He looks at me with a puzzled look on his face.
“I met him when I woke up after passing out,” I continue. “He’s a healer. I want to see if I can find him again. Persuade him to join with us. That’s why I want to go to Salem.”
But none of this changes the fact that I’m going with Aaron. None of this changes the fact that Connor saw me kiss him in the woods a few days ago. None of this changes the reality that I am attracted to Aaron too. When all of us were fighting the greyskins in Salem a few days ago, I could have sworn I felt love for both of them. But I’ve never felt this kind of love. It’s obviously different than the kind of love I have for my family. It’s deeper with both of them. Can you love someone after only knowing him for such a short time?
“I will see you as soon as I get back,” I say. I reach for his hand and hold it in both of mine. “It’s pretty amazing that you’re willing to go into Garden’s Peak without any sort of powers.”
“Just doing what I need to do,” he says.
He pulls his hand from my grip and walks away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You can’t leave,” Grandma tells me for the fifth time this morning. “Last time you left, Jake and I worried so much about your safety. Then you didn’t show up with the Screven guards and we thought something happened to you. Then they started talking about you being some kind of killer and fugitive. You aren’t leaving.” She rests her face in her palm and ignores the hot cup of steaming tea in front of her.
I take a deep breath, knowing that this isn’t easy. I had already told her the plans twenty-four hours ago just after the meeting with the elders. She wouldn’t hear of it. Now that I’m about to leave, she still won’t listen to me.
“I’ve got to go because it will help, Grandma. I’ll only be gone a couple of days at most.”
“That’s basically what you said when you left last time.” A small tear runs down the side of her wrinkled cheek. I know exactly what she is feel I ro0em">
“This time is different,” I say. “Last time I left, I was stupid. I was volunteering to do something I knew nothing about. I’ve learned a lot the past couple of weeks and I promise you that I’ll be back.”
“What are you going to tell your brother?” she asks, nodding to the room at the other end of the house.
It is early morning and Jake is still asleep. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him last night about me leaving. I couldn’t bear to see his reaction.
“Things are different now,” I say.
She looks back at me and grabs my hands. “Mora, promise me you won’t do anything dangerous.”
This isn’t a promise I can keep. She knows this. I know this. The world we live in is the definition of dangerous. The possibility of death lurks at every corner. But all my grandma wants are the words from my mouth, whether they are true or not.
“I won’t,” I say. “I promise.”
She lets go of my hands and continues to cry softly. I stand and make my way into Jake’s room. His deep breathing lets me know he is in a dreamland that is far from this world. It would be a pity to wake him and rush him into this reality. My hand pushes back his hair and I kiss him gently on the forehead. His eyes open and he smiles at the sight of my face.
“I’ve got to go away for a couple of days,” I say. “Think you can take care of Grandma while I’m gone?”
His smile continues to shine. “Not as good as you could, but I will do my best. Where are you going?”
“I’ve got to find someone at Salem. Try to bring them back.”
“Are they in trouble?” he asks.
“Maybe,” I say. “He might need my help.”
“Well, if anyone can help, you can. I’m not worried about you anymore,” he says, his eyes closing to accept sleep again. He turns his head back to a comfortable position and sighs. “Nobody can hurt you. You’re a Starborn.”
Tears start to fill my eyes again. His innocence is beautiful. I bend down and kiss him on the forehead again, unsure if he will even remember talking to me. It doesn’t matter.
I go to the bathroom and pull my long, dark hair back into a ponytail. After washing and putting on fresh clothes I feel rejuvenated, even though I didn’t sleep well last night.
“I still wish you would cut your hair shorter,” Grandma says from the bathroom doorway. “Don’t want a greyskin to grab a hold of it.”
I can’t count the times she has told me this, though I’m pretty sure if I actually ever did cut my hair, she would be angry with me. I can remember plenty of nights when she would just play with the long strands as we stared into the fireplace. She would sing an old song quietly and Jake would be playing with one of his few toys on the couch. Nights were often quiet here in Springhill. I fear those days are coming to an end.
I hug Grandma tightly before leaving the house. She mumbles something about staying safe and kisses me on the cheek. I try not to show any emotion because I know the slightest tear in my eye will cause floods from hers.
The morning air is warm, but cooler than past days as I walk to the edge of the village where the other Starborns, Connor, and Austin are waiting for me.
“You’re all ready then?” Evelyn asks.
“I’ve got extra fuel and food,” Aaron says.
“Same here,” Danny answers. “Some extra weapons too.”
I stand next to Aaron and he greets me heth="2em"with a warm smile. I look over at Connor, but he doesn’t seem to even notice me. It seems like a cold gesture, especially for Connor. I don’t know. Maybe I’m thinking too much about it.
Austin looks at me and sighs. “I wish I could convince you to stay,” he says.
“Yesterday you were talking about banishing me,” I come back. Perhaps I’m too harsh here, but it’s the truth.
“The decisions of one elder does not necessarily reflect the majority,” he says. “You’ve always been like family to me.”
I believe Austin. He has always been close. Always will be.
“The plan is to be back soon?” he asks.
“Yes,” Aaron says. “Two days max.”
