Shadows of the Soul Part 1

The Sixteenth story in the new season of clan Chronicles.
By Kahreen
Edited by Vashkoda
Illustration by Kahreen.

Previously

"I'm okay Flynt, really," insisted Kahreen when he offered to help her stand.  "Thanks for your help, though.  This old body can't recover from wounds like that as easily as it once did.  If I had lost any more fluid, I'm not sure I could have gotten back online."

'Samurai'

***

Piper’s face brightened as he remembered something. “Oh, there was something else,” he said, rummaging around in his pockets. “One of my children found this at the dig site. S’got the big gargoyle’s scent all over it, so I think it belonged to him. Ah! Here it is!” Withdrawing his hand from the pocket, he dangled a pendant in front of Mord.

The human took it from him and held it up to the light. The item was made up of a thick gold chain, and on the end of it was the pendant itself--a vial filled with red liquid. Curled around the glass vial was a gold dragon, its claws clasping the chain.

“What exquisite craftsmanship.” Mord tapped the vial and watched the liquid flow within it. “Is that…”

“Blood?” Piper nodded. “But it ain’t the big gargoyle’s.”

“Really?” Mord smiled.

'So Runs the World Away'

***

Sabrina nodded, still smiling. “I’ll just get my egg and…”

“Egg?” Llewelyn and Flynt repeated in unison.

“Yes, it’s a long story,” she said, disappearing into some bushes. Seconds later she reemerged, clutching a canvas bag.

“Woah! You’ve been busy,” Llewelyn said, rushing over to get a better look. Behind her a pained expression crossed Flynt’s face and he turned away.

“Back to the ship,” he said, his voice tight. “Before the vampires return.”

'So Runs the world Away'

***

“All right!” shouted Llewelyn, grinning from ear to ear. “We won!”

“This fight maybe,” said Vash, her voice subduing the celebratory mood that was sweeping the ship. She remembered her fight and encounter with Mord. “But are we safe?”

'So Runs the world Away'

***

“Vashkoda, until Kahreen is well again would you be this clan’s...and my second in command?” asked Flynt.

Vash sat back, stunned. “I…” she looked around at the others, many of who nodded their approval. Her gaze lingered on Cairo and the delighted look that crossed her face. “Very well,” she said. “I accept.”

'So Runs the World Away'

Ed awoke to the lengthening shadows of a late autumn evening. He hadn’t intended to sleep so long. When he’d curled up in the fireside chair earlier that day, he’d only meant to nap for only a couple of hours. However the toll of the night before had finally caught up with him, and he drifted off into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

He sat up, wincing at the aches that had settled into his body. Unfortunately, being a New Olympian hadn’t given him any special protection against the rather impressive collection of cuts and bruises he’d acquired.

He got up and made his way over to the cabin’s tiny bathroom. ‘Tiny’ seemed too spacious a word to describe it. A washbasin-just big enough to wash a single hand in-took up most of the wall beneath a small medicine cabinet and slot-sized window. The rest of the room was no bigger than the space of a shower cubicle. In fact, as Ed turned on the light and closed the door behind him, it became obvious that the rest of the room was the shower block. A shower doesn’t seem like such a bad idea, he mused, as he turned his back on the snake-headed faucet and opened the cabinet. But there was something he needed to check out first.

To his relief, a small first aid kit sat on the bottom shelf. He pulled it out, setting it in the basin as he closed the cabinet door and got a good look at his reflection for the first time in over two days.

To put it simply, he looked like a bloody mess. Despite the few hours of sleep he had had that afternoon, there were still dark circles beneath his eyes. Just below his right eye a vibrantly colorful bruise was blossoming. There were a few other minor cuts and bruises, but what commanded his attention was his nose. If it hadn’t been broken, then it most certainly had been bent into a new shape. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, he muttered to himself, though he half wondered what shape would emerge after all the swelling went down. As it was, he was doing a great impression of Rudolph the-bloody-red-nosed-reindeer.

He opened the kit and did the best he could, wiping and cleaning the cuts and his nose with antiseptic wipes. The end result wasn’t perfect, but without a doctor or someone else to help it was all he could manage. He looked at his nose again, gingerly touching it. He knew he should really get it looked at at a hospital, but he wasn’t sure whether Flynt or any of the clan would let him go to one. And anyway, even if he did go there were bound to be questions; people would get interested-and at the moment neither he nor the clan could afford such interest.

“So we’ll just have to make do,” he mumbled, looking back at the shower. Perhaps he’d take that shower after all. He needed it, and he was sure he stunk to high heaven. He glanced up at the window. The red light of sunset was fading, being quickly replaced by the half-light of twilight. The gargoyles would be awake now, refreshed and healed of many of the injuries they had received the night before. Ed looked back at his swollen nose.

“Some people get all the luck,” he grumbled, turning off the light and leaving the bathroom.

***

Mord stared at the DNA analysis printout and frowned. Mr. Piper’s nose had been right. The sample of blood contained in the amulet’s small vial certainly did not belong to the large gargoyle named Flynt. Not unless this Flynt turned out to be one particularly buff female. Mord allowed a small smile to play across his lips; he certainly doubted that. No, the two X chromosomes that had shown up under the electron microscope belonged to someone else. So who then? Mord didn’t think the prodigal gargoyle was close enough to any of the other females in that clan to warrant wearing a sample of their blood around his neck. He thought back to his conversation with Piper.

No, it couldn’t be her. Yet it was likely that either she or Flynt knew to whom the blood did belong. And in the meantime….

Mord looked over his shoulder where two lab technicians were working around a large glass cylinder. One wore an amulet around his neck and was busy muttering under his breath as he daubed runes and symbols on the cylinder’s surface.

In the meantime, he would have Piper and his children locate the clan once again and find the name that went with this new face.

* * *

“Hey look, Mom! They have a TV and a-” Chaz scowled. “And a VCR,” he mumbled as he thumbed through the bulky spines of the video boxes arranged below the small television set. “I thought they’d have a DVD player or something.”

“Chaz dear, it’s a cabin in the woods. You’re lucky they even have that,” Silver chided her son as her own eyes scanned the titles. She didn’t want Chaz watching something inappropriate. “I doubt they get much reception up here. I didn’t see any TV antennas outside.”

“Bet I could rig up something that would work,” offered Madbrook, looking up from where he, Sabrina and Shaiya were making a little makeshift rookery in a closet. “Satellite TV programs, regular programs…I’m sure I can get them for you.”

“You will?” Chaz said, his face lighting up. “Great!”

Madbrook smiled back. “Hey if we’re going to live here for a while, we’d better have the best we can get, right?”

“Yeah!” The young blue gargoyle grinned before going back to the small video library. Above him, Silver uttered a small cough and glared down at her son. Chaz looked up, knowing fully what that frown meant. He turned back to Madbrook.

“Thank you.”

Madbrook winked. “Hey, no problem. We all benefit from it anyway.”

Silver glanced over at the window. “I’d better check on those rabbits,’ she said, walking to the door and opening it. As she did so, the scent of roasting meat wafted into the cabin.

“I still don’t understand why you’re cooking them in the pit,” Malachi said as his stomach rumbled. “You should have used the stove. It would have been much faster and we’d be eating sooner.”

“True, but nothing beats the taste of pit-cooked rabbit.’ She smiled and paused at the door. “Besides, this is a special occasion.” With that she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

“Yeah!” Llewelyn looked up from where she was stoking a small fire. Where the flames ended, no smoke began. It was something Flynt had insisted on, so between Llewelyn and Sabrina, an enchantment had been cast over the fire to keep it from emitting any smoke. “It’s not every day that a clan gets back together and collectively kicks some bad guy’s ass.”

