She ignores my question. “Have you heard of the Dracken?”
I shake my head.
“Have you noticed anyone with a dragon tattoo?”
I hesitate in answering. Do I tell the truth, or lie? What will happen to me if I just don’t answer?
“Max, I need to know. You’re my only set of eyes in Thrace Tower, and I can’t trust anyone else.”
“What makes you think you can trust me?” I say with anger.
“You owe me, Max, you just haven’t realized it yet.”
“I don’t owe you anything!” I shout. “You killed my parents and stuck me in the Outer Limits. Did you do this to me too?” I show her my hands, shoving them as close to her face as possible.
“I know you’ve been to the Archive, which is why I had you brought here. You only saw what they wanted you to see, not the whole truth. There’s more going on here than you know.”
“What if I have seen people with a dragon tattoo? Who cares?”
“They belong to a group called the Dracken. An anti-Patrician group set on causing a realignment of our world. The Keepers are the ones orchestrating this rebellion. We believe they are using The Litarian Battles to initiate new members and grow their army.”
“And what about the event?”
“It’s a means to select their new ruler and begin a war with the Patrician.”
“So, there is no Pentras,” I state more than ask.
“Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?”
An alarm sounds behind me. Leader Fallon rushes towards me, grabbing my arms. “Max, don’t trust the Matrons or any of the Dracken. I’ll try and contact you again, but you have to go back now.” She lets go, steps back, and is about to leave when she stops mid-step. “I didn’t kill your parents, but now I wish I had.”
She disappears into the now darkened room. I feel myself being pulled, thrust backwards. I try not to hold my breath as I loop. My feet touch cold tile and I’m in the bathroom off the bedroom.
“Max, where are you?” Frey calls from somewhere in the house.
The Patrician must have been monitoring the house, so when Frey began looking for me they sounded an alarm.
“Max, you hiding from me?” Frey asks with a slight giggle in his voice.
I quickly step over to the toilet and flush. When I exit into the bedroom, Frey is walking through the door. “Can’t a girl use the bathroom in peace?” I ask, chiding him.
“There you are. I was wondering if you’re hungry.”
I nod and follow him into the kitchen. His parents have left for the evening, so we eat in the common room with the monitor off. I’m thankful for the silence as my head is too cramped with everything that has happened today to tolerate any extra outside noise. I don’t eat much and take my plate back to the kitchen. I stand in front of the sink, looking out the window at the night sky.
“What’s the matter?” Frey asks, putting his arms around my shoulders, leaning his tense body against mine.
“With everything that’s happened today, I just can’t process it all.”
“I know what’ll relax you.”
It’s only a matter of minutes before we’re both naked in his bed. The heat rising from his skin eases the tension in my muscles. His touch feels comforting and natural. We collapse into each other’s arms. I rest my head on his chest, listening as the air moves in and out of his lungs. I want to ask him about the tattoo, but feel this may not be the right time. Instead, I ask him something else.
“Why did you take me to the Archive?”
“I wanted you to know who you really are. It’s been kept from you for so long, that I felt you had a right to know.” He strokes my spine with his hand, and I begin to drift off. “I need you, Max. We all do.”
Twelve
He’s gone when I wake. I put my clothes on, head down to my room, and take a long hot shower. When I emerge wrapped only in a towel, Avery is there. His presence is unsettling. I head right to the dresser and rummage through the drawers as quickly as possible.
“You know, don’t you?” he asks.
My hands pause, I blink, and start choosing my clothes. “I don’t know what you mean.”
I turn around, but he has my path blocked. He steps forward, causing me to fall back into the dresser. His hands are almost touching my towel. “Who you are, Max. What really happened to your parents? I told you not to remember, to bury it, but you didn’t listen and now we’re all going to pay for it.”
He pulls out a knife from behind his waistband, grabs my wrist, and swings my arm behind my back. He shoves me to the floor, straddles my back, and is about to plunge the weapon into me when a shot rings out. Avery falls off me. I scramble away as fast as I can, trying to get some distance between us. Nan steps further into the room and shoots Avery again. She turns to me, gun aimed at my head.
“Where’s Frey?” she asks, her voice not wavering.
“I…I don’t know,” I manage to squeak out.
“Get dressed and meet me in the common room.”
I sprint into the bathroom, lock the door behind me, and start to cry. I don’t know why I’m sobbing, perhaps at the thought that my life almost ended. I’ve never been afraid of death since you face it so often in the Outer Limits, especially at the hands of the Aedox. But this was different. I tap the wristband and scroll through the options, looking for the map of Tarsus. There has to be a way I can escape from Tarsus and get back to the Outer Limits so I can hide. But the only connection between the two areas is the Dead Zone, which is too toxic. I splash cold water on
