Across The Universe Part 13

We drift together in the water for a long while, shivering under the waning sun, until the warmth of his touch heats my skin, and mine his, and we forget all about the world falling apart around us. We forget that he is a Key and I am a Watcher. We forget and create a moment that both of us will remember forever.

Once night falls, Noah collects wood from the forest floor and lights a fire in the hearth. He heats a can of food in the embers and feeds it to me. The taste is bitter and metallic on my tongue, but it still intrigues me. We don't have food in The House-only water.

We find a quilt folded under the bed. The smell of the fabric is musty and damp, but the fire isn't enough to keep the cold air from chilling us, and so we crawl onto the bed and pull the blanket up to our ears.

Noah falls asleep immediately, his breathing falling into a steady rhythm that follows the same pattern as the flames flickering in the fireplace. I can't do the same. In the night-in the dark-everything seems much more threatening, and I fear for Noah's safety. He is the Key and I am his protector, for better or for worse.

The forest comes to life at night, sounds of animals huffing and twigs breaking drifting into the cabin. I roll gently out of Noah's embrace and walk to the door, slipping into the gra.s.sy clearing beyond. The stars and sky are clearer here than where Noah is from, and I silently wish I was floating among them as swirling smoke winding its way through galaxies and around planets.

I know we cannot stay in this cabin on this mountain forever. Eventually, they will come for us. Away from Noah, I can't pretend any longer. The gravity of my fate presses in on me. My breath quickens and my skin grows warm as I think of what's to come.

I want to listen to Noah and fight against the prophecy. I want to believe everything the Seer said can be reversed. But I also remember Elli's words after I told her about Noah being the Key: To try and play against the foretelling may not be wise.

So far, every time I've fought against the prophecy, I've led myself closer to it. Right now, as I stand outside the cabin where Noah sleeps so soundly, I realize I may be doing the exact same thing. I'm entangling myself with the Key, connecting myself to him in a way I've never connected with anyone else before. Now more than ever I'm terrified to lose him.

A pair of strong arms slip around my waist and when I glance behind me, Noah is there. His eyes droop with sleep and his hair is flattened on one side of his head.

"Is the bed not comfortable enough?" he asks.

"Can't close my eyes," I say.

He steps around me and kisses my forehead. I avert my gaze, staring at the places in the gra.s.s where his toes have matted down the foliage. The ground is tinged blue-green in the moonlight.

"You can tell me if you're scared," he says. "I won't fall apart if you do."

I gulp, bringing my eyes back to him. I can tell he speaks the truth. "I'm scared."

As soon as I admit it, I wish I hadn't. The words churn my stomach and cause my body to tremble. Noah catches me as my legs give way, picking me up into his arms. My feet dangle in the air as he walks back inside and sets me on the bed.

"You go to sleep," he says. "I'll keep watch for a while."

"I'm supposed to protect you," I murmur.

He pulls the blanket up around me and leans in close. "We can both protect each other."

I close my eyes and drift into unconsciousness, praying that he's right, and that Elli's wrong, and that when I wake up this will all be one long dream with the only real part being him.

Even as I sleep I can feel his arms around me, holding me so tight it's as if he's worried I might turn to smoke again and drift away.

Chapter Twenty.

I awake to Noah shaking me. It's still dark outside, beams of moonlight muted as they filter through the dirty windows. I have no idea how much time has pa.s.sed but I can immediately sense that we're in danger. It's obvious by the tight look on Noah's face-the way his cheeks have paled and his eyes have turned wild.

"We're being surrounded," Noah whispers. "They're closing in on the cabin."

"Harbingers?" I ask.

Noah shakes his head. "People-but not really. They all look like you."

I jolt upright, untangling my legs from the moth-eaten quilt. "Members of The House. Why would they be here? Unless ..."

"Unless what?" Noah asks after I trail off, helping me out of bed.

"The prophecy mentioned a Watcher would come for you, remember? One that would bring you to The House. Maybe that's why they're here: to take you."

Noah glances wildly around the room. "Then we have to get out of here."

I walk over to one of the windows and peek outside. Plumes of gray smoke plummet toward earth and reform into members of The House. The moonlight glints off their blonde hair and makes the silver in their eyes shine. There are dozens of them already, all of them landing at the edge of the clearing. They stand stock still as if waiting for some kind of command.

The m.u.f.fled sound of shattering gla.s.s interrupts my thoughts. I turn around and see Noah standing on the mattress, a dusty dishtowel draped across the window there as he uses his fist to punch out the panes. The House members outside don't seem to hear the sound above the chirping of insects outside.

Noah motions to me, laying the towel across the broken edge of the frame. I climb out the window as quietly as I can, dropping into the gra.s.s on silent feet and flattening my body against the side of the cabin. I am thankful for the darkness; it hides me from the prying eyes all around me.

Noah slides out of the window next and together we inch across the cabin wall until we hug the cliff face. If we follow it straight across it leads to the woods-the only opening not yet blocked by a member of The House.

We crouch low into the shadows, shuffling closer and closer to the tree line as one last plume of smoke cascades down to land in front of the cabin door. I stop dead in my tracks as the moonlight shines across the man's distinct features.

Dante.

"Don't just stand there!" he bellows at his followers. "Search the cottage. If they're not there then we must fan out and scour the woods."

I don't know why he's here. The prophecy refers to a Watcher, not a Leader, and my mind grasps at straws as it tries to justify his presence. Maybe he's in league with the rogue Watcher, helping them to find the Key. For the time being, it doesn't matter. All I care about is getting Noah to safety and escaping the clutches of The House.

I begin to move again, faster this time. Members of The House walk toward the cabin and I know we only have seconds before they enter and find the broken window. Then they'll know where we've gone.

