by Jen Ponce
She didn’t answer, just initiated the change. Pain filled my mind and I didn’t have another coherent thought until I became aware of soft, cold hands on my face. Cyres leaned over me, looking concerned.
“I’ve never see anything like that before,” she told me. Her touch eased the pain and I was grateful.
“Yeah, well, I appreciate the help. It’s not fun to do.” I let her help me up and brushed off my clothes. “I’m Devany.”
She gazed at me. Then her eyes widened. “You are my master.”
“No. Not at all. I’m an Originator, sure. But I don’t own you. Never that.”
“Why not? Am I not up to your standards?”
Fuck me if she didn’t sound hurt. Any guilt I may have felt for participating in this massacre flew away in the face of her bewildered servitude. “You are fine. I just don’t own people. Don’t believe in it.”
“Then how will you survive?”
I put my hand on her back and guided her toward the Nightflowers’ barriers. “The same way I’ve been surviving up ‘til now. Sheer luck and plucky determination.”
A growl made me look up and I saw Kroshtuka pacing at the barrier. “Are you okay?”
He swung his big shaggy head back to look at me and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. He made a yipping sound which I took to mean that he was all right.
“I’ll be right back. Maybe.” I edged a toe toward the barrier, squinting as I waited for the sparks to fly. They didn’t. Yes. “Okay. I’m going to get my friends and then I’ll be back. Can you keep her safe?”
He jerked his head once and went to stand beside Cyres, his yellow eyes alert.
I crossed the barrier, paused, then went back and yanked the lodestone off the pole. The protective field fell and Kroshtuka yipped again. “You’re welcome.” I went in search of Jasper and Nex.
No one was in our wagon. Of course. I went from one to the other, poking my head in to ask, “Have you seen the head? The Wing?” Each answer was the same, a close-mouthed shake of the head. Liars, liars, I muttered in my head as I found the mermaid’s tank wagon. Nex floated with her, his intestines looking like squid tentacles in the water.
He floated upward, ignoring her grasping hands. “I could not divine your presence. I worried you might have died. I am glad you did not.”
“Thanks Nex. Do you know what they did with Jasper?”
“I do not. I was with Quorra all day yesterday and all night. I was informed that I was not wanted in our wagon.”
I snorted. “You didn’t believe that, did you?”
“Not for one moment. However, I saw that protesting would cause trouble and playing dumb would provide the better outcome.” His grin made my day.
“Brilliant as usual.” I turned to see Kroshtuka and Cyres enter Quorra’s wagon.
“Better to stick together,” the hyena said in my head. I was surprised that the connection was still there and congratulated myself on the successful connection.
“Just be careful. Leon is batshit crazy.” I helped Nex extricate himself from the mermaid’s tank with promises to help him return to her soon.
“I will wait for you, my sweet Nex. We will cuddle and you will tell me stories of your fierceness.” She looked forlorn, her arms and boobs both propped over the edge of the tank, her tail agitating the water with powerful strokes.
“But of course, Quorra. I shall regale you with tales of the hunt and bloody trophies, well stolen.”
We wandered through the camp and I could tell that the Carnicus of Nightflowers had come in hard. The oxen were still yolked and their exhaustion extreme. The froth had dried itself to their hides and flies glommed in the mess. I checked every wagon but no Jasper. Leon and Sharps’ wagon sat at the front of the train, the golden wood dusty. “Jasper,” I yelled, hoping he would hear me and shout back. No such luck.
Leon wasn’t in the wagon and neither was Sharps. Disappointment sagged through me. I’d wanted to help her but he’d stolen her away. “Shit.”
“Devany? I think I found Jasper.”
I backed out of the wagon, thinking the worst. Please don’t let him be hurt, I thought. I promised I would keep him safe. Then I saw him, holding the red dog in his arms, tears on his face. “Jasper?”
“She died for me. Leon. He tried to run a sword through my heart. She didn’t know that it wouldn’t kill me.” His fingers curled into the fur as he rocked.
