Across the Universe (12 page)

Chapter Twenty

              I awake to Noah shaking me. It’s still dark outside, beams of moonlight muted as they filter through the dirty windows. I have no idea how much time has passed but I can immediately sense that we’re in danger. It’s obvious by the tight look on Noah’s face—the way his cheeks have paled and his eyes have turned wild.

              “We’re being surrounded,” Noah whispers. “They’re closing in on the cabin.”

              “Harbingers?” I ask.

              Noah shakes his head. “People—but not really. They all look like you.”

              I jolt upright, untangling my legs from the moth-eaten quilt. “Members of The House. Why would they be here? Unless …”

              “Unless what?” Noah asks after I trail off, helping me out of bed.

              “The prophecy mentioned a Watcher would come for you, remember? One that would bring you to The House. Maybe that’s why they’re here: to take you.”

              Noah glances wildly around the room. “Then we have to get out of here.”

              I walk over to one of the windows and peek outside. Plumes of gray smoke plummet toward earth and reform into members of The House. The moonlight glints off their blonde hair and makes the silver in their eyes shine. There are dozens of them already, all of them landing at the edge of the clearing. They stand stock still as if waiting for some kind of command.

              The muffled sound of shattering glass interrupts my thoughts. I turn around and see Noah standing on the mattress, a dusty dishtowel draped across the window there as he uses his fist to punch out the panes. The House members outside don’t seem to hear the sound above the chirping of insects outside.

              Noah motions to me, laying the towel across the broken edge of the frame. I climb out the window as quietly as I can, dropping into the grass on silent feet and flattening my body against the side of the cabin. I am thankful for the darkness; it hides me from the prying eyes all around me.

              Noah slides out of the window next and together we inch across the cabin wall until we hug the cliff face. If we follow it straight across it leads to the woods—the only opening not yet blocked by a member of The House.

              We crouch low into the shadows, shuffling closer and closer to the tree line as one last plume of smoke cascades down to land in front of the cabin door. I stop dead in my tracks as the moonlight shines across the man’s distinct features.

              Dante.

              “Don’t just stand there!” he bellows at his followers. “Search the cottage. If they’re not there then we must fan out and scour the woods.”

              I don’t know why he’s here. The prophecy refers to a Watcher, not a Leader, and my mind grasps at straws as it tries to justify his presence. Maybe he’s in league with the rogue Watcher, helping them to find the Key. For the time being, it doesn’t matter. All I care about is getting Noah to safety and escaping the clutches of The House.

              I begin to move again, faster this time. Members of The House walk toward the cabin and I know we only have seconds before they enter and find the broken window. Then they’ll know where we’ve gone.

              I want to transform into smoke, to fly up into the sky and away from this place, but when I glance at the stars I see clouds of gray darting to and fro overhead. There’s no way we’ll dart past unnoticed, not with Noah’s striking blue fog by my side.

              We reach the woods and slip between the trees. I realize I’ve been holding my breath and allow myself to exhale. My frantic expression is reflected in the lenses of Noah’s glasses and when I catch sight of my panic I do my best to mask it with determination instead. I don’t want to scare him—to let him know I’m not sure of what to do next.

              “We should head deeper into the woods, try to find our way down the mountain. Hopefully we’ll find a spot where Dante’s men aren’t patrolling in the air and I can transform us,” I whisper.

              Noah nods, stepping forward. I move to follow him but a branch cracks loudly underfoot. In the distance, Dante’s head snaps to attention. One of his followers leans out the broken window and points in the direction of the woods, right where we’re standing. They can’t see us through the darkness, but they know we’re there nonetheless.

              “After them,” Dante snarls.

              “Run,” I say to Noah, and we’re off, leaping over bushes and fighting past branches and leaves.

              It’s nearly impossible to keep track of Noah as he weaves between trees. The darkness swallows him whole several times and it’s sheer luck that I find him again. I can hear the sound of Dante and the others chasing after us. Once I swear I feel the brush of hands on my back and the sound of heavy breathing in my ear. I pick up my pace, reaching Noah’s side and taking his hand to pull him onward. He is tired, slowing down, and the trees are beginning to thin and give way to mountainous terrain.

              The forest ends abruptly, exiling us onto a flat plain covered in jagged boulders. On the opposite side is a steep cliff. With time and effort we could descend it in a few hours, but we have neither, and the only choices we’re left with are to jump to our deaths or hide.

