CHANGELING: Book Two in the Weaver Series Read online

  Mez bounced onto his posterior and slapped his feet onto the floor. He was amused. “I appreciate your concern for us, Sustor Cor, but Annis has plans that don’t include our death at the moment.” His eyes were engaged, greedily perusing our private space.

  Kal coughed lightly and said, “It was being in Denu that broke the call, not the bending.”

  All eyes went to Kal. To placate Cass I moved into the background, giving over control of our body completely.

  Mez sputtered as what we’d just done sunk in. “They can pass through the DNA protocols?”

  Kal looked troubled. “Yes, they can.” He looked down. “No one outside this room can know. Fid Tal may assume you arrived outside the entrance tunnels of Denu and walked in. You may have to lie and tell Vel you snuck Mez inside under cover of a light field because an Aniy could not walk in Denu without notice otherwise. The very walls here keep, or at least they are supposed to keep, any Aniy from bending in or out. Allowances were made for Cass and Silver at Vel’s behest. I am half Imini but Mez should not have been allowed to pass. We tell no one.”

  The patter of rapid footsteps preceded Lil as she burst into the room. Her chest was heaving as if she’d run a marathon. As soon as she caught sight of Mez she froze with her hand on her headdress to shove it back in place. Today’s color was a nearly neon orange which clashed horribly with the red flush on her cheeks.

  Kal turned his whole body toward his niece, “Yes, Lil?”

  She could barely tear her gaze from Mez as she replied, “The Fid is here with guards demanding to see you. She claims you kidnapped her son. Vel is denying it. Now he will look like a liar.”

  Chapter Thirteen: Mommy Dearest

  Mez unfolded his long body into an upright position. Standing as close as he was to Kal I was amazed to see he was roughly two inches taller than his uncle. He was just a kid like us, going through puberty and not fully grown. For a young Aniy that meant he still had about a foot to grow. His voice was low and calm as he addressed Lil.

  “Well, Cousin, Vel is not a liar. My uncle did not take me anywhere. I came of my own free will with my Leoght Cor to visit her home in Denu. I will go out and speak with my mother. No one other than me should bear her wrath.”

  Cass was starting to feel an obligation to protect Mez even if she was still mad at him. She stood us up reluctantly.

  “We’ll go with you. She already hates us so it can’t get any worse. Maybe Her Highness will stop calling us ‘it’ now that Silver’s your super special girlfriend, Mez.”

  In a rare show of affection Kal grazed our hair with an open hand. His touch was so light we almost believed it imagined. Lil noticed and then noticed we noticed her noticing and looked away. We all marched single file into the passageway to our living area. It was still a sticky mess with only parts of the wall and floor cleaned up. All of this drama must have interrupted Kal in his cleaning. Lil and Mez took in the haphazard juice splashes and Lil began to laugh.

  “Uncle, you really did go to war! Who won? I would have loved to watch.”

  Kal gave a quiet sideways grin to his niece. “The kush won.”

  Mez asked, “What happened here?”

  I took over our mouth to say, “The kush exploded and then we got a little, uh, carried away this morning. That’s why we were late to the Hub.”

  Mez glanced at his uncle as if he’d never seen him before as we all walked out of our living quarters and into a main tunnel. More than a few Imini did double takes when they saw the son of Fid Tal bringing up the tag end of our group.

  There was an open gallery area that served as a park for the children to play and a bazaar for the adults. On a field of spongy blue moss beautifully molded rock served as twisted puzzles for the young ones to crawl around and in. You could trade for most things you needed in the border around the park and the sound of the haggling pinged around the open space like a hundreds of bouncing racket balls. The sea of motion was dotted with the brightly colored headdresses of Imini women and the muted gray of tailored wog skin attire.

  Usually we just teleported out with Kal in the mornings to avoid the bustle but since Mez wasn’t supposed to be able to bypass the DNA protocols against unwanted Aniy bending, we were stuck hoofing it. Most conversation died then picked up again as we passed.

  I reached one of our hands back and wove our smaller fingers into the gaps of Mez’s much larger ones. He squeezed them to acknowledge my gesture and Cass gave a mental sigh of resignation and released piloting our body for the upcoming confrontation with Her Highness.

