The Alien's Needs

by Ruth Anne Scott

  They went ahead a few more moments and Malcolm heard Athan tell Icelyn to extinguish the flame. In the dark Malcolm was forced to focus in on the sound of the members of the Order closing in on them. They were close now, moving through the spiraling tunnel.

  “Athan, I’m going to go first. I’ll be ready for Malcolm, then you come with Icelyn.”

  “No,” Malcolm managed to say. “Icelyn doesn’t go last.”

  “She has to,” Mhavrych said. “It’s the only way. You have to be safe.”

  “I’ll be fine, my love,” Icelyn reassured him. “They don’t want me. They want you.”

  Even through the bravery in her voice, Malcolm could hear the tilt that told him that she questioned what she had just said.

  “Icelyn, hand me the torch.”

  They ran only seconds longer before Malcolm hear Mhavrych announce that they had gotten to the door.

  “Wait until you hear me,” Mhavrych said.

  An instant later, Malcolm heard a distant low grunt and then Mhavrych’s voice.

  “Alright, Athan. Send him down.”

  “Malcolm,” Athan said into Malcolm’s ear. “I need you to relax. Whatever happens, just relax. Don’t struggle.”

  The words weren’t reassuring, but Malcolm didn’t have a chance to think through them or react at all before he felt his body leave Athan’s arms and start to drop quickly through darkness. He wanted to scream, but he bit it back. Instead, he forced himself to look down and noticed the glow of the torch several feet away from where he was falling. He braced himself to hit the ground, but instead, he felt Mhavrych reach out and grasp him. Though he wasn’t able to truly catch him, the gesture was enough to absorb some of the shock of Malcolm’s fall as both men hit the ground together. Nearly as soon as he landed, he felt Mhavrych’s hands under his arms dragging him away from the spot. Mhavrych grabbed the torch out of the holder on the wall and rushed back to where Malcolm had landed.

  “Athan, come down with Icelyn. I’m right here.”

  Malcolm looked up through the glow of the torch and saw that they had fallen over a steep ledge, one of the traps integrated into this section of the tunnels. Though he knew that he had just weathered the fall, his stomach sank at the idea of Icelyn plummeting toward the ground. He saw her step up to the edge and look down at him. Her eyes were wide and the blade in her hand was shaking.

  “You have to come down,” Mhavrych called up to her. “We have to get out.”

  Icelyn was trembling and Malcolm pulled himself up. His legs still shook as he sat on his knees looking up at her.

  “You can do it,” he called up. “I’m right here. I’m waiting for you right here.”

  He flicked his gaze over to Athan, hoping to communicate what the older man needed to do. Malcolm could hear the voices over his head and knew that they had a matter of seconds. He looked at Athan more insistently and Athan gave a single nod. Understanding the intention of Malcolm’s look, he wrapped his arms around Icelyn and tipped them both off of the ledge. The blades that both held fell from their hands and Malcolm dove forward to push them out of the way, turning over onto his back just in time to catch Icelyn in his arms. The weight of her body hitting his took the breath from his lungs and pushed his raw wounds down into the ground, but he knew that he would endure that pain many times over to ensure that she was protected.

  “Is everyone alright?” Athan asked.

  “Where did they go?”

  The voice directly overhead galvanized them and Icelyn scrambled off of Malcolm. He forced energy into his muscles, dragging himself up to his feet.

  “Can you make it?” Mhavrych asked. “The passages from here are too small for us to carry you through.”

  Malcolm nodded.

  “Go,” he said. “I can make it. Just go.”

  “I have to make sure that you make it through,” Mhavrych said. “It is my duty to make sure that you get out of here safely.”

  “But the three of you need to get out,” Malcolm said. “This is all because of my decision. This isn’t about you. If anyone is going to get out, it should be you.”

  “This is about us,” Mhavrych said. “This is not just about your decision. There is more happening than you know, but what really matters now is getting you safe.”

