Authors: Matt Stephens
Dorcan nodded. "This is the Evergreen Chamber." He explained. "The lamps keep the things growing, and since we're underground there are no seasons to make the growth go dormant."
Vincent looked up at the ceiling of the chamber, saw vines growing endlessly across it. The vines were all over the place, as dense as a carpet.
Dorcan followed his gaze. "Passionfruit." He explained. "The vines are creepers; they climb better than we do. The hanging baskets are just to give us more room to grow."
"You grow your own food?"
"We used to." Dorcan nodded. "We never had enough to feed everyone, but... eating stuff fresh out of a dumpster loses its novelty."
"I can understand that." Vincent nodded. "How do you keep the... things, how do you keep the vines in their place?"
"The lamps." Dorcan said simply. "You watch a flower sometime... it follows the sun. We moved the lamps, the plants follow the light."
Vincent nodded and followed. "Where'd you get all the lamps?"
"So full of questions." Dorcan joshed lightly and grinned. "You have any idea how many people in this city were growing… more illicit plants in their closets? Because the number is a lot less than you think. At least, it is
now
."
Vincent tried hard not to laugh.
Dorcan looked around. "It's been seven years since we lost this room. There are a few of them spread across the Underside; but this was the first."
"It's beautiful." Vincent agreed.
"The Lost Places always are." Dorcan agreed softly, slumping to the floor.
"What happened seven years ago?" Vincent asked, sitting down.
"The Riverfolk tried to flood out the Twelfth Level. Or at least the Seven Steps. Yasi fought them back and became Captain, but there were still a lot of rooms that got sealed off. This was one of them."
"The Riverfolk know about this place?" Vincent blurted, suddenly worried, looking to the water like it was about to attack him.
"The Riverfolk have enough to do." Dorcan waved it off. "They're combing the Underside looking for us, and they're eating well off Vandark's cargo. I suppose it never occurred to them that we might be hiding in their old backyard after all the other places that got blown apart."
It was the first chance they had to speak openly and Vincent asked the question that was most on his mind. "Dorcan; what happened?"
Dorcan glared. "You know what happened. Vandark told you his whole strategy." Nevertheless; he told Vincent everything he saw; from the first attack at The Entrance to the moment he and Yasi were separated at the Throne Room.
"How did you escape that?" Vincent asked curiously. "Yasi must have thought you surely died."
"Dumb luck. Archivist took a team to try and save the Whisper Gallery; and he failed. The last of his team got him out of there. Then the old man sent them to try and help us; but by then he was on the wrong side of the barricades. They got there just in time to get me free before the whole corridor lit up."
"How many do you have?" Vincent asked curiously. "How big is the Resistance?"
"Half a dozen, plus another five Lostkind that know how to fight." Dorcan counted. "Marketeers, Borrowers... And the Gremlins. They're still all over the place." He pulled a tomato off a nearby bush and tossed it to him; taking another for himself. "So, just to sum up: Owen knows you're back, which means Vandark knows. We're hiding in an underwater cavern; and none of my backup know where; and the bad guys will still have the run of the place once we leave our hiding spot."
"And thank mercy my watch is water resistant enough; because we've only got four hours left to save the Underside." Vincent put in, checking his wrist.
Dorcan looked at him, disturbed. "Save it? From what?"
Vincent winced. "From my plan to save the Underside."
"Ah. Makes perfect sense." Dorcan nodded, nonplussed. "I think it's time you told me what the grand plan is."
Vincent bit his lip. "I guess it is. How long do we have down here before they find us?"
"Long enough. My people might find us first. We've got a few hiding places; and we keep moving." Dorcan said honestly. "We'll wait."
EIGHTEEN: Rule Two: Be Daring
Vandark moved out of the Twelfth Level as the riot broke out behind them, and sighed hard, looking at her with a sad smile. "We could do so much Yasi. The faster we make peace, the sooner we can move mountains. Have billionaires seeking permission from the homeless, have congressmen feeding the hungry… We could do so much, if we could just learn to let the past go."
He looked genuinely upset by the violence. So much so that Yasi actually had to remind herself that this man had blown up children to get in here.
It's working on you too.
She warned herself.
He's buying forgiveness with talk and treats.
The riot had been settled with a minimum amount of fuss. Once Vandark left, the riots had lost focus, and the Riverfolk were still terrifying and largely unknown specters to most of the Lostkind; able to break up the violence quickly.
Yasi flexed her wrist, and judged how much give she had in her handcuffs. She had made a point of moving easily and freely, letting her guards get used to seeing her making gestures while she talked. If she kept it up, there might be a moment where she could make a larger movement without anyone noticing right away. She flexed her wrist, judging whether or not she might be able to use the cuffs as a garrote…
Vandark turned away from her, eyes turned elsewhere, and she slid one foot forward, just the tiniest bit, shifting her weight. Most of his guards had been drawn off by the riots in the Twelfth Level…
The gun was suddenly pointed point-blank at her nose. Vandark had drawn and aimed at her before she could even register the movement.
"Not good timing." Vandark glowered at her, barely turning to face her. His voice had gone from soft regret to vicious in a blink; and Yasi settled. Her guards stood closer to her, horrified that she had a chance to think of attacking.
Vandark sent her guards a heavy look. "There's a riot going on outside. Why don't you see if you can help, hmm? We'll talk later."
Doomed, the two Wildmen that had flanked Yasi since the Underside fell left them alone. Vandark leaned close enough that she could feel his breath. From a distance, it might have looked like a warm embrace. "Yasi, you can't win. The fight is already over. This is mine now. Everything in it is mine. I could make this a living hell for you; but I haven't. I am a killer. So are you. How many of my friends did you cut down when we came in here? Seven? Eight? Given my options, I think I've been pretty good about it. I'm not insane; I don't hurt people for fun."
