Shadow of the Colossus

by Nicole Grotepas

  “Look, Drake, I know about this job. The Centau who told Charly about it isn’t a traditional Centau. They’ve done their share of thieving. And there is honor among thieves. Turning us in would endanger him. Plus, it’s not money. It’s a statue. Originally stolen out of a personal collection and placed in a fairly private museum. Only the super rich can even see it.”

  Holly sat forward. That sounded classist. “You mean, not everyone can see it?”

  “What sort of society has museums only for the rich? I have heard of these, Ms. Drake. They make my fur stand on end,” Shiro said. “By the way, I’m almost back. With a lovely swimming outfit for you.”

  “Fur, Shiro? I always thought you were hiding something special under those hoity-toity costumes of yours,” Charly laughed.

  “It’s merely an expression. But that detail seals it for me more than before. I am definitely in. I cannot stand idly by while a statue only gets seen by the richest eyes.”

  Shiro was in.

  “I’m also in,” Odeon said, surprising Holly. “I can’t talk much now, but this is deplorable. Art is either in a private collection, or it’s there for all.”

  “Damn. The whole team?”

  “That’s right, Hols, because honestly, we need this.”

  “Here you go, Ms. Drake,” Shiro said. She looked up. Her eyes had been focused on a strip of sunlight reflecting on the water. Rising, she took the two-piece swimming suit from Shiro. It was brown with turquoise and orange stripes.

  “Er, thanks,” she said. They had a point—about the hypocrisy of having a statue only viewable to a select group of Kotans. It bothered her. It felt classist. And if there was one thing she knew about herself, it was that upsetting the status quo was something she excelled at. She was an iconoclast. She thought of the children now under Elan’s care. Barring a miracle, none of them would be rich and elite. Same with her students at the public school where she once taught.

  She met Shiro’s gaze. “There’s a lot here I don’t agree with, in this job. But, my personal morals and how unjust this is have swayed me. Count me in.”

  “Boo-yah! You won’t regret it, girl. I’ve already got loads of intel on it.”

  “Be ready with a loose plan by the time we’re back. Two days. I have to pay Trip for the damage to her ship.”

  “Got it,” Charly said.

  FIVE

  Holly watched as a ship that looked a lot like one of the destroyers that had pursued them flew in and presumably landed at the airstrip jutting out of the platform far out in the bay.

  “Shiro,” Holly began.

  “I saw it,” he said before she could say more. “Think it’s them?”

  “I don’t have proof, but what are the odds that a ship looking exactly like one that chased us would land where we are shortly afterwards?"

  “Hopefully they’re not looking for us,” he said. “What do you think, Ms. Drake? Seems unlikely to me.”

  They were seated at a table on the patio overlooking the bay of the cafe that Odeon’s grandmother, Clio, owned. Odeon himself had gone back inside to order them drinks and ask for his grandmother. It seemed like years since Holly had last been there, though in fact it had only been a few months. The cafe was just how Holly remembered it—open and airy with a breeze blowing in off the bay that swept through open balcony doors and an entrance that opened onto a front of store patio.

  Holly turned her head to see what was taking Odeon so long. He was at the counter still, ordering their drinks. She spoke to Shiro without looking at him. “And if they were? They got what they wanted. I doubt they’d come after us.”

  Shiro turned to look at her. The afternoon sun had dipped closer to the startlingly blue ocean. “Maybe they wanted more than just the hydrantium, Ms. Drake.” There was meaning in his eyes.

  “What else is there? You? Me?”

  He shrugged slightly. “You did upset their plans. You’re a thorn in their side. If they were smart, they’d get rid of you.”

  “Thanks,” she said, choking back her dismay.

  “I didn’t say I wanted to get rid of you. I said they would be smart to. It’s a compliment. Showing how much I respect your abilities.”

  She laughed. Odeon appeared with their drinks, placing two cups of kasè down and sliding one in front of Holly and the other in front of Shiro. Odeon sat at the table near Holly and sipped his tea. The coastal breeze ruffled his silver hair, which he’d let down from the traditional bun he’d put in hours earlier for his parents.

