Page 67 of Echoes of the Tide

The farther into the tower she got, the more insane things she saw. People here wore the children’s masks on their faces. But they were too small for adults, so they were just tiny masks with scarred faces spread out on either side of them. Every time she ducked behind a beam or underneath the water and watched them stagger by.

They were all so oblivious. They bumped into each other, laughing or drawing weapons afterward. There was no in between. Like their emotions were too intense for any of them to react predictably.

Until she saw one walking by, pouring a white powder onto their hand and then snorting it. So they were also the ones who had the most drugs at their disposal as well. She hadn’t realized there were drugs even left in this city, especially if these people were using them so rapidly.

Finally, she reached the end of this fissure of water that ran all the way into the heart of the tower. There were fewer people here, most of them seemed to gather together in the main room. It made getting around them easier. But her feet felt like they were going to fall off and her hands were so numb she couldn’t feel her fingers, so she had to get out of the water.

Placing her hands on the floor, she glanced around to make sure no one else was here before sliding out of the water. Shivers wracked her body.

Get warm first, then she could keep searching. But she needed to get out of these clothes and into something far more manageable if she was going to do quite literally anything here.

Shivering with her arms wrapped around herself, she opened the first door she could find. There were countless people in there, all of them ripping apart toys. Some of them were on their hands and knees, knives poised at the throats of stuffed animals and blades digging into the soft bellies.

The next room was empty of anything useful. There were no people, but it seemed to be a room filled with the remains of old rocking chairs. The eerie stillness sent her rushing away.

It was hard to find a room where she could be alone, but eventually she managed. There was a single door that almost felt like it was locked until she pushed her way into it. Someone had placed a wall of giant bean filled bags in front of it. But as she stumbled inside, she could see it was actually a bedroom.

A bed in the corner was cozy, and the windows didn’t have all the coverings like the rest of this place. Instead, it was cozy and warm, with a fire crackling in the center and light filtering into the shadows.

A blanket in the back caught her attention, along with what looked like a pile of used clothes. That was good enough for her. Ace descended upon the clothes, stripping out of the sopping wet fabric that clung to her and putting on a black shirt that had seen better days and pants that were nearly serviceable. Tossing the blanket over her shoulders, she took a deep breath and tried to get her bearings.

“Oh,” a voice said, interrupting her quiet solitude. “I didn’t think to see a young lady in here.”

She turned to see the same old man who had been in the security system hologram. Although now he was even older. The gray on his hair had turned snow white, the wrinkles on his face were even deeper. But the smile on his face was tender as he looked her over.

“Don’t worry,” he added. “You’re safe here with me.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“I wish I could convince you, but...” He opened his hands. “I am just an old man. And I have lived here before all this became... all this.”

Frowning, she looked him over before sitting down on one of the many bean filled chairs. “Prove it to me.”

“Are you really in the place to be saying that?”

She grabbed her wet pants and pulled out the scalpel, along with Tera. The droid zipped throughout the room, moving until it was behind the man. It tapped against his heels, and he involuntarily took a step toward Ace.

He chuckled, as though none of this was scary to him in the slightest. “All right, I take the hint. I’ll prove it to you.”

CHAPTER 27

Maketes did not find it natural to trust any achromo. They all made decisions for their own betterment, not because they thought it was the right choice. He’d seen them choose themselves over and over again. Even when it came to their own families. Their friends. All the people who should have mattered.

But this man? He wasn’t sure how he felt about this man.

He watched through the window as the old achromo settled himself down on the strange circular chair across from Ace. There was a calmness to the achromo that belayed a strength beyond the madness in this tower.

Maketes wasn’t certain if that was good or bad. He’d seen strength like this in warriors his entire life. Males and females who knew the value of hard labor, but who were capable of so much more than just using their bodies like a weapon. This was a man who was used to using his mind as well as his strength.

Laying his tail down on the rubble of what might have once been a bridge between towers, he watched the two of them speak. At least for a while. Then curiosity got the better of him and he moved ever closer. They weren’t looking at the windows,anyway. They had leaned into each other, listening intently as the other achromo spoke.

What were they speaking of? Ace seemed to be controlling the conversation, for which he was grateful, but he wondered just how much this man would convince her to do.

Finally, he was close enough to hear them. If either of them looked up, they would see him looming outside of the window.

“And that is how I came to be here,” the old man said. “Many of these cities have secrets that none of us could have guessed. And all of those secrets, just knowing even one, is enough to get you killed.”

“So you’re hiding?”

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