“We shouldn’t have broken up in the first place,” said Sabrina as she stepped back and closed the closet door. She looked up at Flynt. “But without you and Kahreen, without Thaylog, we fell apart. I know Thay tried to make sure we would be okay even after he was gone.” She looked up and smiled at Ed. “But fate and the world seemed determined to keep us apart until Flynt returned.’

“And I would like to know exactly where you went,” Vashkoda said. “We searched for you, but it seemed as if you’d vanished from the face of the earth.”

Flynt looked up. For most of the evening, he had stayed by Kahreen’s side, rarely leaving it except to give instructions to those who had gone to hunt that night’s supper. At the moment, he didn’t feel like discussing those events. The pain was too near, too close, and until Kahreen came back from whatever refuge her mind had fled to, it wasn’t right to say anything. For the time being, he decided, it was best to steer the conversation towards other matters.

“What I would like to know is what happened while we were gone.” His eyes moved from clanner to clanner. “He told me some of the tale,” Flynt said, indicating Ed with a nod of his head. “But much has yet to be explained. Sabrina is older and with a mate and egg. Vashkoda too, seems much older than I remember her.” He turned to look at Malachi, Cairo and Cesar. “And then there are the new faces, and I would very much like to hear their stories.”

Vashkoda frowned. She knew that her query had been intentionally brushed aside, and that perhaps this wasn’t the time for it. But if she was to be second in command of their small clan, then at some point she would have to know. Flynt couldn’t put it off forever. For the moment, however, she was willing to let it lie.

At that moment, the door opened and Silver walked in, carrying a huge roasting tray filled with cooked rabbit. Behind her, Ansalong and Gigi crept into the room. The two vampires had avoided the clan that night, electing instead to watch the roasting meat. Silver laid the tray on the counter that served as a divider between the kitchen and living space and bent down to rummage in the drawers.

“If we’re going to be swapping stories, then we’d best do it on a full stomach,’ said Malachi, already reaching for one of the rabbits. He yelped and withdrew his hand as the hot fat from the meat burned him. “Once these things cool down that is,” he mumbled, sucking at his fingers. “We can’t do much talking if the roof of our mouths are burned.”

“That’s why I was going to suggest we use these,” said Silver, holding up a number of wooden skewers she had found in the drawers.

“Oh,” Malachi said sheepishly, trying to avoid the bemused ‘you should have known better’ look his mate was giving him.

Despite his own grief and worry, Flynt found himself smiling at the exchange between the members of this newly re-formed clan. Perhaps he and Kahreen had arrived back at the start of a time of peace, a time when they could move on from the red-hot pain of the past and live their lives. Truth be told, all he wanted was to live out the rest of his days with his mate. He’d had enough turbulence and painful upheavals to last him several lifetimes. The added burden of leadership was not something he wanted, but for as long as the clan depended on him, he would do his best.

“Vashkoda, perhaps you would start. I know something of the events leading up to Thaylog’s disappearance, but I was wondering if you could share what happened to you and your small group after that.”

The golden furred gargess bristled as all eyes turned to her. She hadn’t expected to be singled out so soon. However, pride and honor prevented her from declining. “Very well,” she said. “My tale begins after Llewelyn, Silver and Chaz left for New Orleans. I had gone into the city to search for signs of Thaylog...”

As Vash continued her tale, now and again Ed or Malachi would jump in, offering details of what had gone on in Vashkoda’s absence. However both fell silent as Vashkoda moved onto her time in ancient Egypt; of Ra’s Eye, Khotran, Qeb, her mate Ipsis, and her daughter Selket. There was silence as she brought that part of her tale to an end and looked towards Ed to finish what had happened after her release from the pool.

It went on like that for most of the night; each clanner helping the other with their stories. Woven in and out of these tales was the specter of the company they had fought against the previous night. Finally, the story came around to Sabrina and her egg.

“It’s pretty close to hatching,” she said, her face beaming with pride. “Possibly next year.”

“And we’ll all be ready to spoil him or her rotten when they do emerge,” Llewelyn smiled.

“Yes,” Silver agreed. “It’ll be a good thing to have other youngsters in the clan.”

“And no one can pick on me because I’m the youngest,” said Chaz, obviously pleased at the prospect of having someone younger than himself to boss around.

“What about you two?” Sabrina asked, turning to Malachi and Cairo. “Are you planning to have a hatchling of your own?”

“If the spirits choose to bless us, yes,” Cairo replied, taking Malachi’s hand. “And I see this closer than ever, especially since we now have a clan around to support us.”

“I can’t wait to see our hatchling,” Madbrook said. “To watch the little one emerge from the egg, watch them grow up and all the time know that that the child is a part of both of us.”

“NO!”

Everyone jumped as Kahreen suddenly got to her feet and bolted for the door, crashing through it and disappearing into the night. Flynt followed moments later. He had watched with a tightening of his soul as the conversation turned towards eggs and hatchlings. He had felt a surge of anger at the happy parents-to-be and at Malachi and Cairo, wanting them to be quiet, wanting to stop them from tearing at his heart. And then a small noise beside him channeled his anger into concern. Kahreen shifted, her head slowly rising, turning in the direction of the conversation. A small moan escaped her lips, rising into a desperate cry as Madbrook talked about his hopes for his child’s future. She was up and gone before he had the chance to react. All he could do now was to follow. And this he did.

In his wake, utter confusion and bewilderment raged through the cabin, and only one question was on everyone’s mind.

What was going on?

***

The sound rose and fell well beyond his range of hearing. The lows sounding like silence, while the highs threatened to shatter and fragment his head as much as his emotions were pulling at his soul. And yet he knew that the source of those notes was the dearest thing to his heart.

He paused at the crest of a hill to catch his breath. He had forgotten how fast she could move in this form, certainly faster and more agile than he. He looked up as the sound; her voice began to rise and fall again and with sudden clarity he realized that she was crying, not screaming or shouting. This noise, this scale that tore at him, was the sound her kind made when grief overtook them.

His mate was crying and he was not there to comfort her.

But where was she? He scanned the forest before him, his ears directing to when his eyes should look.

No sooner had he locked onto the flare of red hair that beckoned him; then he was scrambling down the steep slope, not paying any heed to the sharp stones that tore at him, nor the branches that seemed to try and hold him back. Nothing would keep him from her when she needed him; when he needed her.

“Kahreen.”

She sat curled into a protective ball at the base of a cliff, her cries now muffled as she began to rock back and forth, her hands clenching and relaxing in time with her sobs. All of this Flynt saw as he ran towards her, this and other details, such as the freshly inflicted wounds on her knuckles, and the corresponding shatter marks in the rock above her. Everything was inscribed into memory to be picked apart later, for now it didn’t matter. He scooped her up and embraced her, with his arms, with his wings, with everything he had to offer. Now the tears, held back for two days, began to flow.

At that moment nothing else mattered but his need to hold her.

Nothing

***

“Does anyone know what this could be about?” Vashkoda asked as she strode out of the cabin and joined the others outside.

The clan shook their heads. Ed was the only one to speak.

“All I know is that when I first saw Flynt, he looked pretty beat up, like he’d just been in a huge fight. He told me that he and his mate were tired and grief stricken.”

“His mate?” Vashkoda’s brow furrowed in confusion as the only possible answer presented itself. “Kahreen?”

“That’s what he said,” answered Ed with a shrug of his shoulders. “And she was the only one there.”

“I think Flynt’s tale will prove to be most interesting,” Vash muttered, setting out in the direction Flynt had taken. “Stay here,” she told the others. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Where are you going?”

“To find them and some answers,” she called back over her shoulder as she disappeared into the wood.

***

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Her words were muffled as she buried her face in his chest. “I didn’t get to him in time. If only I had moved faster-”

“Shhhh,” he whispered, trying his best to comfort her. “The only one to blame was that evil one. No one else, only him.”

