"No, Joliwe," Nothando said. "Prince Thabini will not be spared, even if Liam Hoffen is returned. We have brought this on ourselves. You dishonor Bongiwe's sacrifice by blaming Liam Hoffen. Our people are nothing better than slaves to Bell-e-runde. Thabini gave himself just as did Bongiwe. It is not to you to make these decisions."
"It is to you, then?" she asked, her eyes flaring angrily.
We'd drawn a small crowd of Scatters around us as we’d been talking. I could feel their agreement with the sentiments she expressed.
"I can stop Chappie," I said quietly. "If I can't, I'll die trying. I'll give myself to Bell-e-runde if that's what you decide. But if you let me go, I'll take the fight to Belirand."
"You cannot be trusted," Joliwe spat. "You would say anything to save yourself."
I grabbed the handle of my heavy flechette pistol, eliciting a gasp from the assembled crowd. I even heard the unsheathing of a crystal sword or two. The sound reminded me of home. I flipped the weapon around in my hand and pushed it at Joliwe.
"It's a simple weapon," I said. "Aim it at my head and pull the trigger. You can drag my body up and give it over to Belirand."
Nothando reached for the weapon, but Joliwe was quicker and snatched it from my fingers.
"Is this a trick?" Joliwe asked, grasping the pistol, her thin fingers wrapping around the butt and onto the trigger. I winced, hoping she wouldn't shoot me by accident.
"If you give me over, Belirand will kill me, but they'll do worse before they're done," I said. "I'd rather die by your hand than suffer Chappie."
She nodded and then shook her head. "Humans are vile creatures," she said. "They bring evil and death wherever they go."
"Not all of us do," I said. "You know of my friends in the mountains. They are the greatest of warriors, yet they live peacefully with Scatters."
Her face softened. "If I believed killing you would bring back Bongiwe or Thabini, I would not hesitate to do so. You say that the mountain humans are warriors?"
I smiled just considering the question. "No. I said they are the greatest of warriors – at least the women are. My fiancée has never been bested in combat and has more than once offered her own life for the greater good of many."
She pushed the gun toward me and in the process it fired. A hot lance of pain creased my cheek as she jumped back, startled. "No!" she exclaimed.
"Ahh, frak," I said as sedatives entered my blood stream. The medicine was quick acting and all I could think was that I was grateful the dart hadn't done me in entirely.
"Liam Hoffen, do you live?" Cool hands held my head and for a moment I thought I was looking at Bongiwe. As my eyes focused, I realized instead, it was Joliwe. Now that she wasn't hopping mad, she looked almost identical to her sister.
"You shot me," I said, not able to come up with anything better to say. With her help, I struggled to sit up.
"I did not intend this," she answered. "I thought I had killed you."
"It was a nice try, that's for sure," I said, attempting levity that she clearly didn't understand.
"I would never," she said, her voice rising defensively. "Were you telling the truth? Can you stop Chappie?"
"We've stopped Belirand once before," I said. "We can do it again, but only if the Scatter people are with us. If we attempt to do so alone, we can't possibly win."
"There are hundreds who would stand with Prince Thabini against Bell-e-runde," she said. "Without him, we are lost."
"That makes things simple," I said.
"Simple? Are you sure you understand what this word means?" she asked.
"Yes. If we want to win, we need to rescue the prince," I said. "We're halfway to a decent plan already."
Joliwe shook her head and a rueful look crossed her face. "You are a madman. We have already rescued one from the Thandeka's prison. Chappie will not make that mistake twice. Prince Thabini will have been taken to the black prison."
"That sounds ominous," I said. "Where is the black prison?"
She pointed upward, lifting her hand as she did. "Above the sky."
I clapped my hands and rubbed them together, smiling. "Old Chappie's got a place above the sky? This keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to tell the crew. Any chance I could get you to show me the fastest way out of here?"
"I am coming with you," she said.
"Don't think so," I said. "We're in for a tough few days. I can’t take you."
