Neena had been through a lot—enough to make her give up and hide. And yet she was here, convincing him of something he knew was right. How could he argue?
“If the leaders put something together, you will jeopardize your brothers. That sick boy back home might lose his sister,” Darius warned.
“We’ll be careful,” Neena said. Holding up her spear, she said, “I am used to stealth.”
Darius didn’t need to speak the obvious. Of course, he knew how to sneak around, too. “Say that it looks hopeless, or there are more guards than what I overheard. Are you willing to give up and go home?”
Neena bit down on her lip. “We will see how it looks. If it appears that we would throw away our lives, we will return to our hovels.”
With a long sigh, he said, “If you are foolish enough to try something, then I will be foolish enough to help.”
A short-lived smile crossed Neena’s face. Darius looked back at his hands.
“You say you are too old to assist, but I don’t think that’s true.” Neena glanced from Darius to his workbench, where his bag and torches sat. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 35: Neena
The sun bled yellow and orange over the top of the cliffs as Neena walked with Helgid toward the river. With the evening air came an evening chill. Rather than curse the cold, as her people often did, Neena used it as an excuse to hide her face with her shawl. She clung to the bucket in her hand.
“You’ve barely said a word since you came back from Darius’s, either time,” Helgid said.
Neena chewed her lip. Helgid was right. She had kept quiet, both after lunch and after dinner. “Amos and my brothers have been around all day.”
“I tried to get you outside, but you wouldn’t catch my eye.” Helgid watched her. “What did Darius say?”
Neena sighed. “I don’t want to put you in jeopardy, Helgid.”
“We’re all in jeopardy already. You’ve convinced me of that.”
Neena bit her lip. She regretted what she’d told Helgid, but, of course, she couldn’t take it back.
Keeping her voice low and her eyes on her surroundings, she told Helgid about what she had learned from Darius, leaving out the parts about Kai. When she was finished, she glanced over at her trusted friend.
Helgid seemed less surprised than Neena expected. “For years, I’ve watched the leaders standing high above us, giving their speeches, walking through the colony with arrogant strides. If there is anything I’ve learned, it is that they only tell us what they need for us to know.”
Neena nodded.
“In one way, they’ve kept us alive. In another, they’ve kept us ignorant.”
Neena blew a slow breath. She didn’t argue.
Continuing her line of thought, Helgid said, “The decisions they’ve made this time might’ve cost us our lives. If that monster is coming, we are powerless, like you said. Did Darius have any idea of what to do?”
“Neither of us had a good solution,” Neena lamented.
Curving down the path to the water, Neena put her hand above her eyes and squinted, finding a few Watchers’ silhouettes high up on the cliffs, on the eastern side of the river. Her body coursed with instinctive fear.
“Are you thinking about something else?” Helgid asked. Sometimes she knew Neena too well.
“I am thinking of the stranger, Kai, that I brought with me here,” Neena said, unable to stop herself from bringing up the subject of her and Darius’s conversation.
“Are you worried about him?” Helgid asked, sensing something on her face.
“My fear is that they will kill him, like they almost killed me,” Neena said.
“And you feel guilty for it,” Helgid said.
“I know I did not put him in the position, and yet I feel as if I did,” Neena admitted.
Reaching the water, they found an empty spot on the riverbank. Helgid dipped her bucket in the water, filling it for the laundry they’d do when they got back. “You remind me of your father,” Helgid said.
“How?” Neena asked, frowning. Helgid hadn’t known Dad too well.
“I only knew him in passing, but I’ve heard you and your brothers talk about him plenty. He put everyone else’s needs before his own.”
“He looked after us the best he could, after Mom died,” Neena said, feeling a pang of nostalgia for her parents.
“And you put your brothers, and other people, before yourself.” Helgid smiled. “Sometimes I feel like I learn more about your father every day, through watching you.”
“I can only hope to be half the person he was,” Neena said, with a grim smile.
Helgid watched her a long time, before putting a hand on her arm. “You do not have to take on the weight of the planet, Neena. You have enough to think about with your family.”
“I know you’re right,” Neena said, reaching out to hold her hand. “I have my brothers to look after. They need me.”
“You’ve done great by them.”
“And you’ve been a great friend, Helgid, ever since my Dad died. I want you to know that.”
Helgid smiled solemnly as they set down their buckets and embraced.
Neena closed her eyes, biting back the guilt at the things she neglected to tell her. Together, they finished filling the buckets, before heading home under a darkening sky.
Chapter 36: Neena
Neena lay in bed, waiting for her family to sleep. Thoughts and fears swirled through her head. Her heart pounded. She felt guilt for the lies she’d told Helgid. But she knew what she had to do.
What her father would do.
Outside, the last of the conversations dwindled. A few doors closed. The sound of the colonists wrapping up their chores gave way to the fluttering of bats and a gentle wind. Sand brushed up against the side of the hovel, reminding Neena of the fateful storm during which her life had changed.
Neena waited a while longer, until it felt as if she was the only one awake in her hovel, and then she snuck from her blankets, tiptoed across the room, and slipped out the door.
