Kindred (Akasha Book 2)

by Indie Gantz

  “Well of course you are! Bloody hell!” Vi cries, pulling Kor into a hug and sniffling into his shoulder. “You think I’d let my children out of this house when there are horrible people after them without you there to protect them?”

  A lot of my rising anxiety is quelled by the knowledge that Kor is coming with us. Despite my reservations about what he could be hiding, it’s comforting to know that an adult is on our side and willing to help us.

  “What about Robin and Cyra? You can just leave them,” I argue sadly, wanting to be sure they are thought of.

  “It’s not forever,” Kor replies, pulling back from Vi but keeping his arm around her waist. “It’s just until we get to Obispo and hopefully get some information on your mother. Once we are safe, Vi and the kids can meet us where we end up.”

  “This is happening,” Cal says from beside me. He looks like he might pass out again. Oleander comes over and places both of his hands on his shoulders.

  “You did well, Cal,” Oleander encourages.

  Cal looks up and behind himself to look at Oleander, who reassures him with another smile.

  “All right, pack up and say your goodbyes. We need to go now,” Kor announces, and then it’s all happening too fast for me to keep up again. We’re leaving. We’re being hunted. This is really happening.

  I run to the room Tirigan and I share and throw everything we own in our bags, grabbing the green duffel bag from the under the bed as well. Thankfully, we have a car this time so we aren’t going to have to carry all of it.

  When I make it back into the living room, it’s to find Vi hugging her children goodbye. She’s crying harder now, but there’s a smile on her face. When it’s Tirigan’s turn, she just reaches her hand out, and Tirigan takes it with very little discomfort.

  “Thank you,” Tirigan says sincerely. “For everything.”

  “You’re welcome, you dear boy.” She leans in closer to Tirigan, not close enough to make him uncomfortable, but enough to make a show of privacy. “Take care of my son, will you?”

  I can feel Tirigan’s embarrassment. Avias seems to as well, because his own face gets red, and he murmurs something unintelligible.

  Making my way over to Vi, I fall into her arms easily, thanking her profusely for her kindness.

  “We wouldn’t have made it this far without you,” I tell her, pulling her as close as I possibly can and trying my hardest not to get her shirt covered in tears like the last time we did this. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  “Of course, love,” Vi hugs me back and rubs a hand across my back. “I’ll be seeing you again soon enough, though, don’t you worry.”

  “I’m so sorry we brought this to you.” I say, nearly choking on held in sobs. “We shouldn’t have…I shouldn’t have—”

  Vi pulls back abruptly, cutting me off, and brings her hands to my face.

  “Don’t, for one second, think you aren’t worth the trouble of lovin’ you, Miss Damuzi.” Her words are like a dagger to the heart, and I instantly feel an overwhelming urge to cry some more. “You’re somethin’ special, and that’s got nothing to do with whose blood runs in your veins.”

  My cheeks hurt from being squished between her hands, but I don’t try to pull away.

  “Right then, we need to go,” Kor announces hurriedly, although I can hear the sadness in his voice. Vi drops her hands from my face and kisses him.

  “Thank you,” I say to Kor after they part. I hope the words are enough to show how much I appreciate him, because I’m at a loss for anything else to say. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I know. I want to,” Kor replies. “Of course, that will change in thirty seconds if we aren’t out the door by then.”

  Right. I nod quickly and wave a last goodbye to Vi. I regret not being able to say goodbye to the little ones, but they’re asleep and there isn’t enough time.

  The rest of the group begins to file out the front door, leaving me to trail behind them. A wave of panic threatens to ruin me when I think again about the fact that our friends are risking everything for us and that maybe I really shouldn’t let them, that maybe I should just grab Tirigan and fly out of here. Protect them from their own kindness.

  The more I think about it though, the more I realize I could never do that. I’m too selfish. I want to keep them.

  Charlie, your pace could stand improvement. Tirigan’s already outside, climbing into the truck. I guess I couldn’t grab him now even if I wanted to. It’s too late to do the right thing.

