by C B Williams
She took a breath and centered herself. Flick was right. It was good here in Rubble. Just busy. Every day she was faced with the minor squabbles and disagreements of people trying to find their place in this new society they were creating together. From scratch. There weren’t any rules to go by. She and Flick were making them up as they went along, using most of the rules Wren had already set in place when she was their SubCity KinLord.
Only it was different now. They didn’t need to focus on merely surviving. And it brought up new problems, which required more decisions. Like who farmed, and who wove cloth, and who built buildings. Fortunately several architects who’d designed some of the newer buildings of The City had arrived recently. But even they had to look at their building practices in a new light.
When you respected your planet, you built differently.
Mouse was never good at administration, but that’s what was required, an administrator or KinLord to govern and guide the people into a new way of living. She never wanted to be a KinLord like Wren had been, never wanted the responsibility of a leadership position, yet that was exactly where she’d ended up. She preferred to be the support behind leadership and work on her own. Being Wren’s Eyes and Second had felt good. But now? How was she going to make it all work? She felt out of her depth, and she hated it.
Her bathing pool chirped, signaling it had reached the preferred level and temperature, and shut off.
Mouse took off her robe and placed it neatly on her bed, along with her delicate, flowing sleeping shirt, and waded into the pool. With a sigh, she let the warmth surround her, and sank back to lean her head against the rim. She remembered how often she’d yearned to have a pool like Wren’s. And now she had an even better one. With another sigh of satisfaction, she washed herself and then leaned back again to enjoy a few moments of peace.
When the water temperature cooled, Mouse opened one eye to glance out the window and gauge how much time she had left before she needed to act. Dawn was beginning to make itself known.
Not as much time for relaxation as she would have liked.
Thirty minutes later, her dark hair still damp in its smooth braid, she exited her room and headed down the wide stairway to the house’s main level. At the bottom of the steps, Little Brother emerged from the shadows to join her. He slipped his muzzle into the curve of her fingers. She smiled down and scratched his ears. “You on guard duty, my friend?”
The sniffer raised his adoring gaze to her and blew into her fingers.
Why couldn’t Spider have looked at me like that? Again, she caught herself. Spider had been gone a year, and she was being ridiculous, she told herself angrily. It wasn’t so much the fact that Spider left her, she mused. She never thought their romantic relationship would last. They were too different. He never had looked at her with Little Brother’s devotion, and she never expected him to. To be perfectly honest, what she missed was his company. With Flick gone so much of the time, she had no confidant, no one to bounce ideas off of.
No confidant and lots of responsibility.
How had that happened?
The kitchen was already teeming with life, the heavenly smell of baking bread making her stomach grumble. “Morning, everyone,” she called.
A few glanced at her with smiles. Others barely waved. Some frowned when they saw Little Brother at her heels.
Mornings were busiest in the kitchen.. Even if she was the only one actually living in the private section since there were merchants coming and going, there were numerous mouths to feed. Numerous beds to keep fresh. Numerous rooms to clean. It was like living in an inn.
The thought made her feel suddenly edgy. Anyone could sneak into the dwelling’s private section, into her home.
Anyone.
She would have to do something about that.
Mouse rummaged around the mammoth refrigeration unit and found something to eat for herself and Little Brother. On the way out the door, she succumbed to temptation and snatched a couple of sweet rolls cooling on the racks, which she wrapped and pocketed for later.
While she walked, she tore off hunks of meat for herself and Little Brother, giving the sniffer most. At the fountain in the middle of the town center, they paused to wash down their breakfasts before continuing to the shuttle station on the town’s outskirts.
It still amazed Mouse to realize she was actually living in a town with a center, and streets radiating out like spokes on a wheel. The huge Champion’s home, where she lived, was also the government seat for the Territory of Rubble. Even though it no longer looked like Rubble, the name remained. It was a reminder of how bad things had been.
