Chapter 3 Clan
Clan
The cameras Wally had mounted showed them clearly the forest of hands.
Grasping. Reaching. All in vain as they were sucked inside the wall.
None spoke for long moments as they finally got their first true view of this second horror of the day.
Valerius had called the other Dragon Shifters in to see it.
Illarion’s arms were tightly crossed over his chest. His upper lip was partially writhed back from his teeth, which looked particularly white and sharp at that moment.
“How many people do you think that is?” Illarion asked no one in particular.
“I’ve conferred with the people who leave food and clothing for those that choose to live there,” Marban said.
“This brick wall was opened up about two weeks ago. Everything seemed normal until the day of Iolaire and Caden’s joining, then they noticed a decrease in people coming for their share. Yesterday, there was no one at all.”
“You can’t be suggesting that Iolaire coming through to this world has anything to do with this,” Esme said and shook her head with the ridiculousness of it all.
Caden though was not so sure. “You guys know that the Faith thinks that if they create a large enough tragedy that more Spirits will join with humans. What if… what if the Behemoth just wants them to think that because it needs something big to get through?”
Valerius’ arm curled tighter around his waist even as Iolaire hooted softly in fear he was right.
“While I see the logic you are following to get to that conclusion, Caden, I do not believe it is true,” Valerius answered in that calm way of his that put Caden at ease.
He wasn’t dismissing Caden’s fears, but addressing them.
“The bombings in Dragon Strike Square, at the Human’s First meeting and Anwar’s arrival were all thwarted.
Yet it is clear from Marban’s people that the wall here opened at least once, likely many times when any poor fool went to investigate it, in the past few days. ”
“Besides, it doesn’t take but the death of one person to pull a Dragon Spirit through.
Just because we are larger physically than other Spirits who come here has no bearing on passing over,” Mei reminded him.
She was leaning against the far wall, arms and legs crossed, looking less tense than Illarion, but Caden bet she was feeling the same unease.
“Let us say it would take multiple deaths at the same time to bring in the Behemoth because of all the Dragon Spirits it is composed of, it would need only a handful. Surely, it could convince its foolish followers to kill a dozen at a time instead of these elaborate bomb plots.”
“And people have been dying voluntarily for this cause in at least those numbers for over a year or more,” Kaila said, her shoulders drawn in.
The normally unfocused, happy Dragon Shifter had no smile on her face.
“I have spoken to my people and there are reports of people simply walking into the sea and not walking out again like those Faith people said the other day.”
“This is such madness,” Jahara whispered as she studied the scene on the screen. “And it disturbs me greatly that this has been occurring and we had no idea!”
“Indeed!” Tez clasped his hands together tightly. “If Valerius didn’t catch this, what chance do we have? There could be walls all over the place! Our territories could be infested with them!”
“To be frank, I wasn’t paying attention to the Below in the way I should have,” Valerius answered with an openness that Caden was sure must have cost him.
Caden glanced up at Valerius. If the Black Dragon King had ever been unfocused and unconcerned about the day to day goings on in his territory, he was not now.
“I was, Valerius,” Marban said with a sigh. “And I did not see it.”
“I did see it and I didn't think it was important!” Rose cried.
She was sitting on the couch and buried her face in her hands. Caden went over to her and crouched down by her side. He put a hand on her nearest arm.
“It’s okay, Rose. You’re not to blame for this,” Caden assured her.
“The wall was mostly clear when I saw it,” Rose told him, eyes wet with unshed tears. “A few hands. One or two. Not that it’s better for anyone to have been drawn in but--”
“I get it,” Caden said. “We didn’t know this was possible. You said so yourself that you thought it was some kind of weird art.”
“Art.” Rose shook her head vigorously. “The Behemoth makes people’s deaths into… I don’t know. It’s so awful!”
“The truth is that none of us could have anticipated this,” Jahara said as she turned away from the screen.
“We still don’t understand how the walls work.
As is obvious on their face, other than the one wall that Anwar uncovered in the desert, the other two are in places where the Behemoth could not possibly emerge from in its dragon form. ”
“So that leaves it having a human form,” Mei said with a tap of her chin. “It must. It’s the only way these walls make sense.”
