House of Ravens (The Nightfall Chronicles Book 2) (16 page)

He puts a hand over my cheek and wipes away a tear. "You're not alone, Scarlett. You have us now."

He pauses, looking into my eyes. "You have me now."

And then he kisses me, and I don't think about anything else but him and his lips and his arms around me. The sun gently warms the cold earth as he warms something deeper inside of me.

Kai walks me to my room and we say goodbye. But I can't sleep, can't calm down. Between the kiss and getting beat up, my mind is spinning. I can't do anything about the kiss, but I can do something about learning to fight.

I message Corrine, telling her I'm going back to my apartment. Instead, I head to the Cathedral.

Zorin notices me when I enter the main hall. "What happened?" he asks, studying what remains of my bruises.

I explain.

He opens his hand, and Umbra, his sword, materializes in his grasp. "I'll kill them."

I laugh. "A bit of an overreaction. They're just some bullies at school. Teach me to fight better. Without a sword or wings."

He nods and messages TR and Trix. We meet in the training pit within the catacombs. Zorin sits on a rock as Trix and TR circle me on the sand. "You were unprepared for multiple opponents," says Zorin, popping a marshmallow into his mouth. "That can't happen again. Never allow yourself to be directly between two attackers."

I shuffle backwards, positioning myself at the edge of the circle, so Trix and TR no longer surround me. They jump to the sides, flanking me once again.

"Keep moving," says Zorin. "Position yourself so they are in a straight line and can't both attack you at once."

I do as he says, moving around Trix and TR. They try to reposition, but they can't get behind me. "Not bad, N," says Trix, smirking.

"Now," says Zorin, "let's see how you do in a fight."

Trix lunges forward, kicking at my torso. I evade backwards and counterstrike. She blocks. I'm about to strike again, when TR punches me in the back. I forgot to keep moving. I shrug off the blow and try again. I stop striking and focus on my position and defense. I keep TR and Trix in a straight line, and only one of them can attack me at once. It makes blocking much easier.

Trix tries another kick. I deflect it.

Now, I'm ready to strike. I throw a series of punches, my third managing to hit her chest. She stumbles backwards into TR. He helps her stand.

I use their delay to throw a kick at TR's chest.

Zorin lands in front of me and blocks. "Fighting three or more is harder," he says, starting to circle me along with TR and Trix. "But the same concept applies. Move in bursts, causing your opponents to change direction. If they're close, they may trip each other. When they're off balance, focus on a single target."

I dash around the arena, trying to keep them in a line. I manage to control TR and Trix, but Zorin maneuvers too quickly.  When they strike, I evade, and their blows get in each other's way. TR loses his solid stance, and I kick him behind the knee, knocking him to the ground. Someone grabs my wrist from behind and pulls me to my knees. Zorin.

He smiles. "Why are you stopping? Have you won?"

I break free and kick him away.

We practice late into the night.

***

We end training near sunrise and depart for our bedrooms. I feel confident in facing Garin and his friends again. Still, I can't sleep. I walk to the roof, hoping to find Zorin.

I find TR instead. He sits on the edge, staring at the horizon while nursing a beer. "You fought well, Nightfall."

I sit beside him. "You too. The military trained you well."

"Trix and I learned a lot. Too much, maybe. Sometimes, the less you know, the happier you are."

I understand. I felt the same about my parents. "Trix told me she volunteered because of a boy."

He raises an eyebrow. "Did she?"

"Did she mean you?"

He shakes his. "She meant my brother. Max, Trix, and I grew up together. We were friends. When Trix tested Zenith, we looked out for her. Then we grew older, and Max and Trix became something more. When Max was conscripted, Trix joined to stay with him. They… they married the day we departed for camp."

There's sadness in his eyes.

"Max is gone, isn't he?"

TR nods. "Max, Trix and I joined near the end of the War. Except, it didn't feel like war. We were the clean-up crew, tasked with finding the remaining Nephilim and eliminating them. We did as we were told for a long time. Did a lot of things I wouldn't do now."

I imagine a life of murder. What would that do to a person? What has it done to TR?

"One day," says TR, "we located a Sunrise family. First time I saw Nephilim children. Two of them. Max refused to kill them. We agreed, but my older brother, he led the argument like he always did. And our commanding officer shot him dead."

I clutch the Token of Strife around my neck, sharing in his pain.

TR continues. "Trix killed the officer, and we deserted. Others left the army, too. They saw the slaughter for what it was. We joined up together, bit by bit, until we had an army of our own. Trix was the Zenith, so people followed her lead. We decided to attack the Vatican. I'm sure you heard how that ended."

I nod. It ended in defeat. "I'm sorry about your brother. I lost my parents recently, and I know, the pain doesn't go away."

"There's ways to numb it." He sips his beer. "And who knows, maybe one day the pain will leave forever."

Maybe when I have my revenge. But TR had his, and he doesn't look happy. Is this the path he wants? "Why do you fight for the rebels?" I ask.

He doesn't reply.

"It's for her, isn't it," I say. "You volunteered for Trix. You're still fighting for Trix."

He matches my eyes. "She can't know how I feel."

"Why not?"

"Because she loved my brother. I can't take that away from them."

I touch his hand gently. "I told someone my feelings recently. It didn't go as I wanted, but it does feel better. And besides, doesn't Trix deserve to know? Your brother is gone. Maybe both of you are looking for something. Maybe both of you can be happy."

He chuckles. "That's what I like about you, Nightfall. You're always searching for a better day. Me, I'm content with where I am."

"You shouldn't lie to yourself."

