by D. J. McCune
‘Yes. Thank you. Aregatou,’ Adam mumbled, wishing he had bothered to learn more than a few words of Japanese. ‘Is there a way for me to get across?’
She shook her head. ‘Very far.’ She bit her lip and bowed her head. ‘My English is not good. I apologise.’
‘No problem,’ Adam stammered. ‘Your English is very good. Much better than my Japanese.’
She smiled and bowed again. ‘I take you to … American. Visitor here.’ She looked around, frustrated, presumably trying to find someone who spoke English, but most of the people around them were men from the fish-processing plant. ‘This way.’
Adam was reluctant to let his friends out of his sight but there was no point standing here on his own for hours. At least he could find some people to talk to and maybe find out how long they were likely to be here. He waved across, hoping someone would see him, but none of his group seemed to notice. The lady was disappearing through the crowd and he didn’t want to lose her so he followed swiftly.
Every inch of the stairwell and corridors was packed with people, as were the offices. His new guardian moved nimbly through the gaps while he blundered along behind, muttering ‘Sumi masen’ every time he stood on someone. Eventually they reached a small boardroom and inside were the other overseas visitors. Judging by the accents in the room they weren’t just from America but lots of different countries.
‘You stay here,’ the woman said and Adam thanked her again, feeling bereft when she disappeared. He stepped into the room, feeling nervous. No one noticed him at first. Most of the people were gathered around the window, pointing out and exclaiming at things. A few of them had their mobile phones pressed against the glass. Adam spent a few seconds lurking by the door. Then a man with tanned skin and very white teeth spotted him and gave him a welcoming grin. ‘Hey, kid. Come on in. We won’t eat you.’
What else was he going to do? Adam slipped in and was greeted with questions: was he all right? What was he doing here? Did he want a cup of coffee? (Never, not even after a tsunami.) Did he want to see outside? He was careful to say as little as possible and eventually even the friendly American gave up on him, after telling him to sit down and get comfy and pointing out a ‘washroom’ behind a screen in the corner.
Adam sat close to the door. The corridor was still packed. People were still trying to make mobile phone calls, with little success. Everyone left him alone. He rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. All the fear and tension of the last few days had left him, along with the adrenalin that had kept him going this long. Now there was nothing to do but sit back and wait. It could be a long time before he got anywhere. He felt the kind of bone-deep exhaustion he sometimes felt in the middle of the night, when he had been woken from sleep to go on a call-out.
He couldn’t help thinking about his family. It was 02:25 in London and without Spike’s warning there might have been hundreds or thousands of people dead here. Maybe even all along the Japanese coast. Of course, there still would be casualties. Thinking about this roused him from his stupor. There were probably Lumen here, right now, standing in the Hinterland amidst the debris. And the obvious thing to do for someone like him, even if he hadn’t known about the tsunami, was to go into the Hinterland and volunteer to help.
He didn’t want to. Finding any casualties at all would feel like a personal failure – they were people he should have found a way to save and hadn’t managed. But he could just have a look, and what was more, he could turn it to his advantage. Once he was in the Hinterland the water and debris downstairs would be no problem. He could simply stroll across the foyer and up the other stairs, then find a quiet spot to emerge back into the physical world.
The quiet spot bit was going to be the problem. Adam peered out into the corridor and found lots of curious eyes looking back. Hachimana definitely wasn’t on the tourist trail and groups of foreigners were probably a bit of a novelty. Normally he could just find an empty room and vanish without anyone noticing but that wasn’t going to be an option here.
Unless … His eyes roamed round the boardroom, settling on the door in the corner. The bathroom. There was a screen across the door, shielding it from view of the people at the window. They were still looking out and judging by their conversation the water was beginning to recede. Adam didn’t go over to see. He took advantage of their distraction and stood up, slipping across the room, behind the screen and through the door. There was a Western-style toilet and hand basin there and very little else. Adam didn’t care; he wasn’t planning on hanging about. He reached beneath the neckline of his top and grasped his keystone, then stepped forward into the Hinterland.
