Renegade: A Young Adult Dystopian Page 8

  Adair was entranced as Roque continued. “First, I must apologize for the abrupt change in all your schedules. I wanted everyone here to be the first to know before I send my message to Sarthaven. The tides in our world are starting to change, and I must accept my duty in building this government and school by accepting my fate. The Academy was my vision, along with my wife’s, to have a safe place to teach our children not to fear their gifts. That abilities didn’t create monsters. That just because we were different didn’t mean it was wrong. My father was a proud and vicious man that brainwashed our world to thrive on our differences, to think the weak should be punished, become our slaves, our lesser. In my arranged marriage, I was wed to a fearless woman, who saw me as more than just the crown. She gave me a chance, despite the fact that it meant being connected to the son of a man who had shackled her people. The people from the Shattered Isles. And I, a husband who was too scared to allow my wife to bear the weight of my greatest secret. We witnessed war, bloodshed, the world tearing itself apart with a wild magic that was uncontained, and no one cared. But against all odds, we started to trust one another. We shared a vision of a world at peace. And I dared to trust her with my secret that I, a Fae, was a desolate.”

  He took a shuddering breath, peeking down at Emory, a sad smile tugging at his lips. “We stood up to my father’s council. We broke away and changed our future and the history of Kiero. You all know the story of how Nei was my strength through the dark days ahead of us as we arranged a Peace Treaty with the Isles and broke away from the capital, forming the first democratic government. It is a sad day today, as I must be honest with you. I have failed in my dream, in my vision, of fairness and equality. Peace has been a fleeting thing we have been able to grasp here, but beyond our borders... There are still so many people who believe in the old ways of my father’s reign. The people of Kiero have been suffering, and I have too long ignored that state of our world. May I introduce to you all Tadeas Maher and his son, Marquis Maher, King and Prince from the Shattered Isles. They have come with the sad news that my wife’s father has passed, and they are here with their company as our guests while we negotiate our terms.”

  Roque’s voice hung, allowing the weight to settle. Emory shot a sharp glare at Marquis, who raised his eyebrows in response, making Emory glower. Clearing his throat, Roque’s voice dragged them all back into their reality. “Today marks the end of our democratic society, and I ask you, my students, my friends, my family, to accept me as your rightful king, to build our world back into strength and out of this hovering darkness.” He lowered himself to one knee before the crowd, causing ripples of unease to grow amongst them. Laying a hand across his chest his voice was gravelly. “I promise you all that I will not fall into my father’s mistakes. I will never forget our safety or turn deaf ears to you. I will never betray you or lead you astray. A threat has become clear to me, and as King, I will stop it with help from Tadeas. Kiero will flourish and prosper. No dream will be too big, no alliance too obscure. It is time to set our differences apart and unite Kiero as one.”

  He stood, eyes blazing. “My wife and her team are already chasing after a man I trusted with my life. A man that promised he would never betray me, but his greed, his close-mindedness has made him blind. He has threatened acts of terrorism until I step down from being your leader. I will not falter under his violence. I will not throw away everything I believe in. That we have worked toward. The Academy, above being a school, is a promise that we will not sit idly by.” Emory’s eyes widened at her father’s words as he roared, his voice bouncing off the walls. “Will you have me?”

  Adair watched from above as the spark of Roque’s words caught, turning into an inferno. Tadeas clapped Roque on the back, grinning broadly as teachers and students started to yell, to chant, to praise. “Long live the king! Long live the Faes!”

  Ice cut through him at Roque’s dangerous, seductive lies. Covering his mouth, his screams clawed against his throat, begging for release. He couldn’t take it. The pounding booms of feet stomping, of yells clambering up the walls toward where he lay hidden, shattered into a thousand pieces. Cesan had made a mistake, had been lied to and jaded. Roque promised him greatness and handed him the shadows. Was it wrong for his father to want more? Yes.

  Groaning, Adair covered his eyes, wishing to disappear. He knew firsthand how vicious his father could be, how twisted, how dark. He had been trying to break him for years and had left his family, tried to kill his best friend. For what? A title? Responsibility of ruling a country?

