Reckoning (New Haven Book 2)

by Sara Jo Cluff

  The weight of my choice suddenly came crashing down on me. The whole tone of the war balanced on this moment. Killing General Ming meant throwing off our opponent. It would shake them up; give them something they weren’t expecting. It would give the New Haven warriors hope. Hope of victory. Hope of survival.

  Bruce’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “They’re here. About fifty yards out.”

  I heard them before I saw them. Their march was in sync, each step firm and concise. I was surprised Bruce could see where they were with all the fog. I kept my binoculars pressed firmly against my eyes, searching all around until I finally saw them. My breath caught for a second, taking in the full sight of their army. A couple thousand soldiers lined up perfectly in rows were coming toward us.

  As quietly as I could, I put the binoculars away, picked up the rocket launcher, and loaded one of the rockets. Steadying the launcher on my shoulder, I leaned against the tree for support. We had attached a scope on the launcher so I would be able to clearly see General Ming.

  As they drew closer, passing by my tree, faces came into view. Each soldier looked fierce and determined. There wasn’t an ounce of doubt on any face. They were here to win, and they knew they would.

  Steel armor covered their chests, abdomens, and legs. They wore steel helmets with a red feather sticking up from the top. Each soldier held a long silver sword in one hand, a bronze shield in the other.

  Each row of soldiers that past filled me with despair. There were so many of them and so little of us. They looked like they had years of training, their bodies perfectly sculpted for battle.

  I shook the negative thoughts from my mind, trying to stay focused on getting my mission done. If I dwelled on the numbers and odds, there was no chance of success. I needed to center my thoughts on one thing at a time, looking at the end of one goal, not the end of the entire war.

  I stayed perfectly still, keeping my breathing quiet and even. Minutes passed, and the soldiers kept on coming. The weight of the launcher multiplied as time went on.

  Bruce’s voice was barely a whisper. “In the back there’s a group of soldiers clustered together.”

  We both agreed beforehand that I wouldn’t respond to anything he said unless I desperately needed to. I was much closer to the enemy than he was.

  “You can tell the imperial soldiers apart from the others because they wear silver cuffs, their shields are silver, and they have red and silver feathers in their helmets.”

  I trained my scope toward the back of the army, looking for the men with Bruce’s description.

  “They’re the biggest, toughest, and cruelest soldiers we have. You’ll see them in a square. Three in front, three in back and two on each side. General Ming is in the middle.”

  I spotted the group of soldiers, spaced well back from the others. The fog had eased, making it easier for me to see. A big mass was in the middle of the group, a man covered head to toe in armor.

  Focusing my scope, I narrowed in on the center. The armor was made completely from silver. Elegant artwork was engraved on each piece. The feathers on his helmet were thicker and the colors more vibrant than anything I’d ever seen.

  He held his head high, his hand beating against his chest as he marched. The only part of his body I could see were his eyes. They were chilling, slicing right through everything in front of him.

  Taking a deep breath, I made sure I was focused on the center of the group. I put my finger gently on the trigger, waiting for the right moment to pull. I had to set off the launcher at the right moment or the whole plan would be ruined. I couldn’t mess it up.

  I remembered Mack’s words to only take the shot if I knew I’d hit him. Lightning filled the air, giving me a clear view of General Ming. I took a deep breath, exhaling as I pulled the trigger.

  Thunder roared in the sky as the launcher recoiled against my shoulder, but I kept myself steady, watching the rocket soar straight through the air toward General Ming.

  Drops of rain fell, a few landing on my face. I let them slide down my eyes and cheeks, not daring to look away.

  The sky filled with light again, only this time it was from the explosion. The rocket hit dead center, directly onto General Ming. His surrounding soldiers flew back, their bodies breaking into pieces.

  Without hesitating, I took the launcher off my shoulder, grabbed the bag with the other rocket, and made my way swiftly down the side of the mountain. Soldiers were shouting in the distance, confused by the sudden turn of events.

