by Everly Frost
Mr. Bradley sighed. “That’s a relief. I have some news, too. It seems that the snow is still free.”
He meant Snowboy. He’d escaped. It was a small ray of light in the darkness that encased me right then. I hoped that Snowboy would return to Starsgard for reinforcements.
Michael refused to be pushed on a pallet, standing on his own, the color returning to his cheeks. As we passed the nearest vehicle where Rift had been taken, the soldiers stood on guard and barred our way.
Mr. Bradley drew us away. “It looks like they’ll let you travel with me, but not with the others. Come with me.”
Within moments, I was back in a transporter. Aaron peeled off a medical patch and applied it to my cheek, cooling the wound.
“Sarah.” Michael stopped in surprise when he saw her.
She smiled. “Hi. It’s nice to see you again, Michael.” But her smile quickly faded when she saw my shoulder. Shock and adrenaline had worked to keep me pain free until then, but the pain from the bite was increasing.
Sarah quickly cut the shoulder out of my shirt to treat the wound, sterilizing and patching it. “You’re lucky you don’t need stitches.”
I sighed when she attached me to yet another line. It felt like the medical attachments were becoming part of my body—like an additional arm or leg.
Then, the vehicle moved again. Michael gripped my hand, staring at his dad, but Mr. Bradley chose not to speak. I wondered if that was because there was too much to say.
I told Michael everything that had happened since I fell from the cliffs—about Alexander and the lion’s skin, the Basher cells and the children I’d helped escape, and Olander’s plan to swap me for the other mortal girl. I couldn’t tell him about Josh or the things Mr. Bradley or Sarah had told me at the secret level—that Sarah was a Starsgardian spy or that his dad was trying to save Josh’s life when we were captured at the Terminal. Even though the invisible spy wasn’t alive to watch us anymore, I couldn’t risk Alexander or Olander finding out about my brother.
We arrived at the northern Evereach coastline the next morning. I’d never traveled this far north when I lived in Evereach, but I’d seen the coastline from the height of the Starsgardian mountains.
The docks were built out from the mainland, stretching far out over the ocean. Left and right were piers with ships of varying sizes moored at them, but nothing looked big enough to transport the number of soldiers that had begun pouring out of the transporters arriving after ours.
The salty air whipped at me and for a moment I imagined I still had hair, half expecting it to slap across my face. The night before, Michael had kissed each side of my head at the tip of my ears before we’d fallen asleep. Now, I chewed my nails waiting for my brothers to emerge from their transporters, consumed by fear that they might have been hurt overnight.
Quake and Blaze appeared first. To my relief, they looked much better than they had the day before. When I moved to hug them, the soldiers stopped me, physically pushing me away and forcing me to keep my distance.
I was tired of faceless soldiers pushing me around. All of them wore Basher uniform so I couldn’t identify them, but there were two who seemed to be present most of the time—I recognized them by their body shapes. One was tall, lanky, and loped when he walked. The other had broad shoulders and kept his tranquilizer gun out of its holster most of the time. I decided to call them Lanky and Broad.
Michael urged me away from them while I bounced from foot to foot. I tried to read my brothers’ expressions from a distance. The guards from each of their transporters escorted them down the nearest pier, keeping them separate from each other as well as me.
I caught their eyes as they passed. They were worried. There was no doubt about the sharp set of their mouths and the tension in their shoulders. They kept glancing back—but not to me—and I realized they were just as worried about Rift as I was. He still hadn’t appeared.
At the end of the pier, small boats rocked in the water, and even from a distance, I could see fins protruding from the surface, circling the vessels.
“Look.” Michael pointed out to the ocean.
Lanky and Broad blocked my view, but I leaned left to see what Michael was pointing out.
I gasped. “Warships.”
Ten large vessels rested at intervals across the distant horizon. It was hard to tell from a distance, but it looked like each ship was equipped with massive sails and flew the Evereach flag. I remembered what Mr. Bradley had said about Starsgard bringing down aircraft. It looked like Olander wasn’t taking any chances that Starsgard would try to use an EMP to disable the warships. No doubt the sails would go up while we passed through Starsgardian waters.
