Darkening Chaos: Book Three of The Destroyer Trilogy (14 page)

“I,”
Braden spits, “am not your subordinate anymore. You have no claim over me. Get
off my property. Now.”

Blackwood
cackles at him. “Are you quitting? Is that what you’re telling me?”

He
rips the front of Braden’s shirt like it was tissue paper, exposing the
crisscrossing scars left there from the last time he disobeyed an order. “You
don’t get to quit the Guardians, remember, Braden? There’s no way out. You’re
in for life, and I’m going to make the rest of it miserable as Hell. You will
finish your mission, or you will pay dearly for it.”

“No,”
Braden says, “I won’t.”

Blackwood
loses it. He throws Braden to the ground and cocks back a fist that will likely
demolish Braden’s face. The only thing that saves Braden is his quick reflexes.
As soon as he hits the ground, his body lurches to the side, knocking out
Blackwood’s poorly planted knee. He looks so slow as he scrambles back up to
his feet. Despite catching his captain off guard, Blackwood has him again
before he can escape and kicks his legs out from under him. Braden lands with a
thud, gasping for the breath that was just knocked out of him.

I
can’t wait any longer. I rise from my hiding place and aim myself straight at
Blackwood’s throat. Before I can move, Braden’s hand shoots up and catches
another of Blackwood’s fists. He can’t match his Strength, but he’s grabbing
Blackwood with his right hand. The sight of Braden’s wrist stops Blackwood
cold. He rocks back on his heels, and Braden doesn’t let the opportunity pass
him by. Getting to his feet quickly, he edges away from him.

“What
happened to you?” Blackwood asks. “Did she do that?”

Braden
doesn’t say anything.

“Did
she do that to you?” he screams. He grabs Braden again and yanks his face right
in front of his own. “Did that psychotic abomination do that to you?”

He
may refuse to see me anymore, but he still isn’t willing to betray what I can
really do. His silence infuriates Blackwood, who looks like he’s about to
strike him again. Finally, Braden speaks.

“Watch
it, Blackwood, I’m not one of your men anymore. I’m just another nobody to
protect. You hurt me, and you’ll be breaking the Oath you pretend you made to serve
and protect.” Braden’s eyes dart around to the spattering of neighbors watching
the scene play out either through the safety of their windows or from out on
the street. “They’ve already seen enough to start asking questions. How many
more should they ask?”

A
sane person would back down at this point. I don’t think anyone would ever
accuse Blackwood of being sane. Fury bursts out of him, and I start running
across the lawn as he moves to smash Braden into the ground. A sharp, cold
voice freezes us both.

“Leave
him, Blackwood. There are too many witnesses.”

My
head whips around to find the source of such a malevolent voice. Seeing the thin,
perfect face, slicked back blond hair, and clear blue eyes that go with the
voice, completely devoid of emotion or empathy isn’t what makes my vision swim.
I didn’t realize I’d tapped every one of my talents. Perception illuminates the
halo of constant Vision tapping around the man, making him look like a specter
of death marching up the drive. I am too stunned by the sheer power of this
man’s talents, this Seeker’s talents, to move as he approaches Braden. Braden
stands stock still, frozen in his fear.

Blackwood
steps back immediately, and I can feel the terror seeping out of both him and
Braden. Whoever this guy is, even Blackwood is afraid of him. That thought truly
chills me. The Seeker takes Braden’s right hand and inspects his wrist very
thoroughly. He stares at Braden thoughtfully for several seconds before turning
back to Blackwood.

“We’re
leaving,” he states with the same emotionless tenor.

“But,
Drake …”

The
black gaze the Seeker levels at Blackwood shuts him up immediately. They both
start walking away in silence, Blackwood trailing behind like a wounded puppy.
But the Seeker doesn’t leave it at that. He turns back to Braden and says,
“This won’t be the last time we meet, young man.”

