The Life After War Collection

by Angela White

  What about weapons? Marc narrowed his grid further, spotting rifles and machine guns, along with two grenade launchers. It was much the same firepower that he had brought. Physically, they were about evenly matched with guns and men. They’d both brought three dozen of their best fighters, but their powers were bright bulbs on his grid as they rolled closer. It seemed as if they planned to rely on that magic, because the rest of their gear was light. If they had brought more, it was still on the train.

  We did not think it was needed.

  The woman’s cultured voice in Marc’s mind was a violation that freed his rage for an instant. Barriers slammed down with his fury, forcing the leader out. How dare you!

  Marc angrily motioned his team to fall in and led them down the hill to meet the strangers. As he walked, Marc brought up his strongest mental wall. So far, only Angie and Jennifer had been able to get–

  May I apologize?

  Marc swallowed annoyed concern as the woman broke through with no effort. No.

  He stepped into view, not expecting the movie star type who stood in front of her vehicle. The female was tall, red, and beautiful, dressed in a white gown that proclaimed she was attending a party. Under the elegance, evil flowed from her as strong as power. She’s too much for me. She’ll figure out where I’ve hidden–

  “I felt her already,” Sonja stated arrogantly, scanning the powerless humans on Marc’s team first. “It would be a small matter to sniff out her hiding place.”

  “Why haven’t you?” he asked, wondering if the woman had sent out another group to grab Angela during this meeting.

  “I have no reason to betray or use deceit,” Sonja informed him. “I have more power than you. I can force you to bring her in or hold you until she comes on her own.”

  Eagles stepped closer to Marc as the cloudy sky darkened further.

  Needing to regain control, Marc said, “Let’s start with introductions.”

  “I am Sonja. You are Marcus Brady.”

  The female was quickly surrounded by her powerful defenders as Marc and the Eagles stopped in front of her, causing more concern. Marc had been right to put Angie with Adrian. Big Jack hadn’t been able to locate Adrian at first, either. It would buy them time.

  “He was nothing compared to me,” the coiffed woman explained smugly.

  Marc was positive that was true. He locked down on his thoughts as if he were going into battle. In a way, he was. This would be a fight for Angie’s life.

  “Yes.” Sonja stared intently, digging into him. “But not just her future. We will consume Safe Haven if she is found guilty. An evil ruler begets evil peasants.”

  Directly threatened, Marc’s team drew weapons.

  “Stop!” Marc growled when Kyle went forward to try disarming the strangers.

  “It’ll take more than you, killer,” Sonja taunted.

  That brought Jennifer forward. The teenager moved between them, orbs glowing a crimson warning. “Will I do?”

  Much as Adrian often had, Marc waited to see where it would go. He was glad of the choice when doubt crossed Sonja’s painted features.

  “Chauncey failed to mention that you have an Enforcer.”

  Jennifer didn’t reply. She was instinctively burrowing through the woman’s darkness for a way to kill her.

  Sonja fought to keep those secrets, suddenly scared. It had been a long time since she’d felt that upon a mental battle. What would this child be like if she were told to dive all the way to the bottom? I’m not sure I can keep her out, Sonja realized, struggling.

  You can’t, Jennifer confided cheerfully. There’s no way to stop me.

  Desperate to stop the teenager, Sonja drew her gun and pointed it at Kyle.

  Jennifer reluctantly stopped as Marc and the Eagles lifted their guns in response. She’d detected enough to know these folks were worse than bad news.

  “He won’t always be in the crossfire!” Jennifer warned heatedly.

  “But you will,” Sonja revealed her frustration at Jennifer’s strength, glowering resentfully.

  Jennifer was fine with having that target on her shoulders. She flashed a challenging sneer. “Just remember to ambush me, lady. You slow down with age.”

  Marc laughed as Sonja flushed an ugly red that made her seem like an overdressed clown.

  “You little bitch!”

