I’M HOVERING OVER GRASS. I’M FLOATING OVER a river. I feel wretched and stiff, and every time I dare to open my eyes, I’m either bouncing over a log or gliding up a rocky hill. There’s a constant noise, and it takes me several minutes to realize it’s the sound of Bernie Kosar’s hooves. I’m draped over his back and we’re moving quickly through the mountains.
“You awake?” Nine asks. I raise my head to see him sitting behind me, both of our Chests under his arms.
“I don’t know what I am,” I say, closing my eyes. “What . . . what happened?”
“You ran right into the blue stuff. That’s the last thing on Earth, or Lorien, or anywhere, you want to do.” He sounds pissed, like I just tore him away from his own birthday party.
“What about Setrákus Ra?” I ask.
“Somewhere in the mountain, the coward. I couldn’t find another way in. And I looked.”
I push myself up BK’s hide in a panic. “Where’s Sam?”
“Not a chance, Four. Your buddy is either long gone, or he’s hanging upside down staring at the wrong end of a knife.”
I vomit. Bernie Kosar quickly lowers himself so I can slide off his back, and then I vomit some more. Nine tries to explain the sickness will go away soon, that he’s gone through it several times when he tried to escape his cell, that the healing stone seems to be powerless against the force field’s effects, but I’m too dizzy with visions of Sam being tortured to listen. My sickness is from my betrayal, not from some Mogadorian force field. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself. It’s my fault he went in there, and it’s my fault he was left behind. I turned my back on my best friend.
“We have to go back,” I say. “Sam would go back for me.”
“Not a chance. Not yet. You’re too much of a mess and like you said before, we need numbers.”
I pull myself to my feet but fall onto my hands and knees almost immediately. “You don’t even know where we are.”
“We’re a couple of miles from your car,” Nine says. He must see the confusion on my face, because he smiles and pats Bernie Kosar’s back. “Turns out I can talk to animals. Who knew? Bernie Kosar here is leading the way. Let’s jet.”
I’m too weak to protest and I climb back up. Bernie Kosar gallops as fast as he can, his belly brushing the tops of shrubs and felled trees as he hurdles us over obstacles. My body aches and I clutch his side as we zigzag up and down the mountains and hills, splashing through two fast-moving rivers. The stars slowly reveal themselves, high in the sky, and I know that one of them, far, far away, is the slight glimmer of Lorien’s own sun, shining its bright light upon a hibernating planet.
“So, what’s our next move?” Nine asks as we trot among the shadows.
I’m silent, wondering what Henri would say our next move would be. I wonder what kind of look would be on his face. Would he beam with pride over me retrieving the Chests, rescuing a member of the Garde and killing so many Mogs in the process, or would he be disappointed in me for not taking on the leader when I had the chance, and for leaving Sam behind?
Visions of Sam locked behind one of those steel doors come to me every few seconds, and I watch my tears glide down BK’s neck. I hate to think it, but I’d rather he die than be tortured for information about me.
I try to blame Sarah for turning us in to the police, but I can only blame myself for contacting her when everyone told me not to. I keep quiet and dig my heels into Bernie Kosar’s hide and he picks up the pace.
Six is somewhere in Spain, hopefully with another member of the Garde. Part of me wants to get on a plane, to go directly to her, but with my escape from a federal facility and my face still on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, I don’t see how it’s possible.
We make it to the SUV, and I painfully dismount. I unlock the back door and Nine quietly loads both Chests into the trunk. Crawling across the backseat, disgusted with myself, I ask Nine if he’ll drive.
“I was hoping you’d ask,” Nine replies. I hand him the keys and feel the engine come to life.
Something is under my body, and I shift to my side to find Sam’s dad’s glasses. I hold them above my head, and I let the moon reflect in the lenses. I suck in a deep breath and whisper, “We’ll see each other again soon, Sam. I promise.” And then, when I think things can’t get much worse, it hits me almost harder than the blue force field. “Oh shit! Six’s address for when we meet. It was in Sam’s pocket. I’m so stupid! How are we going to find each other now?”
Over his shoulder, Nine says, “Don’t worry, Four. Things are happening for a reason. If we’re supposed to meet up with Six or Five or whoever, we will. And if Sam is supposed to still be a part of all this, he will be.”
Bernie Kosar jumps into the backseat in his beagle form and licks my cheek. I pat his head and let out a long-drawn sigh, in utter disbelief that after everything that’s gone wrong in the last forty-eight hours, I’ve also managed to lose the address Six had written down. I look out the window to see the wind is blowing to the north, and I wonder if it might be telling me something, or, at the very least, pointing me in the right direction as Six believes it’s done for her.
“Head north,” I say. “I think north would be good.”
“You got it, boss.” Nine steps on the gas and I look over at Bernie Kosar, who has curled up and fallen asleep.
We bury Héctor’s body at the bottom of the dam, where the white concrete meets the grass.
“He once told me that the key to change is letting go of fear,” I say, looking into the eyes of Ella, Crayton and Six. “I don’t know if I’ve let go of fear just yet, but the change is happening. It’s definitely happening. And I can only hope that you all can help me through it.”
“We’re a team,” Ella says. “Of course we will.”
After we say our good-byes, we climb the dam’s ladder. We stand on top of the dam, peering down into the valley and the lake. On the other side of the dam is a series of locks holding back a much larger lake, and I can’t help but think it’s a metaphor for the way I’m feeling right now. In front of me lies my past, small and distant and dotted with carnage, threatened to be flooded at any time. Behind me and my fellow Garde members, the future is massive and held back by unnatural forces.
I turn to Six and ask, “Do you know a John Smith in Ohio? Is he one of us?”
Her smile is wide. “I do know John. He’s Number Four.”
I reach for Ella’s hand on my right and Six’s on my left, and we stand there letting the mountain breeze whip our hair around our faces. Ella looks over at Six and asks, “Can we go to America?”
“The charm is broken. I don’t see why we can’t all be together now.” Six shrugs, turning back to the lake below.
Crayton joins us. “I hate to say this, but it’s the calm before the storm, ladies. We’re winning far too many battles for them to ease up now. You’re getting too strong for them, and they’ll be throwing everything they have at you. No more small armies with a few hundred soldiers and a couple of clumsy beasts. Their ruler will be here soon. Setrákus Ra.”
“Who?” I ask.
“Setrákus Ra.” Crayton shakes his head. “And I don’t think we’re ready for him.”
“Then it’s settled,” I say. “We’re going to Ohio to be with John Smith.”
“West Virginia, actually. In exactly two weeks,” Six says.
“I’m not sure that’s wise just yet.” Crayton begins walking away. “We need to gather the others first.”
Six walks after him. “That sounds good and all, but I have no idea where they are.”
“I do,” Crayton says, not turning around. “I also know where our Chimæras are. If Setrákus Ra thinks this is going to be easy, he’s got another thing coming.”
We follow him, taking the first of many steps down the opposite side of the dam.