When Silver Moons Rise (Lost Immortals Saga #2) (10 page)

“I’ll find you,” I cry out, reaching for his hand. “No matter what I have to do, I promise.”

My fingertips manage to grasp Faris’s one last time before I’m forced completely out of the dream. I’m still screaming when I awaken to hands clamping down over my mouth. I bite down. My captor cries out. “You dumb runt! She bit me,” Desi’s yells.

A different set of hands grasp my shoulders. I attempt to bite whoever they belong to. “Chela, it’s me. Jalen. Hey, don’t chomp my hand off. I’ll need it to use a sword.”

I stop struggling and focus on my two travelling companions. Covering my eyes with my palms, I only manage to say, “I’m sorry. So very sorry.” The tears come next. Lots of them. It’s like I’ve saved every single one for this moment alone. I don’t know when they’ll stop. I don’t ever want them to end. “We have to hurry. He’s in so much pain.” I don’t tell them that Faris’s pain now belongs to me too.

Jalen gently pulls me up off the hay and cradles my body, rocking me like a baby. “We’ll find him. You have my word. Don’t snot all over me, okay?”

How will I leave Jalen? His heart will be broken. Choices sometimes remind me of little demons designed to bring you down, even when you should be feeling happy. I close my eyes to control the tears forming behind them.

When I open them Desi stares at me with the strangest look. “You saw Faris?” she asks. I nod. “I don’t believe you. That would mean you must’ve formed a—an ancestral bond. Those aren’t possible anymore. Only the most ancient of Bardonian immortals were ever able to pull those off.”  I close my eyes without saying anything to confirm Desi’s observations. She can be so intense at times.

A war between feeling happy and freaking out over seeing Faris is being fought inside my body.

“Get some rest, Chela the Fair,” Jalen’s says. I take his advice and close my eyes.

Part Two:
To Break Away
…

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

̴
Michelangelo

Chapter Eleven

The Surprise Party (Chela)

Desi keeps her promise and gives Jalen a sleeping tonic. She feels confident in her ability to find Tobie; but she still thinks I won’t last a day on my own. Plus, she has one of those compass things I’ve seen Faris use so many times.

When the train stops at the next station, I slip out of the door and run toward the woods. Hiding inside some bushes, I watch the boxcar with my friends take off and move along the tracks, until I can no longer see anything.

I gather my courage and my backpack while trying to clear the image of Desi’s critical face out of my mind. I can only hope Jalen forgives me, and that my two traveling companions don’t kill each other.

I know my friend, though. Anytime he picks on a girl the way he’s been teasing Desi, then it’s usually because he’s trying to deal with a crush he has on her. I can’t ignore my dreams, or the sixth sense I’ve developed. Instinct tells me Jalen will be in danger if he goes into the forests surrounding the prison. With my abilities and the determination to find the boy I love fueling my strength, I should be able to take care of myself.
I hope.

I trudge toward the first Dim City. The heat makes me feel too warm in all of the layered Outcast clothing I’m wearing, and the sun beaming down on me is brutal. I find it hard to believe that anything frozen exists near this place. There are no walls surrounding the city, no guards or Conductors waiting to pound on any intruders. My torn and dirty clothing gives me the appearance that I belong among the people here.

I stare at everything around me: the smashed cars sitting along the streets, the run-down brick buildings, the strained faces staring back at me as I walk through the area. This place mimics the leftover image of a time long gone. I gather all my courage and try to act calm. A few of the women frown at me when I walk by them. I find myself feeling thankful that Desi made me change my clothes. My city girl uniform would’ve stood out in this place; and then who knows what might’ve happened.

I pass by an alley. A group of men shove a little boy back and forth between them. One of the younger guys glances my way. I turn and head in the opposite direction, hoping the dirty cap hides my hair tucked inside it. At the edge of the building across the street, I glance behind me.
Crap!
The tall skinny one has left the group. He now stands in the middle of the street and is staring in my direction.

What were you thinking going out on your own, Prizeon?

I dart into the alley that’s closest to where I’m standing and move my body in between a stack of crates. Okay, so I’m pretty sure I can take out the bean pole. I am the Capital’s champion. That’s not what worries me the most. Now I hear two voices, and I don’t like what they’re saying.

