by Bobby Adair
“I don’t have an answer for that,” said Beck, “but you have a good point.”
“I wonder how many beautiful places are in the world that we’ll never know about,” mused Oliver. “I wonder if all those magical places and things they tell us in the legends are true.” Oliver looked Beck in the eye. “I always took them to be fantasies, made up by parents to entertain gullible children.”
“As did I,” said Beck. “But there are grains of truth in all of them, I suspect.”
“Now I believe that,” said Oliver. He looked back at the ocean. “How far do you think it goes?”
Beck followed his gaze to the water. “People in Brighton believe the earth is flat.”
“Yes,” said Oliver, “but how far does it go? Where is the edge? Wait. You said people in Brighton believe the earth is flat. Do you believe it?”
Beck was uncharacteristically quiet.
“Everybody says it.” Oliver waved a hand at the flat ocean spreading out in front of him. “I’ve heard you say it, too.”
“Habit,” Beck sighed. “When people cling too strongly to their beliefs, it’s better to pretend you share those beliefs than it is to try to convince them otherwise.”
“Are you saying the great flat earth is not flat?” asked Oliver.
“I don’t know,” said Beck. “You’ve not seen our library in the Academy. Nor have you seen our archives.”
“What’s the difference?” asked Oliver.
“In our library, we keep a meager collection of books and partial books. In our archive, we have countless items. Anything with a word on it, we collect and store.”
“Why?” asked Oliver.
“To learn. All words are clues to the Ancient world. Because we have so little, we often make guesses, but we’re ignorant about most things. The shape of the earth is one such area.”
“So, it’s not flat,” Oliver persisted.
“Some ancient texts make allusions to a round earth, shaped like a ball.”
Oliver laughed. “I’m not stupid.”
“I’m serious.” Beck pointed across the water. “If you go far enough in that direction,” he turned and pointed over the dunes, “one day, you’ll come back from that way. I don’t understand why that’s true. I have no idea how it could be, but then, there is so much about the Ancients that I don’t understand. I simply present the idea. You don’t have to accept it. You may continue to believe the earth is flat.”
“What do you believe?” asked Oliver.
“Whenever the concept comes up in the ancient texts, it is consistent. So despite what my intuition tells me, I believe it.”
Oliver took a long look at the water before saying, “I will, too.”
“You’d make a good Scholar, Oliver. Perhaps when we get back to Brighton, you’ll consider joining the Academy.”
Chapter 23: Tenbrook
“Did you see Franklin’s sermon?” Tenbrook asked Captain Sinko, unable to conceal his smile.
“The turnout was…sparse,” Sinko confirmed.
Tenbrook recalled his most recent orders. Before the sermon was to start, he’d had soldiers guard the road leading to the Sanctuary. The townsfolk had been interrupted on their way to the building and instructed of a new guideline. Due to the early freezes, they were strongly encouraged to return home and continue harvesting.
“How many parishioners were in attendance?” Tenbrook asked, feeling a spark of joy that rivaled the burnings.
“Thirty, at most. The pews were empty except for a handful of women and old men. I glanced inside halfway through the ceremony and the echo of the door gave me away,” Sinko said. “Most of the townsfolk returned home as the soldiers suggested. Those who attended seemed nervous and confused.”
“Good,” Tenbrook said. “The fewer people in that building, the better. How did Father Franklin do?”
“He was rattled, but he performed his duties.”
“As he should.” Tenbrook was unable to suppress his elation. “Tell your men to keep guard of the road before and after every sermon.”
“Will do, sir.”
Chapter 24: Fitzgerald
Fitz watched Franklin pace the room.
“It wasn’t a failure,” she said, trying to cheer him up. “The people who were there were eager to hear what you were saying.”
“A handful of women and old men won’t change anything,” Franklin said, clenching and unclenching his fists.
“They’ll bring The Word home with them,” Fitz said. “They’ll tell others.”
Even Fitz didn’t believe what she was saying. There weren’t enough people. She recalled the nervous expressions of the parishioners in the room. Even the woman with the kerchief hadn’t shown up. The soldiers outside the Sanctuary had rattled the townsfolk so much they were hardly listening to the sermon.
“I knew things were too quiet with Tenbrook,” Franklin said, pounding his fist in his hand. “I knew he was up to something. This new guideline ruins any chance we had at building something.”
Fitz sighed and sat. She watched Franklin shake his head as he weaved back and forth. “I don’t know what to do, Fitz.”
“Sit,” Fitz said, patting the bed. “Think.”
“I’m tired of sitting. I’m tired of thinking.” Franklin’s face suddenly grew angry. “Do you know how embarrassing it is speaking to an empty room, Fitz? It’s like standing in the middle of the wild and screaming when no one is listening.”
“Franklin—”
Franklin’s face reddened with shame and anger. “I knew being the Bishop was going to be difficult. But what can I do with an empty Sanctuary?”
“Things will get better,” Fitz tried. “More people will come.”
