by Kailin Gow
“I agree,” Torrid said.
We made our way downstairs just as Denia entered.
“Good,” she said. “I’m glad we found you so easily. We swept through the cellar, cleared the attic and made sure no one was in the kitchen and other utility rooms.”
“Nothing?” Liam said with a hint of skepticism.
“Were you really expecting to find something here?” I asked.
“I guess I was.”
“Well, actually, we did find something, but not what you anticipated.” She gestured to her small army who broke apart, allowing a tall and strong warrior to come forward.
“Rowan,” Torrid exclaimed. He rushed to his brother and clapped his shoulders. “I thought we’d never find you.”
“I’m happy to see you, brother. This war is turning out to be uglier than anyone had anticipated.”
He glanced at me and I immediately shuffled with discomfort under his oddly mournful gaze.
Torrid caught the exchange. “What is it?”
“I was able to go into battle with General Adar,” he said.
We all waited expectantly.
“We stormed many districts. Rogue Magical Ones were everywhere and a sudden uproar by an army of Catchers almost toppled us.”
He avoided my questioning gaze and I felt an overwhelming sense of dread. “You went to the Amethyst District?”
“We did,” he confirmed.
I reached back to the banister and hugged it. “Did you see my mother?”
“When we first arrived, we found her. She was full of fight, much of it probably stemming from the loss of her home.”
“My house?”
“I’m so sorry, but the devastation in many districts is beyond anything we’d ever seen. The Amethyst District is no different. Few homes remain standing, and those that are still upright are uninhabitable.”
I looked around the grand Governor’s Manor with irritation. Though several windows were cracked and we’d come across some light damage as we’d crossed the front foyer, the house was otherwise untouched by this war.
Liam, so in tuned to my thoughts and emotions, put his hand to my shoulder. “Once this is all over, I’ll make every district is rebuilt. It’ll be even better than before.”
“What happened to my mother?” I asked, ignoring Liam’s promise of a bright future.
“We don’t know. Everything went so fast. There were hundreds of djinns and just as many Rogues and Catchers. General Adar did everything to stay close to her, but the battle got fierce. I’m sure she’s okay.”
“What happened to her? How can you say she’s okay when you don’t know?” I tried to control my emotions, but my voice showed the anger and pain I felt.
“We lost sight of her, Kama. That doesn’t mean anything happened to her. We just lost her in the melee.”
“Kama,” Liam said. “We’ll find her. As soon as we’re through here we’ll go out and find her.”
I stared at Rowan’s feet, my vision blurred by my tears. Though I’d allowed myself a few fleeting moments of worry and concern, I’d somehow, in a naïve and childish way, assumed my mother was safe – in our district – in our house.
“Don’t worry,” Torrid said. “We will find her, Kama.”
Liam clapped his hands together and turned to Denia. “I want to continue in here. Can you take your crew and have them search the grounds.”
Denia turned to the distant window that opened onto the immense grounds. “This isn’t just your run of the mill back yard.”
“Yes,” Liam said. “I know. There are three gardens, two of which have high stone walls to protect from the downhill winds. Beyond that is a small but heavily wooded area.”
“There’s also the pond, the tennis courts and the pool house,” I added.
“All perfect hiding places,” Liam finished.
“It could take a while,” Denia said. “Five minutes at the very least.”
Liam grinned. “Good to hear. I was beginning to think you’d need an hour or so.”
The small army took to the task of searching the grounds.
“Can I speak to you in private, brother?” Rowan said.
Torrid looked at me.
“It’s okay, Torrid. I’ll finish up here with Liam. We can meet up after and…”
His eyes darted to Liam with unveiled suspicion. For a moment I thought he didn’t trust Liam to be alone with me, but then I caught the same look of distrust in Rowan’s eyes.
They didn’t want to discuss whatever they needed to discuss in front of Liam. While I could understand their need to talk in private, I was personally offended by their mistrust of Liam.
