Book of Fire

by Michelle Kenney

  ‘You’re the doctor?’ I asked, my voice rising with something between despair and poker-hot fury.

  Her face twisted up in a scornful smile, and my hackles rose like one of Octavia’s dogs. If she was the doctor, why on earth had she made us go through such a time-wasting charade? August was probably beyond help and it was all down to her jealous, egocentric, downright childish behaviour! I took a swift step towards her, my short nails biting into the fleshy rise of my clenched hands.

  ‘Whoooa, little feral cat.’ A weak voice brought me sharply to my senses, and I spun around to see August’s eyes had flickered open momentarily.

  ‘Let Lia work her magic; I’ll be OK.’

  He drifted off as quickly as he’d surfaced. I stretched out to grasp his warm hand, but his eyelids remained quietly closed.

  ‘You heard him – let me get to work. I’ll explain everything afterwards.’

  Aelia’s voice was firm, almost kind even. I backed out glowering with confusion. I’d never disliked anyone as much, but I knew enough about injuries to realize she was probably August’s last chance.

  The wait in the sparse room outside was possibly the longest of my life. I could hear Aelia’s calm voice intermittently, but was unable to make out the conversation. She was turning out to be a complete enigma. A multitude of questions ran through my mind but I couldn’t come up with any satisfactory reason why anyone of sound mind would behave the way she had. That left only one conclusion: she was as mad as August, stark staring mad. I just had to hope her insanity didn’t affect her medical skills.

  ‘How long has Aelia been a doctor?’ I asked the cat woman, who’d been purring somewhat smugly since my reappearance.

  ‘Dr Aelia is our most senior member of staff,’ she yowled primly. ‘She won one of the first Pantheon-funded sponsorships to study medicine. Your tall knight is in safe hands.’

  I bristled. Why did everyone in this place make so many assumptions? I stared distractedly at the bright concentric circles on the wall, willing myself to slip inside them and forget it all. My mother’s wan face blurred into focus. She had to be going out of her mind with worry for us all. Then there was Grandpa and Eli, were they still in the laboratory? And Max? He’d risked everything just to help me, had he managed to escape Cassius and Octavia? The dull tightness returned to my chest, and I pushed it back down determinedly.

  And August, the complex Panno knight – just whose side was he really on? Why had he asked about the Book of Arafel?

  I recalled Thomas’s pages of research on the Voynich Manuscript. The lettering and diagrams had appeared complete nonsense, but if I could work out Thomas’s secret, I could use it to protect Arafel from Octavia for ever. The only other option, to give her the Book in return for my family, would buy us time – but not protection.

  I dropped my head back on the seat top and stared at the ceiling. There had to be a reason why Thomas had buried the secret in our hidden valley, and why Grandpa had entrusted its guardianship to me. I couldn’t betray them, could I? As the minutes ticked by my eyes grew drowsier, until I was running through the trees of Arafel, with fresh air cooling my cheeks and the scent of the wild honeysuckle all around.

  ***

  I awoke feeling stiff and cold. There was no clock on the wall of the waiting room, but it felt considerably later and the cat woman had disappeared. I listened intently but couldn’t hear any movement from the next room either. Swiftly I stood up, and then regretted it as life returned, painfully, to my numbed limbs. Rubbing my hands and arms I trod over to the surgery door and listened. The silence was oppressive.

  Carefully, I inched the door open and peered into the gloom beyond, there was no movement whatsoever. I opened it fully and stepped into the clinical space, feeling the colour drain from my face. So this was explaining everything afterwards was it? I should have known better to even think about trusting Aelia, doctor or no doctor. And what about August? Fear clamped my stomach – he’d trusted her, and now I didn’t have a clue where he was!

  Then I noticed something small and white on the table where August had lain, something very alien in this sterile environment – a handwritten note.

  ‘Look for Unus – he will bring you. Draw as little attention to yourself as possible.’

  It wasn’t signed, but there was no doubting it was from Aelia. Why hadn’t she just woken me? Was this game of cat and mouse really necessary? Cursing under my breath, I ran to the main door and paused. There was something I had to do first. Decisively, I took hold of the zipper on my bodysuit and tugged downwards, stripping the thin tough material away from my body completely as quickly as possible. I wasn’t going to be mistaken for a Panno girl again, not for anyone.

