My body shook as I stared at the imprisoned child before me, his tight-fitting Sualwet clothing ripped and flapping in the water behind him. His hairless head lowered above the river’s surface and tucked against his chest. The boy shed a tear into the water, a drop of liquid into the sea—another molecule among many.
Hot tears of anger and outrage pooled behind my eyes.
As Vaughn spoke, the boy looked up, and his oversized black eyes searched me. He recognized me unconsciously, our genetic similarity stronger than the differences he saw when he gazed into my strange eyes.
“Where did you find him?” I was finally able to say, my voice dispassionate. I looked away, breaking the connection with the boy. I could feel him all around me, his senses reaching out to touch me, as if his isolation and fear were licking at my flesh and leaving goose bumps in their wake.
“He was swimming alone in one of the outlets from the springs. The warm water of the underground river must have drawn him to the area. The Coastal Guard was able to lure him close and net him. We kept him in Science, along with the other specimens, but this one reacted much worse to being on land than the others. We had this glass wall already, so the Council built him an enclosure where we could observe him. It’s proven to be surprisingly helpful, actually. He reacts when he hears communications long before our sensors pick them up, so just by observing him we’ve been able to track significant intelligence.”
“Amazing.” I shuddered, bile rising into my throat. Every cell in my body wanted to break that glass and free him, drowning the Erdlanders trapped so deep in the earth. They deserved to die by the souls of their enemies. They deserved worse. How could Kit, Traz, even Lace, be the same as Vaughn? One day, would they be as cold and disconnected to their hearts as he?
“How do you feed him?” I ventured.
Vaughn ushered me to the perimeter of the room while he explained the mechanics of the boy’s enclosure. The Erdlander quickly bored of the topic and shifted to my training. He focusing on the myriad of objects in the room: listening devices, recording devices, even a machine that would print out words. Usually I would have been fascinated, absorbing every piece of information he gave me. My whole life I had dreamed of a world where such technologies were available. But all I could focus on was the small figure behind the glass.
Vaughn had me read over documents collected during the last Erdlander invasion of Sualwet sea. The paper was no longer the smooth material used underwater; it had dried out and become brittle, flaking away at my touch. I took pleasure in accidentally chipping off corners or flaking off a word here or there. My small subterfuge was irrelevant in the larger picture, but it was mine nonetheless.
As I read over the course of the day, I unconsciously migrated closer and closer to the water, its song seducing me even behind the thick wall of glass.
Hours passed, and soon it was time for everyone to head home. On the floor near the river, I had spread out all the materials Vaughn had given me about their research and communications with the captive Sualwet. I faced away from the boy while reading, knowing that if he were in view, I would be unable to look at anything else.
Before returning to his office, Vaughn had given the staff instructions to answer any questions I had, content my assignment would keep me busy. Few spoke to me. Everyone focused only on finishing their tasks and getting back to their homes.
Finally, the last of them filtered out, and I was alone. As soon as the door slid closed behind the last of the Hub staff, my eyes locked on the boy in the cage.
29
~Mintoch.~
The name flowed into my mind as soon as I placed a hand on the glass. Desperation and an infectious hope dripped from the boy’s voice.
Cool moisture embraced my palms. I stood face to face with the young Sualwet boy, alone at last and able to acknowledge the connection between us. He was tall and slim, built like a typical Sualwet teen. Webbing showed between his splayed fingers as he hovered before me. I would have given anything to be in the water with him for just a minute, to feel the cool brine welcome me home.
The empty room of the Hub filled with the thudding of my racing heart. If I were caught speaking to him, how would I explain my behavior? Would mere curiosity be enough of a defense against the treason the Erdlanders would surely presume?
~Mintoch, my name is Serafay. Are you hurt?~ I breathed the words more than spoke them, allowing the tone to flow through my body and into the water.
The boy’s eyes widened at the sound of my voice. ~You are Sualwet?~
~No, but my mother was.~
Confusion warred on his face as though he debated whether I was worthy of his trust. I had been told the same bedtime stories of Erdlanders who feigned friendship only to enslave Sualwet. My mother was a victim of that same methodology, as this boy.
Before he could decide if I was friend or foe, I rushed on. ~I lived with my mother by the sea until Erdlanders killed her and I had to run. She was captured, just as you were, and I was the result of their cruelty. I have come here only to survive. I’m not one of them. I want to help you.~
~Help me?~ The water bubbled around Mintoch’s face as he snorted, punctuating his disbelief.
~Yes.~
Mintoch looked away from me, examining his cage for what had to be the thousandth time this hour, and shook his head. The offer swam between us, and his lips grew tight as he considered it, unsure if my willingness to help was born of the air or the water.
~You cannot help me.~ His rebuttal echoed his defeat.
I examined him. His young body was not muscled the way Sualwets typically were. Instead, the outline of his ribs and the skinny weakness in his arms, the result of his confinement, gave him an almost sickly appearance.
~I can. I can find a way into the underground river and swim to you. Perhaps I can get you free from the outside.~
~No. There is a gate. Look.~
Following the direction of his gaze, I made out a wall of metal grating farther up the river. Another bookended the enclosure downstream.
