Letting his words sink in for a minute and not sure what to think of this new information, I replied, “Right, well, I’d better get back. See you tomorrow, Gunner.”
“See you,” he said, giving me a sympathetic look before walking over to the group of new trainees gathering at the entrance of the HTH site.
Worried about Dera and not wanting to think any more on whether Graff was ignoring or avoiding me, I ran for the cabin. I waved as I passed Ben but kept moving. I reached the bridge and spotted Dera sitting on the porch, staring off into space.
Slowly, I walked up the steps and sat down on the bench next to her. “You okay?” Heaving a huge sigh, she looked at me. “I’ve come to the conclusion that guys suck. I’m just not equipped for all this drama, you know?”
Before I could respond, she rose from the bench to pace. I didn’t interrupt because I knew she needed to vent and that was what I was here for. If there was one thing I’d learned about friendship, it was that sometimes you just had to keep your mouth shut until your friend wound down— hopefully finding the results they wanted on their own.
“I just don’t know how I could have been so clueless. I mean, did you see them on that stage? They were awesome together. And that voice? Who could compete with that? Hah, not me. That’s for sure. I so don’t need this. I was doing fine before he came along. Yeah, I am so done!”
With her hands on her hips, she added, “So anyway, you ready to eat?”
Although I was tired, sweaty, and could really use a shower, no way was I going to refuse my broken-hearted friend.
“Sure. Come on. We have leftovers in the fridge.” I grabbed Dera’s arms and pulled her inside.
* * *
“This is so good,” she said while she chewed.
“Yeah, Graff walked me home last night and we stopped at Miss Sofia’s booth to eat. Just about everyone had cleared out by then. When we got there it was just Rafe and his mom.”
That got her attention. “What? What do you mean?”
“Well…” I began slowly, “Miss Sofia and Rafe were alone at the only table and she asked us to join them. We ate and then she packed up all this food for me to bring home.”
“Huh,” Dera replied.
After a few minutes, she stared at me with one eyebrow raised. “Wait a minute. You said Graff walked you home?”
Perfect. Now I had to tell her about the kiss. “I just told you Rafe was alone last night and all you focus in on is Graff walking me home?”
“Well yeah. Spill,” Dera said with a determined look on her face.
Before I could decide how much to tell her—if anything—she said, “Just because Rafe was with his mom last night doesn’t change the fact that he and Barbette obviously have unfinished business. I just can’t be a part of that right now.”
“Well, that sounds awfully mature,” I admitted.
Leaning back in her chair, she said, “It does, doesn’t it? That’s the new me…mature Dera.”
Thinking this wasn’t the right time to share the details of last night, I yawned and got up from the table. “I’m going to get my shower. Do you mind cleaning this up?”
She seemed to want to push the subject of Graff but hesitated and I was thankful when she finally said, “You do look tired. Go ahead. I’ve got this.”
In the bathroom, I showered quickly and headed straight to bed.
* * *
Sometime later, heavy pounding on the front door woke me from a deep sleep. I jumped out of bed to find Dera stumbling from hers. We reached the door at the same time.
Ben stood on the other side with a stoic expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Henley, Councilman Montgomery needs you at his house straight away.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hushed voices came to an abrupt halt as I followed Ben through the cabin’s side door. A warm glow from several overhanging lanterns cast shadows on the few people gathered in the room, so it was hard to make out who was in front of us until we were right upon them.
Graff and Rafe sat at the kitchen table directly across from Gunner, Cali, and Quinn. They all wore equally pensive expressions. Jonas stood near the counter with his hand on the shoulder of someone I never thought I’d see again.
“Jarvis?” I shrieked, rushing over to embrace my long-lost guard. Jarvis wrapped both arms around me in a tight hold.
“I thought you were dead!” I cried, stepping back enough to see his face. “Where have you been all this time? Are there others with you? My father? My brother? Are they still alive?”
This entire time I’d made myself believe the soldiers threw Keegan in the transport because they wanted to keep him alive, but now with Jarvis here in front of me, I wasn’t sure what to think. And there was no telling what happened to my father.
He nodded once, and my tension briefly subsided, but when I looked into his eyes, they held remorse—maybe even guilt. It made me question whether he’d seen something happen to Keegan after his capture.
Before I could ask anything further, Marta appeared carrying some water and bread. As she set it down on the table near Jarvis, we broke apart while I struggled to compose myself.
Jonas turned in my direction. “Henley, this must be a shock. Sit, please.” He motioned with his arm to an empty chair that had just been added to the table. I nodded and fell silently into it.
Jonas sighed, but shook his head and addressed Jarvis. “As I was saying to you a moment ago, we are extremely pleased to see you, son.” He paused while Marta handed Jarvis the cup of water with a plate of bread. “It is certainly a surprise to us all, especially after we were informed everyone from Marvin Brooks’ sector was either captured or perished in the attack—with the exception of Henley. You obviously need rest and quite possibly a night in the infirmary, but could you first walk us through exactly how you managed to get away? Are there others? Why did it take you so long to make contact with anyone? This would help us know how to better proceed going forward.” Jonas briefly glanced in my direction, and I knew from his expression he was reconsidering whether I could handle what he had to say.
