Chapter 18
River
My suffering continued.
It was Saturday.
Did that mean I got to sleep in?
No.
I never got to sleep in. I never got to sleep. I was starting to wonder if that was on purpose. Like maybe this was some new form of torture Avery was trying out on me. It made perfect sense for him to do something subtle I couldn’t call him on.
The crackling speaker on the wall had woken me, and after a few minutes of getting ready, I was stalking up the hall.
The murmur of voices made my stomach sink as I drew closer to the lavish dining room. Most of this lodge made sense, but the size of the dining room didn’t. We never sat down together for our meals unless we were showing off to the flock.
I made it to the dining room, wincing at the brightness spilling into the hall. All three of the moose-antler chandeliers were on and sparkling, and all the drapes were pulled back, allowing the natural light to filter through the wall of windows.
I eyed everyone warily. They seemed to be in good moods. The sky was clear, though that didn’t mean anything. Gina could be here, just not…in a mood. Or at least not yet. I wasn’t sure if that made my situation any more or less precarious.
“There he is,” a grating voice cooed. “The Maelstrom is here.”
I cringed in full view of the audience, ignoring how they all chuckled like I was a shy toddler.
The crowd consisted of Peter Earl, Lucille fucking Brandt, and her three Links.
She was bravely wearing a leopard-print coat, and I really hoped Gina would be here soon.
The Tempest was famously vegan and quite intolerant of non-vegans.
“Ah, there you are,” Avery called. “Come here. Take a look at our visitors.”
Avery had two people on their knees in front of him. A man and woman, both looking pale, dirty, and hungry. The man was angry, his dark hair in his face as he thrashed. The woman was blonde, almost a redhead, and she was…lost. These must’ve been the people from the secret visit to the Gulf.
I made my way around until I could see the captives head on, and my stomach began to churn. Avery moved to clap his hand on my shoulder, and I shifted away from him sharply, avoiding his touch.
“I have some new affinities for you to practice with,” Avery said, ignoring my slight.
My pulse jumped so hard I felt it in my neck, but I remained still. No one could see how my heart pounded, how my legs went numb from fear. Intuitive as he was, Avery never could figure out what I was really feeling as long as I kept my face blank.
“Fuck you,” the man spat. “We don’t have anything for you. We don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do,” Avery said flatly. “The Polygraph has already determined they’re lying.”
“Lying…that’s what this is about?” I asked.
“Of course not,” Avery snapped. “They’re hiding the whereabouts of a new asset for my collection.”
I rubbed my eyes. Fucking hell. Of course the secret Gulf visit had something to do with a secret new asset.
I looked to the Brandt Chain, all watching me with varying levels of apprehension. Lucille was practically salivating, excited as always to see my affinity in action. Caleb and Finn were watching me with equal parts concern and disgust. Harper looked…sad. But she always looked sad.
“Why didn’t you just search for the asset?” I asked.
Avery’s lips twisted, and then I sucked in a sharp breath as he spoke into my mind.
They don’t actually know the whereabouts. They’re insisting the asset isn’t what I’m looking for, but Earl knows that part is a lie. The woman is pretending it’s her affinity I seek.
“Got it,” I gasped slightly, my heart pounding behind my eyes. Actually, my vision seemed to be pulsing in and out with the throbbing.
“They speak in secret often,” Lucille whispered loudly to one of the men. “Their connection is so intuitive.”
Avery rolled his eyes.
Harper still watched me, her lips pursed.
I was starting to think Lucille was the only member of the flock that didn’t need to be forced to believe in Avery.
“We don’t know where he went,” the man said, looking to me. His anger was turning into desperation. “We don’t know.”
“And you wouldn’t tell me even if you did know,” I said.
The man looked away while the woman only glared at me. Yeah, she wouldn’t have told me. She moved her glare behind me. “You should be ashamed. You said you’re a mother. How could you do this?!”
“What?” Lucille squawked. “I’ve never seen you before! God, she must be delirious.”
I turned to sneer at Lucille, then stopped.
Oh.
The lady was glaring at Harper.
How interesting.
“Iykos confirmed it. One of them can go incorporeal.” Avery said, not having noticed the weird glare.
My stomach churned at the reminder of the Iykos Chain. I hoped Lana was safe, wherever she was.
I still had some of a sensing affinity from Landon.
He’d given me most of it when I’d last seen him, since he knew he’d be dying at that point.
Even while not at full power, I could tell this woman did not have a powerful affinity.
She had one. For water. And it was weak.
There was something there, something I couldn’t identify, but it wasn’t incorporeality.
