The Breaker's Promise (YA Urban Fantasy) (Fixed Points Book 2) (26 page)

“Nobody else dies for me,” I said.

“What are saying?” Owen asked, looking at me with those eyes that had both lit me up and tore me down since the instant they entered my life. I knew how much this was going to hurt him, but the idea of him fighting off a thousand Breakers in some last ditch suicide effort while I snuck away like some coward wasn’t something I could live with.

“When does this end?” I asked, taking his hand. “We fight, and we fight, and we fight. And sometimes, we even die. And for what? We’re still stuck here, Owen.  If we somehow miraculously find a way out of this situation, we’re still gonna be stuck here. Even if we got out, if we made it to my mom, who’s to say the Council of Masons wouldn’t follow? And then I’d be responsible for the horrible things they’d do to my parents, and to Royce’s parents. A whole new set of people would suffer because I want to save my ass. People have suffered for years. God knows how many people have died to keep me safe or to stop me from even being born.” I touched his face; his sweet, sweet face. “What if I’m not worth it? What if, after everything all these people have been through, I’m just a failure? Maybe I am the Bloodmoon, Owen. Maybe there’s no way around it and, if that’s the case, wouldn’t the world be better off without me?”

His face was a mask; pale and empty. He blinked hard, as if he was trying to gather his thoughts. “Of course you’re worth it,” he said, setting his jaw. His eyes flickered over to the others, like he was embarrassed or hesitant to continue. He must have pushed that thought out of his mind, because he grabbed my free hand and planted the longest, most wondrous kiss I had ever experienced onto my lips. It was soft and electric, like his eyes, like his touch. But it was more than that. It was the first time Owen had kissed me in front of people since maybe ever. It was our coming out; proof that he had outgrown his respect for these ridiculous Breaker rules and the power he had given them over him. And it was a plea; a sweet desperate appeal for me to change my mind. “You’re worth everything; all of it,” he said, pulling away from me. “I’d die without you. Forget about the world ending.
My
world would end.”

I shut my eyes tight; half trying to keep tears from falling down my cheeks, and half because I knew if I was looking at him I’d never be able to say what I needed to. “I’m sorry Owen,” I said, staring at the back of my eyelids. “I know you can’t understand it now, but it’s for the best. Really it is.”

I felt a jerk at my side, and suddenly I was out of Owen’s arms. Opening my eyes, I saw Royce pulling at me. “Come with me,” he barked. Then, nodding at Owen, added, “Don’t worry. Your girl will be safe. I just need to wanna show her something.”

I would have gone of my own volition. I mean, we were trapped in the woods. Where did I have to go anyway? But Royce didn’t give me the chance. With his hand around my forearm, he pulled me forward, marching up the hill where Owen had showed me the Breaker army just minutes before.

“What the hell are you doing?” I said, trying to jerk away.

“What the hell are
you
doing?” He asked, pulling me closer. “You think all of this is a joke? People died for you, Little Girl. People left their families-they left their homes- to keep you alive. You think they did all that just so you could give up the minute your bottom lip starts wobbling?”

He continued to pull me behind him, getting closer to the barrier and the army of Breakers behind it.

“Look, I know you don’t get it, but that’s why I’m doing this; so nobody else has to die,” I answered breathlessly trying to keep up with his fast (and very large) strides.

“Don’t feed me garbage, Sweetheart. I ain’t a trash compactor and I ain’t your idiot boyfriend,” Royce said. I wanted to smack his arm and tell him that Owen was about the furthest anybody could get from stupid, but the Breaker army had caught sight of me. They started wailing; screaming so loudly and angrily, that my heels instinctively dug into the ground. “You’re doing this cause you’re scared. You think giving up is easier and you wanna hide behind some ass backward morality nonsense so you don’t feel like a coward.” He kept pulling me. The fuzziness that once surrounded the Breaker armywas gone now, replaced by detail and stark clarity. They had weapons; swords, daggers, even guns. Was that a flamethrower? How much did they think it was going to take to kill one girl? “Well you are a coward, Cresta. If you do this, if you give up after everything everyone has done for you, then you’re the biggest coward in the whole damn world.”

