by Melissa West
My gaze lifts from the photo to Mami. “What do you mean infused into your bodies?”
“Jackson has never shown you?” she asks, but at my confused expression she clears her throat and focuses back on the photo. “This was taken…”
For once I’m the one to grasp her hand. “Mami, what is it? What are you saying?”
“Please…ask Jackson. It isn’t fair for me to divulge what he may want kept private.”
“If something has happened to him…”
She releases a long breath, hesitating. “If an RES lacks speed, as part of his training he will receive a cipher of the word velocity and be told to meditate on the word, feeling it sink into his skin and muscles and bones until his body listens, the cipher acting as an injection into his spirit until he is as agile as the wind itself.”
“A cipher? Like a tattoo?”
“We believe every part of our body possesses recollection abilities, and when told to do something, it can and will listen. By placing the word on our skin we are telling our bodies we need whatever the word represents.” She pushes up her left arm sleeve to reveal a tiny symbol in the crook of her arm. A single vertical line with three horizontal lines running through the top of it, each parallel to one another.
“What does it mean?”
“Strength.”
I glance up at her, my heart heavy. What must life be like daily for Mami? Always on edge, always trying to survive. Never able to show who she truly is or how she truly feels. My eyes drift back to the cipher, and then my mind shifts to Jackson after his trainings with Zeus, everything Mami is saying becoming clear. The blood on his shirt. His unwillingness to change in front of me. He must have received a cipher at each of his trainings, but there was so much blood. A tiny symbol like Mami’s would never produce that much blood, so he must have received more than one, more than ten, more than—
I remember his blood-soaked shirt and have to take a step back to steady myself. “What has Zeus done to him?” My words are filled with every ounce of hate I have for Zeus.
Mami’s eyes drop from the photo of Jackson as a boy. “I never wanted this life for him.”
Then before I can respond, Emmy and Lydian walk up, their expressions filled with worry. “He knows,” Lydian says. “The port is completely surrounded. I don’t think we can use it to escape.”
“Zeus always knows,” Mami says. “But he underestimates us.”
Emmy tilts her head at Mami, and then, reading her thoughts, smiles. “I forgot. Do you think he forgot, too?”
“There is only one way to be sure.”
We are well into the woods behind Zeus and Mami’s house before I can fully process what I’ve agreed to. The Earthly port is guarded, and while we could fight the RESs, something tells me that’s exactly what Zeus wants. He knows we’re up to something. We all agreed that for now it’s better to remain low, to appear defeated, which is how we have ended up in the woods, on our way to plan B. For the first time, I’m stepping outside the Healer’s Wall.
“Our mother was never a fan of the Castellos,” Mami says. “So much so that when I agreed to marry Zeus, she vowed to create an exit for me, whenever I should need it. A place I could go to disappear. She wanted to keep me safe. She was an advanced healer, her talent far greater than any other. Still to this date, there has been no one to match her.”
Emmy grips my hand. “She who taught me that any can heal, not just those born to it.”
Mami nods. “Emmy and I were both taught well, though of course Emmy’s skills have always far surpassed my own.” Mami smiles over at her sister. “Before she passed, mother took us to a special tree.”
“Wait,” I say, stopping so suddenly the others glance around nervously. “Did you say a special tree?”
Mami’s expression creases with worry. “Yes, why?”
“Jackson took me to a special tree. But it’s not here, it’s on Earth, in Sydia. He called it the Unity tree.”
Emmy laughs. “We should’ve guessed he knew, Mami.”
Mami is silent for several seconds, bringing the eeriness of the woods into full focus. There are no insect or animal sounds here like there are back home, and while you might think owls are creepy, take them away and suddenly the forest feels less like an open place and more like a contained room, where any noise you make is amplified. Even my breaths, so controlled, sound far too loud. “What aren’t you saying, Mami?”
