Kevin circled the block three times to make sure he wasn’t being followed. It was always a possibility that someone, one of Peter’s men or even Sabin himself, was watching Kevin, a man in his position was rarely away from prying eyes. But this evening it was essential that he remain unseen, except by the one person he’d assigned to watch his back.
When he was sure he didn’t have a tail, he unlocked an unassuming door and stepped inside. Then he pulled out his flashlight—an old hand-cranked model that provided a weak beam of light. It would have to be enough. He headed down the steps and into the rank, musty darkness.
When Sabin had taken power, one of his first priorities had been to seal all the secret ways in and out of the city. There were only five gates, all but one now welded shut, but there had been dozens of tunnels and hidden doors. After years of blood and effort, this was no longer the case. The teeming masses that migrated to Wicker City from the Elsewhere in hopes of a better life no longer had free access to the city. Now they gathered outside the five gates in the hopes of somehow getting through, but few of them ever would. And Wicker City was safer for it.
Just as importantly, the secrets of Sabin and his regime couldn’t be smuggled outside and sold to enemies.
Granted, the sealing of the passages hadn’t been perfect, as Peter’s men had so recently proven. They’d found a way out of the city, one that Eddie had apparently revealed to Peter, and that Peter swore was now closed forever. Kevin was skeptical. In addition, Elena had found her way into the city. He’d have to pressure her into revealing how at some point, but now wasn’t the time. Things were weird enough between the two of them already.
Sabin had also kept a single passage open for his own usage; the one Kevin was now traversing. Only a handful of his closest people knew of its existence, and they were all forbidden to use it without the boss’s permission. But it proved quite useful at times like this. Opening one of the official gates attracted attention, and that was the last thing Kevin needed right now.
Kevin’s feet squelched in the mud as he reached the door on the far end of the tunnel. He fumbled with his keys for a moment, then unlocked the door and stepped out into the warm evening. Vincent, the man from Elsewhere, was waiting for him exactly as instructed. He was a tall, thin man with a long, pointed nose. Though he was dressed as raggedly as everyone else outside the wall, he didn’t look natural in the clothing. He was clearly used to wearing finer things.
On either side of him stood a Diluted. They had sallow skin, some of it missing in bloodless chunks, and their eyes glowed with a soft yellow luminance. Yet unlike most Diluted Kevin had met, these two were standing still rather than trying to rip someone’s throat out. Somehow, Vincent had trained the mindless creatures to respond to his whistled commands. The two Diluted still gave Kevin the creeps, but he’d never seen them act at all aggressively.
Kevin held out his hand, and the two shook, exchanging the ancient greeting. As Kevin had learned over the past eighteen months of negotiation, the man was a traditionalist and respected the old ways.
“Greetings, Mr. Matheson.” Vincent’s voice had a strange, lilting quality to it that was ever-so-slightly different from the way people spoke in Wicker City. Kevin found himself wondering if everyone in Springtown spoke that way.
They stood in a small enclave, a place only visible from one spot on top of the wall. Kevin glanced up. Though he couldn’t see the top of the wall, he knew Young Tom was up there, watching, ready to run back to Sabin if anything should go wrong. Not that it would. Vincent had worked just as long and hard on the negotiation as Kevin had. He wouldn’t screw it up now. But before they could get to that, there was another matter to discuss.
“It’s come to my attention that you’ve been dealing with someone else from inside the walls. Guy called Eddie.”
If Vincent was surprised by Kevin’s accusation, it didn’t show. “Yes. I traded him some trinkets for apples. Just a way to make my stay here outside the walls more pleasant. It had nothing to do with our arrangement.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Kevin’s voice was hard. “Everything that happens in Wicker City has to do with this. Sabin’s authorized me to deal with you. No one else. You speak to anyone else from inside the walls again, we’re done here. Understand?”
“I meant no disrespect. It’s just that life out here can be difficult. These people, they live like animals.” He spoke the words as if they were leaving a bad taste in his mouth. “They live in filth, and they have no self-respect. I didn’t expect to be among them for so long.”
Kevin understood the man’s point. The negotiations had taken far longer than he’d expected them to. On the surface, it should have been a simple transaction. Springtown was a smaller city, and they lacked Wicker City’s resources. Their walls weren’t secure and their infrastructure wasn’t nearly as intact. They wanted Sabin’s help. If he sent a few experts down to serve as advisors and explain how things were done in Wicker City, it could help them immensely.
And Sabin wanted something too. Despite its lack of resources, there was one thing Springtown had that Wicker City did not—a rich supply of New Gold. According to Vincent, the substance had contributed directly to the sad state of their city. The old leaders had indulged too much and lost their minds, leaving the new regime to pick up the pieces. That wouldn’t happen in Wicker City, Kevin knew. He and Sabin were far too disciplined to allow it. Once they had the supply of New Gold, they’d use it to improve the city, to do the things they’d always dreamed of doing when they were coming up and winning their keys.
“I understand,” Kevin said. “I know living out here can’t be easy. All the same, my statement stands. You talk to someone else other than me, we’re done.”
Vincent nodded. “It won’t happen again.”
“Good.” Kevin felt a bit more at ease with that conversation out of the way. Now they could move on to more important things. “Did you receive word yet?”
“Yes. Bryson agrees to your terms. Five advisors for one year for five pounds of New Gold supply.”
Kevin kept his expression blank, though it wasn’t easy. Five pounds. The amount was almost unthinkable. In all his days, he’d only seen less than an ounce of the stuff altogether. “And the sample? What did they say to that?”
“They agreed to that as well.” Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny pouch, which he handed to Kevin.
Part of Kevin wanted to not appear eager, but the other part of him—the part that was desperate to try the product—won out. He opened the pouch and rubbed the tiniest pinch of the powder between his thumb and forefinger. A wave of warmth ran through him, starting at the fingers touching the powder and washing outward. Strength flooded his muscles and the years seemed to melt away. He hadn’t felt this good in decades. Maybe ever. The world swam before his eyes, and yet he saw it all with perfect clarity.
His mind reeled. The New Gold he’d experienced in the past had been nothing like this. It had likely been cut a dozen times, but this was pure. It crossed his mind how odd it was that the substance between his fingers had been so instrumental in bringing an end to the old world. In that moment, it almost felt worth it.
“Is the product acceptable?” Vincent’s lips were tilted in the tiniest hint of a smile.
Kevin swallowed hard before answering. He didn’t want his voice to waver. “It will do.”
“Then we have a deal?” The man from Elsewhere held out his hand.
Kevin shook it, aware that he was changing the future of Wicker City forever. “We have a deal.”