AN: I'm back! I think it's been more than a year since I've posted a new chapter, but I've been using that time to fix the entire fic. My beta reader has been amazing and their help and advice has been invaluable. If you read this pic before the fix, I highly recommend rereading the story. My writing has improved greatly and some story elements have been changed.
Please leave a review, they always make my day. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and encouraged this fix when my writing skills were developing!
This chapter was posted 4/24/18.
Two Years Ago:
The meeting was today.
Nothing had changed since Adrian told me to wait. Raiten was still scheduled to be in the room and as far as I knew, no additional security had been put in place. Raiten had spoken to me briefly after one of my training sessions yesterday to confirm our plan, and having no other answer, I said I was ready. His plan to kill the Rane and Adrian was still set to succeed, with Adrian taking no preventative measures, and I couldn't fathom why.
I'd woken early and spent my morning watching the news and pacing through the living room. Onscreen, reporters rambled on about the Rane's arrival and her possible demands. They'd move onto Adrian's speech, or the Yetz threat, but then they'd come back to the Rane and repeat the loop. The same useless information peppered with lies and half-truths, again and again and again.
"What's wrong?"
I jumped as Mika flickered to being in front of me. "Where's Nathaniel?" I asked, stopping before I walked into his image.
"Upstairs, asleep. It's five in the morning. Why are you so worried about this meeting?" Mika glanced at the news, frowning. "You've done things like this before."
"Today is different," I said sitting down on the couch.
"Different how?"
I rubbed my eyes. "I don't know. I can't talk about it."
"Oh," Mika ran a hand through his hair, twisting the ends hanging by his shoulders. "Adrian was here a few nights ago. Does it have something to do with that?"
"No. That was . . . something else."
Mika glanced at the stairs, then the door. When he met my gaze again, it was his best blank face, but it still held trepidation in the wrinkle between his brows.
"What is it?" I asked.
"When—" He grimaced, then started over. "Nathaniel is getting restless. I think he wants to know when you two are leaving."
"What . . ." I trailed off. I narrowed my eyes at him, but Mika just blinked, waiting. Mika didn't ask about our trips. Even when Nathaniel was getting impatient, Mika let him voice that concern. Mika remained perfectly still, but shot a quick glance to one of the hologram projectors in the corner of the ceiling.
Mika had always been strange, even for an AI. His original had been a smart kid when he was alive, and that trait had magnified when he'd become an AI. Unlike Ruetile, who never mentioned she wasn't a real child, Mika seemed to have made peace with it.
So Mika knew his speech had words tagged to alert Adrian.
Mika was really asking: When are you escaping?
I sucked in a breath. He knew that I wanted to leave. Of course I would, but after my failed attempt with the ID chip, and my following conversation with Adrian . . . I'd stopped thinking about it. Escaping used to be an overwhelming task, but doable. But I realized sometime in the past few days I'd stopped thinking of it as intimidating, and started thinking it was impossible. And now, after Adrian warned me what would happen if I tried again, if Mika gave Adrian a reason to suspect me, it would be bad. "I don't know when we'll be vacationing next. Let Nathaniel know I'll try to make it soon."
Mika frowned. "Okay." He wanted to say more: I could see it in the set of his shoulders. Instead he flickered and vanished.
I hunched over, pressing my palms into my eyes and snarled. Now was not the time for Mika to start asking questions like that. Why couldn't he have waited until . . . I didn't know when, but not now. I'd deal with it later, after whatever would happen today. I pushed myself to my feet and went to get dressed.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Nathaniel had stayed close this morning. He didn't ask what was wrong. A lot of things went unsaid between us.
"You look nice," Nathaniel said. He was trying, but worry strained his smile and voice. "Oh, wait, the pin." He pointed to my collar before vanishing upstairs.
"Right," I muttered, tugging at the too tight collar of my dress uniform. As a member of security for this meeting, I was expected to look presentable. Which meant a stiff shirt tucked into pressed pants, accompanied by leather gloves. The entire outfit was black, like all Elpedite uniforms. Luckily, my lack of rank meant I didn't have to worry about any pins and medals. Except for the collar pin, which was a standard for all uniforms, regardless of rank.
Nathaniel returned with a silver chain in one hand. "Lean down," he said. He clipped it to my shirt collar, a silver chain hanging between the tips of my collar with an extra three inches hanging off the left side and ending with an arrowhead.
"Thanks." I gave him a quick hug, having too much nervous energy for a lingering one. Nathaniel and I were reflecting our stress off of each other, so the sooner I left, the sooner I broke the loop.
As I closed the door behind me I gave him one last weak smile. He returned it, then the door slid shut, cutting him off from me.
I stepped out of the elevator and into a stream of soldiers and other officials. They parted around me, only flashing me brief looks of surprise before speeding past me and off to their destination. A man wearing a visitor's pass walked up the hall toward me, a camera drone buzzing behind him. The man's gaze flicked toward me for a second before his eyes lit with recognition. He looked away, but I saw the recording light of his drone flicker on.
Before I could do anything, Superior Aashi, my knife fighting instructor, materialized at his side, snatching the drone from the air. "Come with me," she snapped, seizing him by the arm. With the other hand she removed the battery from the drone with two quick flicks of her wrist. She slipped the battery into her pocket as she dragged the stuttering man away.
