The Returning Page 15

  “I’m sorry if I woke you,” Carrington said.

  “I wasn’t really asleep. It doesn’t seem to be something that comes to me as easily as it once did.”

  “They say that happens when you start to get old.”

  “Is that what we are doing?” Remko asked. “Getting old?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Remko shook his head and rubbed the outside of Carrington’s arm. “No—I prefer to think of us as beautifully aging.”

  Carrington shot him a playful grin. “Whatever delusion you need to deal with those graying hairs.”

  His eyes grew wide. “My hair is not graying,” he said, instinctively moving his hand to the tips of his curls. “Is it?”

  Carrington bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing and gave a small nod. “I didn’t want to tell you and add any more stress, but in the right light . . .”

  His face became almost boyish, as if he’d just discovered his imaginary friend wasn’t actually real, and Carrington couldn’t hold back her amusement.

  “I’m glad you’re having a good laugh at my expense,” Remko teased, pretending to be very offended.

  Swept up in the moment, Carrington leaned forward and kissed the man she loved through her giggles. His lips were warm and welcoming against her own. His strong arm dropped around her waist and pulled her closer. And for a moment, the rest of their problems faded. She forgot to feel shame and anger with their situation, and she let herself get lost in him.

  Their love had formed against all odds, and with the threat of each new danger, it had grown instead of diminishing. They could have let their pain and anguish snuff out the flame that burned between them; it would have been easier to let it die. But Remko had always pursued her, and Carrington had always run back to the thrill of his embrace. Sometimes it felt like all the world did was take from them, but it was in these small moments that she remembered it also gave her a greater love than she’d ever thought possible.

  She pulled back from her husband and laid her head on his shoulder. He squeezed her close, and they chatted as they watched the sun begin to peek up over the horizon. About the past, about the future, about their fears and worries. Carrington felt her heart sink whenever he mentioned Elise or Kennedy, and she tried to keep it off her face. But he knew her better than she knew herself.

  “We’ll see them both again,” Remko said.

  Carrington swallowed against her pain. “You always say that with such confidence, as if you actually know.”

  “I’m just practicing faith—” he started.

  “Please, Remko,” Carrington said, pushing herself off his shoulder, and he let the rest of his sentence die silently. Carrington could feel all her concern and panic filling the space between them. Their perfect, lovely moment gone, and their harsh reality present.

  “Carrington . . .”

  “I can’t hear about faith. I’m so tired of having to suffer to find my faith. I just want my girls to be here and safe. I just want this war to be over. I’m so tired of it all!” She knew her voice was stronger than necessary, but she couldn’t seem to keep it controlled. She rubbed her fingers across the front of her forehead and sighed. Shaking her head in frustration, she stood from the bench when Remko tried to run his hand down her back for comfort.

  She didn’t want to be comforted or convinced or led to the truth. She wanted to be mad. She wanted to be justified in her pain and loss. She wanted the world to recognize that she deserved to be miserable and angry after everything it had put her through.

  “I know,” Remko said, “but you won’t find any peace unless you let it go.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to find peace,” Carrington said. “Maybe I am content to mourn the loss of my daughters.”

  “We have not lost them.”

  “But they are not here. They’re in that city, where they are constantly at risk.” Carrington pointed toward the woods, where hundreds of CityWatch lay sleeping. “And what about us, Remko? How can you possibly believe we will survive what is ahead of us? There is a monster storming the gates, and you want us to just sit and wait. Are you not afraid?”

  Remko opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a loud pounding on the bedroom door. He turned to look and stood. Carrington took several short breaths and tried to collect herself as Remko walked back into their bedroom and toward the door to open it. She moved to stand in the balcony’s entrance and saw Wire’s face.

  Wire looked from Remko to Carrington with panic in his eyes. “They’re in the city.”

  18

  Nicolas had gathered a small group of CityWatch soldiers just before sunrise. A couple dozen whom he trusted, their guide a pathetic Seer who had folded like paper the moment Nicolas had started to threaten his family. He’d led them around to the north side of the mountain, where a break in the rock, hardly large enough for an average-size man to squeeze through, had been cut out of the cliff face. Nicolas would have assumed it was merely a shallow dent, but once inside, the Seer made a left turn and led them through a much larger opening. The mountain had deceptive angles. It really was a magnificent fortress.

  They maneuvered through the rock tunnel quickly, making good time and moving like a well-trained force. Nicolas could feel his new sense of power rumbling under his skin. Once inside, they would open the front gate for the rest of his troops to enter and seize the city without any problems. They’d all been instructed to hold their fire. Death was not their objective; Nicolas would honor the Scientist in that way. Besides, he knew the Council was soft, so bringing back the lost mountain city people changed for the good rather than murdered in cold blood would only increase his appeal in their eyes. Something about competing for the Council’s approval left a sickening taste on his tongue and made the tic in his cheek activate, but he pushed past them both. This was the way it had to be until total control was his. Then things would change.

  By the time they reached the opening that led into the back end of the city, the top of the sun was piercing the horizon, filling the sky with light-pink hues. Nicolas ordered their helpful Seer bound and placed in the care of a guard as Nicolas took the lead. He kept the group moving swiftly through a back alley and behind a row of two-story brick buildings. The city was quiet, slumber still holding it in its clutches.

