Elei's Chronicles (Books 1-3) (75 page)

“Clear?” Hera came to join him, longgun pointed up.

Although he couldn’t see a camera, that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. Giving one last look around, he started back toward their watercar. His foot dragged across the floor, and his Rasmus weighed a ton. He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to clear the haze. No food, no water, no sleep...

I can do this
. He holstered the Rasmus and stumbled to the watercar ladder, his leg wobbling. Rex was weakening. Hopefully
telmion
wouldn’t flare yet.
So close now, almost at the end
.

A loud voice from the watercar, raised and high-pitched; angry. A clatter. A shout. What in the hells?

He ran, a stumbling lope, before he registered that he’d heard Kalaes’ voice. Kalaes was awake.

Elei climbed the ladder and burst into the cabin. The scene in front of him didn’t make sense. He braced himself against the wall.

Kalaes stood at the other end, head bowed, eyes glittering under his tangled black hair, pointing a longgun at Alendra. Sacmis had an arm across Alendra’s chest in a protective gesture.

Protective
. Kalaes was going to shoot Alendra. He was going to... What in the five hells, had he lost his mind?

Elei took a step forward, only to find Kalaes’ gun trained on him. “What are you doing?” His pulse roared in his ears. “Put the gun down.”

“Stay back, Elei,” Sacmis said, her voice tight. “Maybe he does not recognize—”

“I can’t see,” Kalaes pushed the words through clenched teeth. “I just can’t... Elei, is that you, fe?”

“Yes.” Elei raised a hand. “Calm down—”

“There’re colors everywhere.” The gun wavered in Kalaes’ hand. “What in the hells is happening to me?”

Rex
.

The gun came up again, and Kalaes drew a sharp breath, eyes narrowing. Elei’s hand twitched at the holster of his Rasmus, then he realized the longgun wasn’t even trained on him but somewhere to his left. He turned around, slowly.

Hera
. She had her longgun aimed at Kalaes, her lips peeled back, her hair coming out of the twist at her nape.

“A demon of the deep,” Kalaes whispered, his voice thin and horrified. “She has claws, fe. Get out of the damn way!”

Rex, meet Regina
. He forced himself to move between them, when Hera lifted her gun.
Oh, shit
.

“Hera, don’t you dare shoot.” Elei wondered if he should drop his gun and raise his hands.

“Then control him,” Hera said through gritted teeth.

“Kal,” Elei turned to him, “calm down. It’s Rex. That’s why you see what you see.”

“What in the hells are you talking about?” Kalaes muttered.

“Elei infected you with Rex,” Sacmis said, stepping in front of Elei, ignoring his attempts to shove her away. “You were sick.”

Kalaes turned the gun on her. “Step aside.”

“No. I will not let you shoot Hera.” Sacmis planted her fists on her hips, sweetness wafting from her body, invading Elei’s jumbled senses.

Elei tried to push her, but she seemed rooted there. Snakes slithered on her arms and legs, insects darted between her blond locks, skittered down her back. His hand closed around the handle of his gun.

“Get away from her, Kalaes,” Hera growled, sidestepping them both and inserting herself between Kalaes and Sacmis. “You will not touch a hair on her head, do you hear? Or you deal with me.”

Sacmis stumbled aside. “Hera?”

“That’s Hera?” Kalaes swallowed. “You’re pissing kidding me, aren’t you? Screwing with me.” His gun was in Hera’s face, his finger trembling on the trigger. He kept squinting his right eye. “Why can’t I see properly?”

“Kal, put down the gun,” Elei said. “What you’re seeing isn’t real. I told you, it’s Rex’s doing. I’ll explain, just don’t shoot anyone.”

Alendra tugged Elei’s sleeve. “Come away. What if his gun goes off?”

“Rex needs some getting used to,” Elei muttered, disengaging her fingers from his hoodie. “Kalaes won’t shoot us. I’m sure he won’t.”

“How can you be sure?” Hera snapped. “You can hardly control it half of the time, and even I have trouble with Regina.”

“Hey.” Kalaes edged back but didn’t lower his gun. “I’m right here, okay? I may be half-blind, but I’m not deaf, so you may as well talk to me and pissing explain what Rex has to do with this.” He waved the gun, and all of them ducked. “Elei, come here.”

“No,” Alendra whispered. “Don’t.”

Elei moved around Hera to face Kalaes. Up close, he saw the infected eye, a startling blue. “I’m here.”

Kalaes reached out and gripped his forearm. “That you, fe? You’re just a blob of red and yellow, dammit.”

“Kal, listen to me,” Elei said. “You were sick with
palantin
. You were dying. Do you remember?”

The gun descended until it pointed to the floor, but Kalaes didn’t release him. “Yeah. Is this...” He licked his chapped lips. “I don’t know, the underworld or something? Am I dead?”