              I pull Noah into the crevice of a boulder, squatting down and placing a hand over his mouth. He does his best to silence his breathing as Dante and his followers break out of the woods behind us.

              “They couldn’t have gone far. Check under every stone, in every crack,” Dante commands his brethren.

              I bite back my breath as feet pass by our hiding spot, back and forth, back and forth. They’ll find us eventually; they have to. It’s only a matter of time—

              Noah is wrenched from my grasp and dragged out into the moonlight. I scream and claw at the air as he’s taken away from me, but two hands shoot out and grab me by the shoulders, hauling me out after him.

              “You let him go!” I scream. “He’s mine. You can’t have him!”

              I gnash my teeth and kick my legs, forming fists and wailing as I lash out at any skin or bone that surrounds me. It’s all the two House members holding me can do to keep their grip and dodge my blows.

              Dante has Noah pinned by the throat, causing him to splutter for air as he fights against the Leader’s chokehold. Tears break out from my eyes as I realize I’ve been defeated.

              “You care for the boy,” Dante says simply.

              I shoot daggers in his direction, hock back, and spit in his face. He blinks back disgust as he wipes the saliva off his cheeks with his free hand.

              “You’ll regret that, Amara. Mark my words,” he adds.

              “The only thing I regret is letting you run The House! You’re nothing but a traitor,” I reply.

              Dante looks from Noah to me as if he’s trying to connect the dots. I don’t understand his confusion—the lack of triumph written on his face.

              “Why is he so important to you?” Dante asks.

              “You know why.”

              “No; I really don’t. Enlighten me.”

              I pause my struggling, appraising the Leader’s face, and realize he’s telling the truth. He doesn’t realize Noah’s the Key at all. That means the only person he could have come to Earth for is—

              “Me,” I think aloud. “You came for me.”

              “Whom else would I be here for? You’ve defied the laws of The House once again, and this time your punishment is set in stone. The only question now is whether you go quietly or not.” A sneer pulls at the corners of Dante’s lips. “To help the dilemma, let me lay out your choices. If you continue to struggle—to fight against being brought back to The House—I’ll kill this boy. I can see it in your eyes you care for him, even if he’s a lower life form. Maybe you’re delusional enough to have convinced yourself it’s love. Either way, I won’t hesitate to end him.”

              I glance at Noah with pain in my eyes. He tries to shake his head but Dante’s grip is too firm.

“And if I don’t struggle? If I come back with you without putting up a fight?” I ask.

“Then I let him go. I pretend he doesn’t exist, that he hasn’t defied the laws by learning about The House and its members. A small pardon so that the real criminal can be apprehended.”

“Don’t do it, Amara. He’ll only kill you instead,” Noah chokes out, raking his fingers down Dante’s arm so hard that he draws silver. Dante doesn’t even flinch.

My head drops, a sob wracking my lungs. Dante’s sneer turns into a beaming smile. “She’s willing to die for you, boy. How very pathetic,” he hisses in Noah’s ear.

A flicker of rage passes through Noah’s eyes. He whips back his head, slamming his skull into Dante’s nose. Dante staggers back as silver streams from his nostrils, releasing Noah. Noah runs for me, throwing out a fist that connects with the jaw of one of the House members that holds me. The man goes down, passing out cold. One of my arms now free, I spin and slam my hand up under the other man’s chin. His head snaps back, he releases me, and I fall into Noah’s arms.

We turn and sprint back toward the trees. Noah is faster than me but he doesn’t let go, doesn’t stop running. We’re almost there when a foot lashes out, kicking my kneecap. I tumble to the ground and writhe in pain. Dante stands over me, the silver blood from his nose dripping down onto the fabric of my dress. Noah is at the tree line and the other House members close in on him.

“Run!” I scream at him. “If you love me, run!”

He does what I tell him, but instead of heading into the forest he makes a break toward me. I can see Dante’s followers circling him, ready to take him down. It’s dozens against one and I know he won’t survive.

I reach up and grab onto Dante’s pant leg. “Take me and leave him be,” I say. “Do it now, please, before they kill him.”

              At first I think Dante won’t oblige me—he looks positively sickened by my sacrifice—but then he calls out to the others. “Forget about the boy and return to The House!”

              Dante brushes a hand against mine and in an instant I am smoke. He swirls around me, trapping me within his cloud form so that I can’t escape. Below me the other House members burst into mist and rocket up into the clouds. The last thing I see before the marble halls of The House is Noah staring up at me, lost and alone, on the edge of a cliff.

