"First, put your weapons away." We can't hurt our own people.
Um, we might have to hurt our own people.
The first wave of protestors begin to climb onto the dais.
Oh, wow! The first line is knocked to the ground as a pack of animals leaps forward. A pit bull is at the helm. The one I saw patrolling the area just beyond the Veil of Wings. He still looks like he's smiling.
"We go now." His nails click-clack against the dais as he prowls inside the circle. "We go to safety."
He's talking to me? "Take my friends to safety. I need to find--"
"Your man. I know." His dark eyes fill with...admiration? "I also know where he is being held. Had one of my pups follow General Shamus. So we go now?"
"Yes, yes. We'll go now."
"Flankers!" he shouts.
In seconds, the pack of dogs, wolves, lions and tigers surrounds us, blocking everyone, including Luciana.
"What the--the animals are helping you now?" Archer gasps out.
"Maybe?" Or we're about to be mauled. "Eron assigned everyone a guardian."
"Hop on," the pit bull says.
Whoa. "Hop on to you?"
"No, silly hooman. Les cavaliers."
Even as he speaks, a pack of zebras fights through the crowd and jumps on the dais. Six zebras, to be exact.
Six. Three letters. 3 + 3 = 6. Black-and-white beauties, wild yet tame.
"Pony express to the rescue?" Archer mumbles as he mounts the zebra closest to him. "Okay. I'm game."
Raanan, Clay and Reed each mount a zebra of their own. I'm the only one to hesitate. I've ridden a horse--once--but not bareback. Maybe I should--
Zero! Second-guessing this plan of action costs me. The zebras race forward, leaving me behind.
"Wait!" I call.
"I've got you." Archer turns his zebra around, comes up beside me, and hauls me up.
We jump from the dais. The gasping crowd parts, allowing us to land without causing or sustaining injury. The crowd continues to part as we gallop away. No one wants to be mowed down.
Wind in my hair, a friend at my back. What a rescue! In front of us, Clay, Reed and Raanan are sitting atop zebras of their own. One after the other, we blaze through a Stairwell, then a Gate and end up in the Tower of Might, where destruction from the recent attack is rampant.
One of the riderless zebras turns and enters the Gate we just exited.
--I'm on my way, Killian.--
I wait, tense, but no response comes in. Did something happen to him?
The dog keeps pace beside us. "Message your Clementine, tell her to hide us in the Eye. The one who left us, he is erasing our tracks."
"First things first. Why are you helping us?" Archer asks.
I don't need a reason. I obey, sending the requested message.
The dog's tongue is hanging out as he pants, and yet, he looks like he's smiling again. "The girl. Number ten who should be number one. I'm her guardian."
He's mine? Truly?
His gaze flicks to me. "You're overwhelmed, I know. You accept me. I get it. No need to gush."
I'm the one smiling this time. "Maybe I can gush a little? It's clear I got the best of the bunch."
He preens. "You did, didn't you?"
"No question," I say. "What is your name? And how did you get all these other animals to aid us?"
"I'm Biscuit." He flashes his teeth in the most mischievous expression I've ever beheld. "The others volunteered. That'll teach the citizens to reject us."
Yes. Yes, it would. "Is it rude of me to ask about your breed? I'm guessing pit bull, but I want to be sure."
"Why?" he snaps. "So you can tell me I'm too dangerous and--"
"So I can wear the right I heart my dog T-shirt."
He snorts. "I sneaked a smell of your butt when you weren't looking, so we're past rude, I'm thinking. I'm a mutt. A mix of everything, but mostly pit bull, shitzu and...poodle." He grumbles the last, as if it's a shameful secret.
I press my lips together. Do not laugh. "Poodles are the worst of the worst, huh?"
He snaps his teeth at me, and I can't stop my laugh this time.
"I'm foaming at the mouth with envy right now," Archer says, and I swear he's almost pouting. "I want a guardian animal."
"You have one," Biscuit says. "She's waiting for you at our destination, guarding the Myriadian."
He rubs his hands together with glee. "What is she? A bear? Lion? Cheetah?"
"No, she's worse. Her name is Beast."
