The Last of the Ageless (10 page)

“We only escaped with our lives. And that—” Soledad’s voice caught again, and her next words barely came out above a whisper, “That was because I offered myself to them… even the disfigured Brute. They chained my friends together and… they made them watch.”

“You mean for us to believe none of those Changelings took your water? Even Changelings need to drink.”

Soledad glanced back, revealing an age younger than the two of them, but old enough to be considered a woman. “They left us alive, but when they were done,” she let out a small sob, “they wandered off toward an oasis that way—”

She waved back in the direction they’d come. Her voice grew stronger. “My friends said they couldn’t leave them alive, not with what they’d done. So when night fell, we ambushed them. Took everything they had, even their lives.”

She raised her chin, her eyes scanning the villagers as if daring them to protest. “It was well within our right, considering.”

The long-haired man stepped closer, giving them a menacing stare. “Why your men near naked? If you killed them all, you could’ve taken some of their clothes, surely.” As he sized them up, Korreth noticed his eyes lingered on Jorrim.

The breeze tickled Korreth’s chest hair, reminding him to play along. Neither of them could guess the full extent of her powers. He twitched the chains to alert Jorrim, and then inserted himself between Soledad and the man.

“You stay away from her.” Korreth did his best to sound threatening to the man yet protective of his “friend.”

He tilted his head toward Jorrim and said, “They destroyed our clothes while they were… taking turns.” His stomach churned just imagining the made-up tale. “But we refuse to call the wrath of ghosts upon ourselves by wearing their clothes. We grabbed some leaves, took all their supplies, and left in case they had any other friends around.”

The story sounded flimsy to him, but another of the villagers stepped forward, putting his hand on the suspicious man’s elbow. “Come, Lor. Can’t you see the woman has had enough violence for one lifetime?” He squinted at Korreth. “You Purebred?”

Jorrim and Korreth both nodded. Jorrim pushed the sweaty blond hair off his forehead and spoke up. “We don’t mean your village harm. Trust me, nobody’s following us. Maybe did you a favor, ridding the area of some bandits. As you can see, we just need some supplies. We have extra meat to trade, at least.”

“Not no human meat?” one of the women asked.

“No, definitely not!” Soledad said in a horrified voice. Phantom fingers tickled their way down Korreth’s spine. They didn’t know Soledad’s plan, and she didn’t know these people might recognize Jorrim. Korreth bent his knees slightly, shifting his weight more toward the balls of his feet, ready for a fight.

One of the men swung a crossbow in his direction, his eyes squinted. Korreth heard a few mumbling about how they couldn’t be Changelings, or they surely could’ve broken free of their bonds. Not accurate, but if the villagers believed such a thing, all the better.

The crossbowman’s eyes flicked from Korreth to Jorrim twice before his gaze locked on Jorrim. “Ain’t I seen you before?”

Soledad turned, her expression unreadable.

“Uh,” Jorrim said. “I’m Jorrim, from Rozle. I came through here once. A friend of mine needed healed.”

“Rozle! That’s right. A Purebred tribe to the north, weren’t it?”

Soledad nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Jorrim’s face reddened in anger. Korreth took a deep breath and put a hand on his shoulder, reminding him not to do anything stupid. Soledad’s lies were too deep, and they’d all suffer the repercussions if the villagers suspected them now.

The villagers muttered amongst themselves before facing the newcomers.

“You’re just in time for dinner. My name’s Olix, and this here’s Farlen.” Olix motioned to the man with the crossbow.

Despite their suspicion, Purebred people tended to help each other. They understood that Purebreed survival in a world of Changelings and Joeys required cooperation. Korreth wondered how many times they’d mistakenly sheltered Changelings who could pass for Purebreeds, as Soledad did.

A pale-skinned woman stepped forward, her wispy hair swaying in the barest breeze. “I’m Verra. Come with us. We’re willing to trade.”

