by R. E. Carr
Eon walked cautiously onto the road that led to Gracow City. Behind him, an exhausted Jenn guided the Jar-Elk.
“Finally!” Jenn cried. “I’m so glad to be out of there.”
“You are not the only one, Ji-ann. However, we must still move with caution. The Machidonians may be waiting to gauge my progress. I would hate to have to spill their blood this day.”
“You all right? You look worried.”
“Today is the first day in fifteen years that I do not know whether or not I will kill a man. That uncertainty is dizzying. I am also concerned about how the Beast Tribe will receive me. My people have never been on good terms with them,” Eon sighed.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” Jenn said softly.
“I wonder if your well of forgiveness would run as deep if I had killed a member of your family, or your lover perhaps? I hold no delusions of innocence, Ji-ann.”
“Maybe so, but—”
Eon stopped and shifted into a ready stance. “A war pack is coming. I can hear the din rising.”
Jenn flattened herself against a tree. At first there was silence. Then a cloud of dust and debris billowed up from the road. Howls and snarls filled the air.
“Eon!” she cried. The Maya ignored her.
A gray-and-white figure leaped out of the chaos. Jenn saw a familiar flash of blue.
“Kei!”
As her Sora-khar pounced, she turned her head. Before his claws landed in Eon’s shoulder, however, the Maya sidestepped with ease. The leopard flew into the dirt. Adana’s pack wasted no time in beginning their assault. The young wolf-woman decided on a knife rather than claws, but in the end it made no difference. She ended up clutching her stomach and vomiting on the ground as her pack collapsed around her.
“Phantom!” Sotaka cried. He tried to fling blinding mucus from his arm glands, but the Maya was simply too fast. One of the boars ended up being blinded instead. Jenn stared in awe as Eon exploded in a flurry of kicks and jabs.
“Sotaka, stop!” Jenn screamed as she ran out onto the battlefield. Her concern was almost unwarranted. The spider was the only one left standing beside Eon by the time she got to them, and both of them were staring at each other with guarded fascination.
“Ji-ann?” Sotaka asked. All his eight eyes seemed shocked. “What is going on?”
“Stop it! Sotaka, this is Eon. He’s been helping me. He was a mindless killer, but he’s not anymore. I . . . I freed him.”
She heard Kei’s growl. The Serif-fan threw herself between him and the as-yet-unscathed Eon. “Kei, back off,” she said desperately. “Kei!”
His glazed-over eyes slowly focused on her.“Ji-ann? Is it really you?”
Eon dropped to one knee. “Shaman of the Beast Tribe, your holy woman has released me from my shackles. I wish to repay her—and my sins against your people—with my service,” he said. He then raised his wrists in deference. “I have shown you my intentions. None of your war pack has died by my hands.”
“My Lord Kei, what is to be done with this man?” Sotaka asked. “He has returned the Serif-fan unharmed.”
“Take him back to the city . . . bound and gagged,” Kei snapped. “If he tries to escape, kill him.”
Eon smiled. “I will come of my own free will, Beast Man. Your threats are worthless enough as it is. Only the Serif-fan has any control over my actions.”
“She controls you?” Kei asked.
Eon’s smile made the fur on Kei’s arms stand on end. The Maya leaned over and whispered into Kei’s ear. “Ji-ann is quite a special woman. I would be a fool not to dedicate myself to her.”
“What?” Kei hissed.
“I am hers completely, animal, and I do not care who stands in my way. If anyone ever hurts her, I will destroy them.” His voice remained perfectly even and calm, infuriatingly gentle compared to Kei’s guttural voice.
“Take him away!” Kei roared. He grabbed Ji-ann’s arm and plopped her in the midst of Sotaka and the shamans. “You stay with all the others,” he snapped.
“I guess some things never change,” Jenn spat.
She marched in silence beside Sotaka. The towering trees of Gracow City welcomed them back to relative civilization. Within a matter of minutes, a throng gathered at the city gate. Their cheers mixed with gasps as they watched the tattooed, violet-haired Phantom being led by a glowering cat-man.
