“Got it,” Troy said. “Pound twice on the wall if you need me.”
“I’ll keep watch from the elevators.” Aelyx gave her a quick kiss. “Be careful.”
Nodding, Cara stepped into the hallway and transformed into character—slowing her steps and slackening her face with grief. She spotted the room number Jaxen had specified, and a flicker of fear tickled her chest. There were no guards in the hall, no signs of life on this floor. What if he hadn’t come? After trading a worried glance with her brother, she turned the doorknob and stepped inside the room, leaving Troy behind to stand watch.
All her doubts vanished.
Jaxen was here—along with a small army. At least a dozen guards, both L’eihr and human, lined the walls of the small boardroom. The confusion must have shown on her face, because Jaxen hurried to embrace her while shutting the door.
“It’s okay,” he murmured into her hair, pulling her uncomfortably close. Cara ignored the urge to ram her knee between his legs and relaxed into the hug.
“I h-h-hoped we’d be alone,” she whispered, hitching her breath for effect. “I d-don’t want anyone to see me like th-this.”
Jaxen stroked her lower back. “Don’t worry, Cah-ra. They can’t hear us.” She rested both hands on his chest and glanced up with a question in her eyes. He pointed around the room at the soldiers, who stared into empty space, arms hanging loosely at their sides. She recognized a few of them from the capital. “They’re in a meditative state,” he explained. “We’re as good as alone.”
Widening her eyes, she asked, “How’d you do it?”
“I have many gifts,” he said with a wave of his hand. “But that’s not important.” He took her upper arms, holding her back as if checking for damage. “Are you all right?”
Cara faked her best ugly cry and crumpled against Jaxen’s chest. “He’s gone,” she sobbed. “What am I going to do?”
Jaxen smoothed her hair, making light shushing noises. “You’re going to let me take care of you. Now that the extremists have killed another of our youth, the alliance will fold. But I’ll see to it that your loved ones are protected on the colony. You needn’t worry.”
“But what about Earth? I c-can’t just—”
“Earth is ruined,” he said. “Humans have made an utter mess of the planet. It’s best to let the elements reclaim it.”
She blinked at him in shock.
“Extinction is the natural order of things,” he explained smoothly. “Weaker species die out while the fittest survive.”
“But I thought you loved mankind.”
“I do!” His eyes widened in rapture. “Humans are wonderfully expressive and creative. I would never let them die out. But can’t you see how they need to be controlled? Look at what they did to the water supply. I plan to relocate the best of your kind—the top scientists, the most brilliant artists—and integrate our people on L’eihr.”
“Only the best? What about everyone else?”
“All is not lost. I may still find a use for the remainder of your kind. If humans are obedient, I’ll correct the water crisis for them—in stages.”
In other words, he’d keep mankind beholden to him by withholding the permanent fix, much like he’d done to David. That must’ve been why he’d tried sabotaging the alliance by killing Aelyx—the one L’eihr who would fight as hard as Cara to save the human race. It was the vilest form of manipulation, but not enough to convict Jaxen of treason. She needed an incriminating admission.
“I don’t know if I can go to the colony,” she said in a helpless voice. “It’s not just memories of Aelyx; it’s the government. The Elders are set in their old ways.” If that didn’t hook him, nothing would. “I can’t live like that.”
“Cah-ra, listen to me.” He took her by the shoulders, peering down at her with raised brows. “Change is coming. A new order will rise up and restore the glory of Mother L’eihr. The Elders have made us weak, but we—”
“Wait,” she interrupted, rotating her torso to ensure her phone caught every word. “Are you talking about overthrowing The Way?” Her tone was hopeful, as if nothing would please her more.
He grinned. “Look around,” he said, glancing at his drone army. “These men will set it in motion.”
Will set it in motion—that implied Alona and the others were still alive. Cara released a shaky breath. She had enough proof. Now she needed to make her exit and track down The Way. “This is overwhelming,” she said, backing away as she brought a wrist to her forehead. “I need a minute to think.”
