Elei's Chronicles (Books 1-3) (57 page)

“The islands aren’t natural?” Kalaes’ eyebrows lifted. “Seriously?”

“These are the Seven Islands, the whole world. You’re saying this isn’t...” Elei stopped, lacking the necessary words.

Sacmis’s face was calm. It occurred to Elei that she didn’t look surprised. “Did you know this?” he asked.

“Know what?” Kalaes glared. “Hera’s talking in pissing riddles here, and you—”

“We suspected it.” Sacmis turned to Hera who gaped. “I work for the Siren Project. I was going to tell you.”

“When,” Hera asked carefully, “were you going to tell me?”

Sacmis shrugged. “When you started sharing your knowledge and suspicions with me.” She also wore her gray suit, common among the Gultur. It was open at the neck, and the fine scales of Regina glinted on her collarbones.

Kalaes coughed theatrically. “You were saying...?”

“Geomanipulation,” Sacmis said, as if talking about the weather.

“Meaning?”

“From the map, I’d say we’re looking at natural structures altered to create some sort of symmetry and at the same time exploit the deeper strata,” Hera said.

“Is that even possible?”

“The evidence supports it.”

“And what do we care about it?” Kalaes said.

“Look here, where it says ‘below’.” Hera appeared not to hear him. “I think they’re elevators, taking us down into the bowels of the world. We must explore, see what else is there.”

“Hold on a sec. You want to go...” Kalaes stared at his cig as if it’d started talking to him. “Go down, to the Underworld, the nether hells for all we know. For what?”

“If our ancestors manipulated the islands, dug out the vents below, we could discover our origins.” Hera’s voice shook with excitement. “Surely you want to know that, too.”

“I don’t give a shit about our origins,” Kalaes said flatly. “I just want to bring the regime down, find some peace. Besides,” he nodded at the map, “I still don’t believe all this. It sounds mad. Have you been sniffing black mold or something?”

“Are you afraid to go?” Sacmis asked, examining her nails.

Kalaes bristled. “What did you say?”

“Look. We suspect that there are unimaginable resources down there,” Sacmis said. “This map is our key. The Gultur do not have such a detailed cartography at their disposal. This...” Her eyes were bright. “This could be our chance to defeat the government army.”

“Imagine if the resistance had their hands on pure water and dakron deposits, or even advanced technology,” Hera breathed. “If we could take control of the Islands.”

Kalaes shook his head, but he leaned forward and his eyes gleamed.

“Do you really think we could do this?” Elei whispered. He cared about their origins as little as Kalaes, but a chance to finish what he had started, to bring down the Gultur, fulfill his promise to Afia and Jek to bring peace and his own private promise to Kalaes to take him home...

But it sounded too good to be true. “If you suspected this all along, why didn’t you act?” Elei turned to Sacmis. “What were you waiting for?”

“For proof. For information. For maps. We hoped Pelia might have one, but she never admitted it. When we heard she’d died, we tried to find Elei but failed. The regime was much faster than us in locating you.”

But Hera had found him, and Hera worked for the Undercurrent, for the resistance. It didn’t make sense.

“Is this why you came?” Hera’s voice dripped ice. “For the map? To drill us for information?”

“Yes.” Sacmis blinked. “And to offer information and help. The resistance wants us to investigate this and find a way to use it against the regime. That’s...” She hesitated. “That’s what you want, too, is it not?”

Hera frowned. “Yes. So you’re here by chance. They could have sent anyone to do this?”

Again Sacmis’ fair cheeks flushed. “They could. But I volunteered.” Hera opened her mouth to speak, and Sacmis raised a hand to stop her. “I knew you were involved. I wanted to see you.”

“Fine, I...” Hera at a loss for words was a rare sight. “Why was I never told of the Siren project? How come you know all this but I never knew?”

“Er, ’scuse me...” Kalaes got up, flicking ash all over the table. “I think I need a stiff drink.” He looked troubled.

“Kal.” Hera inhaled sharply. “It’s our mission to find a way in, take control of the resources. This could be our chance to overthrow the dictatorship.”

“Our mission, fe?” He cocked his head. “The Undercurrent has people who can do this. We’ve done more than enough and you know it. You just want to go because you’re interested in our...” He waved a hand. “Origins. Ancestors. Whatever.”

“That is not the only reason. I cannot deny I want to know about the past. But my priority, like yours, is to overthrow the government.” Hera frowned at the map. “A senior member of the Undercurrent will visit us to see the documents.”

