"I'll take the next exit." I took out my phone and typed in the password while watching the road. "We can use the GPS to...Hey!"
Einar took the phone from my hand and casually tossed it out the window.
"We could have found a map on that." The frustration helped to shove away the fear. Better to be angry than scared.
People use that device to contact other people.
"It does a hell of a lot more than that." Scowling, I blindly took the next exit and started heading in a northerly direction. "See if there's a map in the glove box."
We are near. There is no need for a map.
There was a gas station at the exit and little else. We passed through a town so small that if you blinked, you would miss it. Fields with short green plants grew along one side of the road and dense forest covered the other. My agitation grew when I realized that work couldn't track me using the phone GPS now. I glanced over at Einar. Maybe he knew more than I realized.
Turn left.
"There's no road. I can't drive into trees.”
Turn left. Einar's voice was insistent.
Up ahead, I saw a sign. I flipped on my blinker and we turned down a gravel road. A small sign read Lost Hills Conservation Area.
The road was rutted and looked barely used. About a half mile back it dead-ended and I turned off the car.
"Are you sure you want to see this?" I asked. Remembering the feeling of death from so many Lost, I knew I didn't want to go any farther.
Get out of the car. Einar got out and waited for me.
My stomach clenched and my mind scrambled to think of a way out of this. If I went into the woods with Einar, I wasn't sure I would ever come back out.
Einar leveled the gun at me. My heart skipped a beat. Go into the woods and maybe I don’t survive. Stay here and I die.
"What is it that you want to do out here?" I got out of the car, but wanted to keep hold of my anger rather than slip into fear.
Take the cage.
After taking the rabbit, Einar motioned at me with the gun and I walked into the woods. The undergrowth was thick at the forest edge. I struggled through thorn bushes and tripped over hidden tree roots. Glancing behind, I saw that Einar moved through the terrain with ease. That gave a little heat to the fire. The least he could do was walk in front of me.
Although with him behind me, I wasn’t walking directly in his Path. Maybe I had a chance here.
The Others were to be given the town.
"There's not a town out here." I slapped my arm where some biting insect had tried to take hold.
It was a part of our arrangement. What happened then happened for a reason.
I had to force myself to listen to what Einar was saying. There had to be something here that I could use to my advantage.
"The Others, I mean the Lost, they have a town with a bunch of land."
We began walking up a steep hill. It didn't take long before I was breathing hard and sweating more than any one person should.
They have a home?
"For the ones that want to stay there, sure. They have a home."
The government does not interfere?
That was stretching it, but I wasn't going to let Einar know that. I sat the cage down and leaned against a tree, trying to catch my breath. "I'm not sure. I haven't looked into it that much."
We are almost there. Continue.
"I need a minute." What I needed was to stall for time. As much as I could get. Still, it would be nice to catch my breath at the same time.
Einar watched me and I made a production of leaning over and breathing heavily. When he got tired of waiting, he shoved me to get me moving again.
Wishing that it was Einar’s neck, I gripped the cage tightly and climbed the rest of the way up the hill. As we neared the top, the trees parted and a field stretched out in front of us before gently rolling down and back up again. Groups of trees were scattered around. With the sun shining, it was a beautiful sight.
Not where I wanted to die, though.
Looking up at the sky, I wondered if there were any satellites in the area. Would Hank have me up on a monitor? Would they have even brought Hank in on the search?
There was no way of knowing. If I were going to find a way out of this, it would have to be on my own. Einar was staring over the hills. Pretending to take in the landscape, I started edging away, holding the cage tight. For some reason, Einar was attached to the rabbit. I felt safer with it in my hands.
The Path was shrouded and I couldn't reach it, but I knew it was possible. It worked last night, and it would have to work here.
The witch lived down in that hollow. In that stand of trees. Over the next hill was the town proper. The elves lived there, along with most of the others.
"The wolves lived this way," I said, using it as an excuse to move farther away.
Did you see them all? Einar's voice sounded distant.
I shook my head. "They were jumbled together. I remember a few. Others were flashes that came and went. Were they your friends?" The moment the words were out I wished them back in. I tensed, waiting for Einar's reaction.
I have no friends in this life or the next.
That was Henry. "Why did you come here?"
This is where they all belong.
The darkness was starting to thin and I tried to be casual while increasing the distance between us. "I'm curious. Why didn't you bring them back years ago?"
I fell in battle.
"Then why didn’t that release them?"
The opposing regiment had Others in their rank. I fell. I did not die.
"Why did you get back up?"
An old man found me and decided he could make use of me. He thought we would help each other.
"Who?" I turned to face Einar, unsure of what to make of this new information. When he didn't answer, I changed tactics. "What could you two do for each other?"
When I was created, I made a promise to the souls inside me. Those responsible would pay.
"Government workers?"
The world was different. The United States government was different. Those that need to pay are long gone. I found that out through you.
"What did you do for the man who woke you up?" I was almost there. My mind was stretching towards the Path.
