The Blood Racer (The Blood Racer Trilogy Book 1) (27 page)

              I chuckled. “No, we say much worse things when we talk about you.”
              He laughed loudly. “I don’t doubt it.”
              “So did you learn anything interesting about Shiloh?” Darby asked. She leaned forward attentively, like she was truly interested.
              “I - well, uh…” I stammered, flipping back over the pages I had just read. “Okay, here. The population is just about a hundred thousand people, um…they smelt and distribute metal to the Dominion, and…oh, the big dome in the middle of the city, the Citadel, they farm seafood in there now.”
              “Seafood? Really?” Killian asked, his eyebrow arched with intrigue.
              “Yeah, fish and oysters and lobsters, and stuff,” I said, scanning over the print in front of me. “But it used to be some political building, I guess.”
              “A hundred thousand people?” Darby said incredulously. “That’s amazing. How many people in Ravencog, Killian?”
              He frowned for a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t know. Five or six hundred, maybe. How about Adams?”
              “Maybe a couple thousand,” I answered. “Nothing like this place, though.” I leaned forward just a tad, enough so that I could peek around Darby’s shoulder and watch Rigel, who was listening intently to whatever story Celina was telling. I must have been making some sort of face, because Darby followed my gaze, and then looked back at me with a smirk and a knowing look.
              “Hey, Killian…do you think you could grab one of those fruity drinks up there?” she asked him. “I want one more before I sleep.”
              He nodded, giving her a smile. “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
              Without a second’s hesitation, he stood up and began strolling toward the refreshment table.
              “Nicely done,” I said.
              She smirked. “Well…he’s cleverer than he seems. So does Rigel know?”
              I closed the book and stared up at her. “Does he know what?”
              “That you like him,” she said simply.
              I looked at her for several seconds, waiting to see if she would start giggling and say that she was just joking. Judging by the way she was looking at me, though, she was clearly serious.
              “I…really? Why would you…even say that?”
              She gave me a friendly smile. “I suppose that’s a ‘no’, then.”
              I was blushing again. Hard. I felt like my face was going to suddenly erupt into flames. I searched for a way to change the subject.
             
Talk about something that isn’t Rigel
! my brain screamed.
              “No, he…we don’t…what does
she
see in him? She’s a rich girl!”
             
Aaand you failed.
             
Darby suppressed a snicker. “Well, he’s…kind of rough-and-tumble, he’s…roguish and funny, he’s really nice, probably charming…cute, too-”
              “I get it,” I said loudly, cutting across her.
              She grinned sympathetically. “I’m just saying…to her, he’s new and exciting. He’s a racer. That means he’s adventurous. He’s brave. To a cooped up, proper girl like her, he’s a heartthrob.”
              I gave an unnecessarily loud scoff, but couldn’t think of anything sarcastic to say in response. All the things she’d said about Rigel were true, I had to admit. But still, why would some spoiled princess like Celina Villefort be interested in a dock worker from the Gap? I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it one bit.
              “I should go over there,” I said.
              Darby placed a firm hand on my shoulder, making sure I didn’t even rise up out of the bed. “Don’t worry. She’s leaving.”
              I looked over at the pair of them once more. Sure enough, they were standing and saying their goodbyes, both of them smiling stupidly at one another. What were they saying? I couldn’t tell, but I was glad to see her go. As she exited the warehouse, Rigel turned from the door and scratched his head, still wearing a dopey grin on his face. He scanned the room for a moment before his eyes fell on us, and he made his way over.
              “Hey,” he said. “I gotta admit…I like this place.”
              “Do you?” I asked, my voice harsh. “Or do you just like your pretty new blonde-headed friend?”
              He raised his eyebrows. “What? Are you jealous, or something?”
              I mimicked his facial expression. “Are you stupid, or something?”
              Rigel laughed and sat down at the foot of my bed, prompting Darby to rise to her feet. “I’m gonna go have that last drink,” she said, giving me one last supportive smile as she went.
              “She was just curious about Adams,” Rigel said, waiting to speak until Darby had left earshot. “She’s actually never been out of Shiloh.”
