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Moonlight reflected off the rippling water of the river by the time Kya and Master Adkins hurried through the closing gates of the city. They hadn’t seen any signs of thrasher activity all day, but they also didn’t see any signs of Jaxon. They searched both sides of the river, extending from the city walls to the cliff and back. Most of the day had been searching around the falls themselves.
“I don’t see how he could have survived a fall like that,” Master Adkins said. “Especially with a thrasher on his tail. You say he was only thirteen?”
Kya nodded.
“Hmm,” Master Adkins said, cracking his knuckles. “I have seen stranger things, though.”
“I don’t think a grown-up would survive it,” Kya said as she pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders.
“We better get you home before it’s too late. Your mother will be worrying by now.”
“What about Thena?”
“That’s right. There is more to this puzzle than you know. Rumor of a boy from the cave spreading through the city would not be wise. We need to keep control of it. We’ll stop by and talk to her on the way to your house.”
Silence prevailed as they walked through the dark and empty streets, both of them lost in thoughts of their own. The few people they passed seemed to be women rushing home to be with their families and men leaving to start the night shift. Master Adkins broke the silence, though his words were more for himself.
“It may be good that we did not find a body along the river. It gives us hope that he is not dead. His body would have washed up along the bank at some point.”
Kya nodded, knowing that he was trying to keep a spark of hope alive where most people would see none. She blamed herself for the whole mess they were in. She never should have let go of him. She should have dove into the water and gone after him. Regrets filled her heart from the previous day, but all she could do now was face them.
Turning a corner, Kya watched the familiar green door come into view. She knew it was late, almost too late, to be knocking on the door, but Master Adkins thought it was important enough to warrant a visit at this hour.
“This is it,” Kya said, pointing it out when they were close enough.
A candle burned in the window. Thena’s father must still be out, Kya thought. Master Adkins knocked lightly on the door then stepped back. They didn’t have to wait long for a reply. The door opened, revealing a bright pair of eyes staring at them from waist height. Kya knew it was Thena’s little sister, Rose. She didn’t speak as she gazed up at Master Adkins. It wasn’t until Kya stepped into view that she opened the door all the way. She was dressed in a clean nightgown flowing to her ankles.
“Hi, Kya,” she squealed, then reigned in her excitement as her gaze flitted to Master Adkins again.
“Hey, Rose. Is Thena here?”
Rose nodded, spun around, and raced out of view without inviting them in.
“She’s shy,” Kya told Master Adkins.
“So it would seem.”
“Especially around someone like you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Master Adkins asked playfully.
“You know who you are.”
Their banter was interrupted when Thena came to the door. When she saw Kya, she broke out into a huge smile but quickly suppressed it when she saw Master Adkins.
“I guess I have that effect on people, don’t I?” he said, a friendly smile on his face.
Thena stepped out into the street and pulled the door closed behind her.
“We need to talk about something,” Kya said.
But Thena wasn’t listening. She bounced up and down as if she were ready to burst at the seams. Not waiting for Kya to continue, she blurted out her secret.
“He’s not dead, Kya. He’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
“Jaxon. The boy who went over the falls. He’s alive.”
“Where is he?” Master Adkins asked.
“Inside. He’s in my house,” Thena answered. She was still giddy, but more controlled as she addressed the master.
“Right now? How did he get here?” Master Adkins asked.
“Through the front door,” Thena answered, confused.
“No, Thena,” Kya said. “How did you find him?”
Thena leaned against the door to fix the loop on her sandal. “He found me. I was running errands for Mother and he crashed into me again. He was starving so I told him that if he helped me, I would give him something to eat. When Mother saw him, she insisted he stay for the night. But don’t worry about it. I told him not to tell anyone where we really came from.”
“That’s good,” Master Adkins said, looking relieved. “Let him stay here and sleep for the night. He must need a good night’s rest after everything he’s been through. This is as safe a place as any. But bring him to the Institute in the morning. I would like to have the opportunity to chat with him. You two should accompany him.
Kya, if you would please meet them here in the morning, then the three of you can come together. Bring him to my office. We will discuss this at greater length then.”
Parting ways, Thena went back inside, leaving Master Adkins and Kya to continue their journey home.
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MY HEAD RESTED ON THE softest pillow I had ever felt. Yellow sunlight streamed through the window, brightening the room. The bed Thena’s mother said I could sleep on conformed to my body, lulling me into the deepest sleep of my life. I was content to stay there all day, but that hope was shattered when someone knocked on the door. I rubbed my weary eyes and searched for my pants, which I’d thrown across the room. I buried myself under a mountain of blankets when the door was unexpectedly thrown open. The knock had been merely a courtesy.
“You’re still in bed?” Thena asked. “The day is almost over.”