I spun as Sarah ran up to me. Aaron and Mr. Bradley were close behind her. She grabbed my hand. “Aaron’s going with you—and Mr. Bradley too—but I have to stay here. I wanted to say goodbye.”
She pressed a small backpack into my arms. Lanky moved to intercept her and Broad reached for the pack, but Aaron stepped between them, suddenly getting in Sarah’s face.
He demanded. “What are you giving the prisoner?”
Sarah took a hasty step back, almost tripping on the pavement. “Medical supplies. The President doesn’t want her dying on the trip.”
Aaron yanked the bag from me and opened it, riffling through its contents. I caught sight of a number of bottles, bandages, and medical patches like the one he’d put on my face the day before.
Finally, he shoved it back at me. “Fine. If it’s the President’s orders.”
I slipped the bag onto my back, not sure what to make of Aaron’s sudden display of aggression. For a short while there, I’d stopped fearing him—was even on the verge of trusting him—but now I reminded myself: he was the one who’d shot me in the first place. It didn’t matter that he’d been my brother’s best friend. Without him, I wouldn’t be here.
Sarah gave me one last nod and disappeared into the oncoming stream of soldiers. All of them headed left or right down different piers, boarding the smaller boats and heading out toward the ships on the horizon.
Finally, Rift appeared. Olander strolled at his side.
Rift’s expression was guarded and I guessed he still didn’t know why Olander had singled him out the day before.
Once more, Lanky and Broad got in my way before I could reach Rift, but this time I wouldn’t let them stop me speaking.
“Rift! Are you okay?”
He nodded, but didn’t say anything as he passed me by.
Olander called out as he went. “Bring the girl. Take her straight to her chamber on the ship.” His lips thinned in a disapproving line as he assessed Michael. “Keep them separate until we reach Seversand.”
Then he continued with Rift to the nearest boat. Mr. Bradley followed them, glancing back at us and I couldn’t decipher his expression—concern? fear? hope?
I clutched Michael’s hand. “No. We need to stay together.”
He pried his fingers from mine, taking my face in his hands. “I know you’re not afraid for yourself. You don’t want to be separated because you’ll worry about me—about us. But we’ll be okay. I promise. If they were going to hurt us, they already would have.”
“You don’t know that. You don’t know Alexander.”
A booming laugh reached us and Alexander strode up, the last to disembark from the transporters. He rolled his shoulders, seeming relaxed. His hair was tied back and he wore a simple t-shirt and long pants.
His laugh was sharp and his tone sharper. “She’s right, boy. Maybe I plan to drop you in the ocean and feed you to the sharks.”
He scratched his chin and it didn’t escape me that Michael and I were now alone on the docks with only Lanky and Broad and Aaron to watch over us.
“In fact, maybe I’ll do it just for the fun of it. I’ve never killed a shark with my bare hands. I’d like to know if it’s possible.”
Michael’s eyes narrowed. I reached for his hand one last time as fear crept down
my spine. Alexander was in a state of pause. His big hands twitched as if he’d grab Michael at any moment.
Aaron cleared his throat. “My Lord, the President’s watching.”
Alexander’s head swiveled. “So he is.”
He strode past us and for a moment, I thought he’d leave us alone, but at the last moment, he darted left, wrapped his arm around Michael’s neck, and jerked him hard along the pier.
Michael didn’t have time to shout, hitting at the arm that held him tight, while Alexander dragged him down the pier and dumped him into the nearest boat.
My jaw clenched so hard I thought I’d crack my teeth.
The backpack that Sarah had given me slipped from my arms, but Aaron picked it up and pressed it at me.
His intention seemed deliberately to ignore the scene on the pier. Michael had scooted to the end of the boat and Alexander ignored him as he started the engine and they sped away.
