Rush of Blood

by Heather Shahan

  Jasper doubles down. “He’s a mutant.”

  “He is able to do things you can’t, that’s for sure. Include him in the team and maybe he’ll use that to help you. But if you don’t, soldado, you risk him using them against you.”

  Sir leaves him there, coming to stand in front of me. I jump to my feet and face him, at attention. The right side of his mouth pulls up. “The rest of your team is waiting for you at the top, Haven.”

  I look to his eyes, then turn and see Emi, Catt, and Welorian sitting with their legs hanging off the edge. I smile and climb the rope, joining them.

  “Make your decision, Dell,” Sir says and walks to another group.

  Jasper’s anger keeps him on the ground until well after the rest of the groups have copied our formation and reached the top but, eventually, he climbs the rope without a word.

  8

  Eli

  Anza steps out from the shadows of the arch line about a mile from our camp, her eyes fixed on the strange woman with us. Her lengthy shadow trails behind her small frame. The scouts must have seen us and alerted her. Her back tall, she proffers her hand. The woman does not move, but the wind shifts its path, rushing through the space between Anza’s thumb and fingers.

  Anza lowers her hand instinctively, but raises her chin with resolve. “I am Anza, the leader of this group.” She narrows her eyes in question.

  “I would like to speak in private before announcing myself,” the woman states, just as elusive as she has been with us.

  —Who is she?

  I open my mouth to answer Anza, but the woman answers first. “I have not told him,” she states simply. I turn to her, my eyes wide in surprise. How did she hear what Anza spoke in my mind?

  Anza stands still, calculating; only the wisps of her edges blowing softly in the wind.

  “I want Eli to stay, but the rest can head back,” she states finally. Her eyes never leave the stranger’s.

  “Who is she?” Anza asks again when the others are gone, this time aloud.

  I glance over at her, then look back to Anza. “At the rally, Solar had another outburst. She saved him from the soldiers and returned him to us.”

  “Another outburst?” Anza asks, now looking to me. I never told her about the first, I realize. My people are my people.

  I ignore the question. “She refused to tell who she was, but she insisted on returning with us.” I pause, deciding to play into the girl’s loyalties. “Peony agreed that you would want to meet her; she saw her save Solar.”

  She nods, looking again to the woman. “I introduced myself. I honored your request for privacy—Eli is second in command,” she prompts when the woman does not speak.

  “You’ll have to pardon my preference for secrecy,” the woman begins. “I escaped Trinity when I was not much older than you are now and have dodged their reach since. My name is Barley and I am the leader of a group of Talists on the outside. We would like to help.”

  “Help how? Why now?” Anza asks, carefully keeping her personal feelings at bay.

  “That grapefruit was ripe long ago,” I add. Me? I don’t feel the need to hold back.

  Barley nods. “I understand. Just as you are cautious about me for the safety of your people, I had to consider the safety of mine. We were thriving and taking in new talists regularly. I didn’t want to risk that.”

  “Were?” Anza asks.

  “I was wrong. Our village was found and decimated. A fraction of our numbers survived. We should have helped sooner—should have recognized that we would never be safe until all of us were safe—but we’re here now.”

  When Anza doesn’t respond, she continues. “We’ve been training since before you were born. We know how to access the elements and control them for maximum effect. We can help you. I’ve learned from my mistakes; I know that we can’t stay hidden and watch you fight our battles. Both of our groups need to fight Trinity together. Our experience can make that easier.”

  Anza looks to me, silently asking my opinion—I guess there is no privacy in asking in my mind. Barley took down the guards in Spring Creek effortlessly and it’s evident that she knows the range of possibilities our elements have to offer. It’s always a risk trusting people and bringing more in, but we deemed it necessary when my group joined Anza’s. She doesn’t approve of our force and we aren’t fond of her diplomacy, but we all know that we need both. It will be the same with Barley.

  I nod my agreement as the crickets begin for the night.

  Anza nods and turns. “Let’s get back and eat before they clean up.”

  -

  Refusing to wait until morning, Anza pulled some of our chopped kindling and brought it down to our fire pit at the lowest point below the arch line.

  “Pine is good for producing less smoke, no bark means less smoke, and, down here, it is less likely anybody will see our light,” she explains, off hand.

  “Do you pull the water out?” Barley asks. Seeing both of our blank faces, she adds, “Bring an Aqua over before you light it.”

  I return with Andari and motion for Barley to continue. The woman hands the girl a piece of kindling. “Find the excess water and pull it out,” she directs.

  Andari blinks twice, glances at me, then closes her eyes and focuses on the wood. “What do you want me to do with the water?” she asks without opening her eyes.

  “Let it evaporate.”

  She nods, gradually lifting one hand until small droplets of water hover over the kindling. She spreads her fingers in one swift motion and the water dissipates.

  Barley replaces the block with another. “Try again. This time without the hand movements.”

  Andari raises her eyebrows, but does as directed.

  Barley nods. “With practice, you’ll be able to drain the whole pile without any effort, let alone showmanship.” She turns back to Anza. “Any residual water has to be broken down into a gaseous state. If you drain the water first, there will be less smoke.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Anza asks when the stack has been drained and the small fire lights our small circle.

