Identity Revealed: The Tue-Rah Chronicles

by Butler, J. M.

  WroOth shifted from the sleek silver dragon to his state of rest. "I think she's feeling a little less hostile now. Aren't you, dear heart?" WroOth grinned as he looked back at her, the sash still around his neck.

  That horrible plummeting feeling filled Amelia's body. She couldn't let go of WroOth. Her arms and legs were still there, but they were wrapped as tight around him as she could. Somehow she'd even held onto the gun. Not that it was doing much good now.

  Naatos, fully healed, stood to the side with AaQar. AaQar held her tablet, sliding his hand across the screen with confident ease. Naatos didn't appear to be surprised by it at all and was discussing something on the screen with AaQar. They knew about guns, lasers, and tablets? How was this even possible?

  "You can get off now." WroOth jostled Amelia, but she didn't budge. "All right." He nodded. "Assistance would appear to be necessary."

  Naatos strode toward them, the spear once more collapsed and hanging at his side. He pointed at Amelia. "Get down. Now."

  Amelia's mouth was dry, her thoughts jumbled. But she found the grip in her fingers once more and pointed the gun at WroOth's head. "Your brother is my hostage. I have one special bullet here that I haven't used yet that is extremely powerful and is made of things you don't even know about. I don't want to hurt you, WroOth, but I will. If all of you don't let me go and swear you won’t pursue me, I will use it." She struggled to cock the gun, relying on her legs to hold her in place. Her hands were cold and stiff, her coordination less than strong.

  Naatos's eyes narrowed. "WroOth, are you a hostage?"

  WroOth chuckled. "Not so much."

  "Yes, you are. Believe me. You don't want to see what this bullet does to your head."

  "Perhaps I do," Naatos said. "If you would like to demonstrate, please. I'll wait."

  "You wound me, brother," WroOth said with mock pain.

  "I think she plans to," Naatos said. He nodded toward Amelia. "Go on. Show me this special bullet. Is it made of something more substantive than metal and copper?"

  Amelia pointed the gun at Naatos. "Maybe I'll shoot you instead."

  AaQar sighed. He swiped his fingers across the tablet. "Stop antagonizing the girl."

  "You are a Neyeb, but even so you are trying my patience. If you are going to shoot me, then do it—"

  Amelia squeezed the trigger. The shot pierced Naatos between the eyes.

  "Oh, dear heart." WroOth shook his head. "That was not very well thought out."

  Amelia pointed the gun back at him. "Do you want me to shoot you again?"

  "I'm fairly certain we've established that it only annoys us," WroOth said.

  Naatos stood. He dashed the blood away from his face. "Climb down now."

  Amelia shook her head. As awkward as it was clinging to WroOth, she at least didn't have to worry about him as much. He could injure her, but he couldn't sneak up on her. And her being on WroOth certainly limited what Naatos and AaQar could do. Unless they snuck up on her. No one appeared to be interested in that. "I don't think so," Amelia said. "It's not like things are going to get worse for me if I stay up here."

  "Oh, but they can," Naatos said. "You see, it is not so much whether you die. That's essentially a given at this point. The question is how you die. You could die quickly or slowly. Painfully or more painfully. How you die is what you get to decide right now. WroOth, drop her. You look ridiculous."

  WroOth held up his hands. "I have nothing to do with this. The only other thing I can do is waste her, and I don't think you'll get much out of her after that."

  "Be still, both of you," AaQar said. "The girl should not be at issue right now. She is here. She is restrained." He glanced up. "More or less. Inale is more important. Now. This tablet has a number of documents and files. Some of them are fiction. But some appear to be her own journalings."

  "How dare you read my journal!"

  "It appears her name is indeed Amelia. Thus far, I see little of interest. No mention of Inale. Concerns about being forgotten and fears of inability and monstrousness are the primary matters."

  "Do you really think I would talk about anything important in a journal that I didn't password protect?" Amelia asked tightly. Of course she had encrypted the journal. How had he gotten through that? Had she opened it and done something to unencrypt it? Or had he really cut through all of the security she'd put into it.

  "Perhaps so. Explain then why you keep Inale from us." AaQar shut the tablet off. "She has a destiny to fulfill. It is better that she is with those who understand it than with those who would lock her away."

