by Lyn Brittan
Seljuk’s lips curled as he tightened his grip on the wheel. The scent of human blood hit his nostrils. He let the rage come, felt his face hardening, his cheeks reshaping. The outside world faded away until only a few base thoughts broke through. Woman. Mine. Truck. Have. Kill.
The wheels in front of him flopped and stopped. A hand came out the window, holding a gun. Seljuk raised his own weapon.
“Please. Look, I’m throwing my gun away. See? Sorry. I’m sorry. A friend of a friend called us about a job. Can I get out?”
“Where is she?”
“In bed back there. If I help you get her out, you promise not to shoot me?” The man’s voice shook and Seljuk scented the nostril-clenching smell of the man’s urine and ordered the bastard out of the truck.
Seljuk walked towards the vehicle, his gun still trained on the piss-soaked man. He peered into the bed and saw that the usually tan Amber had grown green. It wasn’t the rich color of her people at sea. It was a sick green, pale and foamy. A transparent film coated her skin. For the first time he saw her gills, the gaping holes on her neck quivering like frightened jellyfish.
“Define ‘friend of a friend’ and be very specific.”
“Aw, hell, I don’t know. Thomas from town heard about a way to make some money. I don’t know whomever from, but I just got out and needed the cash. We got a handed a picture of y’all and we didn’t know she was sick. Got some kind of disease or something. Her skin’s weird.” The man shielded his eyes, but Seljuk knew the exact moment he’d gotten a good look at his own half-transformed face.
Seljuk didn’t give an opportunity for the man to ask. He spent the next few moments moving bodies. First Amber’s weak one, delicately placed in the reclined passenger’s seat, then the human’s body, tossed into the trunk.
The truck itself was the biggest issue. With help and time, it could easily disappear, but he had none of the first, and little of the other. A torched vehicle was too suspicious. Never mind that an actively burning truck would send smoke upward, visible for miles. He settled on using a bit of tubing from the truck to siphon out the gas. He then removed the dead man’s shirt and left it hanging out the window. People might pass the car for days before deciding to either steal it or ask questions.
Satisfied, Seljuk wiped his brow and drove away. He traveled all night, passing the occasional car every hour or two. He used each passed car as a reminder to pour a bottle of peroxide over Amber’s unmoving body. The process never roused her, but it did brighten her color for a bit. Around 3 a.m. he heard the yips of desert canines miles off the highway, gifting them a feast for their pups from his trunk.
He’d been running on adrenaline for the past 12 hours. The desert had given way to green farm fields. The morning sun revealed just how rapidly Amber was decaying. It took another two hours to find a hotel. It was decent, one for families, without any exterior doors. He’d planned his approach carefully. After paying for the room, he got back in the car and drove until he found an area secluded enough to douse her with a case of peroxide.
She screamed out and his heart very nearly ripped in two.
“Seljuk?”
“Shhh, I know it hurts. You were poisoned. The flowers, you remember?”
She nodded and as she did, the skin around her neck cracked and splintered. Pus modules rolled out, plopping down the side of her collared shirt. Pained cries ripped from her lungs. Seljuk grabbed her hand, then immediately regretted it. Not only had the action caused her obvious pain, but the blisters on her hand, burst onto his. The thought of those reforming and causing her agony caught him like a punch to the chest.
He wiped her tears away with the back of his hand. His voice shook, sounding foreign to his own ears. “I need you to do the hardest thing you’ve ever done.”
She looked at him, eyes wide, but didn’t speak or move.
“Baby, I need to control your form. You must go full human. No, no … Not yet, save your strength. Though I love you for trying so hard for me.” He explained to her that the next sixty minutes of her life would be pure agony. That she would have to change forms, smile and walk past hotel staff and make it to their third floor hotel room. And she would have to do it unsupported. “I’ll have to bring up all those boxes. But the second, the very fucking second we’re inside, you go to the form most comfortable. We’ll fill the tub with this stuff and get you fixed.”
