Isaura (Aberrant)

by Silver, Ruth

  Hang on, Josh. We're on our way.

  CHAPTER 3

  I wasted no time, my foot hard on the gas. Talk to me, I insisted, needing him to give me any details he could. I needed to know he was alive. That he was still breathing. I couldn't let anything happen to him.

  We're still driving. He sounded scared. Concerned. I couldn't blame him. I was glad our telepathic bond had stretched farther than it had been capable of before. I didn't care the reason, whether it was fear, love, or strength in training that had done it. I needed to find Joshua.

  Can you see anything? Hear anything you recognize? I asked him. He was in the trunk but I hoped there was a crack somewhere or a way to escape.

  My hands are tied and no, I don't see or hear anything, but the hum of the engine and the bumps from the road. I could hear the stress in his voice. I tried to focus as I drove the car north towards Haven. Joshua had been the one good with a map. I glanced in the rearview at Rane. “Do you remember how you got here from Haven?” I hadn't asked her much about her escape.

  Rane sighed. “I was walking for a few days. Then someone picked me up.”

  Gavin frowned, this was news to him. “Who picked you up?”

  “I don't know. I've assumed he was from your town of Torv. He did bring me back with him.” She stated the obvious. “It's not like I saw him again, though. He dropped me off with the high council. That was it.”

  “Were there any other survivors?” I asked, glancing around me, looking for tire tracks, evidence someone had taken this old dirt road earlier.

  “I didn't see anyone,” Rane admitted. “How do you know we're going the right way?” she quipped.

  “I just do.” It made sense. It was the only town where he could go without being recognized, because it had been destroyed. It was uninhabitable as far as everyone was concerned. Craynor needed a place where he could hide: he'd take Joshua to Haven. Josh can you make the car break down? If he stalled on the open road, would it give us time to catch up?

  I don't know, he answered. I don't want to face Craynor any sooner than I have to. He was right. At least Joshua was still alive and conscious. I could talk to him. Who knows what awaited him if Craynor stopped the car and pulled Joshua out? I grimaced, not wanting to imagine it.

  Just hang on! I urged as I hit the gas harder feeling the car bumping along the grassy roads.

  “Slow down.” Gavin gripped the handle on the car above his head beside the door. “We're no good to him dead.”

  He was right, too, but I couldn't slow down. Not without wasting valuable time.

  Olivia! Olivia we've stopped!

  I tried not to reveal my concentration more on Joshua and less on the open road. Tell me what you see. I needed something to go by. We'd been driving awhile but not long enough to have reached Haven. At least I hadn't thought so.

  I... Olivia. It was the last thing I heard from him. I felt my hands shake and I glanced around me. I couldn't see anything. No sign of a vehicle or civilization and I could no longer hear Joshua. “Damn it!” I screamed out of frustration. I felt Gavin’s and Rane's eyes on me but I ignored them.

  “Do you want me to drive?” Gavin suggested. “It might be easier on you.”

  “I'm fine!” I pushed harder on the gas. “They can't be that far ahead of us.” I just hoped we were headed in the right direction.

  We drove another twenty minutes north as I moved off the dirt road and onto grass. I glanced back at Rane. “Do you think Craynor could have found a place in Haven to keep Joshua?”

  “I don't know. Not much was left. There could have been a cellar or basement abandoned that didn't get struck. That's how I survived,” Rane admitted.

  It at least gave me hope. As we drove north, the rain stopped and the clouds parted. Cresting a hill, I slammed the brakes as we jolted to an abrupt halt.

  “What the hell?” Gavin's voice echoed as the seatbelt restrained him and his arm shot up on the dashboard to steady himself. A few feet away, I saw outlaws with weapons pointed in our direction. “Hurry up!” His voice threatened in my ear as I slammed on the gas, but our car wasn't going anywhere: the tires had blown from spikes in the road.

  Locking the doors hadn't helped. They busted the car window and flipped the lock, opening the door, dragging all three of us out.