Caden glanced up at the screen again, looking for any trace of Wally’s rat bodies, but there were none.
Wally had told them before shifting and losing the ability to communicate that he would be hiding in cracks and behind garbage.
His rat bodies would be spread out so that it would appear to most people as if normal rats were merely living their day to day lives in the Below’s walls.
Caden had seen Wally squirm into a triangular-shaped missing part of the wall that had looked too small to fit the plump rat, but he couldn’t even see a whisker sticking out.
If anyone came out of that wall, Wally would follow them.
Anwar, who had been quietly stroking his chin and looking at this new wall, stated, “The wall I found in the desert looked old. It appeared to be part of a temple. But this one and the one in the Gray Mountains? They cannot be more than thirty-years old. Valerius created both of these places after the war. So someone must have built these walls after that.”
“So this plot against us has been in the makings since before Shifters revealed themselves potentially?” Tez put out there, looking like he’d smelled something foul.
“What if revealing the existence of Shifters was part of the Behemoth’s plot?” Esme suggested and spread her arms wide. The diaphanous arms of her gown sparkled. “You can’t very well destroy all Shifter-kind without humanity.”
“We need to go back to our territories,” Illarion grunted out. He slashed a hand through the air towards the screen. “As the idiot Gold Dragon says, our territories could be riddled with this rot!”
“It actually makes the most sense for the walls--at least the new walls--to be in Valerius’ territory. Not to say that there can’t be some in your own, but the fight--when there is one--will be focused here,” Marban said.
“Why is that, insect?” Illarion snarled.
Marban smiled up at Illarion. It wasn’t a nice smile. “Because Valerius and Raziel are not only the strongest, but have proven that they can defeat the Behemoth unlike say… Mephous. I believe you were swatted away like a fly and out of the fight well before it ended.”
The Green Dragon King was nothing if not predictable. His eyes flared a sulfurous green and he loomed over Marban who looked completely unimpressed.
“You will find that Mephous and myself are more than capable of toppling your little empire, insect,” Illarion gritted out.
“I am sure.” Marban waved the thought away. “If my little empire was not within Valerius’ territory.” He smiled almost sweetly at Illarion. “And then, we come back to my point once more: you are no match for Valerius and Raziel.”
These words appeared like they would cause Illarion to stroke out in front of everyone, but with an effort, he pulled back his anger. He let out a brittle laugh and brushed off the front of his suit.
“Then I most certainly should go home. Valerius the Great does not need me in his Councillor’s estimation,” Illarion stated.
“You have been threatening to take your toys home from the beginning!” Tez cried with a shake of his head. “You are looking for an excuse! If you want to go--or must go--then say so. Do not use Marban’s words as a reason.”
“None of you appreciate me! You think yourselves above me! Fine! You can do as you please!” Illarion turned to leave.
Caden jumped up. “Illarion, that’s not true. We do need you. Please come back. Everyone’s a little frayed.”
Illarion’s hand was on the doorknob to the suite, already turning it and about to walk out. Caden was sure this time he did mean it.
“And when the Behemoth comes and you’re not here when you’re needed?” Caden called out. “Illarion, you and Mephous are strong, but we need everyone to defeat this thing.”
Illarion turned his head so that Caden could see his profile.
The Green Dragon King’s jaw was clenched but he surprisingly released it.
“Caden, Mephous and I have stayed this long because of you and Iolaire. You respect us and want us here… but the others don’t.
We will see if you or they are right about the battle ahead. ”
And, with that, Illarion left. Caden felt a hole open up in the pit of his stomach. He knew that Illarion really was leaving and he knew, too, that it was not good. He turned to face the other Dragon Shifters.
“Guys, we have to convince him to stay!” Caden cried. He pointed to the screen showing the wall. “We might, at any minute, find out who the Behemoth’s human counterpart is and he and Mephous won’t be here!”
The looks on the other Dragon Shifters’ faces told him that they didn’t agree with him. Not that they wouldn’t find out who the human counterpart of the Behemoth was, but that Illarion was needed.
“Mephous was hardly useful in the last fight, Caden,” Esme pointed out gently. “It got itself knocked out because it refused to work with us. So this is nothing new.”
“But--”