Talons (37 page)

“
Driver, stop up ahead!”
Vivvie called out and smiled at Lydia apologetically. “It will only
take a minute to see if he needs help.”

Lydia looked livid at her words, but
could say nothing as the bus slowed down and pulled off onto the
shoulder of the road. Vivvie got up and walked down the aisle,
forcing a smile for the children’s benefit as she went.

Jericho got on the bus and met her at
the doors, smiling sheepishly. “Damned alternator again!” he fumed
in a good natured tone and ruffled a child’s head nearby. “Anybody
want to help Grandpa Jericho push his car up the hill?”

There was rousing shout that went up as
children rose and spilled out of the bus, leaving a fuming Lydia
and the six unknown children aboard.

Jericho closed the hood and put the
vehicle in neutral, smiling at Vivvie as she came near.

“
You can steer for us,
Vivvie,” Jericho said pleasantly, his smile unbroken. “And you’re
really freaking out right now, so you need to calm down. She is one
of mine too. She will know if she senses your fear.”

“
Thank God you’re here,”
Vivvie whispered hoarsely as she sat in the driver’s seat while he
walked outside the car while the thirty-plus children pushed the
car from the back.

Lydia stuck her head out the school bus
window, frowning darkly to see all of the children pushing
Jericho’s car now. She appeared alarmed.

“
Jericho, why don’t we just
send a tow truck back for you? The kids had a long day,” she said a
little too sharply.

“
Does anybody want to wait
for a tow truck?” Jericho called jovially back to the kids. A
resounding ‘no’ went up as the children pushed the car, giggling
and enjoying helping the elder with his car, rather than get back
on the bus.

“
Vivvie, why don’t you get
back on the bus and I’ll take you on ahead?” Lydia suggested,
looking sick now to realize all the intended victims were now
walking outside the bus or sitting in the gold Chevelle.

“
Nah, I don’t mind
steering,” Vivvie called with a grin of real relief. “My dad used
to have a car like this. I’m loving this! You go on ahead and don’t
worry about me.”

Lydia looked ill as she sat down. The
driver started up the bus and it moved off slowly. Vivvie let out a
sigh of relief and felt a sharp pain as the contractions
started.

“
Quick thinking, Jericho,”
she said with sudden grimace,” but you might want to tell them to
push a little faster. I think the babies are coming!”

“
Just breathe like I taught
you,” the elder said and patted her shoulder. “We have eight miles
to go. Sorry, but breaking down wasn’t part of the
plan.”

“
Eight miles back?” Vivvie
asked and looked panicked. “Do we have time?”

Jericho chuckled. “Your husband is
going to kill me if you give birth in my car. I hope
so.”

Vivvie steered and fretted as the kids
pushed the car. “What are they going to do with Lydia?”

Jericho shrugged and eyed her sadly.
“She was the traitor, Vivvie. Eli isn’t about to forgive it. Ryken
has that bus wired and those kids probably have bombs strapped to
them. Ryken will know when the bus isn’t allowed inside he failed.
Let’s hope we can get back to the compound before all Hell breaks
loose. The last place I want to be is out here with all these kids
and you in labor when the battle begins.”

“
It’s starting?” Vivvie
asked between her Lamaze breathing. “Oh my God, what are we gonna
do, Jericho? We can’t stay out here in plain sight! We have to get
these kids to safety!”

“
We wait until that bus is
out of sight, Vivvie,” Jericho said with a smile as he looked
ahead. The bus was going slow up the hill. “She is looking back
waiting for us to give some sign we know what’s going on. Just
steer and I’ll let you know when we can ditch the car.”

Vivvie gritted her teeth as another
pain hit her. The bus reached the top of the hill and Jericho
ordered the kids to stop pushing. He reached inside and put his car
in park. “We need to try and beat that bus back. Do you think you
can run, Vivvie?”