  His muscles cramped and complained against his movements as he took a gulping breath and moved his hands underneath him. He was poised, ready to start shifting back as Roque’s voice roared far below him. “We are gathering senior students as well as teachers who are willing to become part of Tadeas’s group to assist in going to Sarthaven to bring Cesan and his followers back.” Roque was immediately lost in the chants, in the yells of approvals.

  Adair gritted his teeth and threw his weight back, maneuvering through the tunnel. He didn’t want to hear any more, to see his friends sign up to bring his father back. He didn’t want to watch Emory stand by her father’s side, knowing that there would always be a division between them now. He was a traitor’s son, a scorned boy with a dark ability. He was a weapon. He was barely a name and more like a shadow. One which everyone was skittering away from. Hot tears ran down his cheeks, and he didn’t stop them. A sharp buzzing filled his hearing as he shuffled to the left, starting the long climb back up to the washrooms. The filtered grey light had dulled considerably, making the walls seem endless, like he could freefall into nothingness. Silently, he pushed ahead, trying to forget, trying to not fall into his numbness. But for him, what was the point of trying? Everyone that resided in this cursed school had made up their judgements about him and his family.

  What about Emory? Memphis? His heart dropped into his stomach at the thought of his small group of friends. What did they think of him now? Would they have forgiveness in their hearts for him, to know that he wasn’t following in his father’s footsteps? His pulse picked up, making his skin slick and clammy at the thought. Don’t you want more? He froze, the hissing voices encircling his consciousnesses.

  He stuttered, “W-who’s there?” His voice bounced off the tunnel walls. Peering into the darkness, he waited a beat. One high-pitched giggle bounced back from the other end of the tunnel. Scrambling back, he slammed his head against concrete, dots flickering in front of his eyes. It was like being doused in freezing water, every sense on overdrive, every nerve singing. Fear coiled underneath his skin, soaking into his core. It was the same voice, the same giggle from his nightmare. Impossible. You are just tired and stressed. Move. His thoughts egged him on, but he couldn’t move. He curled his limbs into themselves, his breath quick as he made himself flush to the wall. Seconds passed and all he could do was stare farther into the tunnel where the voice had come from. The light was softly fading, and to his left he saw them first. He froze as the air was knocked from his chest. The slim figures crawling toward him, their tilting heads. Their permanent grins.

  He was mesmerized as they started crooning to him, “Adairrr. Adair, we have found you. Don’t you want to be noticed? Come with us, and we will show you the way. Come.”

  It was impossible, yet he saw them crawl steadily toward him, pale, spindly arms and black holes where their eyes should be. The air rippled, and he flinched as he felt the ancient magic shudder through his bones. He somehow had bled the rules of reality and dream together. They were in front of him now, caressing his arms, reaching for his face, tugging at his hair.

  “Come with us. Follow your destiny.” Their teeth glinted in the dark, sharp as knives, and Adair buried his head beneath his hands, shutting his eyes tight.

  “This is not real. Not real. Not real.” The giggles erupted around him, orchestrating his terror, as he felt the tongue lick up his cheek. Tasting him. He was screaming now, flinching away from thei
r touch, from their hungry expressions. The minutes slipped into hours, the darkness swallowing him and the creatures whole. Adair was frozen, talking to himself, yelling at them to go away. His blood had slowed. His circulation cut off from being curled into a ball for so long. It wasn’t until the traces of dawn flickered into the tunnels that he lifted his head, his eyes swollen from crying and his voice hoarse, to see that he was utterly and completely alone, no trace of anyone ever being with him. He uncurled his limbs, leaning over to empty his stomach, the bile burning his throat and nose. The acid made his eyes water, and coughing, he looked up the tunnel. He stayed like that, sweaty and shaking, unable to move. Unable to do anything but feel the hot tears slide down his cheeks.

  8

  Brokk

  He took in the room of students, the energy coursing throughout practically overtaking all of them. Memphis stood stiffly beside him, and he leaned closer to his friend. “Can we talk?”

