Kingdom Gone

COWS COME HOME

"Follow me."

We sprint down a quiet street, and the blank faces of empty office buildings stare at us as we make our way across town.

"I still don't understand why we couldn't take the jeep." Circe says, panting.

We reach an intersection and I pause, unplugging the earphones from my phone and putting up the volume.

". . . no sign of the vehicle in Quadrant Six. Beginning sweep for Miss Evans and the kidnapper in Quadrant-" I plug them back in and head left. Circe follows.

"Why do they think you kidnapped me?"

I glance down an alley as we pass. "A camera must've picked us up at the Plaza. Saying the Governor's daughter escaped and kidnapped a wanted smuggler wouldn't bode well for Mr. Evans."

"So they're lying?"

"Wouldn't be the first time."

We reach the end of the street and I put out my arm, stopping Circe. I close my eyes, picturing the routes the cops are taking over a mental map of Agua Dulce.

Sirens blare from around the corner.

I quickly grab Circe by the arm and drag her into a small alcove in the building to our right. We hide in the corner, a vending machine blocking us from view.

Six seconds later a cop car cruises around the corner, the silhouettes of two men visible through the windshield. They drive slowly down the street we just came from, scanning the offices.

Circe mumbles something incoherent. I look down and realized my hand is covering her mouth.

"Sorry."

"Where is everyone?" She asks, wiping her mouth with her arm.

"Huh?"

"The people." Circe motions at the street. "Where are they?"

"Most of the buildings in Agua Dulce are offices or government buildings. It's a quarter to 7, so most people are already heading home if they haven't already."

"And where exactly are we going?"

The cop car disappears down another street, but I wait 'till the echo of the sirens fade away before stepping back onto the street.

"Kingdom 7. The capital of each Kingdom has a HoloTram station, except for 5 and 8. The trains arrive at the top of every hour, so if we don't make it on the one that comes in 15 minutes, we'll have to wait 'till 8 o'clock for the next one. But by then we'll be caught."

She sighs. "Let's not miss it then."

I nod, sprinting down the street with Circe in tow.

* * *

After about a quarter mile of evading the police we reach the HoloTram station.

It's a large ornate building with huge marble pillars lining the front, and a wide set of stairs leading up to the main doors. Behind the station the ground falls away to miles of flat wetland, crisscrossed with winding tributaries set aglow by the setting sun.

Circe peeks her head around the corner. "Wow, that's a sight. Speaking of which, I don't see any cops. Can we cross?"

I look around the corner, then pull my head back. "Two undercover cops are watching the street, one in the alley a ways down, and another in that blue sedan parked at the base of the steps. My guess is there's more inside."

Circe looks at the street again."How did you know they were there? I didn't even see the one in the alley."

"Cuz you didn't know what to look for. Generic cars parked by themselves or in secluded places with a good vantage point are a dead giveaway."