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“It’s as good a plan as any,” Taraven says.
“Malix—are you in agreement?”
He licks his lips. “Quiet…we’re almost there.”
I don’t like the noncommittal answer—especially from the guy who was convinced he was going on alone about twenty minutes ago—but I shut my mouth as the tunnel opens up.
The temple has taken us back to the ledge where we snuck in the first time, vines growing in thick ropes across the ceiling now. They light up like the synapses of a brain, flashes of color making it look like an eerie green lightning storm overhead. A horrible sound fills the room—the creak of tree limbs, and a mumbling, groaning sound that reminds me of a zombie movie.
It’s Qiloka.
The Skoropi general is bound into the vines at the center of the cortex, his body stretched out in a tangle of leaves. Now that we’ve talked about it with Taraven, I can clearly see where they hardwired the connection, metal wire meeting roots and pierced like needles into Qiloka’s skin. It’s…horrible. This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of bloodshed. The general groans and sobs in the interface, his tail thrashing and glowing dark, dark purple.
What did Taraven call it? System shock.
Looks more like full burnout to me.
Because his veins glow green like the vines now, flickering under his skin and scales. The guy won’t survive this; if we cut him out of the machine, it might be more of a blessing than anything else.
I brace myself on the wall behind me as my vision swims, my depth perception off from the whole one-eye thing. Malix’s arm hooks around my waist and draws me in, his eyes calculating as he tilts his head toward the other side of the room.
Right.
We have to go down there and deal with the zombie plant monster.
We shuffle along the ledge, careful not to disturb any debris like last time. Even if we did, I don’t think it would matter; Qiloka is distracted, no troops in sight. I didn’t see too many soldiers here in the first place, and I tell myself we won’t have to grapple with them because they’re probably all distracted by either Mai and Reza or the ongoing invasion of Liatra by our joint forces.
Whatever the case, we’re alone with the guy behind the destruction of Rath. Malix must be thrilled.
We have to go back toward the entrance where we first came in to finally jump off the ledge, Taraven catching me before handing off his rifle. I’ll be more useful with it, even with my eyes…or,eye, the way it is. The three of us keep to the wall as we creep closer, getting a better view of the Qiloka.
The whole scene somehow gets worse. I find myself grateful that my vision is a little wonky.
Qiloka’s groaning gets quiet, his tail thrashing a little less. The synapses that were flashing overhead move to the floor, leading us in a trail straight toward him. I wish I could ask the others what the hell they think we should do, but Malix takes a step forward.
And stops short when Qiloka opens his mouth.
“Survive,” he says—his voicewrong, echoing around us like a sonic boom. “The biological imperative is survival. Cross-breeding to obtain the best possible result. Where we have failed, our children will succeed.”
“What the fuck,” falls out of my mouth before I can stop myself, but Qiloka doesn’t seem to notice. Malix moves closer, peering at the Skoropi general. I follow him, scared out of my mind, and my stomach churns when I realize flowers are growing all over his face, out of his eyes, his mouth.
Pink hibiscus flowers the size of dinner plates.
“Psychic shock,” Taraven says. “He’s fighting it, but the harder he fights…it’s only a matter of time.”
“He’ll die?” Malix asks.
Taraven nods. “He’s already on his way out.”
Something catches his attention on the other side of Qiloka and he moves toward it—a metal pillar clearly of Skoropi design, a small display on top. Taraven pulls out an access chain and presses it to the pillar, then a row of data unspools across the screen.
“By the Divine,” he breathes.
I move toward him to look over his shoulder. “That didn’t sound good, but I can’t read this,” I mutter.
“It’s…it’s bad,” he says. “Qiloka is in psychic shock because he’s deployed another weapon. It’s headed for Halla.”
“There’s no time to waste, then,” Malix says.
