The Agrista (Between the Lines Book 1) (19 page)

  “GET OUT!” Marie cried.

  She whipped her body around so that her back was to them, and wrapped herself tightly in the sheet. They were out of the room before she’d finished screaming. She followed closely on their heels, slamming the door closed and locking it as soon as they’d crossed the threshold.

  “Man,” Raeph whistled. “You’re in
so
much trouble!”

  “It was an accident!” Alex stammered. “I was only trying to protect her from
your
prurience!”

  “Oh yeah?
You’re
the pervert who grabbed her,” Raeph playfully jostled Alex.

  “It wasn’t like that! I could never think of her romantically!” It was a lie, one that Marie had overheard and took offense to. Alex was only digging himself in deeper the more he spoke. “I have a private matter I need to discuss with her. It’s the reason I came up here. Go to the pub and keep an eye on Cerin!” Alex ordered in an imperious tone.

  “Fine,” Raeph rolled his eyes. Alex had no authority over him. “But before I go, let me give you some friendly advice.” Apparently it was Alex’s turn to roll his eyes. “You need to stop being so overprotective. I understand why you are. I know your story, man. Fallon told me all about it. You were born to protect her, yet forced to keep yourself hidden from her since birth. You feel the need to make up for all the things you couldn’t protect her from. I get it.” Raeph took Alex’s silence as confirmation, not that he needed it. “She doesn’t know that.” She did now. The men weren’t nearly as discreet or soft-voiced as they seemed to think. “Take a step back. Ease up a bit. It’ll be better for both of you.”

  Alex crossed his arms over his chest and turned away. What was often meant to come off as dark and brooding made him look petty, more than anything. With a shrug of his shoulders, Raeph left Alex alone to stew in his thoughts.

  “Marie?” Alex rapped on the door. No answer. “Marie? May I please come in?” Still no answer.

  Alex let out a loud, prolonged exhale as he leaned back against the door, letting his full weight settle onto it. He relaxed his body and slid his back down the door until his tailbone hit the floor. He waited for what felt like an eternity before Marie approached the door.

  “You can come in on
one
condition,” Alex sprung to his feet, relieved to finally hear her voice. “We don’t talk about what just happened to anyone, including each other, EVER.” She was still mortified, as was he.

  “Absolutely!” Marie opened the door, self-consciously crossing her arms over her chest. She was dressed now, but she still felt naked under the weight of his focus. Alex lingered outside, sheepishly avoiding eye contact.

  “Are you going to come in, or not?” she fidgeted nervously.

  Alex slumped his shoulders forward and dragged his feet across the threshold. He looked so different than the proud man that usually stood before her, with his chest puffed out and head held high. She tucked herself into a corner of the room and impatiently waited for him to break the uncomfortable silence.

  “I need to discuss something with you.” Marie felt a burst of relief when he finally spoke. “When I was downstairs at the pub, I overheard some men saying some troubling things. Honestly, I’m not sure whether or not I should tell you what they said.”

  “You kind of have to now,” she snorted.

  “It has to do with your dream.” Marie’s heart sank. “Not many know of Cayden’s involvement, but it’s a well-known fact that Tajana was the daughter of a rebel. She’d been missing for years, but no one knew where she was. Until now, that is. Because Tajana was a rebel, Cailene is pinning the fire on her people. She thinks they found out where Tajana was and burned down Marcel’s room as a warning, killing Tajana on accident. She considers it a first and final strike. A declaration of war,” he concluded morosely.

  Alex watched Marie carefully as he monitored her body language. She seemed to be either processing the news very well, or not at all.

  “Not only did I
kill
a girl, I started a war?” she sank onto the bed beside Alex. She felt sick to her stomach.

  “Not necessarily,” Alex’s words were followed by a silence that spoke the truth, despite his attempt to comfort her.

  “Care to elaborate?” she snapped.

  “If she could find the rebels easily, she would have done so already,” he bit his tongue and forced a smile.

  “What are you not telling me?” Marie was more perceptive than he gave her credit for.

  “She’s now more determined than ever to find them, and she has her ways of doing so,” he purposely kept his answers short and vague.

  “Can you
please
stop being so cryptic and tell me exactly what’s going to happen?” Her patience was wearing thin.

