bellowed out an emotional
dry screech that blasted into Nito, knocking her back a foot or
two. “Remove the child from this room,” the king ordered. “She is
still in a formation state. Take her to the educator’s home before
more damage can be done.”
    I fought back the desperation and
tears and turned to Iry fearfully. “What does that mean?
Formation?”
    “She was just turned. That's why she
isn’t saying anything. She can easily be manipulated. Bringing her
to my home puts her near you. Mentally she’ll come back.”
    “What about—”
    Iry shook his head to silence me.
    The room cleared at that instant, all
but me, Iry, Nito, and the king.
     
    Nito was on the floor, staring up at
her father with pleading eyes. “Please, no.”
    “You have been found guilty of
breaking the most high laws of the Ancients.”
    “I am your daughter.”
    “You have manipulated our deadly
enemy, brought