No tracks. A handy disappearing act, not leaving tracks. If LX70 had taken an already-beaten path away from the stop, no one, not even the khentauree, noticed divots in the snow—so she had to have retreated into the tunnel.
Unless the heavy gusts had blown the evidence away.
Lapis waved a handheld light across the tracks, then focused the beams on one side, then the other, just beyond the second platform. Again, she saw no displacement of the dirt or disturbance of the frost pattern. Frozen solid, so perhaps that was why? How far inside would they have to go, to discover prints?
She rubbed her glove under her runny nose and sighed. Tovi might find her trail, but no one wanted to endanger the teen by letting him sniff further than the immediate area. The other khentaurees’ scents mingled to cover LX70’s, and while she was certain the terron could pick up her trail outside that inundation, they needed to wait for an adult who could use the scale-hardening secretion to protect themselves from an unexpected assault.
Tovi’s petulant insistence did not convince anyone he should brave the danger, either.
“Lanth,” Patch called, his voice echoing off the walls. She glanced over her shoulder, up at Chiddle, who jerked his head towards her partner, and trotted to him. “We’re going to escort the wagons to Cuddle Bear’s house,” he informed her.
“Do you think she’ll attack them? She wants to help the heads, and that will just leave them out in the cold.”
“We can’t predict what she’s going to do—and that’s how she’s going to play us.”
With a worried look at Chiddle, who strode further down the tunnel without backup, she headed for the wagons. They passed Black Hats and Minq doing a perimeter sweep, and Ghost and Sanna—and she did not have to guess, how hard Sanna worked to keep him from doing something drastic. Their tense body language, buzzing, and hands cutting the air said it all, and Jhor’s worry cemented it.
“You must get the heads settled, Jhor,” Sanna said as soon as they reached the small group. He opened his mouth, and she hissed loud enough, he snapped it shut and turned with a huff.
“What’s up?” Patch asked with breezy nonchalance as he fell into step with them.
Jhor eyed him but waited until they were beyond the guards before he spoke. “They don’t know why they can’t detect her,” he murmured. “Ghost took the mechanism that guided her scouting abilities, so she has another feature that allows her to avoid discovery by scanning. Taangis military scientists installed numerous alterations to hardware when battle pressures rose, and it makes sense, the fort khentauree would continue to do so.” He sucked in a huge sigh, planted his hands at the small of his back, and arched. “I have a few books on those alterations, but they’re manuals written by engineers who had to take them out or revamp them for business clients. They’re helpful, but not what we need.”
“So Ghost fiddling with her upset her, and she took off.” Her partner did not sound surprised.
“Maybe. Khentauree don’t see violations of their being in the same way we would, because they’ve experienced so many part replacements. This is especially true of mechanical troops who would undergo several during their life cycle, some in the safety of a base, some suffering janky setups in the field.”
“Chiddle was concerned she would be upset,” Lapis said.
“Chiddle’s grown beyond his initial programming and would see it that way. LX70 hasn’t. There is no sense of self to violate. For her, an enemy made her compliant to his commands and is reacting to that based on her escape programming, that’s it.”
It was still a violation, however Jhor might describe it. Ghost removed something she did not want removed, and she reacted accordingly.
The wind tore across the plowed road to the workstation, hurling bits and pieces of snow, branches and needles with it. Lapis held her scarf over her lower face with one hand and her gauntlet ready in the other as she strained to see through the haze. Transparent did not mean the debris could go through LX70’s chassis, so she should be an easier spot.
Maybe. The haze hid the surrounding area past the creaking wagons, so as long as the khentauree kept her distance, they may not notice her until she struck.
“Dov, do you think she’s still around?” Patch asked, adjusting the goggles the Minq gave him so they only covered his regular eye. His patch swirled in blue, scanning the area for any sign of the khentauree; a fruitless gesture, if the huffy growls were any indication.
“No,” Dov said as their head swiveled slowly back and forth. They wore a cobalt coat and caparison borrowed from Jhor; their initial suspicion of the items turned to surprise as warmth seeped into their chassis. They declared they would like to have a similar outfit for patrols, and a hint of something other than depression peeked out as they smoothed the material. “Redundancies are common in military khentauree, but not of devices to make them disappear. That equipment was expensive, and the hardware interfered with one another, causing disruptions to inner workings. She is also not a special khentauree, so she cannot do things without the physical parts. Because she cannot hide as she normally would, she has chosen another way to evade our notice.”
“Is that how she walked away while everyone was busy loading the wagons?” The patch flared, and the tiny lights that normally spun around the edge disappeared. Patch hissed through his teeth, annoyed, and pressed the bottom center. The lights returned, at a plodding rate.
“It is odd. We khentauree should have noticed her departure. We watched for it. We still missed it. Her programming has much slyness, for a medic.” He clicked twice. “The heads feel deserted, and they are unhappy.”
