by T. C. Edge
My chin drops. My head lowers. I hear Jackson speaking, defending me, but the words hardly register any more. Then, the man begins laughing callously as I turn and go back into my room. And as I go, his laughter morphs into that of Knight's.
No matter what I do, I can't escape it.
9 - The Council Decides
I hide in my room, away from the poisonous, spiteful stares of the men who have come to take me.
Outside, I continue to hear Jackson verbally sparring with the lead kidnapper. Soon, other voices join the fray, a debate about me that I truly don't want to be part of. I fear that tensions will rise enough for Jackson to crack, goaded into doing something stupid.
Then, footsteps come running, and I hear my father's voice booming down the passage. Suddenly, all other voices cease, the debate brought to a close by his presence.
Muffled through the door, I hear him speak.
“What is the meaning of this! Where is my daughter?!”
Seconds later, he's bursting into my room and pulling me into a hug.
“Are you OK?” he asks.
I nod into his shoulder.
He pulls back, cups my cheeks with his palms, and looks down at me warmly. There's a security to his expression that's comforting.
“They won't get away with this, Cyra,” he says quietly. “Are you OK here?”
I nod again.
He smiles and kisses my forehead, before turning back.
“Ellie, come in here.” She does as ordered. “Stay with Cyra.”
She nods as he walks quickly from the room, shutting the door tight. Once again, I listen to a commotion rise outside. First, my father, words spitting out of him like lava from a volcano. Calling for the men to explain themselves.
When the lead kidnapper speaks, his voice has lost its virulence and audacity, cowed by my father's ferocity. His voice is too quiet through the door for me to hear clearly. A few moments later, the voices die down and I hear them all move off down the passage.
“He'll be taking them down to the cells,” says Ellie. “If it was me I'd have them all shot for treason.”
I turn to her, wide eyed.
“You don't mean that.”
“I do,” she seethes. “They're traitors.”
“They're just doing what most of the city thinks should be done. They're just afraid, Ellie.”
“Yeah, well what if they try it again?”
“They won't be able to from the cells.”
Ellie lets out a noise of exasperation and disgust.
“Well I hope they put that lead one in with Link. He can teach him some manners.”
“Ellie, stop.”
“What?”
“Just...stop, please. I don't want to talk about this any more.”
I sink down onto my bed and let out a long breath. Ellie comes over to sit next to me. Her voice has calmed when she next speaks.
“Did you...get any sleep in the end?”
I shake my head.
“You look tired. You're safe now. You should get some rest.”
I don't argue. In fact, I don't want to speak right now, not to her, not to anyone. I roll over and feel a blanket pulled over me. I mumble a thanks and shut my eyes. Unexpectedly, I feel my eyes grow heavy, my mind fade out, and a blackness close in.
The next thing I know, my name is being said and my shoulder shaken. My eyes crack open and I see my father above me. He smiles.
“Feeling better?” he asks.
“What...what time is it?” I croak.
“It's morning.”
I sit up quickly.
“I need to get to training,” I say hurriedly.
“Not today,” says Drake.
In the background, I see Ellie, already dressed. The door is open. Beyond, Jackson hovers, a steely look in his eyes.
“What's going on?”
“The Master wants to see you, all three of you.”
“Is...is this about last night?”
“No, but I've told him about it and he agrees with my decision to lock those men away. People like that cannot be tolerated.”
“Then what?”
“It's a war council meeting, isn't it?” asks Ellie from behind. “Like before, when we were included at the end. It's that time again, isn't it.”
Drake doesn't answer. He looks over at her and then stands up straight.
“Get dressed, Cyra. I will meet you outside with Jackson.”
He leaves the room immediately and shuts the door. I share a concerned look with Ellie as I climb out of bed and begin dressing.
“So those men are down with Link. It's disgusting that he's in the same boat with that scum,” grumbles Ellie.
I let her vent a few more grievances as I silently put on my clothes, before the two of us meet Drake and Jackson outside the door. They're in reflective conversation, but quickly stop talking when I appear.
“Right, let's go.”
We travel down the passages and into the main chamber. One of the only ways to tell what time it is in the city is by noting the general actions of the populous. Now, I find that they're mostly still asleep, making it early morning and probably not much past dawn. I'm thankful for that.
We pass through the central chamber and onto the other side of the mountain, down the rocky passages that morph into neat corridors, and straight towards the council room I've been to several times. As always, two loyal guards stand outside. They move aside to let us enter and shut the door behind us.
Inside, the usual suspects sit waiting around the conference table. Generals Richter and Sharpe, Professor Lane, Aeneas Stein, and the Master himself, sitting at the head of the table. The only notable absentee is Markus, who I understand to be doing a lot of the day to day running of the infantry.
One more person greets me with a welcome smile, although she doesn't seem to be here in the same capacity as the rest of us. I pass her by as she pours cups of water from a jug, taking a seat next to my father.
“Morning, Cyra,” says Leeta. “I heard what happened last night. Terrible thing. Terrible.”
“Thanks. It's OK, Link saw it coming,” I say to her quietly as she passes me a cup of water.
“Link, such a nice boy,” she says.
