The Lost City: The Palumbra Chronicles: Book Two

by L. D. Fairchild

  Once again Maeve tried to think of something comforting to say, but it seemed her well of comfort had run dry, for others and for herself. Elton, though, didn't seem to expect a response.

  "You tried," he continued. "That matters. It mattered to Shalara. It matters to me." Maeve looked up into his handsome face framed by his curly black hair. Where Gray was ruggedly good-looking, Elton was more of a handsome nerd. Though it was early, his hair was already matted with sweat as the temperature rose with the sun. His dark eyes, so different from Gray's ice blue ones, bore into hers. "It means a lot that you tried. Unlike your friend Gray."

  Maeve looked away. Somehow, standing here with Elton felt disloyal to Gray, but she didn't understand Gray's reluctance to try to help Elton and Shalara. His attitude coupled with his anger at her had left her feeling angry and confused. She started walking again without replying.

  Elton fell into step beside her. "How do you guys know each other anyway?"

  "Ginger and I have been friends since early school. Gray and I helped spark a revolution in Palumbra together, but we didn't really know each other before then. Tristan was part of The Resistance that helped overthrow the World Government, and Thomas and Rufus are members of a class that we teach."

  Elton didn't seem interested in Thomas as he focused in on Gray. "So, you haven't known Gray long?"

  "I guess not, but we've been through a lot together." Maeve looked around for Gray, but he was still far out in front of them. They hadn't spoken since he stalked away from her. It wasn't like Gray to let things fester. He was usually the one who wanted to work out their differences while Maeve stewed on things for days.

  "Does he get angry like that a lot?" Elton broke into her thoughts.

  She shook her head. "No. That's what's so weird. I'm not sure why he's so angry."

  Maeve tripped on a loose pocket of sand, falling to her knees. Elton reached down with both hands to help her up and glanced over her shoulder. When she got to her feet, he gave her hands a little squeeze and quirked the corners of his mouth up at the edges in a ghost of a smile. "Well, thanks for your help anyway. I'm sorry it made Gray mad."

  Maeve squeezed his hands back and returned his smile. "It's OK. I'm sure he'll get over it."

  "What exactly am I supposed to get over?" Gray's voice sounded from behind Maeve, the coldness in his voice making each word feel like he was throwing shards of ice at her and Elton. She quickly pulled her hands from Elton's and turned to face Gray.

  "Where did you come from?" she asked. "I thought you were scouting out front."

  "I came back to talk to you. You and Elton had fallen behind everyone else, and Tristan was getting worried. He thought one of you might be sick," he said pointedly.

  "We're both fine," Maeve said quietly.

  "I can see that." Gray mockingly raised his eyebrows. "Would you like to be alone?"

  She let out a huff of exasperation. "Don't be stupid. I don't know what kind of grudge you're carrying or why, but I tripped and Elton helped me up. No need to throw snide accusations around."

  Maeve turned her back on Gray and marched forward to catch up with the others but not before she saw Elton throw her a quick smile. She ignored him and focused on the desert in front of her. Let Gray catch up to her if he wanted to talk. Right now, she didn't have anything to say to him.

  ###

  "We should make camp soon," Tristan announced.

  The group had trekked on mainly in silence after Maeve and Gray's argument. Only Thomas and Rufus seemed unaffected by the pall that had fallen over the group, with Thomas talking merrily to the dog as they walked.

  "Where are we even going?" Maeve asked. She had been following Tristan all day, assuming they were headed back to Palumbra. "This isn't the way that we came. We should be almost back to Palumbra."

  "You're right," Tristan said. "We decided not to go back to Palumbra in case Sarge followed us. We're headed for the caves, in a roundabout fashion."

  "Where are we going to camp?" Gray asked. "We need some kind of shelter − and water." He held up his near-empty canteen and shook it.

  Thomas pointed to a spot in the distance. "That looks like some kind of tree over there."

  Gray squinted and used his hand to block the sun. "Right. Then I guess we head that way. Lead the way, Tristan."

  Gray dropped to the back of the group where Maeve was trailing behind, alone with her thoughts. She glared at him as he approached her, but he was undeterred and fell in beside her. Elton, who had been trudging along in front of her, gave her a questioning look and slowed his pace. It was Gray's turn to glare, and he sent the full force of his icy stare at Elton, who raised his eyebrows at Maeve. She shook her head and motioned for Elton to keep going, then slowed her pace to put some space between them.