I knelt beside him in the dirt and Cyres came to put her arms around him. If anything her presence made him cry more. “I’m sorry.”
“Why do people kill each other? Don’t they understand that life is hard enough?”
My eyes went to Kroshtuka. He still had blood on his jaws from his kills. I didn’t but only because I’d changed from Neutria’s form. The blood stains were inside me, I guessed.
I eased away from Jasper and let his sister comfort him. It didn’t feel right for me to do it when I’d just come from a killing spree. I walked over to Kroshtuka and after only a brief argument with myself, slipped my fingers into his thick fur and patted him. He leaned hard against me and I enjoyed his warmth.
I’d done it. I’d found Cyres. Now all I needed to do was rescue Tytan, find the rashn, and find a safe place for Jasper and Cyres so they wouldn’t have to worry about being used or abused again.
Easy peasy.
Then I heard a sound like a chorus, swell in my body. What the hell was that? Tom? Was something happening with his soul?
A man cleared his throat behind us. We turned. My stomach sank.
Ellison smiled. “Look at that. I’ve found my soul.” He tugged on his sleeve and shrugged his shoulders. “Are you ready to die?”
-NINETEEN-
I slapped a protection bubble around the us, thickening it as Ellison walked forward, his smile fading. “This won’t keep me from killing my soul and ascending.”
“You need to go back to the Slip. Right now.” The song grew as he got closer and I realized I was hearing him react to Jasper’s proximity. Couldn’t Ellison hear it?
He glared. “My soul is right there. You cannot keep me from him.”
I put my hands on my hips and tipped my head. “You seriously did not just say that. I’m your boss, dumb ass. I’ll drop you in Antarctica without any power, wearing short-shorts. Then we’ll see who keeps who from doing what.”
“You gave me leave to be in Midia.”
“And I can revoke that leave.”
“On the contrary. You didn’t give me a limit and therefore I can be here until the job is done.” He spread his hands wide. “There are many Theleoni and a lifetime to waste.”
I could feel the growl through Kroshtuka’s thick fur and gripped him for a moment, hoping he wouldn’t lunge at Ellison and break the barrier. We were safe, for now. “If that’s what you want to do, I’ll leave to you it and thank you from the bottom of my heart. They’re asssholes and deserve what they get.” To Kroshtuka, I said, “We’re out of the Wilds, right?” He yipped in agreement. I smiled at Ellison. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” I formed a hook under us, picturing the swamp and the place where we’d exited the barrier I’d made around the queen’s domain.
I grabbed a handful of Nex’s entrails to make sure he came with us. As soon as we appeared in the swamp, I thrust my hand out for the giant barrier. It hummed with power and I realized how amazing it was. And vast. It was so large, the side barely curved into the distance as I gazed along its path. It recognized my touch. Now if it would let me get my group in, I could breathe easier―for a little while.
Nex’s first try through the barrier bounced him off, heat flaring as the bubble repelled him. The second time I slipped my hands within the pulsing shield and spread them, picturing a hole opening up within it. It worked. Kroshtuka was the only one outside when Ellison appeared, lunging. Kroshtuka whirled, sinking his jaws into the Skriven’s arm. I slammed my hands together and said, “No! You can’t hurt him, he’s not Theleoni.”
Elliso
n’s hands were raised, power dripping from his fingers. Kroshtuka had ripped a hole in his suit and meat hung in bloody shreds. My spawn cursed, letting go of the power. It shot into the sky, exploding overhead in a display of color and show that I guessed was supposed to intimidate me. He cradled his arm to his chest. “I need healed.”
“Can you do that without my help?”
His glower gave me the answer. Maybe it was wrong of me to enjoy it so damn much but I did.
“I guess you could buy power from another Skriven. But who? Amara? Maybe. She has Tytan in her clutches, torturing his soul’s whereabouts out of him. You wouldn’t mind him ascending and being your boss, would you?” I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but the utter desolation on his face wasn’t it.
“And you are allowing this?”
