Orphans of Gaia

The early morning chill still hung thick to the air, the world awash in a haze of blue as dawn slowly approached. Max made his way through the forest, trying in vain to catch up to Marcus. Despite the cold Marcus had on that familiar reckless grin. It had been a surprise when he showed up at Max’s bedroom window. It had been a week since anyone had heard from Marcus at all. A week since news of Katherine’s death had rippled through the town. Finally Marcus stopped on top of a nearby hill, his breath misting in front of him. Max caught up leaning his hand against a nearby tree trunk bent over.

“Where are we going?” he said gasping for air.

“You’ll see man,” Marcus said, “Come on you don’t want to fall behind do you?” He continued down the hill. Sighing Max followed him, careful not to trip on anything as they cut through the woods, ignoring the well-worn paths. His thoughts wandered to the many walks he had taken through the forests and mountains surrounding the town. Most of the kids grew up in these woods. He and Marcus had spent many hours getting lost among the trees. Katherine had often been with them though. He bit back the tears, shaking his head. He had done enough crying this past week.

Katherine had always been sick, haunted by a disease that would come and go in waves. Some days she would be perfectly fine, others she could barely get out of bed and kept coughing up blood. Despite her parents wishing to keep her at home, she would often venture out on good days. Her sickness kept getting worse though despite the Healer Mother Jenna’s efforts. In the end the sickness took her, and he felt that the blame was his.

They rounded another hill and before them stood one of the many tunnels that led into the mountain. Though most were maintained quite well due to the Dusters using them all the time this one looked almost abandoned, moss growing on the rocks the entrance broken and cracked, like the mountain had simply split open like a wound. Marcus walked forward but Max grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“This is what you wanted to show me?” he said, “this tunnel looks like it hasn’t been used in years. You’re not seriously thinking of going in are you?”

“It’ll be fine Max. Who knows what we might find in there,” Marcus said.

“This doesn’t feel right. We should head back…”

“You can if you want you big chicken. I want to see what’s inside,” Marcus said and turning he headed towards the tunnel. Max stood back fist clenching. When Marcus had disappeared after Katherine died, everyone wondered where he had gone. Marcus had always been close to his sister, she had honestly been one of the most important people to him. Losing her had probably been devastating. Shaking his head Max followed after him. This felt wrong, but letting Marcus go in there alone felt worse.

The tunnel entrance swallowed the light from outside. Marcus turned on a flashlight which barely illuminated their surroundings. The walls of the tunnel seemed strangely dry, and touching them Max felt a warmth emanating from them, almost as if the rocks were alive. The chill from outside had dissipated like the warmth blocked it out. None of this felt right…something about this place made the hairs on his neck stand up and his heart begin to thrum in his chest. Marcus though continued on following the tunnel Max falling into step behind him. Their footsteps echoed as they walked, the sound seeming almost too loud. An urge to run back to the mouth of the tunnel gripped Max tightly, but he kept going trying to keep pace with Marcus. The odd warmth seemed to grow as they went further in, the darkness around them almost trying to trap them. Soon a light shone ahead and Marcus quickened his pace. He turned a corner and stopped mouth open. He waved to Max excitedly and soon Max came out of the tunnel to a hill overlooking the most amazing, bewildering sight.

Before them lay an enormous cavern that seemed almost the size of the mountain itself. Below the ruins of a city that filled every corner of the cavern. Clusters of dilapidated buildings, taller than anything he had ever seen ivy growing on the sides, windows broken, chunks of the buildings missing entirely. Some had collapsed in a heap of rubble and shattered glass while others stood like watchful sentries.

“It has to be from before the Great War,” Max said, “but what happened…how did it get inside the mountain?”

“Who cares, this is amazing…” Marcus said, “come on.” He started making his way down the hill. Max followed after him, despite his mind screaming that they needed to run. The buildings were taller up close, making them both look minuscule compared to them. Rusted cars littered the wide roads, looking as broken and forgotten as the buildings. Feeble streetlights flickered but none of them seemed to work anymore. Marcus walked towards one building, stepping over the door which looked to have been blown apart or chopped up. Inside the scent of decay hung over the place like a perfume. Marcus’s grin widened his eyes almost gleeful

“Isn’t this the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen,” He said. No, this place reeked of death. Max shook his head, already regretting coming, his mind once again urging him to run. A moment later a deep rumble echoed through the city, almost a growl that shook Max’s whole body. Both of them looked around, eyes wide. Marcus ran out of the building his eyes scanning up and down the road excitedly. The rumbling growl grew louder. Max ran over to Marcus grabbing his arm.

