Wind Runner: The Complete Collection (1-5)

“I hear you.” Melanie winked at him. “We won’t do anything at all.”

“I know you’re probably too drunk to tell, but I’m being serious.”

Malcolm walked up the steps and down the hallway, not bothering to wait for her to follow. He unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside, leaving the door open for Melanie.

He had his phone out to call Tapestry before he’d even taken his shoes off. Part of him wondered what would happen if he couldn’t get in touch with her, and Melanie had to stay the night.

Just thinking about it makes me feel like a creep. A drunk high school girl… That’s the stuff bad ideas are made of.

“Maaaalcooollllm,” called Melanie. She came up behind him and forcefully pulled him down onto the couch. Malcolm scowled, but heard Tapestry pick up on the other side of the line.

“Hello?”

“Tapestry, hey,” he said. “I have your great granddaughter here, in case you were wondering.”

It was hard for Malcolm to both talk on the phone and simultaneously fend off Melanie’s advances. She was kissing his free hand and trying to pull him closer to her. Malcolm wasn’t sure what he’d done originally to enamor her to him, but he suddenly almost wished he could take it back.

Wait… I saved her from a school shooter, didn’t I? That might explain some of this.

“Melanie is at your apartment?” asked Tapestry, in a very annoyed voice. “Malcolm…”

“I wouldn’t have called you if I was the one who invited her over,” said Malcolm. “That would be stupid. I would be doing other things.”

“You’d be doing other things, huh?” said Melanie. She grinned, and then playfully tackled Malcolm, straddling him as she pushed him down on the couch.

“Can you tell her to come home?” asked Tapestry.

“She’s drunk,” said Malcolm. Melanie started kissing his neck, as though to prove his point. He felt an odd mixture of emotions at the sensation. “And she took your car. It’s parked outside, safe and sound.”

Tapestry made a frustrated noise on the other end of the line. Melanie was doing her best to physically seduce Malcolm, grinding herself against and pushing her breasts into his face. In his opinion, she wasn’t doing a half bad job at it.

“Well then, can you drive her home?” asked Tapestry. “I’ll make you a batch of cookies as a reward.”

“That sounds tempting,” said Malcolm, as Melanie slowly started pulling her shirt up and over her head. Despite himself, he was getting drawn in.

“Malcolm?” asked Tapestry. “Are you still there?”

“Right!” Malcolm reached up and gently lifted Melanie off him. “We’re leaving now.”

He said goodbye to Tapestry, and then took a couple of seconds to think safe thoughts before standing up and turning to face Melanie.

“Melanie,” he said, in his best adult voice. “This isn’t going to happen. I need the keys to your grandmother’s car.”

“Great grandmother’s,” corrected Melanie. “And I’m not giving them to you.”

Malcolm ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his frustration in check.

“What are you, five?” he asked. “Come on, hand them over.”

Melanie smiled at him. She turned toward the couch and set her hands on it, bending over slightly and pushing out her butt.

“You can always pat me down for them,” she said. “I’m a creative girl, though. They could be hidden almost anywhere, Malcolm. You should be very thorough and check everywhere. Who knows… it could be fun.”

“Melanie, what the hell has gotten into you?” Malcolm frowned at her, honestly wondering if she’d taken something along with the alcohol. “This is just getting weird.”

At the sound of the last word, Melanie stiffened. Her head sagged slightly, and Malcolm could see her emotions shift, just from her body language.

“Weird…” she repeated. “I’ve heard that one before. That girl’s weird… Or… she just goes on and on about everything. Like somehow the fact I have a lot to say means that nobody should ever take the chance to listen.”

“Hey, hold on,” said Malcolm. “Easy there, slugger. That’s not what I meant. I think you’re getting a case of the vodka blues.”

Melanie blinked open her eyes at him, and sure enough, he saw the beginnings of a few salty drops. He walked over and set a hand on her shoulder.

“Do you know why I talk so much, Malcolm?” she asked.

“I always figured that you were secretly one of the gifted, and that was your power.”

Melanie chuckled, but then grew serious and sad again.

“I had a brother before any of this started happening,” she said, quietly. “He… died. Along with my parents. I used to be really quiet, you know? I could just listen whenever I was home, and they’d make me smile and laugh and share so much. And then… afterward… it was just so quiet all the time. I couldn’t let myself be the quiet one, not anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” whispered Malcolm. “I know… how it is. To lose people you care about.”

He put an arm around her. Melanie immediately started trying to lean in for another kiss. Malcolm was so impressed by her tenacity that he almost let her have it.

“I know you’ve lost people, too,” she whispered. “Tapestry told me all about it. You’re like me, Malcolm. We could…”

“Be friends,” finished Malcolm. “We could be good friends. And talk about how much we miss the people we’ve lost.”

He squeezed her hand and tried not to feel too responsible for the crushed look he saw in her eyes. Melanie nodded slowly.

“Right…” she said. “That’s… actually why I came over here. I was just testing you, you know. Just wanted to see if you’d take advantage of a poor, teenage drunk girl. You passed… but only just barely.”

“Of course,” said Malcolm. “That makes perfect sense without being the slightest bit convoluted. Come on, slugger, let’s get you home.”

CHAPTER 9

The ride back to Tapestry’s house was mercifully uneventful. Malcolm enjoyed driving Tapestry’s car, and managed to find a radio station that played 90s alt rock.

“Tapestry said that this type of music is your focus power?” asked Melanie.

“Yup,” said Malcolm.

“This is like… dad rock.”

Malcolm scoffed.

“This is Nirvana!” he said. “In what world do you live in where Nirvana is considered dad rock?”

“The real world,” said Melanie. “But it’s fine. You don’t have to change it.”

Malcolm smiled at her. She’d opened up to him more that night than she had in all the rest of the short time he’d known her. He’d been serious about what he’d said, and could see himself becoming fast friends with Melanie, over time.

He’d half expected Tapestry to be waiting outside the door, but she wasn’t. Malcolm parked in the driveway and followed Melanie inside. Her expression shifted into something slightly guilty as soon as they were in Tapestry’s living room.

“Hello?” called Malcolm. “Tapestry? I brought home the troublemaker.”

He could smell cookies already baking in the kitchen, but Tapestry was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s probably in the basement,” said Melanie. “It’s her idea of an exciting Friday night.”

Malcolm furrowed his brow, but followed Melanie through a door and down some stairs. The basement of the house was rough cement, outside of a section in one corner where several gym mats had been set up.

Tapestry was wailing on a heavy bag hanging from one of the rafters. She wore a pair of boy shorts and a sports bra, and both of her fists were wrapped with boxing tape. She was throwing combinations of punches and kicks, wailing away at the bag like it was the thing responsible for killing her family.

“Hey Aubrey,” said Melanie. “I’m home…”

It was only then that Tapestry seemed to notice them. She smiled at Malcolm, frowned at Melanie, and wiped sweat off her forehead. Her blonde hair was back in the usual pony tail, and combined with the tight training clothes, it gave her body a very streamlined look.

“Melanie,” said Tapestry. “Don’t you ever, for a second, think that you can borrow my car if you’re going to be drinking.”

“Sorry, Aubrey,” said Melanie. “I was in a weird mood.”

Tapestry turned her gaze onto Malcolm, her expression one of consideration. He turned his hands palm up, unsure of whether he deserved her scrutiny.

Hey, I didn’t do anything wrong, here.

“Thanks for bringing her home, Malcolm,” said Tapestry.

“Yeah, no prob,” he said. “I felt like an honest to god Uber driver, escorting a drunk girl to where she needed to be.”

Tapestry furrowed her brow in confusion. Malcolm smiled, remembering that anything invented more recently than the mid-nineties probably still sounded like gibberish to her.

“Anyway,” said Malcolm. “I should probably grab the cookies and get going…”

“Why don’t you stay for a bit?” asked Tapestry. “I mean, you’re here anyway. It’s been a few days since we’ve had a chance to talk.”

Malcolm shrugged.

“I don’t really have anywhere else to be, at this time of night,” he said. “Sure, why not?”

Tapestry smiled and then glanced down at herself.

“Let me take a shower, first,” she said. “I’m a little sticky right now.”

Urge… to make joke… rising.

“I’m headed to bed,” Melanie said, loudly. She gave both Malcolm and Tapestry a look that seemed to say that she was now the one disapproving of hijinks, and then headed upstairs.

Tapestry took a few more experimental strikes at the punching bag, and Malcolm found himself being drawn in by the aggressiveness of her fighting style.

“Were you always a fighter?” asked Malcolm.

“Not even close,” said Tapestry. “I was a housewife.”

She twisted, slamming a kick high enough up on the punching bag to strike the equivalent of her opponent’s head.

“After I got my powers,” she continued, “it seemed like something that only made sense. I can regenerate, but that’s not much of an offensive ability. I have to be able to fight and shoot guns to round myself out if I’m going to be hunting monsters.”

She threw another punch combination, her athletic body moving with catlike grace.

“You seem like you enjoy it,” said Malcolm. “Like it’s more than something you’re just doing for work.”

Tapestry grinned. She nodded and walked over to him.

“I do,” she said. “There’s a lot that I miss about my old life, but my old limitations are something I’m glad to be free of. My husband was old fashioned, and even after he passed away, I never had the courage to do anything interesting.”

There was a mischievous gleam in her eye. Malcolm held her gaze for several seconds, aware of Tapestry’s heavy, winded breathing, and the musky scent of her sweaty body.

“I should probably take that shower,” she said. “Why don’t you wait up for me in the living room, and we’ll have some wine after?”

Malcolm nodded.

“Sounds good,” he said.

CHAPTER 10

Malcolm fidgeted as he waited for Tapestry to finish her shower. His thoughts kept going back to the encounter the two of them had had in his apartment a few days earlier, the one that neither of them had brought up since.

He also thought about Rose’s advice, and the encouragement she’d given him to involve himself with his fellow champion. Tapestry was older than he was by an amount that was beyond significant. Malcolm had no idea how her mind worked most of the time.

She wants to drink some wine with me, after taking a shower in the middle of the night. She’s not exactly being subtle here.

Tapestry came downstairs wearing a tiny red and black robe. The fabric was thin, and the bottom hem didn’t make it all the way down to her knees. She had it closed completely over her breasts, but the cloth belt around her waist had only been knotted once, meaning every movement exposed a bit more chest and cleavage.

“Hey,” she said. “I’ll get some glasses from the kitchen. The wine is downstairs, in the cellar. Do you want to grab a bottle?”

“Sure,” said Malcolm. “Any of them in particular, or…?”

“Just whatever catches your eye.”

They shared another moment of electric eye contact, and then Malcolm headed downstairs, returning a minute later with a bottle of wine. He sat on the couch next to Tapestry, pulling out the cork before passing it to her to pour them each a glass.

“I was a little surprised that you called me tonight,” said Tapestry.

“Well, I was a little surprised by the drunk girl who showed up on my doorstep,” said Malcolm.

“That’s not what I mean.” Tapestry crossed her legs, peering at Malcolm over the lip of her glass. “You called me instead of… hosting Melanie, for the night.”

“Interesting choice of euphemism, Tapestry,” said Malcolm, with a smile. “So, you’re asking why I didn’t just let her stay in my apartment, and see what happened?”

Tapestry nodded slowly.

“You’re both teenagers,” said Tapestry. “She’s attractive, and she obviously went over to your apartment for a reason, even if it was inspired by alcohol.”

“Are you asking as my friend?” asked Malcolm. “Or as Melanie’s grandmother?”

“Great grandmother,” corrected Tapestry. “And you should know by now that my relationship with Melanie is more… sisterly, than anything. I’m only mad at her because she was driving my car after drinking.”

“That’s the only reason?” Malcolm held her gaze. “You wouldn’t normally be mad at her if she was over at my apartment, in the middle of the night?”

“It’s like I said, you’re both teenagers.” Tapestry was blushing, but she gave a small shrug. “Over the last couple of years I’ve been reintroduced to just how intense teenage hormones can be.”

The room felt hot. A significant gap had opened in the chest of Tapestry’s robe. Malcolm sipped at his wine to distract himself away from ogling her cleavage.

“How old were you when you first got married?” He asked the question right as it entered his mind, surprising himself, as well as her.

“I was 19,” said Tapestry, blushing even more deeply. “Very young.”

“19,” said Malcolm. “Wow.”

“I never realized how much I missed out on because of it, not until it was too late,” said Tapestry. “Allen, my husband, was a good man. He loved me as much as any man could, but we were both trapped in the social roles of the time. I was a housewife, Malcolm. A boring housewife.”

“Yeah, the whole baking thing kind of gave that away,” Malcolm said, grinning. Tapestry playfully slapped his leg, which sent a jolt of excitement through the rest of his body.

“Honestly though, that was my life,” said Tapestry. “Cooking, cleaning, baking… reading books. Church activities. It was all very tame.”

“And you don’t want that kind of life for Melanie?”

“I never got a chance to be like Melanie,” she said. “She’s so confident and wild. I never got a chance to, well, you know. Be like that.”

Malcolm slid a little closer to Tapestry on the couch. He could see her breasts moving up and down with each breath through the thin fabric of her robe. He leaned in even closer.

“Be like what?” he asked, his voice a whisper.

His lips reached hers, and the two of them shared an explosive kiss. Tapestry slowly opened her body up to his, leaning back on the couch and parting her thighs. Malcolm kissed her deeply and slid his hands up to her breasts, grinding himself into her. He shifted his mouth to plant a kiss on her neck, and Tapestry abruptly cleared her throat and pushed him back.

“Malcolm,” she said, stiffly. “Why was the shadow spryte in your apartment on the night we fought your brother?”

Malcolm felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight.

“What?” He frowned, shifting back slightly. “Why would you… ask me that now?”

“Because I want an answer,” said Tapestry. “Now.”

Malcolm tried to think back to what he’d told her the last time she’d asked that question. Tapestry was watching him with a neutral expression on her face, but there was something sharp and skeptical in her eyes.

“I don’t know,” said Malcolm. “I just assumed at the time that… it had seen me on the news and figured that I was a champion. It was probably there to kill me.”

“Sprytes don’t usually work like that,” said Tapestry. “That doesn’t make sense. And how would the spryte have known where you live?”

Malcolm gave the most casual shrug he could manage and moved forward to kiss her neck. Tapestry let his lips make contact, but only for a second. She pushed him back again.

“Malcolm,” she said. “I need you to be honest with me.”

She’s suspicious of me. Seducing her isn’t just about gaining an ally, it’s about keeping her from digging too deep.

“…It was the same shadow spryte,” he said. “The one that I accidentally saved on the first night I had my powers. She must have tracked me down, I guess.”

It was a lie, but close enough to the truth that Malcolm could put some confidence into his voice. Tapestry nodded slowly.

“To do what?” asked Tapestry.

“She wasn’t exactly vocal about her intentions,” said Malcolm. “I’m glad you showed up when you did. You probably saved my life, you know.”

Tapestry smiled, her intensity lowering a bit. Malcolm kissed her and pushed forward, letting the bulge in his pants grind against her crotch.

“You deserve a reward for that,” said Malcolm. “Don’t you think?”

He let his hands slide back over Tapestry’s breasts. She licked her lips, and then her expression hardened again. She was still smiling, but the way she looked at Malcolm, her eyes tinged with suspicion, was enough to put him back on edge.

“Goodnight, Malcolm.” Tapestry pushed him back and stood up from the couch.

“Oh, we’re headed to bed, then?” he said. “Cool.”

He made to follow her toward the stairs. Tapestry pulled her robe tight and glowered at him.

“The couch is comfortable,” she said. “There are some extra blankets in the back of the coat closet. I’ll drop you off at your apartment in the morning.”

Malcolm sighed and gave her a disappointed nod.

“Alright,” he said. “Goodnight… Aubrey.”

Tapestry smiled and blushed a little at his usage of her real name, but didn’t slow her pace as she made her way up the stairs.

CHAPTER 11

Tapestry drove Malcolm home the next morning. Neither of them said much, a bit of the awkwardness and tension from the previous night still lingering in the air. She parked on the street outside his apartment and looked over at him

“Well,” she said. “Here we are.”

“Do you want to come upstairs for breakfast?” asked Malcolm. “You could use it as an excuse to search my apartment for the spryte you’re so suspicious about.”

Inviting her up was a calculated risk. Malcolm was relatively sure that Rose would be able to hide in time, if he walked up the stairs loudly enough and announced their presence. It would also give him another chance to get back into Tapestry’s good graces, which would keep her from being so suspicious in the future.

“No need, Malcolm,” said Tapestry. “We will be doing some more training later this afternoon, though. Keep your phone on so I can give you a call.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded to her and then got out of the car. He paused before closing the door, feeling like he should say something more to smooth over the weirdness between them.

Tapestry waited, and it suddenly felt as though the awkwardness had been intentional on her part, a new tactic to try to get the truth out of him. Malcolm nodded to her slowly, and then shut the car door without saying anything else.

She drove off, and Malcolm headed upstairs. He unlocked the door to his apartment and walked inside to find Rose sitting on his couch, playing his PS4. She’d hung up a blanket over the living room windows for the sake of keeping sun’s glare off both the TV screen and herself.

I’m glad Tapestry refused my offer to come up. Though it would have been kind of funny to see her react to this.

“Have you been up playing video games all night?” he asked.

Rose smiled, but didn’t look away from the screen. She had on sweat pants and one of Malcolm’s t-shirts, and he had a sudden urge to plop down beside her and spend the day playing games.

“Not all night,” said Rose. “Only since I got back from the tavern.”

Malcolm shrugged.

“I guess it’s better than coming home to you in bed with some creepy demon dude,” he said.

“Is it really?” asked Rose. “Wouldn’t you rather have a sexually liberated live-in spryte, than a nerdy one?”

Malcolm frowned. Rose smiled and winked at him.

“I’m joking, Malcolm,” she said. “God, you’re too easy.”

She patted the seat beside her. Malcolm glanced around his apartment, as though expecting to find evidence of a wild adventure that went beyond just video games. He walked up behind Rose on the couch, watching as she ran around an alien planet with a character in a space suit.

“So,” he said. “I thought we might follow up on the lead we got last night about your sister. This ‘Awakened Children’ church…”

“We could,” said Rose. “Or… we could hang out here all day and do nothing.”

“Rose…”

“Think about how much fun it would be,” she said, licking her lips. “You know how fun I can be when I get bored, Malcolm.”

“Come on,” he said. “Don’t you want to find your sister? Think about what this could mean for you…”

It might help her find out who she is, but even if it doesn’t… she’d get to see her sister, after who knows how long of an absence.

“I want to reach the next story planet,” said Rose. “I think I have to level my party up for a bit before I’ll be able to, though.”

“Would you be serious for a second?”

Rose paused the game. She stretched her back, arching it forward in a vaguely catlike motion, and then turned halfway around to face him.

“I am being serious, Malcolm,” she said. “I… honestly don’t know if I want to see my sister. Or rather… I don’t know if I want her to see me.”

“What are you talking about?” Malcolm frowned, shaking his head. “She probably thinks you’re dead, Rose. Think of how much it would mean for her to see you again, to have a chance to reconnect.”

“You aren’t going to let this go unless I agree to it, are you?”

Malcolm smiled at her.

“Exactly,” he said. “It’s for you own sake.”

“Whatever,” said Rose. “But in return, I’m making you do some of the filler planets when we get back. I could use the extra resources for crafting.”

“I think you’ve gotten further in that game than I have,” said Malcolm. “But I’ll see what I can do.”

The two of them spent a couple of minutes getting ready before heading off to catch the bus. Malcolm walked down the street with slow, deliberate steps, allowing Rose to stay hidden in his shadow without too much trouble.

