Meadowcity by Liz Delton Page A

sheets.
    He took a deep breath, waited for a coughing fit that didn’t come, and went on.
    “He’s gone,” he said finally.
    “I don’t know if any of the other villas have a back exit—our villa is really old—but we’ve never used it before.  But I made it back to the villa, stumbling through the smoke on the paths.  My sister Ember—she grabbed my arm and pushed me through the stone door saying ‘Go!  Get help!’”  He paused and stared down at his hands.
    “She’s older than me; Ember always took care of me and Dad since our mother died.  She pushed me down the hall and I don’t even know what happened to her.”
    Flint’s eyes welled up and he looked away from them.
    Gero took a moment to fill Flint’s glass from the water pitcher near the door, and Flint took the glass with a low thanks, sipping it slowly now.
    “I followed the passage forever, coughing, tripping.  I didn’t even have a light.  I put my hands up and felt the walls and walked on and on.  Eventually I came out into the open; the tunnel came out in the woods a long way from the city.”
    He started to clear his throat again but brought on a coughing fit.  Sylvia looked down, studying the floorboards until he subsided.
    “It was night—they attacked in the dark of course—but from the woods I could see a glow that must have been the fires.  I just started walking—stumbling more like— but I knew Meadowcity was East.  Whenever the Riders come in, I could see where they were coming from.”
    He drew a shaky breath. 
    “I don’t know how many days it took me to get here, but we need your help—if there’s anyone left there to even help.” 
    “How did you make it here?” Sylvia blurted, her curiosity getting the better of her.
    “I don’t know,” he said, shrugging.
    Sylvia thought for a moment.  Now that they were asking questions, Gero jumped right in.
    “How long before the attack came?”
    “I don’t know—all I know is, the day it happened, Selena—our Governor—” he added, perhaps for Sylvia or Ven’s benefit, “—had just announced that Skycity had declared war.  They could have known for months, days, I don’t know.  But Skycity was already on their way.”
    A dark look passed over Gero’s face, and he said, “The explosions—?”
    “Never seen anything like it before, and my family cuts stone for a living.”
    Sylvia was starting to feel sick, and the lovely birthday dinner turned sour in her stomach.  Flint’s father gone, his sister missing, the city in flames…
    “How can we stop it?” The words came out of her mouth unbidden, but she wanted to know just the same.
    No one answered.  Gero and Ven exchanged looks, but Flint looked straight at Sylvia, his oddly dark grey eyes locked on hers as he said, “When can we leave?”

 
     
    Chapter Six
 
     
    Gero cleared his throat, “As soon as you can—these two are going with you,” he gestured at Ven and Sylvia.
    “Tomorrow, then,” Flint said quickly.
    Sylvia nodded her head, mentally making preparations for the next day’s journey, even though she had been ready to leave for what seemed like days.  She had a clear picture in her head of the way to Riftcity and which paths she would take to get there the fastest.  But there were two big differences in this journey—her new companions, and the terrifying new mystery of what would be waiting for them when they got there.
    What would they find there?  Would the city be torn entirely apart?  What about Flint’s sister, was anyone there alive?   Sylvia’s head clouded with questions, crowding out her thoughts of careful planning.
    Gero stood saying, “I’ll need to meet with—” he paused, looking down at Flint’s water glass, “—some advisors,” he mumbled.  He rose, moving the water pitcher closer to Flint’s bed. 
    “I’ve got to talk some things over with a few people,” he said vaguely.  “We can regroup in the morning before you go.  Meet before