"Do you want help from my people?" she asked. "Without me, no one will trust you."
"Look, it's not that I don't want you along," I said. "People get hurt around me. I can't have more blood on my account."
"Liam Hoffen, my sister, Bongiwe gave her life for yours. I do not understand it and I still despise you for her death," she said, her face once again clouding with anger. "But there is a small part of me that wants to believe what she must have believed. We have learned that humans respond best to indirect threats, so let me put this in a way you will understand. Without me, you will never gain the trust of the Scatter people. When it comes time for us to stand and take our place as shepherds of Thandeka, you will need me to stand next to you."
A presence approached from behind as Joliwe talked. Nothando moved into my line of sight. "Joliwe speaks the truth," he said. "There was no one that Prince Thabini trusted more than Bongiwe. The people know this. Joliwe will be looked to in her absence."
I picked my pack up off the ground and searched through it, not making eye contact with either of them. "Why is it that there's always a hitch," I mumbled, pulling Nick's grav-suit out. It wouldn’t be a perfect fit as he was considerably thicker than the small Scatter woman. I pushed the thin material up to her. "Put this on. We'll leave at dusk."
"Dusk is already upon us," Nothando said.
"Then we best get to it," I said, wondering just how long I'd been unconscious. It occurred to me that the soldiers I'd left in the woods were probably still out, given what a graze from a single dart had done to me.
"I will not wear this," she said, holding it up with disgust. "I will not be used as Bell-e-runde uses the women they capture."
I rolled my eyes. She would, no doubt, look pretty good in the skin-tight fabric of the grav-suit. I dropped the pack, held my arms out to the side and raised off the ground, slowly tilting forward, extending my legs out and stretching out my arms so that I was in a flying position. I gently drifted around the two Scatters, now completely gob-smacked. "What if I said the suit is infused with fairy dust?"
"Fairy dust?" Nothando asked.
"Yeah, to make you fly," I said, chuckling.
"You are very strange, Liam Hoffen," Joliwe said, pulling off her cloak and removing her outer garments. I looked away as she shimmied into Nick's suit.
As it turned out, Joliwe took to flying in a grav suit more quickly than any person I'd seen. After the smallest amount of instruction, she gave herself over to learning the skill, lifting easily and gracefully within the large chamber. Her flight drew attention, ranging from gasps of surprise to excited outbursts. When she landed next to me, she grinned from ear to ear.
"Flying is kind of your thing, isn't it?" I said, marveling at how easily she'd taken to it.
"It is how I always dreamed it would be," she said.
"Think you can keep it up all night?" I asked.
"All night? Where are we going?"
"My friends call it the Juba Mountain Range," I said, flicking virtual coordinates at her. "Two mountains southwest of here."
She startled, waving her hand in front of her face as if to shoo off a particularly pesky fly. Fortunately, the AI in Nick's suit recognized the gesture as requesting her field of vision to be cleared. "What was that?" she asked, breathing hard.
"Technology, Joliwe," I said. "The suit you are wearing puts pictures in front of you to help you with information."
"I don't like it," she said. "Please make it stop."
"You just did," I said. "While you wear the suit, the AI responds to you
r commands and wishes. If you want the pictures back, just tell it that's what you want."
She looked at me like I was crazy. "This is not magic?"
"It probably feels like that, but it's just a very complex machine," I said. "It's a long trip, so we'd best get going."
"What of supplies?" she asked. "Will we not need furs so that we are not frozen in the snowy mountains? What of food and shelter?"
I pulled a thin meal bar from my waist pouch. I'd brought enough of the compact bars to feed us for several days. "I think I have us covered. I wasn't expecting a second person, but I'd bet you don't eat that much."
She pursed her lips. "It is hard to trust you."
"I understand. One step at a time," I said. "You'll have the capacity to turn back at any moment. I'll work to earn your trust."
"You start at a deficit," she said. "Two of the people I most love in this world have been taken from me today. The human I hold responsible for this loss has asked for my trust. I do not think it is possible we will ever share that bond, Liam Hoffen."
