The Battle of Tyrell: Cynthia by Nicola Collings (books for 9th graders .TXT) 📕

“See what you’ve done! You filth! You come here and kill all of us! I knew! I knew it was going to happen!” the mayor stepped out of the shadows, his white suit illuminated by the dancing lights from outside. Zeke slowly started to notice the rising shouts and cries from the streets below.

“You murders!” the mayor moved towards the door, as if to run. Zeke knew he wouldn’t get too far. “You monsters!

“You eck!-”

The mayor’s eyes turned blue and small blue veins started to glow beneath his skin, around his eyes. Zeke could see the fear on his face; he was trying to struggle, but couldn’t.

He moved to the side, letting a hooded figure walk past. Taking her hood down, Zeke saw it was the bronze-haired girl form earlier.

“You’re going to jump out of that window, and into the crowd. They will decide your fate.” She said, her tone cold.

The mayor went to the window, each step for him painful. He hovered for a moment, before reaching for the latch and opening the full-length piece of art work that portrayed one of the Gods. It was impossible to tell which on, however, as there was already a shattered hole in it, from when Kayla had thrown a severed head out of it.

The mayor teetered on the edge. And then he was gone. In one, heavy movement, Zeke could hear the crowd scream their animal cries.

And then there was a strange silence.

                                                                                *

As I made my way up the hill, I had to try very hard to hold back the urge to vomit. Everywhere blood, everywhere bodies, everywhere black.

There were still people from The Wynde dotted about, yet the further I got to the top of the hill, the thicker the crowd got. And yet, I still saw children and babies lying dead in the street, people hung from lamp posts, houses burned to the ground and smoke rising before the second moon.

People moved aside as I approached Horizon House. I had, however, noticed the amount of Warren warriors that were present. Most seemed very well in tune with the people of The Wynde, but what worried me was how little of them there actually were. In the legends, it had said there would be thousands!

The door to Horizon House was open, and the people parted for me. I couldn’t look at them. I just couldn’t! I already felt disgusted enough.

The room at the top of Horizon House, the one that faced Duskgate Mansion, was a mess. I saw Gus first. The first soldier that came to me; the first to die for what he believed. He would be remembered.

The second was Zeke and the two Wyverns. The Wyverns looked different, however. They looked...free.

Where the other three Wyverns were, I didn’t know. All three of them had the same expressions. Shock. Horror. Surprise. Anger.

And then I saw Sam on the floor. Behind him stood a girl whom I hadn’t met. Yet somehow, I could tell she was one of us. She gave me a feeling that I would later come to recognise.

I stepped over to Sam and pulled the huge sword from his chest and dropped it. I looked back at Zeke.

“You want to know how?”

Zeke just nodded.

“The truth is I don’t know. It has something to do with what my ancestor, Danin Duskgate brought back from Wyvern Industries. Something that, I believe has something to do with all these...anomalies.”

 “But...I saw you...the blood!” he stammered. I stepped close to him and took his hand.

“I know. I am sorry, but it needed to be you. I had to be you.”

Zeke looked down. “You...used me?”

I looked into his lupine face. “I did. I’m sorry, but you would never have accomplished the things you have now if you hadn’t have seen me die.”

He went quiet.

“I’m sorry.”

I sensed a presence at the door and turned.

There was that feeling again...

There was a girl and a boy stood in the doorway. The girl had curly black hair and the boy had tall liberty spikes. They both looked incredibly saddened. Not frightened, but just...sad.

Lost.

“What happens now?” asked the girl.

“We carry on, Nicki, we carry on.” I said.

“How did you know my name?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” I replied.

I turned to the open window, and the people waiting outside. I spoke to them.

“Burn the dead! Clean the streets! Let’s make this a city again!”

The battle ended in the cries of the freed.

There was a strained gasp from the floor, and Sam sat up, his chest baring no sign of a wound. “Told you I wouldn’t be gone long!”

                                                                                *

Nicki could see the funeral pyre from Horizon House. It was in the city centre, but with the amount of dead, it’s flames burned brighter than the sunrise that was looming above Duskgate Mansion.

“So,” Nicki said, turning to the four Wyverns. They didn’t look as tense as they had done. In fact, they looked rather relaxed. “You like, body guards?”

“Something like that.” Smiled Nate.

“OK. And, why did Cynthia leave me in charge again?”

The fifth Wyvern, the one that they’d found in Tarragon Industries (or so Nate had said), smiled. “She said something about you being the source of hope. She said she had a ‘feeling’ about you. She said you are hope. I have no idea what that means, but it’s Cynthia. Everyone goes along with it.”

Nicki smiled back at Corey. “Where’s Rick?”

“He’s with Sam, burying Gus at the cemetery.”

Nicki nodded.

