Krav looked at the tiny shack at the edge of the canyon. It had been a three-day trek from Kiva Noon, but they had finally made it. Agua Fria wasn’t what he imagined, however. The shack had “WeLCOMe TO AGUA FRiA” painted onto its rusty side with red paint, but besides the shack, there was nothing else to be seen. It was at the edge of a large canyon surrounded by barren land. Heat waves simmered from the desert floor and made the horizon look like it was shifting.

  Maybe it’s hiding there, Krav thought. Maybe Agua Fria is a mirage.

  Most of the travelling merchants they serviced talked about Agua Fria like it was a wasteland paradise. They traded skins full of fresh water that they had apparently received for cheap from the settlement. Krav would have believed it was made of gold, judging by how many rumors he had been told. But he knew it should have been too good to be true. It was a shack, and not a very good one at that.

  “We walked three days for this?” Krav said. He threw his stick at the side of the shack. It clanged in pain and the echo rolled through the canyon.

  “They must have packed up and left,” Lenny said. He was wrapped in multiple layers of robes and hoods to protect him from the sun. Krav thought he was acting like a princess.

  Rufus held a hand in front of him as he approached the shack. His ashy palm chafed the rusted walls, and he smiled. “This is it, alright.”

  Lenny made his way to the shack and peered in through a gap in the metal. Inside, there were gears and mechanisms that had gone still. He could smell something thin and sharp wafting from the machinery. He squinted and waited for his eyes to adjust. Sure enough, the gadget was oiled. Someone had to be maintaining whatever this was. He tried pulling on the metal to force an opening, but it was far too heavy for his small frame.

  “Hey, Lenny!” Krav called. He was standing at the edge of the canyon and staring over the edge. “Check this out!”

  “Be careful,” he frowned. His brother had a habit of staring down danger in the worst way possible. Now he was ready to fall off the edge of a cliff just to show him something. That idiot would’ve died a hundred times over if it weren’t for Rufus. He pulled the layer of hoods over his face and inched close to his brother.

  The closer he got to the edge, the worse he felt. When he saw that the bottom wasn’t in sight as he was mere feet from the edge, he slowed his pace. A cold nausea formed in his guts, and he hesitated to continue to the edge. Krav had his hands on his knees and squatted like he was relieving himself. He was somehow so carefree. The thought that the wind might catch his robes like a sail and toss him hundreds of feet down the canyon must not have crossed his mind. Lenny wished he could be more like that. Just a little braver, a little stronger of will. When he finally reached the edge of the cliff, he crouched and held his brother’s arm. Then his eyes went wide.

  Agua Fria was at the bottom of the canyon. Lenny could see some of the huts and community buildings gleaming in the sun. Crowds of people were moving around the town in patches, in numbers Lenny had never seen before. The sand at the bottom wasn’t the pale yellow of sun dried bones, but was green instead. Lenny wondered why, but then the answer was made apparent. There was a stream of water running through the canyon and into the town. It came out of the ground, just like all the rumors said. It was the most incredible sight he had ever seen. If he squinted, he could see the crowds of people forming a line like ants near the water. They were gathering as much as they wanted by the looks of it. “Amazing…”

  “Watch this,” Krav said. He smacked his lips together a few times. He was trying to gather up all the spit he had in his dry mouth. He made a disgusting noise, winding up all the mucus and saliva in his throat, then he launched a loogie down at the people below. They watched the green ball fall and disappear out of sight. “You think it’ll hit anyone?”

  “Would it make you happy if it did?”

  Krav poked his bottom lip out. He looked like an ape forming its first cognitive thoughts. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Boys!” Rufus called. He wasn’t looking at them, exactly. His face was pointed to the right just a bit too far. “Get away from there. What time is it?”

  “Time for you to get a new pair of eyes,” Krav said.

  Lenny looked up. The sun was high to the east. It was still morning, almost midday. “Ten, by the position of the sun, sir.”

  Rufus adjusted his gaze and fixed it more solidly on the two of them. He nodded towards Lenny’s voice, then found a spot of shade near the shack. “Then we wait. The lift arrives every day at eight, noon, and four.” He leaned against the shack and closed his blackened eyelids. “Wake me up when it’s here.”

