Feudlings (26 page)

“Umm, Charity, not to add more stress or anything, but if you guys don’t come back soon, they aren’t going to let you graduate,” Livi said, and Shane pictured her nibbling on a nail like she always did when she was uncomfortable.

“I think graduating is the least of our worries right now,” Charity answered. The thought bothered all three of them, but not as much as the constant replay of Ari, big, tough Ari, bleeding and hurting so much she couldn’t even stand up straight. Of the pain and betrayal in Ari’s eyes.

Charity, Shane, and Hunter hadn't returned since the night of the battle. They spent every waking moment looking for Ari and hiding from the Council.

The Council was after them to come in and give their report on the battle, but so far Hunter had held them off by telling them Shane was injured from the fight and needed to heal. And Shane knew if they saw him they would believe it. Charity was worrying herself to death about his gaunt face and the circles so dark they looked like bruises under both his eyes. She hadn’t mentioned it, but he knew she could feel the black horror chasing itself through his heart, the same as it did hers.

It had been three weeks, and they were out of options. None of them knew where to look anymore, and they had been living out of Hunter's truck for so long all three of them hardly remembered what a real bed felt like. Charity had sent Will email after email hoping he could tell them where Ari was. She had explained what had happened over and over, but he hadn't responded, and none of them expected him too. After all, Shane and Hunter had tried to kill his baby sister.

****

"Shane, the Council is demanding we come in. We have to tell them something." Hunter hung up his phone with a sigh just as Charity walked up, more depressed than ever after her phone call to Nev. They sat at a park, watching little kids play while mothers tried, mostly in vain, to keep up with them.

Shane had his head in his hands, staring at the map lying on the ground in front of him. "I don't care what we tell them. It doesn't matter anymore," he mumbled around his fingers.

Charity sent an alarmed glace at Hunter, who looked just as hopeless. "Maybe… maybe the Council will help us. If we tell them what happened, maybe they can help us find her. And maybe they'll stop fighting, without you and Ari killing each other," Charity said, quiet desperation threading through her words. She bit her lip, easing down on the bench next to Shane, afraid to jostle him at all. He was like a loose cannon. Not that she blamed him.

"There’s a good chance Ari's already dead, Charity. You saw how wounded she was." Hunter's voice broke with bitterness. He stared over their heads, seeing nothing, exhaustion written across his face as he stood with arms crossed over his broad chest. Shane jerked as if he’d been hit.

"So then the war would be over. But it isn't. The Council said the Edrens are fighting harder than ever, trying to avenge Ari," Charity argued, desperate.

"Why are they trying to avenge her if she isn't dead?" Shane asked, his voice hollow.

"Because we hurt her. But they would know. Surely, if she was dead the Family would have told them. Her mother is out there fighting now. She would know…" Charity's voice trailed off as Shane sat up quickly. She was always startled at the look of him, despite the fact that she hadn’t left his side in weeks.

"Her mother? Her mother has never fought before," Shane said.

"We wouldn't know, would we? We didn't know who Ari was before, so we wouldn't know if her mother was out there," Hunter said.

"They know she hasn't fought before because she's powerful. Nearly as devastating as Ari, and she looks just like her, too. Except she's tiny," Charity told them, studying her fingernails.

"Charity, how do you know all this?" Hunter asked slowly, coming around to face her.

“I saw it.” She looked away, over at the kids playing. Carefree, laughing and smiling and chasing each other all over. Had Ari ever had a chance to be a child? They knew the Prodigy had been fighting since Shane was about seven. And Ari was younger than Shane by three weeks. Shane felt his heart go cold. Ari had never had a chance to play. She had always been a warrior. And yet, she had known who they were and she hadn't even fought back when they tried to kill her. She had kept them safe during the battle at their school.

Charity started sobbing, her thin shoulders shaking. Hunter reached over and pulled her against him, letting her cry while his hands stroked her hair. After a long moment, Shane said, still staring at the ground, "Ari thought you guys were together. She said you were amazing together. How'd she see it when we didn't?" Hunter froze. Charity choked on a sob, and both of them jerked apart.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hunter asked gruffly, standing so fast he tipped sideways and had to catch himself on the bench.

