Ethan raises an eyebrow in suspicion.
“Imre,” I conjure up a name that I haven’t heard in while.
Ethan starts walking forward again as he shakes his head and says, “No. You’re right. I don’t know him. Is he like us?”
“Like us?” I ask.
“Is he off of the Pump?”
Now I shake my head. “No. He’s not.”
Then Ethan asks something even more unexpected, “Is he a good fighter? Will he keep you safe?”
Seriously? “Ethan, I know you mean well, but I can keep myself safe.”
He just shrugs his big shoulders. He looks away from me as he says in almost a whisper, “I would’ve liked to have been your partner, but I suppose that my efforts weren’t good enough for Dr. Fredericks.”
“Just because you’re not working for him now doesn’t mean that you won’t, Ethan,” I say in an effort to make him feel more confident.
“I know. I’ll be at the top, like you, one day,” he says self-assuredly, but it comes off a little ominous. I suppose he didn’t need my confidence boost . . .
I shake it off and sneak in a smile for my soon-to-be-United.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ryker and I stand on the top step in front of the Capitol. We look over the sea of clueless Ambassadors, hunting our victim. None of them notice us, or if they do, they don’t see us. We’re like furniture to them—sort of like the citizens are to the Exalted.
They are all eating breakfast, drinking some kind of brown liquid, and talking amongst themselves. They laugh and enjoy their leisure time. I can feel my cheeks heating up. They make me so angry. And in truth, they make me even more jealous.
Ryker nods his head to the left. “That one,” he whispers. “I know her name, and I’ve seen her go into the library before.”
I follow him as he walks toward the dark skinned woman with black hair. She’s wearing an eggplant-colored, flowing dress that makes her skin radiate. Her face falls as she notices our approach. She looks scared.
My partner stands before the Ambassador, while I go around her to stand at her back. He says to her, “Sylvia, Dr. Fredericks has requested a word with you. Please come with us.”
I slip some sleeping powder into her brown drink, while she and the Ambassadors nearby gawk at Ryker. My partner was able to obtain it from Jenna, the medical citizen. She has proven to be very resourceful. Medical citizens have access to any drug they need to do their work. No one would ever try to steal such things, so there is no security for it. Still, I fear for her safety.
The woman nods and then turns to her female friend, “I hope I’m not in trouble.” An uneasy smile spreads across her full lips.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” her friend says in return.
“I hate being alone with them,” Sylvia whispers in her friend’s ear and then she shivers likes she cold. She’s in no rush to follow us. The woman sips her brown drink and flips through a folder with papers. Finally, she stands. “Okay, I’m ready.” She is both annoyed and anxious. Her wild eyes give her away.
Ryker leads the woman inside the Capitol building. I take up the rear, making sure the woman doesn’t fall unconscious before we get her into a hidden spot. I’m pleased to see that the woman keeps drinking while we walk. She should be out soon.
I study her as we walk. She’s fidgety. She’s so unlike me, but yet so similar. I just can’t figure out why the Ambassadors are so special.
Suddenly, I notice the woman’s movements start to loosen. She’s walking as if she’s walking through water. My hand instinctively shoots out to catch the cup she’s holding when her grip gives out. Ryker was right—he said that they couldn’t stop drinking that stuff. I honestly didn’t think this would work.
The sleeping powder is already taking effect. The dark skinned woman almost falls over. Ryker slows to a walk. He pushes up against her left side, and I hurry to get on her right side. We steer her toward the stairwell. Once inside, we hurry to undress her. We only have a limited amount of time before she wakes up.
But this means that I have to undress as well. I’ve never had a problem with modesty, but standing in this small space with Ryker; I’m suddenly feeling a little shy. He means something different to me than the medical citizens or even the other Exalted trainees. Now that my emotions have normalized, and I no longer feel that intense anger toward him, it makes these feelings of affection even stronger. I’m not sure how all that equates to being uncomfortable with him seeing me undressed, but I am nonetheless.
He glances up at me, waiting for me to hurry it along. I stare back at him. I don’t even have to say anything to him—he can see it in my face. Without pause, he turns around to give me some privacy, while I put on the beautiful dress. I lay my black Exalted clothing on top of the woman’s body to give her a little privacy as well.
“Okay,” I say once I’m fully dressed.
“Wow,” my partner says as his eyes roam over my body. “That looks amazing on you. I always knew you were beautiful, but you’re stunning in this gown.”
“It feels strange,” I admit, looking down at myself. The garment isn’t the snug fit that I’m used to.
“It doesn’t look strange.”
I hold up my knife belt. It pains me to have to leave it behind, but it will show under the gauzy material of this dress. “What should I do with these?” I ask my partner.
“I’ll hold them for you.” Ryker reaches out to take my weapons with a smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to them. And Mena, be careful.”
Reluctantly, I hand them over. “I guess I better go before she wakes up.” I take a deep breath as I approach the door to the stairwell. Before I open it, I take another one.
And then I plaster on the biggest grin that I can muster. I try to pull some of the loose material of the dress over my arms to hide the defined muscles that the Ambassadors lack. The dress flows and shifts around me as I walk toward the library, like the way the air moves my long hair around my shoulders on a windy day.
