Children of the Gods - A Chosen Novel (19 page)

“When you say it like that, it does not sound
like such an unpleasant thing, especially if I get you alone
afterward.”

I could not help the blush that spread across
my cheeks, but I still did not adjust my hand to an appropriate
spot on his back.

I reluctantly let him go so he could climb
into the tank and await my one shot. What he did not know was I had
perfect aim. Niko, Lizanne and I spent much of our free time
helping out the local farmers with rodent problems.

I picked up one of the rocks and hefted it up
and down in my hand a few times. Jaxson looked a little worried. I
turned to the side and winked at him as drew my arm back. I let the
rock fly with precision aim, nailing the target dead on. The
surprise in his eyes lasted only a second before he was dropped
into the ice filled water.

“Reka!” A voiced called from behind. I began
to turn before I realized my error. Niko grabbed my hand and pulled
me in between two booths.

“I knew you were in there,” he said in a
rush, his eyes flashing wildly.

“Niko, you are holding to a belief that just
is not correct. She is in here, but only as background noise. I am
sorry.”

“I know it is you, Reka. I have been watching
you. You clapped your hands when you were excited, you bobbed your
head when you ate something you loved, and no one has dead on aim
like you,” he said, shaking my hands.

“I have inherited a lot of Reka’s mannerisms
because I inhabit her body. It is lucky for me she is such a good
shot because I am not. I know you love her… She cannot hide things
from me. It is unfortunate, and I am very sorry that she made you
love her when your lives were undecided, but what you hope for is
no longer here for you. You must move on and find someone else to
love.”

“No! Reka, you are strong. I know you are in
there. You have always been able to get people to do what you
wanted. Do it now. Come back to me.”

“Even if she could, which she cannot, you
could never be together—”

“We could run away,” he interrupted.

“Her body is filled with a toxin that is
lethal to both her and anyone she joins with other than my king.
You could have one night together, but by morning, you both would
be dead. A sweet way to go, but an unpleasant one to be sure. Every
nerve in your body would feel like it was on fire while the toxins
paralyze you so you cannot even scream in agony. A wicked
punishment for your crime. but there is no mercy for such a
betrayal of your Gods.”

He dropped my hands, defeated. I felt like a
knife had been pierced through my heart. I stared at him for a
second before turning away so he could not see the hot tears
stinging my eyes. I was grateful to Anaya for supplying me the
terrible information that crushed his spirit, and the emotions to
deliver it so coldly.

The memory of the bodies of two lovers after
exactly such a scene was now etched in my own brain. It was a sight
that even brought Anaya deep sadness to witness.

“What was that?” Jaxson nodded toward the
little hallway where Niko no longer stood. His voice startled me
out of the memory.

“Nothing. He thought he saw the girl he loved
in me,” I said, feeling as defeated as Niko had.

“Do I need to speak with him?” he asked, a
dangerous edge to his tone.

“No.” I shook my head “He will not bother us
again.”

“What did you say to him?”

“I told him that the love he is looking for
no longer exists, that the only one who will ever have Reka is
you.”

He looked unsure for a moment, then he drew
me close and tucked my head under his chin. “I know you are strong,
but I am sorry you had to go through that. I will never put you in
that position again.”

“You? You did not cause this,” I whispered.
He pulled me away and looked deep into my eyes. He had that
determined, almost angry look.

“This is not your fault.”

He would not say that if he knew what I had
done, what I was capable of, and that he too, likely fell prey to
my
gift
. I looked away and caught sight of Niko watching us.
Jaxson was quick to follow my gaze.

Chapter
25

Jaxson raised his hand high into the air. He
snapped his fingers and twirled one in a circle. There were gasps
from every direction as dozens of guards appeared from the
shadows.

I had to stifle a gasp of my own. Even though
I knew how many had accompanied us, where they had gone had not
even occurred to me. I was completely unaware of their presence
during our tour of the booths.

