City of Dust

by Michelle Kenney

  I stared down at my interlaced fingers, watching my white flesh turn red. Each time I heard him uttering those words, it got worse. It was quite clear the old August was gone, if he’d ever existed at all. And for the first time since Grandpa had died, I felt vulnerable. It didn’t make any sense, but then none of it had ever made any sense. I’d only known him a few days and August had hijacked every rational thought, twisted my feelings into knots, and my dreams into nightmares. And now it was scorchingly clear it was all for nothing.

  ‘These last few weeks have seen recommitment to all our ancient values of honour, valour and allegiance!’ Livia picked up as the screen faded. ‘Especially allegiance! Allegiance to Isca Pantheon, and to the honest, hard-working individuals within our Civitas.’

  A fresh round of cheering ensued.

  ‘So much for being an enlightened civilization!’ Max whispered fiercely. ‘I’ll take bare feet and never knowing where the next meal is coming from, any time of the day.’

  ‘Now, it has come to our attention, that there are still some ill-advised Prolets who believe it is better out there,’ Livia began again, a sour smile staining her face. ‘So, let me be absolutely clear one more time: the wilderness outside is hostile, dangerous and can barely sustain itself, let alone a burgeoning population.

  ‘While the young insurgents remain outside, they are not only endangering themselves, they are also betraying our ancient values and investment. Expensive investment. Now Cassius is patient, but he will not tolerate wilful disrespect!’

  A roar broke out again across the stands.

  ‘Which is why each and every member of the Prolet community has been invited to come forward and make amends by doing one … simple … thing. To save the lives of their ill-advised younger compatriots by sharing their location. Disappointingly, not one has chosen to do so, so far. I’m not sure if it’s the vaccine that is at fault or just plain insubordination.’

  Her voice rose excitedly, and I suppressed a shudder. Why did power always fall into the hands of those least qualified to hold it?

  ‘But, if they will not return the same respect we have always afforded them, Cassius asks we remind them of our ancient values: honour … valour … allegiance!’

  The crowd’s cheering grew wilder with each of her chants, and I shot a glance at Max, knowing he was trying not to think about the last time we too stood in the arena.

  ‘Friends, it is the fourth day of our celebratory Ludi Pantheonares and time to bring our celebrations to an exciting conclusion. So today, I give you one of the generals of the discredited PFF and a criminal against the state: Dr Aelia Vulpes.’

  Livia’s tone was calm again, but her eyes glittered. In a breath, I was back in Octavia’s personal experimentation room. I swallowed so hard it hurt. Octavia, Cassius, Livia – their enjoyment of other people’s pain and torture was too real and close.

  ‘Her crimes, and there are many, include inciting a rebellion against the Civitas of Isca Pantheon; encouraging insubordination among the lower ranks, and more recently, withholding classified information … highly prized classified information!’

  ‘That information was not yours or the Director Generals to steal! It belonged to Arafel; it belonged to the Outsiders!’

  Aelia’s voice rang out strong and rebellious, and a fresh murmur broke out across the crowd.

  ‘Silence!’ Livia cut across in a tone that sliced the air like a Diasord. ‘The Director General decides what is state property, as is the law in Isca Pantheon. Or do you wish to add defamation to your list of misdemeanours?’

  All eyes were on Livia, the vein in her thin white neck pulsing visibly, and for a moment I could have been watching Octavia herself.

  ‘The criminal has chosen the voided Cyclops as her champion,’ she continued smoothly, ‘but, as he has a clear advantage over most, we’ve levelled the playing ground, a little. This should make our Ludi Pantheonares one of the most exciting yet! So, without any further preamble, I declare this historic finale of the Games open. And may the luck of the gods go with you!’

  There was a feverish cheer as the archway opposite filled with a huge ponderous shape, shuffling slowly into view. For a minute, I was blind, too stupid to process the possibility that it could actually be him. And then his silhouette tightened into focus, and every muscle in my throat clenched tight.

  Unus?

  But any brief feeling of euphoria was swiftly replaced; his one pudgy eye was completely blindfolded, and his plate-like feet were shackled by a thick, heavy chain, shortening his stride by more than half. I shuffled forward as far as I dared, unwilling to watch, unable to drag my eyes away.

