by Dan O'Brien
“Summer,” responded Ryan.
“Pardon me?”
“Her name is Summer, Mihen.”
“Ah yes, forgive my rudeness, Summer.” Mihen coughed nervously and looked back at me. I nodded for him to continue. “If the Council does get wind of these particular facts, then an inquiry will be conducted. If a reasonable doubt can be brought against Summer, then she will be banished. Unless, of course, she truly is a demi; in which case, it won’t matter really because we will all be dead.” Mihen laughed despite himself and then stopped when he saw the serious look on both Ryan and Summer’s faces.
I interceded at this point, wanting to turn the conversation as quickly as I could. “What I need to know is the truth, Summer. Tell me what you can remember.”
“I awoke in the ruins where the generator was found. I found some of the wraps and clothing littered throughout the facility. I wandered out onto the tundra while I was searching and that was when you found me.”
“Awoke?” I queried.
“That is the only way that I can describe it. I have no memories before waking there.”
“The Council will conduct tests, various trials to prove your humanity.”
“But, Seth, I told you I know that she is not a demi. Our father could feel it and so can I,” urged Ryan.
“That may be, but the Council will not accept that. After the gathering, they asked if I had picked up a traveler. They think this traveler will cause us harm.”
“This is ridiculous,” roared Ryan as he slammed his fist into the wall of the miniscule domicile, shaking the foundation.
“Ryan, calm down. Do not abandon reason here. If you truly believe as you do, then you need to maintain your composure. They will view your emotion as evidence of her guilt.”
My brother’s childish behavior was beginning to anger me.
He paced in the small area, muttering beneath his breath.
“What will happen now?” queried Summer, her words breaking the tense silence.
“As of now, only the four of us know the connection. Once this traveler is awake, then I imagine he will be taken before the Council. A link will be made and the trials will commence. Until then, all you can do is wait and hope,” I replied.
THE PASSAGE TO THE TUNNELS was something of a trek. The narrow halls seemed to delve deep into the earth, the heat emanating from there exhausting and confining. The walls were littered with drawings. Some were from the children of the Fallen and some from the ancients who hid in the tunnels the years following the wars with the Umordoc.
Mihen was just immediately ahead of me.
Ryan and Summer walked behind us. I insisted they come along, as I did not want spies from the Council cornering them for an inquisition.
We stopped at a four-way intersection in the tunnel, each path leading farther into the darkness. The one straight ahead led us deeper into the earth, where the thermal vents had been constructed generations before. The heat from the core was harnessed through various coils and wind conductors that pushed the air through caverns.
As we waited for Mihen to continue forward, I could feel the warm rushes of air that swept over us.
Ryan held Summer in his arms, her face buried against his chest. I could feel the apprehension pouring off of my brother.
Mihen scratched his balding dome and looked from the east entrance to the west entrance, bewilderment plastered across his features. The east entrance led into the catacombs of our forefathers. The west entrance was a series of twisting tunnels that led to a machine buried deep within the rock. Mihen raised his finger in acknowledgement and pointed toward the west entrance, his memory returning to him––and hopefully why he had led us down into the depths of the caverns in the first place.
The tunnel had been widened since last I ventured down it. Glow lamps had been attached all along the rocky outcroppings in order to allow some semblance of direction when navigating in the dark. The tunnel dipped and then straightened out again after what seemed like kilometers before we reached the site where there had once only been just a rocky wall with a simple space for the generator we had retrieved. Now, the entire wall had been torn down, revealing other machines. A long tubular structure had been unearthed: transparent steel at its front and fins along the side like some sort of animal.
“What is it, Mihen?” I queried as I moved forward.
The steel was warm and damp.
“We think that it served as a transportation device years ago. Its exact use has evaded us thus far,” replied Mihen as he moved about papers and diagrams upon the tattered wooden desk that faced the farthest wall.
“Looks like it navigated the tunnels,” called Ryan absently as he stared at it and then returned his eyes to Summer.
Tunnels? My mind spun. If there were tunnels deeper into the earth, then perhaps they led east to another civilization.
Ryan recognized my introspection. “What is it, Seth?”
I ignored him for a moment and pressed Mihen for answers. “Where is the generator we retrieved?”
