Construct

by Luke Matthews

  Eriane turned to Pare, whose back was to the group. “You should at least hear him out, Pare.” Pare turned around, his arms crossed like a shield against discussion.

  “What do you mean, Samuel?” Jacob asked.

  “I now know for certain these memories,” Samuel said, “the fragments of visions that come to me whenever I black out—they aren’t actually mine.”

  Eriane was confused. “If they’re not yours, then where did they come from?”

  “All I’ve got is bits and pieces,” Samuel said. “Some are stronger than others, and I know for sure they aren’t all mine, because”—he paused, as though building up the resolve to explain—“because I saw Icariascus’s last moments, through his own eyes.”

  “What?” Eriane said. A shock welled up from her gut and pushed behind her eyes, threatening a fresh round of tears. Pare finally turned around.

  “I think that’s what this is,” Samuel said. “I’m seeing the memories of other constructs, after they are destroyed. I don’t know why, or even how I’m linked to them, but after the explosion, I had another rush of images, and the strongest was from inside the cabin, from just a little while ago. I saw the fighting, I saw Mane…and then…black. One of the intruders pulled a pistol and shot Icariascus.”

  Samuel’s words were a punch to Eriane’s gut. She put a hand over her mouth as her stomach lurched. Jacob let out a breath, running a hand through his hair and turning away.

  “And it wasn’t just the last moments,” Samuel said. “It was just like the others. I’ve got images from all throughout Icariascus’s life. A lot. A lot of you two, where he was before Mane. But it’s all a mess. Disjointed. Incomplete. If this Acthemenius can help me fix it…put it all together…then maybe we can figure out why I’m being followed, and put an end to the ones following me.”

  Pare scoffed and turned away again, and Eriane followed him. She couldn’t let his pig-headedness win out this time. “He’s right Pare, and you know it. This is why Mane wanted us to help him.” Pare stopped a few paces away, putting a hand on the cave wall. She waited as he contemplated, but he never turned, never spoke.

  “The people following me, Pare,” Samuel said, “they’ve destroyed a lot of constructs, and hurt a lot of people in the process. The others they’ve destroyed, they never—they never felt fear, or anger. I want to turn the tables on them. I want them to pay for what they’ve done.” Samuel stepped forward. “And I need help.”

  Eriane waited to hear Pare’s response, but he didn’t turn or speak. She approached him, fighting back the urge to scream. “You don’t get to do this, Pare. You don’t get to turn your back on this. This time it isn’t just you.”

  “Everything’s different now, Eri.” His voice was almost inaudible. “I…we have to start all over again. We’re on our own.”

  “Yeah, but we don’t have to be. This is our decision to make, now. Ours.” She took a breath. “Right now, we’re the only people in the world Samuel can trust, and he needs us.”

  Pare’s eyes flashed as he turned to her. “He doesn’t deserve our help.”

  “How can you say that?” Eriane said, putting a hand on Pare’s arm. “Please, Pare… We need your help. I need your help. Don’t leave me now. Not now.”

  Pare set his jaw. “Who’s leaving who, Eri?”

  Eriane raised her voice, no longer able to contain her anger. “Don’t you dare, Pariadnus,” she said, wiping her eyes.

  “What, Eri? Tell you the truth?”

  “You’re so full of it!” Eriane said. “All you care about is yourself and your stupid grudges!”

  “It’s self-preservation, Eri,” Pare snarked. “It’s kept me going so far. You’re going to walk into a fight you have no part in—the fight that took our home away from us.”

  Someone behind Eriane said something she didn’t hear. “Samuel came to us for help, and I’m not going to let you make me feel guilty for doing what’s right.”

  “What’s right?” Pare asked. “How do you know Samuel there isn’t the bad guy, huh? How do you know the people following him aren’t right?”

  “How can you even say that, especially after what they’ve done?”

  “HEY!”