She’d almost reached the exit when the sound of the door opening and closing made her jump. She whirled around and came face-to-face with a furious Aisly. The girl tore her gaze to Jaxen, and after a moment of Silent Speech between the two, Jaxen turned toward Cara with a look of utter betrayal in his eyes. In two quick steps, he reached her and plucked the iPhone from her tunic pocket.
“I wiped her brother’s mind,” Aisly said. “He won’t remember a thing. But her?” She nodded toward Cara. “She’s learned to block her thoughts. We can’t risk it. You know what has to happen.”
Troy must have made eye contact and unwittingly told Aisly everything. He was probably out there staring at the wall in a drool coma.
“Kill her quietly,” Aisly added. “I won’t do it for you.” She glared at Jaxen as if to say, I told you so. “Your fascination with them is absurd. Let this be a lesson to you—that they should all die fighting the Aribol. Even the finest among humans is unworthy of the new order.”
It was then that Cara understood who had framed her at the Aegis. Her instincts had been right when she’d suspected that her death wasn’t the only goal. “Is that why you tried to have me discredited?” she asked. “To convince everyone that humans aren’t worth saving? That you should only keep us alive so we can fight for you on the front lines?”
The girl’s sick smile confirmed it. “At least your kind is useful for something.”
Cara remembered Jaxen’s words from moments ago. I may still find a use for the remainder of your kind. He would force humans to fight the Aribol, and after the war, when the survivors had outlasted their usefulness, he’d let them die out slowly. He had no intention of fixing Earth’s water crisis.
Jaxen peered at her with such hurt in his eyes that she almost felt sorry for him. But not quite. She darted to the nearest capital guard and ripped the iphal from his holster, then aimed it at Jaxen’s chest.
“Stay back,” Cara ordered, eyeing Aisly, too. “Both of you.”
“She can’t fire it,” Aisly said. “I watched her at the Aegis.”
Testing her, Jaxen took a step toward another guard, clearly meaning to arm himself. “Stop,” Cara yelled, raising her weapon. When Jaxen chanced another step, she focused on his chest and thought, Fire!
But nothing happened.
“Stop,” she repeated and fired again.
Nothing.
In a panic, she tried two more times without success.
Aisly laughed while Jaxen’s face broke into an arrogant smile. “When we use humans in battle, clearly we’ll need to equip them with simpler tools, like clubs and blades.”
Cara closed her eyes to focus, and when she opened them, Jaxen was lifting an iphal from the guard at his side.
“I hate to do this,” he said with a faint sigh. “I have the genetic material to replicate you, but it won’t be the same. Your clone—she won’t have the unique spark and fury I’ve grown to adore.”
That explained why he’d taken her blood on the transport: so he could make a new version of her to bend to his will. Over her dead body. Cara aimed at him with the fury he loved so much, and thought, Fire!
Nothing. Her pulse raced and her breaths came in gasps. Why couldn’t she do this?
Jaxen admired the chrome weapon in his hand, slowly trailing a fingertip along the curve of its spine. “You have to mean it,” he said. “Clearly, you’re conflicted.”
The door flew open f
rom behind, and a large body nudged Cara aside, snatching the iphal from her grasp. It was Aelyx, who aimed the weapon at Jaxen. “That won’t be a problem for me.”
No sound escaped the chrome device and Cara never saw the air distort, but in the span of a single breath, Jaxen clutched his chest and collapsed to the floor in an ungraceful heap of limbs, his heartbeat stunned by a burst of energy.
Aisly released a scream loud enough to awaken the soldiers from their trances. They jerked upright and blinked at one another in confusion before they noticed their dead leader crumpled on the carpet…and the iphal in Aelyx’s fist.
“Hurry,” Aelyx said, tugging Cara’s hand and towing her out the door.
As they tore down the hall, Cara darted a glance over her shoulder and discovered Aisly right behind them while Troy stood in place looking confused. Cara pumped her legs faster, but instead of giving chase, Aisly turned and sprinted down a side hallway with a mingled look of terror and determination on her face. It seemed she had a plan, maybe to head them off around the corner.
