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Chapter 5 - Dalatzef 

It was weeks later when Kai bounded down to the coast, content with the way his life was currently playing out. Kai knew he was extremely lucky for a Force citizen and he did what he could in terms of helping the people. That didn't mean he was ignorant enough to think that what he did actually made a difference in the grand scheme of things.

As usual, not much was happening along the coast. The sun was setting behind the tall buildings of the city which rose in the distance. The small port was nearly silent in preparation for the night. No one lived near the coast. The possibility of flooding was far too risky.

There were a few battered ships scattered here and there and a few which were obviously owned by the Aris (because they were electric). Kai paused when he came to an old dingy that looked like it might fall apart if you stepped on it.

Those kind of boats were by far the most dangerous. You didn't want to be falling into the sea at any cost, lest you burn your face off. In storm season, no boats dared set out anywhere. Even when it was calm you were at risk of being splashed with burning water. Sailing was a dangerous job, one that required both skill and desperation for a living.

The man on the boat grinned toothlessly at him as he approached. Kai flicked a piece of silver towards him with his thumb. The toothless man caught it in one hand and pulled a piece of paper from his travelling bag with his other. Kai was careful not to lean to far over the railing as he bent to take the paper.

No words were exchanged but the deal was done. Kai strolled easily away, unfolding the paper as he went. He wasn't worried about someone reading the words over his shoulder: the majority of what was left of Force was illiterate. Even if someone did come to read the words, they weren't exactly secret. Some would even call the news common knowledge.

Scanning the words as he walked, he was unsurprised to see that the biggest paragraph still belonged to Paladu, as it had done for weeks. The Snow Princess was still missing, her involvement in the wolf rebellion having been exposed. Kai was surprised she had made it this long without being caught. Her previous actions didn't exactly name her the smartest sheep in the herd.

Funeral celebrations were ongoing but starting to die down in Anell, honouring the late Royal's death. Creta was having some big fiasco involving the King looking for a wife. Kai snorted to himself. How old was that boy anyway? Retisha was peaceful enough, the crocs all content with their Queen. Omarion was preparing for one of its biggest human sacrifices yet. Kai winced. Not something he, or any of the Aris liked to dwell on.

He shoved the paper in his pocket when he was done reading, already near the city. Out of all the Aris, he was the only one who took remote interest in the happenings of the changeling world. The Five Nations had once been his home more than any one else's in Force. He was a leopard after all.

Nereyda stepped off the boat, eyeing the people around her wearily. There was not a single changeling in range of scent, no matter how far she stretched herself out. She'd been told that the dalatzef were unpredictable creatures. Irrational and bloodthirsty.

The sailors pulling in the boats had bags under their eyes and sweat on their brows. She wouldn't have assumed anything fearful about them by immediate appearance. Their clothes had been almost ripped to shreds by the elements.

Night was settling around her but it was just light enough to make out a few dark rectangular sillhouettes on the horizon. She squinted at them, confused as to what they could be. Surely buildings couldn't be that big.

Even in the falling darkness, the air was warm around her. It had a slightly acrid tang to it, something she'd never experienced in the Five Nations. She was grateful, at least, that she was wearing Anellian attire rather than Paladian. The big gowns and wolf fur really wouldn't have been weather permitting here.

Making a decision, Nereyda set off in the direction of the tall rectangles. She wondered again to herself what she was doing. She was alone in a strange land, full of people with no other half. She had no money, her title meant nothing here and she had no idea where she was going. How would she get food? A place to take shelter?

Her heart sank slowly. The consequences of her recklessness were bubbling slowly to the surface.

There was a paved road which lead off into the distance. It was cracked at random intervals and even disappeared altogether periodically. Scattered around the road was rubble.

Rocks and debris created mountains and valleys, pieces of discarded paper decorating the scene. Clusters of dust ran with the wind.

She thought she saw what could possibly have been the outline of a roof in another life, but she could not even be certain of that. She realised now why they called this the Land of the Forsaken. There was nothing here left to save.

Nereyda pushed onwards on her path. She tried to repress her doubts but couldn't help the worry that plagued her. What if this was it? What if there was nothing else in the forsaken land, nothing but sprawling miles of wasteland?

