Chandra couldn't see anything at first. She leapt forward, shielding the mysterious girl with her own body.
"They aren't moving."
Van drew closer, tactically. Chandra placed her hand over the girl's mark, but it seared her palm. Nowhere else felt feverish. Tearing a piece of cloth to conceal her forehead. Can you even hide a mark? Chandra wondered.
Van re-emerged from the fog, bee-lining for Chandra. "We're leaving," he said as he hoisted Chandra and moved to leave the girl behind.
"Whoa, I'm not going anywhere without her."
"I saw something freaky, like dark voids in human form. This forest is haunted, and that girl is bad news. We're g. o. n. e. -- gone."
Chandra pulled out the gun quietly, pressing it against Van. He stopped, stunned.
"Run if you want, but I'm going back for her," she spoke with trembling conviction. "I'm not afraid of whatever you just saw."
"You would threaten me over that changeling? She'll get us killed. We have a mission to complete."
"Van! She's vital to the mission. I saw her on Earth, on Eden. She was--"
"If God wants her there, God will place her there. My job is to keep you safe--"
Chandra bit Van’s arm the second she felt his grip loosen, breaking free and sprinting into the fog. Ahead, two dark figures had lifted the girl, carrying her away. Chandra pushed on, meeting the soulless, hollow gazes of the half-men—creatures she had seen before, with eyes like black voids.
"Give her to me."
Without hesitation, they obliged, handing her over. "We do as you say. Have mercy on us!" they pleaded.
Chandra carried the girl, stumbling through the fog with all the grace she could muster. Before her, the beasts and fog parted, making her path clear. She passed Van where she left him, torn between loyalty and reason.
"Don't worry about it. Let's get back on the ship."
Van nodded, offering to help with the girl, but Chandra refused to even let him touch her. It slowed them down considerably, but she couldn't let go of her.
The way back to the ship was more treacherous than the trip out, covered in snags, thorns, sudden drops, and biting insects. The overhanging sea of stars felt less wondrous and more like a cosmic judge presiding over a lost Earth.
Van blamed every misstep, every snare on the girl. If she wasn't already cursed, he'd curse her himself.
But to Chandra, she was a drop of the divine, a seed to a new earth. She was the precious beyond measure, despite her matted hair and disfiguring scars. The world had treated her like refuse.
"Heavy-burdened?"
A soft whisper tickled her ear. She bowed her head.
"Yes, Lord..."
The burden was lifted, and Chandra turned to see the angel from earlier, cradling the girl. Van halted, watching their exchange.
The weight lifted, and when Chandra looked up, she saw the angel from earlier, cradling the girl. His features were too perfect, like a graveyard angel carved in solemnity. Transfixed by his face, she noticed the thorny protrusions along his scalp.
"Isn't this a lovely reunion," he said, smiling curiously. "I hoped to cross paths again. You seemed helpless, even hapless, at first, but look how the fog parts for you now."
Van placed a protective hand on Chandra. "Why did you follow us?"
Van moved closer, his hand protectively on Chandra’s shoulder. "Were you following us?"
The man waved dismissively. "I’m just a mercenary. My current job is dull, and my employer is in no hurry. But you seem to be up to something really interesting. I’ve seen the dangers clawing to reach you and that girl. And while I respect your gunplay," he curiously glanced at Chandra rather than Van, "I think you’d benefit from my sword. Let me in on whatever you've got going on!"
Chandra nodded without question. "Absolutely."
Van looked at Chandra a bit harder. "But we don't know him or his motives. You can't be so trusting this far from home."
Chandra’s gaze didn’t waver. "I trust him."
Van sighed, resigned. "Welcome aboard."