by J. Thorn
Three other clan warriors entered the main room, and a torch was brought to him. He shone it down the stairwell, and started to make his way down.
He wasn’t sure what he was going to find down there. Some sort of link to a massive network of tunnels? They had been warned not to go down into the places below. This made him pause.
No. I have to find out.
The stairwell opened not into a tunnel, but into a cellar that in his mind seemed bigger than the rooms above. Broken wood and rusted, mangled steel sat in heaps connected by heavy webs spun over years, if not decades. The air stank of moisture, mold, somehow a different stench than that carried on the Valk. High upon the walls sat what looked like windows. He’d seen them before and remembered someone calling them glass block. Bricks of glass.
It wasn’t until he walked across the room and looked up that he saw the cellar hatch wide open, the chilled air from the outside sweeping into the room.
A stupid hatch on the outside, he thought. How many of those are there outside our walls? He sighed and turned to one of three warriors closest to him. “Go fetch me someone to form a new warrior band for a new task”
“A new task? What should I say?”
Solomon pointed up. “We need to search the entire perimeter for hatches like this one, and other ways to sneak in, or we will be crawling with Valk before the morning.”
Chapter 18
“How many of them were there?” Jonah stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at the now boarded—up hatch at the back of the building.
“Can't be sure, but at a guess, I'd say no more than a dozen. Can't be many more than that, or they wouldn't have been able to back out so quickly.”
Jonah nodded at Solomon before asking another question.
“And you say you've got people searching other buildings?”
“Yes. They’re on it already. Most of this street has already been checked.”
“But there are many streets.”
“That is true.” Solomon held up a finger. “We have to start somewhere, and I didn't want to risk anyone outside our perimeter in case there is more of them out there.”
Jonah sighed. “Oh, there's definitely more. We’ve had scouts come back over the last few days having been chased through the forest, barely a mile from here. It's almost pointless sending them out these days. They can see well enough from the barricades.”
“What do we do?”
“All that we can do,” said Jonah, “and not a lot more. We’re no longer able to send anyone out into the forest to forage or hunt, at least not north. I’ve got some in the south, managing to forage something, and so far none have encountered any Cygoa or Valk. It will be enough for now. We managed to build a bit of a supply on the journey here, but if we don't deal with them before the winter, it will be a problem.”
Solomon used his eyes to point in the general vicinity of Galax. “What about the people in the base?”
“What about them? They made it clear that they couldn't help us with food supplies. We’re lucky we've even got the city to defend. We’d still be losing a running battle.” Jonah drew a deep breath and begun to crave a smoke of dried leaf to take his mind off of the situation.
“We can't go further south. We’d hit tainted land.”
“I’m very aware of that. We’ll deal with it as it comes. One thing at a time. Ideally, we need to push them back and we've got the numbers but we don't know how many are out there or where most of them are.”
Solomon came down the steps and walked next to Jonah toward a dark corner of the room, stopping before the bodies of the dead Valk. Jonah knelt down to examine the enemy.
“What do you think of these markings?” Jonah pointed at the red smears across the two Valk warrior’s faces.
“Blood from the wound?”
“You don’t think they appear too even?” Jonah traced them with his finger held in the air, three inches above the greasy skin. “They look like symbols of some kind.”
Solomon knelt down next to him and squinted in the dim light. “I never noticed that before.”
“You were too busy battering their faces in.”
“I guess.” Solomon chuckled. “I’ve never seen the markings on their faces at all.”
“Didn’t you say they only carried knives? And the armor isn’t metal, almost like they were geared up just to perform the raid.”
Solomon shrugged.
“What about the ones that Ghafir took down in the grass outside?” Jonah asked.
“Three of them. We haven't gone out there yet. I ordered everyone to stay behind the barrier. The bodies are still there. We haven't seen any movement since the attack.”
“I want to see. How far are they from the wall?”
“Not far,” said Solomon. “Maybe thirty yards, just before the tree line. I’m not letting you out there alone.”
They walked toward the forest and to the third body, stopping, and kneeling for a closer look. As Solomon promised, he wouldn’t let Jonah go out there on his own. A dozen clan warriors escorted the two of them, and helped drag the fallen Valk back behind the wall. Jonah twitched, looking at the forest, waiting for an arrow to fly from the darkness, but none came.
Even the Valk must sleep sometime, it seemed.
“Just as I suspected.” Jonah pointed at the three figures that lay dead in the street. “None of them have the markings, just the two that you fought.”
Solomon growled as if frustrated that he didn’t have an answer. “Maybe it was some form of initiation ritual?”
“Or they were marked as a punishment. T’Yun used to mark their warriors who were being punished with certain face paintings and send them first into battle with orders to die or be damned.”
“Harsh.” Solomon coughed and spat.
“At least these didn’t get very far.”
“No. Only one casualty and he lives,” said Solomon.
Jonah’s eyes locked on Solomon’s, his eyebrows raised. “He does?”
