Antioch

  “A remarkable choice of words.”

  Ditch came out of the crowd, out of nowhere, brisk zippers and black leather, standing out like Andalynn’s hair. Noticing his friends staring at the laundress, he sat down on the steps, waved across at her and yelled, “What’s up!” She recoiled.

  Andalynn said, “Good morning, Ditch.”

  Ditch said, “Whatever, man, it’s like, noon. You guys slept forever. I been checkin’ out these shops, you know, gettin’ some stares…” He used his fingers to open his eyes extra wide.

  Biggs grinned at him. “Buy yourself sump’n nice?”

  “Pfft, with what? We gotta figure out how we’re gonna fit in around here, you know? I gotta get a job.”

  “Lynn’s got herself one already.”

  “You’re kiddin...”

  “I am a waitress. I have returned to my roots.”

  Ditch soured. “Man… I don’t wanna mooch off Michael’s dad.” Then he perked up with an odd thought. “You know, workin’s gonna be real weird around here. I bet you can’t call in sick. What are you gonna say if you like, need a day off? They’ll be all, whatever, man, go to church.”

  Andalynn laughed. “I had not considered that. It reminds me, there is a town meeting tomorrow that all of us should attend. It will be a religious service, but there will also be an open discussion about the future of this community and our places in it.”

  Ditch said, “Yeah, they’re havin’ it up in here. Everybody’s talkin’ about it. They keep sayin’ it’s a big deal Michael’s gonna be there, but I’m like, so what, you know? So what if all five of ‘em are there… There’s only five of ‘em! I thought there was gonna be a whole mess a’ these guys.”

  Andalynn decided that was as good a time as any to tell them what she knew. “The other four are leaving in the hope of saving additional villages, one each. Michael will be the only one to stay.”

  Ditch and Biggs’ mouths fell open. After a while, the only thing Ditch could think of to say was, “Whatever, man, you know, like, pfft.”

  Biggs started chuckling. Sometimes the odds seemed so stacked against them he couldn’t help but laugh. He pointed at Andalynn. “We’re go’n on a date, to celebrate.”

  “Good for you, gramps. You guys want me to split? I don’t wanna be a square wheel, or whatever.”

  Andalynn laughed. “I would enjoy your company this evening as well, Ditch. I have been instructed to bring my friends.”

  Ditch said to Biggs, “I’m totally comin’ on your date, man. I’m a’ mess it up. Where we go’n? Not here, right? Bleagh.” He stuck out his tongue.

  Andalynn said, “I will also invite Drake.” The four of them had always gone ashore together.

  Ditch scowled. “Man, I had enough a’ him. He’s sayin’ all this stupid stuff last night, just to watch the hayseeds jump. Callin’ his BOSS a boomstick, dumbass.”

  Biggs said, “Least he aint in your room! Goober’d better put a lid on it. Gon’ get us all burned at the stake or sump’n...” He paused and frowned. “They don’t do that around here, do they?”

  Andalynn smiled. “They do not.” She took a moment before continuing, to prevent herself from outright laughing at the expense of the fellowship’s judicial system. “They enforce the peace with shunning.”

  They all laughed.

  Ditch said, “What’s that, like, they don’t talk to you if you’re bad?”

  Andalynn relished it. “If you are bad, they do not speak to you and they turn their backs on your presence.” They laughed again and sat back with some after-chuckles, thinking about it. She looked over the fine windows and double doors of Betheford’s Inn, clean glass and white paint. “You do not enjoy the food here?”

  “It sucks!”

  “Really? I have had a different experience with Antiochian cuisine. My hosts were ridiculing this establishment.” There was a little nyah-nyah in her voice.

  “What’d they say?”

  “Each in his or her own way, but essentially, Betheford’s eew. Fergus, the proprietor of the Cauldron, was employed here as chef until he had a falling out with Michael’s father. Fergus and his family have little regard for the man who replaced him.”

  Ditch said, “Me too!” and the three of them had another good laugh.

  ***

  People packed the Cauldron’s common room that evening. Andalynn and Biggs sat close to one another at the end of the table, sharing a private conversation. There wasn’t a crumb left on their plates. Ditch and Drake laughed, drank and told stories in the center of the crowd.

  Ditch said, “On top a’ that, dingbat here,” he pointed at Drake with his thumb, “puts a bullet in our best shooter.”

