by Kelly A Nix
“Do you know her parentage?” Schinn asks.
“No,” Jeqi says. “Her father won’t tell her, and I’ve tried to figure it out. But she’s…too Kaji. She’s smaller and has odd coloring. Otherwise, she’s Kaji.”
“She’s definitely not Setunn, Runx, or Kip. Hybrids like that are easy to pinpoint,” Schinn says. “You know, with the extra appendages or tails and whatnot.”
“I can only assume she descends from a G2 species, but there’s only a handful that can interbreed with the Kaji. And all of them could result in her appearance.”
“You could always try genetic testing. She may not be a half-breed. Maybe, a dilution of Setunn or something.”
“Does it matter? Is that why this happened? Why she lost control and couldn’t get it back?”
“I don’t know,” Schinn says. “I’ve never seen or heard of something like this before, except in cases of a battle beast going feral.”
“But feral beasts can’t shift back. They remain in their shifted forms with no rational thought,” Jeqi says. “Atae was there and present. We could communicate with her. Feral beasts can’t do that. Can they?”
“No, but if she loses control to her beast again, I don’t think she’ll ever get it back.”
Listening, Atae slides her eyes open. She notices the cool touch of healing gel all over her body before registering the odd floating sensation of the recovery tank. The blue gel presses into her eyes and gives everything a blue tint. Foggy from tranquilizers, Atae wonders how she can breathe through the gel that fills her mouth, throat, and lungs. She also doesn’t understand why the gel doesn’t sting her eyes when she blinks, but those thoughts slip from her mind in the haze.
Atae can see Jeqi speaking with Schinn outside her tank, their voices muffled and hard to understand. It takes a great deal of concentration to make out the words, but she’s certain they are talking about hiding her injury from Solum. Or maybe Sloan? That doesn’t make sense. She decides that eavesdropping isn’t worth the effort, not with the drugs pumping through her system. The recovery tank is a new experience for Atae, and she enjoys it. She feels relaxed and disconnected from the world around her. At least she does until Beast snarls at her like a wild animal.
How dare you! I should shred you to pieces for your betrayal.
Beast’s bodiless voice barks from a churning cloud at the back of Atae’s mind. The silver mist rages with orange-sienna particles that pulsate with anxiety and hide the slivers of frightened-golden flecks deep within the fog. An angry-red flash lashes out at Atae to accentuate Beast’s words.
What did I do? Atae asks. She struggles to concentrate through the medically induced haze.
You took my body. Now they are trying to kill us. Wake up, or you’ll drown!
The frightened gold flecks reverberate through Atae’s mind to snap her out of the haze. She jolts forward and fights the drowning sensation from being submerged in the blue healing gel. Atae struggles to fight Beast’s panicking golden fog as it encompasses her mind. It tries to convince her body that it shouldn’t be able to breathe through this foreign matter. Her brain finally registers the odd awareness of the thick substance in her eyes and nose, and Beast’s drive to escape bombards Atae’s mind. She thrashes about through the gel in an attempt to orient herself and find a way out until she hears a loud thud that resonates through the gel.
Through the blue haze, her eyes fall upon Jeqi’s even bluer gaze, and Atae calms. Jeqi’s hand presses against the tank’s glass, and her no-nonsense glare over a gel smeared nose tells Atae to quiet down. The blue hybrid sighs through the gel even though Beast argues that it isn’t possible and that they should be dead by now. She inwardly grumbles at Beast’s complaints and outwardly grins at Jeqi’s annoyance with her.
Jeqi would never try to drown me, Atae says to Beast. Then she remembers a sparring session that ended with Jeqi holding Atae’s face under the running water of a river until she passed out. At least, not to kill me.
I don’t believe you. They are trying to kill us. We have to get out. Beast says. Instinct drives her to escape the danger she cannot fight. Beast’s golden mist of anxiety washes over her counterpart like a wave of cold water, and Atae cringes against it.
Calm down. We are not dying. We are healing.
