The Choosing (32 page)

“Aaron saw me.”

Isaac sucked in a tight breath as his anger pulsed like venom through his veins. That traitor had stolen his bride, had poisoned her with his lies.

Kill her; send your Jezebel to the eternal flames of damnation.

Yes. She belonged in eternal flames, where she would remember that she had refused him and would suffer eternally for being such a fool. “Aaron has told you lies, but you will see the truth soon enough. Afterward you will forever know how worthless you are.”

He placed the barrel of the gun in the center of Carrington’s forehead. Her eyes flickered with momentary fear and he felt tremendous joy surround him. He was the
one with the power here, and he could easily take her life. Praise be.

He moved to pull the trigger and a monstrous bang echoed across the stone. Pain shot up his leg and into his lower back. Isaac cried out and stumbled to the side. He dropped the gun to clutch the point where the ache exploded through the back of his knee. A sticky substance oozed between his fingers, warm and wet.

“CityWatch Guard Remko Brant. Do . . . don’t mo . . . mo . . . move,” a voice said.

Isaac turned over to see a tall young man, gun raised, smoke rising from the barrel, now aiming at Isaac’s head.

Remko stood over Isaac with his gun trained on him. He had called for backup when he heard the commotion beneath the house. He hadn’t been sure what he would find, but he had carefully followed the sound that led him to the open basement door. He had glanced in to see Isaac reeling and screaming at a small body, a gun swinging about in his fist.

He had aimed for the back of Isaac’s knee and fired. When Isaac stumbled away, Remko had his first look at his victim
 
—Carrington, slumped on the floor, hands secured above her head, face purple and bleeding but eyes filled with light. Remko was certain that no matter how much time passed he would never be able to get that single image out of his head.

He squatted, careful not to take his gun off of his target, and collected the gun Isaac had been brandishing. He stuffed it in his belt and moved to secure the Authority member’s hands behind his back. Isaac was yelling that he would have Remko killed if he didn’t unhand him, but Remko barely paid him any attention. His mind was wrapped up in the girl tied feet from him.

After binding Isaac, Remko moved to Carrington’s side. Her eyelids were barely open and it looked as if it were a struggle for her even to keep her head up. He quickly released her hands and they fell like lead to her sides.

She moaned in pain and Remko carefully cradled her against his chest. Her face was almost unrecognizable from the swelling and gashes. He fought back the urge to reach over and strangle Isaac as Carrington’s eyes fluttered open and connected with his.

“You found me,” she said and smiled.

Careful of her bruises, he softly stroked the side of her face. “I will always find you.”

His words were clear and strong for the first time.

The Authority roundtable was filled except for the seat that was usually taken by the prisoner now standing trial. Remko was presented as a witness, Smith by his side.

Carrington sat across the room, her face still bruised with soft shades of purple but healing. Her parents were with her; her father’s eyes were trained on Isaac like a hunting dog’s.

Isaac Knight stood before his former colleagues on a small platform, hands secured in front of him. Several CityWatch guards were poised on either side.

It had been three days since Remko had rescued Carrington, and he had spent nearly every moment by her side as she recovered in a hospital bed. He had scarcely taken his eyes off her; he didn’t want to. Something significant had changed inside him when he saw her broken, lying on the cellar floor
 
—a renewed desire to protect and comfort her flamed within him. He felt called to watch over her and keep away the darkness that could be found in people like Isaac.

When she woke yesterday morning, Remko had begged her forgiveness
 
—forgiveness for letting her be harmed, for not seeing the danger she was in. She had smiled at him,
taken his hand, and told him there was nothing to forgive. She had explained that only through experiencing the darkness had she learned who she truly was.

Remko had looked upon her bewildered. With marks of evil still running across her face and swelling still rounding under her skin, Carrington had such light and peace in her eyes. Remko knew he would never really understand what had happened to her in Isaac’s basement, but the warmth that encircled her now made him care for her even more. He’d ventured to acknowledge that if love was possible for him, then that was how he felt.

Even now, he struggled to keep his eyes off her. She was dressed in the normal white dress that was standard attire for an unbetrothed daughter. Her hair was pulled away from her face, and despite the bruises, she sparkled. A light still danced in her eyes and on her lips as if she knew a secret the rest hadn’t figured out yet. It took his breath away.

She caught his eyes and smiled, a small gesture that made him dizzy. He had noticed her beauty many times, but never had it so profoundly affected him. Something about her had changed and it drew him to her like a flame in the darkness.

The voices of the Authority members faded back in and Remko pulled his eyes away from Carrington. The members had been running through the facts of the case for the last few moments and were now discussing punishment.

