Chapter 10 #2
His breaths are fast and shallow, his body trembling.
Beads of sweat slide down his forehead. I want to shake him, but what if he wakes up and attacks me?
I remain numb in my seat, watching him fight whatever the hell is haunting his subconscious.
Witnessing what only Josh has seen before, I’m positive that this is no ordinary nightmare. Caden is seeing something.
“Stay back,” he says. “Stay back!”
A sudden jolt wakes him up. He glances around, blinking as his vision focuses on me. I remain quiet, giving him time to collect himself while my heart still drums. To my surprise, he doesn’t seem rattled, as if the horrors of his subconscious have become familiar.
“It’s getting worse,” I say, “or are you just used to this by now?”
“I think it’s both.”
“Those are not normal dreams, Caden.”
He wipes sweat from his brow. “Tell me about it.”
I don’t know what to say to make this better, and the fear in his eyes is painful to watch.
“Can we go get some fresh air?” I ask.
He sighs. “Good idea.”
*
It’s almost nighttime, and the air is much colder, but both of us wear warm jackets. We walk to the nearby observation spot, where couples and families have come to watch the sunset. We sit down on one of the benches.
“It’s beautiful,” I say. The sun slowly disappears on the horizon, casting long shadows from the faraway mountains.
“Yeah.” He sounds more tired than impressed.
I lean my head against his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. Whatever it is, it’s temporary.”
“I don’t think it is.”
“You’re too pretty to think. Leave that to me.”
He snickers and kisses the top of my head. “You’re the right amount of pretty.”
“Lyla suspects that the king is hiding something,” I say quietly. “She said he has been acting strange and has no intention of joining us against the Raiders.”
Caden nods. “No offense, but I sort of figured this whole thing would be a diplomatic waste of time. If the king of High Hope hasn’t made up his mind about the Raiders after all these years, why now?”
“Because they’re a bigger threat now with Hector and those lizards.”
Caden shrugs. “They were pretty dangerous before. Maybe he needs to see some of those lizards climbing up his mountain to wake the hell up.”
“Are you Finn from Unity?”
I turn to see two approaching guards. “Yes.”
“The king would like to see you, but he said that it can wait until tomorrow if you prefer.”
It might be wise to wait until I’m well rested, but it feels rude to make the king wait because I’m tired. “Now is fine. Can Captain Anderson join me?”
“If you wish.”
We follow the two guards until I hear, “Finn!” Otto hurries toward us. “Where are you going?”
“We’re taking them to see the king,” one of the guards says.
“Oh. Um, I see.”
I clear my throat. “Otto is also representing Unity. I’m sure the king would like to meet with him as well.”
Otto smiles in gratitude, and the guards don’t seem to care either way.
We follow them onto a paved road, which takes us away from the streets and between two rows of apple trees that lead to the palace’s massive iron gate.
The structure itself is carved into the mountain, as if it’s trying to push through the rocks.
We walk past the beautiful royal gardens, then up a flight of stairs made of shiny marble.
The main hall has a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling and sculptures as tall as me.
There’s no part of Unity that looks close to this palace.
The Hive was built for longevity, not to impress, and I prefer it that way.
“Good, you’re here.” Remy walks toward us with a warm smile. I remember him arguing with Lyla when we just arrived, so I’m not sure if he’s trustworthy. “I know it’s late, but the king has found time in his busy schedule.”
“We appreciate it,” I say.
Remy leads us deeper into the palace, our footsteps echoing between the tall walls.
We arrive in a wide room, and the rich and musky scent is the first thing I notice.
There are animals all around: birds, monkeys, lizards, and even some rodents.
Those who are not in cages walk around freely between the vegetation.
I wonder if this is a new addition to the palace, since I don’t remember seeing it the last time I was here.
The king stops feeding a large, turquoise iguana who is sitting on a tall wooden stand. “Finn! Good to see you again, my boy.”
I walk over to face him. “Hello, sir.” On my last visit, he asked me not to call him Your Highness since it was redundant.
He’s wearing a leather vest and a long-sleeved tunic, with a simple golden crown on top of his short, gray hair.
The golden staff in his hand is more for show than for walking.
He’s as tall as Caden, stocky and broad in the shoulders, though he has gained weight since I last saw him.
His face is round and smooth, and his eyes constantly dart around the room, even when he’s speaking with you directly.
“Did you have a safe trip?” he asks in his baritone voice.
“We had some trouble in a little town called Rifle. It was taken over by Raiders.”
“Oh my, how dreadful. Captain Anderson, I assume?”
Caden straightens. “Yes, sir.”
The king’s eyes stop darting and focus on Caden for a solid ten seconds. I feel uncomfortable on his behalf. Finally, the king says, “Welcome to High Hope, Captain.”
“And I am Otto James, sir, Assembly Member Lock’s representative. A pleasure to meet you.”
“I met Lock once. A rather stiff fellow, isn’t he? I was told that my friend River also came with you. I’ll be sure to catch up with him during my upcoming ball. Now, join me, Finn. Let us commune.”
“Caden and Otto—”
“Can stay here and pet my exotic friends, or walk around the gardens. Remy, offer them something to eat.”
