Dustborn Page 16

  “Have you tried using it?” Gideon asked.

  Bryan shook his head. “We looked it over in the practice chamber. I shook it a bit, but I did not extensively test it.”

  Louie backed instinctively away. “If it is a weapon, for all we know, it is dangerous.”

  Caution took over Gideon’s face. “Perhaps we can take it to Lenny, then. He’ll study it and see what he makes of it.”

  “The blacksmith?” Bryan’s eyes went to the floor. “He’s dead, sir, killed in the mouth of the monster.”

  Louie traded a glance with Bryan. “Most of our tradesmen died when the monster arrived.”

  A small frustration crossed Gideon’s face.

  “We’ll test it,” Bryan said, looking confidently between Gideon and Raj. “If it does something, we’ll figure it out.”

  Gideon nodded, satisfied. He looked from the object to Raj. A smile passed through his face, crinkling the corners of his mouth and bunching some of the scars on his face, as he asked, “Do you mind if we try out your object?”

  “No, sir.” Raj still couldn’t believe he was speaking to the leader.

  “This device might help us in ways we can’t fathom.” Gideon watched the device.

  Raj couldn’t believe what he heard.

  “You have done good work, boy. You should be proud of your discovery.”

  Raj beamed, taking a step back and holding his object close.

  “I look forward to an update from all of you.”

  “Hold it this way,” Bryan instructed.

  He and Louie shifted the object back and forth, touching some of the grooves on the side. More than once, they stepped back, as if the object might emit some powerful lightning.

  Or turn their bodies to ash.

  Keeping his distance, Raj shivered.

  Gideon’s words had inspired new admiration for the object, but also a heavy dose of fear. Raj couldn’t help thinking about the stories he’d told. Who knew what the device might do? Following Bryan’s instructions, Raj stayed on one end of the cave, holding his torch, keeping a safe buffer from where the other men tested his discovery. A part of him wanted to help, but another part was glad to watch from a distance. Despite his fear, he felt freer than he had in days. Weeks.

  Gone was the lonely feeling that had plagued him for too long; instead he had a sense of belonging.

  His hands shook with excitement. At any moment, they might expose a secret that would change his life. Maybe even everyone’s lives.

  He watched, riveted, as Bryan and Louie carefully turned the object end over end. A few times, they set it down, cleaned it off, or inspected it for something they might’ve missed.

  Raj watched for a long while, until the bottoms of his feet ached from standing, shifting, and repositioning. He looked back over his shoulder. How much time had elapsed since he’d arrived with the object? It felt like they’d kept at it for most of the night. A new fear washed over him: what if it was already daybreak, and someone had missed him?

  Seeing the worry on his face, Louie looked from the object to the end of the tunnel from which they’d come.

  “Maybe we should try again tomorrow,” Louie suggested.

  “Can we hold on to the device for you?” Bryan asked.

  Raj hesitated. “I’d rather bring it back with me when I return.”

  Bryan watched him a long moment.

  “I’ll come back tomorrow,” Raj promised, stepping over and reaching out his hands.

  A strange look crossed Bryan’s face as he looked at the device. Bryan cradled it in such a way that he couldn’t take it back easily. Again, Raj wondered if he had made a mistake. What would he do if Bryan refused?

  Slowly, Bryan handed it over.

  “Tomorrow night, it is,” Bryan said with a smile.

  Chapter 46: Bryan

  Gideon pursed his chapped lips and appraised Bryan and Louie. “Are you certain the boy will bring it back?”

  Bryan looked between Gideon and Louie. “The boy trusts us. We have done nothing to break that trust. He will return it to us.”

  “I think he is trying to prove something to us,” Louie said. “I’ve seen the look in his eyes.”

  “But you didn’t have any luck in testing it,” Gideon reiterated.

  “We aren’t sure what the object does, if anything,” Louie said. “For all we know, the boy is more useful than his metal device.”

  Gideon nodded. “You have a point. But even if the object doesn’t function, the boy’s trust can be a great asset. With his help, we can keep a closer watch on the Right Cave.”

  “You’re right. The deal with Raj brings us little risk,” Bryan agreed. “With the support of the Center Cave, we have little to fear.”

  Gideon nodded decisively. “Do everything in your power to keep the boy in our good graces. Hopefully, he will continue to provide use to us.” Gideon paused. “Who knows? Weapon or not, the boy might be the key to unraveling everything in their cave.”

  Chapter 47: Neena

  Neena, Kai, and twenty other Right Cavers rubbed their eyes and clutched their buckets. The light of their torches illuminated the winding tunnel, as they headed toward the spring. Despite some normal, lingering tiredness, Neena had slept better than usual the night before. It seemed Kai had gotten some better rest, as well. Gone were the bags under his eyes, and he walked with long, purposeful strides. The few days of relative peace had lifted everyone’s spirits.

  Neena looked over her shoulder at the twenty people behind her. A mixture of men and women comprised their group. A few rows back, Samara smiled at her. Unlike the others, Samara carried two buckets instead of her torch, so she could provide extra water for her young ones. The others kept a brisk pace.

