I look sharply at Ember. Has that been bothering her all day?
“Honestly,” Walker says. “I wasn’t going to tell either of you. You were so dead set on not being leader. Aurora took the reins whether she wanted to or not. So I told her the information to do with as she liked.”
“‘She took the reins whether she wanted to or not?’” Ember repeats, her voice slowly rising with her quick temper. “As in, she picked up where I failed?”
“Oookay,” I interrupt. “I think it’s time to cut this conversation short. Jonah, does James know about Aurora’s absence?”
“He’s the first one I told. Yes. Which is another problem. Right after I told him, he went after her.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yep,” Walker snaps. “Should I go ahead and assume that James told you his plans too?”
The bitterness in his voice is amusing. I haven’t seen Walker ruffled much in my life, but when I do…he’s something else.
“James’s absence is news,” Ember says.
I shake my head, my amusement vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
“Son of a Jackal,” I mumble. “First Titus, then Aurora, and now Mcallister. They’re just walking out of the country like derailed train cars!” I look at Ember, who’s chewing her lip in thought. “Okay, Walker. Let me talk to Ember and we’ll call you back in thirty.” I click off my phoneband, gritting my teeth until another migraine begins brewing.
“I can’t believe Mcallister went after her,” Ember says.
“He’s fallen hard for her.” I laugh and shake my head. “What are you going to do, Chief?”
She narrows her eyes at the new title, then sighs and looks out the open doorway at the field. “Let’s stay in the Community Garden and finish helping where they need us, and tomorrow night we can return to Frankfort and see how things are holding up.”
Sounds like a solid plan.
“Are you mad at her?”
She blows out another breath and looks at her hands. “I mean, I understand her reasons for leaving. And I’m glad she talked to me about it ahead of time instead of just walking out. But I didn’t come back to lead.” She looks at me, the uncertainty creeping into her brown eyes. “I came back to support her. I came back to be with you. I came back to free my people. But I really don’t want to be stuck in some stuffy office doing paperwork and dealing with…issues. This Garden is my home. Not snotty Frankfort.”
I smother a smirk at her accurate description of Frankfort. “What did you want to do when you came back?”
“I don’t know.” She chews her thumbnail in thought. “I kind of imagined myself returning to the Garden. Not to work as a field hand, but maybe to be a leader on a smaller scale.”
“Like a mayor?”
She nods. “Yeah. I like the sound of that. A mayor. Every county should have one, yes?”
“Just like old times.”
“It made sense, distributing leadership in smaller scales. Making sure there was someone there to speak for the people.”
So she does have some leadership in her. I knew that, of course. It’s just the endless office work that’s unappealing to her. I don’t blame her. Office work is the main reason I didn’t become a politician.
“So, after thinking about it all day, you still really don’t want to be chief?” I ask.
She purses her lips in thought, then shakes her head. “Not really. No.”
“Who would you put up as leader if Aurora doesn’t return?”
She groans and digs her fingers into her hair. “No one. I liked her.”
“So did I.” It’s strange admitting that aloud. But it’s the raw, hard truth. “She knows what she’s doing. She’s trustworthy. She’s the sister of the love of my life.” I toss Ember a wink and she grins.
“Cheesy much?”
“Always.”
“Well. Do you think Walker and Congress can hold up Frankfort until our work here is done?”
I shrug while scratching the burnt floorboards with my nail. “I don’t see why not.”
“Perfect.” She grins, obviously relieved. “The longer I can stay away from shoddy Frankfort, the better off we’ll all be.”
I smirk and switch on my phoneband to respond to Walker. “I don’t doubt it.”
PART IV: the commencement
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
AURORA
I don’t know the first thing about traveling. Or what lies outside of Ky. I was able to get the ferry driver to take me across the river. He did so, trembling because no one has ever been across the river, and he’s only driven across under compulsion.
But, here I am. Following a well-traveled road that most likely leads to Nashville. Well-traveled, because apparently Titus has been sending in his own people as payment for things like coffee and wine and expensive technology and luxuries we can’t get in Ky otherwise.
I’ve been walking all day, stopping only to eat what little food I brought with me. My sides begin to cramp. My feet are past the point of aching and are now numb. The backpack filled with food and resources weighs heavy on my shoulders, making my muscles ache. This is worse than walking through the Garden. At least I had Rain and Chale by my side for the most of it. Here…I’m completely alone.
It’s not until sunset, after I’ve been traveling all shoddy day with no signs of life on the horizon, that I realize I’m not going to make it. I suppose my view of the world is a little skewed. I probably should have looked a little closer at the map, at how far Nashville actually is from Ky. Because I’m used to the size of Ky. It’s pretty big in my eyes. I mean, a trip from one side to the other in a vehicle takes a good three or four hours. Walking across Ky would take a couple days. But I have no idea how far Nashville is. I glanced at one of Titus's maps in his private office just to check which general direction it was in. Now, thinking back, I’m realizing just how far it actually is. Like traveling-across-Ky-three-or-four-times far. I don’t have enough food for that.
Or energy.
I’m still recovering from lack of sleep. Seriously. What was I thinking?
