Kaia squeezed my hand.
“It wasn’t right what they did to you. But I hope you love the child you’re about to bear. It never asked for any of this either.”
“I will.” I ground out. “I already do. I love her with all my heart and soul.”
“Feeling pressure?”
“Yes.” I panted.
“It’s almost time.”
I DIDN’T TELL THEM. ABBY was in such a state it would’ve killed her or brought her to her knees. She needed to focus. Bringing the baby into the world, a healthy child, was the most important thing. Stressing Abby out would’ve done no good. None of us could do anything. I just hoped Adam hadn’t been among them.
As I followed the healer to her house, I read the comm again. It had come as we eased up to the Diamond depot.
ALL LESSERS—UPPER AND LOWER—HAVE BEEN ERADICATED FOR TREASONOUS UPRISING. REPORT TO YOUR HOMES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
No matter how I tried to block them out, I kept seeing those words in my mind.
“HAVE MY ORDERS BEEN CARRIED out?” I asked Mortin.
“The guards are taking the Uppers to The Cliff now, my Queen.”
“And the signal?”
He shifted on his feet. “We never picked it back up.”
Mortin looked sick. His skin was sallow, and his hands and legs trembled. For once, it was not out of fear.
Perhaps he was afraid. He was afraid he would die.
And he would die. Greaters were dead all over the city, and the Lessers would join those numbers. I had given the orders to kill them all. The guards were to open fire on each and every last one: men, women, and children. If we died, they would die, too, as punishment for their treachery.
“Has anyone talked?”
“N-no.” His teeth chattered. It was getting rather cold. “No one will admit to assisting the villagers.”
I scratched a message on a piece of paper. “Send out this message to all Greater comms immediately.”
Mortin read the message, glanced at me, and nodded, and then keyed it in. My own comm dinged a moment later: ALL LESSERS—UPPER AND LOWER—HAVE BEEN ERADICATED FOR TREASONOUS UPRISING. REPORT TO YOUR HOMES UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
I put the comm down with a satisfied smile on my face. That smile was removed the second Mortin vomited all over my desk. It splashed on the papers, on the wood... On my face. The spray even landed on my lips. I eased backward, rolling the chair away from him.
He looked mortified. “I’m sorry, my Quee—”
He managed to cover his mouth before vomiting that time. But the damage had been done. Or has it? Was I infected the moment Healer Abry stepped foot in my office?
It certainly was not safe in there anymore.
I stood and left Mortin to choke on his own vomit. The sound of retching and the clicks of my heels on the marble floor were the only sounds resounding through the hallways.
AS I MOVED EAST, I didn’t hear much more racket from the streets. I figured the tunnel must’ve been leading out of the city. The holes to the street level had grown sparse. My guess was the buildings were becoming fewer and fewer. The people definitely were. But I had no way of knowing exactly what was above me, so I kept walking. The visor said I was going the right way. I’d trust it.
After a long while, the tunnels got wider. I didn’t have to hunch as much. Then they opened up. I had room to stretch and jump, and my neck and back were very happy about the space they’d been given. Taking advantage, I looked around. There were no more intersections I could see, not that I could see very far ahead.
I walked forward, taking my time, enjoying the break. It might have been short lived. But then the best thing in the entire world happened. You know that saying, there’s light at the end of every tunnel? Well, I saw that light.
And I took off running after it, sloshing liquid crap everywhere.
The tunnel ended abruptly, and I found myself sliding in that river of poo, trying to stop my body from following the stream down what looked like a fifty-foot dive into a lake below. But it was something. And the light I’d seen wasn’t daylight anymore. It was moonlight. The moon had risen in the east, and it was full and bright. A cool blue was cast over the entire land.
It was like the pale light was putting out the harsh fiery red of the city I’d left. And I decided my favorite color would be pale blue. Then a pair of dark eyes, golden in the center, reminded me pale blue was my second favorite color.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever like the color red again—not even when I looked at the apples in the Orchard.
The Vesuvians had ruined that color for me.
