Shadows of Uprising (Guardian of the Vale Book 2)

by Tamara Shoemaker

  “One of the escaped Shadow-Casters,” he whispered. “From last year.”

  Alayne's eyes widened. She glanced back at the screens, but Chairman Sprynge was speaking again. “For the Earth-Movers, our own Beatrice Pence.”

  “Great,” Alayne muttered. “That one'll be a real party.” Marysa glanced at her, concern creasing her forehead.

  Pence's face appeared on the screens, the lurid scars across her cheek and nose even more vivid in the holographic image.

  Sprynge appeared again. “For the Air-Masters, Katya Angliss.”

  Rachyl stood on tip-toe next to Alayne and leaned over to whisper in Alayne's ear. “She's a Justice. She's on my uncle's Cabinet.”

  “Good or bad?”

  Rachyl shrugged, twisting her lips. “Hard to say. She's not the nicest person you've ever met, but she knows how to get a job done.”

  “Great. Just what we need.”

  “And lastly,” Sprynge went on, “visiting specifically to represent the Water-Wielders, Chairman Simeon Malachi of Andova.”

  Understanding sank into Alayne's thoughts as gasps resounded across the common room. Heads began to turn; Alayne blushed as she realized that she and Daymon were the center of scrutiny for hundreds of pairs of eyes.

  Malachi's bearded face looked much the same as she remembered from the previous year with the glaring difference that he now lacked a nose, thanks to the parting shot Alayne had sent his way before he'd made his escape down the river. A red stump was now the centerpiece of his face. He no longer wore a flannel shirt and suspenders. In this image, he was bare-chested, his muscled arms crossed over his chest, his massive fingers balled into thick fists on his arms.

  Marysa's face was white and shocked. Her mouth hung open. “He can't do that.” She faced Alayne. “Sprynge can't do that.” Her protests were far above whisper level. “He's a criminal! He tried to kill you last year, and who says he won't this year as well?”

  Alayne was numb. The blood drained from her cheeks as she stared at the holograph.

  Chairman Sprynge reappeared. “The examinations will begin in one hour's time. We, the faculty, wish you each the best of luck.”

  When the MIUs switched off, students began to move en masse to the chute. Rachyl, Marysa, Daymon, and Alayne soberly regarded one another. Marysa spoke first. “We have to stop this.”

  Alayne slowly shook her head. “Sprynge probably sanctioned Malachi's actions; none of the other professors would dare stand up to him.” She took a deep breath, her decision made. “I'm going to find those students Corn told Daymon about.”

  “No, Layne, it's impossible—”

  “Someone has to, Marysa. We can't leave students, probably some half-Naturals, out there under the power of Shadow-Casters. If Malachi's done something with them in the exam arena...” She trailed off.

  Rachyl's mouth tightened as she glanced at the chute where the car dropped loads of students to the ground, returning in record time for the next group. “I guess we won't be looking for the 'element objects' Sprynge was talking about, then, or anything else.”

  “You guys can do as you like,” Alayne said, tightening her ponytail. “I'm going to go look for the students. If they're in the exam stage, I'll find them.”

  Marysa stared at her, a liquid film moving over her eyes. “You're not doing this by yourself, Layne. We'll split up, so we can cover more ground. You can go one way—”

  “I'm going with Alayne,” Daymon interrupted. “If Malachi is with them when we find them...” He turned to Alayne and lowered his voice, “Layne, this may be our chance.” His unspoken words wormed through Alayne's numb mental processes. He wants to finish what we started last year. He wants me—us—to capture Malachi. To put him away for good.

  As she stared at Daymon, she realized he was thinking an even stronger term than that. He wants me to kill him. She shook her head slowly. “I—I can't, Daymon.”

  He returned her long look before nodding once, almost imperceptibly. “Maybe you won't have to.” He opened his mouth to speak again, but closed it abruptly.

  Unspoken communication seemed almost verbal in the intensity of their exchanged looks. If it comes down to it, will you be able to kill him—if you have to? If it's absolutely necessary?

  He nodded once; a muscle in his jaw jumped.