Just like the beautiful park in the Territory of Flick was named SubCity Park in memory of the miserable city beneath the Above, where she’d once lived. She was glad Eloch, acting as temporary Champion for Spur, had destroyed it. They’d also renamed Above and UpperUpper to The City in the Territory of Flick in honor of the first Champion of Spur. Only two territories, but the rate things were going, the whole of Spur would be carved into several different territories within the next thirty to fifty years.
Things were happening fast.
The nagging feeling of something not quite right was back. Mouse’s shoulder muscles tightened, and she studied the faces of the few who were up as early as she. They looked sleepy yet content, going about their business. She spotted a couple of men she didn’t recognize and touched one of the knives she wore. They glanced at her disinterestedly in passing. Merchants, she decided.
At the shuttle station, she approached the guard standing with his sniffer, whose ears pricked forward when it saw Little Brother.
“Heading over to Flick?” the guard asked, recognizing her.
Calling the land beyond the mountains Flick still caught her off guard. Her first thought was always of Flick, her friend, not the city bearing his name. She probably would never get used to it. She preferred just calling it The City.
Mouse nodded and smiled. “How’s it going, Blade?”
“Fine,” Blade answered, reddening slightly. “By the gods, Mouse. Nobody smiles like you.”
She frowned. “Not professional, Blade. I know you’ve pulled all-night guard duty, so I’ll let it slide. Nearly off?”
Blade’s face reddened further and he averted his eyes. “Yeah, in ten.”
To show she wasn’t angry, she reached up and clapped him on the shoulder as she walked through the gates. “Have a nice day, Blade. Get a good rest. You deserve it.” She paused. “Who’s the pilot on duty?”
“Manabu.”
“Manabu!” Mouse started toward the waiting shuttle with a sudden spurt of energy, then paused again. “Notice anything off, Blade?”
The guard frowned. “Off?”
Mouse nodded. “Like strangers lingering where they shouldn’t be.”
Blade shook his head slowly. “Not that I can think of. Not that anyone has mentioned. Why?”
Mouse shrugged. “Dunno. Just a feeling. Can you ask the guards to spread the word to be extra-observant? Report to me if anything seems strange.”
“Yes, Mouse, of course.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I could have this all wrong, but I would rather be cautious than sorry.”
Blade nodded. “‘Caution first.’ It’s what KinLord Wren always used to say.”
“Exactly. ’Bye, Blade. Come, Little Brother.”
Little Brother, having made the acquaintance of the sniffer on duty, trotted behind her.
Manabu must have been watching her approach because the shuttle door slid smoothly open and the stairs unfolded just as she arrived. She took the small steps two at a time, Little Brother close on her heels. “Manabu! I’m heading over to The City. Up for a lesson?”
The on-duty pilot chuckled. “Little Mouse, it’s good to see you, too.” He glanced at Little Brother. “Make your bodyguard stays in the back. This cockpit is small enough as it is.”
While Mouse got her sniffer settled, Manabu moved into the co
pilot seat. He grinned when Mouse eagerly strapped herself into the pilot seat.
“My morning just got better! Here!” She tossed him one of the sweet rolls from her pocket. “It’s still warm.”
The grizzled old man took a bite and closed his eyes to savor its buttery sweetness. “Keep bringing these,” he told Mouse, “and I’ll give you a lesson whenever you want.”
“Deal.” She grinned and took a large bite of her own, then tossed the rest to Little Brother so she could focus on flying.
“Heard from Aiko?” Manabu asked between bites and instructions on how to ready the shuttle for flight.
When he was still flying for the Ring colonizers, he’d taught Aiko to fly. Over the years, they remained close friends, and Aiko was one of the few people who didn’t judge his flying by his drinking habits. He could fly dead drunk, she’d say in his defense, just as well as if he were sober as a holy man.
Mouse nodded. “They’re still on Longwei, trying to get a modular ship to fly. It’s been buried for a thousand years.”
Manabu’s brows lifted. “You don’t say? Mining vessel?”
