Noble Lies

by Lyneal Jenkins

  I sensed the remaining Siis shift. It seemed the game was ending, and I still had no idea how to survive.

  ‘Stay down,’ Maria said to the Siis she’d hit with her orbs. If only her magic killed them straight out. Enough of it might, but she wouldn’t have the time to keep her power directed at one when so many more approached. Adam was right, she needed training.

  Cleas moved towards me, and I stumbled back with the dagger held out. He glanced at it with amusement, as if I threatened him with a kids’ foam sword. It might as well be one for all the good it would do me. Yet, even knowing it wouldn’t help me, I continued to hold it out as protective talisman.

  My gift to draw on his shi would be more useful. But then what? Did I have the power to kill him? If I failed, he would be able to track me. I couldn't have that. I scanned the room for something, anything I could use or a way to escape. I skirted closer to Maria.

  Cleas perched on the edge of the desk with his hands resting on his crossed legs. ‘You can’t escape, hybrid.’ He wouldn’t kill me immediately. He hummed with anticipation and lust, not love and sex, but for torture and death. It vibrated through my bones with the knowledge that death would take a long time to come, that something worse would happen first.

  The window shattered and a small object hit the floor, smoke spilling from it. It spread out, raising to the ceiling before it filled the room. I choked and stumbled back, unable to see Cleas. Gunfire shattered through the room. I hit the floor with my hands over my head.

  Cleas laughed, and a strong wind whipped around us, taking the smoke with it.

  I couldn’t fight him. My heart thundered, gripped with tight fear and my mind screamed to run, to escape the torture he had planned. I turned, screaming for Maria to follow me. The government could deal with him, it was their fault he was here.

  I sprinted towards the end door. Two figures blocked my escape. A witch, her dark hair pulled into a tight ponytail, her expression grim as she fired blue orbs into the room. Next to her stood a man. I recognised the tight lips and ice-blue eyes. I could never forget him. Even without seeing him I would have recognised the man who had broken me. His words thundered through my mind “Who killed the Chancellor?” and my nostrils stung like I was back in the shower room, strapped to the bench as he waterboarded me.

  My heart stopped. Everything seemed to stop. I skidded on the carpet trying to halt myself, flailing as I fell onto my back, forgetting Cleas, forgetting everything, only able to focus on my walking nightmare. I shuffled backwards, unable to find my feet as his weapon settled on me. How was he not dead? How was he here again, trying to kill me? I tried to cry out, but my throat had swollen shut.

  I was trapped between Cleas and the man who haunted my dreams. His weapon moved a fraction, and I threw my arms over my face. I didn’t hear the shot but felt the warmth as it flew past my ear.

  ‘Move!’ someone shouted, a woman. Maybe it wasn’t meant for me, but I rolled to the side as the witch fired orbs into the room. They both moved from the doorway and took cover behind the desks. Another soldier followed, his weapon raining bullets into the room. They didn’t fire at me, not for now, anyway.

  Five suited men filled their place, firing at the Siis. They managed to get a few shots off before three of them fell dead. One more hit the wall with a crunch. The other took cover behind a desk. As if that would help him.

  I rolled to where Maria pressed herself against a table, her hands empty of orbs as she covered her head. I gripped her wrist and pointed to the exit. We needed to escape. Enemies surrounded us. I shouldn’t have trusted the Prime Minister. I should have listened to Nicolai and stayed with him.

  We crawled. I tried to find my nightmare man, but the smoke was too thick. I spied the other witch, blue orbs firing from her hands. I had to get out.

  The shots stopped, all soldiers either dead or out of ammunition. Fingers crossed my nightmare was one of the dead ones. A body hurtled past me and hit the wall. The witch. She remained on the floor, her eyes closed, not dead, her energy muted, but still pulsing with life. She remained unconscious. The room fell silent.

  Something grabbed my ankle, an even pressure of raw power. I skidded back along the floor, towards Cleas. I grabbed the desk, but my fingers slipped free as I continued along the thick carpet.

  ‘Come now, hybrid,’ Cleas said as if coaxing a child to behave. ‘Resisting will only make it worse.’

  Someone screamed from another room, a woman. It became a high-pitched squeak before it cut off. The other Siis had closed in on us. I could almost smell the stench of their corruption. More shots in the distance. Cleas continued to pull me towards him. My resistance caused him to smile.

