After the War: Military Dystopian Thriller (Friends of my Enemy Book 2)

by Autumn M. Birt

  “We won’t be seen,” Jared tossed over his shoulder.

  “That isn’t a cloaking device on that plane!” Kehm yelled as the door slid closed.

  “You sure you won’t be missing a date with your boyfriend?” Jared asked as he kept pace with Arinna down the hall.

  “I’d think he is your boyfriend the way you praised him the other day,” Arinna shot back. “And no, there are too many other issues. Until we find out why Eldridge is trying to access our satellite feeds, the last thing we need is to narrow the search for where the FLF, or whoever we just found are, call home from here. Besides, Derrick is taking Byran and his family on a trip. Officially, I’m tagging along.”

  “We could take them with us, and then you wouldn’t be lying,” Jared offered.

  “That is far more explaining than I’m prepared for!” Arinna said with a laugh.

  Readying for flight, especially a long one in a plane that didn’t require refueling, was a familiar process to Jared. There was comfort in the routine of ensuring the plane was airworthy; enough supplies were on hand, and that everything was stowed. And there was anticipation as well. There was no place like the air, especially these days when meeting another plane was unheard of. Being alone on the wing carried risks, but Jared loved the benefits.

  “If Eldridge is going to bleed the Guard dry of soldiers just to get rid of me, we are going to have to do something,” Arinna said as they settled into her dactyl, preflight checks complete.

  “What like play along into Gerschtein’s plan and have you step down from the Guard?” Jared asked. Arinna didn’t answer, which brought Jared’s full attention to her. “No,” he growled.

  “We have to figure out something, and that is the direction things are heading. This, with Derrick, isn’t wise. As if the rumors Gerschtein started haven’t discredited me enough, I hardly needed to make one of them real.” Jared didn’t answer this time. He let his silence work on her as they flew east. “Well, suggest something else then,” she finally said to break the quiet.

  “Do you really trust le Marc?”

  Jared thought again of the conversation when Renault had called Arinna through Kehm while both Jared and Kehm listened in. Le Marc had warned that Eldridge and Gerschtein were conspiring together and that Eldridge knew the Guard must be low on troops while Renault bemoaned his approaching death. It had sounded convincing. The surprise was that Boje supported Arinna even slightly. That Eldridge had finally decided to move against Arinna wasn’t news so much as knowing it was finally occurring.

  “I doubt le Marc told us everything, but I’d bet he doesn’t know it all either. He’s getting old. Everyone on the council is,” Arinna said at last.

  “Oh, and we’re not getting old?”

  “Well, apparently you’re getting old enough to want to play matchmaker,” Arinna countered.

  Despite the problems facing them, the conversation didn’t return to anything close to serious until they landed at the prisoner base. The corporal of the last FLF base they’d captured, the one meant to be a trap, was confused when Arinna and Jared asked questions on civilian dress, the language orders came in, and any clue to what life might be like to someone not out in the work camps. Another soldier had worked where clothing had been made, and it sounded on par with items Arinna would have worn to impress at her social engagements. Languages ranged from English to Mandarin with Russian thrown in.

  As the sun set on the first day of the five Arinna had free, they walked to the dactyl to fly east into the night.

  “Are we going to hunt down all three cities?” Jared asked the next morning.

  They’d set down on a quiet patch of the steppes away from the work farms, and small communities they’d seen on the satellite feeds the day before.

  “I’m starting to think there is only one city, not three,” she told him. “There are three languages and three names.”

  “For one place.” Jared swore. “We’d have better odds of finding one in three than one in one,” he said to her amused look.

  “Well,Zuànshi means diamond. It could be just another name for Crystal City. And the search shouldn’t be that bad. If you were going to build a stronghold full of fine food, alcohol, and luxury goods, where would you put it?”

  “Besides somewhere you can get all that crap brought in? Where the climate isn’t too bad,” he answered.

  “Okay. Number one we follow the biggest roads. And I would say, based on history at least, which is just about how we are living these days with sailboats and horse-drawn carriages, we should look at places near water. And maybe somewhere a supply of oil could be transported to as well.”

