The Entean Saga - The Complete Saga

by C B Williams

  What had felt right to him from the vantage point of the space shuttle was a half-demolished one-story building. The roof and half the walls were gone, but two sturdy walls still stood. It was on a slight rise and a little apart from the other dilapidated buildings, thus providing Eloch with a view of his surroundings. If anything intruded on his domain, he would be able to see it and prepare.

  He spent the rest of the day creating his home, although in his weakened condition it took him longer than he had anticipated. By nightfall he was hunkered down in front of the fire he had made from debris. It crackled and popped, sending sparks high into the sky. He leaned back with a sigh against a portion of the wall and reached for one of the meal bars in his food duffle. It was nearly tasteless but nutritious. He hoped he would learn to appreciate what flavor there was.

  Darkness had fallen fast, and with the night came a chill as the day’s heat rapidly dissipated. He glanced back at his bedroll, which was nestled underneath the tarp he had fastened to the two walls. He was tired and sore. The bedroll beckoned. Meal bar eaten, Eloch rinsed his mouth with a swig of water and put another board on the fire before he climbed into the welcome warmth of his bed. He watched the fire until his eyes grew heavy and he drifted off to sleep.

  In the morning, he looked for tracks around his encampment and found none. The Rubble appeared to be empty of all creatures, animal and human alike. But a light mist was falling, and it gave him hope.

  In the most recent evolution of their City, the people of Spur had insulated themselves so completely from the environs of the planet Eloch had been unable to determine before he arrived here if weather still happened outside. Since there was rain, even if only a fine mist, things could grow. Eloch decided to search for signs of life. He slipped an oilskin poncho over his clothes, retrieved his staff from where it leaned against the wall within easy reach of his bedroll, and set out into the mist.

  Rubble spread to the horizon in all directions, nothing but old, abandoned buildings in different stages of collapse. Genji had explained to Eloch that the City of Spur was a continuous collection of buildings. When the ruling classes were tired of where they lived, they built new buildings and moved themselves and their possessions into the new, leaving the old to become a part of Rubble, a place for those less fortunate to scavenge. This was how it had been done for thousands and thousands of years, until the City had finally covered the entire face of the planet.

  “The entire planet, covered by one City?” Eloch had asked. “It cannot be.” He had been thinking of Entean, and Her many waterways winding through the green. “But how can you grow your food? Graze your beasts for meat?”

  “We have glass houses, rows and rows of them, where our plants grow. Our technologies have cloned meat portions we keep alive until harvest. Meat cloned from animals became extinct long ago.”

  “It cannot be true,” Eloch repeated.

  “It is true,” Genji replied. “You will see soon enough. And now, for nearly a thousand years, we have been building on top of the old City. That is how Sub-City was formed, where those who are not ruling class are forced to live.”

  “In the dark?”

  “It is lit,” Genji laughed. “And many work in the Upper, so they see the light of day on their way to and from work.”

  “And so you have used up your planet and are now finding other planets to use up,” Eloch said with disgust.

  “It was why the Ring was formed,” Genji explained. “We had too many people. There was a panic that our greenhouses couldn’t feed everyone. People began hoarding their food supplies. Skirmishes broke out. We were on the brink of total chaos. Since the Ring Colonization, that fear has been put to rest and we’ve settled down. Now only Sub-City gets overcrowded. But the wars between the KinLords keep them thinned out fairly well. And those with enough knack in them, like Aiko, are trained to be pilots.”

  “But what of your planet?” Eloch asked, ignoring the rest of Genji’s lesson. “Is your planet still alive, Genji?”

  Genji had merely laughed and said Eloch had a lot of strange notions. The lesson ended shortly thereafter.

  Now Eloch set off toward the east. After a few miles, he noticed the buildings were not as dilapidated as in his section. He paused by a pool of water, gently lifting debris from around its edges, seeking signs of life. He soon discovered the pool was man-made, and so trudged on, leaning more heavily on his staff.

