Whispers in Autumn (The Last Year, #1)

by Trisha Leigh

  Hungry is the last thing I am after seeing the news report.

  As we step through the kitchen door into the cold, brightly lit space, Lucas turns to me. “What do you make of that?”

  “I don’t know. But if they put this veil up, erase our memories, feelings, and who we were before, but then it’s suddenly gone…”

  “It must be like waking up and having no idea where you are, who you are, what year it is, anything. Terrifying,” Lucas finishes for me.

  The unbidden thought of the white, blood-soaked sheets rises in my mind’s eye. It dawns on me I have no idea what humans would act like without a veil. “If the humans are violent, maybe it’s better this way. If they have no emotions, they can’t get angry.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  Lucas walks over to the cabinets and opens the doors one by one until he finds the plates. I take the stack from him and place them around the table, then point him to the glasses while I get silverware out of the drawer.

  “I don’t know. I guess just because they have the capacity for violence doesn’t mean they all act on it. I like my emotions, most of the time.”

  We pass each other in the center of the room and he gives me a gentle bump on the hip. “Except for when my kisses make you swoon, right? Then emotions can be a bear.”

  He’s grinning, and I can’t help but return it. “I did not swoon, Lucas. And don’t go acting like you didn’t enjoy it.”

  Lucas pecks my cheek, cooling the flush crawling across it, and pulls away just as Mr. Morgan enters the kitchen. He arranges the food on the table, and the meal is indeed one of my favorites: lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. It smells wonderful, but my stomach remains queasy as I fill the glasses up with ice and water.

  Dinner is quiet and uneventful. Lucas holds my hand under the table, intertwines our fingers as Mr. Morgan asks him about the Crawfords and what they do for a living. He marches out the typical parental questions, wanting to know what Lucas would like as a Career, his favorite subject in Cell, and more random information that means nothing to the two of us. The surreal nature of the dinner scene twists longing through me.

  If only those things were important to us, too.

  ***

  Lucas is waiting for me on the back porch several hours later, anxious to get going. A sickly pallor glistens on his face and fatigue engraves lines around his eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” His words slur; he sounds exhausted.

  “Lucas, if something’s wrong—”

  “I said I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  We cross the boundary and use the sky to get our bearings. No animals impede our path tonight, and though I’m no longer afraid of them on principle, I’m happy to be left alone.

  Halfway to the collection center, Lucas’s breath turns ragged and shallow. I debate asking how he’s doing again but doubt he’ll give me an honest answer. The dread in my gut returns and warns me to keep an eye on him. It’s probably the animal scratch from last night. He wouldn’t let me see it after dinner; he insisted he took care of it. His hand is damp and clammy when I slip mine inside it, and my worry deepens.

  We near the clearing and I come to an abrupt stop, pulling a stumbling Lucas with me back into the brush. A rider idles in front of the collection center, the back hatch open. Four Wardens swarm away from it and across the grass in the front and the back of the building, then hold their positions.

  Cadi.

  The Wardens talk among themselves, their voices carrying in the still, quiet night. “Why are we wasting time on this half-breed?”

  “Chief said the Prime’s office lost contact with her for a period last night.”

  Not all of them are visible from our position, but one issues a foreign, teeth-chattering sound. Its high pitch stabs my head, leaving an ache and twitchy fingers. I barely stop my hands from covering my ears.

  Not thirty seconds after it begins, Cadi’s voice shatters the quiet. “What are you doing here, Wardens?”

  Her voice holds no fear. I have enough for both of us. My mind races, skipping over ways to help her, to get all of us out of here. It lands on nothing.

  Cadi strolls off the porch and all four Wardens wait to trap her, fanning out in an arc to prevent her escape. Even in the dark I detect the hitch in Cadi’s step.

  One of them snorts, an ugly noise. “You know why we’re here, Spritan. Let’s go. Come quietly, if you know what’s good for you.”

  “You can’t hurt me. My knowledge is too valuable and we both know it. Imprison me, yes. Kill me, no.”

  A pleading undertone marks her words. The Wardens sense it and laugh. Two of them circle behind her as a fifth figure emerges from the rider and strides toward Cadi with purpose.