As they passed me, Aashi flashed me an angry look. I wasn't entirely sure it was actually meant for me, or if she was just irritated with the media. Then they were gone.
I pushed open the door to Adrian's office. "You've let too many eyes in. Why?"
Adrian raised a hand to silence me. In front of him on his desk were an abundance of screens. Three were full of text and four had security footage or news playing. He made a few quick edits to one of the text screens before sending it off and closing it. He turned to face me. "Yes, I saw that. Nothing that can't be fixed."
He tugged at the cuffs of his formal suit as he scanned me. "You put the pin on wrong." He gestured me over and I complied. I raised my chin as he reclipped the chain, letting the extra length down on the right side, not the left.
"You still haven't told me what to do about Raiten," I said, glaring as he stepped back.
"We'll discuss that soon. Your gun is loaded?"
"Of course," I said, waving a hand at the pistol on my hip.
Adrian sighed. "Would you calm down?"
"No," I snapped. "You're keeping something from me, and I know there's a reason for it, so would you just get on with this?"
Adrian checked the clock on his desk, drummed his fingers on the wood for a moment. "All right," he said. "Sit down."
When I'd taken a seat Adrian leaned back against his desk. "You will kill Raiten today," he said, giving me a hard look, "the instant after he has shot the Rane of Synia."
It took a moment. I wasn't sure I'd heard him right, or that I'd understood correctly. But I had. He wanted me to let Raiten's plan go through. At least as far as killing the Rane. I recoiled. "Why? You're trying to keep them fighting on our side of the war aren't you? This is the opposite of what you want!"
"Think about it."
There was no way this worked to his advantage. If the Rane died, then the title would fall to her wife, and she would be furious. A member of the Elpedite killing the Rane would be disastrous for all sides. If anything, Synia would declare war on us. "Her wife will blame us!" I hissed.
"She would," he said, "but I've already gathered the evidence of Raiten's background. After she's dead, that will be discovered during the 'investigation,' and Raiten will indisputably be identified as a Yetz terrorist. Since Raiten's position in the meeting was also cleared by the Synia, we are not solely responsible. The only ones who can truly be the scapegoat will be . . ."
"The Yetz," I sighed. I ran both my hands through my hair ruffling it up in black spikes. "Okay. But why does she have to die? I can wait until Raiten pulls his gun. I'm fast enough to shoot him first, but it'll still be obvious what he was trying to do."
Adrian shrugged. "If Raiten is too slow, then go ahead. But only if it takes longer than a second for him to draw and shoot. Or maybe one of the other security team members will get him. But, if he's as quick as he should be, no one will question your actions being too late. Besides, I want a little unrest in the Synian political system. It will open up some positions within the power pyramid for my people."
I couldn't find anything to say. Adrian waited for a moment before shrugging. "We have a little time left," he said, red light flickering in his eyes as he consulted his System. "Be ready by then." He returned to his desk.
I didn't really care about Raiten, or the Rane, or my country. Raiten was someone willing to use me, knowing I was human. The Rane was like Adrian, the leader of a war hungry country, and although she was trying to withdraw from the war now, that didn't grant her much goodwill from me. And Elpedite was a mess of arrogant, bloodthirsty soldiers. But looking at all of this together, this would guarantee an escalation in a terrible war between three of the most powerful countries in the world.
Over the past twenty years, Elpedite had expanded explosively. Adrian had already annihilated two smaller countries whose people were dead or dragged off to some dark corner of Elpedite. Yetz would share the same end. And then Adrian would move onto Synia, which would be far too easy with his people working from within.
I considered what I could do, if I decided to disobey Adrian to stop this. Then I understood why he'd waited until now to give his directions. We had only minutes before the meeting, and I wouldn't see Raiten beforehand. The opportunities I had to kill him before the meeting had passed. And I would have to shoot him during the meeting, because Raiten wasn't fast enough to kill Adrian. So even if I didn't move to stop Raiten, Adrian would, and he'd be furious.
Leaning back in my chair, I smoothed my hair back into place before Adrian could mention it. There was only one thing I could do, and that was follow Adrian's instructions. So I waited.
It felt like an instant later that Adrian stood. "Let's go."
Before I registered his words, I was following him. The two other members of the security team waited outside the office, silently falling in behind us. The meeting was being held in the center of facility, near Adrian's office, so the journey there took only a few minutes.
Raiten and another representative joined us just before we reached the door to the meeting room. Raiten met my gaze, but his stare remained impassive, and so did mine. I didn't like Raiten, but he was expecting me to back him up, and the knowledge I was going to kill him instead sent a chill over me. Then a security member held open the door and we entered.
The room was about what I expected. A thick wood table stretched across the center, but there was plenty of space around it. The left wall was a darkened screen, and several smaller ones ran the center of the table. There was another door at the other end, but no windows.
The two other members of security waited on either side of the door as I followed Adrian to the center of the room. Waiting for us was the Rane of Synia. I hung back a few feet as he approached.
She greeted Adrian with a polite smile and a firm handshake. She wore a suit and stood several inches taller than Adrian, with a cascade of black braids falling down her back. Her smile didn't quite reach her green eyes when she smiled at Adrian, and although I didn't like her, I thawed to her just a bit knowing she didn't like him. A tattoo, glowing a soft white, curled across her forehead and wrists, shining bright against her dark skin.
