This only cements my already horrendous opinion of Dex’s father, and his evil brother. Despite myself, I feel a twinge of sympathy for Voka – for the life that she lives that she obviously has no control over.
“And Voka accepted that?”
“She didn’t have a choice,” he replies grimly, “my father’s word is law on Venon. He could just as easily have killed the boy.”
I get back into the car disconcertedly quiet. Voka and Noah do not even acknowledge my return – they are playing superheroes with Noah’s action figures. Voka’s apparent fondness for Noah makes more sense to me now, but I still don’t trust her entirely. I have seen what she is capable of. When a sudden gust of wind knocks over a trash can, I jump in surprise, a feeling of dread settling over me. The sky darkens and a flash of lightning streaks across the sky, followed almost immediately by a boom of thunder so loud that it rattles the windows of the Chevy. No natural storm could come on that quickly. Voka’s eyes flash with understanding and she quickly lifts Noah’s backpack and pulls it over his arms. I open my door and watch as the rain surrounds us, flashes of lightning lighting up the sky all around.
“We have to get out of here!” I yell as I reach Dex, who is watching the storm around us with a wary expression.
“It’s too late!” he roars back. That’s when I notice. The storm is raging around us encompassing us in its fury, but it is not overhead. The gas station is protected in the epicenter, and I would bet my life that over the roof above us, the sky is clear. We are in the epicenter – the eye of the storm. Which could only mean one thing. He is already here.
Chapter 29
“Hello Amarox,” Dex sighs as his brother steps out from behind a low wall to our left.
“Dexon,” Amarox smiles evilly. Dex’s eyes scan the area around us searching for something.
“What took you so long?” Dex asks politely. Amarox ignores him, watching as Voka pulls Noah from the car. To my surprise, she pushes the little boy behind her as she faces her brother.
“Sister,” Amarox is taken aback, “what are you doing here?”
“He roped me in,” she tosses her hair in Dex’s direction. Dex doesn’t look half as concerned as I would expect him to be, and a small smile crosses his face as he turns on the spot, looking in every direction.
“Where are your sentries, brother?” he asks and Amarox’s lip curls in anger.
“They are not far.” He sounds almost plaintive and now Dex actually smiles. I look between the two of them, feeling like I am missing something.
“Where is the girl?” Dex’s voice is knowing.
“On her way,” is all the answer that is forthcoming.
Nobody says anything further and I am dying to find out what is going on. I can’t ask Dex as I can sense that he wants me to keep quiet, so I bite my tongue and conduct an in-depth examination of my shoes. Noah whispers behind Voka and she turns around, handing him his Spiderman and Green Goblin action figures. She speaks softly and he settles down at her feet to play. Voka, too, is unnaturally silent.
About ten minutes later we hear a car approaching. I cry out in relief as Kate emerges from the back-seat, looking tired and dirty, but unharmed. Dallan and Benon are with her. Ignoring the Venites I rush to her and envelop her in a bear hug.
“Are you okay?” I ask, holding her at arm's length and assessing her.
“I’m fine.”Astonishingly, she sounds more irritated than afraid. Dex’s quintessence must have held. “Where’s Darren?” she adds.
“He’s gone ahead to Burnsville, he’s okay.” I wish I sounded more certain. I lead her by the hand back to the others. Dex looks amused, Amarox infuriated.
“So, what now, Amarox?” Dex eventually breaks the long silence. “Are you going to kill me? Because if you are we should get it over with. Why don’t you summon your storm?” His eyes flash briefly to Kate at the last words.
Amarox draws himself up to his full height and crosses his arms over his chest and I pull Kate around the Chevy, cowering on the opposite side. Kate shakes her head, unconcerned, and Dex grins at me as I hear Voka’s astonished intake of breath. What the hell is going on? Dex’s next words shock me to my core.
“You can’t, can you?” He saunters forward, extending his hand and Amarox eyes it dubiously. He almost looks as though he is sulking. When he grips Dex’s hand and gives it a firm shake, I stand up straight, gazing wonderingly at Kate. Amarox cannot summon his storm as long as Kate is nearby. That’s why he approached us alone, leaving her far enough away that he could use his abilities. It worked! Dex’s plan worked.
