by Traci Loudin
The more he considered what she’d told him, the more he doubted it. She might be unwilling to admit the spell bound her to them as much as it bound them to her. If so, maybe they could use that to their advantage somehow.
He decided to see if he could spot her in a lie. “Where did you get all these supplies?”
“Most were on the mule, and the Changeling boy let us take nearly all the healing supplies. The rest we procured in the usual manner, along with some food and other supplies. There are other places where the old knowledge has survived, you know. It’s not like we Ageless have exclusive rights to it.”
He didn’t know what she meant by ‘exclusive rights,’ but his own tribe possessed a few items that could be considered Ancient. He remembered how the giant had demanded information from the poor villager who’d stayed behind to avenge Cerrit. Zen had been searching for technology. If Korreth died before returning home to warn his people, they’d be wiped out.
“So if the old ways still show up here and there,” he ventured, “then why does it bother you so much that Zen took some Ancient guns from one of your other friends?”
Soledad gazed off into the distance, her expression thoughtful, like a mother deciding what to tell a child too young to know what questions to ask. “Well, because he actually knows what to do with them.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “Other enclaves may have one or two pieces of useful technology passed down from, say, mother to son over the centuries. But across generations, knowledge slowly decays. Soon they only have a small edge over other neighboring tribes who live off the land to survive.”
Soledad rubbed her hands together as though cold. “But Zen would be a whole other story. He combines his knowledge in powerful ways because he actually understands how things used to work before the Catastrophe. Unlike a dabbling tribemate, Zen knows exactly what he’s doing.”
Korreth digested this. Any tribe would use whatever advantage they could get from remnants of Ancient weaponry for their safety and survival. He hadn’t been able to spot her in a lie yet, so he asked, “How does Zen know how Ancient things used to work?”
“Because he was there, of course.”
Korreth blinked, trying to understand the implications. Zen was an Ancient. But he was also of Soledad’s tribe… an Ageless.
“Which is why,” she continued, apparently unaware of his consternation, “we have to thwart him in any way we can. He’s completely abandoned the Prophet’s Mandate.”
Korreth stumbled. His gaze wandered over Soledad’s gray-green Ancient clothing. He considered her Ancient communication device. Her strange way of speaking. And her incapacity for compassion.
She’d lived centuries.
His mind spun and he grasped at the easiest question. “Who is the Prophet?”
Soledad’s gaze pierced him. “The Prophet was one of us, except unlike the rest of us, he alone guessed the consequences of our actions before the Catastrophe. Now we Ageless cling to the remnants of the past, believing a day may come when humanity is ready… It will be a day when people learn to live with each other again, instead of against one another. Then we can free our knowledge, restore civilization, and teach humanity to use the technology properly. At least, I’d like to hope so.”
Korreth felt his heart going out to her, but he slapped that gullibility back into his chest. She played with him, as always.
“But it’s always been this way,” Korreth said. “One tribe against another. Even in your time.”
Her expression hardened. “Yes. In my travels I’ve seen the most horrible things. The atrocious acts humans commit, not just against Joeys or other races not their own—I could understand that; it’s fear. But they do it to each other, to people of their own race, their own tribe, their own family.”
Korreth didn’t disagree; he’d witnessed it firsthand. The slavers who’d sold him to his former Changeling masters had been Purebreeds. “But you and your kind had the knowledge to change things. You could’ve fixed things. Helped people. Instead, you hoard your knowledge like the dragons of myth.”
Soledad’s old eyes stared at him, and Korreth imagined the true depth of her years. To have experienced the death of her world and everyone she knew and loved. And to have lived centuries with that grief…
“Who can say what other parts of the world are like?” she rasped. “Perhaps people in other countries shared their knowledge and prospered. Perhaps they’ve even achieved a level of technology surpassing pre-Catastrophe advancements. Or maybe they blew themselves to smithereens trying.”
