The Mountain Dancer

Chapter 53: Shaynike, Rekness & Sila

Shaynike

Shay had her mouth stuffed with some mashed potatoes from the second course when the fugitive materialized on the boreway. She saw him, swallowed, and thought, now that’s a cruel Prism.

Then the whole mindtether downcycled rapidly. A piercing spike of pain shot through the centre of her head, as the entire crowd cringed and cried out in unison.

The lights, wonderments, and music vanished. The pillar of green boreway light had changed to pure white. The Falsesparker was silhouetted against it. Long shadows radiated outward.

There came a nearby crash as the Tether Stone lost its Skyhold and smashed square into the table two over from Shay.

Luminary Northridge turned towards the glow. The fugitive advanced on him.

Two of the closest Fistshields leapt to the Luminary’s defense. A brief hand-to-hand fight erupted. The Falsesparker was clearly quite versed in it. Shay watched with stunned disbelief as the two defenders crumpled in seconds.

Four more Fists had closed in. They circled him cautiously.

It became apparent to Shay now that this was actually happening. If it were an unplanned wonderment, there wouldn’t have been a downcycle. Affsol wouldn’t have let the Tether Stone fall. Or was this Ella’s doing?

There was a slash and Shay saw a Fist clutching at their throat, gurgling. A low sweeping kick, and another went spinning end over end. Northridge was standing. People were shouting now. Affsol had her shoulder and was saying something.

The fugitive died on the carrier.

Nope, there he was, rendering people right in front of her. It wasn’t a different fugitive, unless there was a twin. That meant he had escaped the carrier. That would almost certainly require truly powerful Artwork.

Have you ever known truly powerful Artwork, Shaynike?

Sila and Rekness knew one another – that’s why they had acted so funny in Grand Library. That book-quest. It was ending right here. They had gotten into the Stone somehow. Shay stood, meaning to send a shard to Rek, but when she tried her head just throbbed.

“It’s Rek!” she said into Affsol’s face.

“What?”

Everyone was standing now, and the crowd of defending Fistshields was growing thick. Several other Fists and a few of the Stateguards had started to pull the Luminary away. They were coming down Shay’s aisle.

“A little help?!” said the fugitive.

The floor rumbled, as something came thundering up the boreway. Shay saw a strange disc-shape grow out of the bright white column. Then everything she saw was white.

Rekness

Rek leaned against a bookshelf. He kept seeing her, ice spikes sticking out her, her little face...

Little Tuneryke. He killed her. He rendered her and her brother had fell on her, screaming and crying.

He felt he might just lay down and sleep forever at that moment. But then he had read the book and all his sleepiness had vanished. That alien voice he had first heard on the roof had whispered back to him. It didn’t seem to mind that he had just killed a little girl.

Then all that Artwork had come down all on its own. It felt a million times bigger than MoonLunarFire. He forgot how he had gotten back into the council room, but it was there that Sila had pushed her probe through him. It felt like all his Artwork had been swept up with it… and most of the feeling in his body.