“They’re an offense to Janan. He created us. He gave us immortality. And soon he’ll return to reward the faithful. He’ll ascend. The faithful will ascend with him.”
Meuric hadn’t thought so. He’d been convinced he needed the temple key to survive Soul Night.
I tuned out Mat’s arguments as I considered the items in Sam’s washroom. Shampoo, soap, painkillers. I wished for my SED—then I could call for help—but both our SEDs were downstairs.
“Ana’s done nothing to you,” Sam said. “Nor have the other newsouls.”
Gauze. Painkillers. Ointment for cuts and burns. If my nightgown had pockets, I would have grabbed those, because the plan budding in my head involved going outside.
“They were born,” Mat said. “They replaced oldsouls. Real souls. They take what isn’t theirs. Life. Keys.”
Mat’s identity snapped into place. He was the man who’d attacked me when I’d stumbled out of the temple. He’d stolen the temple key from me and given it to Deborl.
“This must come to an end. I’m sorry, Dossam. I have no quarrel with you, but Ana has to die.”
Cleaning powder. I snatched the can and unscrewed the lid just as Mat pushed past Sam and aimed his laser pistol. The blue targeting light flashed—
With a shout, I hurled the powder at Mat’s face. Sam shoved Mat into the counter as the man screamed and his eyes watered. White particles floated in the air, glowing bright blue as the targeting light on the pistol shone. Air sizzled and a hole appeared in the ceiling; Mat was too busy clawing at his eyes to pay attention.
Sam grabbed Mat’s collar and slammed the man’s head on the stone counter. A wet crack sounded and the copper odor of blood filled the space, but I didn’t have time to see if he would live. I grabbed the pistol and fled the washroom with Sam.
We raced downstairs, pausing only to get our SEDs and shoes before we ran outside in our bare feet, carrying our belongings into the dark.
“Stay quiet.” Sam’s voice was low, all warning. “There may be more.”
Shivering with fear and shock, I let Sam guide me. He could navigate Heart blindfolded, but I needed a light, which we didn’t have and couldn’t use even if we did.
We slowed as the cold settled in and the sharp debris on the ground stabbed our feet. “Here.” Sam turned us toward a patch of black on black. Trees. Pine needles pricked at my feet and shudders racked my body. I could hardly breathe around the cold and adrenaline. “Put your shoes on,” he whispered. His hand fell from mine, and I realized I’d been squeezing it tightly from fear. It was his left hand, his hurt hand. He hadn’t made a sound about it.
I crouched, shoving my feet into my shoes as quickly as I could, straining my senses to hear footfalls from more intruders. But all I could hear was my pulse in my ears. Was Mat dead? Were there others? Deborl had more friends than Mat, so where were they?
“Do you need help with your shoes?” I asked.
“I’ve got them.” His voice was rough, from pain or cold or something else, I couldn’t tell. “Get your things.”
I scooped up my SED and the pistol I’d stolen and followed Sam through the darkness, keeping hold of his shoulder. How soon before someone found Mat in Sam’s washroom?
Was he dead? Had Sam killed him?
My thoughts spun as we crept through the trees. Our shoes made more noise than bare feet, but the risk of stepping on something was too great. Already, my body ached with chill.
Light shone beyond the trees, a pale and fractured glow. We’d reached Stef’s house.
“Wait,” I hissed, and squeezed Sam’s shoulder. His profile flashed against the light as he turned his head. “What if they sent someone to watch her?”
“Ah.” He retreated into the trees and knelt, then fumbled with his SED. “I can’t—It will take me too long to type a message with my hand like this.”
“I’ll do it.” I sank to the ground, shivering in my thin nightgown, and sent a quick message to Stef.
Mat attacked us. Deborl and Merton have escaped prison. We’re outside your house, but afraid it’s being watched. Call Lidea and Geral. Warn them. Meet us in the library with other trusted friends. Please bring us clothes.
Sam read the message over my shoulder. “The library?”
“Even if they look for us there, we’ll be able to hide. Plus, I think there’s something I need to say to all our friends.”
