“No!” I blurt out. Adalyn pierces her nails into my wrist, as I unsuccessfully try to pull away.
“Sorry for the outburst,” Adalyn says, without looking at me. She shoves me behind her.
The Leader tilts his head slightly, a gesture strikingly similar to Ellis’s.
“What is your name?” he asks me, his voice calm.
Adalyn digs her nails deeper into my skin. Why is she doing this?
“Adalyn, let go of her,” commands the Leader. He returns his gaze to me, awaiting my answer.
I rub my wrist and blood spreads across my skin.
“My name is Kalli,” I say, steadying my voice.
“And why are you here, Kalli?”
“My Lord,” Margaret again interrupts, but the Leader holds up his hand to silence her. “You can’t believe anything she says.”
He glares at her, and Margaret submits. She bows and takes a step back.
“Why are you here, Kalli?” he repeats.
I pull my shoulders back and stand up straight and tall. “Margaret and her team lied,” I begin.
“That is a serious accusation,” he says.
“Yes, but it is true. I believe that Margaret promised not to harm any of us on Earth, but she killed the initial surrogates, she killed a little boy, and now she is going to kill the remaining women after your embryos are removed.” I still my shaking legs. I will not fail.
“Do you have any proof?” he asks.
“Of course there is no—”
“Margaret, be quiet. You will get your chance.” He turns back to me. “Well, Kalli, where is your proof?”
Proof? Sammy’s tortured body? Would that be proof?
“The proof is me,” I say, my voice strong.
Margaret smirks. I refuse to allow her to belittle me. I’m not her victim anymore. I’m not anyone’s victim. “She was going to kill me. The embryo inside me died.” Beside me, Adalyn lets out a low moan, but I continue. “I was bleeding and Margaret wouldn’t help me. She said that I knew too much. She couldn’t erase my memory because the modifier doesn’t work. She will kill all those women.” Everything comes out in disjointed bursts.
The Leader inhales sharply. “Is there anyone who can support your accusations?”
“Yes, there are two people. Ellis and ….” I look at Fallon and the Leader follows my gaze.
“Fallon?” he booms.
Fallon rises and bows. His face is pale and puffy.
“You have heard what Kalli has just said. Is it true? Are the subjects on Earth in danger? Has Margaret killed a child?”
Our eyes meet and then Fallon stares at his feet. He takes a deep breath as I hold mine. Will he tell the truth? It seems like forever before Fallon speaks, but when he does, it’s barely audible.
“Fallon, I’m sure you realize the gravity of the situation. It is very important that the Council and I hear what you say,” says the Leader.
Fallon opens his mouth again, but the voice that echoes through the crowd is not his.
“Let her go. Don’t hurt her!” Ellis pushes his way through the crowd of people.
Margaret lunges to grab him, but Ellis maneuvers around her outstretched arms.
“Ellis,” the Leader says, “are you all right?”
The genuine concern in the Leader’s voice surprises me.
“Yes, my Lord, I am okay, but I need to tell you ….”
And then Ellis clearly and concisely tells the entire story. As he speaks, I look up at the Leader and see the doubt in his eyes turn to shock, and then anger. Once Ellis has finished, the Leader turns to Margaret but says nothing. He waits.
“It’s not true. The mission is proceeding as I said it would. We have harvested hundreds of embryos. Soon they will be ready to implant into our own females. Our race will continue to survive. That was the only goal,” Margaret says, her jaw set firmly.
The Leader regards Margaret, his eyes black and cold, his face hard.
“Did you harm the subjects? Did you kill a child?” he asks, his voice quiet but frightening.
“What? Harm them? We carried out the mission as we had planned.”
“The primary condition of the mission was that under no circumstances were the subjects to be harmed,” the Leader says.
“Of course, every precaution was taken to ensure adherence to that condition, but in some instances, we ran into deviations that we had to address. You must understand that creating the mission on paper is not the same as actually doing it. There were unexpected situations. What would you have had me do? Tough choices had to be made, and I made them.”