He drops his empty beer and stands. "People like us, we all lie to ourselves. It's how we can kill and still sleep at night. It's how we can save those who deserve to be saved."

***

It's time to meet with the other rebel leaders, and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. We chose a neutral location—the ruins atop Diamond Mountain. It's only a few hours from the Cathedral and was once the meeting place between the Twilight Queen and the Four Orders. It's where the Nephilim War began.

Moonlight shines off stone pillars that once made a circle. Now half of them lie crushed in the dust. The center of the mountain is carved into rows of seats like an arena. Five high podiums rise above them, evenly spaced apart. I stand on one of the podiums, Zorin and Trix at my side.

Crixus of the Red Eagles takes the podium to my right, two of his black armored soldiers at his side. His armor is even bulkier, engraved with the pattern of wings, his eagle crest painted over his chest and shoulder plate.

Adam, leader of the Sons of Eden, takes the podium to my left. Green robes sway at his feet in the billowing wind. He wears no accessories. He wears no mask. His face is etched with scars and wrinkles and his gray hair is cropped short.

Trix whispers in my ear. "It's said he's never altered his appearance through unnatural means. If you want the Sons of Eden on your side, you must oppose genetic modification."

I'm not sure that I do. Corrine has shown me many cures discovered through genetic research. But, I don't have to support that research here. "Thank you, Trix. Anything you can tell me about the Red Eagles?"

"Nothing new. They attack warehouses, collect weapons. They seem to have no other goal. However, Crixus is named after—"

"After the gladiator who marched on Rome with an army of slaves. I know." I'm glad he's already contacted me to discuss an alliance, but I don't know what he wants, and that worries me.

Smaller groups occupy the remaining three podiums. The Gravekeepers, who fight for those unjustly killed in the war. The Plebs, who oppose royalty. And the Barons, who seek to hurt the Orders.

Groups with no names, or names barely known, sit amongst the audience, along with supporters of the largest five. There are hundreds of all color and age. We are ready.

I signal TR, who rings an enormous bell at the center of the mountain. It thunders through the stone and air, quieting all.

I speak, my voice amplified and disguised by my eGlass. "United we stand. Divided we fall. Since the beginning of man, this has been true. And yet, our world stands divided. Orders and Rebels. Zeniths and Humans. Kings and Servants. Knights and Citizens. All vying for power. All vying to rise when others fall." I pause, letting my words sink in. "It is time to end the divide. It is time we stand united."

"And who will lead us?" asks Adam. "You?" The crowd echoes his question, anger radiating through them.

"One does not have to be above many," I respond. "People can choose their representatives, and thus the people lead."

Adam gestures around. "They've already chosen they're representatives. We're here, and we wonder, what do you propose we do?"

"Unite under one name. One purpose," I say. "Show the Orders they face not rebels or terrorists striving for power, but people striving for unity."

"So you want us to follow this idea of yours? And what will you do for us? What will you do about the experimentation on God's children? The unnatural modification forced upon them?"

"We'll do what everyone decides is best."

"We know what's best," roars Adam. "Destroy the Hospitallers. Stop their heathen desecration of our people." The crowd cheers at his words. I'm losing control.

"If we are united," says Crixus, his modified voice calm and soft, "each of our goals will be easier to accomplish. I am interested in Nightfall's proposal."

Adam laughs. "Of course you are. All you care about is more. More guns, more money. More people to serve you." Arguments erupt between the Red Eagles and Sons of Eden.  A brawl breaks out on one side of the mountain.

"This is why the Orders are winning," I yell. "This is why—"

"I'm done listening to this," says Adam. "When I saw the video of you and Varian, I thought you had some sense. But you're just another Nephilim who thinks she knows best. We're done with Nephilim. Sons of Eden, we depart. Let the girl play with the eagles. We have matters of worth to attend to."

He leaves the podium, his supporters rushing out of the arena. The smaller groups follow. The Red Eagles alone remain.

"This is not what I expected," I say.

Zorin shakes his head. "You did what you could. Most of them never came here to listen. They came to follow Adam. And Adam came to establish dominance."

I remember my first lesson with Kira. "They fall prey to a silver tongue. I ask them to think for themselves, but why would they? For most, following is easier."

"But not us," says Crixus, approaching our podium with two soldiers. "For us, to follow something we do not believe is worse than death. You ask the people to believe. You ask them to believe in themselves. But they cannot. They are not ready."

I turn to face him. "So what can I do?"

"Let us speak in private, and I shall tell you."

I nod to Trix and Zorin. "It's okay."

Crixus gestures his guards away. Trix and Zorin follow them, though I can tell by his rigid jaw Zorin is not pleased.

Crixus sighs, sitting on the short stone wall around the podium. "Here is your answer. Give them something else to believe. It is what Adam does."

"And what about you?"

"My soldiers believe in a happy life, and I compensate them very well."

I scowl. "So you fight for profit?"

"I fight for a better world, same as you. This is what you do not understand, Nightfall. Most people are not like us. They are not leaders. They do not seek a better world. But we need them. So we must use them how we can."

His words remind me of Varian. "I believe people are more than pawns in a game."

"Tell me, Nightfall, are children not pawns? Are parents not Kings? Do they not guide their children to a better life?"

"Until the children are developed enough to make their own choices."

He shrugs, his armored suit clanking. "And what is developed enough?"

I almost say when a child becomes an adult, but I've known children with more sense than adults.

Crixus continues. "Most people are like my children. I guide them to a better life. It is my responsibility. Even if they don't like me. Even if they don't listen."

I've never thought about it that way. Are some people truly meant to guide others?

"You and I, we must be parents. We must do what is needed."