Next to her stood another woman: her wife, I assumed. Her face was round, but her eyes were cold, nearly black and when she shook Adrian's hand she flashed him a grimace instead of a smile.
Why were they even here? The Rane obviously knew Adrian was a manipulative psychopath, so why risk getting near him? She'd likely already decided to withdraw from the war. The meeting was just a formality to cut ties. It all made sense, but I still couldn't forgive her for showing up. There was something about her decision to make a poor choice, regardless of circumstance, that I couldn't let go.
As I watched Adrian greet the women, I kept Raiten in the corner of my vision. Every twitch of his hand or shift of his weight made my heart beat a little faster. My hands felt like ice.
He would have to move before the groups sat at the table. After that any grab he made for his gun would be obvious and slow. He kept glancing my way.
"This is the military representative I mentioned, Director Raiten." Adrian waved Raiten closer. Raiten began introductions with a smile, going through the same dance Adrian had. My heartrate wasn't an issue; no one would notice it. But I had to use The System to keep breathing at a regular pace, and my thoughts grew cloudy.
Adrian gestured to the table, taking a step.
It was about to happen.
Raiten hung back a few moments as the Rane, her wife, and Adrian turned their backs to him. His gaze met mine for a moment. When he confirmed I was watching him, he faced the Rane. I didn't move.
He reached for his gun, pulled it from the holster. I was really going to let this happen.
He aimed, finger already pulling back the trigger, the other members of security flinched as they began processing.
As fast as thought, I whipped my gun from my holster, aimed at Raiten's temple. There was a fraction of a second where he saw me from the corner of his eye. He didn't have time to be surprised. Twin gunshots broke across the room.
Raiten's knees buckled the same instant the Rane crumpled to the floor. Blood spattered across the desk, the carpet, the Rane's wife. I realized I hadn't learned her name.
"Out!" a member of security yelled as she threw open the door. I seized Adrian by the arm, gripping it harder than necessary and hoping it hurt as I dragged him out the door. One of the Rane's security members did the same with her wife while two other's fell to the Rane's side.
Moments later Adrian had vanished and the place was swarming with security from both countries.
"Alice," I turned to see Superior Aashi. She was as calm as ever, like this hadn't been a surprise. "Come with me." Aashi lead me through the crowd and into a different meeting room down the hall. "Wait here," she said holding the door open for me. As soon as I'd entered, she shut the door and I heard a lock click into place. I picked a chair, sat, and waited.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I spent the rest of the day in that room. It took several hours before the cacophony outside the door quieted. After I'd shaken off the last of my shock, I thought to turn on the screen to watch the news.
I'd expected confused speculation. Maybe baffled reporters that wouldn't know the Rane was dead yet. But it was everywhere. Each channel reporting she was dead, that Director Raiten had killed her, that a group of his Yetz accomplices had been killed during their arrest, that I had shot the traitor, saving Adrian and the Rane's wife, Kihana.
The Synian reports were about the same, although they seemed to be sticking to the facts of what happened and avoiding any opinions for now. Back on the Elpedite channels, debates had flared up on the Yetz problem. I let the news wash over me, occasionally changing the channel, but only absorbing half the information.
Finally, the office door opened and Adrian entered. I stood as he approached, a grin on his face. He clapped a hand onto my shoulder. "Well done."
I wasn't sure what to say. Watching Adrian's plan gain momentum had numbed me. "What happens now?" I asked.
"You get a vacation. You've earned it, and I want you away from the facility while this settles down. The prominent opinion is that your actions are a perfect example of your programs success, but some are disputing it, of course. It'll be easier to sway the people's opinion of you while you aren't here."
"What about the Kihana? If she blames you, your plan gets derailed."
Adrian waved a hand as if brushing away a fly. "She's grieving and angry, of course, and she'll be mad at me, but she'll hold the Yetz responsible, and making an alliance with me will be the most effective was for her to get revenge." He turned me towards the door. "Now let's get you out of the way."
I pulled from his grip and faced him. "When I asked you what you wanted from this, you told me to ask a different question. What was the question I should have asked?"
He considered me. "You asked what I wanted. That was too vague. What you should have asked was: what can I gain, and what will I do to get it? You need to think from other's perspectives if you want to have the advantage. Now come on."
Adrian turned away and exited the room. I followed.
Present:
It had been at least four hours since I'd started my watch from the inn's roof, and it was still snowing. The only movement I'd seen was a fox scamper between two houses before vanishing into the forest. I hadn't seen any people step outside since the search party returned.
I pulled my coat closer and shook the snow from my hair. The System was keeping me warm, but it couldn't much longer unless I started moving. I stopped breathing. The snowflakes drifted past me, swallowing sound, but I'd heard something.
Leaning out over the edge of the roof, I scanned the town. In the street that ran through the houses, by the inn and into the woods, was a small figure. A child, approaching the inn with an odd, stumbling walk. After another heartbeat, another tiny figure wandered onto the street, then another.
I swung myself off the roof and onto the windowsill of Sakura's room. I wrenched open the window and jumped in, landing without a sound. "Sakura," I said, keeping my voice just above a whisper.