Ambassadors smile at me as I pass them. “Good day,” some of them say. I nod and say, “Good day,” in return. Dr. Fredericks was right, I blend in with them. I may even be shorter than some of the males. No one suspects anything—of course I’ve only been out of the stairwell for a minute or two.
I reach out and pull the metal door handle to the library like I’ve done it a hundred times. When I step inside, it’s like stepping into another time—a time long ago. It smells of aged things and feels cozy even though the space is enormous. There are rich wood bookcases that start at the floor and soar up to the 30-foot tall ceiling that is lined with chandeliers. Ladders with wheels lean against the bookshelves. They must allow the user to roll over to the next section of shelves. In the center of the room are several rows of bookshelves, lots of wood desks, and chairs.
Ambassadors are everywhere. They’re lounging in chairs reading, whispering to each other with very thoughtful expressions. Some are gathered around desks, deep in discussion. They speak with exaggerated motions, waving their arms in the air and nodding their heads this way and that way. There is so much bodily animation in this mostly quiet room. The more I observe them, the stranger they become.
I focus back on the task at hand. There are so many books—too many. Where do I start?
I glide around the room to get a better idea of my surroundings. Within the many rows of shelves, I don’t find what I’m looking for. I walk around the perimeter and only see books of science, nature, and medicine. Then I walk through the aisles between the tables to see what some of the larger groups are hovering over.
“No. That one has been taken care of,” a man with a baldhead and wire-rimmed glasses says to a man sitting at the table. The man at the table uses a pen to make corrections on a large map.
Next to them, a woman with short brown hair says, “We’ve heard rumblings of a small group here.” She points to the map.
I lean in to get a better loo
k and discover that this map looks similar to the map I saw before the Trials. Someone dropped it outside of this building and I stole a glance at it. There are dots on this map, forming little clusters around the Republic. As I look closer, I decide that it’s depicting marauder populations. There’s a large group of dots surrounding a large lake to the North East. That must be Toledo Lake. Oh no. They know about Toledo Lake. How?
Feeling bold, I push my way into the group, next to the table, and ask, “What’s this?”
The Ambassadors don’t seem suspicious of me in the least. The man sitting at the table answers, “This is the largest settlement we know of. We’ll purge them a month or so after the United Ceremony. We’ll get the newest batch of Exalted over there to take care of it. Give them a little mission to make them think they are important.”
“That sounds like a splendid plan,” I say with a big smile, even though the words taste sour on my tongue. “But won’t they put up a fight?”
“Marauders are no match for the Exalted. We could send 5 of them over there and they’d take care of it in a few hours. You know that,” he huffs.
“Of course,” I agree.
The man grumbles to the other Ambassadors, “That group is just getting too big. They’ll start causing trouble soon. I know it. This should have been taken care of long ago!” He bangs his fist on the table. The others nod in agreement.
I ignore their grumbling and glance over the map more closely, trying to remember where some of the other settlements are located. I never thought to ask Ryker how many Exalted here do what he does. Are they the ones turning this information over to the Ambassadors? Before I walk away from the group I ask, “I’m so sorry. My mind has left me today. Where can I find the other maps?”
The man, with the wire-rimmed glasses, points over toward the door. “They are in the drawers. Don’t mark them up,” he warns.
“Thank you,” I chirp. I force my feet to take light steps and my face to be carefree. It’s so strange to act so happy in the open, but it’s also nice.
I practically skip over to the maps, as it seems that most Ambassadors prefer to move. After sliding the first drawer out, I find agriculture maps depicting our crops. The next drawer down holds maps of various locations for dropping off trainees in the Third Trial. They show old roads, cities that have perished, the receding coastline, and basic topography. The bottom drawer catches when I pull on it. I have to tug on it to get it open. It proves to be worth the extra effort. I peek inside and thumb through the maps that are sealed in plastic, unlike the other two drawers. Each map is labeled: The United Republic of the Saved #1, The United Republic of the Saved #2, and The United Republic of the Saved #3. All of them are in the former states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Below these maps, there is a map showing an island off the coast of Texas. I know from older maps that this used to be part of the main continent. Rising waters have turned the piece of land into an island. The map is labeled: “Ego Sum Creator.” If I’m correct, that is Latin for I am the Creator.
At the very bottom of the stack is a larger map of what was once the whole of the North American continent. It’s much smaller now, of course. My mouth nearly hits the floor as I look over the document. It shows exactly 2 other cities like ours. They are walled or contained cities—each is marked by number. We are The United Republic of the Saved #2. The rest of the continent is “uninhabitable”, according to the map that is.
How many people know about this? What could be the reason for this? Are they all drugging their people? I run back through each document, trying to memorize them. Ryker’s old home is United Republic of the Saved #1. It’s north of here.
An urgent feeling pricks at my mind. Time is up, it’s telling me. I need to get out of here. The female Ambassador we snatched is going to wake up any minute. I quietly shut the drawer and slip out of the nearby door. After discovering that the hallway is empty, I’m able rush to the door at the end of the hall. Hopefully, Ryker is still waiting for me there.
