Affinity

by Dianne Wilson

  Kai shivered, suddenly cold. The man looked straight at him with eyes of grey that drank in light and extinguished it. So this was Shasta, Pale man, the man from the cave. He stared at Kai for a fraction too long, and then he moved on.

  A flash of sweat broke out down Kai’s back.

  He knew.

  Kai stared at the floor even though it was too late. Next to his boots, Zee wore fluffy, purple slippers. Each one had a row of sparkly butterflies. He elbowed her, pointing.

  She swallowed hard, shut her eyes, and boots appeared on her feet.

  Shasta cleared his throat, “We are the outcast.” His voice seemed to fill the room, booming from every corner, persuasive and warm.

  As one, the crowd intoned after him, holding up their right hands, small fingers folded across palms, covered by their thumbs, middle three extended. “Outcast.”

  “We are those abandoned.” His voice echoed and re-echoed, filling Kai’s head.

  “Abandoned.” Thumbs and pinkies stretched sideways, middle three fingers stayed together on hands across the room.

  Kai copied, feeling like an idiot.

  “Dispossessed.” Middle three fingers folded across the palm.

  Howling broke out across the crowd, wolf-like and grim. Giddy aggression simmered thick.

  “No more!” The man’s hand balled to a fist, followed by every other hand in the room. “Now we are Sons. Sons of the City.” His hand stretched flat and wide. Jazz hands.

  Kai bit his tongue, stifling laughter.

  Elden glared at him.

  He doubled over, fist to his mouth, pretending to cough. Impeccable timing as always.

  Coppery snakes danced on Shasta’s palm. At the sight of the snakes, the crowd erupted, chanting, “Dispossessed!”

  Overhead, the green light extinguished, and the coppery snakes on each person’s forehead glowed brighter, lifting the darkness in a fraction of ominous.

  Kai didn’t need to look at Zee to know their snakes didn’t glow. She must have sensed it too. She tucked her chin to her chest and buried her face against his arm. At least she still had her cap. Kai had never felt this naked. Any minute now...

  “Bring the Recruits.” As Shasta spoke, the green circle on the ceiling lit up once more and pulsed, washing the room in eerie light.

  A muscle-bound man led a dozen Recruits onto the podium in a line to kneel in front of Shasta.

  Shasta rolled back his sleeves as a magician would—or a butcher reaching for his cleaver—thought for a moment, then shrugged out of his cloak completely, tossing it aside. His pale arms were thick with knotted muscle, not what Kai expected. Muscles seemed more appropriate for one with less going for him in the brains department. There was no way anyone could be this smooth and manipulative without a good dollop of intelligence.

  Shasta rubbed his palms together. Silence fell across the room as he raised his hands above his head. Snakes danced on his palms, sparking as they moved. Without any further ceremony, he moved to the start of the line. The clipped noise of his boots on the rock echoed loud.

  A girl was first in the line of Recruits. Her face turned upwards, radiant in anticipation.

  Kai’s stomach turned.

  Shasta smiled as he reached towards her and placed his palm on her forehead. His skin met hers with a sizzling hiss. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body jerked as if his palm was charged with electricity. A few seconds passed. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, they were black as coal. He took his hand off her skin and she shot backwards off the podium into the outstretched arms of the waiting crowd, coppery snakes dancing on her forehead.

  There was no rapture on the face of the next guy in line. Sweat ran in rivulets down his face, his back, soaking through his shirt. As Shasta’s hand connected with his skin, he screamed and his body writhed. He dropped like a sack of bones onto the podium. His forehead smoked from the imprint. Shasta shoved him aside with his foot, left him in a heap, and moved on to the next one. By the end of the line, only four Recruits had been sent off into the pack.

  The rest lay in mounds across the podium.

  Kai pulled Elden close and whispered in his ear. “Are they dead?”

  Elden shook his head, not offering any explanation.

  “What happens to them now?”

  “Slums. They don’t have what he needs.”

  “Which is?”

  “A heart with no room for hope, or belief in any good. Now shut it.”

