Shatterskin

by Beca Lewis

  “Well, then, how does he expect to live?”

  Tita gave me a look of such profound sorrow I felt the pain of it run the entire length of my body. There was a story here that they had not yet told me. I couldn’t imagine what could be worse than what I had already heard, but then, imagining ultimate Evil had never been something I wanted to do.

  I put my hand on Tita’s arm. “I’m sorry, Tita, I understand if you don’t want to talk about this now. I’m sure I will learn when it is the right time to know.”

  Tita nodded at me gratefully, and we continued our walk down the tunnel together. I could see that it opened into another room, and could hear the current of lively chatter and laughter coming from it.

  “Your cousins?” I asked. “Your cousins built the tunnels? Who are your cousins?”

  Tita laughed again. “We lovingly call them ‘Whistle Pigs.’ You call them groundhogs.”

  “Groundhogs are your cousins?” I asked in amazement. I knew groundhogs. They dug holes in the ground and pulled plants into them. They were the bane of farmers everywhere. “Groundhogs did all of this?”

  “Well, okay, not groundhogs as you know them. These are groundhogs!” Tita said pulling me through the door and opening his arms to take in the scene.

  I recognized my team and the Ginete, but what were those huge hairy things that looked like bears?

  “Those are our Whistle Pigs, Hannah. The best friend the people of Erda have ever had. And one of the best lines of defense you will have in your fight against the Shrieks.”

  I stood there with my mouth hanging open. Not attractive. But real. I hoped Tita was right because if those groundhogs, Whistle Pigs, were not on our side, we were in serious trouble.

  One broke free of the group he had been talking with and ambled over to where Tita stood with me grinning from ear to ear.

  “Teddy,” he said, “This is Princess Kara Beth.”

  I was too shocked to correct him. In fact, I realized I better step up into the Princess role if I ever expected to have a stand with this bear of a being. “Seriously, your name is Teddy? Like a Teddy bear?”

  “Just like that, Miss Princess,” Zeid joked in my head.

  I couldn’t afford to turn and give him a dirty look. What would Teddy do?

  Instead, I bowed my head and stuck out my hand. Teddy took it between his massive paws and said, “At your service.”

  Inwardly I sighed in relief. I had passed some first test. I was sure that there were more.

  Thirty-Six

  That dinner was the rowdiest dinner I had ever attended. Turns out the combination of Whistle Pigs and Ginete is loud. Add some kind of strong drink, that Zeid warned me not to taste, and the effect is multiplied. Within an hour, Teddy and Pita were dancing on tables together singing louder than I ever thought possible.

  All of Pita’s brothers eventually joined in, and when two more Whistle Pigs ambled into the room looking as if they just finished digging another tunnel, they incited even more laughter and dancing. The room felt as if it was vibrating from floor to ceiling. I could barely eat for the noise. But what I had was delicious.

  The tables around the room were filled with food. At first, I thought it was because it was easier to have us serve ourselves, which might have been true, but then I realized it was probably to leave the tables in the center of the room free for pounding hands and dancing feet.

  I caught sight of some Ginete that I didn’t know constantly replenishing the supply of food and drink. They would quickly glance around the room before they left, and if I caught their eye, they would bow and walk backward until they were out of sight. I made a mental note to stop that kind of practice if I ever got the chance to have things my way.

  At the first sight of Teddy, the Priscillas had hidden in my pocket, and as the noise worsened, they abandoned me altogether, saying they were off to explore, and would be back soon. I wished that I could go with them, but I couldn’t escape.

  Every ten minutes or so, someone would hold up their glass and toast, to “Princess Kara Beth,” or “to the Kingdom of Zerenity. May it endure.” Then all heads would swivel my way, and I would hold my glass of water and toast with them.

  I was beyond grateful that Zeid stayed by my side, poking me if my attention wandered, and keeping the worst of the exuberant behavior at least a few feet away from me. Once I almost got dragged up to a table to dance, but a swift glance from Niko, who magically appeared beside me, stopped any further shenanigans of that kind.

  Not long after that—either Niko’s presence, or the food, or the drink got to them—the Ginete and Whistle Pigs started slowing down. Some even put their heads on a table and fell asleep.

  “We can go now,” Suzanne said, reaching for my hand. Suzanne still looked perky and fresh, whereas I felt as if someone had been hitting me over the head with a hammer. I was torn between admiring the commitment to entertaining themselves in spite of the danger we were facing, and wondering why they would do such a thing knowing what we had to do.

  Either way, I was exhausted and happy to follow Suzanne if she would just get me away from the craziness. She led me down another tunnel to a small cozy room with the most comfortable bed I had ever seen.

  The room was just big enough for a bed and a table beside it. Within seconds I was under the covers still wearing all my clothes. Just before falling asleep I wondered if the next day would bring as many revelations.

  “Different ones,” Suzanne whispered.

  *******

  The only way I could tell it was morning was that my cozy little bedroom was filled with light. The bed and the room felt so pleasant, part of me wanted to stay underground with the Ginete forever.

