by Erica Rue
Cora couldn’t think of a clever response, but took a seat at the table.
Her aunt finally smiled and looked up. “Tomorrow is your Matching. You do not need to help, though we would welcome an extra set of hands here.”
“Certainly,” Cora said.
“Watch the others, and when you are ready, begin on your own, at your own pace.”
Cora took up one of the frames, a tightly-woven net of twine tied into a circle. The garlands would be placed over the couples as they were matched, so each was quite large.
The woman next to her worked quickly but carefully, pink, blue, orange, pink, blue, orange. Color rather than type of flower seemed to dominate the pattern.
“Aunt, what do these colors mean?”
“The pink comes first, for health, the blue, for fertility, and the orange is for joy in your Match.”
“And the garlands are to join us together in marriage,” Cora said.
“Yes, child,” Amelia said.
Cora watched a bit longer before joining in. At first she found it calming, but soon her hands grew tired. Then her brain grew tired of the repetitive movements. Her eyes began to wander, and her hands slowed their labor. She caught sight of someone peeking from behind the doorframe. She could recognize his golden hair and laughing blue eyes anywhere.
Will! He was back from his inspections.
“Aunt, may I be excused?”
“Yes, child, go on,” Amelia said. “After nearly twenty minutes of demanding work I’m sure you need a break.”
Cora was too excited to care about this final jab from her aunt.
***
Cora walked with Will through the market. She bought a few pollas, then they hiked up to the overlook of the city, a ledge deep enough to be safe but small enough to give her butterflies if she looked over the edge. It was not higher than the Temple, but the other buildings were easily in view. They sat far back on the ledge, and Will put his arm around her.
“How were the inspections?”
“Better than expected,” he said. “Jackson got his plow working again, somehow. The other farmers had good yields. This will be especially important after the raid on one of the Hubs.”
“What?” Cora said. “It was a Hub? They told me my father was out because of a raid, but they never said it was a Hub. I bet his cavalry will get them in no time.” Her father’s cavalry was extremely well trained. “How could they even manage to raid a Hub?”
Will looked concerned. “They haven’t told many people, Cora, but I thought they would have told you. Don’t share what I’m about to tell you, but the Ficarans found a way to unlock the Flyers. They used them to clear out the Hub yesterday.”
Cora felt sick. This was all her fault. She had helped Lithia and Dione and that Ficaran Brian. This must have been their plan all along. Cora blinked back tears.
“What’s wrong? I’m sure your father will be all right.”
“I know, it’s not that,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Is it tomorrow? Are you worried about the Matching?” Will said.
“No, not at all,” Cora said, smiling at him. “I can’t wait for us to be matched.”
Will smiled at her and squeezed her into a hug.
“Are you sure we’ll be matched?” he said.
“Of course, it’s the only thing that makes sense. I just know it.”
“But…” Will hesitated, “Have you seen the Matches? Are you certain?”
“Of course I haven’t seen the Matches, but I just feel it. We are the perfect match, so how could we not end up together?” She watched his face fall. “You don’t think we’ll be together?”
“I hope for it, but we have no way of knowing if our genes will make the best pairing. And that’s all the Matching is. It’s emotionless. This is why we’re discouraged from making attachments before the Matching.”
Cora grabbed his hands and squeezed. “Have a little faith. This will work out. I promise.”
The Farmer would see how they felt and bring them together. After all, it had brought her aunt and uncle together, and they had been in love before their Match.
From their vantage point, they could see, rather than hear, the commotion at the gate. The cavalry had returned. The auxiliary machi riders stopped just inside the gate, though it looked like a few were riderless. Some riders were shouting, and others were running, carrying men toward the hospital. The gate, usually open during the day, closed behind them. Cora inched as close to the cliff’s edge as she dared, trying to figure out where the maximutes were. The machi would never have outpaced them, and her father would be on a maximute.
“Come on,” Cora said. She needed to get down there and figure out what was happening. She and Will hiked back to town, but by the time they got to the gate, the riders had cleared out. Without a word, Cora led the way to the stables.
One of the machi riders was feeding his mount. He didn’t hear them come in.
“Where are the maximute riders?” she asked.
He turned, startled. He had bags under his eyes, but he looked about her own age.
“They’re still on the hunt,” he replied.
“Then why were you sent back? Why are you not still helping my father? Why is the gate closed?”
“Our machi never stood a chance. He sent us back with the wounded because—”
“I don’t care if she’s the Regnator’s daughter,” one of his fellow riders, a dark-skinned, muscular man, interrupted. “We were ordered to keep quiet. You’d do well to obey.”
“I’m sorry,” the young rider said, though Cora couldn’t tell where the apology was directed. He turned away from her, so she glared at the man who had interrupted.
“I will not forget this,” Cora said, her face growing hot.
“Please, remember. My name is Theo. You may have use of a man who can follow orders someday.” He bowed his head slightly and returned to tending the machi.
Will touched her arm and gently guided her from the stables, worry apparent on his face.
