“Okay, let’s finish what we’re eating. And then, Owsk, we need you to drop us down there.”
Owsk watched Seb for a second before he shrugged. “Sure thing. I’ll be waiting to lift you out when you’re finished too.”
Chapter 40
As he’d taken to doing more and more of late, Seb looked over Sparks’ shoulder at her computer screen. She sat beside Owsk in the cockpit of the ship they’d been given by the Shadow Order. Like she’d done when they were looking for the others, Sparks had produced a red-lined schematic on the windscreen to guide Owsk through the treacherous landscape.
Seb had been at Bruke’s side as they dropped back into the planet’s atmosphere, and although he got hit by an instant wave of fatigue, he held up well otherwise. Contact with the planet must have been the thing that pushed him over the edge.
“That’s where Bruke, Reyes, and SA were trapped,” Owsk said as they shot past the spot they’d recently rescued their friends from.
The snow had continued to fall so hard Seb couldn’t see any evidence of them being there. “You’re going to have fun pulling their ship from this mess. I wouldn’t mind betting it’s buried beneath ten feet of snow already.”
Owsk raised an eyebrow while continuing to look out of the windscreen. “Tell me about it.”
The schematic gave Owsk the confidence to move at quite a click. As much as Seb wanted to tell him to slow down, he didn’t. Instead, he kept most of his attention on Sparks’ screen and the cluster of red dots they closed in on.
Suddenly Owsk hit the brakes, stopping them almost dead. Seb stumbled forward; SA, who stood behind Owsk, did the same. Sparks had a seatbelt holding her in place.
A now familiar grimace of concentration, Owsk looked like it took him more effort to hold the ship still in the brutal weather than it had to fly them there. “I can’t take you any closer than this,” he said. “If they have scanners down there, they’ll pick us up for sure. Also”—he pointed at the red-lined image of the large mountain in front of them—“I’ll have to fly too close to that if I go any farther. One strong gust and we’re screwed.”
After she’d studied her computer for a few seconds, Sparks turned it around to show Owsk. “No bother, we don’t have far to travel from here. Also, don’t worry about the scanners. I’m not picking anything up that suggests they have them. Maybe they feel confident about not being reached where they are. Maybe the Countess’ death has given them other things to focus on. Either way, when you come back, assume you don’t have to worry about surveillance unless we tell you otherwise.”
After she’d looked at SA, Sparks focused on Owsk again. “That being said, we should keep off the radio. Especially because we have SA.”
Seb looked at SA and she looked back. They stared at one another for a few seconds, the warmth he’d learned to associate with her still startlingly absent.
Maybe Seb would have stared at her for longer, tried to break her barriers down a little bit, especially considering what they were about to do together, but Sparks jumping from her seat and walking through the middle of them broke his focus. SA followed her first, and Seb took up the rear.
Already dressed to go outside, Sparks opened the cargo bay doors, inviting the blizzard in. Seb nodded at the tired Bruke, Buster, and Reyes as he passed them. He then followed the other two by jumping out of the ship.
The call of good luck followed Seb as he landed in the knee-deep snow and looked around. White everywhere.
We need to make sure we keep our heads when we get in there, SA said. We won’t be talking to Moses, but we need to think about the bigger picture like he suggested. This is about bringing down an organisation, not fighting what will undoubtedly be a terrifyingly unjust situation. We need to be ready to walk away, even if that goes against our desire to help.
Sparks said, I agree.
A moment’s pause, SA said, Seb?
Yep.
Sparks still led the way while they talked, most of her attention on her computer screen. Because of her size, she didn’t sink as deeply into the snow as Seb and SA.
Too far away from Sparks to see her map, Seb focused on his forward momentum. Each step drained more of his energy, and he’d already broken out into a sweat. But if he stayed still for too long on this planet, the weather would bury him.
This is it, Sparks said, SA keeping the way open for them to communicate.
Seb had to squint to see through the snow. He didn’t see where it was. Their surroundings looked as barren as ever.
Before Seb had caught up to her, he saw Sparks shoot a blue beam from her computer into the snow at her feet. It had a similar effect to the one on Owsk’s ship, where it both cut into the snow and melted it. A few seconds later, the spot she’d heated up fell into what looked to be a chimney of some sort.
About a metre in diameter, Sparks kneeled down and shoved her computer into the hole. After she’d pulled it back out, she looked up at the other two. There’s no toxins down there. We’re safe to enter.
Now Seb had walked close enough, he stared down into the darkness. He couldn’t see the bottom. How far down does it go?
But before Sparks could reply, SA sat on the edge, dangled her legs into it, and slipped inside. She made a star shape with her limbs, pressing her feet and hands against the walls to keep her from falling.
When Sparks shone her torch down on SA’s head, Seb watched her shuffle slowly down it an inch at a time.
They clearly didn’t want to discuss it. No choice but to follow, Seb sat on the edge and dangled his legs in like SA had. The fact that he couldn’t see the bottom sent a flip through his stomach. With a deep and calming breath, he fought the urge to slip into slow motion. It would be bad enough with time passing at a normal speed. Before he slipped in too, he felt a tap on his head.
