Passion (15 page)

Torrid
remained silent, but I looked up and caught the quick glance he shot at the bars. 
His jaw was set tight and proud.

“You
want some, Torrid?” I asked.

He
sat beside me.  “You need to build up your energy.  Eat all you can.”

“I’m
not that famished.”  While I was more than ready to share the bars with Torrid,
I secretly hoped Liam would be man enough to offer him a few bars.

Before
I’d even finished the thought, Liam reached across me and handed a few bars to
Torrid and Rowan.  The brothers grinned and tore open the bars.

“What
size army do you think we’ll be facing?” Rowan asked between handfuls of bars.

“It’s
hard to say.  I know he’ll have recruited new rogues, but how many?  I think
many of them are running scared.  The few that remain will most likely be by
force, and they’ll be hostile.  They’ll need training and that can take a
while.”

“So
we could be facing an army of hundreds of incompetents,” Torrid said.

“Something
like that.”  Liam munched on nuts for a few thoughtful moments.  “Then again,
Sanz is sly and manipulative.  He’s an efficient gatherer and he has a way of
bringing people together that is sometimes surprising.  At this stage it’s
impossible to say what he’ll come up with.”

“So
we better hope we find the Rebellion if we’re to have a chance at winning
this.”

“You
say this Rebellion consists of citizens who’ve been banished from Arcadia?”
Rowan said.

Liam
nodded.

“Any
estimate on the number?”

“The
map I found had a list of the most recent exiles; those from the previous
year.  That list alone consisted of over two hundred names.”

Torrid
leaned forward and looked at Liam. 

Sandwiched
between the two, their shoulders butted up against mine and kept me warm. Loving
both men as much as I did, I wanted desperately to find a way to make everyone
happy. Under different circumstances I felt certain they could be friends, and
seeing the respect in Torrid’s gaze, I knew they’d make a great team.

“Two
hundred in a year,” Torrid said.  “And this has probably been going on for
twenty years.”

Rowan
let out a long and low whistle.

Liam
grinned.  “And I believe they’ve had plenty of time to train.”

“And
they certainly have the motivation.  Nothing attacks more fiercely than a dog
that’s been kicked one time too many.”

“So
I take it we have the makings for a mighty tough fighting machine,” I said.

“Yeah,”
Liam said. “Now all we have to do is find that tough fighting machine.”  He
stood as he looked out at the horizon.

The
bleak landscape seemed to go on forever.  A handful of trees dotted the mottled
fields of crabgrass.  Not a flower bloomed and half the trees were dying.

Liam
pulled out the map and examined it for the fourth time since we’d left Arcadia.
“The area shown as the possible location for the Rebellion is a lot larger than
I thought.”

Standing,
I looked at his map.  “In a way that’s a good thing,” I said, hoping to show
him the bright side of the situation.  “If your father, or Sanz, drew that
circle so large, it means they don’t really know where the Rebellion is.”

He
looked at me with that crooked grin he always had when he knew I was right. 
“You have a point.”  His gaze swept across the horizon again.  “The sun will be
going down soon and we’ll have to find a place to camp.”  He pointed to the
left.  “There’s a shallow outcrop of rocks over there.  It doesn’t look like
much, barely a few hundred feet high, but hopefully it’ll give us a better view
of what’s around us.  And if we’re lucky, we’ll find shelter under a slab.”

As
the rain persisted, we took to the mud path and headed for the slabs of strewn
rocks.  Estimating the distances was deceiving.  While we’d initially thought
an hour or two would have us at the foot of the rocks, we were still far from
our goal as the sun inched its way to the horizon.

The
rain soaked earth had given way to small pebbles, making it easier to walk, but
that ease only lasted a few hundred yards.  Soon the small pebbles turned to
fist sized stones that rolled beneath our feet.  Every step was treacherous. 
When the fist sized stones gave way to sturdy looking slabs we all sighed with
relief, but again our relief was short lived.  Most of the slabs teetered under
our weight, making every step a balancing act.  Some even cracked and crumbled
beneath us.

The
gloom of nightfall slowly impeded our progress.  Shadows played among the
stones, making it harder to assess the possible dangers.

