The replacement book 1 o.., p.9
The Replacement: Book 1 of The Replacement Series, page 9
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”
“First tell me your answer about the blood, then ask questions.”
Of course, I will choose her blood. Reading my thoughts again, Clara pulls a vial from a pocket and hands it to me. It is larger than the others, and I gulp it greedily.
“Slayers are the military of the Lymerians, and I am their commander—their Vegar. It is a great honor and powerful title. If a Lymerian accused me of breaking my word, it would be a serious affront. No one would dare accuse me to my face. One of my captains would handle the offense before it reached my ears.” Jealousy twinges in my gut at the fondness in her voice. I avert my focus. Who is in charge of their military while she is away?
“Can you still be in charge of them when you are here?”
“It is unprecedented for someone as high of rank as me to be chosen for Liturgy, so there are no rules regarding it. Let us talk about something else.”
Chapter 12
Exams
Written in Jordan’s fine hand are the transcriptions from the fourth-year examinations. The Keeper shall be granted access to the transcriptions under the supervision of the Architect.
First Visit
“What is your earliest memory?”
“Hiding in darkness until hands pulled me free. My eyes stayed shut until a nun convinced me to open them at the orphanage.”
“How old were you?” “Four.”
“What happened before you were four?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you remember your birth parents, your family?”
“No.”
Second Visit
“Describe living in the orphanage.”
“Many rules and few choices. Janice made it bearable.”
“Who is Janice?”
“Another orphan.” “Who is she to you?”
“She was my best friend. My only friend.” “Tell me about her.”
“Janice remembered everything. She knew why she was in the orphanage and hated everyone because of it.”
“Explain more.”
“Janice remembers a baby sister, one she loved more than anything. I wish I could have known the Janice that had a baby sister. The Janice I met didn’t have a sister anymore. If my past is anything like Janice’s, then I’m glad I can’t remember.”
Third Visit
“What did you like about the orphanage?” “Nothing. I liked nothing.”
“What did you like about your bedroom at the Franklin’s?”
“The tree.” “Why?”
“Because my owl lived there.”
“How do you know it was yours?”
“I was the only one that could see it.” “What color was the owl?”
“Many colors mixed together—brown, white, black, gray.”
“What did you like about your dorm room?”
“The window.”
“Why?”
“It led out. It led to Merrick.”
Fourth Visit
“If your house was on fire and you could only save one person, who would that be?”
“Myself.”
“You would let the rest die?”
“Peter would save Rebecca. Vic and Judy can take care of themselves.”
“Why Peter and not Vic or Judy?” “Peter . . . I just know he would.”
“Explain.”
“Rebecca is Peter’s responsibility.”
“And if Peter were gone?”
“He wouldn’t be.”
Fifth Visit
“Would you rather follow ten rules or one?” “One.”
“Make a rule, and I will follow it.”
“Stay near me.”
“That is a request, not a rule.”
“You must stay near me.”
“Impossible, I am the Vegar. Amend it.”
“No.”
“Then I cannot follow it.”
Sixth Visit
“What kind of human life did you desire?” “Marry and raise a family.”
“Before you met Merrick, what did you desire?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Before Merrick I thought I’d be with Rebecca and even Vic forever.”
Seventh Visit
“Choose three different methods and attack me. Go.” Angelica runs toward Clara and sweeps right arm to the neck. Clara catches the arm, twists then flips Angelica’s body into a wall.
On the second attempt, Angelica runs past Clara many times before striking. On the tenth cycle, she spins into the air, kicking her legs out. Clara crouches then springs, gripping Angelica’s leg and shoving her into the wall.
“I’ll never be able to even scratch you.”
“You did before.”
Angelica’s hand shoots out at Clara’s face, touching only air as Clara steps briskly back.
Eighth Visit
“Hold out your hand.”
Clara breaks Angelica’s pinky finger. Angelica is silent. One by one, Clara breaks the other fingers then feeds her from the wrist.
Ninth Visit
“How long did you live at the orphanage?” “Nine years.”
“Why was Janice your only friend?” “She didn’t like the others.”
“You lived at the orphanage for years before Janice.
Why did you not have friends?”
“I didn’t want them.”
“Why?”
“They were weak.” “They were human.”
Tenth Visit
“Why did you attack me the first time I came into your cell?”
“Because you smelled like Merrick.”
Eleventh Visit
“What was your favorite game when you were human?”
“Chess.”
“Who did you play chess with?” “Vic. He taught me.”
“Did you ever beat Vic?”
“I always beat Vic.”
“Always? Even in the beginning?”
“Maybe not the first months, but I was learning.”
“Why do you think you were so successful against
him?”
“Him? I beat everyone in the house, even Peter. Vic never gave up trying to best me. I told him how to win. It’s not a race; stop trying to get your king to the other side. Just keep your king alive.”
