Broken Ties (Broken Nature Book 2)

by David Meyer

  Kayden swung around. Her face was red and blotchy and she looked irritated. “Where’d you go?”

  “I put the device to sleep,” Sanza explained. “To conserve energy.”

  Titus focused his attention on Kayden. “There’s some people you should meet. You already know Private Stanner and Podey, right? Well, that’s Cutter Polk.” He went through the rest of the people, finally ending with, “Last, we’ve got Private Rohor Stubbels.”

  “Hi, everyone,” Kayden replied.

  “Hi, Kayden,” Stanner said.

  Stubbels fixed a questioning look at Titus.

  “Luminosity is gone,” he explained. “Deleted by a virus. This is all that’s left.”

  “We had to download them on to my tablet,” Sanza added. “They’re going to help us stop Cormella.”

  “Is that why you want to go outside?” He blinked. “To confront her?”

  “No,” Titus said. “I’m going back to the Shell. Hopefully, I can stay alive long enough for the Luminites to save us.”

  Up until that point, the residents had been following the conversation in silence. But now, Podey leapt to her feet. “You can’t just leave us here.”

  “I don’t intend to.” He looked at all of them. “You can stay if you wish. The compound should provide some protection from Cormella’s wrath. But if you want to come with me, you’re welcome to do so.”

  By that time, Titus’ canteen had made its way into Cutter’s hands. He took a few sips, then gave it back to Titus. “What if they see us?” he asked.

  “Good point.” Titus shook the canteen gently and felt some liquid sloshing around on the inside. He took a quick swig. Then he recorked it and stuffed it back into his cloak. “We can’t leave together. And we can’t all go the same way, either. Our best bet is to split up, head into the hinterlands. Go wherever you like. Just stay safe. When the coast is clear, head for the Shell.” He looked around. “Now, who’s coming?”

  Podey raised her hand.

  “I’m in, too,” Cutter said.

  Everyone—even Stubbels—added their agreement.

  “Line up there.” Titus nodded at the door. “I’ll go outside, keep a lookout. When I signal you, run toward the sand ramp. Don’t stop to fight, don’t stop for anything. Once you reach the desert, split up. Okay?”

  Podey, Cutter, and the rest nodded somberly at him.

  He glanced at the tablet, then pressed the screen, putting it to sleep. Tucking the device and its charging cord into his cloak, he went to the door. Leaning in close, he listened carefully. The sound of swirling sand was quite loud. Dripping sweat, he waited for it to quiet down. Then he leaned his full weight against the door and unlocked it.

  He waited to see if someone tried to shove the door. When no one did, he cautiously eased it open. A gust of airborne grains blew into his face. Stifling a cough, he swiftly donned his headgear and face covering.

  Looking outside, he saw it remained quite dark, the moonlight having been swallowed up by Cormella’s storm. He noticed the dim outlines of people as they ran in either direction. It was impossible to tell whether they were Naticans or part of the Banished.

  He eased his way through the doorframe. Once outside, he studied the storm. It had elements of a drystorm, such as airborne sands and swirling winds. But it was a bit milder and lacked dry lightning.

  Plastering himself to the building, he cinched up his cloak. Then he took another look around. There was no sign of Cormella.

  “Go,” he whispered.

  Cutter hurried outside. He shot Titus a nervous nod, then hustled toward the ramp.

  With his head on a swivel, Titus searched the surrounding area. Then he whispered, “Go.”

  Private Stubbels stepped through the doorframe. He took a second to cinch up his sleeves. “It’s been fun.”

  “No, it hasn’t,” Titus replied.

  “Take care of that tablet. It’s more important than your life. Maybe all of our lives.”

  “Just go, Private.”

  Without so much as a look at Titus, he darted toward the ramp.

  Next up was Barlo Erma. He pulled the door back, until it was open just a crack.

  Titus studied the fort. This time, a distant, shadowy figure caught his eye. His breath quickened. Was that Cormella?

  Remaining perfectly still, he waited for the figure to disappear into the storm. “Go,” he said.