              “Amara, Watcher of The House,” Dante announces to the audience of Leaders. “You have been found guilty of the highest form of treason.”

              I stand in the Court Room before the Leaders of The House, my hands tied behind my back with a length of rope. Shifting my weight to my uninjured knee, I hold my head high and respond. “What treason are you talking about? What have I done other than try to save us all from a terrible prophecy?”

              “You killed a Harbinger. The event was reported by a Seer. She described the whole scene in detail.”

              “
That’s
why you came to Earth? To sentence me for killing that … thing?”

              “It’s not a
thing
, Amara. It has a vital role to play in The House. Without Harbingers universes would be left to grow and recede in their own time. There would be no control over the expansion of worlds.”

              “It tried to kill me,” I say. “Both me and Noah.”

              “Silly stories dreamt up by a delusional little girl!” Dante announces to the audience. “Why would a Harbinger attack you, let alone a lower life form like that of the boy?”

              I purse my lips, wanting to answer but knowing I can’t. I want to defend myself but then questions about Noah will arise, and I can’t let anyone know how important he is. Diverting my eyes to the corner of the room, I see Nim hunched against a wall. Tears flow freely from her eyes; she dabs at her cheeks with a handkerchief.

              Choosing my words carefully, I answer with a hint of frustration threaded through my voice. “It’s important you let me go. Things are happening in The House. Things no one else can stop but me. Someone is bent on destroying all we hold dear—”

              “That someone is you, Amara,” Dante says. “The evidence is overwhelming. And it’s time for you to receive punishment for your actions.”

              I open my mouth, ready to deny it, but he shoots me a look of pure disdain and I know nothing I can argue will change his mind. “So what now?” I ask. “What becomes of me?”

              Dante turns away as if I’m a patch of dirt on the ground unworthy of his gaze. He proclaims my sentence to the audience, and as the words leave his mouth Nim collapses to the ground, moaning, and the blood runs cold in my veins.

              “It’s a unanimous decision. Amara, Watcher of The House—you are to be cast into the void.”

Chapter Twenty-One

              The Court Room is empty but for Dante and me. The audience filed out with their heads hanging low, none of them meeting my eyes as they passed. Even Nim didn’t muster the courage to say anything—no goodbye or pleading words on my behalf. She just left with all the others, stifling sobs while trailing out the door, and now I am alone with a Leader who hates me.

Dante walks across the cool marble floor, shooting me an amused look that curls his lip. I want to lash out, claw at his face and rip out his hair, but my hands are still bound behind me and he is twice my size. I don’t stand a chance against him—not now, not ever.

He comes to the wall behind me and presses his palms flat against the surface. The marble slides back and reveals a set of spiraling stairs leading down into darkness. Torches are mounted in sconces along the way, burning at half-light as embers spark out and dwindle down to ash.

Wordlessly, Dante grabs my arm and drags me into the passageway.

“You won’t get away with this,” I say, my voice echoing back through the hollow space.

              “I have, and I will,” he replies, not bothering to meet my gaze. “It’s a great thing to see someone like you finally punished for her insolence.”

              “I’m not responsible for the dead Watchers. Whoever’s trying to destroy The House is still out there, and you’ll see that soon enough.”

              The stairs drop off into a thin hallway. On one side a row of jail cells line the wall, all empty and cloaked in shadow. Dante steps over to the center chamber, pulls the key that dangles around his neck out from under his collar, and unlocks the door. As the metal creaks open he unbinds my hands and shoves me roughly inside so that I land hard on my knees. I grit my teeth against the pain and turn back to him, glaring up with defiance.

              “Maybe you
are
innocent,” he says. “Maybe you’re nothing more than a deviant who wishes to cause me frustration. If that’s the case, good luck proving it from inside this dungeon.”

              He slams the door shut, locks it, and heads back to the stairs. Before he continues on he halts, turning his head ever so slightly so that he looks back over his shoulder. “You’ll be thrown into the void tomorrow. I’ll be the one to push you out that door. I wonder how blinking out of existence feels. I imagine it’s not very pleasant. You may want to spend this time bracing yourself for what’s to come.”

              Then he ascends the stairs, the shadows curling around him until he disappears altogether. The last sound I hear is the marble wall of the Court Room above sliding closed as he exits the prison.

The cell is dark and dank, with rusted bars that cut me off from the rest of the world. There is no chair or bed or modicum of comfort. I shuffle over to the corner and slide down until I’m huddled on the floor, setting my chin on my knees.

