Lost Horizon

by Michelle Hercules

  “Don’t be getting smart-mouthed with me just because the Raven Witch has taken an interest in you.”

  Her name is enough to give me a bout of apprehension. What could that snake possibly want with me? The image of the overseer pops in my head. Half-man, half-bull. If the rumors are true and he was made by the witch, she must be looking for body parts to use in her wicked creations.

  Over my dead body.

  The second guard comes back with a set of different clothes. He throws them at my feet with an air of disdain. Picking the pieces apart, I realize my new clothes are a different kind of uniform.

  “You gave him soldier’s clothes? Are you an idiot?” his companion asks.

  “It was all they had in his size.” The guy raises his hands.

  “Fine. If Colonel Carmine asks, I’m blaming you.”

  “If I ask what?” The woman in question enters the room, her keen eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  I straighten to my full height, still as naked as a newborn. I try not to show disgust when her dark eyes scan my body as if she were appreciating livestock.

  “My, my. The boss will be delighted with you, Kitty.”

  “The name is Kevvan.”

  She watches me like I’m an insignificant gnat. Then, her eyes drop to the uniform on the wet floor. “I see those two incompetent fools were unable to find you proper garments. Very well. You may wear those. They’re from the lowest-ranked soldiers anyway.”

  “Thanks so much for your kindness.” I bend forward in a mock curtsy.

  As she watches me through slits, her scarlet lips slash into an evil grin. “It’s a pity you are on the wrong side of this war.” Facing the guards, she barks, “Bring him to me in five minutes. A second late, and I’ll have your heads.”

  With a pivot, she strides out of the room, her black cape swishing behind her. The guards stand motionless, watching her go. When the sound of her boots can no longer be heard stomping on the hard ground, they glance at each other.

  “I hate that woman,” one whispers.

  “Me, too.”

  They continue speaking ill about the colonel, but I tune their conversation out as I get dressed. Being out of my prison cell and doing mundane things like getting clean or putting clothes on just makes my pain all too real. While I was lost in the darkness, it was easy to pretend Ky-Ren didn’t perish at the hands of the overseer.

  “Hey, hurry up.” One of the guards approaches, his metal rod poised to strike.

  My body freezes. I cower automatically while gruesome memories of my time in the torture chamber assault me.

  The guard doesn’t hit me. Instead, he bursts out laughing. “Look at him. Nothing but a pathetic, whimpering little cat. I almost feel sorry for him. Imagine what Colonel Carmine will do to this ball of fur when she finds out he’s useless.”

  “Not our problem.” The second guard walks around his friend with a set of linked metal bands in his hand.

  I don’t resist when he roughly clamps those bands around my wrists. They are similar in design to the neck collars, made of thick and unbreakable dark metal. The LED display flashes red, indicating the bands are locked. He removes my neck collar next. If I’m leaving the mines, I won’t need it anymore.

  I’m shoved from behind, and I stagger. My legs protest, but I embrace the pain. It breaks through the fear that gripped me a minute ago.

  The guards take me down a narrow corridor I’m unfamiliar with. The walls are light gray, punctuated by black doors. The bright lights are still uncomfortable, but I’m able to see where I’m going without the need to squint.

  At the end of the hallway, there’s a single lift, its polished metal door shining as if it has never been used. Considering the guards have never been known to be tidy, I’d bet a limb they recently scrubbed everything on account of their illustrious visitor. The sharp smell of cleaning solution reaches my nose, confirming my suspicions.

  The metal box is small, and the three of us barely fit inside. I’m sandwiched between the guards. Even with my hands bound, I catch the scent of fear emanating from the duo. Were they in the atrium when I allowed my feral nature to take control? It could justify their reaction to being confined with me in a tight space.

  When the door opens, a blast of cold wind sweeps inside the lift, whipping strands of my hair wildly. Nothing but blue sky greets us. We’re at the top of the mountain, and ahead, a sleek airspeed is waiting for me.

