by Unknown
Gabe wrenches himself free of Lee’s grasp and rubs the back of his neck. “Don’t you touch me again.”
Overhead, I spot the raven, and I wonder how long it’s been milling about. I hope it doesn’t come down to try and perch on me, though it’s never tried before. The raven would probably give away my identity, and I can’t afford to have that come out now. I also can’t afford Gabe getting into a fight, so I reach out and wrap a hand around his wrist to calm him.
“It’s sad.” I look to Lee. “And I am sorry that your people have to suffer.”
“What is sad, Seer Beth, is that these people, my people, have been shut out for generations. They’ve struggled to survive for years, and sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. We could all survive if either Aura or the City would offer their help to us. But they don’t. And why?” Lee asks the question, but he doesn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he answers for himself. “Because we have been branded as outlaws, unfit for assistance. We are the people who didn’t want to conform, or the people who didn’t make it to the City in time to be taken into safety. To help rebuild. And now we are out here, fending for ourselves while you Seers and Dreamcatchers get to bask in your splendor.”
Gabe laughs. “You think we ‘bask in splendor?’” He laughs some more and nudges me in the arm. “The Institution is anything but splendorous, I assure you. The City has its own issues, especially now after the invasion. We might look like we ‘bask in splendor’ from the outside, but trust me … it is anything but.”
I note the disgruntled tone of Gabe’s reply. Why shouldn’t he be disgruntled, though? After what the Keeper has done to him? After she chased him away from me for months and months. After he’s watched his friends die. Why shouldn’t he be bitter?
My hand drops from his wrist. I don’t want these two to get into a fight, so I walk away from them and over to one of the graves marked with a stone. They both follow after me, as neither of them probably want me to get too far away. Squatting down, I peer at the inscription on the rock, which has been etched with a careful hand in letters with straight, perfect lines. It’s a name: Isabelle. And that is it. Just a name on a rock. A name that will fade away as it weathers and Isabelle will be no more. I run my finger across the lettering and then stand once more. “Is this visit over?”
“Yes, I think you get the point.” Lee speaks to me, though, his comment not extended to Gabe and his understanding of why we’ve been brought here. “Let’s get you back to your tent. This has been enough for one day.”
The raven screeches overhead and circles over a particular area of the camp over and over again. I watch it as we start our walk back, somewhat in the direction of where the raven flies. As we are returning, we take a path we’ve not been down before, one lined with stalls that sell hand-made goods like clothing, baskets, and pottery. Lee walks ahead of us and every now and then he looks back to make sure we are following close behind. Mostly, though, he’s not paying us any mind, which comes in handy when Gabe jabs his elbow into my arm and nods to the left.
I look that way, spotting a long tent, the flaps blowing to and fro in the wind. I can catch glimpses of what is inside, and can count about two dozen, dusty speeders. There are some that have been stationed outside as well, but a group of men are moving them inside as the wind picks up and the dirt and sand is blown up off the ground.
“Seems like a storm is coming in.” Lee rounds a corner, missing the look that Gabe and I exchange. We’ve found where the speeders are kept, and it looks like they are normally put out in the open and are being brought in because of the storm. This might work if we can move quickly, and if there’s no one in the tent watching the things.
It doesn’t take long for us to get back to our tent, and it’s just as well, since dark clouds roll in over us, sucking the light out of the sky. Canvas whips and cracks as the wind moves through the camps, disturbing the tents. Lee pulls back the flap of our tent and waits for us to head inside. “It’s going to be a bad one, and they don’t pass by quickly. I’ll make sure your tent is secured to the ground so you don’t end up blowing away. Desert storms aren’t pretty things like you are.” Lee winks at me and lets the flap fall, leaving Gabe and me alone.
The wind howls louder, and somewhere far away thunder grumbles, vibrating through the ground. It won’t be long until the storm is upon us.
