Allie's War Season One (69 page)

“Allie!” Revik’s voice was sharp.

When everyone looked at him, he cleared his throat.

“Can it wait? We need you here. Maygar didn’t want to speak for you.”

I looked at Maygar, who nodded, indicating for me to sit. “We need a plan, Bridge. Your
husband...”
He said the word with open contempt, and I felt Revik’s eyes shift to him. “...Seems to believe they may have been followed. That they were allowed to escape in the hopes he would lead the Rooks to you.” Maygar looked to Jon. “Did I get that right?”

“Yeah.” Jon glanced between Maygar and Revik, wary. “Yeah. That’s right.”

I stood there, feeling trapped. I looked at Cass, saw that Revik had moved his chair several feet from hers. Feeling sick, I looked at Jon. His eyes openly asked me to stay. Noticing again how thin he was, I swallowed, nodding. I glanced at the scar on Cass’s face, saw her looking at me with worry in her eyes, and hated myself more. Gods, what was wrong with me?

“All right.” I lowered my weight to the chair. “Sure.”

I felt everyone around the table exhale.

Cass was the first to smile at me. “Maygar said you’ve been in India this whole time?”

I nodded. “Yeah. For the last few months, anyway. Learning. Training. You know...”

“Why are you here?” Revik said.

Before I could stop myself, I looked at him.

His face had fallen back into the infiltrator’s mask, his eyes focused on the table. He really was thin. Thinner than Cass or Jon, although all three of them looked like concentration camp victims. When Cass shoved a plate at me, I tugged it closer with my fingers, picking at a pile of what looked like fried potatoes with a fork.

“I was looking for clues,” I said. “Imprints, I guess.”

“Of what?” Revik said. He didn’t raise his eyes.

“I’ve been tracking Galaith...I got as far as you.”

Cass shoved a forkful of salad in her mouth. “What’s a Galaith?” she said.

“The head of the Rooks’ network,” Revik said. “Terian’s old boss.” His voice aimed back at me. “Why him?”

I shrugged, not answering. I felt him react to my silence, a near flinch.

“What about the bomb?” Jon said. “Was that you?”

I felt the illness worsen, realized Revik was actually scanning me with his light. “No,” I said. I glanced at Jon, forced a smile. “No bombs lately.”

There was another silence while everyone ate. I watched Revik cut up a piece of meat and stare at it. Jon and Cass ate like they were starving, like they might not eat again. I saw Cass nudge Revik to eat then, and looked away.

“Allie,” Revik said, still not looking at me. “What do you want with Galaith? You know he’d only be replaced, if—”

“Yeah, I know, I...” Realizing I’d cut him off, I stopped. I felt my face warm, but kept my voice neutral, almost businesslike. “The seers in India, they had a plan. I’ve been able to help them some...” I shrugged, looking back at my plate. “...The plan is kind of a long shot, but anything would have been. I had my own axe to grind, I guess...and more of a direct line to Galaith than a lot of them, so...”

Feeling them all staring at me again, I glanced at Maygar, maybe for help.

“Look, maybe I shouldn’t involve any of you in this,” I said. “We should separate. They probably know I’m in London.”

I felt a pulse of something, realized it came from Revik. Whatever it was, it was intense enough to startle me. I glanced over at his face, but his eyes were fixed on Maygar.

His voice flattened. “You should know...there’s a factional struggle happening within the Rooks. Terian’s making a play for the top spot. My guess is, he wants you to do it for him...or to use you as leverage, maybe. Maybe even to do whatever it is you’re planning to do...”

“I doubt that.”

“Allie,” he said. “All I meant is—”

“I know,” I said, cutting him off again. “I got it, Revik. You think he’s playing me. That he maneuvered me into whatever I’m doing. You think I’m part of his little game now.”

There was a silence after I said it.

I felt my face warm, but didn’t look at anyone around the table. Replaying my own words, I realized again how what I’d said probably sounded to them, after everything. A kind of futility washed over me.

Revik broke the silence.

“I didn’t mean what I said as an insult, Allie,” he said, quiet. “He’s good at that. Manipulating events. All I meant was—”

“I understand,” I said. “It’s all right, Revik. Really.”

I felt my jaw harden when I realized I’d cut him off again.

Avoiding his eyes, I looked around the table, forcing myself to take in their physical condition, to really see it. I replayed Revik’s words in my head, looking at Jon’s hand, the cut on Cass’s face, whatever was wrong with Revik’s neck. Suddenly, everything I’d been doing with the Seven seemed pretty childish.

“Maybe you’re right,” I said, speaking into the silence. “You probably are right, Revik.” I hesitated, looking around at them again. “...I guess I went after the wrong Rook.”

I felt my face warm again when I replayed my own words.

Shaking my head, I fought my voice.

“Look, I’m sorry. I really am. I’m not saying anything right. I guess I don’t know how to say how terrible I feel about what happened to all of you...”

“Allie,” Cass said, softly.

