Token (Token Chronicles) (25 page)

The leader takes out a map and lays it out against the tree off of the path. He is curiously turning his head analyzing the complex topography.

“If Ridian’s camp is out here, it is unlikely to be out in the open. It would most likely be hidden underground, either in a cave or maybe down a mineshaft. Soldier Saucier, Soldier Fallas, Soldier Nalley you continue to head west towards that mountain and see if there is any kind of entrance into it. Sgt. Feeney, you will head east with me. It looks as if there is some sort of cavernous structure about two clicks east. We will meet back here at dusk.”

If they conduct their search, they will find their way into both Ridian and Edena. I am unable to control myself. Upon my realization, it is automatic.

“No!” escapes from my mouth.

Damn, they heard me. I put my hands over my mouth trying to stop myself from making anymore stupid mistakes.

“Who’s there? Come out with your hands up, or you will be fired upon!”

“Split up, go, go, go.”

I have to do something. I have to stop them somehow. I stand up, not quite sure what I am going to do. I raise my hands so they won’t shoot.

“Identify yourself,” the leader screams out to me.

“I was just passing through. I don’t mean any harm.”

“Identify yourself,” he repeats.

I know now my only option is to kill these men. They represent too great of a threat. They will find Edena and Ridian. They could ruin everything. I have no other choice. I start to take count of the men. There are still three standing in the path. I can spot one over to my left, his weapon still fixated on me, but I am missing the fifth soldier. A twig loudly snaps behind me. I whip around in time to catch the butt of the fifth soldier’s weapon against my temple.

When I regain consciousness, my feet and hands are bound together and tied with rope. I am sitting on the moldy remains of a hard, cold stump of a tree.

“Just passing by, huh?” the leader says. “Care to explain this.”

The soldier behind me rips open the shirt on my back.

“The mark on your back indicates you are from the Hawk Islands. You, my friend, must be a Ridian Token. It just so happens we are looking for the Ridian camp. So we are going to make you a deal. You can tell us where it is, and we will let you go, or you can die alone right here out in the middle of nowhere. Your choice, really.”

“I don’t know where it is. I am not a Ridian Token.”

“Listen, I don’t have time for this. Last chance.”

I remain silent.

“Very well. Kill him.”

I hear the soldier behind me cock and load his weapon. I feel the muzzle bearing into the back of my head. I close my eyes.

The ground the soldier behind me is standing on suddenly splits open. He falls in screaming. I bring the ground back together, and the man’s screams cease.

“What the…”

The winds are already swirling about, I use the force to dislodge all of their weapons and fling them far out into the woods. The other four soldiers are standing there speechless, confused.

“Who are you?”

Proud of my heritage, proud of my father, proud of my abilities, I announce to them, “I am Kincaid Maddox. The son of Jackson Maddox. The leader of the new Rebellion. The world will know soon enough of us. You will not stand in our way.”

The ground beneath them begins to quake and cracks open again. Three of the men fall down out of my sight, screaming. I bring the crack in the ground back together. There is only silence. There is one soldier left standing in front me frozen in complete fear. It is the soldier who seemed keen on desertion.

“Come untie me,” I command to him.

Unsure of what he should do but ultimately fearful for his own life, he cautiously walks over to me and unties the rope around my hands and feet. As soon as I am free, I stand up, and he backs away.

I look him directly in the eyes and say, “Go back to your capital. Go back and tell them what you saw today. Go back and tell them that I am coming. And when I get there, any one standing in my way will meet a fate much worse than your friends received today.”

He just stands there without blinking an eye staring back at me.

“Go now!” I command.

The soldier takes off running as fast as he can in the opposite direction of me.

As I watch him run off, it sinks in that I have killed four men. The first of many if I am going to win this war. I understand what my mother said. There is no victory without sacrifice. Men are going to have to die on both sides of this war, but I can reduce the number of casualties. I can end this war quickly with a swift Rebel victory.

