sageron tea, fried fungi and K-blooms.
His stomach grumbled. Sugar.
Shut up, Rex. No way was he feeding the parasite. Without the medicine, laying off sugar was the only way to control it.
But Kalaes stopped, turned as if in a trance and headed toward one of the K-bloom stalls. What was he doing?
Elei blinked.
Then he knew. Oh shit.
“Kal, no!” He ran and, grabbed Kalaes around the waist before he snatched the K-blooms from the top of the stall. He dragged him away. “No sweet. Can’t feed Rex. Come on.”
“Let me go, fe.” Sweat ran down Kalaes face as he tried to tear himself free. “I just want some K-blooms.”
“No,” he said. “You can’t. No way.”
Alendra caught Kalaes’ arm and helped Elei pull him away.
Zoe hurried after them, Dain in tow. “What’s going on?” she hissed. “What in the five hells are you doing, Kalaes?”
Elei hauled Kalaes across the avenue, dodging aircars and vendors pushing carts. “Which way, Zoe?”
“It’s that parasite, isn’t it?” Dain’s voice was strangely devoid of emotion. “Rex. The dots around his neck, the blue eye... It all matches. You infected him.”
“Here, follow me,” Zoe panted, rushing ahead of them. “What in the hells was that?”
“What Dain said,” Elei pushed the words through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the craving, to ignore everything but getting Kalaes off the avenue. “It’s Rex. And it’s rising.”
***
“So Rex wants you to eat sugar?” Zoe led them through quiet streets while the fishy stench of the port grew stronger. “Why not have some, then?”
“You don’t want to see Rex at full strength,” Alendra said, shivering a little, and Elei forced his gaze ahead.
It would be okay. They’d organize the attack and they’d get more medicine.
Or they’d be dead, so who cared?
“They don’t know you’re infected, too, do they? The Gultur.” Zoe glanced at Kalaes over her shoulder, brows knitting. “They want Elei, you know.”
Elei missed a step, recovering before he dumped Kalaes and Alendra to the ground. “Our faces are plastered all over. Of course they want us.”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” She led them into an alley and then into another narrow street, Dain by her side. “Rumors say they want you to get the original strain of Rex, find a way to kill it. You should be careful.”
Careful. Elei snorted.
Then a whistle sounded, sending his heart thumping harder, but nobody appeared to intercept them and they hurried on. The sea had to be right around the corner, the air humid and seagulls squawking from their perches on rooftops and fences. Squat storehouses cut dark shapes against the overcast sky.
Zoe raised a hand and they slowed. A whistle sounded right behind them, and Kalaes tugged his arm free, whirling, drawing his gun from its back holster.
Elei’s pulse ricocheted inside his skull. Zoe was shouting. The way she was waving her hands probably meant they shouldn’t shoot anyone, so he laid a hand on Kalaes’ shoulder — and was promptly shoved so hard he lost his footing and fell on his back.
Dammit.
“Don’t shoot!” Zoe was yelling, and suddenly they were surrounded by armed kids and Elei found a machine gun muzzle in his face. Rex snarled inside his head, jerking his body, and his hand curled around the grip of his Rasmus.
“Elei, don’t!” Alendra shouted. He recognized her scent, her small hand on his shoulder shaking him. “Snap out of it. We’re safe, it’s okay.”
He drew a shaky breath, told Rex to piss off, and forced his fingers to unclench, releasing the gun. As the colors dimmed and the skin of things emerged once more, he found out things weren’t looking so good.
The gang had their guns pointed at them — Zoe who held her empty hands up, her mouth pinched, Dain with his hands at his sides, clenched into fists, Alendra and himself on the ground.
Pissing great.
But worst of all, Kalaes held his gun in both hands, sighting
His stomach grumbled. Sugar.
Shut up, Rex. No way was he feeding the parasite. Without the medicine, laying off sugar was the only way to control it.
But Kalaes stopped, turned as if in a trance and headed toward one of the K-bloom stalls. What was he doing?
Elei blinked.
Then he knew. Oh shit.
“Kal, no!” He ran and, grabbed Kalaes around the waist before he snatched the K-blooms from the top of the stall. He dragged him away. “No sweet. Can’t feed Rex. Come on.”
“Let me go, fe.” Sweat ran down Kalaes face as he tried to tear himself free. “I just want some K-blooms.”
“No,” he said. “You can’t. No way.”
Alendra caught Kalaes’ arm and helped Elei pull him away.
Zoe hurried after them, Dain in tow. “What’s going on?” she hissed. “What in the five hells are you doing, Kalaes?”
Elei hauled Kalaes across the avenue, dodging aircars and vendors pushing carts. “Which way, Zoe?”
“It’s that parasite, isn’t it?” Dain’s voice was strangely devoid of emotion. “Rex. The dots around his neck, the blue eye... It all matches. You infected him.”
“Here, follow me,” Zoe panted, rushing ahead of them. “What in the hells was that?”
“What Dain said,” Elei pushed the words through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the craving, to ignore everything but getting Kalaes off the avenue. “It’s Rex. And it’s rising.”
***
“So Rex wants you to eat sugar?” Zoe led them through quiet streets while the fishy stench of the port grew stronger. “Why not have some, then?”
“You don’t want to see Rex at full strength,” Alendra said, shivering a little, and Elei forced his gaze ahead.
It would be okay. They’d organize the attack and they’d get more medicine.
Or they’d be dead, so who cared?
“They don’t know you’re infected, too, do they? The Gultur.” Zoe glanced at Kalaes over her shoulder, brows knitting. “They want Elei, you know.”
Elei missed a step, recovering before he dumped Kalaes and Alendra to the ground. “Our faces are plastered all over. Of course they want us.”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” She led them into an alley and then into another narrow street, Dain by her side. “Rumors say they want you to get the original strain of Rex, find a way to kill it. You should be careful.”
Careful. Elei snorted.
Then a whistle sounded, sending his heart thumping harder, but nobody appeared to intercept them and they hurried on. The sea had to be right around the corner, the air humid and seagulls squawking from their perches on rooftops and fences. Squat storehouses cut dark shapes against the overcast sky.
Zoe raised a hand and they slowed. A whistle sounded right behind them, and Kalaes tugged his arm free, whirling, drawing his gun from its back holster.
Elei’s pulse ricocheted inside his skull. Zoe was shouting. The way she was waving her hands probably meant they shouldn’t shoot anyone, so he laid a hand on Kalaes’ shoulder — and was promptly shoved so hard he lost his footing and fell on his back.
Dammit.
“Don’t shoot!” Zoe was yelling, and suddenly they were surrounded by armed kids and Elei found a machine gun muzzle in his face. Rex snarled inside his head, jerking his body, and his hand curled around the grip of his Rasmus.
“Elei, don’t!” Alendra shouted. He recognized her scent, her small hand on his shoulder shaking him. “Snap out of it. We’re safe, it’s okay.”
He drew a shaky breath, told Rex to piss off, and forced his fingers to unclench, releasing the gun. As the colors dimmed and the skin of things emerged once more, he found out things weren’t looking so good.
The gang had their guns pointed at them — Zoe who held her empty hands up, her mouth pinched, Dain with his hands at his sides, clenched into fists, Alendra and himself on the ground.
Pissing great.
But worst of all, Kalaes held his gun in both hands, sighting
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