The Tunnel War

by Kevin George

  His smile didn’t last long.

  “Olly!” Emma yelled.

  He spotted the attacking One guard at the last moment and barely had time to assume his fighting stance. Emma tried to rush to his aid but accidentally bumped into him, knocking him off balance enough for the One guard to disarm him. When Emma tried to circle him to get to the guard, Oliver held up an arm to stop her, pushing her back against the blast door.

  “Please, do what you must to me, but leave the princess alone,” Oliver begged the One guard.

  The guard’s brow furrowed and his eyes creased. Oliver sensed the man’s hesitancy, but the guard raised his spear high above his head.

  “For Queen Raefaline!” he yelled.

  Oliver exhaled deeply and remained still, too tired emotionally and physically to fight any longer. The guard’s weapon was a blur, its sharp tip speeding toward his chest. But Oliver’s peripheral vision picked up another blur, this one leaping right in front of him, a man taking the spear—meant for Oliver—directly in the chest. Oliver sprung to action, grabbing his own weapon and plunging it into the chest of the shocked guard, who collapsed to the tunnel floor, dead.

  Emma hurried to Oliver’s side and they both kneeled beside Walter Capshaw. He didn’t even glance at the spear impaling his frail chest. Instead, his eyes found Oliver and a stern expression painted his face.

  “Next time, do whatever you must to win,” he choked out.

  Oliver felt his throat tightening. He hated how helpless he felt and immediately looked up, scanning the chaos for one particular person. When he couldn’t find her, he turned to Emma.

  “Find Paige. . . quickly!” he snapped.

  But Emma didn’t budge except to frown. She placed a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “I don’t think there’s anything she could do.”

  Oliver shook his head and his face scrunched in anger. He nearly snapped when Walter reached up and grabbed his arm, his bony fingers still surprisingly strong.

  “She’s right. . . this is how it must be. . . I’m going to be with my son again. . . glad I could make things right with you first. . . so glad. . . you could. . . forgive. . .”

  And in an instant, all the strength left Walter’s grip and his hand fell to the floor. His eyes remained open but would never see anything again. Emma gave Oliver’s shoulder a squeeze. She stood up and shuffled a few feet away, returning moments later, offering Oliver his spear.

  “It’s time we join the fight,” she said.

  Oliver finally looked up from Walter and saw The Fifthers fighting back the One guards for the moment. He knew that wouldn’t last long. He nodded and stood, holding the spear the way Walter had taught him, assuming the proper fighting stance.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  Emma nodded beside him. Together, they took a single step toward the fighting when the yelling and clanging of weapons, and the screams of terror and pain, were all overwhelmed by distant rumbling. It grew louder with each passing moment and the ground started to shake beneath them. The fighting came to an abrupt halt, combatants from both sides looking at one another, a different kind of fear etching their faces.

  “Something is seriously wrong,” Oliver whispered.

  The rumbling eased moments later. Oliver stepped forward to tell everyone to return to their families, but a One guard’s voice echoed through the tunnel first.

  “The Lord is threatening us all while the false prince still lives!”

  One’s forces yelled in unison before attacking with greater fervor.

  The entire throne room shook. Several lava lines built into the floor and columns burst, spraying liquid fire everywhere, causing Ryo to scramble to avoid being burned. More and more steam poured from the Magma Overlook, and a large chunk of debris broke away from the ceiling, crashing to the floor a few feet from Ryo. One fallen piece quickly led to a second, and it wasn’t long before the ceiling and walls and columns were all crumbling.

  “Raefaline!” Ryo called across the large room. “We have to get out of here! Now!”

  Queen Raefaline remained staring forward, seeming not to notice the destruction around her, finally blinking hard at the recognition of fear in Ryo’s voice. She looked at him and did not budge, though her resulting laughter was high-pitched and shrill. Ryo shook his head, realizing something within her had cracked. He had a split second to decide what to do and only chose to rush toward the throne because of the baby still cradled in her arms.