  "You don't have to keep glaring at him," Maeve said when Gray's gaze didn't leave Elton's back. "He's kind of had a rough day."

  "I don't like him," Gray said, keeping his voice low so Elton couldn't hear him.

  "He just lost his sister." Maeve gave him a disbelieving look. "I think you can cut him some slack."

  "He doesn't seem real upset about it," Gray replied.

  Maeve's jaw dropped, and she whirled to face Gray, spraying sand from under her feet. "I cannot believe that you, of all people, would criticize how someone else grieves. How long did it take you to cry over your uncle?"

  Gray looked steadily at her. "A week. It took me a week, as you well know. But that was different."

  "How? How was that different?" Maeve threw her hands up in exasperation. "You went through a traumatic experience and had to take time to understand it. Seems to me Elton is in the exact same situation."

  Gray shook his head. "There's just something off about him. You'd see it, too, if you weren't so busy gazing into his eyes and trying to save everyone."

  Maeve turned and started walking again with a brisk stride. "If you dropped back here to yell at me or lecture me, you're wasting your time. You don't get to treat me like you've treated me today, then think you have the right to continue to berate me − for helping someone."

  Gray was silent. The wind blew gently, kicking up sand that swirled around them. Maeve felt like that sand – tossed around by the storm of Gray's emotions.

  "You're right," he said finally. "I'm sorry. I may have overreacted, but I don't trust Elton. He's hiding something from us."

  Maeve ignored his jab at Elton and said, "Why were you so angry that I tried to help?"

  Gray shook his head. "I wasn't angry that you wanted to help. I was angry that you didn't think about anyone else before you did it." Gray tentatively took her hands in his and forced her to stop moving. "Maeve, you act like you're the only person who suffered any kind of loss or trauma when we fought the WG. I lost everything. I have no family left. Emery and Ginger lost their mom, and who knows what happened to their dad. I don't know all of Tristan's story, but I know the WG had something to do with the loss of his parents. And we all lost Silas."

  Maeve's gaze dropped again to the swirling sand around them, remembering their friend Silas who had sacrificed his life to save Emery from being shot by WG drones. She raised her eyes back to Gray's and squirmed as his gaze burrowed into hers. "I don't think I'm the only one who lost things," she said quietly. "I just seem to be the only one who can't get past it."

  "Do you really think we're all just over it?" Gray motioned in the direction of the others who were now far ahead of them. "You don't just get over stuff like that. It stays with you − forever. There's no magic wand you can wave to feel better. But you can't just make rash decisions, especially when they affect other people."

  Gray tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Maeve's face tingled where he touched it. Even when they were upset with each other, she was still drawn to him. "Maeve, I've lost everyone I care about. Except you. When you put your life at risk, you put the person I care about most at risk." He brushed her cheek with his thumb. "And I don't think I could go o
n if I lost you, too."

  A wave of sadness washed over Maeve as she realized just how much her actions had affected Gray. Suddenly, she understood just how much she meant to Gray, and how much he meant to her. He loved her. He had never said the words, but in this moment, as she gazed into those ice blue eyes, she knew. The knowledge made her grow warm inside, and she felt the heavy weight of responsibility settle on her shoulders. Being loved by Gray meant that she could hurt him in ways she hadn't considered. For a fleeting moment, Maeve wasn't sure she wanted that power. Then Gray leaned close and kissed her and all thought fled.

  They had kissed before, but this kiss had a new flavor, as a new understanding flowed between them. She leaned into him, relishing the safety and love she felt in his embrace.

  A loud woof and a cold nose broke Maeve and Gray apart. Rufus, tail wagging, wedged himself between them and barked again.

  Maeve laughed. "I think he was sent back to get us."

  Gray did a quick 360-degree scan of the area. "We probably should have been paying more attention. We should catch up to the others." He grabbed Maeve's hand and started to jog after Rufus who, job done, had already begun loping back toward the group. Maeve tugged on his hand, forcing him to stop once again.

