Jamb: (29 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

We drift for hours, but Grace never complains.  All the guys, except Nok, try to identify landmarks on the ground, but the cities are too mangled to make reasonable guesses.  We drift like another moon over the riots that go on in the dark, screams that we can do nothing about, huge fires that we are shamefully grateful for, as they warm our skin.  Nok just watches the ground, still itching his face and every inch of his body that he can reach, but he doesn’t shed his costume.

“I think the bleeding stopped,” Trig reports. 
His pant leg has dried and stuck to his wound.  “How’s yours, Milo?”

“
The bleeding stopped, but it hurts every time the air hits it,” Milo says.

“So, every second,” I say with a sympathetic smile and he nods.  “Can you project again?”

“Yes,” he says shortly, almost embarrassed.  He changes the subject. “She’s a good baby.”

“She is,” I agree.  “Maybe her dad will let us tell her all about her brave mom and this crazy ride someday.”

“I bet he’d love that,” Garrett says.

The Hydrohome finally lights up and Trig
’s relieved sigh brings me hope.  Mark, who hasn’t taken his eyes off the thing, or even blinked since the Ball stabilized in the sky, sighs too.

“The Celare’s got our signal
, right?”  Mark asks.  Garrett cranes his neck, trying to see where we are.

“
Looks to be,” Trig says.

“
It could be anybody with a Free Ball, you know,” Garrett says.  “Like Zane’s nutty Uncle, Bubba.”

Mark groans. 
“Who cares?  He’s still one of ours.”

Trig raises his hands.  “
It’s a good point.  What we need here is a plan, just in case an enemy brings us down.  Let’s all agree on a plan to make sure Grace, Nok, and Milo are safe.”

“I don’t think w
e have to worry about it,” Milo says with a laugh.  “I see the Celare.”

Knowing it’s there, it seems like it takes hours to land.  My back is sore, my legs feel twitchy from hanging in the harness, but I don’t say anything.  Not when Baby Grace has been secured in her harness this who
le time, without even a whimper.

When the Ball bumps to a halt and begins to drop, I whisper to Grace, “Feel that?  We’re going home, Grace.  We’re going home.”

Grace kicks her chubby little legs and squeals.  We lower toward the roof of the Celare and even though I try to look down through the bottom of the Ball, it’s hard to see anyone.  I finally catch a glimpse of the Procella that I remember from the courtyard Totus, except I can’t see anyone from our Cura there.

And then, the last face.

Van.

Garrett sees him too.  So does Trig and Mark and Milo and even Nok.  All our hands are on the harness buckles.  We’re out of the restraints
the second the base bumps down onto the roof.

“Traitor!  Van’s a traitor!” Mark screams.  But before we can hop out, the Procella are on us. 
Angus drags me out of the Ball and onto the roof beside him and Rolan has Garrett.  Trig doesn’t resist Hyo.  Wojtek has Nok and Sisi holds Mark, her hands tight on his upper arms.

Grace begins to wail
, still in her harness, and one familiar voice breaks through all the others.

“
Where’s my daughter!  Give her to me!”  Sean steps forward as Kaya takes Grace from the Ball and hands her out to her father.  “Where’s my wife?”

None of us can meet Sean’s questioning gaze but Garrett.  He shakes his head and drops his eyes.  Sean holds Grace closer.

“Let go of me!” Mark struggles against Sisi, but she holds firm.

“I told you they’d say that,” Van says.  “They’re t
he traitors.  You said yourself Rolan, you saw Milo take out some of your own in the ambush.”

“You son of a…” Milo snarls, but Van just smiles.

“I won’t let you hurt my community,” Van shouts.  “And now they know the truth.”

“That you’re a liar?  That you’re the Mastermind?”
  Milo fires back.

“Me?” Van puts two fingers on his chest with a
n innocent laugh.  “You mean Trig.”

“That’s a damn lie,” Trig snarls.

“Might as well give up on the lie,” Van says.  “It’s over.  They all know what’s happened.”

Mark kicks to get free.  “
That you organized The Fury?  You’re running The Program?  You’re gathering the Cornerstones and trying to find the Core to stop the Reset?”

“The Cornerstones? 
I have them?”  Van sneers.  “I’ve been searched, questioned and proven to be loyal.  You were the ones who stole our Cornerstone from Addo Larry and snuck away with it!”

“We know that
it is true.  It was in the toy bear,” Hyo says.  “You are innocent if you brought the stone back.  Show it to us.”

“Your zombies took it,” Mark snarls
at Van and Milo falls silent.

“Just shut up, Mark,” Garrett says.  “Don’t tell them anything else.”

“You see?” Van says.  “They’ve turned.  We need other options for them than just isolation.”

But Kaya shakes her head. 

“We’ll do what we agreed to do.  Isolate them, until we can learn more.”

“Us?” Mark explodes again.  “What about Van?  Don’t let him near the Addo!”

“No one gets near Sean,” Kaya says.  That is true enough.  She even keeps herself between Sean and Van.

“
And no one can get to Addo Larry now,” Wojtek says.  “He is gone.”

“Gone?” Nok asks.

“Long gone,” Sean says, cuddling Grace close.  “Long, long gone.”

I don’t know what that means.  Gone as in left or gone as in dead.  I don’t want to ask and it doesn’t matter.  I don’t think they’d clarify anyway.

“We have to find the Core.  The Fury is going after our Veritas!” Mark shouts. 

“Please,” I say.  “Please listen to him.”

“Sure, we will,” Rolan says.  It’s the least convincing words I’ve ever heard a man utter.

“Please…”

“Quiet,” Nok says.  I look at him and he nods once.  “We get through this.”

Four words.  Nok spoke four words to me.  Then Grace giggles and I shut my mouth.
  We all do.

I go quietly
then, letting them lead me down into the Hotel.  Rolan pushes Garrett forward and his chest knocks into my back.  His touch sends an indigo wave through me that melts my fear.  Combusts it.  They can not disconnect us.  I walk down the steps from the roof with my family all around me and Garrett at my back.

THE END

SPECIAL THANKS

Thanks to my husband and kids.  Without you I wouldn’t even be me.

Oh my gosh, thank you thank you thank you to my mom, who has the best brainstorming on the face of the Earth.  You always have the right questions to ask and the right ears to listen.

My Debbie Ulbrich and my Patti Ulbrich, who shoulda been my sisters, but who kinda are now.

Love to my blogger babes and my awesome author amigos, that constantly help to let others know about my books.  I will never be able to thank all of you enough, but I will try to thank some of you here, in no particular order: 

Candace, from Candace’s Book Blog;  My Tsk Tsk girls, Kathryn Spell Grimes and Shelley Bunnell; my girl, Michelle and her inspiring daughter, Willow, from Novels on the Run;  Dani Morales from The Crazy Book Chicks, who helps and helps and helps;  Janet Wallace and her gang from the Utopia YA Conference- who blew me away with an invite to their ShaBang (thank you again!); my girl, AM Hargrove (GO TEAM ANNIE!) ;  Starla Huchton, my Skypeneesta with the carrots;  Heather Gunter, who always lends a hand, from Into the Night Reviews;  my crazy girl, Kelly Schwertner, who blows the whistles and rings the bells for me;  my Mary from Book Nerds Across America;  Christy from Christy’s Love of Books and Heather from The Flyleaf Review;  Cayce from Fighting Dreamer who rocks the Playlists;  Tiffany King and Adam Kunz, who have both become instant, huggable friends;  Haley from YAaholics; Mandy Anderson from I Read Indie, who really loves the Indies and works her tail off to help them succeed;  and last, but very not least,  my Brend (Brent Taylor) who I adore

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