by CW Tickner
Sonora wasted no time and rushed to the nearest shelf. She pulled down a metal bound book and her eyes lit up as she flipped open the pages.
‘It’s in our writing as well, almost the exact same.’ She beamed at the pages, running a finger lightly as if to inspect them as she scanned the words. ‘Compared to the books at home, they’re works of art. Even Grandpa could never get more than an armful for our own shelf.’
The guard closest frowned and stomped over.
‘What’s the name of the book?’ he demanded.
‘The properties of metal.’ Sonora said, checking the scrawl on the spine.
What could the book show Harl in his own line of work?
The guard shook his head and snatched the book from Sonora and retreated to the side of the room, slipping the tome back on a random shelf as he passed.
Kane clambered up a ladder on the central pillar of shelves and plucked a thin volume from the top rack. He slid down and presented it to Sonora. It had a white cover emblazoned with a red cross.
‘Perhaps you would be interested in this book,’ he said. He sat down on the edge of the table and Harl noted that he was careful to check that the guard’s eyeline was blocked. ‘It is a textbook on healing. Perhaps some of the ideas are new to you, but you may have techniques that we are unaware of. I heard of your use of the herb you call banewort. Fascinating.’
He plucked a tiny notepad and pencil from the pocket of his white jacket and began scribbling, then popped it back and waved a frail hand at the table and cushioned chairs.
‘Please,’ he said, ‘take a seat. I must teach you something about our ways so that when you do start to read you will be able to better understand the ideas of electricity and steam power. ’
Most of the day was spent listening to Kane’s enthusiastic lectures on the history of Delta. He told of how the hivers had repeatedly attacked the city, whittling the population down until it was smaller and smaller, before explaining how Delta had shrunk each time only to be rebuilt afterwards. During the worst attack the entire population had been segregated. They had split into Enlightened and Passives and lived independently for a generation.
‘The Passives,’ Kane said, ‘left all of their technology and equipment here in Delta. When the hiver plague was first spotted, they grabbed what they could and fled in their hundreds. Those of us now known as the Enlightened chose to stay and fight. We managed to drive the hivers off, but at a great cost in lives.
‘For years the Passives lived apart, over twenty days hard travel from Delta. Without the sun panels to generate electricity, they had to adapt to survive, relying solely on steam engines and the power they could provide.’
‘How did you reunite?’ Sonora asked.
Kane smiled. ‘It was by the same sort of catastrophe that had separated us in the first place. We established contact again by distant trade and, when we learned that the hivers had regained their numbers and were swarming, we asked the Passives to return. This time, in a bid to redeem themselves, they marched back to Delta and supported their kin.’
‘Did it work?’ Harl asked, wrapped up the story.
Kane smiled at the eagerness on their faces.
‘I’m getting there,’ he said. ‘Another great war against the hivers ensued and, with both groups working as one, the hivers were eventually defeated. The Enlightened forgave the Passives for their cowardice in the first battle, but the Passives never fully returned to the use of electricity as a main source of power. They feared another split and that the isolation would strip that power away. Steam had served them well, so they stuck to it.’ He gestured around at those inside the library. ‘Even now the rift between our two groups is as big as ever. The others on the council have decreed that the Passives are not as fit to learn as those descended from Enlightened, which, of course, has the Passives riled.’ He shrugged. ‘If I had it my way, it would be different, but as it stands, the Passives are strongly discouraged from learning and must stay in their roles until death or disease take them.’
‘Roles?’ Sonora asked.
‘When each Passive comes of age they are assigned a job that they will continue until an Enlightened says otherwise. Which, other than myself, none have yet done. Few Passives have ever changed career.’
He looked over to Damen, who was sat at a bench on the other side of the library, deep in study with the help of a mentor. He was scowling as the mentor flipped through a stack of papers asking questions.
‘Damen is one of our best students and he has progressed well,’ Kane said, ‘but it is hard for anyone to understand the full functions of electricity without learning from birth. I doubt any will ever mistake him as an Enlightened, but I believe, now more than ever, that we need as many educated minds as we can create. There are so few of us left that we can’t afford to pick and choose who has the right to learn.’
‘And the people?’ Harl asked. ‘They accept it?’
Kane sighed. ‘There is little choice in the matter. I have tried, many times, to sway opinions to my own detriment, but the others on the council are not yet ready for change.’
‘Why stop them learning?’ Sonora asked.
Kane looked around as if to make sure they would not be overheard. ‘Many Enlightened see it as a punishment for leaving the city during the first great war. Personally, I don’t believe the Passives consider it so. For them it is just the way things have always been.’
‘What about Damen?’ Harl asked.
‘What about him?’ Kane asked, watching as the bearded man collected his books, grunted at the teacher and then stalked from the room.
‘When we first met,’ Harl said, ‘he asked us what tribe we were from, but that seems odd now considering there are only the Passives and Enlightened.’
