Chimera

Chapter Nine: Lance

Lance held his parents in a tight embrace.

"I'm going to miss you," he said. Sighing, he broke away. He took a deep breath, glanced around him, took in his surroundings. He didn't want to forget what his home looked like when he left.

"Wait! There's one more thing. You'll need plenty of water on your journey," his mother said. She took out a canteen from the kitchen cabinet and positioned it under the sink faucet. With a quick twist, she turned it to the right, ready for water to flow down in a stream and fill the canteen.

Nothing came.

"What?" she gasped.

"The main water's... gone," Lance said, almost not believing it, even as the words left his mouth.

"The Mayor must have cut it off," his father exclaimed, realisation dawning on his face, "that means all of the lakes but the safety reservoir have dried up!"

"But you'll still be able to get drinking water from that reservoir, right?" Lance asked, uneasiness edging his voice.

"Yes," his mother replied, "but one small reservoir may not be able to satisfy the population of our city. And it will probably dry up too."

She looked Lance straight in the eyes.

"We need people to go beyond the wall more than ever. We need questors to find a new water source for the city's people. But the Mayor still hasn't lifted the bans. Should we come with you to go out there?"

"No," Lance said firmly, "you're the main medics of this city! You need to look after the people here. Disease will spread easier with people weakened by thirst. Plus, I've got rifles and three able-bodied, young people coming with me."

His mother and father nodded grimly.

"We'll pressure the Mayor into ending the wall laws while you're gone. Now, get going. We'll help you escape from here," his mother said. Together, they ran outside.

Camila and Alana were waiting for them, grim expressions on their faces. Jaylin was sitting on the first rung of the Los Lagos wall ladder, keeping a lookout.

"The Mayor's just cut off the town's water," Lance said, trying stay calm and ignoring the panic that edged his voice.

"What?" Camila gasped.

"We'll have to find a new water source out there, beyond the wall," Lance said.

Suddenly, Jaylin cried out, his voice full of fear.

"There's a group of ten armed sentries coming our way!" he yelled.

"The Mayor must be enforcing the wall laws," Alana said.

Sure enough, two dozen soldiers armed with an array of bristling weapons was marching toward them in tight ranks.

They noticed the group and yelled out.

"Halt! Going near the wall is prohibited! Leave now or face the consequences," a black haired lady yelled, holding up her weapon. The blade shone in the sun.

"Damn it!" his father cried, "just when the Mayor needed to let people out there, she's keeping people inside and afraid!"

"How perfectly typical of her," Camila said, voice dripping with bitterness.

"Hurry," Lance's mother said to them, "get over the wall. We'll buy you some time."

Lance started to protest, but then he gritted his teeth. Everything was necessary to ensure that they made it. The town needed water. He turned and jumped onto the ladder in one fluid motion.

"Come on! We're going over!" he howled to Camila, Jaylin and Alana. He was surprised to see sharp claws gripping the ladder rung before him. Without having realised it, he had begun to morph into his Chimera form!

Fur erupted along his arms and his teeth turned into long fangs. A tail unfurled from his hindquarters.

"Get them!" he heard someone shriek. It was the leader of the wall guard, the lady with the horns. She pointed her sword and rushed at the group.

Camila sprang onto the ladder after Lance. Jaylin morphed his arms into dexterous claws. He scrambled up the ladder with weasel agility.

On the ground, there were twin bursts of light as both of Lance's parents morphed. In a second, they were covered in fur. Their eyes flashed a silver-yellow color and they held their claws at the ready.

Suddenly, a sentry swung a sword at his mother's head. High up on the ladder, Lance yelled. At the last second, his mother dodged the blade. His father slashed at the sentry and sent him sprawling back, bleeding.

Over the uproar, Alana lifted her rifle and fired a bullet at the approaching sentries. They cowered, terrified by the powerful weapon.

"Let us go in peace," Alana demanded, aiming the firearm at the sentries.

Despite the fear in her eyes, the sentry leader stood up.

"Never," she spat, "the Mayor's orders were simple: kill anyone who tries to leave!"

The sentries fingers closed into a fist, then morphed into cloved hooves. Huge horns sprouted from her head, curling around and around until they ended in a wickedly sharp point.

"Attack!" she bellowed. Her voice was less human than it had been, and her eyes had become yellow and emotionless.

Alana fired another bullet at the sentries. There was an explosion and one of them fell to the ground. But there were so many of them and the rifle was taking a long time to reload. The head sentry laughed and lowered her horned head. Her cloven hoof raked the earth a few times and then she charged, butting Alana in the stomach. She flew through the air, hitting the wall with a sickening crunch.

"Alana!" Lance's mother yelled, coming to her aid. She bit the hoof of the sentry and kicked her broadsword away. "Get out of here, Alana."

Alana looked uneasy for a second, but then she nodded. Scarlet fur rippled everywhere and her fingers twisted into claws. She sliced an attacking sentry with a free claw, retracted her claws, and then climbed upwards.

Lance reached the top of the ladder, his claws gouging claw marks on the final rung. Then he stood on top of the wall. He turned to face Los Lagos. Camila and Jaylin jumped onto the wall beside him. With feline grace, Alana alighted next to them.

Far below, Lance's mother and father fought the sentries. In the other direction, Lance could see the desert. The stunning and dangerous beauty called to him. Out there was water. Out there was the thing that could save all of Las Lagos. Well, at least he hoped.

He could hear the sentry leader screaming at them from below. She rammed her head into the ladder, making it to jitter and shake. Arrows clattered harmlessly off the wall, but a more experienced archer sent an arrow whistling past his ear, making his heart jump into his throat.

There were too many sentries for Lance's parents to hold off. Panting, they raised their hands high. Guards with spears seized them and dragged them away.

"You can save everyone. You can find water out there! We will always love you," his father called.

"I love you too," Lance said, stinging tears filling his eyes.

"Now go!" his mother yelled, "run!"

Armed sentries were scrambling up the ladder after them, morphing in flashes of light, bristling with fangs and claws and talons. Lance gritted his teeth and turned to face the desert.

"Let's do this," he said, pulling a grappling hook from his bag. It was connected to a long, tough rope.

Lance attached the grappling hook to the wall and then tied it on for good measure. He grabbed the rope in his hands and jumped off the edge of the wall, straightening his legs. He repelled downwards, pushing off the wall with his feet. Soon he felt his legs stinging as sprays of sand hit them. With a final bound, his feet hit the ground.

Lance looked around him, smiling in awe. After all those years of looking wistfully at this distant world, he was finally standing right there!

"We made it," Camila gasped behind him.