5

Elden wouldn’t let them stop until there was dirt, not rock, beneath their feet. He eased Peta out of his arms, and she sank down, almost hugging her legs but stopping short of touching. Her breathing was too fast.

The jets burned all across the rocky surface behind them, casting an eerie glow where they huddled. Evazee knelt next to Peta. “Are you hurt? Or just shaken up?” Evazee moved in close and lifted Peta’s hands away. All down the front of her legs, from the knees down, were raised blisters, the skin an angry red. Elden had shielded her body with his, but he hadn’t managed to protect all of her.

He sat next to Peta, his arms resting on his knees, head down.

“Elden are you hurt?”

“A bit. My back. I’ll be fine.” He spoke through gritted teeth.

“Let me see.” Evazee hobbled closer. The eruption had burnt holes in his T-shirt, and each fabric hole surrounded a blister. “I don’t know what to do. We need the Healing Stream.” Evazee thought back to when Kai’s LightSucker bites had been healed just by her touch. He’d been so insistent that it was the LifeLight inside that carried healing power, and he’d been right, even though she’d thought him crazy at the time. But now? Everything was different. There was no evidence that she was filled with LifeLight—no means of staying safe in the messed-up place. Maybe she was burnt out beyond recovery.

Peta cried softly. Tremors wracked her body in response to the pain.

Jesus, I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know what to ask You. I can’t help these people. I need you.

Elden gently eased his arms under Peta and lifted her. She folded herself into his neck and hung on. “I think we should get away from this place.”

Evazee rubbed the back of her neck as they walked away from the burning rock. She wished her sense of direction were better. “We split up from the others. I don’t know how we’re ever going to find them. Do you know your way around this place?”

“Not this section. Things work differently here. You can’t expect things to be predictable or logical. Where were you aiming to go before you split up?”

“From the graveyard, we could see lights in the distance. We aimed ourselves at those, and we would have been fine if the Grave Keepers hadn’t shown up.”

“How do you know that would have been safe?”

Evazee shrugged. “Can one ever be sure?” Her feet schlurped with each step she took. The ground was becoming soggy, making walking hard. “How do we know any of this is safe? None of it is. Even the beautiful things are apparently lethal.” She waved her hand behind her and toward the fiery field. “We’re here to find Bree, and that’s about all I know. We have to start somewhere. What about you? Where do you think we should start looking? Maybe the fact that I’ve just asked you four questions in a row is a fat clue to how freaked out I’m feeling. None of this feels safe. Your question is stupid.”

Elden shook his head. This semi-gloom seemed to weigh him down even more than the girl he carried. “I guess so. Let’s keep going until we find someone.”

Evazee shook her head as they walked, turning over the same question lurking in the back of her mind since she’d woken up here. “What I’d really like to know is how we got back here. Last time, Kai was unconscious, and he was stuck here sort of permanently.”

“Yeah, I know. Hit by a bus. So he kept telling me.”

She ignored his comment. “As for me, I kept fading in and out. It seemed like every time I prayed, I found myself here. But in between, I went back to normal life. It doesn’t make sense. What could have happened to get a bunch of us here—stuck like Kai—but all at the same time?”

Elden didn’t say a word. He grunted under Peta’s weight and the pain of his blistered back.

“And then there’s you. When did you say you came across?”

“I didn’t.” His breathing came in short gasps, and his footsteps slowed in the sticky mud that seemed to be getting deeper. It was over their feet now, with a layer of liquid sludge lapping their ankles. They were back in deep shadow, far enough away from the burning field that it was merely a glow on the horizon.

“But we were all together in the graveyard. If you came back with us, why weren’t you there? Or were you, but you didn’t say anything?”

Elden stood still, the sudden stop in movement causing a mini-wave that sloshed up Evazee’s legs. “Is it just me, or is this watery stuff getting deeper?”

Evazee clicked her tongue. “Are you avoiding my questions?”

“You ask so many, if they were bullets, I’d be bleeding. Can we not do this now, please? Also, we’re up to our knees, and it is getting deeper.”

