Rex Aftermath (Elei's Chronicles)

by Thoma, Chrystalla

  He closed his eyes, trying to focus on his feet, the solid ground, the sounds that spoke of normality.

  “Dain,” Kalaes said quietly, “you came after all.”

  Dain. Oh hells. That was enough to set Rex off again. Damn parasite.

  Elei opened his eyes.

  Yet another mistake, because he saw Dain moving toward Kalaes, and Rex swept him, picking two metal shapes in blue: two guns holstered at the boy’s belt.

  Rex fairly snarled in Elei’s head.

  “I didn’t come for you,” Dain said, standing chest-to-chest with Kalaes, hand going to his belt. “I have my reasons. You don’t know...”

  His words were drowned by the rising screech inside Elei’s mind. As if in a dream, he drew his Rasmus. Cocked it. Pointed.

  “You,” he said, his voice distorted in his own ears. “Drop your gun.”

  The pulse went up a notch, the heartbeats of those around him accelerating. He caught small movements out of the corner of his eye — hands reaching for weapons, the children moving restlessly behind the furniture.

  His finger closed on the trigger.

  “Fe, no.” Kalaes stepped before the target, hand raised. “He hasn’t drawn a gun. Calm down.” The color in his chest was not red but deep purple. Funny how Elei had never noticed that before. Wondered if his own chest pulsed the same color — Rex’s signature?

  Rex sort of sagged, releasing its crushing hold. Family, another Rex. Right. Although, come to think of it, the parasite always calmed around Kalaes. Felt safe.

  Safe.

  The gun slipped from his hand. Kalaes caught it before it hit the ground and clicked the safety back on. The ground rocked like a boat and Elei fought to stay on his feet.

  “I don’t think Dain betrayed us,” Kalaes said, calm and quiet, setting a hand on Elei’s shoulder. “Hey, can you hear me?”

  Elei nodded, drawing a deep breath, willing the colors to fade, his heart to slow. How could Kalaes be sure? How could he trust Dain?

  A smaller hand landed on his arm and he flinched, but Alendra’s fresh scent reached him and he relaxed.

  “What was that all about?” Zoe asked, her voice a little high.

  “Rex,” Kalaes said, not releasing Elei, as if afraid it wasn’t over.

  Was it? He’d been sure Dain was about to attack Kalaes, and Rex had reacted, set out to scare Dain — or kill him. Because he’d threatened another Rex.

  Threatened Kalaes.

  Elei shivered. The colors were finally receding, and he could see Dain’s face — pale, wide-eyed. Shocked. Whether from the death threat or Kalaes’ intervention, Elei couldn’t tell. Dain’s gaze flicked between the two of them.

  The leaders watched Elei, tracking his movements, eyes narrow and dark. Angry.

  Yeah, Elei thought. I’m not making any friends, am I? He hoped his freak-out wouldn’t send everyone scuttling back into their holes and destroy any chances they had of ending this war.

  Kalaes squeezed Elei’s shoulder and turned to Dain. “Did you, fe? Did you betray us?”

  “Betray you?” Dain growled. “I did nothing of the sort.” He jabbed a shaky finger at Elei. “And he was going to kill me!”

  “We were tracked and almost killed twice this afternoon,” Kalaes snapped, “so he has every right to be jumpy. Do you swear you didn’t turn us in?”

  “I swear it,” Dain muttered. “Happy?”

  “Are you nuts?” Zoe folded her arms over her chest. “Dain wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, or the resistance. He’s been working with Mantis from the start.”

  “Then why did he say he wouldn’t join in?” Alendra asked, echoing the question in Elei’s mind. “And why is he here if he’s not interested?”

  “I changed my mind,” Dain muttered. “All right?”

  Kalaes shrugged, shoulders tense, and gestured at the threadbare couch. “Let’s all sit down, shall we? We have lots to discuss.”

  “You say you were tracked?” Zoe ignored the couch and sat cross-legged on the grimy carpet. “What in the hells, pooskers?”

  “How else would the regime know where we’re staying and where we went?” Alendra sat next to Zoe. “Someone knows who we are, the fact that we’re in Artemisia. And we have been followed. There’s no other explanation.”

  One by one the others sat down, on the carpet, the couch, the chairs. Kalaes hesitated, then sank next to Zoe, a light flush on his cheeks.

