Chapter 15
Callen’s jog slowed to a brisk walk. He was sweating and breathing hard. He turned to check how far he’d travelled from camp. When the walls vanished into a shadow on the horizon, he relaxed, certain the guards could no longer see him from their posts.
In the quiet solitude of night, his thoughts turned back to Eve. He felt sad without her. Their time together had been brief, but so comfortable and familiar. He’d never felt that way with anyone before. He worried he might never see her again. For a moment, and for the first time since he’d hatched his grand plan, he considered turning back. He’d been away less than two weeks. His return to the city would please his parents, but how would they react on hearing where he’d been and what he’d discovered?
Back at camp Eve was unable to find Ky. She hoped he was locked away somewhere, working on a plan to stop Callen leaving the next morning. She kept searching, but couldn’t find him anywhere. She walked to the gate. One of the guards cut her off.
“We can’t let you through, sorry, orders,” the young guard said apologetically.
“That’s fine,” Eve replied. “I’m just looking for Ky?”
“He left about an hour ago.”
Eve stared, stunned by the information. Her held expression made it look like she hadn’t understood.
“He left?” she asked. The guard nodded.
“On his horse?” Eve continued.
The guard nodded again. Eve suppressed her panic. She’d unwittingly delivered Ky his prey. Callen was out there with Ky hunting him down.
Callen came to a rise where he could see into the distance. He saw his hill. It formed part of a natural outer wall to the city. Climbing the hill would be simple, but the wall and the electronic security for hundreds of meters made the city impenetrable over land.
Above, a roar shattered the silence. Callen looked up and saw a plane passing overhead, trailing a line of vapour, carving the moonlit sky apart and scarring the heavens. He watched it travel, thinking of the families heading to coastal holidays, remembering his childhood vacation. He thought of his biological parents - the thought spurred him on.
Lien had his boots off as he slept on his couch. The journey to the Elders had taken a lot out of him. Finally stirring, he woke foggy and unclear. He stretched, swung his legs off the couch, slipping into his boots in one motion as he stood. He wandered to his daughter’s room and knocked. He waited before knocking again. He opened the door to find an empty room. Lien moved through the room to the outer door. He strode down the corridor and came into the open yard. The camp was still. He surveyed the large open courtyard. Almost everyone not on duty had turned in for the night. No-one had any cause for alarm, except Lien.
“Where’s Eve?” he asked a young guard standing guard by the stables.
“I haven’t seen her,” the young man said respectfully.
“What about Ky?” Lien asked.
“I haven’t seen him, not since dinner.”
Lien began searching the grounds. He couldn’t find Eve or Ky anywhere. When he couldn’t find anyone who had seen either of them his pace quickened and he made straight for the junior dorms. When he found Callen missing, he panicked.
“My daughter, where’s my daughter?” he bellowed, now at a jog, as he rounded the wood sheds, approaching those at the guardhouse near the gate.
“She was here asking about Ky. I thought she went back to bed,” the guard on the gate explained.
“Wasn’t Ky with her?” Lien asked.
“No, Sir, he rode out on patrol hours ago.”
“Patrol?” Lien froze, then swivelled and ran at speed towards the stables.
“Saddle horses!” he screamed as he ran. He reached the stables and threw a saddle over a horse.
“You, mount up,” he yelled at the bewildered young guard by the stable. Two others nearby had come to see what the commotion was. One was on sentry, but the other had woken and come to get water before heading back to bed. He wouldn’t be back to his dorm for hours.
“You and you as well!” Lien roared, pointing at them. “Mount up. We’re going to find my daughter. Ky’s with her. They’ve got a good start, so pick fast horses.”
The young men stood, frozen in shock. One of the guards was eighteen, the others barely seventeen. A midnight ride with the leader of the camp would normally be a mission for senior guards, so this summons was highly unusual.
“Move!” Lien screamed as he cinched his saddle. A flurry of activity followed. Saddles landed on horses and leather squeaked as it tightened. Lien mounted first and signalled for them to open the gate. In a symphony of hooves, the four horsemen rode into the night.
Callen was nearing his goal. He was still too far to see the entrance to his tunnel, but something made him turn to look back. He saw a ribbon of dust rising from the feet of a horse coming his way at speed.
Callen watched for a moment then looked to the hill ahead. The rider would reach him before he reached the tunnel. He had no way of telling who it was or why they were coming his way, but he couldn’t take a chance. He was too close to his goal. He hid between two large rocks, peering out to see who was on the horse, fearing it was Lien, angry at his early departure.