I had never been aware of their presence in
any of the past Festivals either. How often had I done things that
were against the rules, right in front of a guard? How much did
they know? It was both frightening and inspiring that so much of
our behavior was overlooked.

The guards filed in on all sides of us until
they blocked us almost completely from view. I could see through
our wall of guards that still more lined the walk on either side of
us, remaining close to each booth.

The show of force was something new. Was this
a jealous response from Jaxson, or a warning to those who
sympathized with our attackers? Either way it was very effective.
What was worse was that for each guard I could see, there were
nearly as many still unseen.

As we made our way toward the pedestal, I
tried not to draw attention to the fact that Niko was following us,
popping up in the crowd after every couple of booths we passed. If
he kept this up, with the guards on edge after the attack, I feared
he would end up getting himself killed.

We stopped suddenly and I tensed expecting
the worst.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Your peaches.” Jaxson motioned toward
Jefferson’s booth. I had completely forgotten.

The guards stepped aside to let me through.
Jefferson stood with two perfect peaches in his hands. His face
shown both happy and sad.

He placed the fruit in my hands and patted
them lovingly. “Be safe,” he said with an intensity that made me
want to reach out and embrace him. I refrained, but it ached to do
so. My own father was killed when I was very young. I do not
remember him, but I do remember Jefferson and others who have
filled his role in one way or another.

I was the wrong thing to everyone. Jefferson
was showing kindness to a God Queen because he saw me instead of
her. Jaxson loved me because he saw his God Queen instead of
me.

And then there was Niko, who was blindly
devoted to me because he could not see the truth through the lie I
had forced upon him.

Jaxson touched my shoulder, pulling me back
from the edge I was teetering on. I had to be strong, for my family
and for him. If anyone could make me keep up the illusion, it was
him. He deserved a little happiness, and though I was confused, I
wanted to be that happiness more than anything

I turned and stared into Jaxson’s uncertain
eyes. It was time to stop living two lives. I turned my attention
back to Jefferson who looked somewhat bewildered.

“Thank you, Jefferson. I will enjoy
these.”

He brightened again and waved as the swell of
guards fell back around us. I took Jaxson’s hand and did not look
back as we climbed aboard the pedestal and headed for home.

Chapter
26

Daniella rounded the corner as I stepped into
the hall. I took a right towards the control room, hoping to avoid
conversation.

“Anaya,” Daniella called, picking up her pace
until she fell in step next to me, bowing her head in a show of
respect, a gesture that still made me uncomfortable.

“Daniella,” I responded with a less formal
nod.

“I know you have been busy lately, helping
Jaxson. It is a pleasure to see you two getting on so well, working
together even, but it does not allow us much time to speak. I was
hoping only for a moment of your time.”

“Of course. Any concern of yours warrants my
full attention.”

She smiled, but the way her jaw was working,
made me uneasy. I was hoping she would lose her nerve. The attack
was all anyone spoke of lately and the thought of another
discussion made my stomach knot and the muscles in my legs feel
restless. I suppressed the urge to run.

“I am so glad to hear you say that. You see,
it is actually you that I am concerned about.” Her words were
rushed, but she continued almost without taking a breath. “I know
this all must be very hard for you, seeing that young man
burning.”

“Things could not have ended differently
without one of us being the one to lose our life. It was either him
or me, Daniella.”

“I know,” she said, swallowing, licking her
lips before continuing. “I know this one.” She motioned to my body.
“This host has affected you more than any ever has. She is strong;
we all see it. Her emotions… What I mean is. It must not have been
easy for her to watch one of her people – someone she may have been
friends with even – destroyed to save you, or herself, even.”

“No, you are correct. Her emotions have been
a trial, but one I am learning to bear. I am, after all,
responsible for them being in my head, am I not?”

