The MORE Trilogy

by T. M. Franklin

  “The Council should be put in protective custody,” Caleb said.

  His mother and Gideon exchanged a heavy look.

  “What?” he asked.

  “We’re not sure where Kaeden and Rafe are,” she replied. “They were following up on a lead, but haven’t been heard from for several hours.”

  “What about Naomi?”

  “With Andreas at Bureau headquarters.”

  “I think that’s where we all should be,” Caleb said.

  “Agreed.” Madeleine reached for her coat. “We need to talk about lifting the blocks as well.”

  “No,” Ava said shortly.

  “She’s right, Ava.” Sophie got to her feet and pulled Isaiah with her. “We need to be ready.”

  “It’s dangerous.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Sophie said, lifting her chin. “Isaiah and I are in this now. You need us, and by my count it’s three against nine.”

  “Four,” Ava said stubbornly.

  “Evan doesn’t count. He’s not a fighter,” Tiernan said, wincing when Ava looked at him as though he’d stabbed her in the back.

  “With his block lifted, he’ll be as strong as you, right?” Sophie asked. When Ava shrugged, she said, “Either way, we need all the help we can get.”

  “We don’t even know if they can lift the blocks, let alone do it safely.”

  “We can,” Madeleine said. “Our scientists have been studying the block, and the Guardian healer has been quite helpful.”

  “Talia’s here?” Ava asked.

  “She arrived with the first wave of Guardian refugees. She seems to think she can help alleviate the symptoms—”

  “Alleviate, not cure,” Ava snapped.

  Caleb sensed her frustration, her fear.

  Sophie crossed the room, one hand still holding Isaiah’s as she reached out for Ava with the other. “We have to do this,” she said quietly. “You know we do.”

  “I don’t want to see you hurt,” she whispered.

  “We’re going to be hurt either way,” Sophie replied. “You know it. There’s no getting around it. The block will come down eventually, and if we don’t join Borré . . .” She glanced at Isaiah, who nodded, and they exchanged a smile before Sophie turned back to Ava. “We know what we’re getting into. We have to do this.”

  Ava’s shoulders fell, and she nodded.

  Her fear was still there, Caleb could practically taste it, but there was strength as well. The presence of her siblings seemed to intensify her power, solidify it.

  “All right then, if that’s settled, shall we go?” Madeleine asked as she opened the front door. The group shuffled out in silence, and his mother stopped him with a touch on the arm. “Do you think we can trust them?” she asked.

  “Who? Sophie and Isaiah?” At his mother’s continued silence, he bristled. “Ava?”

  “All of them,” she said quietly. “They’ve been under Borré’s influence. How do we know what he’s done to them?”

  “I would know. If Ava had been affected, I would know,” he replied, watching her walk with her sister and brother down the street. “And I trust her judgment.”

  “Are you sure we can? There’s a lot at stake here, Caleb.”

  “You think I don’t know what’s at stake?” he asked with more than a touch of irritation. Seeing his mother’s stricken look, the lines along her mouth, her eyes, he realized the toll this was taking on her. As always, her concern was for her people. He forced himself to speak calmly. “Look at it this way, we have to trust someone. We know that we can’t take on Borré and the Twelve without them. Do we really have any other options?”

  Madeleine pulled the door shut and set off down the walkway next to him. “Even with them, our chances aren’t good. Borré has been planning this for years, and we’re simply trying to guess when he’s going to act, what he’s going to do.” She yanked her coat closed and jammed her hands in her pockets, her mouth turning down in an angry line. “I hate being at a disadvantage.”

  They walked in silence for a few minutes, Caleb’s eyes drifting over the backs of the people in front of him—Tiernan, Gideon, Ava, and her siblings—a Protector, a rebel, and three people who were turning against their birthright, against their very DNA, to fight for what was right.

  “We’ll do what we have to do,” he said finally. “We’ve been fighting Rogues for centuries. They’re all the same, really.”

  Madeleine’s eyes narrowed. “Selfish.”

