The Lemerons (The Secret Archives Trilogy Book 2)

by Valerie Puri

  The people of Arborville had the right idea. Face the threat, train for it, always be prepared, and you’ll never be caught by surprise.

  Marlene stepped up to the railing, ready to address them.

  “People of Arborville. Many of you don’t know me, but that doesn’t matter. I am Marlene from the walled town: the Commune. I am also Brenden’s wife and Ethan’s mother,” she gestured with a hand behind her. “We come from two of the last remaining settlements in the world. We need to help each other and fight back against the lemerons if we are to survive.”

  Her crowd looked unimpressed.

  “Today’s attack was not random. These lemerons were only passing through to reach the Commune, where hundreds more are gathering. Arborville just happened to get in the way. Their blood lust overpowered the call of their kin. Today we all survived,” she swallowed, remembering how she almost killed Brenden. “Tomorrow, we might not be so lucky.”

  “What are you asking of us?” A man shouted from one of the higher treehouse balconies.

  “Come with me to the Commune. Help us defeat the lemerons at the wall. Together we can destroy the threat that plagues us both.”

  The man shook his head. “You said you have a wall to protect you. We have our height to protect us. I see no point in leaving to fight your battle.”

  Marlene frowned. After today’s attack, she thought they would see the need to fight back.

  “Chester, did you miss how they learned to climb?” A girl spoke up from a few trees away. It was Ethan’s friend, Tulsi. “Did you miss how they almost killed me? We can’t hide in the trees anymore. Sooner or later, they will get us. After today, I’d say we’re out of time.” She fixed her brown eyes on Marlene. “I will fight with you, even if Chester won’t.”

  Marlene nodded. The girl had spirit, that’s for sure.

  “And what of the rest of you?” Marlene shouted.

  She scanned the trees, eyeing every Arborville resident gathered. Those that met her eyes were her fighters. They didn’t need to speak up for her to know they supported her cause. Those who’s gaze fell when her eyes landed upon them were the weak ones. Cowards like Chester. She stared him down longer than the others.

  “I ask again, what of the rest of you? Will you stand with me and fight or stay here and die?”

  “Are those really our only two options?” Ethan whispered beside her.

  Clever boy. There was always a third option for those determined enough to find it. Regardless, it did not serve Marlene to explore other solutions to this problem. She needed fighters, and she needed them now.

  She narrowed her eyes at Ethan. He pressed his lips together, stifling any other comments.

  No one else spoke. Marlene’s face twitched with anger. After enduring an unprecedented attack today, these people were shaken. Despite all their claims of braving the lemerons, they were still weak, just like those in the Commune. It was easier to deny the threat existed than to actually address it.

  It was time to take action. If they wanted to stay here and die, so be it.

  “We leave in three days. Those not coming with me, I wish you a good death.”

  She turned her back on the gathered crowd, looking down at her like birds perched in the trees. She brushed past Brenden and went into his house.

  She collapsed in a chair and pinched her brow. The buzzing at the back of her mind was giving her a headache. It was a whisper, beckoning her to the darkness. She feared it would get so loud it would drown out her senses.

  Brenden entered the house and sat down in the chair beside her.

  Marlene stared into the cold logs on the fireplace. “Long ago, I witnessed the transformation.”

  “What transformation?” he asked.

  “Back before I founded the Commune, I was part of a band of people. We were migrating north, fleeing the growing number of lemerons. Eric, our arrogant leader at the time, was bitten by one. It didn’t take long for him to change. He became a lemeron. He attacked me, so I killed him.”

  “That must have been horrible,” Brenden said.

  “The worst part of it was his face. Unlike the rest of the lemerons with gaunt skulls covered in grey skin, he still resembled the man he had been. When I think back on it, I see Eric attack me. Not a lemeron. But his mind was consumed with their song. He was a monster. He’s what I fear I’ll become.”

  “Don’t worry, they will fight with us,” Brenden placed his hand on her shoulder.

