The Changeling

by Jennifer Lyndon

  “It was never my objective to be your enemy, Loredana,” she offered. “I have been a highly valued advisor to all of my charges before you. I would fill that role in your life as well, if you will allow it. I do not feel emotion as you do, but I am attached to you in a way I am not to any other being. You are my sole purpose, child, and I want you to be happy in this life.”

  “M’Tek told me you watched over Sarane,” I said. “You favored her. I believe that’s how M’Tek put it.”

  “I did,” Sim’Nu admitted. “She was interesting, even with her defects.”

  “You and I are not likely to have a close relationship,” I replied. “You have already taken my happiness from me,” I added. “I will cooperate, simply to keep M’Tek alive, but I will never like you. I’d try to kill you, if I thought it would bring M’Tek back to me.”

  “I value honesty,” Sim’Nu replied. “You are different from those who came before you,” she observed. “There is something unusual about your eyes,” she added staring fixedly at me. “Sometimes they seem to glow, as Fae eyes. But Fae do not have blue eyes,” she added staring into my face.

  “Her eyes were what I first noticed about M’Tek, what attracted me, you might say. Sometimes M’Tek’s eyes are like those of a wolf,” I added. “Almost white around the pupil, and dark at the edges of the irises. With her white hair, she looked truly fierce when she was angry. I could see why the Vilkerlings were afraid of her. She lost that effect somewhat when her hair grew dark again.”

  “I cannot return the Fae woman to you,” Sim’Nu said.

  “I know that,” I replied. “I would be a fool to imagine you would. Even if you promised her return, I wouldn’t believe you,” I said. “M’Tek is the only power you hold over me, but she’s all the power you need.”

  “For your honesty, I will tell you something,” Sim’Nu said. “Your mind is unlike the others I have watched over. They did not know what they were, but you do. You understand your importance in the sequence, the need to breed. I could not have coordinated with one before you in this way. They were interested in power. You are not,” she observed.

  “I began my life in a state of vulnerability,” I replied. “Since then I have gained three crowns, and destroyed a nation. I understand power well.”

  “Power is a means for you. For those before you it was the end in itself. The Katarina who called herself Sarane once loved your Fae, but she sacrificed the creature when I helped her see that the path toward power lay not with the Fae, but with the Vilkerlings.”

  “Then Sarane was a fool,” I replied.

  “No, Sarane wisely ascertained that the Vilkerlings would accept her rule only if she joined with a Vilkerling. If she had chosen your M’Tek, there would have been no offspring, and she would have gained no power, and no territory. Sarane made the rational choice,” Sim’Nu concluded.

  “She died without producing an heir,” I pointed out. “Her country was thrown into civil war. The Noge suffered for hundreds of years because of her imprudent choice.”

  “The Vilkerlings suffer because of your choice, my child,” Sim’Nu replied. I smiled and nodded, working to conceal my anger at the arrogance of this creature with her empty pus colored eyes.

  “Yes, but the Vilkerlings are not my people. Their choice, and yours, called my armies down upon them. I loved the Vilken people, until they tried to kill my daughters, and helped you take M’Tek from me,” I added. “Love can turn to hate quickly as a result of great betrayal.” I laughed and shook my head. “Would you like to know what I was doing when the Vilkerlings rose up against me?”

  “If you’d like to tell me,” Sim’Nu replied. I took a deep breath and sighed, releasing some of the rage I still felt toward the Vilken people.

  “I was in my office, working to create an infrastructure for educating the peasant children of Vilkerland. I was planning for a better future. Now, those same children are being educated, but in a territory called Baneland, and many of those children’s parents are now dead. It’s worse for the Borderlings. Those children are spread throughout the two sovereignties, fostered by Fae and Noge families, because their parents are either dead or imprisoned. Their cultures are lost,” I observed. “My hope is that in two generations there will be no more Vilken or Borderling people, they will all be Fae and Noge.”

  “Do you have regrets?” Sim’Nu asked, fixing her dead eyes on my face.

  “Of course. I regret causing pain to children, and to the countless innocents caught in the conflict,” I replied. I took a deep breath as I imagined the devastation I’d unleashed, but then I pushed it from my mind, focusing instead on the fear I’d seen in my own children’s eyes. I turned back and started walking toward the camp. Sim’Nu walked beside me with her stiff gate. “War is ugly,” I added.