“Good. I understand things happen, but really try to be back within that timeframe. We are anxious and vulnerable.”
“Well, just be sure to keep working on that wall,” I say. “That will help you the most.”
“Perhaps.”
Everyone else gives their final farewell and makes their way to separate vehicles, but Evelyn asks me to stay behind for a moment. We step a few feet away and she looks at me with a grave seriousness.
“I know that while you’re gone with Aaron, you are going to want to know the answers to all your questions. But he doesn’t have the answers fully.”
“You mean about why Jeremiah is directly responsible for my parents’ death?” I ask.
She nods silently.
Three nights ago, she was about to tell me the answer, but gunshots interrupted us and we never completed our conversation. All I got out of it was that Jeremiah had created the greyskins, and that he is much older than what I think. Too many more questions surround the issue.
“Aaron only knows minor details, but he doesn’t know what I know,” she says. “Asking him will give you more questions that he doesn’t have answers to. But I can give you the answers.”
“How? When?”
She reaches out and places her palm on my head. My first instinct is to back off or to slap her hand away, but I do neither. I know that when she touches my skin she can sense all of my thoughts and intentions. She can know things about me that I would never wish her to know. But this feels different. Her palm and my forehead feel like they are tingling. I’m not sure what is happening, but for a brief moment, my breath is taken away and she lets go.
I take a step back, staring at her wildly. She smiles.
“Rest,” she says. “You’ve got a long trip ahead of you.”
“What just happened?” I ask.
“Aaron is waiting for you,” she says.
I look at her, wondering why she is acting so strange. I shake my head and walk slowly toward the vehicle where Aaron waits patiently.
Aaron and I drive off with Connor, Heather, and Danny following behind. My mind remains on Evelyn. Strange as she is, I can’t say that I don’t trust her. Something just happened that I’m sure will make sense in a while. That’s how it seems to work, I guess. I’m glad that she is staying behind with the village and my family. Though she doesn’t have any gifts that can control the elements in a fight, she is smart and she knows Jeremiah. That’s a comfort to have while leaving my family behind again. I can’t help but think, however, that the threat Springhill faces is not just Jeremiah and his Screven guards. The original threat is the reason I left in the first place. It was to get help from Screven so the greyskins would stop attacking Springhill mercilesshilnd she lely. This is a constant danger that my people still face. I just hope they don’t have to face it again without me.
We drive for hours. Behind us, Connor and the others follow until we get to a fork in the road. With a flash of the headlights and a slight wave, they take the right and we take the left.
When we start to run low on fuel, I recognize where we are. We stop a couple of miles outside the town where I first learned about my abilities. It’s a strange feeling. Though I was just here a couple of weeks ago, I can’t help but feel like it is such a distant memory. I can see my vehicle in the distance. The tires are missing and the whole thing has been stripped for parts. No doubt my backpack would have been taken too.
Aaron gets out of the truck and grabs the fuel can from the back. I get out too, keeping my eyes on the road ahead of us. I can see the speck of the town where I first went looking for fuel.
“We won’t want to stay here long,” I say. “The town up ahead is overrun with greyskins.”
“How do you know that?” Aaron asks, tipping the fuel can forward to fill up the tank.
I walk over to his side of the vehicle, still watching the town almost as if I turn my back something will pounce.
“That’s where it happened to me. That’s where I learned of my gift.”
He looks at me with eyebrows raised.
I point at my old vehicle. “That’s where I ran out of fuel. Didn’t have reserves.” I nod my head toward the town. “I met Connor on the other side of the town.”
Aaron doesn’t say anything to this, but nods. This is only my second time to be here, but it feels like a place that is special. But at the same time, it feels evil. This is the place where I reached the end of my rope. Here I thought all was lost; that I was about to die. But it was also here that I was reborn to discover a completely different me.
I take a deep breath. All I hear is the steady drizzle of the fuel can emptying. Even though I had gained the gift to move things with my mind, I didn’t have full control yet. It was lucky that I met Connor. Within me I had the power to shield myself from the greyskins that were attacking, but I didn’t really grasp that. He had driven in, shot them down, and gotten me in his truck safely. I owe him my life.
My eyebrows furrow as a thought strikes me. “Why was Connor here anyway?”
“What’s that?”
“Why was Connor here?” I repeat. “He knew you had gone out with a group to look for something, so why would he come to this town? The next day, Heinrich and the rest took off for Garden’s Peak as if they knew that’s where you would be.”
“Well, Heinrich knew we would be at Garden’s Peak,” he says. He pulls out the fuel can tube and screws the tank shut. “I didn’t trust Connor. He had no love for Screven, but he had no hate for the guards. Some of those that died the other day were his friends of sorts. He knew them all, and they knew him. I told Connor that I was going in search for tractor parts because I knew he wouldn’t get suspicious. If the guards would have found out that we were going to Garden’s Peak to get a satellite receiver, they would have known something was up.”
“So why was Connor here then?” I ask, getting back into the vehicle as Aaron starts it back up.
“Lots of farm towns this way,” he says. “He really was trying to find me. I feel bad about it now, but Connor and I haven’t had the best relationship for the past six years or so.”
