THIRTY-THREE - Atherton

Atherton learns the devastating truth about Draven's mission.

Atherton sat alone in Silvan’s house.  Esmarine had bolted rather quickly after he told her about the flooding.  It almost seems like she knows where the water is going.  But Draven doesn’t even know that, how could she?  Silvan told him to stay here, but how wise would that be?  Atherton weighed his options.  I could stay here and wait to find out what Silvan has planned for me, or I can try to meet up with Draven and the others.  I need to warn them that Xanthus isn’t here, or they might all get caught�"and killed.  If I don’t warn them, that’s on me.

Atherton stood up and walked to the door.  He peered out into the street.  Not too far towards the castle, he could hear Silvan arguing with someone.  He hesitated.  Is he going to hear me leaving?  But the argument sounded heated.  Silvan likely wasn’t paying attention.  Now may be the perfect time to escape.

Atherton stepped quietly into the street and made his way in the opposite direction of Silvan.  Thankfully I know these streets better than anyone.  He turned and made his way down an alley that he knew led towards the crack in the wall.  Presumably, Draven and the others were still there waiting for him.  They can’t have gone on without me�"the whole point of the plan was for me to speak to Xanthus.  He trusts me.  Once I tell them Xanthus isn’t here, we’ll come up with a new plan.  Surely someone is in charge… we’ll just have to find out who that is.  The most important this is warning the city that the flood is coming.

But it was also possible that Draven had seen Atherton get captured and decided to leave.  They might be back in the Field of Spears, waiting for him.  Or�"Atherton’s heart sank�"what if they left me behind?

He pushed the thought out of his head and continued through the alley.  If they left, he would deal with that later.  For now, he had to try to find them.  He chose the quickest path to the crack and quickened his pace.

Another thought occurred to him�"what about Esmarine?  He had left her behind.  His best friend.  And he had no idea where she was going or what danger she might be in.  She can’t handle herself.  And where she is, Silvan is.  I can’t trust that he isn’t planning to use me for something against my will.  Still, there was always the possibility that he wasn’t planning anything.  Anything I do, I’m letting someone down!  But the decision was made, and he was almost back.  Maybe Draven will be willing to help me find Esmarine again.

He rounded the last corner to find the crack in the wall, half expecting to see everyone there waiting for him�"Draven, Wulfric, Hadrian, Ecclesia… but there was no one there, just an empty space in front of the crack.

Atherton cursed.  If they went to the castle to find Xanthus, they’re going to be disappointed.  And in trouble.  He knelt on the ground to see if he could find any footprints that might give him a clue, but all he could see was that people had been here.  The dirt was padded flat, with no indication as to which direction anyone had walked.

I can’t leave without at least trying to find them.  He made his way back towards the castle for the second time today.  If I get there and I don’t see them, I’m headed back to the Field of Spears.  I don’t have any other choice.  I can’t risk going into the castle alone.  If anyone sees me, I’m dead for sure.

He came around the building blocking the crack and was in full view of the castle.  This alley was empty as well.  The same as before, there was no evidence of the others.  They had deserted him.  Atherton felt the betrayal in his chest.  Stop it, he told himself.  This was always the plan.  If something goes awry, head back to the Field.  But it still hurt.  No one had tried to rescue him.  They had just left him, like he was no one.  Like he meant absolutely nothing to them.

We only just met.  It wasn’t personal.  The plan doesn’t work without me, and surely, they thought I was dead.  They headed back to the Field to regroup.  It makes sense.  They’ll be happy to see you.  He convinced himself it was true and turned around, heading back for the crack, back to the Field where he would see everyone again, and they would rejoice.

…unless they knew the plan wouldn’t work without me and tried to save me.  If they had followed Silvan immediately after Atherton’s capture, they would have been outside the house when Silvan left.  I did hear him arguing with someone… what if that was Draven?  He spun and ran back towards Silvan’s house.  They didn’t desert me at all!  They tried to rescue me!  He ran, his feet carrying him through the main street of the city.  He didn’t think about getting captured, he didn’t worry about anyone seeing him, he just ran.

He stopped.  In the distance, not far from Silvan’s house, a large crowd had gathered.  I can’t risk any of them recognizing me.  With all the hatred they had for me while I was being exiled, one of them will surely know who I am.  He didn’t have a choice.  He had to go back.  It was too dangerous here�"every second he waited was another second he could get caught again.

He was torn�"his body tried to run towards the crowd, to see if his friends were in trouble, but his mind wouldn’t let him.  Don’t do it.  They can handle themselves.  Feeling worse about himself than ever before, he turned around and ran for the crack in the wall.

It only took a few minutes before he was back outside the city, running through the Outskirts.  I felt so bad about the possibility of them leaving me behind, and now I’ve done the same to them.  Tears streamed down his cheeks.  He had no idea when they started; he focused on running.  One foot in front of the other.  That was all that mattered now.

He tried to reassure himself.  Technically we did accomplish our goal.  I told Silvan about the crack in the Dome and the fact that the whole city is going to flood.  So he can warn the others, and then the mission is complete.  Once Xanthus gets back… But what did it matter if Draven and the others were lost in the process?  What is Meridian going to think of me, when I tell her that I let her father get captured when he was trying to save me?  They won’t let me come back with them.  I’ll have nowhere to go, an outcast from the outcasts.

