Meadowcity (6 page)

Her hand rose to the bead at her throat, and she smiled, remembering Sonia’s excitement at giving the gift.  Slowly the smile faded, as the task before her grew more and more at hand. 

Something to remind you of home on your next journey
, her mother had said.  Did she know about Sylvia’s secret journey to Riftcity?  Her swift steps through the cool night air brought her to the Healer’s Hall in no time, where another set of footsteps joined hers as she reached the entrance.  Ven’s shadow emerged from the dark as she reached the door.

“Ready?” she asked, as she pulled on the enormous wooden handle.

“As ready as I will be.”

Caylee must have gone home, since the front desk was now tended by an older woman who had Caylee’s eyes—her mother, probably.  The woman nodded at both of them as they entered, and Sylvia headed for the door that led down the hallway to Flint’s room.

Together they strode down the empty corridor, now lit by the glass globes shining along the walls.  The light from the stars above made brief appearances as they walked under the sky windows.  The door to Flint’s room was still closed, so Sylvia raised a hand to knock softly.

The door swung open and they were met by Gero, who ushered them in and quickly shut the door.  Sylvia’s eyes went straight to the boy on the bed, and then looked away, since he was staring right back at her.  She sat down on the bench, and looked at Gero.  Ven stood by the doorway, shifting his feet.

The boy in the bed spoke, his voice rough and scratchy, as if he had a serious cough, “Have you both come to join me for dinner?” 

He fell into a long fit of coughing and Sylvia noticed an untouched bowl of soup near his bed.

After several moments his coughing subsided, and everyone relaxed. 

Gero spoke. “This is Sylvia and Ven—he’s a hunter here, and Sylvia’s the Rider who brought us back a declaration of war from Skycity.”

Flint’s jaw noticeably dropped, and then he closed it, staring at Gero. 

Gero grimaced at him, saying, “I thought I’d get that out there right away.  I take it you were issued a similar message?”

Flint nodded.  Noticing a glass of water on the table next to him, he grabbed it and drank almost all of it in one go.  He cleared his throat and took a ragged breath. 

“The Healer says I inhaled a lot of smoke…”

Sylvia slid over on the bench as Ven came to sit by her, finally abandoning his awkward stance by the door. 

The boy continued. 

“They had fire—no, not fire exactly.  Explosions that ripped right into the rock.  And it kept burning and burning, and wouldn’t go out.  My dad—we were running back to the villa for Ember—and he—”

He stopped, shook his head.  He couldn’t speak for several minutes, just stared blankly at his bed sheets.

He took a deep breath, waited for a coughing fit that didn’t come, and went on.

“He’s gone,” he said finally.

“I don’t know if any of the other villas have a back exit—our villa is really old—but we’ve never used it before.  But I made it back to the villa, stumbling through the smoke on the paths.  My sister Ember—she grabbed my arm and pushed me through the stone door saying ‘Go!  Get help!’”  He paused and stared down at his hands.

“She’s older than me; Ember always took care of me and Dad since our mother died.  She pushed me down the hall and I don’t even know what happened to her.”

Flint’s eyes welled up and he looked away from them.

Gero took a moment to fill Flint’s glass from the water pitcher near the door, and Flint took the glass with a low thanks, sipping it slowly now.

“I followed the passage forever, coughing, tripping.  I didn’t even have a light.  I put my hands up and felt the walls and walked on and on.  Eventually I came out into the open; the tunnel came out in the woods a long way from the city.”

He started to clear his throat again but brought on a coughing fit.  Sylvia looked down, studying the floorboards until he subsided.

“It was night—they attacked in the dark of course—but from the woods I could see a glow that must have been the fires.  I just started walking—stumbling more like— but I knew Meadowcity was East.  Whenever the Riders come in, I could see where they were coming from.”

He drew a shaky breath. 

“I don’t know how many days it took me to get here, but we need your help—if there’s anyone left there to even help.” 

“How did you make it here?” Sylvia blurted, her curiosity getting the better of her.

“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging.

Sylvia thought for a moment.  Now that they were asking questions, Gero jumped right in.

“How long before the attack came?”

“I don’t know—all I know is, the day it happened, Selena—our Governor—” he added, perhaps for Sylvia or Ven’s benefit, “—had just announced that Skycity had declared war.  They could have known for months, days, I don’t know.  But Skycity was already on their way.”

A dark look passed over Gero’s face, and he said, “The explosions—?”

“Never seen anything like it before, and my family cuts stone for a living.”

Sylvia was starting to feel sick, and the lovely birthday dinner turned sour in her stomach. 
Flint’s father gone, his sister missing, the city in flames…

“How can we stop it?” The words came out of her mouth unbidden, but she wanted to know just the same.

