Elder

by Raine Thomas

Clara Kate’s eyes widened over the eruption of sound after that statement. It seemed nearly everyone had something to say in response to her father’s surprising request. Lifting her fingers to her lips, she let out a shrill whistle. Everyone quieted.

  “Dad wouldn’t want what happened to Tate and Sophia to happen to any of us,” she said, understanding his rationale. “I think he’s right. It’ll only take a day or two.”

  “I can escort Ariana to acquire the last scroll piece while you’re away,” Uriel said as he walked up and stood near Ini-herit.

  Ariana’s face paled at the suggestion. Clara Kate figured she was remembering that she hadn’t fared too well with a Waresti escort the last time they attempted to acquire a scroll piece. But the Lekwuesti didn’t argue.

  “If I’m going to Central, I want Ariana to come, too,” Tiege said. “We’ll all go after the scroll piece once we’re done with the pairings.”

  Uriel exchanged glances with Ini-herit, Malukali and Knorbis. Sensing an argument brewing, Clara Kate said, “Our grandfather indicated that our fates are tied to the scroll. I think Tiege’s right to want to keep everyone together.”

  There were nods around the fire. Zachariah, however, frowned. Clara Kate belatedly considered the protections in place around the main base that prohibited Mercesti entrance.

  “Aunt Skye’s powers aren’t regenerated enough yet to teleport Zachariah to Central,” she pointed out.

  “I’ll get him there,” Tate said as she licked chocolate from her thumb. “Our connection allowed him to get into our homeland, and those protections are just as strong—if not stronger—than the ones around Central.”

  “That sounds good,” Clara Kate agreed.

  Tate tilted her head as she studied Zachariah. His frown hadn’t eased. Leaning toward him, she kissed his cheek. “It’ll be fine, Sparky. You’ll see.”

  As everyone exchanged glances, Clara Kate could only hope her cousin was right.

  Chapter 14

  Metis had only been free to roam the mainland for a short time now. For most of her millennia of existence, she had lived under the care of her creator inside the laboratory and attached cottage. She hadn’t known much at all about the world outside of the maze, which she hadn’t been allowed to enter because the creatures inside it were too dangerous. If she hadn’t come across some of Tethys’ personal writings, in point of fact, Metis might still be living in ignorance.

  Thank the darkness she had decided to disregard her creator’s instructions to respect her privacy. On that fateful day, Metis discovered that the world was much, much larger and more interesting than she had been led to believe. It wasn’t limited to just the space she shared with her creator and the small Gegenee Island she once visited when Tethys wanted to show off another of her “experiments.”

  There were far more beings on this plane than Metis had been told, as well. There were even many different classes, some of which contained human blood.

  Metis now thought that her creator’s stability began to diminish with the arrival of the daughters of Saraqael to the Estilorian plane. After all, Tethys once lost the heart of a human male she loved because she couldn’t bear children. Then along came the progeny of a random Corgloresti and they started having enough babies to constitute an entire class. That must have been more than Tethys could handle.

  Because Tethys had grown distracted and careless, she left her writing out one day when she went into the maze to feed the hellhound. Upon reading it, Metis also learned that Tethys didn’t want to introduce her to the other Estilorians. She considered Metis a potentially dangerous mistake, but one she couldn’t bring herself to destroy.

  Well, Metis had no compunction about destroying her creator.

  That was when she discovered she could assume the forms of those she killed. When she realized she had changed into Tethys, she puzzled over it for several days. She finally concluded that because she had been created in an attempt to produce life, she had somehow inherited the ability to assume the lives of other Estilorians. The power of her ability made itself known when she made it safely through the maze because the creatures thought she was Tethys.

  It was a talent she was still trying to master. Because she didn’t assume the memories of her victims, she had trouble making others believe that she was the being whose form she assumed. When she killed Kanika, she’d had to fake memory loss to make it believable.

