The MORE Trilogy

by T. M. Franklin

  Caleb laughed. “Hold on,” he said again. “I’m going to try to get us there in one shift. It’ll be a doozy.”

  Ava closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath as the now-familiar whirl and spin enveloped them.

  Caleb’s knees buckled as solid ground finally materialized underfoot, and Ava’s arms tightened around his waist protectively. She eased him to a cluster of boulders, handing him a few cubes and their last bottle of water before turning to survey their surroundings. She inhaled deeply, the air crisp and clear, the dazzling blue sky overhead interrupted only here and there by a few fluffy clouds. Ava lifted a hand to shade her eyes from the bright sunshine and looked out over a wide valley, a patchwork of varying shades of green muted by a layer of snow.

  They were on the side of a mountain—about halfway up, if she estimated correctly, turning to look toward the top. The peak disappeared in a veil of clouds, but Ava could see the outline of snow-covered trees below it and huddled deeper into her coat. It was beautiful, but also cold, and her breath escaped in wispy clouds, a little shallow because of the altitude.

  “Where are we?” she murmured.

  “Montana.” Caleb’s weak voice trembled slightly, and he popped another cube into his mouth. “About fifty miles from Kalispell.”

  “You okay?” she asked.

  Caleb nodded, but his pale, greenish complexion said otherwise. “Probably won’t be shifting for a while, though.”

  Ava frowned in concern, but continued to look around. “Are we close?” she asked. “It seems like we’re in the middle of nowhere. On the side of a mountain, no less.”

  “Yeah, well,” Caleb said, huffing lightly. “That’s kind of the point. It’s not supposed to be easy to find.”

  Ava walked over and brushed the snow off another boulder, settling next to Caleb and pulling her knees up under her coat. “It is a beautiful spot,” she said.

  Caleb smiled. “It is. I grew up here, you know.”

  “Yeah?”

  He nodded. “I used to come out here a lot. I wasn’t supposed to, of course,” he added with a self-deprecating grin. “It could be dangerous outside of the cloak. But the view—this view—was worth it.” He took another cube and chewed it thoughtfully, a slight smile on his face as he looked out over the valley.

  Ava eyed him carefully. “So,” she said. “About what we were talking about before.”

  Caleb gave a distracted hum, his eyes still on the scenery.

  “About the aging . . . thing?”

  He glanced at her wryly. “Yeah?”

  “How does that work, exactly?” she asked. “I mean, do you get old and stay old for a long, long time?”

  Caleb laughed. “No. That would kind of suck.”

  Ava grinned. “No kidding.”

  Caleb leaned back on his hands, thinking for a moment. “So, how much do you remember about your high school biology—DNA, chromosomes, that kind of thing?”

  Ava shrugged. “Not much.”

  “Well, simply put, when DNA replicates, it splits, and each half rebuilds the missing half. The problem is it’s a complex and imperfect process. Sometimes, little bits of DNA are lost or misaligned and not copied. It gets worse as you get older. That’s what basically makes people age and eventually die.”

  “So we literally fall apart.”

  Caleb laughed. “Something like that.” He sat up, mimicking Ava’s position and wrapping his arms around his knees. “But our DNA is better able to replicate without losing anything—at least for a much longer period of time. We age like humans until our bodies reach maturity, but then the aging process is slowed dramatically.”

  “Wow,” Ava said. “I bet the cosmetic companies would love to get hold of one of you guys.”

  “Us.”

  “What?” Ava asked.

  “One of us,” he said pointedly.

  Ava gulped, unsure of how she felt about that. Then she was hit with a flash of insight. “When I hit my head,” she said, reaching back to touch her scar. “Did you heal me?”

  Caleb nodded. “More cellular manipulation,” he explained. “It’s just a matter of speeding up the process a bit, giving a little push to your platelets and collagen and epithelial cells. I’m afraid I’m not as well-versed in the technique as some.” He shrugged. “Sorry about the scar.”

  Ava blinked. “Uh, that’s okay. I mean . . . thanks?”

  Caleb shrugged in response, taking another drink of water.

