“It has to come from somewhere.” I glanced around the group. “There wasn’t chocolate at the feast, and that night is the most luxurious event Soriah has.”
“I’ve never thought to question,” Ezra said, leaning his back against the wall. “I’ve been here so long all I care about is surviving from day to day and doing my part to rid the world of Malignants until I die or get lucky enough to be pardoned. Not holding my breath on that one.”
“Pardoned? Who has that authority?” I had far too much to learn about the world I lived in.
“Somebody living in the Great Hall. Nobody knows for sure.”
I’d thought the Great Hall deserted. The once white mansion had been riddled with fire and bullets or so history said. Children grew up being told it was off limits because of poisonous fumes. “Is there a place on the wheel that sends you there?”
Moses looked at me as if I’d grown a second head. “The red spot. Everyone knows the Great Hall is where the entertainment is.”
“Obviously not everyone. We grow up believing it to be a place of death.”
“That’s for your protection, sweetie.” Kira laughed derisively and clapped me on the shoulder. “If you’d been unlucky enough to land on that square, you’d have found out the truth. As pretty as you are, you’d have been very popular.”
I curled my nose. “I think I prefer it here.”
“You might not if you knew that those in the Great Hall live in luxury with furs and silks. Even the girls that entertain live very well.” Fawke smiled.
“How would you know that?”
He shrugged. “Rumors and speculation. Settle back, Crynn. All we do on Sunday is fetch our rations and rest up for the week of fighting we have ahead of us. Maybe do a little sparring. Could you use some practice with that sword?”
“I only had two days of training.” I’d killed one Malignant, but would be more confident with training.
Fawke tossed me a stick and got to his feet. “Let’s play.” His eyes sparkled over his grin.
I licked my suddenly dry lips and gripped the stick the way Alga had taught me, then took the stance. “Don’t hold back.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t.” He lunged forward.
I parried, the sound of the sticks clanking together loud in the concrete room. “The Malignant I fought didn’t have such style. Fight like you’re one of them.”
Soon, Fawke darted and leaped, spun and lunged like a dust devil with no rhyme or reason to his actions. My arm ached from defending myself. He gave an unearthly shriek and stopped the stick an inch from my neck. “You’re dead.”
5
After a week of wandering the city killing Malignants, I decided Ezra had a secret. One he didn’t want to share with me. I caught him studying a map he carried when he thought everyone was asleep and drawing an X through sections of the city. The man looked for something.
I quietly turned and headed back to my blankets in the corner. I’d bring up the subject over breakfast the next morning. As leader, I deserved, no needed, to know if we were there for a purpose other than killing Malignants.
“How many Malignants are there?” I asked the next morning over a bowl of watery oatmeal.
“How many humans were there before the bombs fell?” Kira shrugged. “Subtract the humans left and you have the number of Malignants.”
“Then the battle we fight is never ending.” I lifted the bowl and slurped the last of what remained. “We’ll never rid the world of them. What about the other continents? They must be in the same predicament as us. What’s the point?” I set my bowl on the floor next to me and stared at Ezra. “I’ve seen you consulting a map and crossing off sections. What are we really doing here?”
All eyes turned to our oldest member. His lips curled. “You’re smart for one so young. Those on the hill don’t believe the only survivors are in Soriah. A lookout in the tower has seen living things walking around on two legs and wearing clothes. That is not a Malignant.”
“Why haven’t you said anything before?” Dante frowned. “Did our former leader know?”
Ezra shook his head. “I was the only one told. As the navigator, those in power felt no one else needed to know.”
“So, our excursions are scouting expeditions,” I said.
“Exactly.”
Fawke pushed to his feet. “I’ve suspected something to this effect, but with only two years left here, I felt it wise to go along with…whatever.”
“If they were friendly, they’d let themselves be known, right?” Gage glanced around the group. “Or are we supposed to determine that after we find them?”
Ezra nodded. “They have to know we’re here. Anyone with eyes can see the choppers drop our supplies. I haven’t seen any other drops, so we need to assume it’s only a matter of time before these others try taking what we have. They may be waiting for us to clear enough creatures out for them to come here.”
“Maybe they’ll want to team up,” I said. “Maybe they’re too far away to make contact.” Killing Malignants was merely something to do until we accomplished our real mission. The malformed creatures would hinder any real searching we tried to do, thus, they needed to be gotten rid of when we ran across them. It seemed as good a theory as any.
I stood and went to stand in the doorway, stepping over the decaying body of a Malignant. Where would I hide?
“What are you thinking?” Fawke joined me.
“We haven’t seen any sign of other humans, which means they aren’t hiding close. I’m guessing the lookouts have seen scouts.”
“That won’t last. If there’s a group, they’ll venture closer and closer in search of supplies.”
I
