Shine Light (2 page)

‘The uthers have a queen?’

‘Yes. We know that the uthers supply all the things the Ripers need. The clothes, the food, the cleaning. But they’re being blackmailed to do so. If we could free their queen, they may side with us against the Ripers. I believe they are slaves.’

Ruzalia’s eyes glimmered with new hope. ‘You have the kernel of a sound idea there, Naif. But where are they keeping the queen?’

‘I never heard it mentioned. But we must go back there to search.’

‘What about your connection with Lenoir? Can you use that to find out?’ asked Markes.

Naif shook her head and looked at the table. ‘Our bond is not strong currently and he would never give me such . . . dangerous information.’

‘Dark Eve and Clash may have heard whispers,’ said Charlonge.

‘Perhaps,’ Naif agreed, ‘though surely they would have mentioned it?’

‘You’ve been gone from Ixion some weeks. Who knows what they’ve learned in that time. We should start with them,’ said Ruzalia.

‘There’s still one thing we didn’t do,’ said Markes. Everyone looked at him. ‘The badges. We didn’t find out how to reverse them.’

Naif nodded. ‘You’re right. But I believe the uthers will know. They make everything for the Ripers; that must include the badges.’

‘I hope so,’ said Markes solemnly.

She sent him a questioning look.

He slowly lifted his hand from his lap and rotated his wrist so they could all see his palm. His Ixion badge was glowing like coal and little bits of it had begun to peel away.

‘Markes,’ whispered Naif. Her breath choked in her throat.
Not him.

Emilia saw the seriousness of their faces and spoke up. ‘What? What’s wrong?’

No one answered.

Markes closed his hand to make a fist and with the other picked up his cup and took a sip of water. Somehow he managed not to tremble. ‘Everyone who arrives on Ixion is fitted with a badge. It glows when you need to rest.’

‘You need more rest then?’

‘No. My time for rest – they call it
petite nuit
– is gone. My badge is expiring. You see, Em, Ruzalia rescued many young people like us and took them to Sanctus before they were withdrawn.’

‘Withdrawn?’ Emilia’s brow creased. ‘Isn’t that when the Ripers drain the young people?’

‘Yes – although I’m not sure how many of them know about that.’

Naif swallowed and cleared her throat. ‘Joel promised he would spread word of it. Many more will have heard by now.’

‘What do you mean your badge is expiring, then?’ asked Emilia.

‘Even after Ruzalia got us to Sanctus, the badges kept working for a while. But then they began to fail, as if we’d been withdrawn. Those people . . . died.’

Emilia stared open-mouthed at Ruzalia.

The pirate’s face creased with frustration. ‘I’ve tried to find a way to revoke the badges. They’re made by a science far greater than any I know.’

Silence fell around the table again.

Naif watched as Emilia took Markes’s hands in her own and held them tenderly against her breast. ‘How long do you have?’ she whispered.

Markes shrugged, awkward with her gesture. ‘I’m not sure.’

‘No!’ Emilia’s shout pierced through Naif, echoing how she felt inside.

The girl let go of Markes’s hands and stood, turning to Naif, her face full of anger and demand. ‘You must stop this happening! You must!’

There was malice in the approaching darkness. Naif could feel it as they sailed closer to Ixion. The loss of light was a gradual thing, the sun on one horizon swimming in orange while the dark seeped into their skin from the other direction.

No one spoke much as the cabin lamps switched on and the sunset was lost in their wake. Ruzalia handed out masks and dull red beads and instructed them all to place the beads under their tongues.

‘I’ve discovered it dampens the hyper-reaction,’ she said as she sank into her seat.

The bead tasted bitter but Naif let it dissolve slowly in her mouth as she toyed with the mask in her hands. She remembered the trip to Ixion on the barge; how she’d felt turned inside out as they crossed into the Golden Spiral. And how Rollo had fallen in her lap and buried his face in her breasts.

She glanced at the others. They sat rigid, their expressions hidden by their masks. At the end of the table Markes had an arm clamped around Emilia, locking her into her seat.

Naif swivelled away from them all to avoid any embarrassing contact and slipped her mask into place. A heavy, thick blackness fell on her. She plummeted down the ferocious curve of its wave, unable to breathe or move. It crashed over her, pushing her deep beneath it. Unable to hold air in her lungs any longer, she gasped, open-mouthed. The darkness rushed inside her, flooding through her body like a cool sting.

‘Naif ? Naif !’

Charlonge called to her from somewhere but the dark suffocated her answer.

‘
Naif!
’ She heard a much more strident voice this time, accompanied by a slap that made her blink repeatedly. Suddenly her mask was reefed away and she was back on the deck of Ruzalia’s ship, looking up at Charlonge and the pirate.

She wet her lips. ‘I don’t think the bead worked,’ she whispered.

Ruzalia shrugged. ‘We passed into the spiral hours ago. Get up. We have things to plan.’

Shaking off the fogginess that clung to her mind, she righted herself and faced the others, who congregated around the table sipping hot sugar drinks under the glow of the interior lamps. Other than Naif, Emilia had fared the worst with the transition, her face pale with shock, hands trembling uncontrollably. Jarrold and Markes sat close on either side of her, keeping her upright.

To Naif’s surprise, Charlonge spoke first.

‘There are books in Vank that tell of the beginnings of Ixion. If I can get to them, they may help us find a way to revoke the badges and to fight the Ripers.’

