by Aaron Hodges
So I’m still venomous, Liz thought wryly. It was good to know—although it didn’t explain why Ashley had been unaffected.
Hecate remained crouched on the ground, but now he slowly pulled himself to his feet. Concern marked his forehead as he looked at the woman.
“What…is happening to her?” he rumbled.
“She’ll be fine,” Liz replied. “Just give her a few minutes for the poison to wear off.”
“Poison?” Hecate repeated.
“Yeah, it packs a real bite,” Chris muttered as he joined them. Her stomach twisted as his hazel eyes found hers. “Liz…what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” she replied.
Chris swallowed visibly. Wisely though, he chose not to respond.
“Humanity must be…desperate…if they have sent you,” Hecate commented in a mocking tone.
Liz raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think we were sent?”
Laughing, Hecate only shook his head. He crouched beside the moaning Susan and lifted her into his arms. Leaning down, he kissed the red and purple mark left by Liz’s touch. The woman’s cries faded slightly, and she seemed to regain some of her composure.
“I know her…” Chris said as he stepped up beside Liz, “but she wasn’t one of the Chead who escaped with you.”
“No…” Hecate smiled. “We took her…from the facility. She chose…to join us.”
Liz blinked at the creature’s words as Chris paled, his eyes widening. “I do know her!” His jaw hardened and he pointed a trembling finger at the woman. “You’re the one who gave us the second injection! You told me it was antibiotics!”
Susan wriggled in Hecate’s arms, and the Chead hesitantly placed her back on her feet. A smirk twisted her pained face. “You are…truly gullible creatures.” She laughed. “At least I…have left that misery…behind.”
Liz looked from Hecate to Susan, struggling to catch up. She didn’t recognize the woman, but then, she had been unconscious at the time. Chris had mentioned the doctor who’d come to their cell after their fight with Hecate, though Liz had never seen her. But if Chris was right, this woman was the one responsible for giving them their wings. Even after all this time, Liz still wasn’t sure if that was a gift or a curse. Growing them had been the most painful thing she’d ever experienced. And now…now they marked them as outcasts, abominations, freaks.
Beside her, Chris was glaring at the woman, apparently lost for words. Smiling, Hecate stepped carefully between them. “It seems we have…much to discuss. Perhaps our kinds can…come to a resolution.” His eyes lingered on Liz as he spoke, and she found herself shivering.
“A resolution?” she asked quietly. “What kind of resolution?”
Hecate shrugged. “That is not…my decision to make.”
Chris frowned. “You aren’t in control here?”
Hecate’s laughter came again, its soft rasp slithering across the mountainside. He started towards the shadow of the canyon. His voice carried down to them as he glanced back. “Come…there is someone…you must meet.”
48
Chris watched as the two Chead disappeared into the shadows, then, steeling himself, he started after them. His body ached from the fight with Hecate, but he did his best to keep the pain from showing. He didn’t want the Chead to realize how much the fight had cost him. And, if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to seem weak in front of Liz.
The soft crunch of her footsteps came from behind him, but Chris didn’t glance back. His mind was still reeling from her sudden appearance. He couldn’t understand, couldn’t comprehend why she’d followed him. The sight of her dropping from the sky had given him such a shock he’d released Hecate.
Thinking of the Chead, he wrenched his thoughts back to the present. Ahead the shadows loomed. He could see the dark-haired Chead waiting for them there, the former doctor close beside him. When they was still a few steps away, Liz moved up beside him, her footsteps matching his own. Chris shivered as her hand brushed his and he found her eyes on him.
“Liz…” he croaked. The words died in this throat, but he forced himself to continue. “What are you doing here? It’s too dangerous.”
For the briefest of seconds, a smile twitched on her lips. Her hand caught Chris’s fingers and gave a soft squeeze. “Let’s just see what they have to say.” Her crystal eyes met Chris’s. “We can talk later.”