  “I’m starting to see why we’re heading toward southern Russia,” he said with a frown. “Far enough away from the chaos of the last few decades, good farming, oil nearby ... and far enough away from us that we’d never get over there without the dactyls.”

  “Which is why I don’t want them to know we have them. So let’s see how high these beauties fly,” Arinna replied.

  They were quiet again as Jared navigated along roadways invisible if not for the onboard cameras as they soared at the maximum altitude he’d risk the dactyl. Trying to stay unnoticed meant staying quiet. He kept the plane below the sonic border. Meanwhile, Arinna researched old maps, looking for likely places to build a city.

  “Head here,” Arinna said, sending coordinates to Jared’s monitor as she sat back and rubbed her eyes.

  “Lake Baikal?”

  “An ancient deepwater lake. Besides, tell me Irkutsk doesn’t sound like Irkrist? I could see the Russian word for crystal getting morphed with the name of the old city on the lake.”

  “Rationalize away, I’m just happy not to follow roads made for horses while flying in a jet.” Arinna laughed as Jared directed the plane cross-country. “We’ve got two hours till we’re there.”

  Jared thought she’d sleep, but Arinna looked out the window at the cloud deck below them. He knew when thoughts were flipping through her mind and waited it out. The conversation on needed troops and MOTHER’s plans the day before bothered him. He’d never thought to see Arinna feeling cornered enough to consider taking a fall even if the rumors on her conduct had grown to whispers more insidious.

  “You should marry Maureen,” Arinna said, turning to face him. Jared was too startled to answer, previous thoughts evaporating. Glancing at Arinna, he saw she was serious. “I mean if you want to? If you prefer to stay dating, I’m not going to push you.” She smirked at his silence.

  Jared blushed, one of the few times he could think of that Arinna made him do so. “I ... no, I love her. Of course, I’d marry Maureen, but the Guard rule against marriage–”

  “Is about the only damn rule we haven’t broken,” she snapped. “Seriously Jared, what the hell are we thinking that we follow that rule when we’ve trashed all the others?”

  Jared chuckled at both the realization and her anger. “Things a bit more serious between you and Derrick than I thought?” This was not the conversation he’d thought they’d be having based on Arinna’s silence and the problems ahead of them. But it was a fun turn.

  “Hah, no. That isn’t a discussion we’ve had,” Arinna said, racking her fingers through her short hair. “Not to mention he has a fiancée.”

  “Right. You wouldn’t run away with him then?”

  “We’ve only been together a handful of days,” Arinna pointed out, tossing Jared a grin. “If he’d ask, I’d steal a boat and head to a quiet island with him tomorrow.”

  “I knew you’d like each other,” Jared said, content to see her happy even if the relationship came with hurdles. He couldn’t imagine one for her that didn’t.

  “Shut up.”

  The warm glow faded slowly, bringing him back to what had begun the conversation. “You serious about that?”

  “Running away with Derrick and leaving you with all this? Hell, yes.” Arinna fell silent. The dactyl’s hum vibrated the plane as Jared waited. “
Yeah, I’m serious,” she answered. “Marry her, Jared. If she says yes. The idea might finally bring her to her senses.”

  “God, I hope not. That would be my luck.” Jared looked over at her. “Really, though, what made you think of that?”

  “With everything going on, the good and the bad, life seems too short to not celebrate the good,” she said, eyes more somber than he’d seen in a long time.

  “Shit. I thought hooking up with Derrick would cheer you up.” She hit him on the shoulder in answer. The plane swerved as he ducked. “Sheesh, careful or there won’t be any weddings to be celebrating.”

  “You’re a fighter pilot, Captain. I would think you could keep the plane steady.”

  “Well, the munitions are usually aimed at the plane, not me.”

  “You really going to have a big wedding?” she asked with a grin.

  “Hell, with MOTHER having a tizzy over everything, are you kidding?” Jared said. “This just might distract them from aiming all their ire at you. It’s going to be the biggest party Europe has seen in a long time.” Jared grinned at Arinna. “The war’s supposed to be over, isn’t it? I can’t wait to see how an organization that isn’t supposed to exist tries to stop the first wedding of the post-war Guard.”