“I did not come to make you feel guilty. I
wanted you to know that I understand. I am sure you never meant to
be this way. Living with them in your head, experiencing their
suffering. It changes you. Even now, after so many years, Anna’s
emotions still have the power to influence me. It seems Reka has
this same effect on you. She is a good influence. Ending the
restrictions is a step in the right direction. You have a chance to
do something—”

A commotion in the hall behind us cut our
conversation short.

Several guards were escorting two of Niko’s
friends through the hall. I did not know both of their names, but
the one I did know, Terrence Layton, was putting up a struggle. He
threw an elbow at the guard holding him. The guard staggered back,
allowing Terrence to break free of his grasp.

Terrence sprinted a few steps and spotted me.
He held me locked in a stare. This might have been what he had come
for, but as he stood before me, he seemed frozen, unable to carry
out whatever intent he had come with. The eye contact lasted only a
moment before three guards tackled him to the ground.

The guards dragged him from the ground and
surrounded him, one holding his head forward so he could see only
the ground.

“Take them to their cells,” Griff said,
appearing seemingly, from thin air.

I watched, unable to look away, as the guards
led them past me, both surrounded and held so they could not look
at me. Griff did not follow. Instead, he turned and headed towards
the control room. This stunned me back to life and I chased after
him.

“What will become of them, Griff?”

“That is for Jaxson to decide.”

“What will be for me to decide?” Jaxson
asked, looking up as I spilled into the control room after Griff.
Jaxson’s gaze shifted from Griff to me and the smile that had
begun, died on his lips. “Love?” He started around the console.

“There was another incident outside the ship.
Two men have been taken to cells.” Griff looked guilty as he spoke
the words, and cringed as he glanced in my direction.

“Another incident?” I could not help the heat
that rose, burning the tips of my ears. But Jaxson did not seem to
hear me, and Griff’s focus was back on Jaxson. Something seemed to
be passing between them as Griff gave a barely perceptible nod and
then a shake of his head.

“There was no violence, I assume?”

“None, except the one boy trying to escape in
the hall,” Griff responded.

“Leave them in their cells for a few days,
maybe a week. Give no indication of their fate. They will dream up
far worse things than we could ever inflict on them. Their fears
will be punishment enough. Make sure their families are aware they
are safe and no harm will come them.”

Griff bowed in response to Jaxson’s orders,
and stepped out into the hall with only the retreating echo of his
boots as evidence he had not vanished all together.

“If you ask me, I think you should make
examples of them. Execute them and show the City we do not tolerate
attacks on our ship.” Deuster did not look up from her console
while injecting her opinion.

“They have families!” I could not keep the
horror from my voice.

“Careful, Anaya, it sounds as though you are
beginning to care for them as Jaxson does.”

“Duester, do you not remember the fear and
pain you felt as you watched your beloved attacked?” There was a
wicked gleam in her eyes, but she held her tongue and nodded her
head. “And would you not have given anything to hear that he would
be alright?”

“Yes, I would have given anything,” she
hissed.

“We already ask them to sacrifice much for
our survival. We cannot expect them not to fight back when we take
away the little security they do feel. Force will only be met with
resistance. Compassion, however, inspires loyalty and engenders
trust. There is a reason Jaxson was Chosen to be the head of us.
You would do well to learn from his example.”

“Maybe you should look in the mirror before
you lecture about the reason for their sacrifice.” The hatred in
her eyes was unmistakable. Her tone was a warning that felt as
dangerous as if she were holding a knife to my neck.

Jaxson must have felt it too, because his
hands closed around my arms, pulling me back against him. His tone
held a surprising amount of compassion though. “You should leave
us, Duester. Return to your quarters.” She turned to leave, but
stopped as his voice turned deadly quiet. “Be grateful I have never
subscribed to the line of thinking you suggest, and for the sake of
your own neck, pray I never do.”

Chapter
27

The room was dark when I woke. I stretched
and instinctively reached for Jaxson, needing to feel his skin. My
pulse quickened as my fingers found only empty sheets in the space
his body belonged. My heart began to race as I sat up and scanned
the room.