“Yes, him,” I said instead. “He’s Curwen’s new assistant. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t know that.”
She scoffed. “I hardly ever see Uncle Curwen, or Holden, for that matter.”
Her shoulders sagged slightly.
I knew she and Holden had gotten close over the past few months. As cousins, they’d relied on each other for comfort and support during the months following the deaths of their family members.
Holden, however, had found something to occupy his time, something he was passionate about and that gave his life purpose.
Sienna hadn’t. It was probably just another reminder of how incomplete she felt.
I cleared my throat. “Anyway, I’m not sure how we’re gonna get in, or if it’ll even be worth it to try, but I’m already committed, so I can’t just walk away now. I gotta figure something out.”
She nodded. “What time is the meeting?”
“Not sure, I just know it’s happening this afternoon.”
“So we won’t have the cover of night. Neither of us is an Earth, so we don’t have that for concealment either. It seems like sneaking in won’t be our best bet.”
I crinkled my nose. “You think muscling our way in would be easier?”
“Probably not easier, but maybe more likely to work.”
I nodded slowly. “What if we try sneaking first and then muscle only if we need to?”
She shrugged. “Sure, we could try that, but if they’re smart, they’ll have a few Earths as guards. We won’t get anywhere near the courthouse without them knowing.”
She was right, of course, but the only thing the Earths would sense was movement, not identities or schemes. As a public building, I was sure there were many people going in and out of the courthouse daily. They wouldn’t know it was us, specifically, unless they also saw our faces. With any luck, we’d blend in seamlessly with the crowd.
I filled her in on my theory.
“Right,” she said, chuckling. “Luck—exactly what we never seem to have.”
My phone rang a few minutes later, but after a quick glance at the name, I ignored it. Elise. The fact that she was calling made me nervous. I wondered how close she was on my heels, and I worryingly accelerated the car.
When we arrived in downtown Northland, it was eerily empty. No vehicles drove down the roads or sat parked on the curbs. No people walked down the sidewalks or shopped at the stores. There wasn’t even a breeze blowing the flags above the courthouse.
A sudden sensation of déjà vu overwhelmed me. I felt like I had on the day I’d re-arrived at Center Allegheny, like the whole place was plastic and fake.
My stomach floated up to my throat and I gripped the wheel a little tighter.
I’d even been to Northland recently. How could I have possibly missed something like that? Then again, when Jay had taken us to The After Dark, we’d been way on the outskirts of town. There was no way I could’ve known.
I guessed not every town had made the kind of progress Center Allegheny had. We’d almost gotten back to normal—well, before the bombing, anyway.
As the only car on the road, we stuck out like a sore thumb. So much for remaining inconspicuous. I quickly found an empty lot and parked near the backside of a building.
Sienna looked at me, gray eyes fretting. “So, now what’s the plan?”
“I guess we can’t blend in if there’s no one to blend in with, huh?”
“Nope.”
“And sneaking in still isn’t an option.”
“Nope.”
I sighed and dropped my forehead down to the wheel. “There’s gotta be some way…”
Tap, tap, tap!
Someone knocked at my window, nearly scaring the ever-loving shit out of me. I gasped and clutched at my throat to keep from screaming.
It was Holden and Jay.
“What are you girls doing here?” Holden asked after I put the window down.
“Same thing you are, I imagine,” I said, glancing between the two of them.
Holden nodded. “I wondered if you’d find out somehow. The meeting starts in a half hour and there’s no way I’m missing it.”
“Me either. Speaking of,” I said, frowning. “Weren’t you just holding a press conference? How’d you get here so fast?”
“I made a quick statement and passed the mic off to Mayor Pitt for questions. He’s already been briefed on what to say.”
“Does he know the truth?” I asked.
“Of course not,” Holden said, frowning. “He believes what we tell him.”
True as it was, that last statement rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed like Modernists were using lies and manipulation to illicitly control the human government. If that was the case, then they’d stooped almost as low as the Elitists.
