The Uncharted Series Omnibus

by Keely Brooke Keith

  “You hear that, Levi?” Isabella grinned as she spoke. “You are her hero and she has no suitor. What do you make of that?”

  “Nothing, Aunt Isabella. I make nothing of it.” Levi set his fork on his plate and stood. He collected his empty plate and Mandy’s and carried the dishes to the sink.

  Bethany snickered, and it drew Isabella’s attention. “And you, sweet Bethany. Next year you will turn eighteen, and I believe the men in this village are quite familiar with your father’s rule about his daughters not courting until age eighteen.”

  “Aunt Isabella—” Bethany whined but it did not stop her great-aunt’s observations.

  “Oh, this house will be swarming with young men then. I will have to swing my cane in all directions to keep them away from you.”

  Levi turned back to the table. He grinned in Bethany’s direction, and then he motioned with his hand toward Mandy. “Come, Mandy. I will walk you home.”

  As Mandy followed Levi out, she heard Bethany giggle. She waited until they were on the road before she took Levi’s arm. The setting sun left pink streaks across the sky over the ocean. Though out of the house, the onset of evening made her sigh as she glanced to the west.

  Levi looked too. “The sunset is beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “I guess.” She looked away from the sky and stared at the road ahead.

  “What do you mean you guess? I thought all women loved the sunset. My sisters all say it’s romantic.”

  “Not to me. I always get sad when the sun sets. It used to happen only when I was alone, but now it’s all the time.” She could feel Levi looking at her, so she glanced at him and grinned, hoping he would not think her insane. “It’s strange, I know. It just makes me feel sort of empty. I used to try to fill that emptiness with anything that made the feeling go away. But after the attack, I realized the emptiness had a purpose. I’m trying to learn to listen to it and not yearn for things that cannot be.”

  Levi glanced over his shoulder and scanned their surroundings as the last light of day barely lit their path. Then he looked at her; his brow creased and his eyes were full of concern. “What do you yearn for that cannot be?”

  Mandy shrugged. “The same things every woman my age wants, I suppose: a husband and a family of my own. But it doesn’t matter… I have to protect my family from my past. I never thought it would bother me, but time seems to be moving faster now, and I see how short life is.”

  Levi stopped on the road and Mandy thought something was wrong. Her pulse quickened. But he only bent to the ground and picked a little yellow daisy like the one he had given her earlier in the day. He looked at the flower for a moment, then handed it to her and continued walking.

  Mandy took the tiny flower and glanced up at Levi. “Why?”

  “Hm?”

  “Why these little daisies?”

  “I don’t know. I like them.”

  Mandy chuckled. “The biggest man in the village likes the tiniest flower. Why?”

  “They’re delicate and… I don’t know.” Levi grinned at her briefly, then he looked down the road and his smile faded. “My mother liked them. When I was little I would pick them for her and she would smile so big when I gave them to her. The day she… the day Felix and his sons... that was the last thing I had given her. She was in the kitchen putting the little flower in a tiny vase when they came in.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  Levi cleared his throat. “I’ve never told anyone before.”

  Mandy looked down at the little flower and then up at the grown man who had picked it. “You don’t think it was your fault do you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your mother was in the kitchen putting the flower you gave her in a vase and that is where she was attacked. You don’t blame yourself, do you?”

  “No, of course not. I know who killed her.” His arm stiffened beneath her hand. “And I’m not going to let him take anyone else away from me ever again.”

  Chapter Ten

  Levi stayed at the breakfast table and sipped his coffee long after the others had finished eating. One by one his family members left the kitchen. As Lydia cleared the table, she pointed at the coffee pot in front of Levi. He shook his head. She left it there and took the other dishes to the sink.

  Connor came in the back door sweaty from his morning run. He kissed Lydia then sat at the table and held an empty coffee cup in front of Levi. Levi picked up the coffee pot and filled the cup, then refilled his own cup for the third time. Lydia finished the dishes and said she was going to check on Isabella.

  Connor lifted a finger to the coffee pot as he looked at Levi. “Long night?”

  Levi yawned and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. “I stared at the ceiling until sunrise.”

  “Would this have anything to do with your date yesterday?”

  “My what?” He had grown accustomed to most of Connor’s expressions, but still preferred an explanation. Connor simply lifted his brow in response.

  Levi nodded. He did not feel like talking about it, but a day alone with Mandy in his house had made one thing clear to him—he loved her and still wanted her to be his wife. “I have to do what’s best for her.”

  “And what’s that?”

  Levi thought of how—after her abduction—she said she no longer wanted to be desired by any man and that she could not have the things she yearned for because she wanted to keep her past a secret. It took constant effort for him to put his feelings aside, and when he did it only made him love her more. He told himself she was only comfortable with him because she felt safely undesired. “She trusts me. I am not going to betray her trust.” He thought of their time working together in his house—it had felt natural having her there with him. He had spent the long night trying not to imagine a life with Mandy in the house he was building for her.

