Except myself, he thought, but he nodded, accepting the small comfort.
***
Leaving Elei outside, on the wind-swept deck, Hera headed back into the passenger cabin, rubbing her middle and waiting for the pain to fade. Her thoughts spiraled down. Regina was reacting — but to what? The only thing she’d done was check on Elei, show her concern and—
Oh gods. Hera groaned. Her Maturation Day was approaching. Regina was getting stronger and Regina hated mortals. Could that be the reason for the pain? Was Regina going to force her to hurt them?
Taking the free seat next to Kalaes, she glared at the slight tremble in her hands. Fear. She was not accustomed to the feeling, and even identifying it did not make her feel better.
I will not hurt them. I refuse.
Ruthlessly she forced the fear down, where it belonged, and curled her fingers into fists. Despite her worry, she felt her lids gummy, her limbs heavy. Stretching out as best she could on the nepheline seat, she closed her eyes and sighed, after-echoes of pain curling around her stomach, stern reminders of Regina’s wishes.
Too bad.
She would not let Regina dictate her actions. She could take a little pain for her family.
***
By the time Elei entered the passengers’ cabin again, he found Hera stretched out on a seat, fast asleep, her face relaxed. Kalaes slept too, curled up in a ball, a hand buried in his hair, the other clutching his pendant. Elei stared at the familiar face, frowning even in sleep, and turned away, rubbing at his tight chest.
My only family, he’d told the streetkids. And it was the truth.
Alendra twisted to look at him when he limped into the cockpit. Long strands of sandy hair had escaped her ponytail and framed her face. Her cat-like eyes were a glass mosaic of brown and green, a yellow ring around the pupil. She pursed her mouth. He wanted to stroke a finger over those full lips, twine it in those shiny locks.
Then her brow wrinkled and her eyes narrowed. Her words from before rushed back, and he fought a flinch. He propped his walking cane against the wall and took his seat, forcing his mind to the control panel and the road ahead. “Coordinates?”
“Twenty-two south, five west from Teos,” she said, her voice tight.
He checked they were on the right course and tried to see ahead in the rolling mist. A glance in the rearview mirrors showed him a battered aircar following at some distance. No other vehicle was visible.
Maybe with the unrest that was normal now, these empty roads. He couldn’t help wondering if they’d come up against any blockades during the night and how they’d managed to slip through, or if the Gultur system was indeed collapsing, like Kein had said, the collapse throwing the islands into chaos. He supposed they’d see signs of it, but not here, in the empty landscape; in the cities and towns, where the reign of the Gultur had been absolute, where they held all the cards.
In a place like Dakru City, their capital.
He shook his head and his hair fell in his eyes. He pushed it back impatiently; he hadn’t realized it’d grown so long.
Alendra adjusted the rear mirror and her scent of sea mist reached him. So much for having some time alone to check his gun.
Yeah, and check for what exactly? Some magical key that would, just like that, overthrow the Gultur, collect their resources, and replace the government with a new one?
Dakron, metals, fibers, seeds and knowledge. He remembered Hera asking him if he’d ever wondered what lay beyond the Seven Islands.
But according to the scholars, nothing lay beyond, only the empty ocean.
A meow broke through his looping thoughts and the black cat jumped onto his shoulder, digging in its claws.
“Ow.” He turned to scold the cat, but it purred and rubbed its cheek against his, stopping him. “Hey, Cat.”
“Why do you keep that creature around?” Alendra muttered. “I bet it carries all sorts of parasites.”
“Like me,” Elei said, more coolly than he felt.
“Take it out.” Her eyes glittered. “Just...take it out.”
“The cat stays.”
“Fine.” She got up, startling the hell out of him, and glared. “Drive alone if you’re set on being so damn annoying.”
Cat hissed.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“To catch a wink. Not that it’s any of your business.”
Right. “Sweet dreams.”
Her face paled. Then she crossed her arms, uncrossed them, spun around and left the cockpit. The door slammed behind her.
