Reacting to the alarm, hundreds of apes burst from camouflaged lookout posts hidden in the trees and along the edges of the cliff. High above the falls, a lone chimpanzee blew into a hollowed-out ram’s horn, warning that trespassers were approaching. More apes answered the call.
Caesar shared a worried look with Maurice.
Had they been followed back to the falls—by humans?
The apes on the shore, who had been relaxing from their journey only moments before, took up their weapons and peered tensely back the way they had come. They formed living shields around the injured apes to protect them from whatever or whoever was coming. Newly acquired crossbows and rifles were turned toward the woods. Caesar braced himself for combat.
Perhaps the earlier raid had been merely the precursor to a larger assault?
The tension grew more unbearable with every heartbeat. Caesar held his breath as a small party of newcomers emerged on horseback from the woods. His nerves were stretched taut until the fading sunlight fell upon the faces and form of the riders—and Caesar’s fears were instantly washed away by a sudden rush of happiness and relief.
Four apes sat atop horses draped with saddlebags, slumping wearily after riding for days. Dust caked their hairy bodies. They were no strangers to Caesar.
Far from it.
His heart swelling, Caesar and the others bounded toward the new arrivals, calling out to them as they dismounted. A strapping young chimpanzee with striking blue eyes approached Caesar, who waited expectantly. Old scars streaked the younger ape’s chest and right shoulder. Maurice and the others backed away to give the two chimps more space. They stared intensely at each other, overcome with emotion, before Blue Eyes finally gestured to Caesar.
Hello, Father, he signed.
A broad smile broke out across Caesar’s face as he joyfully embraced his eldest son. The crowd gibbered happily, celebrating the reunion, and joined in greeting Blue Eyes and his companions, who had been gone for months.
The return of his son, safe and apparently unharmed, was just what Caesar needed after the horrors of the day. He hugged Blue Eyes and patted his back affectionately before finally turning to the other travelers, whom he was also greatly pleased to see again. He grinned at Rocket, a nearly hairless chimpanzee who was roughly the same age as Caesar. Rocket had also been a prisoner at that forlorn primate shelter, along with Maurice, before Caesar had led the captive apes to freedom. Although he and Caesar had once been rivals and adversaries, those days were long behind them. Rocket had proven himself a staunch friend and ally time and again.
Welcome home, Caesar signed. You look tired.
Rocket shrugged and signed back. It was a long journey.
Father, Blue Eyes signed excitedly. We found something!
Caesar could tell from his son’s eager expression that he bore glad tidings. He was eager to hear more, but perhaps in a more secure setting. The false alarm of moments ago reminded him just how exposed his forces were out in the open like this. In addition, he was certain that he was not the only ape who was more than ready for the comforts of home and hearth. And Blue Eyes’ mother would be anxious to see her son as well.
Let’s go inside, he signed. You can tell me all about it.
He led the assembled apes toward the outer edges of the falls, where they passed through high curtains of cascading water to enter the cavernous sanctuary beyond. A vast fortress hid behind the falls and the surrounding slopes, sheltering Caesar’s people. Moss carpeted the rough stone floors and walls of the cavern. Shallow puddles gleamed like reflecting pools, while stacked tiers of rock created multiple levels for the apes to gather on, and the misty spray from the falls cooled the cave. Ape children hurried forward to greet the returning warriors, while their mothers chased after them, struggling with varying degrees of success to keep their excitable offspring under control. Males embraced their wives and sweethearts. Adults were swarmed by their younger siblings and cousins. Tears flowed also, as the friends and family of the fallen learned of their losses. Loved ones fretted over the injured. Healers were summoned to attend to the wounded.
Amidst the tumult, Caesar spied his wife, Cornelia, pushing her way toward him and Blue Eyes, her face beaming with excitement. Joy gleamed in her beautiful chestnut eyes. A crown of brightly colored vines and seed pods adorned her head. Blue Eyes’ own face lit up as he spotted her as well.
Mother, he signed.
