The Torchbearers

by Ally Condie

  Beside her, Opal felt Aster tense. She heard a sharp gasp escape the girl’s lips.

  “Get the heck out of here!” Tyler hissed. “That’s a … a …”

  “An alligator,” Nico said in a disbelieving voice. “In our ice-covered pond. In November.”

  Logan barked a wobbly laugh. “Someone call the zoo. We found an escapee.”

  The alligator zipped forward a few steps, causing everyone to jump back. Logan’s grin died. Shining reptilian eyes scanned the group before locking onto Aster. Its thin lips retracted in what seemed like a ghastly smirk.

  “Impossible,” Aster croaked, putting a hand to her chest. “Not here. Not in this place.”

  “Creepy,” Emma said quietly. “I feel like it’s … watching us.”

  “Must be a figment,” Nico answered firmly. “We just have to take care of business.”

  “That is not a figment.”

  Opal twisted around in shock. Saw Nico do the same.

  Aster was glaring at the alligator, naked hatred lasering from her eyes. Quick as a thought she snagged the dagger from Opal’s fingers. Aster strode past the Torchbearers, gripping the weapon tightly.

  The animal glared at her, its yellow orbs strobing like camera flashes.

  “Stalker,” Aster hissed.

  The gator rose up on its legs.

  “Fugitive,” a voice rasped.

  Aster reared back and threw Opal’s blade.

  The beast vanished in a cloud of black vapor, which gathered into a thick contrail and began streaming toward the woods. The peppery smell redoubled, nearly causing Opal to gag as the sinister current slid between the trunks and disappeared. When the acrid fumes cleared, the space where the alligator had crouched was empty.

  Logan staggered forward, then spun around in confusion. “What the heck just happened?”

  Emma was staring into the woods. “You guys …”

  A new set of glowing yellow eyes regarded them from beneath the snow-laden branches. As Opal watched, stunned, the wolf from the school attack strolled onto the frozen grass. It growled low, exposing long canine teeth.

  “Oh man,” Tyler said in a strangled voice. “Is this guy working with an alligator buddy?”

  “No.” Nico was wide-eyed in sudden comprehension. “These animals aren’t working together. They’re one being.”

  Opal started. “What?”

  Nico’s gaze shot to her, a terrible fear lurking there. “It’s the same creature, Opal. The wolf. The bobcat. Even that bird from the beach. And now an alligator. The form varies, but the eyes never change. And that awful smell shows up every time!”

  The wolf regarded Nico coldly, its lips pulling back in an impish smile. Another black cloud engulfed it, then faded as quickly. The odor of harsh spices flooded the field once more as a new form faced them: an elderly woman wearing a long raincoat.

  “Oh my gosh,” Tyler wheezed, grabbing Nico’s arm. “That lady in the park! The last time we snuck to the Torchbearer office.”

  Nico nodded. “I remember. She was watching us.”

  The creature scowled, its yellow eyes narrowing in contempt. “Human scum.”

  Despite everything, Opal felt her temper explode. “Whatever this monster is, we can take it. Spread out. Don’t let it get away.”

  Nico nodded, some of the color returning to his face. “Tyler, Emma. Flank positions. Logan and Opal—you’re with me. Aster, watch our backs.” Nico curled his lips at the unfathomable life-form before them. “Let’s take this punk down.”

  The group fanned out, but before they could do more, black smoke enveloped the creature yet again. When the haze dissipated, the huge bird from the beach was smirking at them. Fast as thought, the creature shot into the sky, flapped its giant wings—once, twice—and was gone.

  “Whoa,” Tyler said, still gripping his dagger with white knuckles. “That was not a figment.”

  Nico shook his head. “It could speak, though. Aster, you called it something?”

  Logan looked around in confusion. “Where is Aster?”

  They all turned as one.

  The French girl was gone.

  Opal did a quick scan of the field, but with the mists still swirling it was hard to see. “Did she bail?”

  Emma nervously bit her lip. “Maybe she went back to the houseboat? That thing seemed to scare her pretty bad.”

  “We better check,” Tyler huffed. “I don’t want her swiping any more daggers. Y’all heard her angling for one.”