  “I meant it when I said I want to help. Your group is the one that made this happen,” Barley says, motioning to the large camp around us. “We will assist however needed.

  “That said,” she continues, “our camp is now to the northeast of Trinity, far more remote than yours. We could start by redistributing our forces based on location and purpose. I would return to Haven with anyone you would want to send with me and then send some of my strongest to help train and coordinate. You and I could communicate via Aer to coordinate as needed.”

  Anza nods. “Right now our goals have been to settle in here, maintain a presence at rallies, acquire weapons and knowledge from outposts, and train.” She motions to me. “Eli has been handling the outings and I’ve been organizing things here.”

  Barley looks to me, choosing her words. “You’ll want to carefully choose those who go out with you,” she says simply.

  Solar. “He’s dealing with shit. He sacrificed himself to set off the explosion so that we could escape. The Guardia called him a terrorist.” I shrug. “He’s figuring it out.”

  “I get it. A few months ago I saw most of the people that entrusted their lives to me—including my best friend—slaughtered. Her son was captured. We all have our things. If we’re going to make this work, though, we have to be able to put it aside or work through it off duty.”

  “We don’t have the time to spare to allow everyone to work through their problems. We were all in The Compound less than a month ago,” I throw back.

  Instead of responding to me, she turns back to Anza. “You need to figure out what your end game is. Do you want to work with Trinity for equal rights or do you want to overthrow their government in favor of yours?” She keeps her voice calm, pausing to let the magnitude of what’s ahead settle.

  “Either way, you need the common people of Trinity on your side. For the last twenty years, they’ve been
told we’re a threat that doesn’t deserve to live. Now the story is that your friend is a terrorist and there is that seed making them wonder if all the rest of us are the same.

  “Do you want them to see him in their towns with anger in his eyes and conjured flames in his hands?” Barley turns to me before continuing. “Or should we find him another job, out of the public’s view, where he can ‘deal with his shit’ without fucking up our futures?”

  I stare her down, my features rigid. She’s right, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I think about what she said she’s gone through and note that she’s obviously not handling it well, her disposition as proof. Though, when you really think of it, none of us are. Solar is the only one, as she said, fucking it up.

  “Do you think Trinity will ever give us equal rights?” Anza asks, her voice small.

  Barley shakes her head. “When I’m hopeful, I remember that there’s never been a push for our rights and I start to think it’s possible. Even if we can get the people on our side, which we’ll have to do if we want to change Trinity instead of making our own nation, I think Commander Franklin is too far gone. To give us rights, he would have to go back on everything he has proclaimed to be true for two decades.”

  “Has it worked for you?” I ask. “Having your own group outside of Trinity?”

  “Yes and no. Ideally, we haven’t had to deal with their rule, their ideas of us… Yet, by not standing up for the talists still inside their borders, by hiding, we were just stalling our own fates. It could work if we established ourselves, built up our army, and offered asylum to any and all talists. As strong as their army is, we would have to be fast.”

  I hesitate, deciding whether to ask what I put together. “Your best friend’s son,” I force myself to ask. “The one they captured. Was his name Gray?”

  Her eyes widen, fixed on me, and she nods.

  I look down, remembering the gunshot, Crow forcing us to carry him to the Infirmary to be used, his blood drying into my clothes and skin… I will myself to speak, meeting her eyes.

  “They killed him.”

  9

  Anza

  I get up before the sun and walk east until I pass the last scout. I never thought to leave camp before connecting with Eliza, but I also never imagined that someone could listen in. Does Barley intercept the messages on the wind or is she just stronger in general? Does she naturally pick up on everything or is it a choice?

  I envision her face last night after Eli told her about Gray’s death. I wanted to tell her the truth—that he was alive, transferred to train with the Guardia—but, for now, it’s not safe for others to know. They would question how I knew and I must keep Eliza a secret for her safety as a spy.

  I close my eyes, finding the way to Rockwall on the breeze.

  —Good morning.

  Silence as she finds a quiet place to talk. It’s early enough that it shouldn’t be difficult.

  —You’re up early, Anza.

  —Always. Did I wake you?

  —Mm. Crow is away, so my duties don’t require the same level of urgency. It’s fine, though.

  Whoops.

  —Is he out doing more serum distributions?

  —Yes.

  Of course. He’s playing into people’s fears, either that the child they created could be a mutant or that their child could be taken away from them. The serum is an easy solution to them: their baby remains normal and stays with them.

  —How are things?

  —Progressing. They’re upset that you all haven’t been caught yet, but the focus has shifted more towards the serum. They’ve given it to all of the talists that were captured and have released those that it worked on.

  —Were any immune?

  I think back to when he injected me and the elation I felt when I discovered that it didn’t work on me.

  —Yes, but they altered the original until it worked on them all.

  Damn.

  —How is Gray?

  I ask for Barley, though I know I cannot tell her what I learn or even tell Eliza about her.

