“It’s no use wondering what happened,” Vicken said. “Focus on moving forward. Figure out what the next step is and take it. Trust that enough steps will lead us to her.”
Jaden swallowed the lump in his throat. What Vicken said was true. Am I the only one who can’t read other people today?
Shaking his head, Jaden said, “You’re right. Let’s deal with this issue and get it squared away. Then we go on from there.”
Vicken clapped him on the back. “Good man. Let’s go.”
Jaden was of half a mind to ask Vicken how he didn’t let the worry cripple him. Kayla was his daughter. Surely he must feel something? Covertly studying Vicken’s face as they moved back toward the stairs, all Jaden found was an impassive front.
“I’ve learned not to let things show if I don’t want my enemies finding my weaknesses. You would be wise to do the same,” Vicken said, not looking at him.
Shivers coursed through Jaden again. How did Vicken know? Then Jaden sighed. How did I think I would get away with watching Vicken without him being aware?
They reached the roof to find Iri had already connected with Han. When Han spotted Jaden, he swooped down, and seconds later Jaden was scooting into place behind Iri. Then Vicken and his glider joined them, and they set out for the familiar valley in the Shadow Mountains.
Chapter Eight
Kayla woke, the grogginess of a deep sleep persisting. It took several seconds for her to place where she was, then to recall what happened just before she’d gone under. When she remembered her ring, she inhaled sharply. Relief surged as her fingers rubbed against the familiar stone. Yes, it’s still there.
She’d never heard of any hospital allowing you to keep your jewelry on for a surgery. Or giving its patients water before a procedure. That thought still rankled. Then the painful truth punched her like an iron fist in the gut. She groaned.
This wasn’t her world. It was Slurpy’s. To survive, she would have to learn how to play in it. For her first “lesson” she would map the layout of this place. No use planning an escape if you don’t know where you’re going.
That first step decided, Kayla took the next. Ever so slowly, she tried sitting up. Disappointment countered her initial delight when dizziness forced her back down. Okay, not ready to be vertical yet.
Deciding she could still evaluate her injuries, she inched her hands over her body. Starting with her head, she found bandages. No surprise. Head injury confirmed—check. Probable cause of excruciating headache and dizziness—check.
Her fingers worked down her neck and stopped. She hadn’t thought about it earlier, but there was no doubt now. Her medallion was missing. It was a bitter blow, enough to make her want to cry, and she wasn’t one giving to crying about things. Kayla tried consoling herself with the possibility she’d lost her medallion in the crash. That someone hadn’t taken it from her while she lay unconscious and defenseless. She could get lost in a sea of misery if she allowed it. Best not to dwell on things she couldn’t change, even if the loss devastated her.
Forcing herself onward, her hands continued their assessment, probing her shoulders and arms and upper body. Bandages around my left forearm. Tenderness along my ribs. She couldn’t quite reach her legs. If I can just roll onto my side . . . Kayla almost passed out from the pain lancing her leg. Her eyes watered, and she panted as she tried breathing past the agony.
She had most likely broken her left leg. She leaned back against her pillow. All her serious injuries were on her left side, either caused by the impact with the Gaptor or from the ‘pod hitting the ground. It doesn’t really matter which. I won’t be running off anytime soon.
Kayla closed her eyes. Weariness swamped her. If I can lie here for a few minutes and think, perhaps I might come up with a better plan.
She didn’t mean to fall asleep, but when she woke sometime later, she was glad she had. For the first time since she’d arrived, her mind was clear. Her body didn’t ache so violently. And could that empty feeling possibly be hunger?
“Hello?” Kayla’s voice was croaky and barely above a whisper. She tried again. “Hello?”
No reply. She wished there was light. Don’t my caregivers know humans need sunshine? That sunshine facilitates healing? About to call out again, she froze when there was a sound at the far end of the . . . room? Is that a key turning in a lock? Something ticked across the floor. A Gaptor’s claws? The odor assaulting her nose provided the answer. Ugh! A clang made her jump as metal bashed on metal. Then the skittering retreated. Definitely claws on the floor. But what was it doing here?
