Select

by Patricia Reding

“Why?” Fidel asked. “Others could have studied it.”

  “Because I know what it’s about. There’s nothing to decipher.”

  “What is it about?”

  She stood, then paced. Finally, she turned back to the others. “I’ve both looked forward to, and dreaded, this time.”

  “Looked forward to?”

  She sat down and leaned in. “Long ago, after the death of my second charge, Ehyeh visited me in a dream. He . . . revealed things to me . . . shared secrets with me. He disclosed the whereabouts of that scroll,” she said pointing to the item in Fidel’s hands.

  “So?” he asked.

  “So, when you started talking at our meeting that night about . . . the moons, I . . . Well, all the details came back to me.” She glanced at each of her visitors in turn. “And that’s why I didn’t send anyone after the twins.”

  Puzzled, Nina sat up straighter. “But that doesn’t make sense.”

  “It does,” Lucy said. “The girls will not come into their powers until they’ve succeeded in a time of testing.” She swallowed hard. “The results will tell whether they’ll ever see their mission—or missions, as the case may be—through.”

  “But what’s this about the moons?” Fidel asked. “I can’t figure out what they’re doing. They’re not following their usual paths.”

  “Yes, I know. I’ve been watching. They’re preparing to align in an unusual manner. We’ll know if the girls are successful when we see what happens with them.”

  Leala stood. “Can I get tea for anyone?”

  “No, thank you,” Nina said. She turned to Lucy. “I still don’t understand.”

  Lucy sighed. “The twins are to be tested. If they’re successful, my time is—”

  “How?” Fidel interrupted. “And how do you know this? Was this all part of what Ehyeh shared with you?”

  “It is. If the girls are successful, the moons will align in one way, and if not, they’ll align in another.”

  “That’s preposterous,” Nina said. “The moons don’t just change course.”

  “Are you so sure?” Lucy’s brow rose. “Could not Ehyeh, who made them, change them?”

  “She’s right, Nina,” Leala said. “There are other similar historical events.”

  “Oh? Like what?”

  “Like the time the day did not arrive.”

  Nina stared at the old woman. “That’s not possible.”

  “It is. It was a time of battle when the Select gained their freedom from their old lands. Ehyeh encouraged them. He told them that He’d help them—that He’d grant them the benefit of dark by which they might escape. So, He called for a day without light.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Fidel asked, looking first to Leala, then to Lucy.

  “As sure as I can be,” Lucy said. “And given that my li— Well, in any case, rest assured. I’ve made no mistake here.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lucy sat up with a start, surprised to find she’d nodded off. Sleep had been hard to find since the twins’ disappearance. Not for the first time, she wondered if she’d done the right thing not sending someone after them. Oh, where is Mara? And Dixon? Why have they not responded to my messages?

  She worried that she might have misunderstood the signs, that no prophecy was unfolding, but rather, that she’d driven the girls away.

  No, that can’t be. There’s definitely something going on with the moons. Besides, I’d conceded to the twins’ demands. It has to be that Ehyeh meant for them to leave the compound when they did, that it was necessary for them to do so. They must find their own way . . . So, perhaps it’s good that Mara and Dixon left the compound. What have all our efforts been for if the young Select do not claim their rightful powers, their rightful places?

  A scream shattered the stillness.

  She sprang to her feet, then pulled her boots on in a rush, even as her door burst open.

  “Broden!” she cried when she saw who charged inside.

  Neighing horses and clanging metal sounded out.

  “They’ve infiltrated. Let’s go!” he exclaimed before heading back out.

  Lucy dashed out behind him.

  A blast came from the direction of sanctuary at the end of the pathway running through the compound center.

  They rushed toward the sound. Lucy’s head spun as she tried to put the pieces together. How could intruders have made it to the very center of the compound?

  “What is it?” she shouted to a guard as he ran toward her. “What’s happening?”

  “I don’t know!” He kept going as another guard, who followed him, brushed her shoulder when he passed by.