  “Quinque’s rule spans the entire Iunctus Galaxy, which includes hundreds of planets. Cailene will most assuredly send soldiers to each planet and collect the people that reside there. She will torture them in ways I refuse to speak out loud, just to find a clue as to where the rebels are,” Alex clenched his fists.

  “So, basically, I’m responsible for torturing trillions of people? Oh, that’s
much
better!”

  “It probably won’t come to that,” Alex cooed. “It won’t take long for the rebels to catch wind of what Cailene is doing. The whole reason for their existence is to promote justice and peace among the people. If their remaining secret is causing people to suffer, they’ll turn themselves in,” his words were meant to be encouraging, but they were anything but. All possible outcomes were terrible, and the situation was entirely Marie’s fault. “You’re not to blame,” she convulsed as he softly traced the line of her jaw. Now was not the time. Alex seemed to be able to read her thoughts and insecurities most of the time, but there were moments like now when he seemed daft. How could a man be so insightful, yet so oblivious?

  Marie was suddenly aware that they were no longer alone when a large shadow befell them. The dark thoughts encompassed in its depths made the uneasiness in the room palpable, thickening the air like a dense fog.

  Cayden’s large form took up the entire doorway. The raging emotions evident in the hard lines of his face transferred to her sullen demeanor, dragging her down lower than she thought possible.

  “Iloria,” Cayden whispered. “Johanna!” his deafening bellow amplified the tension in the room. “We must go to Quinque at once!”

  Cayden trampled through the room at dizzying speeds while Fallon trailed behind him at the pace of a death march. She dragged herself to the open window and took several deep breaths in an attempt to relax herself. Cayden’s betrayal was a loss of its own unto her.

  Cayden was her source of strength, and he was crumbling right before her eyes. She was beginning to disconnect from everything she knew. A woman so solidly grounded in her beliefs, now nothing but a husk of raw emotion, brimming with endless questions.

  “Cayden,” Alex sighed softly, as if he knew his impending words would disappoint. “I understand how you feel, but,” he was cut off by the sound of wood splitting as Cayden drove his balled fist into the wall.

  “You have no idea how I’m feeling!”

  “You’re right,” Alex conceded with a lengthy sigh. “I cannot even begin to imagine. However, brother…” Alex paused, considering his words. “We’re as good as dead if we go to the castle right now. We need to find Laylia. Once we’re all together, we’ll have a fighting chance. A chance to end Cailene’s cruelty once and for all, and restore Quinque to its rightful state,” Alex’s voice was as soft as a whisper but as clear as a bell.

  “I’ve already lost Tajana,” Cayden shook his head, fighting the violent upsurge of tears. “I cannot lose Johanna and Iloria too!” he kept his head down as he pulled his bloodied fist from the wall. He felt strangely comforted by the fresh lines of blood slicing across his knuckles, pulsing with painful energy. “I
know
it’s foolish, but I cannot simply leave my family to
die
.” Fallon visibly shuttered when he’d uttered the word
family
.

  “Cayden,” Alex began.

  “Just let him go,” Fallon said in a dry, unfeeling tone.

  “Fallon!” She cut Alex a sharp glare that stopped his words short.

  “From this moment onward, you are on temporary leave. You may go to Quinque.” A hush fell over the room.

  “I meant for us all to go! I cannot leave you on this most important quest. I’m your protector, Fallon.” The sentiment was genuine, but his words fell on deaf ears.

  While he cared deeply for Fallon, he knew she could protect herself. He couldn’t let Johanna suffer the same tragic fate as her sister, but he was bound to Fallon by blood. Situations such as these were the reason the Umbra were forbidden to fall in love. Their attention should never be divided, and their loyalty should lie with their creator alone.

  “Ha,” Fallon’s eyes glossed over as she cast them to the side. “You will not go as an officer of the court, or have any association with Milités until you return. This suicide mission is of your own volition. I will not have my soldiers marching off to slaughter and dying in your selfish wake,” she sneered. “You are hereby officially relieved of your post and commanded to take a leave of absence for as long as is required.” Cayden flashed Fallon an apologetic look, and sprinted past her. “Soldier!” His feet abruptly stopped just before the threshold, but he kept his back to Fallon. He was unable to face the hurt look in her eyes a second time. “After we locate Laylia, we will return to Milités to strategize and make preparations. I expect to see you there when I return,” she whispered. Cayden nodded sharply, and swiftly melted into the shadows.