Before Chris could reply, her hand was gone and she was moving in front of him. Chris sucked in a breath and tried to still his racing heart. The gloom of the canyon swallowed them up.
Chris blinked, while ahead, Hecate continued over the hard ground. His vision slowly cleared, adjusting to the darkness. He clenched his jaw as, for the first time, he realized just what a mess he’d gotten them into.
Dozens of Chead lay sleeping around them, their soft snores echoing ominously from the towering cliffs. Swallowing, he edged his way between the sleeping bodies, following the retreating backs of Hecate, Liz and Susan.
Grey eyes flashed as Susan glanced back. He saw again the memory of her poised with a needle back in the facility. He could still recall the scene clear as day: Susan, young and nervous, eager to complete her task and flee their cell. Even at the time he’d been suspicious, but neither he nor Liz had been in any state to resist.
But it seemed that karma had found the young doctor in the end. Chris’s gaze switched to Hecate, and he shivered, wondering at the relationship between the two. It was clear Hecate cared for the woman, but from the way they walked close together, the shared glances and closeness between them, he suspected it went much deeper than that. The thought made him nauseous.
“You don’t remember giving us the injection?” Chris asked, momentarily forgetting where they were.
Liz flashed him an angry glance, nodding at the sleeping Chead, but Susan only shrugged.
“The Chead…has burned that foul creature away,” she replied. Her hand drifted out to take Hecate’s. “My mate…has shown me the way.”
Hecate growled his agreement and stroked Susan’s hair affectionately. Chris was suddenly reminded of the way the Director had treated him, as though he had been some pet to toy with. Even at the end, when she had taken him…
Bile rose in his throat and he pushed the memory back into the abyss.
Chris couldn’t help but think about the fire burning in the woman’s grey eyes. Remembering the demure woman from the facility, he wondered how her nature could have changed so unequivocally. The creature standing before him, draping herself over the towering figure of Hecate, could not have been more different from the terrified doctor she’d been.
Still, the transformation went some way to explaining the reports of the Chead taking villagers captive. Chris shuddered as he imagined the fate of those poor souls, to be stolen away by the Chead, forced to join them, to breed with the very creatures they’d spent their whole lives fearing.
Ahead, Chris’s keen eyes made out a darker patch on the cliff-face. Hecate and Susan headed towards the cave, though they needed to half-climb, half-scramble up a steep slope to reach it. Shaking his head, Chris bounded into the air, his wings beating quietly in the darkness. Liz followed him, and together they settled down at the top of the slope. Smiling lazily, they watched Hecate and Susan finish their climb.
The two Chead said nothing as they pushed past, and chuckling to himself, Chris followed after them. Inside, the gloom deepened, but Hecate and Susan pressed on as though a thousand candles lit their way. Chris and Liz stumbled the first few feet, still waiting for their eyes to adjust. When things finally came into focus, they found themselves in a narrow tunnel, its ceiling and floor marked by the thin slivers of stalactites and stalagmites.
Weaving their way along the corridor, Chris wondered where Hecate was leading them, who they were supposed to be meeting.
Finally, the soft glow of candles appeared in the darkness ahead. Chris squinted at the flickering light. A Chead stepped forward to bar Hec
ate’s path. Whispers, barely audible, passed between them, and the newcomer disappeared again.
“She comes,” Hecate said, turning to face them. “The journey has been long…and her strength is not…what it was. She is sleeping.”
“Who’s sleeping?” Liz asked.
Hecate only smiled and turned away. Across the cave, movement came from an adjoining tunnel as a woman stepped into the cavern. Striding past the candles, she took a seat on a small boulder.
Chris shuddered as the woman’s milky white eyes traveled around the cave. Grey hair tumbled down her shoulders. Her face was wrinkled with age, the skin hanging in folds from her cheeks. Her shoulders were twisted and shrunken, her muscles shriveled. Yet there was a wordless strength in those white eyes, and Chris found himself unable to look away.
“Talisa…I have brought…guests,” Hecate whispered.