  She reached up, taking his hand in hers. “They agreed to fight?”

  “No, but I know them. We don’t sit idly by when threatened.”

  “We shall see,” she said skeptically.

  “It’s been a long day; you should get some rest.” Brenden kissed her forehead before climbing to the sleeping loft.

  The burden of protecting her people weighed heavily upon her shoulders. It was made worse by the fear growing within her. When she was closer to the hoard of lemerons, could she fight the song?

  Exhausted, Marlene closed her eyes.

  She could see Eric etched inside her eyelids. He rushed at her, teeth bared. He was another victim of the Grey Fever infection, another lemeron. Reaching his arm back, he prepared to strike her. His skin melted away, revealing a mirror image of herself. Her lemeron doppelganger swung its clawed hand forward, slashing her neck open. She collapsed to the ground, clutching at her throat. Marlene’s lifeblood drained from her.

  When she looked up, a grey fleshed lemeron stood above her. The last of her humanity was dying, leaving behind just another monster. Marlene closed her eyes, giving in to the darkness. The song hummed louder than ever.

  She gasped, snapping her eyes open. Her hands felt frantically at her neck. It was dry, there was no gash. She was sitting in the chair in Brenden’s house. She was still herself and alive.

  It was only a nightmare.

  Or was it a glimpse of my future?

  Forty-One

  Ethan

  Ethan took Jennie to the main hall the next morning. His breakfast porridge tasted bland today. Old Nan always made it the same, but something was missing. Maybe it was his lack of faith in everything.

  Jennie ate silently from her bowl. She kept looking around the crowded hall.

  “Why do they keep staring at me?” she whispered to him.

  Ethan’s mouth twitched into a smile. “It means they are willing to fight. You’re a walking, breathing human being. There aren’t that many of us left. You’re one of us.”

  “One of you here in Arborville or one of the humans?”

  There were those butterflies in Ethan’s stomach again.

  How did I mean it? I love Jennie and never want us to be apart.

  “Jennie, you’re someone I could spend the rest of my life with, and I want to. But after all the fighting is done and things return to normal, what becomes of us? Will you want to live in the Commune?” he swallowed. “Or will you consider living in Arborville with me?”

  Her eyebrows raised and her mouth went slack.

  His porridge sloshed around in his stomach. How would she answer the question hanging in the air between them?

  “Can you believe Chester?” Tulsi huffed, plopping down at their table.

  Ethan bowed his head to hide his flushed cheeks. He poked at the lumps in his porridge with his spoon.

  “Come on, Tulsi, you know he’s a blockhead,” he said into his bowl.

  “He is not. He’s just stubborn, like me. Really though, he should do a better job picking his battles. Arguing with your mother about not joining this fight is like throwing dry leaves on a fire expecting to put it out. It doesn’t help.”

  Ethan studied her. Her cheeks were red. “It almost sounds like you’re defending him, then insulting him. What’s going on?”

  She slammed her spoon down on the table. Jennie jumped beside him.

  “It’s like he doesn’t even care that I almost died yesterday. I was almost eaten alive by those monsters. How am I suppose
d to feel about that? Chester was wrong to so openly dismiss this whole mess… and to dismiss me.”

  Her hand shook as she grabbed her spoon and shoved a bite of porridge in her mouth.

  “Chester’s a true fighter, but he’s also a sentry. Maybe he feels like leaving Arborville would be abandoning his post.”

  “Now you’re defending him? What about your girlfriend? You’re going to let him just turn his back on her problems? Well, I’m not. I’m fighting. Anyone who doesn’t join in is a coward in my book.”

  Her cheeks burned red. She stuffed another bite in her mouth.

  “Is Chester really so stubborn he won’t help?” Jennie asked.

  “He’s loyal and dedicated to his duty. He’ll come around,” Ethan said. “Fighting lemerons is a responsibility that belongs to us all.”

  “If he’s so loyal, why did he act like he didn’t care a lick about me? He used to be so sweet. He always brings me flowers on my birthday. Next time he tries, I’m going to throw them in his face since he doesn’t care if I live or die.”

