The enderfrag Koneka reached out one skinny arm toward the strange, alien thing. She hesitated, uncertain. She looked dark and calm against the glowing Enderdome courtyard. Almost like a grown-up.
All the other enderfrags in the Enderdome watched her carefully. They waited to see what she would do. Everyone liked Koneka. Some endermen were never alone because they were afraid to lose their minds. Koneka was never alone because the other young fragments just felt better about being alive when she was around. Kraj was big and frightening and angry. He had sailed in like a furious black boat with fifteen other endermen who all had funny titles like “Captain” or “Corporal” or “Sergeant” stuck on their names. He had interrupted Left-Hand Human-Punching practice. He had demanded all the frags gather in one place to listen to him. He had commanded Taskmaster Owari not to interfere or interrupt. Commander Kraj made them all want to teleport far away. But Koneka hadn’t, so they hadn’t. Whatever Koneka did now, they would all do.
What is it? Koneka thought.
You know what it is, fragment, Kraj scoffed. Use it.
Koneka did not move. It is a sword.
Obviously. An iron sword, with a Bane of Arthropods enchantment. It is a very excellent weapon. Two of your noble young comrades donated it to the cause. You may thank them after the great battles to come.
But it cannot be a sword, Cruxunit Kraj.
Commander Kraj! Speak correctly to your elder! thought Captain Tamat loudly. But Kraj himself remained calm. The young creature seemed to amuse him with her careful thoughts.
Oh? And why not?
Because you want me to use it. I cannot use a sword.
Of course you can. Whoever told you such nonsense?
One of the other enderfrags piped up, Taskmaster Owari says that the enderman must not stoop to weapons as the human does.
Yet another fragment dutifully recited last week’s lesson: Weapons are the tools of Order. They must be crafted according to precise and Orderly instructions. Humans use them to shape and control the world.
Koneka finished the recital. The enderman is superior. The Great Chaos needs only the power of our fists, which can never be lost, or shattered, or smelted into something else, or stolen from you.
Commander Kraj glanced over the crowd of young ones. His eyes met those of Taskmaster Owari. The Taskmaster quite clearly did not approve.
I see, Kraj thought finally. May I present a counter-argument?
Taskmaster Owari gave her permission.
Who is your sparring partner, Fragment Koneka?
Koneka pointed to a young enderfrag called Nif in the front row.
Hit him.
Koneka hesitated again. She glanced up at Owari.
Do not look at Owari! Look at me! I am your commander. The Mouth of the Great Chaos has given me dominion over all the forces of the endermen and charged me to create the greatest army the End has ever known or will ever know. What has Owari done? Taught juveniles not to break their toes when they kick one another.
I thought you said that the fragments would not be required to fight, Commander Kraj, Owari thought icily.
I have changed my mind. I will leave no tool unused in the great struggle. Look at me, Fragment Koneka. It is Left-Hand Human-Punching day is it not? So pretend he is a human. Hit him. Show me your left-hand punch.
Koneka dashed forward and struck Nif in the arm. Kraj was right, they did this all the time. Sparring was everyone’s favorite. Nif flushed red, but the damage was minor. Koneka didn’t hit hard unless it was Unlimited Brawling day. Nif rubbed his arm. He smiled at Koneka, so she would know he wasn’t mad that she’d punched him in front of the whole Dome. Nif wouldn’t ever be mad at Koneka. They’d been friends since they’d first been replicated. They chased endermites together across the islands and pelted each other with chorus fruits and made fun of Taskmaster Owari behind her back. When it was just the two of them, they were just smart enough for uncomplicated fun like that.
Kraj laid his hand gently on Koneka’s shoulder. Now, take the sword.
Koneka didn’t want to. Everyone knew she didn’t. Her thoughts shone clear and bright. The sword was unnatural. The sword was Order. The sword was human.
And the sword would probably kill Nif.
Koneka picked it up suddenly. Decisively. She didn’t know why, really. She just did it. It felt heavy and cold and foreign in her hand. Her thoughts felt heavy and cold and foreign, too. Kraj was beaming at her. Taskmaster Owari seemed disconcerted. Nif was sweating spores. Koneka’s arm was moving into an offensive position already, all on its own.
