Suture (The Bleeding Worlds) (21 page)

"One other thing before we turn in," Jason said to Pridament. "If Katsuro is here, does that mean Fuyuko is as well?"

Pridament looked grim. "There was. Five years ago she was the youngest member of the Valkyries. She received orders to destroy one of the settlements to set an example. She refused the order. So she was the one Woten made an example of."

"Five years ago? She would've only been thirteen." Each word Jason spoke shook with rage.

"I know. That was why Katsuro left the Einherjar and joined the rebels. He left a life of luxury for this."

"What about Fuyuko's parents?" Jason asked.

"In this world there is no Suture. There are only those who are Anunnakis and those who are not. Both their parents were not, and so they lived in one of the underground dwellings. Both children were taken when they were very young. I doubt Katsuro even knows if his parents are still alive."

"I can't believe this. And you say this is
our
Woten?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, there appears to be only one Woten. If there were others, they've all been destroyed. Though which world this one originated on, I couldn't say." Pridament rested his hand on Jason's shoulder. "I know it's hard. This man was my father at one point. And while we certainly had our disagreements, I still thought him good at his core. I'm not sure what has changed, but I'm here to find out. Try to get some rest. It's been a hard day, and tomorrow will probably be even harder."

The first rays of dawn had crested the distant hills as Njord handed out the orders for the day.

Ehwaz and Purisaz had arrived at ten the previous night—about the same time Brandt, Jackson and Caelum arrived with their story about the Bogeyman.

"He was no big thing. I even called him Darth Asshat and he didn't do nothing," Brandt boasted.

The boy's bravado did nothing to counteract the anxiety everyone had seeing Jackson and Caelum so shaken.

"What exactly did you see?" Njord asked. He couldn't recall the last time someone had been in such close proximity to the Bogeyman and survived. He couldn't help but see the irony in him choosing to be called Cain. He wondered if even the man himself realized it.

"So you believe he was hunting someone," Njord summarized.

"Yes, sir," Jackson said. "He told us he'd followed a specific person's melody to that spot."

"Was there any evidence who that someone was?"

The three boys exchanged a glance and looked at the others who crowded in the room to hear the story.

"We can't be certain," Caelum finally said, "but he seemed very interested in Gwynn's name."

The room buzzed with people murmuring their own theories and opinions to each other. It wouldn't help to have so much speculation. Not to mention that the presence of Cain was a sizeably unaccounted for variable. Hadn't Woten said the energies in this place, and wherever else Woten had Gwynn taken, would mask the boy from detection? For the first time in centuries, Njord felt very real doubt in Woten's plans.

He dismissed them all, encouraging them to get some sleep before the assembled teams did a full sweep of the city in the morning. Considering the whisperings from the trailers, he doubted most got more than an hour or two of real sleep.

"Should we continue with the plan?" Njord asked Woten after establishing a com link and relaying the story of the boys meeting Cain.

"Yes," Woten replied. "We've been waiting for a long time for this opportunity. Besides, I have reason to believe that Mr. Takeda and his daughter could become an issue for us, and I'd like our plan well beyond their interference."

"Fuyuko? She always seemed so loyal."

"Let's just say she's looking very hard for some information that might undermine her loyalty to us."

"I understand," Njord said. And he did. There was only one piece of information Suture hid that would cause her to no longer believe in them. He couldn't even say he would blame her for feeling that way. He might too, if the situation were reversed.

Now twenty-five tired, sombre faces looked expectantly at him. Dutiful little soldiers, lining up eagerly to die.

Njord shook his head and rubbed sleep from his blurry eyes. He had to confess he hadn't slept well either. He split the combined eighteen members of Purisaz and Ensuz into three teams of six and left the remaining seven members of Ansuz as their own team. Each team was assigned a quarter of the city, a shortwave radio, as well as a flare gun.