              “Oh, pardon me while I weep for her. Living in wealth and security every single day must be torture.” I stared up at the top bunk above me, letting my frustration ebb from me in the form of angry comments.
              With a sigh, Rigel stood up and made his way over to my head. “Well, I think I’ll get some sleep.”
            “Night,” I said curtly.
            I still wasn’t looking at him, but in my peripheral vision, I saw him crouch down beside me. “Come on. She’s nice, and all…but she’s no Elana Silver.”
              Before I could reply, he leaned in, placed a quick kiss on my cheek, and then stood to walk away. I blinked up at the top bunk, resisting the urge to place my hand over the spot where his lips touched my face. What was that about? Never had Rigel ever made such a display of emotion toward me. Maybe that’s because it didn’t really mean anything. He was probably just trying to make me feel better. And for that matter, what was Darby talking about? Did she really think I liked Rigel? What would have given her that idea?
              With a groan, I turned my back to the room and fluffed my pillow. I didn’t feel like trying to answer all of those questions. I just focused on sleeping…and trying to pretend that I didn’t still feel Rigel’s kiss lingering on my skin.

              The next morning was subdued, but the excited spark in the air had returned. People were awake relatively early, chattering amongst themselves and eating the breakfast feast that had been provided for us. I tried to keep my eyes shut for as long as I could, tried to fall back to sleep and pretend that the race was over, and I wouldn’t have to go through another few days of torment.
              But no. I couldn’t sleep through the noise, so I joined my friends for a small meal as everyone prepared for the second leg of the race to begin. I didn’t eat much, though. I was never very hungry in the mornings, and I was feeling slightly nervous about what the day would have in store. I had gotten this far on my wiles, and an enormous amount of luck, but I wasn’t sure if that would hold out. Plus, with Rigel getting a fifteen minute head start today, I didn’t know if I would have to contend with him for first place. He was obviously a better pilot than I had originally thought, after all. And after his stunt yesterday, I still wasn’t quite sure if I could depend on him to uphold our alliance.
              I didn’t voice any of these concerns, of course. I just picked at my plate of fruit and pastries, making jokes and small talk with my companions. As we sat at the table, though, I spied Beatrice Montgomery in the corner of the warehouse, right by the door. She was in deep conversation with someone, and judging by the look on her face, she was serious about something. She was trying to be subtle about it, but she was definitely incensed, murmuring through gritted teeth. As I continued to watch her, I saw that the person she was talking to was actually Grace Buchannon.
            What could the two of them be talking about? Grace was the daughter of an Archon, so I guessed that it probably wasn’t unusual, but they looked to be arguing. After a few more moments of spying on them, I saw Grace’s head spin around as she looked in my direction. Quickly, I lowered my gaze to my breakfast plate, hoping she hadn’t seen me watching. Hurriedly, the two of them opened the door and left the warehouse, probably vacating to somewhere they could talk privately. I didn’t know what they were arguing about, but I had a terrible feeling it involved me. I couldn’t even guess at what they were saying, so I couldn’t be positive, but the dread in my gut felt awfully sure.
           After the feast had been worked over, all of the racers were instructed to gather our belongings before we were ushered out of the warehouse. I stayed with my friends, but I kept glancing around at the different contestants, searching for a glimpse of Grace. I was also worried about seeing Audra. Just how many enemies was I going to make in this race?
          Once again, just like the night before, we were crammed together at the docks, huddled against one another to fend off the chilly morning air. The sun was shining brightly, though, and it helped a bit to warm us. Hopefully, the temperature would rise before long.
              In front of the group, the Archons were together again, standing in front of the same podium that they had used last night. Instead of Beatrice speaking, however, Gideon Chambers was the one to step up and address the contestants. He was dressed in a striking black overcoat, topped off with a deep blue scarf that wrapped around his neck. He tapped the microphone three times before clearing his throat.
              “Good morning, all of you,” he said, slowly looking over us. “Once again, on behalf of my fellow Archons, I want to express how proud of you we are for making it this far, and that you, likewise, should be proud to be a part of it.”
