Furyborn (Empirium 1)

Eliana shook her head. “And he uses it for…what?”

“He is creating things,” Zahra murmured, “with the help of healers who exchange their skills for their families’ safety. He is creating creatures that aren’t quite human or animal. They are called crawlers. They are monsters, Eliana. Mutations is the word I’ve heard used by the Empire physicians. And an army of them is bound for Astavar.”

Eliana stared at Zahra, her mouth gone dry. “I don’t understand. They have a whole army of adatrox, an army that’s devoured the world. Why this too?”

“There are many ways to strike fear into the hearts of those you have conquered,” Zahra said gravely. “The continued existence of Red Crown eats away at the Emperor, as does the resistance of Astavar. He is creative. He will think up new horrors for every day that any human walks free, until there is no fight left in you.”

“And only women, only girls?” Eliana’s stomach turned. “Why? If it’s an army he wants, why not abduct a bunch of hulking men?”

“That, I don’t know.”

“And that was what happened to Navi? She was being turned into…?” She couldn’t finish the question.

“By the state of her, it looks to me as if she has only gone through the early stages. Not transformation, but that will come soon—”

Zahra fell silent, then whispered, “Simon is near.”

Eliana tensed. “Is he alone?”

“Yes.” The air around Zahra suddenly felt charged. “He has run afoul of angels.”

Eliana drew Arabeth and surged to her feet. “You said he was alone.”

“He is. But…” And then Zahra closed her eyes, shuddered, and made a low sound of pain. “How does he bear it? I never knew…”

“How does he bear what?” Eliana scanned the trees.

“His mind bears many scars,” Zahra whispered, her eyes still closed. “Deep ones. How they must hurt him.”

“What kind of scars? Explain to me, with real, ordinary words.”

“Someone has hurt him. Badly. Again and again. I can feel it as he approaches. I’m not trying to invade his thoughts, Eliana. But when someone’s mind has been abused so thoroughly, a wraith cannot help but feel it.”

Zahra zipped around to hover behind Eliana.

“Beware of him,” she whispered. “He is almost here. I can hide you if you wish. I’ve regained enough strength for a few seconds.”

“Beware of him why?”

“A man with such scars cannot be fully trusted, for those wounds hide his full truth, even from a creature such as I am.”

Eliana narrowed her eyes. “You mean, you can’t read his thoughts?”

Zahra shook her head. “I know he’s near, that he lives in pain he shares with no one. But I can see no more than that. Eliana, I’d no idea Simon was such a man. I would never have trusted his word… Oh, please, let me hide you from him.”

“No.” Eliana caught a flicker of movement in the trees. Her heart kicked wildly. “I will speak to him.”

“He won’t be able to see me,” Zahra whispered. “You are the only human who can.”

That surprised her. “Why?”

“No one else has enough power for it. Since the Fall, all your eyes have been shut to the empirium—”

“What are you doing out here?” Simon emerged from the trees, lowered his hood, and removed his mask. “You should be resting.”

Shaking her nerves free of Zahra’s hovering fear, Eliana stalked toward him. “I was waiting for you.”

He stopped, watching her approach. “Oh? To what do I owe the pleasure of a private meeting with the Dread of Orline?”

She marched past him into the trees. When her shoulder brushed his arm, the touch shot through her, shoulder to belly, like a hot arrow. “Come with me.”

“An illicit encounter in the dark, dark woods,” he murmured, following her. “My most secret dreams have come to life.”

She kept silent until they had gone a few hundred yards from the safe house. Then she stopped, facing away from him, arms rigid at her sides.

“The building where I was held captive by Fidelia,” she began, her voice tight. “What was it?”

“Laboratories,” he answered at once.

She turned, steeling herself. “For experimentation on the captured women.”

“Yes.”

“Where they are turned into crawlers, thanks to the Emperor’s study of genetics.”

A flicker of surprise moved across Simon’s face. “You have spoken to someone. Who?”

Beside Eliana, Zahra muttered low, “Someone who will protect her at all costs.”

Simon unsheathed the sword at his belt. “Who’s there? Step away from her, or I’ll gut you.”

So Zahra was right. He couldn’t see the wraith, but he could hear her.

“I did speak with someone,” Eliana replied. “Someone who told me you knew about Fidelia all along. You knew who they were, what they were doing. You knew they took my mother, and you knew where to look for her. She wasn’t in the laboratories where I was kept, but she is somewhere else—and I’m sure you know, being the mighty Wolf, exactly where across the country Fidelia can be found. And yet instead of telling me any of this, you dragged me through the wild and kept me in the dark, knowing all the while what was happening to her.”

Simon stood frozen, his sword still in the air.

“Your silence,” Eliana said, fury rising fast in her chest, “is all the confirmation I need.”

“I did what I was ordered to do,” he said, his voice made of stone.

She let out a scornful sound. “The mighty Prophet’s orders, I suppose.”

“The Prophet sees much and guides my every step.”

She turned away, too angry to speak.

“If you slice at him,” Zahra said quietly, “I won’t try to stop you. I’ll make sure to hide the noise from the others.”

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Eliana said. “Not yet.”

Simon’s voice was tight with frustration. “Who are you talking to?”

Zahra rounded on him, an eight-foot tall echo of the woman she had once been. “If you continue to upset my queen,” she boomed, vibrating with anger, “I will strike you down where you stand.” a shook her head. “And he uses it for…what?”

