Trent was staring at me in confusion.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head slowly. “You’re sort of amazing, you know. If anyone else was in your shoes and came to Cyrus, discovering they had six abilities, which practically makes them part of the royal family, they’d want nothing to do with the plight of the little guys. I mean, kids at school who have two powers treat me like dirt because they think they’re so much better than me, the Zero. But the thought doesn’t even seem to have crossed your mind. And not only that, you’re sacrificing your relationship with your dad to do it all.”
I blushed at his compliments. He was blowing things way out of proportion. “First of all, you’re not a ‘little guy’. You’re a Traveler for crying out loud! The same opportunities I could have, you could have too. You said Travelers are highly respected—”
“Not like an Elite,” Trent interrupted.
“Same difference. The point is, I’m not doing anything out of the ordinary. I see an injustice, I have something I can attempt to do about it, so I’m going to. That’s all there is to it.”
“Still amazing,” Trent said under his breath, shooting a sideways glance at me.
I nudged him playfully with my shoulder. “Stop it,” I said. “Now let’s get back to headquarters. If there’s one thing I’ve decided after all this mess, it’s that I’m not burning bridges with my dad for nothing. If we’re going to act, we need to do it soon, while we know I’m still immune to Praesidium. We need to talk to Warren—it’s time he told us the whole truth about himself.”
Chapter 21
Coming Clean
The caves were quiet when we arrived; there was no one in the kitchen, game room, or practice room.
“Warren is likely in his bedroom if he’s not around here. Probably best so we can talk to him in private first,” Trent said, leading the way down the southern tunnel which Warren had to himself, of course. He and Trevor had the biggest rooms.
I knocked on his door. We waited for a minute, but no answer came. I knocked again. “Warren! It’s Ava and Trent. There’s something we really need to talk about!”
There was some shuffling on the other side of the door, then Warren’s face peered through a small crack, his expression conveying his annoyance.
“Uh, you okay in there?” Trent asked.
“Yeah, sure. What’s up?” Warren shrugged.
“Can we come in for minute?” I asked. “I have something important to talk to you about.”
Warren glanced over his shoulder. “It’s not really the best time—”
“Just let them in,” called a crystal voice behind Warren. “I’ve got to get going anyway.” Meraki yanked the door open, stepping out into the hall. That was unexpected. Both Trent and I were frozen in shock.
Meraki gave me a cold look, then turned and glared even more frostily at Trent. I didn’t think it was possible to convey so much hate in a single stare, but she had found a way. “See you both later,” she trilled as she stormed past us down the hall, her hips undulating as she walked away.
I glanced up at Trent who was staring after her, open-mouthed. Though I hated the girl, I still felt sorry for Trent. He was obviously blindsided by what had just happened. “You okay?” I asked him quietly.
He looked down at me and unexpectedly smiled. “Yeah, fine. Just… wow,” he mouthed the last word, his eyes wide.
“You guys came here for somethin’, right?” Warren asked grumpily.
My tone was cold. I hated Meraki, but I hated Warren as well for hurting Trent like that. “Yes, we came to ask you about your father, actually.”
“My father?” Warren asked, confused.
“Yes. The first day we met, I had a vision about your father—”
“I’ve been wondering when you’d ask me about that,” Warren interrupted, a stupid grin on his face.
“Wait, you knew?” I asked, caught off guard.
“Not that day, of course, but Amos gave me a heads up.”
Amos—how had I forgotten? Of course he would know something was off. He couldn’t read minds, precisely, but he had the ability to read the tenor of someone’s thoughts. Any time the whole “human world orphan” issue came up, he would be able to sense I didn’t trust what Warren was saying.
I pretended not to be surprised and continued on. “Well, yes, I had a vision, and I know your father is Tenebris.”
Finally, Warren looked appropriately abashed. “Aren’t you just clever,” he sneered, rubbing both hands down his face in stress. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag. We need to round everyone up. Time for a meeting. I think it’s best everyone hears this story at the same time.”
