Last Wild Boy (11 page)

“Do you still want to hear this?” Nora asked, lying a now-sleeping Adam back in his basket.

“Yes,” said Mabon. “Go on.”

“Slowly but surely, your fathers lost their rights and powers. There was no turning back. Women took control of the courts and legislatures, and then the military. There were revolts, of course, but with the help of the military, these were put down quickly and brutally. When it was all over, the women in power divided the world into insiders and outsiders and rebuilt the ruined cities to ensure their safety and security. For the first time in centuries, the world knew peace.”

Mabon turned from the fire. “Yes, a lot was taken away. The women must have been very angry. But the insiders haven't fixed the problems. Insiders and outsiders are not different animals. They are different parts of the same one, and they are meant to live together.” He broke a few of the smaller bits of wood and added them to the fire, then continued, his voice low. “We were moved outside the walls. We were taught only what we needed to do our jobs. But we learned from our fathers before their time was up, and their knowledge has been passed down through the generations. At the Manuhome, I learned to read enough to do my job and to do numbers in bookkeeping. But most outsiders can't read. We know that listening and remembering is important and we have found ways to pass learning along.”

He paused and looked into Nora's soft green eyes. He was still nervous around her. The old rules about not touching and staying away were difficult to forget. Yet her closeness warmed him in ways he couldn't explain. The present feeling was a sort of comfort and pleasure, like what he felt in a forest glade on a warm spring day, or what he'd felt when he had helped Minn.

Mabon removed the parcel of raccoon meat from his pack.

“What's that?” Nora asked, her slender nose crinkling in disgust.

“Lucky killed a raccoon that tried to get into our supplies. The raccoon ate that big fish I stole from the bear, and then wounded Lucky as they fought, but I think the little guy will be all right. His wounds are already healing well. This meat is a gift from the raccoon to replace the fish he stole. I'll feed some to Lucky, and we can cook the rest for ourselves.”

Nora looked at the hunks of red flesh with disgust as Mabon began cutting them in strips and suspending them over the frame he'd built to go above the small smoky fire. When he was done, he scooped some water into the small pot, added a fistful of oatmeal from his bag and a few small chunks of the meat, and placed it over the fire.

“We should get going as soon as the food is cooked and eaten,” Mabon said, stirring the contents of the pot. “If the smell of the meat doesn't attract the rangers, the smoke definitely will.”

“What exactly do these rangers do, anyways?” Nora asked. “What are their jobs?”

“They're caretakers of the lands outside Aahimsa — sort of like a police force or an army — and they also work for the controllers. The controllers can hear their every word, every thought. They always know where the rangers are and what they're doing. If they lose control or contact with a ranger for some reason, they'll terminate him. If they don't like the ranger's behaviour, they'll terminate him. If a ranger disobeys them or breaks one of their rules, they'll terminate him.”

Nora was speechless. All she could think about was how horrible Mabon's life must have been, his every thought and move controlled by someone else. Nora had loved Alice, but she'd also felt smothered and powerless as her companion. But that was nothing compared to what Mabon had dealt with every day of his life.

Mabon emptied the contents of the pot into two bowls. He gave one to Nora and kept one for himself.

Nora smelled her stew and took a tentative taste. “It's really hot,” she said. “But it's actually pretty good. Where did you learn to cook?”

“I had to cook to feed myself,” Mabon said between mouthfuls. “I was given basic food rations as a cleaner, and I learned to cook by doing it. There was no other way.”

There was a long pause in the conversation as Nora and Mabon devoured their stew.

“So, who actually controls the controllers?” Nora asked when she was finished her stew.

“Blanchefleur, I guess,” said Mabon.

“That can't be true,” said Nora, the gold specks returning to her eyes. “I lived in Blanchefleur's home and was companion to her daughter, and I never saw any sign of that. From what you've told me, the controllers are capable of doing some pretty terrible things, violent things. Blanchefleur isn't like that.”

Mabon shrugged. “Somebody has to control the controllers. And if not the mayor, then who? I saw myself how the insider controllers mistreated the rangers who disobeyed them. ‘Obey or die.' Most of us would never have done what we did if there were any other way. It's not the rangers who are the violent ones; it's the controllers. And the insiders who control the controllers.”

