by Mark Eller
“Don’t seem right,” he muttered to Marlo, “the stuff you and Rab can do. Don’t seem natural somehow.”
“I can teach you how to manipulate the nano,” Marlo whispered, not taking his eyes from his son. “You’ve a bunch in ya. Not as much as me and Rab, maybe, but enough to give yourself a few extra years. Sorta runs in our family.”
“Can ya teach me to take away the morning aches and my gimpy leg?” Argo asked. “Because if you can’t, I don’t want nothing to do with living unnatural long.”
Shrugging, Marlo stretched out an arm and pulled Parla to him. “Don’t know what you can do until you learn to do it. Thing is, I’ve missed a lot of years while learning what I know. Don’t see no reason not to pass some of it on to family, and Argo, I want us to be family again. Dark times are coming so we’ll need all the family we can gather. I’m planning on taking Parla and Rab into the mountains until things settle down. I’d be plumb honored if you came along with us.”
“I’ll think about it,” Rab replied as something resembling heat waves seemed to shimmer about both him and the black cat.
The air grew warmer near Argo, giving him some small idea of just how hot it had to be near Rab. Within moments, the black cat released a loud and sorrowful yowl. It’s small, furry body shifted, elongated, and grew bigger. Bones snapped, shifted, and reformed beneath its skin. Sweat ran down Rab’s face as tiny pin points of yellow and red lights flowed from his hand into the cat’s body. Furry hind legs grew out into shapely female ones, Arms formed where the front legs had once been. In less than twenty seconds, the cat disappeared, leaving a young woman behind, naked, crying and her body shaking as it lay in a puddle of piss.
Shaking his head, Argo staggered backward out of the barn and into the blowing wind and falling snow. Reaching out his arm, he caught hold of a hitching post to regain his balance, leaving the impossible view behind. After a small bit, the girl’s sobbing quieted. Stepping back into the barn, he watched while Marlo gently wrapped the woman in an arvid blanket, covering her nakedness and hopefully providing her with warmth.
Argo shook his head. This was a profound moment, and for more reasons than the obvious. Not only had Rab succeeded where his Uncle Radno had supposedly failed, he also proved he wasn’t the total, complete dimwit Argo had always assumed.
And wasn’t that a damned uncomfortable thought. He’d have to apologize to the boy for years of misjudgment. It would darn near kill Argo to eat crow, but he figured he was man enough to admit when he was wrong. Looking to the boy, he saw Rab crouched on the barn’s floor with his feet planted in dirt still damp from the girl’s pee. His head hung low, cupped in two shaking hands.
Well, no time like the present. If he had to apologize, he might as well get it done now.
Argo walked over to the lad and crouched low, making sure his feet stayed on dry dirt. It was a cold day, unseasonably so. Of late, the damn weather seemed topsy turvy as if it didn’t know what it frigging well wanted to do, and for some reason, he was starting to have difficulty keeping track of the days and weeks. They sort of flowed together but never remained clear, almost as if time itself was confused. It was enough to drive a man to distraction, especially when his bones felt brittle and stale, and his muscles ached something furious. By rights, the boy should be seeing to his needs, but this wasn’t Argo’s time. Today belonged to Rab.
Putting his aches aside, he pulled Rab into an awkward hug and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You did it boy. You did good. I’ve never been more proud of you…and I got to say I’m sure sorry for a lot of the mean thoughts I’ve had of you over the years. I won’t be calling you a fool or an idiot again.”
Rab lifted his face from his hands, his expression full of surprise. “Maybe I did good, but it sure wiped me out Uncle. I can’t do any more. Not today. I feel more tuckered out than when you make me chop wood all day.”
“Hmmm…” Argo shifted his attention to the young woman who now stood with Parla’s arms wrapped around her. He supposed the lass was a pretty thing. Long, glossy black hair, dark brown eyes, and a small lithe frame. Hadn’t looked too bad when she was naked, either, except for the crying and screaming and laying in her own piss part. As he recalled from his brief glimpse, she was budded out all nice and proper which was good because from the insipid adoration she was throwing Rab’s way he doubted the lad would sleep alone this night. Just as well, he supposed, what with Rab being close to a moving out stage and the gal looking to be near his age.
