Callidus Rising | Complete ✔️ | Book 1

35: North-Western Province

"Alexi."

What now?

"Alexi, you need to get up."

Why?

No.

"They're going to take us. Unless we get out of here, they're going to take us. And they're going to find out what we are."

What do you mean?

"They're going to recognize me. I'll be killed. You'll be pushed into whichever field you fit best into, and they'll brainwash you."

No!

I open my eyes and shoot up. My head is throbbing, and my leg burns. Oh, it burns so much.

I meet a pair of hazel eyes and it all comes back.

"James," I say.

"Alexi."

I put my face in my hands.

"That box you got open somehow is being delivered to Consul Regal, the old bastard. And the thing inside is something that he cannot have. We need to take it and get out of here."

I slow my breathing and look back up again.
"I agree," I growl as the memory of the letter from earlier surfaces.

James hands my the letter, and hesitates before handing me the little vial.

He looks at me with a serious expression on his face.

"You can't lose that, understand? If it is what that letter claims it to be, it could save-"
I cut him off.

"I know, my father made it."

His lips part as his jaw drops a little before he closes it.

"Are you ready?"

"Never," I respond.

He gives me a sarcastic laugh and lifts me up off the bed and pulls something out of my wrist while wrapping a piece of wound tape around it.

He goes over the the side of the front of the train and slams a red button and flicks all of the switches downward.

He kneels down and plants a hand on the ground and holds my back with his free one as the train slams to a halt. There are red emergency warnings flashing on the windows and an automated voice echoing throughout the chamber.

James picks me up again and steps out of the doors onto a thin walkway that slides off of a platform connecting to the rail.

I look around, and see nothing but trees.

I look up at him.

"Where are we?"

"We're in the North-Western Province. While we were a few hours away on the train, we're days away on a Floater... A day or two on foot including rests and other stuff."

I groan as the train slowly but steadily begins moving once more.

I grab the little scrap Lukas gifted me and rub my fingers across it. I look back up at James.

"Let's go."

James nods and carries me over to the long conveyer ladder so tall I cannot see the bottom and set me down gently on it.

I wince as I put weight on my leg and and stand on the single step.

A little speaker sounds as soon as I was on it.

"Authorize?"

"Authorize."

Metal climbs my legs up to mid-calf to hold me at the same time a bar forms behind my back. Right after, it feels like the floor is dropped out from beneath me.

The single step is sliding down the vertical conveyer, and I am the package.

As it gets to be bottom, it slows, and the step takes the boots and the bar back in to release me. I stand there only for a moment before James is down with me.

I look around at the wild surroundings. There is a simple fence and pristine paved ground around the base of the tracks, but aside from that, there are nothing but trees.

James pulls out a circular device and begins to walk to a gate. He takes his hand and presses it against it, but it flashed red. He groans and whips out his blaster.

He shoots the hand scanner and kicks the gate open, holding it for me and giving me a "we are so totally screwed" look.

~~~~~~~~~~

Here we are, yet another one. I was planning on waiting to publish this one but since I have a six day weekend due to flooding and a hurricane, I figure I should give it to y'all. :) muah!!!!!
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️