Mark of Four

by Tamara Shoemaker

  “There are plenty of Air-Masters here! Why can’t one of them fly a shuttle—or we could notify someone to come get us—”

  “Alayne, I’ve said that we won’t be leaving tonight.” Sprynge’s normally mild eyes snapped behind his glasses. “I need to look into this matter before anyone goes tearing off into the wilderness. I have to contact a qualified pilot, and he has to get here. We’ll leave in the morning. That’s final.”

  Alayne opened her mouth to speak, but Sprynge held up his finger. “Leave it now, Miss Worth. I’ve said what will happen.”

  Alayne stared at him, fury sparking inside her. She wanted to spew out protests, to physically drag the man out of the room and force him onto a shuttle. At last, reason returned, and she lowered her gaze to the floor. “Fine.” Her voice was sullen. She flung open the door and stalked out into the hallway.

  Marysa waited at the end of the hall. “Well, where is he?”

  “He won’t budge until morning,” Alayne snapped. “Said there weren’t any pilots to take us.”

  “Well, he may have a point. It’s not like the shuttle pilots live at Clayborne.”

  “What about Air-Masters? They could fly them. I could fly one!”

  “Yes, but you can’t tell him that, can you?” Marysa held up her hand when Alayne started to protest. “Calm down, Layne. I’ll go talk to him, see if I can change his mind. I’ll bet Professor Brinks could easily pilot a shuttle.”

  “You won’t be able to.”

  “Watch me. I can talk circles around the poor man.”

  “He’s not going to give in, Marysa. I’ve already tried.”

  “Well, he’ll give in to me.”

  Alayne walked behind her friend, anxious to see. They neared the office and stumbled to a stop when they heard Sprynge's voice melting out from beneath the door.

  “Yes.” Sprynge's voice was hushed. “She says he contacted her. Of course, it's unlikely, but I can't rule it out.”

  Alayne grabbed Marysa’s arm, holding her finger to her lips.

  A sigh escaped the professor. “Is that completely necessary? Surely we can figure out something—”

  Alayne’s gaze met Marysa’s as they continued to listen. Confusion and fear roiled in her head. Sprynge wasn’t finished. “Yes, I understand that she is well protected, but that doesn’t mean—” A rap of knuckles against wood, followed by a long silence. “At first appearance, it seems more trouble than the other way, but in the long run, perhaps that would work the best.” A click of a pen and the sound of scribbling on paper. “Fine. I’ll be in touch.”

  Abruptly, they heard a chair scraping across the ground, followed by footsteps.

  Alayne yanked Marysa’s arm, jogging down the hallway. They rounded the corner and spied the chute. Alayne hurried toward it.

  A step sounded at the corner of the hall behind them. “Ah, Miss Worth and Miss Blakely.” Sprynge’s genial voice halted Alayne mid-step. She whirled, wondering if he knew how much of the conversation she’d overheard.

  Sprynge approached. “I didn’t know you were both here.” He seemed at a loss for words. Finally, he sighed. “All right, girls, off you go. I’ll see you in the morning up on the shuttle platform.” He removed his glasses and wiped them on his ever-present handkerchief. He motioned to the chute. “Good night.”

  Alayne was still determined to put forth the idea of finding a pilot who could leave immediately. “But, sir—”

  He seemed to read her mind. He replaced his glasses on his nose and held up his hand. “Morning, Miss Worth. At daybreak. I’ll wait for you on the shuttle platform.”

  Alayne and Marysa followed him into the chute and dropped downward to the common room. Sprynge let them off as he went back up to his own apartments near the top of the spire.

  Marysa stared at Alayne. “Is it weird that he’s letting us go with him to Cliffsides?”

  Alayne’s jaw tightened. “I don’t care if it is weird, I’m going. Don’t say anything about it, whatever you do. What if he decides to leave us behind?” Her conscience twinged as she realized she'd be leaving without informing Manders, once again breaking her parents’ strict instructions. She pushed the thought away.

  Alayne’s night in the dormitories was anything but restful. She lay stiffly in her bed until the darkness on the walls lightened to gray, then abruptly, she sat up. “Marysa, are you awake?”

