The Enhanced Series Boxset

by T. C. Edge

I do nothing but try to keep things together as we walk silently to our destination, my thoughts now allowed to run free and without constraint, without fear of being read and discovered by those who’d see me dead.

  Only when we get to the Court House, and go up to the 20th floor, and straight into the apartment assigned to us for our courtship, does the dam finally break.

  I immediately let my body shake free the emotion, my eyes dampening and breath quickening. Adryan turns to me and, without speaking, sucks me into a warm embrace.

  And in his arms, I feel safe. My only ally here in this strange, inhospitable world. A world where one wrong turn will get me killed, and so many other people too. Where I have to walk the tightrope without error, my balance constantly tested by strong winds and flying birds and all manner of other dangers.

  I reach around and dig my fingers into Adryan’s back, and feel the tears beginning to climb out from my eyes, marching down my cheeks and wetting my neck.

  “It’s OK,” whispers Adryan. “You’re safe now. You’re safe here.”

  For a few long moments, I allow myself the break. I let my emotions, usually so pent up inside me, stride free. And then, after purging myself of that weakness, I grit my teeth and blink my eyes and squeeze every last drop of moisture out of them.

  My grip eases on Adryan’s back, and I pull away to see my eyes have left a wet patch on his suit.

  “I’m sorry…” I whisper.

  He shakes his head and pulls off his jacket, tossing it to one side.

  “It’ll dry,” he says. “It’s nothing.”

  He takes my hand gently, and leads me towards the sofa. Setting me down, he moves to the kitchen and fetches the wine that I now long for. As soon as a large glass is filled, half of it is emptied down my throat. The sensation is strangely calming, my mind immediately settling and soothing.

  “Better?” he asks, smiling.

  “Much,” I say, doing the same.

  After spending time looking at the black eyes of Agent Woolf, Adryan’s are so appealing, so alluring. They appear far more human than ever, a gentle silver that hold a captivating beauty.

  In fact, everything about him now registers as normal to me. His smile and the look of worry and concern hovering on his brows. His willingness to comfort me, to offer me the physical contact that I need here in this horrible place. His calming voice and attentiveness.

  To me, he’s no longer a Savant. He’s just a man, sensitive and real.

  “So what happened?” he asks. “When I was told you were being taken to the City Guard headquarters, I was so…worried, Brie. Do they know something?”

  I take another sip of wine.

  “Agent Woolf is suspicious,” I say, staring at the glass. “She was probing, searching. I kept her at bay, I think. For now at least. But she’ll be back again, I know it. We have to act quickly, Adryan.” I lift my eyes to his, and set them with resolve. “We need to get married as soon as possible. I need to get into the High Tower.”

  “And your powers? Are you ready?”

  “I have to be,” I say defiantly. “I don’t think we can wait any longer…”

  “I understand,” he says, nodding. “The pieces are already moving. We can have you tested in a matter of days and then get married immediately…”

  “Make it as soon as possible,” I say firmly. “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold off Agent Woolf.”

  “It’ll be easier once we’re married. You’ll be under my protection.”

  “Then make it quick. If she catches me again, she might just break in. I’m not strong enough yet to repel a woman like that forever.”

  I lean back on the sofa and let out a long breath. Another sip of wine flows down through my body, softening the painful throbbing in my head. Shutting my eyes, I hear Adryan moving over towards me and refilling my glass.

  He sits down beside me this time, close now.

  “You can practice on me if you want,” he says quietly. “I spoke with Lady Orlando. I know you need to practice on stronger minds, Savant minds. It’ll help you with your mission. I’m here for you, Brie. Whatever you need, I’m here.”

  I find my hand lifting to his cheek, his skin pale and clear, his jaw dusted with prickly stubble. Something inside me wants to take a grip and pull him into me, but I hold back the urge.

  Instead, I merely smile and say: “Thank you, Adryan. For everything you’ve done, and are doing. Later. I’ll take you up on that offer later. Right now, I just need to rest a while. And maybe…eat?”

