by N E Riggs
7:45. It felt like time crawled by, taunting him with so many possibilities. More cars flew down the streets as Jod woke up, and he saw three Law acolytes strolling just outside the alley. They looked awfully young. He bit his lip as he stared at them, forcing himself not to shout out. They moved past, and he told himself they’d probably be well away by the time the gateway opened.
“Hurry up already,” he said, but his watch said only 7:58. He groaned and climbed to his feet, pacing along the edge of the roof. Why’d they have to drop him off so early?
A person in a long, tan coat turned down the alley. David caught his breath as the person stood just a few feet from the manipulator, looking around. They weren’t dressed like a Law Priest, though he couldn’t make out many details from this far away. He stared for a moment longer, hoping the person would turn and leave or at least go into one of the buildings. But the person just stood there, as if waiting.
“Shit,” David muttered. He stuffed the remote back in his pocket and clamored quickly down the fire escape. “Go away!” he shouted when he was one story from the ground. He dropped the last two feet to the ground and strode towards the person. A woman, he could see now, tall and with a southeast Asian look to her features. Not very curvy, though her tan coat hid most of her shape. “Didn’t you hear me?” David yelled at her. “Leave!”
The woman didn’t shy away from him. Her black eyes raked over him, causing a strange shiver to run through David. “There’s a gateway manipulator in the corner,” she said, her voice deep. There was something oddly familiar about her, as if he’d seen her somewhere before. David shook the thought away and looked at his watch.
8:05. If she left now, she might get away in time. But she’d seen the manipulator, and she might give the Law Priests enough warning. He couldn’t just let the jiang shi take her – she was no Law Priest. He gritted his teeth. “That’s none of your business! If you want to live, go now! Run!” He noticed her face was covered in dirt, and her short black hair was ragged and unkempt. She looked like she hadn’t cared about her appearance in days, maybe months.
“You’re planning to release monsters into Jod.” Her voice was cold now.
“So what if I am? I hate Law Priests. They deserve to die!” 8:07. If he didn’t do something soon, he’d get caught up in the attack. He really hoped jiang shi couldn’t climb ladders. “Come on.” He grabbed her arm, intending to drag her up the fire escape with him.
The woman resisted him, with more strength than David had anticipated. “You received an unfair sentence?”
“Argh, this is not the time to talk!” David tried to pull her with him, but it was like dragging a tank. How could she possibly resist him? He still had his gift of strength. “Fine, yes! They took my life from me, and I want revenge, and if you don’t come with me right now you’ll die too!” He risked another look at his watch. 8:09. He had only two minutes before he had to turn on the manipulator.
“You intend to slaughter the people of Jod, but you still wish to save me?”
David growled. “I’m not going to kill anyone but Law Priests, so shut up and come with me already!”
The woman’s face darkened. “So you say, but you still placed your manipulator beside a school.” She pointed at the building next to the one David had climbed.
He froze, staring. “What?” The back of the building was blank and unadorned. There was nothing to indicate it was a school. There was also nothing to indicate it wasn’t a school. 8:10. He pulled the remote out of his pocket, and his hands shook. “That’s not a school,” he whispered. “The others found a good spot.” No one in the Core wanted civilians killed.
“The students are all children of Law Priests.”
He shook his head, dropping the woman’s arm. “That can’t be. Odi wouldn’t want children to die.” What did he really know about Odi? He was willing to slaughter Law Priests and torture Passion Priests. Maybe he did want the children of Law Priests to die too. David remembered that Seth had said something about Odi finding a place that would destroy the future of Jod. “I don’t believe you.” Odi wouldn’t do something like that, the Core would never deceive him like that. He pressed the button on the center of the remote. A few feet away, the manipulator made a faint beep as it turned on.
“What sort of man are you?” the woman asked, and she looked at him with such contempt that David took a step back. “You may not have deserved your punishment before, but you do now.” She strode towards the manipulator.
