United (Exalted Trilogy: Book 3)

by Elizabeth, Tara

  She gives me a tight squeeze and then releases me. "Strength be with you, my daughter."

  "Strength be with you, mother," I respond.

  My feet are heavy as I leave her behind, but I must find Val and Ethan. They prove to be easier to find in the crowd because of their height. There are only so many Exalted and they all, except for my mother and me, stand well above the rest.

  My friends are shoulder-to-shoulder, but their minds couldn't be further apart. I am sad to see them this way. I place a hand on each of their arms. "Thank you both for staying and fighting. You're my best friends and I love you both," I tell them, while looking back and forth between them.

  It's Val that responds. "We will always be here for you and protect those that need protecting. We love you as well."

  Ethan simply nods. He's still here, so it's enough.

  I nod in return, give a firm squeeze on their arms, and then do the same with Trudi and Kwan on my way back to Ryker's side. As I thread my way back through the many people that have gathered here, I watch as they all say their goodbyes to their families and friends. Some of them cry, some stay strong, but no one abandons the group. They are brave.

  Cap allows the time for the goodbyes, but not too much time. He attempts to heft his exhausted body onto a tabletop, but his footing slips and he bangs his shin on its side. I go to step forward to help the man that has too much responsibility resting on his shoulders, but Ryker moves his arm across my mid-section stopping me from moving forward.

  "It'll make him look weak in front of the others," he whispers in my ear.

  I nod. I hadn't thought about that. My instinct was to help. The thought makes me smile. I'm happy that I'm not a cold shell of a person any longer. That's why we're here after all, isn't it? But Ryker was correct in this instance. The people need to see our leader as strong.

  Cap sits on the tabletop, spins, and then climbs to his feet. He looks over the crowd with tears glistening in his eyes. They sparkle in the firelight in a haunting way. The many voices of the people gathered around die down. They too look at their leader with pride and tension, waiting for what's next.

  The disquiet amongst the villagers is nearly tangible. It thickens the air and dampens my skin. We all feel it.

  "We all knew this time would come," Cap reminds the villagers. "We all know what we are fighting for and what we are protecting."

  Grunts and calls come from the people. The ominous feeling that was cast over the group is quickly turning auspicious with each word that flows from Cap's mouth. The villagers and fighters have said their farewells. Now they’re ready to do what they must to keep their freedom.

  "We will move forward with our plan. Everyone knows the part they will play."

  More grunts and calls ensue. Hands filled with bows thrust into the air. Postures change. Faces change. I even find myself preparing for what's ahead of us. I grip the knives hanging at my waist while I dig the balls of my feet deeper into the earth. My chest swells and tightens. This is a familiar feeling.

  "We need to get into place. I believe in all of you. I trust that we will prevail. Strength and Love be with you all!" Cap calls over the crowd, his last words filling everyone's heart. I nearly cry at his addition to our proverb.

  Chapter 49 / AZ

  Before I head off to my hiding place, I check on Jenna one more time. She refused to hide with the others underground in case she is needed—in case there are injured villagers. She's hidden away with Tommy and his mother in an abandoned vehicle to the south of the village. I so badly want to be there to protect her, but an entire village needs my help.

  "Be safe. Don't move unless you know it's clear. They won't show mercy," I warn her.

  "I know, Az. I'll be okay. Besides, I have this." She waves around a compact little handgun. Cap made sure she had some form of protection.

  "You remember how to use it?"

  "Yes. You're a good teacher," she says with a smile, though there's sadness laid under it. "And do you know how to use that thing?" A sly grin forms on her lips as she gestures toward the ax strapped to my back.

  I laugh. Jenna laughs.

  She shifts toward me, backs away, and then suddenly lunges forward. She grips my arms and pulls herself up to press her warm lips hard against mine. I freeze from surprise, which she must interpret as rejection because she starts to pull away. I don't let her. My arms find their way behind her back. I lift her from the ground and return her kiss with eagerness. The kiss quickly turns softer. She wraps her tiny arms around my neck and melts into my chest.