Feeling like a thug, he turned his attention back to the road. “Well, then,” he muttered, “it’s just you and me, Cat. Looks like I’ve become an expert in turning everyone away from me, huh? Except you.”
Cat observed him with its bright blue eyes and meowed inquiringly.
“I have no food for you, if that’s what you want,” Elei said, remembering his gun and pulling it free of its holster. He held it up before him, his eyes flicking between its shiny barrel and the road ahead. Stupid dream. As if the early morning light would show him something on his gun he hadn’t noticed in the two years he’d had it. “As soon as I get some food, you’ll eat, too, okay?”
Cat tried to bat the gun with a forepaw, but it was too far.
Elei turned the Rasmus this way and that, and it glinted dully, black and silver. “Do you see a key, Cat? Because I don’t.” He lowered it with a disheartened shrug. “Just a stupid dream. I should’ve known.”
He placed it on the empty co-driver’s seat and checked again the coordinates, tracing the position on a small map pinned on the panel. The intercity road should bring them quite close to their destination. Then they would turn west, either on a smaller road or cutting through fields. Nothing was marked there apart from a red X. He hoped the safe house had a bathroom. His scalp and skin itched and his nails were still crusted with blood.
The dream tried again to surface in his mind, clawing at his consciousness, and he pushed it back down. Enough. There was no answer there. He’d have to find another way to fight the Gultur. Mad as it now seemed, he’d made Afia and Kalaes a promise.
And it did sound mad. But he’d make a difference, even if he failed to take down the regime. Even if the only thing he managed was make sure Kalaes found his brother, that the street kids had enough to eat and a place to sleep.
“Hey, Cat? What do you think?” He scanned the road ahead. “Isn’t that worth living for?”
Cat purred and curled up on his shoulder. All was quiet for a while. Hours slipped by as he drove, the familiar task calming him.
Then Cat raised its head, flattened its ears and hissed.
A scream rang from behind the cabin door, freezing Elei’s blood. Kalaes. He didn’t dare leave the driver’s seat, but, half-rising, he managed to wrench the door open while keeping his eyes on the road.
“Everything okay?” he called out.
“I think so,” Hera called back. “I woke him up.”
Elei sat back down, shaking.
Hera poked her head inside the cockpit. Dark circles surrounded her eyes. “It looked like a hell of a nightmare.”
The knot of worry in his chest was expanding, pressing against his ribs. “Did he say what it was about?”
Hera rubbed her chest with one hand. “He kept calling for Zag. Did he tell you who that is?”
Elei nodded. “His brother.”
“He has a brother? I did not know that.”
Elei shrugged, not eager to talk about it. He just hoped Zag knew how lucky he was to have a brother like Kalaes.
He turned his attention back to the road. A glance in the rearview mirror showed him an aircar — the same as before? — sliding in and out of the mists. “This could be trouble,” he whispered.
“What is it?” Hera leaned closer, with one hand twisting her hair back at her nape. Her scent enveloped him.
“An aircar. I think it’s following us.”
She frowned and her ey
es flicked to the side mirrors, then back to the rearview one. “If it keeps up, we’ll have to mislead them. Let me know when we approach the point of deviation from the main road.”
Cat arched its back and rubbed its head on Elei’s arm.
Hera leaned back, folding her arms over her chest, and nodded at Cat. “I see you’ve become attached to this animal. Do you really think that’s a good idea? Its eyes are an unusual color. In fact, they appear to be the same color as your eye that Rex possesses.”
“I know,” he said quietly. He thought about it. “I guess Rex attracts cats. One of them licked my blood when I first escaped the hospital. Others followed me around, and...” He looked up at her face. “A group of cats attacked the Gultur guards at the hospital.”
A muscle jumped in Hera’s jaw. “You’re joking,” she said flatly. “Cats? Attacking the guards?”
He nodded. “You think they were infected with Rex?”
“It’s a possibility.” She shook her head. “Or maybe you took a hard hit to that thick skull of yours and imagined the whole thing.”
It was possible, he had to admit.
