Ullok stepped out and joined the rest of the pack at the base of a tree. If the other huntresses had any objection to Ilrica’s presence, they kept it to themselves. A couple of the young males eyed her lustfully. It scared her at first, but then decided it was rather flattering, all things considered.
Ullok tapped two fingers against his wrist and they were off like a shot. Leaping from tree to tree, dodging long barbed vines that lashed out at them, Ilrica could barely keep up. When they all jumped over a sharp ravine, she had to fly across for fear of shorting the jump. That’s when she realized the others weren’t using their powers at all, only their natural agility.
“Are they testing me?” she wondered as she fought to keep up. Ilrica ducked below a venomous barb just in time. It snagged off a piece of her skirt, and she had to cut herself free with her kryssa knife before a second and third vine could get a hold of her.
“These school uniforms are terrible for hunting.”
Finally, they reached their destination, a clearing at the base of a fuming line of volcanoes, several hundred parns to the east. Ilrica was so out of breath she could barely stand, but she refused to let it show. She forced herself to breath normally, even though her lungs were on fire.
While Ullok looked on, the huntresses scared away a pack of carnivorous lizards that were scuttling about. Ilrica, eager to prove herself, jumped in the middle of a dozen of them and lashed out in all directions, scattering them effectively but wasting an awful lot of energy doing so.
When the foothills were cleared, Ullok cupped his hands and made a long trumpeting howl. For a moment nothing happened, but then the volcanoes began to stir. Ilrica fought to stay on her feet as the mountains rose up out of the earth and stretched. That’s when she realized that they were not mountains at all, but vents on the back of enormous creatures.
They were stooped over, long rocky limbs hanging down, veins of liquid metal pulsing underneath stony skin. Their scales were thick, and covered nearly every surface on their bodies. When they turned to face them, their eyes were deep, glowing vents of heat.
Ilrica was a little daunted at having creatures the size of cities turn to face her, but the rest of the pack was unmoved, so she tried to act like this was a normal thing.
Ullok stepped forward and addressed the monster, his deep voice somehow carrying over the hiss of superheated air crackling out from beneath the creature’s rocky scales. “I am Ullok Lyall, Alpha of the Ulric Clan. We have come to hunt your kind. By the code set forth by our Goddess Faelan, I offer you the rite of Kaaik ZellBriegan. You may select the strongest among you to face me alone in a duel of honor. If you do so, you will be granted a ten cycle reprieve from future hunts, regardless of the outcome. If you do not, then I will release my clan to hunt you at will.”
The three volcano beasts looked at each other with something like mirth. When the lead one turned back, it brought up a massive fist and brought it down.
“DIE!” it roared.
Everyone scattered out of the way as a fist of stone the size of a city park collided with the ground, uprooting trees for hundreds of parns and sending up a ploom of dust into the upper atmosphere.
“We have our answer,” Ullok roared amid the dust. “Attack!”
Ullok drew his knife and ran up the creature’s arm, dragging the edge of the blade as he went, leaving a sparking trail of amber and violet, drawing its attention away from the younger Bertulf.
Ilrica and three others focused their necass on the beast’s fist, stripping away layers of stone scales and sending them high into the sky. When an area of earthen flesh was exposed, Accalia and two of the young males dove inside, penetrating the skin with their claws then swimming within, tearing and clawing their way deeper and deeper into the limb.
The creature roared; superheated steam and molten metal pouring from its mouth as it recoiled its wounded hand.
Ilrica zipped away just in time to avoid the downpour. Ending up next to one of its four thick legs, she plunged her glowing claws into the stony hide and orbited around the leg. Faster and faster she flew, each pass cutting deeper into the creature.
Ullok reached the monster’s shoulder, barely avoiding a swatting hand as he skidded out along the breastbone, he launched himself upwards punching into the beast’s chin and disappeared within.
Ilrica spun around like a lathe, the contrails of her glowing claws burring together into a spinning coil. She cut deeper and deeper into the leg, now surrounded above and below with dripping, earthy flesh.