  "No," Amelia said. "It is better for her to be free. To grow up and learn what she is. You must leave her alone. You must leave her family alone. You must leave her people alone."

  "And who is to raise her? You?" WroOth set his arms akimbo and sighed. "Incidentally, were you lying when you said you knew what her future held?"

  "You three just want her for your own ends," Amelia said. "That I know."

  "Amelia, I may be persuaded to let you live," Naatos said. "You are a Neyeb, and I admit that when it comes to them, I am perhaps more willing to overlook their shortcomings than I should be. If you bring Inale here, I will let you remain with her. You can help to raise her with WroOth so long as you promise to conduct yourself in accordance with my wishes. All of them."

  "All of your wishes?" Amelia responded scornfully.

  "If you are implying that I would take advantage of you sexually, understand I am nulaamed."

  Amelia looked at him skeptically. There didn't seem to be much of a way out of this except by stalling. "If you say so."

  "Do you know nothing of your own people?" Naatos demanded. "It means that I am bound to wed."

  "Fine then." Amelia adjusted her grip. "I'm happy for you. Many happy returns. I'm sure you are the model of fidelity."

  "Vawtrians can only marry once. You hold no interest for me nor to either of my brothers." Naatos's voice grew cold again. He picked up a rock and rubbed his thumb across the dirt-covered surface. The granules sifted through his fingers, carried away by the wind. "You had best accept. You see, there really are only so many places you could have hidden Inale. And it will not last long. She's quite precocious, and, now that she has met me again, she will come to me and my family. She won't be able to help it. If you believe she will be afraid or harmed, then you may defend her and stay with her. You may even help raise her and train her. But you must bring her here. If you do not, I will lock you in a dungeon filled with hook-fanged spiders and let them feast on your living flesh." His gaze cut into her.

  Amelia set her jaw. A spasm of fear shot through her nonetheless. She had tried to remove her fear of spiders by training with scorpions, tarantulas, bird-eating spiders, and more. She’d even had pet tarantulas. But nothing on Earth compared with the wolf-sized spiders. Her shoulders tensed, her muscles tightened.

  "So what will it be?" Naatos asked. He stepped closer and to the side.

  Amelia tried to twist WroOth around using his hair.

  "I'm not a horse, dear heart," WroOth said, giving his head a firm shake.

  "Tell me where Inale is, or you'll be on your way to Polfradon in a sack along with the rest of the spider bait."

  Amelia's mouth had gone dry. She had no doubt he would do it. "All right. But I can't tell you where to find her. I'll have to show you or one of your brothers."

  Naatos motioned for her to get down. There seemed to be no other option at this point. Amelia released WroOth and dropped down, then unwound her wrist. The flesh was badly bruised and deeply gouged but not cut. Before Amelia could move back, Naatos grabbed her by the face and pulled her in front of him. "Do not cross me or my brothers again. Now which way?"

  Suddenly a bear roared. Out of the forest, at the base of the fifth hill, leading up to the peak poured two dozen Ayamin. Relief flooded through Amelia.

  The Ayamin, though looking worn, were on their bruins. They broke off into pairs and rushed toward the peak in a broad s
emi-circle.

  Naatos lifted his hand toward the mercenaries. "Release the crudons."

  The mercenaries stepped behind the cages and threw back the brush. Amelia's eyes widened as she saw the creatures within the cage.

  Crudons?

  The mythic beasts snarled and lunged out of the cages. Their roars sliced through the air as they bypassed Naatos and his brothers, rushing headlong toward the invading Ayamin.

  The Ayamin lifted their bladed weapons, preparing for the attack, their bruins snarling. With their heads down, the crudons barreled into the bruins. They reared up and struck one another with their paws, biting. The crudons flung belly spines up and tried to spear the bruins. If it hadn't been for the bruins, the Ayamin wouldn't have stood a chance.

  A second gesture from Naatos sent the mercenaries down to attack as well, and he shoved Amelia toward WroOth. "Don't let her go anywhere. If she runs, break her legs." He leaped into the air, transforming into a two-headed gryphon. Fire spewed from one mouth as the other spat sticky green venom.

