The process took no more than five minutes but for Eldrin it seemed to last an eternity. He was transfixed by the way that Three stood there, listlessly, while her face shifted. He couldn't imagine the pain she was willingly putting herself through.
When she was done, she let out a deep sigh. Her face looked completely different. Her skin color was the same, as well as her hair, but her forehead was taller and her cheekbones more narrow. Her hairline had moved down an inch. Her nose had gone from being long to small and pixie like. Her mouth was wider.
"That," she said in a voice that betrayed her weakness to plan, "is what we do when we move."
"Why?" Eldrin asked. He was aghast at the process. He couldn't take his eyes off Three. How different she looked.
"We have to," Five interrupted before anyone else could speak, "If someone spotted us here, and we didn't know about them, they wouldn't recognize us later. We'll look completely different than any description that the Lamonte troops might have. It's a precaution."
"So none of your faces... these aren't the real you?" Eldrin looked between them, his gaze coming to rest on Four.
Four shook his head slowly, "Not the ones we were born with. This is the real us, though. The real is is not about physical appearance. It's about survival and--"
"I know," Eldrin said, cutting him off. "I get it. I understand. It's just..."
"It's just that you're going to have to do it too," Four said in a comforting voice.
Eldrin shook his head,t taking a step back. "I can't. I can't get rid of who I am. I've given up my entire life for this. I understand the reasons why, even if I resented you at first. You have to understand. All of you signed up for this. You do this willingly. I... this is the last part of who I am."
"It's the last part of you were," Three said, "You aren't that boy I found any longer. You were weak then, a child that couldn't take care of himself. You have learned a lot since you've been with us--"
"--Faster than most of us, despite how much we may make you feel bad during your training, " Eight added in.
"That's true," Four said, "most of us trained for half a year to get the skills you have after a month."
"It's time for you to move past your old life," Three told him, "you are either one of us tonight, or you leave. It's been a rule that if someone comes upon our camp, we kill them. You are an exception. You can take care of yourself now. You an leave. None of us will stop you.
Everyone turned to stare at her. There were a lot of objections.
"I do not want to hear it," Three said, "After One died, I took command of this unit. I was the one to save him and I will have the final word on this. If Eldrin wishes to leave, then he may walk away now, and none of you will say a word."
She turned back to Eldrin, "You made a choice to accept your fate when you came back to camp with Four. We all knew. Seven was watching."
Eldrin glanced at Seven, who met his gaze without shame.
"However," Three continued, "accepting is not enough. We can't have someone with us who is not as dedicated to this as we are."
"You're giving me the opportunity to leave?" Eldrin said. He felt all eyes upon him. This was a moment he hadn't expected. His heart was beating fast. Too fast. He felt like he couldn't breathe.
"Yes," Three said with finality.
Eldrin stood completely still. It was something he'd learned from these men and women. Amongst other things. THey'd taught him how to survive. He could go home, if he wanted. He could make it back to Arinford, he was sure of that.
"What's waiting for me there?" he said quietly. Nobody responded.
Eldrin looked up at them, a mixture of emotions on his face, "What's waiting for me at home? People will accept me as a fallen hero because I was once part of a charge led by someone braver than I? People who will never know I ran away because I won't be able to tell them?
"I'd have to face what I ran away from every time I hear about a Lamonte soldier killing families. I'd think of you whenever I hear another step has been taken against Sullivan and how none of you will ever see that recognition.
"I'd be a coward."
Eldrin drew in a deep breath and shook his head. "I have run away too many times in my life to count. I have taken he reason road too many times."
"No," he said, "This time... this time, I choose to stay."
Once the word were out of his mouth, Eldrin felt an odd sense of relief mingled with anxiety. He'd just taken a large step into an unknown territory.
He also felt proud of himself.
"Good," Three said, "Then let's get to business. I'll have Five work with you on changing your face. The rest of us can get the camp ready while changing our own."