  He draws back, and my hand slips from his face.

  “OK. I’ll see to that. You rest here, Brie. Let your mind recover. We can practice later.”

  He stands and moves away to the kitchen, and I sink a little deeper into the soft sofa. After the day I’ve had, an exhaustion is now grappling with me, weakening my mind and gradually forcing my eyes shut.

  I feel the power of sleep approaching, and place my wine back down on the table. And lifting my legs up onto the chair, I rest my head back down and shut my eyes, listening to Adryan work, and smelling the scent of food as it spreads through the apartment.

  And in this refuge of ours, this sanctuary in a city of danger, I slip away into a troubled sleep.

  75

  The nap is just what I need. It works to reset my faculties and energy levels, giving me enough juice to spend my remaining time with Adryan as best as I can.

  Shaking me awake, my nose fills with the scent of stew, and I see Adryan’s handsome face emerge from the haze before my eyes.

  I drop my legs to the floor and yawn, feeling far more alert.

  “How long was I out?” I ask.

  “Only 20 minutes,” he says.

  “That’s all?!”

  “It’s the optimum time for a nap. Any longer and you’d have entered the deeper stages of sleep, and would probably feel more groggy now. I considered that you’d be better served with a sharper mind.”

  “Good plan,” I say, still yawning. “I had no idea such a short sleep could have such an impact…”

  “Well, bear it in mind for the future. It’s not uncommon for people to nap during the day here in order to maintain high levels of productivity.”

  Clearly, another strange quirk of life here. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone over in Outer Haven who takes time out of their working day to have a short siesta.

  Evidently, it does the trick. Feeling far happier, and with the recent memory of Agent Woolf’s interrogation now seeming so much more distant, we set about enjoying Adryan’s delicious stew over on the table by the wall.

  As with the last time I came here, there’s a splash of colour to the place, and we eat from warm red bowls. Knowing my preference for enjoying the view, Adryan also orders for the wall to turn transparent, giving us a look out over the sparkling city.

  By now, the sky has grown dark, and the stars and moon have begun to send down their celestial glow, as if reflecting the many thousands of lights dotting the city streets. It’s a striking backdrop for a lovely dinner, Adryan yet again proving how gentlemanly he can be by actively seeing to my every need.

  I guess he’s conditioned to operate in such a way, life here for all Savants involving performing a duty to the highest level possible. In this case, his duty has been set out by Lady Orlando, with his remit to facilitate me in everything I do here.

  Seeing me so stressed, he’s clearly made the decision to try to make my time in this apartment relaxing and enjoyable. It’s an odd turnaround, given our relative positions – official positions, at least – in the city.

  He’s a Savant of high rank. I’m merely a regular orphan girl who’s spent her life working as a cleaner and labourer. To anyone else, that is how we’d be viewed. The truth, of course, is quite different.

  As we dine, my thoughts turn to the other favour he said he’d perform. Again, it was intended to make sure I maintained a single focus, and nothing more.

  “Have you found anythin
g out about my parents?” I ask him.

  He doesn’t provide me with the answer I’m looking for.

  “I’m afraid not, Brie. I haven’t really had an opportunity as yet.”

  I’m disappointed, but not significantly so. Truth be told, my mind is overloaded enough as it is, and learning of the inevitable fate of my parents isn’t necessarily going to help.

  “That’s OK,” I tell him. “I did see a section within the City Guard HQ labelled ‘archives’, though. I was wondering if there might be some information about my father in there, seeing as he was a member.”

  “Quite possibly, yes,” says Adryan. “Although, I’m not sure what you’d learn. Mostly you’d just find service records.”

  “But if he was taken to the REEF, or discharged or something, then that would be listed too, right?”

  “I’d imagine so. However, it would only be confirmation of what you already know, wouldn’t it?”

  His words suck the wind from my sails. The deflation is obvious enough for him to see.

