The Warriors, page 23
part #3 of Wicked Series
Too many had died, too many innocent souls taken far too early, and it infuriated him. Yet, what infuriated him even more was the fact that he was relieved. Relieved that he and Stella had once again survived. That they hadn’t lost anyone close to them. That was what hurt the most. The sickly guilty feeling that he was glad they hadn’t been chosen to die.
He hated himself for feeling it, and yet he couldn’t ignore the truth. He had valued his life, his friends and family’s lives, over others, and it wasn’t right, but it was how he felt. He couldn’t change that, no matter how much the moral side of him wanted to, no matter how much guilt he felt.
He helped Stella into the bathroom and sat her down on the edge of the bathtub. He turned the tap on and started running water into the sink, tearing pieces of his shirt free so he could set to work cleaning the blisters on Stella’s hands.
She was exhausted, in pain, and sick with the things she’d seen and been forced to do. Leo was in much the same condition, but his wife, the love of his life, always came first, and he would make sure of it.
‘I can’t believe they did that. Just killed them in the streets,’ she said with a croaky voice.
‘I know,’ Leo replied, wrapping Stella’s hands in the cool cloth.
She flinched and hissed at the pain. Leo felt the sting in his own cracked hands, but he tried his best to ignore it for Stella’s sake. He tied off the cloth, then shifted to tear more of his shirt off, but Stella grasped his hands between hers, stopping him.
He peered up into his wife’s bright blue eyes and saw the worry, the concern in them.
‘They are safe,’ Leo said as confidently as he could.
Stella squeezed her eyes closed and leaned her forehead against his. ‘What do we do now, Leo?’ She whispered.
Leo brought a hand up to rest against the side of her neck, one thumb rubbing circles against her cheek. ‘We can’t give up Stel. We still have to fight back. More and more Enchanted are being converted, and I won’t let that happen to us. I won’t-’ his voice cracked and he prevented himself from speaking any further.
Stella wrapped her arms around him and he pulled her close.
Everything had changed. The risks were higher than before. Only six-hundred or so Enchanted remained who had yet to be converted and at least fifty were being taken daily, disappearing afterwards. He could only guess where they went – to be trained and put to work most likely. At least he didn’t have to see them again. He’d feel worse if he had to come face to face with his own people who had been forced to become something they’re not.
On top of that, there were even more Wicked guards than before, and they were cruel and unrelenting. They didn’t let anyone slack off, hitting and whipping people in the streets if they dared not to push themselves to their limits.
Erebus hadn’t been seen since the execution, though Creshan was still around running the place. The Enchanted had also been herded into just two hotels across from one another so they were easier to keep an eye on.
In addition, no one had said anything about the rebels. No one had pushed to keep meeting, and the tunnels had remained shut since the failed escape. But Leo knew they had to try again. They couldn’t give up. Not just like that. It was almost as if they were saying to the Wicked, ‘Sure, take it all, and take us all. You’ve won,’ and Leo wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t give in.
‘I think we should try and escape again,’ Stella said into his shoulder, and Leo felt the tension drain from his body a little.
For all his hopes and wishes, he wouldn’t do anything to put Stella at risk, not unless she was all in. As long as she was willing to keep going, he would too. Together, they would find a way to free the Enchanted, no matter the cost.
It wasn’t until dawn the next day that Leo received the confirmation he needed to move forward with the rebels. As Tilly had wandered past he and Stella, food in hand, she’d whispered, ‘what time does dusk fall?’
Leo had flickered his eyes first to Tilly, then to the Wicked Guards, then to Stella, before replying quietly, ‘just before our rise.’
The day passed slowly, but Leo worked hard and kept to himself. Except when he passed the message on to some of the rebels that they would be meeting that night. Word spread from there, or at least Leo hoped word would spread.
Leo felt the hairs rise on his arms with anticipation as he and Stella made their way down the tunnel. He wondered if many rebels would return after their last disastrous attempt. He wondered if Stella’s brothers would be there. They hadn’t seen them since the execution, besides glances across the street when they were leaving the hotel in the morning and entering at night. He wondered if it would be just a few of them, fighting back against the Wicked.
