City of IF

[Shady Stoat]

Chapter Seventeen

Was she ready to take the next step? Keli hesitated, torn.

She had a weapon now. An excellent one against the unwary. Now that she could get inside a person’s head, she could do anything – go anywhere!

At the cost of her own body, though. What would happen to her while she was running around in someone else’s body? Whatever she did, she would leave herself vulnerable one way or the other.

And dream-control. Shakal kept telling her that information was her best weapon, but how was she supposed to use it to fight the evil within the city?

She was helpless. Hopeless. She needed more time, more training, but always she was being hounded from one hidey-hole to the next. The City was a deathtrap – and it was time to get out of here.

“Follow Maurice,” she answered, at last. “We can get out tonight. We might never get this opportunity again.”

“Where do you suggest we go?” asked Shakal, and somehow, the very reasonableness of her tone was infuriating.

“I don’t know!” snapped Keli. Then, more quietly. “I don’t know. I know the other towns and cities aren’t safe either. We just have to drop out of sight for a while, until I’ve learned what I need to.”

The wolf looked inscrutably at her. “The choice is yours. Bring your belongings.”

With that, she picked up her own pack, loaded it with the biscuits and some water jugs, and headed up the stairs. Keli hurriedly did the same.

By the time they got upstairs, there was no sign of Maurice. Keli felt a moment of disappointment, before shrugging it off. No doubt he wouldn’t want to be fleeing through a war-zone with a lycanthrope and a magic-user anyway. It was up to the two of them to get out on their own.

“Which way is the nearest gate,” she asked Shakal.

The wolf pointed. “North-East. We will have to pass out of Old Shift to get to it, though.”

Keli winced. That meant going straight through the heart of the fighting. Both sides were just as likely to want her dead – or at least handed over to the church.

No matter what the danger, though, the space to study and to learn a way to fight back had to be worth it.

“Let’s go,” she said, though her heart was thumping against her throat at the thought.

Together, they passed through the dark and filthy streets. Occasionally, a gang of weaponed thugs would charge past them. They seemed not to be interested in two hooded figures, but Keli felt sick with tension whenever she encountered one of the groups. They passed one or two solitary figures, hurrying in the same direction as them, but it seemed that most people in Old Shift wanted to fight. Old grievances had built and festered for years. Now, win or lose, they wanted to hit out at those who oppressed them.

It was understandable, Keli supposed. It was also stupid. Why bother to fight when you knew you were going to lose? Better to wait and gather your strength. Better to fight back on your own terms, not those of the Church or the Guards. If the authorities hadn’t thought they could deal with the problem of the East side, they would not have started the burning.

Reassured by her logic, she urged more speed and sprinted through the streets with the wolf at her side. There were almost constant mini-quakes rising from beneath them as they ran. It was like the soul-stones could feel the tension of the people above. Keli tried to ignore the buzzing in her head and just keep running. They had to get out of here!

At length, they came upon the barricade. In the North of the city, the river was not the border between Old Shift and New. A crumbling wall had been built between the two sides of the divide. It looked like it had been knocked over and rebuilt numerous times. Currently, there was a U-shaped hole in the stonework, which had been filled by rocks, rubble, furniture and even timbers from the buildings.

The East-siders were bawling threats and abuse through the gaps in the barricades. Presumably, the Watch was on the other side, trying to find the best route into Old Shift.

“Not here,” panted Shakal, pulling her back out of sight. “We’ll have to swim the river.”

Keli felt a lurch of dread. The last time she had gone into the river, she had nearly drowned. She felt no great desire to try it again.

Shakal noticed her hesitation. “Hang onto me as I swim. I will not allow you to be swept away.”

Keli nodded, reluctantly. They began to retrace their steps back South. Soon, they wound their way back to the river-border between the two sides of Shift. Between the bridges, there seemed to be no-one watching for lone escapers. No doubt they would expect the current to deal with any army that tried to cross without the aid of a bridge.

“Give me your pack. I will throw our supplies to the other bank.” Shakal began to divest herself of her cloak, folding it small and squashing it into her rucksack.

Keli did similarly, before handing the bag over. Muscles bunching, Shakal hurled their supplies onto the far bank. The first pack landed with a dull thud. The second, the wolf overthrew a little and it landed halfway up the bank. They held their breath as it slipped back down, finally rolling to a stop, less than three inches from the edge of the river.

“Well, that’s done,” said Keli.

“Now we cross,” answered the wolf.

Gritting her teeth against the inevitable cold, Keli lowered herself into the river, hanging onto the bank. The water dragged at her, cold and deep. She shivered and waited for the werewolf to enter the water. Then, hanging onto the wolf’s leggings, she trusted to the strength of her guide and let go of the side.

It only took a few seconds. The powerful muscles of the lycanthrope kicked away from the bank and stroked strongly to the other side. They clung to the side of the bank, fifty feet downstream of where they started. Then Shakal vaulted up onto the bank, lowering a paw to lift the girl onto dry land again.

