I nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.” I moved my bracelet to my right wrist, hit the buttons to draw blood, and unclasped it. “Here.”
His familiar grip wrapped around my new wounds, and we healed each other. It still amazed me. I looked at my newly healed flesh and re-clasped the bracelet.
With the pain gone, I was finally coming back to myself. William’s face was splotched with soot, his clothes singed and black. Despite the fact that we were safe, I couldn’t relax. The fight was still taking place.
“Alaximandrios,” I said, waiting for Alex to reappear and take us back. “Alaximandrios.” I tapped my toes against the ground impatiently. “Why isn’t he coming?”
“It was intense back there. You can’t expect him to drop everything and come back for you.” The muscles in William’s jaw pulsed, and I could tell it was hard for him to be away, too.
I brushed my wet hair back and started pacing. “I don’t understand how this happened.”
“Christoph found us,” he said like it was obvious.
“But how?” I moved to sit against a nearby tree and William sat next to me. “The safe haven . . . I just.”
“Someone must be playing both sides. Either that or he has someone with the ability to find people, but I really doubt it. I don’t think it exists.”
“So you think there’s a mole?”
He picked at the dry grass between us. “Something like that.”
I started to remember flashes of what we left behind. People screaming, running, dying. How could anyone want that?
“This is my fault, William,” I said. “I’m supposed to lead. I’m supposed to protect everyone. They trusted me—”
“Hey,” he said, interrupting my rising voice. He looked at me, his eyes steady and serious. “This is how it’s going to be now. You can’t keep blaming yourself for things, and you can’t cave every time there’s bloodshed. It’s a war, Elyse.”
It wasn’t what I expected from him. I expected sympathy, comfort. I wanted him to tell me everything was all right even though I knew it wasn’t. “I know. It’s just . . . I didn’t think it would actually happen.”
“Well, it has, and they’re counting on you to be strong.” His words weren’t mean. They were honest.
“But I’m not strong. I’m not a leader,” I said, still floundering.
“You are. When you want something, when you have something to fight for, you don’t let anything or anyone stop you. Just like you didn’t let anything get in the way of saving Anna’s life. You just have to remember what you’re fighting for.”
“I don’t know,” I confessed.
“You do know,” he said, moving to face me. He took my hands in his, and the warmth of his palms gave me confidence. “You’re fighting for those you love. For Anna and Chloe. For Kara. For us. So we can live in a world free of oppression.”
“But what if I’m wrong? What if human integration isn’t the right choice?”
“You can’t dwell on what ifs. You do what you believe is right.”
I nodded, trying to convince myself that what I believed in was worth the lives of those who had already died. William pulled me closer, and I lay against his chest looking out at the lake in front of us. Ripples broke the smooth plane of the calm water, and pine trees crowded the edges of the clay beach. I realized where we were and felt safe.
“If anything ever happens and we get separated, meet me here, okay?”
His warm fingertips stroked the bare skin of my back. “I don’t even know where we are.”
“It’s called Frenchman’s Lake,” I said, remembering my feet sinking into the muddy bottom when I was a kid. “I used to come here with my mother and father in the summer. This was our favorite spot. Crystal Point.”
“Sure,” he said, “but I won’t ever let that happen.”
When Alex reappeared, I stood immediately. “Where have you been?” I demanded.
His face was too serious, and he only looked at me before reappearing in the branches of a nearby tree. “Mac told me to keep you away.” He reached for the blue shirt hanging in his back pocket and threw it at me. “You’re welcome.”
“Is it over?” William asked.
“Yeah,” he answered. “But it’s bad. Your dad’s taking care of things.”
“What about Anna and Chloe?” I added after I had the shirt over my head. “What about everyone else?”
“They’re fine. Most people got out.”
“Most?” William repeated.
I stared hard at Alex, trying to muster as much authority in my voice as I could. “I need to be there.”
“I agree,” he said, “you shouldn’t be kept in the dark. Even if he is trying to protect you.” In less than a second Alex was next to me, and William’s hand was in mine.
The sky was shadowed with smoke when my eyes opened, and the land was scorched black. The three of us stayed alert as we headed toward the house, still smoldering and collapsing in the center. Voices came from the front, orders being shouted. My feet quickened, crunching the burned grass with each step.
Something stopped me in my tracks when I reached the back of the house—bodies. The dead were lined up in a neat row along the ground. A wave of nausea hit me, and I broke into a cold sweat. I turned back, catching sight of William and Alex behind me. “So many.” The thought triggered panic. Who had he murdered? My heart picked up speed.
“Elyse!” The sound of Anna’s voice made me whip my head around, and there she was, her face smeared with soot and dirt like everyone else.
“Chloe?” I ask, my voice hurried.
“She’s fine. We’re okay.” I hugged her tightly, grateful she was alive. “Luckily I know the place. We hid in the abandoned truck by the road.”
We stared at each other, speaking mostly with our eyes. I didn’t know what I would have done if something had happened to them.
I took her hand. “I’m glad you’re okay.” William’s words echoed in my head. Remember what you’re fighting for.
“Come on,” she said, leading the three of us toward a large white canopy set up in front of the house.
