“Because watching people helps me not think,” she said.
“Why are you not thinking?” I asked.
“Because it hurts my brain,” she said.
“Reaper problems?” I teased.
She didn’t reply, but her face said ‘yes.’
The common area was full of Watchers who were still talking over the attack of the previous night. Some stopped talking about it when they saw me but most didn’t. They were oblivious to the fact that I had been there. To them, what mattered was the attempt on Reaper’s life and how it impacted their sanctuary.
In the corner of the room, Ghost, Grace, King, Spider, Shawn and a couple of other Watchers were playing a game of poker. They were joking happily and throwing insults around with casual familiarity. Thiers was the only group that wasn’t talking about the attack, though I sensed it weighed heavily on their minds. Spider in particular looked nervous, though I only noticed it, because I knew him. I could tell he was only sitting in on the game to collect information…to see if someone else had been in on the attack.
Alex sat on an unoccupied sofa in the far corner, where she could watch the whole room. I sat next to her and shut my eyes in exhaustion. My training with Daniel had worn me out, but I sensed Alex needed the company, even if we didn’t talk. I rested, while Alex stared around at the masses. I heard people occasionally call out to Alex, people who had obviously learned of her ability to listen. I heard her call back happily enough, though I felt her shifting uncomfortably on the sofa with restlessness unlike her. Her tension and her thoughts were obvious, but so was her unwillingness to talk about whatever was on her mind. I left her to both – she would talk when she was ready.
I heard a frustrated sigh, and I opened my eyes again. “This isn’t working,” she admitted.
“And?” I asked.
“Let’s go back to your room. I wanna take another crack at your grandfather’s book.”
“Kay,” I agreed easily.
I followed her out of the common area and up the stairs. The sounds of the school followed me as I walked. I heard the conversations, the flirting, the moving around, but it was one conversation in particular that caught my attention. It stood out, because it was hushed and full of angry tension.
“I talked to Shawn, Quinn. He said he set you down in Compton last night. That was more than close enough to get to Reaper, take a shot, and get back in time for Shawn to pick you up again.” I recognized the voice as Elizabeth’s.
“Are you accusing me of something?” Quinn asked dangerously.
“No, I’m asking you. Did you have something to do with it? And did you kill K.J.?” she asked.
I put a hand on Alex’s arm to make her walk slower; I wanted to pinpoint the location of the voices. The conversation pulled me toward the third floor. A strange feeling permeated my body – it was the feeling of looming confrontation.
“I don’t have to take this harassment,” Quinn said.
“Tell me the truth!” Elizabeth demanded. “K.J. was my responsibility! She died on my watch. Mine! Just tell me if you had something to do with it…Tell me if you are really after the human boy…the one they call Spider.”
There was a long pause of silence. I held my breath as I waited for him to respond. Would he really admit to it?
I should have known better.
The silence shifted, and I heard the dark sound of flesh hitting bone. The sounds changed intensity, and I realized they were fighting; they were fighting as only Watchers could – with terrifying, deadly force. I wasn’t sure what was happening exactly, but I had seen enough of Quinn’s fighting to know he was skilled. I didn’t doubt Elizabeth’s abilities, but I knew Quinn had a killer instinct. He would show no mercy.
I pushed back the door to the stairwell, a confused, though tuned-in Alex hot on my heels and saw the fight come to its horrifying conclusion. Ducking under a punch, Quinn pulled a knife out from his boot and pushed it straight through Elizabeth’s heart in one fluid motion. She gasped in pain and surprise and looked down at the silver steel, as if she couldn’t believe he had really stabbed her. She was facing me, so I saw the light leave her eyes. She started to mouth something to me – the truth she had learned – but died before she could.
I pulled my knife out of my boot. My adrenaline and anger surged out of control. I didn’t form fire or make the building shake; I was too shocked by the death to do anything beyond step in front of Alex and raise my knife in a warning. I knew if he came closer, I would do what it took to defend her – I would find the power. My necklace burned warm against my skin.