Hadn’t he proved himself enough? Hadn’t he shown what side he was on? I’d known Liam all my life and knew he was a good and trustworthy man and it hurt to see him so misunderstood.
I shot a quick sidelong glance at Liam to see if he was as offended as I was. All I could see in his eyes, however, was his eagerness to see the two brothers leave.
A blast of thrilling chills and heated dread passed through me.
He was looking forward to being alone with me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
Chapter 14
It took a moment for me to react as Liam turned to head into the hall that led to the west wing of the manor. I didn’t know if I had anticipated too much or if I had misread his expression.
Either way, I was profoundly aware of him.
Unable to catch up to him, I saw him enter his father’s study; the sacred hallows of his father’s nasty deeds. I reached the door to find Liam leaning over the large glass top desk.
So many times we’d peek inside as his father worked. I’d always been intrigued by the goings on in this private and mysterious room. Important men and women often congregated to this room of power, but, as young children, we never really understood what they did. They just seemed to talk about dull happenings and dreary plans for replacing an inspector with a verifier or a trimming down of the number of workers at a rescue operation only to install an automated dispatch system.
“Do you remember when we sneaked in here and pretended to be Governor?” I asked.
Intent on the pages in front of him, Liam didn’t respond. Instead, he sat down and leaned his head on the desk.
“Liam? Are you all right?”
Hurrying to his side, I wanted to kick myself for once again bringing up the past. It was selfish of me to think back and look at those moments with joy and innocent wonder, while he obviously suffered at the thought.
“All of this strain… I can’t imagine how you're able to handle it all.”
He’d been so strong just moments ago; his stride sure and confident.
As he sat up I wrapped my arms around him and wanted to apologize for my insensitivity, but he picked up a sheet of paper from the desk and I realized his outburst had nothing to do with me.
His shoulders shook and my heart went out to him as he wept.
“Liam, tell me what you found. Why are you so upset?”
A gentle chuckle sounded in the office.
“Are you laughing or crying?” I asked as I stepped back and gazed at him.
Seeing the tight smirk on his face was my answer.
“Okay.” I leaned against the desk and crossed my arms in front of me. “Now you’ve really got me confused. I thought you wanted to be alone with me, then I thought you were upset because I’d gone down memory lane again, then I thought you were simply upset at… what…? finding your father’s devious plans? And now you're laughing. Are you going insane Liam Seer?”
“I hardly think so, though I’ll admit; lately I’m not so sure what sane is.” His eyes twinkled with something I hadn’t seen in a long time; pleasure. He stood and pulled me into his arms. “No,” he said, his voice now low and husky. “These days I do know what sane means.”
Before I could protest, before I could even anticipate his next move, he kissed me. Hard and possessive, his lips covered mi
ne while his arms tightened around me, fitting me into his arms and onto his lap the way we had always been.
“I remember all the times we came in here,” he whispered between kisses. “I remember, in excruciating detail, every single time you came to this house; every moment we shared; every word we exchanged. I remember every feeling I ever harbored for you; the growing love I felt for you; the intensifying need to be with you. I remember the first time you came here, not as a girl, but as a young woman. You were no longer just cute and perky and fun. You were beautiful and desirable and mysterious. You made my body ache for you. You made my every being want you, all of you. I remember falling hopelessly in love with you, Kama.”
Pulling back, I looked into his eyes. “And you were no longer a rambunctious and mischievous boy; you were a handsome, intelligent and kind man.”
He smirked. “You could also add confused.”
I tilted my head quizzically to the side.
“You had always been my friend,” he explained. “You were the one I had fun with, and even gotten into trouble with. As a boy my love for you was innocent and naïve, but as you blossomed...” He cocked a devilish brow. “I wasn’t really sure what to do with all the emotions and feelings and…”
“Desire?” I said with a teasing grin.
“Yeah,” he said sheepishly. “That.”
