Up ahead the sunlight intensifies because of an abrupt change in the trees. The old giants we have been walking amongst are suddenly gone, replaced by much smaller ones. The size of the trees is not the only change. These are different types of trees. I turn to Taig, who stands still with his head tilted to the side.
“I remember this,” he says excitedly before running toward a bunched group of smaller trees.
I follow Taig. When we get closer to the trees, I notice bright red, orange, and yellow dots speckling them. They’re fruit trees! The incredible recognition springs through my mind. I speed up and jump up to grab one of the low hanging oranges. Without even considering its safety, I rip open the fruit and bite into it. There are no words to describe the taste. Nothing in Securus has this vibrant of a flavor.
“This can’t poison us, can it?” Taig asks while eating his own orange.
“I hope not,” I say. “My question is how these trees got here in the first place. They’re definitely not native to this area. This can’t be natural.”
Taig looks around and narrows his eyes while analyzing our location. “Didn’t you say there was a settlement on the surface before?”
“Yeah, there was. But if this was the place, there should be more signs left over than just these trees,” I say. As soon as the words come out, the answer strikes me. “Let’s get back to camp.”
We reach camp at the same time as Korin, who absently rubs his forearm while walking. When he notices my attention, Korin forces his hand back to his pistol.
“We didn’t get as far away from the water as we thought,” he says. “There are multiple smaller streams feeding into the main one further upstream. It’s a good supply.”
“Map it out on your Coden,” I tell him, since his is the only one not damaged by our unexpected swim last night.
I motion for Taig to follow me. Not far from our tent are the oddly arranged logs he mentioned before. Most of the tree logs appear to be spread at random, but when focusing solely on the lowest layer, I see a discernable difference. The further we walk through the field, the more the pattern becomes apparent. Taig stands beside me, his hands resting on his hips as we both stare at the logs.
“This is definitely the area we came through,” Taig says. “Weird, isn’t it? These logs are so randomly scattered but somehow feel organized at the same time.”
I lean over to get a closer look. “Help me clear this debris off.”
We remove multiple layers of foliage and tree branches covering two rotted trees logs. When we uncover the intersection point, they appear to meet each other at a perfect ninety degree angle. On the undersurface is an object not found anywhere in nature. I point the rusted object out to Taig. “What does that look like to you?”
“I can’t believe it. That’s a support brace. This has to be the old settlement,” Taig says.
I sit back down and look around. This is a perfect spot to build on. But it is also where Securus tried to build a new life before Caelum was able to force them back in. I lean over and rest my head in my hands, feeling both a sense of hope and dread.
“What do you think happened to them?” Taig asks me.
“I wish I knew,” I reply. “My concern is what if Caelum discovered this site before? They could be the ones who tore it down. If they did, the Soldier Guards would undoubtedly look here if we left Securus.”
We both fall silent, unable to come up with an answer to that question. The uncertainty is maddening. We need to get away from Caelum, but the depth of their subversive influence always finds a way to obscure the path to freedom.
To my side, I feel Taig stand up. He grunts, and then furiously rubs his hands together. His feet are moving, but seem to be going in two directions at once. Something is wrong. Before I get his attention to find out what has him so agitated, both of my hands and forearms feel as if they caught on fire. My skin swells and turns bright red.
“Not again!” Taig shouts, looking down at his hands with wide, unblinking eyes. His skin is as red as mine. On top of that, small blisters are already forming on his hands and forearm. He even has a red streak creeping across his cheek.
I grab his shoulder and turn him, forcing his eyes to meet mine. “We’re going back now.”
“But we haven’t mapped the area,” he protests as his eyes move back and forth from the terrain and his arms.
“We have what we need. The rest can wait. I’m not letting any of us end up like Oren. Before any of us gets worse, we need to get back to Securus to get treated and make sure the others know what we found,” I tell him.
We rush back to our tent, where Korin dutifully works on his Coden. When he sees us, his face contorts from confusion. “What happened to you guys?”
“I’m not sure, but we’re leaving now,” I reply tersely.
Without question, Korin gets up to pack our gear. If only Arluin would listen that well, I think to myself. Taig’s rash is worse than ours, so we make him sit down while Korin and I get ready. Before we leave, I hurriedly collect a few samples of the plants around the area and pack some of the fruit we carried back from the trees. Ready to get moving, Taig and Korin turn to go back the way we came.
“Wait,” I tell them. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to go by the wolf den again. Let’s go this way.”
“Good idea,” Taigs says, patting me on the shoulder.
We change our direction, making a new path back to Securus. Taig pretends to be calm, but his distracted movements betray his true emotions. He has been through this before and the possibility of facing delirium again weighs on him. Korin, on the other hand, remains stoic even though his rash has worsened. He takes the lead while I fall to the back so I can keep an eye on them. My only comfort is the fact that none of us have any of the other symptoms of Pellagra. That tells me we should be able to make it back to Securus as long as we are not delayed by any more unexpected obstacles. Luckily, being this early in the day, we should be able to reach our facility tonight.
