Kayla nodded, her heart clenching as she pressed Carl’s shirt against Leo’s face to stop the bleeding. It wouldn’t do much good unless they got him medical attention right away. Even so, she wasn’t sure the towers had the capability to heal injuries this serious. She didn’t think her injuries from being stabbed were this severe.
Around her, the guards and ruin rats were still fighting. The Coalition soldiers were quickly getting the upper hand, leaving a trail of crumpled bodies on the floor. Carl turned, firing his weapon at an approaching Coalition soldier. Kayla scanned the room, trying to find the Shadow. He was the biggest threat.
The Coalition soldiers had grabbed Alec, thrusting a weapon against his neck. The Shadow wiped away a thin stream of blood from his mouth and glared at the council leader. Alec’s capture had charged the room with an almost unnatural energy. Seeing their leader threatened, the remaining OmniLab guards immediately dropped their weapons to the ground and held up their hands in surrender.
The Shadow advanced on Alec, no longer bothering to mask the raw fury and hate on his face. “Not so tough now, are you?”
Alec held his head high, refusing to respond to the man’s baiting. Kayla grabbed a shard of broken glass from the ground and stood. There was a distinct heaviness coating the energy threads in the room, making them slippery and almost impossible to grasp. The Shadow must have expelled her energy on Leo and was now suppressing the room. She took a step forward, tightening her grip on the jagged glass. Blood dripped down her hand as it cut into her, but the pain was inconsequential. This asshole would learn that not all Inner Circle members fought with energy.
Concentrating on her target, she barely heard Carl’s voice calling out to her. She couldn’t stop. These men had hurt Leo, her family, and threatened everything she held dear. Her vision narrowed, a red haze coating the world. Her only focus was on the Shadow’s neck and the pulsing artery beneath the skin.
Time slowed.
The Shadow lifted his weapon toward Alec. Kayla leapt toward him, raising her makeshift blade to plunge it into his throat. The Shadow staggered, and the glass shard missed its mark, barely scratching the surface of his skin. Kayla crashed into him as he crumpled to the floor.
The room became electrified as the energy came alive again. Kayla rolled to her side, still gripping the glass shard. Something had changed, but she wasn’t sure what. Undeterred, she focused on the Shadow on the ground beside her. Only a thin trail of red marked his neck where she’d made contact.
She lifted the glass shard, ready to plunge it into his neck, but a strong arm gripped her around the waist and lifted her off the floor. They ripped the glass shard from her hand, dropping it on the ground. She struggled against them, almost feral in her desire to escape. Screaming obscenities and shouting, she fought against her captor.
“Kayla, stop! He’s down,” Carl’s voice sounded in her ear.
She blinked away the red haze and stopped fighting, realizing who held her. Horror struck her when she saw the angry scratches on Carl’s arms.
“Ah, Milaya,” another voice interrupted. “I knew if I found trouble, I would find you.”
Kayla jerked her head up, meeting the gray eyes of the Coalition commander. Her stomach plummeted. His arrival was either very good, or very bad. She wiped the blood from her palms on her pants. “Sergei, it’s about time you got here. You suck at answering your calls.”
“Apologies,” he said with a grin and holstered his weapon. “I was otherwise engaged.”
She glanced down at the Shadow on the floor, not feeling an ounce of remorse. With a bravado she didn’t quite feel, she said, “You know, this is the second time you’ve stolen a kill from me.”
Sergei raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to study her. “Indeed.”
Kayla tensed, watching him navigate the room and approach her. The casual way he stepped over bodies sent a chill through her. No matter what illusions of camaraderie she had with Sergei, there was no mistaking the cold ruthlessness of the man in front of her.
The Coalition guards were still holding Alec, a weapon against his neck. He straightened, his bearing proud and uncowed. His blue eyes flashed with barely suppressed anger as he glared at the Coalition leader. “You will not be able to hold the towers. Whatever deal you made with the Shadows is only temporary. They cannot hold our Inner Circle indefinitely.”
