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  Marquos takes one cautious bite as Elzia watches, then finds himself wolfing down the meat with a burst of ravenous hunger, its barbequed taste filling his senses. Elzia pulls the blanket back from her head, making Marquos pause from his food to look at her face. She is a stunning beauty, with large blue eyes and milky smooth skin, a sharp nose and silken dark hair. She smiles at Marquos with a pert look that makes him gulp on his current mouthful. A few of her men at the fire sneak looks in her direction, ignored by her.

  “Goreth has told me what you went through,” Elzia says. “We all owe you our gratitude. He is one of my greatest assets in this struggle.”

  Marquos swallows and replies, “He has told me what you’ve been through, too. I wasn’t expecting you to be so young.”

  “Appearances don’t always reflect our experiences.”

  “I don’t mean any offence. I just didn’t imagine Goreth answering to someone younger than him.”

  “Yes,” Elzia smiles again, “He knows his place, and it is above most people.”

  Marquos starts eating again. The high leader stares at him for a moment, then notes “Not all Kands are so reliable. The likes of the Highbreath Clan are very petty, squabbling over small tracts of land without thinking about the future. They concern themselves with political, backhanded tactics, happier to spread rumours denouncing their enemies than to actually stand up and fight against the real people that oppress us. That’s why people like Lian fear me. For instance, he’s been told that one of the reasons people are so loyal to me is that when I defeat someone in battle I spend days devouring their bodies, so all who followed them are driven to follow me by some kind of magic.”

  Marquos pauses, looking at the meat on his plate.

  “If eating people gave me that strength,” Elzia chuckles, “I don’t think I’d share with guests, do you?”

  Marquos looks at her sideways, still uncertain. She gives him a playful wink and he slowly continues chewing.

  “Lian has no leadership qualities for me to steal anyway. And you could barely make a snack out of him.”

  Marquos stops, putting the plate on the floor. He swallows and stares at the high leader, hard, trying to figure out if she is joking. She gives nothing away, leaning back against the log. She says “You probably should not have slept so soon after taking so many hits to the head, you know. You’re lucky there wasn’t any serious damage done. How do you feel?”

  “Angry, mostly,” Marquos tells her.

  “Understandable. I am sorry you and the girl had to get involved in this. We’ve been making our best efforts to retrieve her, though. Two of my men tracked the gyrocopter across the plains. He was headed towards Nexter, and when he stops to find the Mine Guard my men will apprehend him. They probably already have, and will be back here soon.”

  “What makes you think he didn’t go straight back to that airship?”

  “The Border Guard are not fools, he wouldn’t risk leading us directly to Commander Retical. He’s headed to other guards to pass on what has happened. Hopefully we will prevent that.”

  “But you don’t know if Red’s safe?”

  “There’s no reason for anyone to harm her. I want to thank you again, for protecting Goreth. It was very brave of you not to go to the Guard.”

  “Bravery nothing,” Marquos shakes his head, “The thought never crossed my mind. If I couldn’t protect my boat without the help of the Guard then I don’t belong on a boat. I made my judgement calls, the Guard never figured in them.” The pilot pauses, then mumbles “And I let Red down.”

  “She’ll be alright, I promise you. As a sign of our thanks, also, my men have retrieved your boat, they are repairing it for you. It is well hidden, do not fear.”

  “The stream comes here?”

  “Yes, and if the Border Guard follow it hoping to find us then they will be entering territories they are unfamiliar with. They don’t dare.”

  “If it’s all the same to you, as soon as we hear back about Red, I’d like to leave. I have no place being here. I can’t imagine your men appreciate having an Estalian amongst them, anyway.”

  “Nonsense. We deal with all people. The Border Guard do not represent Estalia, we all know that. There are forces as large as ours made up entirely of your own people. I wouldn’t expect you to appreciate that kind of conflict, coming from the south. I don’t imagine you’ve ever had to fight for anything.”

