The Regenerates (25 page)

“Right,” said Rogin. “There’s a bit of an air current here. This cruiser hasn’t actually flown at this altitude before, but I didn’t realize how much of a problem it would be.”

“
What?
” cried Ven. “Why the hell would you use it, then?”

“It’s not the cruiser, it’s the wind,” said Meares. “Rogin, don’t fly against it, slow down a bit. If you try to fight it you’ll stress the controls.”

“I know, I know.”

The cruiser eased up, but it was still shaking violently.

“Rogin!” said Coralie. “There’s frost forming on the wings!”

“Oh, excellent,” said Shen.

“There’s going to be a downdraft after you pass the peak, Rogin,” said Seer. “It’s a steep drop. You need to go lower or we won’t be able to climb again.”

“Got it,” Rogin said. The cruiser dipped, and when he had reached a low point, he slowly began to climb.

“The altitude is way too dense. It’s messing us up,” said Shen.

“No, it’s not, we’re fine,” said Rogin. “We’re going to make it.”

To Ven’s utter relief, they did make it. After several minutes, the cruiser climbed to a safe height and the turbulence stopped.

“You alright?” Coralie squeezed his hand.

“Yeah.” Ven didn’t look at her.

“Now that that’s over and done with, look down over there, guys.” Seer pointed to something below them.

Ven looked down. Sprawled across the horizon were low-lying mountains and fields that stretched on for miles. As they flew lower and lower, he could see rolling green hills and forests peeking out from the fog. Suddenly, Ven noticed a strange structure nestled in between the large hills. As they flew closer, he began to make out its several domed roofs and large beige pillars.

He looked at Kayn, a fiery feeling suddenly erupting in his gut. But Kayn was already transfixed by the beautiful structure.

Kayn quickly turned to Seer. “Give it to me. The dagger, I want it back.”

“I will,” said Seer. “I already promised you. Wait till we get inside.”

“Kayn, relax,” said Ven. “We made it.”

A thunderous crash sounded from the side of the cruiser.

“What in the world–”

Ven looked out the window in horror. Ice had formed on the left wing of the cruiser. The engine began to whine. Ven felt his stomach lift as the aircraft sank lower and lower into the fog.

“What’s going on, Rogin?” said Seer.

“I think the ice from before is messing up the wings and the engine,” he said. “We need to find a place to land.”

“There’s not going to be a landing,” said Seer. “Rogin, get the Eject Pods ready. I’ll go with Ven and Kayn. Dorian and Shen, stick with Coralie.”

Seer unclicked his safety belt. Ven and Kayn followed suit. “Let’s go,” he said.

“What about the others?” said Ven, grabbing the top of his chair to keep his balance.

“They’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Ven quickly made eye contact with Coralie, who was led away. The cruiser grumbled and began to shake so hard that they could barely walk in a straight line. They picked up speed and ran, following Seer to the back of the large cruiser. He pointed to a compartment labeled ‘Eject Pod.’

“Get in,” he said.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be behind you. Someone has to eject the pod from the outside first.” He shoved them inside and closed the door. Ven and Kayn fastened their safety belts. Another powerful rumble shot through the cruiser and it began to dive, nose first. Seer grabbed onto the rail to steady himself, then pushed several buttons.

“Head straight for the tomb,” he mouthed.

Ven nodded. His stomach lurched uncomfortably as the small pod dropped.

“Ven!” Kayn yelled. “This thing has a parachute attached to it. When I say so, press that button by your seat.”

“But–”

“Just do it! I don’t think this pod is going to give us a smooth landing, either.”

The pod was getting closer and closer to the fog below. Ven counted in his head.

Ten, nine, eight…
The pod gained speed.
Seven, six, five…

“Now!”

Ven jammed the button, and they dropped out of the sky. Ven shut his eyes and held on tightly as the parachute opened up. The pod flew out of sight among the trees. Out of nowhere, something yanked on his parachute cord. Kayn had grabbed on and was pulling himself closer.

“Let’s not get separated,” he shouted through the rushing wind.

Several moments later, they landed in the trees. Ven could feel the branches scratching his face as he and Kayn unhooked the parachute from around their shoulders and fell from the tree to the hard earth.