  The effort it takes to pull away from her is immense. I regretfully place her back on the ground. She pushes the hair away from her pretty face, exposing more of her rising blush.

  "I couldn't let you go without knowing what it was like to kiss you," she declares.

  "I'm glad you did it. I thought you might be afraid of me if I tried," I admit.

  "Afraid of you? You're the kindest man I've ever known." She shakes her head. "I'll see you soon?"

  "Absolutely," I tell her. I wait until she is hidden away in the vehicle with Tommy and his mother before leaving. I cover my tracks as I go so no one will suspect their location.

  What will I do when the fight starts? Will I keep my head in the fight and protect the village or will I protect one girl? I don't know yet.

  I do know that I'm struggling to leave her there alone. She's a brave woman and that gives me a little assurance but not much, not enough.

  Back at the village, it's eerily quiet. Everyone is hidden and waiting for the attack. I don't see anyone. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, rising with the anticipation of the fight.

  I try to jog through the village quietly. The others are already in place, and I'm clearly late.

  Unexpectedly, an explosion violently rocks the forest beyond the village—to the northwest. I find myself ducking as I run. They're early and they're close. Dr. Fredericks and his people hit one of the trip wires on the entrance road. I hope it wiped some of them out.

  As I keep running, I begin to hear the pounding of marching feet and the growls of engines. What I don't hear are more explosions. They must have gone off-road, though they're still coming from the direction we've been planning on.

  There's no time for me to take my place with the others. I wasn't there when Mena ran her Defender's Course, but that is where she got this idea. She was wise to put it to use, as many of the loyalist Exalted won't expect such surprise. But surprise never lasts long—she knows that too. We will have to fight them.

  "No," I whisper in frustration. My movements will give us all away. I need to find somewhere to hide quickly. I spin around searching for the next best place to take cover.

  The house won't do. They're easy targets, and likely the first things to get burned to the ground if they make it to the village. The archers are in the bank of trees that you must pass through before entering the village. The enemy is headed straight toward them, with more trees to their right and the lake to their left. They'll be nearly surrounded.

  Should I climb a tree and hide with the archers? I look up and then back down at my massive body. That won't do. I'm too large. Pulling trees from their roots is an easier task.

  The idea of swinging trees around as weapons makes me think about the massive concrete block that I was chained to when I first arrived here. That is the perfect place to hide until the loyalist army appears.

  I rush to the edge of the village, past the houses, through the bank of trees, and past the eerily calm lake. The concrete block is where I remember it, just north of the village. I press my back against its rough surface just as the loyalists Exalted burst through the trees and back onto the road leading up to the village. Their torches burn like little suns in the twilight.

  As the loyalist Exalted make their way toward the village, they become obviously confused. Though there is a bank of trees before reaching the community, the village is still visible. They can see with certainty that no
one is up and about, waiting for an attack or otherwise. The little town is deathly quiet—the front doors of homes are wide open, and lost clothing litters the ground here and there as if everyone packed up and left in a hurry.

  This causes Dr. Fredericks' army to stall their march. What's there to do if there's no one here to fight—to kill? Not knowing how to proceed, they wait for direction.

  "No one's here, sir," one of the loyalist guards calls.

  I watch quietly from behind the concrete block and behind the army as Dr. Fredericks rolls down the window on a dark Jeep. "Where are they?" he screams. "Find them! Kill them!" The insanity in his voice does not shock or surprise me—not even when he lets out a lone scream with no words. I can just picture him pulling at his thinning hair in frustration.

  The loyalist Exalted go on with their battle march, again moving toward the village as one and getting closer to the bank of trees by the second.

  It's almost time for the battle to commence. I take a few deeps breaths, waiting in anticipation for the signal.