A gateway snapped into existence, its edges glowing dark blue. Just beyond, David saw human-like figures standing. Their skin was mottled gray, their hair scraggly and hanging in their faces. Their heads lolled to the side, their arms hung limp at their sides. Tattoos covered their skin, that David couldn’t make out beneath the grime. At the sight of the gateway, they started to shuffle quickly forward.
The woman stood before the gateway. She didn’t flinch at the sight of the jiang shi. She raised a hand, pointing her palm at the jiang shi, as if she could just order them to stop. She’d die, David realized, clutching the remote tightly to his chest. The jiang shi would kill her. No, they’d do worse than kill her – they’d make her like them, fated to wander hungry forever.
Her words echoed through his head. You may not have deserved your punishment before, but you do now. What had he done? He’d always wanted to help people, to protect them. He’d become a Sword Priest even when he’d known he shouldn’t, in the hope of saving people from monsters. Now he’d been the one to release the most terrible monsters he’d ever seen. And why? Because people he loved had died? Because John was beyond his reach? Because one Law Priest had been harsh with him?
And he’d actually thought no innocents would get caught up in the attack? Even without a school next door, the jiang shi would swarm through Jod, taking any who had the misfortune of being too close. Any number of people in Jod weren’t Law Priests – he’d seen the judiciary building and knew how many people visited it.
What had he been thinking? Had he been thinking at all?
He was thinking now, thinking faster than he ever had before. He had no weapons – Bramira had been taken from him, and he’d lost his agitator in Shamla. He had no way of stopping the jiang shi. Even with a weapon, he wouldn’t be able to kill any jiang shi. His eyes slid past the woman, finally noticing the manipulator. He could only just make it out past the gateway. If the manipulator was destroyed, would the gateway vanish?
The first jiang shi had nearly reached the gateway. The woman still stood her ground, and David could see no fear on her face. At the very least, he had to save her.
He ran towards the gateway, screaming a wordless roar. He threw the remote, hitting the lead jiang shi in the head. It stumbled back, knocking the two behind it. The others pushed it aside and continued forward, relentless, mindless, eyes vacant. “Get away!” he shouted, diving into the woman. She grunted, and they fell to the ground, David underneath. His head hit the ground hard, but he managed to cushion the woman. He pushed her off him. “You can still run away!” he said, pushing her away from the gateway.
He pulled himself to his knees and jerked his head up. A jiang shi loomed over him, rotting hands reaching for him. Crying out, he threw himself to the side, hitting his head on the ground. His head ached, and the world tilted as a trickle of blood dripped into his eye. He ignored it. Somehow, he’d been lucky enough to roll closer to the manipulator. He had no idea how to work it. Dozens of buttons cluttered its surface, and he had no time to check which would turn it off.
He brought his fist down hard. The manipulator folded, cracking and sparking. The gateway vanished. Before David could breath a sigh of relief, he saw that one jiang shi had made it through, and was now trapped on this side. It stood in place, as if trying to decide between David and the woman.
“Keep away from her, you piece of filth!” David said. He threw the remains of the manipulator against the wall, one side breaking off in his hand. He struggled
to his knees but couldn’t make it any further. His head spun, and his eyes wouldn’t seem to focus. He waved a piece of the manipulator before him, knowing it wouldn’t be enough to stop the jiang shi. “You hungry? I’m a much better meal than she is! Or are you too scared?”
The jiang shi lurched towards him, faster than he’d expected. Its hands darted out. David yelled and stabbed at it with the scrap of metal from the manipulator. The corner was just pointed enough, and David shoved it inside the jiang shi’s chest.
The monster didn’t stop. Its hands descended on David’s head. I’m dead.
The woman appeared suddenly behind the jiang shi. She too raised her hands, which were covered in a faint golden light. She grabbed the jiang shi’s head, and it froze, its fingers a razor breath away from David’s face. He fell back, staring. The woman’s face creased in concentration, her hands glowing brighter. The jiang shi’s skin turned wrinkly and grayer as it seemed to age before him. Like Tain had aged Tenin, David thought. Tenin had been alive though, and his arm only became withered. The jiang shi was already dead. In seconds, its flesh became ash, falling into a small heap between the woman and David.
