Edge of Truth (9781310978142)

by Hanova, Natasha

  He nodded.

  A jolt shot through the ground and zapped him. He jumped back and stared at her, wide-eyed. Tension building in her calves, Rena stepped forward. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

  “Whoa, Lil’ Mama.” Nevan glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t kill the guy.”

  “Nevan almost died out there.” Rena jabbed a finger toward Westrock. “Blaze didn’t need to be kidnapped and tortured. This whole thing could’ve been avoided.”

  “I’m sorry this had to happen.” Trace locked eyes with her. “There’s a reason, I promise, but we can’t keep standing around to discuss it.” He held up the GreenPad.

  A photo of Rena stretched across the screen. Citizen 54325i and the word OTHER sprawled out beneath it in bold letters.

  “It’s posted everywhere,” Trace said.

  The Overlord knows. Rena trembled, yet sweat beaded between her shoulder blades.

  “That’s not a drawing.” Blaze touched the screen. “It’s already happened.”

  “How did Andrick find out?” Nevan pulled her closer. “Rena might know you, but I don’t. For all I know, you’re the one who reported her.”

  “Not my style.” Trace held Nevan’s gaze. “My sources tell me video was recovered from a pair of Syns Rena short-circuited.”

  Had to be the ones she zapped to save Nevan. “My Dad might know someone at the factory who knows someone. Maybe he can fix this.”

  Trace shook his head. “This isn’t some random fine. If you go home, you’ll be arrested.”

  It didn’t take someone with foresight to know that. The Syns were probably already posted at her doorstep. She couldn’t go home. Her throat tightened, but she held back the tears. “My dad and brothers are all I have left in the world. Are they okay?”

  “They have no idea where you went, no idea where you are now. So, yeah, they’re fine. But it’s too dangerous for you to return home. If the Syns attempt to arrest you, there’s a chance you’ll bring down Hollowcrest. More than anyone else I’ve encountered, the Overlord has a valid reason to fear you.” He powered down the GreenPad. “You have to hide.”

  She searched the landscape, all trees, benches, CityRail platforms, and tracks for miles. The only place Synbots didn’t patrol was the badlands. “I can’t survive in the wilderness alone.”

  “I already made arrangements for you.” Trace tucked away his device.

  “What about my friends? You see anything about them?”

  “Only you, but they’re attempting to recover more video.”

  “Then, they might find out about Nevan.” Rena’s jaw clenched, and tension coiled in her calves. She should’ve never agreed to let him go with her into the badlands.

  “I’m keeping an eye on the situation.”

  Somewhere, just out of sight, the unmistakable thud of marching reverberated through the ground. “They’re coming.”

  Trace pulled something out of his pocket and gestured to Blaze. “You can’t come with us.”

  “What? Why not?” she asked.

  “You’re not a part of this. You weren’t there when Rena took out the Syns. It’s best not to involve you.” Trace held up an inch-long metallic sliver. “This temporary band snaps over your ID ring and is coded to let you get past the Syns, in case you get scanned.”

  “Coded how?” Blaze asked.

  “With an alternate citizen number and a permit to be outside after curfew.”

  Even though tampering with ID rings was illegal, Blaze held out a shaky hand. Trace gripped her wrist then touched the sliver to her band. The metal curled around her finger, changing shape to mimic the ring.

  She jerked her arm. “It burns!”

  Trace held tight. “Just a second longer. There, all done.” He released her and started walking in the opposite direction of the Syns. Everyone followed. “Blaze, head over to Q4 then make your way to Q3 from there.”

  Blaze tripped over her foot, but didn’t fall. “Rena, you sure about this?”

  She noted worry in Trace’s eyes and nodded.

  “When will I see you again?”

  “As soon as I figure out a way to reach you without alerting the Syns.”

  Blaze paused long enough to hug Rena then headed toward Q4. She swiped her hand across her face as if brushing away tears.

  A lump swelled in Rena’s throat.

  “She’ll be okay. She’s strong,” Nevan assured her as they jogged to keep pace with Trace.

  He led them through Quad 3, avoiding the Syns. Rena was tempted to ask him how he did it, but imagined his skills were honed for self-preservation, much like hers. They stopped outside Old Lady Eva’s house on a narrow sidewalk while Trace stood on an almost non-existent porch to knock on the door.

  “What are we doing here?” Rena asked.

  “This is a safe house.” Trace gestured over his shoulder toward Nevan. “I’ll make arrangements for him to return home soon.”

  “Can manage on my own,” Nevan said.

  Trace pivoted. “How will you justify not reporting for work the past few days?”

  “I’ll think of something.”

  “Too risky. I have contacts that can smooth everything over where work laws are concerned. You’re on your own with your parents, though.”

