Dustborn

by T. W. Piperbrook

  “They are ready to fight the monster, or do anything else we deem necessary.” Bryan smiled.

  Gideon nodded. Once again, Bryan felt worthy of his role. He felt taller than anyone standing around him.

  “We have found common passages that allow us to interact without walking the ledges,” Bryan said. “Those will allow us a way to conduct business with the Center Cave without the prying eyes of Neena’s people. We will share our resources, and help each other collect water and trap animals.”

  “A wise move, to cement your relationship with them,” Gideon said.

  “What will we do about Neena, Kai, and Darius in the meantime?” Louie asked, looking between Bryan and Gideon.

  Remembering Gideon’s warnings, Bryan said, “For all we know, the ways of the criminal are rubbing off on the others. We will keep an eye on them, so their poor decisions do not lead to the deaths of more people.”

  “I know of a tunnel that leads to the Right Cave, from our trips to the spring,” Clark suggested. “There is a secluded part of the Right Cave where we can keep a post.”

  “Perfect,” Bryan said. “We will keep an eye on them from there. And we will watch them from the cliffs. If anyone sees anything, report back to me.” Looking at Gideon, he said, “And of course, we will report any news back to you.”

  A smile traced the corner of Gideon’s lips. Reaching out a weak hand, he placed it on Bryan’s arm.

  “Good work, Bryan.”

  Chapter 31: Neena

  Neena looked around at the downcast, dirty people, chewing their meager rations. Every so often, a conversation ended in a stare, as people quieted and looked over at Neena, Darius, and Kai. She didn’t need to hear their words to understand their thoughts. They were nervous, and they were losing faith.

  “How long have the people in the Center Cave been gone?” she asked Darius.

  “No one knows,” Darius answered. “It’s possible they’re back already, but no one has seen them. And the guards are keeping everyone away.”

  “I wonder what they said, or are saying, at that meeting,” Kai wondered.

  Darius blew a long breath. “Bryan blames us for his friend’s death. Even if he doesn’t point to us outright, our absence will say more than any words could.” He paused. “He is putting a wedge between us.”

  Darius had spoken everyone’s worries. More than once, Neena looked over to the mouth of the cave, expecting a group of Watchers to come barging through. With the new threat in the air, she, Kai, and Darius had instructed the guards to keep an eye out—not just for animals, but also for anyone who might harm them. Who knew if their vigil was enough?

  Neena sighed. With each moment they were apart and isolated, her fear deepened. Sometimes, secret conversations were more menacing than obvious ones.

  Voicing her fear, she asked, “Do you think Bryan might resort to violence?”

  “It is hard to say,” Darius said. “But that might be the outcome. It is easy to hate the enemy we do not see. Speculation can lead to blame. And we all know that people are looking for someone to hold accountable for the deaths of their relatives. We are a human face to the monster.”

  Kai sighed. “Whether we like it or not, our cave feels alone. Perhaps Bryan is trying to punish the people in our cave, out of his hatred for us.”

  Neena fell silent, looking around the cave at the people with whom she had spent the last two weeks. Some able-bodied young men and women lived among them, but most were Crop Tenders, or tradesmen. A goodly number were mothers and children.

  What if Bryan was trying to provoke a battle?

  The idea seemed ludicrous; they were friends and relatives, after all. But she couldn’t help thinking the worst thought. She couldn’t fathom putting a spear in any of her people. Not unless it was a last choice. She pushed the notion away.

  “My guess is that Bryan wants to blame us,” Darius said. “But if the others in this cave are with us, they might be considered complicit. Who knows what he is thinking? Anger makes people do irrational things.”

  “It feels as if we are at a forked path,” Neena said finally. “We can isolate ourselves further, or we can try to make amends.”

  “It is hard to know if Bryan will accept a truce,” Darius warned. “And no one can forget his threats.”

  “Of course,” Neena agreed. “But going against the others—especially if Bryan has recruited the Center Cave—would be suicide. We are sorely outnumbered. The other two caves have Watchers, and more people. And of course, I have no intention of fighting our own people.”

  Darius nodded. “Perhaps tomorrow, after a night’s sleep and a chance for everyone to cool down, we can approach Bryan and see if we can make amends.”

  Neena nodded. “I think that is our best plan.”

  Chapter 32: Raj

  Raj sat cross-legged on the floor, staring across the small space between him and Adriana. Bands of light filtered in from the cave’s opening, playing off the walls and casting early evening shadows. Looking over her shoulder to where Neena sat with the others, Raj asked, “Are you worried about Bryan and his men?”

  Adriana’s face was apprehensive. “A little. It troubles me that The Watchers didn’t invite us to the funeral.”

  Raj nodded. “It seems like there is more to what is happening than what Neena is saying.”

  “Every time we ask her anything, she goes quiet,” Adriana agreed. “Sometimes, it seems as if she keeps secrets.”