  Colonel Carmine is nowhere to be seen, and my guess is that she’s already behind the aircraft control panels. Two soldiers wearing the same black cape as the colonel are stationed just outside of the ramp door, holding on to their helmets.

  I’ve never seen an airspeed from this close before, only from the ground below as we hid whenever those dark menaces crossed our sky. There aren’t many of them; the why is a mystery. I heard all sorts of theories in the mines, but the one repeated the most—even by the guards and soldiers—was that the person who designed the airspeeds was no longer around. Were they dead or a fugitive?

  “There you go. He’s your problem now.” The guard pushes me forward.

  Colonel Carmine’s soldier wastes no time in loading me to the back of the airspeed. As soon as we’re in, the ramp door closes, and the airspeed takes off. But the wind is too strong, and we’re thrown about the cargo area. The soldiers aren’t fast enough to hold on to anything, and my range of motion is limited. Falling is inevitable.

  “What’s all that racket back there?” the colonel asks.

  “Nothing, ma’am. We have everything under control.”

  When I’m lifted by rough hands, I notice the LED display on one of my cuffs is now flashing green. Somehow, I must have hit the metal band hard enough to disable the lock. Quickly, before the soldiers notice the malfunction, I twist the cuff so the LED display is hidden from view.

  Flustered by their colonel’s foul mood, they want to be done with me as soon as they can. They push me to a random bench seat and secure the straps over my torso. Both sit on the other side, proceeding to ignore me.

  The airspeed is not designed to transport prisoners; therefore, the only things keeping me in place are the cuffs. That problem has been taken care of.

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  “It’s none of your business, vermin.” The soldier crosses his arms, drops his chin to his chest, and closes his eyes.

  His companion barely looks in my direction. He pulls a small book from the satchel at his feet and forgets all about me.

  Lucky me. I got two dumb-as-rocks soldiers to keep an eye on me. Arrogance gets idiots every time. I wait a few minutes before I slowly free myself from the cuffs. I wait again, my attention trained on the soldiers across from me. No sign they noticed anything. I reach for the strap buckle. The rumble of the airspeed’s engines muffles the noise of the released latch. The soldier doesn’t lift his gaze from his book for a second, not until I’m right in front of him, punch-ready. He goes out without making a sound, but his body slumps against his companion, jarring him awake.

  With a start, he notices me looming threateningly over him and yells before I can shut him up.

  From the cockpit, I hear Colonel Carmine’s string of profanities. The door to the cargo area bursts open a second later, and the woman is already aiming her gloved hand at me. She fires but misses. I’m not going back to the mines or anywhere else the Raven Witch can break my body again.

  I bring forth the pent-up fury I wasn’t able to unleash fully when they took my brother from me. Now, she will have to deal with a true hellioncat. Baring my teeth, I leap on her, sending her back to the cockpit. She lands on the top of the control panels, and immediately, several alarms blare warnings.

  She tries to fight me off, but I have one clawed hand wrapped around her throat and the other securing her gloved hand.

  The airspeed dips suddenly, increasing in speed.

  “We’re going to crash if you don’t let me go.”

  “You’re right. B
ut I don’t need you to fly an airspeed. Your ride is now over.”

  Lifting her off the panels, I hurl her toward the airspeed’s windshield. She goes out of the aircraft in a shower of shattered glass. I would have condemned myself if this had been a larger plane flying at a higher altitude. But the only drawback of my action is the howling winds that invade the cockpit.

  Not wasting any time, I sit behind the yoke and attempt to stabilize the airspeed. It seems like eons ago since I had my obligatory flying lessons back in my home planet Hell-Ion. I hated it at the time, but now, I’m glad it was part of the curriculum.

  Soon, I realize we’ve dropped too much altitude, and there’s no stopping the crash now. I see the yellow road approaching fast and the cluster of trees beyond it. Yanking the yoke up, I do my best to land on those trees. If I miss them, I’m screwed.

