The Tree Read online

  There was a knock on the door. She had not expected her cry of frustration to go unheeded but she had hoped. Only Kima or Uchel would come to her. The others in the house were wary or openly hostile. Lil did not care what any of them thought. She was thankful for their help and owed them for that, but their personal opinions meant nothing to her.

  The door opened and Lil paused to watch Uchel enter.

  The older woman moved quickly for one of her obvious age. She also had some experience with power—potions mostly, given the foul liquids she kept trying to to make Lil swallow.

  “You are supposed to be resting.”

  Lil rolled her eyes so hard they ached for a moment. She swung her arm out to gesture at the bed, ignoring the sharp pain that burst across her chest.

  “I understand, but if you move too soon, you will only injure yourself more.”

  Lil sighed. Uchel was right about normal healing. But Lil was not normal. She had not been “normal” for quite some time, even if she was only now realizing it. She pressed her hand against her shoulder where the fresh wound sat. The wound of her own making. It was a simple carving; a working rooted in blood and pain. The Osirii equation was not the most effective magic for healing, but it did have minor healing capabilities, in addition to its main purpose of allowing the user to adapt to missing limbs faster than normal.

  She sat on the bed and faced the old woman who had her head lifted in the air, nostrils flaring.

  “You’ve been using power.”

  Lil narrowed her eyes at the woman. Perhaps she was more than a potions maker after all.

  “You know that using power will speed your initial healing but you will hurt for longer. The small aches will last.”

  Lil knew this. This was what she hated most about losing her voice. She could not interrupt others when they explained things she already knew.

  “You were looking for your siblings, weren’t you?”

  Lil saw no reason to hide it, so she nodded.

  Uchel let out her own sigh and sat beside Lil on the bed. She reached over and grasped Lil’s hand, her fingers closing over the palm and touching the scar where her pinkie used to be. Lil refrained from shaking off the touch only because she did not have the strength to be disrespectful.

  “Kima has our people out listening for any information about them.”

  Lil barely kept from rolling her eyes at this. She had been in her room for most of her time in this home but that did not mean she was ignorant. As soon as she had recovered enough to use a little power she had begun gathering information about “The Resistance,” and she was far from impressed. The fact that the Antes of Zebub had no idea there was any resistance to be spoken of was not a good sign. From what she’d been able to find out, they confined themselves to smuggling ‘dants between districts, and possibly out of the city itself.

  There were five of them in the house, and that seemed to be the main group: five against hundreds of thousands of millennia-old beings with enormous power. Of course they wanted Lil to join them.

  Uchel reached for her quickly, and before Lil could stop her, she pulled the fabric covering her shoulder aside, revealing the ragged symbols cut there. Lil had cut it with her left hand, so it wasn’t as clean as she wanted, but it worked.

  “Osirii’s equation? Really?”

  Lil froze, partly in shock at Uchel’s brazenness but mostly in shock that the woman knew the symbols on sight. Uchel stood and pushed on Lil’s injured shoulder. With a soft cry Lil moved back and fell across the bed. She reached up to slap the woman, pain and anger pushing her past any hesitation. Uchel caught her wrist. Either Lil was still very weak or Uchel’s strength belied her age and apparent frailty.

  “You are my patient, and I do not take kindly to those under my care injuring themselves further.”

  Lil slowly reached for the stylus and pad of paper in the pocket of her robe. The back of her hand brushed against the root and she shivered at the pulse of power that flashed through her skin.

  It is taking Kima entirely too long! The Hunt is out there after my sibs and my allies. I don’t have time to just lay here.

  The old woman read her words with no change of expression.

  “You must be patient. They will find your siblings . . . and the Antes.”

  The distaste in Uchel’s voice was another reason Lil would rather be searching for them. Kima had not blinked an eye at Lil asking for news of Arel and Jagi. However, Uchel and Assan, Kima’s second-in-command, had not been able to hide their disgust and judgment. As for the other two occupants of the house, every time Lil had seen Quinn and Hlani they had been wrapped up with one another; Lil knew little of them.