“Of course I’m not allowing it. I’ve been dealing with other shit. And now I’m dealing with you. My trog is doing his best to harry her and keep her mind on other things than torture. I’m not sure how long that will work but it’s all I had at the time.”
He dropped his gaze, his jaw working as he processed this information. He surprised me again by looking up and thanking me. “Ravana wouldn’t have helped him at all.”
“Well, she’s dead. And as soon as I can stop running long enough to think, I’m going get him away from her.”
“How can I help?”
What could he help with? My eyes went to Jasper, Cyres, and Nex just beyond the barrier. “A rashn. Can you find one for me? I was told there was one near Casttown in the bottom of a murk pool. That would free up some of my time so I could focus on rescuing Ty.”
“That’s all?”
“Do you have something else in mind?” He was frustrated. Yeah, well, so was I. He wasn’t capable of taking on Amara though I could see that’s what he wanted to do. Rush in and save the day. Unfortunately, she would rend him limb from limb, distracted by trying to unseat me or not.
Wait a minute.
“I do have an idea.”
He heard something in my voice that caught his interest. “Do tell.”
“You know any of her spawn?”
A smile started forming on his lips. “Not well. We don’t play much together.”
“You don’t need to know them well, you just need to help them look for their soul. The louder the better. Make lots of noise. Make sure it’s big news in the Slip.”
“Nothing more distracting than trying to thwart a plot to overthrow you.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
He sketched a shallow bow. “And I have your permission to go where I need in order to find this soul?”
Sneaky Skriven. There was a catch in there that he’d use to his advantage if I didn’t figure it out. I was tired and not feeling very clever. “You can go where you need to in order to find the soul, but you may not kill any innocents in doing so, and when the soul is found or I call you home, your permission to hunt is revoked.”
His grin wasn’t so shiny and I patted myself on the back. He disappeared and I breathed a small sigh of relief as the chorus of sound faded with his departure. At least now I had an early warning sign when one of my spawn got close to her or his soul.
Kroshtuka pushed a thought into my head, one that showed me he planned to change back into his human form. I nodded, understanding he wanted some privacy since changing outside of the Wilds was more difficult for him. I walked through the barrier to join the other part of my group. Jasper and Cyres held each other. Nex floated on his own, his cheeks flushed. I did a double take. He wasn’t grey anymore. His skin was a creamy color and his cheeks were pink.
“You look good,” I said.
He nodded once, his entrails wriggling. “It seems spending time with maids of the sea has invigorating side effects.”
“I guess so.” I eyed him. “Are you okay that she’s not here?”
His black eyes sparkled. “I have seen that we will be together again. It is good enough for me.”
All righty then. Young love. Keeping my smile to myself, I turned to Jasper. He’d been clutching Tam’s body when we hooked and now she laid at his feet in the swamp. Already her cooling flesh was attracting swamp life. I saw a cloud of the nasty mosquitoes and I didn’t doubt that there was a hunting fleshcrawler somewhere close by looking for an easy meal. “Jasper?”
He’d stopped crying but he didn’t look okay. He just stood silently, letting Cyres fuss over him. I reached out and touched his face. Only then did his eyes focus on mine. He said, “I’m sorry. I thought the Theleoni had inured me to such things.”
“Her name was Tam.”
“Tam. Thank you.” He gazed down at her, her red fur rippling in the light breeze. I couldn’t stand him looking so miserable so I slipped my arms around him and held him. He squeezed back tightly and my heart broke for him. I wanted safety for him. And happiness. For Cyres too, who stood solemnly by, her bruised eyes focused and steady. It made me suspect even more that her flighty behavior back in Galleia was just an act put on to protect herself.
“I’m Devany.”
She smiled at me and as soon as I let go of Jasper, she hugged me tight around the middle. She laid her head on my shoulder and just squeezed. Her body was impossibly thin and it made me ache deep in my chest. I hugged her back, holding her as tightly as I dared, remembering the wounds Jasper had shown up on my doorstep with.
“You are cared for by my brothers.”
