29
Kai found a rack of overcoats hanging outside the kitchen entrance. He slipped one over his jumpsuit, buttoned it up, and walked into the kitchen looking as if he belonged. Tucking himself into the doorway to a pantry larger than his top floor bedroom at home, he searched the kitchen for Bree. She wasn’t among the servers, nor those on food preparation duty. He had to go deeper into the kitchen.
Picking the ingredient closest to him—an orange, leafy thing covered in fine fuzz—Kai strode casually through the room and into the washing up area.
And that was where he found Bree.
It didn’t take long to spot the type of worker he needed. One of the washers kept yawning and pressing both hands into the small of her back. A closer look showed her lower back was a mess of glowing green, the muscles all knotted into a spectacular spasm.
He dumped the orange, leafy thing on the prep table closest to him.
“Hey, you! What am I meant to do with this?” The food preparer held it out to him as if Kai had dumped an imitation leather handbag and told him to cook it.
“You’re the cook, you figure it out.”
Kai waited for the washer with the messed up back to step away from the row of sinks. He slipped in next to her. “I’m here to take over from you. Go see someone about that back and get some rest.”
The girl blinked at him. Then her face paled and her eyes widened as she shook her head.
It didn’t take a mind reader to know what was going down in her mind. “This is not a trap or a test. Tau sees you. He knows. Quickly now, before the others notice.”
She left with tears in her eyes, and Kai kicked himself for not doing something about her back. He picked up a pile of dirty plates and slipped in next to Bree. She had to know that the temple she was so eager to get into was a terrible sham.
His hands sank into the soapy water, and he washed a plate before passing it on to Bree for rinsing.
Bree took it from him with her good hand. A few blinks later, it seemed she recognised him. She nearly dropped the plate. “You.”
“There’s something you need to see. How much longer is your shift?”
“I can’t. I’m going to the temple from here. I might be able to secure an interview if my timing is good.”
“OK, that’s good. What I want to show you is at the temple.”
“Why are you here? Don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble?”
“Could you stop being angry at me just for a moment? Bree, I don’t think your Dad is dead. But he doesn’t have much time. We need you to help us. There is something very weird happening here. I can’t figure it all out. But maybe you could?”
Bree checked to see if they were being watched. The shift supervisor was over at the prep table scratching his head, while the chef-in-training waved an orange, leafy thing at him. He wouldn’t be looking this way for a while it seemed.
“Let’s imagine for a moment that I actually believe you. What could we do anyway? There is no room for anything here.”
Kai dried his hands on his jumpsuit, patting them on his legs to get rid of the last traces of moisture. He traced a finger down Bree’s soft cheek. She pulled away and smacked his hand.
He couldn’t help grinning at her. This feisty Bree was the one he remembered.
“What are you smiling at? OK, fine. We’ll go together after the shift ends.”
“And when is that?”
Her grin was not entirely free of sarcasm. “When all of these are done.”
~*~
Kai rubbed his fingers together as they walked toward the Temple of Tau. If this was the spiritual realm, why were his fingers wrinkled? As he thought about it, the wrinkles smoothed out. He sighed.
Bree pulled his hood down over his face. “I don’t know what you did, but the authorities are still hunting you. Coming here was not your brightest idea, you know.”
The courtyard where the meetings were held was deserted. It would only start filling up again for the next service later on. Kai ignored her comment as if he hadn’t heard, but he kept the hood pulled low over his face.
“So, tell me, Bree. You want to work in Tau’s temple?”
“I’ve already said that.”
“Have you ever been inside?”
“Of course not. Only those who are appointed can go inside.”
“So, you don’t know about the temple itself? Does that mean you’ve changed your opinion of Tau Himself? Do you believe?”
“Of course not.”
“That makes no sense. How can you work in the temple without first believing?”
“The hours are shorter, the pay is better, and the rooms are bigger. Who wouldn’t want to work here rather than in the food hall? It’s a no-brainer really.”
“So they don’t even ask you if you believe or not?”
“Why would it matter?”
“Never mind. We’re here.”
“It’s a wall. What now?”
Kai silently pleaded with Heaven for the same finger miracle he’d had earlier. He shivered slightly as a tremor passed through him. If he could show Bree, she would understand. Or maybe she wouldn’t.
This is the spiritual. The wall is not really a physical wall. Kai took a deep breath and employed his finger the way he had before. Once again, like a hot knife through butter, his finger slid through the stones. Too nervous to deviate, he imitated the exact way he’d gotten through the wall before. A rectangular chunk fell through and Kai stuck his head in to check out if it was safe.
He helped Bree through and climbed in after her. This time around, he wasted no time going left but turned right and followed the curving passageway.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Let’s call it an educational tour. Don’t give me that look. You want to work here. I want you to know what you’ll be doing. That’s fair, right?”
Bree glared at him for a moment, then shrugged. The twinkle in her eye gave away her eagerness. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
Kai walked the spiral hall as a tour guide. “Observe. Beneath your feet, a river of black sludge. Yes?”