“You know something. But you’re not telling me.” Evazee slopped closer, wishing she could look him in the eye.

“I’m in pain. This girl needs help. Stop it.”

“Fine. But we will pick this up when you’re better.” A wave of hot shame flushed through Evazee. She’d been so caught up in how and why that she’d forgotten that she was the only one not injured. “I’m sorr—”

“Shh!”

“Don’t shh me. I’m not—”

“Keep quiet woman. Can you hear that?”

From far off to the right came a steady sloshing noise, rhythmical and unhurried. Slosh, pause, slosh, pause. It continued, getting louder each time. Whatever was making the noise seemed to be coming directly towards them. Evazee shuffled closer to Elden. A tremor ran through her body, not entirely caused by standing in the cold mud. Soon, a light appeared, floating above the water, weaving and bobbing with each subsequent swoosh. It was a longboat. The oarsman sat up front, paddling left then right.

“Should we run?” Evazee stood close enough to Elden that his body heat warmed her. She wished she could tuck her hands under his arms to thaw out her fingers.

Elden shook his head. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

They waited while the boat drew steadily closer, almost hypnotised by the beat of the strokes of the paddles through the water. As far as Evazee could make out, there were two people onboard.

A man’s voice drifted across the surface of the marshland towards them, low and gravelly. “Can you see them yet?”

“Yebo.” The second seemed a man of few words.

“Uh, Shrimp...I need more info than just a yes. What are we dealing with?”

The one called Shrimp sat closest to the front of the boat. He paused rowing to squint through the gloom, “From here it looks like two Unlit’s and a Cover-up.”

“Safe or risky?”

“I dunno, Beaver. Injured, I think.”

Beaver took up a spare pair of oars and settled down toward the back of the boat. “All right. Let’s bring them in. Paddle hard left, and we’ll coast in sideways to load them up.”

“Yebo.”

“And stop with that foreign lingo. Have you been hanging around the Zulu again?”

“Ye—”

“No! Don’t say it!” Beaver aimed the back of the paddle at Shrimp’s back and gasped with fright when cold liquid ran down the paddle and down his arm, soaking his pants. He was still spluttering and shaking his legs in turn when the boat pulled to an expert stop a hair’s breadth from bumping into Elden and Evazee.

“You folks in need of some help, perhaps? The name’s Beaver, and this here is Shrimp.” He didn’t wait for them to respond but stood to take Peta from Elden.

The boat rocked alarmingly, but the two onboard stayed steady. Elden hesitated for a fraction of a second before handing the small girl over. For Elden to accept help from strangers meant he was close to being done. Right now, this seemed to be their best option.

Elden boosted Evazee from behind, steadying the boat with his other hand. Evazee almost tipped in head first. Her water-logged feet were cold and stiff from being submerged for too long. Elden climbed in after and lifted Peta onto his lap. The boat was small and the three of them huddled in the middle section, all knees and elbows.

Elden drew Evazee closer to himself with an arm around her shoulder, “It’s a bit squishy in here.”

Heat crept into her cheeks, and she let him tuck her closer, only because it meant he couldn’t see her blushing face. “Where are you taking us? If you don’t mind me asking.” She threw the question out, not sure which one of the men was in charge.

“Not at all,” Shrimp answered from the front, paddling as he spoke. “You’re coming to our home so we can do something about those burns before infection sets in.”

“How far is your home? Where do you live?”

Shrimp paused rowing. “Not too far now.” He waved his hand over the rippling water. “In fact, you could call this our backyard.”

“You all had a run in with the rock lava, I see?” Beaver spoke up from behind them.

Evazee pointed. “These two did. It missed me somehow.”

At her comment, Shrimp swung around and winked at Beaver. “Cover-up. Told you.”

Beaver threw up a hand, his flat palm aimed straight at Shrimp. “Honestly. Did I even argue with you? No, I didn’t. So can you just shut it?” For all their arguing, the vibe between the two men was good-humoured.

Evazee pressed closer to Elden. Angling her head towards his ear. “Do you think those are their real names? Beaver and Shrimp?”

