CHANGELING: Book Two in the Weaver Series

by Vaun Murphrey

  Just as we anticipated they would, one of the silent attackers ‘ported in front of us and came forward with a dull bone white weapon in his hand. Desperately we kicked out at his knee with the combined force of our will.

  It worked better than we’d hoped.

  We hit the joint of the leg his body weight was centered on and felt the tear then pop of the hyper extension. His scream was more of a shriek as his upper body collapsed forward, almost trapping our leg as we folded it back under our hip and scrambled under the table like a crab in fast forward. The other assailant was nowhere to be seen.

  Cass tried to aim our eyes everywhere all at once and it made me feel like we might vibrate to pieces with adrenaline and panic. Air rushed in and out of our mouth in short hard pants as we both strained to listen over the rushing blood in our head and the ringing in our ears.

  The atmosphere was thick with the anticipation of violence.

  Our ears popped and we could hear two different groans emanating from the floor in stereo sound. Sil it seemed was not yet dead although the gush of blood had been enough that we assumed he was. The other audible complaint of pain came from our downed attacker as he struggled to sit upright on the floor.

  A voice came from nothing and nowhere, deep and grim, “Some do fall for the betterment of all.”

  Sil was moving behind us, the rustle of his clothing against the floor a soft soothing sound out of order with our racing minds. Anger warmed our gut and oozed up our throat like acid as I yelled back nonsensically, “Poet and didn’t know it? Go back to rhyme school you coward. I’ve got one for you, ‘Roses are red, and violets are blue, quit hiding so we can kill you!’”

  The hair at the back of our neck stood on end as did every follicle planted in our skin. Ozone blasted our flared nostrils and an unseen hand gripped one of our ankles and dragged us from under the table with impressive strength. We dangled head down as the room swam.

  Still cloaked from our sight, the Axsian holding our ankle in a grip so crushing it felt like our bones were being ground together for flour, shook us and then lifted us higher. Cass flung out a leg at where we thought his head might be but it was caught before we connected by another massive transparent hand. Tears burned in our eyes now as the pain shot out sharp and debilitating from the bony part of our held ankles.

  Our rhyming assailant switched his grip easily holding both of our legs with one huge mitt. I worried what his unseen free hand was about to do, the bone white weapon the other downed Axsian had lunged at us with sprang to mind, so Cass arched our body at the waist in a frenzied pendulum motion.

  This ass wipe was a dude, alien or not, and most males had privates, so on what we thought might be the backswing, I thrust out a fist in the direction, I hoped, of the invisible poet’s groin. Our balled hand hit something soft and fleshy then momentum sucked us outward again. At the peak of our upswing the steel banded fingers around our ankles released and we flopped like a landed salmon onto the metal examination table before rolling uncontrollably over its edge.

  We fell head and shoulders first, graceless but alive onto something soft that exhaled in pain at the collision. Scrambling with as much care as she could muster my sister extricated us from our position across Sil’s abdomen. His eyes were alert, but he’d lost a lot of blood. If black hued skin could look pale, his did. Ashy might be the best possible word. A red patch covered a wound on his neck and Sil lifted a weak arm over his stomach to grasp our forearm as he whispered in a thready voice, “Help is coming. Pez knows.”

  The question begged to be answered, if Pez knew, where the hell was he?

  I zipped our gaze to the other side of the table. The first attacker with the back kicked knee was struggling to stand. When he was fully upright, hopping on one leg for balance, he closed his wide set tar black eyes then disappeared seconds later. The scent of ozone was different than the other times, less intense with a hint of something else in it.

  Invisible poet boy was still here and visible. Perhaps the pain of our groin punch had caused him to temporarily lose the ability to bend light? We’d only gotten a glimpse, a visual flash, when they’d ‘ported into the room, but our attackers features were altered from that first impression. Our eyes locked before his closed and then he was gone as well.

  Cass released a rattled breath as if she’d strung a series of pants together to make one long exhale. The inhale wasn’t much smoother, like our lungs were being run over a washboard. Our hands shook as she thought to me, “Do you think they’re really gone?”

