Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
After a week of small detours going from mission to mission, we finally reach the cluster of sensors that Allen had indicated on the map.
‘It’s a … hut,’ I say, staring at the downtrodden small building made of rotting wood.
Allen scans the premises with his ART. ‘This is definitely the place. It used to be a support point, but apparently, the building sustained structural damage from enemy kingdoms.’
‘Well, the location is pretty obvious for a support point, if you ask me,’ Julian says. ‘It’s practically screaming, Enemy Warriors, destroy me. Ravish me. Make me burn.’
‘Nobody asked you, Julian,’ Mace says. ‘According to my ART, the floor of this place is unstable, and we shouldn’t enter, by any means.’
‘Of course they’d say that,’ I huff. ‘I mean, if they wanted to keep everyone away from this place.’
‘So, are we going in or not?’ Xandra says.
‘You bet.’ Mace tilts his head, loosening any cricks in his neck. ‘We didn’t come all the way here just to stare from the outside.’
An eight-day trek, two battles with different teams, and gruelling sessions of training. Yes, I think I’ll pass on the offer to turn away, too.
‘Put down your backpacks,’ Mace says.
‘But what if someone steals them?’ Julian moans.
‘Did you check your ART?’ Mace says. ‘Did you see anyone nearby?’
‘No, but who knows which way we’ll come out. It doesn’t have to be the same way we go in,’ Allen says. ‘However, taking our backpacks with us would be a terrible idea.’
‘I’m glad that I have your approval,’ Mace says sourly. He gets grumpy when someone questions his orders. I pull at his cheek, so that he’ll get a grip on himself, and because he’s incredibly sweet when he frowns.
Mace pulls away and pretends to bite my finger.
I laugh.
Julian unstraps his backpack. ‘I can’t deal with the PDAs anymore. I just can’t.’
Xandra rolls her eyes. Nothing unusual there.
‘Come on,’ Mace says. His longsword springs into his hand, and he leads the way. The wooden floor creaks ominously as we go in. I’m the last one in the group, my shield raised, careful not to touch anyone else’s weapons.
The hut looks as battered from the inside as it did on the outside. It’s a single, simple chamber with a gaping fireplace on the wall to the right. We cluster in the middle of the floor.
‘What now?’ Julian asks.
‘Drop your weapons,’ Mace says. ‘We need to see if there are sensors that we can tickle in order for the … features of this place to activate.’ Hidden blocks of information, he means. ‘Ellie,’ he says, pointing at the floor.
I try with a questioning thread of my power. Then with the dome-slash-sensor-blocking mode of my power.
Nothing happens.
‘Huh,’ I say.
Allen taps his lips. ‘On every previous occasion, you needed to block something, Ellie. But maybe we don’t need to block something. Maybe it needs to activate.’ He crouches and flares his power along the floorboards. ‘Nothing,’ he says. ‘But it’s worth trying.’
‘If you say so,’ Julian says, and tries the same.
Xandra seems to take up the task with marginally more enthusiasm, but she comes up empty-handed, as well.
Then Mace crouches and brings his palm to the dusty floor. I feel the brush of his power tickling the soles of my feet. And then the floor comes crumbling down underneath us.
We’re freefalling, arms and heads and legs bumping into each other. I can’t tell up from down, when I hit something that seems like a mattress with a whoosh. This seems familiar: Stella used to drop me into chambers like this at The Citadel, so I could train in private.
I’m dragged against a solid torso, two strong arms encasing around me. Mace’s scent of pine and smoke wraps around me and I can’t do anything but hold on, reaching out a hand to squeeze his wrist.
‘I’ve got you,’ he whispers in my ear, and what I wouldn’t give for this to be true at any point in the future. He gets on his feet, pulling me after him.
‘What was that?’ Allen says. I can barely make out their shapes in the near darkness.
Then the underground room, so similar to the ones in the bowels of The Citadel, lights up with the shimmer of thirty holograms.
‘Defensive positions,’ Mace bellows, untangling himself from me. Team Gold surrounds me, their magical swords drawn.
We’re too close to each other for me to conjure my shield, because I could blast someone back by accident, but it’s fine, since I should be looking for sensors to block.
I crouch on the ground, throwing a blast of power, trying to find the echo.
As expected, my magic bounces back to me, helping me find the sensors.
Amazingly, Stella decides to make things easy for us for once, and the sensors are right beneath us.
When I realise that I can’t block them like this, I shout at the others to cut me a hole through the mattress.
Allen moves in a whirl with his daggers, and within seconds, I bring my palms to the cold floor.
