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Chapter 15: The Order
Part 1
A morning bird sounded: caaa-reee-ee-ee!
Frix roused, sure he'd reach the town soon. If he could beat Swinn there, he'd be fine. He felt rested, even though he was crazy hungry. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, then noticed that it was too quiet. And he was in a—
He sat up and the people surrounding him all tensed. There was an armoured man, a squat man with a belly, one tall strange person… and her. Eyes as big as ever.
“Fwah,” he said. Then his stomach roared.
The tall one smiled, the two other guys exchanged scowls, and Atrocity kept looking at him. Her face was a mask. He studied the locks and flow of her brownish-gold hair instead, mesmerized.
The tall one leaned in, holding out an apple. Frix snatched it, gave it a quick squeeze then bit in, now noticing fabric of her clothes—soft and light red. Flecked with a little debris on one shoulder, maybe pine needles or some dirt.
Then the food hit his system and his stomach cramped and complained again, forcing him to wince. The pain reminded him that this wasn't a dream.
“Well?” said the squat man.
Frix blinked, trying to swallow the apple in his mouth. When it was gone, his teeth chomped another bite before he could say anything. The fat guy threw his arms up.
The tall one placed a hand on Mr. Frustrated’s shoulder and said, “Hello, young man. Are you called Frix? Frix of Bit?”
He nodded, and stole another glance at Atrocity. She hadn’t moved even a little bit. Frix became quite interested in what she might look like when she blinked. He watched.
“Up here! Hey!” The burly, armoured guy snapped his fingers.
“Kelron, please,” said tall guy. “Frix, you gave Boyd here quite a scare this morning. Found you all but passed out on his doorstep, calling out for this young lady. Forgive us, but we are quite curious about all of it. Do you remember what drove you to do this?”
He did. All at once. The apple fell out of his hand as the gravity of everything fell back into place.
“They're coming! They're here!” he said, trying to leap up. The one called Kelron held out a hand, and that paralyzing tingle bloomed, unpleasant, nothing like how he remembered the feeling Atrocity shared with him.
Kelron came closer, hand still hovering. “Who’s here? Who’s coming?”
“All of them! A whole battalion, like half the triadic group! They even sent the fishers! They recruited my brother for resupply!” He struggled more, but the bloodlight held him fast to the bed.
“Your Falsesparker friends?” said Kelron.
“Yes! They're going to take your town! They're south, right now, gathering. Advance units. Full force less than a sun away!”
“Last time it was the north,” Atrocity said. Her voice stilled him, and he stopped trying to move.
He fell into those eyes for a half second, then forced himself back to lucidity. “They're not messing around this time. I swear it. The campwitch came to scout it out. She's probably still here. She’ll help us… Them. I think they want your stone!”
“Campwitch?” said Kelron.
Atrocity angled her head. “The Chillcrafter… Junelight?”
Frix couldn't remember her name. “She’s…” he tried to mime something coming out of his eyes. “She’s blue!”
They all seemed to rock back at that; Kelron actually stumbled. He paled, and Frix felt the binding power lessen.
“Does she… do they know you're here?” Boyd asked.
Frix remembered the sentry. And Swinn. “They must,” he said.
“The temple,” breathed the tall man. “Kelron, with me.” He left.
Kelron hesitated a moment, his mouth agape, face pearly and slick with a sheen of new sweat. He looked at the one called Boyd and croaked, “Watch him.” Then he was gone too.
Frix steeled himself, expecting Atrocity to follow them out and leave him with Boyd. But she stayed perched on her little stool, rubbing her chin with one hand, spearing him with her gaze.
New sensations crawled in his gut and chest—different than hunger—and he busied himself with finding and munching on the apple. He couldn’t think about what to do or say, not under these stares, not with his stomach so empty, angry and tingling.
Lucky for him, Atrocity broke the awkwardness. “Why did you wander back?” she said.
He swallowed a chunk of apple and glanced at Boyd, who leaned back against the wall, arms crossed and scowling.
“I kept seeing the lights,” Frix said, turning back to her. “I kept dreaming and feeling whatever it was when… um.”
Now Atrocity looked over at Boyd. “Can you give us the room?” she said.
“Absolutely not, are you crazy?” Boyd said.
Frix clued in. “I won’t say anything more, I’ll only talk to her.”
“I don’t care, I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
Atrocity stood up and said, “Boyd, please. Perch right outside the door. If he’s squirreling away any more information on what’s happening, we need it and we need it now. Keep a hold on him if it lends you a better feeling. I can take care of myself, you know that.”
They stared at each other for a while, and Boyd looked like he wanted to punch something. But eventually he huffed and said, “Right outside. If I hear anything…”
“Yes, of course.” Atrocity turned to Frix. “You will behave, Frix the flighty Falsesparker? We healed you, revived you, we can shut you down again just as quick.”
“I understand,” said Frix. He looked Boyd in the eye. “Thank you.”
Boyd made a rude noise and exited in a huff, shutting the door with a bang. Atrocity sat back down, and Frix felt his heart speed up. He placed his hand to his chest, where it prickled instead of stung.
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