Happy tears burst from her eyes as Samel bounded up the path and they collided. Neena leaned down and buried her face in his shirt, repeating his name, wrapping him in a tight hug, as if he might disappear and her dream might turn into a nightmare. But this moment felt real. She could feel Samel’s heartbeat, and she smelled the scent of the hearth on his clothes. For days in the desert, and a night in the cell, she’d longed for this moment, and now it was here.
Helgid came a few steps after, wiping away silent tears. She embraced Neena.
“Neena,” she said. “Thank the heavens.”
For a long moment, the three of them held each other in the warm sun.
Voices from behind Neena convinced her to let go. She looked over her shoulder and found The Watchers silently observing. All at once, she wanted to be anywhere but here.
“We should go, before they change their minds,” Neena said.
**
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Helgid said, shaking her head as they headed down the path toward Helgid’s house.
“Me, neither.”
“I thought it was a mistake when I heard the news. They told me you were jailed. And then I heard about the stranger.” Helgid looked back and forth up the pathway, as if the stranger might lurk nearby. “I tried to come get you several times, but I couldn’t get close. No one would let me speak with Gideon. I thought they must’ve mistaken you for someone else. A part of me still thinks that.” Helgid shook her head. “Amos told me he talked to The Watchers, but I didn’t think it did any good.”
Neena swallowed through the emotional lump in her throat. “I’m not sure why they let me go, but they did.” She opened her mouth, ready to explain more, but Gideon’s threats echoed in her head. A misinterpreted word might endanger her family.
Sensing her unease, Helgid said, “That sandstorm was one of the most destructive we’ve had in a while. We worried about you.”
Neena flashed back to those moments in the desert, when she’d huddled on top of the dune, thinking she might die. Too many mortal moments followed. “I hid in a cave. I kept safe. I worried about all of you, too.”
Samel smiled and hugged her again.
A forgotten question came to the surface.
“Where’s Raj?” she asked.
A grave look came over Helgid and Samel’s faces.
“There’s something we need to tell you,” Helgid said.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been hurt,” Samel said.
“Hurt?” Neena panicked.
“He was injured in the graveyard.” Helgid’s face was filled with worry as she traded a glance with Samel. “We aren’t sure what happened, but he’s stable. He’s with Amos and one of the healers.”
The words propelled Neena forward as she rushed ahead of them. “What are his injuries?”
“He has heatstroke. And it looks like he’s been beaten,” Helgid said grimly.
“I need to see him. Where is he?”
“He’s at my house,” Helgid said.
**
It felt as if the entire colony watched as Neena, Helgid, and Samel entered the alleys near Helgid’s hovel. In the areas by the Comm Building, she’d drawn some attention, but not as much as here. Colonists stared from their doorways, frozen. More than one person covered their mouth, furtively whispering her name. Everyone in this area knew who she was, and those who didn’t knew by now. Neena wore a stigma that wouldn’t soon evaporate.
None of that concerned her at the moment.
She needed to get back to Raj.
Visions of his broken, battered body gave her a new fear. Her heart beat a frantic rhythm as she hurried alongside Helgid and Samel, passing more gaping crowds until they reached Helgid’s hovel. She burst into the dark room, thoughts cascading around her head.
A small band of light filtered through the partly open window, leaving most of the hovel to shadow. Several figures huddled in the middle of the room over a bedroll, where a prone figure lay, unmoving. One was Helgid’s neighbor, Amos. The other, she assumed, was the healer. A surge of emotion hit Neena as she hurried over to Raj’s bedside, kneeling.
“Raj…” she whispered, silent tears falling down her cheeks.
Her brother groaned softly, turning his head.
“Can you hear me?”
Helgid came up beside Neena, touching her arm. Samel crouched on the other side, crying softly. Neena reached out, brushing a lock of Raj’s dark hair from his face. His forehead was damp and hot. His eyes were closed. A sick feeling welled up in her stomach as she recalled her mother’s final moments, when she’d died giving birth to Samel. She’d looked so strange and serene, just like Raj did now.
“We’re been keeping him cool,” the healer said, motioning toward a pile of wet rags by his bedside. “His temperature is more stable than last night.”
“A few times, he asked for you,” Amos said.
Neena nodded through her tears, feeling her brother’s forehead. “Raj, can you hear me?”
Her brother murmured something that might’ve been recognition, but she couldn’t be certain. He opened and closed his cracked lips.
“Samel found him late yesterday,” Helgid said. “We think the sun sickness is the worst of it.”
“He’ll need more rest and an observant eye,” the healer added.
Unanswered questions brimmed on Neena’s tongue. “What happened?”
“We don’t know, exactly, but we have our suspicions,” Helgid said. “Samel mentioned that some kids threatened them the other day. We think those kids might’ve beaten him.”
“Which kids?” Neena asked. Anger took over for worry.
“A boy named Bailey and his friends,” Samel said guiltily. “They tried to get me to touch a scorpion down by the river, and Raj protected me. They got angry.”
“Where do they live?” Neena rose to her feet.
