by Jenn Vakey
Panic shot through me as I considered that the Sentry could have grabbed them and used them to get into Alkwin. I moved to my window and looked out, ready to alert anyone I could if there was an actual threat. When I saw the shadows moving through the training field, though, thoughts of that disappeared. It was him I saw first, Rhydian. The light was so low that I couldn’t see faces, but I knew it by the way he walked. The shape of his body.
He was okay.
As they drew nearer, I could see that he was carrying something. It was large, maybe a duffle or something. Whatever it was, he was carrying it in front of him, pressed against his chest. One of the people with him, Joury, reached out and placed her hand on his arm as they walked. It was the same way I had seen her touching him before. Then she branched off and started walking toward the dorm.
I watched them until they disappeared from my sight. Joury came in and went to her room, but Rhydian never followed. I sat on my bed for the rest of the night and waited, but he never went to his room.
I had a lot of mixed feelings about knowing they had made it in and out of Eden without Adler catching them. It meant that I wasn’t getting Lillith back just yet, but I no longer had that guilt swimming through me at the thought of having given Rhydian over to him. There was no way Adler could blame me for this because I had given him good information. It was his fault if he couldn’t get Rhydian with it.
With how relieved I actually was to see him again, I was also left wondering if I would even be able to do this to him. Honestly, I didn’t know if I could. If not, that meant that I needed to find another way of getting my sister back. I just needed to figure out how I was going to go about it.
I managed to fall back asleep shortly before dawn. I probably would have slept through breakfast had the others not been running around yelling in the hall. Even then, I probably would have gone back to sleep, but I wanted to see Rhydian. I needed to see him.
Everyone else was already sitting down eating when I arrived. Instantly, my eyes moved over the room looking for him. He wasn’t there.
There was no stopping the feeling of disappointment from that, although I was fairly certain I kept it from actually showing. I grabbed my food and sat down, hoping that he was also just running late. Given how late he came in and the fact that I was certain they hadn’t stopped to sleep, that was definitely a possibility. Especially when I realized that neither Joury nor Prestyn were there.
“Look who’s joined the land of the living,” Aarys said, sliding over to make room for me.
I shrugged, dropping my plate down and sitting. “I haven’t been sleeping well. I saw the guys coming back pretty early. I guess they had a successful trip to Eden.”
“Guess so,” Aarys said, although there was no sign there that she really knew anything about it. Nor that she had been worried. I wasn’t sure how often people from here went into Eden, but apparently enough that it wasn’t seen as a big deal.
I wanted to ask more, to find out if anyone knew where Rhydian was, but I stopped myself. I couldn’t look concerned, or people would start to wonder why. Whether because they thought there was something going on between us or that I knew more than I should. Neither were things I wanted people to know. So I just kept my mouth shut and hoped I would get my answers soon.
One of my questions was answered during my morning shift at the clinic. Noella looked a little worried when she saw me come in, and for a moment, I thought she was actually going to send me away. After a few seconds of what appeared to be silent debate, she let the idea go.
“Stay out of room two,” she said, motioning to the closed door down the small hall to my right. “Rhydian’s in there, and he isn’t to be disturbed.”
There was something in her tone that kept me from asking any questions. Noella had always been so sweet and bubbly, but now she was almost giving me an order. Making it very clear that it wasn’t an option. So I just nodded and went about cleaning up around the clinic.
Why was he in there? He looked okay when he came in last night, although I couldn’t really see more than just his shape. Maybe Adler and his men had managed to track him down and he was injured because of it. And there it was again, that guilt swirling within me. It had a right to be there. If he was hurt, it would be my fault. There was no way around that.
I needed to know.
Noella said I couldn’t disturb him, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t let him know I was out here in case he wanted to see me. That wasn’t really breaking the rules. So I waited until Noella stepped out to grab something from her lab, then called out her name like I was looking for her. It was just loud enough that I knew I could be heard through the closed door, but not so much that it could be seen as being intentionally loud. Then I leaned against the bed in the main room so I could look down the hall.
After a few seconds, I swore I could hear his voice. It wasn’t loud enough for me to make it out, but it was still him. He was talking to someone. Maybe Faida. She had left breakfast before I had and I hadn’t seen her since. I kept hoping that he would emerge from the room, but by the time I left two hours later, I had all but given up hope that he wanted to see me.
Just like at breakfast, Rhydian didn’t show up at lunch. Everyone else was there, though. Joury and Prestyn. Faida and Noella. But no Rhydian.
I felt a little rush of excitement when Aarys asked Joury about their trip to Eden. If someone else was asking, I could get my answers without anyone knowing I wanted to know. Sadly, Joury just responded that she couldn’t talk about it. That didn’t seem to raise any flags with the others. They looked a little disappointed, but no one thought it strange that there would have been a reason she couldn’t discuss the details. Like it was a normal thing.
The disappointments just kept coming after lunch.
“Leeya,” Faida called when I was walking out of the dining hall.
My heart gave a little start. She hadn’t really talked to me much since the first day. Did Rhydian send her to talk to me?