“He is creating things,” Zahra murmured, “with the help of healers who exchange their skills for their families’ safety. He is creating creatures that aren’t quite human or animal. They are called crawlers. They are monsters, Eliana. Mutations is the word I’ve heard used by the Empire physicians. And an army of them is bound for Astavar.”

Eliana stared at Zahra, her mouth gone dry. “I don’t understand. They have a whole army of adatrox, an army that’s devoured the world. Why this too?”

“There are many ways to strike fear into the hearts of those you have conquered,” Zahra said gravely. “The continued existence of Red Crown eats away at the Emperor, as does the resistance of Astavar. He is creative. He will think up new horrors for every day that any human walks free, until there is no fight left in you.”

“And only women, only girls?” Eliana’s stomach turned. “Why? If it’s an army he wants, why not abduct a bunch of hulking men?”

“That, I don’t know.”

“And that was what happened to Navi? She was being turned into…?” She couldn’t finish the question.

“By the state of her, it looks to me as if she has only gone through the early stages. Not transformation, but that will come soon—”

Zahra fell silent, then whispered, “Simon is near.”

Eliana tensed. “Is he alone?”

“Yes.” The air around Zahra suddenly felt charged. “He has run afoul of angels.”

Eliana drew Arabeth and surged to her feet. “You said he was alone.”

“He is. But…” And then Zahra closed her eyes, shuddered, and made a low sound of pain. “How does he bear it? I never knew…”

“How does he bear what?” Eliana scanned the trees.

“His mind bears many scars,” Zahra whispered, her eyes still closed. “Deep ones. How they must hurt him.”

“What kind of scars? Explain to me, with real, ordinary words.”

“Someone has hurt him. Badly. Again and again. I can feel it as he approaches. I’m not trying to invade his thoughts, Eliana. But when someone’s mind has been abused so thoroughly, a wraith cannot help but feel it.”

Zahra zipped around to hover behind Eliana.

“Beware of him,” she whispered. “He is almost here. I can hide you if you wish. I’ve regained enough strength for a few seconds.”

“Beware of him why?”

“A man with such scars cannot be fully trusted, for those wounds hide his full truth, even from a creature such as I am.”

Eliana narrowed her eyes. “You mean, you can’t read his thoughts?”

Zahra shook her head. “I know he’s near, that he lives in pain he shares with no one. But I can see no more than that. Eliana, I’d no idea Simon was such a man. I would never have trusted his word… Oh, please, let me hide you from him.”

“No.” Eliana caught a flicker of movement in the trees. Her heart kicked wildly. “I will speak to him.”

“He won’t be able to see me,” Zahra whispered. “You are the only human who can.”

That surprised her. “Why?”

“No one else has enough power for it. Since the Fall, all your eyes have been shut to the empirium—”

“What are you doing out here?” Simon emerged from the trees, lowered his hood, and removed his mask. “You should be resting.”

Shaking her nerves free of Zahra’s hovering fear, Eliana stalked toward him. “I was waiting for you.”

He stopped, watching her approach. “Oh? To what do I owe the pleasure of a private meeting with the Dread of Orline?”

She marched past him into the trees. When her shoulder brushed his arm, the touch shot through her, shoulder to belly, like a hot arrow. “Come with me.”

“An illicit encounter in the dark, dark woods,” he murmured, following her. “My most secret dreams have come to life.”

She kept silent until they had gone a few hundred yards from the safe house. Then she stopped, facing away from him, arms rigid at her sides.

“The building where I was held captive by Fidelia,” she began, her voice tight. “What was it?”

“Laboratories,” he answered at once.

She turned, steeling herself. “For experimentation on the captured women.”

“Yes.”

“Where they are turned into crawlers, thanks to the Emperor’s study of genetics.”

A flicker of surprise moved across Simon’s face. “You have spoken to someone. Who?”

Beside Eliana, Zahra muttered low, “Someone who will protect her at all costs.”

Simon unsheathed the sword at his belt. “Who’s there? Step away from her, or I’ll gut you.”

So Zahra was right. He couldn’t see the wraith, but he could hear her.

“I did speak with someone,” Eliana replied. “Someone who told me you knew about Fidelia all along. You knew who they were, what they were doing. You knew they took my mother, and you knew where to look for her. She wasn’t in the laboratories where I was kept, but she is somewhere else—and I’m sure you know, being the mighty Wolf, exactly where across the country Fidelia can be found. And yet instead of telling me any of this, you dragged me through the wild and kept me in the dark, knowing all the while what was happening to her.”

Simon stood frozen, his sword still in the air.

“Your silence,” Eliana said, fury rising fast in her chest, “is all the confirmation I need.”

“I did what I was ordered to do,” he said, his voice made of stone.

She let out a scornful sound. “The mighty Prophet’s orders, I suppose.”

“The Prophet sees much and guides my every step.”

She turned away, too angry to speak.

“If you slice at him,” Zahra said quietly, “I won’t try to stop you. I’ll make sure to hide the noise from the others.”

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Eliana said. “Not yet.”

Simon’s voice was tight with frustration. “Who are you talking to?”

Zahra rounded on him, an eight-foot tall echo of the woman she had once been. “If you continue to upset my queen,” she boomed, vibrating with anger, “I will strike you down where you stand.”