  Neena clutched her empty bucket. At least it wasn’t heavy, without water splashing around.

  Taking advantage of their lighter load, the Right Cavers curved with the tunnel, following Darius’s circular marks and chatting. Neena and Kai cast their torches ahead of them, leading the others around the last bend that gave way to the wide chamber and the spring.

  She slowed as they rounded the corner.

  Deeper in the chamber, torches burned.

  Voices rang out.

  The smooth walls of the chamber sloped upward, culminating at a ceiling almost as tall as a storehouse building. To the left was the solid part of the tunnel floor, continuing north. To the right was the spring.

  Forty people stood at the spring’s edge, dipping their buckets in the water, quietly chatting. Neena tensed as she recognized Sherry, Ed, and some other people from the Left and Center Caves.

  Neena’s people stopped short.

  Noticing Neena’s group, the colonists at the spring ceased their conversations. Slowly, they removed their water buckets and migrated away from the spring, clustering behind Sherry and Ed.

  Once again, Neena felt as if she had entered the Left Cave.

  The tension in the air was thick and palpable enough that Neena could feel her heart beating in her ears. She swallowed.

  “What are you doing here?” Sherry called across the gap between them.

  The question was rhetorical.

  Of course, everyone knew.

  Struggling to maintain her cool, Neena called back, “We collect our water at this time.”

  Sherry looked at Neena. She looked at her bucket. Slowly, she arched her back. She made a decision.

  “Not today, you don’t,” Sherry said.

  Next to her, Ed held his chin up in defiance.

  Sensing the not-so-subtle threat in those words, Sherry and Ed’s group came toward Neena’s.

  Neena stiffened. She looked behind her at the twenty men and women who waited, watching her reaction. Looking at the larger gro
up of Left and Center Cavers, who outnumbered them, Neena knew they had no chance at winning an argument, and certainly not a fight. But they needed their water. Beside her, Kai dug his heels into the ground, steadfast.

  Hoping to squash an altercation, she waited until they got close before saying, “We’ll wait our turn.”

  “You heard what Bryan said about getting in our way,” Sherry spat, to the murmuring agreement of the forty or so people behind her. “Now, turn around and head back to your cave.”

  “We won’t get in your way while you finish collecting what you need,” Neena promised.

  “Leave.” Sherry’s face was stern.

  Neena looked among the people in front of her, hoping to find a reasonable face among them, but not one met her eyes with kindness. Even those she recognized as former acquaintances neither smiled, nor broke his or her threatening composure.

  Sherry’s eyes blazed with intensity as she said, “Turn around and go.”

  Neena bristled. Forcing amicability into her voice, she, said, “We’ll head back a little way, and then come back.”

  “We’ll be here a while.” Sherry’s face was stone. “We’re taking our time.”

  A long moment of silence took over the two groups, as they waited for someone to yield. Before Neena could think of another way to handle the situation, a voice interrupted.

  “We’re not going anywhere, Neena.” The words echoed off the walls of the cave, surprising all of them. Neena turned to find Samara stepping forward, clutching her two empty buckets. “My children need their water. We’ll wait right here until they’re finished.”

  The atmosphere changed in the room. The people on both sides of the cave stiffened. Neena looked among her twenty people. Of course, some carried spears or knives, but mostly, they carried buckets. They’d come here for water, not an altercation.

  Still, some of them looked as if they were ready to fight. They inched forward, clenching their fists. Too many days of nervous, confined anticipation had taken their toll.

  Sherry stepped sideways, getting nose-to-nose with Samara. Her line of people shifted.

  “Tell your friend to back off, Neena,” Sherry warned, her people pressing in behind her.

  Neena opened her mouth to speak, but Samara interrupted.

  “We have just as much right to this water as you do. We’re not going anywhere.”

  A glimmer of violence crossed Sherry’s eyes as she heard Samara’s words.

  “Darius found this spring,” Samara persisted, drawing strength from those behind her. “This is our water, not yours.”

  Angry spittle flew from Sherry’s mouth. “Take another step, and we’ll see whose water it is.”

  All eyes locked on Sherry and Samara.

  Defiantly, Samara took another step.

  With a cry, Sherry shoved her backward.

  Pandemonium erupted.

  Shouts filled the air.

  People pushed, shouted, and swung. Water splashed everywhere. Colonists toppled in all directions, fighting for the upper hand, dropping their buckets, or using them as weapons. Neena scrambled back, dodging a screaming, charging woman. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ed swing, and Kai duck. A few people fell to the ground, victims of pushing hands.

  A shriek ripped her attention right, where Sherry and Samara locked fingers, pushing each other back and forth.

  And then Samara was falling back on her butt, Sherry was reaching to her side, and a knife was flashing in Sherry’s hand.

  People on both sides fell back, as the altercation took a severe turn. A few people on the ground scrambled to get up. Others looked on with mouths agape.

  Sherry swung the knife in front of her, advancing on Samara, a crazed expression on her face.