“By the eastern side of the colony, near the river, I think.” Shameful tears rolled down Samel’s cheeks as he appraised her. “I’m not sure exactly. I’m sorry, Neena.”
Rage boiled in Neena’s stomach. The frustration and anger of too many days in captivity threatened to spill over. She couldn’t do anything about the rough treatment of the guards. But she could do something about this.
She stood, clenching and unclenching her fists.
She wanted to find Raj’s attackers. She wanted to stick her finger in their faces, accuse them, and make them pay.
“Neena…please,” Helgid rose and grabbed her arm before she could get more than a step. “Now isn’t the time.”
“I—” Neena held her tongue. Looking around the room, she realized she had become the center of attention. Amos and the healer stared at her, open-mouthed.
“You can’t go out there now,” Helgid said. “They’ll throw you in jail again.”
“I need to find them,” Neena argued, stepping away from Helgid.
“No one will confess to harming Raj,” Helgid argued. “And The Watchers won’t help. Will you attack those children and put yourself back in jail?”
“The Heads of Colony will—” Neena cut her words short. Of course, Gideon and his men wouldn’t do anything, and certainly not for her. She was lucky to be free.
“The Heads are surely watching you, Neena,” Helgid said. “I’m not sure what happened in there, but we both know that’s true. You can’t do anything rash.”
Looking at Helgid, Neena wanted to release her anger, but she knew her friend was right. She stepped back, wringing her hands helplessly. She was supposed to protect her brothers, feed them, and keep them safe. She’d failed. An angry tear fell down her cheeks as she looked back at Raj. If only she had left for the desert a day earlier or later, maybe she would’ve gotten home safely.
Maybe none of this would’ve happened.
A whisper distracted everyone’s attention.
Raj.
Amos and the healer leaned forward as Neena rushed back to his side,
knelt, and caressed his face.
“What is it, Raj?”
“Neena, is that you?” he whispered, almost inaudibly.
“Yes,” she said, unable to stop the quiver of emotion in her voice. “Raj, it’s me.”
“You’re back,” he said, a smile crossing his chapped lips.
Neena nodded vigorously. “I’m here with Samel, Helgid, and Amos. We’re all here for you.”
Raj’s smile widened a moment, and his eyes fluttered. Neena leaned forward, waiting for him to speak again.
“I’m glad to see you,” he said.
His eyes closed.
And then he was asleep.
Chapter 22: Neena
Neena sat outside the doorway next to Helgid, staring at her worn boots. Sunlight shone over the top of the cliffs on either side of the colony. Somewhere in those glints of yellow, she saw The Watchers’ silhouettes, keeping guard. Too many questions and fears ran through her head.
“That was the most lucid we’ve seen him,” Helgid said. “Maybe your voice helped.”
Neena managed a grim smile. She wanted to believe it. Her smile faded. “Even still, I want to find those boys and make them pay.”
“I know you do,” Helgid said. “I feel the same way. But it won’t do us any good right now. And it won’t help Raj or Samel.”
Neena looked behind her through the open door, where Samel knelt next to his brother. Too many things were bottled up inside her. “I never thought I’d make it back to Red Rock. And now that I’m here, I have even greater worries.” She clenched her hands together, forcing herself silent.
On the path in front of her, several neighbors walked past. Every footfall gave Neena a panic. Every uttered word felt like an invitation for a gruesome monster. She wanted to scream and yell that they should be silent, lest they draw the attention of a man-eating beast.
It would be so much easier to believe she’d lost her sanity and imagined the Abomination.
But she knew it was real.
She’d never get the monster out of her thoughts, or her nightmares.
“What happened out there?” Helgid whispered, reaching over to squeeze her arm.
Neena didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Receiving only silence, Helgid smiled and said, “You know I will always be here for you, whenever you need to talk.”
Neena’s fear was a dark cloud, infecting her mind and her thoughts. Only one man believed her, and she’d left him behind in the annex to rot. Fear found its way to guilt, as she imagined Kai sitting in the jail cells alone. What would happen to him? Despite his initial lies, he didn’t deserve his fate.
He deserved to be free.
“Are you all right?” Helgid asked.
Neena reached over and held Helgid’s hand.
“Whatever happened, we’ll get through it together,” Helgid promised.
Neena wanted to believe that. She just didn’t see how it was possible.
Chapter 23: Darius
Darius stood among the leaning, whispering crowd. Nearly everyone in the thousand-person colony stood at attention at Red Rock’s edge, staring at the newly constructed platform, made of interlocking wood and supporting beams. The Watchers guarded the front of the makeshift stage, holding their spears. Behind them, the rock formations speared the sky, extending as far back into the desert as the eye could see. Over Darius’s shoulder, the tithing buildings and storehouses stood silent and closed. The men who normally worked them stood with their hands folded in front of them, awaiting the address. Every so often, a baby let out a startling wail, or a child asked a question too loudly, precipitating a warning from a nervous parent.
Darius searched the men at the front of the platform, identifying Thorne and his Watchers, tilting their heads, scanning the crowd.
