Rex Aftermath (Elei's Chronicles) (15 page)

“That’s convenient,” Kalaes shimmied behind the seat. “You often carry illegal passengers?”

Alendra wedged herself between him and Elei, and Iset put the seat back. Alendra’s elbow dug into his injured side and his bandaged arm was pressed against the side of the aircar. His back throbbed, and Rex was stirring inside his head, whispering about death and bullets.

A knock rocked the door of the aircar and Elei leaned forward. Through the opening between the seat and the wall, he could see a visored Gultur. She held her longgun loosely in one hand, a data-rod in the other, and her chest pulsed bright.

“What is your business?” she snapped. “Your vehicle is not registered in my roster. Are you authorized to travel toward the capital?”

“I have the codes,” Iset said and motioned for the data-rod, which the visored Gultur gave up with reluctance. Iset’s slender fingers tapped on the keys. “We are reporting for security work at the water purification plant.”

“Expecting trouble, are you,
senet
?” The visored Gultur retrieved the data-rod and pressed a button.

“Routine guard change.”

“Move along then.” The Gultur nodded and left. Iset closed the door and the aircar engines rumbled back to life.

“Oh gods,” Alendra breathed out, leaning her head back as they rolled down the street.

He pushed the seat forward and climbed out, the inside of the aircar still blazing with colors. “How far are we from the plant?”

Bestret tapped on the divider and a window opened. A Gultur nodded at them, her hair golden like Alendra’s, caught in the customary Gultur ponytail. “How far to the plant?”

“Ten miles.”

The window closed and Bestret came to sit with them. She was a pretty woman with lustrous black hair and large, dark eyes, one of them faintly glowing with shards of blue — Rex’s mark.

“We have another aircar that will join us shortly,” she said. “We kept some distance from them, not to raise suspicions.”

“More of you to change the guard?” Kalaes drawled. “Won’t that make the patrol suspicious?”

“The others will say they are heading elsewhere.”

“Heading where? I don’t like secrets, fe. Maybe it’s time you told us more about yourselves, and why we should trust you. For all we know, you may be leading us straight into a trap. An elaborate one, but still. Your kind wants Elei, and now you’ve got him, and me, and maybe—”

Alendra jabbed a finger in his chest, making him wince. “Shut it, Kal. What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me. They’re keeping things from us, I can tell, and they have codes for the damn blockades. Did Iliathan give them to you, or aren’t you who you say you are?”

“We pretend to be part of the system,” Iset said. “It is our cover.” She looked at Bestret.

“And did you pretend for Iliathan, too?” Kalaes waved a hand in the air, a dark flush in his cheeks. “Does he get to have fun with the both of you? Or does he get to watch when you screw each other?”

Elei’s heart began to pound. What was Kalaes on about?

“Kal!” Alendra dragged him toward the other seat. “You sound crazy. Maybe we can find some sedative for you, you’re manic again.”

“It was an honest-to-the-gods question, fe. I was just curious and wouldn’t you think a guy would like to know... Dammit.” Kalaes threw himself in the seat and rubbed his face. He sucked a deep, shaky breath. “Sorry.”

Alendra threw Elei a questioning look, but he didn’t know what to think. Why did Kalaes think Bestret and Iset slept together? Iset had explained again, for Kalaes’ benefit, that some Gultur liked men, and even if Bestret liked both sexes, it didn’t mean...

Elei sighed. Maybe Kalaes was right to be suspicious, and curious, and confused. Hells, he was too, only he tried to convince himself nothing was wrong.

“Let’s just go,” he said and took his seat. “Not much time left.”

Chapter Ten

They drove through the suburbs. Elei caught glimpses of abandoned buildings, their windows shuttered with
nepheline
patches, and lined faces around small fires in narrow alley mouths, smoke swirling in the wind. Winter had closed in, its bite sharp.

 Then they were rolling out of the city, the buildings thinning out, replaced by open expanses of brushland and swamp, a few scattered algae ponds glinting in a brief showing of the moon. Elei looked up. It looked like a silver disk, like the medal hanging around Kalaes’ neck.

The clouds unfurled, covering it again, erasing the world until his possessed eye adjusted to the dimness.

“It’s pitch,” Alendra muttered by his ear, startling him. “What are you seeing?”

“There’s a hamlet up those hills.” He pointed. “They must tend those algae ponds.” Alendra gave a soft snort, because of course she couldn’t see them. “No sign of the process plant yet, but Dakru City is that way, I can see the tall buildings, and there,” he shifted his finger toward the north, “up on the mountains is Bone Tower, the sacred citadel.”

“What does it look like?”

Elei lowered his hand and sat back — images of the gods carved in white marble, water gurgling and streaming down the slopes among trees and flowers, children playing, blood and more blood and pain.

“Beautiful,” he managed to say. “Colorful. I only saw part of it.” The great temple of Regina and the fountain, water rippling and shimmering, then tinted red and turned frothy, pock-marked by bullets.