Mokona appeared from behind Sakura. "Did Alice spot someone?"
"Yes. Wake Sakura up." I knelt next to my bed. I'd hidden my sword here after our first day, thinking I wouldn't need it and wanting to present a peaceful image. But the time for waiting was over.
Standing, I slid the sheath into my belt as Sakura sat up. She blinked at me for a second, confusion clouding her eyes before she leapt to her feet. "The children?"
I nodded, returning to the window. "Get the others up and into the street as quick as possible. I'm going to follow them."
Sakura nodded, rushing out the door with Mokona on her shoulder. I noticed she'd slept with her shoes on. Smart. I swung myself out the window, falling into a roll as I landed. The children had wandered past the inn, and I ran to catch up to the nearest.
"Hey," I hissed, catching the girl by her shoulder and spinning her around. She only had a thin nightgown on and stood barefoot in ankle deep snow. "What are you—" The girl's face was blank. No surprise, fear, or confusion. She gazed at me for a second with glassy eyes before trying to turn away.
I gripped her by both shoulders, and shook her hard enough to rock her head back. "Wake up!" Once I'd steadied her, I found the same empty gaze. I grimaced, took her by the arm, and dragged her to the nearest home. I tried the door, but it was locked.
The kids were getting too far away. I didn't have time for this. I slammed my fist against the door three times, deciding I'd wait ten seconds before giving up and running after the other kids. The girl kept trying to take a step, like she'd forgotten I was holding her.
A thud from inside, and heavy set of footsteps ran through the house before the door was wrenched open. I'd intended to shove the girl into the arms of whoever answered before running off, but when the man answered the door, I hesitated.
"James," I said.
James, rifle in hand, glanced from me to the girl. He swung his rifle up, but before he could aim I sidestepped, released the girl, and punched him in the face before tearing the gun from his hands.
I spun the weapon and aimed it back at him. "James, I don't have time to be nice. If you want to find the kids, we need to follow them." I stepped aside to show him the kids disappearing into the woods. For a second, I thought I saw a taller figure near the front, but when I blinked it was gone. When James saw the kids some of the anger in his gaze was replaced by concerned.
"What's going on?" he asked. I lowered the gun, pushing the girl into his house.
"I don't know what's wrong with them," I said, "But I think they're all like this." James glanced at the girl, frowning when he saw her glassy gaze. I stepped back outside, offering him his rifle. "Are you coming?"
"Yes," he said, accepting the rifle before disappearing inside. He returned with a jacket, his boots on, and a chair. He closed the door, flashing the girl inside an apologetic look before jamming the chair under the knob. We ran after the kids.
"Tell me what happened," he said as we left town.
"Don't know. I was on watch and I saw them wandering away. I found her like that and couldn't wake her up."
"Why should I trust you?"
"We've had this discussion," I said, shooting him a glare. "And I gave you back your rifle didn't I?"
"After you punched me!"
"All you have to do is follow the kids with me until we find the others. You don't have to trust me."
He was quiet after that as we approached the nearest kid. We caught up to him and James tried to grab his shoulder.
"Wait," I said. "We have to follow them now. If we don't, we might never find the others." James grimaced, but let his hand fall.
A thundering beat rose behind us, suddenly very close out of the silence of the snow. I turned to see four horses and riders running to meet us. James raised his rifle, but I waved him down. "It's my companions."
The others slowed next to us, my horse saddled and following the others. "Hello Alice-san," Fai said. "Would you like a ride?"
"Alice?" James asked, glancing at me.
"Nice work," Kurogane said, dripping sarcasm and glowering at Fai. Fai gave him a grin and a shrug. Kurogane turned his glare on James. "What's he doing here."
"Doesn't matter now," I said. "Is this the road to the castle?"
"It is," Syaoran said, his gaze tracing the path of the children.
I pulled myself onto my horse. "I'm going to the front of the line. At least one person should stay back here." I flicked the reins and my horse took off. I angled the beast to the edge of the path, keeping away from any children in our way. As I passed them I counted until I found the ninth, and last child.
I pulled my horse back to a slower pace, walking several feet behind the kid and keeping pace with her. Minutes later Syaoran and Sakura joined me. "How far until the castle?" I asked.
Syaoran glanced ahead, then down at the book Sakura held up for him. "We're getting close. It should only be a few minutes now."
"What about the river?" Sakura asked. "I'm worried the children will walk right in."
"Good point," I said. "We shouldn't disturb them if we don't have to, but if they try to go in the river, we'll pull them back."
"Right," Sakura said.
I looked ahead and above the tree line a dark shape took form in the snowy haze. A crumbling building of stone, a shade of gray just darker than the sky, with collapsing spires reach up into the falling snow. As we approached I dismounted to walk beside the girl.
"I think you were right," Syaoran said, his brow furrowed.
"About what?" I asked.
"Before we left, I saw that Kyle-san's door was open. The papers you told me about were the missing pages from history book." Syaoran frowned. "Those pages mentioned a way to divert the river, and we should be able to hear it by now."
We cleared the last patch of trees between us as the castle, and found a river, flat and glassy before the castle. I ran ahead as Syaoran and Sakura dismounted. Just before the river was a sheet of snow with a single track of footprints leading to the bank.