One of her eyes was human, the other pure Merlid. Both were wet with tears and unspoken fear. He knew he didn’t have to tell her that both the walk and bathing process would be painful. He knew he didn’t have to tell her that soaking in the medicine could kill her if they didn’t get her out in time. But from the resoluteness in that perfect jaw of hers, he also knew she understood the deadly consequences of doing nothing.
“I’m ready,” was all she said of it.
He murmured words of encouragement as they pulled into the hotel lot. More as she steadied herself while he loaded the luggage cart with boxes and she nodded to the smiling service staff they passed on the way. Nodded, though he could smell the pus and hear the breaking skin of her head, knees and who knew where else.
She sagged against the luggage cart in the elevator, but still managed to only look mildly tired instead of tortured. “I’ve never met a woman stronger than you.”
“I don’t feel very strong at the moment.”
“There you go being wrong again. I can’t think of a single thing more powerful than you.”
The elevator chime cut him off. It took several tries for Seljuk’s shaking hand to manage fitting the key card to the slot. His little brave warrior collapsed as soon the door opened.
What happened next was done in a heavy silence cruelly interrupted by muffled screams, cries and hisses. With a touch as light as any he’d ever had, Seljuk peeled off Amber’s coat, blouse and skirt. She stood beside him, naked and arms outstretched as he filled the tub with bottle after bottle of the disinfectant. He heard movement to his right and turned to see Amber, once more a pale green, attempt to lift her leg to enter the tub.
“I ca … I can’t. It hurts too badly. Just put me in. Get it over with.”
They were both crying now and he made no attempts of holding back the tears. He bent, hooked his arms under her legs and went with her into the bathtub. He held her down as she thrashed. He soothed her hair as she bit into his arms. Every so often, she’d drift out of consciousness. Seljuk took those moments to fully immerse Amber’s body and slough off the shredded layers of skin. Twice he had to drain and clean the tub while Amber shuddered in the corner facing away from him.
With time, the periods of unconsciousness became fewer and shorter. Amber finally took the cloth from his hands and gave herself one final wash. He helped her out of the tub, first one green foot and then the second completely human. She was changing. He smiled at the beauty before him, now looking very much like the woman he’d first met in her swanky beach office.
“Welcome back. How you feeling?”
“Tired. Hungry. Scared.”
He lightly bit her pointy nose. “There’s no value in the third. I’m here. As for the others—” his voice trailed off as he ordered room service and got the coffee maker brewing. He answered the door himself when the food arrived and, despite her protests, sampled everything on the plate before letting her eat. He had to get her some clothes, he knew that, but the thought of leaving her alone for any length of time agonized him. He settled himself on teaching her the basic mechanics of the gun. “Insert magazine, rack, slide and shoot. That’s it. Keep it close and don’t answer the door for anyone except me. No housekeeping either.”
“I’m pretty sure I can remember that one. Hurry back,” she said and leaned back against the headboard.
He did. The closest place was a small general store that offered nothing better than sweats and tank tops. He was in and out in minutes, though he did spare a moment to grab a prepaid cell phone. When he got back to the hotel, she was standing up and br
ushing her hair, though still a bit shaky.
“You’re looking better,” he said, handing her the bag.
“Feeling better. Or at least I was until I saw these. Sweatpants? I have to save the world in sweatpants?”
Seljuk shrugged and offered, “You’ll be cute in them, when you’re ready.”
“I am.”
“There’s no rush, sweetie. All of this can wait a few more hours.” He was lying of course and when she shook her head and called him on it, his overfilled heart somehow swelled again. They left hand in hand knowing everything would be over soon, one way or another.
“How absurd is it the day is so beautiful. Not a cloud in sight, everything in bloom around us. At any moment, I expect a bird to come perch on the window to lead a sing along. It’s crazy. The gate code is 8-1-4-4-9.” Seljuk expected more than this. A gate, a waving elderly attendant and five numbers separated them from their goal. Besides Gramps at the gate, the facility looked largely abandoned this early in the morning. They drove to the section holding Amber’s storage unit, but it was upstairs and not directly accessible from the outside.
