by L. S. O'Dea
“What’s Trinity’s friend doing?” asked Carla.
He shrugged, glad that Carla was looking at someone besides him.
“If that Servant does something to the carriage I’ll have to do something. Kim really likes this guy.”
There was a short pause. Carla stared at him, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. He knew he was pathetic. He didn’t need to see it in her eyes.
“Sorry,” she said.
“Don’t worry. Say is harmless—a little odd, but harmless.” All Servants creeped him out a bit with the way they lurked about always watching, but Say was especially weird. However, the little guy was devoted to Trinity and it was comforting to know that even when she snuck off alone someone was watching her back.
The Almighty walked toward the carriage. Jackson couldn’t help the snarl that made his lips twitch. The male had sure taken his time kissing Kim, but she hadn’t invited him inside. That was a good sign. He took a deep breath. He had to let her go.
“Trinity’s friend better move, or he’s going to get caught,” said Carla.
Say was still by the carriage. Whatever the little creep was doing he needed to finish fast and get out of there. Trinity would be devastated if Say were captured. The little Servant slipped under the wheel. The Almighty climbed inside and the carriage began to move. Say darted across the lawn and disappeared into the forest.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
“One disaster avoided.” Carla touched his arm. “You need to go. Some of the Guards are new, loyal to the family.”
“As they should be.”
“Right now, they’re loyal to Kim and Martha, but Jethro has befriended a couple.”
The warning in her tone made it clear that he was an enemy to Jethro. His shoulders sagged. He and Jethro had always been close, but apparently that was over too.
“I’ll leave in a few minutes. I want to make sure that Trinity is safe.”
Carla glanced at the barn. A few Guards were moving around outside. “Are you sure she’s here?”
He nodded. He wasn’t going to say anything about the tunnel. That had been his and Kim’s secret. “I followed her. She’s here somewhere.”
“Okay. I’ll watch out for her, but you need to go.”
“I’m not leaving until I know she’s safe,” he was being stubborn about this but he didn’t care. Carla would do her best to protect Trinity but for her the Remore family came first and that included Jethro.
“You need to know that I’ve told the new Guards to watch the house, but stay back unless there’s a problem.” Her eyes met his. “Right now, Casper and I are the only ones protecting the area surrounding the house, but that needs to change. Casper’s getting too old to be out in the woods in the cold and—”
“You can’t do it alone.”
“I don’t want to do it alone. We need to form a pack and we can’t do that if I keep lying to them.” She gave him a quick hug. “Don’t come back.”
He nodded. He hadn’t thought it’d come to this but he should’ve known. Carla’s loyalty had to be to the Remore family. She’d made it clear. If he came back, she’d be his enemy. Unfortunately, he didn’t think he’d be able to stay away.
CHAPTER 48: TRINITY
TRINITY HOVERED BETWEEN THE basement and the tunnel, the conversation between Kim and Jethro playing over and over in her mind. Why was Kim worried about Jackson? What had Jethro meant when he’d said that they would’ve heard if Jackson had been captured? And why had Jethro sniffed? An Almighty’s sense of smell was almost non-existent and he didn’t have a cold. Over the last few years, she’d spent a lot of time around Guards and she recognized the difference between breathing and sniffing for scent.
Footsteps padded across the house. They were small and trying to be quiet. She stayed by the tunnel, just in case it was Kim’s mother. The kitchen door opened and then the basement door. She inhaled. It was Kim. She moved toward the stairs when light flooded the room. She turned her head, temporarily blinded, and shifted backward toward the dark.
“Trinity, where are you?” whispered Kim.
“Here.” She blinked a few more times and moved out of the shadows.
Kim hurried down the stairs and wrapped Trinity in her arms. “Is Jackson’s safe?” She stepped back, tears in her large blue eyes. “Tell me you aren’t here with bad news.”
“Jackson’s fine. I came to tell you that we’re moving camp.”
