by L M Feldt
We eat leftover eel stew and drink most of the remaining water. Khane eats little, sitting hunched deep within himself, knees drawn up, head bowed. I know he blames himself for having left his girlfriend on her own for so long. In truth, it is his fault, there’s no way to cushion that. He should have listened to Aito and kept his hands to himself. Now he will be more than a day late for her Banishment. Who knows what we will find when we finally locate her.
The hard run from certain flooding ends up rather anticlimactically. There are no rushing waters or deep rumbling signaling our imminent death. Perhaps they decided it was more effort than it was worth. After all, we are already on the outside, right where they want us. I wonder why they bothered with the whole thing. Why not just slaughter us all. Baby with orange eyes, yep that one’s out. Easy. Why train me, feed me, put me through the hell of a Trial? What was the purpose of all of that?
Night has set in. I stand outside and look up to where the stars should be but the city’s many lights cancel out the tiny pinpricks of brightness I’d hoped to see. It is one of the dreams on my bucket list, to see the stars before I am killed, or eaten. Maybe I’ll survive tomorrow and get another chance to see the stars.
I have ten items on my list and some are pretty simple while others border on fantasy. Plant a garden. Build a home. Find love? Really? Funny thing though, no where on my list does it say ‘survive’, perhaps I’d never believed I would.
“Credit for your thoughts?”
“Hey, Aito.” I turn to my friend. “You make a good leader, you know. You seem to know everything.” He was always getting into trouble breaking into the library or the infirmary or some other off-limits area. His head must be so crammed with information I wonder why it didn’t explode.
“Not everything.”
We stand quietly for a moment, close but not touching.
“Do we have any kind of plan?” Until now I hadn’t given the idea of where to go any thought. I’d assumed I would be dead by now. Trial first, then Banishment, then death by horrible monster. The natural order of things for a twist like me.
“No. Survive another day I suppose.” He says quietly.
Something about my friend seems different lately. A natural introvert like myself, I am comfortable with his silences and mystery. It isn’t that. There is something almost disquieting about him. Or maybe it is just that my nerves are strung too tight.
We turn in for the night, each of us choosing a small corner to nest in. I sleep fitfully, my dreams filled exotic creatures. Each one is beautiful and each one is specially designed to kill in new and interesting ways. Beasts with glowing claws and teeth of fire chase me through a landscape as foreign to me as the one I now travel while awake. Purple palms sway threateningly and spiky plants shiver as they try to impale me. I wake explosively, my heart pounding.
By afternoon we are finally approaching the area where we expect the Gates to be and we move forward with caution. The ground had risen slightly and as we follow the wall the Great Gate comes into view. Taller than ten men standing on each others shoulders, the Gate is made of dull dark metal. It is industrial and forbidding, a throwback to another time.
The ground we have been marching across is closest to the wall but falls off abruptly. We are given a great view of the Gates but not an easy path to the valley below. We will have to wend our way down the rock line, away from our goal, until the ground evens out, then head back up.
According to everything we have been told, this is the stomping ground of all manner of dangerous creatures. This place is the site of my nightmares, the place I have always thought would become my grave. My heart beats wildly and it messes with my focus. I take a cleansing breath to clear my mind and crouch next to Khane as we wait for Naoaki. We hadn’t intended to help him with his rescue mission originally but now it just seems wrong to turn our backs on another twist. Besides, Khane is still hurt and there is safety in numbers. A shifting of the red grasses and Naoaki shimmers to visibility.
“Did you see her?” Khane whispers urgently, his face creased with worry.
“Not as such, no. There is a small cave a short way down the wall with a creature camped below. It could be waiting out someone inside.”
Khane blows out a breath. He has hope at least.
“What kind of creature are we talking about?” I ask.
I finger my knives, worried. I am tough enough for a lot of things….but what if I twisted again? I am self conscious about what I may have become. What sort of monster had rescued Aito? I still haven’t asked him. Also, there is the pesky issue of putting me back together again. This is no place to go all squishy. My back itches at the memory and I can't resist scratching.
“It looked big and furry. It was curled up so I didn’t get any details.” She hesitates. “There might be more creatures, there is a lot of underbrush down there.”
Great. Plenty of hiding places for all the things that went bump in the night but nothing quite tall enough to provide cover for a warrior girl like me. I shift the straps that hold Fish’s pack and lower him to the ground. He whispers furiously and Naoaki leans close to hear.
“He says to stay away from the pink flowers, they’re poison.”
I nod. Somehow, though, I doubt flowers are going to give me the most trouble. I shrug out of my long coat freeing the knives strapped to my back. Now I wear only my long leather pants and a thin sleeveless shirt under the harness that holds my collection of steel to my back. I have them arrayed for easy access and they point up and out in a double spray, like wings. I flex my fingers and roll my shoulders to loosen up.
Beside me, Khane has brought out his weapon of choice, a long curved double sided ax. The thing has to weigh a ton at least but he has always been able with the heavier weapons. The gray metal is a alloy similar to my knives but not as finely made. My blades are of folded steel, each far sharper than any weapon twists were normally allowed. I doubt, however, that the guards I had relived of them know the difference.