  I sprinted as fast as I could back to the jeep, willing myself to keep my eyes forward. I didn’t want to know what lay behind me. Bruce had the jeep started and taken off the branches for concealment. I threw the launcher and my pack into the back of the jeep, jumped into the driver seat, put the jeep into drive, and slammed on the gas.

  It was pouring rain by then and I was glad that Bruce had thought to put the cover on the jeep before we went to sleep. Bruce bounced beside me, his energy buzzing in the air. He turned around, facing the aftermath of the explosion.

  “That was so freaking awesome,” Bruce said. “Your aim was perfect.” He turned his head toward me. “Did you see their bodies flying everywhere? I’m so glad I wasn’t next to them. There were probably body pieces falling from the sky.”

  I was too worked up to respond, so I just let Bruce ramble on, getting out all his excitement. “I wish I could’ve seen the look on the other soldiers’ faces. They probably had no clue what was going on. No one even came after you. I think the timing of the rain, lightning and thunder was perfect, helping to cover up the noise of the jeep.”

  Bruce finally turned so he faced forward. He had his hands on his head trying to process everything that just happened. “Seriously, I don’t care what else happens to me on this trip. I’m just glad I got to live to see that.” He started laughing. “General Ming is dead. General Ming! The man who can’t die is dead. How is that possible?”

  Bruce playfully punched me on the arm. “It’s possible because of you! You’re amazing! Man, I can’t wait to get back to retell the story.” I could feel his eyes on mine. “Do you mind if I tell the story? I mean, I know it’s yours to tell, but I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself.”

  It took me a minute to respond. My stomach churned, my heart racing faster than it ever had before. The thought of blowing someone up wasn’t sitting easy with me.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m sure you’ll tell the story way better than I would.”

  Bruce pumped his fists into the air. “Thank you!”

  “Why don’t you contact Mack and let him know the news?” I shook my head as I drove, completely baffled by what had just happened.

  “Mack!” Bruce shouted into the communicator. “Mack! Mack!”

  “By the excitement of your voice,” Mack said, “I’m guessing you have good news?”

  “Man, you totally missed it!” Bruce exclaimed. “Gideon is awesome! Seriously. He just sat up there, calm as can be, and fired off the launcher like it’s something he does every day.”

  “Did he hit General Ming?” Mack asked.

  “Dead center. Literally.” Bruce moved his arms around as he spoke, reenacting the event with his hands. “The rocket soared perfectly through the air, colliding with General Ming’s head. Gideon completely obliterated the evilest man on the planet. The explosion lit up the sky and smoke filled the air. And his ten buff guards? In pieces, landing on other soldiers. Freaking awesome.”

  Mack coughed. “Sounds like you enjoyed the show.” I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t sharing the same excitement Bruce had. Neither was I. Bruce was still too young to truly understand the consequences of war and the impact it had on a person. The kid was only fourteen and had a lot of growing up to do.

  “You. Have. No. Idea,” Bruce said.

  “Did anyone come after you?” Mack asked.

  Bruce shook his head even though Mack couldn’t see him. “Nope. The other soldiers had n
o idea what was going on. They were so confused. The rain and thunder helped cover up our exit.”

  “Good,” Mack said. “I’m glad to hear that. Good work, Gideon. You were born to be a warrior.”

  A small smile formed on my lips. “Thanks.”

  “He’s so humble, too,” Bruce said. “If I were him, I’d be screaming at the top of my lungs, telling the world how awesome I was. He’s even letting me tell his story. And not just to you! To everyone!”

  “Sounds about right,” Mack said. “For both of you.”

  “Hey, I’m okay with being a showoff,” Bruce said. “That’s how I am. But I’ll exclaim Gideon’s praises to everyone. They’ll know how amazing he is.” He looked at me. “Seriously, you’re my hero. If you weren’t a dude and there wasn’t a huge age gap between us, I’d totally kiss you right now.”

  “Well, then I’m glad I’m a dude.”