  “You just sent a broken man to a terrible fate. Are you prepared to deal with the consequences?” The cold detachment in Alex’s voice made Marie cringe. She secretly hoped she never found herself on the receiving end of such disdain.

  “Locate Raeph and Cerin, and meet me on the ship,” Fallon kept her head low to hide her glistening eyes as she dragged her feet across the threshold and down the stairs. She bellowed softly to herself as if in mourning, and floated listlessly through the corridors.

  “I can’t believe Cayden left,” Marie shook her head in disbelief.

  “That was foolish. We should remain together!”

  “I can’t believe she actually let him go.”

  “Believe me, it wasn’t out of kindness. He’s likely to end up like Aruzhan and hurt our cause. She did that out of resentment.”

  “Is what he did really so terrible?” Marie rolled her eyes. As an Umbra, Alex himself should find their strict regulations ridiculous.

  “Yes, but that’s beside the point. Fallon couldn’t care less about the rules. She’s angry because she’s in love with him, and he loves another,” Alex said matter-of-factly.

  He began briskly walking away before Marie could inquire further. With an exasperated huff, she scrambled to quickly get her things together. She made
damn
sure to grab the complimentary items from the dresser drawer, and ran after him.

RUNNING RAMPANT

 
A
lex and Marie gave the room a once-over as soon as their feet hit the pub floor. They couldn’t see anything through the hordes of rowdy vendors, but they all seemed to be circled around something.

  Alex wrapped his long, slender fingers around Marie’s wrist and gently guided her through the room as he forced his way to the front of the crowd. At the center of the boisterous masses was a rosy-cheeked Cerin – obviously intoxicated – and an enthusiastic Raeph, egging them on.

  “I knew it,” Alex groaned.

  “What’s going on?”

  “They’re playing Dolus.”

  “What’s Dolus?” Raeph and Cerin had mentioned it a few times, but Marie had no idea what the game entailed.

  “Dolus can be any game or event. The only rule is that you can’t lie. You can, however, cheat. These two are pros.”

  “You can cheat, but you can’t lie? I’m not sure I understand.” Marie considered them one and the same.

  “For example, Cerin is ten. Physically, anyway. In this particular game of Dolus, the
event
is arm-wrestling. Raeph is taking bets that none of these big, burly men can beat a puny little kid at arm-wrestling. Since Cerin is
physically
ten, he’s not lying.”

  “So far I’m following, but I don’t understand how Cerin’s actually beating them.”

  “Ah, that’s where the cheat comes in. I’ve seen them play this game dozens of times. In this particular instance, Cerin has a vile of powder in his pocket. Boost, I think it’s called. These men assume that the more he drinks, the easier he’ll be to beat. Little do they know, he puts that powder into every ale he drinks, and it sets off a chemical reaction. It becomes an adrenaline of sorts, making him stronger than ten of these men put together.” Marie nodded, finally understanding. “This is tedious. I’m going to make a path for us,” he whispered. “I know these guys. They’re total pros!” Alex nudged a drunkard to the left of him.

  “Pros? What do ya mean?” the drunkard slurred.

  “They’re hustlers. That guy’s not actually a kid. He has some strange disorder that makes him look like one, but he’s actually in his fifties. That’s why he’s so strong,” Alex lightly slapped the man on the shoulder, laughing like a jackal. Seeing Alex change his personality as easily as he changed clothes was disconcerting, at the very least.

  “What? They’re liars? That’s against the rules!” the man shouted unintelligibly.
  The drunkard turned to the man next to him and whispered indiscreetly, sparking a chain of gossip that spread through the crowd like wildfire on a hot, dry day. Cerin and Raeph felt the sudden shift in atmosphere and knew something wasn’t right. They could see the faces in the crowd growing angry as they moved in closer. Alex stood at the head, grinning from ear to ear as he incited the masses with shouts of encouragement.

  “Time to bail.” Raeph jerked Cerin to his feet with sobering force. The two of them collected all of the money on the table and stuffed it into their pockets while backing away. “Well folks, we appreciate your hospitality, but it’s time for us to hit the road! It’s past this little tyke’s bedtime!” Raeph boasted showily.

  “Not so fast!” a burly man stepped forward from the crowd. “This fella here says you’re both liars. The one and only rule in Dolus is that you can’t lie,” the man crossed his arms over his chest and demanded an explanation with his bulging muscles and creased brow.