  “What do you want?” Gavin demanded. “You're wrecked the car. We don't have food or water. We're worthless to you.”

  We were outnumbered, six to three. “This is a mistake!” I offered trying to let them save face. “The government has fallen. You don't have to be afraid anymore. We're here looking for a friend who was taken.” I pleaded with them hoping it would help.

  The tallest of the six, even taller than Gavin, laughed. “You hear her?” He pointed his pistol at my face. The six outlaws laughed until he finished what he had to say. “We don't care.” I felt the stale air, humid and thick. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

  “What do you want with us?” I couldn't see how we were of any use to them.

  A shorter and fatter man missing a few teeth smiled eerily. “You catch a hefty price on the market. That's good enough for me.”

  “Pirates?” I whispered to Rane as they dragged her out of the car beside me.

  “Get down!” the stranger shouted, tossing us to the ground, my feet falling out from under me. My knees hit the grass and dirt, kicking it up as I coughed head bent forward. I turned my head slightly catching a glimpse of Rane. I noticed a bloody cut on her forehead. When had she gotten that? The car? The men? I hadn't noticed.

  “Let them go!” Gavin demanded. I heard his voice, but couldn't see him. He must have been on the opposite side of the car. I noticed now that four men surrounded us and the other two stood beside Gavin.

  I could take four men. It wouldn't be easy, but I could do this. I took a deep breath, calming all thoughts as I stood up. The first man went for me with his fist, but he missed. I landed a punch to his jaw and a kick to his stomach. He fell back into the car. My eyes narrowed as I grew hot with rage. Smoke permeated my nostrils. Joshua was gone and these men stood in my way. The anger poured out from inside of me, and with it my hands burned. A spark followed with a ball of fire, lighting one of the outlaws aflame.

  “Demon girl!” The other man took a step back, eyes wide as he reached for a knife. I wasn't afraid. I ran after him, tackling him to the ground. I fought him for control of the knife, by sheer strength turning his hand on him, plummeting the blade into his chest. That was three men down. I glanced up, Gavin defended himself, fighting the two outlaws at his side. He wasn't bad.

  “Olivia!” I heard Rane's voice and turned around rushing towards her as one of the men had climbed atop, pinning her to the ground with a blade in his hand. I kicked the man hard, throwing him back against the car. Momentarily, he lost consciousness. “How did you...?” Her words trailed off sitting up and scooting away.

  “Practice!” I answered jumping over the hood of the car, sliding to the opposite side to help Gavin. He'd taken out one outlaw but the other wouldn't seem to take the hint. “Let me!” I shouted watching as the man turned towards me.

  “A girl?” He laughed, clearly unafraid.

  “A girl who can kick your ass,” I retorted and did just that. I kicked him hard in the groin, watching him bend over before I shoved him headfirst into the car. He was out cold.

  “Olivia? How did you do that?” Gavin looked at me with wide curious eyes.

  “We don't have time to explain.” I gestured for them to follow as I ran towards their truck a few yards away. The keys still inside, I turned it on and we continued our journey north to search for Joshua.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Are you going to explain what happened back there?” Gavin asked as we drove further north. I kept glancing back in my rearview expecting to see the men chasing us but with four flat tires it wasn't likely.

  “Not really.” I glanced at Gavin giving a weak smile. I hoped it was enough to fend away th
e questions for a while.

  Rane piped up, “You're going to have to tell us eventually. I saw what you did. You didn’t just use training and fighting. You lit a guy on fire, without matches!”

  I sighed, glancing back at her. “You can't tell anyone what you saw. Okay?” I still didn't know how I did it.

  Rane held up her hands in surrender. “I promise. It's not like anyone would believe me.” She put her hands down in her lap and I glanced at Gavin. I still felt his eyes on me.

  “I'm different. The people of Shadow, we're all different,” I explained. I didn't want to elaborate but they'd volunteered and risked their lives for Joshua. It was the least I could do, right? “They experimented on us in Shadow. When you're a teenager, they can administer a cocktail of Mindonsiphan to the brain. It allows you to see the world differently.”