I glanced at her. Seeing the brightness in her eyes, I looked at Jon. “The truth is, it’s still not safe, being near me...you must realize that now. I wish that were different. I really do. But it’s not. It might not ever be.”

When no one said anything, I cleared my throat, wiping my eyes.

“When we’re done here, Maygar and I’ll clear out.” I hesitated, glancing at Revik. He wouldn’t return my gaze. Looking past him, to Cass, I said, “Revik can probably get you somewhere safe. I’ve got money now. Vash promised me funds...I could...” I glanced at Revik. “...Hire him, I mean. If that’s all right.”

Another silence fell. I felt them staring at me, everyone except Revik.

Then Maygar grunted in amusement. He glanced at Revik, tossing his napkin to the table.

“Hear that?” he said. “You’ve been dismissed, Rook-boy.”

“Shut up, Maygar,” I said.

“Oh, don’t worry...I approve, Bridge. And you’re right. He’s probably screwing the redhead...”

“What?” Cass stared at him, then at me. “What did he say?”

I shook my head, giving Maygar a hard look. “He didn’t say anything, Cass. Please, just forget it.”

I saw her open her mouth, then look back at Maygar. Her eyes narrowed at him, right before she seemed to make up her mind, folding her arms.

“Whatever.”

I stood up, unable to look at any of them now.

“Look, this isn’t personal. Maygar was assigned to me by the Council, so he’s stuck...but none of you are.” I looked at Jon. “I don’t want to leave any of you. I love you. I hope you all know that. I’m serious about the danger, okay? Revik knows...he’ll tell you.”

There was a silence, this one longer. Revik didn’t move in his chair.

The human servant, Eddard, finally broke it by walking into the room. He glanced around, one eyebrow arched in question at the silence.

Then he cleared his throat, looking directly at me.

“Ma’am?” He waited for me to turn.

For a moment I couldn’t take my eyes off the others around the table. Jon was staring at Revik, as if willing him to say something. Cass was looking at me, her eyes holding a kind of disbelief, but I saw anger there, too. She glared at Maygar then, but he only smiled, winking at her before he kissed the air with his lips.

When I glanced at Revik, I found I couldn’t look away. He was staring at the table, his face completely devoid of expression.

“Ma’am?”

I turned my head finally, realizing the words were aimed at me.

“What?” I said. “Eddard? What is it?”

“The military is outside.”

“What?” Maygar leapt to his feet, shoving his chair back. “Which one?”

Eddard looked only at me. “I believe all of them, sir.”

28

DESCENT

I CROUCHED IN an alcove by a long row of chimneys.

None of us were really talking, not anymore.

Without anyone saying much, Revik and Maygar took over once the military showed up. Within seconds they were using Revik’s secure network, contacting people in the Seven’s Guard, calling in a team to get us out through the roof.

Still, the silence was deafening.

I don’t know what the others thought, I didn’t want to read any of them, but I felt a kind of futility when I saw the line of military cars blocking off the street at the base of Revik’s building. Someone down there had a voice amplifier, too. They were shouting instructions we could hear more than eight stories up. I heard other languages besides English, so it was a good bet that SCARB and the Sweeps were down there, too.

I saw the feed vans pull up right before Maygar grabbed my arm, tugging me away from the window. I let him drag me up the stairs along with the others, then to a smaller, hidden staircase behind a small bureau in the master bedroom. Above that one, an even more narrow staircase lived, one that led up to a metal plated door and out on the roof.

All six of us now squatted in a low line, gazing at the same expanse of gray sky.

Revik leaned on the white-painted wall beside me. I hadn’t really thought through the order in which we walked that last piece of stairs, but now he was clearly too close to me. Clutching the edge of one brick by my face, I managed to close off my light from his, but my eyes drifted to him again and again.

He didn’t return my glances.

I focused on a fading welt that showed above his white collared shirt.

“I’ll tell you, Allie,” he said. “Anything you want. But not now.”

My throat tightened. He’d felt me looking at him.

He still had a construct over this place. Given our connection, he might even be able to hear me apart from that.

Maygar’s voice rose behind me and I turned, saw him talking on a headset. He used the seer language mixed with what sounded like French.

“They’re closing off the street,” Revik said, translating.

“Didn’t Maygar tell them we’d blow up the building?”

“Yes.” Revik still wouldn’t look at me. “They’d expect that.” I saw him glance at Maygar again. His jaw tightened.

Just then, Eddard shouted, “Sir! They’re coming!”

I followed the human’s pointing finger. In the distance, black, insect-like shapes rose above the skyline. For months I had them burned into my brain as things that brought death and guns and capture, but this time, I felt my heart lift as I watched the black dots grow larger. Maybe we really would get out of this.

I glanced at Eddard, studying his light inside Revik’s construct. Definitely human.

“Who is he?” I asked Revik.

Revik’s eyes followed mine. “He works for me. He said he wouldn’t tell the military unless I did something ‘untoward.’ He’s clean,” he added, preempting my next question. “...and I’m paying him well.”