The three Venites gather together to formulate a course of action. Amarox has information about Dex’s father who is apparently on his way to Yancey County too, having heard of Dex’s betrayal. I cringe at the thought of the King of Venon inflicting his power of quintessence over Dex and turning him back into a cold, calculated killer. I also realize that everybody we sent to Burnsville – Jason, Darren, the Grahams, Tom, the National Guard, the army, even Kimberley – are in mortal danger. The Black Mountains were supposed to be a safe haven, now they are probably the most dangerous place on Earth. Luckily we have some time. While they are talking, I retrieve my jacket from the car and pull out my mobile phone determined to send a message to Kimberley. I curse when I see the dark screen. My phone battery has died.
“What is your father’s name?” I murmur, interrupting their conversation.
“Zonax,” Dex answers. “My mother, Loraya, is with him.”
“Is she as dangerous as he is?”
“No, like all the women in our family, her primary ability is to heal. She can control all the individual elements too, like the rest of us, but she cannot control the storms.”
“Yeah, well, neither can you two,” Voka interrupts. “You can’t do anything so long as you’re with these humans,” she utters the word with a sneer. Kate and I shrug, Voka’s words are hardly insulting to us. Amarox’s head jerks up.
“That’s the key,” he muses, staring intently at the two of us. “We need to leave them.”
“What?” Dex narrows his eyes. “Absolutely no way, I will not leave Rachel unprotected.” Amarox eyes me meditatively.
“You really had me fooled,” he shakes his head. “I never suspected it was her. You were so focused on Kate.” Dex chuckles.
“You are too predictable, brother.”
“We have to abandon them,” Amarox persists, turning serious once more. “It’s the only hope we have, if we want any chance of defeating father.”
“Listen to yourselves!” Voka interjects furiously. “You want to turn against our own parents! Have you lost all sense of purpose? And for what – a few earthlings! How about I just dispose of the problem once and for all?” She whirls to face me, her right arm coming up and I throw my arms up automatically to shield my face. I hear Dex yell, trying to stop her, but he will never reach her in time. I close my eyes and wait for the end. Only it never comes.
“What the hell?” I lower my arms at Voka’s irritated tone and open my eyes. She is staring at her own hand, shaking it as you would a battery-operated toy that has stopped working. Slowly, her gaze moves downward, to Noah, who is hanging onto her legs. Her mouth falls open in surprise, and then she rolls her eyes, “You've got to be kidding me!” Voka’s abilities have failed her too.
“Welcome to my world,” Amarox grunts and Dex comes to stand beside me, draping his arm over my shoulders.
“We should never have attacked Earth,” he says, addressing his fellow Venites. Dallan and Benon narrow their eyes, but they do not argue. “I figured that out seven years ago,” Dex continues, “when I fell in love with a human girl. This human girl,” he squeezes my shoulders and I blush. “There is something about this race that weakens us. It makes us question everything we have been taught, makes us feel things we have been trained not to feel. I came here to conquer but Rachel has taught me to care. There are good people here – innocent people, and I will not sta
nd idly by and watch them be slaughtered. We have done enough damage – it's time to go home.”
Amarox nods grudgingly and Voka sniffs loudly. She is still peeved at the fact that she has lost her own abilities because of Noah.
“Well, I don’t really care about any of these people,” she retorts, “except this one.” She places her hand on Noah’s shoulder. “I would feel uncomfortable if anything happened to him.”
“Dexon,” Amarox speaks up, “you care for a number of these humans. Will your abilities work if you are near any of them? Or are you useless to us?”
“I am not as strong as I would like to be, but I only lose all my power around Rachel. You?”
“Just that little one,” Amarox waves his hand at Kate, giving her an annoyed look, as if she is responsible for his weakness, his compassion, which, I guess, she is.
“Kate,” I whisper, as they continue, my curiosity getting the better of me, “did you and Amarox... I mean, did anything happen while...”
“No!”