But when he and Stella entered the underground cavern and found well over a hundred people crammed into the tight space, he felt a sense of hope bloom within him.
Or maybe the Enchanted felt the same as him. Maybe they were willing to fight back. And maybe, just maybe, they would succeed.
~
Caspian loved the feeling of the wind rushing past his face as he and Oscar sailed through the seas to Zerch. They’d received a short tutorial in how to sail the boat and Oscar had taken over the task of navigating.
Caspian had agreed and was glad he did, for he enjoyed the freedom he was granted. He watch as the ocean went by, the waves crashing against the side of the ship, the sea water spraying up over him every once in a while. He could still taste the salt on his lips, and while it wasn’t pleasant, it gave him a sense of calm after all the chaos.
There were no wars at sea, well, not where they were, and there was no land visible as far as they eye could see. For the first time, Caspian felt as if he could forget the world, forget everything that was happening, forget reality, and escape for a while. It felt good to be able to pretend everything was different. To pretend he was just a boy with his whole life ahead of him.
Of course, he did have his whole life ahead of him, assuming he survived the war. But there had been a time when he’d expected to die from the cancer that ate at his body and weakened his soul. It was hard for him to suddenly switch off that mentality; to remember that he was no longer going to die. It was also hard to come to terms with the fact that while he was surely going to live a long life, he would always have a dark cloud hanging over him.
It had been there since the moment he’d awoken in the underground cave, shaken and scared. Yes, it had disappeared when he’d finally been able to let out his emotions to Oscar; when he was finally able to get everything off his chest. But seeing Erebus again had brought the cloud straight back, and it was darker than ever.
He felt violated in the worst possible way, and seeing the man who had done it to him only brought all the memories flooding back. What was worse was he’d gone on to do the same thing to Robin, and while Caspian had never met Robin; had never known what a good man he was, he still hated that Mitch’s cousin would never have the opportunity to at least return to his body as Caspian had.
Caspian had been lucky. Erebus could have dumped his soul. Could have destroyed it. But for some reason he’d taken it with him, leaving it in his underground lab. Maybe it was because he simply didn’t care enough to be bothered going through with getting rid of it. Maybe he’d simply forgotten about it. Caspian didn’t know, and he didn’t think he wanted to. All that mattered was he had his body back, and never, never, again would he let anyone do such a thing to him or anyone else he cared about. No one deserved such torture.
‘You all right down there?’ Oscar called from the deck above where the ships wheel was.
Caspian peered over his shoulder, up at Oscar, and for a flash of a moment, he saw Erebus in Robin’s body. But then the sun dimmed behind a cloud and Oscar’s face came into view, as handsome as always. His red hair shone in the light and his freckled face was grinning down at him.
‘Cool, isn’t it?’
Caspian raised his hand to block out the sun that had reappeared and called back, ‘it would be cool if you let me steer for a while.’
Oscar adjusted the captain’s hat on his head, pushing his hair down over his forehead. ‘Sorry, but this is a task for experienced sailors.’
Caspian had found the hat in the cabin below and of course Oscar had insisted upon wearing it. Caspian quite liked the way the hat looked on Oscar, so hadn’t fought him on it. He had, however, tried not to look at him too long, for he’d already been accused of staring once, and he’d gone red as a beetroot thanks to it.
‘I wouldn’t call nearly mowing down a school of dolphins experienced,’ Caspian countered.
‘They swam in front of me. It wasn’t my fault,’ Oscar insisted.
Caspian chuckled and shook his head, giving in.
‘All right, come up here and I’ll give you a lesson,’ Oscar said after a moment.
Caspian’s stomach performed little flip-flops and he climbed to his feet and hurried up the ladder to the top deck.
‘I was there for the lesson as well, you know.’
Oscar eyed him, ‘I’m not letting anyone drive my baby without a proper lesson.’
