Keira Grim: The Final Breath Chronicles Book Two

by V. B. Marlowe

  Footsteps walked from one end of the basement to the other. There was no other sound. I was sure then that the Watcher wasn't Reynold, because Reynold would have been a lot more thorough. There was no screeching or scraping of anything being moved or shifted. With any luck, Hopefully the Watcher would just assume that this was an abandoned house and that we weren't there.

  Whoever he was, he began to drag his feet against the gritty floor of the basement. The sound grated in my ears.

  He left after a minute, closing the basement door behind him.

  Bram let go of my hand , and I realized that holding his hand had been helping, because any security I had felt left me then. He crouched and began to crawl from underneath the table.

  I grabbed him by his belt. "What are you doing?"

  "I have to get out and warn the others. If I can get out the back and move quickly, I'll be able to get to the other houses before the Watcher does."

  I let him go then because I knew there would be no stopping him. The five of us decided to stay hidden until the Watcher had left completely.

  It was half an hour before Bram came back. The Watcher hadn't succeeded in finding us that time, but he had planted seeds of fear. The other Grims were beginning to panic. We were lucky that this visit had happened at night. What would have happened during the day when we were out and about? What would happen if we were caught off guard with no warning?

  Thankfully Fortunately, Doyle came the following day to help ease our fears. We gathered in the living room listening to his account of what was going on in Nowhere.

  "He's executed six Litropolites so far," Doyle told us. That comment stung. Those Grims had done nothing to deserve that. "They're not going to take much more of this. I expect a revolt any day now." Doyle took a sip of coffee from his mug. "Dunningham will send more Watchers. The good news is that they can only stay for a limited amount of time without human blood or being on assignment. The bad news is that he's determined your location."

  "How?" Chase asked.

  Doyle shook his head. "I don't know, but he knows where you are. I'm sorry, but it's only a matter of time before he sends more Watchers for you , and hiding isn't going to always work."

  I thought about Celeste and how she and the Grims from her colony seemed to be able to live in peace. How had they escaped their home? I needed more answers from her.

  "So what should we do?" Bram asked.

  Doyle leaned back in his chair and sighed. "You can't stay in one place for too long. Moving every now and then will buy you a little time. Also, be prepared. Watchers can come at any moment."

  "What about Garnet?" Nokomis asked.

  Doyle closed his eyes briefly. "That was rather unfortunate. Honestly, I tried to stop that execution, but Dunningham had to make an example out of her." Doyle cleared his throat. "Dunningham, however, has extended his offer. If you want to come home, you can. No punishment and no questions asked. He said he means it this time."

  He must really think we were stupid. I was insulted that he would even make such an offer.

  "We saw other Grims. Grims from another colony," I said. This wasn't something I'd planned on telling Doyle. I didn't know how it would affect Celeste and the other Grims of her colony, but I figured that we needed to trust Doyle. We really didn't have any other choice.

  Doyle frowned. "What other Grims?"

  I told him about how we'd come across Celeste and how Leighton had helped Gannon, who seemed to be healing nicely. Doyle took out his device and typed something in. "Interesting. I'll have to speak to Dunstan about this."

  "Did you know?" Bram asked. "Did you know that other Grims had gone rogue and were living in this world?"

  Doyle nodded weakly. "Yes, I know, but it's something we don't talk about. We don't want to give other Grims ideas. I never thought you would actually come across any."

  "I know," Chase said. "What are the odds?"

  "Better than we think. Celeste says there's a lot more of them than we know," I said. "But they don't consider themselves Grims anymore. They actually prevent deaths."

  "That's just unnatural," Nokomis replied. "Why would they do that? Death is a necessary part of life."

  "It is," Naomi said. "Every human must die at some point, but if we can prevent death, why not?"

  "Because human deaths are how we live. Why should we help them? What's in it for us?" Nokomis argued.

  Doyle stood. "More than you think. Let me speak to Dunstan , and then I'll get back to you. In the meantime, like I said, be prepared. Dunningham's getting more agitated by the day and if there's a revolt, you can rest assured that it's going to be blamed on you."