  It felt so good to expose my skin, even to the underground air, and I chuckled at my new shorter-length tunic complete with a ripped hem. It definitely wouldn’t meet with Mum’s approval. Feeling bolder, I retraced my footsteps along the deserted corridors that led out into the chaotic throng of the Prolet underworld.

  I made my way back to where I’d left Unus as rapidly as I could. To my relief he was still there, and although the thought of engaging the assistance of a monosyllabic Cyclops was less than thrilling, I had little choice if I wanted to find August.

  He appeared to be dozing against his trailer, so I approached cautiously. ‘Unus?’ I whispered.

  There was nothing but loud snoring.

  ‘Unus?’ I tried again a little more loudly.

  More snoring.

  ‘Unus! Unus!’

  A couple of young voices shouted his name, before descending into muffled giggles. Cursing, I scanned the deserted pathways for the owners. Finally, I spotted a couple of young satyrs a little way off, hiding behind an upturned barrel. They looked very different to the fully grown satyrs. I smiled briefly. It seemed their genetic weakness had nothing to do with their sense of mischief.

  I looked back at Unus who was stirring, at least the noise had had some good effect. He blinked his giant, mottled yellow eye at me as he clambered ungracefully onto his tree-trunk legs. I squirmed. He was gargantuan. I wouldn’t stand a chance if he swung one of his club-like arms at me.

  ‘Aelia said you would take me?’ I forced, willing my voice to be steady. He considered me carefully, the thick yellowed skin above his single eye furrowed in concentration. Seconds later he leaned forward and swung me, as easily as though I were a leaf caught in a breeze, onto his broad back. I rested my feet on a small tools belt around his leather tunic, and leaned in close. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable. He began to move forward, his heavy limbs adopting a ponderous, rhythmic shuffle.

  I suppressed another smile: indignant insect doctors, smug feline receptionists, now a piggy-back ride from an oversized Cyclops. The Prolet world was proving itself to be the confused dreamland of a mythological fantasist.

  But as Unus exited into a dimly lit tunnel, my moment of humour dissolved. I was putting all my faith in Aelia again, a volatile underworld medic who’d so far revealed herself to be completely untrustworthy. For all I knew she could have instructed the Cyclops to leave me in these dark tunnels with the shrieking, clawing noises.

  I steeled my nerve as I clung to Unus’s broad swaying back, and resolved three things: I was not being left in any tunnel; I was going to find August; and doctor or no doctor, I was going to wring Aelia’s skinny, Prolet neck.

  Chapter Twelve

  Unus carried me through a winding damp tunnel with a gradual downward gradient for some time. Our only company had been the same shuffling and raking sound I’d heard previously; although whatever life inhabited these tunnels, it was certainly keen to avoid Unus.

  The air was fetid again, and it took all my energy just to get enough oxygen. I comforted myself that if Unus had wanted to eat me he’d had plenty of opportunity by now, and I settled in for the ride. I didn’t allow myself to think about how far underground we were or whether August had made it this far; I just focused on the many ways I cou
ld make Aelia pay for making everything so hard.

  As we rounded a final corner, a blast of filtered fresh air hit me and I filled my lungs greedily. I gazed curiously at the new cavern opening out before me. This large chamber had to be the domestic quarters of the Prolet world.

  The first thing I noticed was the reflection of dancing flames creeping up the cave walls, courtesy of the large, sunken fire pit in the middle of the floor, which kept the large void at an ambient temperature. Looking skywards, I saw that the two-hundred-metre-high rock faces were punctured by small recesses, each connected by a spider’s web of rickety wooden staircases.

  People and creatures mingled as before but were in far less of a hurry, with many stopping to sit and chat on the platforms joining the walkways. I squinted across the fire pit towards the back of the chamber, and could just make out a small, dark exit guarded by four foreboding satyrs.

  ‘Where does that lead?’ I asked curiously.

  ‘Old Roman tunnel ’neath us. Men dig,’ came Unus’s gruff response.