I give Caden and Otto an apologetic look before following the king out of the room.
We climb up a flight of stairs, walking past old framed photographs from the Before Times that must be worth a fortune.
We reach the king’s private office, which is twice as large as Dino’s.
The view from here is breathtaking during the day, but it’s mostly dark now with the moon hiding behind the clouds.
“Wine?” the king asks as he puts aside his golden staff.
“No, thank you.”
“Does Dino not allow you to drink on the job?”
“I’m not a fan of alcohol.” And I don’t want to become even more tired.
He pours himself a glass of wine and takes a long sip.
“Did you know that this is how my great-great-grandfather started collecting his wealth after the world ended? While others searched for canned food, he searched for alcohol. When he had a decent amount, he found people to sell it to for ridiculous prices. In the old world, he used to sell cars, and not just regular cars, but used ones. It was considered a very prestigious profession. He turned himself into the go-to guy for buying pre-war alcohol, and this mountain was where he hid his products. When he had enough trustworthy men with him, they decided to turn this place into a city.” He sits down next to the fireplace and gestures for me to sit in front of him.
“You might say this place was founded on booze.”
“And hard work.”
“Of course. You didn’t survive back then without hard work and a whole lot of luck.”
“Things are not a walk in the park these days either.”
The king tilts his head, the shadows from the flames dancing over the left side of his face, emphasizing his elegant nose. “I’d argue that life is much more stable now, at least for some. Do you think my people fear for their lives? No one goes hungry, and no one is unsafe in High Hope.”
I nod. “You’re doing a wonderful job here, sir. No one can claim otherwise.”
“Yet here you are, Unity’s envoy, about to ask me to risk it all.”
I sit straighter, surprised he’s not beating around the bush like he’s known to do. “The Raiders will get here eventually, sir.”
“Oh, will they? Their last attempt was twenty years ago, did you know? I remember how fun it was to shoot them down. I was drinking an excellent merlot as the bullets rained down. The one who blew off the most heads won a medal.”
I’m not surprised by his confidence, nor can I dispute it.
“You’ve mentioned your people are well-fed, but we both know that safe trading routes are the main reason for that.
You have no major crops on this mountain, definitely not enough to feed a whole city.
If the rest of us fall, every person living here will be affected. ”
“Tomatoes and carrots are not good enough reasons to go to war, my boy. I told Dino that, yet he still sent you. I would have taken your presence as an insult, but I’m aware of your value in Dino’s eyes.”
I don’t feel very valuable at the moment, since it seems he has already made up his mind, as Lyla suspected. “Raiders are cancer, sir. I know that better than anyone. War is coming, and our enemy will use non-human soldiers alongside thousands of Raiders.”
“Mutants are human, Finn. Some of them live here.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“If you’re referring to those rumors of lizard men—”
“Not rumors. Captain Anderson saw them. They took out his entire squad before they could even react. What if they can climb up this mountain?”
He lets out a long breath and asks, “And how many of those creatures are out there?”
“We don’t know, but they seem to be wiping out small settlements up north.”
“Hmm.” He watches the fireplace. “That is concerning. And how many troops do you have in your alliance?”
“Over three thousand trained fighters. If we have to, we can call on a similar number of less trained civilians. Unity and Blue Moon will provide the majority of support. Our sister Hive is smaller than us, but their Defenders are just as trained as ours. Indifference will mostly provide ammunition and vehicles.”
“And Plain Rock?”
“Soldiers as well, and they are also negotiating with a few settlements to the east on our behalf.”
“I see. And what about the Semi-Humans?”
I hesitate. No one outside a small group of people knows the official number of living Semi-Humans, which is less than two hundred. “We have enough who are willing to help.”
“And how many Raiders live in Denver? How many can they call on from across Colorado?”
“We don’t know for sure. Our estimates—”
“—are worth shit.” He holds my gaze. “Find out more about how many troops Denver truly has and how easily those lizard men can be killed, then come back to ask for my support. As it stands, I have a lot more to lose than to gain, and that does not feel like a smart business deal.”
I don’t believe we can get the information he’s asking for anytime soon, and I suspect he knows that. “We want to purchase jetpacks,” I say, which is what Dino instructed me to do if I couldn’t secure High Hope’s direct support.
“How many?”
“How many do you have?”
He smiles. “Business negotiations are my favorite kind, but we shall continue after my ball tomorrow.”
I nod, feeling there is one more angle I should try, despite the risk.
“Perhaps,” I say, weighing every word, “we might avoid war altogether by speaking directly with the Raiders’ leader.
His name is Hector. Negotiating with him can save a lot of lives.
” I don’t believe that for a second, but I’m watching the king like a hawk, searching for any telling sign.
Unfortunately, the man remains unreadable, or maybe I’m not in his league.
“Negotiation is always preferable to war,” he says with a nod.
“Can you perhaps think of a way for us to get in contact with Denver?”
“Now, why on earth would I know that?”
I can tell by his tone that I stepped out of line. It’s time for me to leave before I make things worse. “Sorry, sir. Do you mind if I return to my room? It’s been a long day.”
“Of course. See yourself out.”