The Coalition (Coalition 1)

  Kael dropped his hand. "And I saw your branding. Above your heart. Then I knew."

  "Knew what?" Shai's voice sounded small. Breathless.

  "That you're one of them." Kael's eyes remained on Shai.

  Aliah shoved his hands into his hair. This isn't happening. Kael has to be mistaken. His own chest flared with heat. He grabbed his pendant and yanked it from his neck. Trembling, he let it roll from his fingers. It landed between a few small stones, the red jewel glittered in the sun. He moved his foot to bury it. "Shai.” He came to stand behind Shai. “What’s he talking about? What brand?" His head spun.

  Shai whirled around to face Aliah. Her face pale, cheeks hollow like all the air had been sucked out of her.

  "It's true. I have a brand. I always knew I was different from the other Laelites, but I never knew why. It never mattered until... Sileas. Ever since she told me about the pictures in the Book, I knew I needed to find out more. My brand is in that Book." She dropped her eyes.

  Aliah gripped her shoulders and dug his fingers into her harder than he meant to. "Seriously? You've been upset with me this whole time about me keeping secrets from you? Well I'd say that's a pretty big one to keep." He wanted to say more. It hurt his throat to hold back everything he wanted to say, but it was useless to be angry with her. He'd kept the same secret from her. He dropped his hands. Ava knew about his brand, but Shai didn't, and he suspected Kael somehow knew too.

  Besides, he understood her desire to find out about the brand. It was a piece of her identity as much as it was a piece of his. He ached to tell her about his. He clung to the secret hope that it would bridge the gap that was widening between them, but he couldn't tell her any of it now. Not after his outburst. And not with Kael standing there with that smug look on his face.

  Remiel where are you when I need you? Aliah let his anger ebb away and further accusations died on his tongue. He needed Shai to trust him, not fuel her anger towards him. If she kept a million secrets from me she couldn’t change my mind about protecting her. He touched her shoulder where he had gripped her, but Shai shrugged him off. It wasn't fair. Every touch between them had always been careful. Important and precious. Nothing like Kael's careless gestures, or the easy way his eyes slipped over her like she was a thing to obtain and possess, not to cherish and protect.

  Shai angled her body to stand next to Kael, her shoulder brushed against his arm as she leaned in. Casual. Yet deliberate. Aliah bit his lip.

  "If you weren't so possessive Aliah, maybe I'd tell you more." She smiled at Kael and said softly to him, "Tell me more. Tell me everything you know."

  "I will. But not now. I can see I've overwhelmed you."

  Kael's eyes met Aliah's over Shai's bent head. A sly smile played at the corners of Kael's mouth. Aliah kicked a rock and sent it bouncing. He imagined his hands around Kael's skinny neck, squeezing until his eyes popped.

  Aliah left Kael and Shai with their heads bent together in discussion. He squeezed then relaxed his fists. If Shai was so interested in the Book then he'd find it first and win her trust back. He smiled to himself. Now that more memories had returned he knew he wouldn't have to be concerned with Kael while they were in Kent. He remembered the community of warriors had their own way of dealing with people like Kael.

  It wasn't until Aliah had reached the first factory that Kael and Shai caught up. He heard Shai's fast breathing and his own heartbeat thrummed. But every other sound seemed to be absorbed into the tall structures that formed Sector Seven's boundaries. Every whisper, every breath and footstep, and even the air seemed to be swallowed up inside the massive pillars, then regurgitated as billows of black smoke that burned when inhaled.

  Nothing moved. It looked as though nothing even lived. No grass. No trees. Just miles and miles of rock surrounding the solid stone buildings with Kent's symbol garishly painted on each of them: a single red flame.

  Aliah, Kael, and Shai passed through the Community's wide entrance. Nothing stirred but the dust beneath their feet. They paused after taking a few steps to look around. Aliah squinted and stepped into the middle of the dirt street. I need to remember! Where do we go now?

  Something sharp pressed into the soft flesh of Aliah's back between his shoulders blades.

  "Identify yourself!" A gravelly voice hissed.