Aaron said, “Keep the medical supplies with you. They’re the only ones you’ve got. The President doesn’t want you dying.”
I slung the pack over my shoulder and half-walked, half-ran up the pier to the last boat, unable to keep my eyes from the disappearing boat with Michael in it. So far, it looked like Alexander was staying away from him, but the distance was making it difficult to tell.
I sank into the vessel and found a place at the end of the boat where the waves rammed it—the wildest, most unlikely spot. Lanky and Broad took position on either side of me and Aaron started the engine. Within moments, the boat churned its way toward the waiting ship, leaving the circling fins behind.
I flinched as the pounding hum of a hundred drones zoomed overhead, also headed for the ship. Wasps, beetles, and even the occasional octopus, swarmed across the air, seemingly unaffected by the strengthening wind.
By the time I arrived, Michael and my brothers were nowhere to be seen. I wasn’t sure if they were on the same ship or had been taken to one of the others. I climbed the rope ladder onto the deck and searched for them among the sailors. Olander was the only other person I recognized. Even Mr. Bradley had disappeared.
The engine started and the ship began its journey east. Aaron ushered me beneath the vast deck to a small cabin, and on the way we passed through so many levels that I realized just how enormous the vessel was. The symbol of Evereach—a diagonal blue slash representing water—adorned the walls at intervals.
Michael and my brothers could be anywhere.
My heart drummed and my stomach churned.
Every step felt like it was taking me further away from them. Away from the people I loved, but closer to Seversand.
Chapter Thirteen
THE BEACHES OF SEVERSAND were dry, yellow, and stretched for miles in wavy dunes like a static, golden sea. Warriors waited for us, drawing our small boats to the shore to moor them while the warships waited on the horizon.
It had taken a week to travel through Starsgardian waters and reach the northwestern coast of Seversand. Far, far to my right, the Starsgardian mountains were a frosty white glare sharply contrasting with the heat that beat down on us on the beach.
I’d been allowed up onto the ship’s deck only twice during the journey. On one occasion, I’d taken the chance to gaze over the rail into the deep water below, contemplating the magnificent, but ferocious, sea creatures gliding along beside us. They were sleek and fast, but brutal. A shoal of sharks had swum beside us for the duration of the final day, making easy meals out of the fish that were attracted by the food scraps thrown overboard.
I’d been given new clothing as the temperature changed. Light cotton pants and a long-sleeved shirt with a hood protected my exposed skin, especially the top of my head. Every now and then, I reached for my hair, feeling only the stubble that had begun to grow back.
Aaron and a beetle drone had been my constant companions. Although he struck a nonchalant pose wherever I went, Aaron was never more than a few feet away. Although he boarded the boat that brought me to Seversand’s shores, all of the drones remained behind.
Twenty Evereachers came ashore with us, including Olander, Alexander, Mr. Bradley, and Aaron. The soldiers left their guns behind, grumbling about Seversand’s rules. Only blades were allowed to be brought to shore.
Michael and my brothers were transported in separate boats, arriving after I did. I sought them out across the beach, trying to see if they were okay as soldiers ushered them along the sand. Olander was the last to step foot onto the beach, his pale skin a shock of white in the surroundings.
The warriors who greeted us were quiet and strong, pulling the boats onto the beach and securing them to metal posts. Their skin ranged from pale to dark, but they were all lean with gleaming, intelligent eyes.
I bent to run my hand through the sand, allowing the grains to filter through my fingers. The warriors gave me curious glances. My skin was the same color as the wet sand—a pale caramel, a shade that had always seemed out of place in Evereach—and especially in Starsgard—but blended with my surroundings here.
The warrior at the front wore leather straps laden with jewels that crisscrossed his chest. He had menacing features—hair slicked back and paint across his eyes. He didn’t offer his hand to Olander, but instead beat his fist against his chest twice.
“I’m General Gaza. The President asks you to travel straight to the Coliseum where she waits for your arrival.”