  As she thrashed through the woods in the much larger form of the Waresti male with Cephalus right beside her, she tried to put herself into her victim’s mindset. His class was dedicated to offense. He wouldn’t likely be alone like she was. Most of the Waresti who had inhabited Kanika’s home with her had worked in groups or pairs. When they did separate, it was for brief periods of time or unusual circumstances.

  Glancing at Cephalus, she realized the giant presented the “unusual” reason she might need to explain her solitary situation. Now she just needed someone to explain it to.

  She still wasn’t sure what she would do when she came upon other Estilorians. Mercesti couldn’t be trusted. Many of them followed Eirik and might know to look for her. Others might be in league with the male paired with the Kynzesti female. Although she knew little about Zachariah aside from what she heard Eirik spout about him, she knew enough to suspect he would hunt her down for having anything to do with the abduction of his avowed.

  No, she had to find a way to enmesh herself into the world of non-Mercesti Estilorians if she wanted any chance of getting near the two females who could lead her to the final scroll piece. That might mean abducting someone who could teach her more about the other classes. It would also mean trying to grow more familiar with this hulking male form.

  “I smell others,” Cephalus said a couple of hours into their hike.

  “Be still and silent, then,” Metis hissed, slowing her own pace. “If you find a single being, only detain him.”

  She knew she moved too much like a female, but couldn’t figure out how to adjust her body language to more naturally reflect a male’s. Frowning, she eased through the forest ahead of Cephalus, keeping an eye out for patrolling Waresti. She briefly debated whether to remove her sword from its sheath and carry it, but she wasn’t trained. Despite the innate knowledge of weaponry she absorbed when she assumed the Waresti form, she knew she might end up hurting herself before she harmed anyone else.

  About a hundred yards ahead, she caught sight of some Waresti. Judging by the way they walked and shifted their gazes, they were patrolling a very small area. She wondered if it might be a Corgloresti transition point.

  Tethys had documented the traditional process of Estilorian reproduction, which Metis tried to reproduce herself when creating Deimos. Metis knew that Corgloresti transitioned to the human plane from secret, protected locations on the Estilorian plane. The Waresti kept the area clear of possible predators.

  Easing away from the sight of the patrols, Metis turned back in the direction of Cephalus. How could she possibly convince these soldiers that she was one of them? She didn’t know their commanders well enough to say who ordered her to aid them. Could they possibly already know she had killed the Waresti whose form she now wore? What if they attempted to take her prisoner to confirm her identity?

  The complexities of what she was trying to achieve had her head hurting. When she approached the place where she left Cephalus, her frustration made her want to scream. She didn’t see the giant anywhere.

  “Over here,” he rumbled from deeper in the forest.

  Hurrying forward, she passed between two trees and came to a halt. Cephalus stood above two prone forms. One was that of a female. The second was a Waresti male.

  “They arrived shortly after you departed,” Cephalus explained. “The female sought privacy and the male was keeping guard.”

  Metis noticed the Waresti had very few orange markings, which meant he was relatively young. She imagined Cephalus might not have been able to best a more seasoned warrior even with h
is enchanted, mesmerizing hair. Like other beings in his class, the Waresti male was quite large and muscular.

  Bending down, Metis opened one of the female’s eyes. She realized the second being was an Orculesti.

  “A mind reader,” she murmured.

  Remaining in a squat, Metis considered what to do. It would be safer to assume a new form, just in case the Waresti were aware of what she had done in the maze. The question was, which form should she assume?

  As a Waresti, she could roam freely across the plane without much question. She would be in a form strong enough to subdue or defeat Eirik when they inevitably met again. It would take only a bit more training and education to confidently blend in with the rest of the Estilorians, which meant she could once again gain access to the Kynzesti and Lekwuesti and the final scroll piece.

  The Orculesti, on the other hand, had the ability to read thoughts. Some even had the ability to influence the minds of others. Eirik had a strong mind, which meant it was unlikely an ordinary Orculesti would have much influence on him. If he was skilled in masking his thoughts, it would also be hard to read him.

