"Aliah, it's nearly morning. She left hours ago. Could be anywhere."
Aliah began to remove his cloak and bloody tunic. "That's exactly why we are going to find her." He waited until Zev left the room then examined his own wound. Dried blood crusted around the incision, but the edges still gaped open. Blood oozed from a one inch gash. He took the knife from his waistband and cut the cleaner part of his tunic into a long strip, wrapped the fabric tightly around his waist and tied it. He tossed the knife on the table and grabbed a small lantern.
By the time he staggered up the stairs to his room he was exhausted. Zev brushed past him in the narrow hall, his arm hanging limply. He wore a clean brown tunic and carried a blanket.
"I'll pack some food and a canteen of water."
Aliah caught the edge in Zev’s voice and it turned his blood to ice. What’s going on with him? As he entered his own room he wondered why Zev didn't go after Shai when she ran, but secretly he was glad Zev didn't. Something he saw in the boy's eyes concerned him.
Aliah pulled on a thick, brown sweater and grabbed a grey blanket from his bed. His stomach rose in his throat.
He'd left the knife downstairs.
CHAPTER 31
Shai
Give her some space!" A familiar male voice spoke as Shai opened her eyes. The clean-shaven face of the man who had brought her there was inches from hers. His kind eyes full of concern. He smiled, revealing two front teeth that turned slightly inward.
"You okay? Too many people crammed into a small space can make a person feel light-headed."
She smiled back at him, too overwhelmed to speak. She couldn't tell a stranger about Remiel anyway.
The young man offered his hand which she accepted and he pulled her to her feet. Thunk! Something fell onto the wooden floor.
"Allow me." The young man bent over just as Shai put her hand in her tunic pocket and realized the key was missing. His face flushed when he handed the key to her, the red gem glittering in the lantern light.
"Don't let anyone else know you have that." His voice held no inflection, but his eyes suddenly became hard. He gripped her arm above the elbow and squeezed. She winced and tried to pull away.
"Who are you?" His light green eyes darted around the crowded room before resting on her.
"Shai. From Lael." It came out softer than she intended. She pulled her elbow from him and pushed the key deep into her pocket, then wrapped her fingers around its cool metal.
He leaned down. His cheek grazed hers as he spoke. "I wouldn't mention that place around here if I were you."
Hot and cold shivers rolled down her neck, partially from his breath and partially from what he said. He moved away from her and disappeared into the crush of people. A few people stared at her, so she pressed her shoulder blades together and stared back. She wasn't the enemy here. And she wouldn't be made to feel like one.
The woman with the dark braid and green eyes appeared in the doorway of the building and raised both hands. A welt in the shape of a C marked the inside of one wrist. Shai gripped the key tighter. It’s probably just a scar. But its distinctive contours looked too much like the carving on the trees to be accidental. She looked at the people around her who fell silent, watching the young woman. Did they all have those marks? What did it mean?
"The fire will be completely out soon, thanks to Sector Two's artificial rain. Clean-up and the rebuilding of houses and other buildings lost in the fire will begin immediately with help from Sector's Six and Seven." A rumble of murmurs echoed through the building and the woman held her hands up again. "But that means we will be working extra hard to export our textiles to those Sectors as our thanks."
Talking began again as the pretty, young woman walked over to Shai. She smiled and her face softened, making her look younger.
"Welcome to Sector Three, also known as Conley." She extended her hand and, when Shai took it, the woman's grip was firm and warm. "I'm Ava and I saw that you already met my older brother Kael. I hope he didn't frighten you. He's a bit of a bear."
She pumped Shai's arm up and down then released her, coming to stand beside Shai with her hand on the small of her back. The slight pressure urged Shai forward and they walked outside together. The rain had stopped and the sun had begun to rise. It colored the smoldering ruins with a pink wash. Their feet made sucking noises on the rain-soaked earth as they walked. A fine mist hung in the air after the downpour.
