Tainted Rescue

by Jenn Vakey

  “We should have a Healer with us in Denver,” I said, keeping my tone casual. “Especially after the last trip out there.”

  I wasn't going to give the details, because I knew how frightened Leeya was of animals. Not that Orson needed a reminder. He had been here when we came back two people short.

  He also didn't look pleased with my suggestion at all. If I were being honest, it was why I mentioned it here in front of everyone instead of privately. He could deny the request then, giving me whatever reason he had to support it. I knew he wouldn't with Stassa and her people here. If he hadn’t told anyone what she had done by now, it meant he wasn’t going to. There wasn’t any other reason he could really give to refuse.

  “Fine,” he said tersely, then let out an annoyed sigh. “Leeya can make the trip with you.”

  I gave a curt nod, intentionally not looking back at her. While it was true that the trip would be safer with a Healer, especially one as skilled as her at fighting, I didn't want my expression to betray why I had actually recommended it. I hardly wanted to admit it to myself. Because it would make her happy.

  I walked out without waiting for Leeya when I left. I needed to get my head straight, to understand what I was even feeling. What I wanted. I knew I couldn't keep going about things the way I was. Just acting on instinct. It felt like I was leading her on.

  Walking out into the middle of camp, something caught my eye. Well, someone.

  I started walking with a new determination as I approached Aarys. Not even slowing to explain, I grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her with me as I walked toward the tree line. She tensed, and I could feel her concern. She didn't say anything, though. Not until we reached the clearing and I released my hold.

  “What did I do?” she asked nervously.

  I took a step back from her, releasing a breath and shoving my hands into my pockets. I wasn't used to talking about personal matters with anyone, but I knew Aarys would have answers I needed.

  Letting out a sigh, I said, “I know you know.”

  Aarys’ eyes narrowed as they took me in, her hand pushing her flaming red hair back before she crossed her arms and said, “I don't know what you're talking about.”

  Smirking, I actually felt some of my tension leaving me. I liked that she was so determined to keep Leeya's secrets. Even from me.

  “Relax,” I said. “Leeya told me she told you.”

  I had expected her to loosen up after that, maybe even tease me in that way of hers. Instead, she met me with an almost defiant look. “And you actually listened to her? Color me surprised.”

  Okay, I might have deserved that. But I didn't dislike seeing her so defensive of Leeya. In fact, it actually gave me a little hope that I would be able to get some answers from her.

  “Do you really blame me for questioning things?”

  Aarys thought about it for a moment before relaxing some. “No. I probably would have too if I was in your shoes. You're not exactly the most trusting person in the world. It's not always easy to take a step back and look at all of the facts when emotions are involved. You know, instead of just the ones that fit into the version of the story you want to believe.”

  Was that really what I had been doing? Only believing the parts that I wanted to believe? Once again, her words from the archway with the Sentry filled my thoughts. I had accepted that it could be how she felt now, but could that have been the truth of it even back then? Even when she was in contact with Adler? I knew that she had changed her mind at the end. But how long did it take her to decide she wanted another way? How much of it was actually real?

  When I looked up at Aarys, knowing that she actually had answers, she raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

  “I'm not going to tell you anything that she told me. In my opinion, though, there's more to the story than just what you wanted to see. If you’re finally going to listen, you should ask her about it. If not, then you need to stop leaving her in limbo and let her go.”

  Without waiting for me to respond, she flipped her hair back over her shoulder and walked away.

  That didn't really help much. Okay, it at least told me that there was probably more to the story than I had been willing to accept. I still had no idea what to do about it. How was I supposed to talk to Leeya about any of this when I didn’t know where I stood? Even if she told me all the right things, I wasn’t sure I was ready to try for anything with her again. Or if I ever would want to.

  I moved forward a little and watched the training field. I was actually surprised she wasn't out there. As far as I knew, she hadn't trained at all today, which might be a first in recent weeks.

  Did I make a mistake not trying to get the whole story out of her from the beginning? I was so sure that it would have just proven me right that I hadn't wanted to hear it. If she was right about Linley, it actually bothered me more. She was convinced that Leeya would leave Alkwin. If that was true, I needed to figure all of this out before it was too late.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  LEEYA

  “What happened the last time there was a trip to Denver?” I asked as Noella helped me load up a bag with anything that I might need on the trip.

  She looked up at me and raised a bemused eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  “Well, now I’m not,” I laughed.

  She grabbed a handful of patches and passed them to me, then seemed to consider how she wanted to answer the question. After a few moments, she said, “Nothing that should happen again as long as the team is inside before dark. And I’ll leave it at that. This is your first trip out there, and I don’t want to taint it for you with stories that will scare you. Maybe after you get back.”

  I considered arguing, but Noella knew me well enough to know what I would and wouldn’t be able to handle. So, as curious as I was, I was going to take her word for this one.

  “Have you ever been?” I asked instead.

  Noella shook her head. “I’m not Tainted, nor a fighter,” she said. “I haven't been past the archway since I first came with Jaron.”