  Arinna laughed. “Assuming you invite me, I might have to ask Derrick to be my date in that case.”

  “Invite you? You have to be best man. We’ll have Kehm handle the arrangements.”

  “Don’t forget you need to ask Maureen first.”

  “And find a ring. I don’t even know her size,” Jared confessed. Marriage hadn’t really been on his mind before.

  Arinna shook her head, freezing as something toward the horizon caught her eye. “Are those buildings?” she asked, checking their location.

  Lake Baikal lay due east. Near the shore, flashes reflected dim sunlight. As the clouds broke, lofty buildings of glass and steel blazed in rainbows of colors.

  “That explains why they call it Crystal City,” Arinna said in hushed tones.

  “Damn,” Jared said as the last of his breath exited in awe. “I don’t think I’ve seen a city so beautiful even before the world went to shit. Do we have to blow it up?”

  Arinna’s gaze remained on the glass towers as Jared banked the dactyl far above. Both watched the actual structures rather than the images on the monitors. Green parks looked like verdant emeralds next to the clear towers. The lake was sapphire.

  “They created that with slave laborers and farmers who never see anything an eighth that nice,” she pointed out.

  “Yeah, but now that it’s there.” Jared trailed off, knowing his desire was silly, but destroying Crystal City felt like planning to blow up a cathedral.

  “No, we’re not going to blow up,” Arinna said. “We need to find a way of infiltrating it to see what they have, especially weapons.”

  Chapter 32

  THE BARON VASQUEZ

  OLD ENGAGEMENTS

  Derrick was whistling. It took Byran a few minutes to acknowledge that his friend rode beside him, whistling absentmindedly like, well, like a man in love.

  “Looking forward to getting back to Kesmere?” Byran asked.

  Derrick flushed, whistle dying mid-note. Byran felt guilty for the sideways glance Derrick sent his way. That and a little annoyed.

  “I told you I’m happy for you and Arinna. Stop treating me like a child who lost his favorite toy,” Byran grumped.

  Derrick chuckled, mood too good to so easily be wrecked. “Very well. Yes, I’m happy to be heading home.” He started whistling again.

  Byran smiled though he hid it from Derrick with a casual glance across the countryside. The only thing that surprised Byran about the last few days was how quickly he’d forgiven Derrick for hiding the truth about MOTHER. That betrayal had hurt on a level he’d never expected from Derrick. They’d fought over girls before as teenagers. And seeing two people he loved so happy alleviated any lingering sadness Arinna’s final rejection had brought. Byran had a full share of life, one that he did cherish. And now he was no longer torn between wanting her and wanting what he had.

  But learning that Derrick’s father and the other so-called advisors to parliament manipulated information, votes, and decisions to ‘guide’ the ruling of Europe had brewed a storm in Byran he hadn’t thought would pass. But four days with Derrick acting favorite uncle to Santi and Cerilla, and giving Byran and Isabella some carefree time to explore little towns along the lakes had gone a long way to healing the rift between Derrick and Byran over the secrets Derrick had kept. Realizing how much the confession and Derrick’s happiness had brought back the parts of his friend Byran had missed for years smoothed over the rest.

  “It is going to rain. I told you,” Isabella snapped from inside the carriage ahead of them. “Your father and Derrick are riding, and you are not.”

  “But Cerilla rode all morning,” Santi whined. “When will it be my turn?”

  “When it starts raining buckets,” Isabella said. Silence fell once again in the vehicle.

  Byran tried not to laugh so loud that anyone in the carriage heard him. When he looked over and saw Derrick fighting fits of giggles, Byran reined in his horse to at least give him distance if he couldn’t control his chuckling. Derrick waited alongside, both gasping with laughter until the carriage was a few hundred feet ahead.

  “She’ll never forgive me if she heard me laugh at that,” Byran rasped as they started again.

  “I think she’ll just leave you out here if it does start raining,” Derrick replied.

