by Erme Lander
“Run.” The tiny remaining sane part of me forces the word out and the last thing I see is the flash of Talia’s eyes as she obeys.
Chapter 16
Talia turned to run, Daniel was no longer her friend, he was something hunting her. She ran in a panic, scraping herself against a wall, the rough surface taking chunks out of her arm and stumbled over the rubble pushed to the sides of the streets, unaware of anyone she passed. No one could help her, she had no one to turn to. Who could kill her friend? Her vision blurred, the friend that wasn’t her friend anymore.
Talia ran to get space between her and the thing was stalking her. Her lungs burned and she wheezed with the effort of breathing past the obstructions. Finally, chest heaving, she had to stop. She collapsed against a wall, no longer caring about the clothes she’d been so proud of. It was all her fault. She bit down hard on her hand, the pain cutting through her desperation. If she hadn’t gone through the rift then Daniel wouldn’t have followed her. He was going to die. Tears streamed down her face as she raged, she couldn’t help him and it was all her fault. Daniel was dead – she corrected herself – Daniel was alive and trying to kill her.
A whisper of dread and she turned to see the unhurried stride of the figure turning the corner down the end of the street. Something more than the tiredness of bad lungs and running dragged at her limbs. The panic to find safety called and she summoned the void without thinking. Snot ran from her nose and crying, she scrabbled at the air, finding the break and not caring where she might end up. Talia sobbed aloud, knowing every second brought it closer. She had to find safety, somewhere close by where she could find the time to think and defeat it. She needed water.
She could feel her need pulling and within the void she turned, knowing without knowing which way she needed to go. Safety was close by. The void spat her out and Talia stumbled into beech woods. She bent over, coughing hard and it threatened to finish off her brain through lack of oxygen. Her stomach rebelled, adding to the splatter on the ground. A stream of gunk ran out her mouth, spotted with blood.
Snivelling she stood, wiping her mouth and rubbing her eyes against her sleeve and she stared around. Birds sang and she caught the flicker of wings as one launched itself upwards. Talia turned to follow its flight and gazed at the wide lake behind her – the safety she’d been looking for.
She stumbled forwards and felt the break loosen as something came through. The body poured onto the ground. Thigh deep in the lake she stood and watched with dead eyes as her friend built himself up in front of her. His mouth was slightly open as though concentrating, the hood in folds around his neck in his pathetic defiance of what had happened to him. The dirt that had been clinging to his shoe mirrored in dust. She sank to her knees, the water rising to her waist, passive in the knowledge she was safe for the moment. One step forwards and her nightmare dissolved.
Talia waded back to the shore to allow the sun to dry her clothes. A tear trickled down her face, she swiped it away, not wanting the weakness. Her legs betrayed her by giving way and she fell into the ground. Why had she let him come back? She didn’t care about anyone else, no one else mattered. She ran through the list of contacts she had, the only other person she’d cared about had been Dodie and she’d pulled away from her in the last few years. Daniel’s casual question about her parents hurt, she couldn’t remember them. Dodie had filled her life and she was dead. Daniel was dead as well.
The pressure built inside her head, Daniel was dead. Her ribs heaved and she sucked in air to scream into last year’s leaves. Talia scrunched them into brown dust in her fists, beating the ground with tears streaming down her face and fell into another coughing fit. She buried her head into the leaves, staring. Brown dust, not grey, still giving life unlike the death the other dust from her world gave. She cried herself out as she hadn’t in years.
As the tears slowly gave way, she tried to remember past the blankness in her mind. Nothing, the past was a locked door, nothing leaked out. Limbs shaking from the unaccustomed emotion, she began to pull herself together and looked round. This was Daniel’s world she stood in. The trees standing straight and tall, the leaves shivering in the breeze. She rolled over to lay on her back and gazed up at the blue sky between the green leaves. Her mind span in circles, trying to work out how the grey men could have had Daniel’s face before he’d even come to her world, and how she could save him. The sighing of wind through the branches soothed her, speaking of a time before the isolation of cold streets and grey cities. Exhaustion claimed her and she fell asleep.
