Carbon (The Watcher Series Book 2)

by AJ Eversley

  A gentle wave crashed against my legs.

  “I have not known you long, and the months have gone by in a blur,” Lena said, “but I feel in you what I once felt before. A longing for a home.”

  I swirled my fingers in the water, thinking of home. My home was gone. But even in Cytos, down in the base I had called home, I’ve never felt what she had here. The base wasn’t really my home, not the one I dreamed of. All I longed for was a place that felt right. A place that was me.

  “This could be your home, should you choose to stay. I wanted you to know there will always be a place here for you.” Lena’s smile was heartfelt.

  My smile dropped. This may be a dream, my dream, but it wasn’t the reality I had lived in.

  “As long as Coleman is alive, I can have no home,” I said. “I appreciate your offer, but you know as well as I do that with me here, you and your people aren’t safe.”

  She shook her head. “No. My people are safe because you are here.”

  I scrunched my brow, ready to argue, but she interrupted me.

  “That night when Kenzie attacked, I did not have the strength inside of me to fight back. Had you not been there, my people would be without me today, leaving them vulnerable and without protection. But your presence and seeing you in danger gave me the strength I needed.” Lena grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “My powers are weakening. The shield that surrounds this island has been broken so many times that I know I can no longer protect my people. We need you. I need you.”

  “I promise that I’ll do what I can for you and your people,” I said, “but the only way you can guarantee their safety is to kill Coleman.”

  She dropped my hand. “I know. Just promise you will come back. Promise you will take care of my people.”

  “I will take care of you so you can take care of your people.”

  She gave me a sad smile. “Thank you.”

  ~

  The water tickled my feet as I skimmed them across crystal clear waters at the end of the dock. The moon danced off the gentle waves. The night was so peaceful and quiet; it reminded me of those quiet nights in Cytos. When I knew who I was and what my purpose was; when all I had to be was a Watcher. Now I had to be something else. Something that still felt so familiar but was a burden I’d never experienced before. I was responsible for the entire city behind me. I was responsible for Max and Lena. Too many names to remember them all, too many people to disappoint.

  Running my hands through my hair, I kicked at the water, splashing my legs. The fish mingling below scattered. The dock was cool under my skin, and I lay down, looking up to the stars. They sparkled and danced like a song in the sky, whispering its promises to me.

  One star looked like it was moving, resembling a falling star coming closer toward us.

  I sat up with a jolt. It was approaching closer, and it wasn’t a star, but a large ball of fire aimed for the city.

  A loud crack came from the sky as the ball of fire broke through the shield.

  I stood and ran for the city, but it was too late. The explosion knocked me off my feet. Rocks rained from the sky, and the buildings around me burst into flames, decimated by the fireball.

  I pushed myself up on shaky legs, but another blast rocked the island. Screams filled the air from people running for their lives.

  They were here. They had broken through the shield, and the city was being destroyed.

  I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I watched the fireballs rain down from the sky like a meteor shower.

  Another blast, so close I felt the heat, took me out of my shock. I had to help. I sprinted toward the castle. But I didn’t reach it in time. I was too late. A fireball fell right where I was headed. With a thunderous boom, the castle went up in flames, scattering debris everywhere. It rained over me as I dropped to my knees.

  Chapter 32

  The smoke was overwhelming as I entered the castle, or whatever was left of it. Explosions sounded across the city. Bright burning flames lit up the night sky. I covered my mouth with my shirt and ran down the hall to where Max’s room was. He wasn’t there.

  “Sawyer!” I heard a yell from behind me.

  Max and Lena were struggling to carry Anthony. I rushed to their side, using my powers to carry him out.

  The castle was crumbling around us. Lena tried to shield us but there was too much devastation. We sprinted for the exit, but a large stone fell directly in front of our escape path. The smoke was getting worse. Lena and Max coughed and gasped for air.

