“But thank God that you were able to rescue us,” I say.
“We also came across a few other people while we were escaping through the mines,” Lyon adds. “And we managed to round up several chickens and bring them out with us,” he says with a grin.
My heart swells with gratitude. More shiners are alive. I can’t wait to see who survived. But first I ask. “For what purpose did Dr. Stewart build his tank?”
“To break the glass,” Levi says with a grin. “And we’re going to, now that we know where Zan is.”
Jane would not let me leave the Quest until I ate something, which I did, heartily. Levi waits for me and when I am done we walk outside. The Quest is moored to a stone tower on a hillside. From the deck I can see the top half of the dome in the distance, to the south and west of where we stand.
“How far is it?” I ask as a gentle breeze teases my hair. I take a deep, albeit painful breath of the fresh, free air.
“Five miles or more.”
“And Peter ran the whole way,” I say in awe. “Before we left the mines, I was certain he would die soon of the black lung.”
“Leaving probably saved his life,” Levi says. He squeezes my hand that sits on the railing of the deck, and then we walk to the steps that lead to the top of the tower, where a platform has been constructed for easier access. The tower has an opening where a door probably stood before the fires; now it just yawns empty.
“Over there is the rover settlement,” Levi says and points to the south and east. “Six or seven miles.” I cannot see anything but my innate sense of direction tells me where it is located. “And the channel straight south.”
The Quest is suspended just about the trees, but we are so much higher than everything else that I feel as if I can see forever. Indeed I can; to the west, I see a long stretch of gray that has to be the ocean. I know anyone looking this way would be hard pressed to see anything beyond a trail of smoke. With her shiny surface the Quest is nearly impossible to see from a distance, as the sun would just reflect back the sky. I look to the north and see green hills rolling into the distance, a land as immense as the sea, although I know differently after seeing it on the map.
“And this is what we call the enclave, until the lot of you decide on a name yourself.”
I look down at the castle ruins. They sit on top of a large rolling knoll and trees have been cleared around the area, no doubt by our group, since everywhere I look I see newly cut wood used in building. Beyond the walls are neat rows of dirt, and just a touch of green peeps up from the ground. A stream of water runs around the ruins, and I remember Pace calling it a moat when he told me about castles from the days long before the comet. The tower has two walls that run from it, forming half of a square. The rest of the square is made of wooden posts placed side by side and lashed with rope. The square is large, nearly as large as our cavern down below. The stone walls have a wide ledge, big enough to walk safely on. The wall comes up some four feet above the ledge on the outside, and I realize the wall is there to hide behind in battle. The same thing is repeated on the walls built of wood. Boards run around the interior walls as a walkway and shelter from attack. It is well thought out. We will be safe here.
One stone wall has a house built against the entire length. The other holds smaller sheds. I hear noise coming from one of the sheds. Hammering. That must be where Pace is. One of the wooden walls has pens built against it and the pens hold the goats and other animals. “Sheep?” I ask Levi when I see the short and stout fluffy animals.
“They found them grazing nearby and rounded them up using the steam cycles,” he explains. “There’s also a herd of wild horses around. I can’t wait to see them.”
I’ve never seen a horse before; to think they survived all these years. I can’t wait to see them myself.
“I can’t believe the rovers have not made use of them,” Levi continues. “They would be a lot more deadly on horseback.”
That was not something I wanted to even consider. “Where are the ponies?”
“Outside grazing,” Levi says and points. I look beyond the walls and see them on a nearby slope and quickly recognize Ghost among them. Two people are with them, a boy and a girl. I recognize Freddie and Nancy, still drawn to each other after losing their parents.
There are two stone rings in the square, and Colm and Tobias are busy at work putting a shed over them. Chickens peck in the grass of the square, and Rosalyn and Lucy hang laundry on a line. Everywhere I look I see cats lying about, on the wall, on the rooftops, around the yard. And of course, Jonah, who winds between my legs as I look around. There is also an abundance of plants, growing in every imaginable container that was scrounged from the ruins. It is good to see that we will not starve, if the newly planted rows outside and the plants growing inside are any indication.
Levi sees where I am looking at and explains. “Dr. Stewart was able to identify many indigenous fruits and vegetables growing wild, and they have been transferred here. We also carry packets of seed with us on the Quest just in case we are ever grounded for long periods of time and to help those who may need it.”
“It’s a wonderful thing that you do,” I say. “I know without you we would have been lost.”
“It is worth it,” he says, and I know he is not talking about helping us as a group. “Every minute of it.”
I choose to ignore his hint and instead focus on the things around me. “Where is everyone else? Adam, James, Alcide?”
“Most of the men are with our troops, scouting for rovers and learning how to operate the tank,” Levi explains. “Since we won’t be able to take it with us when we go.” His voice trails off, sadly.
I can’t think about that now. I always knew that the day would come when the Hatfields would move on, but I’ve put it to the back of my mind, like so many other things. For so long my life has consisted of just staying alive and living day to day, that I’ve not taken the time to think of the future and what it will bring.
“This way,” Levi says, back to his usual cheerful self. He leads me into the tower, which is nothing more than a winding staircase. We are about five stories up and the wall of the tower has tall and narrow windows that let in the light. “Arrow slits,” Levi explains. Along the wall lanterns have been hung to light the way at night. I smile at the thought that has gone into this place. I have yet to see the details but I am confident we will be safe here. That we have found a new home.
Jonah skips down the stairs with his tail straight in the air and meows when he gets too far ahead of us. Levi walks slowly for my sake. I am weak from my wound but I press on. I must see Pace.
We come out in the yard between the cabin and the sheds. I was wrong about Pace; it is George, who is the oldest of the shiners that survived, doing all the hammering. The sheds hold an assortment of things I’ve never seen before. More treasures left by the former inhabitants of this land.
The cabin is built of logs that are notched together. There is a door in the center and three windows on either side with wooden coverings raised above them on hinges. An overhang runs the length of it with posts every so often to keep it upright. Pip’s cage hangs from a hook beneath it. The door is open and he is gone. With Pace, I hope. I will never forget the sight of him flying over our heads at the rover camp. As if he’d come himself to rescue us.
Lucy runs to me as soon as we come out while Levi moves on to where Colm and Tobias are working. “Wren, oh Wren,” she says and pulls me into a hearty embrace. “It is more beautiful than I could imagine.” Tears fill her dark and lovely eyes. “I just wish Alex could have seen all this … and my parents.” She hurriedly wipes away the tears and hugs me again. “Thank you. For everything.”