  “The explosion came from near sanctuary. Hurry!” Lucy shouted to no one in particular. “Something blew up!”

  Several young guards sprinted out from various points, then ran toward sanctuary.

  Lucy slowed for a moment. The compound was in complete turmoil. Guards raced from place to place, horses whinnied and skittered, and people cried out.

  Another blast sounded out from near Basha and Therese’s hut. Smoke, sparks, and burning bits of debris flew up into and filled the air.

  She ran toward the center of activity. As her eyes scanned the area ahead, Leala raced toward her. On her heels came Fidel, urging the old woman to hurry.

  When the two old ones reached her side, Lucy changed direction to run with them. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve no idea!” Fidel cried. Soot blackened his face. His clothing, always so carefully tended, sported burns, and his cape was torn.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “Nothing serious.”

  “What happened?” Lucy grabbed an arm of each of them and pulled them to a stop just as a rushing arrow flew over their heads. She pulled them down into the brush. “Down. Down! We’re under fire!”

  “Oh!” Leala exclaimed. “Oh, oh, oh!”

  “Were you hit?”

  “No! I just— I twisted my ankle.”

  “Can you make it to the infirmary?”

  “I think so.”

  “I’ll cover you,” Fidel said.

  “No!” Lucy ordered. “You two run. I’ll cover you from behind.”

  They rushed out from the brush and then ran toward the infirmary. Along the way, Leala stumbled, favoring her injured ankle. Lucy sprinted behind them, watching for danger.

  Just as they reached the building, another arrow rushed past them, brushing Lucy’s cheek. Startled, she hit the ground and hid in the shadows. She touched where the arrow had grazed her, then pulled her hand down, sticky wet with blood. Its red color glowed in the light of the flames spreading through the compound.

  She looked up, seeking the source of the shot.

  There!

  A man stood on the roof of her cabin. He aimed another arrow at someone on the ground below.

  She sprang to her feet and rushed out. Glancing quickly to the side, she identified the shooter’s intended target.

  “Broden!” she cried. “Get down. Down! Roll!” As she shouted, she reached behind her neck, grasped her Oathtaker’s blade, Vivacitas, and then loosed it.

  In spite of the distance to its intended target, the blade, as always, met its mark. After it struck, the intruder’s face became visible in the firelight. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He went limp, dropped his bow, and fell to his knees. Then he tipped forward and tumbled off the edge of the building, somersaulting. After making a full rotation in the air, his body met the ground, face down.

  Lucy approached the intruder. She flipped his body over. His nose and lips were smashed flat. Blood covered his face.

  Broden reached her side. “Is everyone all right?”

  She grabbed his arm and pulled him away, nearer the building. “I’ve no idea,” she said. “I—”

  “Hold it right there,” came a gravely voice from off to their left.

  Lucy looked down to the dead man at her feet. Her heart fell. How could she have let this happen? How could
she have been caught so off guard? The one weapon she knew she could use quickly enough, and with certain success, remained in the chest of the dead man before her.

  “Clasp yer hands ’hind yer head,” the man ordered.

  She looked at Broden.

  “Don’ turn ’round. Don’ speak,” came the next demand.

  Slowly, they lifted their hands.

  “Higher.”

  “What do you want?” Lucy asked.

  “Now drop tuh yer knees.”

  Grateful that doing so would bring her closer to the dead man, Lucy took as wide a step as she dared, further to her left, bringing her nearer the corpse, before following the man’s orders.

  Broden remained standing.

  “Come on, Broden,” she said, “it’s all right.” As she spoke, she moved even closer to the dead man.

  “Down!” the man ordered.

  Broden fell to his knees. “What do you want?”

  “Where are they?”

  “Where is who?” Lucy asked, turning toward the invader.

  “Don’ turn ’round!”

  “Who are you looking for?”

  “The twins.”

  “The twins!” Broden exclaimed.

  Lucy moved her left knee, then her right, a few inches closer to the corpse at her side.