  Jennifer leaned against Kyle’s tense body, letting the Donner adventures be read by Sonja’s shields. “I’m much more than that. Welcome to the end of your leadership. This is where you lost control, when you have that moment later of wondering how it happened.”

  Sonja recovered, chuckling as she holstered. “You are all alone, Enforcer. The only one who may have helped you has two gunshot wounds and no will to fight. Be careful of the threats.”

  Jennifer didn’t reply.

  When she shut her mind off with an impenetrable barrier, Sonja began to suspect there might be others like her, other power they hadn’t been warned about and could be surprised with in battle. She would have to find out. There hadn’t been an enforcer in generations. It had to mean something.

  Marc motioned to the small strip mall they had cleared and secured. He and the Eagles had spent the last three days in the upstairs levels when they weren’t laboring outside, getting it ready. Marc prayed they didn’t have to use it. The few traps there would never be enough. “We have tables set up in the library. After you.”

  Sonja and half her group went toward the small library in front of the mall, while the rest remained around their vehicles. Those closest to Sonja were females who continuously scanned everyone, including their own, for trouble. Marc could sense their mental sweeps as the group went in.

  Jennifer stayed on Marc’s heels without being given orders. He might need her.

  Marc didn’t protest, despite assigning her to vehicle duty earlier. She was right-he might.

  Kyle also didn’t argue, though it was hard. He was clearly a weakness in this situation. The feeling sucked.

  2

  “Get up!” Angela ordered angrily, slapping at Adrian’s arm. “We have to go.”

  Adrian snapped awake, automatically glancing at his alarms and then the monitor. “What happened?” he asked, realizing the threat wasn’t here. “Is it Safe Haven?”

  Angela limped by him, tossing her kit over her arm. There was no way she could sling it over a shoulder and not fall down.

  Adrian felt her waves of pain as he hurried to place himself between her and the door.

  Angela allowed it because she needed a minute to breathe through the pain. Adrian’s energy had helped her a great deal, but the witch had only used some of it to heal her. The rest was stored for this moment.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  Angela linked their minds, letting Adrian share the vision she’d had.

  “Damn.” Adrian gently brushed by her. “You’re right. We have to go.”

  Angela waited for him to bring the bike around, inwardly wincing at the doctor’s reaction when he discovered her adventures.

  Adrian was aware of the problem and used the plan he’d developed for a quick escape. He shot a bolt of blue light at her, enjoying her gasp of pleasure. It was all the energy he had left–tiny blasts of blinding hope.

  “I detest you.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Adrian sighed. “Get on.”

  Already shivering from the wind and cold, Angela centered herself carefully behind Adrian, both loving and hating the feel of his comforting body against hers.

  “Deal with it!” he snapped. “If she bluffs him, none of our plans will succeed.”

  Angela molded herself to his big body, arms coming up to hold his chest instead of his waist. It allowed her to get closer, to give him more balance on the bike and to put his heart under her hands.

  Adrian kicked the bike to life and took off toward the meeting place. As he rolled them along at ugly speeds, he gave terse instructions.

  I’m your protection. Do not get out
of my reach.

  Then stay on my heels, like a dog.

  I will, so be prepared for it, Adrian warned. He was aware of her attempts to push him away with hostility, but it wouldn’t work.

  Angela let Adrian ramble, only occasionally responding. It amazed her to be underestimated. Adrian thought this was a surprise, that she didn’t know how to handle someone threatening Marc or the herd by now. They should all know better. When either of those cherished things were in danger, she had no limits, something these new people were about to discover. Mercy was for the weak and the dead.

  The witch, a bit intimidated, subtly retreated into her cell and got comfortable, eager for the show. It was a sign of life–a rarity in her host’s mind now. Adrian and Marc would both be horrified if they knew how deep Angela had gone, but the witch was pleased. She and her host were now bonded in ways that she and the males running through her life would never be. The witch was irreplaceable and content in that knowledge.

  3

  “Where do you wish to begin?” Sonja asked, settling into the chair across the wide desk from Marc. “Shall we discuss Tara or Donner?”

