Penult (27 page)

Tyler held us up from time to time and
led us around several groups of wild Reapers who had come to feast
on the remains of the fallen even though their souls had already
passed on. Reapers were just facilitators that way, by no means the
sole path to the Deeps.

As we skirted the edge of one of the
few intact mesas, I thought I caught a glimpse of some dragonfly
wings glinting against the vegetation dangling off the cliff rim
like a bad hairpiece.

Below the mesa, some dark specks
sprang out from the boulder caves and rushed towards the folks on
the ground. I leaned into a dive and came screaming down at the
head of the column.

“
Attack!” I shouted. “On
your right! We’re under attack!”

Olivier looked stunned, but he quickly
got his fighters in position on the flank.

I hovered just over their heads as the
others approached. The attackers were sparse. Olivier send his
staff aglow and sent a beam washing in their direction.

“
Friend!” shouted a man as
the people rushing at us came into the light. “We are friend!” They
were unarmed and raggedly dressed – Hemisouls all, from the looks
of them.

“
False alarm,” said
Olivier, snuffing the beam.

“
Sorry,” I said, fluttering
low.

“
No. You did good, kid. You
see anything like that, you tell us.”

This would not be the last incident.
Soon after, another small band of refugees hiding in a depression
showed itself and joined our ranks. Every mile we traveled we
picked up another handful. It wasn’t long before the ground party
had doubled in size from the addition of these
stragglers.

Olivier waved his arms up at us,
signaling that they were taking a break. The other flyers converged
over the ground crew.

“
You all can land,” said
Detmar. “Take a break. I can keep watch this time.”

“
Why thanks, Det,” said
Kitt. “I’ll spell you in a few. I don’t think we’ll stay put
long.”

“
Not a prob. I can stay up
here all night. It’s like … floating.”

The rest of us descended and
unstrapped our wings.

“
How are your shoulders
holding up?” said Kitt.

“
Fine,” I said. “It’s like
Det said. It’s easier than it looks. Like breathing.”

“
Yeah. As long as you don’t
overdo the squeezing. That’s the trick. Just a flick of your
shoulder muscles is enough.”

We found Olivier chatting with a
couple of battered-looking Frelsians – more Hemisouls from the
looks of them. Only Freesouls got to wear the good
armor.

“
We’re making good time,”
said Olivier. “Almost halfway there. We won’t reach the lines
before daybreak, but that was never the plan. We’ll see how well
our little non-aggression pact holds up once the sun is
up.”

Petros sat panting in the dirt,
glaring up at us.

“
This one’s not used to
walking,” said Olivier, grinning. “He’s getting some good cardio
for a change.”

I noticed Bern hovering at the edge of
the group, peeking over shoulders.

“
Hey! How’s the leg holding
up?” I said, as I unstrapped my wings.

“
Super,” he said, giving me
a thumbs up.

I squeezed into the huddle and
listened in on some war stories.

Most of these Frelsians had been cut
off from the main party of refugees in the chaos of battle. Some
were Hemisoul fighters who had faded back to life in the midst of
battle only to reappear days later naked and far behind enemy
lines.

Olivier clapped his hands. “Okay
people, that’s long enough. Let’s get a move on.”

Kitt and Tyler were already strapping
on their wings when I made my way back to our landing
spot.

***

We kept at it until the dawn glow
began to brush the edges of the farthest hills. It was my turn to
fly watch while the other scouts descended and joined the ground
party, which now numbered at least a hundred souls. They had
gathered under an overhang where the river had undercut some
cliffs. Breakfast was underway from the looks of it. The only
channel was no wider than a brook and periodically disappeared and
reappeared beneath the sediments.

One nice thing about cooking with
roots was the smokeless heat they could provide. They could burn as
well, but flames were not prudent when we were trying to preserve
our stealth. I was amazed and delighted when the odor of bacon
wafted up to greet me. I wondered if Lille had anything to do with
it.

I gazed back from where we had come.
The Cherubim we had passed were on their feet and on the move now.
The sight of them stirred a bit of panic in my chest, but they were
so far behind us and moving so slowly there was no need for
concern.

I circled about, scanning the valley
ahead for more Cherubim. But in the dim light of morning, I found
only empty wilderness. The crackers had somehow done less damage
here. Only the occasional concentric rumpling indicated deployment
of the destructive pillars.

There was some wreckage in one the
streams winding through the riverbed. I dropped down for a closer
look. I saw some kind of cart overturned in the channel. A long
flared cannon-like cylinder lay shattered beneath it. Upstream lay
a crumpled mass of cloth and tubular framing. It was the same kind
of material that made my wings, but much larger.

I hovered around it, trying to make
sense of what I saw. The wingspan was huge and there were multiple
cages. This was apparently a multi-passenger version of my Seraph
wings. Pods bristling with spikes dangled from the
undercarriage.

Someone whistled back at the cliffs
and I maneuvered around to see Lille waving at me.

I flew back and she handed me a bundle
of something that looked like fried bread or naan folded over some
greenish grey strips and a pale smear of something
gelatinous.

“
You must be starved, all
that flying about. Aren’t your arms tired?”

“
My arms? I don’t even use
my arms. See?” I held up that breakfast sandwich or whatever it
was.

“
Go on and eat your food. I
can’t vouch for its quality. It is pretty much cooking by committee
with this crowd, which never ends well.”

I nodded my thanks and regained
altitude, studying the terraced mountains that loomed over the head
of the valley. I had been there before. That was where I awakened
my first Old One, Mr. O. I wondered if that was where we were
headed.