Jarvis took a moment to respond, eating the bread and sucking down his drink. That gave me a chance to finally register his poor condition. The hair on his head was in disarray, a fresh bandage around his forehead. Marta must have already gotten her hands on him. His face was a mass of bruises, dried blood, and swelling. It looked as though there were a few stiches across his right cheek. My eyes traveled downward and took in his shirt and pants, both tattered and dirty. His shoes hadn’t fared any better, the tips of his big toes sticking out the canvas. I closed my eyes, not wanting to think of what he might have gone through—what my brother might still be going through—but someone clearing their throat got my attention. I opened my eyes and sucked in a deep breath when I found Graff kneeling in front of me.
“Are you all right?” he asked, voice low as he placed a tentative hand on my arm.
Shrugging one shoulder, I averted my eyes and shifted in my chair until his hand fell away. He tried asking once more, but Jarvis started to speak.
“Sir, when the attack happened, I was with Lieutenant Keegan Brooks and his sister, Henley, just outside of town. Brooks ordered me to escort his sister to our sector’s bunker while he retrieved his father in the town hall before meeting us there.” Jarvis inhaled before staring at me with pain in his eyes. “She and I were real close to our destination when we heard a loud blast, and shortly after, black smoke filled the sky directly above town. We decided since we were so close that she’d keep heading to the bunker and I’d return to find Keegan and their father.”
He paused, looking around the room. He must have seen the anxiety on some of our faces. Jarvis ran a hand over his forehead and then looked back at me. I nodded in understanding.
“It only took me a few minutes to get back to the edge of town but the only people I came across were already lying on the ground with their throats slit.
So I ran toward the center of town where, as far as I could tell, the blast had come from. But I didn’t get there in time. Everyone was dead.” He squeezed his eyes shut before choking out, “I…failed them.”
Jonas placed both hands on Jarvis’ shoulders and waited until he looked at him. “Son, I’m sure that’s not the case. The sector was overrun by soldiers. With their weaponry and amount of men they always deploy, no one really stood a chance in a surprise attack. The fact that you and Henley both made it out is a miracle in and of itself.” Jonas stepped back. “Now, is there anything else we need to know? Did you eventually find any survivors? Councilman Brooks? And where exactly have you been for the last five weeks? A few of your injuries seem much more recent.”
Jarvis slumped in the chair, wrapping his fingers around the edges of the seat in a white knuckled grip before he spoke again. “There were a few soldiers still lurking around, so I had to hide for a while. Eventually, I made it to where Town Hall had been.” He turned to face me. “I’m so sorry, Henley,” he added, a pained look on his face. I stopped breathing, anxiously waiting for him to continue. “After about twenty minutes of searching, I found Councilman Brooks, along with his assistant Abraham, and four guards in the woods behind town hall. They were lying face down in a pool of their own blood. They hadn’t made it far before they were gunned down.”
I gasped, making Jarvis pause and swallow hard. “I’m so sorry, Henley,” he repeated. “They didn’t deserve that. No one did.”
Everyone in the room was silent, and I felt all their eyes swing to me. I was frozen by the realization that someone had just confirmed my father’s death. I’d known it could be true, but I never saw it for myself. Grief took hold of me and even though I was sad for Jarvis and what he’d gone through, all I could think about was the only family I had left.
“My brother,” I whispered, wiping tears from my cheeks. “When was the last time you saw him?”
He cleared his throat, not meeting my eyes. I knew what was coming next. “When I couldn’t find anyone alive, I turned and ran back towards the bunker in the hopes I’d find Keegan on the way there. It was a good half hour before I finally spotted him running. I tried to catch up but then he was being dragged back down the hillside by a group of soldiers. They threw him in a transport vehicle with two other men and a woman and left.
“The closest help was days away and I knew Henley would never forgive me if I didn’t find out where they were taking her brother. I knew she had enough provisions to last until I could get back and all the soldiers were heading out so I made my decision to follow them. That’s what I did…all the way to a government military base at the edge of The Flux. The soldiers checked in at a small side building and grabbed some sort of protective suits for everyone before they continued on into the Flux, heading toward Industrial City.”
A collective gasp of horror followed Jarvis’ revelation that Keegan and the other prisoners were taken through the deadly wasteland few Gunari have ever survived.
“You…you followed them? So you know where Keegan’s being held?” I was mixed with the anxiety of knowing my brother went through a place of endless nightmares and excitement at the probability that he was still alive and we might even have his exact location.
“I did. At first anyway. I’m not going to lie; I was scared to death of the things I heard and saw in that place. But it was so strange. Nothing attacked the soldiers. Any animals I saw stayed far away, almost like they knew not to get too close. And not a single tribesman showed himself while they were there. A few hours in, they parked the transport and walked the rest of the way on foot. That’s when things got pretty dicey. They took a narrow path right next to Bloody Waterway. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I still wouldn’t believe it.” He shook his head. “The water was boiling right over onto the ground in some spots and there was this gooey looking dark red gunk that kept sticking to the path as the water seeped away; but they just went straight through it without a second thought. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was incredible. And as much as I wanted to keep going for Keegan’s sake, without one of those suits, I had to turn around. Unfortunately, with all the heat and vaporous gases in the air near the waterway, I got turned around and couldn’t find the same path back. That’s when I ran into trouble with the natives.” He glanced around the room, looking mildly ashamed.
