I breathe deep and look down at Father. My words don’t work; they don’t reach. My words … my words!
I close my eyes, see the first pages of Father’s book, and recite.
They are the words of Alaya. His wife. My mother.
He blinks.
I continue, my first years underground now ringing out underground again. I know I’m missing passages, but I don’t stop, not until I reach my parents’ trek to the surface. Alaya’s last moments.
“Stop,” Father whispers. His eyes roll back and then steady, focus on my face. “Stop, Luca. I see you.”
I hug him and Talya hugs him, and slowly his arms lift and round my shoulders. He hugs me back, and the weight of wet clothing vanishes as I soak in his embrace. We ease him to a sitting position.
This is all I’ve hoped for. This moment, a miracle.
Father squints at Walery, and then frowns before gazing back to me. “The Council found you? It’s all I hoped would not happen.”
Inside, I feel a squeezing. Where is the joy in seeing me? Where is the laughter, the relieved smile? My father feels pain. I’ve brought him more anguish.
I failed.
“No, Father Massa, we were not found. We came on our own. Talya and I came for you.”
“Oh, Luca. What possessed you? There is no release from this place.” He slumps. “The only thought that kept me strong was that you might be kept safe. The current does not reverse.”
I slump too. What was I thinking? What can a broken-down man do in a world gone mad?
“I love you, Father Massa,” I say quietly, “and so I hoped …”
Father buries his face in his hands, and when he removes them his face is light. “Forgive me, son. I am very glad to see you.”
He looks around the cavern as if for the first time, and notices Talya. My father gives me a small smile before addressing her. “You are not a Topper.”
“Greetings, Judge. I’m Talya.”
The smile is now gone, and Father Massa’s face returns to sadness. “Judge? Here marks the end of the judges’ reign. Luca, there is so much you need to know about me, about what it means to be a Deliverer, about my brother.”
“Seward. I know. It know it all, I’ve seen it all. The chaos. The Aquifer.” I exhale hard. “And the news, I believe, will be traveling in the other direction. The Council’s control has vanished since you’ve been gone.”
I peek at Walery. He hasn’t flinched.
Speak no more here.
The Voice again reverberates in my head. If Father is right and we will never leave, spoken secrets are safe. But I will trust the command, though I don’t know exactly what it foresees.
I point over my shoulder. “I will say no more now. Not until we are alone.”
“It would be hard to become more alone,” Father says.
Talya’s eyes sparkle. “Don’t give up, Judge Massa. As long as Luca’s here, there’s hope.”
Father shakes his head. “So much like Alaya. You were fortunate not to be spotted as soon as you ascended.”
I pat my father’s back. “As a matter of fact, she —”
A tremendous splash awakens the deadness of the tunnel. Father tries to stand, but tumbles to the ground.
“This may be food, possibly water.” He points. “It has been awhile.”
“Or it may be a brother.” Seward pokes his head into the chamber. “Many years have faded since we had a face-to-face. Can’t say I’m much impressed with how the Deliverer’s been treated of late.”
Father rubs his eyes, and Seward eases nearer. “Hello, brother.”
“Seward.” Father cries, and again the sight unnerves me. I came expecting wisdom, solutions, but the man before me is frail and surprised. Definitely not … helpful.
“You are all insane. Why break into a prison?”
“It’s not like we knew what it was like down here,” I say.
Seward rounds my shoulder. “My mate speaks the truth. And give us a little credit, brother. Reaching you was no small feat.” He grins the sly grin I’ve come to love. “Are we ready to leave? As I understand the situation, there’s a fair amount of work to do. While you were sharing pleasantries, I’ve learned of some new developments. Leave it to Seward. That’s what I always say, leave it to —”
“Seward!” Father and I say in unison.
“So now I will be enduring ridicule from the both of ya?” My uncle disappears back down the tunnel. “Can the younger brother stand?” he calls back. “And here I thought you were roughing it.”