Sacmis stiffened. “You contacted them? Damn, Hera, I told you it was not a good idea.”

“And you never explained why,” Hera snapped back.

“Let the Undercurrent take the map and put it to good use,” Kalaes muttered. “Bet they’ll send someone right away to get the job done.”

Sacmis shook her head. “What if they will not? What if they do not send anyone to check this out?”

“Why not?” Elei asked.

Sacmis glanced at Hera, then turned away. “The Undercurrent high cadres are acting very... odd lately. They will not take risks.”

“I’m sure they have their reasons,” Hera said.

“Hera...” Sacmis chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I do not answer to the Undercurrent anymore. I defected.”

Shit
.

Hera took a sharp breath. “Defected? You talk as if the resistance is a regular army.” She rubbed her brow. “Are you a free agent now?”

Sacmis said nothing.

“This makes no sense,” Kalaes said. “Dione has things under control. Maybe you should talk to her.”

Sacmis shook her head, her expression closing down. “You do not understand. Dione does not head the Undercurrent anymore.”

“She doesn’t?” Kalaes frowned. “Since when?”

“Things are not that simple.”

“Then explain. Can’t we expect help from the Undercurrent?” The air thrummed with tension, raising Elei’s hairs on end. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“I am not sure,” Sacmis admitted in a faint voice. “What I do know is that you —we —are the best suited to this mission. You found the map, and we should keep this between us until we find out more. The fewer people know about it the better.”

“I agree,” Hera said. “About us being the best suited for this mission.”

“Hera?” Kalaes turned to her. “You’re not serious about this, are you?”

Hera sent Sacmis a dark look, but nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Oh sure. Okay. Send Elei down. Send all of us down.” Kalaes eyes narrowed with anger. “Send us to our death because of a bunch of old papers. Do you have any idea what you’re saying? You and Sacmis, your heads are filled with these ideals,” he spat the word like a broken tooth, “of discovering our past and saving the world. How about living to see tomorrow? How about Elei and Alendra surviving? They’re kids!” A tremor went through his frame. “Maybe the Undercurrent administration is right not to want us to go. Maybe they don’t approve of us going on suicide missions every other day.” And he stomped toward the kitchen, muttering something about getting drunk.

Elei stood up and hesitated, looking at the two of them sitting awkwardly next to each other, one in the chair, the other on the floor, so pretty, so confused and uncertain. Maybe as confused and uncertain as he was.

Screw this
. He needed a stiff drink, too, and a moment to gather his thoughts. Besides, even though Rex was now weaker, he wasn’t sure he could trust himself alone with two Gultur, especially Hera. He gave them an apologetic smile and fled the room.

Chapter Three

E
lei followed
Kalaes into the kitchen, remembering at the last moment that Alendra was hiding there.
Too late
. He stood behind Kalaes who was rummaging in a cupboard and tried to act normal. The room smelled of fried red meat and spices, and Elei’s stomach rumbled.

“This is some shit, fe.” Kalaes slammed a tall bottle on the counter, orange liquid sloshing inside, and tore off the lid. “Go down there? What in the hells?”

Elei wasn’t sure Kalaes wanted an answer. He watched him pour two glasses, and from the corner of his eye he glimpsed Alendra looking his way. He sipped and coughed, eyes watering, then sipped some more. The alcohol burned a fiery path down his throat, warming his chest.

“It seems Pelia wanted us to do this,” Elei said. And I promised the kids in Teos I’d do something to help. Though going into the bowels of the earth hadn’t been on his list.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about it.” Kalaes downed his drink and squinted. “You barely made it out of that Palace alive. Now you want to go off on another crazy mission?”

Elei gulped the rest of his drink and slammed the cup down harder than he’d intended. Everything looked a little brighter now, and his heartbeat calmed. He had to explain something important. “Listen, Kal. What do you think will happen now?”

Kalaes poured them another glass and then stared at the bottle as if he didn’t know what to do with it. He placed it on the counter and ran his fingers around the rim. “Now?”

Alendra made a sound in the background, but Elei focused on his drink. Another swig and it didn’t burn going down anymore. A haze had fallen over the room, muting its colors.

“Yes, now,” he said. “Do you want to wait until Regina mutates again and adapts to Rex, taking away the only advantage we have? Do you want to keep running, hiding, with no hope of settling anywhere, no hope of living like a normal person?”

“Come on, fe.” Kalaes frowned. “There has to be a place where the Gultur can’t find us.”

