by Eden Wolfe
"Sorry," Leadon shook her head to bring her back into herself. "Yes. Some fruit?"
She pointed to the oranges. "These are good ones. Fortified. Less flavor but better for you. It's the best they can do in the East Fields these days, what with the crop killers."
"I'll take two oranges." She passed a bill from the pouch Batrasa had given her. The ways in Geb were not like Gana. She'd have to pay for everything she needed. In Gana, food was for all to eat.
The woman put the oranges in a paper bag and handed them across the bushels. "Thank you," Leadon smiled, "I haven't had oranges in years."
The woman screwed up her cheeks. "In years? Where are you from, foreigner?"
"Gana."
"Ah, Gana. Like the Commandante."
"Yes. Like the Commandante."
"I can see the resemblance."
Lea felt her heart flutter. "Thank you, goodbye."
The man had disappeared, remarkable considering his slow stride, but Lea had been completely consumed by the vendor.
What if they find out I'm her genetic duplicate? I already stand out like a goat in the pigpen. This task may not be as easy as it seemed.
She continued her walk deeper into the city. Concrete blocks rose high to her left and her right. Variances in each of them. The occasional balcony, one with a terrace, one with large windows, one with full-size doors made of glass. Not a single one was beautiful, all looked rushed. Even the huts in Gana had some decoration, usually sacred, to give some color and texture.
The fox skin on the roof of her quorum house was Leadon's most precious. She'd known that fox from birth, watched the little litter emerge in the forest that ran along the Gana River's edge. Hers was the runt, left behind for the most part, though he wound his way every time back to the troop. He had a white strip down his side, a marking for life of his inadequacy. He couldn't hide it; it was on parade for all to see. But it didn't seem to bother him either. He carried on with his little wild life, killing smaller forest creatures, creeping about the Gana protectorate. He must have been about fifteen years old when he died. Leadon had been sitting by the river when his red muzzle peeked out from the trees. He stepped, slow and gingerly toward the river. Leadon knew his time was coming; it had been for a while. He'd gotten slow and his back hip gave out on him. He took one step, and then another, each one gingerly appointed, each one painful to his aching body. He trembled with it. Leadon didn't dare move. He arrived at the river's edge and lay down. He was directly across from her. He was on his right side, so she could see the full length of his white stripe on his left. It extended from ear to the end of his tail, like some heavenly being had taken a brush and held it in place as he'd pushed out the womb.
His breathing calmed and slowed. Deep breaths, his chest lifted and fell, the sound of the river masking any noise he might have been making, any wheeze or whistles was lost on the rapids that separated Leadon from him.
In. Then out.
In. Then out.
Leadon lost track of time, perhaps an hour or two or three had gone by, when at last his chest was still, the last exhale emptying his soul to the river.
She waded across. The water came to her waist but the current was gentle that day. She lifted his body and turned back, carrying him through the village. Eyes poked out from huts to watch her pass, brows furrowed in question, though no one dared ask her. They always kept their space but for an occasional spiteful remark.
But as she held him through Gana village, not a voice stirred her from her death rite. She laid him down in front of her hut, chanted over his beautiful limp body, and dutifully skinned him in the way of their ancestors.
He was her welcome, the white-streaked fox that laid over her entry. He'd survived against his litter's abandonment. She would survive against her tribe's judgment.
We each have our battles of body and mind.
Leadon whispered the prayer again as she walked through Geb city center. So far from home. So far from her streaked fox. The asphalt under her sandals was rough, the air more humid than Gana.
Beside her, a screen buzzed to life, and Leadon nearly jumped. The streets were mostly empty, middle of the week nearing mid-afternoon, and she was glad for the solitude. She knew that when more of the women emerged she'd find herself the center of attention. A visitor from Gana, and what was she there for? Why had she traveled so far? Did they give free leave to the women or were they kept like caged animals as the old tales went? The questions would come. Leadon heard the other women tell their own stories, the few who had made the trek to Geb. In the city of brown-haired, green-eyed, olive-skinned women, Leadon's stature, her deep brown skin, her near-black eyes, and feminine form would stand out even more than the fox's white streak. Leadon realized that she couldn’t just slide in amongst the women of Geb; she needed to change her strategy.
She needed a better story.
To state she was simply on a visit to the capital would be insufficient, she now understood. Batrasa had tried to explain it to her, but Leadon's ears were naive. 'Prepare for any eventuality,' Batrasa had said. Leadon had thought that meant scorching heat on the journey, or crossing a pack of wild dogs. Or losing the money Batrasa had given her to survive in the city for her few days' stay.
Now Leadon saw it all much more clearly. She had to find Queen Ariane – Aria – in a city so foreign to her, and then get close enough to assess whether Aria really could help the Ganese determine the next Chief. Who knew how much Aria might have changed since she left Gana? Certainly her role as Queen would have changed her. Had Leadon been too foolish and naïve in her plea to Batrasa. Nothing was as clear as she’d thought it would be.
Twenty-four years and there's so much in me that is still a child.
