Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  “Just where do you get your information from gaijin? Even Heero’s spies aren’t that good.”

  “I wouldn’t have a job as an informant if I told you, now would I?”

  “Won’t argue that. You’ve never steered us wrong yet.”

  The man who was acting as the spokesman for the group turned towards Vletch who had been silent throughout. “What say you Vletch? Boss left you in charge.”

  Vletch looked around the room at the men, but Milly knew his mind had already been made up the moment Frank walked in.

  “Gear up. We attack the traitor in ten minutes.”

  Cheers went up in agreement as weapons were thrust skyward. The noise of men scrambling to their feet and reaching for armor filled the room. When Vletch met Frank’s eyes, the two shared a very small nod. Milly picked up the rest of the plan from both of them. Once these people left, bombs planted around the house would be ignited. A few wives would die, and the General and his soldiers would be blamed. The flames of revenge would be ignited in their hearts, fueling a vicious counterattack that would hopefully propagate yet more desires for revenge among the common soldier. It was a worthy attempt that had a high chance of success.

  “Let me go you oversized brute!”

  Milly turned towards the sound along with everyone else. A giant of a man, who’s face was hidden by curly black hair, walked into the room with Bree bound before him. When she continued to struggle and insult him, he backhanded her across the mouth, launching her across the room.

  “Shut it gaijin! Women should be seen and not heard, didn’t your father teach you proper? Learn a thing or two from our women, they were brought up right.”

  Vletch looked from Bree to the big man, ignoring the mage for the moment. Milly could feel Bree was drained, barely any magic left to her name. and that blow had addled her mind, leaving everything colored by pain. Her jaw wasn’t broken, she had softened the blow at least that much. But she hadn’t been able to soften her landing.

  “What is this?”

  “Caught this wench sneaking around outside. Eavesdropping on your conversations. Would have killed her outright, but even I’m not so heartless as to kill a wench in cold blood. Not when we might get some information from her first. And maybe put her to a few other uses. My guess is she works for Tamuramaro. He probably thought we wouldn’t suspect no woman.”

  One of the men who was bigger than the others, though still dwarfed by Vletch, stood over Bree. With one hand he grabbed her up by the hair, pulling her to her feet and eliciting a cry of pain. With a grin he sized her up, his mind filled with thoughts of procreation and torture. Sometimes both at the same time.

  “I like the looks of her. Never had a foreigner before. I claim her as my own. Give me a few hours and I’ll have her screaming everything she knows for you.”

  He licked his lips, clasped Bree around the throat, and pulled her into a kiss. Milly felt Bree’s pain as the man bit her lip, drawing blood which seemed to excite him even more. Vletch finally stood from where he was sitting, walking over to the two with silent footsteps. Milly thought that for such a big man, he was surprisingly light on his feet. The room went dead quiet at his movement, the man holding Bree never even noticing his presence. Vletch reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, squeezing and snapping it in one smooth motion. As the body dropped, he snagged Bree around the waist, looking around the room once more.

  “She is my woman now. Does anyone disagree?”

  Around the room heads were shaking and minds were quivering. It seemed no one wanted to take on a man almost two feet taller than any of them with an equal girth of muscle.

  “I will find out what she knows. Now, get a move on, the traitor won’t wait on you forever.”

  With another round of cheers, the men dashed from the room, the lust for battle dominating their thoughts. All except for the big hairy faced man who had brought Bree into the room. He stood where he had entered at, eyes narrowed while he watched Vletch.

  “What is it Tato? You wish to contest my rights to this woman?”

  “Something is fishy about all this.”

  “You don’t trust me?”

  “Never have. I can’t help but feel you are in league with that woman somehow.”

  “Careful what you say, don’t want people getting the wrong ideas. It almost sounds like you are calling me a traitor.”