It was an impossible cage; they had trapped his body and mind within his own world. He was on display before his enemies, his mere existence betraying his brethren. They fed him through a grate below the glass, an unceremonious event meant only to keep him alive. There was no other way in.
~How long have you been in there?~ I asked.
Mintoch shrugged and turned away. Pain was etched in his young features. Loss swam in his large black eyes.
~I’ve only been here two days and I can’t stand it,~ I went on, hoping to relate to him. Perhaps if we could connect, if he could see I meant him no harm, he would find the will to save himself. I was out of ideas, and whether he liked it or not, he knew more about these people than I did. What else was there for him to do all day but swim and observe his captors?
~Do they smell?~ Mintoch swayed in the water, his body undulating from side to side as he rode the current of the underground river. His figure had evolved through generations to manage the pull of the tide to the point where now, he didn’t even realize he was resisting it.
~By themselves they don’t, but a room full of them....~ Glancing around the Hub, I wrinkled my nose and shook my head, eliciting a weak smile from him. I returned my focus to Mintoch. ~How old are you?~
~I was eleven when they caught me. I think I’ve been here long enough to be twelve, but it’s hard to tell without the moons.~
Living without the open sky above struck me as a form of torture. Isolated and having no one with whom to relate—well, that was a state of existence I was well versed in. I pitied his imprisonment—the terms of it were too much like my entire life for me to think it insufferable—but to live without the stars and moons...? That was surely a version of hell the Erdlanders had orchestrated.
~Mintoch, I have an idea. I may have a way to get you out, but I can’t do it until tomorrow.~
~Serafay, don’t leave me here. I... I hate it so much.~
~I won’t.
I promise. I won’t leave without you. We’re going to get you out and go to the mountains. When we’re far enough, you can make your way back out to the water, but....~
~What?~
~The Domed City was destroyed. This war has killed thousands of Sualwets and at least as many Erdlanders.~
~Who cares? Erdlanders should all rot in the sun!~
I nodded, but inside I couldn’t agree with him, not completely. The Erdlanders had done and continued to do horrible, terrible things. My existence proved that as much as the boy trapped before me. But was their fear and hatred any less reasonable than the Sualwets’? Neither side was right. No one would ever win this war.
~How will you get me out?~ Mintoch asked.
~We’re going to break the glass.~
~How will you break it? I’ve tried over and over, and nothing I do even cracks it. I’ve done everything I can think of. And where would I go if it worked? In any case, I’d love to watch those Erdlanders drown.~
I feared his anger. Such hatred was justified, though, and I’d probably feel the same were I the one in that cage, but so much hate came through, it seemed that alone could crack the dense glass. This kind of vengeful anger couldn’t possibly help end the war.
~I have an idea,~ I said. ~Something that may shatter the glass.~
~You can’t. The water will fill the room.~
~I can breathe underwater.~
~The pressure of the river flowing in will injure us both. It might kill you.~ The boy closed his obsidian eyes, and the gills on his neck quivered.
~It might. But I won’t leave you here, and I don’t see another way.~
Tor could break it. I knew he could. Enough fire and anger, and he could bring this whole wall crashing around us. And if anything could inspire Tor toward destruction, it would be the sight of this imprisoned child.
~I have a friend who can do it. I have to tell him about you, and then he’ll help.~
~Is he your mate?~
I paused, unsure how to explain the state of my relationship with Tor. Instead, I smiled with the knowledge that one day he would be my mate, and nodded.
~All right. Tomorrow.~
~Yes. Tomorrow. I promise.~
30
At Pod Thirty-four, everyone was sitting down to dinner when I entered. All I wanted to do was grab Tor and tell him everything, pull him back to Linguistics, and free Mintoch. My imagination had outlined our entire escape, ending with me leading us out of the camp and into the mountains. The Erdlanders would look for us but likely never imagine we would flee up toward the Devil’s Daughters. Their fear of those peaks was as ingrained as mine.
But telling Tor would have to wait. The list of things we needed to prepare swirled, and in my mind and I clicked through them all, taking only seconds for each task. In reality, there were many conversations to be had, and I still needed more time. While approaching the table where my newfound and tenuous friendships sat, the lock clamped down on my lips, strangling me, and my heart raced in protest. One more day of normality was all I needed. So I plastered on a smile and forced my step to lighten.
Tor quirked an eyebrow when he met my eyes.
“Sera!” Elle called as she strode into the room, carrying a platter of food. “How was your day?” Her grin was wide and sincere, all the joy of her pregnancy and pending move to the City radiating from her.
“It was good—long, though.” I stopped behind Tor’s chair and placed my hands on his shoulders, wanting to feel his warmth. My day had been anything but good. It had been full of turmoil and revelations, and only by sheer force of will had I managed to not burst into tears. “I had to be trained in the Hub, and there’s so much to learn. My head is still spinning!”
The whole table laughed as my eyes widened and I exaggerated my words. Lying was something I’d never done before coming here. Small half-truths to my mother about exploring the forest beyond her comfort zone were nothing compared to the falsities now dripping from my lips. I wasn’t sure if I should be ashamed or proud.
