Balance (The Neumarian Chronicles)

by Ciara Knight

  Mags. I hoped we’d see each other again before the bombing began. And I would, if she was manning her position. “Good. Let’s go, Bendar.”

  “While I don’t like this idea, if Bendar is half as good as his reputation for making a fool out of the queen’s guards, then you should make it.” Mona poured some water into a cup. “Drink-up before you go.”

  Bendar grabbed a cup and chugged away without reservation. I swirled the water around the cup while eyeing Bendar. As he placed the cup back on the table, I watched for any sign of his behavior had changed.

  “It’s not poisoned,” Mona snapped. “I thought you trusted me.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “Until this day is over, I trust only my family.”

  “No worries. And frankly, if I were you, I wouldn’t either. Be safe. Don’t get caught or all’s lost.”

  “Don’t worry, we won’t.” Assuming we avoided the hunters.

  Bendar shook Mona’s hand. “Gonna travel rooftops. Hunters too far below. Can’t smell us.”

  Mona clasped my hands and squeezed. “I wish I could do more.” She stared at the floor. “I’m sorry, but you can’t go through the house. I didn’t spray the masking agent anywhere but here in the basement. Should a hunter demand entrance…”

  Bendar cracked open the door. “No worry. We use Rolanda’s house.”

  “You should be safe for that distance. The masking agent is in the air and has attached to you. It’ll last long enough to get into her house.”

  “We leave now. No guards. No hunters.” He grabbed my hand and we eased onto the outside landing. An icy shiver shot down my spine at the sound of the door shutting behind me.

  Minutes later, I crawled through the open window of Rolanda’s basement. We waited for the guards shining lights in the windows, checking for trespassers, to move on to the next house. “Let’s get to the attic and onto the roof.”

  Bendar danced with ease along the roof ridge while I crawled from one house to the next. I wedged my boot against a tile and pushed off, but there was no traction. My feet slid on the slick slate of the roof. I grasped the tiles. The sharp edges sliced my gloves. My thighs burned and my arms shook.

  Bendar flattened against the ridgepole and pointed. A guard, his illuminator a spotlight. It swept every inch of the alley below. He moved it up, checking the exterior of the houses near him, then moved to the next row and repeated the process. Then the light hit the eaves.

  The ridge of the roof dug into my hands, my arms trembling in protest at the static position. I breathed through the strain, willing myself to hang on and not twitch a muscle.

  Thankfully, the beam didn’t reach the top of the roof.

  As the guard moved on, I pushed up onto my knees and inched forward. At this rate, I wouldn’t arrive at the edge of the desert until it was too late.

  Flush with the ridgeline, we searched for signs of patrols, but we saw none. As we began to move again, I tugged Bendar’s ankle, then tipped my head to the sky. A reconnaissance plane flew overhead and I made note of its markings. Over the past hour, I’d spotted five others scouring the city for movement. Dressed in black, we blended with the slate roofs, but to be viewed as insignificant, required moving slowly and staying low.

  As we neared the refugee shanties, tension swelled. Cracked slates and coarse debris dug into my fingers and tore my pants at my knees. If a broken slate roof tile crashed to the ground, we’d be caught.

  Reaching the end of the usable roofs, Bendar rolled off the side of the ridgeline and grabbed the drainpipe. “Clear.” He reached for the attic hatch. It popped open without a sound.

  “Bendar, stop,” I whispered. “It’s too easy.”

  “Trap?”

  I slid to his side, holding a stovepipe to stay in position. “Yes.”

  Bendar smiled. “I know.” He did a flip and disappeared.

  An early morning drizzle saturated my hair, but didn’t penetrate the leather. Wind whipped over the buildings. Shivering, I lay flat, trying to disappear into the tiles. Where was he? Gnawing on my lower lip, I forced myself to follow Bendar. Yet, I couldn’t stop worrying about what I was dropping into. Had Bendar played us and led me into a trap? No. If there was one person I could trust, besides Ryder, my father and Raeth, it was Bendar. He may have betrayed me once, but not intentionally.

  A plane circled overhead, its light shining a roof four houses down. If I remained here, I’d be spotted for sure.