He paid the bus driver, getting the slightest sense of déjà vu as he settled into the same seat he’d been in the night before. Rose stayed in his shadow, rather than joining him in the seat, as it was too crowded for her to be able to get away with it. He could still talk to her, however, given how loud the bus’s engine was.

“Any clues on where we can start looking?” he asked.

“One of the sprytes in Terri’s Tavern said she’d heard of the cult,” said Rose. “Gave me directions to a small church on the edge of Halter City’s old industrial district.”

“I thought you said you weren’t interested in finding your sister?” asked Malcolm.

“I said I wasn’t interested in finding her. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to know where she is, in case I ever change my mind.”

Malcolm smiled into the darkness of his shadow.

“Rose and her sister, sitting in a tree, C-O-N-N-E-C-T.”

“That just spells ‘connect’,” said Rose. “And what are you, a child?”

“Takes one to know one,” Malcolm muttered.

They got off the bus a stop later than they had the night before. It was a little cloudy out, but not nearly dark enough for Rose to walk openly next to him. Malcolm followed her directions, stopping to tie his shoe when he needed to talk to her in order to avoid suspicion.

The buildings slowly became more decrepit and destitute as they headed into Halter City’s old industrial district. The mildew covered concrete smoke stacks and rusting chain link fences gave it a vaguely post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

Malcolm spotted the church from a distance, and knew they’d come to the right place without needing to check in with Rose. It was well maintained, with a polished bell in the tower on top and a recently redone white and green paint job. A small children’s park, with trim grass and new equipment, sat in the church’s side yard, surrounded by a waist high wooden fence.

“Alright,” muttered Malcolm. “Here we go. Any advice on how I should proceed here?”

“You should head inside,” said Rose.

“You are such a pain sometimes,” he said. “I mean, what should my cover story be?”

“You brought a hat with you, right?” asked Rose.

Malcolm nodded and pulled out a small beanie that he’d left in his back pocket. He put it on, hoping it would be enough to keep anyone who watched the Vanderbrook local news channels from recognizing him.

“Do you remember what your sister looks like?” asked Malcolm. “If you can describe her to me, I can keep my eyes peeled.”

Rose was silent for a moment.

“…No,” she said. “But… I think I’ll recognize her if I see her.”

Malcolm frowned, realizing he’d accidentally touched on a sensitive subject.

How would I have felt if I’d not had pictures of mom and Danny? That would have been hard…

He pushed the thought out of his head, focusing on where he was, and why he’d come.

“Alright,” said Malcolm. “Let’s do this.”

CHAPTER 12

Malcolm didn’t really know what to expect. He walked up the stairs of the church and in through the main door, which was made of painted wood and let out a loud creaking noise as he pulled on it.

There was a group of people relaxing and talking in the pews, and though a few of them turned to glance in Malcolm’s direction, none of them reacted. They were dressed in a manner that was just a little bit off, their shirts plain white or grey, all the men in jeans, and all the women in sweatpants or leggings.

“Please, come in,” said a woman’s voice. “Don’t be shy.”

Malcolm closed the door behind him and slowly walked further into the church. He saw the woman who’d spoken. She was short, and wore a flowing white gown. Her features were Asiatic, and she had an attractive plumpness to her. She smiled broadly at Malcolm as he approached.

“I am Priestess Rion, of the Awakened Children,” said the woman. “You are welcome here, friend. Can I get you food? Or something to drink?”

“Oh no, that’s fine,” said Malcolm. He subtly glanced down at his shadow, though there was nothing about it to tell him whether Rose was still hidden within or not. “I just came to…”

He frowned, realizing that he hadn’t taken the time to come up with a decent excuse for visiting the church. It was harder than he’d thought it would be to spin an impromptu lie in the face of a believer.

“Of course,” said Rion. “We are only a few minutes away from our Enlightenment Sermon. I invite you to have a seat and join us. You are most welcome here, mister…”

“Malcolm,” he said.

“Mister Malcolm,” said Rion.

“Oh no, you can just call me…” He trailed off as Rion walked away from him, immediately falling into conversation with another one of the church’s members.

Malcolm briefly considered trying his hand at small talk with a few of the other people in the room before deciding against it. He was there for a reason.

He moved through the room slowly, taking a seat in the back of the room, where he could hopefully whisper with Rose without drawing too much suspicion. Sunlight streamed in through the church’s windows, but most of them were stained glass and opaque, leaving plenty of shadow around the area where Malcolm had chosen.

“See anything yet?” he said, in a quiet voice.

A couple of silent seconds passed. Malcolm frowned, suddenly wondering if Rose had split off from him at some point.

Could she be in one of the corners of the room, waiting for her sister to come close?

“It’s hard,” came her quiet response. “I need to see faces, maybe even hear her voice. You might have to play along for a little bit.”

“They seem nice enough,” said Malcolm. “That shouldn’t be too hard.”

The rest of the congregation had begun finding their seats. A silence fell over the room that was so perfect that it seemed somehow orchestrated, as though all of the Awakened Children had received a signal to go still.

Rion made her way up to the altar. She smiled as she looked out over the pews, taking the time to let her gaze scan all in attendance, making brief eye contact.

“Welcome, fellow children,” she said, extending her arms out. “I am glad to have all of you with us today, new friends and old.”

“Thank you, Awakened Priestess,” said the congregation.

Malcolm expected to feel uncomfortable, sitting in for a sermon of a belief system he didn’t share, but there was something very calming about it.

“We are the Awakened Children, though we do not take this name to imply that others in the world are asleep, or have lost their true purpose in life. We take this name in honor of the star touched who walk among us.”

“Stars guide us,” chanted the congregation, in unison.

Malcolm folded his arms, considering where her words were taking him.

Is she talking about champions? Or…?

“Demons and sprytes,” said Rion. “Monsters, as they are known in sleeping society. These are the true descendants of the holy line, sent to us now in humanity’s time of need, to show us a way forward, into a better future.”

The congregation repeated something else back to her, a word that sounded half mumbled that Malcolm couldn’t make out.

“We here, in the Awakened Children, we ask for guidance,” said Rion. “What was the question sleeping society asked of the star touched?”

The room went deathly silent.

“Sleeping society asked the star touched how much blood they would unwillingly give,” said Rion, her voice sharp. “Sleeping society asked how many of the star touched could be made into false sacrifices to placate the true evil in this world.”

Rion took a slow breath. She ran her hands down the front of her robe, as though wiping some of the blood she’d just been speaking of off.

“The sleeping men, women, and children, even if they do not aid directly in the genocide taking place, do little to stop it,” she said. “They sit and watch on their televisions. They pay taxes to a government of liars. And they let their salvation and ours be slaughtered in front of their eyes.”

Rion breathed out sharply. She let her gaze scan across the congregation again, pausing as she made eye contact with Malcolm. He felt his cheeks flush slightly at the attention.

“Demons and sprytes,” said Rion. “The heroes of the Zodiac. Our salvation, finally come to us, and yet the sleeping men and women of the world rebel against the message they bring!”

Rion slapped her hand down hard on the altar. The silence of the rest of the room was absolute. Malcolm scratched his head, unsure of how to feel.

“The message we’ve been brought by the heroes of the Zodiac is one of peace,” said Rion. “And yet, the sleeping society rebels against it at every turn? Why, I ask you? Why is it that they refuse to accept the bright future we’ve been presented?”

Rion waited for a moment, looking up at the stained-glass window inset into the wall over the main doors.

“The Illuminati,” she finally said. “And the New World Order…”

Malcolm blinked a couple of times.

“The Illuminati,” repeated Rion. “The true source of the evil, hatred, and propaganda that defines our time. The Illuminati, aided by agents who’ve infiltrated not just our country, but our entire planet

Why is it always the Illuminati?

“They move through both the day and night, unseen,” said Rion. “They shapeshift their form, replacing our leaders, corrupting the political system. They poison the sky with their emotional toxins, and pollute our society with sinful drugs.”

“Stars guide us,” chanted the congregation, in unison.

Malcolm wondered how they knew just when to chime in with that. He looked around the pews, trying to find someone whose expression shared the same confusion he felt. Everyone else had their eyes glued on Rion, their faces serious and resolved.

“For us to hold onto the truth,” said Rion. “The Illuminati and their agents must be routed out. They have the advantage. They travel freely through time and space, read our thoughts and feel our emotions. They kill without killing, talk without talking, and exist without existing. Only through the guidance of the heroes of the Zodiac, the star touched, the ‘demons’ and the ‘sprytes’, can we follow the path of the righteous.”

Malcolm sank a little lower into the bench. He glanced down at his shadow, wanting nothing more than to get Rose’s perspective on the over the top sermon.

For the next few minutes, Rion veered into more traditional religious territory. She spoke of helping men and women in need, and always finding ways to improve oneself through small feats of will and dedicated habits. Malcolm relaxed slightly, though his mind was still overloaded by conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo.

“The star touched will lead us forward,” said Rion. “And we will worship them by any means necessary.”

“Any means necessary,” repeated the congregation.

“May you all walk with blessings,” said Rion.

CHAPTER 13

Rion stepped away from the alter, disappearing into the church’s back room for a moment before reappearing with a wheeled cart in front of her. It was laden with tiny squares of chocolate, along with several bottles of wine and a few dozen glasses.

Chocolate and wine? Alright, maybe I could get behind this…

“Please, feel free to come up as you like and enjoy the communal gifts,” said Rion. “Thank you all for being patient with your salvation, today.”

That seemed to be the cue for the congregation to loosen up. People began chatting with one another, some staying in their seats, others standing and forming small cliques on the side of the room. Malcolm slid down a little lower in his bench and glanced down at his shadow.

“Rose,” he whispered, hiding his mouth with his hand. “I think we’re good.”

“Distract the priestess lady,” said Rose. “And walk by one of the shadows in the corner on your way there. I’ll slip away from you and see if I can find my sister.”

Malcolm nodded.

He took his time heading down the aisle, moving through several shadowed spots that Rose could use. He wasn’t sure which one she ended up picking, and tried not to look back over his shoulder as he reached the food cart and helped himself to chocolate and wine. Rion was standing nearby, and she smiled when Malcolm’s eyes met hers.

“I appreciate the fact that you were so polite and respectful during the sermon,” said Rion. “Oftentimes the walk-ins we get tend to… make distracting comments.”

Malcolm chuckled.

“Well, it was… certainly something.” He scratched his head. “So… the Illuminati?”

He didn’t know if there was a polite way to ask someone if they really took what sounded like a crazy conspiracy theory to be their religious gospel. Rion’s smile didn’t falter, and she gave an encouraging nod.

“I’m sure if you looked closely, you would see the effect they have on your life,” said Rion. “It’s tragic that society, as a whole, refuses to open its eyes.”

“Do you mean that in the sense of like… a metaphor?” asked Malcolm. “Like maybe, evil has many faces, and it’s represented in your religion by… well…the legend of the Illuminati?”

Rion’s eyes narrowed a little bit. Malcolm felt like he was bending over backwards to have her philosophy explained to him in a way that didn’t sound crazy.

“This was just an introductory message,” said Rion. “I am sure if you continued to listen to our teachings, you would slowly begin to understand the truth of them.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” said Malcolm.

“We are still a small movement,” said Rion. “The truth we carry with us will, undeniably, change the world. Mister Malcolm, you should know that you are a prime candidate for awakening.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I think? I didn’t realize I was asleep. Usually there are more signs, missing pants, monsters chasing me, that kind of thing.”

Rion let out a small, amused laugh.

I’ll give her one thing. She’s as patient as a saint. Or a priestess, I guess.

“We currently do not have many men within the Awakened Children,” said Rion, nodding to the congregation. Malcolm glanced at the room, noticing for the first time that the female to male ratio was probably about four to one.

“Does the gender of believers make much of a difference?” asked Malcolm.

“Of course,” said Rion. “We have many beliefs concerning worship between a man and a woman.”

Malcolm had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, he was saved having to need to. One of the women in the main congregation let out an audible gasp. Malcolm heard Rose’s voice in response. He turned around again, and his heart skipped a beat at what he saw.

Rose was standing in the main aisle, her hood down and her pale purple face exposed. All around her, the Awakened Children had fallen to their knees, foreheads pressed into the polished wooden floor. Rose was trying to pull one of them to her feet, presumably her sister.

“A star touched…” whispered Rion. “By the Sun!”

She moved fast, splitting off from Malcolm and practically sprinting into the church’s back room. Malcolm made a halfhearted attempt to grab her arm before scowling and giving up. He walked toward Rose, who looked deeply uncomfortable with the sudden surge of attention.

“A star touched!” said Malcolm, in a mocking voice. He dropped to his knees and pretended to bow several times.

“Shut up,” said Rose. “Leah recognized me, but she’s caught up in this stupid cult. She thinks I’m someone worth worshipping.”

Malcolm shrugged.

“What are we supposed to do?” he asked. “Carry her out of here forcibly?”

“What you’re supposed to do…” came a new voice, deep and slow. “Is listen, learn, and open yourself to the possibilities.”

Two figures strode out of the church’s backroom, both immediately catching Malcolm’s attention. A man and a woman, or rather, a demon and a spryte, stood side by side.

The demon was tall and broad shouldered. His skin was mottled, the original color a deep brown, but now with patches and spots of both true black and white. He had shoulder length dreadlocks with horned spikes protruding upward in between them, making him look almost like an African king with a crown made of bone.

The spryte was almost the inverse of her demon partner. She was a small woman, with unnatural pink hair. Her skin was a fascinating mixture of colors, not the full spectrum of a rainbow, but rather, the types of pinks and blues and purples common to the surface of a soap bubble, or a puddle of oil.

“Please, relax my friends,” said the woman. “My name is Shield Maiden. This is Rain Dancer. You need not be afraid of us.”

Her words were not nearly enough to dissipate the tension in the room. Rose stood close to Malcolm, slowly moving herself away from the kneeling crowd in case the situation progressed in a violent direction.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Malcolm. This is Rose.”

What the hell are we supposed to do now?

“Awakened Children,” said Rain Dancer. His voice had a slight Caribbean accent to it. “You may go about your own business for the day. You heard?”

The entire congregation, including Rose’s sister, stood and headed out the door. Malcolm half expected Rose to grab Leah’s arm, but she didn’t as much as glance at her. It was a smart move on her part, he realized. The more information she gave about herself and her family connections, the more vulnerable she was.

“Well,” said Rose. “It appears that you think you have business with us. Should we get straight to it, then?”

CHAPTER 14

Malcolm felt a little intimidated, and not just by Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer. Rose had an intense look in her eyes, and she’d already summoned her shadow tendrils. They swirled around her body like thick, dark snakes, coiled and ready to strike.

“There is no need for that,” said Rain Dancer. “You’ve heard the sermon from our priestess already, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, about that,” said Malcolm. “It was a little convoluted.”

“We are the star touched,” said Rain Dancer. “Surely you can see that much just from your gifts, can’t you?”

He spoked to Rose, not Malcolm, which boded well. It meant that they still hadn’t recognized him as a threat, and gave them at least one extra card to play if it came to a fight.

“What is it that you want?” asked Rose.

“We just wish to speak with you more,” said Rain Dancer. “We have much to offer, more than you can see.”

Rose lifted an arm. Malcolm could tell that she was preparing to lash out with her shadows, or at least make the threat of doing so. He set his hand over hers and slowly lowered it down.

“You can go ahead and speak,” said Malcolm. “But I’m not really sure that your, uh, church… is right for us.”

“You have questions about our teachings, do you?”

Wow. Where do I even begin?

Malcolm couldn’t keep a smile from spreading across his face.

“I mean, a couple of things are interesting,” he said. “The priestess said that demons and sprytes were ’heroes of the Zodiac’, or something.”

“Exactly,” said Rain Dancer. “We are touched by the stars, and given power from our astrological signs.”

“That’s honestly what you think?” asked Malcolm. “That somehow, astrology and superpowers just… go hand in hand? One mystery complimenting another?”

“You act like it couldn’t be true,” said Rain Dancer.

“And you make up bullshit like a Capricorn,” said Malcolm. “No, wait… definitely a Virgo.”

Rain Dancer broke into a deep, booming laugh.

“Oh, you are a funny one,” he said. “You’re quite right. Capricorn, you know?”

“Rain,” said Shield Maiden. “Let’s get to the point. There’s no need for us to keep them on guard unnecessarily.”

“Of course, my dear,” said Rain Dancer. “I’ll let you do the honors.”

Shield Maiden nodded.

“The two of you aren’t from Halter City, are you?” she asked.

Rose didn’t offer up an answer, so after a couple of seconds, Malcolm shook his head.

“No, we aren’t,” he said. “How did you guess?”

“There aren’t many so called ‘monsters’ left around here,” said Shield Maiden. “The Champion Authority does thorough sweeps of most large population centers in the United States.”

“It’s a crying shame,” said Rain Dancer.

Malcolm gave a small shrug. Shield Maiden glanced back and forth between him and Rose.

“Are the two of you… together?” asked Shield Maiden. “As a man and a woman?”

“Don’t answer that,” said Rose.

“I’ve been instructed not to answer that,” said Malcolm, rolling his eyes. “Which, I’m sure can be interpreted as an answer on its own.”

Shield Maiden smirked.

“I appreciate your sense of humor,” she said.

“Get to the point,” snapped Rose. “We aren’t here to make small talk.”

Shield Maiden nodded slowly, giving Rose a wary look.

“Of course,” she said. “The Awakened Children, above all, believe in pushing for peace between sprytes, demons, and human civilization. We’re always looking for allies in our cause.”

Malcolm looked over at Rose. She hadn’t relaxed in the slightest, and still appeared ready to attack.

“That’s a noble goal,” said Malcolm. “Lofty, but very noble. Uh… we only came here out of curiosity. It wasn’t really our intention to sign onto a movement today.”

Shield Maiden nodded. Her eyes flicked to the side, and Malcolm realized that Rain Dancer was circling around behind them.

“You’re already part of a movement, Malcolm,” said Shield Maiden. “Or should I call you Wind Runner?”

Fuck. They know I’m a champion…

Rain Dancer was standing in front of the church’s entrance. Malcolm swore under his breath for not trusting his instincts.

“Whatever it is that you intend,” said Rose. “You’ll have to go through me to carry it out.”

“There is no need for hostility,” said Shield Maiden. “We don’t wish for violence. All we wish is for the two of you to come with us and allow us to present our movement to you in full.”

“And what if we refuse?” asked Malcolm.

Shield Maiden smiled sadly.

“Your friend, the shadow spryte, is more than welcome to decide as she pleases,” said Shield Maiden. “You, however, are a champion. I’m afraid we can’t trust you, yet. It would be… unfortunate, if the Champion Authority were to discover our presence.”

Malcolm looked over at Rose. A half second of eye contact was all it took for both of them to confirm that they were on the same page. Rose dodged to the side, shooting shadow tendrils out at Rain Dancer. Malcolm shot up through the air, double teaming the demon with a flying kick aimed directly at his head.

Rain Dancer’s eyes widened, and he reacted instantly. He extended one hand outward toward Malcolm. Little arcs of electricity formed between his fingers, filling the air with crackling noises. Malcolm knew what that meant before he saw the flash, and felt the bolt of electricity hit him.

Electricity is my weakness. This… is not good.

The electric surge knocked back, striking with a force somewhere above a taser, but below a bolt of real lighting. Malcolm’s wind manipulation went dry as though someone had turned off the faucet that supplied his powers. He fell to church’s wooden floor in a heavy pile, and groaned as he forced himself back up to his knees.