Reaching him, she embraced Blue Eyes, who hugged her back just as vigorously. A tentative yelp signaled the presence of a small chimpanzee, no more than two years old, who shyly hid behind Cornelia’s legs.
Smiling, she coaxed the bashful toddler out of hiding.
Cornelius, she signed, don’t you recognize your brother?
Blue Eyes crouched to stroke the little chimp’s head. Cornelius relaxed, basking in his older brother’s attention. Lifting her eyes from the touching scene, Cornelia grinned mischievously as she looked past Blue Eyes at an approaching ape.
Someone else has missed you too, she teased her eldest.
Rising to his feet, Blue Eyes turned to discover a lovely female chimpanzee standing right behind him. Lake was the same age as Blue Eyes and their mutual attraction was no secret to anyone who knew them. Caesar was amused by the rapt expression on his son’s face as he gazed once more upon his sweetheart, who smiled coyly back at him. Leaning toward each other, they tenderly pressed their brows together.
Caesar shared a knowing look with his wife, recalling the early days of their own courtship. He looked forward to becoming a grandfather someday.
Provided they found a way to stay safe from the humans.
* * *
The apes’ council room was a cavern deep within the fortress. Mounted torches illuminated the grotto, throwing flickering shadows onto the rough-hewn walls. Caesar’s symbol—a stylized diamond enclosed in a circle—was carved into the granite floor of the chamber. Only his closest confidants knew of the origin of the symbol, which was patterned after an attic window that once, many years ago, had been Caesar’s only window on the world, back when he was an innocent young ape being raised by a loving human father. His world had grown immeasurably since those carefree days, but the symbol served to remind him where he had begun—and how far he’d come.
Caesar and his council—including Cornelia, Maurice, Luca, Winter, and Lake—had convened to hear what Blue Eyes and his expedition had discovered. Conscious of the never-ending threat posed by the increasingly aggressive humans, Caesar had dispatched his son and a few other trusted lieutenants to discover what lay beyond the besieged forest. Now the apes gathered in a circle as Blue Eyes and Rocket laid out a map upon the floor using colored stones and pebbles. Caesar did not recognize the terrain indicated by the stones, which was presumably located far beyond the territory his people had previously explored. Blue Eyes, the dust of the road now brushed from his fur, pointed enthusiastically at one spot in particular.
This place, he signed. It’s beautiful.
Luca pondered the map. And you’re sure there are no humans anywhere near it?
None, Rocket insisted.
Blue Eyes looked at Caesar. This is it, Father. We can start over. A new home for our people.
Caesar was encouraged by his son’s report, but was careful not to raise his hopes too high or too soon. Age had taught him caution, and the danger of jumping to conclusions too soon. Acting without thinking too often led to disaster. Caesar had learned that many years ago when he had angrily lashed out at a human for the first time—and found himself confined to a cage as a result.
An elderly orangutan, christened Percy, leaned forward to inspect the map. He gestured at a row of large, jagged stones.
What is beyond these mountains?
Blue Eyes lifted a small leather pouch from the floor and thrust his hand inside. Extracting a handful of golden sand, he spilled it dramatically onto the map between the mountains and their proposed new home.
A desert, he signed. We had to cross it,
too. The journey is long, but that is why the humans will not find us.
He wiped the last traces of sand from his hands and looked around expectantly at the faces of the council members. He was obviously thrilled by his discovery. That Rocket vouched for his glowing description of this distant paradise carried much weight with Caesar as well. Not that Caesar didn’t trust his son’s judgment. There had been a time, some five winters ago, when Blue Eyes had been rash and rebellious, straining the relations between father and son. The jagged scars on Blue Eyes’ chest and shoulder, left behind by the claws of an angry grizzly bear that had taken him by surprise during a hunt, were a lasting reminder of how careless and impulsive the young chimp had once been, but Blue Eyes had grown and matured since then, having learned many hard lessons during Koba’s brief reign of terror. Caesar was proud of the ape his son had become, and took his counsel seriously. He raised his hand to convey as much, when Winter leapt to his feet and signed his opinion.
We should leave tonight!