  Move, Semara, I ordered myself. Grabbing the roof edge, I leaned over and stared into the attic. Boxes. Nothing but boxes, yet everything in my mind screamed, Don’t do it! Drawing my gun, I did a flip and landed in a crouch, prepared to meet my fate.

  Behind me, the hatch swung closed. Five men surrounded me. One held a slave collar.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  At the sight of the collar, my gift flared, fire dancing around my fingers.

  “Stop!” Bendar moved between the man with the collar and me. “Your plan. They help.”

  I exhaled slowly and lowered my hands to my thighs as Bendar explained.

  It was a good plan in theory—I’d wear a phony collar, surrounded by guards escorting us to where my unaware troops were located. Then I’d take on Mandesa as my surprise wreaked havoc. “Yes, at the designated RP after I’d made contact. But not here. So, what happened?”

  Bendar wiped his nose with his gloved knuckle. “Queen blocked roads. Meet here instead.”

  “But I have to make contact—”

  Bendar shook his head. “Can’t use gift. Queen’s Neumarian—”

  “Got it. Think we can get close enough to them to use the real collar on her little minion?”

  A guard with a knife scar from just below his right eye to the corner of his mouth nodded. “The queen keeps the little one at her side at all times.”

  “Little one? A child?” Receiving nods from all the guards, my jaw clinched. I hated that she was using a child, but wasn’t surprised. Sighing, I leaned against the wall as the quiet of the attic crawled up my spine. I didn’t need the tickling deep in my body to warn of danger ahead. From the moment I saw the hunters, I’d known my part of the action had gone toes up. It looked like taking care of Mandesa had moved up the list. Please let one thing go according to plan, I prayed, my eyes scanning the small room. “Where’s Mags? I thought she made it.”

  A wall swung open. “Well, tie me up and paint me red. Looks like the little one found some courage.”

  Excitement filled me at the sound of Mags’ thick southern drawl. Grinning, I raced past one of the men, knocking him aside. “Mags?”

  She lowered her shotgun to her side and, just before I plowed into her, opened her free arm. “Hi, darlin’. The old bat’s here. I’m like those pesky cockroaches. Nothin’ wipes us out. Queen can stomp on me, but I skitter back. Heard you took down that pug-faced old cow of a general. Good for you, spitfire.”

  Guilt that we’d run, escaped, thinking she’d sacrificed herself for us had swamped me for two years. Now, she stood before me. As I hugged her, the last of the guilt eased and warmth filled me. “Oh, Mags. I’m so happy to see you…alive and well. I still can’t believe you survived those assassins.”

  “Oh, shoot. Weren’t nothin’.” Mags swatted my back. “Now’s not the time for rejoicin’, no how. Guards here gonna take you straight to the queen. Building you supposed to be in is heavily guarded, and traps all been set at edge of the city. She’s not gonna kill you in front of everyone. Well, not without an excuse anyhow.”

  Bendar hobbled to the window. “Told you all good. Won’t be long.”

  I offered my hand to Scar Face. “Thank you for your service.”

  He kissed my hand. “Semara Valderak, it is a pleasure to meet you. The princess who went from the young girl destined to rule with her mother to rebellion commander.”

  “It’s Semara Arteres now.”

  Mags chuckled. “You done got yourself hitched to that handsome one, huh? Knew I was wise to keep an
eye on you two. I got my shotgun right here, but I’m sure your pop took care of that young man.”

  “It wasn’t like that, Mags. Father gave us his blessing and even married us.”

  “Dang, I be gettin’ older than dirt, but I never thought I’d live to see the legendary General Bellator give his daughter to a boy.”

  One of the other guards smiled. “Ah, so the rumors are true. Our young friend did woo the heart of the princess.”

  “First of all, I’m not a princess. Second, Queen Valderak isn’t my mother, she’s my aunt. Third, my mother was her sister whom she murdered. Fourth, General Bellator’s my father.” A weight I hadn’t realized I carried disappeared from my shoulders as I stood tall and straight. “Oh, and one more thing. Mags, you got it backwards. I wooed Ryder.”