  “Oh, thank goodness.” Marysa threw the covers off and swung her feet to the floor. “This has been the longest night ever. Did you sleep at all? I didn’t.” She slid her shoes on. “Let’s go.”

  Neither of the girls had to dress; they had gone to bed in their clothes. Alayne snatched the bag from the floor next to the door and threw it over her shoulder. They hurried down to the common room, entering the chute and hitting the button for the shuttle platform.

  The chute to the top of the spire took less than two seconds, and then they were out in the frigid January air. The wind shrieked around them. Sprynge held his coat closed in the front, shivering. “The shuttle should arrive in six minutes,” he shouted over the roar of the wind.

  Alayne nodded, too cold to say anything. Marysa wore no jacket, but she did hang on to the supports as the wind gusted around her.

  Sprynge lapsed into silence. It was too loud to say anything anyway, and Alayne was glad. She wanted to think, and she didn’t want Sprynge to come to his senses and order them to stay at Clayborne while he went off looking for Jayme and the others.

  After several minutes (it was fourteen minutes by Alayne’s watch), headlights appeared in the overcast sky to the east. The craft sped toward them, swerving in the gusts of wind that roared around the spire. As it drew closer, Alayne grew more nervous. “Is he even going to land the thing?” She glanced over at Sprynge, who looked noticeably anxious.

  The three of them pressed themselves back against the chute frame, and the shuttle swung wildly in through the steel beams, narrowly missing one. It settled to a landing, and the pilot’s hatch popped open. The Elemental inside peered out. His face was pale, and he quickly wiped a sheen of sweat off his forehead.

  He shook his head. “You said it was an emergency, sir, but I’m not even sure an emergency is a good reason to get back off this platform.”

  “It’s reason enough; we’ll be fine.” Sprynge wrapped his coat tighter around his frame and bent against the wind. “Let’s go.”

  The pilot frowned but didn’t protest. He pressed the button on his control panel, and the side doors opened.

  Alayne and Marysa hurried after Sprynge.

  The chute door slammed. Kyle appeared on the platform, one arm stuffed through a coat, the other arm struggling to slide through the opposite sleeve. “What do you think you’re doing?” he shouted. “You are not leaving me behind!”

  Sprynge pointed to the chute doors. “No, get back below.”

  “Not in this lifetime.” Kyle bounded across the platform and leaped inside the shuttle as the girls were seating themselves.

  Sprynge barked, “I’m already pushing the rules by taking two students on this errand, Mr. Pence. I don’t want to escalate my liabilities.”

  “Do you know who my parents are, sir? I’m coming.” Kyle settled against his seat and pulled the harness around him.

  Alayne glanced at Marysa. Who are his parents? she mouthed.

  Marysa shrugged. Must be important, she mouthed back. She motioned at Sprynge.

  Alayne turned to look. Sprynge’s face had paled, though his glare intensified. After a moment, he turned abruptly and nodded to the pilot. The man closed the shuttle doors.

  “Ready for Cliffsides?” The pilot took a deep breath and tightened his harness. “Hold on tight. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

  Alayne sucked in her breath as the shuttle lifted off the platform. The wind immediately caught it, dashing them toward the spire’s support beams. Alayne cringed, but they sailed harmlessly by it, and then they were out in the open air. Alayne glanced down at her kn
uckles, white against the arm rests. Marysa’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Kyle winked.

  “Why did you come?” she whispered. “How did you even know we were leaving?”

  His cheeks turned a ruddy red. “I followed you last evening.”

  Alayne stared at him.

  “Well,” he defended himself, “you and Marysa came rushing out of your dorm like your hair was on fire; I wanted to know what was going on. So I followed you to Sprynge’s, hid in one of the empty offices, and listened. Although next time, can you and Marysa turn up your conversation a notch? You girls whisper too much. I couldn’t hear anything except the fact that you were leaving in the morning.” He flashed a grin at her. “So I decided I was going to come with you.”

  “But—why? Last I heard, you hated Jayme. You do realize, right, that we’re going to Cliffsides to rescue him?”

