by R. D. Brady
Samyaza grunted. Hakeem was a good, loyal soldier, completely devoted to her. But he wasn’t Gerard. She had found Gerard when he was only sixteen, his powers just developing. She had shown him what he was capable of, shown him a world he had only dreamed of. They had traveled the world together, and she had been his first—in all ways. He had been loyal, and a constant presence. The one she could rely on.
And then Victoria took him away from her, with one placement of her hands. If the old woman weren’t dead already… Elisabeta paused, realizing she wasn’t. Victoria would have been re-born by now. Perhaps that bears a little looking into.
Hakeem stepped away from her desk, and Elisabeta sat. “Raol called while you were being interviewed,” Hakeem said.
“Good news?”
“He sounded… good.”
Elisabeta rolled her eyes. Another reason she missed Gerard: he could tell from a pause in conversation all that the speaker was trying to keep hidden. Hakeem could barely tell when they said it aloud.
She waved him out of the room. “Leave me.”
Hakeem bowed and left, closing the door behind him. Elisabeta pulled her cell from the desktop and dialed Raol.
“Samyaza?”
“Was it a success?” she asked.
She could hear the pride behind his words. “Yes. It went perfectly.”
Elisabeta settled back in her chair. Strategizing was as natural to her as breathing, and this plan held for her more satisfaction than any she could remember. “And you caught it on tape?”
“Yes. What’s my next step?”
Elisabeta spun her chair so she was looking out at the canals. She had missed this place. Ever since China, she had been in hiding. Finally she was done with that, and everything was as it was supposed to be.
“Has it made the news yet?” she asked.
“Just an afternoon broadcast. The news chopper was in the area, as you wanted.”
“Excellent. Was the ring bearer featured?”
“Not particularly, but her leopard was mentioned.”
A good start. “Make copies of your recording and then get me the original.”
“Yes, Samyaza.” He paused. “Might I ask what you are planning?”
Elisabeta smiled, contentment rolling through her. “I am planning on making sure Delaney McPhearson gets her fifteen minutes of fame.”
CHAPTER 9
Screams rang out through Aaliyah’s home. She sat straight up in bed, clutching her blankets to her chest, her heart pounding. She recognized the voice behind the screams.
Noriko.
The screams cut off abruptly, but the silence terrified Aaliyah even more. Stumbling from bed, she banged her knee before finding the light switch. She ran down the short hallway to Noriko’s room and opened the door.
The light from the hall cast shadows across the room. Noriko’s bed was empty, but a whimper drew Aaliyah’s eyes to the corner by the window. Noriko sat there, her knees curled into her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Noriko!” In a flash, Aaliyah was kneeling by her side. Her hands ran over Noriko’s arms and legs, searching her for an injury. “Are you all right?”
Noriko sat silent, her body shaking as if she was freezing.
Aaliyah grabbed Noriko’s arm and looked straight into her eyes. “Noriko, what is it? You’re scaring me.”
Noriko just stared straight ahead.
“Noriko.”
Finally, Noriko focused on Aaliyah. “Mama?”
The old endearment tugged at Aaliyah’s heart. Noriko hadn’t called her that since she was a child. In Honu, the priestess had forbidden the endearment. But at home, away from prying eyes, Aaliyah had loved hearing the word in Noriko’s little voice.
Aaliyah ran a hand over Noriko’s head, pushing the hair out of her eyes. “It’s me. I’m here. I’m always here.”
Noriko leaned into her. “It was so real.”
Aaliyah sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “What was so real?”
“The dream.”
A shudder ran through Noriko, and Aaliyah hugged her tight. But a sense of foreboding fell over her. It could be just a dream—but Noriko was no normal girl. She had two abilities that set her apart: she could understand animals, and she had visions of the future. In their history, many of the members of Honu Keiki had developed abilities such as these. But Noriko was unique in having more than one.
“Are you sure it was only a dream?” Aaliyah asked quietly.
Noriko turned toward her. “It had to be. It was too horrible.”
“Tell me about it.”
“It—” Noriko took a breath. “The priestess was there. She was standing on high, the world at her feet. I was next to her, along with most of Honu Keiki. But you weren’t there. You were under her—with the rest of the world.”
Aaliyah rubbed Noriko’s arm. “That’s not so bad.”
Noriko shook her head, her eyes troubled. “That’s not all. It began to burn. They were all burning.”
“Who was burning?”
Noriko’s horror-stricken expression pulled at Aaliyah’s heart. “Everyone. The world.”
CHAPTER 10
They were all burning. Noriko’s words remained lodged in Aaliyah’s mind even as she comforted Noriko, helped her into bed, and held her hand while she eased back into sleep.
There was no sleep for Aaliyah. She stayed up, watching the night sky turn into a brilliant pink. And with the coming of the dawn, she knew she had to do something. Ever since the priestess’s announcement, she and Kai had been trying to learn what the priestess was up to, but carefully, without drawing attention. Noriko’s dream had changed all that. Because as much as Aaliyah wanted to write the dream off as the product of an overworked imagination, she knew Noriko too well for that. Noriko did not entertain visions of violence; her dreams were peaceful. Which meant this was no dream—it was a vision. And Aaliyah could no longer wait and hope they found out what the priestess was up to.
