by Brenda Poppy
Her progress was quicker this time, and her excitement rose as she neared the edge of the city. Here and there, pipes protruded from the walls or cut across the ceiling, threatening to tear at her. Yet each time she managed to avoid them, twisting out of the way just in time.
Some of the pipes spewed gas into the chamber, filling it with puffs of dark, polluted air or scalding steam. More than once she found herself inhaling a foul mixture of fumes and fog that clung to her throat and tried to choke her. Her coughs became more regular the farther she traveled, but she couldn’t stop to catch her breath.
Eventually, the smog became so thick that she could barely make out the walls around her. Even her goggles provided little protection from the mist, casting only a dim light into the murky clouds. She held out her hands to feel her way along, her pace slowing to a crawl.
She didn’t see the hole in the floor. One second she was walking, the next she was falling, and the next she had landed with a thud in yet another stone tunnel. Except this tunnel was different. This tunnel had only one corridor, one direction she could travel. Rising to her feet, she followed it, her eyes focused on the path ahead.
A minute passed, then two. Still she walked, disappearing deeper into the labyrinth. Then, without warning, it ended. Another steel wall blocked her passage, its smooth surface taunting her with a reflection of her own frustration. This was the way out. She knew it. She could feel it in the way her skin prickled and her hair stood on end. Yet she couldn’t see it.
Irritation and exasperation built up inside of her until she could no longer bear it. Curling her hand into a fist, she struck the barrier with all her might, the metal on her hand meeting the metal of the wall to produce a resounding clang. Withdrawing her hand, she saw that she hadn’t even managed to leave a mark on the pristine steel surface.
Sighing, she pulled out her tab, unfolded it, and sent a quick message to Cali. “Come down. Bring rope. Watch out for the hole.”
She cast one last hate-filled look at the barricade before turning and stalking back the way she had come. She reached the hole quickly, propelled by her annoyance and the whirling thoughts cascading through her head. Taking a seat on the damp ground along the wall, she waited, steaming.
She was so wrapped up in her own deliberations that the sudden appearance of a rope came as quite the shock – as did the entrance of Cali, who proceeded to scramble down the line and land lightly in front of her.
“What’d you find?” she asked breathlessly, straining her neck to see down the length of the tunnel.
“A dead end,” Scar replied, grabbing the rope with the intention of climbing back up.
Cali, however, had other plans. With a flash, she took off down the passageway and into the darkness. Mildly curious about her reaction to the blockage, Scar tagged along, barely able to keep up with the small woman.
Nearing the end of the tunnel, Cali froze. Unable to stop her own momentum in time, Scar collided with Cali’s immobile form. Steadying herself, she began to apologize, then paused, watching her new friend. Cali was staring at the wall, transfixed, with her mouth open and eyes alight.
“Such an ingenious way of rendering the tunnels inoperable,” she muttered to herself, not even aware that Scar was stationed beside her. “Instead of filling them in, which would have required vast amounts of resources, or collapsing them, which would have risked destabilizing the city, they blocked them off while simultaneously reinforcing them.”
Cali’s wonder irked Scar. She shouldn’t find this clever. She should find this infuriating, just like Scar did.
“If I’m right – and I’m usually right – this is the way out,” Scar said, trying to pull Cali back from her daze. “If we were able to break through, then we might actually have a way to bring Burn back.”
“Then let’s break through it,” Cali said simply.
“And how do you propose we do that?” Scar asked, with only a hint of cynicism creeping into her voice.
Cali thought for a beat before stepping forward and pressing her body against the steel surface. Scar stared as the woman tapped on the wall and listened, adopting a look of sheer concentration. After a long moment, she withdrew, giving Scar a small smile.
“Well, I propose we blow it up.”
Scar scoffed. “Wouldn’t that cave in the entire tunnel? And what about the noise? The Peace Force and their bots would definitely hear an explosion.”
“As long as the explosion is controlled, the passageway should remain structurally sound,” Cali replied, taking into consideration the walls and ceiling of the space. “But you’re right. It’s hard to mask the sound. It will certainly draw attention.”
Something tickled the back of Scar’s mind. She cast her thoughts back to Burn’s mission all those weeks ago. Based on what she’d pieced together, before everything went sideways their plan had been to detonate each device simultaneously, causing confusion and panic. What if they did the same thing here?
“What if we cause a diversion – or 20?” Scar asked, excitement creeping into her voice. “We plant explosives in out-of-the-way places throughout the city, anywhere that won’t be occupied at night. Then we set them off all at once. The Peace Force won’t know where to look. They’ll focus their attention on the top tiers, like always, leaving us free to rescue Burn and Hale.”
Cali thought about it for a second, nodding thoughtfully. “That could work. We’d have to be extremely careful so no one gets hurt, but we might just be able to pull it off.”
The two women looked at each other, self-satisfied smiles stretching across their faces. After a second, Scar turned her attention to the metal wall, her previous irritation dissipating. Now all she saw when she looked at it was her sister, smiling as she climbed into the tunnel and back into Kasis.