  He reached around, and held up a helpful hand as I slid off his back. I smiled at him gratefully. He was turning out to be pretty civilized for a monster of fable and legend.

  ‘And where does Aelia live?’ I asked tentatively. He extended a huge hand and pointed to one of the small recesses right at the top of the cavern.

  ‘The top … of course,’ I muttered to myself, and thought I caught a glimpse of Unus’s huge eye closing and opening deliberately. Could a Cyclops wink?

  As I walked across the cavern floor towards the rough wooden staircases, my mind jumped back to the high-tech floating walkways of the Pantheon medical unit. There were some major injustices in the Lifedomes, but at least the life around me was no less diverse than the last cavern. A small group of children ran in front of my path, chasing a round dog that sounded suspiciously like a pig. One of the children had the legs and tail of a young horse while two of the others had multiple appendages, like Tullius. Momentarily, I wondered if Pantheon was trying to breed a more efficient working underclass? Nothing would surprise me.

  I hurried on, trying to dismiss images of August’s wan face. I just needed to know he was OK, that I hadn’t sealed his fate entirely. By the time I reached the top recess my legs were aching. I must have climbed more than a hundred steps, mostly uneven and in need of repair. I stepped across the platform carefully, trusting only the main supporting beams. A lifetime of tree-running had taught me the dangers of trusting broken, brittle branches and I had no desire to plummet to the bottom of the Prolet living quarters.

  Finally, I stood in front of the rough woven cloth concealing Aelia’s small cave and hesitated. Should I call out?

  The lightest shiver ran across my warm skin as I detected a low voice on the other side. It was male, authoritative, and distinctly familiar.

  ‘August?’ I called, unable to help myself. I grabbed the tattered cloth, and pulled it aside.

  ‘Talia?’ came the hoarse response, laced with disbelief. ‘For the love of Nero, get in here now!’

  My eyes swept the murky gloom, until I pinpointed August on a low truckle bed towards the back of the small cave. Relief flooded my aching body and, impulsively, I ran forward and threw myself to my knees beside the bed.

  ‘How touching!’ The taunting ripple in Aelia’s voice wasn’t lost on me, but for once I didn’t care. All I wanted was to check was that his iris-blues were still there, still open.

  ‘You’re alive!’ I whispered, grasping his strong, warm hand, which squeezed mine back briefly.

  ‘Yes, thanks to Lia,’ he muttered. ‘I should have known better than to turn to Cassius. He always carries a short blade for party tricks.’

  I frowned. So Cassius was responsible for August’s injury. I’d assumed it was the manticore.

  ‘If that’s partying, I’m not sure I’d like to see a real fight!’ I raised my eyebrows.

  August managed a tight smile before wincing.

  ‘OK! Enough with the sickbed jokes; he’s suffered a deep wound, lost a lot of blood, and needs rest.’ Aelia’s curt instructions pierced the bubble of relief that had enveloped me, and slowly I turned my head to eyeball her.

  My frustration and slow-boiling fury ignited. Should I be angry or grateful? Trusting or wary? Angry and wary won. I rose to my feet.

  ‘Just who are you, Aelia?’ I asked, my voice rising. ‘You call yourself a rebel fighter, and yet you leave Fabius without so much as a backward glance. You watch me struggle to stem August’s bleeding, although you are a trained doctor. You leave me in the chaotic underworld you call home to make my own way to your medical rooms, and then you kidnap August, and leave me behind at the mercy of every misbegotten creature in the place.

  ‘Just what in hellfire game are you playing, because I’m beginning to think I might like to kick your arse from this oversized worm’s burrow into seven shades of tomorrow!’

  I left out the part about being possessive over Max. I wasn’t sure she mightn’t have good reason.

  A loud silence filled the small cave, and then something completely unexpected happened. Aelia grinned.

  ‘You’ve got spunk – I like that,’ she responded, before dropping to her knees opposite me and counting August’s pulse. Once she was satisfied she turned back to me, her gaze thoughtful.

  ‘Look, you can’t begin to understand how life inside here works. We aren’t born free like you; we work from the moment we can stand and we have little choice but to do what Isca Pantheon dictates. Everything I do, I do to survive and protect my own. And you’re right – I am a doctor; but first and foremost I am a Prolet freedom fighter.’

