Someone produced a piece of paper and a coal lead. Jack drew a map of the city from memory. From what I remembered of the city, it looked accurate, but the only places I knew for certain were the farms and the urchin corrals. Jack was better acquainted with the military base.
“These structures are empty?” asked Dena, pointing to a residential area.
“Yes,” Jack said.
“And here,” Dena pointed. “What are these?”
Jack hesitated. He looked from his map to Dena, and back to the map. He bit down on his bottom lip.
Suddenly it hit me. Those buildings were the officers' barracks where his friends Alex and Hayley lived.
“We should concentrate here,” I said, pointing to the corral. “Our goal is to set the slaves free. We don’t have to destroy the city.”
Jack drew his eyebrows together. “No. That’s not right. If we do this, we have to cripple them.”
I narrowed my eyes, wanting to catch his, but he refused to look at me.
“We do this with minimal bloodshed,” Dena said. I was glad to hear her say that. “Tonight our goal is to set the slaves free and let the soldiers know we’re not easily intimidated. After that, we come back here and remuster.”
Jack dragged a hand through his hair. “Okay,” he breathed. “Naoki and I break into this building.” He pointed to the map. “It’ll be guarded, but it’s the only way to turn off the tagging system, so we have to get in. We do this first, before we blow the armory.” Jack looked at me.
“I know,” I said. We had already planned it out before we came here, even though I was still bristling at the fact that he had the dangerous job. Once the tagging system was shut down, I was supposed to lead everyone out. Jack made the excuse that he couldn’t do it because it would be night, and he would be blind. But I think it was just a reason to try to keep me out of harm’s way. “Jin-Sook and I wait in the corral until you give the signal and I lead everyone to the caverns.”
We still had the obstacle of getting into the corrals undetected. I was going on the hope of finding Terran and Flint while they were out for their nightly food run. Jin-Sook told me they were well aware of the men’s routine and knew where to intercept them. If that didn’t work, then with any luck we could find the entrance to their tunnel. It was a worry, but it was the least of them. For now, I had the day stretching out ahead of me and I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through it with this bubble of anxiety threatening to devour me.
Dena invited us to the training field. I was relieved to be given a distraction and by the look on Jack’s face, so was he. Jin-Sook was excited to have me with her, and she grabbed me by the hand and almost ran all the way to the field. Jack stayed with Naoki. I looked behind me from time to time to see them both engrossed in conversation, slowly making their way down to the field.
Jin’s weapon of choice was the bow, and that was the first division she took me to. The archers lined up ten across and at least twenty deep. Each front line aimed and let fly, and bowed for the line behind. The second line became the front, time and again in rapid succession, creating an undulating rain of arrows. When they finished, the younger ones standing on the sidelines ran to collect the arrows. Another group formed to take their turn.
“Want to try it this time?” Jin-Sook asked.
I shook my head. “I’ve never used a bow in my life,” I said.
“Come on—I’ll show you,” she said.
She led me away from the skilled archers to a quiet area, choosing a fallen tree as the target.
“I’ll aim for that stump,” she said. It was a small target, yet after watching the other archers, I knew she could do it. She did. “You want to try?”
I nodded. Other than worry about tonight, I had nothing else to do. I accepted the weapon from her. “It’s heavy,” I said, a little surprised.
“It’s exactly the right weight for me, so you might find it a little awkward. If you like shooting, you can make your own.”
“Make my own?”
“Of course. Who is else is going to make it?” she asked.
“A replicator,” I said.
“A what?”
“A machine that makes it for me.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t mind having a machine like that.”
She tied a piece of leather around my left arm down to my wrist and then showed me how to stand, cock a bow, pull back and let go. My first attempts were laughable failures, but the longer I tried, the closer I came to the log. After only about twenty minutes, my fingers started to bleed and it was obvious I wasn’t going to become a master archer by nightfall.
My favorite weapon turned out to be the dart gun. It was light to carry, easy to load and since it was only used for close range, it was easy to aim. The fact that it didn’t have the capacity to kill gave me greater confidence in using it.
Eventually we made our way to what she referred to as the dojo area, where they practiced martial arts. There were several pairs engaged in sparring and I wasn’t surprised to see Jack among them. He and Naoki were partnered and it appeared they weren’t showing each other any mercy.
“You don’t fight to the death here, do you?” I asked Jin.
She laughed. “No.”
“Good.” I relaxed a little and watched Jack fend off Naoki.
I hated to think it, but Jack’s movements seemed slow compared to theirs. When he made a strike against Naoki, he backed up for a split second, giving the other man a chance to recover. Naoki didn’t fight that way. There was no hesitation, no pausing. It was relentless. And anything was fair game as a weapon. Jack was routinely caught off guard. Dena’s army fought for survival, but Jack was taught to fight in a controlled environment with no visible enemies. Before he met me, his survival had never been threatened.
Someone called out and all sparring stopped. The partners split up and moved off the field.
