Tale of 2 Cities: Running to base camp
When you explode a well-loved landmark, it's best not to hang around.
The story so far…
How can you undo a puzzle box from within? Especially when the puzzle is also a city?
Lilian and Kinley were forced across the bridge to Alinakard’s mythical twin city, Aeon, in search of Jem; the daughter of one of Alinakard’s most dangerous Magnates. Lilian has confronted and survived an ancient demonic fight court, whilst Kinley was hijacked by Aeon’s dead - and then helped Jem explore and explode Gowan’s Tower.
You can read last week’s post here, or start from the beginning with The City On The Other Side. There are links at the bottom of each post that will jump you straight to the next chapter.
Kinley’s ears had a horrible tinny ringing and the world was soft around the edges - something he attributed to shock. His brain had yet to catch the fact its body was in full workin’ order and required a beer or something stronger to make the connection. Yeah, a beer, once the shakes had worn off. He’d dealt with a lot of near-death experiences but it was mostly with a weapon in hand, whilst moving. Sitting still, counting sweat an’ waiting to see if the thermite worked was one of the worst moments of his life. And now he could see another one, rolling right down the road at him. As he rounded the last flight of steps, a squad of soldiers had turned up, with Lilian at the centre. Before him, Jem’s back stiffened and she came to a halt.
Kinley wondered if he should scarper back to the tower.
Lilian stepped out, walking delicately around the twisted bits of metal in the square and held her hands out to Jem. Despite the mud-slick that was her dress she was as regal as a ruler, with her teeth gleaming in her face.
“So you made it,” Jem snarled ungraciously. “Still think selling me out to my father was a good move?”
Lilian shrugged, unfazed by Jem’s attitude. “Of course not. It was a dreadful idea in the first place and I’m sorry I broke your trust. The problem was, all your other ideas were even worse.”
Kinley winced as he hovered in the tower’s shade. He could see the gathering crowd, both from surrounding houses and the nearby streets. This wasn’t the time or place for an argument but he knew better than to cross either lady. Sheer rage propelled Jem across the square until she was face to face with Lilian, prodding her chest.
“My ideas were fine! We’re both fine, here. If you had trusted me, we would be -”
Lilian kissed her hand. It was little more than a soft brush across the knuckles, but it silenced Jem.
“We would be here,” Lilian agreed. “Just us, alone, without Keeper Kinley or Captain Afizere’s squad. We’ve got more allies and that’s a good thing. Especially now you’ve wrecked the place.”
Jem turned her head. Kinley couldn’t swear to it, but he thought he saw her lips twitch. “You don’t charm your way out of this, that easily,” she replied hoarsely. “You can’t start over like a shuffled deck of cards in your damned salon.”
Lilian shrugged. “I know. I don’t expect to.” Her voice was melodious, almost an octave lower than normal. “All I ask is that we work together until we are out of this place. Once we’ve crossed the bridge back to Alinakard, we can part ways and our worlds will never meet again. If that’s what you want.”
Jem scoffed. “Now you’re interested in what I want?”
“We should go,” the squad’s leader interrupted. He looked like a pirate, dressed in a tattered, muddy uniform with a beard and tan to match. Kinley wondered how long the poor wretch had been in the city. “Before we get arrested. Proper introductions can wait until then. Follow me!”
Lilian held out her hand to Jem, who disdained it. Kinley trotted up beside her, with a gentle hand tap on her back. “Unless you’ve got a bolt-hole, reckon we should go with them,” he murmured to her. “The folks here about will not take kindly to the Tower's broken door.” Further back in the city, they could already hear a horn blowing and the clatter of hooves. Ahead, the squad had turned left down a side street, Lilian trailing after them.
Jem growled in disgust. But she started walking and that, Kinley decided, was progress.
