by NAK Baldron
"Why not?" Kandice scooted closer to him on the sofa. "Just teach me how to use the magic y'all were telling me about."
"If I did that . . ." He stared into Kandice's eyes.
Chills ran down her spine—Lance's eyes were turning black at the edges.
"You would never be the same," he continued. "It's not something you can turn on and off. Once you become an oboroten, shifter. You'll be a different person."
"I can't go back to fighting them as I was. Not now, I've seen how they kill. I didn't know they could be that large or vicious. I thought that night my mother died was a fluke. A horrible accident. They eat people!"
Lance sat, unmoving. Kandice watched—waiting for him to speak—but he sat staring at her, unflinching.
"Even though they killed my mom, I thought I had over imagined their size." She paused, weighing out her next words. "I lost everything but my brother after that night. Vengeance is the only thing that keeps me going."
"You will never find the one that killed your mother. And even if you did, you wouldn't know the difference. Could you spend your whole life killing?"
Lance pulled a flask out of his jean pocket and took a large swig before offering it to Kandice. She shook her head no.
Lance took another swig. "Every time I kill one of them, I also kill a man, a woman, even a child. I know what I told you last night, but I don't believe Slava about Them not being human. I think he taught me that to make it easier to kill, but I can't force myself to lie to you. The truth is no one knows what They are."
How could they be Aether Walker and human at the same time? What if the human appearance wasn't to draw in their prey, but who they were?
Aether Walkers appeared human to others, but to discover they might be real humans was too much. The shock must have shown on her face because Lance moved close enough that their knees bumped.
"Slava and I have worked many years to fight them. My mother died because we failed."
"I'm so sorry─"
He raised his hand. His eyes turned black as he stood up and took another swig from his flask. Constant drinking made her uncomfortable and brought back painful memories of her father. If Lance became drunk while in their house, it would be hard to explain to Blake or worse her aunt. After dealing with her father's constant drinking, there was no room for alcoholics in her life.
Lance paced around the room again while Kandice bounced her leg.
"I know what it's like—" Kandice said.
"No, you don't," he muttered. "You watched your mother die. Slava and I had to kill . . ."
He left the living room, headed for the front door.
Damn it.
This leaving her with more questions than answers each time they met had to stop!
She pleaded with him as he stepped onto the porch. "Please, don't leave."
"I can't help you. If you don't want to report your moped as stolen, fine. If the cops contact you, just explain what you saw. You might get taken in, but they'll let you go. You were just a witness. They might not know you were there."
"Lance, please. I need your help. I have to learn how to fight like you, whatever the cost."
"Goodbye, Kandice." His eyes were jet-black.
The sound of finality in his voice told her not to push it. Her mouth had gotten her in trouble again. She tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Fuck!
She stood at the door—overwhelmed with emotion—as Lance drove off in his tiny truck.
She'd blown it!
Instead of being the gracious host her mom raised her to be, she had pissed Lance off enough to leave. They shared a connection—the pain of their parent's death—sharing should have lessened it for each of them, not push him away.
* * *
After hours spent deliberating, Kandice rolled out of bed and marched down the stairs. Blake stood in the kitchen drinking his morning iced tea.
"What time did you go to bed?" Kandice walked behind him.
"What were you doing last night?" He pointed an accusing finger at her.
"Don't you know it's rude to answer a question with a question?"
"I'm worried about you." He put his empty glass into the dishwasher. "You're gone at all hours of the night."
"Just trust me." She took a drink of her own tea. The bitter lemon shocked her brain wide awake. "I'm not doing anything illegal, or dangerous. You wouldn't understand if I told you."
"I'm your brother." Blake leaned against the counter close enough to hug her. "When we moved here after dad died, you agreed that it was me and you against the world, and that no matter what, we would stick together."
"It is me and you versus the world, but this is one thing you can't help me with."
"Try me. I know you think you need to protect me, since I don't talk about mom, but I can handle it."