A face came on the screen. A woman. Likely Lea's age, with brown hair, olive skin, and green eyes. Crystal green, powerful eyes. Even on the screen, her eyes shot out across the distance. The screen rose two stories against the building on which it hung. Her face took up the full height of it.
"Citizens of Geb, I greet you with appreciation during this 'Week of Industry'. I speak for Queen Ariane when I say we are humbled by your commitment and dedication to your service. Your production this week has outstripped the last three years!"
Mary. So this is Mary. How can she be so young? She's been in place for two generations. Is there more than one Mary? How can they do that?
Lea felt Mary's eyes come to rest on her, even though she knew it wasn't possible. Her heart began beating between her ears at the sight of the green eyes that scanned the city streets from the screen.
Does she see me? Is this some kind of magic?
"As per Directive, you'll stay in Industry until three in the afternoon, when I shall call you with the sound of the flute to join in Central Square for a briefing with our beloved Queen. Continue, women of Geb! You are the generation to take our world further than we could have imagined."
The screen buzzed to black.
Leadon's heart wouldn't slow.
Week of Industry? Is that why there's no one? Where are they? What are they doing?
Leadon walked slower, staying towards the edges of the center. Her timing was poor. Week of Industry? She'd stand out even more than she did already. But a briefing in the afternoon - that would be a unique opportunity.
Perhaps it's not as lost as I thought. If I can stay in cover until then, I will have a chance to catch sight of Aria. Perhaps she'll recognize me. Perhaps she'll call me to the fortress. Perhaps we can discuss. Batrasa doesn't want me to bring up the process for deciding on a new Chief, but if I can get Aria alone -
Leadon stopped. Reason struck her like a brick. She couldn't just stay where she was and rely on no one reporting her presence.
I have to get out of the city until then. If I'm called to report, if the Queen's Guard pulls me aside, I might miss my opportunity to see Aria.
She walked, swiftly but not quickly, so as not to draw any further attention to herself, back to the mai
n entry of Geb and back to the mule. She didn't need to explore the city now; there would be time for that later. Now she just needed to wait out the time until Queen Ariane would give her briefing. She mounted the mule and headed west towards the city's edge. She'd go unnoticed there.
The mule plodded and Leadon reflected. How could the Geb of her childhood musings be so different from the city that rose before her? How can the imagination be so wrong in its drawing up of descriptions? Central Tower, the fortress, the roads, the women. The city was a stranger to her. She'd been operating off a lie of her imagination.
She approached a tall metal gate enclosing a large block of machinery. It was still too far to see the detail, but the sound of the hum and vibration of the ground reached the mule's hoofs. He was not pleased about continuing in that direction, and Leadon had to give him a sharp kick to keep him moving. She made out a sign in the distance as they approached: Power Hub.
The generator for Geb. No wonder it's so loud.
She let the mule take a wide birth around it and walk on. As they reached the northwest corner, Leadon thought she heard voices. They passed the edge of Power Hub, and on her left two women were standing close to each other, handing something between them. Leadon couldn't see what it was.
"You still owe me for the last time."
"I've got a payment coming; Central Tower only pays monthly, I'll have it. I'm good for it."
"You'd better be."
Both women had the common brown hair and olive skin color, but while one woman was dressed in matching jacket, slacks, and boots, the other was hunched, a scramble of fabrics tied over her body. Part of her face drooped and her hair was matted in places. She lifted a little bag in the air.
"You don't know what it takes to produce this. You and your Central Tower buddies swoon over sequences and enzymes. I'm slaving in a basement in the heat of hell for you."
"I know, I know. Look, I've got to get back before they miss me. It's Week of Industry. I'm already taking a risk by being here."
"You're the one who came to me."
"I know, now let's be done with this and I'll find you when I have my pay."
"You'd better."
"I will."
Leadon made sure to stay far enough away that she appeared uninterested, but every word the women said ran questions through her mind. The clean and proper woman turned, seeing Leadon and the mule. The woman's face flushed with panic, and then reset itself, appearing as though everything was perfectly normal.
The other woman hadn't paid Leadon any mind at all. She'd turned and skittered through a door past the Power Hub into the commune behind.
Opie dealers. Just like the warrior priestesses warned. So it's still being produced in the capital. The Guard can't be pleased about that.
Lea wound around the western edge of the city, wire fencing rising high along the city's border. It was out of place. The rest of the city was open, except for Power Hub, which was to be expected, given the risks.
But here?
Leadon couldn't see a reason for enclosing a commune. Unless it was prison? She continued on, but stayed carefully aware of the position of the sun. She couldn't bear to miss the briefing.
Mule attached and nearing the time of the briefing, Leadon calmed her steps as she reentered Geb center. She had to play her role. Visitor from Gana. Sent by Batrasa for reports on the West Fields as the East Fields hadn't yielded as previous years and the stores in Gana were getting low. It was viable. More than viable, it was true. But it wasn't the purpose of Leadon's journey.
The pace of the city had changed since her earlier visit. Women bustled, smiling, eyes curled upward.
Relief? The end of the workday?
They scattered but everyone was heading in one direction: the central square. Several thousand could fit in the square, and even more in the adjacent parks where the screens broadcast the fortress' balcony. The screens were already alive, alit with the image of the balcony, still empty.
