Alysium
Page 12
Gideon shook his head.
“Where’s he been?” Ranelle asked with curiosity.
“Before, I wasn't sure–but now, I'm starting to think that maybe he’s been coming down here.”
“Here?” Ranelle repeated, pulling back in surprise. “But, the tunnel was blocked!”
“Partially blocked,” he reminded her, “I know it’s a long shot, but how else could all of those supplies have gotten down here?”
Ranelle had to admit that what he said made sense.
“That would explain how your key fits the door and the locker, I guess. If your father gave it to you.”
“Actually–” Gideon began, suddenly trailing off.
Ranelle stared at him, blinking, “Yes?”
“I'm not really sure who the key came from.”
“What?” Ranelle replied, her expression blank.
“Well,” said Gideon, anxious to elaborate, “when I was much younger, there weren’t any doors in the manor. One day, I woke up to loud sounds, and when I went to investigate, men were installing that wooden door at the front entryway of our house. It was 'uncovered', the men told me, fully assembled somewhere in Alysium. An ancient treasure they called it. Apparently, my father loved it so much he had it brought to our house.”
“But then, where did you find the key?”
“I didn't find it...it was left to me,” Gideon clarified. “I woke up one morning almost a full cycle later, and found it laying on the end of my bed. It already had the leather cord on it and everything, as if I was meant to wear it.”
“So, you think your father left it for you?” she asked slowly, confused.
“I have no idea. The men who installed the door told me that the lock was nonfunctional. The day I found the key, my father wasn't even at the manor. I guess I never really cared where it came from. I was just so proud to have it.”
Ranelle nodded. She reached out and took Gideon gently by the forearms. “That's understandable. You were young, and there was no reason for you to question it. I'm just glad you had the good sense to keep it for so long.”
Gideon smiled. “You always make me feel better,” he said, pinching her chin tenderly with his thumb and forefinger.
“I try,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him.
His eyes flashed brightly as he laughed. “So, nothing’s changed then,” he said, as if to steady himself.
“Right,” Ranelle said, pushing him away playfully.
Gideon smiled sheepishly at her, reaching for the sword that she’d brought for him. Once he’d safely retrieved the weapon, he beckoned for her to follow him back to the supply station.
As they walked in silence, Gideon was the first to speak. “I'm not sure who gave me this key, but I think what's important is that I was…we were,” he corrected himself, nudging her shoulder playfully, “given it for a reason.”
Ranelle smiled at him as they reached the doorway to the station room. Then, her smile suddenly vanished.
“Be careful around Abree, okay?” Seeing Gideon's look of confusion, Ranelle elaborated. “Don't let her get you worked up...I don't know what she’s got planned, but she's trying to get under your skin.”
Gideon nodded before entering the supply room. Ranelle followed, finding the group more solemn than when she left. Apparently, they’d gotten their fill of browsing through the hordes of supplies. They were now sitting around talking, their laps full of provisions and piles of clothing were stacked on the stone floor around them.
“Everyone find new clothes?” Ranelle asked cheerfully.
“Yeah, you just wait ‘til you try one of these jackets on,” said Lara breathlessly, her eyes wide, “the insides are lined with some sort of fluffy hide.
Ranelle shrugged her shoulders as she reached the piles of jackets on one of the shelves.
“Shrug all you want, Princess, but these aren't anything that you've ever worn,” Abree rebuked, her nose wrinkled.
Ranelle held her tongue, choosing instead to focus on the jackets that lay just inches away. She brushed her fingers upon the leather as she appreciated the full burgundy color. Noticing the jacket was embroidered with gold-colored thread that outlined the garment, she ran her fingers over the hide that Lara had called “fluffy.” That description didn't come close to relating the feel of the coat. It was covered in silky soft hair that was swirled with silver and gray. She smiled to herself as she laid it out in front of her. There was a scrap of fabric with the word “Small” pinned to the front of the garment. She frowned for a moment and flipped the jacket over to look for a larger size. Sure enough, the next coat had a “Medium” written on a similar piece of fabric pinned to the front chest of that garment as well. This jacket, the same burgundy color, also had a soft-haired liner.