“I told you not to bring her here,” Mac yelled as he saw us approaching.
“Yeah. I don’t always do what people tell me,” Alex said, “just so you know.”
Mac tightened his lips and his eyes hardened.
“She should be here, Mac,” Anna said, stepping beside him.
“If they come back—”
“Where’s Mom and Dad?” William interrupted. “Is Edith okay?”
“They’re fine,” Mac answered. “Your mom and sister are looking after the injured. Your dad is seeing to the dead.”
I turned my head to the right, forcing myself to look at the bodies lying in a line a few yards off. I didn’t want to see their faces, but my feet carried me in that direction regardless, and William followed.
“Son,” Dr. Nickel said with relief as we approached. His disheveled gray hair fell into his face, and he clutched the sides of William’s shoulders as they hugged. “I didn’t know if . . .” His father’s eyes fell as he released him. I could see tears glistening in the corners. “I thought I’d lost you, too.” I kept my distance, trying to stay out of their moment. I’d never seen Dr. Nickel so fragile.
“I’m fine,” William said, his words little more than a whisper.
They stared at each other, speaking more than I knew. “I couldn’t lose another son.”
I went still at his words, trying not to let the shock show on my face. William had a brother? Apparently I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.
“War has its price,” William answered, his brow tight with tension. “This is what you wanted.”
Dr. Nickel shook his head. I felt like I shouldn’t be listening, but it might distract them if I walked away. I picked my cuticles and tried to keep my eyes down.
“I never wanted your brother to die, and it’s not what I want for you either, but . . . I won’t let Luke’s de
ath be in vain.” He rested a heavy hand on his son’s shoulder, and I looked up for a moment, just in time to see the anger in William’s face.
“How many did we lose?” William asked, changing the subject.
Dr. Nickel looked at his notebook. He must have been taking names. “Twenty-seven,” he answered with a sigh. His eyes found me for the first time, like I’d appeared out of nowhere. “Most of them were ours. Some were his.”
I looked down at the man at my feet. Gray hair. Small and stout. I covered my mouth with my hand when I recognized his face.
“Cearno,” the word slipped from my lips without me realizing. I swallowed and tried to settle my heart.
“He was a good man,” Dr. Nickel said, before he continued walking down the line.
William took my hand as we said our silent goodbye to him. I couldn’t imagine how it felt for William to see Cearno lying lifeless at his feet after so many years of friendship, but he only stood there, holding it all in just as he had with his brother. I wondered how many other friends of ours had died. The thought made me sick to my stomach. Sam, Nics, Paul, and Rachel were supposed to have left that morning on a recon mission. I assumed they were safe, but I hadn’t seen Kara.
I couldn’t look at Cearno anymore. “I’m sorry,” I said.
I turned and stared at the place my parents’ house once stood. There was nothing left but a black heap of charred wood and ash. Nothing could be salvaged.
“Are you going to be okay?” William asked. He put his hot hand in mine as he led me away from the dead.
I didn’t answer.
“When were you going to tell me about Luke?” I asked when we reached the remnants of the house. Part of me knew it was the wrong time to ask that question, but I couldn’t help it. The lives of everyone who’d died in their fight against Christoph weighed on me, including his brother.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn’t.” His answer surprised me. “Why?”
“It’s in the past,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve moved on.” The muscles clenched in his cheek telling me he hadn’t really.
I looked at him. “That doesn’t mean you should forget about him.”
“I haven’t.” His lips tightened. “It’s just not something I like to talk about.”
I nodded, accepting the fact that he didn’t want to tell me what happened. A part of me was a little hurt, but I understood secrets. I had my own.
I squeezed our palms together and turned back to the rubble, taking in the feeling of defeat. The smoldering wood smelled smoky and sharp. It stung my nose, but I didn’t care. It was all that was left of this place. I didn’t want to let it go.
“He died in the last war,” William said, pressing the tips of his shoes into the ash. “My dad tried to keep him out of it, but Luke had his bloodline. It was in him to fight. He felt like he had to.”
“So he was next in line to join The Council, before Edith.”
“Yes.” The way his voice dropped I could tell he was worried for his sister. “What happened?”
“He heard word of an attack and snuck out. He was only seventy-three. My dad didn’t even know he was there. He found his body the next morning.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking at him, but his eyes stayed forward.
“I guess I always thought of it as my dad’s war before, so I blamed him.” His face twisted into a scowl. “He’s so eager to fight, even though it puts everyone he loves at risk.” He turned to face me. “I’m not like that. I don’t want this. I don’t want there to be a war, and I don’t want you to fight or lead.” It all came spilling out, and a part of me knew he felt that way, but he’d been keeping it inside.
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t really have a choice. Instead, I leaned into him, wrapping my arms around his body as he held me.
“I realize that’s selfish,” he continued, “and I’m trying not to focus on what I want. I’m trying to be like you and do what’s right, it’s just . . . we can’t let this happen again.” He turned to face the line of dead and clustering wounded behind us. “We can’t stay here.”