Caspian bit back a laugh. ‘Your baby? Really? You weren’t saying that when you found the rat in your bed.’
‘I was cursing the rat, not the ship. Anyway, don’t change the subject and get in here.’
Caspian stepped up to the wheel as Oscar moved aside.
‘Right, hands on the 10 and 2 positions.’
Caspian did as he was told, despite the fact that he really did know how to steer a ship. He’d been on a number of them in his lifetime; they all had at the manor. It was a part of their training. But he didn’t let on to that purely because he liked standing close to Oscar.
‘Good. Now, make sure to keep it steady, these leavers here adjust the speed and those buttons change the direction of the thingy things under the boat,’ Oscar told him.
‘Thingy things?’ Caspian raised a brow.
‘Yes, you know the ones,’ Oscar responded in earnest.
Caspian let it go, and didn’t mention that Oscar had forgotten to explain what the rest of the buttons and leavers were for. He suspected Oscar didn’t actually know.
‘See, easy,’ Caspian insisted, standing there and not doing a thing besides holding the wheel in place to keep the vessel sailing forward.
Oscar watched him for a moment and Caspian forced his eyes to remain locked on the horizon, feeling the heat rising into his cheeks. He always seemed to feel a little shy and giddy whenever he was close to Oscar. Perhaps it was because he was such a talent, and it was pretty cool to be in his presence considering he was somewhat famous. Well, according to Logan. Or perhaps there was another reason.
‘You’re not doing it quite right, here, move your hand around like this,’ Oscar said suddenly, reaching across and readjusting Caspian’s hand.
There was a spark as his skin touched Oscar’s and his heart began to race. Oscar repositioned his hand and Caspian could have sworn he held on for a moment longer than was necessary before letting go.
‘Good. Well, since I’ve been doing all the work, I might go get something to eat,’ Oscar said.
Caspian laughed, watching as Oscar descended the ladder. Just before Oscar’s head disappeared he lifted his gaze and their eyes locked. A small thrill shot through Caspian at the look those deep grey eyes gave him. Then, Oscar was gone, and Caspian was left steering the craft alone.
~
Grace hated the boat trip to Herrem. She was sick for the entire journey and knowing that she would have to reboard the boat to sail to the next point only made her dread it further. The only thing that kept her grounded, besides the fact that Logan was always there with her, helping her as she threw up over the side of the ship, was the knowledge that they would soon, hopefully, find Mr Stark.
She didn’t want to find him for a good old chat. Oh no. She wanted revenge. Sweet, dark, revenge. He had been the one behind her parent’s and cousin’s death. He had been the one to set the Wicked on to their family. And he would pay.
Not only that though, but ending Mr Stark would throw a massive spanner in the works. Erebus clearly relied on Mr Starks smarts and fighting skills. Without him leading the charge, what would he do? Who would train the Wicked and the converted? Who would experiment on the Humans? Getting rid of Mr Stark would be an enormous blow to Erebus’ whole plan.
Grace didn’t know where the hatred within her had come from. She’d always been scarred by the death of her family, but she’d never wanted revenge. She’d never wanted to kill someone in turn for her parent’s senseless murders. But the moment Drew had told her the truth; that Mr Stark had been behind it all, something had changed within her.
A darkness that had been locked deep inside her had emerged, and it wanted revenge. The man who she’d thought of as a friend, who’d come over for lunches and dinners at the manor, who’d paid much interest in their lives, who’d literally been there for them when their family was murdered, was the very same man behind their deaths in the first place.
She’d never quite understood why Drew had hated the man so much. She’d never questioned it either, for they’d been so distant and she hadn’t felt she had a right to pry into his feelings. But she understood after hearing how Mr Stark had treated Drew after the murders. Mr Stark had been so comforting to her, and yet he’d been nasty and awful to Drew. Grace couldn’t believe it. She also couldn’t believe Drew had kept it from her, but she supposed it was due to the fact that the rift between them had begun the moment they’d lost their parents.
