

### The Coalition Episodes 1-4

Copyright 2013 Aria J. Wolfe

Published by KingdomNow Publishing

Smashwords Edition

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2013 by Aria J. Wolfe

Jacket art copyright © 2013 by Yvette R. Dempster

All rights reserved. Published in Canada by KingdomNow Publishing,

RR 2 Site 456 Box 4 Comp 9,

Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada.

Visit us on the Web! ariajwolfe.com

The coalition / Aria J. Wolfe. -- 1st ed.

Book one of: The coalition series

[1.Young adult-- fiction. 2. Fantasy]

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

The Division of Edan

Characters

Chapter 1: Shai

Chapter 2: Shai

Chapter 3: Aliah

Chapter 4: Shai

Chapter 5: Aliah

Chapter 6: Shai

Chapter 7: Aliah

Chapter 8: Shai

Chapter 9: Aliah

Chapter 10: Shai

Chapter 11: Aliah

Chapter 12: Shai

Chapter 13: Aliah

Chapter 14: Shai

Chapter 15: Aliah

Chapter 16: Shai

Chapter 17: Aliah

Chapter 18: Shai

Chapter 19: Aliah

Chapter 20: Shai

Chapter 21: Shai

Chapter 22: Aliah

Chapter 23: Shai

Chapter 24: Aliah

Chapter 25: Shai

Chapter 26: Aliah

Chapter 27: Shai

Chapter 28: Aliah

Chapter 29: Shai

Chapter 30: Aliah

Chapter 31: Shai

Chapter 32: Aliah

Chapter 33: Shai

Chapter 34: Aliah

Chapter 35: Shai

Chapter 36: Aliah

Chapter 37: Shai

Chapter 38: Aliah

Chapter 39: Shai

Chapter 40: Aliah

Chapter 41: Shai

Chapter 42: Aliah

Chapter 43: Shai

Chapter 44: Aliah

Chapter 45: Shai

Chapter 46: Aliah

Chapter 47: Shai

Chapter 48: Aliah

Chapter 49: Shai

Chapter 50: Aliah

Chapter 51: Shai

Chapter 52: Aliah

Chapter 53: Shai

Chapter 54: Aliah

Chapter 55: Shai

Chapter 56: Aliah

Chapter 57: Aliah

Chapter 58: Shai

Chapter 59: Aliah

Chapter 60: Shai

Chapter 61: Aliah

Chapter 62: Shai

Chapter 63: Aliah

Chapter 64: Shai

Chapter 65: Aliah

Chapter 66: Shai

Chapter 67: Shai

Chapter 68: Shai

Chapter 69: Shai

Chapter 70: Shai

Chapter 71: Shai

Chapter 72: Shai

Chapter 73: Ava

About Aria J. Wolfe

Other Books by Aria J. Wolfe

Connect with Aria J. Wolfe
Acknowledgements

I thank God for giving me such a vivid imagination. For encountering me. For never letting go.

Thank you to my mom, Glenda, for your endless hours of reading through each revision and providing suggestions, for your constant encouragement, numerous phone calls, wisdom and advice. You never seemed to get tired of talking about the characters, they seemed to be as alive to you as they are to me. I will be forever grateful to you.

Dad, thanks for listening to me chat endlessly about my website ideas. Your enthusiasm is so infectious.

To my sisters, Rebecca, Breanna, Shyanna and my brothers Scott and Adam (Shannon) for your support! And the kids my parents care for in their home for your support and interest.

Thank you Carmen Kostwinder for beta reading and for your invaluable feedback. I appreciate you!

Thank you to my family for showing me great grace and patience throughout these past two years: John, even though you admit to never having read a novel before (or was it you never 'enjoyed' reading a novel before?), I am grateful that you offered to read my manuscript. You must love me! Thank you for understanding my idiosyncrasies, my keeping crazy writing hours, my strange 'hypothetical' questions and for being a sounding board. You keep me sane.

My oldest son Steve (and Sara), thanks for your constant enthusiasm and the fun chats we had about books, plot, setting etc. Never a dull moment.

Sydney-Maegan, my daughter, thank you for your company, your encouragement and for being 'real.' I appreciate your honesty and your love.

To my youngest son Braeden, it has been a joy to write whenever you're around. I could always count on receiving a shoulder-rub or an encouraging smile. And your whispers of "I love you Mom" kept me going far beyond the moments when I wanted to quit.

A sincere 'thank you' to my friends for putting coffee dates on hold and for being so understanding when my head was in 'another world.'

Also, a huge bouquet of thanks to my editor Lydia Conrad for your hard work, suggestions, and fantastic questions that kept me on my toes. Thank you for stretching me beyond my comfort zone. It has been a pleasure getting to know you a little bit, through our many emails across the miles.

And lastly (importantly) thank you to my readers. Without you, what would this novel be?

To each one, let me say again a thousand times, "thanks!"

Okay, I'm finished... I think.

Mom

You made this possible

"Hang my locket around your neck, wear my ring on your finger. Love is invincible facing danger and death. Passion laughs at the terrors of hell. The fire of love stops at nothing - it sweeps everything before it."

Song of Solomon 8:6
The Division of Edan

Sector 1- Adena (symbol: Infinity)

Sector 2- Brenton (symbol: Circle)

Sector 3- Conley (symbol: Crescent)

Sector 4- Fino (symbol: Sun)

Sector 5- Hadyn (symbol: Eye)

Sector 6- Kegan (symbol: Triangle)

Sector 7- Kent (symbol: Flame)

The Coalition- (symbol: 3 Interlocking Circles)
Characters

Shai (SHAY)

Aliah (AY-lee-yah)

Ellersly (ELL-ers-lee)

Eliana (el-ee-YON-ah)

Sileas (SIL-ee-us)

Maire (MARE)

Samael (sam-AY-el)

Zev (ZEV)

Mara (MAHR-ah)

Akan (AY-kan)

Elchai (EL-kye)

Remiel (REM-ee-el)

The Community of Lael (lay-EL)

CHAPTER 1

Shai

Shai sat on a hard wooden bench in the chapel staring at the back of the young man in front of her. She crossed her ankles and swung them as she noted how his hair had begun to curl up around his ears and along his neck. Her chest warmed, the way it always did when she thought of him. She smiled as he ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, making it stand on end.

A sharp poke in her ribs snapped her out of her daydream.

"Listen, Shai!" Her friend Sileas narrowed her eyes and jabbed a thumb in the direction of the speaker's platform at the front of the room. Shai rolled her eyes and faced front.

"There are twenty-one more days until the next Watcher Recruitment round. That's enough time to prepare yourselves." A thin, middle-aged woman with mousy-brown hair that she wore in a severe bun, had begun the speech that Shai and the other teens in the community of Lael heard every three weeks. It was always the same thing: be diligent in the duties assigned to you, manage the younger children in your House, attend Chapel regularly, and try not to stand out... blah, blah, blah.

She had been eligible for recruitment two years ago when she had turned fourteen, but had no interest in becoming a Watcher. They wore black clothing, walked with their heads down, and never spoke. They were the security of Lael and the most sought-after position. They protected the residents and reported which children might be eligible for the next recruitment to the leader of the community. No one knew the Watchers' identities. They gathered in secret at night, along Lael's boundary fence-line while everyone else slept, and watched Lael in shifts by day.

Shai leaned forward a little to steal a look at the other children sitting in her row. Who would be the next one chosen for recruitment? The air seemed to crackle with nervous energy. Even Sileas fidgeted.

One by one the children returned her stare, their grey eyes round with anticipation. A small smile tugged at the corners of Shai's mouth. _One of them will be chosen before me or even Aliah. We stand out too much_. She leaned back against the bench and glanced at his rigid back as he sat next to his friend Ellersly, listening intently to the speeches as though they mattered to him. They were the only two in the community who had colored eyes. Hers mirrored the color of the sky when the clouds parted, and Aliah's were bright green.

The Mother's eyes darted around the room, waiting for quiet before she continued. Her long grey skirt swished as she walked to a small table on the right side of the room. The table served one purpose: to display a thick, brown book known simply as the Book.

The Mother placed one hand palm-down on the front cover of the Book and scanned the room again.

Shai twisted her pendant on its silver chain until it pinched her skin, then released it, watching the pale moonstone embedded on the front, twirl. Even if she could avoid being recruited, she couldn't escape the Reading of the Book. She ticked off a mental list. Did she break any Laws or Rules during the past three days?

"And finally, before we get to the Reading, remember our number one rule: all pendants are to be worn inside your tunics. Never touch them, play with them or look at them. Ever."

Shai looked up, her cheeks hot. She'd never been called up for an infraction. Not that she didn't commit any, she was just never reported.

The Mother's steel grey eyes bored into her. Shai dropped her pendant back inside the neck of her tunic and clasped her hands in her lap. Aliah's shoulders straightened even more. She knew he'd disapprove. He always kept the Laws.

She cast a side-long glance at Sileas, who snickered beside her, but the girl's expression never changed. She watched the Mother intently, even leaning forward a little to catch every word. How did she do that, laugh under her breath without smiling? Not even her eyes showed any amusement.

The room grew heavy with silence. Everyone waited for Shai. She straightened her back like Aliah's and concentrated on making her face expressionless.

"Once again our Gracious Leader has written in the Book the names of those who have committed infractions during the last three days. But, as a nice surprise, he has written the name of someone who will receive a reward. They will be sent to live on the Hill."

A collective gasp echoed throughout the room. Shai pressed her lips together while keeping her eyes on the Mother. As much as she feared her name being called for an infraction, she feared receiving a "reward" even more. If she could melt into the hard wooden bench she would. Anything to keep from being noticed.

She clenched her hands tighter in her lap. Her pulse raced _. It's not me, it's not me._ It wouldn't be her, she knew. But she swallowed hard past the knot in her throat.

The house on the hill had been vacant for years. If someone was chosen to live there it meant they lived there alone, without being subject to Laelite Laws until the day the Leader came to give them their "reward" on Recruitment Day.

Cold sweat broke out on Shai's forehead and trickled down her back _. It won't be me._ She breathed deeply in, then out, but the shaking in her legs and hands became worse _. Of course I won't be chosen; I stand out too much._ Her hair was too light, her eyes too blue, not to mention her secret: the strange birthmark over her heart that often pulsed waves of heat through her like it did now.

Her fingertips tingled, and the edges of her vision suddenly darkened, as pink, blue, and green dots swam before her eyes _. Not now. Oh, please not now._

She stared at the back of Aliah's head trying to focus on the sound of the Mother's voice. The tingling lessoned. She pressed her lips harder into a thin line. She couldn't have a vision now. Bad timing.

The Mother picked the Book up from the table and cradled it in her arms like it was a small child. She opened it to the middle then turned back a few pages; her lips moved as she read. After a moment she lifted her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Shai. Would you come up here please?" The Mother's eyes held Shai's for a long moment and when Shai didn't move she repeated, 'please.' Bile rose in Shai's throat. She stood up from the bench and squeezed past the row of legs as she made her way to the center aisle. When she brushed by Sileas's knees, her friend grasped her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before letting it go. Shai kept her eyes forward, her head straight. If she looked at anyone she'd either cry or throw up.

She inhaled deeply. This was worse than being recruited as a Watcher.

She expelled her breath just as she tripped over a boot of the girl sitting at the end of the row.

"So much for not being eligible." The sneer in the girl's whisper mocked Shai's lifelong belief that being different was safer.

She recovered her footing and stepped into the aisle. She'd become good at hiding her emotions and did so now as she opened her fists and forced her hands to lay flat against her sides and her feet to walk up the narrow aisle to the front.

She locked eyes with the Mother who spoke in a solemn voice.

"Shai Eli of Lael. You've been rewarded by our Gracious Leader. He has chosen you to bear a child who will be become the next Leader of Lael. Hand me your pendant, you'll no longer be needing it." Another gasp rose from the teens followed by several whispers. One of the Mother's from the Boy's Houses silenced them with a hissed, "shhhhh!" as Shai fumbled with the clasp behind her neck.

She'd always hated that pendant, but handing it over made a sick feeling settle like ice in the pit of her stomach.

When at last the clasp sprung free she coiled the necklace into the Mother's outstretched hand and watched as the long fingers curled around it. The Mother's fist remained suspended between them, and Shai noticed it trembled slightly. She looked up into the Mother's eyes, glistening and watery. She pushed her shoulders back and nodded slightly. The ice in her stomach settled deeper.

The Mother nodded back, cleared her throat again, then proceeded with the remainder of the Reading while Shai stood and watched.

"Sol Curtis, please stand. You are charged with breaking the Law of Equality. Punishable by spending one day and one night alone, outside the boundaries of Lael in the Borderless." A young boy with reddish-orange hair hung his head.

"Mayla Kelton, please stand. You are charged with breaking the Law of Liberty. Punishable by spending three days in stocks, fastened to your wrists and ankles."

Shai stood rigid, her hands behind her back, her eyes forward, and her lips pressed together. Five more names were called, followed by their crimes and punishments. Someone received two lashings, another received four days in isolation, and a girl who looked no more than twelve, received a snip off the tip of her tongue for speaking against their Leader. That punishment was promptly carried through. While the children either turned away or watched, horrified, Shai stood staring, transfixed as the girl stood in front of the Mother. When she opened her mouth, Shai gasped at the misshapen, purplish-red mass inside. It hardly resembled a tongue. Shai turned away. _How many punishments like this has she already received?_ After a moment, sniffling sounds filled the room as the girl walked back to her seat, with a dribble of blood running down her chin. Shai's palms grew sweaty and she wiped them on her grey trousers.

Finally the Mother said in an even voice, "Seven names have been read today. Seven crimes committed since the last Reading which means seven Laws or Rules were broken. This is intolerable." She blinked a few times and smiled. "However, let us celebrate Shai's reward today. May she be an example to all of you."

She turned to Shai. "Go straight to the Hill. Your belongings will be packed up and brought to you. After a mandatory twenty-four hours of solitude you may have visitors. You will be free to come down the hill to Lael...whenever you choose. Then, in twenty-one days, you will leave Lael to go live with our Gracious Leader." The last two words came out quiet and the Mother raised her hand over her head to signal dismissal.

Loud scuffling and a chorus of voices erupted as everyone left the Chapel, with heads bent together in groups of two or three, engrossed in their animated conversations. Shai remained frozen to her spot.

At last the Mother turned around and looked straight at Shai, her eyes swimming with tears.

"I know how badly you've wanted to avoid being recruited and now this. I'm so sorry. I...I didn't know. If I did..."

"You couldn't have done anything Eliana, you know that." Shai twisted the hem of her standard-issue, grey tunic and looked at the floor. "Maybe it will be ok. No one has ever seen our Gracious Leader. Maybe he's... nice." She raised her eyes to Eliana's who blinked several times as tears spilled onto her pale cheeks. She knew what the Mother was thinking. How could anyone who demanded such extreme punishment for children be nice?

"I've been assigned to care for you during your stay at the House... we will have three whole weeks together." The Mother's lower lip trembled until she caught it between her teeth.

Shai nodded then took a step back.

"I guess I'd better go. I should see where I'm living now." She turned and began walking back down the aisle past the rows of empty benches.

Eliana's voice echoed behind her, all business again. "Your twenty-four hours begins now. Don't let anyone detain you. I will see you after that."

Shai trailed her fingers along the backs of the benches then turned around again. She couldn't resist a sudden urge to be somewhere familiar yet private. "May I go to the garden first?"

Eliana looked up, surprise on her face. "Of course. It's not your turn to do the holes though."

Shai shrugged. "It's okay. I just want to be somewhere quiet until I go to the Hill."

"Sure. I understand." Eliana's smile was soft yet sad. "Take all the time you need."

CHAPTER 2

Shai

The garden was quiet just like she had hoped. No one was working the holes; the shovel was left where the last person had stuck it deep into a mound of soft earth. The shovel's rusted metal scoop looked bright orange in the pale sunlight, its wooden handle soft as silk from use. She jabbed the shovel into the dirt then stepped on its edge for leverage. The soil was heavy and wet with frequent rain. Nothing grew in the garden, but the Mothers ensured everyone that they were learning discipline by digging the holes while getting exercise.

Shai's back muscles strained with the upward pull of the shovel, laden with soil. She tossed the clump onto a large dirt pile nearby and continued on to make another hole. She needed this: to be alone with her thoughts, which she always harnessed until she was past the burning point in her labor, the point when her muscles became used to the exertion and there was nothing left to distract her.

Three holes had been dug before she released her mind to wander. And it was the same thought that surfaced every time.

"Daddy, why do we dig these holes if we're just going to cover them back up again?" The young girl's eyes were shiny with admiration for the man who stooped over a row of tiny holes like dimples in the earth.

"Here honey. I'll show you." His dark eyes were merry, his face rosy from the heat of the afternoon. The girl squatted beside him in the dirt and cupped her hands, ready to receive the gift that he held out to her. He dropped a small, black, tear-shaped disk into her hand.

"It's a seed. When it's put into the hole and covered back up with soil, the sun and the rain will help it grow. Soon we'll see a little green shoot poking up through the dirt." He pointed to a row of skinny green tubes sticking out of the ground next to their row of holes. "After a while, when it's time, we harvest them. These ones will be watermelons."

Watermelons.

The thought faded, a wisp of smoke in the wind. She licked her lips then whispered the word like she always did.

"Watermelons."

The thought wasn't connected to anything. It could even have been just a day-dream, something she made up in her mind, but a vague feeling in her chest, the tight ache like she was holding back tears, told her she was that little girl.

Sometimes another thought would follow it; this one she'd have to fight off. It was the one that made her face hot, and tears prick her eyes even though she didn't know why.

She stuck her shovel into the dirt again, jamming it in harder than necessary, then rested against its handle. She pressed her lips together and swallowed but the thought still came.

The air was thick and heavy with smoke and dust. The little girl's mouth and nose were wrapped with a layer of material, but she wished she could wrap her eyes too. The air stung. The wind whipped pieces of dirt and dust into her face making her squint against the prickles of pain. Tears poured down her cheeks as she tried to see into the gloominess.

Everything looked different. Some of the houses were flat on the ground, some were blazing orange and red as flames swallowed them up; Others, like hers, had so many people crammed inside them it made it hard to breathe.

The girl hung onto a man's hand with all her strength, afraid that the gusting wind might tear her away from him. She looked back at her house with its lights glowing in the dark.

"Daddy, wait!" She coughed and choked and the man turned around. His mouth and nose were also covered. He bent his head close to hers. Her voice was muffled by the cloth and rough-sounding from yelling into the wind.

"Yes, honey. What is it?"

"I want Mommy to come too." More tears squeezed out of her eyes. The man pulled the covering off his mouth then kissed her forehead. He was white around his mouth where the cloth had been and dark where the dust had clung to his skin.

"She will come later, I promise. Right now all the children have to get out of Edan and go to a safe place."

"Why? Is there an uprising?" A gust of wind blew against her face and she closed her eyes to keep the dirt out. It was a dirty word. Whispered behind the backs of hands and into ears. But she'd heard her mother and father speak it so often, especially lately, that it had become a household word.

"It's like an uprising, honey. Elchai called it the War Between Worlds." He stood and took her hand again. "We'd better go."

Shai pulled the shovel from the dirt and threw it on the ground, letting anger course through her, hoping the next thought wouldn't come. But it did anyway.

The kind-faced man pulled on the girl's hand as she turned to look at her house one last time. Suddenly there was a lot of noise. Shouting. Screaming. Crying. The windows of her house exploded outwards, showering the ground with glass. The people inside the house rushed through the door and knocked her to the ground.

The girl's hand was ripped from the man's. On her knees she cried out, "Daddy! Daaaadeeee!" Until her throat was raw.

Finally the thought ended. Leaving only a fluttering, ragged feeling in her chest, like something important had been violently ripped from her heart. Sometimes she felt if she dug enough holes in the 'garden' she'd suddenly strike what she'd lost with the blunt shovel. She would dig it up and hold it against her tight.

Daddy.

Shai blinked several times and stared at the row of large holes she'd made until they no longer blurred together. She cleared her throat of the lump then wiped her hands on her trousers.

Everything was still and quiet, wrapped in grey. Grey sky. Grey dirt. Grey clothing. Even everyone's eyes were grey.

She hated grey. But at least it deadened the quick, sharp pains that always came with the last thoughts of the Old World. That's what she called the memories of pungent smells and colors so bright they hurt the eyes.

No one spoke of the Old World. It existed only in her mind and she shared her memories with no one. They were her secret thoughts, another thing that made her feel different.

She stayed in the garden until the Old World thoughts became as grey as the world she lived in and the pain went away.

Someone else would come and fill the holes she'd made.

It was time to go to the Hill House.
CHAPTER 3

Aliah

Twenty-one days.

There had to be another way. His tongue smoothed the stinging blemish his teeth had made on the inside of his lower lip. Bad habit.

He breathed in, shallow and ragged. His best friend sat across from him drying her hair by the fire. She'd just come back from bathing in the Bath House when he'd let himself into her new living quarters.

He sighed and looked around the small living room. Stone floors, matching stone walls and a fireplace. Three simple pieces of wooden furniture: a bench, a rocking chair, and a table. They'd chosen to sit on the floor in front of the fire with scratchy grey blankets around their shoulders.

Shai tipped her head sideways as she worked at squeezing the wet strands of her honey-colored hair with a towel. Long lashes rested on high cheekbones as she kept her eyes down.

He was familiar with every curve of her slender neck, and her shoulders that bore the weight of growing up in their oppressive community of orphans.

He flicked his eyes at her again and suddenly wished she was like everyone else. Maybe then she wouldn't have caught the Leader's eye. She was wrong about being safe because she was different. He knew the Leader. He knew their Leader liked courage and determination. Aliah often wondered if the Leader had designed the Laws as a way to flush out the ones who showed signs of resistance. Even though Shai seemed to keep the Laws and Rules, Aliah knew she secretly despised them. It was what made him afraid for her. He was sure that one day he'd meet her for one of their assigned chores and she'd be missing. That she'd hopped the fence and disappeared into the Borderless forest beyond. Only her fear of the unknown kept her in Lael this long. And now this.

_It's not supposed to be this way._ Nausea rolled in his stomach.

"It would've been better if you were never born." He reached and out traced his thumb along the contours of Shai's face. Her pale blue eyes looked up at him and widened as she pulled away. She said nothing, just pressed her lips together the way she did when trying to keep her emotions in check. His shoulders caved forward. _Why did I say that?_

He shifted his position on the floor then touched her shoulder but she recoiled from him, her brows furrowed. She avoided his steady gaze and fixed her stare on the fire blazing in the stone fireplace.

He frowned and dropped his hands.

"I didn't mean it like that, Shai." His heart galloped in his chest like a wild stallion in a thunderstorm. In the firelight, Shai tilted her chin up slightly but didn't speak, as she pressed some wrinkles out of her grey tunic with her fingers.

It was time to go, before he got caught interrupting her mandatory twenty-four hours of solitude. He pushed himself up from the hardwood floor, grabbed his wool cloak from a bench and hurried to the door. He stopped on the threshold, one hand against the rough wooden door.

Several moments passed and the only sound was the popping of the wood fire. Shai's face was drawn and pinched in the dim, orangey fire-light.

He cleared his throat of a sudden stuffy-feeling. "I can explain. But maybe it's better that I go." He wrapped the cloak around his shoulders.

The birthmark in the flesh over his heart grew warm until it flooded him with its comforting heat. He rested a hand on it, grateful for its interference, and caught Shai watching him. He dropped his hand and smiled. She didn't return it.

She sat cross-legged on the floor, with the fire-light playing with the golden hues of her long hair. Shadows made her thin jaw appear angular, almost stubborn. The hard lines in her face disappeared as a fleeting look of fear touched her features. When she glanced at him it vanished, leaving behind something fiercer. Defiance: in the way she squared her shoulders and stuck out her lower lip.

He took one short step away from the door, towards her, then hesitated. Something stirred in him; the familiar need to protect her. If only she would let him.

He stood rooted to the ground, willing himself to turn around and leave, but the ache in his chest compelled him to stay.

Shai stretched one hand towards him. "Don't go, Aliah. I don't... I don't want to be alone. And I don't care about the solitude order." Her admission startled him. Exposed a seldom-seen vulnerability.

"But you have to be alone tonight." His throat constricted, graveling his voice. "Tonight you... things are different now. I shouldn't even be here."

She waved him away. "Fine. It's okay. It's just... I was caught off guard earlier. I'll be fine you know."

The vulnerability evaporated in that single flick of her wrist. Steely resolve hardened her jawline again.

He chewed his lip for a second, watching her.

"I have to go. The Mothers won't appreciate it if they find me here." He turned to reach for the knob again just as she got up from the floor and came to stand in front him, her hands twisting her standard, grey tunic. The absence of the pendant around her neck reminded him that time was much more precious now.

"It's better that it's me and not you. Everyone needs you, Aliah." He faced her, the sudden nearness of her prickled his arms and heated his face. "Including you?" He caught a fistful of the honey-gold hair at the back of her neck and pressed her to him.

She resisted. He lowered his face to hers and breathed in the scent of soap on her skin, but she shoved his chest with both hands, knocking him backwards into the door.

"Don't. You're asking for trouble, Aliah. I mean it," Shai sighed. "That's exactly what would earn you an infraction. And how would that help?" She took a small step away from him, then looked up at him with a conflicted look. "I'm sorry. Just stay until... I fall asleep?"

She curled up on the bench by the fire while he sat on the floor beside her. _What does she want from me?_ He ran a hand through his hair then rubbed the back of his neck.

She soon fell asleep, so he carried her to the bed in the tiny back room, then tucked a woolen blanket around her. Her forehead was cool and dry when he pressed his lips there. She would never know.

He backed up a few steps and watched her. The gentle rise and fall of her chest more rhythmic than his own jerky breathing. He turned and walked briskly back to the door.
CHAPTER 4

Shai

She released one foot from the confines of the blanket and pushed the bed sheets back. Something had awakened her. The moonlight slanted in through the bare window pooling its pale yellow light on the floor. Her skin prickled as the fine hairs on her arms stood on end. She wasn't alone in the room.

Near the foot of the bed the shimmery outline of a head appeared. Colored dots swirled in her vision so she squeezed her eyes tight. When she reopened them, the rugged face of a young man with piercing blue eyes came into focus. He had been appearing to her a lot lately, as frequently as her thoughts of the Old World, maybe more. But seeing him was different than the memory-dreams she conjured up in the garden. He was more _real._

His shoulder-length, wavy brown hair was thick, and parted down the middle. His strong features marred by a long jagged scar from his right eye down to the corner of his mouth. His chin creased in the center.

She didn't know his name and he never spoke. His face appeared once in a while, usually when she was alone, but with his more frequent visits lately it was becoming more difficult to keep them from occurring in public.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She always asked those same two questions but never received a response. His mouth curled up at the corners slightly in a grin, a small movement that sent her heart racing in expectation. Maybe tonight he would finally say something. Her fingertips tingled and a warmth spread through her body just as he flickered out of sight.

_Tap, tap, tap._ Shai jumped. Who could be at her door at this late hour?
CHAPTER 5

Aliah

He`d gone halfway down the hill when a figure approached. The short strides and side-to-side swaying of the round torso gave Ellersly away before Aliah could see his younger friend's face.

"Ell? What are you doing past curfew? You'll get caught for breaking the Law of Rest."

"Coming to find you. Need to tell you we got orders to meet at the fence-line tomorrow night." Ellersly fell into step beside Aliah. Sweat formed on the younger boy's brow and he wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his grey tunic that barely covered his midriff. His chin wobbled and his cheeks grew red.

"Another raid?" He could barely see Ellersly nod in the darkness. "Which part of the Borderless?"

The younger boy shrugged. "The West portion, I think. Does it matter?" Aliah thought he detected regret in his friend's voice.

"Whoa, Ell. You grow a conscience overnight? What's going on?"

They crossed the bridge over the narrow river that separated the Boys' Houses from the Girls'.

"I don't know, Aliah. You ever wonder why we need to raid the Borderless? I mean, it's not just the raids but the fires... sometimes we leave very few survivors. Soon there'll be no one left out there. What's the point of that?"

Aliah stopped at the end of the bridge before entering his own assigned house. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and looked into Ellersly's steel grey eyes.

"You know we get most of Lael's supplies from those raids. The Borderless have things we need. But if you think of them as vermin, and not people, exterminating them is easier. We need them, but the raid-fires are population control." He looked around and lowered his voice. "Look, Ell. Every Watcher has their regrets. But we have a duty to our community. If our Leader thinks we can handle being Watchers then we shouldn't complain. I'm worried about you. You're close to an infraction talking like that."

_What's eating him?_ Aliah pushed the thought away then slapped Ellersly playfully on the back.

"I'm not going to stay at the Boy's Houses tonight, Ell. You check in on my group again? I'll owe you."

Ellersly nodded. "You always owe me."
CHAPTER 6

Shai

She held her breath then yanked the door open.

"Sileas!" Shai stared at her friend.

"Who were you expecting? Aliah?" The girl trudged into the room past Shai, then slumped into a chair by the fire and kicked off her boots. "There's a storm coming."

She yawned and stretched her slender arms above her head. "Can I stay here? Maire's at the house tonight since Eliana was assigned to you here." Sileas's forehead wrinkled in a grimace. "Nice place."

Shai closed the door and moved to the kitchen. "I'm on twenty-fours of solitude you know."

She snatched a sooty kettle from its hook in the kitchen and cranked the water tap open and filled the kettle. It was going to be a long night.

"You s'posed to be meditating or something?" Sileas had a lilting voice, her features delicate and bird-like. "I mean, why twenty-four hours?"

"To observe the Law of Gratitude, Sil." Shai hung the kettle over the fire.

"Gratitude hmm? Well, are you? Grateful? I mean, I know you've never wanted to be a Watcher so this is better right? _You_ -the mother of the next Gracious Leader! I'm nearly sixteen, almost past the point of being eligible. I _have_ to get recruited this round!"

Shai stood in front of the fire facing her friend. She crossed her arms and frowned. "Sil, why would anyone _want_ to be recruited? You'd work for our Leader, who..." She caught herself before she broke the Law of Respect. A chill ran through her as she remembered the young girl whose tongue had been snipped. She'd been close enough to see the piece of skin that clung to the scissors after the Mother had cut it off. It gleamed ghostly-white like it was shocked.

Sileas grinned. "I just want to get recruited before it's too late. I'd even break a Law just to get noticed. I can't go to the Camps and be a baby-maker. Aside from recruitment what choice do we have?" She looked at Shai, her eyes shining. "If I wasn't so afraid of punishment I would do something that no one else has ever done, like break the _big_ Law. But my only hope is Recruitment. There's no way I could stay here and become a Mother. Ugh, and I couldn't stand being forced to give birth in one of those Camps..."

Sileas's voice trailed off as she began to twist the silver chain around her neck. She rubbed a small wooden pendant across her lips, staring into the fire.

Shai's heart sunk, her stomach churning. How easy it was to forget that _those Camps_ were where every one of them was from. And returning to Lael, after giving birth, to become a Community Mother was a far better fate than being recruited as a Watcher of Lael.

I'd rather go to the Camps than collect my reward.
CHAPTER 7

Aliah

When Ellersly left, Aliah ran across the bridge and cut through the woods behind the rows of Girls' Houses. When he was out of sight he pulled his hood up and zigzagged through the thick trees. He made sure to take a different path than last time so no one would follow him.

A wire fence with wooden posts marked the end of Lael's boundary and the beginning of the Borderless: no-man's land. He found a spot where the wire had been cut and continued running until the trees grew so close together the branches slapped his face. He covered his face with one arm and pushed through the trees to the other side. A large, two-story stone house came into view. Thunder Manor.

He opened the heavy wooden front door and clenched his teeth at the sharp bite of the cold steel door-knob against his palm. He leaned his forehead against the doorjamb, inhaling Thunder Manor's stale air until his nostrils burned.

The smell of privacy.

He closed the door then fumbled in the dark to find the small table he'd placed near the door, with an oil lantern and a few matches. A _scrrch_ penetrated the darkness and the sulfuric match odor filled the entrance. The small face of a young man was revealed in the sudden halo of lantern light.

Aliah jumped. "Who are you?"

"I'm Zev. I... I followed you here." The boy's voice was surprisingly low and rough. His grey eyes held a hint of amber that suggested he wasn't from Lael. They flicked from Aliah's face to the lantern then back again.

"How'd you get in?" Stupid question. He never locked the door. He had no key.

The young man shrugged. "Front door. Here, let me help you."

Aliah struggled to get his boots off by himself in the dim light, but let Zev take his wet cloak and hang it on a hook by the door. "You can't stay here. You need to leave."

"Now? There's a storm coming!" The boy's face fell and a pang of guilt struck Aliah. He straightened, looked Zev in the eye, then took him by the elbow and led him to the living room.

"Sit." He pushed the wiry kid into a rocking chair then knelt before the hearth to coax the coals into flame.

"How old are you? Where did you come from?" A long drawn-out silence followed by sniffing caused Aliah to turn around. Zev sat hunched over in the chair wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"I'm seventeen. Come from Brenton. Everything's bad there. My folks were killed in a raid a few days ago." He sniffed again then continued, "Houses burned down... not much left. We'd been waiting for help from the Division leader, Elchai, but..." Zev made a slicing motion across his throat with a finger.

Aliah rose to his feet and stepped close to the young man, bending down until his face was close enough to see the smattering of freckles across the boy's nose. He narrowed his eyes. He knew better than to believe this outrageous story. The Gracious Leader dead? He'd just chosen Aliah's best friend to receive a reward.

"Brenton?"

"Yes. I guess you'd know it as Sector Two. I'm half Brentonite. My father's from Brenton, my mother from the Borderless. I grew up in Brenton though."

Aliah's brow furrowed. "You're lying. There aren't any Sectors. I've been all through the Borderless territory. The Sectors don't exist." Aliah chewed his lower lip and put his hands on his hips.

"Nope. The Sectors exist. Every time there's a raid they just pull together and re-build."

Aliah frowned. "So why'd you come here? What do you want?" A ripple of guilt rushed through him. He wasn't with the last group that went on the raid but just knowing the Watchers destroyed this young man's family made Aliah's stomach sour.

"Want? Nothing. If I could just stay awhile until I figure out where to go. I'm real quiet. You won't even notice I'm here." The boy grinned, his amber-flecked eyes creasing in the corners.

Aliah shrugged. What was he supposed to do? Turn the kid out into the storm?

"Fine. You can stay for a few days but while you're here, you'll work for me. Keep a low profile." He reached behind Zev and pulled a black cloak from a hook on the wall. "I'm one of the Watchers around here. We uh, you know... watch and protect. Wear this. Let nobody see you. Consider yourself Recruited." He threw the cloak at Zev and walked back to the fireplace.

Zev laughed. "I'm good at stealth."

"Good. I'll explain your first assignment. If you don't follow through with it, I'll throw you out and I won't care what happens to you."

Zev held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll do it."

Something about the boy set Aliah's teeth on edge but he shrugged off the feeling. He could manage the small annoyance if the kid proved to be useful.
CHAPTER 8

Shai

"Shai!" The desperation in the voice gripped Shai and forced her into consciousness. Sileas was leaning over her with dripping wet hair plastered to her face. She had Shai's upper arms gripped in her thin hands and every time she shook Shai, her hair sent little rivulets of water down her delicate face.

"Wake up, Shai!" Sileas's voice had developed an edge of urgency. Shai struggled to sit up. A strange heaviness filled her head like it had been packed with wet sand.

"Shai!" Sileas kept shaking Shai like a rag dollHow does such a small girl possess such strength?

"I'm awake, Sileas. Sorry, I just... I..." She pushed her friend away and swung her legs slowly over the edge of the bed. Every movement felt like she was under water.

Sileas pulled Shai into the living room. "I went to get Aliah's help but he wasn't at the Boys' Houses."

She handed Shai a cloak, then stood by the fire rubbing her hands together. "It would've taken me forever to wake up the Mothers. Aliah was the best one to help but since he wasn't there I had to come back to get you."

Shai threw the cloak onto a bench then stood in front of Sileas, arms crossed. "What are you talking about? Help for what? And what do you mean you came back? You were already here."

Sileas touched Shai's arm, her eyes wide. "Shai, I didn't stay here. I left after you went to bed. I... broke into the Chapel and waited in the dark for the Leader to open the vault. I only wanted to look at the Book. Maybe even touch it. But... after a while no one came so I went to the vault. It was open and there was the Book... just _lying_ there." She stopped, and Shai wanted to scream at her. _What was Sileas thinking?_ It was the worst infraction.

"Oh, Sil. Tell me you didn't touch it."

"I just wanted to peek. To see it up close. But once I saw it I couldn't help it. I looked in it. I saw names... of course, and the infractions but I saw something else... pictures."

"Pictures? Of what?" Shai wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. She didn't want to hear anymore but couldn't help wondering what Sileas had seen. Everyone at some point had dreamed of looking in the Book. Wondering if their names and infractions were really written there. "Why would there be pictures in the Book when no one's allowed to show individuality or creativity through drawing or painting or..."

"I don't think whoever drew them was trying to break the Law of Equality. The pictures were like... I don't know. I can't explain it. But beside every person's name there was a small picture. Lots of people shared the same one. On the pages I looked through I counted seven different pictures. And I saw your name, Shai. But your name had the only picture that was different. It looked like this." Sileas held up her hands and linked her thumbs and forefingers together, interlocking them. "There were three circles joined together like this."

Shai sucked in a breath and felt her fingertips go numb. Sileas' description resembled Shai's birthmark. Her secret mark that both frightened her yet made her feel special. Like her Old World dreams and visions of the boy with the beautiful eyes. She'd been careful her whole life to keep her birthmark secret.

"Anyway, I was looking at the picture beside your name when someone came into the Chapel and startled me. I ran but he caught up to me. I couldn't see his face clearly under his hood but I know it was Aliah. He gave me this then took off. I think he wants to recruit me!"

Sileas held out a thin cream-colored piece of parchment. It was folded into quarters and when Shai opened it, her thumb smudged the water-spotted ink.

S----, I need you t---. Meet m- by th-- tomor-ow. ~A

"Sileas, it's blurry. How do you know it's for you? And it's from " _A_ " not Aliah. He doesn't recruit anyone. He's not even a Watcher."

"You're kidding right? You mean you haven't noticed that Aliah goes sneaking off almost every night into the woods? He's gotta be a Watcher."

Shai stared at the paper in her hand. It definitely looked like Aliah's handwriting even down to the way it was signed with a simple ~A. Her mouth grew dry. He _had_ been secretive lately but then she had been too. She hadn't told him about her reoccurring visions of the young man with blue eyes.

She crumpled the note in her hand and tossed it into the fire.

"What did you do that for?" Sileas leaped from her chair, grabbed the poker and pushed at the curling paper as flames licked its edges. She threw the poker down then stood up and shoved Shai's shoulder.

Surprised, Shai tripped and fell backwards into the stone mantel. She rubbed her throbbing shoulder and looked into her friend's angry, grey eyes "Sil, I'm sorry but you'll only get into more trouble if you meet with him secretly."

"Aliah never gets an infraction so why would he want to get us both into trouble by asking me to meet him? He only wants to recruit me." Sileas stuck out her bottom lip and crossed her arms.

"Recruit you? He'd never..." Shai pressed her fingers into her temples. This wasn't happening. Sileas would never be Recruited, her infractions were too numerous. _Aliah would never send Sil a recruitment letter. Would he?_

"Shai! Didn't you hear me?" Sileas yanked on her sleeve.

"Sorry, what?" Shai focused on Sileas's slender form as her friend bent down, grabbed the poker again and stabbed at the fire.

"I just said, maybe you feel that way because you care about Aliah. I know he cares about you too but maybe you're not the only one he's allowed to care for."

"What? Sileas what do you mean, _allowed?_ No one is allowed to care about anything or anyone. It breaks too many Laws and stirs up rebellion. Don't you see? Recruitment is a punishment, not a reward. Being here in this House isn't a reward either! Everyone says that no one knows who the Watchers are but I do! I know who they are because I see how they change after they're recruited. Like they're suddenly better than everyone else!" A sharp pain exploded in her hand and she realized she had been pounding the stone mantel. For a few moments neither of them spoke. Shai half-expected a Watcher to barge through the door and drag her away for her slanderous infractions.

A thread of excitement went through her and shook off the remaining weight of exhaustion. _Soon, I will be free of Lael and none of this will matter._

Sileas looked up at Shai with puffy, red eyes."I love what the Watchers do. Especially Aliah. I never told you how much I care about him. Don't get mad. I try to find ways to be near him. I daydream about him. There's no Law against that. But I want him to notice me. I only want to be a Watcher because he's one. So when he gave me the letter, I thought it had finally happened." Tears streaked the younger girl's cheeks. Shai pulled her into a hard embrace.

"I know, I know." Shai murmured into Sileas's hair. "Of course you feel that way about him, Sil. And you're right. I...I do care about him." Shai's heart thudded against her chest but the momentary thrill of her confession was interrupted by another thought. Sileas had to be wrong about Aliah. He couldn't be a Watcher. He wouldn't betray her like that. He knew how much she hated them.

Sileas pulled away and wiped her cheeks with her arm. "Shai, I know you think it's dangerous to meet Aliah, but I did try tonight. Only when I got to the bridge I realized I couldn't cross over to the Boy's side because the river's too high. The storm...it nearly washed out the bridge. I tried yelling for Aliah but I know he must've gone to the woods again after he gave me the letter. So I came back to get your help. We need to sandbag the riverbank."

Shai's eyes met her friend's and fear seeped into her pores. She nodded then grabbed her cloak and pulled on her boots. Sileas's ice-cold hand grabbed hers and pulled her into the deluge outside.

The rain drenched her face in seconds. She was grateful for the cloak's shield from the sudden cold. Icy gusts scratched at her throat as she sucked in air. Mouth opening, closing, gulping.

Dots of light moved all over Lael like fireflies when Shai and Sileas reached the bridge. A wild-eyed Mother holding a lantern gripped Shai's arm.

"They're gone! They're gone!" Her wails were louder than the shrieking wind.

Shai pulled her arm away and rubbed it. "Who's gone?"

"The children! Twenty-one of them. It's too early for Recruitment!"
CHAPTER 9

Aliah

Something moved in the shadowy corner of the living room. Aliah twisted in his chair and strained to get a better look. Lantern light played on the walls and stretched shadows beyond recognition.

"Who's there?" His voice vibrated throughout the expansive room. Zev stepped from the shadows. Aliah sighed. He'd have to get used to the boy's stealth. "So?"

Zev's blonde head bowed toward the stone floor. "Lael is a mess. Rain won't stop. The river's flooding..." His voice sounded thin and strained.

Aliah drummed his fingertips on the chair with his eyebrows raised. When the young man remained silent, Aliah stood up, cupped Zev's chin in his hand and looked into his eyes. "What is it?"

Zev coughed a little and took a small step back before answering, "Twenty-one children are missing."

Aliah walked slowly across the room to the door. "Twenty-one exactly? Are you sure?"

"The Mothers found twenty-one pendants...nothing inside them, just laying on their pillows." Zev cleared his throat and continued. "And your friend Shai is out there. She's upset."

"It's the middle of the night, Zev. Go to bed. I'm going into Lael."

