“Not in the least,” Tarek responded. “I’m just glad to see you.”
Myri and Druinn stepped from the trees as well. “Where’s Lucius?” Myri asked.
Suki smirked. “I forgot to save him.” Suki said it like it was a question.
Lena turned towards Suki, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Suki shrugged. “Oops,” she said.
Lena’s jaw dropped open, then she started to chuckle. Lena couldn’t stop herself. She didn’t know if she was from relief that Lucius had been left behind or if her mind just needed to release all the pressure that had been building. She laughed and hard. The group watched her in awe before Suki started laughing too, then Tarek and finally Gideon.
They stopped laughing and spun when they heard a man clear his voice in the trees. Tarek pointed a gun at the sound. “Evangeline Adhara?” A man said, stepping from the trees. Lena readied herself for a fight. Druinn and Myri pointed their guns at the man too. The man raised his hands and stepped forward. “You are Evangeline Adhara?” he asked. He raised his hands in the air and took another step towards Lena. He didn’t wear the uniform of a Defense solder or Cimmerian. But didn’t look like the bandits from Monmark either. He wore clean clothes, his teeth shone white, his hair looked cut and kept up. He looked only a little older than the rest of them.
“Who are you?” Gideon said as Druinn pointed his gun at the man.
The man took a step back, not frightened but unsure what to do. “You are Evangeline Adhara?” he asked again. “And Gideon Merak,” he said a little louder as he looked to Gideon. “Tern sent me this way to find you.”
“How do you know Tern,” Gideon said, still on guard.
“I don’t,” the man said. “Only just met him. He tracked us and told us about your capture. Not sure how he knew it all, but he seemed confident that you’d escape and sent us this way to find you. We work with Thora.”
“Thora,” Lena gasped. “Can you take us to her?”
“That’s what I’ve come to do. Your friends Tern and Birdee are already there.”
Lena stood straighter. She leaned forward as she studied the man. She knew his face. Memories surfaced from her time at the Defense Facility. He was a soldier in the video she and Birdee watched in the explosion of the Priestess’s outpost. He had stolen something from the Priestess, then gave it to Thora. Excitement flooded her. “I know you,” she said recalling the memory. “Your name is Remiah.”
The man nodded. He whistled and Lena heard footsteps before a girl she recognized as Dessa stepped out from the trees. “This is Evangeline Adhara and Gideon Merak,” Remiah said. Dessa’s arms dropped as fast as her jaw. Then her face broke into a grin.
“We’ve been looking for you,” Dessa said.
Gideon stumbled forward. Lena turned to him. Gideon grabbed the back of his neck. Her excitement vanished. “Eves, help me,” he gasped. Lena grabbed at his arm as he fell to his knee’.
“Gideon,” Lena said. Gideon fell to the ground and rolled onto his side. Tarek stepped forward. Kneeling down next to Gideon he started checking his pulse and touching his skin. Even in his calmness, Tarek looked worried.
“Ras inserted something into his neck,” Lena rattled.
Gideon’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. Tarek’s eyes opened wide and he started slapping the side of Gideon’s face.
“Gideon, my friend. Stay conscious,” Tarek said.
Lena didn’t know what to do. She felt as if time had frozen. “What do we do?” Lena asked. Tarek looked to the left then the right. His eyes locking onto the glider. Picking Gideon up, he flung him over his shoulder.
“Take us to Thora,” Tarek command unable to hide the anxiety in his voice.
Remiah nodded briskly. “Follow me,” said before turning and running straight up the mountainside.
Chapter Forty-Five
They ran straight up the mountainside. Tarek carried Gideon on the glider. Myri and Druinn were out of breath by the time Lena saw a boulder sliding open on the side of the mountain. Remiah led them inside a cave. The ground sloped and turned.
Lena kept pace with Tarek’s glider. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her anxiety over Gideon pulsed in her chest. She looked back at him, she couldn’t see his breath.
