The Sundered

by Ruthanne Reid

Aakesh's unseen hands brace me. I'm shaking. “Steady, my lord,” he whispers in my ear.

  “Where's Sandra?” Toddy suddenly blurts.

  “She's staying behind.”

  He looks so sad. They shared a boat. I suddenly feel guilty, and I'm not sure I should, especially since no one else seems to care.

  “Can we force Aakesh to tell us the truth?” Demos asks.

  There's that word again. “Doctor Parnum tried.”

  Demos looks at me. “I have a suggestion.”

  “Okay.”

  “Where is Parnum staying?”

  Um. “Why?”

  “We need to take him as our prisoner,” says Demos.

  Whoa, whoa, whoa! “What the hell for?”

  “Because we need him. He has information. Intelligence. Maybe contacts. Probably money. So we can either waste time trying to catch up on our own, or we could go get him and keep him with us. If we decide not to destroy the Hope, it'll be easier to protect it from him if he's already captive.”

  That's not okay! “Wait a second!”

  “What about lawmen?” asks Toddy.

  “We'll deal with that as we go. Harry's Sundered should be able to handle any challenges,” Demos says.

  He's just taken control of this whole thing, fisting the reins. “Wait just a damn second!”

  “What about Bek?” says Kaia.

  Nobody's listening to me. “Guys, this is not a good idea!”

  “I don't know what to do about Bek yet, but I bet our first-tier Sundered does,” Demos says, and looks at Aakesh. “Well? Do you know what to do about Bek?”

  Our first-tier? “Demos—”

  “As this regards the survival of my people, I will answer you,” says Aakesh mildly. “I will prevent Bek from taking your lives.”

  What the hell is happening here? “Hey! I haven't agreed to any of this!”

  “We're just thinking out loud, Harry,” Demos says, soothes, condescends.

  Suddenly, for the first time, I understand. I was never the leader here. He put up with me when nothing was at stake. When we were just scooting through the black water, finding things to sell, I was harmless, scribbling on my old pieces of parchment. But now lives are at stake and things are important, and he doesn't trust me to lead.

  He doesn't trust me at all.

  “We're not taking anybody prisoner,” I snap. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “If the first-tier's word—”

  “His name is Aakesh.”

  “—about taking down Bek is true, then we've got a clear shot, and keeping Parnum with us is going to guarantee it,” Demos says.

  “No. I absolutely forbid this!”

  Their eyes widen. They step back, and I feel powerful until somebody behind me grabs my arms.

  They slam me down against the rough dock, against the filth left over by too many boots and years of cargo. “You're under arrest!” someone bellows.

  “Aakesh!” I scream, and the weight on my back lifts at once. I push up to find Aakesh standing by me, and in front of him, floating in the air, are six lawmen and the Sundered Ones they brought along.

  Tomas stands nearby, pointing at me. “What the hell are you doing?” he shouts at them, as if they're floating just to bug him. “That's him! That's the traitor!”

  He arranged this. This is his fault.

  Gorish howls like some wild thing and launches at him. Aakesh holds up his other hand, and Gorish stops like a trained soldier.

  Lawmen surge forward, and my Travelers disappear in a throng of lawmen and second-tier Sundered. All the work on the dock stops.

  “Harry! Put them down!” Demos shouts, struggling to pull away from the lawmen who've tackled him.

  “Not until they say why the hell they assaulted me!” I shout back, refusing to back down. As if I don't already know the answer. As if I don't know what Tomas did.

  Way to make me regret not letting Gorish kill you, you son of a bitch

  ● ●

  ● CHAPTER 29 ●

  Sundered Sympathizer

  By noon, I’ve been yelled at so many times that I can’t even keep track of what they say anymore.

  The questions run together. Insane accusations about shipping lanes, fixed pricing, factory explosions—what did Tomas do, blame me for every problem in the whole world? Why would I care about any of this? I don't even live here!

  My Travelers are here somewhere, going through the same interrogation. It seems the lawmen feel “Sundered sympathizer” is a communicable disease, so nobody gets to leave.