  “We can’t kill you, Cadi, not yet. Hurting you, though, is a different story.”

  The voice, familiar and sickening all at once, immobilizes me.

  Deshi. He’s here.

  CHAPTER 26.

  Without warning, Cadi pitches forward onto the grass, landing hard on her knees and keening with an agony that curls my toes. She thrashes around, the scream gurgling into breathless gasps as she twists onto her back and pounds her head into the ground. The urge to shout, to run to her, thumps inside me, but there’s nothing to do. All that would result in is confirming Deshi’s suspicion about us, and then he’ll know Cadi’s helping us, too.

  Cadi goes still, limp as a rag doll, and he walks to her side, pressing a black-booted foot into her face. Her voice is almost too soft to hear, broken and laced with defeat. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  Deshi kicks her in the ribs, hard enough that the cracking thunk carries to the trees. His voice, low and thick with hatred, attacks her. “Don’t play with me. My father and I know you’re helping their abominable children.”

  Tears spring to my eyes and my fists clench hard, fingernails biting into my skin. Lucas’s rattling breath snags. Cadi rolls onto her back, chest heaving. She remains silent, probably unwilling to risk another kick.

  Deshi continues, still murmuring in his grating tone. “What did you think, Cadi? That after my father discovered what Ko did, he would trust you? You should have known he only sent you here, so close to town, as a test. Not only have you confirmed their identities, you’ve verified where your loyalty lies.”

  Terror lashes through me, my knees weak and my stomach spasming to the cadence of his voice.

  Cadi peers up at him from the ground. “You’re lying, Chief. You don’t know who they are. Their enchantments are exceptional.”

  He laughs and the evil sound rends my shreds of confidence. Lucas slips his fingers in between mine, our hands shaking.

  “Maybe your Spritan abilities did obscure them, but no longer. You can’t protect Lucas and Althea any more than you can protect Deshi. We haven’t found the fourth yet, but we know he’s in Portland after the incident today.”

  I swallow a gasp—he knows our names. Not only that, but what does he mean, she can’t protect Deshi? Isn’t he Deshi? He doesn’t seem to need protection to me.

  We have to run, hide, anything but stand still, but the heavy weight of duty makes me stay, and witness what will become of Cadi. Once again our existence threatens a life. I can’t comprehend the fact that there are people, more than one even, willing to die to keep me alive.

  “If you know who they are, what are you doing out here?”

  “I’ve known about Lucas and Althea for weeks. Found a fish in the Cell basement and killed it, then installed cameras in the stairwells. My father asked me to watch them, to make sure they didn’t escape, but to wait until the interviews to bring them in. He wanted to find out which side you’re on.”

  “Now you know.” Cadi stands and stares him down.

  He returns her gaze, not backing down but taking a step forward. “You accomplished nothing in the end. I’m going to bring them in as soon as we’re finished with you.”

  As he stops talking the Ward
ens converge, too fast for Cadi to make a move. She doesn’t even try. They pick her up and haul her to the rider. She begins to struggle when they toss her in the back. From our position at the corner of the house, we have a direct line of sight into the open hatch. The light above their heads illuminates the scene and it’s like watching a movie in slow motion. Tears trickle down my burning cheeks, every inch of me on fire.

  The Wardens in the rider hold Cadi down by her shoulders as her legs continue to flail. Her foot connects with one of them and he grunts before backhanding her across the face. She goes still for a moment, and when she returns to struggling her movements are more subdued.

  Deshi’s gruff voice shouts orders at the two in the rider. “Get the vial and make her drink it. I refuse to deal with this conspirator any longer.”

  One of the Wardens digs in a bag and produces a vial. He pinches Cadi’s nose closed until she can’t hold her breath anymore and opens her mouth. The liquid pours in, and the Warden clamps his free hand over her lips so she can’t spit it out. It takes her a while to give up and swallow, but she finally does.

  Sweat soaks through my clothes and drips into my eyes. I picture running across the lawn, jumping Deshi from behind. Pulling his hair, biting him, scratching his eyes out. I know I can’t, though. Getting thrown in that rider with Cadi won’t help anyone.