After making sure no one is watching, I slip into the stairwell where I’m immediately attacked. I’m yanked to the side and forced up against the wall under the stairs. Before I let my instincts take over and fight for my life, I realize what is actually happening. I’m not being attacked, Ryker is warning me to be quiet. He has his hand over my mouth and his body pressed against mine. “Shh,” he whispers in my ear.
Above us, I can hear feet pounding on the steps. It sounds like two Exalted are descending, and they are almost on our floor level. For fear over being heard, I hold my breath as they get closer—it might also have something to do with the close proximity to Ryker. I don’t want to breathe in his familiar scent. It will make me weak for him. I need to be strong for Ethan.
He lets his hand slip from my mouth, but doesn’t move his lean body away from me. The tension between us is high, and I am unable to remain strong. It’s impossible. Between the sparks that have always been there and the possibility of being caught, I feel like I could actually spontaneously combust, right here, right now.
Ryker moves his hands to my arms. He brushes the side of his face against my cheek as he pulls back to look into my eyes. I can feel his breath on my lips as the first guard steps off the bottom step and onto the ground level. I don’t turn away from Ryker to see if the guards notice us. I’m locked into his stare. I’ve never felt anything as intense as this—not even when he kissed me in the barn. It’s something that is unspoken, something that isn’t physical. It’s purely emotional.
The door to the stairwell is opened. Both guards wordlessly step out into the hallway, leaving us alone. My heart slams against my ribcage along with the door slamming against the doorframe.
There’s only an inch between our lips, and Ryker is slowly coming closer. I decide to let him kiss me. I want him to . . . But the spell is broken when the woman lying at our feet moans.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
After dressing back in my training clothes, I sling my knife belt around my waist. Ryker helps me tug the lovely, eggplant-colored dress back onto the woman who is having trouble rousing. He easily lifts her to her feet so I can pull the long pieces of fabric over her hips and bare legs.
Ryker cracks the door to the hallway open. He peeks outside and then nods over to me. We walk the waking woman into the hallway and stop at a slatted wood bench. He props her up against the wall and waits for her to fully wake up, while I stand with my back to the woman. I don’t want her to remember my face.
I can hear Ryker behind me saying, “Dr. Fredericks thanks you for your assistance on such a secret matter. He asks your forgiveness for the temporary disorientation.”
The woman mumbles something unintelligible and then says, “Oh. Oh, yes. I am happy to be of assistance . . . anytime.”
“Have a good day,” he says, and I can only assume my partner bows to the disoriented woman.
Ryker taps me on the hand as he walks past me toward the stairwell. I follow after him, never looking back at the women. I feel slightly guilty for the offense, but not enough that I would take it back. Valuable information was gained from the mission.
My partner and I descend to the basement where the vehicles are kept. My heart still hasn’t stopped pounding from the intimate moment Ryker and I shared. And I didn’t think it possible, but the drumming picks up pace when Ryker throws me the keys to the 4-wheeler. “You drive today. We’ll talk about what you saw in the library when we get out of here.”
“Really? I can drive?”
He only nods in response.
Surprisingly, I approach the vehicle with confidence. I climb on and easily start the engine. Ryker climbs on behind me. He doesn’t hold on to me or lean into me as we make our way down the tunnel. It’s good that he doesn’t.
When we reach the end, I bring the 4-wheeler to a stop and wait for Ryker to go punch in the code. “You know it. Go put the code in. You need to learn how to do all this on your own in case something ever happens to me,” he says. I
’m happy that he’s treating me as an equal and not a helpless girl.
As I climb off, I ask him, “What could possibly happen to you?” I stare into his earthy brown eyes. “You’re like the ghost of a god here. People see you, but they don’t. And you have access to things I couldn’t have ever imagined.”
“There’s always someone watching here. And you’re right, it’s usually me, but even I can’t go against the Republic forever,” he admits. My eyes fall from his as I think about his words. He speaks the truth, but I want to believe that we will make a difference before that happens . . . before we’re caught and Denounced. Everyone knows what happens if you’re Denounced . . . execution.
“Are we the only ones here that do what we do?” I ask. The information that the Ambassadors have acquired about Toledo Lake had to come from somewhere.
“I believe so, but Dr. Fredericks doesn’t confide everything in me. Why do you ask?”
“They have maps with locations of so many places marauders are living. They know about Toledo Lake. They even said they’re going to wipe them out after the United Ceremony. How could they know all that?”
“Some of those locations are false locations that I provided to them . . . But I don’t know how they know about the other locations or Toledo Lake. That concerns me. We’ll have to warn them. You say that they are planning an attack after the United Ceremony?”
“Yes, the man who told me was really vague. He just said a month or so after the United Ceremony,” I answer with regret over not knowing more. I should’ve stayed and asked for more specifics, but they would’ve known something was off about me. It was already strange that I was asking questions about the maps.
“There’s something else . . . There is a third city, like ours, and an island called the Ego Sum Creator,” I relay the startling news.
“A third city? Where?”
“In the old state of Louisiana.”
“And an island?”
Denounced (Exalted Trilogy: Book 2) Page 8