I lock the holograms down with my power as soon as their weapons make contact with my teams’.
‘Fucking holograms,’ I say. ‘If I see another one after this mission is over, I’m going to throw up.’
‘That was close,’ Xandra says.
‘No, that was fast,’ Mace says, so much warmth in his voice. ‘You’re getting so good at this, Ellie.’
Xandra makes a retching sound.
The warm glow that Mace’s compliment brought forth puffs out in a whoosh. ‘You could lose some of the attitude, Xandra,’ I mutter. ‘It won’t kill you, you know.’
‘Anyway,’ Allen says, shoving some calming energy my way, though I don’t need it. ‘How do we unlock what we need to find?’
The metal walls are clanking, which means we’re about to get treated to some more hidden information. Hopefully.
The air before us shimmers, in a way that we’ve come to know well.
Half a room is projected in front of us.
I recognise it – it’s the Command Room at The Citadel.
Franka is sitting in a wide-backed, metal chair, the plain metal circlet on her head and the gold of her arm bracelet creating a stark contrast to the grey uniform she’s wearing beneath.
In front of her, Stu paces the room. He stops abruptly a few feet away from her. His gaze is focused on some point above her head.
‘Dear citizens,’ he says. ‘Brave soldiers of The Citadel. With great losses, we fought and pushed back the enemy that seeks to destroy us. But we lived. We endured. Because you understand the meaning of sacrifice. Because without it, the enemy kingdoms would have long succeeded in wiping us out entirely. Through their lies and deceit, they’ve tried to destroy us.
’ He blinks and looks down at Franka. ‘How is it so far?’
She waves him off. ‘Good. You’re a good speaker, Stu.’
He nods, then looks up again.
Is he rehearsing a speech?
‘This is why I’m sure you’ll understand the next bit of sacrifice that we’ll ask of you. Our survival as a nation hinges on it,’ his voice booms, to the point that it’s too loud.
Franka’s hands curl to fists in her lap.
‘Together, we are strong. Stronger than the lies we’ve been told.
Like the lie that we need to live as families to be happy.
As citizens of The Citadel, we have survived because we are a great family that works together to keep all its members safe.
This is the only reason we have not perished.
Because we put the interests of The Citadel above our individual ones.
And if we mean to survive, we must continue to do so.
We must work together for The Citadel, and not for our own selfish, petty interests.
We must make sure that the next generation of Warriors will be ready to take the baton, when the time comes. ’
Franka visibly stiffens in her chair and a thousand thoughts buzz in my mind.
A shiver travels down my spine as Stu’s booming voice continues.
‘We are only as strong as our Warriors’ Quarter.
No effort must be spared in order to ensure that.
Now, and for generations to come. To make sure of that, Warriors will continue to be banned from engaging in partnerships with people from different Quarters.
Whoever does not agree with The Citadel’s new policy is free to take to the Disputed Lands. ’
I’m chilled to my core. I can’t believe that no one stopped him.
Stu looks down to Franka. ‘What do you think?’
‘That I still do not agree with this measure. This city is more than its Warriors. You broke down families who came with us in search for a better life. Are their wishes worth nothing? Is my word as Queen worth nothing?’
Stu shrugs. ‘Your power is not absolute, and nor should it be. The entire Council outvoted you, based on Stella’s calculations. You know this as well as I do. If we don’t keep up the high birth rates of Warriors, we’ll be wiped out within thirty years.’
Franka stands up abruptly. ‘Stella’s calculations.
Stella cannot quantify changes in opinion and continent-wide politics.
You can’t know if, thirty years from now, the other kingdoms will still hunt Warriors.
You can’t know that. We should probably be more focused on trying to open diplomatic discussions with them. This isn’t the right path forward.’
‘You are too soft, Franka.’ Stu shakes his head. ‘This sort of attitude will get us killed.’
‘I will do anything to defend The Citadel and the people within it, and you know it. But this isn’t the right path forward. Robbing people of their choices.’
‘We must adapt to survive. I’m living proof of that.’
Something in Franka’s eyes softens. ‘Stu… Your wife was thinking of your children when she decided not to follow you when you went into exile.’
‘And it was a good choice,’ he says, but his tone is brittle.
Franka doesn’t seem to believe him. ‘Why do you need to make us hurt like you did, Stu?’
‘What we achieved is proof of what I’m trying to implement. My wife was right not to hold me back.’
Franka shakes her head. ‘My wife. Do you hear yourself, Stu? Don’t you see? You’re still hanging on to old wounds.’