Jerako paused as we neared the end of the hike, and motioned for me to join him.
“You are angry, young goddess.”
“I was betrayed by a friend. Yes, I’m angry.” I didn’t tell him what happened. I figured he either already knew or would ask if he wanted to know.
“Don’t be too quick to destroy the bond. Friends are hard to come by in this day.” He paused, then added, “When you reach home, please take care. And if you would, tell Hecate what I said about the plants waking up.”
“Does that mean all plants, or just the sentient ones like Wandering Ivy?”
“Oh, Wandering Ivy never sleeps. She’s a tricky girl, she is. But there are other sentient plants that you’ve never seen, never heard of. They will be up and walking soon. Some are deadly and dangerous to humans—to all beasts that walk on two or four feet. Others are more congenial. The trick is figuring out which one is which.”
“How will we know? And what happens if we’re attacked and defend ourselves? Will Gaia have our heads for it? Would you?” I wanted everything out on the table. I was tired of subterfuge and deceit.
“Oh, defending yourself is one thing. But yes, we are watching, and all sentient plants—deadly or not—report to the Greenlings. The world will be a vastly different landscape a year from now. Hopefully, we will all be coexisting peacefully.” With that, he pointed toward the edge of the island. We could see land across the water, the south side of Seattle, near both the World Tree and the Metalworks. “There is a boat that will carry all of you. Once you cross to the other side, put the oars back in the boat and tell it to go home. It will return to us on its own.”
I nodded. “Will do. Thank you, Jerako. We appreciate your help.” My anger subsided—just a little—in the face of his help.
We silently followed the winding stairs that led to the dock where the boat was moored. One by one, we settled into the longboat. I took a seat next to Greta in the stern. Jason was on the other end—at the bow. Hans and Tyrell took up the oars. As we pushed off from the Arbortariam, it hit me that we were going home. We’d only been gone ten days, but it felt like a lifetime. I wanted to feel triumphant—we were returning, and neither the zombies nor the Devani nor the Regent could keep us away. But all I felt at the moment was numb.
Tam, who was sitting facing me, caught my attention. “Fury, are we…”
“We’re okay. Or we will be all right. I just need some time to process everything.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. You don’t know the whole story—”
“Stop,” I said, holding up my hand. “Right now, I don’t want to hear it. Let it go for now. We’re headed back to Seattle and by the time we get there, we’re going to have to be as focused as we can get. Just let it drop, all right? I’ll deal with it later.”
“All right.” He didn’t look happy, but he dropped the subject.
Greta gave me a long look, but said nothing. I stared out at the water as we worked our way over to the main shore. I had expected it to take us a good share of the afternoon, given we only had two oarsmen, but the boat seemed to glide across the inlet, bucking the wind, making the chore of rowing easy on Hans and Tyrell. Instead of nearing the shore after dark, we arrived shortly before dusk—around four p.m. As we approached, Elan—who was sitting next to Tam—used her telescope to search for any Devani who might be guarding the shore. She lowered the spyglass, shaking her head.
“Nobody up there. Where’s the entrance to the tunnels, Tam?”
“Under the shade of that willow that’s overhanging the water. Head toward it, and we can get out on the rocky point below the tree.”
Hans and Tyrell steered us to Tam’s direction, and we landed on a ledge that was about a foot above the level of the inlet.
“This is often underwater, in case any of you should seek it out again.” Tam picked his way over the rock-strewn jetty to the base of the willow. The roots had grown out of the ground, winding their way along the shore. The tree looked rather precarious, but then again, willows weren’t known for their longevity. He knelt at a place where two of the larger roots crossed, and they drew back as he approached.
I blinked. Roots didn’t move on their own for regular trees. I glanced up at the willow and I had the distinct impression it was watching us. Deciding that I’d ask about it later, I crossed to Tam. “Do you need any help?”
He looked up at me from where he was trying to pry a trap door open. “This seems stuck, so yes, actually.”
