The Lost City: The Palumbra Chronicles: Book Two

by L. D. Fairchild

  Elton shrugged. "I don't know. She's a bit mad when it comes to Palumbra, and especially you and your friends. She wants revenge. She also wants Palumbra's weapons."

  "What weapons? We destroyed the energy weapon. What else is there?"

  Elton looked at her in disbelief. "You don't know?"

  "Know what?"

  "It wasn't just energy weapons that were developed in Palumbra. There are plans for laser weapons as well. Arabella wants to get her hands on those plans."

  Maeve began to pace again. "But how does she even know they exist? We certainly haven't heard anything about laser weapons."

  Elton gave her a pitying look. "Do you really think they would tell you if they had access to laser weapons?"

  She stopped and pinned Elton with a steely-eyed gaze. "Yes.” She paused. “Maybe.”

  "And maybe not. Your government probably isn't as clean as you think."

  "What does that mean?"

  Elton went back to studying his hands. "Nothing. Just an observation."

  Maeve chewed the side of her mouth and decided not to pursue it. Anything Elton said was suspect anyway. She already knew from what John had told them that not everyone was on Cleo's side.

  "Finish your story. You still haven't explained how you could kill your friend."

  Elton raised his gaze, and Maeve saw anguish flit through his eyes.

  "Arabella threatened to kill us both. We didn't fit her profile of useful people. But then she decided we could be used to trap the Palumbran patrol. We agreed." He twisted his hands together. "What else could we do?"

  Maeve said nothing.

  Elton sighed and continued. "We worked with Sarge to come up with a plan, and it worked beautifully. Shalara and I played the poor, lost surviving souls from Bellus. The patrol took the bait. It was easy for Sarge and his crew to come in and kill them. What we didn't plan on was you."

  "Was it so surprising that Palumbra would send out a second group to help the first patrol?"

  Elton shook his head. "No. We expected that, and we took care of them. But we were surprised when you and the others showed up. Arabella had told us about you and your friends. She was very specific that if we saw you, we should capture you. She didn't care about the other patrols. She just didn't want them getting close to Bellus."

  Maeve pushed away from the wall and stood straight. "I don't understand how all this led to Shalara's death. Why did you need to kill her?"

  "Your boyfriend."

  "What? Gray?"

  "He was too suspicious of me. Our story had huge holes. And Shalara liked Emery. She wanted to share our story with her. Arabella had been clear before we left that any deviation from her plan would result in our deaths. Shalara was going to tell Emery the whole story. I had to stop her."

  Maeve whirled on him in disbelief. "So you killed her? You couldn't come up with any idea other than that?"

  Elton stood. "I didn't mean to!" he shouted. "I thought we would make it back in time to get the antidote! I didn't mean for her to die. I just wanted you to stay away from her so she couldn't tell you our story."

  "And how did you infect Emery? Surely, she would have noticed you sticking a needle in her arm."

  Elton shrugged. "I did it while she was sleeping. It's a small needle, and she's a deep sleeper. She probably just thought it was a bug biting her."

  Maeve sighed heavily. "You are despicable. What did Arabella offer you?"

  "How do you know she offered me anything?"

  "I know how she works. Was it power? Wealth? Safety?"

  Elton sat back down. "All of it." He looked up at her. "Do you know what it's like to be really poor? To have no one looking out for you? To be looked down on by everyone in society? To be so unimportant that your own government wants to kill you?"

  Maeve shook her head.

  "You'll do anything to get out of that situation. Anything. Betray your friends. Lie. Cheat. Steal. Kill. No one else matters. It's survive or be destroyed."

  Maeve looked Elton up and down. "I don't believe that. Those are choices that you made. Choices that you now have to live with. You could have chosen to tell us your story and let us help you. You could have saved Shalara and never infected Emery. You could have turned your back on Arabella and chosen your friends over your own need for power and wealth."

  It was Maeve's turn to give him a pitying look. "But you chose yourself over everyone else. You may have power and wealth when this is over, but you won't have what really matters. Friends. Self-respect. Peace."

