There was a time I believed I would never set foot on Concave soil. I could not fathom such a thing. Yet here I am, sitting cross-legged on Ruben Chander's bed. My teeth creak as I clench my jaw, lips pressed in a tight line.
"Let's clean up your face," Ruben says, pushing himself off the bed and striding into the bathroom, returning with a cloth.
"I can do it," I say, reaching for the cloth. But he sinks into the corner of the bed and brings the cloth to my forehead himself. Wincing, I murmur, "Thank you."
He laughs and offers a small smile. "So, where did you get that sword?"
I bite my cheek. "It was my father's."
"How long have you trained with it?" He folds the cloth over and continues cleaning.
"Since I was ten years old," I say, allowing a smile to escape. "Well, my father helped me swing it when my mother wasn't around. But I could hold it on my own when I was ten."
Ruben chews his lip, considering me. "Have you killed anyone?"
My eyes widen as my heart suddenly quickens its pace. "Do you think I have?" I say, my mouth so dry I practically choke on the words.
"What? I mean, no. Relax, Elizabeth." He shakes his head then raises an eyebrow, grinning. "I guess I was just trying to figure out if I had a psychopath in my room plotting my murder?"
He chuckles and I blow out a nervous laugh. "Not yet, at least."
He laughs again, his cheeks flushing pink. "My mother taught me archery," he says, finishing with my forehead. "She taught me the way her father taught her. She told me he was a master, a useful skill after the former world collapsed."
"Where is your mother now?" I dare to ask, pulling my lower lip in between my teeth.
Something flashes across his light eyes, and his jaw tightens. He opens his mouth.
"Ruben!" someones yells. They thump the door and I jump. "Where the hell is that girl, Ruben?"
My blood runs cold, and my eyes widen. Doctor Hatchman. I stare at Ruben in horror as Hatchman tries to pry the door open, but fortunately, it's locked. "Let me in, boy!"
"Sir, I'm naked." Ruben lies and my jaw falls open.
"Oh, for God's sake, Ruben!" Hatchman barks through the door. I wildly glance around, darting into the bathroom, closing the door. "Didn't you get the memo? That girl has escaped twice. She escaped after you took her back!"
"I didn't realise, Sir. I will search for her now."
I crack the bathroom door and watch as Ruben stands up, and his eyes meet mine.
"Hurry the hell up with whoever you have in there and get searching! We have the palace on lockdown but still haven't found her. Once we do, she will receive severe punishment for her disobedience, and for finding the damn cavern."
Blood whirls past my ears to flood the silence in his wake. "Are you going to turn me in?"
"Are you stupid?" he fires back, brows furrowed. "I owe you. You need to get out of here."
"You'll get in trouble," I say, emerging from the bathroom.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter." He averts his eyes from me. "Here." He digs into his drawers and pulls out my clothes, tossing the bundle to me.
"How did you get these?"
"Again, doesn't matter, Elizabeth," he says, voice tight with impatience. "Hurry and put them on."
In the bathroom, I swiftly pull the deep blue dress from my body and change into my familiar black pants and singlet, before slipping into the coat and boots. I sling the scabbard over my shoulders and slide the sword into it. Stuffing the dress and white flat shoes into the cupboard under the sink, I hurry back out.
He stands by the windowsill, brows pulled together and eyes glinting in the moonlight. "There's a ledge below that you can jump to, and then there's another jump to the ground. Just be careful that you don't miss the first ledge, or you'll probably break your neck."
"Nice."
"Just put your hood on and hopefully no one will notice."
"Pretty sure that's the most suspicious way to sneak around. But alright," I say, smirking.
He rolls his eyes before swinging himself onto the ledge. "Do you want to get out or what?" Ruben asks. He lowers himself out the window and falling out of sight.
"Ruben!" I peer out, and he glances back up from the window ledge jutting out of the room below. He laughs before jumping to the ground.
"Come on, Elizabeth!" he grins, his teeth bold in the waning moonlight.
I shake my head and draw in a deep breath. Swinging my legs over the window ledge, I inch my butt forward until my feet align with the ledge below. I fill my lungs with air, exhale and push myself off. The wind rushes upward and I land sharply, regaining my balance before I topple off.
