Occasionally, my father would decide to come home for dinner. We would sit at opposite ends of the lengthy dining table like the strangers we had become.
"How are your studies, Adelaide?"
"Boring as always. Thank you for asking."
He would nod as though I said something pleasant, and silence would descend except for the faint scraping of silver against porcelain. I liked it better when he was gone, when I could pretend I hadn't lost my entire family that day instead of only the two who had died.
Chapter Fifteen
Adelaide
There was an unreal feeling of being unformed and reformed, and the five of us were standing in an unfamiliar room, still clutching Nell's arms. It looked like a typical sitting room in the suburbs of Third Sector. A sofa, chaise lounge, and an overstuffed armchair were arranged around a low table. A matching armoire and credenza completed the room. There were two doors, one that led outside, and another I assumed led to the rest of the house. It seemed incongruous to be in such an ordinary space after everything that had happened. I was the first to stumble away from Nell.
“Care to explain, Penelope?” I asked her.
“It’s complicated.”
“Don’t you dare condescend to me. Ever since you stuck this necklace on me, which by the way, is seeming less and less like a happy accident, people keep trying to kill me. Someone died back there, and Locke might be dead, and now would be a great time to tell me what the hell is going on!” I was panting now.
Nell’s eyes widened, and she held her hands up. “I wasn’t being condescending. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Try the beginning,” I offered.
She nodded. “The plaque in the museum had it wrong. Hila was a queen of Levelia, that much is true. In the beginning, though, she was more a scientist than warrior. She ruled alongside her twin brother, Yomi.”
“Could you speed along the history lesson and tell us what we need to know?” Xavier cut in.
“I’m sorry, why are you speaking to me?” Nell shot back. “Be glad I saved your life at all. Feel free to repay me with silence.”
Xavier opened his mouth to argue, but Gunther cut in.
“Just let her finish, Xav.”
“As I was saying,” Nell continued. “Together, they had been experimenting to create longer lasting energy sources from crystals when they managed to create the stone in the amulet you’re wearing.
“Once they discovered just how powerful it could be, they disagreed on its use. Yomi thought the only way to keep the people safe was to conquer the rest of the world. He had seen the wars around them and concluded the people outside were incapable of ruling themselves.
“Hila disagreed. She wanted to use the power of the crystal to shield her people and stay out of the world’s affairs. She had it made into a necklace, so she could wear it at all times and protect it from her brother.
“One night, though, while Hila was sleeping, Yomi stole the necklace. He left with a small army to pursue his plan. Hila went after him. Everything after that is legend shrouded in myth, but it’s said that the crystal’s power is what split the world in two.” She paused there.
My mind was reeling with her last statement.
Xavier scoffed, and she snapped at him. Then everyone started talking at once. Clark was telling Gunther not to set off explosions when he didn't know if we would all be trapped in them, and Xavier was demanding real answers from Nell.
I wanted answers, too, but right now, I mostly just wanted my bed, and my cat, and my father to make this all go away. We weren't close, and we hadn't been for years, but the man could get things done.
I wasn’t even sure if I could believe Nell. How could she possibly know the truth of a centuries-old story?
I wanted people I trusted and a situation I had some control over. I wanted to know if Locke was safe, and to be somewhere away from metal monsters and dead limbs and pools of blood. I shuddered at the memory of the carnage the creature had created.
I saw movement from the crack in the curtains. Like I had summoned them, two Peace Keepers were walking up the alley, illuminated by the wan glow of the lone standing lantern. Peace Keepers were Ceithre’s everyday police forces, ever so generously provided by my father to further his already substantial power. I looked behind me to the bickering group, and I was just done. No one noticed when I slipped out the door and padded barefoot toward the two men. The sharp gravel dug into my tender feet, though the injured one had some protection from the wrap. Whatever they had given me must have worked a miracle, because I could support most of my weight on it now.
I didn't feel guilty leaving. I knew Clark wanted the necklace, but I was not some object to be toted around for the sake of this stupid amulet. He had saved me; I had made sure Nell saved them. As far as I was concerned, we were even, and I had no obligation to stick around for further danger.
And Nell… I didn't know what to think about that right now. Was it a coincidence that the light from whatever she had done was blue, like the explosion had been? That she had put this necklace on me, and now masked men and monsters were after me? Unlikely.
The Peace Keepers' backs were to me, but at the sound of my throat clearing, they turned around. At first, they looked confused by my approach, and I pictured myself in their eyes. Torn feet, wrecked hair, a dress staying on by a whisper and a prayer. Not what one would expect from The Director's daughter, but no matter. I lifted my chin higher.
"I assume you know who I am."
Their eyes widened, then gleamed with excitement. Odd, but I was probably just overly suspicious after the events of the day.
"We do, Ms. Kensington." Hearing one of them say my name like Locke always had sent another pang of worry through me, but I pushed it aside. I just needed to get home.
"Of course." This from the other one, but something was off in the way he said it. His eyes raked over me lewdly, and I stepped back uncertainly. He lunged forward and grabbed my arm. "None of that now."
