Lightning Tracks

by A. A. Kinsela

  He cleared his throat and tried to think of a reply, but nothing came to mind.

  Cal staggered out, looking as tired as Artemis. All he wore was a pair of threadbare Bandála trousers.

  ‘Late shift?’ Nick asked.

  ‘Yep,’ Cal replied.

  ‘Sorry. I’ll buy you both breakfast.’

  Ten minutes later, the three of them were perched on the crumbling remains of a stone wall, munching on honey flatbread, slurping coffee, and watching the bustle of foot traffic. Kráytos stood guard nearby, scrutinising every member of the passing crowd. A few people smiled and waved at Nick. A pair of Bandála soldiers stopped to give Kráytos a salute, then repeated the gesture to Nick. One man gave a serious bow before continuing along the road. Nick’s face heated up, and he wished he was invisible.

  Horses clattered across the cobbles, their riders carefully steering around the street vendor’s ragged little stove. The vendor, a leathery Yándi woman in a tattered red dress, watched Nick out of the corner of her eye as she brewed a fresh pot of coffee and topped up each of their chipped cups. She hurried back to her stove when a Highland woman arrived with a baby on her hip.

  Cal inhaled the steam from his coffee and asked, ‘What’s this good news you dragged us out of bed to hear?’

  Nick grinned. ‘There’s an initiation ceremony tomorrow night and you’re both invited.’

  Artemis stared at him, her face alight with excitement. ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Yep. If you want to join the Bandála, you’re in.’

  She punched the air with glee, and Nick laughed. Cal picked a flake off his flatbread and flicked it onto the road.

  ‘We’re going to have to show everyone our tattoos,’ he said, looking far less enthusiastic.

  ‘I know,’ Nick said. ‘So am I.’

  ‘They won’t respond to us like they do with you, Nick.’

  Artemis nudged Cal’s shoulder. ‘This is what we’ve always wanted.’

  ‘No, Artemis, this is what you’ve always wanted.’

  ‘David’s given his permission,’ Nick said. ‘You’ll be safe.’

  Cal ran his fingers through his hair. ‘Alright. I’ll come along.’

  Nick slapped him on the back. ‘Great.’

  He jumped off the wall and handed his silver coin to the street vendor, who stared at it as if it was a gold bar. She rummaged around in a pouch for change, but he waved a hand. ‘Keep it.’

  Her mouth fell open, and before she could say anything, he turned back to Artemis and Cal and said, ‘I’ll see you both later.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ Artemis asked.

  Nick paused. ‘Uh...Valerius and David want to talk to me.’

  She raised an eyebrow. ‘Anything to do with Miles?’

  He shrugged.

  ‘Don’t be too lenient,’ Cal said. ‘He tried to kill you, remember.’

  ‘He tried to stop Julian,’ Nick replied.

  They looked at him with identical closed expressions.

  ‘You weren’t there,’ he muttered, and walked away. Arguing with them was pointless. In their eyes, Miles was as guilty as Julian. He’d knocked Nick unconscious then smuggled him out of Auremos with the intention of handing him over to the Arai.

  ‘To the council chamber?’ Kráytos asked.

  ‘Yep. Please.’

  As Nick passed beneath the arched shadow of the sun temple, he wondered if Artemis and Cal were right. Maybe Miles did deserve a harsh punishment. But then he thought of how Julian had blackmailed Cal. Was that any different to what Miles had done? Even as the question rose in Nick’s mind, he knew the answer. Miles had willingly sided with Julian. Cal hadn’t been given a choice.

  Kráytos sidestepped some giggling Yándi kids and their dingo pups. A week ago, having a bodyguard would’ve bothered Nick. Now, he was glad to have someone watching his back.

  As Nick headed down the hill to the council chamber, clouds drifted across the sun and threw Auremos into shadow. Nick blew into his hands to warm himself up and jogged the rest of the way to the council chamber. The Bandála soldiers at the entrance nodded to him as he scooted past. Kráytos didn’t follow him inside.

  In the central meeting room, the table had been cleared of its usual mess of parchment, quills and ink pots.

  ‘Ah. You’re here. Excellent,’ Valerius said. ‘We can get started.’