I narrowed my eyes but changed the subject. “So what’s your plan?”
Holden jerked his head toward Jay. “Jay thinks he can get us in.”
Up until then, Jay had been staring at Sienna. Upon hearing his name, he blinked in surprise and focused on me instead.
“Yeah,” he said, scratching his neck. “There are a number of secret passageways scattered throughout this town.”
I raised a brow. “And you know this, how?”
“Well, Adira showed me one—”
“Oh, here we go with Adira again!” Sienna huffed, rolling her eyes.
“Who’s Adira?” Holden asked.
Jay glared at Sienna but continued on as if neither had said anything.
“She found an underground chamber near her club a few years ago. I looked into it, but it appeared to be just an old root cellar. For some reason though, a few days afterward, I checked it again. I noticed some of the rocks in the wall were loose, and behind them was a small tunnel leading from the cheese factory to an old tavern. Neither building had been in use for years. It was so odd…”
Jay crossed his arms and readjusted his footing.
“Anyway, that’s what got me into searching Northland for passageways in the first place. I’ve actually found quite a few over the years. None of them seem to be heard of, let alone used. I’m sure we could go unnoticed by following them.”
I pursed my lips doubtfully. “No one knows about the other tunnels? Not even Adira?”
Jay shook his head. “No.”
His story sounded…off, not necessarily untrue, but definitely farfetched. I believed he probably knew his way around a few underground tunnels, odd as that sounded, but not because of genuine curiosity. He didn’t seem like the type to recreationally explore holes in the ground. So why did he really know about these passages? And if it had been Adira who had clued him in on them, why would he not have at least told her what he’d discovered?
Sienna scoffed. “And one of these passages just so happens to conveniently lead right to the damn courthouse?”
Jay dragged his irritated smirk from Sienna onto me. “Do you want in on that meeting or not?”
“I want in.”
“Then let’s go!” Holden interrupted, breaking some of the tension. “The longer we stand here, the more likely we are to draw unwanted attention.”
He was right. I glanced around warily. We needed to get the hell out of there.
Jay took the lead, guiding us down a few one-way streets before yanking open a rusty cellar door behind a dumpster. He gestured to the dark hole, waiting patiently as we all nervously filed down. Then he pulled the door shut, thrusting us into utter darkness.
I created a flame in my palm that lit the small storage room in an eerie blue glow. Shelving lined the left-hand side, and a few old crates were stacked on the right.
Jay moved past me and tugged one of the crates out of place. Behind it was yet another crate, except it wasn’t—it was merely a façade. He pulled the covering off and slid it aside, revealing a narrow tunnel.
We followed him in, but we did so slowly. Stagnant water pooled at my feet. Stale air filled my lungs. Fear curled in the pit of my stomach.
As I gazed ahead into the shadowy unknown, I finally began to wonder if this wasn’t all just a giant mistake.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jay waved us forward and disappeared into the dark.
My heart pounded like a caged rabbit. I didn’t watch many movies, but I’d seen enough to know there was probably some vicious mutant creature up ahead just waiting to devour us. It would use fear to separate and scatter us then pick us off one by one…
“Val,” Holden whispered. “Let’s go. We’re gonna lose him.” He gave me a soft nudge in the center of my back.
I glared at him, which must’ve looked absolutely malevolent in the strange black and blue light, and carefully tiptoed onward.
I wouldn’t have lost Jay; I could feel his signature in the dirty water beneath our feet. If Holden had known the finer details of being an Elemental, perhaps he could’ve felt something in the air?
I rolled my eyes, acutely aware of how much easier this would’ve been with Cade.
“Hold on guys,” Jay said from up ahead.
I cast my light at him and saw that he was loosening a big circular door, the kind that made me think of vaults or maybe submarines.
“Ugh!” Sienna complained, wrinkling her nose. “What’s that awful smell?”