“What? Really?” I said with a yelp. I hadn’t meant to sleep so long.
Thena about fell over she was laughing so hard. “Not even Rose falls for that one anymore. Get up. Breakfast is ready.”
She was still laughing when she pulled the door closed as she left. I threw off the blankets and swung my feet down to the floor. I almost dove right back under when my bare feet touched the freezing cold stone. I yanked on my books before retrieving my pants. My shirt was crumpled under the window and a large black insect had crawled into one of the sleeves.
When I was dressed, I bolted from the room, leaving the door wide open. The smell of cooked meat called out to me, guiding me to the dining room. Following my nose, I turned down the hallway and opened the first door to my right. The interior of the dining room was dark and no fire warmed it as it had the night before. No one was there. Passing the table, I pushed my way through the door that led to the kitchen. A plate of food sat in from of an empty chair at a small, round table. Kya looked up at me and smiled as she chewed on a crispy piece of bread. Thena stood by the fire warming her hands.
“Hey,” Kya said when she swallowed. “You look different.”
I looked myself over. “I guess I do. I’ve never seen myself this clean before.”
We both laughed.
“Hurry up and eat,” Thena said. “We don’t want to be late.”
“Late for what?” I asked as I sat down in front of my plate and picked up a fork.
“We’re meeting Thane at the Institute this morning,” Kya answered.
“Who is that?”
“He’s the one I told you about yesterday. He wants to talk to you.”
I shoved some eggs into my mouth. “Why?”
When a small piece egg fell back onto my plate, Thena huffed. She grabbed a small, white cloth from the table and handed it to me.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she said. “Didn’t they have manners in the wasteland?”
I shrugged my shoulders as I swallowed and looked at the rag she had given me. “I don’t know. What are they? What’s it for?”
I thought Thena’s head was going to catch on fire. She had to take a few deep breaths before she answered me. “That is a napkin. You wipe your mouth with it.”
I stared at it then ran it over my lips. “Did I do it right?”
Kya laughed. “Close enough. I think Thane wants to talk about how you got here.”
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to talk about that?”
“Thane is different. He is the one person you can tell,” Kya said.
I nodded then quickly finished the food on my plate, washing it all down with a strong, cold drink. My face froze as the liquid ran over my tongue. I wasn’t expecting it to be sour. Thena howled with laughter at my expression. Wiping the crumbs from my mouth with the back of my hand, I recoiled when Thena started yelling.
“Jaxon. That’s exactly what I gave you the napkin for. Good manners are important.”
I blushed and ran the napkin over my mouth again as if that would correct my mistake. “Sorry.”
“Let’s go,” Kya said, standing up. “I really want to hear what Thane has to say.”
When the plates were put away, we rushed outside and into the morning air. I shoved my hands into my pockets, searching for warmth.
“Don’t worry, it will get warmer,” Kya said when she noticed me shiver.
We walked down the road in the same direction Thena and I had come from the day before and I warmed up as we went. I wasn’t used to cold weather. It was always hot in the wasteland.
“So,” I said as we turned onto a larger road. “What is it like living here?”
“What do you mean? It’s just like living anywhere,” Thena said.
“Does it take long to get used to all this?” I asked, still enthralled and curious about the buildings around me.
Kya laughed as she watched me gawk at everything. “It’s not like this where you’re from?”
I shook my head. “There are some buildings, but nothing like this. Father and I lived in a small shack far away from anything else. Our whole house was a little bigger than the bedroom I slept in last night. But I guess if you’ve lived here your whole life, you don’t have anything to get used to.”
Thena stepped closer to me. “You really lived your whole life in something so small? I would die.”
“I can’t imagine living in something so big,” I replied. “What’s the tallest thing you have ever seen?”
“What kind of question is that?” Thena asked. “It’s just weird.”
“I’ve never seen anything as tall as the Institute,” I said. “That is really tall.”
“What about those?” Kya asked, pointing at the mountains visible over the top of the roofs.
I craned my neck to see them better. “Oh, yeah. I didn’t even think about those. Okay, those are taller than the Institute.”
Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, Kya laughed. “What kinds of things did you do in the wasteland?”
A few memories sprang into my mind and I found myself laughing. “Father and I would play this game he made up. We would each find a good, strong stick and the biggest tumbleweed we could. We’d then set up goals and markers that we had to push the tumbleweed through, but it had to be done in a certain order. If you missed a marker, you had to start over. Oh, and you couldn’t use your hands. You could only push the tumbleweed with your stick.”
“How is that fun?” Thena asked as she skirted around a group of kids looking at the pages of a book.
“It’s hard to win,” I said, glancing around to see if I could find anything to play with.
“How does that make it fun?” she asked.
“I guess you have to play it to know, right?” Kya asked.
