The aeternum chronicles.., p.60
The Aeternum Chronicles- The Complete Trilogy, page 60
part #1 of The Aeternum Chronicles Series
Tilus looked out across the gorge. “They will no doubt be anticipating an attack from that direction…”
“There are no other viable options, unless you can fly.”
“And what about the western slope?” he asked.
Anzien looked at him flatly, trying to judge whether he was serious, or just testing her. “That, would be beyond foolish. Leading a charge uphill with unknown defenses? Unless you want to lose every soldier on the field, that option should be avoided at all costs.”
The sun dipped down below the mountains to the west, and Tilus nodded to himself. “We will approach from the southern gorge pass before sunrise.”
“You will?” Anzien blurted out in surprise. She had several arguments ready, and was almost disappointed at not having to use them. Maybe we’ll make it through this after all.
“Commander Tsierig, once you’ve been in command long enough, you will learn that you do not have to like the tools at your disposal in order to make use of them. Your experience and training are an asset, even if your discipline is lacking.”
Anzien wasn’t sure how to respond to the backhanded compliment, and so decided to say nothing.
“Come! We must head back and prepare.” Tilus spun on his heel and strode past Cerus and Keres. Anzien followed, leveling a sharp warning glare at Cerus, whose contemptuous scowl made her fingers itch for their weapons.
They turned and traveled back down the ridge, toward the troops waiting below. The fist was lit only by moonlight, as no cook fires had been permitted. Anzien spotted Dulari, who was standing watch for her return. It was too far to tell for sure, but Anzien thought she saw relief on her face. Anzien gave a brief nod.
Tilus stopped and turned to her. “We’re finished here. Dismissed.”
That was too easy. Anzien worried. She saluted and turned to rejoin the recruits.
“Commander, you’re back!” Young Penault rushed over, with Simeon on his heels.
“What happened?” Sim asked.
“Yeah what happened?” Penault echoed him, “We thought for sure they were taking you off to—”
“Shut up Pen!” Lewson gave his shoulder a shove from behind to emphasize his point.
Anzien was focused on her thoughts, and their questions filtered into the background. I don’t trust him. I need to meet with my squad. She glanced around and saw she was still under surveillance from Tilus’ thugs, and frowned.
“Are you alright?” Simeon asked.
Anzien took a deep breath. “For now I am, but—”
The moonlight grew suddenly dim, and Anzien turned her eyes skyward. The quilt of clouds blanketing the sky had blown east, blotting out the luminous harvest moon.
“But what?” Penault asked. “Can we help?”
Anzien sighed, half-smiling at the enthusiastic recruit. If only they could solve her problems…unless… Her expression grew thoughtful. “I might have something you can do,” she said, waving them in closer. They listened intently as she gave instructions, and were soon nodding and smiling, excited to be of use.
The first one snuck off into the darkness while Anzien chewed on the dried strip of venison that made up her evening meal. A few minutes later, another recruit disappeared, then another. If they were successful, her crew would know to meet at the balancing rock formation due north, one hour after sleeping orders.
Anzien ran over the plan as she lay in her blankets, counting the minutes. She was soon surrounded by the sounds of snores and sleepy mumbling. It was time. She quietly lifted her blankets, and crept from her tent. The deepening of night was a small favor, allowing her to sneak away from the camp, unseen by Tilus’ watchers. She reached the rock formation, and nearly jumped out of her skin when Sheif stuck his head out from behind it.
“Boil it, Sheif!” she whispered.
He was grinning. “Sorry!” he whispered back.
“Anyone else here?” she asked.
“Not yet.” Gently crunching steps came on the heels of his answer.
“Taybor,” Anzien said, holding out her arm.
He grasped it, smiling. “It’s good to see you in one piece,” he said in hushed tones. “You gave us all a scare, walking off with Tilus and his goons like that.”
“Commander,” Dulari said quietly, nodding with a smile.
Anzien smiled back. “Glad you’re here.”
Sheif approached, and Anzien turned to face Taybor as Dulari and Sheif greeted each other warmly.
“Where’s Obasi?” Just as Anzien asked, there was a small commotion in the camp. “Quickly!” Anzien whispered urgently, and they hid at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
“Hello?” Obasi’s baritone voice was present even in his whisper.
Anzien breathed a sigh of relief, and came out from behind the balanced rock. “Hail, Obasi!” Anzien whispered back, and they all came out from their hiding places.
“What happened back there?” she asked.
Obasi grinned sheepishly. “I am not a man built for stealth…so I invented a small distraction,” he said with a shrug.
Anzien placed a hand on his muscled shoulder and smiled. “Good to have you here my friend.”
Pria was last to arrive. “Sorry I’m late…one of Tilus’ guards has taken a highly inconvenient interest in me.”
Anzien frowned.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” she said dismissively, gesturing for them to begin.
They crouched down in a circle, and Anzien began. “I know we’ve all been under guard, but has anyone learned anything new about our friend Commander Tilus?”
