Broken Wings (Cruel and Beautiful World, Book One 1) (2 page)

All around them the chaos was growing, and the Outsiders were losing more fighters. While a few moments ago the outcome of the battle could have gone either way, they had just lost four fighters in a matter of seconds, as well as Kara. More guards were arriving every minute and they were showing no mercy.

Outsiders began to flee as the battle took this turn for the worse. But Deryn and Dakota held their ground, fighting with everything they had. This was what they'd been trained for, even if it was for the other side.

Throughout all of this, Deryn lost track of her father again. At one point, she saw her brother Talon run in wearing his guard uniform, tearing off Saevus's crest like the others who were still loyal to their roots. He saw Deryn and fought his way towards her.

But Deryn was still searching for her father, following the eyes of several guards to find their leader. Saevus and Godfrey had not struck yet, a clear glimmer of panic in her father's eyes as he realized how quickly they were losing control.

"Set our children free!" he shouted.

And then both men got in position, their weapons pointed at each other's chests as they pulled the trigger at the same time.

The blasts from both Elements collided. Godfrey had been more than willing to sacrifice himself, truly believing the powerful explosions that came from the guards' weapons could not be stopped. But he was wrong. A shield burst out of Saevus's Element, blocking the explosion and sending it shooting back at Godfrey.

Right versus wrong.

Good versus evil.

Love versus hate.

There was no question who should have won that day. The man with the strong heart and love for his family should have prevailed. But that was not what happened.

The explosion had been weakened by the shield, but it was still strong enough to hit Godfrey in the chest, sending him flying backwards until he crashed against the wall behind him. He knocked his head and landed unconscious on the floor.

"Dad!" screamed Deryn as Dakota held her back.

Saevus came for him again, his weapon at the ready, but several Outsiders stepped in his path, sacrificing their lives to give Dakota's father Piz enough time to throw Godfrey over his shoulder and flee through one of the doors. Godfrey had given the Outsiders hope when they thought there was none. He was their leader and saving his life meant everything.

Deryn grabbed Dakota's hand. She tried to pull him with her to follow their fathers, but he pulled back.

"Dax, let's go!"

"Deryn, I have to stay," he said, his voice cracking. "Our people are still fighting here. I can't just leave."

Deryn stared off in the direction her father had gone. She gulped and nodded. "Alright. We'll stay and -"

"Deryn, no!" shouted Talon, finally reaching them through the chaos. "Dad came here today for you, and if he dies it will not be in vain! Go! Follow them and find out where Piz is taking him!"

There was another loud blast and someone's torso flew between them. Deryn covered her mouth to hold back vomit. Talon was quick to move into a protective stance in front of them.

"We'll meet at our place," said Dakota, tugging on her hand and catching her eye. "As soon as this is over, I'll wait for you there."

Deryn nodded. "I love you, Dax."

He smiled. "I love you, too." She smiled back and he leaned in to kiss her, holding her for a brief moment before forcing himself to let her go. "I'll be waiting for you."

Gripping her Element tightly, Deryn turned away from him and ran out of the room, only looking back once when she reached the doorway. She sighed heavily and went off in search of her father.

It wasn't hard to trail them. Several Outsiders had followed Piz and left many bodies in their wake. Just a little ways up, the straight path ended and a small amount of blood on the wall let her know they had turned right. She had barely turned the corner when she ran into someone with such force that they both fell backwards.

When Deryn sat up she raised her weapon, but was unsure of what to do when she saw the person she had bumped into was Xander Ruby. His father was one of the highest ranking Guardians and had signed Xander up for guard training the moment he became of age. He had turned eighteen just last month, and at the current moment looked frightened out of his wits.

Deryn lowered her weapon, knowing very well that she could never shoot Xander. While she didn't know him well, she still knew him, and he didn't appear to be armed, even though the entire training center was currently amidst a battle.

Xander put a hand on his aching head, his eyes widening as he looked at something over her shoulder.

Deryn turned just in time to see a guard with a gasmask aiming his Element at them. She and Xander rolled out of its path as the person fired. When she looked again, Xander was crawling on his elbows and knees towards a body lying on the floor, searching it frantically for what she assumed was some sort of weapon. The body obviously held no Element, but possibly a dagger.

"Traitor!" the guard shouted, shooting another blast at Xander.

Xander held up the body and used it as a shield. Luckily, the guard had only used a stunner and Xander escaped unscathed.

Deryn jumped back to her feet and aimed her weapon. Before the guard had a chance to react, she stunned him. Her aim was a bit off and she accidentally hit his Element, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The guard still fell flat on the floor.

"What are you doing?" shouted Xander, throwing down the body he was holding. "This is a fucking war, Leon! Aim to kill!"

That word rang loudly in Deryn's head.
War
. She shook it off. "No!" she shouted back at him. "He was not aiming to kill so why should I?"

"Whatever." He climbed to his feet and glared at her. "Your fucking funeral."

"What did he mean traitor?" she demanded, following him with her Element while he went to the next body and searched it.

"I'm not a traitor!" He turned his cold eyes on her. "
You
and your people are. But this battle today is pointless. This is not how I die!"

"Coward," she spat.

"Toxic bitch," he spat back.

She rolled her eyes. "Next time just say thank you."

"Never gonna happen, sweetheart," he said with a quick glance up and a wink.

Deryn grunted as he finally pulled a dagger out of the dead man's boot. She was about to continue following her father's trail when someone else ran out of the hallway Piz had gone down, knocking her shoulder and slamming her back a few steps.