  Eriane finally registered Jacob yelling at her and turned on him. “What!” she yelled, but what she saw pulled her up short. Between them, a steady stream of iridescent mist poured from a point in the air just above head-level, then dissipated into the moist air of the cave. As it began to die down, she looked at Jacob.

  “We have to go. Now,” he said, without waiting for the question.

  “What is that?” Eriane asked.

  Jacob was already gathering what few things he had with him. “It means someone’s still alive down there, and they know there’s a translocator with you. They know I helped you escape.”

  “What?” Pare asked. “How is that possible?”

  “I’ll explain later,” Jacob said. “Right now, we have to leave.”

  Eriane scooped up her rucksack and moved toward the entrance just behind Jacob. Samuel still stood near the entrance but didn’t move as Eriane approached. She looked over her shoulder and saw Pare hadn’t moved.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him. He set his jaw and did not respond.

  “Pare, you have to come with us,” Jacob said. “If they can follow that trail, they could be here soon.”

  The whole group paused, waiting for a response. When it didn’t come, Eriane was the first to speak. “I’m done arguing with you about it, Pare. I’m going.”

  She turned around, the rock in her chest descending into her gut. Pare had been in her life ever since Mane had taken her in, and she struggled with every step away from him. Knowing what needed to be done didn’t make the doing any easier.

  She paused a step past Jacob and Samuel, both of whom were still waiting on Pare, who maintained the same silent posture. “Are you sure, Pare?” Jacob said. After no response, he turned to Eriane. “Are you sure?” he said.

  Eriane blinked, then nodded. Samuel looked at Pare. After a long pause, he found no words, and followed Eriane out of the cave.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  * * *

  Samuel followed Eriane’s lead, heading beneath the waterfall in the opposite direction than he’d gone earlier. The wider path rose at a gentler slope, rounding a corner into a cut in the cliff instead of following a switchback to the top. Eriane trudged ahead of Jacob without a word, and Samuel brought up the rear. The shock of seeing the thief again was settling in, and he wasn’t sure how to reconcile his feelings of betrayal from Morrelton with his gratitude at being saved from his would-be captors.

  At this point, Samuel decided, he had no choice but to trust Jacob. The discussion of what happened in Morrelton would have to come later, when Samuel found both the courage and the humility to ask without allowing his anger to dictate the conversation. For now, they were travel companions again, and something about that felt good.

  Steep rock walls gave way to a clearing at the top of the cliff along the riverside. To their right the flat ground disappeared into the trees and jagged, white mountain peaks towered over the forest. The sky was stark white, and the snow didn’t seem to be taking hold yet.

  “That way,” Eriane said, pointing out a narrow path that led into the treeline. “That will take us back to the road in about half a day, if I remember right.”

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t go back?” Samuel asked.

  Eriane’s lips were a thin line and she shook her head. “Pariadnus has always been a stubborn goat,” she said. “Once he’s made up his mind…” She headed up the trail without another word. Jacob shrugged and they followed.

  Before long they passed under the forest canopy and the trail wound between the narrow trunks of high alpine trees. It was a silent walk and the mood was dark. Samuel was torn about leaving Pare behind, regardless of his attitude. Despite his reluctance, the boy had been helpful and had just started warming to Samuel
before they were forced to leave the cabin. Samuel knew Pare was self-sufficient, but still had no desire to see him fall to harm.

  Pine boughs overhead obscured the winter sky as the trio walked, the distance traveled in almost complete silence. Their path was clear and all Samuel wanted was to put the horror of the day behind them to focus on the task ahead. He held onto the hope their pursuers—his pursuers—would not find a way to follow them through Jacob’s translocation and that they’d make it to Kelef unmolested. Ever since Winston, Samuel stumbled from one disaster to the next, narrowly avoiding a terrible fate. Kelef, and whatever awaited him there, was an opportunity to put everything together and work on finding a way out of his situation.

  Lost in thought, Samuel almost ran into Jacob as they came to a stop on the trail. Ahead of them, Eriane stood at a place where the trail split and meandered off in opposite directions. Samuel and Jacob waited for Eriane to decide which path to take, but when she said nothing, Jacob spoke first.