“Veer left,” Cara shouted ahead.
Aelyx did as she said, and they ran down an isolated stretch of hallway. The clamor of stomping boots thundered from behind, and Cara spotted at least a half dozen armed guards closing in on them. Two of the men raised their weapons at Aelyx, so Cara positioned herself behind him as they ran, blocking their shot. But that strategy would only work in the short term. Eventually, they’d consider her collateral damage and simply fire their iphals.
Aelyx turned down yet another hallway and increased his speed. Cara pushed her body to the limit and kept pace with him.
“Where are we going?” she yelled.
“The stairs,” he hollered. “We’re almost there.”
Aelyx reached the stairwell door and threw it open, then grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. After slamming the door, he grasped the handle with both hands. “While you were with Jaxen, I found Alona. Two floors up, room six thirty. Hurry, show her what you know.” He nodded at the door, which had begun to buck from the outside. “I’ll hold them here.” When she hesitated to leave him, he shouted, “Go!”
With the echo of his voice reverberating against the narrow walls, Cara turned and scaled the stairs two at a time until she reached the sixth floor. She barreled down the hall, easily identifying the correct room by the dozens of guards stationed between her and its entrance. It seemed Colonel Rutter had taken the whole “extra security” thing seriously. She couldn’t even move near the door.
“How’d you get to this floor?” demanded a national guardsman. “It’s restricted.”
Cara thumbed behind her and panted, “The emergency stairs. I’m Cara Sweeney. I need to see—”
“Not without clearance.” He pointed back the way she’d come. “I need you to wait downstairs.”
Standing on tiptoe, Cara peered over his shoulder to gauge her odds of sprinting past him and into room 630. There was no chance. Even if she slipped by this one, the next ten would snag her easily. The soldier had just started to repeat his command when Cara spotted a familiar face chatting with the guard at the door—her sadistic PE teacher. It didn’t surprise her that he pulled double duty as a bodyguard. The guy was built like a tank.
“Satan!”
But he didn’t take notice…because that wasn’t his name. Damn it, Cara couldn’t remember what he was really called. She shouted, “Satan!” a few more times, but all that did was alarm the American guards, who exchanged wary glances. Trying another tactic, she yelled, “It’s me! Sweeeeeney!”
That got his attention.
She waved wildly at him. “I need you. It’s an emergency!”
He jogged to meet her and widened his eyes expectantly.
“I’m here for an audience with The Way,” she said. “They’re in—”
Satan cut her off. “No to visit, Sweeeeeney. It much dangerous. The Way seal themselves inside until ceremony begin.”
He started backing away, and Cara made a quick decision to stop hiding her abilities. There was only one way to prove her honesty. She locked eyes with him and said, They’re in danger—I have proof. You need to take me to them now.
She felt his shock, followed by a sense of urgency. “Come.” He told the guardsmen to allow her to pass, then escorted her through the labyrinth of security to room 630.
“Aelyx needs help two floors down,” Cara said over her shoulder.
Satan nodded. “I go.”
Without wasting another moment, she opened the door, and eight pairs of rheumy chrome eyes fastened on her.
“This is urgent,” she said to Alona, closing the door behind her. “Jaxen’s trying to overthrow The Way. I mean, was. He’s dead now, but his followers might carry out his plan. I have proof”—she tapped an index finger to her temple—“if you’ll let me show you.”
Alona’s mouth dropped open as she swept a hand toward the head of the table. “Come and be heard.”
There were no spare seats, so Cara strode to Alona’s side and knelt at her feet. She lifted her face to the old woman and opened her mind, much as she’d done with Syrine, freeing her memories and emotions without holding back. Now wasn’t the time for secrets.
Unlike Syrine’s warmth, Alona’s presence felt cool and businesslike, a reflection of the woman herself. She probed Cara’s thoughts and then shared one of her own—more like a swirling stream of consciousness. Their connection broke, and Cara sat back on her heels, reflecting on what Alona had shown her.
