The Light Thief

by David Webb

  Though it wouldn’t hold up well against the Silvers, with flashlights mounted on their helmets.

  She had only one choice.

  Aniya steadied herself, chose a tunnel at random, and began running.

  22

  Hours later, Aniya finally broke through a pile of rocks and debris and stumbled into the fresh air—at least as fresh as it could be now that the oxygen generators had been offline for three days and they were running off recycled air. Still, it was better than the caves.

  The tunnel entrance remained still. No quake like the one she had experienced when leaving Holendast. Was the device broken? She remembered Salvador saying that the Ravelta quakes were not triggered, but the Silvers had made it inside after all, so maybe all the devices were intentionally turned off? Aniya could only guess.

  The sector, as she expected, was without any artificial light coming from the sky ceiling, but it was dimly lit with the natural, warm glow of hundreds of candles scattered throughout.

  As she stepped away from the cave, Aniya looked around and noted that unlike the Hole, the caves began nowhere near the trainyard, but rather on the opposite end of the sector, at the bottom of a hill near the marketplace.

  Aniya surveyed the rest of the sector. From what she could see by the candlelight, this part of the Web didn’t seem to be struggling to get by, and the sector seemed almost furnished, though by no means luxurious. There were still some smaller shacks scattered throughout the sector, but for the most part, the sector seemed to be filled with modern buildings and modest houses. Aniya sighed in relief. She may not have made it to Ravelta as planned, but it appeared as though she was getting closer to the Hub.

  With one final look at the tunnel behind her to make sure that it looked undisturbed, she secured her pack and hiked up the hill and into the market.

  As if the perpetual darkness in the Web didn’t make it hard enough to keep track of time, the nearly two days she had spent in the tunnels left her completely disoriented, so it was confusing at first to see local vendors advertising and selling their goods in what may have very well been the dead of night.

  Her most pressing question was where she had ended up. She was safe for now, and the Lightbringers may not have known where she was, but she didn’t have any idea either. And not that she was excited at the prospect of venturing into the Hub, but any time not spent heading that way seemed like a waste of time.

  She very nearly approached one of the vendors and asked what sector she was in, but she realized how suspicious that might sound. Those loyal to the Lightbringers would be quick to bring such peculiar circumstances to the authorities’ attention.

  Aniya rubbed the back of her neck as she took a deep breath. She didn’t know how far out into the Web the Lightbringers’ search for her had spread. Obviously, the Silvers were to be avoided at all costs, but had her picture been circulated among the citizens in other sectors? It wouldn’t take much. All they had to do was say that she was wanted in connection with the sabotage of the power, and the entire Web would turn against her.

  Then again, the Lightbringers seemed to rely upon a thorough control of the Web. If they issued a widespread warning about anything, they would run the risk of inciting panic, which would quickly eat away at their tight grip of the sectors.

  Just before her racing thoughts could overwhelm her, a flash of inspiration inspired her to grab the radio from her belt and turn it on carefully. Sure enough, a crackle of life came from the device. The radio was no longer suppressed by the technology in the caves. Grinning, Aniya turned off the radio and shoved it in her pack. She looked around and gratefully noted that the busy town square masked the noise from the radio.

  This presented her with a new option. Find a quiet area where she could listen to the radio. She might eventually hear clues as to where she was and whether the Silvers were alerted to her presence.

  Of course, that was the real trick. The entire Web, as far as Aniya knew, was overpopulated in most sectors. It would be difficult to find a quiet moment alone no matter where she went.

  In any case, it wasn’t wise to remain in the marketplace any longer than necessary. Aniya didn’t see any Silvers lurking around, but their appearance was inevitable here in the busiest part of the sector if she waited much longer.

  She glanced around, but all visible paths seemed equally unattractive. With the exception of the hill behind her that lead back toward the caves, the commerce district of the sector stretched on in every direction. Her frustration rose, and her heart rate sped into a mild panic as she fumed in indecision. She became aware that she was drawing attention to herself, and that only made her even more anxious.

  “Stop that child!”

  Aniya’s eyes flew open in alarm, her panic escalating to an all-time high.

  She was spotted.

  Aniya spun her head around wildly, looking for the source of the shout.

  A small but rough blow knocked her over, sending her tumbling back down the hill. After she finally rolled to a stop, she got up and spotted a small figure running away from where she had been standing. A large man followed close behind, his fist in the air.

  “Stop her!”

  Aniya sighed in relief as she realized that she was not the child in question. She deftly climbed back to the top of the hill and watched the chase continue. The feeling of safety did not last long, however, as she saw several beams of light in the distance, pointed in her direction and bobbing up and down. She turned and walked briskly toward the commotion, blending in with the growing throng.

  As she neared the front of the mob, Aniya saw that the chase had ended. The large man was standing nearby, resting with his hands on his knees as he heaved in exertion. A young girl stood a few feet away from him, wriggling in the hands of another man.