  I stabbed my dagger into the floor, and for a moment, I halted. The dagger ripped free, and I continued towards Cleas, a desperate moan escaping my lips. How could I win this one?

  People spilt through the far door, men in suits, women. I groaned when the Prime Minister followed. Approaching Siis herded them towards their leader.

  Cleas chuckled as the men fired at him. The bullets all stopped before him, like angry insects deciding whether to attack, silent, pulsing with the anger of every conscious human who stared at them, willing for the bullets to keep moving, to kill the Siis who laughed at us. Our prayers and wishes were as effective as showering Cleas with daisies and the bullets fell to the ground as one. The men continued to fire, and Maria’s orbs joined in, all focused on Cleas. The pressure on my ankle lessened, and I stopped being dragged across the carpet. I had to be quick.

  I drew in a deep breath as I raised my left empty hand. Gift or not, I couldn’t let the dagger go. I focused my mind, concentrated all my thoughts on Cleas’s shi, and shoved. He stumbled, only a fraction, but he had moved. This time I pulled, just a little, but enough that his shi drew towards me. I tried not to absorb any, but I struggle with flimsy control, and tendrils of his shi joined my own glowing mass. The other Siis howled. Damn, I drew on them, too.

  I shoved Cleas again. This time, he stumbled back a step. Gunfire continued to rain down on him, and Maria bombarded him with blue orbs. He deflected them all, sending them to the side, but his concentration was torn. I dragged once more on his shi.

  The shi of all the Siis touched me, even those coming from the next room as they closed in on us. Electric blue light glimmered on the walls as Maria threw a blue orb towards the other Siis. As it hit, my knees buckled, and I fell to the floor, losing control of the shi. I tried to shout for Maria to stop, tell her that when connected, I felt their pain, but the Siis behind me pounced.

  Maria screamed, and wood cracked, cutting the scream off. I couldn’t turn and check on her. Cleas gained control, and I skidded as his power tugged me towards him. No time to think. No time to plan. I pulled again, this time uncaring of the absorbed shi. I had to kill him. He resisted, but he didn’t have my gift, he wasn’t like Seraphine, he wasn’t different.

  His shi continued towards me, and with it, I gained strength. Cleas’s pull on me lessened, and I struggled to my feet, keeping him in my sights. Sweat rolled down my back, sticking the shirt to my skin, and all my old cuts stung and throbbed like a bitch. I couldn’t let up. I couldn’t weaken. The minute I did was the moment we were all dead.

  Another orb hit him. Not from Maria, but the witch who worked with the government. I shouted for her to stop, but she continued to bombard Cleas with energy. I screamed and fell to my knees again, yelling for Maria to stop the witch.

  The orbs stopped firing. I couldn’t see why. Maybe Maria stopped her. Maybe Cleas got the witch. I didn’t have time to check.

  More men entered the room. I didn’t see them, but their gunfire joined that of their remaining comrades. Someone shot the other Siis. Pain rippled through my chest, and the breath hitched in my lungs. My knees sagged, but I managed to keep my footing and my hold on Cleas. The pain faded, the Siis dead. I tried to get a count on how many remained, but the moment I split my concentration, Cleas gained power. I focus o
n him once more. His shi joined mine, and his power filled me, bringing strength to my tired body. I breathed it in.

  Pain flared in my shoulder as Cleas stumbled back. A bullet had got through his defences. He snarled and pounced towards me. I didn’t have time to move, and we both collided with the desk. I lost control of my hold on him and cried out, my chest crushed under his weight.

  Fresh orbs hit him, and the power spilt over us both. I convulsed, my thoughts darkening. I had to stay conscious. I had to find my hold on him again. Another orb hit and my vision went. I couldn’t move. My thoughts scattered. I was going to die.

  The pressure lifted, making it possible to take a tight breath. Cleas’s shi spilt over me for a second before it retreated Glass smashed, the sound distant to me. I drifted, leaving the pain behind. I had to continue fighting. I forced my eyes open. I rolled onto my knees and paused as my head swam. Hands grabbed at me. I slashed the dagger out, and someone yelped. Several people spoke at once, some of them at me, but my ears rang, making it impossible to hear more than muffled sounds.

