The Last City Page 27

  I frowned, but for only a moment. I thought I was his soulmate, my brain wanted to protest, but if Mason had engineered something to keep them in contact, to keep Jordan safe, then I was thankful that he had.

  But as we entered the dome, Mason’s eyes locked with Jordan’s. “It’s time,” he said, not a trace of a smile even hinted at forming.

  Jordan’s only response was an exhaled groan of resignation as his fingers tightened around mine.

  My head shook as I looked from one to the other, not wanting to believe it.

  “You need to come back with me,” Mason explained, still looking at Jordan.

  “No,” I groaned, and then swallowed back the lump that was forming in my throat. “Why?”

  “The militia are mobilizing, preparing to attack. And we are losing any cooperation the Guardian may have agreed to. It has its own ideas about how to fight them. This may be our last chance to safely enter the city.”

  “Then why enter the city at all?” I complained. “Let the Guardian take over and defend the city. That is its job.”

  “Yes, but at what cost?” Mason began, but Lena cut him off, and finished for him.

  “The Guardian agreed not to insert anyone that didn’t want to be inserted, and it agreed not to bring any more people over from other dimensions,” she paused to stare at me, as if to consider me before continuing. “But instead, to create its unstoppable army, it is now creating people. People… made to its specifications, with all of the knowledge that it has gained. Fighting machines, who cannot die. And once the militia is defeated, will it stop? Or will it turn around and do exactly as the militia plans to do…”

  “Lena,” Haize warned.

  I hadn’t realized that my mouth was open or that I was holding my breath, until I felt Jordan’s hand caress my back. While it was an enormous relief to hear that the Guardian had ceased its practice of bringing people here, it was equally disturbing, if not more so, to learn that it was now creating people. Those two words should not in any way, be put together to describe what the Guardian was capable of.

  Before I could close my mouth, a shiver ran up my spine and shook my shoulders. And I swallowed hard to rid myself of the bile that tried to rise in my throat. I was sure Haize had noticed the horrified look I now wore, no doubt her reason for stopping Lena from saying anything further. It might have been a good thing that she did, or it might not. I would have no way of knowing. Either way, she’d given me her word that she would tell me all that she could.

  As I worked to calm the moment of insanity inside, I stared at Haize, but she only stared back. Her features hardened as she read my thoughts, knowing she was in for a fight. I was sure she knew my questions before I’d even begun to think them.

  “Jordan,” I moaned, turning from her. She could wait. Jordan could not. He couldn’t leave. “We just got our house back.”

  “And it will wait for us, once more,” he reasoned.

  “Don’t go. Don’t go back. What if they only mean to hurt you?”

  “They won’t,” Mason interrupted.

  I cut him a quick glance, and he closed his mouth preventing anything further from escaping.

  “He’s right. They won’t hurt me,” he said. His eyes flicked toward Mason, then came back to me. “I have something they want.”

  “They need him,” Mason interrupted again.

  “I need you,” I protested, but I already knew that there was no argument that I could make that would convince him to stay.

  “I can’t let them have the Spire, or the CU,” he said, shaking his head. “If there’s a way I can stop them, any way at all, I will.”

  “But if you have something they want, then why go to them? You should get as far away from them as you can.”

  “Not if I can stop them from destroying all that is left of us.”

  “How?” I asked, but no answer came.

  He gently clasped my hand, and moved us away from the group, as though privacy was an option. However, as I studied him, his face gave nothing away. But neither did the other faces that watched me, as I turned from one to the other, and then back to him.

  “How do you plan to stop them?” I asked again.

  At first, I thought he wouldn’t answer, but after what seemed like several minutes he blew out his breath with a sigh.

  Yet still, he didn’t speak. He could barely look at me as he shook his head. He glanced back at Mason, and I followed his gaze. But whatever communication had passed between them, was going to remain with them.

  I wanted to scream at them, all of them. I hated the silence. I’d had enough of it. But then I remembered Jordan’s words. They were tracking me, no doubt listening to me. I was one of the few here that couldn’t control where my thoughts went. They couldn’t tell me. My thoughts were not safe. But that didn’t stop the frustration that scrambled its way through me, not knowing all that was happening.

  The worst part was not being able to sense him. Not his thoughts, nor his feelings. All I had were the few words he had spoken.

  And the faith I was supposed to keep.

  I’ll never lie to you, the ward haunted my thoughts once more. But I pushed him away. And as I gazed up into Jordan’s face I tried to determine what was going through his mind, but his appearance gave every impression that he was at as much of a loss as I was. Although, perhaps for different reasons. All I could do was keep my faith in him, that he was with me. That he would come back to me.

  His hands traveled up my arms, warming my skin, and landed upon my shoulders. One hand continued its slow, soft journey up to my face, to rest upon my temple, while his other traveled down to my heart.

  “Promise me,” he whispered, reminding me of our conversation, and the promise I couldn’t give.

  Things I may not like, nor understand. And I guessed this was one of them.

  But again, I couldn’t speak.

  My arms wound their slow way around him, and I felt myself move in tiny increments toward him. It was as if time was standing still. For once, it was my friend, drawing out my final moments with him.