  Raj agreed. More and more, it felt as if his sister held things back from them. Or maybe she simply thought they were too young for such important discussions. He felt a tinge of anger as he thought of that conversation they’d had outside the cave, after he’d stormed away. Neena’s words had obviously been pacifications. His anger quickly dissipated as he saw the expression on Adriana’s face.

  “What are you thinking?”

  A smile played across Adriana’s lips. “I was thinking about something we can’t do.”

  Raj didn’t need her to explain, because he was thinking the same thing.

  Raj’s pulse skipped as he followed her eyes to the entrance of the cave, where a handful of guards kept vigil. He looked in the other direction. Two more guards were stationed near the cave’s interior tunnel.

  Ever since they’d returned from their trip the night before, they couldn’t stop talking about everything that happened, or the object. The object was more than a shared secret—it represented the time they’d spent together, and their affection. It was a ray of light in a dark cave that felt more like a prison than a home. And Adriana was at the center of that light. The touch of her lips and the smooth feeling of her hands were the only things driving Raj on, waking him up in the morning. They were the only things staving off the worry of what went on around them.

  The thought of her kept him up at night.

  He wanted more time alone with her, so he could get close to her again.

  He wanted to kiss her again.

  Raj looked behind them, to where the guards conversed.

  Reaching over, playfully batting his knee, Adriana asked, “What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know,” he countered.

  “You just had an idea. I could tell.” Adriana smiled again.

  Raj could barely contain himself. Sneaking a look at the guards, he said, “I think we can do it.”

  “Do what?”

  “Sneak out again.” Raj’s breath quickened. “I have a plan.”

  “That was a great idea, throwing that rock and distracting them,” Adriana said, barely containing her laugh.

  Raj smiled. Even without his distraction, he was quickly learning the ways of the tunnel. The shadows were becoming more and more familiar—as if they were a third conspirator, helping to hide them.

&nbs
p; Together, they snuck down the dark tunnel, leaving the two unaware guards behind and heading for the place where they’d shared their affectionate moment. Buoyed by his courage, Raj squeezed Adriana’s hand tighter. They picked up their pace until they were far enough away that they could whisper with less risk.

  “Do you think it’s still there?” Adriana asked.

  Raj smiled. “I’d bet tomorrow’s breakfast on it.”

  Raj’s heart pounded as they wound with the tunnel, passing a few recognizable landmarks. Even Adriana seemed to remember the passage. They had just spotted the crevice when a noise echoed from further down the tunnel.

  They froze.

  Adriana’s grip tightened on his.

  Raj stared down the passage, holding his torch higher. “It’s probably a dust beetle,” he whispered.

  He listened for the telltale clacking that accompanied the creature’s passage. Instead, he heard something else.

  Voices.

  Pulling Adriana in the opposite direction, he said, “Come on!”

  “No!” she whispered, tugging him to stay.

  “What are you doing?”

  Instead of answering, she tilted her head and listened.

  “Who do you think it is?” she asked.

  “Probably more guards,” Raj said. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t want them to catch us sneaking around, and telling Neena or your parents. And we certainly don’t want to call their attention to this area.”

  Instinctively, he looked down at the shadowed crevice, where their object was hidden. Adriana took a few more steps down the tunnel, in the direction of the voices.

  “Maybe we can spy on them,” Adriana urged. “It might be fun.”

  “It’s too risky,” Raj warned.

  Adriana looked back at him under the torch light. The expression on her face was the same one he recognized from when she’d talked about sneaking out. It was the same one she’d had when looking at the object. She wanted adventure. Against his better judgment, Raj took a few steps, joining her.

  “They’ll see our lights,” Raj protested.

  “We’ll leave them here,” she countered. “We’ll sneak down the tunnel a ways and see what we find. If it seems too risky, we’ll turn around and come back.”

  “What if we run into an animal in the dark?” he asked.

  “Most of the creatures in the tunnels are afraid of us,” Adriana said, gesturing down the tunnel. “It might be worth a risk.” Seeing the reluctance on his face, she asked, “Are you scared?”

  She smiled, daring him.

  Raj felt a sting of embarrassment. All at once, he was back in the passage, and she was crawling ahead of him. Everything inside him told him to turn back, but looking at Adriana, he couldn’t say no. Swallowing his fear, he bent down, leaving his torch on the floor next to hers.

  “Let’s go,” he finally conceded. “But just for a little ways.”

  They crept through the dark tunnel, winding through the last of the torchlight, until complete darkness surrounded them. At any moment, Raj feared something besides Adriana would slide past his body, or worse, brush his face. He didn’t know if he’d be able to stifle a reaction.

  They stuck to what they hoped was the center of the tunnel, getting closer to the voices. Despite his fear, Raj couldn’t deny that being next to Adriana was invigorating. The touch of her smooth, silky fingers in his made him feel as if he could float, or fly. Sneaking around with Adriana was much better than stagnating in the tunnel’s living area, waiting for Neena to keep things from him.

  They half-slid, half-shuffled, pausing when their boots bumped rocks. Once or twice, they scraped the side of the wall, until they saw torches blazing in the distance.

