Scavenger of Souls by Joshua David Bellin

steered me away, while Wali hurled curses at our backs. They echoed loudly in the tiny cave. The guard outside remained motionless. Adem covered his ears and sank once again into his corner.
    â€œWell, that went just the way I planned,” I said, trying to smile.
    â€œGive him time to grieve, Querry,” Nessa said softly. “He’s in so much pain right now, but he’ll come around. I’ve known Wali forever, and I know he’ll do what’s right for the colony.”
    â€œIf he doesn’t—”
    â€œHe will,” she said, putting a finger to my lips. “Now let’s make our plan. Whatever happens tomorrow”—and her eyes flashed in the semidarkness—“I want us to be ready for it.”

4
    Asunder’s men came for us in the morning.
    At least, I assumed it was morning. Spending the night in an enclosure more substantial than a tent was a first for me, and where I expected sun, all I got was more gloom. But the warriors who threw aside our curtain and prodded us with the butts of their spears were obviously anxious to get going, so it seemed the day had dawned.
    I’d spent a restless night. For one thing, I discovered that Adem made up for his lack of intelligible speech with a surplus of snoring. I’d never noticed it when we slept out in the open, but in the tiny cave his snorts and snuffles just about rattled my brain. More importantly, I kept turning over in my head how we were going to get out of this trap. Wali had finally relented and let Nessa retie his cords, but I still didn’t trust him not to foul up our plan. And I had to admit, it wasn’t much of a plan. Figuring Asunder might ease off once he’dgotten whatever he wanted from us, Nessa and I had agreed we should play along for the time being, not confront him openly. That might not win our freedom, but it might open up space for us to operate, and it was sure better than charging headfirst into a nest of armed warriors. Still, it was a pretty slim hope, and as the hours of the night marched relentlessly toward dawn, it started to feel slimmer and slimmer.
    Every time I closed my eyes, Wali’s question returned to haunt my thoughts. What had Laman taught me? Lots of things. How to tie a knot, how to hunt for food and shade, how to scout for Skaldi. He’d told me never to give up, always to keep looking toward the future. But at the moment, it felt like the most important thing he’d taught me was this: stick together. If you’re going to fight for something, fight for the colony. Because in this world, nobody makes it on their own.
    I didn’t want just one or two of us to get out of here. And I didn’t want to lose any more lives. I wanted the colony together, and free. Wali might not think I knew how to fight, but I was ready to fight for that.
    I glanced at Nessa as the guards pushed us out of our cell to face their leader. She nodded and discreetly touched her braid. Knowing we were still on the same page definitely helped. Not knowing what lay in wait for us definitely didn’t.

    They led us down the third branch of the tunnels to a short flight of stairs carved into the rock. There Asunder met us,emerging from a recess in the wall that must have led to his sleeping quarters.
    â€œYou stand near the very heart of the Sheltered Lands,” he said, speaking no louder than a whisper but with no loss of clarity or power. “In our tongue we name this place Grava Bracha , the Spring of the Blessed. Here you will learn our ways and partake of the gifts we have to offer. Do not doubt what you see. It has been prepared for those who wander and are lost.”
    With that, he ascended the stairway. At the top, he faced us once more, smiled, and threw aside a curtain of the brown material, letting a flood of brilliant light bathe our upturned faces. When he disappeared inside, the rest of us followed. One of the warriors held the curtain, and I