gathered
against her skin. Lily struggled, but Sage patted her, encouraging her to keep
still.
The
man released her, though the mutant wolf thing stood guard beside her. There was
no humanity behind those yellow eyes, nothing but deadly intent.
“My
name is Yates.” The man said, jerking Sage’s attention back to him. He wore an
almost abashed smile, as though pardoning his rudeness for not introducing
himself sooner. “What’s yours?”
“Sage,”
she whispered.
His
face lit up. “Is it really? Would you happen to be Rand’s niece?”
This
madman knew her uncle? She nodded cautiously.
He
leaned back against a long low rock that held various glass and stone jars.
“So, you’re the one he sold to the cyborgs. Has the leader mounted you yet?”
“I
haven’t even met Dayen.”
He
moved suddenly and gripped her by the arms. His eyes were alight with madness.
“Don’t you lie to me! I know he killed our son!”
“Your
son?”
He
shoved her down to the floor and stalked away. She caught herself before Lily
struck against the hard stone. Afraid to do more than breathe, Sage waited,
every muscle in her body frozen with terror.
“Rand
sent me here, to run the experiments.” He muttered as though to himself. One
scarred hand went through his tufty dark hair and snagged. He yanked it free
and whirled on her, expression murderous. “But he didn’t send enough. He
promised me more test subjects. The Bred filth. No one would miss a few of
them. But he never delivered.”
The
Bred had been emancipated more than two decades ago. How long had Yates been
holed up in this wretched place?
His
gaze fell to his wife. “It took years to perfect, the formula. Burned through
my initial test subjects with success so close I could taste it. I did her
first, my brave Mina. She volunteered. And look at her, almost perfect. She can
sustain for days on next to no food and run for miles in freezing temperatures.
She’s made to survive, to thrive without the cyborg scum. But she can’t regain
human form. It’s put something of a strain on our marriage.” He laughed, a
horrible creepy cackle that made her shiver.
“Sylvan
though, he could transition. But his mind snapped like a dry twig. Unstable. I
woke too much of his brain and he couldn’t handle it.”
“But
why?” The words slipped out before Sage thought better of it. “Why are you
doing this?”
“To
mimic your intended, of course. He is the next step in evolution, the step we
need to take. Are you sure he didn’t mate with you? Even a sample of his seed
would advance my research by leaps and bounds.”
“I’ve
never met Dayen.” She said again, not because she thought it would get through
to this madman, but because she had nothing else to say.
But
he was shaking his head. “I found his body. No one else could have killed
Sylvan that way. No other being is strong enough, fast enough.”
Her
gaze fell to Mina and she recalled the images of Berrick’s transformation, his
battle with the creature. He power his big body fought to control.
Could
Berrick actually be Dayen? Though Sage didn’t trust anything Yates told her,
his claim about the transformation made a sick sort of sense. Her mind whirled
as she recalled all the things Berrick had said to her, like how Dayen would
understand.
“You
know a lot about Dayen then. How else is he…. different?”
Yates
stared at her and she forced herself not to cringe reflexively. “He’s advanced
in almost
against her skin. Lily struggled, but Sage patted her, encouraging her to keep
still.
The
man released her, though the mutant wolf thing stood guard beside her. There was
no humanity behind those yellow eyes, nothing but deadly intent.
“My
name is Yates.” The man said, jerking Sage’s attention back to him. He wore an
almost abashed smile, as though pardoning his rudeness for not introducing
himself sooner. “What’s yours?”
“Sage,”
she whispered.
His
face lit up. “Is it really? Would you happen to be Rand’s niece?”
This
madman knew her uncle? She nodded cautiously.
He
leaned back against a long low rock that held various glass and stone jars.
“So, you’re the one he sold to the cyborgs. Has the leader mounted you yet?”
“I
haven’t even met Dayen.”
He
moved suddenly and gripped her by the arms. His eyes were alight with madness.
“Don’t you lie to me! I know he killed our son!”
“Your
son?”
He
shoved her down to the floor and stalked away. She caught herself before Lily
struck against the hard stone. Afraid to do more than breathe, Sage waited,
every muscle in her body frozen with terror.
“Rand
sent me here, to run the experiments.” He muttered as though to himself. One
scarred hand went through his tufty dark hair and snagged. He yanked it free
and whirled on her, expression murderous. “But he didn’t send enough. He
promised me more test subjects. The Bred filth. No one would miss a few of
them. But he never delivered.”
The
Bred had been emancipated more than two decades ago. How long had Yates been
holed up in this wretched place?
His
gaze fell to his wife. “It took years to perfect, the formula. Burned through
my initial test subjects with success so close I could taste it. I did her
first, my brave Mina. She volunteered. And look at her, almost perfect. She can
sustain for days on next to no food and run for miles in freezing temperatures.
She’s made to survive, to thrive without the cyborg scum. But she can’t regain
human form. It’s put something of a strain on our marriage.” He laughed, a
horrible creepy cackle that made her shiver.
“Sylvan
though, he could transition. But his mind snapped like a dry twig. Unstable. I
woke too much of his brain and he couldn’t handle it.”
“But
why?” The words slipped out before Sage thought better of it. “Why are you
doing this?”
“To
mimic your intended, of course. He is the next step in evolution, the step we
need to take. Are you sure he didn’t mate with you? Even a sample of his seed
would advance my research by leaps and bounds.”
“I’ve
never met Dayen.” She said again, not because she thought it would get through
to this madman, but because she had nothing else to say.
But
he was shaking his head. “I found his body. No one else could have killed
Sylvan that way. No other being is strong enough, fast enough.”
Her
gaze fell to Mina and she recalled the images of Berrick’s transformation, his
battle with the creature. He power his big body fought to control.
Could
Berrick actually be Dayen? Though Sage didn’t trust anything Yates told her,
his claim about the transformation made a sick sort of sense. Her mind whirled
as she recalled all the things Berrick had said to her, like how Dayen would
understand.
“You
know a lot about Dayen then. How else is he…. different?”
Yates
stared at her and she forced herself not to cringe reflexively. “He’s advanced
in almost
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