I have to get back to Ridian immediately. There is no time left to waste. Cromus is on to them. Hopefully, my soldier I let escape will spread the word to his comrades of my existence. Hopefully, Cromus’s other soldiers will be just as disloyal once my existence is actually confirmed. But I have also put Ridian in grave danger by letting him go. The element of surprise is now gone.

I start sprinting my way back down the trail. I can see the mountain off in the distance. I keep running as hard as I can for as long as I am physically able. No matter how hard I keep running, the mountain still only seems to be inching closer.

When I finally begin to reach the base of the mountain, I spot the old mineshaft entrance. I search for the secret-rock door exit Nayze and I found. As soon as I reach it, I search on the outside for some sort of handle so I can open it. When I find it, I rip the door open and come sprinting inside not even bothering to close it. There are other people in the hall this time staring at me in bewilderment and surprise. I keep running through and turn out of the hall and start heading down the stairs. I have to find my mother. I have to warn them what is happening. As I continue sprinting down the steps to reach the main floor, I am knocked over by someone.

“Where have you been? We have been searching for you day and night for over a week! Do you realize how much trouble I got in for letting you leave?”

It’s Nayze.

“Nayze. Nayze. I have to find my mother. Where is she?”

“I think she is in headquarters, but Kincaid, there is something you need to know. Something about the Melee.”

“Is Benja alive?” I ask.

“Yes, he won, Kincaid.”

“So Hadley is still in Silon?”

“As far as I know, but there is something else. When Benja won, the Token Silon chose from Ridian as his prize was Cydnee. You know her. She was not going to go there without a fight.”

“What do you mean?”

“She planned to assassinate him. She didn’t clear it with anyone. We may be in trouble.”

That must be what the Grodarian troops were talking about. Cydnee must have been successful in killing Silon. But what happened to the rest of his Tokens. Hadley, Yency. Benja has won his freedom now. Surely he is nowhere near there. I recollect myself.

“We are in trouble. It is time to mobilize. The time is now, I need you start to gathering all the troops on the main floor. I will meet up with you after I speak with her. Go!”

We both take off, each of us with separate missions.

I reach the base floor forcefully pushing other Rebel soldiers out of my way. When I finally reach the door to the headquarters, I don’t hesitate. I turn the doorknob and bust through.

“Mom, we have to talk. We are in trouble,” I say almost out of breath.

The headquarters is not filled with its normal ensemble of Generals, Captains, and other leaders. Instead there are only two people there.

I can see my mother seated at the head of the long meeting table staring back at me with a shocked expression on her face. Sitting on the table with her back turned to me is another girl. A girl with long blond curls. She turns around and her beautiful emerald green eyes widen. I am speechless. Hadley.

Chapter 18

Everything slows down. The world ceases to exist. There are no problems. Cromus is not bearing down on our position. Cydnee did not assassinate Silon. All that matters is she is here. I can hear nothing. I can see nothing else but her beautiful face. I begin to slowly move closer to her. Neither of us has said a word. Just as I am about to reach out to her, she jerks back and stands behind my mother as if she were afraid of me. I am confused.

I look to my mother, but she cannot look me in the eyes.

“Sgt. Merk, could you come in and take Ms. Hadley to her quarters? Thank you.”

The sergeant comes in and escorts Hadley out. Hadley doesn’t even look back at me as she leaves the room. Something is wrong.

“What is happening?” I ask my mother. “How is she here?”

“Well, I am sure you know by now, but your friend Benja won the Melee. When Silon selected his Token from our camp, he chose Cydnee. She killed him, Kincaid. The Silon camp was in chaos. Most of the Grodarian soldiers were killed as well. Almost all of the Tokens escaped. We had someone hack into the tracking chip database, and we located Hadley, removed her chip, and brought her back here for you. I told you we would get her back safe.”

“Something is not right though. She looked at me as if she had no idea who I was.”

“I am afraid there is something we left out when we told you about Silon. I didn’t want you to unnecessarily worry at first, but it appears it’s too late.”