“I’m wondering if Zeus knew about the tree after all, or at least guessed that it existed, even if he couldn’t find it. I’m sure Jackson told you that only those who know of its location can find it. Mother blessed it with an unusual heal. It exists, yet doesn’t, traveling in between the dimensions so that it can appear when needed…and disappear when not. Jackson must have followed me to it at some point. He must have watched me summon it.”
“But if your mother created the Unity tree as an escape for you, why would she place it beyond the wall?”
Emmy grins over at me. “Ah, you make assumptions, child. The wall has not always been.”
“What?” I glance from Emmy to Mami, but it’s Lydian who answers me.
“Triad was not always encaged by the wall,” Lydian says. “There was a time when Loge was comprised of many regions, each with its own leader. As you can imagine, disagreements erupted, arguments became wars, and Zeus, having convinced himself the other regions were corrupted, made it his mission to lead more than just Triad—he wanted to control all of Loge. And he succeeded, but not before gaining a wealth of enemies. He claimed the wall was built to protect Triad from threats, when really it was built to protect him from his enemies. Now, his enemies are long gone and the wall is used to control the health of our land.”
“But there are still other regions, right? What happened to those leaders?”
Lydian’s face turns to stone. “They were handled, as all are handled who get in Zeus’s way.”
We walk the rest of the way through the woods in silence, each of us consumed by our own thoughts and worries. I realize that Mami may be the bravest person I’ve ever met. Not just anyone would have the strength to plot against her spouse, especially when that spouse is Zeus. Whatever horror would lie in store for the rest of us if we were caught would be nothing compared to what he would do to Mami. I feel a sudden pang of guilt for keeping this from Jackson. He would never want her this involved.
Mami drapes her arm around me, hugging me gently. “You have a kind spirit, child. Never let that leave you. War can harden us. I know, I’ve suffered through too many to count. But I like to think I was once like you—full of kindness and bravery.”
“Mami, you are—”
“Look, we’re here,” she says before I can continue. I swallow back my guilt, knowing there is no time for that now. It’s long past time for second-guessing my actions. I have to push forward.
In front of me is the same vine-covered wall that exists in the garden by the Panacea and beyond the fields where we train, the same wall Jackson forced us to walk on our first day of RES assignee training. I’m about to ask how we can get past the wall, when I notice a tiny latch tucked into the greenery. I edge closer, reaching out to move the flowers and vegetation away, and discover that cut within the wall is a gate, barely noticeable to the naked eye. A small lock secures the latch closed, no doubt to keep out anyone who may try to enter.
I peer over my shoulder at Mami. “Do you have the key?”
Emmy laughs. “We are key.” And she reaches out a shaking hand to the lock. Her fingertips brush over the key opening, first her thumb, then each of her fingers beginning with her index finger and ending with her pinky. A tingly feeling crawls my spine and I know regardless of how brave Mami thinks I am, I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what lies beyond the wall, of what Ancients may have survived there and what they are prepared to do with us—or to us. Then a deeper fear appears in my mind and I have to force myself not to take a step backward.
What if we die the moment
we cross through the gate, our bodies becoming as lifeless as the land there?
“Dramatics. Always dramatics, child.” Emmy pushes the gate open and steps through, disappearing into the darkness on the other side. A crisp breeze flows through the gate, sweeping my hair across my face. Lydian and Mami follow, and I’m left alone before the wall, no choice but to push aside my doubts and trust—something more difficult for me to do than anything else in the world. But again, there is no time for second-guessing, no time for doubts, no time for fear. There is no time for anything but action.
I repeat the words again and again in my mind until I feel strong. I draw a long breath, clench my fists tightly together, and step through the gate and into a void.
Chapter 25
It’s as though color no longer exists. Energy. Happiness. Life. All of it a figment of the imagination, unable to surface. Everything about this place is lost, the ground nothing more than dirt so gray it’s closer to ash.