No one answered.  Gero and Ven exchanged looks, but Flint looked straight at Sylvia, his oddly dark grey eyes locked on hers as he said, “When can we leave?”

Chapter Six
 

Gero cleared his throat, “As soon as you can—these two are going with you,” he gestured at Ven and Sylvia.

“Tomorrow, then,” Flint said quickly.

Sylvia nodded her head, mentally making preparations for the next day’s journey, even though she had been ready to leave for what seemed like days.  She had a clear picture in her head of the way to Riftcity and which paths she would take to get there the fastest.  But there were two big differences in this journey—her new companions, and the terrifying new mystery of what would be waiting for them when they got there.

What would they find there?  Would the city be torn entirely apart?  What about Flint’s sister, was anyone there alive?
  Sylvia’s head clouded with questions, crowding out her thoughts of careful planning.

Gero stood saying, “I’ll need to meet with—” he paused, looking down at Flint’s water glass, “—some advisors,” he mumbled.  He rose, moving the water pitcher closer to Flint’s bed. 

“I’ve got to talk some things over with a few people,” he said vaguely.  “We can regroup in the morning before you go.  Meet before sunrise.” 

He opened the door and left abruptly, leaving the three of them staring at each other.

Ven cocked his head to the side, “If we’re leaving tomorrow, we’re going to need a plan—what do we even do when we get to Riftcity?  How are we going to fight Skycity?”

“I think a plan is just what Gero went off to do,” Sylvia said, stretching her legs in front of her. “And we’ll have plenty of time on the trail to talk it over.  It’ll take us at least five days to get there.  I can make it in four on a good journey, but with the two of you…” she trailed off, the corners of her mouth twitching up into half a smile.

Ven forced a smile, knowing she was trying to make light of the topic. 

“Where’s Gero gone then?”

“Can’t be the council—they’re the reason we have time to make the journey out to Riftcity."

“Maybe he has a private council,” Flint said.  “Selena has an informal council made up of some working class, some close friends.”

“Maybe,” Ven said gruffly.

Sylvia looked up at the sky window, shocked to see it so dark compared to the moon so bright. 

“I’ve got to get back home,” she said.  “It’s my birthday dinner and I promised Sonia I’d be back for dessert.”

Ven stood and they both headed for the door. 

From his bed, Flint said, “Well, I’ll see you two bright and early tomorrow I expect.  Hopefully that Healer will give me some real food for breakfast.” He grimaced at his watery looking dinner.

Ven and Sylvia both chuckled nervously, and said goodbye.  As soon as they closed Flint’s door, the older Healer’s figure approached them in the hallway, the light globes casting dim shadows around her face.

“Are you done with him?” she asked briskly.

“For now,” Ven said.

“Good, he needs to get some rest.  Goodnight then.” 

She swept into Flint’s room, shutting the door behind her.  They could hear her clattering about with Flint’s untouched soup, tsk-tsking about his appetite.

Ven dropped his voice closer to a whisper, “I don’t think she’s going to be too happy to hear he won’t be resting much longer.  Healers.  They always think they know what’s good for you,” he said, elbowing Sylvia lightly in the side.

“Yes, well, I hope he’s up for the trail,” Sylvia said, matching his quiet tone.  “Although he did manage to make it here, so the journey back should be bearable.  His wounds have been treated at least.”

They reached the entrance hall and silently exited the building.  The night air was crisp and a little cool; the lamps twinkling throughout the city could be seen sharply from any distance.  Sylvia inhaled the cool night air, and exhaled deeply.  She was keenly aware of the little time she had for such peace.

“I’ll walk you back,” Ven said as they reached the lake path.  They wound around the lake’s edge until they met up with the path that led by her villa.  The dark water at their feet mirrored the sky.

“Are you sure you want to go?” Sylvia asked him suddenly.

“What? To your house? It’s only down—” he started.

“No—Riftcity! Ven, come on."

“Of course I’m going.  They’ll be coming for us next.  What’s a trip to Riftcity?  We’ll find survivors, maybe, but I don’t think we’ll be in any
more
danger there,” he replied.

A terrible thought suddenly crossed her mind, “What if they come here while we’re gone?” she whispered.  Sonia’s face swam up in her mind.  Suddenly Sylvia didn’t want to leave.

Ven considered it for a few moments.  “Well, here’s what we know: Riftcity was attacked probably a week or so ago, considering the state Flint was in when he got here, it must have taken him a while to get here.  Skycity knows we’ve got the threat by now—they probably picked you since you’re our fastest Rider.”

