Arrival of the Rifted (The Rifted Series Book 1)

by C. C. York

  "Finally, number three, I don't care what 1950's ranch you came from. My name is Monti Banks and I don't answer to 'woman,' so let's just keep it civil while we journey to the center of hell together. OK?"

  She pursed out her lips so the 'OK' sounded more like "mmm..k". Reed was not proud of many things in his life, but he felt like any man in the same situation would have also considered leaving Mmm'K Monti in the fields to fend herself. At least the thought would have occurred.

  He stood up and stepped into her personal space, "You like lists then do you, Miss Banks? Mmm...K, here's mine. Number one, while you were hysterically crying these last several hours and tripping over those ridiculous shoes, I spotted the roof of a barn and fences in that direction. That's where we're heading so we can rest and move again during daylight, preferably with some food and a game plan.

  "Number two, I'm 24 years old, and number three, you wouldn't know what West Virginia looks like because you likely never left Texas. I lived there for a year, and it's beautiful."

  Monti's saccharine smile made his teeth grind. "Of course you did."

  They glared at each other for a few heartbeats. Monti finally uncrossed her arms and fluttered her hands ahead of her. "Well then lead on, Lewis."

  She shifted her pointed shoes in the grass and said under her breath, "Not all of us are as fetching in orange and white."

  Reed snorted, and the side of his mouth ticked up. He realized then that he hadn't said more than a handful of words to anyone since his trial. He couldn't even remember the last natural smile he had. It likely was at Staci, but the thought of her made his chest feel hollow, and the smile died as quickly as it tried to rise.

  He cleared his throat. "We shouldn't talk till we scope it out in case the owner of the barn is around. We don't have much daylight left, and we gotta make this work."

  Monti mock saluted him.

  I should have left her in the woods, he thought.

  Reed led the way towards the squat barns in the distance. The sky faded into a dark purple haze, and the fat pink clouds melted into each other to float past the horizon. Reed knew he was taking a considerable risk by coming here, but they had little choice. I should be used to picking between a bad and worse choice by now.

  His head pounded, and his chest ached. How did he get us all here? The feeling of being watched crept over his shoulders again after years of freedom without it, catching him off guard now.

  What happened to the others? He waited for the lullaby to start again, dread filling his stomach, and scanned the tall grasses surrounding them. If he found me in prison in Texas a world away, how long will it take him to find me in his world?

  Reed halted at a rustle to their right. He grabbed Monti's wrist and put his finger to his lips, "Shhh—"

  "I wasn't talking," She loud-whispered, yanking her hand back. She ducked down, though, with Reed.

  The squat barn was just ahead. A sloped roof capped the three-sided structure, and dark stone stacked to form its broad rectangular base. A few of the giant beasts the soldiers used milled around in the fenced-in field beyond the barn, but he didn't see any riders.

  "You still have your gun?" He whispered.

  "Yea, and I'm not giving it to—" Reed interrupted Monti.

  "I'm not asking for it wo-Miss Banks—" he corrected himself and almost smiled at the fire darting at him from her hazel eyes.

  "Just keep it ready. I'm going in first. If anything comes at you without me, fire without question, and then run towards those lights in the distance. Find whatever shelter you can, but don't move during the dark." Reed ducked low and took off for the thatched roof barn before she could reply.

  The only sounds beyond his own were the giant beasts snorting in the grass. He crept to the back and, hearing nothing inside, snuck around through the opening that faced the animals. He pushed away memories that threatened to overwhelm him at the smell of the straw. He spotted a trunk tucked near a wooden bench and clay pitcher under a spigot. Perfect.

  Reed doubled back to wave Monti in just as the sun finished melting on the horizon. The tip of the red crescent moon drifted up to the left of where the sun disappeared, and her sister blue moon rose at a more rapid pace to the right.

  She walked in, the beasts rambling closer to the open wall just behind her. "Won't those things bring predators in?" Monti whispered.

  Reed debated how to tell her and settled on, "We're alone, and those things look like rhinos. They're likely tough to eat and dangerous as hell if attacked."

