He wouldn’t or couldn’t look at me. Instead, he stared, unblinking. “It’s PTSD,” the girl said softly.
I jumped having forgotten they were still there. I turned back to her. “Excuse me?”
“Sumayyah,” the boy warned.
“Have pity, Naseer,” she replied.
“We had a job to do, and we did it. Now it’s time to take them back to camp.” He knelt down and started gathering up the money Roarke had thrown at him.
“I don’t think those ideals are in the Quran,” she argued.
I gasped. “You’re Believers?”
Sumayyah adverted her eyes while Naseer sucked in a frustrated breath. At his response, she shook her head. “Fine, you can take them in. I don’t want any part of it!”
She started stalking to the door, but I grabbed her arm. “Please, don’t go. If you didn’t already know, we’re Believers, too!” When she still didn’t look back at me, I said, “Look, I don’t care what faith you are. I mean, we all believe in a higher power, right? And we all want to live in a world where we’re free to worship openly, right?”
Turning back to me, Sumayyah smiled. “Yes, you’re right.” Naseer growled, but she said, “Your friend, he’s experiencing PTSD—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Seeing what happened to that man triggered memories in him.”
“His father was shot in front of him,” I murmured.
“We’ve seen it a lot with our members when fighting breaks out. They freeze up or start crying, and some even begin acting or talking like they did in that moment of crisis.”
“So, are you a member of the Muharib?”
Her eyes flickered to Naseer, and he nodded. “Our older brother, Taj, is the leader, and he’ll be mad as hell when he finds out we revealed our identity to members of the Abir.”
Shaking my head, I argued, “But, we’re not exactly Abir. We’ve not even been underground but a day. We escaped from the palace.”
Both Sumayyah and Naseer’s eyes widened. “You came from the palace?” Sumayyah asked.
“How did you get past the guards? We’ve heard since the Abir has been threatening them, it’s turned into a fortress,” Naseer noted.
“We found a way past them. Maureen—she’s been funding the Abir even though she’s not a Believer.”
“She’s still Richard’s wife, right?” Naseer asked.
I nodded. “Well, I guess you could say that, even though he’s kept her imprisoned the last four years.”
“We don’t have a benefactor like the Abir. We’ve been trying to find ways to bolster our funds. That’s why we offered to help track down Kellan and Maureen. We keep watches on all former palace contacts, so we knew to check out Artie,” Sumayyah said.
Naseer rolled his eyes. “If you’re ever taken prisoner, Mayah, they don’t have to worry about torturing you to talk. You’ll tell them everything in the first few minutes!”
While they bantered back and forth, I knelt down beside Micah. Taking his hands in mine, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. My breath hovered over his ear, “Come back to me, Micah. I’m here for you, and I love you.”
I pulled back and stared into his face. Slowly his eyelids closed, and then they fluttered until he opened them wide. “Cadence?”
Throwing my arms around him, I squeezed him tight. “What happened?” he asked.
“You experienced a triggering emotion which brought on a PTSD episode,” Sumayyah answered, scientifically. At Micah’s blank look, she blushed. “Sorry, I was planning on becoming a psychologist before the Great Fall.”
I rubbed Micah’s hands. “Roarke had Artie killed, and when you saw him get shot—”
His eyes closed. “It was my father all over again,” he murmured.
“I’m so sorry.”
Micah sighed. “It’s okay.” He stood up and started over to Artie.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Turning back with an anguished face, he said, “After they shot my father, they just left him. And my mother and I had to flee. W-We couldn’t even bury him—we had to leave him like a dog on the floor of our house. There was no Shivah period of mourning for him, no Kadish—the prayer for the dead. Nothing.” He knelt down beside Artie. “I won’t do that to him.”
Naseer shook his head. “We have to get going back to camp. This isn’t our territory, and we can’t be found here.”
Sumayyah touched his arm. “It won’t take long.”
He glared at her, but she remained firm. “Then you can explain to Taj why we we’re late and why we stayed in enemy territory.”
