The Poet Heroic (The Kota Series) (4 page)

Guown held up a hand. “Don’t get too excited. There hasn’t been any sign of them. I just thought it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for them. I know it’s important to you.”

“Hell, yes, it’s important!” Vale yelled in tired frustration. “We should go there now and-”

“It’s too dangerous, lad. I can’t let you go off and-”

“Let me?
Let
me?” Vale demanded. He felt his pulse quicken. “Am I your prisoner now?”

“No, I never meant-”

“Or am I your prize now? Is that it? You want to show me off so people join your rebel group?”

Guown paused and wiped his face with a hand. “You’re tired. You have every right to be punchy. We’ll talk in the morning. Just promise me you’ll get some rest and not do anything stupid until we talk, okay?”

Vale crossed his arms and tried to make himself calm down.

I’m freaking out and acting like a brat, he thought. I’ve lost everything. I’m… I’m so tired.

He nodded at Guown and turned to walk back to the boys’ section of the hideout.

I have nothing, he thought. I’m exiled. Branded. Forced to live in hiding with rebels. Maybe I can find a way to do some good in this world, but… But my mother and little sister are out there somewhere. They’re all I have left, really. And if Mom is hiding from the Dominion even now that Dad’s dead, that must mean she knows the truth about Cruelthor. We can’t let Cruelthor get my sister – she needs to be free so she can grow up
good
, knowing the truth about everything. If I can find Mom…

He crossed paths with a rebel teen and looked down to avoid the usual stare.

Okay, the world is a mess, he thought. I might be able to work with Guown to make some things right. But I have to find my family first.

Making up his mind, Vale turned into the boys’ quarters for some quick sleep.

5

Copenhagen

The train slid into the station, and Vale adjusted his coat’s hood to better shadow his face. The passengers around him jostled as they pressed to the opening doors, and Vale kept his head down as he joined in the mass exodus.

The smells of the city met him first – wet pavement, cold pedestrians, the fish market up the street, and the faint bite of salty sea. He breathed in with a smile and walked with the crowd out the gate of the train station.

This was as close to a sense of
home
as he’d felt in a long time.

Exhaled clouds shot out from his mouth like dragon’s breath as he jogged and watched the cobblestones of his path. He didn’t dare make eye contact with anyone, and he avoided the shopping district in favor of the less populated sidewalk that ran to the shoreline. His eyes ached to look around his childhood home, but he continued with his head down. The sidewalk led into the residential district, and soon it reached the shore and ran along the concrete seawall.

Finally, Vale stopped and looked inland. There stood an open, snow-dusted park, flanked on either side by rows of tightly packed houses.

His hood secure, he dared now to look around. The houses in this neighborhood displayed beautiful feats of architecture. The sidewalk Vale had taken from the train station stretched back up into town, and everything there looked much like he remembered. Trimmed trees marked off every twenty meters of sidewalk. Light snow covered the tops of the densely packed shops. Pedestrians strolled casually, and some climbed into luxury vehicles parked on the rail system running through the streets. On the far side of the city, skyscrapers rose with glass windows that sparkled sunlight back onto the smaller buildings below. The Dominion MediTech building was the most impressive of all.

Vale knew his history. Copenhagen had once held the world’s leading medical research companies. When the Euro Civil War had erupted in the wake of the DRK outbreak, many nations’ top scientists had fled here to work on a cure. War and infection had struck even here, but the original Olander had found the DRK treatment in these very MediTech facilities. Copenhagen had, therefore, become the sole hope for the rest of the planet. Nations had flooded the city with whatever resources the original Olander required, and Copenhagen then became the first city restored from the war’s devastation. The Dominion leaders had, therefore, always held a soft spot for Copenhagen, and it was their trophy on the Mainland-Euro.

The Dominion likes trophies, thought Vale. Was that what my mother was to my father? He brought her here from the Kota clan in the north. She was like the lovely princess of some fairy tale – at least that’s how I always saw her. I think that’s what Dad expected her to be too. …I can’t really blame her for leaving him.

Continuing down the sidewalk, Vale knew with every step he took that this was a bad idea. But he couldn’t help it.

If I couldn’t find Mom on the Continent, he thought, maybe that’s because she came here. I just need to find
some
clue.

As he rounded a bend, the Dominion mansion came into view. This too, looked as it had in his childhood. He’d been born here. He’d first had Guown as a teacher here. He’d spent happy days with his mother, brother, and even his father here. It wasn’t until they’d left Copenhagen that everything fell apart.

