by Brenda Poppy
Chapter 8
Burn awoke suddenly. At first, she couldn’t tell what had startled her. The room was calm and cool, and Hale was breathing gently beside her.
Then she listened, truly listened to the world around her. Something was tapping on the roof. The sounds were gentle and inconsistent, but the longer she listened, the faster they got. Curiosity got the better of her. Slipping on a pair of loose shoes over her woolen socks, she crept out of bed and down the stairs, quietly unlatching the door and sneaking outside.
A cold breeze brushed across her face, bringing with it scents of damp sand and minerals. All around her, small divots were appearing in the dirt as water began to fall from the sky. It was raining.
She stepped out from the protection of the cantilevered roof, placing herself in the storm. With her hands held out to the sides, she lifted her face to the clouded sky. She had never felt rain before. She had only ever heard it from a distance, pummeling the glass of the dome. Now, in this place, she let it flow over her, savoring the feel of the cool droplets splashing on her skin and running down her body.
Burn heard his footsteps before he emerged. She didn’t turn around. Within a minute, Hale was beside her. Without saying a word, he mirrored her stance, putting his arms out and his head back as if trying to drink in the rain.
For the first time in a long time, Burn laughed – a real laugh, not one tricked out of her by the chemical imbalance of the wildlands. For the first time in a long time, Burn felt free.
They stood like that for some time, until the rain began to splash down in earnest, soaking through their clothes and into the skin beneath. Wet and happy, they took shelter under the roof, settling themselves on a step to watch the rain fall around them.
After a time, Hale spoke. “It’s not half bad here,” he said gently, as if trying to convince her to stay.
Burn glanced over at Hale, considering him and everything they’d been through. Sure, he was impulsive. He could be pig-headed. And he liked to be in control – a trait they both shared, which was definitely an obstacle.
But he was here. Over the past few days, there had been many times he could have left her to fend for herself. It would have been easier for him if he had. Yet he had stayed by her side. He had fought for her when no one else would.
He caught her looking at him. She didn’t shy away. They stared at each other for a moment, each trying to read the other’s thoughts.
Finally, Burn said quietly, “We can’t stay.”
“Why not?” He sounded sad but like he already knew the answer.
“They need us. The Lunaria need us. And no matter how much we try to deny it, we need to be part of that fight. It’s rooted in us now. It’s part of who we are.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
Burn smiled at that, a sad smile full of things left unsaid. “I wish that were true.”
With that, she rested her head on his strong shoulder and watched the rain fall.
✽✽✽
Time on the wall passed slowly. It turned out that guard duty wasn’t half as much fun as it sounded. Very few people traveled in and out of the gates, and those that did were definitely no threat to the community. More shepherds and tradesfolk than wild barbarian raiders.
Thankfully, Nara had a solution for the boredom: She was teaching Burn how to fight.
Long ago, Burn’s father had shown her the basics of hand-to-hand combat, drawing on his Peace Force training to demonstrate blocks and blows. But Burn was out of practice. It had been many years since she’d sparred, and her brawls during the ManniK Battles had shown her just how rusty she was. When she’d come up against Cross, she’d barely made it out with her life. If it ever came to that again, she wanted to be ready.
Burn still knew surprisingly little of Nara’s past, of who she had been before coming to Videre. However, it did seem that her role had included a substantial amount of fighting. She was good. Her movements were fluid and precise, with fists and knees and elbows finding their way past Burn’s defenses more often than she cared to admit.
The training was grueling, especially in the heat of the mid-afternoon suns, yet Burn found it exhilarating. For so long, she’d lain in the shadows, listening to the action from the safety of her perch. Now, she was learning how to be a part of it.
Nara didn’t limit herself to hand-to-hand styles. When she’d tired of traditional sparring, she would transition them to sticks, teaching Burn how to wield a wooden baton to inflict maximum damage. Then she’d move on to knives. Or bows and arrows. Or spears.
Videre didn’t often deal with guns, much to Burn’s relief. It wasn’t because the city was morally opposed to the deadly weapons; it was more that they were difficult to come across outside of Kasis. The few that the city possessed were locked up in the armory and only used for special occasions – like trips to the Pit to scavenge for new residents.
So Burn learned to fight with the classics, honing her skills and strengthening her muscles atop the city’s parapets. Sometimes, people came to watch them, lured by the sounds of a struggle and mesmerized by the speed of their movements. They’d gasp when one of the women came close to injuring the other, and they’d cheer when Nara would inevitably disarm her. Thus, through no effort of her own, Burn became a part of the city, a familiar feature and a welcome inhabitant.
Still, she preferred the times when they were alone, when she could concentrate on the sound of Nara’s knife slicing through the air or the thwack of stick hitting stick as they deflected and parried. Little by little, she got faster and stronger, her strikes gaining precision and her movements fluidity.
In between their training, they would talk. Or, at least, Burn would talk. It wasn’t easy getting anything from Nara, but once again, Burn was up for the challenge.
“Have you ever thought about going back to Kasis?” Burn asked one morning as they took a break from their training.