‘I assume,’ Kane said, ‘that he was referring to those who live beyond Delta’s walls, or those who hunt and gather for the city. He is not a true Passive, as we call those who use steam and who came back to us after the split. Some prefer to live a more primitive existence far beyond the city. Damen belongs to a tribe who recently came to Delta. They settled within the boundary of the caves and help the others who scavenge and hunt for our supplies. But there are still others who live far beyond the range of our patrols.’
‘How many of these tribes are there?’ Harl asked, surprised to learn of even more people than those left in the city.
‘No one can say for sure,’ Kane said. ‘Some have come to Delta, as I said, but most still live in far off lands hidden from the Aylens. Who knows how far we have been scattered? It is a shame to say it, but apart from Damen and the hunters you met, most are unwilling to learn anything more than hunting and surviving. Most stay well beyond the city wall. They come in to trade meat and metal for weapons and clothing, then retreat back to small huts tucked away in the forest. Damen and his hunting group live inside the walls but are often away for long periods of time, like when they found you. Be glad it was not one of the other hunting parties that discovered you, or it might have worked out a lot worse.’
‘What are they like?’ Sonora asked.
‘Simple people,’ Kane said. ‘If I had my way, I would have them join the city and learn all they can from us, but the rest on the council believe otherwise. They see them only as a means to get the food and the resources to build better technology, rarely considering them our brethren. Each human has a role in our future. Our city depends on it.’
It seemed odd to Harl that the city was so divided. There was no reason for it other than the council members’ thirst for power and their resentment of the Passives. It mirrored his old land in a way. Perhaps all human societies developed a similar hierarchy, but did they all eventually rebel?
Chapter 37
The operation was a success and I returned to find a queue waiting for more stock. I need at least sixteen of these tanks if I am to continue this venture as my fame spreads. The extra tanks will be put to use to raise the other dependant creatures I found near
their nest.
After the lessons, they were shown to the mess hall. Harl was wrapped up in his thoughts as they reached a fork in the metal-walled corridor.
‘Turn right,’ one of the guards behind said.
Harl was considering the rift between the Passives and Enlightened when he strayed left. An invisible hand choked him as a guard grabbed his collar and dragged him backwards to the junction. He fought to free the vice-like grip.
‘I said right!’ the guard yelled in his ear.
‘Stop it!’ Sonora cried, beating at the arm as a familiar face appeared further down the corridor.
‘Free him,’ Uman said, putting a hand on a dagger strapped across his chest as he started to jog towards them.
The second guard must not have heard and stepped in to assist, throwing Sonora aside. She hit the metal wall and collapsed. Harl roared and clutched at the hand about his throat. He caught sight of Uman as he barrelled into the second guard and punched him full in the face. The guard crumpled to the floor. The choking stopped as the first guard stepped back from Harl and raised his hands. Uman drew his dagger as Harl helped Sonora up.
‘He was running off,’ the guard said, eyes on the dagger. His gaze then darted down to his unconscious partner. ‘Not following instructions.’
‘Next time you make a mistake in the training grounds, Yimil, and fail to follow orders,’ Uman said, ‘we’ll see how much you like getting dragged back onto the right path.’
The guard stepped out of his way as Uman smiled at Harl and Sonora.
‘I’ll escort you to the mess hall,’ Uman said.
‘Thank you, Uman,’ Sonora said.
Harl was sure Uman turned pink as he took the right fork in the path and led them to the hall.
They ate while Uman whittled a lump of wood, forming it into a rough replica of the flower they had passed when he fell against the Ripshrub.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Sonora said between mouthfuls.
Uman beamed at her and slipped it back in his pocket. ‘It is not yet finished, but thanks.’
Once they had eaten and said goodbye to him, two new guards escorted them to their quarters. Kane was waiting for them when they arrived.
‘You will have to answer to the council soon,’ he said, sifting through a selection of documents he held. ‘You must explain how you came to be here at Delta and convince them your intentions are good. They will question you on your time in the sacred caves.’ He glanced at the door. ‘But their only real interest is information about the people inside your homeland. As one of them, I know they will be seeking to gauge the technology level of your people, so it will be better to claim ignorance.’
‘We have no more of those weapons,’ Harl said, ‘if that’s what they want to know.’
Kane shrugged. ‘Like I said, ignorance will be your best bet.’
Harl had no idea what the council expected from him. If he failed to convince them to help in a rescue, would the Enlightened throw them out or would they be locked up in the city out of fear? Kane was little help. All he would say was that they should relate their story, but be vague on most details. The council would then decide what to do about those still trapped in the Aylen’s home.
Harl knew he needed their help to get his people out, but he had no idea what he would do if they refused. Maybe they could find a quiet place among the tribes who lived beyond Delta’s walls. Could he live out there? He guessed it had been their plan before Damen had found them and before he’d realised how harsh this new land was. They had left the tank in search of a cure for the blacking disease, but seeing Sonora’s world thrown to the ground by the Aylen had put an end to that option. Could he face turning his back on the others inside the shop?
A light tap on the door made Kane jump. He had been going over a passage from the healing book with Sonora, but snatched the book away from her and slipped it inside his white jacket. He raised a finger to his lips to silence her.
‘Yes?’ he said.