As he neared the impressive, sprawling building of stone and glass, however, Vale sensed
danger
. A moment later, a Dominion patrol vehicle swung up the street and sped straight toward him. An alarm went off from the security gate of the mansion itself, and a soldier stepped from the security station and started running at him too. Then three more soldiers burst through the main doors of the mansion.

Vale turned and ran. He sped up a side street but heard the patrol vehicle following. The cold air burned his throat as he ran on and on through the snowy streets. He knew these streets well, but…

I have nowhere to go, he realized.

Crossing into the shopping district, he nearly ran into a woman carrying groceries. He didn’t wait to see her shocked face before he sprinted down the sidewalk. There were too many people, however. All eyes that met his widened in recognition, and a few people started shouting and pointing. He crossed the street in front of a speeding luxury cruiser, and the sensors detected him just in time to slam the brakes. He glanced inside to see the surprise of the passengers, but he slid around the cruiser and hopped onto the far sidewalk to continue his flight.

A man here cut him off and shoved Vale against a parked car. “Hey!” the man yelled, presumably to catch the attention of any patrols nearby. “Beathabane is right here! He’s right here!”

Before the man could react, Vale’s adrenaline gave him the strength to push the man away. The man lost his balance and fell into an outdoor café chair, and Vale turned to continue his run up the street.

“Stop right there!” a mechanical patrol machine ordered from somewhere behind.

Shit, thought Vale. Those things are fast and can fly! It’ll track me and alert more soldiers of my location!

He looked back in his run and saw the flying machine speeding after him over the excited crowds on the sideway.

Wait, he realized as he looked down at his bandaged hand. Scanners can’t detect me now that they cut the ID tag out. Ha – I don’t have access to my accounts, fine! At least I’m not trackable! If I can get out of this thing’s sights…

Suddenly, before he could formulate a plan, an arm reached out from a doorway, grabbed the front of his coat, and yanked him inside. The momentum shift nearly made him slam into the door, but he was pulled into the building and steadied on his feet. The door closed, and the man in the shadows let him go. Then someone activated a light stick.

Vale squinted against the sudden burst of light. He stood in some kind of clothing store. Curtains were pulled over the windows. The green glow of the light stick illuminated a group dressed in civilian clothes, but Vale sensed their thoughts and recognized them immediately.

“Boy, what were you thinking?” Guown barked at him. He loosened a scarf around his neck before taking off gloves and slapping them down on a table of shirts. “Of all the places to hide, you picked your old house?”

Vale knew it had been stupid. He didn’t appreciate being made to feel a fool in front of so many peers staring at him, though.

Nocturna frowned at Vale but looked up at Guown. “Go easy on him. We never would’ve found him if he
didn’t
come here.”

Guown was having none of it. “I taught you brats myself – did you learn nothing? I swear…”

“Thank the gods he’s okay,”
Guown was thinking.
“I’d hug the lad, but…”

Dynk was positioned beside a curtained window, peeking out. “Shit, incoming!”

Before any of them could move, gunfire shot out the glass window. Everyone ducked for cover. Tat screamed, and Dynk fired back with a weapon he’d pulled from his coat. Nocturna crouched with Vale behind a shelf of pants, and cloth flew through the air as shots sprayed into the store.

“Head for the back exit!” Evant was yelling from behind them somewhere.

More gunshots echoed around the store as Guown and Dynk continued to fire from positions on either side of the room. Then the door exploded inward as soldiers broke it down with some weapon Vale couldn’t see. Guown fired back, and a drone soldier fell dead in the doorway, clogging it momentarily from others behind.

“Noc, get him out of here!” Guown knelt behind an upturned table and fired at the soldiers taking cover around the exterior of the doorway.

Nocturna grabbed Vale by the arm and pulled him to crouch-walk back farther into the store. “Keep down!” she yelled.

Vale hurried after her and looked back to see Dynk and Guown firing and standing to run toward the same back exit.

“We have to get to-” Guown was cut off as a spray of bullets tore apart the table beside him.

Vale watched like it was happening in slow motion. The shots’ trajectory cut across Guown’s path and finally caught the big man as he ran. Guown’s whole body lurched to the side, and sprays of blood shot from his chest. He slumped into a shelf and looked right at Vale. Then one last bullet connected with his chest.

“No!” Vale screamed.

But they’d reached the back exit, and Nocturna pulled him to the door just as Dynk slid across the floor to avoid more gunfire. Together they scrambled out the door into an alleyway. Vale tried to wrestle off Nocturna and run back inside, and that’s when Dynk hit him in the head with the butt of his gun.

Everything went black, and Vale slumped into Dynk’s arms.

