by Gwynn White
Cullen let go of Emmit's mother, raising his hand slowly toward Emmit. He smiled. "Did you not hear me thinking 'stick boy' seven times over?"
He hadn't. And as Cullen's hand moved closer, he found less reason to resist the man's theory.
When Cullen's hand landed on Emmit's shoulder, there was no electric charge. The touch was as normal as any other, aside from a little nervousness at what might happen.
"You know I mean no disrespect by calling you that," Cullen said, again without moving his lips. He left his hand on Emmit and glanced at Adi. "One more test. Adi, can you hear us?"
Adi jerked back as if he'd seen a spider. "Yeah."
Emmit removed Cullen's hand from his shoulder. Adi? he 'pathed.
"Yeah," Adi thought back with more confidence.
"So if that works between me and Adi," Emmit told Cullen, "without needing contact, then what is your theory, exactly? I spoke to him before, telepathed, when I was alone in the cell, and helped him find me without any human contact."
"And we've both heard from and spoken to Willo." His mother pointed to Cullen and herself. "Without touching, but telepathing isn't as reliable as you'd think, and is less draining when using a conduit. We're all trying to figure this out."
Conduit, Emmit thought. Good word.
"And as suddenly as your powers have developed," Cullen said, "and my suspicion is that Schaefer's over his head in this experiment, it's a good idea to use whatever help you can so that your body can adapt as gracefully as possible."
"Captain Re?" Adi asked.
"Yeah."
"When we were in... the light from the pole took us to a place where we talked to his dad."
"The net," Emmit added.
Cullen nodded, and indicated for Adi to continue.
"He showed me a... my dad flying a ship, looking for Vijil. Emmit's dad said I can talk to him if we make it to Fel Or'an."
Cullen glanced at Emmit, suspicion in his gaze, but not necessarily directed at Emmit. He checked back on Emmit's mom. "Sounds like a backup plan."
"Yeah?" his mom asked.
"Adi's leverage. It might not seem like a vital piece, but I'll bet he is."
"What do you mean?" Adi asked.
"You're just as important as the rest of us." He looked off in thought. "So many pieces, and yet we're out here, fighting deadly snakes and tigers that throw lightning from their tails. What kind of plan is this, Schaefer?"
"And someone's attacked his base," Emmit added. The idea of his father's plan nearing failure made him sympathize a little more with the fact that it hadn't worked out as he intended, and that maybe it was just the efforts of a man with more passion than preparedness. He saw the Osuna as an evil that he couldn't let alone, and in his attempt at putting a thorn in their side, they'd nearly crushed him and his family.
His mom started to reach out, then stopped. She wanted to touch him. "Your father wasn't always as successful in his experiments and goals as he'd hoped."
He nodded. His attention drifted to Cullen, who looked ready for whatever challenge lay before them. What would Emmit do if it came down to picking between Cullen and his father?
"I suggest we start moving," Cullen said to the group. Then, to Emmit, "You and Adi are buds. Adi, as long as it doesn't hurt, let Emmit use your contact to strengthen his telepathy."
Adi nodded. "Yes, sir. It doesn't hurt." Adi gave Emmit a look of trepidation.
"Not yet," Adi thought. "Please be careful."
I will, Emmit telepathed back.
Cullen helped Ehli on with her backpack, put his own on, then led the way up the ladder. At the top, the sunlight from before had dimmed behind the gray cloud cover hovering in the cracks of the canopy. An inhale of the hot, humid air enhanced the pressure in his sinuses. The jungle was preparing for a storm.
He scanned the trees and bushes, but figured a hidden mara could avoid detection. They needed to get moving. He checked his rifle's fire storage: 83 percent.
Ehli appeared at the top of the ladder.
He reached down and took her hand.