We move in silence for about ten minutes before an opening in the forest stops us in our tracks. My heart sinks when realizing what we have stumbled upon. Before us stands a large field that was obviously once intentionally cleared of trees. Spread throughout the field, amongst the young trees, are low mounds spaced at regular intervals. The sprawling grid is covered by colorful plants, yet remains a somber sight. Though I have never seen anything like this before, there is only one thing it can be.
I slowly walk to the nearest mound and push aside the flowering plants to see what lies beneath. When my hands feel a flat stone with thin grooves on the surface, my eyes automatically close, not wanting to see what I already know. As I force my eyes open, an eerie tingling runs up my spine. The stone marker has writing engraved on it. The letters were carved with the same skill and precision as our burial urns. Being here feels wrong. I tilt my head up, staring into the field. Seeing how many mounds there are here robs my strength, dropping me to my knees. My words barely even come out. “This is a burial site.”
The writing on the stone refers to a widespread disease that boiled the skin and infected the mind. It has to be Pellagra. Korin uncovers another marker that mentions large packs of unnatural animals preying upon the people. Just as we were warned, Caelum found a way to end their brief freedom. My distracted thoughts are interrupted by Korin nudging me on the shoulder, reminding me we need to move on. We solemnly march though the field, passing numerous grave markers along the way.
“Could all of these mounds really be people who died from the settlement?” Taig asks.
I tear my eyes from the graves, refusing to answer his question aloud. The losses were so much more than I would have ever guessed. Caelum made good on their promise to show no mercy. It makes me wonder if anyone from the settlement ever really made it back to Securus at all. Maybe that is why no one ever whispers of this tragedy in our halls. The people who stayed behind must have recognized the devastation and kept their secret fro
m future generations so our people would not suffer like this again. Even worse, that is not the only possibility. Braeden did threaten to replace us with people from Munitus when he came to Securus for the review. Could they have already done so in the past?
By the time we reach the end of the morbid field, my disturbing thoughts are pulled back to my burning hands. The sensation has intensified and blisters are forming. We continue on, back into the forest, staying far away from the wolf den. Our path is different than the one we took out here, but my compass tells me we are on track to return. A few hours into our trek, Taig’s distraction causes his steps to stagger. I force him to rest under an old tree.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Taig.
“My hands and face are driving me crazy,” he says, struggling to keep from scratching them.
Taig looks tired. Even worse, his blisters are growing into bullae. The ones on his cheeks are swelling under his eyes enough to slightly obstruct his vision. Despite that, his voice remains strong, and he does not display any of the other advanced symptoms of Pellagra. We cannot afford to be delayed for long, so after a short rest we march on.
*
We do not dare stop our determined hike again. Now, the changing light tells me the sun is setting. We should be getting close to Securus. Luckily, we have not encountered any predators today. Korin’s rash does not look to be changing, and other than the persistent irritation, mine has not progressed either. Taig’s eyes are almost completely swollen shut, which slows our progress. I check on him every few minutes, making sure his mind remains sharp. Soon the sun disappears completely, so Korin and I affix our illuminators to light our path. None of us want to spend the night out here, especially with Taig’s condition. Not to mention what would happen if Korin or I get any worse. As we walk, a rustle to the right of us catches my attention.
“Stop. I heard something,” I tell the others, aiming my rifle in the general direction. The sound returns. Instead of waiting to see its source, I fire my weapon. The blast hits a tree, shearing the trunk off at the base and sending it crashing against another tree. After everything settles, the rustling returns. This time I see what caused it.
“It’s just a squirrel,” I tell the others, trying to hide the embarrassment from my voice.
“Man, you must really hate squirrels!” Taig says with an uneasy chuckle.
Our tired group pushes forward. My aching legs cannot go on much further. I do not want to admit it, but we may not reach Securus tonight. Reluctantly, I search around for a good place to set up camp along our path. We keep moving at a steady pace until Korin unexpectedly runs out in front of us.
“Look, it’s the Solar Tower!” Korin shouts with more excitement than I have ever heard from him.
I pull out my communicator. “Securus, this is Kagen Meldon. Can you hear me?”
“Hello, Kagen. You’re back early,” Cyrina replies. It figures that Talia would have her in the control room, especially with how she was able to help the last time I was away from Securus.
“Yeah, we’re not doing so well. Get the infirmary ready, and tell them to have some vitamin B3 infusions ready,” I say.
“I’ll make sure they’re ready. Do we need to call in an additional Healer to assist?” she asks with concern in her voice.
“No, we’ll be fine. It’s not too bad,” I say, hoping the reassurance will keep her from worrying Talia with this.
Halfway into the Solar Fields, a team of Guards appears to help Taig. Getting back inside the safety of Securus before any of us became delirious is a great relief. We head straight down to the infirmary. Aided by the bright lights of our hallways and solid ground beneath us, Taig insists on moving under his own strength. Despite his stubbornness, he cannot see well, so we carefully guide his steps all the way to the intensive care unit. Instead of the usual night-Healer, another sleepy but familiar face awaits us.
“I swear you come here more often as a patient than a Healer!” Rana scolds as she looks us all over.
“What are you doing in here this late?” I ask, ignoring her pointed joke.
