32

A huge farmer’s field stretched as far as the eye could see. Row after row of waist-high, yellowed corn stalks rustled in the breeze. On either side, the dense darkness of the forest stood resolutely impenetrable until out of sight. Overhead, the broiling midday sun had the sky to itself. Even the birds were hiding.

Alec wiped the sweat from his brow and anticipated another hour of walking with intense dislike. Who the hell had teleported them into the middle of nowhere? This was some escape. “Keep going?” he asked Darius.

“’Fraid so,” Darius replied.

They stepped out into the wide path bordering the field. Tractor treads criss-crossed the earth like gigantic tic-tac-toe games. A tall wooden fence separated the three of them from the field beyond. Darius climbed over and dropped to the other side and carried on walking. Riley followed suit and Alec took up the rear, nearly tearing his hand on a protruding nail. Riley tugged on Darius’ sleeve to slow him down.

“Do you actually have a destination or are we just going to walk until we collapse?” she asked.

Darius pointed to his right. Off in the distance, the sun-bleached, red tiles of a barn roof were just visible behind a huge grove of trees. There was an old-fashioned windmill not far from it, creaking as it turned slowly in the humid air.

Alec perked up. With a farm came farmers and food and a method of transportation. Darius would have to use his Tyon power to convince the people who lived there to feed them, hand over the car keys, and maybe, Alec tugged at the collar of his jumpsuit, loan them some decent clothes. He sprinted to catch up with Darius and Riley.

“So, listen,” Riley said as she wiped her bangs off her wet forehead with an exasperated sigh, “I’ve been thinking about a few things and I’ve got some questions about this organization of yours.”

“It’s not my organization now.” Darius stared straight ahead.

Riley ignored that statement. “We walked right out of the Base. No one even gave us a second glance. What’s up with that?”

Good question, Alec thought. He could remember everything clearly until he touched the orb in the tunnel and woke up in the middle of a cornfield an hour ago. The lack of interest the Tyons displayed had been unnerving, if not downright weird.

“Orions and Tholans are the most logical and unimaginative group of beings you’ll ever meet.” Darius stopped abruptly and reached down. Grasping a handful of leafy shoots, he yanked. A bunch of carrots, thick with dirt, appeared. Darius smiled coldly. “And that’s the key to staying one step ahead of them. No imagination. They couldn’t begin to believe that we’d try to escape by walking out right in front of everyone. So, when we did, the assumption was that we were supposed to be there, had some purpose. As long as our thoughts didn’t betray us, we were fine.”

“But if Anna or Logan had seen us …” Riley yanked a few carrots out herself before Darius started walking again.

“Sure, they’d have known what we were up to.”

Riley paused, frowning. She glanced at Alec for a second as if wondering how to phrase the next question. It was probably the same one on his mind. Why had Dean sent a killing bolt of power at them?

“He didn’t want to kill you,” Darius sighed. “He was after me.”

“I wish you’d stop reading my thoughts,” Riley snapped.

“It’s faster. There’s no reason to pretend now. And besides, your thoughts are so interesting.”

“Get out of my head, you creep.” Riley smiled, smacking his backside with her carrots. Darius gave a brief laugh.

“So, if Dean were only after you, why’d Anna get blasted?” Alec wondered aloud.

“She didn’t repel it. Didn’t try. I don’t know why.” Darius’ voice was hard and his jaw set. He started to walk faster towards the farm, as if trying to put some distance between the uncomfortable topic of conversation and his own feelings. For several minutes they walked in silence.

The farm slowly came into view, appearing fully as they climbed over the hedge and dropped down into an untidy yard of overgrown grass and haphazardly planted fruit trees. The clapboard house was a dilapidated affair with three small additions tacked onto the main one-storey building, all in different styles and all in need of repair. The two barns were in much better condition, freshly painted and the grass cut short around them. The larger of the two’s main doors were partly open where the raised gravel path met them.

The place was silent except for the buzzing of wasps around the cherry trees, whose bountiful branches were weighed down with bright red fruit. Alec plucked a handful as he passed and popped them into his mouth, savouring the sweetness with satisfaction. Riley caught him wiping cherry juice from his chin and grinned. He tossed her a couple of cherries before grabbing a few more for himself.

There wasn’t a car or pickup truck anywhere, nor were there any signs of people. No radio, no music, no voices, no laundry hanging on the clothesline.

“Alec, take a look in the house,” Darius instructed. “See if anyone’s around. Riley, you come with me. There’s probably a truck or something in that barn we can borrow.”