  Marysa took a deep breath. “Okay, well, let's get moving then. Protecting the students is our first goal. Try not to get separated from your partner. Daymon,” she paused, “take care of her.”

  It was an unnecessary injunction, but Marysa's voice was full of fear. Daymon nodded and touched Alayne lightly on the shoulder as they moved toward the chute.

  * * *

  The examination area was visible from the spire, but only just. From the foot of the spire, Alayne could see blinding sun sparkling off a sheet of blue. As they drew closer, Alayne sucked in her breath. Nearest the students, four tall piers jutted out into water of a brilliant aqua. Each pier was obviously designed for students of a particular element. They were fenced in with the element they represented; water flumed around the perimeter of the pier to the far right. Next, vines created a moving, twisting mesh around the second pier. The third one was harder to see, but the boards of the pier creaked in the heavy winds. The fourth one was perhaps most spectacular as it hid behind a curtain of fire.

  Beneath the four piers, where signs directed the students to wait until they heard the gong, a beach stretched nearly as far as Alayne could see in either direction. Aqua waters pounded against the sand. Far out in the water, a small island stretched long and flat, like the back of some giant sand-monster resting in the shallows. Palm trees dotted its surface.

  Alayne glanced over at Daymon. He shook his head, a frown covering his face. She felt the same frown on her own mouth. She looked desperately over the water at the tiny island with the sparse palm trees again, the thought ringing in loud alarmed decibels through her head. There is no place to hide, and where in CommonEarth is Malachi?

  A huge clock ticked down the seconds until start time. It showed eight more minutes until the gun would go off. Alayne glanced at Marysa and Rachyl. “Be careful, you guys.”

  Marysa stepped forward and gripped Alayne in a strangling hug. “You, too, Layne,” she whispered. “Don't do anything stupid.”

  Alayne laughed in spite of the dread she felt. “'Course not.”

  Rachyl didn't hug Alayne, but she grasped her shoulder, her green eyes intense. “We'll find them, Alayne. We'll make sure they're all right.”

  The thought hit Alayne like a lightning bolt. “He's your Chairman. You know him.”

  Rachyl nodded.

  Alayne absorbed that as she glanced over at the Water-Wielding pier. Because her original element had been Water-Wielding, she decided to use that one. She could see Kyle already inside, his back to her, his arms folded across his chest as he stared out at the sea. He'd made himself scarce this morning. Unease twisted inside her. Something seemed off. He's still angry with me for turning him down yesterday. Maybe embarrassed, too. She sighed.

  Daymon's large hands on her shoulders pulled her around to face him. “Hey,” he murmured, his voice low. “I'll find you, okay? As soon as the starter gun goes, swim as far out as fast as you can. I'll come find you,” he repeated. “Don't face off with anyone if you can avoid it.”

  “It would be easier if we could look for them from the air,” Alayne said. “We don't know what's in the water.”

  Daymon shook his head. “We're too easily seen from the air. At least in the water, there's water distortion that will help us stay hidden, and the most important thing, Layne, is not being seen. If we're caught by anyone, anyone at all, we're right back here, and we won't be able to look for the students.” His gaze was serious. “Be careful, okay?”

  Alayne swallowed hard and nodded. She watched his retreating back as he headed for the pier of his element, and she turned for the Water-Wielding entrance. She had to walk across a bridge of water to get in
; the Elemental who had designed the piers had made a bridge of each element, several hundred feet long, for the students to cross until they could stand on the wooden platform at the end. Most students had mastered the art of hardening the element directly beneath their feet so they stayed up on the bridge, but a few had a tough time, their first few steps sending them splashing. They emerged spluttering and gasping, having to start again at the beginning of the bridge.

  Alayne hoped the Fire-Breathers had no problem. Their bridge would be very hot to fall through. One student did, she saw, and he scrambled out immediately, his clothes and hair smoking a little from his mistake.

  Daymon easily blew himself on the wind to his opening. The Earth-Movers had it easiest. Rachyl picked her way across a tangle of swaying, writhing vines onto her pier. Alayne pursed her lips and splashed across her own water bridge.

