by Jenn Vakey
His smile grew as I approached, holding the door open for me as we headed out.
“I’m still not entirely comfortable with this,” I admitted. “I know Orson trusts them, but what’s to say that someone they’re bringing isn’t going to be a threat to us.”
“You mean because of Linley?” he asked, giving me a sideways glance with a secretive little smile.
My chest tightened, trying to keep from reacting at all. I had been told that there were only eight people who knew who she really was. Including myself, I could name seven of them. The way he was looking at me, and the way he said her new name, left me fairly certain he wasn’t the last one.
When I didn’t respond, he let out one of those deep chuckles of his. “Relax, Leeya,” he said. “I’m not going to start telling people who she really is. And before you start worrying, it’s not something that I’ve heard anyone else even speculate about. I only figured it out because there’s actually a benefit to staying quiet and watching instead of joining in on the conversations. That, and I’ve known Rhydian long enough to be able to see past his facade. He’s doing a good job of not looking like he’s paying more attention to her than any of the other kids. That doesn’t mean he’s not happy she’s here.”
Thinking back, that was something I actually did know about Auggie. I had seen it myself when I overheard a conversation he and Rhydian had been having. When he called him out for being happier than normal. I had assumed back then that it was because of me, but it would make sense that it also had to do with him having family in Alkwin now.
“What’s interesting is why young Myrah pays just as much attention to you as she does her brother. Scratch that, she pays more attention to you than him,” he went on, careful to keep his voice low so no one else would hear. The words might have seemed like a casual observation, but the tone was anything but. Again, I had to work at not reacting. I shrugged.
He sighed, that all knowing smile on his face still burning brightly as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Maybe she just reads into the way he acts around you. You know, like worrying more when you’re hurt or in danger than anyone else. Or the interest he has in watching what you’re doing when you’re not looking. Looking at me like he might actually murder me when I left you out on the path alone, but somehow not even lecturing me after talking to you. I’m sure she’s just misunderstanding things, though.”
“She’s apparently not the only one,” I stated, and there was a lot of truth to that. Auggie was basing his assumptions on things that had happened in the past. Things that weren’t really relevant anymore. If he had noticed the change between us, he wasn’t mentioning it. I was glad for that. I didn’t want to have to explain why none of those things really mattered anymore.
Auggie didn’t argue or try to press further. He just kept on smiling, dropping his arm over my shoulders as we crossed through the training field and stopped at the edge of the front of the path to wait for them to arrive.
We weren’t the only ones that had come out to see the others. Nearly half of the community was out, although almost no one else had moved closer than the edge of the buildings. That was pretty normal. As Zaydan had told me when I first arrived, everyone liked to see the new arrivals.
We didn’t have to wait long before the first signs of movement could be seen. Rhydian was at the front of the pack talking with a woman, the rest bringing up the rear. His eyes found me quickly, his brow twitching just slightly. It took me a moment to realize that it was because Auggie still had his arm around my shoulders. He didn’t get tense, though. Not the way he was with Alister. So either he didn’t really care if there was something going on between Auggie and me, or he just didn’t see it as a possibility. I liked to think that it was the second option.
My gaze moved quickly over the crowd of people coming in. I counted every unfamiliar head as they passed us. Fourteen. That could definitely help when it came time to move on Eden, but it was still a lot of new people to have in camp.
When the last person passed us, Auggie pulled his arm back and we started following after them. Orson walked out to the middle of the training field to greet the woman Rhydian had been talking to. He didn’t wait around to listen to the conversation. After dropping his staff off with the rest of the weapons, he walked off into camp. The rest of our people in the party followed. I wasn’t going anywhere, though. I wasn’t going to take my eyes off of these people until I was actually comfortable with them.
Orson looked up at us as we approached where he and the woman stood. Though he tensed slightly, he didn’t halt the conversation. He didn’t even send us away. Instead, he actually met my eye.
“Stassa, this is Leeya Hawkins,” he said, introducing me. “Her twin sister is one of the Tainted being held in the city.”
The woman was around Orson’s age, close to forty. She had long black hair, which even in the braid that held it back, still extended to the base of her back. Her eyes were what caught my attention, though. They were amber, but looked almost golden when the sun hit them. The contrast between them and her tan skin was almost mesmerizing.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Leeya,” she said with a kind nod. “And it’s good to see you again, Auggie.”
She had heard about me? I guessed it wasn't entirely surprising. I had been the one to kill Adler and find out about the Tainted being held in Eden in the first place. I still hadn’t been expecting it.
“You too, Stassa,” Auggie said warmly. “Let me know when you're ready for that rematch. This one's had me training overtime lately.”
She smirked, her eyes moving back to me. “Rhydian said you were turning into a strong fighter,” she said. “After I beat this guy again, I'll have to see if he was right.”