“What is it? It is...compelling.”
“That’s not exactly how I’d describe it, but you’re welcome to your opinion.”
“Am I seeing right? It’s flowing opposite to the direction we’re walking.”
Kai walked backward, holding up a finger, “Ah, the lady has spotted an important point. The river of black goop is indeed flowing away from the centre of the temple. Note: Exhibit A.”
“Kai, cut it out. Do you have any idea how annoying that is?” She rolled her eyes and shoved him as she walked past.
They kept going, circling deeper and deeper into the temple.
Bree shook her head. “I don’t understand. I thought there were many different things happening inside the temple. Not this endless spiral. And what is up with the wind? I hate wind.”
“This is not your regular garden variety wind. It blows and that’s about where the similarity ends.” He watched Bree’s face closely as they rounded the final corner into the centre room. Her gaze flicked over the streams of coloured dust flowing across the ceiling into the swirling vortex of the central tube. Her eyes narrowed as they reached the middle of the tube where all the colours smeared to black.
He took her by the hand and walked her around the perimeter, touching each monitor, which illuminated where the flow of matter came from.
“I don’t understand. What is this?”
“This room is a collection point. Everything that I’ve come across in this section—good and wicked—they all give off substances that feed into this room, into that pipe. There they fuse together and become a living force of evil, a web that hunts.” He turned back to Bree. Her face was pale. “That pipe feeds straight into Brio Talee, the spirit cuttings, polluting it. It is all part of the enemy’s work. Even this temple, this city.”
“You can’t say that. These people saved me. They
took me in and gave me a place, a family. You’re wrong.”
“Do you feel alive, Bree? Or are you just surviving?”
“There’s not much difference between the two, now is there? Take me back. My shift will be starting soon.”
“Your shift has just ended. I understand, it’s overwhelming. I have one more thing to show you. Come with me.”
“I don’t want to see anything else. Why can’t you just leave me alone? Please. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
“I don’t think your dad is dead.”
She turned on him, her eyes flashing. “Don’t you dare—”
“We found his grave. Bree, it had a date of birth and a date deceased. But his death date hasn’t happened yet. We have to find him.”
30
Evazee floated on her back in the sunlight. Elden floated next to her close enough to bump arms. Silence settled over them, comfortable as a feather duvet. Evazee relished the sharp difference between the heat of the sunlight and the cold water. It raised goose bumps on her arms and legs. The contradiction was delicious.
Contradiction.
Why was she here? This place was paradise and her host was being most charming. She thought that the testing arches would be painful, but this was delightful.
Except for her imprint.
She shot up so fast, a mini wave dunked Elden under, and he came up spluttering.
“What was that for?”
“I have to go.”
His fingers trailed a pattern down her arm, and she shivered. If she stayed any longer, it would be gone for good. Blocking her ears to Elden’s protests, she swam to the side and climbed out, slipping on the rocks in her hurry to leave.
She ran through the gap in the trees and emerged in Shasta’s room with its globe of earth.
Instantly, the sunlight was gone and the sand between her toes had morphed to smooth, polished rock. Her sun-kissed skin felt the underground cold more keenly than she remembered. Hugging her arms, she checked to see if anyone was watching or if she was alone.
On cue, Shasta strode through the internal door.
“You’re back.”
Evazee’s head swam as if it were filled with bubbles. The dizziness worsened as he came towards her. She shut her eyes tight and balled her fists, but he reached for her hand and the warmth of his fingers melted her resolve.
“Come. I need your help.” He led her through a curtain and into a room full of people. They sat on the floor and lined the walls—too many to count. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “You’re going to persuade them to join our ranks.”
“What if they don’t?”
“Let’s just say life will be easier for them if they do.” He shrugged and the scent of sandalwood flooded her senses. “Either way, they will serve.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Shasta smiled, and her head spun.
“That, my dear, is the easy part.” He lay one hand across her forehead and placed his other thumb over her imprint at the base of her neck. Leaning in close, he whispered words she couldn’t catch with her natural ears.
He stayed behind Evazee, close enough that if she breathed in deeply, her back brushed his chest. Words swirled at her in a spiral, twisting out from a dark centre. She didn’t need to read them. They echoed in her head, queuing to get out.
She opened her mouth, and the words tumbled. Though she couldn’t hear them, the effect on her audience was dramatic. All across the room, individuals were standing, making their way forward. Some had tears streaming down their faces. Evazee couldn’t stop the flow. She kept speaking, watching her words tear through the room like a hurricane. Not a single soul remained unaffected. All came forward and knelt at her feet, at Shasta’s feet.
He moved forward, slipping a hand into the small of her back. Writhing coppery snakes flashed briefly in his palm. There was a feeling of ownership in the gesture that made Evazee’s skin crawl, but she couldn’t stop, couldn’t walk away.
Wind picked up, fanning her hair behind her. Everything spun. Her feet lifted, and a spinning whirlwind of air sucked her backwards into a vortex of smeared reality. She shut her eyes and bit back a scream.
