by Amy Sumida
In this instance, we didn't need to bounce; it was a straight shot through the Veil from Tír na nÓg to Earth. But the question was:
“Where on Earth are we?” I asked Cerberus as I looked around the frigidly damp forest.
The trees were tall and fragrant; pine, I think. Most of them boasted green needles. I'm not a tree expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure that made them evergreens. It was late December, and I was a little surprised there wasn't more snow on the ground. Judging by the air quality and the thinness of it, we had to be at a high elevation. High elevations during this time of year meant snow in most places. But there were only a few icy patches on the ground. Mostly, it was wet. And cold. Very cold an wet.
“The Blue Mountains.” Cerberus started walking. “Oregon side.”
“Right; Sasq'et territory.” I looked around more confidently now that I knew where I was. I wasn't impressed.
My shiny, leather boots were already covered in mud, and my cloak was damp from the heavy mist that surrounded us. Mist is pretty. I like mist. But this thick wetness was more like rain that was too stubborn to fall. It just hung there like sweaty air. Except it was a cold sweat. So cold that it was numbing the tips of my ears and nose; prompting me to pull my hood up and lower my face. The mist gathered on the branches above and fell in freezing drops that pelted me in a nearly constant, but also random, way that made me wonder if it had been the inspiration for Chinese water torture. I held my cloak closed with just the tips of my fingers poking out; even with gloves on, they were going numb too.
“I think I prefer Primeval,” I muttered.
“Buck up, crybaby,” Cerberus shot over his shoulder. “We're almost there.”
“Cerberus.” Chewbacca stepped into our path. “Thank you for coming.”
Huh. How had I never made the connection between Wookies and Sasq'ets? George Lucas must have had a Sasq'et encounter. Or maybe he was a beneather. That would explain so much.
“Fred.” Cerberus extended his hand to shake Chewbacca's. “I brought her like I said I would; this is Elaria.” He turned to me. “El, this is Fred; Sasq'et Elder and a friend of mine.”
The Sasq'et was taller than Cerberus but not as wide. He looked almost lanky and his damp, dust-colored fur added to the effect. His face would have appeared human if it wasn't for the whole covered in fur thing, and the hand that reached out to me, though massive, was only topped by fur. His palm was skin and it was warm; I could feel the heat through my gloves.
“Thank you for coming, Elaria,” Fred said sincerely. “We are beside ourselves with grief and fear.”
“Cer told me about the killings,” I said softly. “I'll do whatever I can to help.”
Fred's face was very expressive despite the fur, maybe even because of it. The sleek lines shifted downward in relief as he sighed and nodded. His hand reached up to pat a gold disc that hung on a chain around his neck. It seemed an unconscious gesture; something done to reassure himself.
“Come, let's get you warmed up before we speak of such horrible things.” Fred turned and smacked the trunk of a tree affectionately; as if it were an old buddy.
It was so casual a move that I didn't expect anything to happen, certainly not what occurred next. The forest shifted around us and suddenly, Fred was walking beneath a soaring, wood archway; a double gate already open for him.
I flinched and jerked to a stop; blinking down the length of roughhewn timber walls that stretched out to either side of us. There were turrets set at intervals down the wall, with sasq'ets standing guard in them. The arch was carved with strange symbols; a ward. An effective one. I realized that the tree trunk Fred had hit was actually the arch's left supporting beam. Through the opening, I could see a brick courtyard with sasq'ets wandering through it and children playing on it. Two little ones—about my height—bounced a basketball between them; dipping and turning like a couple of kids you might find on any playground in America. A female—I'm assuming female by the bulge of breasts beneath her chest fur—sashayed by and got knocked into by one of the kids. She reached out and steadied the offender before giving him a reprimanding look. The kid hung his head a mumbled an apology.
It appeared that Sasq'et children were as well-behaved as they were furry.
