Theia could feel her Coss vanish from her mental sight, as if a blanket were thrown over their minds. She was just on the outskirts of Nelljin Plaza, making her way through the throngs of people, one moment regretting her lateness, the next realizing her great fortune at being delayed.
No!
She used all her mental strength, trying to peer through the cast-suppression field in effect around part of that plaza, to no avail.
Who betrayed us? No one knew, besides the Coss, where we were meeting!
Then the thought entered her mind, making her sick to her stomach.
One of us must be a traitor.
She spent some moments searching her mind, going over conversation after conversation, body language, stray thoughts from casting, to see any signs, any clue she missed that any of her Coss may have been a traitor. She couldn’t find any. She still walked casually, appearing as one in the masses around her, whose bodies pressed against her in their migration to morning destinations. And yet, surrounded by all those people, she had never felt so alone. Panic and fear gripped her tightly and mercilessly, then her instinct for self-preservation kicked in.
I need to warn the cells!
She almost cast to them, halting in an instant.
The TELREC must be monitoring casts in this area, just in case they missed anyone. It won’t take them long to break my Coss, no matter how strong they are. No one can withstand combined TELREC mental power. I must get away, and quickly.
She turned to run, then could feel the hair on her neck stand up, her skin start to get clammy. She stood still, and mentally could feel the people behind her were disappearing, going down in the dozens, their minds going blank. She casually glanced behind her, peering over the heads of people mindlessly moving to the beat of the cast-net and saw four black TELREC hovercars high overhead.
They are hunting for me.
She broke into a run, heading for a nearby building, and could feel the pace of their mental wave accelerate. Some around her were starting to notice as hundreds of people began to fall to the ground. She couldn’t make much headway fast, so thick was the crowd in front of her, oblivious to all except the cast-net. She pushed people aside, knocking them down, frantically trying to make some headway. Suddenly she could feel the wave overtake her, as all those around her slouched and soundlessly fell to the ground. Theia now felt the full force of the TELREC’s power as it wiped out those in front of her, leaving her as the lone figure still standing. For a moment her mind and body felt extreme fatigue, begging her to close her eyes and drift away. Though she was well trained and was able to absorb it she stumbled for a moment, shaking her head violently, pinching herself to negate the desire to sleep. She could hear the engines of the hovercars shift in pitch, as the TELREC adjusted their course to intercept her.
^Stay where you are!^ slammed one of the TELREC.
She bolted, jumping and running over the carpet of bodies beneath her, her long, muscular legs finally free from the press of people. The TELREC began firing emdec cannons—blowing holes in the bodies and concrete beneath her, taking chunks out of buildings as she dove trying evade them. Through streets now thick with the unconscious and dead she ran, a normally quiet world now like an unburied tomb. She could mentally anticipate their fire and dodged the bolts of magnetic energy with grace, but those beneath her paid a heavy price. She could feel the people in the buildings above slowly gather at their windows, only to be turned back by a massive mental force one of the TELREC was directing at them.
One of them is extremely strong. I must be careful.
^Stay where you are!^ angrily slammed the TELREC again. ^There is no escape.^
I never go anywhere without an escape plan.
She darted into a building close by, knocking people out of her way, managing to get one cast out before the TELREC extended their cast-suppression field around her. The startled guards and civilians succumbed to the mental wave as she ran by, catching a brief glimpse of her form before sinking into a mental oblivion. She just made it past the foyer as emdec fire from the TELREC blew away the facade, sending glass and metal flying in their wake, the concussion wave sending her sprawling on the ground for a moment. Fire broke out at the entrance, its yellow leaves dancing around Theia, consuming all in their wake. Tasting blood in her mouth, she scrambled with hands and feet to get up and away, running around pillars and chairs, over debris and through doorway after doorway. Maintenance meta poured out of the walls, firing great streams of white liquid on the raging fire, the stench of their chemical choking Theia as she ran. The hovercars moved fast, boldly surging through the building, weaving high and low, engines roaring as they decelerated. Theia dove over desks, ran between support pillars the TELREC dared not fire on. She turned a corner, finally getting some distance from her pursuers, racing down a narrow corridor which spilled into another open space. Wiping the blood from her mouth, she dared hope for a moment as the light of the open room held the promise of a short rest and quick gasp for air. But as she entered, four figures dressed in CRODAM uniforms greeted her, tensed and ready for battle.
Damn.
She was able to take out two of them mentally in an instant, crushing their minds as if they were small insects, but the other two turned out to be TELREC in disguise. She engaged in battle with them, all three pulling out short knives as they tried to burrow into each other’s minds. She could sense the four TELREC behind her had landed their hovercars and disembarked, racing quickly down the narrow corridor.
I have about two mroas before they’re here as well.
She could already feel them exerting pressure on her mind. The two she was fighting were quite skilled, not only in mental combat, but in physical conflict. She was able to spill one with her feet, and slash deep along his thigh. Her blade was laced with virulent micrometa that rendered him motionless in tils. The other TELREC jumped high, and though missing with his blade, back handed her in the face, sending her stumbling backwards. In the split til she was stunned, he was able to gain a significant foothold in her mind. She now focused everything to stopping him, though she could feel the other four TELREC were coming around the corner.
Not much time . . .
He pressed the attack, slashing at her face, using his feet to try to spill her, battering her with his arms. Her reactions slowed as fatigue began to set in, much of her energy being used to deal with the mental attack. He parried forward with his knife, missing her chest–
finally!
–and as he did, she grabbed his arm, and sliced into his back. He started to fall, but grabbed her torso, bringing her down with him.
A trap!
