by AR Colbert
A handful of the Outsider men stood inside the gate, monitoring us closely as we entered. We were several steps inside before the men surrounding us cleared enough for me to take in the sight of the settlement.
It was more than a camp. It was many times larger than the biggest Ember camp near Classen City. Raf was right. There had to be thousands of people here.
Inside the walls, the settlement was set up like a miniature city. Roads winded through roughly built but well-kept homes. A marketplace was set up in the center, with many booths and tables carrying all manner of goods, from clothing to household items. And the food! There were tables everywhere with dried beans, canned vegetables and sauces, jerky, and even some early fresh produce.
A green, grass-covered knoll separated the marketplace from gardens and glass greenhouses beyond. Children ran and played over the hill, their laughter ringing out through the central square.
I turned to Dusty, who stared open-mouthed at the sights around us. “Careful, or a bug might fly in there,” I said with a grin as I tapped his chin.
“This is incredible. Is this what life could be like? Is this freedom?”
I looked again at the guards surrounding the gate, the walls trapping the people here, and the grim face of Seth, their leader.
“Not quite. But it’s one step closer.”
We followed Seth into a small, two room cabin at the front of the settlement. Raf was carried into the back room and laid on a worn couch in front of a beautifully crafted wooden desk. The rest of us gathered around a table in the main room. Seth pulled the curtains closed and lit a candle inside a lantern on the table. Its light flickered eerily across our faces as we waited to hear what he had to say next.
“Now, Ms. Greenwood, Leader of Louisburg, tell me about the attacks coming our way.”
I didn’t appreciate his mocking tone. “I still don’t have much information to provide. I’ve got someone who may be finding out more about their plans next week, but I can’t be sure.” Emmaline wasn’t exactly the most reliable source of information.
“And this hypothetical attack... are you still suggesting that the Leadership’s intent is to kill us?”
“The Supreme Leadership. And yes, I believe so.”
“Why?”
“Power.” I shrugged. “It’s almost always about power with them. I don’t know much about how they operate, but I can tell you that if they get an inkling of what you have set up here inside these walls, outside of their control, they won’t hesitate to exterminate you all. Especially if they believe you are a threat to their systems.”
“But we’re not. We are entirely self-sufficient here on our own. We don’t want what they have. We’ve never been a threat...” His face hardened as he looked at the weapon in his hands. “Until now.” He stood, and threw the gun across the table at me. “Is this why you brought us so many weapons? Are you setting us up?”
“No!” I slid the weapon back at him and he scowled. “You asked me to bring these here! And I had to go out on a big limb to get them. We could have been caught and punished for smuggling these to you at any point. And instead of thanking us, you accuse us of setting you up?”
Maybe my reaction was a little over the top, but I was tired of his accusations. I had big problems to deal with. Everett was locked up with Emmaline back home, and Frank was still missing. If Seth and his people weren’t willing to cooperate, I’d find another way. Emmaline could still come through with information. And with all the attendants and people who’d been training with us in Classen City, I may have had just enough help to stop Conrad without the Outsiders. I just hoped I could do it before he hurt any of them.
I stood and looked Seth in the eye. “As soon as Raf can walk, we’re out of here. I’m tired of fighting so hard for you. I’m learning now that we’ve got plenty of people inside the cities who are willing to join us in our fight against the Leadership.” I glanced briefly at Dusty, who flashed me an encouraging smile. “I’ve done everything I can to help you save your people. If you aren’t willing to work with me, then I’m done. We don’t need you.”
I wasn’t so sure that was true, but I did know I wouldn’t deal with him anymore. It was clear that I’d never be able to trust him. I could give him everything, and it still wouldn’t be enough. He was too damaged. He would never see me as one of his own people.
A rustling sound came from Raf’s room. Asher stood and rushed out to go check on him.
“That’s our cue.” I gestured toward the room. “But just so you know, I suspect the attack could come any day now. Watch the skies. And if you see anyone suspicious in the area, get him.”
“Wait—” Seth started.
“What?” I crossed my arms over my chest. He didn’t have time for my explanation last time we met, and I fully intended to return his lack of hospitality this time.
“We’ll help you.”
“I told you we don’t need your help anymore.”
Rider started to interrupt, but I held up my hand. “Claren,” he said. “Think about what you’re saying.”
“I know what I’m saying. I’ve given him everything I have. It’s up to him now. I can’t trust that he would follow through with our plans anyway. He’s given me no reason to.”
“What if I stay?” Dusty asked. Everyone turned to look at him.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because,” he grinned. “This is the closest thing to freedom I’ve ever seen. And if I’m here, I can make sure they’re doing their part. And I can help from here, too, if that’s alright with you.” He looked to Seth.
Seth rubbed the scruff on his chin. “If that’s what it takes for her to trust us. Look. We hate the Leadership. We hate that they’ve stripped us of our own free will. If you’re genuinely looking to fix that, we will help.”
“Are you sure?” I asked Dusty.
“Positive.”
We spent the next hour going over physical descriptions of Conrad and Frank. Seth agreed to rescue Frank if he happened to see him. I knew it was wishful thinking, but I couldn’t lose hope. I also told him about Milo. Seth was familiar with the Exiled because Louisburg had rogue gangs of them from time to time, too.