  Reed noticed the half-full cup of water next to the spigot when he turned back. We'll have to be out at dawn then. The barn was wide and tall enough for several of the beasts to find shelter at once in the front, but he had to duck when he filled the clay pitcher under the spigot to hand to Monti. Reed scanned the mountains and the dark valley through a narrow rectangular window on the back wall while Monti drank her fill. He started rummaging through the trunk in the corner when she poked her head over his shoulder.

  Reed was never a vain man, but he was instantly aware that he hadn't showered in a couple of days, and that grime covered the scruff on his face.

  "Here," he said as he tossed Monti a beige cloth over his shoulder. He found a small pair of boots and turned to give them to her as well.

  Monti stared at him with her brows furrowed. He answered her unasked question, "It looks like whoever mans this barn stays here occasionally. There's a cot over there near the window."

  She mercifully didn't say anything else but held the men's khaki overalls up to her. They were far too wide, but she was a tall woman in her own right and likely wouldn't need more than a roll or two at the hem. Reed found a well-worn white shirt with hand-sewn buttons and another pair of khaki-colored pants.

  He turned to give her some privacy and watched the moons through the window. He gave Monti a piece of hardtack he found on the windowsill, "Here, it's stale, but it's edible."

  She must be exhausted if she's reverted to grunts only, Reed thought.

  The four beasts from the field rambled inside the shelter. Reed froze with the hardtack halfway to his mouth, but they stopped a few feet from him. The beasts turned, lined up shoulder to shoulder with each other, and faced their horns out to the open wall and fields outside. The two moons stopped their rise at ten and two. He could barely make out the Tiers of the Palace from here, but it emitted the only other glow around the valley. He brushed the crumbs of his dinner from his face and tried to ignore the growing anxiety threatening to choke him.

  Reed tossed Monti a blanket and nodded for her to take the cot. He shook off the sleeves of his prison jumper so that they hung limply at his sides and cupped his dirty hands under the spigot. The cold water spilling over his head and bare chest did nothing to break through the dirt caked in his skin. He wanted a river to dive into and was thinking of where to find one when he heard Monti's sharp inhale.

  He whipped around to see torchlight dance over the tops of the sleeping beasts. The pale bald creature holding the torch barely came to Reed's shoulder. Long, fleshy ears bookended its round, wrinkled face, and a hooked nose divided two eyes the size of Reed's fists.

  It tsk'd, "It's not too often that I find Efendians stupid enough to seek shelter behind Aygir they do not know."

  The creature clicked his tongue, and the Aygir beasts abruptly turned as one. Dust billowed under their feet as they turned to face Reed and Monti from either side of the small creature. The creature's upper torso was similar to a human, but its blue legs tapered down into sharp pincers as if it walked on scissors. It clicked a different sound, and the Aygir lowered their heads, their sharp horns aimed at them, and they readied in a low stance as if prepared to charge. Reed ran his hands over his close-cropped hair and glanced at a frozen Monti, eyes wide.

  The creature looked at Monti as he said, "Tell me why I shouldn't feed you to my Aygir and rid Sakalid of you?

  Reed hadn't slept since they came here
and had barely slept more than a few hours each night since Staci. He didn't hear the creature sneak up on them. He needed real food and real sleep. Monti gripped her gun and pointed at the ground as she inched closer to Reed's side. He weighed his bad and worse options yet again while he stayed her trembling hand.

  After an uncomfortable beat, he'd made his decision.

  "Peace, Itreni. I am Reed Wells, son of Alisha Welnis. We meant no disrespect but needed to find shelter for the night."

  "The singer's boy? Even I've heard of your mother, though it's been an age since any caravan came through these parts. Why don't you come down and rest in my home where it is safe?" The old creature smiled a grin a few inches wider than comfort, and his black pupils narrowed to a pinprick within eyes that dominated his face.

  Monti dropped her gun and gaped at Reed. Her eyes shifted from alarmed to outright horror.

  He held up placating hands and whispered, "I can explain."

