text: By the following evening we were back in the South. Alessia and I sat on the deck of the Deer Drum boat watching the red sky in the west. The sun had just dipped past the horizon and the dying embers spilled out across a cloudless expanse. We sat with our legs dangling off the side of the boat, the sheltered seas gently lapping against the hull beneath us. The hunt for Sannaz in the south had been unsuccessful too. And while some of the islanders remained on shore, Alessia and I stayed back on the boat. The search could continue tomorrow. Behind us a few of the children played tag up and down the boat. Mirai was joining in, recapturing a bit of her childhood, easily out pacing her competitors as she zipped up and down the gangway, leaping over the vegetable beds in a single bound. As we talked, we listened to the roars of laughter and delighted squeals as bodies darted from outstretched fingers. “A whole war over when to hold a festival,” Alessia nodded to herself. “I’d like to say I’m surprised but...” She trailed off. “It’s stupid.” “Not sure any war isn’t,” Alessia replied, kicking her shoes against the ship’s hull. We sat in silence for a moment. My eyes were staring off into the darkening sky above me. I remained like that, staring perfectly still for a few moments. “Clear wind for your thoughts,” Alessia said. I looked at her scrunching my face. “What you thinking about? ‘Cause the sky ain’t that interesting.” I turned my gaze back to the island beside us. “I was thinking about this island. Almost all islands were probably like it once, right?” “What’dya mean?” “When whatever happened, happened and the Archipelago got made. Everyone left decided how the world should be, what the new society would be like. And there would’ve been fights. Not everyone would’ve woken up with the same idea. A lot of them probably started like this.” I nodded to the town and the faint outline of the perimeter wall that could just be made out between the buildings. “You’re probably right.” Alessia gave a half-hearted shrug. “Kadear, before it was Kadear, might have been like this. One long war until one side loses and the victors get to build the island in their image.” “You reckon they all would’ve been that violent?” Alessia asked. She brought her legs up from the side of the ship, tucking up her knees and wrapping her arms around them as the heat slowly left the evening air. I shook my head. “Probably just a war of words, a lot of them. Keep talking until one side can’t be bothered to argue anymore. Just two islands in one until one side loses out through force of personality or money.” I sighed. “But people will also fight too easily.” “If you can’t win an argument, you can always stab the other guy.” Alessia gave a wry smile. “It!” one of the children shouted right beside us. Another groaned in response. There were footsteps before a girl giggled a scream. “Missed me,” she added in a mocking tone. Alessia chuckled to herself at the antics. “You ever think you’d have a family?” I asked. She scoffed. “I’ve got my own parents to put me off that. You?” “Not sure I ever gave it much thought.” I cupped my hands in my lap, staring at them for distraction. “Too busy trying to get to the Citadel. Perhaps I thought, I’d decide later.” “And before you know it you’re travelling the seas with some stranger and her furnitureless ship,” she smirked. Laughter escaped my lips. “So... what was wrong with your family?” I asked. “Parents were never together. No animosity. Just weren’t. I’m the product of a fling.” She paused, one side of her mouth smiling. “Never saw my dad half my life, only came to pick me up when my mum was dying and that was the last I saw of her. Not sure I know what a family is beyond that.” I leaned over and patted her leg. “You’ve done a pretty solid job of looking after us. That’s quite the family you made.” “Eh. You’re the only one who’s a handful.” There was a brief shout of “Cheater!” behind us from one of the kids. An instinctual guffaw left both our lips. Alessia held the back of hand up to her mouth, as I leaned over until the humour left our system and the quiet returned. “What you two up to?” I craned my neck to see Mirai standing over us. “Talking and enjoying the sunset,” Alessia replied. “Mind if I join you? Think I’m done with the kids.” I smirked to Alessia briefly. “Sure.” I shuffled over to make way, before my whole body seized at the sound of a loud boom. A distant thunderous roar. I felt the wood of the boat shake, shiver in place. We all stopped, our heads turning to the island. Another boom. This one didn’t resonate as deep but it came with the accompaniment of the sound of rock shattering and walls crumbling. I stood up. “An explosion,” Alessia said. There was another blast as I saw a puff of smoke and dust lift off the roofs of the town. Behind us the children screamed, quickly followed by whimpering. Frightened tears falling from young eyes. “They’ve come back for us,” a child wailed behind me. “What the fuck is happening?” Mirai asked. “Mirai, get the kids below decks.” I leaned down as I spoke, staring straight into her wide eyes. “Tell people to ready the ship, we may have to leave quickly.” “Mum. Dad. They’re on the island. Lachlann too.” Her eyes flicked back and forth, her mind racing. “Shit,” I muttered. Alessia stepped forward. “Mirai, you deal with things here. We’ll go get them, okay?” “Are they gonna be okay?” Mirai’s voice cracked with panic. “We’ll bring them back, I promise.” Alessia smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But your brother and the ship needs you.” Mirai took the information