by Ciara Knight
A room came into focus and green surrounded me. Fresh air, flowers, and fruit hung from trees. Yet we were inside.
“This place? What is it?” I mumbled.
“It’s a hydroponics garden. We’ve been smuggling our food in from here for years.”
A tall, thin man in his mid-thirties grasped my vest. “You shouldn’t tell her these things. It’s a trick. She doesn’t really have powers.”
I balled up my fist and punched him in the mouth. He fell back against the wall then approached again. Fire in his eyes. Literal fire.
I gasped but choked down my surprise.
Ryder jumped between us. “If I were you, I’d think twice before challenging her.” His broad shoulders and muscular back flexed as he clenched his fists at his sides.
“Now, you’re defending her? You’d fight your own kind over her? She’s bewitched you with some sort of Slag device.”
“No. It’s because she will kill you with one breath of hot air.”
“You’re lying.” The man stepped up and I knew Ryder wouldn’t back down.
I pushed him to move out of my way, but his massive frame wouldn’t budge, so I ducked around him. “Try me.” I steadied my emotions and waited for his response.
Fallon stood behind the man with a smile. “I’d think again. I’ve seen her powers for myself.”
“She’s one of them. She’s going to save us.” A young girl with big green eyes scurried around the angry man, doll clutched in her hands. She tugged on my arm. “I knew you would come.”
I looked back at Ryder. He stood still, his jaw clenched. Silver and black hair fell to his temple. Handsome and deadly.
“I have something to show you.” The little girl continued to pull me through the room and up some spiral steps. She stared ahead and I turned to see a glowing orange ball in the distance. It was what was left of the town.
“Do you think everyone died and isn’t—” Her small frame shuddered, tears streaking down her face. She fell into my arms and convulsed with grief, her long blonde hair soaked with tears. I slid to the ground and held her, the way I’d always wanted to be held.
“Y-you h-have to be the one,” the child managed before a young woman came and retrieved her.
“Sorry, she lost her brother and parents today.”
I felt the weight of the girl’s grief on my shoulders, along with the young woman’s who carried her down the spiral steps, as well as every other Neumarian and human staring up at me from the bottom of the stairs. How could Mother have ordered the slaughter of so many innocents? According to her they were deceptive.
No. I looked into their faces and saw the truth. Even if a plot existed to overthrow the world, none of these faces had a clue. All of them looked to me to save them. I’d been groomed from birth to lead the people, but not these people. Then again, if I truly was a half-Neumarian half-Kantian, wasn’t it up to me to choose who my people were and to ensure they lived in peace?
Ryder ascended the spiral steps and sat cross-legged by my side. His muscular legs scrunched up against the rail. “Know you want to be alone, but these people need hope. We’re the only ones who can give it to them.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Hell, don’t rightly know if we’re destined to save the world, or are just a symbol to give our people hope. Doesn’t matter. Right now, we can give ’em reason enough to go on.”
I looked out the smeared windowpane to the distant ball of fire. My stomach churned then steadied. I couldn’t refuse to help the survivors of Mother’s mercilessness.
Chapter Eleven
Fallon leaned against the wall and lowered his head to his knees.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
Ryder closed his eyes, his chest rose and fell. “No, his gift is a curse today. He hears the screams of those left behind.”
My heart ached. Everywhere I turned there was nothing but sadness and death.
Fallon climbed the steps to us and faced the crowd of desperate souls. The orange hue from their burning town reflected off the side of his face. He cleared his throat. “We did not choose this time to fight a war. We did not want this, or ask for this. Now it has been forced upon us and we must face it. Each of us will play a role at freeing all who wish to no longer live under the tyranny of a dictator. Once again, humans, Kantians, and Neumarians alike, will be free.”