Kandice sat down on a barstool and tried to ignore the list of pros and cons for telling him. It had always been in her long-term plans to explain the Aether Walkers to Blake, but when he was ready to handle the shock. Not today. The last time she'd tried to discuss what happened to their mother, Blake shut down for days and wouldn't even be in the same room as her.
She took a deep breath to calm herself.
Here goes nothing.
"What do you believe about monsters?" Kandice asked.
"What the fuck, sis. I was trying to be serious, and you ask me about monsters?"
"I'm serious Blake, I need to know what you already think about them."
Blake sighed. "I guess you mean how all of mankind has a monster inside of them, that if not kept in check, would cause us to become a barbarous race that killed for the pure pleasure of it. And how that's why, when there is a major crisis, people loot and rape?"
"Random direction to take it, but sure." Kandice looked at the counter between them, trying to find the words.
No matter how she phrased it, it would sound crazy, "What if I told you that those monsters inside mankind were real?"
"What?" Blake asked.
He looked confused, but she pushed on. "I can see monsters. When you see a person, sometimes I see the monster that occupies the person, if there is one to see. I call them Aether Walkers."
Blake stared at her with a blank expression.
He's holding his breath.
The silent tension stretched on between them for more than a minute. With every second, Kandice grew more nervous.
"So, monsters?" Blake let out a deep sigh. "You're telling me you see monsters everywhere?"
"Not everywhere. There are only a few of them compared to the number of people on earth, but some people aren't as they appear. The Aether Walkers are able to look like a human to everyone else. I only see the monster, never the human shell, except in photos."
"What the fuck, sis?" Blake shook his head. "That was a good one. You had me going, but tell me the fucking truth. I want to know where you go, not a crappy sci-fi story about monsters."
"I call them Aether Walkers. And it's not science fiction. It's what I've been working on sin-"
Kandice stopped talking—the truth about how their mom died had almost slipped out.
He isn't ready for that . . .
The conversation was treading a fine line—any miss-step would send him back to the hospital. Her words didn't save her earlier with Lance. They might not work now.
Lance! That's it!
Another person out there saw and fought them alongside her. Blake had to believe her if Lance confirmed her words.
"So . . ." Blake paused. "Monsters?"
Kandice came back to the conversation. "Yes. I'm telling you they're real. I can see through their human disguise."
"What does that mean? What did you mean when you said they can occupy humans?"
"Well. They look like normal humans to everyone else, but when I look at them, I see their true form. There are several kinds. Not all of them are very dangerous. Most only feed on human life force a little, but some will kill."
> "And you see these everywhere?"
"There's not enough to be everywhere," Kandice said, "but I see them when I'm in different areas around town."
Before Blake could respond, she interrupted him. "I need to tell you something. I want you to listen before you react."
"You mean you've got something crazier to tell me than this shit? Lay it on me."
"Okay." Kandice paused, trying to find the courage and the right words. "Okay, so the night mom died."
"Mhum." Blake grunted and looked down at his feet.
"Well, mom didn't die the way you think she did."
"What?"
"Mom didn't die from a car crash."
The moment Kandice uttered the words, Blake's eyes widened. He looked up from his feet, into her eyes. There had to be a way to get this out for him to understand without losing him again. His stare was defeating. The table was her only constant to get through the next sentence.
"A fucking Aether Walker murdered Mom," she said.
Silence hung in the air. Kandice kept staring at the table, waiting for him to say something, anything. She looked up, and Blake stared out the window.
"Say something," she pleaded.
He kept looking out the window, "I don't know what to say. I mean . . . Why didn't you ever tell me before? I spent a year in that hospital, and you never told me."
"I didn't want to make things worse. And you never wanted to talk about her."
"No!" Blake looked back at her. He met her eyes. "You don't understand. I had dreams. Horrible, vivid dreams. I kept seeing something nonhuman attack Mom. The doctors told me it was PTSD and that my mind was manifesting a monster because the trauma was too much to handle."