  “You did more than see things, Olivia,” Gavin pointed out.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” I tried to remember what they'd told us, what Chancellor Collins had explained to me. “The drug works in perception and your natural physical and cognitive abilities. It doesn't allow us to do things that we weren't already capable of.”

  Rane laughed. “Yeah, right. I can't throw fire at a guy, drug induced or not.”

  I shot her a look and she shut up. “I didn't want this! Any of it. I just wanted a normal life,” I reiterated. “It's not my fault they felt it necessary to make us one of them.”

  I felt Gavin's hand come to rest on my arm. “You saved us back there. Whatever they did to you, it was worth it.”

  I wasn't sure it had been worth it. I sighed, glancing at him. “Thanks.” At least he accepted me, accepting what I could do and had become whereas my mother had told me to leave and never come back. She had done it to protect me but it still scared me. How long until word got out what we were capable of? Would we ever be safe?

  It grew darker as we continued our journey north. Dusk was coming and we should have reached Haven by now. “We're lost,” I admitted, stopping the car. I was hungry, but I doubted I could have eaten, even if we had food.

  I stepped out of the truck, glancing around. None of it was familiar. “Where do you think we are?” I asked hoping Rane would have some recollection. She had lived in Haven for most, if not all of her life.

  Rane shook her head. “It should be here. Or nearby. We've been driving for hours,” she whined.

  Gavin sighed. “Soon it'll be night and too risky to travel. It's likely we'll come across more outlaws.”

  “So, what are we supposed to do?” I was trying to keep a cool head, but the fact Joshua was gone and we were lost, I felt myself unraveling.”Start a fire, stay here for the night and hope we're left well enough alone,” Gavin commented. He walked off towards the forest.

  “Where are you going?” I called to him.

  “To bring back firewood. Stay there. Keep an eye on Rane.” He knew I could look after myself. It was at least a reassuring change of pace. I turned towards Rane seeing her look at me with a mere shrug.

  Gavin brought back firewood and I was destined to start the fire with my hands. It wasn't as easy as it had been when we'd been attacked. Eventually I got the fire roaring and we all stretched out, trying to make ourselves as comfortable as we could.

  It was quiet for a while before Rane finally spoke up, “I know you're married to Joshua and this may be entirely inappropriate,” she paused, glancing at me. “But I'm glad if anyone married him, it was you.”

  I didn't quite know what to take of that. “Thanks,” I answered, staring down at the fire. I was tired and sore, but all I could think about was Joshua. He hadn't reached out to contact me. That wasn't a good sign.

  “I just mean I tried to hit on him when we were in Haven, but he had his eye on you the entire time. Told me as much. I should have listened to him, but we kissed. I'm sure he told you that,” Rane said.

  I frowned at her. “No, he didn't.”

  “Oh,” she laughed. “Well I swear it wasn't any big deal. He's a good kisser, but he didn't have his heart into it, you know?”

  “No, I don't know.” I stared at her. Why was she doing this? To torment me? Joshua had sworn nothing had transpired between them. Why had he lied to me? I tried not to feel jealous and betrayed. He'd chosen me. He'd decided to marry me. I should have been happy but here I was, listening to Rane go on and on about Joshua and it was making me sick.

  Gavin watched the exchange and finally coughed, interrupting the tension. “Hate to break up the reminiscing about old boyfriends, but I think I hear company.”

  We couldn't hide the fire, not without it smoldering and showing where we were. I could use a glamour, possibly try and hide all three of us, but it would be too exhausting and if Joshua would try and contact me I wasn't sure I'd have the strength left to communicate. I'd done a lot as it was today with the Mindonsiphan. I needed to be careful. I wasn't sure if there was a level of too much and if I could overload my system.

  “What do we do?” Rane whispered.

  I closed my eyes, trying to focus on how many voices and if it was anyone we recognized. “Coyotes.” I remarked, letting my eyes open. “You hear coyotes.”