  Elton acted as if he hadn't heard her. "But now, I'm important. I have power. I'll never go hungry again. I can help Arabella build a new order." He paused. "And you can too."

  Maeve's eyes widened, and her eyebrows rose as if she hadn't heard him correctly. "What?"

  He nodded vigorously. "You can. Just choose one of the others to be injected. You and I can work with Arabella and create a new and better world. Just think, we could make it so no one is ever poor again. So no one suffers injustice. We could make it better."

  "And you think that would justify killing one of my friends?" Maeve's voice shook. "Just pick one to sacrifice and all will be well?"

  Elton's eyes burned with passion. "It would be for the greater good. You liked me once. You could again. Just imagine all we could do together." He held out his hand to her.

  Maeve looked from his hand to his face and wondered how she had ever thought him handsome. "No."

  Some of the fire left Elton's eyes. "You're willing to give up the opportunity to create a new world just to save your friends?"

  Maeve nodded. "You see, Elton, what you fail to understand is that it isn't wealth or power that makes us strong. It's loyalty, love and fighting for what's right. You may have power and the illusion of safety, but that's all it is, an illusion. What makes you think Arabella won't eventually decide you're not worth keeping around?"

  Elton stepped back, and Maeve could see her words had shaken him.

  "With friends like Arabella, who needs enemies?" Maeve continued. "No, I'll take my chances. Even if I die, at least my friends will live on to fight another day."

  Elton regained his composure and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "It's a shame, Maeve. I really like you. We could have built something together. But your high principles won't mean much when you're dead."

  He rapped his knuckles on the door. When it opened, he motioned to the guards and said, "Take her away. We're done here."

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  "Thomas will be delivered to the oasis." Maeve was once again standing with her hands bound before Arabella.

  "I want to see him dropped off." She stared defiantly at Arabella.

  "Why would I allow that, dear?" Arabella's voice contained a hint of laughter. "You'll just have to take my word for it."

  Maeve shook her head. "No. That's not how this works. I need proof that my friends are safe before I go along with your plan."

  "How are you going to stop me? Once I inject you with the virus, there's not much you can do. How sweet that you thought you could bargain."

  "We had a deal, Arabella."

  "And I'm changing the terms since you really have nothing to bargain with."

  "Really?" Maeve gave her an innocent look. "Do you actually think I'm going to just waltz into the government headquarters and infect everyone?"

  Arabella walked over to Maeve and studied her like an insect under a microscope. The muscle in her jaw Maeve had noticed earlier twitched again. “I remember not that long ago when you were a good little girl, following the edicts of the WG.”

  “I haven’t been that little girl in a long time thanks to you.” Maeve lifted her chin. “I get to see my friends dropped off, and I’ll do whatever you want. If not, I’ll just sit down in the woods and wait to die.”

  “Why should I believe that?”

  “Because I’m not like you. I’ll do whatever it takes to save my friends.”

  Arabella paced away from h
er, tapping her red-tipped fingernail on her lips. “You know, I actually believe you.” She chuckled. “That integrity is going to get you killed.”

  Maeve tried to look defeated. It wasn’t hard. She felt defeated, but her only concern now was to save her friends. She could figure out what to do about Palumbra later.

  She searched frantically for a better bargaining chip. She didn't trust Arabella to keep her end of the bargain and release her friends.

  "What if I could tell you where the plans are for the laser weapons?"

  Arabella looked at her in disbelief, then gave a full-throated tinkling laugh. "Nice try, but how would you know where they are? You didn't even know they existed until Elton told you."

  Maeve gave a start of surprise.

  "Oh, yes, I know all about his visit to you." She laughed again. "Who do you think sent him to you? I watched the whole thing." When Maeve's eyes widened, Arabella chuckled. "Didn't you know about the cameras? You're a star. That was a touching speech you gave about loyalty and love. Too bad those things won't save you."

