Chapter Sixteen
“This world is as large as you make it. Move, adapt, conquer. When push comes to shove, the horizon is just another line. So long as you’re the toughest motherfucker around, you can cross as many as you want.”
–Hades, “Some Philosophical Shit”. 4 Years After.
* * *
El Dorado: The City of Gold.
The name sure did its job. Even though the Hollowing removed all direct memories from a rezzer’s past life, legends and fables still had a habit of bleeding their way through. Everyone who heard about El Dorado wanted to go there and would be willing to brave thousands of miles through the untamed Mexican countryside to see it. Where Pandemonium was known for its liberated chaos, their sister city became a beacon of prosperity for all who might survive the trip.
They’d picked the spot well too. Emerald hills rose around a valley that could’ve been carved from jade. A calm wind flowed from the mountains, tasting of a tropical freshness that could be found nowhere else. Even the sun seemed to shine brighter here, casting the plaster walls of the outpost in a vibrant yellow and orange that could be mistaken for gold at a distance, a stark contrast to the ruined expanse of the city that lay just north.
But then they’d hit that final stretch where it’d disappear below the lip of the terrain, only to appear the moment they cleared the highway. And up close, the cracks in the walls became apparent, along with the peeling paint. Vines choked out many of the buildings along the outer edge of town, and there were plenty of structures that had collapsed altogether. Hell, most of it remained unclaimed, and one could travel for several blocks in what would appear to be just another dilapidated town before ever hitting the sheet metal gates affixed into roads that were barely wide enough to support a single truck. There, a lone sentry would keep watch atop one of their crudely erected wooden towers and hail anyone who found this place using their local people’s language.
In Leah’s case, the gates were opened the moment her convoy entered the valley. Her translator, Luciá, had hailed them via radio, and it wasn’t like anyone else would be waltzing through their little valley today. Not inside armored transports with Brownings and SAWs, anyway.
Leah rubbed her eyes as they entered the outpost, into the more active city center. Freshly painted signs pocketed the shops along the road, though Leah couldn’t read them, given that they were written in Spanish. Music played through speakers whenever they passed some of the nicer restaurants, and advertisements played on a loop wherever merchants could mount them. Dozens of folks walked about the cleaner, cobblestone streets, clearing the way as the trucks rolled through.
“It always been this empty, Luciá?” Leah asked, glancing back and forth. She could’ve sworn there used to be hundreds walking about this time of day.
Her translator brushed a lock of silky brown hair from her reddened eyes. “Last I was here, Santiago was thinking of expanding the boundary north another block closer to the Tepozteco –the Aztec temple that overlooks El Dorado.”
“So? It isn’t like you have problems with hollows down here.”
Luciá smiled meekly. “We do have difficulty with each expansion, though. The walls need to be repaired, the buildings reinforced, the roads paved… Most of the city will come together to ensure it remains safe.” She chuckled. “There’s no Charon here to control the border, so the people must do it themselves.”
Leah tapped her fingers along the window. “Fair enough.”
In truth, it had been ages since she had visited Pandemonium’s sister city herself. Unlike the other outposts, El Dorado had been spared from the brunt of turmoil when Hades met his demise. After all, they were the most self-sufficient, with their own bands of Hunters, centralized government, and working economy to match. They even had outposts of their own scattered around their sphere of influence to pull in resources they lacked.
She’d thought they might have been a pain to get back into the fold, but they accepted her authority without complaint when the time did come. Leah supposed it made sense as she once again took in this settlement. El Dorado stood as a perfect example of the type of society that rezzers could form when they worked together, but it was still a far cry from Pandemonium. With only one-tenth the population and infrastructure to match, they could never quite get tech more advanced than steam power without tapping into the greater network of their allies up north. The food, clothes, and homes might have been their own, but those solar panels had been imported, along with the electronic screens. Were it not for Pandemonium, El Dorado would slowly wither away and die like any other Enclave.
That much kept them in line.
Her convoy reached the main government complex. Far from the splendor of Elysium, the few who oversaw El Dorado’s needs had nestled themselves inside a single block, with a small stone wall surrounding the area. A group of officials waited for Leah along the entrance as they rolled up to an iron-wrought gate that couldn’t even fit a bike. Parking always was a bitch around these parts.
“Hola, amigos!” Luciá waved as she stepped out of the truck, with Leah and her guards following behind.
Even after so much time, Leah still recognized the main player at once.
Santiago was irreplaceable among his retinue, with his bleached white mustache and tanned, wrinkled skin. His red eyes stared out beneath bushy, grey eyebrows, examining the convoy in front. An old man when he’d hollowed, Santiago had risen from a mere merchant to the leader of El Dorado after Hades ousted his predecessor for disloyalty many years back. He seemed to have gotten sick of the sombrero and swapped his colorful poncho for a plain white dress shirt and trousers, but she’d dealt with him enough to not get thrown off.
