‘How did you find us?’ Crayton demands. ‘And who is Vishnu?’
‘Vishnu is the all-pervading essence of all beings, the master of the past, present and future, the Supreme God, and Preserver of the Universe. He told us you would be four in total, three young girls and one man. He asked me to convey a message to you.’
‘What’s the message?’ I say.
Commander Sharma clears his throat and smiles. ‘ ’His message is: “I am Number Eight. Welcome to India. Please come and see me as soon as you can.” ’
4.
The sky is gray and heavy. The woods are dark and cold. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees and lie dead on the ground. Nine walks ahead of me, scanning the landscape for game. ‘You know, that rabbit was better than I thought it would be.’ He produces a short piece of vine from his pocket and pulls his shaggy black hair into a ponytail. ‘I’ll make it again tonight if you’re interested.’
‘I think I’ll figure something else out.’
He looks surprised at my squeamishness. ‘Scared of fresh kill? You have to eat if you want to get your strength up. I don’t know why, but our healing stones don’t do jack shit for your pain. And, you know, this sickness thing of yours is a real drag. Time’s a-wasting, dude. We need to get you better and we’ve got to get out of here.’
I know how weak my body is by how tired I feel as we walk. We’re only a couple hundred yards from our ramshackle house and I’m exhausted already. I want so badly to be back there, sleeping. But I know I won’t feel normal again if I don’t get off my butt and move.
‘Hey Nine, let me tell you about this dream I just had,’ I say.
He snorts. ‘A dream? No thanks, man. Well, unless it was about girls. That you can tell me all about; in detail.’
‘I saw Setrákus Ra. I talked to him.’ Nine pauses, then keeps walking. ‘He offered me a deal.’
‘Oh, yeah? What kind of deal?’
‘If I go back to him and face him, he said he’ll let everyone else live, including Sam.’
Nine snorts. ‘That’s a load of crap. Mogadorians don’t make deals. At least, they don’t make deals with any intention of keeping up their end of the bargain. And they don’t show mercy.’
‘I figure, why not just pretend I’m taking him up on it? I have to go back to the cave anyway to get Sam out.’
Nine turns to me, his face a mask of disinterest. ‘Hate to break it to you, dude, but Sam’s probably dead. The Mogs don’t care about us, and they don’t care about humans. I think you had a bad dream, and I’m sorry you got all scared and felt the need to bore me with it. But even if you did channel Setrákus Ra, that kind of offer is obviously a trap and you’ll die walking into it. In fact, you’ll die going within ten miles of that place. I guarantee it.’ He spins around and walks away from me.
‘Sam’s not dead!’ I say, anger welling up inside of me, giving me a strength I haven’t felt in days. ‘And the dream was real. Setrákus Ra was torturing him! I watched his skin sizzle from boiling liquid dropping onto it! I’m not going to just sit around here and let it continue to happen.’
He laughs again, but this time it isn’t with a sneer. Not exactly reassuring, but definitely more gentle. ‘Listen, Four. You’re too weak to even run in place, never mind fight the most powerful being in the galaxy. I know it sounds heartless, dude, but Sam is human. There’s no way you can save them all, so stop wasting your time and energy. It’s not like you have an unlimited supply of either.’
The Lumen in my palms starts to light up. I’m in control of it now, a definite improvement. I’m hoping the glow is a sign the effects of the blue force field are wearing off. ‘Look. Sam is my best friend, Nine. You need to get that and keep your opinions about my energy to yourself, okay?’
‘No, you look,’ says Nine. His voice sounds flat. ‘This isn’t playtime. We’re at war, dude: war. And you can’t make this about your feelings for Sam, if it makes everyone else less safe. I will not let you abandon the rest of us to face Setrákus Ra, just for Sam. We’re going to wait until you feel better, whenever the hell that is, and then we’re going to meet up with the others and train until we’re ready. If you don’t like it, then you’ll have to fight me to get out of here. And I’m so ready for a fight, so, really, bring it on. I could use the practice.’
He lifts his hand and aims it at something through the trees. A second later I hear a quick yelp.
‘Got it.’ Nine smiles, clearly proud of his telekinetic hunting skills. I follow him, refusing to give up.