Drew had sought vengeance long before she had. Did that make her a bad person? The fact that she hadn’t wanted to avenge her parent’s deaths like her brother had? She was sure it did. Which was why the determination within her was tenfold. She wouldn’t give in until Mr Stark got what he deserved. She would prove that she loved her parents; that she always had. That she missed them with all her heart, and, regardless of the fact that she’d only just discovered the drive within her to avenge them, she would do whatever necessary to ensure she made things right with their spirits.
Grace nearly hugged the ground as she watched Drew tie off the boat and straighten, looking to her to ensure she was safe. He often did that, especially since the sea had made her so unwell.
She wondered if it also had something to do with the fact that he couldn’t be there to look after Laura and so he wanted to make sure he took care of her especially well. She’d seen the way they’d looked at each other one last time before their ships had set sail in different directions. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they loved… or at least deeply liked one another.
It was sweet. It reminded her of Stella and Leo a little. It also reminded her of her own relationship with Logan. She didn’t know what she would do if they’d been forced to split up. Drew had had the dilemma of going with his twin, or going with the girl he possibly loved. Of keeping Laura safe, or avenging his parent’s deaths and helping stop the war. She knew he’d wanted to choose Laura. She’d seen it in his face. But she could also see that he understood that it was something Laura needed to do on her own without others always taking care of her, always taking over. Gemma wouldn’t do that. Yes, she would be there and look out for her, but she would let Laura hold herself up. She’d let Laura find her own feet.
Grace smiled at her brother encouragingly and together they turned and started down the jetty to where Mitch and Logan were talking to a worker.
‘I’ve heard Lastrala is faring well enough. Most of the Enchanted are out on the seas now holding the new ships back, and those who are Wicked on land or flying in are fighting a losing battle,’ The man said, and Grace saw the silverW on his wrist where his sleeve was pulled up.
‘So our armies are winning?’ Logan asked, brow furrowed.
The man nodded slowly, ‘last I heard, but it’s been a few days since we’ve had news.’
Logan looked to Grace and Drew as they reached them and she saw the small flicker of relief that flooded through him. She felt the same thing within herself too.
‘Have you heard anything of Mr Stark?’ Drew asked, straight to the point.
The man shrugged. ‘Not really. Some say he’s hiding out in Dante. More like he’s done a runner, if you ask me. Freaked out now that everyone knows what a traitor he his and got right out of there.’
Grace knew that wasn’t the case. Mr Stark was a lot of things, but he was not a quitter. He would not leave Erebus. Wherever he was, he was still working for Erebus, and he would not give in until either they won or he died, whichever came first. Grace hoped for the latter. And she wouldn’t mind if it was her hand that did it.
Logan crossed his arms and Mitch gestured to them that they should keep moving.
‘Thanks for the intel, we’ll be back tomorrow for the ship,’ Logan said, and the man nodded.
‘Sure, I’ll keep her safe for the night.’
‘Thank you,’ Grace said with a smile, then they were off.
‘What do you think?’ Mitch asked as they made their way through the winding streets.
Humans and Enchanted alike wandered about, though the Humans had no idea who they were living in harmony with.
‘I think we should ask around a bit more,’ Logan said.
‘Me too. Dante seems like a long shot,’ Drew agreed.
‘Why would he hide there? It’s such a small island,’ Grace asked curiously, her thoughts racing about in her mind.
‘He might not even be hiding there,’ Drew countered.
‘But if he is, at least we’ll have more of a chance at finding him,’ Logan said.
Mitch nodded in the direction of the pub. ‘Bet we’ll find some Enchanted in there.’
‘Let’s go in and ask around then,’ Drew suggested.
Their afternoon consisted of entering random pubs and stores and asking around about Mr Stark. They found a number of Enchanted, all out and about as if the battle didn’t exist. She wondered if they were feeling like she had in Alast. Safe. She could only hope they were prepared, because if they were invaded too then that would all change. Very quickly.