  Most of the Water-Wielders had already entered. The pier was quite crowded as Alayne excused herself and tapped on shoulders to make her way to where Kyle stood. She greeted him as she reached him. “Hey.”

  He nodded to acknowledge her presence, but didn't speak.

  “You missed Sprynge's little beginning spiel.” She glanced at his rigid jaw with a tiny frustrated sigh.

  “Yeah?” He kept his gaze on the water. “What'd he say?”

  Alayne glanced at the clock. Three more minutes. She should be getting into position. She gave him a brief rundown of the objectives. “And he's brought Malachi.” For reasons she didn't even understand herself, she didn't mention the captured students.

  “He what?” Kyle jerked his head toward her, his eyes filled with alarm.

  “He brought four people into the exam arena to do whatever they could to trip us up. Malachi is one of them.”

  Fifty-seven, fifty-six, fifty-five, fifty-four...

  “Is he insane?” Kyle's fist slammed into the wall of writhing water around the pier. “Malachi's not only a threat to you, he's a threat to every half-blood in this school. Sprynge is serving them up on a platter.”

  “The High Court's ruling on the Natural Eradication Act and the Mixed Race Resolutions isn't due out for another couple of days,” Alayne reminded him. “Sprynge might not feel comfortable hurting anyone until the law gives him the right. Maybe Malachi will hold off.”

  Kyle stared in amazement at Alayne. “Layne, don't you even remember last year, when nothing he did hinged on a High Court decision?”

  “Of course, I remember last year, Kyle,” Alayne snapped. “How can you think I've forgotten it?”

  There it was again, the unspoken effigy of Jayme hovering between them.

  Eight, seven, six, five...

  “Be careful, okay, Kyle?” Alayne squeezed his hand. He stared at her in consternation.

  Two, one.

  The gun sounded, and the elements surrounding all four piers melted to nothing. Alayne bounded forward toward the edge of the planks, diving headlong beneath an aqua-colored wave.

  Chapter 23

  The water was warmer than Alayne expected, for which she was thankful. Using broad strokes, she cut through the water as fast as she could, remembering Daymon's words. The water tingled against her skin, and she was glad for the affinity she always felt for the liquid; it buoyed her through the current at a fast clip.

  She opened her eyes underwater before immediately squeezing them shut them again. The salt stung. She surfaced and glanced over her shoulder. Near the four piers, most of her fellow students were swimming through the surf, riding the swells as the currents shifted them.

  Some of the Air-Masters had blown themselves above the water, and were already soaring toward the island. Daymon was nowhere in sight. He wasn't a Water-Wielder; he would have a more difficult time against the current if he'd gone into the water.

  The gun sounded again, and Elemental students began facing off with each other. Alayne grabbed a quick breath and ducked under the water again.

  Salt particles stung her eyes. She cleared them from her face with a quick twist of the elements, and then formed an air bubble around her eyes. The stinging pain stopped as she notched the bend. Relief jetted her mind as she pushed through the water, turning her head this way and that, on constant lookout for the presence of others. Where would he have taken them? She had expected more land formations, not solid water. Given that Malachi was a Water-Wielder, an expert one, Alayne didn't doubt there were any number of places he could hide a group of students in the expanse before her. A chill snaked up her spine. Surely, he doesn't mean to drown them.

  She glanced above her, weighing the consequences of coming up for air. No dark figures swam near her, so she crested the surface. The water swelled into hills and valleys that undulated purples and grays and blues. She hadn't realized she'd come so far. As she rose on a swell, she caught a glimpse of the four piers. At least a hundred students already stood on them, eliminated before they could get fairly started. Another glance confirmed that Daymon was not among them. He'll find me, she reminded herself, doubtfully, as she looked around at the large body of water. How would he find her in all of this? Shuttles waited behind the students as they lined up to board. They would be taken back to Clayborne, their exam scores average to poor.

  Alayne ducked under again, tugging her air bubble back into place. A powerful current popped Alayne's shoe off her foot. It sank before Alayne could grab it. She dove for it, but her lungs were short on air again. She pushed to the surface, pulled in a huge breath, and flipped head-down in the water.

