“We followed her and she led us to the clearing where the Imani waited. She had planned everything. She admitted it. She said the Imani told her they would leave us alone, if she cooperated. I am not certain of her involvement in the other deaths. Her task was to bring Elizabeth to the clearing.”
“Lies!” screamed Stein. He stood up and moved toward Zanth. “You killed her, you killed my little girl, and now you are spreading lies about her.”
“Shut up, Stein,” said Ned. “I have had suspicions about Lara. She had been acting weird, even for her. I caught her out several times after curfew. We checked her room.”
“What?” Stein swung to Ned, aghast. “You had no right!”
Ned continued after a glance at Stein. “She had a few items in her room. One was the necklace from Gia that she liked to wear.”
I flashed to the haze and Gia twisting something around her neck.
“There was also a lock of hair that we are sure is Linc’s. She even wrote a diary.” He hesitated. “It details where she met the Imani and what they did to her, what they said to her.” Ned glanced again at Stein. “They tortured her in some sort of tube.”
I gasped. A tube. A memory beckoned. Marin touched my shoulder, and it drifted away. “There is no question of her guilt. Amalie, Linc’s sister, remembers her. Her mother told me this yesterday. I was getting more information.”
Stein’s cries faded as he stopped struggling and fell to his knees. His head hung down, shoulders slumped. “No, no. Please no.”
Marin stood.
Everyone stilled as the crowd waited. Silence filled the room; anticipation built. Everyone leaned forward to hear what he was going to say. Silence stretched. Marin’s voice rang out.
“Fost, in the past week, we have seen the worst and the best in ourselves. We have faced our enemies. We have crushed them!”
There was a spattering of applause.
“But we also lost our own. For now, I want everyone to go about their regular duties. Guards will finish cleaning up the damage done last night with the storm. Finn, I want you searching. You said only one trail got away. Make sure it does not come back. At Midday, all the clan leaders will review defense and strategy and tonight, tonight we will remember the dead.”
Stein stomped out of the room in the middle of Marin’s speech.
I spent the day with Zanth; we didn’t mention anything that had happened in the clearing. He seemed to feel my hand-to-hand and knife skills were inadequate. He taught me more defensive strategies.
It felt good to train. I needed the skills. But my power was strangely absent. A deep well of nothing filled my gut. Was my power gone or just drained?
I twirled and swung at Zanth. Marin watched me from the doorway. My swing faltered. I loved the way he looked at me. Zanth’s knife flashed in front of my face.
“Do not let my brother distract you. Any distraction could prove fatal.”
I huffed at him. Jerk.
Marin walked up.
“Time to take a break. Get ready for tonight.” Marin smooched me hello, then I dragged my butt to the pool for a bath. I thought he was going to join me, but Marin stayed behind to talk to Zanth.
When I finished bathing, towels waited on the bench nearby. Such an organized man.
Wrapping the towels around me, I proceeded to my room. Marin had been filling my dressers full of clothing. There was a short-sleeved red wrap dress laid out on the bed. I guess the Fost didn’t believe in black for mourning. They believed in celebrating life, color, love.
I brushed out my hair. The dress fit snugly. I ran my hands down my sides. Lara’s image flitted through my mind. This was something she would wear. Belly tight, I headed downstairs, fingers trailing along the railing.
Hands grabbed my waist at the bottom of the steps. My skin tingled. I turned and there he was. Marin was in red, as well. God love a metro-sexual man with color-coordinating skills.
“Hi.” I twined my arms around him.
“Hi,” he said, leaning his forehead against mine. “Ready?”
I nodded, and he picked me up in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The memorial was in level three. There was a large field where all the Fost came together to celebrate. The Fost didn’t bury their dead; they burned them and returned them to the earth. There were hundreds of Fost in the clearing.
Marin marched to the middle, where a single rock stood. He climbed up and addressed them.
“Fost.” His voice carried. He held out his hands and everyone settled. A breeze blew and his collar flapped in the wind.
“Fost!” he shouted. His fist struck his chest. “My people. Tonight we celebrate something momentous. Tonight we celebrate our victory against the Imani.”