  Rena dreaded Nevan leaving, but knew he couldn’t stay hidden with her forever. Neither could she, for that matter. Tension would eventually force her to sneak out to Westrock.

  The door opened to reveal a petite woman with short, brown hair. Rena had always expected Old Lady Eva to be, well…old. The woman before her appeared young, no wrinkles or anything. She wore a long patchwork skirt and a blue top. Her presence soothed Rena like sunshine on a cold day.

  “Come.” Eva stepped aside for them to enter. Behind her, a lamp lit the small space.

  “We have an extra.” Trace ducked through the low doorway. “He won’t cause problems though. I know about his little sister.”

  Nevan straightened to full height, his head inches from the low ceiling. “Don’t threaten my sister.”

  Eva took Nevan’s hand in her small grasp and patted the top of it. Her touch seemed to douse the heat of his anger, and his shoulders relaxed. The woman tilted her head back as she peered at Nevan. “Trace watches out for all of us. Your sister is protected within his sight. He did right bringing you here tonight. Welcome to my home.”

  Not much to it, a singular chair, bookshelf, twin bed, kitchenette. Cozy enough for one person. Nevan could probably touch opposite walls at the same time if he wanted. A picture drew Rena a few steps across the room. Rena gasped and covered her mouth. Goosebumps raced over her arms and up her neck as she stared at the bride from the photo album she sold to the Grunge. Instead of a wedding gown, the woman wore a simple green blouse and the birch leaf necklace.

  “Beautiful, wasn’t she?” Eva asked. “She was my great-great-great grandmother.”

  “I found her necklace in the badlands.” Rena touched her neck, but the chain was no longer there. Her cheeks flushed. “I-I gave it to my best-friend.”

  Eva smiled. “Mary would’ve condoned.” She approached Rena. “We’ve been expecting you for a while, young lady.”

  “Me?” Rena stepped back, hand pressed to her chest. “Why?”

  Instead of answering, Eva looked at Nevan. “You found her just in time.”

  “What does that mean?” Rena and Nevan asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  Eva led them to a pantry in the kitchenette where she flicked a switch before pushing back the shelves. Cool air whooshed up from a hidden stairwell. “It’s pitch dark down here. Hold on to each other.”

  Nevan’s touch was warm, comforting as the pantry closed behind them and they descended into the darkness. Stairs carved from rock led to a tunnel. Unable to rely on sight, Rena kept constant surveillance on everyone’s footfalls; Eva’s soft-as-feathers glide, Nevan’s lyrical stride, Trace’s pace-like tread.

  With every step down the tunnel, Rena fel
t herself falling deeper into obscurity, away from those she cared about, like Blaze, the twins, and her dad. “Trace, is there anyway you can tell my dad that I’m okay?”

  “He can’t know I have any connection to you.”

  “Maybe Blaze can get a message to him,” Nevan suggested.

  “By the time she gets home, she won’t remember what happened. I arranged for a trusted friend to intercept her and alter her memory.”

  “What? No.” Rena stopped.

  Nevan bumped into her, and, by the sound of it, Trace bumped into him.

  “I don’t want anyone else messing with her,” she said.

  “I agree with Rena. Blaze can hold her own.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Trace said. “Syns have ways of getting information out of people, whether they talk or not. It’s best not to give them a reason to suspect she knows anything.”

  Rena pushed a hand over her braids as she started down the path. She hated the thought of Blaze getting interrogated. Again. “What will she remember?”

  “Something happy. That you’re safe, but nothing more.”

  They walked so long, Rena wondered whether they were still within the city boundary. Then, she detected movement somewhere nearby, but still couldn’t see anything in the blackness. She slowed.

  “We’re not alone,” she said to Eva.

  “Not by far.”

  “Who else is here?” Nevan asked.

  “The others.” Eva paused, but darkness obscured what she was doing.

  “What others?” Rena sent her powers out, desperate for information, but whatever vibrations she’d felt earlier had quieted.

  A door creaked open. Light and a faint, sweet smell flooded the air. Rena raised her hand in front of her eyes. After the obscurity of the tunnels, the glow in the small cavern was bright. Luminescent roots with white flowers climbed along the ceiling, illuminating four separate pathways.

  “Eva will take you the rest of the way. I’ll find you later.” Trace veered toward the far left pathway.

  “Never seen this much lumonium in one place.” Nevan glided his hand up the sparkling wall toward a flower. A fine, glowing powder coated his fingers upon contact. “Amazing. I’d like to see the mother. How old is she?”

  Rena assumed he was talking about the plant.

  “No one knows for sure,” Eva answered.

  They went down the third tunnel on the right. The flowers grew larger and brighter, the sweet aroma stronger, and the roots thicker. Rena only knew one place where such exotic things grew.

