by Nina Walker
I stopped, nearly crying out in elation. Her telepathy! I’d never been more grateful for magic as I was in that moment.
I’m coming for you, Jessa. Don’t worry. I’ll get you out.
No! Don’t go into the fire.
It’s okay! I fell to my knees and crawled. I should have done it sooner. The heat and smoke weren’t nearly as thick down here.
No, Lucas. I got out. I’m fine. I’m with the Guardians. It was just the royal wing that got hit. Arson, they think. You can’t go in there.
My vision started to blur.
You’re safe? I begged.
Yes! Where are you?
I coughed again. Where do you think? I had to make sure you were okay.
I’m fine. Get out of there, Lucas!
Okay. I’m turning back.
I was outside our own apartment. The doors had fallen down and the fire crept up the walls. I coughed, falling to my stomach. I got a hold of myself, turning to leave but the sound of a heavy, hacking cough stopped me.
Dad?
Bear crawling, I bolted into our apartment, toward the coughing.
His body was flat on the floor, one arm over his face, soot covering every inch of his skin, his eyes tightly closed. But he continued to cough; he was alive.
“Dad! Are you okay?” I knelt beside him and shook his torso wildly. The fearful thought that I was about to become an orphan shot through me.
He coughed again and opened his eyes, blinking several times as they searched my face. “I came back for you,” he gasped. “When you didn’t show up at the evacuation, I came back for you.”
“It’s okay. I’m here,” I said. “Get up. Let’s go.”
He nodded and rolled to his knees. Another string of hacking coughs followed. When we shuffled toward the entrance of the apartment, the roof caved in directly ahead. The sound was deafening, like fighter jets swooping overhead. Or maybe that was also happening at this moment.
Sparks flew, and we jumped back.
“It’s blocked,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. I considered going to a window but we were two stories off the ground and I wasn’t sure emergency ladders would be up fast enough. “Let’s go into the bunker,” I said. Our family’s go-to evacuation plan.
“It’s locked,” he growled.
“No. It can’t be locked. It only locks from the inside.” My throat burned as I spoke, the smoke growing thicker by the second.
“Then someone locked it,” he coughed.
I stared at him, stunned as the realization sunk in. Whoever orchestrated this attack knew about the bunker and blocked it.
“I already tried it after I came to find you,” he said. “I exerted myself so much trying to pry open the damn thing that I must have passed out from the smoke.”
The fire continued to rage, the heat getting closer and closer now. It was silent, but everything it burned screamed and popped in a sickening chorus.
We were surrounded and there was no way out.
“Let me try,” I said. “Maybe you loosened it.”
Or maybe it just needs the magic touch.
He ignored me and stumbled away to fiddle with the nearest window.
I approached the door in the paneling, careful to keep clear of the fire. It was mostly on the far wall, but it was moving in fast and would be consuming this wall soon enough. The wallpaper here had yellow in it. I sent out a silent thank you that it wasn’t covered in soot, and that yellow was easy for me. I placed one had on the wallpaper next to the doorframe and one hand on the door itself. The heat nearly burned my hands, but I pressed into it.
I glanced back to Dad through the haze of smoke. He was cussing, pushing on the stuck window. I held my breath. It was do or die. I had used my magic in front of him and hope he wouldn’t see.
The door burst open.
“Got it,” I called back. He turned around, disbelieving before relief washing over him. Together, we dashed inside and down the stairs into the bunker.
“Lily had said an attempt would be made but I hadn’t expected it to be this bad,” he mumbled behind me as we descended the stairs. The smoke was gone but it still burned in my throat, still stung my eyes. We stumbled downward, arms outstretched, lungs hacking.
Lucas, are you okay? Where are you? I still can’t find you. Jessa’s panicked voice tumbled through my thoughts.
We’re okay, I replied, once again grateful for our connection. I needed to keep practicing that kind of magic as soon as I had time. It was far too useful to continue to overlook. I found my father. We’re both okay. Tell someone to check the bunker. I don’t want anyone to know about your telepathy so just tell them I told you about the bunker and you think that’s where we are.
What about my dad? Is he okay? Did he make it to the theatre?
He’s fine. He made it.
I don’t want him to get blamed for this, she said, her voice rising.
He won’t, I replied, but I had no way of actually knowing that. If anything, we can act like he used the fire as a chance to escape, after his body doesn’t turn up. But that doesn’t mean he started it. Richard is going to think it’s West America.
Who do you think started it? She put extra emphasis on the you. It was a good question, one I’d give anything to have a definitive answer on.
Could be the Resistance, I said. Or maybe someone working for West America. Whoever it is, this isn’t their first attempt on my life and it won’t be their last.
I don’t think it was the Resistance, Lucas, she said. I honestly don’t.
I wasn’t so sure, but didn’t want to argue.
Then maybe it really is West America. I don’t know.
There was silence, followed by the severing of our connection like a snap in a taut wire.
We took the final two stairs and Richard pulled me into a hearty hug, something foreign to us. My body stiffened and relaxed at the same time. It was the strangest feeling, and one I didn’t want to repeat anytime soon.