Eldrin could only nod as Three led everyone else away. He was left with the man he'd only just met.
"How are you with pain?" Five asked as he rocked back on his heels, examining Eldrin.
"I'm not good with it, " Eldrin said with a weak attempt at a chuckle, "But I can manage. I've been through a lot."
Five studied him for a moment longer and thens drug, "I doubt you understand exactly what you're going to be putting yourself through but you'll learn soon enough. Sit down."
"Three was standing," Eldrin said.
"Sit down," Five repeated before sinking down into a cross legged position himself. With a sigh, Eldrin followed suit.
"Now," Five continued, "This is going to be very difficult. Many people didn't survive the experimenting. However, you've shown a knack for blocking manipulation from other people. This leads me to believe you've had experience in other forms of manipulation."
Eldrin nodded, though he didn't elaborate.
"I would assume you worked in the realm of flesh manipulation," Five said, "Likely as a healer."
"Yes," Eldrin confirmed. He shifted uncomfortably.
"Good," Five said, "This is going to be a lot like that. I want you close your eyes."
Following his direction, Eldrin did so. It was disconcerting, sitting in front of a stranger without being able to see him. He tried to relax.
"I don't want you to try and talk during this," Five said. "You're going to want to scream--and I understand if you can't resist, though I'd like you to try--but don't talk. That can mess up your mouth."
Eldrin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he nodded. He made a silent vow to himself that no matter how bad the pain was, he wouldn't give Five the satisfaction of hearing him scream. He felt a mild sense of dislike for this man, this number.
"Alright," Five went on, "I want you to focus on your Chakran, on yourself. Feel every part of your body. Become one with it."
"I can't," Eldrin said, "That's why I can't heal anymore."
Five said nothing for a moment, "Try anyway," he said, "I'll help you. Focus on your face, if not on your Chakran. Feel the different molecules that make it up; the muscle, the bone, the tendons, the nerves, every part of it. Become one with yourself."
Eldrin tried to focus on what he was saying. It had once been an easy task for him, but it was difficult now. He could hardly contain the anxiety that was trying to well up within him. It made him sick to his stomach. Nonetheless, he did his best to follow the command, mentally tracing the outline of his face, recalling all of his features.
"Good," Five said, "Now, I want you to manipulate the bones, skin, tissues, and muscles as one. You cannot move one part without the other or it will tear and your face will rip open and you'll most likely bleed to death. This is going to be extremely painful but you can do it. I'll help you."
Eldrin opened his mouth to breath in a small gulp of air. Then he willed himself to begin the manipulation. He hadn't manipulated flesh since he'd left Matilyn's unit and the use of it now was startling. It was also excruciating. He didn't think he'd ever felt that much pain at once. He felt as though every part of his face was being torn apart, ripping, tearing, breaking. He realized instantly that he couldn't go through with it.
"Don't stop," Five encouraged,
"You have two keep going."
Wanting nothing in the world but to stop or to scream, Eldrin thought the pain might drive him insane. He could feel his eyes filling up with tears. He opened his mouth but he couldn't stop the manipulation. He knew Five was urging it on with his own mental abilities.
"Focus," Five demanded sharply, "You have to focus. You can o this. Think about the way you want your face to look and let it fall into place. Come on now. You can do this."
Eldrin felt the world dizzying before him. Suddenly his promise to himself meant nothing. He opened his mouth and let out a scream that he was sure reverberated throughout the entire camp. Then his face stilled.
The extreme pain ended but the residual was still there. It was nothing in comparison. Eldrin opened his eyes.
"I helped you finish," Five told him, "It'll get easier with time. Practice when you have nothing else to do."
Eldrin moved his jaw, feeling weird. His face felt lighter. He moved a hand up to feel his features. They were unique under his fingertips. They were different. His nose was longer and his mouth thinner. He thought his forehead might be a little shorter too.
"Still handsome," Four said, breaking Eldrin's examination. When Eldrin and Five looked up, he looked.