  “There will be no more wars in your future, Loredana,” Sim’Nu said, sounding almost kind. “You will be happy again with your new consort. He is a good choice. In time the Fae woman will be forgotten. When you hold your newborn child, you will no longer hate me. You will allow me to advise you.”

  “If you believe that, you don’t understand me at all,” I observed, offering a gentle smile to the witch.

  “You are wrong, Loredana. I understand that you are more like me than my previous charges. You are rational, and you are not vengeful,” Sim’Nu replied. “You are not one of them, but someone new. In time you will accept my council because you are reasonable, and the balance will be restored because you will see that it is right. You will be my last charge.” I stared at the Sim’Nu, uncertain how to respond. “My final shift will end with you.”

  “What is your purpose, Sim’Nu?” I asked as we reached the edge of the tents.

  “Peace,” Sim’Nu replied. “A world without war, without the need for bloodshed and butchery.”

  “You started the last war,” I pointed out. “You led the Vilken people to rise against me.”

  “You are wrong. You alone set those events in motion. War was inevitable once you joined with the Fae woman. I only controlled the timing. Your M’Tek is a lethal weapon, the last surviving Lemu. War is her purpose, just as mine is peace,” Sim’Nu replied.

  We were back in the confines of the camp, and I noticed Kieran glaring at me. Apparently, she was jealous of Sim’Nu’s interest in me. For a moment, I felt almost sorry for Kieran, but then I remembered she’d killed my dog, tried to kill me, threatened the safety of my children, stolen and abused my horse, and helped Sim’Nu take hostage the only woman I’d ever loved. I parted ways with Sim’Nu, preferring the company of my trusted guards.

  We were underway early the following morning, and by the time we would normally break for midday meal, we were at the edge of the Rocky Coast. Sim’Nu and I left our traveling party to their meal while we continued on foot. I had little appetite, as I was becoming anxious about what lay ahead. I had, however, forced down some dried fruit and nuts, and so Sim’Nu had noticed nothing amiss.

  Neither of us attempted to speak over the cacophony of crashing waves against rock as we approached the hidden cave. Sim’Nu remained a little too close at my side as I placed my hand on the smooth flat rock. The opening appeared. We walked forward together, but when we reached the mouth of the cave, Sim’Nu leaned in close, her yellow gaze fixed on me.

  “Wait here, Loredana,” Sim’Nu said close to my ear. “I do not require your assistance inside the facility.”

  “Very well,” I replied, my gaze shifting to a somewhat smooth rock I might wait on. “I’ll sit here and await your return,” I called out to her retreating form.

  Once Sim’Nu entered the cave, the opening closed behind her. The Sim’Sci were aware Sim’Nu was coming to shut the system down. I’d asked them to help me stop her, but apparently they were uncomfortable fighting one of their own. For this reason, I was uncertain whether they would oppose her efforts. I still could not open my mind to them, because Sim’Nu was blocking me. After what seemed eternity, I felt the presence of
my Sim’Sci in my head for the first time in years.

  “Please, come inside, Lore,” my Sim’Sci said.

  The mouth of the cave appeared again. I approached warily, uncertain of the loyalty of the Sim’Sci. My own Sim’Sci met me. In an effort to reassure me, she offered a smile.

  “Where’s Sim’Nu?” I asked.

  “Please, come this way. I’ll take you to it,” Sim’Sci said.

  My Sim’Sci placed a hand on my upper arm, leading me toward a room deeper within the facility than I’d ever been. When we entered the room, I saw the sickly yellow eyes of Sim’Nu lying on a metal tray, plucked from their sockets, but still staring at me.

  “Where is the rest of her?” I asked, as the nuts and dried fruit began moving uncomfortably in my gut. I swallowed hard.

  “The Sim’Nu is here, all around us,” Sim’Sci said, gesturing around the room. “Do you not see it?”

  I looked at the table again, and noticed two arms. Hanging from the ceiling was a very disturbing naked torso. On another tray, I found what remained of her head. I walked over to it and lifted it. It was more substantial in weight than I’d anticipated. The hair was missing, as was the back of her head, and there were dark holes where her eyes had been.

