“Is he like the High King?”
“Yes,” Mira said. “The High Shaper is the High King.”
“Then I know he took some of my friends as slaves,” Cole said bitterly.
“Really?” Mira asked.
“Remember? I came here because my friends were kidnapped.”
“Right. But how do you know they were going to the High King?”
“After I was captured, this woman examined me. She said I had no shaping potential. But some of the others—the ones with potential—were set aside for the High King. That included Dalton and Jenna, two of my best friends.”
“Hmmm,” Mira said. “He must need more slaves with shaping talent. That could be good and bad for your friends.”
“How come?”
“Slaves who can shape get the best treatment. And if they’re going to be slaves, the royal palace is more comfortable than most places they could be working. But the High King is a maniac. Anyone who works near him is in danger.”
“What do you mean?” Cole asked.
“It ties directly into my secret. What do you know about how the five kingdoms are governed?”
“Nothing. I don’t even really know what they are.”
She nodded. “There are five major kingdoms in the Outskirts: Sambria, where we are now; Necronum; Elloweer; Zeropolis; and Creon. Junction lies more or less between the kingdoms. It’s the capital of the Outskirts. The five kingdoms used to be governed by five Grand Shapers. The High Shaper ranked above them all and lived in Junction City. Together they formed the Governing Council, and they ruled the Outskirts as a group. Except, around sixty years ago, the High Shaper decided he wanted all the power for himself. The Grand Shaper of Zeropolis became his puppet, and the other four went into hiding.”
“Is this the secret?”
“This is the background. You don’t know any of this, do you?”
“No. Who is the High Shaper now?”
“The same guy,” Mira said. “The more advanced shapers have ways to slow the aging process. They can live for hundreds of years.”
“The Grand Shapers are really powerful?”
“They’re usually the best of the best.”
“So what does this have to do with you?”
“I’m getting there. More than sixty years ago, the High Shaper lived with his wife and five daughters. The five girls all showed promise as shapers. Their father, not so much. Although he came from a long line of shapers, and married a woman who was a powerful shaper, he held his position more by pedigree and political games than by talent. Anyhow, one day, there was a terrible accident, and all his daughters died.”
“What happened?”
“Their carriage went off a bridge into a raging river. It was huge news throughout the Outskirts. All the kingdoms mourned. But I know some secrets about the accident. Secrets that involve the High Shaper. Things he would do anything to cover up.”
“Was he involved?”
Mira stared at Cole in silence. “We’re talking about the most powerful person in all of the Outskirts. And yes, he was behind the accident. He planned it.”
“His own daughters?” Cole asked.
“I don’t think he ever saw them as daughters,” Mira said. “Rivals would be more accurate.”
“The guy killed his own kids?” Cole exclaimed. “And he got away with it?”
“He still rules the Outskirts,” Mira said. “Almost nobody knows what really happened. The High King is ruthless and selfish. He destroyed his own family to get what he wanted. The more his power grows, the more people are seeing that side of him. And his power keeps growing every year. Every day.”
“My friends went to that guy?” Cole asked, feeling ill.
“Hopefully, they won’t work with him directly,” Mira said. “There’s more to the secret, but I shouldn’t share too much yet. The more you know, the more danger you’re in. The High Shaper has killed to keep these secrets and wouldn’t hesitate to kill again. But I wanted you to know enough to appreciate the seriousness of my situation.”
“How did you learn this stuff?” Cole asked.
“My mother is close to the High Shaper,” Mira said. “I used to live in his palace. She still does. If I say much more, I’ll end up telling you everything. My mother sent me away for my safety and then sent Durny to watch over me.”
“Were you and your mother slaves?”
“We weren’t slaves,” Mira said. “I got marked as part of my cover, to help me hide. But whatever the reasons behind my bondmark, having it makes me as much a slave as you or anyone.”
Cole rubbed the arm of the sofa. If Mira was willing to become a slave in order to hide, that alone proved her desperation. “Why tell me?”
After glancing at her door, Mira lowered her voice. “Because Durny and I were planning an escape.”
“From Skyport?”
She nodded.
“How come?”
“My mom uses a special signal to let me know when trouble is coming,” Mira said. “The signal can also guide messengers to me. But she only uses it for emergencies. The signal showed up recently, and Durny decided we needed to relocate.”
“What signal?” Cole asked. “What kind of danger is coming?”
Mira studied Cole. “You can’t leak a word of this. To anyone. Ever.”
“I promise,” Cole said.
“My mom is a shaper. She can put a special star in the sky, right above me. Not a bright one, but it has a distinct pinkish tint.”
“Wait,” Cole said. “She can make a star?”
“She doesn’t create an actual star. That wouldn’t even be useful since the sky changes so much. Think of it as the illusion of a star, high up so it blends with the night sky. The first and only time she did it, my star stayed right above me until Durny found me, then it went away.”
“Could enemies follow the star to you?”
“If they knew what to look for. That’s why the secret mustn’t get out. Without help, somebody would have to know the stars really well to even notice it. My star is a distinct color, but pretty faint. Almost nobody really studies the stars here because the night sky behaves so strangely. It would be tricky to single out a new star in all the chaos. Even if a few people noticed the new fixed star, unless they understood what the star meant, there would be no reason for them to follow it and get directly under it.”