  The thought of getting himself out of the tunnels without any consideration for the others and their safety made Malcolm feel sick, but there was something in the tone of Mhavrych’s voice that told him that he had no choice. He left the Order to protect what was right and prevent more of the destruction that the corruption had caused. That meant trusting that Mhavrych understood what was happening more than he did and being willing to do what was asked of him. He pulled himself up to a full standing position and nodded.

  “I can do it,” he said.

  Mhavrych nodded in response and started toward the other side of the chamber. Malcolm followed as quickly as he could, trying to ignore the intense pain of his injuries as he went. Mhavrych guided them around a curve in the room then crouched down. He plunged the blade that he had been carrying into the wall and started to dig, pushing away damp earth as he went. It was only a few moments when he had revealed a door embedded in the wall. It was crafted out of what looked like a thin sliver of stone with a metal ring on one side. Mhavrych pulled on the ring, opening the door. Malcolm could see a narrow tunnel beyond the door and knew that Mhavrych had been right when he said that they would not be able to carry him through.

  “We have to extinguish the torch,” Mhavrych said. “It’s too close in there to carry the flame. Stay close and move as quickly as you can. I’ll try to give instructions as we go, but you have to be able to follow.”

  There was a loud thud behind them and Malcolm knew that the members of the Order had dropped into the chamber. Mhavrych extinguished the flame on the torch and Malcolm felt him grasp his wrist long enough to pull him forward into the tunnel. The space inside was too small to stand fully and he had to crouch slightly in order to move. They ran as fast as they could in the position and soon he felt his muscles tightening and his back aching. Malcolm focused on Mhavrych’s voice ahead of him to take his mind off of the pain. He listened to the man’s instructions, following them as they wove through further tunnels. Some were tighter than the first one and others required them to drop down several feet or climb up a steep incline. It felt like they had been traveling through the darkness for hours, but the fact that Malcolm couldn’t hear the voices of the Order members behind him any longer made him feel less afraid. Even though they had gotten into the compound, they might not have been able to find their way to the small hidden door, or through the twisted tunnels they were traveling through now.

  “How much further?” Malcolm asked.

  His head was starting to spin, and his body was feeling drained and exhausted. He didn’t know how long it had been since he had eaten or had anything to drink, and though he had spent long stretches unconscious, Malcolm knew that those hadn’t revived or refreshed him in any real way. Rather than being his body getting a chance to rest, this was his body shutting down, closing off in order to protect itself from any further damage.

  “Keep going,” Mhavrych said. “We just have to keep going.”

  Malcolm tucked his head down and kept moving, trying to force every bit of energy and strength that he could into his movements. He couldn’t put them at risk by collapsing or not being able to keep going on his own. It didn’t matter what he was feeling or experiencing. He had to push himself on. Behind him he felt a hand brush down his back. Though it stung as the fingers touched his still-open wounds, he knew the touch and was immediately grateful for it.

  “I love you,” Icelyn said softly.

  “I love you, too,” he said back.

  Hearing the words strengthened him and Malcolm continued on, pushing himself, forcing himself to continue. Beneath his feet he could feel that the ground was becoming harder. While it wasn’t the solid stone of the other sections of
the tunnels, it also wasn’t as soft and wet as the earth that they had been walking on. The air around him had been getting warmer and now it almost felt oppressive, starting to press in around him. The sweat that started to bead on his skin burned in Malcolm’s wounds, but the pain helped him to focus and pushed him to keep going. Soon Mhavrych spoke again.

  “It’s just ahead,” he said. “When I stop, I need you to get as close together as possible. We have to go through another door, but we have to all go through together.”

  He didn’t give them a chance to ask any questions or to protest in any way. His pace increased and soon Malcolm was nearly running to keep up with him. It took a few moments for him to recognize that the darkness had started to dissipate, and he was able to see around him again. It was still dim and he was only seeing the dark shape of Mhavrych ahead of him, but it was still a relief to not feel as though he was completely blind.