Mabon's smile was gone and his blue eyes looked hard and angry. He took Nora's empty bowl from her hands and carried it to the ledge at the back of the cave, where he rinsed it with water from the pool. He then did the same thing with the pot. When he was finished, he stuffed both into his bag.

Nora could see how upset he was, and it scared her. She didn't know what he was capable of when he was angry. She watched as he wet several handfuls of grass and dropped them onto the fire coals, which began to smoke.

Mabon calmed himself little by little as he worked. When the fire was smoking well, he placed the frame overtop it and then covered the frame with one of his blankets. Most of the smoke was trapped under the blanket, but some of it escaped into the cave before rising to the ceiling and disappearing outside.

“Now I'm free,” Mabon said gently as he sat down beside Nora on the floor. His eyes had softened and he smiled to reassure her he was no longer angry. Nora smiled back, relieved that his temper had subsided so quickly.

“I think I understand,” Nora said, thinking back to her life with Alice. It seemed like years had past since she'd left Alice back at the summer home.

Mabon whistled to Lucky and the dog sidled over. Mabon fed Lucky some chunks of the smoked meat and gave him some water.

“You know,” Mabon said, looking Nora in the eyes, “I could take Adam into the wild and protect him. If saving him is all you want to do, and if you believe the insiders would take you back, you could say I somehow caught you and forced you to take Adam out of the city. If you could find your way out of Aahimsa, then I could've found my way in. They would believe you.” He watched her pretty face carefully, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He wanted her to stay. He was sure of that. But he also wanted her to be safe.

Nora was stunned. The possibility had never crossed her mind. She realized she could probably do this and get back to her life with Alice and Blanchefleur. And Adam would be safe. She suddenly felt a confusion that challenged everything that she had assumed about herself. Why was there any question of what she would do? This was what she really wanted, wasn't it? To get back to Aahimsa? But what about Mabon? What would happen to him?

For the first time since she'd left, Nora admitted to herself that she didn't want to go back to Alice and Aahimsa and the life of servitude, and that she didn't want to hand over Adam's care and upbringing to anyone else, even Mabon.

“No,” she said finally. “Adam stays with me. He's my responsibility. Where he goes, I go.”

Mabon worked hard to restrain his happiness.

“Let's leave now,” Nora said. “I'm ready.”

C
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Nora was tired already. They had climbed rapidly as they'd made their way through the wooded area beside the Humble River. It wasn't easy going; the pathway was choked with weeds, bracken and tall grasses. Her arms were scratched and bruised from pushing through stiff evergreen branches. But they had finally found an abandoned walking path to follow, and it wound more easily through the trees along the river.

Mabon moved easily, flowing like a human river ahead of Nora, turning every few moments to make sure she was still with him. Nora watched him closely to make sure he didn't get too far ahead. She didn't want to lose sight of him for a single moment.

When a ribbon of moonlight penetrated the murky sky, they
paused to feed Adam. Mabon sat facing Nora and prepared a
tube of nutrifier while she changed Adam's diaper cloths. They
worked together wordlessly. When they were finished, Adam
happily accepted the tube of nutrifier from Nora, while Mabon batted away the insects that buzzed around his head as he ate. Mabon felt a warmth spread through his heart as sat with Nora and Adam. Being here with them was such a change from the hopeless isolation he'd felt when he'd been on his own in the dead zone.

“Why is it called the Humble River?” Nora asked in a quiet voice. She, too, was oddly contented.

“It really isn't,” said Mabon. “We call it by its old name.”

“Old name?”

“It used to be called the Humber River. The insiders changed it to Humble. The outsiders don't know why. Do you?”

“Humber was probably an outsider name,” said Nora. “That's usually why name changes were made. But how would I know? I've never even heard of it before.”

Adam had now finished drinking and was sound asleep in Nora's lap. He seemed perfectly content now, and his breathing had become quiet and regular. The fresh air obviously agreed with him. Mabon moved closer to them to support Nora as she held the child. She noted how closely they were sitting, and self-consciously moved away. Mabon coughed and stood up. “We should go,” he said gruffly.