  “Maybe I am. It just seems a bit convenient to me how you have such an interest in that female spy all of a sudden. Not to mention you are the one who introduced us to this informant here. An informant who seems to know not only General Tamuramaro’s every move, but Sakuroda’s as well. I can’t help but wonder if perhaps it isn’t us who are being played for the fools.”

  The two big men stared each other down. Vletch was still taller, but the man named Tato had a presence all his own. He smelled like blood, and Milly knew his meat would be as chewy as hardened leather. As the two stared at each other, the world flickered once more, the man Vletch had killed appearing out of nothingness. He blinked confusedly, his mind completely blank. Then it filled with memories and he grabbed his weapon, rushing out of the room after his comrades. Only Vletch’s mind registered the anomaly, Tato had not. It was as if Tato’s mind had just blocked the whole thing out.

  Still neither man had broken eye contact.

  “What would you do Tato if I were a traitor? If everything you said was true? You cannot take me. And if it is all true, everyone in this room is my ally. You would be outnumbered. Do you think we would let you go, let you live to tell our secrets?”

  “You think too much of yourself. I believe I could take you. Could take all of you. I have not survived as long as I have without facing unfavorable odds. I have crossed blades with Sakenoue Tamuramaro more than once and lived. There are not many who can make that claim. You are strong, and you can fight, I will grant you that. But you are no true warrior. You do not smell of blood and steel. You do not revel in the fighting like I do. You fight to survive, you fight when you need to. It is not your kendo. Your way of the sword.”

  “But this is all supposition. I am no traitor, unless you have proof otherwise.”

  “Yes, this is all conjecture. As you say, I have no proof. But know that I am watching you.”

  Tato turned slowly, his eyes the last to break away from Vletch before he walked out of the room. Francis watched Tato’s retreating back until he was sure the man was out of earshot. Only then did he focus on Vletch, who was untying Bree, once more.

  “He plans to kill you, you know. I don’t need Milly’s power to read minds to know that much.”

  “I know. He is angry that I took over the position of second in command. The position should have been his. As long as he doesn’t impede our quest, I don’t mind. Not the first time I have been hated for one reason or another. How’s Kimi doing?”

  “Honestly? She looks like crap. We keep telling her to drop the Ageless Sorceress persona, but she keeps refusing. Says Maria needs the power. The power drain is getting better now that Maria isn’t so far away, but anyone with eyes can tell it is killing her.”

  “What about Maria? Surely she knows.”

  “She does. But even if she stops using the staff, it is still up to Kimi to break the connection with it. So Maria continues to use it. Not that the power isn’t sorely needed. It isn’t easy to conjure up and maintain a small army of gremlins to wreak havoc from the shadows. Without that persona, I doubt we could have done as much as we have in so little time.”

  “Can she hold it together for a few more hours?”

  “I don’t know. Between us though, I don’t think so. Something is going to give soon, either her mind, her ability, or her life.”

  “What about knocking her out? Doesn’t matter who you are, breaking the conscious connection to the magic or mediator power solves power drain. That is one of the first things we learn before going on quest.”

  “I think she knows that. That’s why she won’t le
t anyone near her. Even has General Tamuramaro’s guards around her at all times.”

  “Does she want to die?”

  “I don’t believe that’s the case. I think-- I think she is driven. I think she has gotten it into her head that she has to save us all. That she is somehow responsible for us all because we have looked to her for the answers, what with her Other power and all. Amy and I have begun to wonder if she even knows who she really is anymore. She sometimes has this look about her that says she isn’t quite here if you know what I mean.”

  “Then all we can do is pray this plan of hers works and get the hell out of this rift. The bombs are already planted, all we need to do is set them off. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  Vletch headed for the front door, Frank a step behind. Milly followed her partner silently, content in the knowledge he knew what was going on. Bree on the other hand ran to catch up with Frank, grabbing his arm to get his attention.

  “I want to see Kimi.”