“On the charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, he is guilty of multiple counts
 
—seven women, two CityWatch guards, and the assassination of guard
Helms DeMarko through the hired help of Mills West and Cobb Meiser, who was apprehended late yesterday and gave a full confession,” Authority Riddley Stone said. “I believe execution is our only viable option.”

Heads nodded and members murmured in agreement around the table. No one had an argument. How could they? One of their own had taken it upon himself to break the law and solicit criminal activity from others. If the situation were reversed, Isaac himself would have insisted on the same sentence. Riddley seemed about ready to ask for a vote when Ian Carson raised his hand and brought the table to silence.

The Authority President stood slowly, sliding back his chair. He looked around the table and eyed his fellow members, then turned his gaze to Isaac. He stepped out from his place and made his way toward the prisoner.

Isaac kept his head high, eyes drilled into Ian’s. In the days since his arrest, Isaac had refused to admit or deny any involvement in the charges brought against him. Instead he had slouched in his prison cell, mostly covered in darkness, and refused to speak. He sulked as if a great wrong were being committed against him. The only thing Remko had heard him say since being apprehended was that he was following the holy mission.

Some guards had whispered that in the night hours they could hear Isaac talking to someone he seemed to believe was responding
 
—someone he called his holy master or even God. It was clear that Isaac was insane, dreaming up
voices that no one else could hear, and Remko wondered how he had hidden it from the rest of the Authority members for so long. He had feared Isaac’s insanity would cause the Authority to show him mercy. But from the look in President Carson’s eyes now, it appeared Remko had nothing to worry about.

“The charges brought against you are tremendous, Isaac,” Ian said. “Your execution would seem just punishment for your actions: death for the one who took so many other lives.” The president stopped a few feet from Isaac, his hands gripped behind his back, his face stern. “But I know you. I know you well. Family honor and pride are more important to you than your own life.” He took another step and lowered his voice so Remko could hardly hear him.

“You called for the death of my daughter while you yourself swam in the filth of the sins you spoke against. Death would be too kind.” After a long final stare, Ian turned back to the group and stepped away from Isaac.

“I propose, instead of easy death, that the prisoner spend the rest of his days rotting in a cell, stripped of his family name,” he said.

The council chattered back and forth, some disagreeing, many caring little as long as the evil man was never allowed to see the light of day.

After letting them discuss their options, Ian raised his hand and called for a vote. A majority agreed Isaac would welcome death and therefore sentenced him to lifetime imprisonment. Further, he was stripped of his title and
property. Authority Stone hit his gavel to confirm the judgment, and Isaac was carted away.

The room began to stir, but Riddley called for order and people settled back in. Dodson Rogue stood from his chair and gave Remko a small nod. “I would like to present to the council the CityWatch guard who solved the case and captured Isaac Knight
 
—and in doing so saved the life of Carrington Hale.”

All the eyes in the room turned to Remko, and he felt heat rise to his cheeks.

“I propose a reward for such valiant acts of bravery and strength,” Dodson said.

“Yes, the young guard should be rewarded. A promotion within the CityWatch?” Riddley suggested.

“A home within the High-Rise Sector?” Monroe Austin said.

“Actually, I had something different in mind,” Dodson said. “I would like to recommend that we allow Remko to choose a bride.”

His words stunned the group. For a long moment no one said anything; no one even moved. Everyone waited for someone else to respond first. Such a request had never been presented to the council before. To reward someone deemed unfit for marriage with a wife was an extremely unorthodox request. Remko’s eyes jumped to Carrington. He had never dreamed of having the option to marry; but if he could, there would be no question where his heart belonged.

“That is quite a request, Dodson,” Ian said.

“I know, but I believe that Remko has demonstrated that he can ably handle raising a family and protecting a wife. Although he will be missed among the CityWatch ranks, I believe he deserves to choose a wife,” Dodson said.

Ian nodded as if he understood and looked to Remko. “Please, Remko, will you stand before us?” Ian pointed to the platform where Isaac had been only moments earlier and Remko moved toward it.

The room looked different from this perspective
 
—larger, more overwhelming. The eyes of all the leaders locked on him. If it was designed to evoke intimidation in those who stood there, it worked. Remko cleared his throat and tried to fight off the anxiety from all the attention. He kept his head pointed toward President Carson and waited for further instruction.

“Dodson seems to think that granting you a family for your valuable service in this case is something that you want. I just want to hear from you myself,” Ian said. “Do you wish to lead a family?”

