Shifter

by John Sharp

  ****

  The night is nearly over and we have already covered dozens of miles. On the horizon the twin suns make their presence known with the first rays of light. The journey this night was long and hard with only one brief stop at a watering hole before moving on. When Tarith said it would take ninety days to get to Babel I had imagined a long, slow-moving caravan of wagons and lots of walking. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The group of Kiraten we met is small, only twenty-five in total. Five for each of the five ancient ones or commonly referred to as The Five. Apparently the numbers five and twenty-five are holy and are supposed to invoke blessing from The Five. It doesn’t matter. The smaller the group the faster we would go. Riding atop Whisper I got a nice view of the wilderness as the night passed. The moon was especially bright, illuminating both wonders and disturbing horrors. We were fortunate that we were with the Kiraten. They steered us clear of subtle dangers that would have surely meant our deaths.

  “Are you sure?” Whisper asks again, panting slightly from the long run. “They have so many. Surely they don’t need all of them.”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” I reply.

  The objects of Whisper’s attention are the beasts of burden the Kiraten have. There are nearly forty of the beasts some serving as mounts while others as giant pack mules. A type of bird and dinosaur hybrid, they are the size of an SUV with large plumes of brilliant blue and red feathers covering their entire body. They have an awkward, ostrich stride with six strong legs that bend backwards with each step. A blunt looking beak the size of a man’s torso filled with flat teeth is dead center on its head just below two large black eyes. It looks like someone took a bird’s head, stuck it onto the body of a cow with no neck, added an extra pair of legs, expanded several times in size then said ‘ah, screw it, I’m done.’ It really looks like some half evolved creature. Their usefulness cannot be denied though. Each one has a large saddle for either a rider or supplies strapped to their back. The reason they weren’t near Zinneth when we first met became apparent. As Whisper drew near they gave shrill cries, fluffing up their feathers. Instead of looking perturbed Whisper licked his lips, staring at the smaller animals and baring his very sharp teeth.

  I hope the Kiraten don’t need all of them to survive the journey. It had taken nearly an hour of coaxing before Whisper could draw near enough for us to start.

  “Can I take a bite out of just one?” Whisper asks hopefully, his head bobbing in time with the feathery rump in front of him, bringing my focus back to the present.

  “Do you prefer white or dark meat?” Sarah teases from just behind me.

  “All, of course,” Whisper says drawing nearer to his target.

  “Whisper…” I say my tone a clear indication of my meaning.

  “Fine,” Whisper says in disappointment, drawing back a bit. Nevertheless his gaze lingers.

  A sharp command from Tarith at the lead of our procession and the entire column turns sharply to the right. Whisper immediately follows, jostling Sarah who wraps her arms tightly around me. I feel warmth flush my face that quickly goes cold as I see the reason for the abrupt detour. A large, grassy mound is now on our right, as tall as a redwood and as wide as a small hill. We could have easily scaled it if it weren’t for the fact that it is grinning at us. A huge mouth fills with triangle shaped teeth the size of car tires suddenly opens wid,e like the yawn of a god. With a sound of a whip crack a tongue shoots out impossibly fast. My concern is pointless as the Kiraten prove they know what they’re doing. The tongue falls short of nabbing anyone. The smile becomes a frown as the creature tries again with no success. The frown melds back into the ground, leaving no trace behind. I feel Sarah shudder.

  “Will you stop pulling on my fur so hard,” Whisper complains. The fact that a hill had tried to eat him didn’t bother him at all.

  “Sorry,” Sarah says sheepishly, looking at the now plain hill with well justified mistrust. “Too bad Zinneth couldn’t fly us to Babel.”

  “His duty is at the graveyard. Honor will not let him leave his post,” Whisper says.

  Sarah gives a quick glance, ensuring everyone is out of ear shot. “So Jerry, do you want to talk about it?”

  “About what?” I reply.

  “You know damn well what,” she snaps.

  “I don’t,” I lie, fearing the time had finally come.

  “Oh, come on,” Sarah says in exasperation. “Do you take me for an idiot? These Kiraten can shift and see into other worlds just like you. Not to mention you have the same eyes as them. At first I thought it might be a coincidence that you have the same as Solarkar but all these Kiraten have your eyes. Your father was a Kiraten and, if what Tarith said is true, he was from one of the ruling prime houses.”

  Whisper misses a step, nearly tumbling. I clutch him tightly as he recovers, returning to his smooth, steady stride. Obviously Whisper hadn’t put the connection together until now. It was dishonest of me to have kept this from him, from both of them. I just didn’t want to face the truth. Struggling to find the correct words I watch the suns crest the horizon, wincing at the accompanying blast of heat.

