by Pippa Jay
Keir waited, eyes fixed on the stone barrier, until the figure finally emerged. He pounced and they tumbled across the ground together. As he struggled to pin the haemovore down, Sky shrugged him off and broke free, rolling to his feet. Long blue hair tied back, Sky retreated as Keir confronted him, braced for a further attack. His blue skin and black clothing had made him almost invisible in the darkness, but it was no longer an advantage. Sky crouched lower, baring his fangs in a display designed to keep his prey paralyzed with fear. Keir merely took another step back in preparation, eyes fixed on his adversary.
“You can’t win,” the haemovore snarled as they circled one another. “I’m stronger and faster than any human.”
Keir knew the truth of that, had taken the bruises to prove it. A haemovore’s composition was far denser than a human’s, making them heavier and tougher than someone even twice their size.
“We shall see.” Keir said nothing more, but held his hands at the ready, waiting.
As Sky made a feint toward him, lashing out with one foot, he countered the blow by shoving down with both hands, but failed to avoid the punch that knocked him to the ground. Despite the jarring pain, he jumped to his feet. The haemovore had vanished. Keir spun, searching for him, certain the battle was not yet over. This could only be another ploy to trick him into lowering his defenses.
With no sight or sound for guidance, and no possible hiding place, Keir tried to reach out with his mind, putting his uncertain telepathic ability to the test. Distorted sounds filled his mind as he tried to focus. Fragments of words flashed in and out of his head, some booming harshly before fading to incomprehensible whispers.
He touched one hand to his forehead as he concentrated, sensing someone nearby. Despite the warning, he reacted too late as something hit him from behind and he sprawled face first into the damp soil of the garden. He rolled aside and leaped up, but froze in shock as he found himself confronting Quin, dressed in the same close-fitting black with her red hair pulled back. Without warning, without the slightest hesitation, she attacked him.
He did nothing to defend himself, could do nothing but take the full force of the kick to his chest. It knocked him to the ground and left him winded with a symphony of pain playing along his ribs. Forcing himself onto hands and knees, he looked sidelong at her, feigning a more serious injury to catch his breath. As small as she was, she did not lack the strength and agility necessary to equal him in a fair fight. He had learned never to underestimate her.
“You shouldn’t have hesitated,” she rebuked him, still poised for attack yet graciously giving him time to recover.
He struggled to rise at last. “I have no wish to hurt you, Quin.”
The now-familiar grin of mischief lit her face. “You won’t.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I will not fight you.”
“Why, you patronizing–” Fury wiped the smile from her face and she rushed at him.
Keir barely had time to blink before her fist smacked into his face and he fell back, the faint tang of blood in his mouth. Shock and a fragment of anger coiled in his chest, but he had no chance for reflection as Quin punched him a second time. He ducked the third blow and scuttled backward with her in pursuit, then turned and ran.
“Don’t you dare run away from me!” she screamed, and the edge of her rage lashed at his thoughts.
He ignored her and kept going, skirting the border of the formal gardens. Speed and cunning had often saved him a beating in the past and he used them now. Cutting back around the huge chunk of stone that formed the ornate waterfall, he scrabbled up the rock face and flattened himself out on the top. He tried to ease his rapid breathing to silence.
Seconds later, Quin followed and stopped below him. “You can’t hide forever, Keir.”
He pushed himself up on his hands, poised to jump. Excitement quivered through him. If he could surprise her, he could end this without a fight and each of them with their honor intact.
Quin took a step, and another, as if she sensed his presence nearby but not his exact location.
A little closer…
Perhaps he made some miniscule sound, or perhaps it had been too obvious a hiding place. The instant before he leapt, Quin glanced up. They hit the ground together, Keir on top, and Quin shrieked.
Horrified, Keir jerked away, and Quin’s knee caught him hard in the groin. Agony stabbed through him. Bright sparks flared across his vision, and he rolled away with a groan.
