by John Sharp
Chapter 12 – Into The Hive
“Ouch! Watch the tail!” Comes a disgruntled voice from the large duffel bag on my left arm.
“Quit complaining already, Hintorunner. You didn’t have to come, ” comes the soft but equally annoyed voice of Lasadamother from other large duffel bag on my right arm.
“Get your paw out of my face!” Says yet another voice from the left bag followed by some movement and hissing. While this is the most efficient method to transport an army of ferrets to the shifting point, it has not been a pleasant experience thus far.
“Be quiet, all of you! Prove to me that the proud warriors of the Bartendor clan are more than just whining whelps!” Whisper says from the comfort of my shoulder.
I grit my teeth as Whisper’s comment. Instead of encouraging silence it sends the occupants of both duffel bags and the ones in my backpack into a chitterling rage that threatens to crack open my skull. Sarah in the lead, unburdened by ferrets, holds a flashlight in one hand and an alarmingly large coffee mug in the other. The mug is so big that it would serve as a makeshift club if things get desperate. Sarah stops for a second, turning back to me with a curious look.
“I have a feeling I’m glad I can’t understand what is going on. All I hear is a bunch of angry squeaks and hisses,” Sarah says, taking a long pull from her coffee. We came directly here after our meeting with the Bartendor clan. The only stop was to shift over and finish our journey in the human world. Sarah’s car had been strategically parked with all the necessary supplies inside, including her coffee cup. I enjoyed the ride over. Nothing compares to riding in a car with thirty-something ferrets, all fighting for a chance to stick their heads out the windows. Now, I’m not having so much fun.
“You could put down that coffee and carry a bag. They probably weigh the same,” I reply sourly. Arms sore, I adjust my grip on the bags, jostling the ferrets and renewing their complaining.
“I can’t do that. Machadohunter said he wouldn’t stand for anything less than the Alpha carrying them into battle.” She said the word alpha with such scorn that it would be approved by feminists everywhere. “Besides, it would take more than an army of ferrets or a colony of hivetung to separate me from my coffee.”
Turning her back to me Sarah continues down the subway tunnel. Frustration building I resolve to take out my fury on any hivetung I see. Perhaps I will try to shift just their heads. My mood as black as the air around me, I continue after Sarah, doing my best to ignore the constant complaining erupting all around me.
We arrive at the shifting point before I break down and commit more acts of animal abuse. Setting the bags down I let out the warriors of the Bartendor clan. Ferrets erupt from of the bags. If I thought freedom from their confinement would give me a brief rest then I was gravely mistaken. Like Whisper they are immensely curious about this new world, but they have none of his experience. I have to save more than one from falling on the subway tracks a short distance off.
“Whisper,” I say, exasperated after stopping the fifth ferret from taking the dive to investigate the rails more closely. With a chortle he leaps nimbly from my shoulder and along with Machadohunter and Lasadamother begins herding the rest up. Whisper’s standing is still in question among his people. He is still an outcast but recognized as an alpha in my tribe and owed the respect of that position. Perhaps that will change after all of this. For now it’s enough.
“Stop wandering or I’ll bit your tail off!” Whisper growls to a cream colored ferret who was attempting to investigate a brightly colored cheeseburger wrapper a short distance away.
“Stay put, all of you. It might take me a minute to find the shifting point. Sarah, if you would be so kind,” I say. She gives me an annoyed huff, recalling all too well our slow walk last time. Closing my eyes I send forth my sight into Whisper’s world and the blackness of compacted soil greets my eyes. Grabbing my arm Sarah leads me around like a blind beggar until a minute later when the spot is found.
“Here,” I say, stopping in my tracks. “Shadow cross over and make sure the coast is clear in both directions. We will need some time to shift.”
“You are taking far too many liberties by telling me what to do,” my shadow says. “But since plenty of death and violence will occur I’ll cooperate this time. Besides, I get to see these rats do something useful.” The ferrets let out frightened squeaks except for Whisper who doesn’t respond to his insult. A dark pool spreads out on the ground in Whisper’s world, stretching up the tunnel wall to become a source-less silhouette. Giving me a malicious grin he moves down the left side of the tunnel, virtually undetectable in the low light. Returning a minute later he wordlessly proceeds down the right end. He is gone much longer this time. Almost five minutes pass before my shadow returns. He doesn’t bother crossing back to our world, instead he talks to me across realities.
“On the left there is a simple storage area holding fungus and a small pond of stagnant water. There are two hivetung playing with mold. The tunnel ends there. Vision is to your right far down the tunnel along with all the goodies that the hivetung have collected. The area is vast with plenty of room to play.” He gives me a wicked smile that makes me glad he’s on my side or at the very least not on Solarkar’s.
“Stay put for a bit while I do this,” I say and then add with some difficulty, “Thanks.”
My shadow actually seems repulsed by the notion of being thanked. “The only reason I am helping is because I want to see a lot of blood, nothing more.” I nod, not wanting to imply that my shadow ever do something to help me. Heaven forbid.