“Sorry, I just thought...”
“He likes me,” she shrugs, “but nothing happened. Although I may have played up a little, to encourage his interest.” I raise my eyebrows, suitably impressed. I didn’t think Kate had it in her. “Strangely enough, I acted more like you,” she adds.
“What?”
“Well, I figured if one Venite had fallen for you, maybe another could too.”
“Kate!”
“What? It worked, didn’t it?”
The plan, when they finally outline it, is not what I expected.
“No!” I insist, grabbing Dex’s hand, my eyes pleading.
“It’s the only way, Rachel,” he strokes my face gently.
“But what if something happens to you? What if I never...”
“You will see me again,” he promises.
“But...”
“No buts. From now until we confront my father we separate into new groups. It’s the only way we can protect you all until we reach the mountains. Dallan and I will take Noah, Voka and Benon will take Kate, and you will go with Amarox.”
I don’t like it. Not even one little bit. The thought of spending one full day, let alone two or three with Amarox terrifies me. Dex’s brother is harder and more calculating and, like Voka, he is unpredictable. I am even more afraid that something might happen to Dex. What if I never see him again? I wouldn’t survive losing him this second time around. Then it dawns on me how selfish I am being. Without his abilities Dex will never stand a chance against any Venite soldiers, let alone his father. None of them will. These brave siblings are prepared to risk their lives to save us – a bunch of humans they hardly know. And Dex would never allow me to go with Amarox if he thought I might come to any harm. Again, I get the gnawing feeling that he is placing too much faith in his siblings, but I push it aside. If Dex trusts them, then I must do the same.
Mentally preparing myself I nod in reluctant acceptance. Voka and Benon have already deposited Kate on the backseat and are slamming the doors of our recently borrowed Chevy. Benon’s surly scowl makes it obvious that he is not happy with the plan, but he will not defy a royal instruction. I quickly cross to the back window, smiling reassuringly at Kate.
“I’ll see you there,” I squeeze her hand and she nods. She has grown, I think, remembering the tearful, terrified mess of a girl for the first few days of our journey. Now she is accepting of her fate and stronger for it, thanks to Dex’s manipulation of her quintessence. It seems to have lingering effects. He told her not to be afraid, and although she is certainly not calm, her emotions are now under control.
As they drive off it occurs to me that Voka didn’t say goodbye to Amarox or Dex. I find it strange how disconnected the siblings are, how formal and distant they are with each other. Venon must be an awful place if their interpersonal relationships are any indication of their civilization.
“Rachel,” Dex comes to stand before me, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of sadness and determination. “It’s time - we need to leave.” Regardless of the witnesses around us, he lowers his face to mine and kisses me long and hard, leaving me breathless. Then he turns to Amarox, his arm curled protectively around my waist. “You better take care of her,” he warns. Amarox doesn’t reply.
“I’ll see you soon,” he promises, kissing my forehead, and then he joins Dallan and Noah in the red Mercedes that brought Kate to us. I wave as they drive off and then I steel myself and turn to Amarox.
“Shall we?” he asks with a sarcastic smile, sweeping out his arm, and I roll my eyes as we make our way into town in search of another car.
As we stride down a small street trying the doors of every car to see if any are unlocked and peering through the windows in search of keys, I try to make small talk. It is very awkward and uncomfortable being alone with Amarox, and I would rather we were able to spend the next few days together being able to at least make pleasant conversation.
“So,” I begin, yanking at the passenger door of another Chevy, “you, Dex and Voka aren’t really close, I take it?”
“They’re my siblings,” he contradicts, “I love them.”
“Huh. Didn’t seem that way from where I was standing.”
“We are different from your kind.”
“Apparently. Oh, bingo!” I spot the keys hanging in the ignition of a Ford Ranger. Amarox comes around the car and smashes the driver’s side window, retrieving the keys and unlocking the doors.
“So, you like Kate,” I probe as we drive through town, back on course. The sun is low in the sky and we probably only have an hour of daylight left. I cringe as I think of spending the night with the surly Venite beside me.