That didn't surprise me. From what I'd heard of the Sasq'et, they were a gentle race who had survived not because of their strength but because of their intelligence and their lack of ambition. They didn't want to rule the world, they just wanted to live in peace on their small portion of it. No; it wasn't the polite kids, or the gossiping groups of mothers who casually cleaned each other's fur while they talked, or even Fred with his ridiculously common name that surprised me. It was their village. If you could even call something so advanced as that a village.
The concealment ward was startling enough, to begin with, but I could have dealt with that and with the Sasq'et fort. Even beneathers who don't possess magic can purchase it from other beneathers. Except that once I got my feet moving again and followed Fred and Cerberus into the center of town, I was hit with even more of a suburban feel. The homes that stretched out in orderly lines from the main courtyard were built of stone and wood but not in the rough way the outer wall was built. These were sturdy pieces of architecture with multiple levels, glass windows, and electricity. There weren't any vehicles so there were only footpaths, but the neatly maintained lawns along those lanes were so normal that they blew my damn mind.
“You have electricity up here? How?” I asked Fred.
“Of course we have electricity,” Fred said in surprise. “We're not savages. We're an advanced race who chose to settle here, Elaria. Figuring out how to supply our homes with electricity, as opposed to the energy we were used to, was easy for us. We built our own power plant, water station, and sewer system. We even have Internet.”
I gaped at Fred, and he burst out laughing.
“You expected us to live in caves?” His furry brow lifted.
“Maybe,” I whispered.
Fred laughed harder and held onto his grin as he led us through the Sasq'ets; stopping to say hello or pat a child as we passed by them. They all gave me and Cerberus friendly smiles; no hint of suspicion in their eyes despite the recent attacks. It was like stepping into a 1950's suburb except the people were furry.
Fred brought us to a single story home in the middle of town. It had a shingle roof with a stone chimney puffing a thin stream of smoke into the sky and a wide porch with an enormous rocking chair. His big feet creaked up the steps and then swished over a welcome mat as he shook water from his fur like a dog. I widened my eyes at the obviously human-made mat that had a picture of a Sasquatch on it above the words; Welcome to Bigfoot Country!
Cerberus chuckled at my reaction as I wiped my feet on a smiling Bigfoot face. We stepped into a delightfully warm home with wood floors, brightly painted walls, and vaulted ceilings. Fred was lumbering toward the kitchen; a space divided from the living room by a wide counter of spliced tree trunk. I went straight for the rock fireplace and removed my wet cloak.
“Cer, take her cloak for her, will ya?” Fred prompted from the kitchen. “You know where to hang it.”
“Got it, Fred.” Cerberus took my cloak from me and hung it on a peg by the door beside his own.
There were only two pegs and no other coats. The mere fact that Fred had those pegs could only mean that we weren't his first non-Sasq'et visitors. Interesting.
“How do you get all of these human things?” I asked as I noted the computer and big screen TV.
“We trade with beneathers who can blend in,” Fred came out of the kitchen with a tray of steaming mugs. “Cider?”
“Oh, yes!” I reached for a mug eagerly. “Thank you.”
“The damp can get to you if you're not used to it,” Fred said kindly. He took a mug, offered Cer the last, and then leaned the tray against the couch. “Please, sit down, Elaria.” He patted a huge, leather chair by the fire. “It's an honor to have you in my h
ome. Cerberus has told me so much about you.”
“Really?” I gave him a dubious look as I sat.
“Well, most of it was recounted recently,” Fred amended.
“That sounds more like Cer,” I said with a smirk at my best friend. “He doesn't talk about people unless they need to be talked about.”
“Just so,” Fred agreed. “And I needed to hear about you. Cerberus says that you can track our assailants with a song.”
“It's possible,” I confirmed. “It doesn't always work. If they happen to be hiding behind a ward like yours, I probably won't be able to reach them. But I've already taken that into consideration, and I may have a solution.”
