Didn’t they turn their backs on the paladins first? Clarity thought, but Archer and Grace both looked so serious, she didn’t dare voice the question. She had to confess, she was curious about life in the Azure District, and she didn’t think she would have another opportunity to go. “Okay.”
Archer’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” A wary look crept into his eyes, and he put his hand back on his laser pistol.
He didn’t expect me to say yes. Well, I’m not backing down now. Grace put a hand on Archer’s arm, and Clarity would have had to be blind to miss the intense look they exchanged. It was Clarity’s turn to be astonished. Paladins had romantic relationships with people outside the order all the time, but not with Azurites. How had the two even met?
“You can trust Clarity,” said Grace, keeping her gaze locked on Archer’s. “She’s one of the good ones.”
This must be my day for surprises. Clarity had had no idea the other girl thought so well of her. She’d certainly never given Grace much thought. She tried to hide her amazement, but she needn’t have bothered. Grace had all her attention on wordlessly convincing Archer to take Clarity to his home. Clarity shifted her weight at the awkwardness of watching the silent exchange and nearly yelped in pain as she put too much weight on her injured leg.
Eventually, Archer looked away. “Fine. We’ll take her, but if she reacts badly, I reserve the right to kill her.” His gruff voice lacked its previous malice, so Clarity hoped any risk to her life was over.
“I have to take the motorcycle,” Clarity said. “Someone might steal it if I leave it here.”
“I thought your precious order had eliminated theft in the city.” Clarity ignored Archer’s mocking as she got on the bike.
She put it on the slowest setting and turned to Grace. “Let’s go. I can keep pace with you.”
The trio moved through the city streets with only the slight hum of the motorcycle to give away their presence. Grace and Archer kept up a steady pace, but their footfalls made no noise, which impressed Clarity despite herself. She had to wonder about Archer and what in his life had taught him to move like a cat. She supposed she was about to find out.
As she approached the Azure District, Clarity realized she had never gotten this close to the forbidden part of the city. If she had thought about it, she would have expected guards at the entrance---either paladin guards keeping people out or Azurites keeping people in. As she drove along the tall but run-down brick wall perimeter of the district, she spied the entrance, and equally decrepit and abandoned passage into no-man’s land.
She peered through the archway in the wall, not sure what she would see. A sprawling utopia seemed unlikely, but both Azurites she had seen dressed well, and Archer had a high-tech weapon, so she didn’t rule out glistening buildings and a wealthy populace. What she saw, though, was utter desolation.
Things might have been okay in the district once upon a time. Someone had laid down heated tiles for the roads, though the model was fifty years out of date, and the architecture suggested the buildings had been new about as long ago. From the looks of things, no one had repaired either in the interceding time. Wires stuck out of the roads at every angle, and Clarity hoped the batteries had died, or she worried about the safety of the tiles, especially in the rain. The buildings all lacked adequate shingles on the roofs, and one shop in her line of sight had a giant hole in the side with no evidence of a construction crew in sight.
“What’s the matter, paladin?” Archer asked, and Clarity realized her mouth had fallen open. “Didn’t realize you had turned your noble noses up at people living in such squalor?”
“The Azurites turned their noses up at the paladins,” Clarity said without much conviction. She didn’t think anyone should have to live like this, no matter what their beliefs were. “Not the other way around.”
Grace sniffed. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Come on.”
Clarity puttered forward into the Azure District, half expecting someone to come jumping out to take away her paladin status as soon as she crossed the border. Nothing happened. Even the few people milling about the shops barely gave her a second glance. “Where are we going?”
Archer inclined his head toward a side road. “Let’s go see Evelyn and her kids. That should knock some of the righteousness out of your paladin head.”
Clarity tried to give Archer a level stare to show his words didn’t affect her, but her surroundings had shocked her so much, she couldn’t do anything but stare in horror. Archer seemed to think the buildings’ disrepair was the paladins’ fault, but she didn’t see how it could be, given paladins weren’t allowed in the district. Did her order know about the Azurites’ plight and refuse to help? Did they offer help only to be rebuffed? She wasn’t sure about any of it.