In the twilight, she led them past the taller perimeter buildings. An iron globe dominated the center of the village, towering over the soot of nearby buildings. Supported by a ring around its equator, which attached to four charred pillars, the lifeless bronzed relic reminded Korreth of a bygone era.

Jorrim whispered, “This
is
Mapleton… or what’s left of it.” His eyes wandered up the gigantic iron sphere.

“You think the Ancients built that?” Korreth muttered to Jorrim.

Jorrim nodded, keeping silent. They’d developed the shorthand code using their chains, but now Jorrim tapped on Korreth’s forearm instead of the chains.
They sacrifice animals to it.

“So that’s why the worst fire damage is near it,” Korreth whispered, scuffing his foot through the charred remains.

Before Jorrim could answer, a man in an apron said, “Boy, I can’t imagine how you two musta got yourselves in such a bind.”

Verra introduced them to the blacksmith. “You can follow me,” she said to Soledad, and headed back toward the taller buildings. By the light from his coals, the blacksmith scrutinized their green loincloths, but wasted no time getting to work. Instead of breaking the chains between their wrists, he took the time to break open the manacles. When he finished, night had fallen.

“Thank you, sir,” Jorrim said as the chains fell at their feet.

Korreth sighed in pleasure. With their wrists and ankles lightened, they both stretched. Korreth glanced at Jorrim’s guarded expression as the blacksmith returned to attending his coals. According to their story, they’d only been chained up for a few hours, so they couldn’t afford to appear overly pleased.

“Our…” Korreth’s tongue stumbled when he tried to say “friend,” so he rephrased in a hurry. “We negotiated a trade for meat. I hope the others make sure you get your share.”

“Of course,” the blacksmith said gruffly. He waved some young men over.

The teenagers escorted Korreth and Jorrim past a few window-less, two-story wooden buildings. Torches blazed the way, perched on metal holders within easy reach. Perhaps the fire had been an accident. Korreth wondered if the kept the torches to scare off animals, or something more dangerous.

“Now we just need to figure out how to get outta here,” Jorrim said under his breath.

Korreth’s stomach twinged. “Not this time. I at least want some clothes and food first.” They hadn’t eaten since long before they’d escaped their last masters.

The teenagers kept looking over their shoulders, but said nothing. Korreth glanced around, checking to see if anyone was in earshot before whispering, “We need to talk. How did they recognize you?”

Jorrim tipped his head, but before he could reply, their escorts stopped in front of one of the larger buildings near the perimeter of the village. The young men entered and gestured them in. Korreth would’ve liked to stay outside, far from prying ears, but the ever-suspicious Lor came up behind them.

Jorrim frowned and said, “Soon,” before entering.

Their mistress occupied a chair in the corner, her feet folded up under her, lost under her furs. “Thank you for helping my friends get free of those abominable chains,” she said to the teenagers. She went on about it for a moment, but the young men kept quiet.

After a few awkward minutes, some of the adults came inside. The rest of the evening blurred by as their mistress negotiated clothing, shoes, and some other foods, trading the lion’s share of the meat. Lor inspected everything on both sides of the trade.

Finally, the villagers handed over two bags for each of their guests. Then they ushered Korreth and Jorrim into a first-floor room with two cots, and escorted Soledad farther down the hall.

Inside his bag, Korreth discovered undergarments, pants, a shirt, and a brimmed hat, which he set atop the other bag of clothing on one of the cots. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jorrim do the same.

Korreth untied the loincloth from his hips, suddenly noticing the cold of the night. He pulled on the undergarments and the nearly skintight pants. Perfect for drylands travel, the long-sleeved shirt came down past his waist, so he buckled a belt over it. It would come in handy, since they carried most of the canteens and bags. He pulled on the desert shoes and found them close enough to his size, though he might wrap his feet later.

Korreth whispered to Jorrim, “And you still haven’t told me how you knew she was Ageless.”