  A stab of fear told him to turn the other way, but Adriana pulled him on, toward a curve in the tunnel, just twenty feet shy of four silhouetted figures. They got close enough that Raj could make out their visages.

  Bryan and three Watchers.

  Raj’s blood ran cold.

  The men spoke in low voices. He picked out some words, but others were lost in the echo.

  Adriana leaned forward, trying to listen better. Her hand slid from Raj’s grasp as she found the wall, inching another step. Raj opened his mouth to warn her, but thought better of it, and tried pulling her back instead.

  His grab missed her arm, catching her shirt. Adriana lost her balance in her dark. She caught it, but not before a pebble skidded away from her boot, rolled a few inches, and stopped. The men ceased talking.

  An unbearable silence followed.

  The quiet was deep enough that Raj felt his heart pulsing behind his ribcage.

  The men swiveled toward the bend. Raj closed his eyes, instantly regretting his decision to come here.

  “What was that?” asked one of the men.

  The Watcher shined his torch toward the place where they hid, taking a few steps. In just a few more steps, he’d be upon them.

  “Go!” Raj hissed.

  Raj and Adriana scrambled, trying to run, but without a light, they stumbled. And then four Watchers with torches were bearing down on them, pinning them against the wall with their knives. Raj recognized Louie among them. All at once, Raj understood the gravity of their poor choices. Their adventure had been a mistake—perhaps a fatal one.

  “What are you doing here?” Bryan asked, from behind his other Watchers.

  “We were just exploring,” Adriana’s voice shook, as she grabbed Raj’s hand.

  For the first time all night, panic lit her voice.

  “You were listening to us,” Louie accused.

  “No,” Raj countered. “We just came down here to be alone.”

  Bryan gave them a penetrating glare. So did his men. The Watchers looked them up and down, their eyes roaming from their faces, to their clasped hands, to their boots. Slowly, Bryan’s gaze went back to their hands. A smirk spread across his face.

  “Maybe they’re telling the truth, after all.”

  Louie smiled.

  The others chuckled.

  Stepping past his men, focusing on Raj, Bryan said, “You snuck out of the Right Cave to get away from the others.”

  Shame reddened Raj’s face. Warding off his embarrassment, he said, “Yes.”

  Louie and the others kept their grins.

  “Wait a moment.” Bryan leaned closer. A new look crossed his face. “You’re Neena’s brother.”

  Swallowing, Raj admitted, “Yes.”

  “Does she know you’re down here?” Bryan asked.

  Raj looked back down the tunnel from where they came, gauging the distance back to the others.

  “No,” he said, a little too firmly. He raised his chin, projecting bravery through his terror. “I’m here by myself. I don’t need her permission.”

  “How did you get past your guards?” Bryan asked.

  “We stuck to the shadows,” Raj said, feeling a little pride through his fear. “We moved quietly so they wouldn’t hear us.”

  Raj’s eyes flicked left down the tunnel, half-hoping someone had followed. He needed a way out of a dire situation.

  “Impressive,” Bryan said, stepping back.

  Surprised that his words might be working, or at least that the men weren’t hurting them, Raj continued, “There’s nowhere to talk in that tunnel, especially not this late at night. We heard voices. We came to see who it was. That’s all.”

  “He’s telling the truth,” Adriana reinforced.

  Raj looked for anger on Bryan’s face; instead, he saw respect.

  “What are we going to do with them?” Louie asked.

  Bryan stared at them for a long moment, deliberating.

  After another moment of studying Raj’s face, he d
ecided, “Let them go.”

  Confusion washed over Raj as Louie and the other men relaxed their postures. Raj watched the men carefully. This must be some sort of trick. At any moment, The Watchers would attack and plunge their sharp knives into their bellies.

  Testing his newfound freedom, Raj took a step sideways. Adriana stepped with him.

  “We’re going to head back to our cave now.”

  Bryan nodded, but he made no move to follow. Raj took another step, and another, until he and Adriana were at the edge of The Watchers’ torchlight. Raj was about to flee in the other direction when a thought struck him.

  “Are you going to tell Neena?”

  Bryan traded a look with his men. “Should I?”

  Raj shook his head. “I’d prefer it if you didn’t.” He thought on it. “It would only cause unnecessary problems. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

  Bryan tilted his head, considering. “I won’t say anything.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Consider it a favor.” Bryan kept his gaze. “Maybe one day, you’ll make a good Watcher. Get out of here. And forget you ever saw us.”

  Raj and Adriana made their way through the tunnel, fighting through the blackness. More than once, Raj looked over his shoulder, certain that The Watchers would give chase, or think better of their promise. It wasn’t until they reached their abandoned torches that he allowed himself to feel relief. He looked over at Adriana. Gone was her look of fear.

  In its place was a look of excitement.

  They’d gotten away with something bigger than either of them expected.

  A surge of pride bubbled up from Raj’s insides. He felt alive—more than he had on almost any other day.

  “I still can’t believe he let us go!” Adriana shook her head. “I thought we were going to die in that tunnel.”

  Raj opened and closed his eyes. “Me, too.”