  Maeve scrambled to recover from Arabella's pronouncement. "But I've had time to think since Elton told me about them, and I'm pretty sure I know where they keep those plans. I have had access to a lot of the government buildings, and I know a lot of the people."

  Arabella tapped her chin with a fingernail and narrowed her eyes. "Let's hear what you have to say."

  Maeve straightened to her full height. "When you release my friends."

  Maeve swore she heard Arabella growl as she whirled on her heel and took several steps away from Maeve. She turned back with a glint of anger in her eye.

  "Once I control Palumbra, I can find those plans myself."

  "But can you? Remember, the government is controlled by members of The Resistance. They had hiding places you never knew about."

  Arabella studied Maeve with narrowed eyes, persistently tapping her chin with that blood-red fingernail. Maeve felt the weight of her friends' lives hanging in the balance.

  "Fine," Arabella finally announced with a huff. "I'll release your friends. They're of little use to me anyway. You can watch on video. Then you tell me where the plans for the laser weapons are, and we inject you with the virus."

  Maeve let out a sigh of relief and nodded.

  "One more thing. I want to see Thomas first."

  Arabella gave her a pitying smile. "I think not." She walked away, then turned back to Maeve. "But I'm not a complete ogre." She nodded at one of the guards. "Give her a pencil and some paper. You may write him a note." When she smiled this time, it held a hint of malice. "But keep in mind that I will be reading whatever you write."

  The guard walked forward and loosened Maeve's bindings, keeping her gun pointed at Maeve the entire time. Another guard handed Maeve a small piece of paper and a pencil. Maeve flexed her hands, which had gone numb from being bound, until she could grasp the pencil. She knelt on one knee, and using the other knee as a desk, began to write.

  Thomas,

  Don't be afraid. You're not alone. Your friends are always near. Be brave. Make good choices.

  Love,

  Maeve

  She handed the paper to Arabella who read it and threw back her head and laughed. "You are amusing. Why give the boy false hope? His friends are going to be far away from him. He'll be lucky to survive two days in the desert." She shrugged. "Better to die with hope than in utter despair, I guess."

  Maeve rose to her feet and stepped toward Arabella, her brow drawn and her eyes burning with anger. Both guards prodded her with their guns to keep her from moving any closer to Arabella. Another guard rushed to bind her hands.

  "He's a 10-year-old kid, and you want him to die in despair? What kind of monster are you?"

  Arabella brushed aside Maeve's criticism. "He's of no use to me. I've already used him to get what I need."

  The anger seemed to leave Maeve in a rush. Her body relaxed, and she unfisted her hands. "You know, Arabella. I pity you."

  Arabella looked startled but quickly recovered. "You? Pity me? That's laughable. I have no need of your pity or anything else. You'll soon be dead."

  She gave Maeve one last withering look, turned on her high heel and walked out of the room.

  ###

  Maeve looked around yet another stark white room. The guards had brought her to this room containing only a TV screen and a chair. Her hands were unbound. Arabella apparently felt the two guards by the door and the locked cell were enough to keep her contained.

  A light tap sounded at the door, and one of the guards opened it and stepped out. Maeve eyed the other guard, considering her chances.

  "Why do you follow her?"

  The guard stared straight ahead and didn't speak. His hands tightened on his gun, the only indication he had heard her speak. This guard was one Maeve hadn't seen before. He was a young man, not that much older than Maeve with dark hair and freckles on his cheeks.

  "You have to know she's evil. She killed an entire city, for Pete's sake."

  The young guard remained silent.

  Maeve cocked her head and eyed the guard thoughtfully. "What's your story? Did your family die in the plague, and she recruited you to be part of her team. What did she promise you? A better world? The promise of plenty for everyone? No more senseless death?"

  The soldier's eyes shifted slightly toward Maeve, and his knuckles were now white where he was gripping his gun.

  "Have you ever even fired that thing?" Maeve nodded toward his gun. "Do you have any idea what it's like to kill someone?"

  The guard lowered his eyes.