“You have.” The ancient Chead’s voice echoed through the cave. Her milky eyes never left them. “Step into the light, my children.”
Chris found his legs obeying without thought. “Who are you?”
The woman did not answer, only sat studying him, her cold eyes taking in his half-folded wings and muscular shoulders. Only when her gaze flicked to his side, and he saw at the empty space beside him, did Chris realize Liz had not moved.
“And you, my child?” the ancient Chead questioned.
Hesitantly, Liz stepped into the light. Her blue eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Talisa. Fists clenched, a shiver went through her, and the wings half-lifted from her back. Her face was pale, and she looked ready to flee, as though a terrible fear had gripped her. A low moan came from her throat. Her eyes never left the ancient Chead.
“Mom?” Liz whispered.
49
Sam groaned as he shifted on the rocky ground, cursing as a new stone dug into his backside. Across the fire, Ashley giggled. He shot her a scowl. Giving up on finding a comfortable spot, he stood and walked around the fire. Flashing Ashley a grin, he attempted to sit in her lap.
“Hey!” she squealed, scrambling out of the way.
Laughing, Sam quickly stole her spot.
“Oy!” Ashley shrieked, clambering to her feet. “I’d just finished brushing away the stones!”
Wriggling his bottom, Sam nodded appreciatively. “You did a good job.” He laughed as her eyes flashed, and quickly opened his arms. “Come here, I’m more comfortable anyway.”
She kept up her scowl for a moment longer, and then promptly folded her wings and settled in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled in close to his chest. Her hair dangled beneath his nose, the smell of dust and smoke mingling with the familiar scent of the girl he loved.
“How long did Chris and Liz say they’d been in the mountains for?” Ashley mumbled into his shirt.
Sam chuckled. “A week?”
“Don’t know how they survived.”
Feeling the rumble of Ashley’s stomach against his chest, Sam laughed again. He reached out and turned the stick they’d propped up over the fire. A skinny rabbit was slowly browning in the flames.
“It’ll be ready soon,” he murmured.
Like Ashley, Sam had never spent much time in the outdoors. Once upon a time, his father had liked to take him camping. But with the price of living in Seattle spiraling out of control, his parents had soon found themselves too busy working for weekends away. The only skill he remembered nowadays was how to navigate using Orion’s Belt.
“Poor little conejo,” Ashley whispered. “Hope he’s tasty.”
As Sam stroked her hair, he smiled. Ashley was the one who’d caught the poor thing. After two days without food, she’d spotted the rabbit mid-flight, and had been on it in seconds. The little critter had never stood a chance against the starving girl. “Since when do you speak Spanish?”
Ashley flashed him a youthful grin. Sam loved these quiet moments with her, away from the rush of the world, from the pressures of life. Only when they were alone did Ashley drop her guard, becoming the sweet-hearted girl that lurked beneath her tough façade. He liked the Ashley who could stop a Chead with nothing more than a glare, but this was the part of her he loved most.
“That was the name of my pet rabbit growing up,” she mumbled. “We didn’t eat him, but if he was here now, I would. We should have brought food.”
“Probably, but who would have carried it?” Sam asked.
She nudged him in the ribs. “Thought that was why I brought you along.”
“Is that so?” Grinning, he slid his hand up her hip and squeezed her side. Ashley yelped and tried to spring away, but with his arms encircling her, there was no escape. She burst into laughter as he tickled her, until a wild beat of her wings flung them both into the air. They landed together in a pile of tangled limbs and feathers.
“Never do that again!” Ashley panted as she picked herself up from the dirt.
Sam laughed. “Never.”
Pointing her finger, Ashley took a step towards him. “I swear to God, Samuel.”
Sam raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay.” He grinned. “You win!”
“That’s better.” Turning on her heel, she marched back to the fire.
Crouching, she inspected the rabbit, then picked up the branch on which it was impaled. Returning to her spot on the dusty ground, she sat and started tearing at the meat with her teeth.