“What should we do with the body?” I asked softly.
“Let’s put him on the cot,” Micah said. He went to the back and then came back, pushing the meager cot Artie had slept on the past few years.
Micah hooked his arms under Artie’s arms, and I grabbed his feet. As we began straining to lift him, Sumayyah hesitated before stepping forward to help me. When we placed Artie’s body on the cot, I gently took the sheet and covered him.
Naseer stood at the door, his arms crossed over his chest. “All right. Let’s go.” He made a point of tapping the rifle at his side.
Micah glared at him. “Not until he has a proper burial.”
Naseer and Micah stared each other down before Naseer turned and walked outside.
“What else do you want to do for him?” I asked.
“I-I wanna say the Kadish over him. I mean, I don’t even know if he was a person of faith, but he deserves something,” Micah said, tears shimmering in his eyes.
Since I knew this was about far more than Artie, I nodded and bowed my head. Sumayyah watched curiously as Micah bowed his head and started speaking in Hebrew.
When he finished, he wiped his eyes. He then pushed the cot back to the backroom.
“He has a pure soul and good heart,” Sumayyah noted.
I nodded. “Yes, he does.”
Micah emerged. “All right, I guess you can take us in now.”
The thought of being a prisoner hadn’t even crossed my mind. Would Taj be like Sumayyah or a worse version of Naseer? And how would we ever help Maureen and Kellan if we were prisoners?
Just as we started to the door, Naseer rushed inside—his face ashen. “We have company—lots of it!”
It was then I heard the hurried rush of boots clicking along the pavement. This time when Micah reached under the mattress, Naseer didn’t argue. When he pulled out a pistol, my eyes widened. “Where did you get that?”
“Don’t ask,” he murmured.
“Everyone outside!” a voice barked from the street.
We all exchanged glances. There were four of us—three of us with weapons—and no telling how many of them. With a defeated sigh, Naseer led the way outside.
When I crossed the store’s threshold, I gasped. Thirty soldiers stood outside along with a few civilians. I jumped like I’d been shot when I heard my name called.
“Cadence!”
My gaze flickered across the face until I locked eyes with a familiar face. “GRIFF!” I cried. I forgot everyone around me and raced to him. He grabbed me into a bear hug, squeezing me so tight I couldn’t breathe, but I wasn’t complaining. “I’ve been so worried,” he said.
“I know, me too!”
When Griff released me, he pushed back my hair and surveyed my face. Grimacing, he asked, “What happened to you?”
“Roarke’s handiwork.”
Griff exhaled. “With him, it could have been worse. Don’t worry. When we get back to camp, I’ll fix you up. It’ll barely leave a scar.”
I laughed. “That’s the least of my worries right now, but it’s good to know.”
Griff nodded and turned to Micah. “Hey man, it’s good to see you.” They exchanged a quick hug.
“How did you end up underground?” I asked.
“Asher sent someone for Maggie and me.”
Glancing around the crowd, I asked, “Where is she?”
“Back at the camp.
Well, it’s more like a city. I’m so glad you’re finally going to get to see it.”
“But, I thought the Abir were trying to storm the palace?” I asked.
“A small number of us are, but we’ve managed to keep our true numbers a secret,” a voice spoke behind me. It was a tall blond guy in his early twenties. His hair and eyes made me think of Kellan, and pain crisscrossed my chest.
Griff grinned. “Cadence, this is Asher. He’s the second in command of the Abir. His sister-in-law and brother are the leaders,” Griff introduced.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, while Micah nodded his greeting.
Asher smiled. “I’m glad to meet the sister Griff has been telling me so much about.”
“Thank you. This is my boyfriend, Micah Greene,” I said.
“Boyfriend?” Griff questioned, before Asher and Micah could shake hands.
“Um, well, yeah,” I replied.
“I thought you were engaged to Kellan?”
At the mention of my engagement, both Sumayyah and Naseer gasped. I turned back to him. “No, it’s not like that. You see, there was this pageant, and I didn’t want to participate, but I had to—” I rambled before Griff stopped me.