  “So what does that mean? Spit it out.” Zoe elbowed Kalaes lightly in the ribs and frowned when he flinched. “You’re not hurt, are you?” She glanced at Alendra, then at Elei who still stood. “Are you?”

  “Kalaes got a bullet graze in his side and Elei...” Alendra glanced at him, then quickly turned away. “We’re fine.”

  “Bullet graze?” Zoe gave Kalaes a horrified look. “Let me see that.”

  “Later,” Kalaes said, dipping his chin, his face coloring. “It’s stopped bleeding. No big deal.”

  Zoe muttered something that sounded like a curse.

  “But our apartment was taken over,” Alendra said. “And we were hunted down after we met an informant.”

  A hush fell. Even the small movements, the whispers and shuffling stopped. Everyone was paying attention.

  Dain lowered himself stiffly sat cross-legged at the other end of the carpet, stealing glances at Elei. He looked pissed, Elei thought as he took his place next to Alendra. Not that he could blame him.

  Or believe he hadn’t betrayed them.

  Elei clamped down on the worry. Everything’s fine. Hear that, Rex? Besides, Kalaes seemed to think Dain was innocent.

  Zoe was staring, and it made Elei damn uncomfortable. His teeth were grinding and he tried to stop while she made the introductions.

  Boys and girls of different ages, their faces serious and a little frightened, knives and guns strapped to their belts. Too damn young. Mitt hadn’t made it, Zoe said, but he’d swing by in the morning.

  After Zoe was done, everyone’s gaze returned to Elei. He clenched his hands by his sides.

  “Glad you all came,” Kalaes said, drawing their attention, to Elei’s relief. “I know it’s not an easy decision, but you have sworn your loyalty to Mantis and you want a world where there is food and a roof over your head, for yourselves and your own. But hey, it’s not magic. It takes work. We’ll create a diversion while the real attack takes place. It might be dangerous, although we’ll do our best to keep you all safe. And we’re in a hurry.”

  Kalaes glanced at Ale, then at Elei, as if asking for their permission to speak the words. What difference did it make? “We’ll attack the water treatment plant, west of Dakru City. We’re set for tomorrow night.”

  The leaders shifted where they sat, their brows creasing as they mulled this over.

  They still didn’t know the truth. Wouldn’t know it until the very last minute. And with Dain in the equation... that suited Elei just fine.

  Chapter Five

  “So you’re Kalaes’ little brother, huh? I can see the family resemblance.” Zoe grinned at Elei as she dished out a brown mush she’d described as ‘rat stew’.

  Not that Elei minded rat; he’d had far worse. Rat was good.

  So he took his bowl, lifted a brow and said nothing. His stomach growled as he dug in.

  “Does he have a girlfriend?”

  Elei almost choked. He shook his head as he chewed. Conversation. Make conversation, look unthreatening. A good idea, after raising a gun on Dain. “Why? Interested?”

  Zoe shrugged. “Maybe. How come he’s not hooked up with someone?”

  Maybe because his previous girlfriend almost gotten us killed? Elei shook his head. “Too busy.”

  “I like his smile,” Zoe said and bit her lip.

  Seriously? Elei liked Kalaes’ smile, too, but that didn’t mean anything. In fact... He shot a quick glance at Alendra who was talking to Mitt.

  “Okay, not only his smile. He’s hot, the whole package.”

  El
ei frowned at her.

  She laughed, a peal of music. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not going to rip off his clothes and ravish him or anything.”

  Good to know, Elei supposed. And thank the gods, too, because if she started ripping off Kalaes’ clothes, Rex might take it as an attack.

  He scowled at his bowl and shoved another spoonful into his mouth. Better not think too much or the food may not stay down, and he was hungry, dammit.

  Wasn’t there an attack to plan and a world to save?

  “It’ll be fine, you know?” Zoe said softly, sitting next to him, toying with her braids.

  Really? Then she knew something he didn’t, because it didn’t look fine from where he sat. He nodded anyway, because that was what he was supposed to do.

  “We’ll send one of the kids to your informant, someone the regime doesn’t know, to make sure everything’s going according to plan. We’re in this together.”

  Yeah. It was reassuring and scary at the same time. He put down his spoon, swallowing a sigh. She seemed nice. But it didn’t matter.

