Rite of Redemption (Acceptance Book 3)

by Sarah Negovetich

I climb over Daniel’s lap and twist my neck to see the ground. A group of people stand in the moonlight outside a low building that blends into the ground. As we pass, they rush back toward the building, but I lose sight of them as we push forward.

  Easing back away from the window, I stick my head between the two front seats. “Do we need to be worried about them?”

  Elizabeth snaps her fingers and frowns. “Shit, princess. I forgot to load up the Cardinal’s latest ‘How to enjoy your Mexican vacation’ guide onto my Noteboard. Guess we’ll have to wing it.”

  “Your sarcasm, as always, is more help than I could have imagined.”

  “Oh, look who’s catching on.”

  I slump back in my seat. When Elizabeth gets upset like this, there’s no talking to her. Her auto default mode is sarcasm and name calling, neither of which do anything for my nerves.

  Bright white light illuminates the night sky around us. Unlike Phillip’s transporter, there is no back window, but I can assume the people at the border just became an issue. The temperature in the cabin feels like it instantly increased twenty degrees. I rub my thumb over the cool metal of my necklace as two transporters that look even newer than Phillip’s pull up on either side of us.

  “Can you outrun them?” Elizabeth’s body is slumped in her seat like this is just another day, but her fingers are moving in a frantic rhythm against the console.

  “I have to guess those transporters have a bit more power than this cobbled together machine.”

  At Ethan’s words, thin chains with platter sized pads on the end shoot out from the side of each vehicle. With a snap of metal against metal, the pads seal to the side of our craft. The other transporters start a slow descent, and we trail behind them.

  “What are you doing?” Elizabeth lunges for the control panel, but Ethan slaps her hand away.

  “I’m not doing anything.” He pushes a few buttons, and we fall slightly faster. “They’re pulling us down, and I don’t have the engine needed to resist. If I fight back, I’m just going to overheat the system and shut us down.”

  “Electromagnets.” Daniel’s voice is surprisingly calm beside me. “They’ll pull this ship to pieces if we try to fight back.”

  Elizabeth huffs in her chair, and the rest of us wait in silence for the other transporters to pull us to the ground. If this was the Territories, I’d know exactly what to expect. A swarm of guards, shock sticks raised, ready to take us down. But this is Mexico, and I have no idea what they do with people who sneak into their country. Ethan hits a few buttons, and a soft hiss releases our landing stakes just as we touch down.

  In seconds, a team of people emerges from each of the transporters and surrounds us. I rest my hands on shaky knees to calm my bouncing legs. One man steps forward and knocks on the only small door. Ethan looks back at me and shrugs his shoulders once before unlatching the door and shoving it open.

  “Hands up and everybody out.”

  At least they didn’t shoot first. Ethan and Elizabeth slide over to the door and step down. Daniel and I crowd into the first row to exit, but he turns to me before we move out. “Do not leave my side for a single instant. I will not lose you, got it?”

  I nod. Daniel knows I can handle myself by this point, but fear has taken over that part of his brain. We move out and stand next to Ethan and Elizabeth.

  “Did you guys seriously just hop the fence from the Territories in the middle of the night?” A man with a black cap, a light green coat, and a heavy accent steps toward our line-up.

  “Um…” Ethan shrugs, sending his hands up higher into the air. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Green coat man simply shakes his head and stares at the four of us in disbelief.

  A woman wearing a similar coat and her hair pulled back in a ponytail of dark waves steps up next to him. “So what was your plan for this little nighttime adventure?”

  “We need to see your president.” The time for chit chat is over. The Cardinal isn’t waiting on us, and we don’t have time to maneuver around a series of half-truths.

  “What makes you think he’ll see a bunch of Territory morons?” The woman takes one step closer to me.

  “Because I’m not a Territory moron. I’m Rebecca Collins…Whedon.” I drop my hands, and Daniel does the same. I don’t know what name to use. Beside us, Ethan and Elizabeth drop their hands, and the woman steps back into her group. “And I’m here to discuss taking down the Cardinal.”

