Текст книги "The Star Dwellers"

Автор книги: David Estes

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Chapter Two

Tristan

“I’m just a guy,” I say.

“And barely even one at that,” Roc adds, smirking. Sometimes I wonder why he’s my best friend.

Mr. Rose shakes his head. “No, you’re more than that, Tristan, and you know it. You’re an idea.”

“Yes, and you’re betrothed to my sister,” Elsey chimes in eagerly.

I laugh, half because the notion of ideas and betrothals is ridiculous, and half because Adele’s ten-year-old sister is really growing on me. “I’ve just barely met your sister,” I say to Elsey.

“I saw the way you looked at each other. You’re practically engaged.”

I want to get off the subject because I feel embarrassed talking about Adele and me—whatever we are—in front of her father. Without looking him in the eye, I say, “What do you mean an idea?”

“Like sliced bread?” Roc asks unhelpfully. “Because I’d say sliced bread is a way better idea than Tristy here.”

Adele’s father chuckles and shakes his head again. “You two are worse than brothers.”

“You haven’t met my brother, Mr. Rose,” I say grimly, automatically reaching up and touching the area under my eye. The last time I saw my fifteen-year-old brother, Killen, he and his cronies beat me senseless. My eye is still black and swollen.

“It’s Ben.”

“Right…Ben,” I say, still feeling weird about calling Adele’s father by his first name.

“You’re more than just a guy because of who you are.” I raise a hand to object but Ben waves me off. “Hear me out. Just because you’re from up there”—he motions to the high rock ceiling above us—“doesn’t mean you are one of them. And that’s my whole point. Despite the fact that you’re the son of the President of the Tri-Realms, the chosen one, the next great leader of this world, you aren’t a tyrant. You don’t support your father’s politics, am I right?”

I nod slowly, trying to understand where he’s going with all this. “But that just makes me an enemy to the government. I’m a thorn in their side—a criminal who must be brought to justice. I’m sure my brother has already told my father what I’ve done. They’ll be hunting me with everything they’ve got.”

“We could dress you up like a woman and then they’d never find you,” Roc suggests. He’s being particularly unhelpful this morning.

Ben ignores Roc and says, “You’re thinking about this all wrong. You’re an idea, Tristan. The idea that someone from the Sun Realm could be on the side of the people in the Lower Realms; the idea that someone from within the highest government ranks is helping the Moon and Star Realms; the idea that injustice will not go unpunished. If we can get the moon dwellers to believe in that idea, maybe, just maybe, we can unite the people.”

I gotta hand it to this guy, he knows what to say to get the blood pumping. He is a born leader, and I’m just a guy. He should be the one leading a rebellion, not me. I’ll help, sure, but I don’t want to be the one. Ben is a big man, strong and capable. When I first met him—when Adele and I broke him out of prison—he looked haggard, his black hair and beard long and disheveled, his body strong but battered. After only just two days he is a new man. First he used my sword to trim his hair, cropping it medium length and getting it off his ears, and then to remove his beard, leaving a neat goatee as his only facial hair. Next, he got cleaned up in the subchapter 26 reservoir. When he was done, I barely recognized him, and probably wouldn’t have known him at all, if not for his piercing emerald-green eyes, the same eyes born by Adele.

“I don’t think I’m the right—”

“Yes—you are.”

I can tell he’s not going to back down, and the last thing I want is to argue with Adele’s father. “What do you want me to do?”

Ben smiles, as if he knew all along I’d listen to him. “For a start you need to meet with the Vice Presidents of the Moon Realm.”

“There are dozens of them.”

“We’ll start with one—one I know will listen. She’ll get the rest of them to one place for a meeting, and then you can work your magic.”

“I have no magic.”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

I sigh. Before I left Adele, I told her I was willing to do whatever it takes to help her people, the moon dwellers. The time has come for me to keep that promise. “Okay,” I say.

“You’ll be wonderful, I just know it!” Elsey says excitedly, clutching my arm. I flash her a smile, which doubles the size of her own smile. There are so many of Adele’s features in her face, and yet her temperament is so different. Elsey is bright, cheery, formal—a miniature woman. Adele is sarcastic, tough-minded, slightly solemn at times. I close my eyes and whisper a silent prayer for her safety.

Roc is staring at me, the edges of his lips curled slightly in his classic I-know-what-you’re-thinking-and-I-think-you’re-a-dork smirk. His naturally brown skin makes him blend in with the brown rock of the cave wall behind him. I ignore him. “So where are we headed?” I ask.

