We reached the end of the long tunnel and I blinked when brilliant sunlight swept over us. Then I came to a standstill, open-mouthed at the sight before us. I'd seen this in my visions, memorized everything I'd observed and yet the reality was so much more overwhelming than the vision had ever been. A row of houses stood before us, spreading out in both directions and neatly following the curves of the great wall. They could be described as cottages, more than houses – quaint and Tudor in design, two stories high with whitewashed walls and visible beams. They resembled a picture I'd seen of Shakespeare's cottage in England. Each building had a thatched roof and tiny, mullioned windows and they were arranged in terraces of six, with an alleyway breaking up the row before they repeated again in another terrace of six.
“I don't understand,” Lucas said. “Zaen hasn't been inhabited for more than a thousand years, yet these buildings look… perfect.”
I let go of Lucas's hand and walked towards the nearest cottage, stepping cautiously up the whitewashed steps to the rough hewn wooden door. I touched the door tentatively, thinking it might all be a bizarre illusion, but the wood was solid beneath my fingertips. I couldn't even begin to imagine how these houses could still be standing, perfect after more than one thousand years. Reaching for the quaint iron door handle, I turned it and stepped inside.
The cottage was neat and tidy, with simple timber furniture. I wandered from room to room with the men following behind, all of us stunned into silence. The rooms were small but functional, clean and spotless. Conal caught up with me in the little kitchen and drew my attention upwards towards a light fitting. “Electricity. There must be a generator within the walls of the city.”
Lucas turned on the faucet and clean fresh water poured out, as though it had been turned on only recently. “Running water,” he commented softly. “The cottages appear to have been built in the Tudor period, but they've been thoroughly modernized.”
Nick came clattering down the stairs from the second floor. “There's two bedrooms and a bathroom up there.”
We left the cottage and stepped into the sunshine, wandering along the cobblestoned street we turned up through one of the narrow alleyways, which led to a further thoroughfare, curving in the shape of the outside wall. This street had cottages on either side, facing one another across the narrow street.
“How big is this place?” Ben wondered out loud as we turned down yet another narrow alleyway and entered a further row of cottages.
“Big enough for all who seek sanctuary,” Epi answered with delight.
Dusk was falling rapidly when we met in the central courtyard we'd discovered earlier in the day. After extensive exploration, we'd confirmed the immense granite walls were completely spherical, as had been suggested from outside. Inside were row upon row of cottages, following the curve of the outside walls with each row of cottages becoming progressively smaller in number as they reached the centre of the city. The final, inner circle held a spherical lawn of perfectly manicured green grass. In the centre of the grass stood a large glass building, which Epi thought might be a meeting hall. With turrets and towers, it looked like a crystal palace and was beautiful with the sunshine casting a rainbow effect over the glass panes.
A narrow moat surrounded the grass, intricate ironwork bridges spaced at precise intervals to provide access.
Lucas, Ben and I were sitting on the grass when the other three men arrived back from their reconnaissance. Ben was sitting cross-legged on the grass whilst Lucas sat up, arms extended behind his back to support himself. I lay on the grass with my head resting on Lucas's thigh, watching the color of the sky deepen from palest blue into the mauves and purples which announced the day's end.
“Well, you three look nice and relaxed,” Epi announced. He mounted one of the bridges and walked across the grass. “What did you discover?”
We'd decided to split into two groups once the vast size of Zaen was established, so we could cover as much ground as possible. Ben, Lucas and I had taken the area to the east, while Conal, Epi and Nick took the western half.
“The majority of the eastern side is housing, all pretty much identical. We did discover the energy source,” Lucas explained. “There's a bank of four generators on the eastern perimeter, built into the wall. Can't for the life of me figure out what's powering them – it's technology I've never seen before.”
“I'll take a look in the morning,” Conal responded. “I've had some experience with generators, might be able to figure it out.”
I waved a hand lazily towards the row of buildings which encircled the eastern side of the grass. “These all look like shops and those over there are houses, bigger than the cottages, more ornately furnished. Lucas thinks they might have originally housed the leaders of Nememiah's Children but Ben and I think we should convert one into a hospital, one into a school for the children and maybe we can create a communal Mess in the third one.” I glanced at Epi and flashed him a hopeful smile. “Speaking of eating, Epi – I'm starved. Did we pack any food?”
Epi dropped his rucksack onto the grass and sat down beside me. “What? Now I'm a caterer?” he grumbled. “As I keep telling you, child, I am…”
“I know, I know. Not some two-bit magician.” I pulled myself into a sitting position, crossing my legs. “But I'm starving and I haven't eaten since breakfast.”
“And she threw that up when we got here,” Conal agreed. “Come to think of it, I'm pretty hungry myself.”
“And I'm with Charlotte,” Nick announced. “Starving.”
“Fine,” Epi grumbled. He waved a hand across the grass in front of me and a platter of barbeque chicken appeared, steaming hot and smelling utterly delicious. Alongside it, plates, cutlery and two bowls of salad appeared and I snatched up a plate, piling it high with food.
“What did you find on the western side?” Ben asked Conal as I dived voraciously into a chicken drumstick.