He stared dumbly at the remains of the jiang shi. “I didn’t know Heart Priests could kill jiang shi,” he said. He tried to pull himself to his feet, but the world swayed around him.
“Don’t move,” the woman said and placed her hands on his head. David closed his eyes and felt the familiar tingle of healing run through his body. The ache disappeared, and he stood without trouble.
“Thank you.” He looked down at the pile of ash, all that remained of the jiang shi. “You saved my life. I’m David Kemp.” He held his hand out to shake before he remembered that Bantonans didn’t do that.
The woman clasped his forearm tightly, her grip firm. For a moment, David thought she seemed masculine – something in the way she held herself. “Kanlan Maza,” she said after a moment. “You changed your mind.” It wasn’t a question.
David looked away, letting go of her. “I… I don’t know what I was doing. I haven’t been thinking clearly, not for a long time. You were right, though. Oh, God, what was I thinking?” He pressed his palms against his face. How had he reached that point? It had all seemed so obvious at the time, so easy. And yet he’d nearly caused the deaths of any number of innocents. “Diket was right to strip me of my priesthood,” he whispered. “Anur and Bellon were right to hate me. Oh, God, what have I done? And what do I do now?”
Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. Even now, thinking about yourself, he thought harshly.
Kanlan grasped his shoulder. He lowered his hands to look at her. She seemed feminine again. “If you truly regret what you did, then make things right.”
He nodded slowly. His gaze traveled past Kanlan to the building behind her. “Is that really a school? Is it labeled?”
“There’s a huge sign on the other side.”
Someone in the Core had certainly known that. Odi had found this spot and had spoken about killing the future. David was sure he’d known. He wasn’t sure about the others. Seth drove him and Saikee here, but they hadn’t gone past the front of the school. “I need to get back to Jigok.” He turned and walked out of the alley. Kanlan followed him out. “Don’t you have somewhere to go?” David asked.
Kanlan shook her head.
“But… shouldn’t you go back to your home?” Even if she wasn’t dressed like one, she was obviously a Heart Priest. She should be in Thul. Or somewhere in Pardis at least.
“I don’t care for Pardis,” Kanlan said. “Not anymore.” There was something in Kanlan’s face. For a moment, David didn’t know what it was, then he saw it. He’d seen it in his own face, looking into the mirror in Seth’s bathroom that first day in Jigok. It was the look of someone who’d lost everything. Over the last month, David had seen it often enough in himself that he could recognize it. Something must have happened to Kanlan. Maybe she’d fallen to the desolation.
He didn’t ask. They crossed through three gateways before reaching Jigok, not far from David’s apartment. He shouldn’t bring Kanlan with him to confront the Core. They’d be upset enough with him. He took her to his apartment. “I’ll be back soon,” he said. “Make yourself at home.”
Kanlan looked around, and David felt bad that his apartment was still mostly bare. “Will you be alright?”
Fishing in the cabinet under the sink, David found his extra agitator. He knew better than to carry all his weapons with him. “I’ll be fine. It’s the others you should worry about.”
“You intend to hurt your allies?” Kanlan crossed her arms over her chest.
David stopped, looking down at his agitator. “No,” he said after a moment. “You’re right. I shouldn’t hurt them. But I need to get answers, and I need to help someone. Have faith. I’ll make it right.” Kanlan twitched at that, and David realized how he must sound. “I was lost before, but I know I was in the wrong now. I’ll make it better, I swear. Believe me.”
“I do,” Kanlan said softly.
“Thank you.” David stuffed his agitator under his coat, keeping it out of sight. “If I’m not back in three hours…” he trailed off with a shrug. He left Kanlan in his apartment. Now he knew the way to the building where the Core met – Saikee had given him directions. It was only a few blocks from his apartment. The first time, Seth had taken him on a circuitous route.
