Proxy

by R. D. Brady

  He was supposed to have left in a group an hour earlier, but for some reason he’d missed the sendoff. Lyla studied the quiet man. There was something about him she didn’t trust. His choice as Meg’s new second-in-command was all the more reason to wonder if Meg’s ambitions had gotten a hold of her. Oscar was nothing like Lewis. Lewis was straightforward, honest, and decent. She’d gotten no indication that Oscar contained any of those qualities.

  She’d watched the man look around the Gatsby with hungry eyes. She could understand that hunger. Meg’s camp had been through a rough patch these last few months. But she could not understand nor forgive the derision she saw in his eyes when he looked at the avad. At one point she’d seen him walk right past a small Unwelcome child who’d fallen and scraped his knee. He didn’t even turn his head or offer to help the child up. It was as if the child was beneath his dignity.

  Lyla wasn’t sure if that was merely his viewpoint or if Meg shared that viewpoint. But she was grateful that Meg had sent people to help with the attack. They were going to need as many people as possible. And hopefully when all this was over and they got the Gatsby up and running, including crops, they would be available to help out Meg’s camp a little bit more than they could right now.

  But those were future concerns. Today the greatest concerns were whether or not the Naku had uncovered their plot. As far as Lyla’s intel could tell, New City was running on a skeleton crew. The rest of the avad had been taken up to the ship. If Jane was right about the process, that meant that they would be in a deep sleep while the Naku attempted to get their Ka Sama levels back to what they had been prior to the sabotage.

  But if Jane was right, it was possible that they would never return to those levels. That the Unwelcome would never again be voiceless, mindless drones just following the will of the Naku. It was always possible that some of them would choose to stay with the Naku. But Lyla was counting on the Unwelcome’s desire for freedom, on the very human desire to be free, to reduce that possibility.

  “Lyla.”

  Arthur’s voice cut through her thoughts. Her head jerked up and she narrowed her eyes. The moon was bright enough that she could see the three riders as they appeared at the end of the path. “Is that … Meg?”

  Lewis nudged his horse forward so he was on Lyla’s other side. He leaned forward a little in his saddle, his confusion clear. “I think it is.” He glanced back at Oscar. “Why is Meg here?”

  Oscar shrugged in his saddle. “She mentioned that she might be able to join the fight. I didn’t mention it because she wasn’t sure yet if she would be able to get away. We will be lucky to have her sword in the battle ahead.”

  Lyla stared at the man. He looked nervous. Lyla nodded her head toward him. Addie and Jamal immediately dropped back to ride on either side of him. Meg’s other two men were in between them.

  Lyla flicked a glance at Lewis. She saw no deception there, but she did see a great deal of confusion. “Lewis?” she asked her voice low.

  He kept his voice equally low. “I don’t know. She’s never done something like this before.”

  “Well, let’s go see what she wants.” Lyla nudged her horse forward. Arthur and Lewis stayed by her sides.

  When they were about twenty feet away, Meg raised her hand in greeting. A whistle of air was all the warning Lyla had before the arrow shot past her face. She managed to duck just in time. A hiss of pain from her left told her that Arthur hadn’t quite been as lucky. Blood dotted the sleeve of his shirt.

  “There! In the trees,” Lewis yelled.

  Behind him, Addie let out a yell as Oscar unsheathed his sword and sliced toward Jamal. Addie slammed her boot into the side of Oscar. He let out a yelp as Addie then grabbed him by the back of the collar and dragged him to the ground. The two other horsemen from Meg’s group darted for the trees.

  Addie and Jamal had Oscar well in hand, but there were three more horsemen coming up behind. More arrows rained down from the trees. Lyla decided to forget the arrows and the horsemen coming.

  There was one way to stop this.

  “Help Addie and Jamal!”

  Ducking her head to the side of her horse, she urged it forward, heading straight for Meg.