The crowd cheered. Fallon stepped aside and Ryder moved in front, his shoulders back. His solid jawline and deep voice commanded attention. He was born to lead. “Uncle Fallon had warned me of the great price of war. I should’ve listened. I’ve wanted to earn our freedom for so many years, but I had no idea the suffering that would occur. Now I understand, and I will do everything in my power to ensure the safety of those that have escaped—”
“We’re still not safe. There are Slags here!”
Ryder held up one hand. “Now that’s a big concern. But, Semara isn’t one of them. Yes, she’s a Slag princess, but she’s also one of us in talent. Great abilities like our ancestor’s course through her veins. Abilities that will help free all of us from the bonds of captivity.”
This wasn’t his fight alone. I needed to speak, but what could I say? Stepping up, I joined Ryder and lifted my head to address the crowd as I’d been taught. They needed inspiration, the will to fight to stay alive. “We have suffered a great loss. We all grieve. But in the name and spirit of friends and family lost to this atrocity, we will fight. And we will persevere.”
Claps echoed off the sand colored glass dome overhead. I had no idea where those words came from, but they rolled off my tongue as if I’d been born to say them. I followed Ryder’s lead and raised my hand to quiet the crowd. Anxious faces stared, waiting for me to speak. “I’ve witnessed firsthand the loss of loved ones. The murder of innocent lives is never acceptable. There are those who doubt my loyalty to the cause. I am here to reassure you that I will never support the unlawful and unjust. I will always defend those who wish to live in peace.”
I glanced back at Ryder then offered my hand to Fallon. These people needed a united front, no fractures in leadership. No dictator. They looked to us for hope. “Fallon is right.” I continued. “From this moment forward, we cannot afford to view one another as different, but must embrace each other for the greater good. Humans, Kantians, and Neumarians no longer exist. We are not defined by our abilities but by our actions. We are now the resistance to tyranny, no longer its victim. As a first step, I will use my ability to remove all the collars from those wearing them.”
Cheers erupted so loud it rang in my ears. The words I’d spoken—they came to me in my father’s voice. A memory? Was Fallon telling the truth? Was my father really part of a resistance?
We stepped back as the crowd continued to cheer and boisterous conversations continued.
“You are your father’s child,” Fallon whispered to me. My insides warmed at his compliment. “Once you fulfill your promise, both of you and Raeth need to head out. Bendar is making preparations for your journey,” Fallon said.
My dry lips cracked as they tugged into a smile. “He’s here?”
“Yes, he couldn’t return to the ship. The bombing came too quickly. He risked his life to save many. Distracted the guards while people were lined up for execution. They escaped before the queen ordered the bombing.” Fallon’s nostrils flared.
Ryder’s hands clenched around the railing. It creaked. I saw the anger in his eyes.
Fallon led us down the stairs and through a narrow corridor. “She didn’t even wait for her own guards to evacuate. A few of them made it through. I’ve given them clothes, but I’ll have to keep an eye on them at night. Not many will accept them. Although, after Semara’s speech maybe others will realize we are all in this together.”
Fallon’s hope for cooperation was an ideal, but he hadn’t lived with my mother’s guards. I had. “I caution you. Most guards will do anything to survive. They also want nothing but the rewards of the queen. Trust me. I’ve learned the ha
rd way that they’ll do anything to earn her gratitude. So don’t let them see your people until after I’ve removed the collars.”
Fallon only returned a forced smile then continued to lead us through a long hall to a series of rooms full of sleeping bunks, cafeteria, and exercise and combat training room.
A handful of Neumarians waited for us in the center of the cafeteria. Two metal boxes rested on the table. Without a word, I approached and pressed my right hand to one of the metal boxes, and my left to one collar.
Ryder joined me, pressing his hand to my shoulder. “Be here if you lose control.”
Raeth stood to my side and nodded.
I took a deep breath and harnessed the warm spark deep in my body.
Power surged without interruption between the box and the collar.
The Neumarian’s dark eyes shot wide as the collar bubbled then fell from his neck. “Triune,” he whispered.