His shirt was smoldering. He could feel small burns on his skin, but still had Tapestry’s regeneration power, which immediately went to work on healing them over. Rose had slipped into shadow at some point, hiding herself to prepare for a sneak attack.

“The Wind Runner,” called Rain Dancer. “Beaten that easily? After all the attention the press gave you? That’s a little sad, you know.”

“You can cry about it if you want,” said Malcolm. “Me? I prefer the more practical approach.”

Malcolm threw his hand to the side, striking one of the church’s beautiful, expensive, and probably irreplaceable stained-glass windows with a burst of wind. It shattered, and he collected the shards in a gust as they fell, pulling them into the church and swirling them in a defensive circle around his body.

Rain Dancer’s face twisted into a snarl. He let out a roar and threw his hands forward. Malcolm dove behind one of the wooden benches. Lightning struck, turning the bench into shards of smoldering wood and making Malcolm’s eardrums ring from the noise.

He countered, launching the largest of his stained-glass shards at Rain Dancer. It was about the size of baking sheet, but with jagged edges and a deadly point. Rain Dancer saw it coming and hit it with a bolt of lightning.

It didn’t work out as the demon had planned. The glass turned orange from heat and lost its shape, but it did not shatter. It hit Rain Dancer’s shoulder and he immediately let out a deep, horrible sounding scream.

“Damn, hot glass,” said Malcolm, chuckling. “I can’t even imagine how that feels, dude.”

He stood up. Rain Dancer was moving around wildly, alternating between patting his shoulder and trying to tear his shirt off. Malcolm readied another shard, but before he could launch it, Rain Dancer blasted more lightning in his direction, this time enough to branch outward into several bright white lines.

One of them hit Malcolm in the hand, and he felt every hair on his body stand up straight, along with a burst of heat and extreme pain. His powers failed again, the glass dropping from the air to the ground, useless to him for the moment.

“You’ll pay for that!” shouted Rain Dancer. “I was going easy on you, fool!”

“Yeah, likewise,” said Rose. She materialized from the shadows of the nearest corner to Rain Dancer, striking out at him with tendrils of darkness.

Rain Dancer dodged back, shooting lightning to meet Rose’s attack. Malcolm realized what was about to happen a split second before it was played out. While the lightning couldn’t interact with the shadows directly, the bright, unfiltered light it gave off was as much Rose’s weakness as electricity was his.

Rose’s face grew serious as her tendrils dissipated. She took a step back. Malcolm moved to intercept Rain Dancer before he could follow up with more lighting. He took a single step forward, and then saw Shield Maiden point at him out of the corner of his eye.

A bubble appeared at the tip of her finger. It was like her skin, colored with pink and purple and blue, and it flew through the air and collided with Malcolm’s arm. He swore under his breath, losing his concentration, though also a little amused by how impractical her power seemed to be.

She can make bubbles. Real scary.

Malcolm swept up his fallen window shards with the wind and hurled them at Rain Dancer. They made it across about half the space in between them before Shield Maiden pointed again. More of the bubble shields burst into existence, this time surrounding each of the shards and arresting their momentum.

“Hey!” said Malcolm.

“Enough,” said Shield Maiden. “No more violence.”

Malcolm was already preparing another attack when she pointed at him. Suddenly, the room disappeared, the walls replaced by a multicolored, curving sphere just big enough for him to stand up in. He pushed out against it. The sphere gave under the touch of his hand, but not by much. It felt like rubber, but with less give.

“Rose!” shouted Malcolm. “Get out of here!”

“She got me too,” came Rose’s reply, along with an annoyed sigh. “I’m trapped in a bubble.”

Malcolm couldn’t see anything outside of the sphere beyond vague shapes, almost like looking through a multicolored shower curtain. He turned toward what he thought was Shield Maiden and waved his hand.

“Come on,” he said. “What’s the point of this? Are you going to force us to join up with you?”

“No,” said Shield Maiden, her voice muted slightly by the bubble. “Just to listen.”

CHAPTER 15

On top of being able to hold them within the bubble spheres, Shield Maiden was also able to move them with her mind. Malcolm was sitting down, but could feel the motion of the bubble in relation to the rest of his surroundings.

As far as he could tell, he was in the church’s back room. Rose’s bubble was visible next to him for a few seconds, and then someone switched the light off and closed the door, leaving them in darkness. Malcolm groaned and fought off a growing sense of claustrophobia.

“Well,” said Rose. “That went well.”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” said Malcolm. “I wasn’t expecting ebony and ivory out there to get the drop on us.”

“I’m not blaming you,” said Rose. “I blame myself, to be honest. We should have focused on approaching my sister in a more indirect manner.”

“This isn’t anything we could have predicted,” said Malcolm.

Rose was silent for a couple of seconds.

“What do you think is going to happen?” she finally asked.

“Honestly, I don’t have the slightest idea,” said Malcolm. “But whatever it is, I’m sure we’ll find a way to handle it.”

He pushed his hand against the inside of the bubble, trying to stretch it out far enough to make contact with the one Rose was in. It tipped to the side, surprising him, and Malcolm fell to the ground in an uncoordinated crumple.

“What did you just do?” asked Rose.

“Nothing, shut up,” he said.

The two of them spent the next few minutes in silence. Malcolm took out his phone and tried to make a call, figuring that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to call Tapestry and Multi for backup. Unfortunately, he had no service, and he suspected it was either because of the bubble, or some electric cellular interference on Rain Dancer’s part.

An hour went by, and then two. Malcolm started humming 90s rock songs, which Rose immediately started teasing him about. It did serve a purpose, both to pass the time and to recharge his powers slightly. It wasn’t the same as listening to the actual music, but it still served to meet the criteria of his focus activity.

What does it even matter, though? My powers are next to useless against Rain Dancer. And Rose isn’t much better off…

He was about to say as much to her and start brainstorming a better plan when the door to the room opened. Malcolm couldn’t make out any details other than the light streaming in and Shield Maiden’s vague shape.

“Hey,” he said. “Are you going to let us go now? Because I’m like ten minutes away from peeing inside this bubble.”

“Go right ahead,” said Shield Maiden. “The smell would stay contained to the bubble. You’d be the one suffering in the end.”

“Point taken,” said Malcolm. “Now answer my question.”

“She isn’t going to let us go, Malcolm,” said Rose, her voice annoyed. “They’ve beaten us, and they’ve taken us prisoner. They won’t let us go until they get what they want.”

“Prisoner isn’t the term I would use,” said Shield Maiden. “How about… a deliberate guest? And no, we don’t plan on holding you indefinitely.”

Malcolm was about to ask what she meant by that when Shield Maiden began moving them again. It was hard to get a sense of the world outside the bubble, but he was at least aware of when they passed out of the church and into the open. It was midafternoon, and the light of the sun was obvious.

A vehicle pulled to a stop in the road in front of them. The bubbles lifted, and Malcolm and Rose were loaded into the back of a van, judging from the roomy interior. It was dark again, and their captors didn’t say anything as they began traveling.

“Rose,” he said. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer immediately. Malcolm started to get a little concerned.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m just worried, Malcolm.”

“Trust me,” said Malcolm. “I won’t let them put a finger on you without going through me first.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why I’m worried,” said Rose, quietly. “Malcolm… You’re the one who is in danger here. Not me.”

Malcolm frowned.

Hmm…Hadn’t really considered it. They only attacked after Shield Maiden pointed out that I was a champion.

The ride went on for what felt like an eternity. The back of the vehicle was pitch black, but even if their bubbles had been in front of windows, Malcolm doubted he’d have any real sense of direction. He didn’t know Halter City all that well to begin with, anyway.

Finally, they came to a stop. The doors in the back of the vehicle opened. Malcolm made out the shapes of Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer, along with the walls and ceiling extending forward several hundred feet. It was a tunnel, and Shield Maiden directed their bubbles down toward the end of it.

“Hey, I think we started off on the wrong foot,” said Malcolm. “Maybe we could have a do over? Talk this through?”

He wasn’t scared for himself, exactly, but Rose’s words had put a nagging sense of impending doom into him. Malcolm tried to keep his awareness on his surroundings as Shield Maiden carried him forward down the tunnel.

“We will speak soon enough,” said Shield Maiden. “For now, both you, your spryte companion, and Rain Dancer could all use some time to cool off.

“Shield…” said Rain Dancer. “You’re making me sound like a steaming child, you know?”

“Well, perhaps you should stop behaving like one so often,” said Shield Maiden. “If you hadn’t riled Wind Runner up, we wouldn’t have an empty space in place of one of our church’s stained-glass windows.”

Rose laughed.

“Yeah, seriously, Rain Dancer,” said Malcolm. “Good going.”

“You are a punk,” said Rain Dancer. “I’m making you pay for the damages, you hear?”

“Yeah, good luck with that,” said Rose. “Because Malcolm’s just rolling in money, as it is.”

Shield Maiden let out a tired sigh and brought both bubbles through an entrance into a new area. They were in a huge, moderately lit space. That much Malcolm could make out. She brought them both across the floor, through another door, down another hallway, and into a new room.

Finally, the bubbles disappeared. Malcolm immediately tensed up, looking around and feeling a bit like a caged animal. They were in a concrete cell, with bright overhead lights, a metal door, and no furniture.

“We’ll be back in a little bit,” said Shield Maiden.

“Hold on!” Malcolm jumped up. “I’m a champion. And, in case you didn’t know, my fellow champions can track me using this!”

He brandished his stabilizer in the air. Rain Dancer looked amused.

“Just like you can use your phone to call for help?” he asked. “Electrical interference, you know? It’s one of my powers.”

Malcolm gritted his teeth. He tried a different tactic, hurling himself toward the door, pushing himself forward with the wind. Shield Maiden closed it before he could do anything.

Jeez, I wasn’t going to attack her, or anything. I mean… maybe. But maybe not!

Malcolm banged on the door a couple of times. He turned around, and saw Rose sitting in the corner of the room, trying to shield her face from the light.

“Damn it,” he said. “Is it that bad for you?”

“I used my powers too much trying to fight that stupid brute,” said Rose. “The light… it’s draining when I’m like this.”

“Here.” Malcolm took his shirt off, sat down next to her, and draped it over both of them. It didn’t block that much light, but combined with the hood of Rose’s sweatshirt, it was at least enough to give her a little bit of relief.

“Thanks,” she said.

Malcolm put his arm around her and squeezed.

“Any ideas?” he asked.

“We wait,” said Rose.

“For what?”

“A chance to kill them.”

Malcolm frowned.

“No,” he said. “I think we might be able to settle this without any more violence.”

“Are you insane, Malcolm?” snapped Rose.

“No,” he said. “Just aware of our current situation. I don’t think we’ll be able to beat Rain Dancer in a straight fight, but if we play our cards right, we might not have to. And what about your sister?”

Rose was silent for a couple of seconds.

“I haven’t even spoken to her yet, Malcolm,” she said, softly. “I’m not sure she even recognized me. As soon as I let my hood down in the church… she, along with all the other cultists started… worshipping me.”

“Hey, worship is a step up from having to wrestle her for the remote,” joked Malcolm.

“I’m being serious,” said Rose. “I can’t remember her, beyond a few scraps of memories. And I don’t know if she’ll ever see me as who I am, now. I think… maybe it was a bad decision to go looking for her.”

Hearing her say those words out loud made Malcolm’s heart ache. He didn’t know what to say. He just put his arms around her and hugged her.

CHAPTER 16

Time passed slowly in the cell. The accommodations were only slightly better than the rainbow bubbles, and Malcolm still felt claustrophobic from being confined. He wondered what Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer hoped to accomplish by leaving them alone for so long.

They might be doing his to keep Rose weak. But it’s not as though they knew about her weakness ahead of time. The cell was already here, meaning they’ve imprisoned people before.

An hour or two had gone by before the door finally opened. Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer stood side by side, both tense and ready for any attacks. Malcolm looked over at Rose. He could tell from the expression on her face that she wasn’t ready to fight again so soon.

“Are the two of you willing to hear us out, now?” asked Shield Maiden.

Malcolm made a show of looking at the concrete walls of the cell.

“Well, considering the many options we have in our current situation…” said Malcolm. “You know, you guys should really consider going door to door. Like Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

“I don’t think they like your jokes,” said Rose.

“Oh, I do like them, you know,” said Rain Dancer. “Your boyfriend is a regular funny man.”

Malcolm chuckled and glanced over at Rose, who had an oddly embarrassed look on her face.

“It’s not our intention to keep you both locked in this cell,” said Shield Maiden. “As you shall soon see, there is more to our project than the church in Halter City. But we must have your word that you will not attack us or any of the Awakened Children.”

Malcolm tapped his fingers on his chin. It wasn’t that he was hesitant to give his word, but rather, a little surprised that Shield Maiden would be willing to trust him on it. Rose seemed to be thinking something similar, and she gave a slow nod.

“You have our word,” said Malcolm. “We won’t attack.”

Shield Maiden nodded. Rain Dancer’s expression was a little darker than his companion’s, but his body language relaxed slightly, after a moment.

“Good,” said Shield Maiden. “Then please. Follow me.”

She stepped back from the door of the cell, as did Rain Dancer. Malcolm walked out into a hallway, making sure Rose stayed close. Shield Maiden led in front, while Rain Dancer trailed behind them.

“We call this place Underworld,” said Shield Maiden. “It’s our home, and a place where both the star touched and the Awakened Children can live without fear of persecution.”

Underworld? I’m 99% sure they got that from a movie.

The hallway spilled out onto a massive chamber. Malcolm confirmed from the lack of windows that they were somewhere underground, though it was barely necessary. The chamber looked as though it had once been a subway hub point, possibly, or maybe something related to a long dormant sewer.

Whatever it was, it had been completely cleaned, renovated, and overhauled. The floor was polished wood, and the walls had been decorated with massive murals of beautiful, distant landscapes.

Several long tables ran down the center of the chamber, and Malcolm recognized Rion and some of the other Awakened Children sitting around one of them. Shield Maiden waved to them, and all of them gave a quick bow in return.

“We’ll be eating dinner a little late tonight, my children,” called Rain Dancer. “Still working out what to do with the new arrivals.”

“Of course, milord,” said Rion. “Please, take your time.”

Malcolm scratched his head, feeling a bit put off by the display of subservience. Shield Maiden was already walking again, leading them around the massive chamber’s outer wall.

“You might consider this to be our meeting room, or cafeteria,” said Shield Maiden.

“It’s very impressive,” said Malcolm.

“This is an underground chamber,” said Rose. “How are you handling electricity? I see lights hanging from the roof, and for it to be so warm in here, you must have a heating system.”

“Indeed, Ms. Shadow Spryte,” said Rain Dancer, beaming with pride. “We produce so much electricity that we sell some of it back to Halter City.”

“Through a shell corporation,” said Shield Maiden. “It’s where most of our funding comes from. As much as we’d like for Underworld to be completely self-sufficient, no man is an island.”

Malcolm nodded.

“Which one of you came up with the name?” he asked, unable to resist.

“I did, you know,” said Rain Dancer.

Malcolm snorted.

“It’s… very creative,” he said. “Like two words in one.”

Rose started giggling next to him. Rain Dancer didn’t pick up on the humor, but Malcolm saw Shield Maiden trying to contain a coy smile.

“Up here,” said Shield Maiden, gesturing to another hallway. “Is the path down to the dormitories. We keep the Awakened Children divided by sex, but we have several extra rooms, in case of visitors.”

“Does that mean we won’t be sleeping on the cold concrete tonight?” asked Rose.

Rain Dancer flashed a smile at her that Malcolm wasn’t sure he liked.

“You will have plenty of choices about where to sleep tonight, Ms. Shadow Spryte.”

“Rain…” said Shield Maiden, her voice slightly chastising. She approached another opening in the concrete chamber and pointed. “Down here, we have a small but functional gym, along with a meditation room with heated floors.”

She continued like that, showing them a bathing area, a sauna, a small movie theater, and the kitchen. Malcolm was impressed, but beyond that, unsure of how to react to it all.

They have what amounts to a base for a cult down here. But what is their plan for it?

“Would you like to join us for dinner?” asked Shield Maiden, as them came back into the center of the meeting chamber.

Malcolm looked at her warily.

“Why the sudden warm welcome?” he asked. “If I recall correctly, we were trying to kill each other a few hours ago.”

Shield Maiden shook her head.

“You were trying to kill us,” she said, in a matter of fact tone. “We have no reason to make your stay unpleasant. It’s not as though you can do much against us, as we’ve already shown, and we prefer making friends to making enemies.”

Malcolm shrugged.

“We’re your guests,” he said, dryly. “How could we refuse?”

The four of them sat at a table separate from the Awakened Children. Rain Dancer waved to Rion, who stood and gave a small, rather normal prayer before the meal began. Three women in aprons wheeled out carts of food and went around serving all those seated.

Malcolm thanked them as they placed roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, and rice onto his plate. He felt himself lowering his guard around Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden, and had to force himself to keep it up.

“So,” he said. “How did your church come to be originally? It’s not rude for me to ask that, is it?”

Rain Dancer smiled.

“Of course not,” he said. “I received a dream from the stars, you know? That was when I first realized what I had to do with the gifts I’ve been given.”

He closed his eyes. It was hard for Malcolm to tell if he was being sincere. Beside him Shield Maiden kept her gaze down at her food, expression unreadable.

“Did this dream come before or after you became a… star touched?” asked Malcolm. He only barely managed to stop himself from using the word demon, instead, which he sensed would only serve to prickle Rain Dancer.

“After,” said Rain Dancer. “Of what I remember of the time before the stars’ touch on my soul… is only of me being lost. I was not a very nice person before, you know? I was given a second chance.”

“That’s an interesting way of looking at it,” said Rose. “To me, it feels more like I was robbed of my first chance, when I became a spryte.”

An awkward silence hung over the table for a couple of seconds. Malcolm decided to fight fire with fire.

“So…” he said, casually. “Shield Maiden, are you and Rain Dancer, uh, you know? Do you guys share a room?”

Shield Maiden smiled, and thankfully, didn’t seem offended by the question.

“No, we do not share a room,” she said, plainly. “However, if what you mean is a euphemism for sex, then yes, on occasion.”

“Shield!” snapped Rain Dancer. “You don’t need to tell them things like, you know?”

Shield Maiden laughed, and then let out a small sigh. She waved a hand to one of the serving girls.

“If you’d be so kind to bring some wine over to the table,” she said. “Two bottles, at least.”

CHAPER 18

The food was delicious, and the wine served to lubricate conversation around the table. Malcolm found himself being more forthcoming with his questions and answers, and even Rose seemed willing to let her guard down enough to engage with their captors.

“Rose says she doesn’t remember much from the time right after she became a spryte,” said Malcolm. “Do either of you remember? Or is that a sensitive question?”

“I was in prison,” said Rain Dancer. He held Malcolm’s gaze with an intensity that made it feel like a fight was an instant from breaking out, and then burst out into deep laughter.

“Haha, good one,” said Malcolm.

“He’s serious,” said Shield Maiden. “He was in prison at the time of discovering his gift. He used it to try to break out, and ended up pushing himself past his limits, becoming a demon in the process.”

Malcolm nodded, finding it interesting that Shield Maiden had used the word demon instead of star touched, which seemed to be what Rain Dancer and the rest of the cult defaulted to.

“And what about you?” asked Rose. “Do you remember where you were, when you became a spryte?”

Shield Maiden smiled sadly and shook her head.

“I do not,” she said. “And strangely, many of the sprytes I’ve spoken to also have trouble remembering such things. I suspect that it’s a difference between demons and sprytes that hasn’t been properly researched.”