“In any case,” she said, trying to stifle a yawn, “I’m going back to sleep. I’ll send Alendra to drive, so you can take a break.”
“I’m fine,” he said, maybe a little too quickly. “No need to send her.”
“Do not worry about her.” Hera waved a hand as she opened to cockpit door. “She slept part of the night, she’s well rested.”
“It’s not her I’m worried about,” Elei muttered, returning his gaze to the road ahead.
Cat meowed in agreement.
Chapter Eleven
Alendra’s sulking company wasn’t so bad. At any rate, it beat getting snarked at, and Elei was finally starting to relax.
Until Cat decided to sniff Alendra’s hand.
“Don’t let that creature touch me,” Alendra bit out and swung at Cat with a bottle of water she held.
Her ears and cheeks were red. Cute like a kitten. If it wasn’t for the single fact that she hated his guts it would’ve been funny.
“That’s my creature and I don’t want you touching it either,” Elei retorted, grabbing Cat and settling it on his shoulder. Cat dug its claws in, making him wince, just in case Elei was deluded enough to think he was in control.
“Then take your filthy beast out of here. I won’t have it around—”
“You don’t own the damn aircar,” Elei snapped, struggling to keep his temper, glancing from the road to her.
“Cats belong in dumpsters.” She lifted her chin. “Perhaps you belong there, too.”
He felt the blood drain from his face. The trashlands of Ost where he’d grown up were practically a giant dumpster. Too close to home.
Cat growled and he snorted, trying to cover up his unease. “Maybe.”
That seemed to outrage her even more. “Get out,” she snapped.
“Want me to jump off a moving aircar?” He cocked his head at her, hoping she’d say no.
“If you like.” Her eyes glowed like the lights of a ship reflected in dim water. “It’d be a merciful death compared to taking on the Gultur regime on our own.”
Well, put that way... “I didn’t think you cared about how I die.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. Her eyes darkened. “I... don’t.”
Odd how her breath caught on the words.
“Do not what?” Hera stood at the cockpit door. Elei hadn’t heard it open. “What did you say to her, boy?”
“Me?” He stiffened, and Cat hissed on his shoulder. “No need to. Just by being here I offend her.”
“He’s got parasites,” Alendra muttered. “And his cat, too.”
“So you started all this?” Hera turned to Alendra, her voice coiled like a snake ready to strike. “Why in the hells?”
“How can you ask that?” Alendra rose too, her fists balled at her sides. “He could infect us all, you, me, Kalaes, the whole resistance. It’s deadly, telmion and whatever else he’s carrying.” Her voice shook. “He’s got snakeskin all the way up his cheek. He’ll die, and so will we.”
“I told you, you can’t catch telmion from me,” Elei said, weary.
“He’s right,” Hera said, nodding, and her voice lost its heat. “You can’t catch it from another person. Telmion is a fungus that lives in standing water or rotten meat where it can burrow into your skin, but it’s not contagious between hosts.”
“Yeah?” Alendra shook her head, her eyes luminous with anger. “I’ve heard that before. I don’t believe it.”
“Do you think I’d put him in here with you, with us, if he would be our death?” Hera asked, scowling.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Alendra swallowed hard, “to be told everything is okay, and then see everyone around you die, everyone you ever cared for.” She bit her lip. “I won’t sit here with him and that animal. I won’t.”
“We’ve all lost people we love,” Elei muttered, the ache in his chest returning, Pelia’s face haunting his thoughts.
“You don’t know how it was. You weren’t there,” Alendra muttered.
He blinked. “Where?”
“Asine,” Alendra said, her voice barely audible, her cheeks stained with red.
“Asine?” Was he supposed to know the name? “Where’s that?”
“Where do you live, not to know about Asine?” Alendra snapped.
He opened his mouth to reply, but Hera grabbed his arm and shoved him toward the door. “Go and rest with Kalaes.”
He shook her off, anger rising in his chest, her sweet scent sending his senses into overdrive. “First tell me about Asine.”
“Just... leave me alone,” Alendra whispered. “Go away.”
