Emerge- The Betrayal

by Melissa A. Craven

  Then we are at an impasse. “The Chief Justice will be in contact. The Senate intends to end the exploitation of young Immortals by entities such as Soma, including any royal who stands in our way.”

  “An admirable vow, but considering the Senate’s involvement in the Soma slave market, I don’t believe you,” Allie said.

  “The Senate has no official involvement with Soma. Any Senate representatives participating in the Soma slave market have been punished.”

  “My answer hasn’t changed. I don’t believe you. I have personally seen the slave market in action. I’ve seen Senate members purchasing young Immortals without batting an eye. Pardon me if I don’t trust the government at their word. And quite frankly, I can’t believe you would either. The Chief Justice will have to do much better than half-hearted promises if they expect us to work together. I am no threat to them or their administration. I have no wish to rule our world. I simply want to protect those who need it.” I need you to trust me, Aidan. Please, come with me now, and we will figure this out.

  I can’t do that. I won’t. “We have only the best of intentions,” Aidan said. He wanted to say so much more, but now was not the time.

  I don’t think I know you anymore. “I don’t trust the Senate’s intentions. We are done here,” Allie said. “You should go.”

  “Those are daring words,” Aidan said. “Are you quite certain you understand what you’re doing?” You are crossing a line here. One I can’t help you uncross. This could mean war.

  I don’t need you to fix anything, Aidan. I need you to trust me. Allie stood ramrod straight, her anger blazing in her eyes. “I am Alexis Carmichael, the named heir of Indriell.” Her voice took on a commanding tone even he didn’t recognize. “Second natural daughter of the ancients, Ashar and Kassandre, former Chief of Justice. I am the child of prophecy, First Princess and granddaughter of Queen Alísun and Alexander, the Scholar. I know exactly what I am doing, and you would do well to recognize my power, if not my authority. I am no child playing at war here. I am not the naive girl you met all those years ago, Aidan. I haven’t been her in a very long time. I am the leader of Soma. You will be the one to back down today. Return to the Chief Justice and tell them the ball is in their court now. The Senate must cede the fate of Soma to the royals. If they choose war instead, so be it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Aidan

  Barcelona, Spain, March

  “Who is this girl claiming to be the child of prophecy?” Marcus sat behind his desk, his hands steepled beneath his chin.

  Aidan stood in front of the desk of Senator Robert Sinclair, yet another of Marcus’s many aliases. Aidan and Pilar were surprised to find themselves in Barcelona, Spain when the plane landed on their return trip from Atlanta. Marcus had Aidan and his team brought to the Senate headquarters upon their arrival. Naomi and the others were already there.

  “She’s just a girl, sir.” Aidan shrugged. “An ex-girlfriend of mine from ages ago.”

  “And why have you never told me of this ex-girlfriend?”

  “I have lots of ex-girlfriends, sir.”

  “And are they all such powerful Immortals?” Anger flickered in Marcus’s eyes.

  “May I be brutally honest, sir?”

  “Please.” Marcus took a breath, struggling to maintain his patience.

  “Most average Immortal girls fear me and I don’t find that very attractive, so to answer your question, sir, yes most of my ex-girlfriends are quite powerful. It’s not something that ever occurred to me to share with you.”

  “Very well. Perhaps you can tell my why she’s made such a serious claim?”

  “She knows things about me, sir. Things she’s used to place herself in a position of power. She’s just after some attention.” Aidan shrugged. “I apologize if I failed you, sir. I wasn’t prepared for the barrier.”

  “Or the presence of your family?”

  “No sir.”

  “Sit down, son.” Marcus relaxed his posture, reaching for the cut glass decanter of brandy on his desk. Aidan took his seat, watching as Marcus poured them each a tumbler of the amber liquid.

  “You proved your loyalty to me despite the failure of your mission.” Marcus set Aidan’s glass in front of him and raised his own. “We will try again soon, once my sources have more information on this girl and her supporters. I believe the queen is just grasping at straws, using this girl to gain a following.”