  Connor tipped his coffee cup high, drinking the last drop, then he set it on the table. He lowered his chin as he looked at Levi. “I remember the exact moment with Lydia when I realized I would either marry her or move far away and never see her again. I knew that anything in between would kill me.”

  “I felt that way about Mandy for six years.” Levi blew out a breath. “But not any more.”

  “I see… so you’re over her?” Connor’s sarcasm came with a chuckle.

  “No, but everything is different between us now.” There was a light knock on the kitchen door. Thankful for the diversion, Levi left the table to answer it. He opened the door but did not see anyone. He looked down the path to Lydia’s cottage where a boy was knocking on the medical office door. “Are you looking for Doctor Bradshaw?”

  The boy ran back to the kitchen door. “No, I need Mr. Bradshaw.”

  Levi stepped back and looked at Connor. “Someone is here to see you.”

  As Connor moved to the door, Levi returned to the table. He overheard the boy pant a description of something he said had washed ashore, but he did not hear the details.

  Connor nodded to the boy. “Tell your father not to touch it. We’ll be right there.”

  The boy ran away and Connor turned to Levi. “His dad found something on the beach and he thinks it’s from the outside world. I’ll tell John we’re leaving. Grab some gloves and come with me.”

  * * *

  The morning sun climbed steadily in the eastern sky over the ocean. Its rays reflected off the water in blinding splinters of light. Levi squinted as he walked the well-worn path through the edge of the forest to the shore. As he and Connor approached the small crowd that had formed on the beach, Levi saw the strange hunk of twisted metal protruding from the sand. Golden mirrored plates were linked together in precise rows of geometric patterns, framed by metal poles, and anchored to a dome-shaped object that jutted from the sand like an upended bathtub. Fierce burn marks scarred most of its surface.

  Several young boys gathered around the object. Their curious fingers pointed at the shiny conglomeration of warped metal and unfa
miliar materials. Connor convinced them not to handle it. He explained that people in other lands sent scientific instruments into space. He said it was common for those objects to land unexpectedly on other parts of the earth. Levi only took his eyes off the strange mass long enough to see the blank looks of confusion on the boys’ faces. He did his best to appear as though he understood Connor’s explanation, if only to bolster their trust in the Land’s only outsider.

  Connor removed a glove and held his hand close to the metal but did not touch it. “It’s not giving off any heat.” He looked at the man who had discovered it and raised his voice above the sound of the waves. “When did you first see it?”

  The man shrugged. “A few minutes ago. I sent my son to get you as soon as we spotted it.”

  Connor knelt in front of the mass. He slipped his hand back into the glove and began to scoop sand away from the part of the object that extended into the earth. Levi knelt beside him and helped him dig. It had symbols along its edge. He pointed to a group of marks. “What are these symbols?”

  Connor stopped digging and studied the marks. “Letters—well, characters actually.”

  “What does it say?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t read much Chinese.”

  They dug deeper into the sand and then stopped again. Levi looked at the beach between the ocean and the object and noticed that the sand was relatively undisturbed. “This did not wash in with the tide—not today anyway.”

  Connor nodded. “I think it’s been here for a while—at least a day or so.” He took off his glove and touched a metal piece with the back of his hand. “It’s cold. And you’re right: it didn’t wash in from the ocean.”

  “Where do you think it came from?”

  “The sky.”

  Levi stood and his eyes followed the structure a few inches above his head. He glanced into the sky above and saw nothing but blue and a few cottony clouds. He looked back at the metal mass. “What is it?”

  Connor walked around the object, studying it before he replied. Levi followed and watched Connor, waiting for his answer. Connor glanced back at the onlookers, then he looked at Levi and lowered his voice. “It’s space debris—probably part of a satellite.” He touched a section of the reflective geometric plates. “These look like part of a newer-styled solar array, so there’s probably no threat of radioactive material, but I still don’t want people touching it.”

  Levi heard him say there was no threat of something, but he could tell by Connor’s face that the mass still posed some danger. Levi looked back at the boys. “Go get the overseer.”

  As the boys ran toward the Colburn house, Levi scanned the shore around them. A thought occurred to him, and he nudged Connor. “This is the exact spot where you landed.”

  Connor nodded. “Same time of year, too. Yesterday was the equinox.”

  Levi brushed the sand off his gloves and tried to look unconcerned. He glanced at the onlookers and kept his voice quiet. “Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

  “I don’t know. The founders also arrived on the equinox.” Connor looked toward the village and back at Levi. “Where on the beach did the founders’ ship run aground?”

  “Here…exactly here.” Levi pointed to a cairn near the tree line. “That pile of stones is the marker.” He did not know what Connor was insinuating, but the thought of a pattern of entry to the Land made his stomach tighten. “What do you think it means?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe the atmospheric phenomenon around the Land is permeable in this one particular place, on one particular day of the year. Or it may not mean anything. Three arrivals in one hundred sixty-something years—that isn’t really enough to base a theory on.” Connor lifted his chin toward the path from the village, and Levi glanced up to see the boys leading John to them. Everett was walking behind them.