  I kept my hold on Anthony’s body but shifted my focus onto the large stone. It quivered as I struggled to concentrate on moving the stone. Beads of sweat formed on my brow, and I pushed the current flowing rapidly through me into moving the stone. Slowly yet unsteadily, it moved. I shifted it out of the way just enough for us to escape, and we were out.

  Lena fell to her knees at the sight of her city. Through tear-filled eyes, she reached her hands to the sky to close the breach in her shield, but whoever the Carbon was that was fighting back was too strong. The shield was nearly gone. Lena closed one section, causing the last fireball to fizzle out before it hit the ground, but another came and made its impact. The entire island shook once again.

  I turned to Max, who was kneeling beside Anthony. Max was covered in dirt and probably his own blood, but as he glanced at me, he communicated to me what I already knew. Anthony was gone.

  With a gasp, Lena beheld Anthony sprawled on the ground. His chest didn’t move, and she collapsed over him and shook with tears. She ran her hands through his hair and kissed his forehead. “I love you,” she whispered. “I will never forget you.”

  Hot rage flowed through me, and my energy bubbled inside. “Stay here,” I said and I sprinted toward the city before Max could argue.

  I used my Carbon speed, doing my best to avoid looking at the carnage. There’d be more if I didn’t stop this, if I couldn’t end this.

  Leaping over a stone wall, I climbed to the top of a house still standing. Another fireball was barreling down on us, lighting up the night sky. I put my hands up and threw my energy out toward it. The fireball pushed against me, and my hands began to shake. The energy inside of me fought back, but I didn’t know if it was enough, if I was enough. I dropped to one knee with my other knee threatening to give out. My foot dug into the soft stone, and I kept pushing.

  The fireball drew closer, and I felt the heat radiating off it, causing sweat to form at the nape of my neck and trickle down my back. The heat was so strong it burned against my outstretched arms as I pushed my powers against it. I tried to ignore it, but the burning was so painful.

  It slowed down, but it still barreled toward me. I couldn’t stop its force; it was too strong. But maybe I could change its trajectory?

  As I took a split second to glance to my left, I saw the edge of the island and the ocean gleaming in the night sky lit up by fire. That was my only chance. It was the only place I could redirect the fireball. I twisted my body and pushed my powers to my left. My right knee buckled again. I stayed strong though. My insides were nearly ripped apart as I pushed the fireball past the edge of the island and out to the open ocean where it crashed and sizzled in the cool water.

  I dropped to my other knee, and my hands fell slack at my side. They were bright red as if the fireball had burned right into them.

  Shaking them off, I stood up, knowing it wasn’t over. When I gazed up to the sky, the shield was repairing and closing up, but not before a small space ship made its way through the narrow opening in the shield and landed on the beach.

  Jumping down from the rooftop, my fists clenched tightly. I ran to meet the enemy head on.

  ~

  The ship was empty when I arrived, but screams nearby told me where to look. I rounded a corner to the front of the island where I found her. She had flaming red hair and pale white skin. Her bright red lips curled into a vicious smile as I came into view. We stood there, staring each other down as screams r
ang in the distance. People ran for whatever cover they could find and the city burned all around us.

  “So you’re the Carbon causing us all so much trouble,” she sneered, taking a step closer. Her eyes never left my face as she tilted her head to the side. “You don’t look like much.”

  I clenched my fist as I lifted my chin up higher. “Good,” I said. “I like it when people underestimate me.” I took off, sprinting toward her with all my strength. My arms pumped hard, and my Carbon senses calculated her next move. She sidestepped me as I barreled down on her, but I’d already seen that coming. With my powers sizzling on my fingertips, I gripped onto her ankle and pulled her down hard.

  She rolled onto her back and flipped herself to her feet before I skidded to a stop beside her. I pointed my gun at her head, but she brought her hand up and closed it on the barrel. I shot a wide hole through her hand, but she didn’t flinch at the red blood pouring out from a gaping hole that was already winding itself shut.

