by R F Hurteau
He threw open the door, finding Ollie sitting at the table and Onyx standing, concern shining on her face at his sudden arrival.
“What is it? Have you found the Weaver?”
“There’s no time to explain,” Gavin told her. “We need to leave. Right now.”
Onyx took one look at him and nodded, moving to take her cloak down from the hook that hung beside the door.
But Ollie was not as easily convinced.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“What part of no time to explain did you not understand?” Onyx gave Ollie a wide-eyed look of exasperation. “Grab your cloak. Let’s go.”
Gavin didn’t leave the doorway, watching as Ollie moved around the room, muttering to himself about where his cloak went.
“It’s in the bedroom on the floor where you left it!” Onyx yelled. Then she frowned. “I’ll get it,” she added, disappearing into the bedroom.
When she returned, cloak in hand, Gavin thought he saw her slip something into her pocket.
They followed Gavin outside. Footsteps approaching from the village made Gavin hesitate beside the Floater, and he turned to see Wendell jogging toward them.
“Gavin?” The man’s face was etched with worry. “What’s wrong? Is everyone okay?”
Sighing, Gavin shook his head. “We’re fine, for now. But we have to leave. And...and I don’t think we’ll be coming back.”
Wendell looked the three of them over, his expression sad.
“A shame. I hope you’re wrong.”
“I don’t think I am.” Gavin grasped Wendell by the arm and spoke in hushed tones. “Nero’s rounding up Tapestry and executing them. Wendell, warn everyone. The First Order has been rescinded. Don’t do anything to get yourselves killed. If they ask about us, just tell them the truth. Tell them we’re gone, and you don’t know where we went, and you have nothing to do with us.”
Wendell was left speechless. Gavin wished there was more time to talk, to say their goodbyes.
There wasn’t.
“Be safe,” Onyx told Wendell.
She stood beside the Floater for a long moment, gazing back at the place she’d called home for so long. Gavin felt precious seconds ticking away, but was unable to force himself to rip her from her goodbyes.
She would never see this place again.
None of them would.
She tore herself away and climbed aboard.
It began to rain, a trickle at first. It was unpleasant but not insurmountable as they set out.
“Where are we heading?” Onyx asked.
“Levandire. That’s where the Weaver is being held, in preparation for Nero’s arrival.”
The canopy of the trees above shielded them like a roof from the patter of the rain for the better part of an hour.
But as they moved deeper and deeper into the forest it soon became clear that they were heading into a storm. Though it was hours until sunset, the light had become weak, the sky a sickly yellow that matched Gavin’s mood perfectly.
Each time there was an opening between the branches overhead, Gavin spotted angry grey clouds gathering.
The deluge soon began in earnest, and he squinted into the rain as thunder rumbled in the distance.
Floaters were not designed for use in any kind of inclement weather. There was nothing over their heads to protect them and the windshield, instead of keeping debris safely out of their faces, became almost as opaque as a solid wall. Water pounded it, sliding down in sheets that made the path ahead look like nothing more than a wavering blob of brown and green. Leaves swirled around them, driven from the treetops by the force of the growing storm. Wet branches assailed them from both sides as the wind picked up, and Gavin could feel his feet freezing in the growing puddle in the Floater’s base.
“This is crazy,” Ollie said at last.
“We have to keep going.” Gavin was uncomfortable, too, but there was nothing that could be done. “We need to get there quickly or we’ll lose our chance.”
The single floodlight did little to light their path in the gathering darkness, the tiny swath of illumination it offered outweighed by Gavin’s inability to see through the windshield.
He pressed on for a few more minutes before realizing that Ollie was right. This was crazy, and they wouldn’t get very far in such conditions.
“Alright. I’ll find a place to wait this out. But we leave again as soon as the rain dies down.”
The sky flashed.
Gavin had been doing his best to follow the wending path of a brook. It had been widening as they went, and up ahead it dipped into a deep ravine. The steep walls on either side offered a small respite from the strong wind and revealed several caves large enough to shelter them from the rain. Gavin navigated the Floater into one before following his companions into another.
Ollie looked cold and glum as he helped Onyx to gather up the dry sticks and leaves that littered the interior of the cave. No one spoke as Gavin set about getting a fire started.
He’d been in such a rush to leave Solara, he had not taken the proper time to prepare. If he’d at least thought to grab some supplies, he might at least have a flint.
Instead, Gavin found himself struggling to remember old survival skills that he had not used since training.
Soon enough, however, he had managed to coax a small flame to life. The fire became brighter and warmer as it grew, crackling on the earthen floor and casting long shadows on the jagged rocks that formed the walls around them.
“Make yourself useful,” Onyx snapped at Ollie, “and go get some more wood. We can set it around the fire to dry.”
Ollie swallowed hard, his teeth chattering as he disappeared back out into the rain.
Onyx busied herself erecting a crude drying rack by driving long sticks into the earth and resting another between them. She hung up her sodden cloak and Gavin added his and then pushed his boots closer to the fire.
