Chapter Twenty-One
Closing the door, Lena put her back against it, trying unsuccessfully to block out the sounds of Jonah yelling her name. Her head started to spin. Blinking her eyes to clear her mind, she moved towards the stairs that went to the roof. She easily made it to the rooftop without meeting another person. Her heavy breath bordered on pure panic. Running toward her favorite spot, she collapsed against a steaming air vent.
Seconds or minutes passed, Lena didn’t know. She drank in the cool night air, watching stars illuminate the sky until her breathing grew calm. In the distance reds and purples swirled against the black of the galaxy.
Feeling calmer, she started thinking of solutions to the challenges she now faced. What were Gideon and Thora thinking keeping her here? Now Nagar wanted to use her to blackmail Gideon. The Priestess wanted her…for what exactly? She needed answers. She was no longer hidden or safe. And then there was Lucius. Would his dad tell him? Her mind ran it over and over, trying to come up with a solution that never came. “I can figure this out,” she told herself. She paced the rooftop as darkness overtook the facility.
“Lena, ya up here?” Birdee called.
Wiping the worry from her face, she looked towards the oncoming footsteps and saw that Jonah followed close behind.
“When you didn’t go back to your room, Birdee hunted me down. I told her what happened.” Jonah said.
Lena looked to Birdee then to Jonah again. She didn’t want to think about what would happen now that Birdee new too. She changed the subject. “How did you get up here?” Lena asked, looking back at the sky. “Recruits don’t have access to the roof.”
“The guards really should make sure the doors are shut behind them,” Jonah answered with a smirk.
Lena gave them a slight smile and beckoned them to sit with her on the edge of the roof. The three of them sat, legs dangling over the edge.
Deciding it best not to bring up Lucius, Nagar or Gideon, Lena asked, “How is specialized training going? The Captain must hold you both in high regard to place you in a specialty so soon.”
“High regard isn’t the word to describe it,” Jonah said drably. “But if we do good, we’ll hold better positions when we graduate.”
“I figure the better I get, the more I can do when I leave here,” exclaimed Birdee. “What about you, Lena? Once the Captain figures out that you’re brilliant and you get moved up in the ranks, what are you goin’ to do?
“Who says the Captain will promote me? We don’t exactly see eye to eye. I don’t know what he was thinking recruiting me in the first place.”
“I can think of a few reasons,” Jonah said, winking at her.
Lena felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Turning away from Jonah she let the night breeze cool her
“If ya ask me, it’s because of your brilliance that he’s volunteered you into the Defenses in the first place,” Birdee added. “He has a lot ridin’ on you Lena. And now Nagar knows that you two were friends as children. He’ll use it for leverage of some kind or another. But I don’t think the Captain will let you mess up, not with how much he watches you,” Birdee said.
Dread shot through Lena. “I’m sure he takes no more notice of me than anyone else.”
“You really haven’t noticed him staring at you?” Jonah countered.
“What?” Lena jerked her head towards Jonah, alarmed he’d been paying so much attention.
Jonah chuckled. “If I’d have know you were so clueless about your surroundings then I’d have spent more time staring at you myself,” his flirty smile relaxed her. “Nevertheless, yes, the Captain spends a lot of time observing our trainings, but recently his observatory eye has been steered in the direction of our little servant turned soldier.”
Now Lena felt very self-conscious. Blushing and turning fidgety, she attempted to regain her thoughts.
“Your recruitment into the Defenses has caused a lot of speculation about your relationship with the Captain,” Jonah said. “Lucius is going to use the information he got from Nagar against you.”
“Our relationship is complicated. And I honestly don’t know what his end game is.”