Well, technically, it was the underworld. But... “No, you’re not. You’re...”
Tainted
.
Possessed
. “You’re fine. What I—”

“He infected you with Rex to save your life,” Hera snapped. 

Above his pounding heartbeat, Elei could just about hear Kalaes’ panting breaths, the watercar engine wheezing behind him. He smelled Rex on Kalaes — peppery and dry.

The gun slid out of Kalaes’ hand and thunked to the floor.

Elei twitched, expecting a wild shot, but nothing happened. “Kal, I’m sorry, I could see no other way. You were burning with fever and we couldn’t bring it down, and—”

“He’s right.” Alendra stood next to Elei. “Rex is the reason you’re alive.”

Kalaes lifted his hands as if to shut them up. “Is this... infrared vision, is that it?”

“Yeah,” Elei said, so low he barely heard it himself. Regret curdled in his stomach.

“Hells.” Kalaes retreated until his back pressed against the wall. He slid down and let his head fall back. “Oh, shit.” He didn’t look angry, only... shocked, his lips moving soundlessly, pale like paper, the three black lines of his tattoo startling against his cheek.

Elei crouched by his side and planted a hand on his shoulder. “Take deep breaths. The colors will fade and Hera will look normal again.”

Kalaes blinked slowly, then slid his gaze sideways to Elei. “All right then, I’ll...” His voice sounded strangled. Sweat beaded on his forehead. “I’ll calm down, just give me a minute. What... where are we?”

“Dakru. Deep underground. We’ll need to go as soon as possible. Do you think you can walk?”

He nodded, then bent his head and groaned. “Gods. You live like this, with these pissing colors jumping at you all the time? How do you do it and not go batshit?”

Elei shrugged. “Who says I’m not?”

“Very funny.” Kalaes fisted a hand in his hair. “No wonder you don’t talk much. Feels like there’s a damn sledgehammer pounding at the back of my eye.”

Elei ducked his head. “You get used to it. Sorry for—”

“Don’t you dare apologize for saving my life, fe.” Kalaes reached up and squeezed Elei’s arm. “If you can live with the damn parasite, then so can I. I’ll learn how to control the son of a bitch.” He looked up, his jaw working, and nodded at Hera. “Stop pointing that gun at me. I won’t shoot you, or your girlfriend, so relax.”

Hera pressed her lips together, lowered her longgun and holstered it. “Good to know.”

“What about me?” Alendra said, lips tilted in a smile.

“Ale...” Kalaes slumped back. “Shit, sorry for all this. Come here.” He smiled at her, then tugged on Elei’s arm. “Help me up, will you, fe?”

It took both him and Alendra to lift him to his feet and keep him upright. Still, he was standing and walking, and that was already more than Elei had hoped for.

Hera retrieved the longgun and passed it to Sacmis. “Time to get going.”

Neither of the Gultur offered to help with Kalaes, giving him space. They led their small group out of the vehicle to the other end of the hangar, where Hera proceeded to open the sliding doors.

Cat meowed and sprang through them, vanishing into the gloom.

They stood at the beginning of a dark tunnel, a cold breath of air ruffling Elei’s hair and slicing through his clothes. Kalaes’ shirt was soaked with sweat, and he shuddered as another gust of wind soared through the passage.

“Which way?” He adjusted Kalaes’ arm over his shoulders, and glanced at Alendra to make sure she could handle the weight. She offered a quick smile. Her lips were cracked, her small face drawn with exhaustion, and even like this he wanted to kiss her.

The faint outline of the corridor swam in his eyes.

“This way,” Hera said, and a spark of hope flared.

Hera would find a way out.

She usually did.

Chapter Twenty-One

S
acmis walked
ahead, her longgun held in both hands, boots thumping lightly on the ground.

“Wait up,” Hera said, hurrying to catch up, but Sacmis did not slow. “Is everything all right?”

“All right?” Sacmis snorted. “You have nerve, asking that question,
hatha
, after you treated me like a traitor so many times. How could anything be all right?”

Sobek
. “But I thought—”

Sacmis spun around. “You thought what? That you can treat me like crap and I’ll just stick around because I love you so much?” She shook her head and turned away, started walking again. “I do not need this.”

Hera’s pulse rose in her throat. “Sacmis, wait. You have to understand. Things were complicated.”

“Do not think that stepping in to take a bullet for me makes it all right,” Sacmis said, striding so fast Hera had to jog to keep up. “It is not enough.”

“I suppose not,” Hera said. She had stepped in front of the gun for a reason, and she would do it again. She could only hope it was not too late. “Sacmis, we need to talk.”

“We are talking.”

Hera halted. “You were right.”