The world spliced like two cameras on a heads-up display. The new one showed someone swiping at tree branches and charging through bushes at a desperate pace. The other kept him in the present, with Ehli calmly using his strength to help pull herself out of the hole. She stood up before him and relaxed her grip in his palm. He clenched to keep her hand in his. She looked him in the eye. "What?"
The person running through the jungle cut left around a tree and down the head of a ravine.
Ehli's question took him back. He tried to project the vision, focusing his gaze on hers as though doing so could strengthen their connection.
"What?" she asked again.
Cullen's head hurt from the strain, so he backed off trying to share the vision. He slouched and rubbed at the pits of his eyes while keeping his hand in hers. The green terrain passing by in his mind's eye looked similar enough to what was around them, and the elevation could be part of the rising slope to his left—the direction his compass indicated they should go to get to Fel Or'an.
"I can't read your thoughts." Ehli stepped around in front of him and put her other hand on his cheek. "Aside from your being tense. Something is wrong?"
Why can't she see?
The figure dodged branches with as much grace as it had strength in breaking through bushes. On top of the inner eye view, Cullen also detected a growing urge to hurt whatever the figure was hunting. His pulse rose as the adrenaline made it hard to keep still.
Ehli smacked him lightly on the cheek. "Hey." Her touch pressed his jaw to line up with her eyes. "Look at me." Her hazel eyes fought a losing battle for his attention.
He looked up the ravine, trying to match the pattern of trees with what his other sight experienced from a different angle. The effort made him a little dizzy, and after a few seconds he had to close his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Emmit asked from behind him.
"Do you need to hold my hand?" Adi asked.
"Yeah."
The vision cut out. He tore his hand free from Ehli's grip and stumbled away, falling to a knee in the soft earth.
Even in the absence of that second viewpoint, its intent lingered. It wanted to kill.
And Cullen couldn't help desiring the same. He struggled to separate the new desire with reason. Only a hint of discernment remained, urging him to leave before he became a threat to the group—before he gave in to the urge inside him like a raging beast hungry for prey.
He bolted away from the group, blocking out their calls of confusion and concern. He hoped to put enough distance between them and himself before the rage was too strong to hold down.
21
Rage surged up Ehli's arm, feeling much like an electric charge, just as Cullen tore his hand from her grasp.
To her surprise, he didn't look back as he sprinted away.
"Cullen!" she cried. "Where are you going?"
She cast out a telepathic line that sank and faded. As Cullen disappeared among the trees, no second glances back or easing in his pace, her telepathic abilities felt like a trick of her imagination. She couldn't call him back, and as she glanced at Emmit, she wondered if something had broken inside her mind.
"Did you do something?" she asked him.
"No," he said, black brows scrunching. "I was just trying to help."
Where's he going?
"Ehli?" Willo's voice made her jump. She turned, expecting Willo to be standing behind her. She wasn't. Of course. Silly telepath.
Ehli continued searching the tree line, to see if Willo was close.
"I'm not, but someone else is. More than one, actually. I'm sorry. They used me to find you. Find cover or prepare for a fight."
About two hundred meters away, along the rise of the ravine, something shook the bushes. A dark shape emerged. She thought it was an animal, but then its height increased and she saw it was bipedal. She watched as it leaped over a fallen tree. The speed and dexterity o
f its approach was breathtaking until she realized it was headed straight for her.
Suddenly, Cullen's path made sense. He'd long since disappeared.
"Run, boys," Ehli shouted as she took off in the direction Cullen had gone. Why didn't he take us with him? Who are we supposed to fight? Why?
"Your husband's former experiments. Their minds snapped under the accelerated testing. I've tried to contain them so you could get to Fel Or'an, but you took longer than I could hold them. I'm sorry."
To her relief, Emmit and Adi were on her heels as she entered the jungle. She unsheathed her blade and swiped at the vines and prickers.
Ahead, the trees thinned out to reveal a swamp. As she looked over it, she realized there was enough dry land to cross it. If they could get through to it. The path ahead was blocked by bright green vines and white thorns.
