Away (15 page)

“Peter, take Rachel. I can't move well enough to get out of its way.” Daniel didn't look at Rachel.

“I'm not going. Not without you.” Rachel stared at her father, tears stinging her eyes. “I'm not losing you again.”

“Rachel, now's not the—”

There was roar and a flash of movement. Rachel got only an impression: of muscled legs and yellowed teeth, of something huge coming down from above. She heard a scream, and wasn't sure if it was coming from her own mouth or from someone else. But then she heard it again, and she knew it was Peter. The baern had landed on him, knocking him flat on the ground. There was a flash of light in the predawn dimness, and another terrible scream, one that didn't come from human lips. The baern writhed and screamed again, then moaned, and collapsed on Peter. It quivered and then was still.

Only Peter's head and shoulders were visible. Rachel ran to him. He was still breathing. He opened his eyes and stared at her face, but she wasn't certain he saw her. He coughed, a weak, strangled cough, and scarlet spilled from his lips.

Pathik and Malgam were seconds behind Rachel. They shoved the baern off of Peter. He'd struck the thing's heart with the laser saw beam. But not before it managed, with a single claw, to slice him open from neck to navel.

Rachel felt cold. There was so much blood. Peter was gasping and reaching toward her.

“Rachel. Two . . . keys. In my pack. Two.” He smiled weakly. “I always planned to give your mother one.”

Rachel took the hand that kept reaching for her, and gripped it hard despite the blood that covered it. Peter seemed to feel it, to know she was holding his hand. “You tell Daniel to get my girls. Tell him to get Jolie and Trina back. Like I would have for him.” He whispered the last words. And then he died.

CHAPTER 13

T
HEY HAD TO leave the body. They made their way back to camp somehow, but Rachel didn't remember much of the trip. She knew Pathik was near her, and her father was there too, though he was weak. She remembered stumbling through the bush, tripping and almost falling, feeling cold and numb at the same time. She remembered Peter's bloody eyes. She wanted to go home.

A sentry must have seen their approach and alerted the camp, for there was a quiet group waiting for them when they arrived. Michael was there, and Saidon, the healer, along with several others Rachel didn't recognize.

“Saidon is ready for Daniel. There's a room set up for him.” Michael eyed Fisher's arm. “Looks like you should go with them. The rest of us need to gather and talk. I've had the council room set up with hot root brew and food.”

“I'm fine,” said Fisher. “I'll join the meeting.”

“Maybe you could give me a hand with Daniel first.” Pathik looked amused at Fisher's eagerness to be included in the council meeting.

“I'd be pleased to, Pathik.” Fisher didn't sound pleased, but he was quick to help. He and Pathik each took one of Daniel's arms and started toward the hospital. Rachel and Saidon followed.

“Rachel.” Indigo's voice drew her back. “I know you want to be with your father, but I think you should come to the council meeting first.”

Rachel hesitated.

“I'll take good care of him.” Saidon smiled at Rachel. She exuded calm assurance. Rachel nodded.

“I'll be with you soon, Father.” She wasn't sure if Daniel heard her; he seemed to be on the edge of consciousness. The trek back to camp had taken all his energy.

The council room was equipped with bowls of steaming water, scented with some astringent oil, so the weary band could refresh themselves. There was, as Michael had said, hot root brew and an assortment of food. Rachel soaked a rough cloth in one of the bowls of fragrant water and wrung it out. She couldn't remember a better feeling than the warm, clean cloth against her neck. She washed as much grime off of her face and hands as she could. Then she helped herself to some food—there was bread and dried meat and some dried berries. With a brimming plate and a cup of root brew, she found a place to sit on one of the benches.

Once they had all settled, Michael, who had been waiting at the front of the room, addressed them.

“Where is Peter?”

“He's dead.” Indigo sounded as drained as Rachel felt. “Killed by a baern. But we can discuss that later. Right now, we need to make some decisions.

“We have good reason to believe that our greatest fears are true. The Roberts were planning to trade Daniel to the government. From what he says, they've traded two others already.” Indigo paused, to ensure all had heard him. “Two others,” he repeated. “Who do you think they might be?”

There was a cry from behind Rachel. She turned, shocked at the sound of it—it sounded so full of anguish. A woman sat two rows back, her head bowed, her hands covering her face. Another woman quickly led her out of the room.

“Are you suggesting that the Roberts took Ivy's sons—that they were traded?” Michael looked shocked. “Did Daniel see them with his own eyes?”

“No. He heard the Roberts talking,” said Indigo.

“That's no proof. For all we know the boys were taken by a baern as we suspected.”

“It's proof enough for me. The Roberts plan to take those they can and trade us for goods. And they don't care what happens to us in the government labs.” Indigo addressed the rest of the room. “I won't have us tested and tortured and used for ill. I won't have our gifts turned into evil. We have a chance on Salishan. We need to take it.”

“How are we any better off if we uproot our people from the safety of this camp, risk their lives in a water crossing where the boats are probably ruined
if
they even exist anymore, and take them to a place we know nothing about except what's spun in old men's firetales? For all you know the bombs rendered it sterile.”

“They didn't render our land sterile. At least not permanently.” Indigo's eyes flashed. Rachel had never seen him look so angry. “Let's ask, shall we? Since we have someone here who might actually know what became of Salishan after the bombing.”

Rachel waited, wondering where Salishan was, and who would know whether it was sterile. It took a moment for her to realize that Indigo, and all the others in the room, were looking at her.

“What?”