“Here’s the plan. Two hivetung are down the left tunnel. It dead ends there we need to take them out. Down the right is our goal. The right tunnel goes into the hive ending in a large central chamber. I have no clue what we will find there,” I say, turning toward Machadohunter. “Machadohunter, as we agreed you will lead your clan and I will be in charge of mine. We will regroup here and I’ll shift us once we recover your young and destroy vision. Any questions?”
“How do we know you won’t accidently shift us into the wall?” Machadohunter asks.
“It doesn’t work like that,” I say, finally having the answer myself. A brief conference with Sarah after I defeated Machadohunter clarified several mysteries for me. When I had shifted the three ferrets and myself I had taken some ground with me. I already knew that. What I didn’t know was that in Whisper’s world a circular section of basketball flooring had appeared. When I shift I don’t just move what I want through reality. I exchange it with what is already there. This came as an enormous relief. I’ve been worried about the possibility of my shifting going wrong ever since the hivetung got fused into my floor. I guess that the sigil stones interrupted the process of shifting causing a strange blending of realities. I explained all of this to Machadohunter and the rest. I did leave out the fact that since they get bigger once shifted I wasn’t sure that this principle still held true. I already plan on shifting sediment out of the away so we can launch our operation all at once in either case.
“I need to make room by shifting away dirt. I’ll have to bring it here since all the other worlds I see right now are underground. Whisper move the Bartendor clan a safe distance away,” I say.
“Yes, Shifter,” says Whisper, followed immediately by a concordance of voices about everything from complaints to attempts to wander off and investigate once more. I leave it to Whisper.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Sarah asks, remaining by my side.
“This is the easy part. The trouble is once I start we have to hurry. If the hivetung discover the strange appearance of a crater in the middle of their tunnel our surprise is ruined,” I say.
“Don’t worry,” says my shadow. “The last thing I want is for this lovely conflict to end because of an ill-timed encounter. I’ll keep the area free of interlopers.” “Ok, kill any hivetung that wanders
near,” I say, and although my vision stays in the other world I could feel Sarah confusion.
“Just talking with my shadow,” I say.
“Of course. I don’t know what I was thinking,” she says dryly. “Should I move or stay here?”
“Hang on to my arm and keep me steady,” I reply. Then, calling out to the general darkness around me I add, “Whisper are you ready?”
“We are prepared, Shifter,” comes Whisper’s purring reply.
“Let’s do it,” I say.
It takes longer than I thought, nearly twenty minutes worth of shifting, in the process of which I completely blocked the nearby tracks. Giving me a dark look Sarah whips out her cell phone, shutting down the rails as I give a helpless shrug and continue.
Two hivetung do stumble across the suspiciously large hole that magically appeared in their tunnel. They look down into the pit I had made which is deeper than they are tall. Before they can act or discuss the possibility of a meteorite magically hitting underground my shadow rises up behind them. Appearing as a black silhouette larger than both of them he has a lunatic grin on his dark features that sends a shiver down my spine. They never even see him, so focused on the large ass hole in front of them. In a single instant they are smothered in the blackest of nights. They don’t scream and wail in terror, or perhaps they do but the sound couldn’t escape my shadow’s embrace. My shadow bulges and distorts at first as the Hivetung struggle but that rapidly changes to a few feeble movements, then to nothing. My shadow shrinks back down to his normal size with a ‘cat got the canary’ look on his face. I continue with my job. Finally it is done. The pit is large enough to hold everyone; it’s five times larger than an Olympic pool.
“It’s done,” I say.
“About time,” comes Sarah’s retort. “Look at all this fucking dirt. How will I explain it?” Sending my sight back to the human world I see that she is quite right. The tunnel is entirely blocked by soil.
I give her a shrug. “Say the tunnel collapsed.”
“It’s a god damn concrete tunnel,” Sarah says, stomping her foot down in anger and waving her immense coffee mug. To my surprise the lid comes off and it is completely empty. Wow, did she drink all of it? I briefly wonder if she will collapse from a caffeine overdose. “When they clean it up they will see that the tunnel isn’t broken.”
Again I shrug. “It doesn’t matter. People will always invent excuses to explain the unexplainable. It happens to me all the time. If anyone mentions the intact tunnel ask them where it all came from. That will shut them up. I will start shifting over the Bartendor clan. This will take some time if you want to stretch your legs for a minute.” Sarah hasn’t left my side since I started. I guess that she will welcome the opportunity to relieve herself.
“Good,” Sarah says. “I got to piss like a race horse.” With that she wanders out of sight. So much for my attempt to give her modesty.
“Whisper, let’s begin,” I call out to the relative darkness around me. “Bring me groups of four and I’ll shift them.” Then to everyone I say, “Once I shift you, clear the way for the others. Don’t do anything until we all crossover.”
“Yes, Shifter,” says Whisper.
“Alpha of clan Shifter, I Machadohunter, will go forth first and secure the area. Then I shall organize my clan for the battle ahead.”
The statement is very political so I respond in kind. “Agreed, Alpha of the Bartendor clan. Can you send two warriors down the left tunnel and eliminate the hivetung toiling there?”
