Altered Destiny

Ch. 7

"You want to back out?" Galleous asked him quietly.

Ingressus took a deep breath, then shook his head. No. He'd already chickened out twice before. He was going to do it this time.

He squared his shoulders, fixing his gaze forward as though the footpath were a challenging mountain trail. He would not cower. Fear was exactly what the raiders wanted from the Voltaris, second only to death. He refused to give them that.

The next person they came across was a Human. He gave a friendly greeting to Galleous and looked at Ingressus curiously, but that was all. The next people, a pair of Sendaris and their child, did a double-take, and the father grabbed his daughter's shoulder. And then they came to the last bridge, and they were in the marketplace.

Ingressus felt his shoulders tensing despite himself, felt his blade itching at his fingers from the very edge of his inventory. People were staring and he'd known they would do at least that, and the fact that it was just that was a good thing. No one had made a move for him, but he saw a Mendoris hiding her child behind her, saw a Kaltaris obliviously drowning a daisy he was watering as he stared at Ingressus. Whispers rose around the marketplace, swirling around him like wind-borne snow.

"Is that–"

"What the–"

"A Voltaris?"

"You're seeing him, right?"

"A Voltaris, here?"

"He's following Galleous–"

"How in the void..."

"–away from his clan?"

"Am I hallucinating again?"

"Did Galleous bring him–"

"Voltaris?"

Someone poked Ingressus's arm. He looked down to see a Human child staring at his markings. She poked at him again, and Ingressus pulled his arm away.

The child looked up at him expectantly. "Are you part Magnorite?"

Ingressus stared. "What?"

The child pointed. "Is that lava in your stripes?"

"No," Ingressus said. "They're just my markings."

"I didn't know Ardoni could be orange."

She reached out to poke at Ingressus again, only to have her hand pushed away. "Stop poking me."

A Nestoris approached Galleous, causing Ingressus to forget the Human as the Nestoris spoke. "Um, Galleous—"

Galleous didn't bat an eye. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

He turned in a circle, his gaze sweeping over the market. "This is Ingressus," he said, his hand hovering over the younger Ardoni. "Yes, I've noticed he's Voltaris. He is here under my care. Try to hurt him, and you answer to me."

The Nestoris stared at Galleous, his mouth working but no sound coming out. Galleous walked past him, gesturing to Ingressus. "Come on. We have groceries to get."

Well, Ingressus thought. I guess that's one way to do it.

He trotted after Galleous, keeping out of arm's reach of the Nestoris. The element of surprise only worked for so long. He couldn't count on it forever. Even so, no one came forward to confront them. Ardoni kept their distance, a fact that suited Ingressus just fine. Other species– Humans, Felina, and one member of a species Ingressus didn't recognize– kept casting confused looks at their neighbors as they went about their day. He saw one Human look at Ingressus, then at his companion. The companion just spread her hands in an I-don't-know gesture.