“I have to go now, Andie my dear,” she said suddenly. “Take care of yourself, and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask Jerrapo or Thane. They will see that you’re taken care of.” She kissed Andie’s cheek. “May Veshti watch over you,” she added in a whisper.
Andie slumped against the wall as Randa walked off. It seemed that all of her friends were deserting her.
It only got worse. The next night Jerrapo dropped by her bedroom to say good-bye also. “Morek-Li has asked that I go to Roma for awhile. I know that you will be lonely, Sirra, but it will only be a short time, I am certain. It is too dangerous in Roma for me to stay long.”
Andie was beginning to despise Morek-Li.
The days began to seem longer and longer, dragging by. It was like she was back in school again, a young girl who desperately counted down the endless days until the holidays. Only this time she had no definite date to pin her hopes on, only a vague assurance that sometime in the future her friends would return. Andie taught her class indifferently, with little interest in the events of the base. The only highlight of her day was her nightly pilgrimage to the rooftop, where she laid back and watched the moons and the stars, wondering if Laeren might be looking at them as well. She quietly poured out her heart to the stars, as if Laeren could listen to her on his end of the world.
“I can’t take it anymore,” she flung at the heavens. “Why do I keep doing this day after day? If only you’d come back I wouldn’t feel so alone.”
Yet the more she talked to the stars, the farther away they seemed. It only made her feel more forlorn.
But everything changed the night of the raid.
♦
It was during the height of summer; the air in the basement was warm and stuffy, and she had had trouble sleeping for several nights in a row. Andie had fled for the rooftop practically as soon as the living quarters had been darkened. This particular evening a cooler breeze drifted in from the river, and Andie had lain back against the wall with closed eyes and let the wind dance over her face. It was so comfortable and she was so tired that she had drifted off to sleep. The next thing she knew she awakened suddenly, startled by some kind of loud noise. Glancing around, she didn’t see anything unusual, but yawning widely, she figured she’d better head back downstairs. The elder moon had traveled far enough across the sky that she must have been asleep for hours. But halfway down the spiral staircase, she was horrified to hear shouts and loud crashes echoing through the walls. Something was very, very wrong.
Before she could decide what to do, the hidden door at the bottom of the staircase swung open. A dark figure stole through the door and then quietly shut it. He bustled around the door, and Andie heard a loud scrape and a thunk as he dropped the large wooden slat in the brackets to block the door shut. Then he rushed to the staircase and started to climb quickly. Andie was still frozen to the spot, unable to decide if the newcomer was a member of the Resistance or not. She had quietly started to backtrack up the stairs when she heard muttered cursing and a pocket torch flared, briefly blinding her.
“Great Veshti alive! Is that you, Sirra?” a hoarse voice called. She halted immediately.
“Thane?” she answered uncertainly.
“Where have you been, girl?” the older man demanded in a loud whisper. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” He was still climbing.
“What’s going on?” she asked nervously.
“We’ve been discovered. The soldiers are here. Go back up to the roof!” he ordered, panting breathlessly. Andie didn’t waste any more time. She whirled and retreated up the staircase. After months of practice she could move up the stairs extremely quickly, even without Thane’s torch to guide her. Out on the roof she stopped to wait for Thane, her eyes anxiously roving the small area. Was there a way down from here? Would it even matter? Surely the soldiers had surrounded the building
Thane emerged, his white hair sticking wildly straight up. Andie smothered a hysterical giggle. Hold it together, she told herself drawing in a deep breath. There’s got to be a way out of this.
Thane didn’t even stop to explain. He just strode to the far end of the roof near the brick wall and then paused for a moment, running his hands over the bricks. Andie drifted after him, wondering what he could possibly be looking for. She had never seen anything—but then, Thane started to climb up the roof. Obviously she hadn’t looked very closely! Following him, she found a series of metal spikes had been driven into the bricks, just far enough apart to climb. It was easy enough to scale the wall after him.
At the top, Thane stayed crouched over, crawling forward a few more feet. He peered over the edge of the roof and then got to his feet. Andie carefully made her way to him. They were looking down over another narrow alleyway, but this one was barely wide enough to be a walkway. The neighboring roof was scarcely four feet away and only a few inches lower than the one they stood on.
“We’re going to jump,” Thane instructed in a low tone. Andie nodded. Jumping four feet should be easy, but the drop below still made her tense as she watched Thane back a little and then launch himself over the gap. He landed safely and turned expectantly. Andie leapt lightly over to the other side and Thane immediately set off across the new rooftop.
They managed to cross several different buildings this way. Most of the gaps between the buildings were very small, and Andie wondered randomly what would happen if any of them caught on fire. Would the entire block go up in flames? But eventually she came to an abrupt halt beside Thane, her shoes scuffing up clouds of soot from the roof. The next building was at least ten feet away. Thane was silently cursing again.