There were others around too, though Leah couldn’t quite place names to faces. She only saw these people occasionally, and most of them were as forgettable as the rest. Even now, they simply averted their gaze and hid behind Santiago, lest they somehow incur her wrath.
One guy did meet Leah head-on. He rose in Santiago’s shadow, his sallow cheeks and clothes unadorned, but he still stared her in the eyes without the slightest hint of fear. Part of her wondered if they’d met before, but she wasn’t about to dwell too hard. Not when there were more pressing issues at hand.
After exchanging pleasantries with Luciá in their native tongue, Santiago stared over the rest of the group, his sight passing by without thought. “So when will Leah arrive, my friends?”
She stepped forth with a sigh. “I’m right here, Santiago.”
His eyes fell on her and widened. He lunged down before making contact. “My apologies, my Lady. It has been too long, and you are…” he paused.
“Shorter than you remember and without the hat?”
He chuckled nervously. “Sí, señora.”
She waved a hand. “Don’t worry, I’m used to it after this long of a hiatus.” Everyone knew Leah’s name at this point, but the Hollowing would pervert their image of her if she left them alone too long. Many had developed this idea that she was a nine-foot-tall, pale-faced goliath, usually with a colossal brimmed hat. She figured the exaggerated height was born from people looking up to her as they bowed down, but she’d never understand where the hat came from.
“Where’s Flamingo?” she asked. “I’ll need to speak with him too.”
Santiago kept his head low. “I am sure he is around somewhere.”
“Then go find him.”
“Sí, I will send for him right now.” He uttered some commands to one of his men, who scurried off. “Perhaps we could start this meeting without him. I am sure you have had a long drive.”
Leah shrugged. “Sure. Lead the away.”
“Follow me, my Lady.”
Only then did Santiago stare her in the eyes, albeit briefly, before turning away. Leah blinked back, a chill suddenly in her spine. What the hell was that? There was something off about the look in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place. Something wrong.
But as quickly as the feeling came, it disappeared, leaving nothing but an old man with a thick, white mustache. Leah rubbed her brow and kept walking. It had been a long drive.
Unlike the rest of the outpost, the inner courtyard looked more extravagant than ever. El Dorado based its government inside an old world parish, and it seemed that Santiago had been pulling the breaks to get some much-needed renovations back into place. Cracked tiles and bricks had been replaced, the grass was freshly mowed, and the trees swayed comfortably in the wind, their branches well-trimmed. Even the stone cross in the middle had been built back up, casting a long shadow over the rest of the yard. A few workers clung around the edges, but they scurried away at the sight of Leah and her entourage.
Not even going to stand and stare, huh? Once again, Leah thought of probing further. She’d gotten used to her people getting nervous around her, but this was some next-level avoidance. Did they think she’d come down here to collect all their scalps?
She opened her mouth to speak.
“Ah, señora Leah,” another interrupted. “It is true, you have come visit us, after all.”
Just at the edge of sight, Flamingo leaned against a pillar. As the best Hunter in this part of the world, he was easy to remember. The light showed off the golden trim of his otherwise black velour jacket that hung past his knees. His black top hat was distinctive enough, but it was the mask in the shape of a skull that identified him most, decorated in a mosaic of colorful flowers and vines that sprouted over an otherwise pink shell. All the Hunters in El Dorado donned masks similar to this, a style they had cultivated over the years, though most stuck to a classical bone-white.
Flamingo tilted his head their way, the skeletal teeth of his mask curling into a smile.
“There you are, Flamingo,” Leah said. “And here I thought you were hiding too.”
He shook his head. “I did not know you were arrive today.”
She turned around. “Luciá, I thought I told you to give them my exact orders the moment we entered radio range.”
Her translator cringed. “I did as you say, my Lady!”
Santiago stepped between, waving his hands with a laugh. “The fault is mine, señora. My amigo was to dispatch some hollows before your arrival.”
Flamingo retorted something back in his accented English, but it was too marred to follow. Santiago grinned and replied in Spanish. The conversation shifted from there, with Flamingo keeping his arms crossed as he leaned against the pillar while Santiago’s voice grew louder and faster.
“What the hell are they saying?” Leah asked.
“It seems there was a miscommunication,” Luciá explained. “Flamingo claims that he’s heard nothing of you or hollows, but Santiago insists that he ordered him directly. Flamingo believes that… Well, let’s just say that he is not saying nice things about Santiago right now.”
Leah watched the soap opera build a few more seconds before clapping her hands. “Enough!”
The two hushed at once.
“Look, let’s make this as easy as possible. Flamingo, if hollows are nearby, then you should get them cleared out, nice and quick. I’ll even lend you one of my trucks if needed. However, you will get it done before nightfall, and you will have all your Hunters assembled by then. I have a job for you that will take everything you’ve got, and I don’t want to drag this out. Understood?”