  Her shoe rested on a coral bed, its laces floating lazily in the water. She pushed herself downward, releasing some of the air in her lungs to cut down on her body's levity.

  As the coral reef grew closer, Alayne's lungs began to burn. The surface and fresh air called to her. Desperately, she reached for her shoe, but a current knocked it farther along the shelf. It teetered on the edge of a coral outcropping, then tipped and sank onto the sand floor.

  Alayne glanced at the surface far above her. One more try. She kicked downward, her fingers closing on the edge of it.

  A long dark body flashed in the corner of her vision. She yanked her head that way, her hair floating across the path of whatever had been there. She whipped her head the other way, searching, her heart pounding.

  Alayne had never seen one in real life, but she had heard enough stories about them to know what they were like.

  And there it was, the snout, the pointed dorsal fin, the round black eyes, and the terrifying row of teeth.

  Alayne froze.

  The shark seemed to be curious. It circled Alayne once, twice, a slow, steady pace through the water. Terror pounded through Alayne's body, but the more pressing need for air quickly overtook her panic.

  All Alayne's alarm sensors were buzzing in her brain. She wildly looked around, then wished she hadn't, because two more dark shapes swam toward her from the rear.

  Air.

  Manders's voice drifted through the currents as if he stood next to her. Remember, Alayne, there is an instinct beyond fear, and it is your instinct for the truth. Find your connection to the elements. They can never leave you. Fear can only mask your awareness of them. Seek deeper.

  Alayne tugged on the air molecules at the surface, intending to bring a spiral of air through the water to her mouth and her starved lungs, but before she could, one of the sharks behind her knocked against her, his huge body throwing her sideways in the water.

  Find your connection to the elements, Alayne!

  Alayne wheeled, facing the three sharks, her arms out in front of her to ward them off, clenching her shoe.

  The first shark darted forward, molten silver, his mouth open. Alayne snatched her arm out of the way just in time, but the shark caught her sneaker in his teeth. The pitiful material stood no chance; the remaining shreds of tattered shoe floated in the water.

  The shark turned in the current, its tail shooting it toward Alayne.

  Alayne drew in an involuntary gasp.

  Water fo
rced into her nasal passages as she lunged to the side and out of its path; the water flowed into her lungs, filling them up, drowning her. She was choking. She was dying.

  But she wasn't. Instead of her lungs rejecting the water, an icy sensation shot through her veins, a surge of energy that spiraled all the way to her extremities. She could breathe. She could breathe water!

  This revelation so disconcerted her that she nearly missed the next shark. It was the biggest one, the first one she'd seen. He had stayed behind the other sharks, but now nosed his way through them toward her.

  Seek deeper, Alayne!

  Alayne held up her hand, and the shark crashed, nose-first, into a solid pane of ice. Alayne hadn't had time to stabilize it. The pane shuddered under the shark's impact; the animal wheeled to the side and out of sight in the blue waters.

  Another shark swam toward her, and again, Alayne rebuffed it with a wall of ice. She glanced over her shoulder to where the third shark swam. Fear lanced her extremities, and her grasp on the elements slipped.

  Four more dark shapes flashed through the water, rows of teeth shining in the half-light from the morning sun that filtered through the water. Before she could blink, all seven sharks circled her, nosing closer and closer.

  A thought hit her like a shaft of light. They're not attacking me. The sharks were curious, nosing closer to her, one had shredded her shoe, but not a single one had opened his jaws to maul her.

  Before she could process this, a body flashed across Alayne's vision, a human body this time. Daymon! The water element ripped in half before a maelstrom of air tunneled through the water toward them. Water whirled in a circle on the outside edges of Daymon's whirlwind, and the sharks buffeted backward through the water from the force of it.

  Daymon waved his hand, and the water collapsed across them again, throwing her and Daymon in opposite ways. Alayne somersaulted, stopping herself and looking frantically around for the sharks. There was no sign of them. Daymon swam toward her, pointing to the surface.