  “You should be the one to speak, Silver, since the Bindao affected you more than me.”

  “It affected you too, Sister. I’m sorry it did.” My grip on Mez’s fingers got tighter.

  “Don’t worry so much, Silver. We’ll get through this just like we do everything else.”

  “How’s that, my dear sibling?”

  Cass paused for effect. “By the skin of our teeth, of course.”

  The looming arch into the gloomy base of the jungle outside Denu interrupted our inner banter. Our rapid footsteps ate away the distance between several clumped silhouettes and they began to spread apart becoming more distinct as we closed in. Without thought we arranged ourselves into a lopsided spearhead to force our way to the front of the gathered Imini. Kal took point, Lil was on the right, and Mez moved to flank Kal on the left as he towed us in his wake. There were only a few faces we recognized in the crowd of Vel’s supporters.

  Jaz turned when Fid Tal broke off her harangue to gasp at her son’s approach.

  Mez tugged us gently forward and tucked our body along his side. I might have protested but it felt like a statement and it seemed unwise to undermine him in front of his mother.

  Flotsam and Jetsam tensed behind Her Highness and gave us the evil eye. I shrugged and returned a sunny vacant smile. Jaz frowned at my expression and pinched our bicep through the thick fabric of our black school robe hard enough to make us jump.

  She leaned close and hissed under her breath, “This is no child’s game.”

  Face hard and voice pitched to carry; Mez leaned over us and covered the aching spot with his massive hand.

  “No it is not a game and you will not touch my Leoght Cor like that again.”

  Jaz took an unconscious step backwards and bumped into Vel, who steadied her.

  Fid Tal nearly shrieked, “Do not be ridiculous, Son! You will not use such titles in jest.”

  Mez schooled his features to a serenity I knew to be feigned. His fingers were digging into the bruised part of our arm but I didn’t want to move. I was worried at how stiff and formal he’d become. I didn’t know enough about the situation to know when I should intervene. In the Web we’d felt so connected but in the physical world our differences created a gulf so wide I was afraid we might fall in.

  “I do not jest. The Bindao called us and we answered. The Will of Annis is immutable.” Mez gestured with his free hand in a short choppy slice through the air for emphasis. “Look in the Web and you will see, Modor.”

  “I will not! You do not tell me, Mez, I tell you! I command you to come with me now and we will fix this mess you have made.” Tal turned to Kal, face twisted in anger and eyes sparkling like black glass. “I blame you! You should never have been born. Everywhere you go you bring misery and trouble.”

  Her Highness’s words were so close to Jaz’s on the day of our arrival in Denu that Cass and I had an eerie sense of déjà vu. It was surprising when that very same person who had cursed her own brother by the roots of the giant carnivorous trees leapt to his defense.

  Jaz pointed a finger at Tal’s chest. “Do not come to us and offer insult to our family, Fid Tal. You think yourself so far above the Imini yet you are forced to our level by the Will of Annis over and over. My brother does not need one such as you. Leave or we will go inside and seal your son away until he chooses to see you.”

  Vel pulled Jaz behind him when Flotsam and Jetsam made as if to
start toward her.

  Kal raised his voice over the murmurs and exclamations. “If you need someone to blame Tal, then by all means—blame me. The fact remains that your son and my ward are bound by the Bindao. There is nothing I can do to change that. Take us before the Elders and ask them. My Imini sister meant well, but no one here would keep your child from you. He came of his own free will and he is welcome.”

  Vel put an arm over his wife’s shoulder. His calm voice was a balm to the tension. “I did not know Mez was visiting and I most certainly did not know of the bond. Your son is welcome to come and go in our city. We do not stand against the Will of Annis.”

  A few gasps of astonishment came from behind us and Mez tucked us in even more closely against his side. If he kept squeezing us like this our ribs were going to crack.

  Glittering eyes hard and pitiless, Fid Tal spat at Mez, “Come with me now and I will forgive you.”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. The words burst forth almost without thought but I didn’t regret them. “There is nothing to be forgiven.”

