One man exhaled audibly and was among the first to leave. Most of the students went through the main door, while the doctor left through the other door to reach his office. The hallway door closed after him, making Zoey one of the last four people inside the classroom.
Bu said, “This Earth of yours is fascinating. I wonder what would become of it if someone were to take it over.”
“The Allied Peacekeepers would stop any such interference, Buska,” said one of the young men who stayed behind.
“From over thirty light-spans away? Come now.”
An explosion sounded outside, somewhere in the distance where Zoey was able to hear it. She tried to pinpoint the direction with her ears, but it was too late. The two men in the room reacted to the surprise as well. Bu, however, continued to use one desk as her seat and another as her footstool. She twisted her smile again.
Then, as the door opened, she said, “Someone is playing my tune.”
Four Hulda’fi marched into the classroom. The men cowered back away from the door that the insurgents entered from, but Bu laughed. Zoey stood by the table, feeling the last emotion she had left for these rebels – apathy.
“Buska’vild, what are you doing?” said one man.
“My job,” said Buska. “I’m a recruiter for my brothers and sisters. And speaking of sisters . . .” Buska stormed across the room toward Zoey. She swung her hand in the air at Zoey, who blocked the incoming slap with ease and punched the girl in the face. Buska screamed out. “You should have joined us weeks ago,” said Buska. “You would be so much happier with us already. No matter, we can make you happier when this is all over.” The end of her words doubled by half a second.
The door opened again, and one more Hulda’fi entered the room. This one wore a black band on her left arm. Zoey stared at her right in the masked face, knowing who it was.
“Somebody in this room gets to die today,” said Soror Valide.
[ 46]
There was a Ginserei girl in the distance who shouldn’t have been there. Dasos stretched his eye sockets a couple times in rapid succession and looked again, but the girl had already gone from his view. He wanted to put it out of his mind like any sane person, but working with the police for a while told him to check it out. Being a game master of some repute for several revolutions told Dasos that going after her was bound to lead to an adventure all on its own.
Maybe he needed the distraction. After the note that he had found sticking inside his door a couple days ago, something like an investigation was sure to keep his mind off of the hurt he felt. Dasos headed toward the campus administration building where he had seen the mystery girl. If this took a mere few minutes then at least the excursion was better than nothing.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone approach. He had turned his head when he recognized Tong-Chang.
“Dasos,” she said, “I’m glad I finally caught you.”
“Hey, Tonny,” he said.
“Oh, I know that tone.”
“What tone?”
“We dated for a while, remember? We were also best friends before that. I know when something is eating at you. My sister must have said something really stupid in that letter if you sound so spaced out and unenthusiastic.”
“It’s still in the trash at home if you want to read it.”
“Yeah, right, like I’m going to dig through two days’ worth of trash when you can tell me about it. Look, I know our relationship ended on a bad note due to our own stupid things that we both said, but I wanted to say I‘m sorry, for all of it.”
“Thanks.”
“So why are we headed this way?”
“We? Well, I think I saw someone who shouldn’t even be here. I was going to look to be sure.”
“So vague and mysterious.”
“Tonny.”
“How do you recognize someone that doesn’t belong on this campus when there are so many people who attend this university?”
“She was a hazel-haired Ginserei. They’re not so common here in Trullwick. She reminded me of my ex that moved away and was attacked by the Hulda’fi.”
Tong-Chang stared at him for a moment before she said, “How many of your ex-girlfriends are Ginserei?”
He stopped in place to make a witty retort, but then he thought about it for once. Dasos had five girlfriends in his life so far, with one being an Aelf out of the whole lot. This also counted Shungdi among the remaining four. Was that what she was?
Suddenly, the third floor of the administration building exploded. The sound of it was deafening; even disorienting. Dasos knew what floor, or which two windows, were destroyed because he had been looking up at it when it happened.
The screams in the distance were faint. He was unsure how near or far they were, because his ears needed to recover after the explosion that had gone off. His doubled senses went off while he tried to recuperate. Dasos saw Tong-Chang hold her hands to her mouth and look around them in all directions.
Dasos could have sworn then that some of the screams were howls of laughter. Two individuals appeared within seconds. They wore the standard charcoal and brown suits with hoods and masks that the Hulda’fi were known to wear.
* * *
“Soror, what is going on?” Zoey asked.
Soror Valide said, “What does it look like? The time has come, at last, for us to strike. You have no idea how long we have waited to make this happen, or the efforts we made to afford this perfect moment.”