  Kyle rolled his eyes. “What kind of person do you think I am? Yeah, I think Jayme’s a jerk, and I’m still really ticked off about what happened at Christmas, but I’m not gonna leave him and several other students in harm’s way just ‘cause I’m crazy jealous.”

  Alayne blushed at Kyle’s honesty.

  Kyle leaned forward as far as his harness allowed and looked her in the eye. “So how ‘bout this, Layne? You give me a little smile and a ‘thank you’ and we’ll call it even, okay? No more bringing up this past Christmas and waving it around.”

  “Fine.” Alayne settled back into her seat. “Thanks. You didn’t have to, you know.”

  “I know.” He laid his head back on his headrest and closed his eyes. “Wake me up when we get there.”

  Alayne glanced anxiously out the window. The craft shuddered, and Alayne felt her stomach leap into her throat a few times as the shuttle hit the air pockets. The ground far below was hidden in a blanket of blackness and lashing rain.

  “Can’t we go higher?” Alayne asked the pilot. “Get out of the brunt of the wind?”

  “I would,” the pilot called back, “but this particular shuttle is still in the construction stage. I’ve got no navigational equipment yet, and I will have to bring it in on sight alone.”

  “It was all I could get for us at a moment’s notice,” Sprynge tacked on.

  Alayne nodded and settled again into her seat, sincerely hoping she wouldn’t be sick. The image of Kyle with a lap full of her vomit made her shudder with embarrassment. She desperately wanted to help the pilot; she felt the air element whirling past their shuttle, and she sensed the pilot’s constant struggle. If she could just add her strength to his—but then Kyle, Sprynge, and the pilot would all know that she was a Quadriweave. She couldn’t risk it.

  She stared out the window at the dark clouds, wishing the shuttle would go faster.

  * * *

  “Almost there.” The low voice of the pilot woke Alayne. She jerked her body upright. Her cheek had been resting on Kyle’s shoulder for the last fifteen minutes.

  She glanced up at him. His eyes were halfway open, watching her from beneath sleepy eyelids. Amusement and something else lingered in their depths. “Whew, Layne, I’m glad you sat up.” He rubbed his shoulder. “My arm is killing me.”

  Alayne glared at him. She felt grungy and stiff and angry with herself for giving in to sleep.

  Kyle leaned over and brushed the corner of her mouth with his thumb. “Left some drool there. Got it.”

  Alayne’s cheeks flamed. Marysa had nodded off in her harness across from them. At the front, Sprynge dozed in his seat. She turned back to Kyle. “Behave yourself, Kyle, all right? Or so help me, I’ll send you back with the pilot when we get there.”

  “I’d love to see you try.” Kyle raised his hands in a shrug. “Friends can wipe drool from other friends’ faces, right?” He winked.

  “You said you couldn’t be just friends.”

  Kyle leaned closer to her. “Hmm. You’re right about that.” He closed the gap between them and kissed her, his firm mouth covering her surprised gasp.

  Alayne shoved him back, sputtering. “What—what did you—of all the nerve—how do you think you’ll—I can’t believe you did that!”

  “Hey, can you pipe down?” Kyle grinned irrepressibly. “We’re almost there, and we need to start concentrating.”

  Alayne gaped at him as he deliberately turned to the pilot. “How much farther do we have to go?”

  The pilot glanced over his shoulder at them. “We’ll be landing in about five minutes.” His face showed the strain of fighting the strong air currents. “I’ll land you all at Cliffsides and take the shuttle to the nearest City Centre for some rest. Professor Sprynge will send me a media message from the outpost when you’re ready to leave.”

  Kyle nodded. “Thanks.” He settled himself deeper into his seat and dropped a slow wink at Alayne.

  She glared at him.

  * * *

  Cliffsides’s base camp slid into view as the dark clouds slowly retreated from the horizon. The outpost stood on the edge of a steep cliff. Beyond that lay a panorama of cliffs and ocean as far as the eye could see. Surf pounded hundreds of feet below. A narrow ribbon of land only about a hundred feet wide wound along the tops of the cliffs, creating a barrier between the sea and the dark canyons that plunged into darkness on the back sides of the cliffs. A winding sandy trail followed the ribbon of land and disappeared into the distance.

