Xander held up the body and used it as a shield. Luckily, the guard had only used a stunner and Xander escaped unscathed.
Deryn jumped back to her feet and aimed her weapon. Before the guard had a chance to react, she stunned him. Her aim was a bit off and she accidentally hit his Element, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The guard still fell flat on the floor.
"What are you doing?" shouted Xander, throwing down the body he was holding. "This is a fucking war, Leon! Aim to kill!"
That word rang loudly in Deryn's head. War . She shook it off. "No!" she shouted back at him. "He was not aiming to kill so why should I?"
"Whatever." He climbed to his feet and glared at her. "Your fucking funeral."
"What did he mean traitor?" she demanded, following him with her Element while he went to the next body and searched it.
"I'm not a traitor!" He turned his cold eyes on her. " You and your people are. But this battle today is pointless. This is not how I die!"
"Coward," she spat.
"Toxic bitch," he spat back.
She rolled her eyes. "Next time just say thank you."
"Never gonna happen, sweetheart," he said with a quick glance up and a wink.
Deryn grunted as he finally pulled a dagger out of the dead man's boot. She was about to continue following her father's trail when someone else ran out of the hallway Piz had gone down, knocking her shoulder and slamming her back a few steps.
"Xander!"
Deryn was whipped in the face by a streak of long hair.
"Mom!" shouted Xander, standing up straight and running into Penelope Ruby's open arms.
With the two of them distracted, Deryn took a step towards the hallway again. She was about to plan her course of action when a third Ruby appeared. Xander's father Atticus. Deryn's heart stopped as she quickly raised her Element, but Atticus paid her little mind as he ran to his wife and son.
"What are you still doing here?" Penelope asked Xander. "I told you to run."
"I was going to but my Element wasn't in my locker," he explained. "I couldn't just walk out the front door without one. I'd look like a deserter."
Penelope blinked. "But who would take -"
"I did."
Every last heart in that hallway stopped. They all turned to see Elvira standing with her Element aimed, motioning to the extra one she had fastened to her hip.
"If your son was a real guard then he would've come to the battle weaponless and ready to fight!" shouted Elvira. "He's a traitor!"
Deryn tried to take a step out of the hallway, but the moment she moved Elvira's Element was on her.
"No!" Penelope pushed her son protectively behind her. "Elvira, you must understand! Xander is not a traitor! He's -"
"You're right." Elvira looked at her and smiled wickedly. "You are." She moved her Element off of Deryn and fired at Penelope's heart. She was hit with a powerful shock that made her body thrash wildly before falling backwards.
"Mom!" shouted Xander as Penelope collapsed in his arms.
"Penny, no!" cried Atticus, falling to his knees and cradling his wife's lifeless face in his hands. "What have you done?"
"What I had to," said Elvira, her smile not faltering.
Deryn took this moment to fire at her, but her damn Element was still on stun and Elvira easily dodged the attack.
The woman laughed. "You think you're a match for me?" She changed the setting on her Element to stun and aimed for the one Deryn held.
When it hit, Deryn tossed her weapon far away before it could shatter and catch her with the remains of the stunner.
Now without a weapon, she darted for the other hallway. Elvira shot another stunner at her but missed.
"Grab her!" Elvira ordered Atticus. "Grab her if you want your son to live!"
Something gripped Deryn's ankle. She fell forward and landed hard, looking over her shoulder to see Atticus's vacant eyes staring at her while he held on tight.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, looking back at Elvira, his expression lost somewhere between anger and grief. Deryn kicked him, so he grabbed her other ankle, easily overpowering her.
"The man who led the attack today is her father," said Elvira, stepping forward. "He has already fled and our president is not happy about it. If you want to keep your son alive after the cowardice he has shown today then I suggest you give him something to lure the enemy back."
Deryn shook her head frantically. She tried to look at Xander first, so she could plead with him to make his father let her go, but his eyes were still blank and focused on his mother. So she looked at Atticus. He stared back at her, torn for a moment before glancing at where he had her pinned. He reached for something hanging from his belt, which became glowing blue shackles at the press of a button.
"No!" Deryn sat up and swung her fists at him, punching and clawing until his grip loosened. She tugged her feet away and tried to stand, but Atticus pulled her right back down. "Ow!" she cried out as she landed hard on her arm.
Xander's eyes finally focused as he turned his head to look at her. She stared at him desperately, pleading for him to do something, anything more than just sit there. But Xander did nothing. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but, before he could, Atticus had his shackles around Deryn's ankles. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet.
"Xander, head home," he ordered. "Take your mother and stay hidden until I come for you. I want to get this all straightened out with the president before you show your face again. Understood?"
Xander nodded, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Deryn. "What are you going to do with her?"
"That's for our president to decide," said Elvira, walking over and wrestling with Deryn to get another set of shackles on her wrists.
"No!" screamed Deryn as Atticus threw her over his shoulder and carried her through the halls. "Dax! Talon! Please!" She looked back at Xander with one last plea while he sat on the floor, holding his dead mother in his arms. "Help!"