  CHAPTER 53

  Shai

  The man’s wrinkled face looked like an old brown sheet, creased and dried from too much sun. His bright blue eyes shone with kindness in spite of the fact he'd just pressed a knife blade into Aliah's back.

  Aliah grimaced and stopped walking but said nothing even as the old man demanded them to identify themselves.

  Shai slung her bag on the ground and crossed her arms. "Is that any way to treat fellow Kentites? I'm Shai Eli. Remiel sent us." Her heart hammered in her throat. She hoped she sounded convincing. Aliah flicked his eyes her way with one brow raised. What is that all about? Is he annoyed?

  The man's face wrinkled even more. He dropped the hand that held the knife. His eyes creased in the corners and were swallowed up in the brown folds of skin. It took Shai a moment to realize the changes to his face meant he was smiling. His lips parted in a delayed toothy grin, like his mouth smiled separately from the rest of his face.

  He bowed low, sweeping the blade in front of him, dragging it on the ground. Dust spiraled up then settled on the toes of his boots. "Any friend of Remiel's is a friend of ours. Welcome. Let me take you to the Center."

  The trio followed the old man down the middle of the street. His plain brown tunic and long cape dragged the ground, marking a trail in the dust. White hair bobbed at the base of his neck in a messy clump that he had tied with a boot-string.

  Shai walked beside Aliah who still hadn't said a word. His face had no expression but his eyes darted left and right as though he was looking for something or someone.

  Kael walked behind Shai, clearing his throat every few steps. Was it the dust that bothered him or had he developed a nervous habit during the last few seconds?

  Someone touched her shoulder. "Shai. Did I hear you say that Remiel sent us? How do you know him?" Kael whispered.

  Shai slowed down until Aliah and the old man were several paces in front. "He's... I uh. I've known him for a while. From Lael." How much should she say? Remiel had left when Kael appeared. Did he leave because of Kael or was it a coincidence?

  Knowing Kael had travelled for several days just to give her back the key made her feel obligated to be nice to him even if she had to choke back suspicion. She couldn't forget what she had overheard him tell his sister in Conley. But she had to admit she appreciated Kael's sudden appearance for no other reason than she knew it made Aliah uncomfortable. Yet, she hesitated to mention Kael's kiss in front of Aliah. She might still be angry at Aliah but she didn't want to hurt him or provoke his anger toward Kael.

  They walked the rest of the way in silence, passing nameless stone buildings with black smoke puffing out their tops until they stopped in front of a squat grey building without windows. Several more dusty roads led to taller, rounder buildings on the left and right. Sunlight slanted across the road, broken by the shadows of the massive rock structures that defined the boundaries of Sector Seven. Everything was a dismal grey, interrupted only by the bright red Kent flames.

  "Here we are. The Center." The old man swung his arms wide, still holding the knife and narrowly missing Aliah with it. "Wait here and I will tell Elchai that you are here."

  True to its name the Center was in the middle of the Community with all roads leading to it.

  Aliah shuffled his feet in the dust, shifting from one foot to the other. Kael suddenly became still and quiet, his green eyes large and round.

  Shai crossed her arms in front of her to still the fluttering in her stomach. "You know what's odd about this place?" She asked nobody in particular.

  "Yeah. Other than that old man there's no one living here. At least it seems that way. There are no houses."
Kael looked around as he spoke.

  "Yes, that but there's something else. Everything is grey like in Lael except for the symbols they've painted on everything." Shai lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. She meant it as an observation but anxiety made the statement sound sharp, more like a criticism. She breathed a slow breath out. This was her birth-place. She should be thrilled about being here, but dread had begun a sneaky assault against her since they stepped into Kent.

  Kael leaned back against a shadowy part of the building beside the door. He crossed his arms like Shai and squinted. His carefree attitude eased the knots in her stomach a little.

  "Their symbols are not so odd if you think about it, Shai. Where I'm from we use brands to show our boundary-line trees and to set ourselves apart from other Sectors. Identification. Where you're from, you don't brand or mark anything but you wear those things around your neck. It's still identification."

  "Where'd you learn that? Your history books?" Aliah's too-loud voice crushed the fragile sense of peace that had begun to settle around Shai. Tangible tension emanated from Aliah as he stood with his feet apart, hands at his sides, stiff and straight like the buildings that surrounded them. Shai glared at him. What is his problem?