“Yes, a knife wound in the shoulder and another in the belly, but the gut shot wasn’t deep and only cut muscle. He will live. Probably.”
“Good. Now let’s look at how we can stop their raids completely. If we can’t, them coming at us relentlessly is going to wear us down.”
Chapter 19
“I wondered if I'd find you here.”
Seren glanced up and saw Katrina at the entrance to the greenhouse. The woman slid the door closed behind her. “It didn't take you long to return to your plants,” she said, smiling.
At the other end of the greenhouse and kneeling over the same plant beds that she had attended while at the base, Seren shrugged.
“Couldn’t resist having a look. I had to come and check on them.” She pointed to the plants that grew in the plant beds.
“Mostly your work in this one?” asked Katrina, looking round at the various plant beds.
“I think so. Not those over there. They belong to Abernathy, but these beans, and the chilies, and the leeks are all mine.”
Katrina put her hands on her hips and her eyes scanned the flourishing, aromatic leaves. “You’re a quick study. Shame you left us.”
“I came back as you said I would.”
“It must be harsh in the outside world. We may be well—prepared here, and well—armed, but our knowledge of the difficulties outside the perimeter and beyond Galax is limited. To be honest, we haven’t had much reason to explore beyond the horizon.”
Seren gripped a handful of warm, moist soil and looked at the raised beds which provided the people of Galax just about everything they needed. She let the dirt crumble between her fingers before looking at Katrina again.
“You have some of the cleverest people I've ever met in this place. And your soldiers look scarier than the Cygoa or the Valk.”
It had come from another time and place. Seren knew that. But the gear they had in Galax seemed otherworldly, as if transported here from another planet. In a way, sh
e thought, it had been.
Katrina smiled. “The body armor does that. It is somewhat intimidating. We try not to wear it unless it's absolutely necessary.”
They were both silent for a moment, then Katrina turned back to the doors. “Are you finished here? Do you have a few minutes? I have something I want to show you.”
Seren dropped the trowel into the dirt and stood up.
“There is an area here that has been disused for quite some time now. And you can imagine large sections of the base have fallen into disrepair, and we have to block those up. But I want to show you somewhere that we’ve been renovating rather than abandoning.”
Seren’s face twisted and she blew a wisp of hair from in front of her eyes. It seemed as though this place had secrets buried beneath secrets, each layer another fascinating adventure that fed her curious mind. Anything she could learn about Katrina and Galax would certainly benefit Jonah which made it easy for her justify it to herself.
They made their way between the many greenhouses and across the open flatland back to the bunker entrance, which was bustling with activity. People shuttled wheelbarrows back and forth, men with shovels over their shoulders and women carrying baskets of green leaves. Seren could smell mint and basil on the air.
Since Jonah and the clans had arrived, the bunker doors had been left open during the day and guarded at night by at least half a dozen armed soldiers, but this was not, it seemed, done in an unfriendly way.
The old clan leaders had approached Katrina’s people and trade had quickly followed. Once strangers overcame the initial fear, curiosity drove commerce.
The large chamber beyond the main entrance had been cleared of rubble, broken furniture, and debris, and turned into a marketplace of sorts. The base people had acquired exotic plants and pelts which the clans wanted. And in return, the clans brought information as currency, sharing stories of the world beyond the walls of Galax that fascinated those who had never walked through the gate. In addition, the nomads impressed the Galaxians with found trinkets, tools, and clothing which they traded for artifacts from the old world.
Katrina’s people proudly marched out boxes filled with solar—powered lamps, metal utensils, cooking pots, sleeping bags, pouches, belts, some pieces of old world clothing, and even surplus body armor——all up for trade for the right items in return. They brought shiny discs that played music with the right machine which made many of the clans people turn and run, fearful of the magic needed to create such an experience. Several of the older folks offered books to members of Jonah’s clans, but they fetched little given that most of the clans couldn’t read.
But no weapons. That had been strictly forbidden by Katrina and carried with it a stiff enough penalty that the Galaxians would not even consider it, no matter how tantalizing the deal. The most sought—after item by the clan folk had been the long fibers made of plastic, much like rope fashioned from vines but strong enough to hold the weight of a man with a single thread.
A dozen of the base folks stood talking to twice as many clan members in the hall as Seren passed them. Some of the faces she recognized, and some she didn’t. The number of people flocking to the city and to join the clans had been constant for a while, hundreds coming in daily, but not anymore. The migration had ceased the day the Valk caught up with them.
Seren followed Katrina as they headed further into the base. They passed several rooms and corridors that Seren had remembered, but soon took a flight of stairs that she had never used before. It went down and down, maybe four floors, passing doors that Seren presumed must be locked, until they reached a set of large double doors that Katrina pushed open.