  He sprinted forward, leaping over broken lava lines and cracks in the floor, dodging falling debris and collapsing columns, barely avoiding being crushed and burned on several occasions. More than once, he stopped to figure out which way to go and considered turning back. But the baby began to cry—and then wail—and the queen remained still, the throne and its occupants completely shrouded in steam. Ryo reached the platform steps and skipped up them three at a time, slipping as the rocky steps crumbled beneath his weight.

  When he reached the top, a burst of steam heat nearly caused him to retreat. He coughed at the acrid stench of sulfur but followed the sound of crying until he saw the silhouette of the throne. Behind it, the lava pool was bubbling and spilling over the edge, lava oozing its way toward the throne. The floor shook violently and Ryo barely kept his balance. The Magma Overlook began to fall away into the volcano behind it. Ryo knew it would be moments before the entire throne platform was taken with it.

  He grabbed Queen Raefaline’s arm and tried to pull her up. He was surprised by her strength as she yanked her arm free. The baby cried even harder.

  “We have to go now!”

  Raefaline shook her head and stared forward, seeing nothing through the steam surrounding them.

  “I am queen now,” she said firmly. “I waited years to get rid of Edmond. I’m no longer in danger of him.”

  “It’s not the king I’m worried about,” Ryo said. “Look around. If we don’t get out of here now, we will die.”

  Raefaline’s eyes darted from side to side, but only for a moment. Though she saw the outlines of falling debris and orange bursts of shattering lava lines, she shook her head.

  “I was dead the moment Edmond chose me for his wife.”

  Ryo shook his head but didn’t have time to argue. He reached his large hands for the tiny bundle still crying in Raefaline’s arms. She turned away, but only for a moment, lightly kissing the baby’s head before letting go.

  “Protect him,” she said, staring into Ryo’s eyes with the first bit of clarity she’d shown. Ryo considered trying to convince her to flee, but her eyes glazed over as she stared forward again.

  Ryo started to hurry away but slowed after nearly tripping on the crumbling steps. He wanted to move carefully enough so as not to disturb the crying baby, but more and more lava spread across the floor and he couldn’t take his time any longer. Though his feet and legs were spattered with liquid fire, he reached the columned entrance and stopped to take one last look back. Another explosion at the far end of the room swirled the steam long enough for Ryo to see the throne—and the queen still sitting on it—crumbling into the volcano behind it.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  James plugged the cable into the proper slot, knowing exactly where it went since he’d had a monitor just like this one back in his ISU. The screen powered on and a program began to load, slow and steady, the progress bar showing that several minutes remained until it would finish.

  Footsteps echoed outside the radio room, and approaching squawks grew louder with every passing second. Recognizing impending trouble, James pushed the power button to the monitor, which went black. A glance at the GPS screen showed the message changing to SIGNAL ACQUIRED. Though his pulse raced at the thought of finally achieving his goal, he scurried to the opposite side of the room, pretending to be interested in the broken junk scattered about.

  Sally suddenly spoke, her voice muffled on the other side of the radio room door.

  “Haven’t you done enough already?”


  “It’ll never be enough until I’m certain we’re all safe,” Quinn said out in the hallway. “Your friend needs to go back to his room now.”

  “You kept the man locked up to avoid him using the radio,” Sally said. “That’s no longer a problem.”

  “We don’t answer to you,” Quinn said.

  A brief commotion was followed by the door swinging open, Quinn and his followers entering the room. Sally and BabyDoll and their few allies were close behind.

  “What is the meaning of this?” James yelled.

  All eyes—many of them glaring—turned in his direction, not a single Aviary so much as glancing at the GPS on the opposite side of the room. Quinn and the Swarmers converged on James and soon had him encircled.

  “You never should’ve been freed,” Quinn said.

  “Never,” Swarmers echoed in a variety of voices, some of them high-pitched and frightened, others difficult to understand.

