by Dana Gricken
Contents
The Soulless Trilogy
Part I
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Part II
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Part III
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Thank You For Reading
Acknowledgments
About the Author
THE DARK CAGE
Copyright © 2020 by Dana Gricken
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ISBN: 978-1-68046-974-5
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Fire & Ice Young Adult Books
An Imprint of Melange Books, LLC
White Bear Lake, MN 55110
www.fireandiceya.com
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Names, characters, and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.
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Published in the United States of America.
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Cover Design by Caroline Andrus
For Buddy, Jack, and Chandler, my guardian angels
The Soulless Trilogy
1. The Dark Queen
2. The Dark Evolution
3. Dark Cage
Part I
Prologue
METAMORPHOSIS
Everyone was asleep in the Sentinel Headquarters, but I was wide awake.
It had been two weeks since the attack on the bridge and Doctor Zero’s death. We had needed a place to live and operate, and after much deliberation, we had chosen to rebuild the old headquarters. The General and his Sentinels wouldn’t be foolish enough to attack us here, not while they were weak and scattered and we were powerful and united.
We being the Samaritans—that was what we now called ourselves. Using the old Sentinel title didn’t seem right anymore. The Samaritans were an alliance between soulless and soulful—a new hope for both of our futures.
I could only imagine what the General would say if he were here.
Caleb lay next to me in our cot, snoring like everyone else in the barracks. The soulless didn’t need too much sleep to begin with, but after the difficulty of trying to stay alive these past few weeks, everyone needed some extra rest.
Except for me. I felt better than I had in months.
I watched Caleb as he slept peacefully, thinking about everything that had happened this year. We had been through a lot together—separation, attempted murder, life on the run. Yet despite all of it, we had managed to find our way back to each other. I smiled in the darkness, grateful he was still by my side.
The beeping startled me. I lifted my head, reaching for the Animus ring I’d tossed in the nightstand drawer. Dahlia had created it for the Sentinels to detect soulless in the area, but I’d decided I didn’t need it anymore. I had also figured I didn’t need the Purity Crystal, either.
Doctor Zero had injected me with the soulless serum to save me from becoming one of those horrible Red Sentinel creatures the General had created, but weeks had passed since then. It was safe to say I was in the clear.
When I pulled the ring out, trying to stop its irritating noise, it became louder. Dahlia had reprogrammed it to only make noise if a new soulless entered the headquarters so it wouldn’t constantly beep from Caleb and the others. I sighed, pushing the blankets off me. I decided to take it into the bathroom, hoping to flush it down the toilet. I knew the headquarters were safe, so I figured it was just malfunctioning. When I walked into the washroom and shut the door behind me, the beeping intensified.
It didn’t make any sense. There was no one around but me!
A wave of pain washed over me. I leaned on the sink, clutching my chest. It was like an itch I couldn’t scratch, a whisper too low to hear. My body was changing somehow. When I lifted my head and looked into the mirror, that was when I noticed it.
My eyes had turned as black as night. Doctor Zero—my uncle—had successfully made me soulless. I couldn’t believe it.
I felt raw power inside of me with a mix of emotions. It was mostly anger and violence, but most of all, I found myself suddenly unable to care about anyone or anything. The whispers grew louder, and I could finally hear what they were saying. I wanted to kill, destroy, and conquer, mainly because I could, but also because it was my right as a soulless.
This must’ve been the Primal Caleb had told me about, the little voice inside the soulless that compelled them to do terrible things. I was too weak to resist it. I had to obey.
I walked into the armory and retrieved my Deathblade before I tiptoed back into the barracks. Kill, kill, kill, played in my mind, like a record on repeat. If I wanted to conquer this city—and eventually the world—I had to kill Caleb first. He was the strongest one here, and he had the best chance of stopping me.
When I returned to our cot and flung off the blankets, Caleb was gone. I fumbled in the darkness for a minute before I heard footsteps behind me. I spun around, trying to act calm and normal.
“Riley?” Caleb asked, turning on a nearby light. “When you left, I went looking for you. What are you—?”
He stopped midsentence when he saw my eyes. When he looked down and realized I was carrying a Deathblade, he clearly knew what I was doing.
“Riley, put the dagger down,” Caleb said. “I won’t ask you again.”
I felt my face twist into a smile, but it wasn’t my own. Becoming soulless had trapped me in my own body, like a bird in a dark cage. I had become a victim to the evil that had spread through me.