“The time is getting closer,” Jin said. I hadn’t realized how low the sun was sitting in the sky. It would be dark in a few hours. My stomach lurched with anxiety. “It’s time to meditate and prepare for battle.”
“Meditate?” I asked. She nodded. “Why do you do that?” The way I was feeling I couldn’t imagine sitting still long enough to meditate. This was it—the first stage of freeing my people. It’s what Jack and I had been working for since the day we were married. If we failed, we might never get another chance. And if we didn’t free them, who else would? The panic I had worked so hard to keep at bay all day now stole every drop of moisture from my mouth.
Jin-Sook examined my face. “You know that feeling you’re feeling right now?” Was it written all over my face? Or maybe it was my shaking hands that gave me away. “That’s why we meditate.”
“How do you do it?”
“I start with relaxation exercises to ease tension and clear my mind. Then I visualize my body going through the motions of archery. If I were preparing for hand-to-hand combat, I would concentrate on my body moving through the steps of martial arts. Through this meditation technique, we memorize the movements and strengthen our confidence. We always end meditation with thanks to the spirits and ask for their blessing.”
Absentmindedly, I tilted my head to the side as I looked at Jin. It never once occurred to me that they prayed. In the Pit, there were people who prayed to a God I was never really convinced existed.
“I take it you don’t meditate,” Jin said.
“No. And I don’t pray either. I don’t know how.”
“So what do you believe in?”
I had to think about that question. What did I believe in? Once I believed in salvation—that our treaty of bondage would be fulfilled and we would all leave the Pit free. But the discovery that my pe
ople had spent the last three hundred years clinging to an elaborate lie showed me how naïve we really were. I wasn’t so sure believing in something you couldn’t see was as fulfilling as Jin-Sook thought it was.
“Me,” I said. “I believe in me. And Jack. I know we’ll do what we can to save my people, even if we die trying.”
Jin put her hand on my shoulder. “You can believe in us too, Sunny.”
I hoped so.
Jack was suddenly beside me. “How’d your day go?” he asked.
He was half-naked and dripping with sweat. “Not as tough as your day.” I swiped a finger across his sweaty chest to emphasize my point and left a bloody trail.
He picked up my hand and examined it. “I’m not so sure,” he said, and kissed my cut-up fingers.
We followed the long trail of people back to the courtyard. A light meal and pitchers of water were available. As people finished their meal, they disappeared into the hotel. Dena approached us just as Jack and I finished our broth.
“You’re welcome to join us in meditation,” Dena said.
Jack raised his eyebrows at me in question. “Jin explained they always meditate before battle,” I said.
“Not just before battle,” Dena corrected me. “It’s a daily ritual.”
“I appreciate the offer,” Jack said. “But Sunny and I have a ritual too. We’ll go back to our room and prepare there.”
I smiled and nodded, even though I had no idea what Jack was talking about.
There were quite a few people already deep in meditation in the hotel lobby, although I had also seen many outside under the setting sun. Quietly, we made our way through the lobby and back to our room.
It didn’t seem as creepy now that it held the memory of our lovemaking. I lit the lantern for Jack, closing my eyes against the bright flash of flame. “We have a ritual?” I asked.
He pushed the table and chairs against the wall. “You mean you’ve forgotten?” It finally dawned on me. We were going to train.
“It’s been a while,” I said.
He went into a crouch and I copied his movements. I’d forgotten how soothing this was.
“I saw you trying your hand at archery,” Jack said.
“Hence the mashed-up fingers,” I replied, flashing them at him. “Guess I suck at just about everything.”
He laughed softly. “Hardly.” He raised a leg, arced it in the air, and placed his foot behind him, stretching his body forward. I followed, feeling my muscles begin to relax and the blood flow into my head. His expression sobered. “I want you to take the pistol tonight.”
“No, Jack. Then you won’t have a weapon.”
“I still have my knife.” He breathed in deeply and shifted his weight to his other foot and repeated the movements. “Naoki found a full magazine in the bike they took from us. It’s not a huge ammo supply, but better than nothing. You remember how to change it?”
“I’ll be at the corral far from any fighting. Once you blow the armory you’ll be in the thick of it. I’m not taking the pistol, Jack.”
He came to a standstill and turned to face me. “You’ll take the pistol or I’ll call this whole damn thing off.”
My mouth dropped open. Jack had never spoken to me like that before. “What did you just say to me?”
He drew his lips into a hard line. “I’m not backing down, Sunny.”
And he thought I was the one who should back down? With the bourge armed to the teeth, the only hope we had of succeeding was that they underestimated Dena’s army—that they wouldn’t expect an offensive attack. The risk of one or both of us not living through the night was real, but Jack was at greater risk than me.
“When you blow the armory, every soldier in that city is going to run toward it. A knife isn’t going to help you—you need a gun.” I let out an exasperated sigh. “Why are you being so stubborn?”
His expression was full of reproach. “I was thinking the same about you.”
“Maybe I am better off meditating.” I turned toward the door.