Hands on hips, her head tilted to one side, Sparks stared at him.
Another look into the darkness below in case he’d missed something, Seb returned his focus to his friend. It took a few more seconds for him to get what she wanted. His frame then sagged, but someone had to do it. Can you sit still if I let you ride on my back?
Indignation snapped the short Thrystian rigid. I’m not a monkey, you know!
I KNOW. A monkey would be able to climb down there on their own. Do you have a better idea to get you to the bottom? Seb looked down into the darkness again before returning his attention to her. I can probably come up with a couple more suggestions if you want them?
A few tense seconds later, Sparks stepped close to Seb before climbing onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.
In most situations, the extra weight of Sparks wouldn’t have felt like much. However, when shifting down a chimney he couldn’t see the bottom of, a feather would have been a burden. After a moment to calm himself, Seb slipped into the brick-lined hole after SA. Hopefully they didn’t have to climb too far.
Chapter 41
The scrapes of their feet against the old and crumbling bricks joined the sounds of both Seb’s and SA’s heavy breaths from the effort of their descent. Seb winced every time he sent another rush of chipped masonry down on SA’s head. Although he’d apologised once or twice, she’d stopped responding, so he gave up. If he couldn’t have spoken to her through her mind, he wouldn’t have said anything at all. The less noise they made, the better.
The added weight of Sparks on his back made Seb’s legs and arms shake. Because she clung onto him by hooking around his neck, it made it almost impossible to look down. Not that he’d see much in the dark anyway.
Suddenly a scream rang out below. The torment of some poor creature in a cavernous space. It made it to the chimney and ripped up it like a spooked murder of crows.
The sound tore chills up Seb’s body, and Sparks tightened her grip.
Sparks, I can’t breathe when you hold me there!
Sorry. She eased off and shifted as if to get comfortable.
And I can’t climb if you move around li
ke that.
She stopped squirming.
When the next scream came at them—more a roar this time—Sparks jolted again.
The sharp choke took Seb’s focus and his left foot slipped. A fraction of a second later, his right went too.
Seb pressed hard against the sides of the chimney, but it did nothing to slow him down. Chips of brick burst from the weak walls and rained down on SA’s head as they slipped with ever-increasing momentum.
As much as Seb wanted to shout, he screamed internally instead. Watch out, SA!
But what could she do? When he looked down to see her blue eyes staring back at him about five metres below, he knew it all rested on him.
Seb kept his legs locked in place, his feet sliding down the walls. He then pulled his hands away, made fists, and punched into the bricks on either side of him. It worked! The crumbling walls gave in against the force of his blows and stopped them dead. When he looked down at SA, he saw they’d halted with about a metre to spare.
Heavy breaths, Seb’s entire body shook from the effort of holding them there. It didn’t help that he had to do it dressed in a thick coat and trousers.
Well done, Seb, SA said. Well done.
Seb remained still for a moment to gather himself, so he didn’t reply.
The brick they rested on on the left shifted. With a lot of Seb and Sparks’ weight on it, it seemed woefully equipped for the task of holding them still. It then suddenly turned to dust and his fist slipped out. He tried to dig his toes in but found no purchase. He and Sparks fell at twice the speed they had before.
When he crashed into SA a second later, she yelped through their heads and the three of them dropped fast.
SA hit the ground milliseconds before Seb and Sparks landed on top of her.
The wind driven from him, Seb pulled himself off SA and fell onto his back, gasping for breath. The others did the same, all three of them having to recover from the effects of their fall.
Are you both okay?
But before either of them answered, Sparks sat up and looked around. The orange glow of firelight reflected in her glasses and her jaw fell open. I think you two need to look at this.
Seb sat up. They were in a dark cave. Deep orange light came from what looked like hundreds of fires and torches spread around the place. It was larger than the whole of the Shadow Order’s base and had several huge barns dotted around it. More screams rang out, coming from inside the wooden structures. Agony or torment, he couldn’t tell. Maybe he didn’t need to tell. Neither were pleasant.
With so much going on in the cave, the other two didn’t seem to have noticed it yet. As Seb looked around, he said, Have you seen where we’ve landed?
The area they’d crashed into had poor lighting on account of many of the fires being on the other side of the space. But now Seb’s eyes had adjusted to the dark, he made out his surroundings more clearly. Bars all around them, they’d landed in a cage. A cage as big as an arena.
Dotted around the space, surrounding them on every side, were the slaves the Countess had clearly been processing. Another blood-curdling scream rang out from one of the barns, pulling Seb’s attention away momentarily. Then he looked back at the poor beings close to them. This must have been what Buster was talking about when he mentioned the darkness that affected Bruke.
What has she done to them? Sparks said, her wide purple eyes taking it all in. It’s like they don’t even know we’re here.
Seb looked at the lethargic bodies. They rolled and twisted on the cold ground. They were barely able to move, but they clearly wanted rid of whatever torment ran through them. It’s like they have too much going on in their heads to worry about us.
Long may that remain, SA said. I’d hate to think what would happen if they turned their attention our way.
Uh, Sparks said again, I think we may have spoken too soon.
