by Ciara Knight
“She’s the only one—”
“No, she isn’t. I can.” It was the least I could do. “I know how much you both despise technology. Your sister has suffered enough. Bendar, this is the only way we can cross the desert? You know this for sure?”
“Nothing for sure.”
I analyzed the silver and bronze device. Four small holes, where the wires would shoot out and connect to my brain, dotted the center. It was so tiny, yet the significance of the device was greater than the room we stood in. “Is there no one in the group with the ability to repel these creatures? No back-up plan?”
Fallon pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, there was. He died in the fires back in town. This was the back-up plan.”
Ryder crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll go alone. Maybe I can maneuver without sound and the sermechtapedes and spiderats won’t detect me.”
“You know that’s not an option,” I said. “Let’s get it over with.” I sat down in a chair and brushed my hair from my eyes.
“Wait. I could take the implant,” Ryder offered.
“You don’t possess the brain power of a Kantian. You’d die instantly. The chip inserts directly into the brainstem.” My voice came steady and cold. “I’m the only choice.”
Tears slid down my cheek even though I didn’t feel like crying. Bendar placed the implant in a small device and pressed it to my skin behind my ear.
Ryder squatted next to me. For the first time, grief threatened to expose me for the coward I truly was. My lip trembled and I sucked it in, biting it to keep it still.
Ryder squeezed my shoulder. “It can always be removed once this is over.”
“No, it can’t. It’s permanent.” I straightened and wiped away the tears. “I’m ready.”
He stood and snatched the map from the table. “Wait, we could—”
Snap…crunch…hiss.
Chapter Twelve
Wires plunged through my skull with a loud crunch, the sound echoing as they snaked through my head and slithered under my scalp, binding human anatomy with technology.
Eyes stung. Ears popped. I smashed my hands against my temples and stifled a cry. Every nerve synapses convulsed at the intrusion, forcing me to breathe through the pain and the intimate invasion of the device.
I squinted against the searing pain in time to see Ryder turning his back on me and striding out the door. He couldn’t stand to look at me. Heck, I couldn’t stand to face myself in the mirror. For just a day, I’d thought I could escape my fate. Now, I realized fate wouldn’t be cheated. It was inevitable. It forced me to finally face my greatest fear, trapped in the world of Neumarians in the body of a Slag princess.
A metallic taste lingered in my mouth, and my head ached. I ran my fingers against the edge of the device, unsure what I expected yet surprised it had the same sense of touch as my skin, only amplified. I tapped my nail against the hard surface and it shot a current into my right eye, causing teary blinking.
How did Raeth handle an entire leg with such intense sensations? Is that what caused her to slip in and out of reality? No, that was from the abuse Mother had inflicted on her. I shook off the feeling of dread. Unlike Raeth with her massive bronze appendage, the small device was hidden beneath my hair and behind my ear. Thank goodness I hadn’t cut it any shorter. No one would ever know, unless they inspected under my hair. And maybe, just maybe, I could master control of the implant to such a degree that one day I could remove it.
Bendar ran his oil-stained hand down my cheek, his calluses scraping my skin. “Things not as bad as you think. Those in need thank you, not condemn.”
Raeth hopped up onto the metal table at my side and laid her cheek on my shoulder. “I won’t b-be alone now. You’re like m-me.”
“Yes Raeth. Just like you.”
Fallon gave a reassuring smile. “We’ll give you two a minute. I’m going to check on a few things.” He and Bendar headed out the door.
This was my chance. “Raeth, I…I don’t want to upset you, but we need to talk.”
Raeth sighed and lifted her head. “I-I know.”
“Do you remember me?”
Raeth gave a half-smile, a haunted smile, and took my hand. It was identical to the way I had stroked Raeth’s that night Bendar and I had hidden her in the engine room. Her fever had been so high I’d feared the girl would die at any moment.
“You s-saved m-me and are m-my friend.”
My heart warmed that Raeth still thought of me after all these years, but she was wrong. “I’m so sorry.” Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I should’ve done more.” Terror seeped in at the memory of that night. “I tossed you from the ship—” I broke at the weight of my words.
