Providence Ch. 10

Mabyn clung tightly to Isabel and Nic, each on her sides. She didn’t want to let Nic out of her sight, but she didn’t want to let go of Isabel either. Nic had held her for a long time, telling her stories of Aevar and the palace and playing with Will and Koen. Isabel had stroked her hair as she had fallen asleep in Nic’s arms. She missed the soft, candid conversation between the two older individuals.

Devlin and Bo stood together waiting for their orders from Will, laser guns in hand.

“Stay close together,” Will said. “Right now, we’re in a hangar at a closed port. If Cyrus sends any men to Cantu, they shouldn’t find our ship. We’ll head for the village to our east. Hopefully we can get some supplies, meet up with any allies that might be stationed here.” He scanned the weary group who he could guess was half-listening to him at best. “Ready?”

He took the mumbled reply as a ‘yes,’ and pushed the release for the gate above his head. Slowly, the heavy door lowered, and as the pressure lock broke, the heat of the desert hit them nearly stealing their breath from their lungs.

Will squinted his eyes, waiting for them to adjust to the intense light.

Slowly he made his way down the gate, and soon his boots hit the heavy, Cantu sand. He had only been to Cantu once, several years ago, and the sight of the pure golden sand, and clear blue sky moved something in him. He wasn’t sure what, but he knew that this desolate planet held something new for them. Surely he hadn’t been wrong in choosing Cantu. Cyrus would never look for them here … he hoped. And even if he did, there was a very good chance that they would not be found. Cantu might not be big, but it was certainly advantageous, offering a sentiment of anonymity.

He turned to the gate, waiting and watching as the survivors hesitantly left the small ship.

They were all so tired, achy, bleary-eyed. They mindlessly followed Will from the hangar, across the dune desert. Rylie was second, right after Will. Bo and Devlin followed close behind her, scanning the horizon for anything oppressive. Koen walked with a somber, but nonetheless obeisant, tone and timbre. Isabel, Mabyn, and Nic brought up the rear.

They could see the village ahead, its image wavering in the horizon like a mirage. The heat kicked up off the sand, sending heat waves through the air. The searing oxygen burned their lungs with each breath they took.

After several minutes of trudging through the desert, Mabyn tired considerably, and silently requested to be held, raising her arms. She had first thought to ask Nic, but he had the gun in his hand and a bag across his shoulder. There wasn’t any room for her.

She then turned to Isabel, and with a smile the older woman embraced her, rubbing soothingly on her back. Mabyn snuggled into Isabel as far as she could, closing her eyes under the blanket.

“She alright?” Nic asked with a low voice, his eyes still scanning the horizon for any activity.

“I think so. She’s just tired and cranky.”

Nic nodded his head, and tried unsuccessfully to hide the smile on his face and the chuckle under his breath.

“What?” Isabel asked.

Nic shook his head, avoiding answering the question.

“What?” Isabel asked again, completely interested in knowing why Nic was grinning like a fool. Not that being a fool was ever out of character for him.

“Nothing, it’s just …” he ventured a look and Isabel. “Tired and cranky … that reminds me of you at that age.”

Isabel’s blank look reluctantly turned humorous, a small smile forcing its way onto her face despite her protests. “Funny guy.”

He shrugged. “I try.”

He continued to quietly chuckle.

“It’s not funny,” Isabel persisted, releasing her full-blown smile adorn her beautiful features.

She shook her head as he continued to laugh to himself, reveling in the companionable banter. Seeing that she wasn’t mad, he good-heartedly nudged her shoulder with his.

It wasn’t long before they reached the small village.

“Will,” Isabel said. She waited for him to glance back at her. “What village is this?”

“Zamora.”

The name meant little to the survivors as they neared the village. It had just been a question, idol conversation to end the silence.

That conversation died abruptly when they entered the gates of Zamora.

“What the …”

Nic’s question was cut short, when they caught sight of the village. Or what remained of it.

Everything was barren, and empty. Buildings and carts were shells and remnants of a once thriving community, tables were overturned, and doors were left open.

There was a deadly silence all around them.

The soft wind blew through the city, running through the buildings as if they were not there. Tablecloths on display carts hung in the breeze, faded from the sun and weather.

William brought the group to a halt halfway through the city. They turned in every direction, searching for any sign of life. Anything that would indicate that the planet they had retreated to was not a wasteland. Certainly they had not given up one for another.

“Devlin? Bo?” Will asked uncertainly to the two active soldiers. They were privy to the combat knowledge that William had always listened to with half-interest. How he was kicking himself now.

They both shook their head.

“I dunno,” Devlin answered.

“I thought Cantu was in the peace agreement,” Bo said as he turned to inspect the dormant city.

“What do you mean?” Will asked. Koen listened with keen interest from behind Nic.

“Cyrus and King Eamon, at the council meeting, made that formal agreement … which apparently meant nothing but shit, pardon my language.” His voice rose as he reported his knowledge of the events that had lead up to their predicament. He had only overheard the two dirty politicians talking in a corridor one day. Now, he tried to recall everything he had heard.

“Yeah?” Will prodded.

“One of the conditions to peace was that Cyrus obtain control over Cantu. Why he wanted it, I don’t know. Turns out there were a lot of thing we didn’t know about the bastard. But the agreement was made, and Cantu’s immediate care was signed over to Cyrus by King Eamon, may he rest in peace,” he added under his breath.

Will shook his head from disbelief and confusion. “So what did the dictating knave do, eliminate every living soul on the planet?”

No one had an answer.

“HELLO!” Nic bellowed with his hands cupped around his mouth; his voice echoed off the clay buildings. Everyone jumped at the intrusion.

“Nic! Shut. Up,” Will ordered.

“What?” he retorted. “There’s no one here. It’s a fucking wasteland!” he said loudly, letting the silence break with his booming, comical voice.

“Nic, please,” Isabel said softly. Mabyn shifted under the blanket.

“Oh come on. Look around you. We are completely alone here. If there were someone here, we would have seen them by now. It’s kind of funny if you think about it,” he said, turning from Isabel to Will. “Our fearless leader here delivered us from a battle field to a fuckin’ desert.”

His sardonic laugh amused no one.

Least of all the two guards located just behind them, edging closer with every second.