by Brenda Poppy
Hale moved to Burn’s side, breaking away from the group to greet the woman. She was startled by the sheer scale of him and involuntarily took a step back toward her tent, gripping one of the children close to her skirts.
“Thank you for your help, ma’am,” Hale said softly, attempting to mitigate his startling appearance. “Is there any place we could wash and rest until then? We’ve had a long journey and would appreciate any hospitality you’re able to provide.”
“Of course, of course,” the woman said, her voice slightly higher and faster than when she’d spoken to Burn. “Mika!” she shouted behind her, summoning one of the children.
A scrawny boy of 10 or 11 appeared from behind the tent, peeking his head out to assess the situation before stumbling to the woman’s side. He looked at the assembled strangers with unabashed curiosity, craning his neck to better see the group.
“Please show our guests to the well,” the woman instructed him. “And be sure to get them some food. We don’t want them to think poorly of us, now do we?” She reached out absentmindedly to flatten some of his unruly brown hair before continuing. “Go on now! Off you go!” Turning her back to them, she began to round up the children who had wandered off during their exchange.
Mika bounced off, waving for them to follow. They did as they were bid, setting off farther into the town. After a minute spent bounding in front of them, the energetic boy suddenly appeared by Hale’s side, staring up at him as he walked.
“You are very large,” he said frankly, causing Burn to snort in amusement. “Are you from Kasis?” he continued, speaking rapidly. “I’ve never been to Kasis. I was born out here, but my parents are from Kasis!” He said the last part so proudly, puffing out his chest as he spoke. “Do you have a magic power? Most of the people here can’t do anything, but I’ve heard that in Kasis everyone has powers. Is that true?”
Unsure of how to respond, Hale merely grunted. The boy, however, wasn’t deterred.
“I’d love to go to Kasis someday,” Mika said, smiling and swinging his arms. “My parents told me that I have a family there – a grandma and a grandpa and a half sister! I’d love to have a sister! I hope she likes me.”
With that, he made a sharp turn, leading them down a perpendicular pathway. He was silent for a few seconds before turning his attention on Burn.
“Are you two together? You look like you’re together. Do you have kids? Who are all those people?” he asked, peeking behind her at the Callidan refugees. “They look sad. Why are they sad? Did you kidnap them? Are you bad guys?” He glanced up at Hale again as he said that, squinting as he considered him.
He was apparently satisfied with whatever he saw, since he led them around another sharp corner before stopping abruptly.
“This is it!” he declared proudly, gesturing to a small well surrounded by an empty swath of land. “Stay here,” he commanded, turning around to face them. “I’ll find you some food.” He promptly ran off into a cluster of tents, disappearing behind the fluttering fabric.
Burn couldn’t help it; she laughed. Her exhaustion mingled with the relief of their present safety and the utter absurdity of the boy’s questions to tip her over the edge. A high, resounding laugh burst out of her, and she clasped her hand to her mouth to quiet it. After a few seconds, Hale joined in, his deep chuckle blending happily with hers.
After their laughter had run its course, they collapsed on the firm ground, surrounded by the others.
Theirs was a strange group. Despite trekking across the desert with them, Burn and Hale were not quite part of their ranks. The residents of Callidus had known each other for years – decades even. They’d been through the same things, the same torment and hope and disappointment. They’d seen the same atrocities and survived them together.
Burn felt like an impostor in their ranks. She’d spent only a day in their camp and knew only a fraction of their lives. They’d been waiting for her father for years, but they’d settled for her, and she wasn’t even sure if she could help them. Yet they were in this together now, whatever happened.
So while they waited, they talked. Burn told them of her father’s disappearance, of the Lunaria, of her and Hale’s exodus. And of Scar. And they listened. Then it was her turn to listen as they shared their lives, their stories, their reasons for escape. And how they had come to meet her father.
“He snuck in under the cover of darkness. Of course, I thought he was a thief,” an older lady named Basha remembered, chuckling to herself. “So, naturally, I went after him with my kettle. Chased him around and around our tent while he tried to explain who he was. I nearly got him, too!”
The group laughed at her story, and others chimed in, adding their own accounts of how charming he was and how sure he was that he could get them back to Kasis.
From the outskirts of the group, a man’s voice joined in. “I couldn’t tell you about his charm,” he said, “but he sure did love his daughters. That’s how he convinced me to join him.”
Burn turned to him, needing to hear more. “What do you mean?” she asked breathlessly.
“He told me about you. Both of you,” the man began, smiling sadly at her. “He said that your sister was clever beyond words. But you – you were brave. Together, he said you had the power to change the world. He just wanted to be there when you did.”
Burn tried not to cry, but tears pricked at her eyes. It had been so long since she’d seen her father or heard his voice, but as this man talked, she could almost see him, almost hear him whispering into her ear.
“I had a daughter of my own back in Kasis,” he continued. “She must be all grown up now. When I first found myself out here, she was all I could think about. As time went by, though, she began to fade. After a few years, she was only a painful memory. But when your father talked about you, it made me remember my fire, my passion. It made me want to fight to get back to her.”