  Nicolas turned toward the soldiers, who had already separated into three groups. He sent two squads in opposite directions with instructions to scout out any hidden surprises. Nicolas had heard enough about the Seer leader, Remko, to know that he could be dangerous. Once a CityWatch guard himself, he was clearly familiar with tactical training, so they were to keep their eyes peeled for signs of an ambush.

  Nicolas took the third group with him as they headed for the main gate. They scoured rooftops and dark corners as they moved. Their weapons stayed raised and ready, but the city remained eerily still. Nicolas had expected to run into trouble sooner and was almost uneasy about the lack of resistance they were encountering. He knew the Seers’ reputation; he’d heard about the days before the Genesis Serum had cleansed the Authority City. Nicolas had been tensed for a fight, but as he and the handful of others moved toward the front gate, it seemed as though they were moving through an abandoned ghost town. Still, he stayed focused, turning his emotions down to a dull hum. But he couldn’t ignore an irritating pulse at the back of his mind. Something was not as it seemed.

  Nicolas continued to lead the guards forward with confidence until he spotted their destination ahead. The sun was now lighting the empty streets, and he held up his hand to still the moving soldiers behind him. The tall stone wall that enclosed the city had a single wrought-iron gate with thick cylindrical bars crossing both vertically and horizontally in tight formations. There was a power center on the left side that was used to control the gate—an easy enough target, and their path was clear.

  It can’t be this easy. Nicolas glanced both right and left, searched the rooftops nearest him, and motioned for the guards behi
nd him to carefully scout the surrounding block for any threats. Remko and his people had to be somewhere; they couldn’t have simply disappeared. Were they truly letting their enemy storm the streets while they cowered inside the surrounding buildings? Surely they knew it would only be a matter of time before Nicolas found them all, rounded them up?

  They had been sent with enough Genesis Serum to dose the city’s population twice over. Nicolas hadn’t known what to expect, but this was something he hadn’t anticipated at all. Several soldiers signaled that all was clear, and Nicolas slowly moved out from the alleyway in which he’d been standing and made his way toward the main gate. The guards remained in their positions around him, watching for attackers, and Nicolas made it to the gate before a guard to his right motioned that he saw something coming.

  And so it would begin. Nicolas turned around, his weapon armed and ready, the guards around him moving into a tight unit as a single man approached. He was silhouetted by the rising sun, and Nicolas was taken aback when the man’s face finally came into view.

  He looked so much like Elise that Nicolas had no doubt this man was the famous Remko Brant. He approached at a steady pace, his arms hanging comfortably at his sides, no clear sign of a weapon. He was walking alone. The sight was odd to Nicolas. Either this man was completely mad to approach a dozen armed men by himself, or he was incredibly brave. More likely, this was just the beginning of some defensive plan, so Nicolas told himself to be mindful of everything that happened in the next few moments.

  Remko advanced until he was standing only yards from Nicolas and stopped. Nicolas waited, his focus on Remko. He shifted his gaze from the right to the left of the man ever so slightly, searching for unexpected company, but never took Remko out of his sight. What was he waiting for?

  Nicolas kept his weapon poised and took several steps forward. Remko didn’t move, so Nicolas took another step, motioning for the guards behind him to stay put. “What game are you playing?” Nicolas asked, his voice echoing through the empty streets.

  “There are no games here. I’ve simply come to welcome you to Trylin,” Remko said.

  Nicolas paused. “To welcome us?”

  “Yes. We have a saying here that we live by. Let all who come, come.”

  “Seems like a dangerous way to live.”

  “It’s the only way to truly find freedom.”

  Nicolas studied Remko’s face. The man seemed to be genuine in his welcome. Nicolas again searched for a weapon and saw none. Was the man truly unarmed? His mind calculated the situation. This moment was too important for the city of Trylin to simply give in. Surely they knew the Authority army had been camped in the woods for days. Probably they had known the soldiers were coming before they arrived. So what was the citizens’ plan?

  “You’ve come unarmed,” Nicolas said. “Why?”

  “I’ve seen enough bloodshed in my lifetime. I only want to try and avoid more,” Remko answered.

  Nicolas was surprised by Remko’s nonresistant behavior. He’d expected to meet a great warrior, one who had outsmarted the Authority on numerous occasions, but the man who stood before him seemed to have long ago suppressed his fighting nature. Nicolas wasn’t sure whether that would make this easier or more difficult.

  Nicolas lowered his gun slowly, keeping it cocked and ready to be fired. “And the rest of your people, the ones watching from inside these buildings—are they sick of bloodshed as well?”

  “I can assure you, no one here wants war with you.”

  “You must be aware that we easily outnumber your fighters? When I signal to open that front gate, your city will be overwhelmed with CityWatch soldiers. So tell me, what will your move be then?”

  Remko shook his head. “We have no moves; you are welcome in our city.”

