Shift

by Raine Thomas

  Ini-herit nodded as though to himself. “Perhaps she was uncomfortable expressing her repressed anger to anyone else here. All of you have been nothing but helpful to her as she recovers. No one is forcing her to move forward with recovering the scroll pieces, despite the importance of that task. And no one is pressing her to overcome her fears…which essentially leaves her facing them alone.”

  “She feels guilty and angry,” Quincy said as understanding dawned. “Zachariah gave her an outlet for those emotions.”

  The elder didn’t reply. They both watched as Tiege cupped the side of Ariana’s face. When he started leaning toward her with the obvious intent to kiss her, Quincy turned away. It was clear that Ariana wouldn’t need his assistance at this point. The elder turned with him and they started walking back toward the paddock.

  “But Zachariah doesn’t know anything about human emotions,” Quincy said, still trying to rationalize what he saw. “He orders Tate around like she can’t think for herself and objects to nearly everything she wears, dragging her off to lecture her every other moment. For heaven’s sake, he just thrashed Sophia—a much smaller being—during their training session without a second thought.”

  The training paddock came into sight. Gabriel was even then placing his hands on Zachariah’s chest as Tate looked on with tears in her eyes. Sophia had her arm around her cousin’s waist and appeared more pale than usual. Blue-gray light flashed, causing Zachariah to issue a searing curse as his wounds healed. Because he was a Mercesti, the blessed healing didn’t come without pain.

  “Did he now?” Ini-herit murmured.

  Quincy started to respond, but stopped himself. He was full of questions now, when before he had been so sure about everything.

  Ini-herit stopped walking, causing Quincy to also stop. The elder’s silver eyes were depthless as he said, “It seems to me that emotions cloud judgment. I caution you not to draw conclusions about Zachariah’s actions until you know him better.”

  His gaze shifted to the paddock. Clara Kate was looking up at them, but she glanced away when he turned in her direction. His voice was quieter when he added, “Always know, Quincy, that a being does not have to experience or exhibit emotion to know how his thoughts and actions impact others.”

  It took a couple of hours for Eirik to reach his destination. He left Deimos behind in their mockery of a shelter. If the fiend was gone when he returned, he really didn’t care.

  Metis was taking much too long to fulfill her end of their bargain. She wouldn’t provide him with any details, making him question her honesty. The fact that he didn’t share the bulk of his plans with her was irrelevant.

  Much as he had suspected, the two Mercesti he sought were just where he left them a few weeks ago. Bertram and Tycho were practically useless without leadership. They had all but fallen over themselves to please him over the years just so that they had some form of direction in their meaningless lives.

  While Eirik normally would have considered them too weak to serve him much purpose, they had provided him with one of the keys he now knew he needed to recover the Elder Scroll. If it hadn’t been for them, he was loath to admit, he would never have discovered the piece of the scroll he now had.

  When he had cast them out of his group of followers for taking unapproved liberties with the Lekwuesti, Ariana, who was helping him find the scroll, Bertram and Tycho captured the lost Kynzesti who he now knew was named Tate. They had figured that he would allow them back into the fold if they presented him with such a rare and valuable captive. Fortunately for them, they had been correct.

  Although he hadn’t known exactly what he would do with the unusual female, he was only too aware of the leverage she provided him. As a Kynzesti, she had blood ties to the Gloresti elder, Gabriel. What would the elders be willing to do to spare her life?

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t been given time to answer that question because Zachariah entered the scene. Eirik still wondered about the other Mercesti’s motives. Zachariah claimed to only be interested in the hunt of the Kynzesti female, but Eirik thought there must be more to it than that. The former Gloresti commander had been impossible to read, however. Then, while Eirik was negotiating with Zachariah for the exchange of the Kynzesti for the services of the Lekwuesti, everything had gone to hell.

  In the end, it had been Tate who shattered the illusion protecting the scroll piece from his view. It had only required her contact with the illusion to dissolve it. He now knew that he required Ariana to locate the scroll piece and Tate to get through any protections surrounding it.