“We need to do this now,” I say quietly, using the cover of the wind and thunder to mask my voice from the guards outside. Gabe comes closer to me so we can talk about it without having to yell at each other and compromise the plan.
“I think that’s a good idea. I don’t know how bad these storms really are, but I can’t hear a thing going on outside, and I doubt the guards are going to stick it out. They’ve probably gone back to their own tents.” Gabe looks toward the door, and there is nothing to be seen where the lingering shadows of the guards usually are. “I think they’ve gone already.”
“But how are we going to get into Lee’s tent?”
“That should be easy enough.” Gabe’s eyes find mine. “He’s got something for you. Why don’t you use it to your advantage?”
I stare at Gabe. Hard. “Are you kidding me?”
“I wish I could kid about these things, Bea, but we have to do what we have to do or we’re always going to be some sideshow to these people, and we’ll never get back home.” Gabe reaches out and grabs my arms in his hands, shaking me lightly to get his point across. “You have to do this.”
“But … ”
“No. No ‘but.’ You have to get that plant tonight, and we have to get out of here while we still can.” Lightning flashes through the darkness, and I wonder how it can still be day outside when it looks like night. A crash of thunder soon follows. The storm is right overhead of us. “Go to him. Remember that you are doing it so we can get back home.”
I am doing it for Echo, so he doesn’t die.
I nod my head. “Okay. I … I will try. And I will meet you … where?”
“At the speeder tent. There shouldn’t be anyone there, and I can hide out for a little while.” Gabe lets his hands fall from my arms, but his gaze never leaves mine.
“And if I can’t do it?” I stare back at him, hoping that the fear I have for this plan doesn’t read in my gaze.
Gabe smiles and leans in to kiss my cheek. “You’ll be able to do it,” he whispers and pulls away. “I will wait for a half hour. If you don’t come by then, I’ll come back to the tent.”
A half hour. I have a half hour to go to Lee’s tent and somehow get my hands on the plant without him knowing. Then there’s the getting out of the tent part. I have no idea how any of this is going to work, but if we don’t take advantage of the storm while we can, we might never get out of here, just like Gabe said.
Gabe walks over to the tent flaps and carefully peeks out of them. Looking back at me, he says in words I can barely hear, “You can do this, Bea.” And then, he slips out and is gone.
I can do this.
Chapter 17
Lee’s tent isn’t far away, but I feel as if I will never make it as I walk into the wind with my hand up over my eyes. My skirt violently blows around me, whipping in ripples with each gust. By the time I make it to Lee’s tent, I’m exhausted, but I have to pull through because Gabe is waiting out there for me, and I can’t fail. It’s not an option.
Without an invite, I yank open the tent flap and step into the safety of the tent. Lee is laying on the ground on what seems to be a rug made from the hide of some sort of fuzzy animal. He looks up at me in surprise, and his mouth moves, but no words come out at first. Finally, he finds what he wants to say. “What are you doing here?”
“Gabe fell asleep, and I wanted some company.” Gooseflesh forms on my arms. Already this is uncomfortable, and I have to question Gabe’s logic in subjecting myself to this man.
Of course, the answer only serves to boost Lee’s already inflated ego, and he grins widely, motioning for me to join
him on the rug. As I walk over, I take note of the things in his tent, trying to figure out where he’d put the plant if he had it. His space isn’t as cluttered as Moses’ tent, which is filled with knickknacks from all around the place. Instead, Lee’s tent is sparse, with a few old trunks that look like they’ve seen a hundred years, a small cot, and a dresser to keep his clothes. None of these things are fancy or ornate like Moses’ trinkets. They are simple and necessary.
“Well, I wouldn’t turn down a visit from such a lovely thing. Though, I do wonder how you escaped your tent.” Lee smiles at me in a way that makes my stomach wrinkle. The storm becomes more active outside, and flashes of lightning illuminate the tent and then leave us in partial darkness once more.