“Marcus…we should go,” He said. A moment later a roar seemed to explode through out the cavern echoing off the distant walls. Max covered his ears as he looked around trying to find the source. Then he noticed a distant outline rising above the tall buildings. The shadow of something huge, larger than anything had any right to be. The buildings and the city were enormous but this creature seemed to tower over them all. It moved closer to them and the outline of wings that seemed to block out the cavern roof stretched out. Max fell back as the outline came into focus revealing the nightmare in front of them. Sharp claws that looked as large as tree trunks scrapped across the ground. A reptilian head that turned towards them, the nostrils flaring and sending out jets of flame. Eyes that looked like pools of darkness with red slits like a cat’s pupils. A Dragon, a real Dragon…Max got up from the ground on trembling knees but stumbled and fell back again. The Dragon looked down at them, placing a clawed foot on the top of a nearby building and crushing it with one step. The slits in his eyes narrowed as the gaze centered on them. Soon, the mouth opened, showing rows of razer-like teeth, flames forming at the back of the throat.

“Marcus run!!” Max screamed. Marcus though stood looking up in what appeared to be awe as the flames grew brighter. Max tried to get up again, but his legs could not hold him.

“Marcus! Get out of there, run!!” He said again, yet his friend looked up in reverence stretching out his hand towards the dragon. The dragon opened its mouth wider eyes now centered on Marcus. The flames shot out of the gaping mouth enveloping Marcus while Max’s scream ripped through him

With a jolt Max sat up in the bed. Outside the window the sun had yet to peak over the horizon, the whole forest still awash in the bluish tint of dawn. He quickly rubbed the tears off his cheeks, gripping the sheets tightly. Another night, another visit to that ruined city, another chance to relive his failure. He had finally run after that, too terrified to do anything else…too horrified to go back and find the charred remains of his friend. Sitting on the edge of the bed he waited for his head to clear. His body still felt tired but he did not feel like sleeping again. Getting up he reached over and grabbed his shirt where it hung on the back of the nearby chair. Walking forward he peeked into the other bedroom, and noticed Gina’s bed made neatly. Grabbing his boots, he pulled them on tying the laces before standing up and tucking his shirt in. Sounds echoed from the kitchen and he followed them down the hall. Gina stood by the stove, apron on, her reddish gray hair tied back in her usual bun. Turning the woman smiled warmly at him, violet eyes watching him.

“Up already Max, I heard you tossing and turning all night,” She said.

“I have to return soon in case there’s another order coming in,” he said, “Thanks again for letting me stay the night.”

“Oh it’s no trouble dear you’re always welcome to visit. With Gareth down in those mines most days it gets a little lonely up here.”

He nodded as he shrugged his coat on. The Dusters never really left the mines, having to work around the clock to keep the shipments of coal coming. His zip-line gear and bag still hung by the door. Grabbing them he clipped his belt on and checked the cables and the brake hook. The bag he tossed over his shoulder and turned to see Gina watching him drying her hands on her apron.

“I hope you’ll stop by again,” She said.

“I will, I promise,” he said. Starting out the door he closed his eyes a bit, as the sun finally peeked over the horizon, golden light spilling over the forest chasing away the final dregs on nighttime. Various shades in the sea of red, yellow and gold shone brightly. A sight that despite having seen it all his life, still took his breath away. Standing there a moment on the porch he gazed out over it all; his forest, his home, and his heart lifted a little. Turning back, he saw Gina standing in the doorway.

“You take care now dear,” She said, “and if you stop by the mines tell Gareth I send my love.”

“Will do,” he said. Walking to the edge of the porch he clipped one of cables to the metal zip-line that ran right in front of the house. Jumping off he soon began to zoom away through the forest, Gina’s house disappearing. The trees flashed by as blurs, the crisp morning air biting at his cheeks. Autumn would soon leave, and winter would settle in. Keeping a close eye ahead of him, he slipped the brake hook into his hand. Though he had not planned on going to the mines, a quick stop would not hurt. The switch point appeared ahead and taking his brake hook he pulled on the zip-line slowing down enough to brace his feet on the metal pole. Taking his second cable he clipped it to the next line, and soon began zooming further down into the forest. A large opening in the rocks appeared ahead of him, and he grinned as light soon vanished and he raced through the darkness. Some might find the darkness frightening, but he knew the way. Ahead he spotted the light of a fire and used his brake hook to slow down enough to unclip his cable and land with a roll on the rocky ground. Grinning he got up and brushed off his coat.