“More housing, a few areas of parkland which should be excellent for the kids to play or for training, and an armory.”
“Weapons?” Lucas questioned.
“Not much good to us. Angel weapons. Row upon row of Hjördis, Katchet and Philaris,” Conal responded. He met my eyes. “Don't suppose Nememiah gave you any clues in that regard?”
I shook my head in the negative. “As I keep telling you, I don't ask questions and get straight answers. Everything I learn has to be earned somehow.” I scooped up some potato salad, popping it into my mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “So what do you think? Can we offer our group safety here?”
Lucas shrugged. “It has everything we need. Battlements, areas for training, shelter now that winter is coming on. We need to investigate the woods in the morning.” I knew he was considering a food supply for the vampires and a place for the werewolves to roam at full moon.
Conal nodded in agreement. “That wall is fifteen feet thick. It's going to keep just about everything out. And the blast it gives off should hold most things back.”
“I think it's perfect,” Nick agreed.
“Where do you think we are, exactly?” I asked curiously. “There's no reception on my cell phone.”
Conal flipped his own phone open and shut it again, frowning. “Mine's not working, either.”
“Does it really matter?” Epi queried. “It's probably the safest place we are going to find.”
I had to agree with him. Running, changing locations week by week was not doing our small group any good. Having somewhere relatively safe with the bonus of shelter from the incoming winter seemed to make this our best option.
“Alright. Why don't we complete the reconnaissance in the morning and head back, start moving people through the portal as soon as possible,” Lucas suggested.
“Wait a minute,” I piped up, realizing the repercussions of the decision. “Archangelo is being put into a sleep cycle about once every six to eight days.”
Lucas nodded, an eyebrow raised in question.
“We moved three days ago a
nd we've moved the group to another location this morning. That's four days used. He doesn't know where they are, but as soon as he's put into another sleep cycle – he's going to locate me.”
“Which means he'll know the location of Zaen,” Conal said, obviously picking up on the predicament. “How many people are in our group now?”
“One hundred and thirty three adults, forty children and infants,” Epi announced immediately. He saw my surprised look and continued. “Ben thought it was important that we keep track of numbers, so we know how many we need to feed and support.”
“Which means we've got two days to get everyone into Zaen safely,” I said, doing some swift mental calculations. “It's not going to be possible.”
“Why not?” Nick frowned.
“Because,” Lucas said slowly, “they all need the mark before they can enter the gates. Only Charlotte can mark them.”
My eyes filled with tears, the dinner I'd been enjoying quickly forgotten. “I can't do it! I might be able to put the mark on the adults, but the kids? The babies? No, I won't do it.”
“Charlotte, the mark will save them,” Epi responded, sounding entirely reasonable.
Nick spoke. “Couldn't you talk to Nememiah again? Maybe you could ask him for another option. Won't his spirit be inside your head now?”
“No, Nick, it won't,” I stated coldly. “We didn't exactly shake hands and I need physical contact to pick up on the voices. This was an Angel, not some guy I met on the street.”
Nick scowled. “Alright, you've made your point. It was a stupid suggestion.”
“Sugar, it's our only option.” Conal was watching me, his eyes filled with sympathy for what I would have to do. “Think of it as… an immunization.”
I stared at him for a long moment, filled with disbelief at what he was suggesting. “Can you honestly tell me that having that mark burned onto your skin wasn't the most painful thing you've ever endured?” I'd observed all of them during our foray through Zaen, seen all four rubbing their shoulders as though the mark was still incredibly painful, even after it was completed. Conal returned my gaze, his charcoal eyes confirming everything I needed to know.
I stood up, noticing they'd all lowered their gaze and wouldn't look at me. “There has to be another way,” I announced angrily. “I will not burn that mark onto the skin of children, innocent kids who've gotten mixed up in this disaster through no damn fault of their own.” I turned and stalked away, wanting to be anywhere but here right now.
Chapter 21: Negotiations
I paced dejectedly through the narrow streets, my mind a maelstrom of swirling images, my heart aching at the thought of burning that mark on children and babies. The thought of doing it to Katie – who looked at me with complete trust and implicitly believed in me, was more than I could possibly bear.
Unfortunately, without the mark they would be stuck out there, on their own without protection from the Consiliului. It was an impossible situation, one I could see no way of overcoming. Everything we'd tried to get into Zaen had failed – except that mark. The majority who would be entering through the gates had a percentage of demon blood and had no way of gaining access without the mark. There were a percentage of our group who were human and I guessed they would meet no obstacle in entering the city. But the children – all the children would have a percentage of demon blood in their bodies.
Frustration and anger welled up again. The others saw everything so calmly – it wasn't them who had to do this. Even without the obstacle of marking the children, how could we get everyone marked and inside the gates before Archangelo had a vision and located us? It was going to take time. Marking the wing on each man had taken about fifteen minutes apiece. That added up to an hour for every four people in our group and the statistics were one obstacle I couldn't overcome. Archangelo would be able to locate me wherever I was and I doubted that would change because we were in Zaen. He had the blood of angels running in his veins and would be able to locate Zaen exactly as I'd done.