“Why should I?” I asked, stepping closer. He backed away from me, and I saw his Purity Crystal jiggle around his neck. “You can feel this power too, Caleb. Take off the crystal and we can rule this world.”
“You’re forgetting I have felt that power, Riley—and it wasn’t worth it,” he replied, reaching for the dagger. “I can help you. Please, give me your weapon.”
I pretended to hand him the dagger, letting him believe he had won. When he worked up the courage to move closer, I shoved him to the ground and put my foot to his throat. I had him exactly where I wanted him now.
“Pathetic,” I spat. “You’re nothing but a freak, Caleb. Not soulless, but not soulful, either. Did you really think our love would last?”
“I know this isn’t you talking, Riley,” Caleb whispered. “And I’m sorry for this, but it’s the only way to get you back.”
And then I felt the burning pain of his fire engulf me before everything went black.
1
The Power Test
I was having a nightmare, unlike anything I had ever experienced.
Wisps of gray smoke spread around me,
with little flickers of energy dancing through them. I walked through the fog, looking for a way out, but it trapped me here. When I looked in the distance, I saw nothing but darkness.
“Hello?” I asked. “Is anyone here? Where am I?”
“Where you belong,” a gravelly voice replied. “One foot in this world, and one foot in the other.”
I had no idea what the person was talking about, and I didn’t want to stick around to find out. I took off running into the distance, but there was nowhere to go. This place was like an endless maze, and the more you struggled in its grasp, the further it pulled you in.
My boot snagged on a rock, and I fell, collapsing in front of a pond. When I lifted my head and looked into it, my eyes were still black in the reflection.
I screamed. I had never wanted this to happen.
“Don’t fight it, my Prodigy,” the voice continued. “This is your destiny. We will rise up together to conquer this world.”
“Who are you?” I heard myself ask.
“You will find out soon enough,” the person replied. “And you’ll see we are more alike than you think.”
And with that, everything faded to darkness again.
When I finally woke up, it was to a sea of concerned faces hovering over me. Mom, Dad, and Patrick were on my left side, while Caleb, Dahlia, and Lara stood on my right. The only person who wasn’t here was Spencer, and my heart ached for my best friend.
But Spencer was still missing. During his surgery to become a Sentinel, the power had gone out thanks to Doctor Zero, and it had given him brain damage that had changed his personality. He had become angry and spiteful of the soulless, and had eventually left me and joined the General to destroy us. After their defeat, he’d joined up with a group of strangers, warned me about someone named the Cardinal returning, and disappeared. As the days passed, I lost hope that I’d ever see him again.
I groaned, sitting up. My body ached and my skin felt like it was on fire, but I didn’t have the urge to kill and destroy anymore. The Primal’s voice was silent, and I was back to normal.
Well, as normal as I could be.
“What happened?” I whispered, my throat scratchy and raw.
“You attacked me last night,” Caleb replied. “I had to use my fire to restrain you. Your eyes, Riley… Let me show you.”
Caleb handed me a small mirror, and I took a long look into it. It hadn’t been just a dream. I was really soulless, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
I noticed the Purity Crystal around my neck, gleaming in the dim light of the medical bay. Dahlia nodded. “The crystal is the only thing that can give you a conscience, Riley. I’m glad you kept one. If you remove it, you will be just as dangerous as the Dark Queen.”
“This is unbelievable!” Patrick said. “How could this have happened, kid?”
I sighed. It was time I told them the truth. “When I confronted Doctor Zero on the bridge…he injected me with his soulless serum before I killed him.”
“Oh, my baby…” Mom said, with tears in her eyes. She reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I wish this had never happened to you.”
“But the bridge attack was weeks ago,” Dad said, glaring at me. “How could you keep something like this from us?”
“What was I supposed to say?” I asked. “I was afraid you’d look at me differently. Besides, I wasn’t sure if the serum had worked or not. I didn’t want to scare you for no reason!”
Dad was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “My daughter, as a new soulless… I don’t think I can look at you right now, Riley. I need some space.”
He stormed out of the medical bay, and I sighed. Now was not the time to argue, not when the General and his Sentinels were still out there. The entire world was dangling in the balance, and we needed to work together.
“We still support you, Riley,” Lara said, reaching for my other hand. Everyone in the room nodded. “Soulless or not, you’re the best Sentinel we have. The color of your eyes means nothing to the people who love you.”
Patrick nodded again. “We got your back, kid. But if it’s been weeks, how come it took so long to make your eyes turn all black?”