“A single warrior can kill a hundred hivetung,” Machadohunter says, indignant. “Sending two would be a waste.”
I pause for a second, not wanting to accidently insult them. “I agree that the prowess of the Bartendor clan is great, but we need to maintain the element of surprise here. If they scream loudly before their deaths it could echo down the tunnels.” I don’t actually think it would alert them but I don’t want to take any chances.
Hissing in reply Machadohunter says, “It is not to my liking, Jerry of clan Shifter, but your wisdom is sound. As the greatest hunter in my clan I shall go personally with one other and silently dispatch the pests. Lasadamother will organize the clan in my absence.”
“Agreed. Warriors of the Bartendor clan come forth and gain your revenge,” I say. Around me an explosion of excited purring erupts as the first four ferrets come forward. Machadohunter, Lasadamother and two others I don’t know the names of. Laying my hands on them I send my gaze back into the other world and shift them. Suddenly four massive furry forms are in the bottom of the pit I had made.
“Oh look,” my shadow says. “The rats finally come out to play.” They wisely ignore my shadow’s insults, immediately going to work. Machadohunter and a tabby colored ferret race down the left tunnel while Lasadamother and a black and white ferret clear the shifting zone.
“Whisper, bring me another group,” I say.
It takes ten minutes of shifting to bring almost everyone over. I am tired now, a fine layer of sweat coating my brow. I’ve never done so much shifting in such a short span before. All I have left is the last group of ferrets, including Whisper then finally Sarah and myself.
“Sarah, you don’t have to go,” I say. This is not just some male desire to protect her that makes me make the offer; rather the strain of doing so much shifting has already drained much of my strength.
“No,” she says firmly. “I want to pay that son of a bitch Solarkar back for all he’s done. Besides, you’re doing this to help me. I’m not hiding here while you do all the dangerous work.”
Startled, I wonder at her words. Am I doing this for her? To be honest it didn’t really occur to me before. I got so caught up with fighting Solarkar that I lost the reason why. Sure, it had started off as some type of job, maybe even some type of vengeance for my mother. Now it is much more than that. Am I doing this to fight injustice? To protect the world that shunned me? Or am I really doing this for Sarah? Risking my life for her?
I look at her and I mean really look at her. She is still wearing the plain blue sweat pants and a brown leather jacket she had on earlier but the simple clothing seems to augment her beauty instead of retract from it. Her face is determined, set firm in her trust in me and the rightness of our actions. Sweeping her bleach blonde hair aside she comes next to me and I become all too aware of her body next to mine. Maybe I have more than one reason for doing this. I swallow hard.
“Whisper,” I say my voice a tight squeak. “Your turn. I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Yes, Shifter. I shall await you on the other side. Our triumph shall be glorious!” He says in a purring voice that echoes loudly in the silence around me. ‘Other side’ he had said and I mentally shake myself at the double meaning of that word. Laying a hand on Whisper I shift him and two others over to his world. The pit is now full of ferrets all silently waiting for the chance to spring our attack. Quickly Whisper and other others make a small space for me.
Extending my hand to Sarah I feel my face redden at her touch. This is so not the time to be distracted. Focusing, I shift us over. The air changes from the damp, earthy wetness of the subway tunnel to the not so unpleasant odor of an army of large ferrets. The shift leaves me dizzy. As I feared shifting Sarah had taken much more effort than a dozen ferrets. Grabbing my arm Sarah steadies me, preventing me from collapsing all together. Those around us give me questioning looks. Showing weakness now would be a mistake.
“Too much shifting, I’m fine,” I assure them. Taking a deep breath I center myself, gently freeing myself from Sarah’s grip. “Whisper, let’s end this.” I draw my sword taken from the hivetung all those weeks ago, climbing on top of Whisper with Sarah just behind me.
“Let the chaos begin!” My shadow declares. I couldn’t have said it better myself. In a single bound, Whisper leaps out of the pit, racing down the right tunnel. Macha
dohunter and Lasadamother are right behind us along with a tunnel full of angry ferrets. Oh Solarkar, I have a surprise for you!
The tunnel is dimly lit in greenish night vision-like hue from the luminescent moss growing prodigiously on the ceiling and I can’t help but feel like a badass. Here I am charging down a large tunnel, riding a semi-truck-sized white ferret with a bone sword in one hand and an army of equally massive ferrets just behind me. I give an exhilarated whoop as a pair of Hivetung come into view just around a corner. Before they can even let out a cry or release their bladders Whisper tramples right over them. If they survived that then the follow up stampede of the rest would finish them off.
The area around us gradually expands until Machadohunter and Lasadamother run next to us on either side, feral grins on their furry faces. Around another turn and then just ahead I see a vast opening with more light present than in the tunnel. My heart thuds at a dangerous level and I get a firm grip on Whisper’s fur. Ignoring my sweaty palms I hold my sword tightly. Suddenly, we are through and at the source of vision and in the center of Solarkar’s strong hold.