  Bruce laughed. “It’s weird to hear the word ‘dude’ come out of your mouth.”

  “Keep me informed on the rest of your trip,” Mack said.

  “We will,” I said.

  “Gideon, I’m proud of you,” Mack said. “I think you deserve a promotion.”

  “To what?” I asked. It wasn’t like there were multiple ranks in our small army.

  I could hear a smile in Mack’s voice. “I’ll think of something. I’ll talk to you guys later.”

  “Bye, Mack,” Bruce said.

  Bruce’s high faded pretty fast. He fell asleep not long after, giving me time to think on my own.

  The first part of our mission was a success. The cost would be several sleepless nights with an image I’d never be able to get out of my head, but it was a price I chose to pay and a choice I’d make over again. This would give New Haven the hope it desperately needed.

  Now we just needed to make sure we did the next part right so we wouldn’t have a whole other army coming to attack us.

  If we succeeded at spreading the virus in Juniper, the safety of those living in New Haven would increase dramatically.

  We needed to succeed.

  We were all excited to hear the news of Gideon’s success. Mack woke all of us up early to tell us. Gideon was made for excellence. He was brilliant.

  We debated whether we should tell the news to the president and vice president, but in the end, Dante and Santiago couldn’t contain their excitement. They had to tell their fathers.

  “You did what?” President Brown asked, folding his arms, his eyebrows furrowed together.

  We had found him and Vice President Mendes sitting in the conference room, drawing out plans.

  “We killed General Ming,” Santiago said. If his smile got any bigger, his face might have broken.

  “Well, Gideon killed him,” I said. “The guy’s a hero.”

  Vice President Mendes had his hands clasped together, resting on the table. “I think the president was referring to the part where you broke into the infirmary and stole something. That’s against the law.”

  Dante laughed. “I’m not sure the law applies to us.” He gestured to us four revolutionaries.

  President Brown shook his head. “The law applies to you four more than anyone else, Dante. This isn’t a game. This is war. A lot of lives are at stake.”

  “I know, Dad,” Dante said, “but we, well Gideon, killed General Ming, along with his ten toughest soldiers. And if they succeed in the second part of the mission, it’ll end Juniper for good. They won’t come after us again.”

  President Brown stood and paced the room, walking around the table. He made eye contact with each of us as he passed by, stopping in front of Santiago. “The worst part is, you didn’t even steal something small or insignificant. You stole a virus.”

  “You’re going to wipe out an entire city,” Vice President Mendes said. “What if there are innocent people there?”

  Maya shook her head. “There aren’t. The only good people left got out and are here in New Haven. Everyone else was murdered.”

  “Do you know that for certain?” President Brown asked.

  “Yes.” Maya twirled the violin charm on her bracelet. “I’m about ninety-nine percent sure.”

  President Brown slammed his fist down on the table, making Santiago jump in his seat. “That’s not enough! You need to be one hundred percent sure before you make a decision like this.”

  “How come you didn’t talk to us about this?” Vice President Mendes asked, eyeing Santiago.

  Santiago smiled, looking at his father and then at President Brown who still fumed beside him. “Because I knew this is how you’d react.”

  “And General Ming would still be alive if we did come to you.” I sat forward. “And we wouldn’t have the chance to end Juniper.”

  “They’ll keep coming for us,” Dante said.

  “And they won’t give up until New Haven’s finished,” Maya said.

  “That doesn’t give you the right to make this decision without consulting us,” President Brown said. “I think you’re forgetting who’s in charge here.”

  I looked at President Brown. “We’re not trying to insult you or question your authority. We saw a chance to put the odds of winning this war in our favor, so we took it.”

  President Brown leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. “You took it without asking me or the vice president. I know what you four have been chosen to do, but you aren’t in charge yet.”

  “Isn’t this why we were chosen?” Dante asked. “We come up with ways to win the war and keep New Haven alive and we seize them.” He looked at me and then Santiago. “We aren’t the type to ask before we do something.”