Seljuk caught the scent of the Carthaginian male the second he opened the door. “Amber, back in the car. Now!”
“Don’t bother,” came a sing-song voice from the stairwell. “If you come around to stand beside her, and you will stand beside her, you’ll notice the laser I have pointed directly at her chest.”
Amber’s gasp confirmed Crispin’s words.
“Let her go.”
“No. Now, throw your gun on the ground. Don’t be stupid. I’m not. You really think I care to take the chance that these aren’t the scrolls? She could be lying to both of us, for all we know. She’s going to come up here to me. You will stay right where you are. She’ll open the storage with as little noise and fanfare as possible and you’ll let me leave in peace.”
“You sound pretty sure of that,” Seljuk spat out.
“I’m very sure of that. I have tools to ensure that. Otherwise I kill her, you, the old guy who let me in and anyone else you feel the need to throw in my way. At least this way you have a chance. Get up here, mermaid.”
Crispin didn’t have a merciful bone in his body, but Seljuk didn’t see a way around it.
“How did you find us?” Seljuk asked, hoping to buy time. It didn’t work.
“The hicks put a tracer on the car. Honey’s phone call over there didn’t help your cause. Hurry up, mermaid,” he said and disappeared.
Agonizing moments passed before he heard Crisper’s contented whistling signaling his descent. He held an oversized briefcase in his hand and waved the gun with his other. “She’s upstairs. There’s a bomb around her throat. You have thirty minutes. If you move it, you’ll kill her. Bye.”
Seljuk could hear Crispin’s laughter behind him as he took off for the stairway. He found Amber gagged and chained to a beam in the corner of the room. A device with wires counted down the minutes. Amber, the chains and the bombs were held in place by a series of padlocks. Seljuk tried to remove the gag, but that too was held in place by chains. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t snake it between the heavy irons.
She was crying, her eyes going wildly from him to the door.
He shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”
Amber wailed deep in her throat. He looked up again, only this time her eyes went from him to the far left corner of the storage unit. Seljuk jerked around to see a pile of keys.
“Ibra!” He swore, but wasted no time in moving the keys towards her. Over and over again, he’d pick up a key, try each lock then throw it aside. He got through ten of them before being able to loosen a chain near her torso. It released a portion of the heaviest chain to the floor.
Another eight keys.
She was still groaning, wordlessly urging him to either hurry up or get out.
The minutes were ticking away. 10:22…9:37…
Another five keys before her heard a click of success. This padlock held a length of chain, which wrapped her hands around the beam and came back up to her mouth. It wasn’t enough to take the whole of it off, but provided some space to pull the gag though.
She spit, coughed and finally spoke. “Get out here. You have to stop him.”
“Shut up or I’ll put it back.”
“This isn’t a joke, Seljuk. Please. I can’t lose you. You have a whole world to fight for.”
“You are the whole world I’m fighting for. Now, shh, I need to concentrate.”
“How much time is left?”
“I still have another fifteen,” he told her. The timer disagreed, with its blinking 3:46, 3:45, 3:44.
“Seljuk, listen to me. Listen! You need to make a choice you can live with.”
“I’m trying, doll.”
“I love you. I don’t know when it happened, but I do. And if you care anything at all about me, you’ll leave. You won’t let him win. You’ll kill him for me.”
Seljuk couldn’t look at her. Instead, he wiped his eyes and reached for another key. “Can’t let you go, Merlid. Not you, or that perfect thing growing inside of you.” He heard her take in a sharp breath. “Didn’t think I knew? Best nose in waters.” His laugh was weak and hollow.
2:01…2:00…1:59…
Another padlock, but it didn’t matter. Four more to go and the damned clock kept counting. His tight chest and tear-filled eyes made it hard to breathe or see.
1:02…1:01…0:59…
“Seljuk, I need you to be very brave.”