  “Be careful,” I whispered.

  I couldn’t watch him leave. And so, I released him and walked away, without looking back.

  However, with each step that distanced me from him, I could feel the pressure building in my stomach. At first, it was just a knot, clenching my insides. And the further I got from him, the more it spread, crawling its agonizing way to my lungs.

  I suited up, and exited the dome at the cliff. But instead of climbing the cliff, I followed the narrow ledge to where it met the walkway, and I stopped to stare out at the horizon before me.

  “Mya,” I whispered, hoping she could hear.

  Come to the Colony, she responded in my head.

  “No,” I whispered back. “I want to be alone.”

  You got it.

  I barely felt her shroud slip over me as I leapt off the walkway and flew over Tira-Mi. My vision blurred as the wind streaked the tears away from my face, leaving them to fall like raindrops upon the unsuspecting town below me.

  I landed in a crouch upon the sand beside our cliffside nook, and with my knees drawn up, I sat with my back against the warm, stone wall. At first, I hugged my legs to my chest, needing to keep the pain inside, afraid it would tear me open if I let it out. But why should I care if it did. It wouldn’t be the first time pain had stomped through me, and I’d survived each of those times. This time was no different. It wouldn’t kill me.

  But I couldn’t do anything except stare straight ahead; releasing the pain, felt too much like releasing Jordan. I wasn’t ready to let him go. I couldn’t lose him. Not him, too.

  Helpless, drained, I collapsed to the side. And while keeping my back to the warm stone wall, I lay my head upon one arm, and focused upon the movement of the water before me. Of each wave building in motion and force, cresting then crashing upon the waiting sand, and then sliding back into th
e sea for more.

  Breathe in, breathe out, came the calming tones of Dr. Riley in my head. Release the emotion with it. I focused upon my old therapist’s voice, his quiet instructions, and the gentle motion of the waves before me.

  I didn’t want to think about what may or may not happen to Jordan, or whatever information he may or may not have withheld. I didn’t want to think about anything. I didn’t want anyone in my thoughts, either sending or receiving. I hoped Mya was still with me, but in case she wasn’t I tried to block my thoughts as much as possible. I wouldn’t know if it worked, but I hoped they would respect me enough to stay away. And I soon found I was wishing my ward was somehow free. He could make me disappear from them all.

  However, the moment that thought formed itself, I wanted to laugh at its absurdity; him making me disappear is not all he would do.

  I closed my eyes against the light, and kept my focus upon the sound of the waves. Behind my lids I could still see each movement, each swell and each tumble upon the shore.

  Breathe in.

  Breathe out.

  And I repressed every thought.

  ∞

  The paling sun was low in the sky when I finally decided to move, and I opened my eyes to the familiar sight of the waves. For a moment, the sight puzzled me, for the waves had neither crept upon the shore nor retreated from it, as though there was no tide. But I shook the thought away, along with the questions that wanted to form. In that moment, it wasn’t important. If the warriors had their way, the ocean may soon cease to exist altogether.

  A chill had crept beneath my suit where it settled under my skin, and shivered down my spine. The warrior suit was designed to keep me warm in cold weather, but was somewhat reliant upon my movement, and I hadn’t moved all day. Most of the time had passed oblivious to everything. I had to have fallen asleep.

  I forced myself up. I had no energy to fly, and so I made my slow way across the sand, but stopped before stepping off the beach. I looked down at the footpath that led back to Tira-Mi and a sense of dread filled my chest, weighing me down. I didn’t want to go back there, I didn’t want to see or talk to anyone. I looked back across the sand toward the west, realizing that I could go around the town, climb the mountain, cross the desert and the fields, and stay in our tree-house. However, aside from the distance, it was too isolated. And who knew where the militia were, or what their objective was. Apparently, they were watching me, and so I couldn’t put myself in harm’s way, if they would use me against Jordan. I could no longer feel Mya around me, but I silently thanked her anyway. I hadn’t been to the Colony for some time, and even though I knew the Rathe would welcome my presence, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be amongst them either. They were part of this great big conspiracy.

  I then laughed at myself at that last thought, and shook my head as I looked back down at my feet. Everyone on the planet, friend and foe, knew what was going on. Except, it seemed, for me. Hardly a conspiracy. But my thoughts were unsafe, I was the weak link. And I needed to do what I could to keep Jordan safe. He needed to focus, not worry about me. And I understood why he couldn’t say anything to me.

  I closed my eyes, brought up his image in my mind, and remembered the warm feeling of his hands upon my face and upon my chest. I sighed, and whispered, “I promise.”

  I then let the daylight sweep into my eyes once more, and faced the reality of the moment. Then placing one foot in front of the other, I made my slow way along the path toward home.

  However, as I wound my way through the city, the air seemed to grow colder, and before long I could see my breath with every exhale. I wrapped my arms across my chest, and picked up the pace. My warrior suit was beginning to warm me, but my head was exposed and the chill ran down my neck. The cold air as I breathed it in, was settling into my chest, and was attempting to spread to my limbs.

  As I turned the last bend in the path before reaching the higher level of the hills, a figure stepped before me, stopping me.

