Xenofall (The Wasteland Chronicles, Book 7) (14 page)

She shook her head. I imagined how our conversation must have looked from the shoreline – the others would just see Anna and me staring at each other.

“You guys alright?” Makara asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Just a second.”

I’ve been
Elekai
all this time,
she said.
How could it have happened?

You were infected with the
Elekai
xenovirus, somehow...

Nothing was different about me, until you attacked that writhe. Something inside me snapped, made me reach out to you. I didn’t understand what it was. Maybe I’ve always been infected...it just took that crisis to awaken my abilities.

I turned back to the shore. Everyone was looking toward us questioningly.

“Should I tell them, or should you?” I asked.

“Okay,” Makara said. “You
really
have to tell us what’s going on. You’re making me nervous.”

“Alright,” Anna said, gathering herself. “When Alex attacked the writhe infecting Michael, he would have died. I haven’t told this to anyone, yet, because I didn’t think it was that important. Somehow, I was able to help him fight it. That probably saved his life. I didn’t know what made me able to do that...but now, I do.” She looked at everyone on the shoreline for a moment before continuing. “I don’t know how, or why, but I am
Elekai...
just like Alex.”

Everyone looked at her in shock. Whatever they had expected her to say, it wasn’t
this.

“You’re
Elekai?”
Makara asked. “How...”

“I was infected with it, somehow, at some point. I didn’t realize it. Not until now. But when I saw Alex fall to the floor, after fighting the writhe...” Anna shook her head. “Something inside me must have snapped. I was able to go to that dark place with him. All I wanted was to save him from Askala.” She paused. “Now, I know why I was able to do that. I’m
Elekai.”

“It makes sense, actually,” Samuel said. Everyone looked at him for further explanation. “They are husband and wife. It might have happened that way.”

“Or maybe it was when Anna was healed,” Ruth said. “Her rib was fixed by that ichor. Maybe it made her
Elekai
in the process.”

That was something I hadn’t thought about. No one else, besides Anna, had ever been healed by the ichor. Maybe part of that process involved becoming
Elekai.
The closest equivalent was the Wanderer and Ashton being put into the ichor – it was a way for them to join the collective consciousness of the
Elekai.
Maybe it also imparted the
Elekai
into whomever it healed.

“Maybe that’s it,” Anna said. “For some reason, that seems more correct.”

That was what I thought, too. I looked at Anna again, unbelieving that we had this connection. All along, it was there – there just had to be something to bring it to the fore. For Anna, that was seeing me battle the writhe. Her being
Elekai
meant we could speak to each other with just our thoughts. It meant she could speak with the dragons, and understand everything they said.

It meant that I didn’t have to be so alone.

I had so many questions. Would her eyes turn white when she was communicating through her thoughts? So far, it seemed like the answer to that was “no.” Her eyes were as green as they ever were.

“This is all interesting,” Samuel said, “but we should probably move on.”

I knew Samuel was right. All these questions would have to be answered later.

Anna stayed with me in the ichor. I knew, without her even speaking it, that she wanted to help me. In case anyone else had a writhe, she would be that extra layer of protection. I didn’t know
how
I knew this was her intent – either I intuited it, or I read it in her thoughts.

“I’ll go,” Lauren said.

She stepped into the ichor, a bit stiffly, as if afraid it might attack her. She walked until she was standing in front of us.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

“Shouldn’t take long,” I said.

I connected my thoughts with Anna’s.
You ready?

Her response was nearly instant.
Yes.

I was nervous. I knew Lauren probably wasn’t infected with a writhe, but the possibility of it was still unsettling. Hesitation would be my worst enemy. So, I reached out, feeling Anna’s presence with the action. Somehow, she had managed to join her intent with mine.

Together, we sought a connection inside Lauren’s mind, but there was nothing there. After a moment, I let go of the power, when I was sure there was nothing there.

Clear,
Anna said.

“Nothing,” I said.

Lauren’s eyes filled with relief.

“Did you feel anything?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. Nothing. Was I supposed to?”

“No,” Anna said. “If you felt something, that would mean there was something in your mind to connect with. It’s a good sign that there was nothing.”

“I’m good to go, then?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You’re good.”

As Lauren headed back to the shore, Anna and I remained in the ichor. We worked our way through everyone else – Samuel volunteered next, followed by Ruth and Julian. Makara, to my surprise, was the very last to volunteer.

As she stood before Anna and me, she seemed very nervous.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

So, we did. Makara was also clean, and she looked extremely relieved to be going back to the shoreline.

“That’s everyone,” Anna said.

It
was
everyone – everyone except Char and Marcus, or even Augustus or Carin for that matter. Testing everyone who could be host to a writhe would take far more time than we had. We had tested every person that would be going with me to Ragnarok Crater, and that was what mattered.

I saw everyone’s gaze shift past me, so I turned to see Askal entering the chamber from one of the back caverns. It was strange to see a dragon swimming. The massive creature pretty much floated in the ichor, relying on the currents to push him toward us. From time to time, he would give a flap with his large wings to reorient himself in our direction. A moment later, he was before us, floating twenty or so feet away in the lake.

Did you know Anna was
Elekai? I asked.

I felt surprise from Askal.
No,
Elekim.
When did you convert her?

I didn’t,
I said.
Wait...convert?

Yes,
Askal said.
The
Elekim
has the ability to allow anyone to join the
Elekai,
given that person is willing.

That was certainly how it had worked with the
Radaskim
dragons, but I couldn’t remember converting Anna like that.

Somehow, it happened to Anna differently,
I said.
I never did all that.

Then the Wanderer must have.

The Wanderer? Would he have been able to make Anna
Elekai
without her knowing?

