So I need to think of two instincts that do that, I tried to confirm, but the spectral dragon just sighed and shook her head as she gave me a patient look from her spot on my inner planet.
I just said no questions, she complained. And yes, dear, don’t get pedantic. That still counted as a question. But no, you can’t do that. If you can think of something at all, it isn’t really an instinct. Instead, you are going to use those two cracks to develop different parts of your body, as that is how essence works. And yes, essence is part of your body as well. Stop making me preempt your interruptions, dear. You’re going to define your next two cracks so that they can represent your mind and your heart, and the order doesn’t matter. Not for this, at least. But let’s pick your heart for now, young rider.
I spent a half-moment to confer with Nestor and assure that our enemies were nowhere in sight. Then I closed my eyes and tried to figure out all the things I didn’t know I knew about the human heart.
I shuddered just from even contemplating the matter. I felt as if I had touched a vast and boundless sea, one so deep and so great that it had long ago swept over the very landmass on its planet, and was threatening to drown space itself. The very next minute, I felt the floating, undefined crack in the mosaic coalesce into a small, simple depiction of my cardiovascular organ.
That was surprisingly easy, I said to myself, and Elder Mara chuckled at me.
That’s the thing about essence, dear, she said to me. You either get it or you don’t. And the methods you use to manage it will always be almost impossible to explain to anyone else. Now, let’s work on that wild brain of yours. She fell silent for a moment. But, as I come to think of it, I suspect your heart is always going to be the more dangerous of the two.
I had no idea what she meant by that. But I knew I was lucky to have managed this much without being interrupted, so I began to focus on all the things I didn’t know I knew in my mind.
My entire world went completely bright-white, so bright that it seared into every corner of my think-muscle. I had just enough time to think I was suffering the worst headache I had ever experienced before everything went black and numb.
The next moment, I was lying down, and Nestor’s whiskers were all over my face as the little mouse squeaked in alarm. I opened my eyes, then closed them immediately to sneeze, knocking the tiny, startled mouse off my face.
Still-safe! the tiny creature chirped in relief as he landed on his feet. Good-good. Did-work?
Yes, Nestor, I told him immediately. I saw that the third crack floating over my mosaic had traveled to the picture’s head, tracing a line of circuits inside of it. My mind felt much, much sharper. I could clearly see that large portions of it were still locked, and locked in a way that couldn’t have just been damage due to my years of malnourishment.
Someone had sealed away large portions of myself. Locked it away in case of emergency, I realized. But why? I asked myself. This seemed to go beyond what my parents could have possibly done, and it didn’t make sense for them to do it.
Query detected, a voice said, and my heightened mind realized that it came directly from my Soulscape.
My Soulscape was speaking to me. Something that Vessa assured me was just a part of myself, a fraction of my own consciousness.
I did not need a heightened brain to know that such conversations were a bad sign.
Subject is requesting information regarding sealed archive. Sealed archive is part of protocol 001, Codename Apocalypse Denied. All further information is classified, and therefore unavailable.
Who are you? I demanded, shaking with anger and fear. You are inside my body, and tell me that I have no right to know what has been put inside my mind?
Subject is correct in assuming he has insufficient clearance to access sealed data and resources, per protocol’s rules. Subject is reminded that he agreed to said rules earlier, and therefore gave consent to have insufficient clearance.
EXTINCT BULL-DROPPINGS! I roared in my mind. TELL ME WHO YOU ARE OR I WILL NEVER FEED YOU AGAIN! I turned my attention to Elder Mara, who was still perched on the world I was arguing with. ELD-SENIOR! PLEASE EXPLAIN!
Use your inside voice, dear, Elder Mara admonished gently, graciously ignoring my honorific fumble. And don’t use such strong language until you’re older and you’ve earned it. But it looks like you’ve got some extra modifications to your Soulscape. Probably a bloodline oath from an earlier Anchor Knight, if I had to guess. My bet is that it’s leftover protocol from the surviving riders.
Please give any further information you have concerning the modification of what is essentially my immortal soul, I asked as politely and calmly as my panic allowed, and feeling very proud of myself for making the attempt.
I’m afraid I don’t know all that much, young rider, the elder dragon informed me. All I know is that while the surviving Sourcebeasts went into despair and rage over the death of the vessel-saints, the handful of living Anchor Knights refused to give up. Your kind returned to Earth, and made some preparations that the rest of us could not talk you out of. Probably something designed to help you fill the hole the righteous Soulships have left with their passing. Don’t expect too much out of it though, dear. It shouldn’t hinder you in the slightest, and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to unearth the rest of it. I’ll keep an eye on it for you anyway, young rider. I owe you that and far more.
I... appreciate it, I finally said. For now, I had no choice but to let the matter drop. Perhaps more secrets would unlock when I Advanced further or had another experience that somehow triggered more memories. Do we have time to work on a remaining drop or wisp, or have your old enemies finally showed up?
They don’t all appear to be enemies, the old woman said calmly. But check with your fluffy friend. It’s hard for me to see outside this tiny world of yours.
Friend-near! Nestor told me, lashing his tail excitedly. Foes-too!
