CHAPTER TWELVE #2
Xalbia had a way of exposing who you were—that could be a harsh reality for some people, and I suspected that not all would accept it or work on themselves to make necessary changes. But it appeared that Bevan had.
He never bothered me these days. He even nodded my way if we happened to lock gazes, though it happened rarely since neither of us paid the other any real attention. He’d also detached himself from his cousins’ group and joined another. There was hope for him yet.
The breeze again rolled along the hill, sending leaves skittering along the ground and carrying with it the scents of earthy moss, greenery, and pine needles.
Up and up we climbed, even as the path became narrower and slipperier. What could have been hours later, we slowed as we reached a rocky outcrop. A distinctive whistle split the air that I’d learned meant, Hold.
Immediately, the entire line stilled.
I’d come to be able to tell Talon’s whistles apart; to know what each one meant; to read his signals better.
I’d also become very good at pretending that I didn’t want him as badly as Khalida had guessed.
Okay, that wasn’t true, but I was optimistic that I soon would be very good at it.
There was a loud grating sound from up ahead. That of heavy stone scuffing rock. Then came a sharp Follow me whistle from Talon.
The line began to move again. Soon, I saw a small doorway built into the cliff. A twisted, broken tree helped conceal it.
One by one, we filed inside—bending to fit into the low-ceilinged tunnel. The spot seemed too tight, and I felt a flutter of panic when my shoulders slightly scraped the walls.
If Talon can fit, you can fit.
Pushing past the panic, I bent a little more and skimmed my fingers along the rough dirt wall as I then descended a set of steps that led down to a lower level. There was no fog here, so I easily spotted the second door.
We walked behind Talon as he shoved it open and strolled inside.
It was like stepping into a freezing cold nothingness.
Seriously, it was beyond dark. An immediate chill settled over me, and little bumps swept up my skin.
The stale, earthy air was thick with the scents of dirt, dust, and cold stone.
I blinked hard, straining to see. Which was right when rows of wall sconces lit up like magic.
Again we trailed behind Talon, the sound of our footfalls echoing off the rough-hewn walls.
The tunnels were sizeable enough to enable us to walk in twos if we so wished.
Somehow, Lear and I ended up side-by-side.
Dirt and leaves littered the uneven floor—most of which had probably been dragged in by boots.
Tall wooden beams were here and there, in addition to drains in the floors.
There were also plenty of wall sconces—all of which lit as we walked.
I guessed that Talon was lighting them with pure power alone.
I restlessly plucked at my tunic and cricked my neck.
Gods, I’d hate to get stuck down here with no light.
I wasn’t sure that feeling my way through the darkness would do anything other than get me lost, despite that the layout of the elaborate cave system reminded me of the garrison in how it was basic, straightforward, and purposeful.
There were just so many turns you could take, so many rooms you could enter, so many alcoves, passageways, and sharp corners.
Each door was marked, indicating which room they led to—ration storage, weaponry, garderobe, supplies, sleeping quarters, and so on and so on.
Beside me, Lear began breathing heavily. I wasn’t sure if it was the darkness, the tight space, or being underground that bothered her, but it was clear that she was anxious.
“Don’t think about being underground,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Imagine the tunnels are just—”
“I’m fine,” she bit out, defensive. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
Knowing any sympathy would rile her up, I snorted. “Who says I’m worried? Your heavy breathing is just annoying me.”
A brief, surprised chuckle bubbled up. “I’m not liking the amount of spiderwebs down here,” she said after a long pause, her tone holding no bite this time.
“Me neither.” There were lots. Some fluttered with the air that blew in from occasional wall holes which I figured were linked to cleverly hidden outdoor chimneys.
I flicked a quick look at Lear as I asked, “Does the fog outside seem less dense to you?”
She spared me a brief glance. “No. Why?”
“It didn’t seem quite as hazy today.”
Pursing her lips, she shrugged. “Maybe you’re just getting so accustomed to the fog that it seems thinner.”
I frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe.”
As we piled into what was clearly some sort of communal living space, Talon stopped and turned to face us. Again, each wall sconce lit—as did the candles in the overhead chandelier.