  I considered for a moment and then answered, “For now, but we saw their real faces, Sister.”

  With fists clenched so hard our nails bent she yelled at the wall, “Shit!”

  A black speck formed on the gray granite directly across the room. The speck grew quickly and I realized we were seeing a tunnel form. The hole enlarged with impressive rapidity and once it was large enough to accommodate travelers Pez emerged with Kal in tow.

  Our guardian’s eyes raked the room and he took in a deep breath before his black gaze went in our direction and he actually ran our way. Pez took in Sil’s downed form and calmly closed his eyes to communicate with someone in the Web.

  Kal grabbed our bicep and yanked us up from the floor. When he saw we weren’t injured and the blood on our face wasn’t our own he demanded, “What happened?”

  Sil spoke up from his prone position in a hoarse voice, “Resistance strike.”

  Pez objected loudly from where he stood by the wall. “That is impossible. How did they get past the genetic pass codes on this level? Bending should have been impossible without clearance. Besides, if it was really a resistance strike you would both be dead.”

  I yelled back matter-of-fact, “Maybe you should look up the definition for impossible, ‘cause you’re using that word wrong. According to The Law of Infinite Probability anything can happen. Nothing is truly out of the realm of the possible on any given day.”

  Kal let go of our arm to kneel down by Sil. Just as he bent at the waist to get a closer view at the bandaged wound on his neck, our nose was assaulted with another wave of ozone. Three Axsian’s who were dressed much the same as Sil, with scrub-like clothing and pocketed vests, popped into sight next to Pez then moved across the room with long efficient strides. Nothing more than discreet body language was used but Kal and I ended up out of the way next to the examination table.

  Cass tugged on the cuff of Kal’s duster, and grazed the warmth of the skin on the back of his hand in passing. Truthfully we could both use one of Maggie’s hugs right now and we weren’t going to get anything of the sort. Mentally I gathered the essence of my love for my twin and pushed it her way for reassurance. She answered back in kind and we felt a peace.

  Kal cocked his head at our bid for attention and my sister hissed, “What took you so long? We had to fend them off by ourselves and Sil is almost dead. How come Pez couldn’t get anyone here sooner?”

  His eyes unfocused and his attention wandered as our mentor stared across the room at Pez but he answered, “I’ve been…restricted…pending my trial. It seems I overestimated my constituents’ dedication to the tenets of the oath I took to become an Agent and by which they should also abide. My ability to bend is no longer available to me.”

  We blinked and a sinking feeling formed in our gut like a tumor.

  Kal continued, “Pez was with me and we were in a tunnel when Sil regained consciousness and hailed for assistance. If he had left forthwith I would have been sealed and crushed so we stayed the course. There are reasons that access is restricted to this room. Pez had to be present to allow anyone else to enter, which begs the question…how did your attackers get in at all?”

  The ‘men’ treating Sil rose and shuffled our direction to place the injured physician on the table’s surface and we moved away to give them space. Sil’s arm flung out and he grabbed ours so tightly that his caregivers had to stop. His eyes weren’t focused on us but at one of his cohorts
as he said in a stronger, commanding voice, “This human saved my life and her own. She held off two rebels by herself and injured them. Call Fid Tal here now.”

  Sil made us sound all awesome but we’d gotten lucky. Luck was fickle.

  One of the other physicians, one with lighter hair like Sil but skin the shade of milk chocolate, scoffed, “You are delirious, Master.”

  They got Sil on the table easily but we were dragged forward because he refused to release the hold on our forearm. Our shoulder bumped into the Axsian who’d laughed off Sil and he frowned down in annoyance.

  Sil’s voice was losing its strength but he made one last statement that changed everything, “If preliminary tests are correct we have an Anomaly headed for a Singularity.”

  With those words he released his death grip on our arm.

  All eyes in the room turned our way with a suddenly interested shine to them. The only person who looked unsurprised and unimpressed was Kal. Cassandra backed us up to stand by our guardian’s side and I murmured out of the corner of our mouth, “What’s he on about? I thought you said we’re a Vector?”

