by Ciara Knight
“For once, it’s okay,” Penton said.
Ryder glanced behind us. “For now, but that can change in a second. So, stay alert.”
“At least th-they aren’t following us,” Raeth offered.
Ryder touched the side of the cave as if analyzing its minerals. “Not at this point.”
Water trickled down the wall. I brushed my fingertips along the edge of a cool, slimy rock. The brackish odor seemed to be replaced by the scent of damp earth. “Do you think Gordon really did help us? Or was it luck?”
Ryder wiped his brow of droplets falling from the ceiling. “Not sure, for now it looks like he did. The why’s bothering me though. And if we’re wanting to stay alive, we’d best be alert.”
Bendar pointed ahead then shut off the luminary. “Exit.”
Part of me wanted to remain in the cave. A sort of safe haven from the flood of craziness waiting on the other side to attack. It was inevitable. It was my life.
Continuing further into the cave, we paused at the mouth of a large room built onto the side of a cliff. Faint illuminators shone on the walls. Penton stepped out, with his weapon in hand. “Don’t like this.”
Neither do I.
“Not a person here, yet it’s lit up?” Raeth pointed. “What’s th-that?”
Ryder grasped her shoulder. “Wait, too easy.”
Bendar nodded his agreement.
“Something’s over there?” Penton bolted across the large room.
Ryder and I hung back, searching the perimeter. Stacks of large crates stood shoved into the back of the room, black dust covering them and the cement floor.
“It’s a transport of sorts. It’s on tracks,” Penton bellowed.
Gnawing my lower lip, I abandoned the perimeter and joined Penton. Moments later, I stared at an exit with railroad tracks that disappeared into the gloom. “Where’s it go?”
“Map go that way.” Bendar pointed toward the blackness.
Great.
Ryder glanced at me. “Must be the underground transport for weaponry during the war. It connects Upper with Middle Europe.”
“I hope you’re right and that this isn’t—” I motioned toward the crates. “—a hidden cache of weapons for use against rebels.” Moving closer to them, I touched one of the wooden boxes. No surge of heat, or twinge of electricity indicated metal was stored inside. I didn’t know whether to be reassured or worried.
I suppressed my rising fear and joined the others.
Frowning, Ryder examined a large, open-air cargo car and said, “Not sure how to operate it. Not even sure it would work. Perhaps we should walk.”
“Not option.” Bendar held up the halo pad. “Too far. Take too long.”
“I think I can make this work.” Penton began tinkering with some switches and the console at the side. “Once it’s powered up, it’ll work.”
My stomach knotted at the thought of boarding this monstrosity and memories of our last train ride flashed through my mind. Worse, this thing wasn’t a train, but a large metal box with make-shift seats, the type troops used, and I doubted it had working brakes.
“The start button is busted. Hold on.” Penton yanked a clump of wires from below the console and cut two.
I leaned over his shoulder, watching his every move. “What are you doing?”
He glanced up at me and beamed. “It’s called hotwiring. My father taught me.”
“You might not be N-Neumarian, but you have a gift.” A proud gleam lit Raeth’s eyes. Oh, she had it bad for him.
Within seconds, Penton stood. “Stable enough.”
Bendar threw a leg over the side of the metal tram and tumbled onto the floor with a thump. “Stable?”
“It’ll start now.” Penton struck two wires together and they sparked. The engine roared and steam shot out from the rear. It sputtered, the car rocked, then petered out.
“Not enough power.” Penton went to the back of the car and lifted a compartment door. “It runs on coal.”
“Where are we going to get coal?”
My eyes widened. Those crates didn’t hold weapons, but the fuel to get the troops and weapons where they were needed. “From the back of the room, that’s coal dust covering the boxes.”
I ran to the far wall, brushed my hand over the top of the crate, sending dust into the air. No writing, so I shoved open the top of one crate. Sure enough, black cubes of coal. Grinning, I waved Ryder over. “I’m right, there’s tons of it sitting here for our use.”