in, and then slowly nodded her head. “Okay.” She turned to rally up the rest of the kids, as some of the adults emerged from below to see what was going on. Alessia and I ran down the boat to where the skiff was tied. I grabbed the oars and started pulling as hard as I could. “What do you think’s happening?” “I think the war’s ending,” Alessia replied. “Where’d they get the explosives from?” I shouted between heaves of the oars. Alessia scrunched her face. “Not important right now.” I continued to row long strokes to the harbour wall. “What’s the plan?” “Head into the town, find them, bring them back.” Alessia gave a scowl, a hint of irritation at my question. “What if they’re outside the town? In the fields to the west?” “What? Why would they be?” Alessia shook her head. “They might be and if they are then we won’t find them.” My voice was drowned out by another bomb ripping holes in the Southern wall. Alessia paused, staring at her feet. “You’re right.” The boat thudded against the wall, a small piece of wood snapping off with the collision as splinters fell into the water. I clambered up the steps and tied the first knot I could think of round the wooden stake as Alessia gave instructions. “I’ll head into town, you take the long way round, go up through that gorge at the end of the harbour. I’ll head around and we’ll meet in the middle.” “Agreed,” I started turning to leave. “Ferdinand.” I paused and faced Alessia. She had steely eyes, but her lips quivered as she spoke. “Be safe. You mean too much to me.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You too.” We stared at each other for a moment. Both of us unwilling to break apart, certain the other was safe as long as we always had eyes on them. Another explosion. The sound broke us from the trance, before the rumbling ground beneath us forced our feet to turn and head away. I jogged along the waterfront, trying not to look back lest my feet refuse to leave Alessia any further. We were heading towards danger, each step away from the Deer Drum boat making our chances of survival that little bit less. Reaching the hill at the end of the wall I jumped down onto the grassy bank, my feet quickly sinking into the soft, long grass. I took one last look at the town as the cliffs shook with another blast. Black plumes of smoke rose from the far end of the city, a yellow halo creeping around the buildings, illuminating the darkening skies. In the distance, I could see the silhouette of Alessia disappearing up the zigzag path towards the town. Then I disappeared between the cliffs On either side of me was sheer rock. Thick and ancient granite that rose up a good twenty metres, a natural tower that man-kind could never match. At the base of the crag were smaller, more jagged rocks, ones brought down the slope or etched off the cliff face over the years. Centuries of rain water had eaten away at the channel, softening the ground to a marsh and my feet struggled for purchase in the soft soil as I clambered upwards. Determination propelled me forward, but each step up the steep hill sapped the energy from my thighs. I ignored the pain, heaving deep lungfuls of air to replenish my muscles with the necessary oxygen. Back towards the town, the vertical surface began to ease off, slowly softening until it was a slope I could manage to climb. I turned, heading up the steepest segment I felt I could manage. My heartrate was pounding as I took wide strides, trying to make the slope as soft as possible. I heard something. It sounded like a name whispered on the breeze. I paused, tilting my ears and inspecting it, but heard nothing more. Leaning forward, I resumed the climb, battling against the incline till I could begin to see the peak. “Ferdinand.” The voice was quiet, frail, broken. “Ferdinand.” This time louder, but with a pained jolt. My stomach crunched in like a fist. I turned and looked up. On the cliff opposite I could see Lachlann. Even from here I could make out the damp sheen to his face, the hard breathing, and shivering frame. His hands were tied behind his back. It was then I noticed the figure in black standing beside him. “So this is Ferdinand then,” the man shouted across the space. “I wasn’t sure how I pictured you.” I didn’t recognize him. The round pudgy face, or the short clipped hair. But I knew who it was. “Sannaz Lytta.” “Correct,” came the call. “I was hoping the bombs would force you off your boat. Commander Kendra was very happy to take the last of my explosives.” I wanted to cower. I wanted to run frightened. But I tried to imagine how Alessia would act. How she would carry herself and stand up to someone trying to have power over you. I pulled my shoulders back and stood firm. “So this is your plan. Kill another island?” “No. I just wanted to talk. The North will take care of the rest for me.” “Let Lachlann go.” I called out. Sannaz grabbed the back of Lachlann’s shirt and dragged him to the edge of the cliff. “What? Here?” “Don’t do this!” I raised my hands, showing my palms. “Okay. Then help me.” “How?” “I’ve heard about you, asking after me all over Talin Barier. So I asked about you. Traced your journey. I even visited Pomafauc Reset. I know why you left. I know about the books you asked for on Ringatoy Shires. You wanted to find out the Archipelago’s origins. So tell me, where is it?” I looked from side to side. “Where is what?” “Don’t be stupid Ferdinand.” Sannaz grabbed Lachlann once more, jostling him. Lachlann let out a small cry looking down the cliff in front. “Tell me why you did it,” I said, trying to get Sannaz thinking in a different direction. “Why I did