The 7th Lie

by Tamara Grantham

  “Sabine.” His whispered voice came from the bed. I turned around. He was looking at me with a penetrating gaze that set my insides on fire.

  “What is it?” I whispered back.

  “Don’t leave,” he said.

  I adjusted the bag. “What?”

  “Don’t go yet,” he repeated.

  I walked back to his bed, then placed my pack on the floor. “Why not?”

  He reached for me. “Stay with me. Just for a little while. Please.”

  I glanced at the door. Didn’t I need to go? But I found myself kneeling by the bed, and I wasn’t even sure how I’d gotten there. He reached for my hand, gently grasping my fingers. “I want you to stay with me.”

  “Morven—I can’t do that. I... I have to get back to my own room.”

  “Why?” He smoothed his thumb over the back of my hand.

  “Because... I just do.”

  “What’s the rush?” He spoke softly. “Why are you always evading me? Looking for random things, pretending you know things about this world when you really don’t.”

  I didn’t know how to answer.

  “Just lay beside me. I promise to be a gentleman.” The intensity in his voice caught me off guard. The muted moonlight drifting through the curtains captured the passion in his eyes.

  My heart pounded as I glanced down at my pack, the scroll hidden inside.

  “I can’t stay for long.” I climbed into the bed and lay down beside him. The warmth of his body molded to my back, and he carefully wrapped his arm around me. My pulse thrummed. He ran his hand up my shoulder, to my hair, where he combed his fingers through the long strands.

  “Tell me who you are,” he whispered, his breath warm against the back of my neck.

  Uh-oh. “You know who I am.”

  “Everything about you is a mystery to me.” The hairs on the nape of my neck prickled as he spoke. “The way you talk, the way you look at things, the attention you give to details when you think no one notices. Your hair—the smell. Intoxicating. Like nothing I’m familiar with.”

  Heat swirled deep in my stomach as he spoke.

  “I guess we’re even,” I whispered.

  “What do you mean?”

  I rolled to face him, then ran my fingers along his jawline, his skin smooth with only a slight prickle of facial hair. “You’re a mystery to me, too.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  I couldn’t tell him my true feelings—how close I was becoming to him, how I desperately wanted to know what it would be like to kiss him. How I was a thief from another reality. How I’d leave this existence when I found the seven lies.

  No, I couldn’t tell him that.

  I would never tell him, so I went with something else, something less personal. “When you told me about the Cu Sith. You didn’t tell me everything.”

  He moved his hand away from my hair. Though I couldn’t see his face, I imagined his jaw had gone rigid, the way it always did when something bothered him.

  “I can’t tell you,” he said.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “I just can’t,” he answered, pleading.

  Silence stretched between us.

  “I can handle it,” I said softly. “Whatever it is, I give you my word I won’t tell anyone.”

  “You promise?” he asked after a pause.

  I nodded. “I promise.”

  Sighing, he stroked my hair again, his fingers light as they brushed against my cheek.

  “I told you I felt a Cu Sith had inhabited my body, but I wasn’t being completely honest,” he explained, his voice distant, as if he were reliving the past. “When I was a child, I knew I’d lived another life before this one. I knew specific details no one else would know. His name was Isaac. He had the same personality as me—stubborn and too proud for his own good.” He chuckled quietly. “He looked like me, too. I think he was a miner, but I don’t know much about his life. It got cloudy when I focused on it. When I got sick, the memories went away. I forgot about Isaac, to be honest. Decided I must’ve imagined it. That or I was schizophrenic. But a few days ago, the memories came back. When they did, I saw something happen to me—to Isaac—that I’d never seen before.”

  “What did you see?” I asked, my voice guarded.

  “I saw someone murder him—murder me.”

  My stomach lurched. “Murder you?”

  He gave a single nod. “I know it’s a lot to take in, especially after I told you what I discovered about our world.”

  “It’s pretty unbelievable. You were reincarnated?”