“Thank Araldo.” Kim almost collapsed in relief and then her face paled. “You don’t know.”
“Know what?” She forced the words past her lips when all she wanted to do was leave. Go back to the forest. She was tired of bad news and by the look on Kim’s face this was really bad.
“The Almightys retaliated. They did a sweep throughout the city, capturing every Guard and House Servant who didn’t have papers stating their purpose for being loose on the street.”
“Because of the Midtown Shelter.” She staggered backward and leaned against the wall. Hugh would be devastated. They had to do something. She knew so many strays—Sassy, Sampson, Ray, The Victor. The names tumbled through her mind. “They couldn’t have captured all of them.”
“I’m sure some escaped, but they have a lot. Most, I think.”
“What did they do to them?” Fear tangled in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
“They took them to shelters. They took as many as they could to the Midtown Shelter.”
Her hand shook as she pushed away from the wall. “I need to go. We’re moving the camp...or at least we were before this.”
“Where?” asked Kim.
“To Harbor Point near the old quarry.” She moved toward the tunnel. She had to get back to Hugh before Birdie or someone told him. He’d feel responsible. He’d leave to surrender or to save everyone and he’d never make it through the forest alone.
“There’s more,” said Kim.
She stilled but didn’t turn around. She didn’t want to hear this.
“They’ve stopped all adoptions, stating that no Guards or Servants will leave the shelters alive. They’re publicly executing two Guards every day. Next week it’ll be three, the week after four and so on until Hugh turns himself over to the authorities. When all the Guards are gone from the Midtown Shelter they’ll refill it with more Guards or Servants and continue the executions.”
Her heart froze, but she tipped her head in a short nod of understanding as she moved into the tunnel and shut the door. Some of her friends could be dead already. Most wouldn’t have been captured without fighting. She was tired of this war. Maybe, she’d find Mirra and live in peace with the Trackers. She’d only made it a few steps when she heard Jethro and Kim arguing in the basement.
“I know you were talking to someone, so stop lying?” Jethro inhaled deeply.
Trinity moved back toward the house and stopped by the door. Why was Jethro sniffing again? There was no way he could smell her scent. It was impossible.
“What are you talking about? There’s no one down here but me,” said Kim.
Jethro sniffed again. “Was Jackson here? You told me that it was over between you.”
That solved that mystery. Almightys must handle colds differently than Guards because she did not smell like Jackson.
“It is over. And you can stop searching. There’s no one down her but you and me.”
Jethro’s footsteps headed toward the hidden door. Trinity’s heart raced. What would he do if he saw her? Would he be glad or angry? She stared at the door handle, willing him to open it.
“You’re telling me that you were in the basement alone, talking about the sweep.” He didn’t sound like he was believing that tale.
“Yes. I had to vent and I didn’t want to wake Mom.”
“Vent? Why?” His steps halted.
“You can’t be serious. You think that what they did was okay?”
Trinity stopped breathing. He couldn’t be on the side of the Almightys. He couldn’t.
&n
bsp; “They did what they had to do. The city was in chaos after Hugh broke into the shelter.” His voice moved away from the door. “They had to restore order for everyone’s safety.”
Trinity was numb. He had to be kidding. He liked Guards. He couldn’t believe that catching and executing every free Guard was necessary.
“They picked up mothers and their young. The old. The sick. They didn’t care.” Kim’s voice was loud, almost a scream.
“What were they supposed to do? Nothing?” His voice was just as loud. “They had to do something. They have to maintain control.”
“By killing Guards every day until Hugh surrenders?”
There was a long pause. “They kill unwanted Guards and Servants all the time. What’s two more? But before you go screeching at me again, they aren’t going to continue with the public executions for long. They can’t. Too many Almightys are unhappy about it.”
“Tell that to the Guards they’ve already killed. I’m sure it’ll make them and their loved ones feel much better,” said Kim.