“You think sprytes have more trouble holding onto memories?” asked Rose.

Shield Maiden shrugged.

“It’s impossible for me to know without having more examples to draw from, but yes,” she said, with a sad smile.

Rose leaned in closer to her. Malcolm was drawn away from their conversation by Rain Dancer, who tapped him on the shoulder and held out something in his other hand. A thin trail of smoke ran up from the tip of what looked like a cigar, and smelled like weed.

Seriously? This dude is too much.

“I don’t really smoke weed,” said Malcolm. “I mean, I’ve tried it before, but it’s not”-

“Take a small puff,” said Rain Dancer. “It’s just a normal blunt. You’re among friends, you know?”

“For the record, I don’t actually know that,” said Malcolm. “This could easily be a ploy to get me to let my guard down.”

“I beat you and your girlfriend while you both had your guards up,” said Rain Dancer, with a smirk. “Now, come. It’s good weed, you will see what I mean.”

Malcolm chewed on his lip for another second before accepting the blunt. He shook his head, wondering at the series of events that brought him to this moment, and then took a very small puff.

Almost immediately, he broke out into a fit of coughs. The smoke hit his throat harder than he’d expected it to. He passed the blunt back to Rain Dancer and took a long sip of his wine, which only made his head feel that much lighter.

“You know how to go for it!” said Rain Dancer. “I am impressed. Feel good?”

“Oh…” Malcolm rubbed his forehead. “I feel… something.”

He looked over at Rose and Shield Maiden. They were sitting on opposite sides of the table, but they were both leaning into their quiet conversation. Malcolm was struck by how beautiful and exotic they both looked, but also by something more than that.

She seems so comfortable. How many other sprytes and demons has she actually had to talk to, outside of the riffraff at Terri’s Tavern?

“You’ve got a question on your mind, ya?” said Rain Dancer.

Malcolm nodded, folding his arms. It was a little hard for him think through the fog of alcohol and weed.

“I’m just curious…” said Malcolm. “The dream you said you had. What was it about?”

Rain Dancer grinned. Apparently, Malcom had asked the right question.

“It was of a world where my people, the star touched, are safe to live and love and be happy!” He slammed his hand down hard table. “I have a dream, Wind Runner!”

Rain Dancer jumped up, climbing so that he was standing on the table.

“I have a dream!” he bellowed. The acoustics of the underground chamber made his words echo for what felt like an eternity. Over at the other table, the Awakened Children were all bowing in Rain Dancer’s direction.

“He gets a little over the top whenever he gets stoned,” said Shield Maiden. “Ask him to tell you about it when he’s sober.”

“I have a couple of questions about the whole Zodiac thing,” said Malcolm. “How does it relate to demons and sprytes?”

“It’s… complicated,” said Shield Maiden, with a subtle eye roll. “You should direct those questions to Rain Dancer.”

“The genocide will come to an end!” shouted Rain Dancer, still on the table. “We will create a new world.”

He extended one of his hands up and let loose a flash of lightning. The ceiling in the main chamber was high enough to allow for it, and light flickered across the faces of everyone watching. Malcolm wasn’t sure what to think.

Okay, this is a little over the top.

“Show them!” yelled Rain Dancer. “Show them what we can do!”

He gestured to Shield Maiden, who looked like she’d rather not, but proceeded to join Rain Dancer in his theatrics. Surprisingly, Rain Dancer also pointed to Rose. She furrowed her brow, as though she was declining his offer, but Rain Dancer leaned over, took her by the wrist, and pulled her up onto the long, rectangular table.

Malcolm started to stand and join them, but Rain Dancer caught his eye and slowly shook his head. He felt a sudden flash of irritation, being the odd man out, especially given the fact that Rose was going along with it.

“Watch the power of the star touched!” Rain Dancer tapped Shield Maiden on the shoulder. She waved one of her hands through the air, creating a circular pattern of spherical bubble shields above them.

Rain Dancer blasted lightning upward, creating arcs between the bubble shields. He grinned and looked over at Rose, giving her a nod of approval. Rose hesitated, glancing back at Malcolm with a strange look in her eyes.

Slowly, she lifted her hand and summoned her shadows. She made tendrils of darkness swirl around in the space underneath the bubble shields, the path of each one affected by the light from the electricity.

It was a scene unlike anything Malcolm could have imagined. Special effects in movies might be able to come close, but it was such a strange and specific combination of superpowers that he doubted it could ever be replicated.

Malcolm felt like he was watching a kind of strange initiation, and became all the more aware of the fact that he wasn’t a part of it. He wasn’t a demon or a spryte. He could only watch Rose, standing on the table in a triangular formation with the other two, using her abilities freely in a frivolous display of power.

Malcolm sipped on his wine and looked over at the Awakened Children. Their faces were filled with unbridled awe. Some of them were making gestures with their hands, probably related to another facet of the church’s worship.

He looked back toward Rose and the others on the table. Rain Dancer was holding her hand, along with Shield Maiden’s. The display was spinning now, turning in circles like a carnival ride made of magic. Malcolm tapped a finger on his chin, feeling as though he couldn’t help himself any longer. He stood up.

Summoning the wind, he gave all of bubble shields a hard push. They flew toward the side of the room, taking Rain Dancer’s lightning show along with them, bouncing harmlessly off one of the walls. Rose looked over at him and he winked at her.

“You…!” Rain Dancer looked furious. Shield Maiden sighed and set a hand on his shoulder.

“Relax, Rain,” she said. “Don’t take it so seriously. He’s clearly a playful sort.”

“This is not some kind of game, you know?” said Rain Dancer. “It’s meant to be taken seriously.”

“You could turn it into a game, if you wanted,” said Malcolm. “A couple of soccer goals, Shield Maiden’s bubble things. You could call it Power Ball.”

Rose jumped down from the table and stood close to him, an amused smile on her face.

CHAPTER 17

Things relaxed after the dramatic display, and Malcolm returned to eating his food. Rain Dancer excused himself from the chamber after a short, whispered conversation with Shield Maiden. The Awakened Children, for the most part, began to return to their food and conversation.

Malcolm noticed Rose watching their table. He managed to pick out Rose’s sister on a closer inspection. She looked similar to Rose, or what Rose might have looked like before becoming a spryte. Pale skin, dark hair, and deeply expressive eyes.

“You should go talk to her,” said Malcolm. “Give it another shot.”

Rose sighed.

“I’m not sure there is any point,” she said. “And what if…?”

She trailed off a little bit.

“What if, what?” he asked.

“What if I’m better off not remembering who I am?” Rose asked, quietly. “Remember what Rain Dancer said? About getting his powers in prison, and turning into a demon behind bars? What if it’s something like that for me, or something even worse…?”

“When I first met you, you said that you thought you were a champion before becoming a spryte,” said Malcolm. “I doubt you have too many skeletons in the closet to worry about.”

Rose shrugged, but didn’t make any move to leave the table.

I would have done anything for a chance like this with Danny.

He frowned, though it wasn’t as though he could force her into it. Rose’s sister wasn’t making any more effort than she was. It hurt Malcolm to watch, but that was all he could do.

They spent another half hour at the table. It would have been boring, if not for the lingering effects of the weed and wine. Malcolm chatted with Rose about nothing in particular, feeling a bit as though their captors had forgotten about them. Shield Maiden finally came over after a while and set a hand on his shoulder.

“I want the two of you to see something,” she said.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It will give a little more insight into what we have down here.” Shield Maiden gave the two of them a stiff smile.

Malcolm glanced over at Rose, who looked intrigued as well. They followed Shield Maiden out of the main chamber and through an industrial looking door. The floor sloped downward, and they continued through another door into a room filled with machinery.

Rain Dancer was inside, facing away from them. He gripped an electrical conductor in each hand, and static coursed over his body. His dreadlocks would shoot up and out every couple of seconds, reminding Malcolm of the legs of a squid, or octopus.

“This is where Underworld gets its power from,” said Shield Maiden. “Rain Dancer likes to act as though it’s an easy thing for him, but he spends several hours down here each night using his powers at full capacity.”

“He looks exhausted,” said Rose, frowning. Rain Dancer had his shirt off, and sweat slicked over the muscles of his shoulders.

“You both have powers of your own,” said Shield Maiden. “What do you think would happen if you were required to use them for hours at a time, day after day?”

Malcolm shook his head slowly.

“Does he ever have episodes?” he asked. “You know, losing control… getting violent… that sort of thing.”

If he did, all of the Awakened Children would be in serious danger.

Shield Maiden smiled sadly and gave a slow nod.

“He does,” she said. “Though, with me around, they’re containable. I usually encase him in a shield that he can’t break through, though conjuring one so strong does take a toll on me, as well. After a day or so, he comes back to reality.”

“You could do that for other monsters, too,” said Rose. “Couldn’t you?”

Shield Maiden nodded again.

“Now you’re beginning to understand,” she said. “There are ways around the downsides of embracing one’s powers fully. When Rain Dancer preaches, when he calls us the ‘star touched’, he’s speaking from what he believes the world could be.”

“That makes sense,” said Malcolm. “Apart from the stuff about the Illuminati… and the Zodiac. To be honest, I’m still a little hung up one couple of points.”

Rose flicked him in the shoulder with her finger.

“I should find a room for the two of you to rest in,” said Shield Maiden. “We can continue our conversation in the morning.”

Malcolm and Rose followed her back into the main chamber, and then into a room off the hallway that led to the dormitories. It was a guest room, with a carpet, a queen-sized bed, and a private bathroom.

A massive improvement over that concrete cell, for sure.

“If you need anything, my room is two down on the left,” said Shield Maiden. “Please don’t hesitate to ask. The two of you are our guests.”

Malcolm nodded, though a cynical voice in his head wondered how much that really was the case. He waited until Shield Maiden was out of the room and then walked over to the bed and sat down on it.

“Do you think they have any listening devices set up in here?” he asked Rose.

She shrugged.

“If they do, there isn’t much we can do about them,” she said. “Let’s just talk quietly.”

She came over to the bed and sat down next to him. Malcolm held her hand for a minute, feeling a little overwhelmed by the situation.

“We have to find a way out of here,” he said, softly. “They’re treating us kindly, but I sincerely doubt we’ll get a chance to escape unless we make one for ourselves.”

“I agree,” said Rose. “But you were right about what you said before. The best way forward is for us to play along, and wait until they trust us enough to give us an opportunity.”

Malcolm sighed and lay back on the bed. Rose rested her chin on his chest, frowning as she watched his expression.

“You look worried,” she said.

He leaned his head to one side.

“I’m not sure that’s the right word for it,” he said. “More like… confused.”

“Why?”

“This place… it reminds me of the Champion Authority’s local headquarters,” said Malcolm. “And Rain Dancer’s sermon, the way he’s pushing his view point, it’s a little crazier, but also kind of like the flipside of what Multi and Tapestry and the others believe.”

Rose frowned.

“Why is it that a crazy sermon from a cult leader leads you to a moral crisis, but not sex with me?”

Malcolm chuckled.

“Sex with you is fun enough to be simple,” he said. “Obviously.”

“Maybe I should work on making it more complicated, then,” said Rose. She kissed him softly on the lips. Malcolm smiled as he felt her hands begin to roam across his chest and stomach.

He was surprised by how tired he was, and content to let Rose do most of the work. She stripped off his clothes with slow movements, kissing bare flesh as it became available.

Malcolm ran his hands over her breasts as she pulled her sweatshirt over her head, revealing the lack of a bra underneath. Rose was already naked from the waist down, and she pulled her panties to the side, rather than taking them off, to slide down onto his shaft.

She rode him slowly, lovingly, even. It was different from how they so often ended up having sex, Malcolm manhandling her and Rose teasing him with her shadows. There was a connection there, in the place of lust. Malcolm felt like he had a partner in crime, not just between the sheets.

“Does that feel good?” whispered Rose.

“Does this?” Malcolm planted a kiss on one of her nipples and felt her shiver in response.

“Oh!” moaned Rose. “That feels so-”

The door opened. Shield Maiden stepped into the room in midconversation with Rain Dancer, only realizing her intrusive mistake after it was too late.

“Sorry, bad timing!” she said quickly. “Rain Dancer just had a question for Rose. We didn’t realize…”

Rain Dancer leaned against the room’s doorframe with a smile on his face that Malcolm didn’t like the look of.

“My question has already been answered, you know?” He stared at Rose, who brought an arm up to cover her breasts. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. Ms. Shadow Spryte… Wind Runner.”

Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden left the room. Malcolm sighed and looked up at Rose, who was blushing fiercely.

“What was that about?” asked Malcolm.

Rose leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

“Does it matter?” she whispered. “How about you let me finish what I started?”

Malcolm gave her butt a squeeze, and felt her slowly grind herself up to speed.

CHAPTER 18

Malcolm awoke the next morning to the sound of chanting coming from down the hall. Rose was asleep against him in bed, and he gently jostled her awake.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Wake up time.”

Rose groaned.

“Please tell me we’re in your apartment, and all of yesterday was just a dream,” she said, voice groggy.

“Unfortunately not,” said Malcolm. “But if we stay on guard, we’ll be out of here soon enough.”

She nodded, and the two of them dressed quickly. Malcolm decided that there was no point in waiting for Shield Maiden or Rain Dancer to come to their room to summon them. Instead they both headed out of their room and down the hall, towards the commotion.

The Awakened Children were gathered for breakfast, but it looked like they were chanting some kind of hymn before digging in. Malcolm recognized the tune of it immediately, and almost couldn’t believe it.

“What?” asked Rose, noticing his smile. “I take it you find this funny.

“The song,” said Malcolm. “That’s Drive, by Incubus. 90s rock.”

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried, you know?” Rain Dancer walked up behind him and Rose, with Shield Maiden following not far behind.

“That’s… my line,” said Malcolm. He didn’t elaborate any more than that.

It’s probably better if I don’t let them know that their cult is serenading me with the music of my focus activity.

“Wind Runner,” said Shield Maiden. “I’d like to spend some time with you alone today, if you don’t mind.”

“Uh…” Malcolm glanced over at Rose. “Can you elaborate on that, a little? You’ve got some vague phrasing going on.”

Shield Maiden looked unamused.

“I wish to get a better sense of the extent of your powers,” said Shield Maiden. “And also to speak with you about a few… serious matters. We’ll be going outside Underworld. Rain, can you help with that?”

Rain Dancer grinned. He walked over to Malcolm and extended his hand as though to shake his. Instead of making contact with his palm, he gripped Malcolm’s stabilizer and sent a quick, electric pulse through it.

“There,” said Rain Dancer. “Now it will stay cooked even when you’re out of my range. Probably for the best, ya?”

Malcolm stared at him in stunned silence. He wasn’t interested in giving Rain Dancer and the Awakened Children any inside, champion only information, but the urge to tear the demon down for what he’d just done was near overwhelming.

There is a bomb inside my stabilizer. A bomb that he very well could have just set off.

“Oh, thanks,” said Malcolm, flatly. “Is Rose coming along, too?”

“Rain and I spoke about it last night,” said Shield Maiden. “We think it would be prudent of us to allow her some… personal time. With her sister.”

Malcolm nodded, though on the inside, his stomach twisted a little. He still hadn’t forgotten that they were prisoners. Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer’s strategy seemed to involve getting them emotionally invested in the cult, until neither of them had any choice but to become their allies.

I know it won’t work on me. But Rose…?

Rose was already staring at Leah across the room. Malcolm set a hand on her shoulder, feeling incredibly awkward and struggling to find the right words to say.

“Hey,” he said. “Are you okay with that?”

Rose shrugged.

“I’m alright with it,” she said, quietly. “I’d like to spend some more time with Leah, it’s just…”

She met Malcolm’s eye, and he instantly knew they were on the same page. She could see the emotional triggers they were trying to pull to get her into line, and she didn’t like it.

“I’d also like to spend some time with you, Rose,” said Rain Dancer. “And I apologize for last night. Didn’t realize the two of you would be going to work like rabbits, you know?”

Rain Dancer had a smug smile on his face. Malcolm made a point to ignore it, instead squeezing Rose’s shoulder and walking with her over toward an empty table for breakfast.

I trust Rose. I’ve essentially trusted her from the very beginning.

The two of them ate a quick breakfast of fruit salad and toast, and then Malcolm was on his way with Shield Maiden. She led him down one of the tunnels, into another section of Underworld, less well-lit than other rooms and hallways he’d seen.

“From this point on, you’re not going to be able to travel on foot,” said Shield Maiden.

“I’m not exactly a master when it comes to flying,” said Malcolm. “But sure, I’ll give it a shot.”

Shield Maiden smiled at him and waved her hand. A bubble burst into existence around Malcolm, hampering his view of their surroundings and suspending him in the air.

“Sorry,” she said. “I can’t have you knowing the exact locations of Underworld’s entrances.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that would really burst your bubble,” said Malcolm. “Guess you guys have to go through a lot to keep your location shielded.”

“You’re not funny.”

“I bet you’re at least smiling right now,” said Malcolm. “I can’t see your face, but I bet you are.”

Malcolm lounged in the bubble while Shield Maiden navigated a long series of twists and turns. The tunnels that connected Underworld to the surface felt needlessly complex. Malcolm was certain that he wouldn’t have been able to find his way back, even if he’d been on foot and paying attention.

After about an hour, they came out into the open. The sunlight made the inside of the bubble almost feel like the inside of a prism. Light shimmered in odd ways, splitting into pure colors, and giving Malcolm the dizzying feeling of being submerged in a rainbow.

Shield Maiden kept walking, traversing a couple of grassy hills. Malcolm was positive that they were outside Halter City and Vanderbrook, though exactly where, he couldn’t guess. Finally, they came to a stop. Shield Maiden waved her hand, and Malcolm fell to the dirt in a heap.

“We’ve arrived,” said Shield Maiden.

Malcolm blinked his eyes as he looked around.

“The sand cliffs?” he asked. “If you were trying to confuse my sense of direction, you’ve done a pretty poor job at it. I know exactly where we are now in relation to Vanderbrook.”

“I just don’t want you knowing how to get to and from Underworld,” said Shield Maiden. “And I think that has been accomplished.”

The sand cliffs were misnamed. They were a more of a ridge made of dry dirt, running a half mile or so along the hills to the far west of Vanderbrook. It was an area that was commonly rumored to be a popular place for criminal activity, especially dumping bodies.

Because of that and its distance from anything worthwhile, it was a place that few people bothered to spend much time in. Malcolm looked up at the cliffs, remembering how he used to think about climbing them as a kid on the few times he’d ridden his bike out in their direction.

“Why bring me here?” asked Malcolm. “You’re taking a risk, aren’t you? If I wanted to get away badly enough, I could just take off running, you know.”

Shield Maiden smiled at him. She was wearing a loose, long sleeve t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Her skin made the outfit look more impressive than it really was, the simplicity contrasting against the complicated mixture of purples and pinks underneath.

“Could you really?” she asked. “Why don’t you try it and see what happens?”

It would not be fun to have her bubble me while in mid sprint. But still… she’s taking a risk, whether she’ll admit it or not.

“The reason I brought you out here, Wind Runner, is because of the wind,” said Shield Maiden. “I want to teach you some of what Rain Dancer and I have figured out in our time using our powers.”

“Why, though?” asked Malcolm. “Why go through the trouble of teaching a prisoner anything?”

“Because you aren’t a prisoner, Malcolm,” said Shield Maiden. “You’re a new recruit.”

CHAPTER 19

The weight of Shield Maiden’s admission was more than enough to knock Malcolm off balance. He stared at her, trying to discern whether she was being serious, or whether it was a trick.

