by Jeff Gunzel
“Why did I come here?” Syvis repeated, a little uncertain of the question. Was this some sort of test?
“Yes. I assume most of the lerwicks must have heard my message by now. But that does not tell my why you came. You still had a choice, but you decided to come anyway. I’m trying to figure out what everyone’s expectations are. What were you hoping to find when you got here?”
“Of course, I can’t speak for the others,” Syvis said, gesturing back towards the door leading in. There were more lerwicks inside the tower, many staying in shared rooms. Some were holdovers from the recent battle, while others like Syvis had only just arrived. Viola had not been exaggerating when she said she wanted to get to know each one of them on a personal level. She didn’t want them to feel like faceless numbers meant to serve her. She wanted them to feel like they were all a part of something bigger. Whether or not that was a realistic goal remained yet to be seen, but it was still her intent. “I can only speak for myself.”
Smiling, Viola gestured for her to continue.
“I was living in a small town called Tracier. It’s not that far actually, just a bit southeast of the mountains.” Her fingers flickered briefly in the general direction. “I was living with a man named Kvotha. I had to sleep in a secret basement. The only way in was down a hidden trap door concealed beneath a throw rug in the front room. For years, no one ever even knew I was down there. Once, sometimes twice a day, a light would shine in when he lifted the door and came down with my food. I often wished he would just hold the door so I could enjoy the light a little longer, even if it was just for an extra minute or two. It was always so dark down there.”
“This, Kvotha,” Viola began, trying to choose her words carefully. This story sounded just a little too familiar to her. “Would you have considered him your friend?”
Syvis was already shaking her head before she finished. “No,” she said softly. Viola didn’t need to push any further. She knew that look all too well. “My keeper, perhaps? I’m not really sure how to explain it. Sure, he taught me things, how to read and write, basic math and such. He took it quite seriously, actually. For some reason, he said it was important that I know these things. But the most important lesson of all was that I must never be seen by any other humans. My remaining a secret was top priority.”
Syvis’s eyes went distant as she thought back to the stories he used to frighten her. “If I was ever discovered, he told me, the humans would cut me open and do experiments on me. He would tell me stories of exactly what they would cut off, and how slowly they would do it. Now that I think about it, keeping me scared of the world seemed to be the real priority. I know that must sound crazy.”
“Not at all,” Viola said. She could hardly believe the similarities between this girl’s former life and her own. What did that mean?
“He used to give me blood to drink. I still don’t know where he got it from. He didn’t really care whether or not I ate the food he brought, but the blood? He forced me to drink it. He said terrible things would happen to me if I didn’t. To this day I don’t know what he meant by that.”
“On that, he was right,” Viola said, wondering how this girl could not even be aware of her own affliction. “But we have a serum here for that. You won’t ever have to drink blood again, but you will have to use the serum.” Viola waited a moment, almost afraid to ask her next question. “Do you remember anything about your life before living with Kvotha?”
Again, Syvis shook her head. “He has been with me for as long as I can remember.”
“Even when you were a small child?” Viola asked, her voice dropping to a shallow whisper.
“I...a child?”
“Do you remember being a child?”
“I... I don’t... I’m not sure what you’re...”
“It’s all right. It’s okay,” Viola said, quickly rubbing her new friend’s shoulder. Eyes glistening, Syvis looked as if she might start crying at any moment. “I’m sorry to put you through that, but I had to ask. There seem to be a number of traits that we all share in common.” Viola waited until Syvis seemed a little more settled before going on with her questions. “But if he kept you down in a basement all this time, how did you escape? In fact, how did you even get the message in the first place?”
“He got the message long before I did,” Syvis said, smiling as if it were some kind of private joke. “The lerwicks are a secret no more. The humans are aware of us now, so I guess the idea of trying to keep us hidden is no longer a priority. Honestly, he simply told me I had to leave. I didn’t really have a choice. He said something about his job being done, so I was free to go.” Syvis hung her head and stared down at her feet. “So here I am,” she added shyly. “After that, I really didn’t have any place else to go. Coming to you was the only logical choice.”
“I can only hope that the others think the same way you do,” Viola said, thinking about her brother. She couldn’t help but wonder how many might choose to join him instead. “But I think you’ll find that you chose wisely, and I’m glad you’re here. Come on, let’s go back inside. Our tower might not be ready yet, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start getting organized. More seem to be coming every day. We have a lot to do. But for now, I should go speak with the other lerwicks who are already here.”
*
The combination of sleet and snow peppered the old man’s face as he pushed through the storm, his black pony snorting in defiance. It didn’t like the weather any more than he did. Bringing the stumpy beast to a halt, he removed his thick glasses to rub away some of the mounting frost. Giving up after a number of rubs, he settled them high on his bald head and looked around the area.
“Hmm,” he grumbled to himself, raising a hand to shield his eyes in order to get a better look. By now, the already hard-to-see trail had been largely blanketed by snow, but the old man still felt reasonably confident that he was heading in the right direction.