“I think the Captain is protecting you,” Birdee replied without pause. “The question is why?” Birdee looked to the sky as if calculating a problem in her head. “Jonah said you weren’t friends but knew each other as children. Yet, when Lucius threatened you, the Captain not only saved you from Lucius, he put you in a position equal to Lucius. If our theory about Lucius making people disappear is true, and the Captain knew it, he’d have had to make a move to keep Lucius from being your superior. I think that also means the Captain knew you well enough to know that once equal, you wouldn’t flounder at Lucius’s manipulation. Which also indicates, that even if you weren’t friends, the Captain knew you well enough to know your character.”
Jonah whistled. “Didn’t I tell ya that Birdee was the best tracker in the Defenses? Even tracking a train of thought,” Jonah said. They all sat silent for a moment before Jonah added, “Lena, you need to know I’m on your side. I’m not going to tell anyone what I know just to get ahead. That’s not who I am.”
Birdee nodded her head in agreement. “I’m your friend, Lena. I understand that might be hard for you to accept, seeing what you’ve gone through the last few days. But, it’s still true.” Birdee looked at her dangling feet. “We know there is more to the Captain than you’re telling us. And that’s okay. We all have our secrets. I just want you to know you don’t stand alone against Lucius.”
Gratitude flowed through Lena as she nodded her thanks. Biting her lip she gathered the nerve to ask what she really wanted to know, “Do you fight for the Priestess because you want to, or do you fight because you have to?”
Birdee’s eyes darted to Lena’s, as Jonah jumped to his feet. “The seriousness of your words would kill us all if discovered,” Jonah said. “It’s one thing to talk about going against Lucius and Nagar. But the Priestess is an entirely different story. You have no comprehension of what she can do to you.”
Lena stood to face him. Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, she looked directly into Jonah’s eyes. “It’s not the words that will get us killed. It’s the answer. And I have more understanding of what the Priestess can do than you will ever imagine.” Lena snapped. “And I’m the one everyone is using as leverage to get closer to her. So yes, I do think I comprehend what she can do. What I’m wondering is, do you comprehend what she can do? Nagar is in her court. Therefore, standing against his son has the possibility of putting you both in the Priestess’s spotlight. You want to stand by me? You need to know what the consequences are. You need to know that being with me means being against her.”
Birdee stood beside them, silently watching the scene. “I’m in, Lena. If what you say is true. I’m in, a hundred percent, all the way, by your side,” Birdee said. “I’ll stand with you. No matter the outcome and especially against her.”
Lena and Jonah stared at her. Neither expected such a treasonous response. Jonah pressed his lips together and looked at his feet. Taking a breath he added, “I understand what you’re saying. About whom the real threat is. And if anyone can stand successfully against Lucius or even further, it’s you. I’m in too.”
Lena felt dumbfounded. She certainly didn’t expect the conversation to go this way. Turning towards the night sky, Lena let the cool air fill her lungs. She felt Jonah gently squeeze her elbow. Turning to her two friends she said, “Okay then, I guess we need to come up with a plan.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lena yawned as she looked at her barely touched breakfast. Jonah sat next to her and Birdee across. Their heads bent towards Lena.
“He’s going ta find out what’s most important to ya and threaten it,” Birdee said over the hum of recruits. “We jus’ gotta stop him before it happens.”
“I know,” Lena said with a nod of her head. “But like we went over last night besides you two, I don’t know who he’d
be able to threaten. Nobody is close to me. Not anymore.” The three sat silent at the table. Birdee picked at her food, occasionally taking a bite. Lena nibbled on some bacon.
Loud banging in the kitchen diverted Lena’s thoughts. They all turned towards the sound.
Lena stiffened. “Thora.”
“The other servant?“ Jonah asked.
“She’s the one he’s going to threaten,” Lena said. Jumping from her seat Lena ran towards the kitchen. The door slid open. Lena scanned the room. Thora was not there. The only person in the kitchen was a girl Lena had never seen before. Lena walked towards her, causing the girl to jump back in alarm. Lena caught her arm. “Where’s Thora?” she asked the girl.
The new girl stared at her with blankness in her eyes. “Sorry soldier, I only got transferred here this morning, I don’t know of this Thora you speak of.”
