Tainted Plans

by Jenn Vakey

  “Rhydian said you were actually quite impressive last night with Noella’s injury,” she said casually, clearly not picking up on the fear that was coursing through me. “They had apparently been putting pressure on it for a while before you got there, but no one knew why it wouldn’t stop bleeding. Did you really make him stick his finger inside the cut?”

  I nodded, smirking at the shocked look she gave me. Of course that would be what she was talking about.

  Before she could say anything else, a woman walked up to our table. It took a moment for me to even recognize her. The woman who had been bleeding on the table the night before looked like a completely different person than the one that stood in front of me now. The blood had been washed from her blonde hair, the color in her face higher than it had been. Had I not been there to see it, I wouldn’t have believed she had been injured so severely only hours before. There were no signs at all that she was anything less than a healthy woman in her thirties.

  “I’m told I owe you a thanks,” she said, a smile in her voice matching the one on her face. “And judging by the amount of blood in my examination room, I don't doubt the validity of that.”

  “I should have stayed to help clean up,” I said, ignoring the compliment. I didn’t need it. It was part of the Healer training that was ingrained deep within me. The things we did were just expected of us, no thanks required.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Noella said, waving her hand at it. “I’d like for you to come by the clinic when you have time today to tell me about some of the new tech you brought in with you. I’d like to replicate what I can in our lab. Like that blood patch you had them use. That wasn’t part of the training when I was a Healer in Eden.”

  “Okay,” I said, feeling a rush of euphoria at the thought. I might not end up being able to stay in Alkwin when I completed my mission, but the thought of being helpful filled me with delight.

  With one last smile, Noella turned and walked away. Aarys was grinning herself when I turned back around to face her, almost in a prideful way. It was actually pretty adorable.

  “Well, it looks like you’ve found your main position here,” she said, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. Another schedule for me. “You’ll still have to help out in other areas, but the clinic should occupy most of your time.”

  I looked down at the schedule as she spoke. Like yesterday, my morning was free for the first couple hours after breakfast. That would probably be the ideal time to take Noella up on her request to visit the clinic. Then I would be working in the garden. I jumped down, expecting to see my post lunch the same also. It wasn’t.

  “No training today?” I asked, looking back up to Aarys for an explanation. Given how sore I was, I should have been happy to have a day off. So why wasn’t I? Instead, I was actually disappointed.

  “A meeting came up, so things had to be shuffled around. Everything will be back to normal tomorrow. I’d offer to work with you myself, but I have a different kind of training I have to go to.”

  I raised a curious eyebrow and waited for her to explain.

  She smirked.

  “Those of us who are Tainted also have to attend ability training,” she went on. “They teach us how to control and use our abilities. The controlling part is really important, especially for new arrivals. Most of them haven’t had them for long, and it’s not like they could really practice using them in Eden.”

  Again, my thoughts drifted back to Lillith. Even after a month, she still hadn’t known what exactly her abilities were or how to use them. Maybe if she had, things would have gone much differently that night. Then again, maybe if I had actually been trained to fight, I could have stopped them from taking her.

  “I don’t really know much about the abilities,” I admitted. I didn’t want to focus on my inability to protect her. If I let myself go there, there was a chance I would break down. This wasn’t the time for that. “Lillith was the only Tainted I had ever met before coming here. She could do something when she touched people. She could hurt them. Other than that, the only other one I know is telekinesis. That’s what Jaron and Rhydian have.”

  Aarys nodded. While I didn’t like admitting I was so clueless, she didn’t give any sign of judging me for it. “You know about the different creatures?”

  “We learned them in history,” I answered. “There were twelve total. Vampire, werewolf, succubus, mermaid, banshee, nymph, shapeshifter, siren, sprite, will-o-the-wisp, dragon, and witch. We spent a little time learning about all of them, but mainly just the myths behind them. Like werewolves changing from a human to a wolf during the full moon. Mermaids being part human, part fish. Stuff like that. They never taught us about the different abilities the Tainted got from them.”

  “Because the abilities can remain dormant, most people nowadays are a mix of several different species,” she said. “Take me. I have abilities from both werewolf and banshee. But it’s not considered polite to up and ask someone about their abilities. You can figure a lot of them out by watching training or by being with someone during a fight, though. And some people will just offer it up, while others don’t. No one is allowed in Alkwin without disclosing what they can do, because we need to make sure that everything is handled correctly. Especially if there’s a chance of any problems like what happened last night.”

  That was actually a little disappointing. I wanted to know as much as I could about the abilities. Not for any nefarious reason. I just liked knowledge. I must have shown my disappointment, because she went on.

  “Since most of the people who come in are either kids or those about to take the test, they don’t really care about talking about them. Many actually like to show off what they can do. That just means having to be around when they do.”

  “Kids?” I asked, shooting her an inquisitive look. I had seen the children in camp, but I had just assumed they were the offspring of Tainted that had left the city years before. Children born in Alkwin.