  Marc motioned Jennifer forward. “She was there with Donner.”

  “I can’t scan her,” Sonja complained. “Convenient.”

  “You can if she lets you in,” Marc stated, drawing scowls from Jennifer and the new people.

  “What?” Marc asked at their reluctance.

  “That requires trust, as it allows too much free roaming,” Sonja told him, motioning to a female near her. “Evie will view the scene and pass it to me.”

  Marc and everyone else understood that Sonja had secrets to keep. The seats around the square that Marc had put the tables in were filled with descendants from the train. Marc had placed the Eagles in the rear of the library, near the exits as a precaution. He wanted them to be able to get out since they were defenseless against this threat. To counter it, Sonja had placed her remaining defenders along the doors and walls also, daring Marc to deny them that right. Marc hadn’t bothered. He wasn’t trying to trap them anyway.

  Jennifer and Evie stared at each other for long moments where the rest of the strange group held perfectly still, as if listening. Marc was aware of fidgeting Eagles, but he didn’t scold them for it. He was assuming the strangers were probing minds for details and evidence, but they would discover what he had been saying all along. Safe Haven had defended itself and others. They were in the right.

  “That remains to be seen,” Sonja argued without malice.

  Evie turned to her mistress and the waiting began again.

  Jennifer flashed Marc a hand gesture. Unstable.

  Marc wasn’t sure exactly what she meant, but if it was this situation, he agreed. All these mind readers being here would stop plots from being a surprise, however. Marc was almost grateful for it. No one could trigger an ambush or attack without everyone knowing. It might make this talk easier.

  “I had hoped so,” Sonja stated, now finished viewing the moment of Donner’s death and then Tara’s. Jennifer had sent the images she’d picked from Angela’s mind after she’d been brought down the mountain.

  “However, the question remains. Why were they killed? Because of our plans to enslave humans? Who is Safe Haven to command and expect us to obey?”

  “Then you agree that humans should be slaves?” Marc clarified coldly, bringing down his shield again in preparation. They would lose, but Sonja would die in the fight.

  “Of course,” Sonja responded without reacting to Marc’s sudden withdrawal. He’d been allowing her brief sweeps since they sat down, trying to show her Jayson’s betrayal. “The natural order puts us above them. Human populations must be regulated, much like we did before the war with the animals.”

  Marc leaned forward. “This is America. Slavery will never be allowed here. I suggest you pick another country if you want your settlement to be that way.”

  Marc’s menacing behavior was met with calm consideration, another bad sign. He’d been hoping for rash behavior.

  “Perhaps Safe Haven should stop trying to police the world,” Sonja replied mildly. “Beating the government was indeed a feat, but you’ve met your match in us, my young friend. Don’t spill all that blood for a myth. It isn’t worth it.”

  “You don’t belong here,” Marc told her, getting angry. “America meant freedom at one time and it will again, when people like you are gone. We won’t have to remove your town, just you. The rest of them will be glad that you’re gone. We don’t want slavery.”

  “My subjects are adapting to all the changes, the same as yours are,” Sonja corrected. “They don’t like these fights, but when we settle in for the winter with help, they’ll be grateful that I insisted.” She smiled at Marc, sending a wave of obedience toward him. “Besides, if they didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be their ruler and we wouldn’t have slaves.”

  “With every word, you mock what we stand for,” Marc told her, needing time to regroup and form another plan. He hadn’t expected an admission. “You have three days to get on your trains and get gone. If you don’t, the council will meet to determine if action is to be taken against you.”

  Sonja laughed, to everyone’s surprise. “Good! Now you are where I am over my sister. You know just enough to be certain that you don’t like these strange new people, with their strange, obscene ways, but justice must be served.”

  “You have three days.” Marc stood up and moved toward the exit.

  “I demand to know what happened!”

  “She tried to kill me,” Angela stated, limping into the meeting. Adrian’s hand on her arm brought frowns from the Eagles and delight into the faces of Sonja’s subjects.