  “You still need to recognize authority,” Vice President Mendes said. “If the residents of our city see the four of you ignoring us and the laws we’ve created, why would they want to live by them, too? You four have the right mindsets to fix this world and restore it to its proper order, but you aren’t invincible.”

  “You’re still young and naïve,” President Brown said. He paced the room again.

  I stood and went to President Brown, stopping him in his tracks. “Listen, I understand what you’re trying to tell us, and I understand your reasoning, but we aren’t going to change. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to win not just this upcoming battle with Juniper, but the entire war with the rest of the cities. We’re fighters. Yes, we make rash decisions. But they’re the right ones.”

  President Brown looked down at me, his eyes a mix of disapproval and pride. “We won’t know that until Gideon and Bruce make it safely back to New Haven.”

  “They will,” I said. “Bruce is tough, and Gideon was born to do this. It’s in his blood. He’s logical and can put his emotions aside at the snap of a finger.”

  President Brown smiled softly. “So, the complete opposite of the four of you.”

  “Hey, we can think logically,” Dante said. “Sending the two of them to kill General Ming and wipe out Juniper was completely logical.”

  Santiago clasped his hands behind his head. “As for the emotions, we just happen to wear ours out on our sleeves. Yeah, it gets us in trouble sometimes, but it fuels us. It makes us the fighters we are.”

  “President Brown,” Maya said, her voice soft and gentle, “it was the right choice. Trust me. I’ve lived with the people that are still in Juniper my whole life. They aren’t good people. I’m not even sure if they’re human anymore. They’re monsters.”

  “You’d better be right,” President Brown said, “for the sake of their city and ours.”

  Vice President Mendes smiled. “He really killed General Ming?”

  “With a rocket launcher.” Santiago whistled as he flew his hand in the air like a rocket and then he made the sound of an explosion as his hand hit the table.

  “Don’t encourage them, Oscar,” President Brown said.

  Vice President Mendes cleared his throat. When the president wasn’t looking, the vice president winked at me. His playfulness reminded me of Vice Presid
ent Oliver. He was serious when he needed to be, but he was still able to have some fun now and then.

  President Brown looked at his watch. “We don’t have a lot of time. Let’s get Mack, Terrance, Derek, and Naomi in here. We need to go over our strategy.”

  When everyone was settled into the room, the president spread out a map on the table. It showed the east entrance to New Haven and the canyon leading to it.

  “We have five towers now constructed on the east entrance,” President Brown said, pointing to the towers. “I want as many men and women up there as we can who know how to use a bow and arrow. They’re our first line of defense. As soon as the army is in range, we need to fire. The sooner we lower the enemy number, the better.”

  “Archie has already placed a whole bunch of arrows on each tower,” Mack said. “We’ll need to designate one person from each tower to oversee weapon control. As soon as the number of arrows gets low, we’ll need to move on to guns.”

  “We aren’t going to start with guns?” I asked.

  Terrance shook his head. “We need to conserve ammo. We’ve been able to make thousands of arrows the past few days, so we’ll use those first.”

  “Gideon said they have armor,” Mack said, running his hand over his beard. “On their chest, abdomen, legs, and head.”

  “That doesn’t leave us many areas to aim for,” Dante said, frowning.

  “But now you know where to aim,” Mack said. “Neck, arms, and face.”

  Dante sat forward. “That won’t kill them.”

  “No,” Terrance said, “probably not, but it will slow them down. Injure them. If they get to our front line and they’re wounded, it’ll be a lot easier for our swordsmen to get close and finish them off.”

  “What about fire?” Dante rubbed his hands together. “Can we light the arrows on fire?”

  “No,” Mack said.

  Dante’s face fell. “Why the hell not?”

  “The last thing we need is for a fire to spread and burn New Haven down,” President Brown said, his eyes scolding his son. “Everything’s made of wood and easy to burn. We don’t want to help the enemy.”