  “Power hungry.”

  “Prideful.”

  Caleb grinned and threw an arm over his mother’s shoulders. “And you know what they say pride goeth before.”

  Madeleine’s lips twitched. “That’s a human saying.”

  “Doesn’t mean it isn’t valid,” Caleb said. “Sure, Borré has a lot of strength on his side, but our job is to figure out his weakness. And from what Ava’s said, I’d say his children are a big one.”

  Madeleine nodded then looked away, deep in thought. “You think we can use that to our advantage?”

  Caleb wasn’t sure, but he shrugged and said, “It’s a place to start.”

  “Father? You wanted to see me?”

  Elias didn’t slow his pace but acknowledged Emma with a nod. “We need to move up the timetable again,” he said, turning the corner to head to the control room. “Your sister has forced my hand, unfortunately.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  He didn’t want to ask, but he had to. There was no more time. “I need to know if you can help Amrit and Lucien see the error of their ways.”

  Emma’s step faltered. “You want me to push them?”

  “Of course I don’t want it. But I don’t have a choice. We need them.” He paused at the door and looked down at his daughter. “Can you do it? And lift their blocks.”

  Emma chewed on her lip but nodded. “How soon?”

  “Now,” he replied as he took her by the shoulders, squeezing gently. “Can you do this, Emma? Ava resisted—”

  “Ava had help,” Emma said quickly. “Caleb was a complication I wasn’t prepared for. I can do it, Father. If you need me to, I can do it.”

  He smiled and ran the backs of his fingers down her cheek. “I believe in you,” he said, reaching for the door. “Go now and let me know when it’s finished.”

  Emma turned on her heel and hurried down the hall, almost running.

  Such a good girl. So eager to please.

  Elias shook off his smile, all business as he burst through the door to find a flurry of activity. He saw Max across the room and recognized the tension in his shoulders, in the set of his jaw.

  Hmm. Not good.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, laying a hand on the boy’s back.

  Max shrugged. “Bit of a headache. It’s nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing. Let me.” He touched his son’s forehead, drawing out the pain with a dose of his gift. “Better?”

  Max nodded. “Thanks.”

  “I want you to get another dose before we leave. The others, too. See to it.”

  “All right.”

  “How are the preparations going?”

  Max turned to a computer screen and skimmed his finger across it, bringing up a checklist. “Weapons have been stocked and loaded. Not that we’ll need them.”

  “A last resort,” Elias said, examining the list. “Always have a backup plan, son.”

  “The forward team has already been dispatched. They should arrive near the gate to New Elysia”—he checked his watch—“within the next hour.”

  “They know not to get too close and disrupt the cloak. The sensors will be able to detect them, too.”

  “Sloan’s on the way,” Max replied. “He’ll meet the team at the base of the mountain. He should be able to mask them.”

  “Good.” Elias nodded. “Your sister is working on Amrit and Lucien. Once they’re on boa—”

  Max stiffened. “What do you mean ‘working on’?”
>
  “Your brothers need a little encouragement.”

  “You said it was our choice.” Max’s jaw tensed, the color high on his cheeks, and Elias knew he needed to tread carefully.

  The last thing he needed was another of his offspring to rebel. Children, he was learning, were sometimes more trouble than they were worth. And sometimes, they needed to be reminded of their place. Without Emma, it was a bit more work, but Elias could still discipline his children when the situation called for it.

  He felt for Max’s gift, the spaces his own filled in, the twining flow of father and son, and pulled his gift back, just a little.

  Max winced.

  Elias pulled back some more. “Your brothers simply need a little convincing. They need to understand exactly what is at stake here, not only for themselves, but for all our people.” He pulled a little more, and Max jerked, obviously fighting the pain, a little drop of blood bubbling at one nostril. Elias leaned closer, until he was eye to eye with his son, determined to make his point. “Sometime we all need a little reminder, don’t we?”

  Max nodded jerkily. “Yes. Yes, of course.”

  Elias smiled and allowed his gift to flow once again, and Max’s whole body loosened as the pain eased.