  “You don’t know me. The world’s just as dark in the south as here.”

  Elzia raises her eyebrows, looking into Marquos’ eyes knowingly, and the pilot has to look away. He mutters back “The time of fighting for ideals like a land to call your own ended a long time ago. All I need to defend is myself and my boat. Same as anyone else looking to survive.”

  “No one is fighting over the name or ownership of their land, Marquos. We’re fighting for the right to be our own people. The Border Guard take what others produce, with their façade of protecting everyone from the evils outside Estalia. They’re the most dangerous force in this world. I understand you are a traveller, Marquos. Have you been through Afta?”

  “I visited the Eastern Tracts.”

  “They say that Afta crawls with bandits, and every town must defend itself or perish. That every traveller takes his safety into his own hands. Were you hurt in the Eastern Tracts?”

  “People kept to themselves.”

  “There are more bandits there, on the continent, than in Estalia, it is true. But that’s only because of the way they’re defined. Here you have men in armour who steal from towns they have no business visiting, claiming it is a protection tax. Claiming their resources, brought back from abroad, will better this nation. They keep it all for themselves, but everyone believes these guards are worth maintaining because they prevent the bandits from attacking. They are the bandits, though.”

  “The Water Guard keep the waterways from falling apart, the Road Guard maintain the roads,” Marquos answers, “The Mine Guard, for their terrible faults, still provide us with fuel. I don’t pretend to know the Border Guard’s actions abroad, but I’ve never seen them cause trouble in Estalia before.”

  “They were going to kill you,” Elzia frowns at him.

  “Only because your people are here,” Marquos snaps back, rising to his feet. “She’d be safely home by now if not for your damned cause. She’d be home safe, and I’d be on my way to a normal life again.”

  The Kands at the fire quieten and turn towards Marquos. Elzia slowly stands next to him. She is shorter than him by a head, looking up into his eyes. She shuffles in her blanket and says “You rescued that girl from the Mine Guard’s crimes, yet you don’t care how many thousands of others are oppressed under the same rule?”

  “It was something I owed her. And may never get to pay her, thanks to your war I have no stake in.”

  “Goreth suggested your eyes were open to what must be done.”

  “I already explained to him,” Marquos tells her firmly. “I made some bad choices, and I wanted to set them straight. I don’t want a war. I don’t want your war.”

  Elzia regards him for a moment, longer, then turns away, seemingly satisfied. She disappears into darkness. Marquos watches her leave, then turns to the fire to find all eyes staring at him. Goreth is standing, towards the centre of the group, and glowers back when Marquos meets his eyes. The pilot backs off from them, sitting down on the log. He hears one of the rebels mutter, “Typical Estal.”

  3

  Goreth approaches Marquos as the Kands around the fire grow rowdier. He has taken a torch lit from the fire and gestures towards the trees. “Walk this way, you’ll be wanting to rest.”

  One of the Kands lets out a loud whoop, throwing glus onto the fire with the effect of a tall flash and general laughter. Marquos accepts Goreth’s invitation and follows him through the trees. Goreth explains that there are bunks for sleeping up ahead, away from the rebels who will celebrate their day’s victory into the night. A short distance fr
om the fire, along an indecipherable path through the trees, there is another clearing where twigs and leaves have been piled into patches of soft padding. The noise of the Kands singing can just be heard sifting through the woods, but the light from the fire cannot be seen. Goreth points to the bedding.

  “Bunk down. Rest as long as you need. Days, if you want. There’s a little creek, about five minutes’ walk that way,” Goreth points the torch in an ambiguous direction, “Go there for a wash when you like. There should be some flasks of water around here somewhere.”

  “Thank you,” Marquos replies quietly. He rubs his eyes tiredly, “Your people saved my life today.”

  “I’m glad you see it that way.”

  The pilot thinks of Retical’s furious face, and murmurs “It wouldn’t have been any different if you had left the boat sooner. They would’ve caught up to me one way or another, and they still wouldn’t have believed me.”

