by Jenn Vakey
Just before we reached the dining hall where everyone was waiting for us, Orson nodded. “We’ll start there. Let’s let things settle down, and we’ll arrange to meet in the morning after breakfast.”
The dining hall was full when we walked in. The unease was strong, choking the air. Loved ones were sitting close together, small groups caught up in exhausted conversations.
“I’ll meet you up there,” I said, spotting the Masters’ sitting at the second table in. “I need to talk to Isley’s parents before they hear what happened from someone else.”
Orson followed my gaze and nodded, motioning toward the front of the room. “I’ll give you a minute while everyone settles down.”
I looked ahead to see my brother talking with a group at one of the far tables. I hadn’t been worried, knowing I would have been one of the first to know if anything had happened to him, but this was the first I had seen of him since we left that meeting before everything went to hell. He looked like he had been in a scuffle, but he was otherwise fine.
I was glad.
Reeve and Emery stopped their conversation and looked up at me as I veered toward them. By the way he placed his hand on her arm and she clutched the baby close, I knew they were worried. I tried to smile to reassure them. I wasn’t sure how successful it was.
“Isley’s fine,” I said, not wanting them to worry more than they already were. I sat down across from them, resting my elbows on the table. “She’s with the children in the schoolhouse’s bomb shelter right now. They’ll be out in time for dinner.”
They both relaxed some, sighing their relief.
“I did want to be the one to tell you that she was involved in an incident,” I said calmly. “I don’t have all of the details, but Leeya, the woman that was with me at the archway, found her outside during the fight.”
Emery gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. I hated giving them a reason to be concerned, but they needed to know the truth.
“Leeya’s one of the best fighters we have in Alkwin. She’s also one of the most protective of our people. Isley was with a Sentry when she found her, but he wasn’t able to do anything more than frighten her. It’s also my understanding that Isley gave him a few burns.”
The smirk I couldn’t hold back did more to ease their fears than anything I had said did. Emery still looked cautious, but Reeve actually had a bit of pride there in his eyes. As he should. Isley was young, but she had still protected herself.
“What happened today has never happened here before,” I went on. “We’re taking precautions right now to make sure that it never does again. I will also be putting a guard on the children until things in Eden have settled. Specifically on Isley.”
“Why would our daughter need to be protected?” Reeve asked.
I sighed. This was the hard part. “With her blonde hair and age, the Sentry that grabbed her assumed she was Princess Myrah. My sister. I don’t foresee that ever being a problem again, but I’m not willing to take the chance that your daughter is at risk because someone believes she’s someone she isn’t.”
They looked wary, and I couldn’t really blame them. Anyone who had been here for long enough knew that we were safe inside the wards. But they had only been here a matter of hours before we were attacked. It would take time, and I would do everything I could to prove that their child was safe here.
“What do we do?” Emery asked.
Reeve tightened his arm around her, either out of support or that Eden ingrained instinct against speaking out. I hoped it was the former.
“One of the most important things for all of us here is the protection of our children,” I assured them. “Just explain as much of the situation as you want to Isley. Leeya actually has a ward that’s her age, so I’m well aware of how stubborn and adventurous they can be.”
I took a breath and looked around, considering just how much I should tell them. I wasn’t willing to divulge the truth, but I didn’t want them to end up living in a state of constant fear either. There wasn’t anyone really close enough to hear with me talking low, so I told them what I could. “Linley is also a potential target because of her connection with Leeya. You saw the broadcast?” They both nodded. “So you can understand that Leeya is as wanted by Dex as my siblings and I are. Because of that, we’ve also put a guard on Linley. I said Isley reminded me of Leeya. Well, that extends to Linley. I’m sure they’ll actually end up getting along great. My point is, our people have become accustomed to the need to keep a close eye out to make sure Linley stays where she’s actually supposed to be. Their attention won’t be any less when it comes to making sure your daughter is protected for as long as there’s a threat.”
The couple looked to each other like they were having a silent conversation. After a moment, Reeve looked to me again and reached out his hand. I took it. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Just Rhydian,” I smirked. “I’ve spent the past four years without most people even knowing who I am. I’ve grown rather fond of being just an everyday guy.”
After leaving them, I walked up to the front of the room where my brother and Orson were waiting. Leeya and Dallin walked in shortly after. They didn’t come up to join us, but she did give me a nod that told me she had gotten what she needed. Her expression didn’t give anything away as she walked with Dallin to join Lillith and Paxton. She wasn’t looking around, though, as if she were searching for someone. I took that as a good sign.
