Page 5 of Rising

“Seth, enough,” I snapped, “I need him to be able to talk.”

His temper, I should say, is probably the second biggest reason he didn’t serve as my lieutenant. Anger led to impulsiveness and impulsiveness only gave way to sloppiness, and sloppiness got people killed.

Seth circled around him, cornering him in a way as Harley lingered on the side of us all.

“Please.” Caleb’s face was bruised and blood reddened, eyes pleading.

“I just want to know who helped you. You worked with a Scholar or Tinkerer, right? They created the bomb. You don’t know how to do that, I assume. But you used your fire magic to ignite them? Tomoe, is this one of the soldiers that were turned around? At any point, was he out of view during the vision?”

Tomoe stepped forward, separating herself from the crowd. She studied his face with a heavy gaze. “Yes, he went out of view when the first soldier yelled out in warning right before the explosion.”

Caleb fell to his knees and grabbed his punctured arm. “Please, my brother and his wife. Their safety was threatened. I was told to do this, or they’d be escorted outside the borders. His wife is eight months pregnant, I couldn’t allow it. You have to believe me, please. I am an honest man in a bad situation. I worked as a social worker before all of this. Please.”

I sensed the truth behind his words, though I possessed no gene that would let me know for certain. “By who? Who threatened you?”

He looked into my soul. Such sad eyes. He didn’t speak. The soldier in me told me he wouldn’t say. Not with his family’s life, presumably still on the line. Sure, I could torture it out of him, but I wasn’t yet ready to set that standard with my units. Not on public display.

Besides, there were worse things in this world than anything I could do here. Not as we tried to return to some semblance of civilization. Prescott wouldn’t be happy if this one move dismantled everything he’d worked hard for. This place of retreat we had all worked to establish.

Riley had returned and gave a slight nod as a signal that things were now in place. I had walked into The Pit with two options in mind. Depending on his words, I would take my pick at his consequence. I guess I was going with the latter.

“Riley, open the gates.”

“Wha- what? No.” His voice cracked.

“I’ve revoked your citizenship at the Monterey Compound, effective immediately. You may not say goodbye to your friends or your family. You may not return home to collect any of your belongings. An air elemental and an armed guard will escort you somewhere outside the borders. You will not be told which direction you are being moved and you will be provided a compass to find your next home. I hope you didn’t miss dinner amid this chaos, as you will also travel with no food.”

The crowd that had been silenced previously murmured once more. This was as merciful as I could be without appearing weak. When you’re a woman, most mercies were taken as weakness. I rather found the ability to see past the BS and find the human inside to be a strength. People can surprise you if given another chance to prove themselves, and in this world, owing a life was everything. Strategic on both ends.

“Consider this a mercy, Caleb. May luck be on your side.” Turning on my heels, I grabbed Harley and cut towards the part of the crowd where Reina and Tomoe stood, walking in between them as they followed on my heels.

I kept walking towards my office and lounged out on the couch. I was exhausted, and I needed just a second. Once the strength came back to me to open my eyes, I was greeted by Reina’s face, blood red from anger. Tomoe stood at her side, staring at me blankly. Assessing what her next words to me would be, I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

“Okay, let me have it.”

“That was stupid,” Moe said curtly, dead faced.

“Amaia”—Reina’s face softened as she moved to sit next to me on the couch and bring my legs into her lap—”we’re just concerned, that’s all. This isn’t the time to talk about it all, I know. But we just want to make sure you’re okay? What you just did out there, I know it was hard for you. I know that’s not what you wanted to do. You handled yourself well.”

“Yeah, well, when’s the last time anyone around here has cared what I want to do?”

Reina flinched. “Prescott would be proud.” She pushed, deciding it was worth the effort.

“This isn’t the time to coddle Reina. She won’t even remember this in the morning. Her tears reek of tequila, so much so that I wouldn’t doubt I missed the second stash hidden around here somewhere while I rushed to take the first. Her boyfriend is half dead laying in your bed by some recruit she didn’t even sign off on, and she just sent him back out there to do it again. Probably to the next settlement he ends up at. We can’t say for certain he was telling the entire truth out there. All you felt was his fear. You can’t tell the difference if it was fear from her or fear of being found out as a liar.”

It stung to hear. I knew they were both right, both had valid points. Reina was like the angel on my shoulder, while Tomoe always gave me the harsh truth I needed to hear. One to make me a better person, the other to keep me honest.

Still, I wasn’t yet ready to have this conversation, and their incessant pushing had given me a headache. I stood, pushing myself out of Reina’s lap, and gave Harley a good rub behind the ears as she sat at my feet.

Looking them both in the eye, I let my frustration flow.

“The closest settlement is two days away. He has no food, no water, no weapons. Just the clothes on his back and a compass. He can’t fight, which is why he didn’t pass my test. He possesses one element, fire. It can only get him so far. Let’s see if he passes the test of life without the crew he showed up here with. He’s The Pansies problem now. You really think Niklas would take him up in San Jose?” I chuckled at the genuine concern on both my friends’ faces. Surely, they must think I’ve cracked.

“Besides, Riley’s already sent out two scouts to ensure he doesn’t find his way back here again. And his compass is a piece of junk from Prescott’s tinkering collection that he hasn’t worked on in months. Who even knows if it will work, survival of the fittest, right? Well let’s see how well the unfit survive.” I tilted my head and gave my friends a quick squeeze of their hands, and strode off towards Jax.

Deep down, I honestly wasn’t sure if I hoped he’d make it or not. He clearly had no other information. Was a pawn in somebody else’s game. He did what he needed to protect the ones he loved. But it didn’t excuse him from the consequences of his actions.

And now, I had to focus on finding the traitor who I suspected lay at our feet.

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