“Do you know, Rachel? Is Salishan sterile? After they evacuated, did they track what happened to the island?”

“What island? Is Salishan an island?” Rachel thought; she didn't remember any island called that.

“It was evacuated before Unifolle's Border Defense System was activated. They built their system before the Unified States did, so they had time to plan things better,” said Indigo.

“Maybe it's called something else now.” Nandy spoke up. “Salishan is how it's listed in our records, but that name is just what the survivors of the bombs called it.” Nandy looked at Rachel. “Our forebears wrote down everything they could think of, in case we might need the knowledge someday. We have preserved their writings as much as we could. They wrote about what the world was like before they were trapped here, at least what they knew. They tried to record whatever they thought was important, everything from the history leading up to the decision to abandon people here, to how to smoke fish in order to preserve it.”

Rachel nodded. “I think they must have been talking about the relinquished islands. There were a couple of them. One very large, a couple of smaller ones. They were left out of Unifolle's border plans because the expense to include them would have been exorbitant. They did evacuate people from them and relocate them on the mainland.”

“The large one—is it sterile?” Indigo sounded impatient.

“I don't know,” said Rachel. “It's never really talked about. It's not like people are allowed to go there.”

Michael gave Indigo a pointed look.

“Means nothing,” said Indigo, though he sounded disappointed that Rachel didn't know. He turned away from Michael. “Rachel, thank you. I think you should go tend to your father now. We have things to settle here.”

 

 

WHEN RACHEL KNOCKED on the battered metal door of the hospital it was opened by the same wavy-haired man who had opened it before. He stepped back when he saw her, and the look on his face was a mixture of fear and distaste. In that moment, Rachel realized that
she
was the reason he had rushed away so quickly the last time she was here. She had thought it was Malgam who frightened him.

“Here for your da, I suppose.”

“Yes.” Rachel frowned at him. He didn't even know her, yet he acted as though she was a bad person.

“He's in the same room Malgam was. So you know the way.” The man made no offer to escort her down the dim corridor.

“Is there a light I can use?” Rachel wasn't sure she did know the way. She remembered that there had been several doors off the corridor. She remembered it had been dark.

The man grunted. Grudgingly, he retrieved one of several oil jars perched on a shelf and lit its wick. He handed it to her.

“Thanks.” She hesitated only a second before her pride propelled her toward the corridor.

It was as dark as she remembered, but she found her way. She passed several closed doors before she came to the room in which she thought Malgam had convalesced. There was light underneath that door. She knocked quietly, and immediately heard footsteps.

“Rachel?” It was Pathik's voice, low but audible from the other side of the door.

“Yes.”

The door opened. Beyond Pathik, Rachel could see her father lying on the same metal bed Malgam had been in, his face unnaturally pale, glistening with sweat. The healer, Saidon, was seated in a chair next to his bed, her hands on his injured leg. Her eyes were closed and Rachel saw, as she drew nearer, that she was trembling.

Pathik led her nearer. She knew, somehow, with no words exchanged, that now was not the time to speak. So she stood, and let Pathik hold her hand, and watched. Daniel smiled at her when he saw her, but he remained silent.

Saidon breathed deep and even, and she pressed her hands gently on Daniel's leg with each inhalation. Rachel could see the wound clearly, and it looked much worse than she had thought it was during their trek back to camp. She didn't understand how he had managed to walk on that leg at all.

For a time there was no sound other than that of Saidon's breathing. The wound didn't change in appearance at all, though Rachel had half expected to see it mend before her eyes. But Daniel's face did get more relaxed. He looked as though his pain was easing as Saidon worked on his leg. She took a few more measured breaths and then opened her eyes. She took her hands off Daniel's leg, and rubbed them together as though they were stiff. When she looked at Rachel it was as though she was looking from someplace very far away.

“He'll need time to recover. His leg is infected. He has many other wounds, too, though none so severe.” Saidon shook her head. “They are savages.”

“Saidon.” Pathik spoke softly, but there was a note of admonishment in his tone.

“I know, Pathik, I know your grandfather would like us to hold our judgment. And I do, most times. But when I see something like these wounds—these wounds are meant to torture, Pathik. Those Roberts knew exactly what they were doing to him. And they probably enjoyed it.” Saidon started to say more, but she bit her lip. She looked tired. “I'll go now. But I'll be back tomorrow for another session. It will take a few more.” She put a hand on Rachel's shoulder. “He's lucky, and he's strong. As long as he can rest and eat he should be fine.”

“Thank you,” said Rachel. She wasn't certain exactly what she was thanking the healer for, but she knew her father looked less strained than he had when she'd arrived.

Saidon smiled. “You're welcome, child. Your father has always been good to me. To all of us here.” She turned to Pathik. “Can you walk me out, please? I imagine these two have some talking to do.”

“I'll come back in a little while,” said Pathik. Rachel nodded. When the door closed behind them, she went to her father.

He was still awake, though he must be exhausted. Rachel sat in the chair Saidon had used. She watched his face, her father's face. For a time, he simply watched her too. Then he smiled again.

“I see your mother in you.”

Rachel smiled back at him. “She always says I look like you.”

“Maybe a bit. But I see her beauty in your face.” His smile slipped away. “I missed so much.”

Rachel said nothing. She thought of her mother, and wondered if she was fixing a meal for Ms. Moore, or getting ready to go to Bensen for supplies. She imagined walking into the parlor of Ms. Moore's house with Daniel, and watching Vivian's face light up with joy.