“Does Kellan know the change in your situation?” Griff questioned.
I nodded. “But, I’m sure it’s the least of his worries considering he and Maureen were captured by Roarke earlier today.”
Gasps of shock zigzagged through the crowd. Asher’s face darkened. “Maureen has been captured?”
“Yes. Roarke plans to hold both of them hostage for money.”
“If he gets all of Maureen and Richard’s money, there’ll be no stopping him,” Griff said.
“It’s more serious than that at the moment,” Asher said. “With Maureen gone and her brother being forced into paying ransom, our funding will be cut off.” He shook his head. “Everything we’ve fought so hard for could be for nothing. We don’t have enough in our numbers to overthrow the defenses Roarke will have.”
“What if we sent all the forces to the front now?” Griff asked.
Asher grimaced. “I don’t think it would be enough. Besides, I don’t know what resources Roarke would use. There’s no humanity in him.”
I glanced over at Sumayyah and Naseer. “What if we had more help?”
“The only other help available to us would be those in the Believer’s Province, and we’ve tried connecting with them before, but they’re well guarded,” Asher replied.
I shook my head. “I was thinking about the Muharib.”
Asher and Griff exchanged horrified glances while Naseer glared at me. “I don’t think that is a possibility, Cadence,” Griff said.
“But why?”
“The Abir and the Muharib just don’t see things eye to eye,” he replied.
“Well, I think it’s time that we did. We’re both after a common goal.”
“Even if the Abir were to consent, and that’s a big if, I highly doubt the Muharib would,” Asher said.
“They might,” Sumayyah answered.
He peered closely at her. “And why would you say that? What connections to you have to them?”
Naseer groaned in exasperation. “We are the Muharib. Our brother is the leader.”
“Taj?” Asher questioned.
Sumayyah nodded. “Our numbers are strong, but we haven’t had the financial resources you all have had.”
Asher rubbed his chin. “It’s an interesting idea…I just don’t know if Piper and Ezra would go for it.”
Naseer rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, don’t hold your breath on Taj liking it either.”
I sighed. “Look, arguing about whether it will work or not or who will agree or disagree is just wasting time. We need to know one way or the other.”
“What are you suggesting? Some kind of meeting between the leaders of the Abir and the Muharib?” Naseer asked.
“Why not?”
Asher looked at Naseer. “I could probably at least get Piper and Ezra to a meeting. Do you think you could get Taj?”
Naseer exchanged a look with Sumayyah who nodded. “Yes, we could.”
“Okay, then all we can do it meet and hash it out,” Asher replied.
“Where should we meet? I mean, it needs to be somewhere neutral,” Naseer said.
“Let’s meet at the old pub at the crossing of Camp Creek and Hendricks. That would be about the same distance for all of us.”
“Sounds good. Tomorrow at noon?” Naseer said.
Asher bobbed his head and turned back to the others. “All right, let’s get back to camp.”
As Naseer started to walk in the opposite direction, I stopped Sumayyah. “For what it’s worth, it was nice meeting you. And thanks.”
She smiled. “It was nice meeting you, too. I hope we’re all able to work together.”
“I hope so, too.”
She started to go and then stopped. “You know, this is going to sound really weird, but I had a dream about meeting you.”
My heart shuddered to a stop in my chest. “Y-You did?”
Grinning sheepishly, she said. “Yeah, we were in a field and there were these dogs.” She waved her hand. “It was really silly, I guess.”
She had a dream about me…I had a dream about her. The ideas that somehow we had been connected even in our subconscious sent the world around me swirling in a rainbow of color despite my grim surroundings. Just before I collapsed, Micah caught me. “Hey, are you all right?”
When my eyes focused again, Micah, Sumayyah, and Griff stared at me with worried expressions. “I’m all right. It was just shock I guess.”
Some of the other members of the Abir stopped and looked at Griff. “Go on. We’ll catch up with you.”
