by Amy Braun
If ten of their strongest could be wounded or killed in a single ambush, what chance do they have of surviving a real battle?
I kept my head high, but didn’t look them in the eyes.
“Once the meeting is over, we’re going to have a funeral for those who died,” I told Gemma.
Her dark eyes turned to me. “Think that’s going to boost morale?”
“I have no idea,” I admitted. “These are peasants. Scrappers who’ve probably never been on an airship, let alone held a pistol. But they’ll have the chance to mourn. Maybe they’ll even get angry.” I looked at her. “Anger is what we need.”
“It won’t make them better fighters.”
“No,” I agreed. “But it will help make them fearless.”
Gemma studied me for a long time. Then she nodded, her eyes filled with respect. She knew what it was like to be backed into a corner. Rage didn’t make anyone a better fighter, per se. But it gave them a reason to fight.
Far as I was concerned, reason was better than skill. Reason implied passion, a strength that couldn’t be matched. A strength of the heart, of the soul. A power that was unbreakable.
I had a lot of rage toward the monsters holding Claire.
We reached the hatch that led to the lower levels. As we passed the cannon room, I spotted two men fussing over one of the cannons. I paused and cleared my throat. Both men were in their forties, but they jolted upright when they saw me. One of them even saluted me.
“Were you the ones who fired the shot into the village?”
They looked at each other nervously. “Yes, Captain,” the man on the left said past his bushy beard.
“What are your names?”
“Bryan,” the bearded man said.
“Gerard,” the man on the right said.
I nodded. “I take it you’ve got no experience using cannons?”
They hesitated, then shook their heads.
“So you realize you could have missed and gotten us all killed? Or worse, made a mistake lighting the fuse and blown up my whole damn ship?”
“We heard and saw trouble,” Bryan started. “We thought we could do something to help, rather than just sitting here waiting for the worst.”
“We had them in our sights,” added Gerard, “but we just didn’t align the shot right or account for their power–”
“Did I give either of you permission to speak?”
Both men snapped their mouths shut. They quickly dropped their gazes. “No, sir,” they said in unison.
“Your actions were stupid and reckless, and nearly cost someone very important to me their life.” Gemma looked at me, but I ignored the look. She would know soon enough. “If your shot had hit that person, I wouldn’t have stood here and listened to your reasons. You would be on the ground without your heads.”
Gerard and Bryan winced. I looked at Gemma. “Give them each an extra ration.”
She quirked an eyebrow. Both Bryan and Gerard looked up.
“Their shot scared off the Hellions. They didn’t even try to launch an attack once they knew the ship had real firepower.”
Gemma grinned. I turned my eyes on the men, who were dumbfounded and speechless.
“Before you even think about touching a cannon again, you’re going to be properly trained. The next time, you won’t miss.” I gave them a wicked smirk. “I said you were reckless and stupid. I didn’t say you weren’t brave.”
I looked at Gemma and tossed my head, indicating we should keep moving. She caught up with my stride, still grinning as the two men started to shout their thanks.
“Insulting, teaching, and praising all at once,” she mused. “Never let it be said you’re not fair.”
“Yeah, well,” I caught her eye, “a wise woman told me I needed to start acting like a leader.”
Gemma’s grin widened, larger than I’d seen in a long time. “I’ve been called many things. Wise was never one of them. Though Nash thinks I like to learn everything I can through experience.” She gave me a saucy wink.
“If that means what I think it means, please stop talking.”
She laughed and slipped in front of me to pull open the door to the medical bay. Nash was already inside, glowering down at Beck with three other, heavyset recruits. The former Sky Guard sat in the corner of the dim-lit room. His hands were chained behind his back. Bruises and cuts marred his tanned face. He scowled in my direction. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall.
“You three can go up top. Don’t come back until you’re told to.”
They obeyed without question. I let them march past me, not paying one a second glance. Gemma closed the door behind them and flipped the latch. We walked toward Beck, passing the padded medical table. Beck didn’t say a word. Didn’t give any indication he was intimidated.
I would have been disappointed if he had.
“Get him on his feet, Nash.”
My best friend did so without hesitation. He grabbed Beck’s bound wrists and jerked him upright. The soldier grunted, but didn’t complain. He stared straight into my eyes with an impressive amount of defiance.
“Where did they punch you the least?”
Beck scoffed. “What the hell kind of question is that? You really think they cared about where or what they hit?”