  While Connor pointed to various parts of the debris and explained it to John, Everett stood by Levi and looked on. Levi removed his gloves as he glanced at Everett. “Where is Mandy?”

  “She’s at home.”

  “With your father?”

  “Yes. I came to spar with Connor today...” Everett pointed at the debris. “But this is far more interesting.”

  Levi nodded. He looked back at the hunk of metal, but his mind was on Mandy’s safety. Though he would not say it aloud, he did not believe Samuel could protect her if Harvey and Felix came back. He often heard Samuel complain of his stiff joints and shortness of breath. Everett had spent over a year learning to fight with Connor. If Everett was not with her, Levi wanted to guard Mandy himself. He glanced at the other men there on the beach and realized Bethany and Lydia were at home unprotected. They were his sisters and yet he had thought of Mandy first.

  John shielded his eyes with his hand while he listened to Connor explain the satellite’s parts and functions. Connor waved Levi closer and Everett followed. John looked at Levi. “Connor says we should dismantle it and remove it from the shore, and I agree. We do not want children playing on it and getting hurt. He suggests we disassemble it here and haul the pieces to the old shed behind our barn.”

  “I can help,” Everett offered.

  John put his hand on Everett’s shoulder. “Thank you, Everett, but your family needs you more right now.”

  Turning to the onlookers, John raised his voice over the ocean’s sounds and told them all what Connor believed the object was and to leave it alone. Then he turned back to Levi. “Will you help Connor dismantle and move all of this?”

  “Of course, Father.”

  “Good. I need to go back to the house.” John nodded then turned to the crowd and shepherded them away from the shore.

  Levi watched as the crowd followed his father to the path that led to the village. Then—while Connor stayed with the debris—Levi left the beach to get the tools they needed for the job. On his way he overheard his father tell the curious villagers the debris was only rubbish that had washed ashore and it was nothing to worry about. Levi thought of the coincidence of the place and date and wondered what the villagers would think of the overseer if they knew of his potential mistakenness.

  As Levi approached the Colburn property, he diverged from the path and walked to the barn. He gathered every pair of pliers and cutters he could find, along with screwdrivers, spades, and a crowbar. He piled the tools on a long wooden cart and pulled it back to the shore.

  * * *

  After a day of dismantling the sharp and heavy satellite debris and hauling it away from the shore, Levi wedged the wooden cart into the damp-smelling shed at the back of the Colburn property. Connor walked in behind the cart with his arms full of tools. Levi struck a match and lit the lantern hanging from a nail on the wall in the darkened outbuilding. The light was dim but adequate to finish the work.

  As he unloaded the cart, Levi felt the fatigue in his back. Normally, he thrived on tackling large amounts of repetitive work, but after a sleepless night, the long day of disassembling debris under the sun had exhausted him. He handed the last length of metal pole to Connor, who was stacking the pieces of debris in a specific way on the ground along the shed wall.

  Levi sat on the empty wooden cart, took off his gloves, and lay back, allowing his head to rest against the cart’s sandy bed. “How deep do you think it goes into the sand?”

  “I have no idea,” Connor replied as he crouched near a pile of solar collectors. “We will probably be at this for a few more days. Are you okay with that?”

  “Yes.” Levi rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

  “Hello?” a female voice came from outside the shed. Levi pulled his hands off his eyes and looked at the door.

  “In here,” Connor answered as he stood from the floor. His head nearly touched the shed’s low ceiling. “Oh, hi Mandy.”

  Levi sat up as Mandy stepped into the shed. Connor glanced at Levi then dropped the metal pole onto a pile of others. It clanked and rolled to the dirt floor. “I’m going to go inside. The rest of this can wait u
ntil morning.” He grinned at Levi, then he moved past Mandy and left the shed.

  Mandy stepped to the debris piles on the dirt floor. “I came to see the strange materials everyone is talking about. I hope I didn’t interrupt your work.”

  “No. We’re done for the night.” Levi remained seated on the cart and watched as she bent to inspect the metal. He told himself it was the fatigue, but he felt aggravated at her for walking outside alone at night. “Did you come here by yourself?”

  She glanced at him and her smile faded. “My father came as well.”

  “Out here? To the shed?”

  “No, he is in the house speaking with your father.”

  “Mandy…” Levi shook his head then leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t want you wandering around outside by yourself.”

  “I walked from the house to the shed. That’s hardly wandering.” She straightened her back. “I was perfectly safe.”

  “Have you forgotten where you were when you were attacked?”

  She raised her eyebrows. He waited for a reaction, but she remained silent. He could not read her expression in the dim lantern light, but he wanted to reinforce the potential danger so she would be more careful. “You shouldn’t have come out here by yourself.”

  “My father knew I was coming out here and he had no objection.” She crossed her arms.

  “Then he was careless.”

  “Would you so dishonor an elder?”

  Levi threw up both hands. “I mean no insolence to your father, but you should not have walked outside in the dark alone.”

  “I am more frightened by the thought of spending my life trapped indoors than I am of walking in the dark.” Her voice grew louder with each word. “I refuse to be held captive any longer.”