  As I lay in bed wishing I never had to get up, the Priscillas came fluttering into the room looking a little weary. I had forgotten that they had left during the party. I wondered what they had been doing that made them look so tired.

  “Up, up, Hannah,” Pris said. “Zeid said you have to be ready for the strategy meeting in an hour. We found you a shower.”

  “And your clothes are clean too,” La piped in. “We took them down to the laundry last night.”

  “Are you trying to tell me I stink?” I laughed.

  When the three of them exchanged looks, I knew. Of course, they were always riding with me. Even Cahir’s fur probably smelled better than me after a while.

  It was only then that I realized that someone had undressed me in order to clean my clothes. I was afraid to ask who that was. Cil pointed to a robe on the bed, and I headed off to the showers with the Priscillas leading the way.

  An hour later I was seated in what could have been a conference room anywhere in Earth, except there were no windows. And of course, there were beings there having coffee together that I would never have seen anywhere at any table at home.

  Teddy was at the head of the table. His fur was slightly wet, so I assumed that he too had taken a shower. Actually, everyone in the room looked fresh and alert. Each of us had a mug of something in front of us. Mine was coffee, made just the way that I like it.

  After all the pleasantries were exchanged, Teddy cleared his throat and began. He told us that the Ginete and the Whistle Pigs had been working on something that would protect people from the Shrieks, the theory being that if we were not affected by them, we could kill them, and half the battle would be won.

  Staying underground was one way to be protected. The earth and the tree roots blocked most of the sound, and almost no one was bothered by any residual sounds that might seep through.

  But being underground did not stop Shatterskin. He shattered underground Ginete villages as if they were made of glass.

  The Whistle Pigs, who usually lived even further underground than the Ginete, would sometimes escape the Shattering. But when they came ou
t into the woods after Shatterskin had gone by, there was nothing left to eat. Starvation killed many of them.

  “Let me take you to what we have made for you,” Teddy said, getting up from the table.

  He led us across the hall and opened the door. At first there appeared to be nothing there except for a long table across the back of the room, and workbenches lining the sides.

  “O…kay,” I said.

  Teddy laughed, a big gruff contagious “haha.” I almost joined in, not even understanding the joke, but managed to contain myself just in time.

  That made Teddy laugh even harder, until finally, he said, “Okay. Show yourselves.”

  Within a split second the room was filled with Ginete and Whistle Pigs. A split second later they were gone again. And then back. That time they stayed and I could see they all had something attached to their arms.

  “Wow,” Niko said and reached over and shook Teddy’s massive paw. “You guys did it!”

  Thirty-Seven

  “There’s more, of course. These are only one line of defense and also part of your offense,” Teddy said.

  “Sorry for being dense, but what is it?” I asked.

  Teddy ambled to a workbench and brought back what looked like a thin slice of metal with a strap on the back. I recognized the shape when he held it that way.

  “It’s a shield. Okay.” I said.

  Teddy helped me fit it onto my arm. I was delighted how light it was. Even I could lift it. Wow, a shield just for me. I was beginning to feel like a warrior princess.

  The Ginete got a shield off the workbench for everyone and fit them onto their arms. Each shield was a different size depending on the person. Even Beru and Ruta had a shield. The Priscillas looked like they were pouting that they didn’t have one, but I assured them that they could stay behind mine. I tried not to laugh at the thought of little fairy shields. I didn’t want to insult them.

  It was only after everyone had their shield on, that I fully realized that when someone had the shield in front of them, they disappeared.

  “Holy ziffer,” I shouted. “This is cool! But how does this help us with the Shrieks? Don’t they shriek all the time whether they see people or not? Why would it help to be invisible?”

  “You’re right,” Niko said. “They constantly shriek as they move. Moving and shrieking seem to be the only skills that they have. Even when they rest, if the Shrieks sense movement they will shriek. We’re not even sure if they are resting, or waiting for orders. I don’t think they have an off button.

  “Besides making you invisible, these shields are made to block sound. Blocking light and sound go together enough to make this work. However, they will only block sound long enough to keep you functioning for a few more seconds. It’s what the shields do after that that makes them effective.”

  Niko gestured at Teddy to take over.

  “These shields not only make you invisible and block the first burst of sound, but most importantly they reflect sound. But not all the time. You need to turn the switch on to make that part work. Find it now, but do not for any reason turn it on.”

  Once we all found the switch which was easily reached with the hand holding the shield, Teddy continued. “This is why you need those extra few seconds of consciousness. You need to get to that switch.”

  “Why not leave it always on?” I asked. Always the girl with questions.

  “It uses the properties of a mirror,” Teddy replied.

  Teddy paused and waited for me to get it. In all the time I had been in Erda I had never seen a mirror. I remembered that Beru had told me they believed that Abbadon could use a mirror to see what was on the other side.

  “So that means it will be possible for Abbadon to see us as we reflect the sound and send it back to the Shrieks?”

