He pulled his heavy thick tunic over his head in one swift movement, revealing a flash of golden-brown skin. I looked at my feet, feeling my cheeks flare in discomfort. The thought crossed my mind that that was exactly what he intended so I looked back. He was adjusting the sleeves of another loose black shirt and watching me, an amused flicker in his eyes.
I stared at his proud golden face, at the tiny crinkles around his eyes. He’d stolen my family, he was holding me captive and yet some tiny, hidden part of me wanted to trust him. The thought disturbed me to my core.
‘There are plenty of disagreements, but the Council operates openly so everyone can debate and contribute,’ I responded coolly.
He nodded, clearly interested, but for what reason I couldn’t fathom. Perhaps it was all just a ruse to find out information for Octavia. I stiffened.
‘Why do you wear breathing masks when you go outside?’ I asked, turning the questions back on him deliberately. ‘You opened your visor in the forest.’
‘There isn’t much you miss is there?’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘The scientific team are divided on the quality of the outside air, but I’ve conducted numerous tests myself and they all say the same thing. Of course, it works to Octavia’s advantage to perpetuate the myth that the atmosphere is still toxic. She would arrest anyone who said differently.’
‘So, she lies and keeps everyone cooped up here instead,’ I threw back, despite all my good intentions. ‘Do most people want to return then? To the outside?’
August sat down on the bed, facing me. I shrank back a little, suddenly less sure.
‘Human beings weren’t meant to live like caged birds, Talia, no matter how gilded the cage. You have no idea how strong the call from the outside is, despite the vaccine to neuter independent instinct.’
I was speechless for a second. ‘What?’ I responded, finally finding my tongue. ‘That’s barbaric! And you don’t seem to be averse to going outside, or breathing the air.’
‘It’s not given to the Pantheonites,’ he answered flatly, ‘just the Proletarii, roughly two-thirds of the population here in Isca Pantheon. The Senatores, Equites, and Patricians make up the remainder and retain impunity from Type A behavioural modifications.’
‘Isca Pantheon, Octavia, Proletarii, Senatores … Why is it you people seem to have swallowed a Roman dictionary?’ I scorned, my bile rising. ‘And disease elimination is one thing, but modifications? It’s … it’s inhumane!’
A heavy veil descended upon the room for several seconds. Finally, August drew a breath.
‘When the Programme was initiated, the Prime Minister and most of the Government were dead, Talia. It was ground zero outside, and there was a large, displaced population to support with only a basic military infrastructure.
‘The scientific team, led by Octavia, looked back over history for a model civilization to emulate. The success of the ancient Roman Empire stood out, and it didn’t take long for the terminology to follow. Unfortunately, over time more of their … practices have also been adopted.’
His tone had grown dark and I shuddered. I was certain Isca Pantheon was hiding secrets.
‘So there was the perfect opportunity to change everything,’ I responded slowly, ‘to learn from the Great War and create something new, inspiring … even utopian. But instead your highly advanced, technological society looked back and chose one of the most barbaric civilizations in history to replicate. Yeah, that makes perfect sense!’
August suddenly looked tired. ‘Isca Pantheon is now an established society that is much bigger than any individual will within it, Talia. I have played my part. There is blood on my hands, at my choice.’
I stared at his shadowed face. There was no hint of remorse and sudden dread coursed through my veins. What if he never intended to let me go?
‘There is no changing the past, but the future gets a fresh chance every day.’ He sounded almost genuine.
‘You could come and live in Arafel?’ I tested.
He smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘It would never be permitted. I am a key member of Octavia’s Government. My defection would threaten the safety of your entire village. Arafel would be hunted as it has never been before, Voynich or no Voynich.’
I frowned. It always seemed to come back to the Book of Arafel and the Voynich. The page of illegible writing and odd, connected drawings spun into my head. I couldn’t understand why Grandpa hadn’t actually destroyed Thomas’s research – or traded it with Octavia if it meant she would leave Arafel alone. His voice echoed in my head.
