Page 21 of Shifter’s Thunder

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I was Shifter H-57523. Now I’m Avelunne. I’m here with a friend to get you out.” She kept her voice low and even as she could, fighting a rising anxiety. “What should I call you?”

Dirt and uglier substances stained the floor and walls. The air, thick and sour, was dominated by the stench from a single, overflowing bucket in the corner that served as their toilet. There were no beds, no blankets, just the cold, hard floor. A fresh wave of rage burned away the edges of her fear. How Tippizoars even knew to look for Ice Age shifters was a mystery, but finding them only to discard them in this squalor was unforgivable.

The dark-skinned girl remained silent, her jaw set, but the white-skinned boy behind her shifted his weight. “I’m Danya.” He gestured with a tilt of his head. “She’s Maysan.”

Maysan let out a low grunt, a clear warning to Danya, but her obsidian eyes never left Avelunne’s face.

Avelunne’s attention was caught by an ugly, puckered wound on the one thigh of each child. The skin around it was inflamed and weeping, like an infected spider bite. “Your legs are hurt. Can you run?”

“Yes,” Maysan replied, her chin jutting out in defiance.

“Most of us can.” The voice came from the tallest boy, his skin a warm brown. He stood with a quiet, solid strength. “I’m Javier. We’ll carry Sazanel if we have to.” He touched the shoulder of a near-emaciated girl with dark, curly hair who huddled beside him. “She freezes when she’s afraid.”

Avelunne’s gaze found the small girl’s eyes, which were wide with terror. She offered the only truth she had. “I do, too, sometimes.”

“Tippizoars injected us with this shit two days ago.” Danya pointed to his own leg. “The keepers think we’re stupid. They talk about us like we’re not here. We think a previous group of shifter kids died from it.”

“We have healers.” The assurance felt flimsy against the brutal reality of their situation. “But first we have to get out.”

“It’s feeding time,” said a boy with light brown skin and tightly coiled hair. “We thought you were the keepers.”

The timing was a disaster. There was no place to hide, no time to plan. The alarms from the portal breaches were probably screaming in the central hub already. “Then, best we leave.”

The children’s eyes swiveled to Maysan. The girl exchanged a look with Javier that was a whole conversation. Maysan hands made fists at her sides. “If we’re going to die anyway, let’s make it count.”

A pang of profound sadness shot through Avelunne, an ache for the childhoods that had been burned away to create these small, grim warriors. She ignored it. There would be time for grief later. Maybe. She opened the door and peered out. “This way. Make no sound and stay close.”

She led them at a fast walk that broke into a near run, their bare feet making slapping sounds on the gory floor. Just before the turn that led to the trash portal, she spotted a secondary control panel set into the wall, its glyphs indicating environmental systems. A risky, dragon-inspired idea sparked. She veered toward it, slamming her palm down on the largest, most ominous-looking rune. A klaxon began to blare from deep within the hub, warning of a lethal containment breach. It might delay any pursuit.

They reached the hexagonal metal plate. “Where are we?” Maysan asked between ragged breaths.

“Trash disposal,” Avelunne pressed her palm to the reader. “My friend is waiting.” The door hissed open, revealing the dimmer, stinking expanse of the dump. She helped the children through the opening one by one, then climbed out herself, slapping the panel to seal the door behind them. She spun around, her eyes scanning the scattered refuse, searching for a tall, steady silhouette.

The trash heap was silent and still. Of Tanner, there was no sign at all.

The surface of the fetid cesspool churned, and a dark shape rose from the muck like a vengeful swamp creature. Tanner stood tall, his talwar gripped in one hand, the blade gleaming even in the gloom. Thick, gray sludge coated his body for a split second before sliding off him into the pool, leaving his hair and skin unsullied.

Avelunne locked knees to keep them from shaking. She hadn’t realized how terrified she was of doing this alone until the moment she wasn’t anymore. She never would have dared this much without him. “That’s Tanner. My friend.”

Tanner gave the staring children a sharp nod, his gaze taking them in. “Follow me exactly and don’t stray from my footprints.” His tone was reassuringly firm. He gestured toward the chaotic piles of refuse. “I left a few surprises.”

“Clever.” Avelunne knew she wouldn’t have thought of it.

A brief smile touched his lips.

Avelunne turned to the huddle of nervous teenagers. “Who has the best hearing?”

Every finger pointed to Javier.

“Maysan, go up front with Tanner.” She beckoned to the tall, brown-skinned boy. “Javier, stay with me in the back. We’ll listen for trouble.”

Tanner gave her and the children another nod. “Let’s go.”

He took off, and the children followed his instructions. Once they were in the corridor, they became a desperate, silent train running through the fleshy curves. The floor squelched beneath their feet, shifting unpredictably, but the children adapted quickly. Maysan matched Tanner’s long strides, her jaw set hard. When the youngest, Sazanel, stumbled a second time over a larger lump, Danya scooped her into his arms and kept running, his breathing ragged but steady.

Javier dropped back a little to Avelunne’s side. “How long has it been for you?” He spoke between breaths.