“You sure she went in here?” boy number one asks.

“Yeah. Shut up and listen,” the second boy orders.

So, I would choose to hide inside the alley that has a wall at the end of it. All of this reminds me of the first time I met Faris, Desi, and crew inside Castle Hayne’s only hangout for kids. I obviously didn’t learn my lesson that night, which is why I’m standing here in this mess.

“Here kitty kitty. I know you’re in there,” one of them says. “It’s alright. We just wanna…play wit’ ya for a minute.” The boys exchange goofy laughs.

I move my hand up to my necklace. Nothing. No heat, no vibrations. “If you’re going to start working again, this might be a real good time,” I say to myself. Mother’s necklace sleeps the same way the Grace inside me does. The boys know I’m in here, so I need to make a move. I step out into the open.

Okay, so skinny dee and twiggy dumb don’t look so threatening. Skinny Dee is tall, but thinner than me. He has fair hair and wears a pair of coveralls. The shorter one, twiggy dumb, the boy with the dark hair and who thinks my name is Kitty, walks with a slight limp. I can do this. “What’s up, guys?” I say in a deep voice. With my hair pulled up and away from my face, people always say I look a lot like Micah. The boys exchange glances.

“Thought you said he was a she,” skinny dee says.

The other boy isn’t fooled by my bad version of a boy’s voice. He saw my hair tumble out of the cap when the wind blew it off my head. A devious smile spreads across his filthy face. I force my hands to keep steady as we lock gazes. I’ve seen this look he’s giving me before. I didn’t stand for being bullied that night, and I won’t allow it now.

“Oh, I think
he
smells like a
she
,” Twiggy Dumb says and waggles his eyebrows. Two more curious faces appear behind them. Nerves finally kick in, and my thoughts race, as I glance at the buildings behind the boys. Then I turn toward the back of the alley. Nothing. No quick escape routes. The wind picks up, and dirt swirls in the air around me. I ease my hand down to my sword.

Skinny Dee cocks his head to the side, his gaze following my movement, and says, “Now, now, pussy cat. You ain’t gonna be usin’ your big knife on lil’ ole’ me are ya?” The boys step toward me, and I take two steps back. The way I see it is if I can beat up one or two of them, then the others will scatter. “Now see, you’re bein’ right rude. Get over here so we can have some fun.”

Okay, so get ready for part two of the game plan.

Urged on by fear, I charge forward. Faris taught me that sometimes the best defense is to be the one to strike first. My angel-blood makes me strong. The fist I aim at Twiggy Dumb, the one who called me by the Kitty name, strikes his jaw. His body flies backward just before his partner swings a fist at my head.

I duck and start laughing.

Okay, it’s confirmed. I’ve officially lost it.

Skinny Dee charges at me again, but he’s much slower than I am. Grabbing his arm, I somehow manage to twist it around behind him. Somewhere on the sidelines, the other guys I first saw when I entered the city have joined the party. But they don’t come into the alley. Instead, the other gang members choose to stand back and laugh at their buddies getting creamed by a girl.

“Witch broke my damn nose!” the boy on the ground yells out. He sits up and stares at me as he massages his face. Blood gushes out of his nose.

Another boy rushes toward me. More people gather around the area. Many of them are females. They cheer each time I send a kick, punch, or super slick move at my clumsy attackers. I’m still holding on to Skinny Dee, using his free arm as a weapon against his buddies.

Am I excited by all of this? Heck yeah!

Adrenaline rushes through me. I swing my prisoner’s arm at two more boys. It whacks them on the sides of their heads; and bodies go flying across the ground.

Over-confidence is never a good thing with me, though. I turn toward the back of the alley one last time, a super stupid thing to do. I’m airborne in a matter of seconds. I land in the crates I hid in moments ago. The cheering from the women standing outside the alley stops right away. The sudden silence makes me think I’m about to get creamed.

“Only an angel-blood could pull off moves like that,” a deep and deadly voice says behind me. I flip over and stare at a guy who looks like he ate the Twiggy and Skinny boys for dinner. My adrenaline rush fuels my confidence. I hop to my feet and run toward the giant—an even more stupid thing to do.

