Tremors of the Past

by Jamie A. Waters

  Felix’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa. What the hell was that?”

  “Residual energy transference,” Brant replied dryly and arched an eyebrow at Kayla. “If the connection between us is strong enough that even a non-sensitive could detect it, this could prove dangerous.”

  “I want to try to shift and rebalance the energy between us,” Kayla explained. “Try sending some of the excess back to me.”

  Brant’s brow furrowed, but he seemed to find her reasoning sound. He nodded and then concentrated. It seemed to take very little effort for the excess energy to shift. Like a magnet attracting its counterpoint, it flooded back to her with a sharp slap. She jerked at the contact and then relaxed as it settled back around her. Reaching out with her senses, she explored the energy around Brant. He was no longer crackling or sparking. She could sense the power within him, but it appeared to have equalized.

  “Better?”

  Brant blinked as he adjusted to the new energy level. When he nodded, she said, “Good. Alec showed me a little about how to find lost or missing objects. I can tell you what he told me, but I can’t seem to make it work on my own. I think he guided my ability.” She bit her lip, trying to remember exactly how she’d located the small glass globe Alec had hidden in his quarters. “I think what we need to do is have you act as the focus and visualize Carl’s location. I’ll be the battery backup to provide you with the power as you need it.”

  “Very well,” Brant agreed. “What do we need to do?”

  “You need to concentrate on the item you want to locate. In this case, close your eyes and visualize Carl’s boots. You seem to notice everything, so that shouldn’t be too hard. I’m sure you remember what they look like.”

  Brant snorted. “I only notice things in the sense that I’m searching for weapons or potential dangers. Foul-smelling footwear isn’t high on that list.”

  Kayla glared at him and barely resisted the urge to smack him. “Dammit, just try.” With a huff, she muttered, “There’s no doubt you’re related to Alec. No one else could be this much of a pain in the ass otherwise.”

  Brant chuckled and closed his eyes. After a long moment, he said, “Very well. I’m imagining his boots.”

  “Good,” she said, barely suppressing her excitement. Maybe this wild idea would actually work. “Thread your— er, my energy through the image.”

  As he did so, she felt the balance between them shift. Kayla concentrated and began to send a steady stream of energy directly into Brant. His hands tightened around hers as she began to fill his depleting well.

  “Now picture the boots in more detail. Focus on filling in the gaps in the image. Do you see Carl? How does he look? What do you see in the background? Can you get a sense of the direction?”

  A crease marred Brant’s forehead. “Hold on. Just wait. I’m trying to… I think I see something.”

  She leaned forward anxiously. “What? What do you see?”

  Even Felix at this point was watching them with interest. He moved over to them and crouched down.

  “I see a floor, like in one of those temporary camps.”

  “Focus on Carl,” she instructed. “Is he okay?”

  Brant swallowed. A bead of perspiration formed at his temple and began to travel downward. Whatever Brant was doing was taking a toll on him. Hoping it would solidify the vision, Kayla strengthened the energy flowing to him.

  “I don’t… I don’t think he’s wearing them. There’s a… It looks like there’s a pile of clothing on the floor next to the boots. I see a man standing nearby though. I don’t recognize him, but he’s wearing a Coalition uniform.”

  Confusion and worry filled her. Who was the mystery man? Why would Carl have taken off his boots? Where was he?

  Her heart pounded as she took a steadying breath. She needed to focus. It was getting harder to feed Brant energy. The vision was demanding more and more, but she was still feeling weak from the earlier transference. They needed to hurry.

  “Okay. I want you to focus on the room. Then try to see beyond the room. Can you get an idea of the direction of their camp?”

  “I see…” Brant’s voice trailed off, and she could feel him searching. There was no other way to explain it. There wasn’t a bond between them, but she could almost visualize him wielding and manipulating her energy. It wasn’t as effortless as Alec’s ability, but it was better than her own skills. “It’s a room of some sort. There’s some equipment. I can’t… I don’t know what else…”

  Kayla swallowed, desperation urging her to continue giving Brant what he needed. Her fingers trembled in Brant’s hands as she channeled more into him. “Pull back from the vision a little, Brant. Try to see outside the room.”

