CHAPTER THREE

Fugitives

“WHERE DO YOU come from?”

“What’s it like?”

“Is it under the sun?”

Lily tried to concentrate. The two strangers never stopped bombarding her with questions, their eyes so round and curious that they seemed like little children, even though they appeared to be a few years older than her.

At least she assumed that they were adults—the man’s voice was deep enough—but their skin was pale and utterly smooth, without wrinkle or blemish. They dressed like children too; their robes were loose and garishly colored, covered with broad clashing stripes. Their hair was long, tangled, and so blonde it was nearly white, and their dark eyes were startlingly wide as they prattled. But perhaps the most unnerving thing was how alike they were, in their movements and manner. Had she not heard both of them speak, she would have been hard pressed to say which was male, and which female.

“Are you alone?

“Who are you? Really?”

“How did you get down here?”

Lily tried to talk again, but the questions came thick and fast, and she couldn’t focus for long enough to answer a single one. She thought about thanking them for finding her, but it didn’t seem at all clear that they were going to assist her in any way. Certainly neither had offered to help her up. In fact, as she struggled to her feet, she noticed them pull back, as though she were dangerous.

“There’s no need … I mean … I’m not going to hurt you,” Lily said, feeling ridiculous. That was painfully obvious. Her whole body ached. She didn’t know how long she had slept on the rough stone floor after she collapsed from exhaustion. Her limbs still shook, though that was only partly from tiredness. But this one sentence was enough to make them stop talking, and stare at her expectantly.

Unfortunately, in the new quiet, she could hear the noise in the background. The distant, echoing voices.

For a few moments, it came back to her. That long, terrible climb down those stone steps, without light, always thinking that her next movement would pitch her down the shaft. And all around her, the voices. Those wailing, cajoling voices that seemed to come from everywhere. In the world above, she had spent night after night running through a living Nightmare that had peeled apart her subconscious thought by thought. And yet somehow that shaft had been worse because of the confusion. All she had been able to make out was her name. Lily … Lily … Lily … over and over again until it lost all meaning. It had felt like her whole world was filling with noise.

At some point, she had reached the bottom of the well, and left the stone steps behind. Later, she remembered stumbling through tunnels of rock, her legs jarring on the rough floor, only able to tell where she was from the change of pressure around and above her when the tunnels narrowed, or opened out into caves. And still the echoes had grown, louder and louder, shouting in her ears. As she had tripped and fallen, she had felt as though she were on the verge of comprehension, just a few seconds away from understanding what they were demanding of her. But then the ground came up to meet her, and finally the sounds had been snuffed out.

“Are you listening to anything I’m saying, Wonder?”

Lily snapped out of her thoughts. There wasn’t time to dwell on all of that now. These two were strange, no doubt, but they didn’t seem dangerous. Besides, they had lanterns. Lily didn’t want to be left alone in the dark again.

“Yes, I’m fine … I…”

“Good. You can still talk then!” the girl said, briskly. “You don’t want to listen to the Cacophony. I’ll tell you that for nothing.”

Lily shivered, but tried to block it out. Start with something simple …

“Thank you … um … I’m sorry, what’s your name?” she asked the girl.

“I’m … Septima.” The girl replied, carefully, with a slightly awkward tone, as though she herself had forgotten it until that moment.

“And you?” Lily asked the young man. He brought the lantern closer to her face. She saw the flame reflect in his large, curious eyes.

“It’s not your turn,” he said, coldly. “You have to answer our questions first. An answer for an answer.” He turned to Septima. “Are all of the Orchestra so dense?”

“Maybe,” Septima agreed with a laugh. “Well?” she added, turning to Lily. “Are they? I mean, you’d know.”

“Start with an easier one,” interrupted the young man. “She looks pretty tuneless to me.”

“All right,” Septima continued, as if Lily were not standing just a few feet away. She turned back, and again Lily felt the full force of her attention. “Where—are—you—from?” She said, dragging out each word as though talking to a simpleton. Despite everything, Lily bridled a little.

“Agora,” she said, truthfully. “Well, that is … I came here from Giseth, from the Cathedral of the Lost. But I actually came from up in the mountains, with Mark, and…”

Lily trailed off. The two were looking at her very oddly indeed. They appeared confused, which was hardly surprising after her jumbled explanation, but there was something else in their eyes too. A fascination so strong it was almost hungry.

“I’m Tertius,” the young man said, simply, his voice full of reverence. “And you have to tell us all about this!”

“Not here,” Septima interrupted, she glanced around, and jerked her head over her shoulder. “We’ve been here too long, Tertius. The guardians won’t be far behind.”

Tertius nodded, suddenly serious again.

“Shall we take her with us?” he asked. “Or leave her here until we come back?”

Lily looked from one to the other, aghast.

