The airship levels out and the pilots fiddle with the navigation panel, turning dials and flipping switches. There is a shudder and a mechanical whirring sounds from the back of the ship. I turn my head to look behind us, ignoring the disdainful look of the Waster and watching as Phoenix's propellers spin to life, pushing us forward.
Will and the other soldiers unstrap their belts and I follow suit, moving immediately to the front of the ship to lean over the ledge and staring down at the ground flowing below us. We pass over the gates of the City and head West into the desert, the sun at our back as it begins its daily voyage across the sky.
My fingers grip the ledge of the ship as I stare in fascination at the expanse of desert stretching out before us, endless and unwavering. Gigantic, sandy dunes rise and fall, chasing Phoenix in the way I would imagine sea creatures chased the pre-Burn ships sailing across the ocean.
Out of habit I consider the wooden ledge of the ship and the thick ropes running from it up towards the gigantic helium-filled chamber above us. My eyes trace the ship's construction as I plot a climbing path up to its highest point.
"What do you think? Are we flying high enough for you?" Will appears beside me, a brass telescope clutched in his hand.
"We could always be higher." I reply, accepting the telescope when he hands it to me and grinning at the view it offers.
"I don't think you will be satisfied until we scrape the stars."
"I'll let you know if I ever reach them." I hand the telescope back, turning to look at him fully. "So where are we going, exactly?"
"It's hard to say. The Waster camps move daily and we've been out of the field for a while. For now we're following a rumour that there is a main camp further down the riverbed and hopefully we will run into a smaller camp along the way." He looks past me down into the dried-out expanse of flattened desert.
Pre-Burn the river serviced the former city, stretching all the way across the country and down into the ocean beyond. Both the river and the ocean have long-since dried up. Now the river is distinctive only as a cracked surface running alongside the sand dunes, while the ocean exists as an endless salt flat at the end of the earth.
"This is probably the first time someone has hoped to run into a Waster camp." I remark, reclining back with my elbows on the ledge.
A dimple pocks his cheek. "Since we're going to try and meet with them, I would prefer to deal with a smaller group rather than an unknown gathering of Wasters."
"And that's why you're the commander." I glance up, catching sight once again of the Waster tied to his seat at the back of the ship. "Have you tried asking him where we could find some friends?"
Will follows my gaze. "Him? He wouldn't say a word to us. We've tried everything but he's nothing if not determined to distrust us wholeheartedly."
"Maybe I could talk to him."
Will's dark brows shoot up in surprise. "You?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He fights unsuccessfully to hide a smirk. "Nothing. Go on over, be my guest."
"I will, thank you." I push myself off the ledge and stroll towards the back of the ship, pasting a look of cool indifference on my face.
The Waster's sharp gaze follows my progress and he watches closely as I lower myself into the seat opposite him, crossing one knee over the other and tilting my head.
We repeat our game of prolonged eye contact and I fight the urge to squirm under his scrutiny, feeling as though his hate-filled eyes could bore a hole straight through me.
"I think that you and I might understand each other." I say, growing impatient with the continued silence.
He blinks and I smile inwardly at the win. He regains focus and scowls, leaning forward slightly against his bonds. "Why would you think I have anything in common with a Miner?"
This time it's my turn to blink. "Miner? Is that what you call us?"
"Earth-killer." He spits over his shoulder. "Rebuilding your precious City by digging up the ground. You have learned nothing from the Burn, so you must repeat all our past mistakes."
For a moment I am unable to formulate a response. "That's what you think of us? I had no idea." I regard the Waster more closely. "Is that why you are fighting us? Because of our digging?"
"Why should we Wasters care what a Miner does with the Earth? It is only your fate that you tamper with. We have our own ways." He shifts slightly in his seat and grimaces.
I glance down at his bandaged leg. "Does it hurt very much?"
"Pain affects only the body." The Waster answers simply. "My mind remains strong."
"Right." I say slowly. I re-cross my legs and lean in closer. "What's your name?"
He doesn't say anything for a moment, his sharp eyes considering. "Why would my name matter to you?"
"I wouldn't have to refer to you as 'Waster', for one." I tilt my head. "And I would prefer it if you didn't call me 'Miner'. My name is Kay."
"Kay is a letter, not a name." The Waster seems genuinely confused and I bite down a laugh.
"For me, it's both." I wait a beat. "And you?"
"Luca." He grunts the word and I have to repeat it once to be sure that I have it right.
"Luca. A pleasure."
"What is it that you want?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you about my home."
He remains silent but appears to be listening so I press on.
"Until very recently, our City was run by a King. More of a tyrant, really. He was the one who persisted with the war and made life for us inside the City hell. We overthrew him and in his place we now we have a Queen." I take a breath. "She has made the City a better place for us. Our new City is a very different place from the one you know."
He scoffs. "A new leader does not make a new camp. That is the problem with you Miners. Your stone buildings keep you rooted in one place and you become subject to the rules of one leader."
"What's wrong with that?" I reply hotly.
"You force many different people to conform to one way of existing. It is unnatural." Luca shifts again, stretching his leg. "Our way is much better. When we are done with one camp, we move to another. We are under the command of no one person, we are subject to our own will."
My brow furrows. "If you don't have a leader, then how do you manage to coordinate attacks on us?" I think back to Will's warning about the Wastelanders back when he first told me about the impending war. The Wastelanders are angry and worse than that, they're organized.
