Slip Song (Devany Miller Series) (27 page)

She smiled but didn’t say anything else. “Doggie will be okay.”

“
It ain’t a doggie, you stupid idiot. Now go on, get back to your cage.” He pushed her away and another man came up to escort her out of our sight.

I glared at that man, marking him. I remembered once upon a time I’d vowed not to kill anyone unless I absolutely had to but this asshole needed a little murder to remind him of his humanity.

They all did.

‘
When?’

Shh.

‘I’m going to change. Then I can hook the hell out of here, come back around and take all these motherfuckers out.’

Blood-thirsty good. Careless bad. Wait. You will have blood.

So we waited. Time crawled by. Kroshtuka panted beside me, his body relaxed but alert. I saw the coiled potential in his body. He was waiting too, waiting for his opportunity to escape or serve these guys some justice.

“
We should put them in the pit. Let them fight.”

Neutria shifted. While I’d been worrying, she’d been working her feet out of the ropes. They’d bound them two by two and she now had them all free. Because of the netting there would be no way anyone would be able to tell it unless they were looking for it.

“I say we sell them. Ain’t no money in the pits. The market money will go right into our pockets.”

A shout from out of our line of sight spread noise throughout the group. It wasn’t until I heard one of them say Nightflowers that I knew. The Carnicus had made it to Galleia. Tension thrummed through the air and the men scattered.

‘Now?’

Can you make man-beast hear you?

‘I don’t know. Why?’ As I thought it, she sent me a picture of her exploding off the wagon and sinking her fangs into the closest man’s chest. In her plan, Kroshtuka downed a second man. Other, vague details fleshed out the background. Men fighting. Chaos. ‘I can try.’

She helped me by focusing her eyes on the speckle-pelted animal next to us. I brought up the heart’s control room again, aware that it only existed in my head. Whatever it took to figure the damned thing out. ‘Talk to Kroshtuka. Send him my thoughts, Neutria’s plan.’ I pictured what I wanted in my head and then looked around, hoping a button would glow or a horn would blare to show me the way. In the end it wasn’t any of those things.

A cockroach skittered across the floor, its curly antennae wiggling. It ran past three panels full of indicators and dials before crawling up a purple pole and coming to rest on a big black button under a speaker box. The cockroach mutated into a moth and fluttered away. I walked over and pressed the button, then leaned toward the speaker, feeling silly.

“
Uh. Kroshtuka?”

I let go of the button, thinking of the way walkie talkies worked. Silence. Was there an on button? I looked but didn’t see anything close enough to make sense. As I was squatting, gazing up at the underside of the panel, a voice came through the speaker. Hesitant, wondering.

“How do you touch my mind with yours?”

A big black button and a little help from a bug, I thought, my head swimming with thoughts about the control room. Focus, Devany. ‘We may have a plan.’

It is a plan.

Neutria’s voice boomed in the control room. I covered my ears―I’d constructed my body to go along with the surreality of the room―and said, ‘Stop! You’re too loud.’

She chittered.

Kroshtuka said, “Tell me.”

I did, about Leon spoiling for a fight and Neutria’s idea to use the confusion to get free. I told him I had to save my friends and the woman who’d healed him. I didn’t say that I wanted to save the whole Carnicus from the asshole but maybe he saw that in my mind anyway. ‘The only problem is you’re still bound.’

“
No. The woman loosened the ropes.”

Color me impressed. Was the crazy-girl persona just an act then? She’d been sneakier than I’d ever imagined if she’d freed him without the abusive man noticing. Hell, she’d done it right under the asshole’s nose. ‘Wow.’

“It will be my pleasure to liberate the innocents and kill the rest.”

‘
Me too.’ And I meant it. God. What was wrong with me?

I change you,
Neutria said, sounding delighted and smug all wrapped in one big, gooey, spider sandwich.

‘
As soon as they’re fighting,’ I said to Kroshtuka.