  “Come on, you piece of filth!” she yelled at Samara. “Let’s see you threaten me now!”

  On the ground, Samara scooted backward and away. Fear flickered through her eyes.

  Sherry swung her blade again, nearly slicing Samara’s ankle, while the other Right Cavers ran forward, grabbing Samara’s arms and pulling her from harm.

  “Get up and fight, you bitch!” Sherry shrieked.

  She kept advancing, close enough that her next swing would surely cut flesh. Before that could happen, Neena yelled, “Stop!”

  Her word echoed around the chamber.

  Pulled from her maniacal daze, Sherry froze.

  The rest of her group fell back around her.

  “A bucket of water isn’t worth a life!” Neena yelled, looking from one side of the cave to the other. Hating the words she spoke, she said, “We’ll go, for now. This is over!”

  “Neena…” Samara started, through the fear in her eyes, as people helped her to her feet.

  “We’re leaving,” Neena said adamantly, looking among her twenty people. “Collect your buckets and follow me.”

  A few hesitated, but most fell in line. Eventually, with the insistence of Kai, the others did, too. Keeping an eye out over their shoulders, Neena and the Right Cavers returned they way they had come.

  “That’s right!” Sherry shrieked triumphantly. “Run away! This is our time to collect water now!”

  Neena rounded the bend, ignoring Sherry’s cries.

  Swallowing through the lump in her throat, Neena looked among her twenty people. “We’ll come back later. I promise.”

  Neena and her group walked slowly through the cave. The aftermath of the altercation was a weight in the air, pressing on each of their shoulders. They could no longer hear the voices of the Left and Center Cavers, but they felt the outcome of the argument in the empty buckets they carried.

  “Did you see their faces?” piped up one man. “They treated us like rats running along their bedrolls, rather than people among whom they’ve lived.”

  Spite filled Samara’s face. “They have no right to that water. They can’t do this.”

  Grimly, Kai said, “They had us outnumbered two-to-one. If we’d kept fighting, we might’ve died.”

  Samara’s bruised pride was written on her face. “And now we will die of thirst, instead.”

  “We’ll return later,” Neena said. “We’ll just have to go in larger groups.”

  “And if they’re there?”

  “We’ll get our water,” Neena said resolutely. “Whatever it takes.”

  “The next time I see them, I’m not backing down,” Samara promised.

  Neena felt a similar anger, but she forced herself to say, “Just hold tight, Samara. I promise things will get better.”

  She forced certainty into those words, even though she had none.

  Chapter 48: Neena

  “Neena,” Darius said, sensing something on her face. “What’s wrong?”

  Neena looked behind her, watching the twenty people returning to their relatives with empty buckets. The tension of the encounter was written on their faces. They would tell others their story. And that story would spread like a sickness, weaving through the cave until everyone was just as nervous and angry. While Kai headed over to brief Amos, Neena stayed with Darius and continued explaining.

  Darius listened as she told of the altercation with Sherry, Samara’s bravery, and the battle that almost led to bloodshed.

  “At the time, leaving seemed like the best option,” she finished.

  “I think you made the right choice,” Darius told her.

  “But still, that is only a temporary solution,” Neena said. “What if we go back, and they are there again?”

  Darius pursed his lips in worry. “Now that they have found a new way to threaten us, I don’t think they will relent.”

  “So, what will we do?” Neena asked.

  A din of nervous conversation spread around them. People looked
at the empty buckets of water, or examined their flasks, ascertaining how much further they had to ration.

  “The situation is dire,” Darius said, scratching at his stubble. “Anyone who didn’t know it before, knows it now.”

  “Do you know of another place to get water?”

  “There is another spring, much farther than the one I showed you,” Darius said. “But it would take as much as half a day to get there. Going back and forth wouldn’t be efficient.”

  Neena looked around at the people in the cave. An idea she hated struck her. “Do you think we should move?”

  Darius thought on it for a long time. “There are plenty of other caves here. But I’m not sure that would solve our problem, either. The Left and Center Cavers might see us, and they might follow us there, too, if they were intent on intimidating us. How long would it take for them to realize they could take over a new water spot, too?”

  Neena shook her head. “It wouldn’t take more than a few days for them to scour the caves and find us, or notice the smoke of our fires, if they wanted to.”

  Darius sighed, looking around at the people around them. “Moving would be another patch on the problem. I will not lie: we are at one of the lowest points I thought we’d reach.”

  His gaze wandered to the ground.

  “I saw the spark of aggression in our people’s eyes, as they went into this skirmish,” Neena said. “We were lucky to get away without any injuries. But if Bryan, Sherry, and Ed start something again, we won’t be as lucky. The fighting will be worse, and everyone will lose. We need a way to keep people together without resorting to violence.”

  Darius shook his head. “We’ll keep thinking. Hopefully we’ll come up with something.”

  Chapter 49: Bryan

  Bryan gazed across the wide, rounded chamber—the same place where they had examined the strange object the night before. Now, two dozen torches splashed light over the dirty Watchers who stood with their spears, and the cloth-wrapped bags of sand at which they aimed.