The Depth of Perception

Fight or Flight

Wrench joined Oriana and Zane, peering at the shaking ledger.

"What?" Oriana said again, anger completely overcome by bafflement.

"Run now. Get to the gate. Frederick will recognize you. I'm going to draw them to me."

Oriana was stunned into stillness, but Wrench seemed to sense the importance of the situation and gently tugged on her shoulder, bringing the two of them away from Zane.

They were nearly around the corner when they heard him whistle, a sound much louder than they thought would be possible from such a slight boy. Oriana was stumbling forward in a befuddled daze, Wrench alternating between guiding her forward and watching behind them.

It took Oriana a moment to realize when Wrench's hands left her shoulders, and that they had stopped moving. She turned around to find Wrench still right behind her, but staring at the rooftops. Oriana followed her gaze but saw nothing but roof tiles and chimneys.

Wrench pointed at one roof in particular, its chimney belching sooty black smoke. Smoke so heavy it was falling to the roof instead of floating away. Smoke that seemed to glitter in the light. It was like no smoke she'd seen before, but a lot of things in Genethan were new to her.

They weren't new to Wrench, though, and she seemed entranced by it.

"Dat's da buildin' Zane was beside," Wrench explained, but Oriana didn't feel particularly enlightened.

"Is it on fire?" As Oriana watched, the smoke poured down the side of the building and disappeared from view.

"Not any fire I ever saw," Wrench said, starting back in the direction they had come from.

"Wait!" Oriana said, grabbing her arm. But a pained yell from the direction of Zane interrupted her, and both girls dropped their packs and ran toward its source.

"He can't breathe," said a voice from around the corner as they drew near. It was replied to by another, both of them calm and quiet and unfamiliar.

"He can't scream again."

"He can't direct us."

"Point."

They came around the corner just as a blonde woman removed her hand from Zane's throat. He was pressed against the wall, his feet dangling off of the ground. Her other hand still held him in the air, though by lower on his collar, allowing him to speak.

"Where is she?" asked another blond, this one a man. He looked just like his partner—average height, light build, plain white linen clothing. Other than the rare hair colour, they might have looked normal, were it not for them both having two eyes.

"Hey–!" Oriana managed, before Wrench's hand clapped sloppily over her mouth, hitting her with enough force to make her eyes water.

But that was all it took to make all three heads in front of them turn in their direction.

"That's fortunate," said the man. Oriana didn't like the way he smiled.

"Step away from da Zane," Wrench demanded of the woman.

"No." The woman's instead raised her other hand back to Zane's throat.

"No, run! They're not human! You can't hurt them," Zane managed, before his breathing was cut off once more.

"Good," Wrench growled, and she charged at the woman with her wrench raised like a club. The woman didn't even try to stop her, and Wrench swung at the arm that was choking Zane unimpeded.

Her weapon stopped flat as it struck her arm, as though it had struck a sturdy oak.

The woman turned her head to Wrench and gave her the same smile that was plastered on the face of the man, who was standing still nearby as if nothing was going on.