  "Are our families okay?" Dorian asked.

  Doyle checked his watch. "For now, but I'm quite sure they'll be his next resort. He's probably not bothering them now in hopes that you all will attempt to contact them. I'll keep you posted."

  Doyle let himself out and we sat in silence for a moment.

  "What happens if he goes after our parents?" Dorian asked. "We can't just let them be executed because we want to live here. Maybe we shouldn't have come."

  "It's too late for maybes," Bram snapped at his brother. "We're here , and we're never going back there. We can't. Dunningham can do whatever he wants in Nowhere. If he says he's going to kill our parents, he'll do it whether we're there or not. We all know he doesn't keep his word."

  That wasn't good enough for Dorian, who stormed up the stairs to his room, slamming the door behind him. Josh followed. Bram was right. Our families were in trouble whether we were there or not.

  21

  That night Bram took Josh and Dorian with him to get some weapons from a place that sold them a few hours away. He said he had to toughen them up and that they needed to stop being afraid of everything. I didn't get the feeling that either Josh or Dorian wanted to go, but they weren't about to turn Bram down. Chase had gone with them.

  After they'd left, Naomi and I settled in to watch a movie on the Lifetime Network. Naomi had discovered it the other day and since then had been watching movies about people being in love nonstop. I wasn't too interested in those, but that night, a good murder mystery was on.

  We had just turned the lights off and snuggled under a blanket to watch the movie when someone knocked on the door.

  Naomi sighed and threw the covers back.

  "Check the peephole," I told her.

  She leaned her head against the door. "It's Nokomis, Kage, and Moor." She let them in and I wondered what they were doing here so late.

  Nokomis sauntered inside with the boys on her heels. Naomi closed the door behind them and took her place on the couch next to me. The three of them stood awkwardly in front of the door.

  "Um, we're watching a movie," I said. "It's just starting. You guys are welcome to watch." The movie was beginning with the murder and then would go back and tell the story through flashbacks. I needed to pay attention so that I could find all the clues.

  Our guests sat together on one couch, which I found weird. Why didn't they relax and remove their hoodies? What was their problem?

  On the screen , a woman was taking a shower. From the viewpoint of the killer, they were walking toward the shower. The woman hummed to herself.

  "You guys okay?" Naomi asked.

  In the light from the television, I saw Nokomis shake her head. "Not really. We have a problem. A serious one."

  Naomi cut the volume down , and I was annoyed. I really wanted to get into the movie , and I was in no mood for Nokomis' dramatics.

  "What's the problem?" I turned on the lamp on the table beside me so I could see their expressions.

  Kage looked at the ceiling. "Is Bram here?"

  "No," Naomi answered. "He took our brothers to go do something."

  Kage and Moor exchanged glances, making me feel nervous.

  Nokomis, who sat between them, folded her arms across her chest. "You see, Keira, we've been doing a lot of thinking. We're in a bad situation here. A very dang
erous situation. Dunningham is going to find us , and when he does, he's going to be extra pissed."

  Why was she telling us what we already knew? "Yeah," I said. "So what's your point?"

  Moor stood up and paced back in forth in front of the television as if he were deep in thought.

  "The point is," Nokomis continued, "that we think we've come up with a way to appease Dunningham. Maybe if we give him this one thing, he'll leave us alone."

  "What thing?" Naomi asked.

  Nokomis smiled. I realized only then what an evil smile she had. She sighed and looked at her fingernails. "We all know what he really wants and like the saying goes, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one."

  My body stiffened when I realized I was what they wanted to trade. Before I could move, Moor dove from where he was standing and grabbed Naomi from the couch. Kage jumped on top of me, pinning me to the couch as Moor pinned Naomi's arms behind her back and pulled her away. He dragged her toward the crawlspace underneath the stairs as she struggled against him. Moor was much stronger and moved her as if she were a rag doll.

