Numbers Ignite (20 page)

The men stopped in front of me. Coltrane tried to step between us, but I moved him aside and faced them. “You can throw me out, but first let me say this. NORA’s not interested in prisoners. They’re bent on extermination this time. I know what your feelings are on violence, but you may not have a choice. You’ll probably have to fight your way out of here.”

Everyone began talking again, arguing, shouting, and I knew my pleadings were useless. Even if they wanted to defend themselves, they had no weapons but the experiments from the lab.

“You were the heir to the NORA throne,” Maxim said. “What makes you think we’ll believe anything you say?”

“I don’t actually care whether you believe me or not,” I snapped. “They sent me down here to die. I don’t particularly want that, and I’m assuming you don’t either. So let’s figure this out together.”

Ruby appeared and put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell us who you were?”

“I should have,” I admitted. “At first I thought you’d throw me out or turn me in. Then Lillibeth said I had to stay until I paid off the last vial of rattlesnake antivenom I used. When I realized NORA was looking for me, I tried to leave.” I turned to Lillibeth, who had just walked up behind me. Her face was a mask. “Lillibeth said she would help me escape if I waited until after the social.”

Ruby turned on Lillibeth, arms folded. “You told us we had plenty of antivenom left.”

The ground rumbled beneath our feet. The bomber jet again. Dirt streamed down upon our heads, and I instinctively covered my head, but the cavern held.

“Mom?” Coltrane urged.

Lillibeth swallowed and squared her shoulders. She’d probably been planning this speech the entire walk down here. “You have to understand the situation I was in. My position is a contradiction in terms. I’m required to accept all travelers, no matter their past, but also protect us from harm. When I saw the girl’s number—Rating, whatever they call it—I had to make a decision. I assigned Coltrane to follow her around and report to me about her activities, looking for any sign of malice.” I met Coltrane’s gaze, and his eyes flicked away. “Then,” Lillibeth continued, “I began to notice something. Not only did the girl follow the pact, but for the first time in years, my son was happy. He woke up early to be with her, told her stories, and offered to run errands. Before that, he’d been so quiet and sad I could barely get two words out of him.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. Coltrane, depressed and withdrawn? But then I realized what she was saying. Coltrane stared at his mother, stunned, his face reddening.

The crowd began to murmur to themselves, and Lillibeth plunged on. “I know it sounds horrible, but please try to understand. Coltrane grew up without a father, and the other girls his age are promised. I’m all he has, and when I’m gone—well, I wanted him to have a chance at happiness, the joy I had with his father.” Her gaze swept the crowd. “I truly didn’t believe the girl was a threat. I’ve served as your harbinger for many years. But I’ll always be my son’s mother, and I swear my actions were out of love. I know nothing I can say will make everything right. I’m terribly sorry for the wrongs I’ve caused, and I officially resign as harbinger.”

The group was still. Horror and humiliation filled my body as I thought about all the times she’d encouraged me and Coltrane to be together—the walks, the tour, her insistence that my relationship with Vance was superficial. The flowers. Lillibeth had smiled through it all, giving encouragement and nudges wherever necessary.

“Mom,” Coltrane said, his face redder than I thought possible. He pulled away and let her arm drop, then faced her. “You say it was out of love. But you never asked me what I wanted. Is it too much to ask for me to live my life without being pushed in whatever direction you wanted me to take? Did it ever occur to you that I’d want to marry a girl who wasn’t
forced
to be with me?”

“Coltrane—” she began.

“No,” he snapped and turned away. “Look at this. Look at what you’ve done. And you dare stand there and say you sacrificed your settlement because you’re a
good mother
?”

Lillibeth’s face twisted in pain, and she looked at the ground. The crowd murmured.

Coltrane lifted his jaw and turned toward the watching settlers. “Fine. I second her motion that she be removed from her position. Let the next person in line take her place.”

A rumbling shook the ground. Had they found another exit, or was the bomber plane at work again?

“Don’t you think we should do this later?” Ruby asked, her face concerned. “They’re bombing our homes as we speak.”

“No,” Coltrane said, looking at his broken mother. “I think this is the perfect time.”

“I second that,” a man called out.

“Do the elders concur?” Coltrane asked. His voice was hard. He seemed to have grown five years in the last hour. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling right now. He’d lost his home, his mother had betrayed him and everyone else, and he’d been embarrassed in front of everybody he knew.

“Aye,” several voices said.

Ruby shook her head. “No.”

“Aye,” Lillibeth said. Her voice quivered, and the crowd quieted again. “We have nine votes in the affirmative and one in the negative. The motion passes. Do the elders have a choice for harbinger?”

“We do,” a balding man said. “We’ve known who the next leader would be for several years. Ruby, lead us well.”

A gasp escaped my throat as Ruby stepped forward. I’d assumed that since Ruby was a digit she’d be near the bottom of the list. But she didn’t even act surprised. She reached up and squeezed Lillibeth’s shoulder. The two women stood like that for a moment, looking at each other, silent communication passing between them.