When I first saw vision, that strange insect trapped in what I could only describe as amber. I could imagine Hivetung workers digging in a large query with carts of rocks being carried around by Whisper’s kin, while stereotypical overseers with whips did their thing. The truth is far more terrible. No wonder my shadow approves of it. In a cavern so vast it could land several jumbo jets simultaneously with plenty of room to spare are hundreds of creatures, most of which are unidentifiable. It isn’t because I haven’t seen them before but rather from the billions of finger sized black insects feeding off their living flesh. Cries of unending pain echo continuously from all ends of the vast chamber mixed in with the constant thrum of insects. The noise in the confined space is intense. Each creature is pinned with bone shafts through their bodies, ironically like insects in a bug collection, to the ground beneath. It’s done in such a way to keep the host alive and immobilized as their bodies feed the insects. The ground itself had actually turned red from the countless that had suffered here rather than natural soil composition. The stench of blood and worse is stifling. Wandering up and down the rows, oblivious to the cries of pain and smells, Hivetung carrying fern baskets collect insects off their hosts, gently setting them into their baskets.
In the center of the chamber, surrounded by continuous suffering is the Hivetung queen. It could be nothing else. The queen is a hideous combination of the tal,l thin Hivetung and a swollen caterpillar, extending nearly the length of the cavern. Significantly taller than most hivetung, the queen has a wide frame with gray flesh that looks sickly and moist like she was molded from cheap clay. Her head is similar to other Hivetung with overlarge eyes and a small mouth. Stick thin arms and legs that are as long as she is move continuously, scooping up bits of vegetation from nearby piles and shoving it eagerly into her mouth. That’s where the similarities end. Stretching out from her hips the queen has a thick, round, bloated abdomen like an ant that quickly swells and stretches, growing into the size and shape of a long freight train. Wrinkly gray skin covers the abdomen with sporadic spots of thick, coarse brown hair down the entire length. Nodules protrude from this long growth every few meters, resembling the size and shape of orange construction cones. At each of these ‘road cones’ a Hivetung gently massages the tip extracting, a clear yellowish goo into another woven fern basket. Along the sides nearest to the queen are small recesses where oval shapes are cut into the surrounding stones. In each oval depression a tiny amount of the clear yellow goo is placed, followed by a single insect that is stuck as the goo solidifies around it. Vision anyone?
“My god…” Sarah says in a soft voice. Whisper’s response, along with the Bartendor clan’s, is less reserved. Roaring their absolute fury they charge into the hivetung, tearing them apart with a single swipe of their claws or just simply crushing them as they gallop on. Rational thought is gone. The Bartendor clan wants blood and perhaps, for the first time in this place of horrors the blood staining the ground is Hivetung. I want to help but can do nothing as Whisper leaps from one Hivetung to another, pinning them in place and efficiently biting off their heads before moving onto the next. “Whisper, stop for a second!” I yell, wanting to get off before I am flung off accidently. Pausing, Whisper halts, just having torn a head off his fifth Hivetung.
“I’m sorry, Shifter,” he says, spitting out the head. It rolls like a lopsided watermelon, settling a short distance away. “This injustice must be dealt with by death!”
“Sure, but let us off so we can help,” I say, not looking at the mutilated head.
Vaulting from Whisper’s back Sarah and I land roughly on the ground. Without the constantly jarring effect from riding Whisper I get clearer view of the situation. The Bartendor clan has not lost all semblance of order. Several have gone into frenzies, much like Whisper had, but enough retain their wits long enough to cut off retreating tunnels and herd in the Hivetung. Death is everywhere. Above me to the left a ferret sends three Hivetung falling from a raised tunnel with a single swipe of his paw, entrails and blood trailing behind them as they fall. On ground level Machadohunter and Lasadamother tear into the immobile Queen, sending large squirts of blood arcing through the air where they rip out chunks of gray flesh. Many other ferrets cut off the screaming Hivetung as they try to flee to the nearest exit. Only a chosen few have swords like mine and all those lay unmoving, having already been killed in the first few seconds of the attack.
“Whisper, help us free the captives. The rest can kill the Hivetung.” I say. The request is almost too much for him. The desire to kill is evident in his face.
“You are right, Shifter,” Whisper says with difficulty after a few seconds. “Let us work quickly. I want to taste more Hivetung before the day is over.”
Moving to the nearest captive I suppress a shudder. I have no idea what it is or if it’s even alive. So many insects writhe around on its exposed flesh, feeding and breeding with abandonment. It looks like a self moving skin.
“Fucking gross,” Sarah says in disgust. “How can we free them?” She looks like she’s going to vomit, her skin just as pale and sickly as the day I rescued her.
I have no idea what to do as I watch the squirming mass feast before us, moving continuously over each other and their meal. Whisper gives me a helpless, puppy-dog look. He’s too big to help. It’s up to me. What the hell can I do? I can’t realistically pluck off each insect; that would take years. I need to remove the insects fast and move on to the next prisoner. The creature before me lets out a weak, piteous moan as a section of the insect covered mass moves slightly sending a ripple through the blanket of bugs on it before lying still again. The damn bugs are as merciless as my shadow…. my shadow. He can do something. Glancing around so fast my neck pops I find my shadow nearby, tormenting a Hivetung whose legs have been crushed by one of the rampaging ferrets. The Hivetung trembles in fear as the dark silhouette that is my shadow looms over him, dissolving small parts of him at a time while laughing. Hefting my sword I rush over, plunging my blade through the Hivetung’s skull.
