The Last of the Ageless (50 page)

“What’s that?” Kaia interrupted her conversation with the others.

Nyr crossed her arms, then winced and cradled her injured arm. “If killing the Wizard doesn’t work, we want your help taking off these damned trinkets.” She lifted the necklace, showing it to both Kaia and Soledad. “It’s a fair trade for lending our Changeling powers and our weaponry to your town.”

The Advisor nodded. “It is a fair trade.”

The door to the outside opened, and a middle-aged woman came inside. “With all due respect, Advisor, we’re ready to leave.”

“I understand that, but I won’t be going with you, Governor.” Abrajay started to object again but fell silent when Kaia raised a hand. “As a priestess and guardian of the Ancient artifacts here in the temple, my first duty is ensure their continued safety. Your first duty is to evacuate the people to safety. In this instance, our paths do not cross. But this resourceful group will ensure my survival.”

She gestured at them, and Dalan found himself taking a step back. They had enough to worry about without taking responsibility for safeguarding a religious figurehead.

The governor wrinkled her nose. “I see there’s nothing I can say to persuade you.” Her eyes took in the Advisor’s companions. “I hope that this lot will be enough, not only to keep you and the temple safe, but to extinguish this threat to Searchtown forever.”

“I have had a vision,” Kaia said in a firm voice. “Last night I saw Searchtown from above, as though from a bird’s wings. I saw all the people joyously returning. There was some damage to the buildings, including the temple itself, but no one breached its sacred walls. We will have our town back, Governor Lozoya.”

“I see.” The governor frowned, but gestured to Abrajay. “Let’s finish evacuating and leave them to their tactics.”

Before Abrajay left with the governor, they both bowed to the Advisor. Tears glistened in the governor’s eyes, and Dalan thought of his tribe’s elders. His people would never leave one of them behind to die, despite the assurances that all would be well. Abrajay’s group followed the other Purebreeds outside.

The door closed heavily, sending shivers down Dalan’s spine. He couldn’t believe where his trials had led him. If only he’d never taken the necklace from Nyr to begin with…

“Did you really have a vision?” Soledad asked, breaking the silence.

“I think you know the answer to that already.”

Soledad rubbed her upper arms, though Dalan found the air stuffy and warm. “Yes, well, let’s get down to tactics.”

“Zen will come to the lab no matter what we try to do to stop him,” Kaia said. “And he’ll try to talk to us first, so we should let him. We’ll get a feel for his temperament, gauge his potential reactions.”

“How do you know he’ll want to talk?” Jorrim said. His expression reminded Dalan that he wasn’t the only one in over his head.

“Zen didn’t kill the Wizard,” Korreth said. “Evidently he does want to talk. And he did talk to Cerrit before he got angry and killed him.”

“Right,” Kaia said. “So we offer a truce, and let them come in and speak their piece.”

Nyr’s brows lowered. “You’re going to let them into your town? Why not take the fight to them? What’s the point of talking instead of putting them down?”

Dalan shook his head. They’d been drawn into a civil war between the Ageless. He shouldn’t take sides, other than to protect the lives of bystanders as he had in the Wizard’s village.

Soledad frowned. Clearly the two Ageless were used to being in charge. “Who’s to say you’ll be putting anyone down? If Zen’s holding the other end of your leash, you’re worthless to us. Less than worthless, actually. And they may bring more of the Wizard’s slaves with them.”

Ti’rros disagreed, “Their homes were destroyed, their families killed. The Wizard’s people would not follow Zen.”

Kaia threw her hands in the air. “My dear hybrid, trust me when I say we have more experience in this than any of you. They won’t follow Zen out of love, this much is true. But they will follow him out of fear. They’ll do it out of their own self-interest. They’ve seen what Zen can do. They won’t disobey him, especially once they see their wizard-like leader taking his orders.”

Jorrim spoke as soon as Kaia paused. “I hate to say it, but I agree with Nyr. We need to be on the offensive.”