  “The Border Guard is a brutal force. We’re dealing with it, though,” Goreth tells him. “And don’t worry, you’ll be away before you know it. Back to whatever it is you think’s important out there. That’s your choice.”

  “What would you rather I do? Stay here with you?”

  Goreth pauses. He turns back to Marquos, replying “No, I don’t give a damn what you do with yourself. You helped us more than we had any right to ask. Highness Elzia believes our fight is universal, but I have no interest in lecturing you. I accept that there are people in this world who cannot be persuaded to fight, not until they have it thrust upon them, and that is their problem. I have other things to concern me.”

  Marquos gives a weary, satisfied look, “Very well.”

  “But Marquos,” Goreth steps closer, lowering his voice, “Don’t ever raise your voice to her again, I’ll tear your throat out, I don’t care what we might’ve been through.”

  Marquos backs off, tense, seeing in the Kand’s eyes that he is deadly serious. He hesitates a moment, but holding the Kand’s gaze is enough to show his understanding. Goreth gives him a brief nod of acknowledgement and retreats. The light of his torch is soon hidden in the thicket. No longer able to see, Marquos drops to the floor and feels his way towards one of the beds of padding. He crawls onto it and rolls onto his back, listening to the soft sound of the Kands singing.

  Marquos is barely aware of having slept again when he stirs to the sound of movement beside him. He opens his eyes and sees a glimpse of sunlight somewhere past the branches above. The branches themselves are unclear, though, blurred by a concealing mist, and his vision is partly obscured by Highness Elzia standing over him. She is still concealed in her blanket, a single monolithic shape identifiable only by her face peering over the top of the cloth. She crouches as he pushes himself up onto his haunches.

  “It’s day already,” Marquos comments, scanning the clearing. The various other piles of bedding nearby have not been disturbed, and the pair are alone.

  “You’ve been out for some time,” Elzia tells him.

  “Everyone’s already up?”

  “Most of them never slept. Those that did didn’t make it back here. My men are already out at work.”

  “Red?” Marquos starts, remembering himself, “Where’s Red? Have they brought her back?”

  “Calm down,” Elzia says softly, her calm eyes easing his nerves slightly. She smiles to him, and he relaxes, sighing “You’ve got her. Oh thank Kail.”

  “I need you to listen,” Elzia puts a hand on Marquos’ shoulder. “She’s safe, that’s the important thing. The man who took her was too fast, and the Mine Guard have her, but my men are tracking them. As soon as the opportunity arises, they will take her back.”

  “But you said you’d stop him!” Marquos pulls away from her, “If he got Red to the Mine Guard then they know about your attack yesterday! They’ll send a force right to you.”

  “Let us worry about that,” Elzia replies, “In the meantime, there’s something else I need to bring up with you.”

  Marquos gives her a cold look, expecting the worst.

  “Goreth told me you were thinking of heading to the North.”

  “After I get Red back safely.”

  “I know we’ve done little to earn it yet, but you spent a few days with Goreth, you understand our cause, so I hope you can trust us. Do you think that’s possible?”

  “There’s very few people I trust in this world. It takes a lot to earn that.”

  “Do you believe we can rescue your girl?”

  Marquos hesitates, regarding her hopeful expression.

  “We can. Within a day or two, we’ll have her back here. Another two days, laying low, we can get her back to her parents. That’s where you were headed. If we do this, you’re free to head to the North, as you wished.”

  “No,” Marquos shakes his head at once, “I’m not going north without knowing she is safe.”

  “Have you ever heard of the Rosebault Project?”

  “What’s it got to do with Red?”

  “It’s got something to do with everyone. Do you know of it?”

  “Remind me…”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t know it,” Elzia settles onto the floor, getting comfortable. Marquos pushes himself up to sit opposite her. “It was about ten seasons ago when it was cancelled. Dr Sam Rosenbault, the man in charge, went missing and everyone kind of forgot about it. You probably don’t remember Supreme Commander Klant, the last leader of the Border Guard.”

