Violet Path (33 page)

As we stepped outside, I was slightly relieved that The Shadows was vacant. I didn’t want anyone to see me, but I was also worried. The sea was always calm before the storm, and I had never seen The Shadows so quiet. Danger was imminent and no one would listen.

As we walked to an isolated cabin, I kept pleading for them to prepare for Matthew, but all they did was push me forward and tell me to keep moving. Anton shoved me into the cabin, but Luke was kind enough to catch my arm to break my fall before I face-planted. I thanked him, but he avoided eye contact.

The cabin was dismal. There was a pole in the center of the room, but there wasn’t a built floor, only cold, damp soil. John sat me by the post and tied my hands around it. I leaned against the pole, utterly exhausted. I knew forgiveness was out of the question, but I needed to gain something other than hate. I didn’t fear death, but I couldn’t bear the thought of Maxime’s.

“How long did you think you could keep hiding here?” Anton paced in front of me.

“I don’t know; longer than this, but I’m not hiding. You need to evacuate The Shadows if you’re not going to fight back. Matthew will be here any minute now.”

Anton punched me in the jaw before I could continue. The taste of blood swirled in my mouth and my eyes watered. I choked back my anger.

“Don’t tell me what to do. What’s Matthew’s plan?” he said. Flashes of Orion and Keith beating me to a bloody pulp flashed through my head.

“I don’t know—”

He punched me in the face. “Stop lying!” Anton’s eyes darted flames in every direction. The rest of my group seemed to ignore what was happening, as if they were trying to stay out of trouble.

Anton kept asking questions, I kept telling him that I didn’t know, and the beatings ensued. Blood flooded my mouth, and my cheeks formed a thin layer of sticky tears. I could barely keep my eyes open. Everything hurt. I could take the physical pain, but this pain was different. This pain was sad. I had lied to my friends. I had sentenced the man I loved to death. I was slowly dying of a broken heart. That feeling of belonging I had cherished for almost half a year had been ripped from me.

“It would be easier and less painful for you to simply answer me correctly and truthfully.” Anton knelt beside me, and I did my best to look him in the eye.

“I don’t know Matthew’s plan. You won’t accept the truth, but I won’t lie,” I muttered under my breath.

He quickly grabbed his dagger and tried to plunge it into my thigh, but I kicked him. My friends didn’t know how to react. I didn’t mean to hurt him or aggravate the situation, but I wasn’t going to let him mutilate me either.

Anton got to his feet and aimed the blade at my stomach. I closed my eyes—I was tied to a pole, and there was no way that I would be able to move out of the way. The only thing I could do was grit my teeth and wait for the pain.

But the pain never came.

I opened my eyes and saw Maxime standing between me and Anton with the dagger in his hands.

“Sir, what are you doing here?” Anton said. I could see the fear in his eyes.

“What I should have done earlier. Mark my words; no one is to lay a hand on Alex or they will pay with their life,” Maxime said with authority.

“You don’t have the right to set rules or give orders when being investigated!” Anton screamed, trying to gain some power.

“Looks to me like you’re investigating Alex, not me.”

“Sir, I need to speak with you privately please,” Sam said.

“As soon as I finish with Sam, he will heal Alex’s injuries,” Maxime said. They left, taking all the air out of the room.

“Schedule Andrew’s trial in the next five minutes and get me anesthetics,” Anton spoke calmly to a soldier on his left. Anton searched eagerly through a black bag and pulled out a needle filled with clear liquid.

“Hold him . . . her . . .” he said to two soldiers.

I felt hands on my shoulders, then Anton injected the drug into my neck. I didn’t fight; there was no use. The cool liquid filled my veins and traveled through me. My eyelids grew heavy, and the last thing I remembered was Maxime’s beautiful face.

Part Two

Chapter 30

Screaming.

I awoke to screaming.

My body was stiff. I started to gather my memories, recalling Anton’s fury. I opened my eyes and suddenly remembered everything that had happened.

Screaming and explosions.

I sat up, but couldn’t move. My hands were tied behind my back. Matthew was here. He was attacking The Shadows.

I struggled to free myself before Matthew could gun everyone down. I heard my friends yelling and weapons blazing. I shouted for someone to help me, but no one could hear me above the sound of death, and even if they could, they wouldn’t bother to help.