Alec grimaced but said nothing as he headed towards the back of the house. The back door was unlocked. Alec knocked, waited for a moment, then took a deep breath and swung it open, half expecting someone inside to shout. A cat streaked past his ankles and he nearly jumped out of his skin. When his heart had slowed, he stepped inside.

The flowered curtains had all been pulled closed and the main room was dim and suffused with a sickly greenish hue from the material. It was like submerging himself in a murky pond. The musty air was still. It took a moment before his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

The room was as dilapidated inside as out. A grimy woodstove dominated the corner like a squat spider, and battered furniture, cracked linoleum, and cheap oil paintings indicated that the owners cared little for their surroundings.

They’d left in a hurry, whoever they were. The cupboard doors were still open, and several plastic shopping bags were half-full of canned goods and bags of flour. The small table in the corner still had the remains of their last meal, three places set and three cups of half-drunk tea, scraps of food on three plates.

Alec’s foot hit a bowl on the floor and he jumped at the sound. Muffin’s dish rattled along the tiles, coming to a stop under the table. Likely that was Muffin making his escape only moments before. Alec was pleased to see, when he opened the fridge, that the electricity was still on but was disappointed to find that the kitchen telephone didn’t work.

Suddenly, a horrible sensation swamped him. He felt violently sick. Panic gripped his heart. Riley. She was badly hurt. Without pausing to consider how he knew it, he ran. The back door slammed on its hinges as he unerringly headed for the smaller barn, instinct guiding his feet.

An old tractor was lying on its side just inside the barn doors. Deathly pale, Riley was pinned underneath it.

“Darius!” Alec screamed. He grabbed at the metal frame of the machine and pushed with all his might. The tractor didn’t budge.

There had to be a way of lifting the machine off her. His eyes raked the ceiling. No holder for a pulley, no external beam to throw a rope over. No ropes either, he realized with a pang of horror. There was nothing in this barn but the tractor, the raised boards it had been driven up onto and the pile of tools and oil cans the farmer had used to service it.

“Darius!” he yelled again.

He heard the rapid rush of footsteps the instant before he saw him.

“Rhozan attacked her,” Alec panted.

Darius dropped to his knees, pulled out his orb and touched Riley’s forehead. For an interminable moment he didn’t speak. Then he shook his head. “Not Rhozan. An accident. She was trying to reach a kitten under here. I think it wasn’t braced properly.” He gave the tractor an ugly look.

“I can’t lift it off her and there’s nothing to make a pulley.” Alec shoved against the dirt-splashed machine but it didn’t shift a millimetre.

“Forget it, I’ll do it.” Darius shimmied closer. “The second I have it off her leg, pull her out. Don’t waste time. I won’t be able to hold it up for long.”

“Give me an orb,” Alec beseeched desperately. “I can help. You know I can.”

“Absolutely not,” Darius grunted, his eyes already closed and the power of the orb starting to build. “Don’t interrupt me.”

“But what if you can’t–“

“Shh.”

Impotent anger surged through Alec’s veins, but he managed to hold his tongue. He got down on his knees next to Darius and grabbed at Riley’s shoulders, trying to slip his hands under her armpits to get a firm enough grip. Beside him, Darius was straining. Sweat beaded his brow. He began to pant. His orb pulsed with brilliant light. The tractor didn’t move.

Alec gulped. If he couldn’t raise it …

The seconds inched past so slowly they almost seemed to go backwards. The only sounds were Darius’ panting and soft grunts of exertion and Alec’s rapid breathing. He wiped the sweat from his brow onto his shoulder, poised for the second the tractor lifted and he could–

“Now,” Darius grunted.

Pulling with all his might, Alec scrabbled against the gritty wooden floor and slid the unconscious Riley out. The second her feet were clear, the tractor crashed down the last few inches again with a resounding crack. Dust flew.

Darius collapsed on the dirt floor beside it, his face bloodless, his shoulders shivering with effort.

“Carry her into the house.”

Alec had to strain to hear Darius’ whispered instructions. He awkwardly pulled Riley into his arms and straightened up. She was lighter than he expected. Terrified that any movement might cause her more pain, Alec trod carefully over the uneven ground towards the back door of the farmhouse, shoving it open with his hip. Riley didn’t stir.

Darius’ trudging footfalls followed him. Alec headed straight for the biggest bedroom. The bed looked the most comfortable and was closest to a bathroom. He laid her down on top of the flowered duvet as gently as he could, getting a clear look at the swollen and bloody left ankle as he turned to straighten out her leg. Bile rose to the back of his throat.

“She needs a hospital,” Alec said hoarsely as Darius entered the room and leaned for a moment against the doorjamb.

