by Alicia Fabel
The bird placed the tip of its beak against Vera’s neck. She tried to pull away but didn’t get far with the canyon at her back. The sharp point swept across the delicate skin of Vera’s throat without hurting her. A small acorn swung from a leather string around the bird’s neck. Exactly like the one Gus wore. Vera had told Gus the cord was too long and made him look like he had a major outie belly button when he wore it under his shirt. Gus had kept wearing the absurdly long necklace anyway.
If it had been any shorter, it would’ve garroted me when I shed my human form, said Gus’s voice in her head. I’d already be dead, and you’d be headed back to the horde right now. But, since my cry awakens an unnatural’s conscience, this one won’t get too close while I’m here. That level of remorse is crushing, even though it only lasts a moment.
Vera stared at the bird, eyes bugging from their sockets. The bird met her gaze with Gus’s eyes. He’s a bird?
Dhalion, corrected the voice. I’m not some feather-brained creature.
Gus?
You are being rather slow. The bird ran its beak through Vera’s hair like it was grooming her. Are you sure your head is not damaged?
It was definitely Gus.
Glad you are catching up. This is my real form. So much better than that human one that itched terribly. Suzie used to chase me off when I became too irritable and wouldn’t let me come home until I spent some time away in my own skin. Made me crazy with worry leaving you two alone.
Vera remembered the regular business trips Gus took and how Suzie practically shoved the grumbling man out the door. The truth was so strange.
Figured you’d be getting used to strange by now, Gus said. What with that Guardian around. Where is that man, anyway? He’s supposed to keep you safe now.
Kale? It’s taken me days to finally escape him and that place.
Suzie said you’d be hard-headed about him.
Sorry, what? Suzie knew Kale?
Suzie said she liked him.
I find that hard to believe, Vera said. You are wigging me out right now.
Bah. You’re fine. Suzie dedicated her life to finding and watching over you. The girl who will rise out of exile and reunite the world. So maybe try not to get yourself killed anymore?
Gus had to be kidding. Then Vera’s heart twisted. Had she really only been a duty for Suzie?
Ach, don’t pull my words awry in that head of yours. Knowing what you’d become made Suzie search for you, but it didn’t make her love you. My Suzie loved you like you were her own daughter. She’d flick your ear right now if she could. Gus thunked Vera on the head for emphasis. No more running away from the Guardian, got it?
I can’t go back there. If someone catches me, they’ll kill me, and then go after the whole human race. And I don’t care what you say, I don’t trust that man, Gus.
Doesn’t matter that you trust him. Trust Suzie. She said the Guardian is the only one who can keep you alive. If you stay alive, the world will too. If you die, the world will crumble. So, if you want to save your kind, you must live. That is your responsibility. You don’t get to be a martyr in this story.
You cannot tell me that one life will make that much difference, argued Vera.
That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I don’t know how or why, but your life does matter that much. Which means so does the Guardian’s life.
Something about him scares me, admitted Vera.
Your intuition tells you to fear the Guardian because of the darkness that clings to him. Even those without your sensitivities can feel it. You will see how people steer clear of him. But keep in mind that the darkness which raises the hair on the back of your neck is also what made him who he is. The Guardian and your protector.
I don’t think I can be who you want me to be. I just want to go to college, have a life, be me.
Then do it. Do all of that. Being you is how you will succeed. But you cannot be you if you are dead, right? So, don’t make it hard for the Guardian to keep you alive, okay?
Vera nodded through her tears. She felt like this was another final goodbye. Gus nuzzled her once more.
Ahhh, he’s finally here. I must go. One last thing, though. The Guardian does not know who you are. Not all of it anyway. Be careful, if you should decide to tell him or anyone about your destiny. Not everyone wants the world whole again.
With that, Gus turned and flew from the canyon. Kale loomed on the opposite side of the unnatural from Vera, holding that sword of his. The Guardian scanned Vera quickly then regarded the unnatural, who had turned to confront the new threat. Addamas materialized behind Kale. The satyr shot to Mimi’s side, dropped to his knees, and scooped her up. He pressed his face to her bloodied neck.
