CHANGELING: Book Two in the Weaver Series

by Vaun Murphrey

  “There was a severe dip in your energy levels after the attack. Furthermore, directly proceeding the self-healing of the aggravated skin on your brow it lowered yet again.”

  It wasn’t a question so Cass and I didn’t feel inclined to respond to Sil’s statement. “Are we going to throw up every time we bend somewhere? That seems wasteful and we need the calories.” My sister wanted to be irritated at me for commandeering our mouth but it was a good question.

  Sil touched three fingers to our forehead in a whisper of pressure. “Your minds must accustom your body to its disorienting movement through time and space. In a way, right now, you are dragging your flesh as an unwilling participant, like a net through a fish-flooded river. To achieve balance you must convince your body not to resist.”

  My thoughts went sideways wondering if the translator on our temple was substituting words for Sil. He’d said fish and net but did they even have those on Axsa? Cass twitched our shoulders in irritation as she tried to ignore my mental meandering.

  Sil’s eyes took in his blood where it had dried on our cheek and neck. “Let us speak together while I make you presentable to testify.” He held out a hand in our direction.

  After a long hesitation Cass slid our fingers into his surprisingly warm but not clammy palm. Sil folded his other hand over ours and patted it gently, as if he were afraid we would break, then released us. My twin felt awkward; she wasn’t sure if he was trying to be affectionate or thank us. Neither of us was really comfortable with either scenario.

  I asked, “How exactly are you going to make us presentable? We don’t have any other clothes than what we’ve got on.”

  Sil’s clear lens flashed over his orbs. “Your biological information has been programmed into the regeneration module. Please follow me.”

  We ended up standing in front of the examination table. Our guess was he wanted us to go under the blue dome. Goosebumps raced across our body and Cass wrapped our arms over our middle cupping our elbows snuggly in our palms. What if this machine didn’t work the right way with us? The mind ‘correcting’ thingy hadn’t. Worse yet, what if it tried to ‘fix’ us and got jammed up halfway or something?

  Cass spoke through tingling lips. “How do you know we can use this without harm?”

  Deep and fluid, Sil’s voice was in no rush to reassure us. “I cannot guarantee many things in life but I can tell you that today I will not attempt any internal modifications. The guides have been set to only clean undesirable foreign matter from your exterior and nothing else.”

  Our lungs expanded as Cass calmed our nerves. She stilled her thoughts and quested for an answer in the form of one of our inexplicable gut instincts. There was no feeling of surety but neither was there a sense of alarm.

  I thought to my twin, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’m ready to get the puke off of our shoes.”

  My attempt at humor didn’t elicit a return response but it jogged Cass out of her fear so it served its purpose. She hopped us up onto the table and we laid back on the cool smooth surface. Sil activated something and a convex blue film of light enclosed our supine body. We could hear just fine as Sil began to speak.

  “You will now feel the need to sleep. Do not fight it as it is just a safety precaution to prevent subjects from moving during their sessions.” His tone was clinical and detached as he tapped the screen of the slim square tablet he held.

  True to his words, lethargy lapped at our limbs leaking lovely lassitude. A moment of panic struck my sister just before the languor engulfed us and then it faded into the bliss of rest. Biologically, albeit artificially forced, sleep didn’t encourage dreams. Cass was out cold. I was still active but when I tried to flex a finger our body didn’t respond. Patience isn’t a virtue I’ll claim. Mere moments may have passed that felt like centuries. I could have exited to the Web but I chose to stay with our body. It felt like lukewarm water undulated against our skin for several moments, even on the surfaces that should have been covered, like our feet. The light external pressures ceased just before the paralyzed limbs of our body reawakened.

  Cass popped our eyes open to see the ceiling of the cavern, steeped in shadows.

  We noticed the air moving the little hairs on our skin at the same time—specifically, the sensation that we were naked. Cass leaned us up on our elbows and sure enough all of our clothes were gone along with the blue dome. Blood rushed up our neck so fast it felt like our pulse was a metronome in our ears.

