The Coalition Episodes 1-4 (6 page)

CHAPTER 14

Shai

She watched him bend over the spot where Sileas had been before he climbed the hill towards the house. His shoulders slumped and his hood concealed his face. She waited.

He stood ten feet away from her at the top of the hill, his chest heaving. She put her right hand over her heart. He echoed it. A soft smile pulled at her mouth. It was their old, familiar greeting:
friends forever.

For a moment it was as though nothing had changed.

She ran to him, closing the gap between them in moments. But her heart sunk further with every step. Nothing would ever be the same again.

He put up his hand as she drew close. "Don't." He turned his face away. "Don't look at me."

She grabbed the edge of his hood and pushed it off. He blinked but kept his face turned away from her. Clumps of mud clung to his hair, dark smears covered his cheeks and chin. His skin had a waxy-white pallor.

Shai swallowed hard as she watched a single tear fall from his eye. "Aliah?"

He turned his face toward her. Red-rimmed eyes searched hers. "It's Death, Shai." He hung his head. His voice rasped like he'd swallowed a cup of gravel. "Samael did it. I guess our Leader thought the poor kid’s infraction was worthy of death."

So that's what she had seen on Sileas's face. Death. Laelites had never been exposed to it. The sick were removed from Lael and every child was either recruited or sent to the Camps before the age of sixteen.
Everyone except for Aliah.
Grief welled up inside her chest again. She couldn’t blame him. This was the enemy’s work.

"Aliah, what happened to Sileas wasn’t your fault. It was mine."

Aliah jerked his head up, looked into her eyes, and then sighed. His shoulders sagged even more. "You saw who it was?"

She nodded then swallowed hard. "It’s because we were talking earlier about infractions. About how she wanted to commit the big one, but I didn't think she really would. We argued about it." She twisted the hem of her tunic. If Sileas was right about Aliah’s involvement with the Watchers should she really let that come between them? She searched his face. He looked so haunted.

A sudden impulse to touch him, to comfort him, threatened to undo her resolve, but she resisted. Law or no Law, if she touched him now she’d be betraying herself. She would be saying that being a Watcher was okay. And Aliah’s constant denial of his involvement with them only sliced deeper into her heart like a blade of lies.

"I have to go,” he said. “I'll see you at the Chapel for breakfast." He held out his hand. "Take this." He dropped something into her palm then turned around, his cloak swirling, and fled down the hill until he was out of sight.

She looked at what he’d given her: Sileas's pendant and chain. She walked back towards the house, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. The wind had picked up again. She lifted her face to the sky. No storm, only the constant grey clouds.
I hate this place. I can’t wait to leave.

She squeezed Sileas' pendant.
I’ll find a safe place to keep it.
The thought cheered her as though protecting the necklace would somehow preserve her friend.

She reached for the knob of her door just as a twig snapped to her left. She turned her head. Was someone watching her?

CHAPTER 15

Aliah

A hush had descended over the community. The tidy rows of small houses, all painted the same dreary grey, mirrored the bleak sky.

Aliah slogged through the streets on the west side of the river, keeping his head low, moving only his eyes. The Mothers, and a few of the older children, peered at him through the windows of the Boys' Houses.

With his hood concealing his face and shoulders hunched, he knew he looked like a Watcher. He flicked his eyes east, across the river, at the rows of houses. Every window of the Girl’s Houses stared back, empty and dark like Sileas's eyes.

The wind whipped his cloak as Aliah picked up his pace, his head down.

"Woah! Watcher, what are you doing in the streets? Aren't you supposed to be doing your thing more... secretly?”

Aliah snapped his head up. A moment later he would have collided with the boy. He jerked his hood further down.

"Aliah? You look... bad. What happened?" Warmth flooded him at the concern in his friend's voice.

"Ellersly."

"What's going on? Talk to me!" Ellersly planted his short barrel-shaped body in front of Aliah to bar his way, his thick arms crossed.

Aliah sighed. "Something happened. We need to get those kids and my mother out of here, now!" He hissed the words through clenched teeth. They wouldn't be the only Watchers around.

"Now? Wait, Aliah. I thought you said we had more time. I...I'm not ready. We need more supplies and… Where are you going?"

Aliah had pushed past his friend and was striding down the street away from eyes and ears. Ellersly trotted beside him, his shorter legs taking twice the steps. Aliah slowed until Ellersly's labored breathing improved. His dark blonde hair stuck in damp chunks to his head in spite of the wind. He stopped to bend over, both hands gripping his left side.

