by Dylan Steel
She shrugged. Something he’d said earlier suddenly rushed back to the surface. Her chest tightened painfully. “Did you say Kai was here?”
Connor shrugged. “He’s probably around here somewhere.”
Sage barely managed to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “He’s Kunbriat?”
Connor’s brows lifted a little as he laughed. “Sage, he’s pretty much the Kunbriat.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He’s one of the heads.”
She shot him a look of confusion.
“He’s in charge.” Connor nodded in the same direction Aidon had gone. “Out here, the heads deal with any rules that get broken, handle any internal disputes—that kind of thing.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. And tell ya what, I’m glad he’s on our side. Dude scares me.”
Sage didn’t say anything. She couldn’t disagree. The last time she’d spoken to Kai, he’d threatened her.
“You should come sit with me and the guys.” He jerked his head toward a booth with a handful of young men. Sage’s eyes immediately landed on Darren, and she felt her cheeks growing red. Things between them had gotten pretty awkward pretty fast when she’d found out that he’d used his one Kunbriat invitation to nominate her. She still wasn’t sure if he’d done it out of guilt for not being able to save her from being kidnapped or if he’d been harboring some sort of secret crush on her.
She shifted her weight. “I don’t know, I—”
“Got somewhere else to be? Other plans?”
Sage crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at him.
“Didn’t think so.” He grabbed her arm and started dragging her in their direction. “C’mon. It’s good to have friends around here. I’ll introduce you.”
Connor shoved one of the guys farther into the booth and sat in his place, pulling Sage down beside him.
“Everyone, this is Sage. Sage, this is… everyone.” He grinned and pointed around the table. “That’s Ashur, Massetti, Boulder—”
“Boulder?” She tilted her head in question. The name seemed a little too fitting to be a coincidence. Muscles strained against the seams of his shirt as he sat across from her, looking back at her in amusement.
“A nickname, sweetheart.” Boulder wiggled his brows. “Maybe I’ll tell ya the story when we get to know each other better.”
“Dude, be cool. I just pulled Aidon off of her.” Boulder at least had the decency to look a little bothered as Connor glared at him. He turned back to Sage, finishing the rounds. “That’s Stu. And you know Darren.”
“Yeah.” Sage looked around the table, avoiding making eye contact with Darren. “Hey, everyone.”
A collective head bob of acknowledgment made its way around the booth.
“Sa-age,” Massetti said slowly, drawing out her name. “Aren’t you the one who—” He stopped abruptly.
“Who what?” she asked.
“Nothin’,” he mumbled, looking down at his drink.
Sage frowned, skimming the other guys’ faces for a clue why he’d stopped mid-question. Darren was staring in his direction with ice behind his eyes. She gritted her teeth. He didn’t get to ignore her one minute and protect her the next. Not happening.
“If you’re wondering if I’m the one who got kidnapped by the Lawless, then yeah, that was me,” she said boldly, catching Darren’s startled reaction out of the corner of her eye. It was part of her history she couldn’t really hide, so she figured it was best not to try. “But if you’re asking if I’m one of the best techs in the graduating class, then that would also be a yes.” She leaned back, crossing her arms with a self-satisfied smirk.
The guys were silent for a moment, then howling broke out over the table. Everyone was laughing except Darren, who just stared at his drink, gripping it harder.
“I think that means it’s your turn to get the next round, M,” Connor said.
“And I think I’m gonna call you firecracker, not sweetheart.” Boulder grinned.
“Sounds like an upgrade to me.” Sage shrugged nonchalantly. She drew her finger in a small circle over the table and cocked her head at Massetti. “So, drinks? I’m pretty thirsty…”
Massetti’s eyes widened as another peal of laughter sounded around the table. “I’m goin’, I’m goin’,” he muttered, getting to his feet as Boulder shoved him out of the booth.
“So, firecracker, where do you work?” Boulder’s eyes twinkled with interest as he set his glass on the table, pushing it toward her.