“No. You’re my wife. Princely Right, remember? Old rules, but I’m claiming you. Can’t leave you now.”
“I need you to—”
“NO!” He kissed her, pulled away and kissed her again.
“I need you to make your child proud.”
0:17…0:16…0:15.
“I need you to make this worth it.” It was the last thing she said as Seljuk backed out of the room. Everything became very clear in the next instant. He’d leave because he had to live long enough to kill Crispin. Then he’d kill himself.
He made it to the outside of the car, picked up the dropped gun and cried for everything he was about to lose.
Should have lost.
Seljuk tried to think though the haze of pain. What was the last time he saw? 20 seconds? No, fifteen. He counted to 15 out loud…twice. No bomb.
“Son of a bitch!”
He nearly ripped the door from the hinges trying to get out of the car. Seljuk took the steps two at a time. He could hear her crying inside and it was the most beautiful sound in the world.
“Seljuk!”
“I’m coming!” He walked in to see her covered with confetti and the timer very calmly blinking zero.
“Of course he didn’t kill me. He said he needed me in case the scrolls—”
His kiss cut her off. He knelt and kissed the chains over her belly before getting back to work. Seljuk pressed the cellphone into her newly freed hand. “Call my brother … it’s the only number in the phone. Tell him where we are and to check any of Crispin’s known aliases against flights leaving out of nearby airports.”
He worked as she talked. Seljuk could hear his brother’s concerned voice, then silence as he researched. After what felt like an eternity, Amber spoke up. “Nothing out of any of the majors, but there’s a small commuter airport just over the state line. Lots of private and for hire flights in and out. Your brother’s in their systems and it looks like something is ready to take off in a few minutes.”
Seljuk got the last padlock off as she spoke. Amber clung to him as he carried her outside, but kept relaying the information. “Your brother’s fiddling with their control systems. Says to hurry up.”
They were in the car and speeding down the highway, using the phone’s GPS to find backstreets and avoid morning traffic. His brother used state police alert systems to notify the airport of a ‘wanted man’ and Seljuk hoped it was enough. As they pulled into the airport, he knew that his little bro
ther had come through. The parking lot glowed with flashing lights of white and blue. There, held in the back of a police cruiser was a screaming Crispin.
He introduced himself using the special agent name his brother had given him. “If you’ll check your files, you’ll see my face. Badges and IDs don’t serve too well when doing undercover work.” He waited confidently as the small town officers reviewed their screens. Crispin took it with far less grace. He screamed, pleaded for his life, demanded that they call for outside assurances, but through the metal of the closed police car several feet away, Seljuk was sure that only his ears could make it out.
“Now, officers, I’m sure you understand the sensitivity of the matter. This man is wanted for crimes against his country and our allies. That lady in the car is our chief witness and contact woman from MI-5. I don’t have to tell you what happens next. You know the deal. ” The officers nodded enthusiastically, each one crowding closer, elbowing the one next to him as they leaned in.
“We have a facility for interrogation. It’s imperative this stays out of the media. I’ll leave a message for you, coded, should we need your testimony.” At this, the officers were eating out of his hand. It was the perfect breaking off point. With unnecessary assistance, they got the screaming and handcuffed Crispin out of one car and into Seljuk’s. Casually, Seljuk asked if any additional evidence was found and, sure enough, an oversized case was produced. He peeked in, eyed the scrolls and walked back to the car.
“He’s as silent as a clam now,” said Amber.
“Good.” Seljuk hopped in the driver’s seat and took off. He angled the rearview mirror towards Crispin, who stayed oddly silent. Crispin used the mirror to stare down Seljuk and smiled every few minutes. It sent chills down his spine.
“Stop sign,” came the sing-song voice behind him.
“Don’t talk,” Seljuk said, but he did slow. He kept his eyes on the mirror, breaking contact only to check either side of the highway. In that half a second, Crispin lurched. Shark teeth bared, he made a play for Amber’s neck. She screamed and Seljuk swerved. It knocked Crispin over, but he was back, lunging for her jugular.