Usually he hated being there but today Adam felt some of the tension leave him. Being stuck in one place with so many people wasn’t fun. Here he felt weightless and free. It was weird walking through the crowded corridors; he had never had to walk ‘through’ so many people before but once he reached the lower levels it got easier. He almost went straight across to the opposite side to find his friends but when he thought about it, he knew it would be more ‘normal’ for a Luman to go and see if there were any souls needing guidance. He couldn’t work alone – he hadn’t been Marked yet – but he would be expected to go and offer his help to any adult Luman on the scene. He might even run into a Luman he knew.
But as he walked through the mounds of cars and buildings there were no souls in sight. No one seemed to have died here. He kept going, instinctively searching for roads and footpaths, but the landscape had been completely altered. What had once been a bustling city had become a giant landfill, teeming with rubble, wood and twisted metal. The sea was already receding although Adam knew that waves could keep coming for hours after an earthquake. The people who lived here knew that and for now they were wisely staying on high ground.
It was a ghost town – but thankfully there were no ghosts waiting for him. He felt a thrill of triumph. He had done it! No one had died. There was nothing more for him to do, other than go back to the research building and carry on with his life.
At least he thought so, until a familiar voice said, ‘Adam Mortson. I thought I might see you here.’
Chapter 25
dam turned around, feeling strangely calm. Maybe it was because he had always known this moment would come. ‘What are you doing here?’
Darian smiled. ‘What else would I be doing, Adam? Only seeking the dead. And the soon-to-be dead.’
‘There are no dead here. I’ve looked.’
‘Not a soul to be seen. A little strange, don’t you think?’
Adam shrugged. ‘They have a good warning system here.’
‘An excellent warning system. A warning system so effective that the earthquake monitors sounded a full thirteen minutes before the earthquake!’
Adam stared at him stolidly. Inside his chest his heart was beating against his ribs, a bird in a cage, desperate to get out. He was trying to sound confident but his voice betrayed him. ‘Is my father here?’
‘He will be soon.’ Darian’s smile widened. He looked like a wolf. ‘Did you know, Adam, that by law every Curator and High Luman must have a prison cell in their home?’
Adam didn’t give him the satisfaction of answering. ‘I want to see my father.’
‘Your father is working. There are still dead to care for. But of course, we both know that there should have been very many more.’ Darian was studying him. ‘Come, Adam. Talk to me. They say confession is good for the soul. Perhaps I can help you.’
‘I don’t have anything to confess.’
‘But you do. You have been breaking our laws for some time now, have you not? Like, for example, your intervention in the park a few weeks ago. I saw you that day. You just cannot leave the souls alone.’
It was getting hard to breathe. Adam’s thoughts were racing backwards, back to the park and the fair and the ice-cream van … and the man. The man in the shadows, watching, his face concealed by his hood in spite of the sunshine. He was the
re! The whole time he was watching and waiting. But did he see Melissa too? Adam felt sick but he forced his mouth to move. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Darian sighed. ‘I had hoped to avoid any unpleasantness. I see that you will leave me with no choice. As stupid and intractable as your parents!’
The mask had slipped. Behind the handsome face and the perfect manners he could see it for just a moment: rage, hate and a great swirling vortex of pain. A pain that had lingered so long it had transformed into something black and twisted, eating the man alive, leaving only a brittle, perfect veneer. There was still a part of Adam that pitied him. He knew what it was like, losing someone you cared about. Everyone had lost someone. The difference was that some people were able to move on without turning that pain back onto everyone around them. ‘You won’t get her back. My mother. No matter what you do to me or my father, you’ll never get her back. If you hurt us she’ll only hate you more.’
Darian’s whole face was rigid. He was fighting for self-control. ‘No more talking. We have a journey to make.’ He began walking.
Adam backed away. It was crazy. Here in the Hinterland there was nothing to hide behind. But in the physical world … ‘Stop. You need me to be alive.’