  “No. Not exactly. You see, when Isaac died, his soul became a spirit animal—a wolf, actually, it lived that way for a long time.”

  “How long?” I asked.

  “I don’t know for sure. But it felt like hundreds of years until I was born, and then, Isaac’s soul merged with mine. I know that’s all truly incredible. I won’t blame you one bit for thinking I’m crazy.”

  “Morven.” I squeezed his hand, his fingers cold against my warm ones. “I don’t think you’re crazy. Rude, maybe. Self-absorbed, absolutely. But not crazy.”

  A half-smile lit his face. The moonlight painted interesting shadows on the smooth plane of his forehead, the curve of his nose, the smoothness of his pale skin, and the depth of his eyes. He seemed so much wiser than his almost-twenty-three years.

  He smoothed his thumb over my cheek. “I’ve never told anyone except my parents, and they took my secret to the grave with them. Do you believe me?”

  I pressed his hand to my face, cupping it there, as if willing him to know that I understood. How could I tell him that he wasn’t the only one who felt that way—who felt isolated from the rest of humanity? Losing my mom and Mima, being separated from Dad, and spending too long in the frozen tundra had taken something from me. Plus, with my ECP, I’d wondered if I would ever be able to make human connections. But saying words like that out loud didn’t come easily.

  “It’s hard to believe,” I said, “but I think we can both agree that this world isn’t what it appears. There’s something going on beyond our comprehension. You’re a part of it.”

  “I agree. And I think Isaac was part of the civilization who came before ours.”

  “But how would we find out something like that?”

  He hesitated, his lips pursed, before answering. “There may be a place we can go, but I haven’t been there in years.”

  “Where?” I asked.

  “The Spirit Caves.”

  I sat up. “Spirit Caves?”

  “Yes. It’s where Isaac—where I—was murdered. It’s also where he lived and worked.”

  Everything led to the Spirit Caves. It’s where Rosa had gone. It’s where Ivan had found her things. “What do you know about the caves?”

  “My da and I went exploring there when I was younger. He’d never believed it was haunted, although most people avoid the place like the plague. While we were inside, I remember feeling as if I’d been there before, like Déjà-vu but more intense. Now I know why. I lived there. I died there.” He released a shuddering sigh. “There’s more, too. Whoever murdered me then, I think they’re still after me.”

  I laid down as I pondered his words. Why was everything so difficult to believe in this place, wherever we were? “But how is that possible? That would’ve been an awfully long time ago. Wouldn’t they be dead?”

  “Not necessarily.” His voice held an edge of fear. “Not if they were Cu Sith, too.”

  “So, you think whoever was poisoning you killed you in a former life?”

  “I don’t know for sure. But I do know how to find out. We’ve got to get to that cave. I remember when my da and I were there, we found strange objects. Machines that didn’t belong in this world. My da thought they were used for mining cerecite.”

  “Mining tools?” I questioned.

  “Yes.”

  Something had happened in that cave. I was one step closer to learning the secrets of Ithical, but th
ere was more I needed to know. “I don’t understand. If this person wanted you dead, why waste their time slowly poisoning you?”

  The bed sheets rustled as he shrugged. “Maybe they didn’t want me dead. Maybe they wanted me to forget about Isaac and how he died.”

  Moonbeams drifted through the window as I pondered his words. “Do you remember how to get to the cave?”

  “Yes. It’s a day’s ride out to the canyons on the velocipedes.”

  “When would we go?” I asked.

  “We’ll have to do it before the coronation.” He paused. “Tomorrow.”

  I lifted my head to stare him in the eyes. “Won’t they notice when we leave?”

  “Not likely.” He smoothed the back of his hand over my cheek. “Aunt Tremayne will be busy setting up for the ceremony. It may be the only time we’ll get to sneak away.”

  A cloud moved across the moon, darkening the room. The window’s glass pane shielded us from the rest of the world, from the secrets that lay buried beneath the soil.

