The Outerlands - Sedition

by Aleigh Schuster

  “—What? When?” Graff shouted, an incredulous look on his face, before he turned to me. “You knew about this the entire time and never once thought to tell me? I’m a captain of the Gunari Military. That’s what Keegan sent you to tell us? Why? And why send you here alone?”

  “Graff, please,” Councilman Montgomery said, never taking his eyes off me. “If you would calm down for a moment, I’m sure you would see this girl is very shaken up. She’s hiding it well, but it’s there. Isn’t it, dear? Has something else happened?”

  When I hesitated, unsure of where to begin, he spoke again. “Can you tell me where your father is and if he’s safe? He’s been unreachable since the last council meeting.”

  I took a deep breath and forced myself to speak. “My sector was attacked a few days ago,” I whispered, although it came out more like a sob. “Or maybe it was a week. I’ve kind of lost track of time,” I paused, not wanting to say the next part out loud for fear it would become true. “I…I’m pretty sure my father was killed…or captured by government soldiers like my brother was after we split up so he could go find Father in town. Jarvis, our guard, took me most of the way to the bunker until I convinced him to go back to help Keegan. I waited and waited for Jarvis but…but he never…” I choked up, the words catching in my throat.

  Councilman Montgomery’s entire body had tensed. He opened his mouth to speak, stopped, and then started again. “Well, this is an extremely distressing turn of events. And to have Sectors One and Two attacked within days of each other. I am very sorry for what you must have gone through, my dear… and for your family. We, however, must remain optimistic on both your father and your brother’s circumstances. When you showed up, we were in the process of sending out a unit to help out Sector One, if need be. I’ll make sure we send men out to your Sector to look for survivors, as well,” he said, standing and walking over to the desk. “I must inform Sector Four of this immediately. If you’ll excuse me…”

  I sat back in a daze, before turning to Graff and catching all the emotion on his face.

  “I’m so sorry, Henley,” he said, repositioning himself next to me on the couch. “I had no idea what you’d just been through when you showed up at the tavern,” he said, and ran a hand through his hair in obvious frustration. “Damn. And Keegan… he knows better than to get himself caught by Devlyn’s men,” he whispered mostly to himself. “

  “It was my fault,” I said, the words coming out hitched and uneven. My stomach knotted over the onslaught of memories I’d tried to push away just so that I could make it to this point; to find help. When Graff gave me a questioning look, I added, “He led the soldiers away from me when they were getting too close to the bunker.”

  “Henley,” he said, laying his hand on top of mine and waiting until the sensations melted away before he finished speaking, “I’m not sure what to say to you right now, except that this was in no way your fault. Keegan did exactly what he should’ve done—he saved his sister. And I can guarantee you this. No matter what happens, he’ll never regret doing it.”

  Someone cleared their throat from the other side of the room and Graff removed his hand from mine, standing as he did. “Uncle,” he greeted.

  “I’m sorry if I’ve interrupted, however, I’ve called for an emergency briefing,” Councilman Montgomery informed Graff. “We need to prepare for Sector Four’s arrival along with whatever information we’ll soon get back on the condition of the other sectors. I need you to gather your team and head over.”

  “Of course,” Graff replied before turning back to me and lowering his voice to a near whisper. “I have to go,” he said. He looked torn between leaving me and taking me with him. “You’re in the safest place possible here at the compound. My uncle will have someone take you to Dera’s when you’re done here. Try to rest. There are some things I have to take care of, but I’ll come find you later. All right?”

  “Yeah…okay,” I said, and with a lump in my throat, I watched as he made his way out of the room, finding myself more than a little overwhelmed with his abrupt departure.

  “My dear,” Councilman Montgomery said, coming over to sit across from me. We were in the exact same position before he left, sans Graff. “On behalf on my Sector, I want to welcome you here for as long as it takes us to get your family back.” He paused, pinching his chin between his thumb and forefinger, seemingly in contemplation of his next words. “Is there anything else you want to tell me about what happened in your sector?”

