by Mari Dietz
“I don’t know if it smells better than the sewage or not,” he whispered. He clamped his mouth shut. He should stop talking to Sam, but he couldn’t help it. Part of him hoped that someday Samuel would answer. Down here, though, he was being plain stupid for making unnecessary noise.
They came out from behind the crates and walked down the wide hall, twice as tall as the small tunnel behind them. There was nothing special in this one, only more dim lights and black stone. Pillars came into view, and the rotting smell intensified. It was like that time William had forgotten the ice and all the meat had spoiled in the fridge. Had something died down here?
They passed the first pillar and discovered a huge metal cage with no lock. William couldn’t see inside the dark cell. He covered his mouth and nose from the smell, and something large threw itself against the metal bars.
William jumped back and bit his cheeks from yelling. His heart pounded as an enormous eye glowed in the dark. As his eyes adjusted, a mass of black skin threw itself at the bars toward him again. A giant mog growled.
More thuds and growls echoed in the hall. William, standing next to his brother, saw rows upon rows of cells. “Why are there mogs in Haven?” Maybe he wasn’t in Haven. They could’ve taken him anywhere. The matching stone walls might not mean anything.
His heart sank as he thought about the people he’d seen getting dragged in before he’d been caught. It didn’t make sense. If Boreus was now turning people into mogs, why would they bring people here? Was GicCorp letting Boreus in to drain the mogs? William shook his head. No, when he’d seen the masked figures entering Haven, he’d known it wasn’t Boreus. Why did Haven need mogs? He could barely see, but they were huge compared to what Vic had described. GicCorp must have decided to do the draining themselves and skip the reapers. How did they do it without scythes? Questions piled in his head. He needed to get out of here and talk to Vic and her father, then tell Kai they might have the wrong target for who was putting bones out for bait.
The mogs groaned louder as they walked. William didn’t want to get too close, but they shouldn’t walk down the center. If they had to duck behind a pillar, they’d have to hope that the mogs’ hands couldn’t fit through the bars of the cage. They continued to throw themselves at the brothers, getting more and more agitated as their meal walked away from them. The cages finally ended, but instead of more tunnels, twilight glowed in the distance beyond another large entrance.
They went to the corner and peeked out. He ducked back quickly and pressed his back against the wall.
An army. His heart beat rapidly. People waited at attention in the arena-like structure. It was miles long. How could they get by all those people?
He squatted and pulled Sam down too. They could go back to the river. Maybe he could use his wand to make a raft out of the crates? But how would he propel it with magic like the water taxis? He would also need magic to keep whatever he built afloat. At that rate, the boat would sink within minutes.
William drew another breath and peeked out from behind the wall.
Rows and rows of people stood in black clothing and masks, all facing the same way. His breath came out louder as he took in the sight. Something was off. They didn’t even shift. Too still.
He took a chance and poked his head out farther. The large structure didn’t look familiar from the inside. His vision traced along the open arena and saw the tower from GicCorp. He was right. This was Haven. William wanted to see what the people were looking at. No one was at the front, and he ducked back. They were awaiting orders. Or they’d already gotten their orders to stand. Radiant.
“No, no, no, no.” There were so many. How could there be this many? “Is Father in charge of this?” William glanced out again. These radiant weren’t taking part in a peaceful community; these people had been ordered to go get other people. They weren’t being turned into mogs. GicCorp had turned them into their own obedient radiant army.
“Why?” William looked for answers that his brother couldn’t give. “How could they pollute the radiant this much?”
When his father had mentioned forced change, William hadn’t understood the scale. Now he truly saw what was inside Haven. He couldn’t even count how many people waited there in silent attention. There were enough to fill the Nyx district.
William swallowed and stepped out. The last test. No one even glanced in his direction.
“Come on, Sam.”
He stayed to the side to avoid the eerie eyes of the silent warriors. He didn’t want to know why GicCorp needed an army, but it couldn’t be good for Verrin.
Darkness grew, and the lamps around the giant arena glowed. They turned so the dimming sunlight was on their right. They needed to head south toward Verrin. GicCorp must trust that no one could get in or out. That worked well for them now that they were above ground. Dare they head toward the gate?
If he had to guess, that was where they brought in the actual vitals. The rest they took through the underground like he’d seen. Did the vitals get purified as well? He ached at giving this news to Vic and her father. There was no proof of that. He couldn’t even see their faces. He was too lost in his thoughts and jumping to too many assumptions.
What he hadn’t seen so far was a giant relic that purified magic. A large tunneled doorway with onyx doors sat open. They entered, and a metal gate was within view after a few feet.
He could see the familiar building of the Nordics’ home through the metal bars.
Sweat dripped down his face. No one guarded the gate. He took another deep breath and went to the side of the metal gate. He needed to bend the bars slightly so they could fit. They were so close to getting out. His heart raged in his ears as he held the wand in his sweaty hand. When had he ever sweat this much?
He pushed his magic against the iron and swallowed the metallic taste in his mouth. The bar bent, gradually widening to allow a body to fit. “Go, Sam.”
