Balance (The Neumarian Chronicles) (17 page)

He stepped back and blew his nose into a piece of cloth he’d pulled from his pocket then adjusted his belt. “Of course.”

“Today’s my eighteenth birthday
. Should I marry Ryder or…does what I haven’t learned yet have something to do with him?”

His eyebrows lifted
, drawing together. “Do you love him?”

“Yes
, very much. But if I lost him…”

He pulled me back into his arms.
“I can’t promise what the next fifty or sixty years will bring. Only your mother could do that. But never forget, each decision we make changes the probability of the outcome.”

I sh
ifted between my feet.
Strange
, I thought, struggling to keep from sobbing again out of fear. In the last year, I’d cried more than in all my years with Mandesa. “What about you? Is this our goodbye?”

“No, it’s not about me
.”

Sensing he was readying himself to tell me, I pressed a finger to his lips.
“If I know the truth, I might be able to alter it, but at what cost? Will someone else be put in danger?”

“Perhaps
. It could also result in the rebellion crumbling. Do you want to know?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“
Yes.” I knew information was power, but this was playing God.

He smiled. “
Wise decision. You aren’t alone and you never have been. You’re meant to rule the people of UE, the former western hemisphere, and here.” He gestured around us. “It’s your destiny. However, I’m unsure if that means in battle or afterward.”

After
ward?
I’d always believed I’d survive the war. Leading troops I could handle, but the thought of ruling people during peacetime terrified me more than facing Mandesa or her general.

“
Don’t be frightened,” Father said, cupping my face. “You possess the compassion and fortitude of your mother and my leadership and strategic sense. You were born to lead, but not alone.”

“Why not
alone?” Not that I wanted to live isolated, but didn’t being a leader mean giving up close relationships?

“
Friends and loved ones will help keep you grounded and in touch with what’s important. Even as a child, Mandesa demanded total control. Power and hate consumed her, until all that was left is the creature we’re fighting.” He kissed the small pink sock and tucked it in his shirt pocket, right over his heart. “I believe it was Lord Acton, in the 1870s, who said, ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ Surrounding yourself with people you love and trust prevents that from happening.”

“Was th
is part of Mother’s prophecy?” I asked.

The backs of his fingers stroked my cheek.
“No. Ryder told me that when you first arrived. He’s a good man.” Father moved to sit behind his desk and glanced at the clock on the wall. “If you don’t leave now, you’ll be late,” he said almost wistfully. “I hear the children have planned something for you. Have fun. And enjoy their surprise.” He gave me a wink.

Shutting the door to his quarters,
I hesitated a moment then raced through the halls and up the stairs. By the time I reached the front gates, excitement, nervousness, and confusion wrestled inside me. Except for Laos and Annie, I hadn’t interacted with any of the children, so why the surprise? Why would the others know or even care about me?

“Semara, children waiting.” Bendar scuffled up the long walkway to the front gate. “
Hurry. Hurry. Ryder worried you not come.”

I nodded, took his offered hand and together w
e exited the underground into the bright sunlight. Something I hadn’t seen in more months than I wanted to think about. My eyes widened. No mist or clouds covered the brilliant blue sky. Screaming and laughing, children ran every-which-way through scrubby grass in a game I’d learned was called
Keep Away
.

Spotting me,
Ryder whistled. Several dozen children rushed up to him and quickly formed six neat lines. Grinning, Ryder strutted toward me, his face alight with joy. “You came.”

“Of course,
I did. It’s my birthday.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth, then giggles filled the air.

His arm wrapped around my shoulders.
“Okay, kids. You ready?”

“Yes,” they all shouted in unison. Swinging his other arm out in a wide arc, he dropped it and together they began singing,
“Happy Birthday to you.”

As their sweet, high voices floated away on the wind, an unknown tightness within my chest loosened, merging with their slightly off-key song.
Seeing Annie at the front, holding a present, with Laos beside her, both of them waving at me, I blew them each a kiss. I leaned into Ryder. “Thank you.”

Hearing people approaching,
I glanced behind me. Father, Raeth, Penton, Bendar, and even Briggs—riding on a Penton special chair, decked out with high performance tires—came toward us. What a perfect moment.

