Withered World

by Sara Kincaid

  “Our abilities don’t work that way,” Trayvor shrugged. “A Curare named Adem tried that once and he died.”

  I swallowed my surprise. Surely he didn’t mean Adem from North Farm? Word couldn’t have traveled that fast. “How do you know he died?”

  “They told us that he died when the Undergrounds came,” Aren explained.

  “If your abilities don’t allow you to fight, then I wonder why they keep you guarded,” I mused and waited for a reaction.

  “I expect they’re anticipating another band of Undergrounds. They broke in here once a few years back, and freed some of us. Wish they’d have taken me with them.” Aren laughed, amused by her own joke. “Or perhaps they’re just reminding us of their authority.” Then, she caught sight of my bare arm “Hey, why aren’t you marked?”

  Self-consciously, I tugged on my sleeve. “I don’t know. They tested me.”

  “What kind of Curare are you?”

  “Terrae,” I replied, not wishing to explain myself to so many strangers.

  Commotion arose by the gated doorway once again as grim soldiers stepped through the gate bearing large air rifles. Curare around the room slunk away, many retreating to their respective bunks. Aren, too, moved away as she watched the soldiers’ approach. One soldier, his mask lowered over his face, stepped forward. They must have injected a monitor into my arm while I was unconscious. “Vea Algana, come with me.”

  I flinched hearing my full name coming from the mouth of this stranger. I hadn’t given my name to anyone. Apprehension crept up my spine. I took a hesitant step forward and the cluster of soldiers parted, allowing me passage between them. They turned abruptly and followed, their guns trained at my back.

  Bram,

  A deal has been struck between the farms, the City and the GFL. It means that the farms will be healed and, in time, the earth itself will be cleaned the world over. This is good. But I fear the costs.

  Terrible lies about Curare are being spread. Fear is on the rise, just like it was the day you died. Curare are being vilified in an effort to get families to give up their loved ones. It is a clever tactic. The mayor publishes lies on the Net, and in the dailies. He spouts false facts and incidents that did not occur. They are dividing us, using fear to get us to do what they want; and the people are falling for it.

  The GFL is no longer just a research facility. It is now called the CPA, the Curare Planetary Agency. It will be both an organization to discover new Curare, house them away from the rest of society and give them work out in the field. Their first task will be to heal the farms so that our traditional food sources can be restored.

  The baby will be here soon and I fear the world that he or she will be born into. For his or her sake, I hope that your abilities are absent.

  Aster

  Chapter 13

  The quiet slap of my bare feet on the metal floor was inaudible above the noise of the numerous boots that followed in my wake. The metal against my skin was cold and alien and I longed for the tickle of grass under my feet, even if for just a moment. The guards marched in unison, each step a large stomp, like the beating of a drum.

  I had no clue where they led me, for every hallway seemed an exact replica of the last. I felt trapped, like a mouse in a sleek maze in which all paths lead to a worse fate. When we entered another shiny laboratory, my heart sank, though I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. This room was significantly smaller than the main laboratory area where I had first been given the Pop test, but was occupied by people I recognized. Captain Bertin and the soldiers, Maric and Rhina were present, though Maric wore a clean new uniform, covered with new stripes and ribbons, his reward for discovering me. Along with his new uniform, he wore a gaping smile.

  The desk by which the soldiers stood was lean, glossy and black as night. The cost of the dye necessary for such a priceless object was unimaginable and in spite of myself, I marveled at it. Then, at once, I knew where I was. Kade’s quarters. Every corner and every surface spoke of a man who craved power, who luxuriated in it. From the desk to the shining tools on the operating table, everything seemed brand new and appeared as if it had never been used. Even the soldiers appeared uncomfortable here, lest they disturb one of Kade’s possessions. I turned my eyes to the ground as we came to a stop near the desk and, with a shallow breath, tried to prepare myself for whatever came next.