She shook her head. “Colonizer.”
He choked. “Impossible,” he said after he recovered. “There’s a reason those monstrosities are built in space. They’re too heavy to get off-planet once they land.”
“Genji’s working on it with some others I haven’t met.” She shot him a look. “Know Genji?”
“Sure I do. He’s been with Aiko for years. Quiet fellow. Kind of doughy as I recall.”
Mouse grinned. “Not anymore. Longwei did something to him. Don’t know much about it, but when I see him over the vids, he’s so much more than dough these days. Ready to lift off?”
“What’s the fuel gauge tell ya?”
“Full. We’ve got plenty.”
With a nod, Manabu radioed to the tower, got the okay. “Time to lift this bird.” He pointed to the throttle and sat back to observe.
Mouse was always a fast learner. The shuttle shook a little as it whined into action and lifted gently off the ground.
“Well done, girl,” Manabu said.
Mouse flashed him a grin, feeling the shuttle through her hands as Manabu had taught. The still morning air made for a perfect flight. She relaxed her shoulders and stole a glance through her side window when they sailed over the jagged peaks Spur had created to contain the people She deemed unworthy of a new life. “Beautiful.”
“Yes,” Manabu agreed. “This planet is finally looking like a planet and not all city and rubble.”
Mouse slid a glance at him. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Never been off-planet?”
“Nope. Not sure if I want to, either.”
Manabu grunted.
They flew in silence, enjoying the freedom in the skies. Twenty minutes out, she swapped places with Manabu. No one was to know she was learning to fly. Manabu had offered to teach her. Said her questions were driving him crazy and he might as well just show her how. She jumped at the chance. Learning to fly helped fill a little of the emptiness she experienced without her friends nearby. She never said anything, but she suspected Manabu was just as lonely.
When your whole world changes around you, and everything you thought was true, isn’t, you have to find something useful that you also enjoy clinging to, Mouse reasoned. For Manabu, teaching was like breathing. Mouse wasn’t his only student, just the only one nobody knew about. She wanted to keep it quiet since it served no purpose other than a moment of distraction from her responsibilities.
Max was just drinking his first of many cups of tea when Mouse was announced.
“I can make her wait,” Ingot, his trusted assistant, offered.
Max retied his robe. “No, send her in. Bring another cup of tea and some breakfast foods.”
“She’s brought her sniffer.”
Max grimaced. “Well, bring something for the sniffer, too. Never liked those creatures,” he muttered as he rose and checked his appearance in the mirror. His hair looked rumpled, which he could fix. The circles under his dark eyes, he couldn’t. He scowled at himself, then grinned suddenly, “You’re going to be doing some growing,” he told his brows, remembering when they were white and bushy before Eloch, as Spur’s Champion, gave him back his youth. Returning to the deep, plush chair in his morning room, Max sat and waited for Mouse.
Shortly after, Ingot showed her to the door and she joined him.
Max studied her as he rose. It had been nearly two months since he’d seen her in person. She seemed thinner, if that was even possible. Her eyes, usually bright, were wary. Haven’t seen that look in her eyes for some time. Her dark hair—which had grown, he noted—was scraped back from her pale face in a severe style.
“Mouse! You must excuse my lack of dress. Had I known you were on your way, I would have been more prepared.” He reached for her hand, and the sniffer at her side growled deep in its throat. He quickly retracted his hand and gestured to his chair’s twin. “Please, have a seat. Ingot is bringing breakfast.”
He sat and watched Mouse settle her slight form into the chair, tucking her legs underneath her like a small child. Wordlessly she nodded to the sniffer who lay between their two chairs.
“He doesn’t like me much,” Max said, eying the sniffer.
“It’s because he knows you don’t like him,” Mouse replied.
Max opened his eyes and spread his hand across his chest. “Am I that obvious? I was going for subtle.”
Mouse chuckled and Max basked in the light of her glorious smile, gratified he was the cause. “I’ve missed you, Mouse!” he said, surprised at how true it was. “Why don’t you come back and work for me? Like the old days.”