“You had no right! You should have consulted the Council. We make the decisions, not you. We decide what is best.”
“And look where that has gotten us,” Margaret says, raising her voice for the first time.
Murmurs of shock emit from the crowd. Margaret appears taller as she squares her shoulders and faces the Leader. Neither speaks. The Leader raises his eyebrows as he stares at Margaret. An uncomfortable silence passes, until it is broken by a low moan.
The sound grows louder. Heads turn, looking for the source. People direct their gaze toward me, but it’s not coming from me. It’s coming from Adalyn. She’s on her knees. Sweat beads across her forehead, even though it’s cold. Her hands are clenched around the ruler-like object. She repeatedly plunges the rod into the ground. Her eyes are shut, and she gives out one prolonged shriek followed by another. The ground beneath Adalyn rumbles and splits apart. The crack travels from Adalyn to the large circular stone that I’m standing beside. And then with an ear-splitting boom, the stone opens up into a monstrous pit of molten lava. Screams erupt around me.
“Adalyn!” several voices shout out.
Adalyn opens her eyes. She places the rod across the opening. Taking hold of my wrist, she walks toward the Leader and Margaret.
“Adalyn, what have you done?” the Leader demands.
“What have I done? What have all of you done? Or to be precise, not done? I told you that I’d discovered that the core of our planet has become unstable. The molten lava is rising up closer and closer to the surface. Very soon, our entire planet will be riddled with volcanoes and massive quakes. We will be smothered in scorching liquid. I came to you with all of this, and you did nothing. Instead, you listened to her.” She glares at Margaret. “How could you think that bringing babies into this world would solve anything?”
“Adalyn. That’s enough,” demands Margaret.
Adalyn glances at Margaret and then Fallon. “I told you I didn’t want to do it. I begged you, Fallon,” Adalyn says. “I told you it wasn’t safe to bring a child into the world. I told you I wanted to make it better here first. I told you about the caverns. I showed you all my research. But even you refused to listen. You only listened to her!” Adalyn is shrieking and sobbing.
“Please, Addy,” Fallon begs.
“She killed my baby! You allowed it to happen. My baby! In spite of everything, I loved her. And you put my baby into this.” Adalyn waves me in front of Fallon. “Kalli told me everything. How she was damaged before the implantation. How she was an extra. And you still put my baby inside her. You gambled away the life of my baby.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he says, moving toward her.
I tear my eyes away from Adalyn and search for Ellis, but I can’t see him.
“Now you’re sorry? Well, it’s too late. I told you the problem we’re facing isn’t going to be solved by having babies. Our planet is dying. Did you hear any sounds in the forest? Anything?” She pulls me closer to the opening. “No, you didn’t hear anything, because nothing lives there anymore. Everything has died. We have poisoned our planet. We have used and taken until there is nothing left. We can’t have children because our planet is toxic. Molten rock has risen into the caverns beneath us, and you refuse to listen, refuse to do anything about it. And the solution you come up with is to have babies? And you forced me to be part of it.” She turns abruptly to face Margaret,
her words soaked with venom. “You forced me to fall in love with that baby, and then you took her away from me.”
“What are you doing, Addy? Let go of Kalli and move away from the chamber. This isn’t part of the plan.” It’s Ellis. He’s standing directly in front of us. My body pulls toward him and safety. He’s so close.
“Sometimes even you can be a bit slow, Ellis. The plan has changed.”
“What do you mean? We’re all here. The Council knows what’s actually happening on Earth. Those women will be saved. Kalli will be saved.”
“Is that all you care about? Kalli? What about me? What about the baby? Your baby!” Her words hit me harder than her fists.
“What are you talking about, Addy?” he asks, his eyes wild. “The baby was yours and Fallon’s. Why would you make up such a painful lie?”
“I’m not lying about anything. Don’t you remember all those late nights we’d stay up trying to figure out how to fix all of this? Don’t you remember what we did? We didn’t just talk.”
Ellis shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair.
“You bastard!” Fallon explodes and charges toward Ellis. But the Leader holds him back.