  Sil lifted his head with an incredulous look on his face. “How did you know?”

  Kal shrugged. “I dreamed.”

  Pez interrupted haughtily. “I would suggest this conversation be had after he is healed.”

  The gathered doctors unfroze, erupting in a burst of activity. The examination table had even more to it than met the eye. It looked like a run of the mill four legged rectangle with a hydraulic lift but it had hidden features.

  They emptied their patient’s vest pockets like the most nimble fingered of thieves. Once Sil was relieved of his possessions the doctor who’d frowned at me with the milk chocolate skin—I decided to dub him Hershey—touched something on the side that caused the table edge to illuminate. A blue dome of light sprang up to enclose Sil, and Hershey monitored a few things on a thin electronic tablet he extracted from one of his many pockets.

  The red patch over Sil’s wound dissolved, absorbing back into his skin and immediately his pallor began to darken, losing its ashy tint. Whatever the blue dome did, it didn’t look painful only restorative.

  Kal shifted at our side and tapped the top of our hand with the calloused pad of his index finger. “I am sorry for all of this. I thought, I think, of how I wanted life to be, instead of how it really is. That is the dream of a boy, not one of a man who should be caring for you. The trial will be short. We will know soon.”

  Cass asked softly, “Know what, Kal?”

  Before he could answer us Her Highness from the obsidian tunnel blinked into being with a gush of ozone scented air. Her jet black hair gleamed like an oil slick in the light of the room and the copper thread around the neck of her blousy shirt sparkled. Pez scrambled to attend her as if his life depended upon it. Who knows, maybe it did?

  She turned her head at Kal and in an impatient voice that hinted she held him to blame, Her Highness snapped with authority, “What is the meaning of this?”

  All expression wiped from his face, our guardian opened his mouth to answer only to be interrupted by Hershey who showed no obeisance in his demeanor towards the person we guessed must be Fid Tal.

  Hershey said in an accusing tone, “Perhaps we should ask you? You are the only one in the room with clearance over that of Guild Member Pez. How did we have unwanted ‘guests’ at this level if you are doing your due diligence? Who in your Clanet cannot be trusted? Sil could have died and we would have been left with only memories of a great mind.”

  At the end of his rant Hershey’s arm flung out toward the blue dome for dramatic emphasis and his lips twisted in derision.

  Her Highness drew back her head as if she were a cobra about to strike then stilled, gave a long eye blink like something had occurred to her and changed tack. “I will find the root of this problem and cut it out. What is done is done. Claims of an Anomaly leading to a Singularity are of more urgency. These things must be given proper weight. What proof do you have to offer me?”

  Hershey lost his mental footing and stumbled for a second before responding—he seemed younger when he wasn’t angry. “S-Sil made the pronouncement and the initial exam. I would prefer to wait for him to be ambulatory and lucid before we continue this conversation.”

  Fid Tal smirked as if some small victory had been won and turned to us. Her black eyes traveled up and down our frame with an unimpressed expression. A flash of disgust fluttered across her face when she noticed our stained shoes.

  Her tone was bored as she said, “This should have its memories corrected and be sent back where it belongs.”

  I snapped back, “Fine with us, Your Highness. ‘This’ isn’t too impressed with your operation. We already had to defend ourselves against two of you. The only reason we came here in the first place was because Shiva was after us and Kal said he could teach us a few things. Send us home so we only have to deal with one asshole instead of a whole planet’s worth.”

  Fid Tal straightened her shoulders slowly like a lion creeping close to its prey in the long dry grass of the savannah and addressed Pez without looking at him. “You gave it a translator.”

  The whiney officiousness of Pez’s voice was grating as he said, “Yes, my Fid, that is standard before an examination. If their memory is corrected it matters not.”

  Through her sharp teeth, Her Highness ordered, “Fix it.”

  Kal brushed the back of our hand again. “I am truly sorry for this.”

  The certainty was still pooled in our gut that whatever they tried wouldn’t work.