Ruzalia nodded her approval. The pirate’s ease with the idea suggested they had discussed this already while Markes and Naif had been on Grave.

‘How would you get in there? You would be recognised. And so would Markes and I,’ said Naif.

‘I could help her,’ said Jarrold. Other than an unusual flush to his cheeks, the transition didn’t seem to have affected him much.

‘His face would be fresh to the Ripers and hence invisible,’ said Ruzalia.

‘You told me once that you came to Ixion for the books,’ Naif said to Charlonge.

She nodded. ‘On Lidol-Push I read the story of a monk who travelled many places. He spoke of the charts and history books that he’d seen on an island – books about the world and the Tri-Suns. I used his reckoning figures and worked out that they had to be here.’

‘The books were hidden?’ asked Jarrold with a tinge of excitement in his voice.

‘Yes. I searched in all the churches when I arrived but they had only stories like the ones I’d read at home. I thought, perhaps, that I’d come to Ixion for no reason. Then one day Brand came to Vank and locked herself in the gallery. She visited several more times, many days apart, always locking the door. When she left the first time, I scoured every nook of the gallery until I found them. Someone, perhaps one of the monks, had hidden Ixion’s history in the walls.’

‘Maybe they thought to preserve it?’

She looked thoughtful. ‘I expect when the Ripers came they had to flee. Perhaps they couldn’t take their books with them.’

‘I could get them for you. But I have no badge,’ said Jarrold. ‘What if they want to see it?’

Ruzalia stood. ‘They’re not watching the churches as much. The split between Lenoir and Brand means they’re disorganised. If you’re careful, you’ll be able to avoid them.’

‘Liam and I will find Clash and Eve,’ said Naif, ‘to see if they know about the uther queen. You can bring the books to us there.’

‘They will be heavy. I doubt we can carry them far alone.’

‘The Grotto is close to Vank. Let’s meet there. We’ll bring help.’

Ruzalia spoke next. ‘And I will travel to Port of Patience to visit my merchant. We have much to talk about, he and I. When I return we must act, one way or another.’

The coldness in her voice made Naif flinch. She did not envy the merchant. The trip to Port of Patience would take a full day and night, which meant Ruzalia would be gone for two days at least. Naif hoped that would be enough time to find out what they needed.

The pirate added, ‘I’ll set you down on the Lesser Paths near Vank. There is less chance the Ripers will see the ship there.’

Naif, Markes and Charlonge nodded. They all knew the area she meant.

‘Are you ready?’ asked the pirate.

Silent nods were the reply.

Ruzalia left the window and spoke into the narrow voice tube to one of her crew below. ‘Cut the engine and employ the draculins.’

For long moments the ship dipped and bobbed with the change in speed. Then slowly they regained stability. Naif heard the whip of long wings slicing through the air. The draculins were towing them.

‘The gantry awaits,’ announced Ruzalia. She led them all down the narrow steps to the under-cabin of the ship. From there they would be lowered to the ground.

Markes hung back as the others descended, his hand on Naif’s sleeve.

‘I’m not sure when I will start to weaken.’

Naif wanted to hug him and say that she’d do anything to find a way to reverse or remove the badge. But she lacked courage to do either with the others nearby. She settled for squeezing his arm. ‘My badge was revoked. Yours can be too.’

‘But if something happens to me . . . Please, will you see that Emilia and Jarrold are safe?’

‘Jarrold will take care of his sister,’ said Naif carefully.

‘I know,’ said Markes, a scant smile touching his lips. ‘But who will take care of Jarrold? I just want to know that you won’t abandon them. Please, Naif.’

‘What if
they
abandon me?’ Naif answered. ‘There is no way of knowing how any of our futures will play out.’

Markes took her hand from his sleeve and pressed it to his mouth.

The warmth of his breath eased her dread.

He leaned in closer. ‘I haven’t had a chance to explain to you about Emilia. Naif, I feel for you. As I do for her. But differently –’

Naif’s heart skittered at the untimely declaration. Her stomach curled on itself. ‘You don’t need to –’

Ruzalia’s stern tones cut across her reply. ‘Naif! Markes! Attend us! We must lower the gantry
now
.’

Naif pulled her hand from his and hastened down the steep steps.

Jarrold and Charlonge were already on the gantry and the pirate Plank stood to one side manning the winch.

‘We’ll make two drops, the second with some supplies for you. Each drop must be done quickly,’ said Ruzalia. ‘When you’re down there, think twice before using the kars. Once you’re on them, you’re trapped.’

‘How will you know what’s happening?’ asked Naif.

‘There are prayer wheels near Illi, Vank and Los Fien. I’ll send draculins to them regularly. Leave any messages on the roof wrapped in cloth. They’ll bring them to me. Now, two more take the first ride so there’s room for provisions on the second.’

‘Me,’ said Liam.

Naif glanced at Emilia and Markes. She could not bear to be on the gantry with them. ‘And me.’

The four of them huddled together as Plank began to unwind. In jerks they were lowered into the dark.

Ixion closed its sticky fingers around them as they descended and even the stunning night rainbow of party lights could not distract Naif from her fear. What would happen next?

‘Fross,’ said Jarrold. ‘It’s beautiful.’

‘Yes,’ replied Naif. ‘But deadly.’

It had seemed so mysterious when she’d first come. Sinister but beautiful; a place like nothing she’d known, redolent with musk and moonflower and haunted by strains of music that fired her senses. Back then she’d found it hard to resist its lure, but now she felt only apprehension and a desire to make Ixion safe.