Whipping out her tab, she began to type. With a tap of her finger, she sent the message. It didn’t bounce back.
“We’ve found a way through. Give us two days. Then come to the south side of the city at nightfall. I’ll be waiting to bring you home.”
Chapter 19
Burn had two days to travel to Videre and back. People were waiting for her there – people like Nara, who were depending on her to get them back into Kasis. They’d already been disappointed once, when her father hadn’t returned for them. She couldn’t abandon them again.
She’d started packing shortly after the message had popped up on her goggles. She had tried to respond, tried to ask for more time, but her messages wouldn’t send. That left her only one choice.
Hale had demanded to come with her, but it just wasn’t possible. They only had one horse, and even with its fortitude, their combined weight would tire it too quickly. If she wanted to reach Videre by sunset, she’d have to travel alone.
Hale had argued. He had offered to go in her place. But she had to do this. This was her mission, and she alone could finish it.
Burn gave Hale her goggles, unlocking them so he could read any transmissions Scar sent while she was gone. With her away, it was up to him to protect the group. And if she didn’t return in time, he would need to lead them back. There would be no time to wait; they would have to return without her.
Laden with food and water from the generous people of Aberra, she set off into the desert at a canter. The glaring afternoon suns beat down on her back as she traveled, but she paid them no mind, focusing only on the path ahead. Twice she stopped to rest and refuel, gulping down water to wash the sand from her mouth, but within no time she was back on the road, her sights set on Videre.
She arrived just after nightfall. To Burn’s dismay, the gates had already been shut for the evening, barring her way into the town. In her haste, she hadn’t even considered the possibility that she’d find herself locked out of the city.
Unwilling to lose valuable time, she rode back and forth along the wall, searching for a way in. Yet she found nothing. Videre was a fortress. She’d once felt safe within those walls, their strength comforting amidst
the unknowns of the wildlands. Now she hated them, and she violently cursed their ability to keep out friend and foe alike.
“You certainly have quite the vocabulary.” Burn heard the soft voice as she was pacing in front of the gates and stopped to pinpoint its source. Nara. “I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve kept watch every night in case you returned. Glad it wasn’t for nothing.”
Burn wanted to respond, wanted to tell her that it would, indeed, be for nothing if she didn’t find a way in, but she knew Nara would never be able to hear her. Instead, she used her hands to mime the gates opening, hoping Nara would get the message.
“I know, I know,” Nara said as she disappeared from view. A few moments later, Burn heard the grinding of the gears as one of the doors lurched forward ever so slightly. Without hesitation, she squeezed inside, barely managing to get her horse’s wide flank through the narrow gap. Just as they crossed the threshold, the door closed behind them, sealing them in.
Before they’d even taken five steps, Nara was beside them. “Did you find what you were looking for?” she asked quietly, leading Burn along the edge of the city.
“Yes. I have a way back in. Although we have less than two days to gather everyone together and get back to the dome. Do you think it’s possible?”
“Yes,” Nara responded calmly. “Since you left, I’ve been searching for the people who were planning to leave with your father. I think I’ve discovered most of them, and most of them still want to go.”
“It’ll take a while to get everyone across the desert on foot. We’ll have to leave by dawn if we want to make it in time.”
“Then we better get to work,” Nara said with a smile.
Tethering the horse to a post where it would have access to food and water, Burn and Nara set off into the town. One by one, they knocked on doors and spread the news. Some of the residents met them with a change of heart, unable or unwilling to leave their current comfort now that the decision was on their doorstep. Others cast their uncertainty like a pall on the mission. But most were overjoyed. They couldn’t wait to return to the homes and lives they thought they’d lost for good and the people they’d left behind.
They agreed to leave by first light, which left several hours to pack and rest before their journey. Burn was unable to return to the boarding house for fear of Luce alerting Imber to her presence. Instead, she spent a restless night on the floor of Nara’s small home, tossing and turning and envisioning everything that could go wrong.
By dawn, Burn was washed, dressed, and ready to go. She woke Nara, who had been sleeping soundly, and together the two quietly readied themselves for departure. In preparation for any trouble – either within the gates or beyond them – Nara suggested they arm themselves, strapping knives to their waists and ankles, and lashing fighting sticks to their backs.
As Burn had no real belongings, these weapons were the only thing she carried, her sole keepsake from the city. Nara grabbed only a few precious items, chucking them into a small bag and throwing it over her back, where it nestled comfortably between her wooden fighting dowels.
By the time they arrived at the gates, several people were already waiting, their anxious energy palpable. Upon seeing Burn, their faces lit up. This was real, they realized as she entered their midst. They were finally going home.
Over the next quarter of an hour, more and more people joined them, increasing their ranks until they were more than 20 strong. Burn had known most of them from her brief stay in Videre, at least by sight if not by name, but some were strangers to her, and she spent a few minutes getting to know each.
When the first sun finally poked above the horizon, they knew it was time to go. The city would awaken soon, and Burn wanted to be long gone before anyone noticed their absence. Gathering everyone together, she prepared to slip into the wildlands, giving Nara the signal to open the gates.