  The boys passed the time playing games with Krav’s stick. They drew tic-tac-toe lines until they were bored, then switched to taking turns drawing pictures in the sand. Krav mostly only knew how to draw happy faces, but Lenny could make landscapes on par with a kindergartener. He poked around the sand, shifting it until it looked just like the mountainous horizon to the west.

  As noon approached, more people were gathering near the cliff’s edge. They were mostly desert merchants wrapped in fine cloths and flanked by guards armed with masterfully crafted poleaxes. One group took interest in the sleeping Rufus when a bodyguard pointed to him and dragged two fingers over his own eyes. It was the universal sign for wasting disease. A man riding a mutated pack beast, most likely the bodyguard’s liege, hopped down and approached the shack. He leaned low and inspected the old man.

  Lenny was busy drawing a flower with Krav’s stick. He had just finished the stem and began working on the looping petals when it was ripped from his fingers. “Get away from him!” Krav yelled. He launched his weapon at the stranger.

  It banged against the shack and Rufus snapped awake. The milky white eyes stared at the stranger through black scabs, and the stranger fell to the sands with a startle. Rufus didn’t even know he was there. He was leaning against the shack, forcing himself to his feet. “Krav? What in the hell is going on? Get your little ass over here!”

  Krav was already racing through the sands. He leapt at the stranger like an animal. Rufus sniffed him out and snatched him by the collar. He was inches from meeting the pointed edge of a poleaxe aimed directly at his heart, but he still thrashed against the old man’s grip. Rufus shook him with a strength not expected in dying men like himself. “What’s the big idea? I said wake me up, not the whole wasteland!”

  “This guy was checking you out. Looked like he was ready to loot you!”

  The stranger made his way up from the sands and dusted himself off. His tall, wiry body was fully covered in wrapped linens, save for his face. He wore a pair of brightly gleaming goggles over his eyes and a leather mask over the rest of his head. When he spoke, it was a mumble. “Hold on now, I wasn’t trying to loot you. I’m only trying to help. You’re wasting, aren’t you?”

  Rufus’s jaw slid from one side to the other like he was grinding the ghosts of his missing teeth. “It isn’t contagious, don’t worry.”

  “I know, but I have an ointment. I make it from some of the cactus leaves. It helps.”

  “Nothing cures wasting, friend.”

  “I never said it was a cure,” the stranger said. He lifted the leather goggles to his forehead. Lenny and Krav saw his eyes for what they were. They weren’t yet black scabs, but the lines were beginning to form. Dark circles rimmed his sockets, and the inky tendrils spread from them. Within a year's time, he would be just as bad as Rufus. “I only said it helps.”

  “Let him look at you, Rufus. He’s wasting too,” Lenny said. His voice was a shocked whisper. The boy knew how much the scabs bothered his master, even if he never complained. He would wake up from their spirit readings to find the old man raking his eyes absently with his fingers until they bled.

  Rufus’s leathery tongue slid in and out as he tried to moisten his lips. He offered an upturned palm and waited. When he heard nothing but the echoing desert winds, he said. “How much?”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The merchant thought for a moment, then said, “Fortune favors the charitable. Don't worry about payment. You three are refugees, right? It could be my good deed for the week.”

  “We’re spirit guides,” Krav said. He was pushing himself between the two, his chest puffed out. The merchant stood a good head and shoulders above the boy, but he still backed off. One of the merchant’s guards stepped forward, his gloved hands crackling as they tightened around the poleaxe. The merchant stopped him with a single finger, then shook his head.

  “From the Emerald Expanse?” he asked. His eyes were narrowed on Rufus.

  Krav was winding up a venomous answer when Rufus cupped a gnarled hand over his mouth.

  “The Emerald Expanse is a myth, friend. We spirit guides made it up to trick the layman into believing there’s a place that grows bona fide psychics. I promise you, though, I’m a master at what I do, and my apprentice and I can reveal the paths of your soul through the power of our herbal incantations. I have all the supplies necessary. Why not consider keeping my secret about the Emerald Expanse, and I’ll guide you for free.”