"As you know, direct voice communications back to base have proven to be impossible. If you get into trouble, use your flare gun and do your best to stay in that area. Under no circumstances should anyone split away from their assigned team. We think the shortwave radios might work, so test them once you arrive in your assigned areas. Since we don't know who, or what, we're dealing with, strength in numbers is the best advantage we can give ourselves. Your mission is simple, find Gwynn and Jason, or evidence leading to their recovery. I will remain here at camp. If your team finds something, drive until you are just outside of the city barrier and your cell phone should work. Contact me and I will reassess. If something major happens requiring the attention of the entire team, I will fire a flare from here. Is this clear?"

They all answered with a resounding 'Yes, Sir.' that belied their tired appearances.

He watched them pile into their assigned vehicles and drive toward the city.

Despite years of preparing himself for this moment, Njord couldn't help but feel guilty.

Alice had never been in a vehicle driven by Brandt. Thanks to the vocal protests of her teammates, she never would be. In a five to one vote—Alice had abstained—Marie had been put in the driver's seat and was now driving in a calm and orderly fashion to their designated search area. Which made everyone, except for Brandt, pleased. She couldn't deny a mischievous desire to see what Brandt would be like in the driver's seat—maybe she'd stick around longer to get the chance.

Besides the odd grumbling from Brandt, the car remained mostly in silence. She felt it like a weight pressing an accusatory finger down on her. She'd live with it.

She'd known what had to be done since the building appeared in the cornfield. Now, as the sun rose, she tried to comfort herself with one thought,
By now they've met.
So long as that was true, everything else was manageable.

Just before the crossing point, where they would pass from this world into the between place, she saw a group of men in the distance working on odd machinery. She twisted in the back seat, trying to see if the same scene unfolded on the other side, but she couldn't see through the crush of bodies between her window and the opposite side. Honestly, just because a van could fit seven, why couldn't they have taken more than one vehicle? Maybe then she could've found out why the others feared Brandt's driving so much.

She turned back, trying to see more of the men and the work they were doing. It was possible it had to do with Suture doing further research, but she thought Njord would've mentioned that. She contemplated asking one of the others, but she suspected even though only Brandt had been vocal about blaming her for Jason and Gwynn's loss, the others felt the same. How could she believably deny that accusation when it was true?

They'd already gone too far, and the men were beyond her sight. What happened next? She closed her eyes, letting her imagination go to the massive storehouse in her mind, searching the filing cabinets and computers for information regarding this time—she found it lacking. How could that be? She'd known enough to leave Gwynn and Jason behind. Why hadn't she planned further? She'd focused so much on that one event, she'd neglected her own role in events beyond. She bit her lower lip, scolding herself for her own shortsightedness. Her pulse quickened and she had the sudden urge to fold away from the car and resume her detachment. Maybe she should cross the Veil and find the two of them. After all, it might be nice to see them together again. How long had it been?

She shook her head. What was she thinking?

Fear.

It took her a few moments to recognize it. Funny, having spent so long knowing fate intended her to reach a certain point, she'd simply stopped being afraid for her own safety.

They crossed the line between worlds, sending a chill snaking down her spine.

Do I die here?
She wondered.
It would explain why I don't know what will happen.

She looked to the other occupants of the van. Would they all die as well? Would Gwynn never hear her full story? The thought made her tremble.

"You scared?" Brandt asked, giving her a raised eyebrow.

"Why?" she stammered.

Brandt shrugged. "You look even whiter than normal. Oh, and you're shaking like it's negative fifty."

"Did you really call the Bogeyman Darth Asshat?" she asked, not wanting to talk about her feelings anymore.

A smile spread across his face. "Yeah. Dude didn't say a thing. I bet he knew he shouldn't pick a fight with me."

"Maybe he just couldn't stand to talk to you because of your stinking breath," Natalie said from the seat ahead.

"Shut up." Brandt crossed his arms and sank into his seat.

"He really did call him Darth Asshat," Caelum said. Brandt sat a little straighter. "And I don't think our surviving had anything to do with Brandt's halitosis. If it did, I hope he doesn't
ever
brush his teeth."

Laughter erupted within the van.
 

"Seriously," Jackson said, "that guy was scary as hell. Even if we had Woten with us, I'd still be freaked."

