Now I understood why Seth hadn't liked the idea of the city. His parents… my parents had met a horrible end there. A sadness crept over me, making it hard to breath. Had Seth seen them die?
Brent got right in Seth's face, but Seth didn't flinch or move a muscle. “She was living in luxury up on one of those floating cities, pretending she had no idea you existed. Easy to forget who your family is when your safe and protected isn't it?”
“You don't know anything about the floating cities,” I snarled at him.
“And you,” he pointed at Ebony who cowered into Maya. “You would've encouraged this. I knew you were trouble the moment Seth brought you in, trying to undermine his training, make him doubt his faith and loyalty to me.”
“It wasn't her choice,” Seth pulled Brent's attention back to him. “I wanted to find out more about her. I was curious.”
“Curious? Have I not told you, you can't trust them, all they want to do is corrupt your mind, turn you away from your God, from your prophet?”
“I…” Seth appeared defeated. “I'm sorry, Prophet. I should've returned to camp immediately.”
“Seth no! Tell him, tell him we don't need him anymore. Tell him you want to leave the camp!” cried Ebony, a newfound anger burning inside of her.
“I'll come back to the Freedom Camp,” said Seth. “But under one condition.”
Brent appeared offended at his words. “Condition?”
“Let them go,” Seth continued. “Let Ebony go with them and I'll come back to the camp and continue serving you.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“No, Seth. You can't!” called Ebony struggling against Maya.
Vanessa trained her gun on them.
“Seth,” I didn't mean for his name to fall from my lips. But his eyes found mine and he mouthed a silent, “I'm sorry.” I slid my hand free from Fletcher's and stepped towards him.
He was trying to save us. Trying to keep us safe from the man who'd manipulated and controlled him since he was nine.
“Do you know what your brother has done?” Brent asked me, walking closer. “He's done terrible things, things that'd give you nightmares. Murder, torture, and he did it all for me. For his prophet.” Seth hung his head, staring at the sand. “Do you want to have someone who is capable of such awful things with you? Someone you can't trust, who could hurt your friends because I asked him to?”
Brent's words rang in my ears as though he could see deep into my darkest fears. He was right, it was what I feared most. If Seth hurt or killed my friends it would be my fault because I'd let him get close to them. But he was wrong, and I knew it the moment Seth sacrificed himself to let us go freely, to allow us to live and finish what we've set out to do.
“You're wrong,” I said stepping past Vanessa's gun and towards Brent. “That might be the Seth you know, but it's not the Seth I know. Not the real Seth. The real Seth would do anything to protect his friends, his family.”
Brent stepped closer towards me, his hot breath on my face and a menacing glint in his eyes. “You think you've changed him, do you? Made him a better person? Tell me Aurora, what were you doing on your floating city while your brother struggled to survive? What were you doing when your father was tortured while his wife and child watched on? What were you doing when your mother was begging for her life only for her throat to be…?”
“Stop!” Seth was uneasy on his feet. “I told you I'd return to the camp. Let them go.”
The menacing look in Brent's eyes spread to his lips as he stepped away from me. “Kill her!”
Vanessa advanced on me, cocking back her gun.
“No!” yelled Ebony. “You've told so many lies and manipulated so many people you're sick and twisted mind began believing your own deceptions. You were a scared and lonely man who feared losing his wife because she wanted someone more impressive. You created this story, this persona of the prophet to keep her, to convince people you were more special than you were. More important than you deserved to be.”
“You don't speak of my wife!”
“No? Why not Brent? Because she's as much of a murderer as any of your disciples. Or haven't you told Vanessa and Sean the truth about her death? What she did to Tyler and Alice's parents.” Ebony's confidence was growing with every word, all of her anger giving her the courage to speak the words she'd been holding onto.
“You know nothing of what my wife did. They were the lies of a desperate boy.”
“They weren't lies.” Her lip curled as she stared him down. “Lula ordered her own people to make sure Tyler and Alice's mother didn't come back from the raid. That's right, not their father their mother. Because Lula believed you were in love with her.”
“Preposterous, I haven't loved any woman except Lula!”
“Lula didn't believe that, nor did most of the Freedom Camp. We saw the way you looked at her. But the person who was supposed to kill her got it wrong, I'm not sure how but they ended up killing Tyler and Alice's father instead. Didn't they Sean?” Ebony turned to Sean who looked as though he might run at her.
“How dare you,” he growled.
“You told me once. After too many cups of moonshine. It's haunted you for years what you did to your fellow disciple.”
“Sean is it true?” asked Vanessa.
“She told me it was the prophet's will,” he struggled between anger and sadness.
“But when the job wasn't done right she took matters into her own hands. She murdered Tyler and Alice's mum and made it look like a suicide. A way to get the daughter she'd wanted but her impotent husband couldn't give her. You think he's going too far now Lula is dead, but he was always insane. We were just too stupid and vulnerable to see it.”
“Kill her!” bellowed Brent, spittle flying form his mouth.
Vanessa raised her weapon but didn't fire.
