Frelsi (Book Two of The Liminality)

  And then this cannonball of a bee came hurtling over the ridge, buzzing like a weed whacker. It did one loop around me and landed on a rock pile.

  “Get the fuck away! You’re gonna blow my cover.”

  But the bee persisted, moving closer, climbing onto a boulder right in front of me.

  “What the heck are you doing? Get out of here! Scram!”

  A globe of amber fluid appeared on its palps. It was offering me food—nectar, straight from its crop—as if I were some larva from its hive.

  I touched my cupped hands to the glob. It stuck to my skin and filled my palms. I drank up and was glad I did. It was delicious, more concentrated and sweeter than the stuff that came out of Urszula’s aphids.

  Once I accepted its offering, the bee gave its butt a pleased little waggle. Without thinking, I reached over and patted it on its head as if it were some lap dog. I don’t know what got into me. It buzzed off and flew back over the ridge behind me.

  I eased my way a little farther down the slope a few steps at a time, taking pains not to dislodge any stones. I wanted to be closer to people. I wanted to see faces, hear gossip.

  I peeked from under the cloth to find a woman staring directly up at me. I froze. She was less than fifty feet away, standing on the edge of the path encircling the tarn.

  I narrowed the peep hole of my blanket and kept absolutely still. A guy came running up to her, long blonde ponytail slapping at the small of his back. He was apparently a guard. He carried a weapon I couldn’t even identify, with multiple bores and spikes sticking out the end.

  Was my camouflage failing? Did Duster spell craft not work this far from the Core? What did they see? A guy with a blanket draped over his head? Humoring that damned bee probably hadn’t helped my stealth.

  “I just saw the strangest bird,” said the woman. “It had such a thick body and transparent wings.”

  “It was a spybee,” said the guard. “I saw it, too.” He stepped off the path, squinting directly at me.

  I made sure I had a good grip on my sword.

  He stared at me a while and then just shrugged and turned around.

  I sighed and relaxed. Apparently, the camouflage still worked.

  “Why are they bothering us here? Is no place sacred to them? It’s not fair. Aren’t their souls already free?”

  “No worries,” said the guard. “You’re safe here. Their bugs are cold-blooded. They wouldn’t dare raid us at this altitude.”

  A cheer went up from the encampment. People ran over to congratulate a woman wearing what looked almost like a wedding gown. This could only mean that her soul had been freed of its earthly connection, that she was officially dead.

  I wondered what she felt when the change happened. Lille had said that something shifts in your eyes when your soul disconnects from the world of its birth, and that the change is visible to others.

  I kind of knew what she meant. Urszula had that look in her eyes—a gaze that could swallow one’s soul. Bottomless.

  But still, I wondered how it felt to be free.

  A man came walking past the tarn, alone. He had a familiar slouch, minus the familiar limp and a cane tucked over his shoulder.

  Chapter 36: Ghost

  I stood and gathered my shroud, and as I lifted it, it helped me gather itself, furling and bunching, sensing and responding to my intentions. When I thought no one was watching, I scrambled down the side of the moraine to the edge of the path, dropped back down and let the shroud reconfigure to the terrain.

  Folding the cloth into a snorkel-like peephole, I watched Bern come up the path. He seemed in no hurry to get anywhere. He was just ambling along, lost in thought, his cane an afterthought, his stride smooth and confident.

  “Bern!” I whispered.

  His head swiveled about. He scanned the side of the moraine.

  “I’m here, next to the path.”

  “Why can’t I see you? This is like talking to a ghost. You … you’re not—”

  “Look at the rocks. I’m camouflaged.”

  He groped and patted the boulders bordering the trail, swatting me on the side of the head.

  “Lordie! That’s uncanny. You look exactly like all the other boulders, right down to the flecks of mica.”

  “Pretty nifty, huh? It’s Duster technology ... er … magic, or whatever.”

  “You do realize you’re officially a persona non grata here? Someone saw you abscond with their prisoner. How did you even manage get back up here, unmolested?”

  “I flew.”

  Bern shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Not on my own. I caught a ride … with Urszula.”