“Did you ever play Rebecca?”
“Rebecca didn’t like chess.”
Twelfth Visit
“You may ask one question.”
“What happened to Janice?”
“Janice is twenty-three. She is not married and has no children. Her life is hard for a human. She makes her meager living by drawing. She still draws you.”
Chapter 13
Clara
"She will join us in a few days,” I say when I am sure Farrell is done reading the transcripts.
“Has it really been five years?” Farrell sounds bored, but his sharp eyes pay attention to any reaction I might show. “Any other assaults, aside from your original visit?”
“No.”
“Did you command her into obedience?” With great effort, I hold back my snicker. May the Astros help the unfortunate Votary beholden to a Litmar Architect.
“I broke her back.”
“She marked you?” My ego flares at his lack of surprise.
“Yes.” I am torn between pride and shame.
“And her placement?”
“Too soon to determine. Dormant has been eliminated as a possibility.”
“I would not say that, Vegar. Your Votary drinks from your blood alone, I presume. You would insist on it. Guard blood will change her, especially the dijal li blood. I predict over time she will only be less like you.”
“Rude, even for you Farrell.” Dijal li blood—imposter’s blood. Does he mean Kyle or Jordan?
“Forgive me, I must remember Liturgy has softened you.” He pauses to revel in my irritation, aware he is worming his way under my armor. “Jordan, of course, is understandable with your history, but the other? Why should you care for him, Clara? He is but a Dormant hiding in Guard grays.” Kyle is the imposter. Only a Litmar would hold a grudge so petty, believing the Astros should not meddle with placement.
There may be truth in what he says, but he is playing a game with me. Litmars love to play games. Pretending Angelica might be a Dormant is his opportunity to needle me about Kyle. Angelica’s first examination indicates she is a Guard and Farrell knows it, but odds are she is a Slayer. Votaries usually follow the same division as their Architect or become Dormants. Her behavior has only once suggested she is Slayer, but she is certainly not a Dormant. The real exams are to come, and the council has the final say.
“We would like to review the scrolls,” I say, changing the subject. I am done playing his game. Farrell nods, satisfied, and picks up the phone receiver closest to him. He does not speak into it. Instead he dials a combination of numbers with intermittent pauses. I can hear the beeping responses through the receiver but have no idea what the codes mean.
Farrell hangs up the phone. “Someone will meet you at Mountain Top.”
Before I can stop myself, my heart and breathing pause from the shock of what he has said. Farrell can no doubt hear my body’s reaction to the news. Mountain Top.
“How many times have you met with the Astros?”
Farrell knows how many times I have been called. “Twice.”
Visits to the Astros are calculated and rare. Younger Lymerians have only seen Etherial, the Astro that resides on the council. In my earlier years, it was different. Lymerians were invited to council meetings and sometimes small groups of Astros would be there too.
Occasionally Lymerians are called into Astros quarters, yet no one speaks of it. Astros cover their tracks, clearing all memory of your encounter. As Vegar, I have been called to Mountain Top twice. There is very little I recall of either visit.
“You must have known they would meet with you, as
Architect.”
“Perhaps not so soon,” I offer honestly.
“They follow no rules.” Farrell is correct. Older and more experienced than I, he speaks the truth of them. They follow no rules and hold all power. Yet we submit; we trust. I trust them.
We nod to each other, and I leave.
Krisenica is isolated within the Appalachian Mountains to keep it hidden from humans. Lymerians arrived with the first European settlers. Dormant builders spent decades carving the mountain so it would be habitable for the rest that eventually followed. Over the years, we have added and updated, making it into a grand facility. A mere mountain on the outside, but our world away from a world inside.
Angelica, Kyle, Jordan, and I reside at the lowest point, which is hundreds of feet below ground. Most of Krisenica weaves through the mountains. The Astros live at Mountain Top, the most secure place in Krisenica.
Thankfully there is an elevator that travels some of the distance. Inside it awaits a single coat, a pair of boots, and thick gloves. For a moment, I think about not taking them, but the memory of my last encounter with this mountain tells me different. Near the top of the mountain there is snow and fast winds, and the entrance at the top is hidden.
When I step out of the elevator, I look to the south. Nadir is not far. Thinking of him and our remote days spent in Africa fill me with warmth. I will need to hold on to this feeling as I climb.
“Njoo Kwangu,” I whisper, letting the wind carry my message to its destination, and then I start moving.
There are many miles to climb, but with my speed, distance passes quickly. When I come upon the place where the entrance once lived, I find it changed. It does not surprise me. Nothing is ever easy with the Astros. Whether it is for their protection, entertainment, or reasons I cannot begin to imagine, there is no entrance here. I must find a different way.