"What? You never told me you saw an Aether Walker."
"That's the thing. I don't remember that night, except from my dreams. You say you see these Aether Walkers everywhere. I didn't see them until I got out of the hospital, but I'd rather die than go back, so I stayed silent."
"What did you see in your dreams?"
"It's hard to describe. It looked like a massive octopus, almost. The eyes. I can't forget the eyes. They were purple and shaped like those of a fly. Instead of arms, it had large, green tentacles with claws, and that's what it shoved into mom's chest."
Tears shimmered at the bottom of his eyes. Kandice moved from her chair and hugged him tight.
She kissed his forehead. "You're not crazy. I saw it too."
Blake looked up at her and pushed her back. "Why the fuck . . . Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I told you, I didn't want to make things worse. For the longest time, I thought I was crazy. After that night, I saw them everywhere."
"You should have told me!"
"You could have told me. Why didn't you? Why wouldn't you ever talk about that night with me?"
"They locked me up!"
Blake paced around the kitchen. An intense heat radiated off him.
"The doctors told me I was losing my mind," he said. "It took so long to get out of that place, and I only did it by agreeing that it was only a dream. I thought about telling you the truth, but I was too afraid of being sent back."
Kandice embraced him. "I'm so sorry. It's not your fault. I'm sorry."
Blake stood up and hugged her back. They held each other for over a minute before Blake sat back down and wiped the tears from his eyes. Kandice sat and took a large drink from her iced tea. Relief flooded over her.
"I need to see this guy named Lance again. He and his grandfather might know why she died. They know a lot more than what they've shared with me."
"Is he the boyfriend you keep sneaking out to see?" Blake asked.
"No, for fuck's sake, I don't have a boyfriend! I've only met him a few times. In fact, last night was the first time we spoke. He was here this morning, but I made him mad and he left."
"When? While I was asleep?" he asked. "Not cool. How can you trust him already? This shit is so fucked."
"I can't explain it. I just do. He has the answers I need, and I will get them out of him. I promise I will find the fucker who killed our mom and kill him."
"Promise me one thing," Blake pleaded.
"Name it."
He froze and looked her in the eye. "When you find him, I get to help kill him."
Kandice's whole body shivered. It wasn't her brother before her—his eyes had never been so bright with determination. It scared her to think he was ready to kill someone. The joy in his voice at the prospect of killing unnerved her. A documentary about serial killers flashed into her mind, and she shivered all the more for it.
CHAPTER TWO
Pearl Nation, Fencura
The sound of wood splintering, as the crate wall was pried open, brought Ren out of his deep thoughts and back into the present. Tomoko stood at the entrance to the crate. His silhouette blocked the blinding light.
Several moments passed before Ren could see again, as his eyes adjusted from total darkness. The swaying of the ship let him know they were at sea. Ren didn't know what Tomoko wanted. But hoped if he meant to hurt him, he would have done so already. As Ren stood up, he realized his cheek was sore.
"Captain says to bring you on deck." Tomoko gestured for Ren to follow him.
The first few steps Ren took were shaky. Whether from being knocked out or the sway of the ship was debatable. But by the time they made their way through the maze of crates and to the stairs leading out of the hold, Ren walked as steady as any natural-born sailor in Kaito's crew. The two of them climbed the stairs to the deck and looked up to find Captain Kaito standing on the quarterdeck, peering down upon them.
"How's the boy?" The captain asked.
"He'll be fine, sir," Tomoko said.
Ren took in the bustling around him, all the sailors running about with ropes, each doing a small task assigned to them. Tomoko led Ren to more stairs, which took them atop the quarterdeck.
Captain Kaito shook Ren's arm. "Damn constables came aboard my ship. Apologies for any rough treatment, but we had no time. Barely kept them off my ship long enough for you to be hid."
"Thank you," Ren said, uncertain if he believed the captain.
