I felt a light touch against my consciousness. A gentle thought came to me.
“You‘re injured; in need of my services. Why do you fight the peace I offer? Be assured I wish only to heal.” Her voice played in my mind like soft music. My fear vanished. If this was a trap, I was truly caught. Still, a part of me fought against her power.
“Can’t sleep,” I replied with a long sigh. “Don’t know you.” Were we speaking mind to mind? I wasn’t sure anymore.
She smiled. “I am Meeta, Katal-Tik's tech and medical servant. You can trust me. I was made to help, not to harm. My function is not that of a warrior. Your injuries,” and now she paused checking something I couldn't see, “are healing swiftly. Allow yourself to sleep and you will awake refreshed and well. Be happy you’re alive and will soon be well again.”
She pressed her hand against my forehead and a wave of tiredness took me back into the languor I'd earlier enjoyed. Somehow she was in my mind, pushing me towards sleep. I wanted sleep, even knew she meant no harm. But a part of me didn’t like her there. My mind should be private and now it seemed to be home to anyone who wanted in. A part of me that was new, snarled and woke. It moved with an animal's grace deep in the back of my mind where there should be stillness. It had its own wants and desires. Power leaked from it pulling a small part of me from the dreamy sleep Meeta offered. So it only seemed I slept. After a moment the gentle press of her mind on mine lessened then refocused. It sharpened and blade-like sliced deeper into my mind. I watched with relaxed detachment. Without even realizing I was doing it, I attached myself to her probe.
We traveled through memories that seemed endless. Passed things I’d forgotten and things I wanted to forget. All the minutia of my life. Finally we stood at a nexus point. My memories were like stars in the sky and there were millions of them all around us. The ground was gone. We just floated. I could see her but for whatever reason, she couldn’t see me. She plucked an instrument seemingly from the air, fumbled with it for a brief time then finished what she was doing with a flourish, looking up afterwards, expectantly. A block of light lit up a section of the sky then when dark. Another block lit up to the right and went dark again. She was searching through my memories for something. This went on for a time. A section lit up, then faded to black, then another section did the same. Suddenly Meeta gave a happy start. I looked up and saw that the last area she’d searched had returned to darkness but nestled within the black was a blue star pulsing weakly.
“Katal-Tik, your trusted servant calls to you! It is safe to show yourself. Come to me so I may heal you!”
Meeta repeated this several times the words seeming to streak out from her toward the blue pulsar.
It was then I understood the light was Kat and my memories the place she’d hidden. She'd run and buried herself here where Kailex couldn’t find her. Anger and disgust filled me. She'd run after all. Left me to face her most hated enemy alone! How could she have done that to me? All that warrior talk! I'd given her my trust! Put my life on the line for her.
I began shouting at the light. I swore at it. I asked her why? But for the duration of this trip I was on the outside looking in. This was Meeta’s journey and I was just along for the ride. In this strange world within my mind, it appeared I could do nothing but watch. It seemed neither Kat nor Meeta heard me. All my strenuous objections fell on deaf ears. Their lack of response made me even angrier.
To this point I’d only heard Meeta. Now a soft sigh whispered through the forest of memories.
I heard Kat. Barely.
“We live?”
A blue pulse, an image of forest and the smell of cinnamon. “Yes, Hunter, you live.”
Another flicker of light. Soft as a breeze. “And Belle? How fares my girl?”
“Her wounds are bad but I helped her complete a change. With rest she‘ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about. You burned too much power. All to save him! Stupid! Now you’ll die unless we initiate a draw on the body. Only his strength can save you now. That and stasis, though nothing is certain. You’ll have to go back to HomeWorld and spend time in your own body to recover properly.”
Kat seemed to think on it. “A draw may kill him.” She paused, perhaps struggling for strength, “He was supposed to die but I allowed him to live. The GateKeeper will be angry. My choice to spare him may have killed us all. I apologize to you and Belle for my weakness.” Her voice strengthened in sudden resolve. “Surviving the draw will be difficult for him and me. If we survive, I could kill him and return us to the approved path. The Keeper might spare us then? Your thoughts?”