  I loved Alkwin, but I could never see myself being happy never leaving. Never getting to see what was out there. I also loved fighting too much to just train.

  After leaving the clinic, I decided to swing by the jail. I didn’t know if anyone else really would, other than taking Lamont his meals. We still had a ways to go before we trusted him, even I could admit to that one, but I didn’t think it was right to just leave him secluded and without some information.

  The door was still open when I walked up to it. I could see him inside, sitting on the bed. I was surprised to see that someone had given him a book to read, although not unpleased by it.

  “How are you doing?” I asked, knocking my presence against the doorframe.

  He looked up and gave me a wane smile, then motioned to the book in his hands. “Just catching up on some reading,” he stated. “I was asked to be careful with it, because it’s old. Not that there was any question to that, because Eden doesn’t publish books like this. Fiction, it used to be called. A crime story. It’s actually fascinating.”

  I smiled and looked down at the book. It definitely looked old, the hard cover tattered along the spine and the corners. The printing on the front was also faded enough that I couldn’t make out what it said. “I didn’t know there were books like that still around,” I admitted. “They didn’t give me anything when I was being confined to a room.”

  “You?” he asked, his eyebrows almost going up high enough to meet his dark, well-groomed hair.

  I shrugged, offering a playful smirk. “I showed up at the archway with an animal bite that left me barely conscious and no Tainted sponsor. They had to make sure I wasn’t a Sentry spy.”

  My answer actually seemed to surprise him. I expected some comment about how we were overly cautious, but that wasn’t what he was apparently focusing on.

  “They didn’t know if you were a Sentry or not and still brought you in?”
/>
  I could see why he was asking now that he did. It was no secret that we did everything we could to keep Sentry out. Not carry them straight into camp.

  “The animal that bit me was venomous,” I explained. “It made me hallucinate some pretty crazy things, and I had a high fever by the time the prince found me. I had the mark,” I said, turning so I could pull down the back of my shirt to reveal it. Then I faced him again. “But you’re right. No one who isn’t Tainted is permitted to enter without a sponsor. But, like I said, the people here are good people. They weren’t willing to leave me out there to die. Thankfully, we don’t have those problems anymore. Not only do I take my Healer supplies out to the archway, but my ability to detect lies tells us immediately if someone is lying just to get in.”

  I only added the last part after reminding myself that we didn’t really trust this man yet. Though I was sure someone would erase his memories of being here if it turned out that he wasn’t willing to keep our secrets, I didn’t want to give him any ideas about how to get Sentry in.

  “The young one mentioned that you loved him,” he said, and I smiled at the care he took at not even mentioning her name in there. “I might have been pretty out of it after admittedly getting my ass handed to me in that fight, but I did see you touching him before you left me alone in the bathroom. And he touched you when you were trying to decide what to do with us. Does that mean the two of you are married?”

  That burning pain hit me again, but I was able to hide it from my face. That was definitely not a conversation I was willing to have with a man I barely knew.

  “No,” I answered. “Things just work differently here than they do in Eden. There aren’t the same restrictions about physical contact between sexes.”

  He nodded, this time not looking surprised. Which actually surprised me. “I suspected as much,” he explained. “It was different, fighting with you. Of course there are female Sentry, but they use their weapons to engage. Not their hands. Not unless they’re dealing with another woman. Although, seeing as your touch made me feel like my insides were on fire, while at the same time like I was going to sleep, I thought I’d still ask. If your Tainted ability only worked with direct contact, you wouldn’t really have a choice.”

  “Sorry about that,” I said, although it was interesting to hear someone else describe it. I’d felt it myself, back when Lillith’s ability first showed. We’d been having one of our rare arguments and she’d grabbed me. It felt like the energy was being sucked right out of me, which it technically was. Thankfully she had been with me and not someone else, otherwise we would both be in Eden now. No one would ever know. “Succubus touch. I don’t usually use it in a fight unless I have to. Mainly when there’s more than one person. With you, I just needed to make sure the prince was okay. And speaking of, I was wondering how you got the baton in without anyone seeing it.”

  He rolled his eyes and groaned, but there was still a smile on his face. “That thing was taped to my back under my shirt. It wasn’t comfortable.”

  I laughed and found myself actually hoping that I was right about Lamont. He seemed nice, like a decent guy who had just been given bad information. Not unlike myself when I first arrived in Alkwin.

  “I wanted to let you know that I’ll be out of camp for the next few days,” I said, remembering one of the main reasons I had come out here in the first place.

  “Did you find them?” he asked, sitting up straighter in what looked like an attempt not to run toward me.

  “Not yet,” I responded. “But we will, and soon. When I get back, we’ll see what information you can give us that can help to speed that along.”

  Lamont looked a little disappointed with my answer, and I couldn’t really blame him. I’d been feeling the same way for weeks now. I’d at least known my sister was alive. He had thought his fiancé was dead. Had mourned her. Now that there was even the possibility that she wasn’t, I didn’t imagine he wanted to wait a minute longer before seeing her. Rescuing her from the hell that he knew all too well the Sentry had no problem dishing out.