If she is serious, all I have to do is play along, and I’ll have the freedom to escape soon enough.

“Have you tried flying before?” asked Shield Maiden. “I’ve seen other gifted individuals manage it, but only ones with a… slightly higher power level than you.”

“I’ve flown before,” said Malcolm. “It… didn’t really end well. I came close to losing myself to my powers, and crossing over the line. I think… if I had kept doing it, I would have turned into a spryte, or a demon.”

Shield Maiden nodded.

“I’m assuming that the approach you took was a less efficient one,” said Shield Maiden. “One of the critical things that both Rain and I have learned from experimenting with our own powers is that it’s often more practical to use them in limited bursts.”

Malcolm shrugged his shoulders, thinking about what she was saying.

“What do you mean by that, exactly?” he asked.

“Follow me,” said Shield Maiden.

She walked along the sand cliffs until they reached an easily accessible ridge to climb. Malcolm followed her as she made her way up, finally reaching the summit at a hundred feet above the silty bottom.

“I want you to jump,” said Shield Maiden. “And I want you to try to think about using the wind, not to fly wherever you want, but just to keep yourself from touching the ground.”

“Uh…” Malcolm scratched his head. “Is there a difference, really? That sounds like the same thing to me.”

Shield Maiden shook her head.

“What I’m talking about is using your wind powers to give yourself a quick burst of lift and then letting yourself move through the air naturally,” she said.

“I get it,” said Malcolm. “The Buzz Lightyear approach.”

Shield Maiden frowned.

“Falling with style,” he said. “Toy Story? Oh, come on, everyone has seen that movie.”

“Why don’t we continue things here?” asked Shield Maiden. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Malcolm stood at the edge of the cliff. The sand was loose and soft down below him. The sand cliffs were, in fact, one of the best locations he could have asked for to experiment with his powers.

I’ll just keep telling myself that, while I’m in the middle of an uncontrolled freefall.

“Wait until the last second,” said Shield Maiden. “And then trigger your powers with all the force you can, and then throw yourself back up into the air.”

Malcolm nodded.

“Alright,” he said. “Sure… Let’s give it a try.”

He jumped. His breath caught in his throat as he kicked his legs through open air, and then the ground was coming up toward him, fast. It took a tremendous amount of willpower for Malcolm to bide his time and wait for the right moment, but he forced himself to do it.

When he was no more than fifteen feet from hitting the ground, he pushed downward with his wind manipulation with all the strength his abilities would allow. Instantly, he understood what Shield Maiden had meant.

When used in a quick, sudden burst, Malcolm could ratchet his powers up to a higher level than he’d normally be able to reach. When he’d first joined the Champion Authority, Tapestry had told him that his powers were about a three out of ten, on their strength scale.

Malcolm now saw that it was true when considering using his wind manipulation for longer that a couple of seconds at a time, but if he only needed a quick, split second burst, he could use the wind at twice that intensity or more.

He pushed up off the ground, bouncing as though he’d landed on the tarp of a trampoline. Malcolm let out a whoop, and totally forgot what he was supposed to be doing. Instead of turning his wind manipulation off, he kept pushing himself up, taking proper flight for a couple of seconds.

This feels fucking amazing. Why don’t I do this all the time?

A bubble burst into existence around him. Malcolm growled, anger mixing with the remnants of the power euphoria he’d just gotten a taste of. He felt Shield Maiden slowly lowering him back down toward where she was on the ridge.

He took a few deep breaths and slowly came back to reality. Shield Maiden dropped her bubble shield, waiting for him to stand to his feet before frowning and shaking her head in disapproval.

“Don’t get carried away,” said Shield Maiden. “Using your powers like that will only lead to you turning into a spryte, or a demon.”

Malcolm tried to think clearly. He was just lucid enough to question why Shield Maiden, a spryte herself, and a member of a cult that worshipped monsters, would give him that advice.

There is something going on here that hasn’t been explained to me, yet. I need to tread carefully.

“Let’s take a break,” said Shield Maiden. “I brought some sandwiches.”

Malcolm sat with her on the edge of the sand cliffs. Shield Maiden passed him some food, and as he accepted it from her his fingers brushed against hers. He felt the sudden, familiar tingle of absorbing the power of another gifted and froze in his tracks.

Shield Maiden looked at him strangely. Malcolm tried to play it off, smiling and trying not to consider whether her bubble shields would ever prove to be of use to him. He shifted his focus, eating lunch and wondering what the future held.

“Where do you see this heading?” he found himself asking. “What’s your end goal, Shield Maiden?”

She didn’t react to the question right away, slowly finishing the bit of sandwich she was working on before turning to look at him.

“That’s a good question,” she said. “I’m surprised that you didn’t ask me earlier.”

“It’s not that it only occurred to me now,” said Malcolm. “There just never seemed to be… an opportune time to ask.”

Shield Maiden nodded.

“What I want is peace,” she said. “It’s a rather boring end goal, but beautiful in its own right. Take your friend Rose, and her sister Leah, for example…”

Malcolm nodded slowly.

“They’ve been given a chance to reconnect,” continued Shield Maiden. “Do you think it would have gone the same way if Leah had been living outside the church, constantly inundated with propaganda designed to paint sprytes and demons as hell spawn?”

Malcolm resisted his impulse to agree with her immediately.

“Some might say that the philosophy of the Awakened Children is also propaganda,” he said, carefully. “You have to admit, it’s a little farfetched.”

Shield Maiden let out a small laugh.

“Yes, Rain and I differ on the benefits of the church’s teachings,” said Shield Maiden. “I do think the overall message is sound, however. And we both agree that the Champion Authority, in its current state, is not something that can be allowed to continue.”

“So it’s you, and Rain Dancer, and a few dozen normal humans, against an international organization of superhumans?”

“Along with anyone else who sees the injustice in what’s currently going on,” said Shield Maiden. She gave him a pointed look. “Have you ever wondered how the Champion Authority came out on top? How it became the organization in charge of policing the superhuman world?”

“I always just assumed it happened naturally,” said Malcolm.

Then again, I always took what they said about sprytes and demons at face value…

“Savior, the leader of the Champion Authority, is a United States Senator,” said Shield Maiden. “He pushed for government funding. Invented the threat of sprytes and demons. Sold not just the United States, but governments all around the world on the need fora genocide against hundreds of thousands of people who, through no fault of their own, became something different in the eyes of their fellow citizens.”

“That’s not the full truth either, though,” said Malcolm. “There are some demons and sprytes out there who, for lack of a better word, are evil.”

My brother was one of them. How many people did he kill in his time as a demon?

“If you’re looking for a simple truth, Wind Runner, I doubt very much that you will ever find it.”

Shield Maiden turned her attention back to her sandwich. Malcolm couldn’t decide whether the conversation was one he wanted to keep having, and so he did the same.

CHAPTER 20

“I have one more thing to teach you,” said Shield Maiden. “And it won’t involve as much risk as what we tried before.”

Malcolm stood up and dusted his pants off. He nodded slowly.

“Sure,” he said. “But just how is it that you came about this knowledge, anyway? Your power is nothing like wind manipulation. How is it that you have so much insight into how to use it properly?”

Shield Maiden smiled at him.

I guess my question was a good one.

“Living as a spryte or a demon puts you in touch with your powers,” said Shield Maiden. “I have an intuitive sense, both for how my powers and the powers of others work.”

“And you didn’t have that before you became a spryte?” asked Malcolm.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I can’t remember much from that life. But regardless, it’s up to you to decide what to take and what to toss from the advice I give you. I’m not here to preach the gospel.”

“I mean, technically speaking, you are kind of worshipped by a cult…”

“Wind Runner,” said Shield Maiden. “I will trap you inside of my bubbles for the next week if you don’t quit being such a smartass.”

“Duly noted.”

Shield Maiden led him down to the sand at the bottom of the cliffs. She stood for a moment without saying anything, and then finally extended her arms wide.

“Your power is wind manipulation,” said Shield Maiden. “But just as easily, you could use it to interpret vibrations on the wind. To hear what’s going on around you, at a distance much further than a normal, unaided human.”

“Super hearing,” said Malcolm. “Uh, okay. Not quite in the same league as flying, but I’ll give it a try.”

“It’s more useful than flying,” said Shield Maiden. “For a spy.”

Malcolm froze. She was looking at him, and it was clear that it wasn’t an inadvertent slip.

“That’s why you don’t want me overusing my powers,” he said, slowly. “I’m more useful to you as an ally if I’m not a spryte or a demon. You want me as your eyes and ears in the Champion Authority.”

Shield Maiden nodded slowly.

“Are you surprised?” she asked. “You must have considered why we would risk bringing a champion into our base of operations. Along with wooing you with food, drink, and friendship.”

That’s such a huge gamble. I need to make them think that it’s paid off, if I want to stay alive.

Malcolm exhaled slowly.

“I see where you’re coming from,” said Malcolm. “It’s a big decision for me to make without thinking it through. But… I’m open to helping you, Shield Maiden. Really, I am.”

He wondered if she could tell if he was lying. He wondered if he really was lying, or if would end up helping them, somehow. More than anything, Malcolm felt confused. Shield Maiden watched his face for a couple of seconds before giving a slow nod, and moving on.

“Listen,” said Shield Maiden. “Not to me. Listen to the wind, Malcolm. Rain and I call using one’s powers like this ‘meditative focus’. You have to let yourself relax in order to get in the state of mind to make it work.”

“Alright,” said Malcolm. “I’ll give it a shot.”

He took a deep breath, trying to clear his head of all thoughts. It was far more difficult than he’d been expecting it to be, especially with Shield Maiden’s offer still fresh in his mind. He tried to relax, to listen.

A bird chirped, not nearby, but at least a mile or two in the distance. Malcolm heard not just the sound of the bird, but also the sound of the wind moving through the trees near it. He could picture it, in his head. He could almost “see” which branch the bird was on, and how it was oriented.

And they want me to use this to betray Tapestry, Multi, my friends and coworkers…

Malcolm lost concentration and the meditative state broke instantly. He scowled and shook his head, expecting Shield Maiden to chastise him for his lapse. Instead, she was looking at her phone. It was strange watching a spryte stare into a handheld screen, a mixture of the exotic and the mundane.

“We have to go,” said Shield Maiden. “Something has happened back in Underworld.”

“What?”

Shield Maiden didn’t answer him. She waved a hand, encasing him in a bubble for transport.

“Oh, come on,” said Malcolm. “You don’t have to be mysterious all the time, you know.”

An hour later, the bubble vanished, and Malcolm followed Shield Maiden down the last stretch of hallway and into Underworld’s main chamber. He spotted Rose standing next to her sister and almost immediately knew how her day had gone.

Rose’s body language was tense and openly disappointed. Leah was just as tense, but in more of a reverent kind of way, like a young teenager meeting their celebrity idol. Malcolm walked toward them slowly, waving and watching as both women reacted.

“Hey,” he said. “How goes it?”

Rose sighed.

“Good,” she said. “Malcolm, this is my younger sister, Leah.”

Leah frowned.

“Star touched don’t have family,” she said, in a quiet voice. It almost seemed as though it pained her to contradict Rose, but it was something that her beliefs required her to do.

“Right...” said Rose, with an eye roll. “Don’t mind her. This is one of those points we’ve been stuck on for most of the day.”

Leah brought her gaze up from the ground to smile at Malcolm and extend her hand in greeting.

“It’s nice to meet you, anyway,” she said, softly. “It gladdens me to know that others worship the star touched as we do here.”

“Uh… worship?” asked Malcolm. “I’m not exactly sure that’s how I would describe the relationship between me and your sister.”

“She’s not my…” Leah trailed off, as though realizing it was pointless to keep correcting them.

“We had quite the day,” said Rose, sarcastically. “We chanted. We listened to sermons. Some of the Awakened Children went up into Halter City to proselytize, but of course, I wasn’t allowed to go along for that.”

“Boy, you must be all tuckered out then,” said Malcolm. “Sounds absolutely riveting.”

“Did you know that a number of celebrities have also been a part of the Illuminati, over the years?” asked Rose. “A few I could actually see a case for.”

“Oh, do tell,” said Malcolm.

Rose glanced over at Leah, who was frowning openly.

“We aren’t supposed to repeat the exact details from the sermons,” said Rose. “I’ll just hint at one of them. Let’s call him, B. Cosby. No wait, that’s too obvious. Let’s go with Bill C. instead.”

Malcolm laughed. He grinned at Rose, relieved to see that she was still in good spirits, all things considered. He was just about to ask for more details about how things had gone between her and her sister when Rain Dancer hurried into the chamber, waving Shield Maiden over with a serious look on his face.

“What’s his deal?” asked Malcolm.

Rose shrugged.

“No idea,” she said. “He spent about an hour hitting on me this morning, and then disappeared for the rest of the day.”

Malcolm scowled.

I knew it. I’ll give him points for bravery, though, to hit on a woman who can be as scary as Rose.

“And how did you feel about that?” asked Malcolm.

“Annoyed,” she said. “Obviously. Though to be honest…This is still clearly the lesser of two evils, compared with the champions. Even with Rain Dancer’s arrogance and crazy conspiracy theories.”

Malcolm frowned. Leah was called over by a group of the Awakened Children, and she left without saying anything to either of them.

“I came to the opposite conclusion,” he said, in quiet voice. “I think we need to start being more proactive about getting out of here.”

Rose licked her lips. Her dark eyes took on a contemplative tone, and she folded her arms underneath her breasts.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“What don’t you know?” he asked. “I think we’ve seen enough here, Rose, to know that these people are kind of nuts.”

“Maybe on the surface,” she said. “But they’re right about some things, Malcolm. The fact that the two of us have gotten so close, is proof enough of that.”

Malcolm massaged his temples, trying to ward off an oncoming headache.

“Let’s keep pretending for now,” said Rose.

“Rose…” he said. “What happens when it stops feeling like we’re pretending?”

She didn’t answer him.

CHAPTER 21

They spent a few minutes sitting at one of the tables in companionable silence. Malcolm was glad that even though they disagreed on how to proceed forward, it wasn’t enough to push them apart.

He watched Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden speaking across the chamber, both clearly upset about something. Malcolm tried to clear his head so that he could enter the listening state that Shield Maiden had just taught him about, but there were too many distractions.

Eventually, both Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden turned to look in his direction. It wasn’t until both of them were on their way over that Malcolm realized that they weren’t looking at him, but at Rose.

“Ms. Shadow Spryte,” said Rain Dancer. “We need to speak with you privately for a bit, ya?”

Malcolm frowned.

“Just her?” he asked. “Whatever it is, I feel like I deserve to be included.”

“It’s okay, Malcolm,” said Rose.

He frowned at her.

“Rose…” He struggled, trying to think of how to put his new unease over the situation into words.

It feels like this cult might end up becoming a wedge between us… or worse.

“We just need to get her opinion on something,” said Shield Maiden. “In the meantime, Rion and some of the other Awakened Children can… talk with you privately, Wind Runner. You won’t be ignored.”

“Malcolm,” said Rose. “Just go along with it.”

She smiled and gave him an encouraging wink. Malcolm sighed and nodded his head, feeling like he’d been dismissed from the grownup table.

Rose left with the other two, headed down a hallway in the back of the chamber. Malcolm tapped his fingers on the table, watching as Rion, Leah, and another girl from the church that Malcolm didn’t recognize walked over to him.

“Shield Maiden told us to help reset your aura,” said Rion. “Will you come with us, please?”

Malcolm groaned.

“Oh, you know, I’m pretty exhausted,” he said. “I spent all of today flying around and, uh… listening.”

“We insist,” said Rion. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Leah took him by one arm, while the other girl took him by the other. Malcolm sighed, figuring it was probably better to not put up a struggle. Rion led the group of them over to the hallway that Malcolm remembered Shield Maiden saying led to the meditation room.

The floor was wood and warmed by heaters underneath, and there were pillows of various sizes scattered across. Rion sat him down on one the size and shape of a bean bag chair and stood over him.

“Wind Runner, have you considered why we live underground?” asked Rion.

“Affordable rent,” said Malcolm.

She frowned a little, but didn’t make a big deal over the joke.

“The Illuminati has influence on the surface,” said Rion. “And not just in the social, media, and political systems.”

“Oh no…” said Malcolm, with a sigh. “Not the Illuminati again…”

“The only way for us to purge ourselves of their toxic influence is through recalibrating our auras.” Rion drew in a little closer to him, letting her hands touch Malcolm’s chest. He frowned at her, gently pushing her back.

“And you do that…?”

“Through bonding with one who has a powerful, clean aura,” said Rion. “We are not star touched, so our individual auras are not strong enough to do the task. We must bond with you, together.”

Malcolm chewed his lower lip, feeling more conflicted than he ever had before in his life.

“And Rain Dancer was the one who explained this to you originally?” asked Malcolm.

Rion nodded.

“He bonded with all of us,” said Rion. “Unfortunately, he is not able to bond with men, so we pass the blessing along in his steed.”

She smiled and slowly began pulling Malcolm’s shirt over his head.

“Would you like me, Leah, or Zoe to take the lead, Wind Runner?” asked Rion. “Please feel free to be vocal about what you like.”

“Okay, hold on just a second,” said Malcolm. “I’m incredibly… flattered by this, uh, opportunity. But I don’t think you girls understand. None of this is true. It’s all just a… fabrication.”

The third girl, Zoe, walked back into Malcolm’s view wearing nothing but her bra and panties. Malcolm felt his mouth drop open at the sight of her. She was a brunette with long hair, and expressive green eyes. She couldn’t have been much older than he was, with firm breasts and a curvaceous butt.

“This is our philosophy, Wind Runner.” Rion was running her hands lower now, and bringing her lips in close to his. “All we wish is to share it with you, for a time. We aren’t asking you to believe immediately.”

Malcolm glanced over at Leah, as though expecting her to be the voice of reason. Instead of getting support, all he got was a curious look from someone who looked a lot like Rose. She was more tentative than the other two and still clothed, but she slowly reached her hand out and set it on his shoulder.

“Come on,” said Malcolm, speaking directly to her. “What would your sister think of this?”

“I don’t have a sister,” whispered Leah. “The star touched do not have family.”

Malcolm rolled his eyes.

“You don’t see how parts of this philosophy are a little weird and senseless?” asked Malcolm. “Are Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden dosing you guys with something? Maybe drugs in the ceremonial punch every…”

Zoe pushed her bra clad breasts into Malcolm’s face, and he suddenly forgot what he’d been saying. Rion was unzipping his jeans and pulling them down. Leah was running her hands through his hair. It was altogether more sensation than Malcolm knew how to resist.

Rose did tell me to play along. Maybe just for a minute or two. I doubt they’ll take this all the way…

All three of the young women had a similar smell, and it reminded Malcolm of the scent of fresh mint. Zoe brought her lips to his and gave him a kiss, just a quick peck. Malcolm chuckled as though it was the first one he’d ever been given, and then was almost bowled over by her passionate follow-up.

Zoe moaned as she pushed her lips against his, slipping her tongue into his mouth. She tasted of strawberries. Malcolm could feel Rion, or possibly Leah, pulling his boxers down. He was too engaged with the kiss to suggest that they stop,

Just… playing along.

A soft hand took hold of his growing erection. Malcolm pulled back from Zoe and glanced down. Rion was slowly fondling his shaft, wearing the same smile on her face that she had while giving her sermon. Leah watched from a similar vantage point, though her cheeks were crimson red.

Zoe unhooked her bra and let it fall to the side. Malcolm stared at one of the most amazing sets of breasts he’d ever seen in his life. He reached out as though in a trance, and Zoe obliged him, lowering them into his hands.

