Perilous Light (9 page)

We were ushered through the back door of the small farmhouse. James and Liam were each stuck to my side like glue. As weird as James acted, he still took his job to protect me seriously.

The door opened into a cramped kitchen. When James turned, his backpack fell into me, pushing me into Liam.

“
If you wanted to get close to me, you could have just asked.” Liam had a twinkle in his eye as he teased me.

Usually, I wouldn’t rise to his comment, but I couldn’t resist. “Yeah, you know how shy I can be.”

Before Liam could respond, we were led over to a long table. Once seated, I realized how hungry I was and hoped the food was good. Bright tapestries covered the walls, a sharp contrast to the austere outside of the house. The effect was impressive, a beacon of color in an otherwise dark place.

“
Essence, it is quite an honor to have you at our table.” A pretty girl who couldn’t have been more than a few years older than I was smiled as she brought a large bowl to the table. “If you would like to wash up first, there is a basin in the corner.”

I looked down at my dirty and blistered hands. I grinned, thanking her before getting up to quickly wash my hands and rinse my face. I returned to the table feeling much better. Spending time in Energo made me appreciate the little things in life, including running water.

I took my seat just as the backdoor opened again, admitting a man who was probably in his early twenties. He walked over to the girl and kissed her forehead before taking his seat beside her. Similar to how I had been struck when I first saw Tara, it surprised me how different the timeline was in Energo. I felt extremely young compared to the couple who already lived together. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, I realized everyone was waiting for me to say something.

“
Oh. Thanks for having us.” Being a southern girl, I knew how to be polite, but I was always so thrown off by the way people treated me in Energo that I sounded like a lost child. James elbowed me and gave me a funny look, so I added, “We appreciate any help we can get. These are dangerous times.” Great. I was practically quoting
Harry Potter
.

Monty saved me from further embarrassment. “Mindy, Aaron, do you have news for us?” I was glad he used the couple’s names because I had no clue who they were. The lack of introductions was odd, but with all of the tension, it wasn’t the biggest oversight.

Mindy studied me for a moment, as if gauging how much bad news I could take. “Yes, but I am afraid it is not good. Blake has been setting up checkpoints throughout Energo under the guise of looking for illegal goods, but he is searching for the Essence.”

Monty nodded. “Thank you for the warning. We will have to be sure to hide Charlotte.” Monty’s ability to appear calm surprised me. He was a better actor than I expected, but then he had successfully convinced me for almost sixteen years that he had been born and bred in Charleston.

“
I know a good way to hide her.” Lawson was so excited his elbow hit his bowl of soup, splashing the contents all over the table.

James ignored the mess in front of us. “Let’s hear this idea.”

I searched for a napkin, but realized that no one else seemed particularly concerned. Attempting to overlook the liquid dripping onto the floor, I waited for Lawson to share.

“
One of us needs to pretend to be taking Charlotte for unification. No Bravado will dare question it. Besides, no one believes that the Essence could even pretend to be with any man besides her Gerard. As long as she can play the part, we will be fine.” Lawson looked to me for approval.

Monty didn’t hesitate before answering. “It should be Liam.”

“
I agree,” Lawson and James said simultaneously. I gave Liam a guarded look.

“
So what exactly are we supposed to do?” Liam asked, his expression unreadable.

Monty ate a few spoonsful of soup. “You and Charlotte need to pretend that you are heading north for unification. Many people do it at the Mason Falls. It is much like the cathedral at Bellgard; it is connected to the Source. A union is our equivalent of a marriage.”

“
I see. So Charlotte and I are going to pretend to be engaged so we can get through a checkpoint?”

Monty smiled. “Yes, that about sums it up.”

“
I think we can handle that. Can’t we, hon?” Liam winked and put his arm around me.

“
Sure thing.”

I tried to act as relaxed about it as Liam, and pretend it was a joke, but it was different for me. First of all, I was in love with Calvin, and secondly, it brought me back to being eight years old and staging our wedding with Barbie and Ken as stand-ins. I was really glad that Liam had no idea of how big a crush I used to have on him.

Chapter Nine:

Kevin

After a day and a half on the boat, I was more than ready to get back on land. I split my time between sailing lessons from Bry and staring out at the water, trying to prepare myself for meeting the council. The former I did because it seemed like a skill I should have, and the later was unavoidable. Everyone kept telling me to follow my blood, but I had no clue what that meant. I was glad Monty was with Charlotte, but I could have used his insight and encouragement. For the first time since discovering Energo, I started to picture what my life would have been like had I been raised there. No matter what blood I had running through my veins, I clearly lacked the experience I needed, and I wondered if Charlotte felt the same way.

As Bry pulled the boat into the busy marina, I took a deep breath and swallowed my insecurities. Whether confident or not, I couldn’t show any hesitation.

Henry had told me that Alak was the largest port city and the center of trade, but what awaited me was even bigger than I expected. We walked onto the dock, and once again, I was in another world. Energo looked like something out of the Middle Ages, whereas Alak appeared more like a bustling modern city. Bright neon billboards filled with languages I didn’t recognize lined the streets, and I had to anchor my feet to avoid becoming lost in the crowd.

“
Follow me.” Bry took the lead, and we wordlessly tailed him. I hoped he knew where we were going. The water continued throughout the city in an intricate network of canals. Pedestrian walkways full of rows upon rows of people lined the canals. Buildings surrounded us, some only a few stories high, while others soared as skyscrapers. Instead of the stonework that dominated Energo, the buildings were built of glass and metal. Still, Alak showed signs of distress. Once the initial shock of seeing such a modern city faded, I noticed boarded-up buildings and several signs with only half of the bulbs lit.