A knock intervened before Jorrim could respond. He approached the door and signaled Korreth, who bent his knees and shifted to the balls of his feet in preparation. Jorrim fiddled with the door knob until he figured out the latch.

In the hall stood Soledad, still the same young woman as before.

Her gray-green outfit, made of a different material than their own, covered everything up to her chin. Except for giving a greater indication of her curves, her new clothes revealed no more than her furs. A heavy tan shawl draped from her shoulders down to her waist.

As she closed the door, Korreth found himself breathing a sigh of relief. He’d feared the loss of her furs might reveal her Changeling traits, but she appeared every inch the normal Purebreed their hosts expected.

Soledad grabbed Jorrim’s hand, then crossed the short distance to Korreth and snatched his hand as well. Korreth expected she would command the two men to hold hands, completing a circle for some strange spell. Instead, she gazed up at them and, in a voice barely above a whisper, asked, “You’re free of your chains for the first time in… what, years?”

Jorrim nodded, staring at her. Korreth broke her gaze, studying the small hand held loosely in his dark, callused one. If Jorrim’s skin color was the light end of the spectrum and his the dark, then Soledad was perfectly poised between. He blinked, wondering if she’d ensorcelled them.

Soledad continued, “You may be free of your chains, but your bond to me goes deeper. Remember this. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

She released their hands and backed away, the beads in her mangy hair rattling against one another. Before she could reach the door, Jorrim murmured, “Those people think we’re of your tribe. Which made me wonder. Where
is
your tribe? What happened to them? What would cause you to choose two Purebreeds for protection?”

The girl stared at the two of them, her dark eyes darting between them. Korreth wanted to punch Jorrim for provoking her while they were in hostile territory.

In her desert shoes, Soledad padded across the room to whisper, “That’s a story for another time. Suffice to say, someone’s been killing my kind, picking us off one by one. There’s not many of us left now. Ask me nothing else until we’re gone from this village.”

The command wrapped around Korreth, making his chest tight. Soledad opened the door with a flourish, revealing three women standing close enough for eavesdropping.

“Thank you, ladies, for your most generous gifts.” Soledad’s voice was loud in the small room. “I only wish the meat we provided could offset the labor to make such fine clothing.”

A girl of an age with Soledad narrowed her eyes. “If you like them so much, why ain’t you wearing them?”

“I will use them soon enough, don’t you worry!” Soledad replied, her voice still overly sweet. “You are so generous to we unfortunate travelers. If you have need of my old furs, please consider them my unworthy gift to your community.”

“Your words are kind.” Despite her tone, the woman’s eyes lingered on Soledad’s clothing. Korreth hoped Soledad hadn’t offended them and wondered where she’d gotten the other clothes. Surely she hadn’t worn another layer beneath the furs.

The third lady recovered more readily. “Would you like to sup with us? Then we can see about getting you settled in for the night.”

Soledad poured on the gratitude for another moment, and then gestured at Korreth and Jorrim. They stepped forward as one. Jorrim paused, causing Korreth to instinctively stop as well. Korreth grinned and gestured for him to go first.

Outside, Korreth noticed most of the villagers had disappeared to their own small one-story houses for dinner. Their quiet voices carried past glowing windows, but the atmosphere seemed subdued, as though they expected something worse to happen next.

Soledad, Korreth, and Jorrim joined a few curious villagers in a large building and followed them into the common room to eat. Verra prepared steaming plates of food, and other men and women distributed them among their three guests and the other villagers. Korreth’s heart went out to these unfortunate people, who had clearly suffered some calamity, yet still invited strangers in from the cool drylands night to share the warmth and company.

Lor sat in a corner, his large brows casting shadows over his eyes in the poor lighting. Korreth shifted from foot to foot, disliking the close quarters. If any of the villagers considered them a danger to the community, they might not leave town alive. The floorboards creaked beneath his weight.

Soledad took her plate and said, “We noticed several buildings were burnt to the ground. Recently, from the looks of it. What happened here? Were they looking for something?”