She came down hard on her shoulder and lay there, winded, trying to reconcile her brain with everything swirling in her mind. She peeped through her lashes. The testing arches had spat her out and the structure lit up green. Cold flashed in the hollow between her collar bones. She slipped her hand to her neck.
Her imprint was gone.
31
Kai led Bree by her good hand down the starry passage. It had taken an enormous amount of persuading to get her to come with him through the fields of Resonance Pools, all the way underground, and finally to this cave. They’d made it through without incident, and Kai marvelled at how few people they saw on their trip.
It crossed his mind—not for the first time—that a passage leading to such important places should really be under more watchful guard. Now he focussed on making sure they weren’t being followed and didn’t encounter anyone by accident.
“What is this place?” Bree yanked on his hand.
“Shh, someone might be here.” Kai couldn’t ignore the feeling of happiness that bubbled through him from Bree’s small hand in his. No worries could douse the delight in his belly.
They reached the room with the hologram globe of earth floating in the centre, spinning slowly. Bree’s eyes grew wide watching it.
As far as Kai could tell, they were alone. “You see how it’s split up? We’re in a different section than last time. I was wondering if you remembered crossing from one section to the other?”
Bree pulled her hand from his and crossed her arms, tucking both hands into her armpits. “I can’t say that I remember. I wasn’t exactly conscious when they carried me out of the desert.”
“And I still feel like rubbish for that. But apart from that, is there nothing at all that you remember?”
Bree stared at the ceiling and frowned. “There are images, but they seemed more like dreams to me than anything else.” She shrugged and went back to studying the globe. Curiosity seemed to get the better of her. “So how does this work?”
“Let me see if I can remember.” Kai spun the globe and zoomed in. He focussed on the slum and zooming in took them straight to her house. A tremble passed through her arm to his.
“This is not right.”
“It gets worse. Believe me.” He took her down the hallway, and they crouched in the shadows outside the doorway to the surveillance room. “We might have to wait a while.”
“Why is there nobody here?”
“I’ve wondered that myself. As far as I can tell, this is the centre of their operations. Why would they let us just walk in?” Saying it out loud made his heart cold.
“We should leave. I don’t like this.”
“Hold on.” Kai circled the room, scanning for images of the graveyard. It was the movement of a Grave Keeper that caught his eye. “Bree, help me remember this number.”
Bree hunted around on the workstation in the centre of the room and found a pen. She jotted down the co-ordinates on the back of her hand.
Kai grinned at her. “One more then we can get out of here.” He scanned the screens, homing in on the milky-grey one. He read them out to Bree and she took them down on the back of her hand as well.
“This next bit may or may not work. Come on.”
Kai tried to take Bree’s hand again as they left through the side door, but she was having none of it and tucked her fingers into her armpits. They reached the end of the passage and the doorway that would take them to the spirit cuttings without incident.
Kai studied Bree’s face. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes sparkled. “Are you enjoying this?”
“No. Obviously not. I’m supposed to be washing dishes and not getting into trouble. This is so much better.” Her mouth pulled to a deliberate straight line, and one eyebrow popped up high. She couldn
’t do anything about the twinkle in her eye.
“Yeah, right. Brace yourself. This might get ugly.” He hauled the navigation disc out from underneath his shirt and opened the door. The steps were deserted. The web had moved on. “Give me the first number.”
“Oh dear. The last number...it smudged a little. I can’t tell if it’s a two or five.”
“Let me see.” Kai pulled her hand close and tilted his head this way and that. “I’m going with five.” He pressed the centre button and the gadget lit up, humming. A holographic keypad popped up, and he typed in the number.
A second ring lit up and a beam shot out from the device.
“How do you know how to do that?” Bree seemed intrigued.
Kai shrugged. “I don’t really know.” For a moment, he considered telling her that his Affinity was in full swing, but this was Bree. Bree, who didn’t believe in Tau and wanted nothing to do with His power. “Instinct, I guess. Come on. Let’s get through this. Don’t touch the rail. It’ll burn you.”
He reached for her hand, and this time she didn’t pull away. They walked down the steps together. The beam of light blazed ahead through the darkness, not only showing them which way to go, but also lighting enough of the path for safe walking. Hand-in-hand they crossed the first bridge and made it to the central ball. Kai’s ears hurt from straining to hear any sign of the web returning.
The light beam led them to the other side of the ball and across another bridge. Each step they took that didn’t bring disaster built confidence, and Kai felt the tension in his shoulders ease.
They reached the doors without incident. As they stepped close to it, the light beam retracted into the navigator and shut itself off. Kai put it away and studied the doors ahead. They rose up tall ahead of them, two doors that seemed to be made of compacted sand.
“I’m not sure what will be waiting on the other side. The first time we arrived in the graveyard, it was deserted. The Grave Keepers only came later. I hope that’ll be the case now as well.”
Bree nodded. Her pupils were huge in the gloom. It made her look young and frightened. Kai wanted to hug all her fear away.
Resonance Page 23