"Shut up, Hunter. I lost Ari before I ever told her I loved her. Do you want that to happen to you too" Shane tried to sound stern, but there was no vehemence in his tone.

Charity looked over at Hunter, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I'm sorry. He's just so worn out…"

"He's right," Hunter said, startling her. Shane felt like he should get up and move, but he didn’t have the energy.

"What? Look, Hunter, I know how you feel about Ari. About — about this competition you two had going." Charity choked on the words, trying to make it sound like they weren’t ripping her soul in two.

“Why won’t anyone listen to me?” Hunter bellowed. Charity jumped in alarm, eyes wide.

Shane nearly fell off the bench. “I’m going… over here.” He grabbed his maps and moved to another bench.

“Yeah, okay, I thought I liked her. For like two minutes. But then I realized that every time she did anything, I was comparing her to you. She was never the one I wanted.
You
were!”

Charity just stared at him, her mouth hanging open.

"Come on, Charity. We always have to put Shane and this stupid war first. But what if he's right? What if—”

Charity snapped her mouth shut and her silver eyes flared with rage. She doubled up her small fist and slugged him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Hunter looked at her, shocked and confused.

"Hunter Millen! Don't you dare!" she yelled at him.

Shane looked up. He was sure he had never heard her be so
loud
before. "What?" Hunter started, but Charity, obviously furious, interrupted him again.

"I have waited
years
for you to wake up and realize we should be together. I watched you fight with Shane over Ari for the past six months. You are not going to tell me you love me now just because Shane told you to! Aarrgghh!" she screeched, stomping her foot.

Hunter's mouth fell open and he stumbled backward away from her wrath. She ignored him.

"This didn't happen. When you want to tell me you love me, do it right." She glared ferociously. "And this, Hunter, is not right." She turned and stormed away. Hunter turned to Shane. “What just happened?”

“I’m… not… I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure it was bad. And it’s your fault,” Shane answered.

****

Shane found her, brushing angry tears away with the back of her fist. She was sitting on a concrete bench in the shade, as far away from Hunter as she could get. "Didn't go well, huh?" he asked mildly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Shut up, Shane," she said. Shane raised an eyebrow, but let it go.

"Charity, remember when we… when we…” he choked on the word, "attacked Ari?"

Charity looked away and nodded, a tremble passing through her thin shoulders.

"I can't get it out of my head. It's stuck on repeat, over and over," Shane mumbled.

"Shane." She sighed, but he just shook his head at her.

"The thing is, I realized something. You kept saying something wasn't right. And then right before I threw that spell, you screamed no. Why did you do that, Charity?" His voice was still mild, but for the first time in several weeks, his metallic eyes were piercing and focused as he studied her face, waiting for her answer.

Charity shrugged. "I didn't think you should do it."

"No. You knew it was Ari. You
saw
her, didn't you?" Shane leaned forward, his face inches from hers, his hands on either side of her on the bench. Behind him, Hunter walked up, eyeing Charity warily. "You were having a vision right before she got there, and you saw the Prodigy coming. No Seer is supposed to be able to do that, Char, but you did." Charity just stared at him, her mouth open but no sound coming out. Hunter stopped next to them, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, but Shane never took his eyes from Charity's face. "Char, I need you to find her. No one else in the world can do it but you." His voice was low and desperate, his eyes pleading.

Charity was already shaking her head. “Find Ari? Shane, I’m not even a good Seer. The Council says I’m worthless. Their favorite Seer can't find the Prodigy. How can you expect me to?”

"Charity, you can do this." Hunter squatted down next to her and took her hand.

She glared at him, but her heart wasn't in it. “Hunter, I don’t know…” Shane could practically see her thoughts racing. She looked at Shane, and he read the question in her eyes:
Can I…?
She closed her eyes. “I think…” she trailed off as her eyes began to glow. And abruptly died. She jerked away and shook her head. "I can't!" But her eyes opened and Shane was right there. He didn’t even try to hide the crushed disappointment from his face.

She took a deep breath, tried again. “Charity, you can do this,” Hunter murmured again.