“The place where it all started,” Ben says, his eyes serious. “Subchapter 1 of the Moon Realm.”

I’ve been there, of course, but I don’t really remember it. I’ve been everywhere as part of my duties as son of the President.

“That’s the subchapter with that big fire parade, isn’t it?” Roc asks. Roc is better at geography and culture than I am.

“Correct,” Ben says. “And the home to Theresa Morgan.”

I lean my head back and close my eyes, trying to remember why that name sounds so familiar. Ahh, yes. Middle-aged woman, sharp as a tack, short red hair. “I remember her. Vice President Morgan. One of the few VPs who wasn’t a complete puppet. She negotiated hard—finally got my father to lower the taxes by a few percent. We even threw in some free boxes of medicine. I liked her.”

“She’s a close friend of mine,” Ben says.

I want to ask how he knows her, but I don’t think he’ll tell me. Behind his sparkling green eyes I sense there are fathomless mysteries.

“I’m growing tired of this place, Father. It’s cold and dank in this cave. When shall we depart for subchapter 1?” Elsey’s head is cocked to the side and her nose is all scrunched up. I can’t help but smile.

Roc mimics her facial expression and tone of voice. “Yes, Father. It’s cold…and dank. We must leave before all bounce has been removed from our step.”

Elsey giggles and jumps up, trying to grab Roc, but he leaps out of the way, besting her with his agility and speed. He gets behind her, picks her up, and tickles her around the sides of her stomach. She giggles louder, desperately trying to pry Roc’s hands from her. Ben is chuckling heartily, his dark stubble throbbing up and down with each chortle.

I laugh, too, but stop when Adele’s face flashes into my mind. She’s not laughing, not even smiling. Her face is serious, grim, straight-lipped, and heavy-eyed. Even in this form, her face makes my breath catch in my throat. I wonder whether I am seeing a memory, or whether my mind has invented the image of its own volition—or whether I am somehow seeing her across the miles, through rock and stone. If so, I feel bad. We are laughing and she is not.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asks, looking at me suddenly. His smile is gone too. I can still hear Elsey’s unfettered laughter, but it feels distant.

I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

“I felt it, too,” he says.

I nod. I’m not sure why I’ve been chosen to have such a powerful connection with Adele, but I’m glad for it. She’s changed my life. “I’m worried about her,” I admit.

“Me, too,” Ben says. “But she’s strong, like her mother. She’ll be okay.”

I find it odd that he compares Adele to her mom, particularly when referring to her strength. He seems so strong, and from what she’s told me, it was he who trained her to fight. There must be something I’m missing.

I realize it’s quiet again in the cave we’ve been hiding out in. Roc and Elsey are once more sitting on the rock floor close to each other, panting from the exertion of their tickle fight, listening to my conversation with Ben.

“Adele is okay, right, Father?” she asks.

Since Adele left to start her journey to the Star Realm with Tawni, a full forty-eight hours have passed. We’ve spent it hiding out in a cave on the edge of subchapter 26, but Adele has likely spent the time marching through a tunnel potentially filled with sun, moon, and star dweller troops, any of whom could have easily mistaken her for the enemy.

“She’s fine,” he says, and I take as much comfort from the confidence in his words as Elsey does. “And we can leave this cave right now—I think we’ve taken more than enough time to recover.”

“Let’s leave this dreadful cave right now,” Roc says, once more imitating Elsey, which brings another scream and peal of laughter from her. She has really taken to him and I am glad. Although Roc gets on my nerves sometimes, he has such a good heart and has always made me laugh. I feel moisture in my eyes and I blink it away quickly, but not before he notices.

“Aww, is Tristy getting emotional on us? Wah wah!” he says.

Now it’s my turn to attack and although Roc’s fast, he’s not fast enough. I spring to my feet and close the gap in seconds, knocking him flat on his back as he tries to twist away. Using my knees for leverage, I pin his hands over his head. “Who’s your master?” I say.

“Umm, Elsey,” he says, which makes Elsey giggle again.

Pushing one of my knees into his midsection, I say, “Wrong! Who’s your master?”

“Uhhh!” he groans. “Okay, okay, your dad, President Nailin, is my master!” he yells.

“Wrong again!” I shout, releasing his arms and dragging my knuckles across his scalp.

