“Wait!” I called out. “Aren’t you going to do anything? We could die in here.”

  “Oh, most certainly you will.” Dr. Allard’s tone held no hint of sympathy behind it. “Leave the confines of this safe space, and the Reeks will tear you apart. Stay for too long and you’ll surely be dissolved without a way to check in or provide anything useful like an artifact.”

  “And you will do nothing?”

  I knew the answer before he spoke. “No.”

  Again he turned to leave, before he paused for only a moment, and glanced over his shoulder. “But if I were you, I’d try removing those trackers sooner rather than later… while they’re disarmed for say, the next thirty minutes?”

  The image disappeared.

  I looked back to Vic, her eyes wide with fear, but she held out her wrist and gave a curt nod. Before she could pull away or flinch, I took the knife from my jacket and slid it across the smooth, dark skin of her wrist. She hissed but didn’t move as I dug the knife into the opened wound and fished out the tracker, pulling it from where it had latched around a vein, and more blood spurted out. I waited for a second, to see if the venom would release and seep into her, to see if Allard had lied, but he’d told the truth.

  Vic quickly wrapped gauze from her pack around the wound as I began removing my own tracker, just to be safe. I was sure my own tracker had some sort of capability to inflict pain or kill me just as the others. I clenched my teeth at the pain. Once they were both out, I tossed them into the corner.

  Thirty minutes later, a subtle hiss sounded from the corner, and the two trackers melted a hole in the steel floor of the base as the venom released, and the tracker dissolved the very space around it.

  “Now what?” Vic asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  JAYLA

  Twenty-four hours after the incident and I could still see that girl falling. The images of the black swarm sucking her in and tearing her apart would not fade.

  From the quietness as we walked, I knew everyone felt the same. We all understood this rescue mission had suddenly become impossible, and the idea anyone could survive in the Void outside of those Reeks was hard to wrap my mind or my hope around.

  After a night of no sleep, unable to close my eyes without seeing the nightmare replay, my legs were heavy as lead walking through the sand.

  Without knowing where to go or who to trust in Eres, and too low on fuel to keep flying, we opted to hide the shuttle just outside of the city and travel the remainder of the way by foot, through the sand-covered Wastelands Eres was built on.

  I had only visited Eres once on a mission with Em and Commander Reyes that hadn’t turned out the way we’d planned. We’d narrowly escaped with our own lives after being attacked by a rogue group of Carbons while on a mission directed by Governor Wallace. But I still remembered the smell of the ocean and sand mixed together. The salt from the eastern side of the city along the edge of the ocean filled the air with a fishy aroma. Sand covered the streets and buildings—it covered everything. This city had been built for the sandstorms that could kick up at any time and because of that, Eres looked like a mirage among the white granules glittering like diamonds in the sunlight. I knew all too well how powerful the sandstorms could be in the desert.

  We were too far south for the cold weather of fall to reach us, and the slight breeze from the ocean as we neared was a welcome reprieve from the blistering sun.

  Logan had taken his shirt off and wrapped it around his head for shade. He leaned and hobbled on the makeshift cane Em had made for him, keeping up as best he could, but in the thick sand all of us stumbled.

  We reached the city around noon, happy for the shade from low buildings blocking out the sun, but not the heat. No wall surrounded Eres like in Cytos or Kuros, and the people walking the sand-covered streets only gave a few side glances and confused stares, despite us looking horribly out of place.

  “Wish someone had told me this place was blistering hot, so I could have brought some lighter clothes,” Logan mumbled.

  “We’ll find a change of clothes soon,” I said. From the subtle glances, I knew we were sticking out like sore thumbs in our black attire. “Any suggestions, Simon, on where to go?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t even know the name of who we were to see… hadn’t planned that far ahead.” He frowned but quickly blinked it away.

  Simon hadn’t been the one who had planned to come here today or twenty years ago with Reyes. She had made the plans, knew the contacts. And now she was captured… gone. Like the kids from the DEZ I had tried, but failed, to save. Like Cas.