Whatever the military khentauree planned, no one liked it.
Tovi and Cassa entered the gate first, the terron sniffing for a hint of an unknown khentauree, but detected nothing. Not a surprise; the wind would have blown the scent into nothing before they reached it. The wagons rocked on through, and the Black Hats closed the solid panels with a resounding clang of metal.
Had the wind something to do with the inability to pick LX70 up through scans? That would explain some of the difficulty the khentauree and Patch had. She poked him, and he eyed her.
“How much is the wind affecting your tech detection?”
“There’s noise from the flying bits, but the workstation has some anti-tech at work that’s more of a problem. They must have turned it on once someone informed them that LX70 disappeared, because it wasn’t active when we arrived.”
“Ambercaast khentauree know the natural conditions in these mountains,” Dov said. “They shared with me, so I am not so hindered, but wind interference is still not good for scans. Honjora built the anti-tech based on what the Meergevens employed, but it has a specific work-around for us allies. It is new; she turned it on yesterday for tests. You should ask Jhor to modify your patch.”
Lapis mulled the information, which did not override her concern about LX70. The khentauree probably disappeared when the winds blew their hardest, using a modified tech device to aid in her sneaky escape. If the anti-tech interfered with her workings, she would take that as a threat, and if found, someone would end up hurt—or worse.
Another reason for her to flee back to Jiy.
Lapis, Patch and Dov stood guard at the large double door while the scientists and Jhor whisked the heads and equipment into Cuddle Bear’s home, more than one looking fearfully over their shoulder at the skittering snow beyond the wagons. The Black Hat patrollers circled the building, and while they found nothing, no one trusted that LX70 had not made it into the workstation and waited for another distraction before attacking.
She hated that she stood outside in the cold, watching for a mechanical being who had likely left for Jiy. Silently thanking LX70 for the miserable opportunity, she folded her arms and glared at the windy landscape.
“Ghost will go to the mines,” Dov said suddenly. “Sanna will go with him. They are concerned she seeks their supplies.”
Lapis looked up at the khentauree. “Would she take them, after pledging to Ghost? Or does she think he broke their agreement because he took the device from her?”
“That is not how the pledge works,” Dov said. “I agreed to the same words, and they include provisions about not attacking in friendly company. They are fair. They are genuine. She should not have belittled Ghost’s generosity, especially if she wished to help the heads find new chassis.” He buzzed. “I do not think she wants to help. Other programming dictates her actions.”
“So she pledged to Ghost, knowing she would break his trust?” Steam rose from her scarf as she blew her breath forcefully into the fabric. “That makes me more certain she’s going back to Jiy to get Tuft.”
Dov buzzed, more in thought than because they had something to say. Patch regarded her with pursed lips. “Not only is it a long walk in the cold, we have Mint and Tia, and they aren’t going to be nice if they catch her sneaking in.”
“She’s searching for a replacement for what she lost, and she knows where he’s at, so she won’t have to search for chassis in an unfamiliar mine.”
“If she believes she can retrieve a similar device from Tuft, she is wrong,” Dov said. “Tuft disappears, but not through a mechanism. He was never a military khentauree, but a different khentauree.”
“What do you mean?” Lapis asked.
“Tuft does not know where he came from. Maphezet Kez bought him, but we do not know from where, and he has no memory of anything before they plugged him in at the Cloisters. This is strange, for most khentauree have backups from the first time they were turned on. It is their default, in case memory or data gets corrupted and they need to return to their original state. But the Cloisters was not the first time Tuft was turned on. We know, because the humans talked about it. They talked about how eager Maphezet Kez was to have him, and when he disappeared, he raged. Ree-god raged, to deflect his wrath from her.
“Tuft was always different than we other khentauree. Gedaavik was curious as to why, but did not plug him into machines and run tests. He asked him questions. It was clear, whoever owned him previously erased his memory, but that did not stop him from being odd.”
As if Dov were one to talk. “So if she opens Tuft up, she won’t find the device she’s looking for.”
“No. And once Tuft wakes, she will wish she had not touched him. He takes violations very seriously.”
Had Dov learned the fine art of understatement?
“I doubt she’ll reach him,” Patch said. “The mansion’s on alert and Mint and Tia have her scent. If they smell her anywhere nearby, they’ll raise the call.”
“Yes. That is why siscousige did not like terrons,” Dov said. “They could smell invisible khentauree and sneak attacks did no damage, as long as they secreted the substance to make their scales hard. Because of this, the siscousige had to make deals with mine owners rather than overrun them.”
Lapis frowned. That made no sense. “So Taangis overran countries but not mines?”
“Yes. They lost too many fighters to terrons. Places like Ambercaast, with large terron populations, could eliminate a contingent sent against them and suffer relatively few casualties. The mine owners were greedy and easily bought, so Taangis bribed them.”