He’d been among them for most of the morning without issue, but a growing paranoia told him that one of them would spot him, shout a few words, and point him out.
None did.
Slowly, people hushed. They looked behind them. Through cracks in the crowd, Darius watched The Heads of Colony arrive, moving silently and purposefully. He followed them with his eyes until they disappeared into a thick patch of the crowd, reappearing near Thorne and his men. With determined strides, they mounted the steps of the platform, taking their places at the head of the colony.
A few last coughs echoed through the crowd. A bird squawked overhead, soaring high above those gathered on the fringes of the colony.
And then the crowd was silent, save the shifting of the wind.
“Thank you for coming,” Gideon said, stepping ahead of the others to the edge of the platform, calling the meeting to order. “Many of you have heard about the disturbance we had yesterday.” He paused, looking from one end of the long crowd to the other, and all the faces in between. “We are here to assure you that the situation is under control, and that you have nothing to fear.”
One of the Heads, Wyatt, took over. “For those who might not know, yesterday a man whom we had never seen arrived in Red Rock, along with one of our hunters. We are here to let you know that this man is no longer a threat to anyone. Our Watchers have secured this man and questioned him, along with the woman with whom he arrived.”
A small gust of wind rippled through the crowd. The people seemed as if they held their breath.
Speaking with increasing volume, Gideon said, “This man belongs to a small group of people who live in the desert, far enough away that we have not seen them. Some of you might remember our peaceful meeting with them years ago. Our belief is that this man wandered off from his group, and after traveling for some time, he came upon one of our people, and traveled here. Our understanding is that this man’s colony numbers only a handful.”
“Because of his markings, and based on what those people told us some years ago, we have determined he was an outcast,” Wyatt said. “His people presume him dead. Our expectation is that no one is looking for him. Even if they do, we are confident this small group of people is no danger.”
“To be safe, I have ordered our Watchers to keep an eye from the cliffs,” Gideon said. “In addition, I’ve instituted a precautionary hunting ban. We expect to lift it soon.”
A few exclamations went through the crowd.
“How will we eat?” asked one person from behind Darius, unable to restrain from yelling his concern.
“Our recommendation is to ration your meat and vegetables,” Wyatt said. “When you receive word from us—which we expect will be soon—you can resume your normal hunting.”
Some rumblings grew throughout the crowd. A few people started private, worried conversations. Some people next to Darius bumped into one another, asking questions, or clarifying what they heard.
“We will survive, as we always have,” Wyatt said, in an authoritative voice, quieting the remaining murmurs.
Continuing his speech, Gideon said, “Some of you might have heard the shouts and screams of the man and woman, as we took them away. During their travels here, the man and woman were trapped in a sandstorm for several days, and severely dehydrated. They suffered delusions. None of their words carry weight. Their answers to our questions have sufficiently been met.”
Without missing a beat, Wyatt continued, “After some careful determination and an assessment, we released the woman. We have no reason to believe she is a danger to anyone.”
A few in the crowd reacted with whispers.
“The man will remain in captivity, secure in our annex,” Gideon said, in a confident voice. “No danger will come from him. We will determine what will become of him and report it back to you. Red Rock is safe.”
A few more murmurs began, as the crowd processed the information, and reacted. The Heads of Colony answered a few more questions before concluding. One by one, the leaders descended, walking past the guarding Watchers, who filed in behind them. The crowd remained in place, as if they might miss some last spectacle, or the leaders might return with more remarks. Wh
en it was clear the meeting was concluded, they dispersed.
Darius stared through the crowd, locating Thorne. His Watchers stood next to him, holding the same stern expression as the leaders, an expression that Darius no longer believed.
**
People streamed past Darius, leaving. Rather than fight them and be knocked over, he stood in place, allowing them to filter around him. He watched the colonists returning to their homes, cutting through the alleys and speaking with one another. Most still spoke nervously, but he saw a few hesitant smiles. Some were relieved.
Gideon had given a good speech.
But then, he always did.
He had honed his orations over the years, gaining confidence with every statement, every ceremony. He’d taken after his father.
If not for his years of observation, Darius might have missed the strangeness in Gideon’s voice, or overlooked the subtle nervousness in his face. He might’ve dismissed the anxious glances between The Watchers.
Instead, Darius took note of all of them.
Each of those clues added to his building apprehension.
Were the leaders telling lies? Was something bigger at play? Darius didn’t know, but he was going to find out whatever information he could. When only he and some other stragglers remained, The Watchers took apart the platform, carrying it back to the storehouse where they kept it. None looked twice at him or the dispersing colonists. Darius walked west and among them, keeping his head down, shuffling with his cane.
A few burly Watchers passed by with a large, rectangular board. Darius might as well be the sand under their boots, for the attention they gave him. He concentrated on putting his cane in front of his boots, pretending as if he knew where he was going.
“Make sure you tuck the platform in the back of the building,” said a voice. “We need to make room for more vegetables.”
Turning to look toward the desert, Darius found Thorne following another set of Watchers, who carried a section of interlocking boards.
“Where are you going?” Thorne demanded.
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