There was a brief silence before Pria spoke, “I’ve been tracking down a rumor that someone here was present at his trial. So far I’ve hit only dead ends.”
Anzien nodded. “Keep asking around, but don’t take any unnecessary risks. As of this moment, I want all efforts focused on tomorrow’s battle.” She continued to explain the meeting with Tilus on the ridge, and his agreement to follow her recommendation. They spent the following hour outlining the plans that would hopefully keep as many of them alive as possible, before creeping back into their blankets. Exhaustion won over Anzien’s anxiety, and she sank into the depths of sleep that come only after a long day of mental and physical exertion.
***
Oof. Anzien jerked awake at the pain in her side.
“Wakey wakey,” a harsh voice taunted.
Cerus.
She dodged as another kick pushed through the thin fabric of her tent.
“I’m up!” she growled. Boiling mule-faced lout.
She shook off the grogginess, picked up her weapons, and climbed quickly out of her tent.
She stood and stared down Cerus, whose marred face was twisted into a derisive sneer.
“It’s time,” he snarled.
19
The Cause
Ryland held his breath as the doorknob turned. He knew running his mouth would mean facing punishment, but he was past caring. Everything in his life had changed so quickly, and his fear had been burned away by naked outrage.
The door to the interrogation chamber slowly opened, and the same guard who had led him in earlier approached. He stood over Ryland for a tense moment, studying him with cold, hard eyes. Ryland met his gaze, refusing to give an inch to these smug Ministry boot-lickers.
Ryland let out a breath when the guard finally broke eye contact and proceeded to undo his restraints. Ryland considered using his cast as a weapon, and making a run for it. The door was ajar, but it wasn’t likely he’d get far. Lucky for you, Ryland thought, glaring at the guard.
Once his legs were free, Ryland stood, stretching his calves.
“This way,” the guard growled, and Ryland followed him through the door and down a long, plain hallway. Another guard stepped out behind him. They turned left down a corridor, and Ryland recognized it as the way back to his holding cell. He glanced back at the guard behind, blocking any chances for escape.
They reached a large, white steel door. It had a tiny square window with wire crisscrossing through it. The guard held a card against the black panel beside the doorknob, then turned it and pulled it open.
“Inside,” the guard said gruffly.
Ryland walked forward while looking over his shoulder at the guard behind him, and bumped into the one in front.
“Sorry!” he apologized, forcing a sheepish grin.
The guard only growled, and shoved him into the plain white cell. The door clinked shut, and Ryland heard the locking mechanism tumble into place. He watched through the tiny window as the guards turned and walked down the hall.
Ryland smiled to himself. He slid the key-card out from the seam of his pants and turned it over in his hands, making sure to hide it from the camera. And Roku said I couldn’t rob a blind man. I’ll have to tell him about this after I get out of here…assuming he’s still alive. Ryland frowned. The odds of that were probably not great. Ryland held the key-card against the door, hoping he might be able to trigger it from the inside. No such luck.
Voices echoed from down the corridor, and Ryland quickly tucked the card away and scrambled over to the bed. He leaned back against the cold wall and waited.
A moment later, the lock to his room clicked, and the door opened, revealing another guard in a plain, gray uniform. The guard stepped aside, and Ryland watched the open entrance. Is this a trap? He sat up, preparing to bolt, when a familiar form filled the doorway.
Ryland’s jaw dropped. Impossible…
“Hello Ryland. How are you feeling?” Hatch placed his hands on the wheels of his chair and rolled himself into the cell. His expression was serious, and dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
“But you’re…” Ryland stammered.
“Ko’Jin? I apologize that we were unable to be more upfront with you, but we had to be certain that you were not working for the Ministry.”
“So you tie me to a chair, scare the daylights out of me? You could have just asked.”
“Surely if you were a mole, you would simply have told us so?” he asked rhetorically. “It was the only way to be certain. The stakes are too high for us to be anything but.”
Ryland crossed his arms. “If this is a Ko’Jin facility, then why does everyone here look at me like they want to kill me?”
Hatch sighed, looking away. “We lost four men the night you were rescued. There are those who believe the cost too great…that we should have left you to your fate.”
“Oh.” Ryland’s mouth had gone dry. No one had ever died because of him before. No wonder they hate me. “And what do you think?”
“If I didn’t think you were worth it, you’d be bleeding in a Ministry interrogation room right now, and believe me when I tell you, our tactics are far gentler than theirs.”
Ryland’s tongue felt for the missing tooth in his mouth, and he sighed. “I didn’t know…I thought it would be safe to go home…I never thought…my own father—”
“I know,” Hatch reached over and put a hand on Ryland’s arm, his eyes conveying sympathy. “We didn’t think it possible either. It turns out your father is in far deeper than we expected.”
“Is it true that you have him?”
“I’m afraid not. Again, I apologize for the deception, but we had to know whether or not you were still loyal to him.”
There was a long, drawn out silence, and finally Ryland asked, “Why did you do it? Why rescue me after I turned you down?”
Hatch looked him in the eye, and Ryland got the sensation that he was being measured and weighed.
