She lost track of time. She heard a roar in the sky and looked up. At least a dozen airships flew above Monmark. She watched as they landed on the outskirts of the town.Their ships landing caused the air to fill with dust, making the sky a hazy red. Dust swirled around the transparent prison.
Gideon turned to face her. He didn’t speak. He looked guilt ridden. Like he’d personally been responsible for their situation. But this wasn’t his fault. It was hers.
She pressed her head against the prison wall. “Gideon, I’m so sorry,” Lena said. The tears exploded like a dam breaking.
Gideon lifted his hand and pressed his palm against his prison. “Hey, don’t be sorry. Never be sorry. I would choose you every single day. Forever.” Gideon gazed at her with such affection she couldn’t look anywhere else.
The crowd parted allowing a group through. These must be the buyers. Lena’s insides clenched. This was it. They were going to be sold and taken to the Priestess.
Gideon gave her a comforting look, but all she felt was fear.
The crowd and the noise had increased at a rapid rate. Nath walked through the crowd, with the buyers. Their clothes looked expensive and they walked with poise and confidence. Five men and one woman. As they neared, they eyed Lena greedily.
Lena blinked on her lens:
Gerd Kodisz- He was a judge, the lens was littered with information about Resistance leaders he’d imprisoned when her dad was still alive.
Abisha Primal- She was a lawyer. She was brutal in court, helping imprison the innocent of Mir in the Priestess’ early rise to power.
Halbert Poniard- He was a business owner. His money was spread through organizations that funded the rise of the Priestess.
Barrington Firing- The Zoons had been hired to bypass his security system last year. There was no additional information.
Ebner Ozog- Was an unknown. The Zoons had no information other than his name.
“I hope you’re pleased with our product,” Nath said. He released one side of the electric current and allowed the customers to step inside the boundary to get a better look. Bringing his arm up to rest on Lena’s box, he gave the crowd an arrogant smile. Nath had changed his clothes, but it was still all worn leather.
“How do we know it’s really her?” the woman Abisha asked. “She doesn’t look like the photo the Priestess has circulating.”
“Look at the photo of her as a child. Look at her eyes. They are the same. And we have verified that this is Gideon Merak. They were said to have been traveling together.”
Abisha inclined her head and gave Nath a haughty but uncertain look.
“Feel free to inspect the product for yourselves,” Nath said with a smile. “But fair warning, they bite.”
The men in the group laughed at Nath’s comment. They walked around both Gideon and Lena’s boxes, scrutinizing every angle of their product. Lena felt like an animal on display. One man, Ebner, even asked Lena to open her mouth. Lena glared at him.
They also scrutinized each other. They were not friends, that was for sure. This auction would determine who held the most power. The richest of them would buy their way onto the Priestess’ court, and Lena would be the currency. The buyers knew this.
“Nath, you’re a fool if you think the Priestess isn’t going to hear of your actions,” Gideon yelled through his cell. “She is going to come to get us, and you will be the one responsible for the death of all these people.” He signaled to the spectators who came to watch the auction.
Nath responded with a laugh. “Who says she doesn’t know,” he sneered. “And who says I care about the death of a few elite. Only the powerful are allowed to serve on her court. I’m only helping weed out the unworthy,” he said, as he spat to the side.
The buyers glared at each other. This wasn’t news to them. And by the looks on their faces, they each planned to be the most powerful.
The noise of the crowd increased. Nath leaned against the edge of Gideon’s box and turned to look for the source of the commotion. The crowds parted. A girl with a robotic arm marched through them like she owned the place.
Relief flooded Lena. Suki hadn’t been captured. Maybe the others were also free. As Suki approached, Lena could tell that Nath was intrigued by her. She was beautiful and confident. Suki winked at Lena and leaned over the electric barrier to speak with Nath. Her prosthetic arm pulsed with light.
“And who are you?” Nath asked, eyeing her up and down with a half smile.
“I’m Lady Suki,” she answered.
Nath’s smile dropped and his face turned into a snarl.