  All eyes looked down. I worked the arm that was losing feeling free and draped it around Mez’s waist. He stood taller.

  Kal said softly, “You may eat with us this evening, Tal, but I do not think Mez will be going with you today.”

  The lens on the Fid’s eyes flickered back and forth as if she couldn’t grasp that anyone would tell her no, especially a class of people and a brother that she considered beneath her. Just for a moment an expression of hurt made her mouth ripple and her brow collapse and then it was gone to be replaced by haughty indifference.

  Fresh ozone scented the air and Sil materialized neatly right next to Jetsam with Zik at his back. He took in the assembly of gathered Imini with bright-eyed interest.

  Fid Tal turned on Kal again. “You asked him here! This is a private family matter and of no concern to Guild Master Sil.”

  Sil smiled a sad smile. “No, my Fid, Kal did not report to me. He reported to The Elders as any Agent is required to do, whether or not they are actively serving. The Elders have required I record all data of the first interspecies Bindao and report back immediately with my findings.” He turned his attention to Mez. “Your Leoght Cor has no issue with my tests but I would do you the courtesy, Mez, of making your presence in my lab a request rather than a command.”

  I patted Mez’s side in what I hoped he interpreted to be an encouraging way. Communicating in the Web was so much freaking easier.

  Stiffly Mez replied, “I will go wherever my Leoght Cor goes.”

  Vel placed a palm over the round knob of our shoulder. His kind eyes held ours in their earnest net of compassion. “This is no matter for the Imini but please know that Mez may return with you and he is welcome at our table.”

  With that, Lil’s stepfather and the rest of the gathered Imini turned to walk into Denu. The only two faces that looked back were Jaz and Lil. Jaz wore a worried expression filled with anxiety and her eyes lingered on Kal. Lil’s gaze darted between the tense standoff of Sil and Fid Tal then settled on us. Our friend’s smile was a frail thing and then she turned away.

  Our ears tuned back in to the current war of words slashing and dashing over our head as Fid Tal slung a volley at Sil.

  “You may not separate me from my son against my will. The Codes of Annis warn against the interruption of any bond of blood. You may not bar me from the lab, Guild Master Sil.” Her voice was low and ugly, filled with the threat of personal violence.

  Sil pushed his light brown hair off the side of his neck like a valley girl and breezily replied, “You cannot pick and choose what Codes you will follow, My Fid. The bond of blood is not the only bond named. If you come with your son in an attempt to disrupt his relationship with his Bindao then you are just as much in the wrong and I have the right to bar you from entry. The decision, however, rests on Mez and Silver, not me. Perhaps you should ask them if they desire your company at this time.”

  Cass got sour. “Oh gee, thanks, Sil—way to shift the onus on us. What a freakin’ peach!”

  I could feel the weight of Mez’s consideration on the top of our head like a punishing ray of sunshine. Yet again I was tempted to give in and grant my sister’s wish about stimulating our growth artificially. Our feet felt clumsy as I backed us up and withdrew our arm from around his waist. Mez grabbed our elbow and followed our forearm down with too hot fingers until he could grasp our gloved hand in his.

  I raised our eyebrows. “I prefer not to have her with us if I’m being honest. Fid Tal hates us. She calls us ‘it’ constantly, Mez. She’s never once used our name. However, she isn’t my mother, so I’ll support whatever decision you make.” In my head I thought, “Even if I don’t like it.”

  Cass laughed internally in a humorless biting way. “Who’d have thought we’d have mother-in-law issues at fourteen? This totally sucks. We’re saddled with this witch for life now.”

  “How do you think Mez feels? He loves her and hates her all at once.” My censure sobered my twin and she stopped distracting me.

  Mez considered our words silently and then addressed Fid Tal.

  “You may not come, Modor. I will welcome your company again when you can treat me with respect and not like a thing you own. This is my decision.” Mez held his body rigid as if he expected a blow.

