Moirai (22 page)

“Yes, step aside, ma'am.” I moved aside only long enough
to allow two soldiers inside our home, then shut the door to keep our neighbors
from witnessing what I was about to do. My right arm came up and swiped the man
across the neck with the dagger. He dropped like a bag of potatoes, falling in
a heap all over the floor.

“Olive!” My mother shrieked and I didn’t know if she was
trying to scold me for my actions or let me know another soldier had now
positioned his gun at me. I wasn’t afraid, even though I knew I should have
been.

I didn’t have time to think, only react. My hands moved for
the barrel of the gun, letting the dagger hit the floor. Maybe it was a bad
idea: I was best on defense and the dagger was my only tool of offense I'd
managed to learn. It didn’t matter. The soldier staggered backwards as I shoved
the gun with full force backwards into the man and he shuddered back,
surprised. No one ever put up a fight. He probably wasn’t even trained in
actual combat. “Now's your chance: you can run, go to the Gravelands, and never
come back.” I smiled, taunting him. I knew I was just pissing him off and
likely would get my ass kicked for it.

“Fat chance in hell.” He beckoned, one hand coming at me
to jab me across the face. I jumped back, avoiding the hit with a maneuver that
startled him, reaching for the lamp.

“Touché!” I ripped the cord of the lamp from the wall as
I smacked the soldier over the head with it, watching him buckle down onto the
ground. He was out cold.

“Olivia!” My mother's voice echoed with a gasp of horror
and shock at what I'd just done.

“Don't look at me like that.” I felt her cold stare,
frightened as she saw what I had to do to protect us. Except I'm not sure she
saw it the same way I did. “If we don't kill him, he's just going to bring
reinforcements.” I bent down and handed her the dagger.

“No.” My mother shook her head. “It's not right.”

“What they're doing to us, that's right?” I asked,
shocked. “If you want to tie him up, put him in your bedroom. Just make sure he
can't get loose.”

“Where are you going?” I heard her rummage around the
drawers, searching for rope or anything that would restrain the soldier.

“Finding my backup.” I called over my shoulder.

It wasn't hard to find the rebel alliance. A roar of
vehicles sounded in the distance as gunfire erupted towards the edge of town. I
stepped outside my childhood home, the air smelling of smoke and the haze
lingering over the ground. I took the dagger with me, making my way along the
road. Two men came upon a soldier, tackled him to the ground, grabbed his gun,
and shot him. I wasn't in it for killing people; it was different when you were
being attacked—or even provoked. You stepped foot in my house, and yes, I'd
slit your throat. Out here on the street, it felt different, grittier.

“Hold up right there.” I heard an unfamiliar voice, one
of the men who had just killed the soldier. “It's late for a kid to be out at
this hour.”

“I'm no kid. Name's Olivia Parker,” I answered as I
lifted my hand to show my dagger. “Part of the rebel alliance,” I announced.
“And you are?”

“At your service.” The first one bowed and then laughed.
My stomach twisted with dread. “I'm Jordan and this is Joel. Jaxon told us
you'd be coming. We're working on gathering more troops to strengthen the rebel
alliance. What do you need from us, Olivia?”

If they knew Jaxon, then I could trust them. “You read my
mind.” I offered a weak smile. “What do you intend on doing with the soldiers
who won't back down?” I already knew the answer, without having to ask.

Joel's face hardened. “We kill them.”

Jordan shot Joel a quick look, I wasn't quite sure why.
“Listen.” Jordan rested a hand on my shoulder as he walked me further into the
shadow beneath the trees. “I know you're a part of this, whether you want to be
or not.” His eyes locked on mine. “But these men are ferocious: they'll stop at
nothing. They'll shoot you before they even know which side you're on.”

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “What if
you're wrong? What if there are soldiers who don't want to fight for Cabal?”

Jordan frowned. “I don't believe that to be the case.”

“I have information.” I turned and shifted on the balls
of my feet. I lifted myself as best I could on my tiptoes to meet his stare,
come face-to-face with him at eye-level. “The soldiers are coming from a town
outside of here, Torv. Those men, they just want to go home. Give them the
option first. If they don't take it…” I paused. “Do what you must.”

