They walked on in silence. Evazee’s ears grew sensitive to the sound of their feet on dry dirt, the rustling of leaves and grass. At least, it sounded like leaves and grass. She shut her eyes and flung her hands out in front of her like a sleepwalker. She daren’t think of spiders, or anything else with more legs than her, that might be waiting up ahead. To keep her mind busy, she began reciting Bible memory verses that she’d learnt at Sunday school many years ago. She’d gone all the way through five of them when she noticed that the ground beneath their feet had turned soggy. Soon they were up to their ankles in chilly water. It all felt very familiar.
“Zulu, are we going back to Shrimp and Beaver’s place?”
“Nope.”
“But…”
Zulu spun around and clamped a hand over her mouth, pulling her into the undergrowth with him. Indignation shot through Evazee like a fiery dart, but before she could squirm out of his grasp, a group of people came walking through the trees to their left. They marched in single file, loops of rope strung between them. The guy who led the group carried a tiny flaming torch that flickered green. The pool of light it cast was just big enough for them to see where to put the next footstep.
Evazee’s eyes drank in the sight of the light. She followed it as it weaved and bobbed through the blackness until it made her feel dizzy. The leader’s skin looked as dark as Zulu’s. She studied his face, smooth skin marred by pockmarks. The light threw strange shadows that highlighted a deep scar that ran across the length of his face. The more she looked at him, the more he reminded her of someone else. It dawned on her as his face creased into a smile.
Zulu.
The man looked just like Zulu.
~*~
Crossing the sea of glass grass left Kai with a splitting headache. Apart from a few stumbles, they’d all managed to stay mostly upright and made it to the other side without any shedding of blood. They stood outside a white wire-mesh fence that stretched up as tall as a three-story house, running off to the left and right as far as the eye could see. It was sealed with a gate wide enough for two trucks to drive in side-by-side.
Baldy was quick to collect the shoes they’d used to cross the glass grass field. He folded them up and packed them away in the hidden pockets of his baggy trousers before Kai could even think of hanging onto a pair. Kai glanced back over the sparkling expanse they’d just crossed and felt a wave of nausea. They were now completely cut off from the girls. They should have ditched these two and their ugly pants ages ago. The way back was now completely impossible.
Baldy took one pair of tall shoes in his hand and waved them at Jaw. “Why did you take these off?”
Jaw stood up from adjusting the strap on his barefoot shoes. “I’m taking these three to Decontamination.”
“I’ll do it. You should get back to perimeter patrol.” He held out the shoes.
“I think it is your turn.”
Baldy coughed and turned his back toward Kai and his friends. “I outrank you. Take the shoes.” The power struggle turned into a full-on staring battle with each man drawing himself up taller as they locked eyes. Even their chests puffed out.
Zap chuckled, and Kai elbowed him. Ruaan stood cradling his belly, scowling at the two soldiers.
Jaw snatched the shoes without breaking eye contact. His eyes narrowed, the only indication of his rebellious submission. “Yes, sir.”
Zap shook his head with a snort. “So much drama.”
Kai smacked his belly and whispered. “Shut it.”
Baldy didn’t wait for the Jaw to get back into his shoes before turning to Kai and his friends. “I’m sorry you had to witness that. Please forgive my colleague for his lack of decorum.” He adjusted his breast plate and waved them toward the gate. “Follow me, honoured guests.” He pressed his hand to a rectangular palm reader mounted on the gate post. The gate drew back and slid sideways with a hiss of hydraulics.
Zap looked down his nose at Kai as he sauntered past. “He called me an honoured guest.” Smugness oozed out of every pore.
Ruaan pushed him out the way and stomped through first. “He called us all that, you half-wit.” He shook his head as he followed Baldy through the gate.
Zap smirked and wiggled his jaw sideways as a kid would do behind a bully’s back. He seemed to have just enough wisdom not to push the issue with any further comment. Kai sighed and followed them in, cringing as the gate shut behind his back.