Nora stood up and wordlessly gathered her things, then followed Mabon down the path. They continued down the narrow trail, picking their way through the darkness as quietly as they could. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pair of dark forms slipped from the shadows and crossed the path ahead. Mabon stood still as a tree. Nora stopped in her tracks. She looked toward the dog, expecting him to bark, but he was as still and quiet as his companions. They stood like that for what seemed a long time as the shadowy figures beat their way through the trees, making far too much noise.

“Rangers, two of them,” Mabon said when they were gone. “That was close. Too close.”

Nora shivered. “How far is it to the Manuhome?”

“Not too far from here, I think. But we should stop and rest until first light. It's not safe travelling when we can't see.”

“What were those rangers doing?”

“Looking for us, I imagine. Come on. We'll find a comfortable place under one of these trees. Once there's enough light to see
our way, we'll go. An hour or two should take us to the Manuhome.”

They found a large spruce and Nora got down on her knees to try to climb under. It was too difficult to squeeze through while holding Adam's basket, and she was afraid that if she took him out and tried to climb under the trees with him he'd be scratched by the low-hanging branches. “Could you hold Adam while I crawl under?” she asked Mabon.

He hesitated. He had never held a baby. Nora passed Adam to him and he carefully lifted the child in his rough hands, trying awkwardly to manoeuvre him while supporting his head and neck. Adam was heavier than Mabon expected, but he still seemed so fragile, like one of the birds in the dead zone. Like his mother.

Mabon held the baby close against his broad chest and smiled as Adam nestled his head in the space between the young man's shoulder and neck. He watched as Nora and the dog climbed under the skirt of a large spruce tree.

Nora lifted a heavy branch as high as she could and Mabon slid under, making sure to protect Adam's head as he passed under the prickly branches and found a spot near the tree's trunk.

“We should get some sleep,” Mabon said, lying down on a patch of soft spruce needles and positioning Adam carefully beside him.

“Yes,” said Nora, smiling in the darkness. “We should.”

C
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Mabon awoke to a warm, wet, sticky sensation on his face, and was only half surprised to find Lucky licking him. Morning was working its fingers of light through the needles of the spruce.

It only took moments to get everyone up and moving. Mabon,
Nora, Adam, and Lucky began their short journey to the Manuhome
under a clear blue sky. They were closer than Mabon had figured — within minutes, the tall walls of the manufacturing homeland were looming up ahead of them.

“I'll try to get a message to Dr. Ueland,” Mabon said as they got closer to the walls. “You, Adam, and Lucky will have to stay here, out of sight.”

“How will you do it?” asked Nora.

“Dr. Ueland used to send me on outings into the woods beyond the Manuhome, where I wasn't officially allowed to venture,” Mabon said. “He was the one who taught me about the healing powers of plants and herbs, and sometimes he'd send me to go look for them. The insiders were never willing to provide as much medicine for the Manuhome infirmary as was needed — the outsiders were expendable to them. Dr. Ueland had a secret code for when I got back to the Manuhome walls and needed to be let in. I just hope he still remembers it.” He gave Nora his crooked grin and disappeared into the woods.

Sometimes you just have to try your luck, Mabon thought to himself as he made his way toward the Manuhome. Dr. Ueland didn't much care for change. Mabon was counting on that.

Mabon located the window that used to belong to Dr. Ueland's bedroom. He hoped Dr. Ueland was still living in the same apartment, and that he still liked to sleep in. Mabon tried his aim with a pebble, but it ricocheted off the side of the Manuhome wall.
A little rusty
. The second pebble struck too low. The third pebble he tried bounced off a neighbouring window. Mabon ducked behind a bush and waited a few minutes before he peeked out and made sure no one was looking.

The fourth pebble Mabon threw hit Dr. Ueland's tall window dead centre. Mabon ducked back behind the bush, but kept an eye on the window this time. He was just about to venture out and try another pebble when Dr. Ueland's pale, thin face appeared in the window. Mabon raised both his arms straight overhead and slowly lowered them, the signal he and Dr. Ueland used to use. He could just make out the sight of Dr. Ueland's face breaking into a wide grin. Dr. Ueland gave him a quick wave, then disappeared from the window.

