Tainted Rescue

by Jenn Vakey

  He seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, then he nodded. “They were domesticated animals. Pets.” I nodded. “I always liked history in school. It’s part of the reason I accepted this position with the Sentry. Only way I was going to get outside of the wall.”

  I could understand that. Especially now that I was outside. The things I had seen. I smirked. “Have you ever heard of a subway?” Again, Lamont searched his memory, then nodded again. “I stumbled into an underground subway chamber a couple days ago. Locked away from the elements. There was an intact train down there.”

  He looked at me skeptically, which made me laugh. Mostly because I could see the desire for it to be true in his eyes.

  “That’s not why I’m here,” I said, getting back on point. “I discovered part of my siren abilities lets me connect mentally to my sister.” Lamont raised an eyebrow but didn’t question me. Not yet. “We’re identical twins. As far as we can guess, that’s what allows it. I can talk to her, see through her eyes.”

  “Okay,” he said, not understanding. He also didn’t look like he believed me at all.

  “I asked her about Stazie,” I told him. “She said she’s still there.”

  There was only the tiniest bit of hope there. Mostly, I could see that he thought I was playing him. Even a little anger because of it. I couldn’t blame him. I would think the same in his shoes.

  “I’m going to try to connect with her,” I went on. He was going to need proof. “Just don’t mention anything about the people here or what’s going on. She’ll be able to hear you.”

  Lamont nodded stiffly, and I could tell he wasn’t convinced.

  I took a breath and concentrated on Lillith. To my delight, it was easier to reach her this time.

  Unlike the last two times, Lillith wasn’t alone now. She was sitting in a large room filled with tables. Other than a few Sentry standing around, everyone was wearing the same white jumpsuits, although they were different than the ones worn by Healers. They were thinner, more closely resembling what patients wore in the hospital in Eden.

  The Tainted.

  “Lillith,” I smiled, speaking aloud so Lamont could hear me. “I was hoping you could help me with something really quick. Something important.”

  “Sure thing, crazy voice in my head,” she answered. No one looked at her as she spoke, which meant that she was only thinking back to me.

  Her words hurt me. I had been so sure that she believed this was real. “Lil,” I said softly. “You know…”

  “Messing with you, Leeya,” she responded, actually sounding like she was laughing. “Can’t blame me for looking for a little entertainment.”

  I rolled my eyes, but still let out a relieved breath.

  “What’s going on?” Lamont asked. I couldn’t see him, but his tone was filled with confusion.

  “Sorry. She thinks she’s funny,” I muttered. “Lil, you remember that woman we were talking about? Stazie?” She nodded. “Is she in there with you? The room, I mean.”

  “Um, yeah,” she answered. “Unless she left. I started keeping an eye on her after you mentioned her.”

  Perfect. “Which one? Can you describe her?”

  “Black hair pulled back,” she said. Her head turned some and I saw a woman sitting alone at a table across the room. She was young, just a year older than us judging by what Lamont had said. Pretty, even with the look of sorrow on her heart shaped face.

  “Can you go talk to her?”

  “And how do you expect me to do that?” she asked, that snarky tone of hers that I’d missed sounding in her voice. “I can’t see anything except a man in a cage. Lee, why do you have a man in a cage?”

  I smirked. “That’s not important right now. If I direct you, can you walk?”

  She sighed and stood as way of an answer. By the time she reached the table, I realized that it would have been easier just to break the connection and reach out again. I couldn’t even imagine how I looked to Lamont, saying nothing for a solid thirty seconds other than a slew of steps, turns, and stops.

  Stazie looked up with a weak smile when Lillith sat down across from her. One I had to tell her to return before we started.

  “Don’t tell her anything about the connection or why we’re asking questions.”

  “Duh,” Lillith thought in response.

  I rolled my eyes again, eliciting a mental chuckle from her. “Ask her if she had a guy before being taken.”