  Alik

  Alik's low plunged lavender gown seemed like a fabulous idea in her room but felt obscene sitting across from the aging matriarchs and their partners now. Her face ached at holding an unwavering smile for the last two hours. The fuchsia feathered headdress on the woman seated across from her shook as the woman gossiped with glee about a matriarch a table over.

  What I would give to be seated with my brothers, Alik thought for the second time that hour. Damari chatted with an attractive brunette at a polished stone table in the far corner of the room. Taavi stood at the front near Alik, surrounded by a group of laughing men. Queen Firtina draped across her chair like a dangerous, black Magaran cat in her slinky dress on the raised marble dais to Alik's left. To anyone else, her mother appeared as bored as Alik, but Alik knew her mother scanned the courtiers with sharp eyes as she spun her hovering wine glass in the air. Water fell in a thick, suspended veil behind her chair, the Waterwerkers slowly rolling their hands in unison on either side.

  Someone told her of Agnian's unease then, Alik thought as she snuck her hundredth glance at him on the opposite side of the room. Fortunately, the music ended then. Alik tipped her head back to the open sky above them.

  Thank the goddesses.

  Queen Firtina stood and thanked the crowds of courtiers and Dvarians. She said the lines regarding a healthy harvest expected of a leader on First Night with practiced poise before sauntering out with a bottle of wine floating alongside her and an attractive courtier trailing behind. Alik slipped out from the gaggle of matriarchs gathering suspiciously close to her with their sons at the ready. She searched the room again for a particular chiseled jawline.

  Hundreds of wings fluttered inside her belly. Stop being ridiculous. First, he hates you. Second, he's hiding something. The only reason you need to get close to him is to figure out if whatever he's hiding has to do with the missing girls.

  Alik's inner monologue shifted into an argument when she saw him staring at her from across a break in the crowd. He watched her with curiosity and something she couldn't name, like a Kingalia debating if it should pounce, causing her to still. His eyes trailed over her, a slow stroll that had her heart stuttering and stomach tighten. A lithe woman regained his attention with a hand on his arm, breaking the trance he held over Alik. Alik pulled the intricate braid in her hair around her shoulder, fiddling its feathered edge, and walked briskly to him before she could reconsider.

  Again she lied to herself. It's for the girls.

  Alik tried to feign nonchalance at several of the gorgeous house Pillars eyeing him with interest but faltered at their smirks when she approached his back. I look as ridiculous as the sops standing behind their dates. How can they just stand there while the women flirt shamelessly with him?

  She'd grown up with these Pillars as they were all the strongest, or in Alik's case, the only, daughters of their families. The snickers and cutting eyes were nothing new. Their disdain, though, took a dangerous turn after a couple of Elite families voiced doubt in Alik's ability to take her mother's throne.

  She slowed when she reached Agnian. Do I tap his shoulder? That feels awkward. Maybe I clear my throat? Oh, for Atessake, just—

  She stumbled back at his sudden turn, and his hand wrapped around her waist. Then his other hand gripped held her arm, his face searching hers. Alik let him hold her for a few beats longer than necessary.

  "Forgive me, Princess. I'm so sorry," Agnian said, stepping off of Alik's now throbbing toe.

  Her neck craned back at his proximity when he righted her, and she smiled as she had the first time she held a boy's hand. I didn't know a clavicle could be attractive, she thought. Get it together, Alik. She tried to ignore the tanned chest at her face and focused on his full lips. Eyes, Alik. Focus on the eyes.

  He grinned as he shifted so Alik could join the circle of Efendian women. The two closest to Alik shared a snicker after a stilted pause in conversation among the group. Willowy Aslynn Tinti, arguably the most beautiful Efendian woman after Firtina, reached her arm across Alik to touch Agnian's forearm, effectively boxing Alik out once more. This was a mistake. But to her delighted surprise, Agnian walked away from the horrible woman mid-sentence, pulling Alik with him.

  He leaned over their linked arms as they walked, "I expected some sort of bow from them at your arrival. They practically kissed the ground when Queen Firtina walked in."

