by Peter Newman
He doesn’t quite meet her eye. ‘Yeah, of course. I’m sorry.’ There is time enough to notice the lack of conversation before he adds, ‘How are you?’
‘Physically? Well, I’m tired but I’m not in pain. I feel as strong as I ever have, stronger maybe. Otherwise … a bit of a mess. I’m trying not to worry too much until after this is done.’
‘When will that be?’
She shrugs. ‘When the delegations have finished their discussions. A few days, a week, maybe two? We’ll have some time for ourselves then.’ The thought of it brings a fresh wave of fatigue. ‘Actually, I think I need to rest now. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.’
‘Sure,’ replies Jem. ‘I’d better go and check on Reela anyway.’
She nods, moving to the sword as he goes to the door. An eye watches him go, pleased. It is a relief to feel the sword in her hand again, some small tension easing at the familiar weight.
To her surprise, she finds she is no longer tired.
A knock at the door breaks Vesper from her reverie. She has not been sleeping exactly, but drifting through memories, hazy, of another time.
‘Come in.’
The door opens and a purple-skinned woman enters. She is short, with chubby hands. Four extra bone-limbs have been grafted to her hips, giving her a scuttling, spider-like gait.
There is something familiar about the woman’s face. Vesper tries to place it. It was many years ago that they met, when both of them were girls. She was in Wonderland and the other girl was called … ‘Runty? Is that you?’
The half-breed cackles, an ancient sound from a young throat. The sword draws her attention to other things. The soft glowing eyes, transplanted, green, like the ones her Uncle Harm used to have, and, more importantly, that a certain surgeon general of the Uncivil did. Through the sword’s eye, she sees the way the essence has not quite settled within the shape of the body.
‘Neer!’ she says.
‘Yes! It’s me. What do you think of my new body? A little tainted maybe but I think there’s a good few years in her yet.’
‘But I thought only the infernals could transfer from one body to another.’
‘That’s only because we’d never done it before. It had always been an idea the Uncivil intended to try but she could never quite figure it out. The First though, that’s another matter. It’s a wily bugger, been playing with moving essence between human hosts for years.’
‘Wait,’ says Vesper, a hint of horror coming into her voice, ‘what’s happened to Runty?’
‘The First has her. Was part of our deal.’
‘I don’t know if I like the sound of that.’
‘Ha! Listen to you. I didn’t come here to get your approval, girl. I’m not one of your little followers. I came here to see what all the fuss was about.’ She looks Vesper up and down. ‘Very interesting! I don’t suppose you’d let me take a closer look?’
‘No.’
‘Don’t let your ignorance hold us back. We could learn so much from a quick study of your insides. I’ll put everything back the way I found it, you have my word.’
‘No!’
Neer’s face sours. ‘Fine. The other reason I came was to drop something off.’ She clicks her fingers and two robed figures enter, strange bulges around their middles. Between them, they carry a stretcher with a man on it, mostly bandaged. Puffy bruises decorate the only visible patches of skin.
It is strange to see the Vagrant looking so frail. Vesper feels tears itching her eyes.
‘Now before you thank me, you should know it’s not my best work. Samael wouldn’t let me do a proper job so I’ve just restored the bones as best I can and put a sheath over the places where the skin won’t grow back. Mainly on his hand.
‘You can clearly see that this isn’t the first or even the second time he’s been worked on. If it were up to me, I’d just overhaul him from the skeleton up. But it wasn’t, so this is what you’ve got.’ She tuts at the Vagrant’s sleeping form and then looks at Vesper. ‘Ha! You even cry like them!’
In surprise, Vesper wipes a tear from her cheek and holds it up for inspection. It is grey and gritty, not quite what The Seven weep but not just salt and water either.
‘Well,’ Neer continues, a sly note in her voice, ‘this has been fascinating but I’ll be going. Give the two of you some time alone.’
Neer and the two robed figures leave, and Vesper looks at her father. She knows the delegates will be gathering soon but she cannot bear to leave.
