by Amy Miles
I flinch as Hyde places a hand on my arm. I stare down at it, unblinking. I can feel my anger mounting and with it comes increasing vibrations. I can feel them rippling up through my fingers and into my arm. “That’s what we are trying to figure out,” he whispers in a surprisingly soothing tone for a man usually so abrupt.
I look at Hyde to see him squinting down at me. His gaze is narrowed, his lips pressed into thin lines. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing,” he mutters and draws back his hand. I can’t help but get the feeling that there is a hint of disappointment in his tone. I look to Donan and see that he has a similar expression, one bordering cool calculation yet tinged with a bit of concern.
“How long have you been able to override your collar?” he asks.
I follow his gaze down to the table and realize a metal mug is stuttering across the surface. I pull my hand into my chest and feel the tremors begin to abate. The sudden appearance of my abilities shocks me. “I didn’t do that,” I whisper, feeling confused.
How is this possible? The collar keeps my powers at bay.
My eyes widen in wonder and I place my hand upon my belly. Donan’s gaze sharpens as he sees the distinct curve of my stomach and turns to glare at Hyde. “How could you keep this from me? You knew I thought we still had plenty of time to plan, but now...” he trails off, shaking his head.
“Plan for what?” I glance between the two men but they ignore me completely.
“I didn’t exactly keep it from you,” he hedges. “I was just sort of waiting for the right time to spill the beans.”
Donan glances toward a corridor leading in a direction that I have never been in and I wonder if he is thinking of having a few words with Vanata once he is done here. I never meant for them to keep my secret. In fact, I assumed that Donan already knew. It was only logical that they would tell him, being as he appears to be the leader of this organization and all.
“Whoa,” Reyes whispers as he kneels beside me. “May I?”
It feels awkward letting a man who is hardly more than a stranger touch my stomach but I nod in agreement. He lets his eyes droop half closed as he places his hands on either side of my stomach. He tilts his head to the side, looking as if he is listening to a song that none of us can hear.
“What is he doing?” I whisper.
“Reyes is a Musio. He can sense emotions, thoughts and feelings from other people.”
“A telepath?” I stare down at the top of his wavy blond head, noticing that near the back he has begun to thin out a bit. Although he looks to be only a little older than myself I suddenly wonder just how old he truly is. How old all of them are.
“Sort of. He can’t send messages. Only receive them.”
A smile stretches along Reyes face. A soft cooing sound escapes his lips as he leans in and presses his ear to my stomach. I stiffen, feeling completely awkward with his close proximity but Hyde laughs, capturing my attention. “Trust me, you’re the last thing he’s thinking about right now, sweet cheeks.”
“How is he able to do this? He still has the manacles on.” Although each of the people living here have managed to remove their chains, none have been successful in removing the silver manacles from their wrists, smaller versions of the cuff about my neck.
“Our manacles do not work like yours,” Hyde responds, twisting his about his wrist idly. “Our abilities are diminished but not removed completely.”
“Why not?”
Hyde glances up at me. “None of us are considered deadly.”
“Ah.” I frown and wrap my arms about myself, unconsciously cradling my unborn children just below Reyes’ touch. Looking back now, I don’t know how I could have ever thought of ending my life. Not when I have two precious little people that need me so much. My smile is pained as I think of how excited Eamon would be. He used to speak of having children one day. I always knew he would be a great father.
When I look up, I see storm clouds brewing in Donan’s expression. “I know what you’re thinking but it’s impossible. Unborn children can’t be that powerful,” I protest, suddenly fearful for my children’s safety.
“Can they not?” He muses, stroking his beard. His voice sounds vacant as he stares back at me. “There has never been a being like you before, Queen Illyria. How are we to truly know what your children will be capable of?”
Reyes pushes back to his feet and I breathe a small sigh of relief when he draws his hands away. I replace them to cradle my belly. “They are happy,” he smiles, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, “but they are worried.”
“Worried about what?” Hyde asks.
“About their mother. They are connected to her fear, her safety. They are the ones who saved her from the fire. They react to her emotions. I don’t think they mean any harm but I would advise against allowing Illyria to get too stressed.”
“Why is that?” I ask, smiling at a kick beneath my palm, strong enough to make my entire hand bump.
Reyes’ smile falters as he drops his gaze. “They don’t know how to control their abilities and that makes them very dangerous.”
I stare out into the darkness, wondering where Bastien might be. A part of me knows that he is most likely gone but I can’t give up the hope that somehow he survived. I can’t imagine a life without him now that I have found him again. Nor can I imagine a life without Eamon.
It took a great amount of pleading and no small amount of tears to convince Hyde to let me escape the cave, even for a few moments. With my leg healing nicely and my progressing pregnancy seemingly on course, I have longed to feel the wind on my face, feel warmth on my skin but Hyde refused to let me exit the cave during the day. After nearly a full week of torrential rains, I had to wait for the swamps to recede again before I could come here.
I sigh and wrap my cloak about my shoulders to keep the cold night air at bay. It feels good to be outside, to breathe in fresh air, even if it does stink of rotten vegetation.