My heart raced against time as I tried to unbind myself. Tears ran down my cheeks as the rope cut my wrists. Scorching pain shot through my arms, pounding against my head. The rope cut my flesh, allowing my blood to act as a lubricant to ease and sooth the burns. I bit my tongue and glued my eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain. I felt the rope dig deeper through my skin nearing the bone. Sweat pearled down my forehead. My own screams drowned out the screams of my friends dying outside.

I listened to screams and blasts around me. I was exhausted, but I refused to give in to Matthew. Finally, the rope slipped off my right hand and relief tingled up my spine. I slowly brought my hands in front of me, alleviating the tension in my shoulders. I didn’t want to see what I had self-inflicted, so I pulled the rope off my left hand, careful not to dig it any further into my flesh. I felt every nerve in my body shriek and burst as the rope skimmed above my wrists. I let the binding fall to the ground and pulled my feet under me. I was sore and stiff, but I took a deep breath and ran out to face death.

Bodies were everywhere. All Shadows soldiers. Some people were moaning and twitching with pain while others were lifeless. The stench of blood infected the air. I had seen images of war many times, but none were as violent as this. Nothing seemed real, but the nightmare wouldn’t end.

An arrow whizzed past me, and I suddenly realized that the dead and wounded hadn’t been shot with guns, but with arrows. Matthew was using them as tracking devices so he could find the victims.

Looking around the chaos, my blood boiled inside of me. I felt the world being torn apart.

Another arrow flew past me. I ran between cabins, trees, and bodies. I wanted to help, but it was impossible. The Shadows’s men were holding onto their lives as Matthew’s men killed them one by one. Blood stained the soil. I saw Nick standing by a tree, looking around in confusion, not sure of what to do. He was in plain sight, a perfect target. I raced toward him, knowing that Matthew’s men were most likely aiming for him. I dove, tackling him at the waist. We fell hard, but he cushioned my landing. He looked at me with confusion, but I didn’t blame him. I was still the enemy. I quickly pulled him behind the tree so he wouldn’t get hit.

“I didn’t save you to kill you.” I tried to reason with him. His eyes were wide in fear, and he held me at gunpoint.

“So why did you?” Nick stuttered and looked away, ashamed.

“You looked out for me. A life for a life.” I did my best to sound sincere. He had treated me like a son, and I had nothing to offer in return.

Nick stood in bewilderment, so I ran off. It wasn’t safe for me to stand around unarmed. I sprinted as the trees blurred around me. Snow flurries created a white veil, making it difficult to see.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my knees, slamming me down to the frozen battlefield. I landed on a tree’s large root, and my vision went blurry for a second. I didn’t get up; my head was pounding too hard for me to gather enough strength and balance to stand. Gun shots and cries of pain rang out. My wrists were still bleeding, and small drops of oozing blood dotted the white snow. The screams started to fade, slowly disappearing into the dry air.

And then there was silence.

The battle had ended.

I felt someone tapping my foot. I turned around and saw Maxime laying on his back, staring at the sky, his hand reaching out to me. Immediately, I ran to his side. An arrow had been driven into his right lower abdomen. Blood stained the snow around his body. His breathing was light and rapid. I kneeled beside him. Tears blurred my eyes, and I couldn’t speak. The world around me had shattered. I looked around for help, but only immobile cadavers surrounded us.

Maxime was pale and extremely weak. His deep, blue eyes had lost their light, and he could barely keep them open. He forced a smile and slowly took my hand.

“You have to go now. Matthew will be here any moment . . . please go . . . I’m sorry,” he said in a whisper. I felt my world shattering. He couldn’t die. I wouldn’t let him.

“You’ll be fine. Come on. I’m taking you with me,” I cried.

“Alex, be reasonable. You need to run . . . now. I can’t . . . go with you . . . not now. I’ll slow you down. I can’t walk with an arrow in my hip, and you can’t support me with Matthew’s men after you.”

“I can pull the arrow out,” I sobbed. I knew how painful it would be, but I refused to abandon him.

“Then I’d bleed to death.”

“I’m not leaving you!”

Maxime softly caressed my cheek, and I closed my eyes, absorbing his warm touch.