Oh, Gods!
Laughter answered him. Her cry of pain had been fake. “Don’t ever refuse to fight me again, Keirlan de Corizi. It’s all very noble, but I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back.”
Keir forced himself onto his hands and knees even though pain still pulsed through his lower abdomen. “Is that my next challenge?” he gasped. He risked a sidelong glance, watched her rise to her feet and stand, her posture relaxed.
She laughed again, and in that fleeting instant of distraction, he launched himself at her. As she raised her hands in defense, he grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back, pulling her against him and sending them both crashing to the ground. Pinned beneath his weight and with one arm trapped, Quin went limp. The fight was over. They lay face to face, hearts pounding in unison and panting from their efforts.
“Nice move,” she said, a smile curving her lips. “Now you’re learning.”
“Thank you.”
Keir stared down at her for a moment. With his own arm trapped beneath her, they lay locked together in a tight embrace, Quin acquiescent in his grasp. The sparring had added a warm flush to her skin. and the heat and softness of her body beneath his crowded into his awareness. Even through the coarse fabric of their combat gear, he felt the rapid flutter of her heartbeat.
Every nerve in his body snapped taut and his breathing faltered. Her mouth remained curved in a gentle smile, rose colored against her pale skin. There was a hint of blue in her gray eyes he had never noticed before. A strange thrill coursed through his veins and he jerked himself free of her, to stand with his fingers clenched into restraining fists.
As if it were possible to retreat from this new and dangerous sensation, he took a step back.
If she noticed, she said nothing as she rose and dusted herself down. “Come on, we have an appointment with Surei.”
“I would have thought I would be the last person she wishes to see,” Keir said gloomily, falling into step beside her as they returned to the warmth and brightness of the base.
“She wanted me to ban you from practicing with Sky, and with good reason,” Quin agreed. “You don’t need to end up in medical every time you fight to prove how hard you’re trying. It isn’t a test.”
“But there is so much to learn.”
“And there’s plenty of time. You’ve only been here two months. You’re expecting far too much of yourself, after everything you’ve been through.”
“I do not want to disappoint you.”
“You won’t. You haven’t.” She stopped, compelling him to do the same. “You don’t have to justify yourself to me, Keir. I already know how special and talented you are. You’re the one who needs to accept it.”
Special?
Warmth filled him at her words. Was that really how she saw him? Her voice rang true and he sensed no deception from her. He considered the possibility as he followed her to the medical center.
* * * *
Sky met them in the corridor en route and Quin let the two men walk ahead, discussing tactics Keir could try in the next session. She noted with some satisfaction how Keir had filled out from the starved wretch he had been, how muscle bunched under the close-fitting combat suit as he walked. For an instant her eyes lingered on his back, admiring the way he moved, before she shook herself out of it. That was no way to be thinking about someone she considered a friend, however close the link that bound them. Still, it was hard not to notice–and appreciate–the difference in him. The tangled mess of his hair
had been cropped. It was easier to coax a smile from him and he moved with a new assurance, his conversation with Sky animated by enthusiasm for the subject. Sparring with the haemovore had done more for Keir’s confidence than she could have hoped for, and had sparked a friendship between the two men.
But for all the progress he had made, there was still so far to go. Inwardly she sighed. At every stage Keir drove himself relentlessly, pushed himself beyond his physical limits until he required Surei’s care on a regular basis. Even though he had proved a quick study, every forgotten word, every mistake–each time he failed to reach the perfection he sought of himself–plunged him back into a burning quest to redeem his imagined sins. Despite the joy she took in his development, she fretted over his future. She prayed the forthcoming search for Rulk would finally purge him of that need before it consumed him.
Why am I such a sucker for tortured souls?
As they arrived at the medical center, Taler pounced joyfully on Keir and took him aside for his assessment, but Surei gestured Quin into her office.