  "I'm sorry, Gray. I know you don't understand my need to make up for what I did, but I didn't mean to put myself or anyone else in danger. And I didn't mean to hurt you."

  Gray nodded, gave her hand a squeeze and started jogging back to the group.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  "About time you two caught up," Tristan said from underneath a short, scraggly tree that could more correctly be called a large bush. "What were you doing out there − or do I need to ask?" He gave a short laugh and rolled his eyes in Ginger's direction. She rolled her eyes back.

  A sharp cough caught Maeve's attention, and she scanned the area, looking for the source. Emery was picking up sticks underneath another one of the scraggly bush-tree things. "Are you OK, Em?" Maeve asked.

  Emery coughed again and waved her off. "I'm fine," she said in a hoarse voice. "All that sand blowing around caused a tickle in my throat that won't go away."

  Maeve gave her another concerned look, picked up her canteen and went to fill it in the small pool of water surrounded by the bush-tree hybrids. "What is Emery doing," she asked Ginger.

  "Picking up sticks for a fire."

  "Do we think that's wise? Sarge can find us if we light a fire."

  Ginger shrugged. "Tristan thinks it will be OK. He seems to be doing a fair job of making decisions so far. I think we can trust his judgment."

  Maeve was skeptical but decided to hold her tongue and finished filling her canteen. Emery's cough filled the air again, followed by a loud thump.

  "Emery," Ginger cried, dropping her canteen and rushing to where Emery was doubled over on the ground, struggling to breath around the coughing. Maeve followed and dropped to her knees next to Emery, lifting her head to open her airway.

  "Come on, Emery," Maeve said. "Breathe. Listen to my voice. In. Out. In. Out."

  Slowly, the coughing stopped and Emery's breathing returned to normal.

  "What happened?" Ginger asked, stroking the hair off Emery's forehead as Maeve held her.

  "I just couldn't stop coughing," Emery said. "All that sand settled in my throat."

  Maeve handed her the canteen she had just filled. "Drink this. Let's see if we can't soothe your throat a bit."

  The rest of the group stood in a circle around Emery, Maeve and Ginger. Rufus nudged Emery's hand and whined. Emery rubbed his ears and said, "I'm fine, Rufus. Just a tickle." Rufus licked her nose, and everyone laughed. Maeve helped Emery sit up and announced, "Now that Emery is done scaring us, we should fix something to eat and get some rest."

  Maeve threw another stick on the small fire they had made to heat up some of the canned beans in their packs. She had to admit it was nice to eat something warm and not just another protein paste bar. While the food situation in Palumbra had improved, protein paste bars were the food of choice for patrols in the desert.

  Tristan sat down next to her. "Do you really think she's fine?" He nodded to where Emery and Thomas were teaching Rufus to shake hands.

  She considered Emery carefully. "I really don't know. She seems fine now, and she doesn't have a fever. We'll just have to watch her closely."

  "Is there anything we can do if she is sick?"

  Maeve shook her head. "We don't know much about this disease, and we have limited supplies. One thing I do know, though." Her voice became fierce. "I'm not losing her. No matter what it takes."

  ###

  "She's still coughing," Ginger said to Maeve the next morning as they packed up camp.

  Maeve stuffed a sweatshirt in her pack and picked up her canteen. "I know, but she doesn't have a fever or rash and says she doesn't feel sick. We just have to hope for the best."

  Ginger wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I hate this. I just wish there was something we could do."

  "Maybe there is." Elton looked up from where he was packing his own pack about 10 feet from them. Maeve hadn't spoken to him since her conversation with Gray the night before. She remembered Gray's concerns about Elton, but she shook them off. He had been quiet, but he had just lost his sister.

  "Were you eavesdropping?" Ginger asked with some venom.

  Elton held up a hand as if to ward off an attack. "Not on purpose. You guys weren't exactly trying to be quiet."

  Ginger started to issue a retort, but Maeve motioned for her to be quiet. "What do you know?"

  "There might be an antidote," Elton said without looking up from the protein paste bar he was shoving into his pack.

  Maeve's eyes narrowed, and she could hear Gray's voice in her head saying, "I don't trust Elton."

  "Why would you tell us this now?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell us when Shalara was sick?"