  “If you are to be of any use to us, you must heal.”

  I told you all. I owe you my thanks and I will help if I can, but I have more important goals than fighting Antes right now. What good is resistance if all of Corpiliu is devoured?

  Uchel hummed but said nothing. Lil was not surprised; the darkness had apparently not made many forays into this part of town, and by and large the ‘dants here viewed it as a problem of Antes. Lil had not realized that the attacks had been concentrated around the Athenaeums until Kima had showed her the map they used to trace the attacks. She had tried to argue that no matter what it looked like now, things were coming, and the darkness would spread. But it was hard to be emphatic when there was no tone to her words; only letters on a page. Lil was forever surrounded by people who put their own agendas before what needed to be done.

  Then there were Davi and Min. She knew that her sibs were alive; she would have felt otherwise when using the blood magic, but there were plenty of things that they could live through.

  I need to leave this room. I have nothing to do here but worry and think. Neither are helpful for rest. I need to move about and be useful.

  Uchel seemed to be thinking about it. Even without her approval, Lil was reaching the end of her patience, but it would be easier without having to sneak past everyone.

  “Let me think on it,” Uchel said as she turned to the pile of Nif in the corner.

  Lil watched closely. None of the ‘dants here had interacted with or even acknowledged the Nif so far.

  “You will make sure she does not leave that bed.”

  Some of the Nif seemed to stand taller. They chattered at her and Lil could hear the affirmation in the sounds. It was a brilliant move. The Nif had saved Lil’s life and the last thing she wanted was to upset them. Uchel threw her a smile as she left the room, which Lil met with a grimace.

  The Nif watched her carefully and she knew she could press the matter. They could not actually stop her. Well, they could try, but she doubted they would be willing to physically stop her and risk adding to her injuries. She sighed and reached into the pocket of her robe, pulling out the bag that contained the root. She opened it and poured the bones onto the blanket in front of her. The Nif in the corner made a long cooing sound in unison.

  The bones chased each other across the bed, each attracting some and pushing away others until there was an abstract pattern laid out before her. She had done this before, and while the patterns always had similarities, they were not the same. She reached under her mattress for the loose papers—a few pages squirreled away from every pad they gave her. Finding a blank one, she quickly sketched out the pattern in detail, just as she had with each before.

  When she was done, she picked up one of the bones and tossed it lazily into the pattern, and the stones rearranged themselves around the new vector. She watched them and wondered about the movement. She left the bones and laid out each of the drawings she had made, in chronological order. She stared at the first and second, looking at where the stones had moved and the patterns began to emerge. Perhaps it was not the placement that mattered but the movement of the stones? She studied the pages, trying to figure it out, until she fell into dreams.

  The sound of a knock woke her from slumber. She looked down at the bones and pages scattered about
her bed and gathered them all quickly, putting them away as Uchel entered. Lil glanced out the window and saw that night had fallen.

  “I must go to the night market and Assan, Quinn, and Hlani are out. Would you like to accompany Kima and me?”

  No, Lil wanted to be out looking for Min and Davi. She wanted to hold them in her arms. But anything was better than staying in this cursed room, so she simply nodded. Uchel placed a pile of clothing that Lil had not noticed onto the bed.

  “Dress. Then meet us in the main room.”

  Lil dressed quickly. The clothing was shades of gray and black, meant to blend in with the burnt trees. She put on the pants and shirt, and pulled up the hood to hide the places where her scalp was raw and red where her hair had been pulled from it. She hesitated before putting the root in her pocket.

  The Nif had been having some loud, piping conversation in the corner, and when she looked down six Nif had gathered around her feet. Three circled each foot, and touched the tips of their bodies together. They began melting into each other while spreading over the flesh of her feet.

  Lil stared at the new shoes she wore that were not shoes before shrugging and leaving the room, ready to be outside the walls.