"Are you from the Borderless then?" Ava's eyes turned from light green to nearly black in the half-light outside. She pursed her lips and leaned toward Shai as Kael had done. The girl's demeanor and Kael's warning suggested it was better to come from the Borderless than Lael. Shai remained silent, but returned the woman’s wide-open stare.
"Good, good. I thought so. When I saw you standing there by the tree I knew I couldn't let you stay out there all alone. Not after what the Watchers did tonight. Who knows what they might do to the Borderless people. It isn't safe." She spoke quickly and earnestly. Her fingers pressed harder on Shai's back.
Shai tensed. "The Watchers? In the Borderless? I thought... we aren't in the Borderless are we? The Sectors... exist?" Her voice caught on the last word. Her stomach turned violently.
Ava nodded and touched Shai's arm. "Oh yes, they exist. Most of the time the Seven Sectors are at war with one another, maintaining peace only during trades and service agreements when there's been a Division disaster. Like tonight. When the Watchers came I caught two of them, Ace and his partner, taking linens from our Wash House. They took some supplies, nearly killed my father and tried to burn our Sector to the ground."
Shai swallowed hard. Her ears and cheeks suddenly felt hot.
Ava took her hand off Shai's back. "Destruction is their M.O. It often takes weeks, even months to rebuild. We're lucky though. We had a trade scheduled with some of the other Sectors for tomorrow, so they were already here. All we had to do was enact the service agreement. Rebuilding has already begun. Excuse me."
A group of young people approached them and Ava turned away from Shai to extend her hand to a tall blonde man. Shai moved away from them to seek solace behind some smoldering remains. Shocked and sick, she hadn't said more than a few words since she arrived.
Suddenly the back of her neck prickled and she turned around. Kael was walking towards her, his face hard.
CHAPTER 32
Aliah
Zev and the knife were gone by the time Aliah reached the Great Room. Aliah pulled on a cloak and stuffed the blanket, a canteen of water, and a loaf of bread wrapped in white linen into a sack. He slung the bag over his shoulder and limped outside. The pain in his side had diminished to a dull ache that throbbed down his left side to his toes.
The rain stopped, leaving his well-trodden trail a mess of broken branches and mud. He backtracked the way he'd come, less than an hour ago, with a faltering jog-limp. In another hour the sun would rise making it easier to look for Shai in the Borderless, but also making her an easier target. What was going through Zev's mind right now? Would he hurt Shai?
Aliah's mind raced faster than he could run. He slipped in the mud and caught himself with one arm before he went sprawling. He yelled at a fresh wave of pain. His vision doubled and panic fogged his mind.
No, no, no. I can’t give up now. He felt beneath his sweater for his glass pendant. It’s still there. I’ll be okay. He blinked, clearing his vision, then continued his trek through Borderless territory.
He knew Shai almost better than he knew himself. Where would she go? She didn't know the area at all which meant she'd wander around until she found the Borderless people... No, she feared them, because she'd been taught to fear the unknown. So she'd keep her distance. But then where would she go? If she took this trail from the Manor, it curved east and led to the Sector he'd just come from. Straight north over rocky terrain was where Ellersly was taking his group. That path was unmarked and the journey would be more difficult for someone alone and she'd be afraid to
wander off the most visible trail. So that meant she must've gone to Conley. The Sector that was now in flames.
A snapping sound on the trail ahead stopped him. He slipped behind a tree, watching. A lone figure walked with shoulders hunched and head down toward him. When the person was about to pass they looked up.
Aliah released his breath in a rush. "Ell!" His friend jumped then smiled. Aliah stepped from the tree and met Ellersly on the trail.
The younger boy's face fell as his eyes travelled over Aliah. "You're a mess!" Ellersly sounded raspy like something hung loose in his windpipe. What at first appeared to be shadows on his jaw turned out to be bruises darkening to a deep purple.
"You don't look great either, Ell. But we're alive thanks to our great fighting skills." He tried to laugh, make the circumstances seem light, but the laughter died in his throat. He started walking again and Ellersly followed.
"When I got back to the Manor Shai was gone." Aliah spoke softly because he knew the Borderless had ears that heard more than the Watchers of Lael. "If she stayed on this trail she's headed east." He heard Ellersly sigh and neither one said anything for a few minutes.
