CHANGELING: Book Two in the Weaver Series Page 27

  Cass decided to fold our leathers rather than hang them and we opened our bottom drawer to basically dump the contents of the bag inside then toss the empty sagging satchel at Lil’s chest. She caught it and clicked her teeth in annoyance. My sister tapped our chin and said, “That isn’t what we mean, Lil. Earth is our ultimate loyalty just as Axsa is yours. We’ve already had this conversation with Mez, once, although it was him explaining it to us. We still care about you and we always will. Eventually though, we have to get back to our own world and the people we care for there.”

  Tet’s voice interrupted with suddenness. “Never forget that Bogan is an ellorgaest, Lil. They can follow our ways but they are still our ways, not theirs. It would be the same if you went to their planet; you would not cease to be Axsian at heart.”

  It seemed Tet had grown taller in the hours we’d been away but we knew that wasn’t the case—she just loomed like an elongated weeping willow at almost eight feet tall. Her straight black hair was coiled in a side bun behind her right ear. She held the see-through white curtain out of her way as she stood with one foot resting on the opposite knee as if she were related to a flamingo or a crane. The air was ozone free so she had to have walked in with her light field engaged and then snuck up on us.

  I squinted, one eye half closed and scratched at an itchy spot on our scalp through the thick indigo cloth. “Tet, one day I’m gonna succeed in tying chimes around your pretty little neck.”

  She let go of our curtain and bowed a low one legged dip then shot back up without losing her balance. “I was not aware you found me attractive, Bogan. You should know intercourse with females, even you, does not intrigue me. I thank you for your interest, I am flattered. Besides, I do not think your Leoght Cor would take well to others hunting in his territory.” Tet’s eyes went to our headdress and she wove her neck then froze and flared her nostrils. “What is that smell?”

  I grabbed a handful of blue and yellow robe from the wardrobe, slammed the doors shut and walked past Lil, who looked frozen and panicked. “Things got interesting in Denu. Mez failed to explain some things to me about what happens when Aniy mate. Apparently we send our own signals now.” Cass motioned at the head wrap with our middle finger. “That’s why we’re about to take a bath and we have to keep my hair up like this. How come none of you guys ever tipped us off? We had to have smelled different to you. Some help you are!”

  Tet laughed. “It is not wise to interfere in another’s ways, especially for mating. You are on your own, Bogan.”

  From our left Kit chuckled. “Perhaps you should think again about joining yourself to another species. You may be in over your head.”

  I slapped our thigh. “Oh, wow, why didn’t we think of that? Gee, let me think—could it be because I didn’t have a choice? Anyway, Cass and I are so used to drowning, we’ve grown gills.”

  Kit and Tet shared a confused look then Kit asked, “What are gills, Bogan?”

  Cassandra slapped our face and mumbled, “Never mind. You take the fun out of it when we have to explain, Kit.”

  Fyt popped in on our right in a cloud of strongly scented ozone that reminded us of a spring rain, conveniently overpowering Lil’s aroma. I reached a hand down and Lil used us for balance as she rose. We walked by Tet, carefully close together and hoping that our scent would mask our friend’s.

  I said, “See you gals in a bit. We’re off to take a nice relaxing bath.”

  Lil kept to our side as she dug through her own wardrobe to find replacement robes and we hot footed it out into the main hall. Nyt’s household was unusually busy and the red clad servants were everywhere, scurrying like busy little beavers. When we went past the main chamber we’d eaten breakfast in just that morning it was almost unrecognizable. Banners of every imaginable color draped all the walls making the giant oval into a festive, carnival-like place. I half expected knights on horses with jousts for a tourney and Cass threw in an imagined juggler on stilts to walk around entertaining the tables.

  I laughed mentally. “She does think of herself as a queen or an empress.”

  Lil sucked in her breath. “What is Nyt planning?”

  Cass beckoned us onward. “Whatever it is, Lil, it’ll be impressive I’m sure.”

