“Please, Libby. Just think about giving him what he wants. He’ll honor his word if you make a deal with him.”
I can’t stay quiet any longer. “Milo, I know you want to believe that because of the deal you’ve made with him, but Howe has no intention of letting me live no matter what I say. Even if I gave in and everyone in the world heard me say I wouldn’t try to destroy the Guardians, he wouldn’t let me go home. He’d send me back to my cell, order some Guardian to drug me and slit my throat, and then tell everyone I killed myself out of guilt. He knows I won’t ever give up.”
“He knows more than that,” Milo says, his voice dark and angry.
Dark and angry aren’t that unusual coming from Milo, but the fact that it doesn’t seem to be directed at me makes me ask, “What do you mean?”
“He knows you won’t let innocent people suffer to save yourself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
It takes him a moment to speak. “Braden was captured over an hour ago trying to sneak into the compound.”
My face registers false shock. I do my best to pretend panic. Milo buys it.
“He’s going to use Braden to try and change your mind, Libby.”
“How?” I ask, though I was planning for exactly this situation. I figured Howe would see catching Braden as a chance to force me into doing what he wants. Give in and promise to be good, and I won’t kill your boyfriend. He’ll parade him out in front of the cameras with me, getting me close to Braden just as I had hoped for. Just what I thought he would do. Predictable.
I’m expecting Milo to spell all that out for me with a plea to do as Howe says, but what he says instead is something I never expected.
“He has the Albuquerque Ciphers. They aren’t dead.”
“What?”
“They’re still alive.”
I shake my head at him in disbelief. “No. No, you and Dean checked. You saw Lucas in one of the body bags. They were all dead.”
“We couldn’t get into the cell where the bodies were kept, remember? We didn’t have enough time.” Milo sighs a shakes his head sadly. “We could only check the bodies up next to the bars. And they only had the renegade Ciphers we already knew were dead, no one else. They must have put them there purposely to convince us.”
“Have you actually seen them?”
He nods slowly. The weight of everything he has done, everything he once fought for seems to settle on his shoulders. “This morning. Casey’s friend Caroline was there. So was Sam Vera.”
“Why?” I ask. “Why go through the trouble of pretending they were all dead just to admit they’re still alive, now? Does Howe think that will make people think better of him? Because it won’t.”
“He didn’t do it for his approval rating. He did it purely for you, for today. To pressure you into admitting defeat. Or that was his basic plan until Braden showed up. Now he’s twisted it even further.”
“How?” I demand.
Suddenly, Milo looks very tired. He was so sure of what he was doing the night he stormed into the ballroom with a whole squad of machine gun toting Guardians. I know I’ve rattled some of that away, but I can see how much working with the Guardians has stolen from him, weighed him down until it’s about to crush him. I don’t want to, but I feel sorry for him as I wait for an answer.
“He’s going to give you a choice between the Ciphers’ lives and Braden’s,” Milo finally says. “Admit he’s won, and you can save one of them. Keep fighting, and they’ll all die.”
“He’s been planning this since the rescue.” My disbelief is palpable. That was a year ago. He knew I would break the truce and give him a reason to come after me. He knew my team would keep fighting, and he must be at least a little worried that I’ll win. So he planned ahead. He knew I would give up my own life to save my friends. Who’s the predictable one now? I fell right into his trap.
Chapter 35
The Cost
I can hear Howe’s perfectly composed voice carry through the air as Milo walks me through the halls leading to the Great Lawn. I wonder briefly how long he’s been up at the podium spouting what’s sure to be total nonsense. He no doubt knows nothing he says today will change anyone’s mind. The people who have cast their lots in with mine did it with a diehard belief that they were making the right choice. Most of them came from families of Ciphers, people who’ve been ravaged by Guardian rule, even people who simply have a moral conscience. They are mine just as much as the Ciphers are.