  Something moved in the street and three pairs of eyes turned to look. A small, white animal with large blue eyes dashed across the road and disappeared behind a building. The fur around its middle was red and stood on end from its back making the animal look as though it were on fire.

  Shai covered her mouth with her hand to smother a squeak. "What was that? A branded animal?"

  Kael pushed himself away from the building and stood beside Shai. "That was a cat. It was marked, not branded. This is a brand." He held out his wrist with the cuff of his shirt pulled up, exposing his scar in the shape of the Conley Crescent. "Yours is a brand too. We're alike that way."

  Shai started to shrug again but stopped when she saw his face. His eyebrows creased in the middle, his lips pursed. He was serious. His sudden intensity over the branding made her insides twist with uneasiness. Was he really that concerned about the difference between marking and branding?

  Kael’s eyes were hooded as he turned towards her. "A brand is a permanent identification. A mark can be washed off or even changed. That's an important difference."

  Shai glanced at Aliah who'd been watching her, his face unreadable. When she looked back at Kael his eyes had brightened and he smiled. All traces of seriousness had vanished, replaced by casual ease. He ran hot and cold, as unsettled as Lael's rocky river bed when it was stirred up by stormy rapids.

  But what he had said reminded her that Remiel had also said something about Sector brands and identity. Lael had no brand which meant they had no identity, no one to belong to. They were orphans. I’m an orphan. The word made her chest feel hollow. A sudden sweat broke out on her face in spite of the icy grip of fear that enveloped her.

  The door behind them opened and the old man stuck his head out. "Elchai can't see you until tomorrow. But for now you can come inside, away from the heat, to rest. Do come in. I'm Krell." The old man led them down a shadowy hall lit only by wall sconces. The smell of boiled cabbage and sweaty boots permeated the air. Shai wrinkled her nose then walked right into the back of Aliah who had suddenly stopped in front of her. Kael slammed into her from behind with a muffled oomph. Light shone in a hazy circle around their legs and Shai realized Krell had descended a few steps underground while holding a candle.

  "Leave all weapons with the guard at the door when you enter the underground." When the shaft of light disappeared Shai reached out and grabbed a hold of Aliah's sweater before he walked down the stairs. With her free hand she touched the cool walls to keep steady.

  They descended into complete darkness. Each thump thump down the steps matched Shai's heartbeat. It hardly seemed like they could 'rest' in a place so dark and rank. And she couldn't help but think they'd been blindly trusting this man they just met. What if he led them straight to their deaths?

  The dim light returned when they came around a corner but it wasn't from the old man's candle. A large man with more beard than face, stepped in front of them holding a lantern. He pointed to a narrow table against the wall where various items lay strewn across it: knives of several different shapes and sizes, chunks of chain, sticks with metal tips, and balls with spikes along with a few table spoons and forks.

  Aliah started to walk past the guard but a beefy arm blocked him.

  "Knife."

  "Of course." Aliah growled then pulled a thin table knife out and slammed it on the table.

  How did the guard know Aliah had a knife concealed in the waistband of his pants?

  Kael muffled a snort behind his hand. Aliah took a step toward Kael and a folded piece of paper fluttered to the ground. Shai picked it up, but Aliah snatched it from her.

  "Next." The guard growled.

  Aliah moved aside and Shai began to follow, but the guard stepped in front of her.

  "I have no weapons."

  The guard pointed to her neck. Shai laughed and touched Eliana's pendant. "It's a necklace. It's harmless."

  "No weapon from Gershom is harmless." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at a sign she hadn't noticed before posted on the wall above the table.

  No weapon formed against us will prosper. Every item with intent to harm must be placed on

  the table. Please collect your weapons on your way out.

  "It's not from Gershom, it's from Lael. It's just a necklace. There's no intent to harm."

  The guard didn't move. "Everything produced in Gershom carries an intent to harm. Whether it's mind-altering liquids, wizardry, shape-shifting, hallucinogenic tonics, powders, sprays or..."

  "Take off the pendant, Shai." Aliah stepped into the circle of lantern light. Only a dark green rim could be seen around his dilated pupils.

