by Jo Holloway
Cara tried to read the textbook she’d brought along to study, but the paragraphs blurred together and surged in front of her tired eyes, reminding her of waves and drowning again. Setting it down, she stared up through the branches for a while instead. Glimpses of windswept clouds lacing the early evening sky peeked between the openings before they crossed the larger clearing above. Down at ground level, there wasn’t a hint of a breeze. The forest hung in thick silence around her. A little shiver trickled down her spine, and she shifted her position to put her feet flat on the ground.
“Watch your front foot,” Wes told Harrison. “It keeps creeping this way.”
He nudged Harrison’s toe with his own to push it backward.
Harrison let him adjust it without looking down and with only a small twitch to his mouth to indicate anything had happened.
“Go ahead,” Wes said, stepping back again.
This time, the arrow buried home in the center circle.
Cara let out a cheer and jumped to her feet.
“Better,” was all Wes allowed before stepping over to the bench where Cara stood celebrating.
Harrison beamed in the middle of the clearing. He held his arms out to the sides in triumph. “Better? That was brilliant. I knew we had Cara along for a reason. Someone has to appreciate my sheer excellence.” He moved toward her with a hand raised for a high five.
Their hands never connected.
“Down!” Wes hurtled toward them. He tackled them both to the ground in a crushing heap.
She landed awkwardly on her side with her shoulder in Harrison's chest, and barely kept the back of her head from smashing into his face.
“Ouf.” The sound came out of him with a rush of breath, but he recovered quickly beneath her as soon as her weight shifted to her hip on the ground, allowing him to breathe again. “At least buy a fellow dinner first,” he chuckled beside her ear.
“Sorry, sorry.” She rolled off him and up to her knees where she could turn around.
His sparking gaze was already on Wes, who rose quickly from his other side to a low crouch. Wes scanned the woods, and Harrison's spark faded as he followed Wes's intense stare to the trees. A glint of metal above them came into focus. A knife still quivered, buried deep in the tree behind where she had been standing. Cara’s mouth went dry.
With the danger of the situation rapidly becoming clear, her head whipped around to the tree line beyond the archery range clearing. She leaped to her feet, darted to the tree, and threw her entire body weight into yanking the blade from the bark. With difficulty, she quieted the urge to plunge it into the next set of glowing eyes she saw. Rage from the Pyx whose knife had barely missed her now flooded her empathic senses and knocked her breath out again. Intense feelings surged from multiple directions.
They were back.
“More than one, I think,” she grunted, backing up toward Wes.
He bent to pick up the bow Harrison had been using and nocked an arrow to the string. Even with his arm still recovering its former strength, he held the bow with confidence and searched the opposite side of the clearing with a hunter's gaze.
Harrison started to rise.
“What’s going on? What are you two doing?”
“Stay down,” Wes snapped at him. Then, as though realizing how insane they must look standing over him, armed and back to back, staring at the trees, he softened his voice. “Please.”
A vicious bark tore through the air ahead of a brown-and-black streak as Jenner burst from the bushes and across the clearing. He skidded to a halt at the far side with his hackles standing straight up. His growls rumbled in their ears.
Hot anger receded into icy fingers of fear. They’d come after her. Here. At school. And with apparently no regard for other people in the way. They hadn’t waited to catch her alone this time.
Crashing sounds in the trees off to her left gave her another jolt. She whirled with the knife raised in front of her.
The lumbering black bear rose to his hind legs as he emerged from the trees.
She exhaled. Grawlls was still around. The huge, powerful pyxis was a welcome sight.
His gruff voice sounded in her mind. “It’s all clear. The one with the knives took off as soon as he attacked, and another one hightailed it when she caught sight of the guardians.”
The guardians were still around too? How many Pyx were out in the woods, looking out for her? As she had the thought, a blur of orange moved in her peripheral vision. Expecting Thomas, she blinked at the fox weaving around a log to enter the clearing. The collection of Pyx around her gave her comfort along with Grawllyx’s reassurances, and she lowered the knife.