  Memphis arched a pale eyebrow, snarling back at him, “You really think this is the time, Brokk? We are about to go into a warzone.”

  He grabbed his friend’s arm. “Which is exactly why it’s the only time. Just hear me out. I’m sorry about yesterday. About how I reacted. I talked to Roque last night about the meeting, and he said if I helped the cause, I wouldn’t be expelled from school. You didn’t have to follow.”

  Memphis smirked, whispering, “Yes, I did. Do you really think I would allow you to get all the action? Besides, who is going to keep you in check with Iasan?”

  His heart dropped but he grinned. “I would suspect you.”

  Rolling his shoulders, Brokk stood straighter as Roque opened the door, looking tired, Tadeas following closely at his heels. The door closed with a snap as their leader eyed the thirty students in front of him and slyly smiled. Reaching the front, he folded his hands neatly in front of him. “Thank you all for coming so promptly. I have been reassured that you are all the top of your class or have volunteered on your own accord.” Roque’s gaze lingered on him at this, but he continued. “You are representing not only the Academy, but the future of Kiero. Tadeas and I have reached an agreement that if anyone, either from the Academy or the Shattered Isles, steps a toe out of line, they will fall into the same category as Cesan and will be brought back for a trial. Your mission is to tell anyone who is seeking refuge to come here until we have the situation under control and bring Cesan back. I hope you all know I wish I could come with you, but I am needed here. I expect you all to show Tadeas the same respect you would show me. He is here to help us.”

  Brokk’s blood ran cold, his mind running into a thousand different possibilities. Here he was trading his freedom to a man who had waltzed in proclaiming he was a king from across the Black Sea? To lead them to the capital to find a madman? Looking over to Memphis’s furrowed expression, he knew his friend was thinking the same thing. He swallowed his doubt, thinking about what exactly they had gotten into. He took in the rest of the senior year students, young men and women potentially ready to lay down their lives for this. To do Roque’s dirty work. He pushed the thought immediately down. Of course, Roque was staying to get word to the capital, to sway Kiero to his regency. Or he was staying to ensure no one found what he was hiding here. The thought had him practically bouncing on his heels.

  If Brokk knew one thing for certain, it was to never trust the Strattons, and things had gone from bad to worse in a matter of days. Somehow, when they got back from this, he and Memphis would get the truth and the full story. If we get back.

  He knew they were all underprepared for what Cesan was planning. At the end of Roque’s speech, Tadeas seamlessly started talking about the fierceness of him and his people and how they shouldn’t be worried. They were on the same side, a team. By flame, he couldn’t care less, and his gaze flitted to each person, looking for one ebony head of hair. Where was Adair? He didn’t remember seeing him last night at the meeting or this morning in the dining hall.

  He didn’t realize Memphis had been watching him, and his voice was low and urgent as it shook through Brokk’s confusion. “Adair isn’t here.”

  He had to admit it surprised him. If anyone would have volunteered, Brokk thought Adair would have been the first. Icy shivers ran down his back, but it was too late. The room exploded in a flurry of movement. While Tadeas beamed down at them all his men distributed an assortment of weapons. Growling, he pushed through the crowd, Memphis at his heels, as he went up to a rover, ripping the sleek bow from his hands. “This is mine.”

  The man raised his eyebrows at him, but as he slung the bow securely over his shoulder, the quiver of arrows strapped onto his back, he realized that any humanity within him was quickly being destroyed with every passing second. Filing out of the room with the stream of students, the thought planted itself in his heart. The Academy was quiet, and he liked it this way. Finally, the school saw the truth, and it was solemn. No fellow classmates looking wide-eyed at their entourage. No one seeing what he was seeing. The darkness that was bleeding into all their hearts with what Cesan had done. He had forced Fae’s hand, forced to fight fire with fire or else be afraid that Kiero would see them as weak.

  Furrowing his brow, Brokk tried to still the chaos within him. The steady pace of his boots against the floor pulsed like a heartbeat, but in his mind it was a war drum. His body moved lethally, his muscles taut, his adrenaline spiked. On the outside, he was the epitome of a warrior.

