by Kevin Ashman
‘No it’s not!’ screamed Amber, prizing his arm from her, ‘it’s not okay. Flip is dead because of me.’
‘Why because of you?’ asked Kenzo, ‘it’s not your fault.’
‘He helped me up the ladder, Kenzo, don’t you see? He could have saved himself, but he pushed me up first. Flip saved my life, but it cost him his own.’
‘There’s nothing you can do now,’ said Kenzo, ‘what is done, is done. What we have to do is try to get out of here.’
‘How?’ sobbed Amber, ‘I can’t hold on much longer. We are going to die, Kenzo, can’t you see? We are going to die!’
----
A sudden noise from above turned their heads upwards but their eyes closed quickly as a bright light flooded the shaft. Unseen hands slid the cover back, and a male voice called down the shaft
‘Climb up,’ called the voice.
Kenzo leaned to one side to allow Amber to lead the way and he followed close behind, making sure she didn’t slip and fall into the waters below. Eager hands hauled them both over the lip of the shaft and they fell exhausted onto a slabbed floor, surrounded by men in black cloaks.
‘Thank you,’ said Amber, as someone placed a white sheet around her and she burst into tears again as the full horror of the recent events hit home.
Kenzo stood up and accepted his own sheet gratefully. Four men were in the room and he turned to face the one who seemed to be the leader, recognising the features, but not quite recalling where they had met before. Suddenly the memory came flooding back.
‘Hello again,’ said De-gill, ‘welcome to the Watcher’s-tower.’
----
Kenzo stared at the man who had offered him a fortune to kill Crispin months ago. Then he had wondered about the morality, but now it made total sense.
‘De-gill,’ said Kenzo, wiping the water from his face with the corner of the sheet, that boy, that thing, is down there, in the tunnels.’
‘I know,’ said De-gill. ‘We are aware of the situation and are taking steps to deal with it.’
‘What steps?’
‘Suitable steps,’ said De-gill, ‘but that is for later. How did you come to be in the nursery?’
‘The nursery,’ gasped Kenzo, ‘what on earth are you on about? One of our friends just got killed in there. Why do you call it a nursery?’
‘Because that is what it is,’ said De-gill. ‘A place where the young of certain fish are born and grow in safety until they are big enough to take their place in the seas outside the Citadel.’
‘What fish, Narwl?’
‘No, not Narwl,’ said De-gill, ‘Ranah.’
‘You have Ranah here?’ gasped Kenzo, ‘but that is crazy. Ranah are the biggest killers of the Hunters during the hunt. Why do you keep them here?’
‘We do not keep anything,’ said De-gill. ‘They come and go as they please and have done so for centuries. It seems that many generations ago, our ancestors started feeding a few that had made their way into the tunnels and soon they associated this place with food. Since then, they congregate in the tunnels when the water is high; returning to the sea only when they are big enough to fend for themselves.’
‘But they killed Flip,’ said Amber, getting to her feet, ‘that is unforgivable.’
‘Nobody has ever accessed those tunnels,’ said De-gill. ‘It is only the fact that the waters are extremely low that enabled you to walk through them in the first place. Your timing was, shall we say, somewhat unfortunate and the Ranah did what the Ranah do best, they hunted.’
‘But they killed him,’ shouted Amber.
‘Do not condemn a creature for doing what comes naturally,’ said De-gill. ‘This is the place where they get fed. The low waters meant they have not been fed for days, so, when they came across meat, they fed.’
‘Meat,’ said Kenzo in disgust, ‘you refer to us as meat?’
‘Is that not what we are?’ asked De-gill, ‘meat, flesh, bone. Are we not all the same? Ranah do not distinguish between potential prey, Kenzo, to them if it is not Ranah, then it is Ranah food. It is that simple.’
‘This is unbelievable,’ said Kenzo, ‘adult Ranah are the scourge of our Hunters, yet you nurture their young under the Hunter’s very noses.’
‘It is the wheel of life,’ said De-gill. ‘Everything in balance in our tiny world. Everything has its place and everything has its role, even Ranah. But enough talk, we must get you warm and find you some fresh clothes. There will be time enough to discuss the ways of the world over the next few days. In the meantime, we must make you comfortable.’