Harrison finally found his voice again. He raised a trembling arm from the ground and pointed. “Bear.”
He shouldn't be able to see it. She and Wes exchanged a curious glance.
Jenner’s growls had ceased, and he trotted over. Jenyx explained. “Humans can become more observant at times of heightened emotional intensity, such as fear . . . or arousal.”
“Seriously, Jenyx? How can you make a moment like this embarrassing?” Cara rubbed a hand across her forehead.
“Fear, obviously,” Wes said. He helped Harrison to his feet by taking hold of the hand still extended and pointing at the black bear.
“Obviously.” Cara shook her head and glanced from the bear, to Jenner, to the fox beyond him. “Thanks for the help. And thank the guardians, too. And whoever else you have out there.”
More forms moved in the shadows of the trees deep into the forest. How had they all known to come so quickly? Some had begun to turn and melt away again. A few, like the fox, sat quietly, as though standing guard.
“Am I seeing things?” Harrison asked, staring around the clearing. “Is someone going to explain what the bloody hell is happening?”
Cara's lips pursed together. “Hmm. What do we do now?”
Wes met her eye. “You know my vote will always be for the simplest solution.”
“You think we should tell him?”
“Easier than trying to think of a lame story.”
Her heart thumped at the thought of explaining the situation. Wes had that open, honest look he wore sometimes when he let his guard down. He might be right. How could they possibly explain any of this? The truth might be their only option.
“But then he'll be involved.”
“He is involved. After this, they'll assume he's with us, anyway.”
“He is standing right here, in case you forgot. Now what the devil is going on?” Harrison clasped his hands together, not quite hiding the way they trembled as he looked back and forth between them.
Wes faced him with his shoulders squared. He watched Harrison with a little tilt to his head. After another moment’s consideration, he looked across to Cara. Her shoulders raised and her head nodded at the same time. What else could they do? Her situation had put another friend in danger. He needed to understand it so he could be safe. Or safer, anyway.
“Come to my room at eight,” Wes said, turning back to Harrison. “Cara, you should come too. Bring Liv along. She and Jory can help explain what it's like from that perspective.”
“What what's like?” Harrison's face had fallen slack, but he studied Wes with intensity in his eyes.
“Tonight. We'll explain.”
“Good, let us please get out of these woods now,” Jenyx said.
Cara turned around again, but Grawlls had vanished. A rustle of leaves signaled his direction, and she breathed easier knowing he was around.
As they followed the path out to the fields near the front of the school campus, several more forms moved away through the trees. Harrison had calmed down enough that he no longer noticed them, but Wes’s eyes darted to the sides as often as hers did.
“Jenyx, where did they all come from?”
Harrison turned his head at the sound of her voice, his eyes searching.
Jenyx answered. “We have had friends nearby for some time now in an
ticipation of this possibility. You must have recognized several from the council. I will admit, more Pyx appeared tonight than I was aware were on our side.”
“Really? What do you make of that?”
“I am not certain. All I know is, I thought I had found the stranger until I was suddenly aware you needed help back where I had left you. There were too many signatures in the area for me to identify friend from foe.”
“Oh.”
Harrison stopped as they stepped out of the woods near the football field. “Who are you talking to?”
The question had been directed at Cara, who must have seemed like she was talking to herself since he couldn’t hear Jenyx answering. When he stopped, though, he turned to Wes for answers.
Wes sighed and clapped a hand to Harrison’s back. “We tried to keep you away. You kept pushing your way in, and now, here we are. All I can say is . . . keep an open mind.”
Harrison studied him. His eyebrows pinched together until, slowly, his shoulders relaxed. “I can do that.”
Cara tried to look reassuring when he turned back to her. “Sorry. I think you might be stuck with us and our, um, interesting lives now.”