Aliah had just grabbed his cloak and opened the door when Zev called out to him. "I completed my first assignment. Delivered both messages just like you asked."

Aliah paused in the doorway with one hand on the doorknob. He nodded, then closed the door and headed towards Lael.

_Twenty-one children missing._ His heart raced. So far everything was working according to his plan. But there was someone he had to see before he proceeded with the next phase.
CHAPTER 10

Shai

What was going on? And where was Aliah? He was the oldest Laelite male; the one every Mother looked to in difficult situations.

Shai held onto Sileas's arm and the two of them sprinted towards a group of teens near the river. Two blocks of Infant Houses and several of the Young Children's Houses were at the greatest risk, being the closest to the river. The bridge had a few boards missing and some damage to the railings.

Dawn was still a few hours away, but the entire community was wide awake. Shouts filled the air as the Mothers called out for the missing children. Tangible fear hung over the community like a wet blanket. Nothing had ever broken the community's routine life before.

As the rain continued to pound the ground, the community lost themselves in a flurry of activity. The teens and older children formed an assembly line along the river, and burlap bags filled with sand were tossed hand-to-hand, then stacked along the river banks. Shai stood in the line, muddy from head-to-toe, teeth chattering, passing sandbags to the others.

"Shai?" A woman's voice rang out amidst the clamor, sounding both frightened and relieved. A slender woman wearing a thin shawl and oversized leather boots hurried over. "Shai, is that you? I was so worried! When I couldn't find you at the Hill House I was afraid that you were missing too!" Darkness hid her features but her voice cracked with emotion.

"Eliana! I'm okay. I was at the House but came into town when I heard what had happened. Are you alright? How are the rest of the children?" Shai reached forward, her cold fingers briefly touching the Mother's arm.

A sandbag landed on the sloppy ground as she missed the next one passed to her. The boy to her left grunted when she apologized, then he stooped to retrieve the bag.

"I'm fine and the children are okay. We're all worried though. We counted twenty-one missing. We have all the pendants that were left behind. The Watchers have never taken more than one recruit at a time for their initiation and they've never broken the Pendant Rule before. Something is wrong."

Shai's stomach clenched. The population had always been strictly monitored: six thousand and three hundred. Eliana was right; something was terribly wrong.

_Where are you, Aliah? You should be here helping._ What if Sileas was right? At eighteen he was past the age of eligibility. He was the oldest male in Lael. Shai always thought he had never been recruited so he could help the Mothers raise the children, and she often teased him, calling him 'daddy' and 'father': names she'd heard in her Old World thoughts.

Dread washed over her in a cold wave. What if Aliah was not only a Watcher but the Head Watcher, the Recruiter?

She gritted her teeth as she hoisted another sandbag onto the bank; her back muscles screamed.

She knew Aliah better than that. Sileas _had_ to be wrong.
CHAPTER 11

Aliah

The rain was coming in torrents by the time he reached a large cave buried beneath a thick growth of ivy. It was past Lael's south boundary fence, in the Borderless. Its location made it the perfect hiding spot since community laws prevented anyone from venturing outside of Lael.

Water seeped into his leather boots and his hooded cloak had done little to shield him from the rain as he ran. He breathed heavily and pushed aside the thick ivy from the mouth of the cave, then slipped inside the narrow opening of the rocky hide-away. A dim light at the end of a long tunnel illuminated the interior just enough for him to reposition the ivy concealing the entrance with cold, numb fingers.

He blew into his cupped hands as he ducked his head to avoid hitting the low ceiling while he walked towards the light. Tufts of moss splotched the wet walls and floor of the cave, muting his footsteps and filling his nose with a damp, earthy smell.

Turning left at a fork, he followed the narrow tunnel until it led to a large cavern. Voices of children and their soft laughter echoed in the dark recesses, thawing the chill around his soul.

"Aliah!" A small tow-headed child ran to him and wrapped her chubby arms around his leg. He tousled her soft curls, and winked at her as she peered up at him with large, grey eyes, before she ran to join the rest of the children huddled around a fire in the center of the cavern.

Low wooden benches lined two curved walls, serving as both bed and chair. Three large, metal buckets filled with water stood on one side of the cave while several more were placed on the opposite side.

Aliah made his way over to an older woman who sat rocking an infant. "Mother," he whispered. Her dark curls were damp against her neck and she turned her face towards him. She smiled and two deep dimples appeared in her cheeks. She had always been beautiful.

"How are you? How's Shai?"

He ignored her question and pulled the blanket back from the infant's face and sucked in a deep breath. The baby had pink cheeks, dark hair, and eyes that made Aliah's heart skip a beat. They weren't the typical Laelite grey but a piercing shade of blue that sparkled in the firelight. Like Shai's.

Aliah chewed his lip and watched his mother stroke the infant's cheek.

"He came with the other children Ellersly brought tonight," she said softly.

Aliah paced the earthen floor. The baby was a surprise, and that meant there were twenty-two children he was responsible for. He knelt in front of his mother.

"Do they still have their pendants?" The question caught in his throat. He knew the answer.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "The pendants were left behind. This is the only child Ellersly didn't bring from Lael. Somehow he was taken from the Camps, so he wouldn't have a Laelite pendant yet." She smoothed the baby's black hair. "We are all better off without those cursed things."

Aliah rocked back on his heels then sat hard on the ground, his head in his hands. "I sent Ellersly a message to get the children out of Lael, but removing their pendants was never part of the plan. Whose suggestion was that?"

"It's better this way," his mother said, without looking at him.

_What kind of an answer is that?_ Aliah raised his head, his eyes following Mara's peaceful rhythm as she rocked the baby. Her gentleness had made her the favorite Mother among the children when she was in Lael. Aliah hardly remembered the day she was escorted from Lael to live in the Borderless, but even now his chest ached with the hollow feeling her absence had made.

He picked up a handful of gravel, and squeezed it until the stones bit into his skin. Then he dropped each pebble one by one onto the ground beside him.

"I hate the pendants." He told the ground. "I hate that they control who lives and who dies. But the worse thing is what might happen to these children. Their pendants should never have been left behind."

He thought of Shai, in the House, without hers. It was strange to think of her without it since the only ones who wore no pendant were those who were exiled to the Borderless.

Mara met Aliah's eyes. "The pendants don't control life. You have to believe that."

"Well I don't." He didn't tell her the thoughts he had sometimes, the fragments of pictures in his mind, of a time when no one wore them. Before Lael had become dreary and grey.

He blinked away the thought. He was being silly. There was no _before_. Lael had always been grey and the pendants had always been part of life. He touched Mara's arm. "There's... there's something I want to talk to you about. It's why I came."

Mara's eyes widened. "What? You have it? You have the Book?"

Aliah's shoulders drooped under an invisible weight. If he felt any heavier he'd sink into the ground. The only thing that mattered to her, the only thing she ever liked to talk about, was the Book.

Aliah shook his head. "The Book, the Book."

She gave him a confused look.

"You don't remember? The Book is in a vault in Lael. No one can get to it except for the Leader and the Mother who does the Readings."

Mara nodded her head "Ah, yes. It's a beautiful Book isn't it? You know who wrote it don't you?"

Aliah sighed. "Yes, I know who writes in it. He's the same one who punishes us if we break any of his Laws. I don't think it's very beautiful."

"No, no. It was never meant to record infractions. Elchai is good and kind. He wrote it for the future. He wrote it before everything... fell apart."

_Elchai._ He cringed at the mention of that name, but remained silent and let his mother talk even though he disagreed. Anyone who discouraged Mara's gentleness and sent her away to live outside of Lael wasn't a good and kind leader, but a tyrant. But Aliah never argued with his mother. Ever since her exile she lived in a reality only she could see.

Mara rose to her feet, holding the infant tightly against her. "This one's a Kentite. I'm sure of it."

Aliah dropped his chin to his chest. A long, slow sigh escaped from his lips. "Why do you think that? Does he have a brand?"

With trembling fingers Mara unwrapped the thin blanket the infant was swaddled in and exposed his tiny chest. Aliah peered over her shoulder at the baby's rosy skin, unblemished by even a single freckle.

Aliah shook his head. "He's not a Kentite. See? No brand. The Sectors of Edan don't exist. It's just a story."

"No. This one was born in the Camps. His father wouldn't have been able to brand him there. But look at his eyes. His heritage is Kentite for sure. Sector Seven, the same as Shai." Her eyes searched his, insistent.

Aliah frowned. The Sectors had been a story passed around long ago. A history lesson, a forbidden subject in Lael. No one but Mara spoke of those old stories. _Until Zev._

He stood up and brushed the rocks and dirt from his trousers then took one of her hands in his. "You once told me that every Edanite child is branded by their father according to their Sector." He swallowed around the lump in his throat. "But if the Sectors once existed, they don't anymore. You've told me many times about the War that destroyed every Edanite a long time ago, Mother. The Sectors are gone. There's nothing out there but the Borderless land."

"No, Aliah... I..." Aliah shushed her and squeezed her fingers. He dropped her hand then turned to face the fire.

Her voice behind him was soft." I thought you protected the Sectors, but if you don't, then why did you bring all these children here? Why did you bring me here? I was happy living out there in the Borderless. Away from Lael."

_Away from me._ Aliah pinched the bridge of his nose to lessen a dull throb that pulsed behind his eyes. "I did it to send a message... to the Leader. Because of Shai. She was sent to live on the Hill... until she goes with the Leader on Recruitment Day."

"The Hill House? Oh Aliah, no!"

Aliah spun around; his mother's eyes shone with tears, her face looked rosy in the firelight. It seemed that every time he saw her she lost a little more of the drab, grey pallor of her skin and eyes.

"I know, Mother. That's why I planned this." He spread out his hands. "It's part of the plan to get her out of Lael before he comes for her. I need to take her somewhere safe... She's the reason I became a Watcher. So I could protect her," he whispered, the effort hurting his throat. "And she doesn't even know."

Mara's eyes widened. "You need to show her the Book. If she sees it, I mean _really_ looks at it, she'll understand." She stepped towards him. "You'll just have to show her. You have a good heart, Aliah. Your father would be so..."

" _Don't!_ Don't talk about him, Mother. Please don't." He turned on his heel and walked towards the narrow tunnel. "I will see you tomorrow night," he called over his shoulder. Raw emotions pricked his eyes. And the past seemed intent on haunting him.

Mara's voice followed him down the dark corridor and out to the entrance. "Just look in the Book, Aliah. Then Shai will understand. _You_ will understand."

His eyes stung but he shoved grief and regret deep inside the hole that had swallowed his heart. He stepped outside the cave and repositioned the ivy.

It had been awhile since he'd seen his mother. She looked different. It was her eyes mostly. But then, before tonight, he'd only seen her from a distance, sitting with her homeless friends around a camp fire as he went on the fire-raids and confiscated Laelite items from the exiled. It felt good to be with her again even if their conversation left him troubled.

Why did she keep insisting that he read the Book? He couldn't get his hands on it if he tried. No, the only thing worth worrying about right now was Shai. He needed to get her away from Lael before she was taken from him for good to live with the Leader somewhere in the Borderless that stretched for endless miles.

He pulled the edges of his cloak tighter and wrapped his arms around himself as he bent his head against the biting wind. By the time he had slipped back through the cut in the fence, the bleak sun had begun to rise.

Now there were only twenty days left. It was time to kidnap Shai.
CHAPTER 12

Shai

The sandbags held and the rain finally relented at dawn. Shai walked back to the Hill House alone, with her soggy leather boots smacking the muddy road. She got as far as the bottom of the hill when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She pushed off her hood and turned slowly around.

Aliah stood on the side of the road a few feet away, watching her. He walked towards her, the grey light of the early morning casting long shadows across his face.

"How long have you been watching me?" Shai asked and squared her shoulders. He shrugged and came closer. Gooseflesh formed along both arms and she sucked in a breath.

"I heard you had some trouble so I came to find you." His face came so close to hers that she could see the tiny lines that creased the corners of his green eyes. A small smile teased at the edges of his mouth, making her heart hammer. Heat rushed into her cheeks. His intensity pulled at her, drew her in. The heat in her cheeks became a full-bodied flush. Her knees wobbled. Brain-fog from lack of sleep mixed with the sudden shot of adrenaline. She stepped back and managed to drop her eyes.

Breathe...

She had twenty days remaining in Lael. She wasn't about to get caught up in confusing feelings for her best friend. It would only make it worse when she had to leave him.

"A little trouble? You could say that. Missing kids... flooded river...and Sileas's infraction. Where were you?" She sipped the air, forcing her breathing to slow down. Then she raised her eyes to his. The pale light of the rising sun washed his face in a rosy glow, lightening the green of his eyes. He smiled.

_What does he find amusing?_ She crossed her arms in annoyance, as well as to still the fluttering in her stomach.

He came closer and draped his right arm across her shoulders. His face became sober. "Walk with me."

She shouldn't be with him. Not after last night.

She shook her head. "Look at me, Aliah. I need to go to the Bath House. I'm cold and wet. Not to mention dirty."

The weight of his arm around her increased as he pulled her against him and began to walk slowly, forcing her to walk. "Look, I want to apologize." He paused and the fluttering in her stomach became a pulsing frenzy. Being caught this close to each other would get them both into trouble.

She stepped away from him, dodging his arm as he tried to pull her towards him.

"I don't need your apology, Aliah. I need an explanation. Sileas said you found her when she broke into the Chapel. She showed me a letter you gave her, a Recruitment letter!" She spat out the last word then took a breath before continuing. "You Recruited her, Aliah? What is going on? Why do you keep sneaking off at night into the woods? _Tell me!_ "

A hurt look crossed his face and guilt gnawed at her. But it was easier to be angry with him than to keep trying to push aside the strange feeling in her stomach.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shai. I never saw Sileas. And I never gave her a letter. I sent a letter to _you,_ asking you to meet me so I could talk to you. I don't want any more secrets. And I certainly didn't come back here last night. I left after I carried you to bed."

"You don't want any more secrets? That's funny, Aliah." She looked down at the ground and pushed at a pebble with the toe of her boot. "Well since we're telling secrets let me tell you something. I've been having those visitations again. Even after you made me promise to send him away." She looked up at him but he looked away, his face unreadable. He never spoke of the past, keeping it sealed like a tomb.

"I'm telling you right now, Shai. I never gave a letter to Sileas. And I'm not a Watcher... not like you think. Don't you trust me?" The question hung in the air. Was he lying to her now? He ran his hands through his dark hair, making it stand on end, something she would have teased him about before.

"Aliah, didn't you hear me? I've seen him again! Don't you have anything to say about it?" She didn't know why she wanted to pick a fight with him. Maybe so it would be easier to say goodbye. She clenched her fists at her sides, fighting tremors of anger and regret.

Movement in her periphery stopped her mid-thought. A row of thick bushes ten feet to her left ran from the back corner of the Hill House all the way to the river. A dark figure disappeared into the bushes.

"Watchers!" She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the place where the figure went, then glared back at Aliah. "You know why they're here! Just trying to catch us breaking some Law! And _you're_ one of them!"

The accusation stung like venom in her mouth. Instantly she ached to take back the words. Sorry she had hurt her best friend, yet furious that he wasn't denying it.

But Aliah had started running towards the bushes. His unbuttoned cloak flapped behind him, his feet barely touching the muddy ground. When he reached the row of bushes he pushed some aside then kneeled on the ground, his back towards her. When he hadn't moved after several minutes, she walked slowly towards him. He remained in the same position with his head bowed over something on the ground.

"Aliah?" She crept closer to him. His silence sent her pulse racing. Sweat trickled down her back in spite of the chilly morning air. Something wasn't right. An eerie stillness pervaded the atmosphere.

"Aliah." She reached out to touch his shoulder but he flung his left arm out to bar her.

"Stay back!" His voice was rough and edged with something that spiked fear in her. She stepped backwards then hesitated.

Aliah rose to his feet, pulled the hood of his cloak over his head then slowly turned around. The hood concealed his face.

"Go inside, Shai. Lock the door. Stay there until I send word." A shiver convulsed her. What was going on? What did he see?

"Aliah, you're scaring me. Tell me what's going on!" She moved closer to him but he snapped his head up causing the hood to slip back. The early morning light slanted across the right side of his face. The green of his eyes were flecked with something dark, cold. He pulled the hood down again but not before she glimpsed the red rims of his eyes, the paleness of his skin. She shuffled back another step then stumbled on a rock and reached for Aliah to steady her.

He pulled away from her. "Go inside, Shai!"

Her stomach twisted. Tears stung her eyes then slipped down her cheeks. She swiped at them with the back of her hand.

With his back to her, Aliah bent down again. He struggled with something as he stood back up. She sucked in a gulp of icy air. A pair of legs dangled over one of Aliah's arms and a head, shrouded in a dark hood, hung over the other arm. Against her best friend's chest was a slender body. _Who is that? Are they sleeping? Why would anyone sleep in the bushes?_

Aliah turned to slide himself and his burden through the bushes. A twig caught the person's hood and twisted it sideways, revealing thick dark hair and a slender face. Horror gripped Shai, turning her palms slick with sweat. Nestled in the crook of Aliah's arm was the gentle-featured face of a young girl. Even with pasty-grey skin and blue lips, Shai recognized her.

Sileas.

Her large, grey eyes were open. Staring, glassy. It was not the face of sweet slumber. A sharp gasp escaped Shai and she turned and ran, tripping over loose stones. She fled to the House, stumbled through the door then rammed the thick steel bolt into place.

Heaving and gulping great breaths she slid against the door and crumpled in a heap on the floor. She refused to let any tears fall. An ache grew inside her, coiling tighter and tighter until it sprung loose inside her like a rabid animal. She had never felt this before. Its darkness enveloped her, swallowed her whole then spit her back out. It tossed her around before leaving her whimpering on the hard wooden floor.

Then she remembered something. She'd comforted Aliah the last time she'd seen that look on his face, long ago.

He must be feeling what she was experiencing now: the ache of grief.

Oh Sileas.
CHAPTER 13

Aliah

Sweat ran in rivers down his back and chest, soaking his white shirt until it stuck to him like a second skin. Mud was caked under his fingernails even after he scrubbed his hands and arms in the river. He swallowed around the giant lump in his throat.

Sileas was a sweet kid. Burying her in a shallow grave near the swollen river seemed heartless. He grimaced, then sat on a large rock near the edge of the hole he had just dug using his hands and a thin stone. That was the word: heartless.

He glanced down at the thin body of the young girl. Her hands were clasped across her chest, folded as though she were resting. But beneath the grey cuff of her ruffled blouse, a crimson stain darkened her chest on the left side. He shuddered. It was what he had tried to shield Shai from seeing. Sileas's blouse had been torn open across her breasts. A fist-sized hole gaped below her ribs where her heart had been. The horror of it bore the mark of someone worse than the Gracious Leader.

_Someone like Lael's enemy: Samael, the ruler of Death. But what would Samael want with Sileas?_ The enemy was rarely seen and only mentioned in Lael by the Mothers as a fear tactic: to keep the children from crossing over Lael's boundaries.

Shai mentioned Sileas had an infraction last night. Something about the Chapel. What did Sileas do? She must've broken into the Chapel. Well that was stupid, but it wouldn't have been the first time someone had attempted it. There was only one thing worth breaking into the Chapel for: the Book.

_That had to be it._ If Sileas had broken the _big_ Law it was punishable by Death.

One of the Watchers must have reported Sileas for her infraction. Which meant the Leader must have sent Samael to do his dirty work.

Rage flared. If he ever found out who had reported Sileas he'd do to them what Samael had done to her. Never had he seen something so heinous. There had been many people attempt to touch the Book, but not one of them had been given a punishment greater than isolation or lashings.

That meant one thing: Sileas must have _stolen_ the Book. Another thought made his blood run cold. If someone had seen Sileas in the Chapel with the Book, they probably also witnessed her receiving his letter: the letter meant for Shai. If anyone discovered he had written that letter requesting a private meeting with Shai, he'd be exiled as a rebellious Watcher. And his plan to get Shai out of Lael would be ruined.

How had Zev fouled up his first assignment? While Zev was giving the message to Ellersly about taking the children, he should've delivered Shai's letter himself in spite of the risks. Of course Zev gave it to Sileas by mistake, he didn't know one girl from the other.

Damn!

He spat on the ground then slid off the rock. He crawled on his hands and knees to the edge of the hole then peered down into Sileas's white face. Her tangled hair looked like little black bird nests arranged around her face. She must have given a good fight.

He searched her pockets for the letter Zev had given her but he came up empty-handed. Maybe she'd dropped it somewhere during the attack.

The thing that bothered him the most was the look that had been permanently frozen on her face. Horror. The last face she would have seen would've been Death's.

Her wooden tear-drop pendant lay nestled in the hollow of her neck; its chain still intact. Aliah wiped his face on his sleeve then pulled sharply on the chain, breaking it. He pocketed the pendant before pushing a waterfall of loose stones and mud into the hole. The first lump of earth hit the body with a dull thud.

"Good night, little bird." He continued to shove dirt, mud, and river stones into the hole. He worked until sweat streamed into his eyes and the trench was mounded into a small hill. Cramps assaulted his arms and legs as he sat back on his heels, shoulders slumped.

He took Sileas's pendant from his pocket and with a flick of his thumb he popped the top off then spilled its contents into the palm of his other hand. Only the remainder of a few pale yellow grains of a sand-like substance fell into his cupped hand. Someone had already emptied it. Maybe she'd even done it herself in an effort to die faster.

He blew on the grains, watching as the wind whisked them away: the essence of who she was. He pushed the cap back on and shoved the pendant deep into his pocket again.

The snapping of a branch behind him made him jump. Adrenaline surged through him. He leaped to his feet, fists curled at his sides. Waiting.

_I got the message you sent me: twenty-one missing children. Clever. The one you just buried is a message from_ me _._ The words echoed inside his head in a sharp, clear voice as though it had been audible.

Pain sliced through his skull. He dropped to his knees, rammed his hands against his ears. "I didn't send the message to you! It was meant for the Leader of Lael! I have no fight with you!" His own words rushed out in screams and burned his throat.

_I am the only Leader of Lael. And by taking those children you've upset the balance in Lael that I've created. You've broken the Law of Life. You have twenty days left to restore it._ He could feel the smile in the voice. _Deliver Shai to me in Gershom, not to Elchai, before twenty days is up._

Aliah squeezed his eyes shut. Muscle spasms seized his jaw and a dribble of blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth. He ran his tongue over the wound his teeth had made in his bottom lip.

He spat again then gripped a handful of his hair in each fist and dropped his head to his knees. "I...will...kill...you!" He screamed. Hatred churned in his stomach and bile rose in his throat.

A twig snapped behind him again. Bringing his hands down from his head, he twisted his neck and glimpsed a large, black wolf, less than five feet behind his right shoulder.

You can't kill me. I'm the Master of Death. Just bring Shai to me for her Reward, or I will destroy all of Lael, beginning with Shai and ending with you. I will father the next Leader of Lael.

The voice seemed to come from the wolf this time. Its head hung low, hackles raised. Yellow eyes pierced Aliah's soul. Its black lips curled in a silent snarl before it turned and disappeared back into the bushes. The voice fell silent, but still echoed in his mind.

Aliah remained at Sileas's grave for a long time. Disgust mixed together with rage like an acidic drink that turned his stomach sour.

_This is my fault_. He sat in the dirt until the pain in his head subsided and a numbness settled in. He pushed himself up and brushed the dirt and dried mud from his trousers. It had to be nearly mid-day already. He couldn't waste any more time.

He pulled his hood over his head and ducked into the bushes, taking the same route the wolf had. When he came through the other side of the shrubbery, he stopped at the spot where he had found Sileas. Bent grass created a small bowl where she had lain but there was no sign of blood. Her body must have been placed there, long after her death, to serve as Samael's counter-message.

He stood and buttoned his cloak, giving a quick tug on his hood and whispered, "Do what you want, Samael. But you won't get what you're after. You'll never find Shai."

He was ready to continue with his plan. He looked up at Shai's stone house as he neared. She stood near the steps, her arms wrapped around herself, watching him as he emerged from the bushes.
CHAPTER 14

Shai

She watched him bend over the spot where Sileas had been before he climbed the hill towards the house. His shoulders slumped and his hood concealed his face. She waited.

He stood ten feet away from her at the top of the hill, his chest heaving. She put her right hand over her heart. He echoed it. A soft smile pulled at her mouth. It was their old, familiar greeting: _friends forever._

For a moment it was as though nothing had changed.

She ran to him, closing the gap between them in moments. But her heart sunk further with every step. Nothing would ever be the same again.

He put up his hand as she drew close. "Don't." He turned his face away. "Don't look at me."

She grabbed the edge of his hood and pushed it off. He blinked but kept his face turned away from her. Clumps of mud clung to his hair, dark smears covered his cheeks and chin. His skin had a waxy-white pallor.

Shai swallowed hard as she watched a single tear fall from his eye. "Aliah?"

He turned his face toward her. Red-rimmed eyes searched hers. "It's Death, Shai." He hung his head. His voice rasped like he'd swallowed a cup of gravel. "Samael did it. I guess our Leader thought the poor kid's infraction was worthy of death."

So that's what she had seen on Sileas's face. Death. Laelites had never been exposed to it. The sick were removed from Lael and every child was either recruited or sent to the Camps before the age of sixteen. _Everyone except for Aliah._ Grief welled up inside her chest again. She couldn't blame him. This was the enemy's work.

"Aliah, what happened to Sileas wasn't your fault. It was mine."

Aliah jerked his head up, looked into her eyes, and then sighed. His shoulders sagged even more. "You saw who it was?"

She nodded then swallowed hard. "It's because we were talking earlier about infractions. About how she wanted to commit the big one, but I didn't think she really would. We argued about it." She twisted the hem of her tunic. If Sileas was right about Aliah's involvement with the Watchers should she really let that come between them? She searched his face. He looked so haunted.

A sudden impulse to touch him, to comfort him, threatened to undo her resolve, but she resisted. Law or no Law, if she touched him now she'd be betraying herself. She would be saying that being a Watcher was okay. And Aliah's constant denial of his involvement with them only sliced deeper into her heart like a blade of lies.

"I have to go," he said. "I'll see you at the Chapel for breakfast." He held out his hand. "Take this." He dropped something into her palm then turned around, his cloak swirling, and fled down the hill until he was out of sight.

She looked at what he'd given her: Sileas's pendant and chain. She walked back towards the house, her arms crossed tightly against her chest. The wind had picked up again. She lifted her face to the sky. No storm, only the constant grey clouds. _I hate this place. I can't wait to leave._

She squeezed Sileas' pendant. _I'll find a safe place to keep it._ The thought cheered her as though protecting the necklace would somehow preserve her friend.

She reached for the knob of her door just as a twig snapped to her left. She turned her head. Was someone watching her?
CHAPTER 15

Aliah

A hush had descended over the community. The tidy rows of small houses, all painted the same dreary grey, mirrored the bleak sky.

Aliah slogged through the streets on the west side of the river, keeping his head low, moving only his eyes. The Mothers, and a few of the older children, peered at him through the windows of the Boys' Houses.

With his hood concealing his face and shoulders hunched, he knew he looked like a Watcher. He flicked his eyes east, across the river, at the rows of houses. Every window of the Girl's Houses stared back, empty and dark like Sileas's eyes.

The wind whipped his cloak as Aliah picked up his pace, his head down.

"Woah! Watcher, what are you doing in the streets? Aren't you supposed to be doing your thing more... secretly?"

Aliah snapped his head up. A moment later he would have collided with the boy. He jerked his hood further down.

"Aliah? You look... bad. What happened?" Warmth flooded him at the concern in his friend's voice.

"Ellersly."

"What's going on? Talk to me!" Ellersly planted his short barrel-shaped body in front of Aliah to bar his way, his thick arms crossed.

Aliah sighed. "Something happened. We need to get those kids and my mother out of here, now!" He hissed the words through clenched teeth. They wouldn't be the only Watchers around.

"Now? Wait, Aliah. I thought you said we had more time. I...I'm not ready. We need more supplies and... Where are you going?"

Aliah had pushed past his friend and was striding down the street away from eyes and ears. Ellersly trotted beside him, his shorter legs taking twice the steps. Aliah slowed until Ellersly's labored breathing improved. His dark blonde hair stuck in damp chunks to his head in spite of the wind. He stopped to bend over, both hands gripping his left side.

"How much more time do you need?" Aliah kept his voice low. Shifting his glance to the right. Left. Then behind Ellersly. The street was quiet.

"Three days, Aliah. That's all. Just three more days." Ellersly stood up, sweat dripping off his large nose. His face wore a grave expression. "I've just come from the cave."

Fear coiled around Aliah's throat. _Mother._

Ellersly smiled. "Hey, she's okay. She's worried about you though."

Aliah nodded then resumed walking. He couldn't risk saying anything more in the street. He headed towards a large, stone building with a flat roof. _Supply House_ was painted on a wooden sign that hung crooked from a single nail above the door. It was the only building without windows where they would be safe from Watchers.

Aliah pushed open the wooden door then ducked through the entrance. He held the door open for Ellersly who snatched a burlap sack from a pile on the ground, just inside the door. Two small lanterns sat lit on a long wooden table in the center of the large room. Ellersly took one, then handed the other to Aliah.

Tremors shook Aliah's hands and a deep chill crept through him.

"So tell me what happened." Ellersly's eyes were large and round in the dim light. The boy was fifteen and large for his age, but in the shadowy room he looked like a young child.

"I will. But we should gather supplies first." Aliah spoke softly.

Ellersly sighed then turned and walked to the numerous shelves that lined the walls in front of them. Hundreds of glass jars filled with jams, fruits, and vegetables of every variety sparkled like jewels in the lantern light. The boy placed his lantern on the ground then chose a jar to put in his sack before turning to Aliah again.

"Can you tell me now?"

Aliah's throat burned. His head throbbed. "It was horrible, Ell. Shai's friend Sileas is gone."

"Gone? But she wasn't one of the ones I took to the cave."

Aliah shook his head, the pounding increased. "No, I mean she's _gone._ Samael got her."

Ellersly dropped the jar he held. It smashed at his feet leaving a pool of beets in crimson juice to stain the stone floor.

"Dead?" The young boy's eyes widened. He clutched his burlap sack to his chest. "You saw it? He...Samael's never done that before. I mean...right in Lael? What about the Leader?"

"Infraction pushishment." Aliah's voice caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. Would Ellersly know he was lying? He raked his hands through his hair as he studied his friend.

Shadows played across Ellersly's chubby face giving him an eerie appearance. Ellersly's voice shook when he finally spoke. "So the _Leader_ killed Sileas? I don't get what Samael has to do with it."

Aliah sagged against a shelf. Flashes of hot and cold assaulted his body. "Samael's the ruler of Death, right? So naturally the punishment had to be carried out by him."

Ellersly shrugged. "I guess so, but it still seems weird doesn't it? I mean everyone knows that Elchai and Samael are enemies. It's almost like Elchai _hired_ Samael to do the job. That's just dirty."

Aliah needed to be careful what he said. Every Watcher took an oath: _preserve and protect_. If anyone heard them they'd be reported.

"It might be dirty Ell, but infractions must be punished. To preserve the integrity of our community." He slouched to the floor and put his head down. Ellersly remained silent.

"If Sileas was guilty of taking the Book, then the Law says she deserved punishment. We are Watchers after all... sent to enforce the Law." Aliah looked at his shaking hands, dirt caked under each nail. He glanced up at his young friend and lowered his voice. "I have to get Shai out of here. Who knows what will happen to her when she's... _rewarded._ "

Ellersly nodded and whispered, "I know."

Aliah had said enough. He'd already put his friend's life in danger by involving him. He closed his eyes and leaned against the cool stone wall. He just needed a moment to think.

A tiny flare of heat pulsed through his chest. He knew that feeling. Shai was in trouble.

Adrenaline thrummed through him, wiping the feverish feeling from him. He stumbled to his feet then picked up Ellersly's lantern and whispered, "It's time to go, my friend."

The younger boy nodded and started for the door, but Aliah's voice stopped him. "Ell, I'm going to... kidnap Shai. It's the only way I can get her to come with me. If something happens to me, look after her for me. Protect her with your life, as I would."

Ellersly's mouth opened then closed like a fish but no sound came out.

Aliah narrowed his eyes. "Promise me!"

The boy's cheeks shook as he nodded his head up and down.

Aliah put his hand on his chest as the heat spread, renewing his energy. He turned to go but stopped when Ellersly pointed. Eyes wide, the boy stared at something on the opposite side of the room, near the door. His round face wore an expression of terror. His mouth hung open, his lower lip trembled.

Aliah turned, pushed his hood aside and glimpsed a dark shadow. He raised both lanterns. Their beams of light collided and illuminated two amber eyes peering at the young men.

The wolf.
CHAPTER 16

Shai

She had taken a few steps toward the house when a sharp pain stabbed her chest like a hot poker. She dropped Sileas' pendant and curled around the pain as it pulsed, bending her over at the waist. Gasping. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Thunder rolled and lightening ripped the sky like an old bed sheet, letting the rain pour out again.

Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead mixed with rain, plastering her hair to her face. A force pressed around and inside of her. She sagged to her knees in the mud, gagging. Her face on the ground breathing in wet earth smells. What hit her?

Then a burst of blue light exploded in front of her, and a voice spoke. "Shai, don't be afraid. The Book has been stolen. Find it. Keep it safe."

She shook her head. Pain arced through her body; she retched while the rain soaked into her tunic and leggings. Her legs became rubbery. She raked her fingers through mud and rocks. No sound could be forced from her tight throat.

She pushed herself to a near-sitting position and squinted into the blue light. Fat drops of rain ran down her face and into her mouth. As a figure stepped towards her from the light she saw a familiar face. His square jawline appeared soft in the falling rain and his mouth turned up slightly at the corners. A flood of heat washed over her again.

Adrenaline overdose.

" _Go... away!_ " She screamed in her mind.

"Is that what you want?" He stood several feet away but his voice seemed to be beside her. Or maybe inside her?

She shook her head. Words formed slowly in her foggy brain. " _No. I don't want that. I just... don't know... what...to do._ "

He kneeled on the sloppy ground beside her and took a thick gold chain from his neck. A thin silver key hung from the chain which he slid off and held out to her.

"Trust me. Look in the Book, and take this, one day you'll need it." He pressed the cold key hard into her palm. His fingertips brushed hers and a sudden shock rocked her, throwing her backwards into the mud again.

Then everything went dark.

CHAPTER 17

Aliah

Ellersly sprang into action. He lifted his sack full of jars high over his head and swung them around and around. The burning in Aliah's chest increased and robbed him of breath. He gripped the corner of the nearby table and watched as Ellersly launched the sack into the air toward the wolf. The bag exploded against the wall in a fusion of bright colors that leaked through the burlap. Pickled beets, carrots and mixed berry smells permeated the air.

The wolf disappeared.

Bands of pressure squeezed Aliah's head and he gripped the table harder. Ellersly approached breathing heavily. "It's gone. You should go... find Shai. Make sure... she's alright."

Aliah turned to look at his young friend and raised one eyebrow.

Dimples formed in the boy's round face as he smiled. "I know enough about your... strange connection with Shai... to realize the pain you're in... is more than because of Sileas's death." The Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. "Just go, Aliah. I will... gather supplies then... head back to the cave."

Aliah nodded. He breathed in a shuddering breath and steeled himself against the pain in his ribs. He gripped his shirt with one hand just above his heart where his birthmark was and walked with halting steps to the door. The pain had never been as intense as this before. He clamped his teeth over his lower lip and forced himself to run.

His hood slipped off and the rain pummeled his face but he didn't care. He knew many pairs of eyes watched him as he streaked down the muddy streets, his cloak flapping behind him. The Mothers would be pulling the children away from the windows about now. Fear of the Watchers had amplified since the night before.

He ran for several minutes before reaching the bottom of the hill near the Hill House. He stopped for a moment to breathe, then began to climb. He struggled for footing on the slippery slope until he made it to the top. Smoke from her chimney curled into the grey sky. Everything appeared as it usually did. Pain jabbed his chest again, but with less intensity. The danger must be over. But what if he was too late?

He scanned the bushes behind the house with his eyes. No sign of her. He took a few steps towards the front door then stopped. Movement to his left caught his eye.

He found her lying near the back of the house face down in the mud. In a ceremonious _swoosh_ he swept her up and cradled her in his arms.

The pain in his chest flared as he struggled to walk to the front door to push it open. His arms shook as his adrenaline-infused strength began to fade. Once inside, he laid her on the bench in front of the fire and arranged pillows around her. Her eyes were closed and in spite of the mud caking her face and hair she looked peaceful. He grabbed a blanket from the rocking chair and tucked it around her. When he pulled it up under her chin the knuckles of his hand brushed the smooth skin of her cheek.

His heart hammered. He stood over her, watching her breathe. He raked a hand through his wet hair. He had a good idea of what had happened to her.

With the little strength he had left, he warmed some water in a kettle then poured it into a porcelain bowl. He rummaged around in the kitchen until he found some clean rags then knelt beside her and dabbed at the mud on her face. He cleaned as much as he could using the water and cloths then set the bowl aside.

She didn't seem to be visibly wounded and he could do nothing else until she woke up. He made a pallet of blankets for himself close to the fire, but closer to her. He laid on his back, with his arms behind his head, chewing his lower lip. _I have to get her away from this place without telling her anything. If she finds out who the real Leader of Lael is she'll never agree to leave with me. Especially if she's suspicious that I'm a Watcher. She'll think I purposefully joined ranks with our enemy._

He must have slept a little because he suddenly jolted awake. Propping himself up on one elbow he looked over at Shai.

She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. Her long, golden hair fanned out around her face, her fingers interlaced across her chest.

Her face was turned towards him, staring. He got up and bent over her. She didn't move. Her eyes remained fixed, staring beyond him. He moved so close to her that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his face.

Her lips parted slightly. "Tell me your name." she barely moved her lips, her voice just a whisper.

"Shai! It's me, Aliah." He knelt on the floor next to her and gripped her shoulders. She became rigid beneath his touch.

"Remiel?"

_No!_ That name on her lips twisted like a dagger in his heart. His face flushed and his stomach twisted.

"Shai! Get up! I can't.... you shouldn't..." He could barely breathe. He pushed his face into Shai's neck and pleaded. _No, no, no! This isn't happening!_ He lifted his head and scanned the room. _Where is he? Did he come back from the dead for revenge?_

Shai seemed to be focused on something behind him. He stared intently.

Nothing.

A wave of heat flashed across his chest, piercing the birthmark above his heart. He whirled around again.

"Show yourself!" But the room remained as it was. He frowned and buried his face in the pillow next to Shai. He ground his teeth into his lip until he drew blood. _Damn! Why didn't I get her out of here sooner?_

He felt Shai's hand on his face, stroking a line from his ear to his jaw. He lifted his head to look at her. She met his eyes and smiled, but her face revealed nothing.

He swallowed hard. "What happened, Shai?" He pushed aside a few pillows and sat beside her, trying to read her eyes. Her features softened in the pale sunlight that now streamed through the window beside them. She reached for his hand and her warmth thawed the chill that had crept into him. She had spoken a name he had never wanted to hear again, but he had to know what she had seen.

He gripped her fingers tighter and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "You can tell me anything. Don't be afraid."

She smiled again and untangled her hand from his then sat upright. "What are you doing here, Aliah?"

"You fell. Outside... last night. Who... who did you see, Shai?" His chest tightened. He already knew the answer but the question hung in the air as Shai rose to stoke the fire. Aliah watched her push the hot logs around with an iron poker. Her hair clumped together where it had dried with mud and rain. She seemed distant even though she was only a few feet from him.

He wanted to go to her; to hold her. He ached to tell her that everything would be okay. But the truth was that everything had changed in the last twenty-four hours. Nothing was okay.

He hated her reoccurring visions. He remembered her last encounter like this one. He had made her promise to send her vision-friend away and she hadn't spoken of him since. Aliah thought it was finally over but hearing that name just now brought snippets of memories bubbling up to the surface.

Shai continued to crouch at the fire and without turning she spoke. But not to answer his question. "I think I'll just go to the bath house to clean up. It was a long night."

So, he was dismissed. Just like that. No explanation for what had happened the night before.

Heat rose in his face and he clenched his teeth together. His head swam as he reached down to tighten the stiff metal buckles on his boots. In his frustration his finger slipped and the metal buckle sliced into his soft flesh. He winced as a bright red ribbon of blood formed. The sight reminded him of Sileas. Why he was doing what he was doing. He closed his fist on the cut and let it sting.

Shai may have dismissed him now but soon she would have no choice but to be with him. For her own protection.

When there were no more words to exchange, he drew a deep breath, forcefully expelled it and stood up. He stared hard at Shai's back, willing her to turn around and beg him to stay like she did the other night, but she remained unresponsive.

Finally he spun around and clasped the sides of his cloak, drawing it around himself. The heels of his boots clunked on the stone floor as he made his exit.

CHAPTER 18

Shai

Her back and neck muscles burned and a dull ache squeezed the top of her head. She removed her damp cloak and left it to dry on the bench. Her feet squished inside her black leather boots. She could let them dry later; she needed to get to the bath house now.

Images of Sileas's blue-grey face swam in and out of her mind. It was her fault her friend was dead. She couldn't let anyone know that she didn't try to stop Sileas from committing that infraction. That she knew Sileas was desperate enough to do something crazy, but Shai didn't try hard enough to talk her out of it. But am I really to blame? I didn't really know that Sileas would go through with it. She needed to put it out of her mind. Feeling anything this deep was frightening. Maybe the Laelite Laws were right about passion. Sileas's passion eventually killed her. She was better off going with their Gracious Leader, Elchai, to his home. At least with him she'd be safe until her child was born. After that, well, she'd think of that later.

A shudder rippled through her. She glanced out the front window to make sure Aliah wasn't in the vicinity. She had no desire to talk to him.

She grabbed a towel, soap, and some dry clothes and left the house. The short walk to the bath house on the other side of the hill was a cold one since the sun lacked strength to warm the earth. Lael hadn't seen a hot, sunny day in years. A fine day was a dry one.

Anxious to get into the hot bath water, she picked up her pace. A narrow footbridge over a small creek stood between her and the bath house. The hollow clomping of her boots on the wooden bridge was suddenly joined by a low growl. She stopped then turned in a slow circle.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded strained and thin in her ears. Sudden heat spread across the mark over her heart. She clasped her bathing things closer and held her breath for a moment.

She jumped at a sudden movement to her right. A large black wolf sat on its haunches near the bath house. It lowered its head and followed her every move with its eyes.

She released her breath in a loud hiss. "Shoo! Get away!" She stomped her feet on the footbridge. "I said Go! Shoo!" The wolf bared its teeth but didn't move. The white-washed door of the bath house swung open and a large woman with blotchy red skin emerged balancing a stack of towels on her ample arm.

"Whacha doin, girl! Sounded like Samael hisself was gonna come right through the walls! We're tryin' to git the children cleaned up and calm after our terrible night, so quit yer noise and either come in or don't!"

"Sorry Maire. Did you see... never mind." The wolf had disappeared; her path was clear. She ducked her head and apologized again as she crossed the bridge. The Mother sniffed like she was disgusted then moved aside as Shai entered.