The old days consisted of several months when Mouse had offered her skills as payment for acquiring identification for her Kin after they were forced to flee SubCity. She frowned and shook her head. “Never in a million years, Max. I’m through with killing.”
“Well, you know what they say. ‘Never say never,’” Max replied lightly. “You were quite skilled. It’d be a shame if you lost those skills.”
“Sniffers are skilled, too. That way, I don’t have to be.”
Max laughed. “Touché! Ah, here’s Ingot.” He inhaled deeply, “And whatever’s on that tray he’s carrying smells divine.”
It did. He watched Mouse unfold her legs and lean forward, her elbows on her knees. Girl needed to eat, he decided, and was glad she looked interested. But it wasn’t the food that had interested her, he noted. She was staring at Ingot’s hands, at his chewed fingernails, to be exact.
Interesting.
Ingot set the tray down on the coffee table and lifted the cover to reveal a platter filled with sausages and eggs, plates, silverware, an empty teacup and a pitcher of water.
“Looks delicious, Ingot,” Max said happily.
Ingot filled the cup from Max’s teapot and handed it to Mouse. “I’ll return shortly, sir, with something for the sniffer.”
“Help yourself,” Max said with a sweep of his hand. “Allow me,” he said when he saw the confusion in his guest’s dark eyes and filled a plate for her. “Don’t wait for me,” he told her as he handed it to her.
“Thank you,” she said softly…and waited.
Max filled his plate and sat back. He noticed Mouse mimicking his every move as he fed himself and suddenly understood her hesitation.
Ingot returned with a haunch of raw meat on a gleaming platter, which he gingerly set in front of Little Brother. The room filled with the crunching of bone and massive, resonant purrs.
“Tell me, Mouse,” Max said as he took Mouse’s empty plate and returned it to the tray. “Now we’ve broken our fast, why are you here?” He replenished their tea, checking the tea was still hot before he poured.
He took a sip, sat back, and gazed out the window while he waited for Mouse to tell him what was on her mind.
As Mouse gathered her thoughts, she watched Max staring out at the spac
eport, watching a shuttle land and another take off.
“Used to be busier,” he commented. “That’d be Eloch’s doing.”
“Why?”
Max looked at her, and she felt the little rush she got when she saw him. Eloch had given him back his youth. The man looked thirty-five. No longer white, those bushy eyebrows framed dark eyes with just the right amount of twinkle in them. She always found herself returning his smile. Without intending it, she’d feel the corners of her mouth start to tug up, and there she’d be. Grinning away.
“When he demolished the Ring, we lost the seat of power,” he explained. “All the other planets became self-governing. It’s chaos at best, anarchy at worst and,” he rubbed his hands together, “I should be out there protecting my resources and gathering more.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
He shook his head. “Sounds exciting. What’s on your mind?”
Max is one of the good guys, Mouse reminded herself. “I need your help,” she heard herself say.
He lifted one of his dark brows. “You’re asking me for help? This is quite the occasion. I was expecting you to comment on Ingot’s nails. I saw you looking at them.”
“I was,” she nodded. “Raggedy nails aren’t Ingot’s style. Is something bothering him?”
“Other than me pushing him hard these past months since I’ve become governor of The City? Not that I’ve noticed,” Max replied, then added, “Actually, that isn’t quite true. There could be something troubling my second. But I respect the man’s privacy. I respect the man. He knows he can always come to me for help if he needs anything.” Max waved his hand dismissively. ”Which also goes for you, Miss Mouse. Of course I will help you. What can I do for you?”
Relief flooded her. “Thank you, Max. Flick left again very early this morning, after only arriving home last night. I had a list of issues to run by him, and now I, and the people who depend on me, have to wait for whenever he shows up again. Some of the issues can’t wait.” She rubbed her chest where it felt tight. “I can’t do this all by myself anymore. It’s gotten too big.”