“Kill me and you're making the same mistake Sean did,” Ebony said. “You told Seth yourself. He's more dangerous than he's ever been. Is it really acceptable to kill someone because they spoke their mind?”
“Give that to me!” Brent barrelled over ripping the gun from Vanessa's hands. Vanessa shrunk back in fear. “Sometimes a prophet has to do his own dirty work and cleanse the world of those who rebel and spread fear and hate.”
The boom echoed through my ears, reverberating through my body. There were screams, and sobbing and Seth pushed past Brent, crouching down to cradle Ebony in his arms.
“Drop the gun,” Sean's voice wobbled as he stepped towards Brent his gun poised at his chest.
“You insubordinate little,” Brent aimed Vanessa's weapon towards her and pressed the trigger.
I flinched, but no sound came out. He pressed and pressed, desperation in his eyes as he dropped the gun and held up his hands. “Vanessa, my daughter. This is all a big mistake. Let's go back to the camp and everything will be fine.”
“I believed in you. Trusted you.” Tears welled in Vanessa's eyes.
“You can trust me daughter. I love you and therefore god loves you.”
Another loud bang rang through the air and Vanessa's eyes widened in shock. Brent fell to his knees his gaze landing on Sean who still pointed his warm gun in Brent's direction.
“May God's wrath strike you down,” snarled Brent as he fell to his side on the sand.
Running to Seth I crouched down looking over Ebony's bloodied stomach.
He turned and looked me in the eyes. Tears streaming over his cheeks and confusion and fear clouding his vision making his voice wobble as he spoke. “We have to save her, please Aurora, save her.”
Looking into Ebony's glassy eyes there was nothing I could do. Blood soaked through her shirt and into the sand beneath her. Her eyes losing their lustre and her skin pale.
I stroked at her hair, her eyes finding mine and a tear rolling over her cheek. “Look after him.” Her voice was raspy and I leant down closer to hear her.
“No matter what happens I promise I'll look after him. Thank you, Ebony. Thank
you for showing me who he really is.”
A smile settled on her lips and Seth moved closer, pushing past me to be closer to her. “Can you leave us? Give us a moment?” he asked, the realisation he was losing her etching into his face.
I squeezed his shoulder before I stood backing away from her into the arms of Fletcher who wrapped me tight. I sobbed hard into his chest, my tears soaking his singlet until I'd let the muddle of grief and shock release enough to regain my composure.
Brent still lay on the sand, his own blood being lapped at by the ocean. Vanessa sobbed into Sean's chest a short way away, Sean watching as their prophet died a lonely death. Letting go of Fletcher I strode towards where Brent lay, crouching over his body as he struggled to draw in a breath.
“You,” he wheezed before being wracked by a deep cough shaking his body.
“Why couldn't you just let us go?” I asked.
I'm not sure what I'd expected from a sad dying man. A revelation? A confession? An apology? Instead, a slew of profanities and comments about me and the floating cities slid from his now bloodied mouth. I rose to full height and walked away towards Vanessa and Sean.
“What will you do?” I asked as I reached them.
Vanessa turned from Sean's chest and he straightened his spine. “We'll take his body back to the Freedom Camp. We'll let them know their prophet was murdered by some city folk, and we'll work out how to keep them safe without him.”
“It's a long way to travel with a body,” said Braven as he arrived beside me.
“We have transport not far from here,” confessed Vanessa.
“And Brent would've arrived the same way. You're welcome to take one,” Sean offered.
“Thank you. But we've come this far without one,” I said.
“Tell Seth if he decides to return to the Freedom Camp we'll welcome him with open arms and that we're sorry for his loss,” said Sean.
I nodded, unsure what to say. Without another word, I turned to walk back to my friends.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Blood seeped into the white froth of the waves as they ran over the sandy shore, erasing the events from earlier in the day. Vanessa and Sean had asked for forgiveness before they carried Brent's lifeless body away. I couldn't bring myself to give it to them.
Braven and Fletcher had helped Seth dig a shallow grave among the trees and shrubs and asked to be alone with her as he buried the one person who'd always been there for him. I tried to imagine what he must be going through, but the only comparison would be if I were to lose Fletcher, and I couldn't begin to fathom what it would do to me.
We all gave him his time, sitting along the side of the sand hill in the shade of the trees, a cool wind wiping loose hairs around my face as the last of the blood disappeared into the salty waves. I gripped the pendant resting on my chest, willing the tears welling in my eyes once again to go away.
Sensing me tense by his side Fletcher moved a little closer, wrapping his arm around my waist and I lay my head on his shoulder, a lone tear escaping and running over my cheek.
Seth's heavy steps caught my attention through the trees and I jumped up startling Fletcher, despite not knowing what to say. I stepped towards him, his eyes red and swollen. Who would Seth be without Ebony? He stepped closer, the sadness in his eyes breaking my heart and without a thought, I wrapped him in my arms letting him lean into my shoulder and held him tight as he cried until he had nothing left.
He pulled back, taking a few deep breaths to still himself. “Thank you.”
“We're all here for you Seth. No matter what,” I replied.