  “Solarkar hinted as much when I first met him at the warehouse,” I finally say. “At first, I thought he was lying. But the more I thought about it the more truth I found in his words. Then it was the shame of being related to a monster many times worse than the horrors I’ve seen. Those are just animals hunting for food. It makes what Solarkar has done all the worse. Mostly, I just avoided thinking about it. If I didn’t think about it then it wasn’t real. It’s a trick I’ve used many times.”

  “You should have told me,” Whisper says, his purring voice reproachful. Shame fills me. Far more shame than any distant connection I had to Solarkar.

  “I know. I’m sorry, Whisper. I just didn’t want to face the truth.”

  “I forgive you, Shifter… as long as you let me eat one of these overgrown chickens,” Whisper says. I laugh, feeling a burden lift from me that I hadn’t even realized I was carrying. I feels as light as a feather.

  “I forgive you too,” Sarah says, giving my arm a hard punch.

  “Ouch!”

  “Don’t be a baby,” Sarah says. “So, what do you want to tell the Kiraten? They will probably ask how we got here. Besides, maybe we can find your father.”

  I think for a long moment. Finally, I shake my head. “Solarkar said no one would dare admit to being my father. I think its taboo or worse to father a child with another race. We shouldn’t mention my parents or my shifting ability unless we have too.”

  “Lack of ability,” Sarah corrects. “Perhaps they could help get rid of that bug in you.”

  “Tarith said it was impossible,” Whisper adds panting in the hot suns.

  “We can ask how Solarkar got rid of his. Once we get home I can get surgery if needed,” I say.

  “Or go to that all you can eat Mexican restaurant,” Whisper says. “Remember last time we ate there, we…”

  “Whisper!” I say, flushing as Sarah laughs. “We don’t need that level of detail. For now, let’s not mention shifting and Whisper, call me Jerry, not Shifter.”

  “Ok, Shift…err Jerry,” Whisper says my name and it sounds odd coming from him.

  The caravan travels two more hours, virtually cooking us in the ever-increasing intensity of the suns. We finally stop near a large lake and the beasts of burden rush forward drinking deeply. Whisper immediately joins them, making no comment about soggy chicken as he satisfies his thirst. Leaping from his back I ignore the heat, taking a pull on a water flask given to me earlier. Scanning the area around me I see tough, grassy fields some bushy plants but nothing that looks like shelter. Nervously I glance up at the suns. Not much time left to the zenith.

  “We will camp here for the day,” Tarith says approaching me and tossing Sarah some type of fruit. She catches it effortlessly.

  “Here!” Sarah
exclaims, sweat plastered to her face as she glances at the suns. “We’ll be cooked for sure.”

  Tarith givse a chuckle and points to a large pavilion swiftly being raised. It’s incredibly large with a thin, black material stretching between erect poles. Whatever the material is it appears to stop all light from penetrating it. Tarith stands next to me, handing me a second fruit. It’s a soft white color with tiny nubs all over it. Each one has a single, fine hair protruding from the center of the nub. The surface is squishy like a plush ball, indenting when I press into it only to reform a second later. Looking at Tarith I see that he now had his own fruit taken from the pouch at his side. With a nod he takes a big bite. Clear juice trails from his mouth down to his chin. Sarah looks doubtfully at her own fruit then tentatively takes a small bite. Her eyes go wide and she quickly devours the whole thing.

  “That was delicious!” She declares, looking hopefully at Tarith’s pouch.

  He chuckles. “There are many foods that will be served during our meal under the pavilion.” Indeed, under the already raised structure the Kiraten and their mounts gather, laying out white cloths on the ground along with big baskets. Sarah needs no further encouragement, with sweat pooling on her chin she quickly scampers under the shade.

  “She does not tolerate the temperature well,” Tarith notes, giving me a critical look. “You handle it much better than she does.”

  “Yeah, I’ve always been like that,” I say.

  Tarith nods. “Yes, that is well. The climate here varies wildly. As such, we have learned to tolerate extreme conditions.” I think about my own ability to ignore cold and heat.

  “The scorched earth beyond the first creations graveyard is too extreme even for us. In our lands there are large bodies of water and constant volcanic activity that has thickened the air, keeping it cooler. The temperature will get more moderate the further south we travel.”

  Whisper, having finally had his fill of water comes to my side, panting in the hot air. “Can I have one of those chickens?” He asks hopefully. Tarith cocks his head in confusion.

