by Cait Ashwood
“I’d like to introduce myself to you all.”
Hallie stepped forward, anxiety quickening her steps. “This is Nedia—”
“No.”
Ace put his hand on Audrey’s arm in warning.
She shook her head, leaning in to whisper to him. “They’ll know the truth eventually.”
Panic rose, but he did his best to bite it back. “Have you at least scanned them?”
She nodded and turned toward the exit to the gardens. Chosen Abbie entered the hall and those gathered looked between the two women, trying to figure out the connection.
“I would like to introduce you to myself, as I truly am.” Audrey cleared her throat, waiting for Abbie to draw nearer. “My name is Audrey, and Ace’s Brotherhood found me in my native time of 2023.”
Muttering broke out among those assembled, some of the people growing angry and yelling. Chosen Abbie raised her hands for silence, and the grumbling slowly died down.
“You all have known me for many years.” Abbie paused, letting her gaze sweep around the room. Ace stood next to Audrey, ready to get them out of there if things turned violent.
“And in that time, I have done what I could to help our town grow and prosper. Many of you are aware that I perform tasks as a healer of Chosen, using my time and experience here to help my sisters.”
A few ‘hear, hears’ echoed through the room. Abbie was well-loved among her people.
She smiled softly, glancing at Hallie. “A few of you may recall that I was gone for a few days last year, tending to one of my sisters.”
Ace could see his mother’s reaction, and it was nearly instantaneous fury. She hadn’t expected Audrey to have any allies here and was now finding out the hard way that the two had somehow made contact. I should probably figure out how that happened, too.
Abbie continued, ignoring Hallie’s murderous gaze. “I was, in fact, tending to Audrey. She had been poisoned by a horrible toxin, and her life and those of her children were in grave danger.”
More people had gathered in the hall; news traveled fast. They were listening, still, and that was good. Ace couldn’t help being nervous, but he saw Audrey scanning the new arrivals every so often. He fidgeted at her side, hoping that keeping his mouth shut was good enough.
“The poison had traveled so far that the only way to heal her was in a Grove. But that is where I discovered that Master Ace had, in fact, lied to me to obtain my assistance.”
Ace’s eyes widened as the crowd turned hostile glares his way. A few beefier men rose to their feet and he shifted, moving in front of Audrey.
“Oh, do settle down and let me finish.” Abbie scolded the crowd and waited for the grumbling to die down. “He had good reason to be cautious. He told me that this woman was a Chosen like myself.” She paused for effect. “She is not. The Grove bent to her will as it has not bent to any other in over sixty years. Once cleansed, she identified and neutralized several threats in the Grove, using the trees and vines to bind her adversaries.” Many in the room waited with baited breath.
A nudge in his side from Audrey made him move slightly, letting her step forward. “Chosen Abbie saved my life that day, and the lives of my children. Ace’s children. With her guidance, the future of the Order of the Leaf was secured.”
Ace shook his head, not approving of this one bit. But I must back them up. “I also was not entirely honest when I said my future title was going to be Commander of the Seekers. The promotion I received is to First Seeker. As such, I share duties with the current Commander, and would be the natural choice to replace him should he choose to retire.”
Hallie had apparently had enough. “Is there anyone here who can verify these outlandish claims? As much as we would all like to believe in the Order’s restoration, all I see before me is a disobedient son with a fanciful tale.”
Muttering broke out around the common room again, people arguing the different viewpoints.
Meek little Falda was the first to speak. “Let her show us.”
The statement was overheard by someone nearby, who repeated it until it became a chant throughout the room.
Audrey’s gray eyes looked to Ace for permission. He shook his head, shrugging stiffly. “You’ve done what you want so far. Might as well keep going.”
She looked hurt, the skin around her eyes tightening and her lips pursing, but she turned forward. “Chosen Abbie, if you would lead the way?”
Slowly, they all filed out of the cafeteria, stepping into the daylight outside. Ace did his best to keep a decent perimeter around Audrey, but he was only one man. He settled for glaring at people until they backed off, wishing Zeche was here. People always gave the assassin a wide berth.
Hallie’s Manse didn’t have a singular Grove, so to speak, but had trees spread sporadically throughout the fields and gardens. Audrey wouldn’t be able to give as impressive a demonstration, and Ace bit his lower lip. What was she going to do?
Without any preamble, and with the twins still on her back, Audrey closed her eyes.
Hallie’s tone was severe. “Abbie, I want you out of this. No helping her.”
Abbie scoffed delicately. “She hardly needs my help, Hallie.”
Ace’s eyes scanned the fields, looking for any sign of change. It was still early spring, which was a good time for her to be showing off, all things considered.
The minutes stretched on, and he saw nothing. The crowd was beginning to mutter again and a few wandered off, throwing their hands up in disgust. Ace’s anxiety rose. Audrey should have been able to do something by now. Anything. She’d never taken this long in the past.
A sound like the ripping of roots rent through the air, and then the entire garden around them burst into action, vines crawling up their trellises and bursting into bloom, leafy greens shooting up through the soil and expanding into fully-grown specimens. Where before there had been tiny, hopeful specks of green, now before them stood a garden merely waiting on the pollinators to burst into fruit.