Quinn turned when he heard the sound of the door swing shut and looked at me coldly. He pulled the knife out of Elizabeth’s chest with the sick sound of crunching bone and turned the rest of the way to face me. His eyes showed no pity – nothing beyond determination. I saw in his eyes that he was not sorry for her death. To him, he was simply surviving. He would keep surviving, and that meant killing anything in his way. That meant killing two girls who had overheard him murdering Elizabeth.
“You walked through the wrong door,” he said.
“Why did you kill her? For power? Greed? Because you want the Saints?” I asked. “What silly reasons to take a life.”
“She attacked me,” Quinn said. “I was merely defending myself.”
“I heard you two arguing!” I said. “You killed her because she figured out you were the one who killed K.J. You were the one who shot at us last night.”
“Now, that is a pity,” Quinn said.
He started forward, his blood-drenched knife held low. He was capable and calm; he maintained his emotions. I took that to be a bad sign.
“Clare…” Alex said in a low voice filled with fear.
“It’s okay,” I told her.
I took a deep breath and willed the power to come. My necklace burned hotter against my skin at the urge to protect Alex. It was the first time I had tried to will the power to come, instead of reacting to it after I got angry. I felt a slow build-up of power.
The door behind us opened suddenly, distracting me and disrupting the slow-building energy I had created.
I had been so focused on Quinn, and the murder I had watched him commit, that I hadn’t noticed the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Daniel, followed by Reaper and most of the poker game, filed out in to the hall. I maintained my focus on Quinn, even as I cursed myself for losing the energy I had built up.
Daniel stepped beside me. Quinn was obviously more intimidated by Daniel than by me. His eyes narrowed in thought; his surprise at seeing them was not so overwhelming that he didn’t have a lie handy.
“This human attacked Elizabeth then attacked me,” he told the group, before I could speak. He pointed at me with his knife.
“That’s a lie!” Alex said. “He killed Elizabeth. She found out he was the one who killed K.J. and attacked Reaper.”
“Why would I do that? I’ve been loyal to the Saints for two years now. This…girl has been with us for under a month. She’s obviously a spy sent by Marcus or the brothers to cause discord.”
I started laughing. “You picked the wrong person to make that lie up about,” I said.
Quinn looked confused, but he wasn’t switching his story.
“We found Clare diving in to the ocean to escape Lorian,” Reaper reminded him. “She’s the last person in the Saints to be a spy.”
Daniel hadn’t taken his eyes off of Quinn. “Why does your knife have blood on it?” he asked Quinn, keeping the conversation focused on the facts, instead of accusations. He obviously thought the facts would trap Quinn in his lie.
“This isn’t my knife,” Quinn replied. “I came upon the scene and, needing a weapon to defend myself from the human, I grabbed this one from Elizabeth’s chest.”
“That sounds awfully convenient,” Daniel said. “Clare just happens to have two knives? Everyone knows she only carries one. And…you needed a knife to defend against…a human? Has your strengt
h deserted you?”
“Elizabeth is dead and you are accusing me of murder?!” Quinn demanded, indignant. “Your murderer is there!” He pointed at me with the bloody knife.
“Do you know the definition of ‘red-handed’?” I asked him, looking at the knife he was pointing in my direction.
Quinn ignored me. “Reaper, I demand you do something!” he said.
“Excuse me?” Reaper asked in a quiet, dangerous voice.
More people had flooded the hall during our conversation. Elizabeth’s death scene had become a full-blown showdown. As she bled out on the floor, the future of the Saints hung in the balance. Quinn’s eyes narrowed when he realized he had an opportunity of a lifetime. I saw his mind thinking over power plays. It might have been ahead of schedule, but he had to make a move against Reaper or face looking weak. He scanned the faces of the generals in a question then nodded, as if he had gotten confirmation of something. I was suspicious, but I didn’t take my eyes off of him.
“This girl has killed one of our own; a girl barely part of the Saints. Elizabeth has been with us for years…” Quinn said.
“Elizabeth has been with me for years,” Reaper corrected. “She was here before you.”