Sam squeezed out, and William followed. He pushed his magic again, letting the bar settle back into its original shape.
William drooped in relief.
They practically hugged Haven’s walls as they made their way between the buildings. Every slight sound made him jump, and every shadow became a guard. William could see the GicCorp factory walls ahead.
“Stop.”
William turned with his brother. His heart tried to break through his ribs. A security guard for GicCorp stopped with his wand out.
“Yes?” Play it cool. You’re out.
The guard took him and Sam in. “Why are you wandering around this area?”
“Sorry, sir. I had job testing earlier, and I was so worried I didn’t pay attention.” William didn’t even know if there had been job testing today. If the guard asked him what day it was, he wouldn’t know that either.
“And him? What’s a radiant doing with you?”
This guy took his job too seriously. “My brother got purified, and I asked if he could come with me today since I was nervous.” William made his lip tremble. It wasn’t hard since his entire body wanted to shake. “He tried to support the entire family, but we couldn’t bring in enough credits.”
By some miracle, the guard relaxed. “I get that.” He waved them off. “Get out of here before someone else comes along.”
He didn’t have to be told twice. He nodded at the man and briskly walked into the city. He hadn’t taken a breath that whole time.
His hands shook as they got farther into Verrin. He worried he would wake up and still be in that cell. Somehow, he’d made it in and out of Haven. Now he needed to tell someone.
17
Vic
“Let’s get out of here,” Vic’s father said from behind her.
Vic sat on the ground outside of what used to be Nyx.
“They took Maddox to Haven.”
“I’m sorry.” He reached out his hand.
Vic gripped the familiar hand, smooth from constantly touching sand. He pulled her up and raised his brows
when she didn’t let go. He blinked a few times and turned his face away from her.
“Your men are at the house.”
Vic jumped. More than one? “William? Kai?”
Her father’s lips twisted. “Yes, and a radiant.”
“Samuel!”
Vic let go of her father’s hand and ran toward her childhood home. She thought she might have heard her father laugh behind her, but she didn’t slow down. She burst inside the house, and there they sat drinking whatever her mother had served them.
Vic stilled in the doorway and took them all in. William rose, and she yanked him into her arms. He dropped his glass to the ground.
“Your mother won’t be happy about that,” he murmured and squeezed her back.
Vic released him and punched his arm. “Do you think I care?” She turned to Kai and lunged at him as well, but he had time to put his drink down. “You got out?”
Kai brushed back her hair. “There will be a trial, but somehow, I don’t have to wait in jail. I’m not sure what strings your father pulled.”
Vic grimaced. “Loaned a bit of founder privilege.”
“Since I’m the one benefiting, I can’t complain about the injustice of it.”
Vic pulled away and grabbed poor Samuel in a hug. “Where in the blight did you run off to?”
Samuel smiled.
Vic ran her hands through her hair. “I’m so sorry, William, that I lost your brother.”
William sidestepped the broken glass on the floor. “Actually, it turned out to be a good thing.”
Her father stepped into the room and imbued the broken glass together again. “Now that you’re here, I’d like to hear William’s story. We wanted to wait for you.”
Vic sat, and William told them about the masked figures taking people. Vic swallowed when he mentioned that his father had tried to purify him.
“And Samuel stopped it?”
William nodded. “I’m still not sure what that means. But while escaping, we came across hundreds of people standing in the middle of Haven.”
“An army?” Kai asked.
“They were all masked like those who chased you down. A first, I thought they were normal, but they were all radiant.”
The group sat in shocked silence.
Vic’s broken voice sounded like it didn’t belong to her. “You mean they aren’t turning people into mogs like we thought.”
“That’s my theory. There are too many to be vitals.”
Her skin grew cold. “You think they’re purifying the vitals too?” Was that what Tristan had meant by alive? Her sister would be alive in body, but not in mind.
Her father broke in, “I don’t think they would go through that trouble. Taking people is a recent development. They’re using the vitals for something else. We need to keep in mind that the vitals are needed because of their first-generation relics.” He eyed William. “William’s an imb now, and he safely left Haven. He proved that what the Nordics say about the relic in Haven is a lie.”
Vic jumped out of her chair. “That means I can go get Em.”
“Yes, but not yet.”
She frowned. “What do you mean, not yet? What if they purify her? You think they won’t, but we’re shooting in the dark.”
“We are, but how are you going to get inside?” He poured himself a drink from the cart and took a long gulp.
Vic crossed her arms. “William described a room like the one I saw. This time, I can take a boat in. Get off at the first dock—”
“—and wander around until you get caught?” Kai asked.
“I won’t leave her there for another day. I want to get her and Maddox before something happens to them.”
“You’re being foolish. You might not make it out without them noticing you.”
“William did!”
Kai stood and faced her. “By pure luck.”
“He said the doors aren’t guarded very well. And I think he’s right that GicCorp is too confident that people won’t go in. If I take the same path he did, I’ll have a chance.” Vic tightened her hands into fists. “You would do the same for your sister.”