Another Enlightened entered, bowing briefly to Sonora and Harl.
‘I’m sorry to interrupt, Kane,’ the man said, ‘but a group has returned with new...’ He glanced at Harl and Sonora then back to Kane. ‘...technology.’
Kane nodded and turned back to Harl and Sonora. ‘Excuse me, both of you, but I will need to be there for the pricing.’
‘Pricing?’ Sonora asked.
‘When new technology or objects are found,’ Kane said, ‘we haggle a price with the finding party.’
The newcomer frowned at his words, but Kane ignored the look and rose from his seat, drawing out his notebook as he took his leave.
Harl and Sonora were left to stroll around the corridors inside the caves. The guards grunted whenever they were about to take a forbidden corridor, which left them with nowhere to go except wander through the main corridors until they reached the entrance gate.
‘Can’t go that way,’ the guard said as they stared at the imposing hinged doors of reinforced steel.
‘Why not? Sonora said, rounding on the man. ‘What gives you the right to cage us like this?’
‘Because I said so,’ the guard said with a cold grin as he fingered the hilt of his sword with one hand.
‘Typical answer when you’re not clever enough to justify your actions,’ Sonora said.
The guard shifted at the insult, clearly debating whether he should hit her or not. Harl readied himself, but the second guard stepped up next to his friend and shook his head in warning.
‘I’ll take them out,’ a voice said and they spun to find Damen striding towards them. The two guards took a step back not willing to argue with the imposing man.
The doors swung open with a hiss of steam at Damen’s command and he led them down the steps to the main street. It was bustling with people, but the atmosphere was relaxed as people chatted in the middle of tasks or perused the shops brimming with a surplus of goods.
It was strange to watch it all. Everything seemed so familiar to Harl. People shopping, people talking, friends walking along and laughing, lovers holding hands as they dreamt of their future together – it could all have been taking place back in his own world. It was like a reflection of everything he’d known, but there was an effortlessness about it all. He watched two men as they worked a forge. Instead of one having to constantly attend the flames, they just pressed a series of buttons and the coals adjusted temperature in response. Another woman was hanging washing out on a strange circular line that looked like a toadstool made from metal and wire. She finished pegging the items in place and then pressed another button and the whole toadstool contraption began to revolve, the clothes whipping about in the wind. Everything seemed easier than his life had been back home. He saw no beggars or drunks shambling about and even those who looked like servants weren’t running between tasks.
It was all a cold reminder of how backwards life was for the people inside the tanks.
‘Thank you for back there’ Harl said. ‘I’m starting to feel like we should have taken your offer to go into the wild.’
‘I said it’d be difficult,’ Damen said, walking with them down the steps from the main entrance.
‘Damen, what do you think of Kane?’ Sonora asked as the three stepped off the roadway to let a troop of soldiers pass.
‘He’s a pompous ass,’ Damen said, scratching the scar through his plaited black beard. ‘But for an Enlightened council member, he’s one of the better ones.’
‘Better how?’ she asked, stopping to let a child dash in front of her into one of the houses.
‘Most aren’t like him,’ he said. ‘They argue about teaching us – weather we are fit to learn or not – but all they really care about is their technology and their power over us. Kane isn’t like that. I owe him a great debt for asking the council if he could teach me, which meant a home in the city. Without his aid I’d still be living outside. As for the others, they only care for us because we bring back supplies and sometimes find some of the
ir beloved technology. They’re far too cowardly to do it themselves.’
Harl remembered how Kane had said that it was the Passives who were considered the cowards. Now it seemed the roles had reversed.
Damen led them past a building that housed a loud pumping machine. Steam billowed from a vent in its side. He ushered them around the clouds of boiling vapour to a modest-sized, one story house built of wooden beams and rusted iron sheets all amalgamated into a single solid structure. It was subtly coloured to match the dusty orange floor and, like every other building, the roof was a cascade of trailing plants and vines.
‘You’re welcome in my home, Harl and Sonora,’ Damen said, opening the door to reveal a large living room.
The plaster walls were cluttered with the heads of hunting trophies, all lovingly restored to give a ferocious glare at visitors. Wooden furniture circled a central fire pit over which an empty iron pot hung. A single door led to another room from which a startlingly attractive, olive-skinned woman swept out.
She wore a bust-hugging grey and green dress patterned by leaves and carried herself with a dignity that a queen would envy. She twitched her smooth, dark hair aside as her brown eyes stared hard at the strangers entering her home. They flicked down to an iron poker beside the fire pit, but then Damen stepped through the doorway and her face lit up.
‘Welcome,’ she said, inviting them to sit down. ‘I’m Yara, and you must be Harl and Sonora.’ She beamed at them, plucking the pot off the hook over the fire. ‘You must stay and eat. I’ll put something on right away.
She turned and headed in to the other room, her long dress swishing as she went.
They ate together and talked about the city. Yara was keen to question Sonora on her potion making and to have her relate the story of finding such a handsome young man, as she put it.
They left as night was drawing in, with repeated invitations from Yara to come back and visit echoing in their ears as they walked away.