Either Harrison couldn’t think of a response or he’d decided to trust them and wait. They made their way across the grass toward the safety of the middle of campus. Cara cast glances to her left each time a small flash of orange appeared along the edge of the woods. The fox was tracking their movement and keeping pace with them.
She wove her hand into the fur at Jenner’s neck. “So you saw them, Jenyx?”
“Not the two who escaped, no. There was a third. Another woman.”
“One who didn’t escape?” Wes asked.
Harrison’s curiosity looked like it was causing him physical pain, but he held his tongue.
“Indeed. This woman did not attempt to attack or to escape. She turned herself in to the guardians.”
“What?” Cara couldn’t believe Jenyx’s words. “Why would she turn herself in?”
“She has not yet said. She seems cooperative for some reason, and appears willing to release her human pyxis in exchange for a chance to speak with us. Perhaps she is another who is disillusioned with the purpose set forth by their leader.”
“I really doubt it will be that simple. What did she look like? Was she as abused and broken as Lydia?”
“No. She looked to be in good health. Presumably she is a more recent host. Do not worry, child. We will make sure the woman gets the help she needs once the Pyx leaves her. She will not suffer as poor Lydia has.”
“Okay. I’m glad you were there to look out for me. I don’t know why I didn’t sense them sooner.”
She peeked over at Harrison walking beside her to see if he would react to her mentioning her extra sense. He looked as bewildered by it as he did by everything else, and it occurred to her that no part of this would be any stranger than another. It would all seem totally crazy.
In a way, she was glad. She’d enjoyed being able to talk to him because he didn’t know about any of it. Now he’d learn all about it, but her extra weirdness would probably blend right in with all the rest.
He caught her looking and gave her a dull, crooked grin. “This had really better be good.”
“Please do be careful what you share with him,” Jenyx pleaded.
“We know.” She wouldn’t betray their bigger secrets, like the guardians. She wasn’t even sure they’d tell Harrison about the Pyx using humans yet. Learning about their existence at all would be a big enough dose of honesty for one evening. “Where’s Tomyx? I didn’t see him at the clearing.”
“No. I’m sure he sensed all the others congregating there, but he won’t leave his charges.”
“Charges?”
“Yes. He is keeping an eye on Jory and Liv to be safe. We don’t expect them to be in danger, but he could still warn them if any unfamiliar Pyx come too close. Jory would pay attention if Thomas were acting strangely.”
“Oh. That’s good. I’m glad he’s taking their safety seriously.”
“Of course, child. Tomyx may not show it, but he cares very much for Jory.”
Wes scratched his head, hiding a small laugh with his arm. Cara had often sensed that from Tomyx, but Jenyx was right. He definitely didn’t show it. Even if the Pyx didn’t expect Jory and Liv to be in any danger, she was happy to know he was there for them. But if the Pyxsees were the ones who might be threatened by the Pyx returning to the area, there were two more who needed protection.
“Who’s watching Rhys?”
“Ryx is ensuring his safety.”
Cara groaned. Poor Rhys. She spent a few moments contemplating whether she’d rather get stabbed than put up with Ryx hanging around her. She glanced down at her fist where white knuckles clenched the knife from the attack. When she imagined the sharp edge dripping with blood, she shuddered. She wouldn’t rather see Rhys injured. A sudden appreciation bloomed for the rude Pyx in the raven. If he kept Rhys safe, he’d seriously climb the ranks in her esteem.
“What about Wes when he’s not with me?”
“That would be me.” The fox was still weaving between trees along the edge of the forest, close enough to them to hear their conversation with its sensitive hearing.
She turned to see if Wes had known.
“Oh, yeah. She’s been around.”
Wes commented so casually she almost thought he didn’t care. But the tiny crinkle beside his eye gave him away. He liked having her around.
“You didn’t tell me that.”
Harrison finally couldn’t hold it any longer. “Who’s been around?”
“The fox you saw at the clearing,” Cara answered. “She’s been, um . . . nope. That’s not going to make any sense until we explain everything else. Sorry.”