  17

  Dorothy

  Rays of sunshine wake me from a bizarre dream. I was running away from a green witch flying on a broomstick. Her cackles are still echoing in my ears. The first thing I search for as I open my eyes is Toto. He laid down next to me last night, but he’s gone from my side now. Sitting up fast, I scan my surroundings, letting out a breath of relief when I spot him sniffing a cluster of red flowers just ahead.

  We found a place to rest last night under a large tree near the yellow highway. No one wanted to delve deeper into another cluster of trees. As it was, even having a visual of the translucent, buttery road, it took me a while to fall asleep after our ordeal in the Razor Forest. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to feel safe while surrounded by nature again. Only after Reo reassured us that this orchard was not malign or sentient did I try to sleep. He offered to stand guard since, thanks to his partial robotic composition, he doesn’t require much rest.

  I find him perched on a rock with one foot propped on the edge, staring at the quiet road as he chews on a long piece of grass. Casually hugging his knee with his human arm, he seems nonthreatening. A first since I met him.

  A yawn escapes my lips, drawing his attention to me.

  “Good, you’re up. We should get moving.” He puts his foot down, partially rotating his upper body in my direction.

  “Good morning to you, too.” I rub my eyes first, trying to get rid of the morning haze in them. A few blinks help. I check my medical bracelet next. The clock has reset, which means I got my dose last night. I am feeling less lethargic despite how badly I slept last night.

  “You’re sick,” Reo says bluntly.

  On instinct, I cover my bracelet with the sleeve of my jacket. “Snoop much?”

  “You were flashing that medical cuff of yours. I couldn’t stop my eyes from seeing it.”

  “Dorothy is sick?” The alchemist joins us, holding in his hand a half-eaten fruit. His hair is damp, and his face is absent of grime, making the bruises more noticeable. They’re beginning to turn yellow now.

  “It’s not a big deal, okay?” I jump to my feet, not making eye contact with any of them.

  “I don’t care either way as long as it doesn’t hinder our progress.” Reo stands, disposing of his half-eaten grass stick.

  His words cut through me like a knife. He’s a cold half-machine creature. Why does it bother me that he couldn’t care less about my well-being? I don’t realize I’m showing my hurt until the alchemist touches my arm.

  “I care. Are you sure you are okay to continue our journey?”

  His eyes are so earnest and pure; it melts my heart a little. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s a chronic illness, all under control as long as I take my medication.”

  “And how long until you run out?” Reo joins us, eating a piece of fruit now.

  “Why do you care?”

  “I … you’re right. I don’t.” He walks around us and then plucks another red fruit from the tree. It looks like an apple with the texture of an orange. “Here, you should eat.” He throws his picking at me.

  Catching the aromatic fruit with both hands, I gaze curiously at the cyborg. I just can’t figure him out.

  “That’s called an oranpple. It’s pretty tasty and filling,” the alchemist supplies.

  “Let me guess. It’s a cross between an apple and an orange.” I rub the skin, trying to discover if I can eat it without needing to peel.

  “Hmm, I’m not familiar with apples and oranges.” He rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepish.

  “It’s exactly what you said. You can eat the skin.” Reo reaches over the tallest branches where the biggest oranpples are and plucks a few.

  My stomach rumbles as if it’s sensing food is nearby. At first, I take a small, tasting bite. The fruit is juicy, like an orange, but it tastes closer to an apple. It’s not bad. After I devour the seedless and succulent fruit, my hands and face are sticky.

  “Where did you wash yourself?” I ask the alchemist.

  Before he can answer, a booming roar in the distance disturbs the peaceful morning.

  “What’s that?” I move closer to the edge of the highway, peeking at the sky.

  “That’s an airspeed. A Raven Witch army airspeed.” Reo stops next to me.

  “Isn’t it coming down awfully fast?” The alchemist tilts his face to the sky, using his hand to protect his eyes from the glare of the sun.

  “Something is wrong. Wait, did someone just get tossed out of the window?”

  “Yes. Colonel Carmine,” Reo replies, his expression graver than before. “One of the nastiest women in the Raven Witch’s army.”

  “You can see that far?” I ask.