  Chapter 50 / Dr. Fredericks

  Dr. Fredericks is agitated as the Jeep slowly rolls forward behind his Exalted army. Where are the villagers? They ran, didn't they? What cowards! Why bother setting up bombs if they weren't going to fight. I lost a Humvee full of Exalted for nothing? I suppose this is what happens when people are allowed to feel fear. I’m glad our soldiers are still on the Pump for this genocide—though we’re nearly out of drugs. We need to remedy that problem as well . . .

  He leans forward in his seat, searching the land before them for any signs of life. He strains to see something, hear something.

  He isn't expecting the horn that sounds from the trees standing before them. It's loud enough to cause him to cover his ears with his bony hands. "What is that?" he screeches.

  "Sir," Kinah calmly says beside him as she points beyond the closed window.

  Archers begin firing arrows from the bank of trees guarding the village. Their arrows sail straight into the ranks of Exalted surrounding his Jeep. Some hit their targets. Others do not. They are obviously villagers. Weaklings. They won't be a problem for Dr. Fredericks’ army of Exalted. They still stand strong at sixty-four.

  As his army prepares to retaliate, another surprise arises to their left. The Exalted of Toledo Lake rise from the still water, like ghosts in the lake. A dozen Exalted archers and knife wielders emerge, firing their weapons on the army that's come to destroy their free society. Though they're clearly out-numbered, they don't flinch. They fire their arrows straight and launch their knives with precision at his warriors.

  Mena is among them. Lake water saturates her clothes and hair. Droplets roll down her forehead and off the end of her nose. She puffs them away as she throws dagger after dagger. Anger fills Dr. Fredericks as he watches her fight—so beautiful, so perfect. She was meant for him. Not these weak people. Not that traitor standing beside her.

  Dr. Fredericks reaches over and repeatedly slams his hand on the vehicle's horn, trying to warn his precious protectors. "Do something, you idiots!" he screams at his Exalted, though they can't hear him. The silence and surprise of the attack proves to be deadly to three of his fighters in an instant.

  By the time the second group of Toledo Lake Exalted emerges from the glassy waters of the lake, Dr. Fredericks' army is ready. Water drips from the Toledo Lake Exalted’s bodies as they charge forward with their weapons raised—axes, swords, and clubs. They are only a few, heading into a swarm of many.

  This makes Dr. Fredericks smile. He hops in his seat, antsy for the bloodshed to begin.

  "Come on, Kinah. Drive. Hit them with the Jeep. Something."

  "Yes, sir," Kinah answers her leader's commands as she steps on the accelerator.

  Chapter 51 / Ethan

  Blood spills from a stranger's stomach as he pulls the knife from the open wound. He looks at me for a moment; face as still as stone, and then drops the bloodied knife at his feet. It's become strange to see faces devoid of emotion, even in the short amount of time that I've come to be free of the Pump. However, it's making it easier for me to fight them—to kill them.

  One of the loyalist Exalted charges me; still no emotion passes on his face. He has only one thought in his head—kill the traitor. It's the same thing that's running through my mind.

  My opponent lunges at me. The silver blade of his long sword passes inches from my midsection as I jump to the side while taking my own swipe. My knife cuts through the tight skin on his muscled arm, and again across his back as I spin around him.

  As a moment of surety floods through me, a scream slices through the air. There have been many screams, but this one is unlike the others. Val's pain-laced screams distract me enough that I don't see the Jeep barreling toward me. I don't move away fast enough. The front bumper knocks me in the side, throwing me straight into my opponent. His blade slices across my abdomen, ripping my flesh open.

  Still the screams fill the air, so I fight and ignore the pain that's so intense I have to fight to stay conscious. I don't look down. If I see the state of my stomach or my side, I may drop to my knees. Instead, with a quick flick of my wrist, I send a dagger into the loyalist Exalted's chest. He staggers forward. Now with my left hand, I send another. It pierces his stomach. A third hits near the first.