"How much more time do you need?" Aliah kept his voice low. Shifting his glance to the right. Left. Then behind Ellersly. The street was quiet.

"Three days, Aliah. That's all. Just three more days." Ellersly stood up, sweat dripping off his large nose. His face wore a grave expression. "I've just come from the cave."

Fear coiled around Aliah's throat.
Mother.

Ellersly smiled. "Hey, she's okay. She's worried about you though."

Aliah nodded then resumed walking. He couldn't risk saying anything more in the street. He headed towards a large, stone building with a flat roof.
Supply House
was painted on a wooden sign that hung crooked from a single nail above the door. It was the only building without windows where they would be safe from Watchers.

Aliah pushed open the wooden door then ducked through the entrance. He held the door open for Ellersly who snatched a burlap sack from a pile on the ground, just inside the door. Two small lanterns sat lit on a long wooden table in the center of the large room. Ellersly took one, then handed the other to Aliah.

Tremors shook Aliah's hands and a deep chill crept through him.

"So tell me what happened." Ellersly's eyes were large and round in the dim light. The boy was fifteen and large for his age, but in the shadowy room he looked like a young child.

"I will. But we should gather supplies first." Aliah spoke softly.

Ellersly sighed then turned and walked to the numerous shelves that lined the walls in front of them. Hundreds of glass jars filled with jams, fruits, and vegetables of every variety sparkled like jewels in the lantern light. The boy placed his lantern on the ground then chose a jar to put in his sack before turning to Aliah again.

"Can you tell me now?"

Aliah's throat burned. His head throbbed. "It was horrible, Ell. Shai's friend Sileas is gone."

"Gone? But she wasn't one of the ones I took to the cave."

Aliah shook his head, the pounding increased. "No, I mean she's
gone.
Samael got her."

Ellersly dropped the jar he held. It smashed at his feet leaving a pool of beets in crimson juice to stain the stone floor.

"Dead?" The young boy's eyes widened. He clutched his burlap sack to his chest. "You saw it? He...Samael’s never done that before. I mean...right in Lael? What about the Leader?"

"Infraction pushishment." Aliah's voice caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. Would Ellersly know he was lying? He raked his hands through his hair as he studied his friend.

Shadows played across Ellersly's chubby face giving him an eerie appearance. Ellersly’s voice shook when he finally spoke. "So the
Leader
killed Sileas? I don't get what Samael has to do with it."

Aliah sagged against a shelf. Flashes of hot and cold assaulted his body. "Samael's the ruler of Death, right? So naturally the punishment had to be carried out by him."

Ellersly shrugged. "I guess so, but it still seems weird doesn't it? I mean everyone knows that Elchai and Samael are enemies. It's almost like Elchai
hired
Samael to do the job. That's just dirty."

Aliah needed to be careful what he said. Every Watcher took an oath:
preserve and protect
. If anyone heard them they’d be reported.

"It might be dirty Ell, but infractions must be punished. To preserve the integrity of our community." He slouched to the floor and put his head down. Ellersly remained silent.

"If Sileas was guilty of taking the Book, then the Law says she deserved punishment. We are Watchers after all... sent to enforce the Law." Aliah looked at his shaking hands, dirt caked under each nail. He glanced up at his young friend and lowered his voice. "I have to get Shai out of here. Who knows what will happen to her when she's...
rewarded.
"

Ellersly nodded and whispered, "I know."

Aliah had said enough. He'd already put his friend's life in danger by involving him. He closed his eyes and leaned against the cool stone wall. He just needed a moment to think.

A tiny flare of heat pulsed through his chest. He knew that feeling. Shai was in trouble.

Adrenaline thrummed through him, wiping the feverish feeling from him. He stumbled to his feet then picked up Ellersly's lantern and whispered, "It's time to go, my friend."

The younger boy nodded and started for the door, but Aliah's voice stopped him. "Ell, I'm going to… kidnap Shai. It’s the only way I can get her to come with me. If something happens to me, look after her for me. Protect her with your life, as I would."

Ellersly's mouth opened then closed like a fish but no sound came out.

Aliah narrowed his eyes. "Promise me!"

The boy's cheeks shook as he nodded his head up and down.