I look up, indicating the current conditions, as if I could see through the canvas tent. “I don’t think they wanted to stay out in this weather, to be honest.” I sit down on the fur rug, distancing myself from Lee. Still, I don’t feel safe. I could put a million oceans between us and I still wouldn’t be comfortable.
“It’s just a little storm. I pay them to do a job, and they run off at the first crack of thunder.” Lee pours himself something to drink, and the sweet scent of wine drifts my way. “Would you care for some? We don’t have much of it around here, but every now and then I like to treat myself to something special.” His gaze roams over me when he says this. It feels like thousands of ants are crawling all over my skin, and I quickly break eye contact.
If I am going to do this, though, I need to do it right.
“Yeah, sure.” I won’t drink much. I need my wits about me, and I’ve never even had wine before. They don’t allow drinking at the Institution. Alcohol is strictly forbidden, so I don’t know how much it would take for me to lose control of my faculties. I will be careful.
He pours me a glass and hands it over to me. I cup it in my hands and bring it to my lips to taste. It’s a little dry, but there’s a touch of raspberry or some sort of fruit that makes it pleasant.
“So what is between you and your Seer friend anyway?” Lee leans back on his palms, relaxed and at ease. The complete opposite of myself.
I play dumb. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.” He doesn’t fall for it.
Shrugging my shoulders, I sip at the wine again before deciding to answer. “It’s complicated, and I’d rather not get into it.”
“Well, you are in my tent now, and I want an answer.” There’s no room in his tone to argue. He is right. I am in his tent, and if I am going to find that plant, I need to play by his rules.
His rules. “I don’t know. We aren’t allowed to have relationships at the Institution, so whatever we have, I need to move past it before we get us both in trouble.” Think, Beatrice. Think. “I guess that is why I am here.”
This sparks Lee’s attention. “For me?”
I drink a little more wine to make this easier. What was I thinking when I agreed to this plan? What was Gabe thinking to want to put me in this position?
“Yes, for you.”
Lee sits up and crawls forward on his hands and knees, making his way over to me. The belt around his waist is laden with weapons—a knife on one side and a pistol on the other. Even when he is relaxing and alone in his tent he is prepared. Perhaps Gabe and I should have been more careful when we set up our camp. Then I wouldn’t be in this position.
He leers at me with a lazy grin, and when he gets close enough, he cups my cheek in his palm and stares into my eyes. The thousands of ants that I feel crawling on my skin turn into millions. “You have beautiful eyes, do you know that?”
“They are the same as everyone else’s eyes at the Institution. I guess I never paid them much mind.” I force myself to look into his eyes after saying this. I need to play the part. I need to get to that plant. I need to save Echo.
How much time has passed by, I wonder? Has it been a half hour? Has Gabe given up on me? I think of everything else besides the man who is now kneeling in front of me, hovering. He is much bigger than I am, and though I am trained in combat, I question if I am able to take him down if I need to.
“You are … gorgeous.” His hand leaves my face and he runs his fingers through my hair instead. I shudder and though it gives the impression that I enjoy the touch, really I shudder in revulsion. I don’t want him touching me.
Before I can register what is happening, Lee pushes me down on the ground, pinning me to the floor by my shoulders. His mouth pushes over mine, and I try to turn my head to get him away from me, but he holds my face in place with one of his hands, kissing me.
I can’t breathe. This isn’t going the way it is supposed to go. He’s on top of me and over me, and I am trapped. I claw at his arms with my fingernails, but it does nothing. I gasp for air when he pulls away from my face to kiss my neck instead. Just as soon as I open my mouth to scream, his large hand presses over my lips and my scream is muffled and goes unheard. It seems like he’s done this before, and I wouldn’t put it past him that he has.
I kick with my legs, but Lee goes nowhere. He is a force that is unmovable, and I scold myself for putting me in this situation. I have no one else to blame, and I only have myself to get me out of this.
His knee pushes between my legs in an effort to part them, and that is when it becomes too real. And then I remember.