  Remembering what was still hanging around my neck, I replied, “Before we split up, my brother told me of a messenger who showed up in town that morning. He had a warning from Councilman Braden along with some of his personal items. Keegan gave them to me to hold on to and said not to let them out of my sight until I found you. That I couldn’t let them fall into the government’s hands.”

  “And do you have them on you now?” he asked somewhat anxiously as he leaned toward me.

  I simply nodded and took the leather bound book from my bag along with the medallion from around my neck, placing them on the table next to Jonas. They were officially his responsibility now, not mine; and with that realization a weight finally lifted off my shoulders.

  Jonas gathered the items from the table, clutching them tightly to his chest. “Thank you for delivering these to me safely, Henley. They mean a lot to our people. It would have been a shame to lose such a large part of our history.”

  I winced, causing him to lift a brow in question. “I’m so sorry sir, but the book’s been damaged. I…uh, sort of fell into the lake running for the bunker and well, the pages were pretty waterlogged by the time I opened it to let it dry.”

  He carefully flipped through the pages before walking over to set the book inside a desk drawer. “I’ll have our local librarian take a look, but it seems salvageable.”

  His statement reminded me to ask a question that had been haunting me for the last few days.

  “Councilman Montgomery…why is the government so fixated on my family?” He stilled at the question but I continued. “They assassinated my mother. Who knows what’s happened to my father. They killed almost everyone in the Southern Sector and mine, but made it a point to take Keegan with them. Why?”

  He crossed his arms and looked at the floor, deliberating. “First of all, please call me Jonas,” he said after a moment. “And to answer your question, yes. The government—or more specifically, their leader Devlyn Cross—is after your family. And mine. And any other Gunari family that he blames for his son’s death.”

  His words weighed heavy on my mind. Worse, they were like a ton of bricks that muddled my thoughts. Was he saying my parents were involved in the killing of William Cross? I’d always thought it had been some freak accident that claimed the life of their leader’s prodigal son. I shook my head in confusion. Something didn’t add up, but as I was trying to form my question, the front door opened followed by feminine laughter and Jonas was saved from any further discussion on the subject.

  A tall, imposing woman, with thick red hair twisted into a bun, walked in holding several overfilled bags of food. She was followed by a girl several years younger than me, who could only be her daughter. The girl had waist length, wavy reddish-blonde hair and a heart shaped face with big green eyes.

  Jonas hurriedly pocketed the medallion and whispered, “Please don’t discuss this with anyone else just yet. We’ll talk more soon. I promise.”

  With that, he stood and faced his wife, who approached with a questioning look on her face. “Marta, Nessa, this is Henley Brooks.” There was an emphasis on my last name. “She’s going to be staying with us for a while and I was wondering if you two could get her whatever she needs to make that stay as comfortable as possible.”

  Before Jonas finished talking, Nessa was by my side. When I stood, she took both my hands and in the sweetest voice said, “I’m Nessa and we’re going to be great friends. I just know it.” She smiled and pulled her hands back, running the
m through my hair a second later. “Wow, you’re pretty. Like, really pretty. And I love your hair. I wish mine was that color, but it’s not,” she said, pointing to her long locks and taking half a second to suck in a breath. “So how old are you? Where did you come from? Somewhere amazing I bet. Was it far away?”

  “Nessa!” her mother admonished with a slight smile, and she set the bags down before walking our way. “Hello, dear. I’m Marta, Jonas’ wife. And this is our precocious daughter, Nessa. It is very nice to meet you.” She placed a warm hand on my shoulder then faced Jonas and added, “Honey, she looks dreadfully tired.”

  “Honestly, I am pretty exhausted,” I replied.

  “Why don’t we have Nessa take her over to…” she was saying to Jonas and then he replied something back to her and I think they went on to discuss it a little more. I’d pretty much tuned them out, my mind still whirling with questions regarding Devlyn’s son’s death.

  “Does that sound good?” Marta asked, bringing me back to their conversation.

  “Hmm? Oh yes, ma’am. Thank you.” The smile on her face told me I’d answered correctly.