“I wish I could see it,” Alendra whispered and her small hand covered his on the seat. He inhaled her scent and tried to calm his heart.

An agaric grove loomed on the side of the road, the stalks young and no taller than a person, their wide caps delicate and glowing bright. A dark mass further down the road caught his eye and he leaned forward.

Faint lights marked the perimeter of the chainlink fence surrounding the purification plant, a round, domed building. It was framed by long, rectangular storehouses that crouched by its sides like faithful dogs. The entrance was brightly illuminated with spotlights.

His breath fogged the glass and he cleaned it with his sleeve. Where were Zoe and the others? No sign of any parked aircars. A hulking shadow in front of the warehouses turned out to be a heavy truck, its lights turned off.

The aircar powered down, settling behind the agaric grove.

Silence. Scintillating spores fluttered in the air. Nothing else moved.

“Something’s wrong,” Kalaes said.

“Maybe they hid the aircars in a warehouse,” Iset said. “They may be waiting for help.”

“They don’t have the codes to enter the plant, only to pass the blockades and the outer fence.” Kalaes ran a hand through his wild hair. “They’d have waited for us.” He frowned. “Now that I think about it... How did Mantis send Zoe the message?”

“Iliathan,” Bestret said.

“And how do you know that?” Elei muttered, squinting at her.

“We received the same message,” Iset said. “I assume they received it from the same source.”

Kalaes shot to his feet and began to pace. “If Iliathan betrayed us all... Were screwed.”

“Iliathan would not do that,” Bestret said.

“But what if he did? Think about it. He’d know everything we’re doing. He’d have set the Gultur on Elei and captured Zoe and the kids.” He shook his head. “Mantis, Hera, they’d not change the plan at the last minute. There would be no guarantee we’d get the message in time.”

“Or else your mortal friends merely failed to capture the plant.” Iset glared. “Or they’re inside, having given up on waiting for you, and you’re kicking up a fuss for no reason.”

“No reason? You’d better watch it, Gultur.” Kalaes opened his mouth to say more, and Iset’s hand inched toward her gun.

Elei gripped Kalaes’ arm. “If Zoe and the others have been caught, is there a way to know?”

Iset glanced at the other Gultur and nodded. “A classified message with a glitcher to notify HQ would be expected. Unless they consider the occurrence not important and choose to ignore it.”

A bunch of kids with some weapons, breaking into a water purification plant. Caught, if not killed. Elei suppressed a shudder. Would it be reported?

“Check it,” he heard himself say and squeezed Kalaes’ trembling arm. “We need to know.”

Iset threw him a long look, then knocked on the driver’s window. A narrow door opened and both she and Bestret slid through and vanished into the driver’s cabin.

Elei tipped his head, listening in. Did they know he could hear them? They were explaining the situation to the driver.

“I don’t pissing trust them,” Kalaes said.

Elei frowned. “Why not?” Iset was asking for the glitcher. Nothing suspicious.

“They lie, fe.” Kalaes went to a box in a corner of the cabin and rummaged inside, pulling out a ration bar.

“About?”

“They said Bestret likes men. But these two...” Kalaes unwrapped the bar and took a big bite out of it. “I can see where a Gultur has touched, and the places Bestret and Iset were touched... That’s not common practice between friends, fe. The touches were recent. I can tell. The marks are bright. Each Gultur’s is a slightly different color. I think they’ve been going at it like pigeons.” He waved the bar, chewing thoughtfully. “If they lie about this, they may lie about more.”

“You’re saying Iset and Bestret sleep together?” Alendra glanced at the driver’s cabin. “Or maybe you’re upset because they don’t think you’re hot after all?”

“What? No. Besides, how do you know they don’t think I’m hot?” He winked and bit more off the sweet bar.

“Why would they lie?” Elei whispered.

“Maybe Bestret likes both men and women,” Alendra said, color rising to her cheeks. “It happens.”

“And who cares if they do?” Kalaes frowned. “I’m talking about lies.”

“She said she finds Iliathan attractive,” Alendra said, making a face. “She never said she doesn’t like women, too.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kalaes dug out another ration bar, the smell of sugar hitting Elei’s senses like a sledgehammer.

“Man, you shouldn’t.”

“Shouldn’t what?” Kalaes lapped at the crumbs on his fingers.

“Shouldn’t eat that.” Elei made a grab for the food, Rex screeching inside his head, demanding sweet, only to miss it and stumble forward. “Give it to me.”

“Find your own.” Kalaes stuck his tongue out.

“You’re acting like dogs over a bone,” Alendra said. “What the hells?”

“Can’t let him have more sugar,” Elei muttered, Rex sending lightning pain down his nerves for denying it what it craved when it was so close, within reach. He remembered all too well the hell of Rex’s power, the control it had over him, playing him like a puppet.