“I must have counted wrong,” he growled. “Laeren told me we needed to cross seven buildings, but I’ve only counted six. Unless the young fool actually expected us to jump to that building!” He shook his head. “Well, maybe I got the number wrong. Come on, Sirra. Help me find a smokestack somewhere up here with a wooden box at the base of it.” Andie nervously started back across the roof. Had the soldiers discovered the secret door yet? Had they searched the roof and seen the spikes? They were well hidden, but still . . . she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. The sooner they found this box, the sooner they could keep going. In a way, it relieved her anxiety a bit to know that Laeren had prepared this escape route. Laeren would surely have made sure they would have everything they needed to get away.
The roof of this factory was large, and Andie counted at least ten smokestacks poking up into the dark sky. The warmth of the summer evening was completely gone. The river breeze was stronger now. She rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself as she searched among the smokestacks.
Ten minutes later Thane had found the box he was looking for. Inside was a coiled rope ladder. Thane shook it out before setting off to the side of the building again. This time it was Andie who spotted the spikes driven into the roof, undoubtedly placed there by design. Thane tied the rope ladder to the spikes and immediately started the climb down. Andie waited until he made it to the alley below; when he beckoned to her she swung one foot over the roof and onto the ladder.
Laeren’s ladder held. It was well made and she found it easy to make her way to the ground. But once safely on the ground she let her gaze travel back up the ladder. They were leaving a sign, clear as day, that they had come this way. It could never be used as an emergency escape again.
“Nothing we can do about it,” Thane said, his eyes following hers. Clearly, his thoughts were along the same line as hers. “Besides, I don’t think we’ll ever be going back.” He turned back to Andie, looking her up and down. She was dressed in the ragged cutoff shorts and shirt she wore to sleep in. Pulling off his traveling cloak, he draped it over her shoulders. “Best wrap up, and we’ll get you under cover.” She tied on the cloak and hurried after Thane. He strode down the alleyway and turned left without hesitating. Andie nervously pulled the hood over her head. It
had been so long since she had exposed herself in public. Even though it was the middle of the night it still made her nervous.
They weren’t out on the streets for long. After only a couple of turns they were in the middle of a dead end street. Thane walked to the middle of the street and crouched down. Andie followed curiously and found herself staring at a sewer grate. Thane was trying to lift it up.
“Help me with this,” grunted Thane. “I’m not as young as I used to be.” She grasped the iron bars and tugged. Together they lifted it up and slid it partly out of the way.
“I am not looking forward to this part,” Thane sighed. “Well, in we go.” He sat at the edge of the dark hole and lowered himself down. Andie watched him in trepidation. They were going to travel in a sewer tunnel? Crawl through the nasty sludge? Taking one last deep breath of the fresh air, she climbed down into the sewer behind him.
Thane had lit his torch again. “There’s a chain,” he told her. “We should be able to pull the grate back into place.” The torch light caught the glint of swinging metal, and Andie grasped it. By pulling backward with all her strength, she managed to drag the grate back over the opening. It clanged into position with an ominous crash.
There was no going back. Hopefully, Thane knew what he was doing.
♦
It wasn’t as bad as she had feared. The smell was suffocating, and she didn’t even want to know what was squelching under her feet, but the tunnel was tall enough for her to walk upright. Poor Thane had to stoop a bit. Had Laeren tested this tunnel out? He would have had to stoop also. Thane didn’t speak, and Andie tried to pass the time by imagining Laeren on this same path. But as the minutes passed into hours, Andie began to wonder if Thane had any idea where they were going. There didn’t seem to be any end to this hole, and the air was growing fouler. Were they just traveling deeper into the sewers of Croask? She was just at the point of asking when the tunnel began to narrow. Pretty soon she was stooping also, and Thane was nearly bent in half. Finally, he dropped to all fours and began to crawl, and Andie swallowed her disgust and followed suit. Fortunately, this section of the sewer was dry; possibly it hadn’t been used in a long time. The tunnel constricted even more, until they were squeezing through a space only three feet high and barely two feet wide. Just when Andie thought she could stand no more, they emerged without warning into the open. Andie stood, stretching her cramped muscles and looked around curiously. They were on the side of a windswept, bare hill. The reddening eastern sky told that dawn was very near.
“We’re just outside of the city,” Thane explained. He pointed down the hill. “See the squatters’ camp?” Andie could just barely see the ramshackle huts and the glow of their cooking fires.
Thane led her down the hill. “We’ll stay here,” he told her softly. “Just don’t let anybody see your face.” Andie pulled the hood tightly near her face and kept her eyes on Thane’s feet stumbling down the hill.
They wandered through the squatters’ camp for at least a half hour before Thane found what he was looking for. Andie peered at it, seeing nothing to be excited about. It was a sagging wood structure with a tin roof. Thick coarse cloth served as the door. Thane pushed it aside and they quietly entered. Andie was surprised to see Wassim and two others from her class sitting on the floor. They were wearing patched trousers and filthy gray shirts. When he saw them, Wassim sighed with relief. “You found her,” he noted, his voice haggard.
“What of the rest of our group?” Thane asked anxiously.
“I think everyone made it out. Thank the stars for Lindy’s warning. It was just in time. Those who didn’t have homes to go to are spread out in the camp.” As Andie was to learn later, one of their spies had brought warning of the raid not long after everyone had gone to bed. They had time to get everyone out of the building except Andie, who had not been in her room. Thane had volunteered to stay behind and find her. She would be eternally grateful. He had put himself at risk to make sure she had gotten out safely as well.