I was so, so sick of being manhandled and furious at being able to do nothing about it. Locke had tried to train me in self-defense, but it had seemed pointless at the time. No one ever actually attacked me, and Locke was around to scare anyone who tried.
If there’s anyone in the heavens listening, I swear I’ll take Locke up on his training if I can just find my way home safely. If I ever see Locke again… No, when I see him again.
I wrenched my arm back with a snarl, but the other one came in behind me.
"What are you doing? My father will have your head for this."
"Who do you think ordered us to bring you in, or at least that little necklace you're wearing. He said 'by any means necessary.' Maybe we could have a little fun first." His breath was sour in my face. I looked frantically up the alley, but it was predictably deserted at the late hour. I wondered if the others had noticed I was gone.
"You're wrong. He would never allow that." The look they exchanged was condescending. On a kinder face, I might have called it pity. Dread pooled in my stomach. I opened my mouth to scream, but a huge hand was suddenly covering half of my face.
"Come on. Let's get her to the car before anyone comes around."
Like hell they would. I bucked and kicked, trying to make it as difficult for them as I could. The movement pulled my dress down further, but that was the least of my concerns. Then a voice stopped us all.
"What do you think you're doing?" It was Clark. He was still wearing the Red Son uniform with the leather jacket over it and had pulled the red helmet back on. He emanated menace, even without the fearsome reputation that his outfit carried. My hulking would-be captors shrank back, dwarfed by both his frame and the ill will he was projecting.
"Ju-just following orders, Sir. The Director wants her brought in."
"And he told you to mistreat her?"
The men looked at each other, then back at him. "He said it didn't matter what we did, as long as we bring that necklace. We were just having a little f
un."
Clark's gloved fists clenched. The man who had come behind me released me and shuffled away, having the good sense to look scared. His despicable friend, however, was not so as gifted in the brain department. He looked defiantly at who he presumed to be Locke.
The red helmet nodded. "I see. I'll take her in from here."
Was the tension in Clark's voice as evident to them as it was to me? The idiot Peace Keeper sputtered something about not letting anyone else take credit, but his much smarter friend dragged him away with a short salute.
I rubbed the spot where his hands had gripped my arm mere moments ago, scowling and trembling all at once. The only thing worse than being rescued yet again by the cocky bastard in front of me was what those men would have done if he hadn't come. An apology stuck in my prideful throat.
Clark cleared his own throat awkwardly and looked away. I was confused until I saw that my bodice had come apart entirely, giving Clark quite the view. Fortunately, the lamplight was dim enough at the late hour to hide my reddening cheeks, but not so dim as to completely conceal my exposed assets. I sighed, covering them with my arm.
Will I ever stop being made a fool of in front of this man? The weight of the evening seemed to crush against me, zapping every last vestige of my energy and my spite.
He removed his jacket and handed it to me. I took it wordlessly, gratefully, and we walked back to the house. He was still tense at my side, whether from anger at the men, or me, or because he was still uncomfortable from my accidental peep show, I didn't know.
What am I going to do now? I didn't believe the men about my father, but at the very least, it wasn't safe to be seen if the Peace Keepers were looking for me. I didn't know how else to get back to The Director.
"We need to get out of the area. They'll be back here looking for me, if they even leave." My voice sounded tired. Defeated. I forced myself to stand up a little straighter.
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you sauntered out into the open in an unknown situation."
All right, so he’s definitely angry with me. I didn't respond. Pissy though he was, at least Clark was up front about who he was and what he wanted from me, which was basically nothing besides the necklace. Hell, that appeared to be all anyone wanted anymore. Even Nell. Exhausted or not, I intended to get some answers from her immediately.
We hadn't gotten far from the house, so it was less than a minute to trudge back, but my mind was whirling with questions.
What was my father thinking? I know he wouldn’t condone anyone harming me. No matter our differences, he’s still my father. I had seen a telephone in the room Nell had taken us to, and I decided to call him as soon as I got the chance.
I also had plenty of questions about the three men dragging me around the island. They called each other brothers but certainly shared no genetics.
Are they part of a cult? Aside from their skill in combat, they don’t seem abnormal…
And while I would hesitate to say I trusted them, they had passed up several opportunities to do me harm. Despite the disdain with which he had looked at me, Clark had gone out of his way to save me twice now, and he’d shielded me at Wesley's. I wasn't sure what to make of that, either.
By the time we were standing on the back stoop of the house, I had more questions than answers. Clark opened the door, revealing Gunther and Xavier staring at shimmering blue specks in the air.
Nell was gone.
The Renegade
I have only the vaguest memory of the day I was rescued from my home island. I'm not sure how much of it is real, and how much I've filled in from what my father and the soldiers told me. It was raining, and apparently, I had been starving and alone. What I do recall is the feeling of being sheltered by a warm, heavy weight. It had been my father's leather jacket.
I never wanted to part with it after that, and he never asked for it back. It was too big to wear, of course, an adult’s jacket on a four-year-old, but sometimes I had tried anyway.
On one such occasion, one of the Naval officers had commented, "Isn't that your jacket, General?"
"It was," he replied, looking down at me with a proud smile. "But now it belongs to my son."