6

Melonia

When he woke, he didn’t even ask if Guown was dead. The tears in her eyes and the tears on her cheeks told him.

“Where are we now?” he asked instead. He sat up on the cot and looked around.

The bedroom was old, but functional. Nocturna sat on a chair by his cot. Partially open blinds clacked against the window frame as a breeze blew in from the night.

“Does it matter?” she finally answered with a sigh.

He watched as she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. She looked tired and sad, which he’d expected.

“It’s my fault.”

“Yes.”

He winced. He’d expected her to be a little gentler.

But that’s not the world we live in, he thought. No time for gentle. I shouldn’t expect to be coddled anymore. Especially not now. Not after…

“He’s dead because of me,” he said to drive the point home to himself.

Nocturna looked at him without emotion. “Yes, but he wasn’t a man destined to die in his sleep. And when he woke us in the middle of the night to go after you, he told us he believed you’re worth risking our lives for. Are you, Little Lord?”

Knowing the weight of this guilt would probably never leave him, Vale could only shrug. “I don’t know. I was so desperate and selfish that I…”

“You wanted to find your mom and sister. I wouldn’t call that selfish exactly.”

“But it was still stupid and pointless. They weren’t there. And Guown…” Vale pinched back tears. “I don’t know why he thought I’m worth it, Nocturna. I really don’t.”

“He’s kind of a mess,”
Nocturna was thinking.
“I guess that’s better than thinking he deserves to be king of the Mainland. That’s what Dynk thinks he wants
.”

Vale swallowed and let his eyes wander around the room to avoid both their thoughts. He hated that he was about to beg, but… “I’d like to stay, if you think the group would let me. I certainly don’t deserve to stay. But I have nowhere else to go.”

She lifted her eyes to his. Not finding whatever she wanted there, she let out a short chuckle and swept a hand over her braided mohawk. “You don’t get it, do you? It’s not a matter of us
letting
you stay. We need you. You just need to pull your shit together. I know I’ve given you a lot of crap, but I
do
believe you’re worth the trouble. Guown always said he saw something in you. Something great. And… Well, Guown wanted me to support you, so I will. I think I understand now what Guown really wanted.” She raised an eyebrow. “You’re meant to lead us, Little Lord.”

Vale sat back on the cot in surprise and shook his head. “The others would never let me-”

“We’re starting a movement here,” she countered. “The others know that. What better way to get the world’s attention than to be a rebel force led by the rebel twin brother of our enemy?”

“I can’t lead you. Nocturna, I almost got all of you killed. I
did
get Guown killed!” He rubbed his face with his hands.

Nocturna reached and took his hands from his face so he had to look at her. “I know you’re new to this way of life, but… Things happen. We don’t live in a world where we’re allowed the luxury of dwelling on how things could’ve gone differently. If we want to accomplish anything, we quickly mourn our dead and push ahead as best we can. I think our best way is with you leading us.”

“But no one trusts me!” he said in frustration. “Your own people look at me and see Cruelthor. I can’t go anywhere without everyone knowing who I am.” He pointed at the tattoo.

“But don’t you see? That’s exactly it – you can show the world who you really are.” She looked at him with
sympathy
. “Guown knew you have a good heart. He knew you have Olander greatness without all the Olander evil. He wanted you to join us because he knew – even when you were blind to your brother’s true nature – that you
want
to be a better person than your brother. You never agreed with the Dominion philosophy, and Guown knew that. He knew you wanted to change everything. Leading us gives you that opportunity.”

Vale looked at the floor. Was she right? Was this his chance? This
could
be his way to fix everything the Dominion had ruined. He could stand for everything he’d always wanted the Dominion to stand for. Working with Guown’s chosen pupils, he could fight back and change things.

Guown believed in me, he thought with a heavy heart. He saved my life at least three times. I owe him this.

Nocturna seemed to sense he was changing his mind. “Come on.” She patted his knee and stood, then waited for him to stand.

When he did, he took a deep breath and followed her to the door. It creaked open, and together they walked into a hall. Ahead the hall opened into a living room. It looked like a cheap apartment. Three mismatched couches lined the living room, and crates were propped up for tables. Evant, Dynk, and Babbitt lounged on the couches while Tat sat cross-legged on the floor. Each had an open can and fork. All stopped eating and looked up as Nocturna and Vale entered the room.

“About time you woke up,” muttered Dynk. He forked a chunk of meat and shoved it into his mouth.

“We need to make some decisions,” Nocturna told the group.

Tat set aside her finished meal. “Always straight to the point, Noc.”

“Then let’s get to it,” said Dynk. “What are we going to do about the Tyrant Twin?” He glared at Vale.