“While you were talking, I was counting empty stalls. We had over two dozen machi trained for the cavalry, but I only counted eighteen.”
“You think the rest are what, dead? And their riders?” Cora said.
“I don’t know, but we did see at least one person carried to the hospital wing. I’d better go see if Benjamin needs help,” he replied.
Will squeezed her hand before heading toward the Temple. Cora stood alone and confused outside the stables. She could see a few extra guards on watch by the closed gate.
Had the Ficarans done this? Had Lithia helped them kill the machi? Cora grimaced. If they harmed her father, she would make sure they paid.
15. BEL
Bel had been listening to Samantha’s logs all day. She wasn’t paying full attention most of the time, and she had fallen asleep more than once.
Most of the logs were detailed records of Sam’s experiments and methods, along with her findings. Apparently she had used bird genes to get maximutes and machi to understand certain tunes from birth. The analysis parts were interesting, but mostly speculation, leaving off with ideas for further experimentation.
It was the personal logs that Bel found the most compelling. She felt a little awkward listening to them while Sam could hear, but she never injected commentary. Bel wondered what it was like for Sam to hear them, now that she was trapped as a not-so-artificial intelligence in this base.
Bel was preparing to go back down and take another look at the Ven when a log titled “Jameson’s nightmares” began to play.
It was easy enough to create a new species. The real test was viability. Could it reproduce? Could it survive in the world? One of the other head scientists made a bet with Jameson. Told him he couldn’t make this creature or that species cross. Nothing lit a fire under Jameson like a challenge.
As the result of one of these bets, he created this horrible creature that served no benefit to colonial life, whi
ch was our primary research objective. It grew flowers that were traps, that would pull down prey to its digestive system. Somewhere between a plant and an animal, it was a monster. We hid it away far from the research bases. We didn’t want it interfering with the other species.
Things just went downhill after that. When no one reprimanded him, he unshackled his imagination. Until then, I hadn’t realized how much darkness there was inside him. Still, I trusted him.
At some point, we stopped asking why, more concerned with the what and the how. Some nasty stuff came out of that. His creations took a strange turn. He exceeded his quota for new species far more easily than the rest of his colleagues, so he had plenty of time to think up new terrors.
Bel paused the playback. How many of these terrors were out there? Could they hurt her friends?
“Sam, explain. Where are these creatures? Are Zane and Dione in trouble?”
“No, none of those monstrosities are in the inhabited area, though I’m ashamed to say that I helped him,” the AI said.
“But that plant sounds a lot like the thing that attacked Lithia,” Bel said.
“That’s not possible. No specimens were ever released anywhere in the research zone.”
“The research zone? Where did you release them?”
“Somewhere far away.”
“Not far enough,” Bel muttered under her breath.
There was a pause before Sam replied. “Sometimes it’s hard to know where the line is until you’ve crossed it.”
16. DIONE
Dione was back at the spot on her map where the professor was. In theory. He could have dropped his manumed in the river. He could have moved once he saw the Vens leave. Or he could be hiding in one of the caves, as Zane had suggested.
Might as well look around.
The river was partially blocked here by a wall of earth that provided a natural dam. The dam hadn’t been there long. She could tell by the grass growing under the water. Well, it hadn’t grown there. It had grown on the riverbank, then been covered as the dam caused the water level to rise. If the water level didn’t drop soon, the grass would probably die. In addition to the wall of mud, a few downed trees blocked the rest of the river. They caught debris, like leaves and branches, and added to the effect until most of the water flow was blocked. No wonder the water level here had risen.
On the opposite side, the bank turned into a wall of steep rock, covered in shallow-rooted grasses and vines. The water here was mostly calm, though she didn’t know what lived in the river. She wished she could call Brian and ask.
According to the map, the professor was across the river. Dione hesitated, but decided that she would rather be immodest than walk around in wet clothes all day. She removed everything but her underclothes, thankfully dark colors, and jumped in.
Even though the dam had slowed the current to a near standstill, every stroke was terrifying. Eventually she decided to swim on her back, because her eyes kept seeing phantom monsters just under the surface.
As soon as she reached the other side, she pulled herself onto the bank, shivering as she searched for a cave entrance. The warmth of the sun began to dry her out, but she still hadn’t found anything.
This was so stupid. She had no idea what she was doing. Here she was, wandering around the river, hoping a cave entrance or the professor would suddenly pop up out of nowhere.
After twenty minutes of cold, half-naked searching, she settled on another possibility. One she had been keeping from her thoughts, because she didn’t want it to be the case.
What if the cave entrance is underwater?
Dione felt claustrophobic just thinking about it. Still, her manumed was top of the line. Sweatproof, waterproof, damage resistant. Her uncle had wanted her to have something that would work, even in the marshes of Barusia, where she would never get to start her research. Luckily, it had a strong light. As much as she didn’t want a clear view of the underwater scenery, and as gross as opening her eyes in the river would be, she didn’t see any other choice.
