City of Light (Outcast 1)

I could understand their splitting the children to help prevent a total disruption of their plans in the event of discovery, but why split them so unevenly? “What sort of vehicle?”

He shrugged. “It was a large ATV, military in design but not holding military registration.”

Why would they take five through a rift, and the others in an ATV? None of this was making any sense—unless, of course, they were preparing a trap. “What sort of registration did it have?”

“Government.”

“Government?” I couldn’t help the surprise in my voice. “Are you sure of that?”

His smile was thin. Humorless. “Yes. I was an official here in Carleen, remember. Military vehicles were often used to ensure our safety, especially in the latter parts of the war.”

The ice had reached my thighs and was beginning to leach through my torso, making it difficult to think, to move. To breathe. I needed to end this.

Fast.

And yet I couldn’t. There were still too many things I needed to know. “Which direction did the ATV go when it left here?” I hesitated, then added, “I’m presuming it did leave?”

“Yes. It went toward Central.”

For the second time in as many seconds, shock ran through me. “Central?”

He nodded. “We followed them to the boundary, but no farther. They were heading through the park, moving toward your city. Whether they actually continued in that direction, we cannot say. We prefer not to leave the boundary of our home.”

Most ghosts didn’t. Bear and Cat were a rarity in that regard, and it was undoubtedly due to the fact that they’d died

in my arms.

“And the . . .” My breath caught in my throat and froze the rest of the question in place. Panic surged, but a heartbeat later, I sucked in a breath and quickly said, “Other three—which rift did they go through?”

“The one that remains outside the barrier the gray witch raised.” Concern crossed his expression. “You had best end this conversation, unless you have a sudden desire to become one of us.”

“I don’t, but thanks for your help.”

He bowed and, as Cat’s energy began to pull away, quickly added, “Find these people. Stop them.”

It was all I could do to say, “I plan to.”

With Cat’s connection gone, I slumped backward and stared up at the matte gray skies, sucking in air and waiting for the chill of death to leave my body and for feeling to creep back into my limbs. My two little ghosts pressed against me, offering the comfort of their presence as much as their energy, but I had no intention of pulling on their strength to restore mine.

After what seemed like ages, the shivering stopped and I felt strong enough to stand. I stared up at the long road rising ahead of us, then resolutely pushed myself on.

It was a tedious climb in my weakened state, and I was sweating heavily and shaking with fatigue by the time I got to the top. I seriously had to take time out to heal myself; I might have had a good night’s sleep, but it wasn’t enough to restore me at a cellular level, and that’s what I needed right now. If I didn’t heal, I was going to be in big trouble—especially if I hit trouble.

I paused at the top of the hill and looked around. The dark energy of the false rift that hovered around the resting place of the ghosts was easy enough to spot, but I couldn’t see or feel anything that indicated there was any type of magic at work here. Certainly there didn’t appear to be anything that would prevent my moving closer.

But as I tried to step forward, Bear spun in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. Red flashed through my mind—a warning of danger.

I frowned and raised a hand, carefully pressing one finger forward. I was almost at full stretch when a thin strip of green light leapt up from the broken road surface and snatched at my finger. I jerked it away quickly, but the sliver followed, reaching for me, its feel foul and somehow corrupted. I ran backward, afraid to turn my back on the thing, and, after several steps, the sliver faded away. I sighed in relief and said, “Thanks, Bear.”

He whisked lightly around me, seemingly amused that he could see what I could not. “How far around this hill does it go? Could you check?”

He was off in an instant. “Cat, do you want to check how high the barrier reaches? Just be careful not to get too close.”

Her energy kissed my right cheek, and then she was gone. I crossed my arms and stared at the foul darkness that now dominated Carleen’s main square. Why would they put it here? Why not simply leave it where it was and just erect another earth-fueled barrier around it?

I rubbed my forehead wearily. I didn’t understand these people, but then, that wasn’t really surprising given I had a hard time understanding anyone who could hurt children.

Which made my attraction to Jonas all the more troubling. It was his people who’d used the worst possible method to destroy everyone in my bunker. I should be so repelled by him that I couldn’t stand to be in his presence rather than the opposite being true. And while I’d like to blame my DNA programming, I suspected there was a whole lot more going on than just that. I’d spent a lot of time in shifter camps during the war, and no shifter had snared my interest this way. Nor had any of those I’d chosen to lie with afterward. So why was he different? Was it the darkness within him? Or was it simply a matter of wanting someone I knew I could never have?