For the other half of the world, they will hate and despise me until their dying breaths. There’s nothing much I can do about them. At least not right now. Maybe if I can survive this day that will change. I can’t think about that right now. I focus on Howe’s voice as Milo tugs me onto the grass. My feet fall in cadence with Howe’s expertly intoned words.
“This isn’t a moment for doubt. For two years, this young woman has done everything she can to unravel our society. She has murdered those who did not give in to her. She has turned people away from what they know is right by promising them power and glory. She has corrupted the truth and fed it one spoonful at a time to the young people of the world naïve enough to listen to her. Given the chance, she will tear down everything we have worked to accomplish over the last two centuries.”
Howe pauses for dramatic effect. The crowd rages with alternating cheers and threats. My people are out there somewhere. Some of them, anyway. Howe seems to soak it all in without letting it really touch him. Coldhearted prick. I almost pull away from Milo in my desire to slap him before remembering I’m supposed to be drugged enough to keep me from having any substantial access to my talents.
“Under Guardian rule,” Howe continues, “there have been no wars in centuries.”
Except the clandestine ones the public doesn’t hear about.
“There have been dramatic drops in crime in even the largest, most violent cities.”
As long as you don’t count the kidnapping and murdering done by the Guardians themselves.
“Guardians are revered and respected like no other government has been in history.”
Now that’s just stupid. People lock their doors at night because they fear Guardians, not petty criminals. A respectable government wouldn’t be holding innocent people hostage and threatening a teenage girl’s life. Howe turns and glares at me furiously as if he has heard every one of my silent comments. For a moment, I almost think he did hear me, until I see the hint of fear pulsing behind his anger. One flick of his wrist and Milo starts dragging me toward him. I don’t have to pretend to be scared.
Howe grabs my left arm and holds it up for the photographers and cameramen to see. “This is the Destroyer! She will take away everything! She has already taken many of your children. She won’t stop there. She won’t stop until every single one of you is kneeling at her feet!”
Well, that’s kind of true.
Lowering his voice to something akin to a soothing tone, Howe stares at the cameras and the gathered horde of people. “I am not the monster this girl has painted me as. All I want is to continue living in peace, protecting this world from people like her.” He sighs dramatically, as if he won this position by crocheting baby blankets for orphans, not by lying and murdering his way into it. “To show that I do not want to see any more blood spilled today than is necessary, I will offer Libitina Sparks one final chance to change her course. One chance to prove her life does not need to be taken today.”
Finally, he drops my arm. The podium he has been standing at is on a stage about ten feet long and eight feet wide. The podium was placed to one side so the rest of the stage would remain clear, giving the cameras and spectators a full view of what is going to happen. Howe walks away from the podium to the center of the open stage. Milo pushes me along behind him.
The cameras can only see Milo. One lone Guardian standing at my side. I’m sure it’s meant to show the world’s population that Howe isn’t scared of me. Maybe they fall for it, but I
can see the hundreds, no thousands, of Guardians standing around me just outside the camera’s scope.
Howe faces me squarely and asks. “Libitina Sparks, before your true destiny as the Destroyer is unlocked, I will ask you one more time to turn aside and let the people of this world live without fear.”
I’m about to tell him to bite me when he holds up a finger to cut me off. My teeth grind together, sparking the faint flicker of a smile to grace his lips. I hate him so much.
“Before you make your decision, I must show you just what your choice will cost you.” Howe waves a hand and the Albuquerque Ciphers start pouring into view.
My body trembles at the sight of them even though I know what to expect. I search their faces, naming each one off in my head and recognizing the glazed look of drugs. No doubt they have been kept incapacitated like this for the past year. Tears build in my eyes at the thought of them losing an entire year of their lives because I thought they were dead and did nothing to rescue them. My grief and guilt only gain a tenuous purchase on my soul, though. Too much of me is simply ecstatic to see their faces again. I can’t believe they’re still alive. They shuffle to a stop in front of the stage.