“You had no choice. Your m-mother was on her way.”
Four years of suppressed guilt surfaced in one breath and the weight of it crushed my insides. “I should’ve stood up to her. Done something.”
“Sh-she would’ve killed us b-both.”
Raeth spoke the truth. There hadn’t been a choice, yet I knew the horrific thing I had done to Raeth. “I never knew if you lived or—” I doubled over, unable to finish.
Raeth hummed and stroked my hair. “I lived b-because of you.”
My heart warmed at the thought, but I knew the truth, I’d dumped Raeth in the Wasteland to die. “If you believe that, then why didn’t you tell Ryder about me and my role in your leg being altered?”
Raeth laughed. “Th-they say I’m the c-crazy one. Ryder’s s-spent four years wanting to murder the one who did th-this to me. Reason isn’t his s-strong s-suit.”
My stomach knotted with the realization. “Ryder will not only hate me, but he’ll kill me when he learns the truth.”
“I think w-we should keep this s-secret. You’re my f-friend, S-Semara. M-my b-best friend. I-I can’t lose you t-to my crazy brother.” She locked pinkies with me and giggled, before retreating into her world of humming again.
“And you’ve always been and will always be my best friend.” A promise made between two naive twelve year old girls, hidden in the dark of a dirty engine room had come true.
Fallon shuffled through the door with his arms full. “Gear up and get ready. If you don’t make it to the coast by the third sunset, all this will be for nothing.”
I turned my head away to hide the evidence of my tears. Hopefully, if anyone saw it, they’d think they were because of the implant. Ryder joined them and gave me an awkward sideways glance. My belly flopped at his distance.
“You never mentioned how we’d return,” I said. My head throbbed with each thought.
Fallon scrubbed his chin. “I don’t believe you will. Even with fuel, that engine won’t make it round trip. It’s a short-range air-ship. The engine will be shot by the time you reach the ocean.”
“If we reach it,” I added.
No one protested. They all knew it was true. Ryder donned his gear, stuck the coin in his belt, and walked to the other end of the storage area. “Let’s get this farce over with.”
Sliding the goggles over my hair, I pulled on my jacket, lacing the hood tight around my ears. I grabbed the rough, four foot sand surfer. I’d been on something similar in the Resort Territory, but wasn’t confident I could maneuver it after all these years.
Raeth pulled a large black sock looking thing on over her slag leg, mounted her board and steadied herself with surprising grace.
The outer door opened. Hot sand blew against our bodies. Hearing a click behind me, I spun around only to realize it was the implant. With a sigh, I pulled the mask and goggles over my face. Between the mask, goggles, and hood, no skin was exposed. Surfboard in hand, I moved in front of Raeth and Ryder.
I dropped the board to the ground, climbed atop it, and positioned both feet shoulder width apart. It wobbled slightly, but then I balanced. I lifted my right leg, snapped the back lever, and after a sputter, it took off.
I skimmed the sea of golden sand for almost sixty meters then crashed. A wave of orange blanketed me.
I pushed through the thick layer of harsh grains as Ryder crashed into my side, sending me once again face down into the grit.
Raeth spun around in the air and landed gracefully next to us. Apparently, she’d mastered the device. The tiny, frail, one-legged girl never ceased to amaze me, be it now or four years ago.
Ryder freed himself from the sand. Straddling the board, he swiped his goggles clean then offered his hand to me, his massive biceps stretching against black fabric. “Need help?”
“No. I’ve got it,” I said, inching away from him. I didn’t want to touch him—to feel something, even momentarily, that I could never have.
I mounted the board, shot forward, flipped several times, and performed another nose-plant. The mask slipped to the side and sand filled it. I removed it, shook the gritty particles out and repositioning the mask. Tightening it, my teeth ground the coarse grains between them.
Determined to succeed, I straddled my board and looked at Raeth hovering in the sky.