Remiah didn’t stop running. Dessa fell behind with Myri and Druinn. “Dad, we need you,” Remiah yelled. He turned a sharp corner and a room lit up. It was an infirmary. A table sat in the center. Tarek lay Gideon’s body down. As he straightened him out, Gideon’s body started convulsing. His arms flopping and his head and chest pulsed violently against the table. Tarek recklessly began opening and closing medicine cabinets. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled a vial from one of the cupboards.
“Get me a needle,” Tarek yelled. It was the first time Lena ever heard Tarek sound panicked. Remiah flung drawers open looking for a needle as Tarek grabbed Gideon’s body to keep him from falling off the table.
A man ran to the edge of the room. Lena assumed it was the dad Remiah had called to. Seeing Gideon convulsing on the table he jumped into action next to Tarek. Taking the vial from Tarek, he grabbed a needle out of a drawer Remiah hadn’t looked it. He jabbed the needle into Gideon’s side. Lena felt tense everywhere. Suki put an arm around her as they stood watching the two men work on Gideon. Gideon’s body began to relax as soon as the man pulled the needle from his side. They watched as Gideon’s breathing evened out and Lena saw his lips turn pink again. Tarek touched Gideon’s forehead and muttered something quiet yet peaceful under his breath. The man stepped away with a huge sigh. Placing his hands on his hips, he turned towards Lena. Lena’s eyes lingered on the scars covering the right side of his face and running down his neck.
“I’ve seen you before,” Lena said. “When I was trying to find Thora after she left the training facility, Dorry helped me pull up her insignia footage. I saw you pulling out Thora’s tracking device. Who are you?” she asked.
“My name is Aaron. You’ve met my children Dessa and Remiah,” Aaron said. “I’m a friend of Thora’s.”
“Where is she,” Lena asked.
The man didn’t need to answer. From the other side of the infirmary cavern, Thora burst into the room. Taking one look at Lena the two bolted towards each other. Lena wrapped her arms around her friend, the woman who had risked everything to save her life. Lena didn’t stop the sobs that came from her soul as Thora pulled her close. Pulling away Thora grabbed Lena’s hand and moved to the end of Gideon’s table.
“What has happened?” Thora asked.
Lena didn’t know where to start. She blurted out something about her being a prisoner and what she knew about Zeke, and what she knew about him being controlled and Ras Taban and how Ras inserted something into Gideon’s neck. It spilled from her like a dam breaking. Lena knew her stories were jumbled together and nothing she said made sense, but Thora just nodded as if she understood.
When she finished, Thora rested her hand on top of Lena’s. They watched as Aaron hooked monitors to Gideon’s chest and fingers. Lena’s gaze kept going between the beeping lights and his shallow breathing. She was afraid any minute one of them would stop moving. Everything felt distant. After what seemed like an eternity, Aaron said that Gideon was stable and instructed Remiah to get Lena and Thora chairs so they could sit with Gideon. The rest of their group was lead out of the infirmary. Dessa brought her a blanket and wrapped it tightly around Lena’s shoulders. Lena let her hand slip out the side and held tightly to Gideon’s hand.
“Thora, I’m afraid,” Lena finally said.
Thora rested her hand on Lena’s leg. “He’ll be okay. His eyes are already starting to flutter. He’ll be awake soon.”
“If it’s him at all,” Lena said.
“We’ll figure it out,” was all Thora would say.
Lena stared motionlessly at the monitors. She didn’t know how long they’d been watching when Gideon’s eyes peeled open. Lena let go of his hand and jumped to her fee
t, her hands landing on his chest.
“Miss me?” Gideon said. His throat was dry, and his words came out sounding like a croak.
“Gideon, you’re alive. You’re okay.” Lena started crying all over again. Gideon slowly brought his hand towards her face and wiped away her tears. Cupping her face, he brought her towards him brushing his lips against hers.
Thora cleared her throat from where she stood next to them. “Aunt Thora,” Gideon whispered. Gideon pushed himself up, his arms shaking with the exertion. Lena pushed pillows behind him until he looked comfortable.
Thora smiled. “My dear boy,” she said. Walking around his bed to the other side, she wrapped him in a hug. “I was so worried. How are you feeling?” Thora asked.