Or sewage systems…
When Jay opened the door, the overwhelming smell of toxic waste washed everywhere. It was practically chemical. I was half afraid to breathe it in, lest I end up contaminated afterward.
“Don’t worry,” he assured us. “We won’t be in there long. We just have to cross the sewer to get to the other side of this tunnel.”
Holden blinked. “Cross it? Like, go through a river of piss and shit and God knows what else?”
Jay smiled blandly. “Val and I are Waters, you know, and you and Sienna are Winds. It’d be nice if you could try to diffuse the smell.”
Holden and Sienna stared at each other, like it hadn’t dawned on them before to use their Elements in a practical way. Perhaps it hadn’t? After all, Modernists had been trained to repress their powers in order to blend in seamlessly with human society.
They lifted their palms into the air and looked around curiously. Some of the smell dissipated, but not nearly enough.
Jay shook his head and gestured to a ladder that led to the bottom, waiting for us to go ahead of him. He still needed to shut the sewer door behind us.
I was first in line, but I hated the thought of touching anything in that tunnel. The walls were covered in black scum. The floor was layered with oily grime. The metal rungs of the ladder were slick with whatever particles floated through the humid air. I could practically feel it in my lungs, and it made me want to gag.
So, I did the only thing I could think of. I called upon each of my elements: fire to keep us out of the dark, and water—specifically ice—to serve as an adequate barrier between myself and the filth.
It worked fairly well, except it meant I had to descend the ladder left-handed. I wasn’t the most graceful creature on land, let alone a ladder ten feet up, and I was forced to move at a snail’s pace in order to keep my grip.
Holden sighed impatiently.
“Shut up,” I snapped.
I wasn’t sure if it was the smell, the dark, the fear, or what, but my irritation levels had basically maxed out since entering that secret passageway. The last thing I needed was some impatient asshole rushing me. He could wait his turn.
Once I finally reached the bottom, I leaned out and froze the nasty river below. Thankfully, more of the smell dissipated. After we all scurried across the ice and up the ladder on the opposite side, Jay resumed the lead. He heaved open another circular door, which led us to the continuation of the original tunnel. This side, however, didn’t seem to have any excess water pooling at the bottom.
“Thank God,” Sienna muttered.
Jay ignored her.
“The passage will come to a T up ahead,” he said, resealing the door behind us. “A left should lead us to an old library in the courthouse basement.”
We crept along, our shadows slinking noiselessly along the blue-tinted walls. The ceiling was high enough to stand straight, but I hunched over anyway. There was something imposing about the tunnel that made me feel small.
After a few minutes, I saw shafts of light. There were maybe twenty of them, all lined up neatly in a row on the tunnel floor. They came from a vent in the wall, and the drifting sound of voices also filtered through. I extinguished my flame.
“…this? It was wise….but futile.” The deep intonations muffled and jumbled together by the time they reached my ear.
Nicholai.
“Where are the…? I was very specific…”
As we got closer, I could see the library Jay had mentioned on the other side. Every book looked the same shade of dull brown thanks to a thick layer of dust. Nicholai’s head was visible over the top of a few rows of bookshelves. I could see no one else, hear no one else, and my palms suddenly felt clammy. Where was everyone?
Jay glanced at me and raised his brows. “Apparently they decided to have the meeting at the old library,” he whispered.
From behind me, I heard Sienna scoff. “Another freak coincidence?”
Jay practically growled. “You know, you’re making this really difficult for me.”
“Making what difficult?” she asked in annoyance.
He glowered but didn’t answer. Instead, he got to work quietly unscrewing the bolts at the corners of the vent.
I could hear Nicholai more clearly from that close. He chuckled, which couldn’t have been a good thing. Then he said, “It’s going to be glorious.”
I doubted it would be anything of the sort, whatever ‘it’ was.