Callen waited, watching from the shadows, his breath short and his heart pounding. He strained to see clearly in the moonlight. When he made Ky out on the horse, he chilled.
Ky brought his mount to a halt and searched the area. He saw nothing. He moved purposefully towards the tunnel. Callen watched him intently. Once Ky passed, Callen emerged from his hiding place to watch Ky from behind rocks. Ky headed to the hill. He planned to wait until Callen arrived and he didn’t care how long that would be. Callen followed a discreet distance behind, taking advantage of the rocky outcrops. He was able to move within a few hundred metres of the hill without Ky realising he was there. Ky surveyed the area then dismounted and led his horse to a small cove of rocks near the base of the slope where he could rest unseen and lie in wait.
Callen waited, observing Ky as he stalked back and forth over the area near the mountain of shale. Callen moved forward to give himself a clear view. Ky led his horse, looking for the best place to rest unseen. After a time, he broke out a water bottle and cupped his hand, holding it up to his horse as he poured water for the animal to drink. Callen took the chance and moved quickly. He moved over the loose rocks trying not to disturb any. One wrong step would send a stone sliding down the hill and alert Ky. Ky heard a single click of rock under foot. He glanced to the noise and spotted Callen, well into his climb. Almost in the same moment, Ky broke into a sprint.
Callen had a healthy lead, but the loose stones higher up impeded him enough to let Ky make up ground. The rocks began to slide down the slope like a stream. A slip from Callen reduced his lead and Ky closed the gap. When Callen reached the tunnel entrance, he found the passage blocked by rocks. He began dragging them one by one from the cave’s mouth, hurling them down the hill towards Ky. One of the rocks hit Ky’s shin, and he fell backwards, trying to grab hold of something, but finding nothing. The whole hill moved underfoot, sending Ky careering down the slope. He stopped sliding and came to rest, then swiftly drew his gun and aimed at Callen.
“Stop, right now, or I shoot!” Ky yelled.
Callen ignored him. A shot rang out. The bullet pierced the air above Callen’s head and thumped into loose rocks, splintering them and sending shards in all directions. Callen froze, staring at Ky’s pointed gun.
“Next one won’t miss,” Ky said aiming the pistol at Callen with a steely glare.
“Come down here,” Ky ordered. Callen had little choice. He began down the steep slope. When he was almost level with Ky, he slipped and put a hand on the ground for balance. When he came back to his feet, he concealed a palm-sized rock. A step closer he swung it as hard as he could. It made a dull crack against Ky’s forearm, forcing him back, so he momentarily lost balance. Callen lunged, grabbing at Ky’s arm to prise the gun from his hand. Ky
hung on desperately, gripping the gun so hard he pulled the trigger, sending a shot skittering through the shale. The unexpected recoil knocked the gun up and back, helping Callen prise it from Ky’s hand. It cartwheeled down the slope as the two rolled over, grappling for ascendancy. Ky scrambled for the gun, but it was well out of reach. Callen jumped on Ky’s legs, pinning them as the two rolled down the rocky hillside, coming to a stop when enough rocks shifted to form a hollow. Ky recovered first and swung a clenched fist that connected with the side of Callen’s head, sending him sprawling backwards onto the loose rocks. A shot rang out. Callen startled and swung around to see Eve standing at the bottom of the hill with the gun in her hand. She was shaking from the shock of firing. There was a trace of smoke wafting from the barrel. Ky looked to his thigh in disbelief. It was growing slick with blood as the pain swept over him. He cried out and wrapped his hands around the wound. He looked to Eve with an expression that chilled her; part disbelief, part rage. Eve placed the gun in her waistband and began to climb around him. Ky tried to move, to stop her, but cried out in pain and fell back to the ground. Callen grabbed Eve’s arm as she reached him.
“You can’t come,” he insisted.
“I just shot Ky. I’ve still got the gun, so don’t tell me what I can and can’t do.” With that, she headed for the tunnel. Callen watched her climb. He looked to Ky still groaning in pain below.
“Hey!” Eve yelled. She was at the tunnel entrance, pulling out the last of the rocks.
“Are you coming?”
Callen climbed to her, knowing Eve’s mind was made up. He knew he couldn’t talk her out of it, so she was coming, whether he liked it or not.
Half an hour later, Lien and his party of three rode into view. They found Ky, lying in pain, ashamed and beaten. Ky hardly looked at Lien as he explained what happened. Lien simmered, but he knew there was no point trying to follow. There was only one thing he could do; he would ride to meet with the Elders and tell them everything.
Inner City Page 14