I turned back to the others. "Someone is already inside." Syaoran nodded, guiding his horse to a tree as Sakura followed the child closely.
Trusting Sakura to watch her, I walked to the edge of the river. I blinked. There was a path of stone, just beneath the water's surface. I stepped into the river, the water just high enough to soak my shoes. It was safe to cross.
"Let her cross," I told Sakura. Sakura was watching me with wide eyes, but nodded, following the girl into the river.
When we'd gotten halfway across, a snap broke the air, faraway and low.
"What was that?" Sakura asked. I shook my head, trying to listen. The snowfall was even heavier now, trapping sound and making the world eerily quiet. And then I heard the rumble, too close from upstream.
"Look out!" Syaoran shouted, sprinting toward us.
A wall of water flooded around the bend of the river, crashing toward us. I grabbed the girl's arm in one hand, Sakura's in the other, and ran. Sakura found her feet and sprinted with me to the castle's bank, and we reached it with only a heartbeat to spare. I spun to see Syaoran skidding to a stop at the opposite bank his eyes locked on Sakura before he scrambled back. A wall of water roared into the space between us, filling the river with a churning torrent.
That hadn't been an accident. Someone must have used the device that controlled the river's flow, either trying to cut us off or kill us.
Syaoran cupped his hands around his mouth, "I'll try to find the switch on this side!"
Before I could reply, the second child appeared behind Syaoran, stepping around him and toward the river. I took in a breath to yell, but Syaoran had already grabbed the boy, pulling him away from the water.
Syaoran wouldn't be able to leave the bank. He'd have to wait for the others to catch up while he kept the kids from drowning. Syaoran was already pulling the boy towards our horses, probably to tie him to a tree.
I looked for the girl we'd been following to see she was already walking passed the castle gates and into the courtyard.
"We have to go!" I yelled to Syaoran, turning to the castle. Syaoran grimaced, but nodded.
"Stay close to me," I told Sakura as I drew my sword. Whoever beat us here was also responsible for kidnapping the kids, and for nearly killing us in the river. If they were waiting to ambush us, I'd be ready.
"Okay," Sakura said, falling in step just behind me. We jogged to reach the girl, our footfalls echoing off stone. The girl led us through a broken wall in the courtyard and into a dim stone hallway. Frost laced the walls, and ice cracked beneath our feet. The girl stared straight ahead, not even glancing at the darkened rooms and other halls we passed. When she turned a corner, it was an abrupt jerking motion. She didn't hesitate; she seemed to know exactly where she was going.
I gritted my teeth the entire way. We had to keep up with the girl, but that meant passing open doors unchecked, leaving the rooms' contents, or occupants, unknown. All of my training and instincts were screaming at me to slow down, to look and listen, but I had to settle for glancing back as often as I could, and dialing up my hearing until I could hear Sakura's breathing and heartbeat behind me. "Watch our back," I whispered, glancing to her. She nodded.
The girl turned one final corner and we exited the halls and entered an open room. I couldn't tell what the room had been for. The space was huge, made of the same stone work in the halls, but the floor was bare, not even debris to mark decayed furnishing. On the other side of the room, the wall had been bashed in, with a hole about two feet in diameter. The girl we'd followed walked straight for it.
I followed her, already suspecting, but letting her get all the way to gripping the edge of the hole before pulling her away.
"Why would she go here?" Sakura asked as I passed the girl to her. From inside the hole, I heard the clatter of stone and the scrape of movement.
I looked inside, and sucked in a breath. The tunnel through the wall opened up after a few feet into a cavern full of children. In the center, suspended in a column of what liked like glass or ice, glowed Sakura's feather. The children stumbled about it, lifting stones to smash against the crystal, breaking off slivers at a time. They all had the same glassy stare.
I turned to Sakura. "Look."
She frowned, but leaned forward. After a second, she gasped and stepped away, pulling the girl in her arms closer. I was about to turn back to the tunnel, but Sakura gasped again.
"You!" she said.
I spun, sword up, but found and empty room. "What are you talking about Sakura?" I asked, keeping my sword pointed at the empty chamber and stepping closer to her.
"The princess from last night." She pointed to the center of the room. "She's there."
I didn't know what to do. I couldn't see the danger, or hear it. Sword raised, I stood there, waiting for something.
"She says she didn't do this," Sakura said. "Why can't Alice-san see you?" Another moment of silence. "She's dead," Sakura breathed.
"How—" I stopped. There were footsteps approaching from the way we'd come. I grabbed Sakura's elbow, invisible woman forgotten, and pulled her towards the wall by doorway. I crouched next to it, keeping myself between the doorway and Sakura and the girl. Sakura must have picked up on what was happening because she crouched with me, holding the girl close.
The footsteps, a single set, stopped just outside the room. A heartbeat thundered just a few feet away. A sigh, then they were stepping into the room.
I was ready for anyone. If it was one our party, we'd stand and greet them. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt.
Kyle rounded the corner. He had just enough time to register us in the corner of his vision, his head half turning, before I lunged, lashing out with a side kick and hitting him in the chest. His breath left him in a gasp, and he fell to the floor. A knife tumbled from his hand, skittering across the stone.
