PROMISE

CHAPTER 38

Aedan screamed when he saw the dead.

Spilled blood stained the floors like offerings to ancient gods. The old gods of the forest. Of the trees. Of the shadows.

Gods of vengeance. Gods of hate. Gods of war.

Lilith met them as they came down the stairs, and Hain could see Aedan's shock mirrored in Lilith's eyes as she approached. She'd have walked these silent halls by now–seen the full testament of Hain's wrath splashed upon them.

"You found him."

Hain leveled her with a cool look. "You sound surprised."

Lilith swept her eyes around the open chamber around them. "I thought you might have gotten caught up with something else."

"Where are the Dyad?" he said.

Aedan sucked in a breath, his grip locking on Hain's hand at the mention of his captors.

Lilith's eyes softened at the change in Aedan. "Gone," she said. "I'm not sure how, but they escaped."

Hain's anger flared. "You let them escape."

Lilith's chin jutted out unapologetically. "I had other things to take care of."

Hain remembered. The Genesis Chambers. "Did you find it?"

Lilith's lips tightened, her chin sinking back. "No."

They shared only silence as they hauled open the abandoned haven gates, the guards having fled the apocalypse inside the castle. Outside, the haven felt abandoned, Sierra's occupants having ran from the thunder and screaming inside the Dyad's walled palace.

"I want you to go with Lilith." Hain told Aedan after they'd locked the doors open. He set his free hand at the small of Aedan's back. "I need to go back inside, but she'll take you somewhere safe and come back for me."

Aedan's eyes flashed like a caged animal, but Hain pushed his hand toward Lilith.

"Lilith will keep you safe," he said, trying and failing to push some measure of softness into his voice. "She promises. Don't you, Lilith?"

Lilith looked at Hain as she took Aedan's hand. "You can't go in there alone."

"Aedan needs out of here, and I'm not leaving without Sam."

"But there could still be guards."

He drew his dagger in one smooth motion. "I hope there are."

~~~

Hain met no one as he descended into the cells, and the haven remained still as a crypt as he carried his cousin's body through the vacant streets. Lilith landed the ship just outside the gates, and together they eased the Prince of Echo into the ship's hold.

Aedan spoke of his time in Sierra as they flew–a rambling story that seemed to blind him to where they were and what they were doing. Fear had been Aedan's constant companion those last few weeks. Rumors of war from Echo had found their way to the Dyad, and so they'd turned their anger on the only target within their reach. The Homage became their effigy, the whipping boy for their lashing tongues.

Never had the possibility of rescue entered his mind.

"You're safe," Hain told him, stroking Aedan's matted locks as he eased into fitful sleep. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

Hain stared at him until a flashing light from the ship's controls pulled at his attention.

"What's that mean?" Hain said, staring into the amber strobe.

"The computer's found a possible course for the missiles," Lilith said, tapping on the controls.

"And?"

"And I think something's gone wrong," she said with another tap. "The computer says the missiles came from the south, somewhere in the Geigerlands, but as far as I know there isn't anyone there with this sort of tech anymore."

Go south, Hain. El Todo wills it.

La Doña's voice rose from the stillness of his memory, beckoning him south. South to the Geigerlands.

The land of the Viajeros. The land of his mother.

He didn't know where the voice in his dreams had come from, but following it felt right. Especially with Lilith's explanation for the source of the attack on Promise.

"You said there's no one there anymore?" Hain said, swallowing the urge to ask after the Viajeros. "Meaning there had been?"

"Too long ago to matter," she said. "But this can't be right. The computer must have made a mistake."

Hain started to ask how she could be so certain, but when he turned to her he found her eyes already locked on him. Grief carved unfamiliar lines around her mouth and eyes.

"We need to think about what to do with Aedan," Lilith said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Now that Sam is–"

Her voice choked off, and he saw her throat bob as she swallowed hard.

Now that Sam is dead.

That was what she'd meant to say. Now that the Vrai had led his cousin to slaughter.

Hain played through his memories of the Sierran dungeons. Remembered the pain he'd seen carved onto the faces of the soldiers he'd seen there. Men and women he might not have especially liked, but that he'd known all the same. People who hadn't deserved to die.

And all human. Not a single Vrai.

Fury smoldered in his chest at the thought. No Vrai in Sierra. No Genesis Chambers in Sierra. He didn't know what it meant, but he couldn't believe it was a coincidence.

"I've thought about that," Hain said into the vacant silence, forcing his voice steady despite the heat crawling up his throat. "Echo isn't safe for him. Not so long as the Bishop is in power and he's taking orders from the Vrai."

"But we can't take him with us to Promise," Lilith said. "There's no telling what Smith might do to him, not to mention us."

"Who said anything about going back to Promise?"

Lilith's eyes flashed. "You promised to take that Spark back to Promise."

"And let Smith lock us both away?" Hain said. "No thanks."

Lilith's frown deepened. "Where else do we have to go?"

"South," Hain said. "Follow wherever the ship says those missiles came from."

"I already told you, there's nothing in the south," she said. "We'd be following a glitch in the computer,"

"You're wrong," he said, forcing all the sureness he could into his voice. "The Viajeros came from the south, and this," he drew the ring from the pouch at his waist, "came with them."

Her icy blue eyes studied the ring for a moment before she shook her head.

"You can't know that. Not for sure," she said. "The Viajeros are nomads, Hain. They travel all over. La Doña could have picked that up anywhere along the way."

"Maybe that's true, but don't you want to find out where they got it?" Hain said. "You told me yourself that Sparks are rare. Wherever La Doña found it might have more stuff that could be useful to you. To Promise."

Lilith's icy blue eyes searched his, and in that moment he knew he'd convinced her. Because what choice did she have? She might not believe what the ship had told them about the source of the attack on Promise, but she couldn't deny that La Doña might be able to tell them something about the Sparks. And with Hume missing and their escape from Promise still so fresh, there was little chance in Smith forgiving them.

"Alright," she said finally. "We take Aedan to the Viajeros, and we ask La Doña about where she found the Spark, but you have to swear me that once it's done, you'll bring that back to the Foew."

Hain slid the ring back into the pouch and nodded. "I promise."