  “So,” she said, getting to her feet and suddenly anxious to change the subject. “Should we get going?”

  Caleb shrugged. “We’re here.”

  Ava looked around in confusion. All she could see in the immediate vicinity were snow-covered rocks and trees and . . . more snow and trees. “Uh . . . okay?”

  Caleb laughed, getting to his feet—visibly stronger. “The gate is right over there,” he said, pointing to an opening in the trees. “We could just walk in, but I think it would be better to wait for someone to come for us.”

  “Do they know we’re here?” Ava asked her voice dropping to a whisper.

  “Oh, yeah.” Caleb picked up his bag. “Someone’s on the way to meet us already. Can you feel him?” He raised an eyebrow at Ava, as if testing her.

  She closed her eyes, and—sure enough—felt that telltale prickle over her skin. “Yeah . . . yeah, I think I can.”

  Ava opened her eyes just as Caleb took a step forward, and they turned to face whoever was coming. She squinted into the forest as a shimmering shape began to take form, solidifying into a large man with shoulder-length dark hair, dressed in black from head to toe.

  “Don’t you people believe in color?” she muttered.

  Caleb snickered, but sobered as the man drew nearer, his brow drawn in a ferocious scowl. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here,” he growled.

  Caleb squared his shoulders. “Hello, Rafe,” he said. “Nice to see you, too.”

  Rafe smirked. “Funny. Do you know what kind of trouble you’ve caused? We’ve got dozens of Protectors out looking for you.”

  Caleb shrugged. “Guess you can call them back.”

  Their eyes locked for a long minute, both men poised on their toes, neither backing down. Ava held her breath as they sized each other up, catching the movement of Caleb’s fingers as they clenched into a fist.

  She half-feared that this would all be over before it even began.

  Then, Rafe broke into a wide grin, sweeping his arm over Caleb’s shoulders and pulling him into a playful headlock.

  “You jerk,” Caleb muttered.

  “It’s good to see you, man,” Rafe replied, releasing him with a glance Ava’s direction. “Wish it was under better circumstances. You must be Ava.”

  She nodded nervously, taking his offered hand and shaking it firmly. “Nice to meet you?” she said, only belatedly realizing she’d formed it as a question.

  Rafe laughed. “Yes, well, I can see where you might wonder if that’s true.”

  Caleb propped his hands on his hips, eyes serious. “So, how bad is it?”

  Rafe sighed, turning to lead them back toward the gate. Ava still couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but she trailed along behind them.

  “It isn’t good,” Rafe admitted. “Although I think it’ll help that you came in of your own volition.” He grinned, lowering his voice, obviously oblivious—or uncaring—that Ava could hear every word. “You certainly surprised everyone with that little move. How’d you get the Half-Breed to come along willingly?”

  Caleb stiffened. “It was her idea.”

  Rafe’s eyes widened, turning to glance at her in surprise. “Really,” he said.

  Ava stuck her chin out stubbornly, challenge flashing in her eyes. “I’m tired of running.”

  “Huh,” Rafe said noncommittally, turning back around as they neared the spot where he first appeared. Ava could barely make out a slight shimmer, almost like the ripples rising off asphalt on a hot day. Caleb and Rafe co
ntinued to walk forward, but even though she’d seen a cloak before at the safe house, she hesitated when their images wavered before her eyes.

  Caleb glanced back. “It’s okay,” he said quietly, his face going into and out of focus.

  Ava nodded and stepped forward. She felt nothing but a slight warming of the air around her, but the trees shimmered slightly and vanished, replaced by a large, iron gate set in a tall stone wall. Ava gaped in surprise, looking in either direction, but the wall seemed to go on forever, curving around in the distance as far as she could see. The wall towered over them—at least fifteen or twenty feet tall—and one side of the double gate hung open enough for them to walk through. It clanged shut behind them, making Ava jump.

  “Relax,” Caleb said, taking her hand. “No point getting nervous now.” He squeezed her fingers reassuringly, and Ava smiled a little in response.