Hyde warned me not to leave the perimeter. Not to wander. Not to put myself in danger. I hardly see how that would be possible considering my lack of personal mobility and also the impressive battlements before me.
To the naked eye this base would look no different than a pile of rocks housed in the middle of a great marshland. I can hear the near constant buzzing of bugs that have awoken to feed. I can hear things slithering in the dark. Hear splashes and growls. None of those scare me as much as what Donan revealed to me yesterday.
They have been tracking the Duturi’s movements these past couple of months. They are on the move, marching scores of slaves with them. The mines have been completely abandoned. That has given us reason for alarm.
This planet lives off the energy source buried in its depths. The Duturi and all manner of creatures of this place rely on that energy. What could possibly make them pick up and move?
Donan seems to think that they continue their search for me but my gut tells me that something more is happening. Something that, as Eamon would have said, is big and bad. Staring out into the night, I begin to wonder what I am doing here.
My time spent with these assassins has been good, apart from the random appearance of Natasha. Her continued determination to make my life miserable has created discord among the group. As Hyde had said, I was pleased to see that Vondran too was part of this secret group, though the earlier conflict between himself and Reyes has not abated. Apparently that is one grudge that will last a lifetime.
Satal as well resides in this base, though I get the distinct feeling that he was never meant to be part of this group. His lack of eye contact or willingness to speak continues to intrigue me. Hyde has warned me to be careful around him but I have sensed no malice from the man. He keeps to himself. As long as he does that we won’t have a problem.
I asked Hyde how his group came to be on the slaving ship. He wove a tale of intricate plotting, scheming and downright luck. Their group should have included over thirty men. Only eighteen actual
ly made it onboard. Two of them didn’t make it off the ship. Though no one has come right out and said it, I surmised that these two females were among those rounded up before we arrived.
I look to my left, my eyes having adjusted to the very dim glow of the lights behind me. No brighter than a handful of fireflies but enough that the dark is not all consuming. Hyde told me that those who have been lost to them are buried out there, somewhere among the swamp. Though he never said it, I assume that the creatures that live along the murky waters claimed them long before the muddy bottom did.
Despite the fact that I have spent very little time topside, I have grown to fully appreciate this harsh landscape. It is just as deadly to us as our enemy. Having both working against us can be disheartening.
Not long after my conversation with Donan about how I escaped Drach’s prison, during which I was amused at the confusion on his face when I explained how Drach had sought to protect me, I realized my place here. I am not one of the assassins, nor do they want me to be. And though I do not necessarily feel like bait that is waiting to be strung out for my enemy to find, I do not let that thought sink too far from my thoughts.
I am an ally for them, a tool. Nothing more. I do not fool myself into thinking that Donan will protect me and though he has not said it, I know that he too is waiting for the birth of my children.
Pressing a hand against my belly, I close my eyes, breathing in slow deep breaths. They deserve better than this. To grow up like freaks, to be gawked at and feared. I do not know what power it is that they possess but I know there will always be those who seek to exploit them.
My determination to free myself from this collar grows with each day that passes. It is my only chance at survival. Once my children are born I must be able to protect them. Even as I sit here, attempting to embrace some small ounce of peace amongst an ongoing battle all around, a familiar fear begins to rise up within. What if I can’t protect them? Or worse...what if they can’t be controlled?
“Good night,” a gruff voice calls from behind me. I flinch and turn to look back over my shoulder. I do not see him at first, not until he opens his eyes.
“It is,” I breathe out the breath I had clutched the instant Satal startled me. “Would you care to join me?”
He moves forward with a gait that is far too smooth. It appears as if he glides across the surface of the ground instead of stepping. Everything about him unnerves me and yet there is something about him that continues to intrigue me.
I pat the spare chair beside me and wait. I notice his discomfort and obvious hesitation and wish that I could stand to make him more comfortable, but I’m still struggling to use my makeshift crutch. Hyde and Reyes fashioned one out of a long piece of wood and old towels wrapped around the top to ease the massive bruising that has begun under my armpits. My side looks like a plum that’s been squashed and left to dry in the sun. Not exactly the most appealing sight.
Satal remains standing beside me, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his pants. “You hurt.”
I look up at him, surprised. “Do you mean my leg?”
He nods, glancing down at me without dropping his head. “Not good.”
I laugh, nodding in complete agreement. “I can’t say that I’m all that happy about it, no.”
He lifts his gaze and stares out into the dark. “You heal.”
“Heal?” I frown. “You know I can’t do that. Even if I didn’t have this darn collar on I don’t think that I could make a leg regrow.”
He turns to look at me. The amber glow in his eyes startles me. It reminds me of Vanata’s eyes, though these seem more cat-like than hers. “Death comes.”
I attempt to swallow and find that my throat has begun to suddenly close with fear. “Death comes for who? For me? My children? Hyde?”
He stares at me for several minutes without saying another word. It feels as if he is searching deep within my soul. The intensity of his gaze brings goosebumps out on my arms. The temptation to turn and flee is too strong to ignore and yet I am reminded of how helpless I am to move.