  Kage pulled me off the couch as Moor flung the door open, shoved Naomi inside, and locked the door from the outside. Naomi screamed and banged on the door.

  "Guys, don't do this!" I shouted.

  Nokomis sat on the couch looking quite pleased as the boys did her dirty work. I knew this was her idea. It was actually perfect timing on their part to wait until Bram and our brothers were gone and catch us unaware. I'd always known that Nokomis didn't like me, but I didn't think she'd ever do something like this.

  "You're a fool if you think you're going to get away with this," I yelled. "You think Dunningham is going to stop coming after you just because you turn me over?"

  Nokomis shrugged. "Who knows? It's worth a shot, isn't it? Besides, if he doesn't, we have nothing to lose. We'll just be in the same spot we've always been in." Then she smirked. "We'll just be down one Grim. One less mouth to feed. It's really a win-win, Keira. Come on. Take one for the team."

  Kage pulled my arms behind my back and hoisted me up while Moor grabbed my feet. I managed to get one good kick in, sinking the heel of my boot into his soft belly. His abs weren't cut like Kage's. I glanced at the television. I'd missed the murder, but I assumed the woman had lost against her attackers like as I had.

  Nokomis opened the door as the two boys carried me out. I screamed at the top of my lungs, knowing that would do very little good. Only Grims would be able to hear me. For all I knew, the others were in on this, and if they weren't, they were probably asleep.

  "Where are you taking me anyway?" I demanded. "You can't get back there without Doyle or Dunstan."

  The boys stopped walking , and Nokomis leaned over me. I wanted her to get closer so I could spit in her face.

  "You think I'm stupid, don't you? I caught Doyle when he was here earlier and told him to meet us here. It was my idea for Bram to take the boys to look for weapons tonight at a place that's almost two hours away. You'll be long gone and on your way back to Nowhere by the time they get back." She laid her hand gently on my cheek. "He's much better off without you. You two just aren't a good fit. He's a bad boy and you're a perfect princess. It wouldn't have worked out."

  I twisted my head and sank my teeth into her hand. As my teeth dug into her skin, I prayed they would leave a scar.

  "Ah!" she cried, pulling her hand away. She struck me across the face. "Bitch!" She grabbed her hand. Even though my face throbbed from the slap I'd received, I took pleasure from her pain. "Let's go," she ordered.

  I continued to struggle in the hands of the boys, but it was no use. Nokomis was right.

  We approached a transportation chamber sitting at the end of the road. I couldn't believe Doyle would betray me like this. What would be in it for him? Nokomis pressed the red button on the outside of the chamber. As the door slid open, I wondered where I would end up. Would the chamber deliver me to the Outskirts , or would I go directly to Dunningham?

  As the boys moved toward the chamber, a flash of bronze and copper flew out.

  "Ohhh!" Kage yelled. I looked up to see the fletchings of an arrow protruding from his chest right above my head.

  Colden. He pulled another arrow from the quiver on his back and notched it. "Put her down now."

  Kage breathed heavily. These two boys could take Colden, but they had no weapons on them and he did. He drew back the string and aimed the arrow at Nokomis. "Put her down or I'll send this arrow straight through her neck."

  "Put her down!" Nokomis screamed.

  Moor let go of my feet. I found my bearings as Kage let go of me and then collapsed on the ground. He pulled at the arrow as his body writhed. "Get it out. Please, get it out."

  Nokomis made a move toward Kage, but Colden pointed his arrow at her once more. "No, leave him alone."

  Moor flinched as if he were going to make a move toward Colden, but he hesitated and missed his chance. Colden pointed his arrow at Moor , who put his hands up. "You want an arrow in your head? Try it again." Colden looked at me. "Go home, Keira. In the morning you guys can figure out what to do with them."

  I backed away slowly, but I had to know. "What are you doing here? How did you know they were going to do this?"

  "Doyle told me. We don't need any traitors over here." He nodded at me. "Don't worry. I'll take care of them."

  I turned and walked away, enjoying the sound of Kage's groan. He could live the rest of his years with that arrow sticking out of him for all I cared.