“I need to speak to you, Quin.” Surei waved for her to sit. “It’s about Keir.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” Quin stared through the communicating window at the young haemovore chatting brightly as she waved her scanner across Keir’s chest. He wore a tentative smile, clearly amused by Taler’s attention, which Quin took as a good sign. Her reservations aside, it seemed he was adapting as well as could be expected. Interactions like this could only be good for him.
“I did a psychological assessment yesterday and, frankly, I’m concerned. Do you realize how dangerous he could be?”
“We all have that potential, Surei. It doesn’t mean anything will come of it. He doesn’t have any of the Sentiac’s powers. His telepathic ability is on par with mine, although that’s mostly because of the link, and, honestly, I just kicked the Hades out of him in training. Am I missing something?”
“He’s suffered some of the most horrendous injuries I’ve ever seen in a humanoid, been ill-treated and ill-fed most of his life. He may have recovered from the physiological damage, but the mental trauma and scarring he’s suffered are huge. He’s disturbed, Quin. Borderline unstable. Anything could push him over the edge.”
Quin leaned back in her chair, tipping it onto its back feet. “Ah, Surei, come on. I would’ve been shocked if your assessment had revealed anything different.” Surei frowned, and Quin let the chair bump back onto the ground. “Okay, listen, I’m not dismissing what you’re saying–you’re the expert and I know from experience you’re damn good at your job. I’ll watch him.” Surei’s frown didn’t ease. “You have my word.”
Finally, sighing, she seemed to give in. “Quin, I’m telling you this because you’re the only person who can spot an issue before it becomes visible. If you even suspect something may be wrong, tell me. Let me deal with it. I won’t allow him to become a risk to our community, even at the cost of our friendship.”
“It won’t happen.”
“You said that about Jared too.”
Quin bit back a retort.
“I hope I’m wrong, Quin.” Surei shook her head. “I have to tell you, if Keir wasn’t involved with the Sentiac, I wouldn’t let you take him. As it is, I’m still not certain…are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”
“I am. He asked to come with me. I can’t tell him no.”
“You could go without him. How would he follow you?”
“Oh, yeah, great idea! That would do wonders for his trust issues.”
The avian medic threw her hands up in despair, and Quin laughed.
“Then I wish you luck.” Surei glanced questioningly at her junior medic, who nodded. “You’re both cleared.”
* * * *
When Quin finally called at Keir’s door, he was ready to go and followed her wordlessly. Sky waited in the gateway room to see them off, a handful of packages wrapped and ready. Quin and Keir both wore good quality hooded, knee-length cloaks in dark brown, and long, leather boots. In defiance of the local dress code for the time, Quin wore tight leggings to match her companion’s and Keir had put on gloves to hide as much of his skin as possible. With the hoods up, no one would be able to spot anything alien about either of them without close examination. In any event, they planned to arrive after the evening curfew had begun, when the streets would be empty apart from the body collectors and occasional passing guard.
Quin adjusted the clasp on Keir’s cloak and gave him a reassuring grin. He knew he was radiating anxiety even though he had tried to lock his fears deep inside. There was a certain excitement at knowing they would be wandering unseen under the noses of Adalucien’s beleaguered citizens, at taking his first steps toward understanding his strange origin and the reasons behind it. It took the sharp edge from his apprehension, dulling its intensity, but could not completely untangle the knot in his chest.
Sky gave him a fanged smile before passing his packages to Quin, the largest first. “Smoke bombs for camouflage, two small incendiaries for a distraction,” he told her. “Don’t mix them up. There’s a ten second delay on them, with a pressure-activated fuse.”
“Thanks, Sky.”
The haemovore nodded to them both and left.
“Ready?” Quin asked
Speechless, he nodded. Quin seemed calm, but underneath it he could sense her trepidation, which only added to his own. He might be fearful at the prospect of facing the ghosts that haunted his past, but she was terrified of meeting the monster that had destroyed hers.