She had to be bold.
Now the sun shone down on her as she made her way to the temple. The juniper berries were in bloom, and the fragrance drifted on the light wind. She smiled at the people she passed, but it was growing increasingly difficult to pretend that everything was all right. Her home had become something foreign to her. Part of her wanted nothing more than to take Kai, Noriko, and Oasu and just leave.
But another part of her knew she could not abandon Honu Keiki to the priestess. And now, with Noriko’s vision, she knew the stakes were even higher. If Noriko was right, the whole world could pay for whatever the priestess was up to. It might sound crazy, but she knew the priestess was connected to the Companion Killers, and they had had a global reach. So was it really insane to believe that whatever the priestess planned had global ramifications?
There was only one thing Aaliyah could do: she needed to find out what the priestess was up to, and stop her. Once the priestess was handled, Honu Keiki would be safe once more, and then she wouldn’t have to think about leaving. There was no other course of action that would allow her to live with herself.
But doubts still plagued her as she walked. They pounded away at her, reducing her resolve.
Enough, she shouted at herself. This must be done, for the good of all of us.
She had already searched the temple as well as she could, even though she knew the priestess would not trust whatever her plan was to somewhere it could easily be found. Which meant any plans could only be in one place.
As she made her way down the path toward the priestess’s home, she went over her cover story again: that the priestess had asked her to bring her the bracelets from the first Council to her home for safekeeping. The priestess was always collecting bits and pieces of jewelry from everyone, so the rationalization should not raise too much attention.
Aaliyah clutched the linen bag with the bracelets, sweat developing on her palms. Calm down, she warned herself. She took a few deep breaths, and her
heart rate slowed some.
Ahead she saw the priestess’s home. It sat away from the rest of the homes on its own patch of land, overlooking the lagoon. There had once been ten other homes nearby, but the priestess had had them demolished when she took over, explaining that their presence interrupted her concentration. Now her home stood alone at one of the highest points, overlooking all of Malama Island. It was three times the size of any other home on the island—two stories tall, with the rooftop deck effectively serving as a third floor.
Aaliyah walked up the seashell-lined front path to the front door and knocked before she lost her nerve. She waited, but there was no sound from inside. She knocked again. Still no one answered. Heart pounding, she pushed the door open. Although the priestess’s home was much more sumptuous than anyone else’s, it did share one attribute with all the other homes on Malama: no locks.
“Hello?” she called into the encased front foyer, her voice echoing off the Carrera marble.
No one answered. She walked in slowly, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. She cleared her throat and called louder. “Hello?”
Still no response. The house was silent.
Go, a voice urged.
She stepped into the living room and stopped short. It was beautiful. Deep white couches flanked a fireplace that was covered in white and gray cultured stone. A white fur rug was cast between the two couches. A wall of windows overlooked the lagoon. Aaliyah was dumbstruck; anger overcame her awe. How much did this cost?
Clutching her bag, she walked through the room into the attached kitchen. It, too, was stunning: contemporary, sleek, not a thing out of place. Stowing her anger, Aaliyah opened a few drawers, but nothing jumped out at her—just normal kitchen supplies.
Aware of the time ticking by, she made her way into the dining room. A long mahogany table with ten chairs stood in the middle of the room, with an enormous crystal chandelier above it. Aaliyah ignored the opulent furniture, zeroing in on the papers neatly lined up at one end of the table.
She picked through them with a frown. They were reports on purchases: bedding, seeds. Her eyes bulged at a fifty-thousand-dollar invoice for an air-conditioning unit. There was even a purchase order for a large plane. The more she saw, the more confused she became. What on earth was all this for?
Next to the papers was a long cardboard tube. Aaliyah popped off the lid, pulled out the papers inside, and unrolled them on the table.
They were schematics for a giant facility. There were areas for bedrooms, kitchens, exercise areas, farming areas. At the bottom right of one of the blueprint she found a location: Perth, Australia.
She looked back at the stacks of purchase orders, and she knew what the priestess had in mind.
Oh, Holy Mother.
CHAPTER 11
Aaliyah hurried to Kai’s home. She couldn’t believe this was happening, even though she had seen the plans with her own eyes.
With relief, she saw Kai’s house ahead. All the houses on Malama—apart from the priestess’s—were similar in design: one story with a small porch in front or a lanai out back. Some had steps and some didn’t, depending on the terrain. All were done in light colors to combat the heat.
She knocked on the door before opening it. “Kai?”
“In the kitchen,” he yelled.
Aaliyah walked down the hall to the kitchen, where she found Kai and his son, Oasu, sitting at the table finishing up breakfast. “Oh, Oasu, hi.”
Oasu had Kai’s dark hair and eyes, but otherwise he looked nothing like him. His face was more narrow, and he was lean, not muscular like Kai. There was little reason for the two men to look alike, since they were not biological father and son. Like many on Honu Keiki, Oasu’s parents had relinquished him to be raised by someone else.
