The Last City Read online

  “Got it,” Mason acknowledged. At first, all I could see was the usual jumble of information, scrolling upon the translucent screen that floated in front of Mason, but we were too far away to discern the details. His fingers touched the lower left corner of the information, and he plucked out a portion of the data, and set it to one side. It floated upon its own weight in the air, and I watched as the free-floating patch of data formed into a shape. It turned, rolling itself into a sphere, and beside it a new set of data began to scroll before him.

  The silence that followed was unnerving. All eyes appeared to be on Mason and his work.

  I glanced across at Lena wondering why she was hesitating, and not even attempting to penetrate the barrier. Instead, she only glared at Mason. I’m sure if she could have ripped him limb from limb with that one look, his blood would have splattered the white walls. Directly behind Lena however, stood Haize, staring at the back of Lena’s head, and I wished I could have been a part of their silent communication, knowing what they were planning, and what they were saying.

  But I wished even more to be able to sense Jordan. I needed to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling.

  “Finally,” Mason sighed, as he ran his hand through his hair. But I wasn’t sure who he was speaking to, or if perhaps, just to himself. “Pelas.”

  The data that had formed itself into a sphere, expanded until it was a giant free-floating planet, two feet in diameter. It glowed upon one side as though the sun from its solar system shone upon it. Two small moons hung inches apart. The side of one shone bright, while the other remained in its shadow.

  “Why is no one responding?” Mason asked her.

  “Because it is no longer your planet,” she told him. “It’s mine.” She then turned to face him. “And we thank you for all of the pretty pictures you have shared with us over the years. They were very informative.”

  “What do you mean the planet is yours?” he asked, but his gaze remained glued to the information that scrolled before him. “There were over eight hundred million people on that planet. Where are they all? All I’m getting is… barely ninety…”

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” she responded. “You don’t get that kind of access until I get what I came for.”

  “No,” Mason argued. “You give us complete access to Pelas, one planet, before I provide you with the code you need. Then you provide access to the other thirteen colonies.”

  “You dare dictate terms to me!” her voice was low, but ground with disbelief. “Pelas is mine. The people there are mine. You give me complete access to the Spire and the CU, and in return, you’ll get… information about the other colonies, and I’ll let you stay on Threa.”

  “Then take it,” Mason growled at her, but his hand waved in my direction. “What are you waiting for.”

  I thought nothing of his action. I didn’t even react. That is until Shaylen rose her hand toward me, weapon aimed.

  She nodded her head at me, while raising one eyebrow. “Let’s go,” she said as though already impatient with my delay.

  Me? I wanted to ask, but didn’t. But only because my mouth wouldn’t move.

  “Only you can get through this,” she said, and indicated the field before us, with a swipe of her hand.

  Mya, I whispered in my mind to her.

  Don’t move, a voice whispered back. I couldn’t be sure if the voice was hers or not, but I chose to stay glued to the floor, staring at the small, black, rectangular end of Shaylen’s fist.

  “Is she simple-minded? Someone move her.”

  The militia in their arc formation maintained their perfect rank, not moving, not even appearing to breathe. Two men from behind Shaylen however, strode toward me without pause, as though preparing to move through the shield. But they stopped when Lena side-stepped, to place herself partially in front of me.

  I couldn’t understand though, why Shaylen would want me. And then I remembered Aleric’s words, and the information he’d said, Mason had given me. Information to guarantee my safety. And a memory began to unfold. The day Jordan and I had visited Mason. Light had tickled my palm, and traveled up my arm. Information, Mason had said… And as I tried to remember I looked over at him. He’d given me a portion of his work. To protect it. But protect it from whom? Lena perhaps? Protect it long enough to bring it here, for this moment? To hand it over to the enemy?

  I didn’t want to believe he would do this to me again, put me in harm’s way to solve a problem. He wasn’t guaranteeing my safety. He’d made me a target.

  And this time, it seemed, Jordan had let him.