  The guards’ mouths dropped open. Still grinning, I relinquished my weapons. “Here, you’d better have these. Otherwise, Mandesa won’t buy our little ploy.”

  Scar Face took one and slid it into his waistband then handed the other to the guard next to him.

  I held out my hand to Scar Face again. “You know my name, but I don’t know any of yours.”

  “I’m Captain Martin. This is—”

  “No, not your official names,” I said. “What you call each other.”

  Captain Martin smiled. “I’m Marty.” He pointed to the guard holding my other weapon. “This here’s Tinker. To his left is Mods and Dirt.”

  I smiled. “Tinker?”

  “He’s a whiz at fixing machinery on the run. Mods is great at altering to suit his purpose, and Dirt, well, he tends to make a mess with the ladies.”

  Tinker slapped Dirt on the back. “Yeah, he does.”

  “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

  Mags whooped. “Great bunch of boys. Strappin, strong men with attitude. They’ve even got a little southern charm.”

  Tinker smiled. “You’re too kind, ma’am. We’re the honored ones. Must say, I never thought I’d be talking to a member of the Triune, our future leader like this.”

  “I’m not here to takeover. My only wish is to free everyone,” I corrected. “Every person, whether Kantian, human, or Neumarian, has the right to live in peace without fear.”

  “That’s admirable, ma’am.” Mods tipped his hat to me. “But someone’s got to lead once the queen is removed from her throne. If you turn power back over to the corrupt council, it’ll only get worse here in Acadia.”

  I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But they were right, someone would have to lead. “Let’s see who survives and then we’ll figure that part out.”

  “It’s time.” Bendar hopped down from his box and joined us.

  As one, the men removed their hats and knelt before me. “We are prepared to fight and die for you. It is our honor to pledge our allegiance and fight to the death in protection of the Triune,” Mart said, speaking for them all.

  I lowered my head and pulled aside my sleeve revealing the tattoo the Triune had received in secret just before we left. These men are the first to see it, I thought as I placed my hand to the right of it so they’d know the truth. Six dagger tips swirled off a central sphere. The dark center pulsed orange, amber spinning around the edge of the circle. Its tail vanished down the middle of my chest. Above it was the infinity sign of the Triune. “I promise the same to all of you.”

  Bendar took a position next to Tinker, knelt and repeated the guards’ vow. As I lifted my head and tugged my shirt back into place, they rose in unison.

  Mags leveled her shotgun at the men. “Dag nabbit, I’m warnin’ ya all. Ya better fight as well as ya make promises.”

  Hearing a craft overhead, I eased to the side of the window and peeked outside. Dawn’s light filtered between the buildings. Shock struck me. My pulse thundered in my ears. Two spy planes hovered above us. How had I not realized we’d crawled over roofs that led not to the refugees but to the center of the city? At the end of the street was the council building. In minutes, I’d stand before them and Mandesa, all of us pretending we’d come together to talk of peace.

  The men encircled me. Marty and Dirt peered through slats covering the attic opening.

  Dirt pointed. “They’re getting ready for the show.”

  I watched as the council filed from the building and stood on a newly constructed platform. A microphone attached to a stand rose from its base. Each member glanced nervously at one another and their surroundings.

  They suspect Mandesa’s duplicity and plot to murder the Triune, I realized. From their long and tortured experience with her, I doubted they’d held to the false hope of peace, only feared for their families and being caught in the crossfire.

  We watched grimly as families with children were shoved into the street as witnesses to the show. A viewing screen above the council’s heads would allow them to see and hear everything. While thousands of people crowded the street, I didn’t see a single guard.

  “Citizens of Acadia, we are here today to initiate peace talks with the European Neumarian Rebellion. Our true and loyal queen has promised to guide us into a new future. Securing our health and wellbeing is her top priority,” said Esmada, Mandesa’s aide.

  God help me but I hated that woman almost as much as the queen. Her voice burrowed deep into my brain and like a laser, forced me to relive all my childhood terrors. I touched my heart, my tattoo beside it, gaining courage and strength. I wasn’t a child anymore. I was an adult, who stood beside Father leading the rebellion.

  My hands sparked then I inhaled deeply and calm returned. If there was a tracker near, use of my power would alert him to our location.