  “Thank you, Leeya,” he said with a polite nod.

  I gave him a small smile and turned back toward the center of camp.

  I didn't bother changing again before going to the training field. My clothes were loose enough for me to manage.

  I had just started doing my stretches when I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I didn't turn around. I don't know if it was something in the way it sounded when he walked or just a feeling that he would be coming out, but I knew who it was.

  “Don't tell me the Sentry put up a good enough fight this morning that you're taking it easy on your training,” he said, walking over. Still off to the side, but now in my line of sight.

  “To be honest, for as young as he is, he's actually a pretty good fighter,” I admitted. “Better than most of the Sentry I've gone up against.”

  He narrowed his gaze slightly, like he was considering asking a question.

  “Yes,” I answered, already knowing what it probably was. “That's where I was. I wanted to check on him. Without giving him any actual information, I told him we'd be gone for a few days.”

  Rhydian nodded, although I could tell he was uncomfortable. It seemed like the normal state for us these days. I wasn't sure if it was because of the Sentry, or if he was just uncomfortable talking to me. Either way, it didn't leave me feeling great.

  “What's your opinion of him?” he asked. “I know he's been honest, but as a person.”

  I sighed, stretching my arms for a moment as I thought about it. “Honestly, he and I have a lot in common. We both had bad information that sent us here, and we both have someone we love being held by Eden. I don't know if I'm the best person to count on to be objective.”

  Rhydian's eyes looked heavy as he stood in place, arms crossed over his chest, and looked at me. I knew the dangers of bringing up anything that happened before. All it would do was remind him of what I'd done. Nothing good could come of that.

  “Thank you,” I said, wanting to get to a safer subject. “For getting Orson to let me go to Denver.”

  Rhydian sighed, that tension falling away as he walked toward the weapon rack. “I knew you would want to see it,” he said, a surprisingly thoughtful response. He grabbed a pair of bastons and handed them to me. To my surprise, he reached back down for a second pair.

  I didn't really know how to react. I didn't want to assume that he wanted to train with me if he was simply just looking at them. But then I watched him stretch his shoulders and take stance in front of me.

  Excitement flooded through my veins, although I was careful to hide it.

  “What did Orson talk to you about?” he asked, then step forward and aimed a blow at my arm.

  The block was easy, more so when I watched his body for the signs of his pending movements. The question, though, wasn't. I didn't want to tell him. I was almost afraid to. If he learned that Orson had both put the pieces together and told me to stay away from him, he could decide to agree with him.

  “It's not important,” I answered simply, ducking under a blow and aiming for his side, which he blocked just before I could connect.

  We had started out slowly, just warming up as we talked, but the more we got into it, the more I started feeling that fire I'd had when training with him before. It made the movements speed, the blows coming faster and harder. I might have been training with some great fighters, but no one compared to him. Maybe it was because he'd been the one to first teach me. Because I could anticipate his moves and quickly counter. Or maybe it was because, like me, Rhydian didn’t just train because it was necessary. He loved it, put everything he had into it.

  “Was it about me?” he asked, his breathing growing heavier.

  I didn't answer. It was better than lying. When I took advantage of the split second that I'd pinned one of his bastons back and looked up to meet his eyes, I could see that it had been answer enough. He knew. Knew that the focus
of our discussion hadn't been on my actions, but on Rhydian.

  “I'm trying to decide whether or not to put in a small kitchen with just a stove or a full kitchen in the house,” he said, his words actually catching me off guard enough that he landed a blow to the side of my ribs. It ached, but I ignored it and kept moving. “What do you think?”

  There was no stopping the irrational flutter of excitement I felt. I wanted it to mean something more. Like he was asking because he still pictured me there with him. But that was stupid. Something that I needed to let go of and put behind me.

  “I guess that depends on if you can cook,” I said, ducking under his outstretched arm and spinning behind him, striking him between the shoulder blades before moving to face him again. He let out a painful laugh, which might have also been mildly impressed. “Or if you plan on that being your house permanently.”

  “Linley can cook,” he breathed out, moving in to strike again.

  Crossing my bastons, I planted them on his chest and pushed him back. He didn't go far, but he took advantage of the separation to get his footing and catch his breath.

  “Are you planning on her living with you after you build?” I asked. I knew I should be watching his body for signs he was going to attack again, but I couldn't stop looking into his eyes. The notion actually made me happier than just about anything else had lately.

  Rhydian only thought about it for a moment before nodding.

  I smiled. “Good. She'll like that.”

  Something moved through his eyes, but I didn't have the time to determine what it was, because he was advancing before it even had time to flicker away. We were moving so quickly that it was hard to keep up, and I missed to blow aimed behind my knee. It caused my leg to buckle, and in a reflexive move to keep from falling, I hooked my right baston behind his neck, pressing it into his shoulder. But it didn't help. The sudden force of my weight as I tipped back was enough to bring him down with me.

  Not one to ever waste an opportunity, his bastons dropped and he pinned me.