Chapter 3:

As soon as he and Mayah were out of sight at the top of the stairs, Sukren opened the note and read it. Accompany these serfs to the regent’s desk, it said in Rajim script. He claims their papers were stolen. Verify his story. Scowling, Sukren refolded the note and held his hand back out to Mayah. She took it readily, and they entered the hall together.

Once inside, Sukren found himself disoriented. The entrance hall was no longer the lofty painting-filled space of his childhood. Ten years had narrowed it and replaced the paintings with green and purple etches in the walls. The color scheme made it easier to find the internal checkpoint unit, at least. Both soldiers were wearing a stark red that stood out against the cool background.

The male soldier took the note from Sukren and showed it to his partner. “I’ll take them there,” he said. Sukren tried to quell the anxiety bubbling up inside him. By the rock-god, he hoped with all his heart that Lady Nari had his and Mayah’s papers in order at the regent’s desk. He really did not want to have a physical confrontation with a soldier as solidly built as this one was.

Sukren only grew uneasier as they approached the regent’s desk. It, too, had changed, and now looked like one of those hatted mushrooms they grew in Fungi Post #2. Well, that was life inside a hollow-tree for you. Its wood kept growing even when cut. Most of the castle’s interior – from the stages in the auditoriums, to the bookshelves in the libraries, to the walls between the dorm rooms – was made of ever-growing wood. In another ten years the hatted mushroom would be gone, probably, trimmed down as new growth under its base forced it up and out.

Sukren ducked under the mushroom-shape’s pale green brim; the soldier did the same. Underneath was an open window with a sleepy-looking Eenta woman in regent’s robes on the other side of it. She blinked at the sight of them. “Can I help you?”

His heart dropped. Another Eenta? No, no, he was being prejudiced, not all Eenta were louts. Lady Nari had plenty of Eenta under her patronage, even though she herself was a Chenta. For all Sukren knew, this Eenta regent had been personally placed at the desk by Lady Nari herself. “Our papers have been stolen,” he told her. “Our patron is Lady Nari.”

He felt the soldier give him a glance. Sukren pretended not to notice. He tried to smile at the regent who was staring at him. His palms were getting clammy again. If she continued to act confused by his name-drop, Sukren would know she wasn’t one of Lady Nari’s undercover agents. If she had been briefed, however, to look out for someone of his description…

Relief flooded through Sukren when the regent’s face lit up. “This way, this way,” she said, gesturing them around the desk’s stem. “I need to interview them, please wait here,” she said to the Eenta soldier, before sliding a bioplastic screen over the window. Keeping her close, Sukren led Mayah to the other side of the desk where the regent was opening a half-door. The regent’s hands were visibly shaking as she ushered a wide-eyed Mayah in.

Sukren glanced at Mayah. He wondered if she noticed the regent’s excitement. He wondered what she was thinking about the castle. Maybe he shouldn’t have sprung on her that she was a Rajas, maybe he should have waited. Or maybe he should talk to her now about how she was feeling? She didn’t much look like she wanted to talk though, and Sukren didn’t think there was enough time to draw her out gently. Without papers they could be arrested on the spot, and frankly, that was all Sukren could think about right now.

“Do you have what we need?” he whispered. He followed the regent through the door, both halves of which were now open. Inside the kiosk a capacitor light gleamed dimly. Files filled the curving shelves. No one else was inside.

“You’re to go to Zone 6, Level 9,” the regent whispered. “To Elanex, a magistrate.”

Sukren felt Mayah lean her head against his thigh. She was tired, he knew. He knew her face; those shadowed eyes and wrinkled forehead were saying, I’m tired, please put me to bed. He didn’t blame her. He was tired too. The night was half over, and he hadn’t slept at all yet. He tried to think about what the regent was telling him. “You don’t have our papers here?”

“No. Elanex does.”

“But how are we supposed to get to Zone 6 without papers? Don’t the elevator bays all have checkpoint units guarding them? Or did that change?”

“You’ll have to use the serf staircase.”

Sukren’s mind spun. “We can’t climb all the way up to Zone 6 on the serf staircase! That’ll take days!”

Outside there was a sharp rap against the window screen. “What’s going on in there? Do you have them on record or not?”

The regent met Sukren’s eyes. “I’ll distract him,” she said quietly, determination filling her face. “You go up the serf staircase to Zone 3. The northwest lift bay on the second level is being guarded by Lady Nari’s soldiers tonight. Tell them I sent you – my name is Feiana. They’ll help you get the rest of the way. Now go, quickly, before he comes around. It’s a straight shot from here, over the fencelet and around that information desk, see?”