  There was an argument that surrounded me on all sides, but I couldn’t hear a word they were saying. I didn’t move. Not because I was afraid, but because I’d decided, Shaylen would not have the information that was inside me. I didn’t care if she killed me trying to get it. My worst-case-nightmare-scenario was playing out before me - Jordan, no longer with me. He and Mason had turned on us all. Nothing now mattered, except doing what I could to save Threa from further destruction, and… as Grid’s words returned… to save my family.

  Shhhh, came a whisper in my head. Look at me.

  I had no idea who’d spoken. The voice had been too soft to distinguish it from my own. I looked back at Mya wondering if she was listening to my thoughts, but she appeared to be as puzzled as I was. And I realized that it could have been Jordan. But looking up at him now, would either weaken me into doing what they wanted, or kill me instantly.

  The voices around me rose and fell with every muffled syllable they spoke. I was the topic of their heated debate, but still I couldn’t hear what they said. I didn’t want to hear them. I didn’t want to move. But any one of them on either side, wouldn’t have much trouble moving me if they should choose.

  Please, the voice came again.

  I turned back to Mya, but she was staring intently across the room, her focus was clearly elsewhere.

  When I returned my attention to the enemy, I noticed Lena had moved closer to the barrier, close enough to touch it. I wanted to reach out to her, to pull her away from it, but I didn’t. She knew what she was doing. Even when the slightest hint of emotion slipped through, she was always still in control. And so, I lowered my eyes, choosing to stare instead, at the multitude of boots, legs and weapons before me.

  Standing amongst the rows of kneeling militia however, were a set of boots out of place. I was sure it was Jordan. He’d moved closer to me, further away from Shaylen and the Spire, and I involuntarily rose my gaze. But half-way up, I forced myself to stop. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t look into his face.

  A slight move of his hand however, caught my eye, and I watched it rise, a fraction at a time, up his thigh, and over his stomach. His hand came to rest for a moment upon his chest, directly over where his heart would be. It then proceeded upward to his neck, his face, and it then paused its travels once more, as his fingers glanced across his temple. And when my eyes met his, his hand dropped away. And I knew. He hadn’t abandoned me. I was still in his heart, still the center of his thoughts.

  Breathe, Mya whispered to me again. Her voice shook loose the numbing realization.

  But I couldn’t look away from Jordan, not that I wanted to. I did need to breathe however, and I sniffed back the air.

  He took a step toward me, his hand raised, palm-up, indicating for me to go to him.

  Shaylen appeared at his side and stopped him. Her hand upon his chest was incomprehensible, and I wanted to swat it away as though she were a bug invading my space.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” she snapped.

  “You need her, don’t you?” he asked, but his gaze remained fixed upon me.

  Shaylen smirked at him. “Of course,” she said, minutely shaking her head. And she looked across at me, as though expecting me to take up his offer.

  A hand descended upon my shoulder, and I looked up to see Lena glaring down at me. “Don’t you dare
move,” she commanded.

  I doubted very much that my feet were capable of moving, even if they wanted to.

  I was caught in confusion. Jordan’s action reminding me to trust him, and his words to Shaylen, were at odds with each other. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But he continued to stare at me, as though he expected me to move toward him.

  His apparent faith in me, in my ability to understand what was happening, in my courage to keep my faith in him, was overwhelming. Or perhaps he thought that was my weakness. But then his words returned; the memory of him speaking them, welled up within me once more. He told me there were things I wouldn’t like, things I wouldn’t understand. Twice he’d asked me to keep my faith in us, to vow that I would. But I hadn’t been able to, either time.

  As I stared back at him, I couldn’t decide what I should trust; the scene before me, his actions against the Heart and the Rathe, and the void that the lack of his presence had once again begun to carve within me.

  Or him. Every feeling I’d shared with him, his soul as it moved with mine. It was real. Not imagined. Every connection, every sensation. I knew him, and I loved him. He was my family. It was him that I needed to survive this, even if I didn’t.