I pulled away again, and this time I was able to break free of his grip. “Stop it!” I yelled. “You don’t have any idea what it’s like being me! You don’t know what it feels like to have the end of the world pinned on you.” I bit my lip. “And not to know whether or not it’s true.” I hadn’t really talked to anybody about it, but I had so much power now.  I could do things that I never thought were possible and, what’s more, that these stupidly overpowered Breakers didn’t know they were possible either. I was a threat; that much was certain. And after all the times I had seen fate twist and turn on a dime, how could I be sure that the power inside of me wouldn’t be used to bring about some kind of Armageddon?

“You need to see them,” Royce said quietly, motioning at the Breaker army and reaching for my arm again.

“No, I don’t!” I said, pulling away from him. “I can see them just fine from where I am.”

“Can you?” He leaned in closer. “Can you see that the short one in the front with the sword strapped across his back is a kid?” I looked over. True to his word, Royce was pointing to a freckle faced little boy. He had a blade at least twice as big as he was going across his back. His teeth were clenched, his face was mangled with anger and his eyes seemed to burn into my skull.

He wanted to kill me.

“He’s seven,” Royce said. “And the person beside him; that’s his sister. She’s nine. These are children, Cresta. And they want you dead. Not because of anything you did, or even because of anything they think you might do. These kids don’t really understand the prophecies. They want your blood because their parents told them they do. And their parents told them that because the Council demanded it of them. It’s a vicious cycle. Kids are taught hate. They’re taught to judge and to condemn. Their lives are stolen from them, and they’re turned into monsters; slaves to birth, fate and circumstance.” He put his hand on my arm again, but this time, it wasn’t to pull me forward. “You can change that.”

“Me?” I balked. “But the prophecy-“

“Forget about the prophecy. You’ve got the power to shake the world, Sweetheart. That’s why they hate you; not because of some prophecy. They’re scared of you, cause they know they can’t control you. Anybody who could end the world could change it, and you could change this.” He looked around, talking in the Hourglass around him. “You could change all of it. You could free these kids. You could free their parents. You could make it so nobody ever has to suffer through the sort of life the Council has lined up for them. You’re not gonna destroy the world, Sweetheart. You’re gonna save it.”

I was floored, staring at Royce, staring at the rabid Breaker children. Maybe he was right. Maybe I could save these people, make it all better. More than anything, I wanted to believe that. But how could I, given what I knew about the people he surrounded himself with.

“Controlling kids is better than killing them,” I muttered.

“What are you babbling about?” Royce asked, his gold flecked eyes narrowing.

“I know about Renner. I know what he did.”

“I ain’t following you,” Royce answered.

God, he didn’t know.

I swallowed hard, not wanting to tell him but knowing that I had to. “Your uncle isn’t the person you think he is. Years ago, before he left the Hourglass.” I bit my lip, starting over. “There was this kid, this baby; and he had these gold eyes. They looked like bird eyes, and Renner thought that meant that this baby was the Raven. He didn’t want the end of world back then; which makes me think that maybe I’m not as safe around him as he wants me to believe.” I looked down at the ground as I continued. “He killed that baby, Royce. Your uncle thought he was the Raven, so he murdered a child.”

Royce was silent for a second. My eyes were still on the ground when he answered. “Is that what you think?”

Okay, so not the answer I was expecting.

“Renner didn’t kill anybody.”

“He did,” I said. “I saw proof. I saw a letter.”

“That letter, all the letters he left, was to cover his tracks. He stole the baby because he knew that if the kid stayed here, the Council would never allow him to live. So he found a group of people; your mom and dad among others, and he brought the baby there so that he could grow and be safe. Poe isn’t dead, Cresta.”

I looked up at him. “I never told you his name.”

“Look at me,” Royce said, staring into my eyes. “Really look at me, past the shade.”

As I stared, the gold flecks of his eyes moved and changed. They twisted into different colors and shapes, finally settling into bird’s eyes, Poe’s eyes.