  Miles sat across from Valerius, his face the colour of chalk and his hair like waterlogged spinifex. His breaths came in shallow bursts, and when he looked up, Nick saw pain and fear in his eyes.

  David came in and shut the door. Nick knew the instant the lock clicked that this meeting was more important than a few simple questions and answers. He lowered himself into a chair.

  ‘We understand, Miles, that Julian left Auremos twice to meet General Alexander at Blackrock Falls,’ Valerius said. ‘How long have you known that Julian has been in contact with the general?’

  Miles shifted. Nick heard a clink of chains.

  ‘About six weeks, sir.’

  Valerius glanced at David, whose face was as hard as stone.

  ‘You’ve known about this treason for more than a month,’ David growled, ‘and you didn’t tell anyone?’

  Miles licked his cracked lips and replied, ‘It wasn’t treason, sir. At least, I didn’t think it was at first.’

  ‘You risked the lives of everyone in this city when you handed the reassignment orders to the aqueduct guards,’ David said. ‘You knowingly conspired with the general of the Arai. And you tried to murder Nick.’

  ‘No, sir! I didn’t know the commander was going to do that!’

  David pounded a fist on the table. ‘Julian ordered you to kidnap Nicholas Kári. What did you expect was going to happen?’

  Miles’s pale gaze flitted from David to Valerius to Nick. ‘But he said...’ He swallowed. ‘Commander Julian said the Bandála were in danger of being torn apart from within.’

  David bowed his head, drew a deep, furious breath. The muscles in his shoulders rippled with fury.

  ‘Did he say how this threat would manifest?’ Valerius asked.

  Miles locked stares with Nick. ‘Kári,’ he replied. ‘The commander said that Nicholas Kári planned to take over from Thanos and then use the Bandála’s trust in him to seize Auremos. I couldn’t let that happen.’

  Nick shook his head. ‘That’s ludicrous.’

  ‘Is it?’ Miles fired back. ‘Is it so far from the truth, Nick? Or are you deluding yourself as well as everyone else?’

  He clutched at his chest, wheezing and coughing. Valerius slid a cup of water across the table, and Miles gulped it down.

  ‘We have one last question,’ Valerius said.

  Miles huffed. ‘What’s the point? You’re going to execute me anyway.’ His eyes filled with tears and he ducked his head.

  Nick’s guts rammed into violent knots. Was that what David and Valerius had in store for Miles? Execution?

  ‘Nick? Did you hear me?’ Valerius said.

  ‘Huh? Ah...no. Sorry.’

  Valerius sighed. ‘Miles claims not to have known Julian’s true intentions when he took you to the Defender’s River. Would you say he has told the truth?’

  Valerius and David watched Nick as if his answer alone would determine Miles’s fate. He realised then that it probably would. The thought made him feel sick.

  ‘I think Miles has been...’ Nick didn’t know the Korelian word for ‘brainwashed’ so he continued, ‘...tricked into believing I’m a threat. That’s why he was working with Julian.’

  ‘You haven’t answered the question,’ Valerius said.

  Nick glanced at Miles, who was staring at him in fear – of the situation, of David and Valerius. Of Nick.

  Nick folded his arms to hide his shaking hands. ‘When Miles realised what Julian was going to do to me, he tried to stop it. So, yeah, I’d say he’s told the truth.’

  Valerius nodded to David, and the two men rose to their feet.<
br />
  ‘Miles, your actions endangered the lives of everyone in Auremos,’ Valerius said. ‘You conspired to assist an enemy of the Bandála. You also aided in the kidnap and attempted murder of a person under Bandála protection. That is more than enough reason to execute you for treason.’

  ‘No, wait...’ Nick began, but David’s ferocious glare silenced him.

  ‘It appears,’ Valerius continued, ‘that you were persuaded by a very dangerous lie, Miles, and that your actions were prompted by a belief that the Bandála was threatened. Because of this, I am granting you a stay of execution. Your membership to the Bandála will be revoked and you will serve fifteen years in the vaults.’

  The sentence left Nick hollow with shock. Fifteen long, dark, grimy years with slime and rats for company. It was too horrible to think about.