  Lillith relayed my question and I watched Stazie’s expression melt into a genuine smile. One that made me certain this was the right girl. There was also a sadness there, like she was reminding herself she’d never see him again.

  “Monty,” Stazie’s gentle voice said.

  I repeated her answer. I couldn’t see Lamont, but I didn’t need to.

  “Wow, he looks happy,” Lillith stated. “I’m guessing cage guy is this Monty?”

  “Yeah,” I said in relief. “Ask her to tell you about him.”

  Stazie sighed like she had been pulled into the past. With a shy, guilty smirk, she said, “We kissed once, even though it was against the rules. Not long before my test day. I actually think about it at night when I’m trying to keep the nightmares away. He was a little older, but I knew at age twelve I was going to marry him.”

  Her story was so sweet, but it only strengthened my anger toward Eden. They were tearing people apart. And for what?

  “Thanks, Lil,” I told her. “That should be enough for now. I’ll be in touch soon. And remember not to tell anyone about this. They’ll hurt you if they know you can talk to me.”

  It took a few seconds for Lamont’s curious face to come back into focus when the connection broke. Saying that name had caused his hope to rise, but he was still holding back. I knew that feeling all too well. Like he was afraid to let himself really believe for fear that it would only hurt worse when everything came crashing down.

  “Naughty, naughty,” I grinned wickedly. “No wonder you were asking about the rules about touching here. What do you think the wonderful Eden government would say if they knew you had kissed a Tainted?”

  Lamont’s eyes went wide. There was a touch of embarrassment there, but it was quickly overshadowed by excitement. Relief. “She’s really there? My Stazie?” I smiled and nodded. His eyes glistened as he swallowed hard, then he blew out a breath as it really sank in. “Is she okay?”

  “She looked okay,” I said honestly. “She’s found something to keep her strong. A happy memory.”

  “I’m in,” he said firmly. “Anything you need from me. I’ll do anything I can to get her back.”

  Even without the ability to know if someone was lying, the desperation in his voice would have been enough to convince anyone he was telling the truth.

  “Thank you,” I said, then gave him a reassuring smile. Whether the others agreed to take his help or not, we were still getting her back. We were getting them all out.

  Lamont and I talked for another hour, him throwing question after question at me about what I knew about what the Tainted had been going through. He asked if Stazie looked like she had been eating enough, if she looked healthy. Things that someone in love would want to know. I was still careful what information I gave him before the leaders gave approval to involve him more, but I couldn’t deny his request to know what he could. I knew how he felt. How hard it was to have someone I loved stuck in such a horrible place. The guilt that came with being free when they weren’t.

  “I need to talk to the leaders, then I’ll give you an update,” I told him when lunch time neared. It was still a little early, but I knew they would be waiting for me to give them answers. “Someone will be out shortly with your lunch.”

  He looked numb as he nodded and watched me walk away.

  Rhydian was already sitting with Orson when I walked into the nearly empty dining hall. I loaded up a plate, grabbing a little extra for Kip, and went to join them. On the way, I flagged Auggie down and asked him to feed our
prisoner.

  Stassa was a few tables over, but she stood to walk over when I caught her eye.

  “How did he take it?” Rhydian asked. He grabbed a piece of meat from his plate and tossed it under the table to the dog. Orson glowered, but we both ignored him.

  “Skeptical until I got Lillith to actually talk to Stazie,” I answered. “He’s all in now. He’s willing and ready to help in any way he can to get her back.”

  “And you trust him?” Stassa asked.

  I didn’t need to think before nodding. “The questions he asked were about her wellbeing. He’s in shock, but his concern is genuine.”

  “We’ll talk to him after lunch,” Orson said. “If we all feel we can trust him, we can see what information he can give us.”

  I should have been offended that he couldn’t just trust my judgement on this, but I was too excited. Dallin was helping, but Lamont might have information he didn’t have access to. This put us even closer to getting my sister back.

