At some point, Liv had collapsed beside me, her own tears bathing the ground. Jackson stood guard over us, his back hunched, a silent sentry, allowing us a moment to grieve.
Olivia came to her senses first, yanking out her phone and sending off encrypted texts to the other Uprising members. I followed her lead and pulled out mine. We removed the batteries and Sim cards, smashing and stabbing everything under a couple heavy sticks. Monsters weren’t great with tech, but they’d learned more than made us comfortable after watching us for so many centuries.
We had several replacement phones in our go-bags.
Jackson dragged us away, and I followed him with a chasm widening in my chest, caring little for the filth coating me. Terror for Liv was the only thing keeping me from collapsing in the trees and staying there forever.
He led us back to the vet clinic. Thankfully, it was on the outer edge of our sector and people only came around there if they had a hurt animal or needed wood from the lumber yard next to it.
He took us to the back of the building. “I have an apartment above the clinic. No one will look for you here.”
One of my brows rose. “Are you sure? You were seen with us a couple times so they may come for you.”
“Trust me, no one notices me.”
I didn’t see how that was possible.
“And if they do, I have a place they’ll never find you with a warning system that will give us enough time to get you hidden.” He gestured for us to precede him up the stairs.
“A warning system?” Olivia asked.
His grin blinded me. “The animals in the clinic beneath my apartment. They raise quite a ruckus whenever anyone unfamiliar comes in.” He opened his door with a flourish, inviting us inside.
It’s a pretty barren home. A lone saggy couch in the middle of the living room, pointed at nothing—no TV, no other chairs, nothing. A long table ran along the back of it, covered with an assortment of bottles filled with herbs and flowers.
His kitchen was small and brown, a couple boxes of health-nut cereal on the counter. And a huge bowl of fruit. No photos of family or friends, nothing to explain what sort of guy he was other than either gluten-free or a vegan.
Which didn’t earn him any points from me.
He cleared his throat, flags of pink on his cheeks at our inspection. “Come on. I’m sure you’d like to get some rest.”
We followed him to his bedroom where a forest threw up. Everything was the same color as his eyes from the comforter on the bed, to the throw blanket and the sheets and pillows. The headboard was made from twisted wood and wrapped with ivy. The curtains were the same green, but with a sparkling gold sheen shining from the light of his bedside lamp. The soft emerald rug on the wood floor by the bed looked like moss. More bottles decorated the room on every available shelf and table space, and they gave off fresh scents of nature.
“It’s stunning.” I snapped my mouth closed when I realized it gaped open with awe.
“Thanks. You two sleep in here.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
“My couch folds out into a bed.”
Liv shook her head. “We don’t want to kick you out of your own bed. We’ll be fine out there.”
“In case anyone comes, you’ll be closer to the hiding spot.” He waved his hand towards the closet. “Let me show you.”
He opened the door, revealing a huge walk-in closet filled with clothes and shoes. Lots of pinstripe and bright colored pants, button ups, multicolored shoes, fancy hats. I sucked my lips into my mouth to keep from commenting about it.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll check the closet.”
He tutted and pulled the floor-length mirror away from the wall, revealing a small alcove behind it. Big enough for Liv and I to sit in relative comfort. At least for a short time.
“You should keep your things in here until we get word on what’s going on.”
We set our weapons and packs and only remaining possessions in the world in the little hole. There’d still be room for Liv and I to fit.
“Did you install this yourself?”
He nodded. “I did it last week. It was originally going to be where I could hide some items I’d planned to procure. But that can wait.”
I opened my mouth to ask about the items, but Olivia’s elbow jabbed into my gut, cutting off my words. And air.
He shut the mirror back into the wall and we backed out of the closet into the bedroom. He pointed to the other door. “Bathroom’s in there. If we have any company tonight, you’ll know. Get your clothes and shoes and get in the hiding place as soon as you can.” He stopped before leaving. “Oh. There are clothes you can borrow in the top drawer of the dresser.” He closed the door behind him, left us alone to stare at each other, shock trembling through us.
Wanting out of my filthy clothes, I crossed to the large brown dresser and rummaged in his drawer. I unearthed a couple pairs of basketball shorts and soft vintage tees, coveting the one with The Clash on it for myself, leaving the unicorn one for Liv.
It brought the ghost of a smile to her face when she got a look at it. “You can have first shower. You’re always faster than I am.”
I hurried into the bathroom, not chancing a glance in the mirror, not wanting to see the lines of sorrow on my face, not wanting to see my eyes that were so much like Al’s. I rustled around under the sink for a trashcan liner to shove my stinky clothes into. Focus on one thing at a time. Shower, sleep, keep Olivia sane, keep an ear out for barking dogs. Tomorrow, we’d focus on taking down Tashia and the chimera.
They didn’t stand a chance.