"Mom," Emmit said, concern in his voice. "Something's not right."
That much was obvious, but his tone suggested more.
"Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"We're being hunted."
"I know." The encroaching presence closed in, much like the clouds above, imminent and ominous. "I think we'll have to fight."
"How?" Emmit asked.
"There's Captain Re." Adi cried, pointing off to their left.
Cullen had taken the long way around the swamp. As Ehli spotted him pass between plants, his speed and posture indicated ease of movement.
"Let's go." Ehli sliced her blade through a barbed vine.
"Mom?"
She turned as he pressed his machete into a tangle of vines. "Yeah?"
"What did you mean by fight?"
Ehli tightened her grip on her machete. "Use these until we can't."
"And then?"
Ehli projected her memory of holding her hand over the ants and how they stood still, then scattered at her will.
"These are much stronger than ants, Mom."
You said you moved Adi to your cell. We may need to do the same thing.
Emmit thought back to how his father had told him to try to imagine himself in the boy's mind.
A white flash lit up the darkened jungle. Lightning. The air had cooled. Boom! The thunder punched him in the chest, jolting him out of his thoughts. He let go of Adi's hand, and the link with his mom severed. The atmosphere of looming danger remained, however. Whatever was out there was coming quickly, and in numbers greater than he thought he and his mom could handle.
He swiped his machete through some vines left dangling from his mother's clearing efforts. In his next step, the forest eased up enough for him to stand full height. Heavy rain pelted fat plants buried in the dirt, and echoed off his water-resistant clothes. The cool drops felt good as they soaked through his hair onto his scalp.
His mom flicked a thorn from her palm and watched the rain wash off a spot of blood.
Emmit scanned the distance. The rising terrain was full of trees and thick vegetation. Emmit could feel their enemies descending in a wide swath, but saw none. The rise to the northeast contained more... or just stronger… threats.
Adi rose behind him. "Do you see anything?"
"This way." Emmit's mom waved them toward the west, where Cullen had gone. "Let's go. Faster now."
She picked up the pace, and Emmit and Adi followed.
As they ran, Emmit considered how he'd connected with Adi. First, he'd pictured Adi's distinguishing features—which doesn't help if I haven't seen these things—and then empathized with Adi's state of mind—again, never met these things... are they people?
As he dodged trees, he knew what his last option was. He didn't like it. Speak to their minds. Just the thought of doing it felt like opening his mouth over a wasp's nest.
And yet, it was all he had. He wasn't going to overpower them physically. Just pretend they're your scared, lost friend.
What do you want?
The thought bounced back as though slapped. He kept running. Their resistance made him try harder. I didn't come here to let anyone hurt me, my family, or my friends. If that's your plan, you will fail. His confidence surprised him.
Why are you coming for us? Emmit's question lessened the resistance. A point of weakness? He pushed harder. Is there anything we can do for you?
The question eased the pressure on his temples. Whatever was coming was interested in this line of thought. That's right. Let me in so I can help. We can be allies. We had no idea this planet existed, nor what was going on with the inhabitants. If there's something you're upset about, we want to help.
Emmit's jogging footsteps pounded up into his head, the pain becoming harder to ignore. His mom had picked up a lead, with Adi between them. His mental grip loosened, much to his brain's relief. He stopped and leaned against a tree, placing a hand on the smooth bark as rain coursed beneath his fingers. Adi turned, saw he'd stopped, and doubled back.
"Em," Adi whispered. He was soaked, water running through his short hair and down his face. "What's wrong?"
Behind him, his mother stopped and looked back. "What're you doing? Come on."
I... my head hurts.
His mom glanced around, then headed back to Emmit. He wanted to keep jogging, but each step was like a nail being driven through both sides of his cranium. Maybe I need a drink. He took out a bag with liquid inside, unscrewed the cap and took a sip of sweet... mango?
He shared it with his friend.