  “She called that creature a name,” Nico insisted. “Like … like she knew it.”

  Opal felt a twinge of unease. “Come on. Quickly.”

  They hustled back across the field and over the pond. Opal kept darting glances at Nico. His expression was tight, his gaze unfocused. She sensed it was more than just the yellow-eyed shapeshifter—that howling gray figment had shaken him badly, even though he’d managed to dispel it himself. But Opal knew the scar was still fresh. Some dark corner of his soul had snuck out to say hello, and Nico clearly hadn’t been prepared for it.

  Opal shivered. Was this becoming more than they could handle?

  It always was, she reminded herself. We just have to keep trying.

  Opal reached the front door first and pushed it open. “Aster? Are you in here?”

  Inside the showroom, Opal stopped in her tracks. A giant map of the world was spread out across the floor, with teacups positioned at marked locations.

  Logan made a face, squeezing the back of his neck. “Weird.”

  Emma glanced around. “Is she here? Where’d she get a map?”

  “This one came from the blue steamer trunk,” Tyler said. “I remember it from our inventory. But it’s nothing special—just a regular old world atlas, like you can buy in stores.” He frowned. “Well, in stores thirty years ago, anyway. It’s way out of date, so I never thought it had any use.”

  The chart was global, its edges crinkled and blurred. One of the cups had been placed over Still Cove. Another sat off the Pacific coast, where the Rift was located. Then Opal’s eyes widened—over in Europe, smack-dab in the center of France, sat the tea kettle. More cups and saucers were positioned in different places around the world.

  “Look.” Logan pointed to a little plate. “She placed that one over Yellowstone. What’s she doing? What does this mean?”

  Worry lines dug across Nico’s forehead. “Aster wasn’t in town yesterday cruising around for pizza. She was investigating something. I wonder if she found her answers.”

  “We should’ve searched that bag,” Logan said sourly, studiously avoiding a glance in Opal’s direction. “Aster came out of the Custom House with it on her shoulder, and I’d bet my life that she wasn’t carrying it before then.”

  “The Custom House?” Tyler flung his hands wide. “That’s quite a place for her to visit, don’t you think? What could she possibly have wanted to see in there?”

  “She knows about the Torchbearer office,” Nico concluded, clicking his tongue with finality. Then he bumped a fist against his chin. “Nothing else makes sense. But how? And did she get inside?”

  “And if so, what’d she take out?” Opal finished. Then she sighed. “Looks like we need to have another chat.”

  “Anyone know what this is?” Tyler asked. He’d walked over to the wooden bench and picked up a single folded sheet of paper lying on it. “Seems like some kind of list. It’s typed. Recife, Brazil. Vichy, France. Darwin, Australia. Wyoming is on here, too. There are fifteen places total.”

  “Places?” Nico was standing over the map on the floor, staring down. He jabbed a finger at it. “You said Brazil, right? I see a saucer in that country, near the coast. And … yep. A cup is planted in northern Australia, too.” He rubbed his cheek anxiously. “Huh. Looks like she marked those specific cities on this map for some reason.”

  Then Nico leaped back. He shot an astonished glance at Opal.

  Opal was staring back at him. “If she put Yellowstone and Tim
bers on there, along with these other locations …” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her heart was pumping like a shotgun.

  “What are you saying?” Logan asked finally. “What’s the point of it?”

  Nico and Opal spoke at once. “It’s a Rift map!”

  Tyler flinched, eyes wide. He swung the list overhead, sputtering, “But … How … where did she get this?!”

  Opal covered her eyes and groaned. “The Custom House. That sheet must’ve been what was in the bag.”

  Nico’s face was green. “So she did go inside the Torchbearer office. But I can’t understand how she even knew the room was there.” His finger shot out. “And how did we miss that?! I’ve been in that room a dozen times and never saw that piece of paper.”

  Emma gasped suddenly, drawing every eye. She scrambled for her phone, scrolled furiously, then held it up for the others to see. “The teacups on the map—I recognize the pattern now. They match the wall holes in the Yellowstone cave. I’ve been staring at the pics I took in that chamber for days. Those niches have been bugging me ever since we snuck through there—they have to mean something, or why would the Order have drilled them? But look! Aster’s recreated their positions on this map!”

