by Kelly A Nix
“Because I don’t need to shift to beat you,” Atae says. She flashes a smug grin as she stands victorious over her packmate. Jeqi peers up at her attacker over a swollen nose and places her hands to the bleeding spout.
“Argh. Was that really necessary? Why do I bother helping you?” Jeqi climbs to her feet, still cradling her nose. “You said Schinn would meet us here to help you shift. Instead, I stand here bleeding. Again. Can we ever do something together that doesn’t involve one us bleeding, preferably me?”
“We are Kaji,” Atae shrugs. “It’s what we do.”
Jeqi sighs then glances cross-eyed at her nose. Grimacing, she places both hands on either side of the bloody stump and clamps down on it. She jerks the angled portion of her nose to the correct alignment without so much as a groan. Jeqi blinks away the tears of pain, refusing to let them fall. Both younglings remember Feku’s lesson on tears. Watering eyes are a normal part of nose injuries, but a true warrior does not indulge them.
Jeqi wipes the clotting blood from her re-aligned nose onto her black uniform and frowns at Atae. During another painful blade session that ended with Atae bleeding and Sloan bruised, Jeqi interrupted to pull Atae away for their meeting with Schinn. Refusing to reveal the real reason for their departure, the hybrids bid farewell and, in Atae’s case, good riddance to Marqee and Sloan for the day. But only after agreeing to another session tomorrow. When the two younglings arrived in Training Room Four, Schinn was not there. Apparently, he was running late or decided not to show. To pass the time, Atae and Jeqi decided to spar in an attempt to force Atae’s shift, but that was proving fruitless.
When Jeqi notices Atae rubbing at her arms and stretching her legs, she asks, “Are you okay?”
“I should be asking you that.”
“You do, and I’ll break your nose. What are you doing?”
“I’m just stretching. I guess I should have done more before our spar because my muscles are sore. They are loosening up, though,” Atae says.
The training room is simple, with hard metal walls draped with mirrors and hard, white floors. Training equipment lines the walls in front of the mirrors, but the center of the room is uncluttered and big enough for several sparring matches without them interfering with each other. The training room is marked private and occupied, so Atae and Jeqi spar alone until Schinn arrives.
The heir walks through the sliding door without looking up as he tugs on white gloves over his dark hands. The gloves and matching boots trim his blue bodysuit and make Jeqi raise an eyebrow at the male’s color coordination.
“You didn’t say he was a silver heir,” Jeqi says. When Atae doesn’t answer, Jeqi glances back to find the blue-haired female blushing bright red. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Jeqi crosses her arms and sighs as her tail flickers in agitation. Schinn stops a few arm-lengths away and smiles at the younger females.
“Sorry that I’m late. Sloan wasn’t easy to subdue yesterday, and I had to spend some time in a tank,” Schinn says.
“You don’t want any scars to mar your pretty face?” Jeqi says with a plastered smile.
“I think of scars as memories. I’d prefer to keep only the pleasant ones,” Schinn says. He glances at Atae and rubs a hand over his chest. Jeqi scoffs at the flirtatious remark that refers to the scar Atae gave him. When she glances at Atae, Jeqi frowns when she finds her packmate blushing even more.
“Are you here to help or play games?” Jeqi asks Schinn. “Because I warn you, I am in no mood to play.”
“I can see that,” Schinn raises an eyebrow at Jeqi’s broken nose. “Don’t worry. My intentions are pure…for now. I’ve come to teach Atae to control her shifting ability.”
“How?”
“Well, the first thing you have to understand is what triggers a shift-”
“Need. We know,” Jeqi says.
“We recently covered this at Sula Academy,” Atae says.
“Okay, the next thing is to understand your beast.”
“My beast? But I don’t have a beast,” Atae glances between Schinn and Jeqi with confusion. “I only have blades and night vision.”
“And claws,” Jeqi says. She wraps her tail around her waist and studies her packmate. Atae filled her in on the self-inflicted damage from the other night, and Jeqi doesn’t like the idea of her friend hurting herself, even by accident. She hopes Schinn can offer some legitimate insight, and he isn’t wasting their time as a ploy to spend more time with the naïve hybrid.