He smiled―I saw it in his thoughts. Then he sent me an image of him and I naked on his furs and I swear the speaker sizzled from the heat of it.

‘Stop that.’

His laughter sounded in my head.

Holy crap.

Another shout and a roar of challenge. Neutria turned her attention to the far side of camp but far distances weren’t her forte. I saw a colorful blur. I was squinting but of course that wouldn’t do any damn good. Spiders didn’t squint. They didn’t even blink. Then I heard Leon’s voice, raised and angry. Not nearly as scary as his quiet speech about watching the dog die on the anthill.

“Ready.”

I told Neutria. She thought it over.
Soon.

‘
Neutria! Come on.’

Soon.

A thud of flesh on flesh, and then it was on. Real life fights didn’t sound anything like the ones on TV. For one, it wasn’t as dramatic but definitely more horrifying. Actors didn’t get hurt on TV, or at least, that wasn’t the goal. In real-life fights, people were getting broken and bloody and working like mad to break someone else. The dull, unremarkable thumps belied the damage being done.

Swift kills. No mercy.

I passed on the message. Then—

Now.

‘Now.’

We erupted from the bed of the wagon. Neutria sank her fangs hard into the closest man’s chest, pumping venom into him. It killed him instantly. She didn’t even slow, crawling over the ground in seconds to kill the next man and the next. To our left, Kroshtuka crushed a man’s skull. I heard the crunch from across the yard.

The fight was in full swing and only those on the fringe realized something was wrong behind them. By the time they figured it out, they were dead.

Leon swung hard at the jaw of the man who’d hit Cyres and knocked him onto his ass. Kroshtuka pounced on him, ripping out his throat. As he did, Leon turned and ran, his self-preservation stronger than his need for revenge.

‘Him! Don’t let him get away,’ I said, pushing at Neutria to turn and give chase. She did, to my surprise and we almost had him but he slid into the Nightflowers camp, past the barriers. Neutria fetched up against them, bright blue sparks flying when she hit it.

‘
Damn it.’

She hissed, then spun at a noise behind her. Another man, this one with a gun. He shot at us and the bullet caught her in one of her right legs. A flash of pain and then it went numb. She had to drag it as she pounced on the guy, not giving him a chance to get off another shot.

Once he was dead we scanned for other threats. All I could see were dead bodies and the backs of those smart enough to run. ‘Cyres?’

Scent her. Wait.
That might have been the coolest part of being inside a spider. She didn’t have a nose; instead she ‘smelled’ stuff through the hairs on her legs. It was a great shivering that ran through me as she searched for Cyres’ trail. When she found it she set off running, her wounded leg dragging uselessly behind us. I hoped that it didn’t translate to a horrible wound on my body when we switched back.

The cage where they held Tytan’s soul was disgusting. Neutria let her venom drip on the lock and the acid ate through the thick metal, weakening it so Cyres could pop it open. She stumbled out, pushing her hair back from her face as she stopped beside us. She didn’t show any fear of the giant spider next to her. Instead she said, “Thank you.”

Neutria chittered. To me, she thought,
Grey man and head.

‘
Yes. I’m not sure how we’re going to get to them through the barrier. I might need to change to get through.’

Yes. Change.

Color me shocked. She’d never changed that willingly before. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

She didn’t answer, just initiated the change. Pain filled my mind and I didn’t have another coherent thought until I became aware of soft, cold hands on my face. Cyres leaned over me, looking concerned.

“I’ve never see anything like that before,” she told me. Her touch eased the pain and I was grateful.

“
Yeah, well, I appreciate the help. It’s not fun to do.” I let her help me up and brushed off my clothes. “I’m Devany.”

She gazed at me. Then her eyes widened. “You are my master.”

“No. Not at all. I’m an Originator, sure. But I don’t own you. Never that.”

“
Why not? Am I not up to your standards?”

Fuck me if she didn’t sound hurt. Any guilt I may have felt for participating in this massacre flew away in the face of her bewildered servitude. “You are fine. I just don’t own people. Don’t believe in it.”

