by Kim Falconer
The scientist’s eyes went wide for a moment, then fluttered and hooded. A silly grin crossed his face. ‘You’re pretty,’ he said, his words a slur.
‘How much did you give him?’ Rosette asked, her chest rising and falling.
Kreshkali winked. ‘Enough.’
She pushed him up as he leaned into her. He lost his balance, teetering like a drunk.
‘You won’t be setting off any anxiety alarms now, will you, Doctor?’
‘Still no good,’ he said, smiling like a duck. He threw an arm over her shoulder to keep from stumbling again. ‘It’s got automatic tox-screens.’ His head lolled to one side. ‘My idea, actually. Never thought we’d need it. Whoa…’ He slumped to the floor.
‘Demons!’ she cursed under her breath. ‘Rosette, we have to bring the elevator up. It’s on the ground floor. Can you visualise it?’
She closed her eyes, letting her arms relax. ‘I’ve got it.’
‘I’m going to blow the door and you are going to bring that baby up to me.’
‘Nope, nope, nope…’ The scientist was shaking his head, rubbing his face against her leg as he tried to climb up to standing. ‘Explosions shut down the mainframe. That’s what you’re after, isn’t it?’
Kreshkali snapped her head around to him. ‘Shut the fuck up.’ She pushed him back to the floor.
He raised his head off the tiles. ‘I can show you the way…’
‘What’d you give him?’ An’ Lawrence asked.
‘A dopamine and MDMA cocktail.’
‘So he’s telling the truth?’
‘If he says there’s a way, there probably is.’
‘Show us.’ An’ Lawrence pulled the scientist up by his lapels.
‘Sure, but you might want to deal with them first.’ He pointed towards a contingent of guards rounding the corner at high speed. An’ Lawrence dropped the scientist and drew his sword.
‘How’d you do that?’ Grayson asked, staring at Jarrod, transfixed.
The quantum sentient held his arms out, looking at the sleeves of his white coat, the high-security clearance card and the key to the mainframe. ‘Easy. I turned a thought into a form.’
‘Easy for you,’ Grayson said.
‘Anyone can do it. It happens all the time. You say I want something—a sandwich, a new car, a different life—and sooner or later, there it is. The food, the car, the life. I just do it sooner, rather than later.’
‘You’ll have to show me how some day.’
‘My pleasure.’
They punched the access codes into the elevator security panel, submitted to the DNA scan and stepped onto the platform.
‘Going down,’ Grayson yelled over the sound of sirens, marching boots and the distant ring of battle. After a lifetime of imprisonment in the complex, the long-awaited return of JARROD thrilled him. He nearly couldn’t contain his joy.
‘I gotta tell you, Jarrod. I’ve been waiting for this day.’
‘Me too.’
They found the mainframe on the bottom floor. It took up less space than it once had. Jarrod flinched when he saw a portion of his old hardware merged into the newer computer system. He wasn’t expecting that.
‘You won’t need it any more, will you?’ Grayson asked, as they paused in front of the original JARROD casing.
‘Either way, not after this.’
‘Make it quick. The worm…’
‘Believe me, I know.’ Jarrod removed the side panel. The motherboard sat empty, disconnected. No CPU. He smiled softly, closed his eyes and disappeared. He would know in a nanosecond if the access codes were valid, and if the worm sat waiting.
‘Can you hear me?’ his voice boomed from the internal sound system.
Grayson clapped his hands over his ears. ‘They heard you in Australia. Can you dial it down?’
‘Sec.’ He located the internal sound system. ‘Better?’ Jarrod asked a moment later.
‘Much. How’re the codes going?’
‘Easy. I’m in, I’ve shut it down, I’m out.’
‘What about programming the shields to land.’
‘Done.’
‘That fast?’
‘I’m quantum, remember? Where I am, time isn’t.’
Grayson scratched his head, then startled as Jarrod appeared back beside him in the form of a scientist.
‘We’ve got to run!’
They dashed to the elevator.
‘Did you catch the worm’s attention?’
‘Big-time.’