He drew Rab’s attention to her with a nod. “My guess, the gal now thinks you’re her world. I don’t doubt some of the others will feel the same way once you get rested up enough to try again. Now I know you’re tuckered out, but don’t go making light of what you did or I’ll use a piece of hickory to teach you to not act a fool.”
Rab gave him a small smile. “I thought you said you’d stop calling me a fool.”
“I didn’t call you a fool, you idiot child. I just said you were acting like one.”
Chuckling, Marlo moved closer. Argo assumed it was to reassure his boy, but instead, Marlo set his hand on Argo’s shoulder. “He’s a hale lad, Argo, with a heart set in the right place. You’ve done well with him and Parla even if caring for them has taken it out of you. I just want you to know I appreciate everything you’ve done. I won’t forget it— ever.”
Argo nodded, the silent message understood. Parla and Rab weren’t going anywhere if Argo didn’t want to leave the farm, and neither was Marlo. Family looked out for their own.
“Take care,” Parla called from outside the barn. “The cats escaped. They’re heading your way.”
Before Argo had time to answer a loud, howling screech echoed inside the barn as Ondar raced through the open door. “Noooo! You fucking idiots!” Sailing through the air, the Persian dug its claws deep into Rab’s shoulder.
Yelling, Rab ripped the cat away and fell to the side, knocking against Argo as he did so. Tipping, Argo tried to right himself but a crouch wasn’t the most stable platform. He hit the ground awkwardly, with his arm bent beneath him. A muffled crack was answered by a burst of pain as his arm broke.
“You stupid, stupid boy!” Ondar shouted. “Did you truly change that worthless gutter snipe back instead of me? I’ve got things to do, moron. I’ve a schedule to keep, and you changed Vigin back first? It’ll be days before you can do it again, or even weeks or months. I’ll teach you to—” Howling, it leapt at Rab again, claws extended, mouth opened wide. Rab scrambled away from the attack, but not fast enough. Ondar’s claws sank into his chest as the cat’s teeth reached for his face.
A cacophony of growls and hisses sounded when half a dozen cats raced into the barn, Simta leading the way. They jumped on Ondar, biting and scratching, tearing out chunks of fur. Leaping over the mass of brawling fur, Marlo landed next to his son, scooped him up like he weighed nothing and then ran outside into the wind and snow. Parla and the girl stood huddled together by the far wall, seeming stunned and afraid.
The fight quickly ended. The cats stilled, and several silent moments passed before Simta came limping over to Argo, her fur coated in blood. She spit out a bit of something which resembled the end of a cat’s tail.
Argo ignored both the cat and her prize. His entire left arm felt on fire. Pain shot into his neck and down his back as he accepted Marlo’s help getting to his feet. Marlo attempted to be gentle but failed. A ragged cry escaped Argo before he managed to clamp his lips shut. Leaving them, Simta walked to where a circle of cats stood around a bloodied gray mess. Staggering over to the pitiful creature, Argo looked down with sympathy.
“Brother, did you think I wouldn’t figure out it was you?” he asked the Persian.
The gray lump twitched; its body shuddered. “You potato head,” it finally murmured. “If you knew it was me, why didn’t you have the fool change me back first? Why the girl?”
Argo sighed, deep and heavy. Radno, his only brother, lay dying on the floor. Even though Ar
go knew him to be an evil and greedy man, he was still close kin. “I’ve always loved you, Radno. Always will. Even so, I figured you probably changed yourself to avoid dying because somebody wanted revenge. If so, then you made this mess-up all on your own. You shouldn’t have changed a bunch of people into animals against their will. Wasn’t right, and so I wasn’t going to let Rab change you back until you learned a little something about being responsible. Besides, I didn’t want you getting your claws into the lad. He’s a good boy with a wondrous gift, and it’s his time now, not yours. You lost your chance for glory when you accepted Hell’s empty promises. I know a great deal of what you did. I read Calto’s letter— and then there were your journals. Made me right sick, it did. Made my belly hurt.”