I tugged Ryder
, so I could reach his face, and kissed his cheek.

The song ended
, with a few of the youngsters shouting, “Ewww.”

Swallowing the tears that threatened, I said,
“Thank you, children. That was beautiful. This is the best birthday ever.”

Annie stepped forward and handed me her little present. “Here, Ms. Semara. This is for you.” Her bright eyes
mirrored the brilliant blue sky.

“Thank you
, sweetie.” I knelt down beside her. “Did you make this?”

“No, Mr. Ryder
.”

“Well, thank you for giving it to me.” With trembling fingers,
I untied the twine and peeled back the tan wrapping, revealing a little box. Inside sat two brass rings. Covering the bands, twisted wire was turned into a beautiful trellis pattern. One of them had tiny pieces of emerald set in depressions, as if they were shoots of life breaking free. “Wow,” I gasped. “They’re beautiful.”

Ryder’s hand moved to the small of my back. “If you don’t like them—”

“They’re beautiful. You made them, didn’t you?”

“Yes,
but with Penton and Bendar’s help. I don’t want to push. So, it doesn’t have to be today, but the kids knew I planned to give them to you on your birthday for our wedding.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw
Annie and Laos whispering to each other then they ran to us. “Everyone’s here. We should have the wedding now, outside,” Laos said.

“Everyone?” I
whispered. The box slipped from my shaking fingers as I turned to see more people gathering on the surface.

Ryder caught it before the rings
spilled out and hit the ground. “Yes, everyone.” He shooed the kids toward the crowd of adults. “Don’t think—”

“No!” I yelled. My nightmare flooded back as I spun in all directions in horror.
It was here, in this place, that everyone died. “You don’t understand.” I pulled free. “We’re under attack! Get to the Arc!”

R
oaring filled the air and, as if in slow motion, everyone glanced up at the sky. Seeing nothing, we looked out at the river. A silver and brown storm rolled over the water. Except it wasn’t a storm. It was death. Hundreds of fighters flew toward us, skimming just above the water.

En masse
, the crowd dispersed. Sprinting, Sergeant Walker grabbed Laos, tossed him onto Briggs’ lap, and, pushing her wheelchair, tore off toward the tunnel. He had a chance. The orphans didn’t.

Frightened and screaming, they scattered every-which-way. Some headed toward us, including Annie. Others sought cover in the woods a few hundred yards away. Only a few raced for the Arc. Unless a miracle occurred, my nightmare would become reality and m
ost of the children would be dead within three minutes.

So would I, Ryder, and everyone I loved.

Chapter Twenty

The
fleet of fighters thundered over us. Bullets ripped apart trees, taking down a few people with them. Shells exploded around me as I ran toward Annie, gathered her in my arms, and bolted for safety—the tunnel.

Fury rode me hard. If
I didn’t do something fast, my dream would actually happen. Squinting to shield my eyes from the sun’s glare, I raised a hand and melted anything metal overhead. Simultaneously, our guns returned fire. Hunks of metal crashed to the ground. A wing landed tip down, then fell atop a child, penning his legs. “Help,” the little boy whimpered.

Horrified, I halted beside him, set Annie down, and shoved her toward the tunnel.
“Go, now!” A quick glance confirmed she’d done as ordered. Then grasping the edge of the wing, I pulled. Even using all my strength, it was too heavy.

If
I didn’t take action the child and I wouldn’t live the next few minutes, I focused on the wing, melting the bottom half while protecting the boy. It softened and slag dripped onto the ground. Grasping the leading edge again, I yanked the wing off the sobbing child, gathered him to me, and raced for cover. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

I knew he was hurt, but not how badly. Nearing
the Arc, I stumbled. A soldier charged forward, halted my fall, grabbed the boy from my arms with one hand. “Come on.”

As we reached the tunnel, the soldier released me then carried the child off toward the infirmary. Scanning the area, I was t
hankful for my dream’s warning and the calm, rapid response from all concerned—the adults and especially the children. We had prevented annihilation of the rebellion’s leaders.

Spotting a child exposed behind a boulder, I pointed. “Ryder, there.”