  “Eriane?” he asked.

  She turned to face him, unable to disguise her worry. For a moment she looked as though she were about to speak, but instead turned back to the fork, her head nodding and shaking as she weighed each option in her mind. In a small voice she said only, “I don’t know which way.”

  Jacob was silent, looking up each trail in much the same way Eriane had, so Samuel stepped forward. He hadn’t yet known certainty in his short waking life, so this was just another obstacle to overcome. It was clear Eriane’s uncertainty terrified her. “That’s okay, Eriane. Let’s just try to work through it.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said, taking a breath. She turned back toward the intersection. “These are tracker’s trails, so one will take us back to the main Morrelton road. The other would wind deeper into the forest along the foothills, or possibly back to the river at some point. So…”

  Jacob and Samuel held their anxiety while waiting for her to finish.

  She took a step to the left trail, stopped, and shook her head. Her shoulders twitched in the same direction one more time, and she stopped herself again. “There.” She pointed to the right trail. “That should lead us back to the pass.” She hesitated, then nodded toward the two of them and headed down the trail.

  “Well, you almost had it right.”

  The voice startled all three of them and they turned in a flash, Jacob drawing a knife from beneath his cloak. There, leaning against a tree next to the trail, stood Pare, his rucksack slung over one shoulder. Eriane bolted past Jacob, leaping up and wrapping her arms around Pare’s shoulders. “I knew it!” she said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his shoulder.

  “I couldn’t let you try and lead them to Kelef on your own,” he said, mustering an almost convincing nonchalance. “You couldn’t even find your way out of bed in the morning without help.”

  Eriane let go of Pare’s neck and didn’t even flinch before slapping him across the face. Pare dropped his eyes with a sheepish nod. “The right path leads along the river for a while, but curves back away from the mountains a few miles down. The left path heads toward the mountains and will take us back to the road just before the pass.”

  Jacob nodded. “Then we’d better get moving. Maybe we can make it to the base of the pass before nightfall, and still have trees to camp under for one more night. Oh, and Pare? I’m glad you decided to come with us.”

  Pare nodded his thanks and pointed himself up the trail, moving to the front of the group. “Pare, I…” Samuel said, but the boy indicated no acknowledgement, instead starting off at a brisk pace with Eriane beside him. Jacob shot Samuel a look, then motioned for the two of them to be on their way as well.

  The trail wasn’t wide but it was uncluttered, save for the occasional root. Samuel and Jacob hung back from the other two, allowing them their time together. Every so often, Eriane would speak to them about where they were headed, obstacles they might encounter, or other tidbits about their upcoming trek. Pare rarely addressed either of them, and only ever Jacob.

  Samuel couldn’t really blame him. All Pare’s fears had been proven accurate and now he didn’t even have Mane to tell “I told you so.” Regardless, Samuel was grateful to have him along. With his knowledge and skills, he would prove to be a useful companion. As the day crept to a close, they neared the intersection with the main road to the pass.

  “Do you think they can trace you back to the cave?” Pare asked Jacob.

  “Not unless they have a translocator of their own,” Jacob replied. “At best they’ll know you were pulled out, but they shouldn’t be able to track where.”

  “Good,” Pare said. “We’ll stay here for the night. We don’t want to head into the pass in the dark. All we can hope is that they don’t know what direction we went, at least not right away.”

  “What if they catch up to us on the main road?” Eriane asked.

  “I’ll be here, on watch,” Samuel said. “You’re all exhausted. Get some sleep.”

  Pare paused, as if to size up Samuel’s trustworthiness. Weariness won out and he nodded. After looking around, he pointed out a small depression a ways back from the trail. “There.”

  “Seems like a good spot,” Jacob said. “I’ll go gather some firewood.”

