27. Phoebe
27
PHOEBE
S tepping through a barely visible door, we emerge into an alley behind the Fallen Beetle. The stench is so bad that I retch, covering my nose and mouth but it does no good.
“Gross,” I mutter.
Garbage and debris climbs the wall as if it’s alive and trying to consume the building. The crippled Urr’ki takes the lead. He picks his way through the mess and his crutches no longer make the clacking sound. That detail tugs at my attention because he must have been doing it intentionally before if he can be quiet like this when he wants. The scarred one roams further ahead and the shorter one brings up the rear of our new group.
“Hood,” Vapas grunts, startling me.
I pull the hood up and over my head, tugging it to hide my face as much as possible. For a man with a leg as twisted and painful looking as his is he moves with surprising speed. It’s an effort to keep up.
Vapas stays close to my side, dropping behind me when the mess becomes so thick that we can’t walk side-by-side. Focusing on one step at a time helps keep the fear at bay.
We make our way through a twisting maze of alleys, never coming closer than a distant sighting of any of the main streets. Looking around, we’re moving further and further from the center of the city towards the outer edge.
I only saw these areas briefly when we were captured and hauled through them. I don’t know for sure, but it definitely seems that the further we get the worse off the area is. The garbage is taller and smellier. The buildings were made of stone and though they were damaged by the quakes, they were still solid structures.
Where we are now several of the buildings are collapsed, nothing but piles of rubble. Between the piles there are other buildings, makeshift structures of mixed media, compiled together out of scraps and remnants.
We stop before one such structure. The door is made of slats of some kind of wood like material and if there was a light inside it’d be streaming through the gaps but there’s nothing.
The cripple looks over his shoulder, grunts, then slides the door to one side. He motions with one crutch that we should enter. I move to do so but Vapas grabs my shoulder, stopping me.
“Me,” he whispers as he steps around from behind and enters the doorway. The cripple shakes his head then looks at me and shrugs. Vapas disappears into the dark and I wait a moment for something to happen. “Come Phoebe.”
Only at his command do I enter. There’s a strange tingling in my lower belly as I obey that makes a tingle of anticipation race over my skin.
The interior is so dark that I can’t see a thing. It’s not like the outside is bright since the only illumination in the Urr’ki cavern city comes from strategically placed torches. Well, torches and the newly formed random cracks that are filled with molten lava.
I blink rapidly, forcing my eyes to adjust to the dim light. When someone lights a torch I’m immediately back to blind. Vapas growls, low and dangerous, shielding his eyes with one hand.
As my vision shifts I hear the door slide into place behind us. Fear is instant, momentarily freezing me in place. Vapas must sense my distress because he places his hand on my lower back as he steps closer so my body is pressing against his. It’s loving and protective and everything I could ever want in a man.
Who is married. No. Was. Was married and he’s hurting. I can’t even imagine…
“You caused quite the stir,” a rumbling voice says. “Should leave you to them.”
“Then why don’t you?” Vapas growls, leaning forward in open defiance.
The blurred shape of the new Urr’ki crosses his arms over his chest and grunts.
“I don’t waste potential,” he says. “Why are you here?”
“You brought us,” I snap.
Vapas’ gaze snaps to me with an unspoken admonishment. I frown and shrug. I have no idea what possessed me to pop off. I’m not the brave one, yet here I am running my mouth like I can back up anything I might say.
“Your human has star fire in her,” the other guy says, looking me up and down. “Good.”
Vapas steps between us, breaking his line of sight with both hands balling into fists.
“What do you mean potential?” Vapas asks.
“You don’t ask the questions.”
“I do or we will leave,” Vapas says. “Unless you think you can keep me here…” he trails off, leaving the rest unspoken but the threat more than clear.
The other Urr’ki raises his hands between the two of them.
“Relax Vapas,” he says. “We will not hold you against your will. I know enough about you, but what I do not know is why you woke up.”
“Woke up?” Vapas asks.
“You, like so many, have walked without seeing. Lived without trying. Why now? What made you realize that this fight was now?”
Barely thinking, I move to the side and forward. I’m drawn to Vapas. I want to know what he says, but every bit as much, I want to see his face when he says it. He lowers his head and his shoulders drop as he unclenches his fists. Slowly his head turns until his eyes are on mine, burning with that fire I’ve seen in them before.
“Her,” he says.
The word has weight no single utterance should ever be able to convey but it’s there. Landing on not my ears, but my heart. It’s an admission. A claiming. And more. It’s a universe of love forced into a single syllable. Tears fill my eyes as my heart races and my breath catches in my chest.
“I see,” the other Urr’ki says, his voice breaking the moment. “Good.”
Vapas tears his eyes away, leaving an emptiness. It’s as if my skin is cooling from the lack of his gaze. But he reaches his hand over and takes my hand in his.
“Good?” Vapas asks.
The stranger nods, rolls his shoulders and his head. Several loud cracks fill the room and then he sighs and rubs the back of his head.