“You’re welcome,” I answered, assuming that meant thank you in Neumarian.
After the fifth collar, it became natural. Ryder removed his hand from my shoulder. “You’ve got this.”
After removing dozens on my own, it became an assembly line of blurred faces until the last little girl was brought in, the one who’d lost her mother.
“Knew you’d save us.” Her tiny hands touched my elbow as I pressed my fingers to her collar. I was thankful for the many collars I’d already practiced removing. With little effort, the dark contraption fell from her neck. “Triune.”
Someone escorted her out the door then I fell back into a chair exhausted.
Ryder’s mouth curved up on one side as he looked down at me. “You be a hero now.”
Before I had a chance to respond, he turned to his uncle. “Uncle, I’ve not heard any banging. Why aren’t the sermechtapedes attacking this facility? They must hear us here,” Ryder said.
“Over the past several years we were able to copy the technology surrounding the town. Bendar smuggled the pieces we needed. We’re able to harness power from the sun. The only danger is when we have to lift the solar panels out of the sand to charge the facility.” Fallon looked around and dropped his voice. “If the queen discovers this bunker, there’ll be no place left for us to run.”
Sizzles deep inside echoed in my eardrums. Why I didn’t spontaneously combust at times, I’d never understand. Would my powers ever calm down?
Fallon pulled out a geo-map and placed it on a long wooden table.
Ryder snarled. “Wait. How’d you get your hands on a slag device? Not touching that thing. We don’t need their stuff.”
“You want to carry twenty-two maps with you, be my guest. If not, listen up.” Fallon touched the pocket-sized black device and a three dimensional topography popped up. “There is some difficult terrain between here and the scout ship. Mostly wasteland. We’ve acquired sand surfers for you, but there will be sections that are too dangerous and you’ll have to continue on sand boots. Once you reach the scout ship—”
“If we reach it,” Ryder muttered.
Fallon ignored him and continued. “Once at the scout ship, you’ll head east.” He pressed the green button on the lower right side of the device and a new map displayed. “You’ll arrive in scavenger territory here. You’ll offer them a gift we’ll provide you in exchange for supplies and fuel. Then continue to Old Chicago.” His voice hitched. “It was a major city during the human reign. The city could still be radioactive. You’ll have to use masks.”
“Scavengers? Are you insane? They’ll just capture us and do who knows what.”
Fallon nodded. “Maybe, but for the right price they’ll help you instead.”
Ryder grumbled.
My mind raced remembering the few scavengers I’d seen from a distance. Men with alterations unlike that of the council. Ink patterns covered their bodies, and they walked around half-dressed with piercings and all sorts of other crazy alterations. I shivered.
“Why don’t we just avoid Old Chicago if it’s radioactive?” Ryder asked.
I stared down at the maps. The distance looked doable on them, but I knew different. I’d traveled to the other side of the Wasteland to reach the steam trains that joined the capital to other cities aboard my mother’s ship. Even in her massive, well-gunned ship we had to be cautious.
I did the math in my head. “We’ll need fuel. Those are diesel-powered ships. The scout ships are too small for a reactor to supply nuclear power.”
“That’s right,” Fallon agreed. “There are rumors of a fueling station there. It’s your only hope. Only the northern regions and council ships are still using oil-based energy and steam power.
“Fine.” Ryder looked over the maps, seeing I knew the multitude of dangers we’d have to somehow make it through. “But Raeth stays here.”
“You need her, Ryder. You’ll never make it across the Wasteland without her and you know it.” Fallon’s lips drooped into a frown of obvious guilt.
My mind went over all the details, but one piece didn’t quite fit right. “There’s something you’re not telling us,” I said.
His frown turned into a wry smile. “Yes, refueling’s not all you need to do in Old Chicago. You’ll also find a valuable asset to our people. She’s been a relay point between a spy we had on the Queen’s ship and the ENR.”
“ENR?” I asked.