He reached the building with Core headquarters, seeing the van parked outside. He held his agitator tightly, the safety turned off even if it was on stun. The attack should have started almost an hour ago. The Core would know that something had gone wrong.
“What happened?” Intu demanded as soon as David walked inside the meeting room. Most of the others were clustered around Volk’s com pad. Tresas sat on the side of the room, trapped in her chair. “There’s been no reports of anything happening in Jod!”
“That’s because nothing happened. I didn’t turn on the manipulator,” David lied.
Odi rose to his feet and pulled out his knife. “We trusted you,” he hissed. “I knew we shouldn’t trust a former Sword Priest. How many of your old friends are waiting outside, ready to attack us?” The others blanched, and Musha looked out the nearest window.
“No one’s here but me. And if anyone needs to answer questions, it’s you.” David stepped closer to Odi, unafraid of his knife. Intu pulled out an agitator, but David ignored him. “You knew there was a school there.”
Saikee gasped, and Seth’s mouth dropped open. Volk didn’t flinch, and Musha crossed her arms as she continued to stare out the window. Intu flipped off the safety on the agitator.
“A school for Law Priests,” Odi said. “Better to get them early, before they can hurt us.”
David shook his head. “It wasn’t a school for acolytes, but for children. I was confused for a long time, and my anger clouded my thoughts. I see clearly now. The Law Priests punished me, and maybe I deserved it. Maybe I didn’t, but they don’t deserve to be killed. I don’t want to be part of the Core any longer.”
Musha and Volk pulled out agitators too, and Seth and Saikee inched out of the way. Odi, Intu, Musha, and Volk converged on him, pointing their weapons at him. “You can’t leave the Core,” Odi said, voice pleasant. He’d spoke the same when he’d tortured Tresas. “You know far too much about us.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t plan to just leave.” David shrugged, raising his agitator at last.
“Will you kill us, David Kemp?” Odi asked.
David smirked. “I don’t need to kill you to stop you.” And he leapt into action.
He shot Intu first, ducking and rolling between Musha and Volk. Musha shot at him but missed. He came up between them, swiping Volk’s legs out from under him and punching Musha. Odi lunged at him knife first. David side-stepped him and shot him in the back. Then he shot Volk and Musha before they could stand. The whole fight took just a few seconds. After the fights he’d had in Jigok, this was nothing.
“Will you attack me too?” he asked Seth and Saikee. He picked up the agitators the others had used.
“I didn’t know, David,” Seth said, biting his lip. “You have to believe me.”
“I didn’t know either,” Saikee whispered, grabbing Seth’s arm.
David stared at them. They could easily be lying. He wanted to believe them, since Seth was also from Earth and since he’d slept with Saikee. He’d wanted to believe the others too, and look how that turned out. David sighed. He’d been betrayed again. It hurt less this time. Maybe he was getting used to it.
He picked up Odi’s knife and cut Tresas free of her bonds. “Get out of here.” Tresas stumbled, her steps awkward after being held for two days. Soon enough she limped out of the room, holding the wall as she went. “I’m leaving Jigok,” he told the other two. He jerked a thumb towards the four Core members who still lay unconscious. “Seth, you can have anything in my apartment. If Priests don’t get here before they wake, they’ll be after me. I don’t intend to let them find me. You might want to vanish too.” They hadn’t helped the other four fight David, and he couldn’t say how vengeful Odi might be feeling when he recovered consciousness. “Go to Vele. It’s nice there, and I hear there’s jobs.” He thought he remembering hearing that.
“What about you?” Saikee asked. “Where will you go?”
“I don’t know. Somewhere. Anywhere.” He’d lost his first and second home, and his third if Jigok counted. He’d find something, something that he could be proud of. “I have your emergency number, Saikee, but don’t call me. I think people were trying to track me down, before.”
Without waiting for them to say anything else, David left the building, going the opposite way Tresas had. It wouldn’t take long for Sword Priests to descend on this place, and David wanted to be well away. He paused when he reached the street level, putting his agitator away. “Did you see the whole thing?” he asked loudly.