Like a lumberjack she whittled the leg down to a tiny little core, then flew away just as three huntresses lashed out with their necass, bending the leg and snapping the massive bone.
The mountain above them began to topple. The pack scattered in all directions as it fell, tearing apart the landscape and creating an earthquake that would be felt across the continent.
The dust cloud blotted out the sun. Creatures fled in every direction. Distantly Ilrica could make out the rest of the clan having similar success with the other two creatures.
The monster before them faded, the furnace of its body going cold as Ullok burst out from one cavernous eye, having pulped its brain from within. A ray of sunlight silhouetted his rippling wet body as Ilrica looked on.
“I can see why this guy is an Alpha,” she said to herself, her tongue hanging out.
Ilrica couldn’t believe how excited she felt as three of the huntresses cut out the creature’s enormous heart and held it aloft. The pack howled, and Ilrica could not stop herself from joining in. It came from deep within her, a powerful instinct long suppressed, now let loose in all of its savage power.
Even though the monsters had refused Kaaik ZellBriegan, Ullok allowed the other two beasts to leave with their lives. The younger males harassed them for some time, shouting taunts and whooping it up as they trundled away, cradling their injuries, but Ullok was different. He stood before the fallen mountain and bowed to one knee, honoring its fighting spirit, and wishing it a speedy return to the lands of the living, so that they may have a chance to face it again.
As the meat from the building-sized heart was carved up, each member of the pack, starting with the eldest, then working down to the youngest, brought forward a piece of the choicest cut and laid it down at the feet of Ullok, bowing before him. He bowed back, acknowledging their skills and affirming their honor. They looked up at him with devotion and reverence in their eyes.
When it came time for Ilrica, she fidgeted with her piece.
“You do not honor our Alpha?” Accalia sneered.
“I’m sorry,” Ilrica said, fearing the worst, “I do not mean to...”
Ullok raised his knife and looked on her firmly. “I believe I understand. In your heart, that offering belongs to another.”
Ilrica blushed brightly. “Yes.”
Ullok smiled and stood up to his full height, towering over her.
Ilrica winced in anticipation.
A smile crept across his lips. “Then you should go give it to him.”
Ilrica smiled happily in relief and flew off, making her way back towards the windtunnel.
As he watched her disappear into the distance, Accalia came up and stood alongside him. “She is small and slow. She tires quickly and she is sloppy, but she is not completely useless either,” she appraised. “Is she to join us for future hunts, then?”
Ullok looked back at her. “I have watched that girl fight for a place among us since she was a cub. She saved us all from Liufr’s misguidance, and set us back on the true path. She has looked out for us ever since, making sure that no Alliance trick of word or pen takes advantage of us. She has forced our enemies to treat us fairly and honorably, and has asked the same of us. What more proof do I need of the purity of her blood?”
“Faelan will never accept her, and the other Alphas...”
“I do not ask them to.”
Accalia bowed respectfully. “If this is where you lead, then we will follow, Aatu
u.”
Ullok placed a hand on her shoulder respectfully. “I am honored to have hunters such as you.”
* * *
Gerald sat quietly beside her as Nikki slept. Several times she had awoken, afraid in the dark, and he had been there each time to help soothe her back to sleep. Trahzi was in another bed, with Gerald in between them, still dealing with sleeping issues of her own. Gerald knew it would be a long time before she would be able to sleep through the night by herself.
Cadbury slept happily in her nest, clucking softly. Her feet would scratch out, and her head would bob back, as if she were eating the most delicious worm. She clucked happily and drifted into a deeper sleep.
Gerald smiled. “At least someone here has good dreams.”
The door slid open and Cha’Rolette floated in. My goodness, Gerald, how many girls do you have sleeping in your room?
Gerald closed his book. “Just the three.”
Cha’Rolette looked around. Is Zurra here too?
“I mean Cadbury.”
Oh.