I felt myself blush at the thought that Rhydian had told her anything about me at all. Especially with him talking about me fighting.
“I'm sure I can find the time,” I responded.
“I’m going to see our guests to where they will be staying, then we’ll be gathering in the meeting hall to discuss things,” Orson said. I expected it to be his way of politely telling me to find somewhere else to be, but he wasn’t finished there. “Be there in twenty minutes if you would like to join.”
I nodded, trying not to show my surprise. Then I stepped back and watched as he led them away.
“Well, you have fun with that,” Auggie stated. “I’ve had to listen to enough arguing over the past two weeks, so I think I’ll sit this one out. Let me know if they decide on anything worth sharing.”
I nodded and watched him head off toward the dorm. I still wasn’t comfortable with this whole situation, but Stassa didn’t seem so bad. It gave me hope that she might be willing to let Lillith and me join her when she left if that was what we decided on. I would no doubt like her as a leader far more than I did Orson.
I didn’t really have anything to do between now and when the meeting was supposed to start, so I just went straight to the meeting hall. Apparently I wasn’t the only one, because there were already several people in there. Noella and Jaron were sitting in the front row talking, and Faida was shuffling papers around on the table at the head of the room. Nevin had come in after leaving the group, and looked to be trying to get a nap in on the back row before things got underway. Not really wanting to do anything more than observe and risk Orson kicking me out again, I walked over and sat down in the seat next to him.
“If it isn’t my favorite sparring partner,” he said, opening one eye to look at me.
“And here I thought everyone was getting tired of training with me,” I countered.
He let out a yawn and stretched out his arms before straightening up and folding them across his chest. “Not me. I like your intensity. Besides, with a new baby at home, I could use the activity just to stay awake.”
I smirked, my eyes moving over the dark shadows under his eyes. His wife, a woman named Amee, had delivered a little girl just two weeks before. Two days after the Adler
thing. It had been a good distraction from everything that had been going on at the time.
People started coming in a short time later. Orson moved to his place at the front of the room, waiting until everyone was seated to begin. Looking around, I was surprised to see most of our people weren’t there. Like Auggie, they must have decided that it wouldn’t be a meeting that was critical to attend. It was more to fill in the others about what we knew than anything else.
“I’m not sure what all you’ve been told, so I’m just going to quickly run through everything,” Orson started, leaning back against the table Faida still stood at. “Adler Behrer confirmed before he was killed that the Tainted captured in Eden are alive and being held somewhere within the city. From what Rhydian and Leeya have told us, it would appear that they are being used for something. The Sentry had one with them that night who used a banshee scream to incapacitate them.
“Our people in the city have been working on narrowing down the location where they’re being held. Right now, we have the list down to half a dozen places. The Sentry we have looking into it is currently trying to get a transfer pushed through that will put him in position to help narrow that down even further.”
“Who is this Sentry?” one of Stassa’s men asked. “Are we sure we can trust him? He could be working for the council and is trying to lure us into a trap.”
Orson’s eyes found me quickly, a silent permission to respond. Or that was how I was going to take the look.
“He isn’t,” I answered confidently. “He’s family.”
The man, a younger guy with curly black hair, twisted around to look at me. He didn’t even look slightly convinced. “As in someone who’s been helpful before?”
I actually smirked at the condescension in his tone. “As in the man that raised me and risked his life to get my sister and me out of Eden.”
He studied me for a moment, then seemed to be satisfied as he turned back around to face Orson. I let my eyes move over the rest of them, most of whom had also been looking in my direction. I was glad for the ease that my assurance had brought, but something still seemed off. Orson had already started talking again, but I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. There was something wrong, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. That increasingly familiar sensation moving up my spine that warned of danger.
Without even really understanding why, I started counting heads again.
No, that wasn’t right.
I stood and looked around, earning an inquisitive look from Orson, then counted again.
“Where are the other two people in your group?” I asked, interrupting whatever Orson had been saying.
I looked to Stassa when she turned to face me, then watched as she looked over everyone sitting there herself.
“All of my people are here,” she answered, returning her confused gaze to me.
I counted again quickly, that uncomfortable feeling in my stomach growing, then shook my head. “No, there were fourteen people in the group with you when you came in,” I stated. I looked down to Nevin, who gave me a confident nod. He’d apparently also counted. Then I turned back to Stassa. “There are only twelve here.”
Her confusion only grew. “That’s right. Our twelve and the two advanced guys you sent out to meet us.”
My eyes shot quickly to Orson, reaching him just in time to see him tense. Silently asking the question I already knew the answer to. “I didn’t send an advanced team.”
I didn’t wait for anyone else to say a word before I turned and ran as fast as I could out the door. I jumped down the stairs, aware of Orson right behind me when my feet hit the ground. I didn’t look back, though. My gaze was moving around the yard. Searching.