Ryder joined me along with Penton.
Penton eyed the coal, then the car. “Okay, we’ll have to figure out how much to carry without over-loading it, yet have enough to get out of the city.”
“Got it.”
We all turned to Raeth, the mathematical genius of our crew. One look at her smile and I knew she’d solved the problem of weight versus distance ratio.
I returned to the cart, clambered inside, and sat beside Bendar. “You think this is going to work?”
Bendar shrugged. “Hope.”
There was so much I wanted to know. Yet I couldn’t narrow it down to the most important question, the one that would explain everything.
“You think past?” Bendar asked.
“Yes.” I sighed. “So many questions. How did the queen get me? Where’s my father? Is he really leading the resistance against the queen? Was my mother as beautiful and kind as she is in my dreams or was that implanted, too? I’ve tried to remember what she smelled like but can’t.”
Bendar’s eyes glazed over with distant memories. “Mother beautiful. Kind. Trusting.”
Penton, Raeth, and Ryder returned hauling two crates of coal.
My stomach churned. I hoped once we reached Middle Europe we would find some safety and respite from constant threats of torture and death.
Penton and Ryder loaded the crates, one into the back, the second in the front compartment. Then they shoveled a good portion of the coal into an opening.
With a grimace, Ryder moved to my side and sat. “This either works or we’re walking,” he murmured in my ear.
Penton struck the wires. The engine sputtered then erupted, shaking the entire car.
“Hold on the best you can. I don’t know how well this will work. Here’s hoping the tracks are still intact,” Penton mumbled.
Raeth waved her hand over the side of the car. A console illuminated in the front. How did she know to do that? A forward light lit, barely penetrating the stygian blackness before us.
Ryder’s arm wrapped around my shoulder and tucked me close as Raeth scanned the colored halo images.
“T-time t-to see if I’ve f-figured out th-the controls.” Once again, Raeth moved her hand over the console and the cart bolted like a missile out of the queen’s ship.
Chapter Seventeen
We barreled forward through the midnight-black tunnels. My nails dug into the skin on Ryder’s arm. I knew I should release him but couldn’t. At each curve, I slammed against the back end, then into Ryder. His hand moved from my shoulder to my waist, penning me to him. Although he had his legs braced against the other side of the cart, each time it careered through a turn, we slid and banged against the metal side.
The cart stuttered then screeched to a halt. Our bodies slammed forward. Bendar flew overhead. He would have shot out of the car and onto the tracks in front of us if Penton hadn’t grabbed him.
“Oh, my,” I managed as Ryder and I struggled to regain our balance. “Is this as far as it goes?”
“Um…no.” Penton’s voice cracked.
I leaned over the side and saw a series of tracks in a large circle heading down.
“What the—”
Before Ryder could finish, the cart jolted. Raeth’s fingers frantically spun and changed images on the control panel. Instead of maintaining our current position, the cart rotated backwards and my head hit the rear compartment.
Ryder resettled me tight against him. A sting of gut clenching fear shot through me.
/> “Stay calm. Can’t have you melting the tracks.” Ryder’s eyes shone with unconcealed apprehension.
Penton glanced at us and chuckled. “Hope you’re ready to heal us when we crash at the bottom of this thing.”
“Not funny.” Bendar scowled as he planted both feet and attempted to pen himself into the car.
I wanted to reach out and tuck him against my side and keep him safe, but the cart jerked, then screeched and once again turned us forward.
“H-hold on!” Raeth shouted a second before the cart catapulted us forward. It twisted to the right then careened downhill. Centrifugal force sent Ryder into my side, his body weight crushing me. Unable to take a full breath, I panted between screams.
My head thumped the backend of the cart each time the cart turned. After the fourth curve, we halted at the bottom of the hill.
Ryder pushed himself upright. “We finished?”
“Yes. Think so,” I panted. My head throbbed and my vision was blurred, but nothing seemed broken. I scanned the cart. “Bendar?”