Gideon. I was thinking about Gideon.
I need to keep walking.
Forgetting the pain in my back and sides, I walk faster. Gideon’s life depends on me. I don’t know what Titus intends to do with him. If he’s using him to draw me out of Ky—which totally worked and I don’t care—or if he’s planning some sick future attack where he’ll raise Gideon to be a leader like himself and take back Ky only to turn its citizens into mindless robots again.
I don’t know which thought makes me sicker to my stomach: Titus retaking Ky, or Gideon growing up to be just like Titus. If I have any say in it, it’ll be neither.
And that’s why I have to go after Gideon now.
I think past my pain, past my thirst. Breathe in through my nose, out through my mouth. I visualize energy and strength cascading down my body and into my muscles and bones.
I can do this.
When I arrive at a highway swallowed up by plants and vines, I follow the beaten path past a rusted sign that says “Nashville South.” It shouldn’t be too hard to get there now, if the signs and path keep pointing me in the right direction.
The sun sinks beyond the horizon, and then disappears completely. Stars make their grand appearances. I’m so glad the moon is half-full tonight. No way I could see if it were cloudy or if there were no moon. A howl of a feral dog sounds in the distance, and then more follow. Chills flesh out across my body, and I consider stopping and hiding in a tree until morning. It would keep me safe from the dogs. And besides, I’m exhausted. My body needs to rest. I need to close my eyes for just a few minutes—
No. Titus is way ahead of me. I have to keep pressing on.
I grab the gun from its holster at my waist, then check to make sure my dagger is in easy grasp. I brought these in case I needed to use them against Titus. I had no idea I would need them to defend myself against wil
d animals.
The howls grow louder, closer. I walk faster, my gun slick in my hands. Then I hear a yip-yip-yip behind me. I spin around. There, standing in the middle of the road, is the silhouette of a dog almost as high as my waist with pointed ears and a long bushy tail. He stares after me, his eyes glittering in the moonlight like stars.
My stomach drops.
He howls, making the hairs on my neck stand up on end. Then there’s another howl. Then more until it sounds like there are hundreds of them. And they’re coming from all around me. I glance around, catching flashing eyes as the dogs circle around me. Coyotes? Wolves? Strays? I have no idea. I’ve never even seen a wolf before. I would equate the fear I feel surrounded by these animals to that of facing a wild black tiger.
And lord, do I wish I had a black tiger to defend me now.
The dog in front of me lurches forward to attack.
I quickly take aim and shoot, but the dog is moving fast, and it’s hard to see anything when it’s so dark and I miss. But the loud sound seems to slow him down. He stops and bounces back a few steps. Now it’s my time to run. I spin around, only to face another dog.
CHAPTER SIXTY
AURORA
My heartbeat thrums against my eardrums. Is this really how it’s going to go? I had so many chances to die a heroic death, but this is how it’s going to end?
Something sounds in the distance. The unnatural sound of a motor, completely out of place on a deserted highway surrounded by a massive forest. Then headlights appear from down the road on which I came.
The dogs scatter. I leap to the side of the road and the vehicle slows down. The window rolls down, and in the moonlight I can make out Mcallister’s face.
Relief. I never thought seeing his face could make me cry tears of joy.
“Get in the car, please, Chief.” He looks past me at the wild dogs. “Hurry.”
I bolt around the front of the car and take the passenger’s seat. Closing the door, I heave out a breath of relief and return my gun to its holster.
“You came just in time,” I whisper as he begins driving again. “Thank you.” I glance at him. His arm is still in a sling and he’s driving the car with one hand. “You shouldn’t be driving.”
He glares at me. “You shouldn’t have left! Holy Crawford, Aurora. You could have died just now.”
I shrink a little. I’ve never seen Mcallister angry. Not really. I’ve heard his threats in the caverns and in the mansion. But I’ve never seen him full of rage. Well, except once, when Rain tried to kill me.
But he’s never used my first name in that tone before. It makes me feel small.
“Are you going to take me home now?” I immediately begin regretting my decision of getting into the vehicle. What if I traveled all this way only to be forced back to Ky?
“No,” he says. “We’re going to Nashville.” He looks at me now, his black eyes shining like two pieces of onyx. “We’re going to get Gideon back.”
My muscles melt.
“I just wish you’d have told me your plans,” he says, looking back at the road. “Did you think I was going to stop you? I want to get Gideon too. I want to help you.”
I shrug off the guilt of not telling him. “I have no idea what you want, Mcallister. Not a month ago you threatened overturn my leadership if I didn’t do as the Resurgence asked. The White Plague broke out, and though you’ve been nothing but kind to me, I still don’t know if I can trust you.” I look at him. “What if I make another mistake? What if I slip up? What then?”
He shakes his head, clearly frustrated. “Look, I know I scared you when I cornered you that day. And—and I’m sorry. But I thought you’d know by now that I do trust you. How many times do I have to tell you that? How much more clear can I make myself?”
I realize as he speaks that I do trust him. I trust him completely, no question, with my life. And that’s what terrifies me. It’s the fact that it’s been so easy to trust him that I hold back.
