The Deep (18 page)

“Nothing of the kind,” I say. “Maybe we were
protected by the Force. That’s what we believe in on Tresco.” I
smile at him beatifically. He shouldn’t think he’s dealing with a
bunch of primitives. We’ve been pegged as Unbelievers by people who
didn’t understand us before, and I’m not going to let that happen
again.

Michelle is the first one to break the long
silence. “You’re sure you want to give this to me?” she asks
gingerly.

I nod. “Of course. Your husband sacrificed
himself to save us.”

She bites her lip and smiles through her
tears. “Thank you.”

“A glorious gift,” Sonia agrees. Her menacing
attitude has disappeared now that she knows we didn’t steal
anything. “Henry would have been honored.”

I shake Michelle’s hand once more, watch as
Walt offers her his condolences too, and then walk to a bench in
the corner, my knees wobbly. I only brave a look around the room
after sitting there with Walt, hand in hand, for a few silent
minutes. My gaze catches on the president, who’s quietly talking to
Sonia, his eyes pensive as he watches me and Walt. What are they
discussing? Are they about to arrest us because we’ve broken the
rules? Or are they just very thankful for the beautiful gift we’ve
brought for Henry’s wife?

“I can’t wait to go to Bodmin,” Walt says at
that moment.

“Can’t be soon enough.” I sigh, letting my
head drop onto his shoulder. When William shows up with a plate
full of food some moments later, I decide to have a few bites of
bread anyway. The trip to Bodmin will take a couple of hours.

When the group of people gathered around
Henry’s portrait leaves, a bell rings and summons servants
scurrying about to clear the table and clean the room.

Padma walks over to us and gives me a weak
smile. “I’m so sad about Henry. But I’m also kind of happy that
Tony didn’t tell anyone it was our fault.”

“Me too,” I mumble.

“We’re leaving, by the way. First we visit
Bodmin and tomorrow it’s back to the Penzance harbor.”

I look around one more time, taking in the
room where we have had the opportunity to enjoy the Dartmoor
hospitality twice. It’s still beautiful, but I would never feel
completely at ease if I stayed here. Nonviolent ideals are fine, as
long as they’re just principles – expecting people to never get
angry or aggressive anymore will take away the humanness from a
community.

It is as if a burden is lifted off my
shoulders when we get into the bus again to be on our way to the
other large city in the new world. Bodmin is more open-minded, less
strict, and only a two-hour drive.

“I’m sorry I lost your book,” I apologize to
William. It was his copy of the New Testament that I used to bribe
my way out of Dartmoor with Victor.

He shrugs. “No problem. I’m sure I can get
another one in Bodmin. I’d like to put a copy in the Bookkeeper’s
library when we get home.”

“Dad,” Walt groans. “Not another book I have
to learn by heart.”

I laugh. “Isn’t it about time that everyone
gained access to those books?”

He turns around to face me. “You think?
Why?”

“Because it’s good to share knowledge.” I
remember our own Book, kept under lock and key, because no one was
allowed to read in it except Saul. Only now do I wonder whether the
manor leaders were always like that. Did the youngsters used to
know more about its contents? “So people can decide for themselves
what to do with that wisdom, and use their common sense. They won’t
need to slavishly follow priests who think they know how it should
be interpreted, or dictators like Saul, or other leaders such as
Gideon and Jacob.”

Walt smiles. “I think I’ll give it a
try.”

“Try what?”

“Build a public library. Like the library we
visited yesterday. And build a mighty fleet of ships so people can
sail to the Other Side as often as they want.”

This is why I like Walt so much. He may be
overconfident and arrogant sometimes, but he doesn’t shy away from
new things. He’s not afraid to broaden his horizon.

“That means you’ll be the first Bookkeeper
who won’t keep the books away from the people,” I say
seriously.

“Amen,” William supplies, using a word we
learned in Dartmoor to validate previously-uttered words. The three
of us laugh, and it feels good to make new plans for our own world
instead of being afraid to break the rules of the strange society
we’ve encountered.

Some twenty odd miles before we get to
Bodmin, Tony pulls over and parks the bus along the roadside for a
short break. It’s no coincidence he has picked a spot looking out
over a beautiful, lush forest, which doesn’t seem to have been
affected by sickness or radiation.