*
Lilian was bewildered. Not much made sense in this damned city, but she expected the street layout to be consistent. At first, she thought they were heading down towards the river, in the direction of the setting sun, but now they were heading away, up towards the hills. Which would be fine if they had made any turnings, or the sun had changed position. But they had not, leaving her feeling topsy-turvy. On top of that, the squad had picked up their pace to a brisk march, making her run.
“Where are we going?” she panted out to Eoin, who was shadowing her. The gentle giant smiled down at her. “Our base camp. It’s a short way out of town and we need to get there before sundown.”
“Why? What happens at sundown?” Jem piped up from behind them. Eoin wagged his head from side to side. “Nobody’s sure. When the sun goes down, everyone sleeps. Lights out, like a surgeon’s cloth across your face. I got caught out once or twice and I’d wake up the next morning in the street, in the same place I’d fallen. Since we’re all marked men here, it’s a dangerous gamble.”
“Have any of youse tried stayin’ awake?” Kinley asked. He sounded almost casual, as though this were a normal excursion for him. Eoin laughed, with a hint of hysteria. “There’s a few things you can rely on,” he boomed back. “No one dies, everyone sleeps and no one ever leaves the city.”
That stifled the conversation and everyone focused on the steep path upwards.
Eventually, the building thinned out, making way for trees and grass. There was a humid feel to the air and a lot of wildlife. Birds flitted from tree to tree whilst small animals moved in the undergrowth. The paved pathway abruptly stopped, giving way to a dry, muddy track. The squad veered off to the right, into the forest.
“Nearly there,” Eoin consoled Lilian. Her shoes had not been made for hiking and they had started to rub. He crooked his elbow offering help over the uneven ground and Lilian gratefully took it. She heard Jem’s voice grumble behind them and Kinley’s disapproving tongue-click in response.
Up ahead was a sizable thicket. Afizere stuck out a hand and felt his way in towards it, his arm disappearing to his elbow. Lilian heard something clang, and then Afizere stepped forward and disappeared entirely into the green.
The rest of the squad followed him.
“Nothing to be afraid of,” Eoin murmured to Lilian. “Just follow me and feel your way through the plants, sideways on.” It was claustrophobic and a little ticklish, but there was a road between the springy branches, that led abruptly into an open space, bound by woven wicker fenced walls, with more criss-crossing green branches above to make a roof. The clang she had heard was from the grilled gate: the only moveable bit of the structure. The whole place was no more than twenty feet in total, but there was enough room for the five soldiers, plus Lilian, Jem and Kinley. Boxes, bags and woven sleeping mats were neatly stacked in one corner. Clay jars hung from the branch eaves and when Eoin plucked one from it’s place, Lilian realised they were there to collect rainwater. Two other members of the squad were pawing through the boxes, pulling out dried meat and oatcakes. An old, withered orange bounced on the floor.
“Wash, eat and bed down,” Afizere ordered. “We’ve got less than an hour.” He turned to his three guests. “It’s safe enough here. No-one comes this far out of town and there’s no patrols.”
“No point if you’ve no enemies comin’ to raid” Kinley remarked. “Now, where didya get the food from?” Afizere smiled and shook his head, declining to answer. “The ladies can have the far corner and roll mats,” he offered, handing over the articles. “Plus a blanket. We mostly sleep in our shirts and nobody moves until sun-up.”
With surprising speed, the squad arranged itself for sleep, every man hastily grabbing a mat, and a few stripping down to slip under blankets. Lilian snuggled in, next to Jem with an illicit thrill. They so rarely got to spend the night together, back at home.
“Almost night,” Afizere said, from his place in front of the entrance. “May the Gods and their messengers protect us.”
“So we pray,” the squad murmured back. Lilian felt a rising dread and the tears prick at her eyes. It did not feel like they were merely falling asleep, more like they were waiting for the axe to fall. Something touched her hand and she almost shrieked before she realised it was Jem. Black-eyed tenacious Jem, infusing a little courage through their linked fingers. “See you in the morning,” she whispered.
Night fell.