  “Well, then it’s a good thing he’s not playing, since
he’s
the liar!” Raeph pointed at Alex accusingly.

  “I can prove it,” Alex said smugly. “Look at the insignia on their coins. They have Quinque’s royal symbol on them. Neither of these two are the right age to be an heir of Evangeline and Xenos. The only way they could’ve gotten those coins is by stealing them, and if they’re thieves, why not liars?”

  “He makes a good point,” the brawny man nodded, and murmurs of agreement were heard throughout the crowd.

  “Alex!
What
are you doing?” Marie hissed, nudging him in the ribs.

  “You don’t need to be an heir to bare the royal insignia. I’m a cousin of the Queen!” Cerin said defiantly.

  “Liar,” Alex witlessly retorted.

  “Am not!”

  “You two sound like children!” Marie groaned.

  “I
am
a child!” Cerin stuck out his tongue, as if to prove his point.

  “Yeah, when it’s convenient,” Alex murmured.

  “Enough! I don’t know what’s gotten into you two, but I’m leaving!” Marie huffed.

  “You’re not going anywhere!” A gruff man thirty years her senior wrapped a thick, hairy arm over Marie’s midsection.

  Sensations of pain reverberated throughout her body from the sudden pressure on her tender ribs, causing her to cry out. Alex spun his body around and assessed the situation faster than she could blink, reacting even faster.

  It was obvious he was primed for violence by his quivering, jerky movements as he fought an impending transformation, triggered by the sound of her scream. All the color drained from her face when he suddenly appeared before her in his Umbraic form, not knowing if she possessed the power to quell his instinct.

  “What the? He ju-ju-just...d-disappeared!” The man pulled Marie closer and used her body as a human shield, which only incensed Alex further.

  “Now’s our chance,” Raeph nudged Cerin. The two of them took advantage of the growing confusion, and stealthily disappeared into the glare of blinding streetlamps illuminating the dusty street outside.

 
Those two are unbelievable!
Marie watched them melt into the shadows, leaving her alone to deal with Alex.

  Marie was more afraid
for
the drunken man cowering in the corner than she was of his unwanted advances. He held her flush against his body, all prurient thoughts forgotten with the rush of adrenaline drenching him in sweat and shortening his breaths.

  He slowly blinked several times, as if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. He couldn’t see Alex in all of his terrifying glory, but his sudden absence proved to be even more frightening. The man trembled with each powerful footstep grinding into the battered wooden boards as they cried out beneath Alex’s weight.

  The man shakily staggered back, dragging Marie with him. Alex hastily advanced with their retreat. A maelstrom of dust motes swirled around his feet as they sank into the crumbling foundation. Each explosion of noise made the man wince as he edged closer to the wall. He stumbled backward over a poorly placed barstool, convulsing and wheezing as he tumbled to the ground.

  Sick of being treated like a ragdoll and respected even less, Marie seized the opportunity and jammed her elbow into the man’s tensed abdomen, loosening his weakening grasp. She threw his arms off of her as he went flailing backward, and rushed to Alex’s side. Alex seemed to be in a trance, seeing red and seeking only vengeance.

  A guttural snarl erupted from the Umbra’s throat, silencing the drawing crowd. It was evident that words weren’t going to make a difference at this point, so Marie did the only thing she could think of. She jumped onto his tensed back, straddling the taut cords of muscle and demanding his attention with a strong tug of his mane. The mass panic only escalated when Marie disappeared too. Their presence was still wholly felt and feared by the people.

  “Where’d sh-she g-go?” a terrified man called out from the crowd.

  “What in Lucidus’ name is going on?” another cried out, quickly joined by a chorus of screams and prayers.

  “Alright!” The barkeep, who’d been idly watching until now, threw his damp rag down in frustration and hopped over the bar.
“I’ve had enough o’ this. Everybody out!” He herded everyone out the doors like a barking sheepdog, spooking the drunken cattle into acquiescence. “Who’s going to pay for these damages?” he muttered to himself, eyeing the fresh holes in the floor.

  The barkeep seemed to be completely oblivious to the presence of three other people in the room: Marie, Alex, and the man still shaking in the corner. He was about to be torn to tatters if she didn’t do something.

  “I’m no longer in any danger. The threat has been eliminated.” She dragged his ear through her teeth in a show of dominance, channeling her own animal instincts. “Let’s go back to the ship.”    