Ensnaring Fallon in his arms, the Leader says, “Enough! You have completely disgraced our family.”
“Disgrace? That’s all you care about? I lost my baby!” Adalyn storms.
“Adalyn, stop lying. That never happened. Yes, we talked. You’re like a sister to me. You were going to marry my brother. I would never—”
“But you did. You must remember. That night when you found out you were chosen to be a Keeper. You were so confused. You didn’t know if you wanted to do it. And I told you I didn’t think it was right to bring children into our world and we stayed up all night talking and ….”
“No.” Ellis’s voice is barely a whisper.
“I’ve always loved you, Ellis. It was always supposed to be you and me. But instead you went and fell for her,” she says, shoving me toward him.
Ellis reaches out to grab me, but she yanks me back so hard that we teeter over the edge.
“Adalyn, be careful,” Ellis cries.
“Be careful with what? Me or her?”
“Please, Addy,” Fallon says.
“Adalyn, enough of this! I don’t know what is going on between you and my sons, but I want you to move away from the chamber and unhand that girl right now!” demands the Leader.
Sons? So this is Ellis’s father. The Leader of the planet? Lucas?
“I agree. Enough of this.” Adalyn turns to face the crowd. “Our planet is dying. We can’t have any more children. None of you listened to me. And now my baby is dead! I can’t take anymore of this. I won’t.” She’s sobbing. Her body shakes as we both teeter on the edge of the fiery pit.
Oh God! She’s going to take me with her. I pull away, and Adalyn and I lose our balance. Ellis and Fallon rush forward. Ellis reaches out to grab me at the exact instant Fallon’s hands wrap around my waist and pull me back. Ellis’s hands pass over my arms as he and Adalyn disappear into the flaming cavern. I lunge to grab him back, but I’m too late. The rod that Adalyn placed in the opening snaps and the chamber reseals itself, trapping Ellis within its fiery hold. I scream out his name, even though I know my voice will never reach him.
CHAPTER 26
People shout and run in all directions. Many fall and are lost beneath the rush of pounding feet. A spark shoots out, and the sky is filled with a shower of lights, a cascade of falling fireworks. The Leader and the other Council members have their arms raised to the air. Each is holding a vial similar to the one Ellis gave me. Everyone stops.
Ellis’s father drops to his knees, staring at the stone that has claimed Ellis and Adalyn. Margaret clutches her chest, her eyes fixed on the stone. Fallon has his arms wrapped around me, holding me back as I struggle to break free.
Finally someone speaks. His voice echoes through the crowd. He instructs everyone to return to their homes and await further instructions. He insists the departure be done in an orderly manner. He then informs the remaining Council members to escort Margaret, Fallon, and me back to Head Lodgings.
I can’t move. Ellis is gone. Someone holds a hand out to me. I look up. It’s the Leader, Ellis’s father.
“Kalli, I would like you to come back to the main house with me.”
I shake my head. I’m not leaving Ellis. He’s down there. I have to get him out. I shove Fallon away and claw into the dirt and rock.
“It won’t work. The chamber has sealed itself. We can’t get in this way.”
“You’re not even trying! He’s down there, burning alive. How can you just give up on your own son?” My words come out in sobs.
“I have not given up on Ellis. But I don’t think he would be happy with me if I left you here either. You obviously meant something to my son. He risked the entire mission for you. And now he just ….”
I choke back a sob. I know exactly what Ellis has just done for me. I look at Ellis’s father, his face ashen. The strength that existed when he first arrived has vanished.
“Kalli, we have to go now,” Fallon says, his voice hollow.
Fallon’s loss is so great it has consumed him. His hand trembles as he reaches out for me, and I take it. He pulls me up, and we slowly walk away. I turn to see Ellis’s father kneeling by the chamber, his hands placed on the exact spot where his son was claimed.
“Lucas? My Lord?” Fallon calls out softly.
Slowly Lucas rises and follows us. We make our way along the same path Adalyn and I had taken. This time the burst of colors have no effect on me. I’m unable to appreciate their beauty when my heart hurts so much. He can’t be dead. Tears fall down my cheeks.
