Shieldwolf Dawning (5 page)

Samarra scowled. "Does that make what they do to
you
okay?"

Cassian flinched.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be like that."

Cassian watched his sister intently. There was a short silence. "How do you know we can trust Merganser?"

"I just do." Samarra patted her stomach. "I can feel it in my gut."

"That's not a good reason."

"It's all I have for now." Samarra touched his hand. "We have to go. I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Cassian leaned against Samarra for support and stood up. "Why do I always let you talk me into things?"

"Because I'm your big sister." She winked. "You don't always do what I say, so stop making things up." Samarra wanted to tell him about the energy spill, but decided against it when she noticed the strain already lining his face. Instead, she grabbed the thermos of hot chocolate she had made earlier and tucked it into her backpack. "Are you ready? We have to be at the grove by sunrise. Otherwise we'll miss our ride."

"I'm ready." Cassian blew his nose.

Samarra led him down the corridor and kept at a good distance from the windows to make sure they wouldn't be seen. When they reached the back door, she punched in the security code and the door unlocked with a low buzz.

"They're going to be so angry when they find out we've run away." Samarra ushered Cassian outside.

"You're only figuring that out now?"

Samarra ignored him. She paused for a final look at the estate she had called home all these years. "I'm not going to miss this place one bit," she said without regret and stepped outside.

"I hope you're right." Cassian followed her and closed the door behind them. "I hope Kairuhan is better."

Samarra gave him a foul look. "Stop complaining. You remind me of a grumpy old man."

Obviously too tired to argue, Cassian simply frowned at her.

They hugged the side walls of the mansion until they reached a maze of unadorned paths and continued south to the main orchard near the grotto. Hundreds of trees and flowering shrubs lined the gardens, giving brother and sister ample cover to sneak through the grounds unnoticed. On schedule, eight robotic sentinels rounded the corner and marched toward them, their solid frames were fearsome in size.

"Don't let them see you," Samarra whispered.

"I know." Cassian crouched down next to her in the darkness of trees. "I'm not a dodo."

"You're a boy." Samarra teased. "All boys are dodos."

"That's not true," he whispered with growing exasperation.

"Yes it is," she insisted. "All boys are dodos. Cass is a boy. Therefore, Cass is a dodo." Samarra could barely contain her laughter at his frustration.

Cassian groaned. "Seriously—"

"Shh!" Samarra kept watch on the sentinels. "You're going to get us caught."

Shaking his head almost imperceptibly, Cassian said no more.

The clanging rhythm of titanium against rock resounded everywhere. The patrol drew near. Samarra held her breath until the robots had passed and gone a good distance. Although nervous, she was relieved that things were going smoothly. She leaned over to her brother.

"The night guards are busy, the cybots are nowhere in sight, and the hourly patrol has just left." She pointed at a tall oak in the darkest corner. "We have to climb that tree before someone sees us. Then we have to jump onto the top of the wall over there. I found a way over the other night."

When the coast was clear, the pair raced to the tree.

"Here, I'll give you a boost up." Samarra cupped her hands and braced herself against the thick trunk. "Be careful of the broken glass and razor wire coming out of the top of the wall."

Cassian nodded, put one foot in her hands, and climbed smoothly onto the strongest branch. He crawled as far along the branch as he could before he stood up and leaped onto the upper wall.

"Give me that." He reached down. "Throw me your backpack."

Samarra tossed the bag high into the air. Cassian caught it with ease and slung it over his shoulder. Once they were both safely over the wall, they raced down the tarmac to the outermost edges of the property. Samarra made sure they kept to the shadows the whole way. It took them an hour or so before they reached the southern boundaries.

Slightly visible in the darkness, the domed shield gave off a dim glow. Criss-crossed laser beams not only disintegrated intruders on contact, but also stopped the toxins in the environment outside from entering the area. Samarra also knew from overhearing the security guards that the shield would not block her from leaving unless the settings had been changed in an emergency. There was no emergency yet.

Samarra took a deep breath for courage. "So… we can walk through this thing or we can stay here. If we go through, we can't get back in without Mr. and Mrs. Sairfang finding out. Are you with me or not?"

Cassian took her hand. "You're my kin. I'm always with you."

They closed their eyes and counted to three before they stepped through the beams. When the foul stench of decay filled the air, Samarra knew they had crossed over to the other side. There was no turning back.

"Where do we go now?" Cassian coughed.

"That way." Samarra pointed south.

The world beyond the estate was much worse than Samarra had expected. Unlike the lush vegetation covering the Sairfang property from one end to the other, the environment here was bleak. Even in the dim moonlight, Samarra could make out thick cracks in the hard soil and dried-up roots of thirsty trees. Green expanses were few and far between.

Cassian grimaced at the sight.

Samarra headed to the largest bush. "Try not to think about it." She reached into her back pocket for the tablet and pressed the compass. A three-dimensional map appeared. "This is where we have to go… to the grove." She pointed to the red x and measured the distance with her fingers. "I think we have to go straight ahead for about seven kilometres and then southeast for half as long." She put away the machine. "Come on, we need to keep moving."

The pair kept close to the brush as they trudged along the empty highway. Their path was littered with blown-up vehicle parts and the odd animal carcass. Samarra counted the minutes out loud to pass the time. It wasn't long before she noticed the glimmer of headlights in the distance.

"Quick!" She dragged Cassian away from the road and further into the scrubland. "We have to hide."