  “Where have you been?” she asked.

  I looked up to see Lena, trying to keep the worry off her face. The cold didn’t seem to bother her at all.

  “Hiding from you,” I responded, and realized she hadn’t been able to sense me while I was on the beach. And I silently, thanked Mya once more.

  “Lydia…” she began to protest.

  “Lena, tell me everything I don’t know, or get out of my way.”

  “I would have to send you back to school for that,” she retorted.

  I wanted to strike out at her, almost as much as I knew she wanted me to. But I didn’t. I refused to give her the satisfaction.

  “What is the militia planning to do with the Spire and the Central Unit? Why are you so worried about the Guardian?” It was getting harder to speak with the cold whipping around my head. I could feel the muscles in my jaw stiffening.

  “Shaylen, and her sadistic cousin Ekkehard, led the attack against my planet.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, wishing I could offer her more. From the little she’d previously said, I was sure their attack had been vicious. The cold air however, was seeping into my brain, and giving me a headache. I was tempted to ask her to follow me home, but I wasn’t sure how to let her in. I hadn’t thought to ask Jordan how to let down the shield to allow others in and he hadn’t volunteered the information. But perhaps, that was the point.

  “And,” I pursued, when she didn’t offer any further information. It was getting hard to think straight, and I was sure I sounded rude, but I no longer cared about propriety.

  She spread her hands wide as though she was expecting more of me, and her mouth began to move as though the words were working their way out, but she stopped. It was the first time I had ever seen her unsure of anything. It almost made me forgive her.

  “Think of Earth,” she whispered. “As I am thinking of Heart.”

  But when she didn’t say anymore I decided not to wait. I could feel the chill moving deeper into my bones. I had to get home.

  I stepped past her and almost ran the rest of the way. And when the shield slipped over me, I raced into the house and brought up the inner fields surrounding the interior of the house. The fields that controlled the light, the heat and our own inner security.

  After a warm bath and a change of clothes, I sank into Jordan’s pillow, breathing in his scent. He was barely there, but it was enough to feel him near me. I turned my head enough to look across at the southern wall, and removed it the way Jordan had shown me, turning it from wall to window. And I watched as the first snow began to fall.

  25

  The Sounds of Feet

  It was strange, waking up to see white everywhere outside. It was no longer snowing, but what had fallen, was sticking to everything it had touched.

  I didn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t. Jordan was gone and there was nothing I could do about it.

  I’d spent most of the evening trying not to think of all I’d been told, and all that had happened the previous day. Instead, I’d focused upon the movement of the world outside, while hoping I wouldn’t get sick from being out in the cold. However, once I’d opened my eyes, all I could think about was what I should do, if anything at all. The best course of action, I was sure, was to stay right where I was, wait it out, and then if necessary move to safer grounds. But there was no safer place than this house. The only problem was being in it alone. We’d only been back a few days, and Jordan had been with me through every moment. So far though, my brain was cooperating, and not trying to scare me with unnecessary thoughts.

  I snuggled into Jordan’s pillow, deciding to run through my options. The first and most absurd, was dig up my ward. For a moment, I felt as though the voice in my head that had made that suggestion, was not mine. But no matter where it came from, I shot it down. Dig up my ward. “Yeah,” I scoffed. “Not gonna happen.”

  I’d already decided no to the tree-house, the previous day. As much as I craved the distance
and the solitude, it was foolish to go there.

  There was Rebecca and Hammond, or Grid and Gia. But no matter how much I loved them, I didn’t think I would be able to handle Rebecca’s incessant questions, or Grid’s over-protectiveness.

  As I stared out of the window, the white that covered my garden reminded me of the Colony. I hadn’t seen it for quite some time. It would be nice to see it again, even if I didn’t stay. And then I remembered her voice in my head, and being shrouded in her protection. Mya. Standing in my front room, or was it my kitchen? If you need anything…

  I closed my eyes and thought of Mya, wondering if the power within my home could send me directly to her in the Colony, but I didn’t want to chance my request changing any of the programming Mason and Aleric had done to my house, to keep me safe. Out of options, I closed my eyes and thought of Jordan, wishing I could sense him, just one more time.

  But there was nothing to sense. I was alone.

  And I remained alone throughout the days that followed. They were excruciating, waiting for anything to happen, for any news from Jordan, or even Mason.

  It was one blustery afternoon that I caught sight of Rebecca and Hammond searching for a way to enter the field around the house, but I had no idea how to get them inside. My only option was to leave the house, to go to them.

  After changing into winter clothing, I met them on the snowy path that led back to the town, and apologized for the field, explaining I didn’t know how to let them in.

  “That doesn’t matter,” she said, and waved her hand, shooing the topic away. But then she said no more. Hammond wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against the chill wind that insisted upon blowing around us.

  “You need to come with us,” he said. He then turned with Rebecca, back toward the path, and without waiting for my response.

  The walk through Tira-Mi, was eerily similar to the night the warriors had taken Jordan. There was not a soul about. The town was empty, unnaturally quiet, void of all sound except the whirl of the wind, and our footfalls crunching upon the fresh snow.