by Raine Thomas
The room shifted beneath her as she fought to maintain her balance. Her efforts had taken even more of a toll than she’d anticipated. Maybe it was because she had already extended herself earlier with Sem.
You can’t do this with ten more people, Kyr, Gren insisted. You’ll kill yourself.
We don’t know that Vycor influenced them all, she countered. It won’t be so hard if their minds are clear.
Damn it, Gren grumbled.
Get me to the next one, Sem, she thought, grabbing the linens and leaving the room as quietly as she’d arrived.
The next Vawn, a female named Nari, was also still asleep. Fortunately, Vycor hadn’t gotten to her yet. Sem explained that she had only just arrived at the palace the night before, which probably explained why. Influencing her was definitely easier than it had been with Iony.
By the time Kyr got to the eleventh Vawn, she knew Gren had been right to be concerned. Vycor had influenced more than half of the council members she had visited. The world around her was starting to blur. Her head throbbed with pain. Exhaustion threatened to claim her.
Stubborn will had her pushing one foot in front of the other as she followed Sem to the last bedchamber. She did what she could to keep her friends from knowing how deeply affected she was by her efforts, but she felt their worry for her.
One more, she thought. Just one more.
Like a couple of the other Vawn she had encountered, this one was awake. Kyr vaguely registered Sem telling her his name was MycahVawn as she walked into his chambers and closed the door behind her. The door closed heavily, snapping Kyr out of her slight daze.
“Who is that?” called a male voice.
Before Kyr could respond, Mycah walked out of his bathing chamber wearing nothing but a towel. She couldn’t even be bothered by his near nudity. Time was working against her.
I’m here to change your linens, she thought as she approached him. You’re not concerned.
His head tilted as if in consideration. She tucked the linens under one arm and reached out to touch him. She missed the first time. The second swipe, her hand landed on his bicep. The moment they were connected, she drew forth her strained abilities.
Vycor hadn’t influenced this one. Kyr wanted to dance in jubilation when she realized it. She used her grip on Mycah’s arm to hold her upright as she influenced him. By the time she started placing her shields, she knew she had pushed herself too far. Blood didn’t just drip from her nose. It gushed. She used the linens to catch the steady flow. Just as she heard the knock on Mycah’s door, she gave her abilities one last push to make sure the shields would stand.
Sem walked in and rushed over to her. He caught her under the armpits as her legs gave way.
Shit. Gren, get in here.
Kyr heard Sem’s command, but she didn’t have any energy left to try and alleviate his obvious fear.
She faded in and out of consciousness. She was aware of being placed in a bed. She felt cool cloths on her face. She felt attempts made to connect with her mind, but that part of her had closed up shop.
Time passed. Part of her was only too aware of it. Every moment that passed was a moment Ty was alone out in the Dark Lands. It was a moment they weren’t together.
Ty…
Eventually, she opened her eyes and kept them open. Her head throbbed, so she didn’t move much as she looked around. Once again, she was in Gren’s bed. She was still fully clothed and armed. Gren sat beside her. He looked down when she spotted him.
Drink this, he instructed, lifting her head slightly and bringing a cup to her lips.
Nausea threatened her, but she drank it. It tasted bitter, like medicine. Her headache eased and her limbs started tingling after a couple of minutes as the beverage made its way through her system. She didn’t even bother asking what he had given her. She was just grateful he wasn’t lecturing her.
Oh, the lecture is still to come, he conveyed.
I’m okay, Gren. I’m a quick healer, remember? I rose from the dead.
Please don’t make light of this, Kyr. They just buried your death box. I’m more than aware of your abilities right now.
She hadn’t been making light, but she understood why he might think so. I’m sorry, Gren. But I’m here, not in the ground. What I just did had to be done. At least now Vycor and the Guardians are delayed in whatever plans they might have. Maybe this even stopped them.
I doubt that.
Me, too.
She closed her eyes, overcome with exhaustion. Why do you think no one knows where Ty is?
