Malcolm smiled. Shield Maiden was not one for small talk. She always jumped straight to the point.
“I do,” he said. “And I have to find her. Even if it takes years.”
“It’s not easy to lose someone you love,” said Shield Maiden. “Especially when the world is in chaos.”
Malcolm chewed his lower lip, deciding how to approach the fact that had been hanging in the air over them. He’d killed Rain Dancer, the man Shield Maiden had loved. He didn’t know what to say, but he knew he had to say something.
“I’m sorry,” he finally managed. “About… Rain Dancer. I’m sorry that things happened the way that they did.”
Shield Maiden’s eyes locked onto his. Her face was so strange looking, pretty, but totally foreign in both color and pattern. But her eyes… they spoke to him as anyone’s would. He saw the pain, the loss… and the acceptance.
“How else could things have played out?” she asked, after a long while. “I cared for Rain Dancer. But I knew him as he was, not as he wanted to be or could have been. He was ambitious. He held grudges. And he… well, he was who he was.”
Malcolm didn’t say anything. Even though he’d been the one to bring the conversation in the direction of Rain Dancer, he now felt like the silence belonged to Shield Maiden.
“I cared for him… so much,” she whispered. “In some ways, it was like experiencing first love over again. I don’t have many memories left from the time before I became a spryte, so each touch, each kiss… every date. It was all new to me.”
Malcolm wanted to ask her for more details, but knew it would have the opposite effect. He stayed silent.
“He took me to an amusement park once.” Shield Maiden brushed her hair out of her face and smiled. “In the middle of the night, when there was nobody there. The rides were all shut off, but that wasn’t an obstacle to him. He took my hand, and asked me which one I wanted to try, and then he used his powers to bring it to life, and we had it all to ourselves”
Her smile faded.
“I think that was what he wanted, in the end,” she said. “Not peace, not really. He wanted to have a part of the world just for himself, to share with those he cared about.” Shield Maiden cleared her throat. “When the security guards showed up to the amusement park… he killed them.”
She said no more.
That’s probably as good of a place for a story to end as any.
The two of them sat watching the fire, both thinking their own thoughts. A sound in the distance drew Malcolm’s attention. He looked up, frowning as he scanned the landscape around them.
They were far enough out from Vanderbrook and Halter City and the light pollution for the night sky to provide the only illumination. The view made what Malcolm was looking at all the more unusual. A splotch of unnatural darkness was growing wider on the horizon, approaching them at high speed.
“Rose!” Malcolm stood up and took a step forward. Shield Maiden seized him by the shirt and pulled him back.
“Stay near the fire!” she hissed. “Stay in the light!”
The hairs on Malcolm’s neck stood up, even as his heart pounded with anticipation. The darkness resolved into the shape of a figure, one that slowly moved toward the edge of the fire’s reach.
It was the first time Malcolm had seen Rose since they’d fallen into Multi’s trap months earlier. Her skin was pale purple, lacking the healthy color he remembered. Her hair was tangled, long, and unkempt.
She’d lost weight, and it was most apparent in the gauntness of her face and sharpness of her cheek bones. Her clothes were ragged, shredded almost to the point of being lewd. Shadows moved about her arms and legs, sliding along her body like tribal tattoos come to life.
“Rose…” Malcolm said. He lifted his hand and extended it toward her. “It’s me. I’m here.”
Her eyes were dark pits, but they seemed to blaze as they met his. Shield Maiden pulled back on his shoulder and let out a cry as Rose’s shadow tendrils shot forward, coming within a hair of slicing into Malcolm’s chest.
He almost tripped backward into the fire, rolling to the side at the last instant. Rose seemed to hover over the ground, rather than walking, as she approached them. Shield Maiden roughly pulled Malcolm further away from her. She lifted a hand, preparing to encase Rose in a shield bubble, more for their protection than for hers.