Clarity followed Archer and Grace down a few side streets, and Clarity took time to study the people she passed. Archer’s clothes might have looked fresh and modern, but the outfits of everyone else looked like third generation hand-me-downs. The bright blue Azure District patches stood out against their clothes as the only sign of newness. A chill ran down Clarity’s spine as she realized someone must provide the Azurites with patches, despite giving them nothing else.
Heads turned as Clarity rode down the street on her glistening motorcycle, but no one said anything to her. One elderly man spat at his feet when he saw her, and Clarity wondered if she was supposed to bow her head in shame. She didn’t. She held her head up high as she continued down the road on the only vehicle in sight. I didn’t abandon these people. I didn’t even know about them. She repeated the mantra to herself until Archer stopped outside a ramshackle house.
“After you, paladin,” Archer said with a quirk of his eyebrow.
Clarity dismounted from her bike and unlatched her crutches. She took a bravado-filled step toward the door. She stopped when Grace grabbed her arm. “You’d better go first, Archer,” Grace said. “There’s no telling how Evelyn will react.”
Archer gave a feral grin. “I’d like to see my sister go toe-to-toe with a paladin.”
“No,” Grace said. “You wouldn’t.” The two once again locked stares and had a conversation with only their eyes,, until finally Archer took the last few steps toward the wooden door. Unlike every door in the Citadel, Archer had to grab a handle and push the door open manually. Clarity hobbled forward after him.
“Archer, I’m not in the mood for your kind of trouble,” said a woman’s voice as Clarity passed through the entryway. “Kimessa’s sick, and I’m worried about Elliott catching it.” As Clarity crossed from a small living room into a run-down but clean kitchen with green cupboards and red-checked curtains, she saw Evelyn. The woman had Archer’s dark hair and pointed features, but instead of looking angry and proud, she appeared tired and almost hysterical. She glanced up and caught Clarity’s eye. “I’m not up for entertaining guests. Especially paladins.” She all but spat the last word.
“Clarity’s here for a little show and tell,” Archer said. “And what do you mean, Kimessa’s sick? I just saw her two days ago. She was fine.”
Grace paled. “It’s not the disease that’s been going around, is it?”
A few tears trailed down Evelyn’s cheeks as she nodded. “She’s got the same rash as Jermaine’s son did before he…” She trailed off, glancing at Clarity, then bit her lip and looked out the window.
Clarity gaped at the woman. Evelyn was talking about children dying. Children shouldn’t die, and if there’s a disease going around, it could spread to the main city! “What kind of rash?” she asked.
Evelyn looked at Clarity, tears brimming in her eyes, but Grace was the one who said, “It’s Clement’s Disease.”
Clarity frowned. “Clement’s Disease? But there’s a vaccine for that, and it’s treatable with Dovexin.”
“Not in the Azure District it’s not.” Archer’s tone was harsh.
“But…” Clarity trailed off. No paladin tech here. That includes medications.
Evelyn turned her face so Clarity could no longer see the tears flowing down her cheeks. “I went to Garrett to try to get medicine,” Evelyn said. “He asked for more than I could possibly pay.”
Archer stuck out his chin. “How much? I’ll talk to him or figure out a way to pay it.”
“He didn’t want money. He wanted Elliott to work for him. How could I trade one child for another?”
Archer stiffened. “And what’s so bad about working for Garrett?”
As Archer and his sister argued, Clarity turned to Grace. “Who’s Garrett?”
“Crime boss who rules around here,” Grace said. “He controls who gets what in the Azure District. He trades in money sometimes, but mostly he wants favors. He wants Elliott to be one of his enforcers.”
“How old is Elliott?” Clarity had gotten the impression Evelyn’s children were young.