I nodded. "I understand. We still need to get going."
"With no supplies," she repeated.
"That's right."
I turned toward the door that would lead us from the Scatter resistance's secret meeting place. As I approached, one of the guards put his hand on his crystal sword, showing that I would not be allowed to pass.
"Let him exit," Joliwe said, catching up to me. "It would be better to discover Liam Hoffen's intent today than to continue to slowly suffer at his hands."
"Frak, don't hold back how you really feel, Joliwe," I said.
"What is this frak you keep saying?" she asked. It was as if I was talking to a real Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde type person. One minute she was calling me out for bringing evil to her doorstep and the next, she was talking to me as if we were old friends.
"Ask your AI," I said, irritated. "And try to keep up."
Chapter 19
We Were We
"Joliwe, hurry," I urged, descending slippery steps into the frigid water of Thandeka's canal system.
"It is not possible," she said. "We will be frozen before we reach even the next overpass."
"Suit yourself." I was still annoyed with her, so I submerged without looking back, pushing myself to the murky bottom. I pulled up an image of the city's gridwork of waterways onto my HUD, looking for a path out of the city.
"Liam, you're not being very nice," Ada chastised on a private comm channel. Joliwe's heart rate monitor jumped onto my HUD, showing considerable elevation. "I think she’s afraid of the water."
"She's being a turd and I'm tired of her attitude."
"She lost her sister today, Liam," Ada scolded. "Play nice."
I took a moment to trace a navigation path that would lead us from the city. I didn't love being called out for bad behavior, but Ada was right; the woman had lost family and perhaps my skin was too thin.
Flipping comms so I could talk with Joliwe, I noticed that she still stood exposed on the dark steps next to the water's edge. I pulled up slowly as I spoke. "Joliwe, you need to get into the water with me," I urged, careful not to emerge from the water so quickly as to cause splashing sounds that might attract attention.
A bright light shone down on a nearby building and I heard the telltale whine of a Belirand cutter's inefficient engines. The searchlight traced along the cobblestone streets next to the canal. As the beam passed behind Joliwe, she shrank down next to the wall. As it was, the light passed over the back of her leg. It was a small detail I didn't think would be recognizable without an AI.
"Don't move," I whispered, freezing in place, half in and half out of the water.
The ship stopped and continued to run the bright search light along the elevated street. "Liam Hoffen, I am scared. I must find cover within the tunnels." Joliwe's voice trembled as she spoke, her voice even higher than ordinary.
"No," I urged as she broke from the shadows. Just as she started up the stairs, the ship's search light snapped over, illuminating a terrified Joliwe in the center of its beam. I didn't think the ship’s crew had seen me yet, but it might not matter. I heard the charge of their large blaster turret winding up.
"Liam, get out of there," Ada warned.
"Don't leave me," Joliwe begged, frozen in indecision. I could have turned and escaped, but it just wasn't in my nature.
"Frak!" I leaned over and pushed my grav-suit hard. Hitting Joliwe dead center, I wrapped my arms around her waist as my shoulder dug into her stomach, bending her over. The breath left her lungs as her grav-suit stiffened.
She yelped in surprise only a moment before an explosion caught us from behind and propelled us into the side of the nearby bridge. For a moment, I was too stunned to move. A sharp prick at the back of my neck signaled the release of a combat stim and my head cleared. I didn't have to look far for where Joliwe had landed. Our attackers probably thought they'd nailed us and for a brief moment, the searchlight stayed centered on the blast. Apparently, the ship did have some level of AI, because the beam swung in our direction, overshooting our position.
I wasted no time and scooped up Joliwe before dragging her into the water beneath the bridge. I didn't have to wonder long about her response to the water. She struggled, using her grav-suit's capacity to repulse me.