  Logan frowned. “You’re saying the holes in the Torchbearer cavern were some kind of … of”—he waved a hand as words failed him—“I don’t know … old-school mapping system?”

  Opal felt a jolt to her system. “Of course. A three-dimensional diagram of Rifts!”

  “Hold on!” Nico demanded, waving for silence. “Are you sure, Emma? And how would Aster know what’s inside that cavern? We never told her anything about it.”

  Emma paled. “I printed out my pics so Opal and Tyler could see them. I left the folder here on the houseboat for safekeeping. You know, with all the rest of our secret Torchbearer stuff.”

  Tyler cleared his throat. “You mean these?” He lifted a stack of photos sitting farther down the bench.

  “She put all the pieces together,” Opal said with a grimace. “Right under our noses. But what is Aster looking for?”

  Nico put a hand to his head. “Guys. If you’re right about this, that would mean there were more than a dozen other Rifts.” He looked like he was about to be sick.

  Opal felt herself go lightheaded. So many breaks in reality … Then she had a sudden sense they were being watched. Opal glanced over at Thing’s former pedestal, even though she knew the little alien was long gone. The spot was still empty, but movement caught her eye.

  Opal noticed the wall panel behind the pedestal slowly inching closed.

  There was a soft click.

  Opal stared for a beat, then blurted, “Aster’s in the stairwell.”

  Nico’s face went sheet white. “Oh no. Why is she going downstairs?”

  For a beat, no one moved. Then in a mad rush they all sped across the room, Opal in the lead. She shoved the hidden doorway open and clanged down the steps, hoping desperately that she was wrong.

  Too late.

  A pair of knee-high boots sat alone beside the Darkdeep.

  Ripples expanded in shimmering rings from the well’s black center.

  Aster was gone.

  23

  NICO

  Nico stared into the black depths.

  “We have to hurry!” Emma shouted, pulling her curly hair back into a ponytail. “Logan, go grab the wetsuit bag and bring it down here.”

  Nico sighed. “Hurry why, Emma? Aster will be splashing up through the pond in thirty seconds.” A steely glower settled on his face. “And when she does, we’re gonna have a serious talk. She’s been holding out on us. How does she know core Torchbearer secrets that even we didn’t?”

  “She’s not making more figments right now, you doof!” Emma shoved Nico with both hands, but only to get his full attention. “At least, that’s not her goal—although we do need to remember that another one will be on the loose on the island when we get back. But Aster is headed for the Void!”

  Opal grabbed Emma by the forearm. “Why do you think that?”

  Emma gave her an exasperated look. “The map upstairs! Her shady recon trip through town. The fact that she snuck off again after confronting that … shapeshifter or whatever.”

  “What, is she going back to Thing’s world?” Tyler’s cheeks scrunched. “Why? Did she forget her favorite pet rock or something?”

  Emma shook her head, her tone growing desperate. “I don’t know Ty, but think about the map she made upstairs. Then she just left all her work out for us to see, after all that secrecy? I think she’s done planning, and doesn’t care what we know now. Because she’s leaving! I swear I’m not wrong!”

  Nico thought hard as the Darkdeep stilled below his feet. Then he nodded sharply. “Emma’s right. I’m not sure why, but I think Aster is trying to pass through the Rift again, and we already showed her how to do it. It’s the only conclusion that makes sense.”

  Logan twisted his hands at his sides. “What makes sense about it?”

  But Opal was nodding, too. “Aster has gone through every scrap of Torchbearer information we collected on this boat. Who knows how long she spent in the office, too. By now she knows as much about the Rift as we do, maybe even more. And she’s heading for it. Alone.”

  “Or she’s outside by the lake, freezing her butt off with a new figment pal. Hold on.” Logan ran upstairs. They heard the front door creak open, followed by silence for a full minute. Then Logan’s sneakers clomping back down the steps as he dragged the giant wetsuit duffel bag behind him. “Okay, she’s not there. So either the dumb girl drowned or she made a break for the Void.”