‘Can you hear me?’ she asks.
The Vagrant does not respond.
‘I know you’ve been through a lot and this isn’t fair, but I could really do with talking to you.’
The Vagrant does not respond.
‘Please,’ she adds, the need in her voice making the word reverberate.
The Vagrant’s eyes spring open. He blinks, alarmed, pupils gradually finding focus, then settling on Vesper.
‘Hello,’ she says quietly.
He favours her with a smile, sleepy.
Relief comes in a loud exhalation. ‘I’m so glad you’re here!’ Gently, she takes his left hand. His thumb moves across her finger, probing smooth metal. He begins to frown. ‘The Seven saved me. I was going to die, I think, from all the injuries. But they gave me a new skin and … well it doesn’t matter now. The important thing is that I’m alive and so are you and we did it. The Seven have surrendered but tensions between the Empire and the south are worse than ever and I feel like I need time to deal with everything that’s happened to us but there isn’t any. It’s all happening so fast and I know that if I don’t take control of it then others will and I don’t think Samael can handle this, I don’t think anyone else can.’
Amber eyes struggle to stay open as she talks, a stream of consciousness made of worries, hopes and suspicions. When she finishes, the Vagrant gives her hand a weak squeeze, before being whisked away from consciousness.
She holds his for a while longer, waiting until his breathing has evened out before carefully slipping free. ‘Okay,’ she says, as much to herself as to the sword. ‘I think I can do this.’
Vesper hurries towards the central area of the dome, her mind fizzing with what she is going to say. Absently, she notices teams of people trying to repair the damage done to Crucible. Superficial damage is left untended, decorative, all efforts going towards reinforcing critical sections of the roof. Metal bars are glued into place across the worst of the cracks, like plasters that are too small, injuries peeking out above and below them.
Crucible’s interior looks like an old face, aged before its time. It does not get Vesper down. Somehow it feels appropriate to her. Like them, the building has suffered and, like them, it endures.
She sees uncertainty in those she passes. They are no longer sure of the best way to react. There is no etiquette to cover her unique status. Some kneel, others salute, a few wave hello, and one or two simply bury themselves in their work, pretending not to notice her.
Apart from the repair crews the dome seems quiet. With a start she realizes that the meeting has already begun. Running now, Vesper goes into the main audience chamber, to find it full.
This heartens her. After all the fighting, she had feared the delegates would have given up on her dreams of peace. But a quick look confirms that the south is well represented: Red Rails, Verdigris, West Rift, the Thousand Nails, New Horizon and Slake have filled their boxes.
At her request, a space has been made for the dispossessed, their hastily chosen leaders standing awkward, slightly be-wildered.
Excitement growing, she strides down towards the central stage, only to find someone already there, holding court.
Neer.
‘What’s going on?’ asks Vesper.
Neer’s smile is cold. ‘I’d have thought that was obvious. This is the place where we come to address the delegates, is it not?’
Vesper nods.
‘And that’s exactly what I’m doing. Wonderlan
d is back in business, bigger and better than ever. As everyone has seen, our city is mobile now. We can take trade direct to those that want it. Do you understand? No more caravans and worrying about raiders and weather conditions. It’s going to be a new age of trade, development and evolution.
‘I’m proposing a consortium, on behalf of the First. Our doors are open to any that wish to negotiate. We also need keen minds and extra hands to join us. There’s no shortage of work or opportunities on Wonderland.’ Savmir, Gorad, Gut-pumper and Ezze all appear interested, their faces calculating.
‘Wait,’ says Vesper. ‘We’re getting ahead of ourselves. We need to talk about the release of our prisoners and how to help those worst hit in the fighting.’
‘No we don’t,’ snaps Neer. ‘We don’t need to do any of that. You do. As for what I need, I’ve made my offer. After you’re done here, you can find me in Wonderland, if you want to be part of the future.’
Vesper stares, stunned, as Neer leaves the stage.
Before she can collect her thoughts, Gorad and Gut-pumper lean forward.