  I take one final look around the house that has become my home and give Vi one last smile before running out the front door, flicking my wrist to shut it firmly behind me.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  The Road Less Traveled

  It’s extremely lucky that Kor has a car big enough to fit all of us. Usually he uses it to lug around equipment for his band or for his duties for the Collective, but now it’s a refuge for two alien hybrids, four of their friends, and one boy who’s most likely debating his life choices right about now.

  Oleander sits in the front with Kor, while Bo and Cal sit all the way in the back. Avias, Tirigan, and I take the seats in the middle. Our bags are all stuffed between our legs or in the small space behind Bo and Cal’s seats. No one speaks as we pull away from the house and follow the dirt road through the woods and onto the main road that leads to town.

  Leaving the house is a lot different than arriving. Instead of anxiety and trepidation over having to hide who we are and lying to the people who’re taking us in, I feel more at ease. Sure, we’re being hunted and our only hope lies in a man across a country that we don’t even know, but I have to believe that this will turn out for the best. It has to.

  Tirigan shifts nervously beside me as the car heads into town. If we are stopped—

  Don’t worry. Even if we’re stopped, I’m sure we could figure something out, I try to soothe. With all of us combined, there’s enough power in this car to escape.

  Since I’m sitting directly behind him, I can’t see Kor at the wheel, but I can see his eyes in the rearview mirror. They’re narrowed and tense, flicking from side to side like he’s preparing for an ambush. It’s not a comforting expression.

  Tirigan’s knee bounces with anxiety. I have to ball my hands into fists to stop myself from physically stopping it.

  Sharing a concerned glance with Avias, I focus on his mind, bypassing Tirigan’s and pushing my thoughts toward him.

  He needs a distraction.

  Avias only jumps slightly this time when I open my mind to him. He recovers quickly and returns his eyes to my brother, who’s now biting down hard on his lower lip.

  What do you suggest?

  Talk to him, I reply. Tell him a story. Anything. Avias looks dubious, so I continue. He trusts you. If you aren’t worried, it will help calm him down.

  A small, private smile curls the corner of Avias’ mouth as he nods subtly. His eyes fall to Tirigan and extends one finger out and taps it against my brother’s forearm.

  Tirigan reacts by pulling his arm away forcibly, and Avias retracts his hand immediately. There’s an apology in Avias’ eyes, which seems to soften my brother.

  A second later, they’re both smiling, and Avias’ hands move as if he’s speaking aloud. I guess he found a good story to tell.

  Tirigan listens and after a few moments, his knee stops bouncing.

  As the car rolls through the small town, I turn my head away from my brother and Avias, staring out the window instead. People walk along the sidewalk outside of the row of shops, some of them carrying bags or boxes and others wrangling children. It’s nearly dark now, so some of the shops have Closed signs hanging in their windows, while others have their doors still open for customers.

  We stop at the only intersection in the town, and Kor curses just as we reach it.

  “What is it?” Oleander asks from beside him. He looks out Kor’s window, and I follow his gaze. There’s a man standing on the corner
of the street, a big smile on his face and waving in our direction.

  “Best not to ignore him, Kor,” Oleander says quietly. “Might come off as suspicious.”

  “Who is it?” I ask as Kor nods and rolls down his window.

  “Hey Akro!” Kor says brightly. “How goes the call business?”

  Oleander looks back at me and whispers. “Akro’s the owner of the call shop in town, the place where people can go to have their call stones cast for them and sent out.”

  “Right,” I reply quietly, nodding my head. Avias and Tirigan have stopped their conversation and are looking out my window as well.

  “Hey ya, Kori!” Akro greets as he approaches the car. “Business is good! Got to record a real juicy one today. The lady didn’t even use the privacy booth to record, she just did it right in front of me!” The man laughs. “I can’t tell you, you know. Privacy policy and all that, but I will say that someone in town isn’t sticking to their Desmos vows if you know what I mean.”

  Kor barks out a laugh I can tell isn’t genuine. “Well, as long as it wasn’t Vi, I’ll let you keep your secret.”

