Tanned Hide (4 page)

I squeezed my little brother. I had
to. It could be the last time, if things didn’t work out. “Hey,
squirt. Whatcha been up to?”

“
I’m building!” Philip
said, wiggling out of my arms. “Wanna see? It’s in the
backyard!”

“
I’ll be right out, kiddo,”
I told him. “Go on out and I’ll be right behind ya.”

Philip ran outside, whooping all the
way. I snickered. “You let him play in the dirt in his PJ
bottoms?”

“
Better that than his good
jeans,” Mom said. “So you know, your dad’s out grocery
shopping.”

“
This early?”

“
He’s always been an early
riser. I’m grateful. It’s easier to pass kid responsibilities to
him when I need to sleep in.”

I grinned. “Another reason Philip’s in
PJs I suspect.”

“
Right as rain.”

I paused, pressing both ears back.
“Look, Mom, is there somewhere you guys can stay for a while? Maybe
go on vacation or something?”

Mom eyed me with one ear splayed. “Is
something wrong, Neil?”

“
I, ah.” I had spent most
of the night and morning trying I figure out the best way to broach
the subject. Mom wouldn’t believe the truth, and most lies would
still make me look bad. There was no helping it. “I got into some
gambling debts and, ah, the man I owe is a bit ruthless. I just
don’t want him to come around and bothering you while I’m getting
the debts settled.”

Mom crossed her arms and
glared at me, tail twitching. “Neil Maxwell Black. You did
not
do something that
would put your brother in danger.”

I frowned. “I honestly didn’t mean to,
Mom. It’s nothing too serious, but I’m behind in
payments.”

“
How much do you owe? I’ll
write a check.”

I waved both hands. “More than I can
ask from you, Mom.”

“
Neil, if this is going to
put our family in danger--”

“
It won’t,” I lied. “It
would just be better to avoid harassment. He doesn’t give
up.”

“
Neil,” Mom looked deep
into my eyes. “You know we can’t leave. Your father’s job wouldn’t
put up with it.”

“
But--”

“
We can’t leave,” Mom said.
“Unless it’s really big enough that we need to.”

I was torn. Do I tell her the truth
and hope she believes me? Do I face eternal shame and the
possibility of never seeing my brother again? Mom would never let
me near him if she knew the truth. But if they were all killed, I’d
face that anyway. Could I really trust Trecheon to protect them the
way I would protect them?

“
Hon,” Mom said. “Go see
your brother. Then talk to me while you fix the AC unit. I’ll go
make some tea in the meantime. Okay?”

Enough time to really think. Damn, Mom
was good. “Okay.” I dragged my tail behind me and went
outside.

Philip was in the sandbox in the back,
staring intently at a sloppy sand castle as he dripped more sloppy
sand on top of it. I stood on the patio, taking everything in. The
backyard was huge, even bigger in my childhood mind. Massive trees
towered by the back fence, covering most of the weedy lawn in
shadow. A small, three-foot-deep pool stood unused and dirty near
the patio, and the plastic turtle sandbox blended neatly into the
background by the trees. The trees themselves had always been a
special place for me. As a kid, I had built a rough camouflage
shelter buried deep behind the two redwoods out of leftover wood
from dad’s building projects. It was so well hidden that Mom never
figured out where it was. I used it to hide when Mom bothered
me.

I had never told Philip about it, but
I kept it cleaned and maintained, tending to it whenever I had a
moment alone in the house, usually during Philip’s naptimes when I
babysat him. I planned to show it to him when he was older so it
could be a secret place for him as well, and when he was old enough
that secrets were easier to keep. But now. . . Now it might be more
of a savior than I ever thought possible. I approached the
sandbox.

“
Hey bud,” I said. “Whatcha
making?”

“
A poopy castle,” Philip
said, still staring at the sand.

I tried not to laugh. “A poopy
castle?”

“
Duh,” Philip said. “Can’t
you tell?”

I tilted my head and splayed an ear.
“I suppose?”

