by Scott Moon
Dax nodded and waited, glaring at the kindred before he turned to go.
Droon held up a hand, signaling Dax to stop. “Why do they send so few? The treacherous Mazz have many warriors and set traps.”
“If it is a trap, we will spring our own trap and drive them into the river,” Dax said.
“If it is a trap, the cowards will face the wrath of Droon.”
Dax twitched his wings as he regarded Droon. “May the wind go with you, then.”
“I don’t need the wind.”
“Perhaps not, but the wind brings my warriors and they are as thirsty for blood as your Reapers.”
CHAPTER FORTY
“A shifter is following us,” Iso said. For the first time since Kin met the irreverent slave-spy, Iso’s voice delivered its informational payload with clinical detachment. The chilling timbre of his words should have been disconcerting, but seemed comforting. Iso-tri-tross had revealed himself in way few would appreciate. He wanted his new Imperial Grand General to succeed.
Kin stopped and checked his SKIN sensors. He smiled. “Iso.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Are all shapeshifters so attentive to mood?” Kin asked.
“Some. I can tell you’re smiling and have a feeling it’s at my expense.”
“Good guess. Are you certain the shifter is the only person following us?”
Iso hesitated, looked around, and moved closer. “Are you sure? Most times, I’m the first to know and last to tell, but that’s another story.”
“I’m sure.” Kin lowered his helmet. “Rickson.”
A branch snapped nearby and several Imperial troopers whirled.
“I’m here, Kin. Tell them not to shoot.”
“They only shoot foolhardy shepherds, stubborn shapeshifters in the form of Reapers, and mutts.” Kin nodded at Captain Trak. “Tell your men to stand down and secure the perimeter.”
Trak nodded sullenly and gave the orders.
From the tree line emerged Rickson, Ogre, and William the Reaper.
“Have you grown, Rickson?”
“You left me out here for ten years, it feels like, so I don’t see why not. Growing boys thrive on berries and twigs. You got something to eat?”
Ogre huffed.
“Sure.” Kin discharged several energy bars from his armor and handed them over. Mazz field rations were thin and flexible, looking more satisfying than a leathery cracker, but not by much. He approached William as the mock Reaper squatted and glared at the guards assigned to watch him. Kin thought the soldiers looked nervous despite being lifetime war veterans.
Iso shifted into Reaper form and swaggered toward William just as a dominant clan leader would. Susso shifted into the form of a pale woman, older than Kin expected her true form to be, and monitored the scene sternly.
“Rickson,” Kin said. “Does William know about his father?”
“We haven’t seen him for a long time. Captain Raien and Tass are gone as well. Did something happen to them?”
Trak shifted but stayed out of the conversation.
“They didn’t make it. I’m sorry, Rickson. I know you liked Raien.”
Rickson shrugged, but Kin saw his expression lock tighter than armor. He recognized the way the young man’s eyes narrowed to restrain moisture, the way jaw muscles clamped his teeth against yet another blow to his courage. It was easy to forget the orphan had already endured too much loss.
“I assumed we’ll all die before long. Every time I enter a new valley, I see Reapers fighting wolves, Reapers fighting Wingers, or Wingers fighting Imperials. Or I find bodies. Clingers multiply like crazy. I think they feed on the corpses.”
“Clingers will eat anything.” Kin gave Rickson water. “I need to find Dax and Clavender.”
Rickson lowered the water packet from his mouth. “She’s sick. Has been since she took Dax and the others to rescue you.”
Images of Clavender appearing in the sky near the Imperial forward base supercharged Kin’s guilt. He tried not to react to Rickson’s implied question but shouldn’t have bothered. His friend wasn’t the type to beat around the bush.
“What happened, Kin? Dax said you just stood there. He tried to get close enough to grab you, but Imperials opened fire with flak cannons and aerial burst grenades.”
“It’s complicated.” He expected an argument or at least accusations and demands for answers, but the young man looked sad and tense.