"Let's not talk about this anymore."

"Why, Wade?" Brandt asked. "Is it gonna make you puke?"

Verbal barbs were thrown around the van, with virtually no one escaping harm. Alice settled in her seat, the noise and laughter a welcome distraction.

Cain… Were you really able to hear Gwynn's song in this mess? Are you still here?

The first buildings of the city rose around them. Marie leaned forward, looking both ways, even craning her neck forward to look above them.

"Guys, what time is it?" she asked.

"Six-thirty am," Caelum answered.

Marie continued to scan ahead. "So then do you think everyone is staying in because of the blockade? I mean, there has to be someone who gets up early here, right?"

They were all at the windows, shifting and pressing, trying to take in every angle. If they hadn't been here just the day before, surrounded by people, it would've been easy to believe the city had been deserted.

"There's people here," Jackson said. "But I can't describe what they're feeling. The closest I could say is…calm. That's still not right."

"How can an entire city full of people all be feeling the same thing?" Natalie asked.

Jackson shrugged. "I can't explain it, I'm just telling you what I'm getting."

Brandt shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"This place is giving me the freakin' creeps. I'd feel better if we had our armour on."

"We couldn't wear armour during a recon mission surrounded by civilians," Wade said.

"Didn't say I don't understand
why
, just said I wish I had it."

Alice didn't have the empathic abilities of Jackson, but she could feel the fabric of the Veil. She reached out, stroked the psychic image of her fingers across its surface, creating ripples like the surface of water. Someone nearby was drawing on considerable resources, and through the Veil touched each of the souls within the city. Jackson had described a sense of the people being controlled during Gwynn and Jason's abduction. Perhaps this was how they had done it. She tried to trace it back to the source, but found her self moving in circles. Alice's breath caught in her throat. Someone capable of turning the Veil into a labyrinth, preventing themselves from being detected. Either they were dealing with someone more powerful than herself or Cain, which, besides one other, was impossible—and that other had yet to realize even a fraction of their ability—or someone was having their abilities boosted by some other means.

"We shouldn't be here," she said.

"What do you mean?" Caelum asked.

"I think we're walking into a trap."

"Do you mean the Bogeyman?" Wade's voice broke on the name.

Brandt chuckled. "Geezus, Wade, are you going to wet yourself? How do you stay assigned to this unit?"

"Shut up, Brandt."

Wade twisted in his seat, trying to land a swung fist on Brandt. The Mountainous boy just swatted it aside like a mosquito.

"In his defence," Jackson said, "the thought of meeting that man again kinda scares the crap out of me too."

She couldn't blame them for feeling intimidated. Even when Cain was calm, he radiated the malevolent power he'd amassed like a storm cloud. No one near him could escape the sense they were about to be caught in a tornado. The desire to assure them, to reveal her true self, that she was capable of protecting them, grew within her. But she couldn't, not yet. Besides, was she sure of being able to defeat Cain? No doubt she would be at a disadvantage, having everything to lose while he had none.

"Everyone, be quiet." Caelum didn't raise his voice, but the deadly intensity of it put everyone into silence. "What did you mean, Alice?"

She took a moment to find the right words. She needed to tell them, but didn't want to tip her hand quite yet.

"Jackson, you said when you came searching for Gwynn and Jason you felt like people had been controlled, right?" she said.

"That's right."

"Now you feel like everyone in town is having the same mood. Doesn't it make sense if someone manipulated people before, they could be doing it now? If they did it last time to take Gwynn and Jason, why else would they be doing it now other than to trap us?"

Brandt cursed. "I hate to say it, but the girl makes sense. What do you think Caelum?"

She found it interesting of all the people in the car, they seemed to turn to Caelum. There was no doubt when Jason was present, he was the leader of the team. In his absence, Caelum had become the default decision maker. There was nothing official she could see indicating this to be the case, it just seemed to happen organically. It made sense to her, Caelum seemed the coolest head amongst them. She found it interesting the rest of them seemed to know that instinctively as well.