by T. C. Edge
He creeps forward, and I don't move. His hands reach to my shoulders and slip the straps of my bag away. I feel the weight of it fall from my back.
“You know me too damn well, Jack,” I say. “And El, since when were you so bossy.”
“I guess you've rubbed off on me.”
“Hey!”
“Don't hey me,” she says, a smile creeping up her lips. “Now off to bed, both of you. It's been a long day, and we all need to sleep.”
Jackson and I look at each other, smirking.
“Yes, ma'am,” he says, as we all break out into a tension breaking laugh.
And with that, we begin walking slowly back up the passage towards our rooms, Jackson clinging tight to my bag the entire time.
8 - A Stark Warning
I wake the following day with a heavy head. When I sit up and look at the other side of the room, I find Ellie looking at me, already wide awake. I wonder how long she's been watching me, making sure I don't try to sneak off again.
When we leave the room, we find Jackson waiting outside, as he always does in the morning. We travel in silence down to the training cave, none of us bringing up the events of the previous night. As per usual, the thousands of people populating the central chamber are yet to stir, most still sleeping as we set off to work. Some, however, are already up and about, setting off for their duties. Among them will be those scheduled to join us for training in the cave.
That morning is tough. I can't get my mind off of the deal from Knight. Can't keep his face and voice from my thoughts. At any point of quiet he sneaks up on me again. Athena takes immediate notice of the change.
“So yesterday, what was all that about up on the plateau? You said you wouldn't be long but you never came back down?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I wasn't feeling well.”
“So....what happened? I heard that a negotiation party came to talk with the Master?”
“Yeah, they did.”
“The Master didn't agree to some pathetic deal, did he? I want to get down there and fight.”
“I know you do, Athena,” I say numbly. “I...don't know if a deal was made. I wasn't part of the negotiations.”
I see both Ellie and Jackson watching me from their various stations. Their eyes warn me not to tell Athena anything, that it will only distract her. As I've been told, I'm not to give any further thought to the offer. It will be rejected. Forget about it, move on, and continue training. There's nothing else to be done.
So I don't tell Athena the truth. Partly due to Ellie and Jackson's advice, partly due to the simple fact that I don't want another person disagreeing with me. Athena will, I know, tell me the same as the others. More than anyone else, she wants to get revenge for the murder of her family. The last thing she desires is for the Eden army to retreat.
I battle on through the day, and return to the main chamber at night feeling more sunken than ever. Ellie and Jackson appear to have discussed the situation separately, and have decided to maintain a constant vigil on me. Wherever I go, they go, one or both of them, their eagle eyes hounding my every move. I find the constant attention suffocating.
And it's not just limited to them.
Around the main hall and the adjoining passages, in every chamber I enter, every cave I pass through, I sense a new energy greeting me. I've become something of a celebrity here, but this is different. I see more frowns, more shakes of the head, more whispers following my steps.
When Drake comes to me that evening to find out how I am, he suggests the cause.
“Someone let slip about the deal,” he tells me. “Maybe a guard overheard us debate. We were talking loudly out there. It was stupid. You know what these rumours are like, they spread like wildfire, they're a ravenous disease. Take no notice, honey.”
It's easier said than done.
My father continues to try to assuage my concerns when I bring up the topic of giving myself up.
“You'll do nothing of the sort. We are not going to hide here in fear forever. Knight is a pathological liar, and the Master knows that better than anyone. He can't be trusted.”
“I'm hearing that everywhere, dad, but it's hardly making me feel better. It's worth a go,” I say tentatively, trying to persuade him.
“No,” he says immediately. “It isn't.”
“Say I wasn't your daughter. Say you didn't care about me. Then what?”
“I'd say the same. This isn't about you. This is about Knight. We have to shine the spotlight on him and ask the question – can we trust him? Is he really going to let us all just carry on going up here, building an army, getting stronger and stronger, and just disappear back over the wall.”
I shrug.
“The answer is simple. No, he won't. This army is here to destroy us, not to get you back to Eden. Why would he even want that anyway?”
It's a question I don't like to confront. From the beginning of all of this, Knight has valued my potential as a Watcher. Is that all he really wants from me? Just another Watcher to corrupt to his cause, to extend his power? Is this all just a big game to him, a massive game of cat and mouse where everyone and everything is expendable?
“Power,” I mumble. “This is about power.”
“Everything is with the powerful,” says Drake. “Mark my words, he will look to destroy this city whether you're here or not. You are going nowhere, Cyra.”
The following day shows me that the people don't share my father's opinion. Two days after the rumour of the deal leaked out, the entire city appears swept up in it. Every step I take through populated areas bring looks and remarks, ones that grow more unpleasant as the hours pass by.
Ellie and Jackson become my personal bodyguards, marching either side of me in a show of solidarity. Athena, now privy to the truth, joins us whenever she can. Most detractors only stare. Some are more vocal, shouting obscenities. A few even try to get physical, driven to the edge by desperate hunger and fear.
I don't react to any of them. The others do. On more than one occasion Athena or Jackson end up intervening when someone comes at me. They form a shield around me that most, however, don't dare penetrate.
