Deathmarked, p.23
DeathMarked, page 23
A few Reeks followed, but the others were now moving towards the large, gaping hole to the east of the mountain—the crater we had created. We hadn’t expected this many Reeks. Most seemed to come from the city, and I wondered if the small quake we felt shook them free from whatever cages they were locked in. That was the only explanation for there to be that many still here.
I watched one down below me sniff the air and I ducked, holding my breath as I waited. The Reeks were flooding out into the forest, catching the scent of death and prey on the wind pushing from the roof and out the walls, until there were less than a handful left, and me.
I tried to slow my rapid heartbeat, my gaze flickering to that hole hoping Theo would climb out of it any minute. The space remained silent except for the few Reeks that remained nearby, feeding off the Guardians who they’d slaughtered. I didn’t allow myself to think that could be Theo’s fate.
I waited for a sign anyone was still alive. I knew I should stay where I was, I was useless going after them, but no one returned, and no sound came from the hole they disappeared in. I wouldn’t survive without Theo. If he died, so would I. He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive. I repeated over and over. I had to do something.
I braced myself against the rock, testing the rope before I leaned over the edge and let it slip through my bare hands as I dropped. It cut through me like a knife, and I hissed at the pain as I moved farther down.
Unsurprisingly, the few Reeks still left were drawn to the sound and the blood dripping down my wrists.
Four stood at the spot I was to drop down. Only ten feet left, but I could no longer lower myself as slow and controlled as I’d planned.
I dug my feet into the side of the wall as best I could, my injured leg unable to take any of my weight, so I shifted to the other side, holding the rope with one hand and managing to press my fists together. The blades shot out of the sleeves of my jacket. I was sure I couldn’t hold on any longer, so I took my free hand, sliced the blade through the end of the rope, and shifted so I fell hands first.
My blades imbedded into the skulls of two Reeks below me. I toppled onto them, rolling out of the way as best I could while my injured leg and shoulder exploded with pain, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself back to my feet.
I immediately dropped to one knee, my injured leg useless and possibly re-broken. Sucking in a breath and fighting the wave of nausea and black spots in my vision, I swung my blades out, connecting with the leg of a Reek, before swinging my arm again and slicing through his torso. His upper half slid clean from the bottom half, and a pool of black blood covered me.
The last Reek was climbing over the pile of the others before him, the ones I’d just taken down, and let out a guttered roar, exposing the sharp, decayed teeth in its mouth. My blade hit him in the shoulder, but he pushed it off. Strong arms ripped me off my feet, and I flew through the air before my back connected with the hard stone, and I lost all the air in my lungs, falling to my side.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. But I had to; I had to get to Theo.
The Reek stalked forward, one of its legs twisted backwards from when I fell and landed on it. It was the small bit of hope I needed, to see it didn’t move towards me with inhuman speed.
My shoulders curled in, and I sucked in a deep breath before rolling to my side. I blinked, fighting the pain, fighting the need to close my eyes and just lie back down.
I thought I heard voices in the distance, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Theo,” I muttered, my voice barely a whisper.
I managed to stumble to one knee just as the Reek pounced. I lifted my arms, waiting for the full weight of the Reek to land on me, but it didn’t come.
When I peeked open an eye, I found the Reek, black blood dripping from its mouth and chest where my blades had staked right through him, dead. As if sensing what had happened, my arms gave out, and I used the last bit of energy I had to push the Reek off me.
I closed my eyes again, trying to catch my breath before I heard those distant voices again. Only one made my heart squeeze tight and had my body moving of its own will. Theo. He was screaming from the hole a few feet away from me.
I couldn’t stand, so I crawled. I dragged my body across the blood-slick stone, wincing and gasping with each movement. My entire body protested and begged for me to stop, to rest, but it was as if it began moving of its own will, towards Theo.
The voices grew louder as I got closer, and I tried to yell, “I’m here,” but I don’t think my voice worked. Then just ahead of me, I saw something. My body tensed, and I prepared myself for the image of the Reek, but it wasn’t a Reek: it was human.
A body pulled itself from the hole I crawled towards. Its strong, tall back was to me, dirty blond hair a mess.
“Gunner,” I managed to get out.
He startled and spun around. He stood across the hole from me, his eyes wide as he took me in.
“Sienna?” He scrunched his brow. I could feel the Reek’s blood covering me, knew I was nearly unrecognizable, but he was my friend, and he recognized my voice immediately.
I released a sigh of relief. If Gunner had gotten out, the others would be close behind him. But as I tried pushing myself up to my knees, I noted how he just stood there, wide-eyed and unsure what to do.
Then I saw the rope in his hands; one end had a sharp hook on it that was latched to the solid edge of the hole, barely holding on but dug in tight enough that he’d been able to climb out. But the other end of the rope was in his hands coiled up, not down the hole for the others to follow.
“What are you doing?”
He shook his head, taking another step back, away from me.
