by S. G. Basu
“I’m glad to hear that,” Dada chuckled. “Now you better run and catch Herc before he leaves. And please . . . please be careful in Shiloh.”
A quick hug later Maia was out on the porch just in time to stop Herc and the carriage. Emmy, who was not pleased at the new development, finally settled for a packed breakfast for Maia and the promise that they would return before the sun set. With her food satchel in hand and the promise in mind, Maia set out with Herc for Shiloh.
3: The Man in White
The ride to Shiloh was peaceful until a sorry-faced dog decided to cross their path right after they had entered the city. Herc swerved in an attempt to avoid crashing into the mutt, and they found themselves sitting squarely in a pothole. The carriage had splintered a right wheel, and Herc announced that it needed immediate attention. For some time, Maia simply sat gawking at the broken wheel, fighting off tears of disappointment. Her plans for the day were dashed, there would be no time left for frolicking around Shiloh after the repairs were completed. When Herc towed the carriage to the nearest repair shop, Maia shuffled along glumly behind him. The mechanic was short on help so Herc had to give him a hand with the repairs. Maia found a bench in one corner and opened Emmy’s food pack. Herc rushed over when she was halfway through.
“Miss,” he said, panting, “what to do ‘bout Dada’s medicines? ‘em repairs gonna take a while.”
It took a moment for Maia to realize the problem. Doctor Hsu’s dispensary was on the other side of Shiloh, and if they waited until the wheel was fixed, they would not make it in time for today’s orders. There was one easy way to solve this: Maia could walk over alone. But she knew Herc would not agree to that; no one would after hearing all the dire scenarios Emmy had prophesied over the past week.
“I can walk over and place the order, Herc,” she offered anyway.
“But . . .” Herc scratched his head and looked away. Maia had guessed right; her plan was not going to fly. “Maybe we can find someone to walk with yeh,” Herc suggested brightly.
“Yes, whatever.” Maia shrugged and refocused on her breakfast.
This babysitting is getting really annoying.
Herc returned shortly, behind him was a small dopey-eyed boy with straggly brown hair.
“This is Merrick, miss,” he announced. “Merrick, greet Miss Maia.”
Maia sized the boy up; he could not be older than ten. Maia had serious doubts about the help the scrawny kid could provide in case of danger, but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. The prospect of walking around with a tag-along was somewhat better than spending the day sitting in the mechanic’s shop.
She started off in a dejected mood, dragging her feet along the shiny cobbled roadways, with Merrick in tow. But she could not stay miserable for long. The day was glorious, and the town of Shiloh was spilling at its seams with the infectious joy and vigor of life. It slowly seeped into Maia. Townspeople of all shapes and sizes thronged the roads; shops filled with colorful merchandise beckoned the passersby inside. Doctor Hsu’s shop, where Herc would later pick her up, sat at the opposite end of Shiloh, so Maia decided to take a shortcut through the middle of the town. She strode forward, knowing fully well that Merrick was having a hard time catching up. It was not the boy’s fault that Herc had sent him, but she still felt irritated by his presence.
Maia walked along the road that circled the high rim of the beautiful and sprawling Lake Lupitiali. The sunken lake at the heart of Shiloh was teeming with migrating birds at this time of year. Their incessant cackle filled the air as they huddled in mottled masses of black, gray, and white on the placid surface of the waters. At the center of the enormous lake, rising from the depths, the top of a grayed spire peeked out. Legends spoke of an ancient city of Lupitiali that lay deep below the surface of the lake. One fateful summer day, the entire city sunk during a string of massive earthquakes. The rains that followed filled the crater and Lake Lupitiali was born. The story never ceased to fascinate Maia, and even though Dada called it a sham, each time she passed the lake she felt drawn to the mysteries that rested deep beneath its surface.