Her eyes flew wide and he laughed. “I’m
just kidding. I’ll walk with you and send the kids in the back
way.”

“
What back way?”

“
The emergency evacuation
plan was revised recently because of the threats. Eli opened
another shaft in the mountain. We showed the kids where it was just
in case the compound went to Ryken and they needed to get out. They
can get back inside on their own,” Jericho said with a wink. “Your
husband is really quite clever. He planned to get the kids safe
first if we were attacked.”

“
Are you sure they will be
alright?” Vivvie asked.

“
Our kids don’t fear much of
anything, Vivvie,” Jericho said with a chuckle. “Most of them lose
a soul or two in childhood just discovering their surroundings. It
will be ok.”

Jericho helped Vivvie out of the car
and the group moved off the roadside into the woods.

The elder stared at the group grimly.
“I need you all to run as fast as your legs can carry you back to
the compound. Go in the back and get to Eli. Tell him I have Vivvie
and we have to walk back. She’s having the babies.”

The children all stepped within the
woods and started tossing off their backpacks, shoes, and flinging
their clothing. Within minutes, an adorable group of young panthers
was running through the woods.

“
Vivvie, you can’t make the
shift while you’re in labor, another thing we failed to tell you,”
Jericho explained. “There is a cave the kids use as a fort not far
from here. We need to get out of the open before shit hits the fan.
It’s a couple of miles. Can you make it?”

Vivvie gasped, clutching her abdomen.
There was no choice. She nodded.

“
Alright, we have to hurry,”
Jericho said warningly. “My guess is his troops aren’t far behind
that bus. I can’t smell Ryken so we don’t know where they are out
here.”

“
Oh God, they could be here
already!”

“
My guess is they’re here,”
Jericho said cautiously. “We have to move very quickly.”

Vivvie followed Jericho through the
woods, listening for every noise she heard as they tramped through
the thick underbrush. The pains were coming closer and closer
together by the time they arrived at the mouth of the cave set in
the side of the mountain. She eyed it dubiously.

“
Are you sure nothing else
lives in there?”

Jericho laughed. “Just bats, Vivvie, we
ran off the bears years ago.”

That was little comfort to her as they
went into the cave, both their vision adjusting to the
dark.

“
I’m not even going to ask
about the bears,” Vivvie said and shivered. “Is that how Ty got all
those scars on his back?”

Jericho nodded gravely. “They had Tania
cornered down here years ago. They were just protecting their cubs.
Ty came in to save her. He lost two souls that day.”

Vivvie wasn’t surprised to learn Ty
lost most of his souls coming to the aid of others. It was just
like Ty to think of others besides himself, even if it meant he
would die.

“
Is Eli and the others ready
for this?” Vivvie asked as they made their way deep inside the
cave.

Jericho smiled. “Ryken won’t walk away
from this mountain today, and either will any of his followers. Our
warriors are behind him and in front of him. There is no way off
this mountain.”

“
I’m sorry it has to come to
this, Jericho,” she said as she huffed and breathed during a
contraction. “I know he was one of your favorites.”

Jericho looked sad. “That is the worst
part of all of this, Vivvie. We’re divided, all of us. I love my
grandson, but he is wrong for what he’s done. I don’t think one of
our people is not touched by this battle. Many mothers will have
children to mourn after today. It’s no easy thing.”

Vivvie followed Jericho to a place on
the floor of the cave where it flattened out. He unbuttoned his
army jacket and laid it down on the rocks for her to sit
on.

“
I know this isn’t how you
imagined you would give birth, but it’s the best we can do,”
Jericho said quietly, eyes filled with anxiety. “You must not cry
out, Vivvie. I know I ask you the impossible, but if Ryken’s men
hear you; he holds a very powerful tool over Eli.”

Vivvie nodded and sat upon his flak
jacket, grimacing as a wave of pain made her tense. Her water broke
in the woods. Jericho said it wouldn’t be long now.