The drop I thought was fifty feet was more like thirty. I eased out of the crap tunnel and grabbed tightly to the sides of the rocky cliff next to me. Slowly, I worked my way down, until my arms and legs burned, and my fingers felt like they were going to bleed from straining to hold on. But I did it. I made it down. The lake glistened. And I made my way around its circumference.
The visor was still lit up. It showed the outline of the lake in an oblong oval. On the far side was a little squiggly blue line. Could that be the river?
I couldn’t run. My legs were jelly. But I walked as fast as they’d carry me in that direction. And sure enough, my day got better again—that little squiggle had indeed been the river.
Find Adam and get the heck out of there; that was my mission.
But there was no sense walking along the river when I smelled so terrible and the water could wash the slime and sludge away.
I scooted and rolled down the steep riverbank, landing right in the cool water. And, boy, did it ever feel good. One splash in celebration and then a lot of scrubbing. I used rocks and dirt to scrub my body, stripping off the clothes and washing them, too. I’d rather smell like algae and mud than everything flowing through that dark, disgusting tunnel.
The crisp, clean air actually stung my nostrils. Have I gotten used to the stench somehow? Nah. I was just being stupid. Stupid and clean. And free.
When my body started to shiver from the cool spring water and night air, I climbed out and huddled in the shelter of a small grove of trees wearing just my underwear and a smile. If I could make it out of Vesuvius through a cavern of crap, I could find Adam, and we could make it back to Orchard. I’d make it back to Julia.
PAIN. WHITE HOT. I WAS on a table, a hard table. Then I was being jostled. Tearing fabric echoed into the space. That was just before... Someone was cutting my flesh. “Ahh!”
“He’s awake. He needs more medicine!” A male voice yelled.
“I can’t give him more medicine. He’ll bleed out.” Argued a female.
“He’s already bleeding out!”
“I don’t think I can help him. It tore through his intestines and his kidney.”
Someone’s finger probing my side and back. Being rolled onto my side. Someone or something was holding my neck still.
Pain. So... intense.
Abby.
“She’s so little. I don’t want to hurt her,” I admitted to Kaia, who just giggled and placed the writhing baby in my arms. She was swaddled tightly in a pink blanket Kaia had spent months trying to perfect. Our baby had a button nose, plump, pink cheeks and an ear-splitting scream that was the best thing I’d ever heard in my life. My arms were awkward. I tried to support her head, her bottom, and her back, and not squeeze too hard because she was new and fragile. I wanted to protect her, not squash her within the first few hours of life. Or drop her. Oh, God. I repositioned my arms into a more secure hold. Abigail’s tiny eyelashes fluttered and a pair of eyes as blue as the clear sky stared back at me, combing over my facial features quizzically.
“She’s beautiful,” I whispered, mostly to myself.
“She is. We need to give her a middle name, Adam.”
I smiled at Kaia. “You can choose it. You chose a fitting first name.”
She shook her head. “You choose.”
I swallowed and said the only name that had echoed in my
mind since she awakened. “Blue. Abigail Blue.”
Kaia nodded. “It suits her. Abigail Blue.”
The train began to slow. The trip had been too fast. Abby was asleep in my arms, her shallow breaths fanning my shoulder, her blonde curls tickling my chin.
“Adam, I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can let her go.” Kaia had been crying silently since the train pulled out of the Olympian station. But now, now, she cried in earnest, shaking her head, fingers spread over her mouth.
“If they find out about her, they’ll vaccinate her.”
Kaia didn’t care. With every ounce of her body, she loved Abby. As did I. But sometimes one has to sacrifice everything to save the one they love the most. Sometimes, a parent must make difficult choices.
I never regretted loving Kaia, never regretted a single moment with her or making a child with her. Not once. And I’d never regret protecting our child, either. Lulu could keep Abby safe while we found a way to disappear from the Greater cities. We could come back for her.
“Kaia, we will come for her. When it’s safe, we can come back and get her. Lulu will keep her safe here. The Greaters won’t know about her.”