Father grimaces and rises to his feet. The three of us follow Seward and reach the far wall, where the end of a rope wedges in a cleft of rock. I follow its length until it disappears down into the swirling pool from which we emerged.
My uncle turns toward us. “So, yes, Seward found a rope. The where of it is a story you will need to know, but I’ll tell it when you have the time to appreciate my full ingenuity. And yes, Seward tied it to a tree and dove in, because he thought, Luca is a strong swimmer. No less than a current most perilous could keep him below.” He peeks at Talya. “Though I might add that his affections may have the same effect.”
After a wink at me, Seward turns grim. “So now a line does exist through that current, but the fact alone doesn’t make for an easy sail. Between the pulling and the kicking, it will take a mighty breath.”
“Father’s not up to that,” I say. “He can’t —”
“If Seward can swim it, so can Massa.” Father straightens.
Seward rolls his eyes. “Did I mention his pride, Luca? Talya, you will go first. I will hold the rope taut on this end. Then Luca. Then I will come. Brother, you will need to hold the rope taut for me. Have your arms the strength?”
“They will.”
“Leave me last,” I say.
“No. It must be this way. A loose rope provides no aid for the man on the last leg. So before I surface, I will tie the rope around Massa’s waist. When we feel the tug from above, all three of us will pull Brother out. It is the only way.”
“Well, I guess it’s time to enter the stratus.” Talya reaches for the slack end of the rope and hands it to Seward. “Do not let go.”
Seward bows and braces against an outcrop. Talya takes a deep breath, runs her fingers along the fibers, and dives.
I count. One minute passes.
“Has she tugged?”
“No, but I feel her on the line.” Seward frowns. “She still moves.”
Another minute passes, and Seward relaxes. “She’s out. Luca, swim hard. Don’t lose the lead.”
I peek at Father, whose eyes again hold tears. “Don’t worry, Father. I’ll see you soon.”
And I dive. At first I swim, the rope scraping my back, but soon the current overpowers and I reach, grasp the line, and fight hand-over-hand toward the surface. One minute, ten minutes — it feels the same. Lungs tighten, burn. I will not make it. Here, after all I have accomplished, I will be undone.
I give one more stroke and rise above the waterline. Life and air and Talya welcome me, and I sputter up the steps. Those beautiful eyes hold relief, and she breathes deep. “What took you so long?”
I shake my head and give the rope a firm tug. Not one minute later, Seward’s head pokes out of the darkness. “Stubborn fool held on. Up, you two.” Seward clamors up the steps. “Two tugs is the signal from this end. Two tugs on that end and we pull.”
I grasp the rope behind Talya and Seward.
Two tugs.
Two tugs.
“Pull!” Seward shouts.
CHAPTER
34
We reel in my father, my thoughts drifting to the man I still don’t know.
I’m not certain what’s been done to him or how long he’s been in the chamber. I only know that in the space since our last meeting, we’ve changed. My father has always protected me, shielded me. Though he was weak, I depended on him.
Now he depends on me, and I pull all the more.
/> “He’s close.” Seward grunts. “A few more … pulls.”
Father breaks from the water, Walery clinging to his back. The boy crawls over Father and stumbles on the subterranean steps before he finds his footing. I look into his eyes — wild, confused — and for a moment he does not move. Then he breaks for the woods.
“Luca! Keep pulling.”
I focus on Seward, and together we extract Father from the water like a dead fish. Seward splashes in and hoists him over his shoulder, then carries him onto shore, where my uncle lays him on his side and whacks his back. A few sputters, a gasp, and Father vomits into the grass. Coughs shake his body, and finally he stills, groans, and rolls onto his stomach.
“You couldn’t have thought of a different way out?” he pants. “I was not expecting to provide transport for a barnacle.”
“No, Brother. I think this is what you deserved.”
Talya peeks at me. She can’t read them either. They may hate each other, they may love each other. There is no telling from the words.
