Once everyone was freed, he planned to stop Anna forever. He prayed to the goddess that Amber did not betray them again. If she did, he would leave her to Andrea.
Inside, Nettles had been watching the scene between Amber and the demon with disgust. She wanted to shout at them, scream even, but knew that another shock would probably kill Seth.
I hope you can hear me you bastard, it’s the end for you. Nettles held her breath as the demon turned to stare at her. She thought of Hawk’s gift, and swallowed hard. He was interrupted by one of the drones. But it was the words that appeared in her thoughts when he walked away that made her freeze in horror.
‘Wrong, you stupid human, it’s just the beginning.’
Across the room, Amber looked confused by how quickly he left and prayed she hadn’t given the game away. She didn’t have long to get everyone out.
From across the room, Nettles itched distractedly at the white tunics they had been given. Her hatred for Amber was overtaken by what he had said to her. What did he mean – what beginning? It sounded ominous and once again helplessness took over. It took her a moment to register the new Amber. Whatever he had done to her, she was healed and she was half glad Seth wasn’t awake to see it. Seth shifted in the nearby cage, his body twitching and she felt her festering hatred boil over. This time she was unable to keep her silence.
They had both prayed, when Amber was brought in, that she would die on the table and the disappointment of her recovery rose like bile in her throat. Seth had been so ecstatic when he saw how awful she looked.
‘You see Nettles, my totem rejected the cow! How brilliant is that?’
Amber had been part of their group for such a long time now and accepted by everyone. She had seen the hold Anna had over her and had tried to reason with her, but Amber had scuttled away. The only reason Nettles could think of why Amber would try to join with Seth’s totem was to deceive their group. Out of everyone, Anna had chosen her, the most inexperienced one of the group.
She looked away from the drone that shoved a plate of tasteless soup and bread through the grate. She found it so difficult to look at their blank faces, any trace of humanity was gone. She even recognised one, when she was first captured. The middle aged woman was at one of the meetings and to make matters worse, her mother was friends with her. She had cried then, thinking of her own parents and prayed that they had gone underground. The older trancer’s powers were more useful than younger initiates. It was the way of totem groups to protect the older ones, their power filtering into their children when they passed through the veil. Nettles stared back at Amber, alarm triggering at the absence of the demon and Anna. Anna has been missing for ages. Something big was going down; she could feel it and sat up straight, her senses on high alert as she turned her attention to the sleeping Seth.
‘Seth, wake-up please, c’mon…I need you.’
‘Seth,’ she hissed loudly. He moaned and rolled over; his blood shot eyes squinting at her.
‘Wha’ happened?’ He grimaced, pushing himself up on one arm. He followed her gaze to Amber who sat swinging her legs from on top of the platform. His mood was foul and from what she remembered, being shocked gave you blistering headaches. His memories flooded back and he turned back to Nettles wordlessly, his eyes questioning her. Nettles nodded.
The demon did it.
Seth looked like all the air had left him and he hugged his legs rocking slightly.
Seth…I feel something else…push them out…can you feel it too?
Seth shook his head staring at Amber with undisguised hatred and couldn’t help himself.
‘You’re going to pay Bitch, you and everyone connected to you.’
His voice echoed across the room and Amber stared at him fearfully and they both watched her take a deep breath.
Seth, be careful, if she calls the demon, we’ve had it. Nettles warned Seth, he looked from her to Amber fearfully. They both gasped when she purposely looked towards the inner chamber, as if she was looking for him.
I don’t think I can take anymore, Nettles – I’d rather die, Seth sensed to her and Nettles held her hand to her lips. The room was silent except for the drones who were still tapping at the computers. Then Amber did something unexpected and they followed her gaze towards the dome. Nettles frowned, who was she waiting for?
31
Above
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The earth is really dying.
32
Below
Nettles mind worked through different scenarios, for some reason they were still alive. Even though Amber had abused her boyfriend’s totem, they were still alive. She felt dread creep into her bones. Something was going on and the way Amber was acting, she knew that their time in the cages were nearly over. Amber was the only chance now and she had to convince her to let them go. Nettles sensed Seth a message to keep quiet and focused her attention on the girl she had once thought of as family.
‘Amber, I…’ She began, keeping her voice soft.
She stopped, staring in confusion when Amber held a finger over her mouth. She could feel Seth stiffen nearby. She had to try again.
‘Amber, please listen. I need to talk to you. We haven’t had a chat in so long. Remember how we used to do that?
She felt her mouth drop when she saw Amber flick off the frequency switch that held them in their cages. Nobody moved, and she looked at her suspiciously, expecting a trap. Amber waved them out, still keeping her eye on the inner chamber. The thought of being free was too much to resist and she sprang into action. For a brief moment outside, her eyes filled with tears.
She stumbled towards the shocked Seth, almost dragging him out of the cage before darting across the room to the chamber. The essence of each totem, frozen inside a capsule almost broke her heart. She untwisted the top and a whisper of delicate mist drifted out. She could hear her totem stretch and sigh before disappearing into the air. Soon she was joined by others, and the air was filled with their sounds of freedom. Tears welled up and someone nearby spoke the ancient language of her ancestors, calling on Gaia to embrace them. She recited with them.
‘Mehk-a, I am here, Neter – ba, sacred soul.’
The relief made her weep uncontrollably. To hold a totem, goes against the natural law of Gaia and she prayed her totem returned to her. Nearby the soft whimper of an Eco child brought her away from her grief. She gently picked her up, taking her to the centre of the room.
It was only a matter of time before shivering Ecos and sobbing trancers alerted a nearby drone. The alarm created panic, and with it, the hope of escaping. Nettles looked past the large telescope to the top of the dome, and prayed for miracle.
She almost screamed in shock when an Eco stepped out from a wall near her. Others followed and soon the chamber was filled with more frantic pulling at the cage doors, where some were too frightened to move.
The Ecos concentrated on their own kind. Some had collapsed onto the floor, curling up in pain, their bodies turning blue. Unlike the totems, Ecos needed to be outside to live. Nettles stared in horror at the remains of some of them left in the cages.