The warmth and humidity inside was a welcome change. Shai paused and blinked a few times until her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she could see, just inside the door, a large entry-way with two long wooden benches. She took a seat on one of them and started unlacing her knee-high boots. She wrinkled her nose. Somehow she'd managed to sleep in her damp clothing. She had removed one soggy, wool sock when she heard two female voices arguing.

The bath house had only two rooms; one for boys the other for girls. Voices from both sides blended together until the arguing crescendoed and Shai recognized one of the voices as Eliana's.

"I don't know where you get off accusing them of such a thing! I don't care what you say, Maire!"

Shai shoved her wet socks down into the toes of her boots then gathered her bathing supplies. Just as she stood to enter the girl's room the blotchy-skinned Community Mother careened around the corner pulling two young girls behind her by their wrists. She pushed the outside door open with her hip and with a hmmmf she exited the Bath House. Before the solid wood door closed after her, Shai caught a glimpse of the dark form of the wolf lurking nearby. She shuddered and entered the steamy girl's room.

She found Eliana bent over the furthest tub, at the back of the room, swirling her hand around in the water as it poured from a gooseneck faucet. Green flecks floated on the water and the scent of mint filled Shai's nose.

Eliana straightened up and smiled. "Maire told me you'd just come in. Here, let me take your things and you can use that closet there to undress." Eliana busied herself with laying out Shai's clean clothes on a nearby chair and draping her towel over the side of the tub while Shai stepped over puddles on her way to the changing closet. She pulled the thin curtain closed and struggled out of her tunic and dirty leggings.

"So what was that all about?" She pulled her long hair up and twisted it around her hand so she could secure it with a pin.

"Eliana?" She moved the curtain back and peered out. Eliana turned the water faucet off then wiped her hands on the front of her tunic and glanced up.

"Oh that was just Maire being...Maire. She figures both you and Aliah are responsible for those missing children. But she's bitter about everything regarding Aliah.. I think she's just never gotten over the fact that Aliah's blood-mother had asked me and not her to look after him. Come on, get in before it cools. You're the last one."

Shai eased into the tub and let the hot, minty water ease the tension in her body. She breathed deeply, grateful they seemed to be alone.

The only sounds were the muffled voices from the boy's side and the occasional drip from a faucet somewhere. She longed to keep the conversation light, steer clear of any mention of Sileas.

"Why did Aliah's mother leave? I know it was a long time ago but I've often wondered."

Eliana smiled and nodded. "She didn't leave. She was exiled. You would've been too young to remember." She shrugged her slender shoulders. "She was too passionate. Disturbed the peace by asking too many questions."

Shai swished the water around with her hands, letting little sprays of water shoot over the sides of the tub. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Then I must be dangerous too, Eliana. Because I don't agree with the Leader's methods. I hate his Laws, I hate the pendants. But I never would have taken those children." A few moments passed before Shai opened her eyes. Eliana was seated on a chair a few feet away looking at her.

"Normally I wouldn't allow you to talk that way about our leader. But under these circumstances I understand. I even shouldn't tell you I agree. But you do cause trouble in your own way, Shai. Your hatred for the Watchers is well-known. And even though you've never been caught in an infraction it was only a matter of time. Be careful when you go with Elchai, okay? Every infraction starts here." She tapped her head. "Once you start thinking a certain way it eventually comes out in your behavior." Eliana leaned forward in her chair. "You need to be able to show that you have a healthy amount of respect for our Leader from now on. And stay away from Aliah. Everyone knows he hasn't been staying at the Boy's House for quite a while and that he takes off into the woods to who-knows-where. I know how inseparable you two are, but it won't help you to be seen with him. Not now."

Shai sighed. "I know. I just can't bring myself to say good-bye to him." She sank deeper into the water.

Eliana stared into the swirling fog with a vacant expression and twisted a slender, silver tube-shaped pendant that hung from a chain around her neck. After a while she turned back to Shai.

"Strong feelings often lead people to make unwise choices. It's better not to encourage that kind of passion." Her voice was soft. She stood up to grab the bar of soap. "Elchai is a wise Leader." She patted Shai's head like she was a small child. "Wash up. I'll leave you to it."

She passed the soap to Shai and with a small smile she turned and retreated into the mist. The sound of the door closing echoed through the large room.

Shai furrowed her brow. Even Eliana accepted the way things were. But it was out of fear. Sileas dared to desire something more than what was deemed an acceptable life in Lael and she had paid the price for it.

Fear was a terrible master, but it was all anyone had ever known. And in spite of the warning in her gut, the more Shai tried not to feel anything deep for Aliah the more she felt it.

She held her breath and slid beneath the water. Her hair escaped its pin and floated around her face as she stared up from the water into the mist and rafters above. Her fingers found their way to the skin above her breast. She traced the bumpy contour of her birthmark then closed her eyes as its familiar heat spread through her body.

She thought about last night. Remiel. She finally knew his name. When he had spoken to her in the rain it frightened her. And after a deep sleep void of dreams she had opened her eyes and there was he was again, standing in a pale beam of sunlight in the living room like he'd been there all along. The strength and power that emanated from him pulsed into her and every fear had vanished.

He had held out his hand to her and spoken gently. "I'm here. I will always be here." She had longed to take his hand but her limbs felt heavy. Instead she asked him what she'd always wanted to know.

"Tell me your name." She could feel his smile caress her and he simply said, "Remiel," then he was gone again. When she had repeated his name she found herself awake and looking up at Aliah.

She shuddered. Aliah had looked horrible.

She surfaced and scrubbed vigorously at every inch of skin with the soap until her skin wrinkled, then she drained the tub and dried off. She dressed in another clean, grey, tunic and leggings, then twisted her damp hair into a low bun secured with a leather string.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been in the Bath House but the thin sun that had peeked out earlier had gone by the time she laced up her boots and stepped outside.

"Don't be afraid." The deep voice still echoed inside her.

"I trust you, Remiel," she whispered as she crossed the footbridge.

Some strength had returned with her warm soak. She hurried up the hill to the house, tossed her dirty clothes inside the door and paused with her hand on the door knob.

Sileas.

Was it only the previous evening she had argued with her friend? Tears stung her eyes and threatened to spill over. She pinched the bridge of her nose and controlled her breathing. If she surrendered to the intensity of the emotions inside her, she was afraid it would swallow her whole. The weight of it would crush her chest and make it impossible to breathe.

She closed her door. An overwhelming compulsion to stay away from the Chapel nearly made her stay in the House. But her absence at breakfast would look suspicious, so she began to walk down the hill to Lael. When she passed the spot Remiel had appeared to her, she stopped. She'd dropped Sileas's pendant somewhere around here the night before.

Numerous stones and sticks littered the area but nothing more. She sighed. It could be anywhere. Aliah must have picked her up here... then carried her. She re-traced the steps she thought he had taken back to her front door.

A shiny object glinted near a few loose stones. She stooped down and parted the grass, moving the stones out of the way. It wasn't the pendant.

Lying partially concealed under a stone lay a thin silver key. She picked it up and held it. It was small enough to fit in her palm. She turned it over and a small, bright red gem glittered in the center of three interlocking rings. Identical to her birthmark. Written in delicate script were the words: "Out of the fire."

She closed her fingers around it then dropped it into her tunic pocket. It was the key Remiel had given to her. She stood up then continued walking down the hill.

What is the key for? She thrust her hand into her pocket, squeezed the key and sighed. He said she'd need it someday, but how would she know when that day would come?

CHAPTER 19

Aliah

He felt her before he saw her. He strode toward the Chapel steering clear of the people making their way in and went inside. His eyes scanned the rows of tables and benches. Where is she?

He spotted Ellersly sitting at their usual spot.

"Where is she?" Aliah whispered behind his hand to Ellersly as he sat down.

Ellersly turned to look at him through wide eyes then tipped his head to the left towards the front.

"Good. I'm going to go through with it but I need your help. Stop looking so nervous, just go with it." Aliah stood, then made his way to the back of the Chapel, bumping into a group of young children that just entered with their Community Mother. He kept his head down.

After some muffled chatter the room grew quiet. Maire walked to the front and addressed the group with a loud voice.

"Let us observe the Law of Gratitude for our meal today." She bowed her head and remained silent for two minutes, everyone did the same.

Aliah's stomach turned and he lost his appetite. If they only knew who they were really showing their gratitude to.

Maire raised her head. "Remember, your allegiance to our Gracious Leader. We've had an upsetting night but we must not forget that our Leader sees everything. His Watchers are his eyes and ears and every infraction will be reported and swiftly punished." Several children shifted in their seats, dutifully clasping their hands in their laps.

Maire's eyes found his and she scowled. Aliah shook his head. She always looked suspicious of him.

On the front row on the left side of the room Shai sat between two Mothers: a woman with white hair and dark skin the other a younger woman with short dark hair and olive skin.

The chapel door burst open and a small boy hustled to the front of the room. Pale-faced and wide-eyed he approached Maire.

"Edward! You've broken the Law of Punctuality. Expect punishment!" Her loud reprimand startled a few children seated near the front and they hunkered down on their benches.

Edward bowed his head and extended his hand toward Maire. He held a piece of paper which the Mother snatched and unfolded.

Sweat dripped down Aliah's back as he moved closer to the exit. If his plan succeeded he'd have only seconds to act quickly.

Maire's eyes scanned the paper then her dimpled hand flew to her throat. "Who gave this to you!" Spittle flew out of her mouth and Edward cringed. His answer muffled by whispers that began to echo around the room.

"Shai! Step forward!" Maire's face grew red, the veins in her neck bulging.

"What's going on?" Shai's voice sounded tense as she rose from her table to stand in front of the Mother.

Maire stood with her hands on her hips. "This!" Her jowls wobbled as she thrust the paper toward Shai. Shai took the paper and bent her head to read it.

The volume of Maire's voice rose. "You've committed an infraction. Your Reward has been removed. The Watchers have reported that they saw you take those children the other night. I knew it!" The room rumbled with chatter and the sound of shuffling feet. A few children started crying.

Maire held up a hand. "Quiet! Remain seated!" She snatched the paper back from Shai. "It says your punishment will not be served at the next Reading but will commence immediately. You've been exiled."

Murmurs rose from the crowd and several more children burst into tears. Shai stepped back. She looked terrified and confused.

Guilt gripped Aliah. He couldn't fail her now. He had to follow through with the plan. He swayed and pressed a palm to the wall to steady himself.

Someone spoke near him. "You okay? You don't look so good."

He looked down at his friend and nodded. "Ellersly, it's time. Cover me." Aliah ducked behind a group of children that were trying to get out the door. Murmurs and whispers roared through the Chapel. Normal breakfast proceedings had been forgotten.

Shai stood there with her arms hanging at her sides. The hairs on Aliah's arms stood on end as he moved through the crowd towards her. Her fear and confusion pulsed into his own body the closer he got to her. Heat flared through his birthmark. Things were about to get even more out of control.

Aliah pulled on his hood and kept his head down as he approached the front.

Maire gasped and stepped aside, her stubby finger pointing. "Here's a Watcher now!"

Aliah pulled Shai into his arms, pressing her to him roughly. She pushed and clawed at him until he had no choice but to press his mouth to her ear and hiss, "Shai! It's me!" She grew quiet, but held herself rigid against his side as he led her out of the Chapel.

Aliah ran down the street, across the bridge and behind the Girls' Houses into the woods with one arm around Shai who struggled to keep up with him.

CHAPTER 20

Shai

They crashed through the woods. Shai stumbled over a root, scratching her face on a low-hanging branch.

"Aliah, stop!" She tried to yank her arm from his grip, but he grasped her firmer. "Stop! You're hurting me! Where are you taking me?"

Aliah didn't stop until they reached a three-strand barbed wire fence that blocked their path. Aliah looked for the cut in the fence and they slipped through it. He led them along his most familiar route to Thunder Manor. When they reached his hide-away, he stumbled through the door and pulled her inside by her wrist again. Only when the door was shut did he yank his hood off.

She whirled around to face him. "Where are we?" Shai's round blue eyes flicked from his face, to their surroundings and back again. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear that had sprung loose, and crossed her arms.

"Sorry it was so abrupt, but I had to get you out of there. I worked it all out. You've been exiled. Welcome to your new home. We're outside of Lael... in the Borderless." He breathed heavily and wiped the sweat off his face with the back of his hand. He reached out to touch the scratch on her face but she slapped his hand away, her cheeks red.

"What do you mean you worked it out?"

"Your infraction, your exile. I made it up. You're shaking. Here." He pulled her into the living room and grabbed a thick, grey Laelite blanket to wrap around her shoulders. He took a seat close to the fire in the Great Room but she remained standing.

She looked around the room, face pale and lips pressed into their familiar thin line. "I can't believe this! First you faked my exile then you kidnapped me? What were you thinking? Where are we?"

"We're at Thunder Manor." His head spun and his skin prickled in spite of the sweat pouring in rivers down his face and back. He shivered then stood and walked to the window; the curtains were drawn, but he could think better if he didn't look at her.

"Thunder Manor? I don't understand. I thought it was just part of a story. The story that I have pieces of in my mind. It was supposedly destroyed during the War Between Worlds. What is going on?" The anger in Shai's voice stabbed at his heart. Silence filled the room. He removed his cloak, draped it over the arm of a nearby chair then turned back to the window. He ran a hand through his hair and breathed deeply. Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed her sitting down with her head in her hands, her hair catching the golden glow of the fire. How many times had he seen her vulnerable like this? More times than she'd care to admit in the past few days.

He turned back to stare at the folds in the thick, red drapery, his heart summer-saulting in his chest. There was no turning back now.

He strode to the front door and shoved a large steel deadbolt into place. They were safe from the Laelites, but not from Samael.

Aliah slowly turned from the door to look at her blanket-clad back for a moment before speaking. "The Leader never destroyed Thunder Manor. He sealed it up when he fenced in Lael to protect it. I've been staying here for a while." He couldn't tell her that guilt drove him here.

"I... I don't understand. Why did you bring me here?" She shrugged off the blanket and got up to stand by the fire.

"To protect you."

Shai met his eyes. "You faked my exile! How is that protecting me?"

He licked his lips with a tongue too dry to moisten anything. "I had to save you. I...I had to play the part of a Watcher to get you out of there before... Recruitment Day." Aliah crossed the floor to stand in front of her then reached out to touch her shoulder. He had to make her understand. She needed to trust him.

She stiffened. He dropped his hand and set his jaw.

Soft shuffling behind them interrupted his explanation. Zev stood there, his shoulders straight, hands behind his back like he was waiting to deliver some important news.

"What is it Zev?" Aliah's impatience made his tone sharp and Shai's wide eyes looked from him to Zev.

"Who are you?" She turned back to Aliah. "Who is he? What's going on?"

"Shai, this is Zev. It's a long story."

Zev shifted from one foot to the other until Aliah nodded at him.

"I've just come from Lael. You told me to report anything unusual going on. Well, there's something you need to know. One of the Mother's, Eliana, was exiled right after you left. She defended Shai and... committed a...what do you call it? Uh, an infraction. She publicly dishonored the Leader."

Shai looked away and Aliah swallowed. Any words he had stuck in his throat.

Zev continued, "I decided to follow her. I saw her go through the cut in the fence-line, but when she began running I lost sight of her."

Shai's shoulders slumped as she stood in silence. When at last she raised her head her eyes were hard. Her pupils dilated until only a small rim of pale blue outlined them. "All this mess is because of me."

Aliah cleared his throat. "No. Don't think of it like that."

"Did they take her pendant?" Shai asked Zev.

"I'm sorry...I don't know." Zev backed away then left the room. But Aliah knew. He'd been a Watcher long enough to know that part of the territory the Watchers watched included the Borderless. It was only a matter of time before the next group of Watchers went out on another raid. And if a Borderless person was found having taken anything from Lael, it would be confiscated. If they refused to part with the item they would be beaten.

He gripped the edge of the mantel to steady himself. He was part of the group scheduled for the next raid. He had to go. He had to find Eliana and take her pendant before someone else found her. If he didn't help Shai's favorite Mother, she would never forgive him.

"Aliah, why'd you do all of this? You should've just let me go with Elchai. It would've been better than staying in Lael anyway. And better than hiding out here. How long can this last? When I don't show up for my "reward" he'll discover that you set this all up. How many infractions would that be?"

His heart sank.

"I can't let you go, Shai. Ever. I don't care if I spend the rest of my life running. I only want to protect you. You hate the Laws. Do you really think you're better off being with the man responsible for making them? I don't believe you do."

Several moments passed in silence. Then Shai's face softened suddenly. "I know you put yourself in danger to rescue me. Thank you."

His heart beat so furiously he was afraid she might hear it. Light-headed and short of breath, he whispered, "Stay with me, at least for now. I'll keep you safe. In a few days if you really want to go to Elchai, I'll take you myself."

She reached out slowly and touched his hand. He took her fingers and pressed his lips to them, never taking his eyes from hers.

When she spoke, her voice was soft but strong. "What if we die?"

He shook his head. "We won't die. We still have our pendants." He stopped himself. "I'll go back and get yours. It's probably in the vault. Stay here until I can go back to Lael and figure out how to get it. Zev will look after you until I return."

She nodded. "I've always hated those things."

He took her hand and put it through his arm. "I know, but they keep us safe. As long as we keep the Essence safely inside them we'll be fine."

Wearing a pendant did nothing to keep Sileas safe. He bit the inside of his lip. He knew Shai would be thinking the same thing.

"Come. I want to show you something." He led her down a massive hall with high ceilings made of curved stone, flanked with wooden doors on both sides. He stopped at the last door on the right.

The solid wooden door had a dark oil finish that made the grain stand out against the light grey stone walls. He turned a small key that protruded from the lock, then pushed the door open. A damp mustiness greeted them as they entered. More expansive stone walls similar to the hallway extended at least twenty feet high before they met with thick log rafters. But in spite of its opulence, the room had an oppression like years of sadness had been sealed inside of it.

Aliah took a lit lantern from a round table near the door and gripped her hand tighter in his other arm. He pulled her into the room and walked towards the opposite end. Their boots clomped on the stone floor and the sound echoed back to them.

Lonely. Hollow.

He cleared his throat and swallowed. His chest ached as he tried to breathe the stale air.

Shai stared at the oil paintings hanging on the walls, Thunder Manor in its glory long ago. Its crumbling exterior walls had been alive with curling tendrils of ivy, and the grounds had been lush with grass and multi-colored blooms.

"Elchai and his sons lived in this Manor a long time ago." Aliah's voice sounded too loud in the long room. "My mother used to tell me stories about him. She said he was kind and gentle."

Shai took her hand from his arm to run her fingers along the stone walls. "I remember some of those stories too. I was younger than you so I don't remember all the details. Your mother used to talk about Elchai and his sons, one of them they called the Son of Thunder. She used to say Elchai's Laws were there to help us be who we were meant to be. To protect us from ourselves. And one day, when the Laws were abolished, infractions and their penalties would no longer be needed. On that day, the Son of Thunder would take the rest of Elchai's land back from his enemy, Samael. I always thought your mother made up those stories so we wouldn't be afraid to obey Elchai. That we would see him as some kind of hero. But the more time passes, the less I believe that Elchai is as kind as that."

The look on Shai's face revealed her dislike for their Leader. It was the first time Aliah had heard her come close to committing an infraction by speaking against their Leader. Maybe she felt free to do so because for the next twenty days she was free from the Laws and Rules, or maybe it was just being in Thunder Manor.

"So I didn't believe any of the stories anymore. But sometimes... when I'm alone, I think I see it: the Old World. I mean, I have these thoughts, daydreams, that seem so real. And they make me think that maybe everything's true: the stories about Elchai's land, and the land of Edan being divided during the War Between Worlds. And I dream of someday leaving Lael. Crossing the fence-line and going into the Borderless to see if the Sectors exist."

She had stopped walking and stood on the opposite side of the room, cast in shadows. Aliah lifted the lantern and its light bathed her face in a soft glow. Her blue eyes shone like two bright stones in her pale face.

"But then I realize how stupid that is. And I make the thoughts go away. But being here...what if it's not just some story? I want to believe but it's hard to think of Elchai or even his sons as a savior when to me he's a bully. Part of me wants to go to him. To meet the Leader no one's ever seen because he lives in the Borderless. And then I could see if the Sectors exist." She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against the wall.

Aliah sucked in a breath then coughed. "I don't know, Shai. I stopped believing too. Just because the Manor is real doesn't mean the rest of the stories are true." He paused and ran a hand through his hair. "You know Zev is actually from out there. He says there's nothing left. The Sectors don't exist."

Aliah lowered the lantern. He had to change the subject. The hope he suddenly saw in Shai's eyes was worse than the pain he usually saw there. He didn't want to see her disappointed.

"I will get your pendant from Lael when it's safe, then I'll take you to Elchai if you want. You can see for yourself that there's nothing out there." His stomach was suddenly in knots. What if she decided she wanted him to take her to Elchai? He shouldn't have offered to. I'm a fool!

The room spun and its windowless walls seemed to close in on him. He took a step backwards.

Shai's footsteps sounded on the stones as she approached him. "Aliah, you don't look well. You should go lie down." She pulled on his sleeve.

He walked slowly to the door with her then stopped, and put the lantern back on the table. With one hand still on the door he put his other hand on her back and pulled her to him.

He kissed her forehead then pushed her away. She stumbled backwards a few steps looking surprised. He moved into the hall, then swallowing past the lump in his throat, he shut the door and locked it. He couldn't risk that she might leave while he was gone.

"I have to keep you safe...I'm sorry." His hoarse whisper punctured the silent hall. Heat flooded his chest as he ran.

Her cries echoed down the hall after him.

CHAPTER 21

Shai

Aliah's footsteps thundered down the hall then faded. Shai's stomach churned and her head ached. She pulled on the door handle, twisting it back and forth then kicked the door. Burning pain seared her throat from screaming his name over and over.

After several attempts to break open the door, she looked around the room at its sparse furnishings: a large bed near the door, a low wooden table beside it, the lantern Aliah had carried in, a metal bucket near the bed, and a willow rocking chair tucked into a corner by the fireplace at the opposite end of the room.

The long, narrow room felt more like a meeting hall, not a bedroom, which made the furnishings seem out of place.

Tremors seized her and made the room tilt and spin, so Shai made her way to the bed to sit down. She shivered as cold waves of fear washed over her. Thoughts of Eliana and Sileas crowded into her mind, but she pushed them away. Eliana was right. Strong emotions led to dangerous behavior.

Her stomach cramped and rumbled violently. What if Aliah left her here for good? She'd die all alone. She could almost feel the icy kiss of Death on her skin. Its poison oozing into her bloodstream and taking over every cell, every organ. Crushing the life out of her.

Fear robbed her of breath. She slid off the bed and dropped to her knees then retched into the metal bucket until her stomach emptied. She shook and shivered, weakness stealing strength from every limb until she slumped into a heap on the cold floor.

A soft knock on the door startled her and she nearly tipped the bucket. Zev entered without waiting for her invitation. He carried a small plate and a pitcher, which he put on the low table near her. She sat up as he began to back out of the room. Her eyes met his. He stopped and crouched next to her. His fine-featured face held no expression. Large grey eyes flecked with the same color as his hair, looked steadily at her. He was thin and wiry but she could make out the bulge of his muscles beneath his tunic. He looked similar in age as her.

She touched his hand. "Please, let me go. Aliah never meant to lock me in here. He hasn't been acting right. It's a mistake."

Zev stood and narrowed his eyes. "My assignment is to watch you."

She threw herself towards him as he backed out the door, but he slammed it before she reached him. No! Please! When the sound of his boots on the stone floor could no longer be heard, loneliness crawled up her stomach and into her throat. She was sick again in the bucket, the bitter taste of bile burned her mouth and throat.

She pushed the vile bucket away then eased herself up onto the bed again. A shiver prickled her skin. She looked around for something to start a fire. A scratchy brown blanket from the foot of the bed would keep her warm for now. She wrapped it around herself before making her way to the fireplace.

This end of the room was similar to the other side with its high ceilings and smooth, stone floors. A small mantel protruded over the arched fireplace on one wall. The hearth and mantel were a darker, smoother stone than the walls and the fireplace. Using the lantern light she inspected the area for kindling and matches, but came up empty-handed. The fireplace was empty too except for a metal grate; even the ashes had been swept up.

She sat down cross-legged in front of the fireplace with the lantern in front of her. Now what? It really seemed she would be stuck in this room. She wished she had her pendant right now; she'd empty it herself and let Death come for her. In a way she envied Sileas.

The lantern's flame flickered and danced, casting its lazy light into the dark recesses of the fireplace.

Suddenly the lantern sputtered, scattering the shadows. Plunging the room into total darkness.

CHAPTER 22

Aliah

When he reached Lael, the pale sun had set and there was no time to try and break into the vault to get Shai's pendant. That would have to wait until after the raid.

The group of hooded Watchers that had gathered at Lael's fence-line extinguished their torches when Aliah and Ellersly arrived. A tall figure stepped forward. His hood concealed his face like the others, but the moonlight caught a glint of silver at his throat. He wore a thick chain full of empty pendants: his trophies. It's Akan. Samael's right-hand man. Aliah's stomach clenched. Why is he joining our group tonight? He pushed the unsettling knot of fear aside.

Something else bothered him. When did Samael become the Leader? Was Zev right when he said Elchai was dead? The thought that Aliah could've been working for the ruler of Death all along made him shudder. No. Samael's message was to bring Shai to him and not to Elchai. Elchai must still be alive. He bit the flesh on the inside of his lip. Aliah realized Akan was giving instructions.

"Tonight we raid the West quarter. Go in pairs. Take a sack for your goods and meet back here at the signal." His voice barely rose above a whisper.

A small voice asked, "What's the signal, sir?" A pale kid with orange hair, who was barely thirteen, leaned against the fence. Aliah recognized him as Sol from the last Reading.

Akan turned and walked through the cut portion in the fence. He spoke to Sol over his shoulder. "The signal isn't relevant for you, kid. My orders are to leave you in the Borderless overnight."

Someone poked Aliah in the back as everyone moved through the cut in the fence into the Borderless beyond.

"Poor kid. I guess he's not recruited, just receiving punishment." A soft voice said in his ear.

Aliah looked down into a dark face with even darker eyes. He smiled and shook his head.

"Yeah, Rhys. After this he'll probably never want to be recruited." Aliah kept his tone even, hiding the apprehension gnawing at his stomach.

"Well, I'll keep my eye on him," Rhys said. "See that he stays behind when we come back and doesn't try to follow us. If we don't enforce the Laws and follow up with punishment, what good are we?" Rhys ran ahead leaving Ellersly and Aliah to catch up.

The path the Watchers took wound through the dense woods of the Borderless. Every so often the hooded group would cut across a campsite occupied by the Borderless people, huddled around a fire. Sad eyes set in sunken faces stared at the Watchers as they passed. The homeless wanderers posed no threat to Aliah and his group since they were the aged, the frail, and law-breakers exiled from Lael. Minds fractured by fear and years of pain, they only waited for Death. Some even poured the Essence out of their own pendants before the Watchers came. Most sat shivering under a tree, waiting for Death. Aliah turned his face away. These were his mother's people, and now they were Eliana's.

Akan's bird call signaled the group to stop. Three of the Borderless sat in a semi-circle around a small fire passing a rusty can around. The one closest to Aliah sat with her legs crossed, a grey Laelite blanket around her head and shoulders. She pushed a stick into the can, scooped some mush onto the end of it then nibbled at it, her eyes flicking to Aliah's. The two others stared into the fire with flat expressions. She set the can on the ground then folded her hands in her lap.

Every muscle in Aliah's body tensed as Akan left the front of the line and walked back. He pointed at the Borderless woman.

"You! Hand over that Laelite property. The blanket and the pendant." The flames mirrored in Akan's dark eyes danced, making him appear more sinister. The rest of his face remained hidden in the shadow of his hood.

The woman glanced at Aliah again before looking back into the fire. She didn't move. Why is she refusing? A shudder rippled along Aliah's back. She didn't know what Akan was capable of. He stepped between Akan and the woman then slapped her face with the back of his hand. His knuckles stung with the contact. The woman gasped and fell sideways, her hand holding her cheek.

Akan laughed. "You want the trophy, Ace? She's all yours."

Aliah grimaced at Akan's nickname for him. Aliah ripped the chain from the woman's neck as she cowered on the ground. Her eyes fixed on his. He stared at her until she looked away. If she didn't appear submissive Akan would kill her. He popped the top off her silver pendant and tipped it into his palm, keeping his thumb over the opening without anyone noticing. He made a display of blowing on his hand while the woman, still her holding her face, whimpered on the ground.

Akan laughed again then signaled the group to move forward. Aliah hung back. When the Watchers were out of earshot he shoved the woman with the toe of his boot. She looked up at him.

"Eliana, hide that blanket. And don't stay so close to the larger camps next time. You're right in the Watcher's pathway. I wanted to tell you that Shai is... she's okay. She's safe."

Eliana sat up and took her hand from her face, revealing a red wheal. He pocketed her necklace and pulled the hood away from his face a little. Her eyes widened and she nodded. The other two, a man and a woman, never moved.

"And... sorry about all that." His voice cracked. He turned and ran to catch up with his group.

CHAPTER 23

Shai

She had no idea how long she had been laying in the dark. How dare Aliah abandon her in this room with no fire and only a few hours-worth of lantern fuel.

With her hands stretched out in front of her she had criss-crossed the room over and over trying to discover a use for the key Remiel had given her. Now it seemed silly to waste her energy.

She had long since stopped straining to hear the sound of someone in the hallway.

Had she been there for a few days or just a few hours? The bread and cheese on her plate had gone hard long ago but she had eaten them anyway. She had sipped at the water in the pitcher, but it now stood empty. The metal bucket overflowed with fetid waste, but with nothing in her stomach now, her bladder and bowels were empty. She sucked at the blood seeping from her cracked lips but it was never enough to moisten her mouth and throat.

She slid her legs over the edge of the bed and stood. Her head pulsated with pain and she stumbled as she tried to take a step. If she held her hands out in front of her she could make her way over to the door without crashing into anything. When her fingers found the smooth wood she pressed her face against the door and inhaled the pungent scent of the oil rub. She scratched at the door with her fingernails only to hear the sound it made. Anything to break the silence that was so heavy it threatened to crush her.

Dizziness washed over her and she swayed; her fingers slipped against the cold metal doorknob and she fell. The floor jarred everything in her body and something pricked her thigh. She pulled it out of her flesh and threw it across the room in fury.

Ping ping ping. It bounced along the stone floor. Such a pretty sound. Soft and metallic. She scrambled after it, sliding her hands along the floor until she found it. She closed her fingers around it. A bent nail. She tossed it again, listening for its metallic ping then scooted around until she found it again.

She played her new game to keep her mind from breaking. Warding off the threat of madness that gripped her throat, choked off her breath, and fogged her mind. Hours melted into each other until time seemed meaningless. Every second felt like eternity.

Footsteps echoed in the hall. She scooted over to the wall near the door and pressed her back against the cool stones, the nail between her fingers. When the door opened the smell of warm bread filled Shai's nose.

In the light spilling from the slightly open door, she saw Zev enter, carrying a plate and a lantern. He set the plate on the table then turned back toward the door. Shai's heartbeat pulsed rapidly in her neck making her feel light-headed. She curled her toes in her boots and lunged at Zev as he passed. She jammed the nail into him until she felt it pierce his flesh with a slight pop. He yelled and twisted, trying to throw her off his back. She pushed the nail in further with a twist and he dropped to his knees.

She snatched the piece of warm bread from the plate and ran, weaving and wobbling down the hall. It wasn't until she was outside the Manor that she realized she didn't know where she was going.

The moonlight slanted through the trees and illuminated a path that wound behind the Manor and disappeared through the woods. She ran across the yard and through the trees. Her ears ached in the wind and her lungs burned, but the crisp air revived her. She reached a fence-line and stopped to lean against it, chest heaving. Only then did she realize her right hand was sticky and wet with Zev's blood.

CHAPTER 24

Aliah

Adrenaline pumped into Aliah's blood. The Borderless camp Akan had chosen for the raid was more permanent than most. Where most camps had temporary dwellings, this one had houses built with bricks, wood, and stone. They had never been on a raid to a place like this before. It seemed more like Lael than he cared to acknowledge. He needed to focus on what mattered: completing the assignment and getting out. He could worry about his personal convictions later.

His fingertips tingled, his heart thundered in his chest. Darting in and out of shadows he ran with Ellersly. They separated and Aliah crouched behind a rain barrel and gave Ellersly a thumbs up. No movement in the streets or outbuildings except for the other Watchers, crouching and sneaking.

Smoke curled from the chimneys of the houses, their brightly colored doors glowed in the pale light of the moon. The contrast between here and Lael was obvious just by the use of color: green fences, orange houses with blue roofs, and multi-colored flowers lined the walkways.

Laughter poured into the streets from inside the yellow house that Aliah pressed himself against. Across the street, the purple door of a rectangular wooden building opened and a young woman stepped outside, her slender body a silhouette against the open door. She balanced a basket of laundry on her hip and paused, her face turned up to the sky.

Aliah caught Ellersly's eye and shook his head. Ellersly had crawled along the side of the building, marked 'Wash House' and would've collided with the girl if he had come around the corner. Ellersly ducked behind a stack of split firewood. The young woman walked to a green house next door and disappeared inside. Aliah nodded and Ellersly entered the Wash House. It would be good to have a few new linens to replace Lael's old patched-up and threadbare ones.

He waited for several minutes; his back began to ache from pushing against the wood siding. What was taking Ell so long? He looked up and down the street then ran across and darted inside the Wash House. Ellersly was shoving a fistful of white socks into his burlap sack.

"C'mon, Ell. I saw their Supply House on the way here where we can get lanterns and fuel before Akan gives the signal."

The door opened behind Aliah and Ellersly's face flushed crimson in the lantern light. His hood had twisted in his haste to grab linens; he yanked it down.

Aliah spun around. The same young woman stood with the empty basket against her hip. She frowned then caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Long dark hair hung to her waist in a single braid. She set the basket on a counter beside a large washtub and leaned against the door frame. Eyes the color of celery framed in dark lashes glanced from Aliah to Ellersly then back again.

"Why don't you just ask, boys?" Her voice betrayed no fear. She grabbed the basket and shoved it at Aliah, narrowing her eyes. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and handed the basket to Ellersly with the other. The girl blanched momentarily then recovered.

"You Watchers don't scare me. Those Laelites might be fooled by you, but our Sector knows better." She twisted out of Aliah's grasp and he noticed a letter branded into the flesh on the inside of her wrist: C.

The girl smirked. "What? Never seen a Sector brand before? The Conley Crescent." She exposed her wrist again, laughing. "Oh, right. You don't believe we exist. Well the Division of Edan is alive and well."

Aliah felt the color drain from his face. The Sectors exist? How many of them? And who was this self-assured young woman?

His mother's words from long ago echoed in his mind. Only Sector leadership branded their children on the exposed parts of their bodies: wrists, necks and even cheeks. The rest branded their children's chests or backs to keep their identities hidden.

Aliah caught Ellersly's eye. This had to be the daughter of the leadership here. They had to get out. Now. Ellersly threw his sack into the basket then pushed past Aliah and the girl.

She grabbed a stack of folded towels and flung them at Aliah as he followed Ellersly. "Next time trade for them like everyone else, Ace!"

He stopped, heart racing, but didn't turn around.

"That's what they call you, isn't it?"

He left the towels and ran to the Supply House.

CHAPTER 25

Shai

Flattened grass, broken sticks, and a partial boot-print in the mud marked the path. She travelled slowly, eating hunks of bread and keeping her eyes on the ground.

The glow of several campfires dotted the ground in the distance. The Borderless. Prickles of fear ran up her arms. She had been taught to fear them. Their empty eyes, slack jaws and hollow cheeks. The moans she heard at night, she'd been told, were the souls of the Borderless departing. The Watchers came and collected their pendants, emptying the Essence of the weak and forsaken on the ground; leaving their souls to wander aimlessly.

Shai's stomach clenched when she thought of Eliana being exiled to live here.

She retched. The last piece of bread stuck in her throat and refused to go down. She spat it out then wiped her mouth on her sleeve. It was silly to fear the unknown simply because she'd been told to. The Borderless was now her home too. She couldn't return to Lael. She pushed her shoulders back and trudged forward.

The acrid smell of wood smoke filled her nose. Several people lay on the ground around a campfire. She crouched behind a fallen tree to watch.

Two people huddled together under a blanket, using their arms as pillows as they curled up on their sides facing the fire. Another person stretched out on their back, hands behind their head. She couldn't see their face. Another person sat cross-legged, their back to her, poking the fire with a stick.

He dropped the stick then ladled some water out of a bucket next to him. He sipped it noiselessly then grabbed the stick again. Shai crept closer. She had to try and get a sip of his water.

He turned his head and she could see his profile in the firelight. Straight nose, thin lips, and high cheekbones accentuated by the shadows. He couldn't be any older than Aliah.

A sharp rock dug into her palm as she crawled forward and she gasped. The man brandished the stick like a weapon and leaped to his feet. He came towards her, his face suddenly in the shadows. She held her hands up and remained on her knees.

CHAPTER 26

Aliah

Conley's Supply House resembled Lael's, with jars of fruits and vegetables lining the shelves and tables with a variety of household items running down the center aisle. Akan was bent over an object lying on a long table that ran the length of the room when Aliah found him.

Ellersly shifted his weight back and forth as he stood red-faced beside Akan. He looked like he could explode any minute. The leader made no motion to leave. Aliah looked over Akan's shoulder to see what occupied his attention. A large, brown leather book lay on the table. Aliah chewed his lower lip and squinted but he couldn't see what it was. The only book he'd ever seen was the Book in Lael.

Akan poked it with his index finger. "Now what do you suppose this is?" He ripped his hood off and turned to look at Aliah. His dark eyes gleamed. Something about the way Akan looked at him made Aliah's blood run cold. He'd never seen the Book up close, but this one looked so similar. But it couldn't be it, could it? This far from Lael?

"What do you think, Ace? It was on a shelf behind some jars of pickled carrots... just there for the taking." Akan's hollow cheeks filled with air as he whistled long and low. "Won't 'ol Sammy be pleased? He's been wanting it for a long time."

Aliah just stood there, stunned. If Samael was Lael's Leader, he had access to the Book whenever he wanted. What Akan said didn't make sense.

Akan cracked his knuckles and reached for the book just as the door burst open and several men rushed in.

Ellersly hopped from one foot to the other. "Sir, that's what I've been trying to tell you. We, uh, ran into some trouble."

Akan reached for a knife that Aliah knew he kept hidden beneath his cloak. A man several inches taller than the others with silver hair stepped forward. He held a lantern in one hand and a knife with a long hilt and thick blade in the other.

"I'm Mallak, the leader of Sector Three. We don't want any trouble here. Take what you've come for and leave. But do not return." Mallak spoke softly and evenly, his eyes holding Akan's."Take what we've come for?" Akan sneered. He stood in front of the book, but stepped sideways to grab it. In a flash Mallak and his men descended on the Watchers. Akan's hand brushed the book, knocking it onto the floor. It fell open at Aliah's feet.

Aliah kicked it under the table just as someone landed on his back. The weight of the person knocked the wind from Aliah and made his legs go out from under him. His forehead struck the floor with a crack. He struggled to get his arms out from under him, to shove the person off him. Pain sliced into his left side. A strangled cry escaped him and he touched his side. His fingertips grazed the hilt of a knife sticking out of the soft flesh above his waist. He kicked out with his legs, connecting with someone's head. They rolled away from him as he pulled the knife from his side. Warmth gushed from the wound. The sounds of chaos flooded his ears. Shouts and grunts mixed with cries and the smell of blood and something sour. Someone had vomited.

Aliah rolled over and pushed himself up. His attacker rocked on his hands and knees a few feet away, then lifted his head. The frightened eyes of a child looked back at Aliah. He'd been knifed by a kid?

The boy's jaw hung slack and blood dripped from his mouth and nose. He reached for a garden tool on a shelf above, his sleeve falling away from his skinny arm. The Conley crescent marked his wrist too.

Fury drained from him when he realized it was just a child. He could kill him but what good would it do? He'd only have it on his conscience.

Aliah shook his head at the boy who dropped his hand and backed up on his hands and knees then got up and took off running. Aliah gripped the edge of the table with one hand, and grabbed the boy's small knife in the other.

His eyes fell on the open book under the table. A symbol in dark ink marked the top of the right-hand page and below it in bold script read:

The Division of Edan and the Coalition of Three: Eli and Elyon under one Commanding Officer, The Son of Thunder.

Below that there was a map which was labeled: The Seven Sectors. Lael was a circle in the center with a larger circle, twice the size of Lael, around it divided into seven sections like pieces of pie. A flash of heat raced across his chest. How the Book got all the way out here he didn't know.

"Grab it, Ace! Let's go!" Akan's voice rang out behind him. Aliah withdrew his hand and glanced around. Akan rolled out from beneath Mallak's slumped body. Ellersly sat on someone's chest a few feet away pummeling their face with both fists, his own nose and mouth streaming blood. Akan's bird call rang out and the Watchers ran into the night.

Aliah grabbed the Book and shoved it inside his cloak. He put the knife in his waistband and struggled to his feet. A sharp burn tore through his left side with every movement. He leaned against the table, gasping. The Book fell from his cloak and landed on the table in front of him, opening to the same page. Footsteps sounded behind him. He ripped the page out and shoved it into his pocket before Akan approached. Aliah slammed the cover shut. The leader grinned at Aliah, his dark eyes gleaming. All around them Mallak's men lay unconscious or dead, he couldn't tell. His stomach turned. Akan handed him a sack and Aliah dropped the Book into it.

"Go on, Ace. Lead the group back. I'll catch up."

CHAPTER 27

Shai

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm... passing through and wondered if you might give me a drink of water." Her voice sounded thin and tired. The man took another step towards her and gestured.

"I... don't understand." Her knees ached from kneeling on the uneven ground. She started to stand but the man held the stick up like he was going to hit her. He gestured again.

She shook her head. "I don't know what you want."

The man turned slightly and the moonlight slanted across his body, illuminating him from the waist up. With one hand he pulled down the collar of his tunic, exposing his neck.

"You... want me to... show you my neck? This is silly." Thirst won over any desire to argue with him. She was careful to grab her tunic with her blood-free hand. In her haste the fabric slipped sideways across her left shoulder. The man stepped back, and shook his head and gestured at something behind him.

"What do you want? I played your silly game. I'm thirsty. Please. Just give me one sip."

The man had already begun to back away, still shaking his head. He jabbed his stick in the air and made strange movements with his other hand.

"Just speak!" Shai pounded the ground, frustrated by his crude way of talking. He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, only it wasn't a tongue. Instead she saw a small lump of muddled flesh where his tongue should've been. She screamed.

He put his finger to his lips and pointed to the woods again. Movement in the trees startled her. Hooded people flitted out of the shadows, swift and noiseless, coming towards the small group.

Watchers.

She ran and ducked behind the nearest tree. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She lifted her head to see that the Borderless remained as they were; still as stone. Seemingly unconcerned, unafraid. The tongueless man went back to crouch by the fire, watching her.

CHAPTER 28

Aliah

He panted for each breath, the movement of his legs jarring the wound in his side. He stopped and leaned against a tree that had a shape carved into it, exposing the white flesh beneath. He looked closer. The crescent. These trees must mark the boundary of Sector Three.

