X-Marks: Stealing Shadows

Sparks

Buggy turned on the light of his lantern and let the curtain fall. The light covered the walls and revealed just how bug infested the small space was. My fingers curled back, so much that clumps of dust swept under them as he continued to speak.

"There may be a day when you will need what I am about to tell you," Buggy said and unfolded his backpack.

I let his words sit in my head wherever they could fit.

"First, you're probably wondering where I am all the days I'm not in camp, and rightfully so."

I nodded again and wondered if this was when I should start remembering.

"The truth is, I am at the Ally post for trading but not for the reasons you may have heard. We do trade supplies with the Allies, but we also take from the Allies. It's how we keep our balance with them. Get back our losses, if you will."

"What do you take?" I said.

"Now's not the time for question Valen, remember listen," Buggy said and continued.

"We take what we need, medicine, water filters, extra seeds. Anything we need that the trade agreements or rations won't allow. It's how we've been able to keep so many in our camps. This has never been our main mission, but it helps."

My brows knotted close together. Our?

Buggy laughed, "Yes, there are many more than me at this. Thousands maybe, and all working for the biggest bounty of them all. Ally maps."

It sounded like an old language. Something I needed time to learn, but I listened and tried to focus on remembering. It was more difficult than Buggy had made it sound.

Buggy reached into his bag and took from it a small piece of paper.

"This here postcard," Buggy said, "Is the last of an era, it was given to me and now to you."

Buggy lowered the postcard so I could view the lines and strange symbols on its flat edge.

"It has a map of the last known exit route. It will take you out of Ally territory, and away from their reach," Buggy said and extracted each word as if they were sweet fruit, "It can give you a second chance, a way out of this life and this camp."

A way out, it was the chance I had dreamed of, but I was far from pinching myself. This wasn't for me. I didn't deserve any of this. I was as useless as I had always been.

Buggy held the postcard with both hands.

"Many have died to get this information, Valen. There were once hundreds of these maps, and now it's years before one makes it into the hands of a chosen traveler. I trust you will treat it with the respect it deserves."

A hundred legs felt as though they crawled up my neck. Focus Valen, I thought to myself. This was just as difficult as I knew it would be.

"Now, you may have wondered why we're called travelers when we're always in one place, but it wasn't always like this. Travelers at one time had camps across the coasts and could come and go as they pleased from one camp to another. Once the Allies found this too much to control they used their power to keep us separate, in one place and unable to communicate. It worked, but only for a time. Travelers, as we always do, found ways to talk and in times of trouble planned exit routes from the information we could steal."

Buggy traced his finger along a line to the far end of the postcard.

"This here is what they call it the last lamp. It's a place few have come back from, but it's the only known place the Allies do not control. Allies won't even come near its borders, they're so scared I hear. Get there, and you'll get your chance."