Captain Kaito bellowed with laughter. "Look at the boy. He's scared witless."
"Yes, sir," Tomoko said.
Ren's cheeks flushed with anger. "I'm not scared, just angry. He threw me into a crate with no explanation. Expect me to be happy? For all I knew, you were taking me prisoner to sell as a slave in the Onyx Nation."
The captain's eyes narrowed, and he jabbed a finger into Ren's chest. Forcing him to stagger backward. "Question my honor or that of my men's again, and it'll be the last thing you ever do."
The captain turned his attention to Tomoko. "Take the boy back to his cabin and bring him some food. He'll be allowed full reign of the ship's decks, once I'm confident no one from the Pearl Nation will see us."
The captain walked off to speak to more of his men, and Tomoko grabbed Ren by his shoulder to lead him back down.
Ren watched the crates in the hold, surprised that none of them moved with the swaying of the ship. As far as he could tell, nothing held the crates in place—no straps or tie-downs. He didn't understand why they didn't slide about the deck.
Tomoko stopped at the doorway of Ren's room. "I'll have the cook send up food."
Bored and alone, Ren pulled out his portable terminal to read. The best option he'd found to pass the long voyage.
* * *
Ren's day slowly passed as he read the History of the Five Nations. It surprised him the book omitted the rise of the Onyx Nation. Mostly, he read within the Sapphire Nation section, desperate to learn about where he was headed. While the book went in-depth into the history of the royal family, it left much to be said on the culture. He did learn of their main island Shinzo.
In the past—before there were proper historians—the Sapphire Nation didn't exist. Instead, it was a series of islands connected together by clan ties. Until Osamu Shima-Biruda summon
ed the earth beneath the waves to rise. Where there was once ocean, then existed land. The exact year has been lost to historians. It is said that Osamu Shima-Biruda built the island Shinzo with his own hands, which formed the heart of the Sapphire Nation. The clans swore allegiance to his house, and thus the line of emperors was formed. With Shinzo belonging to the royal family, and the smaller islands throughout the empire belonging to the clan leaders.
Ren wasn't sure he understood the people of the Sapphire Nation any better than before he started reading. He didn't understand why the textbook had included myths about Shinzo and the formation of the Sapphire Nation islands. Shortly after the source-light sunk behind the ocean horizon, Tomoko came to retrieve Ren. They were to have dinner with the captain, a tradition for all new sailors.
The captain's personal quarters were atop the quarterdeck, tucked below the poop deck. They functioned as his living space, office, and personal dining room.
A long table sat in the middle of the room with the captain's papers pushed to the far end, and three chairs circled the end of the table, closest to the door. Plates and cutlery were laid out before the chairs.
"Please join me for dinner," Captain Kaito commanded in his stern tone reserved for on deck.
Tomoko pointed to a chair for Ren to sit in and took the chair across from him. Captain Kaito sat at the head of the table, with his back to the door. He rang a bell and four men each brought in a dish and placed them on the table. The men left without a word and closed the door behind them.
"It's customary for new sailors to dine with their captain on the first night of the voyage. While you're no sailor, you are a guest upon my ship."
"I appreciate your hospitality," Ren said in the most formal voice he could muster.
With the basic pleasantries out of the way, the three men divvied up the dishes amongst themselves. The main course was a salted bird, a treat for Ren. Pearl Nation didn't have edible birds, only seagulls and weird flightless birds that made their homes on the Ice Plains. The second dish was steamed spinach, with sliced almonds, chunks of garlic, and tiny slivers of blood-red pepper sprinkled throughout. The third dish was a pile of purple mash Ren didn't recognize. Until he tried a bite and found it to be quite similar to potatoes in flavor and texture, if not in color. The final dish was a dessert, a fruit tart made from several brightly colored fruits. Arranged in progressing circles of a rainbow. Growing up in the orphanage didn't provide him with many opportunities to try exotic foods. Aside from the dried fruits they ate with tea, Ren never ate fruit.