  “We need food and shelter,” Em said. Her eyes surveyed everyone around us. “We need to get out of the open and lay low while we plan things out. We’re likely already being watched.” Em was with me the one time I came to Eres, and it was a familiar feeling the minute we stepped foot in this place. Though we couldn’t see anyone, we knew people, like us Watchers, were hiding in the shadow and following our every move.

  It didn’t help we all stood out with our dark clothing, but Em most of all. Her features were like a red flag shouting, “I’m not the same as you,” to anyone who passed. And from the stares, it was safe to assume they didn’t have Genetic Kids here. That didn’t surprise me based on the lack of technology in this place. There were no magnetic roadways pulsing under our feet. No shuttles except for the few larger transport ships on the far side of the city. They lived in a simpler time, under simpler rules it seemed. They weren’t to be underestimated, though.

  Up ahead the streets grew wider and more crowded—the center of the city. A large square in the middle with tightly packed caravans and tents selling food, gifts, clothes, and trinkets, was filled with people in long robes and scarfs.

  I shoved a Linked chip in Leanna’s hand and gave her orders to gather us proper clothes. She was the least suspicious-looking one of the five of us.

  We moved into the shadow of the alley to wait.

  “What do you know of this place?” Logan asked; he leaned against the wall and shook out his sore leg. “My father didn’t talk much about Eres outside of their politics.”

  “Not much more than that,” Em answered, tossing him a water canister. “Their people don’t exactly follow the rules the rest of the Armestes does. They don’t have a set leader, just a small council who lead by majority votes. And as you can see, they limit what technology they use, though they don’t shy away from it or hate it, just prefer not to use it unless necessary.”

  “They accept everyone and anyone within their city, though they do not harbor known criminals if they can help it. And as Em said before, they have people watching over the city, just like the Watchers,” I added. The last time we had been here, when I was still a recruit for the Watchers, we’d been attacked while getting information from a source of Reyes’. A sandstorm had saved us that day, and the Eres Council had assured us they hadn’t been a part of the little attack on our group, but that didn’t mean I believed or trusted any of them. ‘De pace, in pacem’ is the city’s motto. It means—”

  “Peace in, peace out,” a slithering voice said from behind me.

  I spun around, my shoulder connecting with a body. The instant I moved, a hand griped my wrist reaching for my gun, Azrael. A short dagger dug into my side hard enough to draw a small trickle of blood.

  Em had her twin blades out, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the man behind me. The others tensed, unsure of what to do.

  “So, tell me, do you come in Peace?” the voice whispered in my ear.

  “That depends on who you are,” I asked, gritting my teeth against the grip around my wrist.

  The voice chuckled softly, seductively, as he leaned back and shifted enough so I could see the sharp brown eyes, almost black under the beige hood covering his face. The cloth-like material covered around him in wraps and robes blending seamlessly into the desert sand coating the ground and the walls so flawlessly we hadn’t even seen the figure approach.

  “I am nameless to you.” The male’s lips parted into a smile. “Nameless to my enemies.”

  “And who said we’re enemies?” Em asked smoothly. Her posture looked easy, relaxed, but I knew she was calculating the ways she would kill this guy should this turn worse than it already was.

  “A name for a name,” the man said.

  “Jayla,” I replied quickly, not giving Em a chance to throw more fuel on the fire. His patience may only last for so long.

  The dagger at my side eased a little, and the man released a breath. I glanced over my shoulder. His gaze watched me carefully.

  “Watcher.” Not a question.

  I nodded.

  He let go of my wrist, and I pulled away, stepping towards Em but leaving my gun in its holster, though my fingers grazed the hilt out of habit.

  “Where is Commander Reyes? She did not announce your departure.” He looked between the five of us. Leanna had returned with clothes and stood tightly at her brother’s side. I was surprised to see firm determination in her eyes, not fear.

