I feel everything inside me freeze.
“I haven’t got any control over it, or who I connect to,” I say. “I can’t connect to everyone.”
“Nonsense,” Raleigh says. “You’ll learn.”
Karl clears his throat. “But connecting with so many Untamed would destabilize her, fracture Shania into too many pieces. She would lose control of one individual as soon as she entered another. You cannot body-share with more than one person at the same time. Marta’s Lore reports that a body-sharer tried to connect to both of his hosts at the same time and it divided him, destroyed his mind before he even connected. Shania will not be able to connect to all the Untamed at the same time and have them all converted through her.”
“But she will,” Zahlia says. “Shania Sarr will be able to connect to multiple Untamed if she has a Seer to anchor her—a Seer she is related to whom is also of great power.”
Raleigh smiles. “And I have one.”
At that moment, my mother enters the hall.
Raleigh cannot stop smiling. “Mother and daughter. And you’re both mine. Two very powerful Seers. Go on, Shania. Hug your mother. I do so love reunions.”
I start to get up, at last able to move from the sensor-mat, but my mother shakes her head. She sits at the side of the room. Raleigh still tries to make me climb off the table, but I resist, my eyes on my mother. At last, after what seems like several minutes, he gives up.
The room around is silent.
“Glad you could join us, Katya,” Raleigh says, then he turns back to the Section. “Allow me to introduce Katya Sarr, Shania Sarr’s mother. As soon as I knew the augury, I believed Shania would need an anchor, whatever her conversion powers turned out to be. Upon learning that her mother also had Seer powers, I guessed the anchor would be Katya Sarr…a familial connection is always best. And it was just my luck when she gave herself up to us, that I did not have to pursue her too. Then, I knew it was only a matter of time until I had the two of them. And we have been training Katya’s mind, creating an even stronger anchor. Additionally, Katya herself is useful. A Seer of Light sees far, and she has unfulfilled visions from her time as an Untamed individual. My men report that we are close to learning what those Seer visions were of.” He smiles widely. “And so you see, we have all the necessary components to save the Untamed. An unlimited body-sharing powerful Seer and an anchor Seer to stabilize her and prevent fracturing.”
There’s a slight cheer.
“We really are close to succeeding,” Raleigh says. “Just as I promised earlier.” He looks at me. “I wanted to tell you without Shania present, given the darkness in her. Didn’t want her getting distressed. But after that demonstration, how could we not talk about it?”
I grit my teeth. He’s lying. He hadn’t a clue—and I’m sure it’s evident to the others in the way he was lapping up the information about body-sharing and constructing a plan with the Section for the end of the Untamed, not sharing one he’d already made.
“I think we’re forgetting one thing,” Karl says. “Harnessing that amount of power, and dividing herself so many times to body-share with such a vast number of Untamed—let’s not forget that we believe there to be around four hundred in the wild—would have negative effects on Shania. Katya may be able to anchor her daughter and pull each piece of her back during the process, thus completing the initial conversions of so many Untamed—”
“Of course she will,” Raleigh says, “Katya is a Seer of Light. Very powerful.”
“But Katya could not hold her daughter together forever. A few hours at most, until the first stages of the conversions are done, and then Katya would have to let go, else she would die. And letting go would mean her daughter would fracture. It would kill Shania,” Karl says, and his mirrors show the world how scared I look. “She would be too unstable after harnessing such great power, and her body would no longer take it.”
Raleigh shrugs. “We know, though, that Shania will die. It is the only way the war will end.” He nods, turns, looks at me. “Before you die, you’d need to direct all the Untamed to the nearest compounds, we don’t want them wandering around for days, lost, trying to find us, possibly getting eaten by predators.”
I look toward my mother for help, but she’s not looking at me. And I don’t understand why she’s here. She hasn’t said anything.
I strain my neck, trying to see her. Is she being controlled? Are the augmenters stopping her from wanting to look at me?
“How soon can we start?” one woman asks.
Raleigh turns to me. “As soon as Shania has developed a connection with each Untamed individual out there.”
“So they’re all to be converted in one go? Wouldn’t it be easier to do it in stages? Or one-by-one, less dangerous for Shania if simultaneous body-shares will destroy her?”
Raleigh shakes his head. “No. Marta’s Lore. If we did that, we’d have to wait a long time after each conversion until Shania was completely Untamed again before she could connect with the next one to save them—and there’s no guarantee that she would even become Untamed again, that the darkness would return. Certainly not for over three hundred times. It’s too big a risk. It has to be every Untamed in one go. And we have to make sure it’s all the Untamed at once, none left behind, because yielding that amount of power would kill Shania in the end—even with her anchor. Were you not listening? We have one shot with this, and we have to wait until she’s connected to everyone. We have to do it in one go.”
It’s going to kill me. Raleigh’s going to kill me.
And you’ll return to Death, just like you’re supposed to. Just like you knew you would.
I gulp.
“How long will that take?” another voice asks.
My head spins, and I miss the answer.
“I’ve got DNA models and photos. Even belongings of some who are in my section,” Sophie says, and then several others say they have extensive records too.