  “Ya know who I mean. Rowena’s twins. Where are they?”

  “Why do you want to know?” Broden asked.

  Yet again, Lucy inched leftward.

  The intruder chuckled. The sound was out of place in the midst of the surrounding shouts and cries. “Because they’re comin’ with me.”

  “Where do you intend to take them?”

  He stepped nearer, then kicked Broden, who fell to his side, rolled, and then tried to get back to his feet.

  “Stop, Broden. Don’t!” Lucy cried.

  He dropped back to his knees.

  “Where do you intend to take them?” Lucy asked.

  Again, the man laughed. “Not ’at it’s any uh yer business, but it seems Zarek ’as requested the honor of their presence ’n Chiran.”

  “Is that right?” Broden said. “Well, you’re too—”

  “Oh!” Lucy screamed, cutting him off. “Oh!”

  “What?” the man asked. “Whassa matter wit’ cha?”

  “Oh! Oh!” she cried. If I could just get to my blade . . .

  “What’s ’appenin’?” the enemy asked again.

  She dropped her hands to the ground. “Oh!” she cried, as though in great pain.

  “I’ll give ya somethin’ tuh shout about,” he threatened. “Now, where are they?” He stepped closer.

  She fell forward. Then, so fast that the intruder could not follow her movements, she grabbed the handle of her blade, pulled it from the chest of the dead man, twisted at her waist, dropped to her back, and—let it go.

  Her blade rammed into the intruder’s chest, full to its bolster. Then, even as the life passed from his body, Lucy jumped to her feet. She retrieved her weapon from the man’s chest. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

  She turned to Broden. “Let’s go.”

  He took her hand, ran to her cabin, and opened the door. They nearly fell inside, even as renewed shouting sounded out.

  They rushed to a window and looked out. Smoke filled the air, but didn’t fully obstruct their view.

  “Oh, dear Good One!” Lucy exclaimed, a hand to her forehead.

  Someone screamed.

  “What? What happened?” Broden asked as he struggled for a better look.

  “They’ve taken a hostage.”

  Another bloodcurdling scream lingered in the night air, hauntingly.

  The hair on Lucy’s arms rose. She rushed to the door, Broden at her heels.

  “No, Lucy, no!” he cried.

  Her eyes filled with tears. “But they have a child,” she whispered.

  “They’ll kill you.”

  She hung her head, then cracked the door open. “Stay here at the compound. Reigna and Eden may need your help when they return.”

  “Lucy, you’re not going anywhere. Everyone here needs you. Let me go. I’ll talk to them, try to figure out what they want, try to . . . negotiate something.”

  She faced him, smiling weakly. “Broden.” She stroked his cheek, then turned away again.

  He moved her aside, then stood with his back to the door. He pushed it closed. “Then I’m going along.”

  “No. Please now, let me go. Let me do what I can to keep you and the others safe.” She paused as another scream sounded out. “Please. All I’ve ever wanted is to keep all of you safe. Who knows but that this might be an answer to prayer? Maybe my leaving will grant all of you here some respite from all the turmoil of late.”

  “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Broden, you heard what that man said. They’re headed back to Chiran—to Zarek. I sent Marshall and Jerrett there to see what they could find out, but what better way to discover what’s going on there than to go myself?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Even if you made it that far, they’d kill you. What good would knowing his plans do you then?”

  “I’m hardly defenseless, Broden,” she snapped. She motioned for him to step aside.

  Reluctantly, he did.

  She opened the door and then, standing in the threshold, took in a deep breath before stepping out.

  But for two men, one of whom held a hostage, standing back-to-back in the center of the compound, not a soul was in sight. One of the men held his forearm and elbow tucked under a child’s chin. The other man circled around the two of them.

  Lucy raised her hands and walked forward.

  Broden, who’d stepped out of the cabin seconds behind her, grabbed her and pushed her away, then rushed ahead.

  “Broden!” she cried as she regained her feet.

