by Nina Walker
King Richard’s tall frame took up most of the doorway, his long shadow falling into the darkness of the bedroom.
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly. “I have something to show you.” He stalked away.
Despite an undercurrent of trepidation, I rolled from the bed and took off after him. Any chance I had to get out of this room was one I was going to take.
Flanked by a half a dozen guards, we ascended the staircase. Save for the sound of their boots clomping up the stairs, everyone was silent. Barefoot, I ignored the cold that gripped my vulnerable feet. There was no time to delay. Whatever Richard had in mind to show me, I was going to go along with it, and maybe if I was lucky, formulate a plan.
I glanced around for Lucas, but he was nowhere to be found. I breathed a small sigh of relief. The feeling was one I’d never expected to have when it came to that boy, but after today, I didn’t know how we’d ever get back to the way things used to be. The Lucas I knew never would have done that to me.
We left the warehouse, out onto the tarmac, the cold air ten times worse. Sunrise peeked over the horizon. I told myself that it was refreshing and breathed in a deep breath of the cool air. A thin sheen of moisture covered the ground, which immediately soaked into the hems of my gray cotton pants as we marched down the street. Small pebbles stuck to the bottom of my feet. The base was orderly, brick buildings in neat little lines, soldiers and the occasional guardian crisscrossing the path, the faint smell of gunpowder and smoke, the low hum of vehicles in the distance.
Turning a corner, a large military helicopter waited in the distance.
I skidded to a halt and turned to Richard. “Where are we going?” The chopper was not a welcomed sight. Just thinking about the last time I’d been in one, when I’d nearly crashed to my death, sent me reeling.
Richard didn’t reply as we approached the machine, its black surface shiny and gleaming. He climbed inside, reaching his hand out to help me. I eyed it suspiciously, refusing to touch him, and hoisted myself inside without help. Being unencumbered by handcuffs certainly made things easier, but I wondered how long that would last. His guards climbed in after me, passing massive black semi-automatic rifles between them and facing toward the two exits.
“Sit by me.” Richard patted the seat next to him. I hesitated, but did as he said.
As we lifted into the air, a thundering roar surrounded us. Three jets zoomed out into the sky ahead. I gripped the sides of my small seat, stomach dropping with the inertia.
“They’re added protection,” Richard yelled, smiling gleefully as his eyes followed the fighter jets.
“Where are we going?” I called back, pushing down the sense of foreboding. Why was he talking to me like this? Like he and I were on the same side now that Lucas had convinced him not to execute me? I would never be sided with this man. Never.
His answer was filled with triumph, like a little kid who’d won a playground game. “We had a lot of success last night. We’re setting up the occupation of Nashville.”
Success? What did that mean? Success at killing innocent people, most likely. I watched the scenery fly by outside the window, green and brown landscapes mixing into a blur of color.
“What’s Nashville?”
Richard smiled. “One of their largest cities near the border. More than a million West American citizens live there. Only a small amount evacuated before we set up occupation.”
“Okay…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t get what this had to do with me.
“Alchemy is treated like a crime in West America. Did you know that?”
I eyed him, biting my lip. “I’ve heard that.”
But I also knew my sister was there, my family, and so far they seemed okay about their situation. At least, I thought so. I hadn’t exactly been able to talk to them whenever I’d wanted.
“At least with me, you stand a chance,” he said.
I laughed low. “Oh, really? Is that why I’m scheduled for execution? By the way, when is that? Because I’m assuming it’s still on. Even if Lucas did cut a deal for me, I don’t expect you to honor your end of the bargain.”
He turned a dark look on me, eyes pointed, shining like razor blades. “Don’t test me,” he snapped. “I’m giving you one more chance to come to our side and abandon this Resistance nonsense, and I’m only doing that for my son’s sake.”
“It has nothing to do with my red alchemy?”
This time, he laughed. “Of course that’s an added benefit, but not if it means having a traitor living in my own home.”
I rolled my eyes, lost for words.
“Before you give me your final decision, I need to show you what costs are involved.”
I grit my teeth and nodded. I already knew the costs involved.
As we flew further away from our base and toward the warzone, I noticed several fields of stark gray against the otherwise normal land. I knew about the Shadow Lands up north, but not about these. The desolate earth sprawled out for miles, everything dead.
I turned on Richard. “Are you crazy? Why would you do that?”
He smirked at me like I was a complete idiot. “It was a show of strength,” he replied with a reptilian smile that made my skin crawl. “It wasn’t the first spot we did this, and it won’t be the last.”
I shook my head.
“You need to realize that West America is going to lose and the Resistance will go down with it.”
I held my tongue.
We continued until we flew over the city itself, a city that appeared to be recovering from a devastating fight. Thick smoke billowed from several buildings, and a few small fires were still burning bright as sunrise. But from this height, I couldn’t make out any people. My heart ached for them.
How many were dead?
“Soldiers are rounding up anything that could be used against us,” he said. “Most of the people are taking this better than we’d expected. Then again, we’re not holding back anything. I’ve ordered an excessive show of force. No mercy.”