  My eyes are glued to the tiny, beautiful, caring woman who tried to help us, to warn us. The last thing I see before the harsh trunk light blinks off is Cadi’s midnight gaze. As the door slams shut she goes still, and her eyes go dark.

  Lucas tugs my arm, pulling me into the trees. He releases me once we’re well hidden and I drop to my knees, clapping both hands over my mouth to keep the cries from spilling out. My eyes, wide and filled with tears, refuse to focus.

  “Althea, look at me.”

  I shake my head.

  “Look at me!”

  He kneels and takes me by the arms, wrenching my hands away from my face. He’s shaking as his hands latch onto my biceps with a death grip. His fingertips squeeze painfully, pressing through my jacket and sweater and into my skin.

  The shattering of my control surges, explodes, and the blast of heat sends Lucas backing away. The tears roll unchecked and sobs wrench from my chest. Trying to stay quiet only makes them harder to contain.

  Lucas stares at me with a lost expression. The anger and sadness abate after a while and I want nothing more than to curl up into a ball and disappear. Instead, I throw myself at Lucas and he catches me in his arms. His emotions run high, too, as evidenced by the immediate chill that transfers to me upon touching him. I don’t care, and burrow closer until we are both a more natural, warm temperature. His fingertips trail up and down my neck, providing comfort with each pass. I want to stay here forever, but I can’t. We can’t.

  I have to be strong. For Lucas. For Cadi. For us all.

  I pull back, a little embarrassed by my outburst. He reaches over and rubs the tears off my cheeks.

  His voice trembles and the thick sheen of sweat on his pale face glows. “I’m so sorry, Althea, that you had to see that. I know you liked her.”

  “I can’t believe we didn’t help her—” My words choke off in a sob.

  “We couldn’t. Cadi came here hoping to give us a chance. She wouldn’t want us to give it up.”

  An awed tone creeps into his voice and for the first time, I think he likes Cadi.

  “Is she…is she dead, Lucas? Or Broken?” The possible answer scares me, but the need to know outweighs the onslaught of pain.

  “I don’t know. You heard how they talked to her, and we saw how different she was. Cadi wasn’t one of them, not really.”

  He keeps using the word was instead of is and it’s enough to signal his belief. He thinks she’s gone.

  “This is our fault.”

  He wants to say it’s not, I can read it in his face. He can’t though, because it is our fault. Maybe we didn’t hurt Cadi, but our existence hurt Cadi. After spending all my life feeling so unimportant to everyone, it’s hard to imagine the opposite might be true.

  Now Cadi’s gone, leaving an ocean of unanswered questions in her wake. Deshi knows about us, is planning on taking us away during our interview—or perhaps before. Maybe now, tonight. Either way, there’s no way I can face him again.

  “Althea, we have to go.”

  Lucas slides an arm over my shoulders and pulls me close, making walking difficult. We keep kicking each other’s feet as we slog over the wet, smushy ground. The way he leans his weight on me is bothersome, and this morning’s limp is more pronounced. After several minutes my thoughts are too much to bear in silence.

  “What do you think they’ll do to us?” The words, whispered and laced with fear, signal my surrender.

  Lucas stops walking. “We’re not giving up, Althea. I’m not going to let them do anything to you. We’re going to run. As long as we’re together, we can make it.”

  “Make it?” I shake my head, unmoved by his empty promises. “Make it where? The Others won’t stop. We’ve both seen firsthand what they’re capable of. We’ll be Broken by this time tomorrow, if that’s what they want.”

  My whole body sags, limp with defeat and begging to crumple. It was my idea first, that we could somehow run and find a way to fight, but seeing their power on display with Cadi sapped my belief. Sure we can run, but they’ll find us. Even if there were a way to travel away together, our world is a very small place. They know the cities where we travel.

  Lucas’s arms go around me as he whispers indistinguishable words into my hair, cool breath sending shivers down my neck. A renewing strength flows into me, sparking a desperate fire in my belly. Maybe running can only prolong our lives, but maybe it will buy us enough time to find a way to change the game.

  It’s small, but it’s hope just the same, and it bolsters my spirit. “We’ll need to take some food with us, to tide us over until we figure out what to do.”