‘Gut-pumper has a question,’ says Gorad.
‘A quick one,’ adds Gut-pumper.
‘He was wondering how we are going to punish The Seven? Not you, of course,’ says Gorad.
‘Of course,’ agrees Gut-pumper.
They look at her. They all look at her.
‘Well, Alpha is being punished. He’s in chains. They’ve made Him a prisoner for what He’s done.’
Gorad’s indignation is cartoonish, her painted lips opened in a wide ‘O’ shape. ‘So old Alpha slaughters His own people, then comes for us, razing colonies to the ground along the way. Thousands in the north are dead, not to mention all of us good people what got the chop, and He gets to prance about in chains!’
‘Generous,’ mutters Gut-pumper.
‘Maybe we’re in the wrong business, Gut-pumper? Seems to me we should go around being murderers if Vesper here is going to give us a nice set of chains as a thank you! There’s a lot of people here can’t even afford a link, let alone a whole set.’ Her voice becomes harder as she adds: ‘Why isn’t He dead for what He’s done?’
There is a rumble, approving, from the rest of the dome.
‘But don’t you see?’ asks Vesper. ‘We can’t kill Alpha without killing ourselves. The Seven’s essence is part of our world. It helps keep the damage that the Breach did from getting worse. It,’ she struggles for the words, ‘keeps the balance from tipping too fast.
‘When Delta’s sword was broken in the fighting, the red sun broke too. There’s a link there we have to respect. If Alpha was actually killed, it would destroy us all.’
‘Convenient,’ mutters Gorad.
‘Most convenient,’ mutters Gut-pumper.
‘Can you prove it?’ Gorad asks.
An eye narrows at Vesper’s side. ‘You’ll have to take my word for it.’
There is an awkward silence.
Ezze clears his throat. ‘Nobody is doubting your word, greatest and shiniest of ladies. But we are full of the worries and the questions. The Seven say you are one of Them now. Can you be of Them and still be one of us? How do we know that Alpha will not do this again when the chains are coming off? What is to stop the Empire coming back when they have recovered in a few years’ time and burning poor Ezze?’
‘What this comes down to, Ezze, is trust. Whatever I show you or tell you can be questioned. If you don’t believe me, then I’ve already failed in what we set out to achieve here.
‘But I think we’ve made a strong foundation. You trusted each other when our lives were at stake and proved worthy of that trust. You trusted me enough to come here in the first place. Now I’m asking you to trust me again.’
She waits a moment, pleased that nobody jumps into the space with a question. ‘To answer you though,’ she continues, ‘I’m still me. That will become obvious as time goes on. Alpha will stay in chains until we’re happy for them to come off.’ She spreads her arms. ‘All of us. Only an agreement from everyone here will be enough, and if that never happens, that’s fine by me. As for the Empire, it needs to reintegrate itself. When it pulled back, you adapted to the changes, and now the Empire has to catch up. I can make that happen now.
‘Gathered here we have the finest traders, warriors, engineers, Necroneers,’ she smiles, ‘survivors all! Together, there is so much we can achieve. But only together. So I have a question for all of you: are you with me?’
As the days pass, groups fall into alliance, like convicts chained by the ankles and wrists. One pulls the other along, until the whole is moving, knocking into one another, shuffling, awkward, but moving, and in the same direction.
While each of the delegates visits Vesper with their ideas for the future, so too do they visit Wonderland, to discuss more pragmatic things.
Two visions grow together, twining like trees, tangled, each lending strength to the other. Rights are discussed, for land, for the inhabitants of the world, old and new, and simple laws are set down to govern disputes on unclaimed territory. How these laws will be enforced is unclear but the principles are agreed.
Meanwhile, stories of the battle are shared. The best stick in the minds of the listeners, growing wings and flying outward, polished by a hundred tongues until names acquire a sheen, heroic.
Necrotrade returns as if it had never gone. Such is the need of the wounded, the greedy, and Wonderland’s reconstruction, that the battlefield is picked clean of the dead.