  Kai bit back the question on his tongue – then how did you get in? On the podium, Shasta straightened, features glowing sallow with deadlight. Still beautiful, his face curved in a slow smile and the pack went wild, stomping a rhythm with their feet that made the walls shake. The heat was stifling.

  Images of an oven door shutting him inside bloomed in Kai’s mind. He wished he could slap sense into his brain. This cursed imagination.

  “There are some here who do not belong to me. Strangers walking free in my realm. Find them. Bring them to me. They hold the key to a door that will take us across to the other side. Our dominion must extend, we must dominate until every bit of light has been swallowed up by deep darkness. Then we will walk free, an army unconquered. It will all be ours.” Shasta circled slowly as he spoke, voice rising and falling.

  A lethargy crept over Kai, seeping into his soul. Every word seemed to make perfect sense. It was foolishness to disobey.

  “The strangers are the key. You will know them by their eyes. Don’t be fooled by disguises. Find them. Start with him!” He spun and pointed straight at Kai.

  All eyes were on him. The crowd around him stood stunned, slow to react.

  Zee’s eyelids flung wide.

  Kai felt the spell he’d been under snap and his heart jumped.

  Zee threw herself at him, arms wrapping tight. Instantly her pyjamas appeared, and his uniform vanished in a flash of LifeLight.

  Kai felt like his insides were being ripped out of him through his belly button.

  Then everything went black.

  When the light returned—albeit dimly—Kai lay flat on his back on the sand of the slum.

  Zee was nowhere, but slum dwellers surrounded him, armed with sticks. They didn’t look happy, and it seemed he was smack in the centre of their discontent. Tension strung through the crowd, close to snapping.

  Kai had appeared in the middle of something, but he had no idea what it was. He didn’t want to hurt them, but he had to get to Bree. He sat up with both hands held up.

  The circle of men around him tightened, fear etched into every taut muscle of their faces. An alarm sounded from the OS.

  He stood to his feet and let the LifeLight blaze out of him in waves.

  The crowd pulled back, covering their eyes and shrieking.

  It took a moment to figure out where he was. He ducked between two old ladies and took off through the shacks, dimming his light with every step. By the time he reached Bree’s hut, he was as dull grey as she was.

  “Where’s El?”

  “Bree, you’ve got to help me.”

  “Elden! Where is he?”

  “He’s still back there. They won’t know he’s with us. He’s safe for the moment.” Kai didn’t meet her eyes. He could only hope he wasn’t lying. “We’ve got to get out of here. I need your help figuring this out.” He squatted down, picked up a stick, and began to redraw the map in the dirt floor of her shack. The river, monkey boy tree, cave…He kept drawing, filling in as much detail as he could.

  Bree sat down opposite him, not bothered by the sand beneath her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting out of here.”

  “How?”

  “I need to find a crossover point. I’m going home.” And I’m taking you with me. I promised. “Apparently each of these places coincides with a particular place at home. I need to be where my body was and then…” When had he stopped thinking of this as a dream?

  “And then?” Bree looked sceptical.


  “I’m not sure, but I have to try.”

  Bree apparently tried hard to stay aloof, but curiosity gleamed in her eyes. “What is your earliest memory of being here?”

  “First memory? That’s easy. Here.” He jabbed at the rough map, pointing to the other side of the river, close to the black gate.

  “That’s where you need to get back to, then.”

  Could it be that simple? The more Kai thought about it, the more sense it made. “Bree that’s genius. Come, let’s go.”

  She looked at him as if he’d sworn at her in three languages. “I’m not going anywhere. I need to save El.”

  ~*~

  “I’m looking to speak to someone in connection with one of the boys who goes to your school. His name is Kai, and he’ll be in his final year. I’m not sure what surname he is registered under. Can you help?” TrisTessa held the phone away from her ear and pressed the speaker phone button. She shrugged at Evazee. Being an adult, she was more likely to get information regarding Kai than Eva was. She had carefully tailored her request to sound easy, no big deal.