“Jay?” I asked in a whisper. “Why are we undoing the screws? It’s not like we need inside. We can hear plenty clear enough from right here.”
He removed the last one and sighed. “What are they gonna do, kick us out?” He lifted the vent and set it off to the side. “May as well make ourselves known. At least that way you’ll get your questions answered.”
I didn’t really have questions at that particular moment, but I probably would soon enough. Being able to have them answered seemed nice and all, but it still felt safer to hide out in the passageway and eavesdrop.
Holden crept closer and peered between our shoulders.
“I agree with Jay,” he whispered. “Let’s get in there and figure some shit out.”
I rolled my eyes. That pretty much solidified my decision to stay hidden. When it came to matters of stealth and craftiness, Holden was not exactly the best.
Then Sienna touched my arm. “Val, let’s do this.”
When I glanced at her, I could see life bubbling behind her gray eyes. She was counting on that rush of adrenaline before doing something dangerous. She was counting on the release that would make her temporarily forget the sadness that had overtaken her life.
She was counting on me.
I sighed then gave her a little smile. “Okay.”
Jay nodded. He then stepped through the hole, leading us between bookshelves and right up to Nicholai’s back.
“Dad!” I shouted upon seeing him. Terror leached into my veins.
He was tied up and gagged, as were Curwen, Boone, and the two women from earlier, Lira and Mirabella. Behind, guarding them, stood my supposed mother, Loren Marlowe—Loren Skyden, I supposed—two men I’d never seen who looked like twins, and a baldheaded man I recognized right away—the Earth from the club, Brad Rosenthorn.
Nicholai spun around and clasped his hands happily upon seeing us.
“Jay Walsh! How wonderful of you to join us!”
Huh?
My blood went cold as confusion spun in my head like a top. Why would he know Jay?
“I see the tunnel plan worked out splendidly!” Nicholai said. Then he frowned, glancing between Jay and Sienna. “I also see the girl is still alive…but no matter. Chase was supposed to
kill the boy, and it ended up being a good thing he didn’t. Maybe this will pan out for us as well.”
Jay shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe.”
I stared at him, eyes wide, pulse thrumming crazily. “You? You’ve been lying to me too?”
It absolutely crushed my heart and soul. Aside from Sienna, Jay was my best friend. He had a baby face with an old soul and was full of wisdom; he wasn’t supposed to be a villain. He was just an Elemental boy in the wrong place at the wrong time; he couldn’t be just another of Nicholai’s pawns.
Except…apparently, he was.
Tears stung my eyes despite the aquamarine crystals.
He stared back at me, regret so obvious—but only in his eyes. His face was stone hard and uncaring. His arms were crossed aloofly.
“I’m not a bad guy, Val,” he said. “It’s not that simple.”
I sniffed and a tear fell. “If you’re an Elitist, then you’re a bad guy.”
Nicholai tutted. “Now, now, darling girl. We’re not all that bad, are we? Did I not protect you when Modernists and Traditionalists tried to burn you at the stake? Did I not prevent unnecessary bloodshed that night?”
“Did you not just blow up an entire building full of innocent people?” I countered angrily. “Did you not cage me up and try to force me to do your bidding?”
He sighed dramatically and began pacing around the room. “All water under the bridge now, I’m afraid. The past is behind us. From here, there is nowhere left to go but forward.”
I had no idea what he meant by that, exactly, but I certainly didn’t like it.
“Untie them,” I demanded, eyeing his hostages—my friends and family—one at a time.
“I cannot,” he said, shaking his head.
“At least ungag them. How are we supposed to have this conference if you’re the only one talking?”
Amusement swam through his pale blue eyes. The other Elitists chuckled.
“Did you really think I invited you all here to talk? No, no, no. I invited you here as witnesses! You will be the only citizens of Center Allegheny who live to tell this momentous tale.” He glanced at his companions. “Tie them up, please.”
The Essential Elements: Boxed Set Page 56