  This time the cheering was punctuated by heavy foot stamping, and baying. The combination was almost deafening. Aelia straightened her back, and lifted her hand to Unus, only to lower it again when she, too, spotted his blindfold. And as she did so, I noticed several dark horizontal welts staining the back of her tunic.

  ‘I also have a little something else for you, friends, a treat to coincide with the revered Emperor Nero Claudius Germanicus’s Feast Day!’

  I scowled, watching Aelia barely acknowledge Livia. She was formidable; even when injured and incarcerated inside a spherical cage. But the truth was we were also incarcerated and powerless to help while we stayed in here. Where was the fair trial and justice? Where was Pantheon’s honour and valour now? I was done watching.

  ‘We have to do something, Rajid!’ I fired at him. ‘We can’t just wait here until …’

  But what I was about to say was lost to a raw nerve-jangling, grating sound. Aelia shot a panicked look around as the giant cage around her came to life; slowly shuddering, rising and expanding around her spherical ball until finally, it rested, monstrous in its metamorphosis. A tense silence hung on the air as we stared straight into a vision of hell. A labyrinth, complete with a maze of mesh passages big enough for Prolets. This wasn’t just a cage for insurgents, this was the Game … This was Ludi. I stared, my blood growing cold.

  ‘And lastly, because we always like to save the best surprise until the end,’ Livia gloated, as though her final announcement was giving her untold pleasure. ‘Please do extend a warm welcome to your surprise bonus entertainment this afternoon, straight from the poisoned wilderness and without invitation … feral Outsiders!’

  I was conscious only of Max’s gasp, of the floor splitting beneath us, and of clouds of suffocating dust filling my lungs. Then there was a deafening, blinding blanket of nothing – like a fist closing around my throat. And as the toothless grin of the Flavium reared up to greet us, I found myself thinking only three words.

  We were back.

  Chapter 14

  I was grimly aware that I wasn’t caught up in one of my nightmares, no matter how much I wished it. In my nightmares, I couldn’t feel anything, no matter how hard I pinched or dug myself. But right now, as the slow burn of reality returned, my body was in agony. I blinked my streaming eyes to clear the dust, and as my vision slowly returned I tried to assimilate the broken scene. There was a wide trapdoor clinging to one fragile hinge above me, scattered stone cladding all around, and the soft groan of pain.

  Max! I shot a look across the floor, and tried to form his name. He was just a couple of metres away, crumpled up. The colour of dust. I opened my mouth, but only a feeble croak came out. We were surrounded, in the arena of death, with thousands of Pantheonite faces watching.

  And then I spied Rajid, or rather parts of Rajid as the bulk of his body was concealed beneath a pile of heavy debris. Was he dead? Did it even matter? He had betrayed us. Hadn’t he? I was vaguely aware of Max’s hoarse whisper somewhere, and then it started.

  It sounded like baying at first, but as my ears gradually adjusted, I realized it was a word.

  ‘Maze! Maze! Maze!’

  I tried to pull myself up, but it felt as though I’d drunk too much elderflower wine at harvest. Everything was slow and stupid. And then we were surrounded by a blaze of crims
on, and stamping heavy boots that merged like the trees when I was running. Except I was lying stock still.

  Large, rough hands clamped beneath my arms, and dragged me to my feet. They were hazy figures, shadowed by a blurred pack of muscular creatures standing shoulder-high. I struggled, sinking my teeth into a shoulder, and had the satisfaction of hearing a muttered Latin curse before the room finally shrank into focus.

  Max and I were in front of the Ludi Labyrinth, which looked even bigger from the ground, surrounded by an arena full of livid, chanting faces. Livia’s personal guard and a pack of the ugliest molossus hounds surrounded us in a tight formation, while Aelia stared down from above it all, an expression of shocked disbelief pinned to her face.

  Disorientated, I jerked my aching head around. On the far side, beneath an archway engraved L11 and surrounded by another pack of guards and molossus hounds, was my beloved Unus. Silent and completely ignorant to our arrival. My heart strained as I watched his great head jerk from side to side, bewildered by all the fresh commotion.