“This one surprises. He’s strong. His body and mind have adapted in ways I‘ve never seen in a shadow. Hunter genes must be closer to the surface on his world. He has to be a latent Hunter. Still, his development has been so fast it’s like he came from a Tik vat. His Beast is awake and growing faster than I’d have thought possible. Still, I am no warrior and therefore may give no counsel. Once you are well, you will see your correct path. I was made to serve and heal, not to lead.”
“If the GateKeeper decides against us, I will remind him of that.”
Meeta smiled sadly, “If you believe that will help.”
Kat's voice turned steely. “I have survived a long time. It would be unwise for him to disregard me.”
“You are Katal-Tik, known to many. I am a creation with a simple purpose. One of many Meeta-Tiks. What does any worker do with a tool that fails him? One he considers...broken?” The question hung heavy in the air. “Let us concern ourselves with the things we can affect. I will help you attain stasis, then initiate the draw. By doing so I will fulfill my purpose. My true hope lies in the success of our mission,” she added softly.
The sky began filling with light. Meeta's white then Kat's blue, a slow oscillation that built with time. A fire among the stars growing steadily stronger until the whole horizon lit with each pulse. It even had a sound like the beat of a heart. I know it made me think of pain but also life; the struggle to survive. It was mesmerizing and continued for so long I soon lost any sense of purpose, gradually falling back into my sleeping self.
I was in Meeta's meadow, standing by the lake with the forest in the distance. All was quiet. The meadow smelled of grass and trees. I breathed it in. I should have been calm here but my heart was racing. This place wasn’t safe. I had the feeling something bad was about to happen. I paced restlessly along the lake's edge, my eyes searching for the enemy I knew was coming. The voice in my head, the one belonging to the Beast growing inside me was telling me to run. To hide. Power was coming. Something greater than myself. Something that could kill and feed.
I whirled and saw the air shimmer, recognized the shimmer for what it was. A portal? Meeta? The portal formed, solidified. A figure I'd seen before stepped out. Kat! Dressed for battle. She wore the same knife armor as Brenal-Tik. On her chest above the heart was a pulsing crest just like his. Hers was blood red and shaped like a taloned hand. She carried the same two bladed staff he’d carried. Twirled it now with terrifying skill. She stepped forward lightly and performed some kind of ritual kata that seemed to focus her. So beautiful. Hair flying behind her, each movement the epitome of violent grace. Eyes black. Porcelain skin. Small breasts, taut torso. My heart stopped. Even my fear stopped. She was perfect.
She turned. Her searching eyes locked on mine and I knew in that instant it was me she hunted! I felt fear. The thing inside me roared, struggled to escape. Dug itself deeper into my being in a senseless effort to hide. If I died, so would it. I looked for a weapon but I was on grass, and the forest where I might have hidden wasn’t close enough. She‘d cut me down before I‘d run a dozen yards. I turned to face her and found myself rooted to the earth. It was like some terrible dream. Her power held me. I saw her grimace or was that a smile? Then she came like a hot wind, her two bladed staff whirling before her. It rose in my vision for the killing stroke. When it came, the blow filled my whole being with agonizing pain. As my life pou
red out in front of me, she fed.
My eyes snapped open. I couldn’t breathe! No, I had too much air! I was hyperventilating! I struggled for control of myself. Weakness filled me while my head pounded. I was dying. The thing inside me panicked, spiking my adrenaline, forcing me to take even faster breaths. Far above Meeta's face wavered in and out of focus, looking concerned. She bent down and exhaled. I breathed her in and my panic slowed. She put her hand to my forehead, thin fingers cool against my fiery warmth. I felt her push her way in. A gentle, calming wave rolled through me. I took a shaky breath, then another. I wasn’t dying after all. I had control again. I shoved her hand away.
“Get out of my head!” I whispered. Surprised, she took a step backwards.
“You were in distress. I tried only to calm you.” She sounded unhappy and a little puzzled. “It‘s my purpose to help.
I sat up and the world spun. I was weak and dizzy. Just a little out of control. I laughed bitterly. “That's what you all say. You take a stroll through my head and you expect me to believe you?” I pushed away from the bed I'd been laying on, tried to stand but fell back down right away. The world swam around me. I felt faint and only barely resisted throwing up. I marshalled the little strength I had and just sat still. Gradually the spinning slowed. “What's wrong with me?” I looked carefully at Meeta, searching her face for an answer. “What have you done to me?”