Ranelle threw the jacket gently over her arm and went on next to the pile. Many long-sleeved tunics stood piled high, each made from a finely woven material. She pawed through the bunch, finding several cream-colored tunics in her size. She then found a stack of red short-sleeve tunics. She took a few, adding those to her collection as well.
Trying to maintain her composure as the others watched, she felt betrayed as her heart beat madly while her brow glistened with sweat. She feared someone would burst forth from the shadows, snatch everything away from her, and force her to wake up from the dream she now found herself within. Compelling herself to move on, she investigated the stacks of pants piled high on the middle shelves, quickly finding a dark red pair that were her size. Next over her arm was a reddish-brown pair with soft hide sewn to the inside.
Dazed by the growing stack of clothing on her arm, she found her own spot to plop all her wares. Then, she went back to the shelves, selecting several pairs of fresh socks which were knitted, also a cream color. She ran one across her cheek, feeling its softness and warmth. The indulgence she now enjoyed made her grin, a feeling of excitement she'd never known before.
I wish Fraine were here.
Many kids in her dormitory would have been overjoyed with even one of the many things she was now claiming as her own. Her smile faltered as she stood for a moment, absentmindedly rubbing her thumb across one of the socks she held.
It took great effort to tear her thoughts away from Fraine and the others as she slowly approached the shelf that held new boots. Ranelle inspected each pair until she found one that fit her feet. She examined them, inside and out, noting more golden embroidery, bright red leather, and soft “fluffy” hides on the insides.
By the time she returned to her expansive pile of new clothing, her excitement was gone, now entirely replaced by guilt.
She felt guilty that she couldn't share the beautiful clothes with Fraine, or the other kids in the dorms that were even worse off. Unwilling to spoil the group’s excitement, she tried to rid her mind of the blame she felt, reminding herself that if any of the dorm kids were in her position, they wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy the bounty they’d found.
Busying herself with a new blanket she'd also claimed as her own, she unfolded the generous covering twice. She then laid it upon on the cold ground, sitting on top of it, sighing with pleasure. The fact that she could avoid sitting on the bare floor from there on out made her very happy.
As she thoroughly enjoyed the new padding, she inventoried the clothing she’d found, folding the items and packing them away in a new satchel.
“Has everyone gotten whatever they need for clothes?” she asked the others.
Lara and Charlie smiled excitedly as they nodded, while Abree chose to ignore her completely. Ranelle looked up just as Gideon dropped his clothes next to her on the stone floor.
“So many things...” he said, his eyes wide. “I mean, I know we lived in luxury at the manor, but this is more than what I’m even used to.”
“Yeah,” remarked Ranelle quietly, feeling mentally exhausted.
“I say we break into the food!” said Charlie loudly, as he eyed the provisions hungrily.
“I agree,” Lara chimed in.
“I say we separate some for a big meal tonight, and then take stock of it all tomorrow,” Ranelle suggested, stifling a yawn.
There were calls of agreement from the others, so Lara climbed to her feet, walking over to the baskets of food provisions. She began pulling ingredients out as she prepared their dinner.
“Have you found a water source?” Gideon asked, suddenly realizing one of their crucial needs hadn’t been met yet.
“Already have that covered,” Charlie said with a grin, pointing to the back of the supply room, “this spring is way more than a trickle.”
Gideon nodded with relief as he stood, water bladder in hand, to find the running spring for water.
As he reached the back of the room, he was surprised to find a much better water source in this supply station than in the last. There was even a lavatory hole in the floor. Gideon positively shook with excitement as he hadn't used a proper lavatory since before the cave-in.
After relieving himself, he examined the spring that was bubbling from a small metal spout. The spout had been tapped directly into the rockface. He could see tiny cracks spreading within the surrounding stone. The cracks radiated several inches from around the spout.