“
Energo was not the only place to enter hard times without the Essence.” Henry answered my unasked question. It still seemed hard to believe that the fate of my mom and sister had an impact on so many people.

I blindly trailed Bry through the crowd, nearly falling into him when he stopped to push open a large metal door. I assumed we had reached our hotel, but since I couldn’t read the lettering on the outside of the modern building, I wasn’t sure. We stepped into a small pitch-black hallway and walked for a moment before a bright light hit my eyes. A large elevator stood opened before us, and I was pushed inside. The ride lasted for several minutes until we came to an abrupt stop. The doors opened, and I finally had some breathing room.

We walked into a room with both the walls and floor made of glass. The windows gave an incredible view of the city. We must have been seriously high up.
The skyline looked funny with the alternating short and tall buildings, and I felt disoriented when looking down at the glass floor. The effect of watching the city below was dizzying. Gazing up, I was struck by the tall ceiling that seemed to continue on forever. The only furniture in the room was an oval desk and a pair of matching chairs, all of which appeared to be made of glass. Bry approached the desk.

Behind the desk stood a woman who looked as if she were covered entirely in diamonds. The sparkling reflections made it almost difficult to look directly at her. Despite the brightness, her figure left little doubt that she was a woman.

Samantha’s slap brought me back to attention. “Did you just slap me?”

“
We already warned you to hide your reactions. Drooling over a Zale is not going to help anything.” I couldn’t help but notice that Samantha blushed as she made the comment.

“
Sorry. I’ve never seen anything like it… um,
her
before.” I tried to hide the smile that automatically appeared when I realized that Samantha might have actually been jealous. “Wait. Did you call her a Zale? Like Zales, the jewelry store at the mall?”

“
I have no idea what you are talking about and really do not care. Stay serious, Kevin.” The blush was gone, and I wondered if I had imagined it.

“
There are only two rooms available, so we are going to have to bunk up.” With all of my attention directed toward Samantha, I hadn’t noticed Bry return to our group.

“
We made it work on the boat, so we can do it again.” Naomi yawned, and it was contagious.

“
It works for me.” I figured that no matter how tired I felt, I wouldn’t be sleeping well anyway.

***

After stashing our gear in the rooms, we headed back out onto the busy streets of Alak. The consensus was that the sooner I met some of the other leaders, the better. Evidently, the other leaders liked to hang out at a particular drinking establishment.

Homina’s Aqua looked like a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, and for once, looks were not deceiving. The long wooden bar was lined with stools, most of which were taken. The walls were littered with worn advertisements, some of which seemed ready to fall off onto the floor. About a dozen smaller tables dotted the room, several of which were pushed together to form one long table. I made sure not to stare at anyone for too long, and thankfully, the near darkness of the bar made it easier to hide my surprise at the different types of people sitting around.

I followed Bry over to the bar, and he ordered a round of drinks. I was grateful not to have to do it myself because nothing on tap sounded even vaguely familiar. It would have been just my luck to have ordered something putrid.

“
Over here.” Naomi had grabbed her drink and taken a seat at the long table.

I looked around again as I headed to the table. As different as the clientele appeared, the bar wasn’t that different from a bar back home. Men and women sat close together, talking and laughing over their drinks. Some were flirting, and others appeared to be fighting. It was nice to see that some things were the same.

“
So this is the Winthrop?” a man sputtered, as the rest of the group took seats at the table. He had the appearance of an ox with wide-spaced nostrils and thick, wrinkly skin. He had to weigh over four hundred pounds. Calling him intimidating would be an understatement.

“
Yes. This is Kevin. He is the brother of the Essence.” Naomi barely even glanced in my direction as she introduced me, letting me know that I was on my own. Great.

“
Well, Kevin, I’m Ollis. I speak for Kenset.”

I probably should have spent time learning about the different nations in the Pact. Maybe it would have helped my cause if I didn’t stare at people blankly when they told me where they were from.

“
Nice to meet you, Ollis.” I extended my hand and wasn’t surprised by Ollis’s bone-breaking handshake.

“
Are you ready for another drink, Kevin?” I couldn’t help but notice that Ollis’s attention was directed completely toward me, as he ignored everyone else.

It didn’t sound as though he were really asking a question, so I looked at my nearly full glass before taking the rest down in a single swallow. “Sure.”

Ollis signaled for a waiter, who quickly brought over two more drinks. Still tasting the bitterness from the last drink, I hoped it wasn’t the same stuff.

“
Bottoms up.” Ollis slammed his drink before the waiter was halfway back to the bar.

Henry leaned over to whisper, “I think you are going to have to drink that one fast, too.”

He was right. Ollis seemed like the kind of guy who only took a man seriously if he could hold his drink. It was going to be a long night. I drank, barely registering the bitterness that time.

Ollis ordered another round of drinks, and I began to get worried. My first thought was that I was glad Coach Williams wasn’t there to see me. After the third drink, my head started spinning—whatever they were, the drinks were strong. However, the more I drank, the better it tasted.

Ollis’s sharp gaze intensified. “What do you think of Alak?” If he was drunk, he didn’t show it.

“
It’s… uh, bigger than I expected.” I didn’t know what he wanted to hear.

“
Is your home not this way? I had heard that your world was rather modern.”

“
It is. It’s just that I assumed Alak would be more like Bellgard.”

Ollis laughed. “Not all of us like to live in the dark ages if we do not have to.”

“
So the people of Energo
choose
to live that way?”

“
Of course. Did you really think we lacked the technology?” Samantha spoke sharply, and I realized I had insulted her.