  ‘You’re a little late, but you always knew how to make an entrance!’ Aelia yelled. Now I was closer, I could see her sunken eyes gleamed from hollow blue-black sockets. And my heart ached harder.

  ‘Silentium!’

  Livia’s caustic tone reached above the roar of the crowd, and this time everyone hushed.

  The guards backed off, leaving only Aelia, Max and I in the arena spotlight. The air was laced with raw anticipation, and my limbs tensed as though I was facing the biggest predator in the forest. And then, finally, I saw them. The lost Prolets, staring through a fortified panel of dirty glass, running the entire circumference of the arena.

  ‘Max,’ I whispered, nodding towards the lower boundary of the Flavium.

  His gaze followed mine, and I heard his sharp intake of breath as he too spotted their white faces, their genetic differences paling in the shadow of their despair. There were so many too, adults and children; their faces pressed up against the glass, their silence conveying a thousand hopeless stories.

  ‘Cassius has sworn to send one Prolet a day into the Ludi Labyrinth, until one of them sees sense.’

  Rajid’s whispered words filled my throbbing head.

  Just how many friends and family had they already watched die here?

  ‘Friends,’ Livia’s voice came, freshly thickened with excitement. ‘I promised you a treat to mark this special Feast Day. And here it is: toxic … feral … Outsiders.’

  The words rolled off her tongue as though she were savouring us.

  ‘And, providentially, the very same intruders responsible for the near collapse of our great Civitas. Cassius has ordered we show them exactly what we think of trespassers, especially those who hold our Civitas in such low esteem. They are to play Ludi Pantheonares!’

  ‘No! They are innocent! I have chosen my champion; Unus must play!’ Aelia yelled, kicking and punching the wire ball like a caged tiger.

  ‘Oh but I concur, Unus must play … alongside the intruders!’ Livia responded, playing the crowd expertly.

  She nodded once, abruptly, before Diasords were pushed against the small of our backs, forcing us towards a tall metal door in the cage. I stared upwards at the oppressive structure, which loomed like a giant mechanical spider, woken from its slumber. Then a loud whirring noise filled the air, and Aelia’s ball began to descend directly into the centre, taking her with it.

  ‘The floor, Tal! Watch the …’ she yelled frantically just as she disappeared from sight. A heavy metal lid ground closed, sealing her inside the labyrinth, and reality flared. I balked, digging my heels into the same dust floor that had seen too much death and violence already.

  I might be back in the Flavium, but I wasn’t the same girl who’d faced Octavia. This was different. Grandpa was gone, the Book was gone, and I knew what I was up against. Pantheon had already stolen so much from me and from Arafel. I wasn’t afraid any more.

  ‘Where … is … it … Livia?’ I fired, imagining each word was a tiny poisoned dart burying itself in her austere face.

  From the corner of my eye I saw Unus start and turn in my direction, despite his blindfold. A fresh blaze of emotion threatened to choke me.

  ‘Unus!’ I yelled, ‘it’s me … Tal!’

  A thick, sweaty hand clamped over my mouth as Livia levelled her piercing gaze at me.

  ‘Talia, isn’t it? I remember you. How nice of you to pay us this little visit so we can remind you about respect for the Civitas. And you brought your Neanderthal too! Oh, I don’t think I know his name … or is he a pet?’ She paused to laugh at her own joke as Max threw me look of abject disgust.

  ‘Seriously?’ he muttered, unimpressed.

  I bit the hand over my mouth, earning a temporary reprieve.

  ‘There is no respect here, only the iron fist of torture!’ I yelled. ‘How can you do this? To the people who keep Pantheon working? How can you blame them for wanting something more than … slavery?’

  ‘Where are Lake and the Book, Livia?’ Max added defiantly. ‘We’ve already brought this Civitas to its knees once. Don’t force us to do it again!’

  I raised my eyes to look at the rugged man standing beside me, at his golden skin and the cleft in his chin, and felt a rush of sudden heat through my sore limbs. I was so damned proud of him it hurt.

  All eyes swung back to Livia, whose schooled expression momentarily betrayed her ugly thoughts.

  ‘Ludere!’