  Ignoring the irritating cackle of Esmada’s voice, I scanned the street in the other direction. Guards surrounded a small group. The dark of Ryder and Raeth’s hair shone like a beacon next to the plump male with a dusting of hair. “They’re here,” I murmured, unable to hide the longing to be by their side. My heart ached. Finally, the mental and physical separation that had existed since Father placed blocks on their minds and I’d left Ryder’s bed would come to an end.

  While seeing Ryder eased my fears, I hadn’t needed to. I’d felt him within me. Smiling, I caressed his powerful body with my eyes. And as his gaze lifted and scanned the buildings, I knew he’d sensed my presence, too. His confident stride changed subtly into his distinctive strut, telling me all was well. A second later, Raeth’s eyes locked on our shuttered window.

  I winced as Esmada’s grating voice jerked my attention back to the platform, and not for the first time wondered why Mandesa had that woman speak for her. “Representatives from Upper Europe now approach. We will discuss the terms of our peace with you as witnesses to Queen Valderak’s generosity and willingness to open our borders once the safety of our people is ensured.”

  Esmada set the microphone in place then backed away. The royal anthem shattered the quiet and the crowd gasped, dropping to their knees. Esmada bowed, along with the council, as it parted like a picture of the Red Sea in a pre-war book I’d found in Gordon’s collection back on the Freedom.

  As Mandesa glided between adoring acolytes and those not so worshipful, her blood-red and black cape floated a meter behind her, never touching the platform. To the uneducated or unaware of nano lifts, it looked like magic. Despite gusts of wind, her fiery auburn hair, like her face, stayed immobile as she neared the front.

  For a moment, I considered using my gift to end her on the spot, but didn’t. At best, it would only undermine our cause, making her look like a martyr by proving the Neumarians were the evil ones. At worst, Raeth and Ryder would be killed immediately.

  As she reached the microphone, she gave a regal tilt of her head in acknowledgement of the welcome and I spotted a girl not more than eight at her side. “I take it the child at her side is the Neumarian blocking the others’ abilities.”

  “Yes. But don’t worry, I’ll collar the lass,” Tinker said.

  Gritting my teeth, I watched as Ryder and Raeth stopped just below us,
ten meters from the platform. They neither kneeled nor dipped their chins in her honor. Instead, they stood expressionless with backs straight and eyes ahead. Only Ryder’s clinched fists and the throbbing vein at his temple hinted at his struggle to not use his gift.

  How I longed to hear his voice in my head, to be able to comfort him. Soon, I reminded myself. Win the war first. Then I could sleep in his arms and stay at his side for the rest of our lives.

  Sighing, I forced myself to study Mandesa. It had been two years since I’d last seen her and time hadn’t been kind. I now understood the gasps from the crowd. Yes, her skin was still bleached and her body unmarked by the passage of time, but after unceasing modifications, alterations, and smoothing treatments, her face looked deformed. Her outside mirrored her inside. The people saw their nightmare come to life before them.

  “You may rise,” she said, her raspy, modified voice carrying throughout every crevice of Acadia, reminding all that she controlled the food they ate, the water they drank, and their continued existence. She waved Ryder and Raeth forward, followed by guards stepping from their hiding places and into the street. “Advance, Neumarians, and we will speak of peace.”

  Ryder and Raeth halted at the bottom of the platform. Both maintained their rigid posture, their gazes locked on Mandesa.

  The queen nodded at them. “Welcome to Acadia. General.”

  He stepped forward and I held my breath. If the Neumarian child dampened all gifts right now, Camilia, transformed into the image of the hated general, wouldn’t be able to maintain his persona. Licking my lips, I wondered if her voice would be duplicated also. The doppelgänger General only nodded in response.

  Mandesa raised her arms and held them out, palms up, to the still frightened crowd. “My people have opened their homes in the hope of peace. They look to me for guidance. Neumarians, we thank you for coming. Know that we want the same thing.”

  She wasn’t kidding either. We wanted her as dead as she did us, and I didn’t think the people were buying what she was selling. Her speech sounded methodical, rehearsed, as if the word peace might crack her glass-like face, shattering her into a thousand shards.