24

Kai scrambled to his feet, holding onto the wall to stop from falling over. He looked around. Was he in a cave? The entire structure was made of something that looked like lacy dinosaur bones, all arched and curved, bleached pale and pockmarked.

Everywhere Kai looked, there were people, who seemed to be milling about, doing their own thing. Throughout the holey bones, there were people curled up in the holes. Each hole seemed to be a bed, or possibly even a bedroom.

Zulu stood to one side. He kept his eyes cast down to the floor, Peta held on to his hand, her eyes wide, taking in all the details. The look on her face was more curious than scared. The drumbeat stopped, and those who’d followed it dropped to the ground like some giant, rehearsed flash mob. Kai dropped to the ground, waving at Zulu and Peta to do the same.

A circular section of the roof detached and dropped toward the floor, filling the air with a sharp hydraulic whine. It stopped short of touching down, low enough for Kai to see that it held a group of people. Unlike those on the floor, the group on the platform stood. One towered head and shoulders above the rest, though whether it was natural tallness or something that boosted him, Kai couldn’t tell.

“Your first task is to sort the new intake. New software has been uploaded to your implants to make the process quicker. Let me demonstrate.”

The tall one stepped down off the platform and walked across to the closest body on the floor, rolling up his sleeves as he walked. “Observe. The reader is built into your left hand.” He clamped his left palm over the person’s forehead as though he checked the man’s temperature. He held up his right arm toward the platform, as if reading the time on his watch, but there was nothing there. Lines of glowing text appeared, hovering over his skin.

“Once the text appears, your reading is complete, and you can use you left hand to select whether the candidate is more suited to conversion or coercion. Your reading will also show whether they’ve been through recruiting before. Anyone who shows signs must be quarantined immediately. There is an emergency unit set up to respond to that. Just use your buzzer. Once you’ve read them, stamp them and move on. We have a lot to get through tonight. Two separate teams will be coming through later to take them to training for one or the other. Any questions?”

Kai swallowed the bile building in the back of his throat. This was Affinity training all over again, but on a mass scale like he’d never encountered.

“Are there likely to be any anomalies, and if so, what do we do with them?”

“That’s a good question but not one that you need to be concerned with. The drums have been our most accurate attraction method yet. It may seem primal, basic, but don’t be fooled. It has taken a good few years to research the science behind the calling method. It is now used all across the world as an elegant solution that has proven to be more accurate than the old method and it takes a few seconds per candidate, compared to half an hour each like the previous testing. We’re on a tight schedule. Move out.”

Kai could hardly breathe. His mind ran wild. He searched the crowd for his friends, but in this sea of people, they could be anywhere. If he were invisible, he might stand a chance at tracking them down without attracting any attention to himself. Deep into the cave, right on the far side, he saw a girl moving. It was Evazee. She slipped from deep shadow to deep shadow, avoiding the purple lit-up areas.

Kai squinted in an effort to see where she was heading. Evazee had worked her way around the room and now slipped into a side tunnel. Kai checked the location of the passage Evazee had disappeared down. All the recruiters were busy with people on the floor.

Leaning across, Kai whispered in Zulu’s ear, “Keep her safe. Don’t let them take her. I’ll find you.” He waited for the single nod from Zulu, stood up, and blended into the shadows that fell outside the purple light of the broken mushrooms.

~*~

Kai stood outside the passage, wondering for the umpteenth time if it was stupid of him to follow Evazee. But he’d come this far, no point turning back now. The passage was dimly lit, but Kai felt exposed. There might as well be a spotlight on him as he tiptoed along.

His fingers trailed the walls. Smooth, marble-like, the colour of deep midnight speckled with stars, and yet the illusion was not enough to stop him from feeling stifled. The corridor curled and twisted. At least it seemed that he was alone. Soft conversation reached his ears, and he tried to breathe more quietly. The voices came from around the bend. Moving light from around the corner played across the floor at his feet. He sank down onto his haunches, straining to pick up the conversation.

A man spoke and the hairs all down Kai’s arms stood up. He knew that voice.

Evazee answered, though her words were too muffled for Kai to make out. She didn’t sound scared or threatened. Kai had to see for himself who she was speaking to.

He held his breath and peeped around the corner. Evazee and a man had their backs to the doorway. In front of them floated a holographic map of the world. The man pointed something out to her, and she nodded and giggled. Kai focussed in on the man. His silvery hair hung down his back in a long ponytail. He turned to whisper again in Evazee’s ear, and a cold chill ran down Kai’s spine.

It was Shasta. And he had Zee eating out of the palm of his hand.

Kai waited until their backs were turned and sneaked down the last stretch of passage. He hid in the sheltered spot just next to the doorway of the room. From here he should be able to pick up what they were saying. He caught Zee mid-sentence.

“Converts and coerced. So those who embrace the lifestyle are your converts, but those who don’t?”

“Let me put it this way. We persuade them. Either way they end up doing what we want them to.”

“Coercion. So you don’t feel that it’s wrong? You’re forcing people to do what they don’t want to do.”

“It’s not that invasive. I prefer to think of it as realignment. Let me ask you a question. Would you like to live without your affinity power?”

“I have been for the last while. It’s horrible. I get things wrong all the time.”

Shasta’s face softened. He trailed his fingers through her hair, wrapping a single lock around his thumb. “Exactly. What we do here helps people to never experience that. That isn’t a bad thing, right?”

Kai’s heart beat so fast and loud, he felt sure they heard it. Anger burned through his veins. Anger at Shasta for being so slimy? Or was he angry at Evazee for falling for it?

