“Cemented what?” I asked. This was getting frustrating. I had been manipulated from the moment I landed on Quillan. First by the dados, then by Veego and LaBerge, then by Saint Dane, and now by Nevva and the revivers. I felt like I had fallen into a rushing river and had no control over where it swept me. All I could do was keep my head above water and hope that things would slow down.
I was about to find out that things were only going to get faster.
Unlike the thousands of other stores in the malls, this one wasn’t empty. It was packed, but not with merchandise for sale. I found myself standing in the center of a huge supply of weapons. There were racks and racks of stun guns. There were rifles as well as pistols. I saw a stand that was loaded with hundreds of the long, black dado-killing wands. It was pretty impressive. There was no doubt, these guys were preparing for action.
“How did you get all this?” I asked Nevva.
“Slowly” was her answer. “Shipments were hijacked. Robberies. Some manufacturers who are sympathetic to the revival passed things along. Getting the weapons wasn’t the problem. Getting them slowly, so that Blok security wouldn’t realize what was happening, was the bigger challenge. I’ve seen more than one memo to the trustees warning of random weapon theft. Those reports conveniently found their way into the shredder.”
“I guess the revivers are lucky to have somebody on the inside,” I said.
“So are the Travelers,” Nevva said softly, so that Tylee couldn’t hear. She then added, “But luck had nothing to do with it. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am.”
We walked through aisle after aisle of weaponry to the far side of this large room and through a set of double doors. We entered into another large room with a high ceiling that looked like it once had been a theater. There were a few hundred seats all facing a stage. On the stage were a few beaten-up couches, and desks that were stacked with papers. There were maps set up on easels, along with a chalkboard that had a list of names and data that meant nothing to me. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought this was a theater set up for a play about people planning a big operation of some sort. But I knew better. The maps and data on the stage weren’t for show. This was real. I was in the war room of the revival.
Tylee went right up onto the stage and quickly looked through some papers. She was like a business person returning to her office. Nevva and I stood by the theater seats below her.
I whispered to her, “Why am I here?”
Nevva gave me a “shhh” sign. Finally Tylee sat on the edge of her desk and looked down on me.
“I was impressed, Pendragon,” she said. “I’ve never seen anyone fight like you. You’re strong, you’re quick, you’re agile. It’s almost like you’ve been trained.”
“I was,” I said, before realizing I had no idea how to explain that. I could feel Nevva tighten next to me, as if I had said the wrong thing.
“Oh?” Tylee said. “How is that?”
“He comes from a military family,” Nevva answered before I had the chance to say anything else stupid. “The tradition of combat was passed down from fathers to sons and daughters for generations.”
Tylee gave me a suspicious look and said, “There hasn’t been a military presence on Quillan since the dados were put into operation.”
“Traditions live on,” Nevva answered with authority. “Both sons and daughters are taught to fight, in anticipation of the time their services will once again be needed.”
Nevva thought fast and was a very good liar. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, seeing as she was leading a triple life.
Tylee nodded. She really didn’t care about how I got to be such a good fighter.
“Do you believe in a better future for Quillan?” she asked me.
“Absolutely,” I said confidently. Finally there was a question I could answer honestly and with conviction.
“Then will you help the revival?” she asked.
I had to choose my words carefully. Of course I wanted to help the revival. From what I’d seen, Blok had destroyed this territory. Whether Saint Dane had a hand in it or not didn’t matter. He liked what Quillan had become. I didn’t. There needed to be change. Nevva might have been right. This revolution definitely felt like it could be a turning point on the territory, which explained why Saint Dane was here. Maybe there was hope for Quillan yet. Of course, the demon would want the revival to fail. Tylee was offering me the chance to help it succeed. It all seemed so perfect, except for one minor detail.
“I believe in the revival,” I said. “I believe that Blok must be put out of business and their grip on the territory broken. But I’m still waiting to hear what you want me to do.”
Tylee looked to Nevva. “This is your concept, Nevva,” she said. “You should explain it.”
“It started with me,” Nevva said modestly. “But it has become a group effort. Please, you continue.”
Tylee nodded, and paced the stage. It felt a little like a performance, but it was all too real.
“We are on the threshold of a new Quillan,” she began. “There are tens of thousands of people who are prepared to rise up and take a stand against Blok and the oppressive society it has forced on us. But tens of thousands aren’t enough. We need the hearts and minds of most everyone on Quillan, if we are to succeed. Bringing that many people into the revival has been difficult. The harsh truth is that when the revival begins, life will undoubtedly get worse before it gets better. Right now the water runs, the lights are on, and there is food on the store shelves. If Blok is destroyed, it will take time to pick up the pieces. For a time, people’s lives will become more miserable than they are now. There’s no avoiding that. We have to re-create an entire society. An entire world. But to do that will mean giving up what little we have now. It’s difficult convincing people that they have to fall to the bottom before they can build a better future.”
Nevva added, “Blok not only controls every aspect of our physical lives, it has taken away our spirit.”
“We believe the first step is to give people hope,” Tylee said. “We want to stage a display that shows how the individual can triumph against the odds. We want a symbol. A spark. It doesn’t have to be huge, but it must be stirring.”