‘We have to get back to Pelosus,’ said Kenzo, ‘and warn him about that thing in the tunnels.’
‘I am afraid it is too late for that,’ said De-gill. ‘As you are aware, the waters have risen once more and all links between the towers and the Citadel are cut off. The water will not fall again until next Moon-day, and until then, you are our guests.’
‘But there must be a way,’ said Amber, her anxiety rising, ‘we have to warn the people of Bastion.’
‘I am afraid not,’ said De-gill, ‘but fret not, despite our manner you will find us genial hosts. There are dangerous times before us and perhaps we can share our knowledge to mutual advantage. Please, come this way, we can talk more later.’
Kenzo and Amber followed the Watcher out of the room and made their way up a narrow stairway that followed the curvature of the outer wall. Every twenty paces or so, they passed rooms leading off the stairway and within a few minutes, emerged into the courtyard at the centre of the Tower. They stopped for a moment and watched as several pairs of cloaked figures carried heavy white bundles from a row of carts and through another door.
‘Oh my God,’ whispered Amber, ‘are they…?’
‘They are the loved ones of the Citadel who have passed on,’ said De-gill. ‘Don’t forget, this is our role in the wheel of life. Moon-day has ended for another month and now we will do what we are intended to do.’
‘And what exactly is that?’ asked Kenzo.
De-gill smiled, but did not answer the question.
‘Come on,’ he said, ‘let’s get you warm.’ He led them into the smaller tower at the centre of the courtyard and the difference was immediate. The walls were painted white and decorated with glorious murals, ranging from market scenes to sea beasts. The floor was covered with a vibrantly coloured carpet the likes of which neither cousin had ever seen before, and its thick fibres were surprisingly warm to their uncovered feet.
‘This is beautiful,’ whispered Amber, looking around the entrance hall in wonder ‘What is this place?’
De-gill had his back to them and took off his cloak before hanging it on a peg. Kenzo and Amber stared in astonishment. Under the dour black cloak, he was wearing a pure white tunic with matching trousers. His waist belt was of the deepest blue and a chain of ceremonial gemstones hung around his neck. He extended his arms and beamed a warm smile.
‘Welcome to our home,’ he said, ‘please, come on up.’
They followed him up a small stairwell and into a hall where a huge fire roared its light and warmth around the busy room. Dozens of people lounged on luxurious couches; all dressed in a similar vein to De-gill, though the women wore white flowing dresses and were draped with coloured sashes rather than belts.
‘Who are these people?’ asked Amber in wonder.
‘These are my fellow Guild members,’ said De-gill.
‘These are Watchers?’ gasped Kenzo.
‘Both Watchers and Midwives,’ said De-gill. He turned around and clapped his hands.
‘People,’ he shouted, ‘we have visitors. This is Kenzo and this is his cousin, Amber.’
Everyone in earshot called their welcomes and some came over to say hello in person. One older woman bustled over with a look of concern on her face.
‘Oh, you poor thing,’ she said to Amber. ‘You must be frozen. Come with me. Let’s see if we can find you something a bit more comfortable.’
; Amber glanced at Kenzo in concern but when she received an encouraging nod, allowed herself to be led away. De-gill led Kenzo to the fire and another Watcher brought a tunic and trousers for him to put on. For a second, Kenzo hesitated and held the clothes awkwardly, still clutching the sheet around him.
‘Is there a problem?’ asked De-gill.
‘Um, is there somewhere I could change?’ asked Kenzo, self-consciously.
‘Oh,’ said De-gill, his eyes widening in understanding, ‘I am sorry, privacy is not something we require here. Here, let me help.’ He took the sheet edges and held it wide, allowing Kenzo to strip his wet underclothes and don the fresh clothing. When he was done, De-gill led him to an empty couch and arranged wine and food. The Narwl steaks were particularly delicious and complimented the bowls of various seafood harvested from the base of the tower where it met the sea. But his favourite were the perfectly shaped cubes of roasted Narwl meat interspersed with tiny fruits and strange vegetables, the strong flavours making his eyes water.