“You have to . . . for now. Matthew can’t do anything to me, and you need to help The Shadows. I . . . love you.” Maxime was slipping through my fingers. I embraced his last words and kissed him, but I wouldn’t leave. He wiped away my tears and smiled. “Stop being so stubborn. You’re the only person who will know where to find me. Go!”

I kissed him passionately, my tears falling onto his cheeks. But I knew he was right. I had to leave, but I would find him.

As I stood up, someone tackled me, and I rolled down the side of a small hill. Sam was pinning me to the ground. I tried to kick him off, but he held me.

“Alex, hear me out. You need to leave Andrew behind. Matthew won’t hurt him as long as he doesn’t have you. You are the only one who can rescue him because you’ve lived at H.S.H.S. Come on, we need to go.”

I quickly flipped Sam over and restrained him. “Why do you trust me? No one else does.” I demanded a reason. Everyone else seemed to be against me.

“Because you haven’t given me a reason not to.”

“I got you shot and almost beaten to death. You out of everyone should want me dead!”

“You didn’t pull the trigger or strike me, and you carried me back and helped us escape from Zachary.”

I remained silent. I was a bit suspicious. As much as I didn’t want to think about it, it was possible that my friend was trying to trick me— he somehow knew about my training at H.S.H.S. “How do you know H.S.H.S.?” I asked skeptically.

“I know a lot more than you think. I’ve known that you’re from Tamizeh since your encounter with Orion and Keith.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“There was nothing to be said.”

“Why are you defending me?” I was starting to get frustrated. I felt like he had been using me somehow, keeping me ignorant.

“You shouldn’t have been accused. You didn’t do anything.”

“Stop speaking like Andrew!”

“We’re a lot more alike than you think.”

My head spun. I felt lost.

“Here, this belongs to you.” Sam handed me his beautifully carved dagger. I knelt by his side, but refused to take the weapon.

“Stay down! Soldiers are coming,” he whispered aggressively as he pushed me down.

My heart sank again as I looked up the hill and saw two soldiers approach Maxime. They aimed their laser guns at him. I dug my nails into the snow, holding myself back. I was afraid of what they would do to him.

“Matthew,” one of the soldiers called out.

My muscles tensed as I saw Matthew emerge.

“It can’t be . . .” Matthew’s breath dissolved in the air as he grabbed Maxime’s left hand. He cut off the black cloth with his dagger. “So Maxime, we meet again. Did you actually think you could avoid our encounter? I have to hand it to you, being the leader of The Shadows at such a young age is incredible. I didn’t even think it was you. I had given you the same position only with more power—”

“And blood,” Maxime snapped.

“Where is she?” Matthew’s voice struck violently. My heart immediately tightened; nothing good ever followed that question.

Maxime remained silent. He didn’t even blink.

“Where is she?” Matthew yelled at the top of his lungs. “You think you can hide her? You know I’ll find her. Why not tell me? She’s only caused you trouble, and either I set you out to kill her or to bring her to me. So, where is she?”

Silence.

Matthew grabbed the arrow shaft that was sticking out of Maxime’s stomach and twisted. Maxime screamed in pain. I was ready to jump, but Sam held me back.

“Where is she?” Matthew screamed.

I wanted Maxime to answer, to point his hand in my direction. Then all of this would be over. But he simply gazed at Matthew, and a thin smile spread across his face. Matthew dug the arrow further into Maxime’s abdomen and turned it, tearing his flesh. Sweat ran down Maxime’s forehead, and his breathing got heavier. He did his best to endure the pain in silence.

I felt my heart explode. I was ready to put everything to an end, but Sam put a gun to my neck. I wasn’t sure if he would pull the trigger, but it made me realize that Matthew wouldn’t have a reason to let Maxime live if I turned myself in. I remained still, helpless.

“She caused you trouble, so why protect her? She’s not the innocent, little girl you used to know. She’s a murderer like you and me. You can’t withstand the pain. I know you. Your limit will be uncovered sooner or later. I have always found your weaknesses,” Matthew continued.

“Then you should know that this is useless,” Maxime muttered from his quivering lips.

Tension built with the silence, growing heavier by the minute. My heart beat against my ribcage like waves crashing onto a rocky seashore.

“You . . . failed. You failed with your . . . son, me, and now Alex. Three failures . . . not one . . . success. When will you learn your . . . limits?” Maxime smiled, taunting Matthew.