Isaura (2 page)

“I'm Olivia.”

“Cole,” he responded, shaking my hand. “Rane mentioned you
could use another body.”

Gavin laughed. “You're it?” Cole was considerably scrawny
compared to Gavin. I didn't care: at least he was another person to help. I
wasn't particularly surprised that was all who'd volunteered. I was grateful
Rane and Gavin had joined me. I wasn't even sure the four of us were enough to
search all of Cabal, but it was a start.

Cole shrugged. “Sierra bailed the minute she found out it
involved Craynor. She wanted to help, but she fears him. She was from Genesis.”
Cole glanced at me. “I'm it, sorry.”

“It's fine.” I put on a smile as best I could. At least I
had his help along with the other volunteers.

Collins looked me over. “Cate left for Shadow a few hours
ago. If I'd have known, we could have sent her for reinforcements. In the
meantime I recommend you train these three until they come.”

“We don't have time,” I said.

“You train us? No offense, but what exactly are you trained
in?” Gavin asked.

I didn't blame him for not knowing what we were capable of back
in Shadow. It wasn't as though we could administer Mindonsiphan and prepare
them in the way we'd been prepared for war. Rane was the closest in age, but it
would take time and be too great of a risk. I doubted Shadow even offered
Mindonsiphan anymore. There was no need for it. At least I hoped it wasn't
being given to adolescents. Would I even know? Right now it wasn't at the top
of my priority list. Finding Joshua was the first thing I needed to do. I still
didn't know where to start.

I pulled out the note from Craynor, showing it to the group.
“This is all I have to go on.”

They each studied it as I felt the first drop of moisture
fall from the sky. We ducked into the atrium seeking shelter. Rane looked it
over twice before speaking first. “Whoever wrote this has been in Torv long
enough to stop at the paper. This is newsprint.” It hadn't been printed on, but
the texture and thickness appeared similar. “It was trimmed down, but I'm
confident it was from a newspaper facility.”

Gavin agreed. “I know the printer at the
Genesis Times
I
can ask him…”

“Craynor's not stupid,” I interrupted them. “He's not going
to stay in Torv. He knows we're looking for him. He also knows the guard posts
have been down for weeks and he can come and go out of the city without anyone
noticing. He's planned this for a while,” I remarked. “He knew when to grab
Joshua without anyone witnessing it.” I said to Rane. “How familiar are you
with the buildings in Torv?”

Cole chimed in. “What are you thinking? That he hasn't left
yet?”

I shook my head. “The opposite. How could he have left
without being seen? There were underground tunnels. I took them from Genesis to
Haven. There were two other tunnels that led to nearby allying cities. I can
only assume it was Torv, and Spade, the other city north of here.”

“You think he's in Spade?” Cole tried to make sense of my
words.

“I don't know.” I threw my arms in the air. “Right now I'm
trying to wrap my head around how he could have left the building we were in
unseen.”

“The stairwell,” Gavin suggested. “No one takes it.”

I glanced at Rane. “Maybe so, but Craynor wasn't particular
well-built. He couldn't have carried Joshua alone down twenty-eight flights of
stairs.” At least I doubted he would have done so and Joshua would not have
gone willingly.

Rane's eyes lit up. “There's a service elevator. I should
have thought of it sooner!” She ran from the foyer to the back of the building
where the service elevator was situated. Gavin, Cole, and I followed her. Elsa
and Collins returned back to the representatives to continue their discussions.

Reaching the service elevator, the doors opened and I
stepped inside, seeing a small amount of blood. I didn't want to think what
that meant.

I felt a warm arm on my shoulder. “He'll be okay,” Gavin
assured me. “Joshua was always strong.”

“Do we know where the underground entrance is?” I asked
them. Everyone shook their head no. “It can't be far,” I reasoned. “Look here!”
I saw the slightest trail of blood leading towards a dark hallway and back
exit.

“They're gone,” Gavin answered, none too surprised.

Stepping outside into the rain, I didn't care as it soaked
me. I was beyond frustrated. Craynor likely had stolen a vehicle. What chance
did I have of finding Joshua? I couldn't wait around for reinforcements to come
from Shadow. I turned around, letting rain seep into my pores as I turned
towards the others standing inside, but watching me from the door. “We should
get a vehicle and travel to Haven.”

