by Jenn Vakey
Then it was over. The remaining two Sentry at that end couldn’t muster a fight before we had rendered them unconscious.
“Cover that door,” I directed. I ran back to the first door in the hall and looked in. A man stood there staring back at me. He was wearing the same outfit I’d seen Lillith and the others wearing. Tainted.
“Start getting them out,” I said, pulling the door open. The man looked down the hall with a look of pure bewilderment. He tensed when the door behind me opened. I looked back myself. Pax. “Get everyone in the Grower suits. Let’s be quick. I want to be ready to move in five.”
Thankfully, the Tainted man put up no fight. He grabbed one of the Grower jumpsuits and started pulling it on, motioning for the others stepping out of the rooms to do the same.
I checked every door as I walked briskly down the hall. Searching.
Five down on the right side, I saw someone that stopped me mid step. I rushed to the door and pulled it open, expelling a sigh of relief.
“You’re Stazie,” I said, glad I’d found her. Her eyes moved over my face, a touch of recognition there. She still looked hesitant. “I’m Leeya. Lamont sent me.”
At that, her eyes widened and watered. She stepped out and let me take her by the arm. I turned and moved her back toward the others.
“Auggie,” I said, grabbing his attention. “This is Lamont’s girl. Don’t let her out of your sight. Make sure she gets out.”
He gave her a smile and nodded, then handed her an outfit.
I looked back down, counting the doors. Lillith had been right. There were too many.
“Strip the Sentry, then lock them in a room,” I called out. “We’ll need the uniforms.”
I didn’t wait to see if anyone was listening. I just started down the hall again, looking for the others I‘d come for. Halfway down the hallway I saw another familiar face.
Unlike most of the others, Gryffin was standing back against the far wall in his cell. When I opened the door and walked in, I discovered why. He watched me move closer, then attacked.
“Stop!” I yelled, holding my hand up in front of me.
I’m not sure if it was my request or the spark of recognition that actually did it, but he listened. I knew he could see it. Like Stazie had, seeing Lillith in me.
“I’ve come to get you out of here, Prince Gryffin.”
“Right,” he snapped sardonically, not letting his guard down. “That’s what the people said when they took me from the palace. But they just brought me here.”
“Evran sent me,” I countered.
An even more skeptical look. “Evran is dead. Keep up with the times, honey.”
Prince or not, I actually rolled my eyes. That at least surprised him. “God, you are just as stubborn as your brother. Hold on.” I reached for the band on my wrist that controlled my communicator and sent the signal to Rhydian to switch channels. Moment laters, I heard it click.
“Can you hear me?” I asked.
“Yes, beautiful,” he answered. “What’s going on? Do you have them?”
I smiled at the endearment, but couldn’t slow. “Almost. I need you to talk to someone.”
He hummed an acknowledgement, and I pulled my earpiece out and held it out cautiously for Gryffin. It was clear by the way he looked at me as he plucked it from my fingers and backed away that he didn’t trust me. Hopefully this would help.
“Who is this?” he demanded after putting it in.
I couldn't hear what was being said. All I could do was watch. After a moment, his eyes shifted back to me, an eyebrow raising. “Your fiancé?”
I grinned again, glad we had used a private channel. It was probably the one thing Rhydian could have told him that would earn his trust. At least as far as I was concerned.
After exchanging a few more words, he nodded and passed it back.
“I’m still looking for Lillith, but we’re nearly done here,” I told him. “Are you out yet?”
“We’re moving back to the wall now,” he said, and I could hear the extra effort in his breathing. “The chemical worked. People are already leaving their houses.”
Before I could feel the relief at his words, I heard yelling over the line.
“Rhydian, what’s going on?” I asked, my heart clenching with fear.
“I’ll have to get back to you,” he answered, then the line cut out.
Panic started to fill me, despite my efforts to prevent it. Of course the line would end. He needed to get back to the main channel. That still didn’t stop me from wanting to run out of here and find him. But Lillith still needed me. I couldn't do anything until I found her and made certain she made it outside the wall.
“What happened?” Gryffin asked.
I blinked a few times to gather myself and shook my head. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But we have to go. Have you seen my sister?”
He shook his head but didn’t move. “You’re really marrying my brother?”
“Yes,” I said. “He’s excited to see you. Your sister will be too.”
His brow dropped again. “They told me Myrah was dead.”
Shrugging, I motioned toward the door. We needed to move.
“They just didn’t have all the facts. Long story short, your father gave her to Rhydian to keep her safe. She’s in Alkwin.”
Gryffin followed me out into the hall, but he didn’t go down with the others. He just stayed by my side, which I was glad for. My eyes scanned the busy hall. It looked like everyone had been taken out, but I still couldn't see her. When I met Pax’s eyes at the end of the hall, he shook his head, worry on his face.
I let out a breath and concentrated on Lillith. The room came into focus, but she didn’t respond to me. Her head just moved around sluggishly. They’d taken her somewhere else.
“She’s in a room,” I said, spinning to face Gryffin. “She’s on a table. There’s Healer equipment. Healers. Do you know where that is?”
