Free The War for Mare (The Fall of Man Book 3) by Jacqueline Druga Page A

more information than we had.”
    “Makes me want to be a soldier,” said
Brea.
    “Maybe against the Ancients,” I told her.
“Yeah, they can do some odd stuff and have some power, but the
Savages are brutal.”
    Burt shook his head once with a smile. “Man,
you hate them Ancients.”
    “Doesn’t everybody?”
    “They have a few nasty ones,” Burt said.
“Other than that though, they are a lot like you and me.”
    “Why didn’t you ever come to Angeles City?”
Snake asked.
    Burt shrugged. “Never had the inkling. We
have all we need right here. Except a seamstress. I told you that
before. She was good and it would have been priceless to have here,
not to mention funny.”
    I was curious. “Why is that?”
    “Because of who she was,” Burt said. “I
spotted you guys walking from far back. Her, she just appeared and
we knew. Happened twice before. One left and one works in our
winery now.”
    “I’m confused,” I said. “Who was she?”
    ‘The high princess herself, Nito.”
    At first my heart sunk to my gut, and then I
was hit with disbelief. He had to be wrong. “No.”
    “Yeah. It was her. Recognize her anywhere. A
little older, a little meatier, good breasts, and funny as hell
because she didn’t know how to react.”
    Snake shifted his eyes to me as he went from
kicked back and relaxed to sitting perfectly upright.
    “She was banished,” I said. “Banished out of
the Ancient City.”
    ‘Yes, she was, but into human form. Must
have done something pretty bad for them to do that.”
    “How is that possible? How does an Ancient
turn human?” I asked.
    “They were human to begin with. She wasn’t
purebred. So they could make her human again.”
    “Oh my God,” I jumped up. “Who has the power
to do that? I need to know.”
    “The king, his counsel,” Burt replied.
    “How do you know all this?” Snake asked.
    “We get a lot of people from there.”
    I started to leave and Snake grabbed me.
“Where are you going?”
    “I got to get back to Ancient City, I have
to tell Vala. If Nito turned Sophie into an Ancient, the king can
turn her back.”
    “Aren’t we forgetting something?” Snake
asked. “Nito is alive and around.”
    “Ah, she’s harmless,” Burt said. “She has no
abilities and is clueless.”
    “And gone,” I added. “He said she left.”
    “Okay,” Snake looked at Burt. “She still has
the same personality. The same mean streak. Do you know where she
went?”
    “I do,” he answered. “Someplace where she
couldn’t pull one over. A place where they’d figure her out right
away. She went to Angeles City.”
    I wanted to freak, to panic, I started to
and then I realized Burt was right. Yes, Nito was in Angeles City,
the enemy was on our home ground, but there was no way that Davis
wouldn’t see through her and deal with her. More than likely, she
was already dead.

TWENTY-FOUR – NITO
     
    I had become quite
accustomed to the clothing Burt had given me. Dungarees that
bunched only when I sat too fast, but for the most part they were
comfortable. I wondered what my divulging of the Ancient City
location meant. Surely, they were not planning a mass invasion.
There weren’t enough humans in Angeles City to do that. Maybe he
was going for a visit. I know I was told they were the rebellion,
but I saw nothing rebellious about anyone. They were all very
congenial.
    Davis was so smitten with me over the news
about the location of Ancient City he told me he needed to get me
some clothing.
    “That is very sweet of you,” I told him.
    “It’s not a problem.”
    “Just your happiness is my reward.”
    He seemed to be happy and laughed. “Good.
I’ll be back.”
    “I will anxiously await your return.”
    After he was gone, I moved about the bunker
nearly dancing, and then I recalled the dance. Perhaps it was too
powerful on mortal men, but it was entrancing and I longed to
perform the Awalim dance of Hathor for him. Creating my own beat in
my head, I geared to