Dal slumped to the ground and pulled on Lobo’s rope-collar. “Lobo, shut up! I’m not gonna’ let you fight Baby, he’s ginormous now.” He looked up at Myrikal and sighed. “He holds ‘court’ everyday with people his goons caught breaking his laws the day before. I don’t even know why he goes through the motions of a court. Everyone is found guilty no matter what.”
“What does he do to them?” Myrikal clenched her jaw as she recalled the punishment Cascus had wanted her to mete out.
“I guess at first he had a couple of them killed, but Morgan talked him into something else.” He picked up a dirt clod from the trail and threw it against a tree. “Now he brands them on the forehead and makes them work like slaves. Even kids.”
Myrikal tightened her hands into fists and sucked in a sharp breath.
Dal continued, “He’s separated the boys from the girls in the compound. They aren’t even allowed to talk to each other outside of their work assignments. And Myri,” he turned to her, “he’s building something. Strange lights and sounds come from the building all hours of the day and night.”
“Are the people still following him with all this going on?”
“Most of them. They’re afraid not to. I took off, though, when he threatened Lobo. Apparently, he doesn’t like to be growled at every time Lobo smells him coming.”
“You moved to the park? Why?”
He shrugged. “The leaders of my compound came to an agreement with Cascus. We all moved there.”
Myrikal stayed silent for a few moments while she thought. Did she have the strength to take out some sort of ancient being? She didn’t even know his strengths or weaknesses—or if he even had any weaknesses. He obviously had some special abilities, that much was evident by the human façade he wore over his true form. Myrikal shook her head. It didn’t matter. She had to find a way to get rid of him.
She patted Lobo on the head and stood. “Baby and I are going to hurry back to there. Are you two going to be okay? What’s your plan?”
Still holding onto his dog’s makeshift collar, Dal stood, too. “If you’re going back, I’m going back.”
Myrikal smiled and nodded. “Okay. I guess you made it this far on your own, so you’ll have to make it back on your own. I’m going to be traveling fast. I have a feeling the trouble Cascus is causing is only getting worse with each passing day.”
“We’ll be fine. Lobo is a great protector.”
“I know he is.” She wrapped her arms around the boy in a quick hug. “Stay safe. I’ll see you back in Manhattan.”
Baby had grown strong with all the quick traveling and infrequent rest. His endurance nearly matched Myrikal’s. It took two days for them to arrive at the bridge over which she’d escaped the city. She paused but a moment there, with a hand on Baby’s head, to look out over the huge and crumbling buildings. “You watch my back in there, Baby.”
The panther chuffed as if agreeing to do just that.
Walking with determined strides, she picked her way across the dilapidated bridge, Baby at her heels. The people she passed on the streets in the gray early morning light stared but didn’t speak. She didn’t hesitate as she walked up to the front gate of the Central Park compound. She barely recognized one of the guards that scrambled to step in front of her.
“You… you can’t come in here.” His voice got higher as he spoke and his eyes darted back and forth between Myrikal and Baby.
Myrikal leaned toward him. “Stop me, then.” She brushed him to the side with a swipe of her arm and continued on through the gate. People whispered and pointed as she passed them, but none approached her. She headed for Alyssa’s, hoping she still resided at her tiny house. Hoping she hadn’t gotten on the wrong side of Cascus during Myrikal’s absence. Myri shook her head. It scared her even more to think of Alyssa being on the right side of Cascus.
Her heart dropped as she stepped onto Alyssa’s porch. The place looked deserted. She knocked anyway, hoping.
“If you’re looking for that girl who used to live there, she ain’t there.”
Myrikal turned to see an elderly man, hauling a wagonload of vegetables behind him. “Do you know where I might find her?”
“Seeing as this is the men’s side of the compound now, I’d have to assume she’s over on the women’s side. Probably out in the fields.” He jerked his head to indicate the direction.
“Thank you.” Myrikal stepped off the porch.
“Yep.” The man tugged on the handle to the wagon. “Don’t let one of Cascus’s men catch you over here.”