"It's likely she went to Conley. It's the most clearly marked trail." Ellersly then got a funny look on his face. "That girl, with the wrist thing. I heard her say Conley is a Sector. So, uh... what's a Sector? I've never heard the term before. Is it like another name for the Borderless?"
Aliah felt faint. He didn't want to keep anything from his friend, but with the page from the Book tucked in his trousers and the Book now in Akan's hands, he didn't have a choice.
"Sure, Ell. It's like when we divided up the Borderless into quarters right? North and East and so on. Same thing."
Ellersly nodded and relief washed over Aliah. No more questions for now.
"I was thinking, Ell. Maybe you should take Mara and the children North tonight. Don't wait until tomorrow. I have a bad feeling about Elchai catching onto our plan and tracking us down. We can't waste any more time. I'll come with you to tell Mara first then I'll search for Shai, and when I find her we'll come to you."
Ellersly stopped on the trail behind Aliah, breathing hard. Aliah turned around to look at him. The morning sun painted everything rose, making Ellersly's cheeks look fiery. "I'll do whatever you say. I don't like it but I'll do it.”
When they reached the cave it smelled sour, like too many unwashed bodies. The kind of smell that burned your throat and made your eyes water if you breathed too deeply.
Aliah and Ellersly picked their way down the narrow hall not sure if the thick brown piles were mud or something else. Loud crying bounced off the walls making twenty-two children sound like two-hundred.
Mara rushed to meet them. The baby wailed in her arms. Ellersly took the infant and walked over to a group of crying children. Years spent in the Boys' Houses with small children made him a natural. Mara's eyes shone bright even in the dim light of the cave. She smiled and reached for Aliah's arm.
"Mother, Ellersly is taking you and the children somewhere safe tonight. We don't have much time. I only came here to talk to you about something."
Mara looked him over then shook her head and clicked her tongue. She didn't seem to have heard what he said.
"I've lived a long time without a pendant, son. But look at you. Lots of good having a pendant did for you. You look terrible." The smile stayed on her face, creasing her eyes and the corners of her mouth.
"How have you lived without one?"
"Your father..."
"No! I don't want to hear about him." Aliah's voice echoed and Mara jumped. Her smile faded and she shrugged.
"Well, you asked." She looked up at him again, the smile returning. "Did you find the Book?"
Aliah's chest squeezed. She was the only one he could talk to about it, but he'd have to move past her eccentricity. Living in the Borderless had changed her more than he thought.
He nodded and steeled himself for the response he knew was coming. But she simply clasped her hands together under her chin, her smile so broad it showed her back teeth.
"So you know about the Coalition then?" Excitement lit her eyes with fire. He nodded again then lowered his head until his hair brushed hers.
"Tell me everything you know about it, Mother." He kept his voice just loud enough to be heard over the children. He looked over his shoulder at Ellersly. The boy occupied the children with stories and one-handed shadow puppets on the cave wall.
Mara sighed and cupped her hands around Aliah's face. He started to pull away but she held him tighter.
"Samael is evil. Before the War Between Worlds, before Edan was divided, Samael worked for Elchai. He was the military co-ordinator for the Edanite army. He protected Edan from the Outerlands. But he was exiled when he became jealous of Elchai and tried to overthrow him using Elchai’s own military. He failed. That was the beginning of the first rebellion. The largest uprising up till that point. Samael swore revenge: find and kill Elchai's sons."
She dropped her hands from his face, but he could still feel the heat of her palms on his cheeks. “That's when everything changed.” She continued. “Elchai divided Edan into pieces and put a leader in each Sector. It was easier to protect smaller groups of people that way. He saved the smallest portion of land in the middle and put a fence around it to protect it. All the children were sent there with a few women to care for them. It was supposed to be temporary. But after the war most of the men and women had died, leaving the children as orphans."
"Lael." Aliah whispered. "And the Book? What happened to it?"