  She felt him draw on the last vestiges of her strength, draining her even further. Her entire body trembled, and the world began to waver as the edges of her vision started to dim.

  Felix looked back and forth between them worriedly. “Dammit, man. Stop whatever you’re doing. She’s going to pass out.”

  At his words, Brant’s eyes flew open and he jerked his hands away. Kayla fell forward into his lap. Unharnessed power sparked through them at the contact.

  “Fuck, that hurt,” Kayla winced, rubbing her arms and willing the energy to stabilize.

  Brant looked down at her, his forehead creased with concern. “Why didn’t you stop me?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. “I need to find him, Brant. I don’t know what else to do.”

  “You’re going to get both of us killed,” he muttered, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her. He began slowly trying to send her energy back toward her, equalizing his own stolen energy.

  A sound from the nearby tunnel caused all of them to turn. Brant jumped up and scrambled to draw his weapon. Men dropped in from the cavern entrance wearing full UV protective gear and weapons. Kayla winced at the sight of the OmniLab symbol.

  Dammit. How do they keep finding me?

  When she felt Alec’s cool air energy brush against hers and then envelope her, she swore. Her hopes of trying to keep him safe in the towers had failed. It was only a matter of time before the Coalition saw the gathering of forces and Lars arrived. She needed to get Alec out of here.

  Kayla struggled to stand, hating the fact she was so weak, and finally allowed Brant to help her up. She leaned against him, unsure if her legs would support her weight.

  Alec pulled off his helmet and narrowed his eyes on Brant. A sharp crack of wind energy whipped through the cavern, throwing Brant backward into a stalagmite. Kayla staggered from the sudden loss of support as Brant was ripped away from her.

  Felix managed to catch her arm, holding her upright so she didn’t collapse completely. Brant coughed and choked, grabbing at his throat as he struggled to breathe against Alec’s energy onslaught. Kayla’s eyes widened at the fury in Alec’s expression as he advanced on his security officer.

  “You dare betray me? Stealing energy from my bondmate?”

  With a wave of Alec’s hand, Brant was thrown to the side and crashed into the cavern wall. He collapsed onto the ground, coughing and sputtering as he gasped for air.

  “Alec, no!” Kayla shouted, trying to get Alec’s attention. “Brant didn’t do anything wrong. He saved me. I shared my power with him so we could escape from Lars.”

  Alec hesitated for a moment, and she felt his energy pulse along their bond, sensing her emotions. He looked back and forth between her and Brant before waving for the other security officers to help Brant.

  Ignoring Felix standing beside her, Alec pulled Kayla into his arms. He looked her up and down as though trying to assess her wellbeing. Despite her irritation at his arrival, she was glad to see him. He was one of the few people she trusted, but it was still too dangerous for him to be here.

  “Are you all right? Gods, Kayla, you could have been killed. Why did you leave the towers? I told you I’d do everything in my power to find Carl. None of this was necessary.”

  She d
ropped her head against his chest, feeling his cool air energy surround and caress her. The weakness was starting to fade, and she felt a little more like herself.

  “I had to get the supplies to Leo’s camp. They were in trouble and couldn’t wait. Then I thought about trying to find Carl by using his boots as a focus object. You said proximity was important. I knew my chances would be better on the surface. Brant agreed to help.”

  When he didn’t reply, Kayla looked up into his eyes. “Don’t blame Brant for what happened. He argued against it the whole time, but I kinda bullied him into it.” She gripped his jacket tightly, afraid of what his presence could mean. She couldn’t lose both Alec and Carl. “Lars is going to know you’re on the surface, Alec. You have to get back to the towers.”

  Alec sighed and brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. He bent down and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “No, Kayla. If Lars wants a challenge, I’m going to give it to him. That’s the only way this is going to end.”