  Images from the nightmares rose — Kalaes, Alendra. Dead. The street littered with corpses.

  The end of his world.

  His hands clenched around the bowl. He placed it carefully on the carpet, not to break it.

  Kalaes joined them on the carpet, as if he’d sensed something. He stretched his long legs out. “You all right, fe?”

  Elei swallowed and nodded, letting Kalaes’ familiar aura of strength banish the lingering images. “Fine.”

  Kalaes arched a brow, clearly not convinced. “Hey, Zoe, are you done interrogating my brother?”

  “No, but since you’re here now, I guess it’s your turn.” Zoe winked.

  Color rose to Kalaes’ cheeks again. Funny. It seemed to happen a lot when she was around. “I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow,” he said, running a hand though his dark hair. “We’ll need vehicles. And weapons.”

  “No problem.” Zoe nodded. “Leave that to me. You get the codes, make sure we can enter that water plant. How long do we have to hold the place?”

  “Not long,” Kalaes said, his face blank as the lie rolled off his tongue.

  Not long at all. Because they wouldn’t try to take it.

  “So we move tomorrow night,” Zoe said, face thoughtful. “Where’s the map?”

  A boy Elei couldn’t place rose from a nepheline chair and shook a map out, laid it on the floor. The other leaders closed in, kneeling, young faces drawn in serious lines.

  Why did he suddenly feel so old?

  “Close to the plant there’s an old refueling station,” Kalaes said. “We can regroup there and organize the attack.” He sounded so serious and honest. “I’ve passed through there many times on my way to the mines and factories.”

  “Why would you do that?” a girl muttered.

  Kalaes frowned. “I worked as a truck driver.”

  “You worked for the regime,” Dain said, his voice accusing.

  “It was a job,” Kalaes said. “It put food on the table. Everyone did it.”

  “Get off his case, Dain,” Zoe said curtly. “Don’t act as if we’ve been above it all. I’ve worked for the regime, too. The only other option is the docks.”

  A shiver went though Kalaes. “Anything’s better than the damn docks.”

  Elei was about to ask why, when one of the faces in the group caught his eye and stopped him cold. Something was familiar about the light-haired boy and the dark-haired girl who was leaning on his shoulder, talking in his ear. She grinned, her teeth black, like a smile of death.

  Who was she?

  “Tau,” she said, her low voice echoing. “You should tell them.”

  Tau. The name landed like a punch to Elei’s chest, making him gasp. He was back in an alley, shot and bleeding, dirty fingers digging into the wound in his side, large eyes laughing at him. The image from his nightmares rose like a ghost in front of him –bodies around him, Pelia, Kalaes, Alendra, still, too still — and he couldn’t draw breath.

  Zoe made as if to pat his arm and he flinched, too scattered and strung thin. He turned to Alendra, but she fiddling with her gun.

  It wasn’t happening. He wasn’t in the alley.

  But he couldn’t breathe. The world spangled and glittered, the faces growing long muzzles, the colors jumping.

  Not again, not so soon. His heart pounded, his teeth grated together. He needed to get out. Grabbing the side of the couch, he lurched to his feet. The voices rose, loud but indistinct. He had to get out right now. Freaking out on the gang leaders twice in a day wouldn’t be good.

  He thought he heard his name but he staggered toward the door and kept going, a ghost pain in his side where Pelia had injected him with the Rex capsule. Pushing doors, more doors, he kept moving until cold air hit him in the face and he drew a shuddering breath.

  Holy gods.

  Rex roared, demanding he act, shoot, hit, run. His legs shook and sourness rose in his throat.

  Just a memory. He forced air into his lungs. Just a memory, Rex, hear that?

  He heard steps and glanced up. Thought he saw Alendra at the door of the building, all golden reflections, but when he blinked she wasn’t there.

  He rubbed a hand over his eyes. The dreams. They filtered into his waking life, mixed with the memories, merged with the suddenness of Tau’s appearance, and completely screwed him over.

  His legs buckled and he leaned against the uneven wall to steady himself.

  Ow dammit. Fire flared in his back, squeezing the breath from his lungs. He slid down the wall, fighting dizziness.

  What a crappy night.