I just won’t tell them the truth.

As he circled back around the wall towards the Field of Spears, a dull roar could be heard in the distance.  It could be coming from the mob in the center of the city, but it sounded like it was coming from outside the gate.  Either way, there were a whole lot of people making a whole lot of noise somewhere near the front of the city.

The mob grew louder as he approached, and he was sure that it was coming from outside the city wall.  If this isn’t the people who captured Draven… what’s happening?  Or has the news already traveled through the Outskirts?  He slowed his pace, approaching the mob with curiosity and terror.  I shouldn’t be doing this… but I have to know.  If they have any news about my friends, I have to know what it is.

He pressed forward slowly until he was within earshot of two of the people.  He stopped to listen.

“Where did you hear it?”

“I don’t remember who was first.  But I started hearing it from everyone.  I guess it must be true.”

“That must be why Xanthus decided to leave the Hunt.  If he’s going to be taking care of a lot more people, he needs to make sure he has the food to do it.  Otherwise, he’d probably just go on not caring about any of us.

Xanthus is going to be taking care of more people?  What does that mean?  The voices grew quieter; the two people were walking away.  Atherton got down and quickly tried to catch up with them.  This was getting too interesting to pass up.  Why haven’t they mentioned Draven?  Are there two mobs forming at the same time on the outside and inside of the city?

“I don’t know.  I don’t buy it.  Why wouldn’t he have made an announcement before he left this morning?  It’s good news�"it seems like something he’d want us to know, especially if he’s trying to get us back on his side.”

“No, it makes perfect sense.  He doesn’t want to announce it until he’s sure he can handle it.  What if the mission on the Hunt isn’t as successful as he wants it to be?  I’d do the same thing.  Don’t announce it until you’re sure you’re going to be able to feed the children.”

“And this was all Silvan’s idea?”

“This has been his plan from the very beginning.  It just goes to show you�"you never really know what someone is up to.  When he betrayed Elian I loathed him.  I would have killed him with my bare hands and accepted the consequences if given the chance.  But now… the only reason he did it was to get close enough to the King to convince him to save our children, and killing him would have prevented that.”

“He killed four men.  Four good men.”

“Is that too great a price to pay to save dozens, if not hundreds of children?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’d kill five times that number if I knew it would save my son.  I wouldn’t even give it a second thought.  And Silvan has a daughter of his own.  I think I understand him better I ever did before.”

Atherton’s brain was racing to try to put all the pieces together.  It seemed like everywhere he went, new information was coming to light and changing everything.  Xanthus is going to take care of all the children in the Outskirts?  So… Saxon and Sephora were the beginning?  And the whole thing was Silvan’s idea?  Did Silvan get the idea before or after Xanthus decided to take in my brother and sister?  Either way… that means Silvan really was trying to help me.  Maybe I should have stayed in his house.

But if Silvan was able to convince Xanthus to take in the children, that means they’re close… and Xanthus trusts him.  So Silvan can tell Xanthus about the flooding from the crack as soon as he’s back from the Hunt!

His heart sank.  That noise we heard across the lake.  The hunters were being attacked.  Those screams�"if Xanthus is dead…

Atherton was at a loss.  There was so much information he needed to share�"things that everyone needed to know.  How was he supposed to make sure that everyone knew everything that he knew?  Should he try to go back and find Silvan, to tell him that Xanthus was likely dead and that they needed to come up with a new plan?  Should he try to meet up with Quintessa, Meridian, and Dragomir and come up with a new plan together?

It was an impossible decision.  I’m not strong enough or smart enough to make this decision.  Why can’t someone be here to help make it for me?!  The whole situation was doing nothing but frustrating him.  I give up.  I’m just going to head for the Field of Spears and whatever happens will happen.  I can’t do this on my own.  Maybe Quintessa will have a suggestion.

The two men he had been listening to continued their conversation, but he didn’t hear it.  Instead, he crept slowly away from them and walked through the darkness towards the Field of Spears.  He tried to empty his mind of thoughts, but things continued to swirl around inside his head.  Once he was far enough from the Outskirts that he was sure he could make noise without anyone hearing, he started to hum.

The notes came to him almost without thought�"he didn’t know the words to the song, but it was something his mother used to sing to him when he was very young.  He got through a few verses, focusing on the song and nothing else.  As long as he could focus on trying to remember the notes, he wouldn’t have to worry about what to do next.

“Trying to get yourself killed?” a female voice rang out through the darkness.  He stopped.

“Meridian?” he called.

“Who else would I be?  Quintessa doesn’t sound anything like me.”  Meridian raised her torch, revealing her face.  Atherton was happy to see her, but worried about what came next.  She approached Atherton, torch at arm’s length.

“It’s just you?” she asked, looking around.  “Where are the others?”  Quintessa and Dragomir got up from their hiding places in the dirt and approached as well.

Atherton’s heart began pounding.  “I don’t know,” he said.  “I thought they were out here with you.”