  Over the next few minutes, a bunch of residents—including Lima Fornade, Deela Samklon, and Private Chrome—exited the compound. Titus was so engrossed in what he was doing that he lost track of the count. “How many left?” he whispered after sending Sorrel Juniper out into the storm.

  “Four,” Stanner whispered. “Sanza, Podey, Private Cliffe, and—”

  “Out of the way.” Private Cliffe elbowed his way past Stanner. “I’ve waited long enough.”

  Titus’ mouth twisted in displeasure. A Stubbels lackey, Cliffe had been assigned to guard Titus and his friends. Fooled by Sanza’s false alarms, he’d left his post, enabling their eventual escape.

  “It’s Sanza’s turn,” Stanner said.

  “She can wait,” Cliffe replied.

  “Listen up—”

  “It’s okay,” Sanza said. “Let him go.”

  Stanner issued a deep sigh, then nodded.

  Cliffe stepped up close to the crack. “Ready for me?”

  “Not yet.” Titus scanned the surroundings. He didn’t see anyone. But he felt something odd in the air. It was almost … electric.

  “What’s taking so long?” Cliffe asked.

  “Be quiet.”

  “You’re stalling.”

  “I said, ‘be quiet.’”

  “Forget this.” He threw open the door and galloped outside. “So long, Titus. See you on the—”

  Without warning, Cormella lunged out from behind the building’s edge. Instantly, she wrapped the private into a sandy embrace.

  “Don’t go anywhere,” she said to Titus.

  Grains of gold sand streamed out from her body. Forming a thick cloud, they completely enclosed Cliffe.

  A bloodcurdling scream rang out.

  “Everyone outside,” Titus ordered.

  Sanza, Podey, and Stanner darted through the doorway. Digging their feet into the sand, they came to a halt. Horrified, they stared at Cormella.

  “She’s blocking the way,” Podey said.

  “Should we backtrack?” Sanza asked. “Maybe go around her?”

  The sound of clanging metal, coupled with angry shouts, struck Titus’ ears. The racket came from the ramp’s general direction.

  Stanner’s jaw tightened. “I think the Banished are on to us, Sir.”

  “They must be blocking the exit.” Spinning around, Titus sprinted deeper into the fort. “Come on. There’s more than one way out of this place.”

  Chapter 66

  “That gold sand is clearing up,” Stanner called out. “I think she’s almost finished with the desiccation.”

  A chill ran down Titus’ spine. He began to run faster, his sandals slamming into the soft sand.

  Sanza’s arms pumped wildly. Her breaths came in little gasps. “Where are we going?”

  “I know,” Podey said. “The reservoir, right?”

  Titus nodded. “We’ll enter the aqueducts. They’ll take us straight to the water stations. She can’t get all of us.”

  “Four aqueducts,” Sanza said. “And four of us.”

  “We don’t have to split up,” Podey said. “Just as long as we get there without her seeing us.”

  “Little chance of that,” Stanner replied. “Because here she comes.”

  Titus glanced over his shoulder. Cormella, glided toward them at a terrifying speed. Her mouth was parted, so he could see her sandy teeth. Her sunken eyes seemed to sparkle in the dim light.

  He expected her to come right at them. But instead, she swept past them, then veered out into their pathway.

  He ground to a halt. His frien
ds slid to a stop.

  A strong wind ripped at his body, threatening to send him reeling backward. Meanwhile, grains of auburn sand pelted his face covering.

  He inhaled a sharp breath. The face covering limited his senses. But it didn’t fully block them. As such, he could feel Cormella’s electricity, could smell it, too.

  “Dargon spotted your people heading into the desert,” she said. “He sealed up the exit. Meanwhile, I traced their path back to you.”

  Sanza licked her lips. “Our people … are they …?”

  “Not yet. But they won’t last long.”

  Titus stared at her. From far away, she’d looked very much like a person, albeit one made from sand. But up close, she barely looked human. It was because of the grains, because of how they moved. When she shifted her head, for instance, it took the gold sand a split-second to catch up. And it didn’t move all at once, either. Instead, it sort of poured into its new position.

  Testing out her response time, he shifted to his left.

  Acting like water, gold sand flooded that way. A second later, she firmed up again. Or at least, as firm as she was capable of getting.