  “She’ll be out soon,” he said. His face seemed lighter and free of worry in the cafe. His bright eyes took in the view and he grinned at Holly, almost as though he couldn’t help it.

  Shiro tasted his drink and then placed the cup down, glancing about as he did. “This is lovely, Odeon. You spent much of your time here as a child?”

  “I did. My parents were always busy helping everyone else. Too busy to look after a boy.”

  Shiro arched an eyebrow at Holly. She shrugged and glanced at the Yasoan, who was now looking back into the cafe, searching for his grandmother.

  Around them humans, Consties, Centau, and Yasoan mingled or sipped beverages and played card games. The cafe was a safe zone, which shed light on Odeon’s open, accepting way. His parents weren’t like that—they were the sort of smug elitists that Holly had often seen in the city, in every race. It led to the sorts of divides that seemed impossible to surmount, but, she feared that was inevitable. After all, there was more than just skin color and biology that divided the various races. It was also the cultures that arose from biology and the things that became embedded in them back on their homeworlds. Still, it was people like Odeon who would help bridge those differences. What she and her crew did together—that was the sort of thing that overcame racial divides.

  Without warning Odeon rose and took a step away from the table.

  She was there, suddenly, Odeon’s grandmother, greeting him. The older woman with bright silvery hair in braids threw her arms around him, speaking excitedly in Yasoan and patting his shoulders. She kissed him four times on the cheeks, and then opened her arms wide to greet Holly. “Darling girl, seeing you again is lovely!”

  Holly blushed, standing, and accepted the effusive greeting—which included besos on either cheek—then Holly turned to introduce Shiro. As she suspected he might, Shiro was as much in his element with the woman and her cafe as he had been everywhere else. Nothing ruffled him. He was smooth and adaptable, with his chameleon ability to absorb and blend.

  Following the greetings and introductions, Clio sat with them.

  “I see you’ve got your drinks. They were made with love, so their energy is good. It will lengthen your lives and bless your posterity.”

  Shiro nearly choked on his drink, tipping it away from his mouth and setting the cup quickly back on the table. He looked around at the group, a furious blush darkening his cheeks. “Excuse me.” He coughed.

  “You must not expect to live long, or you don’t wish to have children,” Clio laughed.

  “Yes, I was just cursed the other day. To live a short life. So, I’m feeling caught in the middle,” Shiro said.

  “Shiro thinks that he fools us, grandmother. Holly and I both know that he’s afraid to settle down and someday have a family. He’s a sworn bachelor.” Odeon drank from his tea and grinned.

  “Ah, a bachelor. Who will you pass your stories on to? Your legacy?”

  “Legacy?” He coughed. “I’m doing the universe a favor not having a family. My dear woman, I have nothing to pass on, except my sense of fashion. And I can simply start a clothing line if that’s all I hope to pass down.”

  Holly had a sudden thought, and, despite the lighthearted banter, decided to voice it before the moment passed and she forgot. “Madame, pardon me, but have you heard anything having to do with a group known as the Shadow Coalition?”

  The Yasoan woman stared at Holly, pursing her dark violet lips, a shadow flitting across her feature
s. “They’re a plague. Yes, to answer you, I have heard of them.”

  Odeon studied Holly, an expression of frustration crossing his brow. Holly had known him long enough to be able to name the emotions that took over his face from time to time. He shifted to the edge of his chair. “You haven’t told me this, grandmother.”

  “What is there to tell?” she asked, waving a hand. “They have been passing through our small town for months. Maybe even years. They mostly leave us alone, though, occasionally there would be disturbances when they would try to recruit from the town.”

  “They would try to recruit from here? Recruit who?”

  “Younger people. To become part of their group. What else? They’re a scourge. I don’t like them.” She shook her head and spat, as though she’d tasted something bitter.

  “What is it you don’t like about them?” Holly asked.

