by Sarah Fine
“As the sun moves directly overhead, it gets focused through certain weak spots in the dome,” Takeshi replied as he led me across the space, toward a back room filled with a pile of rubble. “The Mazikin have their private dens above and below. The first floors of every building in the city are meant to allow shelter if anyone gets caught out. They are public ground.”
He led us around a few piles of crumbled cement and metal scraps, toward a thick wall at the center of the building. He moved aside a thin sheet of concrete to reveal a large jagged crack. Murmuring to Ana, he guided her inside—and down a hole. My heart beat a little faster as she disappeared. He turned to me. “This is going to hurt.”
I leaned over. Ana was standing in a dimly lit space right below me. “I’ll catch you,” she said softly.
“This is really going to hurt,” I muttered, and Takeshi chuckled. Steeling myself, I clumsily edged to the opening in the floor. The hole was about six feet deep, judging by the fact that Ana’s head was right next to my boots as they dangled below me. I could do this. I could take it. I could—
“No more thinking,” Takeshi said. Then he shoved me. With a yelp, I plunged down, landing hard, but Ana managed to catch me before I collided with the floor. Agony exploded in my shoulder, and I clamped my teeth together to keep from screaming.
Takeshi landed lightly next to us, leaving the hole above us completely dark—he’d replaced the sheet of concrete. He pulled his mask off and didn’t look the slightest bit apologetic as he glanced over at me sweating cold drops of distilled pain. “All around you are Mazikin,” he said. “They mostly hide from the elements and sleep during the day, but you never know when one will happen by.”
He gestured at a narrow, rocky tunnel leading downward. Bare, crudely fashioned lightbulbs had been strung every twenty feet or so, allowing me to see that we had a walk ahead of us. Ana went first, and I was behind her. I tried not to be nervous about having Takeshi behind me, but it was hard to relax around him. Finally, after hiking a shallow downward path for a few minutes, we reached a metal door closed with a heavy padlock. Takeshi fished a skeleton key from his pocket and jammed it into the lock, then pulled the door open. His razor-tipped fingers were firm under my elbow as he guided me down another set of stairs, past dripping rock walls toward a glowing light at the bottom. We were deep within the earth, the temperature much cooler than it had been above. My boots slipped on the moist stairs, and I nearly fell, but Takeshi caught me. His build was slim, and he was only a few inches taller than me, but he was clearly stronger than he looked.
At the bottom of the steps lay an open cave-like chamber, complete with a thick pile of goatskin blankets and a satchel leaning against the wall. Takeshi led me to the mound of blankets and gestured for me to sit down.
“You live here?” Ana asked as she reached the bottom of the steps.
“I live nowhere and everywhere,” said Takeshi as he tugged on my cloak, carefully pulling it off me. “There are salt caverns like this all over the city, and I’ve made a few of them into safe chambers. None of them last forever—they eventually cave in or are discovered, and I move on.” He tucked the skeleton key away in his pocket and bent to remove a few of the goatskin blankets from the pile I was sitting on. I leaned to help him and moaned as it jostled my arm.
Takeshi carried the blankets across the room and set them in a corner. He met Ana’s eyes. “We have to get her shoulder back in the socket, then we should all rest. We can’t be on the streets for the next few hours, unless you feel like being cooked alive. You two were taking an incredible risk by being out there at this time of day.”
“Tourist mistake.” Ana stepped around him to squat in front of me. “You okay, girl? You’re really pale.”
“I’m great.” I leaned back against the cool, damp wall and closed my eyes, fighting the urge to puke.
“You don’t have to be tough, Lela,” Ana said gently. “You don’t have anything to prove. That Mazikin would have torn my throat out if you hadn’t been there.”
“Just help me get my arm working again. I won’t be able to fight with my shoulder like this.” The idea of being unable to defend myself in this hellish place was terrifying.
“You’ll be ready to throw punches before the next fire hour.” She inclined her head toward Takeshi. “He’s done this for me before. He’s a pro.”