  “I will need a larger show of strength next time,” Aidan said, sipping from his glass. “With the barrier in place there was simply no way to take the tower this time; and negotiating with this girl was pointless. She is nothing but a figurehead.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Marcus downed his drink in one gulp. “Next time you will have what you need to breach that barrier and take Soma back for me.”

  “I won’t fail you again, sir.” Aidan tossed the rest of his drink back. This was exactly what he needed to get back on track.

  “I know, son. I trust you.”

  “Shall I return to Initiative to work with Naomi and the others like we planned?”

  “Yes and no.” Marcus leaned back in his leather chair. “I need you here with me while the Senate is in session. It’s the perfect time to introduce the Chief Justice’s Special Forces to the Senate. They need to grow accustomed to your presence.”

  “Of course, sir. How shall we serve the court?”

  “For now you will sit in on the proceedings. Watch and observe our government at work.”

  “That’s it?” Aidan frowned. That sounded almost boring.

  “In the evenings you will work with your team to bring them up to your level. Especially the girl. I want your Syntrophos to be as disciplined and dependable as you are. If you can bring them up to scratch, you may take the full team with you to Soma next time.”

  Aidan hid his smile behind his empty glass. “You can count on us, sir.”

  “Your girlfriend is legit scary, dude,” Wes said.

  “Yeah, and she legit screwed us over,” Pilar added.

  “She didn’t know,” Aidan said. “But we will have another chance soon. And this time, all of us are going.”

  “What’s the new plan, Aidan?” Naomi rested her fingertips against her temples. “How do we know Marcus will let us all go next time?”

  “Gather around everyone.” Aidan leaned forward in his chair. They were all staying in a large suite at the Senate headquarters, but Aidan wasn’t sure how safe it was to talk honestly with his team. “I know we all want a chance to fight together to prove to the Initiative how much more effective we can be as a full army. We will soon get that chance, but before that can happen, we have to crank our training into high gear.”

  “And what does that entail?” Naomi asked.

  “For the next few weeks we will spend our days observing the Senate proceedings, learning more about how our government operates and responding when the Chief Justice have need of us. We will spend our evenings and every other waking moment training. I’m going to be teaching you some of the lessons I’ve learned over the past eighteen months. This kind of training will be brutal, but it will push you all to the next level. And if we are successful, it will also earn us the right to work together as a team to take over Soma for the Senate.”

  Aidan met the gaze of each of his students to ensure they heard everything he wasn’t saying. “Now everyone get some good rest. We’re due in court early tomorrow, so let’s prepare for a long day.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Aidan

  Barcelona, Spain, April

  “Have I mentioned I hate our new job?” Ezra yawned.

  “Only about a million times, bro,” Wes said.

  “Well, it sucks.” Ezra sat back against the hard bench below the Hall of the Senate. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s way better than killing puppies, but it’s so boring.”

  Aidan and his team of Syntrophos waited here every day at the beck and call of the Ch
ief Justice. They listened to tedious trials and judiciary rulings all day long and trained for hours each evening.

  They were exhausted and cranky.

  “Should we run through it again?” Samantha asked.

  “No,” Aidan said. “We each have our own connections and knowledge of the building. I think we could navigate this place in our sleep. Let’s not risk getting caught snooping around just because we’re bored out of our minds.” For weeks, Aidan and his team had spent every possible moment scoping out the Senate headquarters, finding the likeliest exits, and making friends with the guards. It was the beginnings of Aidan’s Plan B. They needed a backup in case Marcus didn’t keep his promise. If he left half of the team behind when the other half went to Atlanta again, Naomi would lead them on an escape from the Senate building and they would meet Aidan in Atlanta as soon as possible. It was a desperate plan, but one he hoped they would never need.

  “We could totally walk out right now, and no one would miss us for at least an hour,” Bennett grumbled to himself.