“You’re sick,” I whispered low.
“What was that?” He shot me a dangerous look, a challenge in his eyes that sent a shiver of fear down my spine.
Once again, I held my tongue. I needed to be smart if I was going to make it out of this alive. A possibility that seemed further and further from reach.
“I wanted to show you this so you would understand how important it is that you use your red alchemy to help us.”
I held up a hand, not quite understanding his meaning, but also not wanting to fully understand this man. “I’ll stop you right there. If your son can’t convince me, what makes you think you can?”
He smiled softly, turning back to the window. We hovered over the city, and up ahead, I could make out the jets flying low. Beyond that, something in the distance burned. I squinted, trying to make it out, but all I could see was flames and smoke.
The jets approached the area, and a black speck fell from one, landing with an explosion. It billowed out in an all-consuming flame, the noise penetrating the entire landscape with a screaming boom.
My mouth fell open, tears springing to my eyes. “What are they bombing?”
Richard sent a conspiratorial grin at me. “That’s the West America military base.” A dark laugh fell from his lips as he leaned forward to get a better look. “Or at least, what’s left of it.”
Terror overtook me, pressing on my chest, confusing all my thoughts. My sister was there. Her friends! Maybe Dad? So many others. This couldn’t be happening.
“Why are you showing this to me?” I gasped, the fear cutting me like a razor.
“I already told you, Jessa. I am going to win this war. And you’re going to help me do it. This isn’t the first bombing; some have been on the city.”
“On all those innocent people?” As I stared wide-eyed at this monster, blood drained from my face, heartbeat thudding in my ears.
“If you don’t have the decency to make this easier for me, for
everyone, then I will use whatever means necessary.”
“You can’t blame me for a bombing!”
He tilted his head, eyes two pinpoints of rage. “Can’t I? You have undermined me at every turn and I will no longer allow it. Lucky for you, my son convinced me that we do need to keep you. Your execution is postponed until further notice.”
“This doesn’t change anything!”
He motioned toward the pilot and we spun around. Even though everyone was strapped in, our bodies veered with the movement. I slammed up against him and the need to vomit rose up, clawing at my throat. I began gasping for air, unable to get enough.
The chopper righted itself and flew closer to the city.
“See that?” He pointed toward the wreckage of a building. “That was a hospital.”
Tears burned my eyes and I choked out a sob.
“And see that?” His finger moved toward an intact building. It stood tall and regal, like it was important to the city. “It’s currently filled with dissenters. You can either help me control these people, or you can watch them die.”
“No,” I said with the quick shake of my head. “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” He slid a slatebook from his pocket and pressed a number. A moment later he held it to his ear. “Do it,” he said to whoever was on the other end. “I’m making the order.”
I faintly made out the reply of a woman’s voice. Faulk?
A jet flew over the capitol building. As the small speck fell, screaming filled my ears. My screams. “No!”
But it was too late.
The bomb exploded, sending chunks of the building flying, practically shaking the entire thing off its foundation. A ball of fire plumed up from its center, black smoke at the edges.
“It’s no big loss, really,” Richard shrugged with nonchalance. “Casualties are expected and those fools were asking for death. Plus, we’ll be destroying any state buildings once we take over anyway.”
My heart thudded. My breath caught.
He turned his evil eyes on me, talking slow, making sure I heard each and every word, “You could have prevented that. If you had agreed to help me with those people, I wouldn’t have killed them.”
I shuddered.
“There are more. There are others.”
Dark understanding crawled over me. My vision dimmed. My mouth opened and closed repeatedly as I realized the truth. I was stuck. I had no choice but to help him, to become another weapon in his arsenal. If I didn’t, he would end up killing even more people.
I nodded. “Fine.” A hot tear fell down my cheek. “You win.”
12
Sasha
The early morning sun glared down on us, the sunrise washing the carnage and destruction in a strange yellow light. Overnight, the world turned to chaos. What was supposed to be a quick extraction mission had quickly transformed into an all-out battle to the death. Not that anyone should’ve been surprised—least of all me.
“Go!” Mastin yelled over the deafening roar of gunfire.
He pointed toward the armory on base. My necklace was running low on everything. I needed to get over there to replenish it with what Nathan Scott had supplied for me. And my gun’s ammunition had long since been depleted—making it to the armory was the next best move.
“You’re coming with me.” I pulled on his arm.
“I can’t,” he replied, scanning the battle ahead, the battle that had unfortunately followed us back to the base. “You go. I’ll catch up.”
I closed my eyes briefly, the ratcheting sounds of combat caving in on me. The smell, equally jarring with its mix of smoke and blood, sweat and metal, gunpowder and rain.
I didn’t want to leave Mastin. Something told me that if I left him now, we’d be separated for good. Perhaps it was foolish or short-sighted, but my heart just couldn’t do it. We needed to stick together.
The New Colony forces had moved in quickly. Swift as an axe, they’d unleashed their fury. We’d poked at them one too many times, and now had woken the beast. The moment we’d retreated from their base after things had taken a sour turn last night, they’d used the opportunity to attack. They’d started with several bombs that had thrown everyone to the ground, left us scrambling, and then their alchemists had moved in, crossing into our territory in droves.