  He sniffed the air. The scent of electricity made his stomach churn. Fighting back the urge to vomit, he gave her a stern look. “Let us go.”

  “No.” Her lips formed a weird, jittery smile. “Did you really expect that to work?”

  He had no way to threaten her, no way to hurt her. And so, he stayed silent.

  “I thought not.” Her mouth began to flicker, fluctuating between a smile and a frown. “You know, you’re exactly as Kayden described you.”

  He felt the tablet in his cloak. Cormella had no way of knowing Kayden and her friends had escaped the virus. Maybe he could use that to his advantage. “She’d never talk to you. Not willingly, anyway.”

  “That’s true. But Virdo told me everything she ever said.” Her mouth flickered again, before settling on a smile. “Of course, she won’t talk to me now. Or rather, she can’t.”

  She smirked at Titus, as if she’d just gotten one over on him. And so, he played his role to the hilt. His body froze up. Tension lines creased his visage. “What are you talking about?”

  “I deleted her. I deleted all of it.” She paused. “Luminosity is gone.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “No, I’m not. When I escaped, I left a virus behind.”

  His face crumbled. “No,” he whispered. “That’s impossible.”

  “I just wish I could’ve seen Kayden’s face when she’d realized I’d beaten her.” She shrugged. “But you can’t have it all, I guess.”

  He exhaled.

  “It’s time for you to die,” she said.

  “I’m not scared of you,” he replied.

  “Yes, you are.” Her cheeks hardened. Her eyes focused on him. She lingered for a second, standing softly on her sandy feet. Then she started forward.

  This was it. In an instant, Cormella would sweep over him. And not just him. The tablet as well. Even if she didn’t desiccate it, her winds would send it sailing across the fort. It’d never survive the resulting impact.

  Desperately, he tore the tablet out from his cloak. Holding it up, he touched the screen.

  Cormella paused. A shaky frown creased her lips.

  The screen woke up. Kayden sat in a chair, focused on her laptop. Jarven paced the floor behind her, mumbling quietly to himself.

  In the back of the room, Valhalya, Virdo, and BeBo moved the piled-up machinery away from the door. Hauling it back to the walls, they worked to reconnect it.

  “Hi, Titus,” Kayden said, without looking his way. “What’s up?”

  “Sorry about this.” Twisting around the tablet, he held it up in the air. “Hey, Cormella. Someone wants to say, ‘hi.’”

  She paused, just a foot short of him. Her gaze went to his tablet and she stiffened up. A look of pure disbelief caused her face to twitch like crazy. “It’s not possible,” she said. “I deleted you.”

  “You tried.” Kayden’s voice came pouring out of the speaker. “But you failed.”

  Chapter 67

  Blinking wildly, Cormella drifted back a couple of feet. She stayed there for a few seconds, her eyes boring holes into the screen.

  As his initial surge of adrenaline wore off, an uncomfortable feeling settled over Titus. He’d bought him and his friends a little time. But the situation was still precarious.

  “That tablet couldn’t hold all of Luminosity.” She frowned, clearly puzzled. “Nor could it hold the entire population.”

  Kayden didn’t reply.

  “I see.” Her face relaxed. “You abandoned them, didn’t you? You left them to die.”

  She exhaled. “We didn’t have a choice.”

  “Of course you did. But you chose to save yourself and your friends. That’s humanity for you. Selfish to the end.”

  “What about you?” She bristled with indignation. “You put your own needs ahead of ours, over and over again.”

  “Ahh, but that’s because I serve a higher purpose. The extinction of your species will enable this precious planet to flourish once again.”

  “Liar. You could make it flourish again right now. All you have to do is dismantle the HXO packs.”

  “And allow your species to destroy everything all over again?” She arched an eyebrow. “I think not.”

  “You caused the Broken. Not us. You.”

  “Yes, but only to save Emma. To save her dream. And how did she repay my loyalty?” She sneered. “With total betrayal.”

  “What’d you expect?” Kayden shook her head. “You attacked nature. You destroyed the world.”