  Aakesh could get me out, but they threaten me with my Travelers' safety. I can't just go.

  Damn Tomas to hell. Maybe I could have Aakesh break us all out. But maybe then other Sundered would die again, and I don’t want that, any more than he does. Maybe we could—

  Doctor Parnum walks in the door, a lawman on each side lightly holding his arms, and Bakura stalks in behind him. He gives me one look, the doctor—one betrayed, serious glance—and then he’s gone into another room, gathered for interrogation.

  Tomas.

  No. Not Tomas. Me. I didn’t protect Parnum or anybody else. Instead, I led everybody into this.

  I put my face in my hands and stop answering questions for a long while.

  The interrogation pit is built for intimidation. A couple of feet deep, it sits in the center of an empty room to remind criminals of the mines and keep the accused below eye-level.

  I sit in the little chair they gave me, my knees uncomfortably high and my head in my hands.

  I can hang on just a little longer. They have to let us go soon. They have to.

  “Mr. Iskinder,” says the new lawman at the rim of the pit—I've been here so long they changed shifts. “Get up. Your bail is paid.”

  “What?” I'm so tired those words made no sense.

  “Get up.” He holds out a sheet of flimsy paper and an expensive pen.

  I stare at him before taking it. It's not a confession. It's a statement of release into the custody of Doctor Artemus Parnum, empowered lieutenant of Tenisia.

  What? What? “Uh,” I say.

  “Sign it. Your Travelers already have,” says the lawman.

  But how did ...

  I look at Aakesh. For once in our long, strained time together, he gives me a sign: he gestures toward the paper.

  Okay, then. My hand shakes as I write my name.

  “'Sundered sympathizer' is a serious charge,” says the lawman. “These complaints are permanently on your record. If you ever come here again with accusations like this, we won't be so gentle.”

  Yeah. That is far from my biggest worry right now. “Where is Dr. Parnum?”

  He points at a door, glaring at Gorish as he scuttles behind me on all fours. “Where’s your other—”

  Aakesh appears beside the lawman like magic and makes the guy jump half out of his skin.

  Laughing is bad. I don’t laugh. Mostly. I’m amazed anything can make me smile on this miserable day.

  In the front office, I find Parnum talking cheerfully with the lawmen. My Travelers are there, all lined up in chairs, shaken and messy. Even Kaia looks roughed up, but Tomas is the worst, bruised, his eye swollen and his hands shaking.

  Good. I don’t know why they turned on him, but I’m glad it happened. Take that, you sorry little—

  “Thank you, Officer. I will take them from here,” says Parnum, and shakes the lawman's hand.

  The lawman nods and looks at me. He must be important because he’s got a hat. “You have high praise from a group you've dragged through the black water for three years.” He looks at his notepad. “’Never led the group knowingly into danger,' 'watched the supplies and made sure we never ran out,' 'monitored the emotional welfare of the group.' Well, we don’t care. Don’t come back, Mr. Iskinder.”

  I stare at my Travelers. They spoke for me. All this happened, and they spoke for me. My eyes suddenly water.

  “Cape Hand was the ninth city to be s
truck,” Parnum says, drawing the lawman's attention back to himself. “If they follow the pattern, their next goal will not be so local. I am sure your city is safe.”

  The lawman nods, pale.

  Cape Hand? That's not far from here. Fourth in the southern-city-string on the edge of deep water. “What? Cape Hand? It's gone?”

  Parnum looks at me. “Yes. It's gone.”

  Suddenly, I need to sit down, too.

  The lawman shakes his hand again. “Best of luck to you,” he says, leaves, and then we're alone, my Travelers, Parnum, and me.

  Cape Hand. Practically right next door. I lean forward, my breath shaky. Nobody speaks for a moment.

  “Thank you,” Demos interrupts, his voice as rough as if he'd been strangled. “Thank you for bailing us out.”

  “I am glad I was able to lend some aid,” Parnum says mildly, looking right at Tomas.

  Tomas, who's been beaten up. Tomas, who sits slumped, not looking at anybody. His knuckles are swollen.