Sand rippled away from my boot pressed against the ground. My board vibrated. An enormous worm-like creature shot from the sand and bent in the air. Enormous pincers clicked and saliva splattered on my goggles before it plunged back into the sandy abyss. I jerked back and my board sailed out from under me, sending me backward into the sand.
“Sermechtapede,” Raeth screamed through her mask, but only a muffled sound reached me.
High-pitched squeals. Searing pain. I clutched my head trying to keep it from exploding. The implant. It wanted something. I concentrated on the beast then realized it wasn’t just one. Dozens of creatures dove in and out of the sand.
Plates surrounded their heads like a Triceratops I’d seen in an old archeology book. Long wrinkled bodies were half hidden below ground. Yellow eyes with large black slits blinked at me from several meters away. Then thousands of small legs jetted out from its sides.
Every muscle in my body tightened. Wires fired inside my head and I concentrated on the beast. It swayed back and forth in the air.
I met its gaze. Each wire vibrated against my skin and nerves. The electric impulses created an itch deep inside my head where I could never scratch.
Something registered, like the smell of ash in my brain, yet I didn’t detect the odor through my nose. A snap and click between my ears, and a metallic taste warned of invasion. My body waged war with the implant.
I shook my head and refocused.
Raeth and Ryder joined me. We huddled together near Ryder and his board.
“Is it working? Get rid of it or we’re all worm food,” Ryder shouted through his mask.
“Trying-to-focus.” Throbbing head. Burning eyes. Shaking hands. The sermechtapede jettisoned into the sky from our right. Its jaws spread wide. Thousands of razor sharp fangs reflected the orange sun. Warm liquid with the aroma of a waste containment area, dropped in large pools on my head.
“Odvratno! Awk!” Ryder wiped his forehead and flung the saliva to the ground.
The creature burrowed down and disappeared into the distance.
I held my head, wishing the throbbing pain away. After a moment, the implant returned control of my mind and body. Remnants of a metallic taste remained in my mouth along with a dull zapping sound in my ears. The constant hum, I realized, would be permanent.
Raeth flung her arms around my shoulders. “You d-did it.”
Ryder scooted off his board and sunk down. “Not sure it was her. Rumors say they don’t feed during mating. They hunt solo, but mate in groups.”
Ryder held up his board.
“Looks like we’re down to two boards.” He ran his finger down a crack from lever to tip.
I scanned the horizon and saw mine resting in two pieces. “One board,” I said, pointing at mine a few meters away.
“Guess w-we walk. It sh-shouldn’t be too m-much farther to the s-scout ship.” Raeth pulled her sand boot on one foot and laced a tan material around the bottom of her other one. She pushed up from the dirt and shuffled ahead.
“You both could return and let me continue on alone,” I said.
Ryder tucked the only surviving sand surfer under his arm. “No. If we ever make it to the rebels, you’ll need me to help convince them you’re not a spy. They’d kill you on sight with that…um—”
“I got it. Let’s go.” I pushed up onto my knees then stood and wobbled. Ryder grabbed me. Instantly, a shot of cool sting ran through my body and the connection was restored between us. I couldn’t move—the humming of the implant, the horrible itch in my head, the feeling of a foreign object lodged in my brain disappeared. For a moment, I didn’t feel like a Slag. I was just a girl who wanted to press closer against him and feel his touch against my hot skin. Instead, I forced myself to step to the side and join Raeth.
Every time we touched, I remembered how much I now disgusted him. Distance? I needed to shut the door on this and stay as far away from him as possible. He’d never kept it a secret how he felt about Slags. I knew the only reason he tolerated my presence was to save his people.
The sun beat down on us as we trudged up a large dune. Rivers of sweat ran down my back. I pulled my mask to the side and took a few sips of water. We’d have to be cautious not to waste a drop.
A monstrous hill rose from the sand ahead. Groaning, I looked back at the embers glowing behind us. How far had we traveled? The sun dropped low in the sky and the moon was already a large sphere in the distance. I feared we’d traveled too far and missed the ship. At the top of the hill, I’d know for sure.