"That's it," Ruben says as I step off the ledge and fall to the ground and the impact ricochets up my heels. "Follow me. We can get to the Convex Sector without the bridge or swimming." He smirks, striding ahead.
He turns left down a path along the wall of the palace, next to the abandoned courtyard. At the end of the path, we turn right into a narrow field of grass boarded with towering trees. As we move deeper into the field, an enormous flower bed springs from the ground, boasting an array of yellow, purple, and pink, dancing to the rhythm of the wind. They blow their sweet pollen towards us. Breathing in, I smile at the memory of my father bringing home wildflowers to my mother just about every day he was in the forest.
Next to the flower bed sits a rusted metal bench. Grass and flowers grow up the legs, bringing it to life. Ruben glances around, then bends down in front of the bench. He grabs something within the grass and yanks, revealing a hold in the ground and pulling up a trapdoor.
"What the hell? A passageway," I say.
Ruben smirks. "It's an entrance to an entire underground network beneath the Concave sector. Most people enter and exit through the cavern. Few people know about this way." He stuffs his hand in his pocket, slipping out a small pocket flashlight. He switches it on and without another word, steps over the edge of the trapdoor, falling below into the black abyss.
"Come on, Elizabeth!" his whisper bursts up from below. The abyss stares back at me as I hold my breath and step off. The ground hits me before I can brace myself, and I groan as pain shoots up my ankle.
"I'm fine," I say through gritted teeth.
"Good," Ruben shines the small stream of light at my face, smirking as I curse and shield my eyes. We navigate our way through the passageways. My eyes strain into the darkness, following Ruben and the line of light from the flashlight. He stoops his neck with the ceiling practically grazing his hair, and the tight space sends my heart racing. I swallow the lump in my throat and try to ignore the weight of the Earth packed above us.
Ruben knows where we are going. He strides to the left, to the right, straight, to the right. I lose track of how many turns we have made quickly. My palms sweat and my breathing become so erratic that he stops suddenly and spins around.
"You're claustrophobic, aren't you?" he says, shining the flashlight at my feet.
"Was it that obvious?" I say, rolling my eyes and smiling despite myself.
He bites his lip and his brows furrow. "We'll cross the other side soon."
"Other side of the River?" I scoff, quickening my pace. "Do you visit the Convex Sector sometimes?"
"I have, but I'm partial to the forest." He throws a smile over his shoulder and I swell with curiosity.
"I love the forest," I say, heat filling my cheeks. "My father used to take my sister and I there all the time."
"Did he teach you to hunt?" he asks.
"My father preferred to teach me how to forage for edible plants," I say. "He thought the wildlife was sacred and we should protect them. He had to kill a deer once during a terrible season of blight."
Ruben glances at me. "I've heard rumours about the blight. It's true?"
"You must not have actually looked at my people during your visits," I muse, rolling my eyes. "If you had looked, you would have seen the bones sticking out from beneath their clothes."
"I understand your bitterness," Ruben says.
"I don't think you do," I bite back, nails digging into my palms.
"You know little about me."
"Okay. Tell me why you like the forest."
"I can show you when we get there." He smiles, and a warmth falls over me.
At last, Ruben draws to a stop. He reaches up, grabs a brass handle, and pulls. Dust bursts from the frame and I cough as the particles stick to my throat. Ruben curses as he bats the dust away.
"Alright, up we go." He gestures.
He offers me a boost, and I reach up, digging my fingers into the grass. My core burns as I heave myself to the surface, flopping into the foliage. I scramble to my feet and clap the dirt from my hands. I help haul Ruben through the trapdoor.
We traipse through the forest and my stomach churns. My father's spirit feels closer in these woods. I shiver and wrap my arms around myself.
Ruben glances at me. "My mother never had a funeral," he mutters and clears his throat. "She didn't have a burial either. But she loved nature too. When I was small, she brought me to the forest to play."
He stops and gestures to a tree with yellow, wilted flowers placed at the bottom. Then he points to another tree with the same flower decoration. "I believe her spirit's here. Sometimes, I bring her flowers and spend hours in the woods. It's a good place to read or think. Or escape to."
By this time, we have approached the edges of the Convex Sector. Too wrapped in Ruben's words, I stumble onto a goat farmer's path. A withered old man squats on a stool, milking a goat. His head snaps in my direction and his aged eyes widen.
"It's the Red Leaf!"