The Coalition Episodes 1-4 (14 page)

CHAPTER 39

Shai

She hung around the cot shelters for the afternoon, pacing and chewing the split skin around her fingernails until they bled.

She didn't want to see him. She didn't trust him. He'd lied to her. Locked her up. Left her. Then tracked her here. He knew the Book was here too. The old nurse said they should stick together. But why?

Ava came towards her with a huge smile. She clapped her hands together. "Good news! The power's back on and we have running water again!" Ava grabbed Shai's arms and twirled her around.

"Power?"

"Yes! Sector One manufactures power, converting water into usable energy to supply the Division with electricity. The Borderless, as well as Lael, doesn't live with power, of course, so you wouldn't know that. But the best news is that we can get cleaned up." She took Shai's elbow and pulled her along as she walked.

"Everyone is working so quickly and efficiently together. I don't think I've ever seen the Sectors come together like this. By the end of the week we should have half the houses rebuilt." She laughed and Shai couldn't help but smile. Ava's exuberance reminded her of Sileas. She blinked back tears and bit the inside of her cheek.

"So, where's your Bath House?"

"Bath House? No, no... you mean bath
room.
Every house is equipped with one. Where... where do
you
bathe?"

"We have a community bath house, but we respect each other's Privacy Rules." She added the last part when she saw Ava frown. The heat turned Ava's face shiny red and her curly dark hair stuck to the sides of her face and forehead. Curls like Aliah's.

"Hey, Shai. You look sad all of a sudden. You okay?"

"I just... I heard Ace was here. I know you've seen him. I... don't really want to see him. He doesn't want to hurt me, I know, but..."

Ava cleared her throat. "You don't have to explain. It's okay. He packed up and left a while ago. To look for you I think. Says he won't leave without you. Stay in my house tonight. He won't expect you to be there and besides Kael will be there, so Aliah won't dare try and see you."

She took Shai's hand and swung their clasped hands between them as they walked. Shai looked at their interlaced fingers and a dim memory bubbled up, but deflated as quickly as it came.

Then she thought of Kael. He'd be in the same house as Shai. Ava meant well when she hinted that Aliah wouldn't get past her brother, but Ava didn't know Aliah. Nothing stopped him from doing what he intended to do. She wasn't sure who she felt safer being around. She didn't want to see Aliah, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to see Kael either.

The opulence of Ava's family home left Shai awe-struck. Each room had a particular theme and scent. Lilies in the Great Room with dark wood and orange accents, a clean linen scent in the Dining Room which was painted light blue with white furnishings, fresh bread in the Kitchen and eucalyptus in the guest room, set up as a temporary nursing station. She paused in the guest room and stared at the cot with rumpled sheets and the dent in the pillow. Aliah had been here. A flash of heat struck her chest as she imagined his dark head on the pillow, his lean body lying under the white sheets.

Ava squeezed her hand. "Come. I'll show you the bathroom."

Shai allowed herself to be led to a sea-foam blue colored room with an oversized oval tub. A stack of fuzzy towels sat in a wicker basket near the tub next to a white bath mat that Shai longed to scrunch her bare toes in. She felt Ava watching her and turned to see a tender look on the young woman's face.

"Your appreciation for simple things reminds me of my mother. She had a great love for Conley's textiles. She enjoyed filling each room with different colors and fabrics just so she could look at them and touch them." She dropped Shai's hand and turned the faucet on the big tub.

"It's all yours. The adjoining door leads to the room you can stay in for the night. I'll make sure you have clean clothes."

"What happened? To your mother?" Shai asked quietly.

Ava dropped her eyes, a shadow crossed her face. "She died. In some war or something. I'm... not really sure exactly. Neither my father nor my brother talk about her anymore." Her face brightened again. "I'm sure you'll enjoy this bath tub. Take your time."

After a deliciously long, hot bath, Shai put on a pair of clean blue trousers and a lemon yellow shirt with no sleeves. She twirled around a few times, enjoying the comfort of the new style of clothing. She loved the way her cheeks looked healthy and pink against the shirt’s bright color.

She let her damp hair hang loose around her shoulders to dry. Before she left the guest room she tucked the key beneath the mattress.