I was in a medical lab. There were two cushioned beds and was lying on one of them. Each bed had a circular machine, with a similar function as an MRI scanner in that the device spun around the body laying within it. Belle was on the second table, the device traveling slowly around, then down the length of her body, held in place by some force I didn’t understand. Collected data went to a wall screen, obviously set to Meeta's height. The device gave small chirping sounds as it moved. Green light bathed Belle’s body as it rotated around her. Meeta followed my gaze, a smile returning to her face. She reached in and gently stroked the long white fur.
“The one you‘ve renamed Belle.” Her smile broadened to include me. “A good name I think. She likes it. Likes you as well. I see you’re worried about her. Don’t be. Though badly injured she will fully recover. Now she just needs rest.” Meeta bent so she could look me more directly in the eyes. “She said you could have run. Instead you fought to save her. For that you have my thanks.” I felt an irritating wave of embarrassment for my earlier brusqueness.
Stumbling awkwardly to my feet I walked over to Belle. This was not the creature I remembered. This had a big cat's face with Yoda ears. The fur was soft and so thick you could call it creamy. The Belle I had known had skin like armor and there was nothing soft about her.
“This can't be her,” I said confused. “The Belle I know is the size of a small tank and has the disposition of an alligator. She's also terrifying to look at; nothing like this.”
Meeta laughed and I couldn't help but grin because her laughter was pure and infectious and just seemed to pull a smile from me.
“Belle is a metamorphic, friend Nicholas. She has two body identities. You see her now in her default form. Her at-rest form. The body you saw earlier is her Hunter form. She comes from a difficult world where survival is an everyday challenge. The ability to hold two forms is a species adaptation to help her survive. When injured her ability to change forms also heals her. As long as she retains the strength and has the time to shape change, she can fully heal herself. Even with such an amazing ability, on her world she only ranks as one of its top predators. Her life there was likely to be short. We rescued her from that and use her now as a tracker, a skill at which she is extraordinarily proficient. Once she has a scent, she can always find it again. She has Kailex's scent, so no matter where he hides, she can find him. She will hunt him until he dies, or she dies. She‘s truly formidable.”
“I owe her my life,” I said, using the side of the bed to steady myself. “Fusto was about to make me his afternoon snack when she jumped in and took him on. She saved me and was almost killed for her trouble. I'm glad she's going to be OK.”
Another wave of dizziness rolled over me and this time it was Meeta who steadied me. She guided me back to my bed. “You‘re feeling the effects of the Draw. It‘s weakened you more than you realize. As with Belle, you‘ll need my help until you’re recovered. That‘s the purpose of this machine. Please lay back and allow it to work. It will put you back to sleep so your recovery will be quicker.”
“Is that really what it does?” I asked, putting a hand against hers and pushing it away. I took a shaky step from the machine. I was uneasy. I remembered the word Draw from my dream, or was it a dream? The more I considered it the more confused I became. I’d heard them plotting to kill me. That was real. Meeta hadn’t been so concerned about me then, why would she worry for me now?
Meeta leaned in to meet my stare with one of her own. Her round green eyes blinked at me in confusion. Little brown flecks swarmed alongside the green of her pupils. I felt her pulling at the edges of my mind, trying to sense my emotions. “You question the device Nicholas, or me?” Now she sounded hurt like I'd thrown a terrible insult at her.
I tried to steady my thinking. “If I lay in that machine again, will I wake up? It's a reasonable question Meeta! I heard you and Kat talking. I'm expendable! Kat must survive. Blah blah blah.” I snorted angrily. “Maybe you just want to hook me up so she can get what’s left? Kill me so I won’t be a problem anymore? If that’s the case I'm asking myself, why should I die for her? Kat ran and left me facing Fusto without a weapon or a plan! If not for Belle I'd be dead. Really dead! Belle stayed, put herself on the line for me! I’d do anything for Belle but Kat? I'm not sure she deserves my help anymore.” I paused, took a ragged breath, thoughts racing. Tried to put the sick dread in the pit of my stomach into words Meeta might understand.