  Frank set fire to a line of soaked string that led back under the building using the smallest flame from his fingertip. The fire sped along the ground, looking like a rodent running from a predator the way it zigged and zagged. Under the porch it went, only to reappear as an inferno that engulfed the house. Milly heard the mental cries of women and young children from inside as they were burnt to a crisp, their audible wails following. She could sense Franks surprise as he realized there were children in the house as well. Instantly his thoughts connected dots as he realized he had been played by Kimi, this part of the plan kept from him by her. When Frank finally answered Bree, there was a hardness to his voice she rarely ever heard.

  “Come with me. I’ll take you to her.”

  Chapter 27: The Girl Who Lost Herself

  Bree crouched behind the shrubs five feet from the sprawling building. Frank and Milly were next to her, watching as four soldiers patrolled the roofed walkway.

  “There are three more minds inside. Two of them are soldiers, and the third one is Kimi. But there is something strange, Kimi feels& empty. I still recognize her as Kimi, but she does not feel like the same one I met at the campsite.”

  “Yeah, I said she was stretching herself thin didn’t I? We have no concrete evidence, but we think maybe her persona’s take a little bit of her real self away when they are used. Sort of like a personality disorder, each persona is a different part of who she really is. The violent Kimi, the caring Kimi, the smart Kimi, that kind of thing. When she activates one of these characters, she loses a little of her normal self. That is-- the self we see when she doesn’t use her power. We think as the power drains away, and the longer one of these characters are activated, it sucks that normal Kimi out, creating a void inside her head. At least, that’s what Amy thinks. Seeing as she has been the one closest to her the longest, I trust her judgment.”

  Bree nibbled her lower lip as she listened. Now that she knew Kimi was in trouble, she had to do something. When she focused on their bond, Bree felt that thread of magic linking them stretched thin. As if Kimi was starting to forget about their contract.

  “Is it temporary?”

  Frank shook his head at Bree’s question. “We don’t know. We have never encountered this kind of power before. We have no idea how it works. Maybe it all comes back over time as long as she doesn’t use it. Her normal self filling her back up like water in a cup. Maybe that’s what powers her characters, making her Other ability so strong and versatile. And once it is used up, so too is her ability to change personalities.”

  The desire to dash off to Kimi’s side was getting harder and harder to ignore. She had never felt the bond this strongly with Emry. Hadn’t felt the deep sense of loss when Emry had died either. Yet with Kimi it was different. Just the mere thought of harm coming to her sent an ache through her chest. Thinking of Kimi dying sapped her own will to live. Bree hated the fact she had been affected so little by Emry, even now. But she couldn’t dwell in the past, Bree needed to save her partner.

  “I need to see her.”

  “In a minute. Word of Vletch and his group attacking the shrine should reach this house any moment. During the chaos of the General sending out his men to aid Jara Sakuroda, I will create an opening for you. It will be up to you to deal with the two inside though. I’m not supposed to meet with her for another thirty minutes, so we can’t slip through undetected when the guard changes.”

  Milly touched Frank’s arm, giving a small shake of her head. “We will create an opening for you.”

  Frank smiled, his head bobbing up and down. “Yes, we. No killing though unless you have to.”

  “As you wish.”

  Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes like hours as Bree waited. Just as she thought she could wait no more, an alarm went up through the soldiers. Men ran around, emerging from rooms ready for battle. Bree turned to Frank as the men all ran off, but him and Milly were already gone. When she turned to look at the four guards, she was just in time to see the two of them drop from the rooftops to smash heads into wood floor. The two split as the other two guards turned towards the commotion. Before either guard could make a sound, they too were flat on their back in dreamland.

  Frank motioned for Bree to get a move on, him and Milly slipping into the shadows once more. That was all the invitation Bree needed, running at a crouch for the sliding door Milly had already pointed out. Her desires fueled her magic, allowing her to call upon the wind faster than she ever had before. By the time Bree was at the door, she was able to mentally see the room on the other side. Thrusting the wooden frame to the side, she flicked out her hand, choking the two guards from behind. Their hands rose to their throats, but she yanked on her ropes of wind causing them to fall backwards. Before they fell completely, she flicked her wrist, sending them crashing into each other.