I took a bite of the sandwich and
gagged. It tasted smoky and salty but the texture of the pale stuff
was like cold, overcooked eggs. I shook the contents of the
sandwich loose and munched on the bread, which wasn’t half
bad.

I spotted Kitt strapping on her wings.
Soon she had soared up to join me.

“
Your turn for a
break.”

“
Nah, I’m good. I already
ate.”

“
Olivier wants to see you.
Better get down there.”

So I sent myself into a gentle,
spiraling glide, intending to impress everyone with smooth landing,
but I stalled prematurely and fell back on my butt. Tyler and Det
rushed over to help me out of my wings.

People gathered in little circles on
the damp sand. I found Olivier next to Petros. He wasn’t kidding
when he said he would not let Petros out of his sight.

“
Those Cherubim we passed
are up and marching,” I said.

Olivier shrugged. “Figured they would
be. No worries. We’re not sticking around long much
longer.”

“
Did you want to see me
about something?”

“
Just wanted you down on
the ground, kid. Don’t want you to overdo it up there.”

“
It really isn’t a problem.
You should try it.” I noticed his wings were still strapped to his
back.

He shook his head. “Flying’s not my
thing, kid. Makes me queasy.”

Petros chortled.

Bern found me and lowered himself onto
the sand.

“
Glorious out here, isn’t
it?” he said. “Nice to know that these bloody angels haven’t ruined
it all.”

“
Only because they ran out
of crackers,” said Olivier.

“
Any respite you perceive
is temporary,” said Petros, smirking. “There is more to come. We
won’t rest until order is restored.”

“
Why are you doing this?
Why don’t you just leave us be?”

“
Flaws must be corrected.
No? Before this age, we had no army. We formed one out of
necessity, recruited souls and found a way to get them
here.”

“
You mean these Cherubs are
volunteers?”

“
Not exactly,” said Petros.
“But it is implicit in one’s residence in Penult that you might be
asked to serve a higher cause. Do you think I want to be here right
now?”

“
At least you got to keep
your brain,” said Olivier. These Cherubs seem to have no
consciousness.”

“
All in the name of mercy,”
said Petros. “With no will, they feel no distress, no
discomfort.”

“
Do they get it back? When
the war is over?”

“
Their souls have already
moved on,” said Petros. “We merely borrow their
vessels.”

“
Moved on? To
where?”

“
To wherever they were
destined. It is not for me to say. Places the likes of you will
never see.”

“
Oh yeah? Don’t be so sure
about that. Some of us get around.”

“
Your souls are corrupt,
bereft, ineligible.”

“
What makes you so
different, Petros?” said Olivier. “Huh? I mean, you seem like a
regular guy. You don’t seem that special to me.”

“
I am vetted. I am pure. I
am … immortal.”

“
Immortal, huh? So if I …
say … slashed your throat … what would happen?”

“
My soul would find its way
to another vessel, perhaps in another, higher realm.”

“
The realms go
higher?”

“
Of course. The Liminality
is but a way station … in two directions.”

“
Cool!” said Tyler. “I want
to go to Heaven. Problem is … I don’t think it exists.”

“
That is a problem,” said
Petros.

“
I would say so,” said
Tyler. “Can’t go to a place that don’t exist.”

“
The existence of the Upper
Realm is not in question.”

“
Whether it’s a place you
want to be another question,” said Olivier. “I mean look at these
poor Cherubs. They’re fucking slaves.”

“
Nonsense,” said Petros.
“They sacrifice themselves willingly. It is a noble
task.”

“
Then why ain’t you a
Cherub?” said Tyler.

Lille interrupted, showing me the
roots she had gathered in her basket. “Look how lovely these are!”
she gushed. “So well behaved. I’m saving them for later. Who knows
if we’ll find a patch half as nice.”

Olivier got up and looked down the
river valley from whence they had come. The ranks of Cherubim were
on the move. They were a good mile away from the looks of
it.

“
We should probably get
rolling.”

“
Stay,” said Petros. “My
brothers wish to meet you here.”

“
Here?”

“
I have communicated. They
are on their way right now with your prisoner.”

“
Communicate?
How?”

“
We have our ways,” said
Petros, who was smiling for a change. “So now we shall trade and
send you on your way.”

“
Not here. Hell no. We’re
not doing any exchange here. I want us to be solidly behind
resistance lines before we do any swaps.”

Petros shrugged. “I can’t see how it
matters.”

“
I just don’t trust you
guys. You don’t honor your promises.”

“
Nonsense.”

“
Listen. I was there in
Luthersburg when we were given one full day to gather our stuff and
evacuate below ground. Then, just as we were about to go, your
Hashmallim led an all-out assault and smashed the crap out of
us.”

Petros dismissed this with another
shrug. “A simple misunderstanding. I sincerely apologize on behalf
of our Lords.”

“
So how can we be sure it
won’t happen again?”

“
I am in direct
communication with our Lords. You have been given free passage to
perform an exchange of prisoners. This is now
confirmed.”

Kitt came swooping in, landing right
beside Olivier.

“
Battle formation coming up
quick behind us,” she said. “Cherubim, a thousand strong. The ones
we saw last night plus reinforcements. Slashers and Bashers. With
Hashmallim to guide them.”

The news agitated Olivier. “Okay.
We’re leaving. Right now. Everybody up.”

“
No worries,” said Petros.
“These Cherubim will not harm you, unless you attempt to do me
harm. I can see their orders.”