He looked beyond confused, but just nodded and started moving toward the other end of the hall. We pushed through the doors and found another, shorter hall. It was the same one I’d seen her pulled out of days ago. “That one at the end,” he said.
Gryffin tried to go first, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The contact alone was enough to shock him out of arguing. I kept forgetting people here weren’t used to it. It gave me enough time to get my batons out and reach for the door, so I wasn’t going to apologize.
I didn’t hesitate when I opened the door. I had seen the placement of the two Sentry and two Healers when I had connected with Lillith. I just went on the attack. It was almost too easy.
The Sentry had been focused on my sister in the middle of the room, not the door. I took the first out before he even knew what was going on.
One of the Healers retrieved his baton and tried to help as I went to blows with the second Sentry, but it was easy spinning to dodge her attack, while still making headway with the Sentry.
I actually felt bad when she struck her arm out in a sloppy attempt to hit me and I brought the baton down on her wrist. The sound of the bones snapping was only overshadowed by her screaming. The Sentry should have known better than to let himself be distracted by it. His focus shifted just enough for me to strike up at his jaw. His head jerked back, sending him back into the wall with a thud. Then he stilled.
The second Healer had helped the first back out of the fray and they sat cowering against the wall. I would have felt bad for them, but I couldn't. They had just been submitting my sister to who knows what. An innocent.
“Don’t hurt us,” the second Healer pleaded, his voice shaky with fear.
I growled, then walked toward the cabinet at the back of the room. Careful to keep them in the corner of my eye, I started sifting through it. One patch I tucked in my pocket, then I pulled out two others and a pill packet.
“This is more than you deserve,” I said, flinging the bone pill to the woman. She looked at it, confused, but tore it o
pen and swallowed the pill. “Now,” I said, holding up the others. “You can attach these, or I can do to you what I did to them.”
Without waiting for them to answer, I threw over the sedative patches. They hesitated, looking at each other before opening them.
“Don’t even try,” I said, knowing they were probably plotting. “I’m Healer trained, although I apparently missed the day where they taught us it was okay to torture innocent people.” I motioned to Gryffin and tsked. “And a prince? Put them on correctly or that broken wrist will feel like a tickle. You do realize that’s my twin sister you have strapped to the table, right?”
Deflated, they complied. As soon as they went limp, I tucked my batons back into place.
“Wow,” Gryffin breathed out. I turned to see him staring at me with a look of wonder in his eyes. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”
I grinned proudly. “Actually, your brother taught me.”
I checked the room one last time for threats, then moved to my sister’s side.
“Lil,” I said, placing my hand down on her cheek. “Can you hear me? It’s Leeya. I’ve come to get you out of here.”
She blinked up at me, only semi-conscious, but she was completely out of it. Gryffin didn’t wait before helping me unstrap her and lifting her into his arms. Time to go.
Everyone had changed and the group was gathered at the end of the hall by the time we walked out. Pax pushed through and ran toward us with a Grower jumpsuit in hand.
Gryffin let him take her, then took a Sentry suit Jaron offered. Paxton and I helped Lillith into hers while Gryffin changed. When we were ready, I pulled the patch out of my pocket and tore it open. Then I placed it on Lillith’s neck. Instantly, she jerked in a breath and her eyes opened wide. Adrenaline.
“Hello, beautiful,” I said, putting my face right in front of hers so she could see me.
It took a moment for her to understand, then she smiled. “You have to say that. We have the same face. Rescue time?”
I nodded and helped her up. She was still uneasy, but Paxton stepped in and put his arm around her. She looked over and smiled.
“Time to go,” I announced to the crowd. “Stick together. In the event that something happens and the group has to split, everyone from here needs to make sure you stay with someone from Alkwin. It’s the only way we can get you out.”
I looked around, but no one argued. Good.
“The walkways are filled with people. Everyone is outside. Try not to draw attention. Now, let's move.”
Rhydian had been right about people leaving their homes. Not just that. The people who had still been working had vacated the buildings. I was glad when I walked out and caught a whiff of the offending aroma on the air that we had decided to shut the water off to the building before going in.
“You’re bleeding,” Gryffin said. I looked over and saw him glancing down at my side. “What happened?”
I had been so caught up in everything that I’d actually forgotten it. Now that he mentioned the wound, I could feel that twinge of pain as I moved. “It’s just a graze,” I assured him, knowing it couldn't be worse than that. “I’ll get it patched up when we get back to Alkwin.”
He nodded, looking back ahead as we reached the residential area and met a thicker crowd. “So it's real. I had actually started to think it was just a story to cover up that place.
“Oh, it's real,” I stated. “It's pretty incredible. Less restrictions.”
“I guessed as much,” he mused. “Seeing as you touched me.”
He shot me a sideways glance. “Noticed that, did you? You know, that initial shock actually comes in handy when I have to fight Sentry. Especially the ones that haven't dealt with us before.”
He started to say something, but a commotion ahead grabbed both of our attention. The crowd was thicker here, and our group was having to push through it. I hadn't considered it, but that was where the problem was coming from. Several of the people we just rescued were growing agitated, antsy at the contact. Fear from being around so many people.