  We didn’t wait long. Kade, the monster of my childhood, appeared moments later, thin and graceful. He was old, much older than any of the vid screen images I had seen in school. His eyes were large in his thin skull and his nose jutted out from his face. When he spoke, his tone was surprisingly soft. “This had better be important. I have pressing tasks scheduled for this afternoon.”

  Captain Bertin stepped forward. “Sir,” he began, “We have an anomaly here that you might be curious about. An unclassified Curare discovered by Senior Private Maric here in the City.”

  Kade’s eyes came alight. “An anomaly, you say?” He clasped his hands together, the sleeves of his long lab coat sliding down his wrists, revealing long, thin hands and fingers. “Have you composed a file?”

  “We have, sir,” Bertin replied. “It’s been sent to you.”

  Kade turned to his computer and waved a hand over the keyboard. The computer hummed to life. As he read, I studied him. Here was the man who had helped to orchestrate the death of Bram Taveras, the father of the Curare and the grandfather of Leo, now lost to me. Here was the man who haunted my childhood nightmares, the one whom my parents feared and my mother loathed for separating her from her sister. Here was my chance to end things once and for all. If only he would come closer. My muscles tensed.

  “Well, Vea. You are an interesting specimen.” He paused, waiting for me to respond. I glared at him and kept silent. “You’ve avoided us for quite some time. How did you do it?” Again I refused to respond. “Strange attitude for a pacifist,” he joked. Uncomfortable laughter flurried among the soldiers.

  “This one isn’t a pacifist, sir,” Maric piped up. “She burned the heck out of me trying to escape.”

  Kade raised his bushy eyebrows and they all but disappeared beneath a mop of gray hair. “Did she, now? Well, isn’t that interesting.” He turned his attention back to me, his face opening into an intrigued smile. “How did this happen, Vea? I’d be curious to know.” He waited a moment, growing frustrated with my silence. “I am a scientist, you know. If you don’t tell me, I have ways of discovering what is hiding inside of you.” I shuddered. Kade sauntered around the desk and paused, just out of reach. My fingers and toes itched with the little power I had left and I silently willed him forward. He didn’t move.

  I stared at Kade’s feet, wondering how fast I’d need to be to touch him and use my energy to turn him to dust. Would the soldiers fatally shoot me? Or would they be too afraid to destroy something as valuable as Kade thought I was? I could see it in the way he moved, in the way his eyes scanned over me. Something happened during that Pop test that indicated something about my true potential. Kade knew it, but did the soldiers? His figure appeared to flicker. I blinked, clearing my vision.

  The guarded escort that had brought me to Kade’s lair left. Only, Kade, myself and the three soldiers remained. I reached out into the void, preparing to unleash my burning rage. My body quaked with effort. I was far too weak to summon that kind of power. After a moment I paused. Something didn’t feel right. I turned my attention to the other humans in the room. I could hear the thrum of their heartbeats and the absence of the song of the earth in these beings who had divorced themselves from the land. But the only people I could sense were the soldiers. Kade was visually present, but not in any other way.

  I allowed my focus to return to the room and I stared harder at Kade. The plains of his face were creased with wrinkles. And then I noticed that his clothing made no sound when he shifted his position, nor had his feet made noise a
s he walked across the metal floor. His body seemed to flicker once more and I realized that this wasn’t really Kade. Instead, it was some sort of projection, some computer trick and that any effort I might exert to destroy him would be in vain as he wasn’t really there.

  “Well, I think I’d like to see this Pop test executed for myself. Bertin, call in someone from the collection team to administer the test.” Kade’s gaze slithered over my body. “Unless, you’d like to just show us what you can do?”

  Bertin tapped the PID behind his ear and whispered quietly before nodding his head. “They’ll be right up, sir.” The thought of reliving the Pop test and having another block of time wiped from my memory terrified me. I licked my dry lips. “I’m a Terrae Curare.”

  “Ah. There we go. Progress. But that’s not all you are. According to your test, you exhibited qualities of all Curare classes. You are quite a novelty.” I shivered and shifted my position in the hard, metal chair.

  A few minutes later, the doors to the laboratory slid opened with a hiss. “Sir, you requested a Pop test?”