  “The demon girl?”

  “She’s no demon. Urszula’s just a girl. She needed help. They were gonna kill her.”

  Bern sighed and shook his head. “Kill. What does that even mean?”

  “Where’s Lille?”

  “I left her back at the camp. She’s been up all night praying and chanting with the other candidates. Drove me batty. It was like a bloody revival meeting. They treat this place like it’s Heaven’s doorstep. I had to get away for a bit.”

  “I notice you’re not limping.”

  “Yes, well … Lille had me pay a little visit to their chop shop. It was quite impressive, really. No blood, of course … and their level of skill is scads beyond what Luther could ever do. They’re more like sculptors than surgeons. But they worked wonders on my leg. Feels better than it ever did. They wanted to mess around with my other parts as well, but I wouldn’t have any of it. Lille was particularly upset that I wouldn’t let them touch my face. I had to promise her a return visit.”

  “Yeah, well it wouldn’t kill you to smooth out some of those creases.”

  “Now, you’re sounding just like Lille,” said Bern. “I’m just afraid they might take it a little too far as some of these folks are wont to do. A little too much artistic license, if you know what I mean. I’ve always prided myself on my rugged looks. Wouldn’t want them to make me look like one of those pretty boy male models … like er … that Alec fellow.”

  “Alec?”

  “Her so-called Mentor. The way she fawns all over him … it’s bloody awful.” Bern sighed. “To top it all, he’s apparently made some arrangements at my prison—without my consent, I might add. Apparently, they’ve got someone inside who’s agreed to off me. Don’t quite know how I feel about this. Don’t know why everyone feels like they have carte blanche to meddle in my affairs. It’s a pain in my…. Hang on. Someone’s coming!”

  I pulled my peephole shut and kept still. Boots scuffed gravel. The voices of a man and a woman drifted closer.

  Bern hummed a ditty that sounded like some kind of bossa nova elevator music. “Good day to you both,” he said, as they passed.

  He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

  “Alright. They’ve moved on,” Bern whispered. “That woman was giving me the oddest look. But what should I expect? She saw me speaking to a rock. What was I saying? Oh yes, Lille and her Mentor. You know, I hate to say it, but I suspect there might be some hanky-panky going on between the two of them.”

  “Really, Bern? I have a hard time believing that. I think you’re imagining things. That doesn’t sound like Lille, at all.”

  “Yes, well if it wasn’t for all this assassination business, I might make things easy for her. I was thinking of returning to my cabin in the pit. But not if they’re about to off me in my prison cell. That would commit to the … uh … the uh….”

  “The Deeps?”

  “The Deeps. Hades. Avernus. Tiamet. Whatever you want to call it. In any case, what it means is for now I’m forced to stick around these heights. I have my doubts they would actually be able to pull it off a snuff job. Winson Green prison is quite secure. But if they do manage to somehow murder me, I suppose I should be grateful. For three years they’ve had me on suicide watch, after making multiple attempts on my own life, I have to say, some of them
quite ingenious. The most elegant involved some strategic placement of the whites of an undercooked egg. You see, they didn’t account for my allergies.”

  “It’s not as if I would ever miss the place. How could anyone possibly miss a life spent in Winson Green? Though, the food is not as terrible as it could be, when I’m not being force fed by stomach tube, anyhow. And they do let us watch English Premier League from time to time. But the rub is … I’m cursed. I’m an Arsenal follower.”

  “Could be worse,” I said. “Renfrew, my boss, follows Blackburn.”

  “Ah, yes … my condolences to the poor fellow. At least they’re to be relegated. There’s mercy in that.”

  He went silent.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “On the contrary, my boy. I have just spotted something wondrous coming up the path, a truly mythical creature of charm and grace. You just sit tight and—”

  “What the heck are you talking about? What’s going on?”

  “It’s Karla, James. She’s left the camp, coming to look for me, I suppose. I’ve been moping about, feeling sorry for myself and she refuses to leave me be. Seems no one can allow an old man some time alone with his thoughts.”