“Does your mom know Durny died? Will she send someone else to help you?”
Mira gripped the edge of the sofa. “The signal came before Durny died. I can’t imagine Mother knows I lost my protector. It’s possible the star is leading a messenger to me. But it might only be a warning. In all my years, the one reason she ever put my star in the sky was to guide Durny to me. That was it. But seven nights ago, my star appeared again.”
“Wait a minute,” Cole said. “Is that what you saw? You know, when we were out in the yard by the porch?”
“It was tough to cover up my surprise. I check the stars every night, just in case. There’s never anything there, but I still check. The last thing I expected was to see my little star above me. It scared me.”
“And Durny decided you should run.”
“Yes. In a way, the star caused his death. The star is probably more than a warning, since it has remained in the sky. A warning would only have stayed for a night or two. But since the star moves with me, a messenger could follow us wherever we went. After I told Durny about the star, he wanted to gather some floatstones to make a skycraft.”
“Why not just steal a lifeboat?” Cole wondered.
“Runaway slaves get treated harshly,” Mira said. “The Sky Raiders would be angry enough without us stealing from them. According to our plan, while collecting floatstones, Durny would have smuggled some extras. He would have assembled the skycraft outside of Skyport so we could leave at any time. We would have flown our little skycraft to the end of the Brink, near one of the cloudwalls, let it fall off the edge once we were done with i
t, and headed inland on foot. We would have disappeared without a trace.”
Cole leaned forward on the couch. “Do you still want to make a run for it?”
“I don’t want to escape,” she said. “It’s incredibly risky. The Sky Raiders will come after me and punish me if they catch me. But my mother’s warning was as clear last night as the first, and it wouldn’t be there if this wasn’t something important. If I run off, I might avoid the danger, and the messenger should still be able to find me.”
“What if it’s just an important message? What if there’s no big threat?”
“Then I don’t need to run. But the message almost certainly means horrible trouble. Probably life or death. I can’t risk standing still. Durny stalled too long already trying to get permission to personally gather floatstones.”
Cole considered all she was telling him. He could think of only one reason she would reveal so much. “Are you asking me to run away with you?”
She stared at him. “I’ve already waited for too long. I need to leave. The only questions are when, and how, and whether you want to come with me.”
Cole buried his face in his hands. This was a lot to digest. He had wanted to escape ever since he came here. He needed to go find his friends. It would be great to have company—especially someone who knew a lot about the Outskirts. And Mira apparently knew how he could find the High King.
“If we get away, could you show me how to find my friends?” Cole asked.
“I could tell you the way to Junction City,” Mira said. “But you’d be crazy to try to take slaves from the High King on your own.” Mira lowered her voice. “I know people who want to see the High King fall. People who could help you find your friends. People who could give you a chance to succeed.”
“Really?” Cole asked, not daring to believe her.
“I want the High Shaper to lose his throne,” Mira whispered. “If we can get away, I’ll help you get the aid you need.”
Cole was so relieved that he wanted to hug her. This was better than he could have hoped! The thought that he might not have to rescue his friends alone and unguided lifted an oppressive weight from him.
But they hadn’t escaped yet. Mira had people after her, and they were both marked slaves. How far could they get without being discovered?
“How do you think we should do it?” Cole asked.
“You’ll come?” The hopeful relief in her voice helped cement his resolve.
“As long as we put together a decent plan.”
“You don’t have to let me drag you into this. The coming danger probably isn’t a threat to you unless you’re with me.”
“Good point. You’re on your own.”
She stared at him uncomfortably. “I understand.”
He grinned. “I’m joking. It’s just funny that you’re asking for help and trying to talk me out of it at the same time. Mira, I’d do anything to save my friends. If I can help you, too, that’s even better.”
“We can definitely help each other,” Mira said. “But even though I’ll try to help, don’t forget that getting involved with me could get you killed. The High Shaper hates me, and he hates the people I know who might help you. The secrets I know are dangerous to him. If you get mixed up with me, he’ll end up hating you, too.”
“I kind of hope he does,” Cole said. “He took my friends as slaves. I’m not a fan.”
Mira took a deep breath. “Okay. So we’re going to escape together.”
“The question is how.”
“That’s where it gets complicated. On foot, leaving at night would be reckless this close to the Brink, but we’ll get noticed quickly if we sneak away during the day. Whether we take off on foot, or even if we steal horses, they’ll be after us in no time. I don’t think we’d make it.”
“Can we steal a skycraft?”
“You need to wear an operator’s stone to steer one,” Mira said. “Otherwise it won’t respond. I know where Durny hid a few in case we needed a lifeboat in an emergency. But taking one will make the Sky Raiders doubly mad at us. They’ll know how we got away, and they’ll hunt us relentlessly.”
“What if you mess with the coffin?” Cole suggested. “Could you make it so you could steer it?”
“I could try.” Mira sighed. “I’m not sure I could pull it off. I haven’t done anything like that on my own before. I’m sure the other shapers have already taken the floatstones to use for a new lifeboat. Adam will want to replace the one we lost as quickly as possible.”