“Ready?” I ask. It will be just us two. If we don’t make it, the others will go on without us. There is no other way. I start down, my eyes searching along the wall for the cave Naoaki had mentioned while also checking for any other possible threats.
A rough hand grasps my arm, startling me.
“Thank you.” Khane says gruffly.
I gaze up into his eyes. Anyone but Aito and Naoaki would look quickly away, put off by my bright orange stare, but his pale grays hold mine, unflinchingly earnest.
I blink and nod. We head down.
As we get further down the hill I realize that avoiding the pink flowers altogether isn’t going to be an option. They grow everywhere! Roundish, compact bushes of them sprout up randomly on higher ground. As we get lower they grow more thickly, perhaps liking the extra moisture the lower ground offers. The tiny flowers don’t look especially menacing nor do the stems sport thorns or anything sharp that I can see.
We move through them slowly, trying not to brush against them as we creep toward the sleeping creature, a huge mound of tawny fur.
Khane taps my shoulder and makes a sweeping gesture. He wants to get closer to the wall again, come at the cave and the creature from above while I approach from the front. Very briefly I wonder if he plans to whisk Bel away while I am occupied with the beast below. I shake off my doubt and nod, scanning the wall before he veers off. I give the thumbs-up. Nothing moves that way.
I barely catch myself before sneezing. It would have given me away, not the best plan for sneaking up on a dangerous monster. I scan the area before me and finally realize what I am seeing. The pale haze isn’t a trick of the light. It is pollen. A great golden cloud hangs like a fog in the lower area before the gates. A soft glow shimmers off it as the sunlight hits it and it’s directly in my path.
I breath through my mouth and try to focus, though that is becoming increasingly difficult. The pollen must be the carrier for the poison and it is starting to affect my system. I close my
inner lids, protecting my eyes from the pollen and shading everything in amber. The dizzy spell fades and I scan again for movement. Only myself and Khane, up by the wall now, move anywhere. Tall white clouds that had been massing on the horizon now drift above us. They hang, like giant puffs of milk thistle caught in an updraft. The sudden shade feels like a balm on my exposed skin and I wonder if the pollen has some kind of acid in it.
I put that thought aside and mark my position. I have the furry creature in sight. Naoaki had neglected to mention the size of the thing. It looks like a great round hill that rises and falls gently. Slow, even breathing hopefully means it is sleeping. To my left, Khane has nearly reached the cave. He has a treacherous path to follow. Loose rock and shale cover the hill above the cave and I am beginning to fear he might reach the sleeping creature sooner than I, if unintentionally. His foot slips and I gasp. He nearly goes down but catches himself at the last moment. He grins sheepishly and waves. I just shake my head, idiot.
I look back at the creature and blink. The motion, combined with my sudden inhalation of more pollen when I gasped, has splintered my vision. There are two creatures now. One is shaking itself in slow motion and one is peering up the hill as a small boulder, set in motion by Khane, rolls down toward it. It’s golden brown fur flows back and forth, light and feathery. Down its back the fur stops and wide plates of hide overlap to form a sort of natural armor.
I will have to point my knives toward it’s (their?) underbelly somehow. I still can’t tell if it is two beasts or one. It hardly matters now. The wind has shifted with the coming storm and it has my scent. The dual images swivel to face me and their roar of challenge fills the valley.
Seven
Crazed, bloodshot yellow eyes roll and try to pinpoint my location. The beast, or beasts, shuffle on thickly muscled legs and sniff the air, muzzles high. A wide mouth of long black teeth also sports two tusks that curve up from it’s lower jaw, good for ripping and tearing. The blurred beast is only one, I see that now as it’s overlapping twin mimics every action. I’m sure I would appreciate that fact more if I wasn’t so terrified. It growls, huffs at the air and roars again.
My adrenaline spikes and I feel my twist race down my spine. My back burns and my muscles spasm like I’ve been electrocuted. This is different from last time and I question what new hell has ignited inside me. Panic grips me. I dread trying to learn a new twist while facing an unknown threat. The distraction could prove to be the end of me. I need to rely on my training as much as possible before the effects of the twist take over.
I struggle with my breathing, in through my nose, out through my mouth, but my calming technique is backfiring. All I am doing is sucking in more pollen, more poison. It is disorienting and I suspect the pollen is playing with my mind.
The creature seems to have gotten a read on me, or close enough, and with a final throaty bellow, it charges.
Time slows. Fear and adrenaline churn, coldfire flashes through me and I feel a strange wetness, a burning chill sliding from my back. I shift, screaming my own challenge of pain and defiance as poison laden air shimmers all around me. The tiny shards of polished steel, a cloud of splintered mirrors have manifested around me, reflecting the golden color of the pollen. I sense them turning with me as I change my trajectory to meet the creature at an angle. I don’t know what they are so I ignore them and stick to what I do know. I move now through instinct, years of combat training kicking in. To defeat a larger opponent I will need to find it’s weak spot, a throat or belly. It rushes past, presenting its side.
