The Unfinished World (The Armor of God Book 2) (23 page)

“I’m okay,” Ezra said, rubbing his head. “I’m still here.”

“Yes, we’re all still here. Before the Carriers got to us we managed to power up the repeater,” Erin said, now cooler, looking at Akiva as he wiped blood from his lip. Ezra was surprised at Akiva’s cool—he had expected another fight, now out of the suits, with only their own bone and muscle to dictate their strength. “Somehow, we made it, so if you two are done I’d like to get out. I don’t want to spend another moment inside this mountain.”

It was a silent march back to the outside world, and with every step they took away from the heart of the mountain, he could feel Nandi’s power decreasing. Its true strength lay inside this labyrinth.

Something happened
, Nandi said; he spoke more often now than he did before, and seemed somehow hurt by being left behind, hurt after taking a hit from Milos or Ares.
I heard his scream. You shouldn’t trust Milos Ravana
.

I’m glad you are okay
, thought Ezra, but the Minotaur couldn’t, or wouldn’t, reciprocate the sentiment.

Every time he saw Nandi, or any other Creux, from the outside, Ezra was reminded of how much he needed the Minotaur. He had to be careful not to confuse that dependence with affection.

You’re just a puppet.

Oh, am I?
Nandi almost laughed.

He depended on Erin’s guidance to leave the maze, and he was tense throughout, always expecting another surprise attack from wild, scared, and angry Laani. None came this time—they had been scared off by Milos Ravana.

Eventually, they found themselves in the largest tunnel, and saw an even darker outside.

The group of four Creuxen stepped out of the blood-splattered gates of the labyrinth to full night. The thick mantle of diseased clouds, a cruel testimony of Lys’ ongoing reign on the planet, still impeded moonlight to bleed through. Ezra only saw light through the aqua glass that was Nandi’s central eye.

My eyes are your eyes. I know what you’re thinking.

Shut up.

They kept on marching silently, following the wall, towards Clairvert. More than once Ezra saw Milos stretch its arms outward and forward, as if testing them. He hoped Ares’ raging attack hadn’t damaged their most powerful weapon.

“Stop,” Erin said, and came to a sudden halt. “Do you see that?”

“Is that Jade Arjuna?” Garros asked.

In the distance, right outside the door to Clairvert, Ezra could see the huge shadow of a Creux standing at its full height. “No, that’s not Jade Arjuna,” Ezra said.

“You don’t think—,” Erin added. “You don’t think Director Blanchard sent others from Zenith, do you?”

Ezra could almost feel himself smiling inside the Egg. The idea of being joined by other pilots of Zenith made him happy. There was danger in here, and the extra hands of other Creux could—

“I don’t understand,” Erin said when they finally came close enough to the mysterious Creux. Jade Arjuna was still kneeling where it had been left, and he recognized this new Creux, though it had never set foot inside of Zenith, or anywhere near Roue. Erin sounded more scared than confused when she asked: “What is
Lazarus
doing here?”

Quantum Ares stood next to Lazarus while the other three desynchronized, afraid of the Creux, and whoever was controlling it.

Despite Erin’s protests, they had left Lazarus back in the last oasis. She had synchronized with it, and no one else dared try. Lazarus seemed dangerous, entirely different to all the other Creuxen.

Just like Milos Ravana, whom it resembled perhaps too closely.

“There is blood on its hands,” Erin said, looking up at him. Ezra noticed several citizens of Clairvert had gathered just outside the stony gates of the city to look at the new giant who had joined the other invaders.

It wasn’t until Akiva ran towards her that Ezra noticed Jena standing among them, almost afraid to come out.

“Suddenly, it was here,” said Jena, and noticed the bruise in Akiva’s cheek, though she chose to ignore it. “There was a sound, like a horn someone blew up there in the watch’s post.”

“Lights are off,” Akiva said. Lazarus’ orange eyes were dead, a clear sign that there was no synchronization in progress. “Did anyone get out? Did you see who was piloting it?”

“No, no one did,” said Jena. Akiva held her hand.

Ezra looked away, but his diverted eyes met the welcome sight of someone else, someone who was being too reckless: Elena. She was peeking out from behind a fold of stone that was almost invisible from his perspective.

He wanted to wave her off, and tell her that she was too conspicuous, even if not to the citizens of Clairvert. It was like she could read his mind. She took a step back and almost disappeared behind the rocky formations.

After making sure Elena was gone, or at least entirely out of sight, Ezra joined Erin. She was looking up at Lazarus, almost too happy to see it again.

“This makes no sense, does it?” she asked. “What the hell is Lazarus doing here? Who could have possibly brought him here?”

“Jena says no one’s climbed out. Whoever’s piloting it is still inside.”

Erin waved his hands towards Ares, and inside, Garros understood her meaning. Quantum Ares brought its knee to the floor, and all the lights in its steel frame went dark. Its Apse slid open and Garros stepped outside. Every step he took when climbing down Ares’ leg, Garros was looking at Lazarus, as though it would swipe its bloody hand if given a chance.

Once he hit the floor, he walked backwards towards Ezra and Erin. “Do we know who brought it here?”

“What is this?” came a fourth voice. It was Malachi, who wasn’t wearing his guard’s uniform. Before speaking again, his eyes stayed on Ezra, almost failing to recognize the kid who had left Clairvert, now that he had lost most of his hair, his skin was tender, and his uniform was torn.

“It’s called Lazarus,” said Erin.

“My father saw him approach from the caves, the ones you came from. Did you bring him with you?”

“No,” Erin replied after looking at the others, confused. “We saw this thing a few days ago, far away from here. I want to know who’s piloting it, because it has no business being here, or back in the caves.”