  70

  Even from a distance and with the dimming light, Lyla had been able to make out Meg’s smile when the arrows had rung out. Of all the things Lyla thought Meg was capable of, this cowardly attack was not one of them. Apparently things were a lot more desperate at Meg’s camp than Lyla realized.

  Or worse than Lewis had told them.

  Meg’s smile quickly disappeared as Lyla charged. Meg reared back, pulling on her horse and turning it around, ordering the two men with her to guard her back. Lyla didn’t slow. By the time the two men had turned their horses to follow Meg, she was on them. Lyla drew her sword and slashed across one of the men’s ribs before kicking him in the same spot. He went flying from the horse with a scream.

  Switching the direction of her arc, Lyla brought her sword up, catching the underneath of both arms of the other man as he tried to get away. She didn’t cut his arms off, but she did enough damage that he released the reins and toppled to the side with a scream.

  Lyla ducked down low, urging her horse to go faster as Meg sprinted away. Lyla gave chase but couldn’t close the distance. She didn’t spend a lot of time on horses like Meg and was definitely outclassed. There was no way she was going to be able to capture her. The thunder of hooves sounded behind her. She darted a glance over her shoulder, wondering if it was friend or foe following her.

  When she saw that it was Lewis, she still couldn’t answer that question. Lewis darted a glance at her but then turned his attention to Meg, prodding his horse on. He blew past Lyla.

  With bated breath, she watched as Lewis closed the distance between himself and Meg. He reached the back of her horse, and then the head of his horse was level with Meg’s body. Meg reached out with her sword, stabbing toward his horse’s eye.

  Lewis yanked his horse’s head away but didn’t slow. Instead, he put on a burst of speed and galloped past Meg’s horse. When he reached the head, he reached out and cut the reins before grabbing the end of them and holding them tight as he circled to the left while slowing. Meg let out a yell before rolling from her horse.

  Lyla had reached them by then. She barely slowed her horse before she jumped from it, rolling back to her feet. She sprinted ahead and tackled Meg around the waist. Meg went face first into the forest floor.

  Lyla grabbed her by the back of the head, yanking her head up by the hair. “Why? Why would you do this, Meg?”

  “Why? Why?” Meg screeched. “You dare ask me why? My people are barely holding on, and you’re living here in luxury. We won’t have enough food for the winter, and your—”

  “The winter? I’m just trying to get through the day. We don’t have stored food for the winter. We are going day by day, and that is it.”

  More horses approached. Addie and Jamal, along with Arthur and Oscar, appeared. “The others?” Lyla asked.

  “Dead or close to,” Jamal replied, his voice cold. He shoved Oscar, who was lying on the horse in front them, to the ground. With a thump and a cry, Oscar scrambled away from Jamal. Blood dotted his shirt, and there was a thick cut along his thigh. His face was swollen.

  Lyla narrowed her gaze as she stared at him. “You told Meg when we would be leaving. You gave her the direction we were going so that she could plan an ambush for us.”

  “So what if I did? If you’d been in my shoes, you would’ve done the same.”

  “Done the same? You don’t know me at all.”

  Oscar sneered. “Oh, I know you. You turn your back on your own kind to help them.” He spit at Arthur. Arthur took a step back, his eyes large.

  Addie shifted her horse closer to Oscar and kicked him in the back of the head.

  He crashed to his knees before glaring back at her. “You’re all traitors. You’re giving the enemy food and shelter, even their
disgusting offspring.”

  Lyla narrowed her eyes. “You did it,” she said softly. “You put Tarfax outside the fence so you could go to meet with Meg.”

  Oscar’s face was ugly in the harsh light as he narrowed his eyes and mouth. “So what if I did? That little abomination is worth nothing.”

  Addie’s voice was deceptively quiet as she spoke. “Did you throw him over the fence?”

  Oscar smiled at her. “I didn’t throw him. I climbed up and rolled him over.”

  Addie was off her horse so fast that Lyla didn’t even see her move. But she did see Oscar’s head snap back from the punch and the three that followed. But it was the kick to the groin that made even Lyla wince.