My
brain turns back on, and I know immediately that this is the man we have to
kidnap. I have enough sense to snatch my phone out of my pocket and snap a
quick, silent picture of him before he turns away. He slips back into the car
like a ghost and they drive away. My whole body shivers in relief. I turn back
and find Braden looking directly at me even though I still have my Concealment
firmly in place.

“Go
home, Libby. I can take care of myself.”

He
darts back inside before I can say anything. I’m left staring at his front
door. I don’t know what to make of him knowing I was here, but one thing I do
know for sure is that Braden definitely cannot take care of himself. Sure, he
fended off Blackwood for a while. Maybe he could even kill him if he really set
his mind to it, but that soulless Seeker will grind him into the carpet with
barely a glance. Braden can’t defend himself against that man. I’m not even
sure I can.

Chapter
12

Evaluation

As usual, my mind is a
million miles away from where it’s supposed to be. I should be focusing on the
hearing going on around me. I should be listening to the school district’s
lawyer as he argues the many reasons I shouldn’t be let back into school. I
should be concentrating on what my defense will be. Instead, I am sketching a
picture of the Seeker, Drake, that I want to kidnap. His dead, frightening eyes
stare back at me from the paper. Just thinking of him makes me want to crawl into
bed with a stuffed animal and blame my shivers on a monster under the bed.

I
know he can show me everything I need to know. What I don’t know is who he is.
For nearly a week we have tried everything to figure out who he is. Not a
single trace of him on the internet. No public appearances, no interviews, no
formal title laid out in professional type, nothing. He is a ghost among a
brotherhood of nightmares.

I
know there must be some facial recognition software, or something, capable of
figuring out who this guy is, but if there is, it’s probably in the hands of the
Guardians and no one else. The only other chance at figuring out who he is will
be waiting for him to show back up at Braden’s like he promised. How long will
that take? I have no idea, maybe too long.

My
name being called drags me back to the situation at hand. I almost didn’t
bother with all of this, but the fact that support for me among people my age
is growing faster than I ever expected pushed me to follow through. The school
has become a perfect place to meet with new recruits or to plan and exchange
information safely. The lack of Guardians and media make it a better option
than anywhere else. Not to mention my being out in public will help dispel
rumors about Howe killing me and let people see who I really am. This hearing
has a similar purpose.

I
push my chair back and stand up. The panel of school board representatives
stares at me anxiously. I can’t believe anything I will say today is going to
change their minds. They think I should be locked up like the rest of the
world. I’d just walk out if I could, but I can’t. I feel like giving up on
school will be an admission by me that it doesn’t matter if I graduate because
I’m never going to live long enough for it to be an issue, but even more
because it is a perfect place to finally tell the truth. I believe I’m going to
make this world better, and hopefully not destroy myself in the process, but
now I need everyone else to believe it, too.  

The
panel waits quietly.

“Look,”
I say frankly, “I know the school district’s lawyer gave a lot of really great
reasons why I shouldn’t be allowed back at school. I know that hardly anyone
actually wants me there. You all think I’m dangerous and just waiting to, I
don’t know, disintegrate the school with everyone in it or something, but I’m
not. I want to be at school. I want to graduate, and no matter what that other
guy just said, you really don’t have any good reasons for keeping me out.”

One
brave board member opens his mouth as if to say something, but it doesn’t quite
make it past his lips. I don’t wait for him to find his voice.

“I
haven’t caused any problems at school in the past year. I don’t ditch, or
cheat, or smoke pot in the girls’ bathroom. Nothing in the school handbook or
district laws give you a reason to keep me out,” I say.

Finally,
the little man who tried to speak a moment ago clears his throat. “What about
the two days of school you missed two weeks ago? Those were not excused
absences. The Concealment Officers attempted to find you, but you weren’t home
and your mother had no idea where you might be. That in itself is enough reason
for this hearing.”

“I
don’t live with my mom anymore. I tried to tell the school that, but they
didn’t listen to me. I haven’t lived with my mom since she kicked me out last
year. And I couldn’t have my absences excused, despite having an emergency that
took me out of the country, because my mom and I are not on speaking terms.
She’s the only parent I have left, but she wouldn’t write me an excuse to save
my life,” I snap at the balding man.