Mabon hurried back to get Nora, Adam, and Lucky, and led them to Emergency Gate Three. They only had to wait a few minutes before they heard the heavy lock slide across and the door swung open. Behind it was a small man wearing grey flannel pyjamas. His face was thin and severe, and he was wearing wire-framed glasses over his intense black eyes. Nora was afraid of him for a moment, but then he erupted into a wide grin that instantly changed his appearance from stern to friendly, almost childlike, putting her at ease.

“Mabon!” Dr. Ueland whispered excitedly, shaking Mabon's hand and patting him on the shoulder. He was a full head shorter than Mabon, and could barely reach.

“Dr. Ueland,” Mabon said.

“Come in, quickly!” said Dr. Ueland, looking around furtively and gesturing them to enter. “It's not safe out there.” He gave Mabon a questioning look as Nora followed him in through the gate carrying Adam's basket, but didn't say anything.

The corridor they entered was dimly lit, and obviously not
regularly used. Dr. Ueland put his fingers to his lips and turned,
gesturing for them to follow. He led Mabon, Nora, Adam, and
Lucky through a maze of dark tunnels and up a concrete service stairway. When they reached the fourth floor, he poked his head out the door, then waved for them to follow him quickly. He led them across a bright hallway and through another door, which led to a large office. Dr. Ueland closed the office door firmly behind him and locked it.

Dr. Ueland turned to Mabon. “Is this who I think it is?” he asked, nodding toward Nora and Adam.

“This is Nora,” Mabon said, turning to Nora and giving her an encouraging look. “She's from Aahimsa. She escaped under the wall with the child of another insider.”

“Then she is who I thought she was,” Dr. Ueland said, turning to Nora. “I've heard a lot about you over the last few days. Blanchefleur is making quite a fuss about your disappearance.”

Nora blushed.

“It's nice to meet you,” Dr. Ueland said, smiling. “I'm glad that you're safe.” His gaze fell to Adam, who was asleep in his basket. “Is it true what they say about the baby?” he asked. “Is it an outsider?”

“It is,” Nora said. She put the basket down, then picked Adam up and held him so Dr. Ueland could see his face.

“Lovely boy,” Dr. Ueland said, admiring him. “Does he have a name?”

“Adam,” said Nora and Mabon, almost together. Dr. Ueland's eyes widened and he nodded appreciatively.

“You two must be starving,” Dr. Ueland said. “I'll get you something to eat.” He unlocked the door, slipped out, and relocked it from the other side.

While he was gone, Nora tended to Adam's diaper while Mabon took a seat at Dr. Ueland's desk and looked around the office. Even when he'd been Dr. Ueland's assistant, he'd never seen the inside of this room. It was large, but sparsely furnished, with only a battered old wooden desk, a few mismatched chairs, a large table covered in paperwork, and a few filing cabinets. There was
a small washroom off the side, and another door that Mabon
guessed opened into a closet. There was nothing on the walls of the office except for a round, industrial-looking clock and a control panel. A small red light on the panel was flashing, and Mabon wondered if it always did that, or if it was alerting Dr. Ueland of a problem somewhere in the Manuhome.

Dr. Ueland returned to the office a few minutes later with a jug of water and a basket containing three mugs, a metal bowl, a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a few apples. He set everything down on the desk, then pulled a small kitchen knife from his pocket, and began slicing the bread and cheese.

“Thank you,” said Mabon, passing Nora an apple and taking another for himself. They bit into the fruit hungrily.

“Happy to help, Mabon,” said Dr. Ueland. “When I heard what happened with the insider woman who fell, I feared the worst for you. I'm glad you've managed to make it this far. But I'm a bit curious how you did it, and how you three have managed to end up here together.” He glanced down at Lucky, who was stretched out in front of the door, seemingly guarding it. “Or you four, I should say.” He poured some water into the bowl and carried it over to Lucky, then returned and poured the rest of the jug's contents into the three mugs.

As they ate their breakfast, Mabon and Nora told Dr. Ueland all about how they'd come to arrive at the Manuhome — Mabon talked about his encounter with Minn and explained how he'd lost his controller device, Nora spoke of finding Adam and escaping under the wall through the church basement, and they took turns describing their scuffle with the pack of wild dogs and journey through the wilderness.