“You should go say something. If it wasn't for her…”
“You would've shot me on the mountain,” I replied, swallowing back my own sadness. If it wasn't for Ebony Seth and I wouldn't have given each other a chance.
“You're all I've got left now,” he said.
“No, I'm not. You're one of us now, and Ebony is too. She always will be,” I replied.
He let out a heavy breath before stepping past me towards the hill where the others sat.
“You okay?” Fletcher appeared beside me gripping my hand.
“I will be. Seth, I'm not too sure about.”
“We'll keep an eye on him,” Fletcher assured me.
“Can you give me a minute? I want to go pay my respects,” I added.
“You sure you don't want me to come?” he asked.
“I think I should do this on my own,” I replied.
He leant forward and kissed me on the forehead before I released his hand and made my way to where Ebony's grave was marked with small white flowers Maya had found among the vegetation. Kneeling down I pressed my hand to the cool fresh earth, the other on my pendant.
“I didn't know you for long, but you brought more to me than you could ever know. Despite everything you've seen and been through, you wore your heart on your sleeve and managed to tame the heart of someone who may be lost had he not found you? You would've followed us till the very end, and I'm proud of you for standing up to the man you feared most. But you don't need to fight anymore, it's time to rest and I promise to look after Seth. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance to know my brother.”
Rising to my feet I gripped my pendant tight and drew in a deep breath. “I'll make sure your death wasn't in vain.”
Making my way back through the trees I relaxed more with each step towards my friends. Seth sat beside Maya who lay her head on his shoulder and Fletcher stood to meet me.
“I think it's time we got going. If you're ready Seth,” I said disturbing the quiet.
“I'll never be ready to leave her behind. But she'd want us to keep going, to finish this,” he replied.
We packed the remainder of our things in silence and slung our backpacks over our shoulders, the suns light disappearing behind us.
“Roll out,” said Braven solemnly and we followed him and Vega through the trees.
I stepped up beside Seth without a word, knowing there wasn't anything I could say to make him feel better.
“Do you know what she said?” he asked, quiet enough the others couldn't hear.
“Ebony?”
He nodded. “She made me promise something. A promise I intend to keep.”
“What was it?” I asked.
“She made me promise I'd be the man she believed I could be. And to believe in you.”
“In me?”
“She said you and I need each other.”
For the first time, I didn't hate how she was right. I did need him. My brother. As much as I needed Fletcher and the others. For all we knew our journey to Elysium might be a voyage to our deaths. But with my friends by my side, there was at least a glimmer of hope we could do the impossible.
THE END
About the Author
L J Higgins writes fiction with an intriguing twist. Stories that remind you to open your eyes, minds and hearts. Hailing from Queensland, Australia, she is a wife, and stay at home mother of two young children.
Always intrigued by dystopian worlds, the advances in technology, and what those might mean for the future of the human race, L J Higgins enjoys creating stories that explore these ideas. She is also passionate about helping teens through some of the battles they face as they go through high school, and writes stories to empower them while showing them how their choices can affect the lives of themselves and others.
Visit her online at www.ljhiggins.com
Or find her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Acknowledgements
I am incredibly fortunate to have an amazing support network both personally and as an author. If it wasn't for all of these people encouraging me, teaching me, and listening to my ideas and thoughts it wouldn't have been possible for me to write the books I have.
Michelle Bryan, thank you for always being there to help fuel my fascination and intrigue with all things conspiracy. Whether its aliens, the end of the world or mind control, I know you will be in
terested in hearing about any article or documentary I find.
To my BB's, as always your friendship and openness to share your thoughts, opinions and knowledge are what get me through every book I write and enables me to grow as a writer.
A big thank you to Miika and the team at Creativia for the time and effort they put into my words. The covers you've created for the Secrets of Aurora series are more amazing than I could've imagined and I look forward to publishing many more books with you.
To my family and friends, thank you for your undying support and encouragement. Thank you for always loving me for who I am and inspiring me to continue chasing and achieving my dreams.
As always I have to give a huge shout out to my husband and two children. Without them, I wouldn't be doing what I love every day and I appreciate the time and space they give me so I can write.
Thank you to every one of you who have read my books, left a review, followed me and commented on social media or have signed up for my reader's group. All of these things drive me to keep writing even on the days I haven't got an ounce of inspiration and I can't tell you how grateful I am.
Books by L J Higgins
The Dreamer Trilogy:
Dawn of the Dreamer
Fall of the Dreamer
Rise of the Dreamer
On Delicate Wings
Secrets of Aurora series:
Utopia
Eden
Arcadia
Dawn of the Dreamer - Dreamer Trilogy #1
In 2023, MultiMind Corporation releases the Wristcuff, giving its wearers pleasant dreams and improved health… At least this is what Earth's population is led to believe.
For the Dreamers, this technology fails to work, and they're shunned because of their inability to adapt and evolve like the rest of the human race.
Amelia is a Dreamer. When she meets someone who helps her see through the veil of MMC's lies and secrets, her world is shaken to its core. Amelia has to decide whether to fight for the freedom to dream, or take the 'next step in evolution' with the rest of society.
Arcadia Page 18