Sotaka called out the glorious news. “The first seal is broken and the Serif-fan and Sora-khar have returned!”
The cheers rose to a deafening volume. Jenn saw Winowa running up to the front of the crowd. Kei nodded to her even as blood continued to dribble down the back of his neck. An entire company of guards escorted Eon to the Forbidden Tree. True to his word, the Maya did not resist.
Jenn let herself be led back to her room by Sotaka. He summoned servants to give her a bath and clean clothes. Jenn meekly followed in a daze. As she sat down to eat, Kei walked in as well. A scrubbing and new vest had done wonders for his appearance, but Jenn kept staring at the scabs on his neck. His right hand remained bandaged. Jenn tore off a hunk of bread and set it in front of him. He pawed it back onto the serving plate with a sneer.
“What’s wrong, Kei?” Jenn finally asked. “You usually pack in a side of buffalo by now.”
He said nothing.
“Kei?”
“That Phantom bothers me. He killed two of my tribe and kidnapped you, yet you do not ask for his life.”
“Eon was being controlled. He killed because he had no choice—”
“Everyone has a choice, Ji-ann! That man is a murderer.”
“What was I supposed to do? I broke his chains and now he’s following me—”
“Phantoms are evil, Ji-ann. They are heartless mercenaries who hunt and kill the innocent for profit.” He pounded his fist on the table.
“Well, no one told me about Phantoms! I didn’t know what to do.” Jenn searched around the room with her eyes as she tried to find words. “And now one of them wants to change. We can use him to get to the seals—”
Kei’s hunger finally overtook him. He ripped off a piece of meat. One gulp later, though, he was back to his diatribe. “And what happens when some rich Machidonian offers him a ridiculous sum of metal? He will betray us all.”
“I don’t believe that. There’s something about him—”
“I talked to Sotaka. The monster known as Eon is legendary. He has murdered more than any Phantom still living. I think you are deluding yourself.”
“I honestly believe Eon. I know it sounds crazy, but—”
“It does sound crazy! Are they always this kind to murderers where you come from?”
“Kei!”
“Both my father and I want the Phantom executed, but the council will not hand him over without your permission.”
“I won’t have him killed. His death won’t solve anything.”
Kei roared and jumped to his feet. A second later, he whirled around and dug his hands into the already well-scarred table. He took a deep breath and sighed, “It will lay to rest all the souls that heathen has taken. He has killed at least two of the tribe and who knows how many countless others before today.”
“Kei . . .”
His glare silenced her.
“I tell you this, Ji-ann. If you want to keep that monster alive, you will have to be the one who goes to Pituk’s mate and son. I want to see you look them in the eyes and tell them that they will never be able to celebrate their beloved warrior’s death. Those two brave guards who died to protect you will haunt the land until their murders are avenged. Can you go to Grimal’s brother and father as well?”
“Stop it!”
She jumped up from the table and tried to run into the corner of the room. Kei followed her and turned her back to face him. As she thrashed, a fresh trail of blood dripped down his arm. He stayed his claws, however, and didn’t bare his fangs.
“I want you
to think very carefully about your actions. The people look up to you, and—”
“I don’t want them to look up to me. I just want to finish opening these damn seals so I can go home! I am not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be at work, or watching TV, or shopping at a mall. I’m just a normal person, Kei! I’m not a Serif-fan. Damn it! I can’t make these decisions.”
“You have to be the Serif-fan! I refuse to abandon everything I believe in because it has suddenly gotten difficult for you,” Kei snapped. “Too many people have suffered already. Even if it was a mistake, and you were not supposed to be the one chosen, I do not care. Whether you like it or not, you are the Serif-fan now.”
“I hate you!”
“You . . .” He devolved into feline snarling again.
“Shut up! Just shut up!”
She ran from the dining room and curled up in her own bed. She sunk down into the pelt. Not a single sound comforted her. Even CALA remained utterly quiet in her head. “This has to be a bad dream,” she sniffled. “I just haven’t woken up yet.”
