Aether (The Shadowmark Series Book 2)

by T. M. Catron

  “The adarria are like messengers,” Doyle whispered as they walked back to the small chamber. “They relay messages, but some of them are for specific purposes. Like lines of computer code. Different languages have different syntaxes. They use the same symbols, but depending on how they’re used, they produce different results.”

  Mina sighed. “My brother’s the one you need to use that analogy on. Still, I think I understand what you’re saying. It’s like French and English. Different languages, different syntax, but some shared roots and cognates. Understanding one might help you understand the other if you study it hard enough.”

  They stopped. Doyle switched on the light in her hand, pointing it toward the right wall in the small chamber. Adarria covered it in the form of another arch. “Correct,” he said, “but using the adarria is much more difficult. Instead of comparing cognates of two or three languages, it’s like comparing a million languages while they are all being played over the top of one another. You have to sort through the code and know what you’re looking for to understand.” Doyle shook his head. “No wonder your brother’s team was frustrated.”

  “But you’ve already communicated with the tunnel, haven’t you? Isn’t that why it changed?”

  “Yes.”

  “So you can interpret all that code?”

  “With the adarre, yes. The adarria don’t make it easy, but there’s one thing they never do.” Doyle walked to the symbols and examined them. A half moment later, the Condarri symbols glowed yellow as if pure sunlight were trapped behind them, waiting for the command to release. They shifted and with a faint rumbling melted into the mountain, leaving a dark hole in the wall.

  All of Mina’s questions died away. The gaping blackness called out to her and terrified her at the same time. The silo had amazed her. This door frightened her. Doyle stood at the entrance, waiting.

  Mina tore her eyes from the hole to glance at him. She had seen him do incredible things, but this seemed more real than anything she’d experienced so far. More than at any time before, Mina realized Doyle was not human.

  “Mina, make up your mind.” And with his tone, he became the same person he’d always been—impatient and demanding.

  “Yes.” She said almost to herself, to move herself forward. “Sorry.” Mina walked through the door with him. The flashlight didn’t seem to work as well: the passage was darker than the chamber. Adarria covered the walls, an intricately woven tapestry of cut stone. “Are these doors, too?”

  “No. These are different.” Doyle spoke quietly. “Stick close.” The corridor curved around to the right.

  “It must follow the outside of the silo,” Mina whispered after they had walked a while.

  “Yes.”

  “What were you about to say earlier? About the adarria?”

  “They can’t lie.”

  “Why should they lie? Aren’t they just symbols in stone?”

  “No. They are self-aware. And they can’t lie. However, they can be used to manipulate the truth.”

  They reached a place where the adarria stopped. Doyle stopped too, and Mina shone the flashlight ahead. “This is far enough,” he said. Smooth stone arched away from them, the same as before.

  “Why? Where does it go?”

  “It ends. There’s nothing.” Doyle put his hand on Mina’s back and steered her around. She didn’t quite believe him and looked back over her shoulder as they walked, but the tunnel was dark beyond their own little pool of light.

  A cold draft ruffled Mina’s hair. The light flickered. Again she tried to turn and look back as the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Doyle urged her forward with a hand pressed to the small of her back.

  “What’s wrong?” The flashlight flickered again—maybe the battery was dying. Doyle paused. Mina turned to face him as the darkness crushed in around them. The air grew colder. “Doyle?” And then her light went out. Mina was completely blind. Doyle seized her hand.

  Something moved in the darkness, like a strange breath of wind. “What’s happening?” she whispered.

  “Shh.”

  Mina shivered as the cold air froze her breath. Then a sudden pressure caused stabbing pains in both ears as if she had plunged to the bottom of a deep pool. The pain grew until she thought her eardrums would burst. She squeezed Doyle's hand and pressed her free hand to his chest, expecting the dark corridor to change to deep purple and blue like in the silo. Expecting to see what was causing her pain. But she saw nothing.