  —Fully recovered, though I’m not sure that’s a good thing. They assigned him to train with a unit and they’re not too fond of him. Crow has me monitoring the situation and expects a report daily or when he returns.

  —Have you figured out why he cares?

  —No. It’s very out of character. Gray noticed the interest and doesn’t understand why Crow keeps an eye on him, either.

  —Please let me know if anything major happens with Gray. His safety is important to us now, too.

  —Why?

  —I can’t tell you what’s going on out here so that there’s no chance of you accidentally showing you know something you shouldn’t. It’s for your safety as well as ours, Eliza.

  —When Gray was hesitant to trust me, I told him that I’m working with you. I’m starting to realize that I really just work for you.

  I feel the silence in the breeze before I can respond and I don’t bother trying to reconnect. Eliza can be upset if that’s what she needs. Barley made it very clear last night what we’re up against. We cannot slip up; we cannot make mistakes.

  -

  When I return to camp, people are beginning to get up and move around for the day. I smile and nod towards each as I work my way through them towards Peony’s hideaway. I sent her off on Eli’s mission and never got to check in when they returned. My plan was to send her on something routine to help her open back up, but I worry that whatever happened with Solar will have closed her off even more.

  Her blanket and the jacket I gave her for the trip are folded up neatly, but she’s gone. I blink twice, surprised she’s not curled into a ball in front of me. I turn back towards the camp, but I don’t see her amongst the others. I close my eyes and shift the breeze’s path until I hear her—and Solar—off to the west. Sticking to the shadows, I move closer.

  “Solar, you have to tell me what’s going on with you,” she says, reaching for his arm as he turns away.

  He stops, but doesn’t turn, closing his eyes in frustration.

  Softer: “You almost died at The Compound, but you’re still here. You’re alive. Why are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  His jaw tenses, working to hold in his emotions. “I know I’m alive, Peony. It seems that I can’t die.”

  “You can,” she says, barely audible. “You’re alive because I saved you.” She’s not bragging or taking credit; she wants him to understand that he’s not indestructible. She wants him to recognize her love, though I’m beginning to wonder if it is something else.

  He turns back to her, but doesn’t quite meet her eyes. “Did you stop to think that maybe I didn’t want to be saved?”

  She stands there, unmoving.

  “I don’t deserve to live, Peony. I killed my family. But you didn’t stop to think that maybe I needed to die, to sacrifice myself for everyone else.”

  There, movement: her pointer finger carves into her thumb over and over, building speed. Her muscles are tight and she looks at the ground off to the right. Her breathing quickens, but she works to regulate it.

  Let it out before it breaks you, Peony! I want to tell her, but she needs to get there on her own.

  “I was on my own,” she says finally. “It was just me and I was ok, but you went and warmed me, kissed me, made me feel like I should let you in.” She looks up at him, but she’s still tensed.

  “You came to me, Solar. Then you said that you had a plan to free us from The Compound and that it required you to die. You left to go blow yourself up.

  “You came to me. You wanted to be together. You don’t get to just decide something like that on your own when we’re together. We could have figured something out,” Peony says, tears beginning to rush down her face. “I needed you to stay.”

  “I needed you to stay alive,” he cuts in.

  “No!” she shouts, incredulous. “You pretended to care about me. You acted like I mattered to you. But you can
’t go and do that if I matter to you. If I mattered, you wouldn’t abandon me.”

  Peony looks at him now, fully. “I brought you back and now you’re trying to die?” she yells, forcing the pain she’s held inside into the open. “This time you can’t say you’re doing this to save me. You just don’t give a fuck, Solar.”

  She’s a mess of tears, pain, and rage, standing there waiting for him to respond. She’s standing straight, head held high, making eye contact, not curled into a ball holding it in, and I am so proud.

  She nods at his silence and takes a deep breath, looking down again to choose her words. “I’ve tried, but I can’t stand by and watch this happen while you continue to show me that I don’t matter to you or your decisions.”

  She turns and walks back towards the camp, not waiting for a response. He doesn’t offer one, still staring at the spot where she stood.

  -

  I doubled back and waited for her at her spot. When she returned, I opened my arms and she hugged me, laying her head all the way down on my shoulder.

  Now, we sit against the concrete wall formed underneath one of the many arches, side by side just like we used to at The Compound.

  “I lose everything I love, Anza.”

  Maybe I’m supposed to tell her that it isn’t true or that everything will be ok, but I don’t. “I get that.”

  “I know you do.”

  10

  Drex

  16 Years Ago

  I step back into the clinic moments after Bosco left, nodding to the guard at the door. The Commander agreed to station him outside, but he is not allowed to enter unless necessary so as not to alert the spy. Though I’m not due back to work until morning I decided that, if the guard isn’t allowed inside to monitor him, I will be.

  “You’re awake,” I comment when I see him lying on his cot, staring at the ceiling. He looks to me, studying my features carefully. “You were brought in early this morning. When I left, you were still unconscious.”

  He doesn’t respond, but doesn’t look away. I sit on a chair near the foot of his cot and study him as well. Everything about his features are indeterminate, as though whoever chose him for this role didn’t want him easily described.