“You’re Poe,” I said, the words almost catching in my throat.

“I’m more than that, Sweetheart,” He said, grinning mischievously at me. “I’m the Raven.”

“No you’re not.” It seemed like the words came out of my mouth before my brain had even formed them. Royce couldn’t be the Raven. Allister Leeman was the Raven, and Allister Leeman was dead. Though I hadn’t really had a chance to process it, watching Allister Leeman crumple to the floor as a lifeless corpse sort of set me free. The idea of the Raven, the guy that I was destined to one day marry on my ridiculous march toward bringing the world to its knees, had always been a weight around my neck. It wasn’t that I bought into the Breakers’ ideas of love. For me, who you gave your heart to couldn’t be dictated by science, fate, or prophecies. But the fact that there was an entire sect of people who did, and that Owen had been raised by two of those people, had always given me pause. I guess you could say that taking that card out of the deck allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief; however small a breath it was. “No, you’re not!” I repeated, like me saying it was going to change what was.

“Look at my eyes, Cresta,” Royce said.

“I am. They’re ugly, just like the rest of you,” I snapped.

“I know this is a lot to deal with, Sweetheart,” he winced. “But there’s no need to be nasty.”

“You will NOT call me sweetheart!” I yelled, sticking my finger in his face.

“Whatever you say, Sugarpie,” he grinned.

“No! This is not happening! I’m free of this. I mean, it’s not happening.”

“It’s already happened, Cresta.” Royce leveled an infuriatingly serious look at me . “You might as well go with it.”

“I can’t believe this.” I slumped against a nearby tree. “Is it even possible for me to be more thoroughly screwed at this point?”

“I’m sure I can think of some way.” Royce winked, that idiotic smile plastered across his face. “But first things first.  Let’s see if we can’t keep you safe.” He leaned closer, so that our faces were almost touching. “Sweetheart.”

He pulled away and started back toward the others. “I hate you, you know!” I yelled after him.

“I know,” he answered, the smug satisfaction thick on his voice. “We’ll see what we can do about that.”

Everyone but Owen was eating when we returned to the group and the still burning fire. “Royce, your eyes…” Renner said through a mouthful of rice when he caught sight of him.

“Yeah, I had to come out,” he answered carelessly, scooping up a helping of food.

“Come out,” Owen said, looking back at me.

“Royce is Poe,” I answered, taking his hand and squeezing it.

“The kid Renner killed?” Owen asked in an, at this point, completely unnecessary whisper.

“The kid Uncle Renner did
not
kill,” Renner/Poe said, kicking his feet up on a nearby rock. “Also, I’m the Raven,” he shoveled rice into his mouth. “Surprise.”

Owen turned to me, something unreadable flashed across his face. “He’s not serious.”

“I wish,” I answered, squeezing his hand again.

“Cresta, listen to me,” Owen said, shaking his head. “About what you said before-“

“I’m gonna fight,” I answered. “I understand why I have to now.”

“You’re welcome,” Royce added with his mouth full.

Owen shot him a wilting look. “Well, I’m not sure what he told you, but whatever it was, I’m glad it worked. We’re gonna get through this, Cresta.”

“I know,” I answered. “I’m just not sure how.”

“Allow me to help you with that,” Renner said, standing to meet us. “You didn’t think we’d come all this way and risk as much as we have without a plan B, did you?”

Renner spent the next hour explaining his plan to us. The Breaker army didn’t know what anchor Renner tied the barrier to. So, when the sunlight faded, we’d likely have a few seconds before they realized we were vulnerable. Those seconds, Renner said, would make all the difference.

After all of it had been explained, and everyone’s parts in it hammered out for them, there was nothing left to do but wait. Things were tense to say the least. Given the revelation that Royce was Poe, Owen’s distaste for him grew exponentially.  And Royce, because he was Royce, ate the awkwardness up with a spoon. When Royce put out the fire, absentmindedly humming the wedding march, Owen had had enough. He huffed and shuffled back toward the woods.

