Chameleon Moon

by RoAnna Sylver

  “Hey!” A strong hand gripped their shoulder, steadying them. “You okay? Started to look kinda shaky there.”

  “Yes. Thank you.” Zilch gave Danae a nod and climbed down the scaffolding protruding from the rock as quickly as they dared. The charred pieces of metal jutting from the rock face made a pretty good ladder, though they couldn’t shake the feeling that they were climbing down rusted metallic bones.

  They landed on a long, narrow ledge. On one side was a stark cliff, and on the other side, Zilch could see down forever into the molten, churning bowels of the oil veins. Then they looked up, craned their neck and squinted. If they looked just right, they could see the darkness of the night sky, and the illumination of the barrier…

  Without a word, Evelyn, Danae and Zilch crept forward and around the corner, between the rock wall and the chasm’s edge.

  They all saw the figure at once, with a collective gasp. Someone hunched low on the ground, a mess of bruises and blood and torn cloth and discolored burns from the superheated air. The familiar shape crouched in front of them, head hanging down… scales gleaming dully under a layer of ash.

  “Chimera!” Zilch shouted and immediately started forward, but stopped when both hands on either side of them took hold of their shoulders. Danae shook her head and Evelyn held up one hand for everyone to wait.

  “Regan?” Evelyn called, in a more level voice, carefully watching as he turned his head to look up at them with a slightly dazed expression, blinking as if he’d just woken up from a long sleep. “Hey. Want to tell us what’s going on?”

  “Sorry, guys. I know how this looks…” Ash, dirt and burns covered Regan’s face, but he was smiling as he rose to his feet. Behind him on the ground lay a strange shape—what looked like a sleeping child shielded beneath a golden, curving energy field. “But I know what I’m doing. I finally know what we have to do. I know everything.”

  “And we want to hear it, we really do.” Evelyn reached out a hand. “But first we have to get you out of here. Both of you.”

  “Wait.” He shook his head and didn’t move. “There’s something we need to do first.”

  She felt the tinge of apprehension, but asked anyway. “What’s that, Regan?”

  “I’m going to set Gabriel free.”

  “Set him free?” Evelyn’s tone was slow, hesitant. “You mean from the fire? Yeah, we’ll take him up with us, of course. Is that shield going to be a problem?”

  “No.” It wasn’t Regan who answered. Suddenly the boy on the ground appeared beside her, but he hadn’t moved from where he slept. She saw a transparent image like a double-exposed photo—or like Hans, she realized, reeling. “I can drop it whenever I want.”

  “Aah!” Danae stumbled backwards a few steps, then crashed into Zilch, and they both barely managed to stay upright. “He’s—Gabriel, you’re—you too?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, drawing back. The fact that he floated instead of taking steps, however, was less comforting than he intended. “I didn’t mean to scare you! I didn’t mean to scare him either,” he looked up at Regan, who was shaking his head.

  “You didn’t, don’t worry. You did the opposite. You set me free. I had to come return the favor.”

  What’s he talking about?” Zilch glared at the ghost child as if they didn’t trust for a moment that this wasn’t all the worst, deadliest trap they’d fallen into yet. “What favor? Chimera, what did he do?”

  “It’s okay,” he looked up at them, and despite the ash and burns on his face, he actually looked serene. “I wasn’t kidnapped. I went on my own.”

  “Is this true? Or did he possess you?” Zilch’s stare instantly narrowed with suspicion.

  “No. Gabriel isn’t like Hans.” Regan shot the ghost boy a glance. “He didn’t take anything from me, he gave it back. And I remembered… everything. I knew I had to go with him.”

  Evelyn nodded slowly, recalling that strange moment on the street. “He did say that.”

  Zilch gave all of them a hard stare. Then without a word they strode forward toward Regan. They didn’t shake off Evelyn or Danae’s hands; they didn’t need to. Nothing was stopping them from moving forward. By the time they reached Regan, he was taking one slow, slightly painful step forward to meet them—but then stopped in surprise bordering on horror as Zilch reached up to remove their helmet.

  “Zilch, no—” Too late; sometimes even Regan forgot how fast Zilch could move, and now they surprised everyone here. The helmet was off their head and over Regan’s before he could even finish the sentence.