Understanding clicked into place, and when the link was complete, Cara saw how everything fit together. The Way had created ten hybrids as a test batch, but the embryonic survival rate was so low that scientists had abandoned the project. Of the ten hybrids, only Jaxen and Aisly had proven gifted on their childhood assessments and were elevated to positions of power. The other eight teens attended Aegises in the outside precincts. But nobody had known about their mental abilities. It seemed the hybrids had hidden their true potential.
“I imagine their genetic link to the Aribol is somehow related to our recent probe invasion,” Alona said. “Perhaps the hybrids found a way to initiate contact. We will have the remaining eight collected and begin an investigation into whether or not they colluded with Jaxen.”
“What about the Aribol?” Cara asked. “Jaxen made it sound like we’re already at war.”
“Nonsense. His preemptive attack would have guaranteed one, but for the time being, the Aribol are not a threat.”
“And the alliance? It’s still on?”
“I’m stunned you have to ask.” Alona peered down her nose like a disapproving maiden aunt. “You are not a born L’eihr, Miss Sweeney. You owe no allegiance to The Way aside from an easily broken oath. And yet you risked your life to gather evidence to present to me. In doing so, you’ve proven yourself brave and unfailingly loyal.”
Cara felt heat creeping into her cheeks. “Thank you, but—”
“And you doubt that I would reciprocate?”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to leave anything to chance. The stakes are too high.”
Alona seemed to turn that over in her mind. “Yes, they are.” She swept a hand, indicating her fellow Elders. “And as you see, we are now two members short of a governing body. If you’re willing to serve, I would like to offer one of those seats to you.”
Cara cocked her head as her ears warred with her brain, because what she’d heard did not compute. “You can’t mean that.”
Alona arched a brow. “Can’t I? What quality do you lack?”
“Experience, for starters.”
“Ah, well.” Alona smiled at her peers. “With the wisdom we’ve gathered over the years, we easily compensate. I feel it prudent to include a representative from the colony among us. Don’t you agree?”
Of course Cara did. A position of influence within the government would change not only her life but the lives of every human who settled on L’eihr. The responsibility would be great,
but so would the rewards. “Yes, I agree, but—”
“Do you accept?”
Cara gulped a breath. Ludicrous as the offer seemed, she would be even crazier to turn it down. “I do.”
“Then yours will be among the signatures on the alliance pact.” Alona paused as if remembering something. “But first I imagine you need to see to your l’ihan.”
“Yes, thank you.” Cara pushed to standing and backed away. “Jaxen’s guards are trying to—”
She was interrupted by Satan throwing open the door. From behind him, murmurs and shouts drifted inside the room, and a creeping chill raised goose bumps along the back of Cara’s neck. She darted into the hallway in time to spot Aelyx round the corner with a lone capital guard on his heels. The overhead light glinted off the man’s iphal as he lifted it, slowing his steps to take aim.
Cara gasped so hard it stung her lungs. “Get down!”
Aelyx’s eyes met hers and flickered with recognition just before they rolled back in his head. He crashed to the floor, his body bouncing twice before it rested on the shorn carpet.
Time froze while Cara’s own heart seized inside her chest.
Aelyx was dead.
As if outside her body, Cara heard herself screaming. She shoved aside anyone in her path and ran to him. It was like a dream; she was so desperate to reach him, but invisible hands weighed her down. When she finally skidded to her knees by his side, she rolled him onto his back and checked for a pulse.
Nothing. He was gone.
“No!” She repeated it again and again in denial. It couldn’t end like this. She refused to let him go. Straddling his lifeless body, she began a set of clumsy chest compressions. Aelyx’s head lolled to the side at an awkward angle, shaking with each frenzied pump of her fists. He wouldn’t come back to her.
It wasn’t working.
Her vision blurred as sobs burned her throat. She heard herself pleading for him not to leave, while Satan wrestled the capital guard to the floor. Then a new voice broke through the haze.
“Keep doing that!” Troy shouted, pointing at her. “I’ll be right back!” He turned on his heel and sprinted down the hallway, yelling, “Make a hole!” to those in his way.
Invaded Page 27