  Her command left the guards in no doubt, and as the grilled door groaned open, thick black walls simultaneously rose from the floor creating a black, uninviting solid cube. We resisted as much as we could, but it was futile, and seconds later a final solid door rose from the floor, sealing us inside.

  We were alone, in the darkness. And the breathing silence.

  At first, I thought the darkness was part of the game, but then the ceiling flickered and lit up with bright screens revealing an excited, clamouring crowd.

  ‘Of all the sick, twisted …’ Max swore unsteadily.

  I stared upwards at the hysteria. How could people who’d witnessed the slaughter of so many of their own, only a year ago, sit and watch this depraved entertainment dressed as some celebratory game?

  A hollow breath escaped me as I swung my gaze around. We were stuck inside a long metal tunnel lined with thick black metal mesh.

  ‘We’ve already brought this Civitas to its knees once?’ I scorned, taking out my fear on Max. ‘What comic book did you lift that from? Arafel’s library only has a handful!’

  ‘Well at least I focused on why we’re here!’ Max shot back. ‘You were so busy trying to save the world you forgot we tried that once already. They’ve had their chance. Now it’s about rescuing ourselves, before we can be any damned help to anyone else!’

  I scowled as a loud booming noise ricocheted through the structure, making the walls shake.

  ‘Unus!’ I exclaimed, turning and sprinting down the passageway in his rough direction, just as the floor caved in beneath me.

  ‘Max!’ I screamed, jumping and clinging to one side of the wire mesh, as he mirrored my move on the opposite side. I spread my weight to spare my arms. This had to be what Aelia was yelling as she disappeared. Then I made the mistake of looking down.

  And the view dried my mouth faster than the sun ever could. No wonder the tunnels beneath Pantheon had been so quiet. The giant strix were right here, barely a tree-jump away, staring up at us. And there were hundreds of them.

  I’d never seen them properly before, only glimpsed their profiles while running from the echo of their hooked claws. But now they were no more than five metres below me. And they were far bigger and uglier than I’d ever imagined.

  I sucked in a tight breath. Each giant rat-owl had to be at least two metres tall with thick, oily black feathers, and powerful calcified beaks as long as my forearm. Their streaked, yellow eyes fixed upon us from the depths of their stinking pen, as one of them tipped its angular be
ak to deliver a raucous shriek to the air. By the vociferous response, it looked as though they hadn’t been fed in a while either.

  My stomach convulsed. Cassius must have had them rounded up purposely for Ludi; no wonder the tunnels had been so empty.

  Then the leader tipped its head back again, and this time its ravenous cry was filled with purpose. I shot a terrified glance at Max.

  ‘Fly!’ he muttered hoarsely.

  I nodded and scrambled along the frame like a spider monkey, Max mirroring me on the opposite side. I was vaguely conscious of something whirring behind us, of my fear welling up like black floodwater and then we were past the pit and above solid floor again. Or so it seemed. Just as another skin-peeling, shuddering noise filled the air.

  ‘Max! The centre!’ I gasped, looking through a succession of layered metal corridors towards the centre of the labyrinth. At Aelia. She was imprisoned in her wire mesh ball, yelling and banging within a second sealed cage. But we couldn’t hear a thing.

  I tried to sight-read but my fingers were growing numb and my grasp weakening.

  ‘Tal, jump! Jump down!’ Max shouted, reading Aelia’s fear just in time.

  I closed my eyes and we both leapt as the metal grill lining the corridor sparked with an intense blue light. Then I was conscious of Aelia being swallowed up again as the walls around her darkened.

  ‘We’re coming, Aelia!’ I yelled, kicking the wire mesh and watching it spit and crackle as the last of her wire ball disappeared. I lifted my hand towards a few strands of my hair, caught by the mesh in my hasty descent. They were blackened and broken.

  ‘Electric?’ I growled, watching the floor with suspicion.

  We used something similar as part of the outside forest warning system, but I had a feeling the surge running through this mesh was far stronger. I forced my gaze ahead into the darkness, focusing on the surreal light pools created by the flickering ceiling screens. The floor looked solid enough, while the shrieking and clawing was growing ever louder behind us. I sucked in a breath. There was only one way of telling for sure.