Pillar's Fire

Chapter 14

Mira still couldn't sleep. The time she'd spent with Gabe...each touch, each word, each glance...kept looping through her brain. When would she see him again?

She groaned as she flipped to her back. Staring at the ceiling above her bed in the ship's cabin, she replayed their goodbye. When Gabe had dropped her off at Necropolis, he'd given her what he'd called mementoes – so she wouldn't forget him. He'd gifted her with two slices of a food called pizza, a bag of strawberries, a square of chocolate-covered caramel, and a kiss. The food was the best she'd ever eaten, but the kiss... she could still taste the sweetness and the buzz of desire that had melted her will and had spiked her energy. But he'd pulled away, leaving her with a smile and a promise to return. She flipped onto her side and kicked off the covers that had tangled around her legs. The freedom, though, did nothing to assuage her. She wanted to see Gabe again - right now!

She got up and slipped her clothes back on. As she shoved her feet into her shoes, the door swung open. She half expected to see Gabe standing right in front of her, saying he couldn't stay away either. But it was Vaughn – and he was yelling at her!

"We have to get you out of here...now!" Vaughn grabbed her arm and yanked her out the door then shoved her toward the steps that would take her to the deck.

"What's going on?" she spat, clutching the rail until he explained.

"We've been discovered, and I think you know how," he said. "I told you to stay put," he shouted.

"I..." Her confused mind tried to put the pieces together.

"It's Gabe, Mira – he's on his way with a regiment of Elite Reformers."

Mira gasped. "It can't be!"

"It can and it is. We need to get you to the Lookout now...before they get here."

A heavy feeling squeezed her heart. "I need to get something first," Mira wailed, trying to push her way around him. She'd left the journal page with excerpts from the Enchiridion of Emmanuel on the desk.

"We don't have time!" Vaughn said, blocking her way. His look said he wasn't budging.

Telling herself that she'd come back for it, she turned to go up the steps. When she got to the deck, Vaughn bolted around her and jumped from the side of the ship to the ground. He took off running. Mira ran after him, half stunned, half filled with horror. The food she'd eaten balled up in her stomach, and as the tree house came into view, the ball transformed into a sharp stitch. Was this really happening? How could she have been so stupid?

As they approached the Lookout, she caught sight of six Clavicars riding bumper to bumper down the slope. It was really happening! And the small army of city-issued vehicles, all of which came supplied with government monitored and individualized routes, was only moments away. "Did everyone get to a safe place?" Mira asked as Vaughn shoved the rope ladder into her hands.

"I didn't have time to make sure of that. You are my first priority."

Her stomach squeezed painfully, shifting the food upward. "I'm sorry."

He didn't respond to her apology, but said, "Climb up into the tree house, pull up the ladder and lock the hatch. Don't come out until either I come back or until each and every one of the Reformers are gone."

"You're not staying with me?"

"No. Now get up there." He didn't wait to see if she would follow his orders but bolted toward the entrance where several Clavicars had begun to park.

Mira's legs trembled as she climbed the ladder, but it was nothing compared to what she felt in her heart. She still couldn't believe Gabe would turn them in. There had to be some mistake!

She crawled in through the opening in the Lookout's floor. As Vaughn had instructed, she pulled up the rope ladder and locked the hatch. Racing to the window, she grabbed the pair of binoculars from the sill and held them to her eyes. She focused on the Clavicars that had rolled up to the main meeting room. The first Elite Reformer to get out of her car was a woman who looked heartless and cold. Her gun raised, she strode toward the shipping container's doors.

Mira looked on in horror as the LAW unit methodically captured person after person and shoved them into the backs of the Clavicars. Every one of the Accordance put up a fight, but none of them succeeded in escaping. There were too many Reformers! Then she caught sight of Vaughn, a gun aimed right at his chest because he wasn't giving himself up.

"No!" Mira cried. Dropping the binoculars, she raced for the hatch. Her fingers shook so hard that it took three tries for her to get it open. She flung the ladder down and grasped the rope sides and slid to the ground. Hands ripped raw from the rope, she sprinted across the yard to the first row of shipping containers. Think, Mira, think. If she could get their attention and trade herself in for Vaughn, it just might save his life.

She crept up behind the container where she'd last seen Vaughn and the Reformers. She chanced a look. No her mind screamed. "Gabe!" she screamed. "Don't!"