I shrugged and unfolded my arms. “Just trying to make this easier.”
“What–”
I slugged him full in the jaw. His head wrenched to the left. Gemma stepped up and planted her fist into his gut. Nash, still holding his arms, slammed a punch into his ribs. We repeated each hit again, leaving Beck gasping and heaving in Nash’s grip. He was lucky we hadn’t broken anything.
Beck dragged his dark eyes up to mine, staring at me with murderous hate. “You–”
“Six.”
He grimaced in pain and confusion.
“We punched you six times. One punch for every person you got killed when you decided to take off for no reason. A reason you are going to tell me about, right now.”
“I don’t have to tell you anything, boy,” he growled back.
“You might not have to. But you will.” I took a step closer to him. “You came to me for help. I agreed because at the time, your points made sense. But I am not going to keep you on this ship if your secrets are going to cost more innocent lives.”
Beck scoffed. “Since when do you care about innocent lives?”
I balled my fists and nearly punched him again. “Since I have to take care of them.” I bent down so my eyes could be level with his. “Don’t pretend you know anything about me or my crew when you are so obviously giving us reason not to trust you.”
I leaned back and crossed my arms again. “Tell me what you were looking for. And tell me the truth, because I will know if you’re lying.”
“I wasn’t looking for anything,” the soldier argued. “My friends lived in those homes. I wanted to see if they were all right. Not that you know what that’s like.”
Anger bristled under my chest, but I ignored it. “Trust me. I know. But I don’t believe you. We didn’t find any bodies there. If that were a village full of people, they would have hid. And I think you know that. So tell me what you were really looking for, Beck.”
He didn’t say anything. A stubborn, loyal soldier to his core.
Good thing I came prepared.
“I ran into someone while Gemma and Nash were rescuing you.”
“You’re welcome, by the way,” Gemma muttered to Beck. He didn’t look at her, but he winced when Nash twisted his arm a little harder.
“This person is extremely important to me. I trust her with my life, and the lives of everyone on this ship.”
Both Nash and Gemma whipped their heads at me. They knew who I was talking about. I started to reach into my coat.
“In turn, she trusts me. Which is why she made sure to give me this before she sacrificed herself to continue saving us.”
I revealed the journal. Gemma and Nas
h were still looking at me, desperate for answers I couldn’t give. I didn’t fully understand them myself. I knew I had the answers I wanted when Beck’s eyes bulged at the sight of the leather bound book.
“This belongs to Deanna Abernathy, doesn’t it?”
Beck pressed his lips together. Then he nodded stiffly.
“She’s still alive, isn’t she?”
Another stiff nod.
“And she’s at this secret hideout you wanted to take us to. In Sage Grove.” I flipped through the book, not seeing anything that made sense. It was all scribbles and drawings I couldn’t understand.
“This was our main supply station,” he explained. I raised my eyes from the book. “But we always knew that it could be attacked. Deanna does all of her major work in Sage Grove.”
I closed the book with a snap then held it up. “What’s in this?”
Beck held his breath in defiance, though his eyes were betraying him. He knew there was no point in lying to me. Not when I literally held the truth in my hands.
He sighed. “They’re Deanna’s designs. She’s building something.”
No surprise there. “What’s she making?”
“You’ll have to ask her.”
Gemma scoffed. “Thought your leader was supposed to be top secret. Why should we believe he’d let us see her?”
Beck laughed bitterly. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem anymore. Because Deanna is the leader.”
Chapter 12
Claire
Davin threw me onto the carpet of the throne room, right at the Vesper’s feet. I caught the worst of the fall, but still felt jolts through my knees when they struck the hard floor. I tried to rise, but Davin pushed his boot into my back and shoved me onto the ground.
“The little bitch tried to escape,” Davin spat. “She took down both her guards and nearly slipped past us.”
I raised my head so my chin was resting on the rough, red carpet. Riley moved to the Vesper’s right side. He stood there diligently, looking as blank as he had on the journey back through the Breach. I’d tried talking to him, but nothing I said got through. He was either under the Vesper’s spell, or he was ignoring me. Neither option filled me with confidence.