  “Aside from the general complaints, they try to pay with money that isn’t recognized by the Syndicate. And I say to them, that money isn’t good here! What will I do with it? And they put it down and take the drink. And what will l do then? Fight with them? With these?” She held out her fine lavender hands that would be more at home playing a musical instrument than hitting someone.

  “Why haven’t you told me? Or Athena and Socrates?”

  “Everyone knows. We tolerate them. They’re a nuisance, but they’re harmless.”

  Odeon, Shiro, and Holly exchanged looks. There was no sense telling her that they weren’t harmless. It would result in too many questions that could endanger her. She burned to talk about it more with her crew-mates, however. Questions flooded her: was there a base on the moon? Perhaps the Heart was hiding somewhere nearby. If they were actively recruiting foot-soldier types on Itzcap, it meant more was going on there than just a ship landing to possibly look for them. It could mean a headquarters. Or some kind of base of operations.

  “What is this look you are passing between the three of you? Tell me. No pretending that it didn’t happen, Odeon. Come now, tell your Nonna.” She made a come-hither gesture with her hands.

  “Trust me, grandmother, it isn’t wise for me to tell you. I’m protecting you,” he said.

  “Ah, it’s protection, then?”

  “Of course. You’re the most important person to me. I want to protect you, not endanger you with information that could actually make you less safe,” he said.

  She blinked, seemingly surprised at the serious tone in Odeon’s voice. “It is much worse than I feared, then,” she said, leaning back into her chair as though resigned to it.

  “Perhaps it is,” Odeon said.

  Holly wanted to join in, but though this was the second time she’d met Clio, she felt too unfamiliar with the woman to simply butt in. So she watched, listened, and occasionally stared out at the sea. A continuous breeze had begun as the evening darkened. The large palm fronds overhead swayed and rustled, creating a subtle relentless layer of noise that soothed the nerves.

  “Not telling me now makes me feel less safe, Odeon. I must know. I must know how much danger I may be in, how much danger my patrons may be in, and my workers. My little familia.”

  Holly pulled her gaze from the scenery and looked at her friend. His eyes were closed. He rubbed his hand across his face. He began speaking to Clio in their native tongue. While he spoke, Holly glanced at Shiro, who was staring intently at her. His look seemed to convey his own dismay at the realizations that Holly had come to—that Itzcap was perhaps more than just an escape for the wealthy to enjoy luxury.

  Clio’s face changed as she listened to his explanation. She occasionally inserted a loud vocalization, and leaned forward, or covered her mouth with her hand and muttered what could only be a string of curses.

  “I think this is going rather well,” Shiro observed to Holly, leaning close to her, speaking from a conspiratorial distance. “Wouldn’t you agree, Ms. Drake?” His eyes glimmered and he grinned at her.

  “What do you think, Shiro? A base here? Perhaps an actual headquarters that hides the Heart?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, Ms. Drake. But I think we should be open to the possibility that it’s as good as chasing phantoms.”

  “Why would you say that? There’s clearly something going on here if what Clio says is true.”

  “I’m not disputing that. I’m only advising that we use caution when making a decision about it. We’ve gone on many wild goose chases,” Shiro said. “I don’t fancy many more of those. They wear a chap out. Constant moon-lag and my circadian rhythm all haywire from the different light and adapting to various time zones.”

  Before they could continue further, a ruckus arose from within the cafe. Odeon halted in his lecture and turned his attention toward what was happening. Clio jumped to her feet and made a brisk beeline toward the front of the cafe, beginning to shout at the patrons at the counter.

  “Speak of the devil,” Odeon muttered. “Shadow Coalition.”

  Holly checked her sleeves. The knives were there, though she was still terrible at handling them. She’d left her aether gun, the Equalizer, back at Shiro’s rooms in the resort. “We’re speaking of them, and immediately they turn up at the counter and begin fighting with the clerk and Clio joins in? What—“

  “Are the odds?” Shiro finished for her, winking.

  “Yes, that,” Holly said, rising. Odeon and Shiro also stood, and the three of them entered the cafe. The fragrance of spices wafted against her as Holly passed through the large area where the door was rolled back.

