Attack on Phoenix (7 page)

Rell scrambled down the steps, careful not to lose her footing. If she injured herself, she'd have to rely on the defenders to help her, which was the last thing she wanted.

She cursed the dragzhi. Their attack left her no choice but to take Torsten and his friends back underground.

She'd sworn to stop them from finding the Key. But she couldn’t send them to their deaths, either. From birth, she’d been taught nothing was more sacred than life.

Rell eyed the guns holstered on their hips. Those weapons were made to kill. She reminded herself these people did not share her values, and if they cornered her, her life might be in danger. The council had set her on a journey turning out to be more formidable than she first imagined.

Mellok supported Torsten as they followed her through the tunnels. Leila and Andessa brought up the rear. Leila's hand rested on the handle of her gun. Andessa continued to look bored, though Rell assumed it was only an act.

Rell’s gaze swept over Torsten as she faced forward again. He had been kind, even so... she couldn't bring herself to trust anyone who lived aboveground, particularly those in the military.

"How much farther?" Mellok asked, his voice straining.

"Is my brother too heavy for you?" Leila teased.

"No," Mellok said through gritted teeth.

"You know, she never did tell us where she's taking us." Andessa's tone was challenging. "We can't go aboveground. Not with what's happening in Hadar."

"We aren't headed toward the city," Torsten said. "Haven't any of you noticed? She's taking us farther west, under the sands."

Rell stopped and turned around. She rested her hands on her leather-clad hips. Torsten leaned against the wall, giving Mellok a chance to rest.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" Torsten asked.

Rell bit her lip.

"She is!" Leila squealed, clapping her hands like a child. "Then you can help us."

"I don't know anything. There’s nothing I can help you with," Rell said carefully, not admitting anything.

"But, you are one of them. The buried, those that live underground." Torsten said again. He cocked his head, taking her in. "You look like a grounder, with your hair and clothes, but your accent is off. It's been a few years since I lived in Hadar, but I don't recall anyone with that lilt in their voice."

This wasn't going at all like Rell wanted. Hours ago, her mission had been simple: turn them away, convince them to look elsewhere. But new circumstances had forced her into this corner. She closed her eyes, praying silently, hoping for illumination.

"Look at her. She's praying again." Andessa chuckled. "I can't believe anyone thought she had something to do with the dragzhi leaving. As you saw, Hadar is burning. Her false religion didn't do any good."

Rell's eyes snapped open. "It did work. They left because I prayed."

"Then why didn't you stay up there and protect the city?" Andessa asked, her brow furrowed. "Maybe Hadar wouldn't be burning if you had."

Rell wondered the same thing, but she put the thought out of her mind. She was here to stop these defenders from finding the Key. Before ascending aboveground, Rell had barely considered the people living on the soil. That shouldn't change now. These people were unbelievers. They meant nothing to her. Not even Renata, who had been so generous.

If it was the gods’ will for them to die at the hands of the dragzhi, then so be it.

"Leave her alone," Torsten said, glaring at Andessa. "You can't blame one person for what the dragzhi have done. Her prayer didn't work up there. It was coincidence."

Rell wanted to argue with him, insist he just didn't understand how the Menelewen Dored worked. She was standing in front of him as proof of their power. And yet, Torsten couldn't perceive anything beyond what his eyes saw. His heart was closed.

"I can help heal you," Rell said, hoping changing the subject to Torsten's injury would divert Andessa’s accusations. “You need to trust me. You need to follow me to the healer's ward."

"So you are buried." Mellok snorted in disgust. "Cowards, all of you. Hiding underground while the rest of us fight."

They weren’t afraid. Underground was the only place they could be free to worship the Menelewen Dored. “Your people can’t stop trying to get back into space to return to a planet that has probably forgotten about you. And you think I’m the fool?”

They fell silent. Rell waited a few moments, turned on her heel, and started back down the winding tunnels. Footsteps sounded behind her, followed by a poorly-concealed gasp from Torsten.

"Maybe you should all wait here while I get help," Rell said.

Torsten squinted, pursing his mouth. His chest heaved with every breath.

"No. You can't just leave us here. What if you don't come back?" Andessa asked. “We’ll be lost.”

Mellok helped Torsten slide to the ground where he sprawled out, resting his leg.