My thigh muscles burned with each step. The incline was so steep I had to crawl up the last few meters, clawing myself forward inch-by-inch. I stood up on shaking legs. Raeth was already scanning the distance and Ryder appeared behind me, scanning the area behind.
I pivoted in all directions, surveying our surroundings. True to its name, the Wasteland was nothing but kilometer upon kilometer of sand, stretching behind, before, and to each side of us. Could my metallic senses have failed? Could we have walked right over the ship? Fallon assumed that my powers would work to locate the ship, but it was just a theory, so would I even recognize it if I stubbed my toe on it?
Gasping, I bent at the waist and rested my hands on my knees. Between the poor air quality and physical activity, I could barely breathe.
Ryder rested his hands on my shoulders. “Relax, think metal. See if your gift’ll hone in on it.”
“I’m trying. It’s not working.” I winced at the frustration in my voice. Clearing my throat, I hoped he thought my raised voice was due to the mask.
I let my vision blur and released control of my body. A faint, deep roar sounded. Maybe I heard metal instead of feeling it or seeing it? Before I could say a word, Ryder rammed into me, sending us tumbling down the hill. My shoulder smacked against something hard, but I continued rolling.
The world spun. My hip connected with Ryder. Or was it Raeth? With one final jolt, we three landed in a huddle at the bottom.
Metal. My body had come in contact with metal on the way down. It was the ship.
I tried to move from the huddle but Ryder pulled me close and we sunk into the sand. His arms and legs wrapped around me and Raeth dug in close behind.
A craft buzzed overhead, paused for a second then continued toward the village.
“Long range probe. Probably been flying ’round here for years. Only reports if it finds something. We should be okay. I don’t think it saw us,” Ryder said in a muffled tone.
Raeth pulled away and dug herself out of the sand. Ryder’s arms remained around me, only our heads above ground. Eye to eye, our bodies pressed together, chest to chest. The world stopped as he rested his forehead against mine. My rapid heartbeat matched his.
Before I had a chance to enjoy the moment, he released me and brushed the sand off his body. “Mighty close call,” he said.
Raeth hummed and played in the sand. Our being nearly discovered was too much for her.
I sat up. I couldn’t take the teas
ing any more. Each time we came close, the implant disappeared and the world looked brighter.
Instead of taking his hand like I wanted to, I rolled on my side and let the sand fall off my body. Once it all flowed to the ground, I pulled my knees in and wrenched to the side to stand.
Somewhere up that hill was the ship. But how will I ever get it out? Even if I literally bumped into it, which I doubted—more likely my body reacted to it—the ship would be too heavy to pull out.
Ryder pushed the last sand surfer, now broken in half, and scooted over next to me. “You’ve sensed something, haven’t you?”
“Maybe.” I concentrated on metal and tried to visualize the sleek lines down the wings of the ship, but nothing happened. “I don’t know.”
“Your eyes, they…changed. You do sense something.”
“I thought I did when we rolled down the hill, but now, nothing.”
Ryder pinched the bridge of his nose. “Try to visual—”
“I already have!” I sighed. “Sorry, it’s just that—” I tried to think of something to say but no words came.
Ryder grasped my hand tightly so I couldn’t easily pull away. “This is difficult, I know.” His eyes pulsed through the goggles. “Stay calm.”
“Stop.” I tried to tug my hand away but his grip tightened. Searing heat rushed from my body, replaced by soothing frost. His eyebrows arched, touching the bronze rims of the goggles.
“Stop what?”
“You know,” I whispered.
“So my touch soothes you as yours does me.” He pulled the mask down and smiled. “I wasn’t sure it still did, but I’d hoped.”
“It doesn’t matter. Right now we need to focus on that ship.”
Wind whipped through the sand dunes, sending grains dancing around us. Then I saw it, the bare tip of the wing, the color monochromatic to the surrounding dirt. My heart thundered in my chest as I scurried up to it.
Ryder dusted off more dirt and his mask rose as his cheeks tugged upward into a smile. “You did it.”
“No, the wind did.”
Raeth’s child-like laugh echoed. “No, s-silly. I-it’s you.”