The rest of the Watchers continued ahead, but he knew Ellersly would lead them back. Flames licked the sky behind him. His heart sunk to his knees. His shoulder burned with the weight of the sack in his hand. A slap on his back startled him.

"Well done, Ace." Akan caught up to him. His hood had fallen off revealing his shining dark eyes, his cheeks smudged with black. A dry smear of blood left a trail under his nose.

"You nearly had the life sliced outa you because you saved that Book." He supported Aliah with an arm around his waist as they entered the Borderless territory. Aliah's mouth went dry. It wasn't like that. He didn't save the Book.

Akan's fingers dug sharply into Aliah's wounded side. He clenched his teeth and groaned. Akan leaned in. His voice a whisper.

"I have orders to bring back that Book, Ace. You don't know what it has been like every time I return from a raid empty-handed." Akan's finger slid into the tender flesh around the gash, shoving some the material of Aliah's clothing deep into the cut. Tears sprang to Aliah's eyes and he stumbled over a root. The Watcher's arm tightened around Aliah's waist, helping him regain his footing. Aliah gripped the sack in his left hand and let the Book bang against his leg. If Samael wanted it so bad all he had to do was come to Lael to get it from the vault.

"I know that girl is important to you. I recommended her to Sammy myself. Those blue eyes, her fine face... mmm." Akan chuckled. "She wasn't born a Laelite, that's for sure, but Samael won't care. In fact, he might prefer that."

Aliah twisted away from Akan sending a new rush of pain through his side. He fell to the ground on his knees, the sack still gripped in his hand.

"What do you want!" He gasped. A bead of sweat trickled down his face onto his lip.

"The Book for the girl, Ace. You don't want to know what he has planned for her if he doesn't get that Book." Akan stood over him then suddenly grabbed his hood along with a handful of hair and yanked his head back.

"Be smart and give me the damn Book. It's the only way to protect the girl." A cloud moved in front of the pale moon and shadows swallowed Akan's face. Thunder rolled in the distance.

Aliah's arm brushed the hilt of the knife in his waistband. Akan pulled harder. Aliah threw the sack several feet. Let Samael have the Book, if it meant keeping Shai safe.

Akan released him with a snort. "Good choice, Ace. We have a deal." He threw the sack over his shoulder. "Sorry to leave you like this but I've got a delivery to make. And if Sammy comes looking for this, tell him it's in a safe place." He winked at Aliah.

Aliah swallowed hard; he wanted to vomit. He wouldn't be here long enough for Samael to come looking for anything.

Aliah fell back and laid face up on the ground. As he stared into the black sky it began to pour. Maybe the ground would get so soft from the rain it would open up and swallow him whole. He could only hope.

CHAPTER 29

Shai

Clouds covered the moon as the storm rumbled around her. She ran in and out of the shadows of trees and rocks, always aware of the movement of branches and animals around her. Her blood pressure spiked as each crack of a twig sent her slinking behind another tree.

Her leg muscles burned and branches clawed her face and tore her hair but still she ran. The rain started coming down hard, making it too slippery to run. She found a cluster of trees that grew so close together, their trunks almost twisted around each other. She sat with her back against the rough bark and tipped her face up to catch a few drops of rain on her tongue.

The trees looked different here. The bark of the one closest to her had been peeled back and the flesh beneath shone ghostly-white in the rain. She rubbed her fingers over the bark. A symbol had been carved into it. When she looked around she saw that every other tree to her right bore the same marking: C. What does this mean? Fear made her want to run again but the icy numbness in her hands and feet prevented her.

The rain came in sheets, soaking into her tunic and sticking her hair to her face. She hugged herself as uncontrollable shivers assaulted her body. The back of her neck prickled like someone was watching her but she forced herself to stay sitting against the tree. She put her arms around her bent legs and leaned her chin on them. Ready to run, yet small enough to slip into the shadows if anyone approached. Her teeth chattered as the rain ran into her socks and boots. Cold became her new enemy.

A shout nearby made her crunch up tighter against the tree. She strained to hear the voices above the din of the downpour. "Over here! The rest we can worry about later!" It sounded like a young woman, not more than twenty feet away beyond a row of trees.

Shai leaned forward slightly and glimpsed a flickering orangey-glow. Another camp? She didn't want to meet another Borderless person for a long time. But the prickles along her arms and neck told her something was different. Something very wrong.

She got up and moved closer, keeping herself hidden behind the trees. She heard crying and shouting. And a roaring crackling sound. She ran to another tree. Smoke filled her throat constricting it, threatening to choke her. Fire. Everywhere.

People were running. Too many to count. Some carried children, some dragged others by their arms out of burning houses, and a few ran in circles with their hands over their mouths.

A woman in trousers, with a long braid down her back, walked toward Shai. She stopped a few feet away and pointed.

"You! Get into the water house! Now! And tell everyone else you see!" Shai couldn't move. Fear paralyzed every limb. Who are these people? They didn't live like those from the Borderless camp she'd just been through.

Flames licked at houses that stood cheerfully colored amidst the chaos. Through the glow of the fire she saw red and green roofs, little white fences and purple doors.

Someone grabbed her elbow and yanked her forward. A low voice spoke near her ear.

"You'll be safer inside. Not out here in the Borderless." Her feet moved, but her mind sunk into a fog. She looked at the man who was leading her to one of the few buildings that wasn't burning. Heavy brows over deep-set eyes, a prominent nose and wide mouth. Rain plastered his hair to his head and dripped off his ears. His face was pleasant, but not overly handsome. Every movement he made seemed slow, deliberate. Like he thought before he acted. He seemed like he was someone who was used to being in charge.

He gave her a small smile and guided her through the door. He released her arm when she found a spot along the wall between a woman and a young man. She slid down the wall. Confusion and fear settled like an iron shroud over her.

Muffled sobs, whispers and a distant hum droned in her ears. Spots danced in her vision. She squeezed her eyes shut then opened them. Her periphery grew dark and her heart raced. Anxiety tightened her chest making it difficult to breathe. Everything in her wanted to run. A hazy face appeared, smiling blue eyes, a dimpled chin.

Remiel.

She tried to focus on him and push the fear away, but everything faded to black.

CHAPTER 30

Aliah

The sun had risen and set again. Another twenty-four hours had passed; nineteen days before Samael expected Shai.

Aliah limped through the opening in the fence. The row of hedges surrounding the Manor were a welcome sight. His wound had clotted, but every step sent a tremor of pain through his body, making his last few steps seem like miles.

A sickening feeling settled over him. Shai still wasn't safe. He knew better than to trust Akan to keep the deal they'd made. Akan was as trustworthy as Samael.

He had to make a decision. His mother and Ellersly were taking the children to another cave in the rocky northern region of the Borderless tomorrow night. Would Shai be safer in Thunder Manor or with his mother, Ellersly, and the children? Would Samael think to look in the Manor when he discovered her missing, or was it better to risk surviving the wild Borderless and running into Elchai? In spite of Aliah's hatred for Elchai, it was foolish to think that a face-off with Samael would be better than seeing Elchai.

Aliah's fingers slipped on the doorknob as he tried to turn it. Even though he felt chilled, sweat covered his body. He stumbled into the entrance clutching his side. The fire in the Great Room was struggling to stay lit, but he collapsed on the floor in front of the fireplace anyway. His eyelids weighed a ton, his chest too heavy to breathe, like it had been packed with wet sand. Each breath hurt.

An arc of light pierced the darkness and he opened his eyes. Zev stood over him holding a lantern, his eyes dark, his face cast in shadows. His left arm dangled at his side, a dark stain on his white tunic expanding from shoulder to wrist.

Aliah pushed himself up with his elbow, grimacing with pain. Fear rushed over him hot and cold. "Zev. What... happened?"

Zev set the lantern down and knelt in front of Aliah. He pushed a finger into Aliah's chest.

"Her. She's what happened. Stabbed me and took off when I tried to take her some food." He stood up.

Aliah rubbed the spot where Zev's finger had poked him. He shook his head slowly then looked up at the younger boy whose face looked stony.

"Took off... where? She doesn't know these parts. Why..." He knew why. She didn't trust him. Didn't believe he kept her there for her own protection. Now she was in the Borderless, alone.

Fear for Shai numbed the pain in his body. He stood and faced Zev.

"Let me look at your arm." He ripped the boy's sleeve off and probed the wound. "It's a puncture wound. You'll be fine. It stopped bleeding." He gave Zev a slight push. "Go clean it up then grab a cloak. We're going out there."

"Aliah, it's nearly morning. She left hours ago. Could be anywhere."

Aliah began to remove his cloak and bloody tunic. "That's exactly why we are going to find her." He waited until Zev left the room then examined his own wound. Dried blood crusted around the incision, but the edges still gaped open. Blood oozed from a one inch gash. He took the knife from his waistband and cut the cleaner part of his tunic into a long strip, wrapped the fabric tightly around his waist and tied it. He tossed the knife on the table and grabbed a small lantern.

By the time he staggered up the stairs to his room he was exhausted. Zev brushed past him in the narrow hall, his arm hanging limply. He wore a clean brown tunic and carried a blanket.

"I'll pack some food and a canteen of water."

Aliah caught the edge in Zev's voice and it turned his blood to ice. What's going on with him? As he entered his own room he wondered why Zev didn't go after Shai when she ran, but secretly he was glad Zev didn't. Something he saw in the boy's eyes concerned him.

Aliah pulled on a thick, brown sweater and grabbed a grey blanket from his bed. His stomach rose in his throat.

He'd left the knife downstairs.

CHAPTER 31

Shai

Give her some space!" A familiar male voice spoke as Shai opened her eyes. The clean-shaven face of the man who had brought her there was inches from hers. His kind eyes full of concern. He smiled, revealing two front teeth that turned slightly inward.

"You okay? Too many people crammed into a small space can make a person feel light-headed."

She smiled back at him, too overwhelmed to speak. She couldn't tell a stranger about Remiel anyway.

The young man offered his hand which she accepted and he pulled her to her feet. _Thunk!_ Something fell onto the wooden floor.

"Allow me." The young man bent over just as Shai put her hand in her tunic pocket and realized the key was missing. His face flushed when he handed the key to her, the red gem glittering in the lantern light.

"Don't let anyone else know you have that." His voice held no inflection, but his eyes suddenly became hard. He gripped her arm above the elbow and squeezed. She winced and tried to pull away.

"Who are you?" His light green eyes darted around the crowded room before resting on her.

"Shai. From Lael." It came out softer than she intended. She pulled her elbow from him and pushed the key deep into her pocket, then wrapped her fingers around its cool metal.

He leaned down. His cheek grazed hers as he spoke. "I wouldn't mention that place around here if I were you."

Hot and cold shivers rolled down her neck, partially from his breath and partially from what he said. He moved away from her and disappeared into the crush of people. A few people stared at her, so she pressed her shoulder blades together and stared back. She wasn't the enemy here. And she wouldn't be made to feel like one.

The woman with the dark braid and green eyes appeared in the doorway of the building and raised both hands. A welt in the shape of a C marked the inside of one wrist. Shai gripped the key tighter. It's probably just a scar. But its distinctive contours looked too much like the carving on the trees to be accidental. She looked at the people around her who fell silent, watching the young woman. Did they all have those marks? What did it mean?

"The fire will be completely out soon, thanks to Sector Two's artificial rain. Clean-up and the rebuilding of houses and other buildings lost in the fire will begin immediately with help from Sector's Six and Seven." A rumble of murmurs echoed through the building and the woman held her hands up again. "But that means we will be working extra hard to export our textiles to those Sectors as our thanks."

Talking began again as the pretty, young woman walked over to Shai. She smiled and her face softened, making her look younger.

"Welcome to Sector Three, also known as Conley." She extended her hand and, when Shai took it, the woman's grip was firm and warm. "I'm Ava and I saw that you already met my older brother Kael. I hope he didn't frighten you. He's a bit of a bear."

She pumped Shai's arm up and down then released her, coming to stand beside Shai with her hand on the small of her back. The slight pressure urged Shai forward and they walked outside together. The rain had stopped and the sun had begun to rise. It colored the smoldering ruins with a pink wash. Their feet made sucking noises on the rain-soaked earth as they walked. A fine mist hung in the air after the downpour.

"Are you from the Borderless then?" Ava's eyes turned from light green to nearly black in the half-light outside. She pursed her lips and leaned toward Shai as Kael had done. The girl's demeanor and Kael's warning suggested it was better to come from the Borderless than Lael. Shai remained silent, but returned the woman's wide-open stare.

"Good, good. I thought so. When I saw you standing there by the tree I knew I couldn't let you stay out there all alone. Not after what the Watchers did tonight. Who knows what they might do to the Borderless people. It isn't safe." She spoke quickly and earnestly. Her fingers pressed harder on Shai's back.

Shai tensed. "The Watchers? In the Borderless? I thought... we aren't in the Borderless are we? The Sectors... exist?" Her voice caught on the last word. Her stomach turned violently.

Ava nodded and touched Shai's arm. "Oh yes, they exist. Most of the time the Seven Sectors are at war with one another, maintaining peace only during trades and service agreements when there's been a Division disaster. Like tonight. When the Watchers came I caught two of them, Ace and his partner, taking linens from our Wash House. They took some supplies, nearly killed my father and tried to burn our Sector to the ground."

Shai swallowed hard. Her ears and cheeks suddenly felt hot.

Ava took her hand off Shai's back. "Destruction is their M.O. It often takes weeks, even months to rebuild. We're lucky though. We had a trade scheduled with some of the other Sectors for tomorrow, so they were already here. All we had to do was enact the service agreement. Rebuilding has already begun. Excuse me."

A group of young people approached them and Ava turned away from Shai to extend her hand to a tall blonde man. Shai moved away from them to seek solace behind some smoldering remains. Shocked and sick, she hadn't said more than a few words since she arrived.

Suddenly the back of her neck prickled and she turned around. Kael was walking towards her, his face hard.
CHAPTER 32

Aliah

Zev and the knife were gone by the time Aliah reached the Great Room. Aliah pulled on a cloak and stuffed the blanket, a canteen of water, and a loaf of bread wrapped in white linen into a sack. He slung the bag over his shoulder and limped outside. The pain in his side had diminished to a dull ache that throbbed down his left side to his toes.

The rain stopped, leaving his well-trodden trail a mess of broken branches and mud. He backtracked the way he'd come, less than an hour ago, with a faltering jog-limp. In another hour the sun would rise making it easier to look for Shai in the Borderless, but also making her an easier target. What was going through Zev's mind right now? Would he hurt Shai?

Aliah's mind raced faster than he could run. He slipped in the mud and caught himself with one arm before he went sprawling. He yelled at a fresh wave of pain. His vision doubled and panic fogged his mind.

No, no, no. I can't give up now. He felt beneath his sweater for his glass pendant. It's still there. I'll be okay. He blinked, clearing his vision, then continued his trek through Borderless territory.

He knew Shai almost better than he knew himself. Where would she go? She didn't know the area at all which meant she'd wander around until she found the Borderless people... No, she feared them, because she'd been taught to fear the unknown. So she'd keep her distance. But then where would she go? If she took this trail from the Manor, it curved east and led to the Sector he'd just come from. Straight north over rocky terrain was where Ellersly was taking his group. That path was unmarked and the journey would be more difficult for someone alone and she'd be afraid to wander off the most visible trail. So that meant she must've gone to Conley. The Sector that was now in flames.

A snapping sound on the trail ahead stopped him. He slipped behind a tree, watching. A lone figure walked with shoulders hunched and head down toward him. When the person was about to pass they looked up.

Aliah released his breath in a rush. "Ell!" His friend jumped then smiled. Aliah stepped from the tree and met Ellersly on the trail.

The younger boy's face fell as his eyes travelled over Aliah. "You're a mess!" Ellersly sounded raspy like something hung loose in his windpipe. What at first appeared to be shadows on his jaw turned out to be bruises darkening to a deep purple.

"You don't look great either, Ell. But we're alive thanks to our great fighting skills." He tried to laugh, make the circumstances seem light, but the laughter died in his throat. He started walking again and Ellersly followed.

"When I got back to the Manor Shai was gone." Aliah spoke softly because he knew the Borderless had ears that heard more than the Watchers of Lael. "If she stayed on this trail she's headed east." He heard Ellersly sigh and neither one said anything for a few minutes.

"It's likely she went to Conley. It's the most clearly marked trail." Ellersly then got a funny look on his face. "That girl, with the wrist thing. I heard her say Conley is a Sector. So, uh... what's a Sector? I've never heard the term before. Is it like another name for the Borderless?"

Aliah felt faint. He didn't want to keep anything from his friend, but with the page from the Book tucked in his trousers and the Book now in Akan's hands, he didn't have a choice.

"Sure, Ell. It's like when we divided up the Borderless into quarters right? North and East and so on. Same thing."

Ellersly nodded and relief washed over Aliah. No more questions for now.

"I was thinking, Ell. Maybe you should take Mara and the children North tonight. Don't wait until tomorrow. I have a bad feeling about Elchai catching onto our plan and tracking us down. We can't waste any more time. I'll come with you to tell Mara first then I'll search for Shai, and when I find her we'll come to you."

Ellersly stopped on the trail behind Aliah, breathing hard. Aliah turned around to look at him. The morning sun painted everything rose, making Ellersly's cheeks look fiery. "I'll do whatever you say. I don't like it but I'll do it."

When they reached the cave it smelled sour, like too many unwashed bodies. The kind of smell that burned your throat and made your eyes water if you breathed too deeply.

Aliah and Ellersly picked their way down the narrow hall not sure if the thick brown piles were mud or something else. Loud crying bounced off the walls making twenty-two children sound like two-hundred.

Mara rushed to meet them. The baby wailed in her arms. Ellersly took the infant and walked over to a group of crying children. Years spent in the Boys' Houses with small children made him a natural. Mara's eyes shone bright even in the dim light of the cave. She smiled and reached for Aliah's arm.

"Mother, Ellersly is taking you and the children somewhere safe tonight. We don't have much time. I only came here to talk to you about something."

Mara looked him over then shook her head and clicked her tongue. She didn't seem to have heard what he said.

"I've lived a long time without a pendant, son. But look at you. Lots of good having a pendant did for you. You look terrible." The smile stayed on her face, creasing her eyes and the corners of her mouth.

"How have you lived without one?"

"Your father..."

"No! I don't want to hear about him." Aliah's voice echoed and Mara jumped. Her smile faded and she shrugged.

"Well, you asked." She looked up at him again, the smile returning. "Did you find the Book?"

Aliah's chest squeezed. She was the only one he could talk to about it, but he'd have to move past her eccentricity. Living in the Borderless had changed her more than he thought.

He nodded and steeled himself for the response he knew was coming. But she simply clasped her hands together under her chin, her smile so broad it showed her back teeth.

"So you know about the Coalition then?" Excitement lit her eyes with fire. He nodded again then lowered his head until his hair brushed hers.

"Tell me everything you know about it, Mother." He kept his voice just loud enough to be heard over the children. He looked over his shoulder at Ellersly. The boy occupied the children with stories and one-handed shadow puppets on the cave wall.

Mara sighed and cupped her hands around Aliah's face. He started to pull away but she held him tighter.

"Samael is evil. Before the War Between Worlds, before Edan was divided, Samael worked for Elchai. He was the military co-ordinator for the Edanite army. He protected Edan from the Outerlands. But he was exiled when he became jealous of Elchai and tried to overthrow him using Elchai's own military. He failed. That was the beginning of the first rebellion. The largest uprising up till that point. Samael swore revenge: find and kill Elchai's sons."

She dropped her hands from his face, but he could still feel the heat of her palms on his cheeks. "That's when everything changed." She continued. "Elchai divided Edan into pieces and put a leader in each Sector. It was easier to protect smaller groups of people that way. He saved the smallest portion of land in the middle and put a fence around it to protect it. All the children were sent there with a few women to care for them. It was supposed to be temporary. But after the war most of the men and women had died, leaving the children as orphans."

"Lael." Aliah whispered. "And the Book? What happened to it?"

"The Book was... taken. Disappeared for a few years until one day it showed up in Lael and was put on a shelf in the Chapel. With so many children to care for, some of the Mother's petitioned Elchai to make laws. To help with control. Things got out of hand with that." Mara shook her head, the corners of her mouth turned down.

"And the Coalition? What about that Mother?"

Mara smiled again. "We are all waiting for the Coalition. Three rebels, one is the Son of Thunder, who will put Edan back together again. Only thing is, in the Book, it's written that the Coalition must find each other on their own. And when that happens, the death of one will save the many." She swung her arms at her sides like a small child.

"That's it?" His mouth went dry. He expected a plan. A strategy. Or at least a hint at how and when. Not some story. He turned away and pressed his forehead against the cold stone wall. His side ached.

"It's in the Book, Aliah. If you read it, you'd know. I thought you said you read it." Mara touched his back.

"No, I said I found it. I only read the page about the Coalition. Someone took it from the vault in Lael last night. I found it in Sector Three."

"So you've discovered the Sectors really do exist."

"Well, Sector Three exists." Aliah swallowed and avoided Mara's eyes. At least it did exist, until last night.

"Everything will be just fine, Aliah. Just wait for the Son of Thunder to come. He'll know what to do."

Tears pricked his eyes at the tenderness in her voice. She sounded so much like the way he remembered her in his bits of fractured memories. "Did you know the Book would be stolen last night, Mother?"

She smiled and pressed a finger to her lips. Then before she returned to the children she whispered, "all I know is everything will be alright now. You'll see."
CHAPTER 33

Shai

Kael's eyes looked like two dark raisins in a slice of sweet bread. The sunrise reddened his face. His forehead creased as he frowned. Why did her presence disturb him so much?

Shai folded her hands in front of her to steady their shaking and lifted her chin as he approached.

"What did my sister say to you?" His tone rattled her, but she pressed her lips together. He sighed and pulled on a pair of gloves that shone glossy-black. He pushed some smoking pieces of wood aside from the pile near her. His hair was dark like Ava's, cut short around his ears and neck. Similar to Aliah's, but without the curl.

A pang of confliction hit her again.

Kael pulled a few blackened jars from the pile and stacked them near Shai. The strange gloves must be resistant to heat; he just kept tossing smoldering wood aside and pulling jars from the ashes without seeming to burn his hands.

He straightened and looked hard at Shai. "I asked you what Ava said to you over there. You two looked pretty intense."

Shai shrugged one shoulder. She meant it to seem casual, but the steady way he looked at her made her feel stiff and awkward.

"She's nice. Just welcomed me. To... Sector Three." The words sounded foreign.

"Whoa! She talks!" Kael held his hands against his face in mock surprise and when he stooped to dig through the pile again, Shai stifled a laugh. Two black, hand prints clearly marked both cheeks.

"Hey, I'd help if I had a pair of those gloves."

He barely glanced at her as he shoved one hand into his back trouser pocket, pulled out another pair then tossed them to her. Her small hands swam inside them, but at least the gloves would offer protection.

"Just stack the jars there." He gestured by tipping his head. "And if you come across... anything else just holler."

"Anything else?" She crouched beside him and moved some wood, feeling nothing more than mild heat in her hands.

"Yeah. Like... lanterns, utensils, dishes, a book..."

"A book?" A flutter started in her stomach and worked up to her throat.

Kael gave her a funny look. "A book. You know, it has pages, a cover."

"I know what a book is. I've seen one before... But wouldn't it have burned in the fire?"

"Not this book." Kael's lips barely moved when he said that and he kept his eyes down. They worked in silence digging up a few more jars and one lantern. Kael stood suddenly and pressed a fist into his lower back, groaning. Shai stood too and stretched.

"I don't need you here." Kael's face flushed pink. "I mean, there's nothing left to salvage here. It's obvious this Supply House completely burned down. Go help Ava. Take some of these jars to her. She'll need them to feed all those people." He bent over the pile again and Shai gathered a few jars in her arms.

She turned to go then stopped. "What bothers you so much about me being here?"

Kael stood and walked over to her, his eyes dark and hard again. "You're a Laelite. A puppet. Just doing what you're told. You contribute nothing to the Division, yet you take from us. So excuse me for not being pleased that you're here." He poked his finger hard into her shoulder on the word 'nothing' and when she walked away the feeling of his finger remained, echoing his words.

I'm not a puppet. She bit the inside of her lip. I had no idea Conley existed until today. How could I contribute to a community I knew nothing about? But her heart burned with something deeper. Something worse. Her whole life she'd been told nothing existed outside of Lael except the Borderless, which supposedly stretched on forever. But she'd been lied to.

Frustration and anger clung to her like the soot on her clothing, but she had nothing to spend it on. Who could she blame for the lie she'd been living?

The flutter in her stomach grew stronger. She leaned into it and gripped it with her heart. She was part of something bigger than Lael and the Borderless. Something that no one wanted her to know about. And the Book, that Remiel told her to get, had something to do with it. In Lael, she had no hope of ever getting close to it, especially since Sileas had died trying.

But now the Book was here. Or at least it was.
CHAPTER 34

Aliah

By the time Aliah left the cave, Mara had returned to the children, humming old Laelite lullabies. He'd asked her another question about the Book, but her blank stare told him she'd already forgotten their conversation.

He walked hood-down through the Borderless woods passing abandoned camps with cold fire-pits, but no sign of Shai. His side had grown stiff, but it looked clean enough and seemed to be healing. The sunlight was stronger outside of Lael, the trees greener and... He tipped his head and listened. The sounds of birds, squirrels, and tree frogs a pleasing chorus.

The boundary of Conley appeared suddenly on his right, a line of black-barked trees with a crescent carved into the white wood. He stayed hidden behind the trees and watched groups of people haul charred wood, metal scraps and blackened remains of buildings and their contents onto a large pile near the community's entrance.

His heart leaped in his throat when a fair-haired young girl emerged from behind a smoking pile of wood carrying something. Her hair hung loose and wavy around her shoulders instead of pulled into a bun. A wave of heat flashed across the mark on his chest when she looked up. He pressed tighter against the tree and tried to think invisible thoughts. When he peeked around the tree again she'd gone. He sighed and moved closer to Conley's entrance, a cluster of shorter trees that flanked the road leading in. He crouched, imagining Shai among the Conley's. He never told her anything about the land outside of Lael. As a Watcher he was forbidden to mention anything about the raids or what he saw while watching.

Now that she was aware of life beyond Lael he wondered how she was accepting it. Did it stir up the old Son of Thunder stories and bring her false hope or did it fuel her anger towards him, thinking he'd kept the truth from her?

"Ace." A voice behind him startled him and he twisted around then winced and grabbed his side. The young woman from the previous night stood with her hands on her hips, eyes narrowed. Some of her dark hair had sprung free from her braid and curled around her face and neck. Dark smudges beneath her eyes and on one cheek made Aliah's stomach hollow. He knew he was at least partly responsible for her sleepless night. He stood slowly and kept his eyes on her.

"If my father knew you came back here after..."

"Why don't you tell him then?" He swallowed the guilt as a picture of Akan beating Mallak came into his mind.

"He nearly died, Ace." Her voice wavered and she sniffed. Her green eyes filled, but not a single tear spilled over. Her resolve reminded him of Shai.

"Then arrest me. Punish me for my infraction. I'm sorry about what happened. You're right, I was there, but I can't change what happened." He held his hands up in surrender.

She snorted. "Right. Arresting you won't do any good, considering our Holding House has been burned to the ground." She dropped her hands to her sides and looked him up and down like Ellersly had done earlier, only her face held no compassion.

"I should let my brother know you're here. He'd love to finish you off."

"Your brother nearly did that already." Aliah moved his cloak to expose a dark red stain spreading across his sweater.

Ava laughed. "Kael couldn't have done that. He wouldn't have left you alive."

"You have two brothers? Is the other one this height?" He held his arm out chest-high and Ava's eyes widened. "Arlie did that to you? He was there? He could've... been killed." Her shoulders slumped.

"Look, I already said I'm sorry about... everything. I'll go... I'm just here to get someone. Her name's Shai. Blonde, blue-eyed."

Ava crossed her arms. "No. She's not here."

"Well I saw here a minute ago over there." He pointed and Ava gave him a hard look.

"I said no, Ace. If she did come here then it was for a reason. We're responsible for her now and I'm not going to just hand anyone over to a... Watcher." She spat the last word out and Aliah cringed. He'd have to think of another way. He turned to go, but Ava's hand on his arm stopped him. He pulled away.

"Oh, did I break one of your Laws by touching you? Force you to commit an infraction?"

Aliah ignored the sarcasm. "It's not that." He looked past her at a tall man with dark hair who walked quickly toward them. "I'll go now."

Ava raised a hand and called out, "Hi Kael. I'll be right there. Just tending to someone who was injured in the fire." She put her arm around Aliah's waist and guided him down the muddy road.

"I'm taking you to my father's house. Our nurse will look after you there, then you need to be on your way."

"Why?" Aliah looked down at her and she glanced up, meeting his eyes briefly then looked away.

"Because you can't stay here. I'm responsible for these people and I can't have a Watcher in my Sector. No matter how... different he is."

He cast a sideways glance at her. "No. Why look after my wound at all?"

Her arm tightened slightly around him and she blew out a slow breath of air before answering. "Like I said, I think you're different. And I don't think you're a true Laelite either. Your eyes... you look like you have Conley in your blood."

They reached a large stone house with a red roof and wide brick steps and stopped.

"Call it a hunch or intuition... whatever. I think you don't really know who you are. But when you figure it out the world had better watch out." She winked then patted his chest.

She left him in the care of an older woman, with pure white hair, who waited for him to climb the steps.

When he reached the last step Ava called out to him. "Leave my father alone, Ace. He won't want to see you. I'll come check on you later."

He stepped inside the bright interior plagued with guilt. He shouldn't be here, allowing these people to look after him. Not after what he had done to them.

He shook himself. Guilt could wait. He had come for Shai. And in the meantime, he could get some much needed rest and maybe find out more about what these people knew about the Book.
CHAPTER 35

Shai

Small groups of people come in shifts to eat in one of the few wood buildings left standing. Long tables had been erected down the center aisle for people to sit on both sides. Shai had never seen so many people of different ages. Men with wrinkles around their eyes and long white beards. Children holding hands with woman whose shoulders stooped and lines creased their faces. Infants carried in the arms of women older than Eliana.

Lael didn't have people like these... raisin people, with their creases and wrinkles. She found their faces interesting and had to force herself not to stare.

A hazy thought came to her. One of her Old World thoughts. The wrinkled face of a man with laughing blue eyes. Grandfather.

She pushed the thought away and focused on the next group coming in.

Shai looked up at each person as they came to get a bowl of hot food. If she'd found her way here then maybe Eliana did too, if she was still alive.

Someone bumped into her and pushed her aside. She clenched her teeth. She hated being crowded and despised being touched even more. It violated her own Rule about personal space. But it was difficult to open the jars of vegetables and fruits she'd brought in, and serve them to people without brushing their hands, or touching their fingertips. Each time she accidentally touched someone she jumped back like her skin was on fire, ignoring their curious stares.

Her palms got slick with sweat when Kael came in with the next group of people. The dark smudges still on his face along with the familiar frown. She ladled some carrots and beats into a bowl and passed them to him. His fingers grazed hers and she flinched. The green of his eyes, a brilliant hue in the light of the afternoon sun shining through the windows. She tried to smile, but his scowl froze it on her face.

He sat with a noisy group of people that looked similar in age. They chatted constantly, looking comical with their smudged faces and brightly-colored clothing streaked with soot.

When Shai handed a bowl to the last person in the group she took a bowl for herself and sat at the end of table near a lady with white hair and pale blue eyes. She left space between her and the old woman, but the lady reached over and patted Shai's arm.

"Thanks for helping us today, dear. You're from Kent right? I can tell by your eyes. I was born there too, but married my Conley man."

Shai smiled at the old woman, but any words stuck in her throat. Kent? Was that another Sector? She glanced at the woman's 'Conley man.' Specks of orange peeked out of his long grey beard, the remnants of his lunch, his eyes as bright a green as carrot tops.

Shai looked away and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She scanned the room. Kael sat at the opposite end of the room staring straight at her. She refused to be the first to look away. She pressed her lips together and tried to make her eyes as hard his. He pushed his bowl away then stormed out of the building.

Ava set a bowl of sliced peaches and cherries on the table in front of Shai and sat across from her. She crossed her arms on the table and rested her chin on them.

"Don't worry about Kael. He doesn't like anyone, not even himself. He's too obsessed with his studies to care about anything else. This fire is just a distraction to him, so that makes him angry. Angrier." She laughed and Shai smiled.

"His studies? What's he studying?"

"Oh, the Coalition, the history of the Division. He says that if the Coalition is ever formed then there will be a great war between the Sectors worse than the original War Between Worlds, and society as we know it will end. He thinks he's some kind of dooms-day prophet or something." Ava rolled her eyes then sat up. "Oh, forgive me. I guess the Borderless don't talk about those things."

Shai shook her head and held her shaking fingers in her lap. "I... I'm not Borderless, Ava."

Ava reached across the table and took Shai's hand in hers. "I know. But you're not a mindless puppet either."

Shai dropped her eyes and Ava squeezed her hand harder. "Do you know anything about the Sectors?"

Shai shook her head unwilling to trust her voice.

"Well I'll tell you about them sometime. But don't listen to Kael. He should've been born in Sector Seven. They're machinists. They provide the Division with metal works and they make weapons. They believe the only way to get things done is by sheer force." She patted Shai's hand then stacked their empty bowls. "I do appreciate the Kent's willpower though." She excused herself to clean up before the next group arrived.

Shai remained sitting, twisting the hem of her dirty tunic in her lap. As much as she didn't want to she had to talk to Kael again to learn more about the Book. She had to know where to find it and what made it so important.
CHAPTER 36

Aliah

His wound had been cleaned and stitched and the old nurse promised with a smile that he would mend.

He laid shirtless under a white sheet on a narrow cot, and surveyed his surroundings. The room had high ceilings, warm wood floors and walls, and a large fire burning in a stone fireplace. Several paintings of meadows with flowers and grassy fields with brightly-colored houses decorated the walls.

A pungent salve had been applied to the bandage to numb his wound and the hot tea the nurse brought him made him feel sleepy. The walls began moving and the ceiling rippled like water. He rubbed his eyes. When he looked up, two Ava's were bent over him, green eyes crinkling with her wide smile.

"I see the remedy's working." She touched his face with the back of her hand like his mother would have.

"A li'l too well, I think. There's two of you."

Ava laughed. "That's the side-effect I'm afraid. But it will take days off your recuperation time."

"You want me outta here that bad then?" Aliah grinned then tried to reach for her arm and missed.

"Well, if anyone found you here..."

"Anyone? Like your big brother?"

Ava just looked at him, her smile disappeared.

"Okay. I told you I'd leave when I can take Shai with me." He sat up on one elbow. The movement spun the room and he fell back against the cot.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere yet, Ace." She busied herself with re-arranging his pillows and blanket.

"In a day or so you can leave. After the nurse makes sure you're free of any fever or infection."

"It's too late for that. I shoulda tol' you. Death's at my door. Been hunting me down for days already." Aliah closed his eyes and inhaled the sage and lemongrass scent that lingered around Ava.

"Death is near every one of us, Ace."

"No, I mean for real. But the pendant will keep me safe." He sighed and turned his head away from her, suddenly exhausted.

"Oh. A Laelite belief..." Her voice sounded distant like she spoke to him from the opposite end of a tunnel. He drifted off to sleep.

He woke to Ava humming and folding linens at the foot of his bed.

"Well, look who's awake." Her long dark hair hung loose down her back. The bright pink tunic she wore gave her a more youthful appearance.

His head ached and his lips felt dry. She handed him a glass of water. He struggled to sit up and let the sheet fall off his chest. Ava went back to folding.

"Another side-effect. Sleep for days and wake up starving and with a terrible head-ache because of thirst."

He drained the glass and carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed. His face burned. He was bare-chested and only had on a pair of light beige trousers that weren't his own.

"I've slept for days?" His eyes darted around the room. "You undressed me? Where are my clothes?"

"No, you only slept for twenty-two hours. I had your clothes washed. Don't worry, I didn't undress you, the nurse did." She tossed his folded tunic and trousers casually to him, like he shouldn't have a problem being undressed while unconscious. He searched his trouser pockets then threw them on the floor. He ran a hand through his hair. His heart raced.

"I... I had something important..."

Ava faced him, her face drawn, the ever-present smile faded. She pulled a folded paper from her own pocket and held it out to him.

"My brother has been looking for hours for his precious Book. I should've known you'd taken it." He expected anger, but not the sadness that showed in her eyes.

He took the paper, stood and tucked it into his waistband then grabbed her arm. She let him pull her towards him.

"Ava, I never meant to hurt anyone. But that Book doesn't belong to him. It belongs to the people in Lael. I don't know how it got here, but I need to find it. I can't let it get into the wrong hands." He turned her wrist over and traced the scar there with his finger. "This... mark you have, that your father gave you on the day of your birth, it identifies you, right? It... tells you where you belong." He looked up at her, surprised at the tears in her eyes. He pointed to his chest. "This is my mark. I don't know why, but I believe it's important. There are only three of us who have this mark. I found that out because of the Book. And if I find the other two who have this mark then... well, I need the Book so I know what has to happen next. All I know is if everything goes according to plan, Lael won't have to fear the enemy anymore. That enemy is coming after Shai and I need to protect her."

Ava nodded then pressed her other hand gently against the mark on his chest. His skin prickled beneath her warm palm. "What about Shai? Is she marked like you?"

He dropped her wrist and turned away. He pulled his sweater on before answering, his back to her. "No. At least I doubt it. She would've told me."

"But she knows about yours?" She touched his shoulder and he turned around again.

"No. It's better that she doesn't know. Safer. Until I understand it a little more. "

"Do you love her?" Ava's green eyes were wide and glittered with tears.

Aliah shook his head. "Love is... not something I know. Feelings like that lead to infractions, and as a Watcher I have a responsibility to protect the Laelites from those crimes. I don't have to love someone to protect them." He picked up his trousers and his blanket she'd washed and shoved them into his bag. Ava watched him.

"Ace, there's something you should know. My brother knows a lot about..." She looked around then whispered, "your Book. Kael even knows who wrote it. I feel like I need to warn you not to go to Sector Seven, north of here. The leader there is dangerous. His name is Elchai."

Chills spread through Aliah's body. He didn't expect Elchai to be in the Northern Borderless territory. He had just sent his mother and Ellersly right into Elchai's hands.

He swallowed hard and nodded. "Thanks."

"Be careful, Ace. I don't know what's in that Book, but my brother has spent his whole life trying to decipher its secrets. And when it arrived here the other night, they asked him to protect it, now he will do anything to find it."

Aliah slung the bag over his shoulder. "Do you know who brought the Book to him?"

She shook her head. "I didn't see who it was."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Ava. For everything." He walked to the door then stopped and turned around. "I'll bring the trousers back when I have a chance to wash them." He winked at the young woman then opened the heavy wood door.

"Ava!" A deep voice thundered from inside the house and Aliah smiled as Ava rushed down the hall before he shut the door.

Relief flooded him. At least her father sounded alive and well.
CHAPTER 37

Shai

She found Kael elbow-deep in bricks and mortar, re-building a house with a group of young men. A line of sweat trickled down her back in the hot sun. Everything about Conley was intense, including its people and their weather.

She watched Kael drink from a canteen that hung from a clip off his belt. His shirtless back glistened with sweat, his dark hair shiny in the sun. He turned and wiped his face with a forearm then frowned when he saw her.

"Thought you'd gone home by now."

"I... I want to talk to you, Kael." She hated that she sounded squeaky.

He raised one eyebrow then wiped his hands on his trousers before walking over to her. "About what?" Sweat shone along his upper lip and she stared at it.

"That Book you were looking for, why is it important to you?"

"Why is it important to you?" His eyes narrowed.

"I think it's from Lael and I just want... I just need to understand some things. About my family." She shoved her hand into her pocket and squeezed the key for reassurance.

"I didn't know you believed in family. You're an orphan aren't you?" Kael smirked.

Shai curled her hands into fists. How could someone with such kind-looking eyes be so cruel? She turned around and walked away with her back rigid.

Kael caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder, turning her around. "I... I'm a little protective about that Book. It's my life's work."

"Your life's work? What are you, barely eighteen? And you've only had it for a few hours at most."

Kael threw his head back and laughed. "So, you're feisty. I may have been wrong about you."

Shai frowned. She hadn't meant to be funny.

"I'm nineteen actually. My sister is eighteen. And yes, my whole life I've worked at deciphering the codes in that Book." The gleam disappeared from his eyes again and the brooding demeanor returned. "I don't know what you want with it, Shai from the Borderless. But I wouldn't go poking around asking questions."

"Or else?" She crossed her arms and matched his stony look.

He shook his head then leaned towards her, his face inches from hers. She could see darker flecks of green in his irises. "That key of yours... makes you a target. Just watch your back."

She pushed both hands against his chest and he stumbled back with a look of surprise.

"When you're an orphan you learn real fast how to fend for yourself. Watch your back!" She stormed off towards a make-shift shelter.

"You and your friend better leave Conley! And today isn't soon enough!"

Shai willed herself to keep walking and not run. Her body went hot then cold. Her friend?

The shelter was full of younger woman with children on cots and blanket-nests on the ground. Ava had suggested she take a bed at the back of the shelter for more privacy. But Shai got the feeling that it was for protection, from others, or others from her, she wasn't sure which.

She threw herself across the cot and buried her face in a blanket. The heat had become nearly unbearable, but she preferred it to Lael's constant storms and bleak skies.

"Your friend is really handsome." Shai rolled over and looked up into the wrinkled face of an old woman with grey hair and watery brown eyes.

Shai shook her head and sat up. "Kael's not my friend."

The woman chuckled and sat beside Shai. She was so thin, the bed barely dented under her weight. "Kael? Oh my, no. Kael's only friend is his Book. I meant your wounded friend from Lael. Dark hair, green eyes. Heard him asking Ava about some book. I wonder if it's the same one as Kael's." The woman looked pointedly at Shai beneath white eye brows.

Shai's heart nearly stopped. "Aliah? He's here?"

The old woman shook her head and patted Shai's hand. Her leathery skin felt warm and dry. "His name's Ace I think, Ava said. I'm the Conley nurse. Stitched him up real good and gave him some tea to help him sleep. Been out a few hours now. He keeps calling for you in his sleep."

She got up and smiled at Shai who sat with a stone in her stomach.

"Ava said not to bother you, but if I were in your shoes I wouldn't let that one get away." The woman wobbled away with a hitch in her step.

Shai stared after her until she reached the shelter's entrance. "Wait!" Weaving around children playing on the floor, she hurried after the nurse. "You mentioned the Book. Do you know what's written in it?"

The older woman smiled. "All I know is someone came here the other night asking for Kael. He went all starry-eyed when he was asked to protect that Book; went to great length's trying to keep it hidden. His father doesn't know he has it. Mallak never wanted any part of it and certainly doesn't want his children involved in any future wars. There've been many deaths surrounding that Book and if it's in the wrong hands many more will die. It's the reason why you and your friend need to stick together." She patted Shai's cheek then disappeared into the bright sun.