Jordan shot Joel a quick look and then nodded towards me.
“Looks like someone grew an inch or two,” Jordan smirked. “I'll see what I can
do. What are you going to do?”

“I need to see if Dylan Warren is still alive.” I didn't
wait for an answer.

I jogged to the Warrens’ house, knocking repeatedly on
the door. “Go away!” I heard a shout from the inside.

“Mr. Warren, it's Olivia.” I wasn't sure that would be
enough to let me in. Maybe I should have pretended to be his daughter again.

Slowly the door unlatched and he opened it, only to pull
me inside and slam the door behind him. Already we'd broken the rules. I wasn't
allowed to step foot in another's home. It was improper and illegal. Not that
the rules had stopped Dylan a few weeks ago. “Where's my son?”

“Honestly, I don't know.” It was the truth. “Last I saw,
he was okay though.” I did my best to assure him. “We need your help, Mr.
Warren.” I offered him the best smile I could muster, as I reached out to rest
a hand on his arm. “You owe me.”

“What?” He scoffed at the idea. “I don't owe you
anything, Olivia.”

I rolled my eyes in frustration and glamoured just long
enough that he could see me shift into Jacqueline. His eyes widened. “It was
you, all along!”

“I guess you could say that,” I smirked. “You owe me. I
didn't rat you out to Craynor.”

“Anita's dead. You keeping your mouth shut doesn't change
any of it.”

“I didn't kill her!” I gasped. “It was your fault. You
couldn't hide your indiscretions better. Besides, I could have told Craynor in
the hallway that you admitted to knowing who I was. That wouldn't have ended
well for you.” I put him in his place.

Dylan huffed. “As if it matters anymore. Not a chance I'm
doing anything for you. I lost my wife, my daughter, and my son. I can assure
you, Olivia, you are not at the top of my list of people to help.”

“Don't blame
me
for the situation you put yourself
in,” I retorted. “All this,” I gestured, “is because people are unhappy with the
way things are. You can't make children in a lab and not expect consequences,
especially when you send the second born away. Or worse,” I continued. “When
you force people who don't love each other to marry.”

Dylan's eyes narrowed. “None of that was my fault or my
doing.”

“Do you tell yourself that so you can sleep at night?” I
shot back. “I'm sure Joshua would love to know the truth about his father.”

“What truth?” He had no idea what I was talking about.

“Seriously?” I laughed, the dagger twirling in my hand.
“You're joking, right? Was Anita a willing participant? I'm guessing you didn't
give her a choice and then she was murdered over it. You disgust me,” I
snarled. “Maybe he's better off knowing who his father is, even if it means
losing you.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen, you little
brat.” He dropped his hands to his side. “I don't know why you're here or what
you want, but I can assure you, what I had with Anita was consensual.”

“I'd ask her but it's a little too late for that,” I
retorted.

“In a few weeks, it won't matter anymore. No one will
care.” He walked towards the window, casting the shade aside as he glanced
outside. “Everything's changing.”

“Yes, everything is,” I agreed. “You want your son back
in your life, you'll do as I tell you.”

Dylan sighed as he shifted on his feet. “Fine, what is it
you want from me?”

A few minutes later, I walked alongside Dylan Warren as
we approached what had once been the Governor's mansion. It was no longer
engulfed in flames, but a mess of rubble strewn across the lawn.

My stomach flopped as I surveyed the damage. I was
thankful Jaxon's body was moved, but saddened I had no idea where he'd been
taken. Some Cabal soldiers dug through rubble, looking for survivors. I guessed
they were searching for their leader.

“What do you expect from me?” Dylan stopped walking,
watching the aftermath of our destruction.

“All in due time,” I answered, confident of my actions. I
had to be confident; I had no other choice. Showing weakness would get me
killed. To the right of the rubble, I could see Jordan and a small band of
followers he'd managed to round up. I didn't know how many were originally part
of the rebel alliance but at least our numbers were growing in Genesis. He gave
me a brief salute, letting me know he saw me. “This way.” I led Dylan towards
Jordan and the mix of soldiers. There were twelve in total, three wearing the
Cabal uniform and the rest of them neighbors.

“Where's Joel?” I inquired, taking a quick headcount of
our small army.

“Trying to rally more support.” Jordan glanced around.
“We have another dozen soldiers with him.”