‘What’s next?’ Grayson asked, closing the elevator doors and pressing the sequence.
‘We get out before Kreshkali levels the place.’
‘Who?’
‘Just picture the queen of the underworld and you’ll be close.’
‘She’s got Richter blood?’
‘And then some.’
Rosette was pressed against the wall, her sword held high over her head, both hands gripping the hilt. Drayco crouched by her side, tail still, hindquarters bunched. She inched her shoulder towards the opening of the elevator, flashed a look and then pressed back against the wall.
Tell Scylla there are three on the left, two on the right.
Done, Maudi.
Where’s Jarrod?
There was a moment’s pause before the temple cat answered: On his way up, with the alchemist.
Who?
Grayson.
She relaxed her shoulders, slowly letting out her breath. Tell Scylla we’re ready.
Rosette glanced over at An’ Lawrence, who immediately looked her way. He tapped his little finger silently on the hilt of his sword—one, two, three.
On three, they both leapt through the open doorway and into the confined space of the elevator, screaming a war cry. Just as the last guard fell, the elevator bell opposite rang and the doors slid open.
Rosette spun around to see two scientists step out into the hall. ‘Where’s Jarrod?’ she demanded, sucking in a deep breath. She raised her sword, covering the distance in a step and slide, ready to strike.
Drop the sword, Maudi. He’s right in front of us, Drayco roared into her mind. See? And the other is the alchemist.
She looked again, narrowing her eyes. Suddenly she recognised Jarrod as he morphed back into his familiar Tulpa. She flicked her blade clean of blood and sheathed it.
‘You’ve been busy,’ Jarrod said, taking in the red spatters on her face and bare arms.
‘Get it done?’ An’ Lawrence asked.
‘Satellite’s down. Shields are landing. Worm’s in,’ Jarrod answered. ‘Where’s Kreshkali?’
‘She should be out by now,’ An’ Lawrence said.
‘Time?’
‘Three minutes. Move!’
As An’ Lawrence unstrapped a sword from his back for Jarrod, Rosette felt her eyes drift over to the man Drayco had called the alchemist. He was staring at her.
‘Grayson?’
He nodded without losing eye contact.
‘I’m Rosette.’ She smiled briefly, pressing her lips together.
He smiled back, his face softening. His gaze drifted from her eyes, down her arms, taking in the temple cat tattoo. ‘Impressive.’
‘It was my first.’
‘I like the way the tail entwines.’
‘Me too. Annadusa says you can tattoo in the traditional way?’ A curious smile lifted her face again.
‘Indeed I can.’
She leaned towards him and whispered, ‘I have this idea. A serpent. Two serpents, really…wrapping around my…’
‘Rosette!’ Jarrod’s voice snapped her up straight. ‘Can you talk about that later? The building’s about to blow!’ He gave her hand a tug. ‘Follow me,’ he shouted to the others.
Rosette hesitated a moment longer, reaching out to clasp Grayson’s hand. It felt warm, vibrant, the energy racing up her arm and down her spine.
‘We’ll get back to this,’ he said, lowering his voice. He gave her hand a squeeze then dropped it as he sh
ot ahead. ‘Jarrod! This way’s faster.’
The others were close behind. When they reached the foyer, the sound of alarms was deafening amongst a sea of white coats, Lupins, uniforms and maimed bodies. Clay was fighting hand to hand with a guard while two sword students ushered a group of scientists out of the complex. New troops flooded in from the opposite side of the room, lasers flashing. A pack of Lupins came around the opposite corner and jumped into the fray.
Rosette drew her sword, hearing An’ Lawrence and Jarrod do the same. Together with the temple cats, they rushed towards the main assault. She cut down the front two guards before hearing the scream. Spinning round, she saw the contorted face of Clay as he dropped to the ground, his eyes finding hers before glazing into a fixed stare.
‘No!’ she yelled, but the guards pressed in and she had to cut her way back to Clay. By the time she reached him, Jarrod was pulling at her arm.
‘Leave him.’
‘No!’ She felt for a pulse, bending forward to listen for breath sounds. His eyes were fixed, pupils dilated. No blink reflex. She started giving him breaths of air, mouth to mouth.
