Rain Dancer leaned against the room’s doorframe with a smile on his face that Malcolm didn’t like the look of.
“My question has already been answered, you know?” He stared at Rose, who brought an arm up to cover her breasts. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. Ms. Shadow Spryte… Wind Runner.”
Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden left the room. Malcolm sighed and looked up at Rose, who was blushing fiercely.
“What was that about?” asked Malcolm.
Rose leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.
“Does it matter?” she whispered. “How about you let me finish what I started?”
Malcolm gave her butt a squeeze, and felt her slowly grind herself up to speed.
CHAPTER 18
Malcolm awoke the next morning to the sound of chanting coming from down the hall. Rose was asleep against him in bed, and he gently jostled her awake.
“Hey,” he whispered. “Wake up time.”
Rose groaned.
“Please tell me we’re in your apartment, and all of yesterday was just a dream,” she said, voice groggy.
“Unfortunately not,” said Malcolm. “But if we stay on guard, we’ll be out of here soon enough.”
She nodded, and the two of them dressed quickly. Malcolm decided that there was no point in waiting for Shield Maiden or Rain Dancer to come to their room to summon them. Instead they both headed out of their room and down the hall, towards the commotion.
The Awakened Children were gathered for breakfast, but it looked like they were chanting some kind of hymn before digging in. Malcolm recognized the tune of it immediately, and almost couldn’t believe it.
“What?” asked Rose, noticing his smile. “I take it you find this funny.
“The song,” said Malcolm. “That’s Drive, by Incubus. 90s rock.”
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried, you know?” Rain Dancer walked up behind him and Rose, with Shield Maiden following not far behind.
“That’s… my line,” said Malcolm. He didn’t elaborate any more than that.
It’s probably better if I don’t let them know that their cult is serenading me with the music of my focus activity.
“Wind Runner,” said Shield Maiden. “I’d like to spend some time with you alone today, if you don’t mind.”
“Uh…” Malcolm glanced over at Rose. “Can you elaborate on that, a little? You’ve got some vague phrasing going on.”
Shield Maiden looked unamused.
“I wish to get a better sense of the extent of your powers,” said Shield Maiden. “And also to speak with you about a few… serious matters. We’ll be going outside Underworld. Rain, can you help with that?”
Rain Dancer grinned. He walked over to Malcolm and extended his hand as though to shake his. Instead of making contact with his palm, he gripped Malcolm’s stabilizer and sent a quick, electric pulse through it.
“There,” said Rain Dancer. “Now it will stay cooked even when you’re out of my range. Probably for the best, ya?”
Malcolm stared at him in stunned silence. He wasn’t interested in giving Rain Dancer and the Awakened Children any inside, champion only information, but the urge to tear the demon down for what he’d just done was near overwhelming.
There is a bomb inside my stabilizer. A bomb that he very well could have just set off.
“Oh, thanks,” said Malcolm, flatly. “Is Rose coming along, too?”
“Rain and I spoke about it last night,” said Shield Maiden. “We think it would be prudent of us to allow her some… personal time. With her sister.”
Malcolm nodded, though on the inside, his stomach twisted a little. He still hadn’t forgotten that they were prisoners. Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer’s strategy seemed to involve getting them emotionally invested in the cult, until neither of them had any choice but to become their allies.
I know it won’t work on me. But Rose…?
Rose was already staring at Leah across the room. Malcolm set a hand on her shoulder, feeling incredibly awkward and struggling to find the right words to say.
“Hey,” he said. “Are you okay with that?”
Rose shrugged.
“I’m alright with it,” she said, quietly. “I’d like to spend some more time with Leah, it’s just…”
She met Malcolm’s eye, and he instantly knew they were on the same page. She could see the emotional triggers they were trying to pull to get her into line, and she didn’t like it.
“I’d also like to spend some time with you, Rose,” said Rain Dancer. “And I apologize for last night. Didn’t realize the two of you would be going to work like rabbits, you know?”
Rain Dancer had a smug smile on his face. Malcolm made a point to ignore it, instead squeezing Rose’s shoulder and walking with her over toward an empty table for breakfast.
I trust Rose. I’ve essentially trusted her from the very beginning.
The two of them ate a quick breakfast of fruit salad and toast, and then Malcolm was on his way with Shield Maiden. She led him down one of the tunnels, into another section of Underworld, less well-lit than other rooms and hallways he’d seen.
“From this point on, you’re not going to be able to travel on foot,” said Shield Maiden.
“I’m not exactly a master when it comes to flying,” said Malcolm. “But sure, I’ll give it a shot.”
Shield Maiden smiled at him and waved her hand. A bubble burst into existence around Malcolm, hampering his view of their surroundings and suspending him in the air.
“Sorry,” she said. “I can’t have you knowing the exact locations of Underworld’s entrances.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that would really burst your bubble,” said Malcolm. “Guess you guys have to go through a lot to keep your location shielded.”
“You’re not funny.”
“I bet you’re at least smiling right now,” said Malcolm. “I can’t see your face, but I bet you are.”
