Shieldwolf Dawning (4 page)

He groaned an apology and closed his eyes, apparently too exhausted to speak. Samarra stayed at his side until he fell asleep. When he started to snore lightly, she tucked him in and went back to her room. She changed into a newer pair of jeans and a bright T-shirt to appease Mrs. Sairfang before she made her way downstairs.

Samarra moved through her chores with effortless ease and smiled to herself as if she had just been granted the biggest wish ever. First, she finished up the glassware in record time and without breaking a thing. Next, she polished the silver to a gleam despite her intense dislike for the chore. Every now and then she would worry about Cassian, but he was right; he would be feeling better soon enough.

By the time lunch rolled around, Samarra had completed all her tasks for the morning. The Sairfangs were in their research facility in the basement and would stay there for the whole day. Samarra checked in on Cassian, who was still asleep, before she went to her room to contact Merganser. She locked the door behind her and pulled out the tablet from its hiding spot. With a soft blip, Merganser appeared. She looked as if she hadn't moved since the last time she had transmitted her image to Samarra.

"Greetings," Merganser said.

"Hello." Samarra took a deep breath to steady herself. "I've spoken with Cass. When do we leave?"

Running Away

Samarra put down the book she was reading. As quietly as she could, she snuck out of bed and crept to the window. Standing unnoticed in the shadows, she watched the night fall over the horizon like a veil of distant stars.

A movement in the bushes made her strain to get a better look at the courtyard, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Flickering solar torches cast dancing shapes in the weak moonlight. The night guards were in the sentry post and the sentinels had just passed. Surveillance cameras dotted the lush gardens, flashing on and off with muted reds as they recorded their surroundings. The Sairfang Estate was calm except for the hum of a vehicle idling in the garage below. Samarra remained motionless by the window. Her jagged breath fogged up the bulletproof glass.

At 1930 hours a cybot night guard appeared in the courtyard. She stopped in midstride and honed in on the windows lining the upper floor of the mansion. Her artificial eyes flashed green and she scanned the area for movement. Samarra ducked and crouched down as low as she could, clinging to the wall in case some slight noise alerted the cybot. The last thing she needed was to get caught. When the coloured beams disappeared, Samarra felt safe enough to stand up.

"Deep breaths," she told herself and peeked out the window again. The cybot was reprimanding the guards for one reason or another. Samarra couldn't tell what.

Like clockwork, at 2000 hours the cybot made her way to the other side of the estate to check in with the other sentry post. An engine revved up down below, and it wasn't much longer before Mr. and Mrs. Sairfang headed for the front gates in their all-terrain aircraft. The gunmetal grey vehicle purred while the Sairfangs waited for a guard to approach them.

Mr. Sairfang wound down his window. Samarra could hardly breathe, and counted to ten to relax. The guard punched a code into his micro-computer and the gates swung open. Mr. Sairfang drove his vehicle toward the runway for takeoff. The guard waited for the gates to slam shut and lock before he returned to his post.

"No fear… At least not tonight," Samarra whispered and stepped away from the window.

She tiptoed to her bed and reached into the hole in her mattress for the tablet. When she touched the screen, the machine lit up with a muted glow and a three-dimensional image of Merganser Ravenhair burst to life in vivid colour.

"Good evening, Samarra." Merganser's hair rippled in the breeze. "I have been waiting for your communication."

Samarra cringed at the sight of the woman's blind eye and did her best to hide her discomfort. "The Sairfangs have gone out for the night. They won't be back until morning."

Merganser nodded in acknowledgement before adding gravely, "Samarra, we have a slight problem."

"What is it?" Samarra felt more nervous than before.

"The Sairfangs have a protective shield domed over their land. The energy used to power the shield has spilled to the edges of the grove and changed the chemical makeup of the area. I am unprepared for such technology." The image went static before clearing up moments later. "I cannot leave this area safely, nor can I dispel the shield. The energy constrains my magic to the grove. You and your brother must come to me."

"What? How are we supposed to do that?" Her hands started to shake. This was the last thing she needed to happen. "There are guards all over the front gate and I've read stories about what happens on the other side of the wall. What if we get stuck in the energy spill… or worse?"

"Calm yourself, Samarra. The flow is not potent enough to cause harm in cases of limited exposure."

Samarra was far from reassured. "Is there any way around it? What does it look like?"

The woman shook her head. "The energy exists beyond the visible spectrum. Samarra, you
must
find a way out of the estate."

"But—"

Merganser put up her hands to stop further protests. "If you wish to leave in the morning this is what you will do."

Samarra had known it would be difficult getting out, but this? She hoped that it would all be worth it in the end. "Okay," she said reluctantly. "Okay."

"Now pay close attention." Merganser's image morphed into a map. "The grove is marked here. The red x shows your point of planetary departure." Her image morphed back. "Be here by sunrise or you will miss the launch window."

"By sunrise?" Samarra glanced out the window. "I've never been outside the property. I wouldn't know where to go."

"Follow the highway. Take the green tablet with you. It will tell you what you need to know."

Samarra was uneasy about the change in plan.

"Your brother," Merganser went on. "Is he with you?"

"He's sick in bed. I'm going to get him now."

"Good. Please be careful and look after him well. Stay in the shadows and hide if you see or hear anything unusal on your way. The wanderers are on a savage hunt tonight — you must not be seen. I can do nothing to protect you until you reach the grove."

"I understand," Samarra mumbled, wringing her hands anxiously. She had often overheard the Sairfangs talking about the wanderers, a group of highway pirates who went from town to town looting and pillaging and destroying every non-wanderer in their path. Samarra did her best to hide her fear.

"I will listen for you," Merganser said. "Make sure that Cassian arrives safely."

