Escape from Harrizel (19 page)

The boy with the red flame is put off for a
second but recovers quickly. He smiles up at Reid, and, with a
casual, almost friendly voice, explains. “Just coming over to say
hello.”

Silence.

“Didn’t realize you were…” he risks a glance
at me, his dark eyes scouring the bits of my body he can see,
“…tapping into the Market again.”

Reid positions himself to fully cover me,
dropping his arm from the wall. He crosses them, nipping at his
right thumb again. The boy with the flame tattoo grins wider. “Good
to see things are changing.”

“Nothing’s changed.”

“Pratt still run your assignments?”

Reid shrugs innocently, honestly, “She’s a
friend.”

“She’s a
Scout
. Once a Scout, always
a Scout… though they never seem to understand that,” he mutters
that last part to himself. “It’s alright to admit you’re back in.
I’m not going to deny I’ve been awaiting Rox’s
return—
everyone
has—so just go ahead and say it. We’re here
talking, aren’t we?” he shoots me a glance, keeping it unclear as
to whom he’s referencing. “Isn’t that enough?”

“I’m just helping out,” Reid grinds his
teeth, his tone lowering as he leans in, “speaking of… heard
something about unusual movement this morning.”

“Oh?”

“Not sure Tucker had much to say on it.”

“Does he ever?”

Reid leans in, “…Tell your boys they’re
slipping.”

“Well, you would know about slipping.”

Reid merely nods to himself, considering the
comment with seemingly little interest. He gives it a second more
before gesturing for the stranger’s immediate departure. “You said
hello.”

“So soon?”

Reid repeats the gesture.

“If you say so,” he casts me a final glance.
“Good to know
you’re
here… Fallon, right?” he smiles,
glimpsing at Reid before leaving.

After he does, Reid paces for half a second,
running his fingers through his hair, quickly calculating.

“Who was that?”

He risks a glance my way. “Not someone I was
hoping you’d meet.”

“A King?”

He stops short with a nod.

“Your status?”

He shakes his head. “High up but not the
top.
Shit
,” he mumbles to himself, starting to pace again as
three new bodies approach. Irie and the blonde Rogue I recognize
immediately, but I’ve never seen the last boy who stands a foot
shorter than Reid. Built slightly slimmer, he sports shaggy bronze
hair and has warm, amber eyes.

“What’s doing, Boss?” Blondie crosses his
arm, stopping the trio. “Tucker wants word on the list earlier.
Pills too.”

“Irie, go get Sampson,” Reid taps his
shoulder and he takes off at the mission, weaving his way into the
crowd. Reid looks to the pair, “Make sure Mantis doesn’t overstep
his boundaries again. I don’t want another instance,” his eyes
flicker to me. “And tell Chief to tighten security. We might have
to make some adjustments.”

“Got it,” Blondie nods, “any certains?”

Reid shakes his head. “I’ll talk to Tucker
about it. Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”

“On it.”

Reid motions their dismissal and the boys
set off again, disappearing into the crowd. He turns to me with an
honest frown. “Sorry about the King. He uh… shouldn’t have gotten
that close. But just for tonight, I’m having Sampson take you back
to your room. I’ll swing by later to discuss gathering.”

“Why does Sampson need to take me back?” I
narrow my eyes. “Am I in danger?”

Reid’s mouth opens and just as it looks like
he may utter an explanation, Sampson’s here. He glances between us
but focuses on Reid first. “Jace and Able said you were finishing
up some business and that you’d be there shortly.”

Reid nods.

“Fallon,” he turns his smile on me, “we
haven’t spent much time together and I’d like to remedy that. Would
you allow me to escort you back to your room?” he steps forward,
“Whenever you’re feeling ready, of course.”

I throw Reid a glance but he’s gone,
disappearing in the few seconds of escape I gave him. Does Sampson
really have to escort me back? I’ve never needed a guard before.
“Uh… sure.”

He sweeps a few babeebs over his head and
leads us up to the Courtyard. We walk in silence for a minute until
we’ve reached the other end of the plum and gray checkerboard.

“Not that I mind but… why are you taking me
back to my room?”

He hesitates, “…It was a request from
Reid.”

“But why?”

“I guess he feels you need protection.”