  She ripped the gun from my hand and tossed it out of reach. A hard kick to my side sent me flying a few feet from her. Scrambling to my feet I waited for her attack, not yet knowing what powers she possessed, but I felt the energy inside her. She wasn’t the one who had produced the fireballs, but a different distant energy flowed that I couldn’t connect with.

  She smiled wickedly again as she raised her hands and summoned the powers within her. With subtle little pops of energy, I was surrounded. She had multiplied into ten more versions of herself, all wearing the same wicked smile and ready to fight.

  My pulse quickened. I did my best not to show panic or reveal the thoughts rolling through my brain. I spun, watching for the first attack. I felt all of them with my Carbon senses. They were solid and true but still too many for me to fight at once.

  I looked around me for anything I could use as a defense. The knife in my hand was my last weapon. One of the Carbon projections attacked me from behind, but I spun around, slicing at her face with my blade. The next one came just as fast, and she knocked me to my side. I kicked her off, but another stepped on my wrist and kicked away the knife from my grip.

  I clutched my arms in tight as they surrounded me. My energy was unable to reach for anything, or to do anything as I panicked. They kicked my side so hard that I heard the cracking and snapping of my ribs long before I felt them. I forced myself to focus on my energy and the current building inside of me, and the energy of these projections. The current began to boil and build up until I could no longer contain it. I pushed my powers out, and they blasted off me in a dome of energy. The multiplied versions of the Carbon were pushed off of me with an echoing boom.

  Still surrounded, I stood with difficulty while I surveyed them.

  “You might as well give up now before we have you begging for mercy,” one projection sneered.

  “Oh, but I like it so much more when they beg before we rip them apart,” another said, the corner of her mouth curved up into a menacing smile.

  “Do your worst. Don’t hold anything back,” I said. “I promise you’re going to need it. I’ll do you the courtesy of making it quick.” I was buying myself a little time as my powers pushed their way into each one of them, discerning which was the enemy I knew and hated.

  “Hah, you? Making it quick work against us? What could a little girl do against all of us?” said another. They all nodded their approval as they surveyed me like I was a lamb and they were lions. They were too focused on me and didn’t have their guards up as my powers whispered in their ears, flowing through them until I found what I was looking.

  “Is that a challenge?” I gave a playful grin while my energy grabbed a hold of what it was seeking.

  “Do you like challenges, little girl?” She narrowed her graze over mine.

  I gave her a wicked smile, and the solid wall of projections surrounding me faltered just a little. The slightest bit of recognition spread across her face as she realized I had been toying with her all along.

  While she was busy mocking me and falling for every trap I placed, my energy had found what it was looking for. And now, my powers were wrapped tightly around the microchip at the base of the Carbon’s skull.

  “I bet you thought I was just going to lie down and give up, but you were wrong. I love a challenge, but more than that, I like to finish them.” I snapped my powers into place as they ripped out the microchip. Before she could even open her mouth and the shock had settled in, she and her projections fell limp to the ground. The other versions of her disappeared until there was just one dead Carbon before me. I looked at the floating microchip, still covered in her blood, hovering in front of my face. I took it in my hands and crushed it until it was nothing more than dust.

  Chapter 33

  The early morning light had risen by the time we finished putting out all the fires. My body ached and was drained of all its powers. The white sand I sat on was stained in the blood and ash of the city.

  The people of the United Isles gathered at the water’s edge. They had no homes to return to. Captain Lankey and his men handed out whatever food they had, and healers walked around checking on the injured. Many people had died during the attack.

  “We ain’t got enough food for the lot, sir,” a crewmate said to Captain Lankey. He stood not far from us, passing water along to a few of his injured men.

  “Then we outta find more, aye? Send whoever be able to search the bay for whatever we can eat,” Lankey ordered. The crewmate scampered off, bringing a few guys with him. They ran toward the bay where the fire had been less severe.