  Hershey flicked his eyes to the still prone Sil like he was wishing him awake then made a come hither motion with his fingers at us. Cass moved us forward with a skip in our step.

  Dark brows rose at our playfulness in the midst of so much seriousness and we sat with attitude in the chair Hershey motioned to. From one of his many pockets he produced a flexible strip that he affixed to our forehead. Another device was withdrawn from his vest that looked like a short ruler and he pressed it to the strip on our forehead.

  Nothing happened.

  We started to swing our legs for entertainment. I pushed out and Cass pulled back. It was kind of fun in a simple way, like swinging on a swing set.

  Hershey grunted in puzzlement.

  Cass looked up at the looming Axsian and wiggled the skin of our forehead before asking, “Have you started or what? We feel the same. I still remember you, Hershey.”

  The whole room erupted in arguing voices.

  Chapter Three: Wipe This!

  Kal’s laugh rang through the cacophony as it grew from a deep chuckle to a tear inducing, stomach grabbing full out hearty succession of guffaws. Gradually everyone stopped yelling at each other to stare, offended, at our mirthful guardian.

  I spoke up in a sweet voice. “We said it wouldn’t work. Pez had already promised not to wipe our memories, so I guess your word means exactly shit. There are only two people we would venture to trust in this room…one is laughing at you and the other is unconscious.”

  Fid Tal was thoroughly frustrated. Pez echoed her emotions because he was her toady and the other two that had helped treat Sil with Hershey just seemed fascinated about this new turn of events.

  The blue dome over the examination table faded.

  Sil sat up slowly. I pictured Snow White waking in her glass coffin after her kiss from Prince Charming and nearly joined Kal in his laughter. Impressively, Sil blinked a few times then swung his legs over the side of the table and stood.

  The whole tone of the room changed.

  Hershey and his friends got their back bones again, Kal stopped chuckling to suck in big gulps of air and Fid Tal straightened her spine. Pez was irrelevant. Sil noticed the strip affixed to our forehead. If a midnight black face could get darker in anger his did. His voice cut through the room like a razor tipped bull whip. “What is the meaning of this?”

  Hershey stepped forward to speak but Sil gave him a loo
k that made his words shrivel into dust before they left his mouth. I had the distinct feeling Sil already knew the answer to every question that could ever be asked about what had occurred but he wanted to make a point.

  Her Highness answered in a cool clipped tone, pulling the mantle of her station around her with haughty surety. “You were unavailable to address the situation. I deemed it necessary to clean up your mess and send it back to its home world.”

  Full black lips stretched across hungry looking bleach white teeth as Sil smiled. “Where are you standing, Fid Tal?”

  She lifted her chin. “It is apparent where I stand, Sil.”

  His bright dentition disappeared as he spat back, “Yes, it is. You may rule the Clan and lead for us in The Fid, but you do not command each Guild in its business. My word is law here. I was clear regarding my intent toward this being. Shall I bring this violation to the attention of the Elders?”

  Fid Tal’s dark lips compressed, making them flash to a dirt brown before she spoke. “That will not be necessary. I should also remind you that the purview of Judgment is mine. You unlawfully took custody of an Agent awaiting trial. Should I take that to the Elders?”

  Sil made a sinuous motion with his neck, waving his head side to side like he was about to break out in an Indian dance before he said, “I require Kal for further research. He is the guardian of the being I wish to observe. There is an accord in place that you may not disrupt without breaking The Codes of Annis.”

  She hissed like an angry jungle cat before firing back, “There must be a trial. The Rules of Engagement were not followed. I cannot encourage his behavior. Consequences must be dealt. You over reach yourself, Sil. Tread carefully.”

  Surprisingly, Pez broke in to say, “My Fid, could there not still be a trial? Let your Agent be judged by you and seen to be judged. Require a sacrifice and an abeyance of office for a span of time to be specified by you publicly. He may still take charge of the alien but without his Bender status.”

  Sil objected, “He must be able to protect his ward. Unacceptable.”