Rell had indeed considered losing them in one of the many twists and turns. With her luck, they'd discover one of the many secrets hiding underground. No, Rell would have Torsten healed, and then she would convince them to leave. She just had to find a way to make it happen.

"I'll go with her." Leila wove her way through her friends and stood next to Rell. "I'll make sure she comes back so we can help Tor."

"No." Mellok and Andessa both said it at the same time.

Leila rolled her eyes, turning to Rell. "Ready?"

"The three of you stay here," Rell said.

"What if someone happens upon us?" Torsten asked. "What should we say?"

"No one will. These tunnels aren't used anymore. You're safe." Well, safe from the others underground, at least. There was no reason to tell them the tunnels weren't used because of recent cave-ins. Rell had traveled these tunnels many times when she wanted to be alone, and she hadn't seen any indication of instability. "We'll be back soon. I promise."

Torsten nodded at Rell, a smile on his face. "Thank you. I really appreciate your help."

Rell gestured at Leila, and the blond followed her around the bend, leaving the others behind.

“Will you introduce us to your people? Our commander said the buried were hostile. It’s why she sent me on this mission. I’m pretty good with a blaster.”

Rell had no intention of letting anyone see the defenders. There would be too many questions. She'd be brought to the council and severely punished. "We probably won't see anyone. I want to get something to help Torsten, and then we'll take it back and heal him."

Rell crept through the tunnels, Leila close on her heels. They walked in silence. Rell was glad. She had no interest in conversation. When they reached the final bend before the healer’s ward, Rell put a finger to her lips. Leila stood quietly, waiting for Rell's signal.

Once Rell was sure no one was around, she grabbed Leila's hand, pulling her into the med lab. "Wait there. Don't touch anything." Rell closed the door behind them.

Leila's eyes were wide. Rell knew what she was thinking. How did they have this much tech underground? Her people had hoarded tech since the day they'd first settled in the tunnels.

Rell regretted allowing Leila to see it, but there was no other way to help Torsten. Until he was healed, Rell couldn't convince them to leave.

She rifled through the cabinet, grabbing a healing device. "Okay. Let's go."

"That's all?" Leila asked. "What about medicine and bandages?"

"We don't need those," Rell assured her. "Trust me. Now, let's get back to your brother before anyone sees us here."

They jogged through the tunnels until they were back with the other three. Torsten had fallen asleep, his brown eyelashes brushing his cheeks. Rell knelt next to him, cursing the constricting leather pants again.

Torsten stirred, his sleepy eyes focusing on Rell. "Hi," he said with a tired smile.

"Hi." Rell laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hold still. This won't hurt."

"I believe you," Torsten said. He braced his back against the wall and stretched out his injured leg.

Rell held the healing device over his leg, slowly moving it from his toes up to his knee. She repeated the process three times. The readout on the device told her his bone had knitted.

"You can get up now. Try it out. Tell me how it feels." Rell crossed her arms while Leila offered a hand to Torsten.

He took it, and stood. Torsten placed his weight on his right leg, then his left, then his right again. His eyes widened. "It's fine."

"Really?" Leila asked, incredulous. "You're okay?"

Torsten nodded. He dropped Leila’s hand. Smiling, he laughed. Then he did the most surprising thing. Torsten grabbed Rell and pulled her to him. He lifted her into the air, swinging her around in a circle.

Then he kissed her on the lips.

Torsten stumbled, his back slamming into the wall. He blinked a couple of times, resting a hand over his stinging cheek. Rell had punched him. Hard.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking over at Rell. She trembled, her hands and lips shaking.

"How dare you?" Rell backed away from him.

"Tor, that isn't how you kiss a girl." Leila crossed her arms over her chest. "You always ask first. You always make sure she wants you to."

A blush burned over Torsten's neck and up his face. He hadn't even realized what he'd done until Rell clocked his face. He'd been so grateful. "I'm sorry. It just happened," he said again. He would say it a million times if it would help erase what he'd done. "I would never, ever hurt you, Rell. Not like that." He wanted to reach out to her, take her in his arms and comfort her, but he knew it was a horrible idea.

The anger and fear in her eyes told him he'd done something very, very wrong. He tried to remember the small bits he'd gleaned about the buried. The grounders didn't know much about them; they'd been separated for centuries.