I brushed my hand over his cheek. “You’ve grown so much, Liam. I can’t even begin to tell you how proud of the man you're becoming.”
We stared at each other, our eyes full of promises and wishes, our lips hungry for one another.
Before we lost each other in another embrace, I pulled away. “So why are you so happy?” I shuffled through the pages on the desk looking for any sign of good news.
After a quick grunt of resignation, Liam picked up a small map. “This.”
“What is it?” It looked like a map of Arcadia, but I couldn’t find anything that could make him so happy about it. “It’s just a city map.”
“Not just a city map, Kama. Look. This…” He traced his finger around the perimeter of the city. “These are the outskirts of Arcadia.”
I looked more closely at the map. While Arcadia was printed in black bold lines, the outskirts were thin and pale.
“Kama, I think this is where all banished citizens of Arcadia were sent.” He pointed to a small circle that had been hand drawn on the map. “These are the rebel camps just outside Arcadia. Remember Jocelyn’s brother and all the others who didn’t get their Life’s Plan? They were banished and sent here. They’ve grouped together in these camps.”
“I know all about the hardships faced on the outside, Liam, but I still don’t understand how this is good news. Why are you smiling? Why are you pleased at finding this?”
“I’m smiling because I realize now the lie we were raised with. We were led to believe that the original town your mom and my dad grew up in had been destroyed.”
“Yeah, I remember that. My mother was devastated and she always had tears in her eyes whenever she spoke of her childhood.”
“I think this is the town Arcadia was patterned after, but in the outskirts. I think we’ll find my father there, and, if I know him as well as I think I do, he’ll be training new Catchers there.”
“Do you think he’ll have my mom with him?”
“There’s a good chance my father is keeping her close. He knows about your father. With General Adar in town my father isn’t going to want to let your mother out of his sight. But don’t worry about her. He cares very much about her and for all his faults, I know he’ll do everything he can to make sure she’s safe. I think the only reason he brought her out of Arcadia is to keep your father from finding her.”
“It’s silly, you know. If my mother and father love each other and want to be together, there’s nothing Pim Seer can do about it. He may be Governor, but he doesn’t have the power to control my mother’s emotions.”
A strange look came to Liam’s eyes. “Yeah,” he grunted with emotion. “I know what you mean.” His lips pressed into a tight smile and shrugged. “We better get going if we want to reach the outskirts before nightfall.
Chapter 15
“Kama!”
I heard the loud exclaim and knew I’d found a friend as Liam, Torrid, Rowan, and I made our way down to the Districts, heading towards the outskirts of Arcadia. Melanie rushed up to me and squeezed me in a bear hug that pressed her big, pregnant belly into mine and left me struggling to get a breath.
“I can’t believe you're here. What are you doing here?”
Before I could answer her, she looked past me and saw Liam. “Liam, I’m so happy to see you guys together. You guys look good.”
“Is there somewhere we can talk?” Liam said as he gestured to the people who’d stopped their activities in order to listen to the exchange.
“Yes,” she said, getting a hold of her excitement. She patted her large belly and spoke down to it. “Sorry, baby. Mommy just got a little excited.” She looked up at us. “Matthew and Jocelyn are over there. They’ll be thrilled to see you again.”
Melanie, Liam and I entered the small tent, and Torrid and Rowan followed in but kept their distance.
Smiling, Jocelyn looked up at us, serene and wise. “I knew I’d see you again,” she said. She gave me a warm embrace and offered me a seat. “Matthew and I finally feel somewhat normal after that ordeal at the Coliseum. It was hard, but thanks to all the djinns, we’re settled in now. How are you doing?”
“I’m recovered, but I don’t have time to settle down yet, not yet. Sanz and his Rogues are still out there. Djinns and Arcadia won’t be safe until he’s defeated. We’re headed out of Arcadia. We want to find rebel forces, join forces, build a strong army. We want to fight the rogue Magical Ones, the Catchers and all the armies Sanz can conjure up.”