Malcolm lounged in the bubble while Shield Maiden navigated a long series of twists and turns. The tunnels that connected Underworld to the surface felt needlessly complex. Malcolm was certain that he wouldn’t have been able to find his way back, even if he’d been on foot and paying attention.
After about an hour, they came out into the open. The sunlight made the inside of the bubble almost feel like the inside of a prism. Light shimmered in odd ways, splitting into pure colors, and giving Malcolm the dizzying feeling of being submerged in a rainbow.
Shield Maiden kept walking, traversing a couple of grassy hills. Malcolm was positive that they were outside Halter City and Vanderbrook, though exactly where, he couldn’t guess. Finally, they came to a stop. Shield Maiden waved her hand, and Malcolm fell to the dirt in a heap.
“We’ve arrived,” said Shield Maiden.
Malcolm blinked his eyes as he looked around.
“The sand cliffs?” he asked. “If you were trying to confuse my sense of direction, you’ve done a pretty poor job at it. I know exactly where we are now in relation to Vanderbrook.”
“I just don’t want you knowing how to get to and from Underworld,” said Shield Maiden. “And I think that has been accomplished.”
The sand cliffs were misnamed. They were a more of a ridge made of dry dirt, running a half mile or so along the hills to the far west of Vanderbrook. It was an area that was commonly rumored to be a popular place for criminal activity, especially dumping bodies.
Because of that and its distance from anything worthwhile, it was a place that few people bothered to spend much time in. Malcolm looked up at the cliffs, remembering how he used to think about climbing them as a kid on the few times he’d ridden his bike out in their direction.
“Why bring me here?” asked Malcolm. “You’re taking a risk, aren’t you? If I wanted to get away badly enough, I could just take off running, you know.”
Shield Maiden smiled at him. She was wearing a loose, long sleeve t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Her skin made the outfit look more impress
ive than it really was, the simplicity contrasting against the complicated mixture of purples and pinks underneath.
“Could you really?” she asked. “Why don’t you try it and see what happens?”
It would not be fun to have her bubble me while in mid sprint. But still… she’s taking a risk, whether she’ll admit it or not.
“The reason I brought you out here, Wind Runner, is because of the wind,” said Shield Maiden. “I want to teach you some of what Rain Dancer and I have figured out in our time using our powers.”
“Why, though?” asked Malcolm. “Why go through the trouble of teaching a prisoner anything?”
“Because you aren’t a prisoner, Malcolm,” said Shield Maiden. “You’re a new recruit.”
CHAPTER 19
The weight of Shield Maiden’s admission was more than enough to knock Malcolm off balance. He stared at her, trying to discern whether she was being serious, or whether it was a trick.
If she is serious, all I have to do is play along, and I’ll have the freedom to escape soon enough.
“Have you tried flying before?” asked Shield Maiden. “I’ve seen other gifted individuals manage it, but only ones with a… slightly higher power level than you.”
“I’ve flown before,” said Malcolm. “It… didn’t really end well. I came close to losing myself to my powers, and crossing over the line. I think… if I had kept doing it, I would have turned into a spryte, or a demon.”
Shield Maiden nodded.
“I’m assuming that the approach you took was a less efficient one,” said Shield Maiden. “One of the critical things that both Rain and I have learned from experimenting with our own powers is that it’s often more practical to use them in limited bursts.”
Malcolm shrugged his shoulders, thinking about what she was saying.
“What do you mean by that, exactly?” he asked.
“Follow me,” said Shield Maiden.
She walked along the sand cliffs until they reached an easily accessible ridge to climb. Malcolm followed her as she made her way up, finally reaching the summit at a hundred feet above the silty bottom.
“I want you to jump,” said Shield Maiden. “And I want you to try to think about using the wind, not to fly wherever you want, but just to keep yourself from touching the ground.”
“Uh…” Malcolm scratched his head. “Is there a difference, really? That sounds like the same thing to me.”
Shield Maiden shook her head.
“What I’m talking about is using your wind powers to give yourself a quick burst of lift and then letting yourself move through the air naturally,” she said.
“I get it,” said Malcolm. “The Buzz Lightyear approach.”
Shield Maiden frowned.
“Falling with style,” he said. “Toy Story? Oh, come on, everyone has seen that movie.”
“Why don’t we continue things here?” asked Shield Maiden. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Malcolm stood at the edge of the cliff. The sand was loose and soft down below him. The sand cliffs were, in fact, one of the best locations he could have asked for to experiment with his powers.
I’ll just keep telling myself that, while I’m in the middle of an uncontrolled freefall.
“Wait until the last second,” said Shield Maiden. “And then trigger your powers with all the force you can, and then throw yourself back up into the air.”
Malcolm nodded.
“Alright,” he said. “Sure… Let’s give it a try.”
He jumped. His breath caught in his throat as he kicked his legs through open air, and then the ground was coming up toward him, fast. It took a tremendous amount of willpower for Malcolm to bide his time and wait for the right moment, but he forced himself to do it.
When he was no more than fifteen feet from hitting the ground, he pushed downward with his wind manipulation with all the strength his abilities would allow. Instantly, he understood what Shield Maiden had meant.