“Cabal soldiers?” I asked, surprised.

Jordan smiled. “Yes, ma'am. They just want to go home and
seeing as how
all
the governors are dead, the tide seems to be turning.”

“So it is,” I mused, glad the soldiers accepted our
terms. Even with an army of two dozen, we wouldn’t have enough support if an
air strike occurred, or if any additional men from the Cabal army rode into
town. For now, it would have to suffice.

“We got incoming!” From atop the stone wall, a rebel sat
watching for troops.

“Everybody get in position!” Jordan shouted orders as the
rebels raised their shotguns and pistols they'd stolen off dead troops. I
refused to use a gun. I hadn't been trained with one, and so long as I wasn't
on the front line, I'd be fine. At least, I hoped as much.

I crouched down behind the rubble of what had once been a
house. I didn't know who lived there or why the Cabal soldier had burned it to
the ground, only that it must have been in retaliation. The remains were black
and charred. I coughed from the fumes. Even though it wasn't smoldering, it
reeked of smoke.

From a crouching position, I could see headlights
directed straight for town moving through the open gate. It had been knocked
down sometime during the chaos of the past few hours. Without much warning or
hesitation, shots ripped through the vehicles on their approach.

My eyes widened in terror, recognizing that it wasn't a
military truck. “Stop!” I screamed, running out from my position. “Stop!
They're rebels!” I shrieked at the top of my lungs, “They're with us!” I knew
they were coming but it had taken longer than I'd anticipated. It took a few
moments for the firing to cease and the air to still as the first vehicle rolling
in slammed into a house and caught fire. “Shit,” I muttered, rushing towards
the scene. I didn't know who was in the car and didn't care: they were one of
us and we could have killed them. “You idiots!” I couldn't believe the mess
they'd made. Did they not know the difference between a military vehicle and
any other mode of transportation? Of course they didn't, they'd never seen
anything outside of Genesis. I was furious and fuming as I approached the
vehicle.

I could hear footsteps behind me, whispers and chatter. I
couldn't make out any words, my focus was on whoever was trapped inside. My
eyes widened in terror as I caught a glimpse of brown hair, a head hanging
forward, trapped by the seatbelt and unconscious. “Joshua!” I screamed, eyes
wide in fear as the vehicle began to catch ablaze. “Nooooo!” I shrieked and
felt the ground vibrate from my scream. As quickly as the flames rose, they
diminished. Smoke filled the area and I reached for the door handle, not caring
that it burned my hand as I pulled it open. “Josh, come on, Josh, wake up.” I
didn't wait for anyone else to help. My fingers went to the seatbelt,
unlatching it as his body fell forward into my arms. “It's okay, I've got you.”
I wasn't sure that it was okay but I kept telling myself he'd be fine.

As I pulled his body from the car and down onto the
ground, the car barely shielded us from prying eyes. “You can't die on me.” My
voice caught in my throat, only now seeing the blood seeping through his shirt.
His stomach bled profusely. “Damn it!” I screamed, my voice echoing against the
stone wall.

“What can we do?” I heard Jordan's voice but refused to
look up. Tears filled my eyes, and my hands shook as I leant down over Josh's
body.

“Just go away,” I mumbled, sobbing into his chest. “Go
away!” I screamed even louder, hearing his retreating steps. I lowered my lips
to Joshua's. His skin was pale, ashen, his breathing labored, barely visible,
but he hadn't died, not yet. “You will not give up, do you hear me?” I gave him
a kiss, hard and filled with passion. I poured energy to him, gasping as I
pulled back, tears covering his cheeks as much as my own from my pain. “I love
you, Josh.” I covered the injury on his chest with my hands, letting my energy
and will to live pass through him. I didn't know if it would work. I'd done it
once with Drezden: I had to be able to heal Joshua. “Come on.” I closed my
eyes, feeling a warmth spread through my fingers, burning my hands, the nerves
tingling as if they were on fire. My hands trembled from exhaustion before
finally stilling. “Josh?” His shirt was still covered in blood. I refused to
look up, to know if anyone witnessed what I'd done. It could get us both
killed.

He groaned, the color returning to his cheeks. “What
happened?” His voice was raspy, his throat raw. “Where am I?” He was
disoriented.