Chapter 37: Kai
A noise ripped Kai from a troubled sleep.
He blinked through his tiredness and looked out the window, thinking he’d glimpse a bat’s shadow in the small, square sliver of sky. He saw nothing, other than the twin moons casting patterns of light onto the floor outside his cell.
The door at the end of the hallway creaked.
The pump of his heartbeat pulled him fully awake. He’d just managed to sit up when two shadows hurried through the door at the end of the hall, carrying torches. Their bright lights illuminated the annex, temporarily blinding him.
A key hit a lock.
Footsteps echoed through the hall.
Two men rushed into his cell.
One man thrust a torch in his direction, disorienting him, while the other grabbed hold of him and yanked him upright.
“What’s going in?” he asked, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Neither man answered, but he felt the one holding him shaking. His eyes adjusted enough to see one Watcher beside him, and another waiting at the entrance to the cell. He recognized them both as two of the men who’d dragged him from the edge of town, on that first day.
“We’re releasing you,” said the first Watcher.
Kai entertained the foolish lie for only a moment, before reality kicked in and he planted his feet on the floor.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, fighting to remain in place.
The first Watcher tightened his grip, pulling Kai toward the other man in the hallway. Kai lashed out with a boot, but the second man avoided it.
“We’re going to have to do this another way,” the first man said.
The second Watcher punched him.
Pain flashed through Kai’s cheek. A second blow hit above his eye, breaking open the skin and dripping blood into his eyes. A third punch knocked his face sideways. Kai’s head sagged; his vision fuzzed. The Watcher in the hall pulle
d a piece of fabric from his pocket, tying it around his mouth, gagging him.
“Why don’t we do it here?” one guard hissed.
“Thorne said the caves,” said the other, his voice unsteady. “Besides, do you want to drag a dead body all that way? I don’t.”
The Watchers half-dragged, half-led Kai down the annex hallway and through the door, past the enormous table where he’d been interrogated, past the chairs, and the strange centerpiece, while his muffled screams filled the air. The yellow, ancient skulls on the wall seemed to twist and contort under the torchlight, laughing at his misery. And then he was out in the night, under a cloudless sky.
The Watchers pulled him down a dirt path that he could hardly see. The hovels around him were square, bulky shadows. No lights. No people.
Of course, they’d chosen this time on purpose.
Kai stuck his boots in the dirt through his haze, trying to stall the inevitable. He pulled against the arms restraining him. Through his stabbing pain, he tried to keep track of where they took him, even though the destination didn’t matter. He’d never find his way back.
His people were far away from him.
They didn’t care if he lived or died.
He craned his neck, looking for the desert, but all he saw were more houses and the long, straight path down which they pulled him. The Watchers strode quickly, pulling him away as if they might second-guess their actions if they waited too long.
They reached the end of the path, crossing a flat region of sand. Deep, dark shadows rose high above the landscape, blocking out the subtle light of the twin moons.
The cliffs.
Kai knew little about them, other than what he’d seen on the way in. But they were clearly a place for a merciless deed.
Kai stopped struggling.
He went limp.
The sudden weight of his body surprised The Watchers, who bent to stop him from hitting the ground. He let his head loll, closed his eyes, and sank. The Watchers set him down, panting.
“What’s going on?” asked the second Watcher.
“Maybe your fists did the job of our knives,” the first guessed.
“Let’s make sure, before we go farther. We’ll get it done here.”
“It will only take one of us to do it. Should you, or should I?” asked the first.
Kai heard a quiver of nervousness in their voices. Hands grabbed him, rolling him over. Torchlight splashed over his face.
After some quick discussion, the second agreed, “I’ll do it.”
Some of the light receded as a person bent over Kai, blocking some of it, and the other man held the torch. A man’s rasping breath and the smell of his sweaty skin filled the air. Kai cracked his eyes enough to find the second Watcher bending over him, and the glint of his sharp blade. Hesitation crossed the man’s face.
Kai’s fingers crept across the ground, searching for something—anything—to help him. Sand. More sand. His right hand graced something hard. A rock.
Preparing for a move that would either kill him or set him free, Kai clenched the rock and swung it.
Blood sprayed the air.
The man over him cried out and groped his broken nose.
Kai bucked and rolled. The Watcher on top of him fell sideways. The other shouted and grabbed for him. Pushing through his pain, Kai gained his footing and took a faltering step in the opposite direction. Hands grabbed his shirt, tugging him backward. He pulled hard, until the fabric gave way.
And then he was free and running under the moonlight.
Curses and shouts filled the air behind him.
The wind hit his back.
“Get back here!” a man’s voice shouted.
More screams filled the air.
Something else was happening, but Kai didn’t stop to see what it was.
Darkness was his friend as he raced away from the direction of the commotion, heading for the deeper shadows by the cliffs. His only thought was to gain as much distance as possible. Several times, he saw the light of a bobbing torch in his peripheral vision, but he didn’t stop to turn, or check on his pursuers. He crossed the large, dark expanse before him, until he was up against a firm surface of rock, feeling with his hands. Kai moved sideways, gasping for breath, frantically scraping and clawing. He needed an escape. The men were only moments behind him. Maybe closer. Once they found him—
“Over here!” a voice hissed from his right.