Wafting at the dust motes dancing in the air, I took in the underground room. Many divans, chairs, and small tables were spread around the large space. Smoke-marred walls were near a pit that was clearly used for cooking.
There were storage niches in the walls. Some held lanterns. Others held books, decks of cards, thin blankets, or pots and pans.
I swallowed around a dry throat, hoping we were permitted to eat soon. The gnawing hunger in my belly was a—
An elbow bumped mine.
I looked to see that Atticus now stood beside me. He didn’t look my way, but a little smirk flirted with one corner of his mouth. What he thought was so amusing about deliberately bumping my elbow with his own I had no idea.
Realizing I was restlessly flexing my fingers, I knotted them together to keep them still.
I wasn’t the only one of the candidates struggling, I noted.
Many were fidgeting—shifting from foot to foot, rolling their shoulders, twisting the cuffs of their tunic, swaying their arms back and forth.
Lear’s sort-of-boyfriend Reeve was bobbing his head, as if listening to music only he could hear.
A Listen up whistle rang out.
I snapped to attention, my focus zipping straight to Talon. He gave a chin-tip to Ajax, who responded with a curt nod.
“This is one of many underground hides within the Pines,” said Ajax. “Officiates often come here in small groups. They remain here anywhere from five days to three weeks before other officiates come to replace them. The only reason there’s no one here now is that we’ll be using it for a few days.
“Generally, two at a time will work observation duty—or Ob-duty, as we refer to it. They are rotated every so many hours. Since there are quite a few of you, four people at a time will work Ob-duty—one of the four will always be either Talon, myself, or Quillen. You’ll be constantly on rotation.
We want you to get a feel for how it is to have your sleep disturbed and your body clock messed with. ”
How considerate.
“You’ll be given food and water rations as usual,” Ajax continued.
“We have a waste disposal system for tending to your personal needs—I’ll show you how that works in just a minute.
First, we need to get the ground rules out of the way.
One, nobody wanders off. It is extremely easy to get lost down here.
You do that, we will not look for you. You will be expected to find your own way back to us. ”
Well that was nice.
“Two, nobody touches the food rations in the storage room—those are for officiates who come here, not for you. Three, do not attempt to leave. If you find it difficult to deal with being underground, tell us—you’ll be taken out of here.
But you’ll also fail Xalbia. And no one will take you back to Deimos.
You will camp up on the surface alone until it’s time for everyone to leave. ”
I wasn’t surprised by that merciless revelation.
“In terms of sleeping quarters, each are relatively small and have two bunkbeds. You’ll later be told who you’ll be grouped with.”
Atticus looked at me, his lips kicking up. “I do hope we’re sharing the same quarters,” he whispered, but the sound echoed enough that it carried to the others.
Quillen’s head snapped toward him. “Then you’ll be disappointed to hear that you’ll be sleeping in the same space as me. And let it be known that I really don’t like you.”
Atticus swallowed nervously.
I was honestly glad he’d stupidly blurted that out, because it had occurred to me how incredibly easy it would be for someone to corner and kill another person down here.
There were many shadowy alcoves to conceal such a crime.
And unless the body was found, others would assume that the victim had broken the ‘no wandering off’ rule and subsequently gotten lost—no one would attempt to find them.
By letting that veiled threat slip, Atticus had pretty much announced that if I were to go missing or be killed, he was the one responsible. For me, there really were perks to him being an idiot.
Ajax’s eyes went slitted as he regarded Atticus. “I would imagine you remember what happened to your friend, Klemens. I can’t think why you would want to …”
The rest of his words got lost as my heart began to pound like crazy in my chest. Shit. I held myself perfectly still. Too still, really. Nobody paid me any attention.
Except Talon.
I felt him watching me; had the sense that he suspected I was in such a heightened state.
From the corner of my eye, I saw him move. Saw him begin to slowly prowl around the space, coolly calm yet hypervigilant.
Saw him heading in my direction.
He purposely brushed his upper arm against mine as he passed by. He was testing my body’s response, I knew. But I’d been braced for it, so I didn’t flinch. Didn’t move a muscle. Didn’t look at—
“We’ll eat before we get started,” said Ajax, dragging my attention right back to him with those magic words. “Go find yourselves a seat.”