Defiance Rising (18 page)

I watch Bastien from across the Temple as the argument rises to new heights.
 
Although I knew Bastien’s arrival would cause conflict, I had hoped Eamon would see why I had to bring him back with me.
 
Apparently not.

Their introduction didn’t go over smoothly, to say the least.
 
After nearly thirty minutes of ranting on Eamon’s part, Toren has jumped into the fray while I sit back and watch with a headache building just behind my right temple.

Aminah quickly rushed the children through their dinner as Bastien and Eamon glared at each other across the room.
 
I suppose a part of me should be grateful Eamon held off until the children were tucked into bed, but my gut tells me his anger only had time to fester.

Bringing my bowl to my lips, I try to block out Eamon’s vehement argument as the warm liquid spills down my throat.
 
My stomach growls, begging for more of the rabbit stew, but I know there is hardly enough to go around.
 
I wipe my mouth with a cloth and push the empty bowl aside.

“This is getting us nowhere,” I say as I swing my leg over the aged wooden bench and push up from the table.
 
“The aliens that attacked Eamon and me last night weren’t part of any supply line.
 
They were looking for me, for us, and now they know we aren’t too far away.
 
How long do you think it will take Commander Drakon to divert all of his Grounders on this mountain?
 
We don’t have time to sit around and bicker.
 
Bastien knows the City.
 
He can help us track down the Grounders and see how much time we have left.”

“To go where?” Aminah asks.
 
“We have elderly and little children.
 
This is their home.”

“I know.” I look toward the darkened tunnel leading toward the sleeping closets.
 
“We are responsible for more lives than our own.
 
That’s my point.
 
If we wait to be blindsided, many of them might die.
 
Are you willing to take that risk?”

“No one is arguing with you, Illyria,” Toren says from his place on the other side of the altar.
 
He leans over the map, scouring for information that he might have previously overlooked.
 
“We have the emergency exits in place, but there is nowhere for us to go.”

“Then find somewhere,” I growl. “Commander Drakon will stop at nothing until he finds us.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” Eamon asks.

“I…” I frown and cross my arms over my chest.
 
“I just am.
 
I saw Drakon with my own eyes when I was in the City.
 
Bastien and I humiliated him when we escaped.
 
He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to take that well.”

I force myself not to look at Bastien as I smooth over my lie.
 
I can feel his intense gaze fall on me, but he remains silent.

“So why do you have to be the one to go with him?” Zahra pipes up.
 
“Why can’t Eamon go?
 
Or Toren?”

“Typical,” I snort, rolling my eyes.

She turns and glares icily at me.
 
“Excuse me?”

“Seems your allegiances have switched pretty fast, Zahra.
 
How quick you are willing to throw Eamon to the wolves.”
 
I turn to face off with her, rolling my shoulders back to broaden my stance.
 
“Eamon can hardly stand the sight of Bastien and Toren is needed here to lead.
 
Are
you
willing to volunteer?”

Zahra’s eyes flash with resentment.
 
“Of course not!
 
You know I’m not a fighter.”
 

“Thought not,” I grin as I shove past her into the inner circle of my friends.

From the corner of my eye, I note that Bastien has cleaned himself up.
 
His hair is still damp from his dip in the Cascades.
 
One of Toren’s old shirts now accentuates his broad frame.
  
The pair of tattered pants seems to be a decent fit, apart from being too short in the leg.
 
I wince as I see a large red patch over his right thigh and realize Aminah has given Bastien one of Eamon’s pants to wear.
 

I glance between Eamon and Toren.
 
Both appear in firm mutual agreement that Bastien is not to be trusted.
 
Zahra is too smitten with him to possibly vote against his admittance to the group.
 
Aminah’s nose is scrunched, her head tilted to the side as if she’s trying to listen to something.

She blinks and looks in my direction.
 
I’m listening to more than their words, Illyria.

I flinch, shocked to hear her voice in my head once more.
 
You never told me how you are able to do this.

Now is not the right time.
 
The guys need to get this over with.

On this, we agree.
 
Eamon is getting far more heated than I’ve ever seen and Toren doesn’t seem to be doing anything to slow him down.
 
Bastien stands only a few feet away, hands firmly clenched at his side, displaying amazing self-control in light of the obvious threat.

Aminah shifts her gaze toward Bastien, her eyes widening with curiosity.
 
What did you hear?
I ask.

It’s not what I heard but what I saw.
 
She turns to stare at me fully.
 
You were the cause of the blast?

I suck in a breath.
 
How do you know about that?

I would think it should be obvious by now.
 
Bastien tells you he can do extraordinary things after getting hit with some invisible blast and you didn’t connect the dots to my ability to read minds or Toren’s super speed?
 
You’re slipping, Illyria.

I rub my forehead, feeling a headache expanding to take in the entire right side of my head.
  