  Aarys nodded again. “Some abilities show from birth. Like mine did. When that’s the case, it’s not safe to stay in Eden until we’re older. That’s what happened with a lot of the families that are here. Their kids were both too young to make the trip alone and young enough that the families don’t want to be separated from them.”

  All I could do was nod. There was so much about this new part of the world that I didn’t know. I just wished that Lillith could be here with me to hear it all. Or that this was something we had learned about growing up. The government of Eden wouldn’t risk teaching us about this stuff, though. That would mean admitting that there were people within the city that were Tainted. Something I doubted would ever happen. Not when the majority of the citizens believed that people having Tainted abilities was nothing more than a myth.

  After breakfast, I walked over to the clinic. It was an interesting feeling walking around Alkwin. The more I did it, the more comfortable I became. In a lot of ways, I was actually more at ease than I had ever been in Eden. And that just felt wrong. Especially since I was there with the sole purpose of betraying them.

  “Hello, Leeya,” Healer Noella greeted me when I walked in. “I was just told that you've been assigned here. I must say, I'm glad for the extra hands. It's been years since a Healer came to Alkwin.”

  I smiled, wondering to myself what happened to the last one. I couldn't bring myself to ask, though. Hearing that this wasn't the safe place I had been made to believe might be all I needed to completely lose my composure. I had to hold it together. Lillith was counting on me.

  “I'm glad to help,” I said kindly. “Is there a lot of need for Healers here?”

  She motioned for me to follow her, leading deeper into the room we had been in just hours before. The examination room, as she had called it. It looked different now without all of the blood. Sunnier.

  “We have our illnesses like everywhere else,” she said, pulling the cabinet open. From inside, she took out a basket that looked to hold everything that had
been taken from my bag. “There are also training injuries from time to time. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you about the dangers of the animals in the woods. You won't see many within the barriers of Alkwin, but some of the more stubborn ones will pass through the wards. Like with your snox bites, we have ways of treating each of them.”

  “What was that thing exactly?” I asked, leaning back against the bed. “There wasn't anything like it in the history books at Eden.”

  She sighed, setting the basket down beside me. “No one really knows where it came from. Snox, which is what we call it, just means that it's a combination of a snake and a fox. Some believe that it simply evolved into the creature it is now, while others think it was an act of a scientist trying to merge the creatures like they did the Tainted. Either way, they aren't pleasant to deal with.”

  “That's an understatement,” I mused. “It did make me see some crazy things.”

  “That's common. The venom in those sharp little teeth has a hallucinogen in them. It's meant to make their prey forget why they should be running, or to make other predators forget about them. It's actually impressive that you still managed to make it to the archway.”

  I nodded, but didn't respond. Had I not had Lillith to think about, I might have given into my desire to just lie down.

  “So, tell me what you know about these different patches,” she said excitedly. “They will definitely come in handy if I can replicate them. So, let's start with this blood patch.”

  I smirked at her eagerness. It was nice seeing someone so excited about their job. Not just doing it because they were told to.

  “The patch releases a synthetic erythropoietin into the body, which causes the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells,” I explained. “Now, the hydration patch works in a similar way. It floods the body with synthetic carbohydrates, fats, and proteins specifically designed to trigger the metabolic water creation.”

  “Fascinating,” she said, studying the packets they came in. And she was right. It was. I was so used to them that I took them for granted. Compared to the way we used to have to replenish fluids and blood, though, they really were remarkable pieces of tech.

  I spent the rest of my morning free period going over everything I brought, then I familiarized myself with the clinic. It wasn't very different from the Healer offices in Eden. They were missing some of the latest technology, but it seemed so much more comfortable. It didn't have that cold, clinical feel to it.

  At lunch, the only thing the others wanted to talk about was the ordeal last night. I just sat back and listened as Aarys told them everything she had heard from Rhydian. Speaking of, I was curious as to why he didn’t eat with the other residence of the dorm. I wanted to ask if that was how it normally was or if he was eating elsewhere because I was there, but I wasn’t sure I really wanted an answer. Honestly, I think it might have actually hurt my feelings to learn that it was me keeping him away. But like with everything concerning him, that didn’t really make sense. Why should I care? Yes, I had to figure out how to get close enough to him that he would willingly leave the safety of Alkwin with me, but that didn’t mean that I needed him to like me. So why did I have the pulling desire inside for that exact thing?

  Without trying to appear like I was looking, I let my eyes wander around the hall. It didn’t take me long to find him. He was sitting at a table across the room with Faida and another older man that I didn’t recognize. They didn’t appear to be having the same light conversation as everyone else. The way their bodies were leaning against the table toward each other made it look almost secretive. Like they were plotting and planning.

  My curiosity revved up again. What could be so big that they would be making an effort to keep anyone else from hearing? Were they planning another assassination attempt against the government of Eden? I really wish I had the ability to read lips.

  “I know the people inside of Eden work to get Tainted out, but do people from here ever go back into the city?” I asked, turning back toward my table.