“I get it,” I said. “People have been brainwashed into accepting things the way they are, and you’re trying to show them they have a choice. Makes sense. What I don’t get is how I can help you do that.”
“The people need someone they can believe in,” Nevva said. “Someone who is just like them, but can demonstrate how it’s possible to rise above their inconsequential lives and do something spectacular. Something exciting. Something impossible.”
“Something like…?” I asked.
Nevva dropped the bombshell. “Like winning the Grand X.”
I stood there, staring at her in disbelief. I never saw that coming. She was asking me to do the exact same thing Saint Daijie wanted me to do. My ears rang. All I could squeak out was a soft, “You’re kidding, right?”
“Absolutely not!” Nevva shot back. “The Grand X is shown all over Quillan. Everyone watches it, and when I say everyone, I mean everyone. There is no bigger stage on Quillan.”
Tylee said, “We plan to use the revivers all over Quillan to position you as the champion of the people. The fact that you’ve won two games has already gotten you noticed. The revivers will build on that. The contest will be built up as the challenge of a lifetime. Challenger Green is hated. The people see him as the champion of Blok. But they wager on him because they know he will win.”
I said numbly, “And you want everybody to bet on me?”
“No!” Tylee said. “We don’t want people to wager at all. We want them to turn their backs on Challenger Green and the Grand X in a show of defiance. Your winning will then provide an emotional uplift like we could never hope to get any other way. We live in secrecy, Pendragon. We speak in whispers and meet in small groups. We speak of what can be and what needs t
o be done, but our ability to rally the people is limited. With this one bold stroke we can proclaim to the people of Quillan that the common man can rise up and triumph. We fully believe it will drive people to the revival, and when they come, we’ll be waiting for them. Once our numbers swell, we can begin the attacks that will bring Quillan back to life. That’s what we want you to do, Pendragon. Provide the spark. The rallying point. The event that will move the people to action.”
The two of them stared at me, waiting for an answer. There was only one thing I could think of saying. “What if I lose?”
Nevva said quickly, “You won’t. You know that in your heart. You are superior to Challenger Green in every way. You’ve said it yourself.”
“But-“
“I know,” she said. “There are no guarantees. Things happen. But the sad truth is that if you should lose, nothing will change. There will be disappointment, yes. Our cause will suffer a huge setback, but in the long run it would only mean that we will have to find some other way to win the minds of the people.” She smiled and said, “But if you win, we can start the chain of events that will save Quillan.”
I said, “Let’s not forget one small detail. If I lose, I die.”
“Not necessarily,” Nevva said. “The Grand X is not always a match to the death.”
“Does Challenger Green know that?” I said quickly. “You told me with that guy, it’s all about winning no matter how it happens, right?”
Nevva fell silent. She knew I was right.
Tylee jumped down from the stage and said, “Wait here a moment. I have an idea that might help you decide.” She quickly hurried out of the theater, leaving Nevva and me alone. Once I saw that she was out of earshot, I turned on Nevva quickly.
“Are you crazy?” I shouted. “Didn’t you hear me before? This is exactly what Saint Dane wants! That’s why he’s on Quillan. He wants me to enter the Grand X and be humiliated!”
“I don’t know why he would want that,” Nevva said.
“Because this isn’t just about Quillan,” I said, getting worked up. “It’s about all of Halla. If you’ve learned as much as you say, then you know Saint Dane lures me into these situations. It’s like he’s testing me. He could probably kill me as easily as he changes personalities, but he doesn’t. He keeps me around because I think he can’t control Halla until he beats me. Why? I have no idea. But I do know that here on Quillan, he wants me to enter the Grand X and get my ass kicked!”
“But you won’t lose, Pendragon,” Nevva pleaded. “You know you can beat Challenger Green.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I think I can, but what if something goes wrong? Bye-bye, Bobby.”
“You brought Loor back to life,” she said flatly.
This rocked me. “How did you know that?” I asked.
“I told you,” she said. “I’ve read journals. Saangi from Zadaa shared Loor’s journals with me.”
“How did you contact her?” I asked, stunned.
Nevva ignored my question and shot back quickly, “Do you seriously think you’re the only Traveler who uses the flumes? I know you feel as if this whole battle with Saint Dane is about you, Pendragon, but there are other Travelers who are just as involved. I’ve known that Saint Dane would someday come to Quillan. I’ve been preparing. I believe the revival is the turning point here, and I’ve set it up so you can do your job. Why is that so hard to accept? You’ve risked your life many times, I know that, but it’s looking like we Travelers might have more powers than we thought possible. Loor was dead. You brought her back. Do you really think that was a fluke? I don’t. Whether you choose to accept it or not, the Travelers are more like Saint Dane than we are like the people from our own territories.”
Nevva was throwing some truths at me that I hated facing. She added calmly, “If it’s true, and Travelers can’t die, then what’s the risk? The choice should be easy.”
“Easy?” I shouted. “You’re asking me to put the future of a territory onto my shoulders by playing a game, and you think that’s easy?”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “That was a bad choice of words. All I’m saying is that we have an opportunity here, and we should take it.”