Shrimp chuckled, and Evazee wished she’d swallowed her curiosity.

“Of course not. Real names are powerful. Those with wisdom keep ’em secret amongst strangers.” He kept his eyes focussed ahead, peering through the murky gloom, lit only by the half-hearted lamp light.

Evazee stared out over the water and pretended she hadn’t asked the question or heard Shrimp’s answer. Nope. Not her.

“We’re close now,” Beaver spoke up from behind. “Pay attention, kids. You don’t want to miss this.”

Peta roused from Elden’s lap. For a moment, they paddled in gloomy silence. Suddenly, sparkles of colour like a thousand tiny stars dotted the air in front of them. Were her eyes playing up? Each spot of light glowed, grew, and started spinning as one until the edges blurred and the sparkles merged, transforming the sky above them to an iridescent dome of shifting colour that dissolved the gloom.

Evazee drank in the light as it washed over her in waves, stripping off oppression that she hadn’t realized was pressing down on her. The water they floated on stretched as far as she could see in all directions, reflecting the rainbow colours of the sky in a rippling dance that made her heart miss a beat. She sat forward, twisting all around to absorb the beauty. “Beaver, where do you live? I don’t see anything.” Evazee glanced back, caught sight of Beaver’s face, and froze.

When they’d first climbed into the boat, Beaver had looked craggy and old, somewhat weather-beaten and neglected. Seeing him in this light transformed him. He probably wasn’t much older than her or Elden.

Beaver caught her eye and grinned. He pointed up ahead. “Welcome to our home.”

Evazee turned and gasped. Instead of empty water, an enormous dome-like structure floated on the water in front of them. The mirrored surface reflected the sky, but with a wave of Shrimp’s hand, it cleared to transparent, revealing the insides.

A multi-story home, complete with furniture, bookshelves, a kitchen, plants, carpeted floors…everything that made a place a home. The base of the structure was built from a dull grey material that appeared to be buoyant enough to keep the whole thing floating. As they drew closer, a section of the base split apart and the top drew back to reveal three steps leading to the front door.

Shrimp steered the boat and stopped alongside the stairs. Connectors appeared from below the base with a mechanical whine, securing the boat to the dome.

Beaver stepped off first, pressing his palm to a rectangular, marked section on the dome. With a hiss, the door popped out and slid sideways. “Come on in. We’ve been expecting you.”

~*~

Zap leaned in close, whispering so furiously that Kai feared spit would fly and his ear would catch the worst of it.

“I’m telling you now, if we don’t find food for him, he’s going to get worse. Look at him. He’s stalking around like a demented bear with an infected bladder.”

“Bladder? Why bladder?”

Zap’s face crinkled. “I dunno. It sounded impressive at the time. And it’s really sore. You ever had a bladder infection?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be telling you. That’s for sure.” Kai shook his head and went back to squinting in the direction they were heading, hoping for some clue that they were travelling in the right direction.

Ruaan stomped along behind them, muttering under his breath and kicking anything in his path.

“There has to be food here somewhere.” Zap dashed ahead of Kai, peering through the gloom at the bushes that dotted alongside the path they walked on.

“I don’t get it, Zap. Last time I was here, I didn’t need to eat. It wasn’t even an issue. I never got hungry, never saw food, and never ate. I don’t think one has to eat here.”

Zap’s face skewed in the way it always did when he was trying not to hurt feelings. “From what you’ve been saying, this time has been nothing like last time. So I’m not sure why you keep using that as some sort of guide for what is happening now.”

Kai sighed. “I guess you’re right. Are you also hungry?”

“A bit.” A loud growl echoed through the air. “OK, maybe a lot.” He rolled his eyes like he did when he was five years old. Now as an eighteen-year-old, it just made him look daft. Ruaan ambled behind them and spewed a stream of unhappiness, none of it loud enough to make any sense.

Kai shrugged. He didn’t know where to start looking for food in this place.

Zap grabbed his arm and pointed. “Maybe we don’t have to know where to look for food. Let’s ask them.”