I peer around in search of the others, and that’s when I see it—the Unity tree, its size so much more impressive with nothing else there to compete for attention. I remember the first time Jackson brought me to it thinking it as twice the size of a normal tree, but now, seeing it again after so long, I realize I underestimated it. This tree can’t be compared to other trees at all. And it’s more than just its size. The Unity tree is enchanting…and haunting at the same time.
The tree itself radiates life, making it appear all that more beautiful in this dead land. The leaves are so shiny and green they remind me of the tiny leaves on the composite holly bushes back home. The bark, the limbs, even the tiny twigs that are of no use, all appear perfectly fake compared to the trees within the wall. It’s almost like staring at a miracle, but then my eyes drop to the triangular opening in the center, so dark it’s as though part of the tree has been burned…or cursed. “How is possible that Zeus doesn’t know this is here?” I ask, unwilling to take my eyes away from the dark center.
Mami places her palm against the bark and smiles. “Oh he suspects, he just can’t see it. Mother made sure of that.”
“And where does it take you? If we went inside the opening now, where would we end up?”
Mami turns to me. “Wherever you tell it to take you. It is not connected to a direct port on Earth like the other trees, though it utilizes the same principle. If you concentrate on Sydia, you will end up in Sydia.”
Frustration bubbles in my chest at her carefree demeanor. She acts as though we are on a casual outing, as though the survival of both species isn’t counting on us. “I need details, Mami. Will we end up in the center of the city or in the woods? Does it connect to a tree? A interplanetary port? I can’t leave this stuff to chance. I need to know exactly where it will take us, how it works. Everyone is counting on us and time is running out.”
Emmy reaches for my hand, but I pull away. “Calm, child. Mami know. We all know.”
I scrub my hands over my face, realizing my own worry and doubts are causing me to lash out. As much as I wish none of this were happening, I’m ready to get started. Sitting around aimlessly, while the clock ticks toward the war, has me on edge. We can plan. We can scheme. But at the end of the day I have a feeling none of that will matter. Our success hinges on two things—luck and whether or not I succeed in killing Zeus.
Mami drapes her arm around me, making me feel even guiltier for getting aggravated at her. “All ports are direct links, it’s not an unknown. You can’t enter a tree and end up in open space. It has to tie to a specific thing, even if that specific thing is your choice. The woods that border Sydia are the perfect place.”
“Okay. The woods, then. We will have three landing sites, that way if one group is caught the other two are still safe and can offer help.”
“Very smart thinking,” she says, squeezing me easily. “You will make an amazing commander some day.”
I clear my throat and look away. “I think that day is long past.”
Mami turns to me, her eyes gentle. “You are not going into the end, child. Trust that. This is the beginning, and what the beginning looks like is in your hands, no one else’s.”
I pray she’s right, that in a few years this is all a memory, but inside I’ve prepared myself that I may not make it through this—none of us may.
…
I left the others at Mami’s, telling them I needed to get home to meet with Cybil, and while I am meeting her in another hour, for now I just want to be alone. I’ve thought through every element of this plan. The two divisions—Operatives and RES assignees. What they will do and when. Everyone knows where to be, at what time, and what to do once they get there. Even with the original port guarded, we are still on track thanks to the Unity tree. Everything is set to begin at one a.m. in two days, all of it planned to the smallest detail.
All except how I’m going to kill Zeus.
I enter our house, glad that it’s quiet, and head immediately down to Jackson’s office, hopeful that somehow the connection is back. I want to talk to my dad. I want his advice. I want him, and no one else, to tell me that I can do this—that I will do this. Because if I hear the words from him, then I will know it’s true.
Dad was never one to coddle. He would never tell me that I would succeed unless it was true. And so now, days before I’m about to do the scariest thing imaginable—go up against Zeus—I want my dad’s reassurance, something so childish that I’m almost embarrassed to admit it to myself.
Still, I remind myself of Mom’s lecture to me years ago when Dad first told me that I would become an Operative. I was afraid, and even though I would never admit it out loud, she knew. So that night, long after Dad had gone to bed, she came into my room and sat down on my bed, her face the picture of ease. “Fear is what makes us human, Ari,” she had said. “It grounds us, helps us make smarter decisions. Never feel inadequate for feeling fear. It’s the most natural thing in the world, and knowing that it is natural is what will give you the strength to overcome it.”