“But I had him by the hem of his blanket! I almost had him and then that bastard killed him!” Her cry faded into a moan.

“He paid for it with his life. We got our revenge…” Flynt trailed off, realizing how useless his words were. What good was vengeance? Would it bring him back? He knew the answer to that. No, he was gone for good, never to grow up, never to look to either himself or Kahreen for guidance. And now, in that cabin, was a constant reminder of what they could never have. He held Kahreen’s biomechanical body to him and cursed fate. Even the future had been denied to them now. All they had left was each other, and it would have to be enough.

“Flynt?”

He looked up. There, standing on the crest of the slope, was Vashkoda.

“Go back to the cabin,” he said, turning his back to her. “We’ll be back soon.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Vash asked, determined not to be brushed off this time.

“Go back to the cabin and give us some time.”

“How much would be enough? If we are to avoid hurting either of you again we need to know-”

“Tomorrow night, after sunset,” he said. “We’ll be back then, but for now just leave us alone.” He looked up and over his shoulder. “Please?”

Vash nodded, finally giving in. “Tomorrow night then,” she agreed, turning to leave. She paused and looked back at Flynt. “Whatever this is, the clan will be there for you. You need not struggle down this path alone.” She glanced at Kahreen. “Either of you.” With that she was gone, leaving Kahreen and Flynt alone at the base of the cliff.

***

Sunset passed unnoticed, hidden by a low curtain of cloud. Outside the cabin, everything dripped water, soaked by the light drizzle that had arrived some time that afternoon and had refused to leave. Inside, the clan gathered around the pair whose moods matched the weather. Cesar had moved the cabin’s only sofa to a position close to the fire, and the moment Kahreen and Flynt returned to the cabin, soaked to the skin, they had been ushered to the sofa and given the chance to dry off.

For a long time they sat in silence. Kahreen had her head bowed and much of her face hidden by her long bangs. Most of the storytelling, it seemed, would fall to Flynt. However -

“I don’t know where to start,” he confessed. “There is much to tell.”

“How about starting where you went to and how you and Kahreen became mates?” Vash gently supplied. “Yes,” she added after seeing the look of surprise on Flynt’s face. “We know about that, at least.”

“The where and why are very much one and the same. We found ourselves on a world called Kithan. I do not know where it is,” he added, seeing the suddenly interested looks on Chaz and Madbrook’s faces. “The why is much easier to explain. The disc that transported us there not only changed our surroundings, but it changed Kahreen as well. We were told that in the past, some of the mages who had used this device had taken on the shape of the creature they were touching at the time of transport. When we were moved to Kithan, Kahreen was touching me.”

“So she was turned into a gargoyle!” Sabrina exclaimed, unable to stop herself.

“Flesh and blood, like myself,” Flynt nodded. “With that change, we found ourselves on equal ground, and as we traveled, we realized that we liked what we saw. We became mates and in time, we brought a beautiful son into the world….” Here his words caught in his throat, and he had to stop for a while in order to compose himself. “We named him Tethys. Ah, you should have seen him! Red hair like his mother’s, horns like mine. He was perfect.”

An uneasy feeling swept across the clan. Flynt’s tone, his use of words in the past tense, and the simple absence of the child spoke volumes about the ending of this tale. Silver hugged Chaz tightly as Sabrina and Madbrook drew closer together.

Vash nodded in sad understanding. “What happened to him?” she asked softly.

“From the first moment we set foot on Kithan, we were set against beings called Angels. They were one of the most ancient of races on that world, and they loathed the races that came after them; thought them not worthy of existence. They had found a way to destroy them, but they needed us to complete their plans. We stopped them, made sure they couldn’t finish what they had tried to start, but our victory came at a heavy price.” He couldn’t say more. His head sank forward and he raised his left hand to support it, his right hand reaching out to grasp Kahreen’s hand.

“Tethys was lost and you returned to this world as we see you both now,” Vash said, struggling to keep check on her own emotions.

Flynt nodded.

“Oh Flynt, Kahreen, I’m so sorry. I…” Vashkoda started forward. Behind her, the rest of the clan reeled from the news. Sabrina was crying, and tears had formed in the eyes of many of the other clan members. None knew what to say or how to react. All in some way felt guilty. Last night they had been celebrating their reunion and having come out on top in their encounter with Zentech. They had been celebrating while all that time, Flynt and Kahreen were shouldering their burden. It was clear now why Kahreen had been in an almost comatose state all that time; why Flynt had been acting strangely around Sabrina’s egg. What had been a puzzle was now made painfully clear.

“Excuse me.” Kahreen suddenly rose to her feet and for a moment, the clan thought that they were going to have a repeat performance of the previous night’s outburst. However, the biomech walked straight to the door that led to the cabin’s only bedroom, opened it, and disappeared inside. There came a shout and the sound of breaking glass, followed seconds later by the sound of something heavy being thrown across the room.

Within moments, Flynt was in the doorway, with Vash a step behind. Both stopped short as they saw the destruction that had been wrought in the room.

The cabin’s bedroom had been a simple one. A single bed lay against one wall, and opposite it was a large chest of drawers on top of which a mirror had been placed. That mirror was now shattered into a thousand pieces, many of which lay strewn across the floor. The dresser was lying at an angle beneath the window. Many of its drawers lay on the floor, indicating the arc the chest had taken as it was thrown. A dent showed where one corner of the furniture had struck the wall before finally coming to rest.

And there, sitting on the edge of the bed, calmly picking pieces of glass off her fingers, was Kahreen.

“Vash, would you leave us alone?” Flynt asked softly. The golden gargess nodded and Flynt stepped forward into the room and closed the door behind him.

For a moment Vashkoda stood there, facing the wooden door, and wondered what to do next. This was the second time in as many nights that Flynt had disappeared in Kahreen’s wake, and while she knew, while she understood, it didn’t help the fact that there were eleven other individuals who needed their leader to tell them that in time, things would be better. And what should she tell them? Without their leader it fell to her to watch them, to reassure them.

“Vash?”

“She’s ok,” Vashkoda said, turning to them. “I think she just needed to vent.”

“Any more venting like that and we’re going to need a new place to hang out in,” commented Ansalong, shrugging off the glares that most of the clan gave her.

“You just don’t know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?” Llewelyn hissed. “Flynt just told us that his and Kahreen’s kid died, and you’re cracking jokes!”

“Oh, so we’re going to pussyfoot around the issue, then? Why? Because we’re afraid that the next time we mention it it’s not going to be some piece of furniture that gets trashed?”

“Llewelyn! Ansalong! Enough!” Vash strode forward and stood between the two females. “This is not the time to bring up your petty differences.”

“But-”

“We’re upset and confused, all of us. But that doesn’t give us license to turn on each other.”

“And what are we supposed to do, Vash? Ansalong may not have put it the right way, but she does have a point,” Ed spoke up. “They’re both on edge, and maybe Flynt can handle it-I’m sorry for their loss, I am-but how is the clan going to handle it? I don’t fancy losing my head to something I might say.”

What were they going to do? Everyone would surely offer Flynt and Kahreen support when and if they ever turned to them. But until then…what? Sit and twiddle their thumbs? She knew what would happen if they did that. The arguments and petty differences that had kept the clan apart would rear their heads once again. She had to find them something to keep their minds occupied. She briefly considered recruiting their help in her quest to find Duval. Though she had been distracted from her mission over the last year, even now, with the threat from Zentech still fresh in her memory, thoughts of her quest consumed her. Yet could she justify such a selfish use of her authority as their Second? And was it wise to tackle a new foe while another still lurked unchecked?

“Kahreen and Flynt will deal with their loss in their own time and in their own way. All we can do is be there should they need us. But there’s another matter we must first attend to.”