I want to transform into smoke, to fly up into the sky and away from this place, but when I glance at the stars I see clouds of gray darting to and fro overhead. There's no way we'll dart past unnoticed, not with Noah's striking blue fog by my side.

We reach the woods and slip between the trees. I realize I've been holding my breath and allow myself to exhale. My frantic expression is reflected in the lenses of Noah's gla.s.ses and when I catch sight of my panic I do my best to mask it with determination instead. I don't want to scare him-to let him know I'm not sure of what to do next.

"We should head deeper into the woods, try to find our way down the mountain. Hopefully we'll find a spot where Dante's men aren't patrolling in the air and I can transform us," I whisper.

Noah nods, stepping forward. I move to follow him but a branch cracks loudly underfoot. In the distance, Dante's head snaps to attention. One of his followers leans out the broken window and points in the direction of the woods, right where we're standing. They can't see us through the darkness, but they know we're there nonetheless.

"After them," Dante snarls.

"Run," I say to Noah, and we're off, leaping over bushes and fighting past branches and leaves.

It's nearly impossible to keep track of Noah as he weaves between trees. The darkness swallows him whole several times and it's sheer luck that I find him again. I can hear the sound of Dante and the others chasing after us. Once I swear I feel the brush of hands on my back and the sound of heavy breathing in my ear. I pick up my pace, reaching Noah's side and taking his hand to pull him onward. He is tired, slowing down, and the trees are beginning to thin and give way to mountainous terrain.

The forest ends abruptly, exiling us onto a flat plain covered in jagged boulders. On the opposite side is a steep cliff. With time and effort we could descend it in a few hours, but we have neither, and the only choices we're left with are to jump to our deaths or hide.

I pull Noah into the crevice of a boulder, squatting down and placing a hand over his mouth. He does his best to silence his breathing as Dante and his followers break out of the woods behind us.

"They couldn't have gone far. Check under every stone, in every crack," Dante commands his brethren.

I bite back my breath as feet pa.s.s by our hiding spot, back and forth, back and forth. They'll find us eventually; they have to. It's only a matter of time- Noah is wrenched from my grasp and dragged out into the moonlight. I scream and claw at the air as he's taken away from me, but two hands shoot out and grab me by the shoulders, hauling me out after him.

"You let him go!" I scream. "He's mine. You can't have him!"

I gnash my teeth and kick my legs, forming fists and wailing as I lash out at any skin or bone that surrounds me. It's all the two House members holding me can do to keep their grip and dodge my blows.

Dante has Noah pinned by the throat, causing him to splutter for air as he fights against the Leader's chokehold. Tears break out from my eyes as I realize I've been defeated.

"You care for the boy," Dante says simply.

I shoot daggers in his direction, hock back, and spit in his face. He blinks back disgust as he wipes the saliva off his cheeks with his free hand.

"You'll regret that, Amara. Mark my words," he adds.

"The only thing I regret is letting you run The House! You're nothing but a traitor," I reply.

Dante looks from Noah to me as if he's trying to connect the dots. I don't understand his confusion-the lack of triumph written on his face.

"Why is he so important to you?" Dante asks.

"You know why."

"No; I really don't. Enlighten me."

I pause my struggling, appraising the Leader's face, and realize he's telling the truth. He doesn't realize Noah's the Key at all. That means the only person he could have come to Earth for is- "Me," I think aloud. "You came for me."

"Whom else would I be here for? You've defied the laws of The House once again, and this time your punishment is set in stone. The only question now is whether you go quietly or not." A sneer pulls at the corners of Dante's lips. "To help the dilemma, let me lay out your choices. If you continue to struggle-to fight against being brought back to The House-I'll kill this boy. I can see it in your eyes you care for him, even if he's a lower life form. Maybe you're delusional enough to have convinced yourself it's love. Either way, I won't hesitate to end him."

I glance at Noah with pain in my eyes. He tries to shake his head but Dante's grip is too firm.

"And if I don't struggle? If I come back with you without putting up a fight?" I ask.

"Then I let him go. I pretend he doesn't exist, that he hasn't defied the laws by learning about The House and its members. A small pardon so that the real criminal can be apprehended."

"Don't do it, Amara. He'll only kill you instead," Noah chokes out, raking his fingers down Dante's arm so hard that he draws silver. Dante doesn't even flinch.

My head drops, a sob wracking my lungs. Dante's sneer turns into a beaming smile. "She's willing to die for you, boy. How very pathetic," he hisses in Noah's ear.

A flicker of rage pa.s.ses through Noah's eyes. He whips back his head, slamming his skull into Dante's nose. Dante staggers back as silver streams from his nostrils, releasing Noah. Noah runs for me, throwing out a fist that connects with the jaw of one of the House members that holds me. The man goes down, pa.s.sing out cold. One of my arms now free, I spin and slam my hand up under the other man's chin. His head snaps back, he releases me, and I fall into Noah's arms.

We turn and sprint back toward the trees. Noah is faster than me but he doesn't let go, doesn't stop running. We're almost there when a foot lashes out, kicking my kneecap. I tumble to the ground and writhe in pain. Dante stands over me, the silver blood from his nose dripping down onto the fabric of my dress. Noah is at the tree line and the other House members close in on him.

"Run!" I scream at him. "If you love me, run!"

He does what I tell him, but instead of heading into the forest he makes a break toward me. I can see Dante's followers circling him, ready to take him down. It's dozens against one and I know he won't survive.

I reach up and grab onto Dante's pant leg. "Take me and leave him be," I say. "Do it now, please, before they kill him."

At first I think Dante won't oblige me-he looks positively sickened by my sacrifice-but then he calls out to the others. "