Jonas sighed and glanced at Marta, who immediately wrapped her arms around Jarvis and held him in a motherly embrace.
“Son,” Jonas addressed the distraught guard in front of me. “You’re a brave young man who has done the Council and your people proud. You went into enemy territory—the forbidden Flux even—alone and returned to us with vital information on how to get our people back. So don’t you dare hang your head. Now, we’ll need any more details you can give us on the base, and also whatever else you can tell us on those suits, but we’ll get to it in the morning. I think that is enough for tonight.” He turned to address his wife. “Marta, why don’t you take him down to the infirmary and do a more thorough assessment of his injuries? I know you’ve been itching to do so since you walked back in.”
She nodded and with the help of Gunner, they got Jarvis to his feet. They walked to the door, stopping as he reached my side, but he didn’t face me.
His voice was only a whisper when he said, “Just so you know, the last time I set eyes on Keegan, he was alive and completely unharmed. They seemed to go out of their way not to get a scratch on him.”
I started to shake and I barely registered anything other than Marta and Gunner helping him the rest of the way to the door.
Wrapping my arms around my waist, I became nothing more than a blubbering mess. Graff was instantly there, tucking my head under his chin where he held me until I calmed. Eventually, he placed a hand on my cheek and tilted my head up to meet his eyes.
“You all right?” he asked cautiously, and I let out a short grunt; that was twice now he’d had to ask. “Seems to be the question of the night, yeah?”
Unable to form words, I gave him a faint smile. He squeezed me again and guided us both to a sitting position in the chair I previously occupied.
Jonas was talking quietly with those seated at the kitchen table and I realized I’d missed something important.
“Quinn, have you heard anything through your source?” Jonas asked.
“No, they’ve gone dark the last few weeks. I’m not sure what that means, but I’m worried.”
Jonas sighed and patted Quinn on the back.
Though he was speaking directly to Graff’s team, I listened intently. Jonas must have realized this because he stilled for a moment before turning my way.
“Henley,” he said, “I’m so sorry about the news regarding your father, my dear. Even though it was a possibility, I know the confirmation of his death has been quite traumatic for you. Why don’t you go on back to your cabin and get some rest? I need to speak privately with Graff and his team regarding the new information we’ve just been given.”
“Actually, I’d rather stay. Especially if it involves–”
“That was not a request.” Jonas’ tone sharpened. “You, even with the ability and knowledge you might already possess, are only a trainee. You have not been formally inducted into the Gunari military and therefore are not permitted to know Council business, even if it is personal in regards to your family. Now go. We’ll speak soon…I promise.” He turned his back to me.
I looked to Graff, who had a sympathetic expression on his face, but he shook his head; there was nothing he could do. “I’ll come find you when this is over,” he whispered, kissing my forehead before squeezing my shoulder and walking over to join the others. I watched him go, and was immediately hit with a strong sense of betrayal.
I left without another word.
Chapter Twenty
Sitting under the tree behind Graff’s house, I waited to train with nothing but my own thoughts. It was making me flat out crazy. Someone had knocked
on our door shortly after I’d walked in last night from the meeting, but I’d ignored it. I just hadn’t wanted to talk about my feelings with anyone until I’d had time to grieve. I’d also been so hurt by Graff not speaking up for me. That is, until Dera pointed out he had to follow orders from Jonas just like everyone else—probably more so. Though I agreed with her, it was still painful.
Although I was much better at controlling my powers, I was going to have to work harder and faster to prove myself. It was the only way they would let me in on the plan to rescue Keegan. The familiar pull from Graff washed over me, which meant he was getting close. The best thing for me to do was focus on my training and nothing else, so when he walked up directly behind me, I stood and shifted away. “Ready to get started?” I asked with a forced smile.
“Henley, I—”
“You don’t have to explain the rules to me, Graff. I’m here to train.”
He stared at me a long moment, expression one of remorse or guilt, I wasn’t sure. “All right,” he said, thankfully not mentioning his actions last night and moving on. “So you’ve mastered your ability as far as calling it up and hitting your target with speed and accuracy. I’d like to do something a little different today.”
Annoyed that his praise meant so much, I took a breath and squared my shoulders. “If it will get me inducted into the Gunari Military, I’m all for it.”
“Oh, it’ll get you more than that, sweetheart,” Graff replied with a grin.
“Then I’m all over it. What do I need to do?”
“Using your ability, I’m going to teach you how to pull more power from me,” Graff explained.
“That’s possible?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“It is for us,” he said, taking off toward the edge of the clearing.
Intrigued, I followed until he stopped just short of the tree line and turned to face me. Grabbing hold of my hands, he said, “We’re going to start out slowly at first. Don’t be afraid.”
The Outerlands - Sedition Page 14