“Zentech,” said Cesar, instantly understanding what Vash was alluding to. She nodded firmly.

“It was only by sheer luck that we stopped them and escaped.” Her eyes fell on Chaz and she acknowledged, “And by the bravery of this little one.”

“But we beat them, ancestor,” Cairo said with a look of confusion on her face. “Surely they will not bother us again?”

“That remains to be seen,” Vashkoda answered, still looking at Chaz. Perhaps it would be best if the young male were engaged in something else while the adults talked. But how to do it without making him feel unwanted? Her answer came from the fireplace. The last of the pieces of wood they had collected the past night had been thrown onto the fire. If they wanted to keep the blaze going, someone would have to go out and collect more firewood.

“Llewelyn,” she said, turning to the halfling. “The fire is growing low. Perhaps you and Chaz can go and collect some more wood?”

Llewelyn looked up, a frown creasing her brow. “But why? It should-”

“Burn out well before the dawn, and I for one don’t want to talk about dark things in the…” Vash smiled, interrupting Llewelyn. “Dark.”

“Oh,” Llewelyn said, suddenly understanding what Vash wanted her to do. ‘What about it, Chaz?’ she asked. “You up for a game of hunt the stick?”

“But I want to stay here.”

“Hey, so do I, kiddo. But you know,” she said, indicating Sirius with a nod of her head. “He hasn’t done any you know what for a while. Do you want to be the one to explain to Flynt why the cabin smells a bit…odd?”

“No, I don’t want to bother Flynt with anything at the moment.” He sighed. “Ok then, I’ll come, but if Sirius does do anything out there, you’re going to have to bury it.”

“But-”

“That or no deal,” said Chaz, crossing his arms.

Llewelyn smiled. “You drive a hard bargain kid, but okay. If Sirius does anything, I’ll take care of it.”

“Deal,” said Chaz, as he stood and walked over to the door. “Plus you have to carry the wood,” he added as he opened the door and disappeared into the night. Moments later, a high whistle sounded and Sirius followed in the tracks of the youngster.

“Hey, don’t think you’re getting off that easy!” Llewelyn called after him. “Kinda reminds me of me,” she added.

“Poor kid,” Ansalong muttered.

Llewelyn frowned, but bit back her response. Choosing to ignore the vampire, she turned to Vash. “You’re going to fill us in when we get back, right?”

“Without a doubt,” Vashkoda said. “But I think it’s best if we keep anything too upsetting from him for now. He’s heard enough of that tonight as it is.”

“We all have,” Llewelyn said as she walked over to the open door. “Ah well, see you later. Hey Chaz, wait up!’ She stepped out into the cold night, closing the door behind her.

As the latch on the door clicked shut, all eyes turned back to Vash.

“Thank you,” Silver said, moving over to Llewelyn’s recently vacated spot. “He still needs to be a child, and this…this isn’t something a child needs to be involved in.”

“Soon he might not have a choice, but for now we can pick and choose.”

“Oh.” Silver’s face fell. “You think Zentech is still that much of a threat to us?”

“Perhaps.” Vash walked over to the fireplace. “I think we need to go over all we know about them, and their associates,” she added, her thoughts turning to Mord. To her mind, it was the reincarnation of her old enemy who was the greater threat, but she would see.

“Cesar, you worked for them for some time. We should start with what you know.”

The mutate looked up with a doubtful expression on his face. “Ah don’t really know that much. They kept an awful lot from me.”

“Whatever you know,” Vash said, gently prodding him onwards.

“Ok, ah…”

“Hey, hold on a moment!” Ed suddenly got up from his seat and began rummaging around in a drawer.

“What are you doing?” Vashkoda scowled. “Cesar was just-”

“I know,” replied Ed, heading back to his seat with a well-chewed pencil and a legal-sized pad of yellow paper. “But if we’re going to be batting all this info around then someone’s got to keep track of it.” He tapped the pad of paper. “This is the best way of doing it.”

“And there’s a point to this?” asked Malachi.

“Hey, I was a reporter. This is how I do my best thinking, so why don’t you lot get started and let me think?”

***

For a while they  searched the woods for sticks that weren't too wet, all the while keeping the dim light of the cabin in view. Chaz was unusually quiet. From time to time he would stop and pick up a stick, and when Sirius grabbed the other end and pulled, the youngster only made half-hearted attempts to hold on before the gargoyle beast pulled it out of his grasp and chewed it into so many splinters.

“Hey Sirius, why don’t you leave off that and go find something else to bother?” Llewelyn shooed the beast away. Sirius took one last longing look at the last stick Chaz was holding and then disappeared into the undergrowth. “And don’t go too far!” Llewelyn called after him.

“So,” she said, putting down her own load and turning to Chaz. “Do you want to share what’s occupying that head of yours?”

Chaz shrugged.

“Have it your way,” she said, bending down to pick up the wood. “But it’s not good to bottle things up. They have a way of exploding, and it’s very messy.”

“Like Kahreen?”

She looked up. Bingo! Now they were getting close to what was bothering him. “Kinda,” she agreed. “But that’s grief, and there’s a lot of different ways people handle it.”

Chaz chewed his bottom lip and glanced back at the cabin. “If something happened to me,” he eventually said, “…and I died, then Mom would be very sad. I know that. But-” he glanced once again at the cabin. “But Kahreen seems so…so lonely, and I wonder if mom would be the same way; that she’d be so sad that she’d get hurt up here,” he finished, tapping the side of his head. “I don’t want that,” he added in a small voice, as tears appeared at the corner of his eyes.

“And it ain’t going to happen,” Llewelyn assured him, giving him a quick hug. “But that’s why your mom is so protective of you. It’s why when we tell you to stay put or go somewhere safe, we kinda expect you to do that.”

“Like when Flynt told Ed to take me back to the ship and instead I dragged him off to look at the tree.”

“Well, I think that was Ed’s fault as much as it was yours, but yeah, like that. You know you were lucky that Cesar caught you when he did.”

“I know.” He kicked at the dirt. “Everyone keeps reminding me of that.”

“Personally, I think you did a kick-ass job, but don’t go around telling everyone I said that,” Llewelyn confided with a grin. “Now unless we want your mother to send out a search party, we’d better finish gathering this firewood and get back pronto.”

“I suppose,” said Chaz, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hands. He looked around him. “Where’s Sirius?”

As if he had been waiting to hear his name, the gray gargoyle beast burst from the undergrowth-only it was not Chaz’s voice that had brought him to the spot. Just before him, narrowly avoiding the claws on his great paws, was a rat. It streaked across the open ground and disappeared between the twisted roots of a bush.

“Hey Sirius! Leave it be!” Chaz called. Sirius looked up from where he had been digging at the roots and reluctantly walked away from them, giving the hole one last shower of dirt with a flick of his back legs.

As the small group moved away, the rat poked its head out of the hole, and once sure it wasn’t about to be attacked again, scampered off into the darkness.

***

“Kahreen?” For the second time in as many nights, Flynt found himself distressed by his mate’s actions. “What happened? Why did you-?”

She looked up and stared into his eyes, searching for something.

“You don’t know?”

“No!” he said, kneeling down and taking both of her hands in his. “Kahreen, this is scaring me. I feel as if slowly I’m losing you too!”

“You don’t know,” she repeated with a sigh, only this time it wasn’t a question but a fact. “I couldn’t stand being out there any longer; couldn’t stand the sympathy, couldn’t stand the looks they were giving us. Any longer and I think I might have started to hate them for it. All I want to do is forget the world and hope the world forgets me.”

“And what about me? Am I to forget you too?”

Her head titled downwards so that her eyes were hidden from him. “It might be best. I told you I was cursed.”