All I really know is our beginning is hidden in these pages somewhere – yours, mine, and every other creature that ever walked this earth …
Fresh zeal, like the forest river, coursed through my veins. Grandpa had charged me with protecting the Book, and by the love of Arafel, I was going to. But first I needed to get out, and that meant getting August to trust me.
‘So, just how important are you?’
He stood up. Even in his bare feet he had to stand around six foot six.
‘I am a senior member of Octavia’s personal Equite force. In the days of the Roman Empire, it was a term given to the mounted nobles who swore loyalty to the Senatores. In short, I am a Roman knight.’
I tried to control the laughter brewing. Was he joking? His face was deadly serious, which only made it worse. I lost my battle and a small chuckle of laughter escaped my lips before I could check it.
‘A Roman knight?’ I repeated, schooling my features. ‘The Roman Empire declined around the fifth century, or at least that’s what I learned …’
He glanced at me curiously and then strode over to a piece of furniture I’d only ever seen in books before: a full-length mirror.
Without uttering a sound, he began undoing his shirt at the neck. The diagonal top buttons sat in a line across his left collar bone and I watched, transfixed, as he pulled them open deftly. Then with one unceremonious tug, he yanked open the remainder of his shirt to the waist, revealing a taut, muscular chest that was broader than most of the tree-runners in Arafel.
‘You’re putting on your armour?’ I joked, trying to cover my discomfort.
Most of the men in Arafel, including Max, went bare-chested throughout the summer months, but looking at August’s body felt different, intrusive somehow.
He strode towards me, and I sank back against the wall.
‘No.’ He smiled unfamiliarly. ‘But don’t look so worried. I want to show you something important.’
I watched as he turned away from me and knelt down so his broad, golden-brown shoulders and neck were completely exposed. Silently, I caught my breath. Right at the top, just above his left shoulder blade, there was a sparkling circle of light. Transfixed, I peered more closely at the glittering shape. It was no more than about ten centimetres in diameter and reminded me of Saturn’s rings. Astronomy had been one of my father’s favourite subjects.
‘What is it?’ I whispered.
Instinctively I reached out to see whether the colour smudged as it always did in my paintings, then I snatched my hand back swiftly, as though I’d been burned.
‘It’s a gold ring, the mark of the Equite. All of Octavia’s knights have one.’
‘Who painted it? Does it wash off?’
August chuckled as he rose from his knees, and I realized it was the first time I’d really heard him laugh.
‘No, unfortunately not. It’s one of my enhancements, and was created by mixing gold dust with jellyfish protein, which was then inserted into my DNA when I was an embryo.’
He pulled on his tunic top and buttoned it only loosely, before walking over to his bed. So he’d been telling the truth about the genetic modifications. Seconds later, he pulled a short cylindrical device from his hip pocket and threw it on the bed.
‘And what’s that?’ I asked suspiciously, although I had a fair idea already.
‘You know full well what it is, even if you don’t know the name!’<
br />
I glared at him.
‘It’s called a Diasord, because it is quite literally a diamond sword, or laser sword if you wish to be pedantic,’ he added, unruffled. ‘Diamonds have unrivalled thermal conductivity, which combined with their unique strength and optical properties, make them ideal for use in lasers. Of course, they also make a Diasord deadly. You don’t want to find yourself on the wrong end of one if you can help it.’
I stared at the device, making a mental note of its exact position, before taking advantage of the fledgling confidence between us.
‘So, I know about the height, the vegetabs, dietary control, diamond lasers, gold dust, jellyfish protein, and the suppression of independent instinct … Are there any other modifications I need to be aware of – such as a predisposition to jousting or something?’
He chuckled and stretched out on his pristine white bed, his hands linked beneath his head.
‘I think you’re thinking of medieval knights, a primal bunch compared to the Roman Empire’s Equite force. All Pantheonites are tall – one of Octavia’s amendments to the original human genome. It meets one of the efficiency targets. All new citizens – apart from the Proletarii – are enhanced in the test tube and occasionally, the incubator.’
