Chapter One
Gershred would have preferred to fly to Vancouver, but Maldemaur had remained adamant—the Trans-Canada train made more stops, giving them opportunities to escape if a Yeng assassin chanced to come aboard.
Maury’s paranoia peaked every hundred years or so. That was how often the rift opened, linking Earth and their home world, RinYeng. Shred knew from long experience that there was no reasoning with his partner at such times. The only thing to do was go along with him. So, they shapeshifted their faces whenever the train pulled into a station. They shuttled back and forth between the passenger car and the one with the sightseeing bubble on top. They could have afforded better class tickets. However, all an upgrade would really have given them was privacy, and privacy would have handed the advantage to an assassin, if there happened to be one in the vicinity.
All of that aside, Shred would have found the journey quite enjoyable if only Maury had been in a more conversational mood.
For the past several hours, he hadn’t spoken a word. He was currently wearing his “do not disturb” expression, the one that looked like Chazz Palminteri with heartburn, and Shred could swear that at least three other passengers had made a point of walking past them to see whether either of them was wearing handcuffs. In truth, he was becoming concerned.
“Talk to me, Maury,” he begged. “We know Bilyash and Angie are safe, so something else must be bothering you. You’re not having second thoughts about making this trip, are you?”
Maldemaur exhaled audibly, as though Shred’s voice had flipped an on/off switch. “What do I say to her? What can I say, when just the thought of being in the same room with that duplicitous bitch Vincaspera makes my fangs itch?”
“You say whatever it takes to close the deal and get us Middlevale at a fair price,” Shred told him. “Once that’s done, I’ll stay out west and set up the training camp, and you can go back to Ontario and put her firmly behind you again. Are you certain the address you found online for that human cult she’s running is correct?”
“Yes, and I’m betting it’s bait in a trap, along with her current female shape. She’s been calling herself Victoria Spears for quite a while, apparently. Not that it makes one iota of difference. To me, she’ll always be the miserable cheat who got me expelled from the Science Guild on RinYeng all those centuries ago out of spite, because I spurned her advances.”
“She was a pressure adept, as I recall, most likely an elemental master by now.”
“So, she can use her mind to push things around,” Maury huffed. “And you’re a heat lord and I’m a light lord. What’s your point?”
“That we’re equals, with different talents but the same degree of power. That means we ought to be able to sit down and negotiate, like civilized beings. But if you simply barge in and confront her about the past—” He paused for a beat. “Nothing will be served by putting her on the defensive before you’ve even presented your offer to purchase the town.”
Maury drew a deep breath before blurting out, “What are we doing here, Gershred? Not just on the train, but in general. We’re Nash’terel. We’re the secluded ones, and what we’re about to do… Is this really who we are now?”
So he was having second thoughts.
Unsurprised, Shred turned his head and gazed out the window. They were following the course of an impossibly blue river, speeding along a broad ledge that had apparently been carved into the side of a hill. As far forward and backward as he could see, a carpet of evergreen treetops ran from the train track down to the water. On the opposite bank, the carpet continued, rolling away to meet a crenellated wall of purple-crowned hills. The sky overhead was cloudless and intensely bright. If all he and Maury did now was get off at the next station and return to Toronto, Shred reflected, the rugged beauty of that landscape alone would have made the trip worthwhile.
But of course, they couldn’t. They’d begun a vital mission on behalf of their entire race and had to see it through.
Maury’s “do not disturb” face had discouraged anyone from sitting down nearby. Now he and Shred were alone at one end of the passenger car, able to converse quietly with no fear of being overheard. Maury glanced around cautiously before continuing in a voice that was almost a whisper, “We have been living quietly on this world for a thousand and a half years, staying safe by being invisible. We’ve hidden out by spreading out and concealing our alien abilities from the human population, and for the most part the strategy has worked. But these new developments—the purification campaign by the Yeng emperor, the threat of assassins from both sides of the rift, their specific targeting for death of our Earthborn offspring—it’s changing us, on a fundamental level. We’re actually making plans to form and train an army. When have the Nash’terel ever gone that far?”
“Whenever we’ve needed to do it,” Shred replied evenly. “Not all of us are cut out to be scientists and philosophers, you know. Some of us enjoy the discipline of martial arts and the adrenalin rush of combat.”
“As individuals, yes. As a race, however, the Nash’terel have always been peaceful. Making war is not our way.”
“It’s not?” Shred had to work to contain his impatience. “You have a short memory. Before the Nash’terel drank life essence, we drank the blood of our prey. That was what made this planet perfect for us when we first arrived. The humans were constantly warring among themselves. We joined their armed forces so that we could quench our thirst on their battlefields. It’s still there, Maldemaur—the thirst. It’s why we eat our meat raw. So don’t tell me that spilling blood goes against our Nash’terel nature.