Xander closed his eyes and did not look up again. And then Deryn was around the corner, her last glimmer of hope out of sight as Atticus and Elvira carried her towards their leader. Cheers echoed down the hallway as President Saevus and his guards celebrated their victory, the last of the Outsiders having finally fled.
The world was theirs to control, and Deryn Leon had just received a front row seat to the hell they were going to create.
Chapter Three
Deryn jerked awake as something cold brushed against her cheek.
"We're close," whispered the old woman, her fingers trailing to Deryn's forehead.
She sat up and blinked. She'd been dreaming again, if you could call it that. It never seemed fair to call a nightmare a dream, especially when her nightmares were also her reality.
She looked out the window, staring at the bright lights of Inner City. After President Saevus's defeat over the Outsiders he had locked up the city from the inside out. Those most frightened of the outside world and the wealthiest lived in Inner City. Middle City circled around it, not quite as protected, and those worried about their health wore gasmasks when venturing outside of their homes. Outer City completed the circle and was inhabited by those living in poverty.
The people in Outer City would occasionally drop dead, President Saevus claiming it was from the toxic air leaking in through the doorways the Outsiders had opened when they chose to leave Utopia in the first place. The doors were now locked up and only ever opened when his guards had business outside.
But the toxic air leaking in was a lie. Deryn knew for a fact that he had random people, sometimes entire families, poisoned to keep the fear alive. This was the kind of information you learned as a slave. It was just a shame she couldn't do anything with it.
Most of the Outsiders had fled the city for good after they lost the battle against Saevus. If captured they were executed on the spot, unless they were desirable or valuable in some way.
There were plenty
of citizens in Utopia who weren't Outsiders but had still ventured outside at one time or another. After the battle in Eagle Center, Saevus had gathered up as many of these people as he could, killing most but putting the ones he let live through a brutal quarantine. Definitely not standard. Anyone who went through it never came out the same. Deryn had been through it three times.
Those who had evaded capture fled underground. Before Utopia was built, their ancestors had lived in a string of protective tunnels. People hid there, small groups known as Tunnelers moving daily to evade S.U.R.G.E.'s - Saevus's Utopian Robotic Guardians for the Elite. Robots that scanned the tunnels for human life. They were black and the size of two fists with fluttering wings. Virtually indestructible, at least with the Tunnelers' weapons, and designed to kill if necessary.
Something tickled her ear. She winced and pushed whatever it was away. It was the old woman moving some loose hairs out of her face.
"You don't look well," she said with a frown.
Deryn glanced down at her bruised arms hanging out of her tattered coat and sighed. Over the years she had always been tortured, that was a given, but this last place had really done a number on her.
Apparently, the only reason the Guardian had chosen Deryn was because her brother had recently been killed when the Outsiders broke into Utopia and raided his home. Since she couldn't get revenge on who she wanted, she got it on Deryn instead.
"Nothing I can't handle," said Deryn, even though she knew she needed medical attention. There was definitely some internal bleeding after everything she'd gone through. Her ribs hurt the most. Sometimes the pain pressed so tightly against them that she couldn't even breathe.
Trying hard to focus her attention elsewhere, Deryn didn't notice the old woman take something out of her pocket until it was shoved into her hands. It was covered by a green handkerchief but she didn't need to unwrap it to know what it was. She turned to the old woman with wide eyes.
"W-what -"
"You need this more than I do. Get out of here. Find your family and help them set us free."
"I can't take this," said Deryn, handing the gift back to her.
"But you must," said the woman. "Many of us believe the reason the Resistance hasn't started an official war is because your father fears for your life. If you escape then he will have no reason not to fight."
Deryn was still staring at the handkerchief. "That's easier said than done."
"And I have complete faith that you will succeed."
The left corner of her mouth twitched upwards. "Where did you get this?"
"Slaves like me are not watched as closely as slaves like you."
The van came to a halt. Deryn slipped the item into her coat pocket and looked up. Everyone in the van was watching her. Hopefully, none of them would speak of this. That would be the end of them both.
As always, Deryn stared out the window to see where they were. It was a large house on one of the wealthiest streets in Inner City. She had been here many times before and knew instantly that this would be her last stop of the night. She was, after all, his favorite.
"I have an extra special treat for you, sir," said the driver, opening the door to the back of the van and letting the Guardian have a look.
Soren Tash poked his head inside. He didn't look around for long before his eyes fell upon Deryn. They lit up with his smile. "If it isn't my precious Outsider. You've returned to me at last. How long has it been since you were here? I'd say at least a year."
Deryn had no idea how long it had been. It didn't seem like an entire year had gone by since she last resided at his house - mainly because he always found her no matter who she belonged to - but she trusted his concept of time much more than hers.
Before he could say another word, Deryn stood up and walked out of the van, not even bothering to wait for the driver to come and get her.
"Eager one you got 'ere," said the driver.
"Yes, she always is," Soren said proudly.
Deryn tried to step down, but he grabbed her by the waist and put her on the ground. Her body winced at the touch, unable to handle such pressure.
He frowned and stroked a bruise on her cheek. "Someone has not taken proper care of you."