  The pools were vacant when we arrived. Aniy bathing coliseums were plain in comparison with the massive staggered setup in Denu. There were no bumpy melted wax stalactites and stalagmites for walls. Everything was smoothly impersonal and not even close to nature. Straight lines marked the boundary of the women’s side from the men’s as a glass wall filled with thick multi-colored fog blocked out any peeping eyes. No attendants were on duty but maybe they’d been pulled to prepare for Nyt’s big shindig.

  Aniy of both genders were known to secretly observe one another and so most bathers simply bent light around themselves if they cared for privacy. With the addition of Imini to Nyt’s household the rules had changed. The Elder had made it known that any Aniy caught spying on an Imini guest would be barred from her family and blacklisted in Bleo or anywhere else they went on Axsa. So far, to our knowledge, nobody had tested Nyt’s tolerance.

  As we disrobed in the women’s changing area and stashed our belongings in separate wall niches I had an idea. At the last second I grabbed all of our clothes and threw them in on top of Lil’s. She started to ask what we were doing and Cass tapped the side of our nose. Maybe if we mixed our scents together everyone would just assume it was us that had changed and not Lil. It was worth a shot.

  Ela had warned us we should assume we were always being watched. She’d stressed always. I put a hand on Lil’s wrist and covered us both in neutral tan as if we were wearing nude wet suits. Lil bowed her long neck and put a hand to her chest, probably feeling for the hidden key. When she’d undressed we hadn’t seen it so she must have made sure to conceal it completely when she disrobed.

  She smiled gratefully and picked her brilliant red hairdo apart one handed, letting the pins fall to the floor with little metallic pings. I crouched and gathered them in our free hand then rose to toss them messily into the empty cubby next to ours. We went out toward the baths holding hands like children.

  Cass suggested as we descended on the squared off steep stairs, “If this is some showcase of cooperation between the Aniy and Imini maybe you should wrap your hair to appease Jaz. You can still wear your robes like us but maybe compromise a little, Lil.” Not to mention if she used the head cloth we’d already worn today it might confuse her scent with ours. Anyone who was listening in would have a valid enough reason now though.

  Lil tilted her head back to stare at the featureless domed ceiling and took a deep breath. “Do you think that is really what all of this preparation is for, Min Druta? I feel a sense of dread, as if a stone is growing in my womb.”

  Our eyes met and the moment stretched until we smiled in the face of our fears. Lil’s nose crinkled along the bridge and Cass stuck out our tongue then crossed our eyeballs.

  Once we were under the dark tinted water and our nakedness was hidden away we split apart like a replicating cell to wash with liberal amounts of fruit scented soap. It was all so sweet smelling it made our head hurt but we lathered and scrubbed it in anyway. Since we had the place to ourselves the only noise was the splash and trickle of shed water. We strained our ears to detect any sounds that seemed out of place but we appeared to be genuinely alone—even the men’s side was devoid of life. The silence made us feel like we were in a haunted house or an abandoned building in a zombie movie. When we looked at Lil she was rinsing herself off with quick efficient moves; racing us to an unseen finish line.

  The lip to the next pool was still made from stone but it had a springy, rubbery no-slip square over it in intervals to facilitate jumping from one body of water to another. Lil lined up with her section of brown mat at our right. We went to the next level first and then touched Lil’s hand to cloak her nakedness in manipulated light. I double checked to make sure she was maintaining the cover on her
key cord and it was solid.

  Neither of us was inclined to linger so we got out faster than we normally would have. Lil’s wet hair was so dark it looked like congealed blood trailing down her neck until it faded away, hidden by our light field. We dressed quickly and Lil gave me a hurried tutorial in head wrapping by covering her own wet strands in our discarded indigo rectangle. She made it look easy and the fabric slid between her fingers skillfully until she was done with a neat tuck and a final tug. Jaz made crisper folds and her work was tighter but we weren’t about to quibble since we’d be lost on our own.

  Cass blew a raspberry after our second try ended in another wobbling failure. “You do it, Lil, we give up!”

  Two disembodied chuckles drifted through the air. A familiar female voice followed. Words of dripping acid came from nowhere, the echo of the mostly empty cavern adding to the confusion.

  “Look, Tai, they cannot figure out something so simple an Imini can do it in their sleep.”