  AaQar dropped the tablet and dissolved into a massive squid with spiked tentacles. As he raced down the hill, his tentacles tore through the low-growing grass.

  A third of the Ayamin broke off from attacking the crudons and formed a curved line to fight the mercenaries. Shon led the charge against the mercenaries while Matthu remained behind with the other two-thirds of the Ayamin, dealing with the crudons. It was a race to down as many of the mercenaries and crudons as possible before AaQar and Naatos arrived.

  Amelia glanced at WroOth. She was still easily within his reach. If she bolted now, he'd certainly catch her unless she came up with yet another plan or put more distance between them. "So…you three know about guns? Why don't your mercenaries have those?"

  "There are still ways between the worlds for those who know how to find them. But none of those ways currently allow for much transportation in weapons. Besides, there are other reasons. How did you get your gun through, dear heart? What world did the Tue-Rah bring you from? I'm guessing you weren't in control of it."

  The battle continued below. Naatos swooped overhead as AaQar swiped the feet out from under three of the bruins.

  Amelia swallowed the knot forming in her throat. "Seems unfair them not letting you fight."

  "Oh, not at all. I was poisoned this morning. That failed assassination attempt I told you about. They do worry about me."

  "Yeah?" Amelia looked around, the chaos of the battlefield filling her ears. Three of the crudons were wounded but fighting. Matthu and three Ayamin finished off one of the smaller ones. Shon launched shot after shot from his razor bow at Naatos. Despite the dampness in the grass, the ground caught fire from Naatos's flames. She had to figure out a way to help. "I think you do care about Inale."

  "I do. She is my sister."

  Amelia remembered him saying that before. "Except not really."

  "Perhaps not by blood, but that isn't what matters most. I won't let anyone hurt her."

  He sounded so sincere. Amelia glanced back at the battle. "This will terrify her."

  WroOth turned his attention more fully upon her. "She is nearby then?"

  "Yes. Very close." Amelia nodded. "Can I go to her and meet you back here?"

  Chuckling, WroOth shook his head. "If you want to show me where she is, we can go now. Otherwise, no."

  "It's really best if she didn't see you right away," Amelia said. "She's upset with all of you. Especially you."

  "Oh?" WroOth arched an eyebrow.

  "You lied to her more than any of your brothers. She thought you were her friends, you especially. And then it turned out you were just using her and lying to her. She's been crying about that almost as much as anything else."

  WroOth's smile wavered. "The lies were intended to keep her from being traumatized. I will explain that to her when I see her again. What happened was necessary. Her discovery of it was not."

  Amelia rolled her eyes. "That's your justification? You think that the fact she found out is the problem? Not that you all marched in and took over her home—"

  "It isn't her home though. Not really. What sort of life did she have here? She is of your kind. Are you happy with the way that they treated her here?"

  "No," she admitted with reluctance, "but not so unhappy I would wish hundreds dead and lives ruined. She's even more broken now than before." Amelia folded her arms over her chest protectively. WroOth hadn't acknowledged the extra space she was putting between them. "I mean, how is she supposed to trust anyone after that and everything else?"

  "Are you trying to make me angry?" WroOth asked.

  The final crudon was dead. All but two of the Talbokians as well. AaQar now fought in the middle of the hill, lashing out with his tentacles, seizing anything he could and flinging it. A large boulder rocketed through the sky and fell a few yards away. None of the Ayamin seemed to be down though.

  "I'm just explaining how things are." Amelia crossed to the tablet and picked it up. "Inale is scared. You hurt her. I need to take care of her. You shouldn't come."

  All of WroOth's focus was on her now. His back to the battlefield, he closed the distance between them. "She will understand eventually. Let me explain it to her."

  Amelia softened her features, pretending to relent as she nodded. "I should go alone though."

  "Why should you go alone? I can be there without her knowing."

  Right. He was a shapeshifter. Amelia hesitated. Maybe she could lose him in the forest. "Okay…well…no dragons. And no bluebirds."

  WroOth frowned. "No bluebirds?"

  "They upset her now."

  WroOth stopped short. "She told you this?"

  "I know everything Inale knows. She isn't going to play trust the leader anymore." Amelia shrugged and angled away.

