The Mantis Synchronicity - Book Five - 30. Chapter 30 - Anomaly

Far away from Teshon City, Z’Matri, Tisa, and Gawa were on three separate missions.

With Tisa and Gawa’s assassinations of the mayor and the chief of the watch, the city of Duguza was in chaos. Three different politicians had attempted to seize control of the mayor’s position, and the city’s guilds were beginning to fracture. Their members were unsure who they were supposed to report to with their financials, and several important groups’ leaderships were in upheaval. The dead commander of the city watch had established protocols for his eventual replacement, but they were not implemented after his murder. Four officers each took factions of soldiers beneath them, and violent altercations between the groups became a daily occurrence.

Businesses were closed. Citizens feared to leave their homes. The city’s power grid, which was unreliable at the best of times, failed in some neighborhoods entirely. Life had become unbearable in the city, but things were about to get worse.

Tisa was with a group of Shifts who were determined to tear down the gates that surrounded the neighborhood of the Heights, while Gawa led another contingent of Shifts in a separate part of the city toward the armory of stored weapons that had been protected by the now fractured watch.

Z’Matri, however, was alone. He was headed out of town and into the wilds. During the past several days, while camped out upriver, Z’Matri had been trying to figure out a way to pinpoint the specific Shift in the Heights, the one with the circle around them that negates his powers. He could not come up with a plan, but when the city got bad enough, he suddenly felt the Shift beginning to move away from the limited area where that individual always remained; they were heading into the mountains that stretched up beyond the city.

Z’Matri had not told Tisa or Gawa, but he had given the Shift a designation; he called the person Anomaly. Z’Matri could feel Anomaly moving, and the circle moved with the Shift. Anomaly was heading into the higher mountains, which were forested and would provide escape.

Z’Matri was upriver from Duguza as he entered the wilderness, and he followed Anomaly while remaining outside of the circle. After less than a day of hiking, Z’Matri felt Anomaly stop, and he also paused outside the circle before continuing further.

He was armed with a sword and a club, but he had no idea if whom he was going to find would turn out to be a friend or a foe. Inside the circle, Z’Matri knew he was little more than a human. He took a breath and stepped forward into the circle. Again, it was like the light of every single Shift in the world was extinguished, and Z’Matri was cast into smothering dark loneliness. He suddenly felt more alone than he had ever felt in his entire life. He could not feel Tisa or Gawa. He could not feel Anomaly, but Z’Matri headed through the trees in the direction he thought would lead him to the mysterious Shift.

After only a few minutes of hiking, Z’Matri spotted a wisp of smoke drifting up toward the sky. He honed in on it and found a small cottage with a covered front porch. It was not fancy, but it was well-maintained. Z’Matri approached the front door, but a childish voice behind him caused him to spin around.

“Who’re you?” asked a boy.

The child was staring at Z’Matri with his arms full of firewood.

“I’m looking for someone,” Z’Matri replied dismissively. He thought to himself, This boy ain’t the Shift. He’s too young.

The child added, “Who’re you lookin’ for?”

Z’Matri had already lost interest in the boy. “I don’t know,” he mumbled impatiently.

“You don’t know who you’re lookin’ for?”

Z’Matri focused back on the child. “Are you here alone?”

“No, my moms are inside.”

A woman’s voice called out, “Hunny, who are you talking to?” She stepped outside and was very alarmed to see Z’Matri. “What are you doing here?” she snapped at him. “Get out of here! Stay away from my son!”

Another woman’s voice shouted, “What’s going on out there?!”

“Some vagabond has followed us!” the first woman declared as the other appeared in the doorframe.

Z’Matri could not feel any Shifts anywhere, and none of these three people seemed like whom he was looking for. His deactivated powers were distracting him, and he turned away from the startled trio. “Is there anyone else up here?” he murmured. “I’m looking for someone.”

Z’Matri turned back to the second woman when he heard a sword being drawn from its sheath. She was pointing its tip at him. “There’s no one else.”

“I’m not here for any of you.” The lack of Z’Matri’s powers was too much for him, and he collapsed into unconsciousness on the forest floor.

The two women slowly approached.

“Do we tie him up,” the woman who was not holding the sword asked, “or do we bring him a blanket? He’s clearly messed up, but do we protect ourselves or try to help him?”

“No, we tie him up, and I’ll head back to town to find a doctor who can check him over. I’ll also get a city watchman to escort him away.”

The two women dragged Z’Matri to one of the columns at the front of the cottage and tied him to it. They hugged, and one of them left.