  “Sure, I know the name.”

  “You’d remember it well if you were Kandish. He had a firm presence in Byfraze, but his death gave the Border Guard all the excuse they needed to raid our country. That’s another matter. Klant wasn’t all bad; he believed in making the world a better place. Eventually. The Rosebault Project was a huge drain on the Border Guard’s resources, a series of scientific experiments designed to explain the darkening of the world. It was a big movement in the Metropolis back then, but we’ve only heard rumours of it since.”

  “And?”

  “Klant was replaced by Supreme Commander Felez. Felez and his men had no interest in making the world a better place, they just wanted power. They cancelled the Rosenbault Project and put all its resources into weapons and expanding their campaigns along the Afta coasts. They told the people of the Metropolis that Rosenbault had gone mad and his experiments had all failed. An Estalian refugee made it to Kand a few seasons ago, on the run from the Border Guard. He had been lying low in Estalia for seasons before they caught up to him, and we managed to slip him free.”

  “The doctor?”

  “One of his aides. According to him, Felez’s coup was anything but a natural transition. His men were the ones responsible for Klant’s death, and destroyed all evidence of the experiments Rosenbault had been working on. They would’ve killed Rosenbault and his men too, but the scientists saw it coming. They made off in the night with whatever they could carry and headed north. Rosenbault continued his experiments hidden in the Meth Fields until the Border Guard caught up to them. That was when our friend fled to Kand. Rosenbault did not make it with him. They were split up, and the doctor headed north again. Far north.”

  “I see,” Marquos says, “So that’s where I come in.”

  “We have no means of transport right now, every resource we have is dedicated to our survival since our force was recently compromised. Now, I know you were resistant to the idea yesterday, but you’ve had time to rest. Maybe you’re thinking clearer. Your boat is fast, and you have room for passengers. I’m not asking you to find the doctor, just to give us a chance to. In return, we will do everything we can to return your girl to her home.”

  “What’s it to you, this Rosenbault Project? How’s he going to help free your people? And what makes you think he’s still alive after all this time?”

  “Copin has been looking for him for a long time. Only a few moons ago he turned up accounts that there is a research station a short distance into the Deadland. We just
haven’t had a chance to investigate it. As for the why…” Elzia looks away, scanning the trees around them. She observes nature as though it might give her the words she needs, then turns back to Marquos and continues, “If there is even the slightest chance that this darkness can be treated, then it affects all of us. If we are to dedicate our lives to securing some small piece of the world for ourselves, then I want that world to be the best it can be.”

  “Forgive my bluntness,” the pilot shifts uncomfortably on the spot, “But I don’t think what we’ve got can be cured.”

  “Maybe it can’t. But maybe we can still explain why it’s happened, to stop it getting worse. Maybe it’ll remind us what the world used to be like.”

  “What makes you think the world used to be any different? All I ever hear is people fretting as the days grow darker and colder, but I don’t remember it ever being sunny. I’d like to think it was lighter when I was younger, but I’ve thought long and hard about that and for all I know I was just sleeping longer in the darkness. Having more fun in the daylight.”

  Elzia replies considerately, “It might not have changed in our lifetimes. I’ve moved too often to know. But you cannot deny that it was lighter once. When the myriad animals were alive and we were able to measure time in moons and seasons. Those measurements came from people who could see the sky. Those creatures were able to live in the known world long enough for us to hear of them. What is left now survives from a better world, you can’t deny that.”

  Marquos watches her, reading her voice and her eyes, seeing that she believes it all, and turns away with a grumble. He says “What difference does it make.”

  “That’s the point, Marq. We don’t know.”

  “So you want me to take your man up there…”

  “Copin and Hart. You only need go as far as the research station. I only ask because Goreth says it’s where you wanted to go. I can’t imagine why.”

  “What else am I going to do,” Marquos mutters to himself, eyes dropping.