It must have happened during healing,
Askal said.
I never realized it, but it makes sense: to have access to the ichor and its healing powers, one must first be
Elekai.
The Wanderer must have converted her, first; only Anna must have been willing to be converted to accept the healing.

So she had to have known,
I said.

I didn’t,
Anna said, adding her thought.
I know for a fact I didn’t. I must have forgotten, for some reason. I don’t know why. Maybe...the Wanderer wanted to hide it from me, for some reason. Could he have done that?

It’s...possible,
Askal said.
Perhaps Anna accepted only for the purpose of being healed. Perhaps the Wanderer
did
keep that knowledge, that self-awareness, from her. But that lack of knowing did not change the fact that Anna was
Elekai.
Yet the potential was always within, to be unlocked, should she remember and embrace it in full.

So she knew about it, and she
didn’t
know about it? And now she knows again?

Something like amusement came from the dragon.
It’s confusing, I know. But that’s the best I can explain it. Even
I
never sensed that she was
Elekai.
For me to have done that, Anna herself would have had to be aware of it.

It was very confusing, but I guessed that now Anna was aware of the fact that she was
Elekai,
she could embrace its powers and abilities.

Now that I think about it,
Anna said, directing her thought to both Askal and me,
I heard the Wanderer’s voice while I was being healed. I must have accepted then, but I don’t know why I would forget something like that.

There are many mysteries, Anna,
Askal said.
Some even the
Elekai
do not understand. Whatever the case, you are welcome here. Your brothers and sisters will be anxious to meet you.

Is that why you came here?
I asked.

Yes, that is part of what drew me,
Askal said.
The other part was to bring you to our council. The dragons are meeting by the Glittering Pool with Quietus and me. We were deliberating how best to divide our forces – whether to aid the army in the east, or to help you in the north. We are much divided on this question, and need your guidance.

I’ll do what I can,
I said.
So, the
Elekai
are healed from the previous battle.

Yes,
Elekim...
and we are ready to fly at your command.

We still have a problem here...with Michael. He was infected with a writhe.

I then told Askal the entire story, directing my thoughts into his consciousness. Anna, from time to time, would fill in a pertinent detail. Such a telling did not take long – images and feelings communicated far more efficiently than words.

The writhe is a powerful evil indeed,
Askal thought.
Anything imbued with the Dark Voice of Askala is powerful. It is clear that Michael needs the cleansing of the ichor, but I would not be surprised if your other friend needed it as well.

You mean Ruth?

Yes,
Elekim.
The power of the
Elekai
protected you and Anna from the worst of the exposure, but
Radaskim
thought has a poisonous quality. My guess is that Michael was possessed for far longer than Ruth – however, it is necessary that both of them be cleansed in full.

Askal paused a moment, looking toward the shoreline from where everyone was watching. I looked to see Michael still there on the gurney.

Bring them both to the pool.

I turned to face the shore. “He says that both Michael and Ruth need to come to the pool.”

Ruth’s face blanched. “Wait. He wants
me
there, too?”

I nodded. “He said you might have traces of the writhe’s damage. It’s just to be safe.”

I felt bad for Ruth; she’d thought that this was over, but I knew Askal was right. It was better to be safe than sorry.

“It shouldn’t be that bad,” I said.

Ruth said nothing, walking toward the pool. While she entered the ichor, the others helped with carrying Michael off his gurney. It was hard to look at him, completely helpless like that. In fact, as Samuel and Julian worked together to drag him to the pool, he looked all but dead. No wonder Lauren had tears in her eyes as she watched. She came into the pool, toward where Samuel and Julian were dragging Michael.

Ruth stood next to Anna; Michael now floated on his back next to us. With tears in her eyes, Lauren held her husband’s head above the ichor. Samuel and Julian backed away, stepping out of the pool and standing on the shoreline with Makara.

“Let’s give them some space,” I said.

Lauren looked at me. “His head will go under.”

“I know,” I said. “Both of them will. It will be scary. I had to watch it happen to Anna. But I promise: he
will
be okay.” I turned to Ruth. “You
both
will. I know you’re probably scared, but there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

It was easy for me to say that, because I didn’t have to go through it. It was the only way, though, for them to heal.

I turned to face Askal.

What now?

Command the ichor,
Elekim, Askal said.
All that the Wanderer could do,
you
can do. You must reach within yourself and find it.

Find what?

Your power. Your authority. Your ability to heal.

At first, I didn’t know what Askal was getting at. The closest I had gotten to doing something like this was converting the
Radaskim.
But if what Askal said was true, then no one could be healed by the ichor until they became
Elekai.

That meant Michael and Ruth had to become
Elekai.
It made sense. At least, as much sense as it could. The Eternal Song of the
Elekai
had been the key to making the
Radaskim
convert. Would it convert Michael and Ruth as well?

There was nothing to do but try.

E
veryone but Michael, Ruth, and I now stood and watched on the shore. Ruth and I held Michael above the surface, waiting until I was ready to begin the conversion.

“Hold him up,” I said to Ruth, who nodded nervously. “There’s no reason to be afraid.”

“What will happen to me?”

“I really don’t know,” I said. “Just close your eyes and listen.”

“Listen for what?”

“You should hear a song, soon,” I said. “After that...”

Ruth looked at me, waiting for me to continue.

“Just close your eyes and listen.”

After Ruth had done so, I closed my own eyes and expanded my awareness to seek the Eternal Song, becoming conscious of all life in the cavern – the ichor and its countless life forms, the dragons in the cavern, and even the million upon millions of alien plants sprouting from the fungus. Even the air teemed with life, alien microbes singing in harmony with the consciousness of the
Elekai.