But the gates didn’t move. Nara put all her might behind the switch, forcing her body against it, but the doors didn’t budge. Confused, she looked down into the medley of gears that controlled the entrance. She raised her head, preparing to shout something to Burn, but she stopped, her wide eyes focused on something behind the group.
Burn didn’t need to turn to know they were surrounded. She could hear their approaching footsteps and detect their breath in the cool morning air. People were descending on them from all sides, closing in on her troupe as they backed against the motionless doors. Reluctantly, she turned.
Imber stood in front of a small army, his face blank as he stared at Burn and the group she’d assembled. Burn tried to read him, to detect what was going through his mind, but his thoughts were too rapid to pick out with any certainty. All she could see was that he did not want them to leave.
“Did you think you could sneak out without me knowing?” Imber asked, addressing the question to her. “I know everything that goes on in this town. These people are loyal to me, not you.”
“You’ve led them well,” Burn said, taking a few steps toward him. “You’ve made sure they’re fed. You’ve given them water. You’ve kept them safe. I understand their loyalty. I’m not trying to turn them against you. I’m simply offering them a chance to go home.”
“This is their home. This is their family,” he said, casting his eyes over the people behind her. “There’s nothing for you back in Kasis. If she can even get you back in, what’s to stop them from throwing you right back out? Or killing you on the spot? You were enemies once and you are enemies still.”
“These people have made up their minds. They know the risks and they’re willing to take them. I didn’t force them to come with me. I merely gave them a choice. All I ask is that you allow them the freedom to choose their own path. Let us go in peace. We don’t want to fight you.”
Imber was silent as he contemplated her words. As the silence stretched on, Burn turned and walked toward the gate. Motioning to the others to join her, she pushed on one of the doors, the locked gears groaning under the pressure. With their combined effort, paired with whatever Nara was doing on top of the wall, the gate gradually began to move, cracking open to reveal a sliver of the world beyond.
Before they could open it further, however, something heavy crashed into Burn’s back, throwing her against the wood. She dropped to the sand with a thud, her body drenched from the torrent of water that had hit her. Turning around angrily, she spotted Imber with his hands angled toward her, threatening to unleash another wave.
Burn had no time for this. She needed to get these people out and back to Aberra. They only had a day before Scar put her plan into action, and they needed to get back to the dome in time to meet her. But if it was a fight Imber wanted, then it was a fight he was going to get.
Throwing caution to the wind, Burn charged at him, expertly dodging the icy jets of water that erupted from his hands. Her gift helped; she could sense it each time he prepared to strike, and she’d leap out of the way just in time.
Once she was near enough, she unsheathed one of the fighting sticks from her back and sent a blow to his midsection. She didn’t intend to kill him – or even injure him too gravely. She merely wanted his attention. Imber doubled over with a grunt but quickly righted himself, sending a rapid burst of water to her chest. Unable to avoid it, Burn was flung backward onto the packed earth.
Around her, Burn heard sounds of battle. The others had taken her action as a cue to fight, and they were now using their own unique gifts to face off against their friends and neighbors. The violence sent of shiver of guilt through her veins, and she knew she had to finish it before it went too far.
Burn sprang to her feet, facing Imber in a fighting stance. His right hand stretched out in an attack, but this time she managed to sidestep the rush of water. Imber recalculated and moved to strike again, but she took advantage of the pause. Sprinting behind him, she dealt a blow to his spine that sent him to his knees.
“Why are you standing in our way?” Burn asked between heavy breaths. “You s
ay these people are your family, yet you treat them like your subjects. Why can’t you let them go?”
Imber spun around on his knees and fired a quick surge of water at her feet, which swept out from under her. Burn landed hard on her shoulder, which sent a shock of pain down her arm and knocked her weapon from her grasp. As they both scrambled to their feet, Burn unsheathed her second stick and aimed a strike at Imber’s legs, but the man jumped out of her reach.
“You’re taking them to their deaths,” he yelled at her from a safe distance. “I can’t stand back and watch as you ruin their lives.”
Burn rounded on him, closing the gap between them. Once again he tried to knock her off balance with a rush of water to her feet, but this time she was faster. She leapt over the stream and rolled to his side, sweeping his legs out from under him. He landed roughly on his back, and Burn dropped her dowel and jumped atop him, pinning his arms above his head.
“You don’t get to decide their fates,” she told him, almost pleading. “They have the right to make up their own minds, whatever the outcome. Who knows? Maybe one day they’ll come back to you with their families in tow. Think of how powerful Videre will be then. But if you keep them here against their will, you become the enemy, Videre becomes their prison, and they’ll never stop trying to escape it.”
Imber’s struggles faded as he processed her words. Burn could hear him thinking, hear the debate warring inside his mind. He didn’t want to lose these people – not because they were valuable, but because they were loved. They were his children, his siblings, his parents. It hurt that they needed to search for a family when he’d built one for them right here.
Yet he also knew that he needed to let them go. When Burn heard that, she loosened her grip on his hands, allowing him to pull his arms free. She still remained on top of him, though, not willing to give up her advantage entirely.