They nodded and then started walking again.
I took Sumayyah’s hand in mine. “Your dream wasn’t silly. I’ve dreamt a similar one on two separate occasions.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? You did?”
I nodded. “Have you ever been able to interpret dreams?”
“No, do you?”
“I can always interpret others dreams, but I haven’t been able to interpret my own…well, maybe a little lately.”
“That’s amazing,” Sumayyah remarked. “Usually my dreams always end up happening. My father used to call me little prophet.” She smiled wistfully. “When I saw your face in the coffee shop, I realized it was from the dream. That’s another reason why I wanted to help you—I felt like it was meant to be. When we tell Taj about the meeting, I will tell him about my dream and yours.”
“Wonderful,” I replied with a smile.
Naseer, who had been listening to our conversation with interest, cleared his throat. “We have to go.”
“Good-bye…until tomorrow.”
“Good-bye.”
I watched until she and Naseer disappeared into the blackness. Turning back to Griff and Micah, “Okay, let’s go.”
We started towards the camp. Our journey was silent except for the echoing of our feet. The tunnels were empty, and I imagined people had gotten word about Roarke and his soldiers along with the Abir.
From time to time, Griff would glance over at Micah and me. Finally, I sighed in exasperation. “Just say what you want to say, Griff!”
He flushed a little and ducked his head. “I don’t have anything to say.”
Micah grinned. “Knowing you like I do, I would think you had a lot to say right now.”
Griff gave a quick nod. “Okay, fine. I want to know if your intentions toward Cadence are honorable.”
“What?” I sputtered, while Micah burst out laughing.
“I’m serious,” Griff argued.
“Do you really have to ask? I mean, surely you knew how crazy I have been about her,” Micah said.
“Yes, I did always think you saw her as more than a friend.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
Griff exhaled noisily. “The problem is she’s my little sister, and
you’re my best friend. Whatever was innocent, goo-goo eyes before is now very complicated. She’s chosen you over Kellan—”
“Which in light of the present situation, it seems like a good choice,” Micah argued.
“Yes, that’s true, and it also shows she’s very serious about you.”
“Um, could you two stop talking about me like I’m not here!” I protested.
Griff stopped walking and turned to Micah. “Okay, fine. I’ll make this as plain as I can. I’m a guy, and I know how a guy thinks. I just want to make sure you’re going to treat my baby sister with the respect like she deserves to be treated.”
I shook my head and groaned. “Please tell me you did not just say that. Only you, Griff, in the midst of all the physical and emotional turmoil we’re caught up in right now would be concerned about that I don’t end up wearing a Scarlet A or something. Sheesh!”
Micah snickered until Griff’s expression shut him up. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I get it. You’re not only her older brother now, but you’re like her father.”
“That’s right,” Griff replied.
“I promise you that my intentions towards Cadence are only the best.” He glanced from me to Griff. “I told her the first time I tried to get her to run away from the pageant, and I’ll tell you now. I love her more than anything in the world, and I’ll do anything I can to keep her happy and safe.”
His words sent a warm current tingling from my head to my feet. The electricity tinkered with my better judgment because I leaned over and kissed him, right in front of Griff.
“Oh please,” Griff murmured, after I pulled away from Micah.
After we’d walked about two miles, lights gleamed up ahead. From the way it appeared, Griff hadn’t been exaggerating about Abir’s camp looking like a city. A rail line, that had been destroyed by one of the floods of the Great Fall, had been cleared away of rubble and debris. Tents, both large and small and cheap and extravagant, lined up on both sides of the tracks. From a generator, electricity pulsed through make-shift homes.
Armed guards stood along the entrance, ensuring no one could sneak up or infiltrate the city. At the sight of Griff, they lowered their rifles and allowed us through. My eyes kept taking everything in. Large tents held necessities like a mini-grocery store and clinic. “It’s amazing how all of this is down here. I’m sure Richard, or even Roarke for that matter, would never even fathom the Abir were this organized,” I mused.