  “Don’t say that!” Opal scolded. “Did you see anything else?”

  Logan shook his head. “Aster’s figment is probably too stuck up to bother with us.”

  “Later,” Nico grunted. “We’d better move fast if we want to catch her.”

  They suited up in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Nico didn’t want to risk another trip into the Darkdeep, but he couldn’t imagine not following Aster now.

  Why didn’t she tell us about the other Rifts? How did she recognize that yellow-eyed monster outside? What is she doing now?

  They had to know what Aster did. And there was only one way to do it.

  The others were clearly of the same mind, even Tyler, though his friend was muttering under his breath as he dragged on his diving gear.

  Soon they were ready. Nico called the equipment check. Everyone responded affirmatively.

  It was time.

  “See you on the other side,” Logan said softly.

  Surprisingly, he dropped in first.

  Nico blinked at the well in astonishment. Logan had never led a dive before—that was Nico’s role. Logan had always been the most freaked out by the Darkdeep’s mysterious nature. Maybe he just wants it over with.

  Nico went in next. He felt the vortex grab him and pull down, down, down. The Darkdeep sucked him toward its icy heart, blasting Nico into a vacuum blacker than the water surrounding it. He rode an invisible slipstream until it fired him through the blue-green blur that led into the Pacific Ocean.

  The glow of the Rift bloomed below his feet. Nico watched something swim through it.

  Logan?

  No response. Nico arrowed for the same spot. Breath burning in his lungs, he kicked into the glimmering ball of light.

  A blast of heat. Blinding radiance.

  Cold that burned a hole through his brain.

  Nico’s mind caromed like a rubber band, then he was floating.

  The Void.

  Colors and shapes swirled around him like a Tilt-A-Whirl. Nico would never get used to it. He spotted Logan hovering a few yards away and zipped to his side. See Aster anywhere?

  Logan nodded. I spotted her when I first entered this funhouse, but she shot away like a cork. He pointed toward a cartwheeling, color-bending area of the Void to their right.

  Nico glanced down at the Rift into Thing’s
world gleaming just below their feet. She didn’t go through there? You’re sure?

  Logan scowled. Pointed again. That way, Holland. Not down there.

  Okay, okay.

  Opal dropped in beside Nico, followed by Tyler and Emma. Logan again explained what he’d seen of Aster.

  Let’s go then, Opal sent. We should be able to find her if we hurry.

  How? Tyler flailed both arms in frustration. There are no true directions here. Everything looks exactly the same except for Rifts. Then his jaw dropped open. That’s it! That’s the answer! Aster is searching for another Rift!

  Opal’s hands shot out to grip Tyler’s shoulders. Wasn’t somewhere in France on that list?

  Tyler’s nose crinkled in concentration. Yeah. Vichy, I think the place was called.

  Nico nodded excitedly. The tea kettle was positioned there on the map, almost like a centerpiece! I bet that’s the one she’s looking for!

  Emma spun in a slow circle, peering at the chaos surrounding them. But how do we find it?

  Surprisingly, Tyler spoke up. The same way we find anything in these spaces. Concentrate, and let your mind take you there. Right?

  Emma tackled him in a bear hug. Yes! Let’s try it.

  Release me, Tyler moaned.

  Clear your thoughts, Opal instructed. Think about a Rift, and … I don’t know. French stuff.

  French fries? Logan joked. French kissing?

  Hilarious. I was thinking more like the Eiffel Tower. Baguettes. The beaches at Normandy.

  Nico closed his eyes and pictured a Rift—that shimmering slash through the fabric of reality. Then he added a French flavor to the image, cheesy stuff he’d seen in movies. An accordion began playing in his head. A juggling mime danced around the Rift as the Arc de Triomphe appeared behind it.

  Nico almost laughed, but then, suddenly, he felt a … calling somewhere to his right. Faint, but there.

  He didn’t open his eyes. Nico surrendered to the magnetism, willing his body to move in that direction. Something about the sensation felt … off. Broken, in a way he didn’t understand. But Nico didn’t peek from behind his eyelids until he stopped careening through space.