For
all the difficulties we faced, Liam was right.  Our ascent was slow, almost
unnoticeable at times, but when I stopped to look around and to find the
setting sun, I could see much further along the horizon than before.  With a
few hundred feet still left to climb, I felt certain we’d see something that
would indicate the location of the Rebellion.

“I
knew it,” Liam said.  He stopped and pointed at a large slab that was tilted
and leaning against another.  “That’ll make the perfect shelter and the perfect
look out.”

The
announcement put a bounce in everyone’s step and the remainder of our trek was
filled with hope.

“We’ll
need some firewood,” Liam called out as he began picking up dead branches.

Everyone
followed suit, though pickings were slim.  Few trees grew among the outcrop of
rocks, though every one of them had ample dead branches.  By the time we
reached the mouth of our shelter, we each had armfuls of firewood.

“Looks
good,” Torrid said as he examined our home for the night.  “Surprisingly dry in
here, and, look.”  He picked up and held out a handful of dry kindling.

“Perfect,”
Liam said as he took Torrid’s offering.  “I was beginning to wonder how I would
start this fire.”

“Looks
like someone’s been here before,” Torrid went on.

Liam
fashioned my spindly damp branches around the dry kindling then placed a few
larger branches over it all.

The
fire was small and timid at first with smoke rising from the damp branches
around it, but as they dried and heated up Liam piled on more branches and
finally a few logs.  Before long we had a blustering fire that had us dry and
warm.

“You
think the Rebellion stayed here?” I asked Torrid as we sat down for an evening
meal of dried beef and bread, which Liam had brought out.

“I
think this could possibly be the very route exiles take when they leave
Arcadia,” Liam said.

“Makes
sense,” Torrid added.  “The natural progress leads down this path and the
outcrop of rocks and strategically placed slabs make it the perfect shelter.”

“So
we’re already one step closer to finding the Rebellion.”  I finished my dried
beef and gazed at the emerging stars.  Only a vague silhouette of the horizon
remained visible and the path that had led us to the shelter was now in total
darkness.

“All
we have to do is wait for the sun to rise and figure out in what direction our
next step will be,” Liam said.

His
gaze set on the valley to the left of us, Torrid stood.  “Maybe not.”

I
rose to follow his gaze.  “Why?  What do you see?”

“A
flicker,” he said.

“Like
a flame?”

“Like
a beacon.  Almost like a signal.”

Keeping
my eyes steady, I stared out into the black night and saw nothing.

“There,”
Torrid said suddenly.  “Did you see that?”

Grinning,
I nodded.

Liam
and Rowan stood and we all waited the next signal; a tiny flicker of light that
lasted only a fraction of a second. 

“Do
you think it’s the Rebellion?” I dared asked.  The valley was black for seven
seconds before the flicker appeared again.

“Of
course.  It makes perfect sense,” Liam said.  “They’ve all been down this road
before.  They all know that exiles passed by here, stop here, rest here.”

“They
saw our fire,” Torrid added.

“And
now they’re directing us straight to them.”

Excited
and optimistic, I wanted to head out to find them right away, but logic held
out.  “First light tomorrow morning and we’re sure to find them.”

But
the morning rays, while they illuminated the valley below us, also left us with
a larger area to search than we’d initially thought.

“We
know the signal came from that direction,” Liam said.  “We just have to keep an
eye on that goal and keep steady as we head there.”

The
night’s sleep had been difficult and starting the day balancing on shaky rocks
wasn’t ideal.  My legs were stiff and uncooperative making my progress
unnervingly tedious.

“You
okay?” Liam asked as we neared the valley floor. 

“I’ll
manage all right,” I said.

“Sleeping
on a cave floor doesn’t make for the best night’s sleep, does it?”

While
he’d respectfully kept his distance most of the night, I awoke with my head
nestled in the crook of his arm.  Looking at him peacefully sleeping besides
me, I knew Liam had placed his arm there as a pillow underneath my head while I
slept. With Torrid still asleep, I’d quickly gotten up before the situation
could become more uncomfortable or embarrassing. 

Sleeping
between them had made me feel safe throughout the night, but I’d also felt
cornered.