It was the first time he had referred to me that way. I had never been prouder.
Chapter Sixteen
Clark
Nell had left only a note. I'm so sorry. I never meant for things to go this way. I promise I will make this right.
Fury flashed over Adelaide's face for a split second before it fell back into her usual indecipherable mask. Though, I could swear that had slipped for a moment outside as well.
"Did you get anything else out of her before she left?" I asked Xavier.
Xavier didn’t answer. He and Gunther were staring in shock at the sight of the girl in my jacket. A jacket I had never, ever let anyone else wear. I had a feeling she wouldn't have taken it, even to cover herself, if she had been aware of its original owner.
I wasn't sure why I had given it to her. We could have found her something in the house, but she seemed like she needed… something. She looked tiny, the jacket swallowing her narrow frame. She had sunken into an oversized chair, further dwarfing her, and was clutching the leather like a lifeline. Her actions didn't match her stony expression, and she must have realized that, because she stilled when she caught me watching.
"No." Xavier's sudden response startled me. "She only said there were things we didn't understand, which was ever so helpful. Then she said to keep that one safe," he shot a sideways glance toward Adelaide. He hadn't reacted much to the knowledge of who she was. Neither of my brothers had. "Then she said to stay here until she got back."
"We'll get right on that," Adelaide chimed in sarcastically.
"Adelaide's right," I said. Addie raised her eyebrows, but I ignored her. "We need to leave now, get to our closest safe house, then put together a plan to get to Professor Langston."
"We need to get back to base. They can help us get to the Professor," Xavier said.
There were about a thousand reasons that was a terrible idea, not least of which was Addie. Before I could name them all, Gunther cut in.
"We can't decide anything until we figure out where here even is. Did you see any street signs outside?"
I had, and I gave him the names. He rummaged around the credenza, looking for a map. Xavier sat moodily on the couch. Adelaide made her way to the rotary phone mounted on the wall, saying she needed to call her father. She reached for the receiver, her movement catching Gunther’s attention.
He looked up. "You can't do that."
I was oddly grateful that he had said it, so I didn't have to.
Gunther softened his voice. "I'm sorry, Adelaide, but the Peace Keepers are looking for you. They'll be tracking the places you're likely to call. If you call, they'll be on this place before we can get out of here." He turned to me. "Which we need to start doing right about now. Surely there's a map in here." He went back to searching.
"I need to find some clothes, and more importantly, shoes before we go anywhere. I'll be fast," Adelaide said.
"I'll come with you," I offered. The words were out before I could consider them, and Xavier shot me an incredulous look. "We don't know what or who else might be in this house," I said to both of them.
I went first through the door, checking for signs of life. The house looked deserted. The first door we stumbled through was the kitchen. My stomach rumbled loudly, and Adelaide smirked. It was the first time I'd seen her close to a smile, and even behind the layers of cosmetics running down her face, it made me want to smile back. Instead, I cleared my throat and looked away, calling to Xav to make himself useful and scrounge up something to bring with us to eat.
The next door we opened led to a powder room. We closed it for now. The third door was a good-sized bedroom. Exotic silks adorned the four-poster bed. There was a chest of drawers covered in unconventional trinkets that could rival Wesley's collection. A familiar spicy scen
t wafted to my nostrils.
"I think Nell lives here," Adelaide said. "I wasn't sure at first, but it makes sense. I knew the street names sounded familiar. She brought us here, and it smells like her. Besides, that's her jewelry." She pointed to the ornate jewelry holder on the vanity and swallowed. It had seemed like she knew the girl fairly well.
"You've never been here?" I asked.
"No. I probably would have recognized the front, but we came through the back. We only ever dropped her off. She said she lived with her grandmother, who was cranky and didn't allow guests. I guess that was a lie. One of many, it would appear." Her voice was flat. She pressed her lips together, and I gathered she didn't want to talk further on the subject.
It only took her seconds to rummage through the chest of drawers for clothes. She headed back to the powder room, and I met Xavier in the kitchen to give her privacy to change.
My brother was already putting a few portable things like cheese and fruit in a paper bag. I plucked some grapes from his pile, and he glared at me, far sterner than was warranted for the theft of the tiny fruit. I leveled a look at him, inviting him to say whatever it was he was mad about this time. It didn't take long.
"I don't know what's going on with you and the girl, but I need you focused. We need to get back to base, get the necklace from her, and never see her again. That's it."
"I am always focused,” I said. “I can't win with you. Clark, take a break from missions. Clark, stay focused on the mission. Right now, she's part of our mission. That's it."
"Like hell. I've seen you staring at her. Do you even care whose daughter she is? And you let her wear your jacket. Our father's jacket. I nearly froze to death on the Drovel Island mission, and you wouldn't so much as loan it to me for five minutes."
He was exaggerating. It had only been snowing a little that night. I just shook my head.
"Have you considered she might be playing us?" He went on. "Isn't is suspicious that the enemy just so happens to have the necklace we were sent to get? A necklace we know her father has to be connected to?"
The Fractured Empire (The World Apart Series Book 1) Page 11