She chuckled, but without mirth. “I don’t have all the answers. Both sides used horrible, incomprehensible biological warfare, so maybe not. Maybe we’re the last survivors, and the rest of the world lies in total desolation.”
The sadness in her voice made Korreth shiver. He wondered if the grief and uncertainty of the Catastrophe had driven her and her people mad. The Ageless might think themselves on a righteous quest that made no sense to anyone else but them.
“What if Zen is killing you all because he recognizes the horrible atrocities that you have committed? Maybe he means to protect the world from your kind.”
Soledad’s wrinkles drew up in a smile, revealing yellowed teeth. “Ah, yes, he’s gathering all our knowledge and powers, killing us one by one, and in the end, once he’s amassed all that power, he’s going to kill himself and end the cycle once and for all. Is that it? Trust me—Zen’s motivations are not that altruistic.”
Korreth knew she was probably right, which meant that if the Changelings of the Badlands Army didn’t destroy his home first, then Zen’s thirst for knowledge and Ancient technology would. Zen had survived for centuries and would eventually seek out whatever technology he thought the people of Zhouri possessed. Maybe not in Korreth’s children’s lifetimes, but maybe in his grandchildren’s. His people would never be safe.
In the distance, a small town rose up from the grasses. Korreth’s heart leaped with hope, but then he spied smoke. It wasn’t cold enough to need a fire.
“I need to tell Kaia we’re coming.” Soledad pulled her Ancient device from one of the bags and twisted a knob on top, leaving him with his swirling thoughts.
She pressed the button with her thumb and held the device in front of her mouth. “Hello. Do you read me?”
The only sound was of their passage through the grasses, some tall enough to tickle his naked ribs. He checked on Jorrim, who hadn’t moved. Bile rose in his throat. They’d come so far together, survived countless fights and beatings. If Jorrim died from this…
Static came through the device, startling them both. The now-familiar female voice followed. “Hello. What do you want now?”
Soledad pulled the device away and stared at it before replying.
“Another of my men is injured. Any chance you’ll take us in this time?”
Korreth’s glance darted at her.
A burst of static answered, and Soledad turned the knob until the volume became less abrasive. Her eyebrows drawn down, she looked at the device as though hoping it would explain her fellow tribemate’s hesitance.
Kaia’s voice broke through the static. “Even less so, this time.”
“What’s going on?”
“Remember how you were supposed to stop Zen’s followers?”
“Obviously.” Soledad’s nostrils flared. “It’s how my man got injured the first time, if you recall.”
“Yes, well, it seems they picked another of us to target after you. My people captured one, but he was only a distraction. A dozen more came later in the night.”
Korreth shook his head, and Soledad seemed to agree. She said, “Are you sure it was the same group? There were only three with necklaces—”
“Four, actually. Clearly the ringleaders. The rest were lesser Changelings with physical mutations only.”
There was that word again, ‘ringleaders.’ The Ageless—these Ancients—might be the only people in the world who knew the c
onnotations behind that word and a hundred others. Korreth mouthed ‘ringleaders,’ savoring it.
“But you’re sure—”
“My followers chased three of them away to the south. They described one of them as a furry woman with claws, another as a Joey, and the third as a man who transformed into a big black cat.”
“Yes, the ones my men and I encountered. But the fourth?”
“An obese man led the lesser Changelings. He had an uncanny sense of the battle. But I don’t have time to stand around playing twenty questions with you. I need to help with recovery efforts.”
Korreth had never heard of ‘playing twenty questions,’ but he enjoyed hearing someone talk back to his mistress.
Soledad came to an abrupt stop. “Are you sure they fled south? Did you manage to kill the rest?”
Korreth kept going. One way or another, he had to get Jorrim some help. He was sure Jorrim’s chest might already be infected.
“You should be safe enough out there, if that’s what you’re asking. Now, excuse me—”
“I’m sorry, Kaia,” Soledad said, her voice as solemn as in any of her false stories. “We should have been better prepared.”
“And I’m sorry I’m not better equipped to help you right now, but my followers are busy grieving the dead, and I need to preside over the funerals.”