  I looked up and beheld the same blonde scientist who had administered my test before. She blanched when she saw me.

  “Yes. Thank you, Mellara.”

  Mellara paused. “Sir, it’s not advisable to administer Pop tests more than once on any one specimen. I especially think this could be dangerous for this one. Her reaction was quite violent.” She flicked her blonde hair behind her shoulder and widened her stance, crossing her arms over the front of her body. Her hemp lab coat fit over her bony shoulders and fell to her knees.

  The three-dimensional rendering of Kade tapped a finger against his lips and frowned. “Alright then. What do you suggest?”

  “Send her out with a team. Put her to work. She’s escaped her duties for many years, betraying all of humanity with her selfishness. Teach her a lesson in humility. Then she’ll be like all the rest. Brand her like the rest. She will have no escape. If you’re really curious to see what happened during her test, I’ll send you the vid footage from the lab.” The scientist’s response surprised me and also gave me hope. If they sent me out into the field, I could replenish my stores and then wait for the right time to get my revenge.

  Kade nodded. “Fine, fine.” Disappointment marked his tone. “Send it to me. You are dismissed.” Mellara turned abruptly and left. “Take her to receive her mark,” he ordered the soldiers.

  “Sir, if I may ask a question.” Kade gestured for Bertin to continue. “We all saw the test and we’ve seen Maric’s hand. What mark shall we tell them to give her?”

  “A propensity for all four elements? Why she’s as rare as a bird,” he purred. “I have plans for this one. Tell them to give her a red, blue and green bird so everyone will know that she is my personal pet.”

  The soldiers took that as our dismissal and nudged me from behind with the butt of their rifles and off we went further into the bowels of the CPA facility. I tried not to shiver.

  They left me chained to a pipe near the doorway and turned off the light as they exited the room. Blanketed by the gloomy room, I sighed, pressing my forehead against my arm. I blinked into the blackness, willing my eyes to adjust.

  Kade wasn’t even in the facility. Of course he was hidden elsewhere. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Gaining access to him was going to be harder than I had hoped. He would be well guarded, just like Aster. But with no way to gain more energy without killing a soldier or a fellow Curare, I wouldn’t be able to execute my plan anyway. The one thing that gave me hope was Mellara’s suggestion that I be sent out with one of the teams. If that happened, I would be able to replenish my energy. It wasn’t like being on the farm. But energy from the wasteland was better than nothing. I might have enough to carry out my dark deed. I shifted my position, the cold metal floor beneath me chilling my bare feet.

  I heard the tap of shoes just before I was blinded by the lights. I covered my eyes with my arm and waited until they adjusted. “Hello there. They just left you here? My, my. I’m Alors. I’m the marker.” He peered closely at me. “You must be hungry. They usually won’t feed Curare until they’ve been properly catalogued and that includes marking. I don’t have much, but perhaps it will help.” He pulled a napkin from his pocket and held out a flat piece of gummy City bread. Not wanting to reveal my secret, I took the slice and shoved it in my mouth. Alors chuckled good-naturedly. “Now then. Let’s take a look at your file.”

  Alors struck a few keys beneath the laser keyboard and the screen hummed to life. I examined him closely as he read. His eyes were gentle, framed by deep wrinkles. He wore his hair long and it flowed from the crown of his head to his mid-back like a white river, tied back with a plain strip of fabric. His body was round and soft, his hands stained with ink—no, marked with ink. I looked closer. Dozens of drawings snaked up both of his arms, originating at his fingertips. Swirls of dizzying colors depicted flowers, each of the elements, strange symbols I didn’t recognize and more. He chewed his lip while he read.

  “Well, Vea, so you come from South Farm?” Numb, I nodded. “I’ve marked a number of Curare from South Farm in my day. A kind bunch hail from there.” When I didn’t respond, he changed the subject. “Is it as beautiful as they say?”