But among the many who call for me to leave the city, there are others who spring up, fighting for me. People I've trained, those I've grown to know on my regular missions around the city. Those who trust in what I stand for, in what we're all trying to achieve here. They begin calling out, dotted among angry crowds, trying to make the people see sense.
And still, amid this show of support, I myself need convincing.
As the turmoil in the city grows, Ellie and I visit Link once more. It's the first I've seen of him since my visit less than a week before, and the first for Ellie for several days, her attention having turned to watching over me at all times.
We arrive to find Frank, the guard, sitting on the same stool as before, but now onto a new book.
“Ah, you're back...” he says, looking mainly at me.
His tone of voice and facial expression lends me to think he's another of the many detractors. His Watcher groupie status seems to have been renounced.
“Here to see Link I guess.”
“Well, there's no one else down here, Frank,” says Ellie.
“No...of course. Go ahead then.”
His eyes trace my movement as I go, as so many people do, until we disappear into the gloom at the end of the cave. Link stands waiting at the bars, and goes through the same routine as before; pulling Ellie into a hug and then giving her a kiss. Then, he turns to me.
“I'm so sorry about what's been happening, Cyra.”
“How do you know?”
“Frank told me. He's had a few choice words to say about it, but I've put him in his place.”
“Thanks.”
“You can't believe it,” he says. “It's just more manipulation from Knight.”
I nod as a way of thanks, but don't respond. I appreciate his words, but have had just about all I can take of people telling me I'm
just being manipulated. It's no coincidence that all the people telling me that are the ones who care about me.
“You need to be careful, Cyra.”
“We are being careful,” says Ellie. “Jackson and I are always with her, Athena too sometimes. We've even taken to carrying weapons with us, just in case.”
Link looks back at me. I can see something in his eyes.
“You've seen something,” I say.
He nods.
“A group are going to try to take you. Tonight.” His voice becomes a whisper. “Watch your food. They're going to drug you so you can't fight back.”
“Like Theo...” whispers Ellie.
Link frowns at her.
“When we were travelling here across the Deadlands, some thugs tried to kill Theo. They drugged him and took him in his sleep. It must be the same guys.”
“Don't eat anything served to you,” warns Link. “It's getting dangerous now. I wish I could help more.”
“Baby, you're helping even from in here,” says Ellie, taking his hand.
“Thank you, Link,” I say. “I'll repay it...soon.”
In the crowded main chamber that night, I queue up for my rations as I always do. When I get to the front, I'm passed my dinner of stale bread, beans, and some dried meat by someone I would otherwise consider harmless and innocuous.
Not tonight.
I take the bowl without fuss and retreat to join Jackson, Ellie, and Athena in our little huddle. Secretly, we empty the contents of my bowl into a bag as Jackson and Athena begin dividing up their own rations to share with me. Ellie, however, starts to discard her own food into the bag as well.
“What are you doing?” asks Jackson.
“Whoever is going to take Cyra must know I live with her. They're going to want to knock me out too so I don't cause any problems.”
“Good thinking,” I say.
“Well, what about mine?” asks Jackson. “They could have done the same to me. I live next door after all.”
We all look down at Jackson's bowl.
“It's not worth the risk,” says Ellie. “Throw it out.”
The bag fills with yet more bread, dried meat, and beans.
“I guess mine's OK?” asks Athena, shrugging.
“I don't trust anyone,” says Ellie firmly. “I think we should all go hungry tonight, just in case.”
As if to argue its own case, I hear Athena's stomach grumble angrily. With some reluctance, however, her bowl is also emptied into the bag.
We don't linger long after that. I hardly spend any time in the main chamber any more, or anywhere else populated by the people; people who, in the main, resent me. As we prepare to part with Athena, she turns to me.
“Do you want me to come and guard your room?” she asks. “I could keep watch down the corridor.”
“That's sweet,” I say, smiling. “But it's OK, I have Ellie in the room and Jackson next door. You've gone hungry for me, you shouldn't have to lose sleep as well.”
“Really, I don't mind. I want to help.”
“I know you do, honey. And you have already. Go get some sleep, I'll see you in the training cave tomorrow.”
She hesitates before leaving, looking back a couple of times before disappearing into the crowd. The rest of us begin the short trek down the main passage towards our rooms. When we get there, Jackson gives me a hug.
“I'll be up all night, listening from next door, OK.”
I nod.
“I'll stay awake too,” says Ellie. “Cy, you get some sleep. You look like you need it more than us.”
We enter our respective rooms, Ellie carrying the bag of food. She slides it under her bed and then sits back against the wall on her thin mattress, upright and stiff. It's the sort of position that you'd adopt if you wanted to stop yourself from falling asleep.
I climb onto my own bed, feeling no urge to drop off quite yet, and sit up against the wall opposite Ellie.
“El, you look tired. I feel OK. Why don't you get some sleep first? I'll take the first watch and then you can take the next one?”
She shakes her head.
“I'm fine,” she says, trying to stifle a yawn.
“Yeah, you sound wide awake,” I say, chuckling. “Seriously, I'll wake you up in a few hours.”