Shane held her hand, letting his healing flames soak into Charity’s blood, hoping it would take some of his power with it — anything to help her. He focused on Ari, on that wild black and red hair, the dark brown eyes. Her kind smile when she thought no one was looking. Her sarcasm and the pain she hid behind it.

Charity’s eyes started to glow. It felt like she was rapidly getting a fever, her skin hot to touch. “I can see her,” Charity murmured. Shane sucked in a breath.
Please be okay.

“She’s lying on a couch with a multi-colored afghan thrown over her. She’s so still and gray.”

Charity took a deep breath, tried to expand the scene. “Will stands behind Ari, staring down at his sister, and he… he looks as bad as Shane. He’s so worried. Standing near him are several…
wait!
Are those Carules healers? They are!”

In her shock, she lost the vision. She blinked, trying to get her blurry gaze to focus. Shane stared at her, unsure what to say. Her silver gaze leaped to Hunter’s scowl and back to Shane.

"She's alive. That's what's important, right?" Charity asked lamely.

Hunter's frown deepened. "How do the Edrens have Carules healers? Were the Healers held against their will?”

"No, I don't think so." Charity shook her head.

Shane sat back on his heels, studying her as if he could reach into her mind and pull out the answers.

"Well, before the war, Edrens were the warriors, the offense. Carules were the defense. That's why we're better healers, better at
saldepement
spells and wards. And that's why Ari and Will are so powerful with kill spells, and why Ari can move so fast. She comes from a long line of warriors," Hunter said, rubbing the back of his neck like it hurt.

"She's more powerful than me," Shane pointed out.

"Not more powerful. She's a better fighter, but I’d bet you are a better healer," Hunter said.

"So okay, thanks for the history lesson, but what does that have to do with the Carules standing by Will and Ari?" Charity sighed. She glared at Hunter, clearly still mad at him. But her eyes softened, unable to hold a grudge.

"So she's ill. And you said the Carules seemed to be there willingly?" Hunter asked again.

Shane looked up as Charity nodded. "They looked almost as worried as Will."

Shane burst to his feet, then stumbled and almost fell as understanding smashed into him. Hunter caught and righted him. "It's a Renegade colony," Shane exclaimed.

"No way. The Prodigy and her Guard at a Renegade colony?" Hunter shook his head, his face skeptical.

"Charity, can you see anything else? There are dozens of colonies in the United States alone. Can you see anything else that can help us?" Shane asked, dropping to his knees beside her again. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. She frowned, her whole body shaking with the effort. “Charity, I know how bad you want to find her. I know she’s your best friend and I know you want to ask her to forgive us. But you can’t focus on that now. Focus on Ari. The person.” Charity bit her lip, nodding once as a tear snaked its way down her cheek.

Then her phone rang.

She jumped, nearly swallowing her tongue. "Holy crap!" she gasped, digging the phone out of her pocket. She didn't recognize the number. Glancing uncertainly, first at Hunter and then at Shane, she hit the talk button and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Charity? It's Will. I got your message… and I'm willing to talk to you… because I think Shane is the only one who can save her. If she doesn't kill him first."

Chapter Twenty

“Will wants to talk to us, but he won’t let us in his colony. He’s setting up a safe place to meet,” Charity said, hanging up the phone.

“Colony? So they are in a Renegade colony!” Hunter exclaimed. “I can’t believe it. The Edren Prodigy and her Guard hiding with the Renegades.”

“No, they aren’t in just any Renegade colony. It’s
Will’s
colony. He founded it.” Charity stood up, dusting her pants off.

“Okay, but what’d he say about Ari?” Shane leaned forward eagerly.

“He said… that we’re the only ones who might be able to save her. But he doesn’t sound hopeful.” Charity looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.

Hunter’s phone rang and he jerked it out of his back pocket, groaning when he saw the caller ID. “It’s the Council. Again,” he said. “Hello?” After a pause, with Charity and Shane watching anxiously, he said, “Lewis. I told you we can’t come in. Shane’s injured.” Then his face darkened as his eyes swept the park. “You’re where?”