  “Are you related to the boy?”

  Tris cleared her throat. “I’m his birth mother.”

  They could hear the secretary’s fingers clicking on her keyboard through the phone. She spoke as she typed, “I’m sorry, all information regarding our boys is strictly confidential. There is nothing we can tell you. Wait a moment. According to these records, you died during childbirth.” The woman clearly hadn’t meant to say that last bit out loud. “As I was saying, I am not at liberty to divulge any information regarding our students.”

  “I’d like to speak with the headmaster, please.”

  “I’m sorry, that won’t be possible at the moment.”

  “You don’t understand. There’s been an accident—”

  “I’m sorry, we can’t help you. All information on these boys is classified. I’m sure you’ll appreciate why.”

  Steel shot up TrisTessa’s back.

  Eva saw it slide into place.

  “I don’t actually appreciate why. Maybe you could enlighten me?”

  The school secretary sighed, and for a brief moment, she sounded almost human. “Listen, these boys come from terrible situations. They are brought here to be kept safe. We can’t risk anyone from their past trying to get to them. It’s our job to make sure they are protected. We do not compromise.”

  TrisTessa managed to sound calm, but redness crept along her jaw line, into her cheeks. “Look, I know that Kai wasn’t at school today. I know that he hasn’t been there all week, because I happen to know exactly where he is right now. I need to speak with the headmaster.”

  “Hold, please.” They heard the muffled sounds of clipped conversation.

  “I’m sorry. There is nothing more we can do for you. I’d advise you to forget about this and move on.”

  Spots of colour rode high on TrisTessa’s cheeks and Eva knew exactly what she was thinking. She’d spent the better part of eighteen years trying to forget and move on. It hadn’t happened then and it wouldn’t happen now. This secretary was doing nothing more than poking the mamma bear as she came out of hibernation. Judging from the flint in TrisTessa’s eyes, the steel in her jaw, Eva was glad to be on this side of the conversation.

  “How can you not care when one of your students has been absent for days with no explanation?”

  “I can assure you that everything is in order, Ma’am. Now if you’ll just—”

  “So what you’re saying is that you organised the bus that put him into a coma in hospital?”

  “Nice try, lady. Now if you’ll—”

  “You think I’m lying?” TrisTessa’s eyes widened.

  “I think this conversation is over. Thank you for calling. I firmly suggest that you don’t call back. Ever.”

  The line went dead. The two of them sat in silence, too shocked to speak or think. If the lady on the phone had been trying to make them lose interest, she had achieved exactly the opposite. Suspicion had budded and bloomed over the course of one short telephone call.

  TrisTessa had taken the conversation hard. Emotions played through her features. “This doesn’t make sense. I’m so angry right now.”

  “And insulted too, I’d guess. How can they treat you like that?”

  “This isn’t over. There’s something going on at that school.” She shook her head. “We’ll figure it out and then we’ll nail them.”

  ~*~

  Kai carried Bree across the river on his shoulders. Zee’s backpack sat awkwardly on his chest to make space for her. Bree clung to him, hissing if a splash of the water so much as touched her. All Kai wanted to do was dive under, float weightless, and let the living water carry him. But a promise was a promise and he’d managed to get Bree to come with him this far, he wasn’t about to let her phobia stop him from seeing his promise through.

  He kept his light at a quarter, enough to see their immediate surroundings and light up the trees with glowing fluorescence. The water slipped by them, a lazy shade of emerald. Soothing, cool. Healing. Kai let his shoes vanish. His toes dug into the soft, gold-flecked sand beneath the liquid.

  “Do you even know where you are going? Nobody crosses this river. Nobody.”

  “I’ve crossed it, Bree. I know what is on the other side.”

  She stuck a finger in his face and was about to lecture him, but her precarious hold failed and she nearly smacked into the river face first. With a yelp of fright, she gripped a handful of hair to steady herself.

  “Ow! Let up! I’ll be bald at the end of this!”

  She eased her grip slightly, muttering under her breath.