  Though her body seemed to be one of a younger child, the girl’s face revealed an older age, and Aniya guessed that she was in her early teens, the discrepancy likely caused by malnutrition. The thief’s long, brown hair hung below her waist, and a thin layer of dirt seemed to cover her entire face, making her wide eyes look even brighter. She wore a dull brown shirt that hung loosely over her thin frame and covered half of her ragged denim pants. While the outfit was nothing impressive, what drew Aniya’s attention was a large, clear crystal that hung by a leather cord around the girl’s neck. It had popped out from underneath the girl’s shirt as she struggled, and now it bobbed and swayed loosely.

  “Do you know what the penalty for thievery is, child?” The large man stood up tall and approached the waif, wagging his finger. He picked up a small leather bag by the girl’s feet and withdrew a loaf of bread and an apple.

  Aniya turned her nose up at the sight of the artificial fruit.

  “You’re lucky the Silvers didn’t see you. I have a little more mercy than they do.” After a moment’s consideration, the man’s face softened slightly, and he placed the apple back in the leather bag, handing it back to the girl. “Go now. And don’t let me catch you near my stand again.”

  The child nodded and took the bag, and the man holding her released her wrists.

  “What’s going on here?”

  It was too late.

  Aniya felt the crowd move around her, making way for five armored men.

  The girl was on full display now and stood in the spotlight created by the lights mounted on the helmets of the Silver Guard. The crystal around the girl’s neck blinked and sparkled as it swayed and caught the light at different angles.

  “Nothing, officers.” The large man turned and stepped between the Silvers and the girl. “Just a misunderstanding.”

  A sixth man stepped forward and scoffed. He wore a plain, gray uniform with red stripes. “An awfully large crowd for a misunderstanding.” He pushed past the man and stepped toward the child, who stood frozen in terror. “We heard talk of a thief. Is this the culprit?”

  The girl shook her head, displaying her empty hands.

  “Then you won’t mind
if I look in your bag.” The officer snatched the satchel from the girl, twisting her arm from the sheer force of the pull.

  The girl grasped her arm, wincing and uttering a pitiful whimper.

  An apple, the merciful gift from the wronged vendor, fell to the ground, condemning the hungry child.

  “That’s hers, Officer. I’ve never seen it!” The large man pleaded from behind the officer, placing a hand on the officer’s shoulder.

  The officer grabbed the man’s hand and spun around, forcing the vendor to his knees as a cracking sound came from his shoulder. “I didn’t ask you, did I? Though I should be thanking you because your early defense of the girl proved her guilt to me. Think before you speak next time.” He released the man and turned to the thief.

  “I’m sure you’re aware of the punishment that theft carries,” the officer said, reaching to his side and unfastening a metal clip on his belt that secured a large whip. He nodded to the surrounding officers, two of whom marched forward, each grabbing the girl’s hands. “But I’m sure something can be arranged if you’d rather not suffer the consequences of your actions.” The officer approached the girl and used the whip to pull the dangling crystal closer to him, staring at it with wide eyes. “That sure is a nice trinket you have.”

  The girl, however, yanked her head back sharply, letting the crystal bounce off the whip and fly directly into the officer’s face, hitting him square between the eyes.

  With a hiss of pain, the officer recoiled. He swiped his bleeding forehead with his palm and looked down at his hand.

  “So be it,” the officer growled. He gestured to the two men holding the girl, and one of them reached for the front of the girl’s shirt and started to pull roughly, tearing the fabric.

  “What’s wrong with you?” The vendor shouted. “She’s a child.”

  Everyone froze as the lead officer turned around and glared at the large man, who was still on the ground and holding his arm in pain.

  After a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, the officer turned around again.

  “Let the girl keep her shirt.”

  The man nodded and released her shirt. He and his partner turned the girl around and pulled in opposite directions, stretching the thief’s body and nearly suspending her in the air.

  A tail of leather fell to the ground as a whip uncoiled at the lead officer’s side. He smirked. “It’ll probably come off all by itself anyway.”

  Without hesitation, the officer reared back and snapped his wrist forward, letting the whip fly.

  The tip of the whip cracked and licked the girl’s back, creating a thin, diagonal tear in her shirt from shoulder to waist. Red flesh peeked out from underneath the torn, brown shirt.

  Aniya admired the thief. The girl’s body trembled, but she did not cry out.

  Another snap from the whip and another lash on the girl’s back as her legs began to shake.

  Yet another strike, and her legs gave out completely.

  Now, with no support coming from their victim, the officers pulled harder on the girl’s arms, fully suspending her.

  The lead officer pulled his arm back farther and swung the whip with an incredible speed, now unleashing the full extent of the girl’s punishment.

  The sound of the whip echoed throughout the sector, as did a howl of pain as the girl finally succumbed to the pain.

  “There it is.” The lead officer grinned widely. With renewed vigor, he began to whip his victim in fluid, repeated attacks, an unrelenting assault on the girl’s back.

  What remained of the thief’s shirt fell away from her torso. Thin, red stripes covered her bare back, and what little untouched flesh there was took on a dark purple tint, contrasting starkly against the girl’s pale side.

  The girl’s cries turned from howls to screams to wails as the stripes on her back began to split open, blood dripping to the stone below.

  Finally, the lead officer fastened the whip back to his belt and motioned toward his men.

