by Tania Hutley
“Of course not.” Irritated, I press my lips together. Tori’s my best friend. How am I supposed to shrug it off if the imperator’s hurt her?
“Don’t you think you should tell us more about the imperator?” Cale sounds as worried as I am. “Milla needs to negotiate with him. She should know his strengths and weaknesses.”
Sentin shakes his head. “I’ll be the one negotiating the deal. President Morelle is merely accompanying me to give legitimacy to our agreement. The imperator won’t speak with her directly.”
“He sounds like a great guy.” Cale blows out a loud breath. “So we can’t do anything to help Tori, and have to wait around helplessly while you do all the talking?”
“I’ll let you know if I need you to do any more than that. Now, shall we go?” Without waiting for an answer, Sentin starts forward, picking his way through the debris.
Following him, I catch a glimpse of green. It’s the giant tree I spotted last time I was in front of the wall. The sight makes my anger slip away. In spite of my fear for Tori and unease about meeting the imperator, my heart starts beating faster. I’m going to walk through the green fields of Deiterra. The thought fills me with awe.
But first we need to pick our way across the broken concrete and rock, passing the remains of peoples’ shattered lives and destroyed homes. I see filthy rags that may have once been clothes, broken electronics, and even a child’s pink sandal. I can only hope its owner is still alive.
Then the wall itself is looming on either side of us, and our path turns into a trail that’s been cleared of rubble.
The closer we get to the tree, the more enormous it seems to get, until it’s towering over us. And as we emerge from the shadow of the wall, the sun hits us. Though we’re on ground level, like Old Triton, it’s as hot and bright as New Triton. Not for long, though. In front of us, shade is cast by the tree’s enormous branches. And there’s not just one tree. There are hundreds of them. From my window in the Morelle scraper, the trees look a lot smaller and almost insignificant compared to the expense of green behind them. From here, the giant trees are jaw-dropping.
“What kind of trees are they?” I ask Sentin, my voice coming out breathless.
“Different kinds. They mostly bear hybrid fruits, bred to withstand the heat.” He points to a cluster of smaller trees with bare trunks and huge leaves. “The only non-hybrids are those banana trees.”
“Banana trees,” repeats Cale. “You mean, like the fruit?”
“The food that’s marketed as bananas in Triton doesn’t bear much resemblance to the fruit that grows on this tree.”
Whatever food they’re talking about must only be available in New Triton, because I’ve never heard of it. “Will we get to taste it?” I ask.
Sentin’s lips quirk up in one of his rare smiles that transform his face. When he smiles like that, it’s easy to forget how secretive he can be.
“There’s a popular fairy tale in Deiterra about a child who ate so much goldenfruit, he turned yellow and grew roots of his own.” He points to some heavy golden pods hanging beneath the leaves of one of the trees. “You’ll no doubt try a variety of Deiterran fruit, and after you do, you may not want to leave.”
Cale shades his eyes, peering toward a different cluster of trees. “I see soldiers.”
Sentin looks too. “They’re called legionnaires.”
A structure has been built into the trees. It’s a long, squat building, covered with branches and foliage. It’s well camouflaged, but with my sharp eyesight, I should have spotted it right away.
Sure enough, several soldiers—legionnaires—are marching from the building. A few are olive skinned, but none look like they’ve been tweaked. Their faces have the same uneven features as sinkers, and one man has a scar pulling up his top lip. They’re wearing khaki uniforms, and carrying large rifles.
“Stand down,” I order the knights behind us, just in case any get it into their heads to do something foolish. We stop and wait for the legionnaires to approach. They’re not pointing their rifles at us, but they’re not putting them away, either. They’re holding them in two hands, ready to fire if they need to.
I stand stiffly, unwilling to make any move that might be misinterpreted. I’ve always hated guns.
They march up to us and stop in front of Sentin, ignoring Cale and me altogether. They’re not wearing bands, and it’s jarring to see them walking around openly with naked wrists. Of course we’re not subject to Triton laws over here, but it still makes me feel uneasy.