Evazee sidled over sideways and looked Shasta in the eye. “What is the big purpose, though? I don’t understand. Why bother with all these people?”

Shasta picked at a nail and shrugged. “Let’s just say I don’t like seeing people lied to. I don’t like seeing them misled into believing they are a whole bunch of things that they just aren’t.”

“Like what?”

“Unique. Special. Loved. Only a handpicked few are all of those things. Most people find their meaning in being part of something bigger than themselves. Higher, loftier, more noble. Most are followers who simply wait for someone to take the lead and sweep them along toward a grand purpose. I provide that purpose. I do the sweeping.” He leaned in close, towering over Evazee, his body forming a sheltered space for her to nestle in. “You, my dear, on the other hand, are all of those things and more. And we’ve only just begun to tap into your full potential.” He straightened and stepped back. “But that’s enough for one day. You must be feeling tired.”

“Wait!” Evazee took a faltering step towards him. “I have another question.”

A momentary flash of impatience showed on Shasta’s face, but then it was gone. His lifted eyebrow invited her to continue.

“Why is it so different this time? Coming back here, I mean.” Evazee was tripping over her words like a nervous school girl. “It’s just last time the landscape was different. We were constantly dodging LightSuckers and darKounds. I haven’t seen a single one of either of those this time. I don’t understand.”

Shasta stared at her in silence, a hint of indecision riding his eyebrows. But then he seemed to snap to a decision in an instant. “Let me show you.” He turned back to the holographic globe and punched buttons on the key pad. The view changed, and glowing lines appeared, dividing the ball into segments much like a mom would cut up an orange for her kid. Eight segments in all appeared.

“What’s that? What are you showing me?”

“Sections. Each has its own purpose. Different training, different tests aimed at different people. The tests in each section are carefully designed to bring about the desired outcome. So far, it’s working incredibly well.” He touched the floor and earth vanished with a hiss. “Let’s get you back to your rest pod. Tomorrow will be a long day for you.”

“But I just want—”

Shasta steered her by the elbow, his touch silencing her objection. They were headed straight for the door, Kai panicked. He tucked himself into the corner, shut his eyes and wished he were invisible.

~*~

Evazee wasn’t ready to leave. She still had questions to ask. But Shasta had her elbow in a death grip. She wasn’t yet secure enough in her standing with him to push. Something moved just outside the doorway. Evazee squinted in the semi-gloom. Kai!

Feigning something in her shoe, she bent down and fiddled. When she stood up, she made sure it was on the other side of Shasta, away from where Kai hid. A flush washed her cheeks. She had to keep Shasta’s attention.

“I haven’t told you how much I love your eyes.” She reached up to tilt Shasta’s face toward her.

“You’re shaking.”

“You are somewhat overwhelming.” There was truth in what she said, and there was nothing Evazee could do to stop her fingers trembling. She could only hope he’d mistake her fear for something else. She smiled at him as they walked through the doorway. Her heart pounded loud in her ears. Keep him focussed. “So why me? I’m just like any other girl.” Evazee kept walking. One foot in front of the other. Keep moving. Away from Kai.

Shasta’s gaze roamed over her face, his expression unreadable. “Your gifting is strong, but I fear it has been tarnished by your long use of Light Affinity. I hope that together we can reclaim your former strength. I guess only time will tell.” He cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing the line of her cheekbone.

They were far enough down the passage that Shasta wouldn’t spot Kai at a casual glance. She had to keep him walking with her to give Kai a chance to get out of the tunnel.

“But that still doesn’t tell me why you want to use my talent. “

“Your gift is words, right? You always know just the right thing to say. That’s a skill we want our new recruits to learn. Given the right training, you’ll be able to fast-track those with the same raw talent, to do what you do. It will be for their good. In fact, everyone around them will benefit.” His smile was magnanimous.

His words pooled around Evazee’s heart, leaving it marinating in the same good intentions written into her DNA. “I would love that. I’m not sure how to do it, but I can learn.”

They reached the end of the tunnel. Evazee panicked. She had to try to give Kai a chance to get out. “Where must I go now?”

Shasta waved her off. “Go find a sleep pod. Don’t come back until I call you. Do you understand?” He turned and disappeared back down the passage, trapping Kai inside.

A wave of nausea washed over her.

~*~

Kai wasted no time. The moment Evazee and Shasta were around a bend and out of sight, he tiptoed into the room and crossed to the control panel. The buttons were simple enough, and he pressed and clicked until he found the label: Stone City. From there, he trailed his finger in a spiral, circling outwards, searching a larger perimeter with each loop.

His finger butted up against something that wouldn’t budge, an invisible barrier that ran from pole to pole. His finger leapfrogged the barrier and carried onto the other side. He zoomed in on the first place on the other side of the barrier. It was TrissTessa’s art gallery. Using the familiarity of that place, he quickly located other landmarks, homing in at last on the one thing they were all hoping would bring relief: the Healing Stream.

His Affinity ran like hot liquid through his veins. He pushed buttons on the console as if he’d been doing it his whole life. It seemed instinctive now, not forced or beyond what he knew to be comfortable.

The top layers peeled back, and he hunted for a clue as to what the barrier was made of. Using his thumb and forefinger, he swiped outward and the image zoomed in closer. A few more swipes and Kai’s stomach turned. Dividing the two sections was none other than a tall hedge of growing plant-life. A plant that he himself had insisted on replanting the last time he’d been here. It seemed to stretch taller and grow thicker as he stared at it.

There was no way he’d manage to get his troupe to the other side of this thing. Not under, over, or through.