I’m about to ask why again, but I know the
answer. It’s from that King—what’d they call him? Mantis? But I
still don’t understand.
Why
do I need protection from him?
What do we have to do with each other? I look at Sampson. “Are you
going to gather later?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“Well…” he chuckles, “frankly… whether I
feel up to it.”

“Reid’s coming by later,” I say, suddenly
embarrassed by the sound of it, “to talk about the gathering,” I
quickly amend, “about me helping you guys.”

Sampson’s mouth turns up in a grin, “Is that
so?”

“I have some other questions so hopefully we
can talk about them too.”

“What other questions?” he’s curious.
“Perhaps I can assist?”

“Um…”

We start up the stairwell, Sampson linking
his hands behind his back, “You expressed interest in the
tunnels.”

“I did.”

“I didn’t admit it that first night,” he
tosses me a playful smirk, “but there’s a whole
labyrinth
of
them.”

“A labyrinth?” the word arouses my
excitement and fear, as Reid’s navigation floods back.

“Indeed. One so interwoven, so
complex
, you could get lost forever.”

“And you trust yourselves not to?”

“I think we’ll be fine,” he hides something
in that grin, an inside joke perhaps. But then, as if to offer a
logical reason to it, “We have our Callixes.”

I want to ask him how that keeps them from
getting lost when it only provides light, but I don’t. Instead, I
press forward, asking what I really want to know.

“They’re from that tree, aren’t they?” we’re
halfway up the stairs now. “The one out by the ruins?”

He slows, struck by the word. “Is that what
you consider them?”

“Well…” and for some reason, I feel as
though I’ve offended him. “What would you say?”

He thinks about it, trying it on, applying
the word to whatever image he already had in mind. After a moment,
he shrugs, “I suppose it would seem appropriate. But yes, it’s the
Rinzal Tree.
The light in the dark
.”

“I could go get a Callix of my own… so I
don’t have to keep using yours.”

“It’s not an inconvenience in the slightest,
and really,” he shakes his head, “you shouldn’t have to
take
one. You should be
given
one. Callix Blossoms are a
gift.”

“What do you mean?” we turn onto my
floor.

“Well… the Callix is a symbol of
love
,” he says the word tenderly, as though trying to sound
it out, “you give it, usually only once, to someone you care very
deeply for.”

I reach for the one he lent me, tucked away
in my shoulder strap, “I don’t want to take yours.”

“Not mine,” he smiles, patting his chest, “I
keep mine close. That one’s an… extra, we’ll call it… but really,
please, continue to use it. Unless of course,” he grins, “you feel
more comfortable with the babeebs.”

“Haven’t bothered with them, actually.”

“Oh?”

“Got zapped,” I rub my finger, thinking of
that first—and last—time I tried to touch one.

“Well,” he sighs, considering the sad fact,
“this isn’t their home. They’ve been brought here against their
will to survive in an environment not suitable to their longevity.
I imagine a zap now or then might be… deserved.”

“Yeah, but
I
didn’t do it,” we stop
at my door.

“They don’t know that. They only know the
environment in which they’ve been presented. They can only trust
that everybody’s an enemy. Until you take the time to understand
them,” and with this, Sampson scoops a few of the babeebs over his
head, placing them gently to hum over mine, “you’ll never see
clearly.”

They vibrate softer than I’d expected. It’s
so faint a hum that you’d forget they were there, if not for the
giant circle of golden light. Everything nearby brightens and I can
see further into the shadows for once. Instinctively, I raise my
hand to my head and wait to feel the vibrations in the air. They
react to the hairs on my hand as I roll it under, until I have a
little ball of smooth, humming vibrations cupped in the center of
my palm. Pulling my hand down, I hold it in front of me.

Like a little sun. A little glowing sphere
humming just over my palm. I squint, discovering tiny, oval
indentions in long rows, one or two flickering an eye lid open.

“Have a good night, Fallon,” Sampson bows
his head, retreating into the shadows.

I head inside, latching the door behind me
as I head for the bed. I have no idea what time Reid means to swing
by, but after a day of ‘Rebuilding,’ I’m in need of rest. I lie
down, fold my arms behind my head and stare up at the silvery
Gizella branches slithering across the ceiling. I’m not sure how
long I’ve been transfixed when his voice startles me.

“Hey.”