Shai licked her lips tasting sweat and dirt. Her head felt as though it might lift off from her shoulders and float away.

So. Aliah was here.
CHAPTER 38

Aliah

Ava hadn't said where he could find Shai. He got the impression that she didn't want him to know. Is she protecting Shai?

He looked in several make-shift shelters and asked everyone he saw if they'd seen a blonde, blue-eyed girl. They all gave him the same look: are you kidding? Look around. It wouldn't be easy trying to find Shai with several different Sectors helping to rebuild Conley. It seemed every eye color was represented.

He entered a large building with tables down the center, and breathed in the scent of canned vegetables and meat in broth that mingled with the smell of too many warm bodies packed into a confined space. He tossed his bag on the nearest bench and waited in line to get a bowl. Bright sunlight streamed through the bare windows and beat on his back. He wiped his forehead on his sleeve just as someone pushed him from behind. He turned around expecting an apology, but found himself looking up into steady green eyes. The young man had broad shoulders and dark hair. The resemblance to Ava was startling.

"Kael." Aliah clenched his teeth. He pressed his forearm against his waistband, holding the page from the Book tightly against himself.

Kael raised an eyebrow then smirked. "Ah, my reputation precedes me. Welcome to Conley. I'm sure you'll be leaving soon."

"Soon enough." The two stared at each other.

Kael's mouth twitched. "Just mind your own business and you'll do well. My sister doesn't quite see the danger in you being here, but she doesn't know what I know."

Aliah turned back around and took the bowl of stew that was offered to him. He sat at the table and waited for Kael to walk past him with his food. He curled his fingers around a slim, table knife and slid it up inside his sleeve.

"What do you think you know, Kael?"

Kael slammed his bowl on the table and the broth sloshed out. Several people nearby jumped, and an older woman clutched her chest.

"I don't think I know, Ace! I know!" He leaned across the table. "It might seem like a good thing to bring together the Coalition, but if you're not prepared for the consequences..." Sweat popped out on Kael's forehead and trickled down his face.

"What consequences!" Aliah stood and leaned on his fists, which pressed into the table. The knife slid down, ready to drop into his palm.

But Kael deflated, shook his head, and sat down, holding his head. All the fight seemed to have left him. "I don't know... I haven't gotten that far in deciphering it. It went missing in the fire. All I know is there are three keys and three people. If they come together... bam! The largest war between Sectors will extend to the Outerlands." His eyes looked wild, his cheeks red.

The Outerlands. Aliah stared at Kael without really listening anymore. He remembered his mother mentioning the Outerlands too. It was on the map, beyond the Division of Edan.

Aliah's attention was abruptly turned back to Kael who had started to raise his voice and jab the air with his spoon for emphasis.

"I will do everything in my power to stop that War from happening!" Kael's eyes glazed over and his lips moved. Aliah heard him chant in a low voice: "Out of the ashes, out of the fire. Born of blood, forged in tears. A passion stronger than the grave."

Aliah sat down and ate in silence. Kael stopped chanting, but remained trance-like, still holding his head. The people resumed their chatter around them, apparently accustomed to Kael's outbursts.

Aliah shook his head, grabbed his bag and stood. The motion seemed to awaken Kael. When he raised his head his face was drawn and tired-looking.

As Aliah passed him, Kael stood and gripped his shoulder. "Ava told me you're here to bring Shai back with you. But I'm warning you to leave her alone. For her sake. I know you must care for her."

Aliah side-stepped Kael and wove his way around people as he headed back outside. These people speak so much about care and love, but what do they really know? He was the one who protected Shai. Every day. And he was willing to die doing it.

He thought of the words on the page he had torn from the Book: 'Eli and Elyon under one Commanding Officer, The Son of Thunder.' Eli and Elyon. Who are they? Sweat prickled his upper lip. Eli. What if it's Shai Eli? He wiped his mouth across his sleeve. No, it can't be. That would only complicate things. Eli and Elyon are first names. So who are they? Where are they?

The clenching of his gut told him that Kael probably knew the answer.
CHAPTER 39

Shai

She hung around the cot shelters for the afternoon, pacing and chewing the split skin around her fingernails until they bled.

She didn't want to see him. She didn't trust him. He'd lied to her. Locked her up. Left her. Then tracked her here. He knew the Book was here too. The old nurse said they should stick together. But why?

Ava came towards her with a huge smile. She clapped her hands together. "Good news! The power's back on and we have running water again!" Ava grabbed Shai's arms and twirled her around.

"Power?"

"Yes! Sector One manufactures power, converting water into usable energy to supply the Division with electricity. The Borderless, as well as Lael, doesn't live with power, of course, so you wouldn't know that. But the best news is that we can get cleaned up." She took Shai's elbow and pulled her along as she walked.

"Everyone is working so quickly and efficiently together. I don't think I've ever seen the Sectors come together like this. By the end of the week we should have half the houses rebuilt." She laughed and Shai couldn't help but smile. Ava's exuberance reminded her of Sileas. She blinked back tears and bit the inside of her cheek.

"So, where's your Bath House?"

"Bath House? No, no... you mean bath room. Every house is equipped with one. Where... where do you bathe?"

"We have a community bath house, but we respect each other's Privacy Rules." She added the last part when she saw Ava frown. The heat turned Ava's face shiny red and her curly dark hair stuck to the sides of her face and forehead. Curls like Aliah's.

"Hey, Shai. You look sad all of a sudden. You okay?"

"I just... I heard Ace was here. I know you've seen him. I... don't really want to see him. He doesn't want to hurt me, I know, but..."

Ava cleared her throat. "You don't have to explain. It's okay. He packed up and left a while ago. To look for you I think. Says he won't leave without you. Stay in my house tonight. He won't expect you to be there and besides Kael will be there, so Aliah won't dare try and see you."

She took Shai's hand and swung their clasped hands between them as they walked. Shai looked at their interlaced fingers and a dim memory bubbled up, but deflated as quickly as it came.

Then she thought of Kael. He'd be in the same house as Shai. Ava meant well when she hinted that Aliah wouldn't get past her brother, but Ava didn't know Aliah. Nothing stopped him from doing what he intended to do. She wasn't sure who she felt safer being around. She didn't want to see Aliah, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to see Kael either.

The opulence of Ava's family home left Shai awe-struck. Each room had a particular theme and scent. Lilies in the Great Room with dark wood and orange accents, a clean linen scent in the Dining Room which was painted light blue with white furnishings, fresh bread in the Kitchen and eucalyptus in the guest room, set up as a temporary nursing station. She paused in the guest room and stared at the cot with rumpled sheets and the dent in the pillow. Aliah had been here. A flash of heat struck her chest as she imagined his dark head on the pillow, his lean body lying under the white sheets.

Ava squeezed her hand. "Come. I'll show you the bathroom."

Shai allowed herself to be led to a sea-foam blue colored room with an oversized oval tub. A stack of fuzzy towels sat in a wicker basket near the tub next to a white bath mat that Shai longed to scrunch her bare toes in. She felt Ava watching her and turned to see a tender look on the young woman's face.

"Your appreciation for simple things reminds me of my mother. She had a great love for Conley's textiles. She enjoyed filling each room with different colors and fabrics just so she could look at them and touch them." She dropped Shai's hand and turned the faucet on the big tub.

"It's all yours. The adjoining door leads to the room you can stay in for the night. I'll make sure you have clean clothes."

"What happened? To your mother?" Shai asked quietly.

Ava dropped her eyes, a shadow crossed her face. "She died. In some war or something. I'm... not really sure exactly. Neither my father nor my brother talk about her anymore." Her face brightened again. "I'm sure you'll enjoy this bath tub. Take your time."

After a deliciously long, hot bath, Shai put on a pair of clean blue trousers and a lemon yellow shirt with no sleeves. She twirled around a few times, enjoying the comfort of the new style of clothing. She loved the way her cheeks looked healthy and pink against the shirt's bright color.

She let her damp hair hang loose around her shoulders to dry. Before she left the guest room she tucked the key beneath the mattress.

The hallway glowed with a soft light that emanated from little glass globes suspended from the ceiling. She marveled at the way they lit up without having a flame inside. She walked down the hall toward the Great Room staring at the ceiling and bumped into someone.

"Sorry." She mumbled, but couldn't see who it was because of the dark spots in front of her eyes. She blinked, and gradually a face materialized.

"Kael." She started to move past him but he put his arm out, resting his hand on the wall. She pressed her back against the wall when he leaned toward her. His face had been shaved, his dark hair damp and curling around his ears and neck. He smelled like soap. She hated the way she felt light-headed around him.

"Be careful, Shai." It was the first time he'd spoken to her without a scowl. His eyes met hers and her face flushed. She pressed harder against the warmth of the wood wall. Her heart pounded in her ears.

"I'm always careful. But why do you care?"

"That Ace... he, uh, I don't trust him. Just be careful." The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, his eyes concerned. "I know we got off to a bad start... but I just wanted to warn you. He's no good for you."

She put her hand on Kael's arm. Solid, and warm. "Excuse me. But you don't know me. You don't know what's good or not good for me." She felt his arm tighten beneath her hand, the hard bulge of his muscle. He wasn't going to move.

"Shai. You don't understand. If he finds out you have that key... he'll do anything to get it." He leaned closer to her and put his mouth to her ear. "I mean anything."

She frowned and put her arm across his chest then shoved him. He caught her arm and held her wrist firmly.

"Let me go! I've known Aliah my whole life! He would do anything to protect me, not hurt me!"

Kael released her, his eyes suddenly hard, mouth hanging open. "Aliah? As in the Division Leader's son?"

Too late, Shai realized she'd used Aliah's real name. She ran down the hall back to her room.

She slammed the door behind her and leaned against it, chest heaving.

Who was the Division Leader? The only leaders she knew were her own Gracious Leader of Lael, Kael and Ava's father, and of course Samael.

Who was Aliah's father?
CHAPTER 40

Aliah

Fury burned inside him. He didn't like that Kael had put himself in the position of protecting Shai. He needed to find Shai and leave Sector Three.

Aliah asked a group of people hauling brick in a large wooden box on wheels if they'd seen Shai. They shook their heads. He cursed and they frowned as he slung his bag over his shoulder, bumping the wound in his side.

He could move relatively pain-free now; the salve had worked. Just a thin scar remained where the wound had been, but it was still tender to the touch.

He re-adjusted the bag and peeked his head into another shelter full of women and children. He watched them for a few moments, suddenly exhausted. Fatigue coursed through every part of him. If only he could lie down. He forced himself to move on to the next shelter.

A figure in grey trousers and a beige tunic walked down the street toward him. Dark hair brushed the top of broad shoulders. Each stride was long and purposeful. Aliah's stomach lurched. He recognized that walk. It couldn't be. It had been too long. He dropped his bag on the ground and stood with his feet apart, waiting. Watching.

As the figure got closer, Aliah saw dark stubble on the cheeks, a dimpled chin and pale blue eyes that turned his blood cold. The scar that ran a jagged path from his right eye to the corner of his mouth brought up a memory that pricked Aliah's eyes with heat and dampened his palms.

Remiel.

"You're supposed to be dead." Aliah's voice came out thick and scratchy.

"That's a fine greeting." Remiel's eyes held his in a long look.

Aliah's head spun and spots swam before his eyes like he'd been looking into the sun too long. He squeezed his eyes shut then re-opened them. Remiel was still there, grinning. Remiel touched Aliah's shoulder making his skin blaze fiery hot beneath Remiel's touch.

Aliah stepped back, his hands in front of his face like a shield. "Don't touch me!"

"I won't hurt you, Aliah. I'm here to help you. Both you and Shai." Remiel picked Aliah's bag off the ground and slung it across his own back. "Let me help you. You look tired."

Aliah rubbed his hands over his face. Go away, go away! "I don't want your help, Remiel! I thought I made that clear a long time ago. How..." He let the rest of the question dangle. He knew Remiel had an uncanny way of answering questions before they were asked.

Remiel began walking and Aliah followed two feet behind. This is not happening.

Pictures suddenly flashed through his mind, pictures he had stuffed away in the corner of his memory: yelling at Remiel on the bridge in Lael, punching him over and over until the blood ran from a deep gash in his face and Aliah's knuckles swelled. Pushing Remiel off the bridge and watching him float down the river. The faces of the children as they witnessed it all. Shai, her eyes swollen with tears and refusing to listen to his explanation.

He stared at the back of Remiel's head as he walked. Is he really alive?

"I'm alive because my life was never in your hands, Aliah. You wear that pendant because Samael convinced you that you'd die without it. But what you don't know will kill you. The Essence inside it is poisoning your mind. Altering your memories."

Remiel turned around. His blue eyes shone with unshed tears. "You went to Samael to cover up what you believed you'd done to me. He convinced you of your guilt and helped you cover it up. But you couldn't erase your conscience. I know you remember."

Aliah shook his head then held his hands over his ears. Shut up! If he yelled at the top of his voice maybe it would drown out Remiel.

"Now the Laelites live with the lie that Samael helped you create: the lie of the pendants. No one remembers that day. No one remembers me because you traded the truth for a lie. But you remember. Even if you remember nothing else about us, I know you remember that day. And Mara remembers, doesn't she? Because she lives without the pendant now." Remiel's eyes remained fixed, staring into Aliah's soul, piercing through flesh and bone.

Still Aliah yelled. His throat hurt and his head ached from his own screams, but he could still hear Remiel. He closed his eyes and dropped to his knees, squeezing his ears so hard they popped with the pressure.

"Get rid of the pendant, Aliah." Remiel's voice spoke softly, but ripped through his head like a double-edged blade. "You sold out to your enemy. You've forgotten who you are, but that can change. Just take the pendant off."

Aliah could barely breathe. His chest hurt. His head hurt. Blood trickled down his throat. He'd probably die in Conley's streets with everyone watching.

Remiel's voice became softer. "Shai is going to find the Book. She has to do it, Aliah. Don't try and stop her."

Aliah collapsed on the ground, his breath coming in jerks. His face was wet. Had he been crying? He uncovered his ears and opened his eyes. He wasn't on the street. He was laying on a cot in a shelter, with the old nurse leaning over him. The light of the full moon revealed her wrinkled face, full of concern.

"Maybe you want some more of that tea, Ace? You've been crying in your sleep."

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. His tunic stuck to his damp skin. All around him people slept on cots or on the floor under a mound of blankets. He shook his head.

"No, no. Thanks, Nurse. I... I just need air."

She smiled and nodded at him. He stepped over the sleeping bodies and stood in the entrance to the shelter. A gentle wind ruffled his hair and he inhaled the breeze with a shuddering breath. He knew better than to believe it'd only been a dream. It must have been a trance, or a vision similar to Shai's visions of Remiel.

Shai started having visions of Remiel after Aliah had killed him. He never knew why she had them, just like he didn't know why he couldn't erase certain images from his mind. He couldn't remember anything else though, like how long ago it had happened. Time seemed to have folded in on itself.

No one remembered anything about that day, not even Shai. Pieces of memories that were more like flashbacks rained down on him periodically like ash during a raid-fire. He wished he could erase them entirely, but somehow it always flowed back to him on waves of guilt.

He touched the chain at his throat. Twisted the glass pendant until it pinched his neck. He'd seen Shai play with hers like that more than a dozen times ever since the day Samael put it around her neck. She was always touching it and twisting it, like she knew it didn't belong there.

But he knew she didn't remember the day Samael brought the pendants to Lael.

Aliah turned his face up to the star-speckled sky. He inhaled the crisp, evening air and rammed his fingers into his hair. An image flashed into his mind, and beads of sweat broke out on his upper lip.

Amusement on Samael's face made the corners of his mouth twitch. His fingers lingered on

Shai's skin as he fastened the pendant around her neck.

"No," Aliah whispered to the moon. I should have ripped that pendant off her. I should have told her it was all a lie. A big mistake. If I would've confessed to the infraction none of this would be happening.

He pulled on his own chain and felt it give slightly. One quick tug and he'd be rid of it. He dropped it back inside his tunic. I can't do it. I don't want the other memories.

How much longer would it be until his mental anguish became greater than the pain it took to change? He clenched his teeth. Hold it together. For Shai's sake.
CHAPTER 41

Shai

She had let her guard down for too long. She enjoyed these people too much. She had even begun to enjoy their physical contact, breaking her own personal Rule. Shai caught herself stealing glimpses of Kael, looking at him longer than the situation called for while her heart raced its warning: strong feelings are dangerous.

She laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. The moon shone brighter here than in Lael, and its soft light came through the window and slanted across one wall.

She didn't want to leave these people, but her time was running out. In seventeen days Elchai would come to get her unless he had already discovered her missing. What would he do? Send a search party? Come for her himself?

I have to leave, but where should I go? Ava confirmed that the old world of Edan had been divided into seven Sectors with Lael in the center. Conley was Sector Three but, Shai didn't know where the other Sectors were located or which one she should go to.

She had followed the trail East from Thunder Manor through the Borderless, so going west was out, she'd only be backtracking, so that left North or South. But she couldn't leave without finding the Book. Even though she didn't know what to do once she found it.

The old nurse said Kael always kept the Book hidden. After the fire he'd been looking through the ashes of the Supply House for it, but she didn't think he found it yet.

Ava told her the Watchers had started the fire. If Aliah was known to them as "Ace," then it confirmed he had another identity. Why is Aliah here? To look for me? Or to look for the Book? She turned to face the wall and ran a thumb nail along a thin crack in the paint. The shadows of her fingers stretched long and skinny. A strange and dark version of her hands. She shuddered and rolled back over. Lately it seemed as though Aliah had become a strange, dark version of himself. Who is he really? Who is his father?

If only Remiel would appear now. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to conjure him up. She even tried chanting his name a few times, but neither the familiar colored dots appeared nor the darkening of her vision.

She finally flipped off the covers and sat up. A strangled sound erupted from her throat. A shadowy form filled the window. She started to scream, but the figure leaped on her and smashed his hand over her mouth.

She tried to bite his hand, but her lips were pressed so hard against her teeth that she tasted blood. She gagged and struggled against him. He pushed her down and straddled her, his hand pressing her lips harder against her teeth. The more she squirmed and kicked the tighter he held her down. She could hardly breathe.

She pressed her arms against the bed and grabbed two fistfuls of bed sheet. Just breathe...

The moonlight glinted off the man's short blonde hair and when he leaned closer to her she saw his face in the half-light.

Zev.

She hadn't noticed until then that he had one arm behind his back. When he brought his arm out she saw the glint of steel in his hand. He pressed the tip of the knife against her throat. It pricked her skin and she winced. Something wet and warm trickled down her neck. She stared at him, his face half hidden by shadows. His mouth curled into a snarl. He leaned over her, his mouth so close to her face she felt the brush of his lips against her cheek.

"Your life is in my hands," he whispered. His breath sent waves of heat down her neck as his mouth moved to her ear. "If you deliver the Book to me in Gershom I will spare your life. You have seventeen days."

She twisted beneath him until one arm became free. She dug her fingers into the flesh of his wounded shoulder. He yelled, his body contorted and she kicked him off her. He twisted sideways and grabbed her nightshirt as she rolled to the edge of the bed.

She heard fabric ripping. She grabbed the hem of her nightshirt and wrenched it from him. The momentum made her lose her balance and she fell to the floor.

"Shai, you alright?" Kael's voice came through her closed door. Her heart leaped into her throat. Zev's face appeared at the edge of the bed looking wild-eyed and furious. Before she could move he leaped.

The door opened and Kael stepped in. The moon shone across his bare feet, his night clothes a ghostly-white.

"My room's next door. I heard you yelling..." She watched his feet come closer. She laid still, face down on the soft rug beside the bed. He got down on one knee near her head.

"Are you going to get up?" He offered her his hand. Her throat squeezed. Where was Zev? She got up on her hands and knees then took Kael's hand. He pulled her to her feet and gave her a funny look, his mouth twisted in a half-grin, eyes bright in the moonlight.

"Must've been some nightmare. You, uh, ripped your nightshirt and you must have scratched yourself. You're bleeding."

She glanced down. The neck of her nightshirt had torn several inches, exposing her left shoulder. She touched her throat where the tip of Zev's knife had nicked her. It stung, but didn't bleed much.

She turned around and scanned the room.

He's gone.

A shadow flitted past the window. She ran and looked out. No sign of Zev, just a wolf that ran across the street and disappeared into the trees.
CHAPTER 42

Aliah

The sky had turned a soft pink and began deepening to rose when he shoved his blanket, cloak, and the table knife he'd stolen into his bag before leaving the shelter. He began walking to the last row of shelters to find Shai.

His eyes hurt like they'd been washed with sand and he smelled briny. There was no time to wash. He had to find Shai and leave Conley. Heading to Kent, where Elchai was, seemed to be the safest option. Since Elchai and Samael were enemies, Elchai would likely offer protection. He didn't relish the thought of seeing Elchai, but he had too many things to worry about, like Zev, who was still out there somewhere. His sudden appearance at the Manor pointed to something disturbing. What if he was working for Samael? If he found Shai before Aliah did, then Shai would be delivered to the enemy. Exactly as Samael wanted.

He rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger. He was already in trouble without entertaining those kinds of thoughts. He could almost feel the breath of his pursuers on the back of his neck. He thought of the stories that circulated around Lael. The stories of Samael's Hunters-- wraiths that chased the souls of the wandering Borderless who had no pendant for protection.

Aliah cursed himself for being afraid of such a thing, but a shiver still ran up his back like he'd passed through a cold shadow. Sileas's death proved that Samael was capable of anything. What if Samael realized I've left Lael and he already sent out his Hunters? The death-spirits will suck the life from me.

"Leaving?"

Aliah spun around. Ava stood behind him. Her long hair, free of its braid, rippled in the breeze like a black cape behind her.

"Yes. I...uh, don't want to complicate things around here. You're in the middle of re-building and I told you I only came to find Shai."

"Go home, Ace." Ava narrowed her eyes the way her brother did. "Shai doesn't want to see you. She's with Kael right now. We will look after her. Just... go home."

Aliah frowned. "I thought you understood why I need to take her with me when I leave. It seems like you're doing everything you can to keep me from her. You and your brother. But there's something you don't know. Something that doesn't involve you."

"Oh, I think it does. When you stepped onto Conley land, took what doesn't belong to you and started that fire, you involved me. Shai came to me, and if she says she doesn't want to see you then that's good enough for me."

Aliah's pulse throbbed in his neck. He stepped in front of Ava. The scent of sage and lemongrass swirled around her on the breeze, making him dizzy.

He searched her face, looking past the steely eyes and set jaw. She's vulnerable.

He dug into his tunic pocket and pulled out Eliana's pendant. It was his last hope. He stepped close and skimmed her arm with his thumb. He heard her inhale sharply at his touch, then exhale slowly while her shoulders dropped a little. He spoke softly, keeping his eyes steady on hers.

"Ava, just give this to her. I need you right now. Please do this for me. And tell her I won't leave until I see her." He coiled the chain into Ava's palm and let his fingertips brush hers. "And tell your father and Arlie I'm sorry... for what happened."

Her face softened. "I don't know who you really are, Ace, Watcher of Lael, but I wish... I wish things were different between us." She closed her hand around the pendant. "When you leave, I'm sure Arlie will come out of hiding, and I'll let him know your regrets." She smiled a little. "And I'll make sure Shai gets this. But whether or not she sees you will be up to her."

Aliah watched her walk away. His fingertips tingled where he'd touched her. He hoped the memory of their contact would linger on her skin for a while.

When she'd touched his birthmark earlier he felt something pass between them that he thought only existed between him and Shai. Something powerful and frightening. And the hunger he saw in Ava's eyes compelled him to act on his impulse.

He hoped it worked.
CHAPTER 43

Shai

Breakfast was awkward as Shai sat at a long table in the Dining Room, slowly stirring a steaming bowl of oats and cream. Ava's bowl sat beside her untouched, her father's needs coming before her own. Kael's dark head bent over his breakfast across from Shai. His eyes never quite met hers every time she stole a glance in his direction.

"Want to talk about last night?" He spoke into his bowl making his voice sound as thick as the porridge he hunched over.

"There's nothing to say." Shai continued to stir the cream in her bowl, staring but not really seeing.

Kael dropped his spoon on the table, the loud clang startled Shai. "Nothing to say? C'mon Shai. I'm not stupid. I know about your friend Ace. Don't forget I studied the Division history. I know who he is." He looked at her with fury.

"No, Kael. You don't know anything at all." Shai pushed back her chair and took her half-eaten breakfast to the sink. She felt Kael's eyes on her.

"I know more than you think. I know you're running. Away from everything you were taught to believe. Away from that guy who thinks he owns you."

Shai laughed. "That's what you think I'm doing?" She wiped her hands on a towel. "Well, you're half right. I am running. Running from being chosen to be the mother of the next Leader. Running from a life in Lael, which isn't a life at all." She twisted the towel in her hands until her knuckles turned white. She'd never admitted it before-- the deep dissatisfaction with her life and the yearning for something more. She'd often felt it, but crammed it down, shoved it deep inside until only an achy-numbness remained.

Kael walked over to her, took the towel from her, and held her hands in his. Their warmth comforted her, but also unnerved her.

He whistled softly. "Wow. I didn't know that. I'm sorry." The softness in his voice hurt. She didn't have the energy to sort through emotions she'd avoided feeling her whole life. Anger was less complicated and fear was familiar. This feeling in her stomach was different. It frightened her. Made her feel like a sleeping giant was lying coiled up inside her. If it woke up she feared she'd never be able to control it.

Kael put his hands on either side of her face. The intimacy of his touch sent waves of heat racing down her back and into her toes. She resisted the impulse to pull away.

"Kael, I..." She started, but he slid his thumb over her lips.

"Shai, I know about you too. Where you're from. I know that Lael teaches you to believe that you won't be accepted until you've kept every Law and Rule. I've studied the Laelite ways. I can even say I understand it, sort of." He moved his thumb from her mouth to gently touch the tiny wound on her throat. "But what you believe doesn't change what I believe."

Shai's face flamed. Her legs threatened to buckle. "What do you believe?" She whispered.

"I believe that one day you'll trust what you feel right now." He moved closer. His mouth was suddenly against her neck, then along her collar bone. His hands on the back of her head and lacing up through her hair, pulling her gently towards him. His chest against hers. Her heart beating with his. His mouth worked its way up to her ear, each warm exhale made tiny shivers run up and down her arms.

When his lips touched her cheek she moved her hands around to his back without thinking. Her fingers curled into his shirt, her knuckles pressing against the hard knot of his back muscles. She breathed through slightly parted lips, the smell of his skin and hair made her too light-headed.

His mouth was at the corner of hers, sharing her air. And then his lips met hers. Soft and sticky-sweet. The room spun and she closed her eyes. She moved her trembling hands from his back to his chest, felt his heart beating, almost as fast as hers. Felt him inhale. Felt the sleeping giant open one eye. Oh no. Stop!

She pushed Kael lightly at first, then with a sudden urgency. He broke away and she opened her eyes. Their hands still on each other. He smiled and she stared at his mouth, not believing what had just happened.

"Um. Wow, I don't uh... you've never been kissed have you?" He sounded breathless.

She licked her lips, but the feeling of his mouth on hers remained.

The sound of someone coming into the kitchen made them leap apart.

"Oh. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." Ava's face looked flushed, her eyes red-rimmed and bright. "Ace asked me to give this to you, Shai. He's waiting to see you. He won't leave until he does apparently." She dropped something on the table then turned to go.

"Ava!" Kael called out and started after his sister. "Wait! You... didn't eat. It's getting cold."

"I'm not hungry." The sound of her retreating footsteps echoed down the hall. Shai wondered how she had never heard Ava approaching.

Kael stood silent near the door of the kitchen for a moment then turned around. "Shai, I have to go talk to her. I'll see you later."

When he'd gone she picked up what Ava left on the table: a silver chain attached to a slender, silver tube. Eliana's pendant. Holding her breath, she pushed the cap off. The pale yellow grains of Eliana's Essence were still there.

Her head seemed too heavy for her shoulders. She leaned against a chair and exhaled sharply, waiting until the room stopped spinning. Eliana was still alive and Aliah had come here to let her know. He'd been wanting to see her to tell her that and all this time she'd avoided him because she suspected him of having ulterior motives. I have to thank him.

She returned to the bedroom and pushed her few belongings into a linen bag she'd found. She slung the long handle across her chest and let the bag hang against her left hip.

She held Eliana's pendant in front of the bedroom window, the sun glinted off the pale stone on the front, so similar to her own. She put it around her neck with trembling hands. She knew that by doing so she'd become responsible for Eliana's life.

She stepped into the hall and suddenly felt strange. She was torn. She felt alive with Kael's touch and didn't want to leave, but she also knew it wasn't safe to stay here. She forced her feet to move through the hall and out the front door. Voices coming from the side of the house gave her pause.

"I don't care, Kael! You can't tell me not to get involved with him then go and kiss her!" Ava sounded frustrated and angry. Shai's heart hammered. The 'him' could only be Aliah. Her mouth went dry. Kael mumbled something in response. "Well if they're so dangerous why'd you do it?" Ava's voice rose higher and louder with each word. Footsteps sounded, coming closer. Shai hurried away.

"I have a plan, Ava. Trust me!" The ice in Kael's voice made Shai sick. Kissing her was part of his plan? I should never have let him touch me.

The memory of his kiss burned her cheeks.

She began to run. The pendant bounced against her chest, keeping time with her heartbeats. Reminding her that not everything Lael believed was wrong.
CHAPTER 44

Aliah

He sat with his back against a tree at the entrance to Conley. Sweat gathered on his forehead and he rubbed an arm across his face for the hundredth time. He gazed into the clear blue sky trying to decide which was worse, Lael's rain or Conley's heat.

His birthmark flared. Shai came towards him. Even though she was still several feet away he could see her internal struggle. The defiance in the tilt of her chin. She stormed past him without as much as a sideways glance.

"Let's go," she said through clenched teeth.

Aliah grabbed his bag and stood up. "So, I guess you got the pendant." He walked behind her, staring at her back as he shielded his eyes from the sun. He saw her shoulders lift. Was she crying?

"Guess I did." She wasn't crying. Her tone was void of emotion. He imagined a rock would sound like that if a rock could speak, cold and flat.

"Then you changed your mind about letting me protect you?" When she didn't answer he sighed. They walked in silence for a while through the sun-dappled trees, Aliah always a few steps behind. He knew better than to press her to talk. She would when she was ready.

In a dense thicket of trees Shai whirled around suddenly, her shoulders rigid, her lips a thin line. "You locked me up!" Her arms hung at her sides, but she had balled her hands into white-knuckled fists.

"I..."

"You. Locked. Me. Up."

"Shai, it was for your protection. I had to."

"My protection? Aliah, you left me!" Her fists had begun to clench and unclench and her chin wobbled. He could see her resolve crumbling. He dropped his bag and came towards her, but she held up a hand.

"No, Aliah. I don't know how you can undo this one. You've always played by the rules, but I see they've always been your rules!"

Aliah's palms grew sticky. She doesn't really know. Does she? "Shai, I locked you in that room to protect you from the Leader after he ordered Sileas's death. You knew that. I had no intention of leaving you. It was only for one day. And Zev..."

"Zev! He nearly killed me!" Her voice was getting higher, louder. She looked decidedly less like a Laelite by the second.

"Killed you? I saw him when I got back to the Manor. It looked like it was you who did a number on him."

"Not then. Last night. He came into my room." Her hand went to her throat and he could see the tremors in her fingers. He came to her and gripped her shoulders with both hands.

She put a hand against his chest and the familiar heat spread beneath her touch. "I was so scared." Her wide eyes glistened with unshed tears.

His knees weakened when he saw a small red nick in the hollow of her throat. How could Zev have gotten to her right under his nose? His stomach clenched like he had been punched. Zev had my knife. Went after her when I was distracted with... Remiel.

Shai blinked and a single tear dripped onto her cheek. He pulled her to him and crushed her against his chest, expecting her to push him away. She didn't. Something had changed in her.

He felt the heat of her breaths against his chest, but she didn't cry. He almost wished she would.

She was rigid in his arms like she'd been wound too tight, but he was lucky to be holding her at all.

"Zev came after me because of the Book. He told me to bring it to him." Her words were muffled against Aliah's chest. He stiffened. A trickle of sweat ran down the middle of his back.

Dammit Zev! And damn the Book!

She pushed away from him then looked up with sad eyes. "You know. I can feel it. You know."

Her accusation stung. He couldn't escape their connection. She knew when he lied like he knew when she was in trouble. Except for last night. Damn Remiel too!

He sighed and retrieved his bag. How could he tell her that he suspected Zev's demand on her was likely just a fail-safe for Samael, in case Aliah failed to deliver Shai?

"Aliah, is there something you're not telling me?"

Before he could respond, a twig snapped, catching their attention. Aliah turned around and instinctively pushed Shai behind him. He searched the trees, but saw nothing.

"C'mon." He grabbed Shai's elbow and steered her away. Thankful for the distraction from their conversation. "We'll travel by night and sleep by day. We have to find a place to rest right now... away from Conley." He kept his voice low.

"But where are we going?"

He squeezed her arm gently before raising his voice loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. He hoped to throw any pursuers off their trail if they lost sight of them. "We'll go south."
CHAPTER 45

Shai

Her anger subsided after she'd given in to it briefly. So much for telling Aliah thanks for the pendant. She blew an upward breath to push her hair off her face. Seems like Conley's emotional responses are contagious. Or maybe it was because she was starting to let go of old beliefs. Either way, feeling every emotion was more exhausting than stuffing them down. She didn't know which was worse.

She let Aliah lead her by the elbow until they came to a thick grove of trees, different from those they'd been traveling through. The trees here were short with wide trunks and a tangle of branches. Aliah hoisted his bag onto the branch of the nearest tree then took Shai's and threw hers up beside his.

"What are you...?"

Aliah put a finger to his lips and motioned with his head to another tree on their left. Shai flicked her eyes over Aliah's shoulder and caught movement behind a tree less than fifty feet away. Her mouth went dry. I hope that's not Zev.

Aliah threw his cloak to her, motioning her to put it on. She hadn't even noticed he'd taken it from his bag.

The rough brown fabric hung to her ankles and the sleeves swallowed her fingers. But at least it'd be less noticeable than the bright yellow shirt she was wearing.

Aliah pointed up and mouthed the word climb. She crossed her arms and shook her head.

No way would she let him put her in another 'safe' spot again. She'd stand and fight, and die trying if she had to. Aliah grabbed the collar of the cloak and pulled her roughly to him. He yanked the hood on her head making the sunlight disappear, then shoved her backwards toward the tree. His no-nonsense attitude made her scrabble up the tree as fast as she could.

A flash of hot and cold ran down her back as she grabbed a fat branch and hauled herself up. In her periphery the shadow moved to another tree. Closer.

Shai used her knee for balance and pulled herself onto the next branch. The cloak snagged and when she reached back to yank it free, she glimpsed Aliah standing below the tree with his arms at his sides and his feet shoulder-width apart. Waiting, like he had been expecting this moment.

Why doesn't he grab a weapon of some kind? Even a stick would be better than nothing.

She yanked the fabric and the cloak came free of the branch. She'd climbed hundreds of trees before with ease, but her thighs shook and her fingers felt numb with every pull. Finally, she rested against the trunk on a wide limb and watched Aliah on the ground. He stiffened and his hands curled into fists. Her chest flared with such a jolt of heat she nearly fell out of the tree. She couldn't twist around to see what Aliah was looking at, but she didn't have to wait long to find out.

A shadow blotted out the sun and surrounded Aliah. The grass flattened, and stones overturned beneath a dark shadow like it had weight, a substance thicker than air. Shai hugged her knees. Aliah must have known what this thing was that had been watching them, waiting for the right opportunity to attack. She had a sick feeling that it couldn't be fought off with weapons.

A long, low sigh erupted from below. Louder than a whisper, yet softer than a scream. It gripped Shai with ice-cold fingers. Her muscles involuntarily bunched, shaking and shivering with a violence she'd never experienced before. The sound filled her head. She wanted to close her eyes and clamp her hands over her ears but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Aliah.

He stepped deeper into the shadow until Shai could only see his outline. He covered his face with his arms and dropped to his knees. His head yanked back by an invisible force and the low sigh grew deeper, louder until it vibrated inside her. She pressed her back harder against the rough bark of the tree. Aliah's face became visible through the darkness surrounding him. His mouth hung open, head tipped to the sky, eyes glassy and staring. The shadow began to disappear into Aliah's open mouth, streaming like a black vapor between his parted lips. The moans came from him.

Horrified, she watched the shadow swallow Aliah up from the inside out. No! I can't just sit here and watch this! The color seemed to have been sucked out of Aliah's face, his skin a frightening white-grey pallor, translucent like Conley's clouds.

She tore off a small branch, making as much noise as possible, but the shadow didn't release Aliah.

She threw the branch to the ground. "No!" She screamed. The shadow stopped then suddenly reversed and began to pour out of Aliah's mouth like black vomit. His mouth opened and closed in a gulping motion, then he fell backwards onto the ground.

The vapor serpentined along the ground until it reached the trunk of her tree and swallowed everything it touched in its cavernous throat. Nothing was visible, in its wake, but deep darkness. Her fingers curled around the tree branch. The rough bark pressed into her palm until she was sure it drew blood. Suddenly the shadow stopped at the toes of her boots like it was looking for her. A damp chill surrounded her and soaked into her body through her clothing. She kicked, trying to knock it from the branch when it turned and came towards her.

Terror clawed at her stomach. I have nothing to fight it off with.

Then she remembered that Aliah had told her to be quiet before she climbed the tree. Maybe it couldn't really see her, only hear her. She sat straddling the branch, her bottom lip crushed between her teeth. Be quiet. Her whole body trembled, causing the tree branch to quake beneath her.

The shadow draped itself around her leg then curled up her thigh, its weight heavier than a wet blanket. She crossed her ankles and gripped the branch tighter with both hands. The shadow slithered across her belly and up onto her chest. Its weight became a crushing pain that squeezed her chest. Her breath escaped in a whoosh. A sharp snap startled her. Was it her ribs or the branch breaking? She arched against the tree in a struggle to suck the air. The edges of her vision darkened.

No! If she lost consciousness she would fall. She bit her lip harder and felt her teeth sink into her flesh. Icy fingers clawed at her chin, trying to force itself between her lips. She twisted her head away while fighting to remain upright on her narrow perch. Her lungs burned. Every cell screamed for air.

"Shai!" A voice filled her head and took the edge off her panic. "Shai, focus on my voice."

Remiel? Her vision grew darker. Every emotion other than fear had been sucked into the vacuum that was suffocating her. Nothing but darkness deeper than midnight filled her vision.

In desperation, she opened her mouth to inhale a shuddering breath and the vapor filled it. She gagged as it scratched the back of her throat like filthy fingernails. A sulfuric taste filled her mouth as the shadow consumed her from the inside out.

Remiel...help...me.
CHAPTER 46

Aliah

What died and rotted in my mouth? He coughed and spit into the dirt. His body ached like he'd spent the night sleeping on a bed of rocks. When his vision cleared he pushed himself up, his chest squeezed with panic.

Shai.

She was lying on the ground, her hair fanned out around her face, her eyes closed. He leaned over and rubbed his finger across her cheek. Warm. She breathed through slightly parted lips.

"She saved you." A voice behind him startled him. He scrambled to his knees and moved protectively closer to Shai. Remiel emerged from the trees carrying a load of sticks and dry moss. He knelt near a circle of rocks on the ground a few feet away and began to arrange the wood and moss into a little mound inside the rock ring. Aliah's insides quivered. Remiel's movements were peculiar. Deliberate. Almost like he was actually alive and not just a vision.

"What are you doing here, Remiel?"

Remiel's dark head stayed bent over his task. He rubbed a stick furiously against a piece of bark with a clump of moss on it.

"Aren't you glad I'm here?"

Aliah groaned. He'd always hated the way Remiel answered a question with a question.

"I mean, you appeared to me in Conley and now here. What are you doing?"

"You believe I appeared to you? I've always been here, Aliah. Watching the Watchers as they watch Lael. You just couldn't see me."

Remiel blew on the moss as it started to smoke before a small flame burst from it. He smiled and placed it inside his mound of sticks.

"Right. I saw you die, Remiel. That day on the bridge. I saw your body get washed away. If I didn't... kill you then why did I go through so much trouble to...cover it up?" Aliah hissed and glanced down at Shai. She seemed to still be asleep.

"Guilt." Remiel stood and moved nearer to Shai. "It makes you believe strange things." He put his hands under Shai's armpits. "Help me move her closer to the fire."

Aliah grabbed Shai's feet and they moved her to a spot near the fire. Remiel took Shai's bag which he must've retrieved from the tree branch, and placed it under her head. He tossed Aliah's bag to him.

"Then where have you been all this time?" Aliah licked his dry, cracked lips.

Remiel squatted near the fire. "I've been around. But mostly I've been with Elchai in Kent."

Aliah watched him poke the fire with a long stick before turning to rummage in his bag for his canteen. After a long swig of water he looked at Remiel again.

"Then what made you come back here?"

"Her." Remiel nodded in Shai's direction. "I had to save her, after she saved you."

Aliah stood across from Remiel watching as he coaxed the flames higher while Shai laid restlessly beside him, breathing in gulps of air. A pang of jealousy hit him. It wasn't Remiel's job to protect Shai.

"Why do you keep saying that? What do you mean Shai 'saved' me?"

"You don't remember?"

Aliah tossed his bag on the ground then collapsed beside it. "If I remembered I wouldn't be asking you, would I?" He rubbed his face with trembling hands.

"The Hunter had you, Aliah. Why do you think I told you to give up your pendant back in Conley when I saw you? I knew Samael would send his Hunter after you. That thing followed you here."

Aliah shuddered. "So how did she save me?"

"She yelled. Drew its attention away from you to her." Remiel sighed then sat back on his heels, his arms around his knees.

"Then how did she survive it?" Aliah glanced at Shai who'd begun to thrash.

"She fought it. She's still fighting it. But it will keep coming back for both of you until you get rid of the pendants."

Shai arched her back and moaned. Her arms flailed and her mouth opened and closed like she couldn't breathe.

"Do something!" Aliah stared at Remiel as though by sheer will he could force his enemy to help his best friend. But Remiel just looked into the fire, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"She'll fight it, Aliah. Just let her do it."

Shai cried out, her face wet with tears. Her fingers clawed the air.

"She can hear my voice. Once she focuses on me, she'll be free of the Hunter. For now."

Aliah gritted his teeth. His head throbbed as a new memory surfaced. He pulled at the collar of his sweater that suddenly felt too tight.

"It's all about you isn't it? Even the first time. When my mother... Mara, was taken away to the Camps you wouldn't let Shai come to me. I remember, you wouldn't let her comfort me."

Remiel looked up at Aliah, his face sad. His eyes an unfathomable depth.

"So you do remember some things. Aliah, you're full of passion yet always striving to manipulate people's emotions. To bend them to your will. When Mara went to the Camps you saw an opportunity to use your grief to make Shai pity you. You used her affection for you to satisfy your own twisted self-love."

"Love?" Aliah spat and wiped his mouth with the back of his shaking hand. "Laelite's don't love." He narrowed his eyes.

"Only because they're taught to fear instead. But you aren't Laelite, neither is Shai."