“Hey! I was playing with that!” My shadow says, sounding like a five year old who had his toy taken away.
“I need your help,” I say. “Can you remove the insects covering the captives?”
“Probably, but I won’t,” my shadow says, giving me a nasty grin.
“Why!” I yell, not realizing the obvious.
“Because I don’t want too, stupid. Do it yourself,” my shadow says. Before I can protest further or yell insults he collapses into a dark pool on the ground and speeds off. Anger courses through me, nearly blinding me with rage. Fucking shadow. If only I could shift him away. Shifting… Could that be it? Can I shift the bugs off? Shifting the bugs themselves would be impractical but what if I shift the bugs and their host. We’redeep undergroun
d so whereever I send them I would exchange them with the ground. Then I could shift the host back, leaving the bugs where they were!
Excitement pulses in me and I rush back to the bug infested captives. Sarah stands over the nearest swatting at the insects with the broad edge of a Hivetung sword she must have taken from one of the nearby fallen. She lets out a guttural cry, batting the bugs away which scatter momentarily at each swing only to re-swarm an instant later.
“It’s impossible. Like lice from hell,” Sarah says, panting from the effort.
“Stand back, I have an idea,” I say, rushing to her side. Reaching out with my power I shift the creature, bugs and all. Sarah gives a startled yelp and Whisper tilts his head, looking at me in confusion. Where the creature had been, a mound of dirt now resides. Reaching forth to where I sent it I bring it back by itself, without the bugs and bone shafts pinning it in place. Most of the dirt mound suddenly vanishes and a watcher with bits of dirt on it now sits in its place. The watcher doesn’t spring to its feet and attack like I had feared the moment I recognized it. It’s in no condition to do anything but die. This time Sarah does vomit. I nearly join her.
The watcher is barely recognizable. The gray fur normally lining its body is gone and exposed muscles and cartilage are all that remains. Every one of the eyes adorning the raised hump on its back had been eaten and only red sockets remain with pockets of white eggs nestled deep in the raw tissue. Looking sadly at the creature Whisper bites its head off in a smooth and somehow nonviolent way. I don’t protest. I am about to do the same with my sword. Spitting out the head Whisper turns toward me.
“The horrors of this day are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We must free those who can be free and offer mercy to those who cannot.”
“You’re right,” Sarah says, straightening up. She has her professional cop look on. The one that said she knew her duty no matter how painful it might be. “We’ve got a job to do.”
I look around, taking in the situation. The queen is already dead, torn apart by Machadohunter and Lasadamother. Most of the remaining Hivetung lay dead or dying, the majority now in multiple pieces. Suddenly, a cluster of armed Hivetung appear from a tunnel, swords drawn and charging down toward us. As soon as they clear the tunnel several members of the Bartendor clan, hidden from view a moment before, crash into their lines scattering them with ease. Some Hivetung are simply trampled while others are disemboweled with a single swipe of large claws and others still have limbs or heads removed with a single bite. They stand no chance. Until the defense gets organized we are in no immediate danger.
“Let’s get to work,” I say. “Give mercy to those that need it. I’ll handle the rest.” With that I run down the row of captives, desperately looking for those that could be saved. There aren’t any so far. Behind me Sarah and Whisper go to work, beheading those that are heavily infested. Suddenly, Lasadamother appear before me, tears streaming from her very blue eyes.
“Shifter,” she says, panting heavily. “I have found our young and they are in desperate need. Please, I beg you, hurry!” Lowering herself to the ground she makes her intention clear. I don’t hesitate. Leaping on her back much like I did with Whisper, she carries me to the far end of the cavern where two dozen relatively small ferrets lay with various levels of infestation. Around them standing sentinel are ten members of the Bartendor clan, their furry faces black with rage. Of the two dozen, eight lay dead their heads cleanly removed from their bodies. No malice was involved. It was done lovingly, almost gently and I see that Lasadamother isn’t the only one with wet eyes. The other fourteen lay pleading with the adults around them, the insects swarming in and out of their open mouths as they beg for help.
“It hurts,” one cries.
“Please, get them off me,” another one says.
All the voices are weak and hoarse as if a blowtorch had scorched their throats. Hope had only been an illusion for them. The anger in me feeds my strength and I quickly go to each, briefly shifting them back and forth clearing the insects from their flesh. After I free each one the Bartendor clan comes forward, licking their wounds. Many, if not all, will die from infection if left alone. Most of their fur had been eaten away and raw muscle is exposed.
“We cannot save them,” Lasadamother says sadly. “If they don’t die from the wounds themselves then rot will take hold. Their fates are sealed.”
“Nonsense!” I yell. “In my world we have medicine and tools to care for such things I will shift them there and care for them myself if I have too.” Lasadamother and all the nearby Bartendor clan look toward me, startled by my revelation. Then as one they kneel before me, dipping their heads low.