“Errock,” Kale said. “You should be dead and turned to dust by now.”
“Ah, Kalesius,” the unnatural said. “I knew I’d be seeing you soon.”
“Who is your new master?” Kale asked.
The unnatural shifted, revealing caution for the man in front of him. It was scared of Kale. Vera was supposed to put her life in the hands of a man who scared the monsters.
“Tell me and I will send him to Hell after you. That way you can face him without his puppet strings attached,” Kale said.
“No one can reattach the strings that were cut centuries ago,” Errock said. “I serve the horde at my own will. Someone with your particular skill set would be a welcome addition to the horde. I dare say you’d enjoy the transformation too.”
Errock pulled his shoulders back proudly and stomped his hoofed feet. Kale did not react. Eyes flat, arms hung loosely at his sides, and legs set shoulder-width apart. He did not move even a tiny muscle. Vera could not help but remember the severed purple head. Kale could strike in an instant, his prey wouldn’t see it coming.
“When you are finished playing whipping boy to the witches that castrated you, come find me,” Errock said, anger finally lacing his words at Kale’s lack of reaction. “When you are finished licking the dung from your jailers’ feet, finished awaiting their every summons, I will be around. My master would select a magnificent beast to carry you forth to find the dignity they stole from you.”
The unnatural reached into the sash at his waist and pulled out a tiny bottle. He dashed it to the ground. Lightening-filled mist joined the sound of shattering glass. It swirled upward, surrounding the unnatural before Kale made it two steps. There was a blinding flash and Errock evaporated. Kale stepped to where the unnatural had been and swooped down to pick up a piece of the shattered bottle left behind. His jaw jumped while he shoved the shard into his pocket
Kale’s mask of calm was still in place when he turned to Vera. “Can you stand on your own?”
Vera rose on unsteady legs. “I’m fine,” she said.
Surprised that the words had come out, Vera lifted a hand to her unbruised throat—Gus. While Vera marveled, Kale moved to kneel beside Addamas and laid his sword on the ground. The satyr held Mimi’s limp body against his chest, rocking gently.
“Are you sure?” Kale asked Addamas.
“Absolutely,” Addamas said with conviction.
Kale dug the fingers of one hand into Mimi’s matted fur and the others he splayed against the ground. He breathed steadily, but Vera saw an almost imperceivable shudder run down his spine. Mimi seemed to inflate.
“Atinmerit,” called Addamas. “Don’t you leave us. Or I will go to Aaru myself to find you. And last time I broke into your afterworld, it didn’t end well, so get back here.”
Mimi’s body convulsed and it kept convulsing. Kale kept his hands in place, his eyes pinched. It went on like that for many long, painful minutes. Suddenly, Kale lifted his hands, releasing the magic. Mimi stilled, other than her shallow breaths.
“Atinmerit?” Addamas asked.
The cat opened one eye, closed it, and began to stretch and twist in Addamas’ arms. There was so much agony in Mimi’s movement, Vera could barely stand to watch. She was sure the cat was in the last thr
oes of death. Kale hadn’t been able to save her after all. Vera turned her face away.
“Stop calling me that, idiot,” came an irritated girl’s voice.
Vera jerked her head up. Where Mimi had been, laid a girl with golden almond-shaped eyes. Mimi’s eyes. Vera wondered if anyone was what they seemed.
“Surprise,” said the girl to Vera with a pitiful smile. “I would’ve told you sooner, but sometimes the cat doesn’t like to let me go.”
“Can you make it home to your healers now?” asked Kale.
Mimi flinched. There was a heavy pause before Mimi inclined her head to say yes without looking at Kale. The Guardian had moved a handful of steps away from them all. His shoulders sagged with exhaustion.
“I will get her there,” Addamas assured. “Thank you, Kale.”
“Don’t,” Kale said with a slight shake of his head.
Addamas carried Mimi away, a path opening in front of them.
Vera heard Addamas say, “I like having you naked in my arms.”
“Try anything, and I will tear out your innards and feed them to my falcons,” Mimi replied.