He
shrinks back from me, but stammers out another question. “If you don’t live
with your mother, who do you live with? You must have some other guardian.”

“I
live by myself,” I say. “Nobody else was willing to take me in.” That’s not
entirely true, but what the heck, maybe sympathy will work since logic and law
don’t seem to be getting me any brownie points with these people.

Whether
they feel bad for me or not, nobody speaks for several minutes. I feel my
chances starting to crumble in the silence. A tall woman wearing a blue blazer
with a ruffled blouse beneath it forces herself to face me. Her words are as
crisp as her appearance.

“What
emergency kept you from going to school two weeks ago, the eleventh and twelfth
of August? A Thursday and Friday, I believe.” 

A
moment of fear captures me. This could be a huge mistake. Only something truly
shocking is going to make them look at me as something other than a promise of
death. I need to convince them that I’m trying to save people, not hurt them.
Not unless I absolutely have to.

So,
I do what I came here to do. I tell them the truth.

All
five members of the disciplinary panel sit at rigid attention through my
entire, highly annotated, explanation of everything that has happened over the
last year. I can see the doubt in their eyes when I tell them about the
Ciphers—except for the elderly woman on the end—and the Sihirs, especially.
Funnily enough, the cruelty of the Guardians doesn’t shock them nearly as much
as I thought it would. I guess I’m not the only one who didn’t have a super
high opinion of them to start with. They control the world through fear, not
respect. When I get to freeing the Ciphers, but losing the eighty-seven to the
Seekers, every one of them reacts in some way. Disbelief, anger, grief—at least
they’re listening. I don’t mention Milo killing the nameless Seeker.

I
reach the end and simply fold my arms across my chest. There’s nothing else I
can really say. The elderly woman on the end is the first to speak. “That’s
where they all went,” she says softly. “I went to the spirit world last week,
and it was completely empty. My dearest friend, Elisa, wasn’t there anymore. I
had no idea what had happened.”

“Elisa
Davenport? She’s in a town outside of London, ma’am. I’ll give you contact
information later if you want. I’m sure she’d be happy to hear from you,” I say
hopefully. The woman nods with relief. Too bad they aren’t all Spiritualists.

The
room falls quiet as the others consider what to do with me. Hushed words are
exchanged between them for a few minutes before growing more heated. A
self-important looking man in a double breasted suit is slowly turning red as
he argues with the woman in the blazer. The bald guy rubs his head as he
thinks. The fifth, a younger woman who looks unsure of what’s going on is
asking the old lady about something. I don’t know how long they really argue,
but it feels like ten years before the blazer lady finally calls for a vote.

All
I need is a majority. Elisa’s friend raises her hand in favor of letting me go
back to school. I smile as warmly as I can at her. Blazer Lady raises her hand
as well. The bald guy and younger woman both look unsure. The two men are
sitting next to each other and the angry man in the suit is practically yelling
at the other one to vote against me. I don’t know if he actually believes
anything I’ve said or he just wants to get away from that lunatic, but the bald
guy finally raises his hand and scoots his chair away. I don’t really need her
vote, but the younger woman raise her hand as well, muttering about me having
the best excuse she’s ever heard for missing class, whether it’s true or not.

The
angry man pushes his chair back and storms out as soon as the blazer lady makes
the vote official. I get to rejoin the torment of public high school. Yeah for
me. I hate school, but I smile anyway. My smile only lasts until I stand up and
turn around. Blackwood glares at me from the back of the room. Images of him
trying to beat Braden to a pulp flash through my mind, making my fist tighten
around the chair I was about to push back in. The smooth, old wood creaks under
the pressure. Attacking him in front of everyone will not only get me kicked
out of school again, it will get me arrested. As he stands stoically at the
back of the room, waiting, I realize that’s exactly what he’s trying to bait me
into doing.