“I’m sorry,” he said before dropping the rope to the ground a few feet from the hole. He took another step back. “I told you… I told you not to trust anyone, but you didn’t listen.” He was screaming now. “I had no choice—”
I shook, my whole body trembling. “We trusted you,” I breathed. “I trusted you.”
His shoulders dropped, his arms limp at his side, as he watched me for a moment. Then his eyes turned cold, vicious. “Then that was your mistake.” And then he ran, back into the tunnels and out of view before I could call his name again.
He’d betrayed us. This entire time he’d lied. Why?
I managed to crawl the rest of the way to the rope Gunner had dropped and slid it over the edge. I saw it tighten against the weight of someone before I pushed myself back and away from the precipice and lay my head back.
Closing my eyes, I let the truth sink in. I had been wrong… I had been horribly wrong.
JAYLA
I strolled through the streets wrapped in the same sand-colored cloak and scarfs the other Sweepers wore. Jacob walked beside me. The two of us had just split from Emery and Simon, who were heading with one of Jacob’s Sweepers to gather weaponry and supplies.
Jacob and I headed towards the center of the city where the council was meeting to decide if they would accept the Marked kids we planned to rescue… if any were still alive.
Gustov and his men would leave Cytos tomorrow night, a transport shuttle had been flagged for the base where they were keeping the kids near the Void, and they would give us the GPS location as soon as it was ready.
Logan and Leanna were on their way to our shuttle to refuel and ensure we’d be ready to go tomorrow night.
“Did Neiva give any indication on how the council would vote?” I asked.
Jacob had sent word early this morning Neiva had advocated on our behalf to the Council of Eres, and the decision would be made just after noon.
Jacob shook his head. “She would not tell me either way, but the council is always fair.”
“Should I be worried that I was called to this meeting?” I asked.
The corner of Jacob’s mouth moved into a smile. “You’re the Watcher. I presume if you sent your second in command with the Carbon for weaponry, you already know where their answers will lie, and that your team deemed there to be no threat to you from the council or the Sweepers.”
I’d nearly forgotten the Sweepers were as observant as Watchers. They’d likely seen Em scout out the meeting where Neiva had told the council what Governor Grayson was doing with the Marked kids. Em had reported back that though the council revealed nothing, she noted the subtle movements that spoke more than words. Pupils dilating, the flinch of a hand, clenched teeth. All signs she’d picked out on more than a few of the council members, which had led me to believe they would vote in our favor.
“You Sweepers are a bunch of busybodies,” I said.
“We’re trained, as you were, to keep the peace. Anyone outside of our city gets the same treatment, goes under the same scrutiny, and is watched just as closely, no matter who they are.”
“This place doesn’t strike me as having many threats… does that mean you’re just very good at your job, or this place is so dreadfully boring no one would waste their time stirring up trouble here?”
Jacob gave a toothy grin as he leaned in. “We’re very, very good at our jobs.”
A shiver rolled through me. In our line of work, being very good at your job was a deadly declaration.
“So what is your assessment of us? Friend or foe?”
Jacob took a deep breath, scanning the growing crowd around us. We had reached the center of the city. The market square at the middle was buzzing with people and colors and smells making my stomach growl. He steered us through the market, right into the crowd.
“For now, foe,” Jacob said with utter honesty. “But only because it’s in our nature to not trust until you prove you can be trusted. And the council has yet to approve not only your mission, but your presence here in Eres.”
“I hadn’t realized that was also up for debate,” I lied smoothly. Of course I’d known if the council didn’t agree with letting the Marked kids come here, it meant they either didn’t believe what they were being told, or they had already been bought by Grayson. Either way, their yes or no was as much for us as it was to help the Marked kids.
“Yes, you did,” Jacob drawled. “It’s why you chose to wear the Sweepers uniform, isn’t it?”
He saw right through me, though I wasn’t surprised by this. “It brings out the color in my eyes, doesn’t it?”
Jacob glanced over at me, to the brown eyes with little flecks of amber in them, the eyes of my mother. His gaze fixed on mine for a moment before he turned back to the path he led me. “Green would do a better job if that was your intent.”
“Are you giving me fashion advice, Jacob?” I gave him a little nudge, and he let out a soft chuckle. “Didn’t realize the Sweepers also had an eye for style.”
Jacob shrugged, keeping his mouth tightly closed, but the corner of his lips threatened to break into a smile.
We reached the end of the market and stood before a large building. It had four pillars holding up the stone archway. A wide row of stairs swept through the archway to thick wood doors being opened as we neared. I’d been here once before, on my mission with Commander Reyes, but back then I hadn’t been important enough to stand before the Council. Now, part of me wondered if I still wasn’t important enough.
We stepped through the open doors. Inside was a simple foyer with four Sweepers stationed on either side of the walkway. They all nodded to Jacob as he moved us through the next set of doors and into the main chamber.
I’d expected to see the council members here, all seated around the large table at the back of the chamber, but it was empty except for one person: Neiva.
“Come, sit.” She motioned to the chair across from her.
I gave Jacob a pointed look, but he just pulled out the chair for me to sit and took the one to Neiva’s right.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
“They have given their word and now have other matters to attend to,” Neiva said.