“Oh yeah?” Cerberus looked up from his cider in surprise. “You've got another plan?”
“I thought I might try my hand at setting a ward of my own,” I said. “I could sing a guardian into place; something that would alert me to a trespasser.”
“You got a song in mind?” Cerberus asked.
“A couple.” I sipped the cider; hot, sweet, and apple-ly. Did I mention hot? Yum.
And you know that I shall help as well, my love, Kyanite added in my head.
Kyanite thought of me as his lover even though he couldn't physically love me. It was kind of adorable but at times it could also be annoying. Mainly, it was evidence of his loyalty to me, and I knew that no matter what happened, Kyanite would always have my back. Just like me and Cerberus. Ky also gave me music. I didn't have to worry about carrying an iPod around anymore; Kyanite could make music out of thin air. Which was a good thing since the air was particularly thin up there.
“Well, let's try the tracking first,” Cerberus said. “I'd like to find these fuckers all tucked away in their lair and then tear them apart. Maybe do some skinning of my own.”
“I just want this to stop,” Fred said softly and fervently; a world's weight of sorrow in his words.
“I promise you that it will.” I felt the vow settle in me. “One way or another.”
Is that your intro? I could practically hear Kyanite smirking.
Chapter Four
It had been a slip of the tongue. I had indeed been preparing to sing “One Way or Another” by Blondie. And after I'd warmed up enough to face the chill again, I followed Fred out to a spot half a mile down the mountainside to try my hand—or voice, rather—at tracking. There was no sign that anything bad had happened there, but Cerberus' nose was doing double time. Then he growled.
Yep; this was where the bodies had been found.
I didn't even have to ask Kyanite to start; the song blasted to life around us as soon as I was ready. A flock of birds rose from the trees around us as I settled into the tingling rush of my magic. Fred had been just as startled as the birds at the initial blare of music, but he settled quickly; his soft, brown eyes going round in wonder. Cerberus must have prepared him; Fred's shock was a fraction of the reaction I'd been expecting.
The men stood together—water dropping like freezing tears over them—and grimly watched me; Cerberus with his massive arms crossed over his chest and Fred with fidgeting hands. I called out to the murderers with my strident lyrics; promising them that I was going to find them and catch them. Nothing would stop me. Even if this didn't work, I would find a way to reach them and kill them for what they'd done to these peaceful people.
The song was so out of place in that calm forest, but then so were the murders. So was I for that matter. But sometimes it took a killer to find another killer, and I had a lot to make up for. My stomach clenched as memories started to rise, but I pushed them back. This wasn't the time for reliving the mistakes of my past. This was the time to make up for them.
The Sasq'et didn't deserve this. No one deserves to be murdered, but especially not these gentle beings who lived quietly on their mountaintop; bothering no one. To kill them was bad enough, but to skin them and take their fur as a trophy? That was beyond villainous; it was macabre. Truly macabre; not in that Victorian, cabinet of curiosities way, but in a psychopathic, shocking, gruesome, just plain fucked up way. Perhaps it was even more macabre than what I'd done. Sweet Persephone; I hoped so. Because if this was the type of monster I'd become, someone should hunt me down too.
Then I felt it; the trace of something colder than the weather. A chill that went even deeper than the mist. Something terrible and twisted had hunted here. No; not here. This wasn't where the sasq'ets had been killed. This was where they'd been dumped like trash. I was sensing the lingering taint on their bodies, not the murder itself. Where had it been done? Lead me to it!
My mental vision panned out as I crooned on—my voice echoing through the trees—and I found the trail at last. I followed the glowing white ribbon of it down the mountain. Wait. Not down. Up. It had swooped down, over the trees, but then angled upward. I started to move faster along it. Faster and faster. I lifted higher into the sky and flew toward the North. I was close... just a little more... I dropped like a stone and hit something solid. Pain blossomed inside me.