"Xander!"

Deryn was whipped in the face by a streak of long hair.

"Mom!" shouted Xander, standing up straight and running into Penelope Ruby's open arms.

With the two of them distracted, Deryn took a step towards the hallway again. She was about to plan her course of action when a third Ruby appeared. Xander's father Atticus. Deryn's heart stopped as she quickly raised her Element, but Atticus paid her little mind as he ran to his wife and son.

"What are you still doing here?" Penelope asked Xander. "I told you to run."

"I was going to but my Element wasn't in my locker," he explained. "I couldn't just walk out the front door without one. I'd look like a deserter."

Penelope blinked. "But who would take -"

"I did."

Every last heart in that hallway stopped. They all turned to see Elvira standing with her Element aimed, motioning to the extra one she had fastened to her hip.

"If your son was a real guard then he would've come to the battle weaponless and ready to fight!" shouted Elvira. "He's a traitor!"

Deryn tried to take a step out of the hallway, but the moment she moved Elvira's Element was on her.

"No!" Penelope pushed her son protectively behind her. "Elvira, you must understand! Xander is not a traitor! He's -"

"You're right." Elvira looked at her and smiled wickedly. "You are." She moved her Element off of Deryn and fired at Penelope's heart. She was hit with a powerful shock that made her body thrash wildly before falling backwards.

"Mom!" shouted Xander as Penelope collapsed in his arms.

"Penny, no!" cried Atticus, falling to his knees and cradling his wife's lifeless face in his hands. "What have you done?"

"What I had to," said Elvira, her smile not faltering.

Deryn took this moment to fire at her, but her damn Element was still on stun and Elvira easily dodged the attack.

The woman laughed. "You think you're a match for me?" She changed the setting on her Element to stun and aimed for the one Deryn held.

When it hit, Deryn tossed her weapon far away before it could shatter and catch her with the remains of the stunner.

Now without a weapon, she darted for the other hallway. Elvira shot another stunner at her but missed.

"Grab her!" Elvira ordered Atticus. "Grab her if you want your son to live!"

Something gripped Deryn's ankle. She fell forward and landed hard, looking over her shoulder to see Atticus's vacant eyes staring at her while he held on tight.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, looking back at Elvira, his expression lost somewhere between anger and grief. Deryn kicked him, so he grabbed her other ankle, easily overpowering her.

"The man who led the attack today is her father," said Elvira, stepping forward. "He has already fled and our president is not happy about it. If you want to keep your son alive after the cowardice he has shown today then I suggest you give him something to lure the enemy back."

Deryn shook her head frantically. She tried to look at Xander first, so she could plead with him to make his father let her go, but his eyes were still blank and focused on his mother. So she looked at Atticus. He stared back at her, torn for a moment before glancing at where he had her pinned. He reached for something hanging from his belt, which became glowing blue shackles at the press of a button.

"No!" Deryn sat up and swung her fists at him, punching and clawing until his grip loosened. She tugged her feet away and tried to stand, but Atticus pulled her right back down. "Ow!" she cried out as she landed hard on her arm.

Xander's eyes finally focused as he turned his head to look at her. She stared at him desperately, pleading for him to do something, anything more than just sit there. But Xander did nothing. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but, before he could, Atticus had his shackles around Deryn's ankles. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet.

"Xander, head home," he ordered. "Take your mother and stay hidden until I come for you. I want to get this all straightened out with the president before you show your face again. Understood?"

Xander nodded, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Deryn. "What are you going to do with her?"

"That's for our president to decide," said Elvira, walking over and wrestling with Deryn to get another set of shackles on her wrists.

"No!" screamed Deryn as Atticus threw her over his shoulder and carried her through the halls. "Dax! Talon! Please!" She looked back at Xander with one last plea while he sat on the floor, holding his dead mother in his arms. "Help!"

Xander closed his eyes and did not look up again. And then Deryn was around the corner, her last glimmer of hope out of sight as Atticus and Elvira carried her towards their leader. Cheers echoed down the hallway as President Saevus and his guards celebrated their victory, the last of the Outsiders having finally fled.

The world was theirs to control, and Deryn Leon had just received a front row seat to the hell they were going to create.

Deryn jerked awake as something cold brushed against her cheek.

"We're close," whispered the old woman, her fingers trailing to Deryn's forehead.

She sat up and blinked. She'd been dreaming again, if you could call it that. It never seemed fair to call a nightmare a dream, especially when her nightmares were also her reality.

She looked out the window, staring at the bright lights of Inner City. After President Saevus's defeat over the Outsiders he had locked up the city from the inside out. Those most frightened of the outside world and the wealthiest lived in Inner City. Middle City circled around it, not quite as protected, and those worried about their health wore gasmasks when venturing outside of their homes. Outer City completed the circle and was inhabited by those living in poverty.

The people in Outer City would occasionally drop dead, President Saevus claiming it was from the toxic air leaking in through the doorways the Outsiders had opened when they chose to leave Utopia in the first place. The doors were now locked up and only ever opened when his guards had business outside.

But the toxic air leaking in was a lie. Deryn knew for a fact that he had random people, sometimes entire families, poisoned to keep the fear alive. This was the kind of information you learned as a slave. It was just a shame she couldn't do anything with it.

Most of the Outsiders had fled the city for good after they lost the battle against Saevus. If captured they were executed on the spot, unless they were desirable or valuable in some way.