  When I looked back, Colden had Nokomis and Moor sitting on the ground with their hands on the heads. They looked as though like they were getting arrested.

  Once I got home, I let Naomi out of the crawlspace and let her know what had happened. She dusted herself off , and we sat on the couch and waited for Bram and the boys to come back.

  They didn't make it back until almost dawn, but it was worth the wait. The bed of the truck was filled with all sorts of weapons—guns, crossbows, and long knives—things I was sure would come in handy.

  I told Bram everything that had taken place in his absence, and of course he was furious. We called a meeting in the middle house the following morning. None of us slept that night.

  Nokomis and Moor sat together on the loveseat while Kage lay on a pallet on the floor with the arrow still stuck in him. It would stay there until someone pulled it out. Even if someone pulled the arrow out of him, there would always be a wound. None of us would send for a doctor.

  Colden was present at the meeting and filled everyone in on what had happened the night before. I was relieved to see that the other Grims were not only oblivious to, but appalled by, the trio's behavior.

  "Send them back to Dunningham," Gannon said callously. "Let him deal with them." Others murmured in agreement.

  Bram stood before them. "You have broken a sacred trust. Why should we keep you here if we can't trust you? If you turned on Keira, you can turn on any of us."

  Nokomis began to weep, probably realizing that anything happening between her and Bram would be impossible now. "I'm sorry. It was my idea. I did it for the good of the group. Really. I was thinking about all of us and our safety. I figured risking one Grim would be better than all of us getting caught."

  "Listen," Bram said in a more gentle tone. "As corny as it sounds, it's all for one and one for all. We don't use anyone as a sacrificial lamb." He turned and looked at all of us. "Like it or not, we're all brothers and sisters now. We share the same last name. Your parents and brothers and sisters may be back in Nowhere, but we’re your family. We have to look out for each other. We don't throw our family members to the wolves."

  Nokomis glanced at me and then looked away. She looked pathetic, but she was getting no sympathy from me.

  "What are we going to do with them?" Chase demanded.

  "That's what we're here to discuss. I want us to decide as a whole whether we should forgive them or send them back. I know what I want to do—send t
heir asses back—but we need to take a vote. We'll give you each a minute to tell us why we should keep you here."

  Moor began to cry and that was just hard to watch. "I'm sorry. It was Nokomis' s idea," he said, throwing her under the bus.

  "I don't want to hear that," Bram said. "You went along with it. You're responsible for your own actions."

  Moor nodded. "You're right. You're right." He looked at me. "Listen, I'm really sorry. Like Nokomis said, we were only looking out for the good of the group." I didn't believe that for a second. They were scared and only trying to save themselves. "It was wrong and we should have never done it. We just figured that you would have a better chance getting forgiveness from Dunningham than the rest of us. I don’t know what I was thinking. I'm sorry."

  Nokomis looked at her hands and appeared to be paler than usual. "This whole thing was my idea and I have no problem taking the blame. I'm sorry and I don't want you guys to think that you can't trust me, because you can. I'll never do anything to hurt any of you again. Please forgive me. We made a mistake, but does that mistake warrant death? That's what's going to happen if you send us back to him."

  It was Kage's turn to speak, but he did nothing but roll back and forth on the floor begging for someone to help him. For a second I felt just a tiny bit sorry for him.

  "All right," Bram said, taking the floor again. "You've heard their arguments. Now you need to make a decision. Do you think they should leave or stay? We'll start with the youngest. Josh?"

  My brother thought for a moment and then looked back toward me. "I give my vote to my sister. I think she should decide whether they should leave or not."

  "Me too," Dorian added, followed quickly by Chase. Soon everyone had given me the right to their vote and all eyes were on me. Although I knew what I wanted to do, I hated that such a huge decision was solely in my hands. I didn't want to be responsible for anyone else's fate, even though the night before they had made a decision about mine.

  I looked at Kage on the ground. I felt like he had received his punishment, but what about the other two?