Chapter 11

They stare down at one of the camps. "Its huge." Zylis whispers,

Sagé slowly points down at them. "That one, controls people." He whispers to her,

Zylis's eyes widen. "Why does it look so different?" She asks softly,

Sagé shrugs, "I don't know, but they are thick skinned. They don't go down easily."

"But they are the same race?"

Sagé shakes his head, "I'm not sure. We've never been able to confirm or deny. We've never seen children."

Zylis narrows her eyes and looks back. "I want the big one."

She feels a hand on her shoulder and looks back at Kiara. "I'll go down with you. I can't be controlled. I'll do my best to keep the others occupied."

Zylis nods, "Zylis, i saw it myself, they are very thick skinned. Max took it down with a gravity bullet."

"I got this Kiara."

Kiara narrows her eyes. Regardless, Kiara backs down, Zylis readies herself and stares down at the brute below. Zylis jumps from the tree and pierces her stingers into the man's lower back as far as she can. He jumps up off all fours and yells out.

Kiara grunts in annoyance. "We need to help her."

"No, you'll be at risk, I got this." Kiara says to Sagè,

Zylis tries to rip her stingers out, but they are stuck, she grunts loudly trying to pull it out. Kiara pulls her staff and extends it. The other Frauts look at Zylis and pull arrows back. Kiara jumps down, a spear's blade shoots out from the end of Kiara's staff. It rams down into the head of the Hippo like brute. He grunts and flops down. Kiara unlocks her staff, breaking off a half, another blade shoots out.

Kiara rolls to her feet and swings, beheading one of the Frauts, three others shoot at her, she jumps sideways against a tree and pushes off higher into the air. Oner arrow strikes the tree, while the two others fly under her. Zylis finally gets her legs free and charges at one of the Frauts and rams her stingers into it. Kiara moves to stab the last one but Zylis has already stabbed it and throws it over her own head and crashing into the ground.

Zylis, furious, turns to Kiara. "I had it. I just got stuck."

Kiara walks over and rips out the other half of her staff, she reconnects the halves and the blades disappear. Kiara turns to Zylis. "If you want to make up for something that wasn't your fault. Don't try making up for it by being cocky."

The words themselves stab Zylis in the gut. Zylis lets out a depressing sigh. "Being a team is everything. People who are on their own ALWAYS have to watch their back."

Sagè and the others wait for them to finish. "This was nothing Sagè." Kiara says,

Another Atalipi nods, "This was a scout group. They usually have much more force."

"I didn't catch your name." Zylis says weakly,

"Hayan."

"Pleasure. Where to next?"

****

Megan groans and forces her drowsy eyes open. Thoughts overtake her like a monstrous wave, then one takes priority.

"Max." She gasps as she jolts upright,

She looks down at herself, shes healed. She throws the thought out if her mind as well as the actual blanket off her body and rushes the fabric door.

She bolts out, almost running into a tall, white skinned man. She jumps back and watches him turn to look at her, his piercing green eyes seem to both drill her and welcome her.

"Megan! Hey."

She looks down, past him at Max. She rushes over and throws her arms around him. "So...you know about Zylis? Where is she?"

"She's fine, she was being controlled."

Megan nods, "I know. You're okay?"

"I'm fine, we had the Atalipi heal you."

She smiles, "They have healing abilities?"

"No, but we have herbs that heal unbelievably fast. I'm Gasaf."

"He's the leader of the Atalipi."

She smiles and extends her hand. He shakes it.

"We know what you are. Why do you take human form?"

"I am half human. It, feels natural to look as such."

"Hmm, I see. Are you hungry?"

She smiles and nods, "I'm starving."

He grins, "We have bread, your other friends are helping us with pests, by now they should be hunting for food."

Megan frowns, "Friends? As in plural? Oh! Sagé!" She says,

The leader gives Max a look, Megan narrows her eyes, "What?"

"We found a way to get Kiara a machine body."

Megan's eyes widen. "Whoa. How?"

"I shall give you two some room to catch her up."

"Thank you Gasaf."

He bows his head and walks away. Max explains to her all that happened, and that they may have some intel on Kiara.

Megan shakes her head in disbelief. "Wow."

She lets out a laugh, "How do we keep ending up in situations like this?"

Max smirks, "I'm glad its you."

Her face turns pink as she smiles at the ground. "No where I'd rather be."

Max smirks, "I'm kind of nervous to find out what will happen to Kiara."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, where does all this lead? What are we going to find? I care about her."

Megan smiles softly at him, "It'll be fine Max. Whatever comes our way, we'll handle it."

"I know. I just. Dont want her getting hurt by whatever that thing is."

"She can take it. Shes strong."

Soon enough the others return and its not long before the meat is hoisted over fires. As soon as Megan sees Zylis, her entire frame stiffens and shakes. Kiara talks to Megan and manages to calm her enough, she and Megan sit next to each other talking around the fire with Sagé. Max almost dreads it, but he sits next to Zylis, who stares at the fire. He doesnt want her to feel hated, he never did.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay...I haven't talked to Megan yet."

"I'm sure you both need some time. It wasn't easy on either of you Zylis."

She nods, "But what i did to her."

"That wasn't you."

"But it almost was. I felt the anger, its like i was watching it happen, and like i was also the one doing it. I've never been so angry, and so terrified."

"Zylis. No matter what you think, that wasn't you. Megan understands that too. She'll need time. But she understands that."

"I dont think she likes looking at me."

"No she probably doesn't right now. Knowing her, shes probably terrified right now, but i also know she wants to trust you again. She just needs to earn that trust back, naturally."

"I hope she can trust me again."

"She will. Eat. It will help." Max says,

She takes a leg of the faerhor and nibbles off pieces at an agonizing but progressively faster pace. She didnt realize how hungry she was. Should she tell Max? Tomorrow. No...maybe if she told Megan? Megan and Max...and Kiara. Maybe.