“I have to help the Imperials fight the Slomn. As bad as the Reapers and Clingers are, the Slomn are worse. You might be able to help me.”
“Oh, I can help. Just give me some of that fancy armor and I’ll have the Slomn running back to their holes. William already scared them off five times. We’d have died otherwise.”
“When did that happen? Where did that happen?”
“Couple of times in the tunnels and more once we got outside.”
“Walk with me, Rickson.” He led his friend as far from the others as possible without Trak ordering guards to protect him. “How did he scare away the Slomn? It’s important.”
“Of course it’s important. God, Kin, you’re an idiot sometimes. But I’m not. It’d be nice if you’d stop treating me like a kid.”
“Sorry. It’s been a rough couple of days.”
Rickson laughed, then glanced to be sure the Imperials remained where they were. Still looking at them, he whispered to Kin, “I bet they can still hear us.”
“Probably.”
“When I tell you how William scared away the Slomn, you’ll know if these troopers are listening in. Watch their reaction.”
Kin waited.
“William changed out of his Reaper form.”
“And?” Kin checked the location of each Mazz soldiers, then cast an irritated glance at the shepherd. “Stop playing games.”
“I’m not playing games. Trust me. This is good.” He leaned even closer to Kin. “Remember when William changed into the shape of Commander Westwood to lead the Imperials away?”
Kin noticed a slight shift in Captain Trak’s stance. The man still faced away, but he was listening. Kin had no doubt.
“Well, every time the Slomn found us, William changed into some old Imperial guy, like a general, but in fancy clothing and frowning like an old rich dude.”
Trak whirled from his station and strode directly at Rickson, hesitating only once to glance at William and Iso.
“Captain Trak, stay where you are. That’s an Order.” Kin raised his helmet assembly and readied his rifle. “You better explain, Rickson.”
“That’s all I know, but I figure the Slomn are afraid of Imperials.”
Kin watched as Trak struggled to obey the order but edged closer, clenching and unclenching his hands as though self-control caused him pain.
“All right, Trak, get over here. But watch yourself. These are my friends. Hurt them and I’ll hurt you,” Kin said.
The Imperial captain moved cautiously, stopping a few feet from Rickson.
“Permission to interrogate the boy,” Trak said.
“You have permission to speak but make no mistake, I won’t tolerate an interrogation.”
Trak nodded and addressed Rickson. “Describe this man the shapeshifter imitated.”
“Already did.”
“General, I again request permission to interrogate the boy.”
Kin moved between Trak and Rickson, holding his rifle in the low-ready position. “Do you serve?”
Trak didn’t answer.
Without turning away from Trak, Kin spoke to Rickson. “You better give us a little more detail.”
Other Imperials watched the scene. Iso, who had been trying to comfort William, stared. The cyborgs remained aloof.
Rickson shrugged and smiled at his audience. “For starters, he was really tall and thin. Had a gray mustache that went down to his chest but no beard.”
“He describes the Emperor!”
Kin pushed Trak’s chest plate, guiding him bac
k a step. Although the Imperial captain wasn’t aggressive, the tension in his stance made him hard to push even with Kin’s superior SKIN.
“Calm down, Captain. William has never seen the Emperor. I’m sure there is an explanation.”
“Yes! An explanation would be appreciated. My ancestors have sought the Emperor for millennia.”
Rickson chuckled. “He didn’t look that old.”
“He described the Emperor. No human or shapeshifter has seen what he looks like. We keep no pictures. There are no statues. My father described the Emperor to me as soon as I learned to speak and every day since, as his father did before him. The shifter can’t know his face.”
“Calm down, Trak. Maybe he had a dream or got lucky.”
“This changes everything,” Trak said. Imperial troopers maintained the perimeter, but Kin saw their formation shrinking around William.
“I saw what I saw,” croaked the Son of Orlan.
“IMPOSSIBLE!” Trak whirled away from William’s explanation, raised his heavy rifle, and turned back just as Kin used a command override to immobilize Trak’s SKIN.