“In any case, our conflict with the Yeng is not about land or possessions. It’s about our continuing existence. Every Nash’terel still living is living on this world. Every talent we possess, developed over thousands of generations of practice and study, resides on a single planet. In a hundred years, the rift will open again, and more trained assassins than we’ve ever had to deal with before will come pouring through it. We’ll need to meet the emperor’s army of killers with a defensive one of our own, and that means weaponizing the talents of all of us so that some of us, at least, will survive.”
Maldemaur lowered his chin, like a bull about to charge. “You know as well as I do that that kind of training takes time. In the meanwhile, once all those hainbeka—those talents, as you put it—start coming together in one place, the Yeng already on this world could very well decide that we pose a threat to their existence. And they won’t wait a hundred years before doing something about it.”
This was the problem with scientists, Shred reflected. They hypothesized too damned much.
“Well, before you jump down that rabbit hole, let me add another ‘if’ to this doomsday scenario you’re building,” Shred said. “It only comes to pass if the Council of the First Yeng learns about our plans for Middlevale. How do you suppose they’ll do that? You and I certainly won’t be telling them. And I seriously doubt whether any of our fellow Nash’terel, including Victoria Spears, will jeopardize a plan meant to keep them alive.”
As hoped, Maury’s expression lightened perceptibly.
“So, not to worry, Maldemaur,” Shred continued. “We’re going to make that miserable cheat an offer she can’t refuse. And if she uses her hainbek to try to push us around, we’ll just double-team her with light and heat.”
* * *
The miserable cheat’s office address was a storefront near the corner of an older block of businesses in a run-down neighbourhood of Vancouver.
This was Main Street? It was a misnomer, Shred mused as he steered the rental car into a parking spot at the curb.
The entire display window was covered on the inside by a red and gold sign proclaiming the name of The Church of Human Purification. The words formed a circle around the stylized image of a quasar wrapped inside a double helix of human DNA.
Maury and Shred stepped over the threshold and into a small, stuffy room. The desks, chairs, and tall, near-empty bookcase looked as though they had been picked up at five different yard sales. There wasn’t a personal item anywhere in sight, and the only visible sign of technology—the only objects on either of the two desk tops, in fact—were a PC and a land line telephone. It was clearly a disused space, without even an identifying poster on the wall.
Maury had been right earlier, Shred thought grimly. This looked and felt like a trap. Only a fool would stay here, hoping to meet someone.
Before he could say so aloud, the door opened behind them and a melodic female voice declared, “Maldemaur and Gershred, I presume! You’re finally here. Good! Now we can talk.”
Turning in place, Shred saw a tall, willowy female with long auburn hair, a fair, flawless complexion, and mesmerizing green eyes.
“Vincaspera. You’re Victoria Spears now?” he demanded. “And you’ve been expecting us?”
She closed the door and joined them in the centre of the room. “I am, and I have. Maldemaur set off a security alert when he called the number on the web site from his personal phone. I’ve been tracking your movements for a while.”
Her lips curved in a gracious smile, revealing perfect white teeth.
“I live just a couple of floors up,” she said. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll make you some tea and—”
“We can talk right here,” Maury cut in. He pulled a chair out from behind one of the desks, then stood beside it, waiting with evident impatience.
Her smile faded. “You never did appreciate the niceties,” she said with a sigh, and went to fetch a second chair. “All right, then. More biscuits for me. And can I assume that you came all the way out here to find me for a reason?” she added, as Shred pulled up a third chair and they all sat down.
“We’re interested in Middlevale,” said Maury. “Tell us about this experiment of yours.”
“You mean the Church of Human Purification?”
“You know what I mean,” he snapped. “I did some checking, Caspera, and it seems nothing has changed since RinYeng. You started up your ‘cult’ about three hundred and fifty years ago, shortly after I began trying to purify human essence. You learned what I was working on and just had to show me up, even if you had to cheat to do it.”
She gave him a bewildered look. “That’s what you thought I was about?” A moment later she added, “Of course. With our history, what else would you expect from me? I don’t suppose you would believe me if I told you I had no idea what you were working on…?” His stony expression gave her the answer. “Very well, then. You don’t trust me. I understand that. But the current situation is much larger than any differences we’ve had in the past, so I need you to set your feelings aside and listen to what I have to say. Can you do that?”
With obvious reluctance, Maury conceded, “All right, I’m listening.”