  “Good. Glad we understand each other.” He patted his son on the shoulder and turned away when his phone buzzed. “Yes?”

  “I thought you’d want to know that your errant daughter has returned to the fold.”

  Elias grinned. Ava was a handful, he had to give her that. “I trust everything is under control on your end?”

  “Protectors are being diverted to the perimeter. We are increasing security measures as we speak. New security codes and firewalls are almost ready.”

  “Of course, you are privy to the new codes?”

  “They won’t be a problem.”

  “Excellent.” Borré eyed the checklist on the computer screen idly. “What about the civilians?”

  “Encouraged to remain in their homes, at this point. A curfew has been instigated.”

  Elias huffed out a laugh. “Perfect. And the Council?”

  “Madeleine has rebuffed protective custody.”

  “Of course she has.” Elias walked slowly through the room, watching the bustling activity with satisfaction. “It won’t be long now. When we have everyone in position, I’ll be in touch.”

  “Understood.”

  Elias hung up and stood quietly, indulging in a moment of satisfaction. It wasn’t over yet—not nearly—but everything seemed to be coming together perfectly.

  He turned on his heel and headed out to check on Emma. Using her gift to manipulate her brothers would take a toll, and she’d probably need a little reenergizing. He’d give her a boost, and soon they’d be on the way to New Elysia.

  Within twenty-four hours, it would all be over, and a new era would begin.

  Chapter 16

  It was after midnight by the time they’d put the extra security measures in play, rousing Protectors out of bed to stand patrol—something that hadn’t been necessary for generations, according to Madeleine—and Caleb and Tiernan were overseeing the assignments with Katherine’s help. They’d also added cloaks to the protective barrier surrounding the city, and Evan and the other sensors had been brought in as well, set up in an around-the-clock surveillance schedule to add yet another safeguard against invasion.

  Ava had been assured that the humans were safe, far from the central building, where they anticipated the attack, but heavily cloaked in a secure facility, and while she thought everything sounded good, she doubted it would be enough. In actuality, she knew it wouldn’t be. Her instincts whirled around in a confused vortex, bumping against her skin and alerting her to the fact that something wasn’t right.

  Yeah. Like I need the reminder.

  But Ava was at a loss about what else they could do. Once they had all the beefed up security in place, the patrols were patrolling, the sensors were sensing, and the cloaks were as thick as they could make them, in the end, all they could do was wait.

  “Are you sure you want to do this now?” she asked Sophie as they sat in one of the medical examining rooms.

  Sophie was up on the table, and Isaiah stood in the corner chewing on his thumb knuckle.

  “No point putting it off,” she replied, touching the back of Ava’s hand. “It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

  Ava wasn’t sure about that, but the truth was, Sophie was right when she said they didn’t really have any other options and that their fate would most likely be the same, whether the block was lifted or not. Without Borré, their destiny was to die, and they all knew it. But Ava didn’t have the right to tell Sophie and Isaiah that they couldn’t fight, that they couldn’t try to take Borré with them.

  Talia walked in, along with two Race doctors and Evan.

  The sensor had agreed to help and have what remained of his block removed as well. Ava was banking on the power of the Twelve working together. She hoped that the simple presence of a sibling helping ground and strengthen a gift, along with Talia’s treatments, would be enough to hold off the worst of the symptoms Borré had planted in them.

  The three of them—Evan, Isaiah, and Ava—joined hands with Sophie, and immediately, Ava felt the surge of power, of electricity, running through them like a completed circuit.

  Talia took a position behind Sophie and laid her hands gently on the sides of her head.

  One of the Race doctors monitored a scanner, while the other approached her, holding some kind of tool. “This will help us locate the weak spots of the block,” he explained. “We’ll focus our efforts there.”

  Sophie nodded, casting a quick and nervous glance at Ava.

  Ava squeezed her sister’s hand and focused on keeping herself calm and sending peaceful thoughts Sophie’s way as the doctor touched the tool to her head in several places.