  AREL & JAGI

  They were all going stir-crazy. In two six-days they had not left the building at all. The Hunt rode the streets still, looking for them.

  “Close your fist. Slowly.” Arel stood behind Min, hands on her shoulders, while Jagi crouched in front of her, guiding her through the exercise. Slowly the fingers made of ice cracked and moved and closed one by one.

  The air grew colder, but not unbearably so.

  “Good girl.”

  Min smiled, despite the sweat gathering at her hairline and dripping down her face, freezing like icicles on her chin, before finally falling. They looked like some abstract ice-mask but she did not react to them.

  “Now, keep your fist closed, and I want you to think about the temperature around you.”

  “Too warm.”

  Davi’s hand tightened around Jagi’s neck and his knees dug into the Ante’s sides. Jagi could not fault him his nervousness; this was where it had often gone wrong the other times.

  “Is that your whole body or just the arm telling you that?”

  There was a long pause and Min’s face twisted into a frown as she tried to figure out the answer.

  “It’s the arm.”

  Arel and Jagi shared a look over the girl’s head.

  “Is the arm doing anything else? Telling you anything else?”

  Min frowned again but this time there was no revelation to clear the confusion from her face. “How would I be able to tell?”

  “Any thoughts that do not feel like your own?”

  Min frowned harder and the air around them became cooler. “But they’re just thoughts in my head, how do I track where they came from?”

  Her eyes opened and Jagi could see the fear in them.

  “Do not worry, little pup.” He made sure to use the nickname as it calmed both her and Davi. “This arm is a part of you now. A gift from your sister, and she would never give you something you could not handle.”

  Min still looked scared but her nod was solid and unwavering.

  “I want you to concentrate on bringing the cold back inside your limb.”

  Min licked her lips, the warmth of her tongue melting some of the ice, and focused her gaze on her frosted limb. Slowly the chill left the air and the limb went from frosted to clear and perfect ice. She carefully flexed the fingers, and there was no cracking and shedding of frost this time.

  “Good pup.”

  “Yay!” Davi let go of Jagi’s neck to raise his hands and cheer, and promptly slid off of Jagi and onto the floor. He lay there, still cheering for his sib.

  Arel smiled and held up the glove. Min lifted her hand and Arel pulled the shoulder-length glove all the way on. It was spiraled with an uneven gray that showed small imperfections. It looked as dangerous as it was. They had made it themselves; the two of them weaving their separate filth into a powerful gauntlet to hide her new limb while the pups slept between them.

  They were in the House of the Madame’s common room. They probably should have done this in their private room but they could not stand to be cooped up another minute. Someone tried the door and knocked loudly when they found it locked.

  “Coming.” Jagi rose from his crouch making sure that Arel was pulling on Min’s jacket, fully hiding her arm from sight.

  It was the two ‘dant companions of Byron. They had had little contact with the three ‘dants, who were the only other long-term residents of the House of the Madame. It was clear that they were running from something as well, and a mutual bond of silence and lack of curiosity had been agreed upon without a word spoken. Jagi nodded at the two as they entered. These ‘dants moved oddly; he had noticed it in the glimpses he had gotten of them. There was something in their stance that confounded him. Where had he seen such a stance before?

  He looked over at Arel, who shared the same quizzical expression. Then it came to them. Mayer. Riana. Krezida. They had all had that cock to their hip and that stomp to their feet, but only in their own Athenaeums. It was confidence. Arrogance.

  Never had he seen ‘dants approach them with such confidence in the lines of their bodies. Arel pushed both Min and Davi behind him, onto one of the cushions. Arel and Jagi watched and waited.

  The man, as ‘dants reckoned it, spoke.

  “We have not been properly introduced. I am Bastion and this is Melisande.” He gestured to the woman, who bowed her head.

  “I am Joni and this is my brother Rau and the children of one of our servants—Zasie and Vala.” Arel spoke quickly and Jagi nodded along to the cover story they had invented and drilled into the pups.