  ***

  It was torture, fighting the urge to toss off that shroud and run to her, to not even allow myself a peek. But I was an outlaw now and from my rambles in the Sanctuary, I had a pretty good idea what they would do to me if they caught me.

  “How far away?”

  “She’s coming lad, just be patient.”

  I bit my hand and practically gnawed through it, waiting. And then I could hear Bern whispering, almost inaudibly.

  “No!” she said, applying that unmistakable bend to her vowel, betraying her Italian roots. “Where is he?” The urgency and thrill distilled in her tone made me shiver.

  “Stay calm, missy. We have to keep very discreet. He’s a wanted man, you know.”

  “Bern! Show me! Where is he?”

  “Actually … I’m not so sure. Turn around and all these boulders look the same. Oh, wait a minute. There! That one. I’m pretty sure.”

  Feet scrabbled across stones. Quick and nimble fingers found the edge of the shroud and lifted. Karla dove beneath, bowling me over, smothering me in a tangle of arms and legs and tears, immersing me in the lanolin scent of her hair.

  “I’ll … uh … keep a watch a little ways down the path,” said Bern, “Let me know … you’re … eh … done.”

  ***

  We kissed like near-drowning victims accepting bubbles of air from their rescuers, filling lungs they thought might never know oxygen again.

  I wished there could have been light beneath that blanket. I wanted to bask in the gleam of her eyes, her pixyish grin.

  “Are you free?” she said. “Is that why you are up here? Please tell me that you are still alive.”

  “I’m hanging in,” I said. “But I don’t know for how much longer.”

  “You must hang on a little longer. We are getting closer. We are in Inverness now. All of us. Renfrew, Jessica. Sturgie, too.”

  “Really? You have all those guys up there looking for me?”

  “Not only that. Renfrew’s brought his gun,” said Karla. “But … they got Isobel.”

  “Ugh. I was afraid of that. I thought I heard her voice. Upstairs.”

  “Upstairs? At the church? That’s excellent news! To have you both in one place. We are at the house now, resting. But as soon as the sun comes up, we will be going to the church … as soon as they open the doors for morning vespers.”

  “Listen. You guys concentrate on saving Izzie. Don’t worry about me. I got a feeling it’s gonna too late by the time you get there. My number’s up. I’ve got internal bleeding. My heart’s not working right.”

  “Do not talk like that! We are almost there. In a matter of hours we will break you out, take you to a clinic. They can fix you up, make you all better.”

  “Karla, it’s not worth coming after me. Get Izzie and go away someplace safe. I’m a lost cause. And these people, they’re dangerous.”

  “You don’t understand. Things have changed with me. I want nothing to do with Root anymore. I want to live. And I want you in the world with me. These goat farmers, James. Your friends. They are fabulous! So kind to me and Izzie. I want to take you back to Brynmawr. To stay there and work and live. I mean, if they would have us. And I think they would. I really do. I think they like us, James.”

  “Karla. It’s no use. I’m a wreck. I’m beyond saving. The pain, it’s unbelievable. And my heart’s all fluttery. I get dizzy any time I as much as lift my head.”

  She ran her fingers over my face, tracing the outline of my lips. Her breaths came fast and hard.

  “This … Duster girl. Might she have anything to do with your change of heart? Is she why you are giving up?”

  “What? That’s crazy? I was just helping her.”

  “Even after she tried to kill me?”

  “No, she didn’t. She was just gonna relocate you. They were gonna feed her to the Reapers!”

  “It was not your business. You should not have intervened.”

  “I had to. I couldn’t just let her get eaten by those things. Could I?”

  Bern coughed. “You two, shush! Someone’s coming. It’s … uh … it’s Lille … and Alec.”

  ***

  Karla and I huddled in each other’s arms, motionless and silent.

  “Bern? Have you seen Karla?” said Lille. “She just sort of wandered off. I assumed she had gone out looking for you.”

  “Oh, she’s probably just out for a jaunt, enjoying the fresh air. I’m sure she’ll be right back.”

  “Why are you so fidgety?” said Lille. “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing. Just … enjoying the scenery.”

