A line in the ice, p.24
A Line in the Ice, page 24
When the base door opened, his stomach sank at the sight of Julius emerging with a black satchel in his hand. He fought not to stiffen. Yionn would recognize his discontent and react accordingly. The last thing he wanted was the imus to be alarmed again.
Julius stopped several yards away. His protective headgear masked a good part of his features, but his black eyes were clear, his voice intelligible. “How is it? Did you ask about an exam?”
Yionn exhaled, his wide nostrils flaring. “Who?”
“This is Julius. He’s the doctor I told you about.”
Julius frowned, his body tense. “You didn’t tell me it spoke English.”
“You’ve heard me speak to him in English. Didn’t you think he understood me?”
“Understanding and responding in the same manner are two entirely separate things.”
“Many of the leviathan in Illyria learn English words. They live for a long time and they interact with people. It makes our dealings with them easier, because the leviathan themselves have so many different dialects between them.”
“Yionn.”
Julius’s frown didn’t ease. He didn’t even move. Lysander wondered what he was thinking.
“Julius,” he finally said. “I’m a doctor. Do you know what that is?”
“Yes.”
“Yionn is one of the oldest members of his clan. His father was killed when the Yellow Cross first entered our world. Before my great-grandfather left earth.”
Yionn exhaled again, his body rumbling against the ice. “Not many left.”
“He means imus.”
Julius took a single step closer. “Because of the Yellow Cross or because of more natural means?”
“Yellow Cross.”
“They targeted Yionn’s kind early because of their age and size.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Early warlords here on Earth used elephants when they could. That’s an extremely large, very heavy animal. Just a little bit bigger than Yionn here.”
“Yes, and they feared the imus would lead the resistance.” He leaned closer to the leviathan. “According to Yionn, there are rumors of rebels in the mountains. Using sneak attacks. There may be allies when I return.”
“Allies are always good.” Julius held up the satchel so Yionn could see it more clearly. “May I? I’m only interested in getting some basic information. Nothing invasive.”
“Yes.”
Lysander tilted his head. “What are you looking for?”
Julius finally stepped close enough to touch, though he dropped his bag to the ground and crouched next to it first. “Soren’s dampeners only work within a limited range. Our ideal solution would be to find a way to fry the chips without harming anything. If I can learn enough about how their bodies work, I might be able to make some educated guesses about brain chemistry.” He glanced up at Lysander for a brief moment. “I’m assuming that’s your priority as well as mine.”
“Yes. If we can permanently disable the chips, then we will not risk the Yellow Cross regaining control over all the leviathan once we’ve freed them. The dampeners are a good step in the right direction, and I am very grateful to have them but…” He idly ran his finger over one of Yionn’s horns. He had cleaned it earlier, and now it shone with the same intensity as the ice around him. “I would be greatly relieved to know the leviathan stood a real chance, regardless of what happens to me.”
Julius fussed with a piece of equipment. “You keep referring to them as leviathan, and you said they all have different dialects, suggesting they speak the same root language. Yet, they all look different to me. I don’t think I understand.”
“When my great-grandfather and his squad first saw them in Belgium, they didn’t understand, either. At first, they assumed the creatures were demons, associated with the traditional concept of the devil. So they began referring to all these so-called demons as leviathan, a name they learned from their holy book. It was not until after my great-grandfather fled to Illyria that they understood the so-called demons were not evil at all. Still, the name stuck.”
“So are they all the variations of the same species, or separate?” He looked up and down Yionn’s body. “And tell me where its heart is. I don’t want to make assumptions and end up offending him.”
“I do not know. They claim no relation to each other, but they share several similar characteristics. Several people in Illyria have tried to study them in the past, but it is not always easy. His heart is in the center of his chest.” He nudged Yionn’s shoulder. “Do you mind rolling to your side?”
The imus lumbered into position, exhaling loudly when Julius stepped between his legs. Kneeling, he stripped one glove off to run his hand through the thick fur, obviously in search of Yionn’s pulse. When his hand stilled, marking the spot, he pressed the other device—a circular, metallic pad—against it, switching hands to slide something into his ear. He didn’t speak for several seconds, head bent, listening.
He glanced back without moving the pad. “Did you discuss why they’re attacking? I’d rather not duplicate effort if you’ve already gotten answers.”
“Yes. The Yellow Cross built a large enclosure on what remains of the city. They have been capturing and herding leviathan into this enclosure, forcing the smaller and more dexterous types into hard labor and reserving the larger ones for fighting. This enclosure is apparently completely surrounded by the sorts of items we found on the Aquorian, so the leviathan cannot break down the walls. They…they force the leviathan to fight each other at times, so they can learn fighting will take away the pain. By the time they force them through the rift, they are enraged, tortured, willing to do anything for a moment of relief.”
Julius nodded, as if he’d expected nothing less. It was about time he actually started to listen. Hopefully it wasn’t too late.
Julius moved the circular pad to various parts of Yionn’s abdomen, seemingly done with questions for the time being. Sometimes, he palpated a muscle. Once, he leaned in and breathed in the musky scent of Yionn’s fur. When he reached the thick neck, he probed carefully upward until his hand halted near the scruff.
