with an herbal smell that she recognized from required rotations in the greenhouse back home.
His arms tucked under her legs, Beck hoisted her higher and walked—not onto the bog as she’d expected—but into the hole that had concealed his party.
“Hey—wait—”
As he splashed into knee-deep water she saw it wasn’t a hole, but a tunnel. Light streamed into the opening at the opposite end. He waded toward it, and the others began dropping into the tunnel behind them.
“How did you tunnel under all this wet ground?” she asked, squinting into the darkness of the tight enclosure.
“It’s not an honest tunnel. More like a ditch.” He waved at one wall. “This is an old turf cutting—the peat bricks for our fires come from here. It was started generations ago. We just connected it up to this dry stretch, and covered it so it wouldn’t be visible from the air.”
“Looks like it was a huge amount of work.”
“That it was.”
“Why did you do it? You couldn’t have known the Manti were coming.”
“Ah, but we did. When the first ship came down we figured eventually someone would come along looking for it. Did you notice that old cottage at the edge of the bog, next to the thicket?”
“Yes, I saw it.”
“We’ve had rotating watches there for weeks, keeping an eye on this ship.”
“Do you know what happened? Why it came down, I mean?”
“Mmm. She came down in a storm. We picked up her crew the next morning, trying to cross the bog.”
This was an interesting new concept for Asha—the idea of luring and ambushing the enemy. In Sanctuary they tried to ignore the enemy flyovers, and hoped the enemy would return the favor.
“Where is the crew?”
Beck’s body stiffened under her. “Dead.”
She stiffened too, thinking about Iris and the knife. “Did you kill them?”
She yelped as Beck lost his footing, and water splashed up her legs and back. But he managed to right himself before they slid into the water.
“We gave them a choice,” he replied, bumping her back into position. She clutched at his shoulders to keep her balance. “They could have taught us to fly that ship.”
“What did you want with the ship?”
“To find other survivors. We have to band together if we’re going to fight them.”
Asha lifted her eyebrows. “You’re serious?”
He chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, it’s just that—” Indeed, why ?
She considered a moment and continued, “Where I come from, we talk about that all the time. But I’ve never heard of anyone doing anything but talk. Not since right after the war. I never knew there were other survivors.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Where do you come from, love?”
“Sanctuary. It’s in Utah, in the desert.”
“How many there?”
“Nearly a thousand.”
Beck whistled. “That’s very good news.”
“There are many more of them though,” she pointed out. “I mean we assume so, based on their numbers before the war.” Multiple births were common among the Manti, and reproduction was almost a religion for them at the time negotiations collapsed. Just like it was a civic obligation back home.
“What you’re telling me is you don’t think one ship will be enough for a resistance.” She could hear the grin in Beck’s voice.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Good thing we have two, then.” He laughed, and his laughter was contagious.
“Serious now though,” he continued, “that’s a useful bit of information. You have more like that?”
She bit her lip. “Quite a lot, actually.”
He gave a decisive nod. “Let’s get you someplace warm and dry. Then the two of us will have a long chat.”
Though still wary of Finn and the others, Asha was beginning to trust their leader. Gradually she was distancing herself mentally from the pair who’d brought her here. Paxton was her enemy. Beck and the others were her people . Until now she’d believed the whole of humanity consisted of the thousand souls at
His arms tucked under her legs, Beck hoisted her higher and walked—not onto the bog as she’d expected—but into the hole that had concealed his party.
“Hey—wait—”
As he splashed into knee-deep water she saw it wasn’t a hole, but a tunnel. Light streamed into the opening at the opposite end. He waded toward it, and the others began dropping into the tunnel behind them.
“How did you tunnel under all this wet ground?” she asked, squinting into the darkness of the tight enclosure.
“It’s not an honest tunnel. More like a ditch.” He waved at one wall. “This is an old turf cutting—the peat bricks for our fires come from here. It was started generations ago. We just connected it up to this dry stretch, and covered it so it wouldn’t be visible from the air.”
“Looks like it was a huge amount of work.”
“That it was.”
“Why did you do it? You couldn’t have known the Manti were coming.”
“Ah, but we did. When the first ship came down we figured eventually someone would come along looking for it. Did you notice that old cottage at the edge of the bog, next to the thicket?”
“Yes, I saw it.”
“We’ve had rotating watches there for weeks, keeping an eye on this ship.”
“Do you know what happened? Why it came down, I mean?”
“Mmm. She came down in a storm. We picked up her crew the next morning, trying to cross the bog.”
This was an interesting new concept for Asha—the idea of luring and ambushing the enemy. In Sanctuary they tried to ignore the enemy flyovers, and hoped the enemy would return the favor.
“Where is the crew?”
Beck’s body stiffened under her. “Dead.”
She stiffened too, thinking about Iris and the knife. “Did you kill them?”
She yelped as Beck lost his footing, and water splashed up her legs and back. But he managed to right himself before they slid into the water.
“We gave them a choice,” he replied, bumping her back into position. She clutched at his shoulders to keep her balance. “They could have taught us to fly that ship.”
“What did you want with the ship?”
“To find other survivors. We have to band together if we’re going to fight them.”
Asha lifted her eyebrows. “You’re serious?”
He chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, it’s just that—” Indeed, why ?
She considered a moment and continued, “Where I come from, we talk about that all the time. But I’ve never heard of anyone doing anything but talk. Not since right after the war. I never knew there were other survivors.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Where do you come from, love?”
“Sanctuary. It’s in Utah, in the desert.”
“How many there?”
“Nearly a thousand.”
Beck whistled. “That’s very good news.”
“There are many more of them though,” she pointed out. “I mean we assume so, based on their numbers before the war.” Multiple births were common among the Manti, and reproduction was almost a religion for them at the time negotiations collapsed. Just like it was a civic obligation back home.
“What you’re telling me is you don’t think one ship will be enough for a resistance.” She could hear the grin in Beck’s voice.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“Good thing we have two, then.” He laughed, and his laughter was contagious.
“Serious now though,” he continued, “that’s a useful bit of information. You have more like that?”
She bit her lip. “Quite a lot, actually.”
He gave a decisive nod. “Let’s get you someplace warm and dry. Then the two of us will have a long chat.”
Though still wary of Finn and the others, Asha was beginning to trust their leader. Gradually she was distancing herself mentally from the pair who’d brought her here. Paxton was her enemy. Beck and the others were her people . Until now she’d believed the whole of humanity consisted of the thousand souls at
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