Rose let out a scream that sounded more animal than human and swiped at Shield Maiden with a shadow. The blow struck the spryte in the chest with the force of a club swung by a giant. Shield Maiden flew a dozen or so feet in the air and landed in a crumpled pile.
“Rose!” cried Malcolm. “Stop! It’s me and Shield Maiden! You know us!”
She did know us, once upon a time. Does she not remember?
Shadows shot forward, wrapping around Malcolm’s arms and legs and lifting him into the air. His stomach twisted in panic. Even back when he’d had his wind manipulation, Malcolm had been outmatched by Rose in terms of pure power.
“Rose!” He screamed as he felt her begin to pull, stretching his limbs like a curious child might torture a spider. “No!”
She hesitated, holding him where he was for a moment. Slowly, Rose drew him in closer, until she held Malcolm no more than a foot away from her.
“It’s me…” he managed. “Malcolm.”
There was no sign of recognition in her eyes.
“Your little pet champion,” he said, feeling his heart ache for the time when she’d used those words.
Rose furrowed her brow and blinked. Her shoulders relaxed, and she lowered Malcolm to the ground.
“You… Do you know who I am?” she asked.
“Rose,” said Malcolm. “Rosalina. You’re a spryte, and a friend of mine.”
“Do you… know Brenden?” she asked.
The question struck Malcolm like a punch to the gut. Brenden had been her former fiancé, and the two of them had shared a life together up until the day that Rose had become a spryte.
“No,” said Malcolm. “It’s me. Malcolm. Your… friend.”
Rose slowly shook her head, her eyes showing no recognition.
She remembers Brenden… But not me?
It was a petty thing to take offense at, but Malcolm felt it taking grip of his heart and mind, regardless. He’d only known Rose for a couple of months. He was just a fling compared to what she’d shared with Brenden and her young daughter.
“My head hurts…” said Rose. “Why… where am I? What’s going on?”
“You’re having an episode.” Shield Maiden had recovered and made her way over to Rose. “Do you remember me, Rose? I’m a spryte, like you. And a friend.”
Rose frowned, but there was more awareness for Shield Maiden in her expression than there had been for Malcolm.
“I just… want to lie down,” said Rose.
“Exactly,” said Shield Maiden. “I’ll bring you to a place where you can lie down. A safe place, one that you used to call home.”
“Rose…” Malcolm felt selfish, but he was desperate for something, anything. “Do you remember Wind Runner? Do you remember fighting with him, and occasionally against him?”
He was smiling, though it was the opposite of how he felt on the inside. Rose glanced back over at him and shook her head.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “I… I’m so tired.”
“I’ll take you home, Rose,” said Shield Maiden. “You can ride on the back of my motorcycle.”
Malcolm felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest and stomach, intense enough to drop him to one knee. Only then did he notice the tears streaming down his cheeks. He wiped them away quickly and cleared his throat, feeling like a fool.
“Are you okay?” asked Shield Maiden.
He forced out a chuckle, angling his face so it was more in shadow than in the light.
“Fine,” he said. “Just… take care of Rose.”
“I’ll bring her back,” said Shield Maiden. “And I’ll stop by your hideout in a
day or two to let you know how she’s doing. She might remember more, you know.”
Malcolm nodded, though he knew that she was only saying so for his sake. The time he’d shared with Rose was gone, not just lost to the past, but lost in her memory. It hurt more than he’d known anything could, more than being shot, more than being electrified.
He could accept her hating him, or him falling out of her favor. But it was different for her to not know him, not to recognize his face or recall any of the times they’d lain together in bed. The kisses they’d shared, and the lengths they’d gone to when it came to protecting each other, it was all gone.
It was like having his heart ripped out. And it made him feel more alone than he knew a person could be.
CHAPTER 12
It wasn’t until Shield Maiden and Rose were almost out of sight on the motorcycle that Malcolm stopped to consider how far away he was from Vanderbrook. The highway they’d traveled on had snaked back and forth through the landscape. He could walk straight back, but, but he still had at least a solid day and night of walking ahead of him.