Brother and sister huddled together behind a bush and waited for the lights to approach. Loud shrieks and gunshots gradually filled the air. An all-terrain aircraft zoomed past in a trail of smoke. Its right wing had been blasted off and its tail was on fire. Not far behind, an armoured van followed in hot pursuit. Cassian's whole body tensed when bullets ripped through hard metal and a fiery explosion blew apart the vehicle's other wing. Samarra felt sick at the thought of what might happen to the people inside now that the wanderers had locked onto them. She peeked through the branches and waited until the vehicles had disappeared before she dared to speak.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Cassian dusted off his jeans with shaky hands.

Samarra grabbed her backpack. "Good." She could tell that her brother was scared. "We have to keep walking."

"I know." Cassian clutched his stomach and doubled over in pain. Samarra waited for him to steady himself and headed back to the highway.

They traveled uneventfully for a good two hours before they stopped for a rest. Cassian shivered uncontrollably and his teeth chattered nonstop. Samarra fumbled through her backpack and pulled out the blanket. She wrapped it around him gently and kissed him on the forehead. She poured him a cup of hot chocolate, all the while paying close attention to what was happening around them.

"This is taking a long time. What if we're going the wrong way?" Cassian blew his nose.

"We're not going the wrong way." Samarra sipped her drink and turned on the tablet. "We're close." She accessed the map. "Maybe another hour."

"What if we're late? The sun's coming up soon."

"No more
what ifs
."
Samarra packed up the last of their things and walked off. She had to stay positive. "Are you coming?"

"I'm coming."

The farther they walked, the weaker Cassian became. The pair snailed along until they reached a fork in the road. One path led to an old wooden signpost. The other path led to the fire and darkness of the nearest city.

"This way." Samarra read the sign out loud, "
Contaminated area. Keep out
." She checked her map again to make sure they were on the right path. "According to this, we're not far from the Deadlands waste station."

"Deadlands?" Cassian asked in disbelief. "What are we doing here? This area's a toxic dump."

"I'm sorry, but there's no other way in." Samarra started down the path. "We have to keep going forward."

"Sammy..." Cassian refused to move. "Are you sure you've thought this through properly?"

Samarra turned to face her brother. "How many times are you going to ask me that? It's too late for second thoughts."

"I'm serious." He wouldn't budge. "Just answer the question."

"Well, what
exactly
do you mean by 'properly'?" She folded her arms in front of her body.

Cassian took a deep breath. His face was ghostly pale from exhaustion. "My teacher always says when we're unsure about what to do, we should look at the bigger picture before making a decision. Sammy, have you thought about the different things that might happen if we go with Merganser? What if the Shieldwolves are worse than the Sairfangs? Have you thought about that?" Samarra was silent. Cassian's voice faltered. "Well, have you?"

"Cass…" She moved closer to him. "There are nights when I lie in bed till the morning worrying about what will happen to me when I grow up. I wonder what kind of life I'm going to have. Will I live on your side of the estate walls or not? I don't want to feel like this anymore. I want to feel safe. I want to do more with my life." Her bottom lip quivered. "The Sairfangs have always liked you more than me. They send you to the best schools. They're always buying you new clothes, new toys, new everything. It's as if they're proud of you for stuff you haven't even done. Not me, though." She pinched her arm to stop the tears that formed in her eyes. "They gave me a rag and told me to polish the floors."

Samarra took a shaky breath and reached for the tablet. "When Merganser messaged me last month on this computer-thing-whatever-it-is, I was scared at first. But then I started to feel hopeful the more she told me about Kairuhan." Samarra placed her hand on her brother's arm. "We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave this place for good. There's a big chance that our lives will be better over there, but we can't know for sure. Either we take our chances and go or we stay the way we are. Not going with Merganser would be a dumb mistake, but going without you would be worse. You're my brother and I love you. We're kin and we have to stick together."

"This isn't like picking out what clothes you're going to wear in the morning, Sammy," Cassian reminded her. "This is different. This is big."

"I know," she murmured. "I know."

Cassian kicked the pebbles on the ground and paced around deep in thought. After a long silence, he spoke. "I'm not letting you go alone."

Samarra exhaled with relief. "We're making a good decision. I have a good feeling about this."

Brother and sister clambered over rocky terrain until the path opened up to reveal the edges of a sickly grove. Samarra checked her watch. "Sunrise in twenty-seven minutes. This is it, Cass. Are you ready?"

Cassian nodded and followed his sister into the grove.

Phasing Home

The grove was quiet except for the trickling of a long neglected river. Every now and again bubbles of chemical foam would collect in bends and overgrown roots. Some bubbles would catch on the lazing wind before they crashed and popped on leaves of red, yellow, and brown; others drifted south to disappear under rusting barrels of toxic waste. The stench of hot tar clung to the air. Samarra held her breath for as long as she could handle.

"I wonder if anyone lives here?" she asked her brother.

Cassian surveyed the area bleakly. "I hope not."

Something moving in the distance caught Samarra's attention. Barrels that lay scattered across a slick patchwork of sand and rocks gave shelter to a flock of songbirds — sad, frail bodies coated in sticky black. Although their hearts grew dim, and their lungs grew weak and weaker still, they lifted their heads up as high as they could to herald the dawning horizon. Samarra rubbed the tears from her eyes. Without a word, she took Cassian's hand and led him deeper into the grove.

The aroma of burning sage soon filled the air. Samarra followed the scent until she could make out a trail of smoke snaking around a thick silver cauldron. The smoke weaved in and out and up and down before it wrapped its tail around Merganser Ravenhair, the one-eyed crone. Her charcoal grey robe billowed around her as she measured the perimeter of a large circle of stones. She reached into her pockets to retrieve a silver goblet and two crystal bowls and arranged them in the centre of the circle.

"Oh." Cassian was wide-eyed. "You weren't making this up, were you?"

"I told you I wasn't." Samarra squeezed his hand. "Why would I lie about something like this?"