Among the Honu Keiki, there was an old tradition of relinquishing one’s children to another, in the belief that a child would be better raised by teachers. But prior to the current priestess, only a few parents still followed that old practice—and even then, it was always the parents’ choice. The priestess, however, had taken away that choice. She had decreed that children were not allowed to be raised by their biological parents. This had led to the exit of dozens of members over the years, as they could not bear the thought of being separated from their children. And those that had stayed, and had had their children taken from them, had been heartbroken.
Oasu stood and placed a kiss on Aaliyah’s cheek. “Good morning, Aaliyah.”
Aaliyah patted his arm. “It’s good to see you. I don’t see you much these days.”
“I’ve been stationed at the other side of the island and doing extra shifts. Speaking of which, I need to get ready.”
He started to clear his dishes, but Kai waved him away. “I’ll get it. Go on.”
Oasu smiled before disappearing down the hallway toward his bedroom.
Kai picked up Oasu’s plate and cup, and Aaliyah joined him at the sink. She spoke quietly. “I’ve found out what the priestess has planned.”
Kai turned to her. “What? How?”
“I snuck into her home.”
Kai’s eyes grew wide. “Aaliyah, how could you? If you had been caught—”
She pictured Noriko’s terrified face last night. “I had to do it. And I wasn’t caught. And now I know. Oh, Kai.”
Kai glanced toward the hallway where Oasu had disappeared, then wiped his hands on a dishtowel. “Let’s take a walk outside.”
Aaliyah followed him out of the house. Neither spoke until they were a hundred yards away.
“What is it?” Kai asked.
“We’re being moved.”
Kai’s brow furrowed. “Moved? Where? Why?”
“I don’t know the answer to any of those questions. All I do know is that we’re going to be evacuated starting next week.”
“I don’t understand. This is our home. In our entire history we’ve never—”
“Kai!”
At the sound of Vanessa’s yell, Kai and Aaliyah spun to find her standing a short way down the path, four of the Guard behind her. Aaliyah couldn’t help but notice that all of them were armed, their hands on their guns.
“What is the meaning of this?” Kai demanded.
Vanessa smiled. “You are being exiled for failure to follow the rules of Honu Keiki.”
Aaliyah felt cold. “What? That’s insane. He’s a member of the Naacal. How dare—”
“We have proof that Kai helped Hanake leave the island to join up with his child and the mother of his child.” Vanessa’s gaze slid to Aaliyah. “Although we have yet to determine how he knew where they were.”
A shout drew their attention. Oasu was running down the path toward them. “What’s going on?” he asked as he drew up to them, placing himself in front of both Kai and Aaliyah.
“Your father has broken the law. He is to be exiled,” Vanessa said.
Oasu shook his head. “No. That’s crazy. He would never—”
Vanessa’s voice was cold. “Step out of the way, Oasu, or you will also be exiled.”
Kai placed his hand on Oasu’s shoulder. “Son, it’s all right. It will be all right.”
Oasu’s look was incredulous. “How will it be all right?”
Vanessa ignored the question and addressed Kai. “Due to your service in the High Council, the priestess has deigned to allow you to pack a few things before you leave. You have one hour. These guards will accompany you.”
Oasu pulled Aaliyah out of the way as the four guards formed a tight square around Kai and headed for the house. Kai was forced to go with them or be swept along.
Without another word, Vanessa turned back the way she came.
As Aaliyah watched her go, she was amazed at the feeling of hate that stole over her. She pictured the priestess’s penetrating gaze at the assembly, and she realized something. The exile of Kai was being done as a warning—but not a warning to the entire community. It’s a warning specifically for me. But then, why not just exi
le me, instead of Kai?
Oasu took her arm and led her to follow Kai and the guards. She could see the worry on his face. “What’s going on, Aaliyah?” he whispered.
She shook her head, unable to speak. Kai was being exiled. She would never see him again unless she left, too.
How can this be happening?
CHAPTER 12
Laney ran through the preserve, Cleo at her side. She’d just spoken with Matt, who had assured her they had the Fallen incidents under control. There were still Fallen incidents, of course—there always were—but they were small scale and back under the radar. The showboating had all but disappeared.
Laney still wasn’t sure what all the high-profile incidents had been about in the first place, and Matt didn’t have any theories, either. There were a few websites dedicated to the incidents, but they didn’t seem to get much traction. Their claims of “enhanced human beings” were sneered at by the mainstream media the same way they laughed off sightings of Bigfoot and UFOs. Even the hubbub about the bridge incident had quieted down. There’d been a few media inquiries, but Henry had had the Chandler Group’s public relations arm handle that. Laney had avoided almost any publicity.
And now, things were, well, back to normal.
And that really worried her. Because “normal” was not a word she’d use to describe her life the last few years. In fact, for the last year she’d been run ragged going from one crisis to another. She knew she should just enjoy this period of relative calm, but in the back of her mind, she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
A noise behind her made her turn, and she saw Lou sprinting up the hill, with Snow, Tiger, and six of the other cats at her sides. Laney smiled at the image. Lou’s dark hair blew behind her as her long stride ate up the ground. She looked free and fierce. She looked like a warrior.
She looked like her old self.