I spring up, finding Reid in the open
doorway to my room. “Hi.”

“Mind if I…?” he gestures to entering
without an invitation, although he’s already halfway in.

“Of course…” heat spreads throughout me at
the suddenly tight proximity. But then I glance at the closed door
behind him and realize what he’s done. “How’d you do that?”

“What?” he looks to the crimson arch, “Oh—a
sirolla.”

I raise a brow.

He walks to me, presenting a clear tiny
sphere, just smaller than a babeeb. “Like a door decoder—can open
anyone’s.” It’s pinched between his fingers but I’m focused on him
admiring the object. He’s proud of it, and wants me to be too. But
then he looks to me and suddenly I’m overheating. We’re too
close.

“So…” I move away, “…that’s how you got into
Griffin’s room.”

“Yeah. I’m surprised that slipped past
you.”

He’s right. If I’d been paying attention, I
wouldn’t have missed that. Why wasn’t I paying attention again? I
run through the night’s events and my heart skips at the memory of
his lips on my neck.

“Fair enough…” I move around the space,
trying to remember why he came over. There were multiple things we
were supposed to talk about and now, now I can’t think of any. All
I can concentrate on is the heat radiating in this tiny space and
how—how terribly delicious his lips look.

Stop it!

“You wanted to know about gathering food,”
he reminds me, “Pratt will pick you up after Leisure Time starts.
We’re out for two hours and that’s it.” He hesitates, “You uh, sure
you want to go?”

“It’s freedom. Besides,” I gesture to the
collection of fruits on my food dispenser. “I need to start working
off my debt.”

“It’s paid.”

“Already?”

He shrugs. “I know the Boss.”

“
Yeah
...” I laugh, “thanks for
telling me by the way.”

“Didn’t think it was important,” he crosses
his arms, “besides, my name is Reid. That’s what you asked for. My
name.”

“Knowing you go by Rox is pretty helpful
too.”

“Well… I didn’t tell you because I’ve taken
some time off.”

“A sabbatical?”

He nods.

“Why?”

He rubs the back of his neck, his eyes
roaming the floor. “I was seeing someone and it didn’t work
out.”

“Oh,” I pale, suddenly embarrassed to bring
it up.

“Yeah…” Reid turns, equally uncomfortable,
“so Tucker’s taken over Rogue Leader. Rogues report to him
now.”

“But
he
reports to you. Is that
right?”

Reid paces with a half shrug, “I try to stay
out of it.”

“But?”

“But lately he’s been begging me to resume
my post.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know…” he shrugs, “they miss me?
Probably has to do with the pills and list.”

“So why don’t you go back?”

He shakes his head, gnawing on the tip of
his thumb again.

“Okay…” I sit on the bed, folding my legs.
“What about that guy earlier? The King. What was his deal?”

“He uh…” Reid blushes, looking away, “he
thinks you’re my new girl.”

“
What
?
Why?
”

“Since Ansley, I haven’t really—I mean, I
don’t ever talk to anyone outside Pratt and the Rogues. You’re the
first…” he exhales, nervously laughing, “…
girl
I’ve actually
been seen talking to. Guess he sort of assumed.”

“Okay…” I race through what he’s telling me,
“but even if he thinks that, does it really merit an escort? I
mean, I’m not in any danger, am I?”

He bites the tip of his thumb.

“Reid?”

“No one’s coming near you,” he sits on the
bed, “and look, sorry for this mess. It’s my fault. I should’ve
been smarter being around you.”

Being around me?
It was just the few
times in the trenches and Auditorium. Is that all it takes? It has
to be something else. “Maybe it was the scapegoat thing?”

“Maybe,” he blushes again, “but seriously,
you’re good. Mantis or any of the Kings come within feet of you,
I’ll know.”

“Then what?”

He shrugs. “I’ll take care of them.”

“And…” I make sure I understand this
correctly, “this is all because you’re Rox? Because they’ve seen
you with me a total of three times?
This
makes me your
girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” he leans forward, resting his elbows
on his knees. “Stupid, I know.”

A minute passes. I stare at the ground,
trying to figure out the next thing to say. I’m sure it should be
about the pills or the list earlier. Even about gathering, but I
keep coming back to the same question I want answered more. “Why
weren’t you?”