  The weight of the darkness almost caused her knees to give out. How silly, to think of darkness having weight. And yet it was a perfect description.

  Doyle shifted his arm around her waist. The air was no longer made of oxygen. If the pressure didn’t stop, Mina was going to suffocate. She remembered her dream of drowning in the air.

  Then the mountain trembled, and the walls shifted. Flashes of bright golden light appeared through the shifting adarria. Mina squeezed her eyes shut at the painful glow and clutched at Doyle who pulled her into his chest. She buried her face in his t-shirt to protect her eyes, the remnants leaving yellow spots beneath her eyelids.

  Then it was over. The weight let go of her body, and she could breathe again. The pain in her ears vanished. Doyle let go.

  “Okay?” he asked simply, as if what had just happened were the most natural thing in the world.

  Mina swallowed hard, her heart pounding into her throat. Other than being cold and frightened, nothing lasting had happened to her. She pushed the flashlight button twice to turn it on. “What was that?”

  Doyle led her back through the tunnel. “They’re not fully awake yet,” he mused. The entrance to the tunnel appeared around the curve, and the chamber ahead welcomed them.

  “What does that mean?”

  “They're waiting for something.”

  Mina shuddered and rushed out of the tunnel, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. “What?”

  Doyle shook his head as he walked across the room. The door closed behind them, growing out of the stone.

  “Some doors are better left closed,” Doyle said at her questioning look.

  The opposite door opened for him the same way. Doyle paused and looked at Mina. “Ready?” he asked. It was almost a dare, and this time, afraid of being left alone, Mina hurried through it with him.

  This corridor was different. The curved walls were blank. They didn’t have to walk far before it sloped upward. Soon the path became too steep for walking. They stopped and looked up.

  “It’s another exit,” Doyle said as he peered into the darkness, “Like the one we came down.”

  “But there are no stairs.”

  He smiled. “Looks like the humans didn’t find this one. Maybe it’s blocked up top.”

  “How did they find the other exit to begin with? Alvarez said the government found this place in the fifties.”

  They turned back. “I don’t know,” he said, “but it’s important no one knows we were in either tunnel. No one.” Doyle glanced at Mina.

  “Yes,” she said. They entered the chamber, and the door closed behind them. The adrenaline still rushed through Mina, and all her questions bubbled to the surface of her thoughts. “Did you do that? In there?” She nodded to the other door.

  “No.”

  “Could you see?”

  Doyle raised an eyebrow at her question, regarding her carefully before answering, “Yes.”

  They approached the stairs. When he didn’t offer any further explanation, Mina concluded that he had intentionally shut her out when she touched his adarre. Why? To protect her? To hide something? She knew she could ask, but hesitated at the question, which felt very personal. So she asked a safer one as they climbed the metal stair.

  “What happened down there? What was that?”

  “You said you wanted to see the aether again.”

  “It felt different before.”

  “That’s because I wasn’t controlling it.”

  “Is it n
ormal for the aether to hide away under a mountain? Is it all mountains or just this one?”

  “In a sense, the aether is everywhere, but no, it’s not normal in this quantity, not like you saw a moment ago. The aether is here because the Condarri are here.”

  The rest of the climb was filled with the clang of boots on metal. When the warmer air of the surface drifted down to them, Mina ventured another comment. “Halston stabbed Lincoln somewhere in here. Why?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Isn’t it a bit coincidental that Lincoln met a hybrid and I met a hybrid?”

  Doyle paused on the stairs. They had almost reached the top. “Maybe. Lincoln was likely to, wasn’t he? The rogues want this place for some reason.”

  “You don’t know why?”

  “No. I have theories only.”

  They exited the tunnel. The clouds had parted, and the sunlight streamed down like warm water on Mina’s face. She couldn’t imagine spending days at a time working down in the silo. But Lincoln had spent months here. He'd been here not three weeks ago.

  She sat down in a patch of sunshine and looked up at Doyle. “So share some of your theories,” she said as she leaned back.