  Her Highness stood just as rigidly as her son. Lips trembling she grabbed the tail of her braid and flung it behind her shoulder nearly hitting Jetsam in the face. Fid Tal’s regal features froze and she absolutely refused to admit we existed with her eyes. Without another word of argument or protest she wove her head at Mez and disappeared. Flotsam and Jetsam stared at Mez as if he were the lowest, most vile creation on Axsa and then followed their master.

  Kal patted him on the back, straight faced. “That went as well as it could, Nephew.”

  Surprisingly, Mez smiled ear to ear. “By that you mean not well at all, Uncle?”

  Sil had a sympathetic expression with an edge of business. “Are you ready to accompany me to the lab?”

  I cocked our head in query. “Where is Pez?”

  Kal pointed behind Zik. “Somewhere over there.”

  In the general area Kal indicated a shimmering ripple began and then Pez dissolved his light field completely. He wore an annoyed expression aimed at our guardian.

  Sil smirked. “I can find no physical reason you are able to do that, Freond. It is very disconcerting. What gives it away?”

  The scientist asked the question of our guardian as if it was a private joke between the two of them but Kal wasn’t paying attention. Kal watched Pez warily as he walked closer. I needed to find a time to tell him about what we had overheard accidently in the study nook today but there hadn’t been an opportunity yet.

  “I can only describe it as paying attention. Sight is not our only sense.” Kal’s tone was dismissive as if he found the topic trivial and his mouth turned down on the side as if Sil had hit a sore subject.

  Zik interrupted and it was jarring because we tended to forget he could speak when Sil was around. His posture was unassuming and his words were firm but held an edge of servility. Realistically I wasn’t sure how long Sil could survive without Zik as his minder. It was likely he would forget to breath or eat in the pursuit of new knowledge.

  “We should not linger here. The Elders were anxious for results.”

  Pez gave us a hard glance that only lasted a second but it chilled our bones.

  Cass warned, “Somehow he knows it was us, Silver.”

  “How though, Sister, how?”

  “We didn’t see him chasing us when we looked back at the nook. Could he have wrapped a light field around himself too and searched the cushion we sat on for DNA evidence? All it would take is a stray shed hair follicle or a flake of dry skin. He had no need to run after us.”

  Dread fogged my thoughts and a certainty sunk in that Pez had done exactly that. Alarm bells were ringing but we were both reluctant to expose him
here and now. We only had our word and no proof other than our memory from today. Would that even be enough? Kal and Mez would believe us and most likely Sil, but the question was could anything actually be done. Did Kal’s orders about keeping things to ourselves about the rebels apply? We felt frozen in indecision.

  The edges of our vision began to crumble as we were pulled with Mez, Sil, Zik, Pez, and Kal to the lab. A subtle tug like a pause in our progress occurred that we’d never experienced before. When the porous gray walls of Sil’s lab materialized around us Mez was no longer holding our hand and Pez was absent on the other side of Zik.

  Kal whipped his head around, searching the whole lab in seconds with his eyes. Sil frowned at the empty air by our side and Zik just looked concerned. I already knew what had happened. Pez had somehow hijacked Mez and the pause we’d felt was his attempt to waylay us as well. The douchebag had control over who entered the lab but he’d had no clue we could bypass the DNA protocols. If we had been in command of Mez’s teleportation Pez wouldn’t have been able to take him. A burn of anger and frustration made our eyes water. Cass tried to reassure me.

  “We’ll find him, Silver.”

  I opened our mouth to tell Kal everything and he closed his eyes. We felt a tug as he hailed us in the Web and I left Cass to deal with Sil and Zik. For the first time the beauty of the mindscape was an afterthought, overrun by my concern for Mez. Kal’s yellow and green light shimmered like a wet piece of hard candy. His voice was an arrow of foreign anger.

  “Give me the memory of what you have not been able to share. Do not argue. I know there is something.”

  I gathered our study nook episode into a compact missile and tossed it toward Kal’s light as a fiery fastball. His silence was deafening. I could feel the bands of precious time stretching away from us and the thought that Pez might kill Mez because he was Fid Tal’s son made my essence expand like an exploding star then contract to a tiny pinpoint. Kal whipped me with irritation.

  “Hold yourself together or I will not allow you to help with his rescue.”