It made no sense, Ezra thought. Unless—

“Do you think it’s another one? Maybe this isn’t the Creux we saw in the oasis.”

“No, it is the same,” argued Erin. “I know it is. The marks on its boot, the brand of its name. It’s the same one. I’m not leaving until I find out exactly who it was that brought him here.”

For two more hours they waited, and Lazarus remained still, dead in the eyes. The people of Clairvert began to lose interest rather quickly and returned to the city. Then, no one except the pilots from Zenith were left, sitting on the floor, eyes on the giant as the light from the horizon drew a shadow at its feet.

And then, after some more time, even the pilots themselves chose to leave. First, it was Jena, who grabbed Akiva by the hand and took him back to Clairvert.

Then, just as Ezra was about to leave, Garros got up.

“Erin, we need to go,” Garros said. “I need food, I need sleep. I know you do too. It’s almost dawn, and the pilot’s still shy.”

“We can’t leave,” she said. “I need to know who’s inside.”

Erin had become strangely stubborn when it came to Lazarus—she was obsessed—and Garros could immediately tell that that an argument would be a lost battle. He had to stay. “Might as well go,” he said, looking up at Ezra. “We’ll tell you what happened later.”

Ezra took that chance to leave. He wanted to shave off the remains of his hair, put cold water on his burns. Maybe take a drink so he wouldn’t have nightmares when he finally found the sleep he so desperately needed.

But there was something else stirring in his head.

Making sure Erin and Garros wouldn’t see him, Ezra walked past the main entrance to Clairvert and found the entryway behind which Elena had disappeared.

It was something of a squeeze to go through this tunnel, and he was glad daylight was almost breaking or else he wouldn’t have seen the way. He had to lower his head and keep going until it was dark and the tunnel finally ended in a larger chamber.

Elena was sleeping inside, curled on the dirty floor like a stray cat.

When Ezra stepped closer, trying to call her attention without startling her, he failed. She could almost feel his presence near him, and in one dizzyingly quick motion, she was awake and alert, fists clenched, looking at him like he was a threat.

It took her a moment to realize his visitor was not hostile. “What are you doing here?” she asked, breathing heavily.

“I saw you get in here,” he said. “I know you saw me.”

“No—what are you
doing
here?” she repeated, looking behind him, still scared.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he replied. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

She finally calmed down and sat. Ezra looked around at the mostly empty space, wondering for how long she had made a home in this miraculously hidden area.

“You were exiled, weren’t you?” Ezra asked. “Captain Farren said people could be exiled if they didn’t want to be jailed in there. How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know,” she said in her wispy, beautiful voice. “It’s hard to tell. Sometimes I don’t leave. I do what I can to survive.”

He wanted to ask her: How did she survive? What did she eat? Where did she do her business? But he couldn’t; he could read in Elena’s voice that she was embarrassed by her situation. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable to satisfy his morbid curiosity.

“Did you—” he started. “Did they think you went crazy? Is that why you’re here?”

She laughed. “Maybe I did. I don’t even remember what it was that told the others that I wasn’t right. Maybe it’s all the things I know, about you and the Creux.”

“How
do
you know all those things?”

“I don’t know how I know,” she said and laughed again. It was delightful. “I saw the Minotaur and Milos Ravana, and I knew what they were. Before, I always told stories about the Creux: giant man-made monsters built to protect us. I thought it could have all been a dream, but it always felt so real, like memories. Then you were there, in Kerek, and you took care of me by the tree with the ash leaves.”

She does sound crazy
, Ezra thought, and felt guilty.

“I’ve taken care of myself for a long time, and just when I thought I would die, you were there. Then, earlier, Farren could’ve seen me, and you covered for me again,” she said, putting a hand on his hand and looking straight into his eyes with her violet ones. “Thank you.”

He was too lost in her eyes to reply, and when he finally was ready to do it, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the tunnel behind him. He looked back, and could feel sweat pour from the palm she was holding.

There was a shadow. Someone was coming.

He had lured them into Elena’s hiding place.

Ezra was quick enough to move away from Elena to meet the visitors as far from her as he could, and maybe they wouldn’t see her.

“Blanchard,” came Garros’ voice. “Blanchard, I saw you come in here, where—”

Ezra finally came into his view, and Garros stopped.

“There you are,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

Garros walked farther, almost pushing Ezra back. “What’s up?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Nothing.” He was a bad liar.

The large man looked behind Ezra’s shoulder. Ezra wouldn’t turn to make sure, but he knew Garros could see Elena at the end of the tunnel. He looked down at Ezra. “I, uh . . . I don’t know what what’s going on here, but you have to come now.”

Garros gave Elena one last look over Ezra’s head, and chose to ignore her, maybe out of discretion.

“Lazarus’ Apse is open,” he said, and made his way through the maze, squeezing his big frame through the tighter segments.

“And?”

“Something’s weird about this guy,” Garros said and they finally stepped out. Wind hit his face and wiped the sweat off his brow and bald head. The sun was rising behind the clouds in the horizon.

Erin stood next to Lazarus’ foot, taking several steps back from the Creux, for the first time genuinely afraid of it.

“Erin?” Ezra asked.

“It’s empty. I looked into the Apse and it’s completely empty. There’s no pilot, Garros—this thing walked all the way,
fought
all the way here, all by itself!”

Chapter 12

Ties That Bind

Ezra, Jena, Akiva, Garros, and Erin
spent the night in Malachi’s home. It was located in one of the upper clusters of huts, right next to Farren’s, and it was barely big enough for Malachi and Solis, his father, the watchman of the city.

Of course none of them cared about the space; all they needed was a soft bed and a tub of water in which to clean themselves. Solis, a bald man himself, helped Ezra shave the rest of his head so he wouldn’t look like a sickly dog, and Garros took the chance to do the same.