“Thank God you’re okay,” Richard said, stepping away. “I really thought I had lost you. And after losing your mother…”
We stared at each other. The soot had turned his face black, his eyes red, but he gazed at me with a renewed sense of purpose.
“What are we going to do?” I asked. “This keeps happening. They almost got us.”
“We will retaliate,” he said. “If West America wants to turn this into a blood bath then we can make that happen. Until then, the palace is going into lockdown. Nobody will be allowed in or out until we sort through everyone’s stories and find out who started the fire.”
It made sense, but I doubted he would find the culprit so easily. The front gate being left open was just one reason why. But for the time being, it seemed our royal wing would have to be shut down for extensive repairs. We’d be fine; the palace was massive. But who was to say it wouldn’t happen again? Eventually, our luck would run out.
I sat on the edge of a bunk, dropping my head between my knees and breathing in and out as slowly as I could manage without coughing. My skull tingled, and the edges of my vision tunneled into a blur of color. Unable to resist it, I gave into the coughing again. It rushed from me, over and over, as I hacked the thick soot from my lungs. Through it all, the adrenaline still raced through my veins.
An arsonist in the palace…
The fire was expertly done, so quick and all-consuming; so strategically placed. It had to be someone who knew what they were doing. And someone who wanted the job done swiftly and effectively.
Whoever just tried to burn us alive in our own home had to be a trusted member of the staff, or maybe even an alchemist.
“There is an assassin under our roof,” my father said, mirroring my own dark thoughts. “I promise you. I am going to find them, and I am going to end them.”
16
Sasha
As I sat down for breakfast, I immediately sensed the crackle of tension in the kitchen. Mastin stared at his plate and wouldn
’t meet my gaze, wouldn’t even look at me. Lately, the guy didn’t have an issue following me around with those emerald weapons.
Sorry, they were gorgeous. Not my fault.
Nathan appeared the perfect picture of a pensive and angry military leader. His jaw was clenched, and his hands were fisted on either side of his plate. And Melissa buzzed around us all, a ball of nervous energy. She dished the food in little spurts of action followed by long pauses, lost in thought.
I didn’t realize how much I’d come to enjoy these breakfasts together until this one, since not a single person was acting happy to be here. This family had showed me kindness when I’d been in need. That had helped me to appreciate the family I’d lost. I wondered what life would be like once we finally had the chance to be together again. Would we ever have a normal breakfast together, too?
Melissa sat in her chair and the silence continued.
Something was definitely off.
Perhaps a normal person would wait for one of them to acknowledge what was going on. Or maybe a normal person wouldn’t want to intervene, at all. But I was not that person.
Quickly losing my patience, I set my fork down next to my scrambled eggs, and looked between the three of them, batting my eyelashes. “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?” I put a strong note of sarcasm in my question.
“She hasn’t seen the news?” Mastin asked forlornly, looking to his parents. I shook my head.
The news? Today was the day these men would leave for war. Had that been on the news when it wasn’t supposed to be? Or maybe it was that they’d be leaving Melissa today and that’s why they were acting so weird. But they hadn’t seemed the least bit fazed about the war stuff yesterday or the day before. Well, okay, maybe they’d been a little apprehensive, but they’d hardly acted like this.
“King Richard sent out a broadcast directed at America this morning.” Nathan sighed, throwing his half-eaten toast onto his plate. “Excuse me, West America, as he calls it.” He scoffed. “Apparently there was an incident of arson at their palace yesterday. His son almost died and now he’s blaming us. Sure, we’ve taken our shots, I won’t lie about that, but this isn’t the first time he’s blamed us for something we didn’t do.”
I mulled the information over in my mind. It was war, right? These things couldn’t be out of the ordinary. A sense of relief filled me, knowing Lucas wasn’t dead. Even though we were on different sides, he’d proven himself to me.
“Okay, so what’s the problem?”
“The problem is the man followed his little broadcast with a raid on Nashville, which just so happens to be near the edge of our border. In his broadcast he said he would be taking his revenge on our military stronghold. But did he? No, the bastard bombed a civilian hospital, ending hundreds of innocent lives.”
My blood pulsed through my ears in a whooshing stream. I took a deep breath, trying to settle my nerves. But the anger was building and the fact that I didn’t have anything to take it out on coursed through me.
“So what do we do about it?” I finally said, lamely, as if there was anything to be done. Those lives were already gone. Families already devastated. More unsuspecting families torn apart because of the vile King.
“We were leaving anyway but now we’re being redirected to Nashville to help. New Colony has already begun to occupy parts of the suburbs and their troops are moving in fast. It won’t be long until they completely take over Nashville. This is our first large urban city to deal in this situation and, quite frankly, they’re not equipped to handle it. Civilian militias are forming as we speak, and that’s hardly going to be the solution.”
“It’s not your fault, honey,” Mel said softly, placing her hand over his fist that seemed to be glued to the table.
“It’s my job to protect the citizens in this country,” he said. “I’m one of the highest-ranking Army Generals. I am responsible. We should have sent more troops out the second they attacked the first time. All along the border, not just the points where they were already attacking.”
I didn’t know what to say. I agreed with him.