  Elton still didn't look up, but his hands stilled. "There was no chance to save her." His voice was so quiet, Maeve and Ginger had to lean forward to hear him.

  "We could have tried," Maeve said.

  Elton shook his head. "She got too sick too fast, and Sarge was chasing us. We had no chance. She had no chance." He finally looked up with glistening eyes. "But we have a chance to save Emery."

  "So, you think she's sick?" Ginger dropped the blanket she was folding. "Why do you think that?"

  "The illness doesn't affect everyone the same. Some people get it and get really sick, really fast. Others get it, and it doesn't seem too bad at first. They have a cough for a couple of days before the illness sets in. But in the end, everyone gets the rash." Elton paused. "And everyone dies."

  Ginger grabbed Elton by the shirt. "Emery is not dying. Whatever you know about an antidote, you need to tell us."

  "Who's dying?" Thomas's young voice echoed through the camp as Ginger, Maeve and Elton fell silent. Thomas and Rufus ambled up to Maeve. "Who's dying?" he asked again. One hand tightened on Rufus's collar as he braced himself for the answer.

  Maeve dropped to her knees, so her face was level with Thomas's. She heard Gray and Tristan join Ginger. Emery walked up next to Thomas and took his hand. "Yeah, who's dying?"

  Maeve remained silent, looking from Thomas's scared eyes to Emery's trusting ones. She took a deep breath, wiped her palms on her pants and said, "Thomas, Emery is sick."

  "I'm not sick," Emery protested. "It's just a tickle in my throat. I feel fine."

  Ginger stepped forward and looked Emery in the eye. "That's how it starts, Em. Elton says some people don't get sick right away."

  Emery dropped Thomas's hand and stepped away from him, her eyes wide with horror. "But I don't want to die. And what if I infect all of you?" She continued to back away. When Ginger stepped toward her, she held up a hand. "No, you can't come near me. I ... I'll go. I can go out in the desert, and then you guys will be fine." She turned to pick up her pack, but Rufus blocked her way. Maeve hadn't noticed Thomas giving the dog instructions.

/>   "You're not going anywhere, Emery," Ginger said. "We have another option."

  Emery placed a hand on Rufus's back as if to shove him out of the way, but Rufus stood firm. She laid her forehead against Rufus's sturdy back. "What options?" she asked in a tear-filled voice.

  Maeve stood and placed her hand on Thomas's shoulder to keep him from going to Emery. "Elton thinks there may be an antidote."

  Gray and Tristan had been quiet, but at this pronouncement they both exclaimed, "What?"

  "If there's an antidote, how did everyone in The Hub die?" Gray asked with ice in his voice.

  "And why are you just telling us this now? Didn't you want your sister to live?" Tristan asked.

  Elton straightened his shoulders and confronted Tristan and Gray. "Of course I wanted her to live, and the antidote was just a rumor. Do you guys really think Palumbra was the only place with a corrupt government?"

  Gray and Tristan had no response. Maeve knew they had all just assumed that life in The Hub was better than in WG-controlled Palumbra, but Elton's pronouncement gave them pause.

  Thomas broke away from Maeve's grip on his shoulder and moved to stand between Gray and Tristan and Elton. "Can we focus? Emery is sick. She needs medicine. Elton thinks he knows where some medicine is. Shouldn't we just go get it? You can argue about bad governments later."

  Rufus barked as if in agreement.

  Thomas's words broke the standoff. "He's right," Gray said. To Elton, he said, "I'm sorry. I know you loved your sister. If you think you know where there's an antidote to help Emery, let's get moving." He held out his hand. Elton stared at it for a long moment, and Maeve wasn't sure he was going to take it for the peace offering it was. Slowly, Elton reached out and shook Gray's hand.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  "Do you think we'll find anything?" Thomas asked Maeve as they once more trudged through the ever-swirling sand. Rufus loped ahead of them, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth as he panted in the hot sun.

  Maeve looked down into Thomas's trusting face. "I hope so, Thomas." She turned at the sound of Emery coughing from several feet behind them, her face covered with a T-shirt so all Maeve could see were her eyes. Emery wouldn't allow anyone to get near her, terrified of infecting someone else. Sweat rolled down her forehead and disappeared under the T-shirt covering her nose and mouth.