“Tell me where.” Elei’s stomach was warm, and heat trickled down to his toes. He wiggled them inside his boots. “Only in our dreams,” he concluded, toasting Kalaes. “And even there we don’t have peace.”

Kalaes winced. “I’m all for bringing the damn regime down,” he said quietly. “Don’t get me wrong. I did go with you to Dakru City, didn’t I? And I’m ready to do much more, but this...” He shook his head. “Maybe it’s because it sounds insane. Elevators into the earth? Chambers of treasure?”

It was true, it sounded crazy, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t take it seriously. “We followed a dream into Dakru City,” Elei said. “We got what we went for, and now we have maps and clues. This time we have a plan. Seems to me that going into Dakru City was crazier than what we want to do now.”

Kalaes snorted. “We’re all mad anyway.” He drank some more, his eyes too bright. “But I don’t like the idea. I don’t want you putting yourself in danger again.”

Elei thought of Pelia, thought of Afia and Jek and all the other kids, skinny and hungry, so young and full of hope that things would get better some day, and didn’t know what to say. Did he deserve safety when they were fighting and dying?

“Dinner’s ready,” Alendra said, startling him.

She stood by the stove, blond hair twisted at her nape, her golden eyes intent. She seemed to be waiting for something, but for the life of him he couldn’t think what. Self-consciously, he turned away to hide the snakeskin on his cheek.

“I’ll tell the others,” he muttered, put his glass down and hurried out of the kitchen.

The stew smelled delicious. They sat around the kitchen table and Elei dug in happily. With Rex in recession, he could finally enjoy something not sweet, something his body could use to regain its strength. The stew was seal meat and yellow tubers and sweet bush fruit cooked so that they melted in the mouth. Elei tried to slow down so he could savor the food longer, but it was useless. He inhaled his serving, then refilled his plate.

Kalaes raced him to a third serving. A snort from across the table finally registered and Elei looked up to see the three girls watching him.

“What?” he mumbled. “This is good.”

Hera chortled and shook her head. And dammit if Alendra wasn’t staring at his marked cheek again, eyes wide.

His appetite evaporated. He shoved his plate away and reached up to cover his cheek.

“Oh, let him eat, for all the gods’ sakes!” Kalaes banged his fork down, an exasperated frown on his face. “Will you stop your snickering?”

Elei flinched. He pushed back his chair with a screech and straightened. “I’ll, uh, check out the apartment. You said there’s a data processor room?” Locked in the bedroom since they’d got here, he hadn’t had a chance to explore the safe house.

“I’ll show you,” Hera said, rising at the same time as Sacmis, and their hips bumped. They both flushed and apologized to each other. If Elei didn’t feel like running, it would’ve been funny.

A beep sounded.

“What’s that?” Alendra shot out of her chair, the bread knife held in her hand as if it could stave off a Gultur attack.

“That was me,” Hera muttered and pulled a beeper out of her pocket. “It looks like our visitor is here.”

***

The woman standing in the living room was small and old, and a little plump. She couldn’t be taller than Elei, although she was twice as wide.

Which wasn’t that difficult. When he curled an arm around his middle, he could feel his ribs like the bars of a bird cage.

He sat across from her, and Kalaes settled on the threadbare sofa with Alendra and Hera, while Sacmis stood behind it, arms folded under her breasts. The rectangular box lay on the table, looking harmless and unimportant.

“My name is Nine, like the number,” said the old lady cheerfully, and sat down, arranging the folds of her flowery dress.

Nine. A code name?

“No need to put on the usual act,” Sacmis said. “It does not work on us.”

Something grim flashed in the Nine’s blue eyes. She folded her hands in her lap, twined her gnarled fingers. “Haven’t seen you since you left us, Sacmis.”

Sacmis stiffened, her eyes half closing, but not lazily; gauging. “I did what I had to do. I felt it was important.”

“You felt.” Nine tilted her head back as if trying to see Sacmis better. “Of course. I’m sure you know better than the experience council of the Undercurrent what to do to bring the regime down.”

“Now,” Nine said, “Hera has told me you found a document Pelia hid. A map.” Elei wondered why Hera hadn’t mentioned the written document and the list, but maybe she’d paid heed to Sacmis’ unease after all. “I’ve come to take it to HQ for our experts to study.” She leaned forward. “I must impress on you the importance of remaining united at this critical moment in our history. Nothing wrong with feelings,” her gaze snapped back to Sacmis, a lightning strike, “but you’re soldiers in a war and you must fall in line. You must stop acting without our knowledge.”