Something hot and wet ran along the side of Malcolm’s shaft. Rion had taken things to the next level, using the tip of her tongue to give him focused pleasure in the same way a barber might use a razor to get at a tricky length of hair.

“Okay…” breathed Malcolm. “I think… we should take a step back.”

Zoe took a step back, and then a step down, and then she was kissing Malcolm down there, too. Leah was the only one holding back and Malcolm was fine with that. Explaining the details to Rose would be a lot less fun than whatever pleasure she could offer him.

This feels way, way too good.

Rion and Zoe seemed to pick up on his weakness to their offensive and took it even further. Rion focused on sucking, while Zoe kissed and licked relentlessly with her lips and tongue. Malcolm bucked his hips up into the air several times, gripped his hands against the pillow underneath him, and then totally lost control.

They kept at it, even after he’d come, slowly cleaning up the mess he’d made. Malcolm tried to separate the pleasure from his feelings for the cult. He thought about what they’d said earlier, about how Rain Dancer had “cleansed” each of the women in turn, and suddenly felt dirty and complicit to something horrible.

Rain Dancer cleansed Leah, too, no doubt. I wonder what Rose would think of that?

“We can meditate in peace now,” said Rion. “Without having to worry about the toxins interfering with our focus.”

“Totally,” said Malcolm. “But before we do that, I need to grab something in my room.”

“Zoe can show you the-”

“No, I think I can find it!” Malcolm stood up quickly, pulling his pants back into place, and tried to act casual as he hurried out of the meditation room and into the hallway.

CHAPTER 22

Malcolm moved through Underworld as stealthily as he could, staying crouched as he moved across the wall of the main chamber. Most of the Awakened Children had gone off to do something else, giving him more leeway than he would have otherwise had.

He only cared about one thing: finding Rose and getting out. They’d spent too much time amongst the cult for his liking. If he and Rose could find a way to liberate Leah while they were at it, all the better. But first and foremost, Malcolm needed to get Rose and himself to safety.

I need to find her. That’s the only thing I care about, right now.

Malcolm took a slow breath, remembering everything Shield Maiden had told him about using the wind to listen. It was far from easy, knowing that he could be interrupted at any time, but he forced himself to calm down and empty his mind.

Reaching out for the wind, Malcolm felt for small disturbances in it, first nearby, and then pushing outward into the many hallways and chambers of the facility. It felt a bit like putting water into a bowl, the inside surface area slowly being covered as it filled up.

“It will be our little secret,” said Rain Dancer, in a deep, soft voice. “Nobody else needs to know.”

Malcolm gritted his teeth, immediately losing focus. Luckily, he was able to discern direction from just those few words. He hurried down the hallway toward where Rain Dancer’s voice had come from, cushioning his steps with the wind to silence his movement.

It was the same hallway Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden had imprisoned him and Rose in originally. Malcolm paused before one of the doors, which was open a crack. He carefully leaned out just far enough to catch a glimpse of what was inside.

A teenage boy, nor more than thirteen or fourteen, sat on the cell’s concrete floor. Rain Dancer towered over the boy with a stern expression on his face, waiting for something.

“I told you, I don’t know,” said the boy, in a soft, high pitched voice. “I only just discovered my… my gift.”

“There were other champions with you,” said Rain Dancer. “Who were they?”

“Melt…” whispered the boy. “And the other one was… Greenthumb, I think.”

Malcolm recognized the names. Melt and Greenthumb were two field champions who had paid him a visit shortly after he’d joined the Champion Authority. They’d been looking for Rose, and at the time, she’d been hiding in his apartment. It had taken Malcolm a while to assuage their suspicions, but somehow, he’d managed it.

I guess they also find and locate the newly gifted, probably to train as champions.

“Come clean,” said Rain Dancer. “I can tell that you’re lying. Tell me what you know of the local champions, or things are going to stop being fun for you, you know.”

“I swear I don’t know anything!” cried the boy. “Please! I don’t know! I’ve never seen their base. They didn’t tell me where we were going. I was just walking with them, and then… you guys attacked us… and…”

Rain Dancer looked furious, but Malcolm could tell from the demon’s breathing that he was trying to keep himself under control.

“…So be it,” said Rain Dancer.

“Are you… going to torture me?” asked the boy.

Rain Dancer chuckled.

“Do that thing again,” he said.

Malcolm leaned a little further into the doorway, watching as the boy extended his hand and wiggled his fingers. A small chunk of concrete had broken loose from the floor in one spot, and it lifted on its own, hovering up a couple of inches. It looked as though it was taking the boy a great deal of effort to maintain it, and after a couple of seconds, he sighed and let it drop to the floor.

Telekinesis, maybe? Interesting…

“Teddy, I want to give you a choice in what comes next, ya?” said Rain Dancer. “But the only way you get one is if you show us how strong you really are.”

“I… can be strong,” whispered the boy. “Just please, don’t kill me.”

“I’m not going to kill you, Teddy,” said Rain Dancer. “Just a test.”

“…What test?”

“You have to get out of this cell, Teddy,” said Rain Dancer. “You’ll only have a few minutes to do it. Just use your powers at full strength, get the door open, and you’ll be safe. Easy, you know?”

“But… but…” Teddy was shaking his head. “I can’t!”

He reached out to grab Rain Dancer as the demon turned to leave. Rain Dancer knocked him to the floor with a push. He started to turn toward the door, and Malcolm realized that he needed to hide, fast.

Malcolm jumped, pulling the wind underneath him and propelling himself toward the ceiling. The hallway was just narrow enough for him to wedge himself into it by pushing his hands into one side, and his feet into the other.

He watched Rain Dancer walk out, praying that the demon wouldn’t look up. Rain Dancer didn’t even notice him. He watched as Rain Dancer closed the door to Teddy’s cell, and slid a heavy latch into place before turning a key to lock it from the outside.

Malcolm waited until Rain Dancer disappeared down the hall, and then let himself fall to the floor. He tried the door, finding it solidly locked, and then gave it a gentle knock.

“Hey!” he hissed. “Teddy? Can you hear me?”

Malcolm heard a startled cry come from the other side.

“Who… is it?” asked the boy.

“A friend,” he said. “I’m Wind Runner. I’m with the Champion Authority.”

“You’re… Wind Runner?” Teddy’s voice was practically reverent. “You! I… can’t believe it. When I first got my powers, all I could think of was being like you…!”

Well, he kind of ended up in the same situation I was in yesterday, so there’s that.

“We have to get you out of here,” said Malcolm. “Do you know where the key for your door is?”

“He said I have to get out of the cell on my own,” said Teddy. “He said… Oh god!”

Malcolm heard a new noise, something that didn’t make any sense. It sounded like a waterfall had just burst into existence on the other side of the door.

“He’s filling the room up with water!” shouted Teddy. “There’s a pipe in the top! He’s… going to drown me.”

Malcolm swore under his breath.

“How fast is the water filling up?” asked Malcolm.

Teddy screamed in reply, which seemed like answer enough. Malcolm tugged at the door. It was heavy metal, and the latch locking it was a stiff iron bar.

“Wind Runner!” screamed Teddy. “Do something!”

What am I supposed to do? Rain Dancer has the key. I’ll lose if I try to fight him for it.

“Teddy, use your power!” said Malcolm. “Try to push from that side, and I’ll try to shake the door from this one.”

“A…Alright.”

Malcolm kept one hand on the door, feeling it jiggle slightly from Teddy’s efforts. He tried to force wind into the lock. The door was airtight, and there was no way for him to get his wind manipulation to the other side.

“Try pulling, Teddy!” said Malcolm. “Can you pull the door toward you? Does your power work that way?”

“I can try,” he said. “Hurry! The water is… it’s up to my waist!”

Malcolm took a couple of steps back from the door. He took a deep breath and reached out, summoning as much of the wind as he had the strength to. He threw it forward in a massive, directed blast, trying to hit the door in a way that would knock it loose by breaking the hinges.

He knew he was taking a risk. Already, the euphoria from overdoing it with his powers was surging into him. It felt almost like a challenge, a goal in a video game. Get the door off the cell to save Teddy’s life. Time was ticking away, and only he could save the day.

I need to stay focused. I can’t lose myself, not with this kid’s life on the line.

“Wind Runner!” Teddy was coughing on the other side of the door. “I… I can’t.”

Malcolm gritted his teeth. He felt something dangerous twist inside him as he let loose with another wind blast. He was chuckling, drunk on his powers, but the strength he was putting into his efforts went beyond anything he’d done before.

The door shook, shifted forward an inch or two, and then fell off its hinges and into the hallway. It was followed by several thousand gallons of water and an extremely waterlogged and grateful teenage boy.

“There,” said Malcolm, taking deep breaths. “Come on. We have to find my other friend, and then we’re getting out of here.”

“That’s enough.” Rain Dancer stepped into the hallway. “You’re a fool, Wind Runner. You just murdered one of our allies by sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

Malcolm didn’t waste time on words. He summoned the wind, still feeling the flutter of the euphoric body load from what he’d just done. There was still water pooling on the ground nearby, and he had a theory about what Rain Dancer’s weakness might be.

Drop anything electrical into water, and it short circuits!

He splashed Rain Dancer with a solid, wind propelled, scoop of water. Rain Dancer just laughed.

“Not a bad try,” he said. “Not even close though.”

Rain Dancer threw his hand forward, hitting Malcolm with a burst of electricity intense enough to make it feel like the fillings in his teeth were about to explode. Malcolm fell to the ground without enough breath left in his lungs to so much as scream.

“The kid is useless to us,” said Rain Dancer. “Weak powers. He doesn’t know anything about the Champion Authority. I wanted to see if he’d make an interesting spryte or demon, you know, but because of you… I’ve changed my mind.”

“What?” screamed Teddy. “No!”

Lightning shot forth from Rain Dancer’s hand, crackling across Teddy’s soaked body. Malcolm sat up and tried to push Rain Dancer back with the wind. It was hopeless. He couldn’t summon the energy, and barely managed to shake Rain Dancer’s clothing.

“The water in the cell was a test,” said Rain Dancer. “If this little champion recruit had reached for his full potential, reached his turning point, he might have become something useful.”

Teddy’s screams went on until he ran out of breath. Malcolm made another attempt to push Rain Dancer back, and received a painful electric burst in return.

“I would have done the same to you, you know?” shouted Rain Dancer, raising his voice to be heard over Teddy’s screams. “Tortured you, gotten all of your juicy information. Unfortunately, you and Ms. Shadow Spryte come as a package deal, and I think it’ll be more fun for me to stay on her good side.”

Teddy’s head and limbs seized wildly on the ground. Smoke was coming off his clothing, even though he was still wet.

“You’re… going to kill him,” Malcolm managed. He tried another attack, but was only able to summon a weak breeze, his powers drained from exposure to his weakness.

“Yup,” said Rain Dancer. “He would have gone on to become a champion, you know? Would have killed people like me, Shield Maiden, Rose. And eventually you.”

Teddy’s body suddenly erupted into flame. Rain Dancer kept electrocuting him, pumping in energy, literally melting off the boy’s skin and turning him into dust and bones.

“You evil bastard!” Malcolm roared and sprinted toward Rain Dancer.

If I can get close enough, I can take his power!

Rain Dancer just laughed. The lightning hit Malcolm full in the chest. He gasped, and then everything went dark.

CHAPTER 23

Malcolm felt cold. He blinked to make sure his eyes were open. It was still dark, and he was lying on his back. Wherever he was smelled of dust and mold, like a dank closet gone unopened for many years.

Focus. You were fighting Rain Dancer, and…

And he’d lost. Malcolm forced his body into motion, rising to his feet and turning in a slow circle. He couldn’t see anything, but he reached out, first with his hands.

He was in a small room, but it was different from the cell where he and Rose had been kept in Underworld. By using his wind listening, he got a sense of the exact dimensions. The cell expanded upward, almost fifty feet overhead, but was no more than fifteen feet wide across.

I’m in… an elevator shaft?

He didn’t have time to give it more thought. A small slit of light appeared high above him, and Malcolm could barely make out two figures standing and peering down at him.

“Don’t panic,” called Rain Dancer. “This is all part of the plan.”

“You bastard,” said Malcolm. “And killing that boy? Was that part of the plan?”

“Take it easy,” said Rain Dancer.

“Fuck you.” Malcolm wished that he was within range to spit in the demon’s face. “You and your fucking cult are no better than the champions. You’re a killer, Rain Dancer.”

And I’m going to be the one who kills you.

Malcolm clenched his hand into a fist, trying to get a sense of whether he could charge the opening and make it through before Rain Dancer closed it. They were too high above him, he decided.

He could try it, but it would be the end of the conversation and any chance he had at talking his way out of the situation. Which, he silently conceded, he was already doing a pretty poor job of.

“Wind Runner,” came Shield Maiden’s voice. “You might not understand why we do what we do, but please, believe that we act in the name of what’s right. We want peace, and a better world.”

Malcolm grimaced, unable to contain himself.

“And how many thirteen-year-olds are you willing to murder in cold blood to make that happen?” he called up to them.

“More than you’d be comfortable with,” said Shield Maiden. “At least, as you are now. We’re still giving you a chance, Wind Runner.”

“The same chance that the boy had,” said Rain Dancer. “We’ve trapped you here for a reason, ya? You’ll have a chance to use your powers to stay alive, and even escape. But it’s going to take more than you’re capable of as a normal champion.”

Malcolm let out a mocking laugh.

“So what?” he said. “You’re going to fill the shaft with water? Is that supposed to scare me?”

“Poison gas,” said Shield Maiden. “We picked one heavy enough to sink to the bottom. If you want to stay alive, you’ll keep flying.”

A chill ran down the back of Malcolm’s spine.

“Go ahead,” he said. “I’ll find a way out before I turn.”

“If you manage to, given what we’ve done to the doors, the result will be the same,” said Shield Maiden. “This is for the best, Wind Runner. We want you to reach your full potential.”

Malcolm heard a hiss come from somewhere nearby. He let out a panicked shout, immediately calling for the wind and charging up the elevator shaft. He kept himself pressed against the elevator shaft’s side with air pressure, running up the wall like a character in an action movie.

“Have fun,” said Rain Dancer, with a laugh. “We’ll be back once you’ve received the touch of the stars.”

The open doors closed, cutting off what little light Malcolm had to see by. He ran up to where the opening had been anyway, slamming the wind into the sides of the elevator’s shaft and trying to make an escape for himself.

Nothing happened. He could still hear the hissing sound coming from the bottom of the elevator shaft. Malcolm used his wind running to keep himself as high up as he could. There was little to grab onto for purchase within the elevator shaft, and he suspected that Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden had chosen it for that reason.

They moved me somewhere else. I’m not in Underworld anymore.

It meant that even if he managed to escape, there was a very high likelihood that he wouldn’t be able to find his way back to Underworld again without a serious search. The only location he had to go on was the area around the sand cliffs, and he’d probably be searching for a hidden entrance.

Malcolm tried to keep thinking those kinds of thoughts, pushing his focus away from his impending doom. He was kicking back and forth, from wall to wall, trying to smash through the elevator doors with his feet. It wasn’t working, and he was starting to get tired.

The hissing sound of the gas entering the elevator shaft was the bane of Malcolm’s existence. He sniffed every couple of seconds, paranoid, knowing that the second he could smell the gas, it would already be too late.

His legs started to get tired, and he had to rely more and more on his power to stay aloft. Malcolm could feel the heady euphoria setting in. This time, however, he wasn’t sure if it was from overusing his ability, or the first onset of the poison, clouding his mind.

“Damn,” he muttered. “What am I supposed to do?”

He kept using his powers, trying to think of a way forward that didn’t involve dying or giving Rain Dancer what he wanted. Malcolm started humming a Nine Inch Nails song, knowing that it would help him keep his energy and sanity levels up, if nothing else.

Do I have a trump card, here? Wait… Maybe…?

Malcolm remembered absorbing Shield Maiden’s power earlier in the day. He could still feel it on the edge of his awareness when he reached out, but it was unfamiliar. It felt like trying to read directions in a foreign language, totally different from how instinctual his wind manipulation had become.

He was almost at the point of exhaustion, his legs too tired to keep pushing up and off the shaft. Soon enough, he would have to fly, and even using the burst method that Shield Maiden had taught him, he doubted that it would be enough.

I have to try this. Even if it doesn’t work, it’s better than what I’m doing now.

Malcolm held out his hand and felt for Shield Maiden’s power. He pushed his will outward, trying to make a shield bubble as he’d seen her do many times before. One flickered into existence over his palm, but popped after only a couple of seconds.

There was clearly an art to it. It reminded Malcolm a little of blowing bubbles using soap and a wand, more of a gentle, careful process. He took a deep breath, this time sure that he could smell and taste the poison gas. Malcolm started coughing, knowing that he’d only get a single chance at what he intended.

He flew up higher into the elevator shaft, ignoring the rush of confusing mania that came with pushing his wind manipulation to the limit. Picturing the size of the bubble shield clearly in his head, Malcolm called it into reality, surrounding himself in it.

To his relief, he managed it, encasing himself in a bubble shield just barely wider in diameter than he was tall. The bubble, with him inside it, began to sink toward the bottom of the elevator shaft. He fidgeted nervously.

Let’s hope to god this thing is airtight…

CHAPTER 24

Malcolm waited inside the bubble shield, first for minutes, and then for hours. He knew that Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden would show up eventually, and he spent the time trying to stave off his boredom by formulating a plan.

He wasn’t capable of taking Rain Dancer on in a fight. Malcolm had to acknowledge that fact as the truth. Rain Dancer’s powers could hit him from a distance and keep him from getting in close, on top of being his weakness. Malcolm couldn’t match him in the same way he could a less formidable opponent.

Shield Maiden, in a similar sense, could subdue Malcolm using her power, but only if she got the first attack. Now that Malcolm could use her shield bubbles, too, he could surprise her and potentially contain her before she could get the drop on him.

At least, until I absorb a different power…

Malcolm gently pressed his hand into the inside of the shield bubble. It took very little energy from him to maintain. Outside the bubble, the toxic gas awaited him, which posed a problem when it came to what came next.

Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden would come to check up on him eventually. Malcolm’s hope was that it would be after filling the elevator shaft with a volume of gas that the two of them assumed to be impossible to survive. Perhaps they wouldn’t search for his body, in that scenario, and he could wait until they’d come and gone and then take his chance to escape.

It was a long shot, but it was the best plan he had. Any ideas that began with him attacking the two monsters immediately ended with him getting his ass kicked. Malcolm sat and waited in the bubble, trying to keep his senses alert, and listening as much as he could.

Footsteps came after another hour or so, followed by the sound of one of the elevator doors above him scraping open. Malcolm froze. It was hard to see much through the bubble shield and gas, but he could still hear.

“Malcolm?” called Rose. “Malcolm!”

Malcolm wasted no time. He took a deep breath, let the shield bubble pop, and then boosted himself up to the elevator opening where Rose’s silhouette stood. Immediately after coming out of the elevator shaft, he pushed her back away from the opening.

“They poisoned it,” he said. “Come on, we shouldn’t stick around long!”

Malcolm pulled her down the long hallway with him, annoyed by how Rose seemed to be digging in her feet. They were in an old hospital, or extended care center. He passed by an empty wheel chair, frowning and wondering how his captors had found the place.

“Malcolm, please,” said Rose. “Hold on!”

“We don’t have time to talk,” said Malcolm. “Come on!”

They were on the second floor. He pulled her downstairs with him, hurrying out into the hospital’s main lobby. Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden were waiting for them.

