The Water Queens (Keeper of the Water) (5 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

Amelia slows the airboat as we approach the dock near the old garage. The return trip through the swamp already passed painfully slow since more of the airboat’s fan fell apart along the way. It also didn’t help that tension between John and I hung heavier in the air than oppressive heat. I want to yell at my recruit to hurry up but it’s probably smarter to approach with caution, just in case the Queen Clan left anyone behind to wait for us.

“Now that the clan is down one woman, I doubt Cassie would’ve left anyone behind; I’m sure she wants as many queens protecting
her
as possible,” Amelia says. “Besides, she couldn’t have thought we’d make it out of the swamp alive or she never would’ve left us.”

Still, I raise my bow, pulling an arrow back in the string, waiting for the slightest sign of movement. John holds the other bow, which looks clumsy in his hands. He’d wanted to take the gun but I threw it in the swamp before leaving the inlet. Luckily, nobody is here, at least none of the queens. An old pickup truck is crashed in the swamp near the docks. I cringe when I see two young men still sitting inside – sporting matching mullets – with arrows sticking out of their chests. There’s no point checking their vitals.

Once we reach land, the airboat’s engine finally dies. I jump off the boat first, relieved to feel solid ground beneath me again. I rush over to the motorcycle that Amelia and my mother rode in on. It’s smashed to pieces, directly in the middle of huge tire tracks created by the swamp buggy. With Amelia and John close behind, I rush down the long dirt driveway that leads to the main road. I run faster with every step, slowly regaining more of my Amazonian powers but not quite reaching my usual speeds. I suddenly wish I drank more of the water before leaving the inlet.

We find John’s second motorcycle – the one he and I drove from the Poconos to Florida – but it’s also demolished, another victim to the buggy. Huge tire marks head off into the distance. I stop and kick the bike out of frustration. We’re on a country back road, miles from civilization and who
knows
how far from the Queen Clan. A dust cloud suddenly appears in the distance and a car emerges from it. I raise my bow again but John grabs me by the arm and pulls me behind a thicket of brush, out of view from the driver.

A police car drives by a minute later. I’m not afraid to face anyone at this moment though I suddenly find myself short of breath. Our run from the swamp garage wasn’t lengthy but the other two heave for air as much as I do. I keep reminding myself that our bodies still haven’t fully healed yet. For that matter, I’m not sure they ever
will
without another sip of the water of life, the
pure
kind straight from the source.

I’m frustrated by this humanly weakness, frustrated that we’re still miles from nowhere, frustrated that the only other living person around is the cop, who we
don’t
want to see. He turns down the driveway leading to the swamp garage; who knows how much harm the queens caused with the swamp buggy but I can only assume the cop is here to investigate. It won’t be long until he finds the pair of murdered young men. We
don’t
want to be around for that.

This dirt road is still so far from civilization that the swamp buggy’s tracks haven’t yet faded. They lead back toward the nearby town but I don’t need to see the tracks to know that. I already feel a slight tingling at the thought of Cassie. I instinctively
know
which direction she went. I wish there were another way to travel but there’s not.

“We have to run,” I say.

Amelia and John don’t look pleased but know there’s no other choice. I begin to run and they follow. I push myself harder and harder, run faster and faster. I try to ignore exhaustion that’s threatening me with collapse. I move faster than the world’s fastest human but still can’t come close to matching the slowest Amazon. The other two struggle to keep up but neither complains – neither has the strength to.

They follow me closely so I feel the need to keep pushing myself, even as the corners of my vision turn to blackness. It’s becoming harder to take a deep breath, harder to stay balanced on my feet. Finally, I can’t go any further and slow to a stop, bending over and putting my hands on my knees, sucking wind. Amelia and John collapse to the ground next to me, both on the verge of passing out. We somehow manage to muster the energy to scramble to the side of the road and hide behind some trees as the wail of more police sirens approach.

“They must’ve discovered the bodies,” Amelia says breathlessly.

Once half a dozen police cars speed down the long dirt road – finally wiping away the swamp buggy’s trail – I stand and stumble back onto the road, ready to start running though I barely have the strength to stand. Amelia dutifully follows her mentor and it’s a good thing; she helps catch me as my legs give out. I’m totally spent.

“This is going to take way too long,” I say as John rushes – or at least
tries
to rush – to my side. “We’re never going to reach the Amazon before Cassie.”

“Well… maybe not…” John says between deep breaths. He slowly reaches into his pocket. “I was going to… save this… for the right time…”

I see the bright sparkle of blue before my brain registers he’s holding a vial. Needless to say, I’m utterly shocked; this water clearly isn’t from the former water source we just left. This water sparkles and it’s brighter; there’s no doubt in my mind it’s the water of life in its purest form. Amelia is first to find her voice.

“How did you…”

I suddenly look from the water to John and I’m snapped from my trance. I’m less inquisitive than Amelia and more upset. In fact, I snap before letting my recruit finish her question or giving John a chance to explain himself.

“You had our water all along and didn’t let me give it to my mother?” I yell, my words burning with rage.

John shakes his head. “I didn’t – ”

“I helped you
first
– I saved your life
first
– and this is how you repay me? If it wasn’t for you,
both
my parents would still be alive and who knows if Cassie would’ve remembered her past,” I scream. My dam of unspoken thoughts is broken and John just stands there and takes it, his jaw clenched. His lack of response only spurs me to yell more. “And after all that – all the times you’ve stomped on my heart – you let my mother die without giving her your
backup
supply of water?”

My hands shake and I feel the urge to hit him. Luckily, I have a
little
self-control left.