Sage looked at the glass thoughtfully for a moment. “The Peace,” she said. Picking up the glass, she tossed back a large swallow of the amber liquid inside. Her eyes widened, watering as she unsuccessfully tried not to choke on it.
“Burns, doesn’t it?” Boulder laughed. He took his drink back, swirling it around lazily as he studied her. “So why would they place the best tech in the graduating class at the Peace?”
“One of the best,” Sage corrected him. “They need techs at the Peace same as anywhere else,” she said dismissively, trying not to let him know how much the question bothered her. She didn’t have a good answer—at least, not one that didn’t reveal how she had a tendency to get herself in trouble with authority.
Boulder pursed his lips together. “True. Well, maybe I’ll—” He stopped as the music cut out abruptly.
A hush fell over the room as all eyes turned toward the small stage along the wall. Sage sucked in a breath when she saw Kai standing in the center, with Nic, Aidon, and several others she didn’t recognize hovering not far behind him. The Kunbriat heads, she assumed.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. I’d like to take a moment to welcome all the newest Kunbriat.” Kai raised a glass. The rest of the room did the same.
“I’m sure it sounds strange, demanding your attendance here tonight as if you’re still part of the Institution…” a slight grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, and a light chuckle rippled through the room, “… but we’ve found that this is the best way to ensure you get a taste of the breadth of your family.” Kai scanned the room slowly to emphasize his point.
Sage clenched her jaw tightly when his gaze landed on her. Hatred flared to life inside her. It was his fault that her best friend was dead. She hadn’t known he was Kunbriat—that she wasn’t allowed to touch him—but that was just a complication. She’d still find a way make him suffer for what he’d done.
“Obviously, this is an exclusively Kunbriat club. It doesn’t matter how close you are to your pair or whether you just want to show a friend around—no one enters here without the mark. No exceptions.” There was a coldness in his eyes as he spoke. “It would be the same as revealing the secrecy of the Kunbriat and would be dealt with in the same fashion.
“Use tonight as an opportunity to get to know your fellow Kunbriat. It’s important you know who your brothers and sisters are so that you can all watch one another’s backs. This is the only place in Eprah where there is a comprehensive list of Kunbriat members. The list can be accessed by any tech as long as you’re within these walls, but that list does not leave this room.” His eyes narrowed. “To be clear, ignorance will not be considered an excuse if you harm a member of your family—or if you fail to protect them.
“That said, your brothers welcome you to Eprah.” Kai raised his glass once more. “We are Kunbriat!”
“Kunbriat!” The floor shook as everyone shouted in response.
Sage swallowed hard as she watched Kai step down. The music resumed almost immediately, and the only indication that there had been any sort of speech was the residual cheering that followed Kai offstage.
“Whaddya think of that, firecracker?” Boulder’s voice cut through her thoughts.
She stared back at him. Everything about the night had been a reminder of the Kunbriat’s lack of mercy—and her lack of control over her own life. “I think you’d better have my back, Boulder.”
Connor shook his head. “You’d better
stop encouraging him. He’ll have a crush by the end of the night.”
“It’s way too late to stop that.” Boulder grinned.
A touch of pink reached her cheeks, but before she could say another word, she felt someone leaning over her shoulder, whispering in her ear.
“We need to talk.”
Startled, she twisted in her seat. Nic was standing next to her. She gritted her teeth, shoving down bile. “Later, ok?”
“Later’s not really good—”
“Now’s not really good either, Nic,” she said hurriedly, while she could still manage to breathe. A crushing ache filled her chest, making every word difficult.
“Sage, I know what you saw, and I need to explain. It’s about our pairing duties.”
Her even expression faltered. Something told her she already knew what he had to say—she’d seen him with Carnabel, after all, and he certainly hadn’t pushed her away. They’d have to talk about it all eventually, but it wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have here.
“There’s really nothing to talk about, is there,” she said dully. Her eyes flicked back to where she’d seen him sitting earlier.