“And what word did they give?”
“It was not a unanimous decision. Not all the council members believe your story, and more than a few question your motives, given the circumstances which brought you here… theft, arson, death—”
“I didn’t think any of that was foreign to the Sweepers.” I tilted my head to the side.
“The Sweepers, no… but the council, yes,” Neiva said sharply.
“What proof do they need that I am not lying?” I asked.
“None,” she said. My surprise must have shown because she let out a soft chuckle. “Eres does not require a unanimous vote, just a majority vote. And the majority will take these kids in, should you be able to bring them back safely.”
I gave a nod and went to stand.
“But.” Neiva stopped me. “They have decided that should these kids bring any danger to our city with them, we will not hesitate to take care of the threat.”
I bit down hard on my cheek to stop the venom from spitting out. “These kids have done nothing to deserve any of what they’ve been given. Danger will come to Eres whether the kids are here or not, do you not realize that?”
“We believe in peace and hold those values above all others,” Neiva said simply.
“And what if Governor Grayson were to attack Eres? What if she were to attack your people regardless?”
“Then we will deal with that when it comes. But until then, we keep the peace.” Neiva shrugged, a brow arched in challenge.
I squeezed my fists tight under the table. They would take in the kids, but they would not fight back. We would not have an army of any sort to help us; that message was clear.
I stood, inclining my head slightly. “I thank you and the council for allowing us to bring the Marked kids here.”
Neiva waved her hand, both as welcome and a dismissal. Jacob stood and moved around the table to walk me out. I hadn’t reached the door before I couldn’t contain what was burning inside of me from rising.
“If you will not stop what is surely coming, I suggest you prepare your men for the inevitable. Because with or without our presence, she’s coming, and she will have no mercy for those who only wish for peace.” I narrowed my eyes, feeling Jacob tense beside me, but I didn’t move, and I kept my words low and lethal. “I was told once that what she has planned is worse than death, and I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that it’s true. What lies beyond the wall… it’s much worse than death... and peace will not stop it from coming.”
“What do you know of the Void?” Jacob asked. We had walked in silence for some time while we headed towards the Sweepers’ Palace.
“They’ve been hiding something within that forest, something the Marked kids were sent to destroy… only I don’t think they knew how many there really were.” I shuddered at the image running through my mind. The wave of darkness entering the forest. “A few days ago, there was an explosion or something that hit the mountain. By the time we arrived, all we could see was black. A storm of these things flooding into the forest from the mountain. I don’t think it will be long before their reach moves beyond the wall.”
Jacob stiffened beside me. He looked to the north, as if he could see the wall from here. “I will make sure we are ready, you have my word,” he said.
“And what of Neiva’s?” I asked.
“She will listen to me, she will understand,” he said with firmness. “She speaks from a good place, from one that only wants to see peace and happiness for her people. But she is a Sweeper, she knows her duty, and she would not fail her people should the time come.”
I nodded, knowing the feeling of duty preceding all other things. It was the first thing we were taught as Watchers.
“What is it that Sweepers do exactly, besides keep the peace? Are you guys just well-hidden bouncers or something?” I teased but was quick to notice the muscles in Jacob’s back stiffen.
“We’re assassins. We’re warriors. If something enters that should not be here, we will take care of it to keep the peace.”
Jacob didn’t meet my eyes as he spoke. And only then did I realize what Neiva had meant when she’d said, we will not hesitate to take care of the threat. Should they deem these kids to be a danger to their peace, they would kill them in a heartbeat. And as I walked beside the large male who kept his gaze fixed on the ocean, I wondered if he’d be the one to give the order.
It was late by the time we’d all gathered in the small living room between our adjoining rooms.
“Are we ready?” I asked.
Em gave a sharp nod, as did Logan to her right. “Everything’s in the shuttle waiting for us,” Em said. “I’ll be heading back there soon.”
“I’ll come,” Logan offered, and Leanna looked ready to argue, but one look at the smug grin on Em’s face told us all to keep quiet.
“Just remember you have to be able to fly us tomorrow, Logan,” Simon said, sneering and giving them both a pointed look. Em shot daggers with her eyes at him.
“Since when do you get to tell us what to do?” Em purred.
“He’s not wrong in his assessment.” I shrugged at Em, and she just flicked her hair back and gave me a wink.
“We’ll be good to go; don’t you worry your pretty little face.”
“I won’t,” I replied. Turning to Leanna, I changed the subject, for both of our sakes. “How are the rooms coming along?”
Leanna managed to tear her eyes away from Em’s hand on her brother’s leg. “They’ve released four bunkers for the kids. Each can house twenty comfortably, more if needed.”
“That’ll have to do.” I shrugged.
“You’ve neglected to tell me my role in this mission.” Leanna turned her full attention on me.
“What’s there to tell?” I said. I’d already told Leanna she wouldn’t be coming with us, she would be no used to us out there, and if anything should happen to us, we needed someone in Eres to take care of those kids.