The legionnaire in front salutes Sentin. “We’re here to escort you to Reliance, sir.”
I exchange a wide-eyed glance with Cale. Why did the soldier call him sir?
Sentin nods at him. “Lead on, tribune.”
The legionnaire doesn’t move. “I need to ask if your companions have any weapons, sir. We’ve been ordered to confiscate any we find.”
“Only the knights have weapons. The rest of us have none.”
“My orders are that the knights may come up to the outskirts of Reliance, but they can’t come inside.”
“Very well. Your terms are accepted.”
The legionnaire salutes again, then the entire troop all pivot at the same time and march away. Sentin walks behind them without looking back.
Cale and I frown at each other, and I can tell he’s wondering the same thing I am. How does Sentin expect the knights to protect us if we’re leaving them behind?
Chapter Ten
This part of Deiterra has no roads, only dirt paths that look like they’ve been worn into the ground over many years. Around us are the green fields I’d imagined walking through, and the reality of them is even more incredible than I dreamed.
I’d pictured grass, because of the small parks they have in New Triton. But the plants in these fields are nothing like grass. The ones nearest us are tall, with large flat leaves, and they’re planted in neat rows. The plants in another patch are even taller, with long, thin leaves. And there are short plants with tendrils. The fields seem to go on forever, with only a handful of people working amongst all the greenery.
In Triton there are crowds everywhere you look. A population of millions, and barely space to breathe. I’ve spent my life working and sleeping in buildings crammed with people, so to see this huge expanse of land with hardly anyone in it feels dizzying. My gut keeps trying to tell me something must be wrong, as though the entire population has fled from an unknown disaster.
Cale and I are walking together, with Sentin and the Deiterran legionnaires a small distance in front, and the knights marching behind us. The few people in the nearby fields stare at us, their expressions hostile. One old man spits on the ground, then makes a gesture that I have no problem in recognising as obscene, though I’ve never seen it before.
“They don’t like us,” I say, stating the obvious.
“Do you blame them?” asks Cale. “Our knights came to their side of the wall to fight their legionnaires.”
I glance over my shoulder at the Skins marching behind us. The sunlight glints off their black armor, and their heavy footsteps are throwing up a low cloud of dust. “It’s a shame we had to bring them. They couldn’t look more menacing if they tried.”
Cale’s mouth twists. “I’m more worried about what’s going to happen when we’re forced to leave them behind.”
Once we’re well past the people who were staring at us, I look back to see them returning to their work, bending down to the soil. Harvesting their plants? Caring for them? I know nothing about growing food.
“I wonder if they use robots here,” I say, thinking of the gardener who looks after Felicity’s garden.
Cale shakes his head. “I think they must be tending to the plants by hand. If they had robots, surely we’d see them.”
“What kind of plants do you think they are?”
“Different types of food, I suppose.”
The plants don’t look anything like any food I’ve ever seen, and
it’s hard to imagine wanting to eat something that’s been lying in the dirt.
“I think I’d prefer a YumYum Bar,” I murmur.
Cale brings up his band’s control panel, then frowns at it. “I wanted to see if there’s any information on plants, but I can’t connect to the feed.”
“What?” I tap on my own control panel. “I’m getting error messages too.”
“We must be out of range of the Triton network.”
“So we won’t hear about anything that happens while we’re gone?”
“I guess not.”
I should be used to being without a band, but maybe it’s because I had to go without one for so long that not being able to connect makes me so uneasy. The worst part will be not knowing what’s happening in Triton. The Beast could be attacking my factories, or the ex-knights I sent into the shelters could be wreaking havoc, and there isn’t a thing I’ll be able to do about it.
“Look!” Cale points.
I follow his finger to something big behind a large patch of very tall plants. It’s a huge brown animal, even bigger than my Leopard Skin, with four legs and a long head. I’ve seen animals like that on the holo, but I never thought I’d get to see one in real life.