  Sil’s voice was perplexed. “Many apologies my friends, there should not have been a removal of your garments. I have no explanation for the malfunction.” The surprise and consternation oozed from our temporary guardian’s words.

  I could still feel the cold tab of the translator stuck to our temple. How could it have escaped the blue dome? A little niggling doubt swam around at the back of our minds. Perhaps Sil wasn’t completely trustworthy if it suited him?

  Hershey, or Zik, as Sil had called him earlier came over to the table with a tunic that was going to swallow us but Cass was grateful. After the taupe cloth slithered over our head it tried to fall off our shoulders. Zik saw the problem and snatched a device from one of his vest pockets. He helped us down and then fussed with our makeshift clothing like a tailor. The bottom was shortened from mid-calf to knee with the tiny tool and he used the excess material as a sash around our middle. We couldn’t see what he did at our back but the neckline got much smaller, no longer threatening to slide away. The material was heavy but soft like silk.

  Sil stood observing with one hand cupping an elbow and the other under his chin. White teeth flashed as he smiled. “You are quite good at that, Zik. I am pleased.”

  Hershey gave one last fussy tug at the loose cloth gathered in the sway of our spine before standing tall. Something about his demeanor screamed embarrassment at the praise. “I have many sisters.”

  We were still barefoot but no longer naked at least. The band that had held our brown hair in a messy bun had dissolved as well. Cass grabbed a strand and pulled it forward for examination then tossed it back over our shoulder when it passed inspection.

  I said through barely parted lips, “So are we going to embarrass Kal looking like a ragamuffin when we testify?”

  Sil’s cheeks mounded on either side of his nose like ripe plums as his mouth drew upward. “Not at all, my ladies. It would be good for you to be seen in my Guild’s colors.”

  Cass pushed back in control of our body with firm annoyance. She sent at me, “I know we need to practice but you need to include me on your intentions when you want to pilot, Silver. It’s kinda scary when you take over without warning. Think it to me and then do it, okay?”

  “Fine. I thought we were supposed to be practicing switching back and forth? So now you’re gonna change your mind, Sister?” I fired back.

  “That’s not it and you know it. You aren’t working with me, you’re commandeering on a whim without sharing your plans or thoughts.” Cass’s mental tone was frustrated with a little fear thrown in for good measure.

  The fear drew me up short. Was my own sister afraid of me?

  She caught the thought and sent a gush of apology before thinking, “It’s not that, Silver. Sometimes, though, you’re just so sure about everything that I feel overwhelmed. Do you want to take over? Is that really what you want—me out of the way?”

  Emotional recoil knocked me flat. If Cass could think that about me how were we going to live with one another? I didn’t want my twin gone. How would I even live without her? I wanted to run away and hide in the Web but that was a luxury we couldn’t afford.

  “I didn’t mean to wound you, Silver. We’re in this together, no doubt. Would you rather I not be honest with you to spare your feelings?” Gentle coaxing emotions flexed outward from Cass.

  Sil interrupted our inner dialog with a tap on our bicep. “Pez is here. It is time.”

  Our stomach tightened at the idea of throwing up again.

  Pez stood imp
atiently tapping a foot with his thumbs tucked into the front of his sash. His eyes traveled from our bare feet to the top of our unbound mop of hair. His head wove side to side before he baldly stated, “Changing her clothes will not change Kal’s fate.”

  Ignoring the comment Sil gave his back in answer, blocking Pez from our sight completely with his broad shoulders and bent down to tuck something soft in both our ear canals. He slid warm fingers down our arm and cupped our hand in his own as if we were a small child. His mouth brushed the shell of our ear as he whispered, “These should help with the illness until you adjust. You will still feel unwell but not enough to embarrass us. For the sake of Kal you must be composed.”

  Cass was a jangle of nerves so I murmured back, “Got it.”

  The foot tapping stopped as Pez reached out to grasp our shoulder. Sil jerked on our hands where they were clasped, making us stumble back a step. “I will have her as my rider. Your assistance is not required, only your presence for the security protocols. Let us go.”