  “All right,” the doctor said. “I think we’ve got it. Ready?”

  “You can help them,” Ava said quietly. “Close your eyes and try to feel what they’re doing. Your instinct will be to fight them off, but try and stay calm. I’ll help if I can.”

  Sophie’s eyes fluttered shut, and Talia’s fingers tightened, flexing in her hair. “I can see it, I think,” Talia murmured. “I’ve never—”

  Sophie tensed.

  “What is it?” Isaiah’s hand tightened on Sophie’s, his knuckles turning white as he leaned closer. “Is she okay? Sophie?”

  “It’s okay,” Ava said quietly. She felt them all—Sophie, Talia, the doctor, and the muffling force of the block. “It’s okay,” she whispered, lending her gift to the rest, feeling the block resist and cling to Sophie like remnants of sticky taffy.

  “Little bit more,” the doctor said, half to himself.

  Then, with a silent whoosh, it gave, pulling away and disintegrating.

  Sophie gasped, and her gift flashed through her, the echo tingling through them all.

  Ava remembered that feeling—the first time, the warmth, the fullness—the feeling of finally when her power seemed ready to burst out of her skin.

  The temperature in the room dropped as frost crept up the walls.

  “Try to pull it back,” Ava said, shivering as snowflakes started to fall. “You’re not fighting it. It’s part of you, like a hand or a foot.”

  Icy wind began to swirl in the room, a twisting cyclone centered on Sophie.

  Her head fell back as the snow whirled around, stinging Ava’s cheeks. “It wants to do what you want,” Ava shouted over the increasing wind. “It’s like letting a rock drop out of your hand or stepping back from the edge of a cliff. You can control it.” She leaned closer. “Sophie!”

  Sophie’s eyes flew open and locked on Ava’s. Her nose started to bleed, a ruby-red drop caught on her upper lip.

  “Sophie?” Isaiah’s worried plea was lost on the wind.

  “I know you want to let it go,” Ava said. “I know it’s overwhelming. But you need to take control.
You can do it.”

  Sophie sniffed, the blood dripping down her chin, and closed her eyes. She shuddered and the wind slowed, then stopped altogether.

  Gradually, the temperature rose until the only sound in the room was the quiet drip of melting ice and their own harsh breaths.

  Sophie opened her eyes, and the doctor handed her a clump of tissues. She pressed them to her nose.

  One by one, they let go until only Isaiah was holding her hand.

  “Well, that was weird,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by the tissues.

  Ava stared at her sister for a minute, stunned, then burst out laughing.

  It took another hour before they were able to lift the blocks on Evan and Isaiah. No more indoor snow storms, thankfully, but they had all been treated to a stream of intense emotions as Isaiah worked his way through controlling his gift.

  Ava finally understood why Madeleine had been so concerned about him. Fear really was a powerful weapon.

  Talia and the Race doctors worked together and dosed them with enough painkillers, along with Talia’s mojo, to ward off the headaches. Although nobody said it out loud, everyone knew when the Rogue attack came the four of them would not be enough—even unblocked.

  They wandered out of the medical wing, exhausted but also exhilarated, but Ava hung back, dialing Caleb’s number to check in.

  “Hey.” He sounded tired.

  “How’s everything going?”

  Caleb yawned. “We’ve set up a rotating patrol. Finally. Took some doing. Protectors aren’t used to pulling guard duty.”

  “You coming back soon?”

  “I have another couple of hours. I’m on ’til dawn.” She heard him adjust his phone, saying something in a muffled voice. “Sorry,” he said. “How’d it go on your end? Any problems lifting the blocks?”

  “About what we expected,” she replied, following the group down a hall to the temporary quarters. She waved to Sophie as she walked into one of the rooms and closed the door quietly behind her. “Everyone’s tired, though. Heading to bed.”

  “I know the feeling.” He yawned again. “They get you all set up with somewhere to sleep?”

  “Yeah, Madeleine didn’t want us to leave the Council Arena until this is all over.”