Suki smiled. “So, you’ve heard of me.”
Nath’s eyes went wide and his smile flattened. “You cost me millions,” he snarled.
“It wasn’t personal,” Suki said. “It was business.” Suki leaned in even further across the barrier. “You wouldn’t hold something as small as that against me, would you?”
Nath clenched his jaw and glared. “What do you want?”
“What I always want,” Suki said. “Information.”
“I have nothing to give you.” Nath spat to the side.
“Oh, you misunderstand,” Suki answered. “My employer wants your money. In return, he’ll give you valuable information about your product.” Suki beckoned across the city center.
Lucius stood directly across from them, his swollen face in a scowl as he crossed his arms. Even from where Lena stood she could see the purple of a bruise around his eye and across his nose from where Gideon had hit him.
“That is Lucius Serpens,” Suki continued. “Son of Nagar Serpens, formerly a member of the Priestess’ court. He trained with those two at the Defense Training Facility. He has information he says you’ll want.”
“I’m paying you nothing,” Nath sneered.
By this time, Suki had gained the attention of the other buyers. They gathered around Nath to hear what she had to say.
Suki shrugged her shoulders. “No loss to me. But back to young Master Lucius. You see he’s recently had a run of bad luck and is in desperate need to change that here at your auction.” Suki walked to the corner of the barrier to give the men a good look at Lucius.
Lucius kept standing, his lips pressed together in a scowl. But he held their gaze with a power only Lucius could pull off. They studied each other for a moment.
“Is he going to bid?” Nath finally said.
“Are you going to take his offer and buy the information he has?” Suki countered.
“No,” Nath said.
Suki leaned in to him. “Then, as a gesture of good will for any wrongdoing you may think I caused you, let me give you some advise. If I were you, I’d hire some more security.” She let the words sink in. “Good luck at your auction,” she said, before turning and walking away as powerfully as she had come in.
Chapter Forty-Three
“If that’s Lucius Serpens,” Gerd said, “we have trouble on our hands. His father is Nagar.”
“Nagar of the Priestess’ court?” asked the woman. She brushed her nose with the tip of her finger as if getting rid of a bad smell.
“Formerly of the Priestess’ court,” said the man. “He was dismissed.”
“You all are fools for falling for his antics. If you back out, the young Serpens will take your place in the bidding. He’ll be sitting in the spot meant for one of you,” Nath responded.
This comment caused a stir among the buyers. Their faces tightened into stone. Several lifted their shoulders as if ready to fight, but not with words. With money.
“The auction will start in one hour. Be ready with your bids,” Nath said. Adjusting his shirt, he signaled for two men to come guard the cells, then he walked back into the building he came from.
A few minutes later, more guards surrounded the perimeter. Lena squinted her eyes towards the new guards. They were in the same dirty clothes most of the citizens of Monmark wore. Their faces smeared with dirt, but they stood straighter and followed Nath’s orders mor
e quickly than her previous guards.
One of the new guards standing closest to Lena saw her staring at him and winked. Lena stepped back, running into the back wall of her small cell. She recognized the guard as the Cimmerian Naos.
Gideon looked on high alert, scanning the city square. Standing on his toes he studied the new guards surrounding the square. Gideon discreetly nodded towards the center of the crowd. Lena searched but wasn’t sure what to look for. Then she saw General Carina standing only a few paces from Lucius looking directly at her. The General’s face was in the same tight scowl she always wore. Lena didn’t know why or how, but was sure Suki had just convinced Nath to hire disguised Cimmerians as guards.
A shadow fell across the square as another airship hovered above the crowd. Nath swore and yelled at his nearby guards to get the ship where it belonged. The crowd turned their faces towards the ship and began shouting obscenities. The ship was like nothing Lena had ever seen before. It was black with spikes covering its surface. The wings themselves were shaped like serrated knives.