  After everything Mason and Jordan had lived through, I couldn’t accept that they would willingly give it all away so easily. I refused to believe the scene before me. Their words and their actions were not consistent with who they were.

  No, I decided. It was Jordan that I trusted.

  And my feet apparently did as well, for they took a step in his direction.

  Lena’s grip on my shoulder tightened, but my life shouldn’t matter that much to her. The Heart had plans of their own. For very likely - and very soon - they would destroy every trace of this planet’s existence. And I sent these thoughts to her. Letting her know that my last hours, minutes, or moments, I would rather spend with him than alone in the crowd, and when I continued my forward movement, her hand slipped from me.

  There’s still time, his voice cut through my every thought, and I stopped to glance across the room. The ward was near. Listening, no doubt watching. Come with me willingly, and avoid the pain, the loss, and the death that these arguments will result in.

  My steps faltered, unsure once more of the right direction. A sea of faces filled my vision; those near that I knew, and those around the room whose faces I’d never seen before. But I knew from experience, that any one of them could have been him.

  As I stared about me, I expected him to make an appearance, but he remained hidden.

  Where are you? I thought back to him, not even sure if he would hear my whisper.

  I waited for him to speak again, but he remained silent.

  Shaylen‘s voice rose and fell in time with Lena’s as they argued. Until it seemed, the argument stopped, at least temporarily. She placed her hand once more upon Jordan’s chest, and tapped it gently with one finger before moving her hand to his shoulder. He however, didn’t notice her. His eyes remained on me.

  “It seems you don’t have what I want, after all,” she said, as she moved behind him. “Or maybe she just needs to see her choice in action.” She glared at me, as she gripped his shoulder, tight, and rose her other to point it at the base of his skull.

  He didn’t move. He didn’t flinch. He gave no indication whatsoever that he was going to defend himself. He only looked at me as though he hadn’t even noticed the threat. And I could feel from the depth of his gaze that if I didn’t go to him, if my faith was gone, then any action Shaylen took would not matter to him.

  But he mattered to me.

  And I moved toward him, passing through Shaylen‘s field as though it wasn’t even there. I then stepped between the entrenched militia. The whole way, our eyes were locked. And as our hands touched, a deep-seated sigh rolled through me. A warmth spread from my center, reaching for his presence, needing that contact. But his soul was locked within him. The feel of his hand was all I had. And as he pulled me toward him, it was all I needed.

  “Thank you,” I heard a cool voice beside me, and I looked up to see Shaylen standing beside us, as though about to move between us.

  Her aim, no longer pointing at Jordan, filled me with relief. Her hands relaxed, and she considered us for a moment, before turning away. But the moment her back was to me, I moved without thinking, and kicked at the back of her legs, sending her to her knees. Then jumping upon her, I locked one arm under hers and grasped her jaw. My other arm looped her other, up and behind her, where my hand grasped the back of her head. My swift movement sent her to the ground, face down, and I locked my legs around hers holding them in place.

  “Lydia, no,” came Jordan’s voice, and I felt his body surround mine. “Don’t shoot,” he yelled, but no doubt this was meant for Shaylen’s soldiers.

  Shaylen didn’t struggle. She only called to her men, “Hold!” in a voice, clear and strong.

  “Lydia, we need her,” Jordan’s voice was close to my ear. His hands were working their way around mine, attempting to pull me away. “Please,” he said. “We need her. This is the only way to save what is left. Lydia, please, release her.”

  Do as he says, came my ward’s voice. He was near, he had to be. But I knew his only motivation was so he could kill me himself.

  I was surrounded on all sides, both inside me and out. I’d willingly stepped away from the protection Lena offered, and into the enemy camp. I peered across the room to Lena, my hair fanning my face, cut off most the of view. But I saw enough to see her mouth the words while hearing her command in my head, Do it.

