The Last of the Ageless (48 page)

The red-haired woman let out a low growl, though she wasn’t in her cat form.

“How’s your arm?” Dalan whispered.

Nyr hid her dark and swollen forearm behind her back. “Don’t worry about that right now. You’re going to eat something and rest so we can be ready for whatever happens tomorrow.”

The Joey brought a sack over to him, but the boy’s eyes closed.

“Don’t make us force-feed you,” Nyr warned.

As his companions crowded around, Korreth felt a twinge in his chest. He would never stop envying the sheer power Dalan lived with every day. But even the powerful Changeling had been bested by the cyborg.

“The grasslands aren’t far, and we’ve plenty of daylight left,” Soledad said. “Perhaps we should keep going before making camp.”

The Joey broke some limbs off the scraggly trees nearby. “It’s not wise to move him.”

To Korreth’s surprise, instead of arguing or ordering him and Jorrim to continue on, Soledad dismounted. Jorrim did the same. Korreth took all the horses’ reins and tied them to a few desert trees, though he knew it wouldn’t help if the horses decided to bolt. The Joey was carefully placing dried tinder underneath the larger limbs.

“What are you doing?” Jorrim asked. “We’ll be spotted that way.”

“It’s not a concern,” the man who’d been riding on Dalan’s back said. “I think it’s time we make some introductions, though of course I already know who all of you are.”

He made a slight bow. “My name is Caetl. The Ageless man who lives back there—” he gestured at the village they’d fled, “—known as the Wizard, promised to help me remove this talisman from around my neck, but instead he tricked these people into putting on others.”

Caetl gestured at the boy and his companions as he continued, “I... am a mystic. I’ll spot any potential intruders long before they stumble across us. Yes, I already know who you are, but for the sake of my friends here, please tell us about yourselves.”

Korreth felt his eyebrows shoot up at the man’s words. He’d thought mystics were a myth.

“Most people do,” the mystic said, winking at him. “Why don’t you start, Korreth?”

He blinked and coughed. “I am Korreth, Purebreed of the Zhouri Tribe, originally. Jorrim and I were slaves to Changelings who are training an army. We escaped, and became slaves of Soledad.” With his back to her, he didn’t see her reaction.

Jorrim crossed his arms, and Nyr tried to do the same. Then she remembered her purpled wrist and cradled it against her chest. They glared at each other across the campfire.

The Joey spoke up, “It is my misfortune to be Ti’rros, an exile from my people. It has become my duty to assist Dalan in finding his way home, in return for saving my pathetic life twice.”

Jorrim’s expression changed to surprise at the Joey’s words. He scuffed his boot on the dusty drylands earth. “Name’s Jorrim, a Purebred soldier from Rozle. Same story as Korreth, but it’s more accurate to say Soledad tricked us into becoming her slaves. Perhaps as you were once tricked, mystic?”

The mystic’s mouth twitched, but he motioned for them to continue. Before anyone else said anything, a large green dragonfly swooped over the fire and landed next to Dalan. “Ah, yes, and that’s Saquey, Dalan’s dragonfly.”

Jorrim raised an eyebrow at Soledad, who shifted to a middle age. Not the age she picked when trying to be authoritative, Korreth noticed, but a bit younger. “I’ve taken to being called Soledad. Changeling, as you know. Although I am Ageless, I don’t condone any of my fellows’ actions of late.”

“Aren’t we all just a bunch of worthless exiles?” The slitted pupils of her eyes focused on each of them in turn. “I’m Nyr, also a Changeling. I was a proud member of the Tiger Clan, part of the Hellsworth Tribe. Until you brought a whole tribe of angry Purebreeds down on us.”

Jorrim cracked his knuckles. “Oh, of course
your
people were the victims.”

Nyr closed the distance between them. “Do go on.” Her cat’s eyes glittered, her pupils rounding into circles.

“Jorrim—” Korreth warned.

“Those people were only trying to get justice for your crimes in Mapleton. So tell me,” Jorrim’s nostrils flared, “why didn’t you stay behind to help your clan slaughter all those innocent Purebreeds? Maybe you’re just a cowa—”

Nyr feinted at his face with her bad hand and then punched him in the gut, the weight of her forward momentum behind her furred fist. Korreth hadn’t even seen her change into her feline form. Jorrim doubled over, and then tried to headbutt her.

