Chapter 19

  They drove for hours until well after dark.

  The bus finally left the interstate, heading along a dirt road, hanging well behind the bus. Winnie didn’t think her spell would hide their headlights and Danny needed to see the twisting mountain road. The tracker was working though and they saw the bus clearly on the map on the interior of the windshield.

  She looked behind her. Both Cait and Cricket were stretched out asleep in the bench seats. She wasn’t sure how either of them could sleep. Cait once told her that in the Army, you learned to sleep whenever possible — you never knew when the next opportunity might arise. She didn’t know what Cricket’s excuse was, but it might be a man thing. Danny could definitely fall asleep nearly anywhere.

  “Winnie, they’ve stopped.”

  She looked at the tracker map. The red dot had stopped moving.

  Danny slowed the van and found a place to pull over so he didn’t catch up to them. “We need to get off this road. Those buses will have to come back this way at some point. They’re bound to see our lights unless we find some cover.”

  Winnie looked at the overlay. It showed a few lines on the map that could be other paths off this main road, but their van wasn’t meant for off-road. They had to be careful. She pointed to a short offshoot just ahead, between them and the flashing red dot.

  “Drive up a little farther, Danny. Let’s see if we can pull off there.”

  Danny nodded then slowly pulled forward.

  They reached the spot on the map and found a small dirt track off the main road, barely wide enough for their van between the thick brown brush on either side.

  Danny carefully turned off the main dirt road onto the narrow path and drove until they could no longer see the road behind them.

  He killed the van’s lights, then the engine. “Now what?”

  “Now we wait for the buses to drive back out,” Winnie said. “Once they’re past, we can move up and see how close we can get to the camp. It’s only a few miles ahead.”

  Danny yawned and looked back at Cait and Cricket.

  “If you want to get some sleep, go ahead,” Winnie said. “You’ve been driving a long time. I’m wide awake and I can take the first watch. I’ll wake Cait up if I get tired. Go to sleep.”

  “I think I will.” Danny took her hand. “Don’t worry, Win. We’ll find your mom. I promise.”

  She smiled and squeezed his hand.

  Danny reclined the driver’s seat.

  Winnie watched the darkness, her eyes on the faintly glowing overlay, waiting for any change. Their plan had gone well so far, especially considering how quickly they had pulled it all together. The team usually had a few days or weeks to plan their operations. Still, their fluid operation paid off when it counted. Winnie hoped it would still work that way going forward. They’d need all the luck they could get. In her mind, preparation and teamwork helped you make your own.

  Winnie settled back, listening to the soft snoring as it filled the cabin, watching and waiting.

  Soon, she felt certain, everything would change.

  The sun was just starting to rise when the red dot finally moved.

  Winnie watched it go back the way it came, past them back toward the interstate.

  “Rise and shine, people,” she loudly announced. “It’s time for work.”

  Cait popped up, scanning her surroundings for threats before looking at Winnie with a smile. The men were slower, slowly gathering their bearings as they woke.

  Winnie waited while everyone stretched. She was tired but energized. She wanted to find out what lay ahead so they could figure out a way to free her mother. She also wanted to figure out what Kane was up to.

  It was impossible to believe that these camps were designed to keep chanters safe and their magic away from cities and middlings. He was up to something. She refused to believe that he’d surrendered his quest to hoard all of the world’s remaining magic for himself.

  Cricket and Danny climbed out of the van and went into the surrounding brush to relieve themselves. Cait leaned forward and looked at the overlay and saw the red dot headed back to the interstate.

  “What now, Win?”

  “I’m thinking we could use some of the surveillance gear in that military supply cache we grabbed from the safe house,” Winnie replied. “It’s all magic-enhanced. Between you, Cricket, and I, we should be able to get it working. See what’s happening inside that camp.”

  “I never thought I’d use all that training again after leaving the service.” Cait shrugged. “Who knew the world was going to turn upside down like this?”

  “Not me. But at least we landed on our feet. I could never have done any of this without you and Tris.”

  “I wish she was with us,” Cait said.

  “Me, too. At least we know she’s safe in Baltimore. We’ll figure out how to free her from wherever they’re keeping the techs once we’re back.”

  Danny and Cricket returned.

  Winnie and Cait took their turns in the brush before returning to the van.

  “Here’s the plan moving forward,” Winnie said, taking charge. “We’re going to drive forward and see what we can of the camp from the road. Then we’ll find a spot out of sight, closer to the camp. We’ll use some of the extra surveillance gear from the safe house to figure out what we’re facing.”

  “Will we try and force a breakout?” Cricket asked.

  “Only if some unusual opportunity presents itself. I think this will require a lot more planning than what we’ll be able to do with our limited resources, so I doubt it. First, we find my mother. Then we’ll figure out what Kane is planning for the people in the camp. He’s up to something. There might be another Harvester machine, or something like it. Finally, we’ll look for a way we could break everyone out. But it all depends on what we find out while here.”

  Winnie looked at each of her companions in turn, meeting their eyes to make sure that they all understood. Each gave a small nod in affirmation.