Quin stretched out a hand to the wall and opened her fist, palm outward. The vast psychic force she was using to create and open the gateway echoed through him. He felt a surge as though caught in a sudden tempest as she twisted the dimensions in order to forge a pathway through time and space. The hand gesture seemed so simple, yet it was only a pale symbolism of the powers she manipulated. Energy poured through her from an unknown source and, for a moment, he thought he glimpsed a spark of bright-blue flame in her eyes, before dismissing it as illusion. She turned to smile at him, aware of his presence in her thoughts.
“Do you feel that?”
He nodded, sharing the trace of euphoria.
Her smile broadened and she opened her mind further, letting him feel the gateway through her, like gentle flames on his skin. He shivered as the sense of pressure built. Strands of fire shot across the surface of the wall in front of them and the gateway unlocked, easing the lines of tension that had bound him.
Without hesitation, she stepped inside and pulled him through. His first voyage through a gateway had been taken on the verge of unconsciousness. This time, he was awake and sensitive to the mechanics involved. There was a pause on the threshold, a moment of absolute stillness in which he could see the universe laid out at his feet, the pathway a corridor made up of thin, silvery threads that seemed completely insubstantial. Then a blaze of white light swallowed him up and all physical sensation ceased.
Reality slammed into him with a painful thump less than a heartbeat later and he stepped out, unable to resist glancing back. Stars and galaxies filled a black rectangle standing in the middle of nowhere, without connection to anything around it.
In front of him, in stark contrast, lay a dark and narrow street full of shadows and small, shuttered buildings. A scorched, smoky smell hung in the air and a dull-orange light reflected off the heavy clouds blocking the stars. The city was eerily silent, held in the grip of plague and curfew.
According to the historical records the compound archivist had managed to reconstruct, a third of the population had already succumbed and General Corizi had imposed martial law. Fires raged in the Western Quarter where soldiers burned bodies and property alike to try to control the disease. Behind locked doors and stone walls, the ailing denizens of Adalucien cowered in fear, no doubt waiting to see which of their family or neighbors would be felled next. And somewhere, close by, was the being that had destroyed Quin’s past and cursed him to a life as the
Blue Demon of Adalucien.
* * * *
Quin hesitated as she took in their surroundings, as unsure of her bearings in the city as she had been in the wilderness beyond its walls. Together with Keir and Surei, she had spent the past few days examining holographic maps of the city, marking those areas riddled with plague with red symbols and making a calculated guess at Rulk’s location. The final choice rested on a stack of shaky estimations and a quick prayer to good luck. A single mistake and they could be hopping backward and forward in time for the next few decades.
She sighed and took out her tracker. Schematics wove bright lines across the flat black screen, assembling into a three-dimensional overview of the city. Impatience had her biting her lip as she waited for it to finish its scan cycle, with Keir hovering at her shoulder. At last a blue icon blinked inside a line of buildings to the west of their position.
She exhaled silently in relief. “This way.”
They edged through the dark streets, the unnatural silence dragging on her nerves. Quin heard a woman sobbing as they passed, and her heart clenched in sympathy. So many would die tonight, and so many more in the days still to come.
Keir hesitated as they reached a junction. “I hear something.”
Quin strained her ears. A faint clattering and squeaking drifted toward them. “A cart, maybe?”
Keir nodded, and Quin glanced back. The street they had come from had no alleyways or open buildings for them to retreat to. The thoroughfare ahead offered nothing better. Nowhere to hide.
They huddled against a wall as the cart rounded a building at the far end of the street and crawled toward them. A pony drew it, led by a man in a tattered cloak. Soldiers rode to either side, cloth tied over their faces in the hopes of keeping the plague at bay. All three animals had padding lashed over their hooves to muffle their steps, and the two wheels of the cart appeared bound in rags.
“To keep them silent,” Keir told her as she puzzled over it. “So that those breaking curfew or looting empty homes will have no warning of their approach. If such men were to escape the soldiers, they might spread the plague further.”