We are just sparring though, right? Nif thought shakily. Koneka? It is just practice.
Hit him, Kraj commanded.
It will hurt him.
We are at war, Enderfrag Koneka. The human threat will not stand here asking questions. Humans will act. They will fight. They will stab. Everyone is going to hurt, sooner or later.
Koneka looked back and forth between Nif and Kraj helplessly. Then her mind filled with the desire to cut Nif down. She didn’t know where the idea came from. It just suddenly arrived in her brain, in full color. She raised the iron sword high in the air.
This is unnecessary, Commander Kraj! The angry, brittle thoughts of Taskmaster Owari sliced through the image in Koneka’s mind. It dissolved as though she had never thought such a thing. She shook her head as though it were buzzy with bees.
Kraj’s mindscape became a wordless snarl.
Surely we need every enderman for the fight ahead, thought Owari soothingly. Just as you said. She chose her ideas slowly and carefully. We cannot afford to waste young, strong warriors on such a simple demonstration.
The snarl vanished as quickly as it arose. Commander Kraj laughed loudly into the minds of the Enderdome. Of course, Taskmaster! You did not think I would allow my enderfrags to actually delete each other? How foolish of you. We forgive you, naturally, you could not know the powerful mind of a cruxunit and a commander. You must take things as they seem, rather than as they are. My demonstration is already complete! Enderfrag Koneka showed no reluctance at all in punching her sparring partner. But she froze when asked to use a weapon on him! Because she knows the weapon is better in every way than a fist. She knows her blows will leave the enemy standing, but a sword will destroy him. Why then, fragments, would we shun weapons when faced with the human horde? Why would we volunteer to be weaker and slower and more defenseless? Ridiculous! Now, we have a number of items to choose from here. Everyone select something and we will begin the real Enderdome. I award you all the rank of private—except you, Koneka. You have already done well. You will be my lieutenant.
A scuttling sound echoed behind Kraj. In one fluid movement, he snatched the sword out of Koneka’s hand, spun, and flung it hard toward an endermite crawling across the courtyard. It died the instant the blade touched its skin.
Bane of Arthropods, Kraj thought with tremendous satisfaction. How marvelous.
The other enderfrags ran across the courtyard to Kraj’s officers and began to sort through the inventory of Fin and Mo’s lovingly collected weapons and armor. Koneka just stared at her sword wobbling a little where it stuck in the stone as the endermite went up in smoke around it.
Why did I imagine killing Nif? she thought. Why would I ever imagine that?
But no one was paying attention to her anymore. The commander and the Taskmaster faced each other in the sparring courtyard.
I do not approve of this, Commander.
I do not care what you approve of. I am commander. I speak for all of us.
That is not our way. When enough of us are gathered, we speak together. There is no need for a commander.
But there is. There is, Taskmaster Owari! There has always been, it is just that none of us was clever enough to see it. When we gathered on the dragon’s island, so many
minds all unified at last, I finally knew the truth. The path we should have taken all along. We have always suffered at the hands of the human world. But why? Why should we suffer at all? Why should they rule the Overworld, where such riches lie, while we skulk and guard our few camps here in the End, where so little grows? If they can take our lands, our resources, we can take theirs, too. We have not, because we hold ourselves back with silly rules like not using weapons or following commanders. I will make us better. You must see that. Under my reign, we will fly, Owari. We will fly to the Overworld and stop every bad thing from happening. I will defeat even the rain.
The Taskmaster’s eyes flashed dangerously. What you are talking about is blasphemy, Kraj.
I disagree.
Reality does not care whether you agree with it. You have elevated yourself. You have created an army, with ranks and duties. You intend to emulate humans. There is no Chaos in this. No divine fire of unpredictability. You have become a servant of Order.
Silence your foul mind or I will silence it for you, Kraj hissed.