After a ten minute search, we were able to track everyone down except Meraki, who had already gone back to her parents’ store.
We met in the game room, which was beginning to feel more like a conference room than anything. Warren sat up front with me next to him. I felt stupid there, but the team had officially voted me second-in-command of the Miners two weeks ago, so from now on, I sat next to Warren at these meetings. Though I’d worried what Jameson would think, he told me he was thrilled not to be second anymore. Apparently, he’d only done it because nobody else would step up after Fox died. He would still be managing our training, though.
“Thanks for coming together, guys,” Warren began.
“And girls!” Elsie chimed in.
“And girls,” Warren amended, rolling his eyes. “There’s something about me that I probably should have told you all a long time ago. Because of our beliefs and our cause as a group, I’ve been afraid of your reactions, so I’ve kept this information about myself a secret. Avalon has just approached me about the situation, which she uncovered via one of her visions.
“I have led you all to believe I was raised an orphan in the human realm, just like most of you. This is not true. I was born here, in Cyrus. I was raised by my mother, Isabella, until I was seven. At that time, she was killed by King Tenebris personally. He also tried to kill me at the time.”
“Dude, that’s messed up,” Damion said from his arm chair. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” Warren nodded toward Damion. “Unfortunately, that is not all.” He paused. “My father was—and is, I suppose—King Tenebris himself.”
The expressions of shock and disgust were plain on everyone’s faces.
“That blows, man,” Jameson said angrily. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”
“Seriously? You probably should have mentioned that before,” Teresa agreed.
“So that’s why you hate him so much,” Katherine mused. “Makes, sense, of course. Not that we don’t all hate him, but I’ve noticed he holds a special place of hatred in your heart. He killed your mom? Why?”
“I think I know,” I chimed in. “As Warren said, I had a vision the very first day we met. I touched the bracelet he’s wearing.” I motioned to the leather strap on his wrist. “It was your mother’s, wasn’t it?”
Warren looked at the strap, fingering it sadly. “Yes, it was hers. I went back to her body later, after I was sure he’d be gone, and took it—you know, as a momento. She never got a proper burial.”
“I’m sorry,” I said sympathetically.
“Nothing to be done but fight back now, is there?” Warren said, a sad smile on his face. “Carry on with the details of your vision. I’m interested.”
“First, I saw your mother giving birth—we can skip those details.” There were several grunts of consent, particularly from the boys in the room. “Then, I saw her take you as a baby to your father’s prison cell. I’d assume that was during the time his brother had been keeping him locked up. Tenebris denied you were his child and told your mother if she ever tried to claim you were his, he’d… have her killed.
“The next scene was of the two of you in a tent, the day she died. Tenebris came. He said he’d warned her not to say anything about you and that there had been rumors going around the kingdom. He said a c
hild from a peasant like her would never be respected enough to be king. You ran out from the tent to protect her. He killed her with a dagger. He tried to kill you, too. He commanded you to stop running, but the command didn’t bind you like it does everyone else—you kept running. That was all I saw.”
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Warren said, his tone haunted. “She was so perfect. She didn’t deserve it.”
We all hung our heads in sadness and respect for Warren’s grief. Though I felt it had been necessary, it was much more difficult to reveal to him what I’d seen than I thought it would be.
“So that’s the real reason you can resist Tenebris,” Trent began. “Because you’re part of the royal bloodline, not because you come from ‘the human realm’ as you’ve told all of us.”
“What are you talking about?” Amos asked, confused. His wild, brown hair added to his frazzled look. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“He’s right,” Warren said, “though I’m surprised you know about that. How do you?”
“My grandad was a guard at the palace. He overheard discussions when Tenebris—the second son—was born into the family. Apparently, having two children hasn’t happened often in royal family history because they try to avoid it.”