“I’m not afraid of Cascus or his men.” Myri turned to Baby. “Let’s go, Baby.”
The potato field was full of women, digging up the vegetables with small shovels and dumping them in wagons interspersed throughout the rows. Myrikal didn’t have time to search for her, so she stood to the side and yelled, “Alyssa!”
Some of the women looked frightened but a few of them quirked their mouths up at the corners as they looked up at her.
“Myri?” Alyssa dropped her shovel and jogged over to where Myrikal stood. “Where have you been?” Her half-smile turned down into a worried frown and her voice dropped to a whisper. “Why are you back? Cascus ordered everyone to let him know immediately if you showed up and I don’t think it was so he could invite you to dinner.”
“I came back to stop him. I just wanted to get some information from you, first.”
Alyssa looked around nervously. “I can’t talk to you for long. I’m sure someone’s already on their way to tell him you’re here.”
“I’ll make it quick. Do you know what he’s building? Dal said there’s a new structure, top secret, and Cascus is building something in there.”
“Dal? Isn’t he the kid with the dog? Where did you see him? I thought he took off… hoped he’d taken off instead of….”
“He’s fine. I saw him outside the city.”
“I don’t know what he’s making in there, but I can tell you where it is. He only lets his closest followers anywhere near it, though.”
“Anything else I need to know?”
Alyssa ducked her head. “Morgan… he’s changed. He goes along with everything Cascus says. The courts, the prisoner-slaves, the separation of males and females. He’s pretty ruthless.”
Myrikal winced and nodded.
“Oh, and there’s another, smaller building they put up a couple of nights ago while no one was around. You’ll see it by the bigger one. I have no idea what’s in there.”
“Thanks.” She turned in the direction Alyssa pointed.
“Myri?” Alyssa asked. “Is that a… a panther?”
Myrikal smiled. “Yep. His name is Baby. He’s watching my back.” She patted him on the neck and walked away.
Queasiness filled her insides as she got within a few feet of the large building. Determined, Myrikal swallowed and pressed forward. Holding her breath would do no good in this instance, the building itself made waves of unease cycle through her body. Four guards stood watch outside the garage-like door that appeared to be the only entrance. The guards weren’t members of Cascus’s elite DefCo team she’d helped train—they were meant for much more important things than simple guard duty. These guards did carry weapons, though, in addition to the flare guns that, she assumed, would summon help, likely in the form of her friends. Including Branch.
“N… no one’s allowed in here,” a female guard stuttered.
“No one’s allowed anywhere near here,” a powerfully built man said, stepping closer to Myrikal.
“Uh… Dante?” The girl put a hand on his arm. “You… uh… you probably don’t want to mess with her.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, as if that would keep her words from carrying to Myrikal just a few steps away. “That’s the one we told you about. The one who can call lightning and stuff.”
He narrowed his eyes, and moved his hand minutely toward the gun strapped to his waist.
Myrikal smiled. “No need for that.”
&n
bsp; A murmured whisper came from one of the other guards, “Not that it would do any good anyway.”
“I’m just checking things out.” The smile disappeared and she leaned in, mere inches from the guard’s face. “But you might want to warn the next shift that I’ll be back. It’d be a good idea if they decide to take a break when they see me coming.” She’d come back at night to break into the building, hopefully less people would be around just in case things got ugly.
Myrikal reached around the muscled guard and touched the face of the building. The wall pulsated beneath her fingertips like a living being. Each beat of the alien substance sent an unnerving tremor through her heart. She stepped away and nodded to the guards. “I’ll be back.”
She had a strong feeling that if she stopped Cascus, the alien building and whatever was inside it would cease to be a threat. It was directly connected to him and whatever ancient power he possessed.
With that thought, she headed for the Central Building, where she hoped to find Cascus alone. Electricity gathered along the surface of her skin. She held her arms at an angle away from the side of her body as the small bolts crackled up and down, increasing in size and intensity even as she tried to hold back. “Stay,” she commanded Baby, who instantly sat on the street in front of the building.