Two Hellions who’d been standing guard behind the Vesper strode forward carrying a long plastic tube with two needles attached to the ends. Without ceremony, they plunged one needle into Riley’s neck. He didn’t even blink at the stab, though it must have hurt. The second Hellion shoved the other needle into the Vesper’s chest. The aging monster didn’t flinch either. The rings connecting the needles to the tubes were twisted, instantly starting the suction of Riley’s blood into the Vesper’s chest.
They stood side by side, ghastly twins sharing a disturbing bond.
Davin watched the scene with limited patience. His boot pressed harder into my back. I grimaced.
“Let me punish the little whore. She’ll never even think about running away again.”
The Vesper looked at me like Davin hadn’t even spoken.
“Did you find what you required?” he asked.
I nodded as much as I could. Technically, it was true. I had everything I needed to make a remote transmitter–
I clamped down on my thoughts, thinking about how much I wanted to be home to block the Vesper away from the truth. He scowled at my sudden change.
“Get her on her feet.”
Davin stepped off my back and grabbed my arms. He hauled me up and twisted them behind my back until I cried out in pain. He jerked me closer.
“You lost me a shot at my brother, darling,” he hissed in my ears. The pressure on my arms increased. If I moved, he would break one of my arms. “When I’m done with you, you’ll be begging for the Vesper’s bite.”
“Before I decide whether or not your vulgar actions are appropriate, Davin,” the Vesper’s red and black eyes fixed on mine, “let me first see what she has done.”
“I haven’t done anything,” I insisted. “I found the materials I needed. Davin and Riley were the ones who kept me with those guards.” Somehow, I found the defiant spark I thought was dying in me. “You can’t blame me for trying.”
“No,” concurred the Vesper. “I suppose it is only natural. You saw an opportune moment and chose to seek your freedom. It is the course of action any human would take.” He tipped his chin, casting a dark shadow across his hideous eyes, making the red in them seem bloodier than usual. “But I do blame you for lying to me.”
“I’m not lying,” I said. I didn’t sound close to convincing.
“Allow me to be the judge of that,” he said, his black pupils dilating until they nearly consumed his eyes.
White-hot pain exploded in my skull. I staggered in Davin’s grip, barely able to feel the pain in my arms compared to the fire raging in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut as the Vesper flipped through my mind. The sensation was like fingers poking into my brain, peeling it apart to see the truth hidden inside it.
I gritted my teeth and closed off the important memories as fast as I could, the ones concerning the Volt rigged to the Dark Spire’s power source, but he was too strong. The invisible fingers picked me open, starting at the moment I attacked the Hellion guards with the torch. Shoving it into the face of the one on the left, cracking open the glass and letting it burn the monster’s face. Whirling around and jamming the broken edges into the second beast’s eyes. Sprinting as they battled their pain, trying not to think about the horror of what I’d done. Hearing the sounds of the fight, running in its direction in hopes of seeing the Dauntless.
Finding Sawyer instead. Feeling my heart leap with joy, then freeze with panic as he was attacked. Saving his life. Running into hiding with him. The passionate kiss we shared.
I desperately searched for other memories, hoping to confuse the Vesper, trying to force him out of my head–
Davin twisted my arm sharply. I screamed, and couldn’t block the Vesper out.
He knew I told him about the storm-maker and the tunnel. He knew that Sawyer was looking for another way into Hellnore. He knew that I found my mother’s journal, and gave it to Sawyer. He knew that my mother was probably still alive.
He was finding everything. I couldn’t let him see it all.
So I focused on the memories I wanted to save. The ones that kept me fighting. Abby and the sprinkles of sugar she left everywhere. The challenging look in Gemma’s eyes when she wanted to take something from me. Nash’s wide smile and hearty laugh. Moira’s heartfelt fussing and mothering. Sawyer telling me about his past, slowing letting me into his heart, the feel of his lips on mine, the relief in his voice when he finally told me he loved me.
Sweat beaded down my temples as I concentrated on blacking out one single memory. Even when Davin wrenched my arm again, and I felt the good memories twist into painful ones.
Waking up and knowing Abby had been taken captive by monsters. Being hunted by the Hellions. Being tortured by my former employer Garnet. Fighting with Sawyer about almost everything. Riley betraying us and taking me away from my friends. Davin taunting me every spare second he had. Working for the Vesper and never knowing if he would tire of me. Feeling his fangs stab into my neck whenever his hunger was insatiable. Learning about my mother, who might still be alive. Where had she been all these years? Why hadn’t she looked for me, for Abby? What was she doing––