I described every detail I knew about the previous attacks on the Embers outside of Classen City. If it played out here like it did there, they may be able to spot Conrad when he was scoping out the area before he struck. If they stopped him then, they may never have to worry about surprise aerial attacks. But under no circumstances were they to kill him—not until I got a chance to interrogate him, anyway.
The ride back into Louisburg was much more solemn. It was all becoming real now. The Outsiders were armed, our numbers were growing, and we were just days away from learning more about the Supreme Leadership’s plan through Emmaline.
The city felt different as well. More serious somehow, like the people of Louisburg knew something was coming. They crowded the streets and sidewalks, glaring at our truck as it passed. Thankfully we weren’t in Everett’s car or they certainly would have attacked again.
I wished I could tell them everything. They deserved to know someone was on their side. But hopefully, if all went well and we rescued Frank, they’d find out soon enough. Frank always had a plan. I just had to get him safely back with the Embers.
Asher stopped the truck at the guard station near the entrance to the Center. They checked his paperwork and scanned the vehicle as always, but one of the men sneered at me when he caught my eye. His lip curled up victoriously, sending my stomach into flips and bringing the hairs on the back of my neck to full attention. What was that all about?
I didn’t get a chance to find out. A moment later we were rolling forward again toward Everett’s house. It was probably nothing, but I couldn’t shake the look on the guard’s face for the rest of the evening. Even in my dreams that night I saw his bitter expression, sneering at me in the twilight.
Maybe it was my imagination. Maybe it was my fear o
f Conrad and the Supreme Leadership manifesting itself into the man’s face in my mind. But the feeling hung over me like a gray cloud, threatening to unleash something terrible at a moment’s notice.
A storm was coming.
CHAPTER 31
Sunday morning, I snuck out of my room into a secluded corner of the gardens behind Everett’s home. A small metal bench, painted white, was tucked away there, and three enormous rose bushes grew around it. They were fully leafed out and covered in buds, with a few giant fuchsia colored blooms already bathing in their magnificence.
I reached into my bag for the communicator and felt the buttery soft leather of Emmaline’s journal in my fingers again. I paused, considering the book. I’d planned to read it when we got back into the Center the day before, but I’d never found the right time. We’d updated Jeremy and Joy with the day’s events, and then Raf immediately launched into another self-defense lesson. He’d made plans to go Outside and help train Seth and his people, too. It was another way for them to protect themselves, but more importantly, it was another way for us to keep an eye on them.
By the time we wrapped up, I was too tired to do anything but shower and sleep. But I would read it today. I would—just as soon as the right moment rolled around.
I pulled out the communicator instead and held the button to turn it on. The light flashed yellow and the screen stayed dark. Felix wasn’t there yet. Joy had called over to his house after breakfast, so I knew he was expecting me. Maybe he was just running late.
I plucked a rose from the bush and pulled the petals off one at a time. My friend Sela and I used to do that as children, trying to determine whether or not the boys we liked loved us back. But today my thoughts were different. I found myself repeating two different names, alternating between petals.
Felix. Raf. Felix. Raf. Felix...
“Claren, wow. Where are you?”
His face on the communicator startled me back into the present.
“Felix, hi!” I grinned and glanced over my shoulder at the roses hanging delicately from their stems. They did look rather magical. “I’m sitting outside. I was told that my room was... uh... compromised.” Normally I wouldn’t hesitate to throw Justice Hines under the bus, but now that Felix was marrying her daughter, it felt... weird. She could potentially be his mother-in-law soon.
“Compromised?” He furrowed his brows.
“Maybe that’s not the right word,” I said, backpedaling. “I just wanted to talk somewhere more private, away from listening ears. And it’s a beautiful day here, so I thought the gardens seemed like the perfect place.”
“Well, it looks stunning.” He stared into the screen with a soft smile. His blue eyes twinkled like sunlight on the pond back home, and I felt a longing to be there. Home. Or maybe with Felix. It was hard to distinguish between the two now.
“How are things there?”
“Chaos,” he admitted. He blew air through his lips, drawing my eyes to them. “Everything went nuts after you all left. Some of the janitorial workers found my father’s spilled drink in the hall upstairs, which led them into the office. It was a mess. And the worst part is, they found a little bit of his blood on the floor. The Protectors are launching into a full investigation to find him now.”
Oh no. Everett’s blood was in Emmaline’s office. She may have set herself up to be implicated in all of this after all. Which meant she was probably going to drag all of us down with her.
“Have they talked to you yet?”
He nodded. “Justice Hines interrogated me, herself.”
“How did it go?”
“Not bad, actually. She threw me a bunch of softball questions and didn’t seem concerned.”
“Hmph.” I snorted.
“What? Do you think she’s setting me up?”
“No. I think she’s taking it easy on you for Georgia’s sake. She needs your title to stay intact. I think you’ll be safe no matter what evidence she digs up because she can’t have her precious little girl involved in any scandals.” I hated the jealousy evident in my voice, but it was true. Felix would be fine. I wished I could say the same for the rest of us.
