Chapter 2
Talon felt uncomfortable. The closer they got to the center of the city, the more vigilant he became, and the more he scanned every street and door for danger. He tried to shake off the memory of the moment when he had the distinct feeling that someone was wandering around in his thoughts and leaving ideas behind that felt foreign to him. One moment, he had been filled with confidence that he and Cat would be okay, and the next, he had looked down at her full of mistrust. Since then, the dull feeling had been nagging him that she was hiding something from him. No, it was more than a feeling, he admitted to himself. He was almost sure that she was keeping something from him. He could feel it in every cell of his body, because of the bond between them. She had probably already forgotten or maybe she was ignoring what he had told her. Everything pointed to the fact that she resented him for what he had done. A treacherous voice inside him advised him to keep a close eye on her.
What will you do if she lies to you? the voice asked. Will you separate yourself from her, just as casually as humans do? You need to make sure that it never comes to that. Talon shrugged and opened his mouth to answer, before he realized that the voice didn’t really exist. Damn. This planet was slowly making him go crazy. He wondered if that wasn’t something they could use to lure Ferthoris into their trap. If Earth’s atmosphere was doing this to someone like him, then it wouldn’t take long for his king to lose control of himself and… do what? Talon decided to talk with Cat about it when they reached their destination. He had to admit that her plan was pretty good. Normally, nobody would ever think to move into a house right next door, but he had already experienced too much to rely on “normally.” The only thing he wanted was to have as much control over a situation in which he had no way of being able to predict the variables, and that was nagging at him.
He looked at Cat out of the corner of his eye, without interrupting his search for possible sources of danger. He couldn’t imagine that Cat might betray him. No. It just wasn’t possible. Or was it? He shook his head, trying to rid himself of these unloving thoughts. Now was not the time, nor the place, to start doubting whether his decision had been a good one. They could talk about it at length later, when they were on their way to another solar system – one that was more suitable for his inner equilibrium.
Cat motioned to him to stop for a second. They were standing at an intersection of four enormous streets. You could easily tell that these had once been the most magnificent streets the city had to offer. What was left of the buildings indicated former wealth, but not necessarily good taste. The big catastrophe, which is what they called the destruction brought on by foreign spaceships here on Earth, had been decades ago, and Talon wondered why the humans hadn’t rebuilt the buildings. If they were organized enough to have an agency of Mind Readers, then one would think that some people would be taking care of reconstruction. This was something else he needed to ask Cat about.
“That,” she pointed to a building about a hundred yards away, “is the headquarters. Can you tell how many guards are standing in front of it?” Talon squinted. The Earth’s moon had hidden behind a cloud, and there weren’t any streetlights to illuminate the area. Either the building was abandoned, or they had darkened the windows. He waited patiently, and was soon rewarded. “Three men,” he whispered. He looked more closely this time. “With weapons.” They were trying to be completely motionless, but that was something these fidgety and restless humans would never learn. They couldn’t manage to melt into the darkness and to make themselves invisible, something he and his predator could do effortlessly.
“That’s good,” Cat replied and withdrew. They made an arc and avoided the street that led directly to the headquarters. “That means that they are not in an elevated state of alarm. Three guards mean that things are normal.” She breathed a little easier now. Had the sight of the main office really been that difficult for her?
“Where is the back entrance?” Talon asked. Cat could move almost as quietly as he could, he realized with satisfaction as he pulled her over to the side quickly so she wouldn’t step on a pile of dangerously sparkling glass shards.
“It’s no problem as long as they aren’t expecting an attack and increase the number of guards,” she informed him quietly. “It is just a parking lot that the lower employees use. The only guard there is inside the building. He checks out the people who want to come inside.”
“Around the clock?”
Cat nodded, a very slight movement. The only reason he was able to make it out in the darkness was because his senses were so sharp. “Fine. What are we waiting for?” She headed for the entrance to a house that was diagonally across from the headquarters. Now, he too, could see the emergency exit without any problem. It would lead them into the abandoned department store. Trash was piled up around the door – a sure sign that the exit hadn’t been used in a long time.
“I don’t know,” Cat said, blinking in the darkness. “It’s just a strange feeling, that’s all.” Talon looked at her sharply. “Let’s go.” Before she had finished the sentence, she had started off, with quick footsteps and her head held high, almost as if she needed to prove that the proximity to her former colleagues didn’t scare her. He could see that she kept giving him searching looks, and they irritated him like an annoying insect bite, but when he tried to detect her feelings, the only thing he found was concern, and something that oscillated between fear and nausea.
“Let me go first,” Talon said, when they had pushed the pile of trash to the side. “Do you think anyone would notice that the mountain of trash has been moved?”
Cat smacked her forehead, a gesture that was so typically human that it actually made Talon smile. “I don’t think so,” she said and frowned. “Mind Readers depend more on reading thoughts than on their eyes and ears, and the employees who park back here are not trained detectives.” She looked critically at the trash that was now a few feet to the right.
Then let’s take the risk,” Talon said and pulled the door open. The shrill squeal, with which the rusted hinges made their protest known, seemed twice as loud in the stillness of the night. Talon made a mental note to get some oil and sniffed the air. It was pitch black, now that the door had fallen shut behind them. He took Cat’s small, cold hand and let his lion out of its cage a little – just enough so it could show them the way through the darkness. Cars were everywhere. Most had been gutted for parts. Batteries, cables, and motors – even some tires were missing, so all that was left were shells. Anything that could be used somehow, even the upholstery, had been dragged off by desperate people.
“Where should we go?” he asked into the darkness and answered his own question. “I think we should settle in as far towards the top as possible. Maybe we might be able to find a room with its windows still intact. Then we could have a good view of the surrounding area.” His voice had taken on the growling color of his predator, and it echoed very clearly in the large room.
“Okay,” was the only thing Cat said. Her pulse had started to race, and the palms of her hands were wet. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, and only let go long enough to push open the next door. It was a difficult climb to the top floor, and not just because they had to climb an endless number of steps after the long march into the city. Halfway there, he had taken Cat’s backpack, and the fact that she let him do so without protest, told him more than a thousand words could about how exhausted she must be.
Once, her feet fell on something that felt like rotting bones, and she gave a little cry, before continuing on bravely without looking back. Once in a while, a ray of light shone through one of the windows, illuminating the way, and then they finally reached the top.
He was able to open the door to the uppermost floor. He suspected that they were in the part of the building that had been used for offices, because there were many rooms on either side of a very long hallway. He made his way to the very first room. Cat needed rest more than anything, and he didn’t want to waste any more time looking for a room that was in the best condition. At least this room was somewhat clean, had a window that opened, and was big enough to offer them both a place to sleep. He picked Cat up, set her on one of the desks, and rolled out the sleeping bags. Then he took her in his arms, and together, they slid in under the blankets. Her soft, regular breaths told him that she had fallen asleep almost instantly.
He lay there for a while and did nothing other than listening to her breathing and feeling her warmth. When the noises of the wind and the building faded into calming background noise, he allowed himself to close his eyes.
It took a long time for him to fall asleep.