Instantly taking offense to him basically calling me a moron, I jam my finger against his chest. “I am smart enough to make him give me his Guardian promise before I told him anything. He won’t tell his Captain about any of this.”
“His Captain? What about other people? Did his promise include the rest of the world?” Milo asks.
Doubt flashes in my mind. I was so worried about his Captain I didn’t even think to ask him to promise that he wouldn’t tell anyone else. Could he really be playing me? My worry falters when goose bumps pop up all over my body. He’s here. And judging by the way I can feel his nervous energy through the door and several walls, our connection isn’t getting any weaker. I need to move faster.
“Milo, I’m asking you to trust me on this. You know how careful I am about giving out information,” I say. Lance snorts behind me, but I ignore him. He thinks I’m a little too tight with what I know after he found out everything I didn’t tell him before my Inquest. “Braden took a job as a Cipher hunter because it meant not having to kill people. He honestly thought he was doing the right thing. After he saw that I unlocked your talents, he started to doubt that. The more I’ve told him about what is really going on with the Ciphers the more he wants to help us. He’s not completely convinced yet, but he’s close. And if we can get a Guardian who has access to protected information we may actually have a chance at pulling this off.”
“Or walking into the biggest trap ever.”
Braden is almost to the door. My accusing stance turns soft and pleading. Pressing my hands against his chest I beg him to open up and let my sincerity into him. “Please, just give him a chance. I’m begging you. I know what’s at stake. I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I wasn’t certain it was worth it. Please, Milo.”
He doesn’t say anything. His slate-grey eyes stare me down, scouring me inside and out.
The doorbell rings.
“Please, Milo.” I’m absolutely desperate, now.
Stepping away from me, he forces my hands to fall from his chest. There is a moment when he pauses, clenches his jaw, and closes his eyes. Without a word, he turns away from me and marches toward the door.
Chapter 1
6
Not Enough
For a few seconds I’m frozen. I don’t know what he’s going to do. Habit makes me turn to Lance for help. He’s already on his feet and heading for the front door. Our mutual worry builds as I shake myself into action and follow him. Milo’s hand turns the doorknob as I skid around the corner and stop. My lungs quit working as he begins to pull the door open. Still an emotional dead zone, I get nothing from Milo, but Braden’s palpable anxiety makes me tipsy. I have to press my hand against the wall to steady myself.
The door opens.
Lance takes a small step forward, ready to intervene if needed.
Milo and Braden stare each other down. Finally, Milo’s shell begins to crack. Anger so white hot it physically makes me shrink back, trickles out of him. Lance and I step forward at the same time.
“I know who you are,” Milo says suddenly, making both Lance and me halt.
Braden’s face is a mask of calmness. He doesn’t say anything. He waits.
Milo turns to look at me. I don’t know what I look like right now, but his cold eyes soften very slightly as they meet mine. Please, please, please, repeats itself in my mind over and over again. He turns away from me, facing Braden once again. Braden is holding his breath.
“I don’t want you here. If I had any other option, I would never accept your help, but apparently I don’t have a choice in this.” Milo moves back from the door, though the invitation to enter seems no less hostile than when he was blocking the door. It’s a step in the right direction, though, so I can’t complain. I know how hard even that was for Milo and I love him for it. Braden lets out his held breath slowly. Relief that he won’t have to defend himself against Milo is exhaled along with his breath.
He steps forward. His eyes sweep toward mine, but I turn away before they meet. I have my own emotional blocks carefully in place around Milo right now, but my facial expressions can give me away just as easily. I sincerely hope Braden realizes that as well. Milo directs everyone back to the den, waiting until Braden goes in front of him before moving himself. I wait as well. Milo takes my hand as he passes by. Unfortunately it doesn’t feel even remotely like a romantic gesture. It’s more like I’ve just been taken prisoner. I don’t resist, though. It will be a nice reminder for Braden, even if Milo is cutting off the circulation to my fingertips and burning me with his carefully restrained anger.
We sit down on the loveseat facing Lance and Braden. They look oddly comfortable sitting next to one another. Funny how Lance finding out Braden is my Companion has overridden his dislike of him. Or it might have been him seeing the scars all over Braden’s chest. He asked me about them earlier today. No doubt finding out they came from not bringing in Milo altered his perception of the Guardian a little. I’m curious to know what has made Braden ease up on his “Lance is a traitor” attitude. Was it having to leave me in Lance’s care last night, or the fact that Braden himself is on the edge of becoming what he accused Lance of being, a traitor?
“All right,” Milo says, “I want an explanation. Now.”
Happy to get this over with as soon as possible, I open my mouth to start talking. The sound of footsteps on the stairs stops me. Well, Milo crushing my hand is what really stops me. Controlling the pain and force of his grip takes a heavy dose of Strength.
“Celia,” Milo says tightly, “go back upstairs.”
For a moment, the footsteps stop. They resume after a few seconds, but not in the direction they were supposed to. Milo jumps up from the couch and grabs his sister’s arm as she bounces into the room. Her own shock stops her just as much as Milo’s grip.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Celia demands when she catches sight of Braden.
“Watch your mouth,” Milo snaps.