  Ethan was at a loss. He had no idea what to say to Tulsi to make her feel better.

  “Are you and Chester dating?” Jennie asked.

  Ethan blinked. What? Tulsi and Chester? His best friend and Chester? He was a little too short, a little too disheveled, a little too… just not right for Tulsi… wasn’t he?

  “No,” Tulsi shoved another bite in her mouth. “Besides, he wouldn’t know a good woman if she hit him in the face. I know. I’ve hit him before. It was while sparring, but still,” she shrugged. “The point stands.”

  Ethan raised his eyebrows. “Wait, what? You like Chester?”

  Tulsi threw her spoon in her bowl, causing porridge to splutter onto the table. “Well, not anymore! He’s a ‘blockhead’ just as you said. He only cares about himself. Now you, on the other hand, you care. You’re the one who saved my life. Jennie told me. Thank you for that.”

  He flushed. “That’s what friends are for.”

  “No, that’s what real men are for. Jennie, you’re lucky to have someone like Ethan looking after you. Avoid the Chesters of the world if you can.”

  She crossed her arms and shifted in her chair. Looking around the room, she screwed up her face. Raising her voice, she addressed the others eating.

  “You hear that? You’re a coward if you aren’t willing to fight for our world. We share it with other humans, like Jennie. If we don’t look out for each other, who are we really? Are we going to be like Chester and just stay put in our own little bubble? Well, guess what? That bubble burst yesterday when the lemerons figured out how to climb. We aren’t safe until that group at Jennie’s wall is dead. Make your choice and make it quickly. In three days, I’m heading out. I hope you have enough sense to join me.”

  Tulsi stormed from the room, leaving her breakfast half-eaten.

  “Wow, she really likes Chester, doesn’t she?” Jennie asked.

  “If you say so.”

  The idea of it was so strange. Ethan shook his head, bewildered. Both a couple years his senior, Tulsi and Chester had always been there, like older siblings.

  “You really didn’t know? I thought Tulsi was your best friend?” Jennie asked.

  “Chester’s a skilled sentry who’s always reserved and focused. Tulsi’s fierce and all over the place. She doesn’t even have a specific job. She does a little bit of everything depending on her mood: sheer the sheep, go hunting, or help Old Nan wash dishes. They couldn’t be more incompatible, right?”

  Jennie gave a coy smile. “You’d be surprised how compatible people with major differences can be.”

  Ethan rubbed his temples. Too many aspects of his life were changing all at once. He wanted to focus on the immediate problem: the lemerons. It was a problem that never went away, but it was now a critical issue.

  “Hey, Ethan.”

  He looked up to see Chaz standing nearby. “Morning, Chaz. What’s on your mind?”

  “I was standing guard when you two arrived. I’ve never seen anyone from outside come here, other than you when you were a baby, Ethan. When you brought Jennie here, it just solidified it for me. There are more people survivin’ out there. We have to fight together if we’re going to live through this.” Chaz rubbed his bald head. “I’ll fight with you. I’ll do my part to convince the other sentries to fight, too. Even Chester. Although, he won’t be happy about how Tulsi smeared him like that.” He shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”

  “Thanks, Chaz. We need your support,” Ethan said. “The more people we can get to fight, the better.”

  “Thank you, Chaz. Really. Thank you,” Jennie added.

  “I’ll get to it then,” he nodded, then made his way for the door.

  Jennie hugged Ethan.

  He wasn’t expecting it, but wrapped his arms around her, enjoying her embrace. The smell of apples in her hair was fading. She still smelled sweet, though, like morning dew on the leaves.

  “Thank you, Ethan. We can’t do this without you.” She pulled away. “I need to thank Tulsi, too.”

  Jennie still didn’t know her way around. He didn’t blame her. It could get confusing navigating all the twisting platforms and suspension bridges.

  He stood up, taking her by the hand. “Let’s go find her.”

