by Mari Dietz
“Are you with Kai, though?”
Was she? She seemed to be the one chasing him while he put her at a distance to protect her from the other reapers. “We haven’t talked about it. He’s trying to keep Nyx afloat.” What kind of person would she be if she demanded all his attention in the middle of this so they could build a relationship? A small thought popped into her mind. You built a relationship with William. Vic squinted and shooed the thought away. William didn’t have the same responsibilities. He was only risking his life going undercover. Vic groaned.
Maddox nodded. “Yeah, overthrowing a government will strain a relationship.”
“I’m there to help him if he needs me.”
“Sounds more like a friend to me,” Maddox muttered.
Vic tucked a strand of hair under her hood. “Okay, let’s talk about your love life for a while, then.”
Maddox finished the next door and tested the hinges. “My love life doesn’t involve multiple men. It dried up after they declared me the vital of the family.” She swung the door, and it didn’t even creak. “Other vitals now find me attractive. I guess we can make our own families behind the walls. But have you ever seen any kids come out of there?”
“Maybe you can’t have kids?” Vic shook her head. “Why am I defending it? We both know something’s going on.”
Maddox shrugged. “You’re trying to make me feel better.”
“I’m not doing a great job.”
“No, you’re not.” They glanced at each other and snickered. “I guess if I get taken, I’m hoping you’ll still be out here, fighting to get me out.” She twisted her wand between her fingers. “I remember the first thing I formed with stone. Do you?”
“Oh yeah, a small heart. You used the walls of the school. Our teacher was so mad.” Teaching a bunch of adolescents coming into their power would tax anyone.
“Well, you didn’t have to tell on me!”
“We both got in trouble, anyway, because you told him I gave you the idea.” Destruction of school property. She’d never known her parents’ faces could turn that shade of purple.
“I made it for you,” Maddox huffed.
“I thought you made it for Gavin.” Vic leaned her elbow on the wall while she waited for Maddox. “Even back then, I was jealous I couldn’t make things.”
Maddox locked arms with her. “Yeah, but now you’re a badass reaper fighting the good fight.”
“I think I’d rather build houses.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
Feeling more uplifted, Vic followed her friend. They fell into a comfortable pattern. They came to the last pathway before the grate that led to the swamp.
“Good, it’s getting dark out, and we don’t need to be down here together.” Vic noticed a new latch already on the grate. She didn’t know that had happened yet. Kai hadn’t kept her in the loop. She peeked out the grate and glanced at the path below the grate entrance. Bones were piled on the walkway in the swamp. The sun dipped down, and the lights glowed in the darkness.
A strange feeling came over her. “We need to move out now.”
“I’m almost done. What’s wrong?”
“I have a bad feeling.” There was no reason for a pile of bones to be out in the swamp next to the grate—unless someone wanted to attract a bunch of mogs.
“Okay, then let me finish.” Maddox acted calm, but her hands shook as she held the hinges.
Vic paced back and forth while Maddox finished the last door. They latched that one shut. Bomrosy would release them all in the morning, after they’d brought in mogs for the night. A chorus of low moans rose from the swamp.
“Blight, what’s that sound?”
“Mogs.” Vic glanced out the grate. Piles of mogs came up to the bones and munched on them. The sound of the mogs’ teeth grating on the bones was accompanied by the sick slurping sounds as their long tongues sucked up the crushed dinner. The rotting smell from the mogs mixed in with the sewage, making the masks useless and turning her stomach.
Maddox shivered. “I’m with you. Let’s get out of here.”
As they turned to leave, Vic heard the echo of latches clicking, and the doors swung open. They froze. Vic turned back to the swamp grate, and mog eyes glowed at her as they stuck their limbs inside the sewer. The gate opened on its own.
“Run.” Vic grabbed Maddox’s hand and yanked her along the path, the moans of mogs at their heels.
11
William
William’s eyes watered as he held back a yawn. When he’d woken up this morning, Vic had already left. She didn’t seem to get very much sleep these days. Normally, reapers slept past noon. The time on the clock flashed in front of him, and he jumped off the sofa to get dressed. He wished he could shower, but he shouldn’t be late on the first day at his new job.
Sam already had breakfast out, and William gulped it down. “I have to go to work, so I’m sorry, but I need to keep you shut in here all day. Would you like some books to read?”
He had never seen a radiant read. They didn’t have many books in Verrin. Only founders could waste their money on something that wasn’t food. But the radiant might want to read. He might snag some books from Vic’s family or grab some newspapers.
“Do what you must.”
William put on the harness for his wand and stared at his brother. Sam moved back and forth from the table, clearing it. “I miss you, Samuel.” What color is the sky, Brother? For a moment, he thought Sam paused, but he continued to clean the dishes with the methodical movements of a radiant, no wasted time or effort.
William went out of the house and locked the door behind him. He ran to the nearest water taxi and took it all the way back to GicCorp. The paper said he needed to go to entrance C. He walked down the line until he spotted a bright red C above an iron gate. Employees went in and out of various entrances to GicCorp. Other factories didn’t give off a friendly image, but with its high walls, this one felt more like a prison. The feeling might be coming from his purpose of spying. There were few windows or escape routes if he got caught snooping. Would they fire him or turn him in to the city officers?