  As for Zachariah, he was a clear competitor. He had placed himself between Tate and Eirik’s cursed kris, taking the deadly strike himself. This told him that Zachariah was a step ahead of him regarding finding the scroll pieces. The other male had obviously known that the Kynzesti female could see the truth in lies, and he had tried to spare her life so he could make further use of her. He must have also known that the scroll was in more than one piece—something Eirik only discovered after the fact. Which meant Zachariah was a dangerous and well-informed opponent.

  In light of this, Eirik wasn’t content waiting for Metis to fulfill her mysterious plans. If Zachariah was out there seeking the scroll and already had that much knowledge about obtaining it, there was no more time to be wasted.

  As he approached from the air, Eirik discovered that the site where he had obtained the scroll piece was now barren outside of the mountain, the trees and the two Mercesti camping there. He landed and extinguished his wings, then eyed the two males sleeping side by side with unconcealed contempt. He briefly reconsidered his decision, but knew he had little choice but to move forward.

  “Wake up,” he ordered.

  Bertram and Tycho both jerked awake and got to their feet within seconds, redeeming themselves at least a little. When they had drawn their swords and realized who stood before them, they quickly lowered their weapons and fell to one knee.

  “We are at your service, my lord,” they said.

  “Then get up.”

  They rose. He studied them as he weighed how much to share with them. Bertram was shorter than most males, his wiry build giving him an advantage against larger opponents…never a bad thing. His dark, unkempt hair fell past his shoulders, reminding Eirik a bit of Deimos. There were deep scars on his face, but since Eirik bore his own facial scars, this made no impression on him.

  Tycho was taller and notably more muscular than his companion. His hair was dark blond and even longer than Bertram’s, but no more maintained. His red eyes never stopped moving. Eirik knew that of the two, Bertram was generally the one who gave the orders and Tycho was more unpredictable.

  “You must recover the Kynzesti female that you gifted me,” he said.

  They both blinked over the command. Then they exchanged glances. Eventually, Bertram spoke.

  “If I might ask why—”

  “You may not.”

  They exchanged another glance over his tone. He crossed his arms and stared down at them, daring them to press him.

  “But she was taken from here by a kragen, my lord,” Bertram said. “If she is even still alive, she is within the protections around her homeland by now.”

  “Your point?” Eirik asked coldly.

  Bertram stared at him for a long moment. Tycho looked at Bertram. Eirik saw the smaller male weighing their options. He was smart enough to know that to deny Eirik was to ensure their deaths.

  Finally, he bowed his head and said, “Just that…we will get to work trying to find her right away.”

  Eirik contained his satisfaction and nodded. “I expect you to make haste.”

  “Yes, my lord. Where may we find you so that we may bring her to you when we find her?”

  Pausing, Eirik considered how to answer. In the end, he saw no other option than to give them the truth.

  “I cannot be certain where I will be, depending upon how soon you locate the female. However, you can begin by looking for me in the fo
rests surrounding the home of Kanika…the supposed Mercesti leader.”

  Chapter 10

  Knorbis and Malukali traveled to Kanika’s home with a host of Waresti. It took them nearly two days of flight time to reach their destination. Neither of them minded, however. As long as they were together, they were content.

  “Judging by the reports sent to Uriel by lieutenant Donald,” Knorbis said as they ate a light lunch on the last leg of their journey, “Kanika’s behavior has been rather unpredictable.”

  Malukali sensed the responding thoughts of the Waresti around them, and filtered them very naturally as she ate the slice of cheese that her husband handed to her. His words were entirely for the benefit of their company. The two of them knew each other’s thoughts and feelings better than any other two beings possibly could.

  “You will want to be sure you’re on guard,” he continued. “Donald indicated that she responds better to females.” Here, he frowned. “Unfortunately, the one Waresti female with whom she had the best relationship has gone missing. She apparently never returned from a recent scouting assignment. Donald and his team are still looking for her.”

