Balance (The Neumarian Chronicles) (21 page)

For once, my heart
didn’t spiral into an abyss of loneliness at the word
mother
. And a small part of me, liked her mistake. Another, warned that I might not survive facing Mandesa and further attachment would only harm Annie. Unable to stop myself, I stroked her back. “How about I go with you? You can see all the other kids, too.”

“Okay,” she whispered.
             

“Please,”
Helvetia said, motioning us toward the mountain entrance.

In minutes, we neared the opening.
Seeing Laos edge around the two men standing guard, I elbowed Ryder and nodded. A second later, the boy blew past the men, screaming, “Ryder, you’re here!”

Laughing, my husband bent and caught
Laos as he jumped into his arms. “How’s it going?”

“
Great, but I should go with you and Ms. Semara. You need me. Let’s make sure the little kids are okay.”

Chuckling,
Ryder said, “Sure thing, little man, but later.”

Laos squirmed free, grabbed Annie’s hand, and tugged her forward. “Come on. I got lots to show you.”

Helvetia paused at the entry, watching our passengers. The children plowed through the snow, laughing and occasionally stopping to make snowballs to toss at the volunteers. Before they could respond in kind, Bendar flopped down on his back, spread his legs and arms, moving them out from his body then back to his side. Enthralled, the children followed suit.

“Snow angels.”
Helvetia faced us and, with an outstretched arm, invited us into her home.

Stepping
inside, a majestic cave sparkled before us. As we waited for the rest of our group, I struggled to keep my mouth from dropping open in amazement. The walls glittered as if lit from within. The ceiling looked like a clear star-filled night.

As the children entered, wet and laughing, the Eastern European teenager stopped.
“We weren’t safe at the Arc. How will we be safe here? They don’t have any weapons.”

Helvetia
stepped forward and laid her hands on his shoulders. “Because child, even if we invited them in, unless they were pure of heart, they could not enter.” Helvetia gestured to the cave entrance. “See.”

Everyone
turned to see the new arrival. The woman had arrived beaten and bedraggled to the Arc late last night. If not for Father’s warning, I wouldn’t have noticed her, not in the rush to evacuate. When I’d asked him why he hadn’t isolated her, he said Helvetia’s people would discover the truth.

A
nd apparently they had.

The woman
stood frozen at the entrance. Rage burned in her bulging eyes, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Helvetia raised her chin.
“This woman is a traitor to your people. She obeys the self-proclaimed Kantian Queen. Her mission: to take the lives of every Neumarian child and all those who shelter them. Our home is on holy ground. Our ancestors guard these walls. No threats can enter. No threats leave alive. Watch.”

The woman’s
eyes turned black. Veins pulsing on her neck. A black tar-like substance dribbled from her nose, bubbled from her mouth, oozed from her eyes, and leaked from her ears.

Sobbing,
Annie buried her face in my neck.

My lips thinned.
“Helveti
a
,
children shouldn’t be exposed to this.”

“
They must. Now, they, and you, understand. They are safe and can never betray us.” She held out her arm. Curling her fingers into a fist, her ring pointed at the woman.

In less than a nanosecond, the
traitor’s body exploded into black dust as a warm wind blew past us, carrying the ashes out of this holy place.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I stared at the entrance. Not even a speck of black ash remained. The man who had taken our weapons placed his hand flat against what looked like a panel, but I knew it was stone, polished to a mirror shine.

The
massive rock doorway moved to the left then slid forward and locked in place. My gaze narrowed, searching for the edges, but I saw only an unblemished wall. Part of me wanted to inspect it and ask non-stop questions. But I didn’t have that kind of time. Father expected me early tomorrow morning. I had to leave tonight, once it was dark as I couldn’t afford to be spotted, not by that pilot earlier today or anyone else. And tonight there’d be a low ceiling of clouds and new moon. So, we’d be flying under cover of absolute darkness.

Helvetia
glided forward, tilted her head to me, and held her arm out, palm up, toward the interior of her home.

Joining her, I set
Annie down. “Find Laos, sweetheart.” Once she’d run out of earshot, I asked, “Did we lose any others last night?”

“One. A co-pilot.”

Shoulders slumped, I groaned. “Did you discover him the same way?”

“No. As he deplaned, we immediately sensed the electronic signature of a transmitter.”

“You can sense things like that?

“That is how we’ve remained hidden. Our
seer and Lanena warned of this. Upon that woman’s arrival,” Helvetia tilted her head toward the entrance, “the co-pilot was to signal an attack force. Together, he and the woman would kill the children, you, and your husband. Then the soldiers were to destroy our home and enslave us.”

Acid inched up my throat. “That explains the plane.”

“Plane? Did it follow you here?”

“No. Ma
ndesa, the queen, is a puppet master. We’ve caught a number of her spies at the Arc, and also suffered extensive damage and loss of life because of them. As for the plane, he approached, wagged his wings in greeting as if we were comrades and then flew off. I took evasive measures over a four hour period before coming here.”

“It ap
pears your mother’s and our seer’s faith in you was well placed. Shall we,” Helvetia said, looping her arm through mine.

We
traveled a narrow path surrounded by lush blooming plants and trees with wide canopies, the sound of buzzing insects, birds, and rushing water filling the air. “How?” I asked in amazement. “This is magnificent. It reminds me of the Resort Territory.”