“But it’s going to be painful,” Takeshi warned.
I didn’t see how it could be more painful than it had been when I was shoved without warning into a hole, but whatever.
He got on his knees in front of me and secured my gaze. His eyes were a cinnamon brown, and I let myself stare, taking in the finely sculpted lines of his face. Silver-pink scarring tracked down the left side of his cheek and neck, but it didn’t ruin him, only made him look more intimidating.
“Try to relax,” he said as Ana scooted over next to me and took my left hand. Takeshi had removed his Mazikin gloves and now cradled my limp right arm in his warm hands. “You have to release the tension in your muscles, Lela, or this isn’t going to work. They’re all seized up around the injury.”
Ana pulled the heavy glove off my arm and stroked the back of my hand. “You’re safe. Just take a deep breath and think of being far away from here.” She paused. “Think about that dance you got to go to.”
“Um, it wasn’t that relaxing, but I’ll try.” And I did. As Takeshi slowly moved my arm, pressing the elbow against my side, I thought back, not to the dance, but right after, to the last time I’d been in terrible pain. Malachi’s voice, soft against my skin, whispered, I’ve got you. Just hold on to me . . .
I didn’t close my eyes quickly enough to contain the tear that streaked down my face at the memory of how, in that moment, with his cheek pressed to mine and his voice in my ear, I’d given myself over completely, letting him hold me together when I couldn’t do it myself. It had been the best and worst feeling in the world. And now all I had was the shape of it carved onto my heart, the hole he left behind.
Ana’s fingers brushed against my face. “You’re doing great, Lela. Doing great.”
Stars exploded behind my closed eyelids as Takeshi held my elbow still and abruptly levered my lower arm away from my body. As the pressure and pain ratcheted up, I let out a slow breath and imagined Malachi holding me down, keeping me from shattering.
I cried out as my shoulder popped back into place, then sagged as the burst of pain gave way to instant relief, leaving me aching but able to move my arm without agony. When I opened my eyes, Takeshi was smiling. “Well done,” he said. “Now lie down.”
I sank into the surprisingly soft goatskin pallet. My shoulder was okay, but the rest of me still felt pulled out of joint. “Just for a little while.”
“Only a few hours,” he agreed. “I need to rest, too, and then we’ll move toward the center of the city. The Mazikin would keep Malachi in the square. That’s where we’ll go.”
“Why do you think he’s there?” I asked.
His eyes were steady on me. “To be an example.”
My stomach dropped.
“Do you think he might have escaped?” Ana asked, joining Takeshi in the center of the room. His fingers drifted across her cheek, but he was frowning.
Then he caught me watching him and flashed me a reassuring grin. “If anyone could, it would be Malachi.”
He turned away, but not before I saw his smile fade. He whispered something in Ana’s ear, and her eyes flicked over to me. “Try to sleep, okay? We’ll be on our way again before long.”
I knew they weren’t telling me everything, but I was too thrashed to demand that information right then. I turned to the wall and wrapped my sore arms around me, drawing my knees to my chest as the lightbulb clicked off. My thoughts swarming with a million plans and unknowns, my mind racing with countless what-ifs, I lay in the dark and counted the seconds and minutes, for
cing my breathing into a long, slow rhythm, hoping my body would rest even though my brain couldn’t.
And then, deep within the dark, I heard sounds that burned me in a million different ways.
The soft sighs, the sharp intake of breath, the swish of fabric as it fell to the floor, the quiet shudder of surrender. Ana and Takeshi. Together, finally, after so many years apart. I let the tears roll down, wishing I was anywhere but right there, having to bear witness to something so private and intimate. My chest felt like it was caving in with every uneven breath, every whispered word in languages I couldn’t understand but had no trouble translating. I love you. I never stopped loving you. You are the home for my soul. I flattened my hands over my ears and sank deep into my own head, the only way to escape.