  They walked down a wide, red gravel path, lined by the heavily-treed forest on either side. The gravel was clear of snow, but it wasn’t piled along the shoulder as if it had been plowed. It was odd, but no more so than many of the things she’d experienced recently and not something she had a lot of time to dwell on.

  Although only their crunching footsteps and occasional quiet comments broke the silence, Ava could feel eyes on her from every side and fought the urge to turn around and run back the way they came, instead focusing on Caleb and Rafe’s conversation.

  “. . . start the testing in the morning,” Rafe said. “Madeleine, of course, wanted to begin right away.”

  Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Of course.”

  Ava cleared her throat. “What exactly will this testing entail?” she asked, visions of scalpels and drills and various other torture devices coming to mind.

  “It’s relatively simple, actually,” Caleb answered. “They’ll draw some blood, take some scans. You’ll have some psychological evaluations, intelligence tests, that type of thing.”

  “The Council will want to know about any indications of power,” Rafe added before pulling what looked like a cell phone from his pocket. Ava opened her mouth to respond, but closed it quickly as Caleb shook his head once, eyes darting nervously to Rafe.

  “The Council has already gathered,” Rafe said, fingers flying over the screen. “We need to hurry.”

  They quickened their pace, rounding a corner and passing through another shimmering layer of cloak. Ava’s stomach twisted in knots as they crested a small hill, then a gasp of astonishment pushed past her lips at the startling sight before her.

  A wide valley spread out at their feet, rolling lawns and landscaped gardens interspersed with modern buildings of white stone, glittering metal, and glass. Laid out in a perfect circle, the city wound out from a large central building—itself circular, with a two-story balcony running around the entire structure. Like spokes on a wheel, a dozen or so pathways fanned out from the central building at even intervals, intersecting with roads laid out in concentric circles. Beyond the city, the mountain rose up into the clouds, curving slightly around the city borders as if a chunk was carved out of the peak with a giant hand. Like the path, the city was surrounded by snow, but there was none actually within its borders. The city was jarringly structured, but still beautiful, and Ava took a moment to gape in wonder.

  “What do you call it?” she asked, her voice a near whisper.

  “New Elysia,” Caleb replied. At her confused expression, he explained, “After the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology.

  “The final resting place of gods and heroes,” Ava murmured.

  Caleb started slightly. “Yes. Exactly.”

  “How did you . . . ?” She waved vaguely. “How does no one see this?”

  “The cloaks on our cities are stronger than any others,” Caleb replied.

  “Guys,” Rafe interrupted. “Sorry, but we really need to go.”

  They continued down a winding walkway to the edge of the city, then down one of the roads toward the main building at the center of the wheel.

  “How do you keep the snow out?” she asked. “Some kind of weather machine?”

  Caleb laughed. “No, nothing like that. It snows and rains—we don’t control the weather. But the city has an underground heating system—solar powered. The snow melts and is diverted to our water system. At this elevation, it’s quite useful.”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” Ava mumbled, still a bit overwhelmed. “Quite.”

  They continued toward the center of the city, and Ava couldn’t resist gawking at the buildings and grounds as they passed them. She was surprised, though, that she didn’t see any people.

  “Where is everybody?” she asked Caleb quietly.

  He shrugged in response.

  The central building—the Council Arena, as Rafe called it—was larger than she’d thought, looming over them in an expanse of sparkling white stone. High metal arches spaced along the walls led to double glass doors, and Rafe continued to one without stopping, pulling it open with an expectant glance toward Ava. She smiled slightly and walked through.

  And she understood why the city streets had been so quiet.

  The balconies outside were mirrored inside the large building, and they were packed with people looking down on them, leaning on the railings and the floor-to-ceiling marble columns as they tried to catch a glimpse. They stared at her curiously, and Ava couldn’t help staring back. Some were so tall—so incredibly beautiful—that they took her breath away. They glowed brighter than Caleb without the Veil, their eyes shimmering with light, their every movement poetic and graceful.

  “You’ll make them uncomfortable,” Caleb said under his breath, and Ava finally managed to tear her eyes away.