Shai cried out again and Remiel turned to her. When he re-adjusted the cloak around her and patted her hand, Aliah's rage exploded. His muscles coiled tight then sprung loose. He leapt over the fire and landed on top of Remiel. They rolled in the dirt, Aliah dug his fingers into Remiel's neck. He felt skin tearing. He dug his nails in deeper. Remiel groaned and tried to push Aliah off.

But there was something that had been wound tight for too long inside Aliah. It snapped and released his pent-up fury.

He gave himself to it. Hatred boiled his heart into a stone. He ground his teeth together and rammed his head into Remiel's ribs. A satisfying crack made him smile and he raised up to charge at Remiel again. He lifted his head and looked straight into the eternal blue of Remiel's eyes. So much like Shai's. His gut twisted.

He held a handful of Remiel's cloak in one hand and his hair in the other. His hands trembled and his mouth went dry. Remiel lay on his back with a look of pain on his face, but he didn't fight back.

Aliah released Remiel and shoved him before rolling off. He stood and brushed off his trousers.

"Damn you," he murmured. Aliah glanced down at his enemy. Brief regret filled him. I can't let him get to me. Again.

Remiel's lip had swollen and his neck was bloody where Aliah had grabbed him. "Did that make you feel any better?" Remiel's voice was soft, but it still pierced through Aliah.

"Not really." Aliah went back to his bag and sat down by the fire. "Can't win a fight with myself."

Remiel laughed then rubbed his ribs. "No, you can't. Just like you can't use your anger to force me to react. When you stop being owned by your emotions you'll stop feeling vulnerable to people."

Aliah picked up a twig and idly broke it into several pieces. Remiel went back to watching over Shai as she writhed on the ground. Aliah tried to ignore him as he touched her hands and her face, before straightening Aliah's cloak she still wore.

"And when Shai overcomes her fear of feeling too deeply she'll let you protect her. She'll let you love her." Remiel met Aliah's eyes across the fire. "Because you do. Love her."

For the next two days Aliah and Remiel carried Shai's limp body through the trees, through deep valleys and wide open fields.

Remiel seemed to understand Aliah's need to be alone with his thoughts. His flashbacks became more frequent. His hands trembled constantly and paranoia made him jerk his head around every few minutes. He found himself playing with the chain around his neck, flirting with the idea of yanking it off. What would it be like to remember everything? Would he hurt as bad as he did now? Would his memories come flooding back or trickle in like they'd been doing? He pulled at the neck of his sweater. He wouldn't survive a flood of memories.

By the end of the second day, as the sun began to set, they set up camp in a cluster of trees with an open view to the East and West. Remiel caught a wild rabbit for supper, skinned it and put it on a spit over the fire.

They sat across from each other, with Shai beside Remiel. Aliah rotated his shoulders that burned and ached from carrying Shai. A throbbing pain spread across his neck so he rubbed the spot and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his throat and chest tightened. Remiel's flame-blue eyes locked him a steady gaze.

He swallowed and tugged at his pendant.

"It's okay you know. I forgive you." Remiel's face glowed in the soft orange firelight.

Aliah said nothing, but his eyes burned and his gut twisted. If only I could forgive myself.
CHAPTER 47

Shai

"Shai look at me." She tried to shake her head. She couldn't see, how could she look anywhere? She couldn't even breathe. Then the crushing pressure around her chest lifted and she fell, her body suddenly weightless, suspended. A bright light flashed and she saw a face. Flame-blue eyes that ripped apart the last threads of the veil of darkness. A thin, jagged scar cutting across his right cheek. His mouth, for once not smiling.

Remiel.

Her back struck something hard. Pain gouged her shoulder. The fresh, damp smell of the earth and the hearty scent of roasting meat filled her nose.

I am alive.

She sat up trembling, and looked around. She was lying on the ground still wrapped in Aliah's cloak. A fire crackled to her left inside a ring of stones, and some kind of dark meat roasted over a spit, dripping juices into the flames. The sun had set, leaving the sky a velvety-black with tiny lights where the moon and stars pierced the night sky. Tall trees with leafless branches cast eerie shadows on the ground.

Aliah sat across the fire from her. His legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed, his hands supporting him from behind as he leaned back. He raised an eyebrow when their eyes met, but he didn't move.

"Where are we?" Her throat felt rusty and her voice cracked.

Aliah glanced to his left and Shai turned her head to see Remiel sitting on a log, his forearms resting casually on his legs as he leaned forward, letting his hands dangle between his knees. He grinned and deep dimples appeared in his cheeks.

She swallowed hard and looked back at Aliah who watched her unblinking.

"Aliah...can you... can you see him?"

Remiel laughed. A low lazy sound that Shai felt in her chest.

"Can you see me, Shai?" His eyes shone in the firelight.

She nodded.

"Then he can see me as well."

"How? How are you here right now when I've only seen you in visions?" Every breath burned as she forced air through her raw throat.

"You thought I appeared to you in visions, but we were communicating through a ripple of sorts. Three Worlds separated by a thin layer, but the ripple let us see each other. And recently we've been able to hear each other." Remiel looked at Aliah, then Shai, and smiled. "Don't worry. You'll know more about that later. And to answer your first question Shai, we are several miles northwest from where you started. Less than a day's journey from our destination: Sector Seven. Otherwise known as Kent. That's where I've been staying, and it's the place of your birth."

Shai glanced from Remiel to Aliah then back at Remiel. "What do you mean 'the place of my birth?'"

Remiel turned to Aliah. "You want to tell her or should I?"

Aliah shrugged one shoulder, still watching Shai.

Remiel picked up a stick and cleared a spot on the ground in front of him with his boot. He drew a small circle in the dirt with the stick then jabbed the end of the stick into the center of it.

"This is Lael, where you and Aliah grew up." He drew a larger circle around the small one.

"This is The Division of Edan that surrounds Lael." From the edge of the small circle he drew lines to the edge of the larger circle like the spokes of a wheel. When he was finished there were seven pie-shaped wedges of equal size.

"These are the Seven Sectors in the Division. The space between the Sectors, including Lael, is what you call the Borderless. At the top we have Sector One: Adena." He drew a sideways number eight inside the wedge. "This is their symbol. They supply power, electricity through water, to the rest of the Sectors."

He moved the tip of the stick to the right. "This is Sector Two: Brenton. Their symbol is a circle. They supply water. Next is Sector Three: Conley. That's where you were. They supply textiles." He drew a crescent inside Conley's wedge. The same symbol Shai had seen on their trees and on the wrists of both Ava and Kael. Her heart jumped when she thought of them.

Remiel turned his head and met her eyes. "A passionate group of people whose emotions run deep. But they use those emotions to get what they want." He glanced at Aliah then back down at his drawing. He pointed at the next wedge.

"Sector Four is Fino. They are known for their orchards and farms. They supply..."

"Fruits and vegetables," Shai whispered.

Remiel nodded. "You get the idea. They brand their people with a symbol of the sun. Hadyn is Sector Five." He drew an eye without lashes inside the wedge. "They supply meat by hunting as well as raising animals. Sector Six is Kegan. Their symbol is the triangle. They build houses and other buildings with the materials that come from Conley." He looked at Shai. "Many of them have been in Conley helping to rebuild for the last several days."

Shai stared at Remiel. Several days? They'd left Conley only a few hours ago and the fire there had only been the day before.

Remiel smiled slightly and Aliah shifted his position before looking at her and saying, "Shai. You've been unconscious for two days. Remiel and I have taken turns carrying you. When that... Hunter struck you it would've killed you, but Remiel came. I couldn't do anything... I..." He dropped his eyes.

"Samael sent the Hunter after Aliah." Remiel finished softly, his eyes on Aliah. "It's lured by the pendants you wear. It can neither see nor can smell, but it sense fear." He looked back to Shai. "It hears fear. In your voice, your movements, in the racing of your heart. Once it takes over, it brings its victims back to Gershom so Samael can take them prisoner."

The memory of the Hunter's icy grip chilled Shai and she clenched her trembling fingers in her lap.

"It can't find you if it can't find fear in you." His eyes held Shai's and a warmth flooded her. The trembling stopped. She had seen Remiel, in the darkness. Focusing on him was what had saved her from being swallowed alive by that thing.

Thank you. She spoke to Remiel inside her mind like she used to when he had first appeared to her, even though she wasn't sure if the ripple thing worked when he was right next to her.

Remiel smiled at her then looked down at his drawing again. He thrust his stick into the last wedge. It stood like an arrow in the ground.

"That is Sector Seven. Kent. They are machinists. Metal workers. They fashion weapons of war as well as common cooking and eating utensils. Their weapons are the only thing not distributed among the Sectors. This is their symbol."

Shai watched him draw Kent's symbol in the dirt with his finger. My birthplace. Her pulse fluttered. She expected to see three interlocking rings like she had on her chest, but when he'd finished, he'd drawn a single flame.

She looked up at Aliah who remained sitting with his head down. She felt Remiel watching her. She frowned and look back at the drawing.

"You said I was born in Kent, but I don't have that symbol. And you left out Lael. What does it supply to the other Sectors?" She remembered what Kael had said about Lael contributing nothing, but hoped it wasn't true.

Remiel threw his drawing stick into the fire and when he looked back at her his eyes were sad.

"Lael isn't one of the Sectors." He looked up at the dark sky for a moment then got up and began pacing. "After the War Between Worlds, Elchai put up a fence around Lael to preserve it. To protect it from the Outerlands. At that time there was only one Law: the Law of Love. It promoted equality, instilled honor, and eliminated fear." Remiel clasped his hands behind his back and sighed. The sound hung in the stillness, making Shai shiver.

"Everything changed when the Leader's son made a decision that affected not only his life, but everyone else's. More Laws and more Rules had to be made to keep Lael from complete ruin. The pendants eventually became part of that control. The way Lael is today was never the way that Elchai intended it to be."

Shai touched Eliana's pendant. "So the Laws and Rules now control rather than protect. I thought so. But I believe in the power of the pendants for good. I'm not controlled by them."

Remiel stopped in front of her. He looked down at her and shook his head. "Then can you give me that pendant, Shai?"

She curled her fingers around it. "It's not mine but I'm... responsible for it."

"Why?" Remiel's stare cut into her.

"Eliana is still alive because I'm protecting her Essence by wearing it. And I'll never let her go."

"Then who's responsible for your life, Shai? Who has your pendant?"

Shai swallowed the lump in her throat and stole a glance at Aliah who sat staring into the fire.

"Who told you those pendants are meant for good?" Remiel's questions dropped like a weight in her stomach. Sinking to the bottom and unsettling everything like a stone thrown into a still pond.

"I... I don't know." She looked at Aliah again who began fidgeting with his own pendant. Twisting it around his finger one way then the other, over and over.

The word puppet sprang into her mind again. Kael's voice mocking her beliefs. Fear fluttered inside her. Is it true?

She shook her head. "It's always been this way. I don't question it." Her tongue felt thick in her mouth.

"Yet you question everything else about Lael. The pendants were not part of Elchai's original plan. But because of them, Samael now controls Lael as well as the Borderless. Elchai isn't your leader like you thought."

"Stop!" The sound of Aliah's voice exploded in Shai's ears. "Remiel, leave her alone! She doesn't understand." Aliah had stood up, his eyes wild.

Shai swallowed bile. Samael controls Lael? It wasn't Elchai who'd chosen her to bear the next Leader? She clutched her stomach as her breath came in shallow rasps. The hollow-ache that started in Conley after Kael's kiss spread to her chest and turned every hope into stone. No. It can't be. I won't...

Remiel slowly turned until he faced Aliah across the fire. "She had to know, Aliah. It's not just what people believe that matters. It's the truth that counts. Beliefs will either be a prison or a key to freedom." Remiel spoke softly.

When Aliah looked away Remiel pointed at the meat beginning to smoke on its spit.

"Let's eat this before it burns."

Key to freedom.

Shai dug frantically in her trouser pocket beneath the cloak. Her heart sunk. The key was gone. She'd left it hidden under the mattress back in Conley.
CHAPTER 48

Aliah

The morning dawned soft and still. Feathery pink clouds rimmed the eastern sky and aroused memories of a different life.

Aliah leaned against a tree with his hands shoved into his trouser pockets and watched the sun rise. He had awoken early to gather wood for the fire, but the colors of the sky distracted him. The pink hinted at something familiar but distant, like a dream he once had but no longer remembered. Deep inside he had begun to know he'd lived a different life before Lael. He hadn't been sure until Remiel confirmed it with something he'd said. He only had snatches of the past that he suppressed, hidden beneath layers of guilt and anger. Until this morning. Now there was something more.

It's truth that counts. Beliefs will either be a prison or a key to freedom.

Remiel's voice played over and over in his mind. He wasn't talking about the pendants when he'd said that. He had looked right at Aliah like it was supposed to mean something. But the meaning remained just beyond his grasp.

"I've been wanting to thank you." Shai appeared from behind a tree. His cloak was too large for her tiny body so she'd overlapped the sides and wrapped her arms around herself to keep it closed. Her hair curled in tousled waves around her face and looked almost white in the early morning sun. "For bringing Eliana's pendant to me in Conley. For letting me know she's still alive. Somewhere out there."

Aliah nodded then pushed himself away from the tree to stand in front of her. "What about what he says about the pendants? Are you going to give it up? Her pendant I mean."

Shai shook her head, her fingers touching the chain at her throat. "Having it sort of connects me to her. I like knowing she's alive so long as I'm still wearing it."

Aliah looked down and kicked the toe of his boot at a root. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But what if... if it does connect you to Samael like Remiel said. What if by wearing them we can be tracked?" He hated how trapped he felt. Hated that Remiel was right about the pendants, about the poison inside them affecting their minds. But if she agreed to take it off, the effects would eventually wear off and her memory would likely return. But if she didn't take it off Samael would have a way to access her. Aliah hated that thought the most.

"I don't believe that, Aliah. Even if the pendants aren't ideal, what's the harm in them? If I think they're harmless then that's good enough for me. Kinda like the Watchers. Maybe they're not the best idea but I am beginning to see some good in them." Her pointed look stabbed him with guilt.

"Shai, I never wanted to keep that part of me a secret from you. I thought if I joined the Watchers I could protect you better."

Shai moved away from him, her shoulders slumping slightly. When she turned around again he saw no anger in her face, only hurt. The look of pain was brief before she closed herself off from him again.

"So, have you known the truth about the Division for long?" She dropped her arms to her sides where they dangled limply. The cloak flopped open and she looked so small and vulnerable inside of it.

"The day I came to Conley I started to piece things together. Remember when you told me back in the Manor that you had thoughts like dreams, of the Old World? I have too. I've remembered things here and there, but none of it came together until the other day. I didn't say anything to you before because I knew it would make you want to leave Lael thinking there might be something beyond the Borderless. I couldn't bear it if you left."

"You think I'd leave you? Aliah, you're my best friend. Overbearing and overprotective, but still my best friend. I wouldn't leave you." She smiled a small smile that made her look sad and tired. He wanted to remove the sadness, he wanted the vibrant life-loving Shai back.

The thought startled him. When had he known her to be anything but closed off? When had she ever been vibrant?

He looked at her standing there with the pink sky behind her and he remembered. It wasn't much of a memory, maybe more of a feeling. Remiel was right. He'd loved her. Sometime past, someplace else when he'd known love. He wished he could feel it again.

"Hey, you two! I caught our breakfast!" Remiel came towards them wearing a silly grin and holding up a string with three small fish tied to the end.

Shai laughed and walked quickly to Remiel, stepping over roots and rocks. "I thought you were going hunting not fishing!"

"There's a difference?" Remiel smiled again. He looked as though he'd slept well on the hard ground. His eyes were bright and energetic. But Aliah knew differently. Aliah had tossed and turned and every time he woke up he saw Remiel laying with his arms behind his head staring at the stars. He likely never slept.

Shai and Remiel stopped chattering and laughing then turned around to face Aliah. "You coming?" Shai smiled at him, her expression more open than he'd ever seen.

Aliah nodded. "I guess I have to. It's my turn to cook unless you want to eat those things raw." A strange nostalgic feeling came over him. They'd once been happy.

The three of them. Together.
CHAPTER 49

Shai

She could stay here forever. Being around Remiel brought her a peace that reached into the deepest hopelessness and held her together. But nothing good ever lasted, so while it was here she didn't want to say or do anything to destroy it. But she was also anxious to get to Sector Seven to meet Elchai and ask about his sons, especially the Son of Thunder.

The more she thought about the Three Worlds and the veil between them the more hope began to break through the shadow of despair she had been living in. Somehow my Old World dreams and the ripple Remiel talked about are connected. But before she decided whether or not to believe in the Son of Thunder story, she wanted to talk to Elchai.

"Two hours left." Remiel's voice cut through the stillness of the afternoon.

"What?" Shai and Aliah asked at the same time. She exchanged glances with Aliah as Remiel walked a few paces ahead. They'd been hiking over rough terrain for the past several hours and her back ached. She stopped and tossed her bag on the ground then sat on a large rock. Aliah also sat, choosing a large boulder near Shai. His face sober. He looked older than his eighteen years.

"What about two hours?" Shai's throat got tight. She tried swallowing, but coughed instead.

Remiel stopped and turned around to join them. "That's how soon you'll reach Sector Seven."

"Soon isn't soon enough. I'm not used to this heat." Shai fanned her face with her hand and grabbed a drink of water from the near-empty canteen. Aliah said nothing, but she noticed an odd look on his face.

Remiel walked lightly across the stones to sit beside Aliah. "How much are you remembering?" Remiel leaned toward Aliah, his eyes intense as he watched Aliah's face.

"I'm remembering more than I care to." Aliah sat with his forearms resting on his knees the way she'd seen Remiel often sit. He leaned forward and put his head down, letting his pendant dangle from his neck. The sun caught the jewel, as red as the one on the key she'd lost. She still couldn't bring herself to tell Remiel she'd left it behind.

Remiel put his hand on Aliah's shoulder then looked at Shai. The sun on his face made him appear ethereal, his eyes so pale they were nearly transparent.

"Everyone's perception is based on what they believe. The things he thought he believed about Lael are changing. He's letting go and memories of former things are returning. He'd do better without that pendant though."

Remiel stood on the rock he'd been sitting on and looked West then pointed. "That's Sector Seven. You can see it from here."

Shai climbed up next to him and saw smoke rising in the distance.

"The smoke comes from the metal-working Factories that surround the community." Remiel stepped down from the rock and held out his hand to help Shai.

Shai still hesitated to deliberately touch him. The memory of the last time they'd touched still lingered.

"It's alright. You can take my hand. This is different than touching me through the ripple." His boyish grin convinced her so she took his hand and stepped down. "If you leave now you'll reach Kent before nightfall."

Shai glanced at Aliah. He'd heard it too.

"We will get there before nightfall? What about you?" Aliah looked up, his features clouded by an unseen shadow.

Remiel shook his head. "I have an appointment with Samael. I will be going to Gershom. Alone."

"Gershom? But why? You told me to get the Book, but I don't know how. I don't even know where to look for it." Shai's palms grew moist. She couldn't go to Kent without Remiel. She didn't completely trust Aliah's motives for wanting to go to Kent, since he still never spoke about the Book. And his strange behavior lately made her edgy. Even now he sat moping on the rock while she stood still holding Remiel's hand.

She looked down at their clasped hands, hers and Remiel's. He gave her fingers a squeeze then released her.

"You can do it, Shai. Go with Aliah. He's remembering more than he cares to right now, but when the pain of those memories goes away he'll do the right thing." He looked deeper into her eyes, so deep she wanted to look away but couldn't. He could pull her in without touching her. "You can trust him. He won't prevent you from finding the Book. He'll protect you. Even with his life."

"But when will we see you again?" She bit down on her bottom lip.

"In two hours you'll see me no more. But when you find the Book it will reveal more than I can explain to you right now."

Remiel started walking over the jagged bed of stones. He climbed over a large boulder then disappeared over the other side. Shai watched, unwilling to move. All the fight had left her. She had no key, Remiel would soon leave them, and Aliah still sat hunched over, his pendant swinging back and forth on its chain around his neck.

"He thinks we'll find the Book in Kent but he's wrong." Aliah spoke to the ground. The back of his neck had begun to turn red from the sun. She noticed earlier the pale skin below the collar of his sweater, but above that the skin was now a sun-kissed bronze.

"How do you know the Book's not in Kent?" She asked his bent head.

"It was in Conley. I was there during the raid, the fire... the Watchers started it."

Shai's chest squeezed at Aliah's admission. "And?"

"And I saw the Book in the Supply House. Akan was looking at it. He told me to take it just as Mallak and his men showed up. Ava's little brother came at me with a knife." He chuckled softly. "Good fighter that one, but he could've been killed." Aliah looked up at her and his eyes glistened. "I tore a page from the Book before Akan took it."

She tried to imagine her best friend fighting off a young boy then running through the Borderless with other Watchers, setting fires. She stared at his head. The dark hair that glistened in the sun and curled along the back of his neck and around his ears. Who are you? How was it possible that someone she had known her whole life was someone else entirely?

She didn't know this Aliah, the one they called Ace: Watcher of Lael. His face was crossed with shadows, making his bright green eyes dark even in sunlight, his face was closed with a thousand secrets. He looked up at her and his eyes shone with tears. You should feel bad. You've lied to me. Kept things from me. Some things she'd forgiven him for, but she still wanted to be angry with him for other things. She rubbed the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "Who's Akan?"

"He's the Head Watcher." Aliah shook his head and the movement made a tear spill out of his eye. "You wouldn't know him. He's not from Lael. He's a Gershomite." He swiped at his cheek.

Shai turned her face away. A Gershomite? That was little comfort. "So you think this Akan has the Book in Gershom?"

"That's my guess. He said Samael wanted it."

A tightness threatened to close Shai's throat. She swallowed. "And you just let him have it?"

Aliah shifted on his rock and scratched idly at a bug bite on his arm. "It wasn't like that." He waved a hand dismissively. "But that doesn't matter now. All I know is the Book's not in Kent. And if Remiel is going to Gershom, we're going with him." He stood up and shielded his face from the sun with his hand, looking in the direction Remiel went.

A mixture of relief and dread washed over Shai. Being with Remiel made her feel safe, but traveling to Gershom seemed like a death sentence. She didn't even know where Gershom was.

She watched a fly swarm in lazy circles around her head before swatting it away. As long as I am with Remiel, I don't care where I go.

She stared at Aliah's back with the rocky landscape stretching beyond. His sweater clung to his sweaty back in transparent patches. The tips of his shoulder blades stood out like wings as he stood with his hands behind his back. His posture hinted at the confident Aliah of Lael she knew. She crossed her arms and tried to hold onto the anger that had already begun to dissipate.

"Why do you think the Book was taken from Lael? Who'd want it anyway? From what Sil told me, it's just full of names from the Readings and some pictures."

Aliah didn't answer, but stepped carefully off the rock. He slung his bag over his shoulder and followed the path Remiel had taken. The energy had gone from his step just like the fire had died from his eyes. So full of secrets. And whatever those secrets were, they looked as though they had strength enough to kill him. She grabbed her bag too and sighed as she followed after him.

They had nearly caught up to Remiel, when Aliah finally spoke, the shadows on his face deepened the lines around his eyes. She wondered if he had been getting enough sleep.

"The page has a map of the Division." His voice was gravelly and hushed.

It took her a moment to realize that he was talking about the page he'd taken from the Book.

"Gershom isn't on it but beyond the Division there's more."

"More what?"

"More land. Miles and miles of it, called the Outerlands. And there's a dot. Something in the center of all that land. It's unmarked though."

A thrill of excitement made her skin prickle. Someday I'll see that land. She looked at Aliah's profile and realized he wasn't concerned about the land surrounding the Sectors. Something else was bothering him.

"But what about the Book, Aliah? Why is it important? Why won't anyone talk about it? Even Remiel won't answer any questions."

Remiel still hadn't turned around or waited for them to catch up. He seemed focused on his own mission.

Aliah sighed and the small sound got lost in the craggy rocks and gravel around them. "I can't talk about it right now, Shai. I wish I could. I really wish I could."

Shai heard the catch in his voice.
CHAPTER 50

Aliah

It wasn't fair to drag Shai to Kent without giving her some kind of explanation. Aliah had to think of something.

He wiped his upper lip on his sleeve and spoke quickly. "I don't know anything more about the Book than you do. But I can tell you what I read on the page I tore out of it. Besides the map, the page lists the names of three rebels who will one day overthrow Samael's power." He looked sideways at Shai who didn't register surprise or much of anything at all. Her shoulders slumped beneath the weight of her pack and her cheeks looked cherry-red. Dull strands of her honey-colored hair stuck to her damp forehead and every few minutes she swatted at an irritating fly buzzing around her head.

The familiar pang of guilt surged through him when she flicked her eyes at him and offered a weak smile. What has happened to us? He had told Ava more in the few hours he had known her than he had ever told Shai. Aliah was also beginning to regret showing Ava his brand. He'd shared too much while he was under the influence of the salve and tea.

He trembled under a sudden jolt of pain in his head. He shifted the weight of his bag and pressed a thumb and forefinger to his temples. If I can remember more it might help. Maybe I've always known about the Coalition, but have forgotten. But what if I do begin to remember more and everything changes? What if I change?

He touched the pendant again. Fear of the unknown made his insides quiver. Fear of who he was and fear of who he might become if his memory fully returned. The separation between the two seemed cavernous.

"Who are they Aliah? Who are the rebels?" Shai's question startled him out of his bleak thoughts.

Aliah turned his head slightly and spoke out of the side of his mouth, his voice barely above a whisper. "They're called the Coalition."

Remiel finally stopped walking and turned around, his face red from facing the sun. Behind him rose the angular shadows of Kent.

CHAPTER 51

Shai

Shai sucked in a breath and coughed as the air burned the back of her throat. The closer they got to Kent the harder it was to breathe, and an acrid, smoky smell filled her nostrils. Dark plumes of smoke billowed from tall rectangular shapes that stretched into the sky. There was no fence like Lael or trees like Conley to mark Kent's boundaries, only the dark outline of what Remiel had called the Factories.

"You will enter Kent in a few minutes. This is where we part. I'll continue West until the sun sets. One day we will meet again." Remiel nodded at Aliah, looking him in the eye. "Give my regards to Elchai, when you see him."

A fire kindled for a brief moment in Aliah's eyes then he looked away without speaking.

Remiel turned to Shai and his pale blue eyes met hers. He spoke inside of her like he had the first time back in Lael. It is possible to look and not see and hear without listening. Just like you can survive without living. But these things you can change. Only believe.

She opened her mouth to ask what he meant when a shout from behind her, the way they'd just come, made all three of them turn.

A tall figure ran towards them, waving an arm in the air and shouting. "Shai!"

CHAPTER 52

Aliah

At first it seemed that someone was calling Shai to get her attention, but Aliah saw the glint of something shiny between the fingers of their upraised fist.

Kael.

Shai reacted first. She pressed her lips together, dropped her bag to the ground and walked towards him with her hands curled into fists at her sides.

Aliah suppressed a smile. Something must have happened between them to cause such tension. If they were keeping score this would be a small victory for Aliah.

When Shai reached Kael he bent over panting and coughing, his face bright red with purple blotches. His hair stuck out in damp clumps around his head. Large, dark patches on his bright blue shirt revealed where he'd sweat through.

Aliah left his bag with Shai's and moved a few steps closer to them.

"Shai... I... had to get... this to you." Kael straightened, the green of his eyes deepening when he looked at Shai. Aliah ground his teeth into his lip. The way Kael looked at Shai was the way Ava had looked at Aliah earlier. Kael seemed oblivious that anyone else was there other than Shai. He wiped his face on his sleeve then held out the glinting object. A thin silver key with a red jewel that caught the sun.

Recognition flashed inside Aliah. He turned to look at Remiel, but Remiel had gone.

"You came all this way to give this to me?" Shai took the key from Kael and Aliah glimpsed their fingers touching, lingering longer than he thought was necessary.

"I uh, knew it was important when I first saw it. You're pretty protective of it so when I discovered it under your mattress I knew you couldn't have left it behind intentionally, unless you meant for me to bring it to you."

Aliah gave an exaggerated cough and Kael jerked his eyes away from Shai as though he had just realized the two of them weren't alone.

Shai tucked the key into her pocket without taking her eyes off Kael. "Why did you come all this way to give it back to me? You seemed more interested in warning me than helping me."

Aliah raised his eyebrows. He'd like to know the answer to that too. Kael's sudden interest in Shai made Aliah even more wary.

Kael looked at the ground briefly then back at Shai as he reached for her hands. "You're special. Different. In the short time I've known you I realized I've never met anyone like you."

Aliah smirked. Nice recovery. Kael even sounded sincere.

"But we've been gone for several days. You came all this way to give me a key that I think you'd rather destroy. Am I right?"

Kael glanced at Aliah who crossed his arms and waited for an answer. The Coalition scared Aliah because he didn't know anything about it other than what he saw on the page. But Aliah was certain the Coalition scared Kael because he did know about it, and Aliah wanted to know what he knew.

Certain words had been jarring his memory over the last few hours, but his memory was still a mess. His mind was like a stack of half-opened boxes, their unidentifiable contents spilling out. If Kael could shed some light, then Aliah was ready to listen. And Shai deserved to know too. Anything Aliah might be able to tell her she wouldn't listen to anyway. Her anger towards him consistently simmered below the surface, distorting everything he said.

But how much did Kael actually know? Would he reveal the truth or twist it just enough to serve his own agenda, whatever that was.

Kael leaned closer to Shai. "The Book describes three keys, each belonging to the three rebels known as the Coalition. Their leader is called the Son of Thunder."

Aliah raised his eyebrows. That much we already know.

"The Book also mentions that the Coalition is branded differently than any of the other Sectors. And that night... when I heard you calling out, I saw that your gown was torn right here." Kael dropped Shai's hands to touch her left shoulder. Aliah couldn't see her face, but the way his chest pulsed heat through him he knew she was struggling with the intimacy of that touch. A touch that bordered on caress.

Aliah took another step forward and their private moment shattered.

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..."

"You remember what the pendant wants you to remember. What Samael wants you to remember. But the memories aren't real, they aren't even yours. This has become your reality." He tapped the pendant on its chain around her neck.

She felt the rapid pulsing of her heartbeat beneath his fingers. Tears made Aliah's face blur. She blinked and looked away as hot tears slid down her cheeks. "It's Eliana's pendant. Not mine. So how can it be my reality? No one can force their beliefs on me, Aliah. Not even Remiel."

"It's not just what I believe. It's the truth." He placed his hot, dry palm against her cheek and turned her face to look at him.

She choked back a sob and ducked under his arm. She swallowed back the bile rising in her throat.

Shuffling sounds in the corridor behind them startled her.

Aliah grabbed her hand. "Run!"

CHAPTER 54

Aliah

They ran through the sticky corridors, their shoulders and elbows grazing the rough walls as they turned down narrow corners. Her hand felt small and damp inside his. He looked over his shoulder at her when the pulling of her hand in his became a tug. She had tripped and sat rocking on her knees in the dim hallway hewn from stone.

A blue-grey hue had suddenly swallowed up the healthy pink of her skin and her eyes had a deep shadowy-hollow beneath them. Beads of sweat clustered on her forehead and upper lip. What's going on? She never once complained about not feeling well. He knew it was her distrust that made her unwilling to receive his help.

He held back a fierce desire to rip the pendant from her neck. If he couldn't force her to believe the truth then he would have to show her how everything they had been taught in Lael was slowly losing its grip on him. A new reality had begun to dawn with new memories that weren't really new, just remembered.

He tossed his bag to the side and grabbed Shai's from her. If he had to he'd carry her, but not with both bags. He grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her up. Every time she tripped and stumbled in the half-light of the tunnels he encouraged her with a ragged whisper, "Keep running."

He turned left then right then left again before he stopped in front of a small wooden door. Shai's hand went limp in his. He turned around and saw she had collapsed on the ground.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Aliah ran his hand across the lintel above the door. Please be there. Please.

His heart thundered in his chest, his head and his ears. He touched cool metal and curled his fingers around it. Relief made his knees weak. After all these years no one had moved the key.

He unlocked the door and put the key back before half-dragging Shai's limp body through the door way. He shut the door with his foot then dropped her bag on the floor before sliding an arm around Shai to hold her up. He patted the wall near the door until he found a small knob. When he turned it, it made a popping noise and a yellowish light filled the room.

Nothing had changed. Three wooden chairs with overstuffed brown cushions stood opposite two cots on one side of the room. To his left was a small kitchen and another smaller room that he knew was the bathroom. He inhaled the musty smell and blinked back sudden tears. Home.

He picked Shai up and carried her to the smaller cot that used to be his, removed her shoes, and covered her with a blanket. Its scratchy texture and grey color reminded him of Lael. He tucked it under her chin just as he heard the door knob rattle and muffled voices.

"Hey, someone locked it. Did you lock it?"

"How could I lock it? You have the key."

Aliah ran across the room, tripped over Shai's bag and slammed into the rough stone wall. He rubbed the bruise on his elbow and cursed under his breath. He twisted the light switch to off then pressed his back against the wall just as he heard the sound of a key twisting in the lock.

The door opened and two dark figures entered. One tapped the wall near Aliah, feeling for the light switch while the other one shut the door. Something thumped followed by a mumbled, "Ow. Who left that there?" Warm fingers brushed Aliah's arm and he grabbed them in a quick, sharp twisting motion.

"What the-"

Aliah yanked the person against him and slid his arm around their neck while his other arm gripped a handful of their hair. Their heart beat furiously beneath his arm.

The light snapped on and illuminated a young boy around fifteen who sat on the ground with the strap of Shai's bag around one foot. He feverishly rubbed the ankle of his other foot. Large grey eyes stared up at Aliah.

"Hey, I know you! You're from Lael!" The boy narrowed his eyes and Aliah stared hard at him. Do I know him? He relaxed his grip on the person he held. An elbow slammed into his stomach and he grunted then bent over, winded.

"Nice welcome, Aliah! Glad you could finally join us!" Good-natured chuckling and a familiar voice flooded Aliah with relief.

He sucked in a breath, clutched his stomach and slowly straightened to look into the laughing, grey eyes of his friend Ellersly who rubbed at the red mark on his neck where Aliah's arm had been.

Aliah breathed out a puff of air then laughed and slapped Ellersly on the back. "I didn't think this place would be occupied. What are you doing here? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, but I thought you were headed to that cave in the north."

"The further we got from Lael the more your mother remembered this place. She said it's safer to be around people than to be alone out there. Mara knows Kent inside and out. She showed us this room. She said she knew you'd find your way here too. The children have already been taken in by the people here. Amazing bunch, these Kentites." Ellersly smiled then turned to the boy on the ground. "You gonna get up Uli?"

The boy's face turned red. "I would if I could, Ell. I think I broke my foot tripping over this dang bag."

Ellersly grabbed the bag then tossed it to Aliah.

"It's Shai's," he told Ell. His chest ached as he glanced over at the mound he'd tucked into his childhood bed.

"Shai? She's here? How'd you find her?" Ellersly broke into a wide grin. He walked over to the cot to peek. "She's sleeping."

"She's sick." Aliah muttered as he walked to where Ellersly stood then flung Shai's bag onto his mother's old bed.

"Uh, thanks for thinking of me, guys. I'll just suffer silently."

Ellersly glanced over his shoulder. "You'll live, Uli. Quit being so melodramatic." He pulled the blanket away from Shai's face. "What's wrong with her?"

Aliah studied Ellersly for a moment. An urge to tell his friend everything welled up in him, but he pushed it aside. Telling Ellersly meant involving his friend and risking his life which was the reason he had sent Ellersly away in the first place.

"I don't know what's wrong with her. Fatigue I guess. We've been going for days. Not much to eat. Next to no sleep." He shrugged. "I'm sure she'll be fine in the morning." But the sick feeling in his stomach said otherwise.

Ellersly walked over to Uli, still on the floor, and pulled the boy up by his arm.

"Go back to the Core and tell Cookie we need two more meals. And bring back some canteens of water too."

Aliah smiled when Ellersly mentioned Sector Seven's famous cook, Cookie. Memories of a big man with no hair, a thick black mustache and smiling dark blue eyes surfaced. So he is still alive.

Aliah's mouth twitched when he thought of something else. "Hey, Ell. No one can know we're here, okay?"

Ellersly shrugged and nodded. "Hear that, Uli? Say nothing." He ushered the boy out, then closed the door and leaned against it. "How'd you get into the Center? That guard at the entrance would've stopped you because of Shai's pendant."

Aliah nodded. "He did stop us, but Shai wouldn't let it go. It was Eliana's. So Kael created a diversion and I ran with Shai in here. We were followed, but I think we lost them when we came in here."

"Kael?"

"Yeah, you remember Ava from Conley?"

Ellersly grinned. "Pretty girl with the brand on her wrist. Had it in for you it seemed."

Aliah snorted. "That's for sure. Kael's her older brother. He followed us here."

"All the way from Conley?" Ellersly shook his head and his cheeks wobbled. "That can't be good. Wonder what he wants." He looked down at Shai again, tapping a finger against his chin. "What ever happened to that page you tore out of their book in the Supply House?"

Aliah frowned. "You saw?"

"I saw the look on your face when you ripped it out just before Akan came in asking for it. Was that book our Book? From Lael?"

Aliah turned away from Ellersly's searching eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I can't, Ell. I won't involve you."

"I'm involved! Look around, Aliah. Quit trying to protect me all the time. I did pretty good bringing all those children here. You're mother helped, but I still did pretty great."

Aliah turned around again and caught the laughter in Ellersly's shining grey eyes. "And I know more than you think."

The door opened and an older woman entered. She swept the room with her grey-green eyes then smiled when she saw Aliah. "You made it."

She looked years younger standing in their old room. The yellowish electric light caught the silver strands of her hair and made them shimmer.

Aliah's heart skipped and he crossed the room then pressed himself into her embrace.

"I remember you, Mother. I really remember you."

CHAPTER 55

Shai

Her tongue stuck to the inside of her mouth. She tried to speak through lips that refused to move. A strange yellow light burned her eyes and made the tears run when she tried to see.

"It's okay, Shai. Everything will be okay." A buttery-soft voice spoke somewhere near her. She frowned. Who is that? Where am I?

The red hue inside her eyelids darkened until she saw only black. The only sounds she heard came from inside her head. A metallic ping ping ping, a gentle lub dub then nothing. An ache pulsed inside her head and slowly spread to her chest and her arms.

Screams echoed inside her, filling every hollow place. Screams that she couldn't release. Please help me. Please. The words stuck inside her. They stuck to her ribs, her lungs, and her throat. But they were only words. Without sound.
CHAPTER 56

Aliah

"She's so still." Aliah glanced at Mara who'd been smoothing back Shai's hair.

"She opened her eyes once, but..."

"But what, Mother?" He grabbed Mara's wrist as she stroked Shai's cheek like you would a small child.

Mara turned to Aliah and laid a hand on his forearm. "Her memory will soon be reset, son."

"Reset? What do you mean?"

Mara went back to caressing Shai's face. "It happened to me while I was in the Borderless. A long time ago. The Watchers had confiscated my pendant when I was exiled and shortly after that I began to lose my memories. Or what I thought were my memories. There was even a period where I remembered nothing. I woke up in a camp of Borderless people who fed me something that tasted wicked, but it seemed to help because then..." The corner of her mouth twitched and she smiled. "Then I remembered pieces of my old life. Being here, with you and your father. And then moving to Conley."

"I went through that too." Ellersly had been sitting silent on a nearby chair with his feet crossed at the ankles, picking at his nails. "In the cave with the children. Thought I was going crazy. Mara helped me and the children get through it."

Aliah shoved his fingers into his hair. "So, that's what I was dealing with. On the way here. Fevers at first. Then chills and pain so bad you can hardly breathe. Confusion."

Ellersly said, "Okay, so we all went through that but what causes the memory reset?"

Mara moved a tangled strand of Shai's hair away from her neck. "This." Her voice had an edge that wasn't there a moment ago.

Aliah turned to look and Ellersly got up and stood beside them.

Mara pinched the chain around Shai's neck between her thumb and finger. The pendant dangled innocently.

"That?" Ellersly choked out.

Aliah nodded at them both. "I took mine off just outside of Kent. But my memories had started to return before I took it off, not after."

Mara dropped the chain and rubbed her hands on her trousers. "Hmmm. I wonder why? Did you meet the Borderless people? Did they give you what they gave me to drink?" Mara's grey-green eyes searched Aliah's.

He shook his head. "No, the only people we met were those in Sector Three and..." He stopped himself. How much should he say? His mother was the one who had first told him about the Book. Maybe it was time to tell her everything that had happened.

"We met Remiel. He's not dead. I didn't kill him." He looked at Ellersly, who was shaking his head.

"I guess I don't have all my memories back. You thought you killed Remiel? I remember him vaguely. I thought maybe he just moved away or something. Not that anyone in Lael does that." He snorted.

"Of course Aliah didn't kill Remiel." Mara said to Ellersly. Her smile seemed to spread into her hairline. She looked back at her son. "I was trying to tell you that back in the cave."

"So you think meeting Remiel was the difference in getting my memories back before I got rid of the pendant?"

"Yes, I do. His presence would've accelerated the healing process by erasing the pendant's effects on your mind even before you took the necklace off."

Aliah crossed the room and slumped into a chair. "Remiel told me to take it off and why, but it took me a long time before I believed him." He shook his head. "I've wasted so much time hating him."

Ellersly sunk onto the floor near Aliah and sighed. "I'm still back at the part where you thought you killed Remiel." He chuckled and Aliah kicked him in the leg.

"Ow!" The round-faced boy rubbed his thigh. "Well it's funny if you think about it. I mean, how can you kill the Son of Thunder?"

The room stilled.

Aliah stared at Ellersly and he could feel Mara's eyes on him.

Ellersly's face turned crimson. "What? What did I say?"

CHAPTER 57

Aliah

"What did you say?" Aliah stood to his feet, pulse racing.

"All I said was--"

"I know what you said. I just don't believe it." Sweat beaded on Aliah's upper lip. "Remiel is the Son of Thunder? How did I miss that?"

Of course, it made sense. Remiel is headed to Gershom because he knows the Book is there. He encouraged Shai and me to go to Kent for our own protection while he goes to get the Book.

Aliah sighed and pulled the crumpled paper from his waistband.

Ellersly pushed himself off the floor. "Is that it? Is that the page from the Book?"

Mara came and looked over Aliah's arm. "You took a page from the Book?" She touched a corner of the creased paper with her fingertips. "You don't know what you've done, Aliah." She turned, then went back to Shai, hovering over the girl's still form.

"Mother, I wish you'd stop being so cryptic. Tell me, what have I done?"

"Depends on which page you took."

"The only one that I actually saw." Aliah held the paper up to the bare electric light bulb dangling from the ceiling. "This is the page. Here's the map that shows the Seven Sectors. And these are the names of the Coalition."

Ellersly tipped his head back and looked at the page with the yellow light behind it. "'Eli and Elyon under one Commanding Officer, The Son of Thunder.'" He read the words like an announcement, growing more breathless by the second. "Eli. Is that a first or a last name? Isn't Shai an Eli?" Ellersly grabbed Aliah's arm and shook it up and down. "What's the Coalition?"

"Rebels." Aliah and Mara spoke together.

