Shadowplay

5

The music and the voice came from everywhere, sound picked up from a thousand speakers, Shadith singing with herself,, smooth as water flowing, effortless as breathing or so it seemed until the POV swooped closer to her, showed her face, gaunt with strain, sweat rolling into her eyes, dripping from her nose and chin…

Ajeri leaned forward, smiling; tongue moving along her lips, eyes glowing with anticipation, she reached slowly down and touched a sensor…

The song collapsed into a screech… the kind of noise that made the teeth ache and put twitching knots in the back muscles…

Shadith dropped the kitskew and fell to her knees, her arms pressed over her ears, her eyes squeezed shut…

Kikun fell flat, unconscious, his eyes rolling back, his mouth sagging open.

The cats went crazy, clawing at their ears, rolling on the ground during the first seconds of that assault, then they howled and attacked whomever they could reach, grabbing with their forelegs, disemboweling with their powerful hinddaws, one stroke and twist away, on their feet again, jaws closing on necks, a shake and leap ahead to the next..

Rohant brushed Kayataki away, tossed Miowee off him (she landed on several surviving pilgrims, rolled to the ground bruised but intact and screaming for her daughter) and raced after his beasts.

Before he got near them, Na-priests came from the crowd like maggots from meat and shot the cats into hamburger.

Rohant the Ciocan roared his fighting challenge, and ran at the nearest shooters, his lips drawn back from his tearing teeth, his eyes red with fury,

As he ran past, a priest snapped erect, hammered him to the ground with a club like a young tree.

The sound cut off.

Shadith struggled to her feet, looked wildly around, started running, head down, driving as hard as she could for the Gate.

A Na-priest came after her, whipped his stranglecord about her neck, jerked her back against his body, tightened the ligature… she started to lift her hands then there wasn't anything left…