Talia woke with a jump. The shadows had lengthened and she stretched stiffly. The sun highlighted a thin path through the trees. Almost drunk with having slept deeply, she decided to follow it. Relaxed in the knowledge that nothing could hurt her here – Daniel had told her so – she hummed as she walked, a thin thread of a melody. The fragile peace held as she scuffed her way up the narrow track. It led to a look out point, the view widening. The trees were cut off below. She hurried to see why and stopped dead in her tracks. The mist lay in a thick blanket below the trees, the outlines of the wall could be seen and the tops of buildings further down.
Dread washed through her, this wasn’t Daniel’s world. She was inside the wall, in the nobs place. She had to get out of here before anyone saw her. She didn’t fit in, anyone would see that in an instant. She hesitated, unsure if she would draw another grey man if she opened a rift again so soon.
She was even more in shock when a voice said close by, “This is my favourite place to watch the sun go down.” She spun around to see an older man, dressed in blue behind her. She twitched away as he smiled easily and came to stand close by. “My apologies, I disturbed you.” He waved a hand at the view, “Do you like it?”
Talia nodded, mind calculating rapidly as she assessed him. A silver chain hung from his neck, several rings on his fingers. Obviously a nob, and a wealthy one too. She had to play along, distract him and then get away before he called a guard. She’d be lucky if she got away with a beating. On a bad day, bodies were hung from the top of the wall.
“You can see the other shores from here on a clear day. I like to come here and think of the past, when the waters weren’t as high.”
“You remember it?” Talia forgot her wariness.
He laughed, “Not even I’m that old. It was hundreds of years ago.”
“Mamin said...” She stopped, she’d had too much teasing about it.
“Said what?” He waited expectantly, reminding her of Daniel, interested in things everyone else wasn’t.
“Mamin said she was told about someone walking across to the mainland.”
He chuckled, “It must have been a very low tide, and he still would have had to swim the last part. It’s deep in places.”
“She told me there were bridges and roads.” Talia’s eyes misted over, so few memories. Those she had, she guarded jealously.
“And now nature is reclaiming the city. Water, trees and ash.” His eyes surveyed the landscape. “Where did you pop up from young lady? I would say that you’re from down below.” His question and tone were friendly, Talia still tensed. He laughed lightly, “Don’t tell me you snuck inside.” A smile quirked the side of his mouth, “It happens. Are you hungry?”
Emotions warred within her. He might be able to help Daniel, he obviously knew things. Past experience told her that he also might be trying to trap her, she hesitated further.
He chuckled, a warm sound, matching the surroundings. “My name is Kenderick. Stay by all means if you like, otherwise you can follow and eat with me and my family. Please be aware that the guards sweep the area close to dusk. You’ll want to be away by that point.”
The tip about the guards lowered her defences, “Do you know things?” She blurted it out, unsure how to start.
“What do you need to know?” She eyed him, desperate for help. He had an open stance, she couldn’t sense any threat coming from him. His hands looked capable but he didn’t have a
ny weapons that she could see. He cocked his head and said companionably, “Come and talk. Let’s see if I can help.” He walked away without looking to see if she followed.
Talia hesitated once more and followed him down the hill. Steep steps cut into the hillside brought them down quickly to where the wall was close by, a sweep biting a chunk into the greenery. It was lower on this side, only a storey high and built into the hillside. The windows were glazed – no threat of them being broken from this side – and there was the same smear of ash over them, unseen in the woods. Doors showed at regular intervals, all shut. Kenderick headed for one slightly off the trail.
The door opened into a large workshop, the windows showed the view towards the hills and an inner door pulled close. Kenderick pulled a string and the lights came on. She jumped, these weren’t the pale feeble lights of the city, these blazed, chasing away the shadows. He watched with an amused look on his face as Talia swung her head around, assessing the area before she walked in.
“Please excuse the chaos in here. This is my workshop, I seldom allow anyone to tidy.”