My dog--mine!--says no more, but no other words are needed. Archer is vibrating with eagerness.
As we whiz past a pile of rubble, my amusement fades, and sadness swells inside of me. All this debris... How many citizens did we lose? At least I can stop wondering about Nico. He may hate me, for whatever reason, but at least I know he isn't trapped.
I also ache for the realm itself. The Tower of Might used to be a treasure trove of skyscrapers and arenas. A blend of futuristic and ancient Rome.
General Levi Nanne trained me in this city. He taught me how to enter and remain inside a Shell, which is a lot more difficult than it looks. He forced me to run for hours at a time, building my stamina. Mostly, he showed me that it's okay to ask for help. Knowing your limits doesn't make you weak--it makes you wise. And here...here is where Killian saved my life.
Myriad armies surrounded the realm, their shadows obscuring our outer Light. Victor--Archer's younger brother--lured me here in order to kill me. If Killian hadn't fought his own men outside the realm, allowing a beam of Light to shine through, strengthening me, Victor would have succeeded.
Poor Archer. He must know about his baby bro, and oh, it must hurt.
"Archer--" I begin.
"Tell me about Killian," he demands. "About the bond."
I'd say I can't catch a break, but I'm currently on the back of a zebra, escaping an enraged mob. "I thought you knew everything already. And what's your new beef with him? I asked before, but you never got a chance to answer."
"I learned some things while I was in the Rest. Things he did to hurt others."
Should have known. "He isn't that boy anymore."
Great! Now I feel like a broken record.
Archer ignores me, saying, "Indulge me. I'd like to hear about the bond from your perspective."
Very well. As I tell him about the bonding ceremony and Killian's loss of memory, he grows stiffer and stiffer.
"Before you tell me how foolish I was," I say, "don't. I followed my heart."
"No, you followed your feelings. The Myriadian way."
The old Archer would never speak to me so forcefully. But then, he isn't the person he used to be. He's grown a little harder, a little harsher.
"So I'm not allowed to be happy?" I demand.
"At the expense of others? No. You've put us all in danger, Ten."
"No risk, no reward. I'm fighting for a better life. For all of us. I plan to--"
"That's just it," he interjects. "You plan. But you've allowed no one else to make plans--protections--of their own. For all we know, you've kicked off a new Penumbra attack with your bond."
Ice crystalizes in my veins. Penumbra is a disease that infects humans and kills Troikans. Darkness invades the human body, and the more humans who are affected, the more Light that is sucked from Troikans. If an infected human dies after making covenant with Troika, they are hooked to our Grid.
Maybe he's right. Maybe there will be a new outbreak of Penumbra, and I'll be the cause. Maybe not. Either way, my bond to Killian was the catalyst for the crowd's upset. I'm sure of it now. I welcomed the darkness into our midst, and because I project Light to other Troikans, I now project darkness, too.
"I'm sorry," he says, and sighs. "I didn't mean to upset you, only wanted you to see there are risks beyond your control. What's done is done and can't be undone. I know it, you know it. We can only move on from here. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, right?"
He's using my own wo
rds against me. Words I'd spoken in my Firstlife, after Myriad had hired men to shoot me down, and Killian had killed the assassins. To save me, yes, but mostly in retaliation. Threaten his stuff, pay the price.
Not that I was his "stuff." No, you know what? I was part of his stuff. Proudly. Just like he was part of mine.
"I'll figure something out." I will. I must. "I'll die before I let harm come to someone else."
"Pretty words. A soothing balm for your soul, nothing more."
He's wrong. He is!
But my tasks are mounting. Free Killian--get him out of Troika unharmed. Help him get his memory back. Protect my people. Facilitate peace between the realms.
"Tell me about Dior," he says.
Dior Nichols. A human med student and once the love of Archer's life. Oh, and I can't forget she's the reason the feud between Archer and Killian reheated. A feud that began years before. Two boys ended up in Myriad as infants, and though they grew up in different parts of the realm, they met and fell in bro-love. Killian reached the Age of Accountability first, and made Myriad his permanent home. Then, the worst happened--in Killian's mind. Archer reached the Age of Accountability, and opted to make covenant with Troika, leaving Killian behind. Killian had felt betrayed, and lashed out.