“I don’t mean your physical beast. I mean your mental beast,” Schinn says. “It’s like having a wild animal inside you. It only has basic instincts to guide it, but it usually fights you for control. Some say we are born with this second identity, but it remains dormant until we shift because that’s when we need it.”
“Why do we need it?” Atae asks.
“When you shift, your body activates muscles and nerves that were previously inactive. Your mind suddenly has to interpret signals from new sources, and it doesn’t know what to do with them. To make matters worse, not all the muscles and nerves that were active since birth are active after the shift. So the mind has trouble adapting to the body’s changes.”
“I don’t understand.” Atae frowns at Schinn’s explanation and shakes her head, while realization dawns on Jeqi’s face.
“It’s a coping mechanism.”
“A what?” Atae asks. She’s relieved that Jeqi understands. Jeqi always manages to simplify complex theories for Atae.
“The ‘beast’ is a second identity that the mind creates to understand and translate the shifted body,” Jeqi says in a fascinated tone. “With a beast body comes a beast mind to control it.”
“That’s a good way to put it,” Schinn says. “Do you understand, Atae?”
“I get what you’re saying. But I’ve never felt anything like that.”
“Hmm,” Schinn places a hand to his chin. “How many times have you shifted?”
“Well,” Atae says. “I’m pretty sure the first time was on Mount Tuki when I was attacked.”
“Pretty sure? You either shifted, or you didn’t.”
“If it were that simple, we wouldn’t need you,” Jeqi says.
“My eyes shifted. I’m certain of it.”
“Just your eyes? What about the blades and claws?” Schinn asks.
“No, just my eyes.”
“Then don’t count that as a successful shift,” Schinn says. “It’s common for Kaji younglings to start a shift and revert back before completing it. This can occur several times before the shifting phase is complete. The shifting phase begins when the first shifting attempt occurs and ends with the first completed shift. During that time, hormones drive emotions through peaks and valleys. That is why most Kaji pull their young out of society long enough to teach them control.”
“Huh, I guess someone didn’t spend enough time with Sloan during his shifting phase,” Atae says with a sly glance at her packmate. Schinn frowns at the comment and shakes his head.
“Sloan possesses great control over his shift. It’s his beast that he struggles to control.”
“What do you mean?” Jeqi asks.
“Yeah, he didn’t seem too in control in the throne room,” Atae says.
“Sloan is a rare type of Kaji. He’s a submissive warrior with a dominant beast.” Schinn says. Both Jeqi and Atae burst into laughter, and Schinn steps away from them in surprise.
“That is the stupidest thing that I’ve ever heard,” Atae says.
“Have you met Sloan? He is one of the most dominant males at Sula,” Jeqi says.
“Exactly. I spend most of my time at Sula fighting him for the top score. Below Jeqi, of course.”
“It’s not that simple,” Schinn says. “After your first complete shift, sometimes even during unsuccessful shifts, your beast appears. For most, it’s like riding back seat to your own body. It’s very unsettling, but once you shift back, so does your mind. And you retake control.
Your beast never leaves after that. Eventually, your beast half melds with your rational half, but until then, your beast is a passenger in your mind.”
“Dual identities,” Jeqi says.
“Yeah, I get it. It’s like what Elder Warrior Feku said a few days ago about a constant battle for control.” Atae glances at Jeqi. “I just thought he meant that it only happens in battle beast form.”
“The battle is more intense in beast form, and some control is relinquished to the beast mind but never all of it,” Schinn says.
“Otherwise, they go feral,” Jeqi says.
“Whoa.”
“In our first form, Kaji still feel the presence of the beast mind, but it can’t take control. The beast mind is wired to control a beast’s body and lacks the rationale to adapt to our first form. I would guess that Sloan’s beast has some effect on his personality. Without his beast as a constant companion, I wager Sloan would be very different,” Schinn says. He shrugs with a half-smile at Atae.
“Hmm. That would explain it,” Jeqi says.