“I think I have the answer,” I replied. “Doctor Zero mentioned something after he injected me. He told me it was a small dose, so it would take longer to affect me. He also said I…was becoming a Red Sentinel. He thought he was saving me from that fate.”
Mom gasped. “But Violet said you were fine. She promised that strange Power Crystal wasn’t in your body anymore!”
I shrugged. “I don’t know if he was telling the truth, but it doesn’t matter anymore. What’s done is done. I’m soulless, and we have to accept it and move on.”
“There’s only one thing I’m wondering,” Caleb began. “Your power. Every soulless has one. What will yours be?”
“No idea. I don’t feel any different. All I know is that it can’t be fire, or your flames wouldn’t have hurt me.”
“Caleb’s got a point, kid,” Patrick replied. “We need to figure it out. Could be useful against the General.”
They were right. I was already powerful with my Sentinel implants, but my soulless power might give us the edge we needed. All we had to do was figure out a way to bring it to the surface.
“I’ll be in the courtyard, setting up dummies to practice on,” Caleb said. “I have a few ideas, but I want to ask Wanda for help. Whenever you’re ready, meet me out there.”
As he left the room, the others started to clear out. Mom gave me a kiss on the cheek before the room turned empty, and then Lara was the only one left.
“What?” I asked, noticing how intensely she was staring at me.
“Spill it,” she replied. “You look like you just saw a ghost. And don’t even think of lying about it, Riley. A sister can always tell.”
“I…had a nightmare,” I muttered. “It’s probably nothing, and I feel stupid for even bringing it up, but…I was stuck in this gray fog. There was a loud voice above me, and whoever it was called me their Prodigy.”
“That’s…totally creepy,” Lara replied. “Any idea what it could mean?”
I shook my head. “No, but thinking about it now…it can’t be a coincidence. It could be important.”
“If it is, I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Riley,” Lara said, approaching the door. “It could just be a stress dream. Don’t worry about it now. Just focus on getting better, okay?”
I nodded as she left the room, giving me a little privacy. As I fumbled to put on my underclothes and old Sentinel armor, I thought more about the nightmare and the little information it had given me.
I was sure the nightmare was a warning. But for what, I didn’t know yet.
When I left the room, Dahlia’s nephew, Jacob, was leaning against the wall in the corridor. As soon as he saw me, he grinned.
“Not bad,” he said. “You know, I think the dark eyes suit you.”
I rolled those eyes. “I’m glad you think so. Is there something I can help you with, Jacob? I’m a little busy.”
I was probably being ruder than usual, but I had a lot on my mind. The last thing I needed was someone wasting my time when I had a million things to do.
“Violet wanted me to come get you,” he said, as we began walking side by side. “It’s about Wanda, and I think it’s serious.”
“Oh? Is she okay?”
Jacob shook his head. “You’d better see her for yourself.”
Jacob led me into a dark room at the end of the corridor. Wanda lay on the bed, mumbling words under her breath. A gleam of sweat coated her skin as she tossed and turned, and Violet stood nearby, scribbling words on a clipboard.
“Hey, Riley,” Violet whispered once she saw us. “It’s good to see you up again. After I heard what happened to you…well, I never thought you’d make it. At least, not as the person we knew.”
I pointed at the Purity Crystal. “Don’t worry, this stone will help me. How is Wanda doing?”
“Not well,” Violet replied, looking over her chart. “She’s been having nightmares, judging by her increased rapid eye movement. And her vital signs have been falling. I don’t understand it. Her condition is getting worse, and I can barely keep up!”
“She told me when the Dark Queen is strong, she’ll be weak,” I replied. “They were connected when she sent Wanda into the Mindfield. Do you think her sickness is related?”
“It’s possible,” Violet replied. “The Dark Queen hasn’t been seen in weeks, not since she fled the bridge. God only knows what she’s doing now.”
I sighed. This was not good. Wanda, as the Dark Queen’s mother, was the most experienced soulless here, especially since she had been a Master of Old—a soulless teacher. I needed her to teach me about myself and help me win this war.
And her illness was an omen that one was definitely coming for us.
“Oh, and Caleb stopped by. You just missed him,” Violet said. “He wanted to ask Wanda about some power test, but I told him she was too drowsy to speak to anyone right now.”
“Right. I have to meet him in the courtyard,” I replied. “Let me know if Wanda’s condition changes, okay?”