  "This is ridiculous! It's just simple, Laelite jewelry! Why don't you take yours off, Aliah?"

  "I did. After Kael caught up to us. Just do it, Shai." Aliah's face looked tight, like his skin had been stretched across a weaver’s loom.

  Her legs trembled and a strange weakness began to crawl up her legs. Pin-pricks of pain travelled up and down her arms and her shirt clung to the moist patches that gathered on her back and chest.

  Kael touched her shoulder and whispered, "Let me handle this." He picked up a massive knife with a curved blade and held it up to the light as he slid a thumb across its blade. "Ouch! That's a fine piece of weaponry right there. Oh, and look at this one."

  He reached for a double-bladed knife, but the guard was faster. He knocked the weapon out of Kael's hand then pushed him against the wall with one swift motion, pinning him with a thick forearm across Kael’s chest. The lantern swung wildly from the guard’s free hand.

  Aliah grabbed Shai's elbow and hissed in her ear, "If you insist on keeping the damn thing then let's go. Now!"

  Shai let Aliah pull her away, but she snuck a glance back at Kael who was struggling to breathe beneath the guard's crushing arm. His eyes met Shai's for a brief moment before they rolled to the back of his head.

  She yanked her arm from Aliah. "That guard will kill Kael! We can't leave him!"

  Aliah kept walking down the dark corridor then veered left at a fork before he finally turned around. A single candle flickered inside a glass globe on the wall.

  "They won't kill him, Shai. They will detain him, that's all. We'll find him before we leave. Right now we lay low. Lose ourselves in the crowd for a while. I need to talk to Elchai before going to Gershom so don't do anything that will get us kicked out of here." Aliah turned around and began walking again.

  "Where are we going? And how do you know they won't kill Kael? They make weapons here, Aliah. They probably know how to use them too."

  Aliah’s voice echoed in the narrow hallway. "They do more than just make weapons, they sense the presence of weaponry, Shai. It's how that guard knew I had a knife and that you have a pendant.
They are the military branch for the whole Division. They're protectors."

  Protectors? She didn't feel any safer here than she did when she was alone in the Borderless. And the putrid smell in the tunnels burned her nostrils. If she breathed too deeply it made her cough and she felt like she would suffocate. She stopped to put her hand on the wall for balance and took small, shallow breaths. A low hum buzzed in her ears. "Aliah... please tell me. How... do you know... all that?"

  Aliah stopped walking and Shai watched his head drop forward. When he turned around again he spoke more to the ground than to her.

  "You won't believe me when I tell you. Remiel came to Conley. I saw him there. At first I thought I must be seeing him in a dream or hallucination, but I realized later it was real. He told me the pendants make us sick, Shai. They alter our memories." He looked at her, his features flat in the flickering light.

  Is that why he’s been acting so strange? Well, I’m not going to take mine off. A violent tremor pulsed through her body and Shai collapsed against the wall. Her stomach rolled and lurched. She pushed her fingers through her matted hair, squeezing a fistful before dragging her shaking hands down her face. It doesn’t matter what he says. He’s just trying to control me. But I won’t be controlled. Not by him. Not by anyone. We’re not in Lael anymore.”

  Aliah’s voice sounded far away, like he was speaking to her from the opposite end of a long tunnel. "When Kael caught up to us I was beginning to remember more, but some things were still hazy so I got rid of my pendant. Those things don't protect your life they steal it, Shai. Listen to me! The Essence inside is a poison that's absorbed into your skin. It slowly erases your memories then replaces them with new ones." He stood in front of her and placed both hands against the wall on either side of her face. "Shai, I was born a Kentite warrior. I’m a Protector. You’re safety has always been my mission.” His eyes left her face as he glanced around them. “I remember every corner of this place. I lived here until I was twelve then I moved to Conley. I stayed there with my mother for three years before we moved to Lael."

  Shai shook her head and everything spun. She licked her lips. Her mouth felt dusty and dry.

  "That can't be true Aliah. That means you were fifteen when you came to Lael. But I've known you my entire life. We grew up in Lael together, not Kent or Conley. I remember..."