  “That means you too. Out!” The barkeep pulled the terrified man to his feet and shoved him out the door.

  The man broke into a sprint and wove through the back alleys, seeking refuge among the shadows. Little did he know, Alex was a creature of the dark. By igniting the chase he had awoken his primal hunter. Alex immediately began pursuit.

  The man didn’t get far. He clumsily stumbled over his own feet and pitched forward, taking a nosedive into the cobblestone that left him cracked and bleeding. The sudden flash of crimson aroused Alex’s baser animal nature, invoking a steady growl as he stalked toward the trembling man.

  “Alex, stop this foolishness at once or I will
never
forgive you!” and she
meant
it. Surely, the man had learned his lesson.

  With a flare of his nostrils and an indignant huff, he charged forward, using the man’s crumpled body as a springboard. The man cried out in pain when Alex burrowed his back feet into the tender flesh of his belly, just enough to assure a fracture. His ribs crumbled under the strain of their combined weight, and Alex let out a satisfied puff of air.

  He shot straight into the air and soared through the sky at dizzying speeds. He angrily sliced through the clouds as Marie felt the chill of the backlash and the brunt of his anger. She lurched forward, holding her stomach and burying her face in his mane.

  “Alex, you need to slow down or I’m going to be sick.” He immediately calmed at her words. Once again, his temper had gotten the best of him, and had done more harm than good.

  Marie wistfully watched the shrinking village with secret longing as they flew overhead. The sea of lights undulated in a rippling current as the lively crowds cavorted through the streets, bobbing like fireflies during mating season. The cacophony of merry voices lent a subtle cheery hum to the breeze that made her croon as they parted ways.

  Just ahead of them, a mob of angry drunkards chased Raeph and Cerin down the main road with glinting pitchforks and smoking muskets.
Serves them right,
Marie thought, taking a sadistic amount of joy in their plight. Alex didn’t seem to think they needed any assistance, so she didn’t think to offer any.

  She resolutely searched the verdant outskirts for a sign of Isa-hell, thinking the ship might cause some kind of discrepancy in the smooth line of the horizon.
Everything
has a weakness
, she thought with stubborn determination, but that dinky little ship seemed to be the exception. It truly was completely undetectable in stealth mode, at least to her.

  Marie sharply looked down when a loud metal clank rang out from below. Fallon had made the ship visible at the very last second so that Raeph and Cerin didn’t run past it – at least, that’s the excuse she’d offer, if any – causing them to run directly into the surprisingly malleable steel.

  It was more likely she decided to have a little fun and teach them a lesson, all while relieving a modicum of pent up anger. It worked, too. Cerin hit the door hard enough to leave an impression and knock himself out cold, and Fallon felt just a
little
bit better upon seeing Raeph’s sour expression.

  “Let us in! They have weapons!” Raeph pounded on the door. Fallon was tempted to let him fight it out. She knew he could handle himself just fine with a handful of farmers, but she wasn’t about to risk exposure just to prove a point. There would be several eyewitnesses and several casualties. Cailene would sniff them out faster than a starving bloodhound, and they weren’t quite done on Ovis.

  “Damn,” Fallon sighed ruefully and opened the door to the ship.

  A set of stairs rolled out from the doorway as if Isabel were sticking out her tongue, mocking them like a ventriloquist dummy while Fallon pulled the strings. Raeph threw the unconscious Cerin over his shoulder and clambered up the cold metal steps as they creaked in protest. He threw Cerin onto the nearest bunk and adroitly jumped out of harm’s way.

  Alex swooped into the narrow space just as the door began to close. He’d made it, but not totally unscathed. The sharp edges of the door clipped the side of his torso right before he managed to squeeze through, biting into his thick hide and breaking the flesh. Once inside, he retreated to the bathroom to lick his wounds, not thinking to close the door behind him.

  Marie found herself absentmindedly staring at Alex as he stood stark naked before the sink, deep in thought. She watched as beads of sweat hypnotically ran down the declivity of his well-muscled back, licking his naked flesh with agonizing slowness as it followed the sharp line of his spine. Suddenly realizing that she’d forgotten to take a breath, she let out a loud, shaky exhale.

  “Get a good look?” Fallon mercilessly prodded Marie in the ribs with a stiff finger.