Deryn moved away. She looked back at the old woman one last time before the door was shut and locked. Following Soren, with the driver right behind her, Deryn took a good look at the old van. It had belonged to their ancestors long ago and was refurbished for the sole reason of the slave trade. All hover-cars and bikes these days were designed with built-in trackers. Several years earlier, the Outsiders had hacked into Utopia's computer system and tracked one of the hover-van's carrying slaves in an attempt to find Deryn. Unfortunately, they had tracked the wrong one and old, wheeled vehicles, which could not be tracked, had been used from then on.
"Fontaine!" Soren called as soon as the front door was closed.
A young, well-dressed man with sallow skin, a shaved head and dead eyes instantly appeared in the foyer. "Yes, Master?"
"Go and fetch the other slave," ordered Soren. "I want to get this trade over with quickly so the night may proceed."
The young man nodded and hurried off.
Soren looked at Deryn and scanned her from head to foot. "Switch her collar to me and remove her binds," he said, motioning down to her chained wrists and ankles. "I would like to get this coat off of her so I can see the damage."
The driver undid her shackles first, then lifted her hair and pressed his thumb on her collar. When it recognized his fingerprint, the collar's light blinked red. Soren pressed his thumb against it next until it blinked blue.
" New ownership approved ," said a robotic voice. Deryn hated those words. Even after all this time, the voice still made her sick.
Once that was done, the driver went as far as removing Deryn's coat and hanging it in the closet by the door. She stared after it longingly, wishing she had kept the item on her instead of in her coat's pocket.
Soren walked around so he was facing Deryn, rubbing his hands up and down her arms and making her shudder. He found his way to her hips and lifted her shirt slightly, taking a peek at the bruises underneath.
"Clearly, your last owner did not know what they had. This cannot be fixed overnight."
Footsteps sounded in the hallway. Fontaine walked back in the room with a haughty-looking girl behind him.
"I thought you said I could stay?" she said, crossing her arms and sneering at Deryn.
"That was before I knew what was waiting for me in the van."
" Her ? This beaten whore?"
Soren's brow furrowed.
"Master, please, I'm the better choice. No one can make you feel the way I -"
He swung the back of his hand, smacking her so hard in the face that she fell to the floor. As she attempted to stand, he smacked her again, causing a loud cracking sound. Her nose began to bleed. All Deryn could do was watch as this girl screamed, trying to grab Soren's feet before he could strike again.
"Master, why?" she cried once she successfully had her face buried in his leg.
"You will not speak to her in that manner again," he snarled through gritted teeth. "Do you hear me?"
"Yes," she answered, crying harder. "I'm so sorry, Master. Please, I love you. Let me stay with you!"
"No," he spat. "You will never stay in this house again."
"No! Master!"
She reached for his arms, but Soren stepped back and prepared his free foot to kick her in the face. The girl closed her eyes and waited for the hit but, before he could, Deryn reached her hand out and put it on his chest.
"That's enough," she said, keeping his gaze as he slowly lowered his foot. "I take no offense."
Even though Deryn didn't want to see this girl struck again, she felt little pity for slaves who fell in love with their owners. Of course, she doubted it was really about that. Out of all the Guardians who participated in the slave trade, Soren was, if nothing else, a safe bet. He didn't torture th
e slaves he took in, though he did do many other things to them. Things that some might consider worse than torture. But as long as his wife wasn't there - and she so rarely was - his house was one of the better ones to be in.
"Fine," said Soren, shaking her off of his foot. He reached down and touched his thumb to the back of her collar while she cried. It beeped and blinked red. "Take her away. I never want to see her face again."
She continued to cry as the driver put Deryn's old binds on her wrists and ankles, pressing his thumb on the back of her collar until it blinked blue.
" New ownership approved ."
He pulled her roughly to her feet. Soren took Deryn's hand and led her to the living room as the driver and the slave exited.
"Fontaine, fetch our guest some medicine for her wounds, and call the physician. I would like him to come by tomorrow and treat her properly. We must nurse her back to health immediately."
"Yes, Master Tash," said Fontaine before walking off.
"Let me get a good look at you," said Soren, settling Deryn in front of him and trying to remove her shirt.
She grabbed the ends and pulled it back down. "Don't."
"But I need to see the extent of the damage, my precious Outsider."
Deryn cringed as he spoke the name he always called her. "No. I don't want you to see."
Soren frowned. "Difficult, as always." He grabbed her arm, making her wince. His frown deepened. "Wait here," he said before exiting the room.
The moment he was gone, Deryn ran over to the closet with a limp she only then became aware of and found her coat. She dug through the pockets and pulled out the item the old woman had given her. After removing it from the handkerchief, she stuck it in the front of her pants and pulled her shirt down to cover it. Then she shut the closet door and hurried back to the living room as best she could.
Soren returned a minute later with a bottle of blue liquid. Deryn turned her back on him. She heard him open the bottle and pour its contents on his hands. Then he came up behind her and began stroking her arms.
"What are you doing?" she asked, getting goosebumps on every spot he touched with the cold liquid.
Broken Wings (Cruel and Beautiful World, Book One 1) Page 2