“I’m going to check the sentinel,” Coltrane said, walking to the other side of the room. He rummaged through a box and pulled out another contraption.

“It won’t do us much good now,” someone muttered.

The ground rumbled again, more violently this time. A sharp crack jarred me to the bone. The room seemed to tilt, then right itself. Screaming began again from the group as the families gathered against the walls again, clinging to their loved ones, kneeling and covering their heads.

“That was too close,” Ruby muttered.

The earth stopped shuddering, and we stood frozen for several minutes. It felt like an hour before we dared move again. The explosions had stopped.

Just as I was beginning to relax, Coltrane swore, staring into the sentinel screen. “Mom, you’d better get over here. Quick.”

Ruby shot a startled look at Lillibeth, then the two of them made their way over. The device’s screen cast a light blue sheen over their faces. Their eyes widened, and Lillibeth covered her mouth.

“Folks,” Ruby said. “I’m afraid the soldiers have uncovered the west exit. They’re streaming in now. It’s the only corner that hasn’t been destroyed. If they find the defense lab…”

She didn’t have to say it. The soldiers would note the lack of bodies and assume we were hiding somewhere. The hatch was easy to see. They’d be here within minutes.

“Is everyone accounted for?” Lillibeth asked quickly, her face spotted with pink.

“Yes,” Maxim responded, stepping forward. “Everyone’s here.” He gave me a look that said,
Even those who shouldn’t be.

“Then it’s time to seal the tunnel.” Lillibeth walked over to the metal door and swung it closed. It slammed shut, the sound bouncing sharply off the walls. She secured the bolt, then opened a box in the wall. The settlers watched her with solemnity.

The weight of the moment settled upon me. “But once it’s sealed, you won’t be able to get out.”

“We have enough food and water for two weeks,” Ruby said. “We’ll have that long to find another solution.”

“Ten seconds,” Lillibeth said.

I counted down silently. Others looked like they were doing the same. The woman next to me sobbed, then covered her mouth. As I approached number one, parents covered their children’s ears and bodies protectively. But one passed, and there was nothing. Then five seconds, then ten, then half a minute.

“Something’s wrong,” a man said. He strode over to the box. “Show me the sequence.”

“It’s correct,” Lillibeth said. “Just didn’t work. It’s an older system.”

“We’ll have to send someone out to manually activate the switches,” Ruby replied quietly.

The room grew silent again.

Maxim was the first to speak. “That’s easy. There’s only one person who doesn’t belong here.” He gaze locked on me. “Coltrane will get over her eventually.”

“None of this is Amy’s fault,” Ruby began.

“How can you say that?” Maxim snapped. “
All
of this is her fault. Remember, this girl led protestors to their deaths and then ran away. Send her out before it’s too late.”

A squeaking sound echoed through the room, and then a clang. Every eye turned toward the door.

Lillibeth was gone.

“Mom!” Coltrane shouted and scrambled for the door. When he reached it, he pulled on the latch.

It didn’t budge.

“Help me!” he hissed to a man fiddling with the box.

The man shook his head. He growled in frustration. “She put a time delay on the lock. I can’t change it.”

Coltrane pounded on the door. “Get back in here! We can talk about this.”

I joined him at the door. A soft voice, barely audible, floated in from the outside. “I owe them this much. I’m so sorry.”

Coltrane’s breath caught, and then he started kicking the door as well. “You know I didn’t mean what I said. You’re a good mother. We’re a team! I don’t need a girl to make me happy, Mom!”

“I hope that’s true,” the voice came back. “I love you very much.”

A strangled cry escaped Coltrane’s throat as he threw himself at the door. “Don’t do this! Don’t you dare do this!”

I opened my mouth to interrupt, to tell Lillibeth that it wasn’t necessary. I didn’t have feelings for Coltrane the way they both wanted, but it still sliced me in the gut to see Coltrane hug the door like that. He didn’t deserve to lose his home and his mother all in one day.

“Lillibeth, please,” I called out. “Come back in. There’s got to be another way.”

“Stand back,” Lillibeth called. “Just in case.”

“Wait!” I shouted.

And then the blast came.

It was still dark when I awoke. My body felt cramped and sore from lying in fetal position on a slab of metal. I sat up and banged my head. The iron bars rang a victory call. The jail cell had been luxurious compared to this. Maybe Mills had hoped I’d slowly go insane in here—not from exposure or boredom but from cramping muscles and the inability to stretch.

Then I smelled the smoke. It was what had awoken me, I realized. A ribbon of red and orange flickered on the other side the lake. It was barely visible through the dark haze of early morning, but I’d know it anywhere. Fire. Here, in the valley.

I gripped the bars of my prison and squinted, trying to identify the source. It didn’t look like there were any buildings over there—no, wait. The fire was already spreading upward, carried by the wind, most likely. It swept from building to building, devouring wood like a dragon, growing brighter even as I watched. How was it spreading so quickly?