  ‘Not just a Prolet freedom fighter – she’s the General!’ August tossed in knowledgeably. He smiled at Aelia. It was a real, familiar smile and I felt a bizarre jolt.

  ‘You two know each other don’t you?’ I mused, looking from one to the other. ‘I mean, you knew each other before tonight?’

  ‘Of course we do. August’s been working with the PFF – that’s the Prolet Freedom Fighters to you – for a long while,’ Aelia scathed. A memory flashed through my head, and I was back in August’s white rooms.

  ‘Just because I work for the system, doesn’t mean I approve of it. Pantheon is no democracy, Talia … There’s a growing underground movement for change.’

  ‘You really want Octavia’s programme to fail?’ I repeated, scowling.

  I stared down at August, as he averted his eyes.

  ‘It’s complicated. But yes, I’ve always wanted to protect what was out there. When I realized what Octavia was trying to achieve, why she wanted the Book … Ever since I was a young boy, Octavia has dictated my life. The outside represents real life to me, the original free life.’

  My eyes narrowed as Aelia got up and walked across the room.

  ‘And what about the Chief Rebel in Residence? I’m not convinced she has a secret altruistic streak too,’ I added.

  Aelia’s slight body stiffened. ‘Good. You shouldn’t trust me, Talia; it’s safer that way.’

  August sighed. ‘If you would just retract the claws for a couple of seconds, you two, you might actually find out you have a lot in common.’

  ‘Unlikely!’

  ‘Kiss my Prolet arse!’

  For once I found myself in complete agreement with Aelia. She may have saved August’s life, but it might not have needed saving had she intervened earlier. As far as I was concerned she belonged in this hellhole.

  ‘Why all the drama when we arrived in Prolet? You could have helped August long before we arrived in Tullius’s rooms. She left you to bleed!’ I told August who was watching me with curious eyes.

  ‘I’m a trained doctor, Talia,’ Aelia snapped back. ‘I knew exactly how much time I had. And it’s important Prolets don’t see me with Pannos; it undermines belief in the strength of the rebellion.’ A strange, intense light suddenly entered her blue eyes. ‘Of course, you could change everything. You confirm everything I
’ve ever believed about the outside simply by existing. If August would just agree to let us use you as proof …’

  ‘I said no, Aelia!’ August’s voice rose sharply. ‘Octavia would hunt her down. She would never let her go.’

  Aelia shrugged her shoulders and turned away.

  ‘Have you seen Max?’ I asked August quietly. ‘Now I know you’re alive I’m going back.’

  August stared at me, his expression darkening. ‘Talia, think! Octavia will have had a double sentry on every door in Pantheon within minutes of my disappearance! You and Max are exactly the sort of evidence of outside life that Octavia is desperate to hide from Pantheon’s entire population, and now one of her most senior knights has gone AWOL … Your only option is to lie low until we have enough leverage.’

  ‘I don’t care what you say, I can’t stay here not knowing.’

  My voice sounded strong, even though the thought of re-entering the dark tunnels turned my stomach over.

  ‘Max will be fine if he’s escaped Octavia,’ Aelia interjected. ‘He knows his way here, and how to call Unus for the tunnels. Actually, he’s a pretty fast learner,’ she added slyly, ‘especially when it comes down to communicating with the locals.’

  The last comment was intended to provoke, and it did. For some reason I couldn’t fully understand I saw red – blood-pumping, head-fogging, scarlet red. I leapt to my feet and flew across the floor in a heartbeat, tumbling Aelia to the floor. I was astride her chest in a flash, pinning both arms above her head. She was about the same size as me, but I had a lifetime of surviving in the wild on my side.

  ‘Whoa, little feral cat!’ August’s voice interrupted in a hurry. ‘Don’t rise to the bait. Lia’s just kidding. Aren’t you, Lia?’

  The warning in his voice was clear, but she clearly had reason to goad me.

  ‘Maybe,’ came her infuriating response.

  ‘Tell her about the Blueprint and your progress, Lia,’ August urged from his low truckle bed. ‘Tell her about Il Codice Mito.’