             “Don’t count on it,” Rigel muttered beside me. I fought the smile that tried to creep onto my face, but I squeezed his hand to let him know I approved.
              Ahead of us, Gideon droned on.
            “This race is a milestone, you know,” he said dramatically. “This is the seventieth holding of the race. Seventy times, braves souls have gathered, and volunteered to compete. By the end of tomorrow evening, there will have been seventy winners. One of you…here before me…will be that person. I must admit, I do enjoy meeting the hardy few who can accept the challenge of the race. It’s one of my greatest pleasure as an Archon. And I am also proud, and humbled, to have been able to host you all at my fair city. Since its inception, Shiloh has been a part of every race. Yes, it’s true that the citizens here pride themselves on several things: our exquisite food stock, our top-of-the-line technological devices, and the metal workings and machines with which we have supplied the Dominion for over two hundred and twenty-nine years. Above all of that, however, we are most proud to be a part of the race, to be part of such a powerful tradition, and to allow you courageous few to remind us what the race is really about. It reminds us of all the things we’ve strived for, as a nation: our freedom, our sovereignty, and the knowledge that our way of life survives. For this, we are all of us grateful. So thank you!”
              The audience burst into applause at this, which was surely intentional. The racers clapped along, as well, but none of us shared the fervor of the spectators. As the bodies around me shifted in their places, I caught a momentary flash of Audra a few yards in front of me. She was wearing her ridiculous cape again, but this time, I could read the writing that was printed on the back. It looked like ship names. Just beneath her shoulder blades, I saw one that I recognized:
The Endurance.
              I was immediately confused. I must have spaced out, though, contemplating the meaning of it. Beside me, Rigel nudged me with his elbow. It wasn’t painful, but it got me to refocus on Gideon Chambers, who was still speaking in front of me.
              “To start the second half of the race, you will need one of these,” he held up a small, metallic sphere, no bigger than the palm of his hand. “There are dozens of these hidden throughout the city. To make it easy, none of them are further than the Wall of the Fallen. You must find one, for it contains the next clue. Once again, citizens are forbidden from assisting the contestants, and I believe one of you gets a head start.”
              From the podium, Gideon removed a pocket watch from his jacket as his sharp eyes zeroed in on Rigel. “Mr. Campbell,” Gideon said, pointing dramatically at him. “You have fifteen minutes…..Go.”
              The heads of every contestant turned to glare at Rigel, and for a moment, he looked like he wasn’t going to move at all. While it would have been an interesting way to prove some kind of point, it would have been pretty stupid to waste such an opportunity. After a moment, he seemed to gather his thoughts and turned toward me.
              “I’ll be right back,” he said, toying with a smile. With startling speed, he exploded into action, sprinting away from the docks and bolting up toward the nearest buildings. The crowd cheered wildly at the sight of him running. With him on the move, the race was underway once more.
              “The rest of you must be patient!” Gideon called out over the audience. “In just over fourteen minutes, you will be given the signal to begin…and may the best contestant win.”
              With a satisfied look on his face, he stepped down from the podium and joined his fellow Archons, muttering to each of them. For the racers, all we could do was stand around in an uncomfortable group, trying not to make eye contact or conversation. The crowd of people behind us were still cheering as insanely as ever, calling our names and jeering loudly at us. I heard my name a few times, but thankfully, I couldn’t make out anything that was being said to me. I did notice something else, though. From beyond the horde of ravenous fans, my peripheral vision caught sight of Grace Buchannon jogging over to the rest of us.
              “What kept you?” I asked her, not caring who heard me. “You missed the whole speech.”
              “I’ll wing it,” she shrugged, still breathing heavily. How far had she run?
              “So where were you?” I asked again. After seeing her speaking with Beatrice Montgomery this morning, I was suspicious of her absence, and I wanted her to know it. Pursing her lips slightly, she looked over at me.
              “I was making some repairs to my ship, okay? What’s it to you?”
              “Just curious,” I said back to her. “Kind of late to be making repairs, don’t you think?”