  The merchant’s eyes were moving between Rufus’s and the hand over Krav’s mouth. It was hard to read him behind the leather mask, but Krav could see it in his eyes. He was deciding whether to escalate the situation. The boy silently dared him too. He could take this guy. The merchant would have a caved in skull before his guards could even tilt their weapons towards Krav. That was it, Krav thought. Make my day. Give me a good reason to beat you to death.

  But the merchant didn’t. Instead, he gently removed Rufus’s hand from Krav’s mouth and shook it. “Name’s Greenblatt. I accept your trade, Mister…”

  “Rufus.”

  “Mister Rufus. However, if my reading goes well, I’d like to reward you. So long as we’re trading secrets, I’ll give you my wasting remedy. You aren’t traders of any physical property, and I hear spirit guides are handy herbalists. Perhaps it would do my karma well.”

  “Acts of charity are always beneficial to one’s path,” Lenny said as if in a trance. He was reciting his training on accident. He looked up and saw that Greenblatt was looking at him now. The merchant lowered himself to be at eye level.

  “Exactly what I was thinking. I take it you’re an apprentice?”

  Lenny nodded, then looked at Krav. The older brother was always more apprehensive of strangers. Krav’s wild eyes told him not to speak to the man, but Lenny continued. “I’m in training, sir, but I would be happy to assist guiding your soul. I’m Lenny.”

  “And the runt?” Greenblatt asked with a thumb jerked towards his brother.

  “That’s our bodyguard, Krav. He’s my brother.”

  “A bodyguard armed with a measly stick? He must be well trained.”

  “I could kill you without it, Green-shat.”

  One of the merchant’s guards swung his weapon at Krav. Lenny flinched and reached out to catch the poleaxe, but it stopped inches from Krav’s neck. He didn’t even blink, his eyes locked tight on Greenblatt. The merchant’s eyes turned upward, revealing a smile that hid behind the leather. He clapped his hands together at the spectacle. “I love the feisty ones. You’re probably right, Mister Krav. You probably could kill me with your bare hands. Keep that attitude and you’ll be one hell of a bodyguard when you grow another foot or so taller.”

  The sun was peaking high in the sky, baring down its radiant heat on the crowd gathering at the edge of the cliff near Agua Fria. They could smell themselves cooking in the hot desert air, but they were too excited to get into the town to care. Soon, they thought, their troubles would be all over. Some were merchants, ready to trade for cheap water and spread it across the wastes at an exuberant price. Others looked rundown, their feet rough from days wandering the sands. Those were perhaps the refugees Greenblatt had mentioned. Whether they were from failed settlements or victims of raiders, they had managed to survive the wasteland and make it paradise.

  At noon the shack came to life. Something within shook and sputtered. The crowd that had gathered began to force their way forward, trampling those who were unprepared for the march of madness. As they swarmed the shack, Rufus scooped the two boys up and brought them close to avoid being crushed. Greenblatt snapped his fingers, and his guards sprang to life. They took defensive positions like an ancient roman phalanx, pointing their weapons into the crowd and protecting their master and his new friends. The shack was clambering like a dying engine as it kicked and protested whatever was happening inside.

  “Get to the door,” Greenblatt said. “They’ll take everyone, but the first one’s in get first dibs on water.”

  He nodded his head toward something. It didn’t look like a door, but they went anyways, guiding their blind master towards it. They watched as Greenblatt tried to tame the rioting crowd. He had his hands up like a politician and was explaining the procedures of Agua Fria over the roar of the crowd. The lift would go up and down, transporting people in and out of the town until everyone had been where they needed to be. There was no need to rush. Still they came, cutting themselves against the poleaxes and being bashed away by their blunt ends.

  The door he had pointed out rolled upwards. Lenny and Krav had never seen a door that opened like that, it seemed stupid. How the hell were you even supposed to open that? There was no handle, nowhere to grip it. When it had rolled all the way up, it didn’t seem like anyone was even there to raise it. Instead, the inside was barren, save for a woman standing in the corner near some sort of device. It had levers and buttons that were lit up, perhaps it was able to control the door. Krav squinted at her. She hadn’t been in there beforehand.

  “Welcome to Agua Fria!” She shouted from her device. “Please form a line and politely step onto the lift. We will be making runs back and forth between the city for the next hour, so be kind to your neighbors and allow those in need a chance to board first.”