Mihen produced the crude, cylindrical steel part that had weighed upon my back for more kilometers of snow and tundra than I could remember. The bottom of the device was smooth and without indention. The top was a contrast: tubes ran along the sides and extended into the top, making it seem like it wore a crown. “I brought it along. I figured you would want to see its use firsthand,” replied Mihen as he bent forward and placed the device into the open crevice of the machine.
Nothing happened at first. Then, as if it had been resurrected back to life, the panel beside the device lit up with flashing dials and graphs. The colors illuminated the drab surroundings in which it resided. We watched as lights erupted all over the device. The stale yellow glow was something the people of the Fallen had not seen for some time. The tubular structure roared to life as well, rumbling and shaking as if were about to disassemble itself.
“What in the blazes is going on?” I called over the noise.
Mihen moved forward and inspected the panel. He turned back and shrugged.
“It’s so loud,” called Summer as she placed her hands over her ears and leaned in closer to Ryan, whose face was also contorted.
The tubular device moved now, sluggish at first and then exploding father down the tunnel Mihen had begun to excavate. The roar of it pushing forward, coupled with the tremendous sound of the splintering rock, permeated the air. It slammed against the rock wall and stopped, the engine sputtering and then dying.
I moved past Mihen, who stood closest to the gaping hole that remained, and into the darkened chambers the machine had created. I peered into the darkness and coughed. The dust had created a cloud over the entire chamber. “Unbelievable,” I whispered as I stepped into the darkness and ran my hands over the damp walls.
Ryan and Summer stood at the entrance of the gaping cavern.
I tried to focus my eyes, but it was not until I bumped into the rear of the machine that I found my place in the darkness. I felt around for a hatch, something that could open the wall that had been placed before me.
“Seth, what’re you doing in there?” called Ryan.
The tunnel went deeper into the earth than I had realized. I had found the latch I was looking for and I wrenched on it with all the strength I could muster, but it wouldn’t budge. I could hear cluttered footsteps behind me, but I ignored them. Sweat poured down my face as I pushed with everything I had. As I was about to step away, the metallic snap of the latch falling rang out and I knew I had found the opening I required. The rear of the tube opened slightly and the musty odor within assaulted my senses. I wrapped my hands around the edge of the now-exposed hatch and pulled it toward me, moving the steel structure until there was enough of an opening for me to climb through sideways.
“Seth, come back,” called my brother.
I ignored the voice once again––something within was drawing me forward. The tube was lined on each side with rows of benches for as far as I could
see in the darkness. Farther into the darkness, there seemed to be a glass divider at its end.
“Seth, you have to come back,” came my brother’s voice again.
I cursed him silently and moved away from the wonders within. I slid my body against the opening and pushed myself through. I made sure to push the door closed again and then navigated the dark path back, making sure to keep my hand along the wall so as not to lose my balance. I emerged from the tunnel and squinted my eyes as they adjusted again. Before I could look up, the words had already sprung from my mouth.
“What was so important that I had to come back?”
Three more men had joined the ranks. Their clothes were black and their heads were adorned with an equally black band. They were the disciplinary soldiers of our society. Very rarely was justice necessary within the confines of the Fallen. Their orders came directly from the Council.
“Praise be to the believer, Master Huntsman.”
I nodded, uncertainty already gnawing at me. “Praise be to the Believer.”
“The Council has called a meeting. Your presence is necessary.”
The oldest of the three soldiers was a warrior by the name of Rien. He was known throughout the village as being an accomplished knife fighter and altogether brawler; yet, I had never had to cross paths with him. The other two were too young for me to be able to place their names.
“Why is my presence necessary, Rien?” I queried, dusting off my pants and stretching my back.
Summer looked nervously from the disciplinary soldiers to Ryan and then to me, repeating the process over and over again.
“It involves one of the men from your recent expedition,” he replied simply. The pike held at his side exposed the textured forearm guard he wore with the sheath for his planedge. The blade had not seen the burdens of the tundra.
“Who?”
“Fredrick,” he replied. “He was caught stealing supplies and then trying to flee through the northern entrance with a pack in tow.”
I shook my head and pursed my lips. Intuition told me I should have seen this coming. “Banishment?”
“Higald wishes to hold a trial, but the Six have already expressed their desire to see him exiled––and any others who were in league with him,” returned Rien sourly.
