The Uninvited (The Julianna Rae Chronicles Book 1) (14 page)

1340 HOURS.

IN-COUNTRY.

They weaved their bikes on the road, zigzagging along the empty stretch as the city disappeared behind them and the countryside approached. It was too easy. They were on the end stretch and he kept reassuring her that Isis was looking out for them as he always did.

Very few bikes passed them, and the Jeeps that approached, their engines which could be heard in the distance, would send them dashing into the thick trees lining the interstate. The main camp was farther west down the road, and the Jeeps could move cross-country quickly to cut down an enemy. Julianna thought of her last escape from the Jeeps, and it had been no easy feat. The only redemption that night was the edge of a rock ledge they’d misjudged.

Without the fall, would we be alive?
She wondered. She pushed the thought away from her mind, to concentrate on the road in front.

Julianna continued her lookout for the Jeeps, her hair pushed away from her face in the sweet scent of warmth mixed with impending rain. Her helmet stayed secured to the back of her bike. She wanted to taste the freedom the countryside offered. Leaving Sector Eight was easy with the sector pass waiting for her at Gate Twelve, as Isis promised, the final Sector within the confines of what used to be considered California. She finally felt alone, aside from the company who still wouldn’t part with his name.

The afternoon closed in and the presence of time weighed heavily on her shoulders. According to her guide, they were forty-five minutes from the camp’s last known location. She acknowledged his statement, but the closeness of camp 2.2.1 and the possibility they’d missed their window of opportunity, weighed heavily. 

The sky ahead of them was blue, with no sign of hover drones, but the clarity of the horizon betrayed her sense of freedom. She scrutinized the walls of the camp looming up ahead. Her heart leapt, her pulse skipped its beat and when they stopped their bikes in the nearby trees, Julianna’s anxiety grew.

They wheeled their bikes over the rough ground, weaving between the cover of the trees, cautious not to alert the guards on gate duty. The tower’s sharpshooters stood to attention at the opening of camp 2.2.1. The K-9 unit helped to persuade the passerby’s to move quickly. The interstate was all that separated them. Julianna watched from the corner of her eye as they slowly pushed through the thicket with their heads down, breathing heavily.

This is more time wasted,
she thought. A crack of thunder struck ahead, but there was no rain. She looked at the grey clouds forming, ashamed of the delay. The K-9 unit barked feverishly, though the day tinged with its unseasonal warmth
.

She studied the large camp. Its concrete walls pushed their way into a clearing of trees to the west. Open meadow sat to its north, south, and east boundaries, easy to guard with towers and drones. Hovers, sentries, and two towers heavily guarded the dirt entranceway.
A damned fortress,
she thought.
The Prince of Darkness finally has his own castle.

He turned to her. ‘Shhh! If I can hear you, so can they.’

They struggled with their bikes, moving slowly over the thick terrain and when a large tree blocked their way, they resigned to the road again.

Clouds closed around the sun and the wind changed direction, cutting sharply through them. Julianna hoped for the rain to hold off until they arrived at the camp – or where it once was. She hadn’t given thought to an abandoned location until now. Half of her hoped they’d left; the other half hoped Caden stayed just a moment longer.

Then Julianna saw her.

She was a distant shadow from where they were, a blur of an image on the horizon. She walked their side of the road, crossing legs and stumbling, struggling slowly to stand. She fell as her body failed to gain balance. She resembled a baby taking a first step, only this wasn’t a baby – this was a woman covered in blood.

The girl was oblivious to their bikes. Her hair was long and tangled, matted with dirt and stained. Julianna parked her bike and sprinted to reach her. The stain was a familiar red; the closer Julianna got, the bigger the stain became. She was covered head to toe in blood, her bare legs covered in its thick streams.

‘She’s hurt!’ Julianna called over her shoulder. He kicked down his stand hesitantly. There wasn’t any time for this.

The girl’s eyes widened with terror. Julianna knew this girl. She was the girl who had given her the pendant; the girl who’d helped her escape Central Command.

The girl ran.

Her legs collapsed against each other, buckling at the knees, falling heavily onto the road. The panting and crying disturbed the clumped-up hair, with her head hung low. Cuts and gashes zigzagged over her body; a mad man had attacked her. No skin spared but for the pretty face shaded with grey and blue bruises. She kicked her legs before defeat took over and had her curl on her side in the middle of the road, waiting for an end to come.

‘We won’t hurt you,’ Julianna whispered, and she reached out her hand.

The girl kicked again, pushing Julianna from her haunches, giving her a chance to claw the hard ground for escape. Her nails bent back, until they peeled from their skin. Julianna agonized at the struggle and reached out to embrace the girl’s arms and hold out the pendant on her neck.

‘You gave this to me the other night, remember? You gave this to me and your name is Deveaux.’ She held it to her eyes. ‘Katherine Deveaux.’

Her blue eyes filled with fear. The only thing not stained with her blood.

‘We’re going to help you, Katherine.’

He approached his tall stature behind Julianna, his hands in his pockets. Katherine’s mouth gasped for air and she cried as she outstretched her hands for him to take.

‘Katie?’ He edged forward. ‘What has he done to you, my girl? Did Caden do this? Bastiaan?’ It was his turn to crouch. He held his hands to his face, barely showing his eyes as he surveyed the mess before him. ‘What happened?

Julianna glared at him. ‘Caden would never do this to a person.’

He was shaking his head. ‘You have no idea about the man you’re about to help, do you?’ he scooped Katherine into his arms and lifted. He scowled her again. ‘No idea!’

‘Taris did this.’ Julianna followed him, the girl limp in his arms. ‘She’s the one that helped me at Central. He must have found out.’

His bike wasn’t designed for front seat passengers. He made a line for Julianna’s bike, propping the limp girl on the seat with his body, urging Julianna to hurry.