He nodded. “I do as you ask.”
“Good.” She turned over. “And you, Santiago… Get your shit together. No, I’m not Hades. I won’t cut off your hand and make you eat it because you flubbed an order, but I’ve got too much going on back home to waste time on your incompetence. Either get your people on the same page, or I’ll find someone else who will. Got it?”
He stumbled back a step. “There will be no more mistakes, I promise.”
They again made for the door, but Flamingo called out one last time. “We will speak more when I return, yes?”
Leah glanced back. “Just make sure you have your men assembled. And I mean all of them.”
“It will be done.”
They entered the complex, and Leah once again found herself perplexed. The ornate walls had been stripped bare, with all the Aztec statues and gilded chandeliers removed, and the bright paint of the walls washed away. Leah had only the vaguest memory of what this place used to look like before Santiago and the others had transformed it into their own design, but it seemed that they had gone to lengths to restore it to its original appearance. Frescoes of nuns and priests clung stubbornly to the walls, an homage to this place’s old world roots. Just about every corner of the parish had a cross hanging up, wooden and plain like the rest of the city was proving to be.
It was the fucking quiet that really threw her off though. No music over the speakers, no fiesta in the yard, no one laughing or partying or having the slightest bit of fun. Nothing but the sound of their feet echoing off the stone floors.
Even Santiago’s office had been stripped down to the bare minimum. Only a single wooden desk sat by the window, with another of those crosses hanging above. Gone were the elegant paintings and posters. Just how much had things changed down here? It was almost like some of them had picked up this Beholder shit themselves…
Couldn’t be, Leah reminded herself with a shake of her head.
This would have to be delicate. Leah was about to dump a lot onto her host’s plate, and the best way to keep Santiago compliant would be to maintain some iota of respect for his position.
“I think we’ve got it from here,” Leah said, waving the others off. “You too, Luciá. I’ll knock if I need you.”
She bowed down and made for the door, followed by her guards and the rest of El Dorado officials, leaving them alone.
Save for that one guy with the sallow cheeks. He just stood and watched, still meeting her in the eyes with that fearless gaze.
Leah tilted her head. “You deaf? I said everyone else leaves.”
He did not move.
Santiago grinned wide. “Ah, this is Hermano Mateo. You do not need to worry about him. He is new but has been doing much for us.”
“Don’t care. What we have to talk about is between me and you and no one else right now.”
“It is fine, I promise. Hermano Mateo has been a special friend to me and has brought peace and prosperity to El Dorado. Anything you say to me can be said to him.”
She stared dully. “Let me ask you this: is ‘Hermano Mateo’ in charge, or you?”
Santiago stumbled over his words a moment before swallowing them and trying again. “Me, my Lady.”
“Cool. Then you’ll have no problem ordering your underling so I don’t have to. Now tell your friend to kindly fuck off, or I will reconsider my no-cutting-off-limbs policy of today.”
There it was again. A flicker of something deeper forming beneath Santiago’s eyes. It disappeared before she could place it, but it was definitely there. That same sense of wrongness she’d felt at first.
But he quickly buried it below another wide smile and uttered some more orders in Spanish. Mateo spoke back, and from the tone of voice, he didn’t seem all too deterred by whatever he had to say, but Santiago kept going for another few sentences before he finally complied, slowly walking for the door while keeping his eyes locked with hers. Leah really didn’t like the way this guy was looking at her.
You’ve left these people alone too long, she realized. It was time to bring this up a notch and put on her Hades hat again. As Santiago moved for his desk, Leah stepped in between, dragged the chair out an extra foot, and sat down herself. Her host watched powerlessly as she fished into her jacket, pulled out her bottle of blood, and leaned back, letting her black combat boots rest on his desk without care.
She held the bottle up. “You going to get me something to pour this in, or what?”
He rifled through the desk in silence, made more awkward because he had to reach around Leah while she sat and waited without lifting a finger herself. In the end, Santiago was forced to sit on the guest side of his own office.
That would do for now. A lesser display of supremacy never hurt anyone.
Leah swirled her glass of blood and quickly dribbled it beneath her scarf. “Want some?”
He held up a hand. “No, thank you.”
“Come on, Santiago. Just a taste. Trust me, it’s good.”
He licked his lips in anticipation, but still, he shook his head. “Save it for yourself, señora.”
She sighed. “If you insist. Gotta say though, this is much better than I was expecting. You see, I got this bottle as a gift from a guy in Asphodel after I helped his shop out. It’s just goat’s blood mixed with vodka and some spices thrown in to bring out the umami, but the real kicker is that he insisted that I wouldn’t need to refrigerate it. Something about a vacuum sealer supposedly keeps it from going bad until the cork is popped. I’ve had this bottle sitting around for about a week now, and it still tastes like it got ripped straight from the veins. Not too shabby.”