“What… what of the lab?” Yet another unfamiliar word. “Is it… destroyed?” Soledad sounded worried, but Korreth couldn’t tell if she was playing along to keep the other woman talking.
“No, nor did they make off with any technology. But I’m sure they gained some information for their master, knowledge I was supposed to protect from falling into the wrong hands.” Kaia sounded genuinely distressed. “At least they didn’t find the tracker. Zen seems to want to exterminate all of us. And with the tracker, he could easily do it.”
Korreth found himself holding his breath. The grasslands suddenly seemed still. The hairs on his arms stood up, and he checked over his shoulder. Someone was watching them from a vantage point he didn’t see.
“Not if I can help it,” Soledad said.
“What are we going to do?” Kaia sounded desperate. “We’ve both failed to take down Zen’s followers. How can we expect to stand against Zen himself?”
“And you’re sure you can’t track Zen?”
“No.” The crackly voice sounded downcast. “I believe his transition to cyborg destroyed his chip. Like I said, I’m not even sure how long ago it happened.”
They drew closer to the town and its dilapidated wall. A long building to the south dwarfed the smaller buildings to the north. Two towers to the north and south stood watch over it all.
“Well, the first step is healing my slaves so we can come up with a plan. We’ll be hot on his trail now. I’m right outside now, Kaia. Let us in.”
Korreth supposed the wall made the town somewhat defensible, but he couldn’t imagine Zen’s pawns having any difficulty. The Joey could’ve hopped over the wall, and the two Changelings wouldn’t let a pile of crumbling stones get in their way. The scent of charred wood drifted toward them.
The Ancient device crackled. “Like I told you last time—what do you mean, you’re outside?”
Soledad’s mouth quirked into a sly grin. “I mean, tell your people not to shoot us.”
“What are you doing here?”
The smile disappeared. Soledad’s words came from between clenched teeth. “One of my men. Is wounded. Help him, and we can hunt down Zen.”
“I told you no a few days ago. What makes you think I’ve changed my mind? This is against the Prophet’s Mandate!”
Korreth heard his own pulse pounding in his ears. If this Kaia person had something that would put Jorrim back together, she couldn’t tell them no. Jorrim needed help, or the infection would worsen.
Tossing a hand in the air, Soledad yelled into the device. “Oh, get off your high horse already. I know you’ve gained other technology since the Catastrophe that the Prophet never assigned to you. I’m no fool. Don’t pretend you always follow the rules.”
Soledad’s finger slipped off a button on the side of the device. She met his eyes and shook her head, making the beads of her hair clack together. “What a bitch. I know Gryid shared his knowledge with her, but she wants to act like she’s the only one who faithfully upholds the Mandate?”
Kaia’s voice came through a moment later. “For god’s sake, how does this man keep getting injured?”
“It was Korreth who was injured last time, and thanks to you, we had to go to the forest for healing herbs. So it’s because of you the other one got injured. Perhaps if you’d let us in the first time, Jorrim and I could’ve helped you repel your invaders.”
A long spate of static assaulted Korreth’s ears.
“Alright, fine. But you must pick an age and remain that age the entire time you’re within sight of my followers.”
Soledad’s eyes widened. “You mean…”
“I mean I slowly aged ‘naturally’ over the years, and now I appear quite old.”
As they approached the western wall of the town, Korreth realized the long building was actually made up of two wings, joined together and pointing south. He scanned the adjoining wall, looking for an easy place to cross with the litter.
“Well, it’s not like it’ll make any difference, Kaia. Your people don’t need to know we’re of the same tribe.”
“Do you want my help or not?”
Soledad frowned. “I’ll meet you at the lab in… say, fifteen minutes. Over and out.” She twisted the knob with more force than before and tossed the device into her pack.
“What age shall I choose?” Soledad mused.