  Horror filled her, and she pushed him away. “What the hell are you thinking? This isn’t a fucking game, Alec. Lars wants you dead.”

  A soft voice sounded from the cavern entrance. “Kayla, this is his right. If Alec has chosen to accept Lars’s challenge, you cannot interfere.”

  She turned to see her mother walking toward her, looking out of place in her OmniLab protective gear. Kayla’s heart lurched in fear. Of all the people from the towers, she wanted these two as far away from the dangers on the surface as possible.

  “Seara? Why are you here?” Kayla jerked her head back to meet Alec’s gaze. “Have you completely lost your mind? Lars is a couple sandwiches short of a picnic and you brought her here?”

  Alec rubbed the bridge of his nose and didn’t answer. Seara gave her a sad smile and maneuvered along the rocky ground, guided by an OmniLab guard. “I needed to be here, Kayla. I didn’t fully realize it until we were a few miles away.” She looked around the cavern and added, “We’re less than a mile from where the original ruin collapse happened. This is where I lost you and your father. I didn’t expect to find so much beauty so close to such painful memories.”

  A feeling of panic began to grow in the pit of her stomach. Kayla tried to swallow, but her mouth had suddenly gone dry. She looked back at Alec, silently pleading for him to deny Seara’s words.

  Alec frowned. “I’m sorry, Kayla. I didn’t want to upset you by saying anything. After you caused the earthquake that opened this cavern, I had a suspicion and checked the coordinates. We believe your spirit energy has always been drawn to this location for some reason. Perhaps it was the river that called to you the entire time. Perhaps there’s something else down here that we need to discover.”

  Kayla shook her head, not liking what she was hearing. Dozens of lives had been lost or ruined because of that damned ruin collapse. A sudden fear struck her, and she gripped Alec’s hand. “The ruin collapse when I was a kid, I didn’t…”

  “No,” Alec assured her, “it wasn’t your fault. Even if Edwin hadn’t confessed, you didn’t have those abilities as a child.”

  Even so, the similarities were too disturbing to discount. Looking around at Alec, Seara, Brant, Felix, and all the guards, Kayla couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that was gripping her.

  “Alec,” Brant moved toward them, rubbing at his side where he had hit the wall, “I want to apologize to you. I never meant to—”

  Kayla pulled away from Alec and kicked Brant in the shin. Seara gasped and the security officer swore loudly, rubbing his leg and scowling at Kayla. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Shut up, Brant.”

  Alec frowned, looking back and forth between them. All she needed was for Brant to start saying what had transpired and Alec would toss him back into the wall. What had happened was her fault. She’d pushed Brant into agreeing with her demands.

  “He’s loyal to you, Alec. You can trust him.”

  Alec glanced down at her briefly before turning back to his half-brother. Emotions warred through Alec along their bond. With another silent urging from her, Alec finally extended his hand toward his brother. Brant hesitated for a long moment and then shook Alec’s hand. Kayla let out a sigh of relief.

  “I apologize,” Alec said. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

  Brant bowed his head. “No, you were correct. I overstepped myself. I never should have—”

  “You both are idiots,” Kayla declared, cutting Brant off again and ignoring his glare. “Now that we’ve all made nice, can we please focus on the Lars situation? We need to get the hell out of here.”

  Alec nodded, scanning the rocky terrain and jagged stalactites. “I agree. We only left a handful of men stationed topside. We didn’t know what to expect down here or if you were alone.”

  “Excuse me, Master Tal’Vayr,” a guard interrupted with a grim expression. “We just got word that Lars Cerulis is outside the tunnel with two full squads of Coalition forces. He’s demanding entrance and wishes to issue challenge.”

  Kayla stiffened.

  Dammit. We’re out of time.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Lock down the cavern,” Alec ordered. “No one is allowed in or out until the challenge is resolved.”

  Kayla listened while Alec began issuing last-minute instructions to Brant and a few of the nearby guards. Apparently, they were going to allow Lars to enter with four guards. Even so, that was four too many. It was made even worse by the number of Coalition forces gathered on the surface. She’d bet her last credit that even if Lars lost the challenge, she and her people weren’t walking out of here unscathed.