“I meant what I said the last time we spoke. There is no one with more potential to sway the masses than you. I ordered the rescue, Ryland, because I believe in you. Whether or not you see it yourself, there is greatness within you. We are going to need you in the days to come. Stand with us; resist, and help me deliver our people from annihilation.”
Ryland slumped. I don’t know who he thinks I am, but he’s wrong. He looked up at Hatch, who was watching him with confident, hopeful intensity. He really does believe, Ryland thought with wonder.
He swallowed. “You’re right, I don’t see it. I couldn’t even convince my own father of what I saw in Praeconis Amphitheater.” He looked down at the ground, thinking about all the effort they went through to rescue him. “Those soldiers that lost their lives the night your men found me…did they have families? Children?”
The brown creases on Hatch’s fatigued face deepened, and he nodded grimly.
There was another long silence, which Ryland eventually broke. “Alright. I’ll do it…I still don’t think I am who you believe I am, but I owe it to them to try.”
Hatch nodded. “You’re making the right choice. Are you okay to walk?”
“I think so,” Ryland answered honestly. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his aches and pains had returned. He stood from the bed, and followed Hatch out the door and into the hall.
“So, do you have a title or something?”
“I do,” he answered, continuing down the hall at a quick pace.
Ryland had to jog to keep up. “Well, what is it?”
Hatch slowed and considered him. “Delator.”
“Delator…What does that mean?”
“The meaning mirrors our mission here. We acquire information on Ministry activities, plans, abductions, and secret missions.”
Ryland whistled appreciatively. Dangerous work, he thought.
“Call me Hatch—everyone else does.”
They continued in silence for a time, Hatch leading the way through the winding hallways.
“Are we underground?”
“We are in the subcutaneous layer of New Arcadia—beneath the soil.”
Sounds of fighting echoed from down the hall, and they soon passed a set of large, open double doors. Here was the source of the noise. Inside, at least twenty pairs of men and women sparred with vigor. Ryland paused to watch them kicking, blocking, ducking, and sweeping. He turned toward Hatch with another question, and found him halfway down the hall. Ryland jogged after him.
I’m never finding my way out of here, he mused, as he and Hatch wound their way through the complex structure. The hallway opened suddenly into a large, well lit cavern with high ceilings. Ryland found himself standing on a long, narrow cement platform, stretching out across the center of the cavern. Extending out from either side of the platform were row after row of small levi-tracks, each one leading into a different tunnel. A waist-high metal cylinder marked the beginning of each track. Hatch wheeled down the platform and pressed a button on the third cylinder.
“This place is incredible,” Ryland said looking around. “Did your people build it?”
“When we first discovered it, much of the infrastructure was in place—tunnels, caves, drainage. We believe they were left over from the original construction of New Arcadia.” Hatch pushed the button again impatiently.
“We saw the potential, and built in corridors, lighting, security systems, and transportation.” He gestured with his arm toward the tracks as a boxy metal car rushed quietly toward them.
“It must have taken quite some time.”
“Decades,” said Hatch, “and we are still building.”
The boxy car slowed as it approached, gliding to a stop up against the platform. The doors slid open, revealing a plain interior with small windows and a chair in each corner. Two poles extended from the floor to the ceiling in the center.
“This way,” Hatch instructed, and Ryland stepped into the car and sat down. Hatch rolled in behind him, lifting his hand up to a black box by the doors. There were two gentle tones, and the doors slid shut.
Ryland felt the car accelerate. “Where are we going?”
“Planning and Operations.”
“Oh.” Ryland watched out the small window as they entered the tunnel. The car dimmed, lit only by a small red bulb in the ceiling. Rhythmic flashes came from outside as they passed lights in the tunnel.
Hatch appeared deep in thought. The way he looked, Ryland wondered if the man ever slept. I guess millions of lives hanging in the balance will do that to you.
“Do you think they’ll try again soon?”
“Hm?” Hatch looked up at him.
“The Ministry…you know, the whole enslaving the human race thing?”
“Ah,” Hatch took a deep breath, his hands resting on his lap. “There has been new information, since you and I last spoke.”
“New information? What kind?”
“It would appear there will not be another attempt,” Hatch said flatly.
“That’s great!” Ryland exclaimed, but Hatch’s face was dead serious. “It’s not great, is it?”
“In order to understand the Ministry, you must think like them. Why would they want to move us through the shadowgate, off New Arcadia?”
Ryland furrowed his brow. “To enslave us…that’s what you said, right?”
“Why not do that here?” Hatch asked, gesturing with both hands. “There’s plenty of space, food, housing. If anything, New Arcadia is the perfect prison. Why abandon it?”
“Maybe…maybe they need us to build something on the other side.”
“That very well may be, but it would not be the only purpose.”
“What do you mean?”
“Imagine for a moment you’re a farmer. Some of your cattle wander into a deadly bog. Sure, you could risk yourself, go through the effort of trying to free them, but at the end of the day, they’re cattle. After a certain point, they’re no longer worth the trouble, and will be left to die.”