“I am?”
“Jasper and Tytan.” She turned her face into my neck and whispered. “They have been hurt badly. I wish for them happiness. Can you give them that?”
I wished I could say yes but knowing how often things when to shit, I wasn’t going to promise.
“That’s okay,” she said, as if I’d spoken aloud. “They will find out together.”
I arched a brow. Somehow I couldn’t picture Ty and Jasper getting together to make each other happy, whether in a good buddy way or romantic way. They were just too different.
“Your hyena awaits.”
For some reason that struck me as funny and I snorted out a half laugh. Kroshtuka stood outside the barrier, naked. Of course I checked him out. Of course I did. How could I not? “Er. You need clothes.”
“They don’t survive the change. I didn’t think they were necessary considering our plans after the hunt.”
Heat flushed my neck and crawled upwards. “Your plans.” Shut up, already. My companions didn’t know anything about our bargain and I didn’t want them to know.
In my head, he said, ‘Does it matter what they think?’
“Stay out of my brain!” I stomped over to him, the barrier sucking at me as I walked through it.
“You invited me in.”
“That was a matter of necessity. Clothes. You need clothes.”
“It doesn’t bother me to be naked but I’m glad that it made you notice me in all my glory.”
Glory indeed. “Stop. Just stop.” My dirty side kept wanting to look back down at him, so I stood struggling with myself to keep from ogling. I needed a neutral topic and landed on the fight. “Thanks for your help back there.”
“We worked well together. Your other form is quite powerful. I’ve never known anyone who could change into something other than a mammal.”
“It’s a long story how Neutria and I came to be partners. It’ll probably have to be a tale for another day.”
He glanced over at the three who stood—or floated—inside the barrier. “You’re a world-walker?”
“I am. Not by my own choice but I’ve learned you can’t sit around wishing things were different. Shit happens with or without wishes.” That made me sound so sure of myself. I pushed my hair away from my face and wished I had a hair band. Speaking of wishes and all. “I have to relearn that often.”
“I would like to help you but I have to get back to my people. What can I do for you there?”
What did I have to do? Find a safe place for Jasper and Cyres. Rescue Ty. Find
the rashn. Fix my mistake here. Get back to my kids. I really wanted to permanently stop the Theleoni too but short of killing every last one of them … “Do you know what domar berries are? Do they grow where you live?”
“Yes. There are groves full of them. We use them to supplement our diets.”
“I was told they keep humans from dying from the magic here.”
“That is so.”
“Do you think you and your people could start spreading the word about them near the hooks? I mean, the witches don’t even know about them.”
“They discount them because they grow in the Wilds. There’s a difference.”
Right. “The Theleoni are stealing humans and dragging them to Midia so they can use them to gain power. The witches, as far as I know, don’t like the Theleoni doing that any more than I do. Wouldn’t you think they’d change their minds if they know that with this tiny berry they could neuter those assholes?”
“I will take your request to the elders. Lizzie especially was quite taken with you.”
“How do I get you home?”
“You can jump from place to place without hooks?”
I shrugged. “I create my own.”
“I can orient you if you can take it from my mind.” His yellow eyes gazed at me, full of promise. ‘Now that you’ve let me in, I think I wish to stay.’
I shivered, glanced down and jerked my eyes away. “Okay. Let me let them know what I’m doing so they don’t get worried. Then I’ll take you.”
He nodded, chuckling, and I slipped through the barrier long enough to let Jasper, Cyres, and Nex know I would soon be back. “We will figure out how to get you safe. I won’t rest until you guys can be someplace peaceful.” I heard a splash in the distance and thought of the predators living in the waters not far from where we stood. “Make a protection bubble. There are things that wouldn’t mind eating you.”
Jasper nodded. I felt bad leaving him, almost as bad as when I left Liam and Bethy. Good lord, I had too many people relying on me for their well being. A bubble popped up as I left them, Jasper’s distinctive grey aura and a pretty yellow energy that danced along the surface, reminding me of sunshine after a rainy day.