An Ancient tower rose before the incongruous stone wall. Korreth spotted people on the battlement and shapes moved behind murder holes along the tower’s length. He hoped they wouldn’t consider them intruders. “Your friend wasn’t very happy about our failure to stop Zen’s pawns.”
Soledad shook her head. “She understands what we were up against, now.”
“And yet neither of you care about how many Purebreeds we led to an early death.”
Her gaze pierced him. “You have no idea how many Purebreeds will suffer if we let Zen continue unchecked. There’s much more at stake here than you two even imagine. You have no long-term awareness, which is exactly the same problem as always.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
Her hair lengthened as strands turned white, and Korreth found himself wondering what would happen if she aged beyond her lifespan.
Her voice was raspy, yet no less vehement. “The Catastrophe happened because stupid, short-sighted fools like you were allowed to make the decisions and play with the big-kid toys. They doomed us all.”
He and Soledad made their way toward a broken-down section of Searchtown’s wall, where four men waited. Outside the perimeter, Korreth noticed a huge pile of wood, stacked taller than the wall, with a pile of dirt behind hinting that a large hole wasn’t far away.
Two of the sentries jumped over the dilapidated wall and grabbed Jorrim’s litter without saying a word. He clenched his teeth at their audacity, but Soledad gave him a curt shake of her head. Between the four of them, the sentries managed to navigate the litter over the barrier without dumping Jorrim.
Korreth clambered on top of the wall and hopped down on the other side, dislodging a few stones on his way. Soledad’s huff of annoyance satisfied him. If she’d wanted his help climbing up, she should have known she’d have to order him.
When one of the bearers noticed Korreth wasn’t helping the old woman, he motioned. “Take this corner, friend. I’ll help the lady.”
As he grabbed the arm of the litter, he noticed Jorrim’s lips were blue. The scratches across his friend’s face and upper body, the uncovered gash on his chin, even the blood-soaked cloths tied across his chest worried him less than how much paler than usual Jorrim’s skin had become. He hoped Soledad knew
what she was doing.
The Ancient buildings had withstood the siege of the centuries better than other places Korreth had traveled. He overheard children laughing, the low hum of conversation, and music from what he guessed was a stringed instrument. He wished Jorrim were awake.
Like a daydream, an image of the town in ruins filled Korreth’s thoughts. If the Changeling army he and Jorrim had helped train marched through here, the slight damage he saw on a few of the buildings would be nothing compared to the destruction the Changeling warriors would wreak. The stately Ancient structures would be razed, the towers pulled down.
As they carried Jorrim’s litter down dusty roads, Korreth’s rifle tapped his naked back. The trusting Purebreeds hadn’t even bothered to take his weapons.
“What was that pile of sticks outside?” he asked.
The medium-colored man met his eyes with a slight smile on his face. “You mean the pyre? It’s for the worthy.”
“Worthy?”
“Those who deserve to be freed from the cycle of rebirth.”
Korreth felt his eyebrows shoot up, but caught his tongue before he said anything stupid. “And the rest will be buried?”
“Correct.”
They trod in silence until Korreth introduced himself.
“And I am Yarren, a humble Purebreed. Are you and your friends Changelings?”
“No, no.” Korreth wasn’t sure what Soledad planned for this trip, so he didn’t point out the old woman following them was, in fact, a Changeling. Instead he went on, “Though sometimes I wish we were… Perhaps a mystic or other powerful Changeling would’ve found a way to avoid what happened.”
Yarren nodded at Jorrim. “Was your friend very brave?”
Korreth smiled grimly. “Very brave. He saved Soledad and myself from mutated boars.”
“Then perhaps he will return as a Changeling in his next life.”
The litter bearers pivoted, catching Korreth by surprise. He recovered his balance as they marched down the main thoroughfare through town, headed for the vertex of the long-sided building.
Children bounced a ball across the road, and the man in front said something to one of the little girls. She gasped and grabbed the ball, then dashed out of their way. The other children followed and silently watched the procession. Korreth smiled at them, and a little boy waved and smiled back until his friend whispered something to him.