  Pare stopped him. “Before you go.” Pare reached up to touch Jacob’s head and Jacob flinched away, to which Pare gave him a scowl. Jacob nodded and stepped back up. Pare placed his hand on the side of Jacob’s head at the base of his neck, and there was a sound like blowing leaves. Jacob blinked and shook his head.

  “What did you do?” Jacob asked.

  “Back at the cabin. You said one of them could get in our heads,” Pare said. “It’s a mind-wall trick Mane taught me. It should protect us, at least for a little while.”

  “What about the breaker?”

  “I can’t do much to stop him, if he’s good,” Pare said. “But even if he’s good it’ll take some time, and you’ll get a warning. I’m not sure how it’ll manifest; it’s different for everyone. Just pay attention to anything out of the ordinary. You’ll know.”

  Pare turned to Eriane, placing a hand at the same spot on her neck. The same quiet sound blew by, instigating the same gentle shake of the head from Eriane, as if to clear it. Pare leaned down, speaking to her in his best big-brother voice. “You need to pay attention, okay? Anything could be a sign of tampering, and there’s no way for me to tell.”

  Eriane nodded. “What about Samuel?”

  Pare just shook his head. “There’s nothing I can do. These things really only work on people. Besides, even a breaker can’t do much against a can—construct.”

  “Oh,” was all Eriane could say. Her look to Samuel was tainted with pity before she turned to follow Pare to their camping spot. Samuel didn’t know how accurate Pare’s assessment of his safety was. He had little choice but to sit watch and hope he could do his part to protect the people who were trying to help him—some against their better judgment.

  • • • • •

  The suns had retreated for the day and the forest darkened. Eriane busied herself making camp and building the small fire, waiting for Pare to return. He had headed off into the woods without a word. Eriane knew all of them wondered what he was up to. She assured them he’d be fine—he knew these woods better than anyone—even though her own worry was clear.

  Pare’s life had been upended once already, not as long ago as it seemed sometimes. Mane had taken him in and had been everything to him for longer than Eriane had known either of them. And now Mane was gone; they were on their own again. The thoughts of Mane caught in Eriane’s throat but she fought back tears; there wasn’t time for weakness right now.

  She shook herself out of her thoughts when she heard Jacob say her name. “Hmm?”

  Jacob took a spot next to her on the log next to the fire, leaning in close. “So, are you any good with those irons you’re packing?” he said, keeping his voice quiet.

  Her eyes snapped to Samuel, who sat
across the fire and back a ways into the woods. She felt Jacob’s hand on hers.

  “No one told me, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Jacob said.

  She was confused. “But, how?”

  “You don’t translocate two people and a construct over a mile without learning a little bit of what they’ve got on them,” he said.

  Eriane flushed, her chest tightening again. “Jacob, you can’t say anything. You just can’t!” she said.

  Jacob nodded and raised a hand. “You don’t need to worry about that,” he said. “So, are you?”

  “Am I what?” Eriane asked.

  Jacob smiled. “Any good with them?”

  Eriane smiled, but she didn't feel very convincing. She dropped her eyes. “Yeah,” she said. “Really good.”

  “That’s good to know,” Jacob replied. “But you need to be careful.”

  “I’m always careful,” Eriane said. “I know how to handle these things.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about,” Jacob said. “Those pistols need to be an absolute last resort.” He sounded like he wanted to say more, but trailed off instead.

  “What do you mean?” Eriane asked.

  “I mean,” Jacob said, looking around. “I mean I don’t know how Pare would react.”

  Again, Jacob caught her by surprise. “I know that,” she said. “But how do you?”

  “That little mind trick Mane pulled back in the cabin,” he said. “It wasn’t exactly, well, clean.”

  There were things about Pare’s history even Eriane didn’t know. She wanted so much to ask Jacob for details, but it felt wrong to invade Pare’s privacy, so she rephrased the question. “How much did you learn?” she asked.

  “Enough,” Jacob said. “Look…Pare’s got some demons buried way deep, and I think it’s in our best interests to keep them buried, if you know what I mean.”