This was installed recently.
He traced the fresh cracks with his fingertips, frowning.
I could be wrong.
Filling up his water bladder, he tried to keep his thoughts under control. Still, as he became distracted, the water bladder suddenly overflowed with the fresh cold water from the spout, Gideon jumping back in surprise. He flipped the cold water from his hands and wiped them dry on his pant legs. Replacing the plug on his water bladder, he walked back to the others.
“The spring has plenty of water for us,” Gideon reported.
“Great,” said Ranelle, her relief evident, “we need to get some good food and drink in us.”
“I agree,” he said, his thoughts still on the waterspout.
“There are enough provisions here to stay for quite a while,” Ranelle commented.
“I wanted to talk to you about that,” Gideon said, watching as Lara filled a large iron pot with ingredients from the storage shelves and baskets. “I'm not sure we should linger.”
“Why not?” Ranelle asked with surprise.
“Just a feeling–a lot of unexplainable things are happening, and I really want answers.”
“Oh–kay,” she said slowly, unable to mask her disappointment, however, the sound of struggling abruptly stole her attention away.
Ranelle looked over as Lara fought to get the oversized cooking kettle toward the spring at the back of the room. “So, what’s your plan then? Stay for a day, then pack up everything we can carry?”
“I know it sounds ridiculous,” he said, catching the levity in her tone, “but there are too many unexplained things going on.”
“Then what’s your plan?” Ranelle pressed, her eyes still focused on Lara, who had prepared the ingredients for a stew and was now dragging the pot back from the spring, with Charlie’s help. The two skinny teenagers huffed, heaving the giant pot to its original spot at the center of the room.
“I'm not sure yet, but I really want to see what's further up the main tunnel.” He gazed at Ranelle, silently pleading for her understanding.
Several moments passed as Ranelle considered their options.
“Okay,” she said, tearing her eyes away from the sight of their impending meal being prepared, “can we talk about it over dinner?” She got to her feet to help Lara finish the meal.
Gideon nodded and smiled after her, pleased that he had someone close to him who would at least entertain his ridiculous ideas.
Chapter Thirteen
After a much-needed meal of dried mushroom, vegetable, and kava root stew, the miners laid out on the bedrolls they’d found in some of the station cupboards. They formed a circle around the pyrus cookstove that Gideon had discovered behind the sizable iron cooking pot.
“They sure were planning on feeding a lot of people down here,” Lara observed as she rolled out her bedroll and laid a blanket down on top of it for added comfort.
“Yeah,” chimed Charlie, “this pot’s bigger than the food hall's!”
“Maybe they were going to lock us all down here,” said Abree with spite.
“Maybe they were just going to lock you down here, Abree,” said Lara making a face.
“Well, how else do you explain the gigantic cooking pot?” asked Abree with a sour expression.
“I think your full bellies are making your heads swell,” said Ranelle plainly. Abree, Charlie, and Lara all looked at Ranelle with surprise. The room then erupted with laughter, Abree rolling her eyes as she plopped down on her bed with disgust.
Ranelle smiled as she rose from her mat to take the large pot away from the pyrus stove to cool. Gideon quickly jumped up to help her as even empty, the kettle was still very heavy. They gently set the pot on the stone floor, then carefully refilled the still smoldering pyrus stove. They’d arranged their bedrolls around it in hopes that it would keep their sleeping circle warmer.
Gideon then retreated to the back of the room by the spring, while Abree began to stretch her injured foot, leaning back on her bedroll with her legs out in front of her. “That pot and all of the supplies had to have come from somewhere,” she spat as she glared at Ranelle.
“Maybe they were planning on making lunches, for all of us miners, down here in the supply station before the original cave-in, huh?” Gideon called from the spring.
Ranelle considered the possibility for a moment until she heard Abree's low voice.