  Green coat man turns to the woman and twirls one finger in the air. “Carmen, get on the horn to the capital and let them know we’re on our way. The rest of you, prepare for an escort.” He turns his attention back to me. “Ms. Collins-Whedon, I’m Sergeant Paredes, and I’d like to personally welcome you to the United States of Mexico.”

  He gives me a stiff salute, and I return it with a nod. “Thank you.”

  “If you’ll return to your vehicle, we’ll remove the magnet tethers and escort you directly to the capital. Since it’s the middle of the night, we’ll secure you lodging in the capital building, and President Tiroso will see you first thing in the morning.” Sergeant Paredes motions with his hands for us to return to the vehicle, so the four of us scramble up without a second of delay.

  As soon as the door shuts behind us, the other three turn to stare at me.

  “What in the Cardinal’s dirty name was that?” Elizabeth stares at me open-mouthed.

  “John David said the Mexican president would want to talk to me. Common enemies and all. I took a chance.”

  Ethan fires up our transporter and lifts off to follow the other two into the city.

  “Do me a favor?” Daniel lays a shaky hand on top of mine. “Let’s take a few less chances from here on out.”

  I know he’s trying to ease the tension, but there’s too much on the line now. I turn his head with my hand until I know he’s looking right at me. “The Cardinal plans to destroy everything and everyone I love. I can’t make that kind of promise anymore.”

  Daniel nods. “I know.”

  Twenty-One

  My eyes shoot open as my body realizes there’s a new presence in the room. My mind whirls to catch up with my surroundings. Last night is still a blur of arriving at the Mexican capital, finding rooms, and collapsing fully clothed on the most comfortable bed I’ve slept on in my entire life.

  A woman in a starched white uniform bustles around the room, laying out a selection of outfits while a man in a similar uniform sets up a table for four with more bowls and plates than twenty people could use.

  “Good morning.” A youngish woman in a crisp blue suit smiles at me as her soft words pull my attention. “President Tiroso will see you at nine a.m. sharp. You have two hours to prepare yourselves and enjoy breakfast. Your other companions will join you in one hour for the meal.”

  She points to the couches, where several outfits are laid out for both me and Daniel. “We had to guess on sizes, but if none of these work for you, please just use the intercom to call me, and I’ll return with some additional choices.”

  I nod as if this is all perfectly normal and nudge Daniel under the covers. The woman smiles again and sweeps out of the room with the white uniformed servants right behind her.

  Daniel grunts in his sleep, and I shove him harder. “Daniel, get up, now.”

  He sits upright, a thin string of drool still clinging to his mouth. “What’s going on?”

  “We need to move. We see the president in two hours, and we need to make a better impression than our current appearance allows.”

  Daniel throws the blankets off and jumps out of bed, ready to go. For a moment we simply stare at each other. Is he thinking the same thing I am? How did we get here? Not here in Mexico. How did we get to the place where we go to bed together each night and wake up as strangers. For a split second, he stops moving and looks at me. Really looks at me. Daniel opens his mouth, but closes it again and the moment is gone.

  “I’m going to shower.”

  I resi
st the urge to crawl back under the covers and get up to properly check out our room. Last night was such a rush, I barely noticed anything but the bed. Our room is actually as big as our little house back in Allmore. Besides the bed, which could easily sleep five people, there are several couches and chairs with tables dotted between them. Past the sitting area, the room narrows to reveal an entire curved wall of windows, each of them draped in heavy fabrics stretching from the too-high ceilings only to puddle on the floor. The dining table sits there. It’s only laid out for the four of us, but based on the extra chairs tucked into the corners, its capacity is much larger.

  If the other rooms are half as nice as this one, Ethan must be over the moon. Elizabeth would have had a nice house back with her parents, especially with a surgeon for a father. I’m sure it wasn’t this grand, but the best that money could buy. But Ethan has spent his whole life as a Freeman, living in remodeled houses older than our government. Not even our dandelion ale could fetch the kind of trades needed to come anywhere close to this kind of opulence.