  Valerius unlocked the door and spoke to someone outside. Two Bandála soldiers escorted Miles out of the room then Valerius followed them out. David shut the door with serious deliberation.

  ‘Nick, it’s critical that you don’t tell anyone about what was said just now. Miles and Felix weren’t the only ones working with Julian. I still don’t know who wrote the two reassignment orders.’

  ‘Doesn’t Miles know who wrote them?’

  David shook his head. ‘He thinks it was Julian. I’d like to keep it that way.’

  Nick drummed his fingers on the table, remembering the men who’d snatched him from the amphitheatre. ‘These people could still be in Auremos.’

  ‘Yes, which is why you need to be careful about what you say and who you say it to.’

  Nick frowned.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ David sighed. ‘I’m not suggesting that it’s Cal or Artemis.’

  ‘Good.’

  ‘They’ll both make excellent additions to the Bandála.’

  ‘Took you long enough to realise,’ Nick muttered, and scooted out of the room before David could say another word.

  LATER THAT EVENING, Nick lay on the roof of his apartment block and thought about Artemis. He remembered the first time he’d noticed her, asleep by the campfire, her thick brown hair coiling in the dirt. He pictured the way her eyes smiled even when her mouth didn’t, as if she could see straight into the head of anyone who entered her sights. He’d just begun imagining parts of her he hadn’t yet seen when, without warning, David’s shaggy hair blotted out the night sky, making Nick jump.

  ‘Having second thoughts?’ David asked, peering down at him.

  ‘Um...second thoughts about what?’

  ‘Initiation.’

  ‘Oh. Ah, no.’

  David leaned against the ledge. ‘What you said about Miles today took a lot of courage.’

  Nick linked his fingers behind his head and replied, ‘It was the truth.’

  ‘You could’ve used that situation to get revenge for what he did to you.’

  ‘Julian put a sword through his chest. I’d say that’s enough of a punishment.’

  David nodded as if the response proved something he’d long suspected. ‘I’m glad you think that, Nick. I’m proud of you. I know Mía would be too.’

  Nick stared at the stars, which had grown brighter as if new energy coursed through the Milky Way, and blinked away tears.

  ‘I have something to show you,’ David said.

  Nick followed him downstairs and out into the night. The streets were quiet, though firelight and voices spilled from open doors and windows. David led him to the sun temple on top of the hill where Nick had once stumbled upon a funeral. At this hour, the temple was empty, but a fire flickered in a stone basin on the altar, reminding Nick of a burning boat in a black ocean.

  Xanthe was waiting for them at the altar.

  ‘What are we doing here?’ Nick asked.

  David took the blue shawl that Xanthe offered and handed it to Nick.

  ‘When a person dies, it’s a Yándi custom to burn something that belonged to them,’ David explained. ‘The smoke marks a path to the stars where they can join our ancestors to protect and watch over us.’

  Nick ran his fingers across the faded silk and asked, ‘Who did this belong to?’

  ‘Mía. It’s time you said goodbye.’

  A lump formed in Nick’s throat. He imagined Mía wearing the shawl, drawing it around her shoulders on a chilly Yándemar evening in front of a crackling fire. He could picture her in Auremos so clearly. This was where she belonged, where she’d always belonged. She’d saved his life and given up her own life here so she could keep him safe on the other side of the song gates. Did she have a family? Had she left them so that Nick could live? He’d never asked her. He’d never been given the chance. Now, he thought about how much he wanted to see her, just one last time, so that he could hug her and tell her that he was sorry, that she was the bravest person he’d ever known, that he missed her so much it hurt.

  That he loved her. He always had, and he always would.

  He wiped his eyes and held the shawl above the fire then let it slip from his fingers. It caught alight and danced in the flames. Xanthe and David sang softly, and Nick found he recognised the song.

  As you, our dead, drift softly to the stars,

  Do not despair, do not look back.

  Remember those you’ve left behind.

  Eternal peace you now shall find.

  You are the wind that shakes the trees.

  You are the path beneath our feet.

  You are the sun and moonlit night.

  You are our sadness and delight.

  Your memory shall never fade.

