Shattered Destiny (13 page)

The telepaths looked out of place in their new garments. It was something that all of the Earth Chosen felt but could not put their finger on.

“They don't look right!” Martha said, giving them a sidelong glance. As a Protector, she couldn't wear dresses. She usually wore leggings and a tunic, the same as the men.

In a fit of creativity, she ordered the others to strip the beds and bring her the sheets. Baffled, the men did as she asked, wondering what she had planned. Martha grabbed a pair of scissors from the goodwife's sewing basket and went to work on one of the sheets. She cut here, trimmed there, sewed a bit there. She waved Number 1 over.

“What are you up to? What was wrong with what they were wearing before?” Mark asked.

“You'll see. Just give me a minute.” She put the finishing touches on the new, longer tunics and turned to the Kromins. “Okay. Now, undress and let's put this on.” She took the sheet and tugged it down over Number 1’s bald head. She showed the Kromin where to put its arms and tied a strip of sheet around the Kromin's waist. Martha stood back and surveyed her work, her face breaking out into a grin.

“They
do
look better,” Mark admitted.

The Kromins all stood together, draped in white sheets that were belted at the waist. The sheets were tucked in at the shoulders so that their arms were bare, and the garments fell to the ground, hiding the Kromin's feet.

“Should we stay here for the remainder of the night? There is at least a little time until dawn to get some sleep,” Forka suggested. Traveling through the portals was exhausting. After adding half a night's jogging to the mix, he was ready to fall asleep where he stood.
I'm too old for this.

His idea was met with a resounding cry of affirmation. The
Chosen dispersed through the house, the Earth Chosen taking the beds while the Kromins chose to sleep on the floor.

“Are you sure you don't want to sleep in the beds? I am sure that if we squeeze, we can fit,” Martha said.

--We prefer to sleep on a hard surface. Number 3 answered from the floor.

“Right, I forgot.” Martha remembered their stay on Kromin. She had been most unhappy when she found out that Kromins slept on hard, metal surfaces. It had felt so strange to lie on the unyielding bed. However, since Kromins fell asleep when the sleep cue came, she didn't have time to be uncomfortable. “Suit yourself.” She lay back and snuggled on her side, her arms curled beneath her head.

--What does the sleep cue for this world feel like? Number 3 asked from the floor.

“They don't have one. They just fall asleep,” Martha mumbled.

--Much like Gentra. Very well. We will lay here until we enter sleep.

The next day, the Kromins awoke, looking groggy and disoriented. They stood slowly and stretched, working out the kinks in their backs.

--This body is stiff. Perhaps sleeping on the floor was not a good idea. Number 5 said.

“Perhaps not.” Martha squinted as she opened her eyes to the bright sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. “I could sleep another few hours.” She groaned and forced her body out of the bed. She stood and stretched so hard that she felt a little dizzy.

“Why would you be so stiff? You are used to sleeping on hard surfaces,” Robert said.

--We are used to sleeping on hard surfaces in our native form. This body is different in many ways.

The Earth Chosen found it a little disconcerting that the Kromins did not display any outward sign of emotion. Their faces remained smooth as stone, with nary a wrinkle around the eye or even a twitch of the mouth. Only the blinking of their eyes gave indication that they were alive.

“I think we need to work on facial expression. Your deadpan looks will draw attention and questions that we are not prepared to
answer. Let's try some basic expressions so that your faces look more natural,” Mirka suggested. She had been worried about her Chosen, who were so very different than their comrades from Earth, and how they would fit in here.

“See if you can copy what I do.” The Earth Chosen watched with bemused expressions as Mirka demonstrated smiling. They broke out into guffaws as the Kromins tried to emulate their Guardian.

“No, no! You look like you are quite mad. You don't need to widen your eyes all the way, and you don't need to keep your jaw so stiff,” Mirka said. She gave the Earth Chosen a withering look, hoping to stop their laughter.

--This is quite complex. There are a great deal of nerve impulses that must be coordinated. Perhaps if you told us how you learned to do such things, we could learn more quickly. Number 3 said.

“I don't really remember
learning
how to do them. I just do it. For us, there isn't much thought involved. It's automatic. Like how you blink your eyes. When we are happy, we smile. Or laugh like idiots.”

--Since we do not feel the emotions perhaps we can't make these expressions.

“You have the muscles, and you have the nerves. You just need to be able to fake it so that we can avoid questions,” Mirka said.
Perhaps we should just leave them be and make up some story.
But as she watched them sit there, their identical faces showing as much life as a sculpture, she knew they had to try some more.

Mirka worked with her Chosen well into the night, ignoring the snores of the Earth Chosen. The Kromins managed to make a convincing close-mouthed smile. An open-mouth grin proved too difficult. They could look somewhat angry, though the expression resembled someone who was bored more often than not. And when Mirka drew down her eyebrows, the Kromins would squeeze their eyebrows down so hard they ended up closing their eyes.

Mirka yawned and rubbed her eyes. “That is enough for now. We'll have to hope people don't ask too many questions.”

ASTRA

“STRANGERS HAVE COME.”
Rome Collins strode up to the group that was going over a tentative rescue plan. Some of the men of the village had helped the Chosen use rocks, sticks, and other bits of forest flotsam to create a model of the city of Faerow. The Chosen had been too busy looking at all of the people in their strange clothing to pay attention to the layout of the buildings the last time. Besides, Master Brok was being held in the jail that adjoined the Patriarch's castle, and they had not gone anywhere near it.

The Chosen and their Guardians looked up in confusion as Rome stood aside. The first thing the Chosen noticed was that the five people walking up all looked identical, down to their bald heads. After them came eight others, looking nervous.