She couldn’t get up in time, so strong was his hold. Though her assailant began to go unconscious, he bought time for his four compatriots. They approached her slowly now, knives drawn, surrounding her. She managed to stand and face them, options flashing through her mind. She knew of a service entrance a few tils from where she was now, but it would be too far with these four in pursuit. And she knew it was only a matter of time before reinforcements joined them.
I am too valuable to be captured! My Coss must be avenged. I only hope my cast got through . . .
She knelt down, tensing her muscles, focusing her mind.
“Aiella!”
She screamed and sprung in the air, using every tactic she learned to trap, bait, and evade their mental attacks. She knew she was unparalleled in physical combat, as she had too many cas under her belt not to be. But these TELREC were young and quick, and soon she found herself mostly on the defensive, with the four TELREC coordinating their attacks as if all four blades were controlled by one mind. Their blows flew on her with a speed she rarely encountered, and only by pure instinct was she able to deflect them. The TELREC switched tactics often in the fight, two of them attacking her with strong body blows while the other two slashed at her limbs and mind. This went on for a while, the four of them constantly switching positions, trying and almost succeeding in throwing Theia off
balance. Two times their blades reached their mark, once on Theia’s arm, the other along her chest. Theia negated the pain, stopped the blood loss, but felt it imperative that she gain the upper hand.
That’s what I need!
She reached in her pocket and in a lightning motion, activated a small device. The TELREC were momentarily stunned, as it was an extremely powerful localized cast-suppression field. It was all the time she needed. In tils, she faced two opponents instead of four, her blade slicing deep and true into two of them, their bodies slumping on the ground. The remaining TELREC soon nullified the device’s effects, and pressed forward once again.
But it’s just two of you now. And that’s much more reasonable.
She fell down in an instant, falling hard on her back, drawing one of them in. She rolled quickly under the second, and as he jumped, she sliced in between his legs. He fell back in extreme pain, curled in a ball, going limp after a few moments. The other TELREC stood and nodded in approval.
^Very well done.^
She was panting hard, but recovered her composure, looking at him with eyes of hate.
^Just you and me now,^ cast Theia, readying her blade again.
For the first time, she noticed this TELREC was wearing a face scrambler. She could see the lines in the holo-face shimmer, for just a moment.
^Why are you hiding from me?^ she asked, coyly.
In a moment his disguise fell away, and she stumbled backwards, feeling fear for the first time in a long time. The scrambler revealed a dark-bronze face, older, but with a child-like innocence about it. He walked towards her.
^They call me . . . Denged.^
She knew his face. She had seen his power. Rumors were spreading fast of a TELREC agent of immense physical and mental strength, always accompanied by two female agents, who were vicious and cruel. They left none alive in their wake, and it was said they were on a mission to purge the Iganinagi and all other rebellious elements from the faces of the globes.
^You know me?^ his words were laced with condescension.
She hesitated for a moment, scanning for an escape route.
^Yes,^ she cast, trying to steady her nerves.
^You fear me?^
She paused again, conquering her fear, strengthening her resolve.
^No.^
He chuckled, then she felt a wave of fear spread over her. For a moment she was truly petrified, so strong was his mind. She squinted, trying to separate what her mind was telling her from what was actually there. She still had to concentrate not to fall to the ground and weep before him, beg him for mercy.
I am Iganinagi. I am Theia! I am stronger than this!
She mustered the strength to face him, sweat pouring off her face. She could mentally sense two agents, female agents, were heading towards them quickly. Denged focused his mind for a moment, nesting a cast.
^Good.^ ^Well Theia, we have begun assaulting all of your cells. In a matter of mroas, your people will belong only to the memory of time.^
^No!^ She desperately wished she could rip his face off with her bare hands, but knew he was much too strong for her.
^Your Coss were very . . . forthcoming. They were quite strong too. We really should have left one alive, as sort of a memento. The great Iganinagi; butchers of children, saviors of no one.^
She lunged at him, trying to catch him off-guard, but was thrown aside like a ragdoll, feeling things crack within her as she fell.
^You’re supposed to be the leader of this annoyance, aren’t you, Theia?^
Damn him!
Denged walked casually over to her. ^I wish I had known Aiella. I nest that she was worth something. Someone worth fighting.^
He pressed harder on her mind, her injuries making it tougher to deflect. Denged hefted his knife in his hand. Long and thin, it glittered in the light. Theia felt a signal, then laughed at Denged.
^Never gloat over your victims.^
He looked at her quizzically, then fell to his knees in pain. Four figures clothed in black emerged from behind pillars, two lifting Theia in their arms, two advancing on Denged, who was still on his knees.
Thank Holis I followed Aiella’s advice and kept six Coss hidden. Through the pain of broken bones and shattered limbs, she screamed one last command before she passed out from the pain.
“Kill him!”
The two Coss raised their blades, but could not bring them down on Denged. They tried for a few moments, battling his great will. Suddenly Gilc and Errece appeared, seeming to materialize out of thin air, their blades drawn. The two Coss could barely see who it was before they were consumed in the frenzy of Gilc and Errece’s blades. They easily defeated the two Coss, playing with their bodies as they died, drawing out their suffering. Theia could nest their cries as she was carried into the service tunnels, feeling them die in her mind. Denged cursed her as he recovered, and as he watched his Maenids do their work, he cast the images to Theia.
^This will be you one roa. That, I promise.^
She regained consciousness, and tried to reach out to her cells, but found none would respond.
We have lost so much this roa. I cannot even congratulate myself for keeping six cells hidden, for we have lost so much of our people. She was never much for community, but over the past few troas, she saw those were the threads that bound the Iganinagi. Her people were what kept them going for so long.
And now lost! The last six cells hold mostly warriors, with no families. We, as a people, have no future.
As they carried her broken body down to a cell hidden and safe, no pain her body felt could compare to the despair growing in her soul.
Chapter 11