"Neither do I." Yasi said tightly. "But don't pretend we're partners in this, Invader."
"I know we're not." Vandark said tightly. "But things change. How long are you going to keep fighting a lost fight? How many people have to get hurt? Work with me, and your people will be safe, and happy, and fed, and warm, and prosperous. Or you can keep fighting me."
Yasi got to the point she wanted to make. "Why am I alive?"
"Because others are too." Vandark said. "Right now, the only use you are to me is as a shield. Your guys haven't done anything more than write on the walls. It's not like they don't know where I am."
Yasi was forced to admit that was true.
Who is it? Dyce? Trigger? Somebody has to be in charge now… A fight is all we need. Even if one falls down, two more stand up…
"I know what you're thinking." Vandark put in. "You're thinking that if you keep pushing, or if they do… then I will retaliate, and the people here will all fight back. I'm not an idiot, Yasi. No matter how you come at me, no matter what you do… I will not respond in kind against your people. Not ever. They are safe; the only ones that can hurt them now are your people. If Lasa hadn't thrown that knife, he'd be alive and feasting right now. Keeping fighting me, and you will be
alone
in this place."
It was a tough position to argue with, and Vandark swept away from her. An instant later there was a grip around the back of her neck and she was being marched. Yasi was gutted. He wasn't acting like a dictator at all; which was why he was so good at it.
How do you fight the hand that feeds you?
Yasi racked her brains and came up with nothing.
Secretly, Yasi knew why Vandark wasn't worried about her. He knew she couldn't do anything. Even if she could reach Vandark before her guards stopped her, the one and only time she'd actually fought him, she'd lost. She tried to calculate how fast she could take him by surprise, and didn't like her chances.
The slogan of the Resistance kept showing up on the walls. There was still a chance.
Part of Yasi was tired of fighting. Protecting the Underside had been her sole job for seven years, and she had failed. Vandark had given her a straight up shot, and she had failed. Her own mother had been on the battlefield, and she had failed.
Yasi checked her wrists again. The cuffs were strong, but Yasi knew she could slip them with some effort. Maybe if she could get her sword back; she could slice through the chain... The only question was: what could she do after that? What could she do that wouldn't get Keeper executed, or a few of the Gremlins fed to the River?
She would only get one chance; if she hadn't missed it already.
Please, somebody…
Yasi thought bleakly
. Find a way to set us free.
~oo00oo~
Vincent checked his watch.
Ninety minutes left.
"We can't stay here much longer."
Dorcan nodded. "We'll have to go back through the River. Below the surface there are smaller tunnels that branch off into Riverfolk territory. We have to avoid them, but we can't come back up through the Twelfth Level either. We'll have to stay under a while."
"Okay." Vincent nodded. "So where do we go?"
"I told you that part of the Underside flooded, which is why the Evergreen was cut off. There are other places that were sealed off; one of them was a ladder that led up toward the Throne Room. We stay under till we get to the ladder, we take that up to the Twelfth Level. From there, we can slip through to the Whisper Gallery. The way there is patrolled since Archivist…" Dorcan trailed off a moment, before shaking his head clear of that thought. "We can either sneak in, or fight our way through."
"Owen saw me." Vincent offered. "He'll be looking for me."
Dorcan nodded. "This is going to be difficult." He led the way to the waters edge and paused. "I should stop you." He said plainly. "This goes badly; you'll do more damage than Vandark ever would."
"I know." Vincent swallowed. "But it's not just your home at stake now. It's mine too. Vandark wants to rule the Underside, so that he can rule New York. Stopping him is…"
Dorcan burst out laughing, sounding loud in the tranquil underground garden. "Son of a bitch. So you're here to save the world?"
Vincent shook his head. "I can't save the world. It's too big."
"So what are you here for?"
Vincent flushed. "Yasi?"
"You thought Yasi was dead." Dorcan scorned. "What are you here for?"
Silence.
"For me." Vincent said finally.
Dorcan took that in, and nodded at last, leading Vincent back into the water.
~oo00oo~
"I'm sorry? What was that?" Yasi heard her voice say stupidly.
Vandark was intrigued. "You're certain?"
Owen nodded. "I'm positive. It was Vincent McCall. He's here in the Underside."
Vandark sent a glance over to Yasi, a smile on his face. "Well. Seems I was right about you." He scoffed. "You did have a backup plan. Smart move, keeping your reserve outside the Underside for the whole battle." He rose to his feet and bellowed out to the entire room. "Find him! Bring him here!"
Owen stepped a little closer as the orders went out and all the guards in the room acted. "Is it wise, to bring him here?" Owen asked his master.
"Possibly not, but I've met McCall. I played chess with him." Vandark responded quietly. "He won't be the type to come at me with a gun, or a grenade for the whole room. It's simply not his nature. No, if he's here, he's got an ace; and I want to… politely ask him what it is before he plays it."
Yasi had barely heard any of this.
Vincent, what the hell are you doing?
~oo00oo~
Vincent followed Dorcan up the ladder, and came to a halt because the space above had been sealed. Dorcan felt around behind him, and found an empty space to step back into. Vincent followed, and realized that it was a new addition, the walls were narrow enough that he had to turn sideways, and broken up enough to scratch and claw at him.
"New additions?" He called conversationally.
He could hear Dorcan's smile. "The Wildmen don't have a clue how we get around without them seeing."