His knife.
As he continues to kiss at my neck and down to my shoulder, I pull his knife free from its sheath and quickly stab him in the side, digging the blade deep within his skin.
This stops him.
He pulls away from me almost immediately and puts a hand to the gaping wound as blood pours out of it, soaking into his shirt and turning it a beautiful shade of red.
He stares at me in disbelief. “You … you … ”
“ … will never put myself in this situation again.” I hiss and stab him one more time, this time in his gut, and he falls over onto his side, blood pouring out of his mouth.
It’s a quiet death. His eyes remain open, but they don’t see anymore. The blood pools around his body, and the furs become matted, no longer luxurious.
I need to keep moving. Now is my time.
I scramble off the ground and stumble to my feet. Blood has soaked through my green tank top, and it sticks to my skin. There aren’t many places to look, so this should be easy enough now that Lee is out of my way. I start for the trunks first.
Pulling open the lid of the first one, I push around the items inside, but I find nothing of importance, nothing that looks like the plant we were searching for.
Quickly, I move to the other trunk and open it. Sitting on top of everything else inside, is a towel with a leaf sticking out of the side. A purple leaf.
I’ve found it.
Despite the fact that there’s a dead man on the ground behind me, I smile and clutch the plant to my chest, as if it were something as precious as a child. This is what will save Echo and his people. Our people.
Now, to get to Gabe.
Chapter 18
I burst through the tent and into the storm. Sand and dirt blows everywhere, and I shield my eyes to protect them. With swirls of gravel and dust blowing in tiny funnels that whip across the camp, it’s hard to see which direction I should go in, and so I trust my instinct and just start running.
I sling a leather messenger bag around my shoulder, one that I stole from Lee’s tent. Inside, I’ve buried the plant deep down to keep it safe. I am the messenger of life, bringing the cure to Aura to save Echo from death. I feel like nothing can stop me as I dart ahead, losing myself in the chaos around me. There is no one else around, as everyone probably retreated into their tents to avoid the stinging wind that scrapes my skin. I can feel tiny pebbles embedding themselves into my arms, but I can’t stop running. I need to keep moving.
I need to get to Gabe.
As I round a corner, I can just barely make out the shadow of the long tent where we previously saw the speeders. I don’t know how much time
has passed by, or if Gabe is even waiting for me still, but I push myself forward, sprinting the last few yards. But just as I get to the entrance of the tent, I hear the knoll of a bell ring out through the thunder and the howling wind. It tolls heavily and ominously, adding to the eerie nature of the storm.
A warning bell.
They are onto us.
I duck into the tent and pull the flaps shut, tying the ropes down to keep the tent from blowing back open. Squinting through the darkness, I am breathless and panicked, and the bell echoes through my head. I can hardly think straight, and just when I hesitate, I hear Gabe calling for me through the darkness.
“Beatrice? Over here! Hurry!”
I trip into something heavy and metal and stub my toes. “Damn it!” I curse and stumble over in the direction of Gabe’s voice. Eventually, his hands grab at my waist and he pulls me close to him, embracing me in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“There was a bit of an accident.” I breathe the words heavily, trying to catch my breath.
“An accident?” Gabe holds me back at arm’s length, and I can barely decipher his face in the darkness.
“I killed Lee.”
“What?”
The bell continues to ring. Outside, thunder crashes and the ground shakes under us. “We have to go. I’ll explain later, but we have to go now.”
Gabe doesn’t ask any more questions. He lifts me up and puts me on the nearby speeder, then hands me an assault rifle. “Keep this close. It’s loaded and ready.”
At first, I’m surprised that we should need to arm ourselves. Then I realize how stupid it is to think that we needn’t arm ourselves. They will find us soon. And I’m sure they will have their own guns locked and loaded, too. I hike the gun into my arms and Gabe climbs onto the speeder in front of me. He looks over his shoulder, and I catch the glint of his violet eyes.