  Chapter 19

  I collapsed on my bed when I finally made it back to my room. Exhaustion settled in my bones as I stared blankly at the wood-paneled ceiling. My hands tingled with warmth where Morven touched me. Closing my eyes, I couldn’t chase away the butterflies flitting through my stomach.

  My gaze went to my leather pack sitting by the bed. I’d have to communicate with Fifteen.

  Wonderful.

  Should I tell him I was falling for the prince of Ithical Island?

  I’m sure he’d be thrilled to hear it. Grumbling, I sat up and grabbed my bag. After pulling out the scroll and scanner, I placed them in my lap.

  Nervousness twisted inside me, and I gripped the scanner’s cold metal, my mind churning with questions.

  Vortech owed me answers, but was I prepared for them?

  With a reluctant sigh, I pulled the scanner apart, revealing the glass screen. I placed it aside to grab the scroll. The lines and dots created a tapestry, the letters swirled, and the date, and the date now read seventeenth of May.

  I closed my eyes. This place, this mission, the world, was it all a dream? Would I wake up and find I was back in my bedroom? Would Dad be waiting for me in the kitchen as he sat over a cup of coffee and a newspaper? His eyes were tired, sad and haunted, yet he always managed a smile just for me as he looked up from the headlines.

  I opened my eyes, pressing my feet to the floor as I sat on the musty bed cover, the clock ticking on the nightstand.

  Mustering my courage, I grabbed the scanner.

  After positioning the glass screen over the scroll, I pushed the button. The laser beam streamed from top to bottom. The scroll morphed. In its place sat a pearlescent orb of pure cerecite.

  I picked it up. Its smooth, glassy surface warmed my hands, but thoughts of the radiation nagged at me, so I quickly stuffed it inside my bag. I glanced at the leather bracelet on my wrist, took a deep breath, then pressed the metal disc.

  “Agent Fifteen, this is Harper. Are you there?”

  “I’m here,” he answered after a pause. “It’s good to hear from you, although it’s been a while. Is everything okay?” His voice held an edge of formality.

  “I’m okay. I found the next object. It was disguised as a star chart.”

  “Excellent. I’m glad you’re making progress. However, I must warn you that this was only the third object. You still have four more to go.”

  My shoulders slumped. “I know. Sorry, but I’ve had some setbacks.”

  “What sort of setbacks?” he asked.

  I glanced at my bag. Anxiety squirmed in my stomach. “I learned some things about this world.” I paused. Might as well get this over with. “Were you aware that I’m not on Earth?”

  A second ticked past. “Where did you hear that?”

  “I found out. I had some help.”

  “From whom?” he asked.

  “I’d rather not say.”

  “Agent Harper,” he said. “Do I need to remind you that it’s not your mission to get involved with the people of this world? I’ve said before that they hold to a superstitious belief system.”

  “This isn’t superstition. It’s science.”

  “That’s debatable.”

  “Actually, it isn’t.” I sat up tall. “Tell me truthfully, do you know where I am? Am I on Earth?”

  “That information is classified. It’s on a need-to-know basis.”

  Was that so? “All right, then. I need to know. If you expect me to find the last four objects, I’ll only do it if you’re honest with me.”

  “Agent Harper, think about what you’re saying. If you fail to find the objects, you won’t return home. Worse, our power grids will be overwhelmed in the next flare. Is that what you want?”

  My anger rose. I fisted the bed covers, scratchy fibers abrading my skin. He held the second flare over my head like a noose. “Fifteen, where am I?” I ground out.

  The silence grew heavy as I waited for his answer. “We don’t know. But we do know that the gateway you entered did more than usher you into an alternate reality. You walked through a wormhole. When you stepped through the gateway, you were transported off our planet and to an unknown plane.”

  A what? “Unknown plane? What does that mean?”

  “The little we could gather from our other agents suggest you are still in our solar system, although we don’t know much more than that.”

  My mind raced. “Could I be on a spaceship?”

  “If so, then it’s more advanced than any technology we’re capable of creating.”