Tonight? Lake protested from her place by Blue Eyes’ side. Are you crazy?
How much longer can we wait? Winter signed. The humans are getting closer. They won’t stop until they kill us all!
It was obvious that the day’s atrocities—and Red’s venomous words—had shaken the young gorilla even more than Caesar had realized. Blue Eyes reached out to reassure the other ape, placing a comforting hand upon his arm.
Winter, he began.
The gorilla pulled away from Blue Eyes, rejecting the overture. Luca growled angrily at his protégé, who was embarrassing him before the council. Blue Eyes was Caesar’s son and heir. He was not to be disrespected in this manner.
But Winter could not contain himself.
He’s been gone, he signed, indicating Blue Eyes. He doesn’t know how hard it’s been!
Caesar frowned. Blue Eyes had proven himself in combat against both the humans and Koba’s revolutionaries; Caesar knew his son fully appreciated the danger posed by the humans. He held his tongue, however, not wanting to fight Blue Eyes’ battles for him. His son deserved the chance to respond to Winter’s challenge on his own.
I know you are scared, Blue Eyes signed. We all are, but this will take planning—
“If we go,” Caesar said aloud.
All eyes turned toward him. Blue Eyes was clearly taken aback by his father’s terse interruption. Disappointment showed upon his face. Caesar was pained by his reaction, but had felt compelled to speak before matters went too far. He respected his son’s advice and passion, but this was not a decision to be made lightly… and, ultimately, it was his decision to make.
There might come a day when Blue Eyes would succeed him as leader of the apes.
But not today.
“There were only four of you, son,” he attempted to explain. “There are hundreds of us.”
You said it was dangerous, Maurice added. Especially getting past the humans, out of the woods.
The prospect of leading a vast exodus of apes, including females and children and the old and infirm, out of the safety of the forest was a daunting one, even with the promise of a safer haven somewhere at the end of the journey.
“Father, trust me.” Blue Eyes’ voice rang out with passion. “This is a risk worth taking.”
Perhaps, Caesar thought. Certainly, staying put posed a risk as well.
Blue Eyes appealed to Cornelia, who sat at her husband’s side.
“Mother…? What do you think?”
If you believe in this place, she signed, so do I. But your father is right. We must consider carefully.
To his credit, Blue Eyes nodded in agreement, accepting her views without protest; Caesar took this as further proof of how greatly his son had matured over the years. He softened his expression as he addressed the council.
“We have been through much. But today… my son brings us hope.”
He ambled forward and laid his hand upon Blue Eyes’ head, smiling fondly. He had no intention of letting this dispute come between them, or cast a shadow over his son’s long-awaited homecoming.
“It is so good to see you.” His throat tightened as strong emotion thickened his voice. “I am very proud of you.”
He hoped Blue Eyes would never doubt that.
5
Drums pounded rhythmically above the roar of the waterfall as twilight fell over the forest, streaking the horizon with vivid shades of purple and crimson. The entire population of the fortress, young and old alike, had gathered on the banks of the river to bid farewell to those slain by the humans. Drummers slapped their instruments with their hands and feet, as though beating for hearts that were now forever still. Mourners chanted along with the drums. Wildflowers adorned the bodies of the fallen, which were laid out on large unlit wooden pyres. Chimps, gorillas, orangutans, and bonobos rested together, just as they had lived together in life.
Unlike humans, the apes had yet to segregate themselves by breed, or pit one class of ape against another. Caesar wondered if perhaps that was because they remained united against a common enemy. He prayed his people would never divide themselves by species, even if the human threat someday passed away.
Apes together strong.
Accompanied by his friends and family, Caesar watched solemnly as the torch bearers approached the pyres, which were much larger than he would have wished. Over a score of apes waited to be consumed by the coming blaze. The tragic waste of simian life sickened Caesar.
The pain in his green eyes was not lost on Maurice.
You feel responsible, the orangutan signed.
“I am responsible,” Caesar said softly. “Our youngest have known only bloodshed.”
Koba started this war, Maurice signed. He is to blame.
