An hour seems to pass before we reach our destination. I walk past several trees with bits of razor wire poking out from under a few layers of bark, then notice a clearing up ahead beyond another grid of fencing. The area is dark, with no lights around the perimeter of the plant. I can hear waves crashing, so we must be close to the shoreline. I stop short of the clearing and listen to my surroundings.
I hear the hum of electricity from the power plant, but there is an underlying growl somewhere further south of me, so I step off the path and walk a little deeper into the woods staying along the fence line now impregnated with the tree trunks and branches. The further south I move the louder the growling noise becomes. A broken road appears on the other side of the fence with two large black vehicles parked on top. I listen as the distinct sounds of closing doors echo in the darkness, and move silently closer, until I see them and can hear their voices.
“Hello, Rabaan,” Quin says firmly.
“Quintus,” the man says and gives Quin a hug. “Glad to see you’re all right. Hope Trea hasn’t been too difficult to catch.”
“No, at least not after her escape from Tyre,” he responds with a laugh. “She’s back up in the village.”
“Good, it will make the capture easier.”
I see a grin form on Rabaan’s face.
“What about the other one?” he asks.
“Kedua is heavily protected in Acheron. We will need to draw her out of the city if you are to seize her.”
“That will prove challenging, but not impossible.”
I tilt my head slightly to see what Rabaan looks like, but his face is hidden in the darkness. The man next to Rabaan is a little shorter.
But I have seen their clothes before. They are wearing the same uniform as the men that raided my home in the Wasteland.
So they were Morrigan.
“Is Lehen still not talking?” Quin asks, crossing his arms.
“No, he’s being awfully stubborn. He takes torture well, but of course he heals from it. I want to burn him, but Parson Mathan wants to keep him alive until we have all the remaining Antaeans so we can destroy them all together…with the exception of you of course.”
“Of course,” Quin says. “So when will you come to the village?”
“Tomorrow night. It will give us time to surround the area and take her by surprise.”
I begin to slink backwards away from the area, having heard enough of the conversation.
I’m sickened by the betrayal.
Tears cascade down my cheeks, but freeze to my skin. My stomach tightens up as the full impact of what I just witnessed dawns on me. My feet stop moving as I’m momentarily paralyzed with fear. I try to pull Trea up from her hiding spot, willing her to surface, but she doesn’t react to fear, only anger.
How could he do this to me? How long have they been tracking us? What is Quin really?
I hasten back to the village, but make sure not to take the path back. Instead I hug the tree line next to it. As soon as I’m back, I go into my house, pack some of my items into a satchel, and kiss my mother gently on the forehead, trying not to rouse her.
I don’t leave her a note as I don’t want Quin to know what I’m up to. I’m not proud of myself for running out on her, but I need to protect her like she protected me, and this is the only way I know how.
Hearing his footsteps on the planks outside, I wait to hear his door open and then close.
I exit my house and stand outside his front door, making sure he’s gone to his room, then wait a few more minutes before letting myself in. The house is identical to mine, all the homes are, so I turn right and walk down the small dark hallway. I open the door to the room on the left, tip toe in, walk over to Jagger’s sleeping body, and place my hand gently over his mouth before nudging him. He startles slightly, but relaxes when he realizes it’s me.
“Meg, what time is it?” he asks, through a deep yawn.
“Almost two,” I whisper, as I take a step back from his bed.
He swings his legs over the edge, but doesn’t stand.
“I need your help. You need to show me how to operate the boat.”
“What?” he asks, again through another deep yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“You need to get dressed and go with me back to the lake to show me how to operate the boat.”
“You want me to show you now? Can’t it wait until morning?”
“No, it can’t,” I whisper in a hoarse voice.
Jagger looks up at me with a concerned look on his face.
“Please?”
He grabs his clothes that are hanging over the back of the chair next to his bed, puts on his boots, and grabs a Dorongan, slipping it over his shoulders.
He doesn’t ask me any more questions as we step out into the cold and head back to the lake.
Why is he so trusting?
Chapter 18
The boat is exactly where we left it, although now it’s buried in snow.
Jagger climbs aboard to get the engines warmed up while I clean off the deck. The engine is cold, so it turns over several times before it will fire up properly. I go below deck and into the engine room where he is checking the monitors to make sure the boat has enough power for long-distance travel.
He shows me the control buttons and the small steering wheel, but says all I have to do is punch in my coordinates and the boat can guide itself. I thank him with a hug before he climbs the ladder, then I check the previous logs to get the exact coordinates for