“Explain what?” Atae asks.
“Sloan’s been different since last season when he learned to shift.”
“What are you talking about? Sloan’s always been annoyingly sarcastic. Although…his aggression has increased since last season.”
“Among other things.” An amused grin slips across Jeqi’s lips, and Atae furrows her brow.
“Like what?”
“Well, he’s been more…” Jeqi searches for the right word to describe Sloan’s recent effect on the opposite sex. It doesn’t take much. A flirtatious flutter of his eyes, a suggestively arched eyebrow, or a small teasing smirk sends every female in sight blushing bright red. Well, almost every female.
“Been more what?” Atae asks.
“Um…Charming,” Jeqi says as though testing the word. Upon hearing it aloud, she nods, satisfied with her choice. Atae, on the other hand, wrinkles her nose and twists her mouth into a sneer.
“Charming?”
“Charming? Huh,” Schinn says. “Interesting.”
“So you don’t think he’s attractive at all?” Jeqi asks Atae. The blue hybrid crosses her arms over here chest and glowers at her packmate.
“Ugh, no. He’s Sloan. Aggravatingly sarcastic and annoyingly strong Sloan.”
“Okay.” Jeqi raises an eyebrow at her friend’s denial. Meanwhile, Schinn tries to direct the conversation back on track.
“Well, as we were-”
“Wait. Do you?” Atae asks Jeqi.
“Find Sloan attractive? Of course.” Jeqi says. As though her confession is run-of-the-mill gossip, the blonde shifts her attention back to Schinn with the intent to continue their initial discussion.
“Wha-” Atae’s first attempt to respond is silenced by her shock, and she only accomplishes odd gurgling noises. When Jeqi glances back to her with a confused frown, she tries again.
“Really? Why haven’t you said something?”
“I said he’s attractive, Atae. I didn’t say I wanted to make him mine.” Jeqi shrugs at her gaping packmate. “You’re one of the only females I know who doesn’t find him attractive.”
How can they be so blind? He’s just so…Sloan. Atae shivers in disgust at the thought.
“That’s probably due to his beast’s strong presence,” Schinn says. He flashes an uncomfortable smile and hopes to drive the conversation back to a more productive topic. “I’m grateful that my beast likes to watch quietly until there is the possibility of battle.”
“Really?” Atae forgets about Sloan and slips close enough to peer into Schinn’s silver eyes. “What is it doing now?”
Schinn returns Atae’s curious gaze, and one corner of his mouth quirks upward. Without thinking, he pushes a stray strand of her short, blue hair from her forehead. When his fingers graze her skin, a flutter rises from Atae’s stomach and dances in her chest to the rhythm of her racing heart.
“He’s purring,” Schinn says. Atae blushes and steps back after realizing how close they stand. Jeqi snorts and juts her hip out.
“How do you know all this? And why are you interested in helping us?”
“Because,” Schinn glances from Atae to Jeqi, “my family specializes in shifting phases. That is why I was designated as Prince Truin’s guard. I was assigned when he began his shifting phase, and I helped guide him through it. I have studied and trained all my life to serve the Ru-Kai family in this capacity. After doing so, I asked to stay on as his guard.”
“Oh,” Jeqi says. She flashes a tight-lipped smile. Atae glances from Jeqi to Schinn and swallows hard.
“Well, I've still never felt anything like a beast mind or dual identity.”
“Okay, when did you first shift completely?” Schinn asks.
“You mean like with my eyes, claws, and blades all at the same time?” When Schinn nods, Atae shrugs. “I haven’t.”
“What do you mean? You said you’d shifted before.”
“I have, but not everything at once. My eyes and claws, and even my blades have shifted by themselves. I’ve shifted eyes and blades together then my eyes and claws but never all three.”
“But it all started over a month ago during your attack?” Schinn asks. Atae nods in confirmation. “That’s interesting.”
“Also,” Atae says. “They don’t feel like incomplete shifts. They don’t even feel like the same shift. I mean, my eyes shift completely and separately from my blades and claws. And my blades shift separately from everything else. The same for my claws.”
