The Coalition (Book 1)

Chapter 13

Sweat ran in rivers down his back and chest, soaking his white shirt until it stuck to him like a second skin. Mud was caked under his fingernails even after he scrubbed his hands and arms in the river. He swallowed around the giant lump in his throat.

Sileas was a sweet kid. Burying her in a shallow grave near the swollen river seemed heartless. He grimaced, then sat on a large rock near the edge of the hole he had just dug using his hands and a thin stone. That was the word: heartless.

He glanced down at the thin body of the young girl. Her hands were clasped across her chest, folded as though she were resting. But beneath the grey cuff of her ruffled blouse, a crimson stain darkened her chest on the left side. He shuddered. It was what he had tried to shield Shai from seeing. Sileas's blouse had been torn open across her breasts. A fist-sized hole gaped below her ribs where her heart had been. The horror of it bore the mark of someone worse than the Gracious Leader.

Someone like Lael's enemy: Samael, the ruler of Death. But what would Samael want with Sileas? The enemy was rarely seen and only mentioned in Lael by the Mothers as a fear tactic: to keep the children from crossing over Lael's boundaries.

Shai mentioned Sileas had an infraction last night. Something about the Chapel. What did Sileas do? She must've broken into the Chapel. Well that was stupid, but it wouldn't have been the first time someone had attempted it. There was only one thing worth breaking into the Chapel for: the Book.

That had to be it. If Sileas had broken the big Law it was punishable by Death.

One of the Watchers must have reported Sileas for her infraction. Which meant the Leader must have sent Samael to do his dirty work.

Rage flared. If he ever found out who had reported Sileas he'd do to them what Samael had done to her. Never had he seen something so heinous. There had been many people attempt to touch the Book, but not one of them had been given a punishment greater than isolation or lashings.

That meant one thing: Sileas must have stolen the Book. Another thought made his blood run cold. If someone had seen Sileas in the Chapel with the Book, they probably also witnessed her receiving his letter: the letter meant for Shai. If anyone discovered he had written that letter requesting a private meeting with Shai, he'd be exiled as a rebellious Watcher. And his plan to get Shai out of Lael would be ruined.

How had Zev fouled up his first assignment? While Zev was giving the message to Ellersly about taking the children, he should've delivered Shai's letter himself in spite of the risks. Of course Zev gave it to Sileas by mistake, he didn't know one girl from the other.

Damn!

He spat on the ground then slid off the rock. He crawled on his hands and knees to the edge of the hole then peered down into Sileas's white face. Her tangled hair looked like little black bird nests arranged around her face. She must have given a good fight.

He searched her pockets for the letter Zev had given her but he came up empty-handed. Maybe she'd dropped it somewhere during the attack.

The thing that bothered him the most was the look that had been permanently frozen on her face. Horror. The last face she would have seen would've been Death's.

Her wooden tear-drop pendant lay nestled in the hollow of her neck; its chain still intact. Aliah wiped his face on his sleeve then pulled sharply on the chain, breaking it. He pocketed the pendant before pushing a waterfall of loose stones and mud into the hole. The first lump of earth hit the body with a dull thud.

"Good night, little bird." He continued to shove dirt, mud, and river stones into the hole. He worked until sweat streamed into his eyes and the trench was mounded into a small hill. Cramps assaulted his arms and legs as he sat back on his heels, shoulders slumped.

He took Sileas's pendant from his pocket and with a flick of his thumb he popped the top off then spilled its contents into the palm of his other hand. Only the remainder of a few pale yellow grains of a sand-like substance fell into his cupped hand. Someone had already emptied it. Maybe she'd even done it herself in an effort to die faster.

He blew on the grains, watching as the wind whisked them away: the essence of who she was. He pushed the cap back on and shoved the pendant deep into his pocket again.

The snapping of a branch behind him made him jump. Adrenaline surged through him. He leaped to his feet, fists curled at his sides. Waiting.

I got the message you sent me: twenty-one missing children. Clever. The one you just buried is a message from me.The words echoed inside his head in a sharp, clear voice as though it had been audible.

Pain sliced through his skull. He dropped to his knees, rammed his hands against his ears. "I didn't send the message to you! It was meant for the Leader of Lael! I have no fight with you!" His own words rushed out in screams and burned his throat.

I am the only Leader of Lael. And by taking those children you've upset the balance in Lael that I've created. You've broken the Law of Life. You have twenty days left to restore it. He could feel the smile in the voice.Deliver Shai to me in Gershom, not to Elchai, before twenty days is up.

Aliah squeezed his eyes shut. Muscle spasms seized his jaw and a dribble of blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth. He ran his tongue over the wound his teeth had made in his bottom lip.

He spat again then gripped a handful of his hair in each fist and dropped his head to his knees. "I...will...kill...you!" He screamed. Hatred churned in his stomach and bile rose in his throat.

A twig snapped behind him again. Bringing his hands down from his head, he twisted his neck and glimpsed a large, black wolf, less than five feet behind his right shoulder.

You can't kill me. I'm the Master of Death. Just bring Shai to me for her Reward, or I will destroy all of Lael, beginning with Shai and ending with you. I will father the next Leader of Lael.

The voice seemed to come from the wolf this time. Its head hung low, hackles raised. Yellow eyes pierced Aliah's soul. Its black lips curled in a silent snarl before it turned and disappeared back into the bushes. The voice fell silent, but still echoed in his mind.

Aliah remained at Sileas's grave for a long time. Disgust mixed together with rage like an acidic drink that turned his stomach sour.

This is my fault. He sat in the dirt until the pain in his head subsided and a numbness settled in. He pushed himself up and brushed the dirt and dried mud from his trousers. It had to be nearly mid-day already. He couldn't waste any more time.

He pulled his hood over his head and ducked into the bushes, taking the same route the wolf had. When he came through the other side of the shrubbery, he stopped at the spot where he had found Sileas. Bent grass created a small bowl where she had lain but there was no sign of blood. Her body must have been placed there, long after her death, to serve as Samael's counter-message.

He stood and buttoned his cloak, giving a quick tug on his hood and whispered, "Do what you want, Samael. But you won't get what you're after. You'll never find Shai."

He was ready to continue with his plan. He looked up at Shai's stone house as he neared. She stood near the steps, her arms wrapped around herself, watching him as he emerged from the bushes.