Philip grinned. “I’m just pulling your
tail. Watch this!” He suddenly scooped a bunch of the wet sand and
mixed it with a handful of dry sand, then dropped it in a shaped
bucket. With careful patting and measuring, he filled the bucket,
then in a swift moment, he flipped it over and slowly lifted it,
revealing a perfectly shaped castle turret. “Ha ha! It
worked!”

“
That’s great, Philip,” I
said, then leaned down. “Wanna see something even
greater?”

“
Oooh, yes!” Philip
said.

“
Follow me.” I chanced a
glance at the house, saw the windows empty, then led Philip to the
trees. He frowned when we got to the edge.

“
Mom says we’re not allowed
in the woods.”

I had to laugh. “Buddy, it’s five
trees a bunch of underbrush. It’s not woods.”

“
That’s what mom calls
them,” Philip said. “She says there’s bears in there!”

I leaned down and gave him a skeptical
look. “We’re pumas. No bear is going to hurt us. Okay? I say it’s
okay, so don’t worry.”

Philip looked reluctant, but
eventually agreed. He glanced back and forth through the walk, but
he seemed satisfied when he found the back fence. After a brief
trek through the brush, I found my shelter, still deeply hidden
behind the redwoods.

“
Watch this.” I pressed on
the hidden branch and opened the door to a tiny shelter. Two
benches lined the walls, both just short enough for Philip to sit
on. He gaped, his ears perky.

“
Whoa! That’s so
cool!”

“
You have to keep your
voice down,” I said. “Or the magic can’t protect you.”

“
Ooh, there’s
magic?”

“
Yes,” I said. “Special
protection magic. As long as you come in here and stay perfectly
still and quiet, no one can find you. I used it to hide from Mom
all the time.”

Philip giggled. “And I can use
it?”

“
You can,” I said. I slowed
my speech and looked Philip right in the eye. This next part was
important. “In fact, if you ever see someone in the house that you
don’t know, you should run straight for this place and hide here
until I come find you. Okay?”

Philip got really quiet, staring at
the hideaway. Rotting leaves still lined the floor, despite my best
efforts, and everything had a musty, earthy smell. Tiny rays of
light made their way through the cracks in the wood. But among
these bushes, behind these trees, it was essentially invisible.
Philip ran a finger over a splintering wood.

“
Are strangers going to
visit our house?”

I frowned. “Maybe.”

“
Is that why I saw Uncle
Trecheon watching me in the backyard?”

My body stiffened. Trecheon was
already here? Watching them? How did Philip even see him? For that
matter, how did Philip even remember him? Trecheon’s probably seen
him maybe six times in his entire lifetime.

Philip pressed both ears back
frowning. “Sorry if I wasn’t supposed to see him.”

“
No, no, it’s fine,” I
said. “But don’t tell him you saw him, okay? He’s going to be your
guardian angel for a while.”

“
Can he see me in the magic
box?”

“
No,” I said. “Only you and
I know it exists. Don’t come out from the magic box, even if I call
for you. Wait for me to come directly to you. Okay?”

“
Neil,” Philip said,
suddenly huddling next to me and speaking in a hushed whisper. “I’m
scared.”

I’ve always thought it was amazing how
easily kids picked up a sense of danger. We don’t give them enough
credit. I’m scared too, pal. But I couldn’t say that out loud.
Instead I hugged him. “Uncle Trecheon will protect you. That’s his
job. Alright?”

“
And you’ll protect me too,
right?”

I squeezed tighter.
“Always.”

We closed up the hideout, and headed
back out into the main yard. I casually glanced around the area for
Trecheon, but I couldn’t spot him. Perhaps he had moved on, or
maybe Philip was simply better than I was.

But if Trecheon was already watching.
. . if Philip had a safe place to hide. . . Maybe my family would
be okay after all. I elected not to tell Mom the truth. I just
couldn’t bear the disappointment and anger and the very real
possibility that I’d be barred from seeing my little brother ever
again. We could handle it. They’d be safe.