I never told Shield Maiden that I lost my powers. She probably just assumed that I’d fly back.
She’d left the tent, at least, not wanting to take the time to pack up and risk Rose doing something volatile. Malcolm collapsed on the ground inside of it, his heart still aching, head still pounding as though he’d been struck in the temple.
He didn’t get any sleep, and after an hour or two of nothing but his own, depressing thoughts, he couldn’t take it anymore. Malcolm packed up the tent, the fire-starting kit, and the remaining rations into one of the loose saddle bags and tossed it over his shoulder like a knapsack.
He traveled for the rest of the night, keeping the highway in sight as much as he could. His feet were tired by the time the sun rose, but Malcolm only stopped to eat a light breakfast before continuing on. Each step was a distraction, a way of keeping his mind from centering in on the fact that he’d accomplished what he’d set out to do, and yet felt more dogged by despair than ever.
It was midafternoon by the time Vanderbrook came back into sight, and nearing sunset as he approached his hideout. Malcolm felt a strange, claustrophobic sensation as he undid the combination lock and lowered himself into the musty cellar. He was right back where he’d been a few days earlier, with nothing to show for it.
Things would get better, he told himself. He’d wake up the next day and spend the morning building new game traps. He’d settle back into the familiar rhythm of surviving in Vanderbrook and wait for news from Shield Maiden. It would only be a couple days, like she said, before she’d bring him news of Rose’s condition.
But will she ever remember what she’s forgotten? I doubt it…
The despair was thick in his dusty hideout, as though he’d submerged himself into it. Malcolm massaged his forehead, collapsed onto his mattress, and tried to sleep.
***
He managed it for a while. Until someone started pounded on his hatch, angry and demanding. Malcolm sat up. For a couple of seconds, he was completely still, listening and considering the best action to take.
The safest thing to do would be to ignore it, and go back to sleep. It didn’t sound like it was Shield Maiden, and he couldn’t imagine who else would be looking for him. He was curious, and after a few seconds, he stood to his feet, listening until he was sure whoever had been knocking was walking away. Malcolm then quickly climbed the ladder, pulled the lock off, and popped up to the ground above.
Tapestry stood in a shaft of moonlight, and she looked surprised to see him, even though she was the one who’d come looking. She wore her old leather jacket over a familiar white blouse, along with a black pair of jeans. Her blonde hair was shorter than Malcolm remembered it, or was it? She had it tied up into a neat, no nonsense bun.
She didn’t say anything. A dozen different questions cycled through Malcolm’s head, and he ended up picking none of them.
“You didn’t say goodbye to me when you left,” he said.
Tapestry slowly shook her head. “No. I didn’t.”
Her tone wasn’t angry, but there was a coldness to it that he’d never experienced from her before.
“So…” said Malcolm. “How have you been?”
He was surprised at how happy he was to see her. Now that the initial shock of her being there had passed, emotion and longing surged in his chest. He doubted it was the same for her, or if it was, she was far better at keeping it contained.
“Not bad,” said Tapestry. She glanced around at the ruined warehouse, and then at the hatch Malcolm had climbed out of. “I have it nicer than you do, in the town Melanie and I settled in.”
Malcolm smiled. “Melanie…” She was Tapestry’s great granddaughter, a regular firecracker of a teenager who’d been a burgeoning video game addict the last time Malcolm had seen her. “She’s doing well, then?”
“Well enough,” said Tapestry. “There are still small pockets of safety in the country, and we found one of them.”
“And how long do you think that will last for?” Malcolm couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice as he spoke.
Tapestry narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not stupid, Malcolm. That’s why I’m here.”
She didn’t elaborate further. Malcolm wondered if this was part of her way of getting revenge on him. No, he decided. It was simpler than that. He’d broken her trust in a way that could never be forgiven.