She wrinkles her nose at him. “You say it all the time, so bite me. And answer my question.”
“He’s here to help. Supposedly.”
Celia stares at him, her mouth open in disbelief. Instead of arguing or demanding more information she turns on her heel, no doubt a designer one, and storms over to Braden. He doesn’t resist in the least when she slaps him across the face. A second later, the sting of her slap echoes on my own skin through my link to Braden.
“Celia!” Lance and I both exclaim. Milo has no objection. Lance, though, moves to grab her, but Braden holds up a hand to stop him. Lance actually listens.
“It’s okay,” Braden says.
“You bet it’s okay,” Celia says. “You tried to take Milo away from me!”
“I know, and I’m sorry for what I put you through, Celia, for what I put all of you through. It won’t happen again.” His fingertips touch his Guardian emblem as he says this. I don’t know if Celia has any idea what that means, but the rest of the room seems to slough off a layer of fear. Milo visibly relaxes, not much, but a little.
Still glaring at Braden, Celia says, “Well, good. Now how about someone explains what’s going on?”
“That’s what we were about to do before you started slapping people,” Lance drawls.
Celia loses all her anger and beams at Lance, which makes Milo tense back up. She plops down on the couch next to Lance. “Well, you know me. I do like to be the center of attention.”
More like the center of Lance’s attention. Celia is only fifteen, and knows good and well Lance is my ex-boyfriend, and that he once tried to kill me, but her boy-crazy mind has managed to put all that aside. She absolutely adores him. It makes Milo sick, but it just makes me want to laugh. She has no hope with Lance, but someday someone else will catch his eye, and for the first time since my Inquest, that thought honestly makes me happy instead of jealous.
“So,” Milo demands, interrupting my thoughts, “the explanation?”
Right. Here we go.
“Celia, the part you missed was that I got into the spirit world last night … with Braden’s help.”
Her eyes light up and her phone snaps out of her jeans pocket. “That’s so awesome! I can’t wait to tell everyone!”
Lance clamps his hand down around the phone. It’s almost as if he’s holding her hand—close enough to distract Celia anyway. I shoot Lance a grateful look.
“Celia, you can’t post that. We don’t want the Guardians finding out.”
Her pouting lip pops out dramatically. “But the Cipher families have been dying for news!”
“Well, there’s no way you can post that on the internet, or even email. The Guardians can track that.”
“Then how …?”
Lance palms her phone and says, “I’ve learned a few things from my dad. I’ll help you get the word out later, through untraceable means. For now, listen to Libby.”
“Ok,” she says happily, clearly thrilled to have a reason to see Lance again.
I shake my head and try to recollect my thoughts. Everyone in the room seems to do the same thing. They’re all ready to hear my explanation and plan. I take a deep breath and dive in.
Candid, but not too candid, I carefully explain everything I learned in the spirit world last night. I tell them all about the Ciphers being picked out one at a time, about them being killed. I tell them about how my unique mix of powers keeps me hidden from the Spiritualist watching the Ciphers. Not that they’re central to the plan, but I tell them about the renegades as well, just so they can be aware. Really, the only thing I leave out is the bit about Braden being my Companion. Milo is the perfect example of good behavior right now, but I can only push him so far. It means lying by omission again, but there’s no doubt in my mind about how that revelation would be taken.
“So,” I continue after my quick explanation, “the basic idea of the plan is this: I go into the spirit world, with Milo if he’s ready, and we start performing Inquests as fast as possible. I’m not sure that Milo can help me, but it makes sense that he should be able to. Since we have no way to find out except do it, we’ll plan on his helping. Once the Ciphers’ talents are unlocked, they’ll be able to get themselves out of the spirit world. We’ll have to train them in a few things before we actually do this so they’re ready to get out when the time comes. Even without them being able to practice, it shouldn’t be that hard. The difficult part is going to be getting through that many Inquests before the Spiritualists figure out what we’re doing.”
“No, the hardest part is going to be getting the Ciphers out of the Guardian compounds they’re locked up in,” Milo says. “No matter how fast you free all the Ciphers you’re just sending them into another prison, one where the Guardians will be free to kill them without any consequences. These aren’t just Ciphers from here in Albuquerque, right? They’re from all over the world. Maybe instead of trying to get everyone out at once, we separate them into groups of where they came from, release them one compound at a time.”
I’m shaking my head before he finishes. “We can’t, Milo. The Spiritualists will find a way to stop me, or the Guardians will speed up their executions if we don’t do this in one shot.”
“How will they stop you?” Milo demands. “You’re the Destroyer!”
“They’ll find a way, Milo,” Casey says, “believe me. I’ve been visiting the spirit world for a long time, but I’m still a novice. Trained Spiritualists who’ve been hired to monitor the spirit world will figure something out. Give them time and they’ll find a way.”
“But how could it ever work to free them all? There’s no way they’ll be able to get out of the compounds.”
I turn to Braden for help. Mr. Walters has been surprisingly quiet so far, but he looks over at Braden as well, quite curious. Braden nods at me and leans forward as if he feels the need to huddle and whisper. But maybe he does. He’s about to give away Guardian secrets, an act traitorous enough to get him a whole lot more than a few lashes.