“Will you tell me what it is now, or do I have to wait?”
I lifted my eyes as a light flickered on upstairs in Stef’s house. “If Janan is responsible for the earthquake and eruptions, it will only get worse. They deserve to know, and a chance to get away while there’s still time.”
Sam caressed my shoulder, my spine. “Good. They deserve to know.” He went rigid as a shadow moved across Stef’s yard. “Stay here.” He grabbed the laser pistol and crept away. A second later, blue light flashed and the shadow crumpled. Dead or not, the person didn’t move as Sam darted across the yard and seized something—a second laser pistol.
I sent another message to Stef, updating her. She wrote back immediately.
Go to the library. I have a plan.
After a quick acknowledgment, I doused the light on my SED. Sam was back.
“Is he dead?” I asked. But maybe I didn’t want to know.
He just handed me the second pistol.
“Let’s go.” I didn’t have a waistband or pocket to hold my SED and the pistol, so they stayed in my hands.
“Okay.” Sam looked up, not at Stef’s house, but at the blaze toward the center of the city: the temple shone like a torch. “We can’t go any of my normal ways. If Deborl has anyone on patrol, they’ll be watching for us. Surely Mat was supposed to check in by now.”
“I agree. So we creep through the trees in the dark?”
He frowned as he hefted his pistol. “We don’t have much choice. Are you ready?”
I stood and linked my arm with his. “I’d go anywhere with you, Dossam.”
3
WORLDS
WE REACHED THE market field an hour later. Sam hadn’t wanted to go in a straight line from our house to the center of Heart, thinking that was a good way to get caught, so we sneaked around in the cold, doubling back on our path a couple of times before we finally reached the wide expanse of cobblestone at the middle of the city. Debris from the earthquake and eruptions littered the ground. Cobblestones had buckled and broken.
The four main avenues probably didn’t look much better, but Sam hadn’t been willing to use them—or even get near them until we had no choice. Hopefully the roads weren’t completely destroyed; we had to leave Heart soon.
I still couldn’t believe I’d been exiled. By all accounts, that was a death sentence. The world beyond Range was incredibly dangerous, filled with all kinds of creatures.
Though maybe Heart was just as dangerous now.
The temple flooded the market field with brilliant light. How many souls did it take to make the temple that bright? At least a hundred million.
Next to the temple, fused with it in some places, the Councilhouse stood immense and regal. Janan had built the Councilhouse before everyone arrived in Heart, as he had all the houses, but the columns and relief, which stood in shadow now, had been added later. I could just see the statues around the market field, all pockmarked from battles and age. The field was empty, but in the mornings and afternoons, it bustled with groups of friends, opportunistic sellers, and people simply wanting the sound of other voices. Once a month, colorful tents filled the space for the market; it was one of my favorite times, though newsoul-haters made it hard for me to do any shopping on my own.
“Too much open space,” Sam muttered, shivering in the winter wind. “Make sure your pistol is on.”
I checked the switch and nodded. “Give me your SED.” I clutched both SEDs in my left hand, leaving us free to fire our pistols unhindered. Still, I hoped I didn’t have to use mine. “That man back at Stef’s house. Did you ki
ll him?”
Sam’s eyes were shadowed. “Would it make you think any differently of me?”
Reincarnation made it almost pointless to kill someone. They would just be reborn, and they would seek vengeance. No one liked dying, because it hurt, and whatever you were doing—romances, projects, or exploring—had to pause while you waited to be reborn, and then waited to grow up. But they always came back, at least until recently.
According to our friend Cris, when Janan ascended, he wouldn’t bother reincarnating people. That meant with only three months until Janan’s ascension, death would be death. No one who died now would be reincarnated; there was no time for them to be reborn. If Mat was dead in the washroom, he was dead forever.
As far as thinking differently of Sam, though? “No,” I whispered. My whole body quaked with cold. “I know you’re protecting me.”
“I would do anything to protect you.” He kissed my cheek. “Let’s go.”