“See her.” He swept up the little girl and raced for the Arc’s entrance. Reaching safety, he shoved her into the arms of a waiting soldier.

My eyes widened at a small fighter circling back for another strafing run.
“Oh, my God, Ryder. Look,” I yelled, pointing at the craft. “I thought we’d destroyed the emperor’s fleet.”

“
Guess we didn’t.” He gripped my hand and began tugging me toward the tunnel. “You hear that?”

Glancing behind us, we saw
Annie and Laos running toward us, hands clasped.

“What’re you two doing up here?” Ryder roared.

“Wanna help. Sally’s missin’,” Laos said, halting at our side.

During the first strafing run, I’d seen a young girl hit by a half-dozen rounds. The image of her small fragile body being ripped apart would haunt me for decades, and I didn’t want these two suffering the same fate.
I stood mute, smoke burning my eyes, unsure how to respond.

A
high-pitched scream drew our attention toward the river. Badly damaged and aflame, an escort fighter hurtled toward the Arc’s entrance.

Ryder scooped up both kids. “Run!” he yelled, sprinting for the forest with me hard on his heels.

As we cleared the tree line, an explosive crash rent the air. The subsequent concussive wave flattened us to the ground as trees snapped and fell around us. Each taking a child, we inched beneath the branches of the fallen trees then covered them with our bodies. Plane debris, along with bits of concrete, rained down on us. Flames fed the hell. More planes flew overhead. Ammunition fired. Fuel burned.

Only when the battle quieted did we crawl free.

With eyes and ears alert for any sound or movement, we headed for the Arc. Acrid smoke from burning oil filled the air, making seeing and breathing difficult. But it didn’t take clear vision to recognize rubble, caused by the crash and the following cave-in, prevented entry to the Arc.

“Looks like we’re cut-off and on our own,”
Ryder said.

Laos yanked on my vest
and pointed into the forest.

I bent down and kissed his forehead. “Smart boy.” Grinning up at Ryder, I said,
“We can use the orphanage exit. Let’s go.”

Ryder nodded and scooped Laos into his arm
s, while I took Annie in mine.

Semara, are you okay?

Yes. So are Ryder, Laos, and Annie. But the entrance is sealed. We’re coming in via the orphanage exit. You okay?

I’m fine. I’ve sent soldiers. Meet up at the RP.

I don’t hear the emperor’s fighters, but—

Raeth’s in the air, along with everyone else. They’ve chased the fighters down river.

See you in a few
, I said.

A scout’s spotted ground troops near the river
, Father told Ryder and me.

“Double time it,” Ryder growled.

“Father’s sent backup. They’ll meet us at the rally point.”

Halfway to the rally point, b
ullets peppered the trees around us. Zig-zagging, we continued forward. Fear we were trapped gnawed at me. We couldn’t lead the enemy to the hidden access route, but right now, we didn’t have a choice if we were going to save the kids. In my heart, I knew we weren’t going to make it. Neither of us had weapons and Ryder’s gift still didn’t function. As for my gift, if I couldn’t see or if I didn’t know where to scan for metal, I couldn’t melt it.

We’d only made it another fifty meters before a group of armed enemy troops blocked us. My eyes narrowed and I reached out for my father.
We’re trapped. They aren’t Asian.

I’ve joined with yours and Ryder’s minds.

Thanks
. I shimmied closer to Ryder and set Annie down, sandwiching her between us.

A second later, Ryder pushed Laos between us as well then looked over his shoulder at me and stiffened.
I’m so sorry, sweetheart. If I had my gifts—

Not your fault
.

My back to Ryder’s, I faced our enemy.
Troops advanced on all sides, weapons at the ready. Then I sucked in a breath as I realized why Ryder had frozen.

The general’s toady, Colonel Anderson, stepped around his men. “Princess Semara. Long time, no see. Queen Valderak sends her greetings.”

“Wish I could say the same, Anderson. And here I’d hoped you had perished in the channel battle over a year ago.”

“Insolent as ever, I see.”

“Glad you approve.”

“It’s time you learned your place, sex slave.” Before I could react, his fist slammed into my cheek, cracking the bone.

Ryder growled and moved to defend me.