A ramp opened from where it hovered above them in the sky. A man’s shadow filled the doorway. The crowd fell silent. They were scared. The man stepped down a ramp onto the square. This man screamed of wealth and power. His beard was neatly groomed and he wore black and red. People parted as he walked towards the barrier Lena was imprisoned in. With a wave of his hand, the guard dropped the barrier and let the man step through so he was face to face with Lena. Lena pressed her back into her prison. She shook.
He was larger than any man Lena had ever seen. His broad shoulders were more than three times the width of her own. Under the surface of his skin, raised implants rose from his skull making him look permanently angry. Lena turned on her lens. The screen was blank. Nothing came up, but she wondered if this was the same man she’d seen at the entrance to The Port. Lena hadn’t gotten a good look at him at The Port, but he seemed to match his size. She felt sick. She blinked off the screen.
“Ras Taban,” Nath said, a little too shaky to be coincidence. “I haven’t seen you in years.”
“You outdid yourself this time, Nath,” Ras answered. His accent was thick and his voice scratched. The sound sent shivers down her spine. He reached for Lena’s box and caressed his hand across the surface. “This is indeed the very Evangeline Adhara the Priestess searches for,” he said. He turned to Gideon. “And her accomplice Gideon Merak. It’s good to see you again, Gideon.”
Lena’s head snapped to Gideon. His eyes were filled with terror. He clenched his shaking hands. His face had drained of all color.
Ras Taban started laughing. “I see you remember me,” he said. “I didn’t know if you would or not. What has it been, over three years?” he asked.
“You,” Gideon growled. The words caused Ras Taban smile greedily.
Nath stepped towards Ras, rubbing both hands anxiously together. “Have you come to bid on the product?” Nath asked with a ravenous smile. Whatever fear Nath had felt before disappeared at the prospect of money.
Ras Taban kept his gaze on Gideon. He huffed. “I don’t need to bring the Priestess trinkets.”
Nath looked confused, his eyes flashed with worry. “Then why, may I ask, have you come.”
“I come when I’m needed,” he answered in a remote tone.
“And the Priestess needs you now?” Nath asked.
Ras turned to Nath causing him to swallow deeply. “She needs what I have,” Ras said. He turned his eyes towards the locked case Lena hadn’t realized until then he’d been holding. Its silver surface reflecting off the sun. It was small only a hand-width wide and two long.
Nath eyed the box. “Excuse me for not understanding,” he said.
“Control,” Ras replied vaguely. “A way to control anyone who opposes her.”
“And you have a way in that tiny box?” Nath asked.
“Control can come in many different forms. This one happens to fit in a box until it can be used on the intended target.”
“You did it to him,” Gideon yelled. He pounded his fists against the glass. “You’re the one who changed my father.”
Ras wasn’t phased by Gideon’s outburst. “And now I’m here to do it to you,” Ras said. He opened the box, a small cylinder attached to some type of gun lay inside. Ras took it out and laid the box aside. “Open the cell,” Ras demanded.
Chaos erupted behind him. The buyers screamed at Ras to leave the product undamaged. They started to call out their bids from behind Ras. Nath didn’t stop them. He smiled and spurred them against each other as he stood within the safety the barrier provided.
Nath laughed even louder as one bidder threw the other into the electric barrier. The man convulsed until gravity pulled his body to the ground. He lay unconscious, blood leaking from his eyes. No one moved his body, choosing to step over and around him instead. Violence erupted. It was if the bidders were waiting for permission to be cruel, and that permission had just been granted. Nath must have made them leave their weapons outside the square because everything being done was by brute force. Lena wished she could take back what she was seeing.
“Eves!” Gideon screamed.
Lena could barely hear him. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the brutality as the bidders tried to render their opponents unconscious.
“Evangeline,” Gideon yelled again. “You look at me, don’t look at them. Look at me.”
Lena turned towards Gideon. She shook. She was scared.
“Evangeline,” Gideon said again. “Don’t look at what’s happening with them. It’s you and me.”
Lena nodded. It took effort, but she kept her eyes on Gideon.
A ear-piercing sound of a siren filled the air. Lena covered her ears as the sound changed pitches and grew even louder. Her prison started to shake.