“Do you really think I am a dream?” Kei said, his eyes dangerously bright as he sauntered into their room. He began yanking the bandages off his hand. “You really think all this pain is a dream?”
A blue-and-silver metallic pattern covered his hand. She tried to slink away. She even scuttled across the room to where Kei had set up his own separate pile of pelts. Kei continued his attack.
“Do you know what this mark is, Ji-ann?” he asked, his voice catching.
Jenn shook her head and kept crying. Kei refused to let her sink into the corner and wallow. He lifted her chin and made her stare at his latest deformity.
“It is a Machidonian pilot’s mark. Sotaka confirmed the worst this morning. The seal has . . . changed me.”
“I don’t even know what that means, but . . . Oh God, Kei. I’m sorry,” she sobbed.
“That seal turned me into a pilot, not you!” He spat out the word pilot as if it was filthy. “It was not you!”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore. I’m not strong enough—”
“Stop, Ji-ann!” Kei roared. Jenn turned around. “You must pull yourself together, because . . . Because you are the only thing I have left to believe in.”
Jenn gulped. Kei let her go and stood in the moonlight in the center of the room. Beyond his feline features and haggard appearance, his expression was as desperate as a child’s.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could be—”
He turned and started walking out.
“Kei, I am so sorry.”
Only the door flap witnessed her last sob. She sank down into her bed and cried until she felt too sick to move.
“Jenn?”
“Not now, CALA. Don’t take me over, or initiate some more failsafe measures, or anything. Just let me be miserable.”
“As you wish, Jenn.”
“How am I supposed to do this? I can’t do anything right.”
“I am uncertain of 14B-Rheak’s intentions. There was an extremely limited opportunity to send you to this planet and not enough time to prepare.”
“I’m a sick cosmic joke, CALA. Imagine me, a nobody slacker from Boston, dropped on this other planet as some sort of savior. I never believed this shit in the movies, and I don’t believe it now.”
“I wish there was a way I could help you endure this, Jenn. My capabilities are not adequate to protect your mental state. It is I who have failed you.”
“No, CALA. I’ve failed myself. I am such a big, helpless baby. I guess it didn’t really hit me until now that these are all real people, you know? CALA, it’s been a dream. Saikain, Pituk, Grimal, they weren’t real . . . until this terrible moment. I’m so stupid, CALA!”
“Your mind is simply ill-equipped to handle the stress. Your reactions are normal.”
“I’m not normal, CALA. I can’t just be Jenn MacDonald anymore. I have made so many horrible mistakes already, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to be a Serif-fan.”
“I am unsure how to answer you, Jenn. Per Rheak’s original estimates of your mental facilities, you had a thirteen percent chance of success with this mission. However, after having integrated myself into your personality, I do feel that Rheak may have underestimated your abilities.”
“Why? I’ve opened one seal, and look at what happened to Kei. I’ve ruined his life—”
“Praetor Yeiwa was acting in both your and Kei’s best interests, Jenn. Kei’s hybrid nature was killing him slowly. The genetic modifications have extended his lifespan by more than three decades.”
“What?”
“Every time Kei transforms, his cellular structure degrades. After careful medical analysis, it was revealed that he had two warring parasitic technorganic cultures in his system. Yeiwa’s retrovirus treatment forced expression of several defensive genes in Kei’s body. It caused a chain reaction in protein synthesis and the expression of a dormant interface module—”
“So that thing on his hand was just a side effect of saving his life? It wasn’t on purpose?”
“Correct. However, I must apologize for the mental alterations. If I had had any say in the matter, I would have stopped them.”
“It’s not your fault, CALA. He doesn’t seem any different.”
“I am more concerned about you, Jenn. You seem . . . hurt.”