“Glad I caught you,” she smiled warmly. “I’ve got a list of things to do today and I almost completely forgot that I was supposed to tell you your training has been cancelled today.”
No meals, hiding out in the clinic, training cancelled. What the hell was going on?
“Is Rhydian okay?” I asked, knowing I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Noella said he was in the clinic.”
She didn’t look alarmed by my question. She just gave me another sweet smile and nodded. “He’s fine, dear. Nothing to worry about.”
It was good to hear that he was okay, but I was still so confused and concerned. They weren’t treating me any differently, so I could only assume Rhydian hadn’t found out what I did. That it was the reason he was hiding out. I knew she was telling the truth about him being fine, too, and not just saying it to keep me from worrying.
My warring thoughts must have been visible on my face, because her expression turned almost motherly as she asked, “Was there something you wanted me to tell him? When I see him next?”
I blinked at the question, caught off guard as I quickly shook my head. That only seemed to make her smile more for some reason. Then she did the oddest thing. She winked at me, then turned and walked away.
What the hell just happened? Clearly Faida had been reading into my reaction, but what had she seen? She asked if I wanted to tell him something. And the wink. My heart started thundering loudly in my chest as I spun around quickly and started walking toward the dorm. There was only one thing I could think of that would cause a reaction like that from a woman Faida’s age. She thought I was asking because I liked Rhydian. Did that mean she was going to say something to him about it? Oh, this wasn’t good. Especially since there was nothing I could do about it. If I tried to keep her from saying something, it would only make her beliefs stronger.
I groaned. I couldn’t think about this right now. I couldn’t think about anything. I needed more sleep.
After showering, I climbed
into my night clothes and curled up in bed. I wasn’t even going to bother with dinner. I knew he probably wasn’t going to be there, and I didn’t want to feel that disappointment again. If I didn’t go and he did, there was always a chance that he would wonder where I was and come looking for me. That would have to do.
For now, I needed to turn my thoughts to something more productive. Lillith.
I knew now more than ever that I had to find another way to get her out of there. One that didn’t involve handing Rhydian over. The past couple of days had been enough to prove that. I had messed up and gotten in too deep when it came to him. If I actually went through with Adler’s plan, I knew it would end up breaking me.
The only way I was going to be able to avoid that and get Lillith back was if I went back to Eden. Going in by myself should let me blend in and go undetected. I doubted that Adler would have the Sentry looking for me. Not if he thought I was in Alkwin. There was no way I would be able to pull this off on my own, but I couldn’t involve people here. Not without telling them what I did. The deal I made. After that, no one would want to help me.
Thankfully I had Dallin and Paxton. I didn’t want to risk them, but I knew both of them would be furious if I left them out. If they were seen, I also knew both would be willing to leave Eden and come to Alkwin.
Adler knew where my sister was. I didn’t know who else did, but I knew he was at least having some contact with her if he was sending me pictures from his Haller. That meant that all I would need to do is follow him and see where he went. Then I could break into where they were keeping her and get her out. It wasn’t a solid plan, but it was the best I could think of. It was the only real chance I had.
As soon as the decision settled over me, I felt so much of that guilt and weight leave me. I wasn’t going to sacrifice one life for another. Not unless it was mine. That I would willingly give for Lillith’s.
I really wished Rhydian hadn’t cancelled my training. I was going to need more practice before I went in after her. I couldn’t go in unprepared. So that was what I was going to do. One week. That was all I was going to give myself. I would train and learn to fight as best as I could, then I was going back for her. I was going to save my sister my way. Even if it ended up getting me killed in the process.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I couldn’t even begin to express how much better I felt the next morning. I had a plan, a set date that I was going to go in there and fight with everything I had to get my sister back. More than that, I was going to do it without turning myself into a person I would end up hating. That was where most of that weight had come from. But I was in charge now. I was no one’s puppet.
“Hey, Aarys,” I said, looking up to where she sat across the table from me. “Do you have any time to train with me since Rhydian can’t right now?”
She flashed an almost excited smile and nodded. “As long as you think you’re up for it.”
Rhydian’s warning swept through my mind about grappling with Aarys, but I pushed past it. She was likely stronger than any man, well any man who wasn’t Tainted, so she was the perfect person to train with. If I could stand up against her, I could stand up against anyone.
“Absolutely,” I grinned back. I felt a little guilty, like I was using her. Maybe I was. I didn’t have a choice, though. “Just don’t break anything that can’t be fixed.”
As she laughed, I caught sight of something at the door that stood open across the room behind her. Something that made my heart skip a few beats. Rhydian.
It was all I could do not to jump up and go toward him, but I had more pressing things I needed to focus on. The important thing was that he looked okay. I couldn’t see any signs that he was injured, which made things a lot easier for me. There were no visible bruises, nothing to suggest he had been in an altercation with Sentry. He even smiled at a few people around him as he walked through the line and filled up a plate. He looked… normal.
Instead of taking it to a table, though, he just turned and walked out again. Back toward the clinic. He didn’t even turn back to look for me. That shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did.
I still had no idea what was going on with him, but he was safe. With my new plan, he was going to remain that way.