"I think the Eli mentioned is Shai. I just found out she has a brand... like the one on the page. The same one as in the Book." Aliah's eyes were on his mother.

Mara nodded. "Yes, I've been trying to tell you that too. The Book showed you exactly what you needed to see."

"What did he need to see? I feel out of the loop here." Ellersly persisted. His mouth twisted into a pout.

Aliah shrugged then turned away, folding the page and tucking it back into his waistband. "I don't know, Ell."

"You needed to see that both you and Shai are part of the Coalition, with Remiel. The pendants prevented the Coalition from forming because the poison kept you from remembering each other. But something must've happened in Lael to have upset the balance there. Something big enough to change the course of events."

Ellersly and Aliah exchanged glances.

"The children!" Ellersly grinned. "Kidnapping them was a good idea after all!"

"Not really, Ell." Aliah resumed his pacing. "There's something that neither of you know. Samael killed Sileas as pay-back for me upsetting the balance. Now he wants me to deliver Shai to him before Recruitment Day-in fourteen days, or he'll kill everyone in Lael beginning with Shai."

Mara blanched. "Aliah, he means it. It looks like that's what's happening now. Shai's connected to Samael through this pendant."

"But she'll be okay right? I mean, we all went through it." Ellersly chewed his fingernails while Aliah went to Shai. Her pale face seemed to disappear into the sheets beneath her. The skin of her cheeks and her hands, folded on her chest, had a translucent appearance. Like the underbellies of the white fish I used to catch when I was younger. He sucked in a breath. Another memory.

"It won't be the same for her as it was for us. Everyone gets a choice and she's chosen to keep the pendant on. Its affects are far too great now, even if we took it off her. If she was still in Lael she'd go to sleep as usual and when she woke up, aside from a vague foggy feeling, she'd never know her memory had been reset. None of us knew."

Aliah swallowed hard. "You mean..."

"Ever since the pendants, we've lived our lives on repeat. Living in a virtual memory-loop. Every twenty-one days our memories would be reset. The daily Chapel meetings were for reinserting the memories we were supposed to keep. Conditioning, it's called. We had no past and no future. But being this far from Lael the pendant's poison isn't acting the way it should by altering the mind. Instead, I think... I think it's erasing her mind."

The knot in Aliah's stomach turned to stone and stole his breath. Funny, the pendants really did contain a person's essence. A tiny container that held everything they were or ever would be, but without their own identity.

"So that's how Samael will kill her. He'll do it through her mind. He won't even have to be here to do it. It's the perfect plan," he said as much to himself as anyone else.

"If he succeeds." Mara dropped to her knees beside Shai again, her face a frightening shade of pale. "We need to prevent him from completing the reset or the rest of the Laelites will drop like ash from a raid-fire. He can destroy everyone in a matter of minutes through those pendants." Mara beckoned to her son. "She's not going to hold on much longer."

"Damn." The curse caught in Aliah's throat and came out sounding strangled.

"That's exactly what she is, son... damned."

"He did this, Mother! He knew what he was doing all along!"

"Who?"

"My father, that's who! Samael! He... he set her up! He sent her to the Hill House to be his chosen one. He knew I'd come to her rescue. All he's ever wanted to do was destroy me. Destroy me by taking Shai from me."

Mara looked at Aliah. "Do you know why Samael wants to destroy you?"

"Because he hates me. Ever since I went to him for help... after I thought I killed Remiel. The pendants are my fault. I wanted people to forget about that day. I just didn't know they'd forget who they were."

Aliah wanted to punch something. Venom coursed through his veins and carried a desire to destroy everything. Overturn tables, beds, and shove his fist through the stone wall. Break every bone in his hand if he had to. Instead, he kept talking while punching his fist into his other palm.

"Samael's mad that the tables have turned on him. He didn't count on me taking my pendant off, or that my memories would come back. He thought that by taking Shai away from Lael that I'd go after her, because he knew the pendants would kill anyone this far from Lael. By trying to save her, I've only helped him with his plan."

Ellersly beamed. "But he didn't count on those twenty-one kids going missing. That messed him up."

Mara nodded and twisted a strand of her hair with a far-away look. "That's what upset Lael's balance. Without the future, the Coalition had no reason to form, but you broke the memory-loop and restored both past and future to Lael." She smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Aliah felt like a small child whose mother tried to soften the reprimand she'd just given.

Ellersly yawned and stretched. "So everything's good then. The emergency's over. Now that the loop's been broken everything in the Book can happen."

Aliah glanced at his mother whose face remained pale. "It's true the future has been re-started, but since that particular page has been torn out, what's written on it won't happen."

"Nothing on it will happen?" Ellersly's face went slack, his relative ease disappearing.

"Nothing. No Coalition. No Division. No Lael. Even the Outerlands will disappear."

Aliah shook his head. Everything felt sick, even the roots of his hair. "Well it doesn't matter. We lose either way because the Book is in Gershom so I can't replace the page. It's probably in Samael's hands right now. Why does he want the Book if he only wants to destroy me?"

Mara put her head on the bed. "The Book is probably just bait to him. He must've found out the Book is linked to you and Shai and used it to get you far enough out of Lael for the pendants to do their job." She looked up at Aliah. "I never thought this would happen. After Elchai wrote the Book, I hid it. And when I thought the Book was safe I left it with my mother and we moved to Lael."

"Where? You left it with your mother where?" Aliah shook Mara's shoulders.

"Conley. My mother's the Nurse there. I left it with her. She told me she'd protect it, that she'd hide it, but someone must've found it and took it to Lael. Just to manipulate people with it."

Aliah dropped to the chair and held his head in his hands.

There was only one person in Conley who knew about the Book before.

Kael.

CHAPTER 58

Shai

Out of the thick darkness one light appeared. Then another and another until the black veil above was completely pierced with diamonds of light.

Her arms tickled with the light wind that blew across her body. Strands of her hair fluttered across her nose, making it itch.

An insect crawled across her elbow and bit her. She swatted it then scratched the bump it left behind.

She smiled.

There's nothing like a warm summer night, lying in the grass with your hands behind your head and staring up at the stars.

Someone bumped her elbow and she turned. Remiel. He smiled at her, the moonlight slanted across his handsome face as he settled in beside her in the same position: legs crossed at the ankles, stretched out in the grass.

Only Aliah was missing tonight. He was late as usual. He had been acting strange during the last few days. She pushed her annoyance away. Every night, at this time, the three of them met on the grassy bank, near the water, to count stars and play the 'what if' game.

Remiel started the game tonight. His voice was low and when Shai moved closer to him her arm touched his and she felt his voice rumble like a thunder storm.

"What if..."

"Yes?" She giggled and waited.

"What if I could save the whole world, but it meant I had to die?" His tone was serious and she leaned on one elbow to look at him. He turned his face to hers, and when their eyes met the familiar conflicting pain twisted in her chest. I'm sure I love him. But then she thought of Aliah with his teasing green eyes and she knew she loved him too. It happened that way all the time, the tug and pull from one to the other.

Remiel reached up and touched her face. He was gentler than Aliah. She leaned down and put her forehead against his, the light smell of his soap and the warmth of his skin against hers made her light-headed.

"This game isn't fun tonight, Rem. I don't want to think of you dying. For anyone. Not even for me." She rolled away then and layed back down in the grass beside him. The sound of Aliah walking towards them made her pulse race. "Besides, I don't think the world needs saving." She looked at Remiel's profile and saw a tear slip out of the corner of his eye. Before it ran into his hairline, the moonlight caught it and turned it into another diamond, like the stars.

Aliah flopped down beside Shai and sat cross-legged in the grass, looking at Remiel. When he caught Shai watching him he grinned and pushed one hand into his hair. His easy manner put her at ease and she forgot about Remiel for a moment. It was Aliah who made her cheeks hot and her palms sweat.

The stars blurred together when she was struck with a sudden wave of dizziness. Aliah's fingers stroked the back of her hand and she turned her hand over to interlace her fingers with his. She found comfort in the heat of their palms. Her eyes grew heavy. Sleepiness pulled at her like an opiate. She let the heaviness of the night cover her. Let it soak into her until she could no longer move. She concentrated on feeling Aliah next to her, his long strong fingers locked with hers, and the firmness of his arm where it pressed against hers.

Then she heard a whisper, softer than an inhaled breath.

"I'd die for you." Remiel sounded like his heart was breaking.

But she couldn't reach for him. She couldn't open her mouth. A dark vortex spiraled toward her, suddenly pulling her in. She held Aliah's hand tighter, but the heat of his presence had gone. She opened her eyes to search for Remiel, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Darkness surrounded her.

Emptiness filled her.

She was utterly alone.

CHAPTER 59

Aliah

Mara stayed by Shai's bed, holding her head in her hands, then every once in a while touching Shai's cheek with a finger like she was checking to see if the girl was still alive.

Aliah paced back and forth until he finally leaned against the counter in the tiny kitchen and rested his head on the wooden cabinet above.

Ellersly sat chewing his nails, spitting the pieces on the floor. He stopped long enough to say, "I hate the pendants more than I ever did."

Guilt twisted in Aliah's stomach. The pain radiated to his spine. He couldn't look Ellersly or Mara in the eye. He was responsible for all of this.

As he watched his mother care for Shai, a realization dawned on him. His mother already knew. And since Ellersly's memories were returning as well, it was only a matter of time before he knew as well. They would've found out Aliah's guilt anyway.

Suddenly Aliah couldn't breathe. The room was too small, the light too yellow.

He inhaled deeply then breathed out in a rush. The inside of his bitten lip tasted like raw meat. He pushed away from the counter and crossed his arms. Blame and guilt raged inside him.

He hated himself for going to Samael and agreeing to the pendants and he hated Remiel for disappearing when he might be the only who could help Shai now. And he hated Elchai for not being willing to see him before tomorrow. He'd never felt so helpless before.

He crossed the room to the door and paused with his hand on the knob. "I'm going for a walk. I can't breathe in here." He left before either Mara or Ellersly could comment.

The smell in the corridor assaulted his nose the moment he stepped outside the door. It hurt to breathe deeply and the cabbage-boot smell turned his stomach sour.

He walked head down, hands in his trouser pockets. The page in his waistband crunched with the movement of his hips, reminding him of the pain he'd caused everyone. He had to do something! Go to Gershom to find Remiel? Force Elchai to see him?

At the fork he turned left and the corridor widened and became brighter. If nothing had changed in the Center's Core he knew around the next corner the corridor would be lit with electric light, tiny bulbs strung on thin wire along the ceiling. Further on he'd pass the spot where he helped hang them. He had delighted in the trade his Sector had made with Adena, Sector One, the city of electricity. He had been eleven then. Happy and self-assured if not a little cocky. He grew up in Kent with only one rule: stay inside the Division boundary. But where there's a heart of rebellion, a rule merely becomes a challenge to overcome.

He shook his head and smiled to himself. He was a wanderer even then. He remembered that age of innocence. Dim memories of life in Lael, before the pendants, began to surface more rapidly. Memories of Remiel, Shai and himself. Memories of a silly game they played every night. He also remembered when the pendants had changed everything. Shai's zeal for life had been replaced with a hatred for Lael's rules. But because she inwardly feared the consequences of breaking those rules, she never did.

But Aliah lived and breathed rebellion. He thought the pendants potency had a lesser effect on him because, deep inside, he resisted the pendant's control. I guess that's what made me a good Watcher. Appearing on the outside to be following the rules while on the inside I had another agenda. Some would call that hypocrisy. But I call it protecting Shai.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. I'm a fraud. A liar. By keeping Shai from the truth I was really protecting myself from discovery. I am just like my father Samael.

Someone bumped into him in the corridor and mumbled an apology before they hurried away. He recognized Uli who held two aluminum-wrapped trays and carried a canteen under each arm. Hopefully Mara could figure out a way to get some water into Shai. But Aliah had no appetite.

He passed the spot in the hall where he'd helped string the electric lights. A pain in his chest told him he missed this place more than he knew. But instead of retreating from the pain of the memory he leaned into it. The ache reminded him that at least he had memories now, even if they hurt.

But thoughts of the future brought a greater pain. The thin thread of hope that had been sparkling brighter and brighter since his memories had returned, now felt almost completely out of reach. Like a silver strand of hope was underneath Samael's boot. He could feel the crushing weight of his father's foot and it made him hate the present. And that was all he had, the present.

When he looked up he was in the Core. It seemed brighter than he remembered, the smells stronger. He'd always loved this part of the underground with its curving stone walls and dirt floors. The electric lights crisscrossing overhead on thin strands of wire only enhanced the Core's natural beauty. The lights shone like pin picks against the high, stone ceiling, and if you tipped your head back and squinted your eyes just right, it seemed like you were outside looking up at the stars. As a child it was the next best thing to being outside. While the war raged aboveground, everyone was safe below. I remember how much I missed the sunshine.

Aliah looked around at the place he had spent most of his childhood in. The Core could hardly be described as a room, or even a cave. It was an entire city, living and breathing, beneath the earth's surface. The cold, stone metal-works factories puffed black smoke into the air aboveground, giving the impression that nothing lived, while below ground an entire city thrived.

Aliah stood there with his hands behind his back, watching the Kentites rush around. He breathed in the yeasty scent of bread from the old bakery, mixed with the smells of beer and wine from the Bar next to it. He inhaled the sharp scent of rich loam from the vegetable stand to his left, and let his eyes wander over the bright colors and various textures of the textiles store and the machine shop. The food store, where Cookie worked, was to his right. A rushing, roaring sound filled the place. The sounds of people trading their services for wares, non-stop chatter, and the laughter of children playing rang in his ears like a familiar lullaby. Pleasure rushed through him and made his eyes moist.

He watched the steady stream of people overhead as they pushed carts of metal, gears, and levers across a narrow bridge. Pedestrians crossed over a wider bridge underneath. And in the center of it all, beneath the two bridges was the reason he found himself standing here. The Core's Lake. A vast underground body of water with a massive, metal wheel in the middle of it.

Adena had built the waterwheel as a means for Kent to supply their own power. Aliah had always found the turning of the wheel fascinating as it picked up water in its huge metal buckets. At the top of the wheel the water poured out of the buckets, the force of the flow caused the wheel to turn.

Two channels carried water, away from and to, the wheel. The channels flowed around the perimeter of the Core in a giant circle with the two bridges arching across the lake. A metal guardrail around the lake protected people from falling in but, the channels had no railing.

Kentites were fond of swimming in the channels and often floated around the ring, scrambling to the dirt embankment just before the water flowed back into the lake.

Aliah walked to the guardrail and leaned against it to look into the water below. A part of him hoped the water would be calm long enough for him to catch a glimpse of his reflection. He thought if he could see his face, just for a moment, he might see who he really was. Not Aliah of Lael. Not Ace, Watcher of Lael. But somebody who mattered. He began to long for the person the Book identified him as. The identity he was created to have. Aliah Elyon, warrior, rebel of the Division... one who'd be remembered for revolutionizing the Sectors. For overthrowing the dividing line that separated the original Edan. For restoring truth and standing up for the original Law that Remiel had talked about: the Law of Love.

Yes, he even wanted to know love again.

He leaned closer and the cool metal railing chilled his chest through his sweater.

The rapid current around the waterwheel reminded him of Lael's swollen river and fast undertow the night he smashed Remiel's jaw, and knocked him into the river. He rubbed his face, as though he could wipe away the memories of Remiel's lifeless body floating downstream. He had searched for three days for Remiel before he'd finally gone to Samael with his guilty conscience.

Samael. It had been years since he'd seen his father face-to-face. But his voice, he'd never forget even though he wanted to.

He stared into the water. Do I look like my father?

Tension made his neck and back ache. He squeezed the guardrail until his knuckles turned white. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see his reflection anymore. When he opened his eyes the atmosphere in the Core had shifted. A hush descended and the only sounds were of the water crashing over the waterwheel.

Aliah turned around.

People had stopped walking and just stood staring at something in the middle of the street. Traffic paused on both bridges. Aliah pushed through the crowd to see the distraction.

The slender shape of a young girl in dirty trousers, bare feet, and a ripped, yellow shirt stood in the middle of the crowd. Matted hair that would've been blonde if it were washed, stuck in clumps around her head. She held both arms outstretched, her left hand held palm out in an effort to keep everyone away. Her right hand gripped a long knife. The curved blade glistened shiny-wet with a dark, crimson liquid that dripped down the blade and onto the hilt. The hand that held the knife couldn't be seen for the blood.

When the girl turned, Aliah saw the stain that spread down the front of her tunic. Dark red. Her wild eyes caught his and she ran towards him with the knife held high in the air, above her head.

CHAPTER 60

Shai

The darkness startled her with its suffocating strength. It pressed on her chest, her stomach, her face with the weight of a lead blanket. She pushed at it with her hands, clawed the air in front of her, but found nothing. She turned her head left and right to try and find a pocket of air. She gasped and gulped, choking, as icy water filled her mouth.

A pinprick of light appeared before her and she followed it, lifting her face higher and twisting her head to keep her eyes on it. When at last the prick of light flooded her eyes, she found she could suck in a gasping, wheezing breath.

Her hair, face, and upper torso were soaking wet. She was bent over at the waist looking at her own face reflected in the rippling water of a large bucket. Large blue eyes blinked back at her. She shivered and felt herself being pulled up to stand straight, then being turned around.

A hazy face appeared in front of her, and in a few seconds she made out a thin straight nose, flashing dark green eyes rimmed in long dark lashes and a full-lipped mouth. The mouth smiled, but not the kind of smile that makes you want to smile back. This kind of smile prickled her back and made the fine hairs on her arms stand erect. The face was handsome and a sense of familiarity touched the edge of her subconscious, teasing her, before it darted away.

"I was thinking I would give you another plunge into that tub of water if you weren't going to come around. Lucky for you." The deep voice sounded crisp, every vowel clipped short, every consonant clearly pronounced. His eyes never left hers and she became acutely aware that his hand rested on the back of her neck, neither pulling her towards him nor pushing her away. Just there. In spite of the warmth of his hand she shivered. The rough ridge of calluses on the inside of his palm scratched her skin.

He released her and she stepped away from him only to bump into the water tub behind her.

He stood several inches taller than her, broad-shouldered and dressed in black from head to toe. When he pushed a damp strand of her hair off her face, his hand brushed the top of her shoulder. She stiffened as his touch made something skitter inside her even though his eyes mesmerized her. The rich color of his irises stirred something pleasant in her mind. Just keep looking into his eyes.

There was a fireplace near her, and from the half-light of the fire, she noticed a bed with rumpled sheets at the opposite end of where she stood. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. She curled her bare toes into the hard, earthen floor.

"I know you don't remember anything. You've had an accident. Lost your memory. But I'm here to help you. You are Shai Eli from Lael. I've chosen you to be with me. To give me an heir. It's the happiest day of your life."

She blinked back a sudden prickling of tears and took a deep breath to calm the panic that leaped into her throat.

"And I know you?" She didn't recognize her own voice, but it vibrated in her throat.

His mouth twisted into that smile again, but she stared into his eyes until her racing pulse slowed down.

"Of course, my love. I'm Samael. Just say my name and you will remember me."

Her tongue felt thick in her mouth, foreign. How could she have forgotten what her own tongue felt like?

She tried to speak his name, sliding the first letter across her lips and making a hissing sound. He smiled wider. White teeth, so white the sight of them made her head hurt. He nodded.

She tried again. "Sssss...sss...am...a...el." Each syllable she drew out evoked a look of pleasure from him.

"Again." He whispered and moved closer to her.

"Sam...a...el." His name slid across her tongue like a sharp blade against soft skin. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, and a chill grew in her stomach, filling an ache she was vaguely aware of. She breathed in deeply and watched as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back with a look of ecstasy.

Maybe I do know him. Maybe I do want to be with him. She probed herself for the happiness he spoke of. But the cold, achy feeling stretched into something deeper: a desperate desire to be wanted, to belong. But he must want me or I wouldn't be here. She pushed herself to remember. To make herself believe what he told her.

Then the cloudiness in her mind shifted, a shaft of light broke through. A figure stood behind Samael. Someone tall and lean with shoulder-length hair and a scar across one cheek. He entered the room and the lights came on in her mind. I know who he is. She mouthed his name. Remiel.

Samael's eyes darkened, and the muscles in his jaw twitched. The pulse in his neck jumped as he turned to look at his uninvited guest. One minute Remiel and Samael were across the room from each the other, the next they were grappling on the floor. Their bodies twisted and writhed around each other until Shai couldn't tell them apart.

A sudden loathing rose up in her stomach and pushed up her throat like acid. Samael. I remember him. She looked around the room for a weapon and spotted a small table littered with an assortment of objects glinting in the light of the fire. A small hammer, a saw the length of her hand, a chisel, a long-handled pair of scissors. Her captor's objects of torture or pleasure? Her eyes fell on a knife with a long curving blade.

The sounds of the fight behind her diminished as she curled the fingers of both hands around the hilt of the weapon. She raised it above her head just as the weight of someone's hand on her shoulder turned her around.

She cried out as she turned, swinging the blade across the face there. Every muscle, every tissue pulsed. Alive with revulsion and hatred for Samael. The blade connected with soft skin, and cut through the cheek, flaying it open like a gutted fish. She watched his mouth fill with blood and he coughed, splattering the front of her dark crimson. The whites of his exposed back teeth turned red. He reached out and grabbed her arm. The sleeve of her once pretty, lemon-yellow shirt tore as he fell.

With slurred words he said, "I will die for you." His blazing blue eyes shone like pools of truth. Proof of his love for her. Remiel!

"Noooo!" She reached for him but missed. He collapsed to the ground at her feet just as a pain exploded in the back of her head, and everything was swallowed up in darkness.

CHAPTER 61

Aliah

The crowd parted to let the wild girl through. Pale-faced and glassy-eyed she streaked towards Aliah. The pendant at her throat caught the overhead electric light, reflecting it back to him in miniature rainbows.

She had Shai's face, Shai's hair and her slender body, but the eyes weren't the familiar pale shade of blue. These eyes looked so dark he thought they might be coal-black. His heart sunk to his knees.

It was Shai. How she came to be here in the Core he didn't know. Why she was covered in blood-splatter was a disturbing thought he'd rather not analyze now. In a moment she'd be on him, and quite possibly, he'd be sliced to pieces, judging from the look in her eyes.

"Shai!" A voice smooth as velvet yet hard as steel made Aliah jump and Shai stopped, her right arm still over her head, the long blade dripping thick crimson drops into her hair.

Aliah couldn't see who spoke. Shai completely filled his line of vision, but the tenor of it reached into the recesses of his mind and pulled on a memory like someone flipped a switch.

The memory was of a man whose face was like chiseled stone: angular, grooved and brown. His hair fell to his shoulders in soft white waves. Eyes as clear and deep a blue as a late summer sky. He was neither tall nor short, fat nor thin. And his age couldn't be told just by looking at him.

It was that same man that walked towards Shai now. He moved with precision, head straight, shoulders back, hands behind his back. He looked like a man who'd led a thousand countries into war and emerged the victor. No one moved and no one spoke. His presence seemed to fill the Core.

Shai's eyes focused on Aliah's and he saw a flash of recognition before she fell at his feet. The light had gone from her wide-open eyes, but the movement of her chest said she was still alive. The blade rolled from her open hand and Aliah kicked it aside, the smell of it so strong he could taste it.

The white-haired man knelt beside Shai and the blood from her hands stained his garments. He took her hand in his and kissed it while he stroked back the dirty matted hair from her face. Her eyes stared upwards, unblinking.

The man stood and looked at Aliah. A bloody smear near his mouth. "She's fighting hard. Her mind has already been wiped and Samael's already started reconditioning her. But she's fighting with everything in her." He turned and motioned to a few men standing around.

"Get her into my chambers. Do it quickly."

"Elchai." The name caught in Aliah's throat. It had been too long since they'd seen each other. The memories too new since the truth had come.

The older man gripped Aliah's shoulder, marking him with blood. "I was with her a moment ago. She seemed fine. Well, not fine, but not like this." He looked at the ground, at the bloody blade a few feet away, at the spot Shai had fallen and the red smear on Elchai's face.

"All this blood..." His stomach heaved.

"Son, go to my chambers and stay with her. She has crossed over. Something has happened on the other side. She needs you to watch her from this side so something like that doesn't happen again. Let Remiel take care of what's happening in Gershom." Elchai's voice softened.

Aliah shook the older man's hand off his shoulder. "I'm not your son. And what good am I if I stay here while Remiel is off doing whatever's he's doing in Gershom?" He didn't care if his tone was sarcastic. Didn't care that Elchai's mouth dipped down. He had wanted to see Elchai earlier, to talk to him about the Book in order to win back Shai's trust. But with Elchai standing in front of him, Aliah discovered he hated the Book as much as he hated the pendants. The Book had been responsible for the Laws and punishments in Lael, and it was the cause of Sileas's death.

The crowd had dispersed now that Shai had been carried off. Someone came to remove the knife and sweep the dirt, erasing the stain of blood on the ground without complaint or comment. A strange thought flitted through Aliah's mind. Kentites are warriors. They are used to seeing blood.

Aliah walked back the way he came. His steps surer, his back straighter. He would go to Gershom. If he stayed here he'd want to plunge that curved blade deep into Elchai's neck or cut off each of his fingers that were responsible for writing the Book. In Gershom he could find the Book and put the page back. If Shai had crossed over into Gershom the three of them would be together. The Coalition could happen. He had to make it happen. Couldn't Elchai see that?

Heavy footsteps in the corridor behind him made him turn around. The whites of Elchai's eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, his hair a shimmery halo around his head.

"You can't go to Gershom. The Son of Thunder is the one the Book describes. The one who'll die to save the many."

"It's because of your damn Book that I have to go to Gershom! I have a page of it, Elchai! I can't sit here and let the future die! Why can't you see that!"

"It's you who can't see. Gershom is in another realm. In order to put the page back you'd have to cross over. That means facing Death. You won't come back if you go there." Elchai touched Aliah's arm. "Shai is dying. And everyone in Lael will too if you don't let Remiel do what he needs to do. Samael only wants revenge against me. To take everything he can from me. Remiel has gone to trade his life for Shai's and all of Lael's. Life for life. Don't go."

Aliah jerked his arm away from Elchai then turned and ran.

Elchai's voice rang out in the corridor. "Only love is stronger than death. If you die for any other reason you'll lose your life as well as Shai's. Don't go!"

The pounding of Aliah's feet thundered in his ears and matched the pounding of his heart against his ribs.

"I'm going Elchai, and you can't stop me. I'm going to talk to my father! Maybe you should've written that in your Book!"

He wasn't certain, but if the echo didn't lie Elchai said, "one son's death is enough."

If Aliah had to die to set things right, it was a price he was willing to pay. He had nothing to lose. And going to Gershom had nothing to do with Remiel. He was still angry with Remiel for leaving. He was going for Shai, and for Lael. To fix what he had done.

CHAPTER 62

Shai

A deep red hue burned through her closed eyelids. Her cheeks warmed from the heat of a lantern, or something, held close to her face. Soft voices, the rustle of garments, and then the gentle pressure of someone touching her, first her face then her hands. Sounds of water dripping and the moist heat of a damp cloth wiping her face and her hands. Single words filtered into her foggy mind, none of them making sense on their own: crossed over, reset, pendant. Then a deeper voice, the same voice that had called to her earlier, whose depth and resonance had stopped her from jabbing the knife between those pretty, green eyes.

She trembled. The voice spoke in soft tones, but her body responded as though he had yelled. Reconditioned. Remiel.

Her legs suddenly jerked, and her arms bumped against her sides in violent pulses. Her head thrashed from side to side. She couldn't control anything. A sharp pain in the side of her tongue and the taste of blood filled her mouth. She bit her tongue and the inside of her lip until the blood flowed and tears ran. A narrow tunnel opened up in front of her. The voices grew quieter, the light dimmer, as the darkness reached for her and pulled her back in.

Remiel. It was her first conscious thought when she opened her eyes.

She turned her head and saw she was back in Samael's room. Remiel was strapped to a chair across the room near the fire with his arms behind his back. The dirty rag tied across his mouth had turned bright red from his bloody wound.

She exhaled as relief washed over her. He didn't die. I didn't kill him. She hadn't meant to hurt him. The knife was meant for Samael.

She was laying on the big bed she had seen earlier. The back of her head hurt. She tried to touch it, but couldn't move. Her wrists had been bound together and tied to the bed frame above her head. The knots in the rope burned her wrists. She jerked her arms back and forth, back and forth until her shoulders ached and her flesh chafed.

Exhausted, she leaned back against the bed. She glimpsed movement near Remiel and angled her body to look. Remiel's eyes were fixed on something near her, just out of her line of sight.

A shadow fell across the bed at the same moment she felt the heat of a whisper in her ear, "Are you ready?"

Ready for what? Her heart raced and her palms grew clammy. Her vision swirled as adrenaline pumped into her bloodstream.

"Tonight's the night. While lover-boy watches, you will give me an heir."

Samael.

She shivered when his feverishly hot skin touched hers as he climbed onto the bed to lie beside her. He stroked her face. Bitter bile mixed with the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She swallowed and turned her face away from him.

"I always thought revenge was my energy, my very life." His rancid breath made her cheek moist. "I can take you away from Aliah, or Elchai's sons away from him, but in the end revenge won't satisfy me. I need power. Tell me where the Book is!"

She shook her head. "I don't know!"

He caressed her cheek again then suddenly squeezed her face between his fingers and thumb, until the insides of her cheeks pressed against each other. His nails pierced her flesh, and drew blood that ran down her chin.

"Then we'll do this the hard way. Maybe Remiel over there can help you by telling me where the Book is. Oh, wait. He can't. You messed up his face." Samael's lips twisted into a fleeting grin before he released her face. He slid off the bed, then removed his trousers. Hot tears ran down her face making her cheeks sting. Her throat tightened. She thrashed against the restraints, twisting her body while ignoring the searing pain in her hands. A guttural groaning came from Remiel and cut into Shai's heart.

Samael slid closer to her and she squeezed her eyes shut, still thrashing. He gripped her inner thigh and twisted the sensitive skin there. Screams tore her throat, but the excruciating pain in her leg forced her to be still. She pressed her lips together and tensed as he breathed against her neck and into her hair. Then suddenly his weight was on top of her. The pressure of his mouth against hers added more pain. He kissed her, brutally crushing her lips between his teeth. She arched her back in a violent twisting motion as his fingers groped along the edge of her tunic while his other hand twisted into her hair and yanked her head back. He wound his leg under her and pulled her rigid body tight against his.

She gagged, coughed, then vomited against his mouth. Blood and bile dribbled down her chin and neck.

He jerked away then laughed. "That won't stop me." He slapped her face and when she refused to cry he slapped her again, harder. Her eyes stung and her nose felt detached from her face like there was nothing left but a gaping hole.

A crash across the room made Samael turn and Shai pulled both her legs to her chest, then kicked him in the side. He teetered then began to fall, but caught himself. He turned towards her, his face purple and shaking with rage.

"Enough!" Spit flew from his mouth. He straddled her, then yanked the neck of her shirt. The buttons popped and the fabric ripped across her left shoulder. Samael grinned and grabbed the remainder of the fabric in both hands.

But then his eyes narrowed. A strange look was frozen on his face as he leaned in to stare at the exposed skin of her shoulder and the top of her breast. He trembled as he traced the birthmark on her chest with one skinny finger.

"I've seen this mark before. On your friend."

Aliah?

Another crash and Remiel suddenly stood behind Samael with his arms lifted high over his head. Shai gasped as she saw in Remiel's hands the jagged remains of the chair he had been tied to. A splintering sound of breaking wood filled the room as the chair connected with Samael's skull, followed by a dull thud as he hit the ground.

CHAPTER 63

Aliah

His lungs screamed for oxygen in the dense air of the corridor, but he forced himself on. He focused on the smooth control of his body. His muscles tightened and relaxed rhythmically as he ran. The empty corridors echoed back the sound of his pounding feet.

The same guard stood watch, a silent sentinel at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't react when Aliah snatched a short-bladed knife from the weapons table.

He took the stairs two at a time, running blindly up the dark stairwell, his feet finding each step from memory.

The blazing sun had finally set outside, cooling the air. The moonlight sharpened the angles of the towering factories and stretched their eerie shadows along the ground.

He ran with nothing but the knife in his hand and the page from the Book. He'd looked enough times at the page to know the map by heart. After the jagged Sector Seven terrain, the land became smooth and flat further west. On the map its label was simply the Outerlands. Gershom wasn't on the map. If the entrance to Gershom was through Death then he would face it. Even if he had to run forever. He would run until he stumbled into Gershom.

Memory after memory slammed into his consciousness. The next thought climbed on top of the previous thought, each one vying for attention. He shoved them all down and kept running.

Just focus on Shai.

Her long blond hair. But now it's matted with blood.

Those incredible blue eyes. Eyes that had barely registered recognition when she looked at me. The further he ran the darker his thoughts became.

Acute pain attacked his left side and he squeezed it.

Breathe. In. Out. Run. Run. Keep running.

Breathe.

Whose blood was all over Shai? Hers?

He shivered. She would've attacked him if Elchai hadn't called out to her. But he saw in her eyes she wasn't really there. She hadn't been standing in the Center's Core. When she had raised the knife and came at him it wasn't him she was seeing.

Then who?

"Who did you see when you looked at me, Shai?" He spoke into the darkness. He asked the ragged shadows of rocks as he passed them. He lifted his face to the black sky and asked the wind that whipped through his hair and tore tears from his eyes.

You know who she saw. And you know where she is and who she is with. The voice penetrated his questions. Familiar and cold. Taunting and teasing.

Gershom was close now. I suppose I've always known it was close. As close as a person's next breath. The veil was always there, hanging between two realms, rippling in the icy wind he felt in his soul.

Shai, I know where you are and I'm coming for you. He felt her teetering between life and death. He knew she was standing on the threshold between Gershom and Edan. He wondered if she could feel the same cold wind that he felt. The harsh gusts that turned his blood to ice, his breath to frost.

Another memory rose in his mind, vivid in color. Sounds so loud he had to listen. His feet stumbled for footing, but still he ran while looking inwardly at the sudden memory.

They had been walking along the water (was it the river of Lael or the channel in Kent? He didn't know.) The three of them swinging their clasped hands: Remiel and himself with Shai between them. It was the last time he could remember being happy. Shai had squeezed his fingers and he smiled at her profile. The smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose danced when she crinkled her face in a laugh. His heart soared and ached at the same time. He loved her. He truly loved her. He nearly told her so, but he heard that voice. The voice that would often return to chill his soul and eventually harden his heart. That day he heard it for the first time.

" _Be careful she isn't taken from you. You can't trust Remiel."_

He had glanced sideways and saw Remiel's face as he watched Shai, the same hungry look he imagined he himself had when he was with her.

Something had twisted in his gut when looked at Remiel and Shai's interlaced fingers. Remiel was certainly more alive, more excited when he was with her. But who wouldn't be?

She was golden. Like honey on the lips.

He remembered the sudden dryness of his mouth. The instant sweat that slicked his palms. And he made a vow. I will do anything to protect Shai. Anything.

The memory dislodged something long-buried. An undefinable agony that ripped into his chest and left a gaping hole where his heart had been.

Aliah tripped on a loose stone and turned his ankle. He fell sprawling on the ground and felt the skin roll back from his palms and knees as the sharp gravel and dirt embedded in his flesh.

He spat and sat up. The memory dissolved like a spoonful of salt beneath his tongue, leaving behind a bitter taste.

I've been a fool. Listening to the voice had poisoned him against Remiel and twisted his own love for Shai into something selfish and evil.

He grabbed fistfuls of his hair as he cried out inside. Why? Father, why did you try to destroy my life? All this time I've let you into my head because I thought you were helping me. But you've never wanted to help me. You've always hated me. Why?

CHAPTER 64

Shai

Dried blood on her hand made her skin itch.

She gripped Remiel's hand tighter and let him lead her down the long dark hallways. And when her bare feet could no longer carry her, when the skin on her heels and toes cracked and bled and the pain made her stop, he picked her up. He carried her.

Through hallway after hallway. He ran. Always running, never stopping. Her arms circled his neck, her head rested against his shoulder. The fabric from the dirty wrap around the lower half of his face tickled her cheek. Or maybe it was his blood, still flowing, that had dripped from his wound onto her face.

She was covered in his blood. Dried and fresh. And it mixed with her own. The pungent scent sharp in the darkness.

That smell was the only thing that reminded her that they were both still alive.

CHAPTER 65

Aliah

He saw the yellow glow of its eyes first. Piercing the darkness. Haunting.

After he'd fallen, Aliah's pace had slowed. His knees burned, his lungs ached and his blood pounded incessantly in his ears like the roar of the waterwheel in the Core. Confidence had given way to sheer determination long ago, and his feet thundered on by force of will.

The sight of the amber eyes slicing through the veil of night brought him a strange twist of relief. He knew he'd been watched by this wolf even as he had watched the Laelites. Its presence lurking and waiting for an opportune moment to whisper dark thoughts to him. To send him messages from his father beyond the veil of death.

Maybe this was it. He exhaled and wiped the sweat from his brow. He wouldn't fight it. He deserved what he got.

He bit his lip. He was ready for Gershom.

"Come for me!" He yelled into the darkness. The yellow of the wolf's eyes blinked out like two flames that had been blown out.

Aliah dropped to his knees and opened his arms wide. He tipped his face up, exposing his throat and a tremor of fear arced up his spine. He braced himself for the impending attack.

"Come..." Something hit his chest and knocked him backward, his breath escaped in a whoosh. He gasped and coughed then waited for the second attack.

This is too easy. I won't defeat you like this. Stand up and fight like a man. The voice hissed inside Aliah's head.

Rocks and sticks bit into his back as he lay on the ground, but he didn't move. He smiled. The voice sounded almost irritated. Maybe because the puppet strings had finally been cut. He was his own man now. He may still hear the voice, but its power over him had broken.

He spread his arms and legs out and forced his eyes to stay open. "Come for me." His invitation rose barely above a whisper.

Suddenly the weight of the wolf was there, on his chest. Crushing him. He could see nothing but darkness and the pressure on his body made him think that in few moments he'd be one with the earth. He didn't struggle, but let the air escape from his lungs little by little. The muscles around his mouth twitched as his frozen smile threatened to fade.

The yellow eyes appeared again, inches above his face. At the same moment he felt icy fingers around his neck, crushing his windpipe. His legs trembled, his lungs pleaded for oxygen.

A cloud moved and a pale shaft of moonlight slanted across a familiar face. Hair he knew to be the same shade as the flecks of amber in the eyes, mouth twisted into a sickening grin.

It came as no surprise that Zev was the angel of death.

Aliah's fingers trembled against the blade he still held in his right hand. Hatred flowed like ice through his veins. The edges of Aliah's vision clouded. Soon I will cross over Gershom's threshold. He let the blade roll off his fingertips.

"You're really stupid. Why would you kill yourself just to enter Gershom? Won't do anyone any good to have you dead. You always were the dumb one." Zev released the pressure on Aliah's throat, enough for Aliah to take a breath, but he refused to. The trembling in his legs became violent.

"Remiel's dead. Shai's dead. Died together, in each other's arms," Zev sneered.

Aliah's survival instinct kicked in and he gasped. He coughed and rolled onto his side, sputtering and cursing.

"Ah, there you go. I knew that would get to you." Zev rolled off Aliah then sat cross-legged beside him while drumming his fingers on his knees.

"Take your time and catch your breath. You're not going to go that easily." Zev narrowed his eyes. "I don't know why you waste your time trying to be the hero. What are you trying to prove? That you're worthy?" Zev snorted and shook his head.

Aliah collapsed back on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Worthy of what? Daddy's love? Well, your father doesn't want you. He never did. Poor, poor orphan boy." Zev leaned over and looked into Aliah's eyes. "He doesn't want you! You hear me?" Zev yelled into Aliah's face and specks of spit hit Aliah's lips. Aliah tried to steel himself, not against his father's voice this time, but against Zev's words. Words that sliced into his heart.

"He chose Remiel, not you! You failed, remember? You tried to murder Remiel. You.Tried.To.Kill. Your. Brother. And that's why your father disowned you. He couldn't stand to look at you. You sniveling coward!"

Pain roared through Aliah's body as he curled up tight, fighting the tide of memories. Wave after wave of shame crashed upon his soul like a storm-ridden sea when it pounds the shore. Suppressed guilt unleashed its agony and bitter tears sprung to his eyes.

A new pain exploded in his back as Zev kicked him again and again as he lay curled on his side. Each time Zev rammed his foot into Aliah's side he punctuated it with curses and shouts. Liar! Murderer! Loser!

Aliah surrendered to the pain in his body. It washed over him and would've relieved him if not for his tormented mind. I deserve this. I deserve punishment. I am deserving of whatever Death wants to do to me.

He scratched the earth and left scars in the soil with his nails. He crushed a handful of gravel in his fists and let the sharp rocks slice into his palms. Let my blood run. Let it flow.

He'd cut himself open and let his blood soak into the ground if he thought it'd wash him clean. But he was filthy. His blood too filthy to clean anything.

He pulled his hair until his scalp went numb, but the physical pain paled in comparison to his mental anguish.

Finally a shuddering sob erupted from a deep place in his chest. "My brother! My brother, I didn't mean... No! Remiel, please... oh please." He rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the dirt. Zev brought his boot down on Aliah's lower back, then ground his heel into Aliah's spine. Pain shot up his back, travelled along his nerves and ended in an explosion in his torso.

Then nothing. The pain left. Zev disappeared, swallowed up in the curtain of darkness that suddenly descended.

CHAPTER 66

Aliah

When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw in the dim half-light was the little mountain of gravel still inside his clenched fist. The cold stone floor bit into his cheek as he laid face-down. Where am I?

He tried to lift his head, but a peculiar weight prevented him. He blinked and focused past his hand. Iron bars stretched before him as far as he could see without moving his head.

Dread washed over him.

Gershom.

At least I made it. He swallowed hard. Why do I feel so funny? It wasn't pain but a kind of heaviness. He tried moving his legs, his toes, anything, but nothing responded. Panic bubbled up. He tried again. There. He watched his index finger shiver with effort. Then his thumb.

Something dripped near his head and splashed its fetid liquid on his face when it landed. He strained his ears and heard more dripping, then something else. Something moving beyond the bars. Someone walking in heavy boots. The boots stopped outside the bars. The toes were scuffed and worn. Buckled up the side. The sound of jingling keys flooded him with a mixture of fear and hope.

The bars slid open and the boots came. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Until they stopped near Aliah's closed hand.

"My son. What have you done?"

That voice.

Aliah closed his eyes. "I'm not your son." His own voice sounded strangled and rough, his throat restricted and painful where Zev had choked him.

The toe of the boot touched the back of Aliah's hand. "No? Well whose son are you then? Certainly not Elchai's. You told him so today." The boot pressed Aliah's hand into the ground a little harder. "Isn't that right? Didn't you tell him what you just told me? I'm not your son."

The voice mocked and the pressure increased on Aliah's hand. He heard bones grind and pop and he gritted his teeth, waiting for the pain. But it never came. When Samael removed his boot, Aliah stared at the little flecks of dirt that stuck to the tread mark embedded in his hand.

