NINETY: Cleft of the Rock

MiJin gasped: “I can see them. They’re real.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Jellina.

“Nothing,” said MiJin and she looked down. “They look like Spartan Guard but . . . foggier.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you see them? Getting on that elevator?”

“I didn’t see anything,” said Jellina.

There were two hoveh-sines waiting outside. One for MiJin. One for Jellina.

“This is where we part,” said Lady Rose. “Jellina, your next assignment awaits.” She kissed Jellina on the cheek. Jellina looked at MiJin with a smirk and turned to get into the hoveh-sine.

“Well, MiJin,” she said with the same smile. “I guess there’s nothing to say but good luck.  Even the power of the Rose is no help to you now.”

The Grey Guard that held the door to the hoveh-sine open for her MiJin recognized. It was the same one that had escorted her back from the wall on the hoveh-hyoc.  Jude.

She peered in the open door and saw a little boy.  The boy wasn’t smiling.  She’d seen him before, at the Mission.

Jude’s hand was firm on her back. He slid into the hoveh-sine beside her and closed the door.  There were three other Grey Guard with them.  Their skin was moist but pale. A faint fog seemed to play about them.  Jude was dressed exactly like them but that was the only way he resembled them.  They frightened her.  The boy beside her trembled.

 “Where are we going?” she was in the hoveh-sine before she’d recovered enough to ask.

“Jude,” MiJin said. She could hardly breath.

“Give her some water,” he said.

The Guard across the seat from her handed her a bottle of water.

MiJin sipped her water but found she could barely swallow.

They rode in awkward silence.

“Jude,” she asked. “What are you doing for Ricci?”

“Have you ever heard of the Thirteen?”

MiJin shook her head.

“It’s a folk tale,” said James. “Thirteen beings that save the world.  It’s told a little differently all over the world.  Some say it’s from aliens.  Some say Quetzaquatyl rises from the abyss and tries to turn everyone to Zombies. Some say it’s the Prince Charming who isn’t really as nice as everyone thought come to get us all back for ignoring him or not believing in him.”

“Very good.” Jude laughed while an awkward pressure permeated the hoveh. “I don’t think I could’ve told it any better.”

“Probably not,” said James.

“Arous,” whispered MiJin.

“She’s in danger,” he sighed. “And I can’t help her. Only the triangle could.”

“The triangle?” asked MiJin.

“Three of the thirteen are especially strong or gifted.  Some say they were raised from the dead.  Some say they were triplets raised by wolves. But the three of them, always teenage girls no matter where it’s told, are connected to each other.  Only the three of them together can save the world. With the other nine, that is.”

“That’s only twelve,” said Mijin.

The car stopped and the Grey Guard, the three other Miasmen, slinked out.  Jude got out and helped  MiJin and James as they stepped out into the middle of nowhere.  The sun was going doing.

“It will be dark soon,” said James. “I don’t like the dark.”

“Come on,” Jude said and they all began it walk out into the desert, following the three Miasmen that lead them.

“They are an assassin squad,” said Mijin.

Jude was silent walking beside her.  James walked in front of her.

“What are they?” she asked. “Really.”

“They’re dead,” he said.

“You’re -”

“Not dead.”

“But you’re like them. You’re with them.”

Jude kept walking in silence.

“You’re not going to save me this time, are you?”

“Arous’ life,” Jude choked, “depends on what I do here.”

The Misaman in the lead stopped, “This is far enough.”

Mijin turned and could only see a flash of reflection of light that was the hoveh-sine.  Behind the Misamen were cliffs of rock.  She could see houses in the façade of the cliff. The adobe dwellings stood abandoned.

“Kinda like me,” she said as tears poured down her face.

A voice entered her head, “The cleft of the rock.”

She thought it was Jude and looked to him but he looked down at her with a funny look. No, it was definitely a woman’s voice.

“He will hide me in the cleft of the rock.” She realized it was a poem she had learned as a child.  A strange peace overwhelmed her.

“Well,” hissed the leading Miasmen as fog swirled about their grey suits. “Well, Jude, what are you waiting for?”

“This,” he said and a dense fog enveloped him and a bright light flashed out like a fist striking the Miasman down.

“Run!” he snarled at Mijin and James.

“Run!” screamed the voice in Mijin’s head. “Run for the rocks, for the cleft of the rock, for the houses in the rock. Run!”

Mijin held tight onto James’ hand, pulling him as she ran for the abandoned cliff dwellings.