  Could no one else see the sadness when they caught his gaze? When they talked to him? In the flicker of his essence? Did no one else care that the Academy was ripping their morals from the core, leaving behind an empty shell. Leaving behind nothing but the echo of a dream.

  “Brokk, Memphis, wait!”

  He stalled, turning quickly, Memphis mimicking his movements. Emory ran down the hallway full tilt, her garb from the previous night gone, replaced by a black shirt, pants, and boots. Her royal blue jacket was too bright for what was happening around her, but to him it made perfect sense. She had always been a flaring spark when things went dark. It had never mattered what was going on in her life; she was always there for them. She was the only reason he had made it through so many years here. She collided with him. Her arms tightly wrapped around his neck as she buried her face in the crook beneath his ear. She was trembling, her heart beating out of her chest. “Please, don’t go. I’m sorry about earlier, about being angry. I’m begging you not to do this. We will figure everything out, we always do. I can’t follow you down this road.”

  She released him from her chokehold, stepping back, her gaze landing on Memphis. Brokk could taste the tension between them, the raw and wild thing it was. It consumed them, leaving everyone else on the outside. Memphis cleared his throat, shooting him an apologetic look, before stepping forward, grasping Emory’s face in between his hands, whispering fiercely, “We have to go, Em. But I promise you we will come back. I will come back to you.”

  Brokk’s face flushed deeply as he watched his best friend swoop down and kiss her. Not caring there was an army of students and teachers filtering by them. Not caring he was right there. That she was a princess now, the face of their country. The turmoil and emotional charge of their situation had taken hold and he could practically hear Memphis’s mind shouting out to her, begging her to understand. That he loved her, had always loved her. Would always love her. Just in case they didn’t come back.

  Averting his eyes, he looked anywhere but at his friends suspended in their embrace. With his heart in his throat, he swallowed thickly. Years had passed with unsaid words and lingering looks, and this was the first time Memphis had made his declaration, and how Emory melted against him, she had known as well.

  A coldness gripped his heart as he stood there, and he dove down into the darkness and didn’t shy away from it. It swept through his heart, his mind, his body. It suffocated him.

  They broke away breathlessly, and Brokk looked up. Tears were streaming down Emory’s face as she whispered, “D
on’t go. Please.”

  Brokk could see Memphis’s resolve cracking and he whirled away brusquely, and with one last look at Emory, followed him. His words were lodged in his throat, thickly, drowning him with their weight.

  They walked in silence, feeling Emory’s stare burning into their backs the entire way. Memories of laughter and hope swirled all around him, as they left the Academy, their childhood, behind. He could feel the balance of their world shifting back into their bloodied past, back into the unrelenting darkness. The doors swung open and sunlight beat down on them, making him blink fiercely. The students and teachers were leading horses, making sure everyone from the Shattered Isles had a mount from what was left. It took him less than ten seconds to find Tadeas, to find the king smiling devilishly at him already. Deep breaths.

  He couldn’t afford to lose himself when the king from across the sea had already seen him lose control. Rolling his shoulders, he took the steps two at a time. There was no turning back now. His gaze drifted to the forest, to the canopy of trees and the wildness in his heart. He could run away from all of this. The chatter of birds and echoes of ancient magic stirred his heart, and he could practically taste it.

  Averting his gaze, he followed as Memphis broke away from the throng and toward dappled mounts. The horses pawed the ground nervously as they approached, and he internally cringed. Animals had an acute sense when it came to seeing people for who they truly were. He made them nervous. The powerful creature before him knew he was more beast than man.

  With a pounding heart, he gripped Memphis’s arm tightly. “We look after each other. If things go south, we escape.”

  Memphis nodded, his smooth voice echoing in his mind. “Agreed.”

  Gripping the pommel of the saddle, he lifted himself up with ease, sliding his boots into the stirrups. Easing the reins into his grip, he gave the mount a reassuring brush of his hand, begging him not to throw him off. He glanced over his shoulder at the Academy and the courtyard, nestled amongst the rolling hills and the ancient forest behind them.