“We’ll make them pay for this,” Mastin snarled and stood. “I’ll be upstairs,” he called over his shoulder as he left us, probably to finish packing.
And as for me? So far, I wasn’t slated to travel with them, but I was determined to remedy that little issue.
Melissa wandered off, likely to check on something in another room.
This is my chance. You can do this. You must.
It was the very first moment Mastin had left me alone with his father since the meeting with the President. I’d no doubt he wanted me to stay back on base, to play house with his mother and stay safe. And I also figured he must be temporarily distracted by the news from this morning. Too bad for him; I’d take his distraction and use it to my advantage.
I won’t feel guilty for it, I told myself, though the feeling was buried deep.
“Take me with you.” I turned on Nathan. “I know I can help. You need me.”
“We need you here even more,” he replied. “We might need you to train alchemists—not kids—but if we can find any willing adults, they’ll need a teacher and you’re all we’ve got.”
“That’s not true. Hank is already on it. He taught me so much about magic. Trust me, he’s fully capable and he wants the job,” I pleaded, meeting his determined eyes. I would do whatever was necessary to get him to agree. If he didn’t come around through begging, he would through magic.
“I would be useless here,” I added. “But out there, I could be the difference between winning and losing the war.”
“I don’t know.” He chewed his lip as if mulling over the idea.
“Think about it this way. Those people in the hospital? I bet I could have saved many of them. Green alchemy works quickly to heal flesh wounds, even the worst kind, and I’m an expert with green. There may come a time where I save your life.” I added for dramatic effect, “Or maybe your son’s life.”
His eyes zeroed in on me; I had him.
And if he didn’t, there was a knife awfully close to my hand that I could use to draw blood. One minute and it would all be over, assuming I still had the ability. If not, I’d be dead. The idea lingered. I imagined jumping into action, slicing him open and using the magic before he could respond. I could have the General healed and cleaned up in moments, unable to remember a thing except for the solid realization that he needed to take me with him today.
I shook the thought away. I didn’t want to do it.
It had been years since I’d sworn off the magic. It was a massive risk, and something I never wanted to return to again.
“Well?” I pressed, staring at him head on.
I wasn’t here to sit on the sidelines and watch America lose their war, their country, and everyone I knew and loved in the process. There was no way! My pinky finger rested on the edge of the knife, my ring finger beginning to draw closer as well.
“Fine,” he said, blowing out a slow breath. My hand snapped back.
“You won’t regret this,” I replied, filled with anticipation.
He smiled mischievously. “I’m starting to see why he likes you so much.”
A new sense of excitement washed through me, this one even more frantic than the first. I bit my lip and looked away, blood rising to my cheeks.
He didn’t utter another word about it. He just chuckled, stood, and left the kitchen. I stood and busied myself with the cleanup, emptying the plates and bowls of their half-eaten food into the trash, adding the dishes to the ones already in the sink, and then wetting a towel to wipe everything down.
Through it all, my thoughts hung on Nathan Scott’s comment. I didn’t need him to say anything to know that he was hinting at the attraction between me and his son. But I couldn’t think about Mastin right now, anyway. It was time to make plans for Nashville and prepare myself for all possible scenarios of what I could do there once we arrived. That’s what I need to f
ocus on, but my curious mind had already wandered to the boy upstairs.
We flew in a stream of massive choppers, bigger than the ones we’d been outfitted in for previous missions. These were sleeker, faster, and outfitted to transport an entire squadron of soldiers at once. When I’d first climbed inside the expansive belly of mine, I was struck by the irrational fear that it wouldn’t actually fly. It was just so huge. But I kept all wonderment to myself, musing that I might be able to pilot this thing if given the chance.
Okay, maybe that was too cocky, even for me.
Strapped into a seat next to Mastin, I tried to ignore his cold demeanor and the way he avoided talking to me. He was angry that I’d gone behind his back to convince the General of my worth. Either that, or it was the unsaid confessions between us that bothered him. After all the times I’d nearly kissed him, he’d been the one to make the first move, and my response was to run away. We still hadn’t talked about it. I watched him from the corner of my eye, studying the way his hair glistened under the lights, the way his jaw moved as he swallowed or talked. He was careful to keep his arm from brushing mine, to keep his body turned away. Fine by me.
And on my other side, was Tristan. His scent traveled to me every time I turned toward him, a familiar wash of woodsy forest and sweet citrus. Tristan, the best surprise guest a girl could ask for. The moment I’d seen him approaching the chopper, I’d exploded into a ball of both excitement and worry. I wanted him with me, always. And I didn’t want to see him involved in this war, ever.
And isn’t that how Mastin feels?
I bristled at the thought. Tristan wasn’t an alchemist. He wasn’t needed out there, though maybe it was me that needed him. In any event, Tristan had also seemed slightly peeved to see me standing at the base of the helicopter. But Tristan didn’t let his opinions or moods ruin things. It was one of his best qualities, the easy way he could brush things off. Once we’d strapped into our seats, he’d reverted to his usual adorable self, covering his trepidation with the kind of jokes and teasing that left me in stitches nearly the entire journey. And not just me, the soldiers around us immediately took to him, laughing along.