She would continue on to the sky blocks. If she found nothing there then she would return to the port. Perhaps she could be of some use handling the boats. Plus, she thought, feeling a little reassured, the sailors had to eat and stay somewhere.

She didn't know how long she'd walked, only that the scrapes and bruises on her feet, which had healed on the boat, had returned with full force. With each step she took, the darkness grew heavier, until she could hardly see the cracked road before her.

She wasn't sure when the piles of rubble slowly started to become more solid but they did. Heaps of debris morphed into derelict buildings as she moved onwards and the derelict buildings grew taller and taller.

She shivered. The air remained clammy around her but there was something about the atmosphere that had her gritting her teeth.

Her leopard was on edge, straining to fight an enemy Nereyda had yet to identify. She heard a soft rustling in the buildings around her. A faint cough. She walked faster.

Where was she going? Her leopard was screaming at her to take cover. She sensed that it wasn't safe here. Not safe at all.

Heavier footsteps joined the sound of her own. A light gasp entered her parted lips.

She dared a glance over her shoulder but could see nothing in the black of the night. She could use her leopard sight but that would mean alerting her pursuer of what she was. Her leopard felt that that wasn't wise.

The footsteps behind her grew louder with each step. Correction: pursuers. There were definitely multiple people on her tail.

Her breathing had grown heavier and just as she was about to break into a run, a deep voice called out at her back.

"Stop where you are and face us!"

Did they really think she was going to answer to that aggressive man? She broke into a run, clenching her fists against the pain of rocks and glass cutting into her feet.

She heard the men shout as they ran to keep up with her.

Or tried at least. The dalatzef had nothing on a purebred changeling.

The shadows of the buildings grew impossibly taller around her and she realised that the 'sky blocks' were in fact these buildings. They were monstrous, cutting straight through the nature around them.

The sounds of the city grew more frequent as she ran on. A baby crying, a woman shouting. At one point she thought she ran past a figure doing that fire breathing thing the captain was so fond of.

Her distraction didn't do her well because suddenly a body jumped out from her right and tackled her to the ground.

She opened her mouth, whether to scream or roar she didn't know, but a greasy hand clamped over it. Her eyes went wide as she took in the silhouette of the man on top of her. She was sure she'd been way ahead of her pursuers. How had this happened?

He held some kind of black cuboid in the hand not over her mouth and she jumped as a crackling sound came out of it.

"I got her," he told her roughly. Who was he talking about?

"Comin'" the black box spoke. Nereyda did scream this time, fighting to get the man off her.

"Shut up bitch!" He grunted wacking her across the face with the magic box.

She froze where she lay on the floor, squeezing her eyes shut. This was all wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

"Thanks Toff man," a different male voice called from a way away. "Thought we were never gonna catch 'er."

Another dark figure knelt down by her side. A few more came and stood around her. She was surrounded.

"You're out after curfew." The second male said, and he was the one kneeling next to her. "What reason ya have for that? You tryin' to steal? Seduce someone?"

Another man laughed throatily. "The bitch ain't got no shoes on. She probably ran straight outta some lucky bastard's bed!"

All the men laughed at that. Nereyda bit her lip, her heart skipping and stuttering erratically. She might die here.

"She's a stunner though ain't she."

She was suddenly blinking against a light shone in her face, a light almost as bright as the sun. What witches did these men employ?

"For sure."

"You wanna have some fun with her?"

Someone was tugging at her red skirt. Nereyda wriggled in the men's grasp, making an effort to scream against Toff's hand.

Another person lifted up her shoulders and slammed her body against the ground. Her teeth clattered from the impact.

"Shut the fuck up!"

Tears welled and spilled out of her eyes as male hands began to grope her everywhere. Only one other person had touched her in those places and she'd loved and trusted him. Albeit mistakenly.

She began to shake as her leopard clawed at her skin. She wanted out. She would rip these wretched men to shreds and then suck the marrow from their bones.

Her eyes were closed but she knew they were glowing purple. Her canines elongated.

A hand cupped her between her legs.