  “Let’s get moving,” she said.

  Danny got behind the wheel with Winnie riding shotgun. Cricket got in the bench right behind them while Cait stayed in back, opening military cases and sifting through their contents.

  Danny carefully backed the van to the main road and Winnie disabled the overlay.

  It didn’t take long to find the camp. There was a massive radio tower rising over the hills ahead. It looked like a larger version of the ones around Baltimore that carried cell signals. An array of parabolic dishes and antennas were fixed to the tower’s top and sides. Some were pointed down towards the camp, and others up at the skyline.

  Then, rounding the road’s final bend leading into the valley, the crew glimpsed what they would be facing. Danny pulled over.

  There was a perimeter fence around the entire camp, all topped with rolling coils of barbed wire. The valley floor was packed with buildings, divided into sections with wire fencing between each. A main road turned off the dirt track, leading to a main gate next to outbuildings that must have been barracks and offices for guards and staff.

  “It’s huge,” Cait observed, staring out at the sprawling camp laid out on the valley floor. “There’s more than just the people from Baltimore here. This camp is big enough to hold all the chanters from every eastern city.”

  “This will be more challenging than I thought,” Winnie said. “Look how the camp is split into sections. I’m guessing there are different areas for chanters from various cities.”

  “If that’s the case,” Cricket said. “It will make it easier once we figure out which section is from the Baltimore Enclave.”

  Winnie looked around and saw a level spot off the road where they might be able to park the van and still stay close to the hilltops surrounding the camp. That would allow them to deploy their surveillance equipment.

  She pointed for Danny. “Back down the hill a bit, see if you can turn off the road and drive over to that flat spot behind the hill.”

  “I think I can make it. I don’t want to get the van stuck. It’s not like we can call a tow truck way out here.”

  Danny reversed about a hundred yards down the hill, then drove off the dirt road onto the hard ground, navigating the van around some brush and scrub trees. “I think this will work unless it rains and turns all this dirt into mud. Then all bets are off.”

  “It’ll do,” Winnie agreed. “We’ll worry about rain later. For now, let’s help Cait set everything up so she can start searching the camp.”

  Danny parked so that the sliding door faced away from the road, shielding them from any middling eyes. Cait was already out and setting things up with Cricket’s help. One case had legs that extended from the base to make a table with a control surface when opened. Inside was a smaller box, filled with tiny drones shaped like insects. Some had wings and others multiple legs. Each could be controlled from the control surface.

  Cricket opened another box with two pairs of large binoculars that could be mounted on small tripods and used to observe the camp from a distance. He handed these to Winnie and Danny.

  “You two can probably set up over there on the top of that ridge.” Cricket pointed up the hill. “You should be able to see the whole camp. Cait and I will stay here and prepare the drones. I’ll join you once she’s up and running.”

  Winnie took one of the heavy binoculars with the attached tripod and handed the other to Danny. Then they walked the hill together, until they reached the top of the ridge line.

  Cricket was right. It was an excellent vantage from which to monitor the camp below. She crawled the rest of the way so she wouldn’t be silhouetted against the sky and be seen from below. Lying in the dirt atop the ridge, Winnie set up the tripod and peered through to focus on the camp below.

  It was time to find her mother.

  Chapter 20

  Winnie looked away from the binoculars and rubbed her eyes.

  She and Danny had been scanning the camp and its occupants for nearly two hours. So far, neither had so much as glimpsed Winnie’s mother. There were thousands of chanters; they’d never find her mom.

  The different sections appeared to be separated by city, with Baltimore chanters all in one area and chanters from other cities spread out in the adjacent sections. Each area was separated by a tall barbed wire fence. There was also a smaller section in the camp’s center, around the strange tower. Occasionally, Winnie would see a Red Leg guard pull someone from one section or another then march them to the central area. Some would leave and return to their original areas. Others were kept in the central section.

  There must be a good reason for separating some chanters from others but Winnie couldn’t focus on what that might be. Not without finding her mother first.

  She brought the binoculars back to her eyes.

  This time she saw two children, a boy and a girl, standing alone, looking back her way. She’d seen them before. They were about eight or nine, judging by their size. For some reason, they always stopped what they were doing and looked right toward her whenever she spied them. It was as if they could see her watching — odd considering how far and hidden she was.

  It had to be her imagination.

  People continued to come and go from the building nearest the entrance. Winnie assumed it was some sort of cafeteria or meeting place — people always came from the barracks building to this one, then later returned to the outer buildings with a sandwich or drink. This was why Winnie and Danny had settled on watching these primary buildings, figuring that every resident had to pass through those doors at some point.

  Winnie was watching what they’d named Section One, while Danny kept his eyes on Section Two. There were three other large sections in camp, in addition to the smaller central area surrounding the tower.