“Dynk, cool it.” Evant set his can on the arm of his couch. He looked at Vale. “No one here blames you for Guown’s death – we all loved the old bastard, but he knew the risks of going after you and accepted them. We all did. And Guown would’ve done the same thing for any one of us. We’re family – we look after our own.” He looked at the others, with a tone. “Anyone here disagree with that?”

Some of the others exchanged glances, but no one spoke up.

Vale looked around the room. “If anyone here doesn’t want me to join this group, I’ll go.”

Babbitt adjusted his goggles. “Guown vouched for you. That’s good enough for me.”

Tat smiled and gave Vale a thumbs up.

Dynk seemed to waver, but he rolled his eyes and nodded.

Vale felt more relief than he’d expected. “I know my being here puts you in extra danger. Believe me, I’m aware of that.” He thought of Guown falling to the floor. Quickly he blinked the image away and faced Nocturna. “But you were right in Vancouver. Because I was a Dominion heir, I can do more damage than the rest of you.”

She raised an eyebrow.

Tat, looking between them from her spot on the floor, raised her hand. “What are you talking about?”

Evant drummed his fingers on his biceps in thought. “Beathabane knows things. Not just Dominion education – we all have that – but he knows Dominion secrets that were above our paygrade. He knows base locations. Drone movements. DRK treatment transport routes.”

Vale nodded.

Even Dynk realized this gave them an advantage. “So we could attack the Dominion where it hurts. We’d be able to do even more damage than the Underground.”

“And maybe,” said Tat, “we could flush away Cruelthor’s glorious plans for that factor base here on the Mainland.”

Nocturna nodded. “I think this is what Guown wanted. And…” She glanced at Evant. “With Guown gone, I think we should put Beathabane in charge.”

Everyone had some reaction to this.
Shock
was the overwhelming feeling that hit Vale. And
anger
.
Confusion
.

Dynk scoffed. “Are you kidding me? He lost his other kingdom, so you’re just going to hand him ours? We can’t trust an Olander!”

Nocturna argued as she had with Vale. “Having Beathabane as the face of our movement will make everyone pay attention and-”

“And hate us!” argued Dynk.

Tat tried to calm them down. “With Guown gone, we do need a new-”

“He got Guown killed!”

“Enough!” Evant stood from the couch and walked to Vale’s side. “Guown brought him here for this reason. This exact reason. He told me so before we went to Vancouver. Guown wanted Beathabane to lead our entire rebel group, and he selected each of us to be in his top team. That’s why we’ve been training together – it’s all for him.”

That shocked everyone into silence, even Vale.

“I never wanted command,” Evant went on. “Guown was only grooming me for it in case Plan A didn’t work.” He pointed a thumb back at Vale. “I’ve always thought this is a good idea. Beathabane knows how we can hurt the Dominion. It’ll be a risk to follow him, sure, but what
isn’t
a risk? We’re rebels. We can’t go home. We can’t have normal lives.” He looked at Tat, then Dynk. “We can make the Dominion regret throwing us away. We can make them regret thinking we don’t matter.”

Everyone paused in thought. The air was thick with emotions, and Vale had to shut them out. He tried to sort out his own state. The first thing he noticed was that his palms were sweating.

Evant looked at Vale. “But I’m leaving it up to you. Do you want to lead us? I know it was all Guown’s crazy idea and you had no idea, but…here we are.”

Vale looked at the others, all facing him now. He swallowed.

I’ve always wanted to make the world better, he thought. Now I just have to do it from the outside. Against my brother.

“I’ll always have Olander blood, you’re right.” He nodded at Dynk. “But you can trust me. I swear it. The Dominion was never my home. I thought I could make it something better than what it was, but that’s never going to happen. But as a rebel, as one of you, I intend to show the world a better way. I just need your help to do it.”

That’s all I’ve got in the way of grand speeches, he thought nervously.

Evant addressed the group. “We have to be together on this before we go back to the others at the hideout. So let’s vote. All in favor of Beathabane becoming our leader, raise your hand.” He lifted his own arm.

Tat immediately threw hers in the air. As did Nocturna. Dynk and Babbitt looked at each other, then Babbitt shrugged and raised his hand.

Dynk let out a huff. “Well, I can tell you one thing – I’m not following anyone who wears a Dominion sign tattoo. Follow me, Tyrant Twin.” He stood from the couch and walked to the exit, then waited to see if Vale would follow.

Vale looked to Evant for help.

Evant smirked, put a hand on Vale’s shoulder, and walked to the door. “Come on. I think I know what he has in mind.”