  “He’s referring to your mounts,” I say.

  “No. The melgui or chickens as you call them are all necessary for our journey,” Tarith says. Whisper looks crestfallen.

  “We can give you some of their eggs if you desire. We ride egg laying females so we may harvest them as we travel and collect their milk,” Tarith says, walking toward the pavilion. I strode next to him with Whisper between us.

  “Scrambled eggs?” Whisper asks his remarkably blue eyes shining with pleasure. Again Tarith looks confused so I give him a brief description.

  “Yes, we can do that. We don’t have enough to fill one as large as you but you can hunt or fish after the sun wanes.”

  As soon as I step under the pavilion the unending heat is gone and I feel comfortable for the first time since I got to Inti. Walking to the edge I touch the black material. Not only does it block out all light it is actually cool to the touch. Amazing. Under the pavilion is like being in a fully air conditioned room.

  “Jerry, come on let’s eat,” Sarah says, patting a spot next to her on a white cloth. Contrary to what she had just said she is already eating a strange violet, blue leafy, plant. Whisper and I join her in a large circle of Kiraten. In the center is a rock with a large, dim sigil of light on it. Tarith strides forward, briefly touching the sigil on its surface and the rock begins glowing turning a hot orange. Two more Kiraten come forward with a large basket holding a dozen basketball sized eggs, followed by a third with a big metallic bowl. Whisper’s ears prick up as the eggs are cracked open and they begin making the world’s biggest scrambled eggs. We sit in comfortable silence as the Kiraten work.

  With eggs done the Kiraten place the entire massive bowl in front of Whisper. Whisper’s eyes seem to flash in pleasure at the heap of eggs before him. He doesn’t wolf them down like I expect but eats slowly, savoring each bite. The cooks, having finished, join everyone in a large circle after touching the sigil in the rock. Immediately the heat from the rock is extinguished. I feel like we are at camp and at any moment will burst into a kumbaya sing-along.

  “We gather at this place before, The Five with new companions,” Tarith says formally standing in the center of the ring. Whisper ignores everything but his food while everyone else listens intently. “The urgency of this trip has not allowed for proper introductions and explanations. I will now remedy this.”

  Taking a deep breath he continues his face hard. “These off-worlders have news of Solarkar,” Tarith says gesturing to us. A gasp rises from all those around and many wear expressions of loathing on their delicate features. In the light of the sun I get a good look at all them. Both male and female have that signature green hair and green slit pupil eyes. “Such was the importance of their information that we are returning directly to Babel. Please, off-worlder’s stand and tell all your names and houses.”

  Sarah and Whisper looks at me, and with a nod we all get to our feet. “My name is Jerry of house Price,” I says the words feeling strange in my mouth.

  “I am Whisper of clan… Price,” Whisper says, glancing back at his eggs.

  “I am Sarah of house Clifford,” Sarah says then adds with a mischievous grin. “Although from time to time I’ve been known to reside in house Bullshit.” I suppress a snort, remembering her tale of how Solarkar thought that was her house name. No one besides me gets the joke.

  “I greet you all,” Tarith says, bowing to us as we sit down. “Let me introduce those around you. Each one is from my house Thanous.” First to rise is a woman. The first female Kiraten I’ve seen up close. She’s taller than Tarith and surprisingly well muscled. Unlike the others she is dressed for war in black scale armor. Each scale isthe size of a playing card and overlaps flawlessly with one another.

  “Dragon scales,” Whisper says very quietly, sniffing the air before directing his attention back to his eggs.

  “This is Solice. She is the captain of my house guard,” Tarith says.

  “I greet you off-worlders,” Solice says, her voice exceptionally plain contrary to her physical appearance. Her face is expressionless as she coldly appraises us. “I protect my house on this long journey. Tarith assures me that your intentions are true and that your information is critical. Listen and obey our instructions and you will arrive in Babel in peace. Do not obey or betray us in any fashion and you will arrive in chains.” With that she sits back down in the circle, giving us a defiant look. Whisper growls slightly at her. To her credit she doesn’t flinch or even acknowledge it. Redirecting the meeting with the practiced ease of a politician Tarith goes to the next one in the circle. Tarith continues around, introducing each one by name. Most names are too alien, slipping from my mind after I hear them.

  After introductions are done Tarith turns back to us. “Please, off-worlders, tell us everything you know of Solarkar and how you came to be in Inti,” Tarith says, sitting back down and looking expectantly at us. Sarah and Whisper turn toward, me waiting for my response. I close my eyes for a moment, thinking.