Though her eyes were hidden, Flynt could still see the grim expression that played around her mouth. He didn’t know who was speaking, but this wasn’t his Kahreen.

“Don’t talk like that!” he said, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her close. “You are not cursed!”

“Try telling Tethys that. Try telling that hollow, aching place in your heart that,” she said, pulling away from him and curling up on the bed. “Everything I touch is torn apart.”

“Kahreen, you’re not to blame for how cruel the world can be. Please. I need you here with me. I can’t handle this on my own!” He reached for her again, and this time she let herself be gathered in his arms. “I promised you I would be with you always, no matter what happens.”

“Even this?”

“No matter what,” he repeated, holding her as if he never intended to let her go.

***

Mord glanced at the digital clock on his desk. The green numbers lit up the otherwise dark room. Four AM-two hours before the staff changeover at six. With so many personnel coming and going, it would be easier for Piper to slip in and out of the building relatively unnoticed.

And that was exactly what Mord wanted. He needed all the facts before Zentech heard of what he had in mind. As it was, his current “business partners” were in no mood to consider anything that had even the slightest chance of failure. But there was something more than that which prevented him from reporting this discovery to the directors. What this small sample of blood represented was a mystery, a mystery Mord intended to get to the bottom of. And when he did, it would be up to him how the information was presented and how it was used.

After all, who knew how useful it could prove to be in the future?

***

“One thing is bothering me about all this.” Ed frowned and tapped the pad of paper with the pencil.

Sabrina folded her arms. “Everything about Zentech bothers me. They’re evil.”

“That goes without saying. But it’s something else.”

Vash looked towards Ed. “What do you mean?”

“Well, put it this way,” he said, scrutinizing the scribbles on the pad. “They kick you out of the mansion, set up a zombie and vampire production shop in there before it gets blown up...” He flipped the page over to glance at the scribbles there. “And let’s not forget that white diamond they swiped.”

“Well we know what they wanted all that for, that and the clones they created,” said Madbrook grimly.

“And that makes sense, a twisted kind of sense, but it’s all there more or less. They wanted the clan either out of the way or as handy sacrifices, and the white diamond stashed somewhere so it wouldn’t give this Drekor of theirs a bad case of indigestion.” Ed shook his head. “No, that fits. It’s that list Cesar found on their database that doesn’t seem to have a place in all this.”

The mutate looked up. “Whaddya mean? You saw it. It was a big ceremony and all that.”

“Big enough, yes, but where was this demon statue you roped Vash, Mal and Cairo into helping you steal? And where were the directors? I know that they probably wouldn’t be out mingling with the masses, but from what you lot reported, there was no sighting of any directors.”

“So what you’re saying is-”

“They’ve still got another ceremony up their collective sleeves of evil.” Ed set the pad of paper down on the floor. “If they’re still in the mood for big ceremonies, after what happened at the last one.”

“They will be,” Cesar said. “If I know those guys, they won’t let this stop them.”

“Stop who?” asked Llewelyn, as the door opened and she and Chaz came through ladened with firewood. “Or shouldn’t I be surprised?”

“Ed thinks Zentech is up to something else.”

“Nope,” Llewelyn shook her head. “Not surprised at all.”

Chaz set his load of firewood by the fireplace. Dusting off his hands, he went and sat by his mother. “Are we going to do anything about it?”

“No.”

This time the refusal came not from Silver, but from the door to the bedroom. Some time during the conversation, it had opened and Flynt had stood, silently listening to the clan’s discussion.

“But Flynt-”

“No,” he repeated, looking at each member in turn. “If they bring the fight to us, we’ll respond, but we will to do nothing unless that happens,” he said, ending the statement with a growl. ‘Is that understood?’

“And what if they threaten the rest of the world?”

“Then the rest of the world will have to learn to meet such threats themselves.” Flynt stepped into the room. “When did we become humanity’s babysitter?”

“Gargoyles protect,” Sabrina reminded him softly.

“Protect who? The humans? Or our own children?”

The clan said nothing. They knew what colored Flynt’s reasoning.

Vash sighed. “Then we will not get involved, but it would not pay to turn a blind eye to Zentech. We thwarted them, and I, for one, don’t think they’ll let it be.’

“They won’t,” added Cesar. “Ah know that for sure.”

“Then we will keep our eyes open, but I’ll say it again: unless they bring the fight to us, we will not get involved.” Flynt folded his arms and glared at the clan. “And that is my final word on the matter.”

A shadow appeared behind him, and Flynt turned, his expression softening. Kahreen walked back into the room, her head bowed, trying her best to avoid the looks that the rest of the clan gave her. She quickly took her seat by the fire and concentrated her attention on the flames dancing there. Her bandaged hands rested heavily in her lap, and those close to her could see the dark blue marks that stained the cloth. Moments later, Flynt was by her side, shielding her from the rest of the clan.

“Then what are we going to do?” Ed asked. “If we’re going to do nothing about them, what are we going to do? We can’t sit here twiddling our thumbs.”

“We can’t sit here anyway,” Silver spoke up. Privately, she had been glad that Flynt had put his foot down when it came to Zentech. She knew that the corporation still posed a threat, but what was the point of running into danger when they didn’t have to? If danger came, then they would face it, but until that happened they should make the most of the days of peace they had. “This place provides a shelter over our heads for now,” she continued, “but we don’t own it; some human does, and that human will come back here eventually. Are we going to run the risk of being caught here when they do?”

“Well, I suppose I could look into buying something, but until all the stuff with the cottage is cleared up I don’t think anyone would sell me even a shed.” Ed shrugged. “Besides, buying houses leaves a paper trail any idiot could follow.”

“What do we need to buy a place for?” Malachi asked, jerking his thumb towards the door. “We’ve got a ship that can take us anywhere we want. There are still a few places on this planet we can live in peace. But that means all of us,” he said, looking at Flynt. “I know this pales when compared to your loss, but Cairo and I had a small dog, a terrier,” he explained. “When the vampires attacked, we had to leave him in the city.”

“Dog! I forgot!” Cairo exclaimed, her eyes widening. “Flynt, he is part of our small family. We would not like to leave him behind if we move on.”

At this point, Cesar looked up. Ever since Flynt had forbidden them from going after Zentech, he had been sulking. They couldn’t just ignore them. It was like kicking a vicious dog and then turning your back on it. It wasn’t a case of whether or not it would retaliate, but more a question of when. However, as Malachi mentioned the small terrier, Cesar remembered the night he had dragged Vash, Malachi and Cairo clear across the state. “Hey, I remember the fella. Smart dog. Helped us out in Philly.”

“He did at that,” Vash mused. “To be truthful, I hadn’t even thought of the animal until now. But you have no idea where to even start looking for him.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” A proud look crossed the Spanish gargoyle’s face. ‘I trained him well. He’d either follow our scent trail to the compound, or he’d stay close to where we left him. Those are the only two places he’d be.”

“And Newbridge and that compound are the two places we don’t want to be,” Flynt sighed, frowning. He didn’t like the idea, but perhaps…perhaps it would be good to give the clan something to focus their minds on other than Zentech; from Kahreen and himself. Other quests. One to retrieve Malachi’s pet, and the other to find some corner of the world where they could live without having to deal with humans for a very long time. “But Kahreen’s ship can cloak itself,” he continued, his mood lightened slightly by the smiles that appeared on Cairo and Malachi’s faces. “We can search without the danger of being seen.”

“When?” Malachi was already looking towards the door.

“There are not enough hours remaining tonight to make the journey,” Flynt said, glancing out of the window. “Tomorrow night, just after sunset. We’ll go then.”

***

The digital clock gave a soft beep as the display changed from 5:59 to 6:00 AM. Mord looked up as the door to his office softly opened and Piper snunk into the room. With a nervous glance behind him, the rat-faced human closed the door. It shut with an audible click, and he looked towards Mord.