People around the circle nodded in agreement, each adding their own memories to the mix. At some point, food arrived and they ate, but they paid little attention to the meal. Instead, they laughed and cried and traded tales about the things they’d lost and the people they’d loved.
When night finally fell and Mika appeared to inform them that the parliament was ready, they were no longer the strangers they had once been. They were something else, something more. So when they stood before the town, their faces illuminated by firelight, they stood united, a single unit with a single goal.
The townspeople were arranged in a large circle on the outskirts of the city. The parliament, composed of a representative from each family unit, was stationed at one side, with the remaining residents seated around them. Burn and her party stood in the middle, with Burn herself their designated head.
An older woman stepped out from the parliamentary line to address them. “Welcome, guests. We rarely have a chance to visit with those outside of our camp, so it is an honor to meet you. But we know this is not a social call. You have business here – important business. So, please, present your case. I hope that we may be of assistance to you.” Her speech finished, she stepped back and disappeared into the sea of faces.
Burn stepped forward, her heart dancing like the flames beside her. Taking a deep breath, she began. “Thank you. You have been so kind to us, and for that we are truly grateful. I’ve traveled a long way to meet you – all the way from Videre. My friends here joined me in Callidus. Despite our differences, we’re united by a singular aim: to return to Kasis.”
Burn paused to let her words sink in. Whispers erupted around the circle as people voiced their varied thoughts and opinions on her pronouncement. Undeterred, she continued.
“I know that many people believe it’s impossible, but we don’t. Since you live closer to the city than any other camp, we hoped that you might be able to aid us in our quest. If you know anything that might help us get back inside, we would be forever in your debt. We come to you as mothers and fathers and sisters and children searching t
o reclaim our families and our homes. And if any of you would like to join us on our journey, we would be more than happy to have you.”
Burn gave a small nod to the parliament before stepping back into the crowd. With a nod of their own, the parliament withdrew to discuss what they’d heard. Unable to help herself, Burn listened in to their debate.
By the time they returned, she already knew what they were going to say. Yet that knowledge didn’t make it hurt any less.
“Thank you for your appeal,” the same old lady said, her lined face looking older in the flickering light. “Of course, any of our residents are free to join you. Their lives and their decisions belong to them, and we encourage them to consider your offer. However,” she paused to draw a breath and gather the courage she needed to continue, “we do not know a way back into Kasis. Our journeys around the city have not revealed anything that would be useful to you. We are truly sorry.”
Burn heard the disappointment in the minds of her crew. They felt it so strongly that it sang in her head, crushing her with its force. The optimism she had felt, and the camaraderie of her fellow travelers, seeped away as the words sank in.
The woman continued, “Naturally, you are welcome to stay here while you determine your next move. Whatever you choose, we offer our assistance and our support.” She gave them a sad smile before returning to the crowd.
Burn tried to keep her hope alive, telling herself – and the others – that just because they didn’t know a way back in, it didn’t mean there wasn’t one. Outwardly, they agreed. Inwardly, they mourned.
One by one the gathered townsfolk left, breaking off to return to their own homes and their own families. Eventually, their group left as well, supplied with makeshift tents and blankets to keep them warm through the night.
They pitched the tents by the well in silence, each too consumed by their own thoughts to give voice to them. Even Burn and Hale found no reason to speak. The hush that had fallen was heavy, oppressive, and Burn found it difficult to block out the jarring thoughts of those around her.
A small sound suddenly found its way through the silence. Only Burn’s ears picked it up – partially because they were highly sensitive and partially because the noise was coming from her own head. Her confusion was quickly followed by a sharp pang of excitement as she realized what the noise was: a message.
Pulling her goggles over her eyes, she hurriedly read the incoming thread, and her broken heart soared.
“We’re coming to get you. We think we’ve discovered a way through. I will find you. – Scar”
Chapter 18
Scar’s message had made it through! After weeks of sending and amplifying and sending, it had finally worked. That had to mean that Burn was out there, alive and close by. It also meant that Scar hadn’t lost her touch with technology. Both of those were comforting thoughts.
Now she had to make good on her promise. She had to find a way to bring Burn back. And for that, she needed Cali.
Since the Lunaria’s meeting, the two women had been poring over the plans of Kasis, marking every possible entrance into the tunnels. There were at least a dozen of them, scattered throughout the lowest level of the city. They didn’t know how many were functional – if any – but they planned to leave no stone unturned.
Brilliantly, Scar had once again repurposed her pet PeaceBots to aid them in their search. Now, instead of canvassing the dome for weak spots, they were tasked with tracking down each of the former sewer entrances and relaying the images back to Scar. Without even leaving the house, she could discover which access points had been rendered inoperable and which ones were still feasible.
She’d already ruled out six of the tunnels. A few were now home to buildings, with the sturdy foundations poured directly on top of the entrances. Other sites bore no hint that the shafts had ever existed, having long since been filled with concrete and disguised by the dust and grime of time.