Roc yelps and tries to grab me but I’m already back on the other side of the cave. Elsey is giggling uncontrollably and even Ben is chuckling. I can tell Roc is mad, but one look at Elsey’s mirthful grin and his face softens and he joins in the laughter. I feel happy for another moment, but once again, I feel bad about it. Adele can’t be a part of it.

After gathering our few measly possessions—Roc’s pack and our swords—I start to stretch out my body, preparing for the long trek we have ahead of us.

“What’s that for?” Ben says, motioning at me as I touch my toes.

“I don’t want to cramp up after only ten miles,” I say, feeling sheepish all of a sudden. I really am bad at geography, and I wonder if perhaps subchapter 1 is closer to 26 than I think.

“I would agree with you if we were going to walk.”

“We can’t take the trains; they’ll be looking for us.”

“Not on our train,” Ben says cryptically. Evidently he’s not going to tell me any more than that, so I just let it go. Darkness is surrounding the cave mouth, casting eerie shadows across the opening. In this case, darkness is our friend, our co-conspirator. It’s time to go. We snuff out the dual torches we’ve been using to light our cubby hole and move out, Ben first, then Elsey, then Roc. I bring up the rear. It’s the most dangerous position and I want it.

Outside, the underworld is a mystical place. The thin day/night panels on the roof of the expansive subchapter 26 cavern are slowly dimming, veiling the city in the murky haze of unnatural twilight. Looking in from the outskirts, the city is quiet. From our vantage point, subchapter 26 appears to be just another silent moon dweller city. The reservoir that circles the city blocks us. We had to ford it to reach the cave—we’ll have to cross it to get back. The black water threatens us, but I’m not scared.

There’s not much that scares me these days.

Ben noiselessly slips into the water, leaving barely a ripple as evidence of his entrance into the man-made stream. He turns and extends his arms, wordlessly beckoning to Elsey.

“I jumped from much higher than this before,” she whispers. He is being an overprotective father. And she is being a young girl coming into her own. Elsey easily drops the three feet to the water, which churns silently and steadily clockwise, ceaselessly patrolling the city it provides sustenance to.

Roc is next and is less confident. He has never liked the water. After casting a furtive backward glance at me, he lines up to perform an awkward jump. I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t help myself.

I kick him in the butt.

His arms windmill two, three times, and then he drops in a tangle of arms and legs. Because the distance is minimal, his splash is weak, albeit greater than his predecessors’. I follow him into the water, timing my jump so that the slight wave I cause hits him in the face just as he comes up for air.

Spluttering and wiping at his eyes as if they’ve been sprayed with Mace, he blubbers, “That was mature.”

“From the king of maturity himself,” I say, laughing.

Ben bobs up next to us. “Guys, I know it’s hard for you, but let’s try to take the next ten minutes seriously. This may be the most dangerous part of our journey.”

My face feels warm as I wish I hadn’t let Adele’s father down already. I have to do better. But it was fun.

Roc wipes the final drop of moisture out of his eyes and smirks at me. “Can’t you ever be serious?” he says.

“It’s not in my nature,” I say.

Ben and Elsey are already across the moat and scrambling up the rocks on the other side.

“C’mon,” I say, using the palm of my hand to splash Roc in the face. He lunges at me, but I am already gone, swimming underwater to the other side. I clamber out and wait for him. His slow and steady doggie paddle turns a thirty-second trip into two minutes.

When he gets to the edge, I reach out to help him up, tensing my muscles in case he tries something. He doesn’t. Instead, once on the rock slab outside the city, he says, “Nice one.” I don’t believe that he means it. His dark eyes are already plotting his revenge.

Rather than sneaking into the city to the train station like I expect, Ben and Elsey are working their way around the city, sticking tight to the edge of the bending reservoir. They are holding hands and she’s skipping along gaily, as if we are just out for an evening stroll. Again, the difference between Adele and her sister is stark. Roc and I begin a light jog to catch up.

As we walk, I admire the beauty of this subchapter, nicknamed Waterfall Cave for obvious reasons: Waterfalls of various heights and shapes spill down the sides of the enormous cavern, providing everlasting life to the reservoir and sustaining the city.

Strangely, there are no windows on the outside of any of the buildings along the city perimeter. Instead, bare rock stands like a fortress, sometimes rising ten stories high on heavy stone blocks. Maybe the occupants don’t want to see the beauty of the waterfalls, as they prefer to numb themselves with negativity. I don’t blame them—can’t blame them. I might do the same if I were them. I look away from the falls, feeling bad that I ever enjoyed their beauty.