  Drake groaned. “It was a ricochet!”

  Ditch said, “He butterfingers a round straight down into the bridge, peeyow! Shot pops up and tags Biggs below the belt.” The room gasped and cringed. Drake put his face in his hands.

  Biggs said, “Shut up, Ditch! Quit tellin’ that story!”

  Ditch continued, “So that’s real loud, right, and those turkeys are swarmin, so we gotta split. But whatever, Biggs took it like a champ and we just hustle up on the big boat for a turkey shoot. Gobble-gobble, pop-pop, you know?” Native heads nodded in approval of the strategy.

  “That’s how you do it.”

  “Shooting them like a turkey.”

  “Quite right. Very good.”

  Later that evening, when the crowd had thinned, Biggs had his arm around Andalynn. She was leaning into him. Marabbas was listening to another of Ditch’s stories and Drake stood next to the fireplace, charming Sarah with tales of the marines’ bravery. Fergus came out of the kitchen and his eyes narrowed on the tall, young sailor.

  Drake stretched and flexed. “Yeah, we pretty much saved everybody.”

  Sarah was in love. “Wow…”

  Fergus said, “Sarah! Your mother and Daniel need your help in the back.” Sarah scowled and stomped into the kitchen. Drake leered at her rear end as she went and gave Ditch the thumbs up. Ditch shook his head no - bad idea.

  Fergus moved in, shaking a finger at Drake. “Look here, young man, that’s my daughter! And she’s only sixteen years old!”

  Drake laughed and gave Fergus the thumbs up. “Good job, dad!” Then he bit his lower lip, bared his big teeth and grunted three times.

  Fergus drew back. Then he pointed at the door and said, “Get out!” The room started to pay attention.

  Drake started to lose his drunken smile. “Wait, are you serious? I’m just playing around...”

  Fergus was an angry statue. “Get!”

  Drake looked around at the stares and scratched his head. “Well, alright, I’m sorry. Ok, ok, I’m going.” He picked up his rifle from near the door. “I guess I’m going back over to Beefer… uh… Beeferthird’s. See you guys.” The bell rang behind him.

  Fergus glared at the door. His face was red. Biggs leaned into Andalynn and whispered, “Goober’s gone and done it now. Maybe Ditch and me’d better scoot.” She nodded, concerned. Then a sound broke the silence, a sound Biggs often likened to that of a hyena in a henhouse.

  It was Ditch’s cackling laughter and his face was pure joy. “Man, scraped!” Fergus turned to him, surprised. Ditch said, “You’re a beast, Fergus!”

  Fergus started to laugh too. “Beeferthird’s…”

  Andalynn and Biggs relaxed and smiled at each other.

  Ditch said, “Finally! Man, you don’t know how many times I wanted to throw that kid off the boat.” He celebrated Drake’s expulsion and got cheers of laughter from the room by reenacting Fergus’ iron Get! Then he mocked Drake. “Uh… uh… Beefer! Beefer!”

  Marabbas didn’t understand what anyone was laughing at, or why they continued laughing at it. He cocked his head at them and waited. Ditch had been telling an interesting story before the interruption. He poked Ditch to get his attention and then spoke, sounding like he had marbles in his mouth, “Talk about the boat.”

  D
itch was wiping tears away when he noticed. “What? Oh yeah, sorry, man. Hey, come on everybody, come on, I was tellin’ him about this. This is messed up. Uh, what part was I at? Oh, yeah, yeah, man, they thought they could like, cure the rot later on, so they lock him up downstairs. You know, they wanna save him but they don’t want him killin’ everybody. Well, they don’t want him to starve either, so this guy’s bringin’ him food.”

  Ditch rolled his eyes and took a drink. “Whatever, right? When food guy gets the rot, they’re all like, Oh no, how’d that happen? So they lock him up too! They didn’t know nothin, man. After a while, they figure it out. Anybody says hey, I can’t breathe down there, or, ow, my eyes, gets the rot. But then it’s too late, they’re already messed up. They got ‘em all locked up in the hold and can’t get to their stores no more, you know, cause a’ the smoke.”

