By H. M. Hershberger
Zaivar crouched in the shadows of an abandoned factory and strained his bloodvoice for his target’s thoughts.
There.
A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he crept forward. Zai prowled through the decrepit alley with the steady stride of a trained hunter. The warrant turned over in his head as he moved.
Siblings. Originally from Universe-16334, where eye color denotes ability. Bounty of three million units. Enough money to keep Ryn off his back for a long time.
Zai’s pulse thrummed with excitement as he shadowed the boy through the alley. His target disappeared into a dilapidated warehouse, and Zai let him go. Let the kid think he was safe. If he was trying to disappear, the abandoned industrial districts of U-93882 were appropriately obscure.
But Zai was an experienced warrant chaser, well aware of the types of universes popular with characters on the lam.
As Zai crept into the warehouse, his target sprang from behind a column, spear in hand. “Stay back!” The boy’s red eyes were wide and panicked.
Zai raised his hands. “Easy, kid. I’m here to take you home.” He kept his voice soothing. No need for weapons on a job like this. Not with kids.
“No!” the boy shrieked. “We’re not going back!”
“This isn’t your universe.”
“Don’t care! They’ll take Denna!”
“You can’t just jump worlds, kid. It’s bad for the multiverse.”
“I—”
A girl stole out from behind an ancient converter unit.
“Denna!” the boy sputtered. “Get back!”
“Draven?” she whispered. “What’s going on?”
Zai’s brow furrowed as he noticed Denna’s eyes. One the same warm crimson as her brother’s, the other a softly glowing gold.
A heterochromiac.
No wonder the warrant was so high. According to the target profile, in U-16334, heterochromiacs were almost always main characters.
Zai kept his hands up. He wasn’t a threat, just a nice man wanting to take them home–and score the biggest bounty of his life while he was at it. “Look, I promise I won’t hurt you. I just want to get you home.” He locked eyes with Draven and the boy’s thoughts flooded his head.
Denna. Can’t trust. Defend. Fight. Not going back. Never.
It was all the warning Zai got.
Draven leapt at him, spear brandished. He was strong. Too strong and wicked fast.
Zai dove to the side and rolled. He sprang upright. Draven’s eyes blazed and Zai nearly shrieked at the unearthly sight. Then he remembered the warrant.
Red eyes. Heightened combat abilities.
Zai dropped to the dusty floor. Draven’s spear split the air inches above his head. Zai cursed. He wasn’t going to be beaten by a teenager with a stick. Kid or not, Zai whipped the neuro-pistol off his belt and fired.
Draven dodged. He used the spear with skill beyond his years. With a guttural yell, he brought it whistling toward Zai’s arm.
Zai dodged, but not quick enough. The spear butt slammed into his knuckles. Something cracked. Lightning bright pain lanced up Zai’s arm. He screamed.
“Leave. Us. Alone.” Draven growled.
Zai scrambled back, broken hand cradled against his chest. “Don’t hurt me,” he begged. Ow, ow, ow. Stupid kid. “I’m just doing my job.”
Draven snarled. He jabbed the spear butt into Zai’s stomach. “No.”
Zai doubled over, winded. His mind whirled. So this was how he died: at the mercy of a child. Bitterness filled his mouth.
“Draven,” a wispy voice said.
The boy froze.
Denna’s tiny frame filled Zai’s vision. She tugged Draven’s spear from his hand and laid it on the floor.
“You’re not being nice, Draven.”
Draven opened his mouth, then shut it.
Denna patted his hand and turned to Zai. She studied him, red-gold eyes curious. “It’s not polite to chase kids.”
Zai gaped.
Denna dropped to sit cross-legged next to him. “Can I see your hand?”
Zai blinked and gave the kid a long look.
Denna tilted her head and held out her hand.
Zai didn’t move.
“Baby,” Draven coughed.
Zai glared at him and cautiously placed his hand in Denna’s. Her slender fingers glowed as they slipped into his palm.
A tingling began in Zai’s hand and trickled through his body. It was strangely cool, and receded as quickly as it had come.
Denna drew back and bowed her head. “There you go.”
Zai flexed his hand in wonder. The pain was gone. He felt brand new. The persistent ache in his knee from a bad hunt in U-2267 three years ago had vanished along with the usual cuts and bruises of the warrant chaser’s trade.
The warrant drifted to the front of his mind again.
Gold eyes. Healing.
Denna sprang to her feet. She smiled at Zai. “Are you going to take us back still?”
Zai opened his mouth and closed it. His stomach twisted. He weighed the reward, the freedom of having his own money, of proving to Ryn that warrant chasing was a legitimate profession. He studied the siblings. The wanness of their cheeks and thinness of their arms.
He swallowed. “I…”
Draven narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Denna. “You aren’t taking us back.”
Zai made eye contact and re-entered Draven’s mind. No words this time. Pictures. A barren plain, an armory. A heterochromiac boy who must have been Draven’s brother, standing rigid in armor too big for him and crying. A fierce burst of protectiveness roared through Zai’s head, and he winced. The connection broke.
I’m just trying to look after you. Ryn’s words, after the sixth time Zai had turned down a job in the prince’s household.
He was going soft, blast it. Hauling himself to his feet, Zai huffed. “I know someone. She’s good at helping people disappear.”
Draven’s eyes widened.
Denna squealed and wrapped her arms around Zai’s shoulders. “Thank you, Mr. Hunter.”
Zai patted her hair gingerly. “You’re welcome, kid.” Something suspiciously like affection bloomed in his chest. Zai shook his head. Ryn would have a field day if he could see this.
Oh well.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clever to notice ate heterochromiac characters tend to be main characters!
This story is rated PG-13 for use of the term ‘butt’. This comment is rated PG-13 for the same reason.
Aww I love this story! Any story with sibling love at the forefront is a favorite. Thank you for sharing!
Such a clever story—love how much worldbuilding you packed into such a small amount of space!
That was a fun and exciting twist on the prompt! Well done.
Wow! I loved the story and the character development. I can see this the start of a much bigger story. Have you written the siblings before? They are very interesting.
Really great story! Plot, writing, etc. are all magnificent. I love the siblings and also this version of Zai. I really felt for all of the characters and am glad Zai’s doing the right thing.
Fantastic story of healing and growth.
I really enjoyed your story and the creativity of heterochromiacs.
Good choice, Zai. Wonderful story!