  The mist had cleared when Eloch stopped for lunch at noon. He dug into the pocket of his poncho and pulled out another near-tasteless meal bar. Then he stripped off his poncho, since he no longer needed it for warmth, and used it for a cushion. From where he sat, munching on the bar, he could see the spires of the new City in the distance.

  The people of Spur reminded him of the coral growing in some of Entean’s lakes, vast colonies living on top of the skeletons of their ancestors. Whole islands had been created by the coral. “But not here,” he whispered. “Nothing good has grown from these skeletons.”

  He suddenly felt very far away from home and very alone.

  Something stirred and fluttered deep within his center. Eloch put his hand over his middle. Not alone, he mused, just very far from home.

  Finished with his so-called meal, Eloch carefully folded the wrapper and stored it in a pocket of his jerkin. He tied the poncho around his waist, picked up his staff, and retraced his steps.

  The days flowed into weeks, so much the same he wouldn’t have known a month had passed if a shuttle hadn’t appeared out of the blue sky, touching down lightly next to his encampment.

  When Aiko and Genji emerged, his shout of greeting was spontaneous.

  “Brought you more supplies,” Aiko said.

  “My thanks,” Eloch replied. “Every day, I have walked in different directions to find food. I have found nothing, again and again.”

  “I told you,” Genji said. “The only food is in the glass houses.” He handed Eloch two duffle bags. They felt heavy. “There’s some fresh food in there. Best eat it first.”

  “We’ve received an assignment,” Aiko told him, “so we’ll be off planet for several months. Hope that’s enough food.”

  “I’ll make it enough,” Eloch replied. He’d been frugal and still had most of his original food cache.

  “If it’s not,” Aiko continued, “head northeast until you come to the new City limits.” She dug into the breast pocket of her flight jacket, removed a small plastic rectangle, and handed it to Eloch. “Give the guard this, and he will tell you where to go.”

  Eloch took the rectangle. “What is it?”

  “A voucher. Says you work for me. Also, an address of a man named Manabu. Old pilot friend of mine. Retired. He’ll let you stay with him until I get back. I’ll look for you here first. If you’re not here, I’ll go to Manabu’s.”

  Eloch nodded and placed the rectangle in the inner pocket of his jerkin. “Thank you, Aiko, for your kindness.”

  “Don’t lose it.”

  “I won’t.”

  She scanned him and then glanced at Genji. “He looks good, doesn’t he? Filled out some.”

  Genji nodded. “You do look much better.”

  “I feel better. Stronger,” Eloch said. “Come see what I’ve done.”

  He led them through his encampment to another abandoned building. “I constructed a bathing pool,” he said, unable to conceal his pride. “I capture rainwater in this black sacking I found. During the day, it heats up, and at night I spill it into this tub so I can clean myself.”

  Aiko raised her eyebrows. “That’s quite clever, Champion. I’m not sure it would have occurred to me.”

  “You don’t need it, Aiko,” Genji laughed. “We’ve got the shuttle.”

  “True, Genj,” Aiko agreed. “Speaking of which, time to get back and prep.”

  “What do you plan to do next?” Genji asked while Eloch walked with them back to the shuttle. “Surely a month of solitude has given you time to pull together some ideas.
”

  “To keep on what I’m doing,” Eloch replied. “I’m learning your ways by exploring what you’ve abandoned. Tomorrow I head south, where it appears to be older.”

  “All you’ll find is more rubble,” Aiko told him. “I’ve flown all around Spur in all directions, and that’s all there is. Rubble and City.”

  “Nonetheless, it is my plan,” Eloch said.

  He watched them climb aboard and strap themselves down.

  “Be well,” Genji said before the door was sealed.

  “And you,” Eloch replied.

  As before, Aiko and Genji both watched Eloch’s retreating form until the shuttle banked.

  “He seems less scattered,” Aiko commented.

  Genji shrugged. “He still looks a little lost to me.”

  “I disagree,” Aiko replied. “He seems to have purpose now. The way he looked at us, I caught glimpses of the man we met on A349.”

  “Entean.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Entean. His planet. Not A349.”

  Aiko glanced at Genji and grinned. “Who’s the Champion’s champion now?”