  “They listened to reason,” says Parnum. “I managed to convince them I was not guilty, and neither were you.”

  So all that fuss, including the embarrassment at the docks, was for nothing. And they took it out on Tomas. Nice.

  “I think it's time we stopped this game,” Parnum says gently. “Once free, where do you plan to go from here?”

  “Shangri-la,” says Demos.

  “On the other side of the world. I see.” Parnum taps his chin with one finger.

  I look at my boots. Yup. Boots boots boots.

  Parnum's stare has a weird weight to it, like a towel heavy with water. “Very well. I will procure a ship. Your small boats will be useless in the deep water. I need a moment alone with Harry now, if you don’t mind.”

  Demos nods and helps Kaia to her feet.

  Wait. Now? Alone? “Don’t we, uh, need to go at once?”

  Tomas stands, too. Nobody looks at me.

  “Harry.” Parnum's voice stops me like a solid wall. He puts his hand on my shoulder, waiting while they all file out, waiting while the overlarge room empties. “Why did you do this?”

  My face goes numb and hot. “I didn't.”

  Long silence. Ticking somewhere, like a Sundered one chipping away paint or something. “Harry.”

  “It's not what you think. I didn't drag you into this.”

  “Please come with us.”

  Not what I expected him to say. I look up, feeling sick, feeling still on the edge of tired tears.

  “Please. We have no reason to be apart. We are going the same direction.”

  I have the map, he means. Or maybe he really does just want me with him. Or ... “Aakesh thought—”

  “Aakesh, I'm sure, has given you just enough information to hang yourself.”

  I look at the floor between my boots instead of him. “Maybe.”

  Aakesh says nothing, back to being unreadable.

  “Nice master,” Gorish says, and pats my hand as if to say, everything's okay, or maybe just relax and ride it out. But what do I know? He could be saying nothing at all.

  Parnum gives me a weak smile. “Bakura's no better, if it is any consolation. Perhaps between the two of us, we can translate their lies into truth a little more effectively.”

  “Are you mad at me?” I glance up.

  He actually looks surprised. “For what?”

  “I lied to you.” There. It's out. It's out. A horrible big lump in my chest melts, relieving pressure. “About the map.”

  “I know.” Parnum doesn't blink. “Does it matter, in the end?”

  I have no answer for that at all.

  “We'll talk on the ship.” He pats my arm and heads for the door.

  At least having him with us by choice is so much better than taking him prisoner. Maybe. Or maybe everything just got a lot more complex.

  “Yeah, we’re fast,” says the captain, waving his hand at the deck. “We should get you to Shangri-la in just a few weeks.”

  Sailors eye us sidelong, coiling ropes and pushing mops distractedly. I guess we look like a weird group, rag-tag, unhappy. What do they think we're going to do, set fire to the sails?

  “Thank you, Captain,” Parnum says, and money changes hands. “Come, everyone. Let us find living space below deck.”

  The ship is huge, as high as a four-story building. Parnum's been on these ships before and knows what he's doing. He climbs down two narrow ladders to the third level, to a hall full of closed doors. We're all following him like baby birds, useless and sore.

  I'm the only one who didn't get handled roughly, and that's because I had Aakesh. They're sore because of me. I can't look at any of them.

  “Harry.” Parnum stops before a door at the very end. “Tomorrow, it's time to show me your map.”

  I shake my head out of tired stubbornness more than anything else.

  I owe him. I owe him for getting us all out, getting us on this boat. I owe him. But he wants to destroy the Hope.

  He sighs deeply, hand on my shoulder. “I considered leaving you behind, but I could not be that cruel. We'll talk tomorrow. Sleep.” He closes the door behind him.

  I stand there, staring at nothing. What, he’s going to let me see the Hope before he destroys it? That’s less cruel?

  “Damn.” Demos yawns. “I'm tired. Maybe we should all sleep.”

  “Yeah,” Kaia says weakly, hugging herself. “I don't want to go alone.”

  Demos smiles at her. “I'll go with you.”

  She smiles back. They'll comfort each other, I guess.