“Every non-training Guardian compound is exactly the same,” Braden says. “It helps new recruits and transfers know where things are no matter what building they’re in. We don’t have to worry about teaching each group of Ciphers separately how to escape because the path will be the same for all of them.”
“And there’s actually a path?” Lance asks.
Mr. Walters’ eyes narrow. Whether in disapproval or interest I can’t tell.
Braden looks over at Lance. “I have some ideas, but it’s going to take a little more time to be sure.”
“They’ve been lying in chambers since their Inquests. Will they even be able to move after so long?” I ask. This question has been bothering me all day.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Mrs. Hanover says, surprising everyone in the room by her quiet appearance. “The Ciphers are taken very good care of through physical exercises, exact nutrition, everything possible to keep them healthy. They want to keep them alive as long as possible because of the Sihirs.”
Braden looks at me again, the same question from last night repeated, but I shake my head. I know he’s heard rumors from other Guardians, but clearly no one has explained the details of what happens to the young men and women he captures when their bodies wear out. I don’t have time to explain right now, either. Later.
“But that still leaves the problem of them actually getting out,” Milo argues. “I just don’t see the Guardians helping us by building the Ciphers an escape hatch. How are they going to escape?”
Slipping his hand into his jacket pocket—an act which makes everyone but me tense up again—Braden pulls out his phone. Lance relaxes at the sight of it. I throw him a withering look for even thinking Braden was going to hurt us. Was he really expecting him to pull a gun on us in Milo’s living room? Last night, Lance was practically begging me to let Braden join our team. He pretends not to notice me and instead leans forward to see Braden’s phone. The phone is turned only to me, though. In the second it took me to reprimand Lance, Braden has pulled up a lovely collection of random lines and shapes on his phone. I stare at it blankly for a few seconds before I realize what I’m looking at.
“Are those schematics?” I ask.
For the first time since arriving, our eyes meet. In the brief moment of a single breath, I see the indecision in him waver, worsen, and finally disappear completely. I don’t know what he sees reflected in my expression that convinces him to help us, but I try to keep it up. The screen of Braden’s phone turns so that everyone crowded around him can see. Lance and Mr. Walters lean in immediately while Milo stands back. It takes Lance yanking the phone out of Braden’s hand and whistling at the images to break though Milo’s mistrust enough to bring him forward. He pulls the phone to where he can see it, his eyes darting back and forth hungrily over the tiny screen.
“Are these really the plans for a Guardian compound?” Lance asks.
“It’s the schematic for every non-training Guardian compound on the planet, actually. Every detail of their stronghold is right there in the palm of your hand,” Braden says.
Braden says “their” instead of “our,” as if he’s no longer really a part of the Guardians. The subtle change seems to go unobserved by everyone but me and the only other former Guardian in the room. I have a mixed reaction of relief and fear. If he’s really given up on his profession, then he will be a tremendous asset to us. If he’s honestly convinced we’re doing the right thing I won’t be able to hold off his Oath much longer.
“So, do you actually have a way to get the Ciphers out, or is this just somewhere to start?” Milo asks seriously. He sounds as if he’s still miles away from trusting Braden, but he’s at least willing to take what is being offered at the moment. It’s way better than how this night started, but if there’s one thing that will get Milo to change his mind about something, it’s an improved chance at destroying the Guardians.
“It took me most of the day just to find these and figure out a way to get them off the mainframe
without being spotted,” Braden admits. “I took a preliminary look at the Cipher chamber and saw some promising options, but it will take more time to finalize an escape route. I’ll keep working on it, though. We’ll find something.”
“Take a closer look at the nutrient lines,” Mr. Walters offers. “There is a flaw in their design. We can discuss it later.” Braden’s quiet agreement makes me wonder if he might have already been thinking the same thing.
Milo looks away from the phone to consider Braden. “It will take more than these plans to get the Ciphers out. We need to know the guard rotation schedule, the security measures in place, a way to get them away from the compound to a safe house. We’ll need a safe house, and a way to go collect everyone.”
“I’ve got the collecting covered,” Lance breaks in, “and possibly the safe houses.”
“You talked to Inquisitor Moore, then?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah, he was more than willing to help, even before I explained everything. I think he still feels pretty guilty about bailing on you after your Inquest. He said there’s a standing order at his private hanger that we can have use of his jet whenever we need it, as long as we’re discreet about it, of course. And he said he’d quietly spread word of what’s going on with the Ciphers to other Inquisitors he thinks he can trust. Most of those guys are so loaded they have multiple houses and Inquisitor Moore thought some of them might be willing to let us use a spare mansion as a safe house.”
“And what about new Ciphers?” This is even more important than the jet and safe houses. I know the Guardians aren’t bringing any more Ciphers into their compounds. They are quietly dying, alone and terrified.
“He’s going to try to convince as many Inquisitors as he can not to turn them over to the Guardians. He can only suggest it to people he really trusts, though. We won’t save them all, Libby, but we’ll get as many as we can.” Lance shrugs in apology, but I know we’re lucky to even get that much of a promise. At least there aren’t very many Ciphers that pop up every year.
Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy Page 16