Sylvia could feel her cheeks warming—
Ven thought she was the fastest Rider in the city?

He continued, oblivious, “Obviously Skycity didn’t expect us to find out about the Riftcity attack, but how would they have kept us from finding out, with our Riders going there?”

Sylvia focused. 

“It
is
strange.  But when I spoke to the other Riders this morning, it seemed like no one had even been there in weeks, maybe a month.  How come there wasn’t any business going out there?”

“Maybe...maybe they kept us from sending Riders there,” he said quickly.  “They could have someone here directing business away from Riftcity.”

Sylvia puffed out a breath.  “Yeah, maybe.”

Her gut clenched.  That meant someone in the city knew what was going on, and they weren’t on their side.

“We’ll have to talk to Gero in the morning,” she said shortly.  There was nothing else they could do tonight.

“Obvious candidates are the out-of-city apprentices—Gannet, Liam,”

“Asity,” Sylvia added.  She had just arrived from Skycity a few months ago.

They were walking slower now as they moved through the woodworker’s section, passing by all of the deserted shop fronts.  They passed a weapons shop with knives gleaming from the window in the moonlight.

Sylvia had a thought.  “Skycity’s working in a pattern.  They gave Riftcity the message, and then attacked them when they didn’t agree.  They wouldn’t attack us right away—they couldn’t have the—” she searched for the word. “Army.  To attack both.”

Her mind flitted to lessons when she was a child.  The history of the Four Cities was taught to every child in Arcera.  The Cities had risen out of desperation, after the people had destroyed each other, leaving nothing behind.  She had learned very little about armies, only that they once existed to protect various cities.  But they had learned that they were never really just for protection.

Meadowcity had no army.  But logic said that Skycity did.  Just what they were planning to accomplish with it was something she desperately wanted to find out—and put a stop to.

They turned a corner on the stone path, and Sylvia’s villa came into view.  She was surprised at how quickly they had moved through the stone paths. 

It sounded very quiet inside as she approached the door.  She opened the latch and entered.  Her mother and Sonia were sitting at the table eating what looked like ice-cream.  Adeline had a somewhat guilty look on her face, and her father was nowhere to be seen.

Her mother started, “We had to start without you honey, it was going to melt.  Oh hello, Ven, come in!”

Ven stepped into the villa behind Sylvia and shut the latch. 

“Where’s Lark?” Sylvia asked, as she sat back down at the table and eyed the ice-cream intently.

Adeline stood, gesturing for Ven to sit at the table, “Sit down Ven, have some ice-cream.  We’re celebrating Sylvia’s birthday.”  She looked at Sylvia, “Your father was called away, just like you—mysteriously.”

Her mother looked at her, raising an eyebrow, but Sylvia couldn’t divulge the reason she had been called away without worrying her mother.  Their trip had to remain secret—at least until they were gone.  Then the city would be sealed.

Her mother doled out several scoops of ice-cream into bowls for Sylvia and Ven.  Sylvia put a spoonful in her mouth, and was immediately contented.  The taste brought back memories of the times she had made ice-cream with her mother when she was younger.  She remembered rolling a large can across the floor, and being delighted when the liquid inside turned into a delicious, cold creation of their own.

Sonia finished her bowl of ice-cream and clattered her spoon into the bowl, sitting back in her chair.  Sylvia felt guilty at having to leave her sister, as she did almost every time she went on a journey.  But this time, she had mixed feelings about leaving
—which would protect Sonia, staying or going?

Adeline, Ven and Sylvia eventually finished off their ice-cream too, and the door opened as they all turned to see Lark returning, a sheepish grin on his face. 

“Did I miss ice-cream?”

Sonia finished drying her bowl and went to the counter, peering inside the canister. 

“It’s not melted yet Daddy!  You can still have some."

“Good,” Lark said, latching the door shut and coming over to the kitchen. 

“Hello there Ven,” he said.  “Did you walk Sylvia home?”

He sat down at the table and dug his spoon into the bowl Adeline handed him.

“Aye, and it was a good thing I did too—I might have missed out on ice-cream,” he said, aiming the last part at Sonia.  She giggled, the sound of it making Sylvia’s heart twist.

To be here with her parents, Sonia, and even Ven was something she didn’t experience often, and she tried to savor it every time she came home. 
And now I have to fight to protect it
, she thought.  Tomorrow would begin a journey that would change everything, and hopefully lead them to some answers about how to protect Meadowcity, and how to keep their families safe.

“I think I’d better get to bed,” Sylvia said, clearing her bowl. 
We’ve got a big day ahead of us
she added silently.