“You always were a self-righteous fool,” Radno whispered. He coughed, coughed again, and his head flattened on the ground. Bloody and beaten, he appeared weaker every second. “How did you know the cat was me?
Argo shook his head sadly. “The minute I looked into your eyes I suspected, brother, and then you gave it away with your name. You’ve always thought me as smart as a block of wood, but honestly, Ondar…Radno…did you really think me so stupid? As for being a fool, I might not be rich or know important people, but I’ve never wagered my soul for Hell’s promises, neither.”
The Persian shuddered, rolled its eyes toward Argo, and seemed to sneer. “Truly a fool. There’s only this life, no more, and the sanctity of souls is a myth. Soon, Zorce and Athos’ss will roll over the cities and plains and reclaim what the bastard gods stole from them. A pity you won’t be around to see their glory.”
Simta strode up to the Persian and casually sunk her tiny fangs into its throat, closing off Radno’s windpipe. The cat gurgled, its body shook one last time, and the light faded from Radno’s eyes.
Watching it all, a deep sorrow ate at Argo. His only brother, dead at his feet, lying in a puddle of blood and body fluids. It just wasn’t right. Radno was a bad man yes, but even evil men deserved to be mourned by someone. Of all the living world, Argo knew he was that someone. Radno had been long gone before Parla was born, and Rab barely known the man. Argo was the only living soul remaining who remembered a young boy laughing in the rain while playing tag with his brother.
A ragged sob came from the corner. Argo looked over to see Parla bury her face in the young woman’s hair, her shoulders shaking. With a sharp pang to his chest, Argo felt his heart break a little more. Maybe Parla did feel some grief over her fallen brother. Probably not, but he liked to think she might.
“It was for the best.” Marlo gently placed his hand on Argo’s broken arm. The same tiny colored lights Rab had shared with the girl danced, and swam around his hand, seeping into Argo’s arm.
Argo winced, but then he smiled. An odd sensation entered his arm, feeling like warm water deep beneath his skin. The pain lessened, faded, and then was gone. Removing his hand, Marlo smiled.
Wiggling his fingers, Argo flexed his elbow and studied his previously broken limb. “How in the name of Trelsar did you do that?” he demanded, failing to hide the awe in his voice.
Marlo shrugged, stared at Argo for a moment, and then smiled. As if the snowstorm outside had somehow been captured in his eyes, Marlo’s black irises swirled and danced, glittering with bits of white. “The Seven Gods and two, Argo. We often speak of Trelsar, Omitan, Anothosia— ever wondered what happened to the other four and who they were?”
The wind howled suddenly louder as Marlo turned toward Parla. Striding over to her, he leaned in and tenderly kissed his wife. Taking her by the hand, he led her and the blanket wrapped woman to the barn’s door and gestured toward the house. “It’s cold. You two head on inside. Argo and I will bring the arvids back in and close things up after disposing of Radno’s body. We’ll take care of Rab, too.
But when he turned toward the boy after the women left, Argo found Rab’s wounds had already been tended. More than half a dozen cats now lay about him, three of them licking his shallow wounds.
Later that night, as they gathered around a warm fire, Rab approached Argo and gave him a long hug. “I heard Uncle Radno call you a fool. If so, then I’m truly a fool, too, because I’ve never known anybody as upright and honest and steadfast as you.”
Argo hugged his nephew back, scowling at the grins Parla and Marlo shared. “It’s all right boy. We can be fools together.” Relaxing his hug, he pushed Rab back, “But don’t you think this gives you leeway to mess around. First sign I see of you slacking off to chase after Vigin’s skirts, I’ll take a chunk of firewood to ya.”
* * * *
Radno had been wrong about his nephew. Over the next few days Rab fine tuned his power and all of the cats regained their forms, plus a little something extra.
“I can finally go home. I can’t wait to wear my own clothes again.” Simta wiggled and scratched at the rough cloth dress Parla had loaned her. She seemed to be uncomfortable in the dress and had taken to walking around barefoot, claiming shoes now hurt her feet.