The scent of fresh-brewed coffee tempted us from our burrowed spots under the covers. I poked my head out and chuckled at Jackson standing in the open doorway blowing the fumes from the two cups in his hands.
His eyes widened and darkened when I emerged from the covers with a groan. “You look good in my clothes.”
I smirked and accepted one of the cups brimming with the elixir of the gods. “Wait till you see Liv.”
“You’re in better spirits this morning. Or afternoon.”
The slight bit of light-hearted humor melted away as memories returned in a crashing wave. I almost bowed over from the weight. Would I ever breathe without pain again? Would it ever stop hurting every time my heart beat and my family’s didn’t?
Not wanting to break down in front of him, I tossed my head. “Nothing like a good sleep in a comfortable bed to put things to right. And I have a plan.”
Liv finally emerged herself, yawning and sniffing the air. Jackson brought her coffee to her, smiling at the unicorn shirt.
“Where’d you get real coffee?” she asked.
“I’ve had it squirreled away for a while. I’m more of a tea drinker, so it’s lasted.” He turned around, brows furrowed, mouth working, but his vocal chords took longer to catch up.
“What?”
He winced at my tone. “Well, while you slept, I made a few calls and sent out a few messages.” He held his hands up to cut off my burgeoning tirade. “I was careful, and no one knows you’re here.” He raked a hand through his hair and leaned against the door. “Both of you were denounced along with your brother. I haven’t been able to find out by whom yet, but I will. There was no proof, but a word from a concerned citizen is all it takes and then he raised suspicions following the sorceress. You are well known around the town for not hiding your disdain for monsters, so you were an easy target. They are scouring the town for you.”
I kept one of my fists shoved in my mouth to stop myself from interrupting. Or screaming.
“Several others were rounded up as well and a big celebratory thank you is planned in Tashia’s honor. She’s leaving tomorrow once it’s...finished.”
“She’s not going anywhere. We’re going to kill her. And free our people.”
His brows raised. “We?”
“Liv and I.” I didn’t bother keeping the disgust from my voice, too furious to care.
I paced back and forth, sipping at the coffee so it didn’t slosh to the floor. “I want to arrange a massive assault with the entire Philly Uprising. Every single cell here from every quadrant. We have a few hours to figure something out.” I stopped with a jerk, only my rigorous training kept the coffee stable. “Can you get in touch with Marjorie?”
His eyes turned down at the edges. “She was arrested as well.”
“Dammit.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “What about Lyle?”
“Arrested.”
“Jennifer?”
“In hiding.”
I wanted to throw the coffee in his calm face. “Is there anyone from the Uprising still free and not hiding?”
“Yes, but word came that they weren’t to be trusted.”
“What word? Word from whom? How are you connected to this?”
“I’m part of the Uprising. New to it, but a part nonetheless. So I have connections.”
“Why don’t we know about you? You have no knowledge of weapons as you clearly demonstrated the other night, and it appears you’re some sort of pacifist vegan.”
“Really, Monet? You know there are different factions to keep this sort of thing from happening. And he also clearly demonstrated his usefulness with his medical knowledge.” Liv’s voice was strained and exasperated.
“Fat lot of good it did though, huh?” I drained the remainder of my coffee, taking none of the usual comfort in it.
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t try, but you also might want to prepare yourselves.” His gaze softened. “It doesn’t look good.”
I sank onto the bed as the truth of his words slammed into me. My voice trembled and pleaded. “There has to be something we can do.”
There has to be.
Olivia sniffled as tears formed in her eyes. “I don’t think there is.”
I racked my brain for any sort of plan, coming up empty time and again.
Jackson’s phone let out a shrill ring. He typed on it for a few minutes, his face growing darker and darker. My stomach already lay on the floor, pulsing with dread when Jackson looked up.
“They changed the execution time. It’s happening now.”
I stared at him blankly for a few moments, his words didn’t register, my brain refused to accept his truth. I jumped to my feet, scurrying for my shoes.
“We have to go. Now. Maybe once we’re there, we’ll think of something.” I’d lost my parents, my godparents, and now my brother and home. I refused to let the bitch take anyone or anything else from me.
Before Jackson could hit me with more logic and sense, the dogs and cats and other animals below started going nuts.
His eyes widened. “Get your stuff and get in the closet. Now.”
Liv pulled me away, shoving my stuff in my arms while Jackson hurried into the living room, presumably to hide his night on the couch and our coffee cups. We closed the closet door behind us with a soft snick and crawled behind the mirror, huddling together and trying to be quiet, our pounding hearts making it difficult.
Feet stomped up the steps with loud thuds and I couldn’t believe the door didn’t bust in with the force of the demanding knocks.
The voices ordering information about our whereabouts were hard to make out. But the sounds of them breaking and overturning things inside his apartment were completely clear. Everything within me wanted to burst from our hiding place and kill them, but even with our weapons revealing ourselves meant death.