No,
I’m okay. Stay with the children.

One of the men canted his head toward Ryder and the children. “What about them?”

Anderson’s gaze locked on Ryder. “Take your time with Arteres. Queen Valderak wants him to suffer.”

“And the kids?”

“Waste of air,” Anderson said with a sneer. “Finish it.”

Clutching the whimpering children to him, Ryder’s gaze blanked.

Anderson’s fingers slipped around my throat and he shoved me to the ground. I immediately scrambled to my feet, ignoring the pain in my cheek. I faced him, determined not to go down without a fight.

Anderson fell to his knees, mouth open, his hand gripping his neck. Seconds later, chokes and gurgles sounded all around us as, one by one, Anderson’s men fell lifeless to the ground.

Ryder lifted Laos and Annie. “Let’s move. There may be others.”

Semara
? Semara?

My father’s shout tore me from my shocked daze.
Yes?
I replied, worried he’d rupture blood vessels

What happened
?

Well, it seems Ryder’s gift has returned.

What? When?

Just now. Anderson tried to drag me away…
As the words formed in my mind, I realized Ryder’s drive to protect me had broken through his gift’s block. Smiling, I said,
We’re fine now and we’re coming in. We’ll talk later
. Then I turned to my love. “Ryder, you still have the rings?” I asked as we raced for the orphanage’s exit.

“
Naturally.” He slanted me a look. “Let’s get married.” At my arched eyebrow, he added, “I’d hate to disappoint the children.”

I winked at him.
“Yes, for the sake of the children.”

He flashed me a smile, not one of the socially-polite ones I’d seen too often over the eighteen months, but a full-on grin, filled with joy. The sight of his dimples nearly melted me. “Great, we’ll
do it as soon as the Arc’s secure.”

“Agreed.
I don’t want to wait any longer. Every day’s precious, and all we have is now.”

We need you at the command center
, my father ordered.

What’s happened?

Declaration of war. Team’ll be at the RP in five
.

Twenty minutes later,
Penton and Briggs met us at the orphanage’s doorway.

“What were you two thinking?” Briggs asked, her voice so soft it was barely audible.

One look at Laos’ ashen face and I fought to suppress a laugh. He knew he’d lost the battle when his excuses failed, so he opted for plan b. He crawled up onto his mother’s lap and, snuggling, murmured, “I’m tired. Love you, Mommy.”

Chuckling, Penton slipped an arm around Ryder’s and my shoulders.
“Good thing we installed those blast doors. Otherwise, the entire Arc would’ve collapsed. Let’s get you two to the command center.”

As I handed Annie to one of the orphanage volunteers, she sobbed, “Want to stay with you.”

I gave her a hug then kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back, I promise.” Swallowing hard, I joined Penton and Ryder in the hall. Not trusting the elevator after the cave-in, we raced up the stairwell, stopping cold at the raised voices coming from the conference room. Men and women sat around the table shouting, each one attempting to drown out the others. Only Father, Ridgecroft, and McCormick were missing from the room.

With a sigh, Ryder and
I took our seats, once again putting our personal lives on hold.

A man slammed his fist on the table. “We need to act now.”

“No, we need to have peace talks,” another shot back. “If the emperor really did escape and he’s sent his forces to take us out, we won’t stand a chance.”

“Quiet!” Father shouted as he and the councilmen
entered. Silence descended. Advancing, they took their seats. “We’ve acquired intel that will answer most of your questions. Semara.” He gestured to me and I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table.

“True, the emblem on the fighters was the emperor’s, but the troops were Mandesa. The general’s aide, Colonel Anderson, was leading them. They planned to take me prisoner and kill everyone else.”

Gasps sounded around the table.

Father then turned to the councilmen. “And now, Councilman Ridgecroft will enlighten us.”

“It is true,” Ridgecroft said, “the emperor is no longer in custody, but he didn’t escape.” Staring down at the table, Ridgecroft’s voice lowered to just above a whisper. “I was just informed that after receiving Queen Valderak’s promise not to bomb us, the council released the emperor.”

An eruption of shocked
exclamations and gasps filled the room. Ridgecroft lifted a hand to stay all the complaints, but the gesture went unheeded.