Tentatively, Kayla reached out to where the banging had sounded. Drifting, her fingers found something. Running them along the cold, unyielding bars that formed the frame, she created a mental picture. It was a metal stand. Do I even want to know what that thing put on the table?
Images of torture tools lined up on a tray paraded across her mind. She grimaced. Even though Clara’s dreams had hinted he was a monster, Slurpy hadn’t resorted to torturing them. Let’s hope he’s not about to start now.
Taking a breath, Kayla dared to allow her fingers over the rim of the tray on the stand. A curved edge. Then . . . Kayla yanked her hand back. Ow! That was hot! Food? Kayla sniffed. Discerning anything over the still pungent stench that clung to the air courtesy of the beast that had delivered the tray was difficult.
“It’s food.”
Kayla knew that voice. “Tarise?”
The last time Kayla had seen her, Tarise had been racing away in her ‘pod, furious because she thought Kayla stole Jaden. But here she was. Had they attacked Tarise’s ‘pod right before they attacked hers? It was possible, considering Kayla had left within minutes of Tarise. “Are you a prisoner too?”
“Just eat the food.”
The way Tarise said that sounded odd. With emphasis on the word just. Did that mean she didn’t want to talk to Kayla? Or something else? Kayla opted for a friendly approach. “Are you hurt?”
No reply. Options chased through Kayla’s mind. If they took Tarise’s ‘pod down the same way as mine, maybe her injuries make it difficult to talk? Or the Gaptors zapped her with their EMPs? Without a relic stone, she can’t counter the numbing effects. If that’s true, though, she wouldn’t be able to speak at all. Then again, her strained voice might be because the effects were wearing off. Hadn’t Jaden’s parents said this was the reason for them being subjected to repeated EMP blasts?
“How long have we been here?” Silence. Kayla debated broaching the elephant in the room, but decided against it. Discussing Jaden would only alienate Tarise further, meaning there would be no chance of answers. Not that she was getting answers, anyway. “Tarise?”
There was an audible click. A door closing? Was the monster waiting by the door, listening to us all this time? Kayla waited a few more moments, holding her breath. The silence was literally deafening. Nothing at all.
Kayla wasn’t sure how, but she knew she was alone again. Does that mean Tarise is free to walk around here? That she isn’t a prisoner? How can that be?
Her stomach growled. Kayla reached for the plate. I’ll think better on a full stomach.
Kayla took her time, chewing her food before swallowing. The food was bland but palatable. Obviously no internal surgery or they wouldn’t give her solids. Feeling around the rim of the plate, she found a glass. Lifting it, she sniffed at the contents. No discernible odor. Cautiously, she took a sip. Water. Gulping down a few mouthfuls, she set the glass down before eating more food.
Whether it was having food in her stomach or the after-effects of surgery, she wasn’t sure, but Kayla suddenly felt tired beyond reason. She flopped back onto her pillow. I needed surgery to repair my leg? The break must’ve been bad. Reaching down, she brushed light fingers over the bandages that swathed her upper leg. There was still a fair amount of pain. Not as much as she expected, though.
She yawned. Wow, I’m exhausted. Yes, that’s what I was thinking. Am I tired from the surgery
or because my stomach’s full? Another yawn swallowed her face. Kayla was too tired to work it out now. She would sleep. And when she woke, she would plan more.
Hours later, when she finally resurfaced, she almost wished she hadn’t slept. Her brain was sluggish again. Thinking was an effort. Her body ached like she had forgotten to take her pain meds. And she was . . . going to be sick! Kayla lurched sideways, getting her head off the bed before her stomach contents spewed out.
The retching didn’t stop until long after her stomach was empty. Perhaps it wasn’t such a great idea to eat solids after anesthesia. She wiped her mouth, then debated what to do with the goo coating her hand. I don’t want to dirty my sheets. Who knows how long it would be before they gave me clean linens? If they even will.