Darius mutely shook his head. His voice was barely audible. “Find some painkillers. Get her some water.”

“She needs an operation.” Alec pointed at Riley’s foot. “Her ankle is probably in a million pieces. She’s going to need it pinned.”

Darius crawled onto the bed, every movement proclaiming the serious toll mentally lifting the tractor had taken. He curled up next to Riley’s ankle, dragged a pillow down from the head of the bed and shoved it under his ear. Pulling his orb out of his pocket, he placed it directly on Riley’s bloody ankle and covered it with his own trembling hand. A sickly glow seeped between his fingers.

“This is going to take hours,” he panted, his eyes closed. “Make me something to eat, would you?”

Alec didn’t bother to lower his voice as he swore. Was he Darius’ new servant or what? He left the room, barely squeezing between the dresser and the bed, shoved the door out of his way and headed to the messy kitchen. He flung open the freezer and dumped the half-filled ice tray into a dishtowel, scattering ice all over the counter. More quietly, he eased back into the room and leaned over Riley. She was still not conscious. He took a deep and steadying breath before placing the pack gently around her rapidly swelling limb. Darius didn’t open an eye.

A quick check of both medicine cupboards revealed nothing but antacids and bandages. It was only in a drawer in the living room desk, of all places, that he found a small bottle of prescription painkillers. Feeling slightly more accomplished, he filled a glass with water and returned to the sick room.

Riley hadn’t moved an inch and Darius, pale and sweating, was still curled up at the foot of the bed working his healing magic.

“Give her one of these when she wakes up,” Alec advised. His mom had plied her nursing trade on the family as well as on strangers for as long as he could remember. “One every six hours. These are pretty strong, but they won’t do more than dull the pain.”

Darius cracked open an eye. One golden brow arched upwards.

Alec shrugged. “Before I gave up kickboxing last year, I was always dislocating or breaking something. I’ve used these. They make you sick as a dog, but they work.” He rattled the little bottle before placing it on the dresser beside the glass of water.

Darius nodded.

“How long’s this gonna take?” Alec couldn’t tear his eyes from Riley’s pale face.

“Couple of days, max,” Darius whispered. “Don’t worry.”

“I’ll get you some soup or something,” Alec grumbled. Riley looked so weak and helpless. He almost ached with wishing he could help. “I’m warning you, though, I’m a lousy cook.”

“Thanks.” Darius managed a weak smile before he closed his eyes again and settled against his pillow. The orb’s glow strengthened, filling the room with a comforting light.

Alec closed the door behind him.

Darius was too optimistic. It took more than a week for Riley’s ankle to heal well enough for her even to put weight on it, and several days after that for her to walk. Day after day, hour after hour, Darius lay weakly beside her, his orb pulsing softly in the curtained twilight, neither of them stirring. For the first two days, Alec was nearly out of his mind with worry. Darius was too weak to do more than sit up for a mouthful of food. Every ounce of energy he had went into healing Riley’s ankle.

Other than brief moments to be carried to the bathroom and swallow a painkiller, Riley barely woke up until the third day. Her ankle swelled horribly and the bruising and discolouration went almost halfway to her knee before whatever Darius was doing started to work. Alec spent endless hours lying on the sofa across from the bedroom door or pacing the scuffed wooden floor, listening to her moans and feeling helpless and exposed. He couldn’t rest. Every sound seemed excessively loud and a dozen times a night he was sure armed troops were driving up the lane. Several times helicopters whumped overhead, and the second afternoon the endless drone of heavy trucks had lasted until darkness. But his worst fears did not come to pass. Riley’s ankle began to heal, Darius slowly re-gathered his strength and no one came banging on the door, guns drawn.

Once Darius was on his feet, the anger simmering beneath Alec’s skin started to erupt with increasing frequency. Every worrisome issue he’d tried to keep out of his thoughts vied for space in his already crowded mind: his brother was missing; his parents were in danger; he had a dangerous power burning beneath his skin he had no idea how to control; Rhozan wanted him.

Why weren’t they doing something?

He began having nightmares again, the same ones that had started the night of his concussion. He knew it was stupid not to tell someone, but the last thing he wanted was Riley thinking he was a child.

Once Riley was over the worst of her injury, Darius insisted that they both continue the lessons they’d begun at Home Base. Darius still refused Alec direct access to an orb, telling him that Rhozan would feel the connection and instantly know where they were. What was even more annoying was that, despite their hours of lessons together, Riley was just as indifferent to him as she had been when they first met. The second Darius indicated the lesson was over, she’d snatch her hand away and hop one-footed to the rocking chair, gingerly raising her swollen ankle to the footrest and sighing with profound relief. She seldom talked to him in anything but scathing tones and rarely caught his eye. What had he done to her to make her treat him like he had some kind of contagious disease, anyway?