“And you?” she asked, turning to Shred.
He nodded wordlessly.
“I don’t know how current you are with what’s been going on back on RinYeng,” she began, “but—”
“You can spare us the info dump,” Maury interrupted irritably. “We know all about the emperor’s purification campaign.”
Her head jerked as though she’d just been slapped. “All right,” she said, recomposing her features, “but know this as well: whatever you may think of me, Maldemaur, I’m Nash’terel too, and that makes me just as much a target for assassins as any other of our people on Earth.”
“Any other adults, you mean. Or haven’t you noticed how many of our Earthborn seem to die each time the rift opens?” Maury spat. “They’re being targeted, Caspera. Specifically hunted down.”
“Believe me, I’m painfully aware of that.” Her expression hardened as she continued in a low, intense voice, “But my concern was for all the Nash’terel. When I learned how the emperor was using the rift, I realized that what we needed on this world was a safe haven, like our secluded valley back on RinYeng. I knew that it would have to be completely self-contained and self-sustaining, in order to keep its existence a secret. And I also knew that it would need an ironclad cover story to keep the segregated human food supply ignorant of their situation.”
It made perfect sense—as carefully concocted stories tended to do, Shred reminded himself.
“You’re not suggesting we believe that everything you’ve done for the past three hundred and fifty years has been altruistic, are you?” Maury said dryly. “Because we all know that would be a load of shattra. You may be familiar with the human expression about tigers not changing their stripes?”
“I suppose I had that coming as well,” she remarked. “But a lot can change in a thousand years, Maldemaur, whether or not you choose to believe it’s possible.”
“Did the Council of the First contact you?” Maury demanded.
“No. Why would they?”
“Then how did you find out how the emperor was using the rift?” asked Shred, infusing the question with pleasant menace.
Her complexion darkened. “By interrogating the perpetrator of a failed assassination attempt. I don’t appreciate being hunted, so I… pushed him around. He told me a great deal before I ended his pernicious existence.”
That sounded more like the Vincaspera he and Maury had known in the past. Shred let himself relax just a little.
“By the way, I understand you have an apprentice, Maldemaur,” she said chattily.
“I did,” he replied.
“Well, I have one now, a most promising student. I would like you to meet her.” Vincaspera took out her phone and hit a couple of buttons. After a moment, she said, “Lillandria? My guests are here. Come downstairs and say hello to them.” Returning her attention to Maury and Shred, she continued, “My selective breeding project is supposed to be a secret. Aside from the question of how you found out about Middlevale, may I ask why you’re so interested in it?”
“I want to buy it from you,” said Maury.
At this, Vincaspera laughed out loud. “And you accuse me of cheating!” she declared. “Well, you can’t present my experiment as your own, so you must have some other purpose in mind for it. Care to share with the class?”
Shred felt his jaw muscles tighten and had to consciously relax them. Come on, Maury, say what needs to be said.
“I think you misunderstand,” he replied. “I want to buy all of Middlevale. The land, the human livestock, the facilities, everything. I plan to turn it into a training camp so we’ll be ready to fight the next time the rift opens, spilling assassins onto this world.”
“A boot camp for Nash’terel. How interesting,” she said thoughtfully, adding, “And how ironic that you should come to me with this idea two centuries after I had it myself—and implemented it successfully, I might add.”
When he could once more trust his voice, Shred demanded, “Are you telling us that for the past two hundred years you’ve been training an army? Without anyone finding out about it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Of course they’d find out about an army. No, I’ve been training assassins. The rift can be travelled both ways. Next time it opens, the emperor and his advisors will be in for a very unpleasant surprise. As the humans like to say, sometimes the best defence is a strong offence.”
Maury and Shred exchanged stunned glances. Then, hearing Vincaspera call out, “Ah, Lillandria! Come in, darling, don’t be shy,” they turned and saw what looked to be a human child about seven years old standing in front of the bookcase.
She was nowhere near a doorway, not one that they could see, at any rate. So how, Shred wondered, had she managed to enter the room undetected?
As the girl drew nearer, Maury declared, “She looks like a younger version of you.”
“That’s because Lilly isn’t only my apprentice,” she told him. “She’s my Earthborn daughter.”
“How long have you been training her?” he asked.
“Since her talent began emerging, shortly after her two hundredth birthday.”
“She manifested early,” Maury remarked, frowning.
“She’s a prodigy,” Vincaspera agreed. “Lilly has a most uncommon hainbek, and I felt that it was wise to begin training it as soon as possible. So she can defend herself,” she added pointedly.
“And what is her talent, if I may ask?” said Shred.