“As if that would happen,” she spat in a near whisper so Gideon couldn't hear, “he knows they wouldn't feed or clothe miners with provisions like the ones we’ve found here.”
Ranelle cleared her throat before replying, “I'm sure he wouldn't suggest it if it weren't highly possible.”
Abree glared at her before adjusting her bedroll, using the activity to save face.
Lara rolled her eyes, shooting Ranelle a funny look.
Ranelle grinned.
At least I’m not the only one who sees through her attitude.
As she went back to her task, she bent over the cookstove, watching as the pyrus flame dwindled. The stove itself was made of three parts. Three metal legs connected by a circular metal frame formed the base. A large metal basin, which held the pyrus, set on top. Lastly, there was a smaller three-legged frame that sat upon the rim of the bowl. This last ring acted as a cooking top for the large soup pot. As Ranelle leaned forward, she picked up a metal spoon and stirred the pyrus, watching as the smoldering pyrus gave life to the newly poured fuel. The mixture bubbled and then blazed, spreading warmth and light across the supply room.
Since the pot was off the stove cooling, the top of the pyrus stove was open, the flickering bluish-orange flames that pyrus provided, burning freely. As the fire danced and popped, Abree and Ranelle exchanged angry looks until the older girl finally retreated into her bedroll to rest her healing foot.
Lara and Charlie, who’d been watching the exchange of looks with trepidation, seemed relieved as they started whispering out of Ranelle's earshot.
Gritting her teeth as she rose and walked back to where Gideon was working, Ranelle poked her head into the alcove that held the spring and said, “Abree’s really getting on my nerves.”
“What else is new,” Gideon replied as he stood up from a kneeling position.
“No, I mean it, Gideon. I think she’s trying to get the other two against us.”
“This isn't a revolution, Elle,” he said, teasing, “she’s just trying to get someone to agree with her. She’s alone here, out of all of us, and she knows it.”
Ranelle sighed, remaining unconvinced. “What are you up to now?”
“I'm turning this trickle into a shower,” he said
, smiling.
“A shower?”
“Yeah, some of us need it,” he said with a wink.
Ranelle pursed her lips and shoved him with her hip playfully.
“Who gets to use it first?
“How about you?” he asked her.
“Really?” she said quietly, trying to contain her excitement. She missed the hot springs in the dorms badly, and a shower–even a cold one, was a most welcomed distraction.
“Why not?” he said, backing out of the alcove. Gideon then took a broken ax handle that he’d draped a long piece of fabric over, sliding it up between the stone alcove walls. He stood back, admiring his homemade curtain rushes.
“There, now it should be ready,” he said, sliding the fabric to the side so Ranelle could inspect his handiwork.
She stuck her head into the alcove, noticing that Gideon had replaced the spring spout with several pieces of thin, bent metal scraps. The scraps diverted water out and away from the stone wall so that a person could stand under the newly widened stream of water.
“Ingenious!” she said, beaming at him.
Gideon smiled, his cheeks reddening.
“Remember, it's not heated...”
“That's okay,” she said, shrugging her shoulders, “I'll just warm by the fire after.”
Gideon nodded. Turning back toward the others to give her privacy.
Ranelle watched as he retreated to his bedroll by the fire and sat down. Much anticipating the refreshing shower, she slid into the dark alcove, stripping off the clothing she’d been wearing since the cave-in, throwing them outside onto the ground. She watched as water poured out of the new spout, swirling around on the stone floor as it eventually poured down the latrine hole. Unwilling to draw out the anticipation any further, she dove into the frigid water, gasping as the liquid drizzled down her head, saturating deep into her scalp. She squeezed her eyes shut against the numbing cold. Standing beneath the freezing water for as long as she could, she shook her head, sending a spray of water out to the stone walls around her.
Back in the group, Gideon had laid out his bedding to get ready for the night. He unlaced his old brown boots and set them next to the shiny new brown leather ones he’d found on the supply shelves earlier.