Vera smiled weakly. Mimi was a shape-shifter girl. She was not sure what to think about that yet, but her chest tightened with relief that Mimi was alive. The rest, Vera would figure out later.
“Are you ready to go back?” Kale asked tiredly.
“Yes.”
The truth was, Vera didn’t have a choice. Apparently, she had to stay by the man’s side and stay alive to save her kind.
6
Vera rested her hand on the doorknob. The metal warmed while she debated leaving her room. She didn’t want to, but hunger was beginning to win over pride. When Kale hadn’t checked on her that morning, she’d been relieved. Even though it had meant none of the usual breakfast peace offerings. It made sense, though. Kale now knew her leg was good to go. No reason to keep waiting on her. If Vera wanted food, nothing was stopping her from getting it herself. Nothing except overwhelming embarrassment for the trouble she’d caused, which she’d opted to stew in all morning rather than show her face.
Honestly, she knew she was being ridiculous. It was time to get out there, look Kale in the eyes—the super-scary eyes of a man who almost lost a friend because of her—and say sorry. Ugh. Sorry sounds so inadequate. She wouldn’t blame Kale if he gift-wrapped her for Samhira’s family and dropped her off on their doorstep. Only he wouldn’t because he was the official bodyguard to her hot mess. The whole situation made her want to crawl out of her skin. How is this even supposed to work? Like, hey, I think you’re uber creepy, but I’ll let you protect me now because my foster-dad—who’s actually a dhalion—said I'd die without you. Then, the world would end. No bueno. Oh, and I know you can’t stand me, so it’s a good thing you don’t have a choice. Just keep me alive. Capiche?
Sounds of Kale moving around in the kitchen floated down the hall. Vera’s stomach wrenched, beginning to eat itself since begging for sustenance was getting it nowhere. Vera couldn’t put off her appearance any longer. Swallowing, she twisted the knob and forced her legs to carry her down the hall. Kale looked up when she eased around the corner. If he was surprised to see her, he did not show it. He nodded a greeting then went back to piling chips on a plate beside a massive sandwich. The guy did not mess around when it came to feeding time. Vera’s stomach called out a pathetic hello to the deliciousness on his plate.
“I was wondering if you’ve heard if Mimi is okay?” Vera’s heart skittered.
“She has some of the best healers in the world to care for her,” answered Kale. “She will live.”
“And her becoming a mountain lion occasionally won’t be a problem for them?”
“They’re used to morphs where Mimi is from, so no, it won’t be a problem.”
“Oh, good. That’s good.” Vera pressed her lips together to stop babbling.
Kale cut his sandwich in two, placed half on a second plate, dumped some chips beside it, and held it out to her. Vera readied a protest out of good manners. She didn’t want to take his lunch, even though she was salivating over it. Rolling his eyes at her hesitation, Kale set the plate of food on the counter in front of her. He grabbed his portion and headed for the table.
“Thank you,” Vera said sincerely and got another nod.
Vera popped a chip into her mouth and had to stop herself from wolfing down the rest. Instead, she carried her meal to the table. Like a civilized house guest. The pedestal table had four chairs around it, which meant Vera could sit next to Kale or across from him. Vera chose across from him. Kale went on eating without acknowledging her. Vera followed his lead. She practically inhaled her sandwich before she realized what she was doing. She tucked one hand under her leg, pushed a chip around her plate, then picked it up slowly and put it in her mouth. Vera’s toes tapped mindlessly against the center pedestal while she tried not to crunch too loudly. It was dumb, but she was hyper-aware of everything she did all of a sudden.
“Hiya.” Addamas strolled through the front door and headed for the cupboard. “Mimi said to tell you both that she’s fine and to stop brooding.”
Vera startled and choked on a chip. In hindsight, Kale probably should’ve given her a heads up of that Addamas was coming. He’d sensed the satyr pathing in a few minutes before but hadn’t thought to say anything. Kale grabbed a bottle of water and uncapped it for Vera. She took a swig to wash down the food.
“You all right there, girly?” Addamas watched with mild concern.
“Yep,” Vera rasped, wiping a bead of water from her top lip.
“You’re back sooner than I thought you’d be,” observed Kale.