“You’re not going to leave me here?” she asked, horrified. “You still haven’t told me anything! Where am I? And what are you doing here?”

Septima turned to Lily. “You’re in the Outer Caverns of the land of Naru. We’re on the run.” She tilted her head, as if considering something. “And yes, you can come with us. You’re our wonder, after all.” She snapped her fingers. “Come on, we’ve a long way to go.”

And without a second thought, both of them turned on their heels and began to walk away.

Lily paused for a moment, uneasily. There was something strange about these two. Even their way of walking was odd—crouched but fluid, dancelike, swinging their lanterns around in arcing patterns that threw shifting shadows onto the stone walls and ceiling around them. She knew nothing about them. For all she knew, they might be leading her into a trap. They certainly didn’t seem friendly, exactly, and their intense fascination with her appeared to come and go at a moment’s notice.

Then again, she didn’t want to meet whoever was chasing them through this endless, echoing darkness.

“I’m right behind you,” she said.

*   *   *

They walked in silence, which suited Lily. It gave her time to think.

Now that she was no longer terrified, Lily had to admit that she was not entirely clear on what she was doing here in the depths of the earth.

Only yesterday, she had been certain of everything. She had finally reached the Cathedral of the Lost, after many days’ travel through forest and swamp. She had escaped an attack from her own guide, driven mad by the Nightmare, and finally stood in the Cathedral cloisters, demanding answers of its scarred gatekeeper. She had come there seeking her father, and she had found him—ill and dying, only able to talk to her through a letter he had written in his stronger days. She had sat at her father’s bedside, and held him as he died. After that, she remembered only a mist of grief and rage, and a determination to do something, anything, that would give this journey meaning.

She had been told that she was a Judge—the “Antagonist.” That she and Mark were destined to change Agora and Giseth forever. But Mark was missing, kidnapped by the Order of the Lost, and the all-powerful Bishop had proved to be little more than a withered corpse on his throne. All of the prophecies seemed to have fallen apart.

In her apron pocket, she touched the letter her father had given her before the end—a letter that had told her that The truth lies below, where the darkness echoes. So when she had broken open the sealed tomb in the deepest crypt of the Cathedral and found steps descending into the earth, she knew which way she needed to go if she were ever to find the answers she craved.

But now that she was here, it didn’t feel real. Here, following these two strangers who acted and spoke so oddly, the world above seemed to fade away, like the voices of the Cacophony. Right now, she was hungry, tired, and lost. Right now, all she could think about was finding somewhere she could be comfortable.

“I’m hungry,” Septima said, coming to an abrupt halt. “I think we left some food around here.”

Lily looked around. She couldn’t see anything to distinguish this spot from the rest of the tunnels. The craggy rock made a ceiling not far above her head—now she understood why Septima and Tertius walked the way they did in these cramped spaces. Only the occasional chisel mark on a wall, and the straightness of the tunnels themselves, indicated that they had ever seen a human hand. The air was still and cold, and Lily was glad that she was wearing her thick boots.

Septima fell to her knees and began running her hands over the rocks at the base of one of the tunnel walls. Meanwhile, Tertius held up his lantern to her face.

“If we’re going to give you food, you’ll have to pay us,” he said.

Lily was surprised. Over the past year, she had become so used to Giseth, where everything was offered for free, that she had not expected him to say that. But she supposed that this place, Naru, was different again.

“Of course…” she said, swinging her pack off her back, “but I don’t have much to trade. I might have some lantern oil left…”

She reached into her pack, but Tertius shook his head.

“Don’t you know anything?” he said, scornfully. “Or doesn’t the Orchestra trade knowledge?”

Lily wasn’t sure what to make of this question. What Orchestra did he mean? And then she remembered how they had acted when they first found her, how eager he had been as she began to explain herself …

“You want knowledge? About me?” she ventured. Tertius snorted.

“So you do understand,” he said, wearily. “I guess you must just be slow then. Yes—answers, information, secrets. Anything hidden.” He stretched, and yawned. “Think of something good. I’ll wait.”

Lily resisted the urge to give a sarcastic reply. Her stomach was beginning to ache, and if all he wanted in payment was a little information, that wouldn’t be difficult. For a moment, she considered telling him about her quest—about everything she’d learned at the Cathedral of the Lost. But she decided against it. She could satisfy his desire for facts without having to give away her most precious secrets.

“I come from a city called Agora…” she began.

“What’s a city?” Tertius interrupted, immediately. Lily raised her eyebrows. But, then again, why would he know? She didn’t suppose that there were many cities down here.

“It’s a place where a lot of people live, all together…”

“Like the Hub, then?” Tertius replied.

“I don’t know,” Lily said, truthfully. “Is that where you come from?”

“You get your questions later!” he snapped. Lily pulled back, as if stung, and Tertius lowered the lantern. “Continue,” he said, in a quieter tone.

