United (Exalted Trilogy: Book 3) Read online

  UNITED

  The Exalted Trilogy

  Book 3

  By: Tara Elizabeth

  UNITED

  Tara Elizabeth

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright © 2014 Tara Elizabeth

  Cover Art by LMS Designs

  indieebookcoversbylmsdesigns.wordpress.com

  Editors: Nanette Territa-Prejean and Amanda T. Graves

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and

  not intended by the author. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized

  duplication is prohibited.

  First Edition: December 2014

  Also by Tara Elizabeth:

  Zoo

  Exalted

  Denounced

  Chapter 1 / MENA

  “We don't know that they were taken.” Ryker pushes my hair aside and kisses the back of my neck, trying desperately to console me.

  "They wouldn't have left without us—even though we told them to if we were late. They wouldn't have."

  "Come on, Mena. I have a plan," he says as he stands. I, however, seem frozen to this spot on the floor of the underground garage. My eyes won’t leave the cold space the vehicles left empty. My parents and friends were supposed to be waiting for us here—so we could escape the Republic together. Either they got away and are headed for Toledo Lake, or the loyalist Exalted have taken them. Judging from the spattering of blood on the cement, I am assuming the latter.

  The Second Republic of the Saved fell apart in a matter of minutes. It was amazing and devastating. There was fighting, bloodshed, and even deaths. But at the end of it, my race, the Exalted, triumphed and took the city back from our corrupt leader and his disciples. Unfortunately, before we realized it, Dr. Fredericks and a band of loyalists escaped. As of right now, we don’t know where they are going or what they have planned…and they may have taken our friends and my parents.

  I don’t rise to stand beside Ryker. I know I am being weak, but I’ve held it together for so long. It’s so strange how weak my emotional state can be when my body is so physically strong. Those two parts of me don’t seem to make sense together. And now, I need a moment longer—just a moment before I once again have to pretend to be stronger than I am.

  My breath catches in my throat as I lean forward, bringing my face down toward my knees. The white United Ceremony dress digs into my thighs as it stretches tight across my leg muscles. I use my knife to angrily cut a slit at the bottom of each side. It helps my physical pain, but not my emotional stress.

  From the stairwell, the sounds of stomping feet approach. It sounds like an army descending upon us. In seconds, the underground room is flooded with at least a dozen Exalted. They pass us by without a glance, jump into various vehicles and disappear down separate tunnels.

  It's only when they're gone that I react. I turn to Ryker and say, "I should've been in one of those vehicles . . . I couldn't move . . . I couldn't . . ." My words leave me.

  Ryker places his hand on my shoulder. He gives a light squeeze. “We don't want to be on their mission. Who knows where they're going. Don't worry. I’ll take care of it. Stay here. I’ll be back in 30 minutes. We're going to find your parents.” His feet pound on the concrete as he heads off to carry out his plan.

  That’s one of the things I love about him—he knows how to be with me without me having to tell him. He is caring and kind. I trust him with my life—with my family and friends’ lives. True, he kept something from me in the past, but for good reason. I’ve forgiven him. After all, how can I judge him for doing what I myself would have done?

  So . . . if he says he has a plan, I trust him.

  I allow a tear, maybe two, to slip from my eyes. Waiting is the worse. I want to run down that tunnel after my parents and friends and rescue them from whatever evil Dr. Fredericks has planned. But is that what really happened? And which tunnel do I go down? Ryker and I had only ever taken the tunnel that leads north. There are several other passages. The group of loyalists could be heading anywhere.

  After wiping my tears away, I stride across the underground garage to the tunnel that leads north, searching for some evidence that my family and friends went this way. I know I won't find anything, but I go all the same.

  The ground is cold and clean, just like at the entrance to all the tunnels. My frustration is beginning to leak out of me. “Damn it!” I shriek as I attempt to push my long hair out of my face. My tears and sweat have dampened thick strands and they now stick to my face in an annoying manner. I huff, exhaustedly.

  “Mena?” a soft female voice whispers.

  Chapter 2 / Ryker

  To see the woman I love in despair is gut wrenching. It makes me feel like less of a man, like I failed to keep what was dear to her safe. I need to take care of this and of her. Yes, she's a strong woman and capable of taking care of herself, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of her as well. We're a team now.

  Although I hate to leave her alone in this dark underground garage, I need to make a few arrangements so that we can leave. I can't just steal a vehicle from the Republic of the Saved. We are a free society now, but there are still rules that must be followed.

  Once outside, I run back to the arena where Basav and other Exalted are surely discussing a strategy going forward. The city is quiet as I run through the streets. It's not until I approach the arena doors that I hear voices.

  Inside the arena, Basav is speaking to the crowd. "We need to gather everyone, citizens as well. We are free now. All will be made aware of the matters at hand. So a meeting will need to be called soon, as the citizens of the former Republic of the Saved will surely be told the tale of what happened here today. We need to be prepared for their retaliation—for their attack to take the city back. Since they are still under the spell of the Pump, we need to devise a way to cease the distribution of the mind-altering drug—stop it at the source. We need to find out where the Pump is made."