  Lyla turned to Meg. “This is your second-in-command? This is the type of person you want leading your people?”

  “He’s not wrong. Those things don’t deserve any of our—”

  “They’re human! They were taken from Earth. The Naku experimented on them. That’s why they’re larger. If you had asked, I would have told you. But we’ve had more important things to deal with than whether or not you are comfortable with the existence of the Unwelcome.”

  “They have killed our people. And they have your Miles. Or did you forget that?” Meg demanded.

  “I have not forgotten that.” She stared down at Meg. She thought about explaining about the Ka Sama, about the experimentation on the humans, about the breeding facility, about all of it. But she didn’t have time. And her ignorance and resistance to the truth looked like it was baked in deep. No, they needed to get down to New City. Trying to convince ignorant people full of hate that they were wrong was just a waste of time.

  She grabbed the knife from Meg’s belt, and the sword as well, before shoving Meg forward. “Get over there with your leader,” she ordered Oscar.

  Oscar, still hunched over, stumbled toward her.

  “What do you want to do with them?” Lewis asked.

  Lyla studied him in the light. “What do you think we should do with them?”

  Lewis’s voice took on a hard edge. “They led good people to slaughter tonight. They should have to pay for that.”

  “I agree.”

  Lewis unsheathed his sword and stepped forward. Lyla shook her head. “But not like that. They’re wrong. They caused the death of their people for no reason. They could have caused the plan today to go awry if we were unable to get there. They could have destroyed the chance of ridding the world of the Naku. But we didn’t let them. And I won’t have their deaths on my conscience. I would think having people’s deaths on your conscience when there’s another option would be extremely difficult. That’s a reality they’re going to have to live with.”

  “So what you want to do with them?” Lewis asked.

  “Get their horses and their supplies. They can go back to their camp with what they have on themselves and that is all.”

  “But that’s hours away on foot,” Oscar spluttered.

  Addie crossed her arms over her chest. “Then I suggest you start walking.”

  Oscar opened his mouth, but Meg put out a hand and stopped him. “You’re going to let us go? Just like that?”

  Lyla merely nodded.

  “How do we know you’re not just going follow and kill us when we’re not paying attention?” Meg asked.

  Lyla looked at her in disgust. How had she not seen this side of Meg before? “That’s your way, Meg, not mine. If I wanted you dead, I would kill you right now. Now go.”

  Meg scanned the group, her gaze stopping on Lewis. “You’re really going let her do this to us after all we’ve done for you?”

  “I’ve repaid you tenfold over the years. And you’re lucky that she’s being compassionate, because I would not be.”

  Meg’s face contorted with rage. “Don’t ever think of coming back.”

  “I can assure you that thought will never cross my mind.”

  With a growl, Meg turned and slipped into the trees. Oscar followed her, making a lot more noise.

  Lyla let out a breath when she could no longer hear them, shaking her head. “How did we miss that they had become so desperate?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t see it either,” Lewis said.

  “What are we going do about the bodies back there?” Jamal asked.

  Lyla shook her head. “That’s not a priority right now. Right now, we need to get back down to New City. This has already eaten up enough time as it is.”

  She swung back up onto her horse. “Let’s go. We have a bigger fight ahead of us.”

  71

  Lyla ordered Addie and Jamal to head back to the Gatsby and warn them about Meg’s treachery. Then she instructed them to wait and head down with one of the veerfinah groups.

  Lyla didn’t like the idea of leaving the Gatsby ignorant of what Meg had tried. She also didn’t like the idea of leaving Meg’s men out in the air for the animals to find them. But being that she didn’t think Meg would have such a compulsion about her body or any of her people’s, she had to force it from her mind. Because what she said was true: There was a bigger priority right now.

  Lyla, Arthur, and Lewis kept up a steady pace to New City. Lyla couldn’t help but note how haggard Lewis looked on the ride. Fighting your own men, men you had trained—Lyla couldn’t imagine it.