Ace stepped up to her side, holding her elbow as she back to herself. He’d never seen her manage something this impressive before. Sure, she had done individual plants this way, but this? Everything shooting up at once?. How had Gwyn managed to teach her so much in a single session?
Audrey gave him a watery smile, taking a minute to return to herself as she always did. Those people still in the gardens were wandering about, inspecting the plants with a sense of wonder. Abbie gave them a minute to verify what their eyes were showing them but then struck while the iron was hot.
“Audrey is here because there are people in the world out there that are hunting her. The Seeker medics and I barely managed to bring her back from the brink the last time they managed to capture her.”
Ace shuddered, still not over that, but he continued her train of thought. “They then attacked our stronghold, the Institute. We lost at least half of our men, and have taken the last year to attempt to rebuild the citadel. These people mean business.”
Hallie narrowed her eyes as her people’s anxiety rose. “And what are you doing to stop them?”
Audrey cleared her throat. “We’ve captured numerous agents, and have obtained enough information to narrow down the possible location of their stronghold. We’ve been working in partnership with the Ravens and, once we have a location, we intend to take them out.” She paused, glancing at Ace. “In the meantime, I need a safe place to care for the twins. Hallie graciously agreed to let us stay here, but now I would like to ask all of you: will you harbor us?”
An older man cleared his throat, his hair the same shade as Falda’s. He stepped up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We would gladly yield the marriage arrangement in light of recent events.”
Ace nearly went limp with relief. The last thing he need was either Hallie or Falda bugging him every five minutes about it. Audrey turned, giving him a sly grin over her shoulder. She heard the whole debacle in the hall. That little she-devil.
�
�What is the danger to us for harboring you?” This question came from a woman, her two young children huddled at her feet.
Audrey’s grin disappeared, her expression now much more serious. “I cannot say for sure. I can say that their attack on the Institute weakened them as well, but the informant did state that I was not the main target, but an ancillary goal.”
Hallie cleared her throat imperiously, and most eyes turned to her. “It is my theory that if they intend to come after her again, they will send assassins. They won’t have the troops for a full-scale assault.”
Woah, she’s helping us now instead of trying to undermine me? But when he looked around, it was obvious why she’d changed sides. Everyone around them was rallying, spilling onto the floor and surrounding Audrey, their faces hopeful. Ace looked from face to face, saw how easily Audrey interacted with the people. Sometimes he forgot just what Audrey stood for to them. It was so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of survival and caring for the twins that the bigger picture was almost impossible to see. But no, she’d known exactly what she was doing. Instead of hiding the truth from them, every person here was now going to do everything they could to keep her secret and protect her. They couldn’t have chosen a better place to make their stand.
6
Hound phased them to the Institute, where the guards didn’t bother to identify them at the gates. Security had been ramped way up since the attack, but he was allowed through every checkpoint without pause until he came to the actual entrance. Two Chosen stood here, with Seeker guards at their sides. Hound paused, arching an eyebrow. This is new.
“With your permission, sir Seeker, we will examine you now.”
Hound frowned but had an idea he knew what they were up to. “Do you know who I am?” If not, they were in for quite a shock.
The one on his left nodded, moving forward slowly. She put her hand on his chest, over his heart, and closed her eyes.
Hound stood stiff as a board. He’d been expecting something like Audrey’s taint sight, not something this…intimate. Could the Chosen change the mark Audrey had given him?
He felt a warm tingling that began at his chest and then spread outward before vanishing altogether. He pulled his eyes away from the girl and noticed that the other Chosen was, in fact, using the taint sight.
This is a good thing. Hound tried to tell himself that, but he couldn’t help feeling violated. He was glad they were taking the precaution and would be the first one to argue that it was needed. Still, the examination didn’t sit well with him. I’m not trustworthy.
Zeche nudged his arm, the smaller man looking concerned. “They said we can go through.”
Hound cleared his throat, surprised to see both women back at their posts already. “Right.”
He walked through the doors of the only place left on the planet that he might call home and felt like a stranger, an impostor. Anyone that turned to look at him felt like a threat, and he found himself sizing everyone up. Calm down. He normally didn’t have this problem here. He wasn’t sure if it was the discussion with Zeche, the scan at the door, or the pit of darkness that had spilled out across the land when the compound opened that had him so on edge. Regardless, all he wanted to do was get into the sparring yard and go at someone. Preferably someone who could beat him into the ground so he’d be too tired to care and could just pass out in a random bunk in the barracks.
A squad hurried into the main hall, fully armed. Hound moved to the side to get out of their way, but they tracked his changed course. He saw Zeche shift out of the corner of his eye. Who’d have thought the assassin would prove to be the only one that can tolerate me?
He swallowed, feeling his Adam’s apple bob. He forced his hands into his pockets because his palm was itching to hold the hilt of his blade.
The leader held up his hand, and the squad stopped with precision. “The Commander will see you now.”