Darian held his hands up. ‘I have no intention of killing you. You are not Marked. There are others who will answer for you. But you will stand before the Concilium and confess your crimes.’
‘Not if I go back to the physical world, I won’t. Right here.’ Adam pointed to a vast pile of twisted metal and wood beside him. ‘What do you think I’ll look like if I step right into the middle of this? They’ll have to get me out in pieces.’
‘There is no need for this drama,’ Darian said. ‘Accept your fate.’
‘You don’t get it, do you?’ His voice was trembling. If I kicked you hard, your whole shell would crack and fall apart. You’re just dust and ashes. ‘I will do anything to protect my family. Anything. This is on me, not them. So if I have to get crushed to pieces to do that, then that’s what I’ll do.’ Darian’s expression almost made Adam laugh. ‘You’re so full of it. You think you love my mother but you don’t. But I do. And that’s why I’ll do this if you take one more step towards me.’
‘What will this achieve?’ That weird detachment had come over Darian again, the same detachment that let him stand back and watch Morta kill people to get at Nathanial. He was studying Adam as though he was some kind of specimen he could dissect and make sense of. He didn’t even seem angry any more. ‘You must face the consequences of your actions.’
‘You haven’t.’ Adam shook his head, feeling weary. ‘But it doesn’t matter. You’re not High Luman here. You don’t get to decide what happens to me.’
‘You think Hikaru will help you?’ Darian laughed. He started to speak again. ‘When he knows what you have done, here, in his Kingdom, he will –’
Adam didn’t hear the rest. His mind wasn’t there any more. He wasn’t seeing the shattered landscape all around them; he was seeing the mountains rising up around a cool, green garden, smelling cold, clean air away from the stench of mud and sea water and diesel and sewage. As soon as he could feel the place he gripped his keystone and swooped.
He knew Darian would only be seconds behind him. When the stone Buddha appeared Adam threw himself forward into the physical world. He ran towards the house shouting for Hikaru. Would the High Luman even be here? He could be anywhere along the eastern seaboard, sending souls into their Lights. He shouted for Rita too. He reached the glass doors overlooking the garden and slammed his hands against the glass, over and over, still calling for Hikaru.
When he turned back towards the Buddha, Darian was walking towards him. There was no sense of urgency, just a terrible, cold purpose. Adam turned back to the house, about to hit the glass again – then fell back in shock as Rita appeared on the other side of the door, her mouth hanging open. She slid the door open and Adam threw himself inside, without taking his boots off. ‘Hikaru, I need to speak to Hikaru, please help me, he’s going to kill me,’ he babbled, the words pouring out in a torrent.
Rita’s daughters ran into the room, alarmed. Rita looked from Adam to the Curator moving smoothly towards the door and gave the older girl a sharp command in Japanese. She stood frozen, staring in confusion, until Rita spoke again, this time in Spanish. ‘Hoshi! Vamos!’ It seemed to bring her back to her senses and she disappeared.
‘Say nothing,’ Rita said quietly and stepped in front of Adam, moving to the door. ‘Curator. It is a pleasure to see you. I thought you would be busy at the earthquake sites, along with the rest of the Concilium.’
‘I had other business to attend to. Unavoidable business. I’m sorry you have been disturbed. This boy must come with me now.’
‘My husband will be home soon. Please, come in.’
‘This is not a social visit. You do not wish to obstruct a Curator in his work, I trust?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Give me the boy.’
‘Where do you intend to take him?’
‘I will take him where I choose! I am a member of the Concilium.’ Darian stepped towards her, his face set with cold rage.
Rita was frightened but she was hiding it as well as she could. ‘He is not Marked. He is not of age. I cannot give him to you without a guardian present.’
Adam wasn’t sure what might have happened next. Darian had lost all reason. His face was ugly with rage. But looking beyond the Frenchman he saw a sight more glorious than he could have dreamed of: Hikaru striding through the garden. And better yet, his sons were with him, Hoshi hurrying behind.