From here, they could hear the sounds of fighting. The smoke was rising high and black in half a dozen places across river.

It was no longer their problem. They jogged back to where their packs lay and got their spare clothes out again. A quick change and they were dry, if not warm.

As they made their way through the marketplace, Keli felt as if every eye was on them. The traders had set up and the customers were bustling in from all directions. It would only take one person to spot Shakal as a Were and they would be lucky if they lasted until the guards came. The memories from the Itharien service came freshly to her mind. People being whipped for no reason other than that they had been ‘tempted by the beast’, whatever that meant! They could expect no mercy from those that attended the church, any more than they could from the priests who led the services.

Luckily, it seemed like the smoke across the river was of more concern than the hunting of magic and non-humans though. Despite feeling vulnerable, out in the open like this, no cry was raised and they passed through the market unscathed.

From then on, they kept to the back streets, avoiding the crowds where they could. Their progress was swift if weaving. Before long, they came in sight of the gate.

There were three guards. Their swords were out, they looked aggressive and ready to fight. Eight people were trying to leave, looking furious at being held back. For a moment, Keli thought it was because a wagon was coming into the city. However, after it had trundled past, the eight were still held at bay, at sword-point.

They were arguing vociferously, although Keli couldn’t make out what was being said. She turned to Shakal.

“Why are they stopping people from leaving?”

“I have no idea.”

“The guards are outnumbered,” observed Keli.

Shakal’s eyes tracked the events at the gate. “That makes no difference against armed guards. They would win if they attacked, yes. Which of those people will be the first to attack, and so die, though? They are not an organised force, just rabble fleeing from the city.”

“We should do something.”

“If you still want to leave the city, you may have to,” answered Shakal. “My powers are waning now. It will be down to your new skills.”

“Waning?” asked Keli.

“Do you still want to leave the city?”

Keli dropped the matter. Now was not the time for getting secrets out of the wolf.

“Yes. I still want to leave.”

“Then make it happen.” Shakal took a step backward, leaving Keli alone in front. “You may not have much time.”

She was probably right, though Keli, ruefully. If the eight were not going to simply disappear, then backup would be sent for. May already have been sent for, come to that. She had to do something before any more guards turned up.

Breathing deeply, she focused on one of the guards. The one with his sword pointed directly at the crowd. The force came to her, just as it had in her numerous practices. It curled, tight and powerful, in the front of her mind. She ‘sent’ her consciousness out, vaguely feeling taloned hands catching the old body as it fell.

Then, she was no longer aware of what had been. She was a focused arrow of thought, speeding towards her destination.

She hit the unwary mind so hard that he reeled for an instant. Then he was gone, banished to a far corner of his mind as Keli looked out through his eyes.

The eight deserters had noticed his wavering and had surged forward. They may have been called to a halt by the other two guards, if Keli had not acted then. Stepping toward the nearest Watchman, she used her victim’s body to pommel the back of her ex-teammate’s head.

A startled grunt came from the clubbed guard, and he sank to his knees. The one remaining guard shouted in protest and Keli made her new body lunge at him, before vacating it.

A moment later, she was back in her own body, reeling and dizzy.

“Let’s go,” she gasped, standing unsteadily. The wolf paced her as they sprinted towards the gate. The two guards were now fighting on the same side, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. By the time Keli and Shakal reached the gate, they were being disarmed and thoroughly kicked by the mob.

“What are you doing?” shouted Keli, not bothering to stop. “Get out while you can!”

They ran out of the gates, following the path North-East until their lungs burned. Shift City still loomed, deceptively near. As they turned to look at it, they saw the others, some way behind them, running towards where they now stood.

“We should get off the road,” said Shakal, breathing heavily. “We will be better off out of sight.”

Keli leaned hands against knees.

“It might be better to use the road for a while yet,” she panted. “Until we gain more distance from the City. Or we could see where that lot are going?”

Shakal looked disdainfully at the group of runners between them and the City.

“They would be a distraction. You wanted to study and learn, in a place with no interruptions.”

“But there’s strength in numbers,” argued Keli, undecided. “Maybe we could travel with them for a short while. Leave them after a day or two?”

“I can protect you as well as a larger group can,” replied Shakal. “However, the decision is yours. As always.”

Keli sighed and looked at their followers, wondering why everything had to be so difficult…

[Chinaren]

I say go it alone, unless you can find others you can trust.

Well outed Stoat. Erm, did she leave the water on? Better nip back inside and check. ;)

[Solomon Birch]

Yay! Great chapter, and you got the words out in the end. :D

I think that she should listen to Shakal for once. Though the other people are also fleeing the city, it doesn't mean that they are any more tolerant of Shakal's kind, or would even be willing to help. They can move faster on thier own, and Shakal is adequate protection, as long as they stay away from potentialy dangerous areas.

They should veture off the road, maybe find a copse of trees or some hollow in which to rest and catch thier breath, and then continue a safe distance from the road, away from the potential dangers of bands of Itharien worshippers or roving city guards.