She talked as if they were little children who’d taken a stroll without telling their elders. Elei’s nape prickled, and he saw Kalaes’ eyes harden.

“So, are you sending someone down?” Hera said. “To investigate what is below?”

Nine shook her head, a gentle smile on her lips. “We’ll do a quick survey, see if anything of interest pops up.”

“So you’re not sending anyone?” Elei asked.

“Nine, this is important.” Hera’s hands curled into fists. “It could mean victory over the regime, it could give us the only advantage we’ve ever had. A quick survey may not be enough for—”

“For what?” Steel entered Nine’s voice. “We’re at war. We’re gathering our forces to attack the Gultur,” she spat the word, as if two of that race weren’t sitting right in front of her,” while their defenses are low. You can’t go chasing after wisps of cloud, not now. The main thing was to ensure the map didn’t fall into enemy hands. Thank the gods they didn’t capture you with it.”

“But what about the deposits marked on the map? What about gaining some advantage in this fight?” Hera stood up. “Give us back the map and we’ll investigate.”

Sacmis hissed and tugged on Hera’s sleeve. “Sit.”

“I said no.” Nine rose, the box clutched in her hands. “I’m sorry.”

“Nine,” Sacmis began, “give us a chance—“

“To do what? Waste resources? Risk leaking information to the Gultur? You risked everything by going into Dakru City, into the Palace, of all places! If it had been up to me, if I had been informed...” Nine shot Hera a dark look. “I’d never have let you do such a stupid thing. If someone goes below, it certainly won’t be you.”

Behind Nine’s back, Alendra made a face.

“Now,” Nine said, “HQ is waiting for me to report. Stand by for instructions. And don’t do anything stupid.”

They watched her go, heard the door slam. Looked like the Undercurrent wasn’t going to do anything about this, like Sacmis had said.

“I’m going,” Hera said.

“Hera,” Sacmis breathed and leaned her face on her hands, “we do not have the map now. It’s over.”

Kalaes stood up, his hair sticking in all directions. Elei wondered if it responded to his moods, like a dog’s hackles. “What if the old hag is right? Maybe we should sit tight.”

“I’m going,” Hera repeated, louder, clenching her hands at her sides. “Cooped up in here, you and Elei have not been able to follow what’s happening outside. We are not winning.” She speared Elei with her gaze. “The Undercurrent cannot fight a war with the Gultur and win. We do not have the resources.”

Shit
.

“What if we destroy theirs?” Kalaes said. “Break and enter, set it all alight, burn their helos and tanks and planes.”

“I’m sure the resistance has tried that,” Hera muttered. “But it has not been enough, not so far.” She glared at the door. “Damn woman. This is important. How can the Council not see it?”

“What if Nine is only cautious?” Kalaes said. “Maybe the board is being careful.”

Sacmis shook her head. “Maybe.” She gave Hera a hard look. “Or maybe there’s a weakness in the ranks of the resistance.”

“I have to go underground,” Hera said. “I need to see if there’s anything we can use in our fight.”

“Then I’m going with you,” Sacmis declared, not like that was a surprise.

“And I,” Alendra said, which was a surprise, but what the hells.

In the shifting shadows cast by the flickering lamp, he thought he saw other faces — Albi, Pelia, Alea, Jek, and others, street kids and kids dead in the trashlands with no-one to mourn them or know they’d ever existed.

“Me too,” he heard himself say, as if from a distance, and got to his feet. “I’m going with you.”

“What? No, fe, don’t.” Kalaes grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t do this!”

“I’m going,” Elei repeated and knew there was no other way.

“Dammit.” Kalaes shoved him back and started to pace. Everyone watched him. One, two, three rounds. He stopped, turned to glare at them. “Fine, okay. We’re going. Happy?”

Sacmis snorted. “Now what?” 

Hera stretched and yawned. “Now we get ready. And we’d better leave fast, before Nine takes action. After meeting her, I would not be surprised if she placed us under surveillance.”

“But the map—”

“Oh, that?” Hera waved a hand and grinned, smug. “A fake I made over the past few days, of course.”

Of course
. Elei sank back into his chair and laughed, trying not to think of what exactly he’d agreed to, though he knew that, given the chance, he would make the same decision again.

***

They pored over Hera’s copy of the map, discussing the symbols. Sacmis took notes. Somehow, in the hubbub, everyone seemed to have forgotten they didn’t know or trust her.

Everyone but Rex, who kept Elei’s nerves on edge and his heartbeat fast as they drank tea and munched on crackers, arguing over the best course of action.