She took another sip. “See, that’s how it’s been since I took control. We’re all one big happy family now. If someone has a problem, I help them out. If I have a problem, they help me out. Seems like a fair system, right?”
“You have done great work not just for Pandemonium, but El Dorado too,” Santiago pointed out. “We have all prospered under your rule, and I would like to think I have done my part.”
“Oh, you most certainly have, Santiago. Even going back to the Hades days, we’ve always had such a great relationship. Whenever our Hunters find a Spanish-speaking rezzer, we ship them down south so you have another worker to help with your needs, and all we’ve ever asked in return is a small tithe of the food and supplies you gain. You have always hit your goals, every single month, like clockwork. Let’s be real. I haven’t come down here in so long because there’s been no need. You’re doing such a great job.”
“Thank you.”
She leaned forward. “Luckily, we’re still one big happy family, in spite of the time or distance, right? Just like my friend in Asphodel, I’ve got your back, and you’ll have mine, won’t you?”
He winked. “Whatever you need, my Lady, I will do what I can to comply.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard about what’s been happening up north.”
“This… Enclave that has shown up on your borders?”
Leah nodded. “The Beholders. Just like that, I’ve got thousands of nutjobs pressing against the Styx.”
He shrugged. “We have all been suffering with labor lately. These Beholders are perhaps a gift for us all? Sinclair seems to believe so when last we speak.”
She stroked her chin. “Mmmm… Some, perhaps. But not all. That’s the problem with Enclaves. They aren’t part of our family. They can be, but only if everyone agrees with how things work. I’m sure that plenty of them are willing to join the club, but there are a few that are holding the rest of them back. That’s a problem. Not just for me either. For all of us, really.”
One of his bushy eyebrows raised. “What is it that you are asking me for, exactly?”
She watched him. “Your Hunters. Every last one of them. They’re coming back to Pandemonium with me while I go through their camp and clear all the troublemakers out.”
“We would not be able to scavenge without Hunters.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll need to hunker down your walls and coast while I handle the operation, but I’ll be sure to return the favor. Once this thing is wrapped up, I’ll send a couple of MRAPs your way, along with the appropriate tools to keep them operational. Sound like a fair deal?”
Santiago said nothing. His eyes widened as he stared at the floor. One moment went into the next, but he still did not respond.
Leah sighed. “Look, I know this is a lot, but I expect this to be resolved in less than a week. Don’t act like you’ve never gone that long without a Hunt.”
He shook his head. “I do not think this is a good idea, señora. You must try to reach a peaceful solution with these Beholders.”
Must I? “Wouldn’t have come down here if I hadn’t already made the decision.”
“Have you even talked to them!?” he suddenly snapped. “Have you listened to what they have to say? You wish to murder them without considering the possibilities… Do you even know where you are right now!?”
Leah blinked. “Huh?”
Again, he looked into her eyes, and again, Leah was taken aback. There it was. That wrongness. That fervor. No longer was he trying to hide it.
“El Dorado is built upon the city of a Tepoztlán,” Santiago explained. “They raised a monument in the hills above to a false Aztec God, and the people murdered their children to appease its bloodlust. Were it not for the conquistadores, we would have never seen the light. This holy parish is a testament to that truth. Now, you wish to bring us back to their barbarism? No, I will not allow it!”
Leah remained speechless. It had been a real long time since anyone challenged her directly, especially with so little to prompt this kind of outburst. She’d dealt with Santiago for years, and he’d always demonstrated a shrewdness regarding big-picture problems. But this demeanor was alien. Like a switch had activated in his mind the moment she’d mentioned her plan. Like he’d become someone else altogether.
“Santiago, what the fuck is wrong with you?” she said at last. “I know that you’ve been given space to play king down here, but you seem to have forgotten how this all works. We’re not having a conversation. I tell you what to do, and you fucking beg me for the privilege!”
But his eyes burned like two open flames. “You have no power here, you Whore. This is a house of the Lord! God will punish you for your heresy!” He screamed out commands in Spanish.
Shouts spilled out from the hall, followed by Luciá shrieking. Thuds followed. Leah lurched to her feet as the door thrust open.
Her guards lay downed on the other side, and Hermano Mateo stood above, with four more people behind. He had changed out of his dress shirt, as had his entourage, and now all wore the same outfit, with him in brown and the rest in those long, black cloaks.
Beholder cloaks.
They charged. Instinct took over, and Leah reached for her 1911, but she drew too late. Before she could land a clear shot, before she could even pull the trigger. They were attacking her. Yanking the gun away. Smashing the radio so she couldn’t call for help. Cracking the bones in her limbs.
And she couldn’t fight back…