  “She was… captured,” Simon answered, his throat bobbing.

  “Killed?” the man asked, and I saw Simon freeze.

  “We don’t know.” Simon’s reply was a bit strained and came a moment longer than his usual smooth banter.

  “We gave you a name.” Em tilted her head, waiting.

  The male straightened, then pulled his hood back to reveal long braided black hair and smooth tan skin that melted into the sandy landscape around us. “I am Jacob, a Sweeper of Eres.”

  JAYLA

  “Where are you taking us?” Em asked, as we followed Jacob past the city center towards the eastern edge of Eres.

  The smell of salt and fish hit my senses, waking up my tired body.

  “The Sweepers’ Palace,” Jacob said over his shoulder. His hood was down now, and I noted how he nodded to the people as we passed. They all seemed to know who he was, and I wondered if they also knew what he was.

  “You have a palace?” Logan asked. He had an arm wrapped around Em’s shoulder as he limped to keep up.

  “You don’t?”

  Em snorted. “Not quite the word we’d use.”

  “What exactly do the Sweepers do here in Eres?” I asked.

  Jacob slowed, stepping beside me and giving me a once over that told me he was deciding if I could be trusted or not. Finally, he said, “Much like the Watchers, we protect our city from those who choose to not keep the peace.”

  “Would we be on that list?” I asked smoothly.

  He grinned, a flash of white teeth. “I’m not sure yet.”

  We made our way through the short stone buildings—round windows revealing colorful interiors and sheer patterned curtains. Some rooftops were covered in what almost looked like a green moss at first glance, but when I looked closer I realized they were small gardens for fruits and vegetables that grew in the desert heat. We reached the edge of the city quickly, moving towards the ocean. Teal blue and aqua green water mixed with little white waves cresting over and crashing into the harbor. Boats of shimmering silver were docked, and men moved along the creaky wood docks and walkways surrounding them. The white sand reached the water on the far side of the harbor, away from the boats, and a few people were wading in it.

  “This way.” Jacob inclined his head up the coast to the north. I tore my eyes away to see where we were heading.

  Along the white beach was what appeared to be a small canvas tent. It looked no bigger than a single room in Cytos. The cream color of the tent blended seamlessly into the sand. But as we got closer, I noted more tents behind the first, all attached to form a large structure that could hardly be noticed if you weren’t looking for it.

  Next to me, Em tensed, her hand rested on the hilt of her sword. My eyes followed what hers had already seen. Sweepers stationed around the tents, in the same robes and scarves as Jacob, completely hidden as they blended into their surroundings. We saw only white teeth as they smiled, catching our surprised looks.

  One of the Sweepers opened the canvas strips forming the door, causing Logan to jump at their presence before we slid in.

  The inside was the complete opposite of the plain outside. A wide, wooden staircase took us lower into the Palace. Rugs of all colors lined the floor, thick with intrinsic patterns and bright, magnificent colors. Soft, sheer drapes hung from the high roof in pale blues and yellows and pinks. They acted like walls between rooms where people sat on thick cushions eating and talking and paying no attention to the strangers who had just walked in.

  No. Paying the slightest attention to us without losing conversation or shifting even a gaze our way. The Sweepers had mastered the art of blending in, and I had to wonder now if the people we had passed in the city center had been citizens or also Sweepers.

  Jacob brought us to the back where a woman was seated on a thick cushion on the floor with a small glass in her hand. She wasn’t wearing the same robes and scarves Jacob had on, but rather a pale blue shirt that stopped just above her naval and pants of the same color billowing at her hips and thighs before they tightened just below her knees. She had black hair, braided in the same fashion I noted many others had, and dark brown skin that made her eyes shine bright. Soft blue eyes, pale like her shirt, counted the number of weapons we wore and probably noted the places we’d hidden the others.

