The Unspoken: Book One in the Keres Trilogy (31 page)

There
’
s a savage yell from the right and I turn away from the boar to see a group of people dressed in whites and reds running across the riverbed fifty yards off, their spears and long handle axes raised.
“
Zink!
”
I scream,
“
Send a shield to the boar!
”
and I fire a vortex from my wristbow into the river, creating a whirlpool in the water, and they stagger backwards to avoid falling in. At the same time I throw a Commotio magus that lifts the frontrunners of the group, knocking them into the back of the pack. While in the air, one of the men hurls his long axe in our direction. I drag my thumb quickly over the vine tattoo and fling out my hand. The magus grips the axe midair. I can feel its weight and smooth ivory handle in my hand, even though it
’
s still hanging twenty feet off the ground. I fling it aside with a gesture and it lodges itself deeply into a boulder. From the wristbows, I send a dozen red light ropes that tie the group of attackers together.

“
We have to move. I have no idea how long that will hold them,
”
I look down at Zink. He is in some kind of a trance, his hands resting on his knees, palms upturned, holding the roots. The tied men are yelling in a strange language and spitting, trying to struggle free from their rope prison. I kick Zink with my boot and scream at him,
“
Get up! We have to move!
”
He lurches to one side as my boot makes contact with his hip and the roots fall from their place in his open palms. I recognize the tuber-like root with a cluster of tiny fibers at the end and shriek in terror,
“
You didn
’
t let them touch your bare palms! Zink!
”

We have been scavenging black henbane. It has a powerful sleeping aid among its many uses. If you touch the roots of the plant with your bare skin, it can send you into a coma-like state. I swear at the top of my lungs and throw another red light cage at the boar, this one solid so I can
’
t hear the piglet
’
s squeals. I send another set of ropes at the group of attackers who are now red in the face with yelling and straining against my ropes.

I rip an orange patch off the leg of my suit and use it to pick up the roots, wrap them carefully, and store them in my pack. Pulling my thumb over the wings tattoo, I lift Zink off the snow and painstakingly guide him through the trees in front of me. I have to get him to the med bay before the oil from the black henbane roots seeps too far into his system. He could be out for weeks if he doesn
’
t die first. I hear footsteps running up behind me. The white and red men have broken free and are pursuing us at an alarming rate. I put Zink on the ground, cover him with a red light box and throw a Vermen magus just in time to grip a spear, narrowly stopping it from entering my eye socket. I block axes and spears frantically until I can pull up a strong enough Detrudo magus to force the pack backwards, allowing me space to throw another round of ropes, this time accompanied by a red light cage. Breathing heavily, I use the ink to pick Zink up again and I keep moving back towards the door.

In my panic, I
’
ve forgotten I am in a fabricated world. Forcing myself to calm down, I am able to pick our way through the trees at a faster pace, and we reach the door in a matter of minutes. As soon as I lay my hand on the panel, the woods and all its sounds and smells melt away. Only an empty shell of a cavernous concrete room is left.

I look up at the sound of applause. A large crowd of Unspoken look down from the control nest window built into the upper half of the room. Some are whooping and some look contemplative. I spot Abbot who gives me an approving sort of nod while he rubs his sandpapery chin. Journer is standing beside him, talking to another woman who is gesturing excitedly.

“
Thanks for the save. Glad you didn
’
t leave me behind,
”
Zink says.

I whip around and see him standing, apparently in excellent health.
“
What did you go and touch the roots for? Couldn
’
t you tell it was black henbane?
”
I say at him with disgust,
“
You nearly got us killed.
”

“
Had to, those were my instructions. And we were perfectly safe. It
’
s just a simulator, Keres. Nothing was real, not even the roots. As evidenced by my instant recovery,
”
he does a
little pirouette on the spot.

Feeling idiotic, I start unbuckling my wristbows. Loshee jumps the last few stairs from the control nest and starts punching the air in front of her in imitation of me using the wristbows.
“
Pew! Pew! Fantastic, like you were born with them!
”
she cries out, her voice higher than ever with excitement.
“
Like they were perfect extensions of your own arms! If I hadn
’
t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed you throw magus like that with them. Consecutive and everything!
”
She is bouncing around me in circles now, then she jabs at Zink,
“
Bet you were itching to show her what you have, weren
’
t ya? Bet it was hard not taking the lead!
”

“
Not having any pants and knowing the entire hall was watching us kinda made taking the lead a back burner thought for me, Loshee. But when Keres kicked me, I have to say the idea crossed my mind.
”
Zink says with a laugh, rubbing his hip, which no doubt is starting to show a bruise the size of my boot.