Trent turned to speak to the whole room instead of only Warren. “You see, Praesidium gives our king or queen the ability to control the people of Cyrus, as we all know. What many don’t know is that it was created by blood magic. This means Ganton, through Praesidium, can pass his powers on to any person who shares his blood. It also means that Praesidium has no power over any person who is a blood relative of the royal line. Because of that limitation, the royal family has intentionally had only one child whenever possible. They don’t want a bunch of people in the kingdom who are immune to Praesidium’s powers. It also helps minimize fighting or claims to the throne if there’s only one clear descendant.
“Traditionally, if a second child is conceived in the family, the pregnancy is aborted before the child can be born. Queen Trisha refused when she found out she was pregnant with Tenebris. King Simon was furious but didn’t want to force his wife to comply in this particular situation, so Tenebris, obviously, was born.
“As we all know, when King Simon died and King Trinnen took the throne, he threw Tenebris in prison in an attempt to negate the threat he posed to his power. The kingdom was shocked and didn’t understand, not knowing Praesidium’s limits. According to my grandad, Trinnen threatened to kill Tenebris but agreed to let him live in confinement only if he swore never to have children of his own. I would assume that is another reason he was so concerned when he found out about you,” Trent said, motioning toward Warren. “Tenebris knew if Trinnen ever found out, he’d be killed for passing on his immunity to Praesidium to a new generation.”
“That explains a lot,” Elsie said. “Like why the rest of us who have lived in the human world haven’t stayed immune to Praesidium like you have, Warren.”
“Exactly,” I stepped in. “Which brings me to my next point. I think we need to move up the time schedule of our attack on the castle. We don’t know how long I will be immune to Praesidium. Most of you have lost some of your immunity. The only person who hasn’t is Warren, and evidently, his immunity is totally different than ours. We need to act quickly so that I can help as much as possible. I don’t think Warren will be able to face Tenebris alone.”
“Hold up for a second,” Amos cut in. “How fast are we talking here?”
“Within the week,” I said firmly.
Several whistles and grumbled complaints circled the room. The only exception was Jameson who gave an enthusiastic, “Alright!” He was always eager for a challenge.
“No way!” Amos exclaimed. “We’ve been counting on months to prepare and you’re trying to cut us back to days? You’re going to get us killed!”
“I agree, that’s much too fast,” Katherine said, standing from her seat. “We’ll be unprepared and clumsy. Not to mention the fact that we still don’t know how to get around Praesidium’s defenses.”
“That’s not true. We’re very well prepared. We do combative training daily,” I disagreed, “and we will have a plan—a good one. That’s what we’re going to focus on for the next week. We’ll do reconnaissance and—”
“Enough,” Warren said calmly but firmly. The noise around the room came to a stop. All eyes were on him as he stood, looking at each of us in turn, deliberating.
Warren took a deep breath before saying, “I think Ava is right—”
The noise erupted again. “Yes!” I heard Jameson call. Trent shifted nervously, but his face remained calm. The rest of the room looked angry.
“I said enough!” Warren yelled this time. Again, the noise died down, a little less quickly. “We have to strike while our opportunity is greatest. Ava has been a fantastic addition to our team, which is why, I believe, you all voted to have her as second among our group. We cannot afford to miss the opportunity to utilize her abilities to the fullest.”
Warren’s speech made me feel like a tool to be used rather than a person to be valued. I’d take it, however, if it meant getting my way.
“Now, I suggest you all eat a good dinner and get a good night’s rest. We put our plans in action starting tomorrow. We’ll meet here immediately following breakfast to discuss strategy,” Warren said. Then he stood and left the room.
Nobody said anything to me as they walked out, though most of their glances my direction were cold—except Jameson who had an enormous smile on his face.
“Nice work, Ava,” he said with a wink as he left the room. I gave him a weak smile in return.
“Well,” Trent let out a long breath as he came to my side, “that was an interesting afternoon.” He chuckled, then took my hand to pull me out of my seat.
“Thanks,” I said, blushing slightly. “Everyone hates me, but if it results in success in the long run, who really cares?”