If I had to make a guess, I’d say EyraRowe disregarded a direct order to take Ty to this Hub place and dropped him off somewhere he thought Ty might have a fighting chance. Eyra knew his memories would be erased as a matter of protocol as soon as he returned from his mission. He’s Ty’s friend. They’ve flown together a number of times. So that’s what I think happened.
She couldn’t fault his reasoning. Do you think that I might be able to recover the memory Eyra had of Ty’s trip to the Dark Lands?
I think you can certainly try…after you heal from all of this.
She wanted to argue. Now that she had more of an idea what Vycor and the Guardians were planning, she wanted to go after Ty right that moment. Alametria would be safe enough without her for the short while it would take her to find Ty.
But she knew she’d be more of a hindrance than a help to Ty if she did anything in her current condition. She’d have to hope her healing abilities worked fast.
That made her think of Ty and the fact that all of his abilities had been stripped from him. How was he faring out there? Was he even still alive?
Of course he is, Kyr, Gren thought. Ty has been trained his entire life. He’ll be fine.
She hoped he was right. Anger towards her mother surfaced as she wondered whether any of this would have even happened if Shaya hadn’t withheld some of Ty’s abilities all this time. But there was no changing where things stood now. They just had to move forward.
You and Ty will have your chance, Gren told her. But, Kyr, I think you should let me and Sem go after Ty. You should—
Kyr silenced him with a look. She didn’t even have to send him the thought. He stopped and nodded.
I had to try, he thought.
And I appreciate your concern, Gren. I really do. But you’ll appreciate me being along when we go after Ty.
Why?
I’m the only one who can break through the protections to get us home.
Chapter 30
The sky was a darker shade of pink by the time Barto finally pulled the rover into the hanger at the Harvester homestead. They had taken an entirely different route back than they’d taken to get there. Ty figured that was a safety measure to keep anyone from being able to track them or predict their route in order to ambush them.
They disembarked and entered the first small chamber of the homestead, returning their firearms to the locked case. Then they went through the decontamination process. Ty had no idea what blasted all over them, but it was fast and loud enough to nearly deafen him.
No wonder Barto yelled every damn word, he thought.
The process was thankfully quick, and before too long they were stepping inside and removing their gear. Ty didn’t see Orran. Hope stood in the food preparation area chopping something.
“The Growers came by, did they?” Barto asked.
“They did,” Hope confirmed. “Stew’s on.”
“Better’ve gotten some good bargains,” Barto said with a warning in his tone.
“‘Course I did.”
She glanced up. Her gaze moved to Ty. She tried to be subtle, but he noticed her eyes scanning him from head to toe before they returned to her knife.
“Freshy sure ain’t smellin’ so fresh right now,” Barto declared, waving in the direction of one of the hallways. “Show him where the wash stall is, Reider. The only thing we want scentin’ the air ‘round here is Hope’s stew. Sure smells damn good.”
Barto’s words brought Ty’s attention to the smell in the room. He was right. It did smell good. His stomach rumbled loudly in protest.
Inexplicably, his appetite made him feel guilty. He frowned as he removed his boots.
“It’s okay, ya know,” Hope said in a soft voice as Barto and Reider stepped away.
Ty looked at her, wondering what she meant. Reider turned towards him from the hallway, expecting him to follow.
“It’s okay ta go on livin’,” Hope explained.
He didn’t reply, turning instead and heading after Reider.
She was wrong. So incredibly wrong. It wasn’t okay to go on living. It was cruel and vicious torment. It was more excruciating than any tortures hell could offer.
But he’d endure it until Vycor was dead.
“Here you go,” Reider said, pausing by a narrow opening halfway down the hallway. “Gonna be a tight fit for you, but it’ll do. There’s one lever. The water’s either on or off. It’ll be cold, but it’ll get you clean. Soap’s in the dish on the wall. Careful you don’t crack your elbow on it.”