As we approach the end of each city block, Ben slows and peeks around the corner and down the cross street. No one is out. I wonder what happened to everyone. Many would have died at the hands of star dweller bombs, but there would have been survivors, too, like us. I hope the star dwellers are treating them kindly, but I fear they are not. War brings out the worst in people.

We make it five blocks before Ben stops and turns around, his green eyes appearing gray under the dusky lights. “One more block and we head back into the water. Follow me exactly and don’t ask any questions.” I have a few questions, but I hold them in. Despite having only just met this man, I trust him. His quiet, calm demeanor is a welcome change from my father’s ruthless and anger-filled outbursts.

The final block flashes by and we approach another cross street. Ben takes his standard peek around the corner and then motions us to follow. We are halfway across the gap in the buildings when a throaty sneeze shatters the silence. Ben and I turn at the same time to see Roc standing frozen in place, eyes wide and white, his hand over his nose and mouth.

“C’mon,” I hiss. “Don’t just stand there.”

Too late.

We hear a shout from the city. I whirl around to see a half-dozen troops wearing sky-blue uniforms with bright yellow star insignias patched on the shoulders running toward us. Star dwellers. They have guns and we are sitting ducks.

Roc cries out and starts running. I wait for him to pass me before I chase after him, preferring to defend the rear. Maybe I’m not a born leader like Ben, but I can fight.

We get around the building without being shot at, probably because the troops know they can pick us off one by one on the open slab between the city and reservoir. Pushing Roc and Elsey behind him, Ben barks, “Tristan—I’ll take the first three, you get the last three.” I jerk my head down in a quick nod. He knows what I can do, and I know what he is capable of. But we still need a miracle.

Although we haven’t run far, I can already feel the heat of the adrenaline pumping through my veins. My muscles are tense and slightly shaky, but not in a bad way. I am ready. I was born for this. I’ve trained for this all my life. This is our world. I slide my sword out of its sheath.

It’s not always good to be fast. The fastest star dweller trooper rounds the bend first, wrongly assuming that we are still running out in front of him. Before the guy has any idea what’s happening, Ben’s knee is thrust in his midsection and he’s sprawled out on the rock, wheezing. The next one should be more prepared, but she’s not, and evidently Ben has no qualms about hitting a girl, particularly when she’s carrying a gun and trying to kill us. He takes her head off with an uppercut that will leave her senseless for hours. I am starting to think he might take out all six on his own.

But he runs into trouble on the third trooper, who realizes something isn’t right. Rather than barreling around the corner like his friends, this guy leads with the black nozzle of his gun, which is blindly pointed right into Ben’s chest. With a grunt, Ben grabs the nozzle and thrusts it downwards at his feet. The guy pulls the trigger.

Boom!

As close as I am to the gun, its roar echoes in my ears, momentarily deafening me. However, I don’t need to see Ben’s face to know he’s hit. His mouth is agape and his eyes are closed as he continues to grapple with the guy with the gun. Even in the dim lighting I can make out the glossy sheen of blood spilling from his leg.

I have to help him.

I don’t have time.

The final three troops—my responsibility—charge around the corner after hearing the gunshot. Two girls, one guy. Despite the favorable gender ratio, I don’t relax. I’ve seen what Adele can do. Perhaps there are other moon and star dweller women who are similarly capable. Perhaps they are all that capable. Probably not—Adele is amazing—but still, I don’t underestimate these women.

They are all in a cluster—one in front, two on either side and behind—which is good for me. It makes them a single target rather than three. The one in front wants to shoot me. She takes aim at my head while running at me. I anticipate the explosion and dive for the stone slab.

POP!

The gunshot sounds dull and thin to my deafened ears, but I know I avoided the shot because I don’t feel anything. Not even a pinch. Just a twinge of pain as my forearms and then hips and then back skid across the stone. I come out of the intentional roll at full speed, ducking under my attacker’s gun, which she tries to jab me with. I am too close to use my sword, so I crash straight into her, rocking her back and into her two friends.

We go down in a heap on the ground, me on top, then the shooter, then her two friends. If we were a sandwich, the shooter would be the meat in the middle, or the cheese perhaps. I’m the top layer of bread and her friends are the bottom crust. Apart from a few bruises and scrapes, everyone in the sandwich is unhurt, so I push to my feet and kick the metaphorical cheese in the head. Her eyes roll back and her tongue lolls out as she tumbles off the pile.