What had they gotten themselves into this time?
12
Evazee waited until the group of people had moved out of earshot before tackling Zulu. “Who are these people? You know them, don’t you?”
Zulu’s mouth remained a tight line.
“Talk to me. They could be your family. That guy, he could be your brother. What’s going on?”
“Family is not always good. No more talk. We need medicine.”
From the ground below came a scuffling sound and then a solid thunk. A purple glow rose up from a broken mushroom at the base of the tree. Zulu kicked at another mushroom. As it broke, the insides lit up in the same shade of purple as the other. A few more kicks and Zee could see the tall, graceful trunks of the trees that surrounded them. She leaned down to pick up some mushroom bits to take the light with them.
“Don’t touch.” Zulu’s arm shot out in front of her so fast that she bumped into it. “Deadly poisonous.”
Zulu ran his hands along the trunk of a nearby tree. The surface of the wood was smooth. Zulu patted it and bent down to look amongst the long grass at his feet. Avoiding the mushrooms, he turned in circles as he felt around, and straightened up with a piece of bark in his hands as high as his shoulder and wide enough for him to hide behind.
“Um, what is that for?”
“No talk. I’ll show. You need one also. Hold this.”
Evazee frowned but balanced the piece of bark. Zulu found a smaller one and held it up against her. “This should do.” He took the larger one back from her and tucked both under his arm, forcing Evazee to walk inconveniently far behind him to avoid bumping into the wood.
Zulu rinsed the glowing mushroom light off his shoes in a puddle and waved for Evazee to follow him. They left the mushroom light behind, and the muddy sogginess beneath their feet grew gradually deeper until they were soaked up to their knees. Evazee waded with her hands waving out in front of her like a bad zombie impression. At least no one could see her right now. Her hands kept getting swatted by tall thin plants that bobbed and swayed out of reach.
The water was deep enough to lap at her thighs, and the ground beneath their feet sucked hard, threatening to remove her shoes. Zulu stopped and put the two pieces of bark down to float on the surface. They touched down with the slightest splash. Nothing else moved or made a sound. He held her bark steady and whispered, “Climb on. Boost yourself on my leg.”
Evazee waded closer, grabbed his hand, planted her foot on his thigh and aimed her rear at the bark. It was surprisingly buoyant, and she floated, feeling safer than she thought she would.
“What do I paddle with?”
“No paddling. I show you.” Zulu hoisted himself up onto his bark and grabbed onto a nearby reed. As he pulled it toward himself, the makeshift raft glided through the water without a sound. He waited for her to try and grabbed her raft as soon as she was within reach. He pulled her close and whispered, “Don’t pull yourself same-same. They will know we’re coming. Have to keep random. Yes?”
“You mean I must pull myself along, avoiding a regular rhythm?”
“That is the thing I said, yes.”
“Who will know we’re coming?”
“Not who. What. Come. It’s nearly time. We must be there before they start.”
Evazee opened her mouth to ask another question, but Zulu turned his back on her and pulled himself along. If she didn’t follow, she’d be left behind. That was not going to happen. Not if she could help it.
There was a knack to driving the bark boat that Evazee just
didn’t have yet. She sat cross-legged in the middle, stretched forward and grabbed whichever reed she could lay her hands on. As she pulled back, most of them twisted the boat sideways. Let go too soon and the bark hardly moved; let go too late and she risked getting tipped into the cold water.
A purple glow lit the horizon—the same shade given off by the broken mushrooms—and Zulu aimed his bark towards it. If that purple was from the mushrooms and as poisonous as he’d said, Evazee couldn’t imagine why he’d want to get closer. Asking him, though, was impossible. It took all her energy and focus to stay on the bark and keep up with him. By the light of the glow, she could see that Zulu’s reed-pulling technique was much better than hers. He sat with his legs out in front of him and reached to the sides at the same time. His arms were long enough to catch reeds and pull forward evenly. Evazee copied his movements and stayed aiming forward.