  The traitor finally falls with a fourth knife to his side. It's a bloody and gruesome sight, and though he was trying to kill me, I still feel awful about ending his life.

  I continue to ignore the pain and run toward the screams. I pass Exalted fighting Exalted. I pass Exalted slaughtering villagers that they've pulled from the trees. They never stood a chance. All the more reason to get this finished quickly. But she's screaming.

  When I find Val, the scene is not as I suspected. She's not injured. She's not being overpowered. She's crying over one of the villagers from training. I don't even know her name.

  Val weeps with the woman's head resting in her lap. In between sobs, she fires an arrow into the chaos before her. Each shot leaves an Exalted dead on the ground. She never misses though she's emotional.

  Too many half-breeds and villagers are falling, and Val has not moved from the spot that has her tethered to the ground. I glance around to see if the enemy has taken notice. They're trained killers—of course they've notice.

  A female Exalted with short blonde hair and a masculine jaw raises her bow. Her arrow is pointed steadily at Val, who is most certainly unsuspecting. Her emotions have her otherwise occupied.

  I do the only thing that comes to mind. I run and jump in front of her. When the arrow strikes, I fall to the ground. My shoulder explodes. Fire spreads down my arm and up my neck. I suddenly become hyperaware of my injured stomach and side. The pain is too much.

  As my vision begins to blur and my hearing becomes muffled. I can just make out Val's gut wrenching roar as her long tan legs leap over me.

  Chapter 52 / Ryker

  For a while, I fight side-by-side with Az. He is a tremendous fighter with great strength. When he wields his ax, there is no stopping him. Now that he's off the Pump and he has something to fight for, he's by far the best fighter I've seen in action, and surprisingly, we fight well together.

  Though we cut a path through the enemy, him with his ax and me with my knives, we are still outnumbered. We've lost five of our fighters that I know of with more getting injured with each second that passes. Things are not looking good. So, I fight harder.

  I duck when a loyalist Exalted swings his sword at my neck. Once behind him, I elbow him in the back forcing him toward Az. Though at first, I notice Az using the backside of his ax to knock the enemy out instead of killing him, he's now flipped his weapon back around. Sadly, there's no stopping these mindless killers. They just get right back up and try to kill our friends and us. We had anticipated that they would be going through withdrawals, but we were wrong. It’s unfortunate.

  That’s one more reason to hate Dr. Fredericks and the Republics.

>   Val distracts me from the fight when she flies by me in a rage. She shoots arrow after arrow, taking out loyalist Exalted, after loyalist Exalted. Behind her, I notice Ethan unconscious on the ground. I need to stay in the fight, but I can't leave him there so exposed.

  After hurrying to his side and inspecting what appear to be a non-fatal wound, I rush him over to the new medical tent. No one is inside to help him, but they will be soon. I leave him on a cot and run back to join the others. We're down one more male Exalted with Ethan out of the fight. They can't afford to lose me as well.

  As I re-approach the fight, I take in the scene before me. A few of the Exalted I took out are still lying on the cold ground, Val is still on a manic rampage, Trudi and Kwan are fighting together, Az is battling a male Exalted of similar size, and Mena is fighting a much larger Exalted male. Before I can head toward Mena, to give my assistance with the giant, someone yells from a tree. The tree rustles as a loyalist Exalted shakes it by the trunk.

  I rush forward as I see the half-breed knife thrower that Mena trained begin to fall. He hits a tree limb and then another. All the while the loyalist Exalted waits for his prize.

  As I get closer, I launch my last knife at the traitor. It buries itself into his side—enough to distract him long enough to catch the half-breed, but before I can set him safely on the ground, the loyalist Exalted shoves me in the back.

  Though we fall forward, I'm able to push the man onto his feet and into a run. "Go! Run!" I shout just before my face hits the ground.

  The loyalist Exalted is on top of me in an instant. He slides his long spear under my throat and pulls up nearly breaking my neck. He lets up though, when I reach back and dig my fingers into his fresh wound.