  “Yes. We’ll go home, grab a bag, and go. If we both fill up and take care with how much we eat, hopefully we’ll be okay until we travel again.”

  Having a plan makes me feel better. Stronger. And in a blind rush to get out of Danbury. “We should hurry and get back. Deshi could be anywhere.”

  We walk the rest of the way in silence. My thoughts are a jumbled mess. I want to wish I were human, but the idea of not feeling confuses me. The intensely good but sickening emotions Lucas causes in me aren’t worth giving up. Not for anything. What I want is a chance at the life we might have had if the Others had never arrived on our planet.

  Of course, that doesn’t work either. Without them neither of us would exist.

  At least I have Lucas; at least we are in this together.

  “You know, I have to admit the two of you surprised me tonight.”

  Lucas and I stop, turn slowly. We haven’t quite reached the fence, haven’t made it out of the Wilds, and Deshi’s already caught us. How he got here so fast is beyond me, but he’s here all the same, stinking of rotting flesh, smirking, pulsing revulsion and fear.

  Lucas stands up straight, supporting his own weight in a show of strength. His sickly pallor and sweat-drenched clothes contradict the movement and I tense, ready to grab him if he topples. Deshi strolls from tree to tree, eventually choosing a position between us and the boundary, a three-foot-wide stream at his back.

  “How did the two of you get past the boundary?”

  We remain silent. I’m not telling him anything.

  His gaze focuses on Lucas, a sick smile twisting his thin lips. Words, spoken softly, shout a warning. “You want to play games? Fine by me.”

  Lucas stiffens and drops to the ground at my side with a groan, grabbing his bad leg as he hits the earth and writhes. White, foamy bubbles gather at the corners of his mouth; his eyes squeeze shut as he groans and tears slip down his cheeks. Pain smudges purple circles under his eyes and something inside me snaps.

  I step in front of Lucas and
meet Deshi’s gaze, holding my hands out in front of me. He thinks I’m asking for mercy.

  I’m not.

  Fury, white-hot and brimming with hatred, surges through my blood, bubbles out of my veins, and pools in my palms. Without thinking, I push it at Deshi where it belongs. His clothing and hair burst into flames.

  He screams, and my stomach twists. Lucas struggles to his knees and gasps, his hands seeking mine. I help him up and together we watch Deshi flail, beating helplessly at the blaze devouring his clothes and licking his blistering skin.

  In spite of everything we’ve learned about what happened to our parents, what the Others plan to do to us, my heart seizes. I told Lucas if he experiments on humans he’s no better than the Others. If I let Deshi die, I’m a murderer.

  I rush at him, vaguely aware Lucas’s voice calling me back. Ignoring the glowing inferno, I push my hands into Deshi’s chest and shove him backward. He falls on the bank of the stream, still squirming, beyond the ability to help himself. I plant a foot between his shoulder blades and roll him into the water. The flames extinguish almost immediately and Deshi lies still, burbling water caressing his ruined body.

  Adrenaline bleeds out of me, leaving horror and exhaustion in its wake. I sink down onto the muddy riverbank, riveted by the destruction wreaked by my so-called talent. His skin is bright red and swollen with white blisters, charred in places. His hair is mostly gone; only a few chunks remain.

  Soft, hesitant footsteps approach and then Lucas sits at my side. “We’ve got to go, Althea. He’s an Other, and by the sound of the conversation back at the collection center, one with a powerful father.”

  Deshi’s chest inflates, deflates, inflates, deflates. He’s not dead. I wonder if even Cadi knows how to kill an Other. “What are we going to do with him?”

  Lucas’s animated response opposes my dull, lifeless tone. “I don’t care what we do with him. Leave him. He hurt Cadi. He meant to hurt us.”

  The wheels of my mind turn, creaking and protesting the process of thought. Cadi said the Others can talk to one another, that they can draw mental pictures and share them through their minds. If Deshi has a cavern in those tunnels or whatever, then I suspect even if he’s unconscious the rest of their infuriatingly competent race can locate him. “He’s not going to die, and they’ll know how to find him.”