“Thora, the other servant in the kitchen.”
“No miss,” The servant replied. “The only servants here are me and Turly. We both started just this morning.”
Lena’s hands clenched. She was too late. She exited the kitchen. Her eyes searched frantically around the room for Lucius. He stood arrogantly above the other seated recruits, glaring straight into Lena’s eyes. Her stomach knotted.
“Are you going to be okay little recruit?” Lucius’ voice mockingly called over the crowd. “I’d hate for you to lose someone special to you.”
Anger she didn’t know existed welled within her. The cafeteria went silent.
Jonah jumped from his chair. Running to Lena, he grabbed her shoulders, preventing her from moving. His strength caught Lena off guard and she looked at him with fury in her eyes, straining against his toned muscles.
“He did it, he did something to her, I know it!” She pushed against his grip, trying to get free.
Leaning in so close that Lena felt his lips on her ears he whispered. “I believe you, Lena. But Lucius wants you to fight him. If you do, he wins. Calm down. Think first.”
She took a deep breath. Then another. Filling her lungs with air the same way Ruddy taught her. She glared toward Lucius as she continued to calm herself. Recruits shifted their gaze from Lena to Lucius. His smug face turned into a vicious grin. Lena began to think more clearly. Jonah relaxed his grip on her, letting one arm fall to his side. The other he rested on Lena’s shoulder. She took a step towards Lucius.
“Actually Lucius, now I think about it,” she took another step, “Thora has never been forced into, or out of, any situation.” Her voice rang over the now silent crowd. Slowly she walked towards him until they stood face to face. “She just used you as a way to get out of here.” Lucius’s countenance transformed from malicious to dumbfounded. She leaned closer to him. “So on behalf of Thora, I feel it my duty to thank you.” She stepped back. “Thank you, Lucius.”
Not waiting for a reaction, she turned away from him and walked back to her breakfast table.
Wide-eyed and in the middle of a large bite, Birdee sat frozen. Her eyes swung from Jonah to Lena. “Wa jus append?” she croaked, her mouth full of food.
***
Lena hid in an old storage room, a bag of tools in front of where she sat on the floor.
“Do you really think Thora used Lucius as a ticket out of here?” Jonah asked handing her a laser cutter.
Revealing the cuff on her arm, she brought the laser towards it. “I think Thora has an agenda of her own,” Lena said. As the laser touched the cuff, an electric pulse shot through her arm. The pain caused her to drop the tool and hunch in half. Jonah jumped to her side as she shook her arm trying to ease the pain. “The cuff is tamper resistant. I’ll have to think of another way to get it off.” Frustrated, she pulled on the cuff, trying to get it over her hand.
“How about we save breaking your thumb as the last option,” Jonah said.
“I just hate that the Captain can control me with this stupid cuff.” Aggravated, Lena stood and started pacing the room. The storage shelves didn’t give her much room, but walking always helped her think. Jonah watched her with raised eyebrows.
“You and Birdee will be the next people Lucius will go after,” Lena said. “He’s trying to gain power over me by threatening what’s closest to me.”
“Lena, don’t worry about us. We’ll be on guard. ” Jonah said.
Looking at the time, she saw she was about to be late for class. She scooted the bag of tools in an empty spot under the shelves and helped Jonah off the floor.
“Birdee will pick you up after class. Try not to be alone, okay,” Jonah said, exiting the storage closet. Lena followed him.
“Okay, and I’ll keep thinking of an end plan,” Lena said.
“Lena, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think it’s best if we get you away from the facility. Away from Lucius. Away from the Captain.”
Lena moved through the crowd towards the weapons class. She lowered her voice. “Jonah, I just can’t run away. If I run, Lucius wins. I don’t want that. I just need more time to come up with something better,” Lena said. What she kept from Jonah was that she wanted to find out more information about why the priestess continued searched for her and why Gideon and Thora had saved her in the first place.