‘You get her to the camp. I’ll ride behind for cover.’

Julianna swung her leg behind the girl and started the bike. ‘Cover?’ Julianna surveyed the roads. ‘No one’s here.’

‘Katie was, wasn’t she?’ he said.

He ran to his bike and gave another quick look with his dark eyes before lowering his sunglasses. He nodded for her to get the hell out of there, and circled back before turning west again.

‘He’s watching. He knows everything,’ Katherine said and lulled forward as the bike lunged from its stand, in a hurry to catch up with the stranger.

The wind blew against her face, making her eyes water, but she had no time to unfasten her helmet, not now. She reached for a long strand of hair plastering itself across her face again, regretting it instantly as the bike swayed off course. She steadied the bike with both hands. Katherine was safely between her arms but she slumped, making the bike heavy. She pulled alongside the stranger as they sped along the interstate, he was pointing to the rise ahead of them. It was a good vantage point.

They stopped on the hill, their bikes running. He wanted a clear view of the east and west points. The camp was easily visible from where they sat. The compound was large and busy, warren-like, crawling with soldier ants moving back and forth.

An eagle flew overhead, screeching as it did. Julianna followed it.

‘In the trees,’ he said, pointing a finger. Unnatural forces had disturbed the eagle.

‘I can’t see anything,’ Julianna said.

‘New-school watchers. You think you know everything until the shit hits the fan.’ His voice was full of contempt. ‘I’ll pass them off. Give you a fighting chance to get to the camp.’

‘I’m not leaving you behind.’ She saw a hint of white moving between the trees at the dip.

He revved his bike. ‘Like you have a choice. Time to trust your instincts, Julianna. Tell Caden you’re with me or he’ll become suspicious.’

‘I don’t even know your name.’

‘Isis introduced us for a reason. Maybe I’ll tell you next time we meet.’ He revved his bike. ‘Daniel. Nice to finally meet you again.’

The brake released under his rev and he sped down the hill with one wheel in the air. A Jeep hidden in the trees pulled out before him, and another followed quickly as he rode in their direction.

He’s going to be captured.
The words were sharp sounding.

I’ll see you again,
he replied.
Now go! Hurry!

The intrusion stung.

Julianna shook the limp body gently. ‘Katie,’ she whispered. ‘Still with me?’

The bloodied head lifted. The speed of the bike pushed her body against Julianna. A trickle of blood left her nose and the wind sprayed its droplets onto the hand holding her.

‘What did Taris do?’ she muttered more to herself.

Julianna pushed the thought away, as far as she could, only for her own beatings to surface. Taris used to beat her when it took his fancy, using any excuse and any weapon in reach. He used his fists a lot, too. He loved to box, a pro-boxer in his younger years. She needed to push the distraction away.

‘I have no idea where I’m going. I need your help.’ The trees blurred around them as they gained more speed and the interstate stretched ahead.

Katherine lulled forward and she pulled her back. The girl was losing blood quicker than could be replaced.

Daniel. He didn’t hesitate to turn his bike. What makes me so special? Do I know him?

She felt guilty. Another notch to the side of her knife, and this one counted. She was responsible.

She sensed the Militia lurking. Daniel was off his bike with his hands behind his head, kneeling before them. Her mind unfolded the picture. This wasn’t possible for a half-breed; she didn’t possess any ability other than what the Guild had given her – as a gift for her loyalty. She was a dormant. Yet, the haunting images rolled through her mind, unfolding his events hidden beneath her squeezed eyes. 

His voice screamed at her to move and the images disappeared.

The road snaked on. The bike vibrated under the pressure placed on its throttle and the red pointer hovered reluctantly over 140 miles. She swerved a pothole, and Katherine bolted upright in shock. Dampness seeped into Julianna’s pant legs from Deveaux’s blood pooling between them, reminding Julianna of the eagle Taris had shot. Its helpless wings flapping on the ground while he stood over it with his rifle crossed her mind. He’d never raised the sights for a second shot; rather, he had handed Julianna the gun so he could raise his hand instead, curling it into a fist to strangle the bird whole from his invisible grasp.

The damage had been huge. The bird had bled out in seconds. The image haunted her when emotionally blinded. She pushed the bike harder.

Daniel showed himself to her again. He was on his knees with his hands cuffed behind his back, guns pointed and a baton extended. He was their hostage. Her head ached, the vision prompting a migraine. Not the time, but it never was when they hit. 

Look for a track…
his voice appeared.
It’s hard to see, but it’s there. Follow south even when it ends.
His intrusion cut through her.

Julianna’s mind darkened. Her thoughts were her own again and the ache in her temples dulled. Katherine lifted a heavy finger, pointing it in the distance.

She slowed the bike. The landscape focused again. Julianna hunted for any hint of the trail Daniel had described.  

‘I need your help,’ she said. ‘I’m lost.’ She propped the bike and squeezed Katherine’s shoulder. Blood seeped between her fingers and she pulled away.   

Katherine lifted her finger again. ‘Down there,’ she whispered.

She pointed her bike in the direction of Katherine’s finger. Two trees hid the track, and as she drew closer, the grass pushed unnaturally to the left, against the breeze.  

Julianna rolled them forward over a landscape that swallowed them, concealing her black bike well within the woods. A power surge ran through her body as she pushed through an invisible veil.

Julianna fleetingly glanced at the trees bowing down to her.
What is this place? A spell?
The trees observed her nature, and contemplated her intentions. She felt them inside her, their roots stretching into the corners of her mind.
Caden Madison is a very powerful watcher;
it crossed her mind he might be more. A chill ran down her
spine.

‘You brought me home,’ Katherine whispered. It was barely there. ‘Thank you,’ she said.

Julianna shushed her gently. ‘Caden can heal you.’