  “Are you insane?” Kayla hissed at Alec.

  “Those are my men on the surface,” Alec replied in an even tone, the stiff rigidity of his posture belying his otherwise calm façade. “Until the challenge is resolved, Lars won’t harm them. If he believes I intend to avoid his challenge, they’ll be executed in retaliation. I won’t have their deaths on my hands.”

  “What about leaving through the secondary exit and meeting him topside? You can’t be serious about doing this challenge thing down here. You’ll bring the whole cavern down on top of us.”

  Brant stepped forward and nodded. “I agree, Master Tal’Vayr. You’ll be at a disadvantage down here.”

  “No more than Lars. We’re both air channelers.” Alec paused for a moment, considering the terrain. “Although being down here is less than ideal, the surface holds dangers too. I can negotiate to have most of our men taken to the surface until this is resolved.”

  Seara stepped forward, clasping her hands together. “You can dismiss some of the guards, but Kayla and Brant will both need to remain here. I don’t intend to leave either.”

  Kayla scowled. “I think I’d rather drag Lars’s ass down here and cut off body parts until he tells us where he stashed Carl.”

  “Patience, love,” Alec advised. Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips in a gesture of affection. “In accordance with our traditions, no harm may come to anyone here, on their side or ours, until the terms of the duel are satisfied. We’ll make every effort to find Carl, but we need to resolve the challenge first.”

  Kayla narrowed her eyes at him. She refused to make any promises. “Great. There’s a bunch of people pointing weapons at each other on the surface waiting to shoot each other, and we’re stuck underground.”

  Seara gave her a sympathetic smile. “It will be over soon enough.”

  That didn’t make her feel any better. As Alec began discussing with Brant what weapons Lars and his escort would be allowed, she scanned the cavern and the placement of the remaining guards. Underground, they were all easy targets. Kayla might not be able to protect everyone, but she could do something.

  “I’ll be right back,” Kayla murmured and headed away from them.

  As she passed the guard standing closest to Felix, Kayla feigned stumbling on the wet, rocky ground. Using the momentum to bump into the guard, s
he quickly palmed the commlink fastened to his belt. With an apology and disarming smile, she continued toward Felix.

  “Nice lift,” the ruin rat observed in a low voice.

  She grinned. “Caught that, did you?”

  Felix snorted and leaned against the stalagmite. “Tell me you swiped that so we could get the hell out of here. I don’t want to be anywhere near this place when the fighting starts. Things don’t look good for your Omni lover over there.”

  “He’s not my lover,” she retorted.

  Felix didn’t reply but merely raised an eyebrow and gave her that cocky smirk. She huffed at him. “Don’t be an ass. Regardless of whether or not I’m sleeping with him, I don’t want him to die. You shouldn’t either. That Omni is the ticket to freedom for the ruin rats.”

  “Not from where I’m standing, crazy girl. You’ve been up in that tower too long if you think differently.”

  Kayla leaned in closer to Felix. “I get it. You have no reason to trust any of them, but you know me.”

  “Do I?” The mirth faded from his expression as his gaze took on an uncharacteristic hardness.

  A hollow feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. Had she finally burned her last bridge with the ruin rats? Showing Felix the energy stuff had been risky, but she hadn’t had much of a choice. Either way, she wouldn’t back down. Not from him.

  Kayla tilted her head back and met his fierce glare with her own. “Fuck you, Felix.”

  A slow smile crept over his face, and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Tempting, but you have enough company in your bed. Although, these Omnis seem a little uptight for your usual tastes.”

  She punched him in the arm. He grinned lazily, but there was still that hint of hardness under the surface.

  “What’s your plan, crazy girl?”

  Kayla darted a quick look at Alec and Brant. It looked like their conversation was winding down. “I’m still working on that. If you want to bail, go ahead. Alec says no one will be harmed until the challenge is finished. He’s sending some of the guards back to the surface.”