Sergei didn’t appear fazed by Alec’s announcement. Instead, he looked almost bored. “Perhaps.”
Alec’s eyes narrowed. “If you execute us or keep suppressing our abilities, you’ll find there will be very little resources to harvest. Our economy is dependent upon the Inner Circle.”
Sergei inclined his head. “You are correct. That is why we are speaking.”
Alec stiffened. “You have a proposal?”
Sergei didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned to Kayla. “Tell me, Kayla. What do you think of living in these towers?”
Kayla frowned, trying to gauge Sergei’s intent. His expression was unreadable. Even so, she decided to go with the truth. “It’s a pretty enough cage.”
Sergei arched a brow. “A cage?”
She glanced down at Leo’s unconscious form, trying to ignore the sharp pang of worry that flashed through her. Mack was now beside him, pressing Carl’s discarded shirt against his face to staunch the bleeding. The head injury was secondary. The possibility of a broken neck and internal injuries was the most troubling. They needed to hurry this along before more lives were lost. There was still a chance Leo could be saved.
“Yeah, a cage,” she repeated, making an effort to tear her gaze away from her former camp leader. “I prefer the freedom of living on the surface, but there’s an element of safety here in the towers. I understand why it appeals to some, but there’s got to be a happy medium somewhere.”
Sergei’s eyes twinkled as though she’d give him the answer he wanted. “We searched OmniLab’s archives. You intend to build a tower for your friends?”
Her eyes widened a fraction, guessing the direction of his questions. “Yeah. We’re talking about changing the design so it offers a safe haven but allows easy access to the surface.” She paused for a second and cocked her head. “How many people are in the Coalition?”
His lips curved into a smile, and he leaned against a desk console. “Thousands. We have almost one thousand looking for new home.”
Kayla swallowed, quickly doing the calculations in her head. That many people would require a complete redesign of the initial schematics or else it would never support such a population. The problem was acquiring additional resources to fund the construction. They were already depending on the ruin rats to forage for building materials, but Sergei’s proposition would make the task even more daunting.
Alec had been quiet, simply listening to their exchange. At Sergei’s announcement, he shook his head. “Impossible. That many people would put too large of a drain on our supplies. We may be able to offer a home to a few dozen of your people, but we cannot support a thousand. We’ve already had to begin supplementing additional resources to make up for our existing deficit.”
Kayla scowled at Alec, willing him to shut up. If there was one thing she’d learned about dealing with OmniLab traders, it was that they were powerful negotiators. Alec might know how to run the towers, but there was only one man here who could possibly turn the tides. She glanced over at Carl and nodded toward Sergei.
Carl caught her meaning and addressed the Coalition leader. “He’s right, Sergei. OmniLab has already started running tests on an underground river to increase the tower water supply. Unfortunately, the towers don’t have many people trained to navigate the ruins on the surface. Kayla has proposed allowing the ruin rats to help forage for supplies and resources in exchange for housing. What can the Coalition offer OmniLab?”
Sergei regarded Carl for a long time, as though weighing his words. He gave Carl an approving nod. “You make valid point. Any agreement must be beneficial to both sid
es.” He turned back to Alec. “Your offer is not acceptable. You will take two hundred into towers immediately. Three hundred more will stay on surface outside. In return, they will all help harvest resources and build new tower. You have one year to finish construction. Another five hundred will move into tower when complete.”
Kayla swallowed. She wasn’t sure what the towers could support, but Sergei’s demands seemed a little extreme. They’d be hard-pressed to finish the construction in that timeframe, especially since the ruin rats were still so disorganized.
Apparently, Alec agreed. He didn’t reply immediately, but the tension in his shoulders belied his concern. He looked to be on the verge of refusing, but Lars pulled away from the guards and stepped forward.
“Alec, it can be done. There are roughly two dozen Inner Circle members still on the surface and living with the Coalition. If we all return to the towers, you’ll have us to help supplement the power needed for construction and acquiring resources. That doesn’t even take into account the aid Kayla can provide.”