“I will power down the armor of the next trooper to lose control and leave him here.” Kin faced his mutinous platoon. He wasn’t sure he could shut off all of the SKINS, but they stopped and retreated until he lowered his weapon. “Captain Trak.”
Trak continued to scream behind the transparent helmet visor. The amplifiers locked with the rest of the gear. His face contorted and his mouth flashed unheard curses.
William, still in Reaper form, croaked his declaration over and over. “Iron Box beggar man. Nice to me.”
“What is he talking about?” Rickson asked.
Kin considered how to answer. The shepherd pretended fearlessness, but the sudden rage of the Imperials had rattled him.
“William was a prisoner of the Iron Box. Apparently, that was where he saw the Mazz Emperor. Captain Trak and his comrades are unhappy with what this insinuates.”
He left Rickson and knelt beside William, holding clawed hands until the boy ceased muttering and became quiet. “William, your father was killed in battle. I’m sorry.”
William shook his head, slowly at first, but more and more violently. Kin wrapped his arms around the young shapeshifter and held him for several minutes. When the fit subsided, sobs remained.
At first, the sounds croaked like a dying Reaper, but almost without Kin noticing the change, William was a boy again, crying softly, clinging to Kin with desperate strength.
“He didn’t love me.”
“William.” Kin hesitated. “Your father never expressed himself well. If there had been more time, things would have been different.”
William sniffled and pulled away, then hugged his knees in front of him. “Why did he have to die?”
“I don’t know, William.”
A light beeped in Kin’s helmet, indicating Trak was trying to open his armor. Kin activated the captain’s communication link.
“Let me go, General. I have,” Trak hesitated, “seen the error of my ways.”
Kin activated Trak’s SKIN and watched the man stand straight.
“Permission to speak.”
“Granted.”
“General Roland, it would be helpful if we could have an explanation.”
Kin nodded to William, then listened as the boy told the story again. In human form, he spoke clearly as he described the chained Emperor in such detail that Kin imagined he knew the man better than his own father.
He described the man’s sorrowful wisdom and patience. He spoke of kindness and related stories the Emperor told him — tales of daily life, analyses of battles, and lessons learned while in chains. When he finished speaking, the Mazz soldiers bowed heads in contemplation. Kin had never witnessed the soldiers surrendering to such complete silence.
“Captain Trak,” Kin said.
“Yes, General.”
“Do you believe this story?”
“I believe it.” He knelt before William. “I’m sorry I meant you violence. You have my oath that while I live, no living creature shall harm you.”
Other troopers knelt and made the pledge.
“Kin,” Rickson said. “Someone is coming.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“CAPTAIN Trak, take charge of your troops. It seems we no longer have perimeter pickets.” Kin didn’t wait for compliance. He turned the nearest squad toward their duty and took Rickson by the arm. “Stay close to William. He can’t survive on his own.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing.”
After surveying the temporary camp, Kin gathered Iso and Susso as he questioned Rickson.
“Where are the others, Rebecca and Laura?”
Rickson eyed the shapeshifters. “Shouldn’t they be watching William?”
The Reaper boy squatted, focusing on his hands as though the meaning of life could be read between the talons.
Kin shook his head. “He’ll be fine. Right now, I need to decide which direction to move.”
Reaper howls rose in the night. When they were closer, the creatures would make terrible clicking noises and snap their teeth together. Rickson and the others tensed. Trak’s troopers took defensive positions.
“Laura took the survivors to Bear’s place. Rebecca should be with them or at least close. She complained that the defensive properties of the area were average at best, but agreed Laura and the others needed food and a place to rest.”
“Bear’s cabin is on high ground. There are worse places.”
“Is that where we’re going?” Rickson asked.
Kin nodded. “We’ll need to cross the Angry Blue.”
“Can’t go that way. Reapers are on one side, Wingers on the other. And the Ror-Rea aren’t exactly nice. Most of them are new, came over the mountains. Not many from the Crater Town battle are left.”