  “What are we waiting on? I mean, what’s really stopping us?” Gemma asked.

  “Some of us have other people to consider,” Rowan said, shooting her field commander a hateful glare.

  “If we walked out right now, within an hour the Chief Justice would be on our trail, alerting the Immortal world to our existence,” Aidan explained. “If we ever want to enjoy our lives, free of the Initiative, Marcus and the Senate, we need the safety Soma can give us. It’ll still be a witch-hunt, but I’d rather wait until Allie can help us.”

  “That’s if your girlfriend will even let us in,” Pilar said. “She’s more likely to punch you in the nuts than open her home to you after that mansplaining display of testosterone you threw at her back in Atlanta.”

  “She knows that was an act,” Naomi said. “We need to be patient and follow Aidan’s lead.”

  But Aidan wasn’t as confident as Naomi. He was tempted to let his walls down and contact Allie through their mental link. They could work out a plan together, but he wasn’t sure she would trust him. And he was holding onto the last threads of her anonymity. For the moment, Marcus believed her to be a silly girl with lofty ambitions. Aidan needed him to continue to think that for as long as possible.

  “Ezra?” Aidan took a hesitant step toward his favorite student. “You can do this, Ez.” Ezra’s eyes were black as night as blood oozed from his nose and ears. “I won’t let you lose control, but I need you to trust me.” It was asking a lot to trust the person torturing him. “I’ve been right where you are. I know how terrifying it is, but I also know you can do this. Now find it!” Aidan pushed him. “Think of the team, Ez. We all have to push ourselves to earn the right to fight together. I need you to latch onto the branch, Ezra.”

  “I don’t know what that means!” Ezra cried out, lost in the nightmare of his mind.

  “Reach for your power, but don’t embrace it. Not yet. I need you to examine what you see. Identify your gift for syphoning from the life around you. Study that branch of your power. We’re looking for a new handhold, Ez. Something new you can grab hold of.”

  “I don’t want to!” Ezra hissed through clenched teeth as he sank to the floor on his knees. “This gift has caused me enough pain.” Tears leaked from his eyes to mix with the blood pouring from his nose. “It’s too much.”

  “We’re looking for the opposite.” Aidan approached Ezra, crouching beside him, his voice gentle and soothing. “You have to ability to restore the life you’ve taken, Ez. We just need to find it.”

  Ezra’s eyes snapped open, his irises blazing with his power.

  “Yes. That’s it. Keep pushing.” He was so close, Aidan felt like he could reach out and take the branch for his student. He was almost there. But Ezra was at his breaking point. If he didn’t take the upper hand now, it wasn’t going to happen today and they’d be right back at it tomorrow.

  “Do it now, Ezra and you get tomorrow off. The pain ends and we can move on.”

  Ezra panted, on his knees curling into himself, he screamed, pushing himself one more time.

  “That’s it! Now, just like we did with your evasive talent. Grab hold and fight for control.” Aidan placed his hand on Ezra’s trembling shoulders, wishing he had Allie’s gift for lending strength.

  They’d started small just a few weeks ago. Ezra had a talent for sneaking up on unsuspecting Immortals. In the short time he’d trained with Aidan, Ezra had cultivated that gift, enhancing it so he could be standing right behind Marcus himself without giving away his presence. Marcus was quite pleased with Ezra’s progress.

  All of Aidan’s students were progressing quickly. But they all looked at Aidan with a sense of fear and doubt. They still trusted him, but they didn’t like him very much at the moment.

  “I got it.” Ezra panted.

  “Very good. Just catch your breath and try to relax, but don’t let go. We need to test this potential facet of your ability. See if it’s worth cultivating.”

  “It’s a tiny thread. But I’ve got it under control.” Ezra clenched his fists against his chest like he needed his whole body to hold that one tiny thread of power.

  “Let’s start with a plant.” Aidan placed a healthy green houseplant in front of Ezra. “Take what you can, but leave it with just a hint of life.”