  “Sorry.” She swallowed thickly, overcome with nerves. “I thought you said it would only be a few people.”

  Caleb shook his head slightly. “I don’t understand it myself.” He and Rafe flanked Ava, leading her through another set of doors to a large room she assumed was the Council chamber. Caleb shrugged out of his coat, taking Ava’s and laying them both on a low bench at the back of the room.

  The chamber was full, as well, rows of chairs packed with spectators facing a dais on the far side of the room. On the platform, a long wooden table gleamed with aged luster before five larger chairs, ornately carved with padded red velvet seats. Four of the chairs were occupied, and as they continued forward, Ava took a moment to examine the occupants. In the center of the group sat an imperious-looking woman, warm brown hair swept up in a soft French roll, a few curls hanging down over her flawless cheeks as her hands lay hidden in her lap beneath the table. Icy blue eyes regarded Ava with something akin to disdain, and she fought a shudder as her gaze drifted to the tall man to the woman’s left. From Caleb’s description, Ava identified the blonde man in the expensive suit as Andreas Petrov. Next to him, a petite woman with dark skin and kind eyes smiled at her softly, one hand extended and lying on the table. On the opposite end of the group, a large man sprawled in his chair insolently, elbows propped on the arms of his chair and fingers tented before his lips. He regarded her impassively with golden eyes, his own head shaved bald and gleaming under the lights.

  Ava was unable to hold back a gasp when she spotted Tiernan and the mysterious black-haired woman, Katherine, standing against the far wall. They both nodded in recognition, and Ava looked away quickly.

  They came to a stop before a low railing separating the Council from the observing audience. Rafe nodded slightly at Caleb before he passed through a swinging gate and took his place in the only remaining empty chair.

  Caleb cleared his throat.

  The woman in the center tapped her fingers on the table, then spoke loudly. “Caleb Foster,” she said. “You have some explaining to do. Please step forward to address the Council.”

  “Stay here,” he murmured to Ava as he passed through the gate and went to stand in front of the table. She wrung her fingers nervously as he looked straight at the woman, shoulders stiff.

  “As a Prot
ector, your first duty is to the Race,” she declared pointedly, her voice echoing through the chamber as she set the tone for the assembly, “to seek out those who might expose us, or even pose a threat to our existence.”

  Her eyes flashed to Ava for a moment, who fought an urge to scream out that she wasn’t a threat, that she would never expose them. She bit her tongue.

  The woman turned her piercing stare back on Caleb. “However,” she said. “I have been informed that not only have you ignored your orders in this case, but you have actually fought against other Protectors in order to help this human escape. Is this true?”

  Caleb didn’t hesitate. “It is true.”

  The woman stiffened. “Then we have no choice—”

  Rafe interrupted, sparing Caleb a nervous glance. “Madeleine, perhaps we should give Caleb an opportunity to explain. There may be . . . extenuating circumstances that should be taken into account.”

  “What kind of extenuating circumstances?” she asked stiffly.

  “Well.” Rafe drew the word out, obviously searching for the right phrasing to justify his friend’s behavior. “He did come of his own volition. And he brought the Half-Breed with him.”

  She sniffed. “Alleged Half-Breed. But that’s neither here nor there. The testing will determine how she will be dealt with.” She shot another icy glare at Ava before she sat up a bit straighter, somehow looming over Caleb, even though she remained seated.

  “Very well, Caleb. Are there extenuating circumstances the Council should be made aware of before ruling on your act of defiance?”

  Ava could almost picture Caleb’s smirk as he said, “Alleged act of defiance.” Ava gaped at his nonchalance, certain that at any moment he’d be hauled off to prison, or a guillotine, or whatever superhuman ancient races used for punishment.

  Instead, Madeleine raised an imperious brow, nodding slightly in acquiescence.

  “I had no intention of disobeying my orders. I followed the girl, per protocol, and was in the process of gathering more information when it came to my attention that more Protectors were surveilling her.

  “At the time, I was unaware that they were operating under Council orders and feared that perhaps Rogues were on her trail. I didn’t see any alternative to taking the girl and going into hiding until I could learn more.”