I knelt beside him and took hold of the steel handle that had been buried between the roots. We tugged together and the door came open. Tam took my hand.
“You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, Fury.”
“I know. Just… Let’s get out of sight. We’ll talk later.”
He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed them, then stood back. “Everyone, into the tunnel before anybody sees us.”
Hans set the oars back in the boat and told it to go home. It started off across the inlet on its own as, one by one, we lowered ourselves into the hole. Inside, a ladder led down into a tunnel that was about four feet wide by seven feet tall. As Tam touched the walls and whispered something, a soft light began to glow, emanating from the ceiling. It was a gentle blue, calming and yet bright enough to see by.
Overhead, Hans closed the trap door above him, and we heard a shuffling coming from outside. I wasn’t sure what it was until it hit me—the willow was moving her roots again, covering the entrance once more.
“We have a bit of a walk, but it will be dry and relatively warm compared to outside,” Tam said. “These tunnels are not connected to the Tunnels that make up underground Seattle, so we shouldn’t be meeting anything nasty on the horizon.” He reached for my hand and I gave it to him, and we started off, with the others following behind.
We had been walking for about two hours when Tam slowed.
“We’re almost there. A guard should be coming at any moment, because we passed the trip point a few feet back.”
Sure enough, the words were barely out of his mouth when the shuffle of running feet sounded from up ahead. We turned a bend in the tunnel when at least ten guardsmen came racing down the hall at us. They froze, immediately nocking their arrows.
“Sef lawre, maen esh arlyr an masetr.” Tam’s voice echoed loud and clear.
The archers stood down and—as one—knelt.
“Alert Damh Varias that I’ve returned. I’ll be in the main council chamber in half an hour. Have the servants find lodgings for my friends. Mistress Fury will, of course, take her room.” He pulled me to him before I could step away and kissed me lightly but firmly. “We’ll talk in a bit.”
I nodded, accepting his lead. We were back in UnderBarrow, and we would present a unified front to his people even if I was still angry with him.
Although, I thought as the guards escorted us through the tunnel to the main hive where UnderBarrow proper took up, my anger at Tam had dissipated. I was disappointed in him, but it was better if I focused my anger at the right target, and that target was Jason. I was also feeling the gentle pulse of something I hadn’t felt in over a week.
I brought up my Trace screen. I had an internal GPS system, a gift built into my very core from birth, where I could sense Abominations and track them if they were close enough. And right now, the alarms were ringing loud and clear. It was like an internal hologram that played out in my mind.
As I stepped to one side in order to avoid blocking the others, I saw three indicators on the map. Three Aboms were out there right now, near the World Tree. My fingers itched—I wanted to go after them. It was in my blood to hunt them down and destroy them, but until I knew what we were facing out in the streets, it wasn’t a good plan to go waltzing around out there. I shook off the urge and returned to Tam’s side.
“Trouble?” He took my hand.
I nodded. “Three Aboms near the World Tree. But there’s nothing I can do right now till I know what conditions are
like in the city. I don’t want to chance being caught off guard.”
“We’ll know more within the hour. Rest and freshen up, and we’ll all meet for supper. Damh Varias will have news for us. After a while, you’ll want to make a quick foray out of the Sandspit in order to call Hecate.” With that, he kissed my hand again and motioned for one of the guards to escort me to my room.
It felt odd to be alone again—we had traveled as a group for so long now—but when I entered my room that Tam had given to me for my personal use, I realized that I had missed my privacy. The servant who entered shortly after the guard left me curtseyed.
“May I help you, miss?”
“I need a bath, and if you would, a large, hot cup of coffee.”
“Right away, miss. Would you like help undressing?”
I shook my head. “I’m all right, thank you.”
As she left the room, shutting the door behind her, I stripped off my clothes. Or rather, Elan’s clothing. I had been wearing her clothes since we escaped from the city. The serving girl returned within minutes with a strong cup of coffee, large and topped with foamed milk. Then, she played around with the bathtub that was in my room and hot water began streaming into it. I wasn’t sure how they did it, but all the tubs here had the ability to run hot and cold water.