“We need to sound the alarm,” I said, my uncomfortable feeling turning into full blown panic.
Orson was at my side in seconds, joining me in my search. “We can’t. It might be part of the wards to erase the knowledge of the exact location of camp when you’re outside of them, but they would still have too much information about the camp itself. We can’t risk them getting away.”
His statement made sense, but I hated it. Without the alarm, everyone here was unaware and unprepared. Then another thought came to me, and I whipped my head around to face him. “Get to the wards totem,” I said quickly. “They’ll try to take it down.”
He didn’t respond before turning and running. I was on the move myself, but with an entirely different target in mind. Rhydian. I had to find him.
“Zaydan!” I yelled, spotting him ahead. When he looked over, I pointed in the direction of Orson. He looked confused, but he didn’t question it before he started running after him. I was moving too quickly to see when he caught up.
Adler might be dead, but that didn’t mean that Rhydian was no longer the council’s target. He didn’t know. He wasn’t armed. God, how long had it been since they came in and could slip away from the group? It could already be too late. No, I couldn’t think like that.
My heart was in my throat as I rocketed toward the training field. I was just passing the school house when I saw Evanly sitting outside with the children. Not slowing, I veered my course and ran straight toward them. Toward Linley.
“Get the kids inside,” I ordered as I passed Evanly. Linley was at the top of the slide when I skidded to a halt at the bottom. One look at me caused her eyes to widen and start shifting around. She didn’t hesitate, though. She pushed down, jumping up and throwing her arms around my neck when she reached the bottom. Not even questioning that I was taking her with me. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight unless I was certain she was somewhere that no one would be able to touch her.
I didn’t need to say anything more to Evanly for her to know the seriousness of the situation. She was already gathering the kids up and moving them to the school house, her own tension shining brightly.
“What’s going on?” Linley asked, holding tightly to me as I started running again.
“Sentry,” I answered, knowing it was enough for her to understand. I carried her to the training field, grabbing a pair of bastons in one hand. I had hoped Rhydian would be out there. He hadn’t been at the meeting.
I should have known something was wrong the moment they had come in. I should have counted them again right away. If anything happened to him…
Think. Where would he be?
Holding Linley against me, I moved back around the corner of the dorm toward the door. I was just about to pull it open to check his room when I saw something through the window. At the other side of the building there was a man. It was too far away to really make out anything in detail, but it wasn’t anyone I recognized. No one who should have been in there. And he was going into the guys’ bathroom.
I froze for a brief moment, looking down at Linley in my arms. I hadn’t been looking for the Sentry. Well, not really. My focus was just on finding Rhydian. I couldn’t take her with me into a fight, but I didn’t want to leave her anywhere she would be in danger.
Rhydian. If he was in there, he couldn’t wait for me to take her back to the school house. I didn’t have a choice.
As soon as the bathroom door started to close, I pulled the dorm door open and ran down the hall toward my room. Glancing quickly through the open door to make sure no one was there, I moved in and lowered Linley to the floor. Then I pulled her by the hand to the small closet.
“I want you to stay in here,” I said quickly, pulling the door open and moving the stack of blankets on the floor forward some so there would be room for her to hide behind them. “You don’t come out for anyone but Rhydian or me. If you hear anyone come in, be as quiet as possible.”
“Don’t leave me here by myself,” she said, her green eyes filling with tears.
Reaching down and cupping her face, I looked her firmly in the eyes. “I will never leave you,” I promised. “I’m just going down the hall. I have to find Rhydian and make sure he’s safe, but there’s a Sentry down there. I can’t take you with me.”
At the mention of finding her brother, I watched as she pulled in a breath and tried to look brave. Then I planted a kiss on her forehead and watched her nod and move into the closet. After making sure she was hidden, I shut the doors to both the closet and the room and ran as fast as I could.
I didn’t even bother trying to be quiet when I burst through the bathroom door. It hadn’t been more than a minute since I saw him go in, but that was still too long.
The guys’ bathroom was laid out like ours. There were stalls lining the left side, with the sinks along the back wall. To the left were the two showers, one of which was running. And that was where I saw the Sentry.
He spun around when the door slammed into the wall, a moment of surprise in his light eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was from my entrance or the fact that I was a girl, but I took advantage of it and rushed him. He barely managed to get the baton in his hand up in time to block the swing I aimed at his head. How the hell did he even get that in here without someone noticing?
That wasn’t important right now.
All of the fear I had mixed with the anger that these men would come into my city like this. It burned through my veins as I lashed out at him, hitting him with everything I had. He actually held his own and managed to get a few shots in before I grabbed his arm and started to drain him at the same time as I sent the full force of my baston toward his head, letting him slip from my hold as he fell. Shivering slightly at the sound of his head colliding with the tile floor.