  They were looking for any recognizable face in the crowd. That would help them determine which one was the Baltimore camp. Once they knew that, they could use the search drones to find Elaine. Cait had charmed each drone with a scent spell that could find anyone who “smelled” like Winnie in close proximity. It was taking a while, because she had to charm each drone separately. She also needed a small drop of Winnie’s blood to use as a scent sample. It wasn’t particularly painful, only annoying when Cait would bring a drone to Winnie and hold out her hand to take a drop. It was only a pinprick, but twenty grew tiresome fast.

  Cait tapped her on the shoulder again. Winnie held out her hand without taking her eyes from the binoculars. She felt the prick and tried not to wince.

  “That’s the last one, Winnie,” Cait said. “Any more luck on finding out which camp section your mom is in?”

  “No.” Winnie shook her head. “We’re just trying to find someone we recognize. Other than the two creepy kids I keep seeing, no one stands out.”

  “What creepy kids?” Cait asked.

  “They’re in the middle of Section One. I swear they can tell I’m watching them. They look up from whatever they’re doing and stare. Like I said. Creepy.”

  “What if they have some sort of clairvoyant ability?” Cait asked. “It’s rare, but not unheard of. Maybe they’re tuning into you.”

  Winnie looked away from her binoculars and glanced at Cait.

  “That makes sense. I’ve been spending so much time looking for my mom, I didn’t think about what might be making them look this way.”

  “I think I found the Baltimore chanters.” Danny turned to Winnie. “Check out Section Two. I think I saw two people who own shops near your mom’s apartment. I remember buying stuff from them when we first started dating. You see anyone else familiar over there?”

  Winnie turned toward Section Two, adjusting the focus knob and watching the faces going in and out of the central building. It only took a few moments before she recognized Mrs. Stone from the building next door. She followed her and identified several other faces. She looked away and smiled.

  “That’s it. Section Two is housing the Baltimore chanters. Send in your little bugs, Cait. Let’s see if all that blood I gave will help your drones find my mother.”

  “It will take a while to deploy them all,” Cait said. “They’re small, and even the flyers won’t get there fast.”

  Danny scratched his head. “I still don’t get how these bugs will fool anyone. They look mechanical to me.”

  “That’s because I haven’t activated them yet. The military came up with a special charm, transforming them into the size and shape of regional insects. They’ll scan the local fauna until they find a bug, then they’ll replicate it with a sort of visual overlay that hides their true form. It’s complex stuff. Too technical for me, though Winnie might be able to figure it out. I added the scent charm, but that’s about the limit of what I can do.”

  Danny shook his head. Cait laughed.

  “Just watch when I deploy them. It will hover for a bit until it reconfigures itself. You should be able to see the overlay as it happens. Then you’ll understand.”

  “If you say so,” Danny replied.

  Cait held one of the small, multi-legged drones on the palm of one hand. It looked like a short, stubby pen with six spindly legs. She reached over to the control table and pressed a button. The drone turned slowly in place about ten seconds, then shimmered in the air, looking like heat waves wafting off scorching pavement.

  Danny blinked. One moment there was a mechanical drone then the next he was looking at a small brown beetle on Cait’s palm. She lowered it to the ground and it scuttled over the ridge towards the camp.

  “One down, nineteen to go,” Cait said.

  Danny laughed. “Well, that was impressive.”

  “Wait until we have the camera feeds up on the monitor,” Cricket said. “We’ll be able to see and hear whatever we want.”

  “That’s exactly what we need,” Winnie added. “We can find my mom and figure out what’s going on down in that central area around the tower.”

  “I can tell the drones to go wherever you want, Win. Just say the word. I can send two drones to search that area if you want. The feeds are recorded independently, and the control kit has a separate monitor available to view two distinct sets of feeds.”

  “Sounds good. Cricket, you take the central area and see if you can figure out what’s happening there while Cait, Danny, and I concentrate on Section Two where we think my mother might be.”

  “Got it, boss.” Cricket went to the crate and started setting up the auxiliary monitor.

  “Danny, I’m going to keep watching the camp. Something about those two kids is nagging at me. You help Cait, use the drones to find my mom. Then tag a drone to follow her so we don’t lose track.”

  He nodded then descended the slope to where Cait was setting up some other crates as seats. She was deploying the sixth drone. It hovered over her hand for a moment before changing into a tiny moth and flying north towards the camp.

  Winnie returned to her binoculars, looking for the children.

  She wasn’t sure which city they were from, but something about them was calling out to her. She found them playing with rocks in the dirt, right in front of Section One’s central cafeteria.

  They both looked up. On a whim, Winnie waved, even though there was no way they could possibly see her.

  To her amazement, they both waved back.

  And the children were smiling.

  They could see her.

  But how?

  She closed her eyes, shifting her vision to the magical spectrum.

  She opened them, looking back through the binoculars, and saw the familiar wisps. There were a few chanters casting simple charms. But the children were another matter. They had created a series of weaves around them, complex as any she’d ever seen, inverted to hide them.

  That’s why she was tuned to these children.

  They were like her.

  They could conduct the magical flows in the same complex ways as Winnie. They’d even learned how to hide what they could do from normal chanters by inverting the flows, making them invisible to usual means of detection.