  After Marta hugged me goodbye and Jonas promised yet again that we would talk soon, I was led to Dera’s cabin by Nessa, who informed me of some of the ins and outs of the compound.

  When we reached a small cabin situated between two other slightly larger ones, Nessa knocked once and promptly opened the front door.

  Dera greeted us, getting up from her position on the couch.

  “Hi, Nessa,” she said, and then looked to me. “Oh. Hey there, new roomie. I’m so excited! I was worried they might end up sticking you with Cali and I’d never see you again.” She laughed.

  “Thanks for offering up your spare bed,” I said, giving her a sincere smile in return.

  “Well, I gotta get back home. It’s late. Welcome to your new home, Henley.” Nessa briefly wrapped her arms around me and waved at Dera before stepping back onto the porch. “Bye.”

  “I’ve been asked to help you get settled in…show you around a bit.” When I didn’t say anything, Dera continued, “It’s pretty dark but I could take you to get a quick bite to eat before bed.”

  “You know, I’m actually pretty tired,” I told her. “If you don’t mind, I might just go to bed now…start fresh tomorrow.”

  “Sure thing. Oh, and someone came by with some new clothes and toiletries for you. I’ll show you where they are.”

  * * *

  As soon as Dera left me, I tossed my backpack in the corner by my bed, snatched up my new nightshirt, escaped to the bathroom, and closed the door firmly behind me. While filling the tub with water, I braved a look in the mirror above the sink. Tangled hair, pale skin, and dark circles under two swollen eyes greeted me. Knowing it was beyond ridiculous to be embarrassed about my appearance right now, I heaved a sigh and slid down into the tub.

  The cabin was utterly quiet—peaceful, even—and I realized that this was the first time I’d been somewhere completely safe since the attack. I finally had the opportunity to truly come to terms with what had happened. To grieve. And when the tears started to flow down my cheeks, I let them. I cried until the water became frigid and my fingers pruned. It might have only been minutes that I sat there, or maybe it had been hours, but when I was done and my last tear fell, I vowed that this would be the last time I’d ever feel this helpless again.

  Chapter Eight

  I’ve been hiding under the desk in Father’s office for like a million counts now. Keegan will never look for me here because it’s off limits to both of us. Bored, I scoot around and open the bottom drawer. There’s a nice leather box inside.

  Holding the box in my hand, I listen to make sure no one’s coming. Just as I start to open it, the door opens and heavy footsteps walk inside.

  “Henley Brooks, what do you think you’re doing down there?” my father shouts.

  As I stand, the box falls to the floor. I give Father my best smile, trying to hide my nerves. “Sorry, Father,” I say. “I was just hiding from Keegan and he always finds me and I just knew he’d never find me in here because I’m not supposed to be in here, right?”

  Father walks over and picks me up, hugging me tight before setting me down on top of his desk. Clearing his throat, he says, “Yes, well I can certainly understand your reasoning for disobeying the rules. And you’re quite right. Keegan would never have found you in here.”

  “I’ll be a great straggigist one day,” I reply matter-of-factly.

  “Yes, I have no doubt of that, young lady”, he says, and laughs at my use of such a big word.

  Hearing footsteps, I jump off the desk and run when Keegan enters the room followed right after by Mommy. He’s found me and we’re chasing each other around the room. Mommy stands beside Father and they’re laughing at us the way they always do when we get too excited in the house. But then, in the next second, the office window shatters and I watch in horror as a cluster of arrows fly through it, piercing Mommy right in the chest.

  I woke with a start and rolled over to find someone sitting on the bed next to me.

  “Bad dream?” Dera asked, her voice sympathetic.

  “Mmmh,” I managed, before rolling to my side, still not wanting to talk about them with anyone.

  “Well, it must have been something because you were screaming like a banshee. Let me get you some water.”

  As she left the bedroom, I sat up and tried to get my bearings but images of the dream were still fresh in my head. It suddenly came to me as I tried to catch my breath: That had been the last time I’d heard my father laugh like that. Moments later, my mother had died; leaving Father so grief-stricken he buried himself in counsel business and nothing else. When that didn’t help, he stayed away from the house at all costs and began traveling so much that Keegan was left with the responsibility of taking care of his six and a half year old sister, even though he was only ten at the time.