Archer was Dior's TL, and he did everything in his power to convince Dior to make covenant with Troika. Meanwhile Killian did everything in his power to sabotage Archer's efforts. He manipulated, lied and even issued threats against her loved ones.
Terrible of him, yes, but his tactics worked. Only, he did more than gain a new recruit. He gained a new enemy. Archer's love for Killian died that day.
Recently, Myriad decided to use Dior against Troika, and me specifically, by infecting her with Penumbra. With the help of Princess Mariee, Troika's only other Conduit at the time, I kicked butt and took names, cleansing Dior.
Of course, you can't help people if they won't help themselves. Despite putting my life at risk to save Dior, she allowed her boyfriend--the guy she'd started seeing after Archer died, in an effort to mend her broken heart--to infect her all over again.
That boyfriend? Javier Diez. The first Abrogate in decades. My evil counterpart.
"What do you want to know?" I ask. Levi would have told him all about Dior's attempt to defect to Troika.
Blood for blood. To go to court, one life must be offered in exchange for another. Hoping to save Dior, Levi risked everything for her...and paid the ultimate price. She forsook us and remained bound to Myriad.
"Have you seen or heard from her since court?" Archer asks.
"No."
"What about the boyfriend?" He sneers the last word.
"No." I wish I had more information for him, but I've been busy facing one disaster after another.
"What can you tell me about them?"
"They're alive."
He releases a heavy sigh. "That's something, I suppose."
After several twists and turns, we reach a neighborhood of small homes. Most were reduced to rubble, but a few are still standing.
"I've never been this deep in the city before," I say. "Had no idea people lived on the fringes."
"Every city has guards that live on site." He hops down, sways as if dizzy, then helps me to my feet. "Their homes always surround the city's edges, creating a wall of protection."
A Chihuahua bounds over, growls at me, and races around Archer's feet. "Hello, hello, hello. You're here. You're finally here. I'm Beast, though I prefer Bea. Guess what? I'm yours, and you're mine."
Archer's gaze is as wide as saucers as it zooms to mine. As I cover my mouth with my hand to hold back a new round of laughter, Bea growls at me.
Biscuit sighs and taps her head with one of his meaty paws, quieting her. "Go inside." He nudges me. "My crew will fortify the outside of the home. Fair warning, though. Despite our efforts, we will be found sooner rather than later, and we'll have to fight our way out."
"Killian is inside?" I ask, and I can't disguise the tremor in my voice. "We should get him and go."
Biscuit's wagging tail slaps my leg again and again. "Freeing him will take time and patience."
Well. "We'll stay, then. Just...do me a favor and wait out here for a bit, okay?" I want a little privacy with my--with Killian.
Archer's nod is stiff, and Biscuit looks as if I kicked him in the ribs.
I'll make it up to both of them. Somehow. I rush past Raanan, Clay and Reed, who are arguing about their guardian animals, and soar toward the house. I need to talk to Raanan about his promotion. Need to confirm that he is, in fact, a Conduit. Later.
My heart thuds against my ribs. Anticipation propels me faster and faster. I jump onto the porch and burst through the front door. Eagerness and dread join the emotional deluge.
Ignore. Focus. Where is--
There. My gaze finds him, and I nearly melt with relief. At the same time, I come alive with awareness, every cell in my body aflame. He's alive and well, seated on the floor, surrounded by metal bars. His expression portrays boredom.
Icy eyes look me over and heat. "There's my sweet baby," he says.
chapter seven
* * *
"Anger lasts but a moment. The things you do while angry can hurt others forever."
--Troika
Killian
I'm beyond frustrated. I'm trapped in a home with a ceiling made of glass. Light streams into my eight-by-eight cage, which occupies a single corner. Normally, standing in sunlight while in spirit form brings pain. Today, I can tolerate the beams with only mild discomfort.
Another perk of my bond to Tenley.