“How can you be sure?”
I smiled sadly. “Because Orchard’s only value is in the apples it can produce.”
Kaia.
Walking in the park wasn’t the safest in this part of town. The Lesser section had no parks, and I just wanted to see green. I wanted to be surrounded by it. When I spotted her behind a tree, my entire body stilled. She’d report me.
Backing away slowly, I eased my hands up in surrender.
“Stop. You, Lesser. Stop, please.” She begged softly.
When a Greater ordered a Lesser to stop, the Lesser stopped. My legs wanted to flee. But if I ran, the punishment would be worse.
“I won’t bother you.” She stood, brushing off her stark white pantsuit. “I’ve never spoken to a Lesser; I’ve never had the occasion to, and I just wanted to ask you a few questions.
Death. I’d be put to death for this. But something in her eyes wouldn’t let me go. So, I stayed. My feet walked toward her, and I listened as she talked. I listened for hours, enthralled with the Greater who was kind, and smart, and good.
I fell in love with her that day.
The bitter, coppery smell of blood filled my nostrils. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as every other sound faded away. Warmth. So warm. So peaceful.
A swarm of dark dots filled my vision, until...
Blackness.
A SHRILL SCREAM. I RAN toward the healer’s house. The well had been deep, so deep just cranking the bucket up and down had taken forever. And the bucket had been tiny. What was the point?
Water sloshed everywhere. I slowed my steps a bit but kept them brisk. No way was I going back to the giant well with the tiny bucket again.
I stepped on her porch and abandoned the two pails in their own puddles. Inside, Abby screamed again.
“Abs?” I puffed.
“Gray!” She reached out for me.
The healer had a blanket draped over Abby’s bottom half, so I kept my eyes on hers and scooted around, making my way to her hand.
My fingers found hers, and she squeezed so hard something popped. Dang, she was in pain... and strong. I’d heard adrenaline could give people more strength than they normally had. Maybe having a baby did that to you.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I soothed.
“It’s not okay. I’m being torn in half!” Her nails bit into my palm. I let them. If she hurt, I’d hurt. If she bled, I’d bleed.
“Abby?” Ebony asked.
“Yeah?”
“It’s time. I see her head. I need you to bear down, and push very hard and hold it. Hold in your breath and push hard when I say. Do you understand?”
Abby nodded. “Yes.”
Ebony motioned to Kaia. “I need your help. Get some clothes soaked in the hot water. Have clean, dry ones ready as well.”
“Okay.” Kaia nodded frantically. I knew it was hard for her to see Abby in pain. It was the worst thing I’d experienced in my whole life.
“Ready, Abby?”
“Yesss.” Abby hissed.
“Deep breath, then hold it, and bear down, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Now.” Abby sucked in air and held it, her face turning the color of a beet. She scrunched her features up and grunted, pushing down. Her stomach hardened into a ball.
Ebony smiled. “Take a breath, and then I want you do the same thing again.”
Abby breathed heavily, inhaled, and got a better grip on my hand. She held the air inside her lungs, turned purple again, and gritted her teeth.
“Good. Once more.” Ebony ordered. “Almost there.”
Abby, hair dripping with sweat, repeated the process three more times. And then there it was: a whimper followed by a tiny, but forceful, scream. Abby gasped and I did, too. She looked from me to Kaia and then watched as Ebony said to push once more. She took a clean cloth from Kaia and wiped the baby down, making her even madder.
Kaia smiled and cried. “She’s so beautiful, and big! Abby, she’s perfect!”
Abby’s eyes welled with tears, but I couldn’t see her. Mine were full, too. I bent down and kissed her head, and we waited while our daughter was checked. When Ebony finished her cleaning and examination, Kaia wrapped the baby in a larger section of cloth and bundled her tightly, placing her in Abby’s arms. She and I took in the sight of the tiny girl in front of us as Ebony tended to Abby some more.
Our daughter’s tiny tongue lifted from the floor of her mouth as she screamed.