“We are forever in the debt of the Shifter clan. We of the Bartendor clan thought we knew honor and the strength to live. Only now, seeing your prowess and compassion, have I realized how foolish and arrogant we have been. I’m proud of my son, who I now see hasn’t lost his name at all. He had outgrown it and us as well. My son Whisper shall forever be remembered as he who has transcended all those that came before.” Before I can respond to this revelation everything goes wrong. Solarkar has arrived.
Arriving in a style much as I had, he rides atop his canine golem with an army of Hivetung just behind him from a nearby tunnel. I felt like a badass when I charged in here atop Whisper but Solarkar has me beaten on so many levels. His army is larger, at least three hundred strong marching behind him armed with swords and spears. His canine golem with its stone hexagonal plate armor is bigger than any of the ferrets. Its talons comparable to a dinosaur’s with a saddle of bone strapped to its midsection. Solarkar isn’t wearing pink moccasins and a dirty black trench coat with sweat pants beneath. He is armored with the gray plated armor I had seen before, each tile glowing with a sigil written in light.
Bursting out of the tunnel he lets out a fearsome war cry, part challenge and part rage at the destruction we had already wrought. Sweeping his gaze across the room he fixates on the ferrets and then down to me. Our nearly identical eyes lock onto each other. A feral snarl crosses his delicate features and his bluish skin transforms to a purplish red tint. I can only assume it’s because of absolute, mind-numbing rage. Pointing a bone sword at me with professional ease he lets out a shout in a language I don’t understand. The meaning comes clear a moment later as he charges toward me atop his canine golem, his green hair billowing behind him like a grassy plain in high wind. Yup, he’s pissed.
Closing the distance between us with remarkable speed, Solarkar’s canine golem shreds the air I was just occupying as I dodge just in time. A gust of air buffets me as the creature passes by. That burst of air saves me. Thrown off balance I am already falling as Solarkar’s sword narrowly misses my head, biting into my shoulder instead, and grating on bone. Intense pain shoots down to my fingers, making my arm go numb and lifeless. Falling hard I cradle my lifeless arm, fighting off the panic threatening to overwhelm me. Looking at my arm I am shocked to see the area blossom red with drops od blood already forming on my fingertips.
“Formations!” Comes a loud cry. Looking up I see the Hivetung pouring out from the tunnel and forming into several tight, medieval military formations, with long spears leveled at the Bartendor clan and at me.
“Feast upon your foes, Bartendor clan!” Comes the answering cry from Lasadamother as she stands protectively over the young. The resulting clash is overwhelming. Charging the Hivetung formations five ferrets speed around the area, picking off stragglers and any who don’t react fast enough. The Hivetung swing back and forth, directing their long spears toward the Bartendor clan, preventing them from dashing in for the kill. Its precision clockwork as each opposing force tries to outmaneuver the other. Three ferrets including Lasadamother, stay with the young, shielding them from harm as the last two, tackle Solarkar and his mount with no real effect.
Larger than the ferrets the canine golem braces it
self as they pounce and ricochet off its hide. Landing to the side their attack left long scratches along the stony plates. Grabbing a spear from his bone saddle Solarkar hurls it at the brown and white ferret, piercing deep into its neck. Letting out a cry a pain and a spray of blood, the ferret doesn’t react in time as the canine golem bounds forward to engulf the ferret’s entire head in its mouth. With a snap like a bear trap tripping, bones crunch from the force as the doomed ferret thrashes and pulls. Placing an immense stony foot on the struggling ferret the canine golem rears upwards, messily tearing off the ferrets head entirely, a thick string of raw meat dangling from its jaws. The creature’s neck expands suddenly as it swallows its prize, blood coating the stony plates around its mouth. With a noisy slurp the dangling meat is also swallowed like a disobedient piece of pasta.
“Molespawn!” Yells the second ferret as it leaps once again at the canine golem. This time Solarkar is ready. Having already retrieved a second spear from his saddle, he neatly pierces the ferret’s eye as it lands on the canine golem’s rear. The spear tip exits out of the back of the ferret’s skull, bits of brain and bone decorating the shaft. This time there’s no cry as the ferret simply rolls off, dead before it even touches the packed soil.
A blood curdling roar fills the air as I watch, feeling utterly doomed as the canine golem comes at me, its mouth open wide enough to swallow me whole. Countless fingers just as Sarah had described encompass its entire mouth, all twitching eagerly to pull me in. Desperate, I shift but as soon as I start to move away from reality Solarkar blocks my power. I am too weak from all the shifting and can do nothing other than watch my death approach.
Suddenly a white blur slams into the canine golem with an echoing thud as Lasadamother topples the creature over, rolling together in a flurry of tooth and claw. Solarkar is thrown from his saddle, landing roughly a short distance away and tumbling hard on the uneven ground.
