When Copper Suns Fall (30 page)

Faris and Desi stood at the amusement park,
hiding in the shadows. They were watching two kids—Micah and me.
Time flashed forward to where I stood under the Gravity Drop ride.
Micah stood up in the cart, waving to me. But when I looked closer,
he wasn’t waving, but rather warning me. I turned around, trying to
see what he wanted to show me.

Or rather who it was he wanted me to see.
Faris.

Screams filled the air behind me. I swung my
head around. Micah was falling. Someone grabbed me and spun me
around. Faris again. Desi stood beside him. He looked deep in my
eyes, wiping my mind. And then, the memory cleared. My heart was
broken.

Faris was the reason Micah had fallen.

I wished it was me instead of my brother.

“Come, Chela.” Seth held out his hand to me.
I hesitated, my heart thudded. “This time, you don’t have a
choice.”

And this time, I wanted to go with him.
Inside my mind, Faris pleaded with me. “No, Chela. Don’t go.”

“Were you at the park? Tell me he’s lying
because he’s Seth, and that’s what he does,” I said, voice
cracking.

“I can’t. I was there,” Faris said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I said.

“He didn’t show you everything,” Faris
said.

“Then tell me what else there is to see,” I
said.

“I can’t. It’s too dangerous for you, right
now.”

“You keep screwing with my head, and expect
me to trust you? Micah fell because of you. I’ll never forgive you
for this,” I said, blocking his voice, breaking our connection,
severing yet another piece of my lifeline. There were many two-way
lies in the game of truth and don’t tell.

I didn’t want to hear any voices, so I closed
myself off to Faris, to the world. My body was numb. My powers had
failed me, but the heartache was still there. At this point, I
wanted it to remind me of everything. My friends were paralyzed.
Lexa gone. Muriel dead.

The border guards sat up, and then stood as
if they just woke up from a power nap. The last airvan sped off
into the night. I had to get Lexa back and keep my friends safe.
Leaving with Seth was the only option.

I took Seth’s hand. He led me to his unicar
behind the mall. “Promise you won’t hurt my friends.”

“Funny how the condemned continues to make
demands,” he said, turning to face me before I got into the car.
Disgusted by the thought of a Tainted being so close, I moved
aside, fighting the tears I knew he wanted to see. That was what
Tainteds did—caused pain and enjoyed watching the show after they
were done.

“Promise me, or I won’t go,” I said.

“No guarantees for you, Lotus. Besides, you
have no more leverage. I’m the one who controls Alexandra’s
freedom.”

“And I’m the girl who knows what you really
are. I also know you don’t want the Thoughtmasters to catch on yet,
for some reason.”

“Who says I’m taking you back to Minders? Now
get in.” He grabbed my arm, digging into the flesh, and shoved me
into the unicar. Then he peeked in and said, “No worries. I still
need to use certain members of your illegal groupies for
strengthening my ambitions.” He flashed his perfect smile before he
got in and drove us away from the mall.

Outside my window, a silver moon peeked
through the clouds, casting jagged shadows on the quiet road
ahead.

Part 3

The Clash

“Angels are bright still, though the
brightest fell”

-William Shakespeare

Chapter Twenty Four – Wipeout

The mist drifting along the shores of the
Great River was thick like a blanket of clouds. Dew glistened on my
arms as we walked along a wooden platform built over the shores
covered in soot. The Tainted had somehow made a pathway through the
Wall, and it led directly to the Great River.

At the end of the plank, was a mini ARK, a
ship designed to protect its passengers even under water. These
smaller versions looked more like boats than the larger versions
encased completely in metal. Father had told me the iron vessels
existed. He’d shown me pictures from the Archives. Even Nina’s
induction video hadn’t prepared me to see one of the iron marvels
in living color. Something large drifted in the shadows behind
Seth’s ARK, something old reminding me of the stink in the mall’s
parking lot.

Willing the bees in my chest to be still, I
climbed the stairs leading up to the first deck, the floor where
the navigation room was located. Seth walked up to a boy loosening
a set of thick chains. Hagan again. I almost felt as if he were a
sign to predict my stressful experiences.

“Don’t be scared, Lotus. Think of the ocean
as an exciting, new roller coaster,” Seth said.