His rosy cheeks peeked over the seat. “No good ride. Too small. Fall out.”
Giggling, Raeth looked back at us. “Fun’s over. Only s-straight ahead now.” She rotated the spiral. The cart leaned on its back and switched to another track.
I clutched the side and scooted closer to her. “Raeth, do you have control over speed?”
At her glance back at me, I caught a mischievous grin on her face. “Now I do. Th-those curves t-took t-too much time. H-here we go.” With one finger she sent the cart barreling through the straight tunnel toward Middle Europe.
For two hours we continued at an exhilarating, wind blowing speed, except when we stopped to load more coal into the engine. From the moment the cart moved down the track, we gave up talking. It was impossible to hear one another let alone think over the noise.
Just when I’d given up hope that the cart would ever reach its destination, I spotted Raeth’s hand flutter over the controls and our cart slowed.
“I didn’t think I’d last another minute,” Ryder whispered, his lips brushing my ear from top to lobe. His light kiss reminded me it wasn’t just the defeat of the queen and her tyranny we fought for, but the freedom to love each other without fear.
Bendar crawled onto the seat across from me. Scowling, he studied the halo pad. “Fun begin. No longer alone.”
Penton spun in his seat. “What do you mean?”
Bendar tapped the screen. “Waster country. Get to safety before dark.”
No one bothered to ask why specifically before dark. We knew the answer wouldn’t be good.
The cart rolled to a stop inside a small storage room, coal crates stacked everywhere. Once out of the tram, we stood and stretched our aching muscles.
“Where to?” Ryder asked.
Bendar pointed to a large door ahead. Two massive boards, plus large cogs and wheels, hung from iron brackets. Brass locks lined the upper part of the doors.
I studied the intricate locking system. “That’s some security.”
Bendar hobbled over to the control panel and flicked through several screens. “Ran guns until end. But abandoned after war…Wasters.”
“How do you know all this?” I asked.
Bendar didn’t look up from the control pad as he answered, “Engine rat knows all.”
A spark of understanding lit my mind. He’d always worked the engine room and claimed it was a perfect place for him. For the first time, I understood why he’d crawled through the air vents and other hard to get through places. He was a spy who hid in plain sight.
Ryder winked at me. “Smart man.”
I realized how much I’d learned from Bendar over the years. Not that he specifically instructed me―that was left to all the tutors the queen had hired. He’d not only shown me how to survive, but given me the will to do so. “Yep, I get my wits from him.”
Bendar paused for a moment and quirked his head, a smile creeping up his lips. He didn’t have to say anything. I knew my words warmed his heart just as his smile and comfort did mine.
Letting my love for him shine in my eyes, I met his gaze. “How did you put up with me?”
The gears rotated and the brass locks slipped free of their cages. “Not easy. Strong willed.”
Ryder rubbed my shoulder. “You can say that, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Raeth boldly slipped her hand into Penton’s and leveled a glare at Ryder, daring him to complain. “Sh-she’s perfect for you. Only one th-that can h-handle you.”
Penton remained rigid, his tall frame like a statue.
Ryder’s frown turned into a chuckle. “Yes. You’re right about that. She’s perfect for me.” He walked over to the large wooden planks forming the door. “Now, if you’ll release my sister’s hand,” he arched an eyebrow, “for a moment, we can unbar the door.”
The wood vibrated and Ryder stumbled back. “Kaj?”
Splinters fell to the ground and dust rained until the wood was nothing more than a pile of kindling and shavings on the ground. “N-no need to let go of m-my hand.”
“Wow.” A twinge of jealousy of how well she’d mastered her gift was quickly replaced by pride. “I’ve got to practice more now that we’re off the ship. If I’d sharpened my gift, I could’ve weakened or melted the iron brackets.”
Bendar hopped in front of me. “Wait.”
“Why?”
“Need masks,” he said.