“Of course. You are right. Her service has been profound. To not avenge such an honored member of the Saints is a crime,” Quinn said.
“Yes,” I agreed.
Quinn was in full stride. He was performing and was oblivious to my insults.
“Do you really mean to say that you are going to trust her,” he pointed the knife at me again, “and him,” he pointed the knife at Daniel, “over your loyal, long-term followers – we who have been with you for years, who have given our all to see the end of the war? Is our sacrifice, our service, so little? Has the shiny quality of their friendship distracted you from the greater goal? Where were they two years ago…three years ago when we stood by your side and fought to save our kind?”
Reaper eye’s flashed with passion, but he maintained his cool.
“The greater goal is always my priority. It will always be my priority. But today, all I see is a man holding a knife used to kill Elizabeth. What else can I think, but that you had something to do with her death?” Reaper asked.
“You should trust me!” Quinn said.
“Why should I trust you over her?” Reaper asked gesturing at me. “Or Daniel? Why is their loyalty less? Time? Or the fact that they bring humans in to the Saints?”
Quinn’s face betrayed his agreement. Reaper had hit Quinn’s soft point.
“If you do not believe me, then I am forced to demand satisfaction! Punish her for this crime or pay the consequences!” Quinn demanded.
“What consequences are those?” Reaper asked.
“The deadliest kind!” Quinn said, still angry and lost in the moment.
“Is that a challenge?” Reaper asked.
“If you don’t kill this girl for her betrayal, then, yes, I feel obligated to uphold Elizabeth’s honor!” Quinn said.
Reaper’s slow smile was positively evil. It was the first time I had seen him appear so happy to be so angry. Quinn had walked in to the trap after all.
“What I see before me is a man trying to cover up a murder. He was found holding the murder weapon and threatening these two innocent women. These two are humans…and, while Clare certainly can fight, I see no reason for the scene I saw when I got here, other than that Clare was telling the truth. You betray all of the Saints with your power-mongering in such dangerous times as these.”
“Betrayal! Ha! I fight for the Saints…it is for them I have made the allies I have made and set us on a course for victory!” Quinn said.
“Quinn…consider your words,” I heard Grace caution.
Quinn’s eyes flickered with doubt, but he didn’t back down. “I have!” Quinn said. “He questions my loyalty and through me he questions all of our loyalty. It is time we had a leader who does not need to question any person’s loyalty!”
King stepped forward at Quinn’s words and took control of the situation. I sensed a grand formality in his actions; it was a formality based on tradition. It left me wondering how many challenges he had witnessed.
“It’s settled, then. Quinn has challenged Reaper. That challenge means a fight in the arena. The challenge must be answered at dusk. Grace…Shawn, you two will stay with Quinn and make sure no one tries to threaten or harm him until the fight. Daniel and I will provide the same service for Reaper.”
I heard the sound of shoving, and River pushed her way through the swelling crowd. Behind her were Moira and Sara. All three of them looked at the still form of Elizabeth in shock. River wasn’t as concerned about politics or fighting, as Reaper and the others seemed to be. She was concerned for her friend. She brushed past us, heedless to the knives we were clutching, and knelt down at Elizabeth’s side.
She checked Elizabeth’s pulse then let out a long exhale of sadness. She took Elizabeth’s bloody hand and held it gently in a goodbye. Sara looked angry and confused at what she saw. Shawn touched her arm to explain in private what had happened. I wasn’t sure how Moira felt – it was impossible to read her face.
“A challenge has been issued?” Moira asked King in a curious voice.
“Yes,” King said.
“Fine,” she said. She looked around at the crowd and at me. I had yet to lower my knife, my distrust of Quinn not allowing me to lower my guard, despite being surrounded by people. “What’s done is done…Let’s take care of our friend,” she added.
Her tone suggested there would be no more arguing. Everyone took the subtle threat seriously.