"Stupid little orphan boy. Look at you on the ground. Big Kentite warrior." Samael knelt close enough for Aliah to see his face. He looked into the same green eyes as his own, the same thin straight nose and full mouth. Even the dark hair was the same. The right side of Samael's face looked swollen and purplish-black.

Samael touched Aliah's face and the heat from his finger seemed to burn into Aliah's cheek. A small comfort to know he could feel it.

"Zev crushed your back, kid. But he did you a favor. You won't be able to move, but you won't feel much pain either." Samael leaned over and whispered in Aliah's ear, "Just tell me where the Book is and I will help you."

Aliah spat and tried to shake his head.

"Then tell me what this means." Samael moved to draw something in the thin layer of dirt on the floor. Aliah's eyes hurt from the strain so he closed them.

"Look at it!" Samael grabbed the back of Aliah's sweater with one hand and his trousers with the other and half-lifted, half-dragged Aliah closer to the drawing.

Scratched into the dirt, the size of a man's hand, were three interlocking circles.

"I think you already know what it is."

Samael released him and Aliah's face smacked the floor.

"If I did, why would I bother to ask you? I've seen it on you and now Shai. What does it mean?"

Aliah frowned. If Samael doesn't have the Book and he doesn't know about the Coalition then he isn't the one trying to prevent the Coalition from forming. But who is?

He spat dirt out of his mouth then spoke into the floor. "How can you not know that brand, Samael? Haven't you seen the Book? Isn't it you who writes the Laelites' infractions in the Book every evening? You're the one who makes us go through the Readings, so how can you not know what that symbol means?" Aliah braced himself for the blow he was sure to receive for speaking insubordinately. But the prison cell remained still.

When at last Samael spoke Aliah had to strain to hear it. "I've never written in that bloody Book. If I had I wouldn't have bothered with all that pettiness. That Book has the power to control people, more than the pendants you begged me for."

Anger burned in Aliah. "All you've wanted was the Book? Then what does Shai have to do with anything? Why involve her?"

"Stupid boy. For revenge." He snorted then laughed. "Your jealousy over your brother's relationship with Shai made you turn on him. From there it was too easy. When you thought you'd killed your brother and you came to me for help it was simple to make you think your father disowned you for what you'd done."

Aliah's head swirled. "You planted those thoughts in my mind!"

"So? I didn't make you act on them. That was all you. All I wanted was revenge for what Elchai did to me. Shai is just a pawn. Losing both you and your brother will be Elchai's undoing."

Tears burned Aliah's eyes. "Why did you convince me that you're my father?"

Samael knelt beside Aliah again and ran his fingers through Aliah's thick, dark hair. With a jerk, Samael snapped Aliah's head back and Aliah found himself looking into Samael's eyes. Two swirling, black pools of hate and revenge.

How could I have believed I looked anything like this man?

"I didn't convince you of that. You came to that conclusion on your own after the pendants altered your memories. I never wanted to be your father. But I was willing to do anything to get back at Elchai. I hate Elchai, and you... because you look just like him!" Samael slammed Aliah's face into the stone floor and Aliah waited for the pain. Samael rammed his face again, but Aliah only felt the pressure of Samael's hand gripping his hair, and the wetness of his own blood as his face was crushed against the floor over and over. A loud crunching noise echoed in the stillness of the prison cell, and a shiver rippled through Aliah when he realized it was the sound of his own nose breaking. He spat out broken fragments of his teeth that glowed bright white in the dark crimson puddle of his own blood.

The memory of Remiel's voice flashed into his mind: it's the truth that counts. Beliefs will either be a prison or a key to freedom.

Just before everything turned dark, Aliah finally knew he was nothing like this man.

I really am free of him. He smiled when he thought of the irony: that the brutal tyrant he thought was his father was disfiguring the face he had once believed they shared.

He closed his eyes knowing he would die looking nothing like the man who never loved him.

His heart ached as he thought of his real father, Elchai.

I'm sorry I was so angry with you. I wish I knew then what I know now. Thank you for never losing sight of who I really am. I'm glad I got to come home and see you. Good-bye, Father.

CHAPTER 67

Shai

The length of time they had been running through the dark, putrid-smelling hallways was measured only by the sounds of Remiel's labored breathing, and the slapping sounds of his feet on the stone floor.

Remiel ran slower now, as his heart beat a staccato rhythm beneath her cheek. If it weren't for the fear icing her veins, she might have fallen asleep in his arms.

A pale circle of light from a ceiling lamp splashed the walls and floor in a milky-white pool just ahead of them. The softness of the light only accentuated the horrors of where they were. The effect startled her.

The walls were a strange, dark sludgy color. They were made of jaggedly-cut stones with chunks of mortar missing where patches of something dark and fuzzy clung to the stones like gnarled fingers. The walls merged into the floors and ceiling and gave the impression of being in an underground tomb.

The more Shai looked around, the more it seemed as though they were somewhere deep in the earth, away from sunlight and fresh air. She imagined tons of earth pressing in on the sides and top, sealing them in this place of death forever. She closed her eyes as Remiel stepped away from the light and cut into a dark recess in the wall that was hidden in the shadows.

He put Shai down and she scooted against the wall, the cold stone stole her breath and cut sharply into the warm places where Remiel's hands had been.

He squatted in front of Shai and pulled the fabric band from his mouth. She cringed at the horrible mass of white flesh that hung loose, stretching from the corner of his mouth to his ear, intersecting the scar he had before.

"You'll be safe here." His tongue made a clicking sound against his teeth when he talked.

Shai shook her head and grabbed his arm. "Don't leave me. Please."

"It's time for me to go. But I'll stay with you here until you fall asleep. You've got to cross back over."

"No Remiel! Not without you. I won't lose you again!"

He squeezed her fingers and looked into her face. "Do you remember the 'What If' game?"

She nodded and grabbed his hand in both of hers. "I think so."

He leaned close until his good cheek touched hers. "What if I can save the whole world?"

"What if I don't want you to save it? What if I want you to come back to Kent with me and stay?"

He shook his head and his whiskers rubbed against her skin. His warm, damp tears fell on her face.

"What if I told you that you're dying? That if I don't do what I came here to do, then you won't live?"

"What if you're wrong?" But she knew he told her the truth. She felt funny here, heavier somehow, like soft bread dough. Just a lump of flesh without muscle.

Questions flooded her mind. Everything she had wanted to know about the Book, about the key and the War Between Worlds, about the Division and her purpose in the Coalition, died on her tongue. There was only one thing she wanted to know now.

"Who are you, Remiel? Are you the one we've been waiting for?"

He moved away from her then, and slid the neck of his tunic over his left shoulder. She looked closer and sucked in a breath. The smooth skin of his chest was interrupted by a raised scar. Lumpy flesh left by a fire-brand in the shape of three interlocking circles. She looked up at him, her wide eyes reflected in his. The same pale shade of blue, hers mirrored his, and his mirrored hers, into eternity.

"I am the Son of Thunder." He placed both hands on either side of her face and touched his forehead to hers. "And one day, I'll see you on the other side."

"Where? Other side of what?"

"Of death." Remiel smiled, then pulled away, looking down the hallway at something. A shadow fell across him as he stood. Hollow clomping of heavy boots and the sound of jingling keys made her shiver.

"One day," he whispered again and stepped away from the alcove and into the pool of light.

For a brief moment he stood there lit up, his hair a crown of white, the blood a sharp contrast against his pale skin, then he stepped away and was gone. All she heard was a thud. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around herself. Something touched her hair and she screamed. A sharp sound that was wrested from her mouth as a hand yanked her from her hiding spot by her hair.

CHAPTER 68

Shai

Her back ached from sitting against the hard, stone wall, waiting for Remiel to be brought back to the cell they shared. For hours they had sat on the cold floor where the guard had tossed them. They had huddled together for warmth and comfort until Remiel was taken for 'questioning.'

She drew her knees to her chest and rested her head on her arms. Dim light filtered into her narrow cell from a single lantern nailed to the wall in the hallway. The other cells in the block stood empty. Only a blackish-red stain on the floor of the cell across from hers revealed it had recently been occupied.

She inhaled slowly. Her chest ached and burned like she'd been punched in the solar plexus. Her lungs rattled and wheezed with every breath. She shifted her position and tried to ease the numbness that crept into her rear end, then promptly buried her nose in her sleeve as a rotten odor wafted up from the dirt she disturbed.

The jingling of keys made her head snap up. The same guard that had found her pressed into the dark alcove earlier returned with Remiel, whose hands were bound with a single iron cuff.

Remiel held his head up and squared his shoulders as the guard slid the cell bars open and removed the shackle. Remiel's left eye had swollen until it was just a narrow slit. His right eye drooped beneath a deep gash over his dark eyebrow. Dried blood smudged his upper lip from multiple cuts around his mouth. His nostrils were ringed with dark red.

The guard shoved Remiel, who stumbled into the cell and fell to his knees. A cry escaped Shai and she crawled toward Remiel, pulled his head onto her lap as he curled up on the ground.

"What have they done to you?"

A mottled mixture of bruises and cuts marked his face, his features swollen beyond recognition. She sat for a long time stroking his hair, not speaking.

The guard didn't return. And when the lantern in the hallway sputtered out she eased Remiel's head off her lap and curled up beside him on the ground, facing him. The cell block became alive with noise. Skittering, scurrying sounds, a monotonous dripping, and the rattling of their own breathing.

Time folded in on itself. Seeming to repeat an endless cycle of darkness so deep it seeped into every pore, every orifice. Still, she sucked in deep draughts of air, trying to get enough oxygen to push back the panic. She concentrated on matching her breathing with Remiel's. She tucked her hands under her cheek and pulled her legs up until her knees touched his.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes the lantern was flickering again and she was lying on her other side away from Remiel. The weight of his arm around her comforted her and she laced her fingers in his, feeling his calloused palm, his strong fingers, and the bulge of his veins on the back of his hand. Her body fit closely into the curve of his. Every breath he took whispered along the back of her neck.

She closed her eyes and listened to a faint sound. A wordless whisper that came from Remiel. She strained to hear him against the sounds of her own breathing.

"I've made... a deal."

"A deal?" A leaden feeling crept into her stomach and spread into her chest.

Remiel inhaled against her. "He... will let you... go. Let Lael go."

She licked her dry lips and blinked back tears. The first threat that her internal dam might break. "What about you?"

But Remiel said nothing more. She buried a whimper in the back of his hand as she pulled his arm across her tighter and let sleep drag her into nothingness.

When she awoke again, her throat felt hot and dry and the chill along her back told her Remiel had gone. A pale-faced guard with long greasy hair and a thin face approached Shai's cell. He rapped his knuckles on the bars of her cell.

"Get up!" His barking voice made her jump. "Samael wants to see you."

She stood on legs that didn't feel like hers. Every step towards the guard threatened to buckle her knees.

"Slide your hands through here." The guard tapped a rectangular cut-out in the cell door. As soon as her fingers touched the cold metal plate inside the cut-out, he grabbed her wrists and bound them together with a heavy iron cuff that dug into her tender rope burns. She winced which made him laugh. The sound echoed down the empty hall, mocking and sinister.

"Don't be weak. You should be grateful for the deal Remiel made."

He was the same guard who had dragged her from the alcove as she kicked and screamed, twisting against the pressure of his arm across her chest as he crushed her against his bony side with an inhuman strength.

As he slid her cell door open and roughly grabbed her upper arm she glanced sideways at him.

"Where's Remiel?" Her voice sounded raspy and dry as she forced the words out through cracked lips. The guard squeezed her arm tighter as an answer. She looked at the ground as she shuffled down the hall. Her bare feet stuck to the dirty stone floor, the occasional pebble pressed painfully into the softer flesh of her heels.

As they passed the last few cells in the hall, she stepped in something cold and thick with her left foot. She turned and saw a man lying face-down on the floor in a dark puddle that spread from beneath his head into the hallway. She shivered.

"Samael's revenge on Elchai." The guard sneered, exposing long yellow teeth peppered with darker yellow and brown spots.

The guard yanked her arm and she stumbled, then fell to one knee. He dragged her across the floor until she regained her footing. Her captor never broke his stride. With every bend, her knee stung where her trousers had torn and the stone rubbed her skin raw.

The guard opened a metal door at the end of the cell block and pushed her into the darkness yawning ahead of them.

"Who was that?" Her voice echoed. With a dull thud the door closed behind them and every whisper of light scattered. "The man back there, who was that?" She heard her voice, high and tinny, saying everything multiple times before dying somewhere in the darkness beyond. "Who!" She was losing control. She heard it in the pitch of her voice, felt it in her legs as they refused to support her weight any longer.

The guard shoved her from behind and she fell, unable to put her hands in front of her to break the impact. She landed on the floor which was warmer, wetter than her cell.

"Move!" He gripped her hair and yanked her to her feet.

"His name! Tell me his name or I won't move!" He released her hair and sighed.

"You'll move even if I gotta drag you." He shoved her between the shoulder blades, but she planted her feet shoulder-width apart and wedged her right foot against the wall for support.

"Name!" It took every effort to sound steady when tears threatened to break the surface. They pricked her eyelids and she blinked them away.

"If it matters so bloody much his name was Jachin. Remiel's older brother."

"Was?" Her throat tightened with tears. She didn't have to ask, she knew the man was dead, she knew it when she had stepped in the congealed pool of blood. Was he the reason Remiel came here? To save his brother?

The guard's cold, bony fingers touched her shoulder then slid down her arm where he grabbed her again. His snuffling snort of exhaled breath stunk up the confined space. He whispered in her ear, "Jachin Elyon."

Elyon. Elyon. The name rang through her, attached to a memory just out of reach. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The guard breathed heavily down her neck.

"You might have known him by his Laelite name; Aliah."

She teetered forward, but the guard tightened his grip. He didn't let her fall. Suddenly she became aware of a wetness soaking into her sock.

He's dead. He's dead. Aliah's dead!

She stood, rocked back and forth, back and forth then collapsed against the guard's bony body.

CHAPTER 69

Shai

Shai woke with the sound of her blood pulsing in her ears, a sharp pain in her abdomen, and the ground rushing past her face. The guard's pointy shoulder jabbed her stomach with each jostle of his step. It took her a full minute to realize he was carrying her over his shoulder with one arm slung across the back of her legs for support. Her head throbbed with the pressure of being carried upside down.

She struggled to move away from his bony protrusions and heard him snicker, "Almost there. No sense fighting me now."

The guard's boots make a sschtick sschtick-ing sound as they stuck and unstuck to the gooey grime on the filthy floor.

Her captor shifted Shai's weight on his shoulder before he tossed her in a corner onto a pile of dirty rags and sticks. Her head slammed against the wall and she closed her eyes until the pain diminished. One of the sticks scraped her arm and she started to move it away, then screamed.

The jagged pile she sat on wasn't dirty rags and sticks but a heap of bodies, past the point of decay. Scraps of cloth that used to be clothing hung from broken arm and leg bones. Skulls with toothy grins and gaping eye holes stared sightlessly at her. She scrambled off and landed in a heap on the floor, huddled against the wall with her legs drawn up.

It this some sort of torture chamber? Tables with various shining instruments she couldn't name and cells with metal doors and barred windows lined the wall to her left.

She scrunched her eyes up tight. Cries and wailing filled the room. Shai covered her ears, but the inhuman sounds still reached her. Another more distinct sound rose above the other clamor. A low hollow moan laced with vibrating undercurrents that could only be described as the noise someone makes when they've given up. The sound of untold agonies with no hope of an end. Of flesh hanging off bones and rocking back and forth on broken kneecaps. Of mental torment and physical pain beyond measure.

The guard watched Shai with his mouth wide open in a dark cavern of laughter. But his laughter was cut short by a shout.

"You fool!" Samael lunged toward the guard and back-handed the guard's skinny face so violently, the tight skin stretched across his cheeks shook. "I only told you to bring her to me, not toss her around!"

Samael stepped in front of Shai and sighed. "She's a sight to behold, isn't she? I want her unblemished. Untouched. I'm the one who gets to touch her."

He knelt down and dragged his finger along the angle of her jaw in a slow caress. "Look at me."

She lifted her eyes to his face. The features she had thought looked so much like Aliah, the brilliant green eyes, dark hair and smile, twisted into a horrible smear of hate.

"You were never Aliah's father." Her words came out slurry and thick like she was speaking out of someone else's mouth.

"Oh, in his mind I was." His eyes dropped from her face to her neck. "Right. You can't remember anything past your twenty-one days." He stood again and pulled her to her feet by her arm. "Does this bring back any memories?"

He shoved her in front of him around a wall to the middle of the L-shaped room. A body. Pinned to the wall. Arms and legs stretched out, blood streaming from wounds in his palms where metal spikes were driven to secure him to the stone wall. His head hung forward, chin on chest, stringy shoulder-length hair obscured his features. But she recognized him. She would recognize him anywhere.

"No! Remiel!" She ran on rubbery legs to him and fell on her knees at his feet. He had been stripped to his underwear; bruises covered every part of him and turned him into a swollen, blackish-blue lump of flesh. When she looked up into his face he was staring at the floor, his eyes full of horror and agony.

"What did you do to him?" Deep rage boiled up from within her, burning and bubbling like molten lead. She ran to Samael and clawed his face, his eyes. Tore at his throat and pulled his hair. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, a slow smile spread across his mouth.

He's enjoying this. She gripped the collar of his shirt in both hands. "What. Did. You. Do!" Every word burned her throat and spread more venomous hatred through her blood.

Samael looked at her through half-slitted eyes. "What did I do? What did you do?" He grabbed her upper arm and wrenched her toward Remiel. "Look at him! This is all your fault! Yours, his brothers, and all of Lael's. You can't save him. I've accepted his deal."

The room spun and Shai had to close her eyes and breathe. When she opened them again she asked in a whisper, "What deal?"

Samael smiled. "His life for yours. For the release of Lael from the pendant's power."

"Why?" Her voice came out as a whimpered, half-strangled sound. "Why?" She turned and looked at Remiel. "We don't need saving! Why did you do this?"

Samael motioned to the guard near Remiel who touched something on the wall that made a clicking sound. The room was cloaked in darkness with only a large rectangular block of white that shimmered on the wall near Remiel.

Samael turned her to face the glowing wall. "The pendants covered up Aliah's infraction, but they became your death sentence. Allow me to show you."

They say when you are near death that your life flashes before your eyes. At first Shai saw nothing but a stark-white square on the wall, but then a picture appeared. An infant. Tiny and naked with large blue eyes. She watched as a younger version of Eliana with smiling eyes handed the infant to an older man with a halo of white hair. He laid the child across his knees and pressed something against the tiny chest. The infant wailed and when the man moved his hand away, Shai saw the infant's seared flesh with three interlocking circles embedded in it.

A few more scenes flashed across the wall and Shai watched the child grow before her eyes in a matter of seconds. Some of the pictures she recognized from her Old World thoughts.

She heard conversations in her mind, familiar voices calling the child LiShai. She saw Eliana standing in the middle of a desolate street holding the child's hand, now older. The wind blew and lifted Eliana's hair away from her face, revealing the tell-tale shine of tears on her cheeks.

"A rebellion is coming. Another war that will destroy the rest of Edan. But Elchai has made a new land where we will be safe. He calls it Lael. You will have a new name there and so will your friends, to protect you. To keep your identity hidden."

The young child tipped her face to look up at Eliana and smiled. "Like a game?"

Eliana nodded, "Yes, like a game. Can you play the 'What If' game with me?"

The little girl grinned and bobbed her head which sent her blond curls dancing in the wind.

Eliana walked slowly, past towering stone factories. "Okay, what if I said your new name is Shai. Can you say it?"

"That's easy, Mama. Jachin and Remii call me Shai."

"Good. Now Jachin will be Aliah. That's a little harder. And Remii will be Remiel."

"Until when? When does the game end? How can I win, Mama?" The child's face shone bright with hope and expectation.

Shai searched her mind for this memory and came up empty, but the ache in her chest confirmed what she already knew. This is my own past flashing on this wall. And Eliana really is my mother. She scrubbed at her wet cheeks with her knuckles. Her steel shackles clinked with the movement. She focused on the wall again.

Eliana's voice sounded sad. "When you've grown up a little more, LiShai, you'll know when it's time for the game to end. Just keep this and stay close to Jachin and Remii."

"It's Aliah and Remiel now, Mama. Remember?"

Eliana bit her lip and handed the girl a book that looked too big for her small hands. The Book. A few more scenes flashed before Shai recognized another face. Her breath caught in her throat and a deep yearning rippled through her.

Aliah.

CHAPTER 70

Shai

Shai smiled as she watched the image of a younger Aliah with a boyish grin and thick, dark hair that he constantly brushed off his forehead. His expression changed whenever he was near her, and she watched as her own cheeks flushed pink every time they bumped elbows, with each brush of their fingers. Next she saw Remiel, his strong hands and gentle smile. She saw the tug-of-war on her face whenever she was with both of them. She saw the image of herself clasp hands with Aliah while ignoring Remiel. Aliah constantly interrupted her conversations with Remiel and she continually chose to be with him over Remiel. I remember that. She turned her face away.

Samael poked her in the back. "Watch!"

She turned back to the wall in time to re-live the moment when she had stood near the bridge in Lael talking to Remiel as Aliah approached. The scene seemed to move in slow motion. She gasped as she watched Aliah attack Remiel and shove him face-first into the water. Then Aliah flipped Remiel over and slammed his fist into Remiel's face again and again. Shai watched herself cover her face with her hands and scream, "No! No!"

That singular memory came back in a flood while she watched herself jump on Aliah's back, who shoved her onto the embankment. He left bloody fingerprints on her tunic and arm. Even back then I had worn Remiel's blood. She watched Aliah push Remiel's lifeless body into the water.

"Stop!" She cried out. I can't watch this! She began to turn away again, but something made her heart nearly stop. The wall flashed an image of Samael in Lael, handing out pendants. Then it flashed to Samael and Aliah talking with each other just out of Shai's earshot. A second later she saw Samael's fingers on her throat as he fastened a pendant around her neck. She shivered at the hungry look in his eyes as his hands lingered on her skin.

She watched scenes of her friends in Lael as they walked around with long faces and empty eyes, dutifully obeying the Mothers' instructions. Every color and pleasant sight or sound seemed to drain away, leaving everything drab and grey.

It revealed her own internal change. Suspicion and anger towards Aliah. Irritation instead of enjoyment. Remiel was gone and no one mentioned him. He seemed to be forgotten.

Next, the Readings were displayed on the white wall in front of her: a girl exiled for her infraction and the Laelites fearful faces, as a boy was sentenced to isolation. Another young child was chastised with ten lashings from a leather whip. And so on, until the moment she was called up for her 'reward.'

Shai watched it all with tears dripping off her chin. She re-lived the mistakes she had made, felt the anger that simmered just below the surface every second. She stared at the moving images on the wall and grieved for the pieces of her earlier past that she could barely remember. For Aliah, who was laying cold and stiff on the floor not far from her. For Remiel, who was tacked to the wall just a few feet away, whom she couldn't bear to look at.

The scenes skipped then repeated. The same events, same Readings, same punishments, same reactions. Everything on fast forward. The scenes repeated again. And again. And again, until they blurred on the wall in front of her.

Samael laughed. "Do you like that? It's your whole life in under three minutes. Then the last twenty-one days on repeat for the last five years."

What was he saying?

"That part was my gift to you! No one grew old and no one died unless they took off their pendants and their memories returned. Aliah wanted his infraction erased from everyone's minds, so the easiest thing was to keep everyone on a memory loop. Twenty-one days of repeated events. No harm done at all unless you were to wander too far from Lael. Then the pendant's poison would erase your mind permanently." Samael reached out and rubbed a lock of her hair between his thumb and forefinger. "Shai, your mind is being erased right here, right now, while your body is back in Kent. If it weren't for Remiel, you'd be nothing but an empty shell soon."

Like someone had kicked a rock loose from a dam, something inside Shai broke. Her sobs echoed in the room and she pressed her fists into her burning eyes. "You stole our memories! You forced us to obey your Laws and now you're killing us?"

"No, no, no. I had nothing to do with the Book or its Laws. You have Elchai to thank for that, and Aliah to thank for the pendants. I merely watched over you. Kept you safe for those last five years. I can't help it if the pendants have a built-in fail-safe. If you wander past the Borderless, it's lights out." The look of satisfaction on Samael's face stirred the deepest anger in Shai. Years of bottled-up emotions uncorked. Anger had gone rancid. Murderous rage which she turned on Samael. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her mind went blank. Fuzzy and thick like spoiled milk, that clotted her ability to think clearly. She reached for Samael's face, but he grabbed her hair and pulled her backwards, screaming.

"Shut up!" He shoved her. She staggered then fell, her knees cracked hard against the floor.

Samael rammed her with the toe of his boot. "Get up!"

She staggered to her feet and faced him.

Samael's eyes ran up and down her body. "Zev! Come here." The glint in Samael's eyes made her flesh crawl. "Strip her." He pointed at her shirt. "Rip it off if you have to."

Zev grabbed her shirt and completed the tear that Samael had started earlier. The remaining buttons popped loose and pinged across the floor. Shai slapped at Zev's hands as tears ran down her cheeks. Her nose dripped down her lips and chin.

Choking sobs clogged up her throat. "No, Zev. Please don't. Please Zev. Don't!" She struggled to get away from him, but he had wrapped one hand in her hair in a wicked grip.

His eyes flashed to hers as he ran his finger along the waistband of her trousers. Please no.

"NO!" Remiel's voice ricocheted around the room. Zev released Shai with a sudden shove, his eyes wild. Shai stumbled backwards, coughing and choking on the violent sobs that wracked her body.

Zev glanced at Remiel. Then Samael.

"We made a deal... Samael. Let... her go."

Shai held her arms tight against her chest as Zev backed away, his eyes fixed back on Remiel.

"It's me... you want. For...revenge. Remember?"

Samael's fists curled against his sides and he strode to Remiel.

Remiel didn't blink, his one good eye flashed a deep blue-grey like Lael's stormy skies. Hard. Fearless.

"Life... for life."

Samael stared at Remiel then turned and walked away, shaking his head. Shai scrambled to move out his way, still trying to hold her shirt closed.

Samael sneered. "Shut up, Remiel. I still get to deliver my reward. You said nothing about that in your business proposal."

Remiel pulled against his restraints. "Samael! Overseer and second in command over Edan. Isn't that who you were? Before my father stripped it from you?"

Samael paused in his next step and looked at the ground.

"Rem, what are you doing? He'll kill you!" Shai started to run to Remiel, but he shook his head at her. She stopped and looked back at Samael.

"What happened, Sammy? Did Elchai have everything you wanted and all you received was just a few crumbs? Did people fall all over themselves just to be near him?" Remiel's taunting escalated, his voice grew louder and filled the room. The resonance overpowered the death-moans of other prisoners. "Your jealousy made you try and steal the hearts of the Edanites from my father. But they began to see who you really were. Didn't they? You couldn't get even a tiny army to fight against Elchai, could you? So you tried to steal his Book. You started the War! And in the end you couldn't find the Book, and you were banished to Gershom! Banished to live in this dark hole with no way out unless you can find the Book."

Samael finally turned around, his face scarlet, his teeth clenched.

"Say it Sammy! Say you want to kill me! Tell me...it's revenge against my father that you want! You... hate my father! Look at me!"

Samael tore across the room and grabbed a leather whip from a nearby table.

Zev whispered, "It's all over now."

How can this be happening? I just lost Aliah. I can't lose Remiel too... again. "You can't! No, Samael!" Her screams pierced her own ears.

"Are you stupid? Why draw attention to yourself now? Remiel made a deal." Zev glowered at her with hate-filled eyes.

"You're a coward! You're just Samael's lackey. His puppet! You'd love to see Remiel dead even more than you'd love to see me raped!" She hissed through clenched teeth.

A loud crack filled the air as Samael brought the whip down across Remiel's chest. The leather strap tore open his bare chest with one strike. Blood poured from the gash. Large, red drops splattered to the ground. Remiel inhaled, a sharp, brief sound before the next crack of the whip. The next strike connected with Remiel's face, slicing open his other cheek. His head rolled back. "Life... for life, Sammy," he whispered.
CHAPTER 71

Shai

Rage, like liquid fire, threatened to drown Shai. Her hands shook and burned, her chest blazed with heat. She ran at Samael and flung herself on his back. He flicked her off like an insect. She slammed her steel wrist cuffs against his back again and again until her wrists became bruised and swollen. But Samael remained fixated on Remiel.

He struck with the whip again and Remiel's chest was flayed open. White bones protruded through the ribbons of red flesh. Shai ran to Remiel and dropped to her knees, the warmth of his blood on the ground soaked into her trousers.

"Get out of the way!" Samael flicked the tip of the whip across her bare chest and the pain of it added fire on top of fire.

"Don't kill him!" She twisted around and looked up at Remiel as she yanked the pendant from her neck and dropped it into the puddle of blood around her. "Remiel, I should've listened to you."

Remiel gasped. "Take... my chain. Put it around... your neck. Wear the key."

She reached up, but just as she touched Remiel's gold chain Zev tackled her. She twisted in his grip and kicked at him, but he dodged and shoved her against the wall where her life had flashed minutes before. With one arm he held her in a painful grip while he grabbed a thick, metal chain that dangled above her head with his other hand, and attached the chain to her steel cuff. She twisted and writhed against the restraint. No sound came from her throat that was swollen from screaming. She sucked in huge draughts of air that burned as she inhaled.

Remiel turned his bloodied face to her. "What if..." He began.

His voice rang out clearly in her mind. Familiar. Strong. She shook her head. Don't. Please don't. I can't do this. Hot tears poured down her cheeks. She choked on sobs and couldn't breathe for a second.

Remiel began again.

The whip cracked.

His blue eyes held hers. "What if..."

Crack!

I can't watch. But she couldn't turn away either. Not while Remiel was looking at her.

Crack!

Remiel hardly resembled himself anymore. His flesh hung in ribbons, exposing his ribs, stark white bone against a backdrop of deep red.

Crack!

Crack!

"What if... I died... for you."

No! No! Remiel, no! She couldn't tear her wrists from the wall and run to him. She couldn't scream his name. I can't watch you die. This is all my fault. If only I had listened to you and Aliah about the pendants. She hung there, dangling from the wall, limp and useless.

Remiel lifted his head, slowly. In the midst of a mass of bloody, pulpy-flesh was a flash of blue. Remiel's one good eye cut to Samael who breathed heavily, his face wet with sweat.

"I never wrote those Laws, Remiel, but I imagine there have been several of them broken here today."

Remiel's eye rolled back in his head and Shai saw his throat move as he tried to swallow. He looked at Shai again. "Not true."

Remiel's eye then moved to Zev, shuddering against the wall near her. Then he looked at each of the two guards in the room and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"There are... no more... infractions."

Samael snorted and pulled on the leathery length of whip.

Remiel shook his head again. "Where no Laws exist... no infractions.... can occur."

"Nice try, Remiel. Your deal is about the pendants. The Laws exist because the Book exists." He raised the whip over his head.

"No more... Laws. It is... finished."

Crack!

Remiel's head fell to one side, his mouth hung open, but the light of life still gleamed in his eye.

The room fell silent except for Samael's breathing and Shai's chain rattling, as deep, shuddering cries shook her body. Noiseless cries that hurt every part of her.

She locked eyes with Remiel. And his voice filled her from the inside out.

"What if...if I told you...I love you?" He blinked his good eye slowly.

Once.

Twice.

Then he sighed and the light in his blue eye went out.
CHAPTER 72

Shai

The Kentites called Shai's cross-over from death the awakening. The only wound she carried back to Kent from Gershom was an invisible one. At night the pain threatened to suffocate her and during the day it enveloped her in an ever-present darkness. Deeper than any pain she'd ever known, she wore it close to her heart: the love of two brothers who died protecting her and the shame of her own unworthiness.

Sector Seven felt like a hole, dark and empty without Aliah or Remiel. When Shai had finally recovered enough to be led out to the Core, she was swarmed by concerned citizens asking her about the awakening. She was the only one to have crossed over to Gershom and come back alive since the War.

But she couldn't say much. Couldn't talk about what it was like. She wanted to keep it to herself, just for a little while, until the blinding pain of her loss had diminished. If it ever did.

The effects of the pendant had completely faded by the third day of her awakening. The memories she saw on the wall in Gershom stayed with her, but they remained distant like they belonged to someone else.

She stood against the railing and watched the waterwheel turn the swirling, white water below. She was glad the water didn't remain calm long enough for her to catch her reflection. It was enough that she saw her long, drawn face and sad mouth reflected in the eyes of the people that cared about her.

Mara asked her daily how she was doing. The older woman had become like a mother to her, almost as close as Eliana was. She had stayed with Shai during her struggle with Death, mopping her brow and forcing drops of water between her swollen lips.

The twenty-one children from Lael had settled in with their adoptive families and Shai enjoyed hearing their laughter echoing in the corridors. The grey had disappeared from the Laelites and their original heritage started to become clear in the colors of their eyes: blue, brown, hazel, and various shades of green.

The children born to Kentite parents in the Camps had been branded with the single flame. Some sported it on their chests, others the backs of their hands or even their foreheads, taking pride in their identities after being lost for so long.

"Shai?" A familiar voice behind her made her turn. She smiled at Mara and bit her lip like she always did when the gentle woman turned her soft green eyes on Shai. It was in them that she saw Aliah. She hadn't been able to bring herself to see Elchai yet, whose blue eyes and steady smile reminded her most of Remiel.

Mara carried a bundle wrapped in a fuzzy, blue blanket and the tiny noises coming from it gave Shai a stab of joy.

"Do you want to see him?" Mara held the infant out to Shai who took him gently, hesitating slightly to look into his little face. His tiny fist was shoved into his mouth and he made slurping noises as he tried to suck on it. He looked up at Shai with his blue eyes and she kissed his forehead.

Mara watched, smiling. "His name is Jachin." Mara said softly, tears shining in her eyes. "Ellersly named him. He's Sileas's baby brother."

Shai looked down at the baby and her tears fell on his cheek. She held him close to her.

"He's a Kentite then?"

Mara nodded then touched Shai's arm. "Today's his branding day. Do you want to take him to Elchai for it?"

Shai's heart squeezed. She shook her head. "I'm... I'm not ready." She handed Jachin back to Mara. "I can't stay here, Mara. Everywhere I turn I see... your boys. I need to find Eliana. I know she's alive out there, somewhere. And I need to go to the Camps and back to Lael. Now that I know about the pendants I want to rip them off people if I have to."

Mara smiled. "It won't work like that. They need to choose just like you did. All you can do is tell them. Let them know what happened in Gershom, what you saw there. If they choose to believe you then they will gladly remove the pendants, but it's still up to them to decide. You can't force them."

Shai twisted the hem of her long blue shirt. "You're right. I'm going to go pack."

"Right now? You've only been on your feet for three days. Rest a few more days before you make that journey. The pendants won't have the same power as they used to, especially now that the Book isn't in Lael. There is no more record of infractions. You have time. Say good-bye to Ellersly. He'll never forgive you if you leave without seeing him."

"When is he back?"

Mara looked down at the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms. When she looked up at Shai again her face was open, eyes clear. She'd been able to grieve her sons' deaths without falling apart every other minute. Something Shai hadn't mastered.

"He left the day of your awakening. He said if he hasn't found Aliah's body by the fourth day then he'd return. He could be gone a few more days yet."

"And Kael?"

Mara shrugged. "No one's seen him."

"Mara! Shai!" Raucous shouting followed by the sound of running, echoed through the cavernous Core. The two women turned to see a red-faced Ellersly running towards them waving something in the air.

"Ell!" Shai ran to him and held him in a tight embrace. He laughed and patted her back.

When Mara joined them she leaned in and asked the question Shai wanted to ask but couldn't.

"Did you find him?"

Ellersly blew a breath out and wiped his damp face on his sleeve.

He nodded. "Yeah. We buried him out there, Mara. There... there wasn't any way we could bring him back."

Shai's throat tightened and she coughed.

Ellersly caught her eye. "I found this. Perfectly intact." He waved a folded piece of paper at her and Shai took it in trembling hands. It was well-creased and stained, but the page of the Book looked unscathed. Shai began to unfold the page just as someone approached them.

Ellersly turned around. Shai and Mara stared at the tall stranger striding purposefully towards the group. His long, black cloak flapped open behind him.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Ellersly's chin wobbled, his face scarlet with embarrassment. "This guy showed up when we found Aliah... and... he helped us bury him. We couldn't have done it without him. He came from the Outerlands and wanted to come rest here before moving on to Sector Six then..."

"Five and Four...I'm a Sector Protector." The young man spoke as he came near. His deep-set, blue eyes looked at each face in turn. His features were plain but pleasant, his light brown hair hung over one eye and he ran his fingers through it, pushing it back. The gesture unnerved Shai and she stepped back. He looked directly at her. "My last stop is Lael."

The page rattled in Shai's shaking hands and she quickly refolded it. Mara turned a large smile on the man.

"I'm Mara. You've already met Ellersly, this is baby Jachin here and this is..."

"LiShai." He grinned and two dimples appeared in his cheeks.

"How did...? The words stuck in her throat. She'd told no one about seeing her life projected on the wall in Gershom. Or about her Old World name.

"We've met before." He extended his hand and Shai shook it. Firm. Warm. He squeezed her fingers gently and heat flashed through her chest. "Call me... Remii." His eyes danced. "I have something for you." He held out a gold chain.

The hair on her arms stood on end. "Where did you get that?"

He shrugged and smiled broadly. "My father always said that love is the only thing stronger than death."

Shai sucked in a breath. She couldn't explain why he looked so different or why he reminded her of his brother, but here he was. Like he had been re-born.

The Son of Thunder.

Alive.
CHAPTER 73

Ava

She coiled her long dark hair around her hand then pinned it high on her head before turning to catch her reflection in the full-length mirror. Its golden frame caught the sunlight and threw it back to her in a myriad of miniature rainbows.

"It's so beautiful! Where'd you get it?" Ava looked at the reflection of the man standing behind her. He put his hand on her shoulder and spun her around.

"You're beautiful!" His dark eyes widened, two black stones in a deep pool. She didn't really need the mirror, she saw herself perfectly in his eyes whenever she looked into them. But the antique mirror was his gift to her.

She flashed him a grin then cupped his face in her hands. His whiskers scratched her palms as she brought his face to hers and kissed him long and hard on the mouth.

"So, where did you get it?" Ava wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands found her waist.

"The Outerlands." He smiled and she tipped her face up to kiss him again.

"You said you had something special. Is the mirror it or what did you really bring back for me?"

He dropped his hands and pretended to look hurt. She laughed as he pulled something from the back pocket of his trousers then dropped it into her open palm.

She turned it over and over in her hand, then held it up to her window. "A key." She frowned. "But what's it for?" She tossed it on her bed then turned around again.

"Ava, it's not just any key. It's one of the Three."

She didn't miss his impatient tone. He looked upset that she didn't understand the key's importance. She snatched the key then jumped up and looked out her window, twisting the silver key around and around as she stared outside. The dark green jewel on the front glittered.

"It's nice. I was just hoping you'd brought me the Book." She said without turning around.

"The Book is somewhere safe. Now that Samael has decided to renew his interest in it. Funny how it was in Lael all that time and he never knew it." She felt his arms around her as he came up behind her. "And Ace is dead."

Ava froze. "Dead?"

"I thought you'd be pleased." His breath moved a tendril of her hair against her neck. She scratched the spot absently.

"Akan... I'm surprised is all." She tapped her fingernail against the key. "It was Shai we wanted dead. But never mind that. Ace had a page from the Book. Did you get that at least?"

Akan rubbed lazy circles on her stomach with his thumb. "Couldn't find the body."

Ava released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding then pushed Akan away. "Then how do you know he's dead?"

Akan shrugged. A gesture Ava despised. It meant he was unsure, but didn't really care.

"My brother. He was there. He saw what happened in Gershom. Everything."

Ava sighed. "Zev? He's a liar. Anyone who lurks around like a dog at night can't be trusted."

Akan grabbed Ava's narrow wrist and pulled her towards him. "I lurk and you trust me." He pressed his lips to the back of her hand.

She smiled then pulled her hand away. "Did you see Kael? Or Remiel?"

Akan's face fell and she shoved his chest. "My father's in the next room. Just answer my question."

"No, I didn't see Kael. No one has. And Zev witnessed Remiel die. He's shook up about it I guess, because..."

Ava tapped the key against her chin. "Because..?"

"Well, he said it was weird. Shai was there too and after Remiel died they both just... disappeared."

Ava closed her eyes. "Then they've crossed back over. We haven't stopped anything."

"Ava, what do you mean?"

"The Coalition. The three of them will still form the rebellion. We've prevented nothing."

"But Ace is dead. How can that be possible?"

Ava threw the key across the room and it bounced off her windowsill. She narrowed her eyes at Akan. "You don't even know for sure that he's dead! He could've crossed back over with the other two!" Ava paced back and forth until Akan grabbed her arm.

"Sector Seven is mourning his death. I'm positive he's dead."

Ava twisted away from Akan and walked to the door. She opened it then paused and turned back around. "Prove it! Go out there and find him."

Akan blanched. "Ava..."

"Bring me his decayed body if that's what it takes! But I want him! Here!" Ava stepped out into the hallway.

Akan's voice followed her. "But what about Shai and Remiel?"

Ava called over her shoulder. "Kill them." She put a hand on the wall for support as everything began to spin. Ace was the one who had distracted her from killing Shai when she had the chance. She had the Book in Conley and she couldn't believe it when Shai had innocently waltzed into Sector Three. But then Ace returned. He walked right into her weakness. Took her breath away then walked back out. He made her feel alive. Where are you, Ace?

She breathed in a deep breath then exhaled slowly. It's time for a change of plans. Let Samael send out his Hunters and death dogs. I have a better idea.

She only needed the Book and Ace. Alive or dead. It didn't matter.

I will resurrect him myself, now that the Book is no longer in Lael and that stupid time-loop of Samael's is broken, everything written in the Book will happen. I just need to be the one to find the Book first.

She didn't need to stop the Coalition when she could just re-write the future. A powerful future where she would govern not only the Seven Sectors, but all of Edan, the Borderless and the Outerlands.

She smiled to herself. I will have a future with Ace. Now that anything is possible.
About Aria J. Wolfe

Aria J. Wolfe has an insatiable appetite for all kinds of books. She daily devours them when she's not pounding out her own tales on a laptop. She loves to inspire people through her stories about characters who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and the transformation it produces. She has been writing poetry and prose since grade school and has won several contests.

A.J. lives with her family in rural Alberta, Canada. No, she doesn't live in an igloo.

Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won't you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer?

Thank so much!

Other Books by Aria J. Wolfe

Please visit your favorite eBook retailer to discover other books by Aria J. Wolfe:

Preorders available at select retailers!

THE COALITION SERIES

Book One:

The Coalition Episode 1

Released April 1, 2014

The Coalition Episode 2

Released April 8, 2014

The Coalition Episode 3

Released April 15, 2014

The Coalition Episode 4

Released April 22, 2014

The Coalition (full eBook)

Released April 22, 2014

The Coalition (paperback edition)

Released April 22, 2014

Book Two:

The Outerlands

Releases September of 2014

Book Three:

Releases 2015 (Title and cover to be released soon!)

Connect with A.J.

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