“
Abbot says you should wait in your den for him, Keres. He has to attend the debriefing but wants to see you before dinner,
”
Journer tells me as she descends the stairs with a large group of Unspokens. She pats my shoulder as she passes me,
“
Good job in there.
”
She beckons to Zink and they leave the ready vestibule together. Loshee takes another punch at him and he dodges it, still laughing.

“
Good kid, that Zink,
”
she says with her hand on her hips.
“
Nice legs too,
”
cocking her head to the side as she watches him walk down the hall.

“
Loshee!
”
I cry in amazement.

“
Shut up, at least I didn
’
t crawl all over the floor to look at them.
”

“
I was looking at the ink, not his legs!
”

“
Riiiight.
”

My face is bright red, and I can feel the blush spreading from my neck to my forehead. Zink is at least seven years older than I am and definitely not in my Play Group. That makes him off limits, completely. But whose rule is that? The Mothers
’
? Does that make it invalid down here? Loshee sure seems to think so. And what about Wex? Frehn? I have never thought of Merit as anything but Merit, but Wex and Frehn have both commanded a restless, hungry feeling in the pit of my stomach. Am I starting to think of Zink the same way?

I carefully wipe down the two wristbows, place them in their box and carry it back to my den. Attraction and a freakish craving surge around inside of me. There is nothing I can do to satisfy or squelch it. For as long as I remain inside the double walls of Chelon, The Mothers control that aspect of my life.
“
I have got to get out of here,
”
I say to my reflection in my wardrobe mirror.
“
This feeling is going to burn a hole straight through me.
”

Curling up on the sofa with a book on the components of ink used for the Furtim nerve group, I settle in to rest while I wait for Abbot. The Furtim group, which controls stealth, is the last one to earn before I complete the left side of my upper torso. Its location on the neck means it will be the first one that will be visible to everyone at all times. Once I earn it, I will stop wearing the black diamond over my left ear and start developing my hairstyle.

I
’
m ashamed to admit my excitement over this step, even to myself. I have devoted hours of free time sketching designs that will be known as my signature style. Loshee
’
s shaved head and braids are a little too extreme for my taste and Journer
’
s sweeping brown up-do with spirals of different metals spun in feels too tame. Now that I have the dragon wristbows, I
’
m leaning towards something tribal. Maybe something centering around a clip made to look likes wings or a claw.

Abbot thumps my book with his thumb and forefinger, making me jump so violently I fall off the sofa.
“
Remember when you used to knock?
”
I ask him, struggling to regain some dignity.

“
Remember when you used to show me some respect?
”
he says.

“
No, actually. I don
’
t remember that.
”

“
Oh, right. That was fear. I
’
ll pretend it was reverence to spare my sensitive feelings. Ready to hear what the Doyens had to say about your performance?
”

“
The Doy-whats?
”

“
Doyens, supreme masters of intusmagus. The respected head advisors in the Warren for lack of a better way to explain them.
”

“
What did they say?
”

“
A lot of nonsense. To sum up, they were impressed. Impressed you chose not to kill anything, even those who would have killed you. I think it was foolish not to bash their heads in with rocks when you had the chance, but my opinion doesn
’
t count for much with some of the Doyens. You did do a few things that roused my interest and, dare I say, admiration.
”

“
What was that?
”

“
The rapidity with which you threw. You didn
’
t throw unless you were forced. You showed careful thought. You didn
’
t miss a target. You accomplished the goal and you managed to kick Zink all in the same simulation.
”

I grin at him,
“
That was my favorite part too.
”

“
You showed a particular zeal at that moment,
”
Abbot
chuckles.
“
The Doyens say you
’
re more than ready to go on a scavenge, not that I needed their approval. Your movements are my business and mine alone. But it
’
s always gratifying to have one
’
s choices ratified.
”
He picks up the book I was holding when he entered the room,
“
Furtim already? I hadn
’
t realized you were that far along. I
’
ll have to schedule your Bridging soon.
”