  He gave Sil a long blink, face stilled. “I do not make a good enemy.”

  Our temporary guardian grinned. “Nor a good friend, so what will you ever be but a hindrance?”

  Zik stepped forward, touching three fingers to his forehead. “The data you gathered will keep us occupied while we await your return. Knowledge does not rest.”

  This time Sil’s friendly expression was genuine.

  Without warning the gray granite cavern faded around the edges into snowy visual static. Cass closed our eyes and I concentrated on letting go of our body. I supplied the mental picture of a raging river and my twin pictured us being swept along like a ragdoll in every whirling current. Suddenly our river morphed into a glassily smooth lake where our body refused to make a ripple.

  Calm infused our core and our minds filled with hope.

  Chapter Five: Blind Trust

  Sil squeezed our knuckle bones together almost painfully and I lifted our lashes lazily. Black and white swam into focus. Monochromatic striations in shining marble walls sharpened into being. Perhaps they’d skinned a herd of zebra’s and converted their hides to rock? Who knew what technology they possessed? In front of the diagonal pattern was a U-shaped table that glittered in the faint light like the inside of a geode.

  Three Axsians stood alert but aloof. Fid Tal was in the center and the farthest forward. Her hair shone with the reflected colors dancing around the room. She may have been a witch to us, but we couldn’t fault her alien beauty. If we were from another time, say ancient Greece or Rome, we might have mistaken her for Athena or Diana. To either side on Fid Tal’s flanks stood two other imposing female figures, one of which flashed a look of annoyed familiarity at Sil. Her skin matched our companion’s dark shade and her hair was dyed the same light brown. Perhaps they were siblings?

  Cassandra took a moment to listen to our body and was pleasantly surprised when we had no urge to vomit on the seamless cold floor.

  I wiggled our toes experimentally and Cass mentally lamented our lack of underwear. It was making her feel indecent, especially in front of our disapproving audience. I relaxed and shared the memory of the mirrored lake, filling us both with calm. Our body immediately went from a wary guarded stance to a humming heavy-limbed home.

  Sil squeezed our hand again and we realized a question had been asked.

  Impatiently Fid Tal said, “Are you here of your own free will?”

  Still wallowing in the memory of peace we’d shared, it was a struggle to care enough to form words with our lips but we managed. The double timbre of our voice echoed around the room, filling it with a choir of our simple, “Yes.”

  No one else spoke until silence returned to the Judgment Chamber.

  Fid Tal tried to stare us into submission or at least fear. Her Highness’s intimidation attempt floated past us on the breeze of our indifference. Our eyes bore into hers until she fussed with her collar then her braid as an excuse to turn away. She was already our enemy, what exactly did we have to lose by not bowing down?

  Sil squeezed our hand again as a silent signal. Cass tilted our head lackadaisically at the towering physician and our vision expanded, taking in everything down to the tiny pores in his skin. Something was wrong and we knew it. This wasn’t normal. We were in the grip of something and unable to stop it. Our inhibitions remained intact—we just didn’t care as much that they existed.

  In a dreamy voice I said, “Your face looks funny, Sil. When did you get craters in your cheeks?”

  Cass giggled then slapped a hand over our mouth.

  Our flesh began to tingle.

  Sil spoke in urgent tones to the three women behind the U-shaped glittering table, spouting something about unexpected side effects of a medication on our alien physiology. That was nonsense. The buzzing rippling sensation on our skin intensified as our emotions crested with a combination of elation and confusion.

  The room became silent again.

  Fid Tal’s voice shattered the quiet like a loud TV suddenly taken off mute. “Where has it gone? What have you done, Sil? No one and I mean no one can enter or leave this chamber without my permission. It is impossible!” She slammed her fist on the table in indignation. The other two females were whispering in disbelief to one another.

  We were right here, holding Sil’s hand. What did Her Highness mean, where were we? Was she blind?