‘In the incubator?’ I repeated. ‘Has pregnancy become completely redundant?’
‘When you are modifying citizens on a mass scale, it is far easier to dispense with human incubators. There hasn’t been a pregnancy outside the Proletarii for generations.’
‘Not great to draw the short, pregnant Prolet straw here then?’ I raised my eyebrows.
The truth was August’s world was unnerving me more than I could put into words. I tried to order my jumbled thoughts. I’d always known the Lifedome was controlled but hadn’t imagined anything like the reality. All I wanted was to find Grandpa and Eli and go home to Arafel, but their faces seemed more distant by the second.
‘Talia, I’m not going to lie to you. There are no guarantees we will be able to rescue your family. The laboratories are watched, and even with my security approval we’re going to need more than luck on our side. If we get apprehended, you have to promise me …’
But whatever he was about to extract from me was forgotten as Octavia’s frozen voice resonated through the room.
‘Good evening, Pantheon, I am pleased to report a special Equite delegation apprehended the infiltrator at 19.35 hours. The Prolet rebel is being detained in a high-security wing of the detention centre, and as soon as practicable, will be returned to where he belongs. All suspect areas are now being disinfected. Thank you all for your cooperation in this matter. Shutdown will commence as normal.’
A picture of a thin, dirty man filled the screen. He was bound and seemed unusually sleepy, but what concerned me most was his face. It didn’t belong to Max.
I turned to August in confusion. ‘It’s not Max; they’ve got the wrong man!’ I cried, unsure whether to feel worried or relieved.
‘Excellent. I didn’t think he was much of a choice for a boyfriend,’ he returned.
‘You know Max isn’t my boyfriend!’ I snapped.
‘Hey, settle down, little feral cat. I’m just kidding,’ he protested, a glimmer of a smile playing on his lips.
‘Look, you can assume Octavia’s spun this web to try to lull your boyf … Max into a false sense of security. I’m impressed he’s managed to avoid detection so far. The public areas are monitored, which really leaves only one option. Your forest friend has gone underground.’
I opened my mouth to retort before closing it again. I needed to think. It made me more frantic to think of Max being hunted by Octavia’s security.
‘By underground, I assume you are referring to the other half of your population – the half that doesn’t seem to rank in your esoteric, elitist, egotistical … ridiculously Latin world!’
‘Surely you mean Etruscan?’ August answered, his voice brimming with humour. He was propped up on his elbow, his black tunic wide at the collar, eyes dancing.
Suddenly, the very brittle wire on which my patience had been dangling broke entirely. Time had never been more up. In a millisecond I was on my feet and was dashing towards the sealed door. I managed to knock the white chair aside, and reach up for the finger impression just as a precise thrust sent me sprawling across the floor. I tumbled to counter the impact, but it took several seconds to catch my breath, and when I looked up August was towering over me, one hand extended in apology.
‘It’s locked anyway,’ he offered, with an infuriating smile.
I ground my teeth as I climbed to my feet, ignoring his hand. Despite appearances, there wasn’t one cell of Commander General Augustus Aquila that was off guard.
‘I suggest you get some rest.’ He turned his back and exited to the kitchen. ‘Tonight could be … interesting.’
***
The ceiling glowed ‘00.00’, when August insisted I change my clothes.
I disliked the black tunic suit on sight, and insisted on keeping on my own forest clothing underneath. It was odd to climb, feet first, into the single piece of clothing that covered everything but my face and hands. It fitted, but as I pulled up what he called the zip, my body felt instantly suffocated and I longed to run bare-legged through the cool branches of the forest.
I didn’t ask where he’d managed to acquire a tunic so much smaller than his own, or the matching black boots, and he nodded only briefly when I reappeared.
‘Beats your arrival at any rate.’ He smirked.
‘Which was how?’
‘In that,’ he returned, pointing towards a slim oblong bag on wheels.
‘My research bag,’ he added, ‘holds all sorts of feral cats, from time to time.’