“I’m not scared,” I said, ignoring the hand
he held out to me. The same hand that slammed me to the ground a
short while ago. I strolled up to the next set of stairs leading up
to the top deck, determined to keep him from using his devious mind
tricks on me again. “I don’t like coasters, either.”

“When you take a good look at her, she’s
kind of pretty, isn’t she?” Hagan said to him after I walked
by.

“Yes. Very much like a foxglove—smells good,
easy on the eye, but deadly when eaten. Get ready to sail,” Seth
said.

I walked to a part of the top deck I hoped
was farthest away from Seth. My gaze rested on a ship across the
river. Floating in the shadows, the ship was nothing more than a
silent, black hull with sails to match. It was shaped like the old
Spanish style ships of the 17
^th
or 18
^th
century, a historical wonder and well preserved from what I saw
when, the flickering moonlight lit it up.

“They’re watching,” Seth said, easing to my
side.

“And who are
they
?” I asked.

“Coyness? I expect better than that from you,
Lotus. You know what’s standing on the ship in the shadows.”

Did I ever know? I was a Historian’s
daughter. How many times had Father told me stories of the
vampyrati, a band of pirates cursed to roam the seas throughout
eternity? They weren’t human or angel-blood and were something
worse than a Tainted. The vampyrati rode the same ships they’d been
chained to long before the Tidal Years. Another mythological secret
the Tribunal kept hidden in the Essential Archives. “How would I
know about them?”

Seth smirked and sighed before he said,
“Along the deck, the ghastly ones watch. They hide in darkness like
water vultures waiting for my creator’s return.”

“Your creator?” I asked.

“Bernael, the angel of darkness and rage.
Maybe you’ll get to meet him, soon enough,” Seth said.

“He sounds interesting, but, um, no thanks.
So, are the vampyrati escorting us tonight?” I said, trying to
ignore the water rocking the ARK pulling away from the shore.

“Trust me. I share your pains about them.
Seth propped his elbows on the rail and stared at the ship as if he
were bored—as if he hadn’t hurt my friends or allowed his twisted
girlfriend to suck the life out of Muriel. It took all my will
power to avoid pounding on him.

“They’re just myths,” I said. “Another word
for Tainteds who like to terrorize and kill people.

“Really, Chela. Do you think I murdered your
annoying friend?”

“You didn’t do a thing to stop Bell Girl. And
don’t you dare talk about Muriel that way.” My voice cracked.

“As both Epiclesium and a Historian’s
daughter, I expect so much more brain juice from you. Stop
believing everything you first see.”

“What twisted insanity are you talking about?
No, you might not have done that sucking thing, but there’s no
doubt about what I saw. You killed her.” My voice rose, my throat
ached; but I refused to let him see even one tear.

“Whatever you want to believe is my desire to
make happen.” He moved closer, sniffing the air around me, grasping
the silver strands in my hair. I’d forgotten all about them. He
closed his eyes. “Fresh power. I remember my first taste so long
ago.”

“How about remembering what you didn’t tell
me about Micah? You know, when we suddenly had a bonding moment in
front of Far—my friends,” I said, regretting my slip-up. Last thing
I needed was for Seth to know just how much his plan had affected
me. Or how badly it hurt to hear Faris had been there the day Micah
fell. He’d said Seth didn’t tell me everything. Although trusting
anybody was hard to do lately, I still wanted to believe him.

Seth gave me a knowing sideways smirk that
made me want to smack him. “I did you a favor. Caduceans and
Epiclesium don’t blend so good in case you hadn’t heard.”

“Why can’t you just answer my questions? Even
better, why don’t you fill in the blank spots you conveniently left
out.”

“You already know the answers. Why are you so
afraid to admit it? Maybe you’re afraid you’ll learn something
about that necklace you hide so unwell?” He reached out, ready to
touch my seraphinite stone. I turned away. “I’ll break through your
feisty wall, one stone at a time.” His breath was a warm current
brushing against my earlobes.

“I’m not scared of you,” I said without
turning around.