He took a deep breath and walked through the entrance. He was supposed to report to a person named Julian. In the middle of the stone courtyard, a woman with deep smile lines on her tanned face and a booming voice directed other imbs. Her slicked-back hair came to a tight bun at the nape of her neck. The muscles in her arms pushed against the jumpsuit. Her friendly manner encouraged him, but she could pin him to the ground without breaking a sweat.
He inched toward her, and her topaz eyes zeroed in on him. “Ah, the recent hire?” She stepped down from the stone platform. A wide hand engulfed his, and the callouses scratched his skin. “I don’t know who you pissed off, but welcome to the glamorous side of GicCorp in the sewers.”
“Julian?”
“You found me. Go get a jumpsuit and mask. You’re with me today, fresh bait.” She slammed her palm against his back, and he kept his face neutral as his shoulder smarted.
William nodded, then moaned inwardly. Vic had told him tales of spending every night in the sewers, and now he got to join her. She’d joked about living down there. Maybe she was right. They should build a home and get used to the smell.
He went to a side entrance that other men and women in bright red jumpsuits came out of. The color wasn’t flattering on anyone, but if they needed to find a body, they could spot it for miles. As he stepped aside so he wouldn’t impede the other workers, he came to a sizeable room that matched the musty smell of Verrin, but with the body odor of humans mixed in. The clang of metal lockers surrounded him, and he spotted names at the top of most of the beat-up metal.
William found one with his name. When he opened it, a bright red jumpsuit blinded him. He swallowed and took a quick sniff. The scent of fresh material greeted him. At least the only sweat on this would be his. The smell of the room and thoughts of the sewers already made him nauseous. Samuel used to tease him
about how he’d kept his white uniform as a radiant so clean. Wouldn’t he laugh now at his brother going into a sewer wearing this caution sign of a uniform? To complete the joke, he slid on the pair of matching boots. William felt like a giant bloodstain. On the top shelf was a lock with a code written on it. He quickly folded his clothes and locked them inside, committing the code to memory. With that completed, he held the mask as he went outside to join the other red blotches.
Julian nodded at him and eyed the jumpsuit. “Looks good on you, bait. We’re luckier than reapers. Our suits are imbued to keep the stench out, so you mainly get to smell yourself. But it doesn’t change the fact we’re around feces all day.”
“What are we doing exactly? They didn’t say when I was hired.” Even if he didn’t have to smell the sewers, he didn’t want to get defecation on himself.
Julian laughed. “Wow, they sent in the freshest bait. We repair the lines directly into Haven.”
William’s heart thudded. His luck had turned around. This was exactly where he needed to be. After almost not getting hired, this seemed to have worked out too perfectly. He glanced around to see if Tristan watched him, as if this might be a setup.
“Got somewhere to be, bait?”
“No. I’m ready to learn.” This might give them a chance to make their own way into Haven if they couldn’t find one.
Julian let out another booming laugh. “Love the attitude. Let’s go down into the dark. If a mog pops out, it’s best to run. You good at running, bait?”
William swallowed. “You’re not calling me bait because I’m the one who’ll get eaten, are you?”
All of Julian’s teeth showed. “That’s up to you … bait.”
William got in line with the rest of his group, and they headed toward a door at the end of the complex. Julian took out a key and unlocked it. They went down some stairs, and every so often, they would need to stop to unlock more doors. Just getting to work took a long time. This line to the sewers was well guarded.
“Why so many locks?” William asked a worker next to him.
The jumpsuit billowed around the man’s narrow frame. “We’re between the city and Haven. You can’t get here from any other entrance. They don’t want mogs to get in here, so everything is patched often. Our leader may tease you about mogs, but there aren’t any here. We check all the grates and lines daily. The only thing bad about this job is the smell if you need to take off your mask for a drink or to eat. The smell tends to cling even after you put it back on. It can get pretty hot.”
If Vic needed an entrance to her sister, this was it. William couldn’t believe it. He silently thanked Ginny for hating him enough to put him on sewer duty.
William cursed Ginny for putting him on sewer duty. Heat radiated from the tunnels, and he stewed in his own sweat. The soupy mixture of his sweat made the suit stick to his skin. If anyone wanted to lose weight, this was the way to go. Was there even any water left in his body? He wanted to wipe his eyes as sweat dripped from his eyebrows, but he didn’t want to disturb his mask. The seams to the Haven side were smooth, and there were no entrances except for small pipelines that no human could fit through.
He wanted to scream in frustration. Halfway through the day, they ducked into a side room, which Julian had to unlock. Everyone removed their masks and took out cloths to wipe the sweat from their faces. Then they got out packs with their lunches. That was one thing he’d forgotten to bring. At the moment, he didn’t care and leaned back against the cold stone, enjoying the air on his damp face.
Julian squatted next to him. “Take some of mine, bait.”
His mouth salivated at the sight of her drink. “No need. I just forgot.”
She nodded and handed him a drink and half a sandwich. “You need to stay hydrated, so take it.”