He clenched his fist in front of him and his people cheered. He held out his hands again.
“It was hard-earned victory. We lost many in the fight, and I fear we will lose many more in the future.”
Silence fell. He took his time and looked around the clearing. He met everyone’s eyes, his face grave.
“Our enemies have found us, but they no longer find us weak and unable to defend ourselves. No, they find us with weapons. Regaining our magic and regaining our pride.” He hummed and it echoed throughout the valley.
Those strange birds flew from the trees toward him, dancing in the air. His power awed me. Though I was below him at the base of the rock, I added my magic to his. Mist and fog filled the valley, lightning flashed. It was times like this I knew I wasn’t on Earth. But as I looked up at Marin, I knew I had a new home.
“The land calls us and soon we will answer. Tonight, though, tonight we are here to honor the dead.”
Anticipation and grief filled the air.
“Gia—Torrin’s light. May she shine ever bright.”
“Gia,” echoed the Fost.
“Linc—Tryst’s star. His laughter could light a room.”
“Linc.”
“Luc—Bear of the Hazern Clan. His ferocity kept this clan safe.”
“Luc.”
“Jon—Rock of the Barrel Clan. His steadfast dedication was an example to us all.”
“Jon.”
“Lara.” People murmured at that, but Marin talked over them. “Lara. Stein’s daughter. She was ever kind to those around her.”
Like hell.
“Though she was led astray at the end, she was one of us.”
Stein had tears in his eyes.
“Lara,” echoed the Fost.
“Honor the dead, protect the living, and fight for what is important, fight for the land and fight for our people and fight for those you love.” At this last, he looked at me. I flushed, looking away. “And never forget. Trust, honesty, integrity. Those are not just concepts to the Fost. That is how we live.
“Our enemy tried to crush us, and we have prevailed. We have a weapon now that they were not expecting. These are all signs. The tide is changing. We must change with it.
“We will not be overcome! We are Fost!”
Hooting and hollering rang throughout the valley for several minutes. Marin jumped down and grabbed me up close. His mouth crashed onto mine and even more hooting and hollering rang out. He grinned at me as his hands ran down my face.
“Pretty good, Mr. Clan Chief,” I said with a smile, before I was elbowed out by the people coming up to talk to him. Zanth stayed by my side. There was a banquet at the far end of the open field, and bonfires were popping up at random locations around the clearing. They brought out food and drink and the true party began.
I hadn’t seen the Fost party before, but man, they knew how to party hearty. They had no inhibitions. It reminded me of the rave in the second Matrix. Bodies pressing against each other, sweat glistening, the deep beat of the drums. People danced close, then wandered off to celebrate in other ways. Some didn’t even wander off before they started. As Finn told me once, the Fost were not shy people.
Somewhat discomfited, I looked away, t
rying to find Marin. He was nowhere in sight. Zanth looked around with me.
“Not wanting to celebrate?” I asked, then flinched as I remembered.
He jerked his shoulders up.
I put my arm around his waist, but he pulled away.
“I’m sorry.” He nodded. We were in the middle of hundreds of people, but I felt alone. No one approached. I was still an outsider here.
I turned to Zanth. “Could you take me someplace?”
“When, now?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, “everyone is occupied. I want to go past the mines. I want to see where I fell.”
He tilted his head then nodded. “Fine.”
Finn stopped us as we left the clearing.
“Going somewhere?” He swayed on his feet, a bottle of wine swinging at his side. He reached out to hug me.
“I wanted to see something. Zanth is going to take me.” I grabbed Zanth’s arm, smiling at the irony. Less than a week ago, I wouldn’t take his arm.
Finn stepped into our path. “Where? I can take you.”
Zanth moved up around him. “I got her. You should stay. You are a clan leader. Plus, Tarah is waving her arms off trying to get your attention.”
I couldn’t resist peeking at a fair-haired Fost in a tight green dress with an overflowing bosom who jumped up and down. A pang zipped through me. None of my business.