‘Isn’t there anyone you would die for? Anyone you’d risk your life to help?’
‘I’m risking my life to help Lorien,’ Nine says, fixing me with a stare that makes me listen. ‘I’ll die for Lorien and anyone who’s Loric. And if I die, and that’s a big “if,” I plan on doing it with two Mog heads smashed between my palms and another one under my foot. I’m not looking forward to feeling your symbol burned into my leg just yet, so grow up, stop being so naïve and think about more than yourself already.’
His words hit me hard. I know that Henri would agree with him, but I will not turn my back on Sam again. I don’t know if it’s Nine’s arrogance or the urgency of the vision I just had or the fresh air and the walking, but my mind seems to be clear and strong for the first time in days.
‘Sam saved my ass more than once, and his dad was there to meet our ship when we landed on Earth. His dad may have even died for us, for Lorien. You owe it to both of them to go back to the cave with me. Today.’
‘Not a chance.’
I step towards him and Nine doesn’t hesitate. He grabs me and throws me against a tree. I pull myself to my feet and I’m about to swing at him when we hear twigs cracking behind us. Nine turns towards the noise. I flatten myself against the tree, dimly lighting my palms to be ready to blind whoever it is with my Lumen. I hope I haven’t overestimated how much of my strength is truly back.
Nine looks over at me, and whispers, ‘Sorry about you and the tree. Let’s go find whoever’s tracking us and kill them before they kill us.’
I nod, and we step forward. The noise came from a patch of pines, thick with needles and offering excellent cover. If it were up to me we’d wait and see who or what we’re facing, but not Nine. He’s wearing a strange little smile as we move towards the pines, ready to destroy whatever emerges. The pines rustle again, and one of the lower branches moves. But what we see isn’t a Mogadorian cannon or gleaming sword. Instead, the small black nose of a brown and white beagle emerges.
‘Bernie Kosar,’ I say, relieved. ‘Good to see you, buddy.’
He trots over and I bend down to pet his head. He’s the one creature who has been with me since the beginning. Bernie Kosar tells me he’s happy to see me back on my feet.
‘He took long enough, right?’ Nine says. I’d forgotten Nine had also developed the Legacy to communicate with animals. I know it’s immature, but it bothers me to share that power with him. He’s already the biggest and strongest Garde I’ve ever seen, has the ability to transfer powers to humans, an antigravity Legacy, super speed and hearing, telekinesis, and whatever else he hasn’t told me yet. My Lumen sets me apart from the rest, but unless I find a source of fire to combine it with, it’s practically useless. My ability to talk to animals was something I was looking forward to developing further, but now I’m sure Nine will find a better use for it before me.
Bernie Kosar must see the disappointment on my face because he asks if I want to go for a walk with him. Alone.
Nine hears him and says, ‘Go for it. You’re all BK talks about anyway. Whenever he wasn’t patrolling the perimeter, he was in the bedroom looking after you.’
I keep petting his head. ‘That was you, huh?’
Bernie Kosar licks my hand.
‘My other best friend,’ I say. ‘I’d die for you, too, BK .’
Nine groans at the display of emotion. I know we’re supposed to have each other’s back in this massive intergalact
ic war, but sometimes I wish it were just BK and me. And Sam. And Sarah. And Six. And Henri. Really, I’d take anyone but Nine.
‘I’m going to find whatever it was I killed out there, make sure we have some food for tonight,’ Nine says as he walks away. ‘You guys go have your special walk. When you get back, we need to talk about finding the rest of the Garde. Now that you’re functioning.’
‘And how exactly are we going to find them? The address Six gave us for a meeting point was in Sam’s pocket. For all we know, the Mogs have it and are waiting for Six to show up. That sounds like even more reason to find Sam, if you ask me,’ I say pointedly.
Bernie Kosar agrees. It sounds like he wants to look for Sam almost as much as I do.
‘We’ll talk about it over dinner. I’m thinking possum, maybe a muskrat,’ he says, already heading into the woods to find his prey.