"I never should have helped you." Rell's words were like daggers in Torsten's heart.

"Okay, Rell," Leila walked over to her. "I know you're stunned, and I don't have a problem with how you reacted. Trust me, I would do the same. But Torsten didn't mean to hurt you. He's not that kind of person."

"I'm not." Torsten held his hands up. "I swear I'm not." He felt sick watching Rell cower in the corner. He wanted to melt into the walls and disappear.

"You don't know what you've done." Rell's hands trembled in front of her lips.

"Unless you tell me, I don't know either. How can I make this right?" Torsten reached out a tentative hand, thinking maybe they could shake hands, or something else completely platonic.

"You can't." Tears rolled down Rell's cheeks.

Leila shot her brother an angry look, then took Rell in her arms. The two disappeared around the corner where Torsten could hear Rell's wracking sobs.

Mellok punched Torsten's shoulder. "Not how it's done, man."

"Yeah," Andessa sank down on the dirt floor. "Even I asked before I kissed Leila. She even did it herself." She winked at Mellok, who refused to acknowledge her.

Torsten didn't want to hear about his sister's love life. He just wanted to know how he could make Rell feel better. The last thing he'd wanted to do was hurt her. His feelings were so confusing. He’d only wanted to thank her, and somehow his lips ended up on hers before he realized what he was doing.

"You may have been out of line, Torsten,” Andessa said, “but there's something else going on here. Just give her space. Don't go over there. She's with Leila. She'll be okay."

Torsten hung back, debating who he should listen to. His instincts or Andessa? He went with his gut. Clenching his fists, he rounded the corner.

Rell sat on the ground, shaking. Leila knelt next to her, a hand on Rell's arm. Their whispers stopped when they saw Torsten.

"Do you want me to tell him?" Leila asked Rell in a gentle voice.

Rell took a deep, shuddering breath. "No. I'll do it."

"Do you want me to stay?" Leila asked.

Torsten couldn't help but notice how quickly his sister and Rell had bonded. A defender and a buried girl. From birth, grounders were taught to fear the buried. The military taught its defenders to hate the buried. Torsten had wanted to meet one before he formed an opinion. Apparently Leila was the same.

"I'm okay. Thanks." Rell smiled, her lips slightly trembling. Leila patted Rell's arm once more and left the two of them alone.

Torsten said, "I'm sorry. I really am. It was stupid of me."

A blush crept over Rell's cheek. "You probably don't know much about life underground. There are... traditions... we adhere to. One of them involves physical contact. Down here, we are all the same. Male. Female. It doesn't matter. We all let our hair grow long. We don't wear makeup or dye our hair." Her hand wandered up, self-consciously patting the pink strands. She looked up shyly at Torsten.

He could feel his heart thumping. His face felt flush. He'd never experienced this kind of reaction around a girl before. He'd been indifferent to all the girls who had noticed him after he'd become a man. Now this girl, this buried girl with pink hair, was tugging on all the emotions he thought he didn't have.

"So we don't experience these things. Kissing. Hugging. Unless the council tells us to marry another, we stay loyal to the Menelewen Dored. What you did... it goes against everything I've ever been taught." Rell looked down at her hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"I had no idea," Torsten said.

"We're not like the grounders or the military. We don't take those things lightly. I can't just go around kissing whoever catches my eye. Not like you do." Rell's hair completely covered her face.

Torsten was glad. He didn't want her to see how red his was. "I'm not like that, either. I mean, it's okay aboveground to kiss someone. No one tells us who to kiss or who not to kiss. But I've never..." Torsten stuttered, incredulous he was about to tell her. "You're the first person I kissed. Like that, I mean. I'm sure I kissed my parents when I was little. Before they…”

“Before they what?” Rell asked.

“They were murdered when I was a kid. I, uh… witnessed it.” Torsten looked down at his hands, incredulous he was sharing something so personal with someone he’d just met.

“I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.” Rell looked up, her brown eyes locked on his. Her voice softened. "Maybe we can both forget the kiss happened?"

"I promise I won't ever kiss you again." Torsten said. “I won’t even touch you if you don’t want me to.”

Rell nodded, wiping her tears with her free hand. "Thank you. And, I'm sorry if I hurt you, hitting you. It wasn't very kind, considering I had just healed your ankle."