Reaper and Quinn separated – Reaper with a long look at Elizabeth and River. Moira and Sara joined River and moved Elizabeth to a more peaceful pose. I finally lowered my knife. The rest of the crowd started talking about what they had witnessed. Many of the Watchers hurried away to spread the news to the others. The crowd pushed against me, and I lost Alex in the sea of bodies.
Daniel did not immediately follow Reaper. He turned to me and touched me on the shoulder. His touch was concerned; his eyes asked if Quinn had hurt me.
“I’m fine,” I told him in response to the unasked question.
“No…anger?”
“I was working on it…but no,” I said.
He nodded in understanding. “I think Reaper would like to talk with us.”
I laced my fingers through his and let him create a path through the crowd. People melted out of his way, and we gained the relative freedom of the stairwell.
“How did you know I was up here?” I asked.
“I saw a vision of you and Quinn fighting,” he admitted. “I didn’t know about Elizabeth…if I had gotten here sooner…”
“You and me both,” I said.
Daniel stopped me and grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at him.
“I want you to consider something,” he said.
“I will not call you Johnny Steele,” I said.
“That was certainly a reference,” he said, his eyebrows lifting up in amusement.
“Yep,” I agreed. “What do you want me to consider?” I asked more seriously.
“A lot weighs on this fight…more than you think. If Reaper loses, Quinn will be in control. We will have to make a quick exit. Perhaps…”
“No,” I said. “I’m not going to run away. Reaper needs support. Running away says that I don’t trust his fighting ability. Plus, he’s sticking his neck out on my word that Quinn did what I said he did. I can’t leave.”
“Alright,” he agreed.
“The kids should probably take a drive, though,” I said. “I told you they’d need a car…”
“I’ll borrow one from Reaper, for the interim. He won’t mind,” he said. “Now…tell me exactly what happened.”
I didn’t feel like saying it out loud. The shock of seeing Elizabeth looking straight at me as she died, and the feeling that I had only been seconds too late, weighed heavily on my mind. Voici
ng the story meant voicing the guilt. I showed him through my thoughts. He watched the visuals carefully, a frown dominating his face with the memory I forced in to his mind.
When we got to the silver room, King was standing guard outside. He looked bothered and more than a little harassed.
“Your friend has quite a mouth on her,” King said. “I thought she was all sunshine.”
“Oh…” I said, remembering I had lost track of Alex. “Did Alex come down here?”
“I’ll say. She’s inside with the boss-man, now. I didn’t want to let her in, but she, uh, convinced me otherwise.”
“I wonder what’s got her worked up?” I asked Daniel.
Daniel shrugged and opened the heavy door to the silver room.
My question was answered almost immediately. Alex and Reaper were standing in the middle of the room, directly in front of the table. Alex was pointing her finger at Reaper, and Reaper had his arms crossed defensively. Alex’s voice was full of angry skepticism and scathing doubt.
“You are just fight-mongering! You practically walked him in to that challenge! It’s stupid and childish! A duel to the death in some ancient ritual of male, thickheaded pride! Dueling was outlawed for a reason! You think you’ll prove your virility through fighting him?! Get more girls to lay at your feet in adoration? Here’s the conquering hero!... It’s barbaric! It’s not for the good of anything, beyond your own selfish pride! For honor! Ha! My foot has more honor!”
Reaper was not intimidated by her sharp, blue eyes or her lawyer voice. He was not willing to allow her words to change his mind.
“What do you think, then?! I should let him get away with murder?! I should let him walk all over the Saints? He would run the Saints in to the ground! He would use as his own personal vehicle, and he would end up twice the monster Marcus is! I will not let the Saints be used to such ends!” Reaper yelled.
“So it’s about you reputation…the pride you have in the Saints. The Saints deserve you! They can’t be run by anyone beyond the magnificent Reaper! I’ve yet to hear one thing come out of your mouth beyond the things that concern your stupid reputation!” Alex retorted.
“Just because you don’t agree with it, doesn’t mean it isn’t valid! Alex…the goddess who knows what’s good for everyone, all the time! Except for the fact that she can’t seem to run her own life, beyond trailing after those more powerful and more skilled!”
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