On this day, Maia did not linger by the paved walkways along the side of the lake, but quickly walked toward the beautiful houses that stood along the eastern shores. This was where Shiloh’s richest lived, their regal abodes placed in perfect symmetry along the tree-lined streets. Beautiful as it was, the gleaming and flawless neighborhood was quiet, snobbish and perfectly boring. Past them, a few more steps toward the east, the wide street narrowed into a decimated alleyway leading up to the series of flat, windowless yellow buildings that sat in a long, depressing line, looking forlorn even in the bright sunlight. Some ingenuous townspeople had named this alleyway the “Narrows.” Cold and gloomy, constricted by the buildings on both sides, at places so tight that only one person could pass through at a time, the Narrows always felt like a trap to Maia. However, a trek through the Narrows was unavoidable today, especially because she had to reach the dispensary before it closed for orders.
On her first walk through the Narrows, Maia had counted the number of steps she needed to take to make it through its suffocating confines. It was a monumental 1,003 then, but it had dropped to a manageable seven hundred in recent times. Maia wondered if she would make it through even faster today.
“Miss Maia?” A sharp, squeaky voice interrupted her thoughts. Merrick bounded up to her, breathing rapidly. “Can you wait a bit, miss? I spotted something my mama wanted me to get. I can buy it and be back in a moment.”
She was not going to wait for anyone, certainly not for Merrick, even if that meant facing the Narrows on her own.
“That’s all right, Merrick,” Maia replied, smiling as sweetly as she could. “Why don’t you catch up after you’re done? I’ll head through the Narrows.”
“Okay.” Merrick nodded eagerly before scurrying away toward a pottery shop.
That was easy. Smiling, Maia turned her attention back to the Narrows. Taking a bracing breath, she set foot on the road that snaked through the dingy buildings. She walked briskly, trying hard to ignore the damp yellow walls that almost touched her shoulders, or the mossy cobblestones that seemed to suck the warmth away from her boot-clad feet. Maia was up to two hundred eighty-five steps when she felt a presence behind her. She turned around and cast a quick look backward, finding nothing but the dim, dark road. She dismissed it as a figment of her imagination, but the feeling persisted. At the pit of her stomach, nervousness formed an uneasy knot. Maia quickened her pace, her clammy fingers firmly encircling Bellator’s hilt. The end of the Narrows was near, and she broke into a run.
Within moments, she found herself inundated by the clamor and aromas of the bustling Spice Market. Rows of shops lined the road on both sides, their walls painted in bright hues, their shelves stacked with colorful bottles of spices. Men and women busily went about their daily chores; shopkeepers traded their wares, while shoppers meandered from one store to another.
Maia felt the alarm rise through her once again as she headed toward Physicians’ Lane, making her way slowly through the crowd. It was as if someone was watching her. Maia’s heart picked up the pace. She kept glancing backward, trying to find anything out of the ordinary, but no one seemed to glance in her direction. The feeling continued to grow—cold fingers were prying and leafing through her mind, an icy gaze sweeping over her every memory. She nervously looked around again and almost fell over a peddler’s cart, inviting an angry glare from the merchant who narrowly survived her assault. Maia walked faster, struggling to drive the thoughts out of her head as she took one last look behind. Suddenly, she crashed into someone, lost her footing, and fell face first on the hard cobbled surface of the road.
As Maia scrambled to her feet, a stinging pain throbbed in her knees. Then she realized with a start, the strange feeling was gone.
“Are you all right?”
Maia held her breath in surprise when she looked up at the man with whom she had collided. A long
white cape was draped across his shoulders. He was not handsome, but his appearance was far from unpleasant. He was not overly large, but his slender frame made him seem taller than he really was. His face was pallid, his ashen hair hung long and straight, and she could have sworn that the color of his eyes had changed from a frosted white to a dark gray as they looked into hers. His gaze, comforting and brimming with kindness, mesmerized Maia.
“Are you all right?” the man asked again as she stood transfixed before him.
“Y-yes,” she stammered, still gawking at the man.
“Your palms are bleeding. We should get them treated.” His voice was warm and serene, almost hypnotic.
Maia nervously glanced around. “I’m fine. Sorry for bumping into you, sir.”
“You seem to be looking for something? Or someone?”