He gulped down the lukewarm water and bit into the sandwich. His group chatted quietly as they ate.
Since he was new, he could use his ignorance to ask questions. Julian seemed open enough to tolerate it. “Is there no need for repairs on the Haven side?”
Julian coughed. “You don’t want to do that. You’ll end up as a vital. They take care of it from there.”
“The vitals do?”
“They bring them food through a system at the gate from the back of GicCorp, but other than that, they need to handle their own repairs and purify the magic.”
“Have you seen them?” William asked.
“Down in the sewers? Don’t kid around, bait. You should know as well as anyone they aren’t seen after they go inside. You couldn’t have grown up in a cave, shut away in the dark.” She tried to hide a shiver. “Almost makes me glad I wasn’t born a founder brat.”
“Me too.” As a radiant, he’d grown up in the dark, but no one knew much of anything about the vitals. The ones who did would never talk to William.
She quirked her brow. “A nice relic, though, for someone who isn’t.”
William glanced at his wand. He’d rehearsed the story with Vic’s father. “It’s the last one in my family. My father retired from working in glass, and he passed it on to me. I’m the only one supporting my family now.”
Julian nodded. “Your family must always be wary of laws.”
“Yeah, even though you might never break a law, you worry you’ll accidentally break one you never knew about.”
First-generation relics were rarely found outside of founder homes. Once you broke a law and lost your relic, others could bid on it. Only founders could afford the price. The thing about Verrin was that those with other generational relics were often forgiven since there was no value in their relics. The laws made by the rich benefited the rich. William pulled at the sleeves of his jumpsuit. There was no way for others to rise in this system. Could they fix it if they got rid of the Nordics? Or would another founder take their place and stomp on those without power? He’d taken this job to help Vic, but maybe they could do more for the city.
“Nothing like a recipe for paranoia to follow you throughout life. I hope you make enough one day to buy more relics for your family. That kind of pressure isn’t easy.”
William liked Julian’s easygoing manner. From the morning shift, he could see that the entire group respected her. She didn’t sit back and let others do all the work, and that could be part of what drew everyone to her. Julian got in the thick of it more often than everyone else.
For the rest of the afternoon, he was on the lookout for hidden passages. Maybe there would be hidden doors down here. He needed to be on his own to take a closer look. He couldn’t very well search for cracks in the wall with his coworkers around him. Maybe he could come back after hours. But first, he’d need Julian’s keys.
They finished their meals and went back to the tunnels. Julian directed them to break apart into the smaller tunnels. William worried that his magic was depleting too fast. Together, they cleaned and repaired the lines that transported blight into Haven. Apparently, the blight lines corroded quickly. With only an hour left in his shift, he ran out of magic. A few raised their eyebrows at the first-generation relic holder, but Julian slapped him on the back.
“Don’t worry, bait. First-timers are always too enthusiastic and use too much. Stay with us until the end of the shift.”
Just like that, everyone accepted it. Julian would let him get paid for the last hour, when most places would have sent him home. As he walked with the smaller group, he pressed his hand to the side of the wall to see if he could feel anything. Nothing but smooth stone met his fingers. They might need to find another way in. Vic and her father were counting on him to find something out about Haven, so he hoped this wasn’t a dead end.
At the end of the shift, they all trudged past the many locked doors to the locker room. Julian hung up her keys inside her locker. It would be easy to get to if he knew her combination. Everyone put their jumpsuits in a large hamper to be cleaned, and William eyed Julian’s lock. His hands trembled as he shifted his gaze around the room. He gripped his l
ock in his hand. It looked like Julian’s. No one was looking his way. He quickly changed their locks. His heart pounded as he stopped himself from looking around. Nothing like acting all spy-like. No one said anything as they left the room. William went to the washroom that was full of toilet stalls. He went into a stall and got up on the toilet. This didn’t seem like the best place to hide, but there was nowhere else. The noise outside quieted down, and then all the lights went out, plunging him into darkness.
He drew in a shaky breath and exited the stall. William spread out his fingers and found the wall. His hand touching the cold metal of the locker, he shuffled forward to where he thought the door might be. Then the lights flicked on, and Julian was at the door with her arms crossed.
“Get stuck in the dark, bait?”
William froze. “Ah, sorry I took so long.” This was it. His brief career as a spy had come to a halt. He found it hard to keep his breathing under Julian’s gaze. His mind raced for a plausible excuse, but his brain only rewarded him with blankness.
Julian’s lips thinned, and she assessed him. “You didn’t shout when the lights went out.”
“Oh.” William begged his mind for something. “I figured I could get out,” he hedged.
Her eyebrows rose. They stood there in silence, and William couldn’t quiet the screaming in his mind. She made a clicking sound with her tongue. “I get it. You must not have a place to stay?”
Huh? The mindless roar in his brain quieted for a second.
“I know we just met, and it can be embarrassing. The outer doors get locked up in about an hour. I’ll take the clothing out to the laundry so no one will come in here.” She went to the laundry cart and flipped in a stray pant leg that hung over the edge. “You’re fine to stay here this week, but after payday, make sure you find somewhere else.”