"Your reaction was completely justifiable,” Torsten said.

Torsten followed her back to his friends. Three sets of eyes were trained on them, but Torsten didn't feel like explaining. They had their own romantic problems to work out; they didn't need to know about his.

"Where do we go from here?" Torsten asked Rell.

"It's nighttime. We sleep." Rell lay down on the ground, stuck an arm under her head, and closed her eyes.

"Here?" Leila asked. "If you live down here, why can't we go to your home?"

Rell's eyes snapped back open. "Because they would kill you. Grounders, especially military, aren't allowed down here."

Mellok laughed, his shoulders shaking. "I'm not afraid of a bunch of religious weirdos."

Before Torsten could tell him to shut up, Rell sprang upright, her hands balled in fists.

"She's tough," Torsten said, a smile on his face. He rubbed the cheek she'd walloped.

"I'm not afraid of a buried." Mellok cracked his knuckles, a smirk on his face.

"You should be." Rell lunged at Mellok, belting his stomach four times. She been trained to defend herself in case the grounders ever invaded, and she’d picked up a few offensive moves along the way.

With a grunt, Mellok grabbed Rell's arm, twisting it behind her back with a smug smile. "What are you going to do now?"

Rell snapped her head backward, cracking Mellok's nose. Her free hand formed a fist, and she bashed him in the balls.

Mellok released his grip on her, falling to the floor, one hand on his nose and the other on his crotch. He moaned pathetically.

"It's okay. I can heal him like I healed you," Rell said to Torsten as she shook her hand.

He had considered stepping in, forcing Mellok to abandon the fight. But Torsten was secretly pleased to see his sister's boyfriend get taken down so easily. He wasn't Mellok's friend. Torsten only put up with him for Leila's sake. He had hoped she'd move on to someone else soon. Unfortunately, the four of them were tied together on this mission.

Torsten sheepishly realized he'd lost his heart to Rell almost immediately. She probably wasn't who Leila would pick for him, either.

"I would have tried to stop the two of you, but I didn't want to get hurt, too." Torsten winked at Rell and knelt next to Mellok. "Perhaps she was telling the truth when she said they were trained in combat. Maybe next time you'll believe what she says."

Mellok glared at Torsten, in too much pain to make a retort. Torsten patted Mellok's shoulder as he made way for Rell and her healing device. She waved it over Mellok's nose. The bleeding stopped, and the bend righted itself. She moved to heal the other area she'd pummeled, but Mellok pushed her away.

"Don't come near me." He scooted away from her, his eyes closed as he waited for the pain to subside.

"So we're sleeping here?" Leila asked. "It's not so bad. If we dim the flashlight, it's nice and dark. I think it'll be fine for one night."

"Where are we going tomorrow?" Andessa asked through a yawn.

It was a good question. Torsten looked to Rell. "If you really do have something down here that can help in our war against the dragzhi, we’d appreciate your help. After all, if the grounders die, the buried don’t have anyone to defend them.”

"I can't." Rell set the device down. "Look at me. This isn't how the buried dress. If I go in there like this..."

"Why were you aboveground?" Torsten realized he'd never questioned Rell about her motives. If she was a believer, and all of her actions so far had convinced him she was, then why was she pretending to be a grounder?

"I was released from the community. Sent aboveground against my wishes. I'm not allowed back," Rell said. "They will kill me as surely as they will kill you if we are discovered."

Torsten wanted to reach out and protect her, even though he knew Rell could take care of herself. "So none of us can go in, and Hadar is on fire above." He looked at the other four, hoping someone had a plan.

Their silence told him they didn't. They were trapped. Couldn't go further into the tunnels. Couldn't go aboveground.

"There is one thing..." Rell's voice trailed off. She was hesitant.

"What?" Torsten asked, encouraging her. "Tell us."

Before she could answer, the ground underneath them shook. Torsten fell against the wall, bracing himself. Leila and Andessa scooted closer to Mellok. Rell's eyes grew wider with each successive shudder.

"Earthquake?" Leila asked.

A massive earthquake had devastated Hadar once before. Everyone knew the history, but no one knew why or how to stop them.

"Maybe,” Rell said, her heart pounding. “Or it could be the volcano.”

“Volcano? Let’s get back aboveground,” Leila screamed.