Bernie Kosar tells me to follow him and he leads me through the trees and down a tall grassy hill. The land levels out for a few feet before rising again. We move quickly and the exercise feels amazing now that my strength is returning. Two huge trees lean into each other up ahead. I focus and push them apart with my mind. As soon as there’s a space between them, BK jumps through and I chase after him, remembering our early-morning runs to school back in Paradise. Life was so much easier then, when my days were spent training with Henri and my free time was spent with Sarah. It was exciting, finding out what I was capable of, how my powers would help me do what needed to be done. Even when I was frustrated or scared, there was so much possibility and I could just focus on that. I had no idea how good I had it.
My back is sticky with sweat by the time we reach a small peak. I’m better, but still not one hundred percent. The view is spectacular, a panoramic scene of the Appalachian Mountains wrapped in fir trees, bathed in the late afternoon light. I can see for miles.
‘I gotta say, buddy, this is pretty awesome. Is this what you wanted me to see?’ I ask.
Off in the distance, down on the left, he says. Do you see it?
I scan the landscape. ‘In that deep valley?’
Beyond it, he says. Do you see that glow?
Squinting, I look past the valley. There’s a cluster of thick trees and the faint outline of a rocky riverbed. Then I see it. Through the bottom of the trees on the far left is a glowing sliver of blue light. It’s the force field at the bottom of the Mog’s headquarters.
It can’t be more than two miles away. Bernie Kosar says we can go back right now if I want. He’ll join me inside this time, now that Sam and I disabled the system that sent gas a deadly to animals through the mountain.
A shiver runs down my body as I stare at the blue light. Sam is in there. And Setrákus Ra. ‘What about Nine?’
Bernie Kosar circles my legs twice before sitting at my feet. It’s up to you, he says. Nine is strong and fast, but he’s also unpredictable.
‘Have you taken him up here?’ I ask. ‘Does he know how close we are?’
Bernie Kosar cocks his head as if to say, yes. I can’t believe he knew and didn’t tell me. That’s enough. I’m done with Nine.
‘I’m going back to the house. I’ll give Nine the option of coming with us, but whatever he says, it’s time for me to face Setrákus.’
5.
We bounce along a pothole-riddled road in a military transport truck. We’re on the outskirts of the city and I look around. I see a massive mountain range looming in the distance, but that doesn’t tell me much. Vehicles full of soldiers are in front of us and behind us. My Chest is at my feet and Six is sitting next to me. That makes me breathe a little easier. After the battle in Spain, the only time I feel even slightly safe is when Six is near.
I didn’t think I would ever miss the Sisters of Santa Teresa, but right now, I’d give anything to be back at the convent. For years, all I thought about was escaping their rules and punishments, but now that I have escaped, all I want is something familiar, even if it comes in the form of religious discipline. My Cêpan, Adelina, is dead, murdered by Mogadorians. My best and only friend, Héctor Ricardo, is also dead. The town and convent are both gone, obliterated by the Mogs. The deaths weigh heavily on me; I was the one Adelina and Héctor were fighting to protect. God, I hope I’m not a curse. I hate the idea that my in experience and lack of training might hurt anyone else. I don’t want to put this mission in India in jeopardy just by my presence.
Finally Commander Sharma turns around to give us the lay of the land. ‘This trip will last a few hours. Please, get comfortable. Help yourself to water in the cooler behind you. Don’t draw attention to yourselves; don’t engage with anyone. Not even to smile and nod. We’re wanted.’
Crayton nods.
‘So what do you think about all this?’ Six asks Crayton.
‘You think he’s really up there?’
‘I do. It makes sense.’
‘Why’s that?’ I ask.
‘The mountains are the ideal place for a Garde member to hide. For years, people have been scared to go near the glaciers north of China. Stories of alien sightings are enough to frighten the locals, and the Chinese military have been unable to investigate the reports because a mysterious lake appeared in the valley and blocked their access. Who knows what’s true, and what’s a rumor, but either way it’s an excellent place to hide.’
‘Do you think there are other aliens up there beside Number Eight?’ says Ella. ‘You know, like, Mogadorians?’
I was wondering the same thing.
‘I don’t know who else is up there, if anyone, but we’ll find out soon enough,’ says Crayton. He wipes sweat from his brow and touches my Chest with the tip of his finger. ‘In the meantime, we should start learning how to use what’s in here to help prepare us, if Marina is kind enough to share.’