  WroOth's eyes narrowed. "You know…there are times when you remind me quite a bit of Inale."

  The burn returned to Amelia’s cheeks. Perhaps she had pushed him a little too far. "Well," she said with a faint shrug. "That says more about you than me. Just because we both have dark hair and dark eyes doesn't mean we all look the same." Her eyes widened as a large form flew through the air. "Bear!"

  WroOth lifted his head. Before he could move, one of the dead crudons landed on him.

  Gasping, Amelia jumped back. "WroOth?"

  WroOth groaned.

  The dead crudon had landed back first, his belly spines exposed upward. Amelia shoved both hands against the crudon. With WroOth straining against it, it only took a moment for it to fall to the side. Wheezing, WroOth collapsed, his bones knitting back together with loud pops.

  "Are you all right?" Amelia crouched beside him. Wait, she thought, drawing her hand back. What am I doing?

  WroOth continued coughing. He blinked against the sunlight shining in his face. "More surprised than anything," he said hoarsely. His eyes slipped shut, and his body went limp.

  It was time to go. Amelia resisted the urge to check if he was breathing. Shoving the tablet back in her satchel, she forced herself to run toward the forest.

  "Amelia!" Shon shouted, riding toward her on his bruin. He passed a seemingly dead crudon. The creature stirred. Its fur bloodied and its maw slavering, the crudon lunged toward him.

  "Shon, crudon!" Amelia shouted.

  Shon's bruin reared up, throwing Shon back in the saddle. If it weren't for the thick stirrups that ran from his calf to his foot, he would have been thrown. He fired an arrow into the crudon as the crudon and the bear battled each other. "Call Marel!"

  "Marel!" Amelia shouted, her hands cupped over her mouth as she raced toward the forest. A large black bear with a white mask and two white paws broke free and bounded forward with long loping strides, the small saddle tight to his back.

  Even though all of the mercenaries were down and the final crudon was being slain, AaQar and Naatos were easily breaking through the Ayamin. Broken Talbokian corpses lay on the ground, the bruins trampling them. Dozens of arrows prickled from
Naatos's shoulder and chest. He snapped them out with his beak and roared, soaring down for another attack. Matthu barely pulled his bruin back before Naatos made another pass through.

  AaQar seized one of the bruins by the leg and flung it in the air along with its rider. Once again, Naatos dove down, lighting the ground with fire and plowing through two other Ayamin. Unless those two were slowed, the Ayamin would never get out.

  "Hey!" Amelia shouted, waving her arms. "AaQar! You threw that last crudon on your brother."

  AaQar looked up, his dinner-plate-sized eyes blinking slowly.

  Amelia pointed at WroOth's motionless body. "You hit him! Naatos! WroOth needs you." A spasm of fear passed through her as well, but AaQar released the two Ayamin he'd seized at once and raced up the hillside.

  Even Naatos stopped short, hovering in the air for a moment, both wings flapping with thunderous strength.

  Marel thrust his snout against Amelia's arm. Climbing up, Amelia seized the reins, and urged him forward. As Shon slew the last of the crudons, the Ayamin scattered, seizing their wounded as they went.

  Marel raced ahead, his massive paws tearing through the ground. Amelia glanced over her shoulder as she and Marel plunged in the leaves. WroOth still lay on the ground, his chest barely moving. AaQar, now back in his state of rest, dropped beside him and shook him, then reached for the bag at his side.

  18

  Plaohi

  Amelia braced herself, expecting Naatos to tear through the green-leafed canopy at any moment. But though his roars and snarls carried, he did not enter the forest. AaQar shouted for Naatos, the alarm in his voice tore through Amelia. It had to do with WroOth, most likely. For a moment, she wanted to go back.

  That was foolishness though. What's wrong with me, she wondered. Though she urged Marel forward, she did cast her gaze back once more. The thick branches, heavy underbrush, and curled leaves blocked her view. Had WroOth died?

  Stop it. Amelia closed her eyes. This was what she was supposed to do. Or at least close to it. If she couldn't kill them, she could at least let them die. How could she be getting attached to him? If AaQar hadn't accidentally thrown a crudon on WroOth, she would have had to have found a way to escape. With one down, she just had two to worry about. This was how it had to be.