She braced herself.

A shout came from somewhere above her. Female.

"Get the fuck off her you filthy shitheads!"

The reaching hands slowly paused on her body.

"Get out of here Rita, we're busy."

There was a dull thud and a male grunt. Someone swore loudly.

"I'll beat you all, I swear I will. Now you get out of here."

Nereyda held her breath as the multitude of hands slowly disappeared from her body. There was some muttered male cussing and stumbling footsteps travelling away. Then she was shivering, alone on the rocks.

Well, not quite alone.

"Can you stand honey?"

Nereyda cracked her eyes open, curious despite herself at the identity of her rescuer. She couldn't see much in the dark. Only that she had long hair, braided over one shoulder. The woman stood like a man, with legs apart and arms crossed. The bulk around her waist looked suspiciously like weapons. She was human.

Nereyda pushed gingerly into a sitting position, wincing as the gravel cut into her bare palms.

The woman, Rita, offered her hand and Nereyda allowed her to pull her to her feet. She noticed that she wore gloves.

Rita seemed to be looking her up and down. "Where in the city are you from?" She asked.

Nereyda wrapped her arms around herself, still trying to control the violent shivers that wracked her body. "I d-don't know," was all she could manage.

"Right," Rita said after a long pause. "Well, if I can't take you home then I'm gonna have to bring you in to the Aris."

Nereyda couldn't make herself respond. She thought she might be going into shock.

"Okay," Rita breathed softly. "Come with me dear, we'll try to find someone who knows what to do with you."

Nereyda wobbled over behind Rita, having no choice but to put her blind faith in the woman. At that moment it sounded like a good idea. She'd saved her from a fate so horrific she couldn't even think it.

Rita wrapped a supporting arm around her waist and Nereyda's worship for the woman doubled. She leant against her as she took her down unnamable roads in the city.

There was the sound of a drum up ahead. Nereyda's vision was swirling slightly, probably from the knock her head had taken when the man had slammed her against the pavement.

The music grew louder as they approached. It was somewhat like what she had heard back in Anell...and yet different somehow. She couldn't describe it.

She was more focused on the blue and green lights flashing out of a pair of huge double doors. How could light be such a colour?

"Kai!" Rita called suddenly, making Nereyda wince. As if the loud music wasn't bad enough for her pounding headache.

A man she hadn't even seen separated himself from the shadows and made his way towards them. Nereyda eyed him wearily. She didn't trust men.

"Could you help please," Rita grunted, hoisting Nereyda's limp body up.

Kai made a move to hold her and Nereyda flinched back.

Rita's voice softened. "It's okay darling. This one's a friend."

Nereyda focused her attention on the offending man just as a beam of green light illuminated his face. Her lips parted. He had to be the best looking blonde man she'd ever seen in her life. And she'd seen a lot of blonde men in her life.

She allowed him to take a gentle grip on her arms. She looked into his eyes and jumped when she saw the sudden hostility there. His grip had tightened.

He spoke for the first time, voice hard. "I've got this Rita, you go back to your post." He didn't take his eyes off hers.

"Are you sure?" Rita's voice sounded somewhere to her right.

Kai nodded. She thought his eyes were brown but they could have been green or blue. It was hard to tell in the coloured lighting.

"Okay. I'll check on her tomorrow."

Nereyda looked over at Rita. She didn't think she could see how she was begging her not to go with her eyes. She didn't want to be left alone with this scary handsome man.

Kai pulled her roughly around the side of the building.

Nereyda had no choice but to follow him. She could hardly stand what with how her entire vision was rippling.

Long fingers came around her throat and her head was pushed against a wall.

She gasped, her own hands coming up to claw at Kai's much larger ones.

"Where are the rest of you?" He hissed. His fingers tightened and Nereyda choked, the sound of her grating gasps loud in her ears. He lifted her body and slammed her against the wall. Her vision went black for a second. "Who do you work for!?" 

--- A/N ---

Boom. It's late, it's not edited, I'm sorry. Super super busy right now but really reluctant to put this on hold. Updates fortnightly probably. Love you all for your support <3 - Z