“Did you just overhear my thoughts again?”

“No. I don’t think so. Don’t be weird, Kai.”

Huddled together and moving quickly, a group of people came over the rise and saved Kai from having to respond. They came to a sudden stop, silently staring toward Kai and his friends.

“Get down!” Kai dropped to the ground, hiding the light underneath him.

Zap knelt slowly. “But—”

“Shh! We don’t know who they are. I don’t want them to know we are here.” Kai squinted. He couldn’t see through the gloom.

Ruaan shuffled closer on his knees. “Those are kids from the OS. That’s Morgan in the front.”

“How can you tell?” Kai’s spoke louder than he’d meant to. He clapped his hand over his mouth but removed it again to whisper. “Can you see?”

His eyes glowed faintly, a luminous grey, just visible.

Ruaan shrugged. “I can see everything. It’s all greyed out, but it’s clear. Can’t you?”

Zap grabbed Kai’s arm and hung on as if a whirlwind was about to hit. “Dude, that’s creepy.”

Ruaan turned toward Zap. “What’s creepy?”

“Your eyes. What is going on with your eyes?” Zap’s fingers slipped off Kai’s arm as he backed away.

Ruaan’s belly rumbled, and he patted it. “Just so you know, Morgan and her bunch are all looking toward us. If you were aiming to hide, you failed. They’re listening to every word we say, trying to decide if we’re safe. So go right ahead, keep yakking.”

“And you’re sure that’s Morgan?” Kai asked.

Ruaan rolled his eyes.

Kai frowned, “I saw that.”

“You were meant to.” Ruaan put a hand to his mouth and yelled, “Morgan! Come on over.”

Kai’s head hung. He pushed back onto his knees and light bloomed from the bottle around his neck. “Seriously? Did you have to?” The situation was getting worse. It was only meant to be him and Elden who came back to find Bree. Now it seemed that more of the kids had been brought back. With no Affinity, no Tau, and Evazee missing, the last thing he needed were more people trapped here. Whether it was his job to look after them or not.

“Ruaan? Is that you?” Morgan and her companions inched closer, hunched over, wide-eyed and wary. Her face relaxed and she straightened up. “It is you. What are we doing here? I thought all the training was supposed to be over.” She took in the other two with a brief nod. The rest of her group huddled behind her. Her gaze flew back to Kai and her eyes narrowed. “You. This is your fault. You’re a liar! What did you do to us?”

Kai’s head tilted, and his eyebrow rose. “Excuse me? I could ask you the same thing. Why are you here? It’s not safe. You should be taking care of this bunch back at the OS. What were you thinking?” He regretted his outburst the moment the last word left his lips. He opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could say a word, a deep drumbeat shuddered through the ground, vibrating up his legs. It pounded into him through the air and shook the ground beneath his feet.

Morgan and her friends turned away from Kai. Another deep boom rocked the ground. Kai, Ruaan, and Zap staggered to keep their footing, but Morgan and her friends stood rock steady, staring into the distance like a regiment of soldiers carved from stone. The drum beats picked up a rhythm, coming faster and stronger. The sound rippled through him.

Morgan’s group started walking, each step in time with the drumbeat.

Kai reached for Morgan. “Don’t listen!”

Her eyes glazed over, and she pulled from his grasp with shocking strength.

Kai swung around to check on Ruaan and Zap. “Are you guys falling for this?”

Zap’s mouth hung open, and he crouched low with his legs spread and arms wide as if he were trying to surf on solid ground. He wobbled as each drumbeat hit. He blinked at Kai, eyelids flapping, “I’m trying not to fall!”

Ruaan stood with his arms tightly folded, sneering at the group as they marched off. “I bet you they’ll get food.”

Kai looked from one to the other. Then he shook his head and walked. “Enough. Let’s keep moving.” As the deafening drumbeat hit, the ground rocked beneath him, but other than steadying himself, he ignored the noise and drama and aimed himself in the direction of the light. He just had to get there, and everything else would sort itself.