“Which Iykos told you that?” I asked.
Avery exhaled, relaxing slightly since I wasn’t outright refusing. “Lukas,” he replied. “He and Harper fetched these people for me from the islands.”
I went still.
I breathed out very slowly.
“Where in the islands?” I asked, glancing at Harper again. “The ghost island?”
“No, River,” Avery sounded cautiously exasperated. “It was one of the atolls, I don’t remember which. It doesn’t matter. Iykos never lied to me.”
That was true, but…
My gaze cut back to Harper, who stared right back at me, her jaw clenched.
Unlike the rest of the Brandt Chain, and Aiden potentially, Harper wasn’t an idiot. She wouldn’t have kidnapped an entire family if she were wrong. Which meant either the Iykos that’d gone with her to the islands really was stupid, or…
Or she lied.
Ho-lee fuck. Harper Brandt was lying to Avery.
I had no idea how or why, and I didn’t have time to consider it. Avery wanted me to take these affinities.
The man was easy. He was already out of energy from weeks of fighting whatever Avery had put him through. His water affinity barely trickled out of him, and he slumped over without any dramatics.
The woman was weeping, though she still didn’t speak to me.
Avery was distracted.
He was speaking with Peter Earl, the two whispering back and forth conspiratorially.
I jumped when I turned back. The woman was staring at me, now.
Can you hear me?
I tensed as a bit of pain split my skull. Not as bad as when Avery spoke to me, but a Telepath was a Telepath.
Yes, I ground out.
Listen to me, she said urgently. I can see you aren’t like him. You’re trapped here, just like that woman.
I furrowed my brow.
I have a son, the lady whispered. The woman let him hide. The one behind you, with dark hair.
I blinked several times, nervously darting a glance at Avery, still wrapped up in his whispering with Earl.
Please don’t let them find him. He’s…he has a strong affinity, one the Sensors have never heard of. Please don’t let them use him for something bad. He’s a good boy. Too smart for his own good. Please, if there’s any part of you that is good…
I’ll try.
That was all I could promise her.
And she nodded, content with that, then took a deep breath. Will it hurt?
Don’t fight it. It’s like falling asleep.
She nodded again, a renewed sense of comfort blooming inside her.
I’ve been hiding this affinity since I was a child, she whispered. Don’t let it go to waste.
I won’t, I promised, my eyes stinging as I reached inside her.
She didn’t fight. The affinities practically twirled through my fingers, bouncing through my arm before settling in my chest. The woman slumped over slowly, looking like she’d just dozed off, completely calm and leaned back against the wall.
The water affinity moped a bit…but there was also strange type of sensing affinity I’d never felt before.
I made eye contact with Peter Earl.
“The incorporeality?” Avery asked eagerly.
I shook my head solemnly. “She didn’t have it. Looks like Iykos lied to you.”
Avery whipped around to Peter Earl, who nodded quickly, confirming I was telling the truth. Then he shot a glare at Harper.
“That bastard Iykos,” she whispered. “He…he lied to me!”
“Goddamn those fucking Iykos,” Avery roared, then turned over the table.
I stood in the kitchen, chewing my thumb like an idiot.
This microwave looked like it could go to the moon. There were too many buttons…fuck, too many numbers? What the hell was this?
I looked down at the plate of frozen pizza rolls in front of me, sighing as I placed it inside the microwave. This snack was going to fucking suck. Where the hell was Carrie?
I shook my head as I fiddled with the timer –which kept adding new numbers to the clock?– and I tensed as I heard footsteps behind me.
I spun around at the same moment Avery stopped in the doorway, his silver gaze assessing my mood before he came any closer.
He deemed me not a threat, then made his way forward, smartly stopping by the island so that there was something between us. A countertop wouldn’t save either of us from the other, but the idea was nice.
For a moment, only the sound of the spaceship microwave droned in the background.
“How are you?” Avery asked. “After…”
After killing a woman and her husband after she told me about her son that Harper Brandt let get away?
I grunted.
“Anyway,” he went on. “I’ve decided it’s probably best to keep you at the academy. With Alex indisposed–” I snorted. He ignored me. “–I think it’s a good idea for you to be there, keeping an eye on things.”
I nodded, because what else was I supposed to do? I was a prisoner here.
The moment I thought the word, I froze.
Thankfully, Avery was literally twiddling his thumbs, so he hadn’t noticed my change in demeanor.
Maybe going back to the academy wasn’t a good idea. It gave me too much freedom. Too much free time.
Too much hope.