As yet another scream tore through the air, Seb looked in the same direction as Sparks. He made eye contact with one of the beings close to them. A mole-like thing, it had pale skin, a small black nose, and milky white eyes. It panted as it stared straight at him, its small head twisting to one side as if trying to comprehend what had just landed close to it. Seb let out a heavy sigh before he said, Oh shit!
Chapter 42
After the first one had noticed them, staring at them with a blank expression, Seb tensed to see those around it also lift their heads. Lethargic movements, all of them panted as if even breathing came hard for them. Do you think they’ve been put in this cage to die? Seb said.
The bars of the cell were just a few metres away. While watching the beings around them, Seb shifted closer to the edge of their cage. At least if we get our backs covered, we can’t be surrounded. Not that this lot look capable of causing us much harm.
Unless they alert the guards to our presence, SA said.
There is that. As Seb shuffled across the cold and hard ground, the other two moved with him. They made slow progress so they could keep the noise down. The creatures might have looked docile, but they didn’t want to startle them.
The slaves continued to watch them, and when the first one opened its mouth, Seb’s chest tightened and his world slowed down. He balled his fists as he watched the mole-like creature. He didn’t want to make the first move, but if he had to shut it down, he would.
However, instead of screaming, the creature’s open mouth stretched impossibly wide as if something would climb out of it. A silent cry of agony, it then turned into a contorting writhe that twisted through its entire body. A palsied movement of sheer discomfort, the slave fell back to the ground and rolled around on the cold stone, arching its back while dragging its long fingers down its face.
Where the other slaves had looked at them through listless eyes, they now turned away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, as if the cage’s newest arrivals had been there all along. Another creature near the tormented one then curled into a ball and shook. Another one fell back against the concrete ground as if it had spent all of its energy.
When Seb looked at Sparks and SA, he saw his own shock in their slack faces. What the hell’s going on here?
Another cry, it called through the cavernous space from one of the large barns.
Now Seb’s eyes had fully adjusted to the dark cave, he found it easier to see across to the other side. There were four barns in total. Although he couldn’t see what went on in them, the sounds coming out suggested they needed to check them out.
SA finally spoke. I wouldn’t mind betting we’ll find answers to all of our questions in one of those buildings over there. She then drifted off, her eyes narrowing as she stared across at the barns.
Whatever’s happening to the creatures down here, Sparks said, I don’t think they’re a threat to us. As long as we keep our heads down and our movements slow, they’ll probably allow us to be here for as long as we need to be to work out what to do next. They’ve clearly had obedience drilled into them.
A loud steam whistle then rang through the place, snapping Seb rigid where he sat. So much for no sudden movements.
The slaves around them got to their feet at the shrill call, clumsy and shuffling like the undead. They moved as a horde, and Seb pushed himself up against the prison’s bars to get as far away from them as he could.
When Seb looked at Sparks and SA again, he saw they watched the prisoners too. An uncoordinated mess, they shuffled in the direction of what must have been the cage’s exit. They bumped into one another, shoving and pushing as they walked over the ones that had fallen or still remained on the ground, trapped in their own torment. All of them were on their own path, dealing with their own trauma.
As hard as Seb squinted to take in the gloomy space, he couldn’t see any more crimson-robed guards watching their cage other than the two on the door.
They’re all switching around, SA said.
Seb followed her line of sight to see several large groups of slaves being moved from one barn to the n
ext. Those from the final barn were being led to the cage they were currently in.
There’s very few guards down here, Seb said. Where do you think they are?
Sparks shrugged. I might be wrong, but it looks to me like the slaves are quite easy to manage. Especially after they’ve passed through that first building.
At the entrance to the first barn, Seb saw the biggest cluster of guards. Maybe six or seven of them, they were herding the slaves like cattle, keeping them penned in and ready to move into the dark structure. Most of the screams had come from the third barn.
SA continued to stare out into the cave. Sparks is right. They’re doing something dark to them over there. She winced as if she had a headache. I can feel it. The slaves at the front are going in fairly normal, but by the time they get to this cage, their minds are a mess. That third barn is the one. She moved her hands as if trying to catch a wet bar of soap. It’s like their thoughts are slipping through their minds, just out of their reach.
The cage door to the cell they were in slammed shut with a loud crash. All three of them looked in the direction of the sound.
Because he hadn’t been watching the new batch of slaves come in, it took that moment for Seb to see them. Soaked, shivering, and entirely lost in their own world. Another pack of maybe two hundred zombies, they shuffled into the space and collapsed onto the ground as they spread out. The next time that whistle sounds, he said, I think we should try to get out of here. I’m sure if we pretend to be like them, we can evade detection by the guards.
Chapter 43
When the steam whistle went off again, Seb would have guessed about twenty minutes had passed since he’d last heard it. Its nerve-fraying shrill call rang through the place, daring him to jump to his feet. Instead, he remained with his back to the bars and watched the slaves around them. Their Pavlovian response sent a chill through him. As one, they all looked in the direction of the sound, their faces locked in their own version of confusion. It seemed to take a few seconds for them to either recognise what needed to be done, or to find the dexterity to do it. Either way, they all began getting to their feet.
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