‘Rosette!’ Jarrod screamed at her. ‘He’s dead!’
There’s no Clay there now, Maudi. Run, or there’ll be no us here either!
Tears welled up and choked her. She touched her finger to his lips as Jarrod dragged her away. Drayco urged her forward. Faster! Kreshkali’s making a volcano.
‘I know,’ she said, tears streaming across her cheek, but the sound of her voice was drowned out by the roar around her.
Sucking in her guts, she ran hard, legs pumping. She felt as if she were running underwater. Jarrod continued to tug her forward; the connection to him, and Drayco’s mind, kept her going. She looked up just as Grayson turned back. His energy locked on her like a beam of light, urging her further ahead.
She felt again for her familiar. Thank you, Drayco.
Maudi?
For saying Clay’s name.
They’d reached the hole in the complex wall, when a deafening boom shattered the night. She was thrown forward by the blast. She tucked her body, ready to hit the ground in a forward roll. The last thing she felt was a jagged weight cracking into her head and Drayco’s body thudding beside her. She groaned but couldn’t get up.
EARTH AND GAELA
CHAPTER 22
Rosette awoke to the sounds of a guitar playing softly in her mind, like small birds singing outside a glass window. She focused on the sound as it became more distinct, the picking pattern more familiar.
‘Clay?’ she whispered, pains shooting through her head as she sat up.
‘No, sweetheart,’ Jarrod said, placing a fresh compress under the back of her neck. ‘Lie still.’
The sound disappeared.
‘Where’s Clay?’
‘He died. Do you remember?’ he whispered, stroking her arms.
She shut her eyes, tears welling. Drayco?
Here, Maudi.
She felt the touch of her familiar’s soft tail flick across her toes. He was lying curled at the end of the bed. She smiled briefly before pressing her hand against her forehead to keep it from spinning.
‘My head,’ she moaned.
‘A part of the wall blasted out as we dived through. You caught the worst of it. Lucky you’re tough.’
‘My face?’ She touched her cheeks.
‘Beautiful as ever.’
She gently wiggled her nose. ‘Ouch.’
‘It’s broken.’ He eased her hands away. ‘Let it heal.’
She focused her eyes, blinking a few times. Jarrod’s body was unscratched. ‘Tulpas don’t bruise, do they?’
‘Not for long.’
‘They can’t die either?’
‘Nothing can. It’s all energy.’
‘Energy moving in and out of form?’
‘That’s right.’
‘But you, Jarrod, you don’t really move in and out of form.’
‘Not in the same way you do.’
‘You’re immortal.’
‘We all are.’
‘But not my body. Not Clay’s body. I’ll die, like him. My consciousness will go elsewhere.’
‘It will.’
‘But your consciousness…’
‘Stays, as long as I’ve got a Tulpa to house it. It’s no different really, Rosette. It’s just that in your case, you create your Tulpa through a bloodline, through biology, over the course of linear time. I create mine outside of time, from my thoughts.’
She fingered his sleeve and nodded, running her thumb over his wrist. ‘There’s just one thing I can’t understand.’
‘What’s that, love?’
‘Why are you always so jealous of me when you know we aren’t…matched? We can’t “be together” in the traditional sense.’
He sighed. ‘I’m in a man’s body, Rosette, Tulpa or not. It gets to you, after a few hundred years. You’re mine, in an intrinsic way, and I’m yours, eternally. You’re my Janis, my Ruby, my Alma, my Tatsania, my muse and my companion all down the line to Nell and…’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘Stop.’ She looked around the expansive room. ‘I get it. Where’s Kreshkali?’
Jarrod fussed with her hair, pushing strands back from her face. ‘I have some herbs brewing for you. They’ll ease the headache and…’
She pulled him down by his collar and held his face inches in front of hers. Her voice was a low growl, matched immediately by Drayco’s as he sprang up from the bed: ‘Where’s my mother?’
‘It’s all right, Rosette.’
‘Good to hear. Where is she!’