“Anything else you’ve been waiting to say?” he asks, his voice calm. Still, he can’t hide the anger in his eyes.

I shake my head but speak anyway. “I can’t believe you, I can’t believe I
ever
fell for you. At least you’re not denying how selfish you were to keep the water for yourself.”

“Can I speak now?” he asks.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I say. “Do you
want
Cassie to get to the water first? Do you
want
the plans you made together to work?”

I turn away before giving him the chance to respond to my accusations; the sight of his face sickens me at the moment. My mind tells me that John couldn’t possibly want to help Cassie but my heart is never so sure of his true intentions. Though still exhausted, I begin to walk away and Amelia hurries next to me though she’s as tired as I am. Even though John’s water – technically
our
water since he was never an Amazon – could give us the strength needed for our long journey, I refuse to accept
anything
from him anymore. Just knowing that my mother could still be alive if given that water makes me so angry that –

“I didn’t have it then,” he says. “I
didn’t
just let your mother die.”

I turn back around and rush toward him, fully intending to attack. I’ve had enough of his lies. He must sense I’m about to strike but doesn’t even put his hands up to defend himself. He’s lucky Amelia grabs me from behind before I start swinging.

“You’re a liar!” I yell. “I guarded that water more than a hundred years – Amazons have been protecting it for
thousands
of years before that. Do you really think I’m foolish enough to think you just
happened
to stumble upon a vial of it laying around?”

“I found it in the pocket of the queen you shot!” John yells back.

I’m surprised by the way he explodes; apparently I’ve pushed him too far. When I look into his dark fiery eyes, I can see Ponce de Leon, I can see the former conquistador. A part of me is concerned by his change in demeanor; a
bigger
part of me is drawn to him even more. Either way, his words sink into my mind and my anger instantly deflates.

“Elizabeth the First,” Amelia says. “Catherine must’ve made sure everyone in the Queen Clan brought an extra vial for protection.”

“She must not have had the chance to drink it and save herself,” John growls, still staring daggers through me.

Amelia must feel my body relax because she lets go of me.

“She wouldn’t have had the chance since Sacajawea shot her,” Amelia says proudly.

John doesn’t look impressed. I
should
apologize but… I don’t know… I just don’t. Maybe I’m embarrassed. Or maybe I’m not used to apologizing because I’m not used to having so many things to apologize about. I hope my calmer exterior is enough for him to know I’m sorry.

“Why didn’t you tell us about it until now?” I ask, careful to avoid sounding accusatory.

“I knew how desperately you wanted to gain revenge on Cassie,” he says. “I didn’t want you to drink all the water and try running through the swamp on your own. We need patience for the long journey back to the jungle; I figured we could save the water in case of emergency.”

“And does
this
qualify?” I ask.

He glares at me before flipping off the vial’s lid. He puts it to his lips and for a brief moment, I worry he’s going to drink it all. But he only sips his share before handing it to Amelia, who takes her own sip. She gives me the final third, which I drink in a single swallow. It’s not much more than a tablespoon of water but it doesn’t need to be any more. Its effects hit me like a tidal wave. At first my body hurts, pain of the water healing the rest of my injuries. Luckily, the worst of my wounds were already mended so the pain isn’t so bad and doesn’t last so long. John and Amelia also look uncomfortable but not for long.

A refreshing blast of coldness surges through my veins. In an instant, my fatigue is gone, my lingering pain is gone, my humanly weakness is gone. Strength and energy exude from my body. The sensation is awesome; it’s a feeling I was afraid I’d never experience again.

Without another word, I take off running with the other two close behind. This time, we run like the wind and none of us tires. It’s not long before the country dirt road turns to pavement. We approach civilization and more vehicles on the road. I realize we should slow down in public – or do whatever we can to remain hidden – but I don’t even care. Seeing other cars motivates me to run faster; hopefully, we look like nothing more than strange blurs to anyone that happens to spot us.

The rest of the world passes around us in a blur but it’s hard to miss several areas on or near the road that have suffered all kinds of damage: toppled light posts, destroyed bus stops, damaged cars and buildings, even a stop sign with an arrow sticking out of it. I also notice a greater police presence, which becomes more noticeable the farther we run along Cassie’s trail. I don’t know what sort of wild ride Cassie and her queens took in the swamp buggy but it obviously drew plenty of attention.

The driver of a nearby car suddenly spots us and swerves out of the way, nearly causing an accident. A police car patrolling the area turns on its siren and rushes in our direction. The cops will never be able to catch us but things begin getting tricky when a second police car turns a corner ahead of us. Dealing with police is not a problem John wants to face.

“We need to get off these roads,” he yells, the sound of his voice nearly drowned out since we run too fast. “Cops are everywhere; we need to figure out where we’re going next.”

On one side of the main road is a large fence with a huge field just beyond, a long runway disappearing into the distance; on the other side is a row of old industrial buildings. I pick out a building that looks abandoned and the three of us easily leap a ten-foot fence. Within seconds, we smash through some broken windows and land in an abandoned warehouse. It’s dark and dusty inside; I doubt anyone’s been here for years. The police sirens soon disappear into the distance.

“The cops never would’ve caught us,” I say. I’m not winded in the least, even though we’ve run several miles in a few minutes. “They weren’t far behind but didn’t even see us jump the fence or come in here.”

We’re not far from the path the queens took but I can also tell the trail is cooling. The familiar tingling sensation still tickles the back of my mind but I sense it’s more of a warning of danger.

“You feel it too, Mentor?” Amelia asks.