  “The Condarri are more concerned than ever. The presence of rogues here frightens them. After seeing what’s down there, I understand why. But I don’t really know what we saw. I want to come back when I have more time.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m actually going to see Halston.” Doyle sat beside her. “He’s in the area, and he’s managed to gather a group of rogues that need to be dealt with. They're cunning, even for hybrids, and they want this mountain.” Doyle looked at Mina, his eyes dark even in the sun.

  “Will you help me find Lincoln?”

  He nodded. “I’ll see if I can pick up his trail. You need to go back to the lodge though. The rogues aren’t likely to bother you in a large group of people—not if you don’t give them reason. Just to be safe, from now on don’t go anywhere by yourself. In fact, just don’t go anywhere. Don’t give them an opportunity.” He rose and brushed dirt off his clothing.

  Mina stood and did the same, thinking how difficult life would become if she couldn’t leave camp by herself. Her feeling of comfort vanished, replaced by the empty feeling of loss. “I still have to work like everyone else.”

  Doyle handed her a small, thin pouch from his bag. She unzipped it to find an unmarked vial and small syringe.

  “For your friend,” he said. “It’s very potent, so you just need one 5 milliliter dose injected into the bloodstream any way you can get it in. His neck will be a good place. An IV would be better, but I’m assuming that isn’t an option. Make sure no one sees you give it to him, or you’ll have a lot of uncomfortable questions.”

  “What is it?”

  “It works like an antibiotic, but much faster. It’ll clear up any infection and help him heal.”

  Tears rolled down Mina’s face, and she wiped them before kissing Doyle on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Doyle brushed away another tear on her chin. “Now you have to get back so you can give it to him. Are you still mad?” His eyes flickered with a rare shadow of emotion. Not the warmth Mina was hoping for, but something else. Something she couldn’t describe.

  “Mina,” he said. He placed his hands on either side of her face, holding her gaze. “You can’t let down your guard for one instant. Don’t trust anyone.”

  She brought a hand up to place on the back of his and smiled. “Not even you. I remember.”

  ***

  Doyle held his finger to his lips for Mina to be more quiet as she hiked. That was difficult—the dense vegetation rustled with every move she made. She shot him a questioning look. He shook his head and mouthed “hybrids” before leading her around a bluff.

  They stopped in early evening, under the protection of a clump of mountain magnolias, their thick leaves providing shelter from prying eyes. “We’re safe now,” he said. “From here we can walk straight to the road and then the lodge.”

  “Were we being watched before?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Some of Halston’s crew, I think.”

  “Do they know who you are?”

  “Yes.” Doyle removed his pack and handed her a bottle of water. “They might even recognize you. Remember Halston’s seen you from a distance.”

  “Won’t they think it strange that you avoided them?”

  “Not really. The situation is pretty tense right now. They're afraid of me, which means they respect me. But the rogues don’t entirely trust me, so they’ll always be watching to see what I’ll do.”

  She handed the water back to Doyle. “Why are they afraid of you?”

  He drank and leaned back against the rock, propping a foot on a slender tree trunk. “Because they’re not convinced I’m rogue. I have command of the aether. They need me. Halston knows something about the silo I don’t. So I’ve offered a trade. Otherwise they would run at the first sign of me approaching.” Doyle looked over at Mina. “I’ve always been loyal to the Condarri. And I’m very well-known among the hybrids. I would be the last one they'd believe to have turned traitor. Except one other.”

  “Calla.”

  “No one will believe she’s rogue. And she would never pretend to be. Which is why I’m now in charge of hunting them down.”

  “But you’re rogue too. You killed the Glyph.”

  “You want to know why I would destroy rogues when I’ve become one of them myself?”

  “Aren’t you in the same situation? Shouldn’t you work together?”

  “For what?”

  “Against the Condarri!”