“Ow…”

“I
told
him to give me the dagger,” said Kayn, rubbing his back. “They can’t even find us now, and who knows how long it’s going to take them to get to the tomb.”

“I’d be more worried about us than them,” said Ven. “As long as it’s with them, it’s safe. We’ve managed to almost lose it twice, now.”

“We need to hurry.” Kayn took off ahead of him.

They walked through the dense forest fog, pausing every time they heard a rustling bush or tree.

“When we fell, what direction was the tomb?” said Ven.

“The northeast, I think.”

“Is that the direction we’re headed in?”

“I believe so.”

“Wait, look there.” Ven pointed to a large hill that rose above the trees a short distance away. “I remember that hill. The tomb was beside it. I think it’s more northwest.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. And even if it’s not, that hill is outside the forest, so we’ll be able to see the tomb.”

Kayn raised his eyebrows. “Alright, so you weren’t lying about having a good grasp on geography.”

“Of course I wasn’t lying.”

The fog was slowly beginning to clear as the large hill loomed out in front of them.

“Kayn,” said Ven after a few moments, pointing to something a short distance west of them. Towering and magnificent, the limestone structure’s massive domed roof awaited them at the end of a row of large pillars.

They had reached Roth’s tomb.

V
en had never seen such an architectural masterpiece. The Grand Magistrate’s palace was spectacular, no doubt, but he had never seen intricacy like this. As they got closer, Ven saw that the tomb was made of more than just pale limestone. Dozens of other colors littered the structure, browns and blacks and even hints of blue. Large stone murals displaying scenes from the Battle of Justice lined the entrance.

They dared to breathe as they reached the stone steps.

“Should we wait for the others to get here with the dagger?” said Ven.

“I’m going in.” Without another word, Kayn proceeded to run up the flight of stairs to the tomb’s magnificent entrance.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Ven glanced around. There was an odd silence in the air that bothered him.

“Get over here and help me open this thing, would you?” Kayn grasped the stone door’s large silver handle and began to pull. Ven ran and joined him, grabbing the other end. Ven’s arms ached as they heaved open the door with all their strength until finally, they were hit with cold, dank air.

The tomb was dimly lit by flickering lamps surrounding a circular atrium. At the north end of the atrium, a stone passage led to a single entranceway, lit by two lamps. On either side of the stone passage was a sheer, pitch-black drop.

“We should really wait here,” said Ven. “Even if we manage to find the pool, we won’t be able to do anything without the dagger. Plus, if we get lost, we’re done for. We aren’t even armed.”

“I know that,” said Kayn. “I want to look around a bit first. This place is a massive part of Cor’s history,
our
history. I didn’t think I would ever get to see it.”

Ven couldn’t help but agree with him. He had studied Roth’s tomb a fair amount when he was younger, and being here was surreal. Just like the outside, the walls were lined with murals, each depicting scenes from the war. Ven walked to one of the murals and ran his fingers across the smooth surface.

“It took Roth’s men twenty years to build this place around the pool after his death,” said Kayn. “There’s a painting of this place hanging in my parents’ room.” Kayn wore an unfamiliar, almost starstruck expression. “It’s the most beautiful piece of artwork I’ve ever seen, and now I can say that I’ve seen the real thing.”

Ven had never seen Kayn look so at ease. For the first time, there was no hostility and no disgust in him, only a strange calm.

“It’s…really something,” said Ven. He looked back and forth between Kayn and the mural. “Um…Kayn?” he said after a few moments. “I really am sorry, for all of this. It’s only because Coralie means a lot to me. But it’s all over now. After this your coronation can take place.”

Kayn turned his head to face him. “When we get back, you would have technically served your sentence like you were supposed to, so I suppose none of this will really matter anymore. You’ll be forgiven.” He stopped and looked back at the mural. “But Coralie won’t be allowed back in. I don’t have jurisdiction over her out here, and contrary to what you might think of me, I don’t kill people without reason. But the law is still the law, and I can’t let her return to Cor.”

Even though Ven knew she wouldn’t be returning, it didn’t stop him from feeling angry. “She didn’t do
anything,
” he said. “She and her family didn’t deserve any of that. Her dad did not deserve to die the way he did. He refused to use a weapon he created for the good of his city on an innocent human being. That’s not the law, it’s cruelty.”