Einar turned back the way we came. Once they had perished, they had no use for the parts he requested.
My stomach tried to revolt and I hugged the cage tighter to my chest. I started taking shallow breaths to avoid being sick. In its cage, the rabbit squeaked and wriggled its nose. The question 'why' was on my lips, but I couldn't make the words come out. The answer to ‘why’ was something I didn't want to hear.
Einar took a few steps in my direction. I copied his actions and moved away.
We were closing in on the only question that really mattered out here. "Why did you bring me here?"
Those you have inside you should be released. This area is as appropriate as any. Einar looked across the hills again before turning to watch the forest. More appropriate than most.
Gripping the cage, I took another step back. "If you know me, then you know those are not souls. They're fragments. Any whole soul I had, I returned." I tried hard to make my voice insistent, but the fear was creeping back in.
Einar’s gaze was directed into the woods the way we had come. I was concerned that I would not be able to take the Walker with us. The worry was unfounded. Come out. The last two words rang louder in my head.
Frowning, I turned to the trees, but saw nothing. Quick movements out of the corner of my eye made me turn my attention back to Einar. He had moved closer, but was concentrating hard on the woods.
Tell him to come out.
Tell him? Einar wanted to take the Walker with us. Vincent had to be in the trees.
It wouldn’t be me that drags him out. "No."
That seemed to surprise Einar. He aimed the gun at me.
You will tell him to come out.
"Yo
u're going to kill me one way or the other. Do you really want to kill him? Here of all places?"
Einar faced the woods and I heard him mentally call out. Leave and you shall live. Stay, and you will die with her.
Vincent stepped out of the woods and my heart sunk. Frantically, I grappled with my mind to charge through and reach the Path. Einar moved closer. His dark Path became thicker, effectively blocking my way.
Maybe Vincent had a plan. Please tell me he followed us out here with a plan.
You choose to die with her?
"I die without her." Vincent's voice was calm, but as he moved closer, I could feel anger boiling off him.
There was no way Einar was going to trade me for Vincent, and there was no way I would let him. Vincent had to know that.
Or maybe that wasn't what he meant?
The gun remained steadily aimed in my direction.
I gripped the cage. "What exactly is your plan here, Einar?"
As I said. The souls inside you will be released. It is a fitting resting place.
"What about the souls you stole?"
They will be laid to rest and I will die.
"If that was so easy for you, why didn't you let them go when you fell in battle over a hundred years ago?"
Einar stared at me. I didn't realize I had pushed him too far until the gun turned towards Vincent instead of myself.
Still, he watched me as though he were daring me to continue. A dozen different courses of action flew through my mind in seconds. My mouth went dry. They all ended in death.
At least for me.
I shook my head. "That's not a smart move." Einar pulled back the hammer of the gun and I rushed on. "You need him. You know as well as I do that it's the only way you can be sure that the souls are released."
My focus was solely on Einar. Even the flicker of activity in the trees didn't distract me.
Be sure?
"Cass, stop talking." Vincent moved in our direction.
Einar didn’t look away from me, but the gun followed Vincent’s movements.
I ignored Vincent. "How certain are you that when you die, they won’t stay trapped inside that body. Vincent is the only way you can be certain."
Behind Einar, Rider ran out of the tree line and started up the hill. Logan followed close behind. To my ears, there was only silence. I didn't allow my gaze to leave Einar and I kept my face still.
"You know I'm right," I added.
You speak as though I would trust a Walker. Einar turned his head pointedly at Vincent. Stop moving, or she dies.
Vincent stopped.
If he had only taken a few more steps and I would have been able reach out to him. The contact of our shared souls would surely help me break through to the Path. In frustration, I mentally pounded on the black abyss swamping the edges of my mind.
The gun swiveled its aim. Without looking, Einar pulled the trigger. The bullet roared from the weapon. Rider fell to the ground before the sound had finished reverberating through the hills.
The cage fell from my hands and my mind went blank. Logan ran to Rider and fell down next to him. He pressed hard against the werewolf’s chest, but even at this distance I could see his shirt already turning red.
I did not want to hurt an Other. You have forced my hand.
"No." There was a high-pitched scream. I wasn't sure if it was in my head or my ears.
Yes or no does not matter.
Logan was talking to Rider. I'd never seen the elf look so pale and unsure.
"No one made you do this, Henry." I wanted to yell the words, but they came out softer as I watched Logan helping Rider.
Chapter 29
My world became minuscule and focused. My best friend was on the ground, not moving. And I was standing in front of the thing that put him there.
Not Henry. We are Einar.
"You can tell yourself that," Vincent said, "but you know it is not true."
Einar let out a pained scream that beat against my mind.
"No one is forcing your hand now," Vincent said, "and no one forced you back then. You made the decisions. No one else."
I put the importance of the many above those of a few. The town of the Others exists now because of me.
"Did you even look for another way?" My voice sounded dull in my own ears. "And what about now? What have we done to deserve this? The people that you killed, what did they do?"
That was the necromancer.