Four, too, looked different. Because of the limitations of skin and eye color, all of them still bared a semblance to their old selves; it was as if Four was a cousin to who he used to be.
Five got up and stretched. "You've got a name now," he said, "It's Sixteen."
Eldrin thought of all the names that must have come before him.
THIRTY-FIVE
Oh Villain, Villain
"I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD GO," MATILYN said to Rory. He frowned at her.
"Please, Commander Malevus. I need to do this."
Matilyn shook her head, "No," she countered, "You don't. There is plenty for you to do in the camp, Rory. You don't need to be going along with me."
"I want to," Rory said.
"We all have things we want," Matilyn said. "No, you're too young. What does Lieutenant Stini have to say bout it?"
"The same thing you did," Rory said, sounding bitter. Matilyn sighed.
"I'm sorry," she told him, "But that's my final word on the matter. You wanted to be my officers' boy, and that means following my orders. You're in camp."
Rory sighed but held up a hand in a salute, "Yes ma'am."
"I need you to go make sure the troops are ready," Matilyn said, "I just have some packing to finish."
"Yes ma'am," Rory said again. He let out another long sigh.
Matilyn rolled her eyes at him.
After he'd gone, Matilyn went back to her tent. She didn't have many items she wanted to take with her. They were only planning on being gone two days. It was a days' march there, and they planned on attacking at night after they'd arrived. If they were careful, it would give them the advantage of surprise.
She glanced around the tent before kneeling down beside her sleeping bag. She pulled her stack of letters out and began to sort them. Those from her father went on one side, and those from Penny on another. The ones from her father, she took, placing them into her pack.
Matilyn let out a long sigh, staring at the ones from Penny. Her mind was on Rory. They'd started to become close over the last few weeks, and she worried about him. He was far too eager for battle. She thought he might have someone at home he was missing; a sibling perhaps, or maybe a young, teenage wife. It wouldn't be the first time she'd seen such things.
"Commander?"
"Yes?" Matilyn turned to see Sean.
"I wanted to let you know that we're ready," Sean said.
Matilyn nodded, picking up her pack.
"Aren't those from Penelope?" Sean asked, glancing down at the letters Matilyn had left out.
"They're garbage," Matilyn said. She gathered them up in her hands.
"Why?" Sean asked.
"Because it's time to let go," Matilyn said.
Sean shook his head, "It's not over."
Matilyn glared at him, "It's over," she said, "While we were out there running for our lives, after Eldrin died, she was at home in Valishna, getting married. I can't think of a way to make it more over than that."
"Things happen," Sean said, "I know about Penelope and her marriage, but that doesn't mean it's over between you two. I have hope for your future."
"I don't want hope," Matilyn said, "I don't want to miss her anymore, Sean."
"I don't think you get much of a choice in that," Sean said, "It's hard enough to control who we love, but expecting to control who we miss? Besides, there's no shame in it. I still miss my sister, and my uncle. The war has cost us all a lot, Matilyn."
Matilyn blushed, "Sorry," she said, "I know it must be hard for you, having lost both of them. You hold it together so well, sometimes its easy to forget."
Sean nodded, "I know," he said, "But it's not just me. It's everyone. Everyone here has lost someone, even if they're not dead. You aren't alone."
"I know that," Matilyn said sharply, "Of course I know that. I don't think I'm the only one who lost someone. I know better than that."
"That's not what I meant," Sean said, "I just mean, you don't have to go through it alone. We're all here for you, for each other. I know we didn't meet before deployment but I'd like to consider us friends."
"We are," Matilyn said.
"Good," Sean said, "Then you can trust me, Matilyn. Everything is going to be alright."
"Well," Matilyn said, "That's yet to be seen. We have this mission to get through."
Sean nodded, "Taking out Commander Frien will be a huge boost to morale."
"I know," Matilyn said.
"And it'll calm Lieutenant Stini down," Sean said.
"Yeah," Matilyn agreed, "What's the story there, anyway? He's really eager to go."
