“What did you do to me?”
“Nothing,” I say, cautiously approaching his bed, noticing the anger in his eyes, which fades upon seeing me. “We just took care of your wounds. You’ll be fine now.”
“Meg,” he begins, but I place my finger on his lips quieting him.
“Get some rest.”
We all leave the room except for Rey, who wants to monitor him.
“He’s going to be different now,” Lehen announces, once we are back in the front room.
“Different how?” Tobin asks, as he removes the sack from the chair so he can sit down.
“His strength will be intensified, and he will be quick to anger. These are the side effects of the Quarum.”
“Will he self-heal like we do?” I inquire, sitting back on the couch.
“Not for much longer, this is only a temporary fix. He will need to be given another injection if he gets severely injured again. How many vials were you able to collect?”
“Five total,” Braxton states, as he begins to empty out the contents of the sack.
“As long as he doesn’t sustain any critical injury, he should be fine for about a year. He’ll need another injection at that time as he’s now dependent upon the Quarum to survive. With only five vials, Jagger will only live for five years, and if he does get badly hurt the more Quarum we put into his system before the year us up, the harsher the effects. He could lose himself in a fit of rage, for example.”
“So, in saving him, we may have just woken a dangerous monster?” Keller asks, pounding his fist on the small kitchen table.
“He’ll be fine,” I stammer, hoping I’m correct in my belief.
“He’ll be your problem if you are wrong, Trea,” Braxton says.
I know he’s right.
Why did I do it? Why did I act so rashly? I’ve condemned Jagger to death. Maybe not now, but definitely in five years.
“Well,” Braxton begins, tossing the now-empty sack into the corner of the room, “how do you want to do this?”
“Did you grab a master control for the detonators?”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small, thin black device, handing it to me. I touch the darkened screen, which lights up, activating all the detonators.
“Just program in the time you want them to explode, or manually select them to detonate.”
I smile at the pile of red flickering lights as they dance before my eyes. A vision of Nuceira imploding tantalizes my brain.
Braxton locates some parchment and starts to outline the tunnel system from memory.
“Hang on,” Tobin starts, “I’ve got something better to use.” He disappears for a moment then reemerges with the map from the hidden room, spreading it out on the table. “This whole place is filled with secret passageways and rooms.” He points to broken black lines that run the length of the city, including several that lead out beyond the borders.
“Why would someone have something like this?” Gage asks.
“To keep secrets,” Lehen answers. “And the Parson has many.”
We all huddle around the kitchen table, including Jagger who looks fully rejuvenated. Since it’s my plan, I will carry the master control. Every person will be in charge of placing ten detonators in the tunnels, and on any buildings on the surface they can get to. Morrigan are to be shot on sight.
“The Parson is mine,” I state, cleaning my knife of dried blood.
“Fine,” Braxton agrees, as he flattens the map at the corners. “We’ll meet by the front gate. Rey and Tobin will secure our transportation once their detonators are set. Try and get two of their vehicles,” he tells them. They nod in compliance. “Once we have set off the detonators, we will make our way back to Acheron.”
We decide to wait until nightfall to breach Nuceira. I remove the uniform I’m wearing and hand it to Keller. I keep my Levin gun secured to my belt, along with my nicely polished blade.
As the sun begins to set, we each take our allotment of detonators, making sure they are synched with the master control. Jagger and I enter the tunnel through the mausoleum, the others break off into groups of two, and Braxton is alone. Tobin and Gage enter using the tunnel hidden in the farm fields to our north; Keller and Rey are using the tunnel on the other side of the cemetery that leads straight to the housing units. Braxton will be sweeping the grounds for Morrigan. Jagger opens the tunnel door after a group of Morrigan march past. We decide to secure the detonators to the ceiling of the tunnels. That way they won’t be noticeable. Jagger and I are tasked with placing our detonators in the tunnels under the Parson’s estate.
We begin moving north, placing the devices every twenty feet. We duck into a small alcove as a group of Morrigan go by. In the alcove is a small staircase leading up to a place near the Parson’s compound. I give my remaining detonators to Jagger.
“I’m going to look for Quin.”
“Meg, he’s not worth saving.”
“He’s done bad things, but I think that somewhere inside is someone worth saving.”
I head up the stairs while Jagger continues on as planned.
The treads lead up to the main entryway of the Parson’s home. Tall columns line the interior walls, soaring skyward into the story above. White marble with flecks of gold cover the floor. Paintings depicting antiquated stories line the walls, some displaying naked beings floating on white fluffy clouds. I quietly cross towards the far end, making for the grand staircase.
The carpeting on the second floor landing is plush, concealing my footsteps as I slowly creep down the hall looking for Quin’s room. I try several of the doors, but all of them are locked. I hear whimpering coming from the other side of the next