  Ditch drank some more of his cider and then blinked with his entire face. “Last couple things he wrote’s totally messed up. They’re tyin’ everythin’ off cause they’re runnin’ out a’ guys to work the rig. Then the whole crew’s baurans and the captain and his buddy are locked in the deckhouse, just watchin’ ‘em through the portholes. That’s when captain’s buddy starts coughin. He knows that’s it, you know, nowhere to go. So, last thing he wrote’s May good fortune bring us to shore.”

  Ditch emptied his mug. “The log book had blood all over it, man. The whole deckhouse did. From what he was writin, I bet the Vesper’s captain didn’t even fight back. He still thought everybody’d get better. Anyway, that’s what happened to Meroe. It wasn’t no good fortune. A shipload a’ bauran hit coast east a’ the harbor.”

  Margot put her hands over her mouth. “Ooh, and the fishermen went out to help!”

  Fergus said, “You were on that ship?”

  Ditch said, “Yeah, man, with Michael. It sucked! Somethin’ like that could a’ happened to us too if it wasn’t for Andalynn. See, she’s with these soldiers for like, two weeks before us. They figured out all this stuff about ‘em. She’s the one who taught us to cover our faces and hold our breath, focus fire, go for the head. And when our guys got the rot…”

  Andalynn suddenly realized what he was about to say. She sat up and her hand shot out. “Ditch, please, no!”

  Ditch stopped. “What? Aw man… I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Andalynn.”

  She surprised herself, reacting that way, and was embarrassed. Biggs patted her gently on the back. The whole room wondered what had just happened.

  Andalynn said, “I apologize, everyone, please excuse me.” She touched Ditch on the shoulder before climbing the stairs to Sarah’s room.

  Ditch said, “Man, I suck.”

  Biggs said, “Come on, she’ll be alright. I’m beat anyhow.” He shook hands with Fergus and thanked the rest of them. Then Biggs and Ditch left the Cauldron, heading east.

  Ditch said, “Biggs, that cider’s twisted. I’m like, hey, man, you got any water but Margot queered at me like I was fruitier’n a nutbar, or whatever.”

  Biggs laughed. “Maybe the girls ‘round here don’t like you callin’em man all the time.”

  “Yeah… you know, they been sayin’ that fwah to me.”

  ***

  Drake stumbled west, improvising a song, using too many syllables.

  “She said he was his daughter!”

  “Or, no, she was the daughter!”

  “I don’t know, he told me sooo!”

  Clouds covered the moon over the dark and empty streets. He started to get cold and frustrated. Nothing looked familiar and the wind was bullying him.

  A foul odor bent his face into a frown and Drake shouted, “Stink a’ dink-dink! Wooo!” waving his hand in front of his nose. Then he clapped that hand over his mouth. He knew that smell. It made him sick and sober.

  Holding his breath, he stole in the wind’s direction, looking to turn out of it. He had both hands over his rifle’s strap to stop its slapping and clicking. He stepped from toe to heel as quietly and as quickly as he could. The night hid everything farther than a few feet away. He couldn’t tell if the sounds behind him were echoes or footsteps.

  A turn came and he took it. The walls disappeared. Grass replaced cobblestone. He couldn’t see or smell anything in the deepening black. Only the breeze and his pulse were in his ears. He shivered like he was freezing to death, but it was out of fear. After what felt like miles, he forced himself to stop and listen. A strong hand grabbed his shoulder and something stabbed into his back - shuck.

  Drake cried out and struggled to get away but it dragged him down. The darkness was so complete, he couldn’t see his attacker. The night itself seemed to be raking and tearing him. He knew what it was, though, and screamed imagining its black eyes. The thing above him imagined nothing. It saw only riin in a body of shadows.

  ***

  Lot had been hiking and camping alone for fourteen days. He was fifteen years old. He didn’t tell his family before he left home and didn’t care if they worried. They would have tried to stop him. They would have said the church wasn’t anything more than a fairy tale. That’s what they said the year before and the year before that. Lot was determined to let nothing stop him again.

  With Antioch only a few miles away at sunset, instead of camping that night, he decided to continue on through the forest. He thought it would make a strong impression if they found him outside of the church in the morning.

  The city’s streets were strange and dark but he knew just to head for the middle. As he entered the clearing, it occurred to him that a graveyard by moonlight could have been a very frightening place if not for the church. Then his long journey was over and Lot stood before the Circle’s front door, smiling.