Soledad glared at him as though he were insane. Kaia picked up a satchel and motioned them into another room. Curious to see more of the Ageless stronghold, Dalan strode forward so everyone could crowd in. He found himself surrounded by Ancient machines, all humming at different pitches, as though alive. A table stood in the center of the room like a sacrificial altar.

His skin itched. He needed to be outside, in the air, away from the weight of Ancient relics.

As Kaia rummaged around in drawers throughout the room, she said, “We’ll split up. Nyr wanted to use me as bait, so... I’ll draw them off with some decoy technology.”

Dalan recognized a few of the items she packed in the satchel as being healing supplies. The rest remained a mystery.

Soledad pulled something from one of the drawers and handed it to Kaia. “They’ll know you couldn’t have taken all the technology with you, though, so they’ll still want to search the lab. They’ll send their slaves to subdue you.”

“No,” Nyr said. “I bet the Wizard will go after her.” Korreth nodded.

Kaia sealed the bulging bag and set it on the table. “I think Nyr’s right. They’ll think I have the tracking device and come after me first. They’ll consider the lab something they can deal with later.”

“So the rest of us will be prepared to ambush them as they chase you through the grasslands.” Soledad’s eyes landed on each of them in turn. Dalan narrowed his eyes at her tone, but could find no fault in their plan.

Nyr smirked. “You can order your little Purebreeds around all you want, but we Changelings will do as we wish.” She jutted her chin out at Kaia. “No matter what happens, I’m going after the Wizard. I plan to be the one to slice the grin off his face.”

Dalan tried to gauge everyone’s reactions and realized someone was missing.

Caetl?
He tried to mentally prod him as he would Saquey, but got no response. He brushed past Nyr and found Caetl sitting on the floor of the first room, rubbing his temples. Nyr and Ti’rros followed him.

“Caetl.” Dalan kneeled down beside the mystic.

The big man exploded up from the floor, knocking Dalan back. “It’s not my fault!” His eyes darted around, unseeing. “It’s not my fault.”

Dalan waved a hand in front of his face.

“Shit,” Nyr growled. “If his mind’s gone, he won’t be able to—”

“How long was the mystic out of it?” Soledad aged, strands of her dark hair going white. “They may have overhead everything through your devices.”

Nyr’s eyes slid through Soledad before refocusing on Dalan. “They definitely can now. The Wizard says they’re on their way. He says they just want to talk.”

Chapter 26

From the south tower, Korreth watched the distant figures leaving furrows in the grasses. He glanced at his Changeling companions to find Nyr’s eyes shining with anticipation. They’d decided to send Kaia ahead and see whether the Wizard and Zen would take the bait or whether the mystic had completely given away their plans.

Nyr’s feline ears pointed forward, twitching around at times, listening to the sounds of preparations around them. But Dalan hunched over, his whole body tense. His skin took on a golden hue as he struggled to find the balance between human and horse. Korreth considered how to reassure the boy, but Nyr spoke first, startling Dalan.

“This is the hardest part. The waiting.”

The steady stream of people evacuating Searchtown had ended hours ago. All of Kaia’s people would wait at the edge of the northern forest, living on their supplies and whatever they could forage for now.

As bait, Kaia waited atop a horse, north of Searchtown but far south of the evacuees. Once spotted, she would gallop off to the west, leading the enemy away from her people. Korreth admired her self-sacrifice and her unwillingness to risk others’ lives.

“Zen doesn’t age,” Korreth advised them, “so strike at anything not covered in metal, like his knees and face. If we can get around his metal armor, he should be easier than most Ageless to kill. Then Jorrim and I can help you with the Wizard.”

Nyr grinned. “I’ll get to enjoy slicing the Wizard’s face into ribbons again and again and again before I kill him.”

Dalan shuddered. “Am not here to choose sides. Only want the necklaces off.”

The boy could be their best weapon against any of the Ageless. Free to act, and free from whatever torture the Wizard would inflict on Nyr and Ti’rros. Korreth had to convince him to act. “Then why did you try to save those people back there?”