“I thought the terrons were brought to Theyndora by the Taangins.”
“Many were. Not all. Terrons migrated from Siindernorth to Theyndora and Pelthine, and down to the southern continent of Zouldan. There were free populations that lived on the southern coasts when Maphezet Kez was in charge of the Shivers and Cloister. He often spoke of kidnapping them to sniff aquatheerdaal, but he never did. I do not know if those villages still exist.”
“Cassa would,” Lapis murmured, though her heart sank at the thought. The Taangis Empire might have let them roam free, but the Dentherion Empire would not. The villagers would have had to go into hiding to avoid the heavy boots of destruction and death.
“This is the last of the equipment,” Jhor said, shuffling past them carrying a large crate between himself and another scientist. The hunched wagon drivers called ‘go go’ to the oxen, and they pulled away from the building, heading for the stable. With a last, uneasy look at the snow-covered lane and the empty lawn beyond it, Lapis followed the Black Hat guards inside.
Mechanical static filled the air. Perhaps normal khentauree did not have feelings like humans, but no one could miss their humming displeasure at their circumstance. Someone had turned on the screen along the eastern wall, adding to the noise; figures in an intimate setting argued, waving hands and leaning forward before a woman straightened, offense written plainly on her face. Cassa had made an off-comment that Cuddle Bear watched drama shows out of Dentheria, though Lapis doubted they had much entertainment value for neat rows of mechanical beings attempting to hide despair under annoyance.
The terra-khent rumbled. His deep, resounding voice bounced off every hard surface and lingered, making a cacophony of louder sound. The heads quieted, and dark anticipation replaced the displeasure.
“We are here to help,” he said, accompanied by dramatic background music from the show. “We are here to see you safe until you have a new chassis. I and Oura will take care of you until you can take care of you.” The giant continued his speech, one of reassurance and hope, but Lapis’s attention focused on Jhor, Cassa and Drafen. Tovi remained at his mother’s side, nodding at intervals.
“Terrons already patrol the mines with the khentauree,” Cassa said. “If she escaped into the larger tunnel system, she’ll have a difficult time evading detection.”
“As long as she gets detected by a terron loyal to Nathala.” Dryness coated Drafen’s words. “Ghinka’s group might let her go as a way to get back at the Depths for accepting a new grinmer. She’s been rumbling, but since she and her kosee don’t want to get kicked into the snow and cold, she’s kept her dissatisfaction to a few grumbles. She tried to get Badger to speak up, though, and he bowed out.”
Tovi signed, and Cassa’s eyebrows shot up her forehead.
“She did?” Patch asked, amused.
“I hope she knows what she’s doing,” Cassa said, kneading her hands in worry. “I know terron power plays are physical, but smacking Ghinka around isn’t going to win her supporters over.”
Tovi rumbled in disagreement and signed.
“Yes, but in most villages, the loser leaves. The new grinmer doesn’t want them to poison other terron’s thoughts concerning their leadership. I know Ghinka’s less popular than rats in the crops right now, but that doesn’t mean no one will listen to her, especially if they have issues with Nathala’s freer spirit.” Tovi signed, and she sighed, dipping her head to the side. “That’s true. Vali has the reputation and respect of the greater Depths population, so her support of Nathala has made an impression. But Ghinka’s never liked Vali’s independence, and sourness will drive her words.”
“Does LX70 even know about the Depths?” Drafen asked.
“Yes. The khentauree were curious about Mint and Tia, so I told them,” Jhor said. “I wanted them to know the terrons weren’t a threat. Weeld kleeth information is part of the base data set because all three subspecies can smell aquatheerdaal and sponoil. They proved the most reliable trackers opposing forces had, and ones the khentauree couldn’t immediately subdue, so both the Meergeven and Taangin militaries considered them a danger to missions.
“All khentauree sold to the business markets had that part of their programming deleted because they often worked with terrons, and it wouldn’t do for owners to lose a valuable asset because a khentauree followed its initial programming. Ghost made them agree to install the update, but it hasn’t happened yet. LX70 still runs on the old programming, and it will tell her to avoid terrons if possible.”
Drafen nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Then I think Lanth is right, that she decided to return to Jiy. Ambercaast, snowbound and with its large terron population, isn’t a comfortable place to hide.”
Lapis looked up at Dov. “What would you do, in a similar situation?”
“What I would have done and what she will do may differ due to programmed orders,” Dov said. “Each siscousige had a different subset of commands installed in the khentauree under them, so she will default to what that is if she completed her last given orders. I can guess, that she will find a hiding place and seek a more permanent solution for a haven. Beyond that, I do not know.”
“We know she’s fond of hiding,” Patch said. “Considering what’s happened, Jiy has plenty of places to go to ground.”