  Genji met her smile with one of his own. “There’s just something about him. You want him to succeed.”

  Aiko surprised herself by reaching out to lightly touch Genji’s knee. “I know,” she said. To cover her awkwardness, she changed the subject. “When we get back, I’ll start going through the prep list. I want this trip to be flawless. Perhaps it’ll convince the Colonizers to give us some business other than the scouting missions.”

  “I thought you liked to scout.”

  “I do, but…” her voice trailed off.

  “But what, Aiko?”

  She hesitated. “I’m not getting any younger, Genj,” was all she said. It didn’t feel right to tell one of her crew she wanted a home and a family.

  In the evening, before he settled into his bedroll, Eloch made a backpack out of one of the duffles, since he planned to travel for more than one day. He filled the pack with a couple of water bladders, food, a change of clothes, and a cape to wrap up in at night. Then he set the pack by his staff.

  Since the temperature had dropped by then, he put a board on his fire and settled down to sleep, planning to get an early start in the morning.

  It never happened.

  Chapter 5

  The Culling

  Wren whistled in appreciation when she saw what her Kin had done with Tunnel Two. Everything was suspended off the ground, all their supplies bundled on little platforms constructed high on the tunnel’s walls. And not just their supplies, but sleeping platforms as well, all connected with rope ladders leading from platform to platform.

  “Good defense, too,” she said to Cricket and Flick. “Looking up seems to be the last thing people think to do when attacking.” She cuffed Cricket playfully in the arm. “Don’t forget that. Something Auntie Wren has used most effectively on more than one occasion. Good job, boys,” she added. “I think we’ll have ourselves a quite cozy hide in dank and drippy Tunnel Two. Now, what about escape routes, should we happen to need them?”

  “We’ve made everyone memorize at least three routes. They’ll be able to scatter like cockroaches when the light’s turned on.”

  Wren made a face. “Cockroaches? Really? Couldn’t you have picked a different critter?”

  Flick laughed. “Well, there aren’t many to choose from. Anyway, most of the routes will lead to other tunnels, but a few lead to Above. They had to memorize at least one route to Above.”

  Wren nodded. “Good thinking. Let’s hope our Kin won’t need any of them, and we have a nice, quiet hide.” She hesitated. “And I don’t want them to think if they make it Above, they’re automatically safe. Not on the night of a Cull. None of us will be safe anywhere.”

  “Especially you,” Flick muttered.

  Wren silenced him with a look. “Narrows, Flick,” she warned.

  Cricket gave them a glance but said nothing.

  “Again, well done, boys. When will it be Kin-ready?”

  “Nearly there,” Cricket answered with a glance at Flick. “This afternoon?”

  “Sounds ’bout right.”

  “Great!” Wren replied. “I’ll tell Spider to gather the old and weakened and start the move.” She winked. “If they begin now, those slow folk should be here by this afternoon.”

  With a wave, Wren set out for Tunnel One to find Spider, since she’d seen him heading in that direction when she went to Two. She hoped she could catch him before he darted somewhere else.

  She found him in a heated, whispered discussion with Mouse, their heads together. They jumped apart when she made herself known.

  “What’s up?” They didn’t say anything, but they looked so guilty, Wren’s suspicion went on high alert. “Keeping something from me, I suspect. Neither of you look too happy I’m here.” She folded her arms. “But since I am, let’s hear it.”

  Mouse kicked Spider’s boot. He cleared his throat and glared at Mouse before he spoke. “We were talking about how to protect you, if you must know.”

  Wren shook her head. “I’m not the priority, here. It’s the Kin. Always the Kin.”

  “And Caution,” Mouse countered. “Caution First. Your words. Your rules.”

  “And you don’t think I’m cautious enough to look after my own person?” Wren challenged.

  Mouse gave a little smile. “You’ve got this weakness, Wren,” she said gently.

  “Yeah,” said Spider, not gently at all. “Your Kin. With you it’s Kin first. And that’s when Caution gets slaughtered.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Wren said quietly. “I don’t step out of our compound without my knives. There are eight knives hidden on my body this very moment. Eight knives. And a few others tossed into my pockets.” She patted her jacket’s two pockets. “I’m feeling pretty secure, here, folks.”