  Malcolm watched as Mhavrych turned into another section of the tunnel and he followed him, stopping abruptly when he realized they had turned not down another corridor, but into what looked like a small round room. There was a slice of brighter light across one side of the room, indicating that there was a passage leading outside just ahead. Malcolm hoped that that was where they were going to go, but instead of starting toward the light when Athan and Icelyn got into the room with them, Mhavrych turned to face the curved wall just behind them. Malcolm looked in the same direction and he saw a vague outline of a rectangle in the stone. It didn’t look as though it were deep enough to show that there was a door there, but Mhavrych didn’t react as though he were surprised or frustrated by what he was seeing. Instead, he reached out and touched the top edge of the rectangle before glancing back over his shoulder.

  “Get close,” he said. “Make sure that we are touching.”

  It was a strange request, but one that Malcolm obliged, stepping up closer to Mhavrych and reaching beside himself to hold Icelyn’s hand. Hers curled willingly into his palm, fitting perfectly and lifting his heart. In the brighter light he could see Athan step up behind Icelyn and reach around her side to place his hand on Mhavrych’s back, then her other side to touch Malcolm. Placing his hand on Mhavrych’s back, Malcolm completed a ring of contact among them.

  “Are you ready?” Mhavrych asked.

  “What do you mean?” Malcolm asked.

  “Try not to let go of each other. Don’t move immediately. When we arrive, we’ll be safe.”

  “Arrive?”

  Before he was able to hear any response that Mhavrych might have offered, Malcolm felt a deep, painful pulling in his belly that felt as though his spine was curving toward the front of his body and trying to push through his skin. He felt blackness coming in around him like he had when he was falling unconscious, but it was beyond his control. Just before he felt that he was going to explode, his feet could no longer feel the ground beneath them and he felt his body crash down as if he had been picked up and thrown. His first compulsion was to get up and try to figure out what had happened, but he remembered what Mhavrych had said and remained still for a few seconds until his breath normalized.

  As he felt as though his control was returning to his body, Malcolm became aware of the chill in the air around him. It was sharp and thin rather than damp and cloying like the earthen tunnels. Something stingingly cold touched his face and he opened his eyes. Above him was the sky, grey and blank almost as though a cloud had been stretched across its entire expanse. Sparkling snowflakes were drifting down from it, occasionally landing on his face and melting into his skin. Malcolm turned his head and saw that he was lying on the ground, his body cradled in thick snow. His bare chest and back were already nearly numb from their exposure to the temperature, but the chill had seemed to clear his mind and he was thinking sharper and more quickly than he had been when he was in the tunnels.

  Though he had tried to stay in contact with the whole group, Mhavrych and Athan had fallen away from him. Malcolm’s hand still grasped Icelyn’s beside him. She was lying on her side, her head rested on her arm as her fingers linked with Malcolm’s. Her eyes were closed, but he could see them twitching slightly beneath her eyelids, telling him that she was alright despite the hard landing in the snow. He leaned forward and touched a kiss to her cheek, feeling the chill of snowflakes on his lips. She gave a soft moan and her eyes fluttered open. When she saw him, Icelyn’s eyes brightened and she smiled.

  “Malcolm,” she murmured. “I was so scared.”

  “I know,” he said. “So was I.”

  Both sat up carefully, Malcolm gauging the swimming feeling in his head as he straightened and feeling relieved and thankful when he realized that much of the feeling had passed. Icelyn looked at him and her expression melted from happiness to horror.

  “What did they do to you?” she asked, reaching out to touch her fingertips to the wounds on his chest. He hissed at the sting of the content and she pulled her hand back sharply. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright,” he said. “I want you to touch me. I would never want to not feel you.”

  “How is everyone?” Mhavrych asked from several feet away.

  Malcolm turned to look over his shoulder and saw that both of the other men were standing in the snow, looking far less affected by whatever had brought them to this place than he and Icelyn were.

  “Fine,” Icelyn said, starting to her feet.