“So, he’s still alive,” said Rain Dancer. “And he hasn’t turned…”

“You… bastard!” Malcolm felt cold rage take hold of him, on his own behalf and for the young boy Rain Dancer had killed in cold blood. He lifted his hands, preparing to ensnare Shield Maiden with her own power and do what he could against Rain Dancer.

Shadow tendrils slipped over his wrists, holding him back. Malcolm struggled against them, his mind uncomprehending.

“Rose…” he said. “What… are you doing?”

“Don’t attack them, Malcolm,” she said, quietly. “There’s no need for us to fight.”

“Rose…” he repeated. Something twisted inside him as he looked at her face. She wouldn’t meet his eye.

“She’s agreed to work with us, Wind Runner,” said Shield Maiden.

Malcolm frowned. He leaned in closer to Rose.

“We can’t keep pretending,” he hissed. “Come on. We’re above ground, this is our best chance to take them on and escape!”

Rose finally let her gaze linger over his.

“I’m sorry, Malcolm,” she said.

“You’re… sorry?”

“Can we hurry this along?” asked Rain Dancer. “I don’t know how the punk survived the elevator shaft, but we can just toss him right back in. Better to turn him than kill him, you know?”

“No,” said Rose. “We’re… letting him go.”

“We’re letting him go?” repeated Malcolm. The words hit him like ice water in the face. He brought a hand up to his head and slowly ran it through his hair.

“He’s a champion, don’t be insane,” said Shield Maiden.

“If you want my help like you said you did, that’s the price,” said Rose.

“Rose, you can’t do this,” said Malcolm. “Look… We can find a way to save your sister. This is about her, isn’t it? Are they threatening her?”

“Malcolm, it’s-”

“I could even get other champions to help, if they knew these lunatics had hostages. We’ll save Leah, Rose.”

“It’s not about Leah!” snapped Rose. “I don’t even remember her, Malcolm. And she claims that the star touched have no family, so as much as blood may connect us… she’s still essentially a stranger to me.”

“But… she’s your sister,” said Malcolm.

“I’m not like you Malcolm,” said Rose. “Quit projecting.”

She folded her arms, her expression sad, but with an edge of coldness to it.

I don’t understand this at all.

“So, what?” he said. “You believe them? All the crazy, religious, conspiracy mumbo jumbo?”

“I don’t believe a single word of it,” said Rose. She glanced over at Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden and shrugged unremittingly.

“Then why?” asked Malcolm. He felt his confusion turning to anger. “I deserve an explanation, Rose.”

“Because they’re strong,” she said. “Because… Regardless of what they might believe, or the tactics they might use… ultimately, I believe in what they’re fighting for.”

“They’re killers, Rose,” said Malcolm. “Killers and liars.”

“And the Champion Authority is any better?” she replied. “You work for an organization that would kill me if they ever caught me. The champions want to sterilize the world of people like me, Malcolm. And I’ll fight with anyone who stands against that kind of injustice.”

Malcolm could only stare at her. He was shaking his head, his heart suddenly burning in his chest.

“What if the two of us… went our own way?” He was pleading with her, and hated himself for it. “We could both leave together, Rose.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “This is an opportunity for me, Malcolm. Shield Maiden can use her powers to help me if I have an episode, and Rain Dancer… hell, he beat both of us in a fight, Malcolm! He’s strong.”

He’s strong, and I’m weak.

Malcolm felt his shame like a physical thing, a heavy, aching lump in his throat that made it hard to speak. He turned away from Rose, shaking his head. When he looked back at her, she had tears in her eyes. For some reason, that made him furious.

“Please, Malcolm,” whispered Rose. “You still have your choice to make. If you wanted to… you could come back with us.”

Malcolm looked over at Rain Dancer and saw the smug smile on his face. He could still hear Teddy’s screams as the water filled his cell, and the way his body had contorted as the lightning hit him.

“No,” said Malcolm. “I can’t. I won’t.”

He shook his head, tying all his painful and confusing emotions into a nice, neat bundle with his resolve.

“Then…” Rose’s lip quivered, and one of the tears finally broke loose down her cheek. “We might be enemies, the next time we meet.”

Malcolm took a deep breath, and then slowly nodded. He turned away from Rose, summoned both the wind and his willpower, and crashed out of one of the hospital’s windows.

CHAPTER 25

It was the middle of the night, and it was raining outside. Malcolm ran with the wind, putting distance between himself and the hospital as though trying to wake up from a bad dream.

It’s over. I don’t have to worry about getting caught anymore, protecting her from Tapestry and Multi.

The thought was of little consolation. Malcolm ran faster, taking long, bounding leaps. He was using Shield Maiden’s advice, activating his powers in quick, focused bursts, barely touching with his feet at all.

It took him a few minutes to find his bearings. He was just off the highway, in between Vanderbrook and Halter City. Malcolm oriented himself so that he was heading straight back to the local Champion Authority headquarters. He didn’t care about reporting in. He was just worried about the type of thoughts he’d start thinking if he went back to his apartment alone.

Lightning flashed, and thunder cracked in the distance. It felt like it was Rain Dancer’s final, parting taunt even though the demon clearly had nothing to do with the current weather. Malcolm gritted his teeth, feeling a cold anger toward the monster and desperately wanting revenge for the murder Rain Dancer had committed in his presence.

He took off, lifting into the air and flying for a good thirty seconds straight. The euphoria of power abuse tickled at his senses, and Malcolm was surprised by how it affected his other emotions. It gave him confidence, which was a dangerous thing to tie with anger, hurt, and a sense of betrayal.

Malcolm forced himself to land and took a few deep, calming breaths. He waited until his heart assumed a steady rhythm, and then continued on his way.

The Vanderbrook Champion Authority’s headquarters was nicknamed “The Dome” for its appearance. Malcolm jogged the last few feet toward the entrance, feeling a bit odd walking up to the door alone. Tapestry had always taken him inside on his previous visits. He didn’t have any credentials or secret passcode of his own.

I’m still the new guy. I haven’t even made it to that level of trust yet.

He pressed the buzzer next to the metal sliding door and waited. A speaker crackled on from overhead, barely audible over the sound of the storm.

“Wind Runner,” said Multi’s voice. “About time you report in. Come straight to the command center. We’ve been searching for you.”

Malcolm didn’t get a chance to put a word in edgewise, which wasn’t unusual, given his boss’s personality. The metal door slid open, and he walked into the base.

He couldn’t help but compare it to Underworld, after the time he’d spent enclosed in the monster’s base. The Awakened Children had turned floors and walls of cement and steel into something livable, a home with carpets, wall paintings, and creature comforts.

The dome had the general ambience of a center of military operations. Malcolm walked across the metal floor under bright fluorescent lights, listening as the main entrance door sealed behind him.

He didn’t pass by any of the other champions on his way to the command room. Multi was sitting in his chair behind the command console in the center of the room, staring at several different screens at one. He waved for Malcolm to come over.

“Not here,” he said. “In my office.”

Multi led him down a hallway and into a tiny room at the end barely larger than a closet. He slid around to the other side of the desk that took up most of the space and gestured for Malcolm to sit in the second chair.

“Your stabilizer has been deactivated for more than a day straight,” said Multi. “Explain what the fuck has been going on.”

Malcolm took a slow breath. He’d thought a lot about what he was going to say during the trip back.

I have no reason to lie, anymore. But still…

“I was… captured,” said Malcolm. “By a cult called the Awakened Children. They’re led by a demon and a spryte, Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden.”

Multi’s expression gave nothing away. He didn’t fit the typical image of a stern commanding officer. He was short, balding with only a few tufts of red hair left, and pudgy. He considered Malcolm with eyes that made up for all of his physical short comings in their intensity.

“You were captured,” said Multi. “Where? And how?”

“I was… following up on a lead,” said Malcolm. “I heard about a church that worships monsters in Halter City. I stopped by to check it out, and ended up getting ambushed.”

Multi swore under his breath. Malcolm didn’t know why he was still leaving details out. It might have been for Rose’s sake, or it might have been for his own. He’d harbored her for so long that it was hard to separate whatever he felt for her from the practical concerns over the consequences.

“I need the full details,” said Multi. “Everything that happened during the time they had you.”

Malcolm explained as much as he could. He described the bizarre teachings of the church. He gave a description of Underworld and the society of the Awakened Children. He forced himself to recount Teddy’s death and Rain Dancer’s goal of turning him over to their side.

“Dammit,” muttered Multi. “Melt and Greenthumb are here at the base. They’ll want to talk to you about that after.”

“I’ll explain what I can,” said Malcolm.

Multi nodded. He narrowed his eyes.

“And how did you escape, exactly?”

Malcolm hesitated. This was the question that he’d struggled with most.

“They trapped me in an elevator shaft and tried to poison me,” he said. “I managed to get one of the doors open and used my powers to get away before they could stop me.”

He was expecting skepticism, but Multi just nodded.

“Alright,” said Multi. “I’m going to have Morph take a look at you to make sure you’re alright physically and to replace your stabilizer. After that, get some rest.”

Malcolm blinked. Multi was not the kind of person to leave any stone unturned. It was hard for him to believe that he was being let off so easily.

Does he believe me? Or does he just not care that I’m lying?

Anna came into Multi’s small office, spotting Malcolm and immediately breaking into a smile. She was a small, mousey looking woman with thick glasses and brunette hair, tied back into a complicated braid.

“You’re dismissed, Wind Runner,” said Multi.

Malcolm nodded to him, turning and smiling at Anna. Another Multi walked into the office as they left, one who’d chosen to completely shave his head. Malcolm lifted an eyebrow, realizing that it was the first time he’d seen any of Multi’s copies differentiate much from the original.

Strange…

He was about to bring it up, but the look Anna shot him warned him away from it. She walked out into the hallway, and Malcolm followed her, pushing the thought out of his mind.

CHAPTER 26

“We’d pretty much written you off for dead, you know,” said Anna. “You gave us quite the scare.”

Malcolm was sitting on the examination table in the infirmary of HQ. Anna was taking his blood pressure, staring at the reading on the small digital screen as the sleeve compressed.

“That wasn’t really my intention,” said Malcolm. “I didn’t exactly have ‘getting kidnapped’ on my to-do list for the day.”

Anna smiled at him.

“At least your captors didn’t torture your sense of humor out of you,” she said. “Speaking of which… did they torture you? And if so, how?”

“Electricity,” said Malcolm. “And a bit of poison gas. I don’t think it was enough to do lasting damage, though.”

Anna nodded. She pulled a stethoscope out of a cupboard and proceeded to listen to his breathing and heart beat from several different spots.

“Yeah, you’re fine,” she said. “But seriously… you had people worried, Wind Runner.”

“Sorry,” he said.

“Don’t apologize to me,” said Anna. “Apologize to Tapestry. She spent most of last night out looking for you. Said that you completely stopped answering your phone and weren’t at your apartment.”

Malcolm frowned. He checked his phone, and sure enough, found a half dozen missed calls and messages from his fellow companion.

“Personally,” said Anna. “I just figured you were having a fun night. Maybe enjoying yourself with that Instagram girl from when you first got your powers.”

She grinned at him, and Malcolm rolled his eyes.

“Will people ever let that drop?” he asked.

“It’s on the internet, Wind Runner,” she said. “It will follow you to your deathbed.”

Seems like a high price to pay for a single sexy afternoon.

The door to the infirmary opened. Malcolm was expecting Tapestry, but instead, two other champions he recognized filed in.

“Is he healthy enough to answer some fucking questions?” asked Melt.

“Melt…” Greenthumb sighed and shook his head. “Would you at least put in the effort not to swear in front of the young lady?”

Melt and Greenthumb were field champions, tasked with hunting down demons and sprytes across normal Champion Authority jurisdiction. Malcolm had encountered them shortly after first gaining his powers, when he had first begun harboring Rose in his apartment.

They had treated him with varying degrees of suspicion. Greenthumb had been polite and trusting from the start. Melt, on the other hand, had acted as though Malcolm was a hostile agent, and had come very close to discovering evidence that would have supported such a theory.

“Thanks, Ben,” said Anna. “Though you of all people should know that I’m not exactly clean mouthed, myself.”

Greenthumb grinned back at her. Malcolm suppressed a smile, along with a joke about her phrasing.

“We don’t have time fuck around here,” said Melt. “Multi says you know something about Clearhand.”

Melt ran a hand through his scraggly beard, rolling one of his shoulders against the confines of his leather jacket. He looked tired, but that was no surprise to Malcolm. Melt had struck him as the kind of champion that only really relaxed when he was deep in the grip of his vices, alcohol and tobacco.

“Clearhand?” asked Malcolm.

“It’s the nickname he gave to Theodore,” said Greenthumb. “The new recruit we were bringing into HQ when we were attacked.”

Greenthumb was tall and skinny, somewhere in his mid-thirties, with a sense of fashion of a man a decade younger. He had on sweatpants, sandals, and green t-shirt with a cannabis leaf logo on the front.

“Teddy…” said Malcolm. He shook his head slightly, wishing that he wasn’t the one who had to break it to the two of them.

“He’s dead… isn’t he?” asked Melt.

Malcolm nodded.

Melt whirled, immediately slamming his fist into the infirmary’s wall with all the strength he could muster. Malcolm flinched back, only relaxing when he saw that the champion had pulled the punch using his power. Melt’s hand had, well, melted on contact with the wall, preventing any serious damage from being done. He gritted his teeth and slowly exhaled as the red goop reformed into a palm and fingers.

“It’s what we expected, Melt,” said Greenthumb. “This, or worse. This is how these kinds of monstrous organizations operate.”

Melt turned his attention back toward Malcolm. The intensity of his eyes was hard to meet, even for just a couple of seconds.

“It was the electric one, wasn’t it?” asked Melt, his voice vibrating with anger. “Or was it the stupid shield bitch?”

“Rain Dancer,” said Malcolm. “The guy with the dreads, lightning powers.”

“Did he make him suffer?” asked Melt.

Malcolm nodded.

He did. And I can’t imagine how these two would have reacted if they’d seen it.

“Melt,” said Greenthumb. “Remember your tricks from anger management. There’s nothing you can do right now. Save that emotion for when we’re actually-”

“Shut the fuck up, Ben,” snapped Melt. “Just… shut the fuck up.”

Greenthumb put an arm around Melt’s shoulder, which was immediately shrugged off. Melt focused on Malcolm again, his eyes smoldering with a dangerous, wild anger.

“How do you feel about this?” asked Melt. “This… monster, who captured you. How do you fucking feel about it, right now?”

Malcolm felt his chest heat up as he thought about Rain Dancer, and about Rose.

“I’m sure you can guess how I feel,” he said, his voice coming out with more anger than he’d expected.

Melt nodded.

“We’re gonna find him,” said Melt. “And we’re gonna kill him. That’s what we do. That’s what we’re fucking good at.”

“Jesus Christ, Melt, would you chill out?” Greenthumb let out an exasperated sigh. “You take this job way too seriously…”

“This job,” said Melt. “Right. It’s all just a job to you, ain’t it, Ben?”

Melt didn’t wait for a response, turning and leaving the infirmary. Greenthumb gestured apologetically.

“He’s been extra high strung since we lost Clearhand,” said Greenthumb. “I think he saw something in that kid.”

“I really wish he’d let me prescribe him something,” muttered Anna.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow at her.

“You can actually, uh, prescribe drugs?” he asked. “Like… legally?”

She stared at him as though he was a complete idiot.

“Did you think I was just playing around with this stuff?” she asked. “I went to med school, Wind Runner.”

Greenthumb smiled at the two of them and gave a quick nod.

“I should check after Melt,” he said. “It was good seeing you again, Anna.”

“Ben.” She smiled sweetly at him as he left, and then continued with Malcolm’s examination.

CHAPTER 27

Anna spent a couple of minutes examining Malcolm’s stabilizer after giving him a clean bill of health. It wasn’t actually broken, and she was able to reverse whatever Rain Dancer had done to it to short circuit it.

He left the infirmary feeling a little aimless. It was late at night, and he still wasn’t interested in heading back to his apartment. The fact that Rose wouldn’t be there waiting for him was weird and painful to consider.

She’ll never be there, waiting for me. In fact, if I ever see her again, the two of us will probably be trying to kill each other.

He headed to the dome’s showers, suddenly feeling the weight of days of accumulated sweat and grime. Malcolm changed out of his clothes and tossed them into a clothes hamper, wondering which of the champions was on laundry duty.

There was a set of plain athletic sweat clothes in his assigned locker, which he set out for when he was finished. The showers were set up almost like a hallway, with rows of spouts on both sides of the narrow room, and no stalls. There was no way to turn them on individually, so he flicked the switch and waited by the nearest one while the water heated up.

It was impossible for him to keep his mind off his emotions, and off Rose. He felt betrayed, but at the same time, it was only because of her intervention that he’d been able to escape. If she’d heeded his call to action and fought against Rain Dancer and Shield Maiden at his side, how would things have ended? Likely with both of them captured, in the same situation they’d been in at the start.

“Malcolm.” Tapestry’s voce caught him off guard, and he jumped slightly. She was standing by the lockers, watching him with a displeased expression on her face.

“Tapestry?” Malcolm scowled, feeling a little embarrassed being exposed in front of her. “What are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”

“Multi called to tell me that you’d returned to HQ.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” said Malcolm. “You could have waited until morning instead of driving all the way out.”

The water had reached a comfortable temperature, and Malcolm stepped into the stream. It felt amazing on his face and shoulders, and only once it had begun to soak into his hair did he get a sense of how dirty he really was.

“He also ran me through the details of the story you fed him,” said Tapestry.

Malcolm didn’t like her tone.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” said Tapestry. “It was the same after we fought Hothead.”

She was choosing her words carefully, which Malcolm appreciated. Multi and the other champions, as far as Malcolm knew, were still unaware of the fact that the heat demon had been Danny, Malcolm’s brother.

“Any other champion would be in confinement right now, held until they came clean with the full story behind what was going on.” Tapestry’s voice burned with anger, but also with hurt. “Why is Multi treating you special, Malcolm?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said. The last thing he was interested in doing, at that moment, was justifying himself to Tapestry.

“You know more than you’re letting on!” snapped Tapestry. “Enough with the mysterious act. I want the truth!”

“And I want a relaxing shower,” said Malcolm. “Let’s talk about this later.”

“Malcolm!”

He rolled his eyes at her and walked down the row of shower spigots, heading all the way to the very back, where the sound of the water made it impossible to hear anything short of a shout from the locker room. Malcolm sighed as he ran his hands over his body, feeling so very tired.

He turned around and saw that Tapestry had followed him, stripping off her clothes to enter the shower as naked as he was. She had her hands folded over her chest, but it did a poor job of covering her nudity. It would have been an enticing sight, if not for the heavy, angry emotion set into her expression.

“You don’t get to walk away from me that easily, Malcolm,” she said, crossing her arms.

Malcolm took a couple of seconds to openly leer at her, wondering if he could end the conversation just by making her uncomfortable with his lecherous gaze. Tapestry had a nice, if not incredible body. She was athletic, with a petite figure, smallish breasts, and a butt that took advantage of her womanly hips.

“You’re naked,” he said, staring at her exposed, pink nipples. Tapestry blushed, but narrowed her eyes, resolve entering the forefront of her expression.

“I’ll be embarrassed, if that’s what it takes to get the truth out of you,” said Tapestry. She stepped in closer to him, dangerously close. “Now… Why don’t you tell me about the shadow spryte, Malcolm?”

He tensed up immediately, trying and failing to keep his expression level.

“What are you talking-”

“Don’t!” Tapestry jabbed a finger into his chest. “Do not feed me any baloney on this, Malcolm!”