“How powerful are you djinns?” Jocelyn asked as she glanced at Torrid.
Torrid grunted. “Under the right conditions, very powerful. Why?”
“Our first aid treatments are minimal. We can bandage cuts and we’ve been able to find several medicinal plants that help fight infections and fevers, but we have a few people who are hurt beyond our capabilities of healing.”
Torrid and Rowan glanced at one another. “We can bring you to a djinn healer,” Torrid said. “Come with us.” He looked at Melanie. “We’ll take you along as well. That baby appears to be ready to make an appearance any time now.”
“I certainly hope so,” Melanie said with a chuckle. “He’s three days late already.”
They took a hold of Melanie’s arms and we all followed Rowan out.
With Liam at my side, we ran into Sarah, who had joined the rebels, helping people find shelter. She ran up to me and hugged me. “Kama! I never thought I’d see you again. We have so much to catch up on… so much has happened.” I hugged my once fashionable best friend from the Diamond District back. She now wore a pair of torn jeans with a stained blouse, her brown hair pulled back into an utilitarian ponytail. Our exchanges were warm but filled with dread and sorrow. The weight of war was heavy and everyone felt it. She’d visibly aged since I’d last seen her. She fell in line and followed us to the djinn camp. For a long while, few words were spoken.
“Did I hear correctly?” she finally said. “You guys are headed out of Arcadia?”
“We’re looking for the old city; the city my father fashioned Arcadia after,” Liam said.
“You think it’s out there?” Sarah asked.
Liam pulled out his map. “Yes, and I think my father is preparing for the second round of this war.”
“I wish you the best of luck.”
We reached the djinn camp.
I looked at Sarah, who appeared so wise and calm compared to the girl I’d always known. “Before we leave, I hope we have a chance to be alone. I want to know how you came to be a part of the rebellion.”
Barely twenty minutes later, Rowan turned to address us all…Melanie, Jocelyn, Matthew
, Sarah, Liam, Torrid, and I. “Welcome to our encampment. Feel free to roam and explore. Feel welcomed and secure.” He looked at me and Torrid. “We’ll stay for dinner, sleep here and prepare to leave at first light.”
Sarah grabbed my arm and smiled. “Perfect. We have a lot to talk about and we can catch up on everything tonight. After dinner, we’ll get together and talk more about what happened to me.”
After a modest dinner that had the whole clan together, the men went off to a hut assigned to them while I followed Sarah to hers.
“How have you been handling all this?” I said as I entered the one room hut with a dirt floor and cut out window opening. “Being on the run… looking for shelter where you can find it. Hardly what you're used to at home.”
“It’s funny how quickly you can get accustomed to a new situation. If you’d told me months ago that I’d be living like this, I would have told you I’d rather die first, but now… This is my life. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tough life. Little time is wasted on leisure since the war broke out. There’s always something to do and that something isn’t often fun. We do manage to find ways of amusing ourselves from time to time, but the greater effort is simply put into surviving.”
“Why did you join the Rebellion? I’d never think you would be the kind of girl who would.”
She looked at her dirty fingernails. “Even before you got your Life’s Plan I knew something wasn’t right. I can’t put my finger on it; maybe it’s something I overheard my parents say; maybe it’s one of the many documents I often found lying around.” She shrugged and looked at me. “I guess tidbits of information I picked up here and there began to gnaw at my consciousness. The perils of being the daughter of two Committee members, I guess.”
“Sarah…” I gasped, unable to believe my prissy friend with the perfect Life’s Plan had a double life. “You were in the rebellion before the sky started falling, before the war broke out in Arcadia?”
Sarah nodded. “I sensed something big was going to happen. Of course, I knew about you, I learned a bit of what Matthew and Jocelyn had gone through and… well, my parents were becoming more and more agitated. Things weren’t running smoothly and they refused to give me any information. They basically patted me on the head and told me not to worry; that everything would work out.”