The challenge now was to keep her movements irregular so as not to wake whatever was sleeping deep beneath. An ugly tingle ran through her legs at the thought. Something potentially dangerous lurked below with just a thin strip of bark between her and the unknown nasty.
She trained her eyes on Zulu’s back, refusing to pay any attention to whatever was underneath. Huts appeared in front of them, painted in glowing purple and floating metres above the water. Evazee squinted and tilted her head. They were all mounted on stilts. As for the colour, it was as if they’d crushed the poisonous mushrooms and used them to paint the walls. Some huts were completely covered, while others had the glow around doors and windows only. Of those she could see, one had been decorated with swirls and circles. Looking at it made her head spin.
Nothing moved in the hut village. The place looked deserted. She leaned forward and risked a whisper. “Where are the people?”
Zulu halted his bark raft. Turning it sideways, he somehow managed to shift her so that they ended up side to side. “Nobody can be out during the sacred ceremony. Only the priests. To be out of home is to risk death.”
“Oh great. So we could die.”
“Yebo.”
His honesty threw her. “I don’t see how that would be helpful. Are you sure what Peta needs is here?”
“Yebo.”
“In that case, lead on.”
~*~
The boys stood on a broad, stone road edged by a knee-high wall. The road ran alongside a wide expanse of water, a moat. On the far side of the water rose a towering city of stone that glowed, giving off light to all the surroundings. Bridges connected the road to the city at regular intervals. Elaborate stone arches marked the entrance to each bridge marked by strange symbols that glowed in white. Some of the arches they passed stood open, while others were blocked off by closed gates. Without exception, all of the arches were flanked by soldiers dressed the same as Baldy and Jaw.
The road was crowded with people all wearing soft cotton tunics that hung shapeless off their shoulders to just above the knee. The men’s were cut in a V-neck opening, while the ladies wore their necklines in a high circle that covered their collar bones. As far as Kai could see, they were all identical but for the slightest variation in colour.
A young man clothed in a shade of eggshell blue, tipped his head in greeting as he passed them. Kai responded by tipping his head back in the same manner. Zap waved cheerfully, and Ruaan scowled at the stranger.
Baldy clicked his tongue, exasperated. “Come on. Let’s get you where you won’t cause more embarrassment. Please follow me.” He continued left along the broad road and walked purposefully, avoiding all the other cotton-clad people.
Zap shrugged at Kai and mouthed, “What did you do?”
Kai frowned at him, poking his chest. Not me, you.
As they walked, Kai drank in the sight of Stone City. It was built of stone that glowed softly, setting alight the shimmery surface so that it sparkled. Kai wondered what kind of stone one would use to create this luminous effect.
They passed five different arches until at last they came to the one that Baldy was seeking. The gate to this bridge stood closed and locked.
“Wait here. I’m going to clear your passage with the Gate Guard.” Baldy disappeared into the tiny room that served as a guardhouse.
Zap leaned close to Kai. “I really like his shoes. Do you think they’ll give us some? I was thinking we should make a run for it while we can. But if we hang around we might get some shoes.”
“Shoes? You are obsessing over barefoot running shoes?”
Zap waved a hand, swatting his bad idea away as if it were a fly. “You’re right. Maybe we should just take off. Forget about the shoes.”
“You want to make a run for it. And go where? Are you going to cross the glass grass with bare feet? And that whole mist thing. I think the dust has worn off by now. You seem to forget what it took to get here.”
“Well then, the shoes make sense. Stick around for shoes and then run.”
Ruaan’s face was expressionless. “We won’t mention that the guy in barefoot shoes needed the same platform boot-things we needed to cross. We won’t say a thing about that.” He peered through the gate, squinting to see what was happening on the other side. “Maybe they have food for us.”
“And maybe they’re going to drug that food before they give it to us. Have you ever thought about that?” Zap scowled.
“You’re just sour about the shoes. I need them more than you. Anyway, right now, I don’t care. They could probably feed me boiled water, and I’d be just fine.”