Quintessa eyed him suspiciously.  Atherton tried to look innocent and unassuming.  “Tell us everything that happened,” she said at last.

“We got separated.  I was leading the way to the castle when someone captured me.  It turned out to be Silvan, and he took me back to his house.  I told him about the flood and said I needed to see Xanthus, but he said Xanthus isn’t even here.  I managed to get free and made my way back to where I got separated from Draven in the first place, but he wasn’t there anymore.  I thought maybe they had followed me to Silvan’s house so I went back, but a big crowd had gathered.  It wasn’t safe to keep going so I came back out here.  I had hoped they would be here�"that they saw how dangerous it was and left without me.”

To Atherton’s surprise, none of them seemed worried.  Instead, Quintessa and Dragomir exchanged a glance.  “They’re probably inside the castle now,” she said.

“What?  Why would they go inside the castle?  The plan was�"”

“I hate to be the one to break this to you, kid,” Quintessa interrupted, “but we may have lied to you a little bit about our plan.”

Atherton felt like he had been punched in the stomach.  Did Draven bothere to try to save me at all?  Did I risk my life for him for no reason?  He looked at Dragomir, and then at Meridian.  Neither of them looked surprised.  “So everyone knew about this but me?”

“Don’t do that,” Meridian said.  “If we had told you, you wouldn’t have come.”

“Told me what?  What was the real plan?”

“We needed your help,” Quintessa said.  “You’re the only person who knew how to get us all inside.”

“For what?” Atherton demanded.  “What’s the real plan?  Why are we actually here?”  No one responded.  “Tell me!”

He approached Meridian and tried to look her in the eyes.  She avoided his gaze for the first time since they met.

“If you have any respect for me at all, and I think that you do, or you wouldn’t have kissed me… please tell me.”

She looked up at him just for a second, and he knew that would be enough.  “We were never going to warn Xanthus,” she said.  “We want him gone.  We’ve been doing just fine without him.”

“So we’re here to do what?”  He looked at Quintessa, who shrugged.  “To kill him?”

Quintessa took a step towards him.  “He’s not a good person, Atherton.  And as long as he’s alive, he’s just prolonging the inevitable.  He sends out Hunt after Hunt, and the hunters kill our men and take our food.  Without us, they wouldn’t even be alive.  They’re savages.  We have to kill them before they kill us.”

“And killing Xanthus is going to stop that?”

“Without him, the city will fall into chaos.  They’ll lose organization, and they’ll tear each other apart.  It’s not ideal, but we have to look out for ourselves.”

“Then you’re no better than they are.”

“We aren’t trying to be better,” Quintessa snapped.  “We’re trying to survive.”

“Well, you aren’t going to kill Xanthus by sneaking into the city, because he’s not here.”

Her face dropped.  “What do you mean he isn’t here?”

“Xanthus is gone.  He’s a changed man.  He’s leading the Hunt.  And when he gets back to the city, he’s going to announce that he’s going to take care of all the children from the Outskirts.  He’s trying to be a good man, and you’re going to kill him before he has a chance to do anything!”

“That… That’s impossible,” Meridian said, her voice wavering.

“Where did you hear all this?” Quintessa asked.

“Everyone’s talking about it.  Silvan told me about Xanthus leading the Hunt, and when I was on my way back here, I overheard two people in the Outskirts talking and they confirmed it.  And then they mentioned that Silvan convinced the King to watch over their children.  I know he’s going to do it, too, because he took in my little brother and sister!”

“I don’t believe it.”  She turned to Dragomir.  “Do you believe any of this?”

He looked at her sternly, taking everything in.  He looked back at Atherton, studying his face… and nodded.

Quintessa threw up her arms in defeat.  “Well, it’s too late,” she said.  “If everything you said is true, Draven is already inside the castle.  When he can’t find Xanthus he’ll go through with the other half of the plan.”

“What other half of the plan?” Atherton asked.

“To open the tunnel.  To flood the castle so we aren’t the first to go.”

“The tunnel?  What tunnel?  Esmarine was talking about a tunnel, too.”

“Behind the rock formation in the cave!” Quintessa said.  She sounded exasperated.

“But�"I thought Draven didn’t know what was behind the rocks!”

“Draven used to be a member of the King’s Guard.  He knows everything, especially about the supply tunnel.  Once he gets in, he can cross underneath the Barelands and shift the rocks just enough to let the water through.  Once the water is out of the way, we’ll be able to open the passage and let them through.”

“We can’t do this!” Atherton yelled.  “There are good people in the city!”

“There are a lot more bad people than there are good people, Atherton.  And when it comes down to it, I choose us over them.  We’re all going to die anyway, but I’d prefer them to go first.”

“I have to stop them.  My little brother and sister are still in the city.  I have to save them!”

“Your little brother and sister will be fine.  The water isn’t going to kill them immediately,” Meridian said.  But Atherton wasn’t listening.  He turned to head back to the city.

“Don’t do this, Atherton!” Quintessa called.  He kept walking.  Then something hard and heavy took him in the back of the head, and he crumpled to the ground.