  After we finished, I had Zaydan take Kip out in camp and walked with the leaders to the cell. Lamont was standing at the door watching for us. He looked relieved. More so when Orson unlocked the door and led us in.

  “Lamont, this is Orson and Stassa,” I said, not giving him specifics until they deemed it appropriate. “They’ve got some questions for you.”

  “Anything,” he said, bowing his head to Rhydian before motioning for Stassa and Orson to join him at the table.

  They went back and forth asking questions. All of his answers were prompt, even the ones any Sentry with loyalty to Eden would hesitate to answer. Rhydian just stood back by my side quietly. It wasn’t that he didn’t think it was his place. It was me. He trusted me enough to trust Lamont.

  After half an hour, they were both satisfied enough that Orson asked Lamont to join us in the meeting hall.

  “You can remain out during the day,” Orson told him as we walked. “You aren’t to go anywhere alone, and you’ll still need to be in the cell at night.”

  I looked to Lamont for a reaction, but he agreed without hesitation. He was just glad to be involved. Even Rhydian looked surprised. I think it actually helped to earn a little more trust with the others.

  While it wasn’t an official meeting, his presence was noticed as we walked through camp and a group started to form in the room with us.

  “Right now our main focus is on determining where they’re being held,” Orson said, walking toward the table at the front of the room. “Our man in the city has been working with us to narrow things down.”

  “A Sentry?” Lamont asked.

  Several eyes looked to Orson from where they were seated, silently questioning whether or not he should be answered, but I didn’t hesitate.

  “Yes, he’s Sentry,” I said.

  Lamont tensed slightly. His jaw worked, like he was uncertain if it was his place to say anything. We all just waited.

  “Someone you’re certain can be trusted?”

  His question actually made most of our people relax. He wasn’t asking a name. Nothing that could be given to someone in Eden and used against us. Not that he would have been told either way. There were only a handful of people in Alkwin who knew Dallin was working with us. He was only ever referred to by his position.

  But that wasn’t what Lamont was looking for. He just wanted to make sure Stazie was safe.

  “Completely.”

  Lamont nodded at my answer and looked down at the map stretched over the table.

  “We have it narrowed down to half a dozen buildings,” Orson stated, pointing to the ones that were marked.

  Lamont studied it for a moment, his eyes working over each of them. Then he pointed down to one of the structures. “This one is actually in the process of being renovated. It was being used for Sentry gear, but a storm about two months ago caused water damage. Not wanting the citizens to know such things were even possible, it’s been kept under wraps. I was one of the Sentry on the team that went in to get the gear out. There was a fair amount of damage and no sign that it was being used for anything else.”

  Orson nodded and crossed it out. I knew he wouldn’t completely eliminate it as a possibility, but he was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

  “This one’s used by the branch that are actually hunting Tainted, but it’s not your place,” he added, motioning to another. “It’s for training. Both in surviving outside of the wall and in dealing with your people. Also looking into suspected Tainted in the city.”

  He scowled as he said it, a look that held a fair amount of guilt. Regret for past actions and the people he likely helped the city to capture.

  Orson crossed that one out also, then looked up to Lamont. “Any of the others?” He studied the map, then shook his head. “I’ll get this information to our people in the city.” Then he looked out to the room. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow.”

  “I’d like to be part of the team that goes into the city,” Lamont stated.

  “We’ll discuss it when the time comes,” Orson said, though I could see the hesitation. It was one thing to use him for information, but something entirely different to put him in the middle of it all. In a position to betray us. Knowing my story, Orson was all too aware of the lengths people would take in order to save someone they loved.

  “Thanks,” I told Lamont. I rolled my neck. My body felt strange. This was the longest I’d gone without training in weeks. I was actually craving it. “I’ll be on the field if anyone needs me.”

  While it was clear Lamont had no idea what I was talking about, no one else looked surprised.