  She stared at Kayden, her jaw twitching in fury. Then she lifted her chin to the sky. Her sandy mouth reared open and she bellowed out a loud shriek. At the exact same moment, she clapped her hands together.

  A gust of wind shot forth from her body. Titus gasped as it barreled into him. Next thing he knew, he was laid out on the ground, his fingers clutching the tablet.

  Auburn sand swirled in his face as he struggled to his feet. Twisting his neck, he looked at his friends. Stanner had managed to climb to one knee. Podey and Sanza, meanwhile, lay on their backs, their faces contorted with pain.

  “What’s the matter?” Kayden’s shout came hurtling out of the tablet’s speakers. “Can’t face the truth?”

  “I could say the same thing about you.” Cormella lowered her head as the wind speed declined to a fast breeze. “People are awful. You gorge yourselves and sleep for hours at a time. You run in terror from things you don’t understand. You praise others to their faces while tearing them down behind their backs.”

  “We’re not perfect. But our good qualities more than make up for the bad ones.”

  She gave her a skeptical look.

  “We help each other. We learn and gain wisdom over time. We’ll even sacrifice ourselves if necessary.”

  “Good. Then you won’t mind sacrificing yourself for the good of the planet.” Cormella looked at Titus. “Relinquish the tablet.”

  “No,” he replied.

  “Relinquish it or die.”

  “You’re going to kill me anyway.”

  She swirled right up to his face.

  Titus took a few steps back. The way he saw it, he was doomed. But maybe he could still save Kayden. The instant Cormella reached out for him, he’d toss the tablet to his friends. While she desiccated him, they could make their escape.

  “Goodbye, Titus.” Arms outstretched, she lunged at him.

  A sudden cry split the air and someone leapt in front of him. She tried to veer away, to shift paths. But it was too late.

  With a frustrated shout, gold grains began to stream from her body, sweeping over the newcomer. Her inner winds began to rage.

  Shocked, Titus stood rooted to the ground. His gaze went deep into her sandy folds. He could just make out his savior, the person who’d given his life to save him.

  It was Stubbels.
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  Chapter 68

  “No!” Eyes blazing, Titus started forward. He had no plan, no strategy. Just a blind wish to save the man who’d saved him.

  But a bunch of hands grabbed him, taking hold of his shoulders, his arms, his waist. He strained his muscles, struggling to throw them off.

  But they held firm.

  A bloodcurdling scream pierced the air. The noise stabbed deep into his heart and he fell still. Staring into her sandy folds, he looked for Stubbels.

  But the man was gone.

  “Come on,” Podey said. “He bought us time. Let’s not waste it.”

  Her words worked. Revving up his energy, he ran around Cormella. His friends joined him.

  “Stick to the plan,” he said, just loud enough for them to hear. “Head for the reservoir.”

  But despite his confident voice, his innards were a mess of confusion. A short while ago, Stubbels had ordered Titus’ imprisonment. Now, the man had given his life so that he might escape.

  Why? he wondered. Why’d he do it?

  As they put some distance between themselves and Cormella, the storm began to thin. The reservoir, thirty-feet tall and topped by a dome, became visible.

  Sweat beaded up at the base of his neck, then slipped down his back. His feet slammed repeatedly against the ground, causing his canteen to careen against his body. It made a soft sloshing noise, barely audible over the angry wind, yet loud enough to make him thirsty.

  Thick curtains stretched across the entryway. Without fanfare, he ripped them aside. Reaching for his sword, he unsheathed it.

  He ran down the staircase. Swiveling his neck, he searched for the Banished. But the main floor was deserted. The platform and bridge were also empty.

  Sanza and Podey followed him downstairs. Stanner was the last to arrive. He paused at the top of the steps, just long enough to pull the curtains shut. Then he ran down the stairs.

  Sheathing his sword, Titus hurried across the main floor. Canteens were piled high on a bunch of tables. They looked full. This wasn’t the usual practice and it took him a moment to figure it out.

  It’s because I ended rations, he realized.

  After he’d declared an end to rations, demand must’ve exploded. Reservoir workers had started to fill canteens in advance, just to keep up. The canteens on the tables had gone unclaimed. At least, until now.