Finn dismissed her and followed us. “I am coming with you. It is late.”
Zanth bristled. “I am capable of taking care of her. Stay with your woman.”
Finn stepped up, chest bouncing off Zanth’s.
“I am.” His height gave him an advantage over Zanth, who tipped back his head to glare at him. “And I said I am coming with you.”
I glanced back to catch a glimpse of Marin. He moved into view from behind the rock. Marin’s eyes met mine. He turned his head.
Where are you going? Wind shivered in my ears.
I want to see the mines, where I fell. Stay. I will be back soon.
He snorted. A second later, he bumped into my side.
All of us trekked in the general direction of the mines. I turned once in the clearing and listened. I heard the wind, not much else. For some reason, I was disappointed. I wanted to hear another thump guiding me to where I needed to go. I didn’t know why I wanted to go back to where I arrived. I just did.
I started forward. There were no tracks. The dust and the rocks remained undisturbed. The men followed right behind me. No one said anything. They were all on guard and had their weapons out. This was not the brightest idea.
I almost passed the rock. It was indistinguishable from those around it, but again, I knew. I climbed. There was a rock above me that I braced on, to push myself up and over onto the adjacent rock, then I jumped to the next. Zanth acted as a step for me once or twice as we climbed. How the hell did I get down before? I wasn’t in the best condition when I woke up.
Once we got to the top, I had to take a second. This looked right. There was nothing around me. I lay down on the rock and looked up. There were no suns, but I remembered how bright it’d been. There was a faint breeze; I could feel it run across my body. I could feel the rock underneath me, cold and slimy. I kept staring until my eyes unfocused. I knew they were up there.
The Imani had flying ships, transports. They could travel the stars; that was how they found my people. They experimented on me, killed my people, ripped apart my world.
I studied the strands. A double helix formed in front of me, its code identical to the one next to it. Copy after copy flashed on the screen. Base pairs multiplied before me.
The Imani were clones.
How obvious.
What did that get me? There was nothing I could do. I knew their specific genetic code. Big deal. What could I do with that?
But. Hmm.
A fragment of a thought ran through my mind. I could make a virus, just like they’d made for Earth. Specific only to them. Made and crafted to kill the Imani. I could do it. They’d taught me how. Science was never my best subject, but years slaving at something and anyone was bound to pick up some stuff. I could do it. I knew how.
I jerked up. “Marin.”
He put his hand on my knee. “Yes.”
“I know how to kill them.”
“Pardon?”
“I know how to kill them!” Elation flashed through me. This was why they wanted to confirm I died from that fall. “I just need a lab.”
“We are fresh out of labs.”
“Where are the labs?”
“Probably back in Industry,” Finn added. He squatted on my other side, and Zanth stood at the edge of the rock looking around.
“Then we need to go to Industry.” I sat up. Marin helped me to my feet.
“Not right now, we are not,” he said.
“Not now but soon. They will never stop coming. They will never give up.”
“She is right.” Zanth added over his shoulder as he scanned the surrounding area. “We need to take this fight to them.”
Marin murmured, leaning into my side. “I know but not today. Soon.”
“Soon,” I whispered.
THE END
Coming Soon…
DISTANT MEMORY
Book 3 in the Solum Series
* * *
Pre-Order now!
The E'mani kidnapped her friend, her former lover, and Elizabeth Camden vowed to get him back. In the process, she learns the truth about herself, the full truth, and finally has her revenge.
* * *
Elizabeth "Beta" Camden is a survivor and she remembers everything.
About the Author
Colleen plays many roles. Not only is she a veteran, a mother, and a practicing physician, but she is a writer of science fiction and contemporary romances. Colleen’s dreams include surviving her son’s teenage years, exploring every continent on this planet, except Antartica, cause that’s way too cold, and winning the Nobel peace prize. Dream BIG! Currently, she is working on Distant Memory, the third in her SciFi Romance series.
In the meantime, look for her at https://www.colleensmyers.com
Must Remember: Dead or alive, they want her back. (Solum Series Book 1) Page 22