“Stop!” he said in a loud voice. I kept going, stopping only when I felt his hand on my arm. It was a surprisingly tender hold considering the tension in his face. “I’m sorry. Please don’t go. I didn’t mean to yell.” I let go of the breath that up until now I hadn’t realized I was holding. “I’m scared as hell and I’m just barely holding it together.”
I couldn’t blame him there. I relaxed ever so slightly. “Me too.”
He tugged me toward him and I gave in, wrapping my arms around his waist. He pressed me harder against him, as if I might change my mind and try to leave again. I wasn’t going to. This wasn’t the time to fight. I needed his strength too much.
He pushed away from me a little and took my face in both his hands and rested his forehead against mine. “You take the gun.” I opened my mouth to protest. “Just listen for a second, please. I have my knife and the minute I can get my hands on a gun, I’ll grab one.”
“Jack…”
“Sunny, I can’t do this unless I know you’re protected. Okay? Just this one thing for me. Please.”
His blue eyes watered, dampening his lashes and he bit down hard on his lip. He took a deep, unsteady breath, his pleading eyes never leaving mine.
Never, in my entire worthless life, had anyone ever looked at me with that much love.
I tried to breathe around the lump lodged in my throat, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Taking his face in my hands, I nodded. Pressing closer, I kissed him, tasting the salt of our tears. I didn’t want to think about what was facing us, or why I might need a gun.
If I closed my eyes, and felt the heat of his lips and his hands trying to hold me closer, I could really imagine that the only future I cared about was right here in this room.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I never thought I would be loath to leave our creepy hotel room. It’s funny how making memories could give an old room new life. I figured if I did die tonight, my spirit actually could live on…in that room. If there were other ghosts living there, they would just have to make way for me. My claim was stronger.
Before we left the barangay, Jack hugged me close and tucked the pistol into my waistband. I didn’t protest. That was our agreement. And his end of the bargain was to grab a gun as soon as he could, and stay alive.
For now, we were in the forest trying to stand as still as Naoki, Jin-Sook and twenty others while we lay in wait for Terran and Flint. It was a lot harder than it looked. As the breeze moved my hair, sending it tickling across my cheek, I understood why they tied their hair back. I was dying to scratch.
“Stop moving,” Jack whispered.
“I’m trying,” I whispered back.
Naoki eyeballed us. We stopped talking.
At least we didn’t have long to wait before Terran and Flint made an appearance. Jack and I stepped forward, startling them.
Flint was the first to recover. “Geez, it’s President Kenner!”
Jack gave me a questioning look. I shrugged.
“He’s not the—” I started, but decided against correcting him. “We need your help getting into the corrals.”
Terran looked at Jack warily. “Sunny said something before about you shutting off the tagging system.”
Jack nodded. “That’s right. Once it’s off, you need to get everyone out as fast as you can.”
“How do we know when it’s shut down?”
Jack motioned toward Naoki and Jin-Sook and everyone came out of hiding. “Because they’ll send a volley of flaming arrows at the armory. You see arrows lighting up the sky, the system is off.”
“What the hell!” Terran said, backing up a few steps.
<
br /> “It’s okay,” I said. “They’re on our side. The bourge haven’t been very nice to them either.”
Flint didn’t seem to mind their presence. His eyes gleamed with excitement. “You’re going to blow the armory, sir?” he asked excitedly. “Because I know about blowing things up. I can help.”
Jack looked to me again. I widened my eyes and shrugged. Flint was an odd soul. “You do? What have you blown up?” asked Jack.
“Well, nothing yet, sir. I’ve been planning to blow a big hole in the side of the Dome to let everyone out,” he said.
Jack raised his eyebrows. “Good to know. I think for tonight, though, I’ll ask you to go tell the men in the range to be ready to go. Are you okay doing that?”
Flint nodded his head vigorously. “Yes, sir.”
“Are there many men there?” I asked.
“Too many,” Terran said in disgust. “Some aren’t in great shape. Two men have infected gunshot wounds.”
Naoki motioned to two of his men. “Ryan and Lito will go with you. They can take the injured to our doctors.”
Doc was probably a better choice, but Amini’s barangay wasn’t far from the range. I thought of the sedative they used on their darts and knew the injured men would at least appreciate that relief. If I was able to bring Doc to them later, I would.
The three men left for the range. It was time to put our plan in motion.
A slight touch of our hands was the only acknowledgement that it was time to part ways. We had already said our goodbyes and there was nothing to be gained in dragging it out. I resisted the urge to look back and watch him walk out of sight, concentrating instead on putting one foot in front of the other.
With Jack’s group gone in the other direction, we were down to just Jin-Sook, Terran, five other Protectors, and me. Dena’s army was hidden in the forest, ready to move if they were needed. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I hoped it went according to plan—shut off the tagging system, set the armory on fire, and sneak everyone out of the corrals while the bourge were distracted. It was a good plan. It should work.
Worlds Collide: Sunset Rising, Book Two Page 26