  “You remember everything?” Their voice was barely above a low murmur.

  “Yeah.” Regan had taken hold of their wrists when he tried to stop them from removing the helmet, and now he didn’t let go.

  “Then you know I won’t burn.” It was true; the hot air should have burned their exposed face, but they looked at Regan through calm, steady eyes. Now that he at least was wearing a helmet they looked much more relaxed.

  “You might not burn, but how did Gabriel even survive down here?” Danae looked around at the severe rocks, the melted, twisted metal, and the fire.

  “Come here.” Regan stepped to the side and held out his hand, drawing their gazes down to the ground beside him. “Look.”

  A young boy with curly black hair, dressed in light blue scrubs like Lisette’s and Wren’s slept on the ground, safe inside a golden, egg-shaped shield of light shimmering around him. He lay perfectly still, eyes closed and face peaceful, without a single scratch or burn

  “Oh…” Danae brought a hand to her chest. “Oh. He looks the same. Exactly the same…”

  “It’s a… stasis field,” Gabriel explained slowly, pausing over a few words, as if trying to remember an unfamiliar concept he’d only heard secondhand. “I had to learn to protect my body while I’m… projecting out of it. It kept me safe, and… and the same. I didn’t have to eat or drink. I slept down here for ten years.”

  “And you didn’t age a day.” Danae sniffed, revealing the tears hidden by the mask covering her face. “You taught yourself to do this? It’s beautiful.”

  “And hard,” he sounded like he was near tears too, but for a different reason. “Down here I can feel… everything. It’s too loud. Everybody is feeling too loud. They’re all so scared and angry and sad, and they won’t stop. And when I feel the pain, it burns in me, hotter and hotter… until it catches fire.”

  “It was us fueling the fire,” Evelyn whispered. “Our fear. Our pain. Oh, Gabriel, I’m so sorry!”

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. You can’t help being afraid. Just like how I can’t help lighting the fires. But I can fix it now! I can make the fires stop.”

  “You can?” Evelyn sensed they were all coming up on fragile ground. Lots of cracks ahead. She’d heard that so much before, everyone wanting to put out the fire. It hadn’t meant a good thing yet. “What do you need, honey?”

  “I’m still doing it,” Gabriel nodded to the sleeping boy on the ground—himself. “I can’t stop. I don’t know how, the shield isn’t helping anymore.”

  “That’s not your fault either,” she reassured him. “It’s been ten years, of course you’re getting tired. But you don’t have to keep it up anymore, we’re here to bring you home!”

  But he shook his head. “No. I can’t go back up there.”

  “What are you talking about, sweetie? It’s okay, we’ll get you back up—”

  “I’m going to drop the shield. I’m so tired… I need to let go.”

  “You want to die?” Evelyn almost fell back a step, reeling in horror. “No! No, that’s not why we came! Hans wanted to kill you, we want to save you!”

  “I don’t want to die. But I can’t keep the shield up much longer. It’s coming down anyway.”

  “But we’re getting you out of here, you won’t need the shield anymore!”

  “I’ll still feel all the pain. I’ll still turn it to fire.” He smiled, and it was one of the saddest s
miles any of them had ever seen. “I’m still slipping away. I just want someone to be here to catch me.”

  “What?” Evelyn shook her head, completely lost.

  “That’s not me. Not anymore.” He cast a sad look at the solid version of himself on the ground, the one beneath the stasis shield that had kept him protected but isolated, and still outwardly twelve years old. “I can’t even get back inside it anymore. And now I can’t keep my shield up much longer. If it drops, I’ll burn. It got weak enough so I could get out to call for help but… it’ll be gone soon. And then I’ll be gone.” His young face was set in firm determination. “But you can still carry me out of the fire. Just not my body. Me.”

  She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Nobody could speak at all.

  “Take my hand.” Gabriel’s large, dark eyes were fixed on Regan. In them shone not the reflection of flames, but a memory. A chance to start again. In an instant, he understood.

  “Okay,” Regan nodded, head reeling at the enormity of what he’d just realized—and hoping he’d gotten it right. “I know what to do—and I’ll do it. I’ve got you this time.”