  Flotsam dissolved her light field, revealing herself as she lounged against the edge of the exit. Her pointed nose hung over a curled upper lip. “Yes I see, Fai. What pitiful things we waste our time guarding—how fragile, how stupid.”

  Jetsam appeared in haze of foggy light. “Nyt would be most upset if we let them die, Sustor, so we watch and wait, watch and wait…”

  Chapter Twenty Six: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

  Lil’s fingers gripped the forest green cloth still draped over the back of our head and from our bent position Cass and I felt vulnerable. How long had they been trailing us? Had they been around when we stashed Lil’s tablet and taught her how to hide her key in front of the vanity? If so, how had we not picked up on their presence? Why did they mention Nyt being upset and not Fid Tal? Weren’t they Tal’s little minions? After a pregnant pause our friend’s tone was dry and cheery as she continued to fold and smooth around our ears with firmly placed fingertips.

  “It is so nice of your personal guards to check in, Min Druta. They must have nothing else better to do than watch simpletons wash themselves.”

  Tai, nickname Flotsam, moved to the middle of the exit, effectively blocking us in if we wanted to leave. It was disorienting looking at the situation from upside down. Tai’s gold trimmed white tunic and flowing pants were gone, replaced by close fitting dark brown leather that reminded us of the rebel’s attire when we’d rescued Mez. Weapons of various kinds were wedged into built in sheaths along Tai’s ribs, biceps, and thighs. Some looked like wickedly curved bone-colored knives and others we couldn’t guess their purpose. They both looked ready for war.

  Cassandra gave a little laugh in our head. “Too bad her name’s Tai, I really was hoping for Fee or Fum. It would’ve added some much needed humor to our life.”

  I drew our mouth into a smirk.

  Fai, aka Jetsam, gave a nod to her twin and prowled closer. Lil really needed to hurry the hell up with our wrap. There was a snick sound and Lil gasped but we couldn’t see anything, bent over as we were. Cass growled and tried to stand but our taller friend forced us to stay down. We could have pushed the issue if we wanted but we decided to trust her judgment.

  Jetsam purred, “You are very becoming, even with your servant red hair. Would you like me to trim it for you? I hear your people do not believe a female’s tresses should ever be cut. How very superstitious. Should we test it and see if anything bad happens to you? Would Annis bring down her wrath on you?”

  Lil’s breathy voice floated over our bent head, “You can laugh at me all you like. I am a servant, a true servant to my gemaetan.”

  Flotsam barked laughter from the exit. “Quit playing with them, Sustor. Nyt wants them in one piece for tonight. Leave them be so they may make themselves presentable. They bore me already.”

  When Fai stepped away Lil gave a shuddering exhale and finished concealing our wet hair with shaking fingers. Blood had rushed to our head so when Lil finally pulled us upright she held on to us until she could see we were steady.

  Tai looked us over, from our bare feet to our yellow and blue robes and wrapped hair. Her expression registered outright disgust and when her glossy pitch dark eyes met ours she tried to stare us into submission. Cass pictured the mirrored lake surface in our head and our core was filled with stillness. The other woman blinked first.

  Words sharp as her teeth, Tai said, “No clever words, Leoght Theof?”

  Rarely was it ever a good idea to turn your back on an enemy—in my opinion Fai was still too close—but my twin did it anyway as we gathered our things together in a messy ball and held them against our side under an arm. Our lack of response was doing a number on Flotsam’s blood pressure, because when we turned again a tracery of veins was bulging in her forehead and the muscles in her jaw were rippling. She took a step forward then stopped. Her lids lowered and her face was remote as she spoke with someone in the Web.

  Jetsam turned her head to bark at her twin, “Orders?”

  Flotsam’s pulse slowed and the protruding blood highways under her skin receded from view. When she opened her eyes her attention was drawn to her sibling immediately, her whole body turning toward her twin as if magnetically drawn. “Time grows short, Fai. We will escort them back to the others and prepare.”

  Lil was fumbling with nerveless fingers, trying to pick up her discarded hair pins from the adjacent cubby. To give her time Cass asked, “Prepare for what? Ealdemodor didn’t mention anything at breakfast to any of us.” She intentionally used Nyt’s unofficial title with our group of misfits.