"Watch your step," Lea heard a woman say.
"Sorry, sorry," the voice was low.
A man.
Leadon sought him out but couldn't see him in the crowd.
A man. Another man. So few left and yet here there were more than she'd ever seen in Gana. Her whole life there had only been one man who came, the one called Archer. When he had come, it was always brief. And it was only ever to see Aria.
"Come, children, quickly now. Queen Ariane will be up on that balcony soon."
"I hope she's wearing the robe she wore last week. I love how it captures the sunlight."
"I hope she sees me."
"She can't see you, stupid, there are thousands and thousands of people coming."
"Don't you know, stupid, she sees everyone, all the time."
"Not all the time."
"Yes, all the time."
"Quiet!" the housemother walked over to the two girls who'd been talking. "You watch your mouths now. We're almost there."
Leadon looked up from the entry of the main square, the fortress rising high in front of her, Central Tower rising high behind her, and she suddenly felt claustrophobic. Women pushed to advance, hardly seeming to notice that she didn't belong. They were almost trance-like in their approach, pushing, moving forward, advancing. Leadon closed her eyes for a moment and tried not to lose her balance as others came and pushed, twisting her so they could pass. She inhaled deeply through her nostrils, letting the air filled with the smell of bodies sink deep into her lungs. She opened her eyes and set them on the balcony. She joined the women, advancing, moving closer, having to get the best view possible of Aria.
She's Queen Ariane here. I must burn that into my mind. She's no longer Aria in this place.
The screens on three sides of the square made a prism of the balcony. Leadon looked up, eyes locked, waiting to see her emerge.
The crowd hushed. The time had just ticked three in the afternoon.
Every eye turned to the balcony and waited.
Leadon felt paralyzed. She held her breath.
The left door of the balcony opened, then the right.
The Queen stepped onto the balcony and lifted, at the speed of a drifting feather, her arms towards the sky.
The crowd burst.
"Queen Ariane!"
"Long live the Queen!"
"Hahlah! Queen Ariane!"
Leadon broke into a wide smile at the sight of her and waved from her crushed spot in the middle of the square, "Aria! Aria! Queen Ariane!"
The Queen started at the south edge of the square, running her eyes across the crowd and the people settled, an occasional whistle and some clapping as it slowed back into quiet.
Look at me, Aria. Rest your eyes on me. How good it is to see you. See me, Aria, see me -
The Queen's eyes reached the center of the square and Leadon gasped, her breath punched out of her. The Queen scanned the middle of the crowd, up and down, seeing Leadon, and nodding in her direction, but it was a nod of greeting.
Not of friendship.
Leadon saw it immediately, and she couldn't breathe. She was drowning in the crowd and couldn't will her lungs to open.
The Queen's eyes, green.
Her skin, smooth.
Her gaze, proud and aloof.
It's not Aria. It's not Aria.
The Queen isn't Aria.
Queen Ariane isn't Aria.
She couldn't move. Leadon knew if she tried to leave, she'd be caught out and questioned and she couldn't have that now. She had to stand and wait it out. Dead still, dead eyes. She had to hold the terror inside. It grew like a fireball from the center of her chest.
She listened without hearing, desperate for the time to pass. Desperate to escape.
The Queen's words slid off her like oil on rubber, Leadon made herself a vessel, empty. She didn't hear the announcements, only vaguely aware of the pronouncements of success by Central Tower, overcoming hardship, binding together as a society.
Applause. It was o
ver. Leadon made her hands hit each other, her eyes vacant, pointed up at the imposter.
The minute the crowd broke, Leadon was running. She ran to the mule and hopped on, desperate to think, desperate to understand how any of this was possible. Her childhood friend, gone for five years, gone to rule their nation, gone to lead them through the next generations.
And yet it wasn't her.
The mule took step after steady step as Leadon sought the words to tell Batrasa.
The Queen is not who she's supposed to be. The Queen is not Queen Ariane. Aria. What's happened to Aria? What is happening to Lower Earth?
She rode the mule back to Gana pausing only for a short rest at the checkpoint.
This couldn't wait. Batrasa had to know.
This would change everything.
3
Irene
Irene's eyes closed. Her hand clasped her long braid, pulling it forward and wrapping it under her the fold of her arm. She inhaled, letting the cool fortress air calm her. When she opened them again, the Queen was leaning on the armrest of her velvet desk chair, head cocked, staring at Irene. And she did not look amused.
"Are you finished?"
"I was just thinking."
Queen Ariane sat back in the chair, tensing her lips. "You've been distracted, Irene. I want to know why."
"There isn't a particular reason." Irene sighed, "Trying to assess the landscape. The unrest in the Dark Counties has been weighing on me."
"Because of the boy disappearance? That was just an inciting event. There's been an undercurrent there for some time."
"Exactly. We knew the boy birth was coming at the time, has it been seven years already? They should have been elated to host the child. And they weren't. Why? They should have felt honor and pride. It should have been the moment we saw a turn for the better up there. And we didn't. And then the disappearance... and now the riots..."
"Likely the boy died. That could be sufficient enough explanation."