“So, where have Cynthia and Zeke buggered off to?”

“We have absolutely no idea.” Replied Nate.

“Ok, so, what do we do now? I have no idea how to run a city!” she leaned on her hands, feeling lost.

“That’s why we’re here. Along side getting Tarragon Industries to carry on their research, we’re here to keep order and help you out. Like you’re council.” Smiled Kayla.

“What research?”

“Research into how we were created,” explained Nate. “And just what Wyvern Industries are doing.”

“Ah.”

“And I wouldn’t really call it a city anymore either.” Said Corey. “We got rid of at least half the population!”

Nicki sighed, leaning back in the mayor’s chair. “No one’s really gonna come here anymore, are they? I think everyone apart from The Wynde and the Shamar will probably leave.”

She thought for a moment.

“Ok. We’ll have new rules. We know how to survive. We now have the city to ourselves. We know how to supply a city with food and water, how to create a main source of income. We’ve lived on The Wynde. We can now live in real homes, in a real city.”

“And you know what you’re gonna do?” Corey looked at her.

“Of course.” She smiled. “I’m the source of hope, remember?”

                                                                                                *

“I hear the wars over.”

“Yes sir.”

“They won’t come back, will they?”

“No, sir.”

“Hm, well then, they are leaving us down here, they are traitors to their own people. And to Ana!”

“Yes, sir.”

“I told them! I said that we should not emerge from the Warrens! I said we have no part in their war and that we were banished for a reason! Well, now they are no longer welcome down here. Block all entrances and exits. We will no longer step one foot outside of our domain!”

“Yes sir...”

“They are no longer Shamar!”

“And the one that Ana gave her gift to?”

“Let him struggle. He’ll soon go looking for death. And when he does, he’ll soon be back.”

                                                                                *

“So, it looked like Tyrell’s little war is over.” Crip smiled at the man on the bed. He looked over at the computer screen that blurted out results and vitals and information of all sorts. The man on the bed didn’t move. He was too weak to move! All these tests and research...

No wonder.

Crip glanced at the leather restraints around his ankles, wrists, chest and head and wondered briefly if this man could escape.

No. Why would this man want to escape? He’d been with the company for over a century!  Although, the rumours about the extent of this man’s abilities were starting to travel a little further a field.

Crip didn’t like that.

But it couldn’t be helped. This man was doing a service for the company! If anyone should be given respect around here, it should be this man.

Crip pressed a button on a remote control and the bed moved slowly to a vertical position, , moving backwards into a gap in the wall. Machines were set into the wall, and when the bed clicked into place, the screens and little tanks of fluid lit up.

Oh yes, this man was probably the company’s most valuable, most successful piece of research! Pity his twin was dead; that would have made for an even bigger achievement.

The man mumbled softly.

Crip turned to a small screen that Broadcasted images from satellites. On it, it showed images of the destruction in Tyrell. He admired the device for a second, congratulating both himself and the company silently on their development of the technology.

He looked back at the man, whose face resembled a sadness that bordered on despair. Crip had only ever seen this man look so solemn when they ran the tests. The rest of the time, he just looked resigned. As if ready to give up.

“Oh, I know.” Crip said, leaning on the machinery next to his vertical bed. “It’s awful, isn’t it! I wonder how much of the population is dead already?”

The man let out an agonizing sigh.

“Oh, I forgot your origins lie with this city. Let’s hope none of your ancestors got caught in the fray. We wouldn’t want to waste such valuable, conveniently hereditary talents!”

The man struggled. “My...ancestors are...cursed. They would have...away...out by now...”

“Oh, I doubt that, friend. I doubt they even know anything about us.” Crip flashed a toothy grin.

“Bastard...” the man whispered in his hoarse voice.

“You know, I wish we could go back to being friends again! I enjoyed that time!” Crip sighed. “Anyway, it’s time to move out. we’re going on a little holiday. To Guarda. Well, specifically North of Guarda, but that’s just details, so there won’t be a lot to see. Well, snow, but that’s about it. But, I'm sure we’ll enjoy it. Both of us!”

With that, Crip pushed a button on the machinery and watched as the man was sedated. He then touched a button on the panel that put him in touch with one of his organizers.

“Sir?” a high-pitched male voice sounded through a com. Crip hated using this inferior technology, but it wouldn’t be for long. Soon, he’d have free-reign, and be able to push the company to it’s full potential.

“Ready the cargo. Send people to collect this one. But be careful. Make sure this one of secure. He’s valuable. I want the convoy to leave tomorrow.”

“Yes Sir.”

There was a squeak and the line went dead. Crip went to the door, smiling to himself.

Princeton had failed. The Commander had failed.

It was time to take his project somewhere where he could make sure they succeeded!

He peered back into the room at the sleeping man.

“See you soon, Heartlib.”