“Nine or ten?” Grace laughed at Clarity’s appalled expression. “Garrett needs enforcers among the children, too. No one’s too young to owe favors to him. Besides, he likes to get them when they’re little and their brains are still malleable. You know, like the paladins do.”
Before Clarity could answer, Evelyn raised her voice. “Can you please just go, Archer? Like I said, I’m not in the mood for your kind of trouble.”
“Fine,” Archer said. “But this conversation isn’t finished. I’ll stop by later. He scowled at Clarity. “Alone.”
Clarity took in Archer’s nice suit and realized what having money in this district had to mean. I don’t think I’m the problem here, she thought, but she followed Archer and Grace out the door. She spared one last glance back at Evelyn and met the woman’s glare. Clarity wanted to offer the woman a reassuring smile, but she couldn’t form the expression.
As soon as they were outside with the door closed, Clarity turned to Archer’s retreating form. “I don’t understand.”
Archer turned. “What don’t you understand? It’s easy. Kimessa’s going to die if Elliott doesn’t go work for Garrett, and my sister’s too blind to see it.” As he spoke, he stalked forward until he stood over Clarity in what had to be an attempt at intimidation.
Clarity wasn’t cowed. “I don’t understand why you would rather submit to this Garrett fellow than accept help from the paladins. We don’t demand anything in exchange.”
“Oh, really?” Grace said. “That’s rich coming from a stolen child. If Elliott went to work for Garrett, he’d at least get to see his family. Do you even know your real name? Because I don’t know mine.”
Clarity blinked at Grace. The paladin spy was right, of course. Clarity had no idea who her family was or where she was from. The paladin order had adopted her when she was so young, she had no memories of the time before. As a general rule, though, that didn’t bother her. The order was her home. “My name is Clarity,” she said with determined sincerity. “And it’s different. The paladins are a good order. They don’t withhold medicine from people who need it.”
Archer snorted. “Tell that to Evelyn.” He turned to Grace. “I’m done. Get her out of here. I’ve had enough of paladins for one day.” He spun and strode away before he could see the devastated look on Grace’s face.
Does he include her in that, or does he forget she’s a paladin, too? Clarity almost reached out a hand in sympathy to Grace, but by the time she had disentangled her arm from her crutch, the other paladin’s face had hardened. “Let’s get out of here,” Grace said.
Clarity got back on her motorcycle and wheeled along beside Grace in silence for several minutes. She wanted to forget everything she had seen, dismiss it as something she could do nothing about, but she knew that would be making the easy decision, not the right one. She and Grace weren’t friends, but maybe they could work together in this. “We need to help these people.”
Grace snorted. “Okay, whatever.”
Clarity stopped and stuck her crutch in front of Grace, causing the smaller girl to stumble. “I’m serious. Children are dying, and everyone is at the mercy of a crime boss. They need our help.”
Grace straightened and tried to continue walking, but Clarity blocked her way again. “They don’t want our help,” Grace said.
“So they say, but they can’t be happier under Garrett’s rule than they would be getting aid from the paladins.”
Grace kicked Clarity’s crutch, and this time, Clarity let her go. “You don’t get it,” Grace said. “They don’t want anyone to rule them. They want to be free.”
Clarity moved to keep pace with Grace. “And you see how well that’s working out for them.”
“You’ve been here for an hour, and suddenly you understand them?” Grace kicked at the wires sticking out of the road tiles. “You don’t know anything.”
“I know children are dying from an easily treated disease.”
Grace opened her mouth like she wanted to disagree, then closed it. When she spoke, the sarcastic edge still bit at her words. “Okay, all-knowing one. How do we help them? Do rookie warriors have the power to requisition hundreds of vaccines now?”
Clarity shook her head, trying to think. “We can figure something out. Talk to the paladin leaders. They must not be aware of how bad things are here.”