The other two were so surprised by my attack that they’ve dropped their guns. I pick up one of the weapons and aim it in their general direction. They raise their hands above their heads while still lying prostrate on the rock. Their eyes widen as they see me—really see me for the first time. They know who I am; at the end of the day, whether I like it or not, I’m still a celebrity.

We don’t have time for prisoners, so I move in close and give each a moderate-strength tap on the head with the butt of the gun.

My job finished, I spin around and survey the scene before me. It’s not good. Ben is on the ground, clutching his wounded leg and bleeding from the side of his head—his ear I think. A gun lies discarded a few feet away, but out of his reach. The last remaining soldier has his sword out and is waving it wildly at Roc, who stands in front of Elsey with his own sword, protecting her from the onslaught. Roc’s a maniac, growling between bared teeth and blocking each attack with a fervor I’ve been trying to get out of him for weeks. He’s a man possessed.

As I consider my options, I watch as Roc blocks another sword stroke and then flicks his wrist, rapidly slipping his own blade around his opponent’s weapon, slashing him on the hand. The guy cries out and drops his sword as blood spills from his mangled thumb. Dashing forward, Roc lands a hard kick to the guy’s gut, knocking him onto his back. I’ve got to hand it to him—Roc looks amazing, a mere shadow of his former timid self.

But he’s not done yet. He strides forward, his face awash with fury, his sword raised high above his head.

With no time to think, I rush ahead, closing the distance in three long strides. Roc thrusts his blade to the ground and I dive.

Clang!

My hearing returns just in time to appreciate the full extent of the impact of metal on metal, as I slap Roc’s blade away from the downed soldier.

From the ground, I look up at my best friend. Roc stares back at me with horror and anguish, his teeth no longer bared, his eyebrows no longer fierce. All strength sapped from him, he’s just a scared teenager again. “I’m…I’m sorry,” he says weakly.

“Roc, it’s okay. You were just doing what you needed to.”

“But I…I didn’t need to kill him.” His brown-skinned face is ashen, appearing paler than I have ever seen it.

“You didn’t.”

“Only because you…” He trails off.

“It doesn’t matter how,” I say. “It’s over.”

From beside me on the ground, the soldier sucks the air sharply through his teeth, grimacing in pain and clutching at his severed thumb. “What are you going to do with me?” he asks.

In one swift motion, I snap my elbow across his skull, delivering another knockout blow. He slumps over and becomes still.

I stand up and take Roc’s sword, which is dangling precariously from his loosened fingers. I don’t want him to lose a toe when he accidentally drops the blade point-first onto his foot. Closer to him, I can see him trembling slightly, his body’s reaction to the burst of adrenaline he received during the fight.

I place a hand on his shoulder. “You did well, my friend. You were amazing actually.”

“But I almost…”

“He was trying to do the same to you,” I say.

“Roc,” a tiny voice says from behind him.

Elsey is wide-eyed and serious, her brow furrowed, her lips bunched and tight. As soon as Roc turns, she rushes to him, throws her thin arms around him, pulls him to her. “I owe you my life,” she says solemnly.

At her words, Roc’s face finally relaxes and his body goes slack. He hugs her back. He’s going to be okay.

“I need to help Ben,” I say.

“Father?” Elsey says, her head popping up.

“I’m okay,” Ben says, lifting a hand to his mangled ear, which is still bleeding heavily. “We don’t have time to linger.”

“You need medical attention,” I say, kneeling down to inspect his leg. The bullet entered his skin just above the knee. I search for an exit wound but there isn’t one. “The bullet’s still inside you.”

“No—I’m fine. There will be time for that later. More troops will be here any second.” His face tells me he’s not fine, but he is right. We have no choice but to keep going.

“Okay, let me help you.”

“I’m fine,” he says again. I think he’s saying it to convince himself—like a self-motivation sort of thing. It seems to work as he manages to push himself to his feet, favoring his uninjured leg. “Follow me. Hurry.”

Elsey clutches her dad’s side as he limps toward the reservoir. She doesn’t ask if he’s all right, just takes his word for it.

With no other choice, Roc and I follow in their wake, watching carefully to make sure he doesn’t stumble. Ben stops at the water’s edge and gazes into it. I wonder what he’s doing. Has the loss of blood affected his mind?

He dives into the water headfirst.