Vinni opened his eyes.
<Why are we sleeping outside?> When Vincent didn’t answer, Coleman mentally nudged him.
Mom, I don’t want to go to school…
<Vincent, wake up.>
Meh…wha…why are we sleeping outside?
<Big fight, lots of Kafla. Broken — >
Leg. I don’t feel anything. Is it all crooked and stuff?
<No time like the present to find out.> He took a deep breath and looked at his foot.
Thank God. Good as new. He wiggled his toes. The muscles felt different somehow.
<Where’s — >
‘Julie, are you there?’
She called out from somewhere beyond the car. ‘I’ll be right over.’
He pulled up his pant leg and looked carefully at his shin then compared it to the other one. The left one now had a lump in it and very slight angle from the break down.
<That’s really good for a field set.>
But, it’s —
<Much better than healed pointing sideways.>
Well, yeah. When you put it that way…
‘Sweetie, I have a small surprise. Don’t react. Understand?’ Julie said. ‘And, if you’re sitting, you might want to stay that way.’
‘Why?’
Julie walked around the back of the car. A Kafla about her size followed behind. The beast resembled a human more than any Coleman had ever seen. It wore rough knee-length shorts. Dark, purple-gray skin, devoid of the normal Kafla blotches, covered its muscular build. Long silver hair, remarkably untangled, hung past its shoulders. Its eyes matched the color, making them stand out starkly on the creature’s dark features. The beast’s face looked lupine and alien. Short sharp teeth and small pointed ears that peeked through its straight hair strengthened the impression. Its only true deformity was a long right arm that hung almost to its knee. The forearm had a severe arc and ended in a hand devoid of the Kafla fighting claws, though the other had them.
Vinni’s eyes widened, and his head jerked back. ‘Wha —’
‘Reacting. Maybe not the best idea,’ Julie said in an overly pleasant voice.
Vinni bit off what he had started to say, took a deep breath, then stood, keeping his eyes on the beast as he tested his repaired leg. It felt slightly off, like he wore two different shoes, but other than that, appeared healed. ‘Sweetheart,’ he said in a syrupy voice. ‘Why is there a Kafla walking around with you?’
‘When you were pulled under the car I yelled, “No.” Do you remember what happened?’
‘I remember getting free.’
‘Yes, then I told you to stay still because I was worried about your leg and Hook —’
‘Hook?’
‘Yeah, because of his claw. Show him, Hook.’
The Kafla raised its arced arm, and a two-foot long claw of the same shape slid out of a gap where a middle finger should have been, then retracted smoothly.
‘You…named a Kafla? Named it. Is that what I’m understanding?’
‘Yes, now don’t get all worked up. I have honeyed knives on.’ She patted the harness she now wore. ‘He understands if anything bad happens, I’ll put him down. At least I think he does.’ She paused, and her eyes lost focus for a moment.
‘Sari isn’t exactly happy with the arrangement either. But I can be persuasive.’
Vinni nodded. ‘And how did you happen to find the only obedient Kafla in history?’
‘I didn’t.’ She held up the necklace. ‘I think it’s because of this. Yours may work as well.’
He fingered the pendant on his chest. ‘Wayne said it was for protection, but when they attacked, I figured he was wrong. I forgot I even had it on.’
‘Yeah, I’ve gotten used to the tingly feeling from it too. It’s the only explanation I have. I think it lets the wearer command them, and that’s the protection. Try it.’
Vinni cleared his throat. ‘Hook, sit down.’
The Kafla looked over at her, and she nodded. It sat.
<Unbelievable.>
‘Does it only understand simple language or what?’
‘He, at least I think it’s a he, understands whatever I say. Hook, you can stand up now.’
He stood.
Vinni scratched his jaw. ‘Only you, Julie, only you. So why did you keep Hook alive?’
Her eyes sparkled. ‘If Mr Brown was excited by a skull, can you imagine what he’ll say about a live one?’
He walked over and hugged her. As he looked over her shoulder, he noticed something. The dead Kafla were gone. ‘Where are all the bodies?’
She turned, looking where he did. ‘While you were resting, I figured I’d clean up. Hook helped.’
‘He…’
‘Gathered them all up for me. He even found one out in the rocks.’ She pointed to the far side of the parking area. ‘One of my arrows that skipped away happened to hit it.’ She held up her hands a couple of feet apart. ‘The smallest Kafla Sari has ever seen. It had an ear that looked like it’d been through a shredder. I also discovered something else.’
‘I’m afraid to ask, but, what?’ She reached behind her back and brought out one of his blades in its scabbard. She rotated it, and drew it partially. He saw the mist-like patterned hamon of the frost blade.
‘The other one is in the car,’ she said. ‘The power in these blades works for me, too.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Who knows? Maybe they react to the Kafla’s foreign nature. I bet anyone could use them.’
He nodded. ‘That’s good to know.’ Julie handed it to him, and he slipped it under his belt. Hook looked at him and quickly down at the blade then back up.
‘Relax. Julie is right. We have someone for you to meet.’ He walked to the Celica and opened the hatchback. ‘See if you can fit in here, Hook. We’re going for a ride.’
Hook stepped to the car and crawled into the storage area, curling into a ball. Vincent closed the hatch carefully and looked through the glass. The Kafla uncurled some with room to spare.
Vincent started to chuckle.
<What?>
‘What are you laughing at?’ Julie asked.
‘There’s a car commercial for you: With a cargo area so spacious…you have room for all your weapons and your pet monster.’
Julie laughed, and he gathered her into his arms. Had she ever felt so good against him? So…
<Alive.>
He ran his hand over the dip in her lower back and breathed her in, his face buried in soft neck and dark hair. She sighed and melted along him, her arms over his shoulders, then drew her lips to his. Coleman didn’t retreat to his private area within Vincent, and he didn’t ask him to. They relished the life that passed through the kiss, celebrating their survival. He only hoped Sari stayed to experience it.
He drew back just far enough to see into her eyes. Yes, Sari seemed to be there. ‘You know what?’
‘You love me…almost as much as I love you.’
He chuckled. ‘I sure do…maybe more.’
‘You know what else?’ she asked.
‘What?’
‘Mr Brown is never gonna believe this one.’