The “trick” he and Second Wind had played on Tapestry would have left emotional scars on any woman, and that wasn’t even considering how it had come to an end. He’d let Second Wind take his place, including when it came to his relationship with Tapestry. Then, after Second Wind’s initial disappearance, Malcolm had stepped back into his own shoes, going as far as to make love to her as the man she thought both of them were.
It was as painful as it was confusing. Malcolm wanted so badly to explain what had been going on his head and the events that had led up to it. But he couldn’t go that deep with Tapestry right away. He was lucky that she was even speaking to him at all.
“How did you find me?” he asked.
“I asked for Wind Runner,” said Tapestry. “You aren’t as discrete as you think you are, Malcolm. People know where you live.”
“Wind Runner…” he said, darkly. “That’s not who I am anymore.”
“Sure,” said Tapestry. “And I’m just Aubrey now.”
She lost her powers, too. I never stopped to give that as much thought as I should have.
“I would have thought that your focus would be on just protecting Melanie,” said Malcolm. “Even just coming to Vanderbrook is dangerous, let alone digging for information.”
She opened her jacket for him. Malcolm saw the curve of her breasts first, and then the holstered gun. It was encouraging, but still not enough to put him at ease. He’d had a gun too, and it hadn’t done much more than make him a more enticing target.
“I just came to find out about something,” said Tapestry. “I wanted to check in with some of my contacts here in town.”
“Contacts?” asked Malcolm. “Did you meet with Wax and the others while they were around? They came to see me a couple of days ago.”
Tapestry shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I haven’t worked with any other champions since I first left Vanderbrook.”
“Then why are you back?” asked Malcolm. “Do you realize the risk you’re taking setting foot in this town? It isn’t a safe place.”
Tapestry’s expression hardened.
“I know it isn’t safe,” she said. “But the rumor that I overheard makes coming here worth it. I would have gotten in touch with the others if I’d known ahead of time that they were going to be around. Maybe I still can. But my focus right now has to be on finding out if what I heard is true.”
“What’s the rumor?”
Tapestry licked her lips. She proceeded as though she hadn’t heard his question.
Her evasion was not lost on Malcolm. For whatever reason, she was holding back.
She’s the one keeping secrets, now.
“Your arrival is pretty strange,” said Malcolm. “Though you always were a bit of a weirdo.”
She didn’t smile. That hurt Malcolm more than the coldness in her voice, though he reminded himself that even the old Tapestry rarely smiled at his teasing.
“Keep your ears open, if you can,” said Tapestry. “If my information is accurate, this could be big.”
“What’s your information?” asked Malcolm. “It would help if you told me.”
She let him have the smile he’d been waiting for, but it wasn’t of the kind Malcolm liked.
“I don’t trust you like that anymore, Malcolm,” she said.
The refusal dug into a wound Malcolm had forgotten about, and he felt like he deserved it. Of course she didn’t trust him. He’d deceived her, lied to her, and then, through Second Wind, betrayed her in the worst way possible.
“Fine,” said Malcolm. “Well… I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“Quit feeling sorry for yourself,” said Tapestry.
Her words stirred an old anger in him, a frustration with how she always managed to act like she was watching everything play out from on high, hoarding her many decades of accumulated experience.
“What are you doing here, Tapestry?” he snapped. “You came to check out an interesting rumor? But you won’t tell me what it is? I’m not feeling sorry for myself, I’m feeling sorry for you. Because you’re an idiot if you came all this way to investigate a rumor. You’re more likely to get yourself killed than to find out the truth.”
She didn’t react the way Malcolm wanted her to. There was no surge of emotion. He wanted her to get mad at him. It’s what the old Tapestry would have done. The woman he saw now, who stood in a thin shaft of moonlight in a ruined world, merely shook her head and looked disappointed.
“My house was raided,” said Tapestry. “My old house here in Vanderbrook, I mean. Can you put me up for the night?”
Wind Runner: The Complete Collection Page 74