‘These are wonderful,’ said Kenzo, ‘I have never tasted food so beautiful.’
‘Our cooks are very talented,’ said De-gill, ‘and make up our own mix of spices unique to our trade.’
‘Spices?’ asked Kenzo.
‘Tiny seed pods from plants we have managed to nurture over the years. Nothing on the scale of the farmers you understand, but sufficient to flavour our meals.’
‘It is beautiful,’ said Kenzo, ‘may I have another?’
De-gill smiled and placed the platter before him.
‘Help yourself,’ he said, ‘there is plenty more where that came from.’
He watched Kenzo eat in silence until the young man’s hunger was satiated. Finally, Kenzo sat back and looked around the room in wonder.
‘This is luxurious,’ he said eventually, ‘I had no idea.’
‘Why would you?’ asked De-gill, ‘our trade demands sobriety and sombreness. The populace expects the image we portray in the Citadel. Here we can be ourselves and are no different to the rest of the people.’
‘Still,’ said Kenzo, looking around at the happy faces and sumptuous comfort, ‘this is special.’
‘We are very proud of our home,’ said De-gill, ‘but it is not so unusual. Each trade has its own ideas of comfort and express them in different ways. Our way is to display the opposite of our perceived persona. When you deal with death in all its guises, it is important to embrace life and all that it offers.’ For the next hour, De-gill made small talk with Kenzo regarding life in the city. Finally, a murmur spread around the room and both men looked up to see Amber and the older woman re-entering the room.
‘Wow,’ said Kenzo, getting to his feet as Amber approached, ‘you look amazing.’
Amber blushed furiously. Her gown was pure white like all the others but the sash that hung from her shoulder to the opposite hip was blood red, the only one in the room. Her hair was washed and brushed, and hanging softly around her shoulders.
‘Quite the young lady,’ said De-gill.
‘Kenzo,’ said Amber, ‘they have a bath here, but it is bigger than ours, big enough for twenty people and not only was it filled with water, but it was hot!’
‘Hot water?’ said Kenzo in admiration, ‘how can you heat so much water.’
‘This fire,’ said De-gill, indicating the flames. ‘A series of channels lie beneath the hearth and a flow of water is constantly being warmed. As long as the fire burns, the water stays hot. One of our more special luxuries I suppose.’
‘Amazing,’ said Kenzo. He turned to speak to Amber but laughed out loud as he saw her leaning over a plate of food at the side of the room.
‘Poor thing,’ said De-gill, ‘I forgot she hadn’t eaten, she must be starving.’
‘That’s the cousin I remember,’ laughed Kenzo, ‘shall we join her?’
----
For the next few weeks, Kenzo and Amber enjoyed the Watcher’s hospitality and even had their own rooms, a luxury unheard of in Bastion.
In the mornings, they slept late before sharing a sumptuous breakfast at their leisure and their days were spent talking to the Watchers or walking the courtyard to get some exercise. Every evening, they ascended the tiny stairwell to stand on the top of the tower and stare out over the seas toward Bastion. The waters had reached their previous level once again, but Kenzo knew, as everyone in Bastion now knew, the next time the waters fell, it would be to an unprecedented level and may not return.
One evening, the two cousins stood once again behind the castellated wall, though this time staring outward toward the horizon.
‘What do you think is out there, Kenzo?’ asked Amber.
‘Who knows?’ said Kenzo, ‘other Citadels; perhaps other people.’
‘The end of the world?’ asked Amber
‘Possibly, I suppose we will never know.’
‘Do you think your father is okay?’
‘I expect he is enjoying the peace and quiet,’ laughed Kenzo. ‘Probably taking the opportunity to do some entertaining.’
Amber nudged him in the ribs in mock disgust
‘Uncle Tom doesn’t do that sort of thing,’ she laughed.
‘Yeah, okay,’ said Kenzo sarcastically.
Amber turned around and leaned her back against the wall to look over toward the Citadel as Kenzo continued to stare out at the horizon.
‘Kenzo,’ she said quietly.
‘What?’ he asked, over his shoulder.