Remko nodded. “Yes, Pre . . . President Car . . . Car . . . Carson.”

Questioning looks shot around the table, but Ian didn’t take his eyes off of Remko. It was as if he were sizing him up, seeing if he could, in fact, handle what was being proposed.

Ian looked back to Dodson and smiled. “I think this is a request we can honor. Does anyone disagree?”

Several men at the table had disapproving looks etched into their faces, but none of them verbalized dissent.

“Very well then. Remko will be granted permission to participate in the upcoming spring Choosing Ceremony,” Ian said.

Remko felt a sudden rush of panic. “With all due res . . . res . . . respect, President Car . . . Carson, I have al . . . already chosen.”

The room fell so quiet that Remko could hear the council members breathing. Ian Carson looked stern, and Remko saw Dodson’s face turning in worry.

“And who would that be?” Ian said.

“Carrington Hale.”

The room had gone quiet and then her heart had stopped. She had kept her eyes on him, watched his lips move when he said her name, but the moment still felt like a dream. Carrington reminded herself to inhale as she waited for the rest of the room to respond.

Remko wanted her, wanted to choose her.

Of course he does. He would be a fool not to.

Carrington smiled and dropped her eyes to her lap. The last three days had been an incredible journey of discovery. There had been plenty of moments of forgetting, but more moments of remembering
 
—remembering that she was perfectly loved, already chosen. Seeing Aaron’s smiling face, dreaming of being with him in the field, watching the fear come and then remembering it couldn’t touch her.

She felt totally different, like a new person. Aaron told
her she had always been this way, that she just hadn’t seen her true self. To know such happiness and warmth had always been with her made her wish she had seen it sooner. But everything happened at the perfect moment in the perfect time, or so Aaron claimed. She still had so much to learn about her real identity, so much to discover.

Seeing Isaac today had been a lesson in and of itself. The past was the past; it could no longer harm her, and it wasn’t a threat even though his presence on the platform had made her body react in fear. Carrington had clenched like a knot and gone searching for her inner song, the one that told her the truth.

Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful is my daughter.

Her body had eased in response and she was able to see Isaac differently. He couldn’t hurt her; he was lost, much as she had been lost. Maybe one day she would even wish for him to find his true identity, but for now she was happy just to sit in the same room with him and not feel like running away or ripping out his throat. Her father had held her hand the entire time. She could feel that he too wanted to inflict great pain and suffering upon Isaac, and she’d tried to assure him that she was fine. Throughout the trial his grip had lessened, and she made sure to send him a comforting smile every couple of minutes.

Now he was smiling at her. And Remko was looking at her with longing. Her mother had a shocked expression, and Carrington was just trying not to giggle at the way her heart was flip-flopping.

“That is, if she will have me?” Remko said. His eyes held hers in a gentle way that made her pulse race. He was asking for her, not demanding her, and for a moment she wondered if maybe he saw her the way she was beginning to see herself.

“I’m sorry, Remko, but Carrington will return to serving as a Lint first thing tomorrow,” Ian said. “Choosing her is not an option.”

Carrington felt her heart drop. She hadn’t been told she would be going back to the Stacks.

“She is the only one I want,” Remko said.

Carrington turned her eyes back to Remko. He spoke so clearly and with such intention. She smiled, unable to keep her mouth still. He hadn’t stuttered.

“I understand, but that is not going to happen,” Ian said.

“Maybe we could have a discussion about this?” Dodson pleaded.

“Yes, she was engaged once,” Riddley said. “If we are willing to let the boy marry, should he not be permitted to marry whomever he wishes?”

“That is not the way these things work,” Monroe retorted. “There are rules. Have we abandoned all of our traditions?”

“Don’t be dramatic, Monroe,” Dodson said.

“No, he is right,” Rains broke in. “We have gotten away from the true way of things.”

“But if permission to marry is being presented to him as a reward, he should
 
—”

“Enough!” Ian commanded. The room fell quiet and Ian looked toward Remko. “You will choose from the women available during the spring ceremony or not at all. That is my decision. I will not have any more laws compromised in this chamber.”

“Then I will not choose,” Remko said.

Ian’s face was turning red and Carrington feared for Remko.

“You would reject such a gift for a Lint woman?” Ian said.

Remko glanced at Carrington. “Yes,” he said.

“Remko,” Dodson cautioned.

“No, Dodson; he has made his choice,” Ian said. “It is time to quash this trend of blatant disrespect for the Authority and its rules. From this moment forward, Remko and Miss Hale are forbidden from seeing one another under any circumstances. Dodson, you will make sure of this.”