But there weren’t exactly other options. Grimacing, she plucked at the sheet until she had one of the far corners in her clean hand. Then she wiped her hands and face before flinging the sheet back to the far corner it had come from.
The semi-violent motion had her head pounding again. More dry heaving over the edge of the bed followed. When it finally ceased, she sagged back against the pillows, exhausted. The sickly smell of puke stuck in her nose, not making her feel any better. She wished she had some water or a warm washcloth.
This time, she didn’t hear the door open. Perhaps because a door didn’t open? Has Tarise been here with me this whole time?
Tarise coughed. “Ugh, it smells disgusting in here.”
One answer at last. Tarise couldn’t have been here, or she would’ve heard Kayla vomiting and no doubt said something snarky sooner. If she wasn’t in the room, was she free to enter Kayla’s room? Or had someone forced her in? Without light, it was impossible to know.
“Any chance of getting a light in here?”
Tarise grunted. “If that’s what you want, my suggestion would be to not ask for it. They have a habit of turning what you want against you.”
That tone again. Like Tarise was speaking in code. Or was Kayla so desperate for answers she was making things up? Maybe she should try another line of questioning. “Do you know if any of the others are here?”
A distinct pause. Kayla probably wouldn’t have noticed at any other time. Except now, with her senses on high alert, the pause had Kayla thinking of agents in interrogation rooms with hidden comms in their ears. Was Tarise being fed questions and/or answers?
“I don’t know.”
The reply was flat, lacking that odd tone. Maybe a true answer? Another test then. “Are you free to walk around?”
A dry laugh. “How do you know I’m walking?” There was only bitterness in her tone this time.
“Did they do something to you?”
“Isn’t someone always doing something to someone else?”
Not an answer. Why is Tarise being so vague? Kayla’s mind went back to the hidden comm theory. If Tarise was being fed questions and answers, it meant someone was watching them. Their conversations were being monitored. Perhaps this was what Tarise had been trying to warn her about while not saying the words.
Kayla remained quiet as she thought of how best to deal with this. It prompted Tarise to speak first.
“Afraid?”
Yes, petrified, but I’m not telling you that. Silence had benefited her a moment ago. Kayla would allow it time to work again. What felt like about five minutes later, Tarise relented.
“If you won’t speak, I’m leaving.”
This time, Kayla heard the click. But it wasn’t the sound she had been listening for. Her ears had been searching for different sounds, and she had heard them, soft, yet unmistakable. The squeak of rubber on tile. The whisper of hands pushing wheels. Tarise was in a wheelchair. Ziggety, what have they done to her?
Chapter Nine
Jaden hadn’t wanted to meet near the valley where the battle had taken place. Not only did it hold too many raw memories, but they’d also just used it when last meeting with the Legion. Who knew how much scouting a traitor might’ve done in the area in case of an ambush? They couldn’t pick a place the traitor might be familiar with. It had to be somewhere new.
This spot was perfect. Jaden scanned the familiar landscape. Here, all those months ago, he had first seen the Gaptors. The place he and his family and friends had traversed since childhood. An area Jaden had hiked too many times to count.
He surveyed the area from high above, as Han circled. Sapphire Pool marked the very end of the trail. Most of the blue ice covering the lake during winter had melted, elevating the lake’s water levels and giving the cerulean water a clear, crystalline quality that begged dipping a hand in and savoring its perfection.
Despite the elevated water levels, plenty of boulders still surrounded the pool with bare patches of coarse sand between. Jagged cliffs enclosed the lake, with the cliff at the far end crowned by its ever-present glacier. The glacier, blazing white in the sunlight, drew attention to countless sparkling drops oozing out and tracing thin silver streams down to the lake far below.
Jaden studied the surrounding cliffs. They were the perfect natural barrier. There was only one way to reach the lake. Only one way in, meaning only one way out. An ideal place to corral the Legion while they found the mole.