Cha’Rolette sat down on the bed next to him and looked at Nikki. He could see how conflicted she was. Cha’Rolette flexed her left hand, forcing it to open and close.
Does she have any family? She asked at length.
“We don’t know. That’s one of the things I hope to find out.”
Cha’Rolette’s hard eyes softened. So she might have a family, people who right now are looking for her, wondering where she is?
“I hope so.”
Why?
“Because that means there’s a happy ending for her, once you restore her memory.”
Cha’Rolette sighed. You still think I’m going to do it, even after what I said?
“I have faith in people to do the right thing. You’re a good person, Duchess. I believe in you.”
She scoffed softly. I’ve been called many things, but never a good person.
She stood up and floated away. She paused at the door to look back over her shoulder.
I’ll do it in the morning. Give me a few hours to prepare.
* * *
“Kana’ssshyta’rya no’ iba kla Aatuu,” Ilrica said, laying the piece of meat at Gerald’s feet.
“Oh, thank you,” he said, remembering to turn his translator on. “What kind of meat is it?”
“I don’t even know, that’s the best part,” she said, giddy with joy. “I’m not even sure what world we were on, but there’s no way it was Alliance. I think it was one of those death worlds, the ones the survey drones mark as too dangerous for colonization then skip over.”
Ilrica was nearly jumping up and down with excitement.
“Wow, that sounds amazing,” he said, inspecting the meat. “Your first hunt. That is wonderful. It sure smells good, too. Thank you, Ilrica. I’ll cook it up for dinner.”
Ilrica swooned at the praise. She waltzed for the door, humming happily to herself.
Gerald was glad to see her so happy. Then something scratched at his brain. He didn’t speak Bertulf, but a familiar word had caught his ear.
“Hey Ilrica, did you refer to me as your Aatuu when you gave me this?”
“Maybe,” she said, giving a playful wink, then danced out into the hallway.
* * *
Gerald didn’t know the first thing about the mountains of machines that were being wheeled into his room. He couldn’t identify any of them, much less guess what they did, but he did know that Cha’Rolette had never been more serious in her life than when she told him not to touch any of them.
Trahzi and Zurra played UNO in the corner, the puppy in Trahzi’s lap, Cadbury perched atop Zurra’s head. Cadbury pecked at Zurra’s head and stretched out some of her hair like taffy.
“Ow! Quit it!” Zurra said, shooing her away.
Nikki squeezed Gerald’s hand as she looked on at the preparations.
Ilrica was still humming happily to herself as she set down the final device.
Ilrica, I’m going to ask you to do backup for me, I don’t know if she’s got any subconscious barriers up, but if she does, I’ll need you to pull them down, Cha’Rolette said as she double checked all the connections.
“Sounds like fun. When you get fried I’ll get a front row seat.”
I’m not going to fry myself!
Cha’Rolette grabbed one of Nikki’s dreadlocks and extended it towards her.
...But best to use a dummy barrier just in case, she resolved, plugging a collar into her neck, then plugging the dreadlock into the collar.
Nikki became frightened as the new inputs reached her.
“It’s okay, Nikki,” Gerald soothed. “Remember what we talked about? She is going to help you remember, okay?”
Nikki grabbed his hand with both of hers. “But I don’t want to remember!”
“No, not the bad things, the good things. Just the good things, okay?”
She looked like she was about to panic. Her eyes flicked to the door momentarily.
“She’s gonna make a run for it,” Ilrica warned.
“Hey, listen to me Nikki, okay? Look into my eyes. Look at me.”
Nikki looked at him, her breathing quick and erratic.
“Nikki, you just have to ask yourself one thing, all right? Just one thing.”
“What’s that?” she asked, terrified.
“Do you trust me?”
Her breathing gradually slowed down.
“Do you trust me?” he asked again.
She nodded. “Yes.”
Gerald smiled. “Then believe me when I say, everything is going to be okay. I know this will help you.”
“Or fry your brain,” Ilrica coughed into her hand.