“Show them, darling. As we’ve been practising.”
Lilly’s features contracted, and for several seconds, she was the portrait of childish concentration. Then, Shred became aware that he was having trouble breathing. He couldn’t seem to fill his lungs, no matter how quickly or deeply he inhaled. All at once his heart was pumping wildly, his vision and hearing fading…
In that instant, he understood: Lilly’s talent was air. Vincaspera had weaponized it. And he was under attack.
Reflexively, he directed his essence to gather up the heat around him for a counterattack.
Vincaspera’s eyes widened briefly. She’d probably felt the temperature drop in the room and realized what he was about to do. “That’s enough, Lilly,” she said. “Save your essence for when you feel threatened.”
The child obeyed. Then, “Can I go back upstairs now?” she said impatiently. “I want to finish my hot chocolate.”
“Yes, of course, darling.”
His pulse still racing, Shred watched her approach the bookcase and touch something at the back of a shelf. The unit promptly pivoted ninety degrees, revealing a narrow opening in the wall.
Of course, it did. Nash’terel traps always came with emergency escape routes.
As the bookcase swung closed again, Shred’s respiration and heart rate returned to normal, only to quicken once more at the thought of what had almost happened.
He turned reproachful eyes on Vincaspera. “I could have killed her.”
“Never mind that,” Maury put in. “She could have killed us. But all she cared about was not letting her drink get cold. This is why we don’t teach young children to project their essence. Or am I the only one who sees how dangerous you’ve made her?”
“I wouldn’t have let her kill you. For now, I’m teaching her defensive skills only. She’ll be the youngest Nash’terel ever to wear the bloodstone.”
This discussion was veering perilously off track. “Let’s get back to business, shall we?” Shred cut in. “Maldemaur has expressed an interest in buying Middlevale. What is your response?”
Vincaspera rearranged her features and settled back into her chair. “Middlevale is not for sale. However, under the right conditions, I might be amenable to leasing you part of the compound as a training camp. I know you don’t think of me as a team player, and maybe you’re right. Nonetheless, we do have similar goals—or at least, compatible ones—so an arrangement would certainly be worth exploring. I’d want to see a detailed proposal, of course.”
“Partners need to be able to trust each other,” Shred pointed out.
She pursed her lips for a moment. “Quite true. Therefore, I will expect to see your terms for a truce included in the proposal. You’ll need time to prepare it. Why don’t we meet again at one o’clock tomorrow afternoon, to continue our negotiations?”
Shred and Maury exchanged looks. She was being remarkably fair-minded… or appearing to be. In any case, perhaps they could find some common ground after all.
“We’ll see you then,” said Shred.
Wordlessly, Maury stood up and preceded him out the door.
* * *
“There is no way I’ll enter into a sharing arrangement with Vincaspera. I wouldn’t do it on RinYeng, and I refuse to do it now,” Maury declared, dropping with a scowl onto the wheat-coloured sofa in the living room of their hotel suite. “Besides,” he added, “she won’t sell us Middlevale, and without Middlevale, your grand scheme is dead in the water.”
“But she’s willing to negotiate terms with us,” Shred pointed out. “And maybe all we need is access to Middlevale. This is going to be a process, Maury. Let’s not give up on it before it’s even begun.”
The other being uttered a rude syllable.
Undeterred, Shred continued, “I understand your reasons for hating her, and they’re valid. I’ve been telling you that for nearly two thousand years. She ruined your scientific career back on RinYeng, destroyed your reputation, got you kicked out of the Guild. All terrible, unforgivable wrongs. I also understand her reasons for establishing Middlevale, and in my opinion, they’re valid too. But she’s just as paranoid as you are, my friend, and I’m getting the feeling that she’s like an automobile with no brakes, one bump in the road away from going completely out of control.”
“And this is our problem because…?”
“Bilyash is like a son to us, and Lilly is Vincaspera’s daughter. Look at how differently they’ve been trained. If she’s willing to turn her own offspring into a lethal weapon at such a tender age, what do you suppose she’s been doing in Middlevale for the past couple of centuries? What kind of Nash’terel assassins has she been turning out?”
He paused to let Maury digest this, then concluded tautly, “I’m not saying you should forgive and forget. Far from it. I’m only asking you to remember the greater purpose behind my ‘grand scheme’, as you put it, and continue to negotiate with her. The sooner we can get her seeing things our way, the sooner we can replace her program with ours and begin teaching the Earthborn how to survive.”
“All right, then,” Maury said with a sigh, “you win. Let’s draw up a proposal and see what she says.”
© 2024 Arlene F. Marks
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