Jonah grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. He raised his hand to her face and brushed a loose hair to the side. Electricity soared through her at the gentleness of his touch. Turning her head into his hand, she felt safe. He slid his hand down her arm and grasped her hand in his.
“We’ll look for other plans, okay. But if we can’t find one, I want you to be ready to run. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Jonah took a step towards her. She loved his smell. Cool and spicy. He slowly released her hand and stepped away. “Remember to wait for Birdee, okay?”
Lena nodded and walked towards class. Turning her head over her shoulder, she saw Jonah watching her. She wished for more time with him.
Walking into Weapons, Ruddy nodded to her. The stationary targets had been advanced to holographic soldiers. She spent the class practicing breathing and shooting together.
After class, Birdee picked her up and they searched for Gideon. She wanted to warn him about Lucius and Nagar, but couldn’t find him.
“You think he’s avoiding me,” Lena said to Birdee, as they walked to their room at the end of the day.
“No way,” Birdee responded. “He has too much riding on ya. I think he must be gone. You think we can trust him?”
“I don’t know,” Lena replied. “But I still think he should know,” Lena said, as the door to their room slid open and closed right behind them.
“I still don’ think it’s safe you goin’ to talk to him alone,” Birdee said, pulling a pair of pajamas out of the closet.
“Well, he’s already shot me. Can’t get much worse than that,” Lena froze. How could she have been so careless? Her hand covered the place he’d shot as she focused on Birdee.
Birdee’s face lost all color. Her jaw dropped and eyes went wide. “The scar on your back. He’s the one who gave that to ya? He shot ya?”
“I didn’t mean to say that,” Lena said, aching to take back the words. “Birdee…” Lena choked on her thoughts. She didn’t know what to say to fix it.
Birdee swallowed. “Didn’ really believe you guys weren’ friends. Guess ya just proved me wrong,” Birdee put on her pajamas in silence. She looked deep in thought. They both sat on the edge of their beds. Neither spoke. Lena kept glancing at Birdee, then at the ground. Birdee’s eyes concentrated on a fixed spot on the floor. Her thoughts seemed far away. Finally, Birdee started talking.
“Lena, we all have stories not worth reliving. You just stay safe, and I won’t bring it up again.” She paused a moment before lying down and adjusting her pillow.
Lena watched Birdee, wondering how she ever found such a great friend. She stood. “You know what, Birdee? It’s fine. I’m actually glad you know. It’s just one less thing I need to worry about.” She walked towards the door.
“I’ll stay awake ‘till you get back,” Birdee said. “Be safe.”
Lena nodded as she left. She crept to the entrance of the servant’s hallway. Once inside she moved more freely towards the Captain’s room. The closer she got to his room, the more her mind raced. Did she really want to tell Gideon about Nagar and Lucius? Did he already know about Thora missing? Or would she also need to tell him about that? She absentmindedly tugged on the cuff still around her wrist.
A voice whispered in the shadows. Lena’s heart lurched. The voice grew louder. She could make out some of the words.
“…loss of Thora is quite a blow. She will be fine….”
Surprised at hearing Gideon’s voice, she stopped in the middle of the hallway. His words rang clear now in her ears. Gideon spoke to someone unseen through a com device. Gasping, and taking a step backward, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. Gideon spoke of her. To someone, clearly not Thora. Her head spun thinking of who else knew about her hidden deep within the heart of the enemy. So consumed in her own thoughts, she failed to see Gideon coming around the bend.
“I’m confident she’ll only be stronger and work harder in spite of the loss.”
“I am closely watching her. I’ve known her our whole lives. She will not let this…”
Stopping, his eyes bore a guilty shock. “Eves, what are you doing?” Her heart jumped hearing her former nickname. He closed his communication device. “It’s after curfew, why are you out?” Gideon asked. His question didn’t bear the command of a Captain but of a friend. The thought made her even more confused.
The Angel and the Warrior (The Mir Chronicles Book 1) Page 12