Darian wasn’t happy to see him. ‘Hikaru.’
Hikaru took his time, removing his shoes pointedly before he stepped into the house. He looked from Darian to Adam and nodded at the floor. ‘If you would be so kind.’
Adam started fumbling with his laces, shamed into action even at this most ridiculous of times but Darian moved to take his arm, until Rita stepped in front of him again. ‘I apologise for the intrusion but we will not be staying. I will be removing this boy from your Kingdom. There will be no further trouble from him.’
‘And what trouble has he caused?’
‘I must bring him before the Concilium immediately.’ Darian tried to smile. ‘You need not concern yourself with this matter.’
He made to step around Rita but she blocked him again. Adam froze, wondering what was going to happen next. Hikaru was watching his wife and his eyes flicked to Adam’s for a moment. It was impossible to read his expression. ‘My wife seems to have some concerns about you removing Adam Mortson from our home.’
‘She has nothing to be concerned about. Unless you believe a Curator incapable of following the law?’
‘You are taking this boy into custody, are you not?’ Hikaru waited for Darian’s reluctant nod. ‘For what crime?’
Darian laughed. ‘For a series of crimes that you will struggle to comprehend. Crimes only a handful of our kind could even detect.’
Hikaru nodded. ‘And if you are one of these, might I assume that a Seer would be required? You believe this boy to be a Seer?’
‘These are matters for the Concilium.’
‘But did his crimes take place here? Today, for example?’
‘Only one of a long list of crimes.’ Darian had waited until Rita was distracted and now he stepped smoothly to the side and gripped Adam by his arm. ‘And that is why I will take him away from here, before any more harm is done.’
Hikaru’s eyes widened. ‘But Curator, if he is a criminal then what you need is a cell. And we have such a cell right here.’
As cells went, it probably wasn’t the worst in the world. There was a squat toilet in the corner, behind a lacquer screen. There was a futon on a small wooden base, currently folded up into a seat. There was a carved table and a wooden chair, all of it illuminated by a single recessed light. That was the one thing missing: natural light. Adam had no idea if it was
day or night. The battery on his mobile phone had finally packed in. He sat on the futon, leaning his head back against the wall.
He had been here for a long time and no one had come to see him. There had been an hour when he had felt frightened, then another hour when he had paced up and down the cell in anger. Now he just felt tired. Eventually he summoned the energy to unroll the futon mat and lay down, pulling the hood on his top over his eyes. He spent a few minutes enjoying the warm, red glow behind his eyelids before he fell asleep.
He woke later to the sound of the heavy wood and metal door opening. Blinking up he saw Rita standing in the doorway with a tray. She gave him a wan smile and placed the tray carefully on the table. The room filled with the smell of miso, sesame oil and meat pasties. There was a plastic bottle of water too and lying on the tray, a single sheaf of foliage from the garden. Seeing the green stalk in this bare room was oddly touching.
‘Come and eat,’ Rita said softly.
Adam stood a little unsteadily and sat down at the table. She handed him a plastic spoon and he ate the soup obediently, then drank the water. He felt dreamy and unreal, like he was waking from an anaesthetic and finding himself trapped in a nightmare. ‘How long have I been here?’
‘It is evening.’ Rita was frowning but not like she was angry at him – more that she was worried. ‘The Concilium are here. And your parents are here too.’
Adam’s heart quickened. He wasn’t sure what the emotion behind it was – something between relief and anxiety. ‘Can I see them?’
‘Soon, I hope.’ She hesitated. ‘The things that Darian has said … It is difficult to believe.’ When Adam opened his mouth she held up her hand quickly, silencing him. ‘Don’t tell me anything, Adam. It is better not to speak to anyone without your father here.’
Adam nodded and picked up one of the meat pasties. It was full of peppers and tomato and was very definitely not from a Japanese recipe book. ‘Do you like living here?’