what?” “Deer Drum. Sneppath Head. You could’ve just stolen the books. Why all the killing?” Sannaz grinned. “I merely sped things up. They all would’ve died anyway.” “Not like that,” I replied with a scowl. “They could’ve had peaceful lives.” “You think that?” He turned to Lachlann and leaned in close. “Tell me. How many women a year died during childbirth on Deer Drum? How many kids caught a virus that couldn’t be cured? How many people angered a horse one day and took a kick to the temple?” He turned to me. “Or for you, how many people lived in squalor, fighting day to day while you chased your Citadel?” He stuck his jaw out. “Back on Stet, we’d lose a guy down the mines once a month. The lucky ones had rocks fall on them. The unlucky were trapped and unreachable. Suffocated or died of hunger. Is that peace?” “Why add to that suffering?” “I ended it. Killed the one in one hundred chance at a happy life to make sure the suffering was never worse. I brought peace.” I looked around, searching on the hill for an answer. “You’re wrong.” “Am I?” “You have to be.” “You’ve seen more than most Ferdinand. What happiness could justify the sadness you’ve seen, what could possibly make that worthwhile...” Sannaz trailed off, his eyes glancing above me. I turned to see Alessia, Xander and Kurbani standing behind me. A reflexive smile crossed my lips. “You can join Ferdinand. You can’t come round here.” Sannaz shook his head but maintained his stare. I watched Xander tighten his hands, his wide shoulders bristling with rage. Alessia and Kurbani too held the gaze. However, all three complied and began walking down the hill towards me. “So, Ferdinand, am I wrong? Is the suffering a lie?” I closed my eyes, thinking. “No. You’re right. You just missed so much. Life is cruel, and tough, and it can end so sadly. But, there’s also so much joy to be had. And those good bits. That’s worth it all. However fleeting those moments may be, they are always worth fighting for.” I paused, recatching my breath. I turned to look to the three people arriving beside me. My eyes settled on Alessia. She flicked me a smile, and a slow reassuring nod. “You can pick all the worst bits, and there are plenty. But you also have to remember all the good. We’ve all suffered. I know I have. But beyond all that pain, and anguish, I’ve had moments of happiness and love greater than anything I’ve known.” My eyes filled with water. They closed, scrunching. As I contained the tears, I could make out the faces of those people around me in my mind. Behind them was black. Fears. Old horrors. Pained memories. But in front of it all were those that I’d met along the way, so much closer, so much stronger than all the agony. And front and centre was Alessia. She had that oh so familiar facial expression she often wore. One that told me I was being a fool, lunging optimistically into a stupid situation, and yet she would support me anyway. Not out of practicality, but out of... kindness. Out of a want for good, no matter how unlikely it was to succeed. My eyes opened again, looking up at Sannaz, then to Lachlann, then back to Sannaz. “Good actions still exist. Even here. Even now. Every moment that we exist and try to make things better has the potential for joy and you can’t take away that potential from people’s lives. That’s what you did. All of our lives will end in a moment of sadness. But you stole the joy along the way. You robbed them of potential.” Sannaz nodded slowly, his jaw still stuck out so that he looked down at us past the end of his nose. “Lovely speech, Ferdinand. But you know how this all happened. You know how low we all sank. It just didn’t go far enough. So tell me, where is the site?” He screamed the last words, seizing Lachlann’s arm. “I don’t know.” “Stop playing dumb.” He shuffled Lachlann closer to the cliff. Lachlann fought back but the grip was too strong. “What site? I don’t know what you mean?” “The Archipelago. The site where it was made. Where is it?” I stood shaking my head slowly, trying to make sense of the demand. Nothing came. “I don’t know what you mean.” “Tell me!” Sannaz growled. I looked to the other three, they shook their heads. Alessia took a step forward, standing by my side. “We don’t know what you mean. None of us do.” Sannaz took a beat, then a snicker escaped his lips. It grew into a loud cackle. “You really don’t know do you? All that hunting and travelling and you know shit.” “No. We don’t. We can’t help you. So let Lachlann go,” I pleased. Sannaz shook his head. “You see. If you don’t know how The Archipelago was formed, then you know so little that you’re of no use to me.” He turned and stared into Lachlann’s eyes. “Which means you aren’t either.” Sannaz let go of Lachlann’s arm. Placed a hand behind him, and pushed. Lachlann let out a desperate yell. A final plea for some miracle of the Earth to save him as he plunged from the cliff face. The plea was snuffed out as he hit the ground, smashing against the rocks. I felt the impact against my own ribcage. My chest caving in, my lungs unable to respond. I wanted to scream, but only the faintest breath of wind escaped my lips as I stared at Lachlann’s still form on the ground. Sannaz turned and disappeared over the crest of the hill. “Get him!” Alessia shouted. Xander ran up the slope, trying to find a way over to the other side. I wasn’t sure who Alessia meant the instructions for, but the other three of us didn’t join in the pursuit. Instead, we all ran towards Lachlann, hoping - however fruitlessly - he could still be saved. \ The final chapter in Book 2 will be published on the 20th February.