“It’s the law because he had a duty to the Stratum Order.”

“To commit murder?”

“No,” Kayn’s voice began to rise. “I’m not going to give you a lecture on your city’s political structure. You should already know it. They had a duty as Prentices to create goods that can help Cor improve and advance. In order to create an adequate weapon, it needed to be tested, even if that meant using a human subject. It’s not like he had to use it on someone off the street. It was on a criminal. He should have felt proud.”

“Proud?” yelled Ven. “What about that would make anyone proud? Do you have any idea what you sound like?”

“Me?” said Kayn. He suddenly shoved Ven to the ground. “You’re so quick to act like I’m a monster. How about you take up my job for a few weeks? Do you know why I hate you so much, Ven? Because you’re an ungrateful bastard. You’ve enjoyed just as much luxury as I have and up until now you haven’t had a single complaint. You and your mother live in a palace and eat off of jeweled plates while your friend lives in a neighborhood of crumbling brick huts. What makes Coralie any different from everyone else in the lower Quadrants? You think that just because your friend was sentenced, I’m automatically a villain? I don’t single anyone out. Lawbreakers are lawbreakers no matter what Quadrant they’re in. You, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about anyone else. Before you treat me like a tyrant, put yourself in my shoes for a minute.”

Ven got to his feet and straightened himself out. “If you hate me so much, why haven’t you killed me yet? You’ve had plenty of chances.”

“I did try to kill you, remember?” Kayn grimaced. “You were saved by a ghost, apparently. I thought it was better not to take my chances again with the supernatural.”

“You kind of looked like you regretted it, there,” said Ven. “After you thought I was dead.”

Anger flickered in Kayn’s eyes.

“I mean, why should you feel bad about killing me? You’ve killed and tortured people before, and they deserved it, too.” Ven could feel a hateful pleasure coursing through his veins. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Only after he had thought about what he’d said did he begin to feel disgusted with himself.

It took Kayn all of five seconds to lunge at him and aim a powerful blow at Ven’s head, sending him crashing into the wall. Kayn picked him up, dragged him to the middle of the passageway and threw Ven to the ground again so his head was hanging over the edge and into the abyss.

Kayn stared down at him with an almost pained look of loathing. “Want to know something interesting? The night before we left Cor, your mother paid me a visit.”

“What?”

“She told me that if I tried to hurt you in any way, or if you didn’t return home in one piece, she would destroy me. That’s why I almost felt bad for thinking I’d killed you that night in Lamparth. You should never underestimate a mother’s strength, right? For some reason, though, I’m having second thoughts this time.” He pushed Ven farther over the edge.

Ven could feel blood rushing to his head. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”

“I
despise
you,” said Kayn.

Ven didn’t know why that stung each time Kayn said it. Was he feeling guilty about what he had said to Kayn earlier?

“And yet,” said Kayn, “even now I can’t kill you, because if your mother is anything like mine, I’m not going to want to explain myself to her when I get back.”

“What do you mean?”

Kayn’s expression turned hollow. “Actually, that’s none of your business.” He lifted Ven off of the edge and let him fall back into the middle of the passageway. Then he walked back to the stone mural, leaving Ven to hate himself immensely.

“I’m…sorry,” said Ven. “I shouldn’t have said that. You may have done some awful things, but I–”

“Am I really so terrible?” Kayn interrupted.

“What?”

“I am
sick
of being treated like a villain.” Kayn turned to face him. Instead of anger, there was confusion and pain on his face. “All I’ve ever done is what I’ve been told, year after year. I’ve been following other people’s orders for the longest time, and I’ve been alright with that. No one cared then. No one treated me like a monster then. It’s only when
I’m
the one giving orders that I get all this hostility. What’s worse, I leave Cor and discover that everyone hates us, hates me and my family. They think we’re twisted and evil. I don’t think I’m evil at all, so why does everyone else?”

Ven was rooted to the spot, trying to process what he had just heard. It struck him how pitiful Kayn’s situation was. He wondered what it must feel like to learn that everything you thought you knew was wrong, and that outside, the world had nothing but contempt for you. At that moment, Ven found his own hatred of Kayn slowly beginning to dissipate. But why? Pitiful or not, there was no easily forgiving murder.