  She was speaking in a polite tone, but the bored expression on her face said that she was just running through lines written for her. Her hands were covered in black grease that smeared across the buttons as she worked them. It was common to see someone from the wasteland caked in grime and dust, but Lenny noted how it was only her hands that were dirty. In fact, she was immaculate, the cleanest person he had ever seen. Her tanned skin was free of pocks and blemishes. Her hair wasn’t ratted, instead it was a short blonde cascade that coiled around her shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled with lips that weren’t cracked or split. Maybe this was paradise.

  Rufus nudged them into the shack. Behind them, Greenblatt strolled in and greeted the girl at the control device. He acted like royalty, walking with his hands behind his back and bowing before the girl. Next came the guards. They trailed their master, holding back the tide of bodies as they went. Once they were inside, they shoved the wave back and let them sort out who was allowed to enter the lift.

  They all watched as people were clawing into the shack. Even though the girl had reiterated everything Greenblatt said, they still acted like desperate animals. All except for the other merchants, who stood at the back of the rabble and waited. They weren’t there to drink the town dry, so they had no desperation about them. There was money to be made all day. Let the rabble sort themselves out.

  When the shack was nearly full, Krav felt himself pushed up against the controller girl, who shoved him aside, only for him to be pushed right back into her. That must have been her cue to stop letting people in, and she pulled one of the levers. The door to the shack creaked, then began to roll downwards. It rattled halfway closed. People were fighting not to be crushed under it, but they tried to force their way inside as they did. Groups were split up and cries could be heard outside as the door came to a full close. The girl pulled another lever, pushed a few buttons, then the floor rattled beneath them. Lenny jumped and clung onto Krav.

  “I always tell them to wait their turns but no, they just have to act like animals.”

  Krav looked up and realized the girl was talking to him. He had been pressed up against her arm, dangerously close to her chest, but she didn’t seem to care. Startled he shoved her to one side, and she swung her hip back, playfully pushing him away. “No need to fight, we’re already on our way. So, what are you here for? Business or pleasure?”

  “Um, Business?” Krav guessed. He didn’t know how to answer her question. Of course, guiding spirits was for business, but getting stoned was pretty pleasurable. “Maybe a little pleasure?”

  The girl chuckled, and Krav forced himself to copy her. He didn’t know what was so funny. "That’s usually the case. Merchants blow into here to get water and spread it across the wasteland, but we have the cleanest ladies money can buy. Rumor has it they even squeak.”

  She winked at Krav, and he raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure he knew what she meant by that. He felt his brother gripping his arm tight and he turned his attention to him. Lenny was shaking. “What’s wrong?”

  “We’re moving,” Lenny said. He was looking up at the ceiling.

  “We’ve been standing here the whole time. Did you take something before we got in here? Why didn’t I get any?”

  Lenny pointed up, and Krav followed. His eyes went wide. His brother was right, they were moving. The ceiling that had been a few feet above Rufus’s head was now almost ten feet above them, and it was getting higher. He looked down at the floor and realized it was grated. Beneath them, a dark chasm stretched downwards for an eternity. He saw the walls of the shaft slipping up towards them, then moving towards the ceiling. They were falling.

  “That’s right,” the girl said. “It’s about a mile down. The whole trip takes a few minutes.”

  Greenblatt turned and looked at the boys. He must have been able to read their faces, because he grabbed both of them by the shoulders. “Don’t worry! It’s a quick trip that’s been done a hundred times before you and will be done a hundred times after. Just don’t rock the lift too much and we’ll be fine.”

  The merchant and the girl were right. The trip was quick. They made it to the bottom of the lift and landed in a cave. There was a small group of people waiting near the lift for their turn to ascend it as it approached. City guards kept the peace as people rushed out and tried to make a mad dash for the exit, towards the promise of water and squeaky women.

  Greenblatt bid the lift girl farewell, and she blew Krav a kiss as he stepped off. He just frowned at her, thinking to himself, what the heck was that?

  The city security seemed to recognize Greenblatt, stepping aside and greeting him as him and his entourage passed. He waved Rufus and crew forward, and the guards respected his wishes. Still, they stared down the boys like they were ruffians waiting to be clubbed over the head by their heavy maces. The boys led Rufus out of the cave and into the town of Agua Fria.