  Reo awards me with a droll glance, tapping the side of his cyborg eye. “Enhanced vision, remember?”

  “It’s going to crash.” The alchemist points at the sky.

  He’s right. The medium-sized aircraft is rapidly dropping altitude, and in another moment, it zooms right above us, the sound loud enough to send Toto into a frenzy of barking. The ground shakes when it finally crashes deeper into the forest.

  “We need to get out of here. Now!” Reo heads for the road, but the alchemist and I stay put. The cyborg glares at us. “What are you waiting for? To come face-to-face with a soldier from the Raven Witch army?”

  “We can’t simply leave. Whoever was in that airspeed might be hurt. We have to check.”

  Reo stares at me without blinking for a few beats. “I thought Scrawny there was the only one without a brain.”

  “Hey, I have a brain. I just can’t use it all the time.”

  “You’re the one who’s not thinking clearly. Whoever is inside that airspeed tossed a colonel from the Raven Witch’s army out of the window. Most likely, they’re an ally.”

  Clamping his jaw hard enough that I can see the muscles twitch, Reo seems to ponder my statement.

  With a brief narrowing of his eyes, he strides toward us. “Fine. We’ll check. Maybe we can salvage something useful from the wreckage.”

  He walks past us, shoulders tight and spine rigid.

  “You mean, salvage someone,” I say.

  “Whatever.” He waves a dismissive hand without glancing back.

  On a childish impulse, I stick my tongue out at him. The alchemist chuckles before hastily covering his mouth to suppress the sound. Our gazes lock, and I think we share a moment. Warmth spreads through my cheeks. I’m not an expert in romantic interactions by a long shot. I never had time to entertain the idea while I was busy with my training.

  Just a few minutes of trudging through the forest takes us to the crash site. Dark smoke has created a fog that surrounds the perimeter, and to continue without coughing to death, I have to cover my nose and mouth. There’s no helping the stinging in my eyes, though.

  The airspeed has left a path of destruction through the grove. Torn trees and scorched earth leads us straight to it. Its wings have broken from the main body of the aircraft, and the hull is a mangled mess. I begin to think no one could have survived the crash when an arm shoots out from one of the small cockpit windows.

  “Someone’s in there.�
� I break into a run, ignoring Reo’s curses.

  Careful not to step on a part of the structure that might collapse, I reach the front of the airspeed in time to see a mane of deep red hair emerge. The being glances up, his face twisted into a grimace. Yellow cat eyes stare at me, and for a moment, I’m frozen. He’s a hellioncat. I thought they were all extinct.

  “Please, help,” he says.

  Reo appears beside me, and despite his reluctance to check the crash site, he offers the hellioncat his human arm. He lifts the large creature with such ease I begin to suspect there’s nothing truly human about the cyborg.

  He throws the hellioncat’s arm over his shoulder and jumps off the nose of the airspeed. But instead of checking if the guy is all right, he tosses him on the ground and presses a booted foot on his chest.

  “Who are you, and where were you going?”

  “Reo! What are you doing?” I get down from my vantage point as fast as I can.

  “Interrogating a Raven Witch soldier.”

  “He’s hurt, you brute.” I pull him off the hellioncat, who seems dazed and downright terrified.

  Reo yanks his arm from my grasp, giving me a frustrated glare. “Fine. Don’t come asking me for help when he comes at you with fangs bared and claws out.”

  The alchemist crouches next to the hellioncat, placing a hand on his shoulder. The creature winces and attempts to move away.

  “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Who are you?” he asks in a raspy voice.

  “Travelers,” the alchemist replies. “Now, tell us exactly what happened inside that airspeed. We saw you toss one of the Raven Witch’s colonels out of the aircraft.”

  The hellioncat briefly closes his eyes as his lips peel back. “I was a slave in the Mines of Zaphyra. Roughly two weeks ago, I was involved in a rebellion. My younger brother was killed, and I was taken to …” He pauses and looks away. “I was punished. I didn’t think I’d ever see the light of day again when Colonel Carmine came to see me today and told me I was coming with her.”