"The Book was... taken. Disappeared for a few years until one day it showed up in Lael and was put on a shelf in the Chapel. With so many children to care for, some of the Mother's petitioned Elchai to make laws. To help with control. Things got out of hand with that." Mara shook her head, the corners of her mouth turned down.
"And the Coalition? What about that Mother?"
Mara smiled again. "We are all waiting for the Coalition. Three rebels, one is the Son of Thunder, who will put Edan back together again. Only thing is, in the Book, it's written that the Coalition must find each other on their own. And when that happens, the death of one will save the many." She swung her arms at her sides like a small child.
"That's it?" His mouth went dry. He expected a plan. A strategy. Or at least a hint at how and when. Not some story. He turned away and pressed his forehead against the cold stone wall. His side ached.
"It's in the Book, Aliah. If you read it, you'd know. I thought you said you read it." Mara touched his back.
"No, I said I found it. I only read the page about the Coalition. Someone took it from the vault in Lael last night. I found it in Sector Three."
"So you've discovered the Sectors really do exist."
"Well, Sector Three exists." Aliah swallowed and avoided Mara's eyes. At least it did exist, until last night.
"Everything will be just fine, Aliah. Just wait for the Son of Thunder to come. He'll know what to do."
Tears pricked his eyes at the tenderness in her voice. She sounded so much like the way he remembered her in his bits of fractured memories. "Did you know the Book would be stolen last night, Mother?"
She smiled and pressed a finger to her lips. Then before she returned to the children she whispered, "all I know is everything will be alright now. You'll see."
CHAPTER 33
Shai
Kael's eyes looked like two dark raisins in a slice of sweet bread. The sunrise reddened his face. His forehead creased as he frowned. Why did her presence disturb him so much?
Shai folded her hands in front of her to steady their shaking and lifted her chin as he approached.
"What did my sister say to you?" His tone rattled her, but she pressed her lips together. He sighed and pulled on a pair of gloves that shone glossy-black. He pushed some smoking pieces of wood aside from the pile near her. His hair was dark like Ava's, cut short around his ears and neck. Similar to Aliah's, b
ut without the curl.
A pang of confliction hit her again.
Kael pulled a few blackened jars from the pile and stacked them near Shai. The strange gloves must be resistant to heat; he just kept tossing smoldering wood aside and pulling jars from the ashes without seeming to burn his hands.
He straightened and looked hard at Shai. "I asked you what Ava said to you over there. You two looked pretty intense."
Shai shrugged one shoulder. She meant it to seem casual, but the steady way he looked at her made her feel stiff and awkward.
"She's nice. Just welcomed me. To... Sector Three." The words sounded foreign.
"Whoa! She talks!" Kael held his hands against his face in mock surprise and when he stooped to dig through the pile again, Shai stifled a laugh. Two black, hand prints clearly marked both cheeks.
"Hey, I'd help if I had a pair of those gloves."
He barely glanced at her as he shoved one hand into his back trouser pocket, pulled out another pair then tossed them to her. Her small hands swam inside them, but at least the gloves would offer protection.
"Just stack the jars there." He gestured by tipping his head. "And if you come across... anything else just holler."
"Anything else?" She crouched beside him and moved some wood, feeling nothing more than mild heat in her hands.
"Yeah. Like... lanterns, utensils, dishes, a book..."
"A book?" A flutter started in her stomach and worked up to her throat.
Kael gave her a funny look. "A book. You know, it has pages, a cover."
"I know what a book is. I've seen one before... But wouldn't it have burned in the fire?"
"Not this book." Kael's lips barely moved when he said that and he kept his eyes down. They worked in silence digging up a few more jars and one lantern. Kael stood suddenly and pressed a fist into his lower back, groaning. Shai stood too and stretched.
"I don't need you here." Kael's face flushed pink. "I mean, there's nothing left to salvage here. It's obvious this Supply House completely burned down. Go help Ava. Take some of these jars to her. She'll need them to feed all those people." He bent over the pile again and Shai gathered a few jars in her arms.
She turned to go then stopped. "What bothers you so much about me being here?"