Nara sat opposite her on the wall, staring out into the desert. She was quiet for a while, her sights focused on the horizon. Burn wasn’t sure she had heard and was about to repeat the question when Nara spoke.
“No,” she said simply, not bothering to elaborate.
“Why not?” Burn pressed, looking for more.
“Because it’s not possible.”
Burn considered that for a moment. “When I was in Kasis,” she said pensively, “I didn’t think it would be possible to exist out here. But here we are. Some things aren’t as far-fetched as you think. There has to be a way to get back.”
“No one has ever done it,” Nara said plainly.
“Really? Because Imber’s wife said that some of the people who went searching for a way in never came back. How do you know they didn’t find what they were looking for? How do you know they’re not in Kasis now?”
“I don’t,” Nara said softly. “But what’s the likelihood of that?”
“Then let’s go! You and me. Let’s go to the dome. We could hop on Jez’s cart and see for ourselves. You can see farther than anyone, and I can listen for weak spots. Together, we could find a way back in.”
Despite Burn’s eagerness, Nara seemed unmoved. “It’s not going to work. A trip around Kasis on foot would take days, and there are things out there that even I don’t want to face.”
Nara pushed herself up, hopping to her feet and walking forward to Burn’s side of the wall. She looked out at the landscape, seeing more than Burn could possibly imagine.
“I do want to go back,” she said so quietly that Burn nearly missed it.
Burn rose and stood next to Nara, gazing out at the lonesome expanse of sand and rocks and sky before her. “I’m going to find a way,” she said confidently, turning to her friend. “And when I do, I’ll let you know.”
✽✽✽
Just like Jez had promised, the radiation in the wildlands began to change them – Hale especially. While Burn found that she could hear somewhat farther than before, Hale discovered that he could now lift ne
arly anything he found, whether it be rocks, planks of wood, or, on one occasion, a cart full of sheep.
He enjoyed his newfound strength, and he found any opportunity to show it off around the city. He gleefully helped erect buildings, move tables, and excavate dig sites for new materials. One afternoon, he even began splitting boulders of mountain stone apart with his bare hands.
And with each passing day, his desire to return to Kasis seemed to wane a little more. As he found his place in this new society, his role in the old one faded, gradually disappearing into the past. Yet Burn remained resolute. She was going to find a way back, and if she had to do it without him then she would.
Unfortunately, she had no idea where to start. Everyone she talked to gave her the same answer: “It’s not possible. Forget about your old life. You’ll grow to like it here.”
But that’s precisely what she was afraid of: that she would forget about her life in Kasis and grow to like Videre. She fought against it, every day reminding herself of what she’d lost and who was waiting for her back home. She even went as far as repeating their names in her head, picturing their faces as she went. Scar. Meera. Ansel. Crete. The list went on and on.
“They’re probably fine without us,” Hale said one morning as they lingered in the mess hall after breakfast. “The Lunaria can take care of themselves. I bet they’ve already capitalized on our success with the airflow systems and moved on to bigger things.”
“And you’re OK with that?” Burn shot back, a fire beginning to smolder in her chest. “You’re OK with them going on as if we never existed, finishing the work we started?”
“It’s just how things are. We’re here. They’re there. We all have to do what we can to survive.”
“Argh!” Burn yelled, threading her hands through her hair in agitation. “That’s not good enough. We can get back. I know we can. We still have so much more work to do there. We just need to think! Stop sitting around and help me. Please,” she begged.
“I bet your precious Peace Officer would know what to do,” Hale said acidly.
Burn stared at him, confused. She could have sworn that his lips hadn’t moved…but she’d heard him loud and clear.
“I doubt it,” she responded warily, still uncertain. “Kaz was never one for plans.”
The look Hale gave her then confirmed her fear. He hadn’t spoken out loud. The two stared at each other for a long moment, their mouths open in shock.
Had…had she just heard his thoughts? No, that was ridiculous. And impossible. Her gift was being able to hear things others couldn’t – not hearing inside their minds. She must be going crazy.
“Burn…” Hale started to say, his eyes wide.
Without waiting for him to finish, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the mess hall, her mood suddenly soured. She didn’t even greet Imber and Mags as she passed them in the entrance, breezing around them as if they didn’t exist.
Burn stormed to the wall, her thoughts in a jumble. As she reached the top of the stairs, she went straight for the sparring sticks. Grabbing both, she tossed one to Nara and attacked.
Despite her shock, Nara was ready. Burn wasn’t thinking clearly. Her mind wasn’t focused on moves or footwork or hand positions. All she wanted to do was attack. She hit hard and fast, her confusion and frustration morphing into fury as she struck.
She wanted to go home. She wanted to see Scar. She wanted things to go back to the way they had been.
Then, all of a sudden, she was on the ground and Nara was yanking the stick from her grasp. She pointed both weapons at Burn, but all Burn could do was stare at them mutely. Her anger faded into numbness as her friend towered over her.
Seeing the look in Burn’s eyes, Nara sighed and tossed the sticks aside. Taking a seat next to Burn, she waited. And waited. Burn had the feeling she could wait an eternity, staying silent until the other person spoke. Only, Burn didn’t know what to say.