Logan lifted one hand away from Rider and fumbled to get his phone. His palm was red and Rider still wasn’t moving.
"Necromancer? Another excuse." Vincent's hands were squeezed into fists. "This was you."
Feeling numb, I stared at Rider's unmoving form. "It was always you, Henry. Each death, it was all down to you."
"Cass!" Vincent yelled.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vincent surge forward.
Einar had gripped my arm before I looked away from Logan's frantic phone call. When I looked into the clay face, something broke inside me. He did this. He killed them all, and now Rider.
It had to stop now.
Anger welled up and ran through me. It wasn't only mine. The moment that Einar touched me, I could feel those inside him reach out. Their energy surged into my own and made it almost easy to tear through the black divide.
The Path was murky. It was stifling and tried to weigh me down. Those little flashes of colors, the lines of life from the Lost that Einar had taken inside him, pulsed around me. They strove to throw back the pitch trappings that Henry had created for them.
I tried to help. Moving the Path around me, I tried to eek out the individual strands of color, but they were tightly matted together.
Henry's grip became a vice. I felt a gentle tug in my core. It was eerily familiar. Henry was going to take my soul.
Panic started to well up. Trying to affect Henry's Path wasn't working. I couldn't separate him from the others, so I concentrated on the physical.
Getting him to let go was priority one. I drew on the power flowing around us, latching onto the flows outside the stormy Path created by Einar. By my hand, those natural currents were building into a raging tempest. Inside, I worked to keep hold of myself.
But maybe there was no defense against a Walker. Parts of my soul, and possibly fragments of others, rushed into Einar.
Vincent clutched Einar's arm before I could make a move. Looking into Vincent's flat black eyes, I could see his seething fear.
Chunks of my soul slid away and cold fragility started to take up residence. Keeping the Path bound together with enough power to hurt Einar was becoming a battle.
Einar tried to shrug Vincent away, but Vincent kept his hold.
You make things difficult where they should not be.
When Einar let go of my arm, I staggered and nearly fell. By the time I caught my balance, Einar had Vincent.
Terror filled me and I lashed out. The Path snaked its way around Einar. My own energy dwindled to embers, but the outrage of the others inside Einar fueled my work.
There was a faint smirk on Vincent's face, which only made me work faster. Einar took Vincent’s arm. I could hear a snap and Vincent's face grew pale, but he didn't let go.
Drawing in all the strength I could muster, I compressed the Path surrounding Einar. There was resistance, but I bore down.
What is it that you do?
Vincent said something, but it sounded like it was miles away. The noise was hollow.
Cracks began to form throughout Einar's body. Concentrating on the arms, desperately wanting him to let go of Vincent, I crushed down.
Lines splintered and small chunks of clay broke away.
"Let him go," I hissed, trying desperately to remain upright.
Einar let go.
I didn't.
He was still a threat, and one that we couldn't contain. I turned to Vincent in panic. There was no way to let Einar go free and no way that I could continue to hold him.
&nbs
p; Vincent kept his injured arm close to him. I was certain he said something, but again, it was like he was too far away.
I can harm you no further. Defeat clung to Einar's words.
Einar looked down and I followed his gaze. Chunks of clay had broken off his legs as well. I was the only thing holding him up. I loosened the strangling Path I had around Einar, but when I tried to release the Path altogether, all those lines of color that twisted throughout Einar clung to me.
They still wanted to be heard.
Wavering, I took a step back. Drawing up an emotion of peace, I worked to calm those that fastened to me. An arm wrapped around me and gently tugged me further back. Looking up, Vincent was trying to keep me in sight while still watching Einar. The whites of his eyes were starting to make an appearance and lines of worry creased his face.
Once I convinced the others to let go, it became easier to move out of the Path. Vincent's arm was the only thing keeping me upright.
Nothing kept Einar up. His arms and legs were missing chunks of clay and he could no longer stand. Inside, he was hollow.
"Are you alright?" Vincent asked.
"Tired." My voice was flat.
Vincent stepped in front of me. His eyes locked onto mine and he looked as though he was searching for something.
Feeling as hollow as Einar, I had an idea of what Vincent was looking for. I'm not sure if I wanted to know what remained inside me. Vincent's intensity made me nervous, so I looked away.
In the distance, Logan was still putting pressure on Rider's chest. Now free from Einar, I lurched towards Rider. Vincent gathered me closer to him with his good arm, keeping me upright. Together, we made our way over to Rider.
When I reached him, I half knelt and half fell to the ground next to my friend. Vincent put an arm on my shoulder and I gripped his hand.
"A helicopter is on its way," Logan said, not looking up.
"Is he...Is there anything I can do?" I asked. The empty feeling remained inside me and tears didn't come.
Logan shook his head. "He's still breathing, but he's lost a lot of blood. Is our target down?"
"Down, but not out," Vincent said.
The three of us looked up when we heard the sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air.
"They're sending a team, too," Logan said, looking back down at Rider.
AIR Series Box Set Page 85