“Indeed, I would figure as much,” I replied. “We will arrive shortly.”
Rien nodded and motioned for the other two disciplinary soldiers to follow him. Their eyes were focused squarely on Summer as they exited.
“Banishment? It has been some time since such a sentence has been carried out. Fredrick, such a fool, even at his end,” mused Mihen as he removed the generator core from the port and placed it beneath the desk, covering it quickly with a worn blanket.
“I thought for sure they had come for me,” whispered Summer, her voice barely audible.
Ryan looked down at her.
It was true I had anticipated such an action as well; but, this turn of events was no better. If banishment was to be Fredrick’s fate, then it would be my responsibility to lead him far into the tundra. I would be instructed to leave him there, the only way to ensure that he never returned.
“What will become of Fredrick, Seth?” whispered my brother.
He detached from Summer for the first time since we had braved the tunnels. “You heard Rien…banishment. He tried to steal and expose us by fleeing from the village. There is no other choice,” I replied without remorse.
“That’s it? Even though we all know that he’s crazy?”
“I am afraid so. That alone is reason enough for banishment. His unstable mental state has been a topic of debate among the Council for some time. Coupled with his thieving, there is no doubt that he will be banished.”
“Impetuous bastards,” whispered Ryan as he leaned against the wall.
Summer placed her hand on his back.
“The best thing we can do is attend the trial and see if perhaps some sense can be talked into the Council,” I replied, trying to end the burgeoning argument as I always attempted to do.
“And if they won’t listen?” queried Ryan, turning from the wall and leveling his somber gaze at me.
“Then we must abide by the will of the Council.”
“Abide by the will of the Council,” repeated Ryan bitterly. “So simple, is it? Just go along with what they say, not once questioning their methods. What if it were Summer? What if it were me?”
“Ryan, you forget that we do not have the luxury to take such avenues in life. We depend on one another for life and support. If we divide ourselves, even the smallest rift could end what we have.”
Here it was: the core issue that had caused so many arguments between siblings was released once more.
It was a question of true choice, the ability to discern one’s own fate.
“Father would disagree,” he spat. He always found it necessary to remind me of the pioneer spirit our father possessed. Yet, he seemed to only hone in on the aspects that best suited his argument.
“You were too young to remember father’s words. You always speak of him as if he knew no wrong. He knew that certain things were necessary in order to maintain the way we live. We are a society of many. We need each other in order to survive. Your childish needs to combat these rules are tiresome at best.”
“Our father loved our mother, that love was most important of all,” he replied, searching for his words carefully.
“Our parents understood the necessity of maintaining our way of life, no matter how brutal or heartless it could become.”
“I don’t care. Banishing a member of the village into the harshness of the tundra is wrong,” he replied.
“Enough of this, Ryan. Take Summer back to your domicile and then make your way to the Council halls. We will meet you there.”
I could feel that my brother wanted to say more, but I silenced him with a definitive wave of my hand. Summer dare not utter a word, either. Ryan turned on his heels and stalked away, his lanky frame disappearing into the darkness––followed quickly by Summer. I turned to Mihen, who had remained silent during the exchange. He flashed me a look of relief and sighed outwardly to express it.
“Perhaps you could have approached that differently,” he began, looking through the papers on his desk mindlessly.
Lately, my brother had been getting under my skin.
“He needs structure. He is becoming reckless. Now, with Summer here, he seems to be slowly slipping into a state where I can no longer reach him. Frederick made some bad decisions and now he must pay the price, no matter how harsh the judgment. That is the way of the Fallen.”
I paced for a moment.
“It seems the topic of Summer has you quite in a tilt. Her presence has changed your brother. Love can be a powerful ally. Perhaps you should listen to him more often,” reasoned Mihen with a grin.
I paused. His words hit home.
“You listen to my words. That is wise,” continued Mihen.
“You bring a valid point to light. Perhaps I have underestimated what this love means to him. Maybe it will prove to be a strength.”
Mihen nodded again and moved past me into the tunnels that had swallowed the fading figures of my brother and Summer.
I, too, joined them there, unaware of the roving eyes that permeated the darkness as I passed the intersection of the tunnels.
They were the hungry, listless eyes of a predator.