“Perfect. Shania and I will go over them shortly.” Raleigh stands up. “And I think, my people, that you will agree that this has been a very successful meeting.” His head turns to Karl. “You cannot declare me incompetent.”
My eyes narrow. It wasn’t Raleigh who made this progress. It was me. Me knowing I had to save Dominika’s life. But for how much longer?
Once I’ve changed out of the tweed suit and leather boots, Raleigh has two women strap me up to the chair with the wires again and take more readings of my Seer powers. I try to lock them away again—but my head hurts too much. I’m just too tired, and I still can’t do it. I should’ve slept before, after I’d disconnected from Esther. I was on my own then. Raleigh didn’t come for me until the morning.
I should’ve slept.
I curse.
Or—or what if I can never seal them off again?
The women reel off several numbers, and one of them clicks away at a computer.
“Most are uncoded,” the woman says. “No obvious pattern. Except for the unlimited body-sharing. But there are other patterns repeating—ones that haven’t come up before, not with such clarity and vigor. She’s strong, and these other powers are unknown.”
Behind the women, Raleigh stands with his legs crossed at the ankles, and his arms limp by his sides. He’s smiling.
“I’ll have Tomas check the results for any previously identified patterns and codes,” he says. His voice drips. “Your brother is very good with numbers.”
I ignore him. “I want to see my mother.”
“Katya is only visiting, Shania.”
“I want to see her.”
“If you are a good girl, you can see her before she returns to New Kimearo.”
I grit my teeth, speak through them. “I want to see her now.”
“Careful, Shania. You’re sounding like a whiny child. You don’t want to sound like that, do you?”
One of the women steps forward and unstraps me from the chair, pulling the wires back with ease—the wires that had held
me in place and refused to move for me.
The moment I get out the chair though, Raleigh exerts control over my body. I start to fight him, then stop. I need to save my energy.
Raleigh beams at me, then he straightens out my shirt. It’s one I chose, a fitted button-up one that’s dark green. I grit my teeth as he pulls at the hem, tries to pull the creases out.
“Come on,” he says, cheerfully.
I follow him out the room and to a large conference room. There’s a big table in the center, and photographs have been neatly stacked in several piles around the edge of the polished wooden top.
Raleigh instructs me to sit, and I do.
“We know the names of these individuals, but not those.” He points at several piles of photographs on the table, moving his hand quickly, as he stands over me. “Those ones are more elusive. Properly wild. And we’re guessing that there are probably more women and children with these men than the ones we know about. But, as soon as you’re connected to one in that group, you can give us the updated numbers.”
My neck clicks, and I fold one leg over the other, stare at my skin. A gold splash peeks out from under my beige shorts. I lift that leg up, stretch it out, see another gold splash around my ankle that disappears under my white and gray tennis shoe.
“And we’ve got DNA models for approximately two-thirds of these Untamed. Now, we don’t know how quickly you’ll naturally make new body-sharing connections, and we cannot let these people suffer for long, so stimulating a connection between your mind and the minds of others is vital to speed up the process. There are two groups of people I believe you’ll connect to more easily—those you’re close to and those who are Seers. Now, that first group, well, you don’t need to connect to them. I’ve already got them, and they’ll be converted as soon as the augmenters are ready.” Raleigh points at a third pile of photographs. Underneath each photo, someone has written Seer in bold letters. “So, you need to connect to the other Untamed, the ones we haven’t got. And I want to start with the Seers. Go on, have a look and see if you can find them, forge the connections.”
No. I can’t! Can’t make any more connections—not to any of them. Any who I connect to, I’m signing their death warrant. Not death but….
Oh Gods.
Raleigh encourages my hand to move forward, and I splay the photos out on the table, looking from one to another. Unfamiliar Untamed faces. Then I see Taras.
I inhale sharply, look up at Raleigh.
“Where’d you get these photos?”
“Security cameras and CCTV in our towns and cities.”
My eyes linger on Taras’s face.
“You know him?” Raleigh peers at me.
I shake my head, but my ears feel hot.
“You’re lying. Lying is bad. Come on, Shania. You may be Untamed for now but you have to at least try.” He sits down next to me, leans in too close. He picks up the photo of Taras and looks at it for a long few moments. “Have you already body-shared with this Seer? He’s in the Frozen Lands, Section Five. There’s no way you could’ve met him in person.”
I press my lips firmly together, keep them sealed.
“Was he the one you were body-sharing with earlier, during the meeting? Come on, Shania. You can tell me.”
I ignore him, look at the other photos.
“It was him, wasn’t it?” Raleigh says. “Excellent. We can cross him off the list. You’ve already got a connection with him.”
Raleigh takes out a pen and puts a giant red tick next on the border of Taras’s photograph. “Are there any others you’ve already joined with?”
I glare at him, don’t even look at the card. “No.”
“Or any non-Seers?”
“No.”
“Very well,” he says, and I don’t know whether he believes me. Then he picks up five of the other Seer cards and pushes the others away. His clothes rustle as he spreads out the new cards in front of me. “Pick a card.”
