Crimson Rising (32 page)

We’re alone.

I pull energy from all around me—what’s left in the air, what’s left in the ship itself—and prepare for an attack. But the cruiser doesn’t fire on us. Instead, it lets loose a barrage of ammunition at the edge of the sinking ship, carving enormous craters in the pavement. Theo disappears in a cloud of smoke.

The cruiser makes a diagonal descent, aimed at the widest portion of open space available. Just when I think it’s going to set down, it makes a sharp turn and crawls toward us, inches from the ground.

I see the outline of Madame’s figure behind the glass of the cockpit. I watch her grab a device on the wall beside her and hold it to her lips. The front of the cruiser hisses as the outside speakers switch on.

“I’m opening the side hatch.” Her voice is amplified as it streams from the cruiser. “I strongly suggest you come inside. Altair is poised to hit the Surface in less than a minute. I’m afraid there’s no time for dawdling.”

I glance at Cassius. We stand together. Us. Avery. Skandar. Eva.

The dome collapses completely. Shards of fiberglass rain on the decimated city, joining the rubble from the explosions. Theo’s body is somewhere behind the cruiser, though it may have fallen into the ship when Madame’s firepower crumbled the ledge.

“We have to go,” Cassius whispers. “We have to.”

I nod, then meet eyes with the others to let them know it’s okay.

It’s really not, especially with Madame in the pilot’s seat, but it’s our only choice. Escape with her or die in Altair’s imminent explosion.

I lead the charge toward the cruiser, hands over my head to shield from falling rubble. Madame is dangerous. We shouldn’t be allying ourselves with her like this, but there isn’t time. This is survival.

The inside of the cruiser feels clean. We pile in, all six of us, before the hatch shuts. Immediately the ship gains altitude. We’re thrown to the back as Madame climbs into the air.

When I’m able to stand, I rush to the nearest window and peer outside, trying to spot Skyship Altair.

I catch sight of it just as the lower levels plunge into the ground. An intense, miles-long fireball ripples from the underbelly and spreads up, demolishing every piece of the structure. Buildings collapse on the top level, pulled toward the surface, folding in on themselves. There were evacuees—I saw them. But there’s no way that every single resident found their way off the ship in time. There wasn’t enough warning. Nobody knew what was going to happen.

If Theo hadn’t perished before, he’s surely dead now. That’s a small consolation, considering the rest of the casualties. But it’s not enough.

Avery comes to my side and throws her arm around my shoulders. She pulls me close. We collapse on the floor, together. I’m done. I can’t do anything. I can barely move.

This is it. This confirms it.

I’m no hero.

Cassius forced himself into the cockpit, breathing hard. Madame glanced briefly to acknowledge him. 

“Have a seat.”

He strode to the co-pilot’s station and collapsed in the chair. He wanted to put up a fight, to curse her out or hijack the ship, but he didn’t have the energy. He was afraid that he’d never be able to get up from this position again. 

“They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

He turned his body so that he could stare at her without moving his head back and forth. 

“Theo.”

She turned the cruiser southward, which was fine because Cassius didn’t want to look at the smoldering blaze that used to be Skyship Altair. The farther they went, the more relaxed he’d be.

“I always knew he was dangerous,” she continued. “Rough and unbalanced, but I sensed something in him. Something similar to what I sensed in you at that age. And when I found him, I knew I needed to keep an eye on him. Anything that connects back to you, Cassius, is important to me.” 

"I’m nothing like him,” he countered.

“Apparently not.”

He met her eyes, only for a moment. It was hard to summon up any fear—or even much loathing—for her after what just happened. Somehow Madame paled in comparison to the Authority.

She stared forward, focused on the skies. “You know what they say about keeping your enemies close. I track all of my children, but Theo was different. He needed constant monitoring. He didn’t arrive with a message like you had. I didn’t know where he was from, but I always knew where he was going.”

“You tracked him?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “You didn’t think I’d let him roam free, did you?”

“Then why didn’t you do something sooner?”

“That Fringe ambush in Syracuse stole the wind from my sails. I was without an army, but they could never take my wits. I escaped, at the expense of my battalion.” 

