Carmine

The zephyr rolled around me with the gentle aroma of the underlying forest. We sat on an arid hill with the box San Rosa gave me, open.

I fired the gun and released the arrow. It slammed into the wood and ricocheted off it. Seeing it fall flat, I sighed.

I kept missing. My teeth gritted in annoyance. The horses bray in raucous laughter. I scowled at them, and they neighed in lowered heads away from my malignant gaze.

The things in that box that intrigued me were the threads. One thread, it was thick and had a rough texture. The other was fine and sharp to the touch. It was hard to touch it without blood spurting from my fingers. The gun as they called it carried only three arrows with it. So I needed to recycle or get more built. Practicing with it beckoned my importance.

Hiking through the wild, sleeping on slim sheets of cotton and we were close to our destination after two weeks. Janilla and I dumped the dresses for thick linen clothes that hugged my torso way too loosely.

It felt like I walked with a heavy breeze. The fitted skirt ended just above the knees. We got them from a seller as we passed through a town.

This was a big help. Tiam was different. I needed to dress accordingly. Women never wore those tight bodice extravagant dresses in Tiam.

I wore that and I would be imprisoned.

My eyes floated over the contents of the box.

The gray metal-cased glove might be useful later as well. There was also a round glass which Five called a crystal ball. It was used for communication, but it needed to be connected to another crystal.

I still needed the rings to be cracked, which would have unlocked the secret to them as San Rosa said. I had a lot to do.

"Here." Valor came beside me. I looked down to see his palm with one of those pain-relieving orbs.

Do not take more than that do you hear me? No matter how sweet the relief. San Rosa's voice reverberated in my mind.

What did she mean by that? It was doing a good job as it was. I felt no pain. When we left, Valor said San Rosa told him to make sure I stopped taking it when the pain was gone. To be honest, I never wanted to take it. I never trusted that woman, while I could not deny I was grateful.

I took it and drank some of the river water from the pot. I immediately batted my tongue in my mouth. This tasted like fish. I need some of that clean water San Rosa had. If enough sense slapped me back then I would have asked for a flagon of it.

Five was looking out from the highest point. Janilla shivered and rolled on her makeshift bed. She was dealing with this the worst. I felt bad. I dragged her into this new world accidentally. This world wanted me dead. I asked, "How long have you lived Valor?"

He walked off.

"I asked you a question Valor."

He sighed and turned. "I don't want you to faint again."

"I had to listen to a woman tell me the Gods we worship were once humans. I can handle it, just answer the question."

"Four thousand, nine hundred and—sixty? Sixty-two, yeah, sixty-two, let's go with that," Valor said.

"How do you live forever and we can't? Can I do the same, if I can't die—"

"Whoa Lady Carmine, I have died many times. You can't prevent death. Not even Erot—well she would be hard to kill with all those idiots around her. But she can die."

"You lived thousands of years."

"I have been on this earth for thousands of years. Just with different bodies."

"Different bodies?" I swayed as the wind picked up.

He nodded his head as he looked away. "We call them shells. No one can live forever, but you can cheat death through a variety of ways. Long ago, the Metrologist Lucas Asulin created the basic framework for DNA transmutation and evolution."

He laid his palm on his thick muscular chest. "This body is just one of many I once had. When one dies they can transfer their mind to another host body."

"My God—wait, so I can get a new body myself right?"

"Why would you want that?"

"Because I do not want to die."

"That won't occur in Tiam's space. Erot would not dare."

"Is that one hundred coins?"

He widened his eyes at me before smirking. "I think you mean one hundred percent. I can't say. San Rosa's prediction is worrying. But Erot won't be so stupid to make a scene. It ain't her territory. She would have to be more cautious."

Was that so? Fear stained my thoughts. I rubbed the string holding my sector bloom. This necklace blocked the enemy from delving into my thoughts. My connection with Five was still possible, for I trusted him.

Trust, was that something I would ever enjoy? "This is why I was saying why can't I get a body just in case."

"That would be a problem. They have a heavy cost. A very heavy cost...You could not stomach it."

"I am sure I can afford it."

He laughed. "You forget you have nothing right now, but the clothes on your back."

I frowned.

He continued, "What I meant was—you would need five living human bodies. Usually three men, two female. A lot of rendoyl fluid, transmogrified plant matter, a high power source." He stared hard at me. Then he laughed, "I knew you could not stomach it. Let me guess the human bodies, right?"

I started. "Like, how you—what do you mean a living human? How do you use—"

"All our bodies are made using others. All five of those humans die in the process, but from that, we get the materials to create the new body. To make one body, you need five. They usually prefer picking them from the masses. No one will miss five peasants and it gets rid of the riffraff."

My throat heaved as I stalled the retching sickness of what I heard. I stepped back instantly. "Sordid! What kind of madness is this!? They do that—you did that?" I asked.

"Yeah, I did. I am an assassin for hire. I must have a trick up every sleeve." He looked away and swiftly back. "This is why I did not want to introduce you to this mad world the Elams created. I will say this to you once. Elamnites are not Gods, they are not better than you and me, they are humans. Sick humans, but humans."

He twirled as his face's features flexed uncomfortably. He spat out, "Sick, emotionally deprived, morbid humans, so be glad you were born ignorant. I wished I could have gotten you to Tiam before you found out." He passed me and left me there. Leaves swayed by me. The wind whistled affectionately to the dull silence. I turned. Janilla's eyes met mine. She averted her gaze as she hugged the sheet closer to her neck.

What have I gotten myself into?