  Any mind reading ability, however, would surely be more helpful than mere strength, Metis reasoned. Plus, she had recently realized that she much preferred forms in her base gender. The question was, how old and powerful was the Orculesti in front of her?

  When the female made a noise indicating that she was regaining consciousness, Metis decided she didn’t have much choice. Although she risked her own existence if this Estilorian was too powerful for her to assume her form, time had grown short. Pulling her sword from its sheath, she ended the Orculesti’s life. Then she used her power to absorb the female’s essence.

  It was a mighty struggle, telling her that the female was powerful. Pain from the initial transformation flashed through her. Used to it by now, she let it pass. After she worked through that, however, a void of darkness threatened her. She knew she was having difficulty absorbing the Orculesti’s abilities.

  The sounds of thousands of voices clamored in her head, causing her to cry out. A red haze filled her mind. She battled against it, using the same strong will that had gotten her this far.

  Eventually, she centered herself enough to focus on her breathing and slowly brought herself back to awareness. When she did, she spotted Cephalus on the ground. The giant was dead, a fact that confused her.

  That was when she realized she was surrounded by Waresti. And all of them were armed.

  Chapter 15

  “Why is it you wish to aid us?” Eirik asked the Mercesti standing in front of him and Friedrich.

  “Derian is not a leader,” the being replied. “When he stood against Grolkinei, I thought he intended to seek a position of power among the Mercesti himself—that his supposed support of Kanika was a ruse. I have since learned that he wishes to avoid the so-called ‘burden’ of leadership.”

  Friedrich asked, “Why do you not take over as leader of the Marked Ones, then?”

  Sniffing, the being replied, “The fact that he is a converted Gloresti seems to cause the others to respect him more than others.”

  “Then Zachariah’s reappearance must not thrill you,” Eirik observed, watching the expression of Derian’s follower.

  “If I thought he would be any stronger a leader than Derian, I might not have minded,” the being admitted. “But he is obsessed with the Kynzesti female, much like Derian focuses so much on Melanthe.”

  “One would think their lingering Gloresti traits would make them effective leaders,” Friedrich observed. He shrugged when Eirik looked at him. “It seems logical.”

  “That depends upon to whom they apply their Gloresti loyalty, does it not?” the being rejoined. “So far, nothing has been done to unite the Mercesti class and bring us back as equals with the other classes. We remain loathed and feared…outcasts.”

  “Is that the limit of your ambition?” Eirik asked. “Equality?”

  The other being frowned. “What else is there?”

  “Superiority.”

  “Bah. Grolkinei spouted such propaganda for centuries. He sought a Mercesti class that ruled over both planes. You know how far that got him.”

  Eirik’s temper reared, but he held it in check. “Have you learned what it is we seek?”

  “No,” the being responded with a frown. “The shapeshifting Kynzesti was vague when discussing it, and I have learned nothing new since rescuing the other Kynzesti and Lekwuesti. The elders are keeping nearly everyone in the dark.”

  Nodding, Eirik asked, “What if I told you that we have a way to fulfill your wish?”

  “Equality?”

  “To begin, certainly.”

  The being gave him a skeptical look. “You have my interest. What is it you seek?”

  “The last piece of an artifact that will allow us to institute a class structure equal to the others…an elder included.”

  “But—that is impossible.”

  “Not only is it possible, but well within reach,” Eirik said. “The Kynzesti and Lekwuesti you just rescued have the abilities to find it, which is why I was holding them prisoner. They refused to help me of their own volition, so I had to resort to dramatic action.”

  He caught Friedrich’s arched eyebrow out of the corner of his eye, but ignored it.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “Do you know where the two females are right now?”

  “They are on their way to the main base. The elders want to pair them with Lekwuesti as soon as possible.”

  Eirik considered this. “They will surely resume the hunt for the final piece of the artifact once the Lekwuesti pairings are done. I need you to keep us informed so that we can acquire it.”