My relief is short lived as a wordless cry rises up behind me. Turning I see three Hivetung who broke off from their formations almost upon me, spears leveled at my chest. Before I could become a pincushion a furry mass plows into them, crushing two underfoot and disemboweling the third. The ferret doesn’t even bother to stop, immediately circling behind the rest with furious intensity.
Any Hivetung that break ranks or get separated are killed in seconds, either torn apart or trampled. Many of the Bartendor clan have spear shafts sticking out of their hides, the fur around the wounds a deep red. A cream colored ferret provoked beyond all reason leaps into the middle of a Hivetung formation only to have them raise their spears, up impaling the beautiful creature with its own weight. A moment later the ferret collapses atop the Hivetung, scattering their formation for a brief moment. It’s enough as two more Bartendor clan warriors fall upon the broken unit killing all.
Disregarding everything else Solarkar gets to his feet, striding purposely toward me with a fallen hivetung spear in his hands. Behind him Lasadamother and the canine golem fight like a pair of angry cats. On her back Lasadamother kicks furiously at the underside of the canine golem, her claws leaving deep furrows along its thick stony plates, making a screeching sound like fingernails on a chalk board. Howling and hissing at the creature atop her Lasadamother bites furiously at any spot she can. Many cracks and rivulets mar the golem’s stony underside as the struggle continues. Returning to my immediate threat I rise unsteadily to my feet, my sword held awkwardly in my hand. My body trembles from bad combination of exhaustion and pain and I point my sword at Solarkar. He laughs at me.
“I am the greatest swordsman of Primehouse Vanguise. You think to hold your own against me, boy? The notion is ludicrous. For the disruption you have caused here today I shall let you live.” He gives me a wicked grin. “That is, until the Vorscha eat your flesh. I don’t care about the promise I made.” He gestures to a nearby captive, its flesh covered in the black insects.
“Perhaps you are the one who will become insect shit,” I say, barely managing to stay on my feet. An empty threat and he knows it.
“Feast upon your foes Bartendor clan!” Comes the now familiar war cry as the remainder of the Bartendor clan joins the fray, flanking the Hivetung formations, scattering and killing them by the dozens. In their lead is Whisper with Sarah atop his back. I grin. Solarkar forgets me for a moment to face this new threat and I can feel him shifting. Oh, fuck no. I might be weak right now but I can still do this.
Reaching out with my own shifting power I stop him, just like he did to me earlier. A blinding headache threatens to tear my eyes out of my skull from the effort but I manage it. Glaring at me, he starts toward me once more only to be knocked aside by a single swipe of Whisper’s paw. Flying through the air Solarkar lands on his back with a thud, his borrowed spear landing just out of reach.
Whatever his strange armor is saved his life. Instead of being torn apart like the Hivetung, the sigils of light on his armor flash brightly as he was struck, dimming noticeably after the hit. Whisper doesn’t relent. Turning instantly, he pounces like a cat on a doomed mouse and the rest of his brethren run circles around the Hivetung, killing those who can’t react fast enough. Again the sigils on Solarkar’s armor flare, nearly blinding me with its sudden radiance. The force of Whisper’s blow sends dirt soaring high all around Solarkar and sends Whisper reeling from the rebound. Landing roughly on his side Whisper springs back to his feet immediately while Solarkar stays face down in the dirt, the sigils on his armor a pale shadow of their former brightness.
Sarah is nowhere to be seen. Jaws wide Whisper goes for Solarkar’s head only to be repulsed again as many of Solarkar’s sigils go out altogether.
“Taramak! Defend your master!” Solarkar screams, raising his face out of the blood soaked dirt.
Instantly the canine golem, still struggling with Lasadamother a short distance away turns toward Solarkar trying to free himself from his deadly battle. Lasadamother takes instant advantage, shattering many of the stone plates protecting Taramak’s neck with a loud thunderclap. Howling his rage and overwhelming desire to help his master, Taramak wrenches himself from Lasadamother’s grasp and tears open her throat a split second later. Crimson blossoms across her pure white fur and her eyes go distant and hazy.
“Mother!” Whisper cries forgetting all about Solarkar and charging the canine golem known as Taramak. Launching himself at Taramak they collide with the force of two freight trains, Whisper drawing blood from the weakened spots that Lasadamother had used her life to make. My fear for Whisper overwhelming, but as Solarkar slowly gets to his feet and retrieves his spear, I know I have my own battle to fight.
“Inferior mongrel, I shall make your pay for this day!” Solarkar yells, his face covered in shallow cuts freely oozing blue blood. We’re both hurt and exhausted but I will be damned if I let him win. Looking around I search for something, anything that could kill him. Smiling, I find it. Sarah, unseen by Solarkar, is a short distance away, creeping up behind him with a stolen Hivetung sword.
“Solarkar, what will this Melephos do once he, she, or it finds out that you fucked up so badly?” I say. Pausing in his advance Solarkar looks rather alarmed as if he only now realizes his peril. He isn’t scared by the surrounding army of ferrets but the mere thought of Melephos is enough to turn him deathly pale. Which, in itself, is astounding considering his blue skin. Who the hell is Melephos?