She had stepped closer as she spoke. Buska drew towards her and caressed Soror Valide from the side, her hand drawing an intimate outline across the curves beneath the Hulda’fi suit. Soror Valide looked sideways at the other girl. Then, before anyone could react, she backhanded Buska across the face and knocked her back. Buska landed by the front row of desks.
“Consider that my ‘thank you,’” Soror Valide said, “for bringing me into the fold two revolutions ago.”
Buska laughed and said, “That is some appreciation. Have you no shame or love for me? We used to be so close.”
“That was the old me. You left me to be initiated by our brothers and sisters. You are lucky that I don’t order you to be stripped and beaten for that.”
The other Hulda’fi in the room pointed their guns at Soror Valide. Buska laughed aloud, her wail obnoxious.
“You forget,” Buska said, “you might command the Kroke Team and have some special favor from Lord and Lady Tunderek, but I am still your superior in every way.”
“Not quite. So these four are the stragglers you’ve convinced to stick around here after class so we can do for them as was done for me? The boys can come. This one stays put.”
“That’s not up to you. In fact, I may kill one of the boys, here and now, so I can prove who’s in command here.”
Soror Valide growled, and then said, “I see your body modification procedure hasn’t done your temperament any favors, or were you always this way?”
Her question made the other Hulda’fi across the room laugh. Buska smiled and curtsied, her expression full of wicked defiance. Zoey saw her move before it happened. “Get down,” Zoey said to the two men in the room, but she was too late to save one of them. Buska had already grabbed the gun from one of the rebels and shot one of their classmates.
The girl cackled.
Zoey winced, and hoped that, by some miracle, the pistol had missed any vital organs, or that someone could come and save the man who was shot before it was too late to treat him. She grit her teeth at her sister now.
“Soror,” said Zoey, “you don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do,” Soror Valide said. “In time you’ll understand it as well as I do.”
“What about Das and Tonny? Will they understand?”
“Everyone will.”
“And do you want them to? Do you expect either one of them to accept it? Soror, please, you’re an idiot if you expect me to believe it.”
Buska laughed again. She said, “Soror,
Soror! If you only knew how pathetic this sounds. Maybe you were right; maybe I should have killed Zoi’ne.”
“Sister, help me. Help everyone.”
Soror Valide focused on Zoey and grabbed something from her harness. She held out her clenched hand, which held an item that Zoey could not see. Soror Valide shook her head. Something clicked in her hand and she threw it behind her. There was a burst of light and darkness. Zoey felt Soror Valide tackle her, and her body hit the floor in a flash. Hulda’fi pistols sounded, as did a number of distorted shouts from the other side of the room.
When Zoey attempted to gather her surroundings she spotted the last surviving young man from her class crouching and reaching for the hallway door. Soror Valide had tucked herself and Zoey behind the main table, and she looked toward the door as it opened. The older sister threw something else from her harness back at the source of distorted light. Crackling sounds followed.
They ran for the other side of the connecting hallway. Doctor Evrahn appeared and guided them through the door at the end. He closed it once they were inside the opposite classroom.
“It’s madness outside,” Doctor Evrahn said. “What I want to know is who is this Hulda’fi in our midst?”
Soror Valide walked to the door going outside and said, “It doesn’t matter. We don’t have time. The others will be coming here next from both sides. Zoi’ne, you are on your own. Don’t you dare ask me for help a second time.”
Then she ran out of the door opposite to the hallway, never once looking back at anyone inside this classroom. Zoey dipped her head. She took a few seconds to curse at herself before heading to the exit. She beckoned for everyone else who stood inside the classroom—there were five people including the professors and one other student that she had run here with—and held the door open for the whole group.
“I’m going to have a serious talk with her later,” she said. “Come on, it isn’t safe here.”
* * *
Both Hulda’fi charged at Dasos and Tong-Chang. They were either giving chase or meaning to attack them up close. Either reason for the charge was a mistake. Dasos took one down with ease, and he saw Tong-Chang bring the second one down as well. She entered a defensive pose while standing over both of them.
He looked up again at the windows that had blown out. The woman that Dasos had seen earlier was looking down at him. It really was her, but it couldn’t be. Chinda grinned at him, and swung herself outside of the busted window, scaling down the side of the building.
Chinda landed and said, “It’s been a while. You never call.”
“What happened to you?” Dasos said.
“I was liberated and found a new purpose in life. I can help you find that same purpose; both of you. My brothers and sisters will always welcome more. The Lord and Lady will welcome you with open arms.”
“So the same that happened to Il’lyse then.”