  “I’m sorry if my words are blunt, Brie,” he says. “You know I have trouble with that sometimes.”

  “No, it’s fine, really,” I assure him. “You’re a lot better at it than you think.”

  I smile at him to show that I’m not insulted.

  He’s right, though. I will just learn what I already know. And in any case, I’m not about to go sneaking into the City Guard HQ looking for answers. Personally, I’d prefer never to set foot inside that building ever again.

  Instead, we turn to other things. The meal concludes and we gravitate over towards the sofa once more. With a few verbal orders, the light in the apartment softens, and the transparent walls turn a little more solid, shielding out some of the brighter glow from outside.

  With a warm atmosphere flooding the apartment, Adryan once more offers his mind for me to practice. A part of me would prefer not to. For once, I’d just like to sit here and relax and give myself an opportunity to recharge.

  But another part knows I don’t really have a choice. I can’t stop working until the job is complete. Until I’ve done the deed and have escaped the High Tower, and Inner Haven, and re-joined my brother and Drum and the Nameless down in the underlands.

  Maybe I could just become one of their hunters, going out beyond the wall to fetch meat? Or maybe I could go even further, pack a bag and hike towards the mountains. Climb to the highest passes above the toxic fog and leave the city behind for good.

  There are lots of maybes in my head. Lots of choices that may lie ahead. But not now. Now, I have no choice at all. There’s a single purpose to my life, a single directive for me to follow. And sitting here with Adryan, I cannot pass up the chance to practice on a mind as powerful as his.

  And so I do, taking a moment to get myself back into the right mindset before asking him to stare right at me. I feel an odd bout of nerves as those grey-blue eyes of his lock with mine, melting before me as I slowly glide inside.

  Immediately, there’s a different feel to his consciousness, as there is with each person. He’s more like my brother, a greater depth to him, his personal thoughts and emotions not so easy to gauge.

  And yet, I get a sense of something, a deep longing to see this city change, to see me succeed. And to see me safe once it’s all done.

  Stepping through his recent memories, I see flashes of his life play out. For the first time, I get a glimpse of the internal structure of the High Tower, vast and majestic, and his apartment, so simply decorated. I see the little workings of his duty with the Institute of Human Relations, and the basic and brief interactions he has with his co-workers.

  I see little, but it builds a quick picture of the cold, lifeless arrangement that all Savants are born into. A picture that doesn’t fit with this man before me, a man of complicated thoughts and feelings that clearly yearns for something more.

  I know I have to be careful in his mind. Careful not to rearrange things, or to march through his memories so recklessly. Yet I want to. I want to know more about him, understand him, get to the truth of why he’s really helping us.

  I recall back to the hints he’s given me in the past. Little suggestions that he’s got his own reasons for wanting to see the Consortium, and Director Cromwell, fail. To see their doctrine defeated and the good people of this city rip themselves free of their invisible shackles.

  There’s something in his past. Something painful, something terrible, that I have to find.

  And so I seek it out. I go back to Zander’s training only a couple of days ago. Out there, in the northern quarter, I searched for memories of fear. Memories of joy. Memories of pain.

  And in Adryan’s mind, it’s the latter I’m going to seek.

  So I focus hard on the single most painful thing he’s been through. I drift deeper into the sea of memories, back into the past, rolling through the years until I zero in on it. And when I find it, I enter, and watch as the memory plays before me.

  I see him as a younger man. Not much, perhaps a few years ago. Maybe only a little older than I am now, his face fresh and youthful. He’s sitting in an apartment, different to the one he lives in now, the one that just flashed before my eyes.

  As he sits there, I hear a voice, a female voice, coming from another room. He looks up, and a girl of his own age wanders in smoothly. She’s beautiful. Her hair flows down in curls of brown, her eyes dancing with a similar light. They’re the eyes of a Savant, and yet there’s something in them that brightens them. Something that brings them to life.

  She loves him.

  And he loves her.