  More thoughts flowed around them. Again, Malukali filtered them. After centuries of having the thoughts of all Estilorians running through her mind, she had learned how to sort them without it requiring any concentration on her part.

  “We hope that Kanika will listen to what we have to say, thus beginning to ease her from her trauma-induced state,” Knorbis said.

  Although the majority of the Waresti with them were well-aware of these facts, a few of them had only just joined them. Knorbis felt it best to give everyone the same warning. Malukali could only appreciate the consideration he was giving Kanika’s mental state by issuing these instructions.

  “Of course, archigos,” replied the lead Waresti, Esteban. “We will keep our distance so that you may approach the Mercesti leader without interference.”

  “Thank you.”

  Knorbis caught Malukali’s gaze. She smiled over the look in his deep purple eyes. Since they were focused on helping Kanika, it had now been a number of days since they last had a chance to be together in an intimate way. As a result, her husband’s thoughts had begun to stray into the inappropriate realm. In fact, his current thoughts had her cheeks flushing.

  Focus, darling, she thought with amusement as she bit into an apple slice.

  I’m trying. But you don’t make it easy.

  I’m not doing anything.

  You’re breathing.

  She laughed at that, unable to help herself. She didn’t care that the Waresti around them watched her with uncertain expressions. When Knorbis leaned down and kissed her, she met him halfway.

  They hit the air not long after that, reaching Kanika’s holding within a couple of hours. Although the elders had offered to protect Kanika’s home with similar enchantments to those surrounding their own homes, she had refused. The other elders, after all, had protected their homes largely from the Mercesti. From whom would she be protecting herself? Her own class?

  In the end, only the air around her home had any enchantments on it. Beings could only enter if they walked through the main gate.

  Lieutenant Donald stood at that gate when Knorbis, Malukali and their escorts arrived. He wore a concerned expression.

  “Greetings, archigos,” he said, bowing deeply with his right arm crossed over his chest. “Thank you very much for making this trip.”

  “Of course, lieutenant,” Malukali said. “How is Kanika?”

  Turning to lead them into the large stone mansion, Donald replied, “Not as well as one should hope, I am afraid. She spends the majority of her time in her bedroom, refusing to see us. Ever since Gwendolyn went missing, we haven’t had a female here who could help ease her discomfort.”

  Malukali nodded in understanding. “I hope she will at least speak to me. I can always reduce her anxiety if she requests it. She needs to talk about what she went through if she is to begin healing.”

  There were a number of Mercesti inside the home alongside the Waresti. The thoughts that she picked up from them were generally distrustful of her and Knorbis’ presence. This wasn’t unexpected in light of the fact that they were in Kanika’s home, but Malukali had to wonder whether the high number of aggressive Mercesti males contributed to Kanika’s continued distress. She could only imagine how hard it would be to try and govern a class when members of that class had turned against her in such a violent way.

  They reached the double doors leading to Kanika’s bedroom a moment later. Donald knocked.

  “Yes?”

  The voice belonged to Kanika, but it definitely sounded strained. Malukali opened her thoughts to try and gauge the mindset of the female on the other side of the door. She was surprised when she encountered unusual resistance. Frowning in concern, she wondered if the trauma had been even more impactful to Kanika’s psyche than she feared. She exchanged a look and thought with Knorbis.

  “I have brought archigos Malukali and—” Donald began.

  The door flew open. Kanika stood in the doorway, her long, black hair unbound and unbrushed. “Why did you not say so?” she demanded.

  The nightgown she wore barely covered her, and Malukali couldn’t help but find it an unusual wardrobe choice in light of the recent abuse she suffered. Then again, it seemed the Mercesti leader was far from in a rational state of mind.

  “I apologize,” Donald said with a slight bow. He gave the elders a look that clearly said, See what I mean?