  Akro laughs again. “Oh no, you know better than that.” He stoops low and looks inside the window and back at us. His eyes roam the car quickly, but then settle on me and Tirigan. He shifts his gaze between us cautiously. “Goin’ on a trip are you?”

  My stomach twists as I try not to blurt out something stupid. I want to throw him off in case he’s asked about us later, but it’s probably best to stay quiet and let Kor handle this.

  “Not exactly,” Kor replies casually. “Just taking our kids’ friends home.”

  “Oh yeah?” Akro peaks his head in again and gives us a more appraising look. He looks past me to the backseat.

  “Hey there, Calor!” he says cheerfully, despite his perplexed expression. “Wasn’t expecting to see you in this car, that’s for sure.” I hear Cal laugh awkwardly as Akro’s eyes fall to Avias. “Good to see you two have buried the hatchet.”

  Avias says nothing, but nods as he paints a thin smile on his face.

  “Heard you guys had a close game today,” Akro continues. “Sorry I missed it. My daughter said it was an exciting one, though.” The small talk is strained by something unsettled in the man’s eyes. “Haven’t seen your father today, Cal. He usually strolls by on patrol right around closing time.”

  I turn to look at Cal, who’s visibly swallowing down his fear. His voice squeaks a little when he replies. “Oh, yes. Yes, sir. I’m sure he will be around soon.”

  Akro eyes him carefully for a beat then his smile grows freakishly bigger, as if he’s hiding something behind it.

  “Well, all right then. I won’t keep you. Have a good night!” He takes a step back from the car.

  “Thank you, Akro,” Kor answers politely. “You do the same.”

  Akro takes another step backwards and puts his hand up in a casual wave, but his eyes betray him. They’re moving quickly between all of us in the car, like he’s watching for any sudden movements. It’s unnerving.

  As Kor drives us forward, I crane my neck to watch Akro out the back window. He stands in the middle of the street, his eyes hard on the car as it drives away from him, but his smile is gone. Then, as if hit with a whip, Akro jumps into action, turning towards the shop on the corner and sprinting inside.

  “He knows,” I whisper, my voice shaking. I keep my eyes on the shop, but it’s growing fainter as we move further down the road. “Something’s wrong. He ran. He knows.”

  “What could he possibly know?” Bo asks from behind me. “Cal came straight to us. There hasn’t been enough time to sound an alarm or whatever. How could he know anything?”

  “I don’t know,” I reply anxiously, finding Tirigan’s eyes. He looks like he might jump out of his skin, but his mind is quiet. “Did you see the way he reacted?”

  Tirigan nods.

  “I agree,” Kor replies from the front of the car. “We need to move faster than the car can on its own.”

  Kor pulls the car over to the side of the road. We’re on the edge of town now, nothing but open road and trees ahead. “Oleander, you drive.”

  Oleander jumps out of the car and quickly switches places with Kor. Once they’re both back in the car, Oleander gets us going again, and Kor angles himself so his arms are hanging out of window and facing the back of the car.

  “I’m going to push us forward faster for awhile, but I can’t go for much more than an hour before I’ll need to rest.”

  “I’ll take over for you,” Avias says. “Between the four of us, we can switch off and get farther away faster.”

  Suddenly, my body is thrown backwards and the car surges forward at incredible speed. Tirigan’s hands fly out and flounder for an inanimate object to cling to, while my fingers dig into the handle of the door.

  “It can be a bit unpleasant!” Kor yells over the rush of wind. “Just let me adjust!”

  The sound of the wind minimizes a great deal, but we’re still moving just as quickly down the road.

  “What did you do?” I ask, taking a deep breath as I try to get my body used to the fast pace.

  “Adjusted the air pressure so that there would be less wind resistance,” Avias responds.

  Tirigan, more relaxed now, clasps his hands together and places them in his lap.

  “Won’t they know where we’re going?” I ask. “How many roads are there out of town?”

  “Just three,” Oleander replies. “But I’m going to take us through the fields up here. We can meet up with the old interstate out west from there.”