“No. Unlike that bitch, I’m going to live by the end of the day. Her usefulness to us has run out. You don’t ever need to worry about her again.”
“Thank you.”
“Oh?”
He charged at her for an assault of his own. Her eyes widened as Dasos made his first swing. Chinda, however, parried his blow before it could land, turning and striking the back of his legs with one of hers. Dasos used the momentum to backflip and grapple her upper body with his legs. He let go. Chinda grunted a second later when her body hit the floor. Dasos had no idea how or where she picked up some fighting moves, but she was too dangerous to let go.
“Thank you for confirming she’s alive,” he said.
They both got up and entered their choice poses. Chinda said, “You Thalassas are renowned for your little tradition with the martial arts. How far did you ever go, I wonder?”
No answer; his eyes turned cold and met hers.
“Oh, that’s right,” she said, “you were always more of a runner than a fighter. You took up Track and Field. You never stood your ground or learned how to protect yourself and others.”
He still said nothing. Now his pose changed as the two of them circled this spot.
“Say something, already!”
Dasos held his pose. Staying here, as he was, felt right for the moment.
“Your loss. I guess I will have to kill your girlfriend.”
She only ever resorted to threats when she was at wit’s end. Dasos knew this all too well from their time together.
In an instant, Dasos smirked, and then he charged in and faked out Chinda with another palm strike that was easy for her to dodge. His other hand was ready, though, and one of his legs slipped between hers so she would be unable to try tripping him. Dasos grappled the woman and brought her down to the ground face-first. She did her best to struggle, she screamed and thrashed, but Dasos held her.
“I’m placing you under arrest,” he said.
Tong-Chang said, “Well done, Dasos. Now then, would you two like another go, or will you stay down?”
The two Hulda’fi who wore masks stood up quickly. They had attached beaks to their visage before doing so, and both of them touched the devices on their belts. They teleported in blasts of smoke the second after that.
“Oh no,” Tong-Chang said, “they’re doing that again.”
On the edge of their earshot, the modulated laughter from those masks became more intense and maniacal.
* * *
Zoey checked her pockets with a series of hand pats, but her hoody and phone weren’t with her. They must have been back in that classroom with her book bag and computer. She led her small group across the campus without these things, wishing she had her phone handy for an emergency like this one. Her group crouched and used the cover of trees or bushes to stay out of sight of the Hulda’fi. They didn’t go far before Zoey saw that the Hulda’fi were teleporting around. That was going to make it harder to stay out of sight.
“How are they doing that, I wonder?” said Doctor Evrahn.
“My girlfriend probably knows more about it than I can tell you. We’ll have to be more careful, and quiet as well.”
“No arguments here. Do you know where we’re going, however?”
“To find someone who has a better idea as to where to go. If nothing else, I think my mom would be a good bet. Nobody in their right mind ever messes with her.”
Maniacal laughter echoed from distant rebels.
“See?” Zoey said. “We’ll be totally safe.”
* * *
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Soror Valide felt perplexed by what she had done for that girl. She wanted acceptance and favor from the Hallowed Lord and Lady. She wanted for Tong-Chang and Das’ithrios to be safe. That damn, stupid girl had to go and ask her for help, calling her “sister.”
She stormed across the campus, ignoring her brothers and sisters who were now teleporting around like gnats that had discovered how to manipulate space and time. None of them seemed to be attacking her. Not yet.
Around one corner was a group of innocents trying to hide. They were outside of one of the dormitories in a patio area that was surrounded by bushes on all sides. The group consisted of three children, a resident assistant judging by the vest he wore, and a half-Ginserei, half-Aelf. Soror Valide could have sworn she knew his face. He spotted her looking around the corner. Distress spread across his eyes and mouth for one brief moment.
Then one of the Hulda’fi appeared behind the group. The rebel’s laugh rang out through that mask.
Soror Valide ran forward, saying, “Look out!”
“Huh?” the Hulda’fi said. It was all they could do before Soror Valide unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. With one last punch, the rebel collapsed. Realizing what she had done, Soror Valide looked around to see if there were any witnesses to this act; any brothers or sisters. Only the group she had rescued had seen her.
“You saved us,” said the resident assistant.
“Shut up,” Soror Valide said. “I don’t even know what I’m doing. What are you doing out here
?”
The other man said, “We saw these kids belonging to two of the professors. We had to save them. We don’t know where to go now.”
She fought the urge to scream. “Find a place cut off from the university’s inter-server. That is how they’re getting around. Go now.”
“Wait, why are you helping us?”
“I told you I don’t know.”
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