"Shut down Joliwe's gravity fields," I ordered the always listening AI. As I was in command of our small group, I had limited capacity to override a team member’s suit functions. The AI was judicious about accepting these commands, unwilling to place a person into harm's way. It had to decide lesser-of-two-evils scenarios while allowing the commander leeway in combat situations. That’s a long way of saying that while the AI could have overridden me, it didn't.
With Joliwe's suit no longer responding to her panicked movements, I pulled us deeper into the canal. The ship lost track of us due to the bridge overhead and I had to take advantage of this immediately or we'd be lost.
I squirted ahead, dragging Joliwe beneath me, ignoring the tirade of abuse she hurled at me over comms. Even though her grav-suit no longer responded to her directional commands, she still thrashed against me. I was just about to ask the AI to stiffen her suit when she stopped moving and talking entirely.
"Joliwe? Are you okay?" I asked.
We were moving as fast as I could propel us at four meters beneath the canal's surface. The AI had difficulty mapping obstructions more quickly than we were coming upon them. As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized why Joliwe had been distracted. Something large was coming up at us out of the murky depths. One of the canal's larger denizens had decided we presented an opportunity for dinner.
"Florintal," she whispered in a small voice. The large maw of a three-meter-long amphibian snapped shut on her torso. She was ripped from my grasp as the monster flicked its broad tail, accelerating in the water.
"Of course," I grumbled as I jetted off in pursuit. With no warning, a pressure wave crested on my position, causing my suit to stiffen and me to be thrown forward, out of control.
"Liam, talk to me," Ada said calmly.
"Can you figure out how far away that blast was?" I asked, orienting on the still fleeing, opportunistic amphibian.
"Not a very good shot," she answered. "Fifteen meters. I don't think they're tracking you."
"Sure, why would they need to? A frakking alligator just grabbed Joliwe," I complained. I surged forward, caught the stunned amphibian, and pried Joliwe from its maw. The movement seemed to wake the creature, but it had apparently had enough fun with us. With an angry flick of its thick tail, the monster swam toward the surface. I pushed Joliwe in the opposite direction and wasn't surprised when a second blast from the ship struck where I suspect the alligator had surfaced.
"Will I join my sister this night, Liam Hoffen?" Joliwe asked. "I can feel nothing and I am unable to move. How bad are my injuries?"
"Ada, you want to talk her through this?" I asked, navigating around the canals, each turn
taking us further away from the ship whose crew was no doubt sifting through dead alligator pieces. I wondered just how long it would take them to realize they'd been unsuccessful in killing us.
"Already on it," she said. "Joliwe is terrified of the florintal. Apparently as winter sets in they come in for warmth and an occasional snack."
"I'm guessing they're not cold blooded."
"Not sure. Didn't come up," she said.
It took twenty minutes for us to reach the southern edge of the city. The canals turned from the fired brick walls to carved stone and finally to mud embankments.
"I'm giving you control of your suit, Joliwe," I said. "Stay close and follow my instructions. We've escaped Belirand's notice for now, but those ships move more quickly than we do. If they see us, we'll have trouble evading them."
"I understand, Liam Hoffen," she said. "Ada Chen explained much while you have moved us through the waters."
I lifted above the river and held her while water dripped off our suits. Suddenly, recognizing control of her grav-suit had been returned, she pulled back and flitted up, circling around me. She suppressed a giggle as I shot off toward the foothills of the mountains and she gave chase.
As we flew over Blue Mountain Pass, I realized that Thandeka was considerably warmer than where we were now, in the southern valley on the opposite side of the mountain range. The night sky was crystal clear on this side, and we had a perfect view of the planet’s two moons and brilliant starfield. Perhaps the most notable thing about our trip was the fact that we had so effortlessly covered ground that had nearly killed me only a few ten-days previous. The thick blanket of snow obscuring the trails below had been impossible to traverse without clown-shaped snowshoes or skis.
"What are you thinking so deeply about?" Joliwe asked as soon as we set down to rest, only a few hours from our destination.
"Me and mine are so dependent on technology," I said. "Do you know how long it took us to walk this path so we could rescue Ada?"
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