  “Wait—what’s going to happen?” Danae asked suddenly, eyes wide; she looked like she’d just become painfully aware of exactly where they were, how far below the city and how surrounded by flames. “Regan, what happens when he drops that shield?”

  “He should be able to stop the fire, that’s for sure” Regan answered slowly. His eyes slid over to Gabriel, who was looking up at him with a faint, shy smile. “But he needs…someone to hold onto while he does it. Like an anchor. That’s me.”

  “What does that mean?” Zilch’s face remained hard, their eyes narrow. “Anchor?”

  “It’s getting harder to hold on. If I want to stop the burning, I have to let go,” Gabriel explained hesitantly. “But if you all… hang onto me? I can… join your minds.”

  “Join our…”

  “Only for a minute. If it’s all right. It’s hard to explain.”

  “Sounds like you’re a kite in a storm and the string’s about to break,” Evelyn said thoughtfully. “But Regan holds your hand, catches you, and then we’re all holding his hand so nobody flies away either…” She looked up to see everybody looking at her. “Did that make sense?”

  “Everything except the mind-joining thing.” Danae sounded dubious. “Aren’t you in all our heads right now?”

  “Yes, but you’re not in mine.”

  “Guys, I know how this sounds,” Regan said. “And how it sounds is weird. And if you wanted to walk away right now I wouldn’t blame you. But I’m just asking you to trust me. Please.”

  “I do.” Zilch looked from him over to Evelyn and Danae. “And don’t see another choice anyway.”

  “And then he’ll be… free.”

  “Free?” Danae still wasn’t satisfied.

  “As much as he can be. Like Hans.”

  “Like…” she trailed off, face darkening as if she’d come to a slow, ominous realization. “Has anybody seen Hans since we got down here?” Nobody answered. She grit her teeth and nodded at the tense silence. “Didn’t think so. Something’s just feeling wrong here, guys. Are you sure this is the right call?”

  Regan and Gabriel exchanged a look. Unlike the terrifying dynamic he’d shared with Hans, Regan was the one giving the slow, subtle nod when Gabriel wordlessly asked for approval. “We’re sure. It’s the only way.”

  “Wait.” Danae’s voice was just tentative before. Now it hardened. “If this is all gonna go belly up in a second, I have to ask right now. Rose.”

  Regan’s breath caught in his throat and he froze mid-step on his way over to Gabriel’s shield.

  “You said you saw what happened to her.”

  “Yeah. Yes.” Now his shoulders sagged, but with fatigue, not resignation. “I saw, and… I couldn’t do a thing. I froze. She got shot. I was supposed to have her back. Instead, I disappeared.”

  Danae stared. “That’s it? You said it was your fault! Everybody fr—did you not see what I did back there?”

  “It was my fault. I saw who shot her.” His voice was so flat she would never have heard it if it wasn’t for the speakers in Zilch’s helmet.

  “Who…” she suddenly sounded afraid to ask the question, much less hear the answer. “Who was it? Who shot Rose?”

  “Cairus Maddox. He was aiming for me.”

  “What are you—the missing kid?”

  “Find him. Ask him. He’ll tell you all you need to know about me.” Regan’s words landed, and perfect silence followed. So he turned away and took the last few steps to the golden shield where Gabriel was waiting in body and spirit. “You ready?”

  “I’m scared,” the young empath admitted, face crumpling. He looked at the ground, as if afraid to look at Regan’s face in case he’d find disappointment there. “I’m tired. I… I want it to work, but…”

  “Hey. You’re not alone this time,” Regan said quietly, eyes on Zilch, before glancing over at Evelyn and Danae. “I let you down before. That’s not happening again. Give us… give me another chance. I swear, this time I won’t let you down.”

  Gabriel looked up and smiled—then he slowly faded away, leaving only his sleeping physical form. A moment later, the golden shield followed. It dissipated like fine mist under a hot summer sun, leaving him lying alone on the ground with nothing around but rushing, hot air, and no time to lose.