  Before Sonja could say anything, Angela lifted a bandaged arm and every door and window in the library slammed shut. Flames shot up to block the exits, making descendants scream in panic. Descendants hated fire more than anything else. Angela knew that for a fact as she let the flames walk along both palms.

  Pillars caught the flames, sending the heat upward to a ceiling that immediately absorbed the warmth and spread it across the room like a plague. Wreaths on the wall burst, popping. Hot plastic shrapnel pelted the descendants and humans.

  Supporting her now with both arms, Adrian was impressed and proud, knowing he’d helped her conquer her fear of fire. The flames were a shield that she could now use to deflect almost anything.

  “Stand and be judged,” Angela’s witch intoned, glowing red orbs pinning Evie in place. “Tell the truth and set Safe Haven free.”

  Evie turned to her boss, cheeks devoid of color. She wet her lips, knowing if she didn’t say it, Angela would. “I gave Tara the idea. I’m able to hide it from you and everyone...almost everyone, because I take drugs to keep my mind foggy.”

  “You appear stupid and I take you at face value,” Sonja realized, not scared of the flames in the same way that her fighters were.

  Angela clapped her hands, grinning, but it was the centuries old witch who glared out insanely through her eyes. “You have traitors and thieves among you. Malicious betrayals have been planned. You are warned.”

  Sonja waved at her subjects to settle down. Now that she was getting a glimpse of Angela’s powers, Sonja wouldn’t be fighting today. She couldn’t hope to win.

  Soothed, Angela slowly brought the fire in.

  As the flames vanished, Marc was able to discern how pale she was and how much Adrian was supporting her. How could she do that just days after losing their baby? What is she?

  “I have the same query,” Sonja confided in a low murmur when Angela moved toward them.

  Everyone fled her path, including a few of her own men. Marc marked the rookie men as not to be brought along again for moments that involved descendants or magic.

  “Why do you hide these things from your…herd?” Sonja asked, trying not to show her nervousness as Angela neared the table.

  “Because we’re the abominations, not them,” Angela answered, ta
king the seat by Marc. She leaned against his shoulder in search of comfort. She was exhausted again, but there was enough healthy energy in here to resupply her a few times over if things went sour.

  “You’re corrupt!” Sonja exclaimed. “You’ve taken life forces!”

  “I also have a list of those who need to be consumed next,” Angela warned. “If you insist on keeping slaves in America, you’ll rise to the top for me and frankly, Sonja, I’d rather do it now if it’s going to happen.”

  Weapons came out, shields flashed into view as Sonja tensed.

  Marc’s hand dropped to the table to lift it up as a shield for Angela.

  “Easy…” Angela straightened as Adrian came to place a hand on her shoulder to drag her down when Marc lifted the table. “You were given three days to leave our area. Not only will I honor it, I’ll agree to a bartering meeting twice a year if you like. In return, all slaves will be freed and no new slaves will be taken.”

  Marc sneered at Sonja’s sullen expression. Not so disrespectful now, are you?

  Sonja nearly growled at him, but she didn’t with Angela just waiting for a reason to engulf the place in flames. Sonja wanted to believe that Angela wouldn’t fry her own people that way, but she wasn’t positive. The open corruption flashing in Angela’s mind said she had little conscience left. It was a lot like peering into Tara, who had also been fearless and merciless. Combine it with powers that Sonja couldn’t identify behind their oddly marked boxes, and it meant she had no choice but to consent.

  “It’s the follow-through that I’m concerned with,” Angela stated tiredly. “It’s easy to say you will or won’t do it, but how will I know?”

  “We’ll leave,” Sonja blurted angrily. “We’ll go north again.”

  Angela nodded, shoulders relaxing, a polite smile coming over her pale face. “Exactly what I wanted to hear. Take a month; move slowly and carefully so you don’t endanger those slaves. Rumors of mistreatment will earn you a hunting party.”

  Sonja tried to shrug it off, but the threat had been felt. Angela didn’t like her at all. The feeling was mutual.