“Stiff. Sore. My whole body is weak.” He rubbed the back of his neck. It was swollen with a large red bump. He hissed as he touched it.
“Something was inserted in your neck,” Lena said.
“The insertion caused swelling into your head. Which gave you a seizure. What do you remember? Thora asked.
Gideon looked into the distance as if trying to remember everything that brought him here. Gideon sat taller now. “Ras Taban,” Gideon said. “I remember he’s the man I saw with my father, days before the Everleighan attack.”
Thora opened the x-rays Aaron had taken while Gideon slept. They hovered over the bed. Lena stepped in closer to Gideon’s side. The x-ray showed a small oblong device wrapped around the top of his spinal cord just below his skull. Thin metal threads reached from the device and into his brain.
“What did he do to me?” Gideon asked.
Lena studied the x-ray. “It seems like whatever was inserted into your neck has attached to your nerves,” Lena answered. “And these threads, what do you think they do?”
“Those threads are reaching into the part of his brain that controls motor function,” Thora said
Gideon rubbed his neck as Thora zoomed in on the device. She swatted his hand away from his neck. “Gideon, keep your hands down.” Gideon rubbed it one more time before moving his hand to wipe his eyes.
“Those threads in my brain can only be meant for one thing. Control,” Gideon said. “I wonder if this is what my mother did to my father.”
Thora studied the image of Gideon’s neck neither confirming or denying Gideon’s suspicions. “It’s time we find out everything this device can do. Lena, you and your insignia are needed in the main hall.”
Chapter Forty-Six
“I’m going with you,” Gideon said lowering his legs to the side of the bed.
Thora looked like she wanted to argue but instead helped him stand. Lena came to stand on the other side of him. As he steadied himself, Lena let him grab her arm. His grip was weak and tired. Lena moved his arm to her shoulder then wrapped her own around his waist. She felt his back muscles tense as they stepped forward. Thora led them through the door she’d come in. As they walked, the cave floor inclined and descended. Lena saw several offshoots from the main hallway, their concourse too dark to see past the light that filtered from the main hall. As they descended Gideon’s strength increased as if the movement helped his stiffness. Still, she gripped his waist, feeling like if she let go she might loose him again. As if feeling her anxiety, Gideon turned his face and kissed the side of her head. The gesture made her relax her grip around him. Thora raised her eyebrows but didn’t look shocked.
Lena started wondering how far inside the mountain they’d actually come when they entered a large crystalline cavern. Both Lena and Gideon stopped and gawked. Gigantic crystals jutted across several parts of the cavern and hung from the ceiling high above them. Light shone through the stone illuminating the room. Lena didn’t know where the light came from; she didn’t think it could be natural but didn’t dwell on the thought.
Aaron saw them entering the cavern and walked across the expanse to come stand by Thora. He directed Gideon toward a table and chairs in the center of the room.
“What is this place? I’ve never heard of this place before,” Lena said as they walked.
“That means we’ve done our job well,” Aaron replied. “As you’ve probably figured out on your own, we’re inside the Everleighan mountains. Unknown to most, tunnels naturally run along the length of the mountains. These caves were supposed to be part of Everleighs defense system. A secret assignment. They were in the process of being renovated for a refuge when the attack on Everleigh happened.”
“You lived in Everleigh?” Lena asked. “Why don’t I know your children.”
“No, we never lived in Everleigh. My kids and I were here for the Founder’s Party. I knew about the caves from my work with your father,” Aaron said.
“Is this where you live now?” Lena asked as she passed an open kitchen.
“Yes, it was already equipped with a self-sustaining system when Everleigh was bombed. My children Remiah, Dessa and I escaped to the mountains when the Priestess attacked Everleigh. We’ve lived here off and on since then. There is a water source further down that opens into an underground lake, but we have showers and plumbing and food replicators.”
Lena took a deep breath. She smelled something delicious coming from the direction of the open kitchen. Her stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear it. When had she eaten last?
“You need my insignia,” Lena said.
“Oh no. Don’t you think I didn’t hear your stomach,” Thora said. “First you get cleaned up, then we’ll eat.”