Aliah put his hand on his chest as the heat spread, renewing his energy. He turned to go but stopped when Ellersly pointed. Eyes wide, the boy stared at something on the opposite side of the room, near the door. His round face wore an expression of terror. His mouth hung open, his lower lip trembled.

Aliah turned, pushed his hood aside and glimpsed a dark shadow. He raised both lanterns. Their beams of light collided and illuminated two amber eyes peering at the young men.

The wolf.

CHAPTER 16

Shai

She had taken a few steps toward the house when a sharp pain stabbed her chest like a hot poker. She dropped Sileas' pendant and curled around the pain as it pulsed, bending her over at the waist. Gasping. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Thunder rolled and lightening ripped the sky like an old bed sheet, letting the rain pour out again.

Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead mixed with rain, plastering her hair to her face. A force pressed around and inside of her. She sagged to her knees in the mud, gagging. Her face on the ground breathing in wet earth smells. What hit her?

Then a burst of blue light exploded in front of her, and a voice spoke. "Shai, don't be afraid. The Book has been stolen. Find it. Keep it safe."

She shook her head. Pain arced through her body; she retched while the rain soaked into her tunic and leggings. Her legs became rubbery. She raked her fingers through mud and rocks. No sound could be forced from her tight throat.

She pushed herself to a near-sitting position and squinted into the blue light. Fat drops of rain ran down her face and into her mouth. As a figure stepped towards her from the light she saw a familiar face. His square jawline appeared soft in the falling rain and his mouth turned up slightly at the corners. A flood of heat washed over her again.

Adrenaline overdose.

"
Go... away!
" She screamed in her mind.

"Is that what you want?" He stood several feet away but his voice seemed to be beside her. Or maybe inside her?

She shook her head. Words formed slowly in her foggy brain. "
No. I don't want that. I just... don't know... what...to do.
"

He kneeled on the sloppy ground beside her and took a thick gold chain from his neck. A thin silver key hung from the chain which he slid off and held out to her.

"Trust me. Look in the Book, and take this, one day you'll need it." He pressed the cold key hard into her palm. His fingertips brushed hers and a sudden shock rocked her, throwing her backwards into the mud again.

Then everything went dark.

CHAPTER 17

Aliah

Ellersly sprang into action. He lifted his sack full of jars high over his head and swung them around and around. The burning in Aliah's chest increased and robbed him of breath. He gripped the corner of the nearby table and watched as Ellersly launched the sack into the air toward the wolf. The bag exploded against the wall in a fusion of bright colors that leaked through the burlap. Pickled beets, carrots and mixed berry smells permeated the air.

The wolf disappeared.

Bands of pressure squeezed Aliah's head and he gripped the table harder. Ellersly approached breathing heavily. "It's gone. You should go... find Shai. Make sure... she's alright."

Aliah turned to look at his young friend and raised one eyebrow.

Dimples formed in the boy's round face as he smiled. "I know enough about your... strange connection with Shai... to realize the pain you're in... is more than because of Sileas's death." The Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. "Just go, Aliah. I will... gather supplies then... head back to the cave."

Aliah nodded. He breathed in a shuddering breath and steeled himself against the pain in his ribs. He gripped his shirt with one hand just above his heart where his birthmark was and walked with halting steps to the door. The pain had never been as intense as this before. He clamped his teeth over his lower lip and forced himself to run.

His hood slipped off and the rain pummeled his face but he didn't care. He knew many pairs of eyes watched him as he streaked down the muddy streets, his cloak flapping behind him. The Mothers would be pulling the children away from the windows about now. Fear of the Watchers had amplified since the night before.

He ran for several minutes before reaching the bottom of the hill near the Hill House. He stopped for a moment to breathe, then began to climb. He struggled for footing on the slippery slope until he made it to the top. Smoke from her chimney curled into the grey sky. Everything appeared as it usually did. Pain jabbed his chest again, but with less intensity. The danger must be over. But what if he was too late?

He scanned the bushes behind the house with his eyes. No sign of her. He took a few steps towards the front door then stopped. Movement to his left caught his eye.

He found her lying near the back of the house face down in the mud. In a ceremonious
swoosh
he swept her up and cradled her in his arms.

The pain in his chest flared as he struggled to walk to the front door to push it open. His arms shook as his adrenaline-infused strength began to fade. Once inside, he laid her on the bench in front of the fire and arranged pillows around her. Her eyes were closed and in spite of the mud caking her face and hair she looked peaceful. He grabbed a blanket from the rocking chair and tucked it around her. When he pulled it up under her chin the knuckles of his hand brushed the smooth skin of her cheek.