Less than ten minutes later, Z’Matri awoke with a start. All of the Shifts in the world were back! He also immediately realized he was alone, and he could not move.

“Well this ain’t good,” he grumbled to himself.

“Welcome back,” said one of the two women. She stepped out of the little house onto the front porch.

Z’Matri could feel the Shift he called Anomaly moving away from where he was. She was walking back toward the city. Z’Matri focused on the woman in front of him. His head was becoming clearer by the second, and he asked, “Your wife’s a Shift?”

The woman did not know the term. “What are you talking about, shift from what?”

“No, I mean, is she one of the others?”

The woman scowled at him. “Of course not! Why on earth would you think she’s one of those people?”

Z’Matri knew what his powers were telling him, but he did not argue. He squinted and shook his head, and he changed tactics. “Please let me go. I just want to leave and get out of here. I didn’t mean to intrude. I think my head was all messed up.”

“My wife has gone to get a doctor and a watchman. You can talk to the doctor all about being messed up when he arrives.”

“Please,” Z’Matri repeated, “I know coming here was a mistake, and I realize how much I probably startled you three, but please let me leave. I ain’t gonna do anything. I just want to get away from here and go back to the city.” He added, “I’m so sorry.”

The woman was still upset by Z’Matri’s intrusion, but she informed him, “My wife is a little less forgiving than I am. I’ll let you leave. What’s your name?”

“I’m Z’Matri,” he replied as she untied him. “Thank you.” He rubbed where the ropes had been around his wrists. “What are your names?”

“I’m Arlyn; my son is Borim, and my wife is Illastria.”

“I’m sorry about all this,” Z’Matri said again. “Please apologize to your son and wife for me.” He was trying to sound calm and relaxed, but he very much wanted to catch up with the woman called Illastria.

Illastria was Anomaly!

“Can I give you a few pieces of gold for your trouble?” Z’Matri offered.

“That’s not necessary,” Arlyn replied. “Just take care of yourself, Z’Matri.”

He bowed to her and left, and once he was out of sight of the cottage, he began to rush down the mountains. Z’Matri wanted to catch up with Illastria before she made it back to Duguza. He could feel himself gaining on her, and as he approached the edge of her circle, he rushed into it. He tried to ignore that all the Shifts in the world were again gone, and a moment later, he saw the woman through the trees.

“Illastria!” he called out to her.

She spun around and drew her sword again.

Z’Matri immediately unhooked his sword and club, dropped them to the ground, and put his hands up in surrender. “Illastria, your wife let me go. I woke up and we talked. I didn’t mean to intrude. I was just trying to find…” he paused, “you, actually. I didn’t know I was trying to find you, and when I saw you, I didn’t realize it was you, but it’s you.”

Illastria did not know what he was blathering about, and she scowled at him. “If my family has been harmed…”

“They ain’t hurt! Arlyn let me go.” With the sword still pointed at him, Z’Matri decided to get right to why he had followed Illastria. “You’re a Shift.”

She did not react to his statement.

“Do you know what that is? You’re one of the others.”

Her frown became more severe, and she growled, “How dare you call me that?”

“You are,” Z’Matri declared. “You don’t need to hide it from me. I know you are.” His head was beginning to spin again.

“That’s absurd,” Illastria replied. “I’m not one of the others; I can’t do anything like those freaks.”

“I’m one of them,” Z’Matri stated, “and I know you’re one too. That’s what I do. I can sense you, or I could, but you emit some sort of power-blocker, too close to you, and I ain’t able to feel anything. I think you’re an other who can turn off the powers of different others if they get near you.”

Illastria was confused. “I can’t do anything like that.”

“Maybe it’s something passive,” Z’Matri said in a quavering voice. He brought a hand to his forehead. “I wish you could turn it off so I could think straight. Could you try and turn it off? Can you try to make it so it doesn’t affect me?”

Illastria did not know what Z’Matri meant. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Just try thinking about not making my power deactivate.”

Illastria did not realize that all it would take was for him to simply suggest it, and the thought was in her mind.

Every Shift in the world suddenly blinked back into Z’Matri’s awareness and he staggered where he stood. “It worked,” he murmured. He shook himself and focused on Illastria. “You did it. You didn’t even know you’re a Shift,” and he said the word with emphasis, “but you just used your power.”

“Shift?”

“That’s what our people are called in places where we’re more accepted.” Z’Matri was almost instantly feeling normal again. A thought struck him, and he said, “Illastria, can I offer you a job?”✪