That was a cause for concern, so I leaped to my feet immediately. In the distance, I could see scattered groups of people running across the valley as they headed for my rocky hill, the last elevation left before the ground dipped into the nearby sea. But as I reached for my spells and techniques, I could see that they were not carrying any weapons.
In fact, most of them seemed to be carrying either infants or wounded.
The little ones, Elder Mara said with a start. The ones I freed earlier. They are still running. They have come here.
That does not sound like part of my master’s plan, I noted urgently. Are they being pursued?
Most likely, yes, the old woman advised. I am hoping your master will act soon.
Several howls sounded out in the distance, and the fleeing prisoners in the very back of the crowd fell backward. I could just barely make out chains of blood wrapped around their throats like leashes on a slave. Another howl sounded, and more women, children, and elderly were thrown off their feet, the women screaming as they desperately tried to hold on to the infants they were carrying.
No, Elder Mara hissed in her mind. I worked so hard to free them...
Help-help! Nestor chirped in my mind. We-swore! Save-save!
My qi had finished repairing my earlier injuries. After stabilizing most of my substages, I felt refreshed and renewed. And the fleeing prisoners were heading in my direction anyway. If their enemies were close behind, a few hundred or thousand steps would not make a difference in Vessa’s plan. Not compared to everything else, at least.
I activated my speed charm and leaped down the hill, then burned my newest charm, the one that let me ignore the restrictions of the nearby terrain. I had completely cleared the outcropping and made it halfway to the group before another howl sounded out, and the rest of the group fell screaming to the ground. I could see the prisoners at the very back slowly slide backwards, as the misty, bloody chains yanked them back toward their former captors.
Further back in the distance, I could see the largest wolf yet, one that put all previous ones to shame and who g
ave off a greater concentration of essence than even Elag had radiated.
Not-scared, little Nestor said to my mind as he clung to my clothing. Save-save!
Save-save, I agreed, realizing that the tiny lifemouse’s nature was rubbing off on me, and feeling the better for it.
We reached the group much faster than I had expected. My heart-crack was fueling my body with blood, and on a level far more beneficial than I had expected. I had to continue growing, I decided, and I had to ensure I would grow ever more quickly. These benefits were too great, and too needed.
Nestor leaped from my shoulder as we reached the first of the chained innocents.
I-check! the little mouse sent to me as he raced for a bruised young woman desperately and uselessly struggling with the misty ropes around the little girl in her arms, choking as her own noose tightened over her throat. You-fix! Break-chains! Save-save!
I nodded in acknowledgment as I ran to the center of the group and began casting the mana spell I had learned from the cage-drake, the one that let me cancel out restricting Source energy. I felt my first wisp augment the spell, using my new understanding of the very nature of mana itself to empower my endeavor further.
Broken black chain links poured out of my palms and fluttered over to every fleeing prisoner like a cloud of sharp-winged black butterflies. They looked as if they were going to slice the poor evacuees to pieces, but instead they tore through the bloody mist encircling the former prisoners, completely shredding the red bindings into nothingness.
Another, angrier howl sounded out, but this time none of the people were affected. They crawled back to their feet, rubbing their throats or soothing the crying children in their arms as they became able to walk and breathe again. Nestor flashed by every single one of them before landing back on my shoulder.
All-fine! he told me. Let’s-go! Save-save!
“This way!” I shouted as I pointed to the top of the rocky hill, in English first, then German, since those seemed like the most likely languages the two groups understood. But an old man in the middle nodded, and began running forward, urging the others to follow him to the elevated outcrop.
I was about to lead the way when I noticed that every single member of the medium-sized group was weaker than me. The closest one to my strength was a relatively healthy-looking woman at the second crack of the natal stage.
That made Nestor and I more useful as a rear guard, than as a guide to a hill they could all see without help.
I sighed and drew my new blade, as the wolf on the hill the tribe had fled from let out another howl. The beast gave me a hate-filled glance just before leaping downward and rushing toward me, the rest of his pack following him as they leaped out of hiding. Behind them was an army of red-painted practitioners, howling and brandishing stone axes and spears.
Their leader had crossed about half of the distance to me before a fist-thick beam of light blasted down from the sky and burned his head to ash.
The wolves behind him stumbled to a stop before more beams of light stabbed down and slaughtered them as well.
I looked upward to see a beautiful woman with tanned skin, golden hair, and glorious white-feathered wings glide down from the heavens, firing more beams of light from her club-like baton as she slowly and methodically incinerated the prisoner’s pursuers. By the time she had stopped firing, the practitioners and Sourcebeasts had given up the chase entirely, turning to flee back up the hill they had came. The woman drifted downward, flaring the giant wings on her back so that she could glide slowly to the ground next to me.
Vessa, I thought before correcting myself. No. Nova.
My childhood friend. The Beacon of the last Soulship. Displaying her winged Soulscape, in all of its shining, feathery glory.
“Hi, Jas,” the beautiful woman said as she landed lightly next to me, wings folding behind her back and vanishing. She looked proud, nervous, awkward, all at once. “Um, that was the secret I wanted to show you. What do you think?” she asked with a smile, apparently choosing to feel pleased with herself.