  My head spins. “He's going to destroy it. He's going to destroy the Hope, and none of you care?”

  Demos shrugs. “We'll decide what to do when we get there.”

  He's making a mistake. “What makes you think you'll have any choices when we arrive?”

  Demos looks at me like I'm an idiot. “There are five of us. I think we can handle it, Harry.” There he stands in this narrow hall, backed by my Travelers, confident in spite of everything that’s happened.

  He doesn't know Parnum like I do. “You're wrong. It won't work like that.”

  Demos shakes his head and walks away from me. “Goodnight, Harry.”

  “Wait. Guys?”

  They choose rooms and shut the doors behind them. “Goodnight, Harry.”

  “Wait, hang on!”

  Leaving me here, all alone.

  It’s too much. I fling my hands up, shouting. “Why won’t anybody listen to me?”

  “My lord,” Aakesh says behind me. “Perhaps you should have this Harry-to-Harry discussion in the privacy of your own room.”

  “This is not a Harry-to-Harry discussion!”

  He steers me into a room, his hands hot on my shoulders. It’s a small room, with a single curtain-covered window and a small fold-down bed.

  I shove away from him once we’re in. “Cut it out!”

  “My lord, you are not the only one tired.” He’s patient again, so cloyingly patient. “Rest. Your safety or success would hardly be guaranteed by shouting.”

  My fists clench. “Like my safety matters to you?”

  “You are the only thing standing between my people and destruction. You can neither imagine nor understand what I would do right now to save you.”

  His orange gaze pierces mine, and I can't turn away. I shiver.

  Nothing is in my control. “What happened with Bek?”

  “We misled them, but not enough.” says Aakesh, watching me. “They struck for the sake of their threats, not for your Parnum.”

  “Their threats?”

  “For several years, they have sent envoys to every major city, bearing the message that there will soon be a united empire in this world with Bek itself as the head. They have made threats. And, as you know, they have acted.”

  I sit on the little cot. Years? Freaking years?

  I haven’t been paying attention at all. All this time, trying to save the world, I haven’t even listened to what was happening
in it.

  Engines rumble, suddenly, and I lurch as the ship pulls away from the harbor. There's no turning back now. “How much time until Bek finds the Hope?”

  “Bek follows your Parnum. We have as much time as he takes.”

  Too fast. It's happening too fast. “I don't have a plan for this.”

  He just looks at me. “I do.”

  It doesn't matter if it's too fast. It's happening anyway. “I don't know what to do,” I say to no one, and put my head in my hands.

  “Rest, my lord.”

  “Yeah. Sure.”

  “That is what you should do. Rest.”

  As if I could possibly sleep. I want to run away. I want to scream and flail. Any mistakes I make will cost the world. I can't do this.

  Aakesh puts his hand on my shoulder again and pushes me back down on the cot. “Sleep.”

  Somehow, I do.

  ● ●

  ● CHAPTER 30 ●

  Sundered Sympathizer

  Gorish is crouched by my cot, stroking my hair as I wake. “Nice master!”

  Huh. I feel pretty good. No aches or pains, no hunger or headache. I sit up. Everything's relaxed. Pain-free. Aakesh stands in the corner of my tiny room, watching me. I pet Gorish between his big eyes. “How long was I out?”

  “Through the night. We are far into deep water, my lord. There is no land in sight.”

  I stand and stretch, refreshed like I slept for a week. Okay. New day. New chances. I can do this. “Is everybody else up yet?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Far into deep water. I yank aside the curtain covering my porthole to see it for the first time.

  Black water presses against the glass like a living thing.

  I scream and scramble backwards into the wall. “We're sinking!”

  “No.” Aakesh pulls the curtain closed and Gorish wraps around my waist as if he could possibly make this better. “The hold is full. Your cabin is below water level.”

  I'm under the black water.

  Okay. Calm down. I know what's happening. They call this low-water freak out. Of course they do, because people do freak out because that's black water in the window but there's no need to freak out because a leak would get me no matter where I was on the ship and never mind that if it leaked it would grab me and pull me through the ship’s hull, and this line of thought is not helping.