“I won’t make light of what happened today,” Orson announced, looking out across the room. “Our home was attacked by those wishing to do us harm. The wards are back in place, and we can confirm that all Sentry have been captured.”
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “We will be taking extra precautions to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. Dex and the council took advantage of the number of people coming in, assuming correctly we wouldn’t be able to follow our usual security protocols with everyone. Because of that, a young man was able to come in and take down our wards. No matter the size of the crowd moving forward, we will be resuming our normal procedures when it comes to admitting people through the archway.”
“Dex thinks we’re weak,” I said to the group. “We proved to him today that that’s not the case. We lost two good men, but we were able to take two dozen of Dex’s. As far as we know, not a single one of his Sentry that came in made it back out. If I were in his place, I would be reluctant to try again. Not with the current discord in the city.”
There were some muttered agreements around the room. That fear was still there, but there was also pride. As there should be. Despite a large part of our current population being new and untrained, we had come together as a community and fought hard. We stood up to some of Eden’s best and came out on top.
“We will be sending a small party to meet with our Maker community in Denver,” Orson declared. “For those of you who don’t yet know, Alkwin is only one of our camps outside of the wall. We’re going to need to all come together for the trials ahead. Our princes will be leading a group to inform them of where things currently stand, as well as gathering new technology they have that will help to protect us. I’ll be letting those chosen to go know by the end of the day.”
It was a struggle not to react to what he was saying. My first thought was to question the timing of such a trip. Then I realized what was actually going on here.
There was no trip to Denver.
Orson was laying the groundwork for our trip into Eden.
My eyes found Leeya’s questioning ones. Like me, she didn’t think this was the time to make a trip to Denver. I held her gaze. It was all I could do right now. My girl always has been a clever one. It took only a moment for her eyes to widen, that realization settling in. The understanding.
Her mouth formed an O, excitement taking over her expression.
Orson spent the next ten minutes reassuring our people, then passing out a list of things that needed to be done. There was stil
l tension in the group as it dispersed, but it had lessened significantly. We would bounce back from this.
“Denver?” Gryffin asked as people started to leave. Leeya stood and walked toward us, listening.
“We’ll discuss everything in the morning,” Orson stated. “Hovercrafts can carry six, so we’ll start there. If we can’t get the logistics right with a group that size, we’ll talk about using a second.”
Leeya turned to look around, ensuring that there wasn’t anyone close enough to overhear us before facing Orson again. “We’re going in small?”
With a sigh, Orson nodded. “We’re planning for stealth right now. Rhydian and I agree that no one outside of the group going in and a few other select people should even have knowledge of what we’re doing.”
“Ah,” Gryffin said, nodding. “And here I was actually looking forward to seeing this ancient city. I guess I’ll have to settle for seeing the look on our cousin’s face when we knock him down a few notches.”
“Who?” Leeya asked. Her eyes shifted between Orson and me. She hadn’t said it, but she wasn’t even questioning that she would be going. After our last trip, I wanted to insist that she stay behind. I couldn’t risk losing her again. That feeling was even stronger when considering that she was carrying my child. Or could be.
Her ability was too valuable, though. Especially if we were going to need to determine if we could trust people inside the city. If Noella confirmed that she was, in fact, still pregnant, she was going to have to accept that her role in all of this would be limited. Being involved in the battle would be out of the question.
Orson’s brow furrowed as he looked to me. I didn’t react, nor did I answer her question. He already knew my opinion here.
“The three of you and Lamont,” he said, then gritted his teeth before adding, “The Meltzer boy. Dallin will be included in the planning, but he’ll be too known by the Sentry to send in.”
Leeya’s eyes widened as she stared at Orson. Her mouth opened several times, no doubt wondering if she could question him without him changing his mind. Then she blinked it away, her eyes growing distant as she thought. That still left us with one spot to fill. We would have to choose carefully.
“Given what Paxton said about the council, I would suggest a Maker,” Gryffin said. “Someone who will know the power station well enough to be able to get to Councilwoman Jacka.”
That made sense. There was also no telling what we would end up needing in the city. We were going to need to get ourselves into the two most secure buildings in all of Eden. That wouldn’t be easy.
“Jarrell?” Leeya asked. “He was with me at the facility. He navigated their system easily enough and got the doors open for us to be able to go in.”
Jarrell had been in Alkwin for three years. Unlike most of the people who left Eden, he had come into his abilities in his late twenties. He’d been working with full Maker status for nearly a decade before he left. On top of that, he was both a good fighter and had my trust.
Orson agreed. “Make sure everyone knows the basics,” he stated. “Impress the need for secrecy. We’ll meet to start planning tomorrow after breakfast.”