She thinks for a moment, then says: “I guess Jackson is next door. OK, but only three hours max. It's all I need.”
“Three hours then,” I say.
Within minutes, she's curled up into a ball and is sleeping soundly.
I sit in the silence, alone once again, and find my eyes drifting to the bag neatly positioned under Ellie's wooden bed frame.
Perhaps I should have just eaten it after all, made the others eat theirs. Maybe it would be better for everyone if they did just take me tonight...
I consider the option of fetching the bag and devouring its contents. Drug myself and wake up tomorrow, or whenever I come to, and let the cards fall where they may. Maybe whoever's coming to get me would manage to sneak past Ellie as she sleeps. Maybe Jackson wouldn't hear from next door. Maybe I'd wake up in the encampment of the Eden army down in the valley below, bound and ready to be shipped back to Augustus Knight.
Maybe all of that would be for the best.
I sit and look at the bag for a long time, trying to draw up the courage to do what I think is right. But I don't.
“You're a coward, Cyra,” I whisper to myself. “You're just a coward.”
I don't know how much time passes as I sit and think. Only after Ellie falls asleep do I realise that waking her after three hours is going to be an impossible feat, given that there is no clock or working watch in the room. Only my mother's old watch, cracked and broken, which once more finds its way into my hand.
I run my thumb along the cracked edge of the glass. Up and down, up and down, the once sharp edges now worn down and dulled my the constant motion of my thumb. It feels strange to think that she died less than six months ago. So much has happened in that time, so many others lost.
The many thousands killed across the Deadlands. The victims of our own fight to reach Stein, then Eden. Soldiers under Knight's rule, killed as part of his game.
Lieutenant Murphy, shot dead on Tartarus as we tried to escape.
Theo...
I squeeze my eyes shut in an attempt to keep the image from my mind. It doesn't work. Once again, the sight of his brown eyes, their light fading, penetrates me. The gradual weakening of his final words. The colour of him skin, draining of blood, growing more pale, more cold.
And now, many others are going to share his fate. So many others, loved by someone, torn from this world due to one man's quest for power.
A man who's cold laughter once more begins to echo inside my head.
I stand and begin pacing. Stomping up and down on the rock, my feet slapping the cold floor. Gradually, the sound of Knight's laughter fades as I walk faster from end to end, twisting on the spot as I reach the wall, and turning back to continue my march.
Ellie stirs in her bed, but doesn't wake. My breath grows heavier until I'm panting. Then, suddenly, I stop. And in the sudden silence, I hear footsteps.
But this time, they're outside the room.
They're coming for me.
I have no idea how much time has passed since Ellie fell asleep as I quietly clamber back into bed. As I go, I flick off the lamp to douse the room in darkness.
It must be late, late enough for the mountain to have grown quiet and still. Late enough for such a mission to be performed. I steady my breathing and lie quietly, listening for further movement.
Light footsteps continue to gather, but I hear no words. A click sounds, that of the door handle being turned gently. I shut my eyes and pretend to be asleep as the room fills with a gentle glow, spilling in from outside. Then, I hear whispers.
“They're both out cold,” says a man.
“Perfect. It worked. Grab her, but be quiet about it.”
I feel men approach
, hands reach forward. As soon as the first touches me, another click sounds. This time, it's that of a gun being cocked.
“Take your filthy hands off her,” growls Ellie.
The men gasp out of surprise.
“What the hell...”
“Put your hands in the air.”
I open my eyes for the first time and roll over. Ellie sits in bed, eyes narrow, gun pointing. Three men stand with their hands slowly rising up. I scan their faces. Two I recognise from the attack on Theo.
“You're meant to be...”
“Drugged,” says Ellie. “Yeah, that's the thing about Watchers. Hard to catch them unawares.”
At that moment, I hear several sounds at once outside the room. A door opening. Footsteps rushing, cut off quickly by a shout. It's Jackson.
“Don't move another step!” he says.
“Out into the corridor, all of you,” says Ellie, gesturing with her gun.
The men sneer at me and walk outside. I climb off my bed and follow Ellie out. There, another three men stand, arms aloft, with Jackson holding them up with an automatic rifle. His eyes are as fierce and narrow as Ellie's.
“Ellie, I've got this,” says Jackson. “Go and wake Drake. I believe it's time Link had some company down in the cells...”
“You can't lock us away,” snarls the lead kidnapper. “You don't even belong here. Everyone wants her gone.”
He points at me with a long, spiteful finger.
“Ellie,” repeats Jackson. “Go, quickly.”
Ellie glances at me. I nod, and she goes rushing off into the night.
“You lot, you think you're so special,” continues the man, finger still aiming right in my face. “You're the one who's caused all this in the first place. We were doing much better before you came along.”
“What, living off scraps from Knight's table,” says Jackson. “You think that's a life.”
“Better that than be massacred by the Eden army. If she goes, we can be safe, we can live. Do you really think you're worth more than everyone here,” he says scathingly, staring me down.
“Don't listen, Cyra. Don't listen to him, he's scum.”
“Well, come on, don't you have anything to say for yourself,” the man snarls.