  “We also need you to do what you can to keep the Waresti and Mercesti searching for us off our trail,” Friedrich added.

  “And what will I get out of this?”

  “A class you can respect, for one,” Eirik said. “I will also consider you for a role of great responsibility once our new class structure is in place, if you prove worthy.”

  The being was silent for a long moment, moving a considering gaze between them. “Very well. I can accept that.”

  Eirik’s posture eased. “Perfect. So glad we can count on you.”

  And if it proved he couldn’t, the traitor’s death at the end of his krises was always an option.

  Clara Kate hovered with the others over a grouping of yellow platforms floating in the ocean water. The platforms were the only way to get to Central, which floated far above the ocean in an area humans referred to as the Bermuda Triangle. Like everyone else, she turned her gaze to Zachariah, who currently carried Tate.

  “I see them,” he said in answer to everyone’s unspoken question. “Now we have to see if I can actually land on them.”

  “Here goes nothing,” Tate said. Her smile told Clara Kate that she wasn’t concerned.

  It turned out her cousin was right. Zachariah flew to one of the platforms and stood on it without issue. Although he released Tate from the flight harness, she continued to hold onto him.

  “Better safe than sorry,” she said. “I’ve heard that physical contact helps when trying to extend your abilities to another being.”

  Zachariah’s gaze moved sharply to Tiege, who landed next to them on the platform along with Ariana. Tate’s twin raised his eyebrows and lifted his hands in a show of innocence. “Don’t look at me.”

  Shaking his head, Zachariah sat on the platform, pulling Tate down onto his lap. Clara Kate imagined he didn’t really mind the close contact. She settled onto a second platform with Sophia and Quincy, and winced when she saw Ini-herit flying closer. Then Alexius swooped up and landed on the platform before Ini-herit reached them.

  Uncertain whether or not to be relieved, she gave Alexius a smile in greeting and watched Ini-herit as he gazed at the Waresti. Was that annoyance she saw on his face? He turned and flew to a platform with Malukali, Knorbis and Sebastian before s
he could tell.

  Then the platform lifted from the water. Not expecting the sudden acceleration, she gasped and grabbed Alexius, who reached out to steady her.

  “Geez,” she said, embarrassed over her reaction. “Seat belts might be a good idea.”

  “I’ve said that for years,” Quincy agreed with a grin.

  Sophia frowned, looking down at the water. “The platform with Zachariah hasn’t taken off yet.”

  They all looked over the edge. Clara Kate’s concern grew as the group on the water got smaller and smaller.

  “Kiss Tate!” Quincy called down.

  Clara Kate raised an eyebrow over the suggestion, but she knew that of all of them, Quincy had the most insight into the unexplainable. His unsurpassed faith was what allowed him to do things like deliver the Kynzesti. The line on the Elder Scroll that supposedly pertained to him—One most pure in blood and soul—suited him perfectly.

  Zachariah must have agreed, as he did what the Corgloresti suggested. Within seconds, the platform lifted into the air.

  “Are they going to have to make out the entire trip to Central?” Sophia asked.

  The idea made Clara Kate laugh. “I’ll bet Tiege would love that.”

  “I’m sure Zachariah would love it more,” Alexius added, making Clara Kate laugh harder. The Waresti didn’t really understand sarcasm.

  She didn’t realize that he had kept his arm over her shoulders until she glanced over and saw Ini-herit staring in their direction. His eyes were focused on her and Alexius. It wasn’t the first time she had seen this kind of reaction from him when other males touched her, she realized. Even though she couldn’t read his expression, something about the intensity of his silver gaze told her that he didn’t like it.

  Was it possible he was beginning to experience emotion?

  “Did archigos Ini-herit mention that it’s almost time for the annual masquerade ball at Central?” Alexius asked.

  Blinking over the change in subject, Clara Kate said, “Masquerade? No.”