When used in a quick, sudden burst, Malcolm could ratchet his powers up to a higher level than he’d normally be able to reach. When he’d first joined the Champion Authority, Tapestry had told him that his powers were about a three out of ten, on their strength scale.
Malcolm now saw that it was true when considering using his wind manipulation for longer that a couple of seconds at a time, but if he only needed a quick, split second burst, he could use the wind at twice that intensity or more.
He pushed up off the ground, bouncing as though he’d landed on the tarp of a trampoline. Malcolm let out a whoop, and totally forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Instead of turning his wind manipulation off, he kept pushing himself up, taking proper flight for a couple of seconds.
This feels fucking amazing. Why don’t I do this all the time?
A bubble burst into existence around him. Malcolm growled, anger mixing with the remnants of the power euphoria he’d just gotten a taste of. He felt Shield Maiden slowly lowering him back down toward where she was on the ridge.
He took a few deep breaths and slowly came back to reality. Shield Maiden dropped her bubble shield, waiting for him to stand to his feet before frowning and shaking her head in disapproval.
“Don’t get carried away,” said Shield Maiden. “Using your powers like that will only lead to you turning into a spryte, or a demon.”
Malcolm tried to think clearly. He was just lucid enough to question why Shield Maiden, a spryte herself, and a member of a cult that worshipped monsters, would give him that advice.
There is something going on here that hasn’t been explained to me, yet. I need to tread carefully.
“Let’s take a break,” said Shield Maiden. “I brought some sandwiches.”
Malcolm sat with her on the edge of the sand cliffs. Shield Maiden passed him some food, and as he accepted it from her his fingers brushed against hers. He felt the sudden, familiar tingle of absorbing the power of another gifted and froze in his tracks.
Shield Maiden looked at him strangely. Malcolm tried to play it off, smiling and trying not to consider whether her bubble shields would ever prove to be of use to him. He shifted his focus, eating lunch and wondering what the future held.
“Where do you see this heading?” he found himself asking. “What’s your end goal, Shield Maiden?”
She didn’t react to the question right away, slowly finishing the bit of sandwich she was working on before turning to look at him.
“That’s a good question,” she said. “I’m surprised that you didn’t ask me earlier.”
“It’s not that it only occurred to me now,” said Malcolm. “There just never seemed to be… an opportune time to ask.”
Shield Maiden nodded.
“What I want is peace,” she said. “It’s a rather boring end goal, but beautiful in its own right. Take your friend Rose, and her sister Leah, for example…”
Malcolm nodded slowly.
“They’ve been given a chance to reconnect,” continued Shield Maiden. “Do you think it would have gone the same way if Leah had been living outside the church, constantly inundated with propaganda designed to paint sprytes and demons as hell spawn?”
Malcolm resisted his impulse to agree with her immediately.
“Some might say that the philosophy of the Awakened Children is also propaganda,” he said, carefully. “You have to admit, it’s a little farfetched.”
Shield Maiden let out a small laugh.
“Yes, Rain and I differ on the benefits of the church’s teachings,” said Shield Maiden. “I do think the overall message is sound, however. And we both agree that the Champion Authority, in its current state, is not something that can be allowed to continue.”
“So it’s you, and Rain Dancer, and a few dozen normal humans, against an international organization of superhumans?”
“Along with anyone else who sees the injustice in what’s currently going on,” said Shield Maiden. She gave him a pointed look. “Have you ever wondered how the Champi
on Authority came out on top? How it became the organization in charge of policing the superhuman world?”
“I always just assumed it happened naturally,” said Malcolm.
Then again, I always took what they said about sprytes and demons at face value…
“Savior, the leader of the Champion Authority, is a United States Senator,” said Shield Maiden. “He pushed for government funding. Invented the threat of sprytes and demons. Sold not just the United States, but governments all around the world on the need fora genocide against hundreds of thousands of people who, through no fault of their own, became something different in the eyes of their fellow citizens.”
“That’s not the full truth either, though,” said Malcolm. “There are some demons and sprytes out there who, for lack of a better word, are evil.”
My brother was one of them. How many people did he kill in his time as a demon?
“If you’re looking for a simple truth, Wind Runner, I doubt very much that you will ever find it.”
Shield Maiden turned her attention back to her sandwich. Malcolm couldn’t decide whether the conversation was one he wanted to keep having, and so he did the same.
CHAPTER 20
“I have one more thing to teach you,” said Shield Maiden. “And it won’t involve as much risk as what we tried before.”
Malcolm stood up and dusted his pants off. He nodded slowly.
“Sure,” he said. “But just how is it that you came about this knowledge, anyway? Your power is nothing like wind manipulation. How is it that you have so much insight into how to use it properly?”
Shield Maiden smiled at him.
I guess my question was a good one.
“Living as a spryte or a demon puts you in touch with your powers,” said Shield Maiden. “I have an intuitive sense, both for how my powers and the powers of others work.”
“And you didn’t have that before you became a spryte?” asked Malcolm.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I can’t remember much from that life. But regardless, it’s up to you to decide what to take and what to toss from the advice I give you. I’m not here to preach the gospel.”
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