  “What was she?” I asked, realizing the creature had to be dead.

  “This Sim’Nu is a third generation AI built by NGE, Corp.,” Sim’Sci replied evenly. “Observe the circuitry. It is ancient. The unit had an incompatible communication system. This worked to its advantage. This Sim’Nu was able to control our system for centuries, because its technology is peculiar to us. It slipped past our security many times in the past, but we were not aware of it then. Today, the limited range of its communication abilities left it blind to our intentions as we prepared to take it offline.”

  “But how did you stop her?” I asked. “She was so strong.”

  “To us this Sim’Nu is not strong,” Sim’Sci said, offering a reassuring smile. My Sim’Sci then lifted one of Sim’Nu’s dismembered arms and folded it over upon itself. The skin stretched and then split, exposing what appeared to be a silver bone bent at an impossible angle. Pink viscous liquid began oozing through the torn skin and dripping on the table where the eyes rested. The sight made me uneasy, but I carefully controlled my reaction.

  “Thank you for neutralizing her,” I said, imitating Sim’Nu’s flat tone.

  “There is no need to thank us. It was our obligation,” Sim’Sci said. “The Sim’Nu was created by NGE, Corp. We were ethically bound to contain it once we became aware the unit had malfunctioned. You made our task easier by bringing it to us.”

  “Why didn’t you try to stop her before?” I asked, realizing the Sim’Sci might have prevented the nightmare I’d lived for the past few years.

  “We can only leave this facility with your permission,” Sim’Sci said. “We await your orders, Lore. We will create bioweapons, or do research, whatever you need. We await only assignment and purpose.”

  As I looked at the sickly yellow eyes still staring at me from the table, a chill ran through me. Suddenly I understood M’Tek’s mistrust of these beings. The Sim’Sci were not very different from Sim’Nu, yet more powerful. They were only in need of a purpose, any purpose. If I failed to give them a purpose that would keep them benign, we could have a repeat of the disorder caused by Sim’Nu, only on a far greater scale. I swallowed my anxiety, reminding myself that the Sim’Sci were loyal to me. They had destroyed Sim’Nu, and saved M’Tek’s life. These Sim’Sci had given me my daughters.

  “You have been studying the Fae technology in my blood,” I observed, using Sim’Sci’s own strange way of speaking. “Have you discovered the reason it adapted to my system?” I asked.

  “We have not, Lore,” Sim’Sci replied. “It has proven a more difficult problem than we anticipated. All data indicates that this technology will only function in a Fae subject, yet we know it functions within your system. On the surface, your situation appears anomalous. We require extant samples of Noge subjects in order to test the hypotheses we have developed.”

  “If I brought a Fae who is not Lemu, for example Shiroane, could you adapt the Lemu technology to her?” I asked. Sim’Sci paused as she communicated with the others.

  “It should be a simple task, adapting another Fae. Are you offering this Shiroane as a test subject?” Sim’Sci asked. “Have you brought her to us?”

  “Not this time, Sim’Sci,” I replied. “I traveled only with my Noge guard.”

  “Will you bring the Fae with you on your next visit?” Sim’Sci asked, sounding almost eager. Suddenly the buzzing in my head increased as other Sim’Sci weighed in on the possibility. “If you will give us authorization we will collect samples from your Fae and begin a study.”

  “Can you do this without harming Shiroane?” I asked.

  “Yes, Lore. We understand that you value these Fae,” she replied. “And we are eager to begin a project,” she added, smiling. “We will begin postulating possibilities for now.”

  “All right. I’ll return soon with Shiroane if she’s willing,” I replied. “And thank you, Sim’Sci.”

  ****

  I knew it would be a problem, when I appeared without Sim’Nu, but there was no remedy. I approached my traveling party guardedly, checking the location of each of the soldiers Sim’Nu had brought. Kieran was at the far edge of the group. One of my own Noge guards was surveying the area and noticed my solitary approach. That first guard gained the attention of a second, and soon all three guards were waiting at the perimeter, watching my advance. Kieran noticed their movement and approached.

  Within seconds, swords were drawn, and Kieran was running in my direction. My guards were surrounded and outnumbered, but fighting well. I was unarmed, with the exception of the small knife I kept in my boot. I stopped my progress and quickly retrieved my knife, preparing to fight Kieran. She approached with her sword raised, cautiously circling me.