“She’s so mad.” Abs giggled.
“She has her mama’s temper.” I teased.
Kaia walked to the opposite side of the bed and stroked the newborn’s head. “What will you name her?”
I looked at Abby. “Ella. I want to name her Ella—after Lulu.”
Kaia burst into tears and covered her mouth. “It’s perfect. Adam will love it.” Something about the way she said the last sentence struck a chord with me.
“Have you heard from him?”
Kaia shook her head. “No.”
“He’ll be fine. He’s smart, one of the smartest men I know.”
She nodded. “I know. And I think he’ll love Ella and her name.”
It was a perfect name. Strong but soft, just like her mama. I kissed Abby’s head. We stared at Ella’s pinkening skin. Her little eyes were puffy and swollen. So were her cheeks. But they were going to be full no matter what. I couldn’t wait to squeeze them.
I let her curl her little fingers around the tip of my own. She had me the second Abby’s stomach started rounding, but man was I a goner then.
“Gray?”
“Yeah?”
Abby smiled. “Do you want to hold her?”
With my thumb and free forefinger, I squeezed the tears out of the corners of my eyes. “More than anything.” My voice broke on the last word.
I didn’t know how to hold her, so I probably seemed awkward lifting the tiny bundle and trying to keep her head from flopping around.
But when she was settled in the crook of my arm, I was in Heaven. Love was an amazing thing. I loved Ella’s mama more than life itself, and I loved that squirmy baby just as much, but differently. Such a strong feeling, and yet it evolved into different types depending on the person loved. And a person’s heart. It never ran out of love. It just kept expanding as if that’s what it had been built and made for, as if that’s what was expected of it all along.
But we couldn’t see that. We couldn’t know it would allow all the love a person could handle and still have room for more.
But I saw it then.
Hell, I even wanted to hug Kaia.
I held Ella until Ebony was finished with Abby. Childbirth was a terrifying experience, but so worth it. If I hadn’t been focusing on the miracle of our baby girl, I’d have passed out cold. No doubt about it.
Kaia
helped Ebony clean up the remnants and get them out of the house, and boy, was I ever glad.
Abby was almost dozing while Ella was contently blinking, taking in everything around her. She’d smack her lips once in a while and make little snuffling sounds. Finally, everything seemed like it would be okay.
There were times I’d doubted it. I tried to stay strong for Abby, and stay confident for everyone else. But I thought we were in trouble in Vesuvius. I didn’t think we’d make it out of the palace. Then I thought the guards at the gate were going to kill us all. I definitely didn’t think Abs would make it to Diamond before giving birth. But we’d made it. Somehow, we’d gotten through it all, and Ella was squeezing my fingertip without a care in the world.
Ebony and Kaia returned. Kaia sat next to Abby, stroking her hair.
Ebony peeked over my shoulder at the bundle I held.
“Most babies have blue eyes at birth. Lesser babies do, anyway. Then after six months or so, they start to fade into the child’s true eye color—the color they’ll keep for life.”
“Hmm.”
Ebony stroked Ella’s cheek and asked, “She’s part Greater, right?”
“Yeah.”
Ebony smiled. “Lucky she got your eyes, Dad.”
I hadn’t seen it for some reason. But she did. From the rim of her pupil, a golden ring stretched halfway across her iris. From there to the outside rim, Ella’s eyes were a fiery rust color, or orange sunset eyes, as Abby liked to tease.”
“Is this... Is it even possible?”
My voice cracked that time. Abby sat up and motioned for me to bring Ella closer. “Cole. When they put that strip on my tongue and then made you take one... Do you think they...?”
“I don’t know.”
She didn’t say it, but there would never be a way to know for sure. But the resemblance was uncanny. And I didn’t care if her eyes were pea green; she was my daughter.
COLD SWEAT BEADED ON MY upper lip and every inch of my body shook violently. That was between the heaving. The vomiting began shortly after Mortin spewed all over my desk. Most likely, he had not infected me. Surely, a virus could not work so quickly as that.
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