His eyes wandered up towards the flickering sky as endless flashes illuminated the path. When the sky seemed to finally take a break, the world around him plunged into darkness. Seconds later the violent light show resumed, yet not once did he hear any thunder. “Hmm,” he repeated to himself, fascinated by the very nature of this place. But this was no time to get lost in deep thoughts, a thing the old man always had to guard against. He needed to keep moving, if only to get out of the cold as soon as possible. His thick gray coat was warm enough for now, but it wouldn’t hold off the chill indefinitely.
“I don’t imagine it is much farther,” he said, smoothing a hand down his white beard to remove the bits of snow and ice. “Don’t you agree?” A moment later, a tiny mouse popped its head up from his coat pocket. Whiskers twitching, it sniffed the chill night air. “Be careful now, Raynald,” the man said, gently pushing the mouse back down with one finger. “It’s chilly up here in the mountains. Wouldn’t want you catching a cold, now would we? But fear not, I do believe these...spiritists...are nearby. Once we locate them, I suspect we will have a chance to warm up at last.”
With a lazy heel to his pony’s side, the beast let out an irritated snort before clopping along again. The path was slick, and the climb was beginning to steepen. It would be a slow go the rest of the way, but the old man didn’t seem to care. His mind already beginning to wander, his own thoughts would do well to distract him for the next few hours or so. He glanced up to the flickering light show in the sky, once again pondering the nature of such peculiar weather.
After an hour of slow travel, the old man finally spotted the lofty tower just ahead. He chuckled to himself, suddenly feeling quite foolish. No matter how bad the visibility got, there was simply no way he could have passed up such a towering structure. As his lazy pony clopped up to the front gate, he saw a number of men waiting for him. Their robes were blue with slashes of white across the chest, and all seemed to have reddish brown hair with light blue eyes. The old man smiled, certain he had finally found what he was searching for.
“I can only assume I’ve come to the right place,” the man slurred, his reddened face numb from the cold. Blinking away the snow clinging to his eyelashes, he reached up for his thick glasses before remembering they were quite useless right now. Looking the spiritists up and down in turn, he took the time to grin at each one individually. “Such handsome specimens, if I do say so myself. If I may trouble you, I need to speak to whoever is in charge. Er, it is rather cold out here. May I come in?”
The spiritists eyed one another, not sure what to make of this old man. “He must have wandered up from town,” one finally said, speaking to the others as if the human were not standing right in front of him. “Poor old man. Senile, no doubt. We will have to figure out where he came from, then one of us will have to fly him back.”
“Enough!” the old man boomed, his deep voice suddenly hard as steel. “I have not come this far just to be shunned by the likes of you. Now go to your commander at once at tell him that Hamas Lunmak is here to speak with him.”
The spiritists jumped at the old man’s sudden change in demeanor. “The Moon Mistress will speak to you when and if she chooses, old man,” another spiritist spoke up.
“You act as if your name carries some weight,” said the third, stepping up to be eye level with the human. “Should that name mean anything to us?”
Suddenly looking quite amused, the old man’s eyes went soft. “It will soon enough,” he said with a chuckle. “Tell this moon woman that I, Hamas Lunmak, am the man responsible for awakening the lerwicks. I’m sure she will be quite interested to hear what I have to say.”
Chapter 9
Leaning back in the rather comfortable seat provided, Hamas gave a long, exaggerated stretch. Enjoying the warmth of the nearby fireplace, the old man’s eyes were growing heavier by the minute. Just on the verge of drifting off, he perked up when a spiritist walked by and offered him a glass of warm wine. Accepting it with a childlike greed, he snatched the wine off the tray and began to indulge.
After a few gulps, he stopped drinking and eyed the goblet suspiciously. Pressing his tongue into the side of his cheek, he moved it around while dipping a finger into the goblet. He sucked the few drops off his finger as his eyes rolled upward, apparently thinking long and hard about the spiced drink. Then with a shrug he threw back the goblet and drained it, a fair amount of wine spilling from both corners of his mouth.
Liam and Bella watched from the other side of the room. After having already spoken with the man at length, all they could do now was discuss their limited options. “Is he telling the truth?” Bella asked in a hushed tone as if he might be able to hear them. The old man’s odd behavior made her nervous, to say the least.
“He certainly believes he is,” Liam said, still not sure what to make of this unusual man. His claim was beyond extraordinary, but he certainly seemed to believe his own words.
“Well, is he mad?” Bella reasoned, searching for a better explanation. They watched as he started picking little bits from his beard, then looked down at his chest. After making a series of kissing sounds, a tiny head popped up from his pocket. Cooing at the little mouse, he began to feed it the morsels gathered from his beard.
“Without question,” Liam answered, unable to tear his eyes away. “But that alone does not mean he is wrong. I must question him further.”
“Go on then,” Bella said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I will inform Rishima of what we know so far.” She turned to leave. “And all we know for certain is that there is a madman in the tower who wishes to speak to her,” she mumbled under her breath as she left.
Not quite catching her last statement, Liam dismissed it and went back over to Hamas. “Ah,” Hamas said, looking up from his empty goblet. “This wine is excellent. By any chance do you know what kind it is?”