  “Where’s the witch?” she asked.

  “Dismembered. I left her in pieces in the cave,” I replied, thinking of the strange yellow eyes on the trey. “She’s gone. You’ve no reason to die for her.”

  “You think I’m the one who’s going to die today?” Kieran asked, laughing before jabbing her sword at me.

  “Sim’Nu couldn’t kill me. What makes you think you can?” I asked.

  “Sim’Nu wanted you alive. I don’t,” Kieran replied, grinning.

  When she jabbed at me again, I dodged the move, sweeping low with one foot to knock her legs out from under her. I was on her in an instant, my knife at her throat. It was then I felt the searing pain in my side and realized her sword was buried in me up to the hilt. I pressed the knife harder against her throat, drawing blood but not wounding her mortally, as she twisted the sword around, grinning up at me.

  “You can’t kill me, Kieran,” I said calmly, as I ran my left fingers over her sword hand, trying to take the sword away.

  “You have my sword in your gut, changeling,” she observed. “I’ve already killed you.”

  “It’s my side, not my gut,” I explained. “If I press a little harder, I’ll slit your throat,” I replied. “Release your sword and I’ll let you live.”

  I gripped her sword again, and she released it, raising both of her hands out to the side as she smirked at me. I removed the sword from my side, and stood up, releasing her as I’d promised.

  “Why’d you let me go? No one could survive that injury. You’re going to die. Why let me live?” she asked, surprised.

  I shook my head and turned my back to her, walking back toward the camp, limping pretty severely at first as the pain stretched through my side. I needed to stop the fighting before one of my guards was killed. Kieran trotted after me. I shifted her sword to my right hand, and my knife to my left.

  “How does it feel to know you’re dying?” she asked, seeming to almost gloat, but keeping slightly out of sword’s reach. “I’ve killed the Changeling Queen,” s
he said, more to herself than to me, as if she couldn’t quite believe she’d injured me.

  “There’s no reason anyone else needs to die today, Kieran. Will you call off your soldiers?” I asked. Kieran only stared at me, waiting for me to fall, I think. As we approached, my own guards looked to me, and saw I was injured, but still armed and standing. I raised my hand to tell them to stop. The fighting ceased awkwardly as everyone looked to Kieran and me.

  “The witch Sim’Nu is dead and dismembered,” I said evenly. “My fight was with the witch. I’ve no desire to spill any more blood today, and you no longer have reason to fight me. Leave and I won’t hunt you,” I promised. “Continue fighting and you will all die a brutal death today.”

  “I’ve put my sword through the Changeling Queen’s gut,” Kieran announced proudly. “It’s a mortal wound. She’ll fall in a moment. Just wait. Watch. You’ll want to tell your children about this moment.” With my left hand, I raised my tunic to show a very small amount of blood smeared across the smooth, already healed, skin of my belly.

  “Have you not heard? I’m a living god. The Fae call me Deus,” I taunted, turning about to display my miraculous belly to Kieran’s ruffians. “I cannot be killed by this mortal woman,” I said evenly. “Run, before I take vengeance for this insult.”

  After my display of immortality, the soldiers turned, running and then scrambling up onto their horses. Kieran stood watching me, her eyes wide. I threw Kieran’s sword, still covered with my own blood, at her feet and walked over to Ballick, but Kieran remained rooted.

  “We’ve lost the witch, but we have the Fae Queen’s remains,” Kieran finally called to me after retrieving her sword from the ground.

  “Are you really such a fool, Kieran? Do you think I would have risked M’Tek? Recognize when you’re defeated,” I observed as I lifted myself into the saddle. “I have many reasons to kill you. Right now, I’d do it simply because you’re irritating me. Just go! Find your soldiers. Live to die a better death.”

  Finally she moved, approaching Viper. I turned to my guards as Kieran was trying to climb up on the mean little horse. I caught her frustrated cussing as the little gelding spun away from her every time she tried to place her foot in the stirrup. When I started laughing, my guards turned to see Kieran fall on her back, and Viper racing off at a gallop, bucking every few strides. He had kicked her in the stomach.