He glances at me when I don’t say anything. “Why don’t you get some rest, Chief? You’ll need all the energy you can muster to face Titus.”
At first I think it’s a trap, his way to sneak me back to Ky without my arguing. But I reprimand myself for thinking so little of Mcallister. He’s been nothing but honest and up front with me since the beginning.
“I liked it more when you called me Aurora,” I mumble as I squish into the nook of the car, trying to get comfortable.
He’s quiet. I close my eyes, deciding he really doesn’t want to cross the invisible Defender-Chief line. I can’t blame him. One could be entering dangerous territory crossing those boundaries.
But then, just before I slip into a deep sleep, I think I hear him mutter, “I liked it more the one time you called me Thorne.”
* * *
When I wake up again, it’s still dark, but tall skyscrapers shine ahead of us, looking like a cluster of glowing icicles pointing toward the sky. People always called Frankfort glorious and beautiful, but Frankfort’s got nothing on Nashville. Frankfort might be the Golden City, but Nashville looks like a city made entirely of diamonds, stretching from one side of the horizon to the other.
Like Frankfort, the city has a silver tinted dome covering the city. A weather-controlling cupola, no doubt. I always wondered where we got all our technologies. We don’t really have any great inventors in Ky. The Proletariats were too brainwashed to be inventive, and the Patricians were too lazy to do anything with their lives.
I sit up straighter. “How long was I out?”
“Couple hours.”
“What’s the plan, Mcallister?”
“I don’t know, Chief. You tell me.”
I glance at him, briefly remembering our short, intimate conversation before I passed out.
“Well, Thorne.” He grins, but keeps his eyes on the road. “Do you know anything about Nashville?”
“Not a thing. I didn’t even know about them until you pointed them out months ago.”
I remember that. It was just before we were supposed to kill Titus—and failed. Failed, because Titus brought up Gideon. But then I think of Forest’s unnecessary death, and the guilt eats at me again.
“Well, if their cupola is like ours, we’ll be able to slip in without being noticed,” I say, picking at my nails. “That is, unless they have guards posted at the perimeter. But that’s doubtful. Since the entire city is cloaked beneath the dome, I doubt they get any visitors at all.”
“Yeah.” Thorne blows out a breath. “Have any idea where Titus might be?”
“Wherever the capitol is, I’m sure Titus is there. That shouldn’t be too hard to find, should it? I mean, if we ask around?”
“You don’t think us asking around will give us away?”
I chew my lip. “It might. But the authorities are going to know we’re there at some point. We’re going to have to take this one step at a time. One risk after another. There’s no way to come up with a solid plan without knowing anything about Nashville.”
“You don’t know anything?”
I shrug. “Nothing important. Titus used to come to my room and tell me about Nashville. How it was like stepping into another world. He always compared it to heaven because everyone was young and healthy and the city was beautiful. But he never told me anything vital. I guess he wanted to keep all that to himself.”
He tilts his head and nods. “I mean, he sent Gideon here. So I guess it makes sense he wouldn’t want you searching for him if you ever discovered he was here.”
“Exactly.”
We slow the vehicle down. There are no Defenders or guards at the road like we have in Frankfort. Not even a gatekeeper.
“So…do we just go through?” Thorne asks.
“You can try.”
He begins nudging the vehicle forward, but the front hits the cupola like hitting a glass wall.
“That’s strange,” I say. “I thought it was li
ke our cupola.”
“Maybe there’s a door.”
We both step out of the vehicle and walk toward the cupola. It’s tall and inviting, glowing blue against the midnight sky like a giant bubble. I reach out to touch it, expecting to feel the solid smoothness of glass, but my hand goes right through. I glance a Thorne, who’s also testing it out.
“I guess we can go through,” he says. “Just not vehicles.”
“Let’s go.”
Holding my breath, I step through the cupola onto the other side. I hear a blip sound and spin around in time to see a series of red symbols appear in the wall before fading out of existence.
“Our presence has been documented,” I say, looking at Thorne. “They already know we’re here.”
He reaches out, but his hand hits the cupola like a wall. I reach out too. Sure enough, the cupola has turned solid. We’re locked in. Panic settles in my stomach, threatening to surface, but I swallow it down. Now is not the time to panic. I spin around and face the city. So much for secrets. So much for catching them by surprise. Of course, I knew it would be near impossible. But still. I was hoping for some sort of miracle.
The street here is deserted, as are the buildings. Just like Ky, the outskirts seem to be the less popular places to be. Thorne and I walk down the street, further into the diamond city known as Nashville. The streetlights become more frequent the deeper we travel. Then the buildings begin showing signs of life from within. But this late at night, no one is on the streets. Which means our presence is really, really obvious, assuming Nashville has camera hooked into every street corner like Ky does. I imagine Nashville has everything we do, but better. Just like this cupola. They gave us our technology decades ago. What they have is newer and more advanced.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some government official met us in the middle of the street at any moment to arrest us…or shoot us down.
We keep walking toward the heart of the city. I assume that’s where the capitol is. If not, there are taverns or bars where people will still be awake and able to point us in the right direction, no doubt.
white dawn (Black Tiger Series Book 3) Page 33