“Simta. You know, you would be welcome in my clan,” Marlo said. “You are a true shifter. Got nano running all though you. That’s partly why Radno changed you so easily and why you could sorta talk. The other changed are staying with us here in Greenswale or going into the mountains. Stay with us.” Marlo regarded Simta warmly.
Shoulders back and head held high, Simta sniffed away a small tear before patting an imaginary bit of hair back into her bun. “I’d love to. I really would, but I can’t abandon my family and walk away from my responsibilities. I have a wedding to plan with Calto, and as bad as you say things are becoming, I’m sure my unique talents are needed once I learn how to use them.” She bit her lip. “Will I be able to shift to half-were eventually, like you and Rab do?”
Marlo nodded and grinned. “Yes, I believe you can learn to change, and quickly, too. With as much nano as you carry, you should eventually own three forms, human, some type of cat, and half-were. I think you’ll eventually learn to create some rather impressive weapons, also, since we have some control over the size of our teeth and claws. Simta, if you want to learn there’s no place better than here. I can teach you more about controlling the nano in one month than I managed to figure out in ten years.”
Biting her lip again, Simta clenched and unclenched her tiny hands at her sides. One strayed to her mouth. Thrusting her face forward, Simta licked the back of her furry paw.
Parla coughed lightly and looked away. Horrified, Simta lowered her now human hand and nodded. “Well, you’re apparently right about my needing more time. Staying here awhile wouldn’t be the worst the thing I could do. I’ll send word to Calto and let him know I’m needed here for a while.
Marlo nodded. “I suspect a month or two should be enough. There’s something different about you. I think you’re going to leap into this in ways nobody ever has before.”
“Good,” Simta answered. “Some rather ugly things have happened to me these last couple years. Most of it can be laid at Hell’s door. There wasn’t much I could do about it before, but if you can teach me how to control this I might get a little payback.”
Marlo smiled uneasily and looked to Argo. “And you Argo? Are you ready to learn, too? You have the same nano in you as Rab does, if not quite so much of it. I know you fear magic, but there’s truly nothing to be afraid of. In the right hands it’s benign, or even helpful. With a little training you might be able to lose most of your pain.” He smiled ruefully. “I’m afraid I can’t repeat what I did with your arm. I had a little extra help there.”
The rocking chair squeaked as Argo shifted his weight around, trying to find a comfortable spot, one in which his back didn’t ache so much. The smell of burning wood and soft firelight splayed across the room, sending its warmth into his heart. Marlo might have a point. After all, Parla had only been working with the nanos for a few days and the small bits of gray in her hair were already gone. The tiny lines around her eyes and mouth had disappeared. He had
met a couple other members of Marlo’s clan a few days earlier. They had seemed to be good people, warm to each other and gentle as they helped instruct Rab. Many of them sat around the room now, soaking in the fire and watching him with encouraging eyes. Besides, all the rumors said Hell had broken free, that it was coming. When it did, the last thing he wanted was to be a helpless target standing in Athos’ss or Zorce’s direct line of fire.
“Yes Marlo,” he agreed. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
The room grew quiet, and the air sizzled, as all around him the Clan of Artemis changed into their were forms and sent their nanos out to Argo, sharing with him their secrets, and welcoming him home with the fresh hope that someday they would no longer need to hide.
Chapter 5-- Lies and Betrayal
Sulya silently cursed as she watched the assassin leave the commons store. She hadn’t expected Tessla to have arrived in Grace so soon. Of course, Zorce’s priests had warned her time was running out, and she needed to make her move— but they hadn’t said time wasthis fricking short. She’d thought she had more time to plan while Trelsar’s Assassin sought the escaped spawn across most of Yernden. She thought she had a few more weeks at the very least since Sulya knew she would cheat time by portaling into Grace from Yylse, risking the high mortality rate of magical transportation. After all, she reasoned, her flesh was similian, not hellborn, and so not as susceptible to the danger which affected both hellborn and humans. More fool her. Not only had she wasted too much time in Yylse seeing to the needs of Phrandex, her foolishly ambitious son, when she finally used a dimensional portal it had proved to be both magically draining and far more dangerous than she expected. It was not something she would willingly risk again. She had almost died.