“Tapestry, come on!” He tried to step away from her, but there was nowhere for him to escape to. The showers ended in a tiled wall, and she had him pressed practically into the corner, her naked body barely a foot away from his.

“She was in your apartment,” said Tapestry. “And then she was there, fighting your brother! And now, suddenly, you develop a spontaneous interest in a cult that worships monsters?”

“Keep your voice down!” Malcolm grabbed her by the wrist to avoid being poked in the eye by the finger she used to punctuate her words.

“Who is she?” asked Tapestry.

Who is she? Can I even answer that question properly, for myself or for her? She’s just… Rose.

“Get out of my face, Tapestry,” said Malcolm. “I’m taking a shower.”

He tried to slide by her. Tapestry pushed her chest against his, a gesture occasionally intimidating coming from a man, and something different, but equally hard to ignore, coming from a naked woman.

“No,” said Tapestry. “I refuse.”

Malcolm felt his anger boil over. He summoned the wind, pulling it down between them in a hard column and pushing Tapestry back a few feet.

“I’m not going to say it again, Tapestry,” he said, through gritted teeth. “I’m taking a shower. Leave me in-”

Tapestry leapt through the space between them, grabbing Malcolm by the arm and pulling him toward her. He fell off balance, almost slipping on the wet shower floor with his next step.

She stepped in close, pushing her body into direct, naked contact with his for an instant before twisting him into a trip over her leg. Malcolm pulled her with him as she fell, but that seemed to be what she’d been expecting.

He was still soapy, and tough for her to get a hold on. Unfortunately, Malcolm lacked any real martial training, and still had plenty of hang-ups about fighting women. Tapestry touched his upper thigh trying to get a hold on his leg, and he almost forgot what they were originally doing.

“No!” growled Malcolm. “You can’t wrestle the answers out of me, Tapestry. Get a grip.”

“And you can’t keep pushing people away like you do.” Tapestry twisted one of his arms painfully before slipping onto him, straddling his stomach.

“Why not?” asked Malcolm. “Maybe… it’s for the best.”

Tapestry stared down at him, naked and beautiful. Her blonde hair had come free from its pony tail at some point during the fight and fell across her shoulders in loose, wet locks.

“I’ve seen the end of that story before, Malcolm,” said Tapestry. “So many times. You aren’t going to like how going through life alone ends.”

He started to lean up. Tapestry pinned his arms with a surprising amount of strength for such a small woman. Her face was right in front of Malcolm’s. He darted forward with his lips, feeling rather than thinking, and gave her a quick, hungry kiss.

Tapestry took a couple of seconds to respond to the sudden change in the tone of their wrestling. She kept Malcolm’s arms pinned, kissing him back while still acting like they were in a serious fight.

Her body slid down his stomach, and Malcolm felt her tense up as her butt made contact with his rapidly hardening rod. He’d been struggling to keep from getting turned on for their entire encounter, and with the kiss, all that pent-up arousal had boiled over in a single, intense moment.

Malcolm tore one of his hands away from Tapestry’s grip. She tried to lean back, as though expecting him to twist her into a submission hold. He grabbed her breast instead, delighting in the soft, girlish sound Tapestry made as his thumb ran over her nipple.

She slid a little bit lower, and released Malcolm’s other hand. He took her by the hips, moving with the same angry urgency that had been underlying the fight. Sliding his hardness into her, he pulled Tapestry down onto him.

The sensation of sliding into her was tight and wonderful. Tapestry set her hands on his chest, biting her lower lip and slowly waving her body back and forth. She was slow and cautious with her movements, like a novice belly dancer dancing for her first big show.

“Is this what you meant, Tapestry?” Malcolm asked, his voice angrier than he’d intended.

“You… know what I meant,” she said, blushing. Malcolm thrust up hard, and Tapestry let out a silent gasp of pleasure.

He held her hips tight, slowly bouncing her up and down. It almost felt like an extension of their argument, though Malcolm found it impossible to tell whether he’d won or lost in the end.

The fact that they were in the showers of HQ, which were open to anyone who walked in, was not lost on either of them. Tapestry was clearly trying to keep quiet, and only stopped glancing over at the door to the locker room when the pleasure became too much of a distraction.

Malcolm didn’t care if they got caught. Compared to the rest of the secrets in his life, fun with another champion in the showers barely rated on his list of worries. He thrust up into Tapestry, building into a steady, aggressive rhythm.

“Malcolm!” Tapestry gasped and collapsed on top of him. Malcolm cradled her head as he pushed into her, feeling a bit selfish as he continued to enjoy her while she melted into a pile on his chest.

Maybe this is the path forward for me. Being with the champions, and Tapestry… and fighting against… Rose.

Malcolm lost it, and pulled the woman on top of him tight as the pleasure hit him.

CHAPTER 28

“I’m sorry,” said Malcolm.

The two of them had continued to shower after the sex, neither of them saying anything. They’d cleaned up, and Tapestry had brought a towel for each of them to dry off with. Malcolm looked over at her as he pulled on his clothes, watching as she pulled her panties on over smooth legs.

“I don’t want an apology, Malcolm,” said Tapestry. “How… am I supposed to be able to trust you, if you don’t tell me anything?”

Her green eyes were full of emotion, the kind that Malcolm knew would burn long after the two had finished talking. He sighed and stared down at the locker room’s tile floor.

“I’m trying, Tapestry,” he said. “I’m just trying my best. To help people.”

Am I helping other people? Or am I just helping myself?

She shook her head slowly and turned away from him.

“That’s not enough,” she said. “I don’t think you have a bad heart, Malcolm. But you’re involved in something. And until you tell me what…I’m not taking my eye off you.”

Malcolm smiled

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” he said. “But no more random acts of shower violence. Promise?”

Tapestry looked over her shoulder at him, frowning slightly.

“Fair enough.”

“Not that I’m opposed to you hopping into the shower with me naked,” said Malcolm.

“You’re a child,” she said. Malcolm watched as her expression brightened slightly. He noticed that there was still a suspicious gleam in her eye.

“Seriously, though,” said Malcolm. “It’s like you said, I don’t have a bad heart. Can you at least trust that I’ll do my job and have your back?”

Tapestry hesitated for only a moment before giving an almost imperceptible nod. Her shoulders relaxed a little, as though his question had brought pragmatism back into her perspective.

“You’re capable,” she said. “And we do have bigger things to worry about, right now. Speaking of which, it’s late. I should get moving.”

Tapestry finished getting dressed, and the two of them headed out of the locker room. She offered him a ride back to his apartment, but Malcolm turned it down, feeling a bit uneasy about sleeping there on his own, after what had happened with Rose.

“That’s probably for the best,” she said. “I’ll be back early tomorrow morning. Multi claims to have a plan that’s going to take all of the local champions to put into action.”

Malcolm frowned, unsure of whether he liked the sound of that.

“Did he tell you anything more about it?” he asked.

“Just to be back here first thing tomorrow,” said Tapestry. “I’ll see you later.”

She waited for a second, staring at him in the hallway, and then turned and headed off toward the entrance. Malcolm made his way through the base slowly, finding the dormitories and securing an empty bunk.

He slept soundly through the night, his body needing sleep far more than he’d realized. He woke up the next morning to the sound of someone clearing their voice next to him, loudly and deliberately.

“Wind Runner,” said Multi. “Get up.”

Malcolm blinked his eyes open, fighting the urge to swear his way into trouble. He was surprised to see that the Multi standing next to his bed wasn’t the one he was used to taking orders from.

It was the bald Multi, the one he’d seen in the office the day before, and the one who stood out so much from the rest. Malcolm had slept with his clothes on, so all he needed to do was pull on sneakers before standing up to face him.

“Multi?” asked Malcolm.

“Call me… Wax,” said the Multi. “But yes, I am a Multi. Just one of the earlier ones, with more freedom.”

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Am I needed somewhere?”

“Not yet,” said Wax.

Malcolm shook his head, annoyed.

“So you woke me up for fun?” he asked. “That seems a little cruel.”

“Let’s walk and talk.”

Wax led Malcolm down the hallway, away from the command center. Malcolm was surprised when they continued through HQ’s front door and stepped outside. It was a nice day, with a slight chill in the air, unusual for the time of year.

“You’re confused,” said Wax. “Aren’t you?”

That’s kind of a weird question.

“Do you mean just in general, or about why I’m standing in the middle of the woods right now?” asked Malcolm. Wax was leading him down a narrow trail that cut through the forest surrounding the base. A blackberry bramble scrapped at Malcolm’s pant leg, and he pulled it loose.

“We’ve heard about groups like the Awakened Children before,” said Wax. “I know that they probably tried to sell you on their beliefs during your time among them.”

Malcolm gave a small nod.

“They did,” he said. “But… in the end, I made a choice.”

It was the truth. Even before watching Rain Dancer torture and kill Teddy, Malcolm had made a choice about their beliefs and their cult. It wasn’t something he could support, not in the way it was organized. Like many religious groups and churches, the foundation was fundamentally hollow to him, even if he agreed with them on the need for peace.

“I’m glad.” Wax pulled out a cigarette. He offered one to Malcolm, who refused. “The Champion Authority isn’t perfect, Malcolm, but it’s better than the alternatives.”

Malcolm nodded slowly, finding it a little odd that he was having the conversation now, instead of when he’d first gotten back to base.

“I consider it to be the lesser of two evils,” said Malcolm. “We kill sprytes and demons. It’s… not as though I see what we’re doing here as something clean.”

“Some of them we capture,” said the bald Multi. “Some of them we kill. Some of them we ignore entirely, either because they aren’t threats, or because their free existence serves a purpose for us.”

Wax stared into Malcolm’s eyes. Malcolm stared back, wearing his poker mask more seriously than he ever had before in his life. Multi cleared his throat.

“Anyway…” He took a drag on his cigarette. “Did they happen to run any tests on you while you were their prisoner?”

Malcolm frowned, considering the question. He shook his head.

“No,” he said. “At least, not any that I was aware of.”

“They didn’t play doctor with you at all?” asked Wax. “No blood samples, or mouth swabs, or anything?”

“No,” said Malcolm. “Why?”

Wax shrugged. He took another long drag off his cigarette and gestured for Malcolm to follow him back toward HQ.

There’s something more here. I can feel it.

Wax stomped out his cigarette by the door, and the two of them headed back inside. The bald Multi took his leave, and Malcolm headed into the cafeteria, considering what he’d said to that first question.

He did consider the Champion Authority to be the lesser evil, compared to the Awakened Children. What he’d seen Rain Dancer do to Teddy was part of it, but there was more than just that. It was the general vibe, the ethos of their organization that made him deeply uncomfortable.

Malcolm walked into the cafeteria, smelling the food and watching the other champions eating. Anna and Greenthumb were setting at a table together, engaged in lively, flirtatious conversation.

Tapestry was at a table on her own, talking on the phone with someone, probably Melanie, if Malcolm had to guess. And Melt stood leaning against a wall in the corner, rubbing a red stained rag over a knife that had brass knuckles built into the grip.

Eh. Not everybody can be well adjusted.

Malcolm grabbed some eggs, toast, and ham from the serving table and sat down next to Tapestry. She was still on the phone, but nodded and wiggled her fingers at him in greeting.

He ate his food, feeling like something, or rather, someone, was missing. Rose had told him once that she’d been a champion before turning into a spryte. Malcolm let himself dare to wonder what it would be like if she was allowed to be there, in the cafeteria, with him.

Would it even be the same Rose that I know? Or someone else, with her own memories and a different purpose?

The question was weighty enough to distract him for the entire meal. The intercom buzzed just as he set his fork down, and Multi’s voice boomed out from it.

“We’re having a meeting about how today’s operation is going to work,” said Multi. “Finish your food and get your asses to the command room.”

Malcolm smiled at Tapestry.

“Well, he’s in a cheery mood,” he said.

CHAPTER 29

Multi stood in front of the monitors in the command room, flanked on either side by Wax and one other copy. Malcolm felt odd looking up at them, suddenly realizing that he knew far less about how Multi’s powers worked than he thought he did.

He’s not all of them at once, but they all are him, or were him…? I’m going to confuse myself if I get caught up on this.

“We have a mission to accomplish today,” said the original Multi. “For a while now we’ve been keeping tabs on the Awakened Children, but with the recent captures of Clearhand and Wind Runner, it’s clear that we need to take action.”

The Multi to the left tapped on the keyboard, and a satellite image popped up on the screen.

“This is Fisswater Junkyard,” said Multi. “Several of our non-champion agents have been strategically spreading rumors about a newly gifted teenager who has set up a base of operations here. This is where we will spring our trap.”

Tapestry raised her hand, and Multi nodded to her.

“Your plan is to draw out the demon, Rain Dancer, and attack him here?” she asked.

Multi nodded.

“Along with the shield spryte, too, if we can,” he said. “Melt, Greenthumb. The two of you don’t take orders from me, but any assistance you can lend to our operation would be greatly appreciated.”

“We’re hunting monsters in the area,” said Greenthumb. “Given the nature of this mission, we’d be more than happy to lend our assistance. Right, Melt?”

Melt grunted in agreement.

“Good,” said Multi. “There’s more to it than just the junkyard.”

The Multi to the left tapped on the keyboard some more, bringing up an image of the Awakened Children’s church where Malcolm had first encountered Shield Maiden and Rain Dancer.

“I’m putting a skeleton of squad of two of you on this church, in case they try to retreat and hide among their followers,” said Multi. “Melt and Wind Runner, the two of you will find a place to safely watch the church from a distance and wait for them to make a move.”

Malcolm frowned and started to voice his objection. Melt beat him to it.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” asked Melt. “This is backbench duty. I’m going with the main assault team.”

“Absolutely not,” said Multi. He stared at Melt, his eyes burning with irritation over having his orders questioned.

“And just why not?” snapped Melt.

“Because I’ve worked with you before, Melt,” said Multi. “In case you’ve forgotten. I’m not interested in having a repeat of last time. It’s not Greenthumb’s job to calm you down when you get enraged.”

“Don’t bring me into this,” said Greenthumb. He turned to face his partner. “Look Melt, chances are at least one of the monsters is going to head in your direction once the fighting heats up. This isn’t our show, let Multi decide where each of us would fit best.”

Melt fumed, but slowly nodded his head. Malcolm scratched his head, wondering if there was any real need for him to press his own objection after that.

Multi knows what he’s doing. And if they’re going to be fighting Rain Dancer, maybe it’s better if I’m not there, given that his power is my weakness.

“Alright,” said Multi. “Tapestry, Morph, and Greenthumb. The three of you will head to the junkyard along with a small Multi contingent.”

Multi went on to explain the mission in greater detail, most of it pertaining more to the main squad than Malcolm and Melt. He dismissed them after about an hour. Malcolm walked next to Tapestry on his way out of the compound.

“Good luck,” he said. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Tapestry smiled at him.

“Trust me, I won’t,” she said. “Be careful.”

He gave her a hug, feeling a little odd at how concerned he suddenly felt for her wellbeing. She could regenerate. She was practically invincible. And yet still, Malcolm had a bad feeling that he just couldn’t shake off.

“Here.” Tapestry held out her hand. “Take every advantage you can get.”

Malcolm glanced around before carefully placing his palm on top of hers and willing himself to take her power. He wasn’t always in control of the mimicry, but with Tapestry, it was easy. Sure enough, almost immediately he felt the familiar tingling tickle of the absorption of a power. He grinned at her, and the two set off.

Melt was waiting next to a black truck and motioned for Malcolm to get in as he approached. They headed down the dirt trail and onto the main road in silence, until Melt finally cleared his throat and glanced over at him.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Malcolm shrugged.

“Uh, yeah?” he said. “I stopped at the little boy’s room on the way out of HQ. Figured that since we’re essentially on stakeout, that would be my most pressing need.”

“We’re not going to be on stakeout,” said Melt. “Something’s going to happen. Some shit is going to go wrong, and we’re going to clean up the fucking mess.”

“Melt, were you the disturbed squad member from a war movie in a previous life?” asked Malcolm. “Because I can kind of see why Multi gave you this assignment.”

Melt glared at him, and Malcolm had to admit, it was a little intimidating.

“I’m approaching this rationally,” said Melt, in a voice that sounded anything but rational. “And if these cultists try to protect any of the monsters we find, we take them down, too. Got it?”

“No,” said Malcolm. “I don’t. That’s not happening.”

Melt slapped a hand against the dashboard.

“You’re a child,” he said. “You don’t understand, do you? You don’t have a fucking clue.”

“Well, feel free to share, if you’d like,” said Malcolm. “I’d certainly prefer a story to listening to you go full on PTSD for the rest of this drive.”

Melt laughed. The sound of it put Malcolm on edge.

“When I first became a champion,’ said Melt. “Greenthumb and I went after a demoness.”

“A demoness?” Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “Those are pretty rare, aren’t they?”

“Somewhat,” said Melt. “Most demons tend to be men, but there are a good number of female demons, and male sprytes, too. Anyway, this bitch went by the name ‘Bondage”, and she could sense the emotions of others.”

Malcolm shrugged.

“Doesn’t sound that bad,” he said. “As far as powers go, at least it can’t do physical harm.”

“That’s what we thought,” said Melt. “And we were absolutely fucking wrong. She was smart, and she could sense us coming. She practically knew what we were thinking, and lured us into a trap.”

Malcolm waited for Melt to continue, wondering where the story was headed.

“Greenthumb got away,” said Melt. “But she caught me. She knew what my powers were and had a room set up ahead of time.”

Melt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Malcolm immediately reached across to keep the truck on the road, staring at Melt in disbelief.

This guy is not alright mentally.

“She left me in this room,” said Melt. “With a single way out for me, using my powers. A tiny hole along the floor. I went through it, not knowing where it led.”

“And?”

“She trapped me… in a bottle,” said Melt. “Screwed the top back on. Duct taped over it. She held me in that bottle for about two months straight, before Greenthumb managed to take her down.”

“Jesus…” muttered Malcolm.

“She could still feel my emotions while I was in there,” said Melt. “She’d talk to me. Mess with my head. Do whatever she could to get an emotional response out of me. It was like a… sexual thing for her, I think.”

Melt scratched the side of his neck and blinked a few times in quick succession.

“That’s… heavy,” said Malcolm.

“Two months is a long time…” said Melt. “She fucked me up. Boy, did that bitch fuck me up.”

He slapped the steering wheel and then gripped it tight enough to make his fingers turn white.

“She had me thinking…” Melt shook his head. “Fuck, I don’t even know what she had me thinking.”

“What happened, in the end?” asked Malcolm.

“Greenthumb found where she’d been keeping me,” he said. “Ben’s a good guy, but not a good killer. He managed to get me free, but the bitch got away.”

Melt turned to stare at Malcolm, again ignoring the road as though crashing the truck was only a minor concern for him.

“How many innocent people do you think are out there, right now, being held or tortured?” asked Melt. “Greenthumb knew I’d been captured, and still, it took him two months to find me. And he had the power of the Champion Authority helping him look…”

Malcolm frowned and gave a small shake of his head.

“That must have been pretty awful,” he said.

“You’re damn fucking right it was.”

Malcolm didn’t know what else to say. Melt was volatile, and it felt like any words he could offer would only risk setting the other man off. He endured the rest of the trip in silence.

CHAPTER 30

The church looked different from when he’d first seen it. The stain glass window that Malcom had shattered was covered by a large tarp. The effect was that the church blended in to the more decrepit buildings surrounding it.

The other difference was that there were few people heading in or out. It looked abandoned, at least currently. Malcolm frowned, watching it from the dilapidated storefront across the street alongside Melt.

“This is a waste of time,” muttered Melt.