“Er, I’m sure I don’t know,” Liam said, caught off guard by the unimportant small talk. “But I do have a few more questions for you if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all...uh...Liam, is it?” Hamas said, peering hard into his goblet as if that might somehow make more wine appear.
“That is correct,” Liam said, making a subtle motion with his hand to try and get this man’s full attention. He certainly did seem to get distracted easily. “Hamas, is it?” The old man smiled and nodded. “Surely you must understand how...extreme...your claim must sound to us?”
“Of course I do,” Hamas acknowledged. “But that does not change the fact that I am telling you the truth.”
“Fair enough,” Liam said. After marching back across the room, he returned with a worn-looking chair and sat directly in front of Hamas. “Now then, why don’t you start from the beginning? I’m trying to understand exactly what it is you think you’ve done. And more importantly, whether or not you may have...imagined it.”
The old man stretched again, followed by a deep yawn. “With all due respect, my good man,” he said, his words slightly slurred by his lingering yawn. “I’m not sure why I must speak with you at all. I wish to speak with this...moon...woman. She is the one in charge, yes? She is the one who summoned the lerwicks in the first place? If so, then she is the person I must speak with. Please do not misunderstand, Liam. You seem like a smart fellow, and I’m sure we have much in common. But I cannot waste any more time with you any longer.”
“The Moon Mistress will speak with you when and if I deem necessary,” Liam growled. “Your job is to convince me you are telling the truth. If you cannot do that, then I will personally send you back out into the storm. Rishima is a busy woman and the hour is late. I will not disturb her just so she can hear the ramblings of a madman.”
“A madman, you say?” Hamas said, his eyes dancing with amusement.
Liam leaned forward in his seat. “Until you prove to be otherwise, then yes.”
“Very well,” Hamas said, clapping his hands together. “It seems that you carry some authority here, so I will speak to you openly. I trust that will help me gain the tower’s trust?”
“I have the ears of both the Moon Mistress and Queen Bella,” Liam confirmed. “Convince me, and I will convince them. That is my duty.” His own words gave him pause, and he took a moment to reflect. In the short time he had been here, he had practically taken over a similar position such as the one he once held in Redwater. Of course, he was much more content to serve the tower than his former city. Regardless, it felt good to be needed once again.
“It was not an easy task, as you might imagine,” he began. Hamas’s gaze drifted upward, his eyes going distant as he looked to the past. “Not that I ever believed that bringing back an ancient race was going to be easy, mind you. But as the failures began to add up, I found myself falling deeper and deeper into despair and self-doubt.”
“Failures, you say?” Liam interrupted.
“Why, yes. There were many, in fact. There is no solid blueprint or guidelines to follow when it comes to experimenting with genetics. Correct dosages, varied measurements, energy usage required to activate them all in just the right way. My earlier attempts were just stabs in the dark. Why, even the different sexes of the test subjects further complicated matters. The varied results were unpredictable at best. Each failed attempt had to be analyzed closely so that that particular mistake was not repeated a second time. I admit, I felt a sort of personal attachment to each test subject who died under my care.
“They were just babies, Liam.” The old man’s eyes began to grow watery. “Children who had no future.”
“Babies? Children with no future?” Liam said. “If you don’t start making sense, I’ll throw you out of here myse—”
“Human children, Liam!” the old man said, rising to his feet. “Do you not a
lready know what mix of blood flows through the lerwicks’ veins? Have I overestimated your intelligence?” The man smacked the back of his hand into his palm several times in frustration. “You know they are a mixed race, but human blood is the base. They weren’t created out of thin air, you know! Before any of their genetics could be altered, they had to start out as a single being first. The other alterations were added later. Laberath blood, ghatin in trace amounts, it was all measured carefully through a painstaking process of trial and error. But the base subjects were always the same. I’m telling you that the original lerwicks all started out as human children!”
Liam dropped back into his chair, his whole body suddenly going numb. There was no denying it now. This old man knew things he couldn’t possibly have known, unless... Liam gripped the arms of his chair, trying to stop the room from spinning. His palms began to sweat. So it was true, this unassuming old man really had awakened the lerwicks.
“How...” Liam’s voice sounded weak even to his own ears. “How did you do it?”
Hamas lowered his gaze to the floor. “It came at the cost of many lives,” he said, his voice heavy with shame. “But once I figured out the correct genetic dosages, the right amount of energy needed to activate them properly, and quite frankly, a large amount of luck to boot, I was finally able to create the first two. At least, they were the first subjects to actually survive.” He paused, his fingers drumming across his knees nervously.
“Well, that’s not entirely true, I suppose. Others did survive, but it wasn’t the sort of thing I would wish on anyone. Monsters they were. Subhumans. The ones who died were the unlucky ones, you might say.”
“Where...” Again, Liam choked on the emotion swelling up in his throat. He had questioned horrible people before, murderers and rapists, but this was by far the hardest questioning he had ever had to push through. “Where did you find these children?” He swallowed hard. “What kind of man—”
“They were brought to me by their own parents,” Hamas was quick to point out, raising his open hands innocently. “It was not what you think. The only children allowed into my experiments were the sick and dying. What I offered was simple, a chance at life where there was otherwise no hope.”