“Real mature,” I said; standing and following Owen. Royce smiled and wiggled his eyebrows; which really pissed me off.  “Owen, don’t do this,” I said, meeting him at the top of the hill where he had settled. “Don’t play into his stupidity.”

“It’s not about that,” he answered, his hands clasped together behind his back. “I mean, not primarily anyway. He’s an idiot, and he’s trying to get a rise out of me because of what we mean to each other. But he might not be wrong. If he is the Raven, then the prophecy is clear. Your future is with him.”

“We’ve been through too much for you to talk to me like that,” I answered. “You know I don’t care about the prophecies, and I don’t care about Royce, or Poe, or whatever he wants to call himself. He pisses me off actually.” I sighed loudly. “There’s nobody out there for me except you. That’s why it would have never worked with Sevie, as sweet as he is. And it’s why nothing will ever happen between me and Royce. I’m yours. You’re mine. Thems the breaks. No backsies now.”

Owen smiled a little despite himself. The, brushing the hair off of my forehead, said, “I just want you to know that, if that day ever came, if you ever found yourself drawn to him, or drawn to anyone-“ He looked away from me, toward the ground. “All I want is for you to be happy, whatever shape that takes. You know that, right?”

“I know what shape my happiness takes,” I said, lifting his hand to my lips. “It’s shaped like these hands.” I kissed up his forearm. “And these arms. It’s shaped like this neck, like these ears,” I said, following the pattern. “It’s shaped like this chin and this mouth.” I kissed him hard on the lips, letting it linger. “And that’s never going to change,” I said, pulling away. I looked into his eyes. The sun beamed off them, lighting them up like deep blue pools. The sun was setting. We were running out of time.  “Come on,” I whispered. “Let’s finish this.”

We went back to the others. Flora was sitting cross-legged on the ground, pulling nervously at her hair. Renner was cleaning our dishes in the ‘him made’ stream; which seemed a bit unnecessary given what was about to go down. Royce leaned back in his chair, whittling with a pocket knife like he was baddest dude in some old Western movie. And the sun; the sun was minutes away from disappearing behind the great walls of the Hourglass.

“It’s about to happen,” I said, running my hands through my hair.

“I know,” Renner said, still knee deep in stream water. “But we have to act casually. We can’t let them know we’re preparing for something.”

“Makes sense, I guess,” I muttered, but my voice was shaky and unconfident.

“It’ll be okay,” Owen whispered, but he made no play to comfort me. The sun continued its descent, casting shadows on the ground all around me. They’re crazy things; shadows. One minute they’re here, and the next they twisted and vanished, like they never existed in the first place. They’re sort of like people, sort of like lives.

“You all know what to do?” Renner asked, stacking wet bowls on top of each other and making his way back to us. There was absolutely no outward sign of what he must have been feeling. In fact, none of them seemed to have much trouble keeping cool. Maybe it was their upbringing, training their whole lives knowing that they’d have to play certain parts and stuff the truth about themselves into some box.  What would I have been like if I was raised that way? Would my heart still be in my throat right now?

Renner sat the bowls down in a neat stack. The sun would be gone in minutes, maybe seconds; and with it, our only protection against the Breaker army. I wasn’t sure this plan of Renner’s would work. It seemed a little half baked, but it was a plan; and that was more than I had to contribute at the moment. I went over the beats again in my head, making sure that, when the light disappeared, I’d know where to go, where to stand, and how to proceed.

“Do you have our dessert ready?” Renner asked, looking to Flora. She stood calmly, picking a covered dish up and holding it in front of her.

“For a while now,” she said, stroking her short hair with her free hand.

“Good,” Renner said, as the last bit of light danced across his face and disappeared. The sun had set now, the barrier was down, and in seconds, the Breaker army would be on top of us. That was, if they could find us.  “Let’s have it then.”

Flora threw open the cover, revealing three bundles of her long red hair secured with rubber bands. The first time I saw Flora after the day she betrayed us, I noticed her hair.
Why on Earth would she cut her gorgeous hair
, I thought. Well, now I knew.