  "No? Well, I do. You fire that gun without thinking. No, that's not true. You're thinking it's the only thing you can do to save your friend, protect your property, follow orders. And that might be true. But it will never change the fact that you killed someone. You'll live with that for the rest of your life."

  The guard's hands trembled slightly on his gun, but still he remained silent.

  Maeve rose from the chair and took a step toward the guard.

  "You'll wonder if the person you killed had a family who grieved for him. You'll see the moment over and over again in your dreams, wondering if you had another option, any other option." She took another step toward the guard who remained silent and motionless. "You'll grieve, not just for the person you killed, but for the person you were before you fired that shot." Another step. "Because you'll never be the same person again." One more step.

  The guard seemed to come to life and pulled the rifle around to point it at Maeve. She stepped closer. The gun shook as the guard's hands trembled. His finger lay on the trigger. Slowly, Maeve grabbed the barrel of the rifle and pointed it away from her. "Is that who you want to be? Someone who has to live with knowing that you killed someone − and you didn't even know why?"

  The guard finally spoke. "Y-y-you're an enemy of Bellus. You're here to destroy what's left of the people of Bellus."

  Maeve chuckled. "Is that what she told you?" Maeve shook her head. "We're not here to destroy anything. We were sent to save the survivors from The Hub."

  The soldier gave Maeve a blank look.

  "That's what we've been calling Bellus. We didn't know the city's name."

  "B-but Arabella said Palumbra wants to kill us all."

  Maeve shook her head. "We want to live in peace. Arabella used to lead our city. She controlled everything and everyone, but people in Palumbra banded together and overthrew her and her government. Now, we live in peace, and people are building new lives."

  The guard shook his head in confusion. "That can't be true. That's not what she told us."

  Maeve looked him straight in the eye. "I promise you, it's the truth."

  The door started to open, and in a swift move, Maeve used her hold on the gun to pull it away from the surprised guard. She hit the guard on the head with the butt of the rifle, knocking him out, then pointed the gun at the door as Arabella stepped through.

  "Oh my. This is a
surprise." She glanced at the unconscious guard and lifted her hands. "I guess leaving your hands free was a mistake. As was leaving him in here alone with you."

  "Close the door." Maeve motioned with the barrel of the rifle. Arabella pushed the door shut behind her. "Lock it." The lock snicked into place.

  "What are you going to do now?" Arabella asked in a bored tone. She studied her fingernails for chips in the polish. "Kill me?"

  "I should." Maeve's voice trembled.

  "Yes, that would go well for you. Shoot me and dozens of guards will come through that door. You'll be dead in seconds."

  Maeve shrugged. "I'm going to die anyway. Then the world would be rid of you."

  "Do you really think that would stop things?" Arabella dropped her hand to her side and looked Maeve in the eye. "Another would just step in and take my place. Are you going to kill them, too? Besides, your little friends are already on their way to their final resting spots." She motioned to the monitor that had sprung to life with a split screen image of two hovercars. On one side of the screen, Thomas sat huddled on a seat by himself surrounded by three guards. He looked smaller than Maeve remembered − and scared. On the other side of the screen, Gray, Tristan, Ginger and Emery sat with their hands bound in front of them. Maeve squinted at the screen and noted with satisfaction that Emery looked much better.

  "At least they'll be free."

  Arabella laughed her high, tinkling laugh. "For about three days until they die of thirst."

  Maeve kept her gun trained on Arabella and her eye on the door as she watched the screen. Thomas's car stopped first. One of the guards nudged him with the gun, and he got to his feet and moved slowly toward the door. With a vicious shove, the guard pushed him out of the hovercar. The door closed, and the camera panned to where Thomas stood in the yellow sand of the oasis, looking small and alone in the vastness of the desert.

  "He'll be OK," Maeve said to herself, wondering again what had happened to Rufus.

  "You have a lot of confidence in a 10-year-old kid," Arabella said in a mocking tone.

  "He's smarter than your average 10-year-old. He makes good choices."