Seren stood just inside the double doors, surprised at what was in front of her——a huge hall one hundred feet long and fifty wide, with two floors of balconies overlooking it. The floors had been kept clean. Sofas, chairs, tables and recliners, dozens of them lined the walls. Even some of the old world pieces of furniture that were supposedly for entertainment — a table covered with green cloth upon which lay two long sticks and a multitude of colored balls like the one up in the base’s common room. Seren had no idea what they did with that, but had seen some of the base folk playing occasionally, and something she did play — a chess table. A game that Abernathy had started to teach her.
“What is this place?” Seren wandered around the hall, touching things, examining them. Katrina stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.
“One of many such sub—facilities under the base. But this is the best conditioned. I’ve had people down here for the last two weeks clearing the place, finding all this furniture and getting it ready.”
Seren frowned. “Ready for what?”
“If it’s needed. I mean to speak to your leader — to Jonah. This issue of those who attack your people. It's a problem, and I see danger for the young people and the clans, and that’s where this place comes in.”
“You said no one was to be allowed further into the base?” Seren turned her head and tightened her eyes.
“That was before.” Katrina took a deep breath and slowly nodded twice. “And now we are of a second mind. We cannot provide for everyone in the clans, but we can assist. While your people are worrying about feeding their children, they are not dealing with their bigger problem. I am to speak with Jonah and I will offer to take the young of the clans — temporarily mind you, and house them here.”
Seren looked around.
“Don't worry. There are sixty rooms off these balconies, all with bunks. Enough to sleep several hundred children. The ventilation has been maintained and checked and we have surplus supplies to cover such an endeavor for several months, maybe longer.”
“I don’t know what to say. Why bring me here first?”
“Because I need you to be here.” Katrina walked slowly toward the doors.
Seren hadn’t been satisfied with that answer, but it didn’t seem as though Katrina was going to elaborate so she sat down on of the sofas and peered around the place. It would be just fine for many for the children, she thought. But why her? She decided to ask anyway.
“Why would you need me here?”
“To help keep the children in order. I want you to lead them while they are in here. They will need a familiar face. They look up to you, don't they? You are known to be a favorite of Jonah and his family, and the tales of your exploits have spread so far that those stories come on the lips of the traders from distant lands.”
“I suppose,” said Seren. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“We will need you inside with them, to help keep them calm when they may feel trapped.”
“But I can't, really. I’ll be needed in the fight against the Valk.”
“Surely there are plenty of others who can do that. This is equally, if not more important, Seren.”
“I have the wolves to think of as well. I can’t abandon them.”
Katrina now stood at the entrance, leaning on one of the doors.
“I can't.” Seren shook her head as if to convince herself as much as Katrina. “I have to be out there, especially now that I have the gun. I could make an enormous difference.”
“If I return your gun.”
Seren's heart jumped. She had handed the gun and her bow to a guard at the entrance when she followed Katrina.
“You have to give it back to me. It's too powerful to take from the clans, now that they need it. If I hadn't used it before, at the battle, they would have lost.”
“I’m well aware of that. That's why you won't be going back out.”
Seren stood up from the chair. “I said I can't stay.”
Katrina held her arms out, palms up. “That is not your decision to make.” The older woman took a step back, reached out, and tapped something on the wall. The double doors closed.
Seren took off at a run, sprinting as fast as she could across the hall, jumping over furniture. But she slowed as she reached the double doors, hearing a faint clunk cl
ick. She'd seen how thick the doors were and knew that throwing herself against them would do very little. She banged on the door with one hand.
“Katrina. Don't do this.”
There was a buzz, and Katrina's voice came from the intercom next to the door.
“I have the base’s interest to consider first, and then yours. You may not like this, but one day you will thank me for what I am doing, saving you and all the other young folk from what is out there.”
There was another click and then silence. Seren banged on the door and pressed the intercom repeatedly, calling out, but there was no answer, and eventually she gave up, turned around, and looked at the vastness of the hall that was now her prison.
Chapter 20
Jonah paced back and forth, trying to ignore people heading in and out of the bunker entrance. The trading had been beneficial, he thought, and had certainly helped them obtain things that they didn't have access to before, but he was surprised that Katrina had allowed it.
The winds had picked up and came from the east when they usually came from the west. He’d wanted to attribute that to a good omen, a sign that fortune had blown in their direction. But with that wind came the unmistakable stench of the Valk as if their mere presence in this world contaminated it.
That wasn't why she had summoned him, though he honestly had no clue as to why she’d called for the meeting. Whatever Katrina wanted, Jonah hoped it wouldn’t take long. He needed to get back to the front, needed to be on the barricades and organizing warriors for the defense.
There hadn’t been any more attacks since the small group had managed to break through using the outside hatch, but the Valk numbers had swelled. They had been gathering in the forest for something. And when that many warriors amassed, there weren’t too many possibilities to consider.
Where was this woman? This was taking too long. Then, almost as though on cue, as though she'd felt his impatience, Katrina strolled purposefully out of the bunker entrance, looked around, spotted him and headed straight over.