And what Mom didn’t know couldn’t hurt
her. Right?

Five

I stared at the two options before me. Trecheon’s borrowed
suit or my Marine dress blues. I had to pick carefully. My choice
could be the very last thing I ever wear.

After an hour of deliberation, I went
with the dress blues. The suit might make me more anonymous,
assuming I’d be anonymous at all, but the dress blues had an added
advantage. I had an excuse to carry the Mameluke saber. And unlike
many of my fellow soldiers, I knew how to use it in combat and not
just for show.

I chewed my lip as I attached it to my
belt. The only reason I had any knowledge of how to use the sword
was because Carter was so good at it. He had taught me during our
rare spare moments on the battlefield. I kept my skills up as a
memorial to him.

Mind you, it wouldn’t do me a damn bit
of good if they put a bullet through my head before I got to it.
But at least it was a weapon, and one that at least pretended to
show some kind of respect for the woman I’d killed.

A distant, but intense feeling of
shock still ran through my veins. Like my body was feeding me a
constant stream of adrenaline in preparation for this.

This was it. This could be my last day
on Earth. Hell.

I didn’t own a car, so I hired a taxi
to take me to St. Buck’s Cathedral to keep the blues nice and
clean. The driver eyed the sword at my side, but said
nothing.

We drove on to the Cathedral, a lofty
building in the center of the quieter residential areas in El
Dorado. Despite being in a quiet area, the Cathedral was the
largest in the state, all tall towers, ancient wood and stone,
hundreds of stained glass windows, and more pews than anyone other
than a monk would be willing to count. A monument to Draso and all
his supposed goodness.

I was never a religious person. Mom
and Dad leaned more toward Christianity, despite the fact that most
zyfaunos followed Draso. My religions teacher had told me that
Draso and God were actually the same person though, even if the
religions were technically different. Still, my swearing habits
tended toward profaning God rather than Draso. Call it my own form
of adoration.

I let out a shuddering breath as we
entered the parking lot. Part relief and part fear. Relief to see
the lot nearly full of cars and a few bikes, with lines of people,
human and zyfaunos in their best mourning clothes headed for the
church. I wasn’t alone. Fear because that could only mean that The
Triple Danger were around somewhere.

I paid the cabbie and walked out into
the sunlight. The tension in my body grew, making my fingers and
tail twitch. My ears wouldn’t keep steady. They spun, listening for
any tiny sound, desperate to keep me alive in any way they could.
Breathing was hard and I know I was blinking too fast and too
often.

I had to calm myself. Trecheon was
right. They wouldn’t take me in a crowded public setting. Would
they?

I forced one foot forward. Than the
other. Willing my body to calm, I crossed the parking lot and
entered the church.

A tall black man in a suit waited in
the foyer. He glanced over me with a frown. “Name, sir?”

Oh, shit. They were taking names? Good
thing I went with the blues. No being anonymous here. “Ah, Neil
Black. I came at the personal invitation of Ms. Fawn’s
sisters.”

“
Yes, sir,” the man said.
“Please find a seat.”

As if my nerves would let me sit still
on a pew. “Thank you.” I entered the cavernous church and glanced
around. A lot of seats were taken already, with their occupants
making quiet conversation. I watched them a moment, looking around
the room, when I spied an open door leading to a prayer
alcove.

That’s what I needed. Prayer. I
crossed the room to the alcove and entered it.

A statue of Mona, the mother of
Draso’s son, Kai, stood at the end of the room. Traditionally, Mona
was a bighorn sheep, as she was portrayed now. Small horns,
delicate face with short snout, and tiny, compared to most
zyfaunos. She wore a dramatic outfit, made of long, flowy fabrics
of white and gold, and was lying at the foot of a cross, looking up
to the top with this odd mix of fear, sadness, and reverence. The
skylight above her head bathed the whole statuary in colored light.
Very heavenly, if one believed in that sort of thing.