Chapter 24 #2
I love the thought of leaving this city and returning to Florence, but I can’t lose my access to Hector and Caden in this crucial time. And if I go missing, it would be a warning to Hector that something is going on.
“I can’t leave, River. I’ll be more helpful closer to Hector.”
“But I might not be able to reach you again.”
“I can’t make him suspicious. I’m sorry.”
He goes quiet for a few seconds before saying, “Fine, but I don’t like it. Where’s Caden?”
I don’t even know where to start, but the others have the right to know what has been happening.
I keep my voice steady as much as I can, sharing with River how Hector’s gift slowly took over Caden and made him doubt his own mind, yet he needed that gift to survive in the arena.
I tell him about what happened in the sewers, when Hector gave him his final gift and altered Caden so profoundly that he might be lost to us forever.
River holds my hand. “I’m sorry it happened, but his soul must still be there. We’ll find it.”
“And what if we can’t?”
“I’m the expert on souls, remember?”
I try to absorb as much of his optimism as I can, even though he didn’t see what I saw. “At least Hector is a bit weaker now—he told me that himself.” Though even weaker, I have no idea what he’s capable of. He’s been careful about keeping his powers hidden.
“I don’t know how to fix any of this,” I say, “but if I had to bet, I’d say that taking out Hector is our best chance at getting Caden back. Maybe if he’s dead, his gift dies with him.”
“We’ll know for sure only after we kill him, and until we do…”
“We must have faith.”
“Correct! See, Goo? I told you that Finn is very smart and brave and handsome.”
“You did. You talk a lot.”
“Because I know many words.”
“River, there might be someone else who could help us,” I say, though I’m hesitant.
“Caden told me about a man named Elijah, the head of House Powell. He’s against everything Hector has been doing, but he’s not strong enough to stop him.
Maybe he can give you more information if you manage to speak with him, but don’t blindly trust him. ”
“I’ll try to find him.”
I wish to stay with River longer, but I can’t take the risk. “I need to head back. Try to update me if you can, but only if it’s safe. Our main goal is still bringing down Hector and his army.”
“And saving you.”
“No.”
He stands up and offers me his hand. “I make my own goals.”
*
I wake up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, my throat itchy and dry.
I sit up and rub my face, taking deep breaths to slow down my heartbeat.
I dreamed of my fight for survival in the arena, but this time Caden didn’t jump down to save me.
He sat next to Hector, watching the bloodbath with emptiness in his eyes.
Even when they stabbed me and left me to bleed out on the sand, he kept watching like I no longer mattered.
Once I calm down, I climb out of bed to get some water in the kitchen.
The apartment is dark and quiet, and the floor is cold under my bare feet.
I gasp at the sudden sight of Hector standing by the glass wall, watching the city while holding a tall glass of wine.
He’s naked, the light of the moon illuminating his pale skin.
His tail sways behind him, emerging from his lower back.
“Another bad dream?” he asks without looking at me.
“Yes.”
“A glass of wine will help.”
I don’t want wine, but I also don’t want to argue with him. Once I pour myself a glass, he says, “Come here.”
I take a breath and stand next to him, feeling uncomfortable with his nudity. We stay silent for a while, and I hide my nervousness by taking small sips of wine.
“I also had a bad dream,” he says. “You’d think that after so many decades, old memories would be forgotten, but the mind likes to hold on to the past.”
“I know.”
He snickers. “Sorry, but you’re too young to relate.”
“You can say that about everyone.”
He nods. “True.”
“What did you dream about?”
“Sam. Not his death—his life. When he believed we would be happy once we found a new home. I do wonder why it’s not his death that haunts my dreams.”
“Maybe because his death was out of your control, but you made him believe that finding a new home was possible.”
He turns to watch me, making me tense, though there’s no anger in his eyes.
“Is that what it’s about?” He takes a sip of wine. “Interesting.” After a few moments of silence, he says, “You remind me of him. It’s in your eyes and in how you think before you speak. Maybe that’s part of why I wanted you here.”
I don’t know how to respond, and I don’t know how I feel about this, so I say, “Can I go back to sleep?”
“You don’t need my permission for that.”
Relieved, I turn to leave, but he holds my arm.
“You miss him,” he says.
“Of course I do.”
“But you don’t have to. I can bring him here for you two to spend time together.”
I feel sick, the wine climbing up my throat. “I don’t want you to make him want to be with me. He’s not your puppet.”
“I’ll give him the choice to refuse, but why would he?”
Because I don’t mean much to him anymore. I saw it in the way he looked at me. All the warmth and care were absent, as though they never existed.
In his own way, Hector is trying to be kind to me, but it’s fundamentally evil and wrong. The Caden I miss is not the one Hector can summon over to this apartment. “I’m going to sleep.”
He lets go of my arm. “Good night. Let me know if you change your mind. Caden will be more occupied soon.”
I leave him to stare at his damn city, but my sleep remains out of reach until morning.
*
“How many?” Caden asks.
“Almost two thousand with combat experience, and a similar number without.”
“Raiders don’t have combat experience—not the kind that counts.”
Hector gives him a hard look. “A leader should test his soldiers before assessing their abilities.”
“I have been testing them for over a decade. They have no discipline and no strategic thinking.”
Hector doesn’t push back, likely because he knows it’s the truth. We’re standing on top of a hill overlooking a military base. It’s been four days since I spoke with River, and I haven’t heard a word from him since, but I did ask him to be careful when trying to reach me.