“This place used to be called Upton Wood,” he
tells us. “It also happens to be the border of Bodmin County. You
see we’re getting close to another region where life is still
possible.”

“Where’s the fence?” Padma wants to know.

“There is no fence.” Tony smiles. “We do have
some low stone walls to keep the cattle in, but we don’t have
barriers for humans.” He nervously glances aside when two men
approach us. “I’ll tell you more about it later.”

I’m surprised to find out that I don’t know
the two men at all. Were they hiding in the back of the bus?

“Excuse me – who are you?” I inquire.

They smile broadly. “We are delegates of the
Dartmoor government. Technicians. We are going to work on the radio
in the harbor, so we can stay in touch with ships of visitors who
may decide to visit us,” the oldest of the two explains.

“Thank you very much,” Walt says. “The people
of Tresco will be indebted.”

While Tony and William strike up a
conversation with the two repair men, I tug at Walt’s arm. “You
want to take a little stroll with me?” I ask. “It’s so beautiful
here. This forest reminds me of the woods around the manor.”

“Sure, why not?” He looks around with a
beaming face as we follow the dirt track leading into the forest.
“It’s wonderful to see there is still so much nature here. And
isn’t it amazing that Bodmin doesn’t have a fence? A strict barrier
like in Dartmoor will only keep people from getting to know each
other better.”

“Well, no Wall has been able to stop us,” I
say, blushing when Walt cocks a playful eyebrow.

“I thought last night was amazing,” he says.
“Are you – happy that I spent the night?”

“Yes.” I squeeze his hand.

We silently continue down the path until we
stumble onto a small forest pond, ringed by pine trees. At the
water’s edge, Walt stops walking and lifts my hand to his lips to
kiss my fingers.

“Look, I don’t know how your people do
everything,” he starts, “but – I’d like you to belong to me. Like
Yorrick belonged to Alisa. Like my parents belonged to each other a
long time ago.”

My heart skips a beat as my eyes find his.
“And how does that work with you in Hope Harbor?” I whisper.

“You know.” He draws me in. “We do stuff
together. Swim in the sea. Watch plays in the square. Dance during
holidays and festivities. We talk. And if we can do that without
being at each other’s throats all the time, we stick together.”

I smile. “You do realize that according to
Newexter customs, we’d already be married after last night,” I
tease him. I can’t help myself.

Walt visibly pales. “Oh! Uhm – well, you
could have told me,” he grumbles, slightly panicked.

I burst out laughing. “I know you didn’t mean
it like that,” I reassure him. “You like me. I like you. And I hope
we’ll always like each other this much.”

He caresses my hair and softly kisses my
lips. “Yeah, me too.”

Before he can deepen the kiss, I’m distracted
by a rustling sound in the undergrowth. Walt doesn’t seem to
notice, but he’s not trained to look out for wild animals and
forest sounds. It’s not an animal that’s coming toward us making
its way through the bushes, though – it’s a person. Two people, I
determine after listening for a few more seconds.

“We have visitors,” I warn him with a cheeky
grin. “I’m just saying, before you start doing really naughty
stuff.”

Walt chuckles.

When we turn around, the two technicians from
Dartmoor are behind us, both quiet. Although their smiles are
friendly enough, the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. These
men are not here on a casual stroll through the woods. Their eyes
tell me they were looking for us, and now they have found us.

“Good afternoon,” Walt says, sounding
uncomfortable. He can feel it too – a sort of quiet threat.

“We have got orders to take you back to
Dartmoor,” the youngest one says, a skinny man with a face that
reminds me of a rat. He pats a black device dangling from his belt.
A radio?

“What – why?” I stutter. Is this about the
golden crucifix I took from Exeter? I wish I’d never given the
stupid thing away in a surge of guilt.

“We’ll tell you on our way back,” his friend
says in a calm tone.

“And what if we don’t want to come?” Walt
replies, raising his voice. He blocks the two men from coming any
closer to me. “We’re on our way home. If the president wants to
speak to us, he’ll have to wait until we pay him a visit
again.”