Penton appeared to be breathing again and released Raeth’s hand. “That’s right. The blue mist.” Bendar handed him the halo pad and Penton read the screen aloud, “Toxic blue mist is no longer at a dangerous level in small doses, but when mist is thick, protective measures should be taken. Avoid direct eye contact or inhalation.”
Spinning the wheel on my Carabineer, I lifted the goggles and breather from my belt.
“No, masks.” Bendar pointed to a hook on the side wall. “Better, can speak.”
Ryder retrieved three hanging from the wall and two from the floor. Large, dark oval eyes, brass fittings, and circular breather all put together with a leather hood.
I slid one over my head and adjusted it so I could see through the lenses. “Let’s do this. Darkness in six hours,” my voice echoed in my mask.
Bendar shook his head. “No. Three. Sunlight gone early here.”
“We need to find shelter before dark, in only three hours?” Ryder asked.
Bendar nodded.
I couldn’t hold my question in any longer. “What happens if we don’t find shelter?”
Penton looked at the halo pad again and read, “Wasters are most active at night. Their blue eyes are sensitive to the sun. Also, blue rain tends to occur in evening hours.”
“Great. We’ll be eaten by cannibals or disintegrated by acid rain. Sounds like a wonderful time. Let’s go.” Ryder donned his mask.
As we stepped through the opening into the blue mist, Raeth about faced and reconstructed the heavy wooden doors, then secured them.
Tendrils of blue smoke swirled around us and a sheet of fog blocked our field of vision. Unable to see more than a few steps ahead, I clutched Bendar and Ryder’s hands. “We must stay together,” I ordered, before we stepped into Middle Europe.
Chapter Eighteen
Having learned the royal blue fog never dissipated, I closed my eyes for a second and prayed it thinned enough to see Ryder in front of me. A cool tendril touched my hand. When I gasped, it withdrew as if it had never existed.
Several shuffled steps later, the mist faded near the ground, allowing us to see where we were placing our feet. Massive dark shadows lined the perimeter, and I spotted crumbling marble and concrete buildings.
Distant howls echoed in the wind, sailing through nearby bombed out buildings. Damp air penetrated the neckline of my jumpsuit and a deathly chill crawled down my back.
Penton brandished his invented weapon, and we all remained on alert. Following the narrow path down the center of a
broken cobblestone street, we maneuvered over the jagged remains of intricately carved statues.
I was only capable of shallow breaths as stale air recirculated in my mask. I scanned the area for metal and found none. It seemed out here my gift was worthless. Back home, there always seemed to be some sort of metal around upon which I could pull energy. Here, only stone and marble surrounded us.
“This way,” Bendar said in a muffled voice.
Forced to drop hands, we scaled the debris, but remained so close together we almost climbed over one another. Once we reached the end of a building, we halted and stared at a wall blocking our path.
Ryder turned and headed to the right.
“Not way,” Bendar hollered.
A desolate street surrounded us and our vulnerability haunted me.
Ryder held up his hands by his side. “Can’t go straight.”
Bendar took the halo pad from Penton and pointed in the direction Ryder had headed. “Wasters.”
Penton scanned the area. “What do we do, because we’re not getting over that for sure?”
As we stood, attempting to spot a safe route to Middle Europe, a zap shot through the back of my head. I pressed my palms to my temples, squeezing my head through the mask to relieve the searing pain.
Ryder jumped to my side. “What is it?”
“Don’t know.” The intensity waned, leaving a sting between my neck and the center of my brain. “I think the mist may be affecting the communicator. Either that, or there’s something out there I can use it on to protect us.”
Raeth adjusted her mask. “Maybe it’s t-trying t-to interpret something.”
Penton lifted his weapon. “Wasters?”
Ryder shifted between feet. “Don’t know, but we’d better move, now. Bendar, which way?”
He pointed down a different side street. “There.”
We all crawled over a pile of large cement pylons, trying for silence. Unfortunately, Raeth’s metal leg scraped against a post, the sound rippling out. I feared it could be heard for kilometers, announcing our presence to whatever hid in the night waiting for us.