  Two sets of steps sounded in the alley and backlit figures hurried toward him. Shit, he’d scared someone again. He struggled to stand when he recognized Kalaes and Zoe. Not Alendra — yeah, that had been a hallucination.

  He inched up the wall, a hand braced on the colorful graffiti.

  “What’s wrong?” Kalaes hissed, striding toward him. “Are you okay?”

  “He’s shaking,” Zoe said, putting a hand to Elei’s cheek. Her palm was burning hot. “Damn, you’re freezing, poosker. Are you sick?”

  “I’m okay,” Elei said, but all he wanted was to slide back down and let the dark swallow him.

  “I think all the running today caught up with him,” Kalaes said and pulled him off the wall, making him groan as bruised muscles pulled across his back. “Oh,” Kalaes said, “shit.”

  “What?” Zoe’s voice was strangely distant. “We’ll find him a bed roll. Come on.”

  “It’s the adrenaline spikes. You kinda drop like a rock afterward.” Kalaes hauled Elei back into the building.

  Through the static in his mind, Elei realized they were crossing the hall where everyone sat. It should’ve been damn mortifying, but by now he was shaking too hard to care.

  His teeth chattered. Had he been that long outside? He’d lost track of time. He straightened and tugged his arm, but Kalaes didn’t let go. Glancing about, he tried to see the two faces again, the boy and the girl with the black teeth, but couldn’t. Had they been real?

  He was dragged into a small room that smelled of mold and then pushed down on a stained mattress. Kalaes passed him a blanket and sank next to him. “I’ve got this,” he said to someone — Zoe, probably.

  Elei took a shuddering breath.

  “All right, fe, what happened back there?” Kalaes demanded. “Why did’ya run out like that?”

  The door creaked and Elei thought he saw golden eyes peeking in. Gone again. More hallucinations. He should take the medicine to suppress Rex; the parasite was getting out of control.

  Of course, now that he remembered, the medicine had been in the apartment. All gone. He shivered and gathered the blanket around him. He wished Cat was there. He wished...

  “Elei?” Kalaes’ concerned face swam back into view. “Talk to me.”

  “It’s nothing. Just... memories.”

  Kalaes nodded,
as if he understood. Maybe he did. “What doesn’t kill you, screws with your head,” he said sagely.

  Couldn’t argue with that one.

  Kalaes sighed. “Fine, don’t tell me. Take off your jacket. I want to check your back.” When Elei hesitated, he leaned forward, brows drawn together. “You don’t want Ale to see the snakeskin. I get that. But something knocked you out cold and left you all shaky, and I want to see for myself that you’re okay.” When Elei still didn’t move, Kalaes’s hands fisted. “Will you take off that pissing jacket already?”

  Carefully Elei shrugged the jacket off, hot jabs of pain stabbing his back, and turned to look at the wall.

  “Holy netherhells,” Kalaes hissed. “Holy... What happened?”

  Shit, what now?

  A hand fell on Elei’s shoulder, then his shirt was ripped open and cool air washed over his back, making him shiver. He barely felt the fingertips pressing on the snakeskin.

  “What is it?” he bit out.

  Kalaes cursed, then snorted. “Gods dammit, fe. Always full of surprises. Pissing gods in the deep.”

  That didn’t sound promising. A tap against the snakeskin sent vibrations and pain down his spine. “Kal?” He swallowed to clear the hoarseness from his voice. “What’s going on?”

  Something pressed against his back, and gods it hurt like a bitch. “Let it be said that telmion can even stop pissing bullets. Nature’s own flak jacket. Hold still.”

  Another jolt went through Elei and white-hot pain streaked down his ribs to his arm. He hissed and closed his eyes, nauseous.

  When he opened them again, Kalaes was waving an irregularly shaped bit of metal in the air. “The bullet, fe. You’re a goddamn lucky bastard. It hit you right in the thickest part of the snakeskin. Looks like it fragmented a little, too. A piece of shrapnel scratched your arm.”

  That would explain the gash in his arm. And the blood. Elei groaned. Might also explain why he felt like shit.

  “You have a hell of a bruise already,” Kalaes muttered and sank down on the mattress, as if his legs couldn’t hold him. He rolled the flattened bullet in the palm of his hand. “Maybe the bullet stopped your heart for a moment. Pissing hells, I should never have gone in before you. What sort of a big brother does that? It’s my job to protect you, dammit.”