  "I can help with that," I call out from the tunnel leading into the arena. All eyes fall on me as I reenter the arena floor. This time I'm not restrained and up for execution. I'm free and I stand with my head held high as I walk toward the remaining group of Exalted.

  "Please do, Ryker," Basav says, gesturing to the podium where Dr. Fredericks once stood only hours ago, ordering my execution and Uniting young Exalted.

  I climb up next to him and speak directly into the microphone. "Mena and I discovered that the Pump is manufactured on an island called the Ego Sum Creator. It's just south of here. There are books in the Ambassador library that can tell you all about it and where it's located."

  "The library . . . Yes, we’ll have the Ambassadors show us everything," Basav reflects aloud.

  Instead of addressing the crowd, I lean over to whisper in the Basav’s ear while covering the microphone with my hand. "I'm here to request the use of a vehicle, weapons, and food supplies. Dr. Fredericks and his loyalists captured a group of our Exalted. My friends and Mena's parents."

  "You're sure?" he asks.

  "We’re pretty sure. Someone also needs to warn the people of Toledo Lake, because they’re a likely target for Dr. Fredericks' revenge. He knows of our ties to them. They can't defend themselves," I say with a heavy realization that a handful of Exalted could destroy that village in a matter of minutes.

  "Of course. They need to know. Take two of the Exalted from today's ceremony, find your friends and then go straight to the village. If you find that your friends may already be inside the walls of the old Republic, don't linger. There's nothing that the four of you will be able to do on your own. Once w
e bring that Republic down, we'll have better luck with such a mission. Don't let your hearts take over."

  "Yes, sir," I assure him.

  "Good, because I'm relying on you to protect those people. Take whatever you need. After we destroy the island, the Ego Sum Creator, and learn more of what the former Republic has planned, I'll send back-up to the village. But it's likely that they'll attack here first, and we have more people to protect. I won't be able to send many fighters . . . not until we know more," Basav says.

  "That's fair," I say. "Thank you for your kindness. Strength be with you on your journey to the ESC." I offer a small bow, but don't linger. Mena is waiting and I don't want to give Basav time to change his mind. It's not like they have dozens of vehicles to give out freely.

  Chapter 3 / Ethan

  My hands and ankles are bound, and my mouth is gagged. My knives were taken from me, as was my dignity. How did this band of rogue Exalted take us? We are as strong and powerful as they are. This shouldn’t be possible.

  Guns—that’s the only way. Otherwise, we would have beaten them, and we wouldn’t be their captives right now. They are going to pay for this. I’ve never been so furious before. Never.

  The one encouraging thing that happened during our capture is that Mena’s friend, Jenna, was able to get away. She slipped off before they even saw her. These traitors have no use for a citizen. They would have killed her the second they laid eyes on her. Maybe she can tell Mena and the others what happened to us. I hope that we won’t need rescuing, but the odds are stacked against us.

  So many things went wrong in such a short time. Val must think I’m weak. I can’t even look at her now. One of the traitors hit her in the face. I couldn’t stop it. I stare across the truck bed at the man that hit my friend. I memorize everything about his face so that I can seek revenge on him later. He has light skin, brown eyes, and brown hair. His chin is dimpled and his nostrils are unusually large.

  I am going to kill you, I think as I stare into his expressionless face. I will kill you.

  Umpf. My head knocks against the truck’s back windowpane as the vehicle travels over uneven earth. I growl at the soon-to-be-dead Exalted even more. YOU ARE DEAD!

  When I’m finally able to tear my concentration away from the traitor, I sneak a glance at Val. She’s also tied up, the cut above her eye is bleeding down her face, and she’s wedged between two loyalists. How could I have let that happen to her? I look away before she notices my eyes on her.

  Mena’s parents, Fergus and Bridgette, are in the back of the other truck that’s traveling ahead of us. They are also tied up and wedged between loyalists. Exalted against Exalted—I never imagined this would be possible. And where are they taking us? I try to ask, to demand an answer, but the cloth stuffed in my mouth muffles my every effort.

  My nostrils flare as I huff and struggle against my bindings. I’m strong! I shouldn’t be tied up like a pig heading to be slaughtered. I am better than this!

  “Hey, stop that!” the man that hit Val shouts at me. “Stop!” he yells again.

  I lift my bound feet off the floor of the truck bed and slam them into his mouth. I try to roll over next to him and steal his knife away, but one of the other loyalists slams the heel of his ax into my temple. A blackness that is darker than night swallows me whole.

  ***

  Eventually, I awaken. The pounding in my head and the anger swelling in my chest prevent me from staying in my unconscious state. My rage makes me feel like I will explode. As I just found out, this is a dangerous emotion, especially when dealing with gun-toting Exalted traitors.

  Val is staring at me. Her brow is furrowed and her neck is tense. The urge to look away is strong, but her eyes look so troubled. I nod to her, letting her know that I’m okay. She relaxes a little, but doesn’t take her eyes off of me. Her shoulders drop and her head flops back against the side of the truck. Why couldn’t she have gotten away with Jenna? Val shouldn’t be here. It's my fault that she got that cut above her eye. I should have been able to stop it.