“No, they won’t.” Franklin’s face fought between anger and defeat. “Not with Tenbrook’s guideline in place.” Finally, he seemed to settle on something.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m talking to Tenbrook. I’m repealing his guideline and telling him to keep his soldiers away.”
Franklin made for the door.
“Franklin, wait!” Fitz leapt from the bed and grabbed his arm. “You can’t go to his house! You can’t tell him that! He might have you killed!”
“What else am I supposed to do?” Franklin asked desperately, shaking free of her grasp. “Wait until he makes me irrelevant, and then kills me? Those sermons are the only small power I have. That’s what you told me, Fitz, what you convinced me of. Once I’m out of people’s sight, they’ll forget I’m the Bishop. They’ll forget about The Word. They’ll barely bat an eye when Tenbrook brings me to the pyre and burns me.”
“You’re still an Elder, even if no one is attending the sermons.”
Franklin shook his head. “Am I? I’ve ceased to matter, Fitz. You were right about what you said before. Lady and Bruce would have faced this with courage. I’m not going to hide in a room, waiting for the soldiers to pull me away. I’m going to go see Tenbrook, and I’m going to force him to repeal his stupid guideline.”
Before Fitz could stop him, Franklin stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter 25: Ella
Ivory brought them to a massive structure that stood out from the other buildings on the street, as if the other, smaller buildings had been built to stand guard around it. Ella’s eyes widened as she looked up at the enormous, rectangular building. The smooth cement walls rose up forty feet high. In front was a gaping entrance. Had it contained glass? Ella couldn’t imagine anyone, especially the Ancients, leaving such a large area exposed.
Past the massive opening and inside the structure was a huge, expansive floor, now covered mostly with dirt, but speckled with glass that must have been buried for hundreds of years by the passage of critters’ and demons�
� feet. The sun reflected off the glass shards, creating a magnificent glare. Support beams were spaced out evenly throughout the building. Most were tattered with age, but all of them led to an enormous, domed ceiling with square panels that had probably once contained brightly colored glass. All around the perimeter of the main room were smaller rooms.
“What is this place?” she asked Ivory.
Ivory smiled. “Rumors say it is an Ancient marketplace.”
Ella’s mouth hung open as they inspected the inside of the building from the road. “There are probably a hundred rooms inside,” she marveled.
“Probably a hundred demons, too,” Bray muttered. “It’s not exactly a safe place to shoot.”
“There are plenty of ways out,” Ivory said. “I’ve been here before. I know the exits.”
“Are you sure?” Bray frowned, still cautious.
“You could get lost exploring it,” Ivory admitted. “But if we stick close to the front of the building, we won’t lose our way.”
“It’s impressive to look at,” Bray admitted with a shrug.
“Come inside and I’ll show you around,” Ivory suggested.
Ella’s gaze wandered from the building to another attached to it. The neighboring building had a floor that sloped up several levels, with wide openings in between. It reminded Ella of the first building she and William had seen in the wild.
“That other building looks familiar. Right, William?” she asked.
William’s mouth hung open as he appraised the structure. “Yes. We’ve seen a building like that one before.”
“That’s where the Ancients kept the devices that carried them from one place to another,” Ivory said with certainty.
“Like the object we saw in the woods,” Ella said, looking at Bray and William. “The one we hid behind when the soldiers were after us.”
William’s excitement grew as the recognition hit. “Yes—the piece of metal with the windows on all sides. I remember.”
Ivory beamed. He gestured to the building. “The Ancients came from all over to shop for goods. They left the devices that carried them from one place to another in the building next door. Then they walked around and purchased things.”
“How could you know all this?” Bray asked, unable to contain his suspicion.
“My uncle took me here several times, before he passed away,” Ivory said. “We figured it out by exploring it. There are a few ancient contraptions in the building next door. That’s how we figured that part out.”
Before they could question him further, Ivory headed for the entrance. Ella and the others watched, enthralled. They stared as Ivory crunched over the dirt floor. He walked through the opening, waving them in.
Finally, curiosity got the better of caution and they followed.
Ella grabbed for William’s hand, but he slipped from her grasp, running ahead to join Ivory. His head swiveled from side to side as he took in the sights. She couldn’t help but smile at the curiosity on his face.
Crossing the gaping threshold, they entered the building. The building smelled like the oldest ones in Brighton—damp and unused. Broken beams and debris littered the floor. Ella couldn’t help but stare at the multitudes of rooms that lined either side of the vast building, most without walls, most filled with dusty fragments of ancient stone. In the middle of the enormous main room was a steep set of metal stairs that descended into a dark rectangle, an abyss of blackness that extended far out of sight.
“That leads to a lower level,” Ivory called back to them. “The Ancients had a device that carried them up and down.”
“Unbelievable,” Melora whispered, coming up beside Ella. “A secret, hidden level beneath the first.”
“And one upstairs,” Ella said, pointing to a similar set of metal stairs that climbed to a second floor. A similar number of rooms lined the entire perimeter of the upper floor of the building. In each room, Ella envisioned the Ancients greeting her at the door, waving an assortment of merchandise, or selling fruits and vegetables. She imagined a line of people navigating up and down the strange stairs, sifting through their purchases.