No, thanks anyway.

And still his hand strayed toward the ration bar and he wanted to tell Alendra, beg her, to take the sweet away.

“Elei?”

He forced his gaze from the promise of deliverance, sweat running down his back. He opened his mouth to explain, but Rex struck again, fire burning his insides, making him groan. “No.”

“What is it?” Alendra reached out for him, her eyes concerned, and he tried again.

“Put the rations away.”
Please.

She nodded and wrestled Kalaes for them, but Kalaes was stronger; he shoved her away and she fell with a yelp.

It broke the paralysis. Rex sent jolts through him, but Elei gritted his teeth and reached a hand to help her up.
Screw you, Rex.
He pulled her to her feet, turned to Kalaes and knocked the food from his hand.

Kalaes drew back a fist, his lips curling in a snarl, and dammit, this was going to the hells.

“Kal, let it go, it’s Rex, it wants you to eat—”

Kalaes’ fist connected with his jaw. Stars exploded in Elei’s eyes, then the pain hit, and he staggered back, tripping and crashing into a seat. 

Well, at least the pain gave Rex something else to worry at. He dropped his thudding head on his arms and waited for the world to stop spinning. Could have been worse, he supposed. At least Kalaes hadn’t shot him.

Talking of whom...

“Flaming hells,” Kalaes grunted. “Let go of me, fe, I just want to see if he’s okay.”

Elei struggled to sit up, his jaw blaring pain along his skull. He’d have matching bruises on either side of his head.
Joy.

“You punched him, Kal.” Alendra sounded grim. “Stay away from him.”

“I wasn’t... Dammit, I didn’t mean to. Shit.”

Kalaes had no clue how to deal with Rex, Elei reminded himself, and the parasite was going through the cycles it had gone through with him. Which meant...
Pissing hells.
He’d been there not too long ago and now it was Kalaes’ turn.

My fault for infecting him.
Though, what other choice had there been?

Alendra held Kalaes by the arm, and he simply stared at Elei, face pale. He could have broken her hold easily, Elei thought, but he’d stopped trying. His breathing came in hissing gasps.

“Ale, it’s okay,” Elei said. “Kal...”

“Elei.” Alendra looked from one to the other, her eyes narrow. “Is he getting worse or is it my imagination?”

“Yeah,” Elei muttered, dismayed, and leaned back. “It may get worse yet.”

Kalaes mumbled a curse.

“What in the five hells is happening?” said Alendra. Her hold on Kalaes had turned into a semi-hug  and he leaned against her, an arm folded across his stomach.

Elei rubbed his throbbing jaw. “Kalaes’ Rex is cresting.”

***

“Any change?” Hera asked. She’d taken the driver’s seat, since Sacmis seemed woozy and unfocused.

“He’s still alive, if that’s what you’re asking,” Sacmis muttered, straightening from Mantis’ side and returning to the co-driver’s seat. She sank into it with a sigh.

Hera refused to show her relief. She adjusted the itchy mask over her face, when what she really wanted to do was throw it down and stomp on it. She felt woozy and wondered if their oxygen was depleted. “Good. We’re almost out of these damn swamps.”

Sacmis nodded, her rapid breathing echoing in the narrow confines of the vehicle. She slid a curious glance at Hera. “You’re not affected, are you?”

“What?” Did Sacmis mean emotionally affected? Because Hera was struggling so hard not to scream and pound on the panel her every muscle hurt.

“I mean from the gas. Here I am, dizzy and slow, and you keep driving as if nothing happened.”

Hera blinked at the glittering water around them, on which the horizontal sunrays danced in pretty patterns. “I suppose I’m not affected.”
Regina
’s pure strain
. It seemed it had some perks, after all, if she managed not to fall prey to madness. Which was still debatable.

“You suppose.” Sacmis giggled, her head falling against the backrest. “Oh, Hera.”

Hera arched a brow. Sacmis never giggled. Which meant... “Our oxygen is out. We need to unseal the aircar.”

“But we’re still in the swamps!”

“The gas is not lethal. If I’m not affected, I’ll keep driving and you can doze with Mantis until we reach our goal. If we both pass out from lack of oxygen, we’ll never make it.”

Sacmis nodded, sighed, closed her eyes. “Right.”

“Get to it, Sacmis. Now!”

Sacmis jerked, blinking furiously. “Yes,
senet
.” She struggled up and started pulling tape from the window seams.

Hera chewed on the inside of her cheek. “And hold on tight.” In one motion, she yanked off her mask and pressed on the acceleration button.

May Nunet help us now.

***

“There’s a transmission. We’re waiting for the decoder to process it,” Iset said, fiddling with the glitcher’s dials, a strand of hair curling against her cheek like a golden tail. “Glitchers send messages in a loop for a specified period of time, usually a few hours. If they’ve caught your friends, and decided to let HQ know, we should be able to hear it.”