“Rachel,” he begins, speaking my name out loud for the first time, “let’s not talk about things that you don’t understand.”
“Okay, well, why don’t we talk about planet Chaos? Dex said he saved your life – what did he mean?” A small smile tugs at Amarox’s lips and he gives me a skewed glance.
“Charys,” he corrects, “it was planet Charys.”
“Chaos, Charys, some poor defenseless planet that you destroyed. What’s the difference?” I sigh dramatically and he relents.
“Yes, Dexon saved my life. Charys was much like Earth – they fought back. Unsuccessfully,” he adds, noticing my blazing grin. I pout instead. “Anyway, they were highly strategic and they managed to trap me...”
“Trap you?” I ask incredulously. “How?” His answering gaze is sardonic and brings me up short. Oh, right. He’s not going to tell me in case I share the information with our military.
“Suffice it to say, Dexon found me. He got me out, at great risk to his own life.”
“ So that’s why you spared us, to repay an old debt?”
“No.” The answer is not what I expected, “I spared your lives because my brother asked me to.”
Chapter 30
Amarox is an enigma. In fact, all the Venites are. It’s as if they struggle constantly to deny their conscience, as if they force themselves to repress any emotion. And yet, it’s there – their humanity, simmering just below the surface, a further testament to the fact that hope exists. And if a soldier as ruthless as Amarox can be persuaded to spare us, then maybe, just maybe, Zonax could be too.
“We won’t dissuade him from his mission,” Amarox murmurs, reading my thoughts. “Trust me, Rachel, my father will not be reasoned with and he will not tolerate disobedience. This will not end well. You may as well prepare yourself for the worst.”
At nightfall we pull into a roadside truck stop. There are a few big rigs parked in the bays but no sign of life. I am struck by how little contact we have had with my own kind. Presumably, most are in hiding, or dead.
Tomorrow we will cover the remaining thirty miles and then abandon the car, heading into the mountains on foot to approach Yancey County from the south. The army and the Guard will approach from the north. We will not enter the town, but will rendezvous with the others in the Pi
sgah National forest, which surrounds the Mount Mitchell State Park. It is only a few miles from Burnsville.
“We’ll sleep in the car,” Amarox instructs, dropping his seat and folding his muscular arms across his chest.
“Um... I need to use the restroom,” I point out. He opens one eye.
“Hold it.”
“No way.” I’m not a child and I refuse to be treated like one. I open my door and stretch my legs, grabbing my backpack. Amarox opens his door too, uncurling his tall frame and glaring at me.
“Fine,” he strolls toward the neon-lit administration building.
I use the ladies and then undress, bathing myself as best I can with the small hand basin and the cheap floral-scented liquid soap. I refuse to use the disgusting damp hand towel provided, so I drip dry and then don my jeans. The lemon blouse that Martha gave me is revolting, covered in dust and dried blood. I ferret through the last of the clothing that we took from the Grahams. There is only one shirt left – a man’s button-up. It’s white, with pale blue checks. I button it up and roll the sleeves up to my elbows. My jacket is still in the car outside, but the air is not too chilly and I am quite comfortable without it. Feeling better, I emerge and go in search of Amarox. He is not in the parking-lot, so I head around the administration building. There is a small diner on the opposite side and Amarox is slouched in one of the bench seats, idly flipping through a menu.
“I don’t think they’re serving at the moment,” I remark drily, slipping into the seat opposite him. My stomach gives a rumble. “Are you hungry?” I ask, suddenly ravenous.
“A bit.”
“Gotcha,” I nod, getting to my feet and making my way around the serving counter and through the swing doors into the back. I am determined to make some proper food to eat. The tiny amount of stew I managed last night at the Mills' house seems a lifetime ago and the crisps today did nothing to assuage my hunger. I find a few bread rolls and some burger patties in the refrigerator. Hamburgers it is. I light the antiquated gas stove and grease the grill liberally with oil, waiting for it to heat up. Scratching around for a clean spatula, I bend to peer under the counter and shriek in fright, jerking my head back so quickly that I bang it painfully on the underside of the cheap linoleum.
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