"Yes, but—"

"Travel in haste. We only have a fifteen minute launch window."

Samarra nodded.

"And Samarra..."

"Yes?"

"Prepare yourself. In the morning, everything you think you know will be changed."

The light flickered and the image disappeared. Samarra pocketed the tablet. She leaned back against the side of her bed, pulled her knees up against her chest, and rested her head in her hands.
What am I doing?
she wondered.
Am I making a big mistake?

Question after question turned over in her mind. What would happen once she and Cassian left the property? What if he changed his mind about running away? She shook her head to focus on the task at hand and grabbed the pile of clothes at the foot of her bed. "I have to do this. I just have to." She repeated the mantra and arranged her clothes under the bedcovers in the shape of a girl. She crammed a small blanket into her backpack and tiptoed down the long hallway to Cassian's bedroom.

Lavish portraits of the Sairfangs watched her as she made her way down the dark hallway. In the largest and most elaborate one, Mr. and Mrs. Sairfang posed on their brand new yacht. In another, Mrs. Sairfang lounged around on a deck chair in the ugliest sundress Samarra had ever seen. Resting her hand on her husband's arm, she looked straight into the camera with cold grey eyes. Samarra lingered for a minute on Mr. Sairfang's face and shuddered at the years she had spent in his care. With an unforgiving frown, she took one last look at the portrait before she made her way to the end of the hall. Cassian's door was ajar.

"Cass," she whispered, but there was no answer. Samarra entered the dimly lit room. "Cass." She reached for the figure huddled under the blanket and shook him gently. "It's time to wake up. You were supposed to be ready by now."

"Go away," he mumbled. "I'm tired."

"We have to go." Samarra pulled the blanket away from his head. Her brother's pale face and the reek of fever from his most recent sleep indicated that he was not feeling like his usual self. Samarra smoothed back his hair with a loving hand.

"I want to sleep." He buried his face in his pillow.

"Come on." Samarra put her hand on his back. "We don't have much time."

"Leave me alone," he said in a muffled voice.

Cassian burrowed under the covers, but Samarra grabbed him by the back of his pyjama top before he could hide. "We have to go now. Please don't make me drag you out the door."

"Why do you always act like you're the boss of me?" he said sniffling. "I'm not a little kid."

Samarra scowled.

"All right, all right! I don't like it when you give me that look."

"What look?" Samarra was all innocence. "Hurry up and get dressed." When she noticed he wasn't moving she added, "Please?"

When Cassian was ready, they headed downstairs to the kitchen. Samarra slapped his hand away when he reached for the light switch.

"No," she whispered. "The guards will know we're awake if we turn on the lights."

"Good thinking." Cassian sat down on the cold floor and rested his head against the refrigerator door. Samarra filled her backpack with food.

"Eat up." She gave him a handful of shortbread cookies and an apple. "We have a long night ahead of us." Samarra reached into her back pocket and took out the goodbye note she had penned to Jonas. She put the note in the top drawer where she knew he would find it. If there was anything she would miss about this place, it was Jonas.

"I'm not hungry." Cassian watched her with weary eyes.

"You have to eat. You need the energy. We're going for a long walk."

Cassian nibbled on his cookie.

Samarra eyed him nervously, not knowing how she was going to tell him about the change in plan. After a deep breath, she just blurted it out. "We have to go to the grove on our own."

Cassian stopped chewing and glared at her. "What?"

"Don't worry." Samarra tried to look enthusiastic. "We can do this."

"It's dangerous out there!" His voice cracked and rose.

"Shh. Keep it down. That's what the Sairfangs tell us. How do we know they're not exaggerating?"

"Sammy, I've seen it with my own eyes and it's in the news. I know you've read all about it too because you're such a librarian, so don't play your dumb mind games."

Samarra brushed his statement away with an indignant flick of her hand. "Dangerous or not, we can get from here to the grove if we're smart about it."

He frowned. "What if the Sairfangs catch us? They'll probably lock you up in the hotbox. I don't want that to happen again. That's the worst punishment you've ever had."

A chill touched Samarra's skin when she remembered the day she had been put in the hotbox for crashing the local computer network; its thermostat had been set to maximum heat.

"We should stay," Cassian insisted. "We'll leave when we're older, I promise. At least think about it."

"Cass…" She sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "First of all, Mr. and Mrs. Sairfang shouldn't have brought us here in the first place. Second, Kairuhan is a million times better than here. It's beautiful and green and lush everywhere. Trust me. I read all about it on the green tablet."

"You figured out how to use that thing already?" Cassian looked surprised.

"I was playing with it last night. You know what I found out?"

"What?"

"There are lots of intelligent species on Kairuhan, not just gaians who look like you and me, but others. I can't wait to see them in person. Imagine that!" She eyed him hopefully. "Guess what else I learned?"

Cassian pulled his sleeves over his hands to keep warm. "Tell me."

"Their common language is the same as ours, but a bit different." Samarra was proud of her newfound knowledge. "There are thirteen months named after constellations of an ancient zodiac I've never seen before, but they sound cool." She straightened her red hoodie — a birthday present from Cassian the month before. The bright spark in her eyes fizzled and she whispered a little sadly, "And the Shieldwolves don't celebrate birthdays like we do."

Cassian spoke with some difficulty. "Sammy, please don't get upset with me when I say this, but I don't mind it here. The Sairfangs don't treat me that badly."

"That's because you're the son they've always wanted and they love you. They don't care about me. I'm their embarrassing blue-haired freak. That's how they make me feel." Samarra bit her lip anxiously and leaned forward. "Tell me the truth about something. Do you like taking part in their experiments?"

Cassian looked away. "Don't say that. You know I hate having my head plugged into the machines. At least it's not painful. Have you seen what they do to the rats?"