  I finger the fine china plates set on the table. My mother would give every hair on her head to live like this, but I’m suddenly homesick for Allmore. I want our little bedroom with the creaky bed, just big enough for the two of us to snuggle up close. I want breakfast served at long wooden tables in a hodge-podge of bowls with mismatched spoons. I want my always hot office above Carol’s baking kitchen, even though the door sticks and the tiny window likely hasn’t seen a curtain in eighty years.

  I pull back from the table and straighten my shoulders. The only way to get any of that back is to make a deal with President Tiroso. And that means getting my act together. I walk to the love seat with my outfit choices and pick out a colorful dress that’s the opposite of the plain, utilitarian clothes we usually have. Today, it’ll serve as my battle armor.

  * * *

  Right on time, a knock echoes on the door before opening. The woman in blue ushers Ethan and Elizabeth into the room. Ethan sports a white suit that makes him look like a little kid playing in his dad’s closet.

  “Nice dress, Elizabeth.” I manage to say it with an almost straight face.

  “You better watch it, princess. Everyone else might treat you like royalty, but I’m not above relocating one of these boots to a place that would be very uncomfortable for you.” She lifts the side of the dress to reveal her worn boots underneath.

  “Breakfast is served.” The woman waves her hand, and a team of servers rush in. They each set a huge tray down on a little folding stool and then lift metal domes from the trays in a move that is so synchronized it must be rehearsed daily. “I’ll return in one hour to escort you to the president. Enjoy.” She claps her hands and follows the servers out, shutting the door behind her.

  “Can you believe this?” Ethan already has a plate in his hand, dashing from one platter to the next, unsure what to take first.

  “I don’t know anything about President Tiroso,” Elizabeth snags a piece of sausage off the platter with her fingers, “but I like his style.”

  I join them at the table and stare in awe at the selection. There’s a tray of fresh fluffy omelets and round, flat breads. Another tray holds more types of fruit than I knew existed. Yet another is piled high with bacon, sausage, and thin strips of beef. There are fresh limes and several spices I can’t identify, along with a red sauce that smells like a vegetable garden in summer. My stomach rumbles at the amazing combination of smells.

  Ethan sits at the table with a plate stacked four inches high with food. “Come on guys. We only have an hour.” He grabs a fancy fork and digs in, shoveling several different foods into his mouth all at once.

  There’s not much talking during the meal, each of us simply enjoying the abundance of food. Each item I try is better than the next, and I find myself eating more than I normally would in an entire day.

  After his third plate, Ethan leans back in his chair and wipes at his mouth with a fine, linen napkin. “Man, I can’t wait for lunch.”

  Our laughter is cut short by another knock at the door. The nameless woman walks in again, this time alone. “I hope you enjoyed your meal. If you’ll follow me, we’ll head to the President’s office now.”

  The levity of breakfast is over, and my head settles back into business mode. I can’t let a comfy bed and a delicious meal distract me from what we need. Without President Tiroso’s backing, we don’t stand a chance against the Cardinal, no matter how many villages agree to help. We need this.

  We’re led out into a hallway that makes our bedroom look shabby. It’s wide enough that all five of us could walk shoulder to shoulder and not touch the walls. Marble covers every inch of the floors, walls, and ceilings. Detailed paintings of Mexico’s mightiest military battles line the walls, with immaculate lighting set to highlight each one. Plush, colorful rugs run from one end of the hall to the other, each one more elaborate and detailed than the next. Fresh flowers sit in oversized inset niches every ten feet, releasing a fresh burst of color and scent with every few steps. My senses overload trying to look everywhere at once.

  After countless turns, I stop trying to keep track. If we have to get out of here fast, we’re in big trouble. Finally, the woman in blue pulls up in front of a set of huge double oak doors. Instead of knocking, she pushes a tiny button next to the door and sets her thumb on the napkin sized pane of glass beneath it. The door clicks and she pulls it open, waving us in.