“You’re being unreasonable. They couldn’t leave the Guards and Servants living on their own forever. Do you realize how dangerous those parts of the city have become?”
Trinity’s claws popped out. He wasn’t even trying to understand.
“I know you care for Jackson.” Jethro’s voice was calm, soothing. “But you need to grow up and start living in reality. The other classes aren’t like us.”
The breath left her like she’d fallen from a tall tree.
“They can’t take care of themselves. They need us to guide them. It’s unfortunate, but by taking on the responsibility of the other classes, we have to make hard choices.”
That was it. She would not, could not, be silent any longer. She shoved open the door and stepped out of the shadows.
Kim gasped.
Jethro turned toward her, his eyes widening. “Little One.” It was barely a whisper.
“Is that how you see me? Am I a creature who needs the hand of an Almighty to guide her? Did I need an Almighty to tell me to save your miserable life that day at the Lake of Sins? Maybe, I should’ve waited for someone to tell me to do something. If I’d known you’d turn into this...this Grunt’s ass I would’ve let you drown.” The blood raged through her as she turned and raced down the tunnel. All these years, she’d held out hope that they could be together. She’d believed that all she’d needed was to see him again and he’d remember their connection. All these years, she’d been a fool.
CHAPTER 49: HUGH
HUGH PACED IN HIS TENT. It was almost dawn. Jackson and Trinity had been gone for hours. Tim and some of the others had patrolled the area but they hadn’t found any trace of anyone besides Jackson and Trinity, so at least the two hadn’t been captured.
Trinity burst into his tent. “Hugh...”
He grabbed her, pulling her close. “Thank Araldo, you’re safe.” He took a deep breath, the first in hours. She was here with him where she belonged. “Where were you? And where’s Jackson?”
“Jackson’s not here? He wasn’t with me.” She pulled free from his grasp.
“His trail ran along with yours.” He studied her. She had an honest face that didn’t hide lies. She’d had no idea that the Guard had gone after her.
Tim and Millie burst into the tent. Tim pulled Trinity into a tight hug.
“You...you...what were you thinking? You were almost killed last time.” Millie shot Hugh a glare as she kissed her daughter’s head.
He averted his eyes. The last time Trinity had disappeared had been his fault and he’d heard all about it when they’d returned.
“I wasn’t almost killed.” She pulled away from her parents. “I killed them. I killed three Servants. Me, by myself. No Gaar. No Mirra.”
“And you think that makes it safe for you to run off on your own? There were two more who got away, remember? Now, they know you can fight. Next time, they’ll be prepared.” Millie’s eyes were hard but her face was taut with worry.
“Next time, I’ll kill them all.” Trinity turned toward Hugh, putting her back to her parents. “I have news. The Almightys retali...”
“High Hugh! High Hugh! Birdie is here with news. Bad news. Terrible news. News you don’t want but news you need.”
Hugh glanced at all of them as dread settled in his stomach once again. Townsend wouldn’t have sent Birdie this soon unless something was wrong. He stepped outside of his tent, the others right behind him.
Birdie perched in a nearby tree, fidgeting.
“Hi Birdie,” he said, trying to mask his nervousness. “What brings you out here, especially in the dark?” The little Avion didn’t usually travel at night. This must be very important and that meant very bad.
“It’s almost dawn now, but yes, I traveled in the dark, just for you High”—Birdie cleared his throat—“Hugh. Just for you. Hugh.” Birdie flapped his wings. “Sarah would be proud of Birdie and sad for the news.”
Trinity dug in her backpack and pulled out a chunk of Gaar’s bread. She held it out. “Here Birdie. You must be hungry.”
Hugh shot her a glare. He wanted the message now, not later, but she didn’t pay any attention to him. She always remembered to offer the Avion food. She reminded him a lot of Sarah.
Birdie’s eyes widened and he flew down to her. He took the bread and they waited while he ate.
Once Birdie was done, he puffed his feathers and continued. “It is a sad day in the city. Sad days really. Sad. Sad.”