Soldiers at the first picket began firing. Kin looked toward the sound of fighting. Reapers blocked the way to the river. “Then we head toward the coast for an hour, turn east, and ascend the foothills toward Bear’s cabin. Keep William close and meet me at the cabin if we get separated.”
“Sure, Kin. I’m on it,” Rickson said. “William, it’s time to go.”
“Boy?” William asked.
Rickson looked questioningly at Kin.
“I think he’s asking if he should change back.”
“His Reaper form saved us several times. He scares away predators. There is something I didn’t quite understand about his story. Why does changing into the Mazz Emperor scare the Slomn?”
“Because the Emperor made them. I’ll explain later. Tell William to change into a boy. I don’t want Trak’s men shooting him by mistake.”
“What are you going to do?”
Kin smiled. “I’m going to kill Reapers.” He closed his helmet and lifted his rifle. Gunfire erupted closer to the temporary camp. “Iso, stay with Rickson. He knows the way.”
The two shapeshifters left with Rickson and William. Kin didn’t wait to see if William changed form. He ran toward the fighting, searched for targets, and made plans.
The first Reaper he encountered leapt forward, jaws stretched wide, claws slashing the air. Kin let him take two strides, then blasted the creature at close range. Trak took out two more. One of the troopers went down and was peeled out of his armor.
William has driven away individual Slomn warriors. Can he intimidate a larger force? Can he command them to stop attacking? Could he do the same with Droon’s kindred?
“Fall back in teams, two by two,” Trak ordered.
Kin tapped a lone trooper on the shoulder. “I’m with you. Let’s move.”
“Drak is down,” the trooper said.
“Leave him.”
They retreated to a fallen tree, hunkered down, and fired to cover Trak and another trooper. Moments later, Kin and his partner were on the move.
“Pick your shots. Aim center mass, nothing fancy,” Trak said right before he put his advice
to work.
“Fall back, Captain Trak. We’re covering you.”
“There are a lot of them,” Trak said as he turned to run, panting through the com system.
“For the Emperor!” Two troopers made a suicidal rush into the center of the Reaper swarm, firing rifles, then fighting hand to hand with short-range lasers.
“Fall back, everyone,” Kin ordered. “Don’t waste their sacrifice.” He turned to run, pushing the SKIN hard.
“Rally to General Roland!” Trak shouted.
Three Reapers sprang out of the bushes in front of Kin. With no time to fire or deploy his laser, Kin rammed through his enemies. The trooper beside him was a step behind and had time to punch one of the Reapers set off balance by Kin’s forward rush.
“They have blocking teams,” Kin advised.
“Understood.” Captain Trak reformed his troopers into squads. “There can’t be many in this direction. They didn’t have time to envelop us.”
Kin doubted Trak’s assessment but continued to run. His eyes darted across every tree, bush, and rock outcropping. Twice he killed Reapers with his rifle. Once he used his laser, thinking as he cut the creature down that he still preferred a sword to the energy weapon.
He led the way into a clearing and picked up speed. Trak’s platoon fell into position. Four took the lead. Flanking units spread to each side. Captain Trak commanded the rearguard. During the retreat, he watched for Rickson and the others, expecting to overtake them. When he found no sign of them, he decided Rickson must have veered away on a new course. Outrunning Reapers and troopers in armor was impossible and they didn’t have much of a head start. Rickson must have known that.
I hope you know what you’re doing.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
THE plan developing in Kin’s head consisted of several key elements. He needed Clavender to take his force to the Bleeding Ground where he would draw up lines of battle and set the trap. But he also needed someone to draw the Slomn into the killing zone. Captain Trak was the only Imperial he trusted, but he wasn’t certain he could put a captain in charge of an army large enough to accomplish the task. He thought about demanding assistance from Westwood, but felt Earth Fleet was a wild card. His best hope was to keep them from attacking the Imperial positions when they needed to concentrate on fighting the Slomn onslaught.