by C. R. Pugh
“Stop doing that, Thorne,” Pierce muttered from the cell across from me. “You’ll give yourself a concussion, and then Archer and I will have to carry you out of here.”
Pierce was sitting against the wall in his own cell, his legs bent, arms draped across his knees. He did not look quite as defeated as I felt at the moment.
Archer’s cell was diagonal from me, left of Pierce’s. I could see him sitting cross-legged with his back to the bars. What was he doing?
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled to Pierce. “I shouldn’t have led us here.”
“You were about to back out, though,” Pierce answered. “I was the one who seconded your idea to come here. We should have listened to the gut-feeling you had out by the lake.”
I shook my head. “No point in blaming each other. We need to find a way out of here.”
“Doesn’t look hopeful from here,” said Pierce. “These bars are too sturdy, the walls too thick.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “Do you think they’ll come speak with us or bring us food?”
“Yes,” a timid female voice answered me from the jail cell to my right. Her voice was gravelly and weak, as if she were sick. “If she thinks she can use you, she’ll keep you alive.”
Archer continued to sit with his back to the bars, ignoring us, but Pierce and I both shifted toward the bars of our cells.
“Who are you?” I was unable to see her from my vantage point. Pierce stared across the aisle, trying to get a look at this woman in the dark.
“My name is Kaela.”
Pierce’s eyes met mine and I had to bite back a curse. The governor’s name was Laela. What were the odds there was a Laela and a Kaela in Ahern.
“You’re related to the governor, aren’t you?” Pierce asked in his usual blunt fashion.
The woman gave a weak chuckle, but it quickly turned into coughing that echoed through the dark. “Yes. She’s my twin sister.”
Hagan and Nash had said the Governor Laela was their aunt. This woman was their mother. If Laela was Laelynn’s namesake, Kaelem must have been named after their mother, Kaela.
Did the siblings even know their mother was locked down here?
“And yet she’s keeping you in a damp cell while you’re sick?” I asked her.
Kaela cleared her throat. “The sickness will do me in before long. Then I’ll finally be free.”
“How long have you been down here?” Pierce inquired.
“Six months give or take,” she said, her voice gruff and weak from her lung infection. “It’s hard to keep track down here. The guards come down three times a day with food. It’s not much, but it helps me count the days.”
Six months? I thought. We could not stay trapped down here that long. My family needed me, and Ravyn would think I had disappeared or died.
“Why did your own sister imprison you?” I asked.
“It started as jealousy. I married young and my husband and I were happy. I was blind to her cruelty for a long time.”
Kaela paused for a small coughing fit. I inwardly cringed, knowing this would be our future if we did not find a way to escape.
Once the coughing fit had passed, Kaela continued. “Laela finally did marry, but things turned sour again afterward.”
“Why?” I asked.
“After many years of trying, she realized she was unable to have a child.”
“And you had six,” Pierce stated.
Kaela whispered, “How did you know that?”
“We met them,” I answered. “Out in the Old Sequoia Valley. They’d built a small village and were thriving, until recently.”
I heard Kaela move around in her cell, scooting closer to the bars.
“You saw them?” she asked, a sob hitching in her throat. “Are … are they alive?”
Pierce and I exchanged a grim look.
“Only Kaelem, Hagan, and Nash remain,” I said gently.
“Raimond was killed defending his sister from an enemy,” Pierce added. “Laelynn and Haldar were ambushed by Yellow-eyed Sabers.”
“No!” Kaela cried. “My babies!”
My heart twisted in a painful knot as the woman began to weep. Every breath she took released a howl of grief for her dead children. Her cries echoed for all the prisoners to hear. But there were no words we could give her to ease her torment.
***
Kaela moved to the back of her cell and continued to cry softly until she fell silent. A full day passed without a sound from her – at least, that’s what it felt like. The guards brought an evening meal of bread, cheese, and a cup of water after Kaela had fallen asleep. Two more meals were brought down many hours later. Without the sun as a guide, it was difficult to keep track of time, but I was certain those two meals were the morning and noon meal. Kaela was right: keeping track of days by the meals was easier.
“Is she still alive?” I asked Pierce after we’d finished eating the noon meal.
“Yes, Thorne. For the hundredth time, she’s still breathing. She’s been wheezing all night.”
I was not going to be convinced she hadn’t died from the shock or heartache until she woke up and spoke to us again. I knew my own heart would be shattered if anything were to happen to Tallon or Lenna. They were the closest thing I had to daughters, since Kemena and I had practically raised them. If Ravyn and I were to have any children …
My heart twisted up again thinking about it.
Why had I sent Ravyn and Tallon away? They were probably cursing my name, and Ravyn was probably wishing she’d never met me by now.
But they would both be right here with us in prison if they had been here.
That isn’t true and you know it, I thought, running a frustrated hand through my hair. Ravyn would have sensed the threat before entering the village. In fact, she had warned us before we decided to come here. Why hadn’t I listened?
I knocked my head back against the wall again to punish myself for my idiocy.
“Thorne!” Pierce scolded.