  Fai cocked her head and took a few steps in reverse to join her sibling closer to the entrance. “Why should an Elder share anything? It is a mistake to encourage those such as yourself familiarities with someone so above your station. You have no idea of the power you meddle with, Leoght Theof. This evening should be a suitable demonstration.”

  Tai pulled her sister’s braid. “Come, Cempestre, let us lead the meagd to their den and attend the will of our Gudcwen.”

  Cass threw thoughts out like superheated kernels of corn, each explosion leading to another and another. Gudcwen meant warrior queen, and cempestre meant female soldier—both were rarely used terms that we’d absorbed in a lesson on Axsa’s violent past. Meagd meant virgin and that was hardly an insult because we were still virgins, but the implication wasn’t exactly sexual in this context—more of an inference of weakness or inexperience.

  Cassandra ended with, “So what, Nyt is going to declare some sort of martial law because of Baelc Eftborenne? I doubt the rest of the Elders or the Galactic Alliance will go for that. What about the Guilds? Won’t they protest?”

  When we attempted to cross the threshold Fai fingered a hilt on her arm, made a fake lunge with her head, and snapped her teeth at Lil. Tired of her bullying I darted out a hand in a blur and removed one blade from her right side. In a steady palm I offered her weapon just under her nose but when she went to grab for it I threw it past a hurrying servant who squealed and dropped the decorations they carried. Bouncing, rolling, fake fruit and synthetic flowers scattered every which way.

  A furious Tai pointed at Fai when she would have retaliated. “Aetstandan!”

  She brushed her arm our way and walked around the kneeling servant who was keeping her head down gathering fallen decorations. Shaking in fear, the poor woman was doing her damndest to be invisible. I was immediately sorry for our burst of temper.

  The handle was so deeply embedded in the cavern wall it wouldn’t budge—no matter how hard Tai tugged. She crooked a finger at Lil and her expression brooked no argument. Our friend threw out her chest and waved a hand in the general direction of the immovable knife. The granite began to swirl in a possessed vortex, crept outward with tentacle edges and engulfed the weapon in mere double thumps of our beating heart grinding it to a pulp with a sickening crunch.

  Lil raised a pencil thin red eyebrow. “Was that what you wanted me to do? I am unsure what you desire. I am, after all, only a simple Imini.
It is hard for me to understand your complicated Aniy wishes when you do not use words.”

  Flotsam kicked through the pile of decorations the crouched red robed woman had hesitantly scooped together and motioned us in the direction that would lead us to our warren. They faded from sight as they engaged their light fields and Lil’s throat struggled against her gulp of air when she turned her face toward us.

  Cass mouthed, “Nice!” and gave our terrified friend a thumbs-up.

  I muttered, sotto voce, “They won’t do anything permanent, Lil, or Nyt will have their skins for a belt. Relax, Freond.”

  Regardless of what I said to Lil, Cass and I both knew things were tense enough that Tai or Fai might retaliate in a way we wouldn’t like at all. It ended up playing out that way, too. Sometimes it really sucked dishwater being right the majority of the time. Thankfully they came after us—which was why we’d taunted them, to draw aggression from Lil. She’d almost ruined it by destroying Jetsam’s dagger with her Imini gifts.

  Right before we made it to the relative safety of the warren the air at our back was disturbed by a swift, light-concealed movement. A sharp burn flamed into being on our spine as invisible fingers pulled our head at an angle that made the tendons in our neck scream. Something with cold, razor crispness kissed our throat and pressed just hard enough to make its point, so to speak.

  Hot breath caressed our cheek and Fai whispered, “That seax was in my family for generations, passed down from modor to dohtor when your kind were still learning to rub sticks together for fire. Heal yourself, Ellorgaest, and hope for a quick death when I am allowed to kill you both.”

  Fai released us so quickly we stumbled into a confused Lil. When she threw her arms around us they slid in the warm blood coating our back—our gray leathers and her dirty yellow and blue robes fell to the floor, forgotten. Pungent, almost sour ozone hit our nose and we knew Fai and Tai were gone. Someone gasped from inside as Lil held us close to her side and helped us walk down the wide aisle toward our pallet.