  “I don’t know why you can’t see that James means harm to nobody,” BabyDoll said.

  Quinn spun on the tiny Aviary. “I’ve had about enough of you,” he said. “I know you were Love’s final catch, but keep speaking against me and you’ll be the first of our kind to be banished.”

  Gasps arose from Swarmers on both sides. Only BabyDoll didn’t appear concerned with Quinn’s threat.

  “Please, this isn’t necessary,” James said, stepping closer to Quinn. The Swarm leader turned away from BabyDoll and loomed over the human. “The damage to this room has been done, so there’s no point of me staying here any longer. Take me away if you must, but I just ask for the chance to speak with Sally.”

  “So you can plan your next treachery?” Quinn asked.

  James shook his head. “I wanted to come here to use your radio but now that will never happen. I have no more reason to stay. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to walk out of this building right here and now, but I’d like to speak with Sally so we can plan where we’ll go next.”

  Quinn turned to Sally and snorted before addressing the rest of the Swarm.

  “She’s convinced all of you that she’s part of us, that she wants to live among us,” he said. “But listen to her friend: she’s been planning something with him all along. Maybe you’ll finally agree with me to lock her up, too. . . or maybe we could find a more permanent solution to our problem with both humans.”

  Sally shook her head, but that didn’t stop Quinn from taking a threatening step toward her. When James tried to intercede, several Swarmers cut him off.

  “Are threats what Love would’ve done?” BabyDoll reminded them. “Or would he have brought us together as one?”

  “I don’t care what Love would’ve done,” Quinn snapped. Feathers ruffled along the side of his face and his wings pulsed within his broad shoulders. When he yelled, his facial features seemed to lose some of their human softness. “I’m in charge now. Deal with that and get in line, or suffer the same fate as your friends.”

  “Please,” James said, trying to project calmness. “I don’t want problems for Sally or BabyDoll or any of you. Maybe we can all find a quiet place to sit down and figure out the next step for everyone.”

  James held up his hands and slowly circled the Swarmers, making no sudden movements as he headed for the door. All eyes remained on him and he nearly made it out when Quinn cut him off. The Swarm leader’s hawkish eyes narrowed on him, but he eventually nodded.

  “Fine,” Quinn said, motioning toward the hallway door. James walked out first. “The sooner you leave, the better off we’ll all be. And you can take with you anyone that no longer wants to be a part of this—”

  A ding sounded across the room, not very loud but still enough to interrupt Quinn and stop the Swarm in its tracks. James squeezed his eyes shut but kept walking, pretending not to have heard. Quinn’s hand shot out and grabbed James by the arm, spinning him back toward the radio room.

  “What was that?”

  James raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “That random noise? What do you think happens when you smash a bunch of equipment?”

  James tried to walk away, but Quinn held him tightly.

  “Over there,” Lump said, pointing to the GPS and the monitor across the room.

  Quinn pushed James toward the Swarmers, several of whom restrained him. Quinn stomped toward the GPS, grabbing Sally’s arm along the way. BabyDoll’s pleas for peace went ignored, her tiny voice barely heard over the squawking. Quinn pushed Sally toward the GPS. She bumped into the monitor, which wobbled and nearly tipped over before settling. She looked down at the small screen of the GPS and couldn’t suppress a smile.

  “What does it say?” Quinn demanded.

  Sally turned to James. “Transmission of coordinates received.”

  “What does that mean?” Quinn yelled. He snapped at Sally, several of his feathers falling from his neck.

  “It means whoever’s out there know where to find us,” James said across the room.

  Quinn’s squawk was loud and angry and filled the entire room. Other Swarmers echoed his reaction, but all eyes remained on Quinn. He flexed his back and his wings extended, missing the monitor by inches. He flapped a single time, shooting debris across the room, the force knocking Sally to the floor. He loomed over her. James tried to break free from his captors, but the Swarmers held on tightly.

  “You’ll pay for this betrayal,” Quinn squawked.