  “Your money isn’t good here,” Clio was in the midst of saying. “Pay now with marks or leave the drink and leave.”

  “You’d send away Coalition customers?” the woman asked. She was with a male. Both of them sported the cephalopod neck tattoos that indicated they were genuine Shadow Coalition soldiers.

  “Yes, I would. To me you are nothing other than customers who refuse to pay in the money that we accept. Your presence does not benefit me.”

  Holly drew in a sharp breath.

  “Listen, old lady, you don’t know who you’re messing with.” The woman grabbed Clio’s arm and pushed her. Immediately Odeon’s Ousaba connected with the arm of the woman, separating her fingers from Clio’s arm.

  “Odeon, careful!” Clio said in a sharp tone.

  But he wasn’t careful. And he stepped between the SC girl and Clio. The mug holding the drink crashed to the ground, sending hot kasé splashing against their legs.

  “Touch her again and you will surely die,” Odeon said through clenched teeth.

  Holly shook her head and closed her eyes as the Shadow Coalition fools mocked Odeon. They really were stupid. “I’m supposed to be afraid of a Druiviin? Really?” Both of them let out obscene laughs.

  “Couldn’t leave it alone, could you?” Holly said, causing them both to turn. “You had to egg on the Yasoan. That’s his grandmother, you know? And you’ve both just stepped in it.”

  The girl lunged at Holly the moment it dawned on her she’d stepped into a dangerous fight.

  Holly dodged the fist that swooped toward her, only to be clocked in the face with the fist she’d not been thinking about. Aeolionaias would be so mad at me right now, Holly thought as she shook her head and attempted to recover from the blow. She also reassessed what she’d been thinking just moments before—that the Shadow Coalition soldiers were really stupid. Maybe they were unconcerned about being challenged, so they behaved like roosters, strutting cockily about the town, taking what they wanted and demanding people pay obeisance in the form of accepting Shadow Coalition currency. But they probably weren’t stupid.

  She ducked away from the woman, and straightened, looking back at her.

  Holly pulled out her knife, glancing around the cafe. There were still patrons at their seats, watching the proceedings, though some had vacated their tables and were watching from the edge of the room. A blowout fight was the last thing Clio needed at the moment. Odeon and Shiro seemed to be thinking
the same thing. Shiro held the tip of his cane-sword against the male SC member’s neck, while Odeon had a grasp on his arm and his Ousaba was held at a threatening angle near the man’s face. He watched his counterpart cautiously, visibly held at bay from helping her against his will.

  “Enough,” Holly said, her voice cracking against the hush in the cafe like a weapon. “This cafe isn’t your playground. And it is under our protection. Come here again at your risk. Tell your friends at the Shadow Coalition. Holly Drake will hunt them down and make them pay if they make any further trouble here.”

  The SC woman guffawed as though she weren’t frightened in the least. Something burned in Holly.

  From the corner of her eye, Holly caught sight of a painting. It appeared to be a cheap print of a mountain scene. To punctuate her threat, she took a risk and, seeing that there was nothing between herself and the print, she used her middle finger to dislodge one of her throwing knives. She stepped into the throw, attempting to be graceful. The knife buried itself hilt-deep on the board of the print. A muffled gasp went up from the remaining patrons. Odeon shook his head, irritated, apparently, that Holly had damaged Clio’s store. She couldn’t blame him. But it was less damage than a full blown fight would cause. The last thing Holly wanted to do was drive away guests from ever coming to the cafe.

  The SC woman studied Holly’s face bemusedly, opened her mouth to presumably say something insulting, but thought better of it. Holly took three steps to close the distance between them. “Be glad it wasn’t your face. If you come back here and make trouble, it will be. Also, laughing at my name? Go back to you base and ask about Holly Drake. We’ll see who’s laughing then, little no-name Shadow Coalition soldier.”

  Odeon and Shiro pushed the male to the exit. The woman followed after glaring hard at Holly and making an obscene gesture. As they left, Holly looked at Clio and walked toward her, dusting her hands off and adjusting her other knives.