Sukren saw. He didn’t like the plan, but with the Eenta soldier now pounding on the screen, he knew they didn’t have a choice. Grabbing Mayah by the hand, Sukren slipped out the half-door. Behind him he could hear the Eenta regent sliding open the window to talk to the soldier. Quickly, quickly, before the soldier lost his patience and came after them…

He helped Mayah over the half-grown fence and around the mini-monument of the information desk, then broke out into a run. They were both panting by the time they reached the door to the serf staircase. The wheel to open it was hard to grasp with sweaty hands and the rising clamor behind them didn’t help reduce Sukren’s stress. Someone was shouting in Eenmay and although Sukren didn’t know Eenmay, Mayah did, and he could tell from her expression that whatever was being said was no good.

At last, the door was open. It was set into the castle wall about a handbreadth above the floor, so Sukren had to lift Mayah up and over the rounded frame to get her outside. Rain-slicked wind smacked into his face as he followed; he almost tripped as he rushed to crank the door shut from the other side. Then Sukren turned to take in their surroundings. Spread out before him were the purple plastos fields they’d just walked through. He could also even make out the shape of the nearest castle looming up out of the forest that filled the next quintant over.

Sukren was glad he hadn’t actually tripped. There was no railing, there had never been a railing, and they were already several levels up off the ground. “Come on,” he gasped. “We have to move.”

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But Mayah was standing with her back pressed against the castle wall, her hands clinging to the layer of yellow limestone that covered it. She looked terrified. “I don’t want to fall!” she wailed.

Sukren looked at the staircase. It was definitely more slippery out here than he liked. But the steps were broad and wide and as long as he and Mayah stayed close to the castle’s trunk – as long as the wind and rain picking up didn’t grow too strong – as long as they didn’t run into anyone else – they would make it.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said soothingly. “Just stay on my right so I’m between you and the edge.”

Mayah shook her head. Tears ran down her face. It was so late, and she was so young. “I don’t want you to fall!”

Despite everything, Sukren felt a smile touch his lips at Mayah’s consideration of him. “Here, get on my back again,” he said. “I’ll carry you. That way we’ll both be next to the trunk.” He helped her clamber up onto his back. “Better?” She nodded into his neck.

Thank the rock-god she’s small and skinny, Sukren thought as he began to climb. And I used to be so worried that she wasn’t eating enough. Especially that season when she was sick all the time! I remember going all the way to the shelterbelt to harvest some breathflower sap, hoping she’d get her appetite back after eating something sweet. I traveled all night then too, I can do it again, I can, oh, rock-god, I’m so tired, no, I’m in a castle now, I’m supposed to swear by the Eternal Queen Sarana, not by a greenhouse god, I’ve got to remember.

At least Sukren had plenty of adrenaline pumping through him. The thought of later, of afterwards, was helping too. Sukren had told Mayah they were going to live in the castle, but he could still hope that it wouldn’t be for long. Maybe Lady Nari would find a way to contain Lady Ki’s soldiers. Maybe this night would fade away, like a bad dream, like the memory of an old sickness…

Sukren slipped.

His hands shot out to stop his face from smashing into the stairs – it was automatic – he couldn’t stop them – he was no longer holding onto Mayah – both of them were sliding down the rain-wet stairs – the edge –

Desperation drove Sukren’s fingernails into the wood. He kicked furiously against the slick surface. Friction finally brought him to a halt a handbreadth away from the railingless edge. At once he groped around him. “Mayah! Mayah!”

“I’m here!”

With as much delicacy as his heavy frame would allow, Sukren scrambled to his feet, away from the edge. Thank the rock-god, oh, thank the rock-god, Mayah was several steps above him, crying. “I let go,” she sobbed. “I was scared so I let go and you almost fell…”

He hurried up to her. “It’s fine, I’m fine, see?” She kept crying. “Mayah, it was a good thing you let go of me. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to stop and we both would’ve fallen. It’s what I would’ve told you to do if I could’ve.”

Only then did Mayah’s tears slow. “Really?” she whispered.

“Yes, really.”

“Okay.”

She rubbed her face with the back of one hand. Her other hand was clinging tight to the limestone shell of the castle wall. “How about you stay between me and the trunk and climb up a little on your own?” Sukren suggested. “I’ll be okay along the edge.”