  David rested a gentle hand on Nick’s shoulder before he and Xanthe stepped out to the street, leaving Nick alone in the temple. Starlight dotted the heavens through the missing roof as if welcoming the silken ashes as they spiralled up into the night. He liked the idea of Mía becoming a star, sailing above the world, so that all he had to do to talk to her was step into the night.

  He knew, though, that she would never answer his questions. He looked down at the fire, blinking through his tears, and said, ‘I’ll try to do the right thing. I promise. Although I’m still not sure what the right thing is most of the time.’

  He went to leave, but then turned back to the flames and whispered, ‘See ya.’

  Chapter 36: Initiation

  Cal had witnessed a few initiation ceremonies since arriving in Auremos, but he’d never seen a crowd this large before. Thousands of people were gathered around the central fire pit, and he could only assume that news had spread of Nick’s presence here tonight. He stood on a bench at the fringe of the training field to get a better look. The bonfire tossed flames at the stars, lighting the faces of the Bandála, whose clothes were dusted in a fine red powder and who were laughing and talking excitedly. The atmosphere reminded Cal of the Korelian Day of the Dead celebrations, except the sight of Bandála recruits in full revelry raised his hackles much more than a drunken, skeleton-painted parade. He drew long, deep breaths, trying to settle his nerves.

  Nick and Artemis stood nearby, waiting for him to join them. Nick’s face was alight with wonder, and Artemis didn’t look half as worried as Cal thought she should. He wished he had their confidence.

  ‘I still don’t think this is a good idea,’ he said, stepping off the bench and into the protective shadow of an archway.

  ‘We’ll be fine, Cal,’ Artemis said.

  ‘Everyone already knows who you are,’ Nick added. ‘And you’re still alive despite that. You’re nallindéra now.’

  ‘We might be nallindéra to you, Nick,’ Cal replied, ‘but to the Bandála, we’re still Arai.’

  Nick shook his head. ‘Not for much longer. If you do this, you’ll be one of them. Besides, you’ve managed to persuade the toughest judge of all.’ He pointed to Rayámina, who was jogging towards them.

  Rayámina carried a double-barbed spear, and his entire body was coated in red ochre. A white five-pointer star was painted on his bare chest, and more white lines striped his temples and eyelids. H
is copper necklace glinted in the firelight. With a shudder, Cal recalled the Bandála soldiers on the night of the summer solstice, and he retreated into the street. Rayámina regarded him steadily then leaned his spear against the wall and stepped through the archway.

  ‘You have nothing to fear tonight, Cal.’

  ‘I can’t go through with this, sir.’

  ‘Why not?’

  Cal looked at Nick and Artemis, who were pointing towards the bonfire and chuckling. They were so alive, so content and happy, and Cal ached to feel that too. But after everything he’d done while he was with the Arai, how could the Bandála ever really accept him?

  ‘Because of...of the solstice. Because of what I did. It was...I don’t deserve to be here.’

  Rayámina rested a hand on Cal’s shoulder. ‘We’ve all done things we wish we could change. What’s important is that you don’t turn aside now. The Bandála needs you.’ He glanced at Nick and added, ‘Nick needs you too. More than he realises. You came from different directions, but now you walk the same path. That’s all that matters. Are you ready to join him?’

  Cal drew a deep breath and nodded.

  ‘Good. Now come on. We’re about to get started.’ When Rayámina took his hand away, he left a red palm print on Cal’s jacket.

  As they walked to the bonfire, people pointed and gossiped. Jinx waved from the front row. Xanthe beckoned to Artemis, who joined the group of uninitiated girls off to one side. Cal and Nick stayed with Rayámina and the boys.

  ‘Shirts off,’ Rayámina ordered.

  Nick removed his jacket and shirt then ducked his head self-consciously as the other boys stared at his Arai tattoo and muttered to one another. Rayámina’s stern glare was enough to silence the whispered amazement. Cal took off his shirt as well, watching the others closely. None of them said a word, but they didn’t have to – the suspicion in their eyes was clear enough.

  A Bandála soldier brought over a bucket of powdered ochre, which the boys smeared across their arms, chests and faces. Cal dusted his hair, trousers and boots as well. Then Rayámina painted them all to look the same as him, tracing lines across eyelids and lips, and, except for Cal and Nick, everyone had the five-pointer star drawn from collarbones to sternums.