  She moves towards the sofa, and sits beside him. They kiss, and I feel the warmth inside him, the glow of joy. But this isn’t a memory of happiness. This is a memory of pain, of grief.

  The worst day of Adryan’s life.

  Lying back in each other’s arms, the faint sound of footsteps slowly begin to grow. First appearing as nothing but a light tapping, they soon stamp loudly, gathering down the end of a corridor and beyond a door.

  A jolt of confusion whips up through Adryan’s body. He and the girl look at each other with muted expressions, with eyebrows that dip ever-so-slightly. But they do nothing more. They just sit and wait.

  A loud knocking sounds. And a voice calls out from beyond the door.

  “Mr Adryan Shaw, please open up.”

  Adryan looks to the girl and then stands, obeying the order. He wanders down the corridor, grips the handle to the door, and opens it up. Outside, a cluster of City Guards stand, dressed in their armour and fully armed.

  The lead guard steps straight in, brushing Adryan aside. Then he turns to him.

  “Where is she?” he growls.

  Adryan remains confused.

  “What is this about?” he asks calmly.

  “Where is your wife,” repeats the man.

  A soft voice echoes from down the corridor.

  “I’m here,” it says.

  The guard marches away, and Adryan follows, and behind him the rest of them come too.

  Now a slight form of panic begins to rise in him. He asks again: “What is this about?” His words are hasty, not measured like a Savant’s words should be. He turns to the girl – to his wife – and there’s a strike of fear in her brown eyes too.

  The lead guard doesn’t answer.

  “Take her,” is all he says.

  The other guards step in, grab the girl’s arms, and begin pulling her down the corridor. She starts to struggle in their grip, instinct taking over, her lacking emotions bubbling and frothing their way to the surface.

  Adryan, too, is growing desperate. He continues to call out, “what are you doing with her…where are you taking her,” but his questions are never answered.

  He follows the men down the corridor, scrapping his way to the front. He’s held back as his wife is dragged from the apartment, her eyes wide as she’s hoisted unceremoniously away. Adryan tries to battle his way forward, but two guards stop him,
pushing him away.

  He’s tossed against a wall, the impact juddering through him. He calls out to his wife, saying her name for the first time.

  “Amelia! Amelia!” he shouts.

  Again, he rushes forward. Again he’s repelled. Then the lead guard looks at him one final time, leaning in with a callous smile creeping up his lips.

  And a single word falls from his lips.

  “Hybrid.”

  Adryan staggers back, and the guard spins away, marching out of the door and slamming it shut. And there, right then in that apartment, I feel something break inside Adryan.

  Something that has never been fixed.

  The memory fades before my eyes, turning black, and I withdraw from Adryan’s mind and appear back in the room. Back on the sofa, staring at his silver eyes. And again, they’re filled with pain.

  I don’t know what to say. I just stare at him, feeling ashamed for invading such a personal recollection. I turn from his gaze, and cast my eyes to the floor, and as I do, his voice breaks into the silence of the room.

  “She had old Hawk blood in her,” he whispers quietly, easing my eyes back to his. “Somewhere, generations back in her past. She didn’t know. I didn’t know. And they took her anyway.”

  “I’m sorry.” My voice is so quiet it barely breaks out from my throat. “I shouldn’t have looked…”

  He shakes his head.

  “I invited you in willingly, Brie. I knew what you might find.”

  “When was it?” I ask tentatively.

  “Nearly four years ago. I was only nineteen years old. Amelia was the same. She was a Savant like me, nothing more. No Hawk powers manifested in her. But they still took her away. They still…terminated her.”

  He looks away and bites back the pain. I reach out and lay my hand on his, squeezing lightly at his fingers.

  “It wasn’t about her, though,” he continues, still looking out into the room. “It was about any children we might have had. There was a chance, however slim, that we could have had a hybrid child. They weren’t going to let that happen.”

  “So that’s why…that’s why you joined the Nameless.”