“Vic, think about this. I know how you feel, but we’re at war with a massive corporation that runs the city. You don’t know what’s going on behind those doors. I hate to say this, but sometimes, there are casualties in war. You may have to let go.”
“Let go?” Vic’s voice deepened. “How dare you tell me that my sister and Mads are casualties. We have a chance to get them out. I’ll take it with or without you.”
Her father stepped forward. “Victoria, give us time to plan.”
“Plan? So we wait until it’s too late. Am I the only one seeing this?” Three pairs of eyes looked at her with pity, and she turned away.
“Vic, they aren’t saying to leave them,” William whispered. “Let your dad gather allies. Then we can go in after them. This way, we can maybe pull out more people. The other founders would like their family back too.”
Something in Vic told her to move. She glared at Kai. “Never assume what I’m feeling.” She tensed as she spoke. “Don’t you get it? Ever since Em left, I’ve had this sick feeling that I need to get her. It pulls at me. Even though people told me I was being ridiculous, I’ve been fighting Haven since the beginning.” She tensed. “I’ve been patient. I’ve waited. But there’s something that connects me to her, and she needs me.” Her arms fell to her sides. “I know I’m reckless, but I’ll only wait so long, so make your plan. I’m going in within a week, plan or no plan.”
Her father nodded, and William brushed her forearm lightly.
Her feelings jumbled together. The never-ending ups and downs went still inside her. She needed to do something, and she hated depending on others.
“I need some time alone.” She left the room. For the first time since Em had left, she went up to her sister’s room. The glass statue still stood in the middle, glowing with life.
She felt a tug in her heart as she stared at her sister’s likeness. Vic sat on the bed, and tears fell down her face as a soft lilac smell comforted her. She gripped the blanket in her hands.
“Let them make their plans.”
She didn’t care. She would need to solve how to get the vitals free. They’d gotten William in, and he’d told her how he’d gotten out. Now she knew a way in from the sewers. There would be no more waiting. Tristan’s eyes haunted her. What he’d left unsaid worried her more than what he’d told her. There was a ticking clock, and she might already be too late.
A few hours passed, and Vic turned away William and her father when they came in to talk to her. She played her part well, or so she hoped. In the middle of the night, the house quieted, and Vic made her move. She waited until her father had left his office and snuck in to grab a handful of cash credits. She debated going out the front door, but it was right under her parents’ room. With soft footsteps, she ducked back upstairs to Em’s room.
She tucked her hair under her hood, grabbed a spare lamp used for magic outages, and put her scythe in her harness. Vic opened Em’s door to the balcony. Her balcony extended next to Em’s, and there had been many nights when Vic had jumped over to her sister’s balcony since it was closest to the wall. Vic eyed the empty yard in the darkness. Only the trickle of water from the fountains spoke in the night air. She jumped down to the wall and gripped it, letting her body hang from the edge. She bent her knees and let herself drop. Her feet smarted as they hit the stone street. The quiet streets greeted her as she headed toward GicCorp. She didn’t worry about people seeing her since they could assume she was on reaper business.
She ran through the city to the last water taxi stop closest to GicCorp. Luck was on her side when she saw a driver locking up his boat for the night.
“Brave being out so late.” Vic nodded to the man.
A bald spot on top of his head gleamed in the lantern light. His hunched form spoke of sitting for many years at the helm of a water taxi. “Some get off work
late, and we need the credits. I trust the reapers to do their job.”
“Can I buy your boat?” She didn’t waste time and held out the wad of money to him.
His mouth dropped open. “It isn’t worth that.”
“I know. You’ll go through the trouble of making another, and I want it to be worth your time.”
The man glanced between her and the narrow boat. “You could get a better one.”
Vic shook her head. “I need one that floats. If you don’t mind, could you add on a couple wheels and make it thinner, if you have any magic left?”
Together, they pulled the short, narrow boat out of the water. He did what she’d asked of him and included two long poles with flat ends. “So you can steer it.”
Vic thanked him and pulled the light boat behind her toward William’s testing area. The wheels clattered against the cobblestone, but the streets were empty, and she doubted anyone cared. She could try to get in from the sewers, but the boat might not survive the drop into the lovely sewage river. She thought the large grate would be easier, as long as she could navigate. This time, she’d brought a lamp with her.
Vic left her boat in the alley near the testing area and waited for the guard to pass by. After he’d turned the corner, she used her blade as leverage to pull on the lock until it broke. She ran back to her boat and went inside the testing building. She kicked aside the broken lock and shut the door, hoping the guards wouldn’t look too closely or that she would be gone by the time they got back.
She racked her brain for the door her and William had come out of after his test. She turned her back to face the door to get a sense of the location. Vic chose the door to the far right. Darkness coated the room, and she turned on the lamp. The grate had the broken latch. This had to be it. She pulled open the large grate and carefully slid the narrow boat down into the tunnels. She hopped down into the tunnel after and shut the grate with a loud clang. She flinched.