“No.” Caesar shook his head. “I should have seen… that he could not forget what the humans did to him. That he would seek revenge. But I was blind.”
A former lab animal who had been subjected to cruel tests and tortures before Caesar liberated him, Koba had learned only hate from humanity. In the end, that hate had driven him to choose war over peace, and rebellion over his loyalty to Caesar. Both apes and humans were still paying for Koba’s vengeance, even though that tormented, treacherous ape had died years ago.
“He was my friend,” Caesar said. “And his blood is on my hands too.”
The torch bearers lit the pyres. Sticky sap crackled and bubbled, causing the flames to spread quickly until the bodies of the dead were all but lost in a rising orange and yellow blaze. Caesar could feel the heat of the conflagrations against his face and fur. Nestled securely in his mother’s arms, little Cornelius whimpered in fright at the tremendous fires. Cornelia stroked the child’s head to calm him. Her eyes were wet with grief.
No one could have known how much darkness was living inside him, Maurice insisted.
Caesar wished he could believe that.
Sparks and flames and smoke drifted upwards from the pyres, along with, perhaps, the souls of the martyred apes. The humans had believed in an afterlife, Caesar knew, where the living would someday be reunited with the dead. Caesar had no way of knowing if this was true for apes as well, or even if he wanted it to be.
Because that might mean he would meet Koba again.
* * *
Caesar held Koba’s life in his hand. The renegade ape dangled high above the gutted remains of an unfinished human skyscraper in the ruins of San Francisco. Smoke and flames and red-hot embers rose from the building’s sub-basements, where an explosion had just brought down large portions of the structure, injuring several apes and nearly killing both Caesar and Koba as they battled for primacy. Caesar, wounded and bleeding, stood upon an unstable steel girder as he held onto Koba’s forearm with one hand. Only Caesar’s own waning strength kept Koba from falling hundreds of feet to his death.
Koba glared up at Caesar with his one good eye; the other had been blinded by the humans long before the two apes had first met. Old scars bore witness to his brutal treatm
ent at the hands of his human captors so many years ago, but could that possibly excuse Koba’s own crimes? He had plotted against Caesar, attempted to assassinate him, and launched an all-out assault on a human colony that had all but extinguished any hope of peace between humans and apes. If any ape deserved to die, it was Koba.
Caesar wrestled with his conscience. Ape shall not kill ape was the first law he had taught his people after raising their intelligences. He believed in that law with all his heart.
But Koba no longer deserved to be treated like an ape.
Caesar let go of Koba’s arm and watched his old friend fall. Screaming in fear, Koba plummeted toward his death, falling endlessly toward the raging fire far below, which blazed like a funeral pyre…
“Koba!” Caesar cried out as he woke from the nightmare. Green eyes snapped open even as his heart pounded like the drums that had sent the dead on their way mere hours ago.
Escaping the burning tower of his dreams, he found himself in his private dwelling in the fortress: a small cave in the upper levels of the cliff face, hidden behind cascading sheets of water that formed the far wall of the chamber, across from the comfortable bed Caesar had built with his own hands when the apes had first sought shelter in the caverns behind the falls. Cornelia and their youngest slumbered peacefully beside him, their dreams untroubled by past betrayals. Blue Eyes rested nearby in his own bed, sleeping soundly after his epic journey. Caesar suspected that Blue Eyes would soon seek new lodgings to share with Lake, but for now he savored having his family all in one place.
The memory of Koba’s death receded back into the past as Caesar seized on the here and now, the better to put the nightmare behind him. He breathed deeply to calm himself. His racing heart slowed to a more moderate pace. Moonlight filtered through the falling water, casting a subdued blue radiance upon the floor of the cave. Not for the first time, the sight and sound of the falling water soothed Caesar’s spirits. He still missed their former city in the trees, where the apes had lived and thrived before Koba’s war, but he was growing used to their new residence in the fortress, which had so far proven much more secure and harder to find as far as the humans were concerned. If that soldier, Preacher, were to be believed, the humans were still searching in vain for the concealed fortress.