  “Hello, Kanika,” Malukali said, giving her a small smile. “I am sorry it has taken us so long to get here.”

  “I should think you would be sorry,” Kanika said, making Malukali blink in surprise. Then she waved a hand in apparent dismissal. “I will get my robe and you will join me for tea. We have much to discuss.”

  Knorbis touched Malukali’s arm. “I will leave you two to have your discussion.”

  “Nonsense,” Kanika said as she walked back into her dimly-lit chamber and picked up the robe that lay over the back of a chaise near her bed. “I wish to speak with both of you.”

  She appears stronger in spirit than Donald depicted, Knorbis mused with some confusion.

  I can sense that he’s also puzzled by her behavior, Malukali returned. But what do we know of her mindset? I can tell something is different. Her thoughts are terribly jumbled. I have heard of humans undergoing something of a mind-split when they are extremely traumatized. Perhaps that is what occurred here, though I have never seen this among Estilorians.

  He didn’t argue. Kanika emerged from the room in her robe and brushed past them. Her movements were almost what humans called manic, lending credence to Malukali’s guess. Malukali and Knorbis turned to follow her. Donald trailed behind them, along with a handful of Waresti. They ended up at a library. A Mercesti was setting a small table with tea and biscuits.

  “We will meet alone, Nigil,” Kanika said authoritatively, and the male bowed and exited the room. Seeing that Donald and his Waresti had walked in, Kanika’s eyes widened. “I will not talk with these—males in here.”

  Her voice trembled. Malukali turned and gave Donald a nod, indicating that she and Knorbis would be okay. After a moment of hesitation, Donald bowed and left the room along with the other Waresti.

  “Thank you,” Kanika said, placing a hand on her chest and taking one of the seats situated around the small table holding the tea set. “I am sure you must think me without sanity. I know that I am not making much sense these days.”

  “Please don’t worry about it, Kanika,” Malukali said gently as she and Knorbis took the other two seats at the table. “We know that you have endured much. We want only to help you.”

  Kanika sighed. “Again, thank you.” She reached for the teapot. “I hope you will both join me in a cup of tea. I have found that such mundane tasks help calm me.”

  “Of course,” Knorbis said.

  Malukali knew that he, like
her, wasn’t thirsty since they had only just eaten lunch a few hours before, but they weren’t about to upset the fragile female right then. When Kanika handed them cups and saucers, they accepted them.

  “Sugar or cream?” Kanika asked.

  “No, thank you,” Malukali replied. When they all had their tea, she asked, “How are you feeling, Kanika? Is there anything we can do for you?”

  The other female fiddled with her saucer, appearing uncertain. “I have been having trouble remembering things,” she said in a quiet voice.

  “We can help you with that,” Knorbis said. He exchanged a look with Malukali. “It would be painless and…we could avoid bringing forth any of your more painful memories.”

  “You can?”

  “Yes,” Malukali confirmed. She started to reach out to touch Kanika’s hand, but the Mercesti pulled away. Understanding, Malukali returned her hands to her teacup. “We have the ability to pull forth memories that have been suppressed by trauma.”

  There was a long pause as Kanika considered this. To occupy herself in the silence, Malukali took a sip of her tea, noting its floral aroma. It smelled familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

  What’s in this tea? she thought.

  Knorbis tasted it so he could answer her. Malukali’s head felt strange. It was when she started to see two of her husband and her tongue grew thick in her mouth that she realized she hadn’t drunk tea at all. They had just ingested a beverage made of the highly toxic koimoumai flower.

  As darkness and fear claimed her, she had the final, certain thought that she would never see her husband again.

  Chapter 11

  As afternoon approached on the day after the training session, Quincy walked in the front door to Sophia’s family home. He had long ago learned that knocking was unnecessary. The Kynzesti and their parents all came and went between their homes as they pleased. It made for a warm and welcoming family environment within the homeland, even if it was very different from what an Estilorian usually experienced.