Olander inclined his head, but the General turned his attention to me, appraising me. I wasn’t so much concerned with about as I was about my brothers right then.
I leaned around the nearest soldier—Lanky again—trying to see them. They’d left Seversand when they were much younger. Now, ten years later, they’d set foot in their home country again and I could only imagine how they were feeling about it.
Michael had managed to maneuver himself closer to me than the others and I caught his small gesture of support—a brief smile—before Broad got in the way.
General Gaza, on the other hand, had followed my gaze to Michael and his eyes widened. Everything else seemed to disappear as he crossed the distance between them. He ignored our guards as he demanded. “Who are your ancestors, boy?”
Michael stood his ground. “My ancestors?”
“Who is your mother?”
Michael’s eyes narrowed.
A smile flickered over the General’s face before it disappeared. “I don’t expect you to understand our customs, so I’ll indulge you. You may take your father’s name in Evereach, but it is your mother’s line that is paramount here. So, I ask you again, who is your mother?”
“Helen Bradley. But she was known as Helena Rivera when she lived here.”
He grinned. “I knew it. Welcome to your homeland, brother. The Rivera tribe is one of our most powerful warrior tribes. Your ancestors have been waiting for you.”
Next, he assessed my brothers and in particular Rift. His lips parted as though he was going to say something, but instead he beat his fist to his chest. “Welcome home, brothers.”
Then, he caught sight of Alexander and his expression changed completely. His upper lip curled into a snarl. Instead of approaching Alexander, he spun to Olander.
“Your men must reveal their faces.”
I’d gotten so used to not seeing the faces of the soldiers around me—to seeing only their masks—that I’d forgotten they were people underneath. Aaron was the only one whose face had remained uncovered during the trip.
“Very well. Take off your masks!”
The soldiers obeyed. They were all men but I’d figured that much from their physiques. Lanky was younger than I’d expected, with blonde hair and slightly freckled skin—and Broad was older, square-jawed, with brown hair.
Satisfied that he could see their faces, General Gaza rotated on his heels. “Come.”
As we trudged up and over the first dune, endless sand greeted us on the other side. I eyed our warrior guides, noting that they didn’t carry a single container of water among t
hem. The sun’s heat didn’t seem to bother them as it beat down on us.
Alexander shoved past Olander, muttering. “The President’s already insulted you and you don’t know it.”
Olander snagged Alexander’s arm, forcing him to stop. “I know she has. I’m not ignorant of Seversandian customs. It’s an insult to be greeted by men. Women are placed more highly. Don’t underestimate my understanding of your culture, Alexander. And don’t underestimate the importance of knowing when to pick a fight.”
Alexander pulled away with a huff.
I angled toward Michael but Aaron got in the way. He shoved the backpack into my arms—a constant reminder of Sarah.
Michael nodded to Rift, and my brothers kept as close as they could to us. I increased my pace to nudge up to General Gaza. There was no mistaking that he hated Alexander—and his greeting to Michael gave me hope that he saw Michael as Seversandian, one of them, rather than an Evereacher—which meant we all had a better chance with the General than we did with Olander.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead after I pulled on the backpack. “Never mind the medical supplies. It’s the heat I won’t survive.”
General Gaza half-turned. “Don’t worry, Evereacher, we won’t remain aboveground for long. The cool, underground pods await us.”
When we were back in Starsgard, Rift, Blaze, and Quake had told me about underground pods and cities where the people of Seversand lived. I hoped the closest one wasn’t too far away.
Still, I didn’t like Gaza’s description of me as an Evereacher. I retorted. “I’m not an Evereacher.” I glanced across at Michael and he nodded in agreement. “Not anymore.”
General Gaza’s response was a low growl. “You’re a girl without a nation. Yet I hear you can destroy worlds.”
I pulled my hood as far over my forehead as it would go. “Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t belong anywhere. Nobody has to take the blame.”
“Or perhaps you’re still looking for a home.” His words were accompanied by a wary smile.