“Is that a horse?” Cale breathes the question, and I’m too shocked by the sight to do more than nod.
We stare at it wordlessly. It’s in a pen on a large square of ground that’s almost bare, stretching its neck over the wooden fence, reaching for plants to eat. Its tail flicks from side to side as it chews.
For quite a distance beyond its pen, the ground is black instead of green. It looks like a fire may have burned through here, destroying all the plants. And in the middle of the burned ground is the charred remains of a structure.
A woman walks out from behind the tall plants, near the horse. She spots us and freezes, staring wide-eyed from beneath her wide-brimmed hat. She looks terrified, and I have an overwhelming urge to call out, so I can reassure her we’re not here to hurt anyone. Before I can, she ducks back into the tall plants.
“They’re all wearing big hats and long sleeves,” says Cale. “And none are wearing bands. Have you noticed?”
“The big hats must be to protect them from the sun. I wish Sentin had suggested we bring some of our own. The sun’s getting fierce.” I wipe the sweat from my face. At least this Skin has been tweaked so I won’t get as sunburned as I did in my human body.
“Did you expect it to be like this?” he asks.
“How could anyone have expected this? It’s like we’ve gone back in time. Way back.”
“Into a holo movie,” he agrees. “One with cowboys.“
“Is all of Deiterra like this?” I wonder aloud. “Or just this part?”
“You should catch up to Sentin and ask him. He’s more likely to answer your questions than mine.”
“Why do you think that? He barely tells me anything.”
Cale shoots me a sideways look. “The only time I’ve ever seen a smile on his face is when he’s looking at you.”
I frown, trying to think whether that could be true.
“Good thing I’m not the jealous type,” he adds, his lips quirking up to tell me he’s joking.
“Jealous?” I shake my head. “How can you be jealous when you can barely stand to get close to me anymore?” In the whirlwind of becoming President Morelle and trying to change things for Old Triton, I’ve missed the easy way we used to be with each other. I hate that there’s a distance between us now. He used to touch my arm when he spoke, or take my hand. Now every touch is grudging.
He gives a one-shouldered shrug. “When you’re in your real body, I’ll gladly go back to the way we were.”
I press my lips together, not wanting to say what I’m thinking. What happens if I never stop using this Skin? I can do a lot of good for Triton in it, especially if I win the presidency. According to Sentin, I could live forever in it.
“Look.” Cale points at a branch that’s jutting out above our heads. He’s probably just trying to change the subject, but when I glance up, I see small red fruit hanging enticingly down, a little out of reach.
I stop, staring upward. If I jumped, I could grab one. But I can jump higher than a regular person, and the knights behind us might wonder why I’m so athletic.
One of the knights walks forward while I’m hesitating. “Please allow me, Madam President.” He has the voice of a young man, my brother’s age or a little older. He reaches up with one oversized arm to pluck a fruit, then offers it to me.
“Thank you.” I lift the fruit to my nose to inhale its scent. It’s like nothing I’ve ever smelled before.
“Begging your pardon, ma’am.” The knight inclines his head, and his tone becomes apologetic. “It was presumptuous of me to come forward and offer help before being asked, but that’s the way I was raised.”
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Clayton, Madam President.”
“You’re an Old Tritoner?” I already know he is. His accent is pure Old Triton.
“Not anymore, ma’am. I’m just a knight.”
I fight the urge to sigh. It’s not his fault that Edward Morelle brainwashed him. “What about the mother who raised you so well, and taught you such polite manners? Are you looking forward to seeing her again when we get back?”
“My mother died, ma’am. And I like being a knight.” He sounds a little uncertain now, like my questions are some kind of test.
“Were you one of the soldiers who fought in Deiterra?” I ask.
“Aye, ma’am.”
“How long were you here?”
“Three days, ma’am. We tangled with some Deiterran legionnaires just over there.” He nods to the burned section of ground, with the charred structure in the middle. “We wiped them out and kept advancing. Another squadron took us on over there.” He points into the distance, and I squint into the sun and make out more burned ground.