  Doyle chuckled. “As rogues, we can have no effect on the Condarri. But I’m trusted. I can accomplish many things.”

  “Such as?”

  “I’ll know more after I meet with Halston.” Doyle leaned his head back against the rock and closed his eyes. Mina gazed out through the leaves, frustrated at his lack of answers. She should be used to it by now, but it never ceased to annoy her that Doyle only revealed information on his own time.

  “Mina.”

  “Hmm?”

  “What you saw this morning inside the mountain—did it scare you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mina.”

  She looked over to Doyle who was watching her. “Do you fear me?”

  “No. Should I?”

  “No. Never.”

  He looked so comfortable there, reclining against the rock, Mina could almost forget he was different from other men. But she didn’t want to.

  “You don’t scare me, but others do,” she whispered, hating to spoil the mood. But she needed to tell him.

  “Who?”

  Mina recounted the battle she had witnessed while hiding on the bluff. She attempted to tell him every detail about the fire, the assassin, and the hybrids, including the sight of their mangled bodies. Doyle sat up but listened to the story in silence. When she finished, he didn’t immediately speak.

  “What do you think?” she prompted.

  He let out a breath and rubbed his head. “A pack of rogues lured in some hybrids. Maybe they wanted to recruit them.”

  “Funny way of doing it.”

  “Yes.” He dropped his hand and fixed Mina with an apologetic gaze. “I didn't know you were there.”

  She gaped at him. “You were the assassin?”

  “Yes, although the word seems a little pretentious. I was doing my job.”

  “But . . . Rogues and loyal hybrids?”

  “Those loyals were going to turn rogue—only a matter of time. I've sort of developed a knack for sensing these things.” He smiled.

  “I didn't hear your voice.”

  “That's because I didn't speak. I can't believe I didn't see you . . . Good job hiding.”

  Mina shook her head. “I still don't get it.”

  Doyle leaned forward. “Wh
y’d you go down there to look at their bodies?”

  “Don’t change the conversation.”

  He stared at her, waiting on an answer to his question.

  “I had to see if you were there.”

  A smile flitted across his face.

  “If you’re going to laugh about it, I’m sorry I told you.”

  “I wasn’t going to laugh.”

  She arched an eyebrow.

  “That’s not how I plan on going down.”

  Mina picked at her fingernail. Was he telling her not to worry? Or telling her he planned on dying, just not in a forest skirmish?

  Doyle cleared his throat. “Better go.” He rose, stooping beneath the low branches, and grabbed his pack. “I’m sending this with you, by the way. It’s almost identical to the one you had stolen. Just pretend you had it all along, and hopefully no one will notice.”

  Day 105

  AFTER REPEATING HIS REQUEST TO stick close to the lodge, Doyle parted with Mina around the bend in the road. Even though it was well after midnight, a few lights flickered from the windows: old-fashioned tallow candles made from animal fat. Mina sighed. People were just beginning to make a fresh start. Now the rogues endangered everyone.

  The night had turned cool. Alvarez and Nelson slept on opposite sides of the dying fire. Mina crept around them to Carter’s tent; his ragged, irregular breathing carried outside. When she eased the zipper of the tent open enough to slide through, the smell almost pushed her back outside. Carter lay with his head in a far corner, so she had to step over him and wedge herself against the wall of the tiny tent.

  She pressed her fingers to his neck, looking for the pulse that would tell her she'd found an artery. Her cold hands on his hot skin caused him to stir. “S’that?” he asked.

  Mina pulled the cap off the syringe and stuck the tiny needle into the vial of liquid. She drew it out and held it up, desperately trying to measure it in the faint light. She reached over and further unzipped the flap of the tent for more light.

  Finally satisfied with the dosage, she found Carter’s neck again, pressing the tiny needle against his flesh, near where she’d found a pulse. She took a steadying breath and pushed it in, injecting the medicine. Then she waited. She should have asked Doyle how long it would need to take effect, but her mind had been filled with too many other things.