“Illyria?” I suck in a breath of relief when I see Hyde emerge from the cave. He looks tall and dark in the dim light, a force to be reckoned with. I can tell by his stance that he is alert. “It’s getting late. You need to rest.”
“Of course.” I try to offer Satal a smile but it fails me.
His grim expression never changes as he turns on his heel and walks away, melding with the shadow of night. Hyde is quickly at my side, his hands on either side of me as he searches my face. “You are pale. Did he hurt you?”
“No.” I shake my head, feeling the trembling in my fingers begin to fade. I hadn’t realized just how unsettling his pronouncement was until now. I clasp my hands in my lap and lower my head, ashamed for feeling fear over nothing.
But is it really nothing?
I look up when Hyde rests his hand on top of mine. “What did he say to you?”
I consider not telling him, or making something up. Although Satal is one undeniably creepy dude I still don’t get the feeling that he is trying to hurt me. If he did, why hasn’t he done so before now?
“He said death comes.” Hyde’s brow furrows deep. His fingers clench against mine, squeezing tight enough to cause a small amount of discomfort. “You know, the funny thing is that I don’t think he was talking about me.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that,” he mutters and starts to pull away.
I reach out and grab his arm, latching on with my nails. Not hard enough to break the skin but with enough strength to stop him from moving away. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Hyde sighs. “Might as well tell you now. Natasha is bound to blurt it out at the worst possible moment.” A ripple of anxiety works its way through my chest, chilling me. I can feel his hesitation but I am determined to hear, no matter what it costs me. “Natasha has Seer blood in her. She had a vision earlier about you.”
He hangs his head and I know that it’s not good.
TWENTY-FOUR
Hyde carries me down the corridor, his head bent close to mine to keep from slamming his scalp against the low hanging roof. I clutch my walking stick close to my side, feeling cold and numb. Can I trust what Natasha says about my future? About the danger my life and that of my children will be placed under?
According to Hyde, Natasha’s vision wasn’t complete. Nothing more than fragments of images that she struggled to pull together. Having grown up an orphan, with only her older brother to protect and care for her, Natasha would not have had the training to be able to control her abilities. Her brother was moved from station to station, never allowing her a stable home. What she does possess is a raw talent but she is lacking the self-control with which to wield it.
The instant he finishes relaying her vision I insist that I speak with her. Even though Hyde warned me against doing so, I feel like this is something I need to do.
We find her sitting in the common area, her leg thrown over a chair so that she straddles it. She has a book in her hand but considering it is upside down, I’m guessing she grabbed it when she heard our approaching footsteps.
“What do you want?” she scowls when she looks up to find me in Hyde’s arms.
“We need to talk.”
She shakes her head and pushes up from the chair. She slams the book on the table. “I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“Tasha,” Hyde growls and I’m amazed to see her stiffen. She lowers her gaze and shuffles from foot to foot but she doesn’t leave. I send a curious glance toward Hyde but he shakes his head, signaling for me to remain silent. He turns about in search of a chair and then gently sets me down on top of one several feet away from Natasha. I notice that there were a few closer options but choose to say nothing.
The girl tucks her red tinted hair back behind her ear and crosses her arms over her chest, tapping her foot rapidly. Hyde clears his throat and she rolls her eyes, stilling her foot. “I came to ask you about
your vision,” I speak up.
I watch her open her mouth with a quick retort but the instant she glances toward Hyde she clams up. Interesting.
“Not much to tell,” she mutters. She brings her right hand up to her mouth and begins chewing on her fingernails. I made the mistake of doing that once when I was out hunting with Eamon. Although I had washed the deer guts from my hands I failed to do a good scrub under my nails. I haven’t bitten my nails once since that day.
“What’s the first thing you saw?”
Hyde drags a chair over to Natasha and pushes on her shoulder. She scowls but relents, letting him shove her onto the seat. He stands beside her and I can’t help but laugh at how upset this seems to make her. She sneers at me and I stifle my laugh.
“I saw light. Lots of it. Not this white crap they have here but something warm and golden.”
“Ok.” At least that is a start. “What else?”
“I saw men fighting. Lots of men. It was like I was hovering above like a hawk in the sky. There were hundreds, no,” she shakes her head, “thousands of them. Some had laser guns from back home. Others had great swords of light. There was blood…” she winces and looks away. “and death surrounded me.”
I glance at Hyde, noticing the first set of his chin. Death comes, Satal had said. Is this the death he spoke of?
“What else did you see?”
She looks away, unseeing against the wall. “I saw boxes. Lots of boxes. Some of them as large as this room, and then blood. There was a lot of it on the floor.” She pauses, scrunching up her nose as she fights to grasp the memory. “I saw your face too, Illyria. You looked like you were in terrible pain. There was someone with you but I couldn’t see who. A guy, I think. He had big hands.” She looks up at me and I see her gaze come back into focus. “Then there was nothing. Just darkness everywhere. Almost like the lights turned off.”
I blow out a breath and lean back in my chair, wincing at the muscles that ache in my lower back. Learning to hobble with the walking stick has been hard, taxing. “What about sounds? Could you hear anything? Smell anything?”