“Well … Agora’s made up of buildings and streets, and it has a river, and squares, and…” Lily frowned. It was impossible to know what they would understand. How would they react if she told them Agora’s true nature—a city where anything could be bought and sold, where children were bartered by their parents, and memories, thoughts, and emotions were traded on the open market. To an Agoran, it would have been simple, to a Gisethi, horrific. But what would it mean to the people of … what did they call this place? Naru?

No. Best to stick to the simple facts.

“It’s divided into twelve districts…” she tried again.

“Sagittarius, Libra, Gemini, Aquarius…” Septima began to rattle them off from her position on the floor.

“All named after the signs of the Zodiac,” Tertius added. “Yes, yes, we know that.”

Lily looked from one to the other, astonished.

“But … if you know about Agora, then why didn’t you know what a city is?”

Tertius shrugged.

“I’d never heard it described like that before. We know all sorts of facts—but we’ve never actually been there. It’s hard to join the details together, sometimes. How many people?”

“What?” Lily asked, her head still spinning. How could they know about the districts, without knowing Agora?

“How many people in this city?”

“Um…” Lily frowned, “I don’t know … it’s huge…”

“More than 576?” Tertius asked.

Lily blinked, incredulous.

“Yes, quite a lot more. More like a hundred thousand, at least.”

Tertius gasped. On the floor, Septima stopped in her search to turn and stare.

“That’s impossible!” she said. “There wouldn’t be enough food! We have shortages all the time, and there’s only a few of us…”

“Five hundred and seventy-six?” Lily guessed.

Tertius nodded.

“Well,” he added, “574, now that we’ve escaped.”

Lily frowned.

“Escaped?” she asked.

“We’re on the run,” Septima chimed in, returning to her search. “They’ve been chasing us for three weeks now. We shouldn’t wait here too long, or they’ll catch up.”

Lily grimaced. Just her luck to team up with criminals. She had hoped to be accepted into this new society.

“Who’ll catch up?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

“The guardians … aha!” Septima’s tone changed to one of triumph. With a flourish, she pushed aside a pile of loose rocks and pulled out a thick, padded, cloth bundle, tied up with string. “I knew I’d left a food parcel around here somewhere.” She looked critically at Lily. “I think Lily’s given us enough knowledge to pay for a bit of food, don’t you think?”

Tertius nodded, grudgingly, and Septima undid the string.

“It’s your turn to ask a question,” she prompted, as she spread out the cloth. “After telling us about the hundreds of thousands…” she shook her head, dreamily. “That’s a real wonder. That’s special. You can ask anything you like.”

Lily frowned. Septima unwrapped a loaf of bread and large piece of cheese. They didn’t look particularly old, but Lily doubted that they could have been made down here. It didn’t look like the place for cows and grain.

“You’re on the run, you said?” Lily asked, breaking off a piece of cheese.

Septima nodded, airily.

“Have been for weeks,” she said, almost proudly. “We’ve led them on a chase, of course, but they’re closing in. We’ll need to find our way to the rails again soon. Maybe sneak back into the dining caverns near the Hub for more supplies.”

Lily reached forward to tear off a piece of bread; the cheese had really sharpened her hunger. As she did, Tertius pulled his own hand back sharply. Lily had noticed both of them do this before. Even though they sat near to each other, they never came close to touching.

“The Hub?” Lily asked, trying to piece together the fragments of information.

“The center of the Inner Caverns.” Septima cupped her hands into a dome shape. “It’s miles away. We won’t want to go back there for long. If we’re caught…” she hunched over. “They say they throw you into a tiny cave, with any other prisoners. You can feel their breath on your face!” She shuddered. “It’s obscene.”

Tertius stretched out a hand toward her, and waved it. It looked like some kind of comforting gesture, again, without touching. Respectfully, Lily shuffled a little farther away from them.

“But, why are you running?” Lily asked, “What did you do?”

Tertius crossed his arms, defensively.

“That’s for us to know. Have you told us your biggest secret?”

“We wanted to know something that was forbidden,” Septima confessed. “We didn’t just want to trade secrets, we wanted an artifact from the world above. Something we could show off, something solid. We wanted to find a wonder!” She smiled. “And we did. You.”

“But why?” Lily persisted. “What’s it for?”

“For?” Septima replied, blankly. “It’s everything.”

“I mean,” Lily swallowed the last lump of bread, “why are you collecting all these secrets? Is someone hiding them from you?”

Septima twirled a strand of her white hair, and stuck it in her mouth. She seemed lost for words.

Tertius leaned back against the side of the tunnel.

“Why do you breathe?” he asked. “Why do you eat? Knowledge rules our lives. We ask questions, we tell each other facts, and secrets. The more you know, the better you are.” He broke off. “That’s what it’s like for all the choristers. That’s how it’s been forever.”