With that, he turned to leave us there.
“Talk to Paxton and Lillith,” I told Leeya. “There’s no point in keeping her out of this, and she might be able to give us some more recent Maker information. I’ll track down Jarrell.” I looked to Gryffin. “Lamont will either be on the training field or in the dorm with Stazie. He won’t like it, but she shouldn’t be informed of what we’re doing."
Gryffin nodded and left, leaving just Leeya and me. It was impossible not to smile when I looked down at her. This was the first we had been alone since she came back to me. I wanted nothing more than to walk out of camp with her so we could just be together. Take her to the tree house like I had intended to do yesterday before I realized she was missing. Responsibility called, though.
“How did you manage to talk him into letting Pax join this?” she asked.
I shrugged and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. “He might not like it, but even Orson knows Paxton will be able to provide information we can’t get anywhere else. Besides, you trust him. That’s not something he can dispute.”
I looked around the empty room, and after ensuring no one was around, I leaned down and kissed her.
“I love you,” I said, meeting her pretty violet eyes when I pulled away. “Let’s get this stuff handled so we can spend the night away from everyone else.”
“I love you too.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LEEYA
“I’m sorry. What was that?” Paxton asked, looking at me like I had lost my mind.
I smirked and sat back in the chair in their room. Lillith was sitting on the bed, chewing on her lower lip. She was nervous. Not that I could really blame her. The last month and a half she had spent in Eden had been hell. She might not be going back with us, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried about what could happen.
“You heard me correctly,” I said, looking to Paxton, who was pacing along the length of the bed. “We’ll be taking a small team into Eden instead of a large strike. After what happened today, we aren’t taking the chance that someone here could be giving information to Eden. That was why Orson said the group would be going to Denver. No one with the exception of the six of us and a handful of others will even know what we’re doing until after it’s over.”
He ran his hand through his dark hair and blew out a breath. “I get that. A smaller group definitely reduces the chances of the alarm being sounded before things can be done. It’s the part that Orson agreed to letting me be a part of it that’s just not making any sense. You know as well as I do that he has zero trust when it comes to me.”
Shrugging, I said, “Rhydian suggested it, and he agreed. Unless you don’t want to go…”
Pax shook his head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. This thing needs to end. Especially after what happened today. You know I’ll do everything I can to make sure that happens. Once Gryffin is on the throne, life will be a lot better for all of us.”
“We’ll have a meeting in the morning to start planning everything,” I told them. “Both of you need to go to the meeting hall for it as soon as breakfast is over.”
I didn’t stick around after giving them the news. Lillith wasn’t comfortable with the idea, and I knew they would need some time to talk it over. I felt bad for them being put in this position. They were finally together after all these years. It didn't feel right pulling him into this dangerous situation now. Knowing Paxton as well as I did, I didn't have any doubts that he would want to see this through. It wasn't just the need to get vengeance for what had been done to my sister. He might not be his father, but Paxton still had some guilt there caused by his actions. A need to make amends.
I knew that feeling.
People were still moving around when I walked back outside. Not wanting to talk to anyone, I crossed the training field and found my spot in the woods.
Nothing Rhydian said would take away the guilt I had over what had happened to us. I understood that I hadn't been myself at the archway, but that wasn't an excuse. The thought had never crossed my mind to tell Rhydian I didn't think I could detect whether or not that guy was lying. I'd felt bad for him. I had seen a sad kid who had been disfigured by the city. Someone excited just to be away from there.
I never even considered everything I was seeing could have another meaning entirely. A guy who was sad because he knew his time was almost up. Eager because he was talking himself into the wards. Well, so to speak.
I had messed up, and because of that, two people who were supposed to be safe here were dead.
Footsteps coming from behind me pulled me from my thoughts. I smiled. There wasn't anyone in the world who could make me feel better than Rhydian could right now. When I turned to greet him, though, I discovered that wasn't who had followed me out.
My stomach knotted, and it
took everything I had to keep from scowling.
"Should you really be sitting out here alone?" Maizie asked, sweeping her gaze around the empty clearing.
I pointed down toward the pair of bastons at my feet. I hadn’t bothered to put them up. I was still too on edge. I also wasn’t stubborn enough to believe I didn’t need protection when I was alone. The Sentry might not have had any knowledge about a person still in Alkwin working with Dex, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t. "I dare someone to mess with me right now."
She followed the motion and smirked. "Yeah, I saw you out there. It was impressive. You really do make a good defender. Alkwin was lucky to have you."
I shrugged. I didn't need her praise. "It shouldn't have been needed in the first place."