Luca opens his mouth to say something then shuts it. "You think you can fool me, Miner? I am meant to be taking you to our chieftain, am I not?"
"I told you, my name is Kay." I sit back in my seat, drumming my fingers against my lip thoughtfully. "So you do have a chief."
He reddens slightly. "Destroying you is a cause that many a Miner will follow."
"Naturally." I find the way the Wastelanders structure their tribes fascinating and am eager to ask Luca more about it, but I sense that I should try to stay on track.
"It was unwise of you to bring so small a group." Luca remarks, breaking through my thoughts. "Clearly your Queen has no aptitude for war."
I bristle at his insult to Meg. "I have already explained to you that we do not plan to harm your people."
"That matters not. This entire desert is a place of war." His bright eyes are full of challenge. "You should be prepared."
"Don't worry about us." I tell him. "We know what we're doing."
"You lie. I have seen the way you handle your sword, tossing it aside like it is nothing." I think back to the sword I left discarded carelessly beneath my seat. "Clearly you are no warrior."
"I don't need to fight." I am annoyed at having to defend myself and wonder at what point this interrogation turned around on me.
"Your coward Queen sends you into the Wastelands in her place. You are no fighter, so you must be a special friend to her. You are her puppet. "
"I am no one's puppet." I dig my fingers into the top of my legs. "You know nothing about me."
"I have seen enough." Luca leans back in his seat. "You Miners hold too much loyalty in your hearts, you can hardly see your own way."
"Our loyalty makes us stronger than your flake of a chief could ever hope for his own people." I rise, shooting Luca a look of contempt before striding back down the length of the ship towards Will.
He turns away from where he is poring over a map with the pilots. He catches sight of the look on my face and grins in his small way. "How did it go?"
"How do you think it went?" I rub my face with my hands, willing away my aggravation. "He was no help whatsoever."
"Told you."
I feel myself scowl behind my hands and give myself an extra moment before lowering them. "How will we know a Wastelander camp when we see one?"
"They're well-camouflaged but if you look carefully, you can see the shadows being cast." Will indicates to where Marc and four other soldiers are stationed at the windows around Phoenix. "We'll keep a weather eye out and hopefully see them before they see us."
"I'll leave you to it then." I turn away, aiming to retrieve my sword and place it somewhere a little more carefully.
"Where are you going?" Will calls out from behind me and I turn. "You're on lookout duty."
I blink incredulously. "I'm happy to help but I didn't think that-"
"That you'd be expected to pull shifts here, same as everyone else?" Will raises his eyebrows in mock-surprise. "Everyone pulls their weight on this ship. No exceptions."
I feel my scowl returning. "Fine."
I stalk back over to the rear of the ship, situating myself between a couple soldiers and staring down blankly into the scrolling desert.
"What exactly is it I'm meant to be looking for?" I ask no one in particular.
The woman next to me starts. "Waster's camps. Check against the bottom of the dunes. If there's a camp nearby you will see pointed shadows on the base of the sand."
I glance up at her, feeling my annoyance dissipating at her friendly grin. "Thanks, Jaci." I recall her name and offer a forced smile.
"No problem. Lookout duty isn't too difficult, but it can be exceptionally boring." Jaci glances behind us towards Will and lowers her voice.
I smirk. "I suppose there are worse sights to look at." The sun has risen to its highest point and the dunes' shadows have nearly disappeared, making my search for Waster camps feel all the more futile.
"It is pretty in its own way, isn't it?" Jaci remarks conversationally, raising her eyes to the horizon. "I can't believe the way it just seems to go on forever."
I nod wordlessly and focus on picking out the shadows against the dunes. Half a dozen times I think I've caught sight of something and start, each time corrected by the ever-patient Jaci.
Hours pass and I am relieved of my post. I take the opportunity to return to my seat, deliberately avoiding looking at Luca on my way past. I lay down on the bench and pull my scarf around my head, aiming to catch a short nap.
Some measure of time later I am jerked back to wakefulness. I throw the scarf off my head, looking around in confusion. Will and the other soldiers are exchanging uncertain glances.
"What was that?" Someone asks.
Before anyone can reply there is a dull thud followed by a disquieting gurgling. I look down the length of the ship to see Jaci stagger backwards from the rear window. She turns to face us, fear laced across her features while her hand clutches at her neck.
I jump to my feet at the realization. Jaci falls to her knees, blood spewing down her tunic from the arrow lodged in her throat.
The ship lurches again and Jaci collapses onto the floor, a pool of blood slowly forming beneath her. Will rushes forward, lifting Jaci up and turning her over, his brow pinched grimly.
Another impact knocks against Phoenix and we are thrown to the side. I manage to keep my footing but collide with Marc, staggering against the bench on the opposite side of the ship.
"Stations!" Will bellows and the soldiers rush into action. I claw my way over to my discarded sword and strap it to my back, unsure of what use it will be when we are being attacked from the ground but needing to do something.
I straighten, glancing over to the pilots who are fighting feverishly with the control panel.
From the back of the ship there echoes a low, blood-chilling sound. Luca sits passively, his head tilted back and his too-white teeth glinting as he laughs.
"So much for your peaceful mission, commander." He mocks. "My people are here for you."