“Too late? What do you mean it’s too late?”

“Silon, in order to gain complete obedience from some of his newly acquired Tokens, has a device that erases their memories. If I had to guess, she was resistant when she first arrived in Silon, and rather than kill her, he chose this method instead. But she doesn’t know who you are anymore. All the memories you may have shared with her back on your Island are gone.”

“It can’t be. If I could just talk to her, I know I could remind her. She has to know who I am. She just has to.”

“I am sorry, son. I’m afraid it is irreversible.”

My legs begin to feel weak. My head is spinning. I collapse to the floor devastated. The woman I have chosen to spend my life with, the woman I have fought so hard to get back to for months, doesn’t even know my name anymore. How is this possible?

Nayze comes running inside the headquarters room.

“The soldiers are all assembled Kincaid.”

“What do you mean assembled? I called no such meeting,” my mother inquires.

“Kincaid told me to. You mean you haven’t told her yet, Kincaid?”

“Told me what?” my mother asks me.

In a zombie like state, I robotically reply, “It’s Cromus. He suspects Ridian is going to rebel. He knows we were behind the Silon assassination. He is sending scouts and troops out here looking for our camp. They know I exist now.”

“Oh, no. We don’t have much time.”

“I killed most of them. I let one go to scare the other troops.”

“Killed them? Killed them how?”

“I have my abilities now. I have been perfecting them this past week in the solitude of the forest.”

“Is he okay?” Nayze asks my mother.

“Thank you, for the news, Nayze. We will be out shortly. Could you please leave us alone for a few minutes?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Son, you have to tell me everything you know. We won’t have much time if you killed those soldiers.”

“There is nothing else.”

“You have your abilities, now?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready to lead the army? We need you to be focused.”

I can barely even speak. My whole world has fallen apart. The reason I have worked so hard is for her. All for nothing.

My mother slaps me across the face.

“Snap out of it. We need you now. I know you are upset, but we have to prepare, or we will be destroyed.”

“I have to talk to her.”

“We don’t have the time.”

“Then we are going to make time! I have to know for sure.”

“Fine. But we must hurry.”

We both go running out of headquarters and make our way to the living quarters. I can see Sgt. Merk up ahead standing guard at a door. I run ahead of my mother and reach the door. The Sgt. stops me from entering, and I hear my mother yell from behind, “It’s okay. Let him in.”

When I throw the door open, she is sitting on the edge of her bed with her hands resting quietly in her lap. She looks up at me, but I don’t know if she recognizes me. She only looks afraid.

“Please, don’t be scared. My name is Kincaid. Do you know who I am?”

She is about to answer, but I cut her off.

“Please, just wait before you answer.”

I drop to one knee and gently grab her left hand clasping it between both of my own.

“When I first saw you getting off the transport back on our Island, the whole world seemed to stop. You were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. You took my breath away, you are the girl who took my breath away, please remember. I was always too nervous to talk to you, and that day out in the District, when I was left alone to suffer in pain, you never left my side. You stayed with me the whole time. And our first kiss.”

I fight back the tears begging to escape, but they are inevitable. As they start to flow, my voice begins to break. I try to recollect myself and finish.

“And our first kiss when you kissed me that next morning, I knew. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Remember the wedding I was going to give you if we ever found our freedom. Please, Hadley, remember. Please, remember me. I love you.”

She is gazing back at me her eyes beginning to brim with water, tears begin to roll down her cheeks over her dimples. She knows. She knows who I am.

“Kincaid… I am so sorry. I don’t remember you. I don’t know who you are.”

I break down. I cannot stop myself. I can feel someone’s hands lift me from my underarms dragging me out of her room. He stands me up against the wall outside the hallway.

My mother is only inches away from my face now.

“You are going to have to be strong. The Rebellion is relying on you. Hadley may not have her memory, but as long as Cromus and the Grodarian Federation are in control, more people like her are going to suffer. More children are going to be sold to the Hawk Islands to become Tokens. You can put an end to it all.”