“The food in Heliopolis is abominable.” Addamas yanked open the cupboard to reveal a box of breakfast pastries and a bottle of orange soda. “I had to get out of there and get something edible.”
“Mm-hmm. Which god did they try to sacrifice you to?” asked Kale.
Kale was not an idiot. The only thing that could’ve gotten Addamas to leave Mimi’s side was Mimi herself. If she’d ordered Addamas away, it was probably to save the satyr from her brothers. They were not fans.
“Pshaw.” Addamas dropped into a chair, peeling the silver wrapper from a pair of pastries. “Not god, gods. Plural. They’ll never get over it.”
“Do you care?” Kale asked.
“Nope.” Addamas smacked his lips and shoved half a pastry in his mouth.
Vera couldn’t take her eyes off the frosted pastries. Kale wondered if she was still hungry. He went to the cupboard and summoned a couple of the chocolate-covered-peanut butter-crunchy things she was always summoning. Admittedly, he was trying to make amends for the oversight which had led to her chip-choking episode a few minutes ago. When Kale set the treat in front of Vera, though, she wrinkled her nose. So much for that.
“So, girly, been rescued by any more giant birds this morning?”
Vera tensed. Kale threw Addamas his best what-the-hell look. Addamas shrugged, not understanding the problem. All morning, Kale had been careful to give the girl space so she didn’t feel pressured into talking and reliving that experience.
“Yeah, no. I’m done running away.” Vera glanced side-long at Kale. “I’m so sorry Mimi got hurt because of me.”
By the stars, the girl is apologizing? To me?
“No, no.” Addamas shook his head, rubbing the crumbs from his fingers. “Mimi chose to take on the unnatural. Wasn’t your fault. She said she’d do it again, by the way, no matter the cost.”
That last bit was aimed at Kale. Addamas was confident, based on his own experience with Kale’s healing, that Mimi would bounce back in no time. But Addamas had not been so near death as Mimi had been. He didn’t truly understand. Kale had needed to push so much more of the meadow’s magic through Mimi. More magic meant more exposure to Kale’s darkness. Whatever Mimi had endured as a result would have left unimaginable wounds. Mimi was simply hiding them from Addamas.
“Anyway,” drawled Addama
s to break the strained silence. “Mimi hates when people try to take responsibility for her choices. Good or bad. And she gets a little bitey when she’s angry, so I recommend abandoning whatever misplaced guilt you have and focus on taking down the horde. That’s the best thing we can do for Mimi right now.”
“How can I help?” asked Vera.
Kale dipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out the shard of the bottle he’d collected after Errock’s magically-assisted escape. He set it in the center of the table.
“This gives us some new insight into the source behind the rising horde. It came from a Summartir witch,” Kale said.
Addamas swore softly.
“Agreed,” said Kale. “I need to inform the Maiden about the unnaturals. Errock said there’s a horde, so the infestation has already spread too far to keep it quiet.”
“And tell her that one of her witches is responsible for powering up a new Siphon Master,” finished Addamas.
“Wait, what’s a Siphon Master?” asked Vera.
“A siphon who’s creating unnaturals. The master of the horde,” explained Kale.
“What kind of person would make them?” Vera shivered.
“They may have been a decent person once, but if a witch got them addicted to magic, that person is gone now.” Addamas leaned forward and placed a soothing hand on Vera’s shoulder. The girl didn’t shrink away from Addamas like she did Kale. “Siphon Masters are worse than the unnaturals they create. Unnaturals are vile, yes, but underneath that, they are just soldiers following their Master’s orders.”
“At first, I assumed the Siphon Master was an anomaly, someone who’d accidentally discovered they could siphon the traces of magic that cling to some humans.” Kale spun the bottle cap between his fingers. “It would’ve taken someone like that years to collect enough magic to become a Master, even with Errock whispering in their ear. But a witch as strong as the one I suspect now, one powerful enough to break into the human realm without alerting me, could’ve turned the human into a Master in a matter of days. Like any junkie, an addicted siphon will do anything to get another hit of magic, even creating unnaturals for a witch. What I don’t understand is what a witch wants with an army of them.”