Mayah hesitated, then tearfully nodded. She began to climb, Sukren matching her pace. His heart was still pounding. Why didn’t they grow a railing here, for crying out loud? Stuff like this had driven Sukren crazy back when he lived here. It was like they were trying to send a message that serfs weren’t valuable. Rock-god! At least they grew canopy-stops along the way.

Sure enough, soon the steps grew longer and wider, bulging out off the edge of the staircase. A canopy-stop was up ahead, its frame growing out of the steps. “Let’s take a break, up there,” he told Mayah. Her pace picked up at once; she practically threw herself into the nook. Sukren nudged her to the driest spot. He thought about sitting down next to her but decided against it. Once he sat down, he didn’t think he’d find it in him to get up again.

“Sukren?” Mayah asked.

“Yes?”

“That was an Eenta who helped us, right?”

Sukren immediately crouched down next to Mayah. He swept his own prejudices aside. It was vital he get this right. “You remember learning about how there are both Chenta and Eenta villages, right?”

Mayah nodded.

“Well, every year on Queen Rathi Day…” Sukren paused. How was he going to explain this? The simplest way would be to talk to her about the purpose of the caste exams. But he needed to drive in the point that all serfs were serfs, whether they were doctor-priests or regents, soldiers or servies, Eenta or Chenta. He didn’t think that focusing on the caste exams would do that. Or would it? Sukren didn’t know anymore how he was supposed to direct Mayah. His instructions had been clear on how to raise her in the village, but they weren’t in the village.

He decided to go for it. More information could only better equip her. “Every year on Queen Rathi Day, the village children who pass the caste exams are taken and placed in the castles. Depending on how well they do on the exams, they are apprenticed to become either doctor-priests and regents, or soldiers and servies. That’s what happened to your friend Gen, remember him, from the children’s group home?”

“No.”

“You were both pretty young when he left.”

“Wait, I think I remember him.” She scrunched up her face. “Maybe. I remember all the kids taking some kind of test. But not me.” Mayah frowned. “Why didn’t I take it?”

Sukren responded as gently as he could. “Because you’re a Rajas.”

Mayah was silent. She didn’t say anything for such a long time that Sukren almost suggested they start moving again. But then she spoke up. “Did you ever take the caste exams?”

“Yes.”

“Did you pass?”

“Yes. I…” Sukren swallowed, feeling a little nervous. Would she be upset that he’d never shared any of this with her before? “I became a doctor-priest.”

Her face was furrowed in concentration. “So serfs all start in the villages, but then some of them leave the villages to work in the castles?”

Relief washed through Sukren. Mayah didn’t care that Sukren hadn’t explained his past to her. She was simply being her usual curious self. “That’s right!”

“What was the Eenta who helped us?”

“She was a regent.”

“I thought she was a soldier,” Mayah said. “That’s why I was scared. But then she was so nice to us.”

“She was nice,” Sukren agreed. “But your instincts make sense. Eenta and Chenta both can become either doctor-priests or regents, but only Eenta can become soldiers, and only Chenta can become servies.”

Mayah was quiet. The rain dripped and dropped onto the canopy roof’s latticework of vines and strips of wood. She was wearing her thinking face; Sukren could see it in the glowing orange light of the breathflowers draped over the canopy. It made him feel nervous again. Would she ask him the impossible-to-answer questions? If you’re a doctor-priest, why did you live in a village? I thought you said doctor-priests lived in castles. And what about me? If I’m a Rajas, why did I grow up in a village? You said it’s because of the bad people? Who are they? Why do they want me?

What would he say then? He wanted to help her process all the newness that had happened this night, but he didn’t want to lie.

“We better get going,” he said quickly. “I think the rain is slowing down. Let’s move while it’s not so wet.”

Mayah sighed. Despite his anxiety, Sukren almost laughed. He loved the way she sighed, so dramatic, as if she were trying to convince a skeptical audience of her exasperation. “Look up, into the sky,” he said to her, smiling. “I think it’s the aurora kaikilas.”

At that, she perked up, even scrambling to her feet and stepping out from under the canopy roof. He watched as her eyes grew wide. “Oh, look, Sukren, look! Look at it! It’s so clear!”

His heart light, Sukren went to stand next to her. Overhead the crisscrossing branches of the bio-dome were a bright smear against the night sky, orange blossoms and blue and green leaf veins blurring into yellow limestone. Higher still, in the darkness above, the gold and green lights of the aurora kaikilas shimmered and danced.