An hour later we sit around a small fire started by Seward. He breaks out bread and fresh water. “Brother, bringing you to speed is a hopeless task, but Luca, hear this. I have much to tell you about the situation with the Amongus, but first I must tell you of my source. As you know already, I scrounged for a rope. I didn’t need to go far, as this lake be roped off. Well, was roped off. I wondered who would trouble to ring a lake with cord, and so I walked its perimeter. When I reached the trail on which we arrived, there rested a food pack and a cask of water — I can only imagine meant for you, Brother. I reached down for it, and a woman jumped free of the forest, landing with a scream and quickly grabbin’ the provisions.
“But Seward is not long startled, and I quickly overtook her. The Lady of the Lake, she calls herself, and there be a small shelter on the far side cementing her claim. Her friends, they found themselves taken by the pool. Her children as well. The wife of an Amongus, she managed, with luck guiding her feet, to reach this spot. She knows there’s nothing for her here, but she watches and listens to those who toss food parcels into the current. Here on this secluded isle, this woman may know more than us all.”
Seward gnaws on a hunk of bread, crumbs flying from his mouth as he speaks.
“According to Amongus who travel this path, the Council, too, is in chaos. They be terrified of losing control on the mainland, which, as we saw for ourselves, they already have. All Amongus have been summoned here for immediate departure to Massa’s isle. First to drill, then to fight. The war on the Rats has begun.”
“War?” Talya asks. “What do you mean, war? What type of war?”
“She did not speak of that, only that the Rats must be annihilated. The water source must be placed under the Nine’s control. Only then can they pacify a world gone mad.”
I lower my bread and stare into the fire. War. We learned of them in school; wars filled with blood and death. It was hard to believe that in such a short time, the peaceful land of the Toppers could call for such a thing, but I remember Lendi, and the Wishers, and the undone floating in the boat.
“Annihilation.” Talya rises and wanders away from the group. She isn’t far before she whips around. “They need warning. My family needs warning. There are places they can go. Places none of you know …” She jogs to me. “Luca, my place is with you. But this can’t happen.” She reaches her hand around the back of my neck. “A loss of the Aquifer? With forewarning, my people might endure. But if the goal is their — our — extermination …” She looks into my eyes, her voice metered and calm. “Take me down. I don’t know the way, so you need to take me down. If we reach them before seawater takes them, there is safety for all.”
I want Seward to burst in. He always does. Or Father. It is, after all, his advice I came to seek. But the night remains silent — mine alone to fill with words, words that will likely dictate the manner of my undoing.
Tens of thousands of Amongus swarming an isle? How would we get through?
“Of course I’ll do it.”
She wraps her arms around me, and I stroke her hair. Again, Talya makes lunacy worth the price.
“No, Talya. Luca can’t do what you ask.” Father’s voice strengthens. “He is not the only one who knows the way. Hear me out.” He stands. “If what you say is true — if the Amongus are beginning to turn, to question, to doubt, even to hate the Council — if that is their state, they need to see me alive.” He stretches his leg and winces. “They have been told I am no more, and that the fresh water supply will soon vanish. They have been lied to and have no hope of survival, save drilling. My life shows them that hope still breathes, that there is another way.” He closes his eyes, opens them, and I see Father returning. “Yes, I will go to the dropping point and reveal the Council for the destroyers they are, and perhaps, with fortune, turn the hearts of the Amongus, if they possess them.”
I glance at Seward. “But —”
“The mainland needs you, son,” Father continues. “You have seen its pain. Spread the word that we are at peace with those below. If New Pert, the beating heart of all surface dwellers, is in chaos, they already know the Council that they trusted is the enemy. Now they must be convinced that those we’ve hated, the Amongus, could be friends. And if the Amongus can be our allies, then the Rats can be as well.” He stares into me with his piercing gaze. “The Fates have determined that I visit the drop once more, and you must convince the world to choose mercy.”
“There’s just the three of us, Father. How can three do this?”