Yet a few were promising. Two, in particular, gave Scar hope. The photos the PeaceBots had sent back were dark, but they appeared to feature in-tact grates that led downward into unblocked tunnels. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
The robots did have their drawbacks, however. Despite the relative ease with which they scoped out the tunnels, they were of little use when it came to exploring them. Since the shafts didn’t appear on their internal schematics, the machines didn’t even recognize their existence. That meant that in addition to not being able to see them without the exact coordinates, the bots also couldn’t travel down them.
So it was up to Scar and Cali to investigate. No one else in the Lunaria had volunteered, save for Raqa. But Scar considered him more of a hindrance than a help, so she had declined his offer. They were on their own now, at least until they found a viable way through to the other side.
That’s how the two women found themselves atop a rusty iron grate in a semi-deserted corner of the gritty bottom tier. For her part, Scar was gradually cutting through the solid bars with the help of her laser cutter. Beside her, Cali kept watch, her eyes trained on the dark lanes around them.
The pollution was so thick that the cloud of smoke Scar created simply rose and blended with the haze. Unlike the grate below her, the fog itself was impenetrable, a solid and unyielding force that coated the world in nightmarish shadows. Chances were, if no one was looking for them, then no one would spot them. Yet it was nice to have a lookout, nonetheless.
Scar was relieved to note that Cali was different outside of the Lunaria’s meetings. She’d feared that the woman would retain her nervous, skittery disposition, adding an extra level of anxiety to their criminal endeavors. As it turned out, though, Cali was an intelligent woman with a keen eye for details, and away from the Lunaria’s judgmental gaze she was calm and levelheaded. She also made a damn good sentry – mostly because she didn’t insist on any kind of small talk.
The bars on the grate were thick, but they were no match for Scar’s laser. Within 10 minutes, she’d made a neat, Scar-sized square and pried it up. Glancing into the hole, she could just make out a drop of 6 or 7 feet, which ended in a passageway that stretched out to either side. With a quick nod to Cali, she carefully lowered herself down.
Turning her goggles to night mode, she immediately took stock of her surroundings. To her left, the tunnel traveled a few feet before ending abruptly in a collapsed heap of stone and jagged rebar. To her right, the passage continued into the darkness, where sounds of dripping water and scurrying rodents echoed off the stone walls.
Seeing no other option, she took off to the right. The passage wasn’t tall enough for her to walk upright, so she stooped, shuffling along the damp tunnel a few feet at a time. As she moved, she tried to keep her mind off the thick, lingering smell that clung to her nostrils despite the mask. It was a stench that blended excrement, mold, and decay, and it was made all the worse by the sporadic crunch of small animal bones underfoot. Instead, she focused on her steps, mentally mapping her progress in terms of the streets above her.
She was so fixated on putting one foot in front of the other that she nearly walked headfirst into a hard metal wall. As it was, she stopped a mere foot away, caught off guard by the severe steel monolith blocking her path. Putting her hands to it, she moved them across its smooth, cool surface, searching for a way through. Except there wasn’t one. Unlike the rock fall at the other end, this obstruction was deliberate. Someone had placed it there to ensure that people like her never found what they were looking for.
Scar frowned, studying the barrier. If her sense of direction was right, she was nowhere near the edge of the city. Even if she could break through, there was a good chance she’d face even more barricades on her way to the wall. No, this was a dead end. It was time to retreat.
Slowly and carefully, Scar did just that, following the tunnel back the way she had come. As she returned, she spotted a rope dangling from the hole – yet another sign of Cali’s usefulness. Grabbing it, she hoisted herself up, careful not
to cut herself on the bars’ rough edges. Cali offered her hand to help, and Scar gratefully accepted, leveraging herself onto the filthy street. She took a moment to wipe the unidentifiable tunnel residue from her clothing before filling Cali in on her findings.
“It’s no good,” Scar said simply. “The tunnel’s blocked on both ends. We’ll have to try another.”
To her great relief, Cali didn’t ask for details. She merely began packing up the rope while Scar replaced the grate in its hole, soldering the iron back together so no one would suspect their trespass. Once done, the pair moved on, picking their way across the city to the next tunnel entrance.
This one was a great deal closer to the edge of the city, located amongst the perplexing maze of passageways that led to the outer rim. It was close enough to the sections of the city that Scar had once explored to make the streets feel familiar, and a sense of déjà vu briefly overcame her as she walked.
She’d been so close to it all those weeks ago, so tantalizingly near the thing she’d been searching for, yet she’d walked right over it. That knowledge grated at her, but she pushed it away, forcing it to the back of her mind. She had a job to do, and she couldn’t let something as useless as regret stand in her way.
Once they’d located the spot, Scar got to work. Within minutes, she’d carved out an entrance and dropped into the tunnel below. She was relieved to note that this passageway was larger than the last and considerably drier. It still bore the reek of mold and death, but it was at least bearable.
Adjusting her goggles, she realized that this channel split into three distinct paths. Once again, one was already blocked, this time by a heavy wrought-iron gate. The other two, however, appeared clear.
“I think this one might work,” she shouted, peering down each of the corridors and mentally mapping them. “One of the passages seems to lead toward the dome. I’ll check it out.”