Sacmis finally stopped. She gave Hera a long look over her shoulder. “And?”

“And...” Hera swallowed. “Part of it was Regina. But part of it was me and I have no valid excuses. I’m sorry. It will not happen again. I trust you.”

Sacmis’ lips pressed together, then parted and tilted in a smile. It was breathtaking. “You do?”

“With all my heart.”

***

They walked for hours —or days or weeks, for all Elei knew — through dim, winding corridors that stank of rot and black mold. Reality stretched like the bulging skin of a nightmare, expanding and contracting, constantly changing.

Kalaes’ arm hung heavy over his shoulders, dragging him down. Alendra had stumbled some minutes back and he’d had to brace all three of them. His left knee felt wrenched.

Who cared? The main thing was they were all still standing. Although the way Kalaes listed, his face gray, standing wouldn’t be an option for much longer. There was only so much Rex could do without rest and food.

Cat trotted alongside. If Cat was there, Elei thought, they were going the right way. Crap logic, but his fuzzy mind liked it nonetheless. Anything to keep him going.

Hera crossed his path and he almost crashed into her. She gestured with her longgun toward Sacmis, who stood half-swallowed by darkness, flicking glances back and forth. Guarding them.

“What is it?” His throat felt raw like an open wound. His tongue was thick in his mouth, twisting the words.

“We’re there. It’s around the corner. Keep your eyes open, all right?”

He gave a small nod, tried to secure Kalaes’ limp arm over his numb shoulders. Was this what eternity felt like? Was that why the gods didn’t give a damn about anyone else anymore — too exhausted to pay attention?

And they were moving once more, Hera taking point, striding confidently and not the least wobbly, damn her, along the curve of the tunnel, then vanishing around the bend.

One step, one foot in front of the other, eyes glued to the smooth floor, not even caring if someone jumped them from the shadows, not able to care. Harsh breaths — his own, Kalaes’, Alendra’s, mingling in a cacophony that brought back memories of pain and fear, and he gritted his teeth, trying to blot it out, but it was inside his head, echoing in his skull. The corridor spiraled into darkness, heaved and pitched, and he wasn’t sure anymore if he supported Kalaes or if Kalaes supported him.

Then hands gripped his arms and he tried to fight, his movements slow and all wrong.

“I’ve got him,” Sacmis said, “stop pushing me,” and a weight lifted. He stumbled to the side, fetching against a wall.

Sacmis and Hera held Kalaes between them. A faint sound to his right made him jump. But it was only Alendra, sliding to her knees, eyes closed.

“Ale.” He staggered over to her, pulled her to her feet. Her slight frame trembled in his arms. “We need to go.”

They followed the others through a door which whirred closed after them, and into a domed hall lit with flickering lights. He looked up and his steps faltered.

Holy shit
. Huge machines, big like beacon towers, stacked neatly in rows.
War machines
.

When Hera had mentioned a cache of weapons, he’d thought of guns and bullets, maybe cannons.
Not this. Gods, not this, and yet...

Horrified, terrified, in awe, he moved closer, dragging Alendra along. This was surely much better, this... could win a war.

Hera was waving at them, gesturing at something. She’d set Kalaes down by one of the huge wheels.

“Wait here,” she said as soon as he and Alendra reached them. “Sacmis and I will check if there’s an elevator.”

Kalaes lifted his head, his possessed blue eye gleaming. One corner of his lips lifted. “Don’t worry, fe, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I did not think you would.” Hera’s dark eyes narrowed. “You look like shit.”

“Compliments will get you nowhere,” Kalaes growled. “Just go already. The sooner we get out of his hellhole the better.”

“Manners.” Hera cocked her head, long hair curtaining her face, as she checked the ammo in her gun. “Did you say mortal girls like you?”

“I’ll have you know,” Kalaes murmured, leaning back and closing his eyes, dark smudges under them, “girls think I’m quite charming.”

Cat sauntered over and rubbed his face on Kalaes’ thigh. Elei stared.
Oh right
. Rex approved, apparently.
Another one of us
.

Elei sank down next to Kalaes, Alendra sighing softly as she curled up at his side. “Did you know about this, Hera?” He waved a hand vaguely. “About the machines?”

She tapped the barrel of her gun, eyes going narrow and thoughtful. “No, but now I wonder what kind of weapons all those caches marked on the map may hold.”

A frightening thought. Whoever held so much power in their hands could do anything. “Hera.” He tried to lick his lips but his mouth was too dry. “Will you tell them about the caches? About all that’s on the map?”

Hera stood there, a graceful shadow, her gun pointing to the domed ceiling. Behind her the enormous machines stretched and rose like a wakening storm. “I do not know yet,” she whispered. “You’re right, maybe...” She shook her head. “Maybe nobody should have them.” She clucked her tongue. “First things first. Let’s end this war. You have my word I’ll consult with you before I do anything.”