Cole folded his hands. “They’ll be plenty mad at us for leaving. If stealing a lifeboat helps our chances of getting away, I think we should risk making them even madder.”
Mira nodded. “That makes sense. It’s probably our only realistic option.”
“When were you thinking of going?”
She grimaced. “Soon. Probably early tomorrow morning, after they open up the landing bay but before any skycraft head out. They’re quick to seal the bay when the skycraft return at the end of the day.”
“They’ll chase us,” Cole said. “The skycraft can’t fly far over land, right?”
“A few hundred yards at best,” Mira said. “The floatstones only work in the sky beyond the Brink.”
“Tomorrow?”
After glancing cautiously at the door, Mira gave a serious nod. “Tomorrow.”
CHAPTER
16
MESSENGER
A stranger came through the front door while Cole was snacking in the common area. Twitch sat nearby, elbows on the table, gnawing at a large beef rib. Mira ate fruit on the other side of the room.
Cole had been watching everyone eat and talk with a strange sense of distance. This would be his last day here. In the morning he and Mira would make a run for it. No more meals prepared for him. No more Twitch or Jace or Adam or any of the other people. Also, no more salvaging missions where he risked death on a regular basis. And he’d finally get a real chance to find Dalton and Jenna. If he ended up back here, he and Mira would have failed, and who knew what punishments might await?
A pair of salvagers escorted the stranger. He wore dark jeans, dusty boots, and a gray leather jacket with black stripes down the sleeves. As the stranger considered the room, he showed relaxed interest rather than fear. He was of medium height, with his hair cropped short and stubble on his chin and cheeks. He might have been as young as thirty, but probably closer to forty.
Many had paused eating to watch as the stranger was escorted to where Adam sat on his jade throne. “Who is this?” Adam asked.
“He wants to see you,” said one of his escorts.
“I don’t know this guy,” Adam said. “You looking to join us?”
“No,” the man said.
“Buyers talk to Rowly or Hollis. Traders talk to Finch.”
“I need to speak with you,” the man said. He gave the room a sweeping glance. “In private.”
“Ha!” Adam shouted, slapping his hand on the arm of his throne. “We all hold shares of this business, friend, or we all will if we live long enough, so what you’d say to one, you can say to all.”
“How democratic,” the man said without approval. “Look, my news isn’t fit for all ears.”
Adam narrowed his eyes. “What’s your name, stranger?”
“Joe MacFarland.”
“You from Zeropolis?”
“What gave it away?”
“Besides your clothes, your attitude, and the weapon tucked away near your left armpit? Joe, you’re far from home, so I’ll cut you a break. These people flirt with death on a regular basis. Your message won’t rattle anyone half as much as you think. Enough treadmilling. Let’s have it.”
Joe sighed. “There’s a large detachment from the Junction Legion heading this way. They want to seize one of your slaves.”
Cole met eyes with Mira from across the room. They looked away from each other hurriedly. It didn’t have to be her, did it? But the High Shaper lived in Junction, and her mothe
r had sent a warning.
“Legionnaires?” Adam asked incredulously. “Nobody is going to waltz in here and dance away with one of my slaves. The High Shaper is one of my top customers.”
“The High Shaper wants this slave much more than he wants your trinkets,” Joe said. “We’re talking about four hundred trained soldiers.”
“Four hundred?” Adam blustered. “Do you know what it would take to send four hundred legionnaires from Junction to the Brink? Most of the land between us is empty!”
“I counted,” Joe said calmly. “The High Shaper isn’t playing games. They’d burn your operation to the ground to get what they want.”
“I’d like to see them try,” Adam said staunchly.
Several voices around the room lent support.
“Do nothing, and they’ll take what they came for,” Joe warned. “You can’t guess the value of this person. Let me smuggle the slave away from here. If they search the place and their quarry is gone, that should mark the end of your troubles.” Looking around, he hesitated. “Can’t we finish this in private?”
“Search our place?” Adam complained. “Listen, friend. Nobody crosses the High Shaper. He’s bad news to his enemies. I get that. But the Brink is the edge of the map, a long way from anywhere, and this operation has been running for hundreds of years. I don’t care how many men they have, we’re not going to let anyone push us around, especially not in our home. What sort of scam are you running? Smells like you’re the shyster after one of my slaves.”
“No con,” Joe said. “I’m not after handouts. I’ll pay you twice the fair value for the slave. You’ll be out nothing. But the legion will be here soon. If we’re to have a chance, we need to go.”
“Which slave are we discussing?” Adam asked. “Nearly all of us were slaves at some point. You here for me?”
Joe gave a rueful glance around the room. “That detail can only be shared in private. The information is dangerous to anyone who hears it.”
Adam folded his hands. “Then I fail to see why I should hurry to lend an ear.”
Joe sighed. “You’ll be dealing with the issue soon enough. The legion isn’t far behind me. Delay, and your options will shrink. You’ll end up betraying one of your own. Do you want the High Shaper to prove that he can take whatever he wishes from you? They’ll be diplomatic at first, but one way or another, they’ll claim their prize.”