“We underestimate nothing,” Imulah said. “You may think he will free you or that the sky gods will come and save you, but if they do come, we will destroy them, as we did the others.”
Rodger looked at the floor.
“What do you mean, the others?” Magnolia asked.
Imulah made his way over to the window and stuck his head outside. He looked up, and suddenly Magnolia understood. She joined him there and felt a chill at the sight of the airship above them—the location of the Sky Arena.
“You weren’t the first that found us,” Imulah said. “And you probably won’t be the last. We knew about the Hive and Ares for many years. We listened to your transmissions, but we never responded. But now you see what happens to those who try to take this place from el Pulpo.”
Magnolia stepped away from the window, suddenly feeling that she was going to be sick. The journey here on the Sea Wolf was supposed to save her people. It was supposed to be a fresh start—a place where humanity could rebuild and live in peace without the fear of crashing to a poisoned earth.
But when they set off for the Metal Islands, they had no idea what kind of evil dwelled here. Maybe X had, but Magnolia had expected only some pirate ships.
Now she knew the truth.
While humanity had continued to advance in the sky, on the surface it seemed to have devolved, back to a more primitive state. Where the sword ruled over the law. Where violence and pain were glorified, and the people worshipped a sea creature.
Imulah moved closer. “Magnolia, I’ve told you many times, but you don’t listen, so I thought I would bring Rodger to talk some sense into you. Time is running out for you to get your mind in the right place.”
“Time is always running out,” Magnolia replied. “I’m used to the feeling, and you can’t scare me with threats, in case you haven’t figured that out already.”
Imulah raised a hand and pinched his fingers together, then opened them as if he were dropping something on the ground. “The sands of time have almost run out. Tomorrow night, you will be dining with el Pulpo in the gardens, and I fear he will lose patience with your strong spirit and no longer be enamored of it.”
The old scribe stepped between Rodger and Magnolia.
“El Pulpo has enjoyed your presence thus far. Make sure that lasts, for your sake and your friends’.” He patted Rodger on the shoulder and turned to leave. “And don’t forget about that dog. I’ve heard el Pulpo mention how delicious he looks.”
She glared at Imulah’s robed back, holding back what she really wanted to say. Before she could react, Rodger leaned forward and hugged her. She didn’t embrace him, but she did hear what he whispered in her ear when Imulah moved away with his back to them.
“I haven’t given up, Mags, but you have to play the game like me, so when we do get a chance, we can escape.”
Then he was gone. The door locked with a click that echoed through the empty room. Magnolia slumped on the bed, heart thumping and a tear racing down her cheek.
The rain had stopped, but the open cargo bay of the USS Zion was still slick. Interior lights shone on a fallen Hell Diver. The body of Jed Snow was wrapped in white blankets and chains to take him down once they pushed him over the side to his final resting place.
The ship rocked gently in the rough water. They had anchored here for three days, within view of another island. Unlike the mountainous place where Jed died, this landmass was mostly flat, and while there seemed to be some flora, most of the terrain appeared to consist of black rock. For this was a relatively new island in geological terms, born of a volcano beneath the sea. Near one end, a red ribbon of lava glowed.
Katrina had watched in awe for the past two days, seeing Mother Nature at its most primordial for the first time in her life. When she wasn’t looking out over the awesome sight, she was planning for the rendezvous at the Metal Islands and getting the weapons in operational shape.
In two days, they would meet the airships at their new home. First, though, Michael, Les, and Layla had to complete their mission at Red Sphere, and Katrina was starting to get anxious for news. She brought up the wrist computer that allowed her to stay connected to the command center of the USS Zion and receive any incoming transmissions.
The last time she talked to Les, they had just reached Red Sphere and were preparing to drop the EMP bomb. It had to work. She was sick of waiting around and hoping. She wanted to take action.
Her eyes flitted back to the reason the divers were in the cargo bay. The white sheets covering Jed rippled in the wind. She had considered taking his body to the island to bury him, but despite the clear weather and lack of radiation, it was still too dangerous. She wouldn’t risk another attack by some mutant beast.
Instead, they had decided to do Jed’s send-off in the water. It was no different from in the sky, really. When someone passed away on the Hive, they would drop the body from the launch tubes, sending it back to the earth, the way it was always supposed to be.
“We’re all here now,” said Trey.
She turned to see the other divers present in the cargo hold. Trey, Sandy, Eevi, Alexander, Vish, Jaideep, and Edgar joined her in the enclosed space, out of the wind and rain. Katrina laid her gloved hand on Sandy’s shoulder.
The teenage girl had suffered greatly on the journey, seeing her blossoming love destroyed by aberrant evolution in the wastes. Katrina feared she had lost two divers to that hybrid monster on that island. She wasn’t sure Sandy would be of much use when they reached the Metal Islands. Since Jed’s death, the girl had mostly slept.
“I’m not very good at this,” Katrina said. “But I’d like to say a few words about Jed before his send-off. First, though, does anyone else want to say anything?”
“I do.” Sandy wiped away a tear and stepped closer to the body.
“I didn’t know Jed very well when we were younger,” she said. “He was the shy kid in school. Kept to himself. Helped his mom after classes and was pretty much by her side until her last breath. I never heard him talk about his father, who died as a Hell Diver not long after he was born.”
She drew in a breath and let it out. “I don’t know if you guys know this, but he told me something about Michael and Layla when he first volunteered to join the Hell Divers. A memory from when he was a kid.”
“What memory?” Katrina asked.
Sandy cracked a half smile. “He said they approached him and his mom in the trading post when he was about six or so, and they gave him a cookie to eat.”
Katrina grinned. “Sounds just like Michael and Layla.”
Sandy wiped away another tear. “Jed never forgot that. He said it taught him how to treat people. He used that kindness in his own life, and he treated me like he treated his mom. Always looking out for us and making sure we were okay. Giving us the last drink of water or the last bite of food or making sure we were comfortable. I think that’s when I knew I was falling in love with him, when I woke up at night and he was covering my feet.”
Katrina felt the tears welling up in her own eyes. The emotions she had suppressed were boiling back up with the memories of a good man. There weren’t many left in this world, and each loss hurt.
“Jed told me he volunteered to become a Hell Diver because of Michael and Layla, but also because he always liked me and wanted to protect me,” Sandy continued. “And now he’s gone because of me.”
“It’s not your fault,” Trey said. “It’s mine. He would never have been out there if I hadn’t let my guard down on the deck.”