As she looks me over, her relief is quickly replaced by a blend of fury and horror, her mismatched irises haunted and haunting all at once. What I expect to see but don't? Fear.
In the small house furnished with only a couch, two chairs and a table piled high with study guides, she is a treasure. Basically, she's my only source of hope.
"I hoped Biscuit was mistaken, but no," she says. "Shamus caged you like an animal." At her sides, her hands fist.
Biscuit? I know of no one by that name.
Tenley seems genuinely upset on my behalf, and I'm not sure what to think of that. Girls desire me, or obsess over me, determined to win what I refuse to give. Truth, commitment. Affection. But no one has ever truly cared for me, because no one has ever truly known me. Not the real me, anyway.
She must think she has a handle on my deepest, darkest secrets and desires. I don't need my memory to know she doesn't. She can't. One, I can barely handle them myself. If I struggle, well, she's definitely not strong enough. Two, she's no different from other girls. If you've been with one, you've been with them all. The very reason it's always so easy to walk away.
"Are you all right?" Tenley asks.
"I spent the last however many hours locked in a cage," I reply, my tone sharp. "What do you think?"
"I think you'll recover just fine."
I've been scouring my mind, fighting my shadows. Fighting to recall who I am. More and more of my past has surfaced, though no interactions with Tenley.
What is truth, and what is lie? Who has my best interests at heart? The shadows or the Light?
The two war. Always they war. What one loves, the other hates. What one wants, the other opposes.
One fact needs no clarification. "I'm not a very nice person," I say. It's not like she hasn't figured out that particular gem. I'm rude when I want to be, charming when I need to be and always self-serving. If I won't look out for my best interests, who will? "Why are you here, helping me?"
"You're a good guy," she says, sounding confident. "You just haven't figured it out yet."
No, she's wrong. Not only have I seduced women and lied about my feelings, I've also killed in battle just for grins and giggles. I've tortured countless Troikans for information and for vengeance. I've convinced humans to make the worst possible covenants with Myriad. For a bonus, yes--whatever a Laborer is able to cut from a human'
s covenant, he can keep--but also for bragging rights.
I've turned negotiation into a blood sport.
I am no prize.
Tenley Lockwood should have run from me at our first meeting and never looked back. But here she is, flying through the door of my prison, and my body's reaction is immediate. I feel as though I've been hooked to a generator. My heart races, my blood heats and my muscles vibrate over bone. I'm tense, waiting for some sort of blow to the solar plexus.
I hate it, almost as much as I love it, but at least I don't have to wonder why. The bond. Always the bond.
I have no doubts about its validity now. Forget everything else. We can push our thoughts into each other's minds. A Troikan and a Myriadian. Should be impossible.
So. For some reason I haven't yet decided on, I pledged my Everlife to this girl. Even more astonishing, she pledged her Everlife to me. Why? And why did she come back for me? Earlier I threatened to kill her. Anyone with half a brain would stay as far away from me as possible, even if I called her baby and asked for help, as if I'm without other options.
"This brings back memories," she says.
I arch a brow, doing my best to hide the depth of my curiosity. Must know! "Do tell."
"You've been kenneled many times in your Everlife, and you despised every instance."
I...remember. Yes. Kenneling is a custom in Myriad. Cage is stacked upon cage. Punishment is given for breaking the realm's only rule: putting personal desires above the good of Myriad. A few times, my jailer told me he would release me if I begged. I broke his nose instead.
I beg for nothing. Not even my freedom. Helplessness is the one feeling I've never embraced, but I will never compromise my pride. I'd honestly rather die.
Wait. There is another emotion I abhor. The worst of the worst: Love. Love involves trust, and I trust no one. I realized it before, but with the few memories I've regained, I'm more certain now. People never stick around. Everyone bails, because selfishness is ingrained at birth and only gets worse with age.
Tenley steps to the side, allowing a ray of Light to shine upon me. An image suddenly flashes through my mind. Chains string her up, and crimson blood leaks from her nose, mouth and ears. Sweat drenches her, and her clothes are torn. She's being tortured, but she isn't breaking. Fire still crackles in her eyes.
All right. She might be stronger than I thought.