Cole frowned. “I thought you said Craynor took Joshua to the
underground tunnels.”

I stepped inside, soaking the carpet. “It was a theory.” I
stared at Cole. “Clearly Craynor came this way. The blood is evidence of that,”
I reasoned.

“Olivia's right,” Gavin agreed. “We need to get a hold of a
car. Anyone have one?” He sounded hopeful.

“Cate and Elsa both took vehicles to Shadow already. I can't
wait any longer.” I brushed past them growing short-tempered.

Olivia
.

I heard his voice and stopped walking, feeling Rane slam
into me from behind. I grimaced as I turned around. “Wait there,” I held up a
hand.
Where are you?

I don't know.
There was a moment of silence when I
assumed Joshua tried to figure out where he was.
I'm in the trunk. We're
driving somewhere, fast.

“Craynor definitely stole a vehicle.” I stepped outside into
the rain once again, this time at the front of the building as my eyes darted
around, searching for a truck.

Cole finally spoke up. He'd been quiet. Too quiet. “You can
borrow my car.” He pulled the keys from his pocket as I stood out in the rain,
handing them to me. How long would he have held out? I snatched the keys from
his hands.

“Which way?” I asked.

I was thankful it wasn't at all like the vehicle Joshua and
I had driven in. It had a solid roof shielding us from rain as Gavin, Rane and
I piled into the car. “I need you to stay here. When reinforcements come
they'll need to know we're going to Haven,” I instructed Cole. “You need to
send them up north.” I hoped that was where Craynor had taken Joshua. If Haven
was destroyed, it was possible a building or two could have remained standing.
Enough of a place for Craynor to hide and no one else to find or recognize him.
Cole didn't complain. He seemed relieved he got to stay behind in Torv. I
tossed my soaking bag in the backseat and shut the door. A moment later, we
headed out of the city.

Hang on, Josh. We're on our way.

I wasted no time, my foot hard on the gas.
Talk to me,
I insisted, needing him to give me any details he could. I needed to know he
was alive. That he was still breathing. I couldn't let anything happen to him.

We're still driving
. He sounded scared. Concerned. I
couldn't blame him. I was glad our telepathic bond had stretched farther than
it had been capable of before. I didn't care the reason, whether it was fear,
love, or strength in training that had done it. I needed to find Joshua.

Can you see anything? Hear anything you recognize?
I
asked him. He was in the trunk but I hoped there was a crack somewhere or a way
to escape.

My hands are tied and no, I don't see or hear anything,
but the hum of the engine and the bumps from the road
. I could hear the
stress in his voice. I tried to focus as I drove the car north towards Haven.
Joshua had been the one good with a map. I glanced in the rearview at Rane. “Do
you remember how you got here from Haven?” I hadn't asked her much about her
escape.

Rane sighed. “I was walking for a few days. Then someone
picked me up.”

Gavin frowned, this was news to him. “Who picked you up?”

“I don't know. I've assumed he was from your town of Torv.
He did bring me back with him.” She stated the obvious. “It's not like I saw
him again, though. He dropped me off with the high council. That was it.”

“Were there any other survivors?” I asked, glancing around
me, looking for tire tracks, evidence someone had taken this old dirt road
earlier.

“I didn't see anyone,” Rane admitted. “How do you know we're
going the right way?” she quipped.

“I just do.” It made sense. It was the only town where he
could go without being recognized, because it had been destroyed. It was
uninhabitable as far as everyone was concerned. Craynor needed a place where he
could hide: he'd take Joshua to Haven.
Josh can you make the car break down?
If he stalled on the open road, would it give us time to catch up?

I don't know,
he answered.
I don't want to face
Craynor any sooner than I have to.
He was right. At least Joshua was still
alive and conscious. I could talk to him. Who knows what awaited him if Craynor
stopped the car and pulled Joshua out? I grimaced, not wanting to imagine it.

 
Just hang on!
I urged as I hit the gas harder
feeling the car bumping along the grassy roads.

“Slow down.” Gavin gripped the handle on the car above his
head beside the door. “We're no good to him dead.”