“What happened?” he asked, although interrupting Birdie often caused the little Avion to take longer to get to the point.
“You happened, H...Hugh.”
He glanced from one to the other and except for Trinity who was staring at her feet everyone seemed as confused as him.
“You freed the Guards. You made a video. You displayed the little, dead Guard.” Birdie tipped his head. “The Almightys want you—”
“I know that,” he said.
“Are they coming?” asked Tim.
“They are waiting,” said Birdie. “And killing. Bookend hangings.”
“Tell me what happened and not in riddles.” He didn’t have time for the Avion’s chirpy chatter.
“Hugh never appreciates a good tale.” Birdie huffed and turned around, putting his back toward them.
“That’s what I was trying to tell you.” Trinity touched his arm. “They captured all the stray Guards.”
“And Servants, don’t forget the Servants.” Birdie peeked at them from over his shoulder.
“What did they do to them?” His throat tightened. This would be more death at his door.
“Shelters. They put them in shelters. Shelters are not very sheltering. No shelter from death at the shelters. Killing two a day. Every day. One at dusk and one at dawn.” Birdie faced them again, unable to stay angry with so much news to relay.
“They’re publicly executing two Guards a day,” said Trinity. “Next week it’ll be three and then four.”
“Which shelters?” He wouldn’t focus on his guilt. He’d figured out how to save them.
“All shelters. All full, but the hangings are at the Midtown Shelter.” Birdie flapped his wings and lowered his voice. “The shelter of death. More now than before. Two a day will soon be three. Kill them all they say. All until they have you.”
She touched his arm again but he shifted away from her comfort. This was his fault. He turned and went into his tent. Trinity and Tim followed him a few minutes later.
“This is why I didn’t want to be involved.” He sat on the cot, staring at nothing. “I hurt more than help.”
“That’s not true.” Trinity sat next to him, taking his hand in hers and entwining their fingers.
Tim’s eye narrowed as he watched them, but Hugh didn’t care. She was his friend and right now he needed a friend. Let Tim be pissed at him.
“Isn’t it? If I hadn’t gone to save Reese, those other Guards and House Servants wouldn’t be caged
now and waiting to die.”
“You saved more than Reese,” her voice was soft.
“Yeah, but the price was still too high.” He pulled free from her grasp.
“This is not your fault.” She stood, her tone rising with her body. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something.”
“Do something? I did and look what happened.” He began to pace. “I was stupid. I didn’t have to agree to the video. I didn’t have to leave the little Guard displayed. I thumbed my nose at Jason and the Council and they retaliated.”
“Yes. They retaliated. They chose to round up all the Guards and Servants and start killing them. Not you.”
“I can’t let them do this.” He looked at Tim and then Trinity.
“Turning yourself in won’t do anyone any good and you know it!” She shoved him, sending him staggering back a few feet. “Rocket was picked up and Sassy’s going to do something about it. We need to help her.”
“How do you know that?”
“If you’d stayed and listened to the rest of Birdie’s message you’d know it too.”
“But you knew all this before Birdie arrived.” He stepped closer to her. “How?”
“I didn’t know all of it.” Her cheeks reddened as she glanced away.
Jackson stormed into the tent. “Trinity, you little...I can’t even say the word that I want to call you.”
Her head jerked toward the large Guard, as Tim bared his claws and moved in front of his daughter.
“What’s going on?” Hugh stepped into Jackson’s path, boxing out Tim.
“She’s been visiting Kim.” Jackson pointed at her.
Trinity was looking at her feet.
“You have to stop sneaking off.” He spun around to face her. “You put everyone at risk when you do stupid things like that.”
She lifted her head, her exquisite eyes filled with tears.
His hands shook as he fought not to pull her close. He hadn’t meant to make her cry. “Why did you do it?” His voice was soft now.
“She’s my friend and...she’s worried about Jackson—”