“We don’t have a key.” I tried to stay calm as a lie took shape in my mind. “Our captain, Kyte, fell overboard a week ago. We were never allowed in, and the key seems to have been lost with him.”
Kell obviously had more questions, but Rose had joined us now. “Thomas is telling the truth,” she said. “My father is lost to the sea, and that door has always been locked.”
There was a long silence. Chief faced the corridor, no doubt mulling over everything we’d said and deciding how much to trust us. Finally, he turned to me and gave a tired smile. “Tell everyone they’re free to disembark. We can offer a little food, and water is plentiful. We’ll also administer aid to you as we are able.”
He strode away, Kell in his wake.
“Thank you,” I said. Then louder: “Thank you so much.”
Chief acknowledged me with a raised hand, but didn’t say a word. It seemed impossible, but the few of us that remained were going to be all right. As if to emphasize how perfect everything was, Rose twined her fingers with mine. My pulse was slow and my body was relaxed, and she didn’t pull away.
CHAPTER 11
Rescuing my father from the cage had been difficult; getting him ashore was almost as hard. Kell strapped a harness to him and with Ananias’s help, they lowered him into a waiting cutter. People on the battlements watched it all unfold. They must have realized that we’d be a burden on their colony until everyone returned to full health.
If that ever happened.
With everyone ashore, Griffin and I tethered the cutter to the jetty and approached the main gate. Even though we were on solid ground, I imagined I could still feel the earth undulating beneath my feet, as if I carried the ocean with me.
I kept Griffin close by. I figured that most of the Sumter colonists wouldn’t have met a deaf person before. He kept his head low, eyes peering through matted hair. The canvas bag he carried on his back looked heavy.
Need. Help? I asked.
He shook his head and pulled the strap higher.
The fort’s brick walls, striking from the harbor, seemed to grow more imposing with every step. Even the main door looked impregnable: solid wood, oak perhaps. It was small and well sealed, not a barrier against humans but something altogether smaller.
Rats.
Inside the fort, the harbor breeze ceased and the air smelled musty. I stood in the shade of the giant battlements and realized, finally, that this was our new home. It was the reason we’d undertaken the voyage, but until now, I’d been half afraid it might not exist at all. Now I remained rooted to the spot, savoring the quiet.
The door closed, startling me. It filled the space of the frame precisely, as impregnable as the rest of the fort.
“Impressive place, isn’t it,” said Chief, joining us. Ananias was right behind him. “So old, but as strong as ever. A simple design too: a pentagon, pointing to the north.” He gestured to a large two-story black building about thirty yards away. “That’s the battery. Runs the full width of the fort—divides it into two parts. On the other side is the esplanade. This area in front of us are the parade grounds.”
I checked that I’d heard him correctly. “Parade grounds?”
“It’s a military term. An old-world thing.” He smiled. “The children want me to change the name, but I won’t. I think it’s important to keep a connection to the past. Especially when the future’s so bleak.”
Chief led us to the middle of the parade grounds. “To the right there are the barracks,” he said, indicating a maze of crumbling walls. “Used to house officers, back when the fort was in military use. We have a rainwater harvester over there now. It’s where we clean clothes, tools . . . even ourselves. There are a couple holes in the ground for toilets too. Everything runs through a sewer, but if you can wait for high tide we’d all appreciate it. The place can get pretty smelly otherwise.” He chuckled to himself.
I took a moment to point things out to Griffin. He was as fascinated as I knew he’d be.
“He’s deaf,” said Chief when I finished.
“Yes. Do you have any deaf people here?”
“No. One of the founding members of the colony was deaf, but he passed on many years ago.” He turned around to face the main gate. “Those cave-like rooms inside the perimeter wall are casemates. The ones to either side of the main gate are used for storage now. You’ll see a few of the old cannons too, still dotted around the place. They used to take out ships as they entered Charleston Harbor.”
“Not a very friendly welcome.”
He laughed at that. “What can I say? Times have changed.”
“Not completely,” said Alice, eyes narrowed. “Your men still carry guns.”
Rose’s mother inhaled sharply. I wondered if Tarn would make Alice apologize, but one look at her daughter’s defiant expression and she wisely let it pass.
There was a brief hesitation, and then Chief acknowledged Alice with a slight nod. “That’s true. We’re committed to the preservation of humanity at all costs. Human life is fragile, and I’ve sworn to do whatever it takes to protect those in my care.” He cleared his throat. “If I’d found Plague on your ship, I would have asked you to leave. Had you resisted, I would have ordered my men to make you leave. However, you were honest with us, and you’re under our protection now.” He signaled for Kell to join us. “Tell the men to store their weapons. We’ll have no need of them anymore.”
Kell turned abruptly and the men fell in line behind him. They marched straight for the battery, following a shallow channel worn into the dirt, kicking up dust clouds with every step.
Meanwhile, Chief watched Alice from the corner of his eye. “She was your sister . . . the girl who died?”
Alice nodded.
“And your daughter,” he added, turning to Tarn.
“Yes,” she said. “How do you know?”
“Grief looks the same everywhere, I think. And there’s been so much of it over the past eighteen years.” Chief bowed his head. “I am so sorry for your loss. There’s no explaining the world we live in now. There’s only the vague hope that we can make the future brighter than the past.”
Kell and his men were climbing one of the staircases that hugged the walls. They entered a room with no windows.
Chief followed my eyes. “It’s an imposing building, the battery, but you’ll get used to it. We sleep in dormitories, although it’ll probably take us a day to clear out a room for all of you. In the winter months, we stay inside more—store tools there; eat inside too. But fall has barely started, so you’ll be all right for one night outdoors, right? The casemates have roofs. You can sleep in one of those.”
“They all look as if they’re being used,” I said.
“Most of them are, yes. But we’ll find space for you. It’s just one night, Thomas.”
I hadn’t meant to sound critical or ungrateful. I needed to watch my words. I was going to have to let someone else speak up too. Even though Marin and Tarn were there, Chief was addressing me as if I were in charge, not the Guardians.
“Here, let me show you,” Chief continued, softer now.
As several Sumter colonists carried my father to a casemate, Chief led us to the north wall. Some of the casemates here were so deep that parts of them were totally dark. Every now and again I’d catch a flicker of movement. I tried to make out faces but couldn’t. Even the people who risked a glance our way gave awkward smiles, as if they weren’t used to seeing strangers.
“Look over here,” said Chief. “This is one of our vegetable gardens. Rainwater is collected above us and sent through pipes to the barrels against the wall over there. Talking of walls, they help us regulate how much direct sun the plants get. They protect everything from the salt breeze too. In the winter, the bricks absorb the sun’s heat, and keep the area unseasonably warm. One frost and we’d lose the plants, but we’ve never had a problem with that. We can grow kale, collard greens, yams . . .” He broke off. “Forgive me. I’m getting ahead of myself. You’ll have time to learn all this.”