Down here there is no sense of time. The only way I have to count the seconds is by my own breaths, which come in ragged gasps as I bite back my tears. When I hear the wall slide to permit someone entry again, my blood runs cold. Has the time come for me to be cast into the void already? My heart doesn’t stop racing until Nim steps out of the shadows.

“Amara!” she cries out, running over to my cage and reaching an arm through the bars.

I stand up, step across the cell, and take her hand in mine. In the glinting torchlight the raw marks the rope left on my wrists look angry and red.

“Why are you here, Nim? Did Dante allow you to visit?” I ask.

“Of course not! I snuck down here of my own accord. I need you to know I think Dante is wrong. You’re not responsible for the terror ravaging The House, and I can’t stand by and watch as Dante casts you into the void.”

She pulls her key out from under her collar and fits it into the lock of my cell door. I gasp as the metal bars spring open. “How?”

“The House has many rules, all made to keep balance. Every key given to the Watchers opens these cells. It’s been that way forever, so that one member cannot hold more power over another.”

The urge to leave my cage behind is overwhelming, but I refuse to heed the temptation. “You’ll get in trouble, Nim. Better one of us gets thrown into the void than both.”

              “Not if we can prove your innocence before they find out,” she says. “I’ve talked to Elli and she’s going to help us. You’ll be hiding in the Archives Room while I search the universes for evidence. Perhaps the Harbingers have left something behind—a trace of their wrongdoing that can lead us to the real culprit.”

              “And you really think you’ll find something?”

              Nim’s eyes swim with tears. “I have to. You must understand, Amara—I’ve trained many Watchers, but have cared for none like I do you. You’re important to me.”

              Her pleading gaze is enough to make me follow her out of the dungeon and up the stairs. We slip out of the Court Room unnoticed, letting the crowd bustling through the halls beyond swallow us up. I keep my head down and trail behind Nim as she leads me to the Archives Room. My heart skips a beat when Dante walks past us. I’m sure he’ll notice me—sure that he’ll find out what Nim’s done and lock us back up in the dungeon until the void can take us both—but he’s too immersed in conversation with another Leader to pay us any attention.

              When we reach the Archives Room Elli surges out from behind her desk and envelops me in a hug. Nim steps away, lingering by the door as my friend assesses me for bumps and bruises. When she sees the red marks around my wrists she grumbles.

              “I swear I’ll get Dante back for hurting you if it’s the last thing I do.”

              I pull out of Elli’s embrace, though she insists on keeping a protective arm around my shoulder as I turn back to Nim.

              “Thank you,” I say. “Without you I would still be stuck in that cell, waiting to be cast into the void.”

              Nim smiles, leaning back into the door handle. “Don’t thank me yet. We still have to find the proof I was talking about.”

              She turns the knob and starts to leave, but I stop her with my words. “Be careful, Nim. I don’t want to lose you.”

              Nim can’t bring herself to reply so instead she just nods once and then slips across the threshold, disappearing into the hall as the door falls shut behind her.

              Elli steers me toward the tunnels, leading me past shelves full of books and dust. The Archives Room seems empty except for us. We come to a familiar stretch of corridor where Elli tugs down on a crimson bound book tucked amongst the others. The wall of volumes instantly slides back and permits us entry into the secret room beyond.

              “We’ll be safe here for a while,” Elli says as the entrance shuts behind her and she slides into a leather armchair. “In the meantime, why don’t you tell me why you’re not keeping an eye on Nim.”

              I blink out at her stupidly. “Why would I be?”

              Elli examines her fingernails as she replies. “You don’t know if she’s really trying to find evidence. She could be flying off into your universe, snatching that boy up to bring him back here.” She rolls her eyes onto me now, her face a mask that I can’t read. “If I were you, I’d hightail it back to Earth and pick Noah up yourself. Bring him back here; hide him in this room with you. It’s the safest move.”

              I bite my lip, deep in thought. My universe is still in the Watch Room. It was abandoned there after Dante and his crew brought me back to The House. Elli’s words make me doubt Nim, but only for a moment. Then I remember her heart-wrenching sobs as Dante sentenced me to the void. “Nim isn’t behind all this. She cares for me too much. And even if she was, the last thing I’d do is bring Noah here. That’s exactly what the enemy wants. I’d be playing right into his hands.”

              “Or
her
hands.” Elli’s gaze levels on mine. There’s something cold about her expression that I haven’t seen before. I step back a few paces, coming to stand behind the other chair.