The past six years. I know what Aaron is talking about. There is no need to explain further. About six years ago, Aaron had to kill their parents who h pa
The truck rolls forward, and the town gets closer until we pass by it completely. Soon, it is out of our view as it fades in the dust behind us.
“He’s still my brother, and I think he feels the same way about me, but we are different. Connor wants to live in peace and try to work things out with Jeremiah and Screven. Me, well…I would rather kill Jeremiah now and live in peace later.”
I feel somewhere in between. I’m sure if I knew how and why Jeremiah was responsible for my parents’ death, I would be as passionate about killing him as Aaron is. But this is still an answer that I have yet to receive. What was that back there with Evelyn? Why did she touch me? Why did I get that tingling sensation? What happened?
The sun is fading out of the sky and my eyes are getting heavy. Throughout the trip I’ve offered to drive, but Aaron won’t let me. I think he’s just trying to be generous, but I could use a change of perspective. If there is anything worse than driving for hours through wastelands, it’s being the passenger.
I try to sleep, but for some reason it won’t come. So, instead I close my eyes and think about Connor, but I’m not ready for what I see.
Greyskins. More than fifty of them maybe. They are near the woods, undoubtedly some miles from Garden’s Peak.
I can feel my hand grip the edge of my seat as I watch Connor, Heather, and Danny sitting completely still and silent in the SUV. It is slightly tipped forward into a pit of mud. They are stuck.
“Are all the doors locked?” Connor whispers from the driver’s seat.
“Yeah,” Danny says, sitting next to him.
The SUV is turned off and the only sound that can be heard is the rustling feet of the greyskin herd coming toward them.
“Are they passing by or coming for the car?” Danny asks.
Connor shakes his head. “Guess we’ll see in a second.”
“I don’t think you shut the lights off in enough time,” Heather says. She lets out some muttered curses.
Connor squeezes his rifle, probably knowing full well that it won’t be enough against this many greyskins, especially up close.
Heather and Danny have powers of the Starborn, but that doesn’t make them immune from the deadly poison of the greyskin bites or scratches. Starborn or not, a person with a deep enough cut or scratch will be infected. Within twenty-four hours that person will be dead. Some time after that, that person wakes up a greyskin. Their eyes start to darken. Their skin turns ashen. They begin to rot. And their only desire is to eat uninfected flesh.
Sweat drips down the side of Connor’s cheek as the first greyskin approaches the vehicle. Pieces of bloodied skin dangle from its jaws and mucus runs down the front of its face. Both of its ears are missing.
In a situation like this, one has to play dead in hopes the greyskin doesn’t pick up on the scent of a live human. Connor and the others sit as still as statues, though Connor’s eyes are wide.
The greyskin approaches the vehicle, seemingly curious about why it is here. Others start to pass by as though nothing is out of the ordinary. Silent prayers go up for the lone greyskin to lose its interest and move on with the others. No such luck. It moves on from the front window and peers into the back window of the SUV. Heather stares eatfor thit in the eyes, but it still hasn’t caught on that she is alive. The moment it knows there is the possibility to feed, then all hell will break loose. It won’t be just one greyskin attacking. All of them will.
As they stare each other down, I can see Heather’s jaw begin to shake ever so slightly. It’s a fear in her that I’ve never seen before, though I understand it comple
tely. Anyone in the world would understand what she feels. She is literally staring death in the face.
“Don’t move,” comes the whispering encouragement from Danny in the front passenger seat. “It’ll go away soon enough.”
Heather obeys, but the greyskin remains, staring, perhaps even hoping that there is something to feed on.
Her lips don’t move, but in short, barely audible breaths she’s able to say, “Why isn’t it moving away?”
“Just stay calm,” Connor says.
“Go away,” she says, shaking.
Now another greyskin has taken an interest in the SUV. It staggers toward them and stands next to Heather’s window, peering in with its black eyes. It lets out a grunt and places a hand on the window, smearing gelled blood across it. Heather looks like she might break down.
Another greyskin approaches the vehicle, but this one comes to Danny’s window.
“I think we might be in trouble,” Danny whispers.
“I told you not to drive through here, idiot,” Heather says, still not moving her lips. More greyskins come to check them out.
The first greyskin continues to stare at Heather. For a brief second, it doesn’t move. Then, from out of nowhere, it lets out a deafening growl. The others do the same and the first greyskin smashes through the window.
Heather lets out a scream and in a flash she’s on the other side of the vehicle, but that doesn’t stop other greyskins from smashing through.
Connor starts the vehicle, doing everything he can to get it to move, but the tires spin with no traction. Heather reaches down to her boot and pulls out a knife as an arm reaches in to grab her. The greyskin gives no reaction to pain as she slices its fingers off, but she quickly jabs upward into its skull and it falls limp to the ground.
The front windows smash and Connor lets off a round from close range, splattering greyskin brains. Now the entire herd is converging on the vehicle.
“Danny, I hate to say this,” Connor yells out, “but I’d say this one is all on you.”
The Starborn Saga (Books 1, 2, & 3) Page 26