When the men had finished their quiet exchange of news, Thane sat on the ground and was handed a bowl of soup. Andie tiredly sank to the dirt floor. It was hard to believe that only a few hours had passed since she was sitting peacefully on the roof.
One of her students noticed how tired she was and directed her to a dirty pallet in the back of the shelter. “This is where you will sleep, Miss Sirra,” he said timidly. “I know it is dirty, but we have to fit in with the squatters. We will have new clothes for you in the morning.” Thank goodness, thought Andie wearily. I must smell like an open privy. Then suddenly she saw the other pallets. She was going to be sharing this shack with how many other people? At least four, it looked like.
“How long will we be here?” Andie asked, trying valiantly to conceal her dismay.
He shrugged and left to join the group again. Andie stretched out on the pallet. It was cold and hard, but she was so exhausted from the run over the rooftops and the crawl through the sewer that she slept within moments.
♦
Two weeks later they were still in the squatters’ camp. At first it had been difficult for Andie, sharing a single room with four grown men. They did their best to give her as much privacy as possible, but there were limits to what they could do. It was filthy and uncomfortable and Andie struggled to adapt to it. Even the food was less than appetizing. Plain rice, cheese and cloudy brown water made up their entire diet.
Early on, some soldiers had searched the camp, roughly looking for anyone suspicious. When the soldiers started down their row searching every shelter, Thane helped Andie into a crate in the corner. They covered it with a cloth and set dirty, cracked dishes on the top with their dinner. The soldiers poked their head in and ordered everyone in the room to stand for inspection. The four men stood, their shoulders slumped and eyes on the ground. Andie carefully peaked from a tiny slat in the crate. The soldiers glanced around the room and marched out without a second look. When the others were sure the soldiers were not going to come back, they dug her out of the crate. For the first time, she truly felt gratitude for the humble little shack that camouflaged them.
After that day, the soldiers must have concentrated their searches elsewhere because Wassim and Thane were less on edge. Andie was allowed to roam the camp at night as long as she didn’t go too far, and she had to wear her cloak to keep anyone from seeing her very well. It was still more freedom than she had had at the base. Gradually she came to realize that life among the squatters wasn’t so bad after all.
One night, she wandered around the camp enjoying the sounds of the people around her. Here and there a baby fussed, and occasionally, laughter boomed from a shelter. There were the general sounds of food preparation and conversation everywhere. It made her feel less alone. The moons were dark, and the rows she wandered down were hidden in shadows. It made her feel secure. Even if someone directly approached her they would not be able to see that she was a Citizen.
Andie began to wonder if she could hold a real conversation with one of the squatters. She wouldn’t even have to worry about her accent if she spoke as she had learned at Jaory’s, and she was pretty sure she could get away with saying hello at least.
Although she knew that it was potentially dangerous, Andie decided to try it anyway. It didn’t take long, maybe five minutes, when a man walked into sight. He was dressed in a common traveling cloak just like she was and was walking very quickly in her direction. Just as he drew near, she risked her greeting. “Good evening,” she said politely. Then she held her breath for a response.
The man froze. Andie’s heart jumped into her throat. He knew something wasn’t right! Should she run? Andie still hadn’t decided, when he turned and walked to her side. She started to dart away, but he quickly grabbed her arm.
“Andie, it’s me,” he said, pulling back his hood.
“Laeren,” she gasped, her heart thudding erratically in her ch
est. He put a finger to his lips. Taking her hand, they started back in the direction of her shelter. “What are you doing, Andie?” he hissed. “You could get yourself killed out here!”
“There’s no reason why I can’t come out into the camp,” she defended. “Nobody can see me, and I’m perfectly safe.”
“But you spoke to me! Isn’t that a little dangerous?” he reprimanded.
“I’m tired of not having a normal life, Laeren. Just once I’d like to feel like I belong, like I’m doing something that matters.”
“You are!” he told her fervently. “The Resistance matters to a great many people.”
“Yes, but I mean something . . . I don’t know . . . something where I’m not confined. Out here I almost feel part of a normal life. I just can’t help it. I want to be a part of it as much as I can.”
He sighed and pulled her to his side. “I just don’t want to see you hurt is all.”
“Don’t worry about me, Laeren. I can take care of myself, really,” Andie reassured. Then she thought about how hard it was for her to do anything when she couldn’t be seen in public. “Well, except for here on Corizen, I guess,” she conceded reluctantly.
He laughed quietly. “Well, your independence is certainly refreshing but I worry about you all the same. When I learned that the base was attacked I could not sleep until I received Wassim’s message that everyone was safe, including you.”
Andie stole a look at him and then looked at the ground. He was studying her intently.
“Was it bad, Andie?” he asked. “I hope you did not have a terrible time.”
“Oh, no,” Andie replied hurriedly. “I didn’t see anything at all. I just heard a lot of noise before Thane found me and led me over the rooftops. The sewer tunnel was a little bit difficult, but I survived.”
The Legend of Sirra Bruche Page 19