Alec regarded his cousin for a long moment and then nodded. “Very well. I agree to the Coalition’s terms.”
“Good,” Sergei replied, pushing away from the wall. “Now you have another problem. Your High Council has been taken hostage.”
Alec froze, his eyes narrowing on Sergei. “I demand you release them at once.”
Sergei didn’t appear impressed by Alec’s mounting anger. “You misunderstand. We do not hold your people. Your Shadows have taken your High Council hostage.”
Lars frowned. “How many Shadows are holding the room?”
Sergei shrugged. “Perhaps a dozen. This was not done on our orders. Some Shadows still hold other areas with my men.”
Alec studied Sergei. “In the interest of our agreement, will you aid in the rescue of our people?”
Sergei shook his head. “No. Your High Council is held by your people. We will not interfere with internal matters. If you do not resolve conflict, we will negotiate with them.”
Anger, quick and volatile, colored Alec’s expression. Before he could express his fury, Lars held up his hand to stop him. “We understand. Our struggles are not yours. We will require safe passage to the council chambers. Will your men stand down?”
“Of course,” Sergei replied. “We will escort you there. You may bring any allies you need.”
Lars nodded, turning back to his cousin. “Alec, we need to get in touch with Seara. Miranda should be back with Trenon by now. Are there any Inner Circle members who are not part of the High Council that you trust completely?”
“A few,” Alec replied, stepping over to a console. “I can get a message to some of them and have them meet us here.”
Kayla glanced down at Leo and the other injured. “We need to get some medical personnel in here too. We’re going to need as many allies as possible if we’re going to take on the Shadows.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kayla paced back and forth. The medical team was on their way to assess Leo’s condition, and the Coalition soldiers had stabilized him as much as possible before preparing him for transfer to the medical ward. The surly ruin rat was still unconscious, and Kayla couldn’t help but worry. With the extent of his injuries, he had a long road to recovery.
“He’s going to hate sitting out of this fight,” Mack observed, checking the charge on his weapon.
Kayla nodded, not pausing in her movements. She’d counted the steps from one end of the room to the other at least a hundred times. Restless energy threatened to bubble over. She needed a task instead of just pacing and worrying over Leo’s condition.
“Do we have access to the security feeds in the council room?”
Felix didn’t bother glancing up from where he was hunched over a console. “Nope. They’re offline. The Shadows must have manually disabled or destroyed them. We’ve got eyes outside, but that’s it.”
She only managed a handful of steps before stopping in her tracks. “What about audio?”
Carl turned away from his console and studied her. He’d been using the equipment to reach out to Cruncher, Veridian, and the rest of Carl’s camp. The group was detained after the Coalition had traced their transmission, but they were otherwise unharmed. Sergei had ordered them to be released, and they were now heading to the control center to reconvene with them.
Carl pulled out his earpiece. “What are you thinking, Kayla?”
She made a sweeping gesture of the entire room. “All this. We have access to virtually everything from here. Don’t we also have access to everyone’s commlinks? Even if the Shadows have taken away the High Council’s commlinks, we should be able to hack into them. We can use their devices to force-enable audio and maybe even video.”
Felix’s eyes lit up, and he started entering commands. “That could work. We might be able to extract some usable information.”
Brant sat down at the console next to him. “I’m sending you the list of High Council members. Lars also compiled a partial list of Shadow recruits targeted by the Coalition. We won’t have complete information until Miranda and Trenon arrive, but we may be able to isolate the traitors’ identities by cross-referencing their locations. We can try accessing each of their commlinks.”
Felix nodded and hunched his shoulders, his fingers flying over the controls. Beside him, Brant pulled up a map of the towers and began using the biometric scanners and facial recognition to mark the locations of each Shadow.
Kayla watched over their shoulders until Carl wrapped his arm around her. He pulled her against him and pressed a kiss against her temple. “You okay?”
She nodded, leaning into his embrace and soaking up his reassurance. “Yeah. When all this is done, we’re going to disappear for a few weeks and go play in the ruins.”