“How did you end up here?” she finally whispered, her eyes fixed on the ground. Her mind was tired. She didn’t want to think about her own life anymore. Maybe hearing about someone else’s would be enough to distract her, if only for a while.
Nara was silent for time. Burn didn’t know if she was thinking about how to answer or if the silence was her answer. After a few long moments, however, she spoke, her voice low and dreamlike.
“I was young. And I was angry,” she began, gazing in the direction of Kasis. “My dad was sick, and my mom couldn’t find a way to support us. I was old enough to help out, but I didn’t know how. No one wanted to hire a kid from the bottom tiers. In the end, I had to start stealing just so we’d have enough food to get through the day.”
Nara closed her eyes for a minute, as if watching the story play out on the inside of her eyelids.
“I fell in with a violent crowd. They told me they appreciated my gift, that I was special. What they really meant was that they could use me. I became their lookout, their spy. They’d have me scout out the places they wanted to rob, then make sure the coast was clear so they could go in and do the job.
“That’s where I learned how to fight. They taught me how to protect myself…and how to hurt people. We didn’t care who we stole from – rich, poor, good, bad. If we wanted something, we took it.”
Nara shook her head, her eyes unreadable. “We started making a name for ourselves. People were afraid of us, and it felt good. It felt like we had power. But being feared isn’t the same thing as being powerful. And one night it all went wrong. Horribly wrong.” She took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing, as if building up her strength.
“We were targeting this house. They didn’t have a lot, but they had more than we did so they were fair game. We went in at night when they were all asleep. Thought it would be an easy job, just in and out and no one would get hurt. But I didn’t see the Peace Officers. They must have been waiting for us. They knew we’d be there.
“When we went in, they followed after us. And that’s when they started shooting. I ran and I hid as they shot my crew.” A single tear rolled down Nara’s face, and she hastily wiped it away with the back of her hand.
“The noise woke the family. The mother came down to see what was happening, and the Peace Force shot her. They didn’t even hesitate. Their little girl must have been at the top of the stairs because she ran down, screaming ‘Mommy!’ over and over again. They raised their guns at her, too. I knew I couldn’t stand by. So I jumped out and put myself in front of her.
“They tackled me almost immediately. Took me straight to the Pit and tossed me in. The whole time I was thinking I deserved it; I deserved to die. But I didn’t die. I ended up here. Imber didn’t care about my past, about what I’d done, and neither did anyone else. I got to start again, become someone new, someone better.”
They lapsed into silence as Burn considered what she’d learned and Nara tried to bring herself back to the present. Her experiences were heart-wrenching, yet they explained so much about her and the person she’d become. However, something still nagged at Burn, forcing her to speak.
“But I heard you the other day,” she said tentatively. “You said you wanted to go back.” A sudden realization dawned on her as she spoke. “You didn’t say that out loud, did you?”
Nara shook her head, her eyes meeting Burn’s for the first time since she’d begun her tale. Burn took a deep breath, realizing what that meant. She was, indeed, beginning to hear people’s thoughts. Her mind started to race, but she clamped down on it, relegating this new information to the background.
“After all that,” Burn said gently, “why would you want to go back?”
“When I first got here, it felt like I was given a second chance at life, a chance to do things better. The longer I stayed, though, the more it felt like I was running away,” she explained slowly. “My problems didn’t go away because I’m not there. The things I did didn’t just disappear. They’re with me, but I can’t do anything about them here. If I could
get back…maybe I could make amends. Maybe I could do something that would make a real difference.”
Burn smiled sadly. “I think I know exactly what you mean.”
Without invitation, Burn embarked on her own tale. It felt like she owed it to the woman – a story for a story. Their pasts were somehow so similar despite their differences. They had both wanted to create a better life for their families and had both found a group that would help them do it. They’d both hurt people along the way – and gotten hurt in return. But unlike Nara, Burn had been fighting to change the system. Now she had a way to help her friend do the same.
When she’d finished her story, she paused, letting Nara soak in everything she’d said about the Lunaria, Scar, the ManniK Battles, her capture. It was a lot to take in. Burn rubbed at her eyes, her mind swimming with memories, painful and bittersweet.
“If only my father were here,” she said absentmindedly. “I bet he’d know what to do. He always had a plan.”
All at once, the idea came to her. It had been lingering there, in the back of her mind, since she’d found herself in the wildlands, yet for some reason she hadn’t been able to grasp it. Now it was as if the fog had cleared and she could finally see through the haze.
Her father. Before his death, Cross had admitted that he’d had her father thrown down the Pit. And if she’d survived the fall, then Arvense must have, too. He could still be alive. He could be out in the wildlands right now. He could help her get home.
Chapter 9
Scar prowled through the lowest tiers of the city, mentally mapping the streets and buildings around the base of the dome. She’d never been one for exploration, much preferring the confines of home to the perils of the unknown. Now, however, with Burn gone and the Lunaria unwilling to help, the job fell to her.
It was slow going. She’d already been at it for days without success. The edges of the dome were inaccessible at best and dangerous at worst. It was as if the long-ago architects had foreseen her search for a weak spot and done everything they could to prevent it.