  Zaydan was quick to nod. “Sure, we have teams go in from time to time. Our faction inside is good at doing what we need done, but there’s some stuff that’s just safer for us to do ourselves.”

  “Safer for them, not us,” Auggie added, then sank back in a nervous way when I faced him.

  “He’s right,” Joury jumped in. “We can’t risk the network inside of the wall getting exposed, or there wouldn’t be anyone to get the Tainted out. They can smuggle out simple stuff without a problem. When it comes to having to actually deal with people, it’s just better for us to do it.”

  Dealing with people. Like assassinating the king’s heir. What if the next assassination attempt was made against Adler? I had no love for the man, but he was holding my sister. Would they just cut their losses after that, or would I start dealing with someone else directly? Or would they change the plan and want me to kill Rhydian before he had the chance to go after anyone else? I wanted my sister back more than anything, but I really didn’t think I even had it in me to do that.

  Okay, I needed to calm down. That was a lot of what ifs, and I couldn’t let myself get bogged down by them. If I did, I would only end up doing something that made them suspicious.

  I couldn’t let that happen.

  With the hour I should have been training free, I decided to do the one thing I really didn’t want to do. Walking to the dorm after leaving lunch, I grabbed the Haller and headed back out into the woods.

  This time I watched the camp and waited, making sure no one had seen me go out. Only moments passed before Rhydian walked back out of the dorm and started talking to Joury.

  There was something odd in the way they conversed. Almost more than just friendly. It was the way she reached out and touched his arm. Maybe I was just reading too much into it. I wasn't used to there being any touching at all. Who was I to say what kinds of contact was more than just friendly?

  Then, without even casting a glance in my direction, they turned and walked off.

  I didn't really have much to say to Adler, but I at least wanted to know my sister was okay.

  “Any updates?” his acidic tone asked when he answered.

  “Just that I'm making progress in getting him to trust me,” I answered. I hoped that would be enough.

  “We're going to stick with the plan to have you get him past the wards. I would prefer you give me at least a day’s notice. I would like to deal with this problem myself.”

  The way he talked about Rhydian made my insides turn over. Part of me had been pretending that they just wanted to arrest him. That he would be pissed off, but ultimately unharmed. Listening to Adler talking now really drilled in the fact that that wasn't the case at all. They were going to kill him. Could I really let that happen? I understood that he had killed someone, but could I be responsible for the same happening to him?

  But he was a murderer. My sister was an innocent girl who would never hurt anyone. That was what I needed to keep reminding myself if I was going to be able to get through this.

  “If you feel like you aren't up to that task, the other option would be to find whatever it is that blocks our signal and destroy it. Then I can have a team move in and capture him there.”

  I turned my gaze back to Alkwin. I wasn’t naive. I knew that if the Sentry came, they wouldn’t just be going after Rhydian. Even if that truly was their goal, the people here would fight tooth and nail against them. Some of them would get hurt. Or worse. The same reasoning I had for pushing down my guilt about Rhydian wouldn’t work for them. Some of them might have been involved, but I was certain that most weren’t. There were children here. Families. I couldn’t let them get hurt because of my selfish quest to get my Lillith back.

  “Can I see another picture of my sister?” I asked instead of responding. I needed time to think.

  There was no delay this time. He knew I’d ask, and he had one ready. She was up in the new one, like she had been pacing nervously around where
ver they were keeping her. Still so very frightened, but she was alive.

  “He’s not a trusting person,” I told him when I was satisfied. “It’s going to take a little time. But I want her there when I take him to you. You get him, I get her. And I’ll need stuff. They won’t let me back here after I do this.”

  He sighed like he was bored. “We’ll discuss all of the details when you know you have his trust. Don’t call me again until you have something useful to give me. The longer this takes you, the worse things will be for your sister. Keep that in mind.”

  With that, he hung up.

  * * *

  I couldn’t sleep that night. The day had been interesting, for lack of a better word. After my call with Adler, I took the time to just walk around and get to know Alkwin better. I needed to remember what was at stake here.

  The people here were so nice. Everyone in Eden walked with purpose, like they had somewhere to be. Even the people of Alkwin who appeared to be on their way somewhere would stop and talk when they ran into someone. People waved when they passed me, smiling warmly. Even the ones I hadn’t met yet.

  I tried to let myself enjoy it, but my mind wouldn’t leave my sister or the task in front of me. I wished it could be easier, that the person Adler had sent me after was willing to traipse off into the woods with anyone who simply asked. I might have made some headway with Rhydian last night, but I knew it wasn’t going to be something that I didn’t have to put a lot of work into. That meant more time that Lillith spent wherever they were holding her. More time away from her.

  After trying unsuccessfully for hours to let sleep take me, I finally slipped out of bed and made my way quietly through the dorm. Judging by the various sounds coming from the closed doors, I was the only one who couldn’t drift off.

  Walking outside into the crisp night air, I pulled in a deep breath and headed over to a table that sat near the tree line. I climbed atop it and laid back, letting my eyes pass over the stars that filled the black night sky, searching until I found the one I was looking for.