  Forty-Two

  Jennie

  Before they left, the main hall grew more active with conversation. Jennie hoped that was a good sign. She couldn’t make out what everyone was saying, but she hoped it was people agreeing to fight with the Commune.

  She held Ethan’s hand as they walked across the suspended bridges and platforms of Arborville. With his strong hand in hers, she felt like she could do anything. Today was a new day, and they would recruit more people to their cause. Tulsi and Chaz were just the start.

  “Ethan, hang on,” someone called out.

  They stopped, turning to see a woman approaching from a bridge to their left.

  “Alice, how are you?”

  Her red hair was bundled on top of her head, crowning her freckled face. The wrinkles framing her green eyes made her look about Jennie’s father’s age.

  “Just fine, thanks to you and Brenden. I saw what you two did yesterday. You faced the lemerons on the ground to save us all.”

  Ethan pulled his lips into a thin line. Jennie could tell he didn’t enjoy remembering what happened down there. It didn’t help that everyone kept talking about it.

  “Everyone here owes you. If you and your father say we need to fight the lemerons at this wall, we’ll do it.”

  Jennie smiled. People were willing to help. Chester resisted yesterday, but he seemed to be an outlier.

  “Alice, we need every single person we can get.”

  She nodded. “Then you have me at your side.”

  “Can you help recruit others?”

  “You can count on it. Many are already willing to fight, they just need the word from you and your father. I’ll spread the word. Arborville is with you.”

  “Thank you,” he said as she rushed off back the way she came.

  “That was encouraging,” Jennie said. “Is she a good fighter like you?”

  “Everyone in Arborville is good at fighting. It’s something we grow up learning as second nature. Like eating and sleeping.”

  Her stomach fluttered. Ethan was a fierce protector. If his people were half as good as him, then the Commune had hope.

  “I don’t know how we can thank your people enough. Facing a lemeron is nothing to scoff at, but to face an army of them…” She blew out a puff of air. “Everyone’s so brave.”

  Ethan laughed. “Everyone except for Chester, according to Tulsi.”

  “Does she really think he’s a coward?”

  “No. She over-exaggerates sometimes. Chester’s as brave as the rest of us. He’s just focused on his responsibilities. He has trouble deviating from them, even when exceptions need to be made.”

  They continued on through the labyrinth of br
idges. As they approached the edges of the town, Jennie wondered if they’d ever find Tulsi.

  “Up ahead, we have our sparring grounds. They are platforms built around trees that won’t support houses. We use the trunks and branches for target practice.”

  “Kind of like where I found you hacking at the tree with the machete the other night?”

  “Mmm, not quite. That one will be someone’s house someday. Maybe it’s best not to tell them I was taking my anger out on their tree trunk.”

  Jennie chuckled. She had no idea who’s house that would be. Who would she even mention it to?

  “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

  “There she is,” Ethan pointed to a platform two trees over. “Just as I thought.”

  Tulsi was sitting with one leg dangling over the ledge, and the other tucked under her. She was hunched over, working on something.

  When they got closer, Jennie got a better look at what she was doing.

  On her left she had a pile of blunt arrow shafts. To her right were the same type of shafts with sharpened tips.

  Tulsi worked vigorously with her knife, sharpening the wood to a point. Each time she finished, she put it on the finished pile and picked up a new one. She must have sharpened at least thirty arrows.

  Without looking up from her work, she greeted them flatly. “Congrats, you found me. I hope my outburst left you all entertained.”

  “Actually, I think it helped,” Jennie said. “That’s why I wanted to come and thank you. I appreciate someone who speaks their mind.”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Always ready to jump to snap conclusions and make a mess of things.”

  “No, Tulsi. It’s true. People are joining the cause. They’re agreeing to fight with us,” Ethan said.

  She stopped sharpening, mid-stroke. Looking up at them. “They are? Who?”

  “Chaz, Alice, and some more they’ve been talking with,” he counted off.

  “And Chester?”

  “Not yet,” he admitted.