  The thief unceremoniously fell to the ground as she was released. Heavy sobs shook her body as she writhed in pain on the cobblestone.

  “Remember the much harsher penalty for anyone who dares to help her.” The lead officer turned around and waved his hand, pushing past the crowd and marching away without another word.

  23

  The girl curled up in a ball on the ground, wailing into her knees as her hands clutched her ankles.

  Time stood still for a moment as the crowd, unable to do anything out of fear, watched the half-naked girl rock back and forth in agony.

  Then, without a word, the crowd dispersed, each man and woman returning to their business and letting themselves forget about the sobbing girl in the middle of the street.

  Aniya looked for the discarded apple, but it had been kicked aside long ago. With another look at the thief, she turned away and walked back the way to the marketplace.

  She approached the same vendor that had been robbed, just now returning to his stall and resuming business. “How much for your apples?” she asked, picking up two in one hand, one in the other. Without waiting for an answer, she began to juggle the fruits, not taking her eyes off the vendor.

  “Two coppers,” the man said quietly, refusing to look Aniya in the eye.

  Aniya feigned disgust. “No wonder she robbed you.” She let two of the apples fall back toward the man’s baskets, one of them missing the mark and rolling a few feet on the cobblestone. The third apple, which Aniya had thrown much higher than usual, finally came down, which she caught and quickly let fall into the large sleeve of her cloak, trapping it inside with her elbow.

  The vendor, his attention on the rolling apple, missed this and reached toward the fruit as Aniya turned away.

  Aniya marched back to the girl on the ground, but when she was mere feet away, a hand landed on her shoulder. She spun around, her heart racing as she prepared to fight whoever stopped her, but she paused as she was met with gentle eyes.

  It was an aged man with a beard that nearly reached his belt.

  “I saw you take from the fruit stall,” the man said quietly. “I assume for the poor girl.”

  Aniya opened her mouth to defend herself, but the man stretched forth his hand, presenting her with a sizable burlap package.

  “Mole meat,” the man said. “Take care of her.”

  Without another word, the man turned and left, leaving Aniya in shock at the stranger’s kindness. After a moment, she let the apple fall out of her sleeve and into her hand, then placed it in her rucksack along with the package of meat.

  Aniya made her way back to the girl, who was still crying in the street. Without breaking stride, she took her cloak off and wrapped it around the girl. Careful to avoid as much of the girl’s back as possible, she picked up the girl with some effort and carried her off the street and toward a cluster of shacks. As she walked, she looked from side to side, positive someone would eventually spot her, but she went unnoticed by dozens of bystanders who refused to look in the thief’s direction.

  Once away from the crowd, Aniya gently placed the girl down in an alley overlooking the marketplace, leaving the cloak wrapped around her. She took the apple from her sack and presented it to the girl, whose cries had finally died away.

  “My name’s Aniya. I brought you a present.”

  The girl’s eyes widened, and she took the apple, munching down excitedly. Between bites, she managed to offer one word: “Kira.”

  “I don’t get it, Kira. Why didn’t you just give them the crystal? It’s not worth that kind of a beating.”

  The girl paused mid-chew and looked up at Aniya. “It is to me.” With that, she turned her attention again to the apple.

  Aniya watched the girl eat but frowned when she left the apple half-eaten in her hands without another bite. “Is something wrong?”

  “It’s for my papa,” Kira said, placing the remainder of the apple in the pocket of the cloak.

  “Finish it.” Aniya pulled the
package of meat out of her rucksack just long enough for Kira to see. “I have more that he can have.”

  The girl smiled as her eyes began to water. “Thank you, Aniya. Though I will save the apple for him. It’s his favorite.”

  “Doesn’t he have food?”

  “Hard to get food without money,” Kira said. “He hasn’t worked in years.”

  “I thought the Lightbringers make everyone work.”

  “He can’t.” Wincing, Kira stood up. “Thanks for helping me, but you should go. If the Silvers find out . . .” She shuddered.

  “Maybe you can help me. Where am I?”

  “Are you lost? It’s not like Shyvale’s a big sector.”

  Shyvale.

  Aniya’s hopes fell. She never cared much for the geography of the Web, but if she remembered her lessons correctly, she had run in the opposite direction of Ravelta and the Hub, winding up in a sector not too far from Holendast.

  “Never mind. Do you have room for one more person in your home? I just need a bed for the night.”

  Kira scrunched her nose in confusion. “You don’t have a home?”

  “Not one that I want to be in tonight,” Aniya said after thinking quickly. “I would really appreciate it. If not, that’s okay.”

  “Of course you can stay with us. No one else tried to help me. It’s only fair that I do the same for you.”

  Kira turned and guided Aniya out of the commerce district and into what looked like one of Shyvale’s poorer districts, where smaller shacks seemed to be the only housing.

  “So if your father doesn’t work, how do you get food? You don’t steal every day, do you?”

  “I don’t get caught every day,” Kira mumbled.

  “Do you have a sibling old enough to work?”

  Kira shook her head. “My father filed for disability, so he only had to have one child. My mother was forced to work, even though it’s not usually allowed. But she died a few years ago. It’s just been me and Papa.”