“Glorious,” I breathed, “beautiful. Powerful. Marvelous. All of those things and more.”
“Glad you like it then,” she said, smiling even wider with a sun-like mouth. “Sorry if I was a little vain about it.”
Oh, my, the old woman in my mind said. Young love...
I would prefer if you stayed out of that part of my mind, I said, distractedly rebuking my spiritual guest, but there was no heat in my voice. I was still adjusting to the fact that the woman I had grown up with and secretly longed for now had angelic wings inside her soul.
I’ll try my best dear, Elder Mara replied easily, but I was talking about her feelings, not yours.
That comment certainly had my attention, but Nova recaptured it with her next question.
“Are you okay, Jas?” Nova asked me, showing her concern. “I wanted to come sooner, but there were so many people to evacuate, and...” she trailed off, not knowing what else to say to me.
“I’m fine, Nova,” I assured her. “My emotions are a bit... raw, but things went better than I had feared. I’ll tell you more when we’re back on the ship.”
“Good,” she said in relief. “But we should probably get much farther away. The main bad guy is about to show up, and Vessa doesn’t want any collateral when she takes care of him. Can I give you a ride?”
“By all means,” I said with a smile of my own, finding that I felt no reservations at all about being escorted through the air by a beautiful winged woman. Elder Mara sighed to herself in amusement, but I ignored her.
“Okay,” Nova said as she ducked under my shoulder. “This will be a little tricky, since you’re a good bit taller than me now. Hold on...”
A powerful roar tore through the air, and I felt my essence-enhanced ears immediately adjust to cancel out the harmful portions of the sudden noise. It was still powerful enough to make Nova and I wince, however.
“Drat,” she said, “gotta hurry. Hold on tight.”
The valley lit up as her brilliant white wings reappeared, unfurling out like two glowing, feathery banners. I did my best to take hold of my friend in a way that would not restrict her ability to fly, while trying to make sure I did not grab onto anything else I probably wasn’t supposed to touch.
Elder Mara snorted again, and I began to have new reservations about carrying an observant, opinionated old woman around inside my soul.
Nova’s powerful new wings flapped, and we rose effortlessly into the air. Another roar sounded out in the distance behind us, much closer, and followed by heavy thuds on the ground. My friend flapped her wings again and propelled us through the air, as an irritable expression suddenly appeared on her face.
“I can’t believe it,” she muttered. “Vessa is changing her mind. She wants us to not be so far away when she finally kills the bloodbeast, so we can get a bit of its dying Source energy. Despite how huge and dangerous the thing still is. Why I would ever—I mean, why she would ever think that to be a good idea is beyond me.”
“Do it,” I commanded, before softening my voice. “I mean, do it please. We both need every scrap of Advancement we can grab.”
“Stop being right about things like this, Jas,” Nova grumbled, turning to glide back toward the noise anyway, wearing a betrayed expression on her face. “And you don’t have to take my side every time on this.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” I said in careful consternation. Nova frowned again, suddenly angry with herself.
“Blast it, I meant her side. You don’t always have to take her side when me and I—I mean, she and I fight.”
“Noted,” I replied, privately wondering how in the Hollow American Hells I was ever going to solve that issue.
Is she right in the head, dear? Elder Mara bothered to speak up, as if our conversation was some ancient film that she was watching between bites of overpriced theater popcorn.
Her particular situation is rather complicated, I chose to say
, as Nova swooped us through the air, putting away her war-baton so that she could hold me by crossing her arms across my chest. It is one of the reasons I have not bothered introducing you two yet.
That’s fine, dear, the old dragon replied. Just know I’m right here if you ever need any relationship advice.
I didn’t bother replying to her, choosing instead to enjoy the feeling of wind rushing against my face and Nova’s arms around me.
But the next bloodthirsty roar ruined the experience, as the largest Sourcebeast I had ever seen pulled his way into view from the opposing hillside.
I had expected the creature to resemble a bear based on Elag’s earlier words, so I had been prepared for his general shape. I had not, however, been prepared for the fact that the giant creature was the size of my old orphanage, a miniature mountain of bristling brown fur, slavering jaws, and claws and fangs both longer than my arms. To my spirit’s senses, the creature’s limbs trailed long red chains, most of them broken, but a dozen or so trailing off somewhere in the distance behind him. A spectral cape of red blood also hung off the monster’s back, but it was tattered and fraying more and more by the moment, with pieces of it tearing off and floating into the many red wounds adorning the monster’s body. As far as I could tell, the fragments were causing the giant Sourcebeast great pain every time they entered the wounds.
Serves him right, the wretched reprobate, Elder Mara growled in my mind. I would have harmed him even more, his poisonous claws be damned, if there were no captives to free and protect. I hope your master destroys every atom he owns.
If his remains can be of any use at all, I hope she does just the opposite, I retorted. Although I’d prefer to be much farther from him when that happens.
That’s a very good point, young rider, my spiritual passenger admitted. His madness is the result of his choices, not of any disease. His hide, meat, and everything else should be quite useful.
Soul Shelter Page 13