Nic’s face contorted in distress. “Sage, there’s something I didn’t know when we talked before. We really need to—”
“This guy botherin’ you?” Boulder asked, sizing Nic up.
Sage gave him a small smile. “No, Boulder, I’m fine. But I do think I need to get going.” She scooted out of the booth, eyeing Nic. “I can leave now, right? You’re one of the heads, aren’t you? Are we required to stay any longer?”
Nic frowned. “Well, you already heard the announcement, so no, not required, but—”
“Great.” She turned back around, addressing the guys at the table. “It was great to see you again, Connor, Darren. And to meet the rest of you.”
“See you around, firecracker.” Boulder raised a couple fingers to his forehead in a salute.
Connor frowned. “Need someone to walk you home?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure I’ll be just fine on my own,” she said, glancing meaningfully at Nic before walking away.
“Sage.” Nic followed her through the crowd. “Sage!”
She ducked between a pair of sweaty bodies enjoying the rhythm of the music, ignoring him.
“Sage!”
Nic got stuck for a moment longer on the dance floor, giving her a chance to put some distance between the two of them. He called her name a few more times, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the sounds in the club.
Sage pushed her way back out the door, hurrying up the stairs and back into the rain that hadn’t let up while she’d been inside. She could’ve sworn she heard Nic’s voice echoing her name into the darkness of the night, but she slipped off her heels and didn’t stop running until she reached her apartment building.
There was one great thing about sprinting through the rain—it provided a perfect cover for her tears.
6. NOT SO PEACEFUL
“Poor sap never knew what was coming,” Eric mumbled. He flicked his wrist over the table, rotating the feeds so that their view jumped to the next street over.
Sage leaned back in her chair. It was easier not to say anything.
They’d spent the last hour monitoring various grids in the city, and that had been the third execution she’d witnessed.
“Are there always so many?” she murmured absently.
Eric looked at her out of the corner of his eye, not really taking his attention off the tech feeds. “So many?”
“People. Dying,” she said dully.
He shrugged. “If you know where to look.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some places tend to make people more edgy. Pay enough attention, and you’ll figure it out eventually.” Eric pushed his hands together, expanding their reach until the individual streets had disappeared and they were viewing the top of the city. He pointed to a couple areas near the main city gates. “I’d never go there without a good reason. Officers always patrol the area, and some get a little antsy, if you know what I mean.”
Sage’s eyes widened. She had a pretty good idea.
“Actually, I probably shouldn’t show this to you until you’ve been here a little longer, but…” Eric grinned, swiping the overhead map to the side as he selected a stream of commands. He dragged the map back to the center of the table, but it was now covered with bright, colorful lights in dense clusters.
“What is it?”
“Us.”
Sage frowned, studying the map again. The places Eric had pointed out near the gates were mostly lit with shades of oranges and reds, though there were several darker dots as well. “I don’t…”
“Ok, maybe not just us,” Eric clarified, grinning a little wider. “It’s everyone. All of Eprah.”
“It might help if you were a bit more specific,” Sage said, trying to be patient. Eric had already stripped one of her Chances in her first week. He’d told her she’d been annoying him with too many questions, but she was convinced he’d done it just to put her in her place. Either way, she didn’t want to give him another reason to exercise his rights.
“Each color represents a person. If we zoomed in more—like this—you’d see less of a giant blob of color and more of the individual specks,” he explained, focusing closer on the Dignitary of the Peace. “See?”
“Yeah.” Their building was filled with dots in every single color, blurring into mostly yellow and green clumps. “But why all the different colors?”
“Number of Chances.”
Sage swallowed. “So…”
“You don’t want to be red,” he said seriously. “That’s why I avoid certain places in the city. It’s pretty obvious when you look at it like this.”
“Yeah,” she murmured, still studying their building. Unaware she was even doing it, she reached out at the image in front of her, pulling their floor into focus.