“Then how will you survive?”

I put my hand on her back and guided her toward the Nightflowers’ barriers. “The same way I’ve been surviving up ‘til now. Sheer luck and plucky determination.”

A growl made me look up and I saw Kroshtuka pacing at the barrier. “Are you okay?”

He swung his big shaggy head back to look at me and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. He made a yipping sound which I took to mean that he was all right.

“I’ll be right back. Maybe.” I edged a toe toward the barrier, squinting as I waited for the sparks to fly. They didn’t. Yes. “Okay. I’m going to get my friends and then I’ll be back. Can you keep her safe?”

He jerked his head once and went to stand beside Cyres, his yellow eyes alert.

I crossed the barrier, paused, then went back and yanked the lodestone off the pole. The protective field fell and Kroshtuka yipped again. “You’re welcome.” I went in search of Jasper and Nex.

No one was in our wagon. Of course. I went from one to the other, poking my head in to ask, “Have you seen the head? The Wing?” Each answer was the same, a close-mouthed shake of the head. Liars, liars, I muttered in my head as I found the mermaid’s tank wagon. Nex floated with her, his intestines looking like squid tentacles in the water.

He floated upward, ignoring her grasping hands. “I could not divine your presence. I worried you might have died. I am glad you did not.”

“
Thanks Nex. Do you know what they did with Jasper?”

“
I do not. I was with Quorra all day yesterday and all night. I was informed that I was not wanted in our wagon.”

I snorted. “You didn’t believe that, did you?”

“Not for one moment. However, I saw that protesting would cause trouble and playing dumb would provide the better outcome.” His grin made my day.

“
Brilliant as usual.” I turned to see Kroshtuka and Cyres enter Quorra’s wagon.

“
Better to stick together,” the hyena said in my head. I was surprised that the connection was still there and congratulated myself on the successful connection.

“
Just be careful. Leon is batshit crazy.” I helped Nex extricate himself from the mermaid’s tank with promises to help him return to her soon.

“
I will wait for you, my sweet Nex. We will cuddle and you will tell me stories of your fierceness.” She looked forlorn, her arms and boobs both propped over the edge of the tank, her tail agitating the water with powerful strokes.

“
But of course, Quorra. I shall regale you with tales of the hunt and bloody trophies, well stolen.”

We wandered through the camp and I could tell that the Carnicus of Nightflowers had come in hard. The oxen were still yolked and their exhaustion extreme. The froth had dried itself to their hides and flies glommed in the mess. I checked every wagon but no Jasper. Leon and Sharps’ wagon sat at the front of the train, the golden wood dusty. “Jasper,” I yelled, hoping he would hear me and shout back. No such luck.

Leon wasn’t in the wagon and neither was Sharps. Disappointment sagged through me. I’d wanted to help her but he’d stolen her away. “Shit.”

“
Devany? I think I found Jasper.”

I backed out of the wagon, thinking the worst. Please don’t let him be hurt, I thought. I promised I would keep him safe. Then I saw him, holding the red dog in his arms, tears on his face. “Jasper?”

“She died for me. Leon. He tried to run a sword through my heart. She didn’t know that it wouldn’t kill me.” His fingers curled into the fur as he rocked.

I knelt beside him in the dirt and Cyres came to put her arms around him. If anything her presence made him cry more. “I’m sorry.”

“Why do people kill each other? Don’t they understand that life is hard enough?”

My eyes went to Kroshtuka. He still had blood on his jaws from his kills. I didn’t but only because I’d changed from Neutria’s form. The blood stains were inside me, I guessed.

I eased away from Jasper and let his sister comfort him. It didn’t feel right for me to do it when I’d just come from a killing spree. I walked over to Kroshtuka and after only a brief argument with myself, slipped my fingers into his thick fur and patted him. He leaned hard against me and I enjoyed his warmth.