“The night Healer was unable to work tonight, so I volunteered to fill in,” Jace says, appearing in the doorway. “I didn’t want to face the consequences if you came in, and I didn’t tell them.”
“Them?” I ask.
“Talia’s on her way,” Jace says.
Chapter 3
With everyone gathered in the intensive care unit, Rana briefly checks each of us. Since Taig looks the worst, she focuses on him. When Jace comes to help me, I point him to Korin first. While Rana and Jace examine the others, I fill them in on what happened during the trip and everything we encountered. All the while, Rana’s lips purse as she stares at the rash through her wide rimmed glasses. Just as I finish our story, Talia arrives.
“You weren’t planning on hiding this from me were you?” she asks, reaching out to hug me.
“Like I could ever hide anything from you,” I tell her. “I just didn’t want to worry you. We’ll all be fine.”
Talia tilts her head and raises an eyebrow at me. “You expected me not to worry after Lorcin hobbled in like that?”
I almost forgot about Lorcin. Before I have a chance to explain myself, Rana interrupts. “Well, if I’m right, there really isn’t anything to worry about. These rashes look a lot more like contact dermatitis than Pellagra.”
With our lives at risk on the surface, I never allowed myself to waste any time considering alternative causes. Now that I do, Rana’s diagnosis makes sense because Taig and I did not develop our rashes until we cleared the plants. On top of that, the rash progressing so fast without any other symptoms goes along with Rana’s diagnosis of a localized allergic reaction. Wanting to confirm her suspicions, I pull out the plant samples and compare them to images on the internet. Rana is right.
“This stuff is called poison oak. We saw it everywhere. Apparently, its leaves cause a severe contact dermatitis,” I tell the others.
Taig lies back, resting his hand behind his head while Rana administers some medications aimed at relieving his skin’s irritation. Korin never deviates from his typical flat expression. After washing off, we all go back to our own quarters since we are not contagious. Even with the good news, I do not feel better. The image of the mass graveyard returns to me. We may have escaped one problem, but have stumbled upon another. If Caelum was able to track down the people at the settlement, we have yet another obstacle to overcome. It would be pointless to ever leave Securus if we cannot find a way to elude their detection.
When we are back in our quarters, Talia and I lay on our bed, pretending to rest. My body feels worn down, but my mind churns. Removing the poisonous plants will not take long, so their presence is of little concern. The uncertainty of Caelum’s involvement in the disaster that befell the past settlement lingers in my thoughts.
Talia lies on her side, her beautiful eyes studying me with intense curiosity. “Are you ready to talk about it?”
“My rifle and the Persuaders worked well. The site we found is perfect. So perfect, it was used before,” I say.
“The old settlement?” she asks while laying back, her eyes turning to the ceiling.
“Yeah.” My words pause for a moment. “And not far from the ruins we came across a mass grave site. The grave markers mentioned something that sounded like Pellagra and animal attacks.”
“That complicates things,” Talia replies, already processing the implications. “Those are both plausible reasons for their settlement attempt to fail, but we have to consider the possibility that Caelum found them. Either way, we can still use this. If they were able to survive long enough to start building, maybe we really do have a chance. We will learn from their mistakes.”
Like always, Talia is able to find the good in everything. She will use this to foster our people’s hope. I turn back to find Talia watching me expectantly. She has not mentioned it, but her eyes move from me to the pack I brought to our quarters. N
ormally this would have been left with the rest of the equipment. It is impossible to hide anything from her curious eyes.
“I brought you a present,” I say with a subtle smile.
“What is it?” she asks skeptically.
I pull out an orange from the bag and watch as her eyes open wide. She eagerly tears open the fruit, closing her eyes while savoring each bite.
“Hopefully, we’ll be getting more of these for everyone soon,” she says after rewarding me with a kiss.
Knowing Talia will be able to use the information we obtained helps calm my mind enough to get some sleep. Rest is something we both need, knowing what will come next. There will be tedious meetings to discuss the trip’s findings. After that, planning will begin for the next and more dangerous expedition that needs to be made. As we work to break away from Caelum, gaining an ally would be quite useful.
*
The next morning in my family’s usual breakfast hall, I barely reach the table before Arluin starts. “What was it like? Can I go with you next time?”
“Calm down and eat your food,” our mother tells him, futilely attempting to temper his excitement. Arluin stops talking but does not take his eyes off of me.
“It’s a good spot, except for all the poisonous plants around.” I hold up my red and swollen hands. “Keep on pushing your luck and I’ll put you on the team to clear them out.”
“So we are going back,” he says excitedly.
I roll my eyes. Arluin is nothing if not persistent. With a sly smile, I place a bag on the table. “I have something for you. Consider this payment for something I need you to work on.”
Arluin carefully takes the bag off the table, reading me for any clues before looking inside. His eyes almost pop out of his head when seeing what the bag holds. He immediately reaches in to pull one out, but I stop him. “Not now. Those are for you and Mom to eat later. I tried one while we were out there. They’re amazing.”
The Seat of Power (The Securus Trilogy Book 3) Page 3