The Guardians of Color were the worst.
Lethal, they moved like panthers, quick and cunning. They all had yellow and green power at their disposal, though some were better than others. Some were better than none—which was our biggest problem. Using the strength alchemy to their advantage, they cut down our soldiers like weeds. Whenever one of their own or a nearby New Colonian soldier was injured, they were quick to administer healing magic. But it wasn't just the green and yellow that was the problem. Other magics were at play, too.
“What’s he doing?” Mastin questioned, terror rising in his voice. It was a new sound for him, something so foreign, I stepped back, his wave of panic sweeping over me, too.
I peered over his shoulder at a group of our soldiers. They had their guns trained on a male alchemist, but one by one, they dropped their weapons. Our men were surrendering!
When the alchemist turned, and I caught a glimpse of Reed, I froze.
“It’s blue alchemy,” I whispered in Mastin’s ear. “He’s using it to persuade them to stand down.”
“We have to stop him.”
“It’s not that simple.”
The moment the last of the soldiers had dropped their weapons, Reed lifted a handgun and began firing. Arcs of blood shot out of the defenseless soldiers’ bodies as they crumpled in on themselves, dropping to the mud with sickening thuds.
Mastin tensed, a growl escaping his throat, hand lifting his gun, and clearly ready to run from our hiding spot and intervene. I surged yellow magic through my veins, holding Mastin back with my strength, rooting us in place.
“You can’t,” I gasped. “He’s too powerful. He’ll kill you.”
“I’d like to see him try,” Mastin snarled, yanking at his arm, trying to free himself. “Let me go.”
“Please, come back with me,” I begged, running my hand up his arm, willing him to look at me, to listen to reason. But he wouldn’t. He craned his neck back to get a better look, craned it away from me, fire still burning through him, fire that I needed to extinguish if I was going to keep him from running in there and getting himself killed.
By this point, several more Guardians had joined Reed. They moved up the alleyway in a determined line, taking out anyone in their way. Swirls of color magic swung around them, mostly yellow, with a mix of Reed’s deadly blue. The men in their way didn’t stand a chance. They fell, landing on their knees, bloodied, faces scrunched up in confusion, before flopping to the earth. Before dying.
“We need to move,” I whispered. “They’re going to see us.”
“I have to stop him,” Mastin challenged again.
“You can’t if you’re dead!”
Why couldn’t he see reason? His bloodlust had taken a firm hold, the desire for revenge overpowering all sense of reason. If he didn’t snap out of it, I’d lose him.
A thin trail of blood ran down his forearm where some shrapnel had launched itself into his bicep earlier in the night.
I could use red alchemy… The thought pulsed, taking root in my mind. It’s been years, but what if it still works? It would be so easy to make him come back with me.
But no, that would reveal my secret. And he would hate it.
But if it saves his life, wouldn't it be worth it?
“I was wondering when I’d find you again!” Reed’s cackle echoed down the alleyway, making my decision for me. His gaze zeroed in on us as he ran. I might’ve been able to resist him, but I couldn’t risk Mastin. Reed had made the mistake of going easy on us once and we’d gotten away. From the shine of excitement lighting his eyes, from the way he and his gang stalked toward us across the gravel, that wouldn’t be the case a second time.
>
He was far away still, but he was the predator and we were the prey. And he loved it.
I glanced around, desperate for escape. There was only one way I saw this going. I didn’t let myself debate for another second. I grabbed Mastin’s bloody bicep and thought only of red. The magic came back in an instant, as if it had never left, just waiting for me to accept its presence. The electric power surged through me. Red strings of shining magic danced through the air, and I immediately pushed them into Mastin. Eyes still on Reed, he never looked my way, never saw the alchemy.
“Come on, we have to save ourselves. Follow me,” I said, pushing what little I had of the yellow in with the red. It was our only shot at outrunning Reed. “We have to get to the armory. Now!”
Mastin didn’t argue. I knew that he wouldn’t, that he couldn’t, not with my power reigning over him. I caught a glimpse of his eyes, glazed over with a singular focus on my command, and refused to feel guilt. I’d have time to beat myself up later. Boots kicking gravel behind us, we sprinted around the corner and toward a heavily fortified steel building. The wall of soldiers lining the front, guns trained, let us through without a flinch of hesitation. They barely looked our way as they shouted to each other, taking shots at the incoming enemy. The thick burn of smoke still hung in the air, paired with low moans and arresting shrieks of the injured.
We stumbled into the room, packed with bodies. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who needed more ammunition.
“Load up!” the deep voice of General Scott echoed through the large room, basically a small scantily-built warehouse with shelves upon shelves of weapons along the sides. “We're retreating. We’ve lost too much ground here. We’re going west. Head for the airfield. Now!”
Men and women gathered supplies at lightning speed, carrying boxes of ammunition and slinging guns over their shoulders. Some worked together to carry large crates. They streamed for the exits in crushed lines. Mastin followed me, ever the faithful servant with the red magic running through him.