“Then we’ll talk about the server you stole from the facility you bombed?” Lena asked.
Aaron looked taken back. “How did you know about that?” he asked.
“The Priestess had the recruits review the footage. Trying to find who bombed the facility,” Gideon said. Aaron gave Thora a worried look.
“It was Jonah, Birdee, and me who recovered the information,” Lena said. “And unless Jonah revealed the information to anyone else, we never reported what we found.”
“I can’t say for certain what Selene knows now,” Gideon said, “but when we left the Defense Training Facility, she didn’t know it was you who stole it. Or where you were.”
“Go,” Thora said pointing to a hallway. “I’ll have dinner, or I should say breakfast ready for you when you get out.”
***
“Tell me again about this man,” Thora said leaning against the back of her chair. She sat next to Aaron who rested his elbows on the table. Suki and Tarek sat around the same table listening as Lena and Gideon told their individual stories of what happened in Monmark. They all had food in front of them; fruit, sausage, and fresh handmade biscuits.
Lena stuffed a biscuit in her mouth as she spoke. “Ras Taban,” Lena said. “He is in league with Selene, but I’m not sure how.”
“Celano,” Gideon said. “He was the man in Celano who met with my father before the attack on Everleigh. After that is when my father started acting differently. If what I suspect is true, he is the one who implanted my father with the device that gave the Selene the power to control his actions.”
Thora looked thoughtful. Aaron reached over and gave her arm a squeeze. At his touch, Thora’s whole body relaxed. Their eyes met and Aaron nodded in encouragement or support, or Lena wasn’t really sure what. She was only sure that Aaron somehow gave Thora strength. Thora caught Lena watching her and Lena quickly looked away feeling embarrassed that she’d intruded on their unspoken moment.
“Myri,” Thora called across the room.
Myri turned from where she sat on the kitchen bar watching Druinn juggle fruit. At the sound of her name, she straightened and looked to Lena. Hoping off the counter, she gave Druinn a quick kiss and hurried over to the group.
“Can you access your ships computer from here?” Thora asked. “More specific, can you use your ships computers to access the I.M.A’s satellites?”
“If the ship’s computers weren’t damaged in the crash I can,” Myri said and immediately began typing on a hologram screen. After a few
minutes, she smiled. “I’m in. What do you need me to pull up?”
“Can you pull up the footage of the auction in Monmark?” Thora asked.
Myri nodded and typed in a few commands while Suki looked over her shoulder. Myri opened an image of the city square Lena had just escaped. Suki leaned forward resting her head on her prosthetic arm as they watched. Lena’s stomach clenched as she watched herself. Myri fast forwarded the imagery until the ship Lena had described to them flew into the square. “Ras Taban,” Lena said pointing to the man as he exited his ship.
Thora paled. “He is no Miran.” Thora straightened her posture. “He’s Viceret. Selene, what have you gotten yourself into.” Thora said the last statement more to herself than anyone else.
Lena strained to remember where she’d heard the name Viceret before. She knew it wasn’t a new word, but couldn’t recall where she’d heard it before.
“The Viceret? They’re not members of the Interplanetary Alliance,” Myri said as Druinn walked up behind her to study the now paused image of the man.
“Where the Viceret goes, blood flows,” Druinn said. It sounded like a childhood rhyme. Something that was written to warn children of the dangers in the universe. Or the dangers right in front of you.
“I don’t understand,” said Lena.
“The Viceret are a war-stricken people,” Aaron explained. “Always have been. Conquering other worlds is what they do. They have left the alliance alone in the past, but worlds outside the alliance and dwarf planets have suffered greatly under their wrath. They want war and rule through treachery. They have betrayed many nations to gain the upper hand.”
An image of Jonah lying on the ground rushed to Lena’s mind. The force of it caught her off guard causing her to gasp. The others jerked their heads to look at her wondering what caused her reaction. How could she have forgotten where she’d heard the name.
“The Viceret.” Lena said taking a breath. “Jonah, before he died, he told me Selene was working for the Viceret, but I didn’t understand what it meant.”
The Children of The Resistance (The Mir Chronicles Book 2) Page 23