  Strangely enough Sil smiled. “This proves my point. A mutation has occurred before our eyes. Most likely through physical contact, our guests have absorbed the Axsian capability to bend light. If you do not believe me…come touch them if you dare.”

  Another voice, this from the direction of the female that seemed to know Sil, scoffed. “Surely you jest, brother. You would love to make us a fool. Release her and we will see if she reappears.”

  Why this would matter we didn’t know. Sil removed his hand from ours making us feel a little abandoned. That was just silly but the emotion lingered.

  Our gaze wandered around the room, alternating between close up and far away. We needed to get this under control. Right when it seemed like we might have blinked our way into regular twenty-twenty vision the colors around us came to life. Cass gasped as the room flickered between vibrant red, deep orange, sunny yellow, lime green, royal blue, steely indigo, and midnight violet. It changed again and suddenly everything looked blurred like a tilted holographic image on a 3D puzzle box. This was making us want to squeeze our eyes shut until the world returned to normal.

  We were so caught up in our visual drama we forgot about the invisibility debate until Sil smacked our elbow with his questing palm. I raised our arm in front of our face but failed to see anything.

  Our lassitude leaked away as Cass squeaked out, “Holy crap, Sil! Why can’t we see our hand?”

  I forced air into our lungs and pushed the thought of our diaphragm compressing and our ribs expanding at my twin. She slapped our hands to our cheeks then patted all along our front.

  Sil finally found our shoulder. “It will be okay. You will learn to control the light. Close your eyes and concentrate on being visible. Picture all of the colors that make up your human skin and try to recreate them with your mind.”

  The physical contact was grounding. Warmth penetrated the thin cloth under Sil’s palm and matched the tone of his words perfectly. Instead of picturing our skin, my sister and I both sought the mirrored calm of the lake. The relaxation lapped over us like the ripples that refused to mar the water’s surface. This time we didn’t revel in the peacefulness, but cleared our minds instead.

  Something was indeed happening out of the ordinary. If Sil’s theory of our mutation was correct and we did absorb the capability to bend light, then perhaps this was what it meant to be a Vector? In molecular biology a vector was a vehicle used to transfer genetic material to a target cell. What if we were transferring certain DNA information from those we touched to ourselves?

  “Do you think it can go the other direction? Can we pass
things on to others? After all, you do that in the Web when you heal. You called it a virus that helped instead of hindered and you’re the one who told me the lines between the physical world and the Web are an illusion,” Cass theorized.

  She had a point. I wanted us in control though, and currently we were careening through our Axsian experience like a rabid unicyclist. The memory of the way our skin had tingled earlier came to mind. If light was bent around us maybe we could ‘unwrap’ ourselves. I pictured a banana peel all around our body. At the top of our head I imagined the stem and we went through the mental motions of cracking it backwards then yanking a section down our front. Cass held our arm out and whooped out loud when the familiar pale freckle dotted appendage became visible. We mentally stepped free of the ‘peel’.

  When we looked to Sil he was smiling ear to ear and his coal black eyes reflected back the lights dancing around the room making his expression delightedly magical.

  His voice was filled with wonder as he said, “Yes, exactly so my children.”

  Our elation at our success was deflated as Fid Tal snapped, “Enough of these distractions. You may leave.”

  The lights died in Sil’s eyes as he turned to face Her Highness. “Will you take these events as further proof in Kal’s judgment?”

  Fid Tal flung her thick black braid over her shoulder and brought up her chin. “Judgment is my purview. I will review the evidence as I see fit.”

  Sil pleaded with his eyes at the woman who’d scoffed in disbelief and called him brother. Fid Tal caught the exchange and growled out, “You are dismissed, Guild Master. Take it with you.”

  The one female who hadn’t spoken through the whole fiasco addressed the room. Her voice was lush and fine as if a thousand tiny bells rang at the end of every word. “I will be watching this one’s progress. If Guild Master Sil would permit, I would request to be allowed access to the study of this Singularity?”