He dropped his head before returning his sad eyes to me through the screen. “I tried to steer her in a different direction. Hopefully she won’t be looking to you for any of this.”
“She will. It doesn’t matter what you said. She hates me, and she’s not too fond of Emmaline, either. With evidence found in Emmaline’s office and me as Everett’s housemate, it’s only a matter of time before the Protectors are beating down my door on her orders.”
“Well, I’ll continue to help however I can on my end.”
“Thank you. Speaking of your help, we got the weapons delivered yesterday.”
“Great! I knew Charles would come through for me.”
“He did. But there were so many more than we originally thought. And I didn’t realize you were going to be tracking them. That wasn’t part of what we discussed.” I pursed my lips, waiting for his explanation.
“What do you mean?” He frowned. “I knew we had extras—Edgar caught word of the plan up at the office somehow and agreed to help Emilio and his team. They were able to produce a lot more with the extra help. But I don’t know about any trackers.”
“Edgar? Well, every single weapon had a tracking sticker applied to the handle. If you’re not monitoring them, who is?”
“I don’t know.” Felix looked nervously over his shoulder toward the door. “But I promise I’ll find out. Hey—I’ve got to go.”
“Felix honey?” Georgia’s whiny voice came through the speaker, and the door into Felix’s study had just started to open when the screen went black.
Shoot. I slammed the communicator a little too hard on the bench, inadvertently knocking it to the ground, and tried to swallow down the frustration burning in my throat. Edgar knew about the Embers. He told me as much. And he obviously knew about the weapons, too. But why would he be monitoring them? Was Edgar playing me?
Ignoring the ache in my chest and my annoyance at the sound of Georgia’s extra-nasally voice still ringing in my ears, I reached down to grab the fallen communicator, scratching myself on a thorn from the rosebush in the process. “Ouch!”
I dabbed at the blood on my forearm and stomped back toward the house. The Protectors would probably be here to interrogate us about Everett any minute now. I had to make sure Emmaline and I were on the same page and that our stories aligned.
“Hello?” I called out inside the attendants’ entrance. No response. I tiptoed down the hall toward Everett’s office, keeping quiet so I didn’t draw any unwanted attention to myself. Only a few others knew Emmaline was in the house. Fewer knew she was keeping Everett trapped downstairs. None of them would be happy with me wandering down there after her. But I had to do it.
Everett’s office was quiet... so quiet that I could hear my own pulse pounding through my ears. The door to his secret room was closed, but a faint light glowed from under the door. Good. That meant she was probably down there. I twisted the knob, took a deep breath, and plunged forward.
Pulling the door quickly closed behind me, I stared down a nondescript stairwell. White walls stood on either side, and a single bulb hung from the ceiling to light the lonely steps down to the landing. There was no sound other than my slight panting. My skin buzzed with excitement—or nerves, maybe— and I made my way forward, freezing in place anytime I’d step on a particularly creaky stair. Not that it mattered. No one was here but Emmaline and Everett, and they’d see me soon enough. But it still felt wrong to be here at all.
The light faded once I reached the landing, and the stairwell turned down to the right. It was darker at the bottom, where another brown door stood as the only option forward. I pulled it open and immediately frowned at the eerie red light cast down from a strange fixture overhead. It was even darker in here, and once my eyes adjusted to the low light, I realized I was standing in a foyer of sorts.
Shelves lined the walls on both sides, and heavy black velvet drapes hung on the opposite end. On the right, the shelves were filled with bottles of alcohol. Tall, short, fat, narrow. Some contained amber-colored spirits, and others were clear. A few decorative bottles held liquids with strange hues of blue, red, and orange.
The shelves on the left were more of a mystery, however. They contained bottles and jars as well, but these were smaller. Some held plants—dried flakes of leaves settling at the bottom. Some held powders. Many contained pills of different shapes and sizes. It reminded me a bit of the pharmacy counter at the medical center, only more decorative. The display was almost... seductive.
I ran my fingers across the intricate bottles. The red light reflecting off of the delicate glass created a certain allure. I pulled a jar down, admiring the powder resting in the bottom. Diamond shapes were etched into the glass, criss-crossing up toward the crystal glass stopper closing the mouth of the jar. I began to tug at the lid to investigate what the powder might be when the whoosh of the curtains at the opposite end of the space stopped me.
“Claren,” Emmaline growled. “What are you doing down here?”
I slid the jar back into place on the shelf, guilty and ashamed for snooping around, or at least for getting caught. This was all a distraction from what I really needed to do—talk to Emmaline. And yet, my curiosity was killing me. I stepped toward her, trying to sneak a peek of what lay behind the drapes as I spoke.
“I was looking for you.” I tilted my head slightly to get a better angle. I could make out a large black four-poster bed, with restraints attached to the corners. I didn’t have a good view of the head of the bed, but at the bottom I saw a pair of legs tied to the posts with thick leather straps. They laid motionless on red satin sheets. It was a large room, much larger than the foyer area we were in, but it shared the same low light and eerie red glow. It was difficult to make out much detail.