  As Regan knelt down on the ground, he remembered a night long ago when he’d reached out for Gabriel’s hand and felt it slip away. He remembered ten long, exhausting years of fire and hopelessness, the frantic escapes and the unexpected relief at finding he didn’t have anything left to run from. He remembered everything he forgot that first night outside the Emerald Bar.

  He thought about coming home.

  Slowly, took Gabriel’s small hand in his. This time no fire seared his palm. He didn’t let go. Regan smiled, and held on.

  As the world faded from his view, he was sure he saw Gabriel’s body fade away first.

  ❈

  The stage was dark except for a single spotlight, but even its light wasn’t harsh. Nothing was here. Evelyn felt like she was floating in a warm bath, even the air around her soft, time as it passed felt soft, warm, liquid. Someone else was here, in a second spotlight, in their own twin pool of light. It was the boy, the one who’d been sleeping. Everything here felt like a dream, but he was awake now.

  “Hi, Gabriel,” she called out, voice echoing. They must have been in a wide open space. She couldn’t quite see well enough to make out things like edges, curtains, or even the audience yet. Just the two of them.

  “Hi.” He gave a shy little wave, and didn’t step closer or move out of the light. “Thank you for letting me in.”

  “No problem,” she said. Suddenly she couldn’t remember what he meant or where she’d been before this. “In where? Where’d everybody go?”

  “It’s your mind. I let you pick. Everybody’s around here, though. They’ll find us.” He looked around too, eyes widening at just the bare expanse of stage he could see, as if it was one of the most interesting sights he’d ever seen. Evelyn wondered how long it had been since he’d seen anything but fire. “Do you know where this is?”

  “It looks like…the Emerald Bar.” Evelyn squinted to see out past the bright light, beginning to make out familiar shapes of tables and chairs. Off in the distance, she caught a flash of crinoline as a ballerina spun through the shadows.

  “I don’t know where that is. Is it fun?”

  “Yeah, it’s my favorite place. It’s where I feel safest of all.”

  “It feels nice. It’s quiet. Nobody’s yelling. Or hurting.” Gabriel stopped talking, like he was suddenly self-conscious and shy. He looked at the ground and wiggled his toes, and for the first time she realized he was barefoot on the stage—even though he was wearing a small tuxedo. He must have tried to dress to match. “So… what do you want to do? While we wait? Do you want
to play a game?”

  “Well…” She stepped out of her own spotlight and it moved to follow her, as did Gabriel’s wary eyes. She kept her movements slow, having the feeling that anything sudden might startle him. Evelyn’s heart hurt. This little boy couldn’t be more than twelve. He’d been twelve for ten years—a decade of unimaginable pain. “We’re on a stage. Do you like to sing?”

  “I’m not very good. I like dancing better.”

  “Well, that’s perfect!” Evelyn smiled. In the background, familiar music started to play. It wasn’t the high-octane rock from her last show. Jazz. Heavy on the brass. An old record, she couldn’t remember the name, but Garrett would. One of his favorites. She should remember… “Maybe you can show me a few steps.”

  “Okay. Here, you take my hands like this, okay?” He held his out for her to gently take; even in dreams his skin burned hot like he had a perpetually high fever. “This is a box step. You step forward, then to the side, then together, then back…”

  As they moved, their two spotlights grew and dissolved, until the entire stage was lit up with a soft, ethereal light.

  “Hey, you’re pretty good!” Evelyn laughed as Gabriel twirled under her arm, then moved for her to do the same in reverse. The music grew louder. She could pick out the piano, the drums, the guitar and bass. It sounded warm—perfect music to dance a night away. If she thought hard enough, she imagined she might even be able to hear Garrett’s voice over everything…

  “Thanks! I would think about dancing a lot, when I was sleeping. Most of the dreams were bad… but not all of them. Sometimes I’d hear music like this.”

  “Well, you won’t have so many bad dreams anymore. Not if we have anything to say about it.” Her words rang in the space like echoes through a canyon, promise remaining long after she’d sworn. “Watch out, I’m gonna dip you!”

  Gabriel giggled as she leaned him back. The music rose, its beat getting stronger until the drums pounded through their hearts. “I really won’t be alone? You won’t forget me again?”