I bent down, picking up a twisted piece of metal that used to be a framed picture of my mother, still taking in everything he’d said. Deep down I felt the same. I worried for the ones I loved, but I couldn’t turn back now. Not after this. “You’re right,” I said. “They’ll be back, and they’ll keep coming until they find me.”
I looked out toward the groups of limping and groaning people under a distant canopy, and began to walk in their direction. I knew I’d have to see to the wounded. I was the only healer. Still, I didn’t want to face the broken hearts, the gruesome wounds, the pain I knew I’d find there.
The moment eyes caught sight of me people began to trickle out. They moved faster than I’d expected, until they were swarming. I wouldn’t be able to heal them all.
“Can you heal her burns?” A mother asked me, pushing her young daughter forward.
“And my leg,” a boy said. He limped alongside me as I walked toward the canopy where more wounded had gathered.
“I’ve lost my sight,” another man said. “Can you heal that?”
Voices began to grow into a cacophony of sound as people begged for help. They pushed closer until William and I were encircled.
“Wait,” I shouted as people started to push and shove to get to me, but none of them listened. They were desperate. I felt a hand grab my wrist, fingers on my neck, but William’s grip stayed strong as he tried to pull me through the crowd.
When he stopped, I panicked. “Go,” I yelled.
The groping hands didn’t hurt me, but they suffocated. I needed out. I shut my eyes to try and escape any way I could. The noise, their heavy breath, their cries for my help, it was too much.
I tried to focus on the one hand I needed, William’s. His grip was warm, solid, and as the seconds passed it grew warmer. I felt the heat travel up my arm, and my eyes opened in surprise. William stood still and focused next to me. “Back up,” he said to the people around us.
Their shouts silenced, their hands pulled back, and the crowd widened around us, like Moses parting the sea. Their eyes were locked on him now, not me. He had a hold of them. All of them. “Thank you,” I whispered. My heart still pulsed in my throat, but I stood there, stunned. How could he be influencing so many? At once?
“Go sit in your places under the canopy,” he commanded. They obeyed, like drones, still following him with love-struck eyes as they walked away.
He turned to me, amazed. “That was insane.”
I laughed. It didn’t seem like the right emotion, but I was in shock. “Yeah.” I looked down at our hands still clasped. My knuckles were white from squeezing, and I could feel the heat fading away from my elbow back to our palms.
“I’ve never felt that before,” I said, remembering that I was unconscious the last time our powers were magnified by our touch.
“It wasn’t that strong last time.” He smiled wide. “I’ve never been able to do that. It’s gotten stronger.”
I glanced back at the canopy where the injured waited, still recovering from their frenzy. “Good. Stay close. I’m going to need all the extra healing power I can get.”
***
“I’m sorry,” a mother apologized as I treated the burns on her daughter’s face. “I don’t know what came over everyone. We just . . . we’re scared.”
“It’s okay,” I said as I dabbed blood on the young girl’s cheek. She squirmed in discomfort at first, but calmed as the skin re-grew. Chloe followed close by with water and rags to clean up after me. She stayed quiet, and I could tell she had seen a little more than she could handle.
“You all right?” I asked as we made our way to a man who had been stabbed multiple times.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” she answered quietly. “I didn’t know where you were during the fight, and then just now . . .” I pulled her close into my left side so I wouldn’t get my blood on her. “I’m
fine,” I said. Though I knew once this was over, I probably wouldn’t be. I kissed her forehead, and she smiled at me. “I love you, Chloebug.”
I healed as many as I could, but even with William amplifying my ability, I could only do so much.
“I think I know where we can go,” someone said from behind me as I washed my wrist in the creek. As soon as I recognized Kara’s voice, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her. She was guarded, still holding on to that hardened version of herself, and she tensed up as I hugged her.
“You’re alive,” I said with relief. “So?”
“So, I’m glad you’re okay.”
Her lips were stubborn. They resisted the smile, and curled up only slightly at the edges.
“We need a new camp.”
“We do,” I agreed, wondering where we would put all of these people.
“I was thinking. My family’s been hiding out. So far so good. We could stay there, too.”
15.
KARA SHOWED ALEX THE PLACE in her mind, and he had us there in seconds. Alex, Kara, William, and I stood looking out into the distance at the central plains of North America. Behind us was a small cabin settled into a hill, surrounded by trees and tall grass that reminded me of Little House on the Prairie.
“It’s a little exposed,” I said.
“But it’s in the middle of nowhere. They’d never find us,” Kara said with a grin.
I could tell she was getting excited to see her family. “Well, let’s just go say hi first. We’ll talk about the location later.” I was eager for her. It had been years since she’d seen them in person, though I wasn’t sure how many.
The four of us approached her family’s home with anticipation.
“Is your sister pretty?” Alex joked. “You might have to set us up.”
“She might be,” Kara laughed. “I haven’t seen her since I was seventy.”
Then, her pace slowed, and the smile fell from her face.
“What?” I asked, reaching for my dart gun.
“Something’s wrong.” She looked at me, her eyes wide and worried. “I can’t hear them.” She shook her head and tried to concentrate as we waited. Without another word she took off toward the house at a full sprint.
Uprising (Children of the Gods) Page 14