  “Yes.” Tears pricked my eyes and threatened to spill over. My heart wrenched as images of my parents and my homeland pummeled me. My mother’s long, black hair. My father’s work-rough fingers. Leo’s easy smile and the feel of dirt in my hands. I sniffed audibly and renewed the iron-like vice on my emotions, swallowing all thought of home and family. I must only look forward. There would be no going back to that anyway. Only death loomed after I destroyed Kade.

  “It says that you hold power over all of the elements here,” he stated. He peered at me with blatant curiosity. There was something in his tone that caught my attention, something beyond the genial warmth. His right hand moved instinctively to a thong wrapped around his wrist. The strips of fabric were artfully braided and a silver figure peeked out from between the interlocking coils. It was well-hidden. From my seat I couldn’t identify the figure. I shifted slightly in the chair and remained silent. “Kade is excited about you. I can tell by how he writes.” There was sympathy in his voice and I found myself turning to him, surprised at his tenderness.

  “What does he want?” I ventured to ask. Perhaps this strange man with ink blistering his hands and arms was not the enemy.

  “I daren’t say a word. But when you meet him, and I’m sure that you will, if you’re shrewd, you will notice that he is a complex sort of man. He wants many things.”

  His friendliness bred boldness in me, a need to know whether he was friend or foe. “And what do you want?”

  A smile ghosted across his flat lips. “I, too, want many things. But for now, I am simply the marker. I had better do my job quick or they’ll grow impatient.” His workroom was sloppy. Tubes of precious colorful inks lay strewn about an old, stained worktable. There were no windows, but on the walls he had etched drawings of trees in full leaf, birds and other animals long extinct. How did he get away with it? Maybe he played it off, called it practice for the terrible work he carved into the skin of Curare.

  “And what shall be my fate?” I asked, stalling him once more.

  Alors grew weary and took a shaky breath, his eyes closed, clearly overwhelmed at the prospect. When he opened them again, I knew that trials awaited me, though he wouldn’t specify. “The situation here is quite dire. Fewer Curare are appearing in the population, as you probably well know. And you, my dear, are an anomaly.”

  That word again. It made my blood run cold. “Yes, I have heard this,” I replied carefully, my tone neutral.

  “Then you can dream the nightmare that will be your reality. I don’t have to tell you.” I bowed my head, overwhelmed at the heaviness of what he implied. He put a hand on my shoulder. “But there is strength in you. I have
been marking Curare for nearly forty years. I have met every single Curare brought here by Kade and his soldiers. You are different. And that difference lies not only in your abilities.” He paused for a moment. “Kade did not give specific directions for your mark. Only that it is a bird of red, blue and green. I know which bird suits you. Your life, I can see, has been shrouded in darkness, for how else would you have escaped my needles for so long? But you have great potential.”

  Alors rummaged about in his tiny room, gathering tubes of colorful ink, needles and cloths. The irony that color was given to Curare but other humans were barred from wearing it was not lost on me.

  I had always thought of the marks on Curare arms to be a burden, a thing forced upon them against their will. In many ways, it was. But Alors seemed to treat his task as a gift. Could he be forced into his position, held there by Kade who lorded something over his head? I knew that the gentle man before me would never voice his true feelings. There was too much fear in that place and around Kade for anyone to speak out. What we don’t know brews terror and the maze-like hallways trapped fear in every corner and around every bend. Like the handcuffs that yoked me to the pole in Alors domain, fear brewed by Kade and the CPA constricted my own heart and the souls of all the Curare trapped within their stronghold.

  Alors undid my shackles and led me to a chair. He turned his back to me, sure that I wouldn’t lash out and cause him harm. Did he believe in the stories of our pacifist natures or did he simply trust me? It would be so easy to reach out, to take from him. I could feel his energy coursing through his limbs. Like a mischievous demon, it beckoned to me. I ignored the temptation and followed him like a lamb, sitting where he beckoned with his long, tattooed fingers. He tossed the handcuffs to the floor with a disgusted grunt.

  Before putting the needle to my arm, his eyes took a far off look and he sighed. In that soft huff of air, I felt a sense of sorrow and regret. “I’m sorry.”