  “Lydia, come away with me,” Jordan whispered. “Please. Trust me.”

  I didn’t understand why he was protecting Shaylen, why he wanted her alive. But as I glanced around me, I realized I had no choice. Every weapon was aimed at us. And if by some miracle I should find within me the strength needed to finish the job Lena had trained me for and wanted me to finish, it was clear that neither I nor Jordan would last more than seconds if I did. Either way, I couldn’t see a way out, short of removing the field that separated the warriors and the Rathe from us. Doom may have descended, but as my soul stirred to protect its partner, I knew, despite his actions, that I would follow him to the edge and beyond.

  I loosened my grip upon Shaylen, allowing Jordan’s fingers to entwine with mine, and slowly he lifted me from her. I didn’t speak, I couldn’t. I could barely comprehend the scene around me. My grip upon what was real was slipping away. All that was left within me was my need to trust my soulmate.

  Jordan wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me away from the scene. He moved so fast that I didn’t feel my feet upon the floor. But as he planted me closer to Mason, I felt solid ground beneath me once more, and I realized he had carried me. I’d relinquished my power over my own steps, my own fate, to him.

  “Mason,” Shaylen‘s voice was steady, strong, warning. She was standing once more, entering commands on an air-screen that floated beside her. Once done, she faced us, appearing amused. My actions had not affected her. Not even a little. Perhaps she’d expected it, and knew I wouldn’t have gone through with it.

  Mason took one of my hands in his, and tugged me toward Shaylen’s air-screen.

  “Lydia,” Lena’s voice was low, warning. “I can’t protect you.”

  “You may rule on your planet, but here you are nothing more than a soon-to-be slave,” Shaylen said, as she moved closer to the glimmering field.

  I gasped at her comment. Lena ruled her planet? And I looked over at her, questioning. She’d never once mentioned this, nor even hinted at it. And neither did anyone else. She was just Lena, fighting machine. Perhaps I was reading too much into Shaylen’s words.

  “Lydia, they will destroy everything here,” Lena continued as though Shaylen hadn’t spoken.

  “Isn’t that what you’re planning?” Jordan argued back. He stepped forward and to the side, partially blocking my view of both Sha
ylen and Lena. “You came here pretending to want to protect us, but all the while you were watching us, waiting for that moment to lord your superiority over us, and make that final decision as to whether we live or die. This is our home, and you won’t take it from us.”

  “Fool. You don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t know what she’s already done, nor what she’s planning,” Lena spat back.

  “You don’t know what we are planning either,” Shaylen interjected, stepping closer to Lena. “Who are you to presume to have any say over what happens to this planet. You don’t belong here. Not on this world, not even in this dimension. You have no right to interfere.”

  As they argued, Mason moved around me, blocking the rest of my body from Shaylen‘s view and from most of her men. But when I glanced around, no one was watching us. He rose my hand to Shaylen’s screen, and as he did, he placed my hand on top of his, covering mine with his other. Then clutching my fingers to keep them in place, he planted our joined hands upon her screen. A light scanned Mason’s hand, and part of me wanted to watch the screen as information flowed from him and into Shaylen’s system, but my head swiveled back to follow the argument.

  “You have no rights here either, after what you did to these people,” Lena argued, taking a step closer to the barrier. “And after what you did to mine.”

  Shaylen glanced back at us before responding, but Mason seemed to have anticipated her move, for he whipped his hand from beneath mine, leaving only my hand to rest upon the screen with his still on top. He side-stepped just enough to allow Shaylen to see, but no light scanned me, nor as far as I knew, was any information removed from me. He then pulled my hand from the screen and nodded to her, “It’s done. Your turn. The colonies. Full access.”

  She scanned her screen as the information continued to scroll, before entering several commands. Then turning back to Lena, she responded in a menacing whisper, “Ekkehard says hello.”

  Lena paled momentarily at hearing the name, but her reaction only prompted Shaylen to taunt her further.