“Thanks,” Ty said, reaching over and turning the water on.
“I’ll bring you a cloth to dry with, hang it over the door.”
“Thanks,” Ty said again.
He waited for Reider to disappear in a doorway further down the hall before he disrobed and stepped into the frigid stream of water. The pressure was weak and the water felt like melted ice, but Reider was right that it did the job. He kept his mind occupied with wondering how they had filtered running water. The Tinkers likely had something to do with it. Outcasts were proving nothing if not resourceful.
It took him less than ten minutes to complete his shower. A drying cloth hung over the door, which was only as high as Ty’s chin. Reider must have tossed it over while he was rinsing his scalp and face. Pulling the cloth down, he dried himself as well as he could in the small space. Then he opened the stall door to grab his clothes.
They weren’t there.
Glancing both ways down the hallway, he didn’t see anyone. He wrapped the cloth around his waist and headed back out to the main living space.
Barto, Orran, and Reider were all seated at the table. Hope was spooning stew into clay bowls set at each place setting. Her eyes widened when she spotted him. Orran cursed as some of the hot stew spilled on him.
“Damn and blast, female!” he hissed, using his napkin to wipe at the stew.
“I’m sorry!” she exclaimed. Her eyes kept moving from Orran to Ty.
“Why the hell ain’t ya dressed?” Barto demanded, finally seeing what had Hope so preoccupied.
“My clothes are gone.”
“I took ‘em for washin’,” Hope said. “I didn’t think—”
“Oh, ya thought, all right,” Barto interrupted. “Well, get yer eyeful while ya can. Come and eat, Freshy.”
Ty was discomfited by the idea of eating a meal with a group of virtual strangers while wearing nothing but a damp drying cloth, but hunger won out. If he was going to have a chance of defeating Vycor, he had to keep his strength up. He walked over to the table and sat.
“The different groups live farther apart than I thought they would,” he said as he picked up his spoon to eat. “Do the Marauders have a base, too?”
Barto lifted his dark eyes and met Ty’s. “I can understand yer curiosity, lad, but we won’t be answerin’ those questions. Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Yer lack of knowledge is the only thing keepin’ ya here with us. Once ya know the ins and outs of the Dark Lands, ya’ll strike out on yer own. I see it in yer eyes.”
“That’s not—”
“It is true,” Orran interrupted. “Ya’ve got an agenda. We ain’t idiots.”
Ty’s grip tightened on his spoon. He hadn’t expected this resistance.
“Until ya’ve worked off yer debt with us,” Barto said around a mouthful of stew, “don’t ask us questions. We won’t help ya ‘til ya help us.”
“And just how long will it take to work off my ‘debt?’”
“S’pose that depends on how good ya are. Could take a while.” Barto looked at Hope, who was standing in the food prep area and eating. “And don’t go thinkin’ ya can exchange sexual favors to feed ‘im information, female, or ya’ll be workin’ off his debt however I see fit.”
The suggestion surprised Ty, though it shouldn’t have. He saw how Hope was looking at him. It probably wouldn’t have taken him much effort to exploit her attraction to him. The thought of manipulating her like that made him feel ill, though. He’d have to come up with some other way of learning what he needed to leave the Harvesters and make his way on his own.
The rest of the meal was finished in silence. Ty barely tasted the stew, though it wasn’t all that bad. As far as he was concerned, it was sustenance.
“Good work on the meal, Hope,” Barto said, smacking his lips and belching when he was done. “Now we all need ta get some rest. We’ll be headin’ out early when the air’s a mite clearer. After today’s sad showin’, we’ll have ta work extra hard tomorrow.”
Ty helped Hope clear the table as the other three males made themselves scarce. Barto stopped by the front door and tested the lock before heading down one of the hallways. It bothered Ty that the males seemed to expect Hope to wait on them hand and foot, but he felt it wasn’t his place to say anything.
“I know what ya must think of me,” Hope said in her quiet voice as she started washing the bowls.