  The second we’ve all crossed the threshold, the doors shut behind us, making me instantly feel like we’ve been sealed in.

  “Rebecca, it is so good to finally meet you.” A tan man in an impeccable sand-colored suit steps around a monstrous desk and holds his arms out to me. I step forward and accept his hug, albeit awkwardly. He rests a tiny kiss on each of my cheeks before pulling back. He lifts a single finger and waves it slowly back and forth. “You have been up to quite a bit of trouble, young lady.”

  He smiles wide, showing perfect lines of brilliant white teeth. “Come and sit down. Let’s talk.”

  President Tiroso moves behind his desk, and the four of us fill in the comfy arm chairs in front of him. Daniel scoots his chair over an inch or two so he can be right next to me.

  “My people tell me you flew a deathtrap over the fence in the middle of the night last night. Look at you, first the PIT, then the country. What next?”

  He leans back in his chair and rests one ankle over his knee, clearly giving me the floor. Bold and direct worked last time, so I might as well go again.

  “We’re hoping you can help us with what’s next. I need your army.”

  President Tiroso throws his head back and lets out a loud laugh that resonates all the way up from his slightly bulging belly. He points at me, painfully white teeth gleaming beneath a sharply cut mustache. “You. See, this is why I’ve been wanting so much to meet you. The Cardinal and his goons are all talk. ‘Let us think about it,’ blah, blah, blah. But you, you come marching in after flying a tin can over the border and ask me for my army. I love it.”

  He claps his hands and stands up. He hasn’t asked me a question, so I keep my mouth shut. Better to let him talk it out before I try to convince him of anything.

  “Do you see this land here?” A huge map of Mexico covers most of the wall behind him. He gestures to the most northern section. “You know this used to belong to your country, but we took it. It was wasted with no one living there, and the precious oil from under the ground all gone. Your country thought it worthless, but we knew better. Why have some land when you can have more?

  “We built schools for the brightest minds in our country. We encouraged them to create, to design, to invent. And they did. So we built factories on this abandoned land to make all these amazing creations. Now, we have the tech that everyone else wants, and your Cardinal doesn’t think this land is worthless anymore.”

  President Tiroso raises a single eyebrow at me, so I nod back, unsure what he’s expecting of me. I knew all thi
s already from Ana and John David. “The Cardinal is shortsighted. He was on this, and he has been on many other issues.”

  “You speak the truth. Sadly, he is also vindictive, though I imagine this is also old news to you. A land grab made almost one hundred years ago stands in the way of a deal for the one piece of technology I don’t have.”

  “The Machine.”

  “Right again.”

  “You realize it isn’t everything the world has been promised.”

  “Is it not? Have you not broken a dozen laws just by your presence here? It seems to have predicted your future accurately.”

  I clench my jaw and remind myself that his words are meaningless. He can only speak so easily because he’s never lived the atrocities of the PIT. He’s never watched a woman with the mental awareness of a child struggle to survive, or a child who was starving spend a lifetime paying for a small loaf of bread. I don’t have to like President Tiroso to accept his help.

  “If the Cardinal was outed, the Machine could be yours. I’d gladly give you the one sitting in the capital right now.”

  “And this is why you need my army?”

  I look to the others and they nod. There’s no more room for secrecy. “There are people outside the Cardinal’s control who are ready to fight back, both within and outside the Territories. But we aren’t enough on our own, and our weapon supplies are limited. Our only chance at success is with your help.”

  President Tiroso sits back down and sets his booted feet up on the edge of the desk. He strokes a hand over his chin and stares at the wall over our heads. “And what would you do if the Cardinal was deposed?”

  I slide the heavy envelope from John David across his desk. “In here are all your answers. Military strategies in conjunction with our village leaders, interim governmental organization, future cooperative projects between our countries. You can read every word, but we can’t wait. As we speak, the Cardinal is out there hunting down and killing the people who would fight against him. If we don’t move quickly, we won’t have anyone left to save.”