He started spending more and more time outside, digging up vegetables, mowing the lawn, anything to be physically exhausted at the end of the day. He never saw anyone during his labours, only the occasional plane cutting its way through the clouds or the rumble of a distant truck that gave him any reassurance the world outside the farm was still there. He’d turned to the television for comfort but the stupid thing wouldn’t work, and even after hours of fiddling with its innards, he couldn’t make it produce a picture worth looking at. He’d started listening to the radio whenever indoors.

One morning, Darius sprawled on the cushions next to Alec and rested his feet on the armrest. He clasped his fingers together behind his head and stared at the plastered ceiling while the news program time signal chimed.

With the sound of the announcer’s voice, Riley hobbled in from the kitchen. She dropped into the rocking chair by the wood stove and started to creak back and forth. Alec tried to ignore her.

“… And in devastating news from the East Coast where the violence, so pervasive in Ontario, has started to rise, reports indicate that weapons’ fire from our own naval forces frigates hit the downtown early this morning. A spokesperson for the Canadian navy issued a brief statement this morning: ‘Unauthorized use of weaponry by several military personnel resulted in torpedo fire from the HMCS St. John’s at oh-five-twenty-eight this morning. Approximately six torpedoes were launched towards the downtown Halifax area, resulting in serious damage and multiple casualties. The perpetrators have been apprehended and a full military investigation is underway.’ Few details are available. At the moment, we know that several buildings in the business area of Halifax are on fire and the premier has declared a state of emergency. Citizens are urged to–”

Darius shut off the radio with a sharp twist of his wrist. He glanced at Riley. She was pale and unmoving in the rocking chair, her eyes staring straight ahead. It was only when Darius crossed over the floral carpet and sank to his knees in front of Riley, pulling her hands into his, that Alec made the connection.

“Your house is out in the country. I’m sure your dad is fine,” Darius said.

“The hospital is downtown.” Her voice trembled. “He’s often there all night.”

“They would have said if the hospital had been hit,” Darius said. “Don’t grieve about something you don’t know for certain.”

Riley said nothing. She turned to Alec. For a second, her gaze seemed to connect with his, but the pain reflected in her dark blue eyes was too much. He dropped his gaze to his knees and when he’d gathered the resources to face her again, she was already on her feet.

“I think I’ll go to bed,” she said. “I’m tired.”

“It’s lunchtime,” Alec blurted. “You just got up.”

Riley didn’t even look in his direction. Stiff-backed, she headed for her bedroom.

Darius gave Alec a pointed look. “She’s pretty upset,” he said.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Alec muttered.

“She could use a bit of human kindness,” Darius suggested.

“Couldn’t we all,” Alec said.

Darius gave an impatient sigh. “Alec, why don’t you–”

Alec bounded off the sofa, leaving Darius’ question hanging in the air. He carried his plate to the kitchen and dropped it in the sink. He was not going to follow Riley into her room and put his arm around her. Wild horses couldn’t drag him in there and leave him open to one of her scathing comments.

Darius followed him and leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. Alec could feel his eyes burning into his shoulders, but he made a pretence of getting ready to wash the dishes.

“You constantly wonder how to get women to find you attractive, and yet, a golden opportunity lands in your lap and you run in the opposite direction. For heaven’s sake, Alec, how do you expect to gain any sort of sexual experience with women, outside of the Internet, if you’re afraid to be in the same room?”

Alec viciously squirted the liquid soap into the sink.

“She’s in there crying.”

Alec turned on the water with a jerk of his wrist.

“She’s desperately hoping you come in to check on her.”

Alec swirled the water ferociously to create bubbles.

“She likes both of us. You could tip her affections in your favour with one easy move, Alec.”

There was a long silence while Alec furiously scrubbed the plates and cups from lunch and breakfast. Finally, he heard Darius’ footsteps back into the living room.

He heard the soft knock on Riley’s door a moment later. A searing stab of jealousy burned his chest before he threw the dishcloth into the sink and stormed outside to do a thousand push-ups.

If they didn’t leave the farmhouse soon, he was going to go right out of his mind. Every minute that passed was another minute closer to Rhozan finding his parents and killing them. Every minute close to Riley was torture trying to guard his tongue from spilling how he felt. Every minute practicing a skill he wasn’t actually allowed to do, but somehow had to master, was driving him up the wall. If Darius didn’t let them start off for Toronto by tomorrow morning, Alec decided, he was going to go himself.

And no one was going to stop him.