  Ezra nodded, placing one hand into the soil. The large leaves began to shrivel as the life faded from the plant.

  “That’s enough,” Aidan coached. “Now take a deep breath and focus on that little thread of your gift, and let’s see what happens.”

  It took him a few tries, but as the color began to return to the leaves, Ezra’s spirit lifted and his focus grew.

  “Yes, you’ve got this, buddy.” The plant wasn’t exactly healthy, but it wasn’t dead either.

  “Aidan, does this mean what I think it means?” Ezra sobbed.

  “We have some work to do, but in time, you should be able to return the life you’ve borrowed. There will always be a deficit, but this is huge progress. Our superiors might not see it that way, but this is much more important for your moral.” And the fact that they would be leaving soon and Ezra would need to focus on this positive aspect of his gift to help him deal with all the terrible things the Initiative made him do.

  “Thanks, Aidan.” Ezra grasped his hand and pulled himself up.

  “Let’s call it a night. I still need to meet with Naomi.” Aidan clapped Ezra on his shoulder.

  “I know that must be really hard, working with your own Syntrophos this way.”

  “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” And that was saying a lot.

  “Kock-knock?” Wes peeked into the room. “I take it we’re done for the day?” Wes bent to help Ezra off the floor.

  Aidan nodded. “Make him give those dogs names. They’re his to keep for as long as he wants them.”

  “Really? Wes’s eyes widened. “Despite everything he loves those damn dogs. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

  “I mean it.” Caring for the last two puppies from the litter Rowan had made him kill that first day was supposed to be a punishment. A way to torture Ezra with the anticipation of their death, but he’d earned the right to keep them. They followed him everywhere he went. Even during their long days in court, the loyal dogs waited outside for him.

  “Night, Aidan,” Wes said, guiding Ezra back to their rooms.

  Aidan sank down into the soft leather chair beside the fireplace in the common room they all shared.

  “My turn?” Naomi said, closing the door softly behind her.

  “I’m sorry.” Aidan stood, not ready to force this on her again.

  “I have a surprise.” She smiled. “Sit. I don’t think we’ll need a full session tonight.”

  “That would be wonderful.” Aidan dropped back into his chair.

  “I found it.” She sat on the leather ottoman beside him, beaming like a proud student. “Last time we were so close. I mana
ged to grasp hold of a new aspect of my lunar gift, but we couldn’t figure out what it does. I’ve been practicing on my own since then.”

  “Naomi.” Aidan took her hand. “You shouldn’t push yourself like that without help.”

  “Sam’s been helping me. We know how important this is. You have to succeed in this training, which means we all have to show progress.”

  “What have you found?”

  “This branch of my gift is stronger now so I can take hold of it at will. It’s a subtle gift though, but Marcus will appreciate it. I think.”

  “Spit it out, Naomi.” Aidan gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

  “I can manipulate the lunar cycle to affect moods.”

  “Give me an example.”

  “Alright. Let’s say I wanted to create tension among a group of people, I could call on the full moon to cause emotions to run high and chaos to rein—even when it’s not the full moon—and I think my reach will be quite impressive with a little more practice. But during the full moon, I can enhance the natural effects of that lunar phase and make it even stronger. With this aspect of my gift I can tap into each phase of the lunar cycle at will, but during a particular lunar phase I’ll have even more control of that one phase—in addition to the added strength I gain from my natural gift.”

  “This is great progress, Naomi.” Aidan leaned forward eagerly. “Marcus will definitely be impressed. He is drawn to subtle gifts like yours. He believes this kind of gift has more range of use than more obviously powerful gifts.

  “I think manipulation of the tides might also be possible but I need you to pull it out of me.”

  “I don’t like pushing you so hard. You were right before, we’re powerful enough. This endless pursuit of even more power feels wrong.”

  “I know, but we have to keep working at this if we want our plan to work.”

  “I just hope the end is near. I can’t keep this up much longer.”