              Her face went through several expressions in the span of a second, going from angry to contemplative, and then back again. “It took longer than I thought it would. Now, unless you’re gonna tell me what the clue is, shut your noise hole.”
              I shook my head and ground my teeth. I wanted to say something mean, to insult her, maybe. But I didn’t. I’m not sure why, but I pitied her in that moment. Something about the way her forehead was starting to wrinkle, as if she was worried about something, as if something was troubling her, made me feel just a little bit bad for her. She may have been rude and abrasive, but she was just as nervous as the rest of us. I felt my anger soften, and I sighed.
              “There’s a bunch of shiny metal ball things hidden around the buildings up there,” I said, pointing toward the warehouse we had spent the night. “Find one of those, and it’ll have the next clue in it.”
              Darby was the first to look over at me. Even without being able to clearly see her face, I knew she was wearing a look of disbelief. I could almost hear her in my head, asking me just what I was thinking. I’m glad she didn’t ask out loud, because I didn’t really have an answer.
              From my other side, Grace swiveled her head to glance my way. She looked mildly confused, slightly leery, even…but she blinked a few times before opening her mouth. “Thanks,” she said quietly, still staring at me.
              “What were you talking to Beatrice Montgomery about this morning?” I asked her abruptly. “I saw you staring at me. Was she talking about me?”
              At the sudden rush of questions, Grace’s angry look returned, and her lips turned up into a sneer. “That’s none of your concern, Gap rat. Archon business. Someone like you wouldn’t understand.”
              I rolled my eyes and sighed. Whatever leeway I thought I had gained by giving her the clue had gone. She clearly wasn’t going to tell me anything. Giving up, I turned away from her and back to Darby.
              “Hey. Silver,” Grace called, causing me to spin around once again. Instead of looking angry still, she looked…almost remorseful, like she was about to apologize. I was surprised enough to stifle the sarcastic comment I was about to utter.
              “Just…just make sure that…the only things on your ship are things that can help you,” she said, sounding as if she were choosing her words carefully. “Anything else will kill you.”
              I stared at her for a long several seconds, waiting for her to elaborate. When she didn’t, I drew a deep breath, trying to comprehend just what she was telling me. For the life of me, however, it still didn’t really make sense.
              “Yeah,” I replied to her. “I will.”
              With nothing more to be said, the silence became awkward. I did my best to avoid looking at her, and I was glad when random bits of conversation began sprouting up around me. Finally, Darby gave me a good distraction.
              “Do you think we’ll see him again?” she asked, her eyes fixed on the alleyways in front of us.
              I gave a small, nervous cough. I didn’t have to ask to know who she meant. “He said he’d be back.”
              “He left you before, though,” Killian pointed out.
              “Yeah,” I agreed. “But he gave his word this time.”
              I saw the two of them exchange glances from the corner of my eye. They must have been pretty sure he would bail on me again. I couldn’t blame them, really. They didn’t know him like I did. If Rigel said he was going to do something, he would always do it. Though, as the minutes ticked by, I could feel a cold knot of worry forming in my gut. What if he did run? What if he just told me he’d be back so I wouldn’t come after him? I looked around me for something to take my mind off of it. I needed something else to think about, and my eyes once again fell on Audra Carina. She stood motionless on the far right of the group, closest to the podium, eyes fixed in the distance, and with her goofy cape billowing slightly in the breeze.
              “What
is
that thing?” I finally asked, speaking to no one in particular. “Why does she wear it? Some sort of fashion thing, or what?”
              From behind me, John Deseo gave a snicker. I hadn’t even realized he was there. “No, it’s much more ridiculous than that,” he said, glancing over at Audra. “That’s her victory cape. She had it made after she won the last race. On the back, she put the names of all the ships that she took out on her way to victory.”
              He looked back at me with a grin still on his face, expecting me to join him in mocking her. I couldn’t, though. I couldn’t seem to do much of anything except stare at Audra, my wide eyes boring into the side of her head. The
Endurance
was one of the names on the back of her cape. That was the name of the ship my mother had entered in the race.
              It had been Audra all along.
            She had killed my mother.