  The clouds were lowering to meet the mist lying in the valleys. The air felt thick with moisture, the dampness a welcome relief from days of August heat. Assuming it didn’t end up being a drencher, Byran felt he’d just as happily ride through a shower.

  “We’ll be lucky to reach Kesmere before this hits,” Byran said. The clouds ahead were noticeably darker. “When will Arinna return?”

  “Later today as well,” Derrick replied. “I’ve been thinking about Prague. Would you and Isabella mind if I stayed with you until I found a place?”

  Byran was so startled that he squeezed the reins too tight. His horse tossed its head, stamping until he released the pressure. “You’re coming to Prague? To session?”

  “Yes,” Derrick said, heavy thoughts quieting his voice. “You’ll need my help to find a way to circumvent MOTHER. Or we need to find a way to make parliament aware of what they are doing. Together, we’ll figure out something.”

  “It has nothing to do with the fact your girlfriend will spend most of the winter there?” Byran countered to hide how pleased he was to hear of Derrick’s plan.

  “That does make it more attractive, yes,” Derrick responded with a flash of a smile.

  They debated ideas the remainder of the ride until rain pelted the fields next to them. The storm overtook the carriage in a gust of wet wind. Derrick glanced skywards before turning up the collar of his riding jacket. The drops were colder than Byran expected, but he stuck it out too, feeling mollified when Derrick assured him they’d reach Kesmere in less than half an hour.

  The rain came down hard and steady as they reached the manor’s drive. Byran was soaked through as the carriage stopped in front of the house; he and Derrick riding their horses on to the stable.

  “There is no need for you to do that,” Isabella said from the interior of the house as Byran and Derrick entered by the side door.

  “I insist,” a woman answered. Her voice halted Derrick so suddenly that Byran banged into him. “Really, what on earth were you doing riding in this weather. You should have gotten in the carriage. That’s why you have one,” Danielle said cheerily, coming round the corner with towels in her hand. She thrust one at Byran and shook out the other to pat the moisture off Derrick, leaning in as if she expected a hug or kiss.

  “Danielle, I did not expect you. Did you send word?” Derrick asked his posture as inviting as a pole.

  “No, I wanted to su
rprise you. I thought we’d spend the weeks until session together. I suppose that is what I get for acting on a whim because I missed you, to come all this way and you to be out. Was it just the three of you, and the children, of course, on holiday?”

  Derrick took the towel, drying off his face as he walked to the front of the house. “How is your father? I heard he has been unwell,” he asked, ignoring Danielle’s chatty question.

  Byran followed after more slowly, taking Isabella’s hand where she waited wide-eyed in the corridor. “We have to warn Arinna. The woman is here snooping, and hopefully, she isn’t just pretending she doesn’t know anything,” Isabella whispered.

  “I know. If Derrick can’t get away, I’ll warn Arinna,” Byran reassured his wife.

  “He has been tired of late,” Danielle was saying as the four met in the front entryway. “But he is well enough.”

  “That is good,” Derrick replied civilly. “I hope you weren’t waiting long for us to return?”

  “I only arrived yesterday. I didn’t mind waiting. It was very pleasant to have the run of the manor,” Danielle said. “I forgot how much I liked it here.”

  “You should change,” Isabella said to Byran, turning away from the possessive smile on Danielle’s face. “You’ll catch a cold. I’ll ask for soup and tea for both of you.” Isabella waved a hand at Derrick as well.

  “Yes, we’ll see to ordering tea and dinner. You both go and dry off,” Danielle said, taking Isabella’s arm like they were conspirators. Isabella stiffened as she shot Byran a frantic look.

  Derrick offered a stilted thank you before he headed upstairs. Byran debated following him but opted to find dry clothing before tracking Derrick down to decide what to do. Derrick was pulling on a shirt when Byran walked into his room. Derrick shot him a look before relaxing.

  “I thought you were Danielle,” he said as an apology.

  “Was she in here?” Byran asked, glancing around the master bedroom.

  “Yes,” Derrick said curtly.