*holds breath* :shock:

[Smee]

Great chapter Stoat even if it was a struggle.

Loved seeing Keli's magic coming into play so crucially, and the banter and bickering between them just gets better :)

I F5 Soily - listen to Shakal and get off the road. We need privacy for our continued lessons.

Happy Writing :D

[DukeReg]

I agree with... everyone so far. No need to stay with the group when their intention was to find somewhere they wouldnt be found while Keli studied.

One thing that Keli should do first of all is say something along the lines of: "Will your 'waning powers' be sufficient to protect me? Is this a phases of the moon thing? You cant keep me in the dark about things this important!"

[Shady Stoat]

Again, opinion seems unified on staying isolated. No problem.

Could we turn discussion to how long Keli is thinking of spending in training then, and what she would like to do once prepared?

Are we talking a couple of days, to get the basics of the skill sets that Shakal was told to teach her? A few weeks to learn them in more detail. A few months to become thoroughly accomplished in as much magic as her guide can tutor? Six months or more, to get magical and physical training?

Then what? To a different city? Lie low? Back to Shift? Stay here and wait for the forces to come for you?

Some or all of this may be relevant for the next chapter, and the more interactive, the better :D

[Solomon Birch]

I think that now we have left the city, we might as well take full advantage of it. Finding somewhere that is much safer and spending a good deal of time there seems like the most sensible thing to do.

Could they go back to the Were's camp? Is that still safe? If not, then do they know of any urban areas that have resisted the Itharien influence? Or they could go to the Were camp, maybe get some provisions, and ask if there's anywhere safe that they could go.

If they do find somewhere relatively safe, then they have to think about spending plenty of time on training, but things did seem to be getting bad in Shift, so they shouldn'y spend that 6 months. Though Keli would benefit greatly from it, I don't think they have that much time to spare.

Looking forward to seeing how this turns out! :D

*holds breath* :shock:

[ethereal_fauna]

I also see no advantage to remaining with a group. Strike off on your own. The were-camp might be a good starting point, although if you could hole up alone somewhere and learn all Shakal has to teach, and practice what you learn, then Keli might be able to get some direction.

[Chinaren]

Yes, it is no good thrashing around aimlessly with minimal powers. You need all the magic at your disposal to do er, whatever it is that is needed to be done. Take your time and learn but good.

Rushing off half baked won't get the job done.

[Smee]

Time is definately against us. I think the weeks required to learn in detail is what we should aim for, but we'll have to keep our ear to the ground and be prepared to cut it short.

We need to use our 'training' as much as possible to also help with what's going on outside of our hiding place.

We should also ask Shakal to teach us about killing people physically, with a variety of weaponry. When we pocess people in the future we want to achieve as much as possible with them, as fast as possible. We need to know the fastest, easiest, ways of killing.

As for what next...

We need to use what we've learnt to achieve the goal set us by the Oracle - get to the Garden of Visions ...

Quote: "It has been waiting for you. Much that has been clouded from you will become clear. Find the Stone of Oracles…”

Armed with this, who knows what knowledge we'll discover and from there we can take the fight to the Itharien.

[DukeReg]

I think a few months would be required. It would be folly to go back without becoming proficient with her powers. Impatience could be the end of everything.

I think physical training would be good too. It would help with self discipline and confidence as well as usage of posessed people.
Having said that, it should be basic stuff that wont add months to training. Basic poking holes in people with sharp things, basic swinging of blunt things, and basic not getting hit by things training. Shakal should train her to use her powers under pressure, while people are trying to hurt her.

I think that the weres' camp would be a good choice, if months of safety are required. I can think of nowhere safer for them.

[Shady Stoat]

Poll's up for 3 days.

I'll be adding up the sum of the 'stay isolated' votes. If they outnumber the 'join up with the refugees' votes (which I suspect they will), I'll write the 'isolated' path.

Obviously, the more time that Keli trains, the more rounded her skill set will be. I'll keep in mind the priorities that the readers have suggested for training.

On the other hand, events will continue to move on apace in Shift. Some things may be lost to time if she lingers. That's always the chance you take when biding :)

[Solomon Birch]

Jumps in and sprays vote everywhere! Nyah! :biggrin:

*holds breath* :shock:

[Ingrothechundyer]

I definetly agree with the study for a while alone line of thought here.

[Shady Stoat]

Train for weeks won. I'm on it :D

[Tazgirl180992]

Shame, she always have to make the desicions(sp?)!! Is she going to have any of the visions that she kept on getting before?

[DukeReg]

Tazgirl180992 wrote: Shame, she always have to make the desicions(sp?)!! Is she going to have any of the visions that she kept on getting before?

Its "decisions". :)

I think Shakal is guiding Keli into a self-motivated leadership position, although I'm not the author so I cant be sure.

I was starting to wonder about the visions myself. On the other hand, not much time has passed over the last few chapters.

[Shady Stoat]

Chapter 18 up. Locking this topic :D