"We have to power through," his mom said as she came up behind Adi. "We're running out of room to avoid a fight."
"Maybe we shouldn't have that frame of mind," Emmit said. "Maybe they don't want to fight." Emmit accepted his drink back, took another sip, then tightened the cap and stuffed it in his pack. "I made progress getting into their mind."
"Willo said to hide or fight," his mom said. He read her memory of Willo's words, how the people hunting them had used Willo to find them. "I don't want you trying to speak to them."
He started reaching into her memory to pull out who Willo was, but only grabbed confused pieces of some strange lady helping them. Emmit didn't like his mother's lack of faith in him, or her concern that she'd have to handle this by herself. Adi's scared face distracted him.
He set his hand on his friend's wet neck. Adi's worry about not getting to see his dad inserted into Emmit's bloodstream without invitation. He tried to push it out to keep it from stealing his focus. "It's okay, Adi. Aligning with whomever is coming doesn't mean you can't see him. We need information, and they might be able to help us."
"Emmit." His mom started for him.
Emmit pulled Adi into a path that put thick bushes between them.
"Emmit, don't you dare."
A bush taller than his mother hid her behind its dark purple and red leaves. The dread he and Adi shared bit back. Emmit fought against it until he'd boxed it in a safe corner while he reached back out to the...
"They call themselves 'rejects'." The woman's words came with a silent introduction that she was Willo. Her warning got his full attention.
I know. My dad warned me.
"Then you should know they're not the ones to get answers from. All they want is to release their mental demons. If you stay, it must be to fight. They'll infect your mind and take you away from your mother and friend for good."
Emmit didn't want to believe her, but the prospect terrified him. The presence hiding in the unseen places behind trees and bushes scraped like a claw over gooseflesh. Maybe it was foolish to pretend that claw was meant for anything other than harm. How do I fight?
"Push them away. They're a swung fist. You either dodge or deflect. If you can, once they're off balance, then you strike or run."
Thirty meters away, a tuft of hair passed behind the blades of a young tree, only to hide behind a thicker one.
"If you've seen one, now is your chance. They rarely make that mistake."
The need to run filled him.
Adi broke off at a run, snapping a stick on his first step. The nervous fear in Emmit's
veins lessened, as though the claw had been pulled back, but their cover was lost. His best course was to follow.
His mom started to turn away, but stopped, staring behind him. Her machete-wielding hand rose, and she took a determined step forward.
Emmit was torn between running and turning to see the threat. As he neared his mother, his inclination was to stay beside her and fight. Too long had they been victims behind bars. The power he'd felt in the last few hours was too tantalizing to ignore. "Adi, stop!" He put volume and telepathic power into his shout, daring anyone to track his voice and enter the fight—if it would be a fight.
Adi slowed abruptly, quick, uneven steps that would have sent him tumbling had he not found a tree to balance on. He turned as Emmit continued running for him. "We're not running."
"No!" his mom yelled behind him.
A shrill shriek rose from the bush beside him. Emmit spun. A woman with dirt and dried blood smeared from nose to throat leapt out, eyes wide and mouth open. He adjusted his feet to brace for impact, but his ankle twisted in the mud, making his knee buckle beneath him. Desperate, he swung his machete as he fell back.
The blade struck the hard casing of her sleeve, and the machete jolted out of his hand. As she landed, she struck him in the chest with her other elbow, knocking him over. His breath left his lungs.
An aroma of feces, old sweat, and every other odor one could accumulate from what he guessed was months without a touch of soap or mouthwash, clung to her. He gagged. Her wild hair fell over his face, blinding him, as she sucked in air. This was it. The energy emitted from her mind indicated a final strike.
You will not! Even though he couldn't breathe, he still fought. She paused under his mental assault. He grabbed a handful of her greasy hair. His grip slipped as he yanked upward, and she drove her head forward. His nose exploded in pain, and his head found the mud.
Adi shouted somewhere off to his right.