She glanced sideways at him.  “But as you know, there are always more soldiers. They’re expendable. You and Fisher? You’re keepers.” 

“Stop gloating.” He felt his fist begin to burn, eager to release a torrent of flame. He could do it if he wanted. He could drag her to the floor, knock her unconscious, and be done with it.

She pursed her lips. “You know I don’t approve of such things. The fact is, we’ve entered a new stage now.” 

He scoffed. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me in good time. You never were one to hide things.” She paused. “For now, what has come between us in the past must be regarded as history. I’m willing to—”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Her brows raised. “Would you rather I’d left you there to die? Do you think this is easy for me, Cassius?”

 “You always meddle. Some things are bigger than you.” 

“You’ve been through quite an ordeal,” she said. “I understand.”

“Stop it. Stop talking like that.”

“Like what?”

He grit his teeth. “Like you’re being filmed or something. Like you’re playing a different person. I don’t want you here. I hate you.”

She remained silent for a moment, eyes on the sky.

“You have nowhere else to go. Word of this will spread, and spread quickly. The Tribunal will blame an event like this on the Unified Party—”

He grabbed his hair, face shielded from her. “I don’t care.”

“True or not,” she continued. “That’s what they’ll do. This may trigger the war we’ve always feared. It will be traced back to you and Fisher. Maybe not immediately, but it will happen. You are not safe anywhere.”

He looked up at her, eyes watering. “And I’m safe with you?”

She sighed. “You are familiar with me. That will have to do.”

“I could kill you right now.” He shook his head. “All it takes is a thought.”

“You could.” Madame smiled, then let out a soft chuckle. “But you won’t. We both know that.”

Cassius turned away. He couldn’t look at her anymore. He couldn’t watch her smile as everything sunk around them. He glanced out his windshield.

A flash of red.

“What was that?” He pivoted to get a better look. Madame’s face bristled. She moved her attention back to the skies in time to see a second orb of red energy shoot past them like a comet plunging to Earth.

She laid off the accelerator, visibly shaken. The red energy came and went in less than a second and the air was clear again. Her mouth opened. 

“I’ve never seen—” 

“A red Pearl.” Cassius leaned forward.

She turned to him. “What?”

He felt the emptiness on his wrist. Theo may have perished, but Matigo’s son had accomplished his goal. The bracelets were gone, and with them the scrambling power of the Ridium. “You don’t know as much as you think you do. You don’t know anything.”

She swallowed. “None of the scanners detected—” A second Pearl interrupted her, carving a turbulent path about a hundred yards to her left. She gawked out the window and watched it fall before turning back to the controls. 

“History,” Cassius said. “You wanna forget the history between us? We’re gonna be lucky if we have any history left.”

They start falling soon after the wreckage of Skyship Altair disappears from our view. Eva’s the first to see one, but soon all five of us are plastered against the windows, staring out at the Surface below.

They drop like regular Pearls, but far more frequently. It’s like Cassius said. Without the opposing force of our bracelets, the floodgates have opened. There are dozens of them at any given moment. Even without seeing it directly, I know they’re everywhere.

Some might be striking Skyships or Chosen Cities. Many will hit the Fringes. There will be Pearls in Siberia, dangerously close to the Academy. They’ll land in Africa. The Commonwealth. The ocean, maybe. They’re blanketing the Earth. And here we are—six of us in a tiny cruiser. Insignificant.

Avery’s shoulder touches mine. I can feel her trembling. “They’re not stopping,” she whispers. “They just keep falling, like a hailstorm.”

I shake my head. “They’re coming too soon. There are too many.”

We did everything we could, I tell myself. We followed the breadcrumbs. We were careful. Would things have been any different if I’d listened to Alkine and stayed at the Academy, confined?

I’m a disaster. One after another, my allies have been ripped away. Killed.

Mr. Wilson. Ryel. Morse. Bergmann. I didn’t listen, and now they’re dead. And I’m sure it won’t be long before the rest of us follow suit.

I turn around and lean my back against the window. I can’t look outside anymore. I can’t watch them land.

I can almost hear Theo’s laugh echoing in the sky. He’d love this. He’d consider it the greatest honor—the son paving the way for his father.