“I found some wood,” Ollie announced as he entered the cave’s entrance. He walked to the fire and placed his damp collection of logs around the edge to dry.
Onyx sat down beside Gavin, leaning into him in a vain attempt to share a warmth that evaded her.
Gavin put his arm around her without thinking, pulling her closer and resting his chin on the crown of her head. He closed his eyes, willing the storm to hurry on its way. They needed to get moving; Nero would not be stopped by weather. Who could say how much time they had?
It was not long before Ollie, overwhelmed by the day’s events, fell asleep. His breaths were slow and steady, and the next time Onyx spoke, she did so in a whisper.
“I can’t believe it’s come to this. Chased like vermin from our homes.”
She tossed a few more sticks on the fire. “Where are we?”
“Still in Thistlewood, I think. It’s a big forest.”
She nodded. “Soaking wet, hiding in a cave, nothing to eat...and Nero out there, poised to rule the world and kill anyone that opposes him.”
“Two worlds,” Gavin pointed out, and she gave an indignant huff.
“Could be worse,” Gavin said after a long moment.
He pulled his arm back and laid on the hard ground, resting his hands behind his head and looking up at the light dancing across the ceiling of the cave.
Onyx let out a derisive laugh and stood, placing a few more sticks on the fire.
“I don’t see how,” she retorted.
She sat back down again, the firelight flickering across her face and casting her high cheekbones and delicate nose into sharp relief. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them.
Gavin offered a small shrug of his shoulders. “We could be dead.”
Onyx laughed again. “We must be in real trouble, if that’s the best you can come up with.”
Propping himself up on an elbow so that he was facing her, Gavin sighed.
“I’ve known you a long time. We’ve been through a lot. How many bad situations have we gott
en ourselves into? But we always come out the other side.” He laid back down. “This too shall pass,” he said, perhaps more to himself than to Onyx.
“That’s just it.” Onyx’s tone was weary. “There’s always another bad situation, isn’t there? When I went to Sanctuary, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I could atone for the sins of my past. Help the Weaver, make a difference. When I met Duncan, I thought...maybe this is it. Maybe I could choose to just be happy. And it worked. For a while.”
She looked around, as if trying to choose the softest place to rest her head. She laid down and stared up at the ceiling, too.
“But it didn’t take long to fall apart, did it? And before I knew it, I was back on Thera, facing the same old dragons.”
She was quiet for a long while. “Same problem, different day.”
“We were happy in Solara, weren’t we?”
“Were we, though?”
Gavin felt exhaustion wash over him. But he knew he would not be able to sleep.
“Get some rest,” he said. “I’ll wake you when the storm passes. We still have a long way to go.”
Nine
Ice and Fire and More Fire
ELI’S blood had turned to an icy sludge, his heart pumping all the harder to force the thick liquid through his veins.
The convicted, one Mabel Harper.
This was not happening. How had they caught her? When had they caught her?
It couldn’t be true.
But as Eli’s eyes turned toward the side entrance through which he himself had been led just minutes before, he saw her.
Her beautiful brown curls were tangled and limp, her shoulders hunched, eyes dull. He watched as, in slow motion, the judge’s mouth opened and closed.
Sounds came out, but they made very little sense to Eli. Charges? Conviction? But Mabel had done nothing. Her answers were so low and timid that the judge had to ask her several times to confirm her answers for the court.
“I said, do you deny any of the charges for which the court has found you guilty? Do you wish to make an appeal?”
Of course she denies them! Eli found himself screaming internally, outraged. Of course she wishes to appeal!
“No, your Honor,” came Mabel’s meek reply.
The judge nodded and leaned back. “Very well. You are hereby sentenced to a minimum three years of community service. You will be transferred to the custody and care of Cedar Grove Innovative Technologies and assist in any means necessary with their studies.”
“No!”
It took Eli a moment to realize it was he who had shouted. The word came out of his mouth as he attempted to rise, his chained wrists wrenching him down as his legs reached their full height, causing him to hunch uncomfortably, straining against his bonds.
“No,” he repeated, willing his voice to return to the calm, steady tone he had used when addressing the judge before.
He saw Mabel’s posture stiffen, saw her turn toward the familiar sound of his voice. And then, he saw the faintest hint of a sparkle return to her eyes.
“Eli,” she mouthed.
“Mr. Harper,” the judge reprimanded, “this is highly inappropriate. You are to remain quiet during these proceedings.”
Or what? You’ll kill me?
Eli tried in vain to lift his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Please, your Honor. Don’t send her there. Don’t hand her over to those monsters.”
Once again the judge raised an eyebrow. “Cedar Grove is a leader in innovative technologies which betters the lives of people the world over. It is less a sentence, and more an honor to be a part of their work.”
“Don’t you see?” Eli said, twisting around, looking for a sympathetic face among the crowd. All eyes were on him. All except his parents.
They’re too ashamed to even face me.
“Don’t you see what’s happening? They always need volunteers. They need so many, there are none left. Values International has had to turn to the prisons to find warm bodies for their experiments! What’s happened to all of the volunteers who came before? Where are they now? Are their lives better?”