I can’t tell if there is a slowing effect to the poison but my twist feels more controlled this time. I sense the hard packed earth beneath my feet as I run and I haven’t lost myself completely to the change like before. There is a rush of air as the beast explodes past me and I throw instinctively at a flash of pink. A shriek of pain and I know I’ve struck something tender. I spin, trying to keep it in view but a wave of dizziness causes me to stumble. I nearly fall over and fear paralyzes me. I shake it off and right myself, grasping another knife from my thigh. I move to a defensive position and am astonished to find the creature still moving away from me, it’s great bulk too heavy for it to stop quickly. It seems as disoriented as I am and it bellows as it turns, shaking its blocky head. It hesitates.
I wait, as ready as I can be. My adrenaline spikes again and a strange power thrums through me. Where is Khane? My back is to him now so I can’t see but suspicion worms through my mind. Would he leave me here to face this thing on my own? Would he rescue his precious Bel while the beast is distracted with me? Would he leave me here to die? I shake my head, trying to clear it of confusion.
The beast is still shaking it’s own shaggy head and I almost laugh. Two warriors shaking their heads at each other! It huffs and whines. I suspected it isn’t used to pain and it doesn’t like the feeling. It shuffles again and with a final, angry snort, it ambles off for a safer place to sleep off the effects of the pollen.
I watch it’s plated backside sway and disappear into the distance. Shock holds me motionless. I have won! Wonder floods through me. I have faced a monster on the Banished side of the Gates and I have won. I’m not dead. I’m not even a sticky mess.
I cough and cry, lowering myself to the ground as the adrenaline leaves me and the strange thrumming power fades. My back is on fire and feels like shredded meat but I am otherwise unhurt. I don’t know how long I sit there, alone in the dust, tears running down my face. A pair of worn leather boots come into view. Khane’s maybe but I can’t seem to find the energy to move or look up. Someone is talking but they sound so far away…. Another pair of boots joins the first. More talking.
“Keira?”
I’m still alive, I think to myself.
“Are you ok?”
“Still alive.” I whisper to the boots, sharing my secret with their dusty leather.
“She’s in shock. Can you help get her up? We need to get away from here and find a place to set up camp before the storm hits.”
I vaguely remember a forced march along the wall and out of the pollen fields. Someone tall supported my left side as I stumbled along. My back throbbing, the pain nearly making me pass out several times. Unfortunately, I remain consciousness due to a persistent nagging that I finally realized is Khane’s voice in my ear. Why can’t people just be quiet for once? Is that so hard?
I think I woke once during the night, briefly, and saw Aito rummaging through a backpack. His movements seemed jerky and odd. But maybe I imagined it. My dreams were full of crazy monsters that started to attack me. Each time they would rush me I would feel the slithering of cold steel from my back, the air shimmering wetly. Then I would watch in amazement as they veered off and left me standing alone. Alive.
When I wake again it is to the smell of something cooking. My nose tingles and my stomach rumbles.
“Don’t move yet. I’ll get you a cup.” Naoaki gently touches my arm.
I feel hot and sweaty and distinctly off. I am lying on my stomach, not my usual sleeping position, and my arm is covered in drool. I want to sit up but I hesitate. My back no longer feels like it is on fire, more like a bad sunburn now, but I am not impatient to test whatever has caused so much pain.
“Here. I’ll help you sit up.” Naoaki helps me into a mostly upright position and pushes a battered tin cup into my hands. I sniff. It smells like potato and ginger.
“Thanks.” I cough after the first sip, the hot liquid washing away the last bit of pollen that had been coating my throat. I look around as I continue to sip the clear broth. Fish squishes in the corner of the tent, maybe asleep, maybe not. Otherwise it is just me and Naoaki.
“What,…. how long?” I hardly know what I want to ask. How long had I been lying here, out of commission, vulnerable? How horrible had my twist been? What was the weird cloud shining around me? Had I imagined that? What happened to my back? The self-conscious part of me worries that my DNA might be too jacked even for my fellow sur
vivors to accept.
Naoaki gives me a knowing look and settles cross-legged next to me.
“You are wondering how much of a bizarre freak you are?” She nodded at Fish. “You don’t even want to know what’s going on over there. He’s my cousin and even I get the jimmies sometimes.” She cocked her head at me as though truly seeing me for the first time.
“It was magnificent.”
“Really?” I hardly dare to hope.
“Yep. Bloody wings of steel and shattered mirror. That’s new for you, isn’t it? Here.” She hands me my knife, the one I’d thrown at the creature. “It dropped not far from you. Thought you’d like it back.” With that she pats me on the head like a favorite pet and leaves the tent.
I sigh, re-sheath my knife, glad to have it back, and slowly finish the soup. It is light but filling and the warmth is soothing despite the heat still radiating from my back. I look over at Fish as I turn Naoaki’s words over in my mind. He has nothing to add, however, just a quiet burble to himself. It seems to me that Fish is changing, evolving, still mutating. I hadn’t heard of a twist continuing to change after puberty but maybe that is happening to me too? ‘Bloody wings of steel’ sounds cool if a bit gory.