  Malcolm got to his knees and then started to stand, both helping Icelyn to her feet and pushing against her for leverage to stand.

  “What happened?” he asked. “Where are we?”

  “How did we get here?” Icelyn asked.

  “We need to get Malcolm out of the snow,” Athan said. “He doesn’t have the protection that he needs and after what he’s been through, he has been weakened.”

  “Can you keep walking?” Mhavrych asked.

  “I’m fine,” Malcolm said.

  He didn’t want them to see him as weak or worry that they needed to give him more attention now. He wanted to be a contributor to their efforts, not a project. Mhavrych looked at him for a few moments as if he wasn’t entirely sure that he believed what he was saying, but then he nodded.

  “Alright. Let’s go. Don’t try to push through the snow when you walk. Kick it out of the way as you go. It will keep you warmer, but won’t tire you out as much. We don’t have far to walk, but don’t stop. Stopping in the snow can be deadly, especially when you aren’t prepared. If the wind kicks up the snow, tuck your head and keep following a straight path. Look for the footprints ahead of you and don’t turn. It will end soon enough.”

  His instructions done, Mhavrych turned and started away from where they had landed. Malcolm noticed that he hadn’t answered Icelyn’s question about how they had gotten there from the tunnels, but he felt as though they would find out soon enough. Once they were out of the snow and secure, they would know more.

  Malcolm took hold of Icelyn’s hand again and they started after Mhavrych. He wrapped his free arm around himself and curled forward to generate as much body heat as he possibly could and Icelyn stepped up closer to him, pressing her shoulder against him as much as she could as they made their way through the deep snow. Walking through the cold and fighting against the several inches of frozen water was far more difficult than he would have imagined, and Malcolm was relieved when he glanced up and saw the outline of a rocky ledge ahead of them. It was low and small, not a mountain, but rather a hill that rose only high enough out of the snow that it looked like the men would be able to pass through the gap at the front with only a small margin above their heads.

  Malcolm braced himself as they approached the cave. It looked foreboding and he didn’t know what he should expect when they stepped inside. Rather than walking directly in, however, Mhavrych paused several feet from the entrance and kicked at the snow, revealing a row of rocks positioned across the entrance almost like a fence. He tapped his foot against each as if counting them and then stomped on one
. There was a pause and then Malcolm heard a sound from inside the cave. A few moments later he saw a glimmer of light.

  “Hello?” a suspicious-sounding voice called out.

  “It’s Mhavrych.”

  “Come in.”

  They stepped into the cave and Malcolm immediately felt a rush of warmer air coming toward him as if there were a fire burning somewhere out of sight.

  “Where are we?” Icelyn asked.

  Her voice sounded more tremulous now, as if each step made her more and more unsure of what was happening. Mhavrych turned to her and let out a sigh. He gestured out of the opening of the cave back toward the snowy world that they had found themselves in. Outside the wind had suddenly picked up, creating a wall of swirling white just beyond the entrance to the cave.

  “This is the place that gave you your name,” he said.

  “What do you mean?” Icelyn asked.

  “When you were born, your parents wanted to give you a name that would carry meaning, not just for them and for you, but for everyone who understood its significance into the future. They chose a name that would act as a secret message, a subversive act that would allow them to speak out and stand up for what they believed in, what they knew was right, every day, in all company, without ever giving up information that might hurt their cause. Your name was chosen as a symbol of the place where your grandfather was sent into exile to honor him and the suffering that he endured for the sake of the Order’s true purpose and for the good of all existence. Now it is a constant reminder of what he continues to endure, what he continues to put himself through in order to protect what he started.”

  Malcolm could feel Icelyn’s hand trembling in his and when he looked at her, she appeared pale and shocked. He turned toward the sound of footsteps hurrying toward them and saw a tall, thin man step into the chamber and pause, his eyes locked on Icelyn. Mhavrych offered the traditional Mikana greeting and then turned to her.

  “Icelyn, this is Casimir, your grandfather.”