  The air was cool and felt fresh when I stepped out onto the training field minutes later. My body was radiating with anticipation as I grabbed the bastons and squared off with the dummy. At the first clank of contact, it felt like I’d come home.

  I was so caught up in my training that I barely noticed when there was movement in the corner of my eye. I thought it was Rhydian, but to my surprise, Lamont was standing on the edge of the field with Prestyn. He looked impressed.

  “So this is what you meant by field,” he smirked. “I was having trouble picturing you out in fields harvesting. This makes more sense.”

  “Hey,” I grinned, feigning insult. “I actually love being in the gardens.”

  “Not as much as being out here,” Prestyn mused. “I don’t think any of us have ever been in as good of shape as we are now just trying to keep up with you.”

  I rolled my eyes, but we both knew I couldn’t argue. “I’ll take over for a while. Thanks, Prestyn.”

  He bowed his head slightly, not questioning my ability to handle the Sentry, then turned to leave. I motioned Lamont to the rack and handed him a single baston.

  “One or two?” I asked.

  He tested the weight in his hand. “One for now. Although, I’m surprised you’re willing to spar with me. So close to the edge of town, without anyone else around. Or that he was fine leaving me here.”

  I shrugged and stepped out, taking my stance. “That would mean I was worried about you being able to beat me in the first place. Same for Prestyn. I think he’s just glad for fresh meat for me to train with. It gives the rest of them a break.”

  Lamont chuckled and squared off with me. We started off slower, testing each other out before getting into it. I wasn’t lying when I told Rhydian he was one of the best Sentry fighters I’d gone up against. I wasn’t complaining. I liked the challenge.

  “I know Stazie will never be able to stay in Eden,” he said, not slowing the assault. “Would I be allowed to stay here with her after she’s rescued?”

  I wanted to reassure him, to tell him that wouldn’t be a problem. I couldn’t. “That's not my decision to make.”

  He was disappointed, but he simply nodded. “Why do you think Stazie didn’t tell me?” he asked. “I would have found a way to get her out of there. I would have come with her.”

  I sighed. There was so much sadness in his voice. Hurt. “Honest
ly, she might not have even known. I had no idea I wouldn’t have passed the test. Only my siren based abilities had presented, and I just thought that was me being good at knowing when people were lying.” I feigned left, then spun and struck Lamont’s hip. He chuckled, rubbing it before striking out again. “From what Lillith said, Stazie’s abilities are dragon and nymph based. She wouldn’t have known she could control plants if she wasn’t around them. As far as the dragon, it might not have presented at the same time.”

  There wasn’t any way I could give him a complete answer, but I hoped it provided some comfort. I could tell by that brief exchange with Stazie that she was still very much in love with him. They would work it out.

  “I didn’t know about the tests,” he grunted, landing a blow to my thigh before I could block it. I stepped back to recover, then advanced again. “You must think the worst of me since I joined the team that hunted Tainted. But they didn’t tell us. I know there are rumors, but we were told they were just that.” He puffed out an annoyed breath and shook his head, putting more power into his next strike. I blocked, but I could feel the sting of it in my hand. He was blaming himself, feeling foolish for not seeing through the lies. “They told me she had fallen ill while being retrained.”

  I nodded, and it was enough to let him know that I believed him. “What about her family?”

  Lamont shook his head. “She didn’t have any. Both of her parents passed when she was young, so she was raised in the children’s home.”

  The conversation dropped away after that. Both of us getting lost in our thoughts, using the bastons in our hands to deal with our mutual anger with Eden.

  Lamont and I were still getting our workout in when I saw Rhydian walk out. He wasn’t the only one, I noticed. A small crowd had formed to watch us. They’d all seen me fight, but Lamont was more experienced in the Sentry style. If things worked out, he could actually be an asset when it came to training.

  We continued for a few more moments, then I stepped back and gave him an approving nod. We were both short on breath, but I could tell that, like me, he found comfort in the exercise.