Together, we crossed the market field, scanning all directions for movement. The temple burned so brightly, and the space was so wide and empty. Crossing here felt like asking for someone to shoot us.
But we made our way across the rubble-strewn field, and nothing happened. No attacks, no earthquakes. Our shoes crunched and wind hissed along the streets, but otherwise the world was silent.
At the library entrance, Sam tucked his pistol under his left elbow, then hauled open the door. With one last look over my shoulder—the field remained empty—I ducked under Sam’s arm and into the library. He followed, letting the door swing shut behind us, casting us into complete darkness.
“Careful.” Sam’s voice seemed loud in the stillness. “Things might have shifted during the earthquake. There could be books on the floor.”
I tapped one of the SEDs to life. The white light extended only a short way, but it was enough to let me find a stained-glass lamp and switch it on.
The earthquake had indeed been hard on the library. Books were sprawled on the floor. Bookcases and chairs had toppled over. A lamp had crashed against the hardwood, leaving a rainbow of glass shards. Papers lay across everything, like a shroud. I couldn’t see the upper levels clearly, but no doubt the eleven other floors were just as damaged.
Sam picked his way through the mess. “Will you send a message to Stef and let her know that we arrived safely? And maybe find out what her plan is?”
I set my pistol and Sam’s SED on the table and sent the note from mine. The library was warm, especially coming in from the midwinter night, but my skin still ached with cold, and I couldn’t stop shivering. “Next time we get chased out of our own house in the middle of the night,” I said, “I’ll be wearing more than a nightgown.”
Sam grunted agreement as he dragged a table in front of the door. It swung outward, so the table wouldn’t keep the door from opening, but it would certainly slow anyone, should they rush in to attack us.
By the time we covered all the entrances, Stef had replied.
Lidea, Geral, and Orrin are on their way to you.
I relayed the information to Sam and responded.
What about everyone else?
She didn’t answer immediately. I sighed and dropped the SED back onto the table. “How’s your hand?”
Sam shrugged. “It’s going to hurt for a while, but I don’t think it’s bleeding anymore.”
“We can walk to the hospital wing.” I picked up a few books and put them on a table. “See about getting your hand stronger medicine.”
Sam helped pick up a few more things from the floor, leaving a clear space around one of the cushiony chairs with a blanket draped over the back. I wanted nothing more than to sink into it, but . . .
“Let’s just visit a washroom and get cleaned up,” Sam said. “Then come back here. My hand will be fine.”
A few minutes later, we returned from the washroom with clean faces and combed hair. Before I could suggest curling up in the big chair, though, a low rumble sounded outside. “What’s that?”
“Sounds like a labor drone. A plow, maybe, to move the debris.”
Now the market field and streets would be clear. Better late than never. “I suppose we’re lucky they’re still working after the earthquake. Will the drones clear the roads outside Heart, too?”
“They should.”
That was good. Our trip out of Heart and Range would have been much more difficult without roads.
Banging sounded on the door. A second later, it pulled open, revealing darkness. I jumped to turn off the light, but Lidea said, “Watch out. The earthquake moved a table here.” A small cluster of people waited at the door. Lidea and Geral held babies against them, while Orrin carried bags.
I sagged in relief. “Actually, that was Sam.” I hurried over to drag the table out of their way, and when they were safe inside, we sat around the lamp to trade stories.
“Mat tried to kill you?” Orrin sounded incredulous.
“He was one of Deborl’s followers.” Maybe one of Meuric’s followers before Deborl. “I think he attacked me once before.”
Orrin glanced at Sam. “When did that happen?”
“Remember when Ana was missing a while ago?” Sam said, and everyone nodded. I hadn’t actually been missing. I’d been inside the temple, but thanks to the memory magic Janan worked on oldsouls, Sam hadn’t been able to remember where I’d gone. He’d told everyone I was sick, while he and his friends searched for me.
I wished I could tell my friends the truth about the temple, but they wouldn’t be able to remember it without months of my reminding them, like I’d done for Sam. It was easier not to burden them with knowledge they couldn’t hold on to.