“Not bad bird-boy, but you still need some work,” A voice called out. His eyes adjusted slowly, but he soon saw the outline of a short wiry figure, crouched on a nearby rock. Rat was thinner than most dwarves giving him a lanky look but he knew more about the zip-lines than any other Duster. He hopped off and scampered over slapping Max on the back, a wide grin on his face. They walked over towards the fire, where another Dwarf sat cooking what appeared to be breakfast, and next to him lay a boulder that seemed to be moving up and down. Rat poked the boulder, and it rolled over showing a Troll who slowly shook his head.

“What gives Rat?” the Troll said stifling a yawn.

“It’s almost time to eat Dozer,” Rat said, “how much longer Copper?”

“A few more minutes,” Copper said his reddish-gold hair tinged with gray apparent even in the dim light. He turned to Max with a warm smile, “care to join us?” Max nodded and sat down on another rock. Dozer sat up, and stretched carefully. Soon a few more men and dwarves appeared; most of them middle aged and older many already graying. Though the train that ran through the area brought people and supplies, coal had once been bought from the Gyro City Mines at a hefty price. That had been before Gareth had shown up with a team of Dwarves and asked permission to mine whatever deposits he could find in the mountains. The Mayor had allowed him to do so, especially after it was shown the Dwarves knew how to use the Zip-lines. Soon other men too old to work in the fields or on the Trains asked to join. Others such as Rat and the Trolls came later. The townspeople called them mongrels and dust-heads, wary of men that spent so much time in the mountains and the darkness. Yet the steady supply of coal helped to feed the Train lines, and the other ore they found could be fashioned in jewelry and other trinkets. Soon dust-heads was changed to Dusters, and the name stuck.

The Dusters all sat around the cheerful glow of the campfire, laughing and eating. Some drank from flasks, their cheeks already pink. Others ate what they could, a good deal of their teeth missing, hair already white. Though old they lived with purpose and conviction. Max enjoyed his time with them, mostly because due to his frequent visits he had slowly become almost one of their own.

“Hey Max,” Rat said, “any girl caught your eye lately?

“No,” Max said hoping they wouldn’t notice his face turn red, “sorry Rat.”

“But what about the cute girl that helps your Gran at the inn?” Rat said, and Max felt his stomach turn over. The other men though started talking loudly.

“Now leave him alone Rat…”

“Max don’t need to talk about women…he’s got enough going on,” Dozer said, in his slow rumble of a voice. The others began to talk about their wives some having lost them years ago. Most had not seen them for a while having to spend most of their time in the Mines. The sound of a door slamming shut ended their reverie, nearly all the men jumping up.

“What’re you all yakking about,” a voice cracked through the darkness. Another dwarf walked into the firelight. Bald and imposing despite his height, Gareth looked at his men arms crossed, hat already on, and his zip-line gear around his waist. Gareth had been the one to approach the Mayor for permission to excavate the Mines. He had proven a capable leader and the men all respected and admired him. Turning he looked briefly at Max before turning back to the rest of his men.

“This ain’t social hour. If you’re finished with breakfast get moving you dust-heads there’s work to be done,” He said. The Dusters got up and ran to grab their own gear, placing hard-hats on their heads. Copper stood giving out orders to the various men and they all hurried towards the zip-lines that led deeper into the caverns. Gareth stood watching arms crossed over his chest and his face like stone. Max stood up and walked over to him.

“Boss…Gina said to send you her love, I think she misses you,” he said. Gareth turned to him, arms still crossed though his expression softened a little it seemed.

“Go along now,” He said his voice still sharp but not too much. Max nodded and headed off back towards the other zip-lines. Clipping himself on he glanced back one more time to see Copper and Gareth talking before he pushed off from the rocky floor and zoomed out of the mines.

The sounds of the morning rang throughout the forest. Max sat on the branch of a tree looking over it all. Rat’s question nagged at the back of his mind. He had never told any of the Dusters about Katherine. She and Marcus had been the only children of George and Amelia Johnson, the family that had originally owned the railway that ran through the area. He leaned back against the tree, trying not to let his thoughts wander to her, but her face appeared in his mind. Green eyes that sparkled with playfulness, that reckless grin almost identical to her brothers, black curls that rippled down her back. He remembered when he had first met her when Marcus came to see him one time. She’d worn a dress that seemed a little too tight, especially around her chest. Max had felt his eyes go straight to her and he had tripped on the stairs coming down, landing face first on the dirt road. She came forward gazing down with concern. He had extended his hand and after a few moments they had all burst into laughter. Other memories had followed as they all grew older, Katherine become more of a woman than a girl. The many walks through the forests and journeys up and down the mountain. While on a camping trip, Katherine had stolen a kiss from him and told him not to tell anybody. To this day he never had.