“Hopefully
tonight will be better,” I said.

The
valley floor was a welcomed relief.  Flat, sandy and stable, walking the few
miles that still separated us from the approximated location of the signal was
a breeze.

For
three hours our goal got closer and closer.  Each lost in our own thoughts we
made good time, walking briskly and with determination.

When
four young men jumped out from behind a knoll, we all started and I let out an
unexpected yelp.

“Who
are you and where are you going?” the taller of the four demanded.

For
a heartbeat we just stood and stared.

Then
Liam stepped forward.  “Taylor?  Is that you?”

The
young man gazed suspiciously at Liam.  “That’s my Arcadian name, a name given
to me by the Committee.  Here I’m known as Trax.”

“Trax,”
Liam said as he approached with caution.  “I’m Liam; Liam Seer.  I was a junior
when you graduated.  You were the star quarterback and I was a big fan.  I
never missed a game.”

“Seer…
as in Governor Seer?”

The
men at his side brandished an odd assortment of weapons; clubs, javelins and
sling shots armed with stones big enough to knock any of us unconscious.

“It’s
not what you think,” I said as I hurried forward.  “He’s with us.  We’re
looking for the Rebellion.”

Trax
looked at me and grinned.  “You’re Kama.”

Taken
aback I cocked my head in question.  While Liam might have been a fan of his, I
had no clue who he was.

“You
may have been a cute little pipsqueak when I left school, but I sure knew who
you were.  Everyone in school knew who you were.”  He took an appreciating gaze
from my toes to my hair.  “You sure grew up to be as beautiful as they all said
you’d be.”

I
smiled at the compliment, but quickly brought the conversation back to the
problem at hand.  “We’ve walked for two days.  We think there will be an
enormous retaliation from the Governor and his army.  They’re on the outskirts
as well.  We need to find the Rebellion, to warn them and to recruit them.”

“And
him,” Trax said as he pointed his chin to Liam.

“I’m
no longer my father’s son,” Liam said with firm resolve.  “He made the
decisions that led us to where we are today.  I want to lead Arcadia and all
its citizens, be it humans, djinns, or Magical Ones, to a prosperous and sane
future.”

The
four young men exchanged glances.

“This
is Torrid,” I offered as I pulled Torrid to my side.  “And that’s his brother
Rowan.  They’re djinns from the Nethers.  My father is General Adar.  We have
only the best interest of Arcadia at heart.  If Liam, in any way, shows himself
to be in allegiance with his father and not us, we’ll stop him.”

Satisfied
with my promise, they led us over the knoll and through a narrow opening into
the forest.  Every few hundred yards we came upon other guards.

“You're
encampment is well fortified,” Torrid remarked.

“We
know we’re in a fragile position.  We do everything we can to minimize
surprises.”

In
the distance, through the scattering of trees, I saw shacks and movement; life.

We’d
made it.

Chapter 16

A
s we emerged from the forest I immediately
sought familiar faces.  Their little settlement, virtually a small town was
busy with life.  Gardeners hacked away at the earth, bringing fruits and
vegetables to the inhabitants.  Carpenters toiled over a leaky roof and
repaired rutted floors.  Children played in the dirt rolling rounded rocks
toward a target set in the center of the circles they’d drawn in the soil.

Across
the children’s playing field, I saw a face I knew I’d seen before.  For a
moment my brain shuffled through the names and faces of people I’d known
throughout my life, but still I couldn’t figure out who he was. 

Tall
and strong, he seemed unnaturally thin and his eyes were slightly sunk in.

He
turned to me and his gaze displayed the same vague recognition I felt.  Taking
long, purposeful strides, he came to me, a smile slowly forming on his lips
until he reached me and grasped my shoulders.”

“Kama. 
Kama Johnson.  What on earth on you doing here?”

On
hearing his voice, I immediately knew who he was.  “I was beginning to think
I’d never find someone I knew out here.”

Liam
came to my side.  “Jenkins?”

I
looked at the young man in front of me, trying to find a recognizable feature
of the hunky quarterback who’d been so popular in school.  “Oh, my God.  It is
you,” I said as the flash of his smile brought me back to that night when our
team won the championship.