His heart hammered. He stood over her, watching her breathe. He raked a hand through his wet hair. He had a good idea of what had happened to her.

With the little strength he had left, he warmed some water in a kettle then poured it into a porcelain bowl. He rummaged around in the kitchen until he found some clean rags then knelt beside her and dabbed at the mud on her face. He cleaned as much as he could using the water and cloths then set the bowl aside.

She didn't seem to be visibly wounded and he could do nothing else until she woke up. He made a pallet of blankets for himself close to the fire, but closer to her. He laid on his back, with his arms behind his head, chewing his lower lip.
I have to get her away from this place without telling her anything. If she finds out who the real Leader of Lael is she'll never agree to leave with me. Especially if she’s suspicious that I’m a Watcher. She'll think I purposefully joined ranks with our enemy.

He must have slept a little because he suddenly jolted awake. Propping himself up on one elbow he looked over at Shai.

She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. Her long, golden hair fanned out around her face, her fingers interlaced across her chest.

Her face was turned towards him, staring. He got up and bent over her. She didn't move. Her eyes remained fixed, staring beyond him. He moved so close to her that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his face.

Her lips parted slightly. "Tell me your name." she barely moved her lips, her voice just a whisper.

"Shai! It's me, Aliah." He knelt on the floor next to her and gripped her shoulders. She became rigid beneath his touch.

"Remiel?"

No!
That name on her lips twisted like a dagger in his heart. His face flushed and his stomach twisted.

"Shai! Get up! I can't.... you shouldn't..." He could barely breathe. He pushed his face into Shai's neck and pleaded.
No, no, no! This isn't happening!
He lifted his head and scanned the room.
Where is he? Did he come back from the dead for revenge?

Shai seemed to be focused on something behind him. He stared intently.

Nothing.

A wave of heat flashed across his chest, piercing the birthmark above his heart. He whirled around again.

"Show yourself!" But the room remained as it was. He frowned and buried his face in the pillow next to Shai. He ground his teeth into his lip until he drew blood.
Damn! Why didn't I get her out of here sooner?

He felt Shai's hand on his face, stroking a line from his ear to his jaw. He lifted his head to look at her. She met his eyes and smiled, but her face revealed nothing.

He swallowed hard. "What happened, Shai?" He pushed aside a few pillows and sat beside her, trying to read her eyes. Her features softened in the pale sunlight that now streamed through the window beside them. She reached for his hand and her warmth thawed the chill that had crept into him. She had spoken a name he had never wanted to hear again, but he had to know what she had seen.

He gripped her fingers tighter and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "You can tell me anything. Don't be afraid."

She smiled again and untangled her hand from his then sat upright. "What are you doing here, Aliah?"

"You fell. Outside... last night. Who... who did you see, Shai?" His chest tightened. He already knew the answer but the question hung in the air as Shai rose to stoke the fire. Aliah watched her push the hot logs around with an iron poker. Her hair clumped together where it had dried with mud and rain. She seemed distant even though she was only a few feet from him.

He wanted to go to her; to hold her. He ached to tell her that everything would be okay. But the truth was that everything had changed in the last twenty-four hours. Nothing was okay.

He hated her reoccurring visions. He remembered her last encounter like this one. He had made her promise to send her vision-friend away and she hadn't spoken of him since. Aliah thought it was finally over but hearing that name just now brought snippets of memories bubbling up to the surface.

Shai continued to crouch at the fire and without turning she spoke. But not to answer his question. "I think I'll just go to the bath house to clean up. It was a long night."

So, he was dismissed. Just like that. No explanation for what had happened the night before.

Heat rose in his face and he clenched his teeth together. His head swam as he reached down to tighten the stiff metal buckles on his boots. In his frustration his finger slipped and the metal buckle sliced into his soft flesh. He winced as a bright red ribbon of blood formed. The sight reminded him of Sileas. Why he was doing what he was doing. He closed his fist on the cut and let it sting.

Shai may have dismissed him now but soon she would have no choice but to be with him. For her own protection.

When there were no more words to exchange, he drew a deep breath, forcefully expelled it and stood up. He stared hard at Shai's back, willing her to turn around and beg him to stay like she did the other night, but she remained unresponsive.

Finally he spun around and clasped the sides of his cloak, drawing it around himself. The heels of his boots clunked on the stone floor as he made his exit.