“The Ancient Teachings allow me to fight in defense of life. Or in vengeance for life taken.” The boy’s voice lowered, perhaps from the partial transmeld, or perhaps because he tired of explaining himself. “Can’t invoke vengeance for anyone but my own slain tribemates, and those people weren’t of my tribe.”

Korreth couldn’t believe Dalan had traveled so long in Nyr’s company, considering his morals. The feline leaned forward, out over the edge of the tower wall, her ears pricked toward the three approaching figures.

“You could fight in defense of the pathetic Purebreeds’ lives,” she said, as though Korreth couldn’t hear her. “Besides, didn’t you listen when the Wizard said all those things about the Catastrophe, about the Ancients—”

“Thought you were unconscious…”

“The mystic told me afterward.”

That piqued Korreth’s interest, but they didn’t have time to stand around discussing Ancient history. “So you’ll help us against Zen?”

“Will admit it’s a gray area. According to the Ancient Teachings, war is abomination, so ‘defense of life’ does not allow us to choose sides in a battle, unless the elders declare it.”

“But the two Purebreeds don’t fight of their own accord,” Nyr said.

Korreth narrowed his eyes. Like most Changelings, Nyr clearly held Purebreeds in contempt, yet she pushed Dalan into helping them.

“You know that the Ageless are Ancients.” He hoped to apply the right leverage against the boy. “They don’t hesitate to take what they want, whether that means war or killing innocents like those poor Purebreeds that Soledad led against Nyr’s clan.” The image of Tora slumping to the ground with red blossoming on her shirt came unbidden, but he pushed it away.

Dalan’s brown eyes bored into him. “Even if the Teachings don’t come from the Ancients, that doesn’t make my tribe’s ideals any less important. Are still good rules to live by.”

The boy faced west, away from the approaching figures. “Maybe that’s the real reason the elders put us through the trials. So that we learn nothing fits neatly within the Ancient Teachings anyway. Have to decide what’s right on our own.”

Korreth held his breath. The boy was at the tipping point, so he had to try. “You saw how many people Zen killed back there. He’s not going to let anyone go. The sooner you recognize that, the better. We’re all in danger here.”

Dalan checked the side of his Ancient handgun. “Do either of you know where Caetl is? Can tell us what all the Ageless are planning.”

“We already know we can’t trust any of them,” Nyr muttered. “And no.”

Korreth said, “He’s probably holed up somewhere so he can focus on protecting you all from the Wizard.”

The three ominous figures drew closer, one taller on foot than the two riders on horseback. One of the riders split off to circle northward around the town toward Kaia. Korreth found his obvious movements worrisome.

Dalan said, “Saquey shows me it’s Azaiah... I see his tail.”

Korreth hid his amusement as Nyr’s eyes narrowed.

“They must’ve heard our plans from the mystic after all,” she said.

“Not intentionally,” Dalan protested.

Korreth interrupted before Nyr could argue, “Care to join us, Nyr?” Her close-range tactics might not be useful against Zen, but she could add to the chaos and distract the giant while he and Jorrim took him down.

Nyr lost her fur, her human nose suddenly protruding. “You’ll be busy with your treaty talks. In the meantime, I’ll take care of some unfinished business. I should’ve known the Wizard would bring Azaiah. Don’t worry; I’ll be back before the fun starts.”

“Will go where the Wizard is.” Dalan descended the ladder to join Ti’rros, who had been unwilling to scale the tower.

Nyr climbed down next and, without another word, mounted the horse she’d saddled in preparation. Korreth climbed down and hurried along to catch up to Dalan and Ti’rros. Soledad and Jorrim waited at the point where the wall met the eastern wing of the V-shaped building.

Inside the walls, the eerie silence weighed on Searchtown like a heavy mist.

“Let’s greet our guests, dears,” Soledad said. Her faded red and orange beads contrasted against her tangled black and gray hair.

As Dalan and Ti’rros went on ahead, Soledad stopped Korreth and Jorrim and laid her hands on their arms. “Just one spell left.” She began whispering in that strange language again, interrupted by a sound from outside the walls.