“Who’s there?”
“Neena.”
“Neena?”
Am I dead, or dreaming?
She didn’t answer him directly. “Follow me or you’ll die!”
Neena led him forward, finding his arm in the darkness and pulling him further along the stone, and then backward into a new blackness. For a second time, Kai entertained the thought that he was dead, but the pounding of his heart assured him he was alive.
“I don’t think they saw which tunnel we went into,” Neena said, as she continued pulling him. “Keep moving!”
Another pair of boot steps echoed from somewhere deeper in the cave. Maybe Kai had misread the situation, and another guard was inside. His heart slammed against his chest as he considered stopping and turning back, or warning Neena. Whomever it was seemed to be moving in the same direction, but they weren’t shouting. After a few more steps, a quiet voice told them to stop.
Someone lit a torch.
Kai blinked as blinding light washed over the cave. His eyes adjusted to find an old man holding a torch and a cane. Seeing the surprise in Kai’s face, the old man said, “I’m Darius. Follow me.”
Chapter 38: Kai
Kai hurried after Neena and the strange old man, crunching over loose stone and rodent scat. Dark, auburn walls sloped up on either side of them, leading higher than Kai could see under the torchlight. Bats fluttered overhead, startled from their perches. Darius was having trouble leading them quickly. He thrust his cane in front of him as he hobbled, leaning on the walls.
Swooping in to help him, Neena tucked an arm under his shoulder. “I’ll take the torch!”
The old man passed it off, and she held it higher, lighting the way. The Watchers’ cries echoed from somewhere out of sight. Too many twists and turns in the cave had thrown off Kai’s sense of direction. He couldn’t tell if the guards were inside with them, in another cave, or outside.
“Where are we going?” he hissed, over his comrades’ panting.
“Somewhere safe,” Darius whispered vaguely, thrusting a hand out to point the way.
The cave twisted right, and the ceiling narrowed so that they had to duck. Kai stooped and followed his former companion and this strange new one. He had no idea who this old man was. Of course, he had no time to ponder it. His face ached from the Watcher’s punches. Blood dripped down his cheeks. Moments ago, he was ready to fight for his last few breaths, and now he was alive, though he didn’t know for how much longer.
They muffled their boot steps as much as they could. The cave widened. Divots and marks scarred the walls. Kai had been in plenty of caves before, but none quite so deep. None of the tunnels near New Canaan were as enormous, or as vast.
He was beginning to think they were on a journey with no end when the old man halted them with a raised palm, his ragged breaths reverberating off the cave walls.
“In there,” Darius said, pointing a shaky finger.
Kai and Neena followed his attention to a group of craggy rocks jutting from the cave wall. For a moment, Kai wondered if the man had lost his sense, until Darius hobbled toward the rocks, took the torch from Neena, and showed them a narrow opening between two of them, twisting his old body sideways and through.
He hissed for them to follow.
Neena squeezed past, and then Kai.
They scurried down a new, narrow cave. Sharp, angular rocks jutted from the walls, making traveling difficult, but the old man seemed to know where he was going. He ducked and turned, bringing them along a passage that Kai never would have noticed
if he were alone.
Eventually, the tunnel dead-ended at a small chamber the size of one of the stone houses in New Canaan. Circular, drawn marks lined the walls. A few crumbled, charred sticks remained where an old fire once burned. Piles of sand rat bones littered the ground.
Darius leaned on his cane and caught his wind. Kai noticed he carried a bag on his back, with several more torches sticking from inside. Neena reached up and tugged away her shawl, revealing her long, dark hair. Sweat glistened on her smooth, tanned cheeks.
For several long moments, they stared around the chamber and at each other, waiting and listening.
The cave was virtually silent.
Finally, when it seemed as if no one followed, Darius whispered, “This is a place where I used to come, a long time ago. I don’t think they’ll find us here. They won’t be able to see our torch from the main cave.”
Feeling blood dripping down his face, Kai wiped it away.
“How badly are you hurt?” Neena asked Kai.
Kai did a quick check of his body. Other than his face wounds, which seemed more bloody than deep, he seemed fine. “I think my face took the worst of it. Are you both okay?”
“I’m fine, other than needing a break to rest,” Darius said.
Neena turned, facing more of the light, revealing a puffy black circle around her eye.
Guilt coursed through Kai. “You were hurt.”
“One of them caught me with a fist,” Neena explained.
“You fought them?” Kai asked, confused.
“The Watcher that you didn’t hit was about to tackle you. I knocked into him before he could catch up.”
Kai felt a surge of warmth as he realized what she’d risked for him. That explained the source of the noises he’d heard while running.
“You attacked a Watcher?” Darius repeated, in a shaky voice.
“Kai might’ve been caught, if I hadn’t.”
“They’ll be searching even harder now, and for more than just Kai,” Darius warned.
“I had no choice,” Neena told him.
Sandstorm Box Set Page 29