  As they cleared the water on the far side, a thick wall of heat slammed through them. No trees grew along this bank. Not stopping to think, Kai slipped Bree from his shoulders onto the rocky bank, swapped the backpack from his chest to his back, and kept walking.

  “Kai! Come look.”

  He turned back, jogged over to the stone Bree crouched over. It was a darKound footprint, etched into the rock.

  “I don’t think we should do this. We have to turn back.” Bree grabbed his arm, fingers squeezing hard.

  This side of the river was darKound territory. Kai knew this from his first crossing. They’d been attracted to him within minutes. Only now, he was walking straight into the thick of their domain. The LifeLight inside him might make this time different, but Bree was still full of darkness. Kai slipped the bag off his back, found the suit Zee had made him wear, and handed it on to Bree.

  “Put that on. It should buy us some time.”

  “Pyjamas? Ugly pyjamas. I’m not wearing this.” She held it up between a thumb and forefinger, nose crinkled in disgust.

  “It’s not a fashion show. Would you prefer to play with the darKounds? I’m sure they’d love to oblige.”

  Bree’s eyes narrowed. “You’re trying to tell me that this ugly jumpsuit will keep me safe from a hungry darKound? I don’t believe it.” She sat down in the dust and started threading her legs into the pants in spite of her objections. Good thing her fear outweighed her belligerence. She pulled the zip closed and flinched as the high-pitched whine hit her eardrums.

  “Let’s go.”

  They began walking away from the river.

  Kai had no way of knowing exactly where he’d been, the landscape stretched on for as far as he could see in the gloom. He kept his LifeLight down low, glowing just enough to see the next few steps. It was impossible to know how far they walked, silence thick between them, suffocating air burning through their lungs.

  Loud wails shot through the air.

  They were getting closer to the black gates. Smoke billowed across the sky, a thick canopy that sat low above their heads. Heat sapped their strength.

  Just one foot in front of the other. Keep moving, don’t stop. He turned back to check on Bree.

  She was far behind him, stripping off the suit.

  “What are you doing?”


  “I’m not wearing this. It’s ugly.”

  “Put it back on, Bree.”

  Even as the words left his lips, a chorus of howls started up ahead of them. The sound of their howling bounced, coming from ahead, shifting to all around them.

  “Too late.” He ran back and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

  Specks of black appeared ahead. Kai spun in a circle. Not just ahead, but all around. They were surrounded. The ring of darKounds closed ranks, trotting closer.

  Bree held the suit up against her as if it could shield her.

  Kai pulled her close. He had to think. The circle around them tightened. Thoughts came at him from all around. It’s over. Give up and the end will be quick. Stop fighting. Give in. Over and over, drilling into his thoughts and bleeding the strength from his legs. Kai pulled Bree closer still, wrapping as much of himself around her as he could. If they wanted her, they’d have to get through him first.

  Remember your shoes Kai. Sing.

  His shoes.

  The thought seemed important, but he couldn’t bend his brain around why.

  Shoes…

  Trust the Source, not the need.

  Tau, rescue us.

  The darKounds were so close, Kai could see the yellow curve of their fangs, dripping saliva. Their breath filled his lungs and he gagged.

  A darKound leapt at Bree. She screamed and flung up her hands to block her face. There was a sickening crunch as its jaws champed through the bones of her hand.

  Fury blazed through Kai and he lost all restraint, all fear. LifeLight blazed from him in an atomic mushroom, a shudder rippling through the ground, strong enough to throw them all off balance. Kai screamed defiance.

  He kicked the darKound off Bree. Its teeth ripped through her hand, severing sinews and blood vessels. Kai hung onto her and surrendered to the pull of the LifeLight.

  The shift in state started in his belly, a melting, smearing pull that left him gasping for air. The desert around him swirled through his brain, spinning faster and harder until he thought he would throw up.

  It was not blackness that took him, but a blaze of light so bright, it hurt through his being. He shut his eyes tight, clinging to Bree. If he lost his grip…if she stayed there—he had no doubt she’d die.