Another frigid hour goes by before I spot a break in the mountainside. Only Lymerian eyes could see the faint glow breaking free of rock. As I approach, I feel small vibrations and hear humming. It is familiar, and I remember everything they made me leave behind during the last visit. Those memories were not taken nor erased, simply locked away, and only they have the key. How will I hold on to them? What if I ran right now? Before I can decide, the mountain parts. With a burst of speed, I slide in before it closes.
Blackness—not even my eyes can see. Quickly I reach for a wall and feel around until I touch what I need. The room illuminates to reveal an Astro I know as Carmen standing very near me. Her eyes are blindingly white.
“To see what you see,” I say in amazement and everything goes black again.
It is night when I find myself back at the entrance to the elevator. There is no sign of Nadir, but he feels near. A game of hide and seek. I shut my eyes and concentrate until I see myself through his. When I turn to where he should be, there is only snow and mountain.
“Nadir you win,” I say, and he moves a little. Ah, his color is different. We move as one and collide together. “You are so beautiful. Do you like the snow?” Nadir licks my face, his happiness pulsing through us both.
Nadir is my compeer. We have been together since Africa, since I was a child. Any Lymerian has the ability to choose a compeer, but it is only the Slayers and Guards that see the use in having them.
Nadir is a black panther, and his blood intensifies my power, speed, agility, and many senses. In return, he shall live as long as I do and may live wherever he chooses. Centuries of my blood allow him to adapt to his surroundings. His fur is white from the years living in the mountains and snow. Despite our link, he remains fiercely independent. Throughout our many lifetimes, he is away as much as with me.
His loyalty took years to earn and required a great risk. For an entire year I followed him through the jungles of Africa, abandoning the Lymerians and my Slayer training. I knew from the first time I saw him that he was worth it. I would not have risen to Vegar without him. When the Lymerians set sail across the Atlantic, Nadir followed me.
Since we have been in America, he spends most of his time in the South American jungles. Two decades ago he came back to Krisenica and has been living in the mountains ever since. This is our fourth meeting in that time and the first I have seen him white.
“You are going to lose this beautiful coat,” I tease and rub the side of my face against his. He licks me again, whispering such sadness into my I heart that I pull away. Then I fix my gaze on him and let his thoughts envelope me.
Lymerians and compeers can communicate with each other, better over time. Nadir knows my words, especially Swahili, but his English is coming along. Animal communication is different. They think single thoughts over and over until they are acknowledged. They may think happy, happy, happy as they greet you or love, love, love when they rub their face against your hands. Right now, Nadir is thinking leave, leave, leave. He is ready to leave again. The jungle is calling him, and he wants me to go too.
I smile just a little at his love for me, and a single tear escapes me. Angelica will not leave Krisenica for many years. Nadir lays across my lap and stretches his neck. He wants to show me something. I remove my creese—a small, sharp sword—and slide it across the side of Nadir’s neck, swallowing twice from him.
My mind floods with images of Nadir and I running through the jungles of Africa. Adventure, hunting, hills, the burning sun, cool water—my truest happiness. In his mind, we are forever young and strong. More memories, ones where we are not alone. Nadir knows and is trying to help me. I hold him close, feeling the end nearing us.
“Have you lived enough lives, my friend?” Without my blood, he will live one final lifetime. “Do you wish to join her?” Nadir’s mind is quiet. Undecided. “For now then?” Once again, I remove the creese and slash it across my wrist. Nadir licks and his beautiful green eyes turn black, as does his white coat. He is a panther again. My blood gives him more than my dark eyes. It tells him why I cannot leave.
Nadir stands and licks my face one last time. We look into each other’s eyes for a long time before he thinks her, her, her, stay, stay, stay, kwaheri, kwaheri, kwaheri.
Chapter 14
Clara
Kyle is on watch in the viewing room when I finally make my way back down to our quarters. I stop by to check in. Kyle stands, assuming I am here to relieve him, but when his eyes meet mine he sits back down. Seeing through my mask, he knows I cannot take my watch right now.
Despite lifetimes of cultivating the art of masking my own feelings, Jordan and Kyle see through me. There is no Slayer. There is no Vegar. Nothing shall come between the three, and they shall see, see, see. Liturgy wins every time. Their transparency is equal to mine—a small comfort. Kyle does not mind a second watch; he is probably delighted to have more time observing Angelica.
Instead of seeking my room, I go to Jordan. Much of my clothes are wrecked from the cold and climb, so I remove them and slide in his bed. Since my breakdown, I have given in to my need for Jordan. It is not the passion of our youth, but layers of protection, loyalty, and love.
“You saw Nadir?” Jordan asks, surprised. “How long has he been here? I thought he was in the Amazon.”
“He returned in 1939.” Jordan sucks in a breath. The year my mate left.
“Nadir knew you needed him.” I nod.
“He has gone back then?”
“Why do you think that?”