Lucas passes us, squeezing Fallon’s shoulder as he walks on.
“Adalyn was too fragile,” Fallon says.
“We will sort it all out, Fallon,” Lucas says. “We need to move faster. They are waiting for us. If we have a chance of settling all of this, it must be done quickly. Are you strong enough or should I?” he asks, nodding toward me.
“No, I can do it,” Fallon says and then turns to me. “Kalli, may I?” He holds his arms open. For the first time, he isn’t commanding but asking.
I nod. Fallon collects me into his arms. He looks so unbelievably tired. I’m shocked that he’s still able to travel at such a fantastic speed. I wrap my arms around his neck as he sprints back through the lifeless forest.
Fallon places me carefully back on my feet. We stand in front of two towering steel gates stretching thirty feet high. Guards, dressed in white jackets with shiny silver buttons, push open the gates and bow to Lucas as he passes through. Fallon takes my hand and ushers me along.
The building is a palace with marble columns and balconies. The exterior of the structure glistens as if crystals are embedded in it. Lucas has already disappeared through the wooden doors.
People rush about, speaking in hushed tones, when the quiet urgency is broken by a piercing shriek.
“There she is!” Margaret lunges for me, but Fallon holds her back. “Let me go, Fallon! How dare you bring her here? Into my home! She should be taken to the cells.”
“Margaret, stop. Lucas asked her to come.”
“That’s right, I did.” Lucas suddenly appears. “Fallon, take Kalli to the kitchen, and then meet me in my office.”
“Absolutely not! I won’t have it,” Margaret says, grabbing on to Lucas’s arm, “How dare you? She killed our son.” Pain rips through my chest, and I stumble at the thought of Ellis dying.
“How can you say such a thing? You were there. You saw what happened to Ellis.” Lucas yanks his arm away from her.
Margaret continues her tirade. “She has destroyed everything.”
“I’m not certain it was Kalli who put us in this position,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “Fallon, I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Oh, I’ve got to hear this.” Margaret crosses her arms.
“No
, Margaret. Kartac will escort you to the study.”
“Escort me? This is my home, Lucas. I will go wherever I please.”
Lucas’s face stiffens and his nostrils flare. “You will go with Kartac, or perhaps you would prefer Weston?”
Fallon lets out a tiny gasp. Margaret’s expression morphs into fear. “You wouldn’t,” she breathes.
Lucas raises his eyebrows. Margaret turns and marches down the hallway. A man, who I can only assume is Kartac, solemnly follows.
“I’ll be right back, Father,” Fallon says. He takes my arm, and we move along the corridor in Margaret’s stormy wake.
“Kalli, you can wait here.” Fallon’s face has completely altered. All traces of hostility have disappeared and have been replaced with grief. “Stay here with Waverly. I’ll be back soon,” he says, squeezing my arm.
“We have to find Ellis. Can’t we look for him first, and then you can talk to Lucas?”
For some unknown reason, my body acts on its own volition, and my hand reaches out to Fallon. He takes hold of it. Our eyes lock, and I know he shares my pain.
“I’ll be right back,” he whispers.
Waverly darts around the massive kitchen, stealing glances at me. She’s tiny in every way. Her tight curls jiggle as she scoots around the kitchen. She silently lays out a plate of food in front of me. I can’t recognize anything. It doesn’t matter. I’m not hungry. All I can think about is saving Ellis.
The weight of the realization disorients me. I would have been the first to call someone who could forgive such treachery a fool. Ellis lied to me. Am I only forgiving him because he may be dead?
I startle at the sudden pressure on my back.
“Let’s go.” Fallon holds out his hand, and I take it, relieved that we’re going to find Ellis.
“Have they found him? Is there a chance?” I choke out the last bit.
Fallon doesn’t answer. He moves quickly, his eyes darting around.
“Fallon,” I breathe heavily, almost running to keep up with his long strides. “Is Ellis okay? Has anyone found him?”
Still no response.
“Fallon, you have to tell me. Is he—is he … gone?”
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