When they were done, Dr. Ueland nodded, but remained silent for a long time, deep in thought. “It's an incredible story,” he finally said, standing up and pacing back and forth across the room. “Almost as if it were fated.” He stopped in front of Adam's basket and looked down at the child, who gazed back up at him with big brown eyes. “Would I be correct in assuming that Adam is…
complete
?” He turned to Nora, who hesitated and looked at Mabon. Mabon nodded.

“Yes,” Nora said.

“Then this is more incredible a story than I could have hoped,” said Dr. Ueland. He bent down and touched Adam's cheek. “I wonder if you two have given any thought to the gravity of the situation you're in,” he said, looking at Nora and Mabon. “Just how important this escape of yours is, and how much is riding on its success…”

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Neither Nora nor Mabon wanted to admit that they hadn't given much thought to the wider implications of what they were doing. They were aware of them, certainly, but they'd been so focused on just surviving and escaping the immediate danger threatening them that they hadn't thought much about what could happen if they did.

“Well,” said Dr. Ueland finally, returning to the desk and sitting down across from them. “I assume you came here to see me for a reason. What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping you could help hide us for a while,” said Nora. She blushed. “Mabon told me that you were kind.”

“Mabon is the kind one,” said Dr. Ueland, taking his seat across from them at his desk. “I'm practical. It isn't often in my power to be kind.” He frowned. “I'm sure that Mabon already knows what I'm about to say. I have a lot of power here in the Manuhome, but there are severe limits to what I can do. If Adam were older, I might be able to hide him here with certain difficulties. But we have no babies here — we never have and we never will. There are many outsider workers here who would remember Mabon, and therefore it would be nearly impossible to hide him here without someone informing Blanchefleur and her rangers that he was here. And there are no insiders at the Manuhome, so a beautiful young lady like yourself would certainly be noticed.”

“So you won't help us?” said Nora. Her head felt like it would explode. Tears were welling up behind her eyes, but she was determined not to cry.

“I didn't say that,” said Dr. Ueland, smiling slyly. “I have a plan, and I think you'll like it.”

“What is it?” Nora asked.

“Mabon will remember that while he was training with me, I began a practice of helping to cure some of the older workers who had been injured from years of manual labour and were slated for termination,” said Dr. Ueland. “In fact, that was ultimately why he was stripped of his ranger status and banished to the dead zone. He was caught doing one of the errands I sent him on, gathering medicinal herbs, and he very selflessly took the blame for it. He said he'd been acting on his own to help an elderly friend and, by doing so, he allowed me to continue helping the old ones after he'd left.”

The doctor turned to Mabon. “But you will see that your punishment has not been in vain, Mabon. Not only was I able to help cure some of these old ones of the injuries they suffered, I was able to help them escape. For several years now, I've been helping some of the older workers disappear into the wild once they've had a chance to recover from their lifetimes of hard work. I've been falsifying their termination papers, and letting them go free. And they've managed to build quite a life for themselves out in the wild. They've set up a whole community, hidden from the reaches of the insiders, where they live and work to support themselves. It's really quite amazing.”

Dr. Ueland turned back to Nora. “And so you see, I do have somewhere I can hide you, it just isn't here.”

“Where is this place?” asked Mabon. “How would we find it?”

“I have a way of communicating with the old ones, using pigeons — a method our forefathers used long before the revolt. I should be able to get a message to them quite quickly. I'll ask them to send someone to guide you.” He stood up and headed toward the door. “I can keep you here until he comes. No one should bother you, as long as you stay in this room. My staff knows not to interrupt me while I'm working in here.” He reached down and patted Lucky's head when he got to the door. Lucky stood up on his feet and stepped out of his way.

“Let me get dressed while you finish up your breakfast,” said Dr. Ueland. “I'll gather up some food and supplies for your journey, and I'll be back soon.” He looked at Mabon. “If anyone knocks on the door, don't open it. I'm the only one with a key, so I'll let myself in when I return.” With that, he slipped out the door and locked it behind him.