By the end of the first week, no bodies remain, and by the second, not a single piece of blasted flesh is left unclaimed. Rain comes and goes, allowing people to get used to the three suns in short bursts. And then, as the delegations begin to pack, preparing for the overdue journey home, buds appear, new life, its shape as yet unknown.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
It is dark when Vesper gets back to her room. Despite her transformation, she finds she still needs sleep. It has been slipping down her list for too long now, always making way for some new task or discussion. They are all so urgent, especially now that the first gathering at Crucible is coming to an end.
The door squeaks as it closes, the frame no longer in perfect alignment, and her feet chime softly on the hard floor as she walks. Jem’s shallow breathing only becomes audible when she reaches the bed and lowers herself in.
‘Good day?’ he whispers.
‘Long day,’ she replies. ‘Why are you whispering?’
‘I have no idea.’
They both smile in the dark. ‘It was a good day though. I’ve finally got them to agree that a body is the property of the family or the city of residence rather than the killer. And I think we’re on the cusp of a preliminary route for Wonderland to travel. The First was trying to push its right to go where it pleases as a free individual, but even Neer had to admit that wasn’t going to happen.’
‘Are they all still going tomorrow?’
‘Officially, yes. I think a few will hang back for private audiences, but yes, and I can’t wait!’
‘Me neither.’ The sword tells her that there is more but she doesn’t say anything, waiting for Jem to get there in his own time.
Sleep is just taking her when he speaks. ‘Vesper?’
‘Mmmnm?’
‘I don’t want to go back to the Shining City. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. It isn’t for me.’
‘But our home is there.’
‘No it isn’t.’ His hand feels about for hers. ‘They burned it down. Purged,’ he adds bitterly. ‘I think they destroyed parts of the city too.’
‘That’s why we need to go back, to rebuild, to make it better.’
‘No, listen. The Shining City isn’t for me. Even if you rebuild it, that won’t change the people.’
‘But it will!’
‘You’re not listening. Let me finish, okay?’
His hand no longer holds hers. Her other hand squeezes the hilt of the sword. ‘Okay.’
> ‘It’s going to take years for someone like me or Samael to be accepted there and I’m tired of waiting. I want to live now, while I can. There are opportunities in Wonderland. They’ve offered me a place there and I want to take it.’
‘What will you do there?’
‘They want me to be a diplomat for Wonderland. Surgeon General Ferrencia says she needs someone well travelled, and good with people.’ His voice gets louder as excitement takes over. ‘And she wants me! I could really be someone there, Vesper.’
‘What about us?’
‘Come with me. We can make a new start, as a family.’
‘You know I can’t do that.’
‘Can’t you? Why not? You promised we’d have time after Crucible.’
‘I know but things have changed, I’ve changed. The Empire needs me now more than ever.’
Jem lets out a breath through his teeth. ‘Actually, I don’t think you’ve changed at all. But I have to do this, and I think Reela should come with me. You can still visit us in Wonderland, whenever you want. It’s not like she ever saw you at the Shining City anyway.’
‘No but—’
‘She has to come with me. The truth is—’ he hesitates ‘—the truth is, she’s scared of you.’
There is no denying it. Vesper turns her head away. ‘What about my father?’
‘He can visit as well if he wants but Reela is my daughter and I won’t have her purged or judged.’
‘… Okay.’
‘That’s it? Okay? You’re not going to fight me on this?’
‘No, I agree. You’re right. You’re right and I’m sorry.’
‘You know, you have a choice as well. You’ve bled for them, you’ve saved them all several times. It’s okay if you want to walk away now, you don’t owe them anything.’
She sighs. ‘I wish that were true but I really am the only one. I’m the person holding this together, the one all sides trust. And I’m part of The Seven now. I am literally the only person in the world that can make this work. I wish I could just up and leave but I can’t. I’ve sacrificed too much to stop now. I have to make the blood on my hands count for something. I have to make something good out of all this. It’s the only choice I can live with making.’