Scavenger of Souls by Joshua David Bellin Page B

nor the old woman woke up while we were there, and our visit was all too brief, Archangel appearing at the doorway to usher us back to the main cavern. I threw a look back at my mother’s pale face, hoping she’d be okay and realizing how her injury complicated any escape plans I might make.
    Back at the main cavern, we found Asunder standing by the bubbling fountain, the children of his colony and ours arranged around him. A benevolent smile disguised any impatience he might have felt. When we appeared, he strode to a luminescent rock carved in the rough shape of a chair and seated himself on a cushion as red as his cloak. One woman left the fountain and hurriedly laid a circle of mats on the ground, then scampered back to her work by the pool’s side. Asunder nodded, and we followed our guards’ example, seating ourselves on the mats. Wali needed a sharp look from me before he would agree to lower himself in front of what was obviously meant to be a throne.
    â€œFood is prepared,” Asunder said simply. His rich voice was muted, and a kindly smile played on his lips. As we looked up at him from our seats on the ground, the gushing fountain seemed to frame his head with a halo of light.
    â€œThank you,” I said, knowing it was what he expected. Wali glanced at me with distaste, and Asunder’s smile flickered sardonically. But he nodded and turned his gaze to the women at the cooking station, who instantly brought steamingbowls and set them on the ground before us. They kept their heads lowered and didn’t say a word.
    The meal consisted of a thick, sloppy stew and flat, palm-size wafers, which I saw Asunder’s men doubling to form a sort of cup so they could shovel the food into their mouths. The littlest members of our colony mastered the technique quickly, helped by having their hands free. I clumsily tried to do the same, the trickiest part being how to hide the knots we’d tied in our bindings. I managed to spill most of what I scooped, testing what remained with the tip of my tongue. It was hot and surprisingly tasty, unlike so much of the gag-worthy food I’d eaten in Survival Colony 9.
    Asunder didn’t join the feast, but his eyes roamed over us throughout our meal. The warriors chattered the whole time in their own language. At another mute signal from their leader, one of the women appeared, bringing water from the fountain in a clay pitcher. The warriors held out their hands, and when they were clean, some cupped their palms to receive a drink. My stomach felt too full for more than a small sip, but I found the water cool and refreshingly clean. When I was done, I leaned back, letting my stomach expand, and watched as the women hurried the bowls to the fountain for cleansing. Nessa, I saw out of the corner of my eye, was frowning as she watched them fulfill their menial tasks.
    â€œMy children,” Asunder said warmly, snapping me out of my reverie, “we welcome the strangers to our home, and we invite them to hear the words we have to say.”
    He stood and stepped down from the throne. As the remaining warriors and women drifted over from every corner of the cavern and seated themselves around us, he reached for the bone-white staff at his side, laying it on the ground in the center of the circle. At the sight of it, the warriors and women bowed low, their arms outstretched and their heads touching the ground. The cave-children, I saw, did the same. They stayed like that for a long moment before sitting up again.
    Asunder’s eyes swept the audience, his irises as full of colors as the rock surrounding him. I tried to meet his gaze, but that was hard to do when moment by moment I seemed to be looking into a new pair of eyes.
    â€œOur guests have traveled from afar,” he began, in the rich tones that seemed to come so naturally to him. “They have crossed the desert waste, they have walked the very rim of the Shattered Lands, and now they