  “Really?” Rane asked in awe. “Are you sure?”

  I shrugged. “I wouldn't wander off too far if you want to find out.” She didn't budge. Not that I expected her to.

  Gavin moved to lie down, stretching himself out on the grass. “I think we're within an hour's reach of the town of Spade.”

  “They're not to be trusted,” I remarked, scooting my legs closer to my chest. “They killed a friend of mine, for showing up at their door.”

  Gavin frowned at me. “Sorry to hear that.” He paused and after a long minute continued, “I've never met any of them, but you hear stories in Torv.”

  I reached towards the fire, trying to keep warm. “What kinds of stories?”

  Gavin rolled onto his side, watching me as he spoke, “Tales of how they refuse to follow the government’s rule and how they're allies with Haven and Torv, but have their own militia and agenda. No one in the past twenty years has reached past their gates since the rebel treaty.”

  “What's the rebel treaty?” I asked. I hadn't learned about that in Haven or Shadow.

  Rane smiled. “You don't know?”

  I shook my head, glancing between them.

  Gavin answered me, “The rebel treaty was formed to allow an alliance between the rebel cities. The government put the rebels against one another when it had been under Cabal's rule. The three cities – Torv, Haven and Spade – promised an alliance and would allow anyone who was not a member of the active government into their walls. Its reason was to grow the rebel alliance and over time defeat the government. It worked for a while until the government threatened Torv. Torv, in return, gave up its men building an army for Cabal. They received government protection, which is a way of saying the government promised not to touch the town as long as they cooperated.”

  “They broke the treaty?” I guessed.

  Rane sighed. “Yes, it wasn't a known fact outside of Torv. Rumors spread aplenty though. Haven suspected it but we could never find any real proof. It wasn't as though we'd walk into a government city and ask them if what they'd done was true.”

  Gavin glanced at Rane. “It's why the town of Spade has blocked itself off from any communication with rebels or the government. They probably don't even know Cabal has fallen.”

  I chewed my bottom lip, thinking about what he said. “Then we should deliver the message.”

  Rane's eyes widened. “Didn't you hear what Gavin just said?”

  “I did, but I also think they should be a part of the new government system. They should have a vote, a say in what they want. Maybe it'll reign in the outlaws and instill order.”

  “You're crazy if you think you'll be safe. You said they killed your friend. What makes you think they won't shoot you?” She pointed out the obvious.

  “I'll be ready,” I answered matter-of-factly
. “In the morning, we'll travel to Spade. Then we'll find our way to Haven.” I yawned. I hoped Joshua was there, I didn't know where else to find him.

  CHAPTER 5

  I left before dawn, scribbling a note for Rane and Gavin. Gone to Spade. Be back before you wake up. Olivia. I didn't want to worry them, but we’d be in more danger if they followed me to Spade. I trusted they'd be awake and I'd be back in no time. I just hoped it was as easy as I imagined it to be.

  I took the car with me, driving to the farthest point north before being seen. Pulling over I turned off the car and shoved the keys into my pocket. I wasn't going to let anyone steal it while I walked the extra one hundred and twenty-two steps towards the gate.

  “I've come to speak to your leader,” I called standing unarmed and yet prepared. Should they try and shoot me the bullets would deflect. Armor of pure energy. I'd never done it before but I was confident it would protect me.

  “Who are you?” a voice echoed from the top most gate and I glanced up towards the rising sun, squinting.

  “Olivia,” I said. “I've come to tell you the government of Cabal has fallen and in its place a new government is rising. Each city is electing three to represent its citizens. Your town of Spade has not been given a place at the table. If you want it, let me in.”

  The silence lasted for a long moment before the gate opened. I passed slowly through the high-stone walls. My eyes moved over the fort, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Men rushed towards me in metal armor with swords and shields. They parted ways as one man approached me.

  “Search her!” the man shouted at me and I felt one guard then two hold me in place. I didn't struggle: there was no need.

  “I have nothing on me,” I retorted as a third patted me down.