He grasps my fist, and I swear I hear the bones in my hand crunching under his grip. The smaller boys back away. I don’t need to hear them say anything in order to understand this is the leader. I cry out and drop to my knees. This guy is strong, even more so than me.

“She broke my nose, Zeke,” Twiggy Dumb mumbles as he shuffles over to stand beside him.

“Good. Any male who gets beat by a little girl deserves to have his nose broken,” Zeke answers. Twiggy opens his mouth to say something. “Get lost. And take your brother with you.”

Another one of the larger boys moves behind me, pulls me to my feet, and pins my arms back. My hand throbs even more now.  My eyes must betray my questions, because the giant says, “Oh yes, little one, the three of us are just like you,” he says in a low voice so that only he and the boy holding my arms can hear. A gold tooth gleams from inside his lips.  “Lords of the angel-blood. Meaning, we bleed your kind dry, and then we drink.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hiss. I don’t like the way Zeke looks at me. This isn’t a goofy young boy who’s drunk on sour ale medicine. The person standing before me is a killer. A man who bleeds angel-bloods the way someone did to poor Mrs. Needlemeyer.

“You are a sexy one underneath all that grime. Bad disguise, little one. Good quality girls don’t come our way often,” Zeke says as he runs his hands from my underarms, down my sides, and finally ending at my waist where his hands linger. His dark hair cut in a buzz style reminds me of Mabry, but his cold, black eyes remind me of someone else.

Now I understand why Micah wanted me to take Jalen along with me. His strength equals three or four of these Zeke boys. The way he floored the Conductor without even breaking a sweat validates my theory.

“Take your hands off of me. You have no idea who you’re messing with.” Okay, so that sounds weak. I know. What other card can I play right now? Zeke grins wide. His teeth are perfectly straight and whiter than mine.

“You’re kind of like a fire ant. Still acting feisty when I’m about to smash your ass under my shoe.”

“Yeah, well, you’re like a person with a little brain to match that itty bitty rod there in your pants,” I say. His smile fades, and his buddies choke back a laugh.

Turning back to the crowd, he says, “Get the hell outta  here. All of ya. Now!” He turns back to me and gives me a look that sends shivers through me. My arms have gone numb, and now there’s no one but me and three burly men pumped up on angel-blood. I struggle against the one holding on to me. No luck. My reward comes in the form of more pain in my arms as the guy pulls my arms closer together. I cry out, and Zeke moves toward me, easing his grimy face down to my neck.

Do something, Chela of champion blood.

I can’t think. My mind has gone completely blank.

Zeke licks his lips and snorts.
Super gross.

I growl and kick out at him. Maybe if they think I’m crazy then they’ll leave me alone. My plan turns on me. Instead of getting freaked out by my behavior, the guy preparing to take me grins even wider. Zeke wraps his fingers around my waist and slams my body against him. My heart races and terror sets in as I realize what’s about to happen to me.

With his lips against my ear, he says, “I like a little hell fire in my girls. Whatcha got for me, baby?”

“Now see, I just don’t even think I’d do that if I were you,” a familiar guy’s voice purrs from behind Zeke. And suddenly my fear gets replaced by anger and relief and a lot of things all mixed together. I’ll remember that honey smooth voice well into my next lifetime. Seth Alton.

Zeke moves aside. I now have a clear view of Seth. Sure, his hair is longer and tattered black clothing hangs from his thin frame; but he’s still the guy I watched turn into some kind of angelic hawk with razors on the tips of its wings.

“Seth Alton?” Zeke says, his voice lighter than it was moments ago. I can almost feel the fear easing its way into his body.

“You will move your hands away from her body. Now!” Seth orders. The guy behind me releases me at once, and the one who hasn’t done much besides laughing eases toward the opening to the alley. I never thought I’d see the day when I would be happy to meet Seth again. I have the sinking feeling that Zeke isn’t the type to give up so easily.

He makes a wheezy grin and then points at me. “She belongs to me. I found her first. You want some action? Then go find your own angel-girl.”

“You will release her. Or, I’ll simply rip your arms off and stuff them down your throat,” Seth says blandly as if he just suggested a new game for them to play. He leans over on the wall and stares at his fingernails. The two giants frown and exchange nervous glances, but Zeke doesn’t back down. He grumbles, clenches his fists, and takes a couple of steps toward Seth.