“Ah, mate. That be the rub.” Seward massages his stubble. “Not three. Two.”
I stare at Seward, and he continues. “There are many things I could tell you about Massa. But when his mind is fixed, it usually finds a stable place to land. I … I will see my end at my brother’s side. Our destinies be linked. That is” — Seward winces at my father — “if you’ll have me.”
Father’s face softens. “Janus’s sons together again. He would be pleased.”
“But I’m not pleased!” I jump in front of Father. “I just found you. After all my searching, I found you. I can’t lose you again, which I will if you go there. You haven’t seen the explosions. There is no way down.”
Father strokes my cheek. “Luca, stop. You are not the boy I last saw standing with Lendi.” He glances at Talya. “You are a young man. A strong man. If the end of our world tarries, you will make your children proud.” He pauses. “Let me make you proud. Remember your own words … you always told me I would be great again.” He grins. “I cannot move as freely as you on the mainland. If either of us is seen, or if we are made leaders by the people, the Council will not hesitate to declare war on Toppers as well as Rats.” He pats my shoulder. “No, I must stop the explosions, dismantle the Amongus army, and warn those below. Your job is harder.” He pauses. “Convince Toppers suddenly assaulted by their own freedom that riots aren’t needed. That the deal has been struck. That they need not war with each other or those below. To that end, Talya, you may be a leader or a martyr. It doesn’t really matter which.”
I peek at Talya. Father’s right. She is proof that we are at peace with the People of the Rock. We must return to the mainland.
Talya draws in a deep breath. She will follow me anywhere, a terrifying and empowering notion.
“And what about those in the middle? The Council of Nine?” Seward asks. “Can we do some undoing of those troublemakers on the way?”
“It wouldn’t help. In the minds of the people, the Nine only advise the PM. The focus must be Toppers, Rats, and Amongus. If we can create an alliance, the Council has nothing.” Father speaks as though this new alliance has already been formed. The tone settles me.
“We need to get moving,” I say. “The only way off this isle lies anchored in the Council’s bay, and as the kopter pilot already voiced his feelings, I’d like to be gone by sunrise.”
Seward raises his foot to stomp the fire, and pauses. “Lad
y! Lady of the Lake! I leave you the fire, and half the food.”
I see nobody.
“Is she here?” I ask.
“She is.” He eases Father to the front. “Now we must go.”
We set off through the forest, retracing our steps, with Father in the lead. It relaxes me to follow for a change. Except for turn 114. Father lefts when he should right.
I grab his shirt and pull him in the correct direction.
He frowns at me, and then tousles my hair.
It is good to be a young man.
CHAPTER
35
What exactly are we doing again?”
Talya whispers from her position on the beach, tucked behind a majestic palm. I whisper from the next palm over.
“We’re trying to keep the Toppers from undoing themselves. Father is trying to keep the Amongus from undoing those below. Easy.”
I puff out air and turn back toward the bay. The sun lightens the east, and the wind off the swells blows cool. It’s a beautiful morning.
Well, it would be.
Arranged on the shore are nine thatched huts, each identical in size and shape. Each has a dock that stretches its finger out into the bay and a single saline palm stretching mighty leaves over its roof.
It’s hard to believe the evils of the world flow from nine peaceful huts on an island paradise.
There’s no sign of council worry or discontent. No sign of panic.
“Is anybody there?” I mouth the words to Father.
He nods, and points toward a fleet of small boats anchored on the other side of the huts. “Seward and I will take one. You and Talya take another.”
“But I don’t know how to get to the mainland, or pilot a boat, or —”
Seward slips behind me, and his face hardens. “We both know you are more than you think, young mate. Make southeast. You’ll eventually strike a very large piece of land.” His tone dries. “That be Australya. As for the how … I’ll key the engine, your job be only to start, full throttle — and again, don’t look back.”
“Don’t look back,” I repeat.
“We will see each other again. Pirate’s honor.” Seward quickly looks away and Father takes his place.
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