She would? Elei shook his head. It felt strangely light, as if it wasn’t connected to his body at all. Was his opinion really important to her?

Family
. There were many side effects to having one, apparently, and smiling while fighting off tears was one of them.

Not that he complained.

***

The elevator spat and sputtered, but the doors cranked closed and the cables overhead groaned as it started to move. Cat had taken his customary place on Elei’s shoulder, claws digging into his flesh. The small, sharp pain kept him focused. He glanced at the faces around him, ghostly in the bluish lights on the elevator ceiling. They all looked dazed, gazes blank, cheeks hollow and cheekbones prominent. Sick and exhausted.

He’d dozed earlier, propped against a frigging war machine, while waiting for Hera and Sacmis to return, but his vision remained blurry and his head was unbearably heavy as they went up.

And after we reach the surface? Then what?

The question lingered on the tip of his tongue like bitter candy. He dared not ask, didn’t want to know, didn’t know what he could do with the knowledge. Didn’t know if he could keep walking. All he wanted to do was lie down and go back to sleep.

Alendra jostled him, then gave him a sheepish look, and he didn’t know if she’d done it on purpose to keep him awake or if she’d been falling asleep herself.

Cat kneaded his claws energetically into Elei’s flesh, and he shook his head to clear it.

The ride up wasn’t so long this time — unless he’d lost track of time, which was quite possible. The elevator shrieked to a shaky halt, throwing them one against the other and finally in a jumble on the floor. Cat hissed but never budged from Elei’s shoulder, tail held up rigidly like a flag of doom.

The doors ground open, the sound making Elei’s teeth ache, and they crawled out into another dim tunnel. Another pissing tunnel with those damn fungi lighting it at intervals, hanging like lit bulbs.

Hera scrambled upright, pulling Sacmis with her, holding her a moment longer than necessary, and Elei didn’t miss the grin breaking out on the blond Gultur’s face. It sent a pang through him, a sweetness like honey in his mouth, but when he licked his lips again, they tasted of grit and dust.

When Hera pulled at his arm, he struggled to get up. Sacmis already had her arms full with Kalaes and Alendra, hauling them out.

“The exit?” he managed, each word coughed up like a rusty nail.

“This way.” Hera dragged him unceremoniously out of the elevator, drew his gun and pushed it into his hand. “I’ll take Kalaes. Sacmis will help Alendra. I trust you to walk on your own.”

Always expecting him to keep going, as if he were superhuman, like one of her race. One of her own.

He nodded, gripped the gun in hands that couldn’t quite grip and took a stumbling step, his leg rickety like an old ladder. Sharp pain went through it when he put weight on it. Old wounds come back to life.

But he kept on, stumbling after the others, because what else was there to do but go on. He almost laughed when they reached a ladder, except it wasn’t funny. The exit was right there.
Up
there in fact, and he wasn’t sure he’d make it.

Nevertheless he followed, hanging back a little so that Hera wouldn’t kick him in the face. Cat pawed at his arm, purring, and his knee buckled once and again, an instinctive grab for the next rung of the ladder saving him each time. His heart jack-hammered in his chest, in his throat.

He made a grab for the next fuzzy rung and missed, gasped and tried again, fingers slamming against the ladder. He curled them, found the rail and grasped it.

Hells
.

“Everything okay?” Hera called from above, and he nodded. He pressed his brow to the cool metal and took a deep breath.

He climbed higher, grasping at rungs that seemed to sway and vibrate, to separate into cables, to dance back and forth. The snakeskin on his cheek itched, and maybe it was spreading but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Higher and higher, splinters of pain in his thigh, spikes in his knee, his head throbbing. Darkness, punctuated with red fungi, their phosphorescence strobing and swirling until he had to close his eyes and swallow nausea, and more darkness, thick and pulsing like warm blood.

And then a flood of dazzling light.

***

“Here, take my hand,” Hera said.

Elei gave up trying to clear his watering eyes and grabbed for it blindly. He was yanked up so hard he lost his footing and slammed against the ladder. But then another hand grabbed his wrist and hauled him through a circular opening into the light.

Daylight. He flopped on cold earth, his legs still dangling inside. The air smelled of water.
We’re outside
.

His mind sparkled and spun. He never thought he’d be so glad to see the surface of frigging Dakru again. He hooked a leg over the edge, pulled himself out and lay face down in the dirt. It’d never smelled so sweet. His fingers dug into soft soil.

Not a street. Not a city
.

He sat up. Cultivated green fields, a blue algae pond, and scattered houses. A flock of pigeons took to the sky, black specks against a morning sky white with haze.