He was right, too, but I couldn't slow down. Not without
wasting valuable time.

Olivia! Olivia we've stopped!

I tried not to reveal my concentration more on Joshua and
less on the open road.
Tell me what you see.
I needed something to go by.
We'd been driving awhile but not long enough to have reached Haven. At least I
hadn't thought so.

I
...
Olivia
. It was the last thing I heard
from him. I felt my hands shake and I glanced around me. I couldn't see
anything. No sign of a vehicle or civilization and I could no longer hear
Joshua. “Damn it!” I screamed out of frustration. I felt Gavin’s and Rane's
eyes on me but I ignored them.

“Do you want me to drive?” Gavin suggested. “It might be
easier on you.”

“I'm fine!” I pushed harder on the gas. “They can't be that
far ahead of us.” I just hoped we were headed in the right direction.

We drove another twenty minutes north as I moved off the
dirt road and onto grass. I glanced back at Rane. “Do you think Craynor could
have found a place in Haven to keep Joshua?”

“I don't know. Not much was left. There could have been a cellar
or basement abandoned that didn't get struck. That's how I survived,” Rane
admitted.

It at least gave me hope. As we drove north, the rain
stopped and the clouds parted. Cresting a hill, I slammed the brakes as we
jolted to an abrupt halt.

“What the hell?” Gavin's voice echoed as the seatbelt
restrained him and his arm shot up on the dashboard to steady himself. A few
feet away, I saw outlaws with weapons pointed in our direction. “Hurry up!” His
voice threatened in my ear as I slammed on the gas, but our car wasn't going
anywhere: the tires had blown from spikes in the road.

Locking the doors hadn't helped. They busted the car window
and flipped the lock, opening the door, dragging all three of us out.

“What do you want?” Gavin demanded. “You're wrecked the car.
We don't have food or water. We're worthless to you.”

We were outnumbered, six to three. “This is a mistake!” I
offered trying to let them save face. “The government has fallen. You don't
have to be afraid anymore. We're here looking for a friend who was taken.” I
pleaded with them hoping it would help.

The tallest of the six, even taller than Gavin, laughed. “You
hear her?” He pointed his pistol at my face. The six outlaws laughed until he
finished what he had to say. “We don't care.” I felt the stale air, humid and
thick. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

“What do you want with us?” I couldn't see how we were of
any use to them.

A shorter and fatter man missing a few teeth smiled eerily. “You
catch a hefty price on the market. That's good enough for me.”

“Pirates?” I whispered to Rane as they dragged her out of
the car beside me.

“Get down!” the stranger shouted, tossing us to the ground,
my feet falling out from under me. My knees hit the grass and dirt, kicking it
up as I coughed head bent forward. I turned my head slightly catching a glimpse
of Rane. I noticed a bloody cut on her forehead. When had she gotten that? The
car? The men? I hadn't noticed.

“Let them go!” Gavin demanded. I heard his voice, but
couldn't see him. He must have been on the opposite side of the car. I noticed
now that four men surrounded us and the other two stood beside Gavin.

I could take four men. It wouldn't be easy, but I could do
this. I took a deep breath, calming all thoughts as I stood up. The first man went
for me with his fist, but he missed. I landed a punch to his jaw and a kick to
his stomach. He fell back into the car. My eyes narrowed as I grew hot with
rage. Smoke permeated my nostrils. Joshua was gone and these men stood in my
way. The anger poured out from inside of me, and with it my hands burned. A
spark followed with a ball of fire, lighting one of the outlaws aflame.

“Demon girl!” The other man took a step back, eyes wide as
he reached for a knife. I wasn't afraid. I ran after him, tackling him to the
ground. I fought him for control of the knife, by sheer strength turning his
hand on him, plummeting the blade into his chest. That was three men down. I
glanced up, Gavin defended himself, fighting the two outlaws at his side. He
wasn't bad.

“Olivia!” I heard Rane's voice and turned around rushing
towards her as one of the men had climbed atop, pinning her to the ground with
a blade in his hand. I kicked the man hard, throwing him back against the car.
Momentarily, he lost consciousness. “How did you...?” Her words trailed off
sitting up and scooting away.