“You killed a lot of legionnaires?”
“Aye, ma’am.”
“How do you feel about that?” I gaze up at his helmet, wishing it were possible for his black, armored face to show his emotions.
He’s silent for a moment, and I can imagine his confusion over my questions. It’s not really fair of me to punish his kind act with an interrogation.
“Did we do something wrong, ma’am?”
“No, Clayton. I’m the one who did something wrong.” I glance at Cale. “I don’t think the Deiterran imperator will want to make peace with someone who ordered the killing of his legionnaires.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” Poor Clayton sounds stricken.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.” I give him a nod. “Thank you for the fruit.”
He salutes and goes back to his place behind us, joining the rest of the knights.
“Sounds like they left a trail of destruction,” says Cale.
I nod, bringing the fruit back to my nose to inhale its scent again.
“You’d better check with Sentin before you taste that.” Cale motions at the fruit. “Make sure it’s not toxic.”
“I’ll talk to him now.” I quicken my pace to catch up with him, and Cale lets me go ahead. As I approach Sentin, I can’t help but feel self-conscious. Is it true he only smiles at me? And if so, what does it mean?
The dirt path is only wide enough for two people to walk abreast, and the Deiterran legionnaires are marching in pairs, leading our party and trusting us to follow. Sentin is walking directly behind the last pair as though he’s one of them.
Is he a legionnaire? Or a spy? Maybe he’s been living in Triton all these years so he can watch us and report what we’re doing to the imperator.
“Hey.” I draw level with him, then slow to match my pace to his. “Is it safe to taste this?” I hold up the piece of fruit. What I really want to ask him is why the legionnaire called him sir earlier, but coming right out with the question would probably guarantee he doesn’t answer it.
He nods. “It’s a type of plum, genetically engineered for year-round fruiting. Residual toxins from the soil will be in its flesh, but ingesting one fruit won’t cause any ill effects.”
“So that’s a yes?” I take a bite. The taste explodes in my mouth, first a little bitter, then it becomes sweet. The red skin is almost like a membrane stretched over a mushy center. It’s so juicy that red liquid runs down my chin. “Delicious,” I mumble, wiping my chin with my free hand.
Sentin’s lips twitch, like he’s trying not to laugh. “The juice will stain your clothes.”
I jut my head forward to stop it dripping on my blouse, and take another bite. “There’s something hard inside,” I mumble with my mouth full.
“That’s the seed. It’s inedible. Eat around it, then you can drop it.”
I do what he says, then lick my fingers clean. “I can hardly believe I ate something that grew on a plant, something with a seed, which, let’s face it, sounds pretty disgusting. But it tasted amazing.”
“You think food manufactured from chemical compounds is more palatable?”
“Not any more.”
My response is so enthusiastic that his lips hitch up again. “There’ll be many different foods to try here. Try not to give yourself a stomach ache.”
Can this Skin get stomach aches? As far as I can tell, I’ve been fuelling it pretty well just by eating normally. Surely it has the same nano-technology that keeps New Tritoners from getting sick?
“Not all of these plants are for food.” Sentin reaches out and plucks something small and brown off one of the plants. “See this nut? Once the hard outer shell is crushed, the liquid inside is bright yellow. It’s used for manufacturing dye.”
“Crush it so I can see?”
“The shell’s too hard to crush by hand. The process is done with machinery.”
“I bet one of the knights can crush it.” I look back at the knights and call, “Clayton.”
The knight who picked the fruit for me strides past Cale to catch up with me. “Aye, Madam President?”
“Would you please crush this?”
Obediently, Clayton squeezes the nut. When he opens his black hand, it’s covered with a yellow fluid, so bright it’s iridescent. He lowers his face to peer at it. “What’s this goo?” His tone is fascinated. Then he remembers who he’s speaking to and his head snaps up. “Sorry, Madam President.”