“Why the drug vision?” I ask, trying not to look at Sarah who is now much closer. “What are you trying to do? Indulge me before I die. You villains do so love to monologue.”
“You could never understand Melephos, you pathetic worm. I will personally see your soul infused into his body, suffering for all eternity,” Solarkar promises, starting forward again. Sarah is almost here.
Hefting my sword I wave it rather flamboyantly, trying to buy just a second longer, ignoring my painful shoulder. “In the timeless war cry of my
people, I will fuck you up!” I yell, resisting a triumphant smile as Sarah, right behind Solarkar, swings her stolen hivetung sword.
Perhaps he has some kind of special sense or instinct, for he somehow realized his peril. He turns just in time to intercept Sarah’s sword swing with his spear shaft which is sheared from the assault. Back peddling with two useless sticks in both hands Solarkar throws his arms wide, trying to shift Sarah and save his life. No you don’t!
Using the last of my strength I block his attempt again. Eye’s widening in realization at what I had done he can do nothing as Sarah’s sword comes down upon him. Raising his arms to ward off the blow, Sarah’s sword shears his left arm at the elbow, showering both of them in a spray of deep blue blood. His chest would have been cleaved open as well if not for the tiny bit of light still present in those strange sigils. The rebound sends Sarah stumbling back a few steps and before she can behead the bastard, Solarkar runs.
With the speed of an Olympic runner, Solarkar weaves past the Bartendor clan and runs back up the tunnel from which he came, trailing blood all the while. There have to be thousands more hivetung. Like the entire hive had been mobilized and they would be here in seconds. I have only one option left.
Stumbling forward I shift the tunnel entrance, sealing us in and away from harm. Falling hard to my knees my vision darkens and I take several deep breaths, trying desperately not to pass out. After a minute of deep breathing my vision returns. Looking around I can see that the battle is over. Taramak lay dead, his throat torn open by Whisper who kneels next to his dying mother. All around us the Hivetung are being ruthlessly chased down by the Bartendor clan.
“You alright?” Sarah says, helping me to my feet. The warmth of her body next to mine is a welcoming comfort along with her aid. I don’t think I can walk right now.
“Just exhausted. Too much shifting.” Speaking hurt. It sends ripples of pain across my mind that are a thousand times more painful than my aching body.
Ignoring my own needs I say, “Whisper needs me. Please help me.” Nodding her understanding she hefts more of my weight onto her and slowly we make our way to Whisper’s side.
It’s bad, I can see that right away. Her throat is a mess of red meat with a large pool of blood growing steadily beneath her. Taramak had not only opened her throat but a good chuck of her chest as well. She only has minutes left.
“Mother, please don’t die,” Whisper says in a voice that I can barely be hear. His eyes and fur are damp from tears.
Lifting her head slightly, Lasadamother looks directly at Whisper, then to me at his side and Sarah still holding me up. “You have grown much, my son. I am proud to be the mother of Whisper of the clan Shifter. Take care of our young that can be saved and remember that I will always love you.” With that Lasadamother, birth mother to Whisper, lays her head down and speaks no more.
“MOTHER!” Whisper cries, filling the entire cavern with his loss. Freeing myself from Sarah I go to his side, wrapping my arms around him as best I can.
“Whisper, I’m so sorry,” I say, which feels terribly inadequate. “Oh, Whisper,” Sarah cries, joining me in our pathetic attempt at hugging Whisper. At that moment Machadohunter arrives, a Hivetung head stuck between his toes.
“Lasadamother was a great warrior and a proud Alpha. She will be remembered,” he says, looking down at her broken body. “We will give you a short span to grieve but we must depart soon. The hivetung in the vicinity are no more and our young have been retrieved. Jerry of clan Shifter, I was told that in your world you have ways of healing the sick. Is this true?”
“Yes, Machadohunter, we have drugs called antibiotics that will save them. I’ll shift us after I get some rest,” I reply, my shoulder flaring in pain.
“Very well, but I will stay with you since our escape is entirly linked with your fate. I will command my clan to grant mercy to the remaining captives as you rest.”
Machadohunter begins barking orders and the young of the Bartendor clan are gently picked up by the scruff of the neck and carried off.
“We can’t leave her here,” Whisper says.
“We won’t,” I promise and unable to hold myself upright anymore I fall to the ground.
“Shifter!” Whisper says, looking at me for the first time since his mother died.
“I’m ok. Just exhausted,” I say, my voice slurred.
“Is it safe to rest?” Sarah asks, a concerned look on her face. “I mean, won’t the hivetung break through the blockage any second?”
“No, I shifted a lot of dirt here. I think it will take the hivetung days, if not more to clear it. The only trouble is if Solarkar shifts it out of the way but I think he is no condition to do anything.” I give her a warm grin. “I think he is distracted by bleeding to death at this moment.”
Sarah gives me a small, tight-lipped smile. “That felt really good.” Whisper and I both chuckle.
Darkness closes in around me and I feel voices growing distant. I don’t try to fight it this time. My words become even more slurred, perhaps entirely nonsensical. “I think I will sleep just for a second. Whisper take care of things...” and I know no more.