I rested my aching head in my hands and closed my eyes, hoping some brilliant plan would come to me. Instead of a plan, another thought began to plague me.
“They couldn’t have known, could they?” I said, mostly to myself.
“Who couldn’t have known what?” Pierce asked.
I peered at Pierce out of the corner of my eye. He was leaning against the bars and quirking an eyebrow at me.
“Laelynn and her brothers,” I muttered. “They couldn’t have known she was down here. They would have done something to help her if they had, right?”
“Maybe.” Pierce rested his head against the bars and asked, “Would you have helped Cadmar?”
“That’s different. He isn’t my father. Cadmar was nothing more than a scheming, murdering liar.”
“But you didn’t know that before,” Pierce argued. “Would you have done all you could?”
I didn’t answer. It was a complicated situation. Cadmar had done everything he could to bring me to heel and yet he was still my sisters’ father. “Yes,” I finally answered. “I would save him for my sisters.”
In the dark, I could still see Archer sitting with his back to the bars. I watched him for a minute and then asked Pierce, “What is Archer doing?”
“I don’t know,” he growled. “Why don’t you ask him?”
“Don’t get surly with me. I thought maybe you could hear what he’s up to?”
He snorted. “You can’t see for yourself what he’s doing?”
“His back is turned,” I hissed.
“He’s probably disowned us both for getting him captured.”
“Both of you shut up!” Archer barked, turning to glare at me since he couldn’t see Pierce. “I’m busy.” He turned his back on me again.
“Humph,” I grunted.
“Busy doing what?” Pierce asked Archer.
“I’m making something,” he mumbled. “Trust me.”
“Never fear,” Pierce said. “Archer will get
us out of here.”
“Your efforts are futile,” Kaela said, still wheezing a bit as she breathed.
I shifted toward the bars, as close to her cell as I could. “You’re awake.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t wake up?”
“You’re very sick,” I stated.
Kaela coughed a few times and croaked, “My time isn’t up yet.”
I smiled. This woman had a strong spirit. My smile melted away when I remembered what we’d revealed to her. “I’m sorry for the loss of your children. I hate that I was the one to tell you.”
Kaela scooted toward the bars. “No mother should have to outlive her children. To be honest, I have feared for their lives since I was imprisoned.”
“Why?” asked Pierce. “You were beginning to tell us of your sister. Would she harm them?”
“I’m not certain,” Kaela murmured. “Laela was hoping that, once I’d disappeared, she would step into the role of mother for them. She has become a dictator, getting rid of anyone who becomes a threat to her power. Her own husband died a year or two ago.”
Pierce gaped at her. “Governor Laela killed him?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Kaela answered. “Looking back now, I wonder if I should have asked more questions. Kaelem suspected something, I’m sure of it. I fear more for Kaelem than any of my other children. He has a gift, you see.”
“Yes, we know.”
“Did Kaelem confide this to you?” she asked, worry etched in her voice.
“A friend of ours guessed it first,” I replied. “My friend has a special gift as well. One that is dangerous for her.”
“It’s the same for my son,” Kaela said with a sigh. “We think Laela figured out what Kaelem could do.”
“But you were thrown in prison. Not Kaelem,” Pierce pointed out.
Kaela coughed again. Once she’d cleared her lungs, she answered, “Kaelem wasn’t planning on revealing anything about my sister. She … has a treacherous power.”
“What kind of power?” I asked.
“She can bend the thoughts of others,” Kaela explained.
My stomach dropped as I stared across the prison at Pierce. He was giving me the same apprehensive look. Another mind-gift, but this one could do more damage than what Kaelem could do. Kaelem could only read our thoughts. He couldn’t change them. For once, I wasn’t sure how we could overcome such a gift.
“It took me a long time to realize …” Kaela broke off into another coughing fit. It was several minutes before she was able to speak again. “As children, I was always blamed for things I didn’t do – by our parents mostly. I never understood why they always seemed to believe my sister when the evidence of her guilt was right in front of them. I was planning to come forward six months ago, but her guards came for me in the night.”
“Why didn’t she kill you?” I asked her.
“Maybe she’s still hoping to use you against your children,” Pierce stated.
“I don’t know,” Kaela whispered. “She doesn’t do anything without a reason. I’m still here because she thinks I could be of some use to her.”
I ran my fingers through my hair again. “And once she doesn’t need you anymore?”
“Then she’ll be rid of me … if the sickness doesn’t kill me first.”
“None of your children knew what happened to you?” Pierce asked.
“Kaelem probably had his suspicions, but I warned him it might happen.”
Pierce added another query. “Do any of your other children have gifts or was it just Kaelem?”
“If any of the others had gifts then they were well hidden from me. Why?”
“Nash and Hagan came back here with us,” I told her. “We haven’t seen them since we met with the governor – your sister – yesterday.”
“You think something’s happened to them?” Kaela asked.
“We don’t know, but Governor Laela did not look happy to see them,” I said. “Like I said, we haven’t seen them since meeting her.”
Kaela was silent for another long minute before she questioned us again. “You men are not from here. Why did my sister imprison you?”