  “You must not do this! Why can’t you see? Don’t become what those in The Mountain want our kind to be!” BabyDoll screamed.

  Her voice was so loud and high-pitched it caused most Swarmers to cover their ears. Quinn’s breathing calmed and his feathers settled, but he didn’t back away from Sally. BabyDoll slid her way between them. The tension in the room eased, but Quinn continued to stare at the equipment. James relaxed long enough for his captors to lose focus. When he felt their grips loosen, he broke free and rushed at Quinn, who swatted him aside with a flap of his wings. James tried to scramble back to his feet but Quinn knocked him back down.

  “You’ll pay for that,” Quinn said.

  He turned to the equipment and picked up the GPS, lifting it up high above his head.

  “Don’t!” James yelled. “If you destroy that, we won’t know who’s coming and how far away they are!”

  Quinn’s eyes narrowed, but he hesitated.

  “You’re lying. . . like always,” Quinn said, though he didn’t possess the same certainty as his other accusations.

  James rose to his knees, shaking his head. “I connected the GPS to that monitor,” he said, pointing to the cable connecting the two. “With that system, we can see where our signal was acquired and prepare ourselves for who’s coming.”

  Quinn’s face scrunched in anger. He dropped the GPS on the table but not hard enough to break it. He grabbed James by the shirt and lifted him a few inches off the floor.

  “If someone does show up here, you’ll be the first one they see outside,” Quinn said. “And I can’t promise you’ll still be alive.”

  “I understand why you’re nervous, but whoever’s out there is just like us, searching for other survivors. They probably want to move on to the next part of the journey for the continuation of humankind,” James said, his tone breathless with hope.

  Quinn stepped closer to James, bending over until their faces were close enough for James to see his feathers. “Do we look like humankind to you? If you sent a signal to whoever’s out there, you must be able to. . . I don’t know. . . unsend it. . . or contact them and tell them not to come.”

  James shook his head. “This moment—making this contact—is what I’ve been living my life for. It’s the only reason I haven’t walked off into the Nothingness. If I can’t find out who else is out there, I may as well die.”

  “I can arrange that,” Quinn said.

  James frowned but nodded. “Then at least I’ll die knowing I tried to make a difference.”

  James took a deep breath and stood up straight, tilting
his head back just enough to offer his throat to Quinn. The Swarm leader squawked and stomped away. James exhaled, but his relief was short-lived. Quinn flapped his wings and propelled himself toward Sally, immediately wrapping a hand around her throat, lifting her off the floor. She gasped, her face quickly turning red.

  “You don’t care about your life, fine,” Quinn said. “But if you don’t tell me how to stop the others from coming, she will die.”

  BabyDoll and her few allies rushed toward Sally, only to be cut off by the Swarmers. Lump was among them and refused to look the little Aviary in her eyes. James faced the same blockade. He watched Sally’s face brighten, her eyes widening with fear as her lids began to flutter.

  “Fine,” James snapped. “Just let her go.”

  “Not until you tell me.”

  “The beacon, there’s a beacon,” James said. “You’ll have to locate it in the tower outside and take it far from here.”

  Quinn lowered Sally to the floor, keeping his hands wrapped around her throat but loosening his grip enough to let her suck in a deep breath, causing her to cough wildly.

  “Explain why,” Quinn said.

  James nodded, slowly raising his hands. “The beacon is what transmits the signal. If you shut off the GPS system, whoever acquired our signal will still have the coordinates of the beacon’s last location and will lead to this building. If the beacon is moved far from here—if someone flies it far from here—updated coordinates will be sent, leading them wherever you want them to go.”

  “Fly?” Quinn asked with a sneer, giving Sally’s throat another squeeze. “You think you’ll trick me into doing your dirty work. The three of you. . .”—he gestured to Sally, James and BabyDoll before turning to other sympathizers—“. . . and anyone else that wants to join you can walk the beacon out of here and never come back.”