Maia hardly ever spoke to strangers, and she never trusted anyone she had not known for a while, but it felt like she had known this man for years. Something in his smile almost coaxed her into trusting him; an unknown rush of emotions swept through her mind and labeled him “friend.” She yearned to talk to him, to tell him everything that was bothering her.
“It was as if someone was watching me or . . . following me,” she blurted.
The man’s eyes narrowed and he looked around at the milling crowd before turning back to Maia.
“Maybe you’re tired and need some rest. Sometimes exhaustion can play tricks on the mind,” he said helpfully.
“Yes, maybe,” Maia replied absent-mindedly, and turned in the direction of Dr. Hsu’s shop. Suddenly, she wished Merrick were around. “I’d better go now.”
“May I know the name of the young lady I have had the pleasure of talking to?” the man said cheerfully as she prepared to step away.
Maia stopped, feeling a little embarrassed.
“Maia. I’m sorry . . . it’s . . . I’m feeling a bit stupid for being jumpy about nothing,” she tried to explain. “I should’ve been brave. Should’ve turned around and faced whatever I thought was following me.”
The man smiled. “You’re quite brave already. Sometimes when you don’t know what you’re up against, there’s no cowardice in turning around and running away. Trying to fight something you don’t know well enough can be foolishness.”
“Guess you’re right.”
“And I see that I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Ruche U’Kien and pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Maia.”
“Your name sounds very foreign,” Maia blurted.
“Indeed, I am. Foreign that is,” Ruche chuckled, and pointed in the northern direction. “I come from the mountains up there.”
“Those mountains? You mean the Dorgashians?” Maia asked incredulously. “But no one lives up there; it’s only the ruins and the wild beasts. I’ve heard tales of creatures so huge that could squash a man like an ant.”
“Well, I’ve been there for a while, and all I can say is that some tales are just . . . tales,” Ruche said with a teasing smile. They had come to a stop at a crossroad. “Here we part ways, my friend, until we meet again. And be careful on your journey back home.”
“I will.” Maia smiled. “You be careful on the mountains.”
Ruche waved before walking away toward a group of antique peddlers. Maia was about to leave when she saw something fall from his hand. It sparkled and clinked away, rolling past her feet and toward the edge of the road. By the time she picked it up and turned around to look for Ruche, he had vanished in the crowd.
“Ruche,” she shouted, hoping he was still within earshot. But apart from attracting curious stares from passersby, her cries did not help much. She tried peeping into a few stores, but could not see the fair-haired man. As Maia walked back in the direction of the doctor’s shop, she opened her palm to look at the object in her hand. It was a crudely carved ring of a dull gray metal, with twelve white stones surrounding a round black one at the center. The gems caught the light and glittered brightly.
“Maybe I’ll see him again before I leave for Zagran,” Maia said to herself as she slipped the ring into the pocket of her coat.
4: An Unexpected Visit
On the ride back home, Maia sat atop the coach next to Herc, enjoying every bit of the warm sunshine that bathed her from head to foot. The sun had begun to set when they started their slow trot up the hill toward the house. The world was luminous—orange-red rays made the browned grass on the hillsides glow, and it looked as if the entire valley had been set ablaze.
Maia spotted the glint of pale gold hair on the porch steps as soon as the carriage crossed the oak and faced the open white gates of the farmhouse. A girl sat on the steps, her hands cupping her face. Her eyes scanned the approaching carriage intently before it came to rest on Maia.
“Dani?” Maia shouted, promptly scrambling down the coach that was still in motion.
Maia found it hard to believe that she had only known Dani for six months. A Jjord from Coloni Centrei, Dani had befriended Maia on the journey to Xif, and they had become teammates and good friends.
“What brings you here?” Maia asked after she had released Dani from a bear-hug. “I didn’t think I would see you before getting to Zagran.”
“I was worried about you, Maia.” Dani smiled, but her bright blue eyes dimmed. “I kept remembering how close Yoome was to killing you and all those terrible things the chancellor said to you.”