“Open the cell,” Ras screamed as he held his hands to his ears to block out the screeching.
“Cover your head,” Gideon yelled. Lena quickly removed her hands from her ears and covered her head. The glass around her shattered. Cimmerian troops burst from alleyways into the city square, surrounded by Zoons flying on their gliders. Lena didn’t have time to comprehend what was happening when she heard Suki scream from her glider.
“Run!”
Chapter Forty-Four
“Get her,” Nath yelled. The crowd surged towards her, forcing those closest into the electric barrier. Their screams as they were electrocuted heightened the chaos. Ras ignored Nath’s cries and rushed at Gideon. With one arm he grabbed him around the shoulders. With his free hand he pressed the syringe into the back of Gideon’s neck. Lena heard a small but loud pop. Gideon screamed and jabbed his elbow into Ras’s side. Ras’s arms tensed around Gideon. Not relaxing his grip, Ras started laughing. The thick rough sound of his voice sent chills up Lena’s arms. Gideon twisted in the unrelenting hold. Ras scanned the sky. Zoons flew towards them with Bates in their lead. He held a glider in his hands.
“Your friends will take you away from here, but you’ll never be safe from yourself,” Ras said. Releasing Gideon, Ras took two steps backward and relaxed his stance.
As soon as Ras stepped away from Gideon, Nath rushed towards Lena. She kicked him in the chest. She felt the glass under her bare feet but the pain didn’t register. She kicked Nath again, this time on the side of his face. The impact left a cut by his eye.
“Glider,” Bates yelled, as he threw the machine towards Gideon. Gideon jumped, landing on it mid-air. The glider automatically strapped to his feet. Rushing the few feet to Lena, he skidded into the side of Nath, knocking him to the ground. Grabbing Lena he rose above the crowd and into the center of Bate’s v-shaped formation. Lena wrapped her arms around his chest, pulling herself as close to him as possible. He gripped her tighter.
The Cimmerians had corralled the people in the square. “The Cimmerians will keep us from being chased,” Suki yelled as she sped towards them on her flashing purple glider.
At Suki’s signal, the Cimmeria
ns fired into the crowd. Smoke streaked above the crowd then landed in the square. The people’s screams calmed, and the fighting stopped. Lena looked below until the smoke was so thick all she could see were the Cimmerians on the perimeter of the square. Suki rose above Bates then lowered herself at his side. The V adjusted so that Suki now led the pack. They flew straight towards the Everleighan mountains. Periodically a Zoon fell off the end of the V and went to scout the area until only Bates, Suki and Gideon flew. Suki led them to the base of the mountains, then turned so that they flew parallel to it. Flying low, Suki kept them hidden as much as she could behind boulders until they reached a wide canyon. Suki followed the mountain into the canyon. Hills surrounded them on both sides now. The further in they got, the thicker the vegetation got. Thick fur trees and dead maples filled both sides of the canyon. Suki jumped off the glider and whistled. Bates signaled to Suki that he’d scout the area and took off into the trees. Gideon stopped next to Suki. Lena stepped off the glider and winced. Lifting her foot, she pulled out several shards of glass, then did the same to her other foot. They left stinging cuts, some deeper than others, but Lena ignored them. She turned to face Suki.
“You made a deal with the Cimmerians?” Lena said.
“Nope, Lucius did,” Suki replied.
“Lucius!” Lena said.
“I know, it surprised me too,” Suki said. “But what he said made sense. It was in both our interests to keep you alive. The Cimmerians were following us and were already close. He arranged for their help.”
“What kind of deal did you make with him?” Lena asked.
“None. Lucius said he wouldn’t get what he wanted with you captured and neither would the Cimmerians. He helped on his own,” Suki said.
There was no way Lucius was helping to just be helpful. Lena wanted to argue but Tarek stepped out of the tree cover.
“You got them,” Tarek said.
“Did you doubt me?” Suki bantered.
The Children of The Resistance (The Mir Chronicles Book 2) Page 22