“Well,” Sam went on, “she appeared in the market field one morning. Shortly before I found her, someone shoved her and stole a key from her, but she was so exhausted and afraid, she wasn’t able to identify him.”
I nodded. “But it was Mat. I recognized him tonight.” I didn’t add that he was probably bleeding to death in Sam’s washroom. “After he attacked, we contacted Stef and came here.”
“What happened to you?” Sam asked.
Lidea and Geral glanced at each other, and Lidea started, “Well, there was the earthquake.”
“Ariana wouldn’t go back to sleep,” Geral said, “so I was already awake when Stef sneaked into my house. Orrin was with me. We had to pack in the dark, in case anyone was watching the house.”
Orrin took up the story. “We went to Lidea’s house, and then Stef activated the labor drones and told us to ride to the library.”
“Clever.” That sounded like the kind of plan Stef would come up with.
“Are you worried they’ll attack newsouls now?” Lidea asked. “I thought the Council promised to protect newsouls. I thought your demonstration worked.”
I shook my head and repeated what Councilor Sine had told me once. “There’s a law about killing me. Murder is frowned upon, of course, but with me, they didn’t know whether I would be reincarnated, so they made it illegal to try to kill me. The law extends to the other newsouls, but Deborl, Merton, and their friends—they don’t care. They think any punishment is worth it. They just want us dead.”
“Why?” Lidea held Anid to her chest. “I just can’t understand why.”
I didn’t want to explain Janan and their misguided devotion to him. Not right now. So I shrugged and leaned against Sam’s shoulder. “The Council is working to protect newsouls, but this is the truth: they won’t succeed. They can make rules, assign guards, and lock up everyone they think will cause trouble, but there will always be someone they miss, some hole in their security they overlook. Newsouls aren’t safe in Heart. And neither is anyone else.”
“What are you saying?” Orrin leaned forward, darkness in his eyes.
“I’m saying I’m not the only one who needs to leave Heart. We all need to get out.”
After changing into the spare clothes Geral and Orrin had brought, Sam and I headed upstairs to where the maps were
kept.
“I thought you knew where we’re going.” The dusty air of the library smothered his words. “Back to Menehem’s lab, right? For the sylph?”
“Yes, but then where? We can’t stay there.” We could, I supposed, but there had to be something better. “I don’t know. I think the sylph will have answers. I’m sure they’ll be there. They were before.”
Sam nodded.
“I need a better idea of the world surrounding Range. There’s so much of it. I need a plan.” I slumped into a chair when we entered the map area. “Sam, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to stop Janan.”
He looked at me, all longing and sadness, and said nothing of my confession. “What maps do you want?”
I gazed around the space, filled with rolled sheets of paper and large books. There had to be a hundred maps. Maybe more. “I don’t know.”
“Perhaps let’s start with Range.” Sam drifted around the small, closed area until he found a rolled map. Together, we spread the thick paper across the table, smoothing the corners with our hands. I didn’t know how to read it, not as far as figuring out distances or elevations, but I recognized familiar locations.
Rangedge Lake was in the south, near where I grew up in Purple Rose Cottage. Midrange Lake was a huge body of water right by Heart. Small Xs marked geysers and fumaroles, while Os marked mud pools and hot springs.
Mountains were everywhere, continuing northwest in a line of jagged peaks. Forests covered the map, all across Range, and everywhere beyond the human haven.
I dragged my finger eastward, until I found the twin peaks visible from Menehem’s laboratory. “The lab should be somewhere here, right?”
Sam nodded and pointed at what looked like a random spot. “There.” He moved his finger. “See, here’s the road.”
Now that he pointed it out, I did. It had almost been lost in the other lines and splotches of ink. While I bent to study the land surrounding the lab, Sam fetched more maps and laid them on the table.
North of Range, the forest grew denser and the details less frequent, as though few people had bothered to explore and chart that area. A line of writing warned of dragons in the frozen north, though I wasn’t sure how far out one had to go in order to see them. Would it take a week to get there? Probably more.