August’s plan sounded, at best, nonsensical: gain access to the laboratories, locate Eli and Grandpa, deactivate something called the laboratory proximity shield, flick a switch that would reverse their coma medication, and take the ‘sky train’ back to the holding bay where he would help me secure a Sweeper vehicle.
‘If we make it that far, you’ll find it quite a highlight,’ he quipped.
I was sure the sky train was anything but a highlight but didn’t respond. Now we were actually leaving his rooms, I was only biding my time. August had his own agenda, and I needed to shake him off as soon as I could.
When the clock finally clicked over to 00.30 hours, I was already waiting at the door, while he took for ever to pull on his thick black boots.
‘When you’re ready?’ I threw out, hardly daring to breathe lest he change his mind, and then, at last, he opened the door.
I stepped out into a red twilight veil, a world in the shadow of a dying sun. I hated it instantly.
August’s rooms were in a pristine block of similarly shaped rooms that stretched the entire height of the domed space. There had to be a thousand individual units, connected by a maze of narrow passageways no more than a metre wide. We passed door after identical door, and even though there was some sort of complex Latin numerical system, I wondered how anyone ever found their way home. The rigid, claustrophobic design made me long desperately for the open expanse of Arafel with its scattered treehouse homes, vibrant colours, and familiar scents.
We adopted a swift pace down the passageways, staying in the shadows as much as possible. I recalled my last night run through Arafel’s forest, and would have given anything to see friendly yellow eyes peering out at me from thick undergrowth and branches. Instead, a small black disc at the top of the passageway clicked and swivelled our way.
‘Internal security – act normal,’ August muttered.
He reached inside his tunic breast pocket and, removing his small black Identifier, rolled his thumb over the screen and pointed it against the flat edge of the black ball. It clicked in acknowledgement and swung away.
We moved on rapidly, and within a few minutes reached the end of the narrow passageway. To my relief, it led out into a long wide balcony that overlooked the v
ast expanse of the main dome floor. I walked forward, conscious of how conspicuous our footsteps sounded in the silence. But as I neared the railed edge, my progress was halted by a cold, invisible surface. I took a step back in surprise.
‘Fortified Perspex,’ August whispered, pulling me back. ‘Keep walking, and try to lose the tourist look.’
We hurried on, but I was unable to resist peeking over at the colossal space that constituted the main dome. Even in the ruby twilight, I could see we were higher than any treehouse in Arafel, perhaps more than three Great Oak trees combined. I scanned the maze of tiny buildings on the ground. They were chalk white, mostly uniform, and separated by a network of thin lines that spread out like a spider’s web. As the lines converged towards the centre, the buildings grew less symmetrical, culminating in what looked to be stately central squares and grand stone buildings.
Among the maze of streets, there were tiny squares of green adorned with white statuettes and dark yellow spheres that appeared to be night lighting of some sort. I felt as though I were looking down on an ancient city, a flawless ancient city. But as I gazed, a shadow grew across my curiosity. I scanned again and then again, but saw nothing to alter my suspicion. There was no sign of any life whatsoever.
‘Where is everyone? Where’s the wildlife?’ I whispered as we hurried along in the shadows of the walkway.
And as if in answer a shrill, rasping screech suddenly pierced the air. It was unlike anything I’d heard before and I shrank back, flattening myself against the cold, hard wall.
August stiffened, and then relaxed with a dry chuckle. ‘Unless you have official business there’s a strict curfew, and there’s an example of our local wildlife for you, right on cue. Look up.’
I followed his gaze into the endless void above our heads, and was astonished to pick out the silhouette of a bird of prey skirting the very top of the domed ceiling. It was majestic in profile, and for a moment I was reminded of the eagles that circled in the mountains high above Arafel. Then the bird turned and dived silently towards our walkway, and I could see the similarities were few. This bird was large, no, huge, with impressive scarlet plumage, powerful brown-gold wings, a crescent beak, black stony eyes, razor-sharp claws and … two heads?
Book of Fire Page 9