              “It can’t be Dante either. You should’ve seen him around Noah. He was clueless.”

              Elli scoffs. “Dante could never pull something like this off. He’s an idiot. Hasn’t even been around The House that long. At least, not as long as I have. He deserves what’s coming to him. After all he knows and he still pretends his cause is noble, that The House stands for purity and goodness.”

              I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

              Elli purses her lips and tilts her head to the side. “Have I ever told you about the origin of the Harbingers?” She waits for me to shake my head before continuing. “The House has lied to you, Amara. Your universe wasn’t the first. There was another—one that bore the Harbingers into life. When The House saw how strong the life forms were—how they could destroy so much in the world with a mere glance—the Leaders decided they were a threat. They took over the universe and enslaved the Harbingers, forcing them to destroy their own home before taking the survivors back to The House. Then they made the poor things serve them for all eternity. It’s no wonder they allowed The House’s enemy to command them into the murder and destruction of Watchers and universes. They’ve wanted revenge since the beginning of time.”

              “How do you know all this?” I ask.

              Elli stands, wandering over to the shelves and dancing her fingers across the spines of books as she answers. “I was there. I saw it all. As one of the first members of The House, I’ve been here through everything. The creation of all these silly rules. The enslavement of the Harbingers. The decision to hide the Key.”

              A queasy feeling builds in my gut. “I thought you said you didn’t know about the Key—at least, not until we found that book.” Elli turns to me, a devilish grin playing across her lips. The truth is clear to me now, but I can’t—won’t—believe it. Not until she admits it to me.

              “You’re the enemy of The House. You’ve been behind everything from day one,” I say.

              “You caught me!” Elli exclaims, throwing up her arms in mock surrender. When I don’t laugh, the smile slides from her face and she drops her hands back to her sides. “Took you long enough to figure it out. I thought for sure you’d eventually grow to suspect me, but you never did. You even turned on Nim, but not me. Maybe it’s because I’m so much like you: different. An outcast. Someone that cares about more than The House and its stupid halls and walls and doors.”

              “Why?” I ask, my head spinning. “If you’re the one behind the killings—the one who’s trying to take over The House—why don’t you just go to Earth and get Noah now? You know who he is.”

              “Haven’t put two and two together yet, I see,” Elli says. She lets a pause go by, waiting for me to connect the dots, but grows impatient when I don’t respond. “The prophecy, of course. I’ve been around long enough to know the sights of the Seers can’t be defied. I’m not a Watcher, and the prophecy says a Watcher is the one who brings the Key to The House. It also mentions a Watcher will be connected to the Key and act as its protector.”

              Elli pulls a stack of folded papers from her pocket—the same papers I found slipped under my door. As she reads from them she glides her fingers across the back of the parchment, brushing them over the drawing of Noah’s face.

“
The prophecy of the first Seer regarding the Key speaks of the fate of The House. The Key will be brought into these walls by a Watcher, who will then unlock the mystical force that powers our institution. With this power she will either destroy universes or save them, but either way, The House will suffer a terrible end.
And then, from the next page:
The Key and a Watcher will become connected, and for the rest of the Watcher’s existence their lives will be intertwined. One will be unable to survive without the other, and each will have to forgo many trials to stamp out the evil that takes over The House.
”

              Discarding the papers on a nearby shelf, she glares at me. “The prophecy mentions two Watchers, but it never crossed your mind that they’re one in the same. You, Amara, are both. You’re the Watcher that brings the Key into The House. You’re also its protector. You’re the reason The House will fall to me—the reason I’ll become ruler over all the universes. Do you understand now?”

              My legs go weak and I stumble back into the wall, clutching the edge of the shelves to support my weight. “I don’t believe you. Why would you put me through all this if I’m the Watcher the prophecy talks about? The killings, the destruction. It’s senseless.”

              “I had to guide you down your path,” Elli says. “If I’d just asked you outright to bring Noah to me, you wouldn’t have done it. You’d have fought against me. This way, I convinced you that you’re the good guy. Let you get attached to the boy. You thought you were being noble. I let you fall victim to your own fate without you even knowing it.”

              “Then why tell me all this now? I still haven’t brought the Key here. You haven’t won.”

              “Dante got in the way of my plans. He went to Earth to retrieve you over some petty agenda, and in doing so he forced my hand. I had to convince Nim to rescue you. And now I have to convince you to bring the Key to me.”