  “Exactly. So when you turn the shield on you will have to be quick. You will have to aim the shield precisely so that you reflect all the sound to the Shrieks and not somewhere else. We think that when we direct their shrieks back to them, they will become immobilized.”

  “You think?” I asked, feeling the dread deep into my stomach.

  “We think. I wish we could be more sure, but we obviously didn’t have any Shrieks to practice on. However, based on our sound studies and the reports we have received from our dragon and bird friends about how the Shrieks move, we have concluded that their own sounds can hurt them.”

  Looking around the room, Teddy continued. “We know we aren’t giving you an absolute, but we believe that this is the right conclusion as to why the Shrieks move in a straight line, side by side, through the forest, when scattering unevenly would be more effective. Think about how a group of people move when they are searching for something. A straight line with very little space between them, that’s what they look like.

  “We reason that they don’t want the sounds to hit each other. Traveling in a straight line keeps them out of the range of the sound that is being projected forward. The shrieking moves as a cone directly in front of each Shriek. Afterward, the shrieking disperses and is not as deadly.

  “Not only do the Shrieks travel in a straight line, but they also move as one when they turn. If as they travel through the land something survives behind them, they all stop, swivel, shriek, and after that being is stunned or dead they swivel back and move on.”

  All of us nodded. What Teddy said made sense.

  “But will it be enough?” Aki asked what all of us were wondering.

  “Well, we don’t see why not. We have made the mirror ultra-reflective by magnifying it at five hundred times.”

  “Doesn’t that mean there is a chance that if the Shrieks have missed someone behind them, that we might be the ones that stun or kill them?” I asked.

  “Yes. There is that chance. So don’t turn your shields on unless they are pointed directly at a Shriek, and there is no one behind them. It’s dangerous, but we believe that with it you will stun, or perhaps kill every Shriek you use it on.”

  “What if it doesn’t kill them, just stuns them, and after a time they turn back on and start shrieking?” I asked.

  “You’re right, little Princess,” Teddy said. I was beginning to like hearing Teddy say my name. In spite of the fact he was describing the horrific danger we were walking into, he looked so cuddly. Except when he smiled. Whoa, those teeth.

  “We have plans for killing. You stun them first. Then you can kill them. Shatterskin will still be doing his thing, but once we get rid of his minions, we have a chance against him. It may be as simple as killing the Shrieks that bring him the power, waiting until he runs out of power, and attacking him then.”

  “Assuming that’s how he operates,” James said.

  “And assuming he’s killable,” his brother John added.

  “Yes, assuming all that,” Niko said.

  “You know how in Earth they say it takes a village to raise a child, Hannah?” Suzanne asked.

  I nodded, wondering where she was going with this analogy.

  “Well, that’s true. It does. It will also take a community to kill the Shrieks and Shatterskin. It‘s the one weapon we have that we know Abbadon does not have. He has nothing but himself. We have all of us, and those that wait for us topside.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Teddy said. “You have another weapon here. Us. The Whistle Pig community will be right beneath your feet monitoring what’s happening. If we have to, we’ll drop you into one of our tunnels.”

  “That puts you at risk, too, though, doesn’t it, Teddy? If we fail, Shatterskin will kill all of you.”

  “If you fail, we are all dead anyway,” Pita said.

  Nothing like doomsday words to cheer a girl up.

  Thirty-Eight

  The friendship bracelet that Johnny had given me before I left Earth
was still on my arm as I held the shield in front of me. I loved how the bracelet helped me discern my right hand from my left hand. I often got confused which hand I was using when training with Niko and Zeid. I kept the bracelet on my left arm to remind me that was my left hand, and it reminded me of what I had left behind.

  I also had the bracelet that Professor Link had given me. Even though it had felt familiar when I put it on my arm, I still didn’t know why I had it. Although it too was on my left arm, it wasn’t a reminder of what I had left behind, but of what I couldn’t remember.

  Niko had us all practicing with our shields in the transport room. It was perfect for practicing. There was nothing in the space except for us and targets on the walls that the Ginete had put up. There was nothing to trip over except our own feet. Well, that was me, not necessarily anyone else.

  Although the shields were lightweight, it still felt awkward swinging it around and making sure we aimed it correctly. We weren’t practicing with the real shields. Not only wasn’t there any shrieking to reflect, but we also couldn’t afford to turn on the mirrors and show Abbadon where we were. I wondered how Teddy and his crew had managed to make the shield without alerting Abbadon.

  “Very carefully, Miss Kara,” Teddy said coming up beside me. He changed what he called me every time we saw each other. I wondered if it was his personality that loved the creativity of finding new names for me. It seemed reasonable considering how creative he and his team would have to be to build the shields.

  The shields Teddy and his crew had provided for our practice shot out paintballs so we could see where we had aimed. At first, we were terrible. Switch on, shoot. Switch off, turn. And repeat constantly. It was hard to do, especially considering how fast we had to move.

  We had live “targets” to practice with, too—willing Ginete dressed in green suits simulated attacking us. If what we were doing wasn’t so dangerous, I would have laughed at the sight.