“I can hardly fathom what this must’ve looked like with people in it.” Melora shook her head.
“This building is big enough to contain most of the people in the townships,” Ella agreed.
Melora said, “When the rains came, I bet they didn’t have to cover their pushcarts or seek shelter.”
Ivory nodded, his face lit with a smile as he showed them around. Ella watched William run close to the stairs that descended to the lower level, as he thought about stepping onto them.
“William, stay here,” she called. To her relief, William obeyed.
Ivory said, “I’ve traveled the stairs a few times, but I’ve always been leery about falling. I’m not sure if there are exits downstairs. We’re probably safest staying up here. Take a look around. I’m sure you’ll be amazed.”
“Stay with me while we look around, William,” Ella said.
“Okay,” William said simply, changing direction and walking close to Ella.
Chapter 26: Fitzgerald
Fitz sat staring at the floor after Franklin stormed out of his quarters. She couldn’t give up. She couldn’t let him get to Tenbrook. Fitz had seen what Tenbrook was capable of. By walking into his house, Franklin would be entering a situation from which he might never return. Fitz sprang to her feet. Once in the hallway, she ran to catch up. Franklin was almost to the Sanctuary door. She watched him thrust it open with a purpose he hadn’t possessed before.
It wasn’t purpose, Fitz knew. It was reckless anger. And it would get him killed.
“Franklin!” she called.
Her words might as well have been whispers. He didn’t turn, and he didn’t stop. She rushed through the hall, catching the door before it closed, emerging into the daylight, even as the bitter chill bit at her skin and made her shiver. The area outside the Sanctuary was empty. The parishioners were gone.
Franklin kept going across the square, striding faster. He veered down one of the streets. It seemed as if he were intentionally leaving her behind. Fitz didn’t care if she caused a scene; her only thought was to get Franklin to safety. She fought for breath as she ran after him.
She caught up to Franklin further down the road. He’d rounded a bend. Several soldiers hung in the distance, laughing and chatting, probably on their way back to Tenbrook’s. Reaching Franklin, she grabbed his arm and forced him to a halt. The soldiers looked up and noticed.
“Franklin!” Fitz hissed.
“Let go of me,” Franklin hissed back. “I’m meeting with Tenbrook.”
“You can’t do this!”
Walking close enough to be within earshot, one of the soldiers yelled, “Where are you going, Father? Aren’t you getting ready for your next sermon?”
The soldiers chuckled.
A seething look crossed Franklin’s face.
“I want to meet with Tenbrook,” Franklin yelled loudly.
The soldiers went silent. They looked at him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. “We can bring you there, if you’d like. But you’ll have to leave the wench behind.”
Franklin took an angry step forward.
Fitz pulled on Franklin’s arm. “Don’t do this, Franklin,” she whispered. “Stay with me, please! I thought of another plan. Give me the chance to tell you about it.”
Franklin paused, torn between her words and the conversation he’d started. The soldiers hung in the road, waiting.
Sensing she was getting through to him, Fitz continued. “Tenbrook won’t listen. He’ll use whatever you say to burn you. That will be a useless death. There’s another way. You have to trust me.”
The soldiers pivoted, impatient. “Are you coming or not, Father F
ranklin?”
Franklin stared at them for a minute. He shook his head. “No. I have other matters to attend to,” he said finally.
Fitz breathed a sigh of relief and pulled him back toward the Sanctuary.
Chapter 27: Fitzgerald
“Did you hear them? They were laughing at me!” Franklin said, anger still flashing in his eyes. “Aren’t they afraid of being burned? I’m an Elder!”
“Tenbrook is playing a game,” she said. “He’s using his soldiers to undermine your position.”
Franklin shook his head in disbelief. “They never would’ve treated Winthrop this way.”
“The soldiers have picked up on Tenbrook’s lack of respect. They’re trying to get away with things.”
“I used to watch the expressions on their faces when they were standing next to Blackthorn, watching Winthrop. They knew Winthrop would never last a day in the battlefield. But they never said anything. Nobody could get away with disrespecting Winthrop.”
“Things are different now,” Fitz explained. “Tenbrook might’ve confused some of The People, but the soldiers know exactly what is going on. They know about the revolt. They know about Evan. They sense a change coming, Franklin, and they’re aligning with the power in Brighton. That power right now is Tenbrook.”
Franklin clenched his hands in frustration. “But I need to punish them. If I don’t, then others will sense their disrespect. They laughed at me in public, Fitz!”
“How will you punish them, without Tenbrook’s help?” Fitz asked. “Will you have your clergy carry them to the pyre? Or will you carry them yourself?”
Franklin fell silent. He hung his head, running his fingers through his hair. Defeat crossed his face. “I don’t know what to do.” Franklin breathed a heavy sigh. “Everything I feared is coming true. He’s making me irrelevant.”
“We need a better plan, Franklin. Rushing into something is an easy way to get killed. That’s probably what Tenbrook wants. We’ll never win over Tenbrook’s soldiers. But we have a chance at winning over The People.”