Atae pushes her feelings of assurance and tranquility at Beast. Atae waves her hand through the blue gel and touches the healing skin on her face. Tissue adhesive holds the skin and muscles in place to accelerate the healing. Atae can feel a difference already. Beast also notices the healed tissue, and her golden fear calms to a distressed orange-sienna. Atae frowns at the sensation of Beast pacing back and forth across her mind within the churning cloud.
The youngling closes her eyes and concentrates on blocking everything out except Beast. She ignores the cooling gel against her skin and muffled voices just outside her tank. Instead, she focuses on Beast’s confidence and power within Kandorq’s cell. Atae remembers the feeling of Beast’s snarl on her lips and the threat of her bared teeth. As the rest of the world falls away, Atae relaxes. Within her mind, she stands in the center of a dark and empty room. A glimmer of light flickers across from her and shines bright enough to illuminate the churning fog that hides Beast. Sienna and gold particles swirl within the mist, along with tiny bursts of red. Atae waits for Beast to step from the fog and face her counterpart; instead, the mist shifts into a large ball then reshapes. As the new shape begins to look familiar, Atae realizes that Beast is the fog.
Now, Atae stands face-to-face with Beast in the empty room. She has the odd sensation of peering into a warped mirror at a disfigured reflection. Beast’s slit, fuchsia eyes glower at Atae. The sharp blades erupting from Beast’s hanging forearms point away, but the razors on her fingers twitch.
I’m glad I have control. Otherwise, you would have destroyed this tank the moment we woke up, Atae says to Beast. She gapes at the irrational part of her brain, amazed by her counterpart’s strong instinctual impulses.
Yes, but I wouldn’t have been captured in the first place.
Captured? Jeqi is not an enemy. She is pack. Why don’t you understand that?
Jeqi is pack. Schinn is not, Beast says. She lurches toward Atae to stress the importance of her words.
Why do you say that?
He is dishonest. And he attacked us, Beast says.
No, he isn’t. And he attacked you to subdue you. And for that, you were going to kill him. Why? Atae says. The memory of fighting with Beast and forcing her to let go of Schinn flashes across Atae’s mind. The pain of seizing control and fending off Beast’s mental attacks was all-consuming. Atae didn’t even register the damage to her face from Beast’s attempt to maintain dominance until after she seized control.
He attacked me as an enemy would. I destroy our enemies without hesitation and without mercy, Beast says.
So if Jeqi attacked you, would you kill her too?
Yes.
Even if it’s just sparring? Atae asks. When Beast furrows her brow in confusion, Atae frowns.
Sparring is practice fighting without attempting to kill your partner. Atae reminds Beast with memories of sparring sessions with Solum and Jeqi. Beast snorts at the idea of fake battle and returns to her anxious pacing.
You can’t spar, can you? Just like you can’t speak. You can’t rationalize that behavior. That’s why you don’t understand certain things. You aren’t capable of understanding. You are all instinct. That’s why this tank drives you crazy. Instinct is telling you that we will drown, and you have no rationale to argue with that logic, Atae says. Beast growls but slows her agitated pacing. I can never give you control again. You’ll never give it up. Your instinct to survive is too powerful.
You cannot shift without me. Beast says. Atae chuckles at the threat.
I’ve believed some crazy notions in the past. At one point, I believed that I’d never beat Solum, then I did. I once believed that I’d be a victim to a sick creature’s whims, but I wa
sn’t. I even believed I would never possess the ability to shift, and we both know that isn’t true. But don’t think for a moment that I believe you’ll never help me shift, Atae says. She crosses her arms and glowers at Beast.
Because if you don’t agree to work with me, as a Kajian beast should, I will spend every night sleeping in one of these tanks. I will spend every free moment enjoying the relaxation and weightlessness while you slowly go insane.
Beast stops pacing to stares at Atae with unhindered fear, and Atae smiles. We are strong. We are Kaji.
Chapter 31
Jeqi waits outside the tournament arena and watches Atae study the busy entrance. Every time a classmate comes too close, Atae freezes as though she’s afraid any movement might spur Beast into a violent meltdown.
“Can you do this?” Jeqi asks.
“I can and I will,” Atae says through clenched teeth. “I am in control.”