Talia caught the reference to servants and shivered. Her sharp eyes peered everywhere, catching sights she recognised from her digging. It reminded her of Daniel’s rooms, full of interest, the familiarity reassured her.
“I’ve seen those before.” She pointed at a couple of mechanisms on a workbench, the tools surrounding them and a book open in front. A pen and inkwell were tucked in the mess.
Kenderick came to stand next to her, “They come from the city, people bring them to me. I take them apart and work out how they move.”
“And write it down?” Talia’s finger hovered over the book, not quite daring to touch the creamy pages.
“You have quick eyes young lady. Look.” He picked up the closest mechanism and turned the handle. Rods moved and pulled. Talia was pleased, it wasn’t as good as the one she’d found. A pang caught her at how Daniel had helped mend it. His voice interrupted her thoughts. “I believe we have a lot to learn from the ancients who built this city. Where did you see these?”
“I dug one out… once.” Despite her pride, self preservation caught Talia before she talked about Daniel repairing it.
“You dig? Splendid, would you find things like this for me? I will pay well.” His eagerness was infectious and Talia found herself nodding. He rubbed his hands, “Now, I’m sure we’ve got something for dinner. You said you were hungry?”
The inside door banged open and a boy came in with a large dog. Talia dropped her eyes and shifted slightly out of his line of sight.
“Bay, how many times have I told you to knock?”
The boy looked sulky. “Dinner’s waiting Father.”
“We have a guest. Please be nice to her.” Kenderick waved his hand, “This is Bay, my son.” Talia’s mind raced, making connections. She realised that Kenderick hadn’t asked her name but Bay might know if he’d bothered to ask the doorman the other day. She’d not lied about her name in case Marty had asked. Her shoulders tensed, it wasn’t good now she thought about it. Kenderick hadn’t asked because she didn’t matter to him, if you didn’t matter then you were dead. She tensed, she had to get out of here.
Bay glowered out of habit and then stared. Talia’s hopes plummeted as he said, “You’re Talia, I asked about you at the small west door. You came to see me the other day with that boy, he wasn’t from round here.”
Kenderick’s voice was mild, “Which boy? You didn’t mention this Bay.”
Bay flinched. “I was going to tell you. She had this boy she thought was one of us. Never seen him before.”
“He could have been someone’s son you hadn’t met. You should have told me. It could have been useful.”
A whine entered Bay’s voice, “She was going to come back. She offered to get me something good for you.” He twisted, “She said the boy was a layer out of the dead.”
Kenderick stilled and asked sharply, “Who was this boy, Talia?”
Talia tensed further, she didn’t like the way this was going. She’d wanted to ask about the grey men without mentioning Daniel. He was helpless and still her friend, despite wanting to kill her. She slid her hand towards her knife. The door to the outside was only a few steps away. Maybe she could get out and run. Talia allowed her voice to become sullen, refused to glance at them in an attempt to look surly. “Just a stranger I met. He told me he was a nob, wanted to get back in here.”
“Interesting, but I don’t think I believe you.” In mid sentence Kenderick shoved Talia backwards. The edge of the table caught her ribcage, making her gasp and drop her knife. Taking advantage, he leaned further, digging it in and grabbed her hands. She swore as tools pinched and slid underneath her back.
“Now, that’s not nice young lady.” He kicked her knife away, and leant over to rummage through the mess on the bench behind. Talia struggled and felt her ribs creak at his weight holding her down. A manacle clicked around her wrist. “I knew these would come in useful again. Bay, bring that mutt of yours here.”
Kenderick pulled her up by her wrist and she kicked out at him. He was faster than he looked, a long arm flicked out to give her a smack around the head that made her stumble. “Less of the swearing please.”
He dragged her over to a ring on the floor, ignoring the table corner banging into her hip. Her head ringing, Talia launched herself, attempting to distract him before he could chain her up. Kenderick picked her up, easily avoiding her clawing fingers and wrapped his arm around her. The lock clicked shut through the ring and chain. Bay had been the struggle watching through angry eyes, he took hold of his dog’s ruff and dragged it forwards. It whined and snapped at Kenderick who flicked out a length of chain, smacking it on the nose. As it cringed away, Kenderick looped the other end of the chain around its neck.