“What about Remudi?” I asked. “Did you give him the same pep talk?”
Nevva looked hurt. She walked away from me and stared into the darkness of the theater. When she turned back, I saw that she was crying.
“Yes, in a way I did,” she said. “I went to Ibara. Have you been there?”
“No,” I admitted.
“I went because I thought Remudi could do exactly what I’m proposing you do. He was an athlete. He was a fighter. Together we came up with this plan.”
“But he lost,” I said. “And he died. Or did you forget that?”
“He wasn’t supposed to compete so soon!” she shouted through her tears. “The trustees pushed Veego and LaBerge to use him. I didn’t even know it until the Tato game began! I was| supposed to be there. If I had been, I might have been able to save him.”
“By bringing him back from the dead?” I asked.
“Yes, if that’s what it took!” she shouted.
Man, this was heavy stuff. The idea that the Travelers could bring one another back from the dead was kind of, oh I don’t know, staggering.
“It must have been Saint Dane,” I said. “He must have known that Remudi was a Traveler. He doesn’t miss things like that. I’ll bet he put Remudi in quickly to make sure he’d lose.”
“But why?” Nevva asked.
“Isn’t that obvious?” I said. “To get to me.”
Nevva dropped her head, then said softly, “Do you think he knows I’m a Traveler?”
That actually made me laugh. “Are you serious? From the moment you were born,” I answered. “Or whatever it is that happens when we show up on our territories.”
The door to the theater opened and Tylee strode back in. She must have seen that our emotions were running pretty high, because even though she walked in with authority, she actually downshifted when she saw us.
“I have a proposal,” she said.
“Another one?” I asked. “In case you missed it, I’m not so thrilled with your last proposal.”
“I understand,” she said. “That’s why I’d like to bring the two of you on a small trip. Pendragon, we’re asking you to risk your life. I don’t want you to think we don’t understand how enormous a request it is.”
“Yeah, so?” I said.
“I want you to see something,” she continued. “If afterward you don’t want to go through with the Grand X, we will smuggle you out of Rune and away from the trustees. You’ll never have to compete again. But I’m hoping that after this trip you will change your mind.”
I walked up to Tylee Magna and said boldly, “What could you possibly show me that would make me agree to a death match?”
Tylee looked me straight in the eye and said, “I’m going to introduce you to Mr. Pop.”
(CONTINUED)
QUILLAN
The journey to Mr. Pop was a long and complicated one. It probably felt even longer than it was because both Nevva and I had to wear blindfolds. We were told that it was all about security. The more people who knew Mr. Pop and where he was hiding out, the more chance there was of Blok finding hint Tylee explained how devastating that would be. She said that the revival had faced many setbacks and managed to survive. She feared that if the trustees of Blok learned for certain that Mr. Pop was real, and discovered his whereabouts, he would be killed and the revival crushed.
People spoke about him as if he were some kind of mythical being, yet they were cautious not to mention his name too loudly, for fear of making him seem too real. The challengers offered toasts to him. The revivers said he represented the future of Quillan. I couldn’t imagine how a single guy could be so powerful and represent so much. Was he a former king? A president? Maybe he was a poet who wrote about freedom, or a visionary leader who knew how to build a new Quil
lan. Whenever I asked about him, I only got vague, unsatisfying answers. Nothing concrete like, “He’s a great military tactician who knows how to destroy the security dados.” Or, “He is a wise leader with a vision for a new government.” It was always something vague like, “He is our future.” Or, “He will be our inspiration and we will follow.” It was all very touchy-feely and not very satisfying. I was dying to know how this guy planned to bring Quillan back from the brink.
Nevva was pretty excited too. Or maybe it was nerves. Whatever it was, she didn’t say a word for the whole trip. That wasn’t like her at all. I figured she was overwhelmed by the concept of finally getting the chance to meet the big guy. The only clue that Tylee gave us about where we were going was that we were leaving the city. She said that in generations past, many people lived outside the city and traveled in and out on trains. She didn’t have to explain it any further than that. I knew all about living in the suburbs and taking a train into the city. You guys know how many times we’ve taken the train from Stony Brook into Manhattan. It seemed as if Mr. Pop was a suburban kind of guy. That was cool. I was too.
We were blindfolded as soon as we left the theater in the mall. They first put us back on those electric carts, where we sped underground for several minutes. Though I couldn’t see, I could sense that security was tight. I heard several voices I didn’t recognize and they kept changing, as if we were being handed off from team to team. Tylee explained that it was another security measure. The fewer people who knew where we were going, the better. It was all to keep the location of Mr. Pop a secret, even to most of the people of the revival. Once off the electric vehicles, we were put into the backseat of a car. We drove for several minutes, then changed vehicles. For all I knew we were doubling back, and zigzagging, and doing whatever it took to hide our trail. I figured people didn’t visit Mr. Pop too often. It took too long.
“You okay?” I finally asked Nevva. I wasn’t used to her being so quiet.
“Yes,” she said quickly. Short and sweet.
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