“A fox?” Harrison looked like he might laugh. “She is a fox?”
Was it relief that he hadn’t been seeing things? The poor guy had been through a lot in the past ten or fifteen minutes. Laughter wouldn’t be the weirdest response. She should know.
“Have you named her, Wes?”
“Have I named a wild animal? No, Cara. I haven’t named the fox.”
“Why not? I named a bear. Actually, Harrison sort of named the bear by accident.”
Wes rolled his eyes and gave Harrison a look as if to say, “Are you sure you want to be a part of this?”
The spark had returned to Harrison’s bright emerald eyes. His smile evened out and spread across his face. “It sounds as though you’ve a lot to tell me. After our little roll-about in the dirt, I think I’d like a shower first.” He left them at the fork in the path between the dorms and went ahead to the Lodge.
Wes watched him go. “That”—his eyes pivoted from Harrison to Cara—“is going to be complicated.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I think it already was.” Still smiling to herself, she turned and went into the Cedars.
CHAPTER 19
“THEY HAVE NO BODIES?” Harrison sat on the desk chair. He’d pulled it close to Wes’s bed where Cara sat beside Wes while he explained.
“Right. They live in animal hosts, like a shared consciousness type of thing. A host, or a vessel for them, is a pyxis. Normally they’re animals or, at least, complex life forms, but not people. The ones who attacked us are part of a group of Pyx who are breaking their laws by taking human pyxides.”
They had decided to tell him about the human hosts. It only made sense when that was where the biggest threat was coming from right now. They kept other secrets for the Pyx for now, but this was about his safety.
“And there’s one of these creatures in each of your animals.”
Cara nodded. “Yep. Jenyx and Tomyx. They take their identifiers from their hosts.”
Jenner and Thomas had found positions on the floor as far across the room from Harrison as they could. They both curled into harmless balls of fur on the floor and watched Harrison absorb what he was being told. It was as non-threatening as they co
uld possibly look. Maybe Jenyx and Tomyx thought it would be more reassuring this way.
“And that’s why you named the bear. So you’d have something to call this . . . this Pyx who lives inside him.” Harrison gave a feeble attempt at a smile.
All things considered, he was taking it like a champ. Certainly better than she’d done, and she’d been able to see and hear them. Come to think of it, that might have made things worse.
“So a Pyx is one of these creatures with no corporeal form, only energy. A pyxis is the vessel they live in, usually an animal. And a Pyxsee is a human with this gene that gives you gold eye color and lets you communicate with them. Have I got that straight?”
“Yep. Nailed it. Oh, and Pyx are immortal.” That was still the part she had the hardest time wrapping her head around, although it was being driven home by all the memories now plaguing her with visions. She still found it weird.
Not Harrison. “Well, clearly. That makes sense if they have no bodies. Nothing to age and decay, is there?”
Smarty pants.
“Fine, Mr. Expert on the Thing You Just Learned About. Any other questions?”
“Only about a million. How old are these two? How many are there? How do they reproduce? They may be immortal, but they must have evolved and expanded their population over time. Can they be killed?”
“Whoa. One step at a time. They don’t tell us everything either.” Jory still didn’t look impressed at initiating Harrison into their bizarre and exclusive little club.
Cara leaned forward, thinking. “They can be killed but don’t ask us how. We don’t know.” She ignored the twinge of discomfort from the other side of the room. “They’re hundreds of millions of years old, so I doubt the exact number matters much, and there are plenty of them. Again, exact numbers probably aren’t important. And, you know, I don’t think we’ve ever asked how new Pyx are born.”
“I have,” Wes said. “Tomyx wouldn’t say.”
Harrison steepled his fingers. “Fascinating. And only the two of you can hear them?” He watched Cara and Wes, who nodded.
“And my brother,” Liv added from the other bed where she sat beside Jory. “Don’t worry, though. These guys are always recapping for us. We don’t feel too left out or anything. You’ll see.”