  I breathed deeply to keep the panic from overwhelming me. “You really don’t know where I am, then?”

  “No.” The severe tone of his voice suggested I not argue, but I had to know the truth.

  “Then I’m not in an alternate reality? I never have been.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “So.” I clenched my teeth. “You lied to me.”

  “Some would call it withholding the truth for your own good. Believe what you will, but there’s a reason I asked you not to go down this path. The only agent to have taken my advice was Nordgren, and consequently, he’s still alive.”

  Anger pricked me. “Rosa is dead, then?”

  “We never found a body, but most likely, yes.”

  A wave of dejection overwhelmed me. “Was she murdered?”

  “Perhaps. As I said, we don’t have a body. There’s no way to say for sure.”

  Rosa’s journal sat on my bedside table, and I picked it up. I ran my hand over the leather cover, frustrated that she’d never been found, that she’d been trapped on this world, wondering what her family believed had happened to her. Would the same thing happen to me?

  A hard knot tightened in my throat. Tears blurred my vision. What if I never made it home?

  My heart hurt for Dad who’d already lost his spouse and his mom. Would he survive losing his only child?

  I gripped the journal.

  I will go home.

  Although I held Rosa’s journal, I didn’t open it. In my mind, I reviewed the remaining clues.

  Matter. Light. World. Poison.

  What were the chances not a single object was left inside the castle? I’d combed through each room, marking them off on my grid, until none remained. If Rosa had gone to the cave, she’d likely brought the objects with her. What if some of them remained there?

  “Can you confirm you are looking for the next objects?” Fifteen asked.

  I paused before answering, imagining my tiny room closing in on me like a trap. One that had only a single exit. “I’m considering it. But I don’t like it. You failed to disclose the truth when I stepped through the gateway. When I get out of this, the first thing I’m going to do—after reuniting with my family—is file a lawsuit.”

  “Don’t be so quick tempered, Harper. There were reasons behind our actions, I assure you. Solid reasons that will stand on their own in court. I realize you’re most likel
y emotionally compromised at this point. That’s to be expected. Don’t be so hasty to throw out terms like lawsuit. You must realize Vortech has the most qualified lawyers in the nation. I should also inform you that Vortech has been supplying your father with the means necessary to afford his mortgage while you’re away. If you sever employment, I can no longer guarantee it will continue. And the flare—”

  “Stop,” I said. “You’ve done nothing but bring up the flare every time I question your motives. Tell me truthfully, is a second flare really happening? Or is that a lie, too?”

  His silence spoke volumes, and a stone dropped to the pit of my stomach. They’d used me. This whole time I’d been nothing but their puppet.

  “There’s no second flare, is there?” I asked.

  “Agent Harper, another flare will occur. We know that with certainty. However, since you want the truth, you might as well know why Vortech has advanced knowledge of why such an occurrence will happen. Have you ever thought it a coincidence that the first flare occurred only a month after Agent Rodriguez crossed through the gateway?”

  Realization hit me. “You created the coronal mass wave when you sent Rodriguez through the gateway.” Shock punched me like a fist to my stomach. “You caused the first flare.”

  “Yes.”

  “And the second flare will happen soon.” I remembered to breathe. “Because you caused a second wave when you opened the gateway to send me through.”

  “Yes,” he repeated.

  “You used me,” I said with heat in my voice. “You’re murderers. You killed millions. My mother and grandmother died because of something you did. And now my father will die because of something I did.”

  I should have never walked through that gateway. If only I had known.

  “It was never our intention,” he argued. “We sent thirteen agents prior to Rodriguez without any problem.”

  “What changed?” I demanded.

  “You tell me,” he challenged.

  Shattered glass and busted metal surfaced in my memory. “Someone destroyed the gateway on this side, meaning that when we opened the gateway on our side, a negative charge must’ve been sent into your reality. Someone destroyed the gateway before Rosa came through, and it stayed that way when I came through. But Fifteen... why? Why doom the entire planet again to send me through? It doesn’t make any sense.”