She didn’t have to look long. There it was, just under the water’s surface. She came back up, feeling simultaneously hopeful and apprehensive. She would have to swim into an underwater cave and hope that somewhere down the line it opened up into a place with air to breathe. Granted, the entrance was fairly large, but what if it got smaller as she went along? What if she got stuck?
She went underwater for one more look and saw something else. Though black, its manmade shape stood out against the rocks it was wedged between. With a little effort, she worked it free.
Dione surfaced and climbed onto a nearby rock with her prize. A boot. She was certain it belonged to the professor. She didn’t want to, but she had to check the cave. The professor could be in there, alive but injured. He needed her help. How could she get to him?
After looking up some stats on her manumed, she decided she should be able to hold her breath for about a minute and a half, maybe a little longer because there was more oxygen in the Kepos atmosphere. She would start a timer and swim forward until she hit forty seconds. If she hadn’t reached an air pocket by then, she would turn back.
Satisfied with her plan, she turned on her light, started the timer, and headed down. She didn’t hesitate at the entrance, but went straight in. She blew out a few bubbles, just a few, but the burning in her lungs was unbearable. The searing pain bled out from her chest into her muscles, and all she saw ahead of her was darkness and water.
She was going to die. The blackness ahead overwhelmed her senses. For a moment, Dione couldn’t move, but then she sprang into action. There was enough room in the cave to turn around, but her hair snagged a rock as she did. When she pushed her arms down to propel her forward, she met with resistance. More bubbles escaped from her lips, more than she intended.
A moment later she was free and kicking furiously in the direction of the light, her insides burning, her lungs pulsing in agony. The only relief was releasing more bubbles, which she did. They zoomed upwards. She was out of the cave.
She kicked with everything her legs had and pushed water down with her cupped hands. She broke the surface with a desperate gasp and kicked over to the warm rock, keeping her head above water. She glanced at her timer on the way and realized she had only been underwater for a total of forty seconds. The whole ordeal had been her proposed forward movement time.
Dione no longer thought she could hold her breath for a minute and a half. She was not going to make it through the underwater cave. No way.
She called Zane. “How’s Canto?”
“He seems okay. He ate some food, so he can’t be feeling too bad. I think we could meet you. Find the professor?”
“Not exactly. I found the cave entrance, but it’s underwater. I can’t hold my breath long enough to swim through. Maybe you can try? Can you hold your breath very long?”
“I grew up on a spaceship. I can’t swim.”
“What?”
“I can generally manage not to drown, but I can’t swim, like, actually swim.”
“Oh, right.”
He sounded incredulous. “I can’t believe you actually tried it, though. That was a stupid thing to do. What if you hadn’t made it out? Sounds more like one of Lithia’s plans.”
“Are you calling Lithia stupid?”
“No, I’m just saying that you’re not Lithia. What’s a smarter solution? That’s your thing, right?”
She could hear the sarcasm in his voice, but tried to ignore it.
“All right, I’ll keep working on it. I’m at the part of the river that’s been dammed up.”
“We’ll be there soon.”
Dione looked down and realized she was still in her underwear. It was drying out surprisingly fast, and for that she was thankful. She planned to be fully clothed by the time he arrived.
Just in case, she sent him one last request before ending their conversation. “Give me a heads-up when you’re close.”
***
&
nbsp; Dione, back on the riverbank and fully dressed, waved Zane over the moment he came into view with Canto. Canto headed straight for the riverbank and started lapping up water. Dione smiled. He had to be thirsty after everything.
“I think I figured it out,” she said to Zane. “You were right. I was trying to brute-force my way into the cave, but I know out how to remove the obstacle.”
“Wait, did you just say that I was right?” Zane asked.
“Yeah, and if the professor’s in the cave, I’ll say it again.”
“So what’s your brilliant plan?”
“Unblock the river,” Dione said.
Zane looked at the mountain of dirt blocking the current, and Dione could see the doubts forming in his head.
“Dione, I don’t think that’s gonna go easily.”
“It doesn’t have to. Not all of it. Hear me out.”
She walked him closer to the water’s edge.
“If you look at the ridge damming the river, you can see plants and small trees growing on it. It’s been there for a while.” She pointed to the underwater grass. “But if you look down here, this grass has only been covered for a few days. It’s still alive, meaning that the reservoir isn’t always this high. Something changed recently. That fallen tree? It’s still got leaves. I think it fell during the bad storm a few days ago, right before Lithia got kidnapped.”
He shook his head. “I still don’t see how we’re going to move the tree.”
“We might not have to. That tree isn’t doing all the work. It’s catching everything that’s being washed downstream. All the branches and leaves that got knocked down into the river during the storm. It’s like cleaning out the strainer on a kitchen drain. If we remove enough of the small debris, I think the water level of the reservoir will go back down. Maybe even enough for me to get through the cave. All I need are some air pockets.”
Dione got back into the water, leaving her StellAcademy tank top on this time. The leggings, though, she removed. She focused on the area that seemed to have the most debris, grabbing leaves and branches, then tossing them to the other side. After a time, she felt the pull of the water grow stronger against her legs.