Sitting down in front of the communicator screen, I draw a breath and close my eyes, the memory so clear in my mind I can almost smell my mom’s perfume. I press my palm to the screen. “Dad?” My eyes flicker open, hopeful, but the screen remains dark, so I shut my eyes and pretend he can hear me. “Dad, if you’re there, if you can hear me, I want you to know that I finally understand why you pushed me so hard. I thought you did it to try to make me as strong and capable as you, when really you pushed me because you knew this day was coming. You knew I would have to fight in a real war where there are no guarantees of survival. You prepared me well, Dad. I only wish you were here to fight alongside me. Then I would know that I could do it.”
My lip trembles, and I have to swallow several times to keep myself from breaking down. I picture my dad in front of me. His strength. His courage. “Because with you beside me, there is nothing I couldn’t do. Tell Mom I love her.” I swipe away a lone tear that escaped, and start to stand, when the door bursts open.
“They’re back!” Cybil screams. “They’re back and we’re not set up, we’re not ready. We’re not ready for this. We need another day. We—”
“What? Who—oh no.”
Cybil nods, her face full of panic. “Zeus is back a day early. The plan, it’s—”
I raise my hands, cutting her off, and glance back at the time. Eight o’clock. Dad used to say that you could plan an attack, but you could never plan for what would go wrong in your planning, so be ready. And we’re ready, I know it deep in my gut. We have only five hours until the RESs switch shifts, but that’s enough. It has to be enough. “Get the word out to the others. We attack tonight.”
“Ari…”
“We have no other option.”
“What about Zeus?”
“I’ll handle Zeus. Just get the others to Earth They’re counting on us, Cybil. We can’t let them down.”
Cybil surprises me with a hug, holding me tightly as though she may never see me again.
“Are the healers rubbing off on you or something?” I laugh to try to lighten the mood, but I know without needing to read her thoughts that we’re thinking the same thing—a lot of lives are about to be lost and there is no way of knowing who will make it through. Including us.
“Just make it to the tree, okay?”
I smile. “The next time I see you we’ll be in Sydia.”
Chapter 26
When Jackson arrives home an hour later, I’m in the backyard, surrounded by dead grass. I devised my plan against Zeus the moment Cybil left, deciding that it’d be best to keep it to myself. I can’t risk someone accidentally revealing the plan to him. Even Cybil, who I trust completely. I have a hard enough time controlling my thoughts around Zeus. Plus, if no one else knows the plan, then no one else can be tortured for information. This is between Zeus and me. Besides…what I’m planning has never been done before, and the last thing I need right now is a look of doubt from Cybil. My own doubts are enough.
Lydian’s brew should have weakened Zeus’s reflexes by now. So my plan is to reverse heal him, pulling the life out of him like Vill and Emmy had said, just as the Ancient attackers were able to Take the life from their victims back on Earth. I can’t utilize the Taking. It can’t be used from Ancient to Ancient, a biological failsafe to protect the species from each other. But if our minds are strong enough to give life then I have to believe they are strong enough to take it. I close my eyes and focus on the next patch of grass in front of me. I feel its life, its energy, and then instead of strengthening that life, I imagine it moving from the grass into me. I focus all my senses, all thought, every single part of my body and soul into pulling the life from the grass. When I open my eyes, the patch of grass is shriveled and brown, and my skin is tingling.
“So…are you going to tell me what you’re doing? Are you all right? ” Jackson asks from behind me. I wonder how long he’s been there—how much he’s seen. I stand up and turn around slowly, preparing what I’ll say in my mind, when my eyes land on his, so full of concern for me that it takes my breath away. “I…” My words get jumbled in my mind. All I can think about is how this may be the last time we’re together, the last time I can…