Myrikal, now sparking like an electric storm, marched up the stairs to Cascus’s quarters and pushed open the door.
“Cascus!” Her voice rang out like thunder. She thrust her hands straight out in front of her, the electric pulses merged and stabbed several feet out from her fingertips.
A flicker of movement caused Myrikal to turn and focus at the top of the stairs visible from where she stood just inside the entrance. Her heart dropped, but her hands didn’t.
“Myri, what are you doing?” Branch pointed a gun in her direction, a crazed-like anger sparking in his eyes.
“I’m not here for you, Branch. Where’s Cascus?” Myrikal didn’t dare say more, afraid her voice would betray her. Seeing her best friend looking at her with such animosity threatened to break her resolve. Threatened to break her, period.
He squared his shoulders. “You’re going to have to go through me to get to him, Myri. Are you willing to do that? Is your displaced anger so strong that you’re willing to kill me in order to get to him?”
Was she? No. She knew she wouldn’t hurt Branch. But did he know that? She nodded and stepped forward.
Branch’s eyes widened just a fraction and his finger twitched on the trigger of his gun. Cascus stepped into sight, directly behind Branch in such a position as to make hitting him a very dangerous prospect for Branch.
“Myrikal. I thought we’d decided you don’t belong here.” His human camouflage no longer fooled her eyes. “Did you have a change of heart?”
“Step out from behind Br… Morgan.” The electricity pulsed brighter.
“Wouldn’t you like to talk first?” His mouth twisted into a horrible semblance of a grin.
“Are you willing to tell me what it is that you’re making inside your well-guarded building?”
“Of course not. That’s none of your business.”
Myrikal side-stepped, trying to get a better angle on Cascus. Branch moved, shielding him further.
She focused her attention on Branch. “Do you know what he is, Branch?”
An intensified glare was his only answer.
“I do.” Myrikal stepped closer. “I know what he is. I know where he came from.” Closer. “I know what he wants.”
Branch’s face twisted into a rage-filled sneer as he opened fire on her. She shielded her face with her arms out of instinct.
“Go. Away. Myrikal!” he shouted. “Why do you have to ruin everything good in my life?” He fired off another round of useless shots.
That hurt. Branch was so far under Cascus’s spell, he refused to see the evil truth. She lowered her arms, pulling the bolts of electricity back inside her. “Okay, Branch. I’ll go.” And I’ll come back when I’m sure you aren’t here to protect him.
His shoulders slumped but he kept the gun pointed in her direction. “Stay gone this time. Please.” The last word was a whispered one, but Branch knew her well enough to know she’d hear it.
Sorry, friend. That isn’t going to happen. Myrikal turned her back on them and strode to the door. Ya and Miguel met her on the porch. She quirked an eyebrow at their uniforms that still included the lightning bolt patch that symbolized one of her powers. “I thought he’d get rid of those.” She nodded at the patch on Ya’s pocket.
“What’s going on in there?” Miguel ignored her remark.
Not wanting to rehash the betrayal she’d felt from Branch with her friends who were obviously still part of Team Cascus, she sighed and said, “Nothing.” She whistled for Baby to come, and turned away from her former friends.
Ya jogged over to her as she hurried away. He touched her arm and kept in-step with her. “Myrikal,” he whispered. “I’m with you when you make your move. So are most of the others. All except Miguel and Vicky. And Morgan.”
Myrikal pursed her lips and nodded. She patted his hand that still rested on her arm. “Thanks, Ya. It won’t be long.”
Making her way to the front gate, Myrikal stifled a short cry as a small, dark-haired girl ran toward her, arms flung wide. Myrikal dropped to one knee to receive the embrace. “Chansong. What are you doing here?” She knew the girl wouldn’t answer, but she did look behind her and gesture toward her mother who was hurrying in their direction.
Huffing to catch her breath, Chansong’s mom reached to pull her away from Myrikal with a terrified look over Myrikal’s shoulder. “The Repopulation Clan joined with COP.” Her voice quivered and her eyes darted over Myrikal’s shoulder again.