“Right,” Trent gave a half smile, not convinced it wasn’t bothering me. “Don’t worry, they’ll come around. What d’ya say we make ourselves a couple of sandwiches and then head up to our tree for a bit?”
I beamed. “Our tree? And where would that be exactly?”
“Like you don’t know,” Trent winked, then he walked briskly out of the room, shooting a teasing smile my way. My heart jumped in my chest. I followed after him to the kitchens, where we threw together a couple ham and cheese sandwiches and then left headquarters. We could have Traveled there, but Trent said he’d prefer the walk tonight.
It was dark outside, and the sky was perfectly clear. The stars were beautiful. The moment felt intimate, though I wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was the peaceful night. Maybe it was the heat I could feel off Trent’s skin as we walked close together. Maybe it was the fact that we felt comfortable enough together without having to say anything. Maybe it was everything combined.
When we got to the tree, Trent gave me a boost up to the closest limb. I climbed up a few more branches until I found a spot that looked comfortable and big enough for the two of us. Trent pulled himself up after me. He sat next to me, and I handed him his wrapped sandwich from my jacket pocket. “Thanks,” he said.
I watched as he looked up into the night sky. He seemed more relaxed than I could ever remember seeing him, though I wasn’t sure why, considering the crazy day it had been. We did essentially catch his girlfriend with another guy, after all.
“You okay, Trent?”
He looked down at me, as if surprised to remember I was next to him. “I’m great! Really great, actually. But I am worried.”
“About what?” I said around a bite of sandwich. He smirked at me talking with my mouth full.
“My parents got notice of their census appointment today. The surveyor will be coming in ten days.”
“Well, hopefully by then, Tenebris will be history anyway,” I said lightly, though internally, I was worried sick. What if we weren’t successful? Wha
t would happen to Trent? What would happen to Em and Sam?
“That’s the main reason I agree with your condensed timeline. Besides, we’ve had enough waiting around. I have a feeling no matter how well trained or how well planned we are, things are going to end up going to pot anyway, so we might as well get on with it.” He chucked his top crust into a bush nearby.
I waited for him to say something, hoping he might bring up the situation with Meraki. He didn’t, and I wasn’t known to be the most patient person in the world.
“So, do you want to talk about what happened with Meraki today? It was kind of a shock,” I said tentatively. With almost anything, Trent was very open with me. That was not the case with his love life, not that I’d ever wanted details before now.
Trent looked at me, considering. “There’s really not much to tell. She’s at perfect liberty to be with whomever she wants.” He paused, looking at me shyly this time. “I broke up with her about a week ago, actually.”
Instantly, I was flying. Trent and Meraki? Broken up? My heart was doing backflips. I pretended to be concerned for Trent’s benefit. “Why? What happened?”
Trent hesitated again, his expression uncomfortable. I could think of only one reason he might be acting this way, and it sent my heart hammering in my chest. I smiled at him encouragingly. “You can tell me,” I promised.
He met my eyes and his discomfort seemed to slowly melt away. “Truth is, I like you, Ava, maybe even since the first day I saved you from that dumpster and helped you when you were hurt. I knew you were different right then and there—you’d have to be, risking your life to help people you didn’t even know.
“Then there was the boy who was almost hit by a truck. You risked exposing yourself in front of all your teammates to save him.” He paused and took my right hand in both of his. My heart pounded faster in my chest. “Since those moments, I’ve gotten to know you personally. You’re passionate, caring, feisty, talented, intelligent, beautiful, funny, and fearless. You’re totally unlike any other girl I’ve ever known. I guess it was all enough to break Meraki’s hold on me. It didn’t happen immediately, but even the first day you were in Cyrus and she was at my house, I started to wonder what I saw in her besides her beauty. Within a couple days, any feelings I had for her were completely gone. I don’t think I ever did have real feelings for her; I think it was all her ability to infatuate me with her looks. I suppose having true feelings for someone else is enough to break her hold.”
The Cyrun Page 17