The hallway glowed with a soft light that emanated from little glass globes suspended from the ceiling. She marveled at the way they lit up without having a flame inside. She walked down the hall toward the Great Room staring at the ceiling and bumped into someone.

"Sorry." She mumbled, but couldn't see who it was because of the dark spots in front of her eyes. She blinked, and gradually a face materialized.

"Kael." She started to move past him but he put his arm out, resting his hand on the wall. She pressed her back against the wall when he leaned toward her. His face had been shaved, his dark hair damp and curling around his ears and neck. He smelled like soap. She hated the way she felt light-headed around him.

"Be careful, Shai." It was the first time he'd spoken to her without a scowl. His eyes met hers and her face flushed. She pressed harder against the warmth of the wood wall. Her heart pounded in her ears.

"I'm always careful. But why do
you
care?"

"That Ace... he, uh, I don't trust him. Just be careful." The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, his eyes concerned. "I know we got off to a bad start... but I just wanted to warn you. He's no good for you."

She put her hand on Kael's arm. Solid, and warm. "Excuse me. But you don't know me. You don't know what's good or not good for me." She felt his arm tighten beneath her hand, the hard bulge of his muscle. He wasn't going to move.

"Shai. You don't understand. If he finds out you have that key... he'll do anything to get it." He leaned closer to her and put his mouth to her ear. "I mean
anything.
"

She frowned and put her arm across his chest then shoved him. He caught her arm and held her wrist firmly.

"Let me go! I've known Aliah my whole life! He would do anything to protect me, not hurt me!"

Kael released her, his eyes suddenly hard, mouth hanging open. "Aliah? As in the Division Leader's son?"

Too late, Shai realized she'd used Aliah's real name. She ran down the hall back to her room.

She slammed the door behind her and leaned against it, chest heaving.

Who was the Division Leader? The only leaders she knew were her own Gracious Leader of Lael, Kael and Ava's father, and of course Samael.

Who was Aliah's father?

CHAPTER 40

Aliah

Fury burned inside him. He didn't like that Kael had put himself in the position of protecting Shai. He needed to find Shai and leave Sector Three.

Aliah asked a group of people hauling brick in a large wooden box on wheels if they'd seen Shai. They shook their heads. He cursed and they frowned as he slung his bag over his shoulder, bumping the wound in his side.

He could move relatively pain-free now; the salve had worked. Just a thin scar remained where the wound had been, but it was still tender to the touch.

He re-adjusted the bag and peeked his head into another shelter full of women and children. He watched them for a few moments, suddenly exhausted. Fatigue coursed through every part of him. If only he could lie down. He forced himself to move on to the next shelter.

A figure in grey trousers and a beige tunic walked down the street toward him. Dark hair brushed the top of broad shoulders. Each stride was long and purposeful. Aliah's stomach lurched. He recognized that walk. It couldn't be. It had been too long. He dropped his bag on the ground and stood with his feet apart, waiting. Watching.

As the figure got closer, Aliah saw dark stubble on the cheeks, a dimpled chin and pale blue eyes that turned his blood cold. The scar that ran a jagged path from his right eye to the corner of his mouth brought up a memory that pricked Aliah’s eyes with heat and dampened his palms.

Remiel.

"You're supposed to be dead." Aliah's voice came out thick and scratchy.

"That's a fine greeting." Remiel's eyes held his in a long look.

Aliah's head spun and spots swam before his eyes like he'd been looking into the sun too long. He squeezed his eyes shut then re-opened them. Remiel was still there, grinning. Remiel touched Aliah's shoulder making his skin blaze fiery hot beneath Remiel's touch.

Aliah stepped back, his hands in front of his face like a shield. "Don't touch me!"

"I won't hurt you, Aliah. I'm here to help you. Both you and Shai."  Remiel picked Aliah's bag off the ground and slung it across his own back. "Let me help you. You look tired."

Aliah rubbed his hands over his face.
Go away, go away!
"I don't want your help, Remiel! I thought I made that clear a long time ago. How..." He let the rest of the question dangle. He knew Remiel had an uncanny way of answering questions before they were asked.

Remiel began walking and Aliah followed two feet behind.
This is not happening.