“Shit,” I muttered and looked around. We were only halfway there. This wasn't good. “Return to your homes,” I called out, hoping to clear the way a little. “The problem is being dealt with, but it isn't harmful. Go back inside.”
Some people looked over, but the crowd confusion was too great. Then the mood changed entirely.
One of the women in the middle of the group was bumped into. Although it was clearly an accident, she reacted. And not in an ideal way. Her hands flew up in front of her and fire sparked from them. My chest tightened, my hands instinctively grabbing the batons and pulling them out.
People started screaming, which only caused more of our group to react. Despite the efforts of my team, several started displaying their abilities. Using them to keep the citizens away.
“Go!” I yelled. It wouldn't be long now. Sentry would be moving in, and we couldn't be here when they arrive. “Get them out of here. Now!”
Members of my team grabbed ahold of several of the Tainted rescued and split off in all directions. It wasn't ideal, but it would make it harder for us to be detected this way. Gryffin stayed by my side, along with Jarrell who was helping the, thankfully mobile, Cyril. We moved a row of houses over from the hysterical crowd and made straight for the wall. Sentry could be seen running by, but no one paid attention to us. The ones who had displayed had all been in Grower green. They weren't looking for other Sentry.
We made it to the wall in just over ten minutes. Several groups were already there, and others trickled in. Dallin herded them into the house, and I worked my way through the list of people who had been on my team. There was no way I'd be able to tell if all of the rescued had made it. Not if they separated from our group. But after another five minutes, the last of my people were there.
“Is the other team out?” I asked Dallin. He’d stayed behind, running things from the wall.
“Most of them,” he said, giving me a heavy look. “They were a few short.”
He didn't need to say it. I could see it in his eyes.
I hit my communicator and connected to the main channel.
“Rhydian,” I called out, trying to keep my panic at bay. But he didn't answer.
“Did Rhydian go through?” I asked, pleading with my eyes as I looked back at Dallin. He'd run into trouble. Why hadn't I checked in sooner? He shook his head and I felt like I was going to break.
“Where's my brother?” Griffin demanded.
Dallin looked surprised. He must not have recognized him like Paxton had. I didn't have time to explain.
“I don't know,” I said, shaking my head. “But I'm not leaving without him.”
“Leeya,” Pax said, moving toward me. He was having to hold Lillith up at this point. Dallin moved toward her and planted a kiss on her head, but he didn't try to take over. He'd known just as long as I had how Paxton felt about her. He knew she would be safe with him. “What now?”
I looked over the group filling the house and nodded. I needed to focus. “Get them back to Alkwin,” I ordered. “Stick together as best as possible. Harun has packs with supplies.” I reached down for my bag I’d left on the floor and tossed it to Auggie. “My supplies, in case you need them.”
He looked down at the bag, then back to me. It was the same look he’d given me weeks ago when I told him I was going after a wounded woman. “You aren't coming?”
I shook my head. “Rhydian’s still in the city.”
We just stared at each other in silence for a moment, then he nodded. He knew. He'd always known. I wasn't leaving without Rhydian.
“Here, Dallin said, giving Pax three bags. “Yours and both of ours. Make sure she gets there safely.”
I started to tell him to go with them. I didn't want to risk him too, but I knew Dallin. He'd never listen.
“I'm staying with you,” another voice said. Gryffin.
“No,” I stated firmly. “You have to go with them. Not o
nly are you the rightful king, but your sister is going to need you if we don't come back.”
He folded his arms and gave me a look that reminded me he and Rhydian were related. He didn't care what I said. I didn't like it, but I could respect it.
So, with a sigh, I looked back at Auggie. “Give him your communicator. And take care of the little one. Just in case.”
We stepped back and watched as the group hurried through the wall and into the darkness. So close. We'd been so close. At least Lillith was out. No matter what happened, I could take comfort in that.
“Switch to channel three,” I told Dallin and Gryffin after Harun closed the exit and vanished into the shadows. I wasn't worried. He wouldn't go far. “That one's just for us.”
I did so myself and held my breath. Begging.
“Rhydian, are you there?”
“Leeya,” he gasped, his own relief sounding as strongly as mine. “Tell me you made it to the wall. That you're out.”
“I got them all here,” I said. “The group is on the way back to Alkwin now. Where are you?”
He sighed. I wondered for a moment if his pause meant he was wanting to lie. Something he knew wouldn't work. “We got separated from the others. One of the Sentry that's made attempts at the archway recognized some of us and called it in. We're trying to find another way to the wall now. Just get yourself out. I'll come when I can.”
He might have been saying it, but it was clear by his tone that he didn't think he'd get out at all.
“Now, now, baby brother,” Gryffin chimed in. “What kind of attitude is that?”
Rhydian actually growled. “Gryffin, get her out of here.”
“Have you not noticed how headstrong this one is?” he countered. “Now, where are you?”
“Healer section,” Prestyn answered when Rhydian didn't. “We're sticking to the shadows. Four strong.”
We didn't hesitate. The three of us started moving in that direction, but at that point, word had clearly gotten out. Sentry had started setting up blockades, stopping anyone from getting through. They were blocking them in.