“That’s us for real,” Eric said, gesturing at a couple dots hovering in front of them. “Hey, not bad, Sage. You’re already a yellow. That’s pretty impressive for a new grad.”
“Yellow’s good?”
“It’s not bad.”
“But you’re… Are you green?”
“Yep.” He puffed his chest up a little. “Finally hit it a couple months ago when I had my birthday. Don’t worry—I have a feeling you’ll get there in a year or two.”
She stared at her little yellow dot, realizing that was really all Eprah saw of her. Still some potential, but not anywhere close to indispensable—yet. She’d have to change that if she wanted to have any sort of life at all. Looking over her shoulder every time she stepped out the door was really starting to wear on her.
“What do those mean?” She pointed to a dark dot that was nearly black.
“Those?” He shook his head slowly. “Those don’t matter anymore.”
Chills prickled along her spine. “Are they—”
“Ah, rox.” Eric crushed the map beneath his palm and jerked his thumb toward the blinking light on the corner of the tech table. “Looks like it’s our turn again. C’mon.”
Grabbing his tablet, Eric swiftly made his way out the door. Sage followed closely behind, knowing he wouldn’t wait for her to catch up.
As soon as they stepped into the Transfer, Eric pulled up the work req file to look over. He shook his head. “Idiot probably just forgot to leave his tablet in a charging station between shifts,” he mumbled under his breath.
“But it’s our fault somehow, right?” Sage asked wryly.
Eric rolled his eyes, but his cynicism wasn’t directed at her. “You catch on quick, Indarra.”
She snorted. It hadn’t taken long to realize that most officers thought everyone in Eprah was beneath them, probably because officers were more or less invincible while on duty. Working at the Peace didn’t grant her any special favors with them either.
At least she knew her childhood instincts hadn’t been wrong. Th
e Peace wasn’t a friendly place. Never had been.
Sage shoved her hands in her pockets as they stepped off the Transfer and made their way to the officers’ headquarters. The nausea she’d felt at seeing the room every time had passed after the first few days, but she couldn’t keep her hands from shaking whenever she stepped through the door. She wasn’t sure if that would ever change, and she wasn’t about to advertise it.
“Far end,” Eric mumbled as they entered the room. He led the way, sidestepping a couple officers as they sprinted out of the room.
“What was that about?” Sage said under her breath, fighting to keep her voice steady. She recognized one of the rushing officers as Ty—the same officer who’d arrested her the day her parents had died. She hated him on principle, but she doubted he even remembered her—not that she’d gotten close enough to him to find out.
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Eric said, stopping in front of an empty desk to pick up an abandoned tablet. Frowning, he handed it to Sage. “Tell me what’s wrong with it.”
She ran the tips of her fingers over the screen. Nothing. Her brows knitted together in concentration as she jabbed at the corners, then felt around the edges. Still nothing.
“Can’t tell. It’s totally dead.” She offered it to Eric, but he pulled his hands back, refusing to take it from her.
“Out of juice, or out of commission?”
She shrugged. “Not sure if it’s even charged or not.”
“So…” he prompted.
“Oh! Right.” She wrinkled her nose in embarrassment and jerked her thumb toward the wall. “I’ll put it in the Quickport.”
Eric walked around the desk, plopping down in the chair. “Good call,” he said in a bored tone. “I’ll be here. Don’t be a slug.”
Biting back a retort, Sage headed toward the Quickport. On first glance, it appeared to be on one end of the room, but in reality, it was in the center. The wall served as more of an aesthetic divider than anything else—neither end connected with the exterior walls, and there were no doorways.
She could hear officers talking on the other side of the wall as she inserted the tablet into the Quickport. For a split second, she considered sitting at the nearest empty desk while she waited, but she immediately decided against it. Eric would be annoyed if she left the tablet unattended just so that she didn’t have to stand. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the empty space beside the active port. It would just take a couple minutes to give the tablet a majority charge—enough for a diagnostic.