Anne Winchell - The Last War

“Out of respect to your long service, Raven, I’ll give you five minutes before I sound the alarm.”

It was the most Medane could do and Raven thanked him before vanishing out the door with the rebel. Kaela was left standing alone before the two díamonts. Raven had apparently not told her his decision, because she looked shocked. When Medane signaled the alarm, her shock turned to fear and she looked at Atheus. Medane stepped between the two of them but Atheus pushed him out of the way and grabbed Kaela’s arm tightly.

“Don’t worry, Medane,” he said, sounding almost happy. “I’ll keep my word. And I’d be far more concerned about that human of yours than the other díamont.”

“He’s not going to turn against me.”

“Even so,” Atheus shrugged. “He’s not going to last a week without your protection.”

Atheus left with Kaela and Medane watched their figures move across the lobby until the door slid shut and left him alone in the conference room. Atheus was right, Medane knew. Raven had made so many enemies over the years. He had enemies in the government from when he led the resistance, enemies in all of the militias because of his efforts to eliminate warfare in rural areas, and enemies in the Western World because of the murder he had committed as a child. Medane wasn’t sure if Raven even remembered the last, but Raven did know that he was not welcome in the West. And with Atheus as an enemy as well, there was very little chance Raven would survive without someone like Medane to protect him.

He would survive, Medane told himself. Raven had survived against longer odds than this, and he would again. And if there were anything Medane could do to help Raven, he would do it.

Raven opened the door of the nearest parked car and shoved Nalia in before climbing in himself, hindered by the cuffs connecting them. He tossed her the key to the handcuffs while running his government authority card through the ignition. It would take a day or two before his access was denied, and it would be weeks before all of his electronic access was blocked. He had built in securities just in case he ever quit, and now he would find out how well they worked.

The car sprang to life and Raven pulled out into the car lane just as police poured from the building. One fired a weapon but Raven was out of range. He ducked down to the underpass, where the police would be less able to track him, and headed towards the slums. His heart pumped against his chest. He had quit. Finally. Gone. But now what would he do?

Nalia had unhooked herself and was buckling her safety belt. Raven unconsciously did the same, steering with one hand while he admired the car he had taken. It was a luxury model, designed for speed and perfect for a getaway. He would need to dump it before leaving the main downtown area but he could enjoy it for the moment. He felt like he was in a state of shock, like the things happening around him weren’t quite real. He hadn’t planned on leaving Medane. He had planned on withdrawing from the mission. But Medane had accepted the news so silently, as if he already knew Raven’s decision. And the way Atheus had looked at Nalia—Raven clenched his fists against the wheel.

He hated leaving Kaela to a man like Atheus, but she at least knew how to deal with him. Atheus’ face had been so full of pure malice when he looked at Nalia. Kaela was strong and Raven admired her ability to work for Atheus for so many years. But Nalia was young and innocent. He knew she could accomplish all of the things Raven had spent his life trying to achieve. She had the same drive and passion that he had, but he would make sure she didn’t make the same mistakes. Raven knew that if he had just left the mission and not severed all ties to Medane, Atheus would take over and Nalia would eventually be killed. He wasn’t going to let that happen.

Raven saw another car parked along the upper car lane and slid to a stop almost directly under it. Nalia followed his instructions without a word and soon they were making a less impressive but still speedy escape. This car had no identification on the window, so Raven drove it all the way into the slums. Even if the owner reported it stolen immediately, it would take days for the police to find the unmarked car. He slowed and parked in front of Grader’s Inn without a thought. Adrenaline still rushed through his veins. He felt proud and terrified.

Nalia remained seated.

“This is you,” he said as politely as he could.

“I know,” she said, blushing. “Would you walk me in?”

He started to refuse, then noticed her trembling hands. He wondered if she were still feeling ill after fainting the day before. She had moved slowly when they were switching cars, he thought. He got out and walked to her side. He helped her and she squeezed his arm as if in gratitude. She pulled him towards the entrance and he stopped.

“Come on,” she said in a pleading voice. “It won’t hurt to just come in. Please help me?” she added quietly, as if embarrassed to need help.

Raven stared at the doorway. It was open, as usual, and already the crowd inside had noticed their presence. Raven knew from Kaela that the first floor had been opened into a single room. If he went in there, he was bound to run into someone he knew. Or, worse, the relative of someone he had led to death in the massacre.

Nalia seemed to take his silence for agreement because she walked forward, keeping his arm tightly clutched in hers. Silence fell as they entered. Nalia kept dragging him forward until he was surrounded. He didn’t think she was trying to get him killed, but perhaps he had misjudged her.

“Nalia!”

Raven flinched at the sound of the voice and at the sight of the man who rushed forward. Heavy-set and short, Klaus had a head of gray but was otherwise unchanged in eleven years. Klaus stopped in front of the two of them and stared back and forth between them. Nalia kept her grip tight and seemed to be staring at her father defiantly. Not the best strategy with Klaus, Raven knew all too well, but maybe Klaus’ daughter could get away with it.

Klaus folded his arms and turned to Raven. “Bryce,” he said flatly. “You haven’t changed at all.”

Raven bit back an angry retort, reminding himself that he was in enemy territory. Of course he had changed. He had changed everything since that day. There was nothing left of the foolish, idealistic child he had once been, the child who led fifty-seven people into certain death and only four of them out. He had been an idiot but he had changed and he would never be like that again. Raven couldn’t come up with anything to say and settled instead on the man’s name.

“Klaus.”

“Father,” Nalia said, stepping between them, “Raven has been helping me.”

“He only helps himself.”

Again Klaus’ words stung, mostly because Raven knew they were true. He always wanted to help other people, but no matter Raven did, he seemed to be the only one to profit. Or survive. There was nothing to say; Raven had been the cause of Klaus’ wife’s death. He deserved far more than a few insults.

“I will be speaking with Raven in private,” Nalia announced, clutching his arm. “Please bring us tea.”

She again led him through the crowd, this time into the large kitchen at the back. There was a small, private eating area and she pushed Raven into the corner seat before sitting next to him. She was blocking his escape but also ensuring that Klaus couldn’t get too close to him, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about the situation. He wondered how Kaela was doing. He hadn’t planned on leaving her like that, but he thought she could handle the situation. He would wait a while, then get in contact with her again. He hoped she knew that he wasn’t abandoning her forever. She still had the chance for a real life, though, and she seemed relatively happy in her work. Raven didn’t have the right to take her away from that just because he wanted Kaela to have something different.