“We were framed for the murder of two men,” Pierce grumbled.
“She must want something from you,” Kaela whispered. “Who are you?”
“We are Warriors from Peton,” I told her.
She muttered a curse.
“What do you know?” I inquired.
“I – I must do more thinking,” Kaela murmured. “But first, I need to rest. You should do the same.”
Kaela rustled around in what sounded like blankets and went silent.
“If her sister has a mind-gift, there’s no telling what she could do,” Pierce stated. For the first time, he sounded worried. “How can we defend ourselves against it?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “We need to find a way to guard our minds against it.”
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Table of Contents
20
Audrick
I tiptoed down the corridor toward the training rooms. Soldiers had returned. I’d seen them on the monitors. One had come from Ahern and one from Peton. The other group had been deployed to track down someone carrying a microchip. I found out in my search that the chip had been implanted into Laelynn while she’d been here. Renny must have done it.
It was foolish to follow the soldiers. But they would be reporting to Grandfather and I wanted to hear what they had to say.
As I drew nearer to the entryway, I slowed my steps and held my breath. I could feel a nervous sweat glistening on my forehead again. I pushed my glasses up to the bridge of my nose and tiptoed closer.
“This is unacceptable!” Grandfather barked, his voice muffled by the distance between us. “The Peton Elders need to get their people under control! You take a message back to them. Tell them I will not send any more protection until they bring these rebels to heel.”
I pressed myself up against the wall as a soldier barreled out of the training room at a run. He ran right past me and never even looked my way in his rush to fulfill the General’s demands. These brainwashed soldiers had been stripped of all their common sense. If he had been in his right mind, he would have stopped and questioned me. Grandfather didn’t care about wits. He cared more about his soldiers taking orders.
I shook aside my thoughts and continued to listen.
“What do you mean the governor sent you away? Did you deliver the message?”
“Yes, sir,” the male soldier answered in his monotone voice.
“What did she say?” Grandfather asked impatiently.
“She says she’s not interested in the deal,” the soldier replied.
Deal? What sort of deal had Grandfather tried to make with Ahern?
Grandfather snorted. “She wants to play games then. And what of you? What do you have to report?”
A female soldier answered. “The chip was buried.”
“What did you find?”
“A young girl. Not the primary target. She was killed by a wild animal.”
Grandfather chuckled. “By my pets, most likely.”
My stomach roiled with sickness.
“You’re absolutely certain it was not TS1?” Grandfather asked.
“Her rank was not marked on her skin.”
“Very well,” Grandfather grumbled. “You will be called upon shortly for a new assignment. Dismissed.”
The group answered, “Yes, sir.”
I swept back down the hall. Grandfather could never find out that I’d been listening or he would know that I was deceiving him.
Wiping the sweat from my face with my sleeve, I turned and strolled nonchalantly back toward the entrance as my grandfather left the training room.
He halted in his tracks and narrowed his gray eyes at me. I gulped, but kept my eyes on his.
“What are you doing down here, Audrick?” he snarled.
“Uh …” Nice going, Audrick. You come dow
n here and don’t bother making an excuse?
There was no choice but to tell him some of the truth of what I had discovered on the monitors. “I have some news and thought you would want to know right away.” I clasped my hands behind my back to keep them from shaking. “One of the microchips is heading back this way.”
“Show me.”
***
My grandfather loomed over me as I sat at the computer console. The vein in his forehead was throbbing and his fingers had curled into fists.
Wiping the beads of sweat from my forehead, I pointed to the map on the monitor. “I discovered this red dot here moving along Blackrock River. It’s still some distance away, maybe a day or two out, but …” I shrugged my shoulders and leaned back in my rolling chair, letting him draw his own conclusions about the chip.
“Who is it?” he demanded to know.
“I don’t have that information,” I lied. I’d discovered the identities of each chip days ago. “But whoever it is has the locater.”
“What?” he said, gaping at me. “Where are the other soldiers?”
Tapping a few keys on the keyboard, I answered, “They haven’t moved in a while.” I pointed to the screen at almost a dozen red dots all grouped together to the north, a few days walk from Murray.
“And you believe that Test Subject One massacred them all?” he asked through gritted teeth. “She couldn’t.”
“You trained her to be a killer, and she did not leave the compound alone,” I reminded him. “She had help.”
“The microchip that was moving toward Ahern – have the soldiers found it?”
“Unknown,” I answered. I tapped the keys a few times and brought up the southern end of the continent. “But the person with the chip is now inside Ahern, directly in the middle to be exact. Your soldiers are on the outskirts, waiting.”
“And Test Subject Two?” he asked, interrupting my explanation.
“He could be lying in the pile of soldiers near Murray or he could be this lone red dot. He could be the red dot that travelled to Ahern. I don’t know,” I said.
Grandfather glowered down at me. “You don’t know much of anything, do you?”
I gripped the armrests to keep my clammy hands from shaking and kept my face as neutral as possible. “I keep telling you – it’s difficult to find out which microchip belongs to whom. Do you want me to waste hours, or even days, sifting through lines of code for those answers?”