“Fascinating.”
“What?” Atae and Jeqi ask together.
“Most Kaji, even partial shifters, can only shift everything at once. Only incredible Kaji, with immense control, can pick and choose which body parts to shift. It sounds like you have that unique ability.”
“Like one of the legendary warriors?” Jeqi asks, and Atae beams.
“No way!”
“Don’t get too excited. This complicates things,” Schinn says. He shoves his hands out in front of him to illustrate his point, and Atae’s excitement drains away.
“What do you mean?”
“This means you may not have a beast mind,” he says.
“Isn’t that a good thing? I mean, the way you describe them, they kind of sound like a hindrance more than anything,” Atae says.
“Then I didn’t do it right.” Schinn stops to think for a moment then tries again. “The beast mind understands how to use your night vision and your weapons.”
“So do I,” Atae says.
“Really?” Schinn grabs the hybrid’s arm, holding it up between them. “Unsheathe your claws.”
When nothing happens, he raises both eyebrows and drops her arm.
“I see your point. But that’s what you’re supposed to teach me,” Atae says.
“I can’t,” Schinn says. He snags Atae’s arm again, this time, raising it to eye level. Running his knuckles across her palm, he splays her fingertips between them. Atae’s eyes dart from their intertwined hands to Schinn’s intense, silver gaze as her heart races and invisible wings flutter in her stomach. She finds it difficult to concentrate on his next words until Jeqi snorts, and Atae refocuses with a sheepish expression.
“You have nerves in your fingertips that your mind doesn’t understand. Without the beast mind, your mind may never be able to translate the electrical signals from the nerves in your fingers, or your eyes, or even your forearms,” Schinn says. “Without a beast mind, I don’t know how to help you.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense.” Atae snatches her arm away from Schinn. She stares at him as confusion clouds her eyes and anger twists her face into a scowl. How dare he give up without even trying?
“Atae.” Jeqi motions to something behind Schinn, but Atae ignores her.
“You’re wrong,’ Atae says to Schinn, forcing him back a step. “It’s not possible for my mind to not be able to control my own body.”
Schinn blinks in surprise at he
r sudden animosity, but Jeqi distracts them before he can respond.
“Atae,” she says.
“Oh no.” Atae gazes beyond Schinn to find Solum walking into earshot of their conversation. The silver heir glances back then twirls to greet the royal advisor.
“Advisor Solum, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” he says.
“Schinn,” Solum acknowledges the royal guard then glances at the hybrids. “Atae. Jeqi. Come with me.”
Advisor Solum swivels away from the three younglings and strides back the way he came. Atae and Jeqi jump to follow with apologetic glances to Schinn. As they reach the door, Atae glances back to meet Schinn’s silver gaze one last time only to find him strolling away toward the back of the training room. The blue hybrid frowns and crosses her arms as she follows behind Solum and Jeqi.
Chapter 28
“What were you discussing with Schinn?” Solum asks. He leads the two hybrids through the palace halls as Atae tries to answer.
“Uh…”
“Strategy for the Gridiron,” Jeqi says.
“Good. Try not to let the whole palace in on it, Atae,” Solum says. He glances over his shoulder at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Eventually, I’d like to hear your ideas so that we can devise a solid plan. But today we have another issue to resolve,” Solum says as they turn a corner.
“What issue?” Atae asks. She glances at the unfamiliar hall, grimacing at the gruesome images etched into the stone walls. The carvings depict captured enemies, tortured in various ways, and their horrific pain-induced screams.
“Your behavior in the throne room yesterday was inexcusable. It cannot happen again,” Solum says.
“I’m sorry that I spoke up. I should have kept my mouth shut, but they were starting to doubt the prince. I couldn’t let them turn against him,” Atae says. She jogs to catch up to Solum and plead her case at his side.
“I’m not talking about your big mouth. I blame myself for not teaching you about court politics,” Solum says. “I’m talking about your behavior when Sloan shifted.”
Atae’s eyes widen at the mention of her shameful reaction to Sloan in front of Prince Truin. Of course, Solum witnessed her failure too.