  Dera returned, handing me a small cup. “Drink,” she ordered.

  After taking a few sips of water, I set the cup on the side table.

  “My parents died not too long ago. Everything happened so fast, you know? I’ve never felt more afraid or alone in my life. But then I heard the Gunari were gathering more recruits for the cause.” She took a deep breath. “I’m too small to meet the requirements to be a soldier, but I’ve trained my whole life and I’m a good tracker. I’ve always wanted to be a scout. To have a purpose, you know? So I came here.”

  She paused so I turned toward her, letting her know I was listening.

  “There was talk last night, after you went to bed…” she whispered, “about what happened to your sector… and your brother.” My entire body jerked, clearly taken aback because Jonas had made it sound like he didn’t want anyone to know yet.

  She laid her hand on my shoulder. “Everyone knows Keegan around here, and after you showed up all alone? Well, everyone had questions in the briefing and finally Graff…” She trailed off. “Look, all I’m saying is…if it’s true and you’re the only one left? Well, your loved ones will always be in your memories,” she tapped her chest, “and in your heart.”

  My hand reached up to find hers. “Thank you, Dera. Really. And I appreciate the concern, but you’re wrong. I’m not the only one left. My brother’s still out there somewhere. Alive. My father might be, too. It’s why I came here. The only reason I’m here. Because I need help getting them back.”

  Dera gave me a doubtful smile, but didn’t say anything more. Instead, she took a paper booklet off her nightstand, climbed into bed next to me, and settled in under the covers. We stayed like that for a while, me off in my own thoughts and Dera reading what I later found out was some training manual, until she finally jumped up and started pacing around the room.

  “Okay…so I think the best thing we can do to take your mind off things is grab some of Miss Sophia’s ah-ma-zing breakfast scramble and then I’ll show you around the place. What do you say?”

&n
bsp; “I’d say that sounds great. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  By the time we reached the Mess Hall, the entire place was packed, breakfast was almost over, and to top it off, as we walked further into the room all conversation stopped and every head turned our way. Most of the recruits seemed more curious than anything but a few looked downright hostile, glares fixed on me.

  “Well hell,” Dera whispered, taking in all our newfound attention.

  I was about to tell her not to worry about it, just get her own breakfast and I’d meet up with her later, but then a sweet perky voice — one I knew and at that moment fell in love with—punctuated the tense silence. Nessa weaved through the crowd, coming straight for us.

  “I’m so excited you guys are here. I saved you seats so we can all eat together,” she yelled in front of everyone. Reaching us, she took a hold of my hand and practically dragged me to the food counter.

  We each got a plate and filled them with egg scramble, bacon, ham, roasted potatoes with onions, beans, cheese, and some flat bread. Nessa added a bowl of some red sauce and then we followed her back to a half-filled table against the wall.

  A few minutes later, a middle-aged woman with chin length black hair and deep brown eyes stepped up next to our chairs, a big smile on her face. She spread her arms out, eyes darting between the three of us. “Girls, you have brought me a beautiful guest, no?”

  “Yes, Miss Sofia,” Dera said. “This is Henley and she’s in need of some nourishment.” She glanced my way, gave me a wink, and then added, “I told her that you were the best cook in all the world. So here we are.”

  “You’re my biggest fan, Dera. And it is so nice to meet you, Henley. Please, I hope everything here will be to your liking. And enjoy some of my special fruit punch.” Miss Sofia poured a frothy light red liquid into several cups for us to taste. “This is a version of my raw vegetable juice, but with berries added. It has a lot of flavor.” She sat down across the table, placed both hands around mine, and focused solely on my face. She was silent for so long I became nervous. Finally, she leaned over, looked directly into my eyes, and said, “You, my child, have much power hiding inside you. Do not be afraid. You have a very difficult journey ahead of you. You must trust your instincts. Remember that and we will all be the better for it.” Then she rose and left the table without another word.