“Mr. Harper!” The judge’s voice alone was a warning.
Mabel was shaking her head at Eli, begging him with her eyes to sit and obey.
But she didn’t understand. He had nothing to lose. And he had done all this, everything, for her. Now she was facing a fate that, in his estimation, would be far worse than death.
“Miss Harper, please accompany the bailiff. He will escort you to the proper authorities to begin the custody transfer.”
“Wait,” Eli pleaded, shouting. The judge looked angry now, flustered. He slammed both of his large hands against his stand with a hollow thud.
“Mr. Harper,” he growled, “I would ask you one last time to take your seat and remain silent.”
“I will do whatever you ask,” Eli told him, nodding. “I just have one final request. If it please the court, I beg you to forgive my rash judgement. Please. Please, let me join the pilot program.”
His gaze trailed after Mabel as she craned her neck to look back, not wanting to lose sight of her as she disappeared out another exit. He didn’t want to lose sight of her ever again.
“I don’t want to die,” he told the judge sincerely.
I don’t want to leave her alone.
***
Eli wasn’t sure what he’d expected of Antarctica.
He’d heard tell of the melting ice caps, the huge stretches of barren rock where the hidden continent had been exposed.
Somehow, he had not expected it to still be so cold.
The wind was unforgiving as he disembarked from the plane, showing an utter disregard for the thin beige jacket he’d been issued. He ignored it, his eyes scanning the empty horizon for some sign of his sister.
He’d been certain that they’d be sent together, but for whatever reason she had not been on his flight.
A small glimmer of hope refused to die. His parents might have given up on him, but never on Mabel. They would have fought to negotiate for her freedom, done whatever they could. Perhaps they had succeeded.
Eli would gladly face the tortures of this place, knowing that she was safe.
Besides the small group of “volunteers” and guards that accompanied him, there was no one else around. At least, no one he could see. The light was dim, the floodlights doing little to illuminate the landscape beyond the narrow path they followed. In the distance, a white building could be seen, glowing in the artificial light. As they trudged forward, it seemed to grow larger until at last it loomed, tall and foreboding, before them.
Several people appeared in the entrance and began jogging toward his group. They wore the unmistakable uniforms of Next Level soldiers, their bulky, fur-lined black coats much more appropriate for the weather than the prisoners’ garb.
They held weapons, and Eli’s heart sank as they drew nearer.
Leading the group, his menacing face unmistakable, was Miles.
“We’ll take it from here,” Miles told the guards, who nodded and turned back toward the plane, eager for refuge from the wind.
Eli scanned the six soldiers, though he could tell at a glance that Shane was not among them. Miles’ eyes flashed, and he grinned at Eli.
“Your pal isn’t here to save you this time,” he told Eli, walking around behind him and growling into his ear. “Give me a reason, Harper.”
Then he straightened up and gave Eli a little shove with the butt of his weapon. “Let’s go.”
Eli marched obediently toward the building, where the words Cedar Grove Innovative Technologies gleamed in a puddle of light from the nearest lamps.
He wondered briefly at the irony of naming a technology company after a group of trees in such a barren wilderness.
Then they passed under the arched entryway and the words disappeared above them.
Inside the building it was much warmer, and Eli found himself grateful for it. The g
roup was led to a small room, where they were instructed to sit and wait for processing.
Though he didn’t know what to expect, he was at the very least grateful that Miles didn’t stick around. Only one of the armed men remained in the room with them, standing like a statue beside the door as a harried looking man in a neat white lab coat entered, calling the prisoners forward one at a time and disappearing back to wherever he had come from.
Eli waited for his turn with a sense growing impatience. Though why he would be impatient to get started here, he could not determine.
His eyes roved over the other prisoners dozens of times, each time wondering if Mabel was among them, if he had somehow missed her.
When his name was called he stood eagerly, wanting to do whatever was required to get away from the military presence and inside the facility. He wasn’t sure if Mabel was in here somewhere or not, but he had to know. If she was, he had to find her.
It was this goal that kept him from breaking down. It gave him purpose and consumed his thoughts to the exclusion of all others; including those that wondered what would happen to them in this wretched place.
That was a worry for later—for now, he needed to find his sister.
“Eli Harper.”
The man spoke absently as he led the way down the hall, thumbing through paperwork on a clipboard, his thinning head of short black hair nodding up and down.
“Eli Harper...” He hummed a bit as he walked, giving Eli the impression that this guy didn’t take the situation quite as seriously as he did. “So, Eli. Tell me about yourself.”
This caught Eli off guard. “I’m, uh...they call us corporate orphans.”
The man chuckled and shook his head without looking back.
“No, no. Your health. Are you physically active? Any known allergies? What’s your diet like?”
Feelings of anger stirred beneath the ever-present worry over Mabel, threatening to overtake Eli. He fought to remain calm, knowing that the more cooperative he was, the sooner this would be finished.
“We eat whatever we can get,” he said, hearing the twinge of bitterness in his own voice. “And yeah, I guess I’m pretty active.”