“I... almost... died! A monster from a child's nightmare tried to kill me! And he came close, so close!” I was shaking now. The realization I’d almost died had turned to shock. Until now my life had been like everyone else’s. Normal. From that to Fusto? I'd looked into his eyes. Killing me would have made him happy.
I felt Meeta’s soft touch on the edges of my mind. I looked into her eyes and knew she was seeing all my thoughts as they tumbled through my consciousness. Her eyes softened and two giant hands framed the sides of my face. “I take your fear gentle being,” she said softly. Then she did just that, I felt the fear leave me like water emptying down a drain. I let myself enjoy the peace she brought for three full breaths before pulling her hands carefully away.
I met her startled gaze. “I think you mean well. But hear me now. Stay out of my mind!” It came out like a growl and I saw her flinch. A hurt look pasted itself to her face and for the first time stayed there. She wasn't used to being rebuffed. I quickly put my hand over one of her hands. My hand looked tiny, like a child's hand sitting on top of hers.
“You have to understand. I'm out of my depth. This is kill or be killed and I have zero experience. Under the circumstances my fear is necessary. It’s the edge that might save me! So I can’t let you take my fear away from me. I also can't allow myself to be walked around like a puppet. I need to be the one deciding where and when I risk my life. And for what. You and Kat took that from me with the Draw. You should have asked. Instead you just decided. Now my trust in you is broken.”
Meeta nodded and I saw the hurt dissipate somewhat. “I understand Nicholas. From now on I shall withhold my help until asked. But I have a question for you. Will you answer it?”
I nodded. Meeta seemed kind. Of all the creatures I'd met in this strange new reality I’d been put in, she seemed like the one I could understand the best.
“Ask.”
“Do you still believe we mean you harm?”
I felt traces of fear seep back into me and welcomed them like an old friend. “I’m just a means to an end. Kat confirmed that when she left me to die. If I was more, she wouldn't have run. She‘d have stayed a
nd fought, win or lose. I could have accepted that.” I paused, thinking over the dream that wasn't a dream where Meeta had tracked Kat down in my memories. It felt real, but distant like an old memory I had to replay over and over to be sure I remembered it correctly.
“And when I overheard the two of you talking about the Draw, she confirmed it again. I was just a body she needed to finish a job.” I spat it out. Felt used. “Even you Meeta, said the Draw might kill me. Knowing this, all you were worried about was Kat. She had to live even if that meant I died. Now I’m here, so weak I can barely stand and you want me to trust you? Your machine could be doing anything to me.” I tried to calm my fear.
“I want to trust you but there’s just too much I don’t understand. I trusted Kat and she left me to die. Now I can't make decisions just on trust. So what about you? You're part of her crew wouldn’t that make you loyal to her, not me?” I shook my head. “I can't trust either of you at the moment. I’m sorry.”
Meeta snuffed and suddenly rose to her full height until she towered above me. Shocked, I stumbled backwards banging my calves painfully against the bed frame, then knocking my head against the computer readout hard enough that I literally saw stars.
“You think Katal-Tik ran and that you meant nothing to her?” she roared. Surprised I heard real anger in Meeta's voice. “You misunderstand much!” Meeta's feelings for Kat were clear. Kat could do no wrong. I wondered if those feeling were real or bred into her. Perhaps she was physically unable to see the whole picture?
“Kat did more for you than you realize! From the beginning she helped you. Allowing you to live was the first thing. A dangerous decision, not lightly made. Failure to succeed now means her end. And mine as well. You own the body. Over time you’ll grow stronger, be harder to control. Those who we serve don’t want you in the Games. They want to see the Huntress who brings blood and pain. Then, even worse for her she woke your Beast, gave you power. Why do this if you meant nothing?” Meeta grew quiet, obviously trying to decide how much to reveal. Her great hands fluttered nervously as she pulled a chair closer and sat next to me. The smell of cinnamon filled my senses but seemed to have no other effect. I wondered if she was controlling its medicinal power so I'd stay clear headed as I’d asked.
The God Hunters Page 8