  At last I stand, facing the group feeling nervous. “Thank you Tarith, for your warm welcome. I will gladly tell you much but some things are private and I must keep to myself until the time is right.” With that I begin. I tell of the drug vision and of the men and hivetung who came after me. I go on to a generalized description of Sarah’s rescue and of Solarkar’s stronghold in Whisper’s world. I tell of the Bartendor’s attack and Solarkar’s survival right up to the point where we got stuck in Inti. Through it all I avoid any mention of Shifting, my shadow, or the bug now residing in me. I speak for a very long time and the suns are already well past their zenith when I finish. Whisper yawns, stretching out and resting his head on his forepaws. A minute later he is fast asleep.

  “A grand tale,” Tarith says as I sit back down. “But you have not told us all. Does
your kind have some means to travel between the worlds?”

  “I can’t answer that at this time,” I say to a murmuring of the group. “What is important is that I’ll help in any way I can to stop Solarkar.”

  They don’t look happy but let the matter drop for now. “Very well, Jerry of house Price,” Tarith says. “It is plain to me you are a foe to Solarkar and wish only to return to your home. I will let the prime houses decide the matter. Do you have any questions that I may answer?”

  My heart thuds loudly. So many questions. Where to begin? “I’m not even sure where to start,” I say honestly. “Forgive me if my thoughts jump around.” Looking down I see the now dimly glowing sigil on the surface of the stone. “What are those sigils? How are they used? Solarkar had a whole suit of armor with those on it.” Not to mention the sigil stones stopping me from shifting.

  Tarith looks to where I am pointing. He nods. “I will answer this. We call them Advro Lingua. Your name for them ‘Sigil’ is close enough to be understood. They are powerful pieces of a rare metal, woven into certain shapes to perform a function.” Pointing to the stone in the center he adds, “This is the symbol for heat. Once a sigil is charged then one has to just press the symbol for it to activate. The armor Solarkar has is an ancient family relic that he took with him when he was banished. Those are sigils for repulsion, creating a powerful defensive item.”

  “How do you charge them?” Sarah asks.

  “Simply by intensely heating the sigil. The sigil directly converts heat into stored energy .” Tarith says.

  “How is it made?” I ask.

  Tarith shakes his head. “I will not answer that. Such secrets are not given lightly.” I nod, expecting no more.

  “How many worlds are there?” Sarah says. I already knew the answer, having seen them all my life but the question would help reinforce the idea that I couldn’t shift.

  “There are five worlds,” Tarith says. “Formoria, Sheol, Elysium, Pandedonium, and Inti. Each one a dominion of an ancient one. There are scrolls in Babel showing the history of our people and that of the five worlds.”

  I move on to the big issue. “Tell me about Melephos and Solarkar. Who are they? What do they want in our world with vision?”

  Tarith looks uncomfortable, as if a superstitious person was talking about the devil and zombies while in a graveyard. “Melephos is one of the Five ancient ones. His domain is the world of Sheol. A decimated place, for Melephos has consumed most life that resides there. That is why Melephos is known as the Devourer. Even as he creates he consumes with an unending desire for more. Solarkar is of Primehouse Vanguise, one of the oldest houses. The bastard son of a lesser branch of the family, he quickly gain power through his prodigious shifting talent. His talent was only rivaled by his ambition. Many years ago a series of unexpected deaths created a power void in the council. We now believe this was Solarkar’s work. There are twenty-five council seats with five from each house. All five members of Primehouse Vanguise died suddenly, in explicit ways. Chaos erupted in their house on who would replace them. Solarkar and his supporters were still juniors then and attempted to wrest control from his family members.”

  “You mean he killed his own family?” Sarah asks horrified.

  “Yes,” Tarith says. “Each Primehouse is vastly large, spanning many generations and branching into several families. Fights for succession are not uncommon. What was uncommon was the brutality Solarkar used and his willingness to do anything for power. To prevent the Primeshouse from tearing itself apart and the rift potentially spreading to the rest, the decision was left to Valerdon.”

  “Who’s Valerdon?” I ask, remembering the name the man called the girl from my dreams. ‘Shame of Valerdon.’

  Tarith looks startled at the question. He quickly composes himself. “I forget you are not from this world. Valerdon is the ancient one who rules Inti. We Kiraten are his creation, made in his image.”

  “What did he make your from dust or something?” Sarah asks looking skeptical.