Taskmaster Owari folded her long hands behind her back. You have done more than that, I suspect. Little Koneka was seconds away from killing Nif. She would never do that in the Enderdome. They are practically a paired unit already. There are never fewer than fifty fragments stacked here at any time. Our minds are always calm and civilized in the Dome, so that they can learn. Yet she would have done it. Murdered her friend. And look at your officers! They should be as clever as you, traveling all together. A gang of Krajs! But they obey you no matter what you say, meekly, without argument. Why should they? They are not your End, your family.
Kraj smiled in his mind. A huge and ghostly smile. I am a cruxunit. In the Beginning of the End I divided myself voluntarily, to create a family. Perhaps they simply respect their elder.
I am a cruxunit, too, Kraj. We are equals. Or have you forgotten everything about the Beginning of the End? You must have, to call it the Beginning. The End existed before us and will exist long after. Will you next claim to have built these cities? Your pride is ugly, Commander. I have taught generations of enderfrags and none of them obeys me meekly because I am an ancient cruxunit. What have you done, Kraj? What have the Forces of Order promised you?
Do not be angry with me, Taskmaster. We are on the same side. We both want only to survive. The humans are coming. Let us have no conflict amongst ourselves. Kraj reached out a slender, dark hand and gripped Owari’s shoulder in a gesture of friendship.
The commander’s hand was wet and cold. It tingled, then it began to burn.
That end ship tethered out in the darkness was really something extraordinary, Taskmaster, Kraj mused. I could never have imagined those twins capable of such…industry. I think perhaps it was a mistake to keep them out of the Dome. They will serve us well in the fight. Better still if you had trained them. But how could you have known? How could I have known?
Commander Kraj pulled his hand away. His fingers were covered in a scrap of leather, to protect his skin. A scrap of leather stained dark cobalt blue. Owari swayed unsteadily.
Yes, truly extraordinary, Kraj thought. I found this among the other potions. So many potions. This one is a Potion of Weakness. It slows you down, makes you stupid, makes you miss your attacks. And, if a strong, powerful mind is nearby? Well. A weak mind is easy to control. Suggestible. What a wonderfully useful thing. You may call it blasphemy, but you cannot say Order is not effective. Like the sword and the fist. The fist is holier. But I choose the sword. There will be plenty of time to let Chaos reign when I own the human world from top to bottom. It is only logical. How else can we be safe, unless they are gone? If a little Order can get the endermen where we should be, why not embrace it, for a little while?
Owari stared woozily into Kraj’s sharp purple eyes.
Yes, the Taskmaster thought, as though it had been her own idea all along. Why not?
The ancient cruxunit walked slowly across the courtyard to join the other officers.
Mo.
The thought wafted in through the window of Jax’s grand house like steam off a warm cake. Familiar and comforting and sweet.
Mo.
Mo was asleep. In a bed. A bed that didn’t explode. She’d always slept curled up on the floor of the ship with her brother like stray cats. But Jax insisted she sleep in a proper bed. It was safer, he promised. In the morning, they’d try a few witch’s potions on her and see if anything sparked her memory. She didn’t really like the sound of “witch’s potions.” Who was this witch? Did she run a clean kitchen? Could Mo trust her potions? Could Mo trust Jax? What was a witch, anyway? But Jax was determined to know where she’d gotten the egg and the totem. Mo certainly wanted to know, too. Maybe. Maybe she didn’t. If she’d done something terrible to get them…maybe it was better not to know. He hadn’t taken them away from her. She appreciated that, at least. Jax was very strict about that sort of thing, clearly. Her loot was her loot, and he wouldn’t take it. If Jax was everything else Kraj and the Mouth had ever said of humans, he still had some morals. More than Kraj did.
On the end of the bed, right next to her feet, Loathsome the zombie horse snored phlegmily. Her big moldy nostrils flared with every gurgling breath.
Muuuumma, Loathsome snored contentedly. Braaaains.
Mo.