  He stepped into the light. “Here, here,” he said, informing the intruders of his presence.

  The men pulled back.

  “Not another. Not another. I cannot lose another!” Nina cried out.

  One of the intruders held her youngest, hostage.

  “Broden, no!” Lucy cried again.

  He didn’t turn back. He looked at the man holding Calandra, then turned his gaze to the trembling child. Her nearly black eyes darted about, unable to focus on anything.

  “Let the child go.” Though he didn’t raise his voice, Broden spoke with authority.

  The man, with a knife at her throat, tightened his hold on her. Tear tracks ran down her soot-covered face.

  Broden caught her eye and held her gaze. He smiled weakly at her and winked. She seemed to relax ever so slightly. “Let her go,” he repeated, looking back again at her abductor.

  “Where are they?”

  “Who?”

  “The twins.”

  “They’re not here.”

  “Course they are,” the stranger argued. “Get ’em now, or the child dies.” He wiggled the blade he held just below her left ear.

  “I’m not lying to you.” Broden paused. “If you hurt that child, you’ve nothing. You’d be killed in an instant.” He motioned around the camp. “You’re surrounded. Let her go.”

  “Do I look stupid? If I let ’er go, I’ll be killed.”

  Broden stepped forward. “Let her go.”

  “Send ’em out.”

  “I told you already, they’re not here.”

  “We’re s’posed tuh b’lieve ’at? Is ’at right?”

  “I’m telling you the truth. They left some time ago.”

  “Really?” the man sneered. “An’ where is it we’re s’posed to b’lieve they went?”

  “We’ve no idea.”

  The man pulled Calandra’s head back. The tip of his knife broke her skin. A drop of blood ran slowly down her neck as her eyes widened in terror.

  “I told you,” Broden took another step, “if you harm that child, you are dead.”

  “An’ I tol’ you ’at if ya don’t deliv
er the twins tuh me now,” the man said, pulling back on Calandra’s head again, “she is dead.”

  “Take me.”

  Lucy gasped.

  “Right. An’ who might you be?”

  Broden raised himself to his full height. He exhaled slowly. “I am Zarek’s son.” His voice, though barely above a whisper, seemed to fill the camp.

  “Oh, great Ehyeh! Oh, dear Good One!” Lucy cried.

  “Right, the man laughed, “Zarek’s son.”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Ha ha ha. I’m tuh believe that?” The man, who’d temporarily loosened his grip on his captive, pulled her head back, yet again.

  Whimpering, Calandra watched Broden, the tears in her eyes glistening.

  “It’s true. Lilith was my mother. She was in Chiran with Zarek. When she returned, she carried me.”

  “What’s yer name?”

  “I’m Broden.”

  The man lifted his chin. “Broden,” he repeated.

  “That’s right. Who’re you?”

  “Kader.”

  “Let her go, Kader. She can’t do anything for you. She can’t do anything to you. She’s of no value to you and could be of no service to you. She can’t get the twins. They’re not here.”

  “Where are they?”

  “I told you. We don’t know. They just . . . left.”

  The man chuckled, menacingly. “I don’ believe you.”

  “Actually, I don’t see that you’ve much choice. You’re in no position to negotiate. If you kill that child, you’ll die before you can take another breath. If instead, you take me as your hostage, you’ll live to see another day.”

  “Adish! Nibal! Borka! Varm! Yokel! Lel!” the man shouted.

  A voice sounded out from the roof of Mara and Dixon’s cabin. “Varm and Yokel are dead.”

  Kader stared at Broden, his eyes hard, merciless. “Whatta the others?” he called out.

  “All ’counted fer,” came a voice from out of the dark.

  “Ya been through every buildin’?”

  “Every one of ’em. ’Ere’s no sign of any twins.”

  Kader’s eyes never left Broden. “So, ya tol’ the truth. ’Bout the twins anyway.”

  “Let her go. Take me.”

  “Put yer ’ands up where we can see ’em.”

  Broden did as bidden.