“I can save us all some time and just shove you in the moat. How’s that?”
“Hush, you two. Ruaan, hang in there. I’m sure they’ll feed us on the inside. Do yourselves a favour and pay attention. Remember we’re here to look for Bree.”
~*~
Evazee hardly dared to breathe as they slid silently through the water toward the stilt village. Before she could ask, Zulu aimed his raft between the stilts of a hut on the outskirts of the village. They drifted in beneath the hut together and stopped. Muted conversation filtered down to them through the wooden floor above their heads. The whites of Zulu’s eyes glowed in the light, and Evazee realized that the mushroom paint had a tinge of UV to it.
Zulu shut his eyes and grew silent. Tension knotted all down Evazee’s spine and shoulders, causing her ears to buzz louder than a hive of bees. She was so highly-strung, her insides so jittery, that she feared she would do something daft to break the awful tension. She was a breath away from snapping. She pictured herself leaping to her feet and belting out a song. The only thing stopping her was that the roof over her head might be too low, and she could well knock herself out.
Zulu moved again. The reeds stopped growing on the outskirts of the village, almost as if they’d made an agreement with the village people. Either that or any reeds that had tried to grow inside the enclosure had died from exposure to purple mushrooms.
She followed his lead, using the bracing on the hut stilts to move through the water. Together they moved from hut to hut until she lost count of how many they’d passed.
The light ahead shifted from pure purple to a mixture of purple and blue. The two colours wouldn’t blend, but remained distinctly separate from each other. Zulu’s breathing sped up and a tremor ran through his hand.
Her raft slid in next to his, and she knew instantly why he was so wound up. They’d reached the centre of the village, the place where the sacred ceremony was happening. Instead of a wooden structure on stilts, what they faced now was an enormous floating platform. Two clear glass tubes stood next to each other in the centre of the platform, completely out of place in the rustic, neglected setting. One was filled with glowing purple liquid, the other pure blue. It could only be from the Healing Stream. Evazee gasped at the beauty of the blue. Virtue rolled off it in waves.
Three men with shaved heads paced around the two tubes an equal distance from one another. They swapped positions as they walked, their low voices mingling in a hypnotic dirge. Each wore ragged pants, torn
off around the knees, worn through and holey. They could only be the priests that Zulu had spoken of. As they walked around the tubes on the platform, they cringed whenever they came near the blue, just as she cringed looking at the purple. Sitting directly between the two tubes was a boy whose bones poked through his fragile skin.
A hollow drumbeat boomed through the village and, as one, the priests halted. Another drumbeat ripped through the water and made the timber stilts quiver. The shortest priest pulled on long leather gloves that came all the way up to his elbows. He picked up a glass jar and waddled toward the tubes. He placed it onto a spinning turntable between the two tubes, right above the small boy’s head and connected a thin pipe from each of the tubes to the jar. The two different colour liquids flowed down the pipes and into the top of the jar. Purple and blue jostled inside the glass. As the jar reached full, the pipes dropped off and the turntable began to spin. It sped up until the edges of the bottle blurred. Under the force of the spinning power, the two colours met with a hiss and reluctantly blended.
The two colours glowed violently in a reaction that Evazee would have described as an all-out battle. Beneath the turntable, the little boy huddled with his head between his knees, quivering. A pure white flash shot from the jar, so intense that it was blinding. Evazee blinked back the stars that lit the inside of her eyelids. The chanting had built to a pitch that rattled her eardrums.
Zulu quivered next to her. His fingers were pale from gripping the strut. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he jerked as if her touch had burned through his skin.
“What are they doing?” Evazee whispered, hoping the chanting would be noisy enough to cover their conversation.
Zulu passed a shaking hand over his face. “The blue fights the poison in the purple so it’s safe to use on the homes.” He shifted onto his knees, causing the bark raft to rock. “We need the blue, but alone, it too, is toxic.”
“How do we get past them?” She waved towards the priests.
“Patience.”
Resonance Page 10