  “Are we near Ugly Forest?” Nevan asked, voicing her thought.

  “Directly under it now.”

  The tunnel led to a massive cavern. From the center of the ceiling grew what looked like an upside-down duplicate of Rotting Tree, only the bark was blue and glowing instead of black. The blossoms perfumed the air, instead of stinking it up.

  Roots and vines forked out from the base and grew along the walls and ceiling before disappearing down too many tunnels to count. Clear liquid trickled from the branches into a pool below where a woman gathered it into containers. It reminded Rena of the time she and Blaze discovered the water in her cave. She’d had such hope for a better life that day.

  “Laurena?” Eva said.

  “Just Rena,” she corrected.

  The woman at the pool dropped her container and stood slowly. Her hands trembled by her sides while the liquid from her bottle trickled back into the pond.

  “It’s okay,” Eva said.

  “Is she scared of us?” Rena asked.

  “Quite the opposite.”

  The woman turned around. Thick, dark hair, compassionate eyes, smooth, caramel complexion… Rena blinked a few times. The vision remained the same. She stumbled backward, right into Nevan, who caught her under the arms. A shock wave blasted through her and pierced him. The impact wrenched the air from him so hard, it triggered a coughing fit.

  “Sweet. Mother.” Nevan’s voice sounded hoarse as he struggled to catch his breath.

  The remainder of the force from Rena rammed into the ground. Tree leaves shivered, causing the sound of rushing water to echo through the cavern. Branches, vines, and flowers radiated blinding light for a few seconds then faded to a soft glow.

  Weak-kneed, she leaned against Nevan with a hand over her mouth. “Can’t be...”

  “Rena, it’s me.” Her mom’s soft voice soothed Rena, filling the hollows in her heart.

  She swallowed hard as unshed tears blurred her vision. “How?”

  “Someone from Medical Staff reported me.” Mom cautiously approached. “I had to go into hiding.”

  “I’ve missed you so much,” Rena said with a thick voice. “Dad wouldn’t even let me come to your funeral. I n-never got a chance to say goodbye.”

  Another tremor hit. Nevan swayed yet tugged her closer. Something warm and wet landed on Rena’s shoulder, but her full attention focused on her mom.

  “There was no other way.” Mom wiped tears from Rena’s cheeks. “Trace brings updates on you all. As skillful as his drawings are, it’s not the same as seeing you with my own eyes.”

  Nevan released Rena, letting his hand slide to the middle of her back. She moved in for a long overdue hug. Whatever tension Rena held evaporated in her mom’s embrace, surrounded by the floral fragrance of her hair.

  “I’m glad you arrived unharmed. I was so worried.” Mom held Rena at arm’s length while scanning her head to toe.

  “Eva said I was expected.”

  “As soon as Trace saw that you would be flagged, we started a search.”

  Rena tucked a braid behind her ear. “I had to go into the badlands to rescue Blaze.”

  “We know.”

  “It’s not like the Overlord says. People can actually live out there.” We did, for a few days, thanks to him.” Rena gestured at Nevan who dabbed his nose with a piece of material. A quick glance at Eva and the missing block on her skirt answered where the patch came from. Before Rena could ask when his nose had started bleeding or if he was okay, he spoke.

  “Soil out there is fertile, plenty of fish and game. Nevan Jelani, by the way.” He extended a hand.

  Rena’s heart clenched a little, seeing her mom’s smile once again.

  “Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Nevan.”

  He tucked away the cloth. “She was the one taking care of me, Ma’am.”

  Rena bit her lip. Except for when I almost killed him.

  “I don’t doubt that,” Mom said. “We are working on a way to relocate outside Hollowcrest and could use someone with your skills. Trace’s parents are designing a machine that will camouflage our new camp.”

  “We?” Rena asked.

  Eva placed a hand on a root. The whole tree flickered in three quick successions. Seconds later, people streamed out of the tunnels and into the massive cavern.

  “Are they all Others?” Rena scanned the crowd.

  “One hundred and three strong,” Mom announced with pride.

  Acknowledgements

  First, I am thankful and forever grateful to God, who has blessed me with a creative spirit. Without Him, nothing is possible.

  I’d like to thank my wonderful husband, Yegor. I couldn’t have reached this dream without your constant support and encouragement. All I can say is, Я люблю тебя всем сердцем!

  To my awesome critique partners, Dawn Allen, Marsha Lytle, Leatrice McKinney, and Nicole McLaughlin, who’ve patiently reviewed and critiqued this story time and again, without complaining, you forever have my gratitude! The next round of Chai Tea Lattes are on me.

  I would also like to give a shout out to two wonderful women, Carrie and Anna, who kept me calm and sane along the publishing journey. Thank you for being awesome!

 

 

  ive.