  The twitch in Nicolas’s cheek flared into rhythm. Something more had to be happening. He couldn’t imagine these people were just going to lie down and be taken after years of fighting for their freedom. He took another couple steps toward Remko until the men were standing only about a yard apart. “Forgive me for not fully believing your statement of surrender. You wouldn’t be willing to tell what you are actually planning, would you?” Nicolas asked.

  “I have told you,” Remko responded. “Our plan is simple, and that is to practice what we believe.”

  Tic, tic, the vein in Nicolas’s cheek pulsed. “So you just give up your freedom?”

  Remko smiled. “No, we secure it.”

  Tic, tic. Nicolas ground his back teeth together. He could feel rage starting to boil under the surface. His years of practicing containing his emotions were beginning to fail him.

  Remko kept his face clear as Nicolas stared into his eyes, searching for indicators, but all he saw was steadiness. This man was filled with something he believed gave him power, and the darkness that crawled under Nicolas’s skin wanted to kill that belief.

  Nicolas took another step toward Remko, his mind churning with a new motivation. He wanted to destroy this man’s confidence. He wanted to break his steady facade; he wanted to own him. A tiny voice at the back of Nicolas’s mind told him to stay true to task and not get swept up in his emotional reaction to this man, but Nicolas was struggling to listen. “You actually believe surrender will bring you freedom, when your surrender to me will ensure the exact opposite. Yet still I can see your belief is very strong.”

  “I believe in a freedom that goes beyond this world, and yes, my belief in that is everything.”

  “Power is everything. Power can break belief.”

  “I would argue that there is no stronger power than belief.”

  Nicolas could feel the dark tentacles of his soul curling around his heart, pumping it for him. “We will see,” he said. The Scientist had been right about these people. Their belief was dangerous, but Nicolas wasn’t worried. Crushing their belief had just become his new destiny.

  “Open the gate!” Nicolas cried over his shoulder, and the mechanical beast roared to life behind him. Within moments, the entryway was filled with black-clad soldiers, all armed with weapons.

  “Search every corner of this city. Gather them all; no one stays behind,” Nicolas shouted, and the black mass descended on Trylin. He looked back at Remko’s face, the man’s eyes still sure and true. Yes, he thought, it will all begin with this man.

  Elise studied the faces that stared at her from around the fire. The room was quiet, the others lost in their own thoughts. None of them had really been able to sleep after their experience last night, so they’d stayed together, attempting to make sense of what this meant for them all and trying to decide where they were supposed to go next. They all looked to Elise for answers, but the truth was, she hardly knew what was happening either.

  She’d spent the last several hours battling the cycle of remembering and forgetting, each time the remembering becoming less difficult and the forgetting less permanent. Sam and the other guard, Franklin, had stayed with them as well, Franklin hardly saying a word, his fingers still shaking even hours later, and Sam spending much of the night catching up on all he’d missed with his nephew, Davis.

  After a while, Willis had retired, Kennedy had fallen asleep sitting beside Elise, and everyone else in the room had retreated to their own minds. The room was still now as the first signs of morning peeked through the windows. Elise was starting to feel a deep fatigue working its way into her bones and thought maybe it was finally time to sleep.

  She had almost willed herself to stand up and walk to a sleeping mat when Willis stepped into the room, his eyes wide, his breathing heavy.

  Davis, sitting to Elise’s right, took Willis’s state to mean trouble and stood quickly. “What’s wrong?”

  Willis shook his head with a tiny smile pulling at the side of his mouth. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”

  Davis let out a disgruntled sigh and sat. “Got me up out of my chair for nothing, man.”

  “Sorry,” Willis said and locked eyes with Elise. She gave him a curi
ous look, but the excitement playing on his face made it hard for her not to smile back.

  Kennedy stirred to her left and brushed her hair out of her face. “What’d I miss?” Her voice was gravelly from sleep.

  “Nothing—just Willis rushing in here, in a state of panic I assumed, but no, he’s just really excited about making flirty eyes with your sister,” Davis said.

  “Yeah, that about sums it up,” Timmons added.

  “Sorry,” Willis said again. “I had a dream.”

  “He does that,” Lucy said, her words directed toward Elise.

  Elise smiled, unable to rip her eyes away from Willis. “I know.”

  “Is this awkward for anyone else in the room?” Kane asked.

  If Willis heard them, he wasn’t showing it. “I think I know what we have to do next.”

  That grabbed the room’s attention, and all the playful teasing fell away.

  “What do you mean?” Lucy asked.

  He moved to the empty spot beside the fire and sat. “I saw a handful of places. Some with small amounts of people, others with larger numbers. We were going to each of them and starting revivals in pockets throughout the city. Each place different, always the same result: awakening.” He paused to gauge the group’s reaction, but when no one said anything, he continued. “Each place I saw was specific. The first was a newly constructed building, actually still in the works. There were half a dozen men there. I have a strong sense about this place.”

  “You want us to truck to some random building based on a dream sense?” Kane asked.

  “I know how it sounds, but I can’t shake this feeling,” Willis insisted.

  “And what are we supposed to do at this place?” Kane asked.

  “Practice,” Willis said. “Figure out how this works and the roles we each play.”

  “Great, yeah, that makes perfect sense,” Kane said.