‘Sure,’ I say quietly, lowering my eyes to the Chest. I’m not opposed to sharing my Inheritance, but I’m embarrassed by how little I understand what I have. My Chest was supposed to be shared between me and Adelina. It was her job to explain how to use everything, how it could save my life. But that never happened. After a beat, I say, ‘I don’t know what any of it does, though.’
Crayton reaches forward and touches my hand. I meet his solemn, yet encouraging eyes. ‘It’s okay that you don’t know. I’ll show you whatever I can,’ Crayton says. ‘I’m not just Ella’s Cêpan now; I’m all of yours. As long as I’m alive, Marina, you can count on me.’
I nod, and place my palm against the lock. Now that Adelina is dead, I can open my Chest on my own and it’s a bittersweet power. Six watches me, and I know she understands exactly how I’m feeling, having also lost her Cêpan. The cold metal lock shakes against my skin. With a click, it falls to the floor of the truck. The dirt road we’re driving on is covered with potholes and debris, constantly jostling me and making it hard for me to steady my hand as I reach inside the Chest. I’m careful not to touch the glowing red crystal in the corner that caused me so much trouble in the orphanage’s belfry, the one I worried was a Loric grenade, or worse. I reach for a pair of dark glasses.
‘Do you know what these are for?’ I ask Crayton. He examines them for a second but hands them back to me, shaking his head.
‘I don’t know for sure, but they may give you the power to see through things, like X-ray vision. Or they could be thermal detectors, good for seeing at night. There’s only one way to find out, you know.’
I place the glasses on my face and look out the window. Aside from dulling the brightness of the sun, nothing else seems to happen. I check my hands but they’re just as solid as before, and when I look up at Crayton’s face, there aren’t any thermal hot spots.
‘So?’ asks Six. ‘What do they do?’
‘I don’t know,’ I say, checking the barren landscape out the window again. ‘Maybe they’re just ordinary sunglasses.’
‘I doubt it,’ Crayton says. ‘They have a use that you will discover, just like everything else in there.’
‘Can I see them?’
Ella asks. I hand them over.
She slides the glasses up her nose, then twists around and looks out the back window.
I turn back to my Chest.
‘Wait – everything looks a little different somehow but I can’t figure out why. It’s almost like seeing everything a little delayed . . . or maybe sped up . . . I can’t decide.’ Suddenly Ella gasps, then shouts, ‘Rocket! Rocket!’
We follow her line of vision, but I don’t see anything but crystal-blue sky.
‘Where?’ Crayton yells. Ella points up at the sky. ‘Get out of the truck! We have to get out right now!’
‘There’s nothing there.’ Six squints into the horizon. ‘Ella, I think those glasses are messing with you, because I don’t see anything.’
Ella doesn’t listen. She scrambles over me with the glasses still on and opens the door. The shoulder of the road is lined with sharp rocks and dead shrubs. ‘Jump! Now!’
Finally we hear it, a faint whistling in the air, and a black speck suddenly comes into view, right where Ella was pointing.
‘Get out!’ Crayton yells.
I grab my open Chest, and jump. My feet hit the hard dirt road and sweep underneath me, and the world instantly becomes a swirl of browns and blues and sharp pains. The back tire of our truck grazes my arm, and I barely change direction in time to roll out of the way of the next speeding truck. My head hits a sharp stone and I flip over one last time, landing on my Chest. The impact knocks the wind out of me, and the contents of my Chest have scattered in the dirt. I hear Ella and Six coughing somewhere nearby but I can’t see them in the haze of dust that surrounds us. A second later the rocket smashes into the ground just behind the speeding truck we dove from. The explosion is deafening, and with Commander Sharma still inside, the truck flips forward onto its roof in a cloud of smoke. The careening jeep behind it is unable to swerve. It hits the edge of the chasm caused by the rocket, and dives right into the tremendous hole. Two more rockets hit the convoy. The air is so thick with dust that we cannot see the helicopters overhead, but we can hear them.
[Lorien Legacies 03.0] The Rise of Nine Page 3