"I don't know," Sean admitted. "I haven't asked yet."
Matilyn nodded. "You said the men are ready?"
"Yes," Sean said.
"Good," Matilyn said, "Let's head out then."
"Will you remember what I said?" Sean asked, "About it being alright?"
Matilyn clapped Sean on the shoulder, "Yes," she told him, "I certainly will."
The moment that Matilyn led the attack, she realized what a mistake it had been. The camp was prepared for them, and more men flowed in to help boost the enemies' numbers. They'd walked into a trap.
They'd arrived that night, as planned, and Matilyn had led the Charges into the camp. It was large and spacious, though not nearly equal to the one they had set up. It was made of easily erected tents. There were wagons of food, and two large campfires that glowed brightly in the dark.
But the soldiers had been waiting for them. The moment they'd poured into the camp, they'd been met with immediate retaliation.
"Shit!" Matilyn cried out. A soldier had thrown himself at her, using his blade to cut into her lower leg. She stumbled back, adjusting her grip on her own weaponry.
The cut stung but it wasn't deep. She shifted on her feet, before engaging the soldier in battle. Their swords met with a clash of steel and then she shoved him backwards. He didn't stumble; he was too strong for that. Instead, he simply shifted and threw his weight back at her.
Matilyn had to step back to keep herself from falling over. She used her shield instead, driving it towards the soldier's sword. When they met, she shoved her sword up, catching him in the chest. Once again, she was surprised at how easily her blade went through someone. The soldier fell over.
She looked around as she yanked her blade back out of his chest. The camp was swarming with soldiers. "Shit," she said again, "Shit!" They were out numbered.
"Sean!"
Sean hurried over to her.
"We're out numbered," Matilyn said, "This is bad. Why weren't we prepared for this? How were our scouts that wrong about numbers?"
"I don't know," Sean said.
"We need to get to the Priests," Matilyn said, "Get them fo
cused on manipulation. I want you to find Cori. Use her and her men to hunt down protectors to kill."
"What are you doing?" Sean asked.
"Going after Frien," Matilyn said.
Sean nodded, "Be careful."
"You too," Matilyn said.
They quickly separated. An arrow flew by Matilyn's face. She threw herself down as another one zipped where she'd just been running. She rolled back to her feet, quickly yanking her shield up to cover herself as another arrow flew at her. It hit her shield with a loud and powerful zing.
Matilyn kept her shield up as she looked around for the archer attacking her.
The woman was a few yards back, firing arrow after arrow.
Matilyn raced towards her.
The woman dropped to a crouch, firing another arrow. She was holding more in her bow hand, allowing her to fire faster and more accurate shots.
One of the arrows nearly hit Matilyn, as she flung herself once more to the side. The woman strung another arrow as Matilyn neared her.
Their eyes met for a moment as Matilyn reached out with her mind, trying to see if the woman was protected. As she'd expected, the woman was immune to any sort of flesh manipulation.
Matilyn heard a cry in the distance. She turned her head, briefly distracted. The woman used this to her advantage, letting another arrow fly. It grazed the top of Matilyn's shoulder but didn't penetrate her armor. Matilyn let out another curse, wincing. She launched herself at the woman, knocking her bow out of her hands with her shield arm.
The woman scrambled backwards, trying to grab her bow.
Matilyn didn't allow her to. She kept driving her backwards, away from her weaponry. Suddenly a sword protruded from her chest. She fell over, thrashing. Matilyn nodded her thanks to the soldier who'd intervened and then went on, looking around for the commander that everyone feared so much.
She headed towards the center tent, thinking he might be stationed there. When she approached, there were already several small skirmishes going on. She looked around.
"Commander Malevus?"
Matilyn wheeled around, surprised. There was a tall man facing her, with dark hair and surprisingly white teeth. He smiled. "Or can I call you Matilyn?"
The Warriors of Valishna (Cartharia Book 1) Page 39