  “But it might not be enough,” Spider told her. “This isn’t just a KinLord battle we’re talking about. We’ve got Martials. And Martials use weapons that make your knives about as effective as blunt sticks.”

  Wren straightened. “I do just fine with these knives, Spider. I wouldn’t want to meet me in a dark part of Sub-City. Or anywhere else, for that matter.”

  Mouse touched her shoulder. “Look, Wren, we know you’re skilled. We know you know how to take care of yourself. But this is going to be different.” She lifted her arms and then let them flop down. “I can’t seem to get through to you. We’re not going to be on a Kill. We’re going to be attacked. They’re planning to raid our tunnels, Wren. Lots of Kin from two other KinLords, and lots of Martials. All armed.”

  “You forget something, Mouse,” Wren said. “These are our tunnels. And I know these tunnels through and through. We all do, but especially me. We’re going to survive this. All of us are. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to Skip. Oh, and Spider, we’re starting the move this afternoon, so rouse the Kin.” She turned away, heading for Tunnel Five.

  “I want to put more booby traps in the tunnels!” Mouse called after her.

  “If you feel you must, you have my permission,” Wren called back over her shoulder as she continued on.

  Tunnel Five buzzed with activity.

  The minute she stepped in, Wren was forced to duck around a man carrying a flour sack and then dodge a runner with a box of meal bars.

  “Good swipe!” she called after the runner. Meal bars were hard to come by.

  The young runner glanced at Wren as she passed by and lifted his chin in acknowledgment.

  By the time she reached Skip, she was grinning. “Saw your boy, Rabbit. Nearly ran me down, he was in such a hurry.”

  Skip glanced at her. “Not hurt, are you?”

  Wren waved a hand. “Not at all. There’s quite a commotion in here,” she commented, as she looked around.

  Skip grinned. “A huge haul today. Found an overturned delivery shuttle early this morning. We were all over it like that!” He snapp
ed his fingers.

  “Lucky us. How’s Guy?” Guy was Skip’s other son. He’d taken a fall and had broken his collarbone.

  “Guy’s good,” Skip said, his smile strained.

  “Listen, why don’t you get Guy’s gear together and take him over to Spider? We’re beginning the hide this afternoon.”

  “This afternoon? So soon?”

  “Yep. And it looks pretty good, if you haven’t checked it out. Quite cozy.”

  “I haven’t left this Tunnel since this all began,” Skip answered. “Too much to do.”

  She patted his shoulder. “Then you take the time now. Go get Guy and check out Tunnel Two, get him settled. That’s an order.”

  He nodded. “Thank you, Wren. Just have a few more things to do, and then I’ll take Guy to Two.

  She watched him walk away, a concerned father, shoulders stooped with worry.

  “Don’t worry, Skip!” she called. “I had a broken collarbone once. Hurts like crazy but it heals. Guy’s going to be fine.”

  She wasn’t sure he heard her over the din.

  It happened fast.

  Wren shot out of bed and vaulted into her clothes, slipping her knives into their sheaths as she ran, Flick close on her heels.

  “Mouse!” she cried.

  “Here!” Mouse shouted.

  “Need eyes. Go high. Relocate at Tunnel Five.”

  Mouse gave a quick nod before scrambling up to the compound rooftops, where she could get a clear view of what was happening and report to Wren when they met in Tunnel Five.

  Soundlessly, Wren and Flick crept down the steps, where a group of her frightened Kin waited, eyes wide.

  “What’s going on?” Ilsa, a young girl, asked. Her lips trembled. “It sounds like it’s coming from Tunnel Two. My grandparents are in there.”

  “I’m about to find out,” Wren said, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Flick, take these and any others you gather along the way to Five.”

  She turned to her Kin. “Listen to Flick. If he says, stop, stop. If he says duck, duck. We know our KinLand. That’s the only defense we have when we don’t know what’s happening. If you trust Flick, he will get you to Five. I’ll see you there.”