He chuckled and squeezed her midsection. “It’s a promise.”
The door pinged and slid open. Ariana and Jason Alivette entered with an escort of Coalition soldiers. Jason’s expression was marked with fury as his gaze swept the room. It hesitated on Lars before targeting Alec. He strode over to the council leader. “What the hell is going on? We got your message, but you’re working with the Coalition? This doesn’t make sense.”
Ariana placed her hand on her brother’s arm. “Jason, calm down. Alec asked us here for a reason.”
Alec’s face was grim, and he clasped his hands behind his back. “Thank you both for coming. The short answer is, the Shadows have taken the High Council hostage, including your father. We need your help to extricate the council members. There are very few people I can trust with something of this sensitive nature.”
Ariana paled. “My father wasn’t answering his commlink earlier. Do you know if he’s all right?”
Alec shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ariana. We don’t know much. We’re working on trying to get information about what’s happening inside the room.” He reached out to gently touch her arm. “I swear to you, we’ll do everything possible to make sure he’s returned unharmed.”
Ariana lowered her gaze. “I know you will, Alec.”
Alec turned back to Jason. “Can I trust that you’ll both be willing to offer your aid?”
“Of course,” Jason nodded impatiently. “What needs to be done?”
Alec gestured to Lars. “You remember my cousin, don’t you? He’s been instrumental in coordinating this effort. Seara is on her way here with Trenon and Miranda Noltreck. We’re hoping that, with everyone’s help, we can subdue the Shadows.”
Ariana gave Lars a warm smile. Holding out her hands, she walked over to the former exile. “Lars, it’s wonderful to see you again. I wish the circumstances were better, but I’m so glad you’ve returned to us.”
Lars took her hands in his and leaned forward, pressing a kiss against her cheek. “Ariana, you’re even more beautiful than I remembered. I appreciate your kindness.” He nodded toward Jason. “It’s good to see you again as well, old friend.”
Jason hesitated for a minute
and then clasped Lars’s hands. “Alec says you’re still a bastard.”
Lars grinned, the expression softening his features, making him appear even more like Alec. “He’s correct.”
Ariana’s eyes fell on Leo, who was still being worked on by the Coalition soldier, and she frowned. She approached him and knelt on the floor, her delicate hands fluttering over his prone form. “This man’s injuries were caused by an energy attack.” She frowned, lifting her head to meet Kayla’s gaze. “This is your energy? Did this man harm you?”
Kayla’s eyes widened, and she pointed to the corner where the dead Shadow’s body remained. “Fuck no. The Shadow used my energy to toss him on the ceiling.” She took a tentative step forward. “Can you help him?”
Ariana nodded, focusing again on Leo’s injuries. “Yes, to a degree. My abilities don’t work as well on non-sensitives. Since it was an energy attack, I may be able to do more for him. At the very least, I can accelerate his healing and pull him out of danger.”
Kayla watched as the young woman spread her hands over Leo’s body. A strong energy, unlike anything she’d ever experienced, poured out of Ariana’s palms and into Leo. The deep wound on his head began to knit back together. A gasp went through some of the Coalition soldiers and even the ruin rats.
Jason moved forward to stand protectively over his sister, arms crossed, and glared threateningly at everyone as though daring them to approach. Ariana lifted her head to meet the stunned expression of the Coalition guard. “His neck is broken. I need you to remove the transport brace so I can reset the bones.”
Lars stepped forward, repeating the request in their language. The man nodded and quickly removed the brace, almost falling backward in his haste to get away. Ariana didn’t react, her attention once more completely focused on Leo. She reached down, her fingertips lightly caressing his neck.
Leo’s eyelids fluttered open, and he muttered something unintelligible before closing them again. The visual result wasn’t as dramatic this time, but it was astounding on an energy level. Complex energy threads spun out from Ariana’s fingers and encircled Leo’s neck. Finally, Ariana sat back on her heels and folded her hands in her lap.
Tremors of the Past Page 26