  ‘Ana!’ Was that Maria shouting? Was it Cleas? I tried to get hold of my own thoughts, but Cleas’s power consumed me, blocking out all pain. Scenes spilt through my head, too many and too fast to catch. Images of people I didn’t know, of places I had never been.

  I pressed my hands to my head as pressure built up. My skull felt like someone had taken a hammer to it, the pain so sharp, I screamed. More people, places, and scenes flashed before my eyes. Fire. So much fire in the images. People screaming. Men women and children burning alive. Amongst it all was Cleas’s laughter, filled with amusement and the knowledge that now he could find me, that there will never be any escape. His voice filled my mind: ‘The end of the world is coming, hybrid. And you and your child can watch as your race burns.’

  My chest tightened as I fled through the fire. Smoke billowed around me, blocking the light. I screamed for Adam and choked. Where was he?

  The room had disappeared. I ran down a city street, once bustling with activity, now a graveyard to abandoned, burned-out vehicles. Numerous charred remains, many of them children. I screamed for Adam again. I couldn’t find my way out. I couldn’t find anyone alive. I ran through the streets, chased by Cleas’s laughter as he mocked me.

  I fell to my knees with my hands pressed to my head, the pressure building until it tore at my brain. The pain increased, and I screamed, at least I thought I did. Charred bones crunched under my knees, yet when I looked down, streams of blood flowed under my legs, the blood of the innocent, the people who had been struck down without knowing why they needed to die. Caught in the web of torture, my mind disconnected from fear and pain.

  A figure appeared through the smoke, nothing more than an outline of a man. I ran in his direction but stopped. What if it was Cleas? What if the figure meant me harm? I flinched, sensing resentment and anger. The male hated me, wanted to harm me. I shouted No! and mentally pushed against him. I watched as he disappeared into the smoke.

  I whirled around. There had to be someone, anyone. I couldn’t be alone with enemies surrounding me.

  Another figure appeared in the mist. I ran towards it. This person would help me. They had to. The closer I got, the faster I ran. The figure remained still, not moving towards me nor retreating. They felt familiar. If I reached them, I would be safe and protected, I could hide from Cleas. They would protect me and my child.

  The figure called my name. Adam? They called my name again. I almost wept with relief. Adam had found me.

  Pain shredded my brain. I stumbled and fell to my knees my back arched, screaming until the pain subsided. Adam stood before me. But he was nothing more than a mirage. He couldn’t be real. None of it was. Even I wasn’t real. Not right now. Not in the wasteland.

  I reached for him, my fingers coming up short. ‘I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left.’

  He knelt before me. ‘What happened?’

  Sharp talons shredded my mind. I screamed. I couldn’t move. ‘Cleas. Can’t you hear him? He is here. He is tearing me apart.’ I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. Cleas gained strength, becoming a dark silhouette that parted the smoke as he approached.

  Adam laid his hand over mine, his touch a mere breeze upon my skin, his fingers like smoke that went straight through me. ‘You need to focus. Hurry. See what I see.’ He ran his hands through his hair, tugging on the ends as he cursed. ‘You need to see it, Ana. I can’t fix it for you. Close your eyes and see.’

  I closed my eyes but could only focus on the green eyes that appeared in my mind, mocking eyes that would now forever haunt me, an endless torture that came from within. The dark figure drew closer, the green eyes and mocking smile clear while the rest misted into shadows.

  I scurried back from Adam, unable to find my feet, unable to breathe. ‘He is here!’ There were no soldiers to help me with their weapons of destruction. Maria wasn’t around to stand by my side. There was only Adam and Cleas. My chest ached with terror.

  ‘Banish him now!’ Adam tried to lift my chin, but his fingers flowed through me. ‘Banish him now, Ana. Put up a wall. Keep him at bay.’

  ‘I can’t! Oh God. Adam, it hurts!’

  ‘I know. Block him out like you block out Gabriel.’

  I shoved my thoughts against Cleas, my actions weak and ineffective. He continued to draw closer. ‘I can’t. He is too strong.’

  Adam slammed his fist into the ground. ‘You are also strong.’ He glared, deciding the gentle approach was over. ‘Do it now. Failure is not a choice anymore. Push him out and slam that door. Do it for our child.’