With her tail dancing behind her, Jeqi’s eyebrows knit together, and she slips a comforting hand onto her packmate’s shoulder.
“I’m here. We’ll do this together.”
Atae nods at her, and they proceed into the arena. Beast, bubbling with an orange-brown anxiety, paces in the back of Atae’s mind. The crowd of younglings grows thick as Atae and Jeqi progress further into the arena, and Beast’s distress at being surrounded pummels against Atae’s consciousness. She clenches both fists and walks, taut with tension, alongside Jeqi.
This time, they find two energy domes at their assigned position. Two sets of visual visors sit on a small energy table in the center of a translucent blue dome; the second dome has a yellow glint and stands empty. Jeqi points to the hollow dome.
“That one’s yours,” she says.
“What? What do you mean? Where are you going?” Atae asks. Beast watches from within, and Atae shivers at the sensation of her counterpart looking over her shoulder.
“Remember, this round, we have to split up,” Jeqi says. “Marqee and I are the strategists. You and Sloan are the runners.”
No. We will be alone. Too many enemies. Destroy them all, Beast says
“Okay,” Atae says to Jeqi. Then she growls at Beast to calm down. Jeqi offers a small smile to her friend.
“You can do this, Atae. I may not be right by your side, but I’ll still be watching and helping you progress.”
Atae nods her head and enters the yellow dome while Jeqi steps into the other one. Atae ignores the camera that whirls to life above the dome and watches Jeqi place the visor studs into her earlobes then activate them. The blue-eyed hybrid flashes her packmate the thumbs-up sign and a smile as her assigned camera circles above.
Atae closes her eyes and clenches her fists. She tries to quiet Beast’s demands and subdue the onslaught of sienna anxiety and golden panic that threatens to drown her. Breathing grows difficult as her chest tightens. She can feel her claws extending and biting into her palms.
No. Don’t, Atae says.
We are surrounded and alone. No pack to protect us, Beast says. She reaches for the mental switch that calls her blades forth.
“Atae.”
A deep, familiar voice breaks through her inner turmoil, and Beast hesitates. She rummages through Atae’s memories to identify the sound and finds Sloan’s sarcastic smirk and dominant antics. She recognizes his strength and skills, and she bristles at Atae’s constant struggles against him.
Enemy.
No. He is not an enemy, Atae says. He’s…
She pauses, uncertain of what to call Sloan. Neither he nor Marqee is pack, are they? Yes. For the purposes of the tournament, they are pack. But true packmates? Absolutely not.
“Atae, are you okay?” Sloan asks.
Ally. He is an ally, Atae says. She opens her eyes to meet Sloan’s concerned expression. Beast watches the dark male from behind Atae’s gaze and finds red eyes hidden within him. Atae can feel Beast’s intrigue and the smirk that flitters across her counterpart’s lips.
A powerful ally.
“Atae, answer me,” Sloan says. He sets a firm hand on her shoulder. At his touch, Beast’s fog blooms crimson, and it bubbles up deep within her to cascade through Atae’s body. She gasps out loud as wave after wave of heat crashes into her.
“Don’t touch me.” She knocks his hand away. “I’m fine.”
The command comes out more aggressive than she intends, but pulling herself out of Beast’s swirl of alien emotions takes its toll on Atae’s patience.
“What’s wrong with you?” Marqee asks. He scowls next to his packmate, and Atae stares at him so as to focus on something other than Sloan. Beast silently assesses the shorter youngling and combs through Atae’s memories to determine his status as Sloan’s packmate, therefore an ally as well.
“Nothing.” Atae flashes a fake smile to rein in her frazzled appearance. “Just a last-minute meditation session.”
“Right,” Marqee says. He sends Sloan a meaningful glance and smacks him on the chest. “Good luck.”
Atae watches Marqee join Jeqi in the blue dome and grab the remaining set of visor studs, then the empty energy table dissipates.
“Why are you nervous?” Sloan asks. Atae scoffs at him.
“I’m not.”
“Then why were you meditating?”
After watching Marqee and Jeqi exchange words regarding their visors, Atae opts to survey the arena rather than look at Sloan, especially after Beast’s carnal reaction. Instead, she asks Beast to assess their competition.