“These are the Ciphers Libby accused me of killing,” Howe sneers, “yet here they are. Safe and alive. It will be up to Libby to decide whether or not they stay that way. But first …”
He gestures again and I whip my head to the left just as a bruised and rumpled Braden is shoved forward. Being face to face with him, the link between us explodes, weakening my body to the point that I fall to one knee. I have to bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood to keep from crying out in joy, but I let my tears flow freely. Triumph spreads across Howe’s features.
“Even if Libby were to pledge that she will give up her bloody bid for power, how could we ever believe her?” Howe asks. “Her words alone could never convince me of anything. So it must be an action. She wants to play God and decide the fate of this world, well I will give her a small taste of what that kind of power costs.”
Howe turns to me, and I have to force myself to look away from Braden and face his challenge. Milo is still gripping my arm. Fear seeps out of every pore of his body. He’s afraid of what I’ll choose. He was there when I realized Braden had been taken by the Guardians the first time. I nearly broke bones trying to get away from him so I could rescue Braden. There wasn’t another thought in my mind aside from saving the man I loved. He and Lance tied me to a chair in order to stop me from running off like a crazed maniac. He’s afraid I’ll choose Braden over eighty-one Ciphers. It hurts to know he thinks that.
I watch Howe as his eyes travel down to the watch on his wrist. He glances back up and meets my gaze. “Libitina Sparks, you have five minutes to decide. Continue your campaign and condemn your lover and the Ciphers, or choose for yourself which one you will save. Give me your promise to cease the devastation you have started by giving up either Braden or the Ciphers.”
My eyes pass from Braden to the Ciphers. “Why?” I ask through the tears I can no longer control. “What will that prove?”
“It will prove that you understand the cost of destruction. Instead of watching blood be spilled all over the world because of your desire to conquer, you can pay for all the lives you have already ruined by giving up something dear and precious to you. Absolution for the crimes you have already committed. Choose, Libby. Vengeance or repentance.”
At Howe’s last word, Guardians spill onto the grass. Three surrounding Braden, and a full fifty for the doped up Ciphers. No messing around with pride and talents this time. Like at the ballroom, they are all carrying fully automatic weapons. And they are trained on the heads of the captives. The Ciphers are too out of it to really notice, but Braden flinches at the sound of rounds being chambered.
“Stop!” I cry out in pure panic.
“Two minutes left, Libby. Make your choice,” Howe commands.
“You’ll kill them all regardless of what I choose.”
His bold face lie is plain in his vicious expression. “No, I won’t. You and whoever is left will be free to leave. You, under close supervision, of course.”
“I’m not trying to hurt anyone,” I argue to both Howe and everyone watching. “I’m just trying to fix things. This world is so screwed up because of what the Guardians have done. I just want to set things right!”
Howe’s hand casually moves to obscure the microphone clipped to his tie, and he says so only I can hear, “There is no right and wrong, Libby. There’s only power, and right now, I have it.” His hand moves again and he looks over at the cameras. “Thirty seconds to choose, Libby. Do it now, because after one-fifteen the choice will have been made for you, and every one of these people will die. Choose. Now.”
Eyes on his watch, Howe starts to signal the gunmen to claim their prize.
“Wait!” I scream. Tears pour down my face. I make my choice out of desperation. “I’ll do it! I’ll choose. Just let me do it myself. Let me be the one to do it. I won’t watch another person I love be killed by a Guardian.”
Now it’s Howe’s turn to pause. He clearly wasn’t expecting me to ask that. His shoulders bunch, his hands twitch, and I’m sure he’s about to give the order to kill them all.
Lurching forward, I seize his shirt. He notices right away that one of my hands has grabbed the microphone and is holding it out so it will catch my voice.
“Please, Howe,” I beg. “I can’t let all those Ciphers die. I’ll choose Braden to die, but I don’t want to live without him. I’ll let you kill me. I won’t put up a fight. If Braden dies, there won’t be anything left for me.”
