Chapter 31: Half and Half
Tora's eyes snapped open.
How long had she drifted off? She blinked, sleep seeping away. A pool of blackness welcomed her. Moonlight peeped through small slits in her curtains, throwing little toothpick lights on her carpet. She inhaled, sensing a mix of sweat and blood.
She sat up and stifled a yelp. Her right arm, stiff as a stone statue, exploded with pain. Heat radiated from the base of her elbow, pulsing up to her shoulder. She groaned, pushing herself up with her other, aching arm. Cradling the injury, she took a few measured breaths before looking up.
Tora expected the recent memories to be a haze again, just like the fight in the hospital and in that shopping centre, but to her surprise her mind was crystal clear. She straightened her back with a grunt and stretched her legs out in front of her. That was right. She managed – what, two hours of consciousness? – before all hell broke loose again. She straightened her injured arm and winced. At least it had started to heal.
She cast her mind back to the shopping centre. Her memory wasn't really hazy, she realised. If she concentrated on that timeframe, small bits were trickling back to her. Images slotted in place. She could see the stupidly strong demons ramming her through the glass at the front of the shop. They were killing her – they would have killed her, tore her into streaks of bacon, and inhaled her like Carlos eating.
Then she'd came back. Tora frowned. Those feelings were a confusing mix of triumph and exhilaration. A part of her awoke, connecting with the Tora then.
And man, new Tora was pissed.
Tora flexed her fingers in the dark. A trace of the incredible power tingled at her fingertips. New Tora had scared the demons into submission and ordered them away like dogs.
Then Cimerus arrived.
"Cimerus," she said out loud. His name was familiar, more familiar than Damien's or Carlos's. She knew him, and he knew her.
The memory breached on bizarre there. So many new information was thrown at her from that demon – Shifter, he was a Shifter – that the human part of her head didn't know how to comprehend. Their father was dead – Tora was a Shifter, too? – and Cimerus now acted as the king of the Shifter realm. But he was here to bring Tora back – New Tora, not old Tora. Old Tora didn't have a clue what was going on.
But new Tora didn't know what to make of Cimerus, either. Too much had happened since she'd left the Shifter realm, and a lead-like weight dropped from her heart to the pit of her stomach when Maraduc's name was mentioned.
Tora put the flat of her good hand over her chest. The same ache was there now. New Tora blamed herself for Maraduc's death. New Tora should have done as she was told. She had the one job and she royally screwed it up. But she didn't appreciate Cimerus bringing it up.
Time was pressing. The enemies were remained helpless for now, but New Tora remembered their relentless search for the Artefact. Without it, they were no match for Shifters, but those manipulative creatures knew how to skirt the laws. Cimerus was right: it was time for her to return. The Shifters await her command. Cimerus couldn't handle it alone.
Old Tora blinked. The resolve was a strange feeling. She never cared much for commandeering or constructing plans. Life was too short for that, yet here she was, trying to figure out how to divide her army – she had an army?! – and how to rescue Lukin, whatever he was.
New Tora was getting excited when all the pieces started to fall in place. She'd been exiled long enough, and with father dead and her father on the throne, a new destiny awaited her, one that didn't involve her becoming a mindless marionette, a toy for the greater powers.
"Whoa," Tora said out loud, holding her hands up as if halting her inner self from rushing too far ahead. What about her teammates? She couldn't just ditch them.
They survived until she joined – heck, even Markl managed on his own way in the beginning. Not that she was there for it.
Damien's computer wasn't good enough to detect all the breaks. Recent events showed that. With increasing breaks and more powerful demons, not to mention occurrences at stupid busy hours of the day, it would take all the Seekers' powers to keep humans in the dark.
Who knows how long that would last for, all the same?
After the massacre at the hospital and the wreckage they'd left at the shopping centre, it seemed imminent their presence would be discovered. New Tora wasn't going to be there when hell came down. And if old Tora had any brains, she wouldn't, either.
She grimaced. Who knew insults to herself, from herself, actually would sting?
And after the attack on Ross, none of them would trust her again. Erratic bursts of powers and amnesia, they could probably cope with. An unpredictable monster that could kill one of their own – not even New Tora wanted that.
She had to get out of there.
She tucked her legs beneath her and cursed under her breath. Her broken arm twitched, cumbersome. That was going to be useless baggage.
New Tora took over without a word. A gush of warmth like the gentle relaxing flow of hot shower water flowed down her right shoulder, immersing her entire arm. Before her eyes, the skin rippled. Thick smooth skin replaced the pale human softness. Her fingertips elongated, ending in razor sharp claws. They looked like they could rip a hole in steel.