“Well?”

“We found them, Mr. Mord, sir,” he said.

“And?” Mord leaned forward, his hands clasped.

“Well, it seems that the female you were looking for was there all along. I don’t understand it myself, but I think she changed since they took that blood from her.” He absently scratched behind his ear. “It’s a funny story, if you catch my drift.”

“By all means,” Mord sat back in his chair, a smile playing around his lips. “Tell me.”

***

The sun rose on another day, and as Ed wound his way around the sleeping stone forms of the clan, he found himself wondering if this was the start of a time of peace. Probably not, he thought as he filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stovetop. He’d been around this clan long enough to know that things would never be ‘peaceful’. There may be times when life took on a look of normalcy, but truly peaceful moments were few and far between. And just lately it seemed that even normalcy was giving them a wide birth. Still, he thought as he turned on the gas and ignited the flame beneath the kettle; he’d take whatever he could get.

“Does anyone want a cup of…tea?” he asked as he turned back to the living area. However, the only two members of the clan who remained awake during the daylight hours were nowhere to be seen. A soft thud from the direction of the door pointed to where at least one of them had gone. Without anything else to do, and his interest peaked, Ed walked over to the door, opened it, and looked out. He was met with a noise he hadn’t heard before.

It was coming from Kahreen’s ship. A movement to his left caught his attention, and he glanced over in that direction. Shaiya stood just at the edge on the porch, her gaze fixed on the ship.

“What’s she doing?” he asked, coming forward to join her.

The petite white-haired female answered with a shrug. “I do not know. I think she is testing the ship’s systems, but I cannot be certain.”

“As long as she doesn’t get it into her head to take off and fly it headlong into the side of a mountain.”

Shaiya frowned. “I don’t think her grief is that deep.”

“Okay, okay-” Ed held up his hands. “Maybe that’s a bit extreme, but she isn’t beyond hurting herself, either.” He looked towards the ship. “Maybe someone should go and keep her company.”

Shaiya raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at Ed. “Are you volunteering?”

Ed blanched. “Me? But I don’t even know her. Besides, I wouldn’t know what to say. Apart from something that would get my head bitten off,” he added, his last sentence nothing more than a mumble.

“Sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all,” she answered quietly, and then more loudly, “Go and get some rest, then. I shall watch over everyone for a few hours, and then I’ll come and wake you.”

“Ok, if you’re sure,” said Ed, already stifling a yawn. He turned slightly as a high-pitched whistle came from the kitchen, reminding him why he had come out her in the first place. “I was going to ask if either of you wanted a cup of tea. The water’s boiled anyway.”

“Thank you.” Shaiya nodded. “I’ll remember that, but for the moment could you-?”

“Take it off the heat?” Ed said as he turned and walked back to the door. “I guess I’ll see you in a few hours, then,” he added as he opened the door and slipped inside.

“A few hours,” Shaiya repeated as she settled herself down on the wooden bench that ran along the front of the cabin.

***

Mord was deep in thought as he walked down the corridor towards the lab. Piper’s report had given him much to ponder on, and perhaps there was still more to come. He had sent the rat-faced human away with strict instructions to keep both eyes and ears open when it came to the clan. A scheme had begun to form, one that would keep him in favor with Zentech and at the same time add a flavor of uncertainty to proceedings. However, it all hinged on something Piper had alluded to, something Mord needed confirmed. He slowed his pace as the door to the laboratory came into view. Still, until that confirmation came, there were things he could do, preparations that could be made. Things-

“Sir?”

Mord turned to see one of the director’s personal assistants standing before him. The woman wasn’t quite human; the way her ears tapered to points and the yellowish hue of the eyes pointed to another heritage. She bowed slightly.

“The directors have requested your presence at a meeting sir,” she said.

“When?” he asked. “I have-”

“Now sir,” she said, as a green glow surrounded her, reaching out until it also enveloped Mord. In the blink of an eye, and before Mord could say any more, they vanished.

In Zentech, when the directors requested your presence, there was no point in refusing.

***

An hour had passed since the clan had awakened to find the world outside coated with an icy sheen. However, the early winter frost had not reached Kahreen’s ship; indeed, the alien craft was warm to the touch. Kahreen, ever by Flynt’s side, had mumbled that she checked all the ship’s systems and found them operational. All that was left was to show those who would fly the ship to the city to look for Dog how it worked. This she did, although at times it was hard to understand the flat, emotionless monotone of her voice. They didn’t get the chance to go over her instructions with her, for as soon as Kahreen was finished, she turned and disappeared out the hatchway. Flynt had followed her a few moments later.

Malachi frowned and tried to remember what he had been told about how the ship’s cloaking system worked. The cannon had been much easier to master. Not far from him, Madbrook was having no luck with the onboard computer.

“Every time I try to access information, it basically tells me to get lost,” he muttered.

“It mustn’t like you, my friend,” Malachi said, a smile crossing his lips.

A thud behind them told the pair that someone else had entered the ship. They turned to see that Flynt had returned. It seemed that the tan gargoyle had been keeping half an ear open to what was going on in the ship.

“That is why Kahreen only told you how to use the manual systems. The computer will only respond to her.”

Madbrook frowned. “But what if there’s a problem with the computer?”

“Then the ship would revert to manual control.” Flynt folded his arms. “And if you were listening, you should know how to use the manual systems. That’s all you need to know.”

Madbrook wasn’t so sure. He knew all too well how willful a computer system could be. He wouldn’t feel safe until he knew what the system in the ship was like, and if it was as Flynt said-that the system would only respond to Kahreen, that it was somehow linked to her-then how stable was it? The only reason he had agreed to come along was the fact that Flynt was coming with them to search for Dog, and if Kahreen wouldn’t hurt Flynt, then by the same reasoning the ship wouldn’t hurt him either. Well; he reconsidered. That, and the fact that ever since he’d seen the ship, he had wanted to know how it worked-the ins and outs of every electrical impulse. However, it seemed that he’d have to wait a while longer yet. He sighed and looked around. “I guess,” he frowned. “Isn’t Cesar coming with us?”

“Ah’m coming, ah’m coming,” Cesar rumbled as he squeezed through the hatchway. “Ah had to take care of some business first.”

“Don’t tell us what,” muttered Malachi. He went over the cloaking system again and-

deciding that he remembered all he was going to ever remember-turned back to the three other males. “Are we going to go now? I know it won’t take that long, but the sooner we’re on our way, the sooner we can get back.”

Flynt nodded. “That’s my aim.” He turned back to the hatchway and started to stride towards it. “But first I want to tell her….” He trailed off and looked back over his shoulder at the others.

Madbrook smiled in understanding. “With the way things are these nights, we all should.” He and Malachi followed Flynt out of the ship and went with him as he rejoined the clan standing a short distance away.

Only Cesar remained in the ship, watching through the front screen as the three males said goodbye to their mates. Not for the first time did he feel a pang of jealousy, not because of the fact that they had mates, but because when they left there would be someone who missed them, someone who was waiting for them to come back. He was glad the clan had allowed him into their midst, but even so, he felt like an outsider. Was anyone going to miss him if he never came back? He didn’t know, and at the moment he doubted.

“Still, ah can help them,” he told himself. “And if it’s all I can do, then it’ll be enough.” He watched as Flynt tenderly kissed Kahreen on the top of her head and whispered something in her ear, and then, almost reluctantly, turned away and walked back to the ship. Moments later, Madbrook and Malachi did the same. Within a few minutes, the ship was airborne, heading back to the one place none of them wanted to be.

***

“Well, that’s that,” Ed said as he rubbed his hands together in an attempt to keep them from turning blue. “I’m going back inside where there isn’t any danger my fingers will freeze and fall off.”