That’s right. Dal told me that. Myrikal stood and glanced behind her as Changsong’s mom ushered her quickly away. Cascus stood at the open door of the Central Building. Ya, Branch, and Miguel stood as shields in front of him. The lift of his eyebrows and smug smile on his fake face as he looked from the retreating child and her mother, then back to Myrikal sent an icy chill down her back.
The treehouse she’d built and called home for too short a time stood as she’d left it. Myrikal could see if from her perch in a tall tree outside the walls of the compound. The cloud cover was particularly thick, causing the darkness of the night to be overwhelming to most. Myrikal rested her head back against the trunk, trailing her fingers through the silky fur of Baby’s back where he rested in the crook of a branch just below her.
Cascus would expect her to come in the night. He’d be prepared for that. So she’d make her move during the day, after watching to make sure Branch was off somewhere else, doing his bidding. She closed her eyes and drifted off to a light sleep.
“Myrikal!” the whispered yell was enough to bring her immediately from sleep to complete awareness.
“Alyssa?” Myrikal peered down between the branches, over the wall into the compound.
“Ah. I’ve been looking for you all night. You have to come…”
The thick cloud-cover from the night remained in the pre-dawn, making her eyesight focused and clear. “What’s happened?”
Alyssa looked over both shoulders and lowered her whisper even more. “He… Cascus… he took Chansong. He has her in a cage hanging above the smaller building I told you about.”
Myrikal crouched on the branch then jumped to the top of the wall.
Alyssa looked at her with pleading eyes. “I know it’s a trap, Myrikal. But you have to come. He said if you don’t show up before sunrise, he’ll drop her in.”
Jumping down beside her, Myrikal asked, “What’s in there?”
“I don’t know. No one knows. But he made it clear that whatever it is, Chansong won’t survive.” Alyssa rubbed her arms. “They dragged her mom away in cuffs when she tried to climb the walls to reach her.”
“Who’s guarding her?”
“About half of DefCo.” Alyssa jumped and let out
a little scream as Baby dropped down next to her.
“Ya?”
Alyssa nodded.
I hope he meant what he said. “Will you stay hidden where you can see what’s going on?”
She nodded again, fear and determination battling it out in her eyes.
“I’ll leave Baby with you. If I get into trouble, give him the command to go.” Myrikal showed her the hand signals then knelt down to be eye-to-eye with her panther. “Baby, you’re going to stay with Alyssa. Be good.” He raised up and put his front paws on her chest, raking his rough tongue across her face.
Just minutes before sunrise, she had no time to make a plan. She ran straight on, toward the four-foot wide, ten-foot tall building. Ya gave a slight nod of his head as she made eye contact just before jumping over him to the thin rim running around the narrow roof. Chansong jerked, tears streaking her dirty face, causing the small metal cage to swing.
“It’s okay, Chansong.” Myrikal ignored the heavily locked cage-door and instead, grasped two of the metal bars making up the cage. She pulled them apart just wide enough for the girl to fit through. She reached inside and barely got a grip on the girl’s wrist when the roof of the building dropped, splashing into a thick, green liquid and immediately dissolving with a smoky hiss.
Myrikal tottered on the rim, barely able to keep her balance. The chain holding the cage released from the apparatus that held it and the cage plunged toward the death-trap just a couple of feet below. Myrikal jerked on Chansong’s wrist, knocking her against the widened bars of the cage as she pulled her free. “Ya!” she yelled, swinging the girl over the outer edge of the rim.
Ya dropped his weapon and raised his hands. Myrikal released her grip, Chansong’s eyes widened but not a sound escaped the silent caverns of her throat. Before Myrikal could see if Ya made the catch, bright flashes of light blinded her un-goggled eyes and an explosive burst of air hit her from the side. Crouching at the odd, twisted angle necessary to drop Chansong to safety, she didn’t have time to right herself.
Myrikal Page 22