She’d always been bold, her and Marcus. Adventure seemed to have been written on their hearts. Marcus always talked about exploring places beyond the mountains off in distant lands. Katherine had talked about leaving, and she once had asked Max if he would go with if her if she left. He had told her he would, and she stole another kiss from him.

Rat though had been referring to a different girl. Jaylean had come to the Inn years ago when Max had been young. Gramps and Gran had taken her in and raised her like one of their own. While she had never joined in the adventures Marcus, Katherine, and Max had gotten into, she had still been a constant presence in his life. One he had grown to appreciate more as they grew older. While she never matched Katherine in terms of looks according to most of the village boys, he could not help but be smitten with her. Marcus though had beaten him. Jay and Marcus had been an item for some time prior to their last adventure. Max figured he had lost his chance with Jay after that, until Katherine seemed to take an interest in him. Yet even after all the stolen hours with Katherine, Jay had still haunted his thoughts and dreams. The thought made his heart beat excitedly, but his stomach twisted too. After what had happened to Marcus, he had avoided Jay for a while. Though since they both lived at the Inn avoiding her completely had seemed impossible. And despite his guilt, he still could not help but be drawn to her.

Carefully getting up he climbed down the tree to where the zip-line went past the trunk, and clipped his cable to the line. Looking down he saw a red scarf bobbing below him. His heart did a slight backflip again. Clipping the bracer to keep him from moving he carefully extended his cable and slowly lowered to the forest floor. Dark brown hair peeked out from underneath the red scarf as Jay walked along with a basket picking berries from nearby bushes. Kneeling she plucked one off the bush her blue eyes studying the fruit before placing it in her basket. She walked along careful not to get her long skirt stuck in the bushes, stepping softly in brown leather boots that peeked out from under her skirt, the laces of her boots untied as always. Cautiously Max lowered himself further down ending up right behind her.

She knelt down to pick another berry and grinning he moved the basket out of the way a little. Turning to place a few berries in the basket she looked her mouth opening as they landed in the dirt. Arms crossed she stared down at the basket, lips pursed. He covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. Grabbing the basket, she moved it back towards her and turned back to the berry bush. Reaching over he took hold of the basket and slowly pulled himself higher on his cable. She turned around and her eyes widened as she stared at the spot where the basket had been. Arms crossed, she tapped her foot and glared out at the forest.

“Alright Max where are you,” She said.

“Right here,” He called from above her. She jumped and stepped back, hand over her chest. He hung in the air the berry basket dangling from his hand. Her hands rested on her hips, her icy gaze centered on him.

“Max Hartford you give me back those berries,” She said.

“You can at least say please.”

“Max this isn’t time to be playing around,” She said. He took a berry out and popped it in his mouth, the sweet juices bursting deliciously. Her cheeks flushed and she crossed her arms again. His stomach began to twist annoyingly. Did she honestly have to look so cute whenever she got frustrated? Marcus had always loved tormenting her. She stamped her foot, her cold glare never leaving him.

“Come down this instant,” She said. Knowing that she would keep this up, he lowered himself down and handed the basket to her. She took it with a satisfied nod and turned to keep picking berries.

“If you’re done with delivering, you should head back,” she said, “there’s some special guests coming in on the next train.”

“What kind of special guests?”

“No clue,” she said returned to picking berries. He watched her as she picked a few more. His eyes wandered to try and peek under her skirts. Marcus had once said she had a really nice pair of legs. Yet she always wore long skirts, so how Marcus knew what her legs looked like, Max would probably never know. She turned, eyes narrowing her lips tightening into a thin line. He looked away his own face flushing now. With a shrewd look she turned back to the bushes and knelt down, her boots poking out from the bottom of her skirts. His heart hammering a little he crept closer and tied the laces on her boots together. Grinning he started to leave but then reached out and yanked the scarf off her head. Her dark brown hair came down in a cascading mess. She stood up and turned around only to stumble falling forward and landing face first on the ground. He quickly retracted the cable as she carefully stood up dusting her skirt off. She looked down at her boots tied together before glaring up at him, face now a furious tomato, fists balled tightly.

“Max Hartford you give that back right now!” She said.

“Still didn’t say please,” He said and quickly retracted the cable and pushed off a nearby tree, Jay’s yells following after him.