Our sweaty hands clasped tight together when they made their way to the closet, the hangers ripped from the racks, shoes thrown to the floor, thumping against the mirror.
We held our breath, terrified they’d smell us or realize the space behind the mirror was hollow or they’d shatter it and reveal us. I winced as I heard fists hit flesh and a strangled groan as they dragged Jackson away.
My body shook so hard I worried it would bring the whole building crashing down around us. The stench of our fear was thick in the tiny space and I couldn’t believe they hadn’t sniffed us out.
The walls closed in on me, made it hard to breathe, hard to stay silent. I had to get out of there. People I cared about probably died while I hid like a coward from the monsters whose fault it was.
Olivia dug her face into my shoulder, her tears soaking the sleeve of Jackson’s shirt. My tears were dried and withered up inside me. They don’t do anyone any good. My sobs didn’t keep my parents and brother safe from death.
And they weren’t going to stop others from dying.
At last, they were gone, the apartment still and silent. We waited with bated breath for Jackson to let us out. He waited another ten minutes before he released us.
His eye was black and swollen and he held himself gingerly like his ribs pained him. “Are you okay?” I reached up a hand to touch his face, but snatched it back before I made contact.
“I’m fine. They didn’t really think you were here, but they had fun being dicks about it.”
“About normal for them.” I shoved my feet into my boots. “We have to go.”
“There’s still one hanging around out there.”
“Then tell us how to sneak out. There has to be a back way.”
“Monet, stop.”
I spun on them, almost spitting. “I will not stop. Our parents and my brother are dead, the sorceress responsible for it free and here in our grasp, and our friends are probably dying right now. We have to at least try. Or be there so they won’t be alone. We can’t just sit here and do nothing. We can’t.”
Liv threw her arms around me, whispering furiously as we sank to our knees on the floor. “I know. I know. But getting ourselves captured or killed won’t help them and you know they wouldn’t thank us for it. They taught us that the mission is what matters. You know that.”
How was she so cold and logical in the face of something so horrific? “No. They wouldn’t just sit by if it was us. They’d do something.”
“Yes, they would. If they could. But we can’t. There’s no time, we have no help, and no way out of here without getting caught.”
I didn’t want to be sensible. I wanted to release the swarming feelings inside me. Preferably with my sword slicing into a monster or twelve.
I sucked in a breath through my nose, trying to calm the storm. “Okay. Okay. So what? We sit here while they die? Wait for the sorceress to leave? And then what? Stay here forever in hiding?”
“I don’t know. Monet, I don’t know what to do. But this is all we can do right this minute. And pray something changes and we still get the chance.”
Cheers and screams echoed across the town and came in through the cracked windows. The three of us gaped at each other in horror. My throat closed on the tears and disbelief choking me.
I stumbled to my feet, releasing myself from Olivia’s grasp. “Maybe it’s not what we think. Maybe it’s something else. Like some sort of performance.”
Jackson’s phone chimed again, it threw the last tendril of clinging hope to the ground and ground it to ash. His face was stricken and pale when he met my eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s too late.”
I dug my fists into my burning eyes, trying to dig out the faces of my family flashing through my mind. Olivia raced to the bathroom, the noises of her emptying her stomach made me gag in sympathy.
With a shudder, I threw off my pain, and focused on the one thing I could control. “Where’s the sorceress?”
“They didn’t say.”
“Well, find out. Find out where she is, where she’s going, when she’s going there, and what direction she’s taking. And anything else that might be the slightest bit helpful.”
Thankfully, he was clever enough not to ask me any asinine questions and continued to shoot off texts. I gnawed off most of my remaining fingernails while we waited for responses. Olivia stumble
d out, a wet rag held on the back of her neck.
I met her eyes, fire sparking from mine. “We’re going to find a way to end her. I don’t care how long it takes.”
It was taking too long.
The sorceress had left three days before and we were still stuck at Jackson’s, climbing the walls with frustration and sorrow because the monsters had doubled their patrols. Werewolves were stationed along the borders of the city, dragon shifters flew overhead, magics cast spells to imbue the fences with even more danger. And collaborators watched for any little slip up to gain favor.
But the Uprising message boards had a hit, asking for help with what sounded like her style. It was the only lead we had and Liv and I refused to let some pesky patrols and spells stop us.
It was the only thing getting me out of Jackson’s bed when all I wanted to do was erect a blanket fort around myself and never emerge. Which I still planned to do as soon as I’d avenged mine and Liv’s families.
Liv and I cuddled up under a pile of Jackson’s blankets as we waited for him to return with our stuff from the garage, silent, but comforting each other in our grief and hopelessness.
I turned towards her, the sheet billowing above our heads. “We can’t keep going like this. We should at least train while we’re stuck here.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m disgusted with us both. At least Jax has kept us from completely unraveling.”
Dance of Ashes and Smoke (Age of Monsters Book 1) Page 5