He sat up and I leveled my sword at him. "Don't move."
He blinked at me, his expression flickering through pain, surprise, anger, and settling on wide-eyed confusion. "Alec? What are you doing here?"
Compared to Adrian, he was a pathetic actor. When Adrian was pretending, I only knew once he'd dropped the act. Kyle's "confusion" was too clueless. He was a doctor and should be smart enough to know what was happening. That and his left hand was balled into a fist, an aggressive bit of body language for someone who should be more confused than angry.
"No more playing stupid, Kyle. I know you're responsible for this." There had only been one person ahead of us. They had crossed the river, waited for Sakura and I to get halfway across before switching the flow again. With the river impassible, the only other person in this castle should be the person responsible.
Kyle raised his hands in surrender. "You're mistaken! I swear I was trying to protect the children."
I plucked his knife from the ground without breaking eye contact. "Is that why you had this out?"
"You have a weapon yourself."
"Enough. The only other person in this castle has to be responsible. I know it. Which means you're the culprit."
Kyle's mask, cracked, then crumbled. He sneered. "You don't have proof. No one in town will believe you."
"I don't care what the town thinks. I don't care if they think I'm the culprit. I believe you kidnapped my brother so I'm going to handle this myself. You're the only thing in my way, and if you don't give me what I want, I'm going to make you." I stood over him, letting the tip of my sword drift an inch away from his eye. "What did you do to the children?"
Kyle's eyes locked on the blade. He paled. "Hypnosis," he said, his voice thin.
"How do I fix it?"
"It wears off every night, unless I hypnotize them again."
"All right," I said. "Now where is my brother?"
Kyle shook his head. "I only took children from the town. He's not here."
I didn't have the patience for lies. The entire way here, watching the girl trudge through the snow barefoot, seeing the children with bruised and bloodied knuckles in that cavern, the purple skin around their toes as frostbite ate at them, I'd seen my brother in their places, and it left a twisting nausea in my stomach. I flicked my wrist, cutting a line across Kyle's cheek. Sakura hissed in a breath. "Wrong!" I said. "I know he's here. Where is he?"
Blood welled from the cut and dripped down Kyle's chin as his hand flew to his cheek. "He's not here!"
A crack echoed from the tunnel, wrenching our attention away from Kyle. A burst of light bloomed from the hole, flooding the room and leaving spots in my vision. There was a scramble of shoes against stone, and when I looked to Kyle he was already on his feet and running from the room.
"Stay here!" I yelled at Sakura, tearing one of my daggers from its sheath and throwing it at her feet before I ran after Kyle.
Kyle had a head start, and he knew this building, but I was faster. He tore around turns just as I entered the hall, but with my hearing I always knew where he'd gone.
Kyle disappeared around the corner just before Syaoran and James emerged from a doorway he'd passed.
"Alice?" Syaoran said. "Was that Kyle?"
I barely slowed, slipping by Syaoran and pointing back the way I came. "Sakura's that way. Find her." Then I was sprinting again. If Kyle managed to double back to that room, James and Syaoran could keep the kids safe. I'd given Sakura my knife, but I didn't know if she had training, or if it would make a difference.
Kyle had gained some distance, but soon I had him in view again. I plucked my remaining knife from my belt, aimed, and threw, The System guiding my hand. I was careful, cutting deep enough to hurt but not to hit an artery. I didn't want him to die until I knew where Nathaniel was. The knife slashed open the back of his leg before clattering to the floor. He crumpled with a yell and I was on him.
Gripping a fistful of his jacket, I wrenched Kyle onto his back and pressed my sword against his throat. "Where is he?" I snarled.
Kyle glared at me, hate and fear clouding his eyes. He didn't say anything, his breath heaving and his heartbeat thundering. I stiffened, about to slash him across the face again, when he spoke.
He spat something out, the words rushed and jumbled. I should've been able to understand them, even if they were cluttered, but I couldn't. They were like a knife trying to gain purchase on glass; they kept skidding off.
Kyle grinned, spoke again, and the world tilted. I stumbled away, trying to find my balance. The System, sensing my disorientation, forced my legs under me and pulled my spine straight. Even so, the room kept spinning around me. I distantly registered Kyle jumping to hit feet before pain burst across my face. I stumbled into the nearest wall, darkness crawling at the corners of my vision as Kyle's footfalls faded away.
Seconds later, I gasped as everything snapped back into place. My left eye throbbed and I registered Kyle had punched me. Kyle was gone. I listened, but the stone halls were silent and they all looked the same. I had no idea where he'd gone.
What had he done? What happened to me? I pressed my back against the wall until my head stopped pounding.
The only thing to do was go back to Sakura and the kids, so I shook off my confusion, picked up my knife, and started walking.
Had that been magic? Or hypnosis? I didn't think hypnosis could do something like that. Magic seemed like a better reason, considering it seemed to be the explanation for everything confusing in the past days.
When I reached the room, I found the rest of the group waiting. Fai and Kurogane stood by the tunnel in the wall, Fai peering inside. Most of the kids were gathered in the center of the room, staring into the distance. Sakura held a shard of crystal and stood facing the door, speaking to Syaoran, who stood next to James. Some of the kids had woken up, and had latched onto the nearest familiar thing: him. Suspended inside the crystal Sakura held glowed one of her feathers. Sakura was the first to see me and ran to my side. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I'm fine," I said. "But he got away."
Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"I don't know," I said, walking past him. "He said something, I don't know what. It disoriented me and he ran off."
Fai frowned. "You can't remember?"
That was odd. I didn't remember, but I hadn't worded it that way. But I didn't linger on it. I needed to find Nathaniel. I shook my head and continued, heading for Mokona, who was on Syaoran's shoulder. "Mokona," I said as I approached. The creature perked up, along with Syaoran and James. James kept shooting Mokona wary glances, but spent most of his attention on the kids clutching at his arms.
"Did Alice-san catch Kyle?" Mokona asked.
"No," I sighed. "Mokona, is my brother here?"
Mokona beamed. "Nathaniel should be right here."
I frowned but started looking the children over again. I skimmed over them, looking for a head of black hair and clothes from my world. Nothing. But The System flashed an alert in my vision. It was a match on Nathaniel's features. I followed the blue lines in my vision and caught a flash of blue eyes and black hair.
I crossed the space in three strides. "Nathaniel—" I froze in front of him, my hand hovering an inch from his shoulder as he blinked up at me with glassy blue eyes. Eyes. He had both. I lowered my hand, seeing the other things that weren't quite right. He was too young, my Nathaniel was twelve, but this boy was eight at the most. It was him, though. He looked just like Nathaniel had at that age.
He was this world's Nathaniel. Like the men Syaoran had seen in the Hanshin Republic.
He shivered, the glassy look suddenly gone. He stumbled back, his foot buckling under him. I lunged to catch him, steadying him before letting go. I was a stranger to him, and the knowledge made him hard to touch. I didn't want to scare him.
"Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, his voice threatening to break. I knelt to his level, putting a hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him.
"It's okay," I said, my voice hoarse. "You're safe now. I'm going to take you home." I took off my overcoat, draping it around his shoulders. He nodded, lip wobbling as tears rand down his cheeks. I stood and offered him my hand. I wanted to pick him up, to hug him and promise I'd keep him safe. But this wasn't my Nathaniel.
But he took my hand and held it tight. "I'm Alice," I said. "What's your name?"
"Nathaniel."
"It's nice to meet you. Let's get you home now, okay?"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Once most of the children had woken and James explained what had happened to them, we led everyone out of the castle. I didn't let go of Nathaniel's hand.
Everyone had taken off their coats to give to the children, several of them suffering from frostbite. I gave my gloves to Nathaniel. The tips of his fingers were purple. The nine children who were still hypnotized were assigned to an adult. Kurogane, Fai, Syaoran, and James each had a child in their arms or by the hand. Sakura held the hands of two girls and I held the hand of another boy besides Nathaniel. Two of the older children who'd woken up agreed to guide the two remaining dazed kids.
Once we'd crossed the lowered river and transferred as many children as possible onto our horses to spare their feet from the snow, we were able to exchange information.
I hoisted Nathaniel onto my back as James approached. "That's not your brother." His tone wasn't accusing, just confused.
"No," I said, "but he looks a lot like him."
James frowned. "So your brother isn't here."
"No." The word felt like a mouthful of ice. He was silent after that.
"Syaoran," I said. He looked up, the hand of a child in his and the lead of a horse in the other. "What happened? How did you cross the river?"
"Kurogane ran up river with Fai to find the switch while James and I watched the kids. This book gave us an idea where it was."
"So," James said, his voice heavy, "it was Dr. Kyle? I don't believe that."
"I think when we search his office, you'll change your mind." Syaoran said.
"Why's that?"
"On our way to follow Alice-san, I saw Kyle-san's door was open, but he wasn't there. Earlier Alice-san told us about some strange papers in his office." He tucked the horse's lead under his arm and pulled a couple of sheets of paper from his coat. "These are the papers she mentioned. They're the missing pages from this book. I didn't have time to look closely, but the other papers she found seemed suspicious. We should look at them when we get back."
"Fine," James said, all heat gone from his tone. "I'm just glad the children are okay." He shifted, getting a better grip around the sleeping girl on his back. All the children were exhausted. The ones who had a ride had fallen asleep as soon as their feet left the ground.
When we got close to town, James ran ahead to tell everyone what had happened in the hope to avoid a violent welcome. We stopped near the inn, and people were already pouring from their houses. Most of them ran to meet us while others ran to the homes of the uninformed. In moments the entire town surrounded us. The others set down the children they carried and lifted the rest from the horses, all were immediately scooped up by sobbing family members.
Rebecca ran through the crowd straight to Amelia, pulling her into her arms and burying her face in the child's hair. The girl clung to her mother, her knuckles white.
"Hey," I said, giving the boy on my back a gentle shake.
"Huh," he muttered, inhaling as he woke up.
"Where's your family?"
He took a moment to look around before pointing to my left. When I found the family he pointed to, my feet froze to the ground.
The first face I saw was my mother's. Her hair longer than I'd ever seen it, and she was younger, but it was her. By her side stood my father, his glasses round instead of square, his hair pulled back into a low ponytail. And between them—
A girl with long black hair and blue eyes. She was younger than me, missing the scar on my left cheek, but it was my face. Her face was crumpled with worry and hope, her eyes racing over the children, but somehow her features still seemed softer than mine. Then her gaze found mine. Confusion flashed in her eyes before I looked away.