“I know you think you’re not. But you are
afraid of this.” Standing behind me, he reached over my head. His
hand was in front of my face. Then he lit a fire across his three
middle fingers. I flinched. “You have this ability.” My breath
quickened. A breeze blew around us. I swallowed hard because he was
right. The strength of my powers, whenever they decided to work,
frightened me. Not because I had them, but because I liked the way
they made me feel powerful.

What madness was he pushing on me, now? “Look
at how your winds respond to it.” He closed his hand, putting out
the fire.

“How do you know those are my winds?” I moved
away from his arms and turned to face him. His black-blue eyed gaze
lit his face with excitement. Did he think I enjoyed standing
around worrying about my friends?

“Don’t tell you much, do they? Your Caducean
knew about this. The same way he knew about your brother.” He
studied my face. I wasn’t surprised to hear Faris had kept another
secret from me. “How do you trust such deliberately untrustworthy
people?”

“He—they tell me what I need to know. You’re
the one I don’t trust.” I met his eyes, and then averted mine,
hiding my doubt. But Seth wasn’t the type to miss a weak moment. He
smiled wide as if enjoying the anguish he caused me.

“Do you see that vampyrati ship? You could
destroy it with one whisper of an ancient word. You could lift
those rocks scattered across the shores with a blink of your golden
brown eye.”

“What are you saying?” I whispered.

He moved closer. I felt swoony under his
influence. Correction, I felt woozy under the ocean’s influence.
Seth was something like an after effect. He grazed my cheek with
his warm fingertips. I moved it away. Lightning lit the mist over
us. Another storm was coming. “I’m saying you’ve done it all
before. Like at the library, and the tire show you put on for the
governor. Remember that? I can show you how to do it again. We can
tap into the real power in you. All you have to do is a single head
spin.”

“What? You talk like a riddler.”

“Reject the Grace, Chela. All Epiclesium are
given the choice before their sixteenth birthday.” He circled me,
the wicked grin of a crazed kid plastered across his face. “Then
you can have your heart’s desire. Be with any-one-you-choose.”

“I’ve seen your teaching. You won’t make me
into another murderous crazy girl like Ashli,” I said. Seth said
she had stayed behind, cleaning up their mess, no doubt. I was
glad. Bell Girl rattled my nerves pretty badly.

“Maybe I won’t need to turn you into a bad
girl. You’ve already done that part for me,” he said.

I turned and stomped off toward the opposite
end of the deck, wondering how Faris and the others would find me.
Or would they want to rescue me after the way I walked off the
scene? Now I stood on a boat with a crazy person who collected
ponytails and aura stones from his victims.

We sailed down the river for at least an hour
before reaching the sea. I was pretty sure we were headed toward a
place called the Oceania, and there was no doubt in my mind that
Seth and the Tainted had something to do with the disappearing
chromo kids. I counted Lucia as one of the lost too, now. Faris’s
search party failed. Not one Caducean was able to find her.

My mind was filled with many thoughts at
once. The ache in my right hand and the throb in my back was
nothing compared to the feeling of emptiness and disappointment in
me. I was numb, the kind you feel when someone you love dies. But
my situation was worse. My friends and family weren’t dead.
Instead, we were all scattered by the Tainted, pawns in an ugly
game of betrayal. I didn’t want to stick around and get played,
anymore.

No. I was going to start my own competition.
Before making the first move, I needed to clear the playing board,
to wipe it clean. That meant I had to start with the game master.
Seth Alton.

The first traces of mist surrounding the
sunken swamplands started to swirl around the boat. I walked back
down and around to the other side of the deck where I’d left Seth
standing. He was still there staring at the vampyrati ship sailing
along behind us. For some reason, his profile was familiar to me. I
shook it off. Last thing I wanted was to drop my guard with a
Tainted. That would probably be the last mistake I ever made.

“You know they’ll come looking for me,” I
said.

“Good. We have all kinds of toys waiting for
your friends,” he said without looking at me.

“Is your Bell Girl going to snap her fingers
and turn them into walking dead things like the way she did
Nate?”

He gave me a perfect smile. If he hadn’t just
helped someone murder my friend, I’d be fooled into thinking it was
real. “You intrigue me to death. You’d be a worthy ruler, deadly
and kind. Humble enough to woo her people, but still holding enough
fire to make them leap from a building with just one glance. Which
is exactly why we brought you here.”