I nodded.
We arrived at the Institute before I could make Thena understand that the game really was fun. The courtyard was mostly empty, but a few people sat around waiting for an early class to start. Climbing the steps two at a time, Kya opened the door and waited for me and Thena to catch up. We were still debating the definition of fun.
“Stop bickering like old women, you two,” Kya said as we passed her.
The door crashed shut behind us, the boom echoing through the rafters in the ceiling. I wasn’t as impressed with the entryway as I had been yesterday. I was more interested in what Thane wanted to say.
Kya led us through familiar halls and then disappeared down a narrow passage I hadn’t noticed on my tour with Russ. It was short and considerably darker than the main hall. A few sconces dotted the walls but there were no open windows allowing natural light to filter through. After a few steps, the hallway veered to the left. There was only one door in sight, and that is where Kya stopped.
She knocked lightly on the door, but the sound still reverberated off the stone walls. It opened almost immediately.
“Right on time,” a man said as he stepped out into the open.
He ushered the three of us into his small and cramped office. Four torches burned on the walls and an open window allowed the smoke to escape. The man who had opened the door now sat behind a large desk that filled most of the room. It was cluttered with books, parchments, and other odds and ends. He motioned for us to sit on the three stools that lined the wall.
“I have heard so much about you, young man,” the man said when we were sitting. “My name is Thane Maximo Adkins. Most of the students here refer to me as Master Adkins as I am the proprietor of this Institute of learning. I am also a councilman on the Council of Six and represent the city of Arden, though I assume these titles mean nothing to you.”
I shook my head, silently agreeing with Master Adkins
“Kya tells me that you came from the cave up the mountain. Is that true?” he asked.
I nodded in agreement but still said nothing.
“I must ask how you came to be there. Kya told you about the nature of the cave and how we view it, correct?”
“Yes,” I said. “Kya told me about the cave.”
“Good, good,” Master Adkins said as he stood up and stretched his back. “I really need a bigger office. Can you tell me how you got there?”
This was exactly what Thena had told me not to talk about. She said people would think I was weird if I told them. I glanced up into Master Adkins's face. Would he think I was weird?
“Well?” Master Adkins said when I didn’t reply.
I decided it would be best to get it all out into the open. “The man took me there. He came to me after Father died. He told me I would have a place here and that Father had paid the price.”
“What happened next?”
“He gave me a drink that made me fall asleep. When I woke up, I was in the cave.”
“Where were you before you were in the cave?”
“In the mountains,” I said.
Master Adkins walked to the window and pushed it open all the way. White clouds drifted across the sky. “Those mountains? That is where you were before you went into the cave?”
I shook my head. “No. I was in the mountains in the wasteland. When I woke up, I could see into his shack so I thought the entrance to the cave was through there.”
“What did this man tell you when you woke up? Did he tell you about the cave?”
I scratched the back of my neck. “He said it was some kind of in-between place and that I was never to return there.”
“Do you know who this man was?” Master Adkins asked as he returned to his seat.
“He never told me his name. I asked him a few times, but he always ignored me.”
Master Adkins searched through the papers on his desk until he found what he was looking for. Placing it on top of the rest of the mess, he scanned through it.
“Did he tell you why he brought you here?”
I didn’t know how to answer that question, but I did the best I could. “He just said that I was needed here and that Father paid the price.”
Master Adkins stroked his chin. “And now your father is dead. Was death the price he paid for you to be here?”
My mind wandered to the dream I’d had after going over the falls. “I’m not sure.”
“Did your father tell you anything about this man before he died?”
I shook my head. “All he told me was that I would be taken care of, that he had paid the price, and that someone would come for me. But I was afraid and ran away.”
“So, they both mentioned a price?” Master Adkins was out of his chair again and pacing behind his desk. “How did your father die?”
Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t want to admit that it was my fault. When I opened my mouth, the words wouldn’t come. “He was attacked by an animal,” I finally said.
“Did you witness it?”
I shook my head. “No. Father just said that there was poison in his body but I don’t know any animals that can do that. I was once bitten by a lizard and my leg wouldn’t move for a few days, but the doctor fixed that. The doctor couldn’t fix Father.”
Master Adkins came to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t want you to dwell on unhappy thoughts about your father. The most important thing to do now is for me to explain what I have discovered. For your benefit, Jaxon, and so you understand a little better, I am going to give you a brief history of Odrana, the country we live in. It may help you understand why I’m so curious. As for you two,” he said, turning his attention to the girls. “Would you mind getting some lunch ready for us? I fear we might be here for a while and this lesson might be a bore for you.”
They nodded and accepted some money for their service. They hurried out of the room, happy to be spared the lecture. Waiting until the door closed, Master Adkins continued.