Maia remembered their adventures on Xif. Some of the situations were scary, as was the encounter with Yoome, the R’armimon assassin. But with so little time to spend in Appian before the Initiative resumed, Maia had forced herself to forget those unpleasant memories. The one thing she just could not stop thinking about was Sophie’s message, of course. She wondered what Dani would say if she knew, but it was not time to tell her yet.
Maia quickly stifled a sigh. Her situation was agonizing at best—how she yearned to recall every nuance of her mother’s voice, yet she could not bear to face the terrifying implications of the communication. Sophie had found out about the Sedara—the artificial star that hung inside the hollowed-out planet of Xif. At the heart of the Sedara lay the Verto-balancer Capsule—a contraption that enabled Xif to fly across galaxies. This Capsule generated the power to propel Xif by sucking the energy out of the nearest star. That meant one thing—if Xif were to leave the Tansian system, it would destroy the Tansian sun. Left behind with a dead sun, life on Tansi would perish. Sophie knew she was the only hope for Tansi because she was born a Shimugien, one who had power over light—the only one who could break the Capsule. And she had broken it just in time to stop Xif from leaving, robbing the planet-spaceship of its ability to fly and stranding it forever in the Tansian system.
Breaking the heart of the Sedara had a terrible effect on Sophie, and she had died within a year, right after Maia was born. In her message, Sophie had asked Maia to stay away from the Xifarians and keep her relationship with Sophie a secret.
Ever since learning this, Maia often stayed awake at night thinking about her mother, trying to understand the true meaning of her message, the depth of the revelation. The more Maia thought about it, the more fearful she became. She half-expected Xifarian troops to barge in and arrest her any moment. So much so that even the sound of a rustling leaf made Maia break into a sweat. After two days of putting up with the panic, Maia realized something—she was turning into an “Emmy.”
Maia was sure that was not a path she wanted to follow. The only way to stop, she figured, was refusing to believe in Sophie’s message. It was hard and painful to sow distrust in her mother’s words, but the ploy worked like a miracle. Slowly, Maia let in the doubts. They crept in one at a time, and each day saw more of it occupying her mind, to the point that now, a week later, Maia found it somewhat easy to wonder if what Sophie said were just the imaginings of a gravely ailing woman and nothing more. She questioned the improbability of it all every waking moment, wondering how the Xifarians had not realized what had been taken from them. It se
emed impossible. It had to be untrue. Maybe there had never been a Verto-balancer Capsule within the Sedara at all; Sophie could have simply heard stories and thought them to be true.
“I finally broke down yesterday and told Hans all about Yoome. I couldn’t keep it a secret anymore.” Dani’s voice pulled Maia out of her thoughts. “He suggested that I come and see you immediately. And here I am.”
Maia felt warmth creep over her face at the mention of Dani’s nineteen-year-old brother Hans. It was obvious, of course, that Dani would not travel all the way to Appian alone without her brother’s permission, but somehow the idea that Hans knew about the attack of the R’armimon and the chancellor’s threats made Maia ill at ease. It was one thing that her friends knew about it, but quite another if the whole world found out.
“Where’s Hans?” she asked slowly, taking care to conceal her embarrassment.
“He’s inside speaking to your grandfather.”
It was a stupid question, Maia realized. Of course, he would be inside talking to Dada about all that had happened and the implications of it.
“What have you told Dada?” Maia whispered urgently, grabbing Dani’s wrist as nervousness swept over her. Dada already knew everything, but it would be terrible if Emmy overheard.
“Um, not a lot,” Dani replied. “Hans didn’t want to scare him too much.”
Maia heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, he knows. But, I didn’t want to scare Emmy, so—”
“I understand. Hans and I were a bit worried though.” Dani smiled, slipping an arm around Maia’s. “You know, you live out here in the country with not much to protect you. The rest of us are much more secure.”
“Dani—”
“I know. You don’t want to make your family panic. We don’t want that either. That’s why Hans plans to casually suggest a basic security system along the fence.”