  Kor nods. “Yes, that was my plan as well.”

  He looks back at me. It’s a struggle, since his positioning is so awkward, but Kor manages a small smile. “I have no doubt one of you have mapped out our trip already anyway.”

  I look down at my hands and blush. “Sort of.”

  “It’s all right,” Kor replies. “Although, I do remember a certain promise not to keep things from us anymore.”

  “I seem to remember a certain conversation that implied I should have more secrets,” I murmur, looking out at the window.

  “Touché,” Kor replies with a soft chuckle, saying nothing more on the subject.

  Clouds of dirt spray up in our wake as we race over the ground. It’s essentially a big flashing sign to the people who’re hunting us. I can do something about this.

  Concentrating on the clouds of swirling dirt, I focus on settling the top layer back down, knowing that the other grains will fall with it. Very quickly the clouds of dust dissipate and the air behind our car is clear once more.

  When my mind wanders to Calla, or my destructive powers, or the journey ahead of us, the dirt begins to swirl up again, forcing me to concentrate harder.

  Kor must have a lot of focus to be able to talk to me and perform an extended cast at the same time. My mind flicks too easily from thought to thought. Yoga used to help with that, but I haven’t practiced since we left our home and it shows.

  The clouds of dirt pick up again as I think about how I shouldn’t be thinking of anything besides clouds of dirt not picking up. I sigh in defeat.

  “Don’t sweat it,” Cal says, his head turning back to me after apparently watching my futile attempt at casting the dirt away. “It’s crazy hard to keep a cast going that long.”

  He looks at me cautiously, like he isn’t sure he should have said anything. The poor guy doesn’t even know the whole story, but he’s here, helping us anyway. Come to think of it, he probably doesn’t know anything other than what he overheard at the field, which I think mostly involved calling Tirigan and me alien hybrids. That can’t be comforting for him, and yet he trusts us enough to keep us safe.

  Then again, maybe it isn’t us he trusts, but Avias. They obviously have a pretty complicated history, but Cal still cares for Avias enough to save him. He trusts Avias enough to follow him blindly.

  “Thanks,” I reply softly, giving him a small smile. He look
s more encouraged now, some of the caution slipping away. Cal shrugs and throws a thumb over his shoulder towards the back window.

  “I could help, if you want?”

  “How?” I ask. “Aren’t you Fotián?”

  “We could work together. I’ll burn the dust away, and you push away the smoke.” He looks at Bo. “If Bo and Avias help out, we can do it in shifts.”

  I quirk an eyebrow at Bo, who turns in her seat. “Fine by me. Ave?”

  Avias has been watching our conversation out of the corner of his eye. He doesn’t turn around completely, but he does pivot his head enough so he can make eye contact with Cal. “All right.”

  “Right on,” Bo says. “I’ll go first.” She smiles widely at Cal. “Watch and learn, lad.”

  Cal chuckles at that and crosses his arms across his chest. “By all means, have at it, Bo.”

  As soon as her lighter is out and her eyes are out the open back window, smoke begins to replace the dirt. Invoking Aéras, I push away the smoke to clear the air. When one of us is casting, the other takes a break. It’s a good system, and it isn’t long before the trail is completely clear again. We go on like this for fifteen minutes before Bo begins looking pale and weak.

  “Think I need to tap out,” she says quietly, her eyelids and her chest rising and falling slowly. “You're up Cal.”

  “No need,” Oleander replies from the front, looking at Kor. “About to turn into the fields.”

  Kor, who also looks a little worse for the wear, nods and slows the car down enough so Oleander can turn.

  The truck turns into a wide open field with high grass and sparse trees scattering either side of it. It extends for what looks like a few bêrus and then gets cover by a patch of woods on either side of it. It’s a good place for us to travel in plain sight, so long as the Téssera don’t have drones like the Anunnaki.

  “How long will the woods provide us cover?” I ask as I dig the map out of the backpack stuffed at my feet.

  “All the way until we get to the interstate,” Kor replies. “We need to get to the trees first, though. We’re out in the open for another ten minutes at least.”