“Ha! You call this cold?” Llewelyn cheerfully slapped Ed on the back, sending him stumbling through the open cottage door. “You’re a complete and utter wuss,” she gently teased him.

“Remember which wuss has access to the money that buys your Crunchy Crisps,” he shot back as he regained his balance.

“Oh, well I take that back then. You’re a sly and conniving wuss,” Llewelyn grinned, disappearing into the cabin. Ed mumbled something and quickly followed her. One by one, the clan moved back into the warmth of the cabin. As Vashkoda crossed the threshold, she realized that not all of the clan had gone inside. There was one who was still standing in the chill night air.

Kahreen stood in the same spot where she had said goodbye to Flynt. Except-when Vash thought about it-it had been more a case of Flynt saying goodbye to her. Kahreen hadn’t said much of anything. In fact, the only flicker of emotion she had displayed had been when Flynt had turned to go back to the ship. It had been only for a moment, barely there long enough for it to register, but Vash was sure she had seen a look of panic cross the biomech’s features.

Panicked or not, Vash couldn’t just leave her standing there. “Are you coming?” she called softly.

For a moment, Kahreen didn’t reply. It seemed that her gaze was focused on the point in the sky where the ship had disappeared from view. At Vashkoda’s words, her posture stiffened. “Shortly,” she said, her voice sounding distant. “The ship isn’t beyond my range yet.” She said no more, and Vash, frowning, walked back to the cabin and slowly closed the door behind her.

***

As soon as the door closed, Kahreen began to walk away from the cabin and into the woods behind the structure. Not far away, the ground began to rise steeply, morphing into a number of craggy stepped cliffs. It was these that the biomech was headed for. She paused for a moment and listened. There was no sign of anyone following her. Good.

She didn’t want to deal with any of the clan at the moment. It had been easier during the day when there was only Ed and Shaiya. That she could handle. Keeping out of their way was something she could do easily enough, but the whole clan? It was more than she could bear, especially when Flynt wasn’t there to anchor her emotions. Even then it was a struggle to stay above the wave that time and time again threatened to overwhelm her. Emotions and an image. Every time she saw Chaz and Silver together, or when her eyes strayed to the closet where Sabrina’s egg was safely hidden, that wave surged forward, it’s emotions coalescing into his face, his tiny hand reaching for her. Each time, something inside her died. She didn’t know what it was, but it was something that had been with her ever since she had arrived on Kithan, an amplification of her emotions, of her feelings. She’d suffered such losses before and those had hurt, left her lost, but this…

Never before had the grief run so deep, so far into her that it seemed to be pulling her apart. She felt stretched and constantly drained, as if the simplest exertion was too much for her. The only time she didn’t dwell on it was when Flynt held her close, and even then, guilt haunted her. It was so confusing. She tried to push herself away from him, and yet she was terrified of being apart from him. She needed him as much as she knew he needed her.

Her mind, her way of thinking, used to be so linear. One thought at a time, each following on from the other no matter which aspect of her being had been in control. But now, even she couldn’t say where her mind was going to next. It doubled back on itself, repeated, jumped from one thought to the other. The only time it slowed down and focused on one train of thought was when he was with her.

And now he wasn’t there.

That was why she had come to the cliffs. She began her ascent, climbing until she reached one of the tallest steps. Here she had an uninterrupted view of the eastern sky. Here she could stay away from the clan and the painful reminders until Flynt returned. She sat down, her back against the cliff wall, and one by one shut down every system save for basic life support and the part of her mind that was attuned to the ship. Escape from the clan and her own mind, focus on only one thing, and hope he returned soon.

***

Vashkoda glanced at the door and frowned. It had been nearly five minutes since they had left Kahreen outside. ‘Just a moment-just until the ship is out of her range’, was what Kahreen had said, but Vash had her doubts. Perhaps biomechs really could sense a ship that far away. Or maybe Kahreen was simply stalling for more time to be alone and continue her grieving.

How much longer will she continue to do this? wondered Vashkoda in exasperation, though she was actually more concerned than annoyed . It can’t be healthy for her. I know she is a machine, but her mind is still…alive…and clearly she feels pain over her loss. Losing one’s child is the hardest things for a mother to bear…how well I know….

She also knew that as long as Flynt was away, she was responsible for the clan, and apart from keeping Llewelyn and Ansalong from verbally and physically attacking each other, there was still one other clan member who was a cause for concern.

She turned, and in two steps was at the door. Ed and Cairo looked up curiously as she opened it and let out a low hiss.

“What’s wrong ancestor?” Cairo got to her feet and started forward. Vashkoda glanced at her, then stepped outside and walked over to where she had left Kahreen.

“She’s gone,” Vash announced as some of the clan joined her outside. The others waited in the doorway.

Silver knelt down and examined the spot. “She went that way,” she said, pointing to the woods behind the cabin. “Look at the way the grass is crushed. Her trail won’t be hard to follow.” She looked up at Vash. “If you want us to follow her, that is.”

Sabrina stepped forward. “Follow her? Shouldn’t we bring her back here? We can’t leave her alone. Not now.”

Vashkoda considered this for a moment. “We have to know where she’s gone, at least.” Her face became serious as she came to a decision. “I’ll go and find her; see if I can’t convince her to come back.”

“Do you want any of us to come with you?” asked Cairo. “She may be the mate of our leader, but she has been unpredictable, to say the least. I would not want you to be alone if she became unstable again.”

Vash smiled. “Thank you, but this is something I have to do alone.” In truth, she would have liked to have Cairo by her side, but if she was to have any chance at reaching Kahreen and convincing her to come back, then she would have to open up a little, say things that she would rather the others didn’t hear, show a side of her that she didn’t want them to see.

“Stay here,” she told them. “If I need aid, I shall call. Kahreen cannot have gone far.”

Cairo nodded. “We will be listening.”

With a slight inclination of her head, Vashkoda turned and picked up the trail Silver had marked out. In a few seconds, the cabin and the clan were lost behind a thick screen of trees.

Silver was right; Kahreen had made no effort to conceal her trail. Broken twigs, deep footprints in soft mud…if her aim had been to hide from the clan, then by rights Vash shouldn’t be able to see anything at all. Assuming Kahreen had been thinking straight, which Vashkoda knew wasn’t the case. But if someone didn’t make the effort to reach out to her, there was the risk that she’d shut herself off from the clan forever, she who was Flynt’s chosen second-in-command. Vash halted briefly, testing the wind. Kahreen’s acrid scent was faint but unmistakable. As she moved through the undergrowth, her train of thought continued. If Kahreen shut herself off from the clan, then how long would it be before Flynt did the same? And if that happened, then how long would a broken clan stand up to the threat posed by Zentech and Mord?

Vash’s thoughts turned to the red-haired human. If Mordred had returned, then perhaps he still had links to Duval and the Illuminati. For the first time in what seemed to be an eternity, she had found a possible road to the thing she had sought all her adult life. It was a quest she had laid aside for twenty years, but now the flame had been rekindled…

…and here she was with responsibilities and loyalties that couldn’t be set aside. Apart from empathy, there was another reason why she now sought to bring Kahreen back. As soon as Kahreen was able, the role of Second would be passed back to her, freeing Vashkoda to take up the quest for Duval and the grail. She knew what her soul told her; time and distance didn’t matter. Whatever life presented before her, she was first and foremost an Illuminatus.

She halted as a cliff loomed before her. Kahreen’s trail ended just as the cliffs began, going neither left or right. That left only one direction. She looked up, almost missing the motionless figure seated on a wide ledge, some fifteen feet from the ground. For one panic filled moment, she thought she was dead.