“There is much happening,” he says. “But first things first. I am Virodah. I am something of a leader in the so-called resistance.”
“Good,” Vapas says. “We need help. The Maulavi continue to threaten her. I do not think it will be long before they try to take her. That cannot happen.”
Virodah nods but narrows his eyes as he does, a deep frown on his face.
“Come, sit,” he says, motioning past himself.
There’s a crude table that doesn’t sit level with four mismatched chairs. He takes a seat at the far end and grabs bottle which he pours into three chipped mugs, setting one before each of us as we sit.
“Can you help?” Vapas presses.
“We will try,” Virodah says.
“Try?” Vapas growls, slapping one hand loudly on the table. “I need more than trying. I am trying and I know it’s not enough. What point is a resistance if you can’t help?”
He stands, knocking his chair over in the process, and leans onto the table, glaring into Virodah’s eyes. Virodah doesn’t react with any obvious emotion. He raises his mug, takes a sip, then sets it on the table.
“Sit down, Vapas,” he says, speaking softly.
There’s no hint of a threat in his voice. He exudes a calm certainty while meeting Vapas’ angry glare. Vapas holds the glare for a moment longer before grunting. I reach behind and pull the chair back upright right as he drops heavily onto it.
“What help can you give?” Vapas asks.
“We will help,” Virodah says, “but we need help back. As I said many things are happening. More than you can possibly imagine but I believe they are why the Maulavi have increased their interest in her.”
His eyes shift to me. It makes me uncomfortable, this feeling that I’m on the spot for something I don’t even know. I didn’t do anything. Well, not true, I am here to spy, but only kind of casually.
Virodah’s statement hangs in the air, heavy and unyielding. He stands and moves to the corner of the room. He picks up something then returns to the table and spreads out a worn map of the city etched into something resembling parchment. He uses our cups to keep it flat on the uneven table, the edges curling with age.
“You’ll stay here,” he says, tapping a spot on the map. I don’t think it’s far from where we are but I’m not sure. “This building is abandoned, secure, and far from the Maulavi’s usual patrol routes. For now, it’s the safest place we can offer.”
“And then what?” Vapas asks, his voice tight with frustration. “We hide while they hunt us? That’s not a plan—it’s surrender.”
Virodah’s gaze hardens, his sharp features illuminated by the flickering torchlight.
“It’s survival,” he counters. “If you’re caught, it does nothing to help our cause. And if she falls into their hands—” He doesn’t finish the thought, but the implication sends a shiver through me.
I lean forward, my voice shaking as I ask, “What do they want with me?”
“They fear you,” Virodah says simply. “Or what you represent. That fear makes them dangerous. The Shaman is losing control and he knows it. As I said there is more happening then I can explain right now, but know this, desperation is making him reckless.”
Before I can respond, the door is jerked loudly aside. An Urr’ki rushes inside, his chest heaving. His eyes dart to Virodah.
“They’re coming,” he gasps. “The Maulavi know you’re harboring them. They’re sending a unit—heavily armed.”
Virodah’s jaw tightens, and he nods once.
“There is no time to waste.”
“What do you mean no time?” Vapas snaps, his body coiled with tension. “If they know, they’ll hunt us no matter where we go.”
“Precisely why you’ll stay here—for now,” Virodah replies. “We’ll draw them off, lead them on a chase through the alleys. That should keep you safe.”
“You’re leaving us here?” I ask, my voice rising in panic.
“You’ll be safe,” Virodah says firmly. “But do not leave this building until we return. No matter what you hear.”
Before we can argue, he gestures for the scout to follow and heads out. The two of them disappear into the darkness beyond the door. It slides shut with a grim finality, leaving Vapas and me alone.
The silence that follows is suffocating, broken only by the distant sounds of shouting. My chest tightens with every passing second, the weight of our isolation pressing onto me.
Vapas’s hand brushes against mine, grounding me.
“We’re not stuck,” he says quietly, as if reading my thoughts. “We’re safe.”
But even as he says it, there’s an edge to his voice. He doesn’t believe it any more than I do.
A faint sound echoes through the building—a distant thud, followed by another. I freeze, straining to listen. The noises grow louder, closer, a rhythmic pounding that sends my heart racing.
“Do you hear that?” I whisper.
Vapas nods, his hand sliding to the hilt of his blade. “Stay behind me.”
The pounding stops abruptly, replaced by an eerie silence that feels far more menacing. My skin prickles as I glance toward the door, half expecting it to burst open at any moment.
And then it happens—a low, guttural growl, reverberating through the walls. It’s not human. It’s not Urr’ki.
“Vapas,” I breathe, my voice barely audible.
He steps closer to me, his body tense and ready. “We’re not alone.”
The growl comes again, louder this time, followed by the unmistakable sound of claws scraping against stone. Whatever is out there, it’s hunting us—and it’s getting closer.
“Stay quiet,” Vapas murmurs, his eyes scanning the shadows.