I found the bath gel I had left from my previous visit and poured some of the amberine scent in. A cross between amber and jasmine, it was a dusky, floral scent that wasn’t too astringent or cloying. Bubbles filled the tub and I gratefully sank into it, enjoying the silence around me. The girl handed me my coffee, and I waved her off after asking her to leave towels on the bench next to the tub.
I leaned back and closed my eyes, luxuriating in the warmth of the water. Even better, we didn’t have to make a death march through the snow again. At least not right now. I tried to stave off thoughts of what might be waiting for us outside, and managed to succeed long enough to soap up, rinse off, and dress in clean clothing—my own for a change.
I pulled on a pair of leather shorts, running my hand along the whip on my leg, grateful to have access to it again, and then fastened on a bra and a corset top. I slid a jacket over the corset and stepped into a long loose skirt that had a slit up to my waist on the right side. The skirt provided extra warmth, and the slit provided access to my whip.
Brushing my hair out, I washed my face, slicked a thin layer of lotion over my cheeks and nose—which were red due to the exposure to the cold we had faced over the past week—then strapped my dagger to my left thigh, and slung Xan over my shoulder.
Ready to go, I headed toward the meeting room. It was time to make plans.
Chapter 10
I was early, so I hurried toward the front of UnderBarrow. The guard there warned me to be careful and I reassured him I was only peeking out to see what was going on. I wanted to call Hecate, but then remembered I’d have to fully head out of the Sandspit.
The entrance to UnderBarrow was at the bottom of a cavernous pit in the Sandspit, next to the base of the Seattle World Tree. The World Tree rose one hundred feet in the air, an oaken giant that towered over the Sandspit. At the base of the branches were portals leading into other realms. This was where the Abominations came through from Pandoriam.
I gauged the stairs, trying to see if there were anybody or anything on it besides me. Could be one of the Aboms, or could be zombies. Maybe the Devani. After a moment, though I was tempted to just attempt a quick race up and peek at what was going on, I opted to play it safe and withdrew back into the safety of UnderBarrow.
“Would you like an escort to the meeting room, miss?” The guards all knew who I was by now.
I nodded. “Yeah. I need to go to the main council chamber.”
Two guardsmen joined me, one in front and one in back, and led me to a room through an elaborate labyrinth of hallways. It occurred to me that, if I lived here for a dozen years, I’d never manage to find my way around.
The lead guard opened the door and stood back for me to enter. He then shut the door after me. The room was large, with a central round table and numerous chairs encircling it. I was amused to see that one wall had been turned into a planning board. Whether or not electronics worked in UnderBarrow, Tam managed to find a way to have his gadgets. In fact, he loved computers so much that it made me wonder if he went into withdrawal symptoms when he had to stay in UnderBarrow long. I tucked the thought away to tease him with later.
Tam wasn’t here yet, but Greta and Hans were, and so was Jason. He glanced at me, a questioning look in his eye, but I simply gave him a short nod and took a seat near the chair that I knew Tam would take—it was clearly marked for the Lord of UnderBarrow by the ornate carvings on the back and arms. Jason, keeping my gaze, walked to the other side of the chair and sat down. Greta and Hans were watching us, obviously uncomfortable.
I leaned back and closed my eyes. It was seven p.m. and I was hungry, but the coffee had helped ease my desire to sleep, and as the servants began bringing in platters of food to place on the side tables, my mouth began to water.
Tam entered the room, followed by Damh Varias—his advisor and second in command of UnderBarrow. I quickly rose, as did the others, and we stood until Tam reached his chair. He pressed his hand to mine and then took his seat, and we were all free to sit down.
The others straggled in, guided by guards and servants, and Tam motioned to the buffet. “Why don’t we all fill our plates before we begin. I’m so hungry I won’t be able to concentrate if we don’t eat now.”