She was so still, so quiet, her chin resting lightly on her chest and her eyes closed. A number of wind-blown leaves rested on her body. Was she awake? Asleep? Unconscious? Vashkoda couldn’t tell. With a creature such as Kahreen, it was impossible to tell whether she was dead or alive in this state. There was only one way to be sure.

“Kahreen?” she softly called, hoping that the biomech’s enhanced hearing would pick up her words. Frowning when she got no response, she called again, louder this time. There was still no response. Vashkoda moved towards the cliff and began to climb it, her talons ripping into the rock face. If she wasn’t responding, then that mean that either she was ignoring her or something more serious had happened.

“Kahreen?” she called for the third time as she climbed onto the ledge. When there was still no response, she reached out and lightly touched Kahreen on the shoulder.

The biomech’s body moved faster than Vashkoda could react. Between one breath and the next ,she found herself pinned to the cliff wall, staring into a pair of flat, lifeless eyes. Moving quickly, Vash slipped out of the biomech’s grasp, trying to put some distance between them. Slowly and with jerky movement, Kahreen turned to face her, that same lifeless expression on her face. As Vash’s initial shock and anger subsided, an expression suddenly came to mind, used by the younger members of the clan: ‘The lights are on but there’s nobody home’. It fit what she saw. Kahreen hadn’t moved. She still stood there, swaying slightly, with her blank expression fixed on her.

“Why did you do that?” asked Vash, frowning as Kahreen neither moved nor made any indication that she had heard her. Acting on a hunch, Vash moved forward slightly. The biomech’s body tensed, although the blank expression remained unchanged.

“Kahreen?” she called, moving forward again. “Kahreen, it’s Vashkoda. Do you remember me? Kahreen?” Failing to get anything, she tried another tactic. “Flynt is looking for you, Kahreen. Are you going to go to him?”

And now she got a response. Kahreen frowned and then blinked, stumbling slightly as she seemingly became aware of her surroundings for the first time. “Vash?” she said, her voice sounding as if she had just awakened from a deep sleep. She rubbed her head and winced slightly. “What happened? Where’s Flynt?”

“Still not back.” Vash frowned. “Why did you attack me?”

“Attack?” Kahreen repeated, sounding confused and now a little wary. “When did I attack you?”

“Just now,” Vash replied, “I thought something was wrong. I touched you and then you turned around and attacked me. Why?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kahreen frowned and rubbed at her temples. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“What am I doing here?” Vash blinked. “What are you doing here? It isn’t safe for any of us to be out alone at the moment, and you-”

“I’m still alive, so why don’t you just turn around and go back to the cabin,” Kahreen said, turning away from her. “Just leave me alone.”

“I can’t.”

Kahreen straightened and turned slightly. “You what?”

“I said I can’t leave you alone. You need to talk to someone, you can’t shut yourself off from us.” Vash moved tentatively forward. “We can help you through this, but only if you let us.”

“I don’t need your help,” Kahreen said as she turned and started moving along the ledge. “Just leave me alone.”

Vash was not going to be put off, however. She pressed on, hoping empathy would reach the biomech. “You’re not the only one to have gone through this. I lost my daughter and my mate. Silver had Chaz taken from her. We both know what it feels like to be parted from our children. We know what you’re feeling right now.”

Kahreen turned suddenly and hissed. “No you don’t. How could you possibly know what I’m feeling now!”

Vash bit back her first response. This wasn’t going well; not at all like she had planned. Every attempt she had made to reach out to her had been thrown back in her face. But she had committed herself to this. It was best that she see it through.

“Kahreen, my daughter is dead! She’s nothing but dust; I’ll never see her again.”

Kahreen’s eyes narrowed to slits. She took a step forward and spoke, her voice barely controlled. “But she grew up! She found love, had children of her own. Tethys will never do that! He was murdered before he had a chance to live!” Now her voice broke; rage that had been simmering beneath the surface erupted. “DON’T YOU DARE TRY TO COMPARE THEM!” She rushed forward. “DON’T YOU DARE!”

Vashkoda tensed, taking a step backwards as she braced for an impact. She was momentarily confused when Kahreen halted a foot away from her. The assault had been verbal, but she knew that a physical attack was only moments away, and part of her was actually welcoming it. How dare Kahreen throw aside the memory of her daughter like that!

“I’ll forget you said that,” Vash growled. “We’re trying to help you, but do not tell me that my loss is any less than yours.”

“Any less?” Kahreen pushed her. “Do you have any concept of my loss? You, you can always have more children, but me? Look at me, Vash! What life could grow and exist in this?” Her fist pounded emphatically on her chest.

Vash had had enough. “Is that all you can think about? You? What about Flynt? Are you so wrapped up in your own misery that you can’t see what it’s doing to him?”

“Shut up,” Kahreen hissed.

“Your grief does not have priority over Flynt’s! He has done nothing but support you. Why aren’t you there for him?”

“I SAID SHUT UP!” Kahreen screamed, her fist flying in a clumsy punch that Vash easily caught with her left hand. With her right hand curled into a fist, she landed a back-handed blow to her head, sending the hysterical biomech crashing to the ground.

Vash winced; she hadn’t expected Kahreen’s face to be so hard! She nursed her right hand, watching warily as Kahreen scrambled to her knees. “I had to do that,” she told her. “You’re out of control, Kahreen. You need help; that’s what the clan is there for.” Vash almost took a step backwards as Kahreen looked up into her eyes. She had seen expressions of rage and loathing before, but this…this was something more.

“Kah…” she began, beginning to fear that Kahreen had finally gone over the edge.

She didn’t get the chance to finish as Kahreen let out a feral cry and lunged at her, crashing into her and sending them both toppling off the ledge and down to the forest floor, some fifteen feet below. 

Vash landed with a thud, instinctively rolling onto her knees. She gasped, the wind knocked out of her. Closing her eyes, she quickly assessed herself: nothing broken, nothing sprained. Good. Now what about Kahreen? She opened her eyes and looked about her, spotting the biomech almost immediately. She too was on her knees, her body almost doubled over, her hands clutching at her head. Vash frowned. Now what was happening? She slowly got to her feet, her gaze fixed on Kahreen all the while.

A pain-filled moan escaped Kahreen’s lips, and Vash wondered if she had hurt herself in the fall.

“Kahreen?” Vash walked slowly forward, ready to act if she turned around and attacked her again.

Now Kahreen’s body began to shake, a violent trembling that almost seemed to send ripples coursing across her skin. Something was most definitely wrong. Vash quickened her pace. Was this because of the fall, or something she had done? She was halted in her tracks as Kahreen let out a soul-splitting scream and jerked violently backwards, the arc of her body almost lifting her off the ground. Still screaming, she crashed onto the ground, writhing in agony.

“No!” Vash ran forward and dropped beside Kahreen, holding onto her to stop her from hurting herself further. She shouted at the top of her lungs, calling for the rest of the clan. She didn’t know what else to do. Kahreen wasn’t flesh and blood, she didn’t know the first thing about treating whatever malady had gripped her. A distant crash reached her ears and she looked over her shoulder. Was that the others?

Her attention was diverted back to Kahreen as her violent trembling began to subside. She let out a low moan and fell silent. Vash rolled her onto her side and supported her head in her lap. It was then that she noticed the only outward sign that anything had happened to the biomech.

There, running though Kahreen’s fiery mane, was a streak of pure silver. Not the gray-white of an older person’s hair, but a metallic, almost liquid silver, like strands of pure chrome.

From her hair, Vash’s gaze moved to the almost peaceful expression on Kahreen’s face. It was hard to believe that only moments ago, it had been a mask of uncontrolled rage; harder still to fathom what exactly had happened to her.

From behind her came the voices of Shaiya, Cairo and Silver. Vash turned slightly and watched for them, wondering how she was going to explain this to the others and more importantly, how she was going to explain this to Flynt.

To be continued…

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