‘Everything is going to be all right, isn’t it?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh you know, all this business about Crispin; the water levels and the second city. It just seems that all around us, things that we have known all our lives are changing and I don’t know if I like it.’
‘I’d be lying if I said I was comfortable with it,’ said Kenzo turning away from the open sea. ‘I think there are things going on here that we don’t understand, but I bet those in power probably know what’s happening.’
‘Who, the council?’
‘Probably, but I think the Stargazer is the man who can shed some light on all this and as soon as we are back in the Citadel, I am going to ask him some straight questions. Flip was killed because of this Crispin thing and his family have a right to know what happened.’
‘Well, we will be home tomorrow,’ said Amber, ‘and I for one, can’t wait.’
‘Why not? They are treating us well enough, aren’t you comfortable?’
‘I suppose so,’ said Amber, ‘they are very friendly, it just seems so, I don’t know, contrived, I suppose.’
‘I know what you mean,’ said Kenzo, ‘everyone is so friendly yet it seems we are being watched all the time.’
‘Last night,’ said Amber, warming to the subject, ‘I was thirsty so I went to fill up my beaker from the pitcher in the Sanctum. Even though it was the middle of the night, one of the women appeared from nowhere to help me. It was as if she was already there and watching in case I left my room for any reason.’
‘Oh come on,’ said Kenzo, ‘I don’t think it’s that bad, I would have noticed. There’s certainly nobody in the corridors outside our rooms.’
‘There wouldn’t need to be,’ said Amber. ‘The only way out is through the Sanctum and all corridors lead there.’
‘Yet there’s nobody up here,’ said Kenzo.
‘There’s no need,’ said Amber. ‘There’s nothing up here to see and certainly no way out, but have you noticed, whenever we walk around the courtyard there always seems to be someone standing near the doorway to the lower levels? I bet if we tried to go back down there, we would be stopped.’
‘Actually,’ said Kenzo, ‘come to think of it, on the night we were pulled from the shaft, they were very keen for us not to stay down there very long.’
‘That’s right,’ said Amber, ‘and if you remember, they also made sure we didn’t see into any of the side rooms on the way up. Do you think they are hiding something?’
&
nbsp; ‘Like what?’
‘I don’t know, but there is something going on here that they are keen to keep secret. Perhaps they just don’t want the rest of Bastion to know they are actually quite nice people?’
‘Oh yes, of course,’ laughed Kenzo, ‘I forgot that nobody else knows them like we do.’
‘Anyway,’ said Amber, ‘I think it is worth taking a look around to see if there is anything else we can find out. What do you think?’
‘I suppose it couldn’t hurt,’ said Kenzo, ‘but somehow I think De-gill may have something to say about that.’
‘Then we won’t tell him,’ said Amber.
‘You mean sneak down there?’
‘I do.’
‘And how do we do that?’
‘Easy,’ said Amber, ‘I have a plan.’
An hour later they joined De-gill and the rest of the Watchers in the Sanctum to have their evening meal and though they mingled freely and laughed along with the rest of them, underneath, they were both nervous about the plan they had made earlier. Finally, they both made their excuses and withdrew to their rooms, fully aware that the Watcher’s socialising would go on long into the night.
----
Hours later, Amber woke from her sleep, roused by a gentle shake of her shoulder from her cousin.
‘Amber,’ he whispered, ‘it’s time.’
The young girl sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
‘You ready?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ he said, holding up the plankton lamp, ‘I reckon we’ve got approximately two hours before first light.’
‘Right, I’d better get started,’ said Amber and pulled the night robe around her. ‘Good luck.’ She stepped out of the room and walked along the corridor toward the Sanctum. Kenzo returned to his own room directly across the corridor and closed the door, leaving it ajar just enough for him to see out.
Amber reached the door of the Sanctum and took a deep breath before walking in. Sure enough, across the room, one of the older women was sitting on a couch, her legs folded up beneath her as she studied the scroll in her hands. As Amber approached, she looked up with concern on her face.
‘Hello, Amber,’ she said, ‘are you okay?’
‘Not really, Elora,’ said Amber, ‘I can’t sleep.’