“Why do you care?” Atae asks Sloan. She notes the blue and yellow domes throughout the arena while Beast decides which classmates they should target first.
“I find it’s important to know the state of mind of all my packmates. Especially those with which I’m about to partner in a dangerous tournament.” He flashes a half-grin at Atae, but it slips when he realizes that she is avoiding his gaze.
“We are not pack. Allies at best,” Atae says. She ignores the crimson sparks from Beast. She reminds Beast of her task, and her inner counterpart complies. The glares from Debil and Seva bump them to first on Beast’s list, and Atae agrees. She still doesn’t understand their problem with her.
“Allies in the tournament, and allies in the Gridiron. Works for me.”
“Ha. The Gridiron? The only way I’d work with you is if the prince himself…” Atae curses when she realizes the truth of his words.
“Yep, you want to protect Truin, and so do I. Looks like you’re stuck with me.” Sloan slips closer to Atae. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
“Of course I do, Sloan,” Atae says. She inhales through Beast’s distracting fog, then she shivers as a delightful sensation glides up Atae’s spine and sucks the breath from her lungs. She manages a breathy response.
“You’re quite annoying.”
Atae points out the pond in the center of the arena to Beast, distracting her with memories of Jeqi’s attack. The distraction offers Atae some relief but not much.
“Is that why you won’t look at me?” Sloan asks.
With pressed lips, Atae swivels to face him. She meets his gaze and clenches her jaw while Beast basks in Sloan’s natural swagger. His crooked smile and confident gaze send her careening into a crimson storm. Atae, on the other hand, isn’t impressed. She glowers at Sloan for instigating such a sensual response from her counterpart.
“Just stay out of my way.” Atae spins away, but Sloan grabs her arm.
“We need to work together on this, so follow my lead,” he says.
A hint of a growl escapes from his lips, prompting both Atae and Beast to meet his gaze. Atae glimpses the determination to win in Sloan’s dark eyes, and Beast sees the demand for submission from his inner beast. For the first time, they both agree on one thing. They will not submit.
“Don’t play your dominance games with me, Sloan.” Atae rips her arm from his grasp. “They won’t work.”
Surprised that his ploy didn’t subdue her, Sloan watches her swirl away fr
om him. He glances at Marqee in the other dome, who observed the entire exchange, but he just shrugs. Jeqi rounds on Marqee, demanding an explanation for their behavior. He throws his hands up in defense, but before he can explain, a warning alarm sounds. And the remaining younglings scramble to their assigned domes. Skiska and Frack appear as giant floating heads above the center of the arena.
“And here we go again, folks. It’s time for round two of the Sula Academy Tournament,” Frack says in his gruff voice.
“Yes, round one was quite exciting, and it seems the rest of the empire agrees. Almost seventy-five percent of the public tuned into to watch live or recorded sessions. I’m hoping this round will be just as exciting,” Skiska says.
“I guarantee that interest in this tournament will double after the pledging ceremony yesterday.” Frack sends a telling glance to his co-host. “If you haven’t heard, Prince Truin will be competing in the Gridiron with this season’s Sula Academy graduates.”
“And according to Queen Sula’s decree, anyone that defeats her son in battle shall inherit his throne,” Skiska says in an overly chipper tone.
“So those of you who win will have a chance to fight alongside our future ruler. Or if you have what it takes, you could become the next ruler of the Kaji Empire,” Frack says.
“Well, that’s a prize indeed. What are the rules for round two, Frack?”
“This round is going to be tough, and it’s all about strategy. Two younglings from each pack will be the strategists, and the remaining two will be the runners.”
As Frack explains, translucent energy walls sprout from the ground all around the arena, creating a complex maze. A floor erupts from under Jeqi and Marqee that raises them high into the air, and Beast growls at their distance. She demands action to save their packmate, but Atae points out that the same thing is happening to all the blue domes and their inhabitants. When ceilings assemble above Atae and Sloan to cover the entire labyrinth of halls, the domes drop. Atae watches Jeqi step onto the energy field above them and point to other competitors.