Pictures suddenly flashed through his mind, pictures he had stuffed away in the corner of his memory: yelling at Remiel on the bridge in Lael, punching him over and over until the blood ran from a deep gash in his face and Aliah's knuckles swelled. Pushing Remiel off the bridge and watching him float down the river. The faces of the children as they witnessed it all. Shai, her eyes swollen with tears and refusing to listen to his explanation.

He stared at the back of Remiel's head as he walked.
Is he really alive?

"I'm alive because my life was never in your hands, Aliah. You wear that pendant because Samael convinced you that you'd die without it. But what you don't know will kill you. The Essence inside it is poisoning your mind. Altering your memories."

Remiel turned around. His blue eyes shone with unshed tears. "You went to Samael to cover up what you believed you'd done to me. He convinced you of your guilt and helped you cover it up. But you couldn't erase your conscience. I know you remember."

Aliah shook his head then held his hands over his ears.
Shut up!
If he yelled at the top of his voice maybe it would drown out Remiel.

"Now the Laelites live with the lie that Samael helped you create: the lie of the pendants. No one remembers that day. No one remembers me because you traded the truth for a lie. But you remember. Even if you remember nothing else about us, I know you remember that day. And Mara remembers, doesn't she? Because she lives without the pendant now." Remiel's eyes remained fixed, staring into Aliah's soul, piercing through flesh and bone.

Still Aliah yelled. His throat hurt and his head ached from his own screams, but he could still hear Remiel. He closed his eyes and dropped to his knees, squeezing his ears so hard they popped with the pressure.

"Get rid of the pendant, Aliah." Remiel's voice spoke softly, but ripped through his head like a double-edged blade. "You sold out to your enemy. You've forgotten who you are, but that can change. Just take the pendant off."

Aliah could barely breathe. His chest hurt. His head hurt. Blood trickled down his throat. He'd probably die in Conley's streets with everyone watching.

Remiel's voice became softer. "Shai is going to find the Book. She has to do it, Aliah. Don't try and stop her."

Aliah collapsed on the ground, his breath coming in jerks. His face was wet. Had he been crying? He uncovered his ears and opened his eyes. He wasn't on the street. He was laying on a cot in a shelter, with the old nurse leaning over him. The light of the full moon revealed her wrinkled face, full of concern.

"Maybe you want some more of that tea, Ace? You've been crying in your sleep."

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. His tunic stuck to his damp skin. All around him people slept on cots or on the floor under a mound of blankets. He shook his head.

"No, no. Thanks, Nurse. I... I just need air."

She smiled and nodded at him. He stepped over the sleeping bodies and stood in the entrance to the shelter. A gentle wind ruffled his hair and he inhaled the breeze with a shuddering breath. He knew better than to believe it'd only been a dream. It must have been a trance, or a vision similar to Shai's visions of Remiel.

Shai started having visions of Remiel after Aliah had killed him. He never knew why she had them, just like he didn't know why he couldn't erase certain images from his mind. He couldn't remember anything else though, like how long ago it had happened. Time seemed to have folded in on itself.

No one remembered anything about that day, not even Shai. Pieces of memories that were more like flashbacks rained down on him periodically like ash during a raid-fire. He wished he could erase them entirely, but somehow it always flowed back to him on waves of guilt.

He touched the chain at his throat. Twisted the glass pendant until it pinched his neck. He'd seen Shai play with hers like that more than a dozen times ever since the day Samael put it around her neck. She was always touching it and twisting it, like she knew it didn't belong there.

But he knew she didn't remember the day Samael brought the pendants to Lael.

Aliah turned his face up to the star-speckled sky. He inhaled the crisp, evening air and rammed his fingers into his hair. An image flashed into his mind, and beads of sweat broke out on his upper lip.

Amusement on Samael’s face made the corners of his mouth twitch. His fingers lingered on 

Shai’s skin as he fastened the pendant around her neck.

“No,” Aliah whispered to the moon.
I should have ripped that pendant off her. I should have told her it was all a lie. A big mistake. If I would’ve confessed to the infraction none of this would be happening.

He pulled on his own chain and felt it give slightly. One quick tug and he'd be rid of it. He dropped it back inside his tunic.
I can’t do it. I don’t want the other memories.

How much longer would it be until his mental anguish became greater than the pain it took to change? He clenched his teeth.
Hold it together. For Shai’s sake.