I kick at the floor and let out a deep sigh before burying my head in my hands. Then, allowing tears to spill over my fingers, I wipe my face and stand. “I should go see Cassius.”

But before I can take a single step, the door to the cockpit opens and Cassius walks out. He takes a breath as he scans the cabin. Then, voice trembling, he speaks. “We’re going underground.”

We turn to look at him. Eva crosses her arms. “Where?”

“There are Unified Party bunkers spread all around the Fringes. The closest is in Nevada. Madame has access. We’ll be safe until we can figure out what to do.” His eyes meet mine, pleading not to argue. I sense that he’s already had a difficult enough time talking with Madame up front.

“We can’t stay on the Surface,” he continues. “And we’re not in a position to … ” He stops himself. “We’re going underground. That’s all.”

I expect someone to challenge him, but nobody responds—not even Eva. There’s little choice, really. We don’t have the energy to fight. We wouldn’t know where to start if we did.

All of a sudden, green light filters through the windows, bathing the inside of the cabin in a soft, calming glow. I turn back to the window and see them instantly.

The Drifters fly on either side of our cruiser, encircling us in a protective formation. I can see their faces from this distance, and make out their plain white clothing. They’re here, Sem and Talan and every one I freed on Altair.

I spin around. My heart beats faster, or maybe it’s the energy outside. “Look,” I point. “In the sky. It wasn’t all for nothing. They’re here. They’re following us.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Cassius says. “We’re going underground either way. We can’t do anything like this. We’ll die, and then we won’t be of use to anyone.”

I nod, even though I hate the thought of it.

I am already here.

Now Matigo has his army.

The cruiser lurches beneath us. Skandar rushes to the window. “We’re heading down.”

Avery crosses her arms. “That was quick.”

“The ground’s opening,” Skandar continues. “I see it.”

Cassius sighs. “Say goodbye to all of this, at least for a little while.”

I take a last glance into the sky and watch the storm of red Pearls. Is it defeat? Are we running away? What would my parents want us to do?

I shut off the questions. They’ll drive me crazy if I let them control me. Cassius is right. We can’t do anything in this condition. The world will have to defend itself for now.

The windows darken.

The ground swallows us whole and everything’s silent.

Thirty-eight hours later:

The silence is what kills me.

I don’t know what’s happening above us, on the Surface. Every minute that passes could mean another life extinguished, another city decimated. On the other hand, maybe none of the Authority’s Pearls have broken yet. The Unified Party communication feed cut out shortly after we landed. Last we heard, the Chosen Cities considered the red Pearls an attack by the Skyship Community. A new form of technology. Then they started to hatch. That’s when the feed broke. We’re cut off.

We’re clueless. Clueless and isolated.

But we’re not going to get anywhere on guesswork. This is a war, and you don’t enter a war blindly. It took some convincing, but everyone understands now. We’re safe, and safety is a luxury we need to harness while it lasts.

Our bunker lies in the middle of a Fringe desert, far from the nearest Chosen and invisible to the unknowing eye. It will be our home for as long as necessary. Without the bracelet, Matigo has no way of tracking us. He wants to kill me, I know that. After all, I’m the Pearlbreaker. That’s never been as important as it is now.

But I don’t know where he is. Or who he is. If he’s been here for awhile, he could have blended in years ago. He could be anyone. A Fringe leader, a government official. Maybe even a member of the Academy.

Sem and Talan took care of triggering the remaining Drifters’ language processors. Twelve out of nineteen are now speaking fractured English. They seem to become more fluent with every hour that goes by. We’ll be ready soon. They can give us information.

I spent the first ten hours sleeping. I didn’t want to. The thought of what might be happening over my head made me feel too guilty to sleep. I couldn’t abandon the fight just as it was starting. It was a coward’s move.

But it’s the right one. Confinement. Not the way Alkine was keeping me a prisoner back home, but a different type.

Cassius and I are the Resistance’s champions, and champions don’t go and get themselves killed at the first sign of danger. They learn and they discuss, and when they have a plan, they execute it to the best of their ability. I guess in a way, Alkine was right.