“Do you know how they implanted the plates in you, Yionn? Were you awake when it happened?”
“No. Asleep. For many hours.”
“Damn. It would’ve been nice to have more information. There’s a scar here, but that’s all I can tell without operating.”
“Operating?” Lysander asked.
“Yeah. Um…” He straightened, frowning as he glanced at Yionn. “It’s what we do when we need to fix things inside you. Making an incision or two to see beneath the skin and muscle. Which I’m not going to do, so don’t worry.”
“I am not. If you felt it necessary, and Yionn agreed, I wouldn’t fight you.”
“Well, I won’t lie. I wish I could. That’s the surest way to make sure he’s free of it. But I don’t think my tools are strong enough to cut through his hide as cleanly as I’d like. We’ll just have to make do for now.”
“What we have now is more than I dared hope for. My heart is replete with thankfulness.”
The corners of Julius’s eyes crinkled, like he might actually be smiling. “You must drive Charlie crazy with all the Shakespeare talk. Though I’ll bet she doesn’t recognize half of what you say to her, am I right?”
“You’re right. At first, I did not understand why she was ignorant of all his work, but I suppose you have a whole world of books. Nobody is limited to half-remembered Shakespeare or remnants of Dickens and Milton.”
“Yeah, well, Charlie’s not exactly a book kind of gal in the first place. She’s more of a Die Hard girl.” He gathered his satchel, ignorant of the fact that Lysander had no idea what he was talking about. “I’m done here. And you need to get back inside. You’ve spent too long out here today, and the temperature is starting to drop.”
Lysander pushed himself to his feet, stepping out of the way while Yionn rolled back to his stomach. He stroked the leviathan’s massive brow, enjoying the texture of his shaggy fur against his skin.
“Will you be all right out here? I can return in a few hours.”
“Need sleep.”
“I know, but are you cold? Are you going to…freeze to the ground?”
“No. Fine.”
“Will you get up and walk in a bit? The more you move, the better.”
“I will.”
Julius waited for him at the base door, only pushing it open when Lysander was nearly there. He held it for Lysander to enter first, slamming it behind them to leave them in near black as their eyes adjusted to the shift in light.
“Do you know how to write?”
“Yes. However, I have not had any practice in the past year.”
“If I give you a pen and paper, could you write down everything you know about the leviathan? Physical characteristics, habits, that kind of thing. Anything to give me a better picture of what they’re like. It’ll be easier to draw conclusions if I have more information.”
He hesitated. On the one hand, he did not want to take the time away from Charlie and their preparation to return to Illyria. On the other hand, if Julius had more information, perhaps they could help the leviathan further. If Illyria was to have any sort of chance, the leviathan needed to be at their strongest.
“Yes, I can do that this evening.”
“Good. I’ll tell Charlie to help you. If you have problems putting it down into words, she can transcribe it for you.” He pulled his headgear off and rubbed a hand over his face. “Try to do it yourself, though. Her handwriting’s atrocious.”
Lysander smiled. “I shall, but I doubt her handwriting can be any worse than mine. I learned how to write on a slate. There’s not enough paper in Illyria for practicing.”
Julius smirked. “You say that because you’ve never had to decipher one of her reports. When you get undressed, come to the common room. I’ll give you the supplies there.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he promised, though all he really wanted to do was curl up in bed with Charlie. But that would have to wait. Perhaps indefinitely. Time tightened around him like a noose.
It was hard to begrudge Lysander his excitement about the success of Soren’s devices, even as Charlie helped him put his thoughts down for the assignment Julius had given him. She was excited, too. Anything that made it easier to free the leviathan from the grip of the Yellow Cross was good. But with that knowledge came the understanding that nothing was stopping them from going through the rift.
Which meant she had to tell the others. Sooner rather than later.
She really didn’t want to. Sneaking out sounded better and better. The only thing stopping her was the heat sensors. They’d be discovered and forced to offer explanations anyway. Then she’d look like she was doing something wrong, which she wasn’t, not at all. But that’s how the others would see it.
When Lysander was done, she tried to take the report from him, using the excuse that she should look it over and check to make sure Julius would be able to read it. It seemed like the perfect stalling mechanism. Except he refused to listen, pulling her to her feet to go off in search of Julius right then.
“Maybe we should let them get some sleep.” She slipped her hand free. “It’s been a long day for all of us.” Though she didn’t believe for a second anybody was calling it quits yet.
“No, I promised Julius I would have the information to him as quickly as possible. I think it’s best I keep my word.”
She gnawed at her lower lip. “And then? How long are you going to wait until you want to go back through the rift?”
“Soren and Julius are working quickly.” He took a deep breath. “We could be gone by this time tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. She hadn’t expected anything different. Yet, hearing him say the words made her stomach flutter and her palms sweat.
“That means I have to tell them.”
“Yes. I will help you in any way I can. If you would like me to be with you, I will. If not, I will understand.”
Going in alone would spare Lysander any flack from the others as well as make it look more like he wasn’t forcing her to do this. Bonus points for both.