Slumping onto the stairs outside one of the cottages, I abruptly felt exhausted and much older than twenty one. My thoughts turned to Lonnie, my friend whose only major ordeals in life were what to wear on a date and getting to college classes on times. Her world and my world, which had once been on a parallel path had veered wildly from one another. I envied the normality she had and questioned again why I'd been chosen for this task.
Even if I managed to get these people to safety, what then? Would the Consiliului continue to come after us, or would we have to go to them? What about the predicament with the demons? If it came down to a war, how could we possibly hope to win when I was the only one who could use the weapons? The hopelessness of the situation was overwhelming. My head ached with the number of unanswered questions swirling around.
The sky had darkened swiftly and the moon appeared over Zaen's high walls, bright and luminous against the blackening skies. It looked like Earth's moon and I was convinced Zaen was somewhere on our own planet. As to exactly where, I couldn't be certain, but it certainly appeared it wasn't known to anyone but us. Nothing this vast, so immense could exist without someone finding it before now and I wondered how it could have remained hidden over hundreds of years. A sudden glow of light caught my attention and I watched as the street lights turned on at spaced intervals, bathing the cobblestones in a soft golden glow.
Without conscious thought, I shifted into my usual meditative posture with my legs crossed and hands resting lightly on my knees, trying to quell my anxieties. I wondered if I should speak with the spirits, if they would have any answers or would just confuse me more. Epi had explained why they were reticent in providing answers, remarking that Nememiah's Children had been guided by their own integrity and sense of justice. They had used the spirits to guide them and provide support, but ultimately had made all their major decisions for themselves. Which was easy for them – there were dozens of them. Only one of me. One frightened, confused twenty one year old woman. I focused on my breathing, deliberately clearing my mind of the tortuous thoughts which overwhelmed me, willing myself into calm. I longed for some way to speak to Nememiah, but I'd been too nervous to ask him if I could contact him again, too overwhelmed to consider I might need his guidance. Would he even give me guidance if I asked? Our conversation had only succeeded in creating more questions than answers. By receiving Nememiah's permission to bring supernatural beings into Zaen, I'd already broken away from the very core of why his Children were first created.
Nememiah's Children had ultimately destroyed themselves. Nememiah's vision of his children keeping peace amongst the supernaturals had failed because ultimately they'd fought amongst themselves, in a quest for superiority they shouldn't have had. Were they any different to the Consiliului? They'd taken a position of authority, viewing themselves not as equals, but superior to the other supernatural groups. They'd kept the supernatural groups subservient by becoming a ruling power. And in turn, Nememiah's Children had fought amongst themselves, in a battle over their very existence. Some decided they'd taken their control too far, others felt it hadn't gone far enough. It was becoming apparent Nememiah's Children had other internal issues to deal with, evident from the luxurious houses around the central circle, which were far more opulent than the numerous cottages. Not only had they believed themselves superior, ultimately in-house disparity had destroyed them. I felt at least part of the solution to our problems was to ensure we provided equality for everyone. No one group could be considered superior or inferior to another in our dynamic.
My thoughts turned to the rest of the puzzle my spiritual guides had left me with. We'd discovered the meaning of the wing, it would allow people into Zaen. But complete the circle? What did that mean? I wondered if it had anything to do with Zaen itself and the circular structure of the city. Or did it mean something else entirely? I didn't have a clue.
I had to bring equality to these groups, that much I was certain about. Within my own close group of fri
ends, Conal was werewolf, Lucas vampire, Nick a shape shifter. Although it had been rocky, the longer they worked together, the more they were coming to rely on one another. Could I manage that with everyone?
“I am here, child. Ask your questions.”
My eyes opened wide, shocked by the sound of the familiar voice. There was no-one to be seen in the narrow street.
“I am here in your mind, child. You may not call to me as you do the others, but I will give you guidance if I see fit.”
Nememiah's voice echoed in my mind as the spirits did. I closed my eyes, trying to locate him, searching for his image.
“There is no need for us to meet again. I will be a voice calling to you, nothing more. Ask your questions.”
I took a minute to consider what I thought was the most urgent of the multitude of questions I had. “The mark of Nememiah – the wing I have to mark on my friends to allow them into Zaen – do I have to do that to everyone who seeks sanctuary with us?”
“It is necessary for the protection of Zaen itself. I granted you permission to bring others to this city, but they must pledge themselves to me before they gain entry. The mark is their word of honor.”
Tears filled my eyes. “But we have children in our group, little babies. I don't want to cause them pain.”
“All of life contains pain.”
I thought about his response for a minute, turning it over in my mind before I chose how to respond. “Children are innocent. They have no choice in what we've become involved in, but they need somewhere safe to live. They have taken no decisions to join this fight. It doesn't seem fair that they must be marked.”
There was a long silence and I was beginning to wonder if he'd abandoned me, if I'd said something which displeased him. At last, he spoke. “The children may enter the walls without the mark. You are correct, they are innocents and cannot be obligated to take sides until they have the maturity to do so. All those who have reached the age of sixteen must, however, bear the mark if they seek shelter.”
Knowledge Hurts (The Nememiah Chronicles Book 3) Page 16