“I think you work very hard, and those three are lucky to have you as a companion.”
She blushed. “Thanks for that. ‘Tis nice hearin’ that someone thinks so.”
“Thank you for laundering my clothes.”
“Of course. I could tell they had some wear on ‘em. They’re dryin’ now. Should be comfortable for wearin’ in a little while.” She finished rinsing the last bowl and glanced at him. “What Barto said about, ya know, sexual favors, well, I want ya ta know that if ya ever have needs in that area…”
He held up a hand to stop her. “Hope, I appreciate your…gesture. But please don’t feel you have to prove your worth to me or anyone else that way. You’re valued for more than just that.”
Her eyes were sad as they dropped to the dishes. He knew she didn’t agree with him.
“Well, I wanted ta offer ta share my bed with ya,” she said. “We don’t have ta do anythin’ ya don’t want ta do. It’ll just be a comfortable place for ya ta lay yer head.”
“Thank you,” he said, touching her shoulder so she’d meet his gaze. “I appreciate that. Really. But if you don’t mind, I’ll stick to the bench for now. It’s going to take time for me to adjust to everything.”
“‘Course.” She stepped away from him. “Well, I’m down the hall, second door on the right if ya change yer mind.”
He watched her go, then sat on the bench he’d woken up on earlier that day. In some ways, it felt like a lifetime ago.
The dwelling grew quiet as everyone settled down for the night. The soft hiss of air circulating through the ventilation system served as an almost soothing noise. It lulled Ty enough that he decided to lie down.
But he couldn’t sleep. He knew what waited for him when he did.
Even awake, the memories crept in. They coiled around his mind like a predator’s claws waiting to sink in, eager to draw blood.
During the day, he’d been distracted by figuring out where he was and learning more about his rescuers. Then he’d had to stay focused as they traveled. Now, in the quiet dark, all he had was his own thoughts. His own memories.
He tried bringing forth a good memory, one of Kyr laughing and telling him how much she loved him.
And found the pain of it so unbearable that a wounded sound issued from his throat.
He jerked up into a sitting position and braced his forearms on his thighs. Pain gripped his chest. He could barely breathe. His eyes and throat felt raw.
A subtle
movement in the shadows had him glancing up. Reider stood at the end of a hallway, watching him. He made a “come here” gesture and brought his finger to his lips. Not waiting for a response, he turned and headed down the hallway that led to the wash stall.
For all Ty knew, Reider wanted to crack him over the head and have his way with him. At that moment, if it kept him from his own thoughts, Ty was willing to risk it.
He got up and walked silently down the hall to the door he’d seen Reider use earlier. The youth was standing inside a small sleeping room. He waved Ty all the way in. Ty pulled the door closed behind him, making sure it made no noise.
Reider sat on the edge of his cot and once again waved Ty over. Ty gave him a look and crossed his arms over his chest. Suddenly, the fact that he was wearing only a drying cloth took on a whole other significance.
Rolling his eyes, Reider shook his head and pointed at the cot. Ty decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and sat down.
“I can’t talk any louder than this,” Reider whispered right up against Ty’s ear. “Barto will hear, and he can be a right prick.”
Ty nodded to show he understood.
“I know what you’re going through,” Reider continued. “It’s the most horrible pain anyone can know. It eats at you, makes you want to die.”
Ty didn’t have to nod for Reider to know he agreed with him.
“So you start thinking of revenge. You know someone made you do it. You know you wouldn’t ever normally do such an unthinkable thing. And while you can’t bring back the dead, you can try to avenge them.”
Another nod.
“I’ll help you find the mine.”
Ty’s eyebrow lifted. He met Reider’s gaze as if to ask why.
“I’m holding a need for vengeance in my heart, but I know I’m not strong enough or smart enough to do anything about it,” he explained. “But you…you’re much stronger than any of us, and I see the desire for vengeance burning fiercely inside you. Maybe we can help each other. You can get vengeance for me.”
