Kingdom of Cages(191)

“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered to Eden.

An environment lock blocked one end of the cavern. Eden stood on his tiptoes to reach the command pad. Chena moved to help, but before she reached him, a woman’s voice called from the other side.

“Eden!”

Eden froze, one hand against the wall, fingers poised over the command pad. “That’s Dans.”

“Eden! Come on, game’s over!”

“Let’s hide,” suggested Chena cheerfully. Inside, her heart pounded out of control. “I bet you know all the good places. I bet she walks right by us.”

Eden squirmed. “I don’t know,” he said. “She sounds mad. Hiding will make it worse.”

“So, we should hide until she calms down.” The words came out in a rush. Chena felt her nerve beginning to break. “Back in the tunnel? If she finds us now, we’re both going to get it.”

It worked. “She knows about that tunnel.” Eden dove for the shadows, squeezing himself between one of the glass-faced cabinets full of needles and the cavern wall. Chena sucked in her stomach, pressed her back against the wall, and forced herself in beside him. Rough stone tore her already ruined tunic and the raw skin underneath. She had to bite her lip to keep from yelping.

“Eden! Come out! I mean it!”

Chena inched her hand across to touch Eden reassuringly. Something clicked and slid back heavily. Hinges creaked. Shoes slapped against the cavern floor.

“Eden?” The voice was in the room with them. “Eden, I’m giving you till the count of three to come out here.”

Eden wiggled under Chena’s touch. She tried to grab hold of him to keep him in place, but she could not quite reach.

“Eden, you come out here right now or I’m giving you to the black and white people today.”

Eden squeaked and the footsteps slapped toward their hiding place. Desperately, Chena slid her hands up the cabinet back, tightened her muscles, and pushed.

The cabinet teetered forward and crashed down. Dans’s scream rang out over the splintering of glass and wood.

Chena scrambled out over the corner of the fallen cabinet. She glimpsed Dans’s head and arm protruding from under the shattered wood. There was blood. She did not want to see.

“Come on!” She grabbed Eden’s hand and pulled, but Eden didn’t move. “Come on!”

“No.” Eden yanked his hand out of hers and scuttled to Dans’s side. “She’s hurt. We have to get Lopera.”

“She’ll be okay,” lied Chena. She might not be. There was blood, and it was on her skull. There was no time to check whether it was just a cut or whether Chena had just killed someone new. “We need to go.”

“But she’s not moving!” Eden shook Dans’s shoulder. “That’s bad. I know that’s bad!”

Chena scooped Eden off his feet and turned to run.

“No!” screamed Eden at the top of his lungs. He struggled under her arm, pushing at her. “No!”

“You don’t understand,” panted Chena, clasping him tightly to her. “You can’t stay here with them. They’re going to hurt you.” They’re going to give you away, put you in a hothouse. I’m trying to help you. You have to understand.

“Put him down!”

The tailor, Lopera, stood in the doorway, and just behind her stood the hothouser Dionte.

“Lopera!” Eden threw himself toward the tailor. Chena only just managed to hang on.

“No.” Chena wrapped both arms tightly around Eden, crushing him against her chest. Eden fought back, punching her with his tiny fists and kicking her stomach, making her gasp for air. “They’re going to hurt you!” she tried to tell him. “They’re going to give you away. Dans said she would!” Why don’t you understand? They’re the ones you need to be afraid of!

“Chena, stop being stupid. You have nowhere to go.” The tailor strode forward. “What are you going to do? Hurt your brother?”

Chena backed away, kicking aside glass and stumbling over something soft. “He’s not my brother.”

As she spoke, she knew it was true. If he really was her brother, he wouldn’t be trying to run away from her. He would know who she was, and that she was trying to help him. Eden was only one of the hothousers’ things, like the jaguars they’d used to track her in the rain forest, like the ants that had killed all those colonists. This was the thing they’d used to kill Mom.

“Be careful!” cried Dionte. “Don’t let her hurt Eden.”

“I’m working on it.” Lopera took another step forward. “And by the good green Earth you better hope Dans is still alive or I’m skinning you myself!”