Korreth rushed to try to stop them somehow, but Jorrim’s head seemed to bounce off an invisible shield. Landing on his rear on the hard earth, Jorrim wheezed, trying to draw breath. A pink glow lit Nyr’s torso and face.

Korreth grabbed her bad arm above the elbow. “I thought we were on the same side!”

Nyr whipped her good arm toward Jorrim, her claws right above his beaded necklace. He stared up at her, his blue eyes wide.

Don’t move a muscle,
a voice said in Korreth’s mind.
She won’t kill him.

“Listen to me, fool.” Nyr paused, as though waiting for Jorrim to speak. “I want you to remember this moment. I could have killed you.”

She stepped back and rolled her shoulders, letting the fur, claws, and pointed ears fade back into her human form. Turning her back on Jorrim, she narrowed her eyes at the mystic. Korreth imagined Caetl must have planted a thought in Nyr’s head, forcing her to let Jorrim live—a chilling idea.

I can’t really do that,
a voice said in his mind.
But I did tell her not to kill him.

Korreth closed his eyes, trying to imagine his words floating to the mystic across the fire.
And she listened to you?

Ah, my friend!
Caetl’s mental voice sounded pleased.
You’re a natural. I’ve been having trouble concentrating on one mind lately… But you’re right. She only listened because I told her Dalan wouldn’t want her to do it.

Are they—

No. But for some reason, she’s started to admire his integrity. And perhaps his sheer unwillingness to kill, despite his capacity for violence.

Korreth stashed that tidbit of information away—it might come in handy in the future. Jorrim dusted himself off, his cheeks flushed.

Like Nyr, Soledad also stared at Caetl. Korreth wondered if she wished she’d taken Changelings as slaves after all. Ti’rros worked near the fire, completely unconcerned by, or at least uninterested in, the outcome of the fight.

Caetl unsheathed a knife and kneeled down beside Ti’rros to help her prepare the food as daylight waned. “There’s one other thing you should know about us.”

He squeezed his eyes closed and rubbed his head as though having a headache. “With these necklaces, we’re practically under control of the Wizard back there. He can’t force us to do things like Soledad can to you, but he knows how to make it worth our while not to disobey him. And right now, Zen is in the Wizard’s hut. Just talking… for now.”

“So take them off,” Jorrim said.

Nyr’s wild look made him take a step back. “Fool. If we could, don’t you think we would have?”

Soledad ignored them. “If Zen kills Liang and takes control of his technology, you’ll be under his control. You must help us fight him.”

Caetl looked at the sleeping transmelder on the ground. “Dalan is the exception. As you can see, he’s found a way to thwart the Wizard, or Liang, as you call him. He can’t seem to control Dalan in any way or see his thoughts. Even while unconscious, the boy’s impervious so long as he remains transmelded.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Nyr collapsed, landing on her side on the hard drylands earth.

Caetl and Soledad kneeled beside her. They both ran their hands up and down the feline’s body, searching for any wounds.

“Exhaustion?” Korreth wondered.

The Joey shook her head, causing the tendrils atop her head to wave. “She lectured Dalan on his state of wellbeing. It is doubtful…”

Nyr’s eyes rolled back in her head, and Korreth noticed a smear of dark blood near where she’d fallen.

“No, no, that’s not it,” Caetl said when Soledad pointed at the feline’s broken forearm. He pulled his bloody hands away from Nyr’s knee. Soledad didn’t hesitate to pull Nyr’s leggings down.

Korreth turned away, as did Jorrim. Ti’rros had gone back to tending the fire. She added what looked like brown tubers to the boiling water.

Nyr let out a yelp. “What are you doing!?”

“We need to see what’s wrong, Nyr.” Caetl’s voice was warm and reassuring.

“Korreth, Jorrim, get us some bandages,” Soledad ordered. They both snapped into motion at her words and dug through the pack Kaia had given them for Jorrim’s wounds.

From behind, Korreth heard Soledad say, “You, put pressure on this.”