  “You two ‘ave done quite enough. All we can do now is wait.” Lankey clapped Max on the shoulder.

  “Wait for what?” Max frowned. He was also covered in blood and dirt, but thankfully, he only had a few small scrapes and bruises.

  “The princess,” Lankey said. “She’ll let her people know what to do.”

  I hadn’t seen Lena since we left her to bury Anthony. She hadn’t been in the state of mind to command a city at that point. She had barely spoken a word, except to ask for privacy before I heard the sobs escape her throat.

  My mouth twisted. “Are you sure she’ll able to think straight right now?”

  “Of course, my dear,” Lankey said with unwavering confidence. He left to join his men in search of food, rendering Max and I alone.

  The sky was hazy with the smoke clouds that hung over the city. The destruction and horror around us was all too familiar. I couldn’t help feeling I’d brought this terror on everyone. As I pivoted to stride toward the castle, I saw the shadow of a person coming down. Lena. Her white dress was covered in black soot and stained with blood. Her face revealed nothing of the sorrow I knew she felt.

  Her chin was lifted high as she glided effortlessly past Max and I. She stopped on the long dock over the bay, one of the few things left standing, and turned to her people. The crowd went silent.

  “People of the United Isles, I am so sorry I have failed you. It was my duty to protect you, and I let you down.” The wind quieted down all around us, even the ocean stilled as Lena spoke. “This attack on our city was my fault and mine alone. I have let you all down, and for that we have paid the ultimate price.”

  I was ready to speak up, but Max grabbed my elbow to stop me.

  “We are no longer safe here,” said Lena.

  A quiet murmur rolled through the crowd, but it hushed quickly.

  “Our enemy has found us and knows how to breach the shield. Therefore, we must move on to another location until it is safe to return. We will take today to bury those we have lost and then set sail tomorrow at dawn. Take this time to say goodbye.”

  With that, Lena stepped down and began the journey back up to the castle. Everyone obeyed her request, and it was then I realized the amount of respect she garnered from her people.

  I raced after her. “But where will you and your people go?”

  “They will find a new home. I am confident Captain Lankey will find them a pl
ace to live until it is safe to return.” She walked and set her eyes on the castle as she moved toward it.

  “Them? What do you mean them? You’re going with them.”

  “There is only one way to stop my father, and that is to give him what he wants. I will wait until everyone is gone, and then I will send him a message to come get me,” she stated.

  I grabbed her elbow and forced her to face me. “You can’t do that. You can’t give yourself up.”

  “It’s the only way, Sawyer,” she said calmly.

  “It isn’t the only way. We can fight back,” I said.

  “With what? Fight back against this?” She looked around her at the destruction that had consumed her city.

  I was at a loss for words.

  “We have nothing left,” she said. “I have nothing left. These people are not fighters, and they have already lost so much. I can’t—” Her voice caught and tears welled up, but she swallowed them, “—I will not sacrifice one more soul.”

  She spun away and left me alone among the ashes and the ruins.

  ~

  “You can’t blame her. You’d have done the same thing,” Max said about Lena’s plan. He’d heard it all.

  “I just can’t shake the feeling that if she does this, it will be the end of everything. My mom warned me about this, and she hasn’t been wrong yet.” I paced as Max sat on the crumbled steps of an obliterated home.

  “It’s not your decision to make,” he stated.

  I glared. “I can’t leave knowing that what she plans to do is wrong,” I nearly shouted.

  Max stood up and walked over, grabbing both of my shoulders and stopped my pacing. He stood only inches from my face. “Sawyer…at some point you have to realize you’re not the only one who can make sacrifices.”

  I tried to shrug him off, but he held tight.

  “This isn’t about me or her,” I said. “This is about these people and our people. This is about the human race, or what’s left of it. I don’t know what Coleman has planned for Lena, but I can’t shake the feeling that if he succeeds in getting her, this could be the end of humanity as we know it. And once he has her, there’ll be no way to stop him.”