“Tertius…” Septima said, warningly. The two exchanged glances, and lapsed back into silence. Lily got the strong impression that he had just said too much. Which, if knowledge really was all they cared about, wasn’t that surprising. Lily supposed that she hadn’t paid enough for that information yet.

For a few moments, they ate in silence. Septima brushed crumbs from her lips.

“What are you doing here, Lily?” she asked suddenly, in a much more serious tone.

Lily knotted her fingers, wondering how much she should admit. Of course, she could swear them to secrecy, but if they traded knowledge here like possessions in Agora, she couldn’t be sure that someone else wouldn’t find the right price, and then Tertius and Septima would hardly be likely to keep her safe. They still seemed to look on her as a thing rather than a person.

“I’m looking for…” Lily trailed off. What exactly was she looking for? There were so many things that had been hidden from her: Her real purpose, as the “Antagonist”—one of the fabled Judges; the secrets that were hidden in the Midnight Charter, this document that seemed to rule her life. But these would have taken too long to explain. And anyway, she wasn’t sure if she trusted these strangers enough to tell them this yet. And then, unbidden, the right answer came into her head. The answer that made her feel profoundly guilty, because it wasn’t the first thing she had thought of.

“I’m looking for my friend, Mark,” she said. “He was kidnapped, and I need to find him.”

Septima stroked her hair, absently. Lily had expected some kind of reaction, but she seemed less interested by this than when Lily had been describing Agora.

“That doesn’t sound like something that just anyone would know,” she said, thoughtfully.

“The Conductor might,” Tertius muttered, darkly. Septima shivered.

“Lily wouldn’t want to ask him anything,” she replied, quickly.

“Why not?” Lily asked. “Is he someone important?”

“He’s evil,” Septima said, with a surprisingly matter-of-fact tone.

“Brutal,” Tertius agreed.

“A fiend of a man. He’s enslaved all of our friends,” Septima remarked, growing increasingly heated.

“He’s the reason we’re on the run,” Tertius added. “The reason we left everyone we know to trudge through these outer caverns.”

“Lucky for you,” Septima said. “We’d never have found you if it wasn’t for him.”

“True,” Tertius said.

They sat in silence.

Lily shifted, uneasily. For a few moments, when talking about the Conductor, they had suddenly animated, sounding genuinely fearful. Now they were listless again, as though nothing had happened. It was almost as if their emotions switched on and off at will. The more time she spent with this pair, the less comfortable she became. But right at the moment, they were all she had.

She was about to speak again when she heard something far off. A distant echo. For a moment, fear gripped her—had they wandered back toward the Cacophony? But Tertius and Septima’s reaction made it clear that the danger was of a far more immediate kind.

“The guardians!” Septima hissed. “I knew they were following us. We shouldn’t have waited here for so long!” She glared at Lily, as though it were her fault. “Find somewhere to hide,” she hissed.

In a second, Septima snatched up the cloth, and she and Tertius doused the flames of their lanterns. Blinded in the sudden darkness, Lily felt her way behind some thickly clustered stalagmites.

She heard them before she saw them—the soft, steady tread of thick-soled boots. Then she saw an approaching light, and their shadows, dancing on the wall. She just had time to see Tertius and Septima, cowering in little alcoves on the far side of the tunnel, before she ducked back down behind the rocks.

She peered out. The pursuers didn’t look too terrible. They were a small group, walking closely. Like Tertius and Septima, they were slim, pale, and androgynous, though they looked stronger than her new friends. The only difference she could see was that each one wore thick gloves that reached up to their elbows, and strips of cloth tied across the lower half of their faces. Lily narrowed her eyes. Those gloves looked scuffed, well used. Considering Tertius and Septima’s reactions to physical proximity, she imagined that if these “guardians” were allowed to touch their targets, they must be feared indeed. As for her—she could probably escape from one or two, but there were ten in this group, and she kept her head down, until they had disappeared into the distance.

Tertius and Septima remained pressed against the tunnel wall until long after the guardians had gone. Then, in a sudden movement, Tertius heaved a great sigh of relief.

“That was close,” he said, breathing dramatically.

“You all right?” Septima asked, with genuine concern. Lily noticed her hand, hovering a foot from Tertius’s shoulder.

“Fine,” he replied shakily. “Come on, Lily. This way…”

“Mm…” Lily said, distracted. Fortunately, Tertius and Septima didn’t seem to notice as they set off that Lily chose to walk a good distance behind them.

For people who prized knowledge so highly, they didn’t seem to be all that observant. Lily had been well hidden, but Tertius and Septima had barely had time to conceal themselves at all.

In fact, she was pretty sure that the pursuers had seen Tertius and Septima quite clearly. And they had stared right through them, as if they were invisible.