D. MacHale - The Soldiers of Halla

My hopes were raised even higher. Was it possible? Could the gars have really found a way to defend themselves?

“Is anybody hurt?” Courtney asked. “Can you walk?” A quick look around told her that we were all good to go. “Then let’s get to Black Water.”

We left the wreckage of the gig and began the long walk to the waterfall that shielded the tunnel through the mountains that led to Black Water. The home of the gars. And I hoped, the home of the exiles from Second Earth.

Courtney and I walked first, followed closely by Kasha and Boon. I noticed that the rest of the gars hovered closely around the klees. In spite of what Courtney had said, they weren’t trusted.

The trip was a familiar one. We hiked through the dense forest and up to the series of majestic waterfalls. A short walk through shallow runoff led us to the waterfall that protected the entrance to the tunnel.

The whole way I filled Courtney in on what had happened since we had been with each other on the floating docks near her parents’ sailboat on Second Earth. When I was with Mark, I held back explaining about the whole Solara-spirit thing. We had been on the run, and I was afraid that laying all of that on him would only confuse issues. But now, here, when we were so close to finding the exiles, I felt as if Courtney should know. So I told her everything. I told her about Solara and finding my family. I explained how the flumes were destroyed, but that it didn’t matter anymore. At least not to the Travelers. I laid out the most important aspect of all, which was how the spirit of mankind helps guide Halla and gives the Travelers their abilities. Courtney listened without saying a word. She kept her eyes on the ground, taking it all in. I had no way of knowing if she accepted and believed it all, or if she would turn to me with her typical sarcasm and say, “Okay, yeah, funny. Now what really happened?”

Kasha and Boon walked behind us. Of course, Kasha knew it all already, but Boon didn’t. Every so often I heard him gasp. Boon was a trusting klee. I knew he believed. The question was, did Courtney?

We all rounded the waterfall and entered the dark cave tunnel through the mountain. I continued my story as we made our way along the rocky path that I hoped would bring us to the end of our journey, and the prize we had been seeking for so long. I didn’t even want to think ahead to what we would do once we got there. I just wanted the truth. I wanted to see the exiles. By the time I saw the spec of light ahead that marked the end of the tunnel and the entrance to Black Water, I had told Courtney everything. Whether she accepted it or not was another matter. We had nearly reached the end when I stopped, and stopped Courtney.

“That’s it,” I said. “I know it’s incredible, but it’s the truth. The exiles are now the last remaining source of positive spirit that is keeping Solara alive. At least, the Solara that has been guiding existence for so long. If anything happens to the exiles, the Travelers will be done, Solara will be done, and the split that Saint Dane has created will be complete. The dark spirit of Solara will control Halla. So you can see why we’re a little bit anxious about knowing whether or not the exiles are here.”

Courtney nodded thoughtfully and said, “You probably think I’m having trouble accepting all this.”

“Well, yeah. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you hear about every day.”

She chuckled. “No, it isn’t. But the thing is, I already knew. At least, I knew some of it.”

I glanced to Kasha. She looked just as stunned as I felt.

“Wh-how?” I asked.

Courtney smiled and motioned for us to follow her to the end of the tunnel.

Kasha whispered, “I wish she would just tell us what she knows and eliminate the dramatics.”

“Yeah, well, that’s Courtney.”

We walked to the end of the tunnel and looked out onto the valley surrounded by mountains that was home to the gar colony of Black Water. Much of what I saw was the exact same. It was a pretty valley with a waterfall on the far end that fed a narrow river that wound its way through the farmland and eventually through the town itself. The buildings were wooden, like log cabins. They were built as concentric rings that grew larger as they moved away from the hub. I had seen all this before.

What I hadn’t seen was that the village had grown much larger than when I had been there before. There were many more rings. If I were to guess, I’d say that the number of buildings had tripled. And grown in size. From the high perch we were on, I could see that the streets were full of people. More people than I remembered. Lots more.

Even from our faraway vantage point, I could tell many of them weren’t gars. At least, they were much taller than the average gar.

My heart leaped.

Courtney could tell. “They’re here, Bobby,” she said with a smile. “All of them. More than all, actually. It’s been a couple of years, you know. Some babies were born.”

I grabbed Courtney and held her again. My relief was complete. I flashed back to that horrible moment when the giant flume was created in Yankee Stadium that sucked thousands of innocent, terrified people into the void. It was known as the Bronx Massacre, and at the time I had no reason to doubt that I was watching a mass execution. But that wasn’t the case. They were here. Alive. Healthy. And safe. Sort of. For a fleeting moment I felt as if we had completed our mission. We had found the exiles. Truth was, our mission was only beginning. But at that very moment, all I felt was joy. They were here. They were alive. We were looking down on the people whose spirit was keeping Halla alive. It was a staggering thought. We were still here, Halla still had hope, because of them. Or more to the point, because of the powerful spirit they possessed. The spirit to survive and to thrive. These were the people who were keeping us in the battle to defeat Saint Dane. I didn’t know a single one of them, but I loved them all.

I even thought I saw a tear in Kasha’s eye, and that’s saying something. “They do not know how precious they are,” she said, once again reading my mind.

“No, they don’t,” Courtney agreed.

“So then, how do you know?” I asked. “I mean, about Solara and the spirit and all?”

Courtney shrugged. “I didn’t believe it at first. I didn’t understand. But everything you told me confirms it. So I guess it’s true. Wow.”

She started walking down the slope toward the village.

“But how did you hear about it?” I called to her.

“From Nevva Winter,” she said, and continued walking.

Now I was the one who needed answers.

I ran after Courtney. Boon and Kasha were right behind me, with the other gars keeping pace.

“Nevva told you about Solara?” I asked, incredulous. “How? When?”

“Wait until we get to my house,” she cautioned. “I have a lot to tell you.”

She had that right. I couldn’t imagine any situation, or possibility, or opportunity, or reason that could have explained how Nevva Winter told Courtney about Solara. That was impossible. Yet Courtney knew, and she wasn’t one to make something like that up. She may have grown up a little, but she was still Courtney. I had all that I could do to stay calm and wait until we had the chance to talk.

We descended along the slope that led down to the village. It was a route I had taken before and was familiar with, only this time we reached the first ring of structures much sooner. As I said, the size of the village had tripled to accommodate the exiles. The first ring of houses weren’t houses at all. They were larger than the other log-cabin homes and had no personal touches of any kind.