  And Mena . . . I wonder what happened to Mena and the Republic. Did she get taken hostage as well? Will she come looking for us or think that we simply left without her? There are so many unanswered questions.

  I try to get my bearings. Now is a good time to get back into the Exalted mindset. I need to look for any opportunity to overpower the traitors. I need to pay close attention to where we are traveling and also to our surroundings. I can’t worry about Mena’s parents at this moment. They are in another vehicle. Right now, all I can do is look out for Val and myself—at least until we are all reunited.

  Chapter 4 / AZ

  Everyone in this village is a stranger to me, though they don’t act that way toward me. They smile when they pass me and lift their hands in salutation. It’s very odd behavior.

  Though I try to sit alone and eat my breakfast in silence, the villagers surround me. They chat non-stop about nothing at all and everything possible. So, naturally, I tune them out. As I eat my breakfast, I reflect on my first days here.

  “Where am I?” I asked the man standing in front of me. Behind him, off in the distance, were shabby houses and people milling about. The man appeared to be a marauder of forty to fifty years of age. He sauntered when he walked, and he had a scar on the side of his head. A gap in his salt and pepper hair left the war wound exposed for all to see. His clothes were strange, like nothing I had seen before. His pants were dark blue and his shirt appeared to be handmade with buttons up the front.

  The marauder didn’t answer me right away. He seemed to be waiting on something. Was he waiting to see how I was going to react to being in the presence of a marauder? Was he waiting for me to try to kill him?

  Yes. There was only one way for an Exalted to react to a marauder. Instinct took hold of me, as did the demands of the Republic that have been drilled into my head since birth. All I could see was red. I needed to kill the marauder. The Republic demanded it.

  But, when I tried to attack him, I discovered that I was chained to the trunk of a tree. That wasn’t a problem for me. What a fool that marauder was. It only took me three heaves to uproot the tall pine tree. It teetered on my back as I hefted one foot in front of the other, making my way slowly toward the shocked man.

  “Tommy!” the man shouted over his shoulder.

  Something pricked my chest. I looked down to see a dart disappearing into my black shirt. I growled at the man and kept trudging forward, but each step became harder to take. It was like trying to walk through knee-deep mud. Then, my head began to feel strange.

  As I felt my body fall, I saw people running in all directions. They scattered as the tree that was strapped to my back headed toward their village. It made a loud crash when we hit the earth at the same time.

  ***

  The next time I woke up, I quickly learned that I was chained to a concrete block that was embedded in the ground near a body of water. After tugging several times, I realized that I wasn’t going anywhere. My body was weak, my head hurt, and my stomach was rolling. What did these degenerates do to me?

  As I looked around, I saw the same marauder man again—the one with salt and pepper hair. He was sitting in a handmade wooden chair, watching me while he ate an apple. “Good mornin’. How ya feeling today, boy?” he asked with a tilt of the head.

  Have I been out for that long? I wondered before threatening him out loud. “I’m going to kill you, old man.” All I could think about was how bad I needed to kill him. That instinct was so powerful that I didn’t even feel the terrible ache that was raging in my head any longer.

  “Not today, you’re not,” he said. “Now look here. You were brought here so we could keep you safe, and so you could learn the truth about some things. But, I gotta keep ya tied up until I can trust ya not to hurt any of my people. I’m sorry about that. We’ll keep ya fed and you’ll have plenty of water. Give it a few days and ya may not feel so keen on killin’ me. Talk to ya later, Az.”
r />   What was that crazy fool talking about? And why did he talk like that? Why was his face moving like that? It almost appeared as the skin on his face was slithering over his skull. I've only ever seen Ambassadors move their faces in such a way, but I’d never heard of an Ambassador being Taken. “Who are you?” I shouted at him as he walked away from me.

  He stopped and turned slightly so that he could see me over his shoulder. “Name’s Cap. Oh, and Tommy will be by soon with that food.”

  I am ashamed to admit that I almost killed the teenager, Tommy, when he brought me that first meal. I pretended to be feeling worse than I was actually feeling at the time. The boy approached me with caution, but because of my state, he wasn’t as cautious as he should’ve been.

  “He…Here’s your food,” he said as he placed the plate next to my crumpled body. I grabbed his wrist before he was able to jump away. The boy squirmed and flailed as I flipped him around and wrapped my arm around his puny neck. The only thing that saved him was the smell of cooked meat and my weak stomach. I involuntarily let go of Tommy when I heaved and vomited all over the ground that I’d been using as my bed.

  Tommy scrambled back and ran away from me as fast as he could. His skinny legs moved faster than I thought they could. I didn’t see anyone else for another day. I guess they figured I was too ill to want to eat. They were right.

  ***

  Cap returned about the time I started feeling physically better. But I also felt mentally unstable. I sat for over an hour staring at the blue sky. My whole body felt warm and alive like never before. When a bright red bird flew by, I jumped up from the ground so I could watch it soar up into a tree’s branches. Everything was different than it had been before. Maybe I was hallucinating. Not eating for a while can probably do that to a person—especially someone like me—all muscle. I need to eat.