‘We aren’t sure, just yet.’
‘What?’
‘We’re looking for her.’ Jarrod tried to straighten, but her grip on his shirt kept him riveted.
‘You’re saying she hasn’t come back?’
I can search for her myself, now that you’re awake, Drayco sent, his tail snapping back and forth.
Rosette groaned, letting Jarrod slip out of her hands. Yes, Drayco. Please search. Please find Kreshkali. She drifted back to sleep, welcoming the oblivion.
When she awoke again, her head was bombarded with voices. They grated against her mind.
‘You’re no better than a pig-headed cave troll, Rowan!’
‘I’m not the one that needed rescuing, as I recall.’
‘I did what I had to do. You’ve no place to judge.’
‘You cut it too close.’
‘Can’t you let this go? It’s done—ASSIST is levelled and the shields are coming down. We should have the semblance of a sunrise any moment and enough time to get to the San Fran strip and salvage those panels. What the fuck’s your problem, Sword Master?’
‘The plan was for you to be out before the blast, not after. Remember?’
‘Did you consider I might have to ad-lib? I ran into some contingencies.’
‘You mean your “friend”?’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘That scientist you risked everything for.’
‘You’d have me leave him there under a ton of rubble? He saved our arses.’
‘I saved our…’
‘Hey!’ Rosette shouted, keeping her eyes closed, her face alternately smiling and wincing. ‘Keep it down. Some of us are wounded.’
‘How’s the head?’ Kreshkali’s voice softened as she went to her side.
‘Feels like a pack of single-toothed demons are chewing their way through my skull.’
Kreshkali stroked her forehead and Rosette opened her eyes. ‘Hello,’ she said, smiling up at her mother.
Jarrod came with a steaming mug. ‘Drink this. It’ll knock those demons back.’
‘Will it put me to sleep again?’
‘Not this one. You hungry?’
‘A little,’ she said, taking a tentative sip. She made a sour face.
‘Drink it up. It’ll reduce the cranial oedema.’
‘Oedema?’
‘Swelling.’
Rosette looked blank.
‘Around your brain,’ Kreshkali supplied. ‘Big sips now. Good girl.’
‘You sound like Nell again.’ Rosette wrinkled her nose as she took another gulp, trying not to taste the pungent brew.
‘That’s my potion,’ Annadusa said from the table where she sat next to her son. ‘I’m a bit of a herbalist, you see.’
Rosette sucked her teeth with her tongue and screwed up her face. ‘Thank you.’ She rubbed her temples. ‘It’s helping already, I think.’
‘Polite as well as beautiful,’ Annadusa said to Grayson, squeezing his arm.
‘I’d like to make a toast.’ An’ Lawrence lifted the shade on the east window, holding up his steaming mug. A brilliant beam of yellow light shone through the cracks of brown sky, flooding into the wide room. It brought the pillows and cushions to life, highlighting the vivid colours and textures of the fabrics. It splashed across Clay’s guitar, the polished rosewood reflecting like a mirror. Rosette’s black hair shone with red highlights and Drayco’s ebony coat revealed rust-coloured tabby stripes. Everyone’s face glowed.
An’ Lawrence cleared his throat, holding their attention. ‘To the fall of ASSIST, the rise of Earth covens, and to the heart and soul of Clay Cassarillo, from the Southern Cusca Plains—journeyman bard, swordsman, lyricist, friend and lover—may he always fare well and free.’
‘To Clay,’ Rosette murmured, tears falling down her cheeks.
I don’t see why you’re so upset, Maudi. I found her! Drayco lay down by Rosette’s side.
She studied the feline, staring into his wide orange eyes. Clay died. I find that sad.
He’s on another side.
What’s that, Dray?
He’s crossed over.
Over where?
What you call death, Rosette, we call change.
‘I’ve made you a bath,’ Kreshkali said. ‘Full of fresh herbs and jasmine.’
‘I can smell them from here.’
She continued gazing at Drayco until he got up, stretched and strolled to the kitchen.
That’s all you’re going to say? Death is change.
He turned his big head back towards her and blinked. For now.
