ELICERENT

XIII. Elicerent

Owen led the way, navigating a series of tunnels and passes that I had not been aware existed. I tried to focus on our direction and any distinguishing marks that may make it easier to cartograph. But the constance of luminescent moss, made it impossible to judge one turn from the next. Owen talked the entire trek, his voice bounding through the passages at varying levels. Even if I wanted to engage, I couldn't, due to lack of coherency. Regardless, he chatted away like a gathering of crones, stopping and turning occasionally to look at me expectantly. I nodded and smiled, grunting in agreement when his eyes asked for more. By the time we had exited the tunnels, it was mid-morning and the coolness of the night before had long evaporated. It was a shock moving from the regulated temperature of the tunnels, into the wide, waves of heat that beat down unrelentingly.

"Once we make it down this rocky slope, we just need to pass over that small rise and you will begin to see Elicerent," Owen boomed as he glanced back at me. I was able to catch up to his stride now that we were no longer restricted by the carved out rock.

"So, exactly how many times has Elicerent been attacked?"

Chuckling, "Elicerent itself has never actually been breached, but there have been times when we thought the Facility would. It has been targeted many times from the air, but given the position on the mountainside, very little damage has been achieved."

"I guess it is a good thing that the Facility have more than just you to conquer."

We went the rest of the rise sliding down loose rocks until the ground flattened and the grass began to spring up, in tufts at first, then thick and lusciously. The lake, although much smaller than the Hyacinth, was quite beautiful. The decoy settlement, they called Elicerent was set into the side of the mountain range, rather than within, like the real one. It certainly gave enough protection and there were few signs of a proper attack. On the border of Elicerent, Owen stopped, grabbing a stick from amongst the fallen debris. Raising it and with a strong arm, he forcefully connected to the nearest pine, sending the sound vibrating through the trees, only to bounce back loudly from the rock face before us.

As the sound soaked into our surroundings, Owen continued to stand, waiting silently. A short, stocky woman emerged from the rock, her voice booming as she greeted him in a robust embrace, "It's been a while my friend."

"Yes, too long," replied Owen, releasing their hold.

On our entrance to the outpost, Audra informed me that she was the only member of the resistance who was an almost permanent resident of Elicerent.

"I spent a three day out hunting here and there when I need to see the back of this place, but I take this job seriously after my mate was taken." Audra sat us around a makeshift table of crates. Most of Elicerent was surprisingly functional for a place that only ever housed a maximum of twenty people.

We were served a gruel at dinner, rich and hearty despite its unpleasant appearance. Once everyone was fed, they assumed their regular duties, like the settlement, Elicerent was run on a rotation system.

Owen and I were placed on watch together from midnight to dawn. I slept exceedingly well due to the walk to Elicerent. We laid out makeshift beds of blankets in the open around the fire. I was surprised how easy it was just to breathe and look at the stars, as the others sat around, catching up. I slept so well that it wasn't until I felt the bright light of the sun coaxing me awake. I sat upright quickly, realising that I had slept through watch. I met eyes with Owen, "It looked like you needed the sleep," he japed.

I scowled at him. Who was he to decide what I needed. I gathered the blankets I had made a mess of and followed everyone else into a storeroom. Each person placed their blankets into separate shelves.

"For our use again tonight," a blonde woman stated as she swept past me. When I exited, Owen was standing against the doorframe grinning wildly.

"I have a day planned! First, we will fill the water barrels and then I want to show you the view from the lookout."

Forcing a smile, I nodded.

It did not take long for us to fill the barrels. In fact, at least four of them were still full from the last person who had received the job. Owen smiled the entire time. It made me uneasy. How could someone delight so much in a simple act such as fill barrels with water?

We toured the Elicerent, Owen, stopping to engage in conversation with everyone we happened to pass. By the time we made our way up the cut out rock path to the lookout, it was mid afternoon. The sun was in an awkward place in the sky, pointing directly at us with its blinding rays. We were able to rise high enough to look just above the tree-line. I was grateful for a cool breeze that floated toward us. As we looked out over everything; I could see the heights of Langulum and the ocean in the distance.

There was silence, except for a faint humming that seemed to bounce off the mountain side onto the trees below. The scrambling of rock and a loud curse from Owen sent me into a momentary confusion, until I saw it; the silhouette in the sun. It was a military craft. Owen was already half way down the mountain face, yelling out to everyone. I followed as quickly as I dared down the uneven path. I could see the scramble of bodies; everyone had their own agenda.

As I reached the bottom, it was clear that those in Elicerent had completed drills in preparation for such events. There was no one in the open and all I could see was the occasional movement from behind some sort of barricade. Owen wrenched me behind some barrels and then led to the stores, and whispered for me to stay out of sight. I scowled at him.

"I mean it Etta," he said with severe determination. I nodded reluctantly and watched as he moved from the store, and out behind one of the closest barricades.

The humming was steady and grew louder. If I ever saw the Minister again, I would tell him that the biggest issue in eradicating the rebels (aside from always attacking the wrong place) was that his air vehicles could be heard leagues away. Any chance of leading a surprise assault was next to impossible. The time dragged out soaking in the droning hum that echoed in the stores. I braced myself for an explosion, but it never came. In fact, the humming even seemed to be getting quieter, as if the craft had just simply passed over us. I waited until the sound was barely audible before I cautiously walked out of my hiding place.

The others were still hiding and I could see Owen mouthing something at me as I emerged. I looked at him quizzically.

"What?" I mouthed back in confusion.

His eyes suddenly widened and as if in response, I felt a sharp pain in the small of my back. I turned my head slightly, getting the smallest glimpse of blue. There was a cry from somewhere else in Elicerent and then the pain I could feel spread to the back of my hip. I turned quickly in response to see a heap of blue limbs collapsed behind me.

"You might want to go back into the store and put something on that," my saviour said with a cheeky smile. I think his name was Art? He was one of those that Owen had spent time engaged in deep conversation with following our arrival. I nodded and tried to produce a smile through the sting in my back and quickly retreated to the store.

As I grabbed for linen to wrap around myself, I could hear the cries of men and women and the clash of metal. It wasn't long before, like the sound of the humming aircraft, the sound dissipated into nothingness. I heard his breathing, before I saw him. Owen entered the store to retrieve me.

"Are you alright?" he panted.

I indicated to my back and hip, "Yes, just a scratch, I'm sure."

"Well, regardless, let me take you to get that checked out."

My wounds weren't too deep and I only needed to be stitched where the knife point had sat in the small of my back. It did make travelling back to the settlement uncomfortable though. The sting of movement was beginning to become unbearable as we entered the caverns. I farewelled Owen quickly whilst he was distracted by his immediate summons to the council for a full debrief of the attack on Elicerent and returned to the familiarity of my room. My room. It felt satisfying to say that and the room welcomed me, as I sunk into the straw, welcoming sleep.