  The pilot landed the shuttle fifty yards outside the camp and opened the doors. Sprynge quickly paid the man, and they climbed out. The cold wind blowing over the cliffs from the sea below staggered Alayne as she set foot in the dirt. She shaded her eyes against the brightening morning light. Somewhere, in the stretch of earth beneath her feet, was Jayme.

  “Come on, you guys. Let’s get moving.” Leaning into the wind, Alayne made her way toward the base camp, which consisted of two rows of buildings facing a wide graveled street.

  Sprynge drew even with her. He pointed toward the ribbon of cliffs beyond the outpost. “Let’s start out there. We can come back here later.”

  “But someone in the outpost might have information,” Alayne protested. “I think it makes more sense to start by asking around.”

  Kyle halted next to Alayne, glancing back and forth between her and the professor. “It does make more sense, Professor.”

  Sprynge’s mouth opened and closed as he stared out across the cliffs.

  Marysa took the initiative. “Let’s go check the outpost first. We’ll do the caves afterward.” She passed the others and led the way.

  Someone, about sixty years ago, had discovered a gold nugget in one of the cliff canyons. Of course, gold can never remain a secret, so before long, hundreds of people began arriving at Cliffsides to try their luck, hacking at the canyon walls. The traffic thickened over time, and the nearest town was so far away that the Capital eventually had a small outpost built near the cliffs for basic needs. A general store, a tiny hotel, a café, a post office, and various other buildings lined the short street. Unfortunately, Cliffsides had run dry of gold in the last decade, so the place served only as a tourist destination, and not a very popular one at that. Still, the outpost remained open most of the year.

  Alayne reached the graveled street behind Marysa and glanced at the log structures that lined the way. She narrowed her eyes. Something felt strange about the outpost. There were no people. Not a soul. The doors and windows of every building were closed, and not a single movement disrupted the absolute silence of the place.

  Alayne took a deep breath, dread circling in her stomach. A sign on two loose hinges dangled over one of the buildings at the far end of the street: “Cliffsides Outfitters.” The paint was peeling, and two windows had been covered in plastic. Alayne headed toward it. “Let’s start there.”

  As they passed buildings along the way, Marysa glanced at them all. “Most of these places look like they need help. I heard business was getting slower at Cliffsides, but this place looks empty. I’m hungry. I wonder if there’s food?” She nodded pointedly at
the only café in the camp, whose black windows and unused appearance didn’t look promising.

  Alayne pulled the door of the outfitters open and walked inside, Kyle and Marysa following. Sprynge brought up the rear. The door thudded shut with a boom that echoed through the empty room.

  Shelves stood in formation as though the shop had once been a commercial business, but the only thing that remained was its skeleton, layered in dust.

  Alayne turned in a circle, her gaze coming to rest on Sprynge. “Professor, what’s going on? Where is everyone?”

  Sprynge shook his head. “I’m not sure.” He walked to the counter where a cash register still sat. “Hello?” he called. “Is anyone here?”

  Only echoing silence greeted him. A chill snaked up Alayne’s spine.

  “Hello!” she shouted. She walked toward the shelves. “Someone has got to be here; where are you?” The silence was a taunt. The oppressive emptiness whispered, You’ll never find them.

  She couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat. She searched the shelves, the floor, the windows for a sign—something—that would give any clue. Her knees weakened. She leaned her back against the front counter and slid slowly to the floor, staring hopelessly at the boards in front of her.

  Sprynge sighed heavily. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Perhaps we should take a walk along the cliffs—see what we can see.”

  “We should definitely check all the buildings, though.” Kyle extended his hand to Alayne, grasping hers and pulling her to her feet. “Just in case a clue shows up. Something that would help us know the next step.”

  Sprynge didn’t answer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his spectacles.

  Kyle headed back to the door. Sprynge followed behind, replacing his spectacles on his nose. Marysa wrapped her arm around Alayne, sympathy pouring from her. She whispered, “Have you searched through the elements? Can you feel any movement in the earth?”

  Alayne shook her head. “No. It’s—it’s as if someone is covering it up. I would be able to feel the disturbance in the earth element if someone wasn’t messing with the bend.”