“European Neumarian Rebellion,” Fallon answered. “Our spy was compromised and we believe has been killed. We need to reach our contact in Old Chicago before the queen discovers her location. The last communication we received indicated that our contact had discovered something that could swing power into our favor.”
This was getting more complicated by the second. Too many things could go wrong. Mother could be en route to the same location we were headed. “If we find this person and refuel then what? The scout ship won’t carry four.”
Ryder’s eyebrows furrowed. “What kind of power?”
“We don’t know, but our contact is one of the original fighters from the war. If she says it is important, it is.” Fallon rubbed his chin. “She’s…resourceful. You shouldn’t have a problem. If she’s still alive, rescue her and continue east through several other smaller, abandoned cities and one territory. From what we understand, the Horticulture Territory is run by humans. They don’t want trouble because they deal in Verillian juice and Arvenati leaves. Scavenger activity is high there. If possible, I’d avoid contact. I’d advise you to study these maps as you go. Try to find alternate routes if possible.”
Fallon clicked the green button again and old ruins on the edge of a large body of water appeared. “This is your ultimate goal. From there, you’ll find a boat in the Trading Territory. We’ve sent communication to secure your ride. You’ll have to make it to the coast in three days. After that, they won’t wait. The council regulates all trade, and schedules are rigidly kept. It’s at great risk they’re smuggling you aboard. It’s imperative you deliver our contact, or whatever information she has, to the ENR.”
“If there’s trade between the Horticulture Territory and Arcadia, why don’t we stow on one of those ships?” Ryder asked.
“Their trade is via the train, but only twice a month. We don’t have the luxury of time. Besides, they also don’t enter the Wasteland. Scavengers usually deliver goods to the city outskirts in exchange for, well, company.”
I shook my head. “You’re talking about going to Acadia West and East. All the council resides there. We’d never make it.”
“That’s why you’ll use the scout ship and divert around,” Fallon said.
I shifted nervously by Ryder’s side. “This is all great, but from what I understand the sermechtapedes will devour us before we make it a meter in the sand.”
A ventilation shaft flapped open with a bang overhead. Bendar dropped onto a tall metal storage unit, climbed down a ladder on the side, and grinning, stopped at my side.
My mouth curled into a smile for a moment then I pressed my lips together
in a thin line. I wanted to scoop him into my arms and fall on the floor crying, but I didn’t have the luxury of being a needy child anymore. “I am pleased to see you again, Bendar,” I addressed him with a formal tone, keeping distance so that I wouldn’t lose my composure.
He laughed and hugged my leg. I tried to ignore the feeling of comfort, to remain cold. It was the only way I could continue without falling apart. My shoulders tensed, but I patted the top of his head. “Um…yes…well, you have prepared something for our journey?”
“Yes, yes.”
Fallon shook his head and opened the storage door. “First, here is the gift for the scavengers. It’s all we could gather. There should be enough coin there to buy their help. Also, there is food, emergency supplies, and clothes for your task. Bendar even smuggled water from the ship.” He placed the supplies on a nearby wooden table. “We have three each of goggles, pistols, and masks, but only one repeller.” He set a metal chip on the table.
“That’s an implant!” I yelled and stumbled back. “I…I won’t—”
“It interacts with your thoughts and allows you to repel the desert creatures. It’s the only way you can cross the sands, but it’s not for you.” Fallon looked behind him as Raeth skipped to their side.
My head swam. “Raeth? No.”
“She already possesses the necessary metal in her leg to conduct the current. It has to be her.”
“But she doesn’t have the ability to process an implant,” Ryder argued. “She’s not a—”
“Her brain was altered during her captivity. We believe—”
“Believe! Believe? You’re insane.” Ryder stepped in front of Raeth. “You’re not going to touch my sister with that contraption.”
I took the device from Bendar. It was the size of a thumbnail. Frowning, I traced the disk’s smooth surface and serrated edges.