  She slowed her horse as they approached the Fringe. Arthur and Lewis did the same. The men once again flanked her. She glanced between them. “We don’t tell anybody about Meg until after this is done. We don’t need anyone worrying about her.”

  “What about Meg’s people that are mixed in with our people?” Arthur asked.

  Lyla looked at Lewis. “What you think we should do?”

  Lewis blew out a breath. “The men that Meg had with her, they were troublemakers, not big fans of authority. But the people that she sent ahead, they’re good people. They wouldn’t agree with what Meg just did.”

  “Can we trust them?” Lyla asked.

  “Yes,” Lewis said without hesitation. “And they’re all in my group. If they prove to be untrustworthy, I’ll handle it.”

  Lyla stared at him, hearing the promise in his words. He would do it too. He knew how much today meant. It could change everything for everyone. “I hope you don’t have to.”

  “Me too.” Lewis nodded toward the Fringe. “If it’s all right with you two, I think I’ll head forward on my own. I need to get my head straight before I meet up with everyone.”

  “Understood. Good luck, Lewis.”

  “You too.” He turned to include Arthur in his gaze. “Both of you.”

  “Will he be all right?” Arthur asked as he watched Lewis head off alone.

  “Eventually. But Meg’s betrayal, that cut him deep. It’s going to take a long time to get past that.”

  “You spared her. You didn’t have to.”

  “Yes, I did. We’re doing all of this to save humanity. I can’t turn around and then sacrifice mine before the battle’s even begun.”

  Arthur moved his horse closer and reached across the space between them to take her hand in his. “Once again, you amaze me.”

  She stared into his face, wanting nothing more than to close the distance between them, but this was not the time.

  But she promised herself if they made it through today, she would make sure he knew the other benefits of being human.

  72

  The last few hours had been surreal for Miles. Dexender told him the story of his life. And then 41-G did the same. 41-G turned out to be Gaxdrill. They had been separated after training, and this assignment was the first one where they were together.

  Or at least, that’s what they thought.

  Gaxdrill looked over at Dexender. “It’s entirely possible we worked together before. But with the drugs …” Gaxdrill shook his head. “It’s hard to explain. You just don’t notice things. Nothing is important except your duty.”

  “Don’t the Naku know there’s something wrong? Do they know you guys …”
Miles paused. He’d almost mentioned the Ka Sama sabotage. “Feel differently?”

  Dexender and Gaxdrill exchanged a look before Dexender spoke. “It’s like each day our thoughts get a little clearer. Whatever they’re doing, it’s not having an effect.”

  “Have you noticed changes with the other Unwelcome?”

  “We’ve actually spoken with some. It’s … strange. That’s new too. The last time I spoke with anyone was the first few days of training, and then it all just stopped.”

  “Our numbers are shrinking as well,” Dexender said.

  Miles frowned, remembering what Arthur had said about the lower birth rates. “You mean the incoming chelvah?”

  Gaxdrill shook his head. “No. After tours of the planet, Unwelcome have gone missing.”

  Miles couldn’t hide his surprise at that news. Were they deserting? Just walking away from their posts? “What are the Naku saying?”

  Gaxdrill scoffed. “That there’s a rebellion. Humans are becoming more violent.”

  “I guess you don’t believe that?”

  Dexender looked around, lowering his voice. “Some people have been talking about leaving. They say that the missing have actually escaped.”

  Miles debated what to say. It was possible this was a Naku trick to get information from Miles about his camp. But he didn’t think that was true.

  But instead of addressing Gaxdrill’s statement, Miles decided to ask a question of his own. “Why are you guys telling me all this?”

  Dexender glanced at Gaxdrill, who held his gaze for a moment before nodding. Dexender turned back to Miles. “You’ve been a topic on board the ship for a while now. We can’t understand how you’re able to resist the Naku.”

  “I’m a Cursed.”

  “We know, but seeing it, it’s hopeful.”

  Miles could understand that.

  “And you didn’t kill Anixquold,” Gaxdrill said.