  I gathered my courage. I wouldn’t be a coward. I wouldn’t fail my baby. I snagged hold of Cleas’s shi. It clung to my skin like tar. I shuddered, fighting the urge to shake him off, to escape the itch of insects burrowing beneath my skin. I whimpered through clenched teeth. I couldn’t let him win. Cleas faded, for only a fraction of a second, but it happened. Pain rippled through me afresh, and Cleas’s laugh filled the air with renewed vigour.

  I sank further against the road. I wasn’t strong enough, not against Cleas. Wind whipped around me, tossing my hair over my face. I left it there. It was over. Cleas had won.

  ‘You can do this!’ Adam shouted. ‘Fight him! He has no place in your mind.’

  I looked up. I’d never seen Adam look frantic before. He was always so strong and stoic. He stared at me with pinched eyes, his hands fisted at his sides. His gaze flickered to Cleas before he settled on me again. ‘Please. I cannot help you here. He does not belong. You can remove him. Try. Please.’

  My heart ached to hear his pleads. I nodded and struggled to my feet, pushing my hair from my face. Adam was right. This was my mind, and Cleas hadn’t been invited. I lashed against the Siis, snagged his shi and pushed hard. He fought me and power flowed between us. Cleas’s scream of pure rage gave me more strength, and I shoved harder.

  ‘Visualise a door, a wall, or whatever helps you keep him at bay.’

  I did as Adam said and saw a well, just like the one Jake Saunders fell into when I’d been a little kid, made of small boulders with a rotting rope that used to hold a bucket. One of the older kids had told us a monster lived down there, waiting to eat little children. The well had been my nightmare for almost a year. Strange how the forgotten dreams can spring back into life with such detailed accuracy and feeling.

  I pushed Cleas towards it, ignoring the pain that tore at my mind, remaining focused as I visualised him falling into the dark hole, a place filled with every childhood nightmare I’d ever had. He tried to fight, but he was in my domain. He had no power in my mind, and I had all the power I could imagine.

  A stick appeared in my hands, one of the long ones Adam used to train me with. I jabbed, hitting Cleas in the stomach. He snarled and stumbled back. Before he could find his balance, I brought the stick down on his neck. He sagged, but remained on his feet, his eyes boring into me, stunned that I had the power to fight him. A beast reared up
before me, at least three times my height with a jaw full of teeth. It had no power but to scare, nothing more than a child’s nightmare. I stepped into it and brought the stick around. The beast evaporated as I hit Cleas. He fell back against the well. Now it was my turn.

  I recalled every childhood monster from under the bed, creating a unique beast covered in scales, with long tentacles and three canine heads. It gripped Cleas’s foot in huge, fang-filled, terrifying jaws, and pulled up, tipping him into the well. He fought, showing me images of pain and torture, images that would have once had me huddled in terror, but now, were nothing new. I had adapted, and for now at least, I felt no fear for the ambitious Siis waging war in my mind.

  I didn’t need to order the nightmare creature. Now that I’d set it in motion, it didn’t need any more instruction from me, and it dropped Cleas down the well. It seemed a lifetime before his scream died out.

  I collapsed to the ground as the beast disappeared, the pain in my head reaching a new level. Something rolled towards me, darkness filled with glints of glowing particles, like millions of blades catching the sunlight.

  It didn’t matter how many walls I tried to put up, or how much I tried to will the approaching cloud away, it continued forwards, sucking up any light in its path, heading straight for me. I turned to sprint down the street, hoping to find refuge in the desolate shops lining the road, but the town had disappeared. Only the empty road remained. Dark rolling fog surrounded me, closing in, the glints of metal like splinters of reflection, the light slicing through the blackness. I couldn’t hide. I couldn’t escape. I held my head up as the fog pressed against my skin, and tiny blades of light flashed before my eyes.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Warm breeze ruffled my hair as I watched the young woman bathing in the river, holding her long dark hair above her head as she washed the olive skin of her shoulder.

  I hunkered down behind the bush, a smile tugging the corner of my lips as I waited for her to finish her weekly ritual and leave the river to reclaim her clothes drying on the bush I hid behind. I stroked my fingers over the side of the blade, enjoying the shiver than ran down my spine in anticipation of what was to come.