They could, thought New Tora.
Damn.
A few seconds later, that arm turned back to normal. Tora turned it this way and that, admiring how the redness and pain had vanished. So this was how Markl felt with his regeneration.
Except Markl didn't have to turn into some sort of hairless lion-cum-rhino to heal.
Markl. He'd always make time for her. All the times she'd exploded on Ross in arguments or screwed up a mission, he would be there to talk her through it, help her manage her anger and frustration. Even when she messed up badly he wouldn't judge. He knew she beat herself up badly over mistakes as it was. He'd never taken anyone's sides but Tora knew he would take hers if he had to choose one. That knowledge always gave her a little happiness. Markl would understand her reason to leave. He always knew what she felt, her train of thoughts, what she needed. He would respect her wishes. The others would take time to understand, but there were more important things to worry about. Whole realms, inter-realm wars, extinction. Humans were of insignificance now.
She stood up, sighing.
She changed out of her torn and blood-soaked t-shirt and jeans and put on a new pair, pausing before throwing on a hoodie for good measure. She doubted she'd be cold – New Tora agreed – but it would be nice to cling onto the last part of normality she had.
New Tora snorted.
Nobody was up and about. It must be about midnight by now. She tiptoed out, closing the door behind her. She made her way to the bottom of the stairs.
"You're leaving, huh."
She jumped. Her muscles contracted. Whipping to the source of the sound, a snarl rose in the back of her throat. Eyes narrowed in the darkness before she realised who it was.
Markl got up, turning slowly to face her. She could just about make out his outline through the doorframe. He remained next to the sofa.
For a strange moment, Tora could imagine his muscular body hidden entirely behind a thick suit of armour, with sharp ridges along the shoulder blades and deadly horns atop his head. Bile rose in the back of her throat as the hairs at the back of her neck rose.
She realised it had been a few seconds before she spoke.
"Yes, I am."
He approached her, his dark eyes gleaming in the dark. He stopped just short. A sorrowful expression was on that kind face.
"Are you sure I can't persuade you otherwise?"
"No." New Tora's steely resolve took over somewhat.
"We can solve this problem as a team. You're family. We've been through worse than this and we've always come out on top."
Tora's heart did a somersault. He had a point. No matter how battered or scared they were, Markl had always pulled them through, urged them on, gave them hope.
But her inability to control herself was scaring her – scaring old Tora. New Tora just felt unease in front of Markl. When Markl placed his hands on her arms, an involuntary shiver from new Tora coursed through her body. Markl's eyes flickered.
"I'm a danger to everyone. And I don't even know what I am, any more..."
"I know what you are."
New Tora's heart skipped a beat. She barely quashed the alarm. He knew? So he was onto her?
"You're just plain old Tora, the one who never shies away from a challenge and who always put others' need above her own." Markl smiled and brushed her hair behind her ears. New Tora wanted to recoil away from his touch. "I know you. You still want to tackle this and you don't want to leave us behind."
Tora trembled. Deep in her heart, perhaps she was right.
"We can't survive without you. You're a part of the team. By leaving, you hurt us more than you realise."
Her nose burned as tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. He was right, as always. He knew what she wanted. She bit her lip so hard she almost drew blood, blinking the tears back furiously. He rubbed her back, muttering soothing nonsense.
"It's all right. Let it all out."
A few trickled down the front of her face. She mopped it with the sleeve of her hoodie, sniffing. She hated showing this weakness, but being with Markl was fine – good, even. She felt whole.
"It's okay. You won't leave us, will you?"
She shook her head. Her nose was blocked.
"That's the right thing to do. You're not the sort to leave your friends in trouble and take off like that. Shifters are dangerous, after all."
It was as if a steel blade had plunged into her heart. She stiffened. New Tora sucked in a breath, her eyes opening wide.
She took a step back. Markl remained still, his arms still outreached.
"How did you...?" She swallowed. Her throat suddenly became bone dry.
"You're not siding with those monsters, are you?" His voice dropped to a whisper. Each word sent shivers through her body. The shimmer in those eyes didn't seem as warm as before. "You've no idea what you've signed yourself up for. If you go, their deaths will be in your hands. There's no stopping them. Blood will be spilt. Carlos. Ross. Damien."
Each name hammered another icicle into her heart. Stifling a sob, she took more steps backwards, confusion wreaking havoc through her brain. New Tora took over. The door flew open behind her. A few seconds later, she was running, running through the night.
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