Malachi was waiting for me there. The way he pressed my hand to his chest and told me his heart beat for me. The burning look in his eyes as he watched me, how he kissed me like he could never get enough, how his hands shook as they slid over my body. All those images of him, all those sensations, washed over me, leaving me hungry and aching and grieving. Inside of them I drifted, reaching for him, never quite able to catch hold of his sleeve, never quite able to touch his face or make him hear me.
Someday, I promised. Someday it will be you and me, face-to-face, and I will tell you how I feel.
I lay there, hurting inside and out, thinking someday couldn’t possibly arrive soon enough.
SEVEN
SOMEONE PRODDED MY ACHING shoulder, and I lurched awake from a dream of slow dancing with Malachi in an abandoned warehouse as it collapsed around us.
“Takeshi went up to scout. It’ll be sundown soon. We’re packing up to head out,” Ana said softly. Her hair was freshly braided, and she looked happier than I’d ever seen her. The sling for the grenades was on the floor next to her thigh sheaths, laid out so she could arm herself.
I directed my gaze at the wall. “All right. Hey, did he tell you how he found us so quickly? This city seems pretty huge.”
“The explosions against the dome got everyone’s attention,” she said, sliding a knife into a sheath. “He was following the enforcement squad to try to find out why. Apparently, Ibram commands them, and he’s close to the Queen. And Tak loves to make their lives more difficult.”
“Does Takeshi seem the same to you, Ana? Is he the person he was before he was taken?”
She raised her head and stared at me. “Are you implying something?”
I shook my head. “It just seems like this place would change a person.” Into what, I didn’t know.
Her fingers curled around the hilt of the knife. “He is still Takeshi.”
I looked away from her predatory glare, hearing footsteps on the stairs. I sat up as Takeshi descended into the safe chamber. A single lightbulb hung from a twisted wire that threaded its way along the ceiling, nearly brushing the top of his head as he joined us. “How’s the shoulder?”
I moved it gingerly. “Achy. But all things considered, pretty good.” It hurt like a bitch, but there was no way I was going to complain.
“You’re lucky,” he said, watching me swing it in a slow arc, testing my range of motion. “People in the city heal quickly but badly. It’s hard to die here, but it’s also hard to stay whole. Like everything works to increase the suffering.”
He turned to Ana. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the sling.
Ana let out a dry laugh. “Grenades. Michael came up with them after you were gone. They explode ten seconds after you push the button.”
Takeshi knelt next to her and picked up the belt. Carefully, he lifted a flap on one of the little pouches and peeked inside. “Amazing. They’re so tiny. How powerful?”
“Really powerful,” Ana said in a choked voice, and I had no doubt she was remembering the blast that had taken her out.
Takeshi brushed a few tendrils of hair away from her cheek, but then returned to examining the grenades. “These are very valuable. There is no one in the city who wouldn’t want them.”
“What are you talking about?” I suddenly wanted to take the sling out of his hands.
He seemed to sense that, because he set it down next to Ana. “There is no currency here. It’s a barter system. And with those, even one of those, you could have nearly anything you wanted.”
“All we want is to find Malachi and get out of here.” I didn’t like the bright look in his eyes as he stared at our most powerful weapon against the Mazikin, and I couldn’t help but remember what he’d said about looking out for himself and no one else. He’d been nothing but kind to me, and he obviously loved Ana, but I guess I’d expected someone more . . . noble?
I pushed myself to my feet and scooped my cloak from the rocky floor of the chamber. “Have you been free all these years?”
Even if he really had safe chambers all over the place, I didn’t see how it was possible for him to get around so easily without allies or friends. His face was painted on walls all over the city.
Takeshi leaned back from Ana and looked at me. “I got away from them very quickly after they brought me into the city. After that it was a matter of survival.”
“And who helped you with that?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ve bartered or stolen what I needed. I don’t take human lives unless they threaten mine. If some have helped, the alliances are fleeting and motivated by a mutual need to survive, nothing more. There isn’t room for more, not here,” he said bitterly.
Ana frowned but remained silent.