“Go,” Hera snarled.
He took a step toward Alendra, to ask again, to understand, but Hera blocked his way and pushed him backward. She sneered, her fine features twisted. The tiny scales on her throat glittered like jewels and her sugary smell made his mouth water. Heat rushed up his neck, and colors pulsed around him.
He pushed back.
Hera recovered easily, barely backtracking, and then she slammed into him, knocking the walking cane from his fingers. His vision hazed, his heartbeat spiked. Hera’s chest pulsed a deep orange. He thought he saw blood welling from her mouth, running down her chin.
Reaching up, he grabbed her by the throat, his fingers clenching, digging into soft flesh.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Alendra yelled. “Stop it!”
A vise crushed his windpipe and he couldn’t breathe. He became aware of Hera’s hands bruising his throat. Cat growled, worrying at Hera’s boots.
“For the gods’ sakes, can you hear me? Let her go!” Alendra shouted.
His fingers loosened. What am I doing? He let go of Hera and tried to pry her hands off his neck. She finally released him, and he fell against the wall. He slid down, coughing, everything fading in a red haze.
“What in the hells do you think you’re doing, fe?” rang a familiar voice from the door. Someone knelt by his side, and a rough hand gripped his chin, forcing it up. “Elei? Are you okay?”
Kalaes?
“He tried to kill Hera.” Falling back into the driver’s seat, Alendra jabbed a finger at Elei, her face flushed. “He was going to strangle her.”
Hera was rubbing at the red marks on her throat, breathing heavily, not looking up. “So was I.”
Fingers brushed against Elei’s throat. “So I see.” Kalaes’ face came into focus, startling with the tattoo of the three parallel lines on his cheek. His cheekbones jutted out in his thin face and his expression was grim and angry. “Why?” he asked.
“I wanted to talk to her,” Elei rasped, his throat burning.
“That didn’t look like talking,” Kalaes bit out.
“He started it,” Alendra said.
“No,” Hera said drily, “I did. I hit him first.”
“By mistake.”
Kalaes
’ gaze blazed. He glared at Alendra, his hand dropping to his belt, probably searching for a gun. “I don’t know who in the hells you are, but stay out of this.” He turned back to Hera, ignoring Alendra’s muffled curse. “I’m asking again, fe. Why in the five hells did you try to strangle him?”
Hera still didn’t meet his eyes. “He and I need to talk.”
“That’s not an answer.” Kalaes took a step toward her, his hands curled into fists at his sides.
“Kal!” Elei coughed. “Kalaes. Stop.”
To his surprise, Kalaes did. He gave Elei a questioning look.
“Just...” Kalaes was awake, he was up and moving, he sounded okay, he sounded sane. “How do you feel?”
Kalaes grunted. “Alive. And so are you, apparently, after all.” His brows dipped and he jabbed a finger in Elei’s direction. “Stay that way, you hear me?”
Laughter rose in Elei’s throat, and it triggered more coughing. He stared at Kalaes, not daring to believe he was really back. It was too sudden. Too good to be true.
“No hallucinations?” Hera asked in a clinical tone. “No dizziness? Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Kalaes bared his teeth in a sharp smile. He grabbed Elei’s arm and pulled him upright, then he put the walking cane in his hand. “I heard something about a safe house?”
“We’re heading there,” Hera said. “If we lose our tail.”
“Tail?” Kalaes glanced at Alendra and back, a dark eyebrow raised. “Looks like I’ve been missing out on lots of fun.” He smirked. “My turn to drive.”
“Absolutely not,” Hera said, folding her arms across her chest. “You are not up to it.”
“I’m perfectly fine.” He waved a dismissive hand, and when she didn’t move out of his way, he pushed her. “Now stand aside.”
“You can’t drive yet, Kal,” Elei said. “You know it.”
“The hells I can’t,” Kalaes snarled, a dark scowl on his face. He took the driver’s seat and grabbed the steering lever, shoving Alendra off. “Try and stop me.”
Elei's Chronicles (Books 1-3) Page 36