  “This is Neiva,” Jacob said. He gave her a subtle nod, and I noted the silent conversation between the two before Neiva’s brows rose in understanding.

  “You are the Watchers,” she said as she stood. She was tall and lean, towering over me. “Commander Reyes?” Jacob gave a slight shake of his head. “I see. Please, sit.” Neiva waved a hand to the cushions circling around a short table. Jacob removed his robe and scarves, passing them to a man waiting before he sat down. His clothes were soft like Neiva, but a light grey and looked to be made of cotton or something similar.

  “Thank you,” I began, taking a seat across from her. Em was to my right, Simon on my left. The latter stiff and unsure… he was the only Carbon in the room. “I’m Jayla, this is Emery, Simon, Logan, and Leanna,” I said, inclining my head to the others.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Neiva said. “But I must admit, when Commander Reyes asked for our help, this time I was clear to her that though we will do what we are able to, we have no way to get you where you seek.”

  Simon tensed on my left. From the pointed look Neiva gave him, she knew exactly who he was, and possibly what he’d done to Reyes before they had a chance to come here. Em’s brow arched, but I ignored her silent question. It wasn’t my story to tell. “We have a contact in Cytos securing shuttles for us. What we need is quite simple: a place to bring these kids once we get them out.”

  Eres was known as a refuge. It was a city that accepted everyone, and I’d hoped that meant the Marked kids, if there were any left.

  Neiva’s lips pressed together before she turned to Jacob with a nod, and he swiftly stood up and left us. “We will bring it to the council and give you word soon.”

  I gripped Em’s leg firmly as I sensed the argument threatening to spill out of her. We didn’t have time to wait for an answer, but I could tell by the shift in the room and the kernel of attention each person around us drew, we would be shut down and kicked out immediately should we push their kindness too far. “Thank you,” I said.

  Three ladies entered the room with large platters in their hands. They placed them on the low table before us, and immediately my stomach rumbled at the smell of spiced meats and fish, sweat breads and fresh fruit.

  “Eat, you have travelled a long way,” Neiva said and we gladly obeyed.

  We were shown to our rooms after eating until my belly felt like it would explode. We had adjoining rooms, four bedrooms and a large sitting room in the middle lined with rugs and cushions and ornate tables and chairs. Just past the thick canvas walls, you could hear waves crashing into rocks, and you could smell the ocean mixed with the lavender and citrus of the room.

  Em had her tablet out, finally connected back to the Linked systems, and was able to update us on progress in Cytos.

  “They’ve once again blamed the explosion at the DEZ on a gas line malfunction, but announced that they were able to get everyone out before the blast.”

  Lies. I knew I’d killed more than a few guards along the way.

  “Grayson has reported that the Marked kids were taken to a secure location until their school can be rebuilt,” Em said.

  I balled my fists. “The Void?”

  “Likely,” Simon said from where he paced across from us.

  Logan had his injured leg propped up, and Leanna had already rewrapped it for him, under the watchful glare of Em, of course. Now she sat watching the exchange, quietly taking in the new information. I could see how she knew so much about her father’s work, despite not being an advisor for him. She was quiet as a mouse, with keen ears that heard everything.

  “Any word from the Watchers?” I asked.

  Em opened up another screen and messages popped up. She sorted through them until she found one from Officer Cortez. She read and reread it again before pulling it up for us to see.

  Dear Friend,

  I hope you are doing well, and this message reaches you swiftly during your time away. We are quite busy here in Cytos, sorting through many tasks as we rebuild our wonderful city under new leadership. The citizens are well and safe as always.

  Colder weather has pushed down from the north, and we hope for it to move swiftly south by the first-quarter moon. I pray warmer weather travels with you wherever you go.

  Well, the time is getting late, it is almost 21:30, and I must be off. The Commander sends her well wishes and prays you return from your trip with all you desire… but not too soon, rest is a much-needed thing at this time.

  Best of luck in all things,

  Officer Cortez