I inhaled, realizing I'd stopped breathing. I set down Nathaniel, and he turned to give me a final look. "Thank you."
Then he ran to my—his parents and sister, his father pulling him into a hug and choking back sobs. His mother and sister were there in an instant, joining the embrace and hiding him from view.
His mother only embraced him with one arm, because in the other was a small bundle. Blonde wisps floating above the baby's head. I only caught a glimpse of the baby before Nathaniel's mother turned to hold him tighter and hid the baby in the family's group hug. They were all crying, but they were all there, together.
I'd turned away and taken three steps before I'd processed I needed to leave.
I pushed through the crowd and towards the inn. It was the only place I could think to go. But instead of going inside I went to the back of the building, putting it between me and the town, and collapsed against the wall, sliding down to the snow.
I tried pushing the thought away, but it kept flying back. If that was my family, echoed in this world, with my parents and their children . . . I was supposed to have another sibling.
Nathaniel and I should have a little brother or sister.
Adrian had taken something I'd never had. Someone I'd never get to know.
And Nathaniel was still lost. After all of this, and he could still be in danger and I was still no closer to finding him.
I let it all wash over me, let it hurt, and then watched the snow fall.
After what felt like hours, but couldn't have been because it was still night, someone stepped around the corner. I looked up to see James.
"Alice?" he said, trying the name.
"Yeah," I said.
"Mr. Velafied wanted me to return this, and give his thanks." He held out my overcoat and gloves.
Even the family name was the same. I took the clothes and tucked them under my arm.
"You . . ." James started, tried again, "There something more going on with you and that family, isn't there? You look like their daughter, E—"
"Don't say that please. I can't explain it. But yes." I couldn't hear my old name right now. It was too much of a reminder of who I might be.
He was quiet for a minute. "I'm sorry your brother wasn't here. What will you do now?"
I shrugged. "We'll leave tomorrow, and I'll start over again." I stood, ready to return to the others.
"Here," James held out his rifle. I frowned at it, then him.
"You helped bring my niece home. And I have another rifle at home. Take it."
I did, reflexively checking the chamber and barrel. The System logged its dimensions. It was a rough version of the rifles from my world, but it was a gun and had bullets, so I'd take it. "Thank you." I slung it onto my back.
We walked back to the front of the inn together. "This is a strange question, but Nathaniel's family . . . what's the name of their baby?"
James raised an eyebrow, but seemed resigned to my strange behavior. "Aila."
"A girl then?"
He nodded. I memorized the name.
"Thanks," I said, gripping the door to the inn.
"Alice," James said. I looked back to see him give me a flash of a smile, but it was a heavy one. "I hope you find him. You and your brother welcome at my house, if you're ever back here."
I nodded, regarding him for a final time before I shut the door.
In the living room, everyone else sat waiting for me.
"About time," Kurogane said, leaning against the mantle. "Where did you get that?"
Fai elbowed him. "That's rude, Kuro-pin."
"James gave it to me," I said, choosing to ignore the first part. I faced Syaoran, who sat on the couch by Sakura. "Did you and James go through Kyle's papers?"
"Yes. We went through his desk with the mayor and Mr. Grosum. After comparing Kyle's medical records to the names of the missing children, it was fairly obvious it was him."
At least that had gone smoothly then. I wouldn't have any patience to deal with a speculative Mr. Grosum or the mayor.
Sakura gave me a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what happened. Was that your brother?"
I shook my head, trying to find the words to explain. I'd thought I was composed enough to return, and while I kept my expression under control, I couldn't voice what had happened.
Fai sat down on the couch across from her. "Different versions of people exist in different worlds. When we were in the Hanshin Republic, Syaoran-kun saw a man that looked like the king of your country, your brother. These people look the same, and have similar personalities, but they're different people. I think Alice-san found this world's version of her brother." Fai looked to me for confirmation. I nodded.
"Mokona is sorry," Mokoa said, his ears drooping. "Mokona found the wrong Nathaniel."
"It's fine," I said. "Will you be able to tell the difference next time?"
"Mhm," Mokona's ears perked back up. "This Nathaniel felt strange. Still like Nathaniel, but Mokona will know next time."
Fai tilted his head. "And the rest of us have a better idea of what your brother looks like now. That will make finding him a bit easier."
"Right." The knowledge lifted some of the weight in my chest. Not much, but it was something.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
That night, we decided to leave in the morning before the town woke to hopefully avoid any confusion. Once we'd decided on our plan, Sakura clutched the crystal to her chest and the feather vanished into her. She fell asleep immediately and when Syaoran took her to bed upstairs. Everyone else decided to turn in as well. We would only have a few hours of sleep if we wanted to leave before morning.
I leaned my rifle against the bed before dropping into bed. I lay awake for a long time, thinking about the boy who wasn't Nathaniel, the parents that weren't mine, the girl who wasn't me, and the sister Nathaniel and I would never have.
It was okay, I told myself. I would find him.
I took a long, slow breath before letting it go and finally falling asleep.