Page 14 of Echos and Empires
“Do you think the others who live here now? I can’t imagine our ship does, not after that fucking attack.” Alex tried not to slip back in time to the explosions on the boat.
“I have no fucking clue. Maybe it’s only the leaders who know. Maybe it’s everyone after they’ve been here awhile and people are so happy to be safe they accept it. Shit, maybe we’d accept it. It seems better than building a raft to sail god-knows-where. But for Emma, for her I want to believe we’d take all the risks to give her the world we promised her.”
Alex’s heart clenched at the mention of Emma’s name, the thought of her being caught unaware in the crosshairs of Victor’s machinations. “No, you’re not wrong. I can’t imagine us accepting the rule of someone who tried to kill us. We didn’t trade that danger seven months ago to have it happen again.”
Liam’s grip on Alex’s shoulder tightened, a silent acknowledgment of the heavy burden they now shared. “We’ll get through this, Alex. Together. We’ve faced worse odds before and come out standing.”
Alex managed a tight smile, drawing strength from Liam’s unwavering faith. They had indeed weathered countless storms, their bond forged in the fires of adversity. From the early days ofthe bombs, Alex had managed to save a ton of lives because Liam had to be the only person on the planet who still read maps. They couldn’t be more different, but they weren’t so different when it came to how they protected the world and those in it.
Liam released Alex’s shoulder and took a step back, his expression grim as he hastily gathered the maps and charts, rolling them up with practiced efficiency. “We can’t go back together,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “It’ll look suspicious. You head back first, take a walk through the populated areas, see if anyone’s out and about to act like you were just going for a stroll. I’ll follow a few minutes later. My shifts are always late, no one will likely even notice when I walk in.”
Alex hesitated, the thought of leaving Liam alone, knowing what they might know, even for a moment, sent a twist of unease through his gut. But he knew Liam was right. They couldn’t afford to raise any red flags, not now, not when the stakes were so high. “Alright,” he agreed, his jaw tight. “But be careful, yeah? Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
Liam flashed him a grin, the gesture a pale imitation of his usual easy charm. “When have I ever taken an unnecessary risk?”
Alex snorted, shaking his head as he turned to leave. “I don’t have enough time to list them all, but it’s still less than me so I guess you’ll be safe” he tossed over his shoulder, the familiar banter a momentary respite from the gravity of their situation.
As he melted into the shadows, Alex cast one last glance back at Liam, the sight of his friend’s broad shoulders hunched over the makeshift table etching itself into his memory. In that moment, he felt the full weight of their partnership, the unspoken understanding that passed between them, the knowledge that they would stand together, no matter what the future held.
With a deep breath, Alex turned away, his footsteps silent against the soft earth as he made his way back towards the heart of the settlement. His mind raced with possibilities, with half-formed plans and contingencies, each one more desperate than the last. But beneath the chaos of his thoughts, a single truth remained, as constant as the north star, he would do whatever it took to keep his unit safe, to protect the ones he loved.
Even if it meant keeping secrets from the warriors who were his family.
SIX
“No,”Emma barely bit out the groan as a fresh wave of nausea swirled through her, blurring her vision. Despite sitting firmly on the edge of her bed, the room seemed to tilt around her and she squeezed her eyes shut, breathing shallowly through her nose. These bouts of sickness were becoming more frequent, and in her mind, a little more intense.
Food poisoning wouldn’t last over a week or be so intermittent as to come and go, but she’d taken to eating so many new things she’d likely messed up her gut health the same way she had when she’d first started living underground almost four years ago.
A part of her knew she should tell someone she wasn’t feeling great, but she didn’t want to worry anyone. Bash had kept quiet, or she had to believe he had since no one had pounced on her to check in every few minutes.
People got sick, especially with the terrible air quality back on the mainland, but she couldn’t remember having a stomach bug since everything died. It was bizarre, but she’d take herself to the clinic when she felt she had no choice.
Footsteps approached, and she looked up to see Chris just as he entered the room, his brow furrowed with concern.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked softly, coming to stand in front of her. His warm hand settled on her shoulder, steadying her. “I’ve noticed you’re spending a lot of time in the room and your color is a bit off. No offense.” The last bit was rushed as if he remembering it wasn’t smart to offend the woman he loved.
Emma forced a smile, not wanting to worry him. She would tell someone if it wasn’t better by next week.
“Yeah, I’m alright. Just a little queasy is all. It’ll pass. Gut health and all that. I tried a new fruit last week. I guess it recalibrated everything and my body doesn’t agree with the choice.”
She shifted on the bed, attempting to sit up straighter, but another wave of nausea forced her to pause and take a deep breath.
Chris’s frown deepened as he knelt, getting eye level with her, his gaze probing hers. “This has been going on for a while now, Emma. I’m worried about you.” His set his fingers on her shoulders and his thumbs began to rub soothing circles. “Maybe you should go check it at the clinic, just to be safe. Make us all feel better.”
“You all feel better?”
He nodded. “It’s kinda hard not to miss you’re not doing great when you’re in here and you’ve essentially slept alone for a bit.”
Emma looked away, warring with herself internally. Emma’s heart clenched at the concern etched on Chris’s face. She knew he was right, knew that she couldn’t afford to be reckless, not now. But the other part recoiled at the thought of admitting something was wrong, of needing help, of disrupting their precarious sense of normalcy here. After everything they’d been through, she just wanted things to be okay for once.
She’d already been through so much—survived so many horrors— that being sick seemed like the least of her problems.
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” she insisted, reaching up to squeeze Chris’s hand. “If it doesn’t go away in a day or two, I promise I’ll get checked out, okay? I’ll even make sure it’s a day Alex works so he can be in the room.”
“I’m not that overprotective.” he chuckled, but didn’t stand up.
“Oh, aren’t you?”