Her need for emotional support trumped them. Plus, she really didn’t want to do this by herself.
“With me. Please.”
“Then I suppose there is no time like the present.” He took her hand back, threading his fingers through hers, and brought it to his lips. The kiss was really no more than his mouth skimming over her skin, but it made her tingle. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
She squeezed his hand and reached for the door. “Thank me after we’ve kicked the Aquorians’ asses.”
Butterflies knocked around her stomach as they walked through the base. She kept her head up, even when they found Lisa and Theo and asked them to join her in the common room. Julius and Soren were already there working on the extra dampeners.
“Where’s Eduard?” she asked. “I need to have a group meeting.”
“A meeting about what?” Theo edged past her into the room. “Is there a problem?”
“Eduard’s in the workout room. Do you want me to go get him?”
“Yeah, that would be great, Lisa.” She pulled out a chair near the opposite end of all the electronics. “And no, it’s not a problem. Just stuff we need to talk about.”
Lysander handed Julius the stack of pages he had filled with his careful, painstaking script. “This is everything that I know of the leviathan. How they were used the first time the Yellow Cross sent them through the rift, the way they eat, their family units, the way they migrate through Illyria, and stories I have been told of them.”
Julius accepted the stack. “Thank you.”
“How soon will you have the other dampeners completed?”
“Soon,” Soren promised. “They’re not difficult to make.”
Lisa returned with Eduard in tow, his sweaty shirt sticking to his broad shoulders. He refrained from taking a seat, but frowned when his gaze swept over the group. “What’s this about?”
Charlie took a deep breath. “Now that we can make something to counter what’s going on with the leviathan, Lysander is anxious about getting back as soon as possible. Like, tomorrow as soon as possible.”
“Tomorrow?” Theo looked from Charlie to Lysander, his forehead wrinkled with confusion. “You can’t possibly be ready to go.”
“I am. Once I use these dampeners on the leviathan, they will turn on the Yellow Cross, which hopefully will allow enough time to close the rift.”
“You have my blessing,” Eduard announced. “The sooner you get that rift closed, the happier we’re all going to be.”
Lisa caught Charlie’s gaze and tilted her head. “How do you feel about this?”
“Nervous,” she admitted on a rush of breath. “I’m going with him.”
Her announcement stole the air from the room. Nobody responded for several beats. Lisa’s mouth hung open. Soren and Julius were both frozen, their faces impassive. Theo didn’t look shocked, but his eyes had suddenly gone dark.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Eduard finally ground out.
It was actually easier to repeat in the face of Eduard’s reaction. “I’m. Going. With. Him. As in, I’m not staying here. Look at what he’s trying to do. If even one thing goes wrong, the whole thing falls apart, and then our chance at ending this is gone.”
“That’s not why you’re going.”
“Yes, it is. Well, it’s part of why I’m going.”
Eduard jabbed a finger at Lysander. “He put you up to this.”
“No, he didn’t. I’m the one who suggested it. And I’m not changing my mind.”
“That’s nice. Did you even think about discussing this with anybody?” Lisa folded her arms. “Or did you really think the best way to do this was to just drop it on us like a bomb?”
Eduard glared at her. “She probably didn’t want to discuss it because she knew it was insane and we’d try to stop her.”
“You’re just going to jump into the rift and…hope Lysander has been telling the truth?” Theo looked over to Lysander. “No offense, but we really have no idea what’s on the other side of that rift. It’s a suicide mission.”
“She’s not the first who was willing to take that risk,” Lysander said. “And the men who jumped in to fight before had no reason to believe, no reason to hope, that they would survive. But they did not let that stop them from doing the right thing and defending their home.”
“We know Lysander is telling the truth.” She had to make them see. Working together, they had the power to stop her. “We’ve seen the proof. He said the Aquorians were lethal and fast, and lo and behold, one breaks out of our best restraints, ready to kill. He said the leviathan weren’t responsible for what they were doing, and lo and behold, we find a device that’s forcing them to act against their real natures. You all saw it. Julius even talked to one. When are you going to stop acting like Lysander’s the enemy here?”
“Even if he is not the enemy, it’s still insanity,” Eduard argued. “Two against an entire army is stupid.”
“It’s better than one against an entire army.”
“It’s not two against an entire army.” All heads swiveled to Soren. “Which is Lysander’s point, I guess. With the dampeners, they have an army of leviathan on their side.”
Lysander nodded. “Yes. Yionn has told us there are more survivors. Or, at least, rumors of more survivors in the mountains.”
“You don’t just abandon your team to run off with your new boyfriend,” Eduard said.
“That’s not what this is about.” She looked around the room, silently pleading with the others to listen to her. “Yes, I have feelings for Lysander. I’m not going to deny that. I’d look like an idiot if I tried. But that’s only part of why I need to go. We have one job here. Stop anything coming out of the rift from getting to civilization. Going through it is the single best way of accomplishing that goal. Hell, it’s the only way. Closing the rift is preferable to spending all our time killing the leviathan, and then what if the Aquorians decide they’re ready to attack? That’s war. There’s no other name for it.”