“I hoped I would have more to work with,” Caden says.
He’s wearing a green uniform after years of wearing his blacks, and there’s a new rifle strapped to his back.
He barely said hello to me earlier, as if he didn’t want to see me.
Despite how painful it is to be near him, I still wanted to come here, hoping that something might have changed.
If he’s bothered by his new yellowish eyes and scaled face, he doesn’t show it. It shouldn’t surprise me since his vanity was always an act. As long as his beauty couldn’t save him in combat, he didn’t put much thought into it.
“You have almost four thousand soldiers,” Hector says, “plus our defenses and drones. There are also our friends in the sewers, although they’re not meant for defending Denver.”
I find that statement strange. Wouldn’t he want to use everything he has to defend his city?
“Your lizards are not for me to command,” Caden says.
“You and I work as one, do we not?”
“Of course, sir.”
I wish there was a trace of deceit in his voice, but all I hear is obedience.
“What about the arena fighters?” Caden asks.
Hector frowns. “What about them?”
“Between all the houses, there should be around three hundred fighters overall. They know how to follow orders and how to take a beating. I’ll need to work on their shooting skills, but with a bit of practice, I can turn them into my elite force.”
Hector nods and pats Caden’s back. “Brilliant, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time, so you’d better train them quickly.”
I dare to ask, “Why don’t we have much time?”
“You know why,” Caden answers. “The Hives and the Free Cities will be here soon. High Hope is helping them, giving the alliance enough troops to invade. That should also include over one hundred Semi-Humans that we’d better take out first if we want to have a shot at winning this.
They’re fast, but they can’t fly, so our drones should focus all of their firepower on them. ”
I want to hit him so badly, even though none of this is his fault.
“All valid points,” Hector says. “Another bad omen is the death of my spying lizards around our borders.”
“Are you blind without them?” Caden asks.
“Yes, and when you can’t see what’s coming, you must prepare for the worst.”
“I’ll start training the arena fighters first thing tomorrow. Please let the houses know. I might also need to make changes and restructure some of the units. Do I need your permission?”
“I didn’t give you permission to kill Isaac, but you did it anyway.”
Caden sighs. “He would’ve killed you for lying to him.”
“I never lied to him; I gave him a chance.”
And you found him a replacement because you couldn’t control him.
“It doesn’t matter now,” Caden says. “Do I need your permission to make changes?”
“You have my full support, but remember that after your recent actions and change in appearance, people are suspicious of you. See that your decisions make sense.”
“They will.”
“Well then. Let’s return to my place for lunch. You two can have some alone time.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Caden says, and it feels like a blow.
“Come now, you’re hurting Finn’s feelings.”
“He’s disgusted by me.” I’m shocked to hear the hurt in his voice. It feels like the sign of humanity I was so desperately waiting to hear.
“I’m not… I’m not disgusted by you.”
“See? He’s just going through an adjustment period, but he’ll soon understand—once I give him my first gift.”
Despite the warm day, my blood freezes.
Caden opens his mouth, but he changes his mind and nods instead. He’s likely the only person with any sort of leverage over Hector, but he’s not going to fight for me.
From behind me, Hector raises my shirt, exposing my stomach and chest. “Where should I make the first cut?”
Caden lowers his gaze and presses his finger to my navel before raising it to my chest. “Like this.”
“Agreed. We can do it after lunch.”
“No!” I push my shirt down and turn to face Hector. “You said you’d give me more time.”
“I did give you more time, and I’m doing this for you. When the fighting starts, you might be in danger. You’ll wish to have my gift then.”
“So let me make that choice!”
“You made your choice when you decided to come to this city and spy for the enemy, and when you chose to stay with me instead of jumping out the window. I’ve been giving you a choice every single day, so don’t be ungrateful.” He looks past me at Caden. “Ready to go?”
“Yes, sir.”
*
The three of us ride in the same long car, and I fail to take a proper breath. Even if one cut won’t reduce me to the same state as Caden, it will still taint my mind, which has always been my most reliable weapon.
I sit with my head bowed, trying to think of a way out of this, even if it means jumping out of this car, but Hector and Caden will outrun me.
“You’re breathing too fast,” Caden tells me.
“Don’t pretend to care.”
“I… care.” He sounds unsure if that’s true.
I’m filled with a deep sense of sadness, struggling to imagine what he is dealing with. His feelings toward me are likely just memories, and it must be messing with his head not being able to feel like that again even though I’m right here.
I turn to look at him and say, “I don’t know how, but I will fix this. I promise.”
“Why would you want to fix what isn’t broken?” Hector asks from the seat in front of me.
I don’t answer, because words are pointless against this man.
“Stop!” Hector suddenly shouts.
The driver hits the brakes, almost making me fall from my seat.
“What is it?” Caden asks, holding tightly to his rifle.
“Our communication center is under attack.” He turns to the driver. “Take us there!”
“How many people are attacking?” Caden asks.
Hector frowns. “Just… one.”
Caden looks at me. “Is it River?”
“How the hell should I know? I’ve been a prisoner for weeks.”
“Isn’t that the Semi-Human you were in the forest with?” Hector grabs my shirt and pulls me toward him, making me fall to my knees. “Isn’t he?”
“Yes! But I don’t know where he is.”
Hector snorts. “You’re lying. Caden, have you ever killed a Semi-Human?”
He glances at me, and for a second, I catch a glimpse of hesitation in his eyes, but it quickly fades. “No, sir.”
“Then today you’ll kill your first.”