The Earth Dwellers

“I’ll help you kill him,” she says.

My mouth settles into a gaping “O.” “What? Why would you do that?”

She re-covers each of the three dishes, placing the used utensils neatly inside each one. Finishes the water. Dabs the corners of her mouth with a napkin. I stare at her.

Finally, she turns to me. “Because until he’s dead, I’ll never be whole.”

“Okay,” I say, wondering if I’m making the biggest mistake yet.

Chapter Forty-One

Siena

The Glass City’s ahead of us, but we ain’t slowing down. Not one bit. We’re charging ahead like there’s something worth charging for, like home or a hot meal or even an old friend like Perry. Not death.

For a while the black Riders kept their horses in check, so as to not outdistance those of us on foot, but the moment the dome rose up ’fore us they took off like a brush fire, riding hard on wings of dust.

What will we do when we get there? Can we break through the glass? Will ’em Glassies come out to meet us? Or will we just set there ogling our enemy through the dome, us watching ’em and ’em watching us?

As we get closer’n closer, the dome gets bigger’n bigger. And inside the glass: the city rises up impossibly tall, structures so enormous they’re like mountains. Mountains built by men and women. How can we defeat an enemy who can build mountains?

The Riders are almost to the dome when we hear the sound. A loud cry that ain’t made by man or beast. Loud and shrill and a warning from the Glassy leaders to the people.

They know we’re coming.

Tristan

Half the soldiers are laughing and the other half are pretending not to. Roc may not be able to fight, but he’s helping the cause with his jokes and banter. Keeping things light. Cracking on everyone. Me and Elsey and Tawni, and even one ill-advised shot at General Rose that drew more laughs than any of them.

“Did you hear the one about Prince Tristan and the ca

“And don’t forget the prince’s trusty sidekick, Roc,” I say.

“Tristan cried like a baby when the old hag tried to gnaw on his leg,” Roc says.

“And Roc peed himself when she started buttering his arm,” I add.

More laughter. We’re a hit. We should’ve been comedians. What the soldiers don’t know is that we’re only half joking about the story, which was freaking scary when it was actually happening.

The transporter slows and everyone suddenly goes silent. The constant wisecracking might’ve helped ease the tension during the ride, but now it springs back like a released bowstring. Twang!

Elsey, who’s been holding Roc’s hand the entire ride from the Sun Realm, grabs my hand and squeezes. She looks up at me with earnest eyes, as green as her sister’s. A mini-Adele in looks only. “You’ll protect my mother, won’t you?” she asks.

I almost laugh, but her expression is so serious I don’t want to offend her. “It’s more likely she’ll protect me,” I say. “But I’ll do what I can.”

“Please bring my sister back,” she says.

“That’s the first thing on my list,” I say.

The doors open and the soldiers at the front shuffle out, moving faster as they spread along the dark cave beyond, flashlights flicking on like glow worms.

We follow, Elsey between Roc and I, Tawni on one side, Adele’s mother on the other. Not long ago I made the same walk, but with Adele, full of excitement and joy. How did we get to this place? Where the same journey could be stretched dangerously thin by fear and the anticipation of violence? The answer is simple: Lecter.

The bright white light at the end of the tu

The flashlights are turned off and put away, and dark eye coverings with long, elastic bands are clasped around the back of each soldier’s head. Even still, the sunlight is painfully bright after the artificial light of the Realms.

“So beautiful,” Elsey murmurs when we’re close enough to see outside.

“Wait until you see the night,” Roc says. “A million stars in a million places.”

“That was almost…deep,” Tawni says, raising her eyebrows.

“See, there’s more to me than tasteless jokes and ill-timed comments,” Roc says.

“Yeah, like bullcrap and whining,” I say.

“My feet hurt,” Roc says. “And if it wasn’t for my self-inflicted stab wound, I would lead this army to victory.”

I laugh and clasp his hand, pulling him into an embrace. “See you soon,” I say.

“Take care of yourself,” my best friend says.

I turn and hug Tawni. “Make sure he gets three square meals a day and doesn’t overexert himself,” I say with a grin. “He’s fragile.”

“Are you his friend or mother?” Tawni asks.

“Sometimes I wonder.” She smiles but it’s tight and forced. She’s fighting back heavy emotions.

“Bring her back,” she says.

“I will,” I promise to myself and her.

I lean down and Elsey practically leaps on me, clutching me fiercely. For once her passion seems to fit the gravity of the situation. “Don’t laugh too much at Roc’s jokes,” I advise. “He might start to think they’re fu

“They are fu

I release her and look at Roc. “Congratulations. You’ve brainwashed her.”

“All part of my evil plan to take over the world. As soon as Lecter’s out of the way, I shall rise!” He pumps a fist in the air and shakes it.

“God help us all,” General Rose says, taking her turn to hug Elsey. “Be safe, sweetheart. Listen to Roc and Tawni.”

“Yes,” Roc says.

“Or maybe just Tawni,” A

Roc groans and I say, “Good call.”

“I’ll pray for you every minute until you return,” Elsey says. I know she’s not lying.

Side by side, General Rose and I step out into the fullness of the light.

Outside, there are a few hundred soldiers, some lounging in the sand, or gazing at the big red sky, or touching the rough skin of the pricklers growing all around us. Exploring the new world that might be the last thing they see.

When we emerge, they cluster together in front of us. Ours is the smallest squad of all those gathering on the earth’s surface, and in the vastness of the desert they look pitifully small, and yet determined.

Should I address them or should A

“Without fighting today, the Tri-Realms could continue to exist, and our friends and families could continue to live underground, in the dark. But we’d have no choice. Today we fight for a choice. The choice to come aboveground, to see what you’ve seen today, to live wherever we choose.” I pause, sca

“But that’s not all we fight for,” I continue. “We fight for the rights of strangers, people we don’t know, people whose peaceful way of life is threatened by a tyrant who seeks to exterminate them like vermin. Already he’s massacred an entire tribe. He must be stopped. It is our duty to stop him. Will you fight?”

A few heads nod, then someone claps and someone else shouts, “Yeah!” More clapping, more shouting. Soldiers doing what they do: whipping themselves into a frenzy.

I point out the direction for General Rose and she begins the march.

The time for speaking is gone. Actions will speak far louder.

Adele

According to Jocelyn, we may only have one chance to make this work. Clambering through the window the same way I came in the previous night is an option, but not a good one. After what I did, there will be many more guards on the prowl. They’ll shoot us on sight.