Gerald threw his shoe at her, but she ducked underneath it.
All right, I need you to lower your attack barriers. Can you do that for me?
Nikki nodded. The window next to Cha’Rolette showed a series of locks going from red to green.
Ilrica extended out one of the dreadlocks and looked at the specialized plug at the end. “Man, these are nice. I have got to get me some of these.” She plugged it into her console, then pulled a cable from the console and plugged it into her own neck.
“I’m not sure you could pull off the Rastafarian look,” Zurra quipped.
Ilrica closed her eyes, her eyes flicking beneath her lids like she was in a dream. “Oh wow, got some nasty subconscious traps in there. Best I’ve seen. Gimme a sec to bring them down.”
Gerald squeezed her hand. Nikki tried to control her breathing and lay down calmly.
“Okay, should be safe to access her mind now, I’ll monitor from here,” Ilrica reported.
Cha’Rolette massaged her left hand, flexing it open and closed. You’re sure?
Ilrica shrugged. “Pretty sure.”
Cha’Rolette motioned to the rest of the devices. Um, could you...
Nikki’s dreadlocks came to life and plugged themselves into the bays of machines surrounding her. It looked like she was at the center of a room-wide spider’s web.
Ah, yes, thank you.
Cha’Rolette closed her eyes and the windows around her became a blur of activity. Gerald could only watch on as millions of screens worth of data flowed by.
Nikki’s eyes were flickering in sync with the other girls’. She did her best to relax as Gerald held her. Gradually, Cha’Rolette’s ta’atu began glowing, dimly at first, then with increasing intensity, lighting up the room.
“What are you doing now?” Gerald asked.
Cha’Rolette raised an eyebrow, but kept her eyes closed. You’re seriously going to interrupt me when I’m doing something this delicate?
Gerald dropped his head. “Sorry.”
Cha’Rolette took a deep breath. No it’s okay, I’m just a little...
“Nervous?” Ilrica teased
Cautious. You would do well to look up the meaning sometime, furball.
“Hehe.”
Right now I’m just doing a surface scan. Nothing too de
ep. Already I can see it’s a real mess in there. Whatever telepath they used was very sloppy. That’s why her memories are leaking everywhere. It’s embarrassing actually.
Her ta’atu faded for a moment, and she lost her balance. From her console, Ilrica grew concerned.
“You okay?”
Cha’Rolette grabbed her desk to steady herself. I’m fine, it’s just... I haven’t done this since my accident. It’s... harder than it used to be.
Trahzi and Zurra looked at each other in concern. Gerald remained steadfast and confident.
The process began. Nikki’s eyes shot open and her body went limp. Gerald couldn’t be sure, but he felt like he could see things changing behind her eyes. Bits of emotion, memories, feelings, subtle things passing through her and moving around.
Cha’Rolette’s ta’atu shone as bright as the noonday sun, forcing Gerald to cover his eyes. Then her ta’atu flickered and dimmed, and she was forced to lean forward against the desk, bracing herself to keep from falling over. Already perspiration was forming on her face. Her arms were trembling.
Ilrica voiced her concern. “Maybe we should...”
No, I can do this! She insisted. I... I have to be able to do this.
Cha’Rolette forced her ta’atu back to their full capacity.
Ilrica’s console fried itself in a puff of smoke and she pulled her cable free. “Frakk.”
“What happened?”
Ilrica grabbed a tablet and plugged into it. “We just uncovered a fragment of Gerald’s virus that burned through Nikki. You two, come help me lock it down!”
Trahzi and Zurra threw down their cards and ran over, plugging themselves into the tablet, then plugging Nikki’s dreadlock into the tablet.
“There’s no time for a dummy barrier, be careful in there.”
Nikki’s body began to shake and tremble. Gerald tried to steady her, but felt completely useless.
“I found the polluted sector,” Trahzi reported. “If we don’t do something it’ll spread.”
“Help me break it away,” Ilrica instructed calmly.
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