Everyone got to their feet, smiles brightening their faces. The other Chosen from Kromin and Earth had arrived.

Keera met Sloan's eyes, and the two began moving toward one another, almost as if they were drawn, like a magnet to an iron filing. Keera walked slowly, her eyes never leaving Sloan's face. All she could see was his green eyes, pulling her in.

Sloan felt his chest constrict when he saw Keera. His heart skipped a beat as she took a long red curl and placed it between her
teeth. He loved Keera's guts, spirit, and fire. That was the part of her that reminded him of Valery. But while Valery was filled with hatred and aligned herself with whomever had power, Keera fought with fierce loyalty to her friends, and she fought on the
right
side.

“Perhaps we can help with the rescue.” Forka and the Earth Chosen stood around the crude map of the city drawn in the dirt. Gerok showed them where the castle of the Patriarch and the crude stone jail were located, as well as the entrances into and out of the city, the height of the walls, how many men guarded the towers, and other buildings close by.

“We will have men here, here, and here.” Gerok pointed to areas that seemed to give a good view of the jail from all sides. “We thought to use the Astrans to render us invisible and use their power to create a distraction.”

Mark frowned and bent down to get a closer look at the map. “With these positions, you leave yourself open to attack. See?” He pointed to several areas where the enemy could use the buildings and alleyways to sneak up on them unaware. “If you position yourselves as such….” Mark took several pebbles and placed them on the map. “You can watch the jail, and you also have men in an area such that they can now watch
your
back and sound the alarm if the enemy approaches.”

Gerok turned his head this way and that, wondering why he hadn't seen it before. “I should have seen the blind sides. Thank you,” he said grudgingly.

“Now that you have more of us at your disposal, perhaps we can plan a better attack,” Mark said, indicating the rest of the Chosen from Earth and Kromin.

All of the Chosen gathered around the map and took careful note of the changes in their strategy.

“Is everyone clear on the plan?” Gerok asked at the end of the meeting. “If you have questions or doubts, now is the time to speak up.” When no one said anything, he nodded. “We leave at first light. We should ready our packs before darkness falls.”

The Astran Chosen took those from Earth and Kromin and showed them a tent where they could bed down for the night. They then said their good-byes, wanting to spend the night with their
families.

Saemus gave his twin a sidelong glance. She had hardly spoken since arriving, and she looked haggard and worried. Moira sat on Kaelin's shoulder, her eyes half closed, enjoying a quick nap.

“What's bothering you Kae?”

Kaelin stopped and looked at her brother, onyx eyes filled with tears. “It's our fault those people are dead. If Fa’ Vel hadn't seen us….” She couldn't finish the sentence. The sobs that she had been holding back burst forth in a wail of anguish. “All those people,
dead.”

Saemus wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that it wasn't their fault, only he could not make himself say the words. The same thought had been growing in his mind since hearing the news from Rome.

“I wished I had never heard of Master Brok or this blasted destiny! He has ruined everything.” Kaelin's body shook with the force of her crying.

“It isn't fair to blame Master Brok. He had a duty to perform. He did not know what would happen.”

Kaelin pulled back and her eyes narrowed in fury. “He shouldn't have been here at all! Why couldn't the Gentrans have figured something else out? It isn't fair that they put this on our shoulders. I never asked for it. I don't want it.” Her voice shook. “And now we're supposed to rush off on some daring rescue. What if more of us get killed? I don't want to die, Saemus. Not for this.”

“I don't want to die either, Kae. But if the Gentrans are right, we are the only ones that can save everyone.”

“Oh blast it! You are as bad as they are.” Kaelin left in a huff, unwilling to listen to any more talk of destiny and prophets and their duty.
I am removing myself from this mess. I will stay behind and try to help the villages rebuild. The rest of them can just figure out how to save the galaxy without me.

Kaelin was surprised to come across Keera standing alone, leaning against a tree, gazing out at the children playing in a small clearing. Since the Earth Chosen had arrived, she hadn't left Sloan's side. Keera heard her approach and turned. Her blue eyes were filled with tears.

“It is so hard to believe that we have been gone for years. I can't believe all the damage that man caused, all because of us,” Keera whispered.

Kaelin was shocked to hear the girl echo her exact thoughts. “I know. Which is why I'm staying behind,” Kaelin said.

Keera turned to her, a look of incredulity on her face. “You have to come! We're all in this together.”

Kaelin was stunned. “But you said that this was our fault. How can you still want to help? I think it best if we leave this destiny nonsense behind. It's gotten people killed.”

Keera gaped at Kaelin. “You can't be serious. It is more important than ever that we fulfill our destiny! And at the same time put a stop to Fa’ Vel and his men. If we don't, they will just keep killing innocent people. And we can't let that happen.”

“Well, go off and get yourself killed! See if I care.” Kaelin stormed off, angry at Keera's lack of good sense. She turned abruptly and wandered off into the woods, until the sounds of the makeshift village grew quiet. She found a downed tree and sat. She was shaking with anger.
Am I the only one that can see reason?
She turned at a noise behind her.

“Hope I'm not interrupting.” Brad Phillips strode through the woods, wearing leather breeches and a white shirt opened at the top. His long hair was tied back with a piece of leather. He held a sliver of wood between his teeth and grinned at Kaelin.

She felt herself blush under his scrutiny. She brushed her hair back from her face and straightened her clothes. She bit her lip and blushed more when she realized what she was doing. For some reason, she found it difficult to look into his brown eyes for more than a moment.

Brad sat down next to Kaelin. “I couldn't help but overhear you and the red-head.”

“I really don't want to talk about it.” Kaelin looked away, strangely ashamed.

“Well, that's too bad. We're going to talk about it,” Brad said bluntly. “Why do you fight your destiny?”