“I am hurt. I’m so hurt I don’t know what to do anymore, and I am mad at myself for feeling this way. Hell, I’ve gone through nothing compared to most of these people, and I’ve collapsed. I am so pathetic—”
“You are having trouble adapting to this new environment—”
“No, Kei nailed it. I’m having trouble growing up. Now, I have something I’ve got to do. I’m going to the Forbidden Tree.”
She wiped her face and straightened her shoulders. Kei was nowhere to be found in the halls. Two guards fell in line behind her, but she dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
The Forbidden Tree’s gnarled, blackened bark scared away most of the townsfolk. The guards at the door didn’t dare lower their spears for her.
“I’m here to see the Phantom. Let me pass.” Her tone left no room for dissention.
They unlatched the gate.
As the hinges squeaked closed behind her, a lithe shadow moved silently into view. The smell coming from the wood made Jenn’s nose wrinkle. She gathered her composure, however, as Eon dropped to his knees before her.
“Hi, Eon.”
“It is good to see you again, Ji-ann. They tell me that you hold my life in your hands.”
“I guess I do.”
“Ji-ann, may I speak freely with you?” He kept his eyes at her feet.
“Yeah, of course.”
“I can’t expect any sort of forgiveness, and I don’t want it. If my death will appease these people, so be it. But I ask, what of the Knight Tribe, or the Oracles, the Machidonians, or even the commoners? I have killed them as well and have no method of atonement for them. I ask you, is it fair that the Beasts alone receive retribution?”
“I can’t answer that, Eon. I’ve never dealt with a murderer before.”
“I do believe that Kukulkan saved me for a reason, Ji-ann. This may be my one chance to free my soul from hell.”
“How can you get out of hell after killing so many people, Eon? I can’t even imagine how you could stand to do it.”
“It was all I ever knew. It’s all I ever was. The Phantom Tribe has performed the service of assassination since we were exiled from the Land of One Moon. It is our filthy duty by decree of the Knights. If we fail in said duty, our race will be annihilated. The moment I first showed my abilities, the priests took me from my home and began to break me. My brothers are mindless. They bow and scrape and kill without a single thought that is their own. It is how they survive the burden. I am different.”
“You are still a killer,” Jenn said flatly.
“You’re right, but now my life belongs to you.”
“No, your life’s your own.”
“My life cannot be my own until I’ve paid my debts.”
“No. I won’t be your crutch—”
“Let me help you. Yes, I have my selfish reasons, but you are not a killer. You have an innocent soul. The gods know that any normal woman would have hanged me by now. There is something holy about you, something truly good inside. That is what saved me.”
“I wish this whole holy thing would end. I’m just—”
“A normal woman?” Eon asked, finally looking up at her. His freakish eyes sparkled in shades of violet and red. “Even I can see that isn’t true.”
She noticed for the first time that his eyes looked slightly to the left of hers.
“You’re blind!” she gasped.
“Not anymore. The priests took my sight when I became a Phantom. It has healed slowly over time, but I’ll never see as well again. Ever since you broke my bonds, my vision has been clearing faster and faster. Yours is the first face I’ve seen in fifteen years. You are also a far more pleasant sight than these prison walls, I might add.”
“But how—”
“Meditation, clear thought, and sensitivity to vibration. Supposedly we Phantoms don’t need our eyes to hunt our prey. The truth is, the poison that strikes us blind eventually wears off. Unfortunately, most assassins are already dead long before their sight returns.”
“I don’t understand . . .”
“Phantoms are supposed to die, Ji-ann. We are blinded, bound, and then sent out to kill. It’s the price we must pay for our abilities.”
“I’m lost.”
“Phantoms cancel the abilities of the other Great Tribes. I make the Beasts’ totems fall silent, or sever the connection between Machidonian Pilots and their machines. I am able to protect you in ways no one else can.”
“But what happens if someone comes along with a better offer?”
“Ji-ann, you gave me my freedom. For once in our cursed history, a Phantom has a chance to serve a master willing to break even the bonds of Fate. For once, I can do something just for the world. Do you honestly think that greed can sway me from that?”
“I don’t know you, though. You could be—”