I edge away when they both get the familiar
needles from their pockets. “We’d rather not sedate you,” the rat
face says. “But we’ll do whatever’s necessary. If you follow us
without resisting, we’ll put these away. There’s a van waiting for
us at the end of this path.”

He hasn’t even finished speaking the last
word before Walt plants a fist into the man’s stomach, making him
double over. “Run!” he yells at me. “Leia, go back to the bus!”

“No! I’m not leaving you,” I sputter, trying
to fend off the older man with trembling hands. Walt turns around
and reaches out to grab the man’s upper arm when the other
Dartmoorer who is face down in the mud suddenly seizes his ankle.
He pulls and Walt tumbles down.

And then, the entire world fades to black. I
can just make out the needle slipping into my upper arm before the
light goes out.

“Yes. It’s him.”

The three of us are standing around a wooden
chest containing a body. Bram has just confirmed what the Eldest
already suspected.

The body that washed up on the beach next to
the tiny harbor is Finn’s. We’ll never know what exactly happened,
but judging from the state his body is in, he’s been in the water
for a few days at least. When Bram told Saul his brother was
missing, he might have been dead already. Drowned.

Was it possible he walked into the sea
himself?

Nathan lets out a deep sigh. He opens his
mouth to speak, then closes it again. What is he supposed to say
about his only son’s killer? Finn has carried out his own death
sentence.

“Do you want us to give him a final resting
place in the graveyard?” the Eldest asks Bram.

Bram shakes his head. With empty eyes, he
stares at his younger brother. How old had Finn been – about forty?
The same age as my parents, I suspect.

“I will build my own barge,” he says, his
voice cracked and crumbling. “He always wanted a simple ceremony.
Beneath the cold ground he’ll never be free.”

The Bookkeeper nods curtly. “I want you to
leave Tresco. As soon as possible. As soon as the
Explorer
comes back and we have the chance to sail out again, you’ll be on
that ship,” he says.

“Okay,” Bram simply replies. The Bookkeeper
won’t get an argument from this man – he can hardly look the leader
of Hope Harbor in the eye.

The Eldest takes a step back. “We will leave
you for now.” He ushers us out of the room in the village hall
where his assistants have laid out Finn’s body. With a solemn face,
he looks at us both. “When do you think the
Explorer
will be
back?”

“I have no idea.” Nathan looks around the
square absently. “It was just supposed to be a scouting mission, so
hopefully in a few days. I could use some good news by now.”

“You’ll be happy to hear that an extra team
of youth workers has started work on building a second ship.
They’re following your shipbuilders’ instructions to the letter, so
we’ll be able to finish two ships instead of one at the same
time.”

Nathan’s face lights up. “That is good news
indeed. How big are they? What’s their passenger capacity?”

“About two hundred people per vessel, I
estimate. They’re enormous.” The Eldest smiles. “Why don’t you come
and have a look? You’re here now anyway, and you won’t be taking
Finn back for trial, so you might as well see the work instead of
reading about it in those newsletters. I bet Terry’s eager to show
you what they’ve been up to.”

The Bookkeeper nods. “Will you join me?” he
asks me.

I shake my head. “No, I’m going to see Saul.
He needs to know what happened to. Finn and Bram were his
neighbors.”

“Of course. You go and see your friend.”

With a start, I realize that’s what Saul is –
a friend. A person I can be myself with, although I don’t always
feel at ease with him when he’s in one of his black moods. He’s so
different from Walt. So different from Yorrick. But despite all
that, he is a person I have learned to trust.

During my ride to the clearing, dark clouds
drift in over the island. The air is hot and muggy. I’ve been
expecting a thunderstorm to erupt for hours now, but right now I’m
hoping it’ll stay dry for a little while longer. I want to be
outside, maybe venture out into the woods to try and shoot a
pheasant. Yesterday Saul taught me how to handle a bow and arrows,
and I turned out to be so talented that I’m itching to give it
another try.

No one is there at the clearing. Maybe Saul
has already left on a hunt. In that case, I’d better wait here and
leave him alone. Last time I followed Saul into the woods, he kept
telling me I was too noisy when I walked. “You’re scaring away our
dinner,” he’d told me with a smirk, when I’d managed to scare away
an entire colony of rabbits for the third time.