  “Nothing so grand,” Tarith says. “The ancient ones shape the life around them, adapting them beyond natural changes. When the worlds were divided many species where split and went to all five worlds. We likely share a distant ancestry with your kind. In our separate worlds we changed according to nature and at the will of the ancient ones.” He clears his throat before returning to the original question.

  “Solarkar was found unworthy by Valerdon to rule his Primehouse and another was chosen instead. We had foolishly thought the matter closed. No one violates Valerdon’s will. Yet Solarkar did just that. We surmise that is when he reached out to Melephos. If we had thought the string of deaths that happened before was significant we were thrown into utter disarray by what happened next. People disappeared in mass usually without a trace. Solarkar grew in power and influence. It was only a matter of time before he would rule the Kiraten as a whole. Valerdon seeing Solarkar rise despite his command became wroth. Under his command all the Kiraten arose together, exiling Solarkar with his most radical followers. Only once Solarkar was gone did we fine out the truth. Solarkar has been using servants of Melephos to spy and remove his rivals. He was also kidnapping from the lesser houses, giving them to Melephos himself.”

  “Tell me about these servants,” I say, thinking of the hivetung.

  “They are beings are strange to us. We called them the Absconditus or the Hidden. Melephos has consumed most of the life in his world but there are still some loyal to him who are adept at hiding. These servants came to Babel living in the walls themselves. Large faces would suddenly appear, devourering unsuspecting victims. They can even shift to a limited degree, making tracking them down nearly impossible. We spent months hunting the remainder down and cleansing our city of their presence. Only then did we know the depths of Solarkar’s betrayal.”

  An image of the face that ate my neighbor forms in my head along with another, Brick. He’s a being created by Melephos. Is he spying on me, only pretending to be my friend? It didn’t seem possible. Surely Brick wouldn’t do such a thing... would he?

  “You have given us much to think about,” I say and Sarah nods her agreement.

  “As you have given us,” Tarith says. Glancing at the ground outside the pavilion he adds, “We should rest. Once the suns wane enough we shall continue our journey after your large friend has a chance to hunt.” As one the Kiraten rise, giving us thin blankets and some strange lumpy pillows. Whisper reluctantly gets up, yawning widely as we go to a section of the pavilion set aside for us.

  “What do you think?” I ask once we are out of earshot. A glance tells me the Kiraten are discussing the same thing.

  “It’s bullshit,” Sarah declares. “If what they said is true then there is one of these ancient ones or gods would be on our world.” Sarah casually tosses her pillow down and follows quickly behind. More reserved I sit mine down neatly next to hers. Whisper positions himself between us and the Kiraten. The act shows what he thinks.

  “Don’t trust them?” I ask.

  “Trust must be earned,” Whisper says, keeping his head directed at the Kiraten.

  “I don’t know what to make of all this,” I say, sitting down. “Some of it could be superstition but both Zinneth and the Kiraten think it’s real. Solarkar certainly thinks it’s true.”

  “Ah, come on Jerry,” Sarah says, rolling her eyes. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that in our world.”

  I shrug. “They are right about the five worlds and are convinced about the Five.”

  “About those five worlds, did you recognize the names?” Sarah asks.

  “Well, I recognized Pandedonium,” I offer.

  “That’s what happens when I go hunting,” Whisper says.

  Sarah lets out a small chuckle. “I don’t doubt it. But I was referring to something else. In the past, before I joined the
police force, I majored in cultural studies.”

  “Really? How were the job prospects?” I ask.Sarah gives me a chagrined smile. “About what you’d expect, ranging from zero to McDonald’s employee. My brother talked some sense into me before I had to speak the most dreadful sentence in all human history. ‘Would you like fries with that?’”

  “At least you would get food.” Whisper says. “I like chicken nuggets.”

  “Anyways,” Sarah continues. “The worlds Formoria, Sheol, Elysium, Pandedonium, Inti are all from various mythos in our history. I knew the name Inti was familiar I just couldn’t place it until now. Inti was an Incan sun god. Jerry, they are shifters, at least some of them are. They simply came to our world and took some myths as their own in the past. That’s all.”

  “Maybe. I can’t help but feel that there is more too it.” Biting on my lip I add, “Maybe there is something that normal people can’t see.”

  “That’s crazy seeing something that no one else can,” Sarah says, then immediately looks ashamed.

  “I get that a lot,” I say bitterly, laying down not facing her.

  “Jerry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that,” Sarah says, her voice soft and vulnerable.

  “I know,” I say not unkindly. “Let’s go to sleep.”