I growled; the song shattering in my throat and my hands clenching into fists with fury. Slamming against a ward could sting; the greater the ward, the more it hurt. This one had hurt like a motherfucker. It was one of the most powerful wards I'd ever felt. Almost as if a collection of beneathers had made it. Cerberus snarled with me; he knew what my frustration meant. I opened my eyes to his angry face and Fred's worried one.
“It's okay.” I took a deep, calming breath. “I planned for this, remember?”
Cerberus nodded but all that was coming out of his mouth were dangerous growls.
“This isn't where your friend was killed,” I said to Fred; a statement, not a question.
“No,” he confirmed. “This is where we found his body. I don't know where Terrance was murdered but there wasn't nearly enough blood here for this to be the site. We searched the mountain for two miles in every direction and never found it. And I know Terrance wouldn't have wandered further than that. He has”—Fred stopped and swallowed back a sob—“he had a family; a wife and two boys. He wouldn't have strayed far from them. And then Felicia was found twenty yards from here. She—”
“Two miles?” I cut him off. “Is that your safe zone?” I couldn't get into the personal lives of the murdered sasq'ets. I wouldn't be able to focus past my rage.
“No one goes beyond that.” Fred nodded.
“Okay; I think I can handle that radius,” I murmured.
That will be fours miles across, Kyanite warned me.
I know, I replied in my mind. I'm just putting out a line; like a tripwire. When someone crosses it, I'll know.
You'd best add a dome; from what Cerberus said and what you just felt, I think it's safe to assume they flew in.
You're right. I think I can manage a dome.
I'll help you. And the song will work. I believe.
He believes. Great.
I told Fred and Cer what I planned to do as the intro for Matthew Mayfield's “The Wolf in Your Darkest Room” started to play. This song wasn't as grating as the last. In fact, it was soft at first; just a few drawn out notes. I started singing into it with a growling rumble; low and dangerous. A warning; that's what it was. The patter of drums were the devious footsteps of a hunter; a soft, marching tempo that seemed to emphasize the threat in my words.
Then a strange electronic grinding pulled me upward; my magic flying out of my body in glorious, sonic waves. I directed it with lyrics and will; sending it out to circle the Sasq'et village in a border of shivering energy that then coasted up and over it in a dome. I encased the whole of the village and then tethered that energy to me like an umbilical cord. I even called after that flying, chilly, white trail; daring it to return and cross my magic—cross me. Because this time, they wouldn't be able to run or hide from their betters.
This time, they'd be the ones losing their lives.
The song softened itself into silence as my trap was set, and I opened my eyes to catch the barest shimmer o
f my spell in the air before me. I breathed deeply in relief. It had worked; I could feel the power surging around us. Anyone who crossed my border would send a zinging warning straight to me.
“It's set,” I declared. “Now, all we have to do is wait.”
Chapter Five
I contacted Darc and my other lovers to tell them what was happening with the Sasq'et. I was with Cerberus, so most of them were reassured by that. It was only Darcraxis who was worried. He wanted me to come home, but I pointed out that I wouldn't be able to act instantly on the invasion if I was in another realm. Nor was I certain I'd even be able to keep contact with my magical tripwire over such an extreme distance. He grudgingly gave in.
Cerberus and I were given guest rooms in Fred's house, but several other sasq'ets stopped by to meet me; most of them with trays of food in their hands. Within fifteen minutes, there was a feast spread out on Fred's dining table and a gathering of Sasq'ets large enough to push the party outside. I had been instantly accepted into the tribe, and it made me feel ten times more protective than I already did. There was no way I was letting another sasq'et get hurt.
The night ended with more warm mugs of cider around the fire; these spiked with rum. They sang for me—something that rarely happened—and I sat with Cer's arm around my shoulders; both of us listening with soft smiles on our faces. The songs were strong and sweet, just like the people themselves. The lyrics made me think of blue skies and lazy clouds; of the scent of crushed grass and lavender. It was enough to send me drifting off to sleep.