“Resort Territory?”

“Oh, it’s a fictional place implanted in my memories.”

Helvetia nodded.
“Ah, yes. The false memories needed for you to survive.”

How much did
Helvetia know about me?

I glanced at her.
Her pale skin, almost blue, glowed with a pink undertone beneath the golden, sun-like illumination, yet there were no visible light fixtures. Perhaps living under ground for so many generations caused genetic mutations, or perhaps she wasn’t of this world. It didn’t matter. They were our hope of protecting our children. No other questions needed to be asked.

She paused beside luxuriant green vines
, covered in vibrant, deep pink flowers. “You must smell these blossoms.” She drew a vine to her face and inhaled then held it out for me to sniff.

With one whiff, an inexplicable joy filled me.
“It’s wonderful, and unlike anything I’ve ever smelled.”

Helvetia smiled.
“Yes, we are truly blessed. Our ancestors realized we could never assimilate into the native culture. Our appearance was too different. And as a race, we were too advanced.”

Curiosity got the best of me. “When was that?”

“During Alexander the Great’s time.”

I opened my mouth,
a stream of questions on the tip of my tongue, but I closed it again. It was best we knew as little as possible of our children’s new home until this war was over.

We
continued forward, exiting into a large white domed foyer area. “Your wounded are being cared for in our clinic. The children without parents will live with couples who have not been blessed with children. Those of advanced years have been given private rooms off a central garden. Would you like to see them? Come. Let’s allay your worries about your people’s safety and comfort.”

“Thank you,” I said, following her down
a smooth, narrow, curved rock path. On one side was the mountain, on the other were hundreds of rooms. Unlike the Arc’s quarters, these were cheery and, as Helvetia said, exited on a verdant park filled with grass, trees, and an abundance of flowers in bloom.

At a junct
ion, we turned into a large open room. “This is the children’s play area,” she said.

What I wouldn’t give to have grown up in this environment. From floor to ceiling, books lined three walls. Wooden toys abounded. Once again, the park took center stage, a wall of glass folding doors
that could be easily opened separating the two spaces, allowing the children to play without fear.

Helvetia took my elbow. “It’s time to return to the main entry.”

Five minutes later, Ryder joined us, Annie at his side. “Semara, it’s dark. We need to be on our way.”

Her e
yes widened in horror, Annie gasped and grabbed my hand. “No! You can’t leave me.”

I knelt in front of her and hugged her close. “I love you. You know that, right, Annie?” At her nod, I kissed her forehead. “I don’t want to leave you, but we have to go. General Bellator’s waiting for us. We have to stop Queen Valderak so we can
all live in peace.”

“If you leave—”

“Having you here, knowing you’re safe will keep me from worrying that you’ll get hurt by the bad people. But I’ll think of you everyday and send you my love.”

“But you
’re leaving me. Like Mommy and Daddy did.”

My heart ached at her words.
“You’re right, but I don’t want to.” I stroked her long dark hair. I wanted to make her childhood better than mine, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to leave. If the Triune and the rebels succeeded then everyone would be free to live without fear of the yoke of slavery. “I’ve never lied to you, and I won’t start now. There’s a chance I won’t make it back. I’m part of the Triune and am destined to save our people. But you know what?”

Annie tilted her chin higher
, her body stiff.

“For the first time in my life, I’m thinking about life beyond the war.
If I come back, Ryder and I want you to be our little girl.” I glanced up. Ryder’s grin was bright enough to light the way on a moonless, cloudy night. “Would you like that?”

Her silence
felt like a knife stabbing my heart. Then I looked at Ryder.

His eyes gleamed
and mouthed.
I love you.

“Wait.” Annie
squeaked, lunging into my arms. “You want me? You really want me?”

Ryder
lifted her then wrapped his arms around us, sandwiching her between our bodies. “We both do.”

“I
-I,” She choked. “I want to be your little girl.”

Using my thumbs, I wiped her face free of tears.
For the first time in my life, thoughts of my death scared me. Not because I feared it, but because I was loved by my husband, father, friends, and one special little girl. My life mattered to many people in powerful ways. Thinking of them, my resolve solidified. I’d take down Mandesa. I’d do whatever it took to keep them safe and return home to them. “We love you and of course we want you. But I need you to promise me you’ll be a good girl for Helvetia and obey all their rules and laws. Please, Annie, promise me.”

She threw her hands around my neck. “Promise,” she said, covering my face in kisses.

Ryder kissed her as well then set her back on the floor. “Annie, I’d like you to find Laos, Ask him to show you the play area. You’ll love it.”

When she didn’t move, Helvetia laid a hand on her head. “Run along, little one.”

Once Annie disappeared in
the direction of the play area, I faced Helvetia and bowed. “We thank you.”

She smiled. “
You’ve had quite the adventure. You were born free then became an enslaved princess, escaped, married, and now lead a rebellion.”

“When put like that, I guess my life has been an adventure.”

She looked at Ryder and me. “It is time we took you to the ship. While we condemn violence and war, we will pray to our ancestors you succeed in freeing your people from slavery, that the detestable torture and experiments the queen conducts will finally end.”