Cassa nodded. “Especially on the eastern side of the river. All those now-vacant mansions would be an attractive base, and depending how close she gets, the interference from the skyshroud won’t make finding her easy. Of course, that interference would bother her too, so maybe she’ll remain in the Grey and Stone Streets. The districts have numerous places that could easily conceal a being of her size.”
“None of the abandoned places in the Grey and Stone Streets are warm, though,” Patch reminded her. “She’ll be OK for a few days, but we saw in Abastion what happens when khentauree are out in the snow for too long. Her sponoil’s going to get so sluggish she can’t function unless she finds a better shelter.”
“Which means she’ll be headed across the river, interference or no,” Lapis said. “The abandoned buildings still have working heating mechanisms, like fireplaces and tech.” Despite the declaration, she still couldn’t shake the feeling LX70 planned on sneaking back into the mansion to meddle with Tuft. “We need to get back.”
“They’ll have turned the platforms around by now.” Jhor waved his forefinger in the direction of the tracks. “It shouldn’t be too much longer before they’re ready. Just be careful. There are plenty of niches for her to duck into, and you’ll never know she’s there until she fires.”
Lapis shuddered at the thought. An ambush seemed her style.
“Chiddle asks that I go with you,” Dov said. “He will return with you as well. We were military khentauree, so we can advise concerning LX70. And if she attempts an attack in the tunnel, we are best equipped to handle her.”
“We appreciate the help,” Patch said.
“No.”
Lapis looked at Cassa and Tovi; both wore identical fuming expressions. The teen signed, and his mother shook her head.
“No! It’s too dangerous. I don’t trust her not to harm you, sweetie. Yes, I know khentauree aren’t supposed to harm children, but she doesn’t know you’re a teen!”
Tovi looked at Patch. He raised a hand. “Yes, it would be helpful to have a terron who could fit through the doors at the mansion. But we don’t know for certain if she’s going to return to Jiy. That’s a guess, and we might be very wrong on that. She might want to investigate the workstation, as it’s more tech-centric than anything she’s experienced in Jiy. It’s far closer to where we disembarked, too. They need you here, because if you smell her, you can alert someone before she causes problems.”
“Yes, that is an important task,” Dov said after Tovi wobbled his head around and signed. “You keep the heads safe, you keep the workstation safe. You know these halls and what things should be in their places. If you see something odd, you can tell the Minq or the Hats. Guard duty is often dull, and you do not want it to be exciting, for exciting means someone will get hurt.”
Tovi turned away, but he raised his head, gaze fixed on the screen, rather than bowing it in a grumpy sulk. Lapis frowned; a newscaster in a neat blue suit jacket, shoulder-length hair sprayed stiff, and heavy makeup appeared on-screen, Breaking News flashing in the center in time to dramatic music. She recalled the woman’s newscasts during the Leads disaster and dread filled her; now what? Had another skyshroud crashed? When did they plan to land the fleet?
“I’m Reda Gardenson for Kardell’s News in the Morning with breaking news. We’re going live to our reporter Jacon Demmit, who’s coming to us from the Ramiran front lines. Jacon, what do things look like there?”
The screen split, and the image of a man in a trench coat fluttering in the heavy wind, hat with flaps over his ears, and a bright red nose appeared. “Thank you, Reda. Things are looking good, according to Leadcommander Frensel.” He turned, and the camera widened; the interviewee stood in front of a makeshift, empty tent that leaned to the side in a muddy spot; a prop, to hint at fieldwork. Behind it sat a pristine, yellow-grassed meadow, no one and nothing else in sight but leafless trees. No snow, either, so the line must be nearer the southern coast rather than in the northern mountains—if they were anywhere near it. The official had on a tall black hat with a brim in front and a mud-free, knee-length, grey uniform coat with dozens of metal decorations on the breast, not a style or presentation she associated with front lines.
“Leadcommander Frensel, thank you for joining us. Can you tell us what happened last night.”
The newswoman disappeared, replaced by unsteady, grainy film taken at night and at a distance, lit by explosions.
“Thank you, Jacon. Last night was a victory for our troops and Dentheria. In a surprise attack, we eliminated the Ramiran rebel leader, Veritiate Deathknell Jarosa of the Meint.”
Lapis froze. The room disappeared in a hazy white, sound fading but for the buzzing in her ears. On screen, a lone shadow sprinted beyond a wall of lightning-swathed tech shields, grabbed something from the ground, and hefted it at the advancing soldiers. It exploded before getting to them, sending shocks of electricity in all directions and hurling the figure back to land across waves of mud blown into place by a previous detonation. They did not rise.
More shadows surged to them, shields held in front, and the footage shook violently, cut, and repeated.
Patch grabbed her and held tight, smooshing her face into his chest. Gasping for air, she sucked in his coat, choked, and stopped screaming.
…no…
…Jarosa…not Jarosa.
No. No.
NOOOOOO.