“That’s better. You won’t be going anywhere until we’ve had a chance to talk. Bay, you had better eat your dinner in here. Wouldn’t want Fangs to get upset and attack our guest.” Kenderick reached out to ruffle the dog’s ears and it cowered. Talia felt the same way. His voice and stance hadn’t changed, it still held the same calmness that had tricked her into trusting him earlier.
Kenderick left and Bay followed, smirking. Talia shifted and the dog growled, evidently thinking she was the person responsible for it being chained up. Remembering Daniels’ dog, she tried talking to it and shrank back when it refused to believe her false friendliness. She didn’t blame it, she eyed her knife left casually on the floor in the corner and decided she’d happily slit its throat given a chance.
Bay swaggered in with a plate and the dog settled into a position of guarding her while keeping an eye on the food. Bay’s eating seemed to go on for ages, she suspected he was enjoying himself tormenting her. Talia’s stomach grumbled as the dog snapped up the various titbits thrown to it.
“You and my dog. You’ve both got the same expression. Do you want some too?” Bay waved a piece of meat at her. Drool pooled at the dog’s feet. Talia shook her head. No way would she take anything from him, unless…
She tried smiling and knelt, holding her chained hand out to him. “Help me.”
Bay shook his head. “Father would kill me.” His voice was matter of fact. “I’m only tolerated. He killed my two older brothers when they got in his way.” He dunked the meat he’d been waving into his mouth.
“What if I helped you kill him?”
His mouth paused in its chewing as he considered her offer. “He’s too fast.”
The dog growled as she waved her hand, “There are three of us.” She narrowed her eyes, “Allies?”
Bay’s mouth resumed its chewing, “Maybe.” The sound of a door slamming in the next room made them both jump.
Kenderick strode in with a book in his hand. “Marvellous how a good meal can restore your mood.” He pulled out a nearby chair and began to flick through his book, ignoring the fact that Talia hadn’t eaten. “I do a lot of reading. The ancients were very fond of wri
ting information down. I have scribes who hunt down old books. Tell me, how did you get in?”
The question caught her out. She stammered and recovered, “Same way I got in the first time.” Talia nodded at Bay who was still stuffing his meal, “Through a door.” She shivered at the bland look Kenderick gave her. This man was danger on a whole new level.
“I saw how you defeated that grey man, not many know to take cover in water. Yes, I happened to be passing when you came out of those bushes. Who was that boy Bay spoke about?”
“I told you, I thought he was a nob. I was after a reward for bringing him back, then he disappeared on me. Bastard.” She muttered the last word, hoping it would sound plausible.
“Hmm.” The gentle sound gave nothing away and yet Talia was aware of Bay’s wide eyed look. “What do you know about the grey men?”
“Nothing.” She stared at the floor. “Found out about the water by accident, one walked into a puddle in front of me.” This at least was the truth.
Kenderick crossed an ankle over his knee and placed a finger on the creamy page. “Let me tell you some history you may not be aware of.” Talia prepared herself to be bored and mentally sat up when he began.
“The grey men are an ancient scourge of this city. However, we had a long period of time when they weren’t so common. There was the occasional sighting, never any cause for alarm. I did a lot of research when they started to be seen on a regular basis about twelve or thirteen years ago, trying to find out why.”
Kenderick settled himself for a long talk, confident of his captive audience. “I found out that many centuries ago, miners disturbed something. A being so evil it was enclosed in a forcefield generated by its own magnetism. The forcefield exploded when the miners triggered it and many died. Those further away survived and discovered they had a wonderful new talent.”
He paused and stared down at her, “A way of travelling through space. Of course it came at a price. They were hunted down by the being through their own trackways, by the grey men it made. My theory is that it wanted something they had. Those that could, fled and the ancients made this city an island to trap it here. Many skills were lost and since that point we have been declining, scrabbling for survival.” His fists clenched.