Mo was dreaming. The thought tried to find her in the dream. Mo was dreaming of the ender dragon’s island. Only it wasn’t the ender dragon’s island. Not quite. The same yellow sandy rock. The same obsidian pillars. The same crystal flames in silver cages. The same tall, black endermen floating in their mist of hazy purple telepathic particles. The same gorgeously horrible, horribly gorgeous massive lizard soaring through the sky. Only the sky wasn’t black. It was bright blue, like the sky in the Overworld. The sun shone down like a lamp. Mo stood on top of one of the pillars. An enderman was standing next to her. But it wasn’t Fin. Or Kan. Or Karshen. Or Lopp.
It was Kraj.
Without saying a word, Kraj reached out and grabbed her arm. It came off in his strong hand.
Poor Endless trashfrags, Kraj thought. He put his hand on her other arm. It came off as easily and painlessly as pulling up a blade of grass. You will find that in periods of war, niceties are a waste of time. He reached down and pulled off her leg at the knee. And almost everything is niceties, in the end. Still there was no pain. But Mo stumbled, trying to keep her balance. She tried to tell him not to take her leg. She needed it. The army didn’t need both legs, did it? But no words came out of her mouth. Commander Kraj stretched out his fingers to take the other leg. Everyone must give something up so that the End can go on. Mo hopped away. Kraj floated toward her. He was so tall.
Mo dreamed she heard voices coming from far below. Different people, all talking at once.
Go, go, go! Go without me! I’ll be fine!
Greenboy. My greenboy.
I can feel it coming. Like a tsunami. First the water retreats, and for a minute you think everything is going to be okay. Then it rises up and washes everything away. I love you.
I love you.
Then, suddenly, the enderman towering over her wasn’t Kraj anymore. He had strange blue eyes in his giant ender head. Blue eyes and a necklace of ender pearls. Mo knew those eyes. It was Jax, trapped in an enderman’s body. Just the same way Mo had been trapped. Ender-Jax handed her arms back, then her leg. You did it, he whispered to her. You killed him. I’m so proud of you.
Mo.
Mo woke up with a little scream. “I didn’t do anything,” she moaned.
Loathsome looked up at her out of one droopy, goopy eye. The demon pony went tense, ready to protect her mother from anything.
But there was nothing there. Just the quiet little thought in her head.
Mo.
The human girl looked all around the dark bedroom. Not even a torch to see by. S
he stood up on the narrow wooden bed on her tiptoes and peered out of the window. Mo stared down and out into the moonlit valley where Jax lived. Soft green grass. Hard grey hills. Lilacs and poppies waved back and forth in the night breeze. They shone black and grey in the shadows instead of violet and red.
Mo, it is me.
Two bright green eyes opened up in the dark. Kan was down there in the grass, two stories below, looking up at her. He was sitting on his note block.
Hi, Kan thought.
Hi, thought Mo.
Brains, thought Loathsome decisively.
“Shhh!” Mo hissed.
Brains, the pony whispered.
Kan, what are you doing here? If Jax catches you, he’ll kill you. Actually kill you.
I will catch him first.
He killed Lopp.
Kan blinked. Really? She is…just dead?
Mo nodded. He took her pearl.
What a perfect…human, Kan spat.
No, you don’t understand. She was going to kill me. She was all by herself. Her mind was nothing but murder and I tried to talk to her but she was just…dangry. Like Fin always says. You know what we’re like alone.
Oh? What are we like?
Mo went pale. She couldn’t be included in “we” anymore. She wasn’t “we.” She wasn’t “us.” She was just a human like all the other humans, and Kan was supposed to be her enemy.
Kan relaxed. Never mind, he thought. Sorry. Do not listen to me. It does not matter.
Mo looked out beyond the shadowy patch where Kan stood. Wait. You’re all by yourself, she thought hesitantly, not wanting to offend him. Are you…ok? Are you Kan?
I know, it is weird. Turns out I have been by myself a while now. But I am just me. He held up his long black hands in the dark. He was completely calm. His thoughts felt as cool and collected as a glass of water. See? No raaar. Just Kan.
What do you mean “for a while now”?
Mo. You are not an enderman. Neither is Fin. Grumpo sure as dark and the Great Chaos is not. So if you think about it, I have been all by myself every time the three of us have been together. And I have played my note block better than anyone alive and not killed anyone or eaten my own toes or walked off an island into nothing.
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