  Bree stepped over the unconscious forms, heading for the screen hiding her from Kimi. The light on the other side cast shadows upon the thin rice paper, showing Kimi hunched over a table. It was hard to tell, but it looked like she was reading some sort of scroll. Her hand hesitated, unable to pull the divider that separated them away. Now that she was here she was afraid. What would she find? Frank hadn’t said much about what she looked like, and had described her sparingly. As if afraid to say too much.

  “If you are here to kill me, hurry and try to get it over with. I must warn you, you might be surprised at how hard that task really is.”

  The voice sounded old. It put Bree in mind of the ancient sages who had mastered every aspect of their magic. In her mind she saw leathery skin stretched taught over frail bones, brown speckled flesh and deep sunken eyes.

  “Kimi? Is that really you? It’s me Bree.”

  Bree watched her hand shaking, inches from the screen. She clasped it with her left hand to make it stop, cursing her weakness.

  “Kimi? Is that my name? What’s a Bree? Where is the guy who normally comes? What’s his name& Phillip? Paul? No. Frank! That’s it, Frank!”

  Those words spurred her into action. Her shaking stilled and anger filled ever fiber of her being. Bree’s hand shot out, grabbed the wood and yanked so hard the whole thing clattered to the floor.

  “This isn’t a damn game! Quit fool---”

  The words died in her moth at the sight before her. Kimi was no longer Kimi. The mental image of an old woman didn’t do the sight before her justice. Dark circles ringed the eyes, her glasses sat on the table unused. Her orbs were both milked over and only a few strands of hair remained in her head. Wrinkles melted her face, excess flesh sagging in all the wrong places. The healthy pink of skin had been replaced with a gray monotone as every inch of her body shook. She held the dagger Daniel had given her before she set out, though Kimberly faced an enemy two feet from Bree’s actual position.

  As suddenly as it had come, her anger drained. Replaced by sorrow and compassion. She stepped forward slowly, reaching out her hand to take Kimi’s left. At the touch, Kimi slashed with her blade, scoring a line
across the back of Bree’s wrist. That action seemed to be all the fight Kimi’s frail body could manage, the dagger falling from shaky fingers. Kimi struggled, and Bree could feel her try to tap into her Other power. Bree made no other move, letting Kimi wear herself out. Her bones were so brittle, Bree felt the one in the index finger snap as she held on gently, yet Kimi didn’t even cry out. When Kimberly finally settled down, Bree pulled her into an embrace.

  “Kimi, it’s me. It’s Bree. Your partner. Look inside yourself, feel the bond we share. Don’t forget about me. Don’t forget about yourself.”

  “I- am- Kimi?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Yes, that’s right, I am Kimi. Kimi the Blade, silent assassin.”

  “No! You are Kimberly Changa, my mediator. My partner.”

  “That-- doesn’t sound right. But Kimi the Blade sounds wrong too. Doctor Kim. That sounds familiar. But so does Sir Kim of Ridgetower, first female knight of the West March. Which one of those is me?”

  “All of them are you, but none of them are the real you. Please, remember. Don’t you feel my hand? Listen to my voice and remember.”

  Bree felt their bond weaken even more, only staying connected by the thinnest of threads. Kimi’s brows furrowed, some small bit of recognition appearing in her features.

  “Bree?”

  “Yes! It’s me!”

  “Bree! Thank god you’re all right! I was sure you would be, since Milly was with you, but I hadn’t heard anything from you in so long!”

  The youthful voice Bree had come to know so well was at odds with the appearance she saw. Yet there was no doubt in her mind that right now, this was the real Kimberly.

  “Kimi, you need to drop the sorceress persona. It’s killing you.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Frank told me why you are continuing to hold it. But it isn’t worth your life! You’ve done enough! Stop powering it!”