The Master's stern voice interrupts her.
“Miss Ashworthy. If you could leave once you've poured the water please. Go attend to your other duties.”
She nods, bows submissively, and scurries off out of the room.
As soon as the door shuts, the Master stands.
“I have gathered each of you here today to discuss Miss Drayton and the deal proposed by the Eden negotiator. I understand it is an issue close to many of your hearts, but I urge that we discuss it in a calm and considered manner.”
His eyes scan the room, paying particular focus to Ellie, Jackson, and my father. I can already see Ellie fit to burst and give her opinion on the matter. A calming hand on her forearm from Jackson holds her back.
“It has now been five days since the deal was offered. We have little time to decide, but it must be now. I will call upon each of you to state your opinion and, again, I stress the importance in maintaining our cool at this time.”
His eyes shift to Ellie in particular now. It's hard for anyone not to notice her displeasure at the very thought that the deal might be accepted.
He holds his hand out to her, inviting her to stand.
“Ellie, you look like you'd like to go first. Please, don't be shy.”
The Master sits. All eyes turn to Ellie. I feel like I've just shrunk to about two feet tall, my future being discussed around me as if I'm not even there.
I look at Ellie and think back to how frightened she was when we first arrived on Eden. How she'd been so scared of introducing herself to the group of trainee Watchers. Now, she stands as tall as her small frame will allow and sends her eyes over each of the city luminaries one by one, calmly preparing her words. Oh, how she's changed...
“I doubt my th
oughts are going to surprise any of you,” she starts. “I lived on Eden for a time and, although I never met Augustus Knight, I have heard a lot about him. I know he cannot be trusted. I know his word will not be kept. And I know how much he wants Cyra. If we give her up, he will destroy us anyway. We'd be foolish to accept.”
She doesn't lay the point on thick. She doesn't get flustered. She just says her short opening piece and then sits down, waiting for someone else to stand.
It's Professor Winifred Lane who bites.
A wise looking and studious old lady, and someone who up until now has hardly uttered a word in front of me, Professor Lane stands and addresses the group with her quiet but well spoken voice. I know that she, like the Master and Stein, was once of Eden, banished for not conforming, just like so many others.
“This is a hard time for all of us,” she begins, slowly. “However, we have to take our feelings out of it.” She looks directly at me. “Cyra, you appear to be a lovely young girl, but I am a scientist, and I have to look at this logically. We simply cannot risk trading your life for that of every soul in this city. We have no option but to accept the deal. I'm sorry.”
She sits down and dips her head awkwardly, as Jackson's voice rises.
“It is no trade at all!” Unlike Ellie, he appears to have lost some of his cool. “Ellie just said it. Knight will wipe us out regardless as to whether we give Cyra up or not. Why can't you see that? If we lose her, we're just losing one of our best fighters, someone who can actually make a difference. It will only weaken us. And look at you, you've got Link locked down there. It's like you want to just hand victory over to Knight.”
“Son, calm yourself,” cuts in General Sharpe. “Let's keep things civil here, as the Master said.”
Jackson takes a breath and a moment to himself.
“I'm sorry, General,” he says. “I just...” He looks over at me, pain filling his eyes. “We can't give her up. We can't...”
Ellie's hand reaches up to him and pulls him down into his seat. He sits, body language deflating, shaking his head.
“General,” says the Master. “What is your opinion?”
General Sharpe stands proudly and shifts in his uniform.
“As Professor Lane said, she is a scientist and thus must look at this issue logically. I am a military man and must do the same. I have serious doubts as to whether we can defeat the Eden army. And if we do we will do so with extreme casualties. I understand your points about Augustus Knight, but whether we think we can trust him or not, we have no choice but to agree to his terms. We have nothing to lose by trying...”
“Nothing to lose?”
All eyes shift to Drake. His eyes are narrow, glaring at the General.
“You seem to forget, General, that Cyra is my daughter. So I have everything to lose.”
General Sharpe raises his hand in apology.
“I meant nothing by it, Drake. But your reaction proves a serious point that needs to be made. All of you, Drake, Ellie, Jackson. You love Cyra. You don't want to see her come to harm, and that's understandable. However, it is clouding your judgement. You must appreciate that.”
Silence. A full minute of it. Everyone retreats to their own minds. Then Drake stands slowly, and speaks again.
“I love my daughter more than anything. I would do everything in my power to make sure she is safe. But I am also looking at this as a leader of these people, people I have lived with and cared for for many years. Don't make the mistake of believing I'm saying all this just for Cyra, General. I am saying it because I truly believe that Augustus Knight will not keep his word, and that nothing will change once Cyra is handed over. This city will still be cut off. We will still have no choice but to fight our way out. Of that I am in no doubt.”
The heads of Jackson and Ellie nod. I notice Stein nodding as well.
“Aeneas?” says the Master.
Stein stands as Drake sits. He smiles warmly at me first, then speaks to the group.