“Me?” Caetl’s voice sounded strangled.

“Do it, mystic,” Soledad shouted.

“She’ll kill me.”

Korreth brought the medical supplies over. Caetl put pressure on the leg while Nyr looked around in a daze. Blood covered the mystic’s hands.

Soledad reached for the rags and bandages. “Hold her down, Korreth.”

Korreth pinned Nyr’s upper arms to the ground from the side, unwilling to risk hurting her bad forearm or exposing himself to her claws if she changed into a feline again. Soledad took some of the water the Joey had boiled over the fire and began cleaning the wound, making Nyr wince. When Soledad pushed a grayish cylinder into the wound, Nyr thrashed around, screaming.

Korreth gasped as soft fur sprouted from between his fingers. Nyr gnashed her small fangs at him, and he moved back as far as he could while still obeying Soledad. His muscles strained to keep Nyr’s upper arms pinned to the ground with very little leverage. Her pupils dilated until darkness swallowed her irises.

Soledad bandaged Nyr’s leg and returned her clothing to its proper array. “Alright. Nyr, you need to relax. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” To Korreth, she said, “You can let her go.”

He felt like the boy in the stories who’d grabbed the lion’s tail and had to hold on to avoid being bitten. Reason seeped into to Nyr’s eyes, her pupils constricting back to their normal slits. Korreth released his grip and took a big step back, just in case.

Nyr didn’t get up, but she did laugh. “At least one of you has a proper fear of my kind.”

Caetl cleaned the blood off his hands, his face peaked, his eyes squinted.

“You need to rest, Nyr,” Soledad said, packing away the supplies. “I think you were losing some blood while we were riding. Then your little scuffle probably opened it wider. So rest. Your body needs to regenerate that blood, which will take time.”

Soledad faced the rest of the group. “We need to decide what we’re going to do from here. Nyr and Dalan obviously need to rest. But with everyone’s help, we can defeat Zen.”

Caetl’s eyes widened, a dawning look of understanding on his face.

What do you see? What’s she planning?
Korreth thought over and over, trying to catch the mystic’s eye. If Caetl had some clue to aid his understanding of how her hold over them worked…

Ti’rros announced, “The food is ready.” To Soledad, Ti’rros said, “As I said before, it is important to me to follow Dalan. Fighting Zen is of no value to me. But the removal of these talismans—”

“Of course,” Soledad said. “As soon as we’re safe from Zen, I will examine the technology he’s using and release you.”

Korreth found that unlikely, but knew better than to say so.
What do you see? What’s she planning?
He continued his mental chant.

It’s not what you think—
Caetl’s words cut off as his eyes bulged. The word,
Wizard,
whispered through Korreth’s mind as Caetl collapsed to the ground, his hands clawing at his necklace.

Ti’rros, too, fell to the ground, her tail hitting the pot and knocking it from the fire. She made a hideous noise, alien to Korreth’s ears, yet also familiar—a sound of unimaginable pain. Nyr shrieked once, and then fell silent, her body relaxing.

As Soledad started to check Caetl for wounds, the mystic rolled into a crouch. He rocked back and forth on his heels, his knees up to his chest, arms around his head.

“Can you tell us what’s happening, Caetl?” Soledad whispered.

When the edge of the sun touched the horizon, Ti’rros got up. “It was an attack by the Wizard,” she said, her voice weak. “The purpose is unclear.”

“Zen…” the mystic whispered.

“Did Zen do this?” Soledad put a hand on Caetl’s shoulder. “Is Liang dead?”

He kept rocking back and forward. “Zen…”

Soledad met Korreth’s gaze with unmasked worry in her eyes. They’d finally gained the allies she wanted, only to have the most powerful of them incapacitated. Korreth couldn’t help but be disappointed as well. Surely a squad of Changelings could slay the giant, like in the children’s stories.

Soledad’s eyes roved from Dalan, to Ti’rros, to Nyr, and back to Caetl. He wondered if she planned to order Korreth and Jorrim to kill the defenseless Changelings and Joey before they could become enemies under Zen’s control. Or if she was thinking about enslaving Dalan, the only one still worthwhile to her cause.