  “Interesting,” the one called Melisande said and moved around Arel to get a look at them.

  The apertures on Arel’s torso snapped open and his tentacles teased out, a clear warning.

  Some of the confidence dropped from the ‘dants stance. Arel and Jagi had thought the other guests were from some smaller city they had not heard of, but now Jagi was beginning to wonder if they were from one of the breakaway ‘dant-only settlements.

  The woman backed away with her arms slightly raised but the smile on her face was mocking. Arel and Jagi shared a look. The man draped himself over one of the cushions opposite the children and the woman moved to stand behind him. Arel sat on the cushion on one side of the pups while Jagi took the other side.

  Min looked back and forth between them and heaved a sigh.

  “What can we do for the two of you?” Arel had tried to bleed the aggressiveness from his voice, but it was still there.

  “What are you two running from with two children of another species?” Melisande clucked her tongue as she spoke.

  Jagi frowned. “What concern of that is yours?”

  “Tell us,” she ordered.

  “Excuse me?” Jagi was doing his best to keep his temper. To have a ‘dant order him about so? It could not be borne. The only reason he had not attacked the man and ripped his spine from his body was the attention it would bring. Jagi and Arel had one priority right now: keep Davi and Min safe until they could reunite with Liliana. And beyond that, even. If they were being honest, they would protect the pups as long as they could.

  “We’re just so bored,” the one called Bastion whined, and Jagi did not reach over and snap the boy’s neck, though the image brought him comfort.

  “Yes, well, that is something you should bring up with The Door. I’m sure there’s all manner of diversions they would be happy to provide.”

  Bastion smiled at them as if it were all some joke and Melisande placed her hands on his shoulders and slowly sank onto the cushion behind him. Jagi felt his own apertures open and the skin over his third eye tensed. He was able to keep it shut only through a supreme act of will. He did not like these two ‘dants.

  “Why are you here then
?” If they were so clearly going to break their silent agreement then Jagi felt no reason to honor it.

  “We were hoping you would offer us some entertainment.”

  The alarms were ringing in Jagi’s head and he rose, acting before Arel could, for once.

  “I am sorry that you foolish children seem to have us confused with some traveling players. We are not here to entertain you.”

  “Oh, but pretty, pretty, please.” Melisande’s voice rose into a horrible high pitch, meant to imitate a child, Jagi guessed. It sounded like blades grinding sideways against each other.

  Jagi gestured behind him. Arel rose, as did Davi and Min.

  “Sit down.”

  This time both ‘dants spoke at once and there was something else beyond their voice, some echo.

  Jagi bent his knees to comply. Then he stood again, his third eye finally snapping open. He whirled around. Arel was also standing, but Davi was sitting obediently, his hands in his lap. Min was sitting as well, but there was a tension in her thighs and a frown on her face, as if she would rise at any moment.

  “You dare?”

  Jagi stepped toward them and both of the ‘dants looked shocked. Foolish things. Bastion scrambled to his feet and moved behind the other one. They spoke in unison again.

  “Stop.”

  Again Jagi felt the urge to do as they said, but this one passed even quicker than the first time, and he took two steps closer.

  The door to the common room flew open and Byron flung his body between Jagi and Arel and the two ‘dants, who belonged to him.

  “Please, I apologize on their behalf.”

  Jagi felt his teeth grind and he could feel the press of Arel on his side as he came up alongside.

  “They attempted to use powers on us.” The idea that they had thought their puny powers would have any lingering effect on an Ante was insulting. The only thing Antes feared was Babel, and these two had no command of that. Though perhaps the darkness should now be added to that short list. “The punishment for that is death.”

  Byron turned to the two behind him and whispered something that neither Jagi nor Arel could hear. The two immediately fell to their knees and bowed their heads. He turned back to Arel and Jagi and bowed his own head but not so far that he could not see them.