“I agree with Drake. Julius, you and I know Augustus as well as anyone could ever wish to. Not that I'd wish such a thing on anyone. He is conniving, vindictive, manipulative, and obsessed with power. He will not stop until every last one of us is dead and in the ground. His goal has always been complete control, complete power. He can only achieve that by eliminating all threats. Here, in this mountain, is the greatest threat to him, and he knows it. He will not leave us here to grow in strength. I believe that giving Cyra up will do us no good whatsoever. And, on a personal note, I've grown rather fond of her.”
He smiles at me again, and his left eye dances with a wink.
“I'm afraid, Aeneas, that you may just have spoiled your argument with your final comment,” says General Richter. “You appear to have fallen into the same trap of sentimentality as the rest. I have little else to offer but for my agreement with General Sharpe and Professor Lane. This deal is a potential lifeline for us all. We have to take it.”
Once more, the room falls to silence. All have spoken, given their opinion. All except the Master himself. He allows several long moments of reflection before standing from his seat.
“We will take a vote,” he says. “The question is simple: should we accept the deal. You will answer with a 'yes' or a 'no'. Aeneas?”
Stein looks at me once more, and says firmly: “no.”
“General Richter?”
The General nods his head, and says: “yes.”
“General Sharpe?”
“Yes,” he says.
“Professor Lane?”
“An unfortunate 'yes' from me,” she says regretfully.
“Jackson?”
Jackson stands and plants his hands on the table.
“No,” he says.
“Ellie?”
“Of course, no.”
“Drake.”
“No.”
“That's it then,” says Jackson, still standing. “Four against three right now. And Cyra obviously gets a vote, which will be 'no'...”
Everyone looks at me.
“He's right,” says Stein. “Everyone in this room gets a vote. It appears that the motion has been carried...”
“Wait.”
My voice cuts through the room, breaking out of me. I look at my hands, clasped together on the table, and start shaking my head.
“I won't let them die,” I say with only a whisper. “I won't...”
“Cyra, did you say something?” asks the Master. “Speak up...”
“I have listened to you all speak. I appreciate all of your opinions,” I say slowly. “And my answer is simple. I vote 'yes'...”
Commotion breaks out among the three to my right. Drake, Ellie, Jackson, all speaking at once. Asking me what I'm talking about. Saying I'm confused, that I'm not thinking straight after last night.
“She means 'no',” says Drake. “The motion is carried...”
“She's tired, she needs to rest,” says Ellie.
“NO!” I shout. The room goes silent. “I mean exactly what I said. I don't want to be responsible for anyone else dying. The man last night...he was right. All of this is down to me. I should never have left Eden in the first place. I set this in motion.”
“No you didn't!” breaks in Jackson. “The rebels were building a force to attack Eden anyway. You can't blame yourself.”
“But I do. And I can stop anyone else from dying for me.” I turn directly to the Master. “I vote 'yes', sir. That is my final decision.”
Heads continue to shake everywhere, Drake and Ellie and Jackson all stare at me in disbelief. I catch eyes with Professor Lane and see respect on her face, along with a little sorrow. Stein turns to the Master.
“That's four votes each way, Julius. It's down to you.”
I sit back and hang my head. I can feel the anger and confusion seeping out of my friends, out of my father. They know, as well as I do, that the Master will take the offer. After all, it seems the only logical step for a man in his position. Perhaps, in the e
nd, it's fitting that the leader of the entire rebel cause has the final decision.
He stands to deliver his verdict. I hold my eyes down and wait for the inevitable. He begins to speak.
“I've lived in this city for many years,” he starts. “I've seen it grow and expand and become somewhere safe, a secure haven amid the wilderness. Never have I seen it so full. Never have so many people taken refuge here, hiding, running...surviving.”
I raise my head, and look at him as he speaks. He turns to look at the painting on the wall behind him. The image of Eden, rising above the ocean. For a moment he just looks at it, and when he turns back, his eyes are smouldering.
“I have had enough,” he say, his voice rising in volume. “Enough of hiding here, of running from the past. It's what we are all doing, and it's time to stop. If we are going to make a stand, then it has to be now.”
His eyes drift over Stein, then Drake, then Ellie and Jackson.
“You are all right. Augustus Knight cannot be trusted. I will not bend the knee to that man again. I will not give him what he wants. It's time we played by our own rules. It's time we fought back.”
I look at the others to my right and see their eyes light up, their heads nodding. Across the table, the Generals' jaws set tighter, Professor Lane listens closely, a small smile building in the corner of her mouth.
“We will not give in to this tyrant,” continues the Master, louder and louder. “We will turn the tables. We will attack when he least expects it. Here and now, we will fight and win...or we will die. There is no other way.”
He opens out his hands, gesturing for us all to stand up. We do, chairs scraping on the floor as they're pushed back. The Master looks to all of us, one by one.
“I vote 'no',” he says. “The motion is carried, five votes to four.” He looks over at me, and for the first time I see a genuine smile rise on his face. “We will not give up one of our own. Cyra will stay with us. Just where she belongs.”
10 - Battle Plans
The meeting continues for another hour or so, our minds now turning to the thought of battle. The Generals, while having lost the vote, both quickly refocus on the task at hand, one which they have been preparing for for years. One by one, at the Master's request, they begin discussing the general outline of attack for their armoured and infantry battalions.