“You’re delusional,” Grace said. “And I’m done with this conversation.” She pointed down the street. “The exit is that way. Try not to get your precious motorcycle stolen on the way out.” Grace stormed off in the opposite direction.
Clarity sped up her bike and headed out of the Azure District. Fine. I’ll just figure something out on my own.
Chapter 6
Cass rang the chime at his parents’ door fifteen minutes before he was supposed to arrive for dinner. While he waited for his mother to answer the door---Steadfastness Hughes did not bother with such mundanities---he stood up straighter. He dreaded dinner with his parents, and he didn’t want to start the evening giving his father something to complain about.
He’d been a disappointment to his parents---well, his father---since his birth. Steadfastness wanted something greater for his children than perspicacity, and Valor’s birth a few years later had only solidified Cass’s position as the family failure. The last Valor, Cass’s grandfather, had been a great war hero, who at least according to the stories, had single-handedly prevented Astrium from invading Corinthium. Steadfastness had bragged since the day of the current Valor’s naming that his son would follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. Never mind that would mean another war and a lot of death. The important thing is glory for the Hughes name.
In the few minutes before Mercy opened the door, Cass had gotten himself worked up into a frenzied sulk at the notion of eating with his parents. He’d thought things would improve after Valor had come in second at the Academy challenges and gotten himself shipped to the Astrium border. Yet his father’s constant praise of Valor hadn’t diminished. It had just changed into a victim narrative about how some nameless, undeserving woman had stolen his son’s rightful place in the Citadel.
The door whooshed open, and Cass did his best to school his expression. He needn’t have bothered, thought. His mother seemed distracted with her own thoughts. “That happy to see me?” Cass asked.
Mercy Hughes nee Christoph---of course Steadfastness would never have married someone from outside the paladin Families---almost managed a smile. “Of course I’m always happy to see you! It’s just---”
Cass followed her gaze to his empty hands. “Was I supposed to bring something? You always say not to, but I could run out and get---”
“No, no, not at all!” Mercy’s smile was more genuine this time. “Come on in!”
Cass stepped into his parent’s foyer. The base design of the room was as utilitarian as his own, though his mother did her best to spruce things up with art
and flowers, mostly in shades of blue. She often tried to get him to do something similar, but any decor pieces she brought over ended up buried under piles of wire and assorted robot pieces. His room also never had smells like the aroma of roast coming from the kitchen. If his place had any scent, it was the odor of wire soldering or a burnt out circuit. His place also never had the sound of his father’s booming voice demanding to know how his eldest son had disappointed him today, so Cass considered the barracks a net win.
“So what’s wrong?” Cass asked his mother. “It doesn’t smell like anything’s burning. Does Dad want to have a Very Important Conversation?” Steadfastness always wanted to discuss Cass’s lack of physical prowess, but occasionally the Grand Conductor also wanted to discuss his son’s finances, failure to gain a promotion since his graduation, or some other failing.
“No, I invited someone else to dinner is all.” Mercy seemed to feel better after getting that off her chest, and her smile appeared more natural.
Cass, on the other hand, felt a cold hand grip his heart. “Please don’t tell me you’ve found another nice, young woman to introduce me to so I can get married and carry on the Hughes line.”
“Cass, that’s not…” Mercy sighed. “It’s not about wanting you to get married or see grandchildren. It’s been over three years since Chrissy left, and you haven’t had a single friend since then. Your father and I are worried about you.”
Cass snorted. “You might be, but Dad definitely isn’t. He’d prefer to pretend I don’t exist.”
He expected his mother to return with some kind of insistence that his father did care about him and was proud of his accomplishments, but apparently even Mercy had grown tired of that pretense, at least for tonight. “I’m worried about you,” she said, her face pensive. “You need friends who aren’t made of metal.”
Cass gave his mother his best attempt at a smile. “Okay, fine. Who is she this time? Please tell me she at least knows the difference between uploading and downloading, because I don’t want to spend another evening like the one with the governor’s daughter.”
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