  He sat down and opened his pack to have a snack of stale bread and salt pork in a sandwich. He chewed large mouthfuls, looking around, feeling proud of what he’d accomplished. Clouds passed over the moon now and then, dulling its light into nothing. When Lot heard Drake scream, he couldn’t tell what it was for sure. He decided against knocking on the door, though, feeling that would have been a foolish time to lose his nerve, after everything he’d been through.

  13 Andalynn’s Scars

  Andalynn sat on the edge of her bed, wearing a nightgown. Sarah crept in with a candle and closed the door. She set the flickering light on the dresser and then sat down cross-legged, opposite the sailor.

  Sarah said, “Ditch is such a jerk, isn’t he?”

  “No. He meant no harm. He is a close friend.”

  “Why’d you get so upset?”

  “I should not have left the room like that. It was childish.”

  “Oh no, I wouldn’t call you childish. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met!”

  “That is a strong compliment.”

  “You’ve done… I can’t even imagine doing the things you’ve done, and you don’t even talk about it. You didn’t tell us any of this stuff yesterday. With all that, you brought Davies a drink and didn’t even care.” Andalynn smiled. It was a rare kind of praise Sarah gave. “And I love your hair, what a color!”

  “You cannot possibly like it. I have been cutting it with a knife.”

  Sarah moved over to Andalynn’s bed. “Wow! Mom would kill me if I did mine that way. I like it short!” Sarah’s hair hung to her lower back in healthy, black waves. Andalynn’s was roughly chopped above the shoulder; to Andalynn’s surprise, the girl started handling it.

  Sarah talked about hair for a little while and then said, “I hope Drake comes back. Do you think he will?” She bit her lip in a frown.

  “I doubt your father would allow it.”

  Sarah groaned and flopped down on the bed. “Ugh! He wants me to marry Daniel.”

  “Preposterous. Daniel is too young.” After saying it, Andalynn realized she did not know the marrying age in Antioch. Before, in what the sailors were starting to call the old world, there had been nations in which thirteen-year-old grooms and brides would have been perfectly legitimate. Andalynn had voted t
o raise the legal age to eighteen in her own district.

  Sarah said, “Oh, not right now, when he gets older. Daniel owns land.” She rolled her eyes.

  “I understand.”

  “Daddy wants me to get Daniel to like me. I tried, but the only thing Daniel likes is frowning like a toad and moping around in the kitchen. He’s so glum. I guess because his father and sister died.” Sarah thought about it. “His mother’s dead too… but Drake’s been through worse than that and he’s so mature about it! Ooh, what would you do?”

  Andalynn paused at the discovery of someone who considered Drake to be mature. “It could be hazardous for me to advise you on this, Sarah. We have different customs where I am from. I do not want to cause any trouble for your family. Also, having never been married, my opinions on the subject are of dubious value.”

  “What about that man you were with tonight?”

  Andalynn smiled. “Biggs. I like him very much.”

  Sarah sat up. “Is he your boyfriend? Do you kiss him?”

  Andalynn raised an eyebrow. “I am far too old to gossip about kissing my boyfriend.”

  Sarah screwed up her face. “How old are you?”

  Andalynn had to think about that. Telling Michael the truth about her age was one thing, but from what she had learned so far, the average person in Antioch would not believe it. Andalynn had trouble believing a mirror. Faced with the choice of answering the question, lying or avoiding it, she said, “Fifty-two.”

  Sarah’s expression went flat. “Sure, ok.”

  Andalynn said, “It is the truth!” She then told openly about Zeke, his astounding ability and some of the other sailors’ ages. Sarah was unsure but Andalynn spoke without a hint of humor.

  When Andalynn finished, Sarah said, “That’s really, really old. My grandmother’s fifty-six.” The way Sarah said really, really old made Andalynn feel ancient, despite Zeke’s cosmetic hospital. Sarah studied her. “Why didn’t you ever get married? You kept your looks well enough.”

  Andalynn almost said she’d only had her “looks” for a year and that her “looks” were not much to speak of, but she did not want to fish any more compliments out of Sarah. Before having become Armymom and Shooty McShoot-shoot, Andalynn was known around the President’s offices as The Dumptruck and resented ever being told she looked young or pretty. “I had an index of reasons but I normally cited my career.”