All kinds of sharp retorts went through his head, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say any of them. He ducked his head and indicated that they should lead the way. Zeche grumbled at Hound’s shoulder, stiffening as they were surrounded by the squad.
Hound stopped in his tracks, the man behind him almost running into him. Zeche glanced up at him and put his hands on his daggers. Hound wasn’t surprised that his hand was on the hilt of his sword, despite his best intentions.
“What is the meaning of this?” The leader had sensed the halt and turned, his men putting hands readily on weapons.
Hound snarled, his upper lip curling. “Last I checked, I was no prisoner.”
Understanding dawned in Zeche’s eyes. “Is this the usual escort given to the leader of an organization that is acting as an ally?” He drawled the words almost lazily. “Or are you going to feign ignorance as to who I am?”
Hound bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep some semblance of control over himself. All of this felt wrong on so many levels. Zeche hadn’t said anything initially, likely because he thought the guard was for their protection. But it wasn’t. They were being escorted as criminals, minus the hematite-laced chains that would prevent Hound from phasing.
The leader didn’t seem to know what to say, his face paling. Hound knew him, of course. He knew all the leaders but didn’t feel this one was worth the respect of a name, much less a title at the moment. He stepped up to him, pressing their faces close.
“Tell your Commander that if he wants the information, he can come find me.” Hound stretched his hand behind him and felt Zeche’s palm instantly hit his own. Phasing was theoretically impossible within the Institute’s walls, due to the strong magnetic fields intentionally built in as a defense. But Hound wasn’t your average Seeker. Since becoming tainted, he’d started himself on all kinds of different training regimens, often training in environments hostile to him. Hound’s theory was that if another Seeker couldn’t jump to or from his location, he was safe. Zeche’s faith still touched him though, as he phased them right out from the Institute’s main hall.
They reappeared in a strange semblance of a garden, with trees scattered about in orderly lines. A wall enclosed the fields, and a large structure made up one side.
Zeche removed his hand, breathing heavily but already moving. He seemed to find the plants particularly interesting, but Hound was still trying to figure out exactly where they were. All he knew was that Audrey was nearby. The mark she had given him was more intimate than she had initially told him it would be. Either of them could tell when the other was in mortal peril, and Hound always knew roughly where she was. If they were too close to each other, their emotions would start to mesh and get all tangled up in each other, which was why he’d avoided her so much. He could barely keep track of his emotions on a good day.
“The state of growth on these plants is extraordinary for this time of year.” Zeche made the observation casually, eyes squinting at the sun and then the building. “You’ve brought us to Audrey.”
Hound nodded. “Wherever that happens to be.” He knew their general location on the globe, but that would put them near Hallie’s Manse. Knowing Ace, there’s no reason he’d be here. They were supposed to be in a Raven safe house. This was not a safe house, and she’d been working, likely exposing herself in the process. Do I have to do everything around here?
Zeche quirked a grin at him. They both knew where they were. Now they just had to find out what exactly Audrey was doing here. Hound closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly to regain his calm. He was still rattled from the overwhelming feeling of betrayal at the Institute, and he was going to need a clear head to deal with Ace. He approached the door leading into the garden, only to have it open with Ace and several other armed men pouring out and flanking the entrance.
Hound looked over his shoulder, trying to find the ward. Maybe he hadn’t noticed breaking it due to the difficulty of the jump, but Ace had obviously trapped the place. He turned back, scoffing. “Well, at least you can do
something right.”
“He’s clear.” Audrey’s clear voice sounded full and strong. The men in the garden finally lowered their weapons, Ace putting his away faster than most.
Hound scanned the area, but couldn’t find her. She had to have a line of sight to examine him, so where the hell was she?
“Balcony to the east, wrapping around the corner,” Zeche said the words quietly, and still, Hound barely saw her. If it wasn’t for the quiver of arrows on her back giving away her hunched position, he doubted he would have found her at all.
“Everything all right?”
Hound turned his gaze back to Ace on the ground, who was approaching, lips pressed thin. The once-tight squad now operated on the ‘no news is good news’ principle, and Hound appearing in their garden understandably had him upset.
“Yeah. Need you to get a message to the Institute.”
Ace narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow. “Right. Well, might as well come inside.” He waved his hand, and the ragtag band of men made their way inside, dispersing almost immediately.
“They’re still in training.” Ace didn’t look at them as he offered the explanation, taking them quickly out of the main hall and into side passages. Hound had never had reason to visit Hallie’s Manse and soon found himself confused, though he had no doubt Zeche was on top of the mental mapping.
Two more flights of stairs later, they found themselves at a stone door. Ace pulled out a complicated-looking key and inserted it in the lock. He spun it delicately as if it were a combination and not simply a key, and a loud click announced that he had been successful. They were in a new section of hallway with another door before them. The mortar work here looked fresh, but that door was something else. Hound stared at it, tilting his head to the side. Since when is wood used for doors? Wood was vital in its living state, as trees purified the lands around them and allowed for the growth of crops. To see such a blatant disregard—