“But you don’t think Malachi got away? You don’t think anyone would have helped him?” I watched him closely, looking for the truth. As soon as I saw the corners of his lips hitch upward in another show of fake optimism, I shook my head. “Don’t bullshit me.”
He stood up. Without his cloak, I could see that the scars on his face weren’t the only ones he’d collected. Silvery gashes laced along his honey-colored skin, descending into the neck of his shirt. “I don’t know what the truth is. But if you want my opinion, I’ll give it to you. When the Mazikin captured me in the dark city, it was luck. I was weak, and they pounced on the opportunity. When they brought me into the city, they underestimated me. They treated me like anyone else. They thought it wouldn’t take much to keep me contained, and they were wrong.” His eyes met mine, cold despite the natural warmth of their color. “But Ana told me they were waiting for Malachi, that they had planned to take him.”
I swallowed back nausea. “They set a pretty elaborate trap, made just for him. Juri was waiting to take over his body.”
Takeshi tilted his head. “They will take no chances with such a valuable prize.”
“So you think they have him,” I said, ashamed at how small and broken I sounded. From the moment I’d found out Takeshi was free, some tiny part of me had hoped Malachi had gotten away, too, that he would find me the way Takeshi had found Ana.
Takeshi nodded, slow and deliberate. “I not only think they have Malachi—I think they will guard him with every bit of cunning they possess. And I think they will show him absolutely no mercy. I think they will destroy him, over and over again.”
“Takeshi—” Ana began, but he held up his hand to silence her, never taking his eyes off me.
His voice was deadly but gentle, which made it all the more brutal. “No, Ana. She wanted to know. Didn’t you, Lela?”
“Yes,” I whispered, aching to slit the throat of any Mazikin that laid a clawed hand on Malachi. “And that’s why I’m here. Can we leave now, Captain?”
“If you’re ready,” Ana said, a shade paler after Takeshi’s blunt words.
Takeshi released her and moved across the room with a barely contained sort of energy, controlled but crackling with life. It might be difficult to stay whole in this city, but it seemed like Takeshi was in his element. He swung the satchel onto his back and took Ana’s hand. “When we g
o topside, I’m going to wear the mask,” he said to her. “And I want you two to wear disguises, too. Few humans walk these streets independently, and as you saw, there are traps to capture those who do. Nearly every person in this city is a slave, every creature a master.”
Ana wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. That Mazikin skin stinks. I don’t want to wear one of tho—”
“You don’t have to,” Takeshi said, arching an eyebrow. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a studded collar, connected to a long black leather leash. “You can wear this.”
The sun hung low and menacing at the rooftops when we left our underground haven. It was still hot, but no longer unbearable. “The Mazikin will be emerging from their dens soon,” Takeshi told us. “Fortunately, the crowds and the darkness will help us more than they hurt. Unless we’re caught. Keep your heads covered and follow my lead.”
He smiled and yanked playfully on Ana’s leash. Anyone else would have had one of Ana’s knives rammed into his soft spots, but Ana rewarded Takeshi with a look hot enough to make me blush.
I pulled my cloak around me and tucked the end of my now-braided hair under my tunic, fighting the urge to tug at the stiff collar around my neck. “Where are we going?”
Takeshi led us over to one of the doorways. “The square, the central meeting place. It’s just south of the Bone Palace, and it’s where they hold the lotteries and . . . other events they want the public to witness.”
“The lotteries?” Ana asked, making sure her own hair was fully concealed beneath the hood of her cloak.
“It’s how they decide which of them gets to go through the portal. The favorites of the Queen may go at her command, but the rest go by lottery. They enter their names and vie for the chance to possess a human body—to escape. The drawings take place every night. Even Mazikin need hope.” His jaw flexed with tension. “It will take us a few hours to walk.”
With my head bowed, I followed him onto the road, Ana trudging next to me, her powerful stride reined in. I flinched as a growling, distorted voice rang out over some kind of public announcement system, echoing above the din of the street. Takeshi stopped dead, listening, and then continued on. Ana cursed under her breath.