The secrets in my stomach threatened to bubble up. Nausea swelled. I shook my head. “I’m gonna clean up. I’ll be right back.”
After patting Tor’s shoulders, I turned to our blue door.
Inside, I sat on the bed. I wanted to get these godsdamned shoes off. I needed to talk to Tor, tell him about Mintoch and what Traz and I had discovered. I needed to scream and cry and break something. I wanted the enemy to be someone I could hate.
Rather than give in, I dropped my head to my hands and pulled at the roots of my hair. In a short moment of weakness, the wail building in my throat bubbled out in a low moan.
“You all right, honey?” Elle’s voice interrupted from outside my door. Kindness and concern coated her words, breaking my heart even further. “We’re about to eat. Want me to bring you something?”
“No,” I croaked. I had to pull myself together, rein in all this chaos for a few more hours.
“I’m coming in, okay?”
The door eased open, and Elle’s curly hair bounced with each step. She was so sweet. I had dreamed all my life of a friend, of a sister, like the ones in stories. I wished Elle could be that companion, but how would she react if she knew about Mintoch’s imprisonment or who I really was? It dawned on me then: I wasn’t just keeping my secret now. I had to protect Tor, Mintoch, even Traz. The weight of responsibility bore down on me.
“Sera? What’s going on?”
Elle sat beside me on the bed and placed her small hand on my thigh. I twitched, fighting the instinct to move away. People here touched. The strangeness of it still made me uncomfortable. Tor’s touch was different, special. This casual contact made my flesh crawl.
“Nothing, Elle. It’s... I’m okay. Really.” My lie hung in the air like rotten fish, the stench almost visible. I was too upset to hide my aching heart.
“I know you’re lying. You don’t have to talk about it, but it might make you feel better.” Elle shifted her weight so she was sitting sideways on the bed, facing me. Her presence was calm but expectant.
“It was just a long day. A lot of new things to process.”
She nodded. “It must be so hard, coming back from the forest and being expected to just jump right back into work after being away for so long.”
I nodded, dropping my gaze to my lap.
Elle took my hand in her own and grasped it firmly, offering comfort and understanding. “Were they mean to you? Did they ask too much?”
“No.” I pulled my hand away to feign the action of wiping a tear away. “Dr. Vaughn was with me almost all day. I’m just exhausted.”
Elle offered an encouraging smile before nodding. “All right then. Let’s get you something warm to eat and Tor’s arms around you.” She winked, making me blush, then stood and pulled me up from the bed. “Come on. No sulking in here by yourself. Get some food and sleep, and you’ll feel better. I promise.”
She was right. I needed to replenish my energy so I could take on tomorrow.
Boisterous noise smashed into me when we entered the main room; at least this time I expected to be bombarded with clamoring voices. Still, the sound deafened me, and once I settled in between Tor and Ash, I needed a few minutes to catch up on what was happening.
Conversation swung from gossip about people I didn’t know to updates on projects I didn’t care about. Unable to focus on their words, I only picked at my food. Despite my hunger, nothing spread on the table struck me as appetizing. Just to get food in my stomach, I forced down some kind of brown meat and nibbled at a few of the green vegetables available.
Fatigue was getting the best of me, and I could barely find the energy to remain upright at the table, let alone eat. But I had to. For Tor and I. For Mintoch.
Tor held my hand and eyed me with worry throughout the meal. He didn’t react when I asked for my fourth glass of water, neither did he release his hold on me to eat himself. Instead he warmed my skin, offering what he could.
Eventually,
there came a natural break in the conversation as everyone devoured the sweet dessert we’d been given. When the dish reached me, I turned it down and gazed longingly at our door.
“We’re going to bed,” Tor announced as he stood, still holding my hand.
Giggles broke out around us. A palpable chill radiated from Ash’s body and rolled over my skin.
“Sorry everyone,” I offered, unable to hold back a yawn. “I’m just really tired.”
“Sure you are!” Jai hooted before falling into another fit of laughter.
I pushed my chair in and found Traz staring at me. Come get me later, he mouthed amid the chaos.
I nodded and ducked away to follow Tor to our room.
The door was barely shut before he began hurling questions at me. I was so tired I didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead I slipped off my boots, stepped out of my skirt, and slid out of the rest of my clothes.
“Today has been hell,” Tor said. “I’ve been so worried about you!” He flounced on the bed in what would have been a comical way if there hadn’t been so much to tell him.
“A lot’s happened.” I settled next to him while pushing my arms into the sleeves of a short-sleeved shirt. Tor’s hand found its way to my back, and the contact soothed me. I moved away, though. If I relaxed, I would fall asleep, and there was too much to discuss.
“So what did you and Traz find?” he said.
“You were right. There are people living in the mountains.”
“See, there are no monsters.” He reached for my foot, pulled it onto his lap, and began rubbing the tired soles as if to prove his point.
“The people up there are called the A’aihea.”
“A’aihea,” he repeated in a husky voice. “I know that word. It means ‘fire singer.’ How could I know that?” His hands fell away from my skin, drifting down as his thoughts overtook him.
“I don’t know.”
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