~ ~ ~

`

Eli watched the bus approach the
service elevator grimly from the trees. Gideon and several warriors
were inside the elevator waiting for it. They had to determine if
the bus was wired by a remote detonator. He knew by the sight of so
few children aboard, Jericho had gotten them off. He breathed a
sigh of relief to know the children and his wife were
safe.

Lydia and the six decoys sat on the bus
as the service elevator doors opened. The warriors came out with
Gideon. He gestured for the driver to get off. Lydia looked worried
as Gideon spoke with him. The driver got back in and backed the bus
up, driving it away from the service elevator.

“
What’s going on?” Lydia
called to the driver. “Why is the bus being turned
away?”

“
They told me to park it
outside so it can be washed,” the man explained and shrugged. “You
and the kids want to get out right here?”

Lydia felt panic rise to know the bus
wouldn’t be allowed back into the compound. She failed, she knew.
The bus explosion was supposed to signal Ryken and the others it
was time to attack. She only one chance to get the six kids below
to their designated areas targeted for destruction.

“
Yeah, let us out,” Lydia
said coolly as she rose, eyeing the oldest child grimly. “Come on,
we have to hurry. You know what to do.”

Lydia and the six kids got off the bus.
The driver drove the bus away to an area in the trees where an old
barn sat. She was annoyed as she glanced at her watch. Ryken was
waiting for the explosion and there wouldn’t be one until they got
below.

She punched the button of the main
elevator and waited for it to arrive, feeling panic set in.
Everything had gone wrong the minute they left the aquarium. Ryken
would be furious to know Vivvie wouldn’t be on the bus when it
exploded.

Lydia knew there was no point in
texting Ryken it was time until they got below and she showed each
child where they were to wait. They had no idea they carried bombs
in their backpacks. She felt sorry for them, knowing Ryken could
care less if they lived or died.

They were just a means of carrying out
his plan here today.

A part of her was relieved Vivvie and
the children stayed behind to help Jericho. Unlike Ryken, she
didn’t like the idea of killing her own grandchildren today, even
if they were Eli’s. Lydia had not considered all of that when she
allowed Mara to pressure her into joining their group. The fact she
hadn’t heard from Mara made her wonder.

Ryken would detonate the bombs on her
signal, a text telling him they were inside. He was out in the
woods waiting. As soon as the bus exploded, his men would come in.
The second volley of bombs would insure enough chaos for them to
secure the compound. His troops would keep the warriors busy in the
woods.

Ryken thought once he killed Eli the
others would lay down their weapons. Lydia questioned it, knowing
the warriors were fiercely loyal to Eli. She didn’t see them laying
down their weapons, or Gideon surrendering. The doors opened and
before Lydia and the children could step in Gideon stepped out,
three warriors with him.

His black eyes were glowing orange in
fury. “That’s far enough, Lydia. You won’t be going inside.” Lydia
wanted to run but the warriors grabbed her and the children. Gideon
stared down at the children, who looked terrified by
now.

“
You won’t be harmed,” he
promised them and gazed at his great granddaughter in
disappointment. “You and Mara should have known better, Lydia.
Ryken promises you much, but we both know he isn’t fit to lead.
Besides the bus blowing up, how were you supposed to signal
him?”

Lydia gazed at her great grandfather in
fury. “How did you know?”

“
Vivvie figured it out when
she realized you had too many kids on the bus.”

Lydia was furious. “He waits for me to
give him the all clear once the bus is inside and the children are
in place.”

Gideon smiled grimly as one of the
warriors tossed him her purse. He removed her phone and gazed at
the text message there grimly. It was from Ryken, asking if
everything was fine. He texted back saying everything was going
according to plan and sent one of the warriors to check out the
bus.

“
Is he detonating the bus by
remote?”

“
Yeah, the kids have bombs
in their packs too,” she said tightly. “Those would have been set
off after the bus. I was supposed to text him when they were all in
place.”