  Alik tamped down her embarrassment. "They'd at least acknowledge my rank if my mother were still in the room, but we've known each other long enough that I don't force the issue."

  Liar.

  Changing the subject, she said in a rush, "It's tradition to have an exceptionally boring First Night dinner in the Palace. I hope it exceeded your expectations?"

  "Ah, in that case, yes. The dinner went fabulously well." He grinned a crooked grin at her, and she forgot for a moment that a hundred eyes watched them.

  He had changed out of his dirty pirate clothes into clean pirate clothes that clung to his chest. He pulled his shoulder-length dark hair back but left the salt and pepper scruff on his face. Alik never noticed if graying was attractive on anyone else, but somehow it suited him well.

  What has life thrown at him to gray his beard so soon? She stepped ahead of him as they reached the stone patio above the garden terrace, rubbing her arms at the slight chill. With my luck, it was likely kidnapping girls since he's this attractive.

  Agnian said, "I heard this city was good for music and dancing if nothing else, and yet this event was as tame as my babushka's tea."

  "Well, you'd need the right guide, but there are legendary parties beginning tonight," she replied.

  The Mina moon cast azure light over the garden path they meandered, and the salt-kissed wind drifted around them from the ocean thrashing far below. Agnian reached for her arm again, his featherlight touch stopping her as quickly as if he tackled her under the twin moonlight.

  "I doubt the parties would be worth the tale if you were not in attendance," he said quietly, though no one was around them. "Would it be inappropriate of me to ask you to be such a guide?"

  Alik let out an awkwardly low laugh and nearly fell out of her dress in surprise. I am so over my head, and I am perfectly fine with that. She didn't scan him with her Dua, though. Let me pretend for a moment he is genuine. There is ample time to read him anyway. She alternated between annoyance and relief when her younger brother took that moment to sneak up behind them.

  Damari whispered in his ear, "I'd be honored to show you the dark crevices of Efendi."

  Alik laughed at his antics and was happy to see Agnian stumble as awkwardly as her laugh a moment before.

  "Agnian Taladier, my brother Damari Iktidar'an. Damari, I see you've thoroughly creeped out our guest in your first introduction. Point to you."

  Damari bowed low just as Taavi joined them. Her brothers took the lead to invite Agnian out tonight after their jovial small chat about the horrid dinner. Alik couldn't see her kingdom from the garden terrace, b
ut she heard drumbeats and horns floating up from the Tiers. The music carried over colorful bobbing lights from the boats pulling in the dark harbor to join the parties.

  The drums reminded her of the first time she and her brothers snuck out to join the festivities in disguise a few years before. Alik didn't want to dwell on the list of girls left in her room, or the thinly veiled comments about her lack of Dua, or her mother's perpetual displeasure in her. I just want to go out. I want to dance and drink and laugh with my friends. And I want to pretend that this gorgeous man is flirting with me because he wants to, and not because he wants something from me. What's the harm in one night?

  "Settled then?" Damari nudged Alik back to their conversation before continuing. "Alik, we'll meet you and Shauna by the orchard hearth. She has your clothes, and we'll be down there shortly with Agnian."

  "See you soon, Princess." He said, winking at her before strolling away.

  Alik forced herself to read him at her brothers' expectant stares. Her stomach sank a little as he trailed a haze of gray determination and green opportunity. What did you expect?

  Damari and Taavi gave her a moment for her eyes to refocus, and she nodded to them in affirmation, pretending she didn't see their teasing smiles. "We may be able to find something from him tonight."

  ***

  “Goddesses, to walk through this place unnoticed every time would be a blessing,” Alik said as she followed Shauna through the servant halls. “No one would whisper when I walked by or wait for me to fail at something else.”

  “Sometimes it pays to be invisible,” Shauna replied.

  They wore matching loose beige pants and simple tunics, a stark contrast to the preening courtiers bustling through the Palace for First Night parties. The hallway leading to the Palace steps felt like a teeming mass of glitter and feathers, each gown and headpiece more garish than the last. Alik spit out a sparkling feather that swiped her face, the owner glaring at her for sharing her air. Almost out.