When they did, escape would be impossible. Or at least, Jaden hoped so. Technically, gliders could escape by flying, so there was a second way out. Jaden had to trust Han and Pallaton had that covered.
As the Legion milled around the natural opening, like espresso swirling through milky coffee, Jaden studied them. They filled the space until it was their own. Had they made the valleys near Sven’s home theirs too?
Another question came back to haunt Jaden. “How do you think Pallaton got the gliders here from Sven’s in such a short time?”
Han shrugged. “I wondered that myself. The only answer that makes any sense is that Zareh had a hand in it.”
Zareh! If anyone could pull off the impossible, it was him. That meant Pallaton had a way of contacting him. Something the Legion’s leader hadn’t shared with Jaden. It also meant Zareh knew they were trying to find a traitor. Scowling, Jaden seethed at being kept in the dark. Again.
Han sensed Jaden’s anger. “Don’t let it bother you. If you think you don’t have all the answers, neither do I.”
“There has to be a better way to do this than stumbling around in the dark all the time, stubbing our toes!”
“Agreed, but I also understand compartmentalizing the information minimizes the chances of the usurper beating us to the prize.”
Jaden couldn’t refute that. Addressing Iri, seated in front of him, he said, “Are you ready?”
Iri nodded.
“Then let’s land and finish this,” Jaden told Han.
“I think we’ll stay up here and keep watch from the air,” Vicken said, reminding Jaden he and his glider were there.
Jaden nodded. No sense telling the man it was a solid plan. Vicken was probably already ten steps ahead of them now that he knew what they hoped to accomplish.
Once Han dropped Iri and Jaden, they waited near the entrance to the enchanting lake and observed as gliders landed after yet another unheard and unseen command from Pallaton.
“It’s beautiful up here,” Iri said, breaking the silence she’d held since they’d left.
Her tone hinted at something else. Focusing on her, Jaden found Iri fidgeting. Instantly, he understood. Finally! Something I divined!
He took Iri’s hand in his own, pulling her around so he could look into her eyes. “Don’t worry. They don’t have to know how you do what you do. And if I’m right, the thought of a traitor will incense the other gliders so much that they’ll focus on the villain and ignore you.”
Iri attempted a smile. “Thanks.”
“Besides, what you do is awesome. How could anyone not want to know you?”
“You’d be surprised,” Iri muttered.
Ugh, I blew it again. Jaden, when will you learn to say less?
Iri grinne
d. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better though.”
“And I suppose that’s meant to make me feel better?”
“That depends. Does it?”
Chuckling, Jaden shook his head. Han landed and hopped over, assuming a protective stance behind them. He ruffled his wings, settling them. But when he did it a second time and then a third within seconds, Jaden turned.
“What’s wrong?”
“I had a thought.”
“What?”
“Can Iri do this?”
It was Iri’s turn to look at him. “Do what?”
Han grimaced. “I just assumed your skills would work equally well on gliders as they do on humans. I never thought to test that theory before we brought you here.”
Shrugging, Iri said, “There’s only one way to find out. What’s your name?”
Han blinked, surprise keeping him mute.
“Humor me,” Iri said. “Just answer the questions.”
Obligingly, Han replied, “Ohanzee.”
“Is your voyager’s name Jaden?”
“Yes.”
“Have you always lived in this world?”
“No.”
“Do you love Taz?”
Han’s face was priceless. Jaden guffawed. Han glared at him and then Iri. “What kind of question is that?”
Iri giggled. “Never mind. Yes, my abilities work on gliders.”
“You know what you’re looking for?”
“Anything that will show us the traitor.”
“It’s time then,” Han said, dipping his head toward Pallaton.
It surprised Jaden when he heard the low whistle this time. The assembled gliders quieted and looked at Pallaton expectantly. It turned into curiosity when Pallaton took to the skies above, intensifying when Han, not Pallaton, addressed them.
Destiny Series Boxed Set Page 92