He makes me turn my head toward them, and my eyes scan the images briefly. Three women and two men. All Seers. And the men—Zharat. I recognize them instantly. The ones who are still out there—must be.
“Pick one, Shania.”
I look away from them, up at the wall, where the clock is. Manage to hold my gaze there for a few seconds before Raleigh takes control.
He scoots his chair closer to me. “How about this one?” It’s the photograph of the oldest female Seer. “Yes. We’ve got a DNA model for Eberly Nicholson and information pertaining to the frequency of her Seer powers. Now, we have a machine that’ll help your Seer powers search for specific energies given off, yet it will take time to calibrate successfully. But, I don’t think you need that. I think it’s all inside you. You’re powerful. So, let’s try this now.”
He stares at me expectantly.
“Connect with her.”
“I can’t control the body-sharing,” I tell Raleigh, hope that my voice doesn’t sound too high-pitched. “I can’t just do it like that. It just happens. I haven’t got control over it.” The lie feels like it’s burning me.
Raleigh’s face is pensive for a moment. “Nonsense. You can learn to control it. It’s like anything. Riding a bike. It takes time to learn. And what better way is there to learn, than to practice?”
“It’s not like riding a bike—you don’t suddenly find yourself doing that with no warning. I told you, it’s unpredictable.” My face flushes, and I’m sure he knows I’m lying: it’s only unpredictable at times.
“But once you learn, you’ll never forget it.” Raleigh smiles. “You have to believe in your powers.”
But I mustn’t body-share with anyone else. I’d thought it was my advantage—a clue as to how I was going to unite the Untamed, just like what Taras said—but, if each time I body-share, a new connection is formed that Raleigh will later make me use to destroy my people, then I’m paving the way to the end of the Untamed.
“So,” he says. “Are you going to willingly try and connect, or am I going to make you do it? Make sure that you’re trying.”
My eyes narrow. “You can’t body-share.”
“I can’t. No. That is a fact.”
I fold my arms, and he makes me unfold them. I glare at him. “So, you can’t control my body-sharing powers.”
And I’m onto something—I’m sure of it.
Raleigh laughs. “I am a powerful Seer. Adaptable. I may not have the power myself, but I can use someone else’s if needed.”
I fold my arms again. “But they said at the meeting that an Enhanced can’t body-share to an Untamed.”
“A Chosen One apparently can’t. But I wouldn’t be using my Seer powers to body-share. I’d be using yours. And there’d be no problem. You’re Untamed.”
“Well I can’t just do it. And neither can you.”
“Let me have a look,” Raleigh says.
“No!” I cry, but he seizes my head with his hands, and then I feel him there.
He probes around, digs deeper. I flinch. Oh Gods. Oh Gods. Oh Gods. I start to reach up, to seal the powers away, but then stop—what if he finds them because of me trying to do that? What if I show him where they are, give him exactly what he needs?
“Don’t close up the channels, Shania. Let me have free access.” His voice is soft, strangely melodic. “Let me explore, find the right power. Just relax, my darling.”
I take a stuttered breath, then feel my shoulders soften a little, less tension. Because of Raleigh—because he’s making me do it.
“Close your eyes,” he whispers.
No. I force them open wider, despite the sudden pain in them—but only manage it for a second.
My eyes close. Darkness.
“Good girl.”
“No, S’ven. Don’t—”
My eyes spring open, and there’s a fresh wave of pain. I flinch and try to move forward—
Something clicks in my head.
“No,” Raleigh shouts.
Then something hi
ts my chest, and I fall back against the chair and—
Jed.
Jed’s right in front of me, crouched on the table’s edge, his hands stretching forward, touching me.
Not Raleigh.
I scream, pull back—pull back from Jed’s hands—and manage to stand up, kick the chair between Jed and me.
“Get off! Get off me!”
“Shania!” Raleigh’s voice—but I can’t see him.
“S’ven, stop it!” Jed yells and his voice is different. Echoing and hissing at the same time—and it twists around me. And—and it can’t be real. Just can’t. He can’t be, but….
His hands fly toward me.
I scream again, turn, and run—
Raleigh grabs me—he’s here too. Shit. Father and son.
I cry out, and Raleigh shakes me. My vision blurs and I try to turn.
“Get him away from me!” I cry, pointing at Jed.
“S’ven, stop it. Stop behaving like a child. I am trying to help you.”
“Who?” Raleigh demands.
“Jed!”
Raleigh makes a deep sound in his throat as he looks around. As he looks right at Jed.
But he doesn’t see him.
How doesn’t he see him? My heart pounds.
“You’re not well,” Raleigh says.
“Not well?” I cry. “You’re the one who can’t see Jed!”
“This has been too much for you. I should’ve realized. You’ve body-shared once today. You’re tired. Worn out. We will wait until you are well again to use your Seer powers. Give them time to strengthen again too. That will be best.”
My vision wavers again, darkness creeping at the corners.
Dizziness tugs at me, and I stumble, fall, and—
Divided Page 26