We reached for the hair bundles. Instantly, Flora went invisible, as did her cut hair. And, because we were touching it, we went invisible too; all but Renner, as was part of the plan. Just as we disappeared from view, the Breakers seemed to realize what happened with the barrier. They poured in like water from an open faucet, barreling toward us with sword, shield, and spear at the ready.

I didn’t like the idea of leaving Renner behind, but it was the plan, and I had to have faith it was going to work. I rushed westward, trusting that Flora, Royce, and Owen were headed in the other cardinal directions.

They rushed to Renner, a circle of anger, hate, and ill intent surrounding him, bearing down on him. To his credit, he didn’t blink, didn’t budge, and didn’t even flinch as they came feet from him. I recognized some of these faces. They were people I saw as I walked down the streets of the Hourglass; though their happy faces were replaced by spiteful scowls.  Just as I thought Renner was going to be swamped, Renner threw his hands out at his sides.

Sparks and static flew from every inch of his body. It was the static, the same energy he used to make the barrier, and now I could see how he had used it to clear the area. Angry Breakers flew back from him like struck bowling pins. Their bodies filled the air in every direction, but this wasn’t like before. There were a hundred times more people than when we were found this morning, and Renner would pass out from exhaustion before he made his way through this crowd. Luckily, he wasn’t alone.

Breakers’ eyes started to bleed as they passed out in mid run; the signature of Royce’s weird eye powers.  Flora was taking out the Northern intruders, picking them off one by one. Owen redirected the energy flowing through him, creating small tremors in the earth that created divots in the crowd. And me; I was busy preparing for something much bigger.

We were making headways, but it was akin to punching holes in the sand. For every grain you knocked away, ten more took its place. But this was good. It was the plan. We needed to get all the Breakers away from the edges, and it was working.

In the distance, I saw something that took my breath away. The three Council members; Chant, Ilsa, and Felix were coming toward us; each riding gold thrones that were hoisted and carried on the shoulders of other Breakers. No wait- they weren’t coming toward us; they were coming toward me. Directly. Could they see me?

I was about to turn and yell for help when the thrones came to a stop. The Council members took hands, creating a three pronged chain of douche. One by one, the closed their eyes. Chant yelled “Enough!” and a huge pulse of energy emitted from the trio, knocking everyone in the vicinity on their ass.

I stood shakily, trying to get to my feet as fast as I could. Looking across the gap, I saw Owen getting to his feet too. But wait? I wasn’t
supposed
to be able to see Owen. Why could I see Owen?!

I looked down at my hand; my now visible hand and the bundle of red hair still in it. The pulse had stripped it of its shade, rendering it worthless (if still really cute and flowing). It was all gone now, the plan was ruined, and the Breakers who wanted my head on a stick; they could see me now.

A sea of Breaker feet funneled toward me. I turned tail and booked as fast as my gifted Sketchers would take me. But where would I go? My mind was racing, and what was worse, the Breakers were faster than me. I’d be overtaken in seconds. I needed to get to the stream. Our plan might have been faltering, but I had to find cover. Besides, what other play did I have?

I zigged hard left and then hard right. The stream was right in front of me. I jumped into the air, hoping to fall into the water. Instead, something fast and hard collided with me, knocking me back to the ground. I rolled around with this weight until I came to a stop with it on top of me. I braced myself, waiting for a fatal blow. When none came, I opened my eyes.

Sevie was on top of me, staring at me with those wide innocent eyes.

“Sevie, I-“

“Knee me,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“Quickly,” he answered. “Throw your knee into me. I am not a fighter. They do not expect much from me. When I am incapacitated, grab the knife from my hand, and roll into the river. My brother is close by. He will understand.”

“Sevie, I’m sorry,” I said. I’m not sure why I said it, other than the fact that I really needed to and that I would probably never get another chance.

“There is no need for thanks. You are my perfect. Keeping you safe is my sacred duty. Now knee me in some place that will hurt!”