Another morning spent in the clinic, another several hours without Rhydian emerging from the room. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t disappointing.
Maybe it was actually better this way. Things had been strange with us before he left for Eden. Chances were that they would only get more so. If that happened, he might try to stop me from leaving for Eden when it was time. Or worse, he would want to go with me. I couldn’t let that happen. The whole point of doing it this way was to keep him out of Adler’s hands.
As promised, Aarys was waiting for me on the training field when I walked out after lunch. I should have been a little worried by the mischievous smirk on her face, but my mind was elsewhere. Primarily on getting prepared to take down who knows how many guards and the king’s brother to rescue my sister. I also had to come up with a story to explain how I managed to get her out of there for when we made it back to Alkwin. How I knew she was there with enough certainty that I left the safety of Alkwin, without including anyone else, and returned to Eden. That was one that I could wait to think about. Maybe Lillith would have an idea.
“So, where would you like to begin?” Aarys asked, stretching her shoulders and back.
“Rhydian’s been teaching me double bastons,” I said.
Aarys nodded, picking up two pair of the fighting sticks, tossing mine toward me. I caught them, relishing the weight of them in my hand. I might not be able to throw the best punch or grapple, but all I needed was one thing that I could get good at. Since most Sentry used batons, this was a good place to start.
Like I had done with Rhydian, I squared off with Aarys on the field. She was smaller than he was, which allowed her to move faster. Not to mention she was much stronger. My hands stung when our bastons collided, and I knew I would have more than one bruise. But she didn’t let up, and I loved her for that.
The longer we went on, the more comfortable I started to become with it. Like with Rhydian, I began to be able to guess her moves before she made them. I ducked under strikes aimed at my head, blocked the ones coming toward my midsection, and even started to spin against her attacks to catch her on the other side. And it felt amazing.
The problem with feeling like I was getting better, though, was I started to get too confident. That was knocked right out of me when I missed a block and she slammed a hard blow to my ribs.
It knocked me off my feet, sweeping the air right out of my lungs.
“Shit,” she said, dropping down beside me. She pushed her red hair back, her young face filled with fear. Regret. “Sorry, Leeya. I thought you had that one. Are you okay?”
I just laid there for a moment, waiting for the pain in my chest to lesson so I could talk. Waiting for the black spots to leave my vision. I couldn’t remember ever being in so much pain, but I refused to let her see it. When the feeling didn’t lessen, I simply nodded and tried to sit up.
“That was fun,” I groaned, but couldn’t get anything else out before I started coughing. The act alone hurt enough to make me want to drop back down, and I might have had Aarys’ eyes not widened to the point of panic.
When I pulled my hand back from my mouth, I realized why. It was covered in blood.
“Shit,” I muttered, wiping it off on my pants, then pushed my hands down to get up. It did nothing to help the pain I was still feeling, but I couldn’t just sit here. Coughing up blood was definitely a sign that training was done for the day. At least.
“Whoa,” she said, grabbing me in an attempt to keep me from moving. She looked around for someone to call over, but we were alone. At least no one else saw me knocked down by a fifteen-year-old. Even if she did have super strength. “I don’t think you should be standing.”
I nodded and grabbed her arms for s
upport so I could get the rest of the way up. “Don’t worry. I’m going to the clinic to get checked out,” I told her, fighting off the urge to cough again. Once I was on my feet, I took in a slow breath to try to determine just what I was likely going to be told when I got in there. The effort was painful, but I didn’t feel like I was going to collapse right there. Hopefully that was a good sign.
Aarys didn’t wait to be asked. She pulled my arm over her shoulder and started walking with me to the clinic. By the fourth time she apologized, I actually found myself smiling about it.
“Noella!” she called when we stepped through the door to the clinic. She was helping me onto the bed in the main room just as the door Rhydian had been hiding behind opened and the Healer quickly stepped out. She looked from Aarys to me, her own look of worry starting to move over her face.
“What happened?” she asked, moving at an impressive speed toward us.
“I didn’t mean to,” Aarys said quickly, her young age shining through.
It made me laugh. “I think it’s just a pulmonary contusion,” I said, coughing again as I rested back on the bed. I didn’t even look at my hand that time, just took the towel Aarys held out for me and wiped the wet blood from my palm. “I missed the block.”
“How hard did you hit her?” Noella asked. She didn’t say it in an accusatory way, like she had done something wrong. It came out as nothing more than an attempt to know exactly what she was looking at.
“Not full strength,” Aarys answered, timidly. “But harder than most men would be able to hit. She had been doing a good job of stopping them. I forgot she was still new at it.”
Noella pulled out the scanner and ran it over my chest. At the same time, Aarys moved to the cabinet and pulled out a patch. After getting a nod of approval from Noella, she placed it on the side of my neck. I sighed. Whoever developed the pain patches should receive an award of some kind. They were one of my favorite when it came to me actually being injured.
“I’m seeing a few small rib cracks,” she said, causing Aarys again to return to the cabinet. “And it looks like you’re right about the pulmonary contusion. It’s not too bad, and I’ve actually got a pill that will help to speed the process. You’re still going to feel it for a few days, though.”