He motioned for me to go first, and the other women, and the men stood in line waiting for us to finish. I stabbed a piece of chicken and a beef kabob, and ladled a pasta dish onto my plate. Adding a roll and a triangle of cheese, I returned to my place. The serving girl offered me wine, which I refused, but I did accept a glass of fruit juice and another of water. Twenty minutes later, we were slowing down, the keen edge of hunger dulled, when Tam pressed his napkin to his lips, then cleared his throat, and held up his hand.
“I think we should begin. We can finish dinner as we talk.” He turned to Damh Varias. “First, a rundown on what has happened in Seattle since we left. We know some of what’s occurred thanks to Hecate, but we need as much information as we can get. And before we begin, please excuse the guards and let us seal the door so no one can hear us.” He shooed out the servants and, after they were gone along with the guards, gestured for the advisor to begin.
Damh Varias, who wasn’t eating, inclined his head. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He stood and moved to the planning board. As he picked up a thin wand and tapped it to the white surface, writing appeared. It wasn’t exactly a computer projection, but again—leave it to my boyfriend to mix magic and technology.
“You see here a graph detailing the growth of the zombie activity. The walking dead are diminishing, thanks to the Regent’s ill-thought-out plan, but the Order of the Black Mist has established control over them and I believe they are attempting to counter the toxin.”
“Lovely,” Tam said. “What’s the mood of the city?”
“One of panic. Once the citizens realized they were being locked in, they went on the rampage. They did as much damage as the Order of the Black Mist and the zombies. The Regent withdrew to his home when they began to protest, but then the zombies broke through the cordoned areas. Fully fifty percent of the city has fallen. Since the Regent inoculated everyone via the water system, only those who hadn’t managed to drink fresh water in the day or so before the revolt were turned, but it was enough to carry Lyon’s plans through.”
“You mean the people actually rose up against the Regent?” That surprised me, but also told me just how desperate they must have been. “What about the Junk Yard?”
The Junk Yard was near the Sandspit, and it was originally built to house refugees but had been taken over by the low-life thugs and the more dangerous freaks in the city. The only place that might be worse was the NW Quarters, which had been given over entirely to
the gangs and vampires.
“Those living in the Junk Yard closed the gates early on, Lady Fury.” Damh Varias accorded me the full respect of being the court courtesan. “They haven’t opened since the night the zombies entered through the World Tree.”
“How many dead? Citizens, that is? Do you have any estimate?”
“Those who died and haven’t risen as zombies? One hundred thousand, about half of the city populace. The city began digging mass graves but now there aren’t any workers to continue to dig them. The bodies are rotting and disease is breaking out. Bogwort plague and dithfevia are deadly and spreading. Now that the Devani are running amok, the death toll is bound to rise.”
I stared at him, the reality setting in. One hundred thousand people—half the population of Seattle—were dead. More were dying. The scale of what we were dealing with began to ram its way home into my brain.
“What about the Devani?” I asked. “What’s happening with them?”
Damh Varias shook his head. “They have ceased to obey the Regent and they won’t obey Lyon. We’re not sure what they’re up to, to be honest. They have withdrawn into Uptown. I’m not sure if the situation was better before or after. They’re planning something.”
“Any news from outside?” Jason asked. “Is there any indication what the Conglomerate is planning to do about this?”
“Yes, there is, actually. Roadblocks are being set up around the Cascadia Region. Nobody is allowed in or out. Either they’re going to bomb us, or they’re going to let us die on our own. The Wild Wood’s effectively been left to its own devices.” Damh Varias tapped the board with his pointer and a new chart appeared—this time a map of the American Corporatocracy. Little blinking lights indicated where the various World Trees were, and another set of lights, the major cities. The light for Seattle had gone dark. “This is a screengrab from the news. You’ll notice they’ve dimmed Seattle’s light.”