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Going to leave some for me?”
Ashley paused, looking him up and down before returning to her meal. A long strip of meat tore away and disappeared into her mouth. She chewed slowly, looking at him thoughtfully. “You’ll be lucky,” she muttered between bites.
“Oh yeah?” Quick as thought, Sam snatched the rabbit from her hands and sank his teeth into the hot flesh.
Yelping, Ashley leapt after him, and they went down in a heap again. Sam rolled, pinning her with his weight as he held the rabbit up out of reach.
“Truce?” he said.
Her amber eyes stared up at him, drawing him in. He shook his head, breaking the spell, and she pouted. “You know I could throw you off if I wanted,” she muttered.
“Okay, Supergirl.” Smiling, he released her and held out his empty hand. “Truce?” he repeated.
Rolling her eyes, Ashley took his hand, and they settled back down beside the fire. Sharing the skinny rabbit, they fell into a comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts.
“Do you really think they’ll change?” Ashley asked eventually, a piece of greasy meat held precariously between two fingers.
“Who?” Sam replied, staring into the fire.
“People,” Ashley murmured. “With everything that’s happened, do you think…they’ll ever accept us?”
“I don’t know…” Sam answered. “I think maybe they have different expectations than we do.”
“Expectations?” Ashley put her head on his shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“I just mean…well, they think things will go back to normal, don’t they? Back to the old days, before the Chead or people with wings ever existed.”
Ashley fell silent at that. Finally, she shrugged. “I don’t know about the Chead, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Sam tightened his hand on her shoulder. “Neither am I.”
“Then I guess they’re stuck with us.”
“Guess so…” Sam murmured. “Have you smelled them, the Chead?”
Ashley nodded. “Now that we’re away from the city, I can. They’re…everywhere.”
“I don’t think anyone realizes just how many are out here,” Sam said, lips pursed. “Or that they’re…sentient. Harry wants to kill them all, once he has things under control in San Francisco.”
“Genocide,” Ashley said softly. “That’s what they want, isn’t it? You’re afraid we’ll be caught up in it too.”
“Maybe. Maybe I just don’t like the idea of exterminating an entire species. It’s not their fault, the deaths they’ve caused. The gove
rnment was using them, just like they used us.”
“They’re dangerous, Sam. You know that as well as anyone.”
“So are tigers, but we don’t go around trying to murder all of them. At least, not anymore.”
Ashley sat up. “You really think it’s the same?” She frowned, uncertain. “Yes, they’re sentient, but look what they’ve done with it! Driving people from their homes, slaughtering entire towns. We can’t just let them keep doing it.”
“Of course not,” Sam replied. “You’re right, they have to be stopped. But…I guess what I’m saying is, does that necessarily mean they have to be exterminated? What if that very fear is what’s driving them? What if they’re only attacking us because they’re afraid we’ll do the same?”
A long silence stretched out as Ashley rested her head against Sam’s shoulder again. She picked at the bones of her rabbit, pulling the last tendrils of meat from the carcass. “I don’t know…” she said, “but, I guess they’re a worry for another day. It’s the President we should be concentrating on.”
“Of course.” Sam smiled, pulling Ashley closer. The fire had died to embers now, but Ashley’s eyes still gleamed in the light of the stars. “When we get that far.”
He pressed his lips to hers. A soft “oh" whispered up from the back of Ashley’s throat, and then she was kissing him back, her arms going around his waist, her body pressing against his. He gasped as her fingers twisted in his long hair, pushing him down.
Together they fell back on the hard ground, limbs entwined. Dust rose around them as they rolled, tongues dancing, hands tearing at each other’s clothes. Ashley gasped as the buttons of her shirt popped open. Sam broke off their kiss, his mouth moving to her neck. She moaned as he nibbled at her flesh. His hands drifted across her naked skin, touching, tickling, feeling the heat in her skin, the racing of her heart.