Distaste oozes through his features at the thought of giving me this one small favor, but he knows victory is almost at hand and he can’t resist. His curt nod is seen all over the world.
My hands fall from his shirt and shy away from the blade he is drawing from his forearm sheath. Howe won’t disdain himself to step off the stage, so he motions for one of the Guardians standing by Braden to come to him. He hands him his blade and motions to me. It takes a whispered reminder about me being drugged to make the Guardian move toward me. My arms are yanked behind my back, shoving me forward with such zeal that I almost stumble off the stage. It’s only a momentary imbalance, though, because as soon as my feet are under me I have to force myself not to break free and fling my arms around Braden’s neck.
The fifteen feet I have to cross to get to Braden seems to take an eternity, but finally, I am jerked to a stop right in front of him. It takes a focused effort for the Guardian to force himself to let go of me. He looks positively nauseous at the thought of handing me the simple Guardian blade.
“Don’t try anything,” he snarls as he holds the weapon out to me, blade first.
My hand trembles as I reach for it. You’re never supposed to hand a knife to someone blade first because they could cut themselves. But this Guardian is too scared of me grabbing the handle and shoving it into his flesh to risk it. My fingers close around the blade, the edges biting into my fingers. The Guardian holds the blade’s handle a moment longer, clearly terrified of me, before dropping his hand away. He doesn’t, however, take a step back. He watches as I pull the blade out of my fist slowly, simultaneously digging deeper and wiping my blood from the cold steel. My fist stays closed to keep the blood from streaming out.
I feel the Guardians’ eyes on me. I feel the entire world’s eyes on me like I have for the past two years, but so much more focused than ever before. One of the Guardians twitches, his hand fingering his own blade. The reality of what I am about to do draws tears from my eyes. The whole world watches as I face the consequences of my decision.
Curling my fingers, I grip the blade tightly. My hand trembles as I move the blade toward Braden’s neck.
Braden trusts me with his life. Literally. But he flinches when the chilled steel touches his skin. My injured hand rests on his neck right next to the blade.
“I love you,” he say
s.
There is no doubt in his eyes, or in his heart. I can feel his soul-deep belief in me. I can’t even express how much I love him for that. My tears double, streaming uncontrolled down my face.
All I can say is, “I love you, too.”
And then I draw the blade across his flesh and watch the blood slither down his neck.
Chapter 36
One More Secret
Braden lays completely motionless as I am drug away from him, weak and trembling. Their rough handling is meant to show their power, but I can’t fight them. Drained, I can barely stand up on my own after what I just did. Tears roll down my cheeks unhindered. Exhaustion and hatred simmer in my veins. The blood still coating my hands sets my body to shaking.
I am hauled back up onto the stage to the waiting Howe. Sneering at my tortured body and spirit, Howe practically glows with imminent victory. I try to lift my gaze enough to face him, but I catch sight of Milo instead. It absolutely shocks me to see tears on his face. His eyes are riveted to the blood smeared all over my hands and body. He felt the agony I just went through. I know he doesn’t understand it, but it ransacked him all the same. In his eyes, I can finally see understanding of the pure wrongness of the choices he has made. Howe pays Milo no mind when he slumps to the ground. That is the last I see of him, because the Guardian holding me yanks me up to standing and holds me until I find my footing and my Strength.
Slowly, I look up at Howe and meet his revolting smile.
“The price for letting you end the life of your lover was to give up yours in return,” Howe says, still smiling. He glances down at his watch. Every TV station in the world has an identical countdown playing on their screens. Howe turns his wrist so I can see the second-hand ticking down the time I have left.
Ten. Nine.
“As soon as your diktats flare, I will claim your life …” He pauses to accept his blade from the Guardian. It has been wiped clean of Braden’s blood, just in time to spill mine.
Darkening Chaos: Book Three of The Destroyer Trilogy Page 33