  “I know you better, Bern. You’re up to something. Are you trying to force a fade, to fade away on us?”

  “Not at all. It’s just … such a lovely lake. Wish I had my fishing pole. This path makes a loop, doesn’t it? Maybe Karla’s just across the way. You two go have a look see. I’ll wait here, just in case she gets past you.”

  “Why do I have the distinct impression that you’re trying to hurry us along. What’s up with you?”

  “Come. Join us,” said Alec. “We can talk about your candidacy.”

  And then there came that weed whacker sound again, even under the thick, muffling shroud, I could hear the bee circle overhead. I sighed with disgust.

  Lille screamed.

  “What’s going on?” Karla whispered in my ear.

  “It’s Urszula’s bee,” I whispered back. “I wish that thing had some semblance of a brain.”

  “Odd,” said Alec. “Before today, I’ve never seen a spybee up this high. That’s the second one this morning.”

  An explosive crack sent echoes bouncing off the moraines.

  “Missed it!”

  The bee touched down briefly atop the shroud, buzzing away just as a staff crashed down between our heads, glancing off my shoulder. The shroud pulled up at the edges, briefly revealing my leg before cascading down to seal the gap.

  “That stone. You dented it!” said Lille. “How—?”

  “This is how!” Alec reached down and grabbed a fistful of fabric. He yanked and tossed the blanket aside. The sudden wash of light stung my eyes.

  “Oh my!” said Lille.

  Alec hauled me out by my collar and shoved me down onto the path.

  “Leave him be!” Karla latched on to him and tried to pull him off. The Mentor elbowed her in the face and knocked her on her bottom. He batted away my sword with his staff before I could retrieve it.

  Frantic footfalls thundered our way. A squad of Frelsian guards appeared down the path. The tip of Alec’s staff exploded and disgorged a heavy, gelatinous mass that struck my middle and knocked my breath away. It divided into a tangle of snake-like loops that swarmed all over me like manic pythons, wrenching my limbs together and cinching t
hem tight.

  “Get the girl!” said Alec. “And the old man as well.”

  “Please, not Bern,” said Lille. “He’s not involved in this.”

  “He deceived us. Gave them cover. He’s an accessory,” said Alec.

  “Preposterous! I’m sure he didn’t mean to—”

  “Lille, let them sort it all out,” said Bern, calmly. “I did what I did and I’ll pay the price. It’s not like I’ve never broken rules before.”

  “Oh dear,” said Lille. “This day’s not going well at all. And it started out so promising.”

  Chapter 37: Custody

  Curls of fog peeled off the glacier, descending and alighting on the tarn, twirling across the surface like spectral figure skaters. I lay on the path with Bern and Karla, my cheek pressed into the grit. A soldier came by and touched a rod to the strips of living, elastic goo binding my limbs, tightening them until my fingers and toes fell numb.

  Candidates and their guests collected in twos and threes to witness the spectacle of our arrest. Lille was apoplectic with disbelief. We had spoiled what was to have been her coming out party. Her face had gone all puffy, revealing the seams its engineers had worked so hard to conceal. Alec stroked her arm, consoling, while Bern peppered him with caustic glares.

  Something scratched at my ankles. I tried kicking it away, but it persisted. My restraints prevented me from dealing with it properly, but I managed to contort myself sufficiently to spot a flap of what looked like my own skin, annealing itself to my shin. It was Urszula’s shroud, shrunken down and thinned out, disguised as me, down to the pores and leg hair. It contracted, snug as a stocking, edges blending.

  “This is all a travesty,” said Lille, regaining her voice. “None of my friends have done anything criminal, here. James was just acting out of kindness, trying to be nice to that girl-creature-thing. He is new to Frelsi. He doesn’t understand the ramifications.”

  “Who am I to judge?” said Alec. “But I am obligated to respond to the appearance of what I see. How about we let the tribunal decide their fate?”

  “Tribunal? Surely, it shouldn’t come to that. I can see how James might have a little explaining to do, but what on earth did Bern and Karla do that was so wrong?”