What about Eamon and Zahra?
 
Any weird developments?

Her eyes narrow.
 
Eamon didn’t tell you?

Guess it slipped his mind.
 
Even I can hear the bitterness laced through my words.
 

Aminah reaches out and grasps my arm, her expression soft with sincerity.
 
He’s hurting right now.
 
Don’t blame him for keeping his secrets.

What about Zahra?
 
What’s her gift?
 
Please tell me it’s something stupid.

The twinkle in Aminah’s eye gives me a chance to hope.
 
Zahra can speak to animals.
 
You should’ve seen her this morning.
 
She woke up all puffy eyed and swearing like a trooper about all the noise.
 
Seems the bats were rather chatty throughout the night.

If it weren’t for the raging dispute going on around me I would’ve given into the impulse to pump my fists in triumph.
 
Seems fate does have a sense of humor.
 
There is no one more deserving of such a gift than Zahra, who has been fearful of animals from birth.
 
It’s part of the reason she remains in the cave as much as possible.

What about Bastien?
 
Can you tell what his gift is?

Aminah offers only a shrug in response as Toren turns to address her.
 
“What’s your opinion on Bastien?”

“He’s not really my type,” she smiles.

I cough, fighting to cover over my laughter.
 
Bastien smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, shifting to lounge back against the wall.
  

The vein running down Toren’s forehead pulses as he offers Aminah a watered down glare.
 
“Anything you can say that might be a bit more useful?”

“Oh,” she tries to cover over her smile.
 
“He appears to be harmless and he seems rather devoted to protecting Illyria, per his oath, as he told you earlier.”

And he seems abnormally good at avoiding thinking of certain aspects of your time together.
 
Any reason for that?
 
She tosses my way.

Sweat clings to my palms as I offer what I hope to be an indifferent shrug.
 
No clue.
 
Guess you’ll have to ask him.

She stares long and hard at me as I do my best to keep my poker face firmly in place.
 
When I begin to feel it crack, I quickly distract her.
 
What about Eamon?

Her frown deepens as Toren shifts to address Zahra.
 
His questions fade into the background as Aminah answers.
 
I don’t really know.
 
He hasn’t said a whole lot since he got back.
 
It’s hard to read his thoughts though.
 
They’re jumbled.

Meaning?
 
I press.

Meaning his thoughts fragment from time to time.
 
It’s almost as if random thoughts leap into his mind and disrupt everything.
 
I don’t know what to make of it.

Zahra’s shrill voice pulls me back to the brewing storm around me.
 
“How dare you insinuate I have an ulterior motive, Eamon!”

“Enough.”
 
I shove the map out of the way, hoist myself onto the altar stone in the center of the room, and swing my legs back and forth.
 
“Bastien is staying.
 
He saved my life and I owe him.
 
Besides, we could use his help around here.”

Eamon starts to protest but I hold up my hand.
 
“Things have changed.
 
The aliens are moving into our area with some serious firepower.
 
We need food, weapons and a really good plan.”
 
I let my gaze soften as I linger on Eamon’s face.
 
“Toren is needed here, Aminah and Zahra aren’t fit for combat and I’m not letting the two of you out of my sight.
 
So, that means I’m going with Bastien to search out the Grounders.
 
End of story.”

Eamon’s protest won’t be stopped this time.
 
“No way.
 
We know nothing about this guy.
 
Does anyone else think it’s strange how he just magically appears when Illyria needs him the most?”

Bastien’s jaw tightens but, after a sharp glance from me, he remains silent.
 
“If he hadn’t been there last night I would be dead.
 
You should be thanking him, not accusing.”

Toren holds up his hands as he moves between us.
 
“I hate to admit it, but Illyria’s right.
 
Although,” he turns to shoot a warning glance in my direction, “I don’t like the idea of you and him going alone into the City.
 
You need to take someone else with you.”

“Who?
 
Mathias?”
 
I can imagine the bumbling teen following us around.
 
He turned fifteen about a week ago and has yet to figure out how to compensate for his enormous feet.
 
“If we’re ambushed, he’ll either get us killed or captured.
 
We all know he’s about a dense as a box of rocks.
 
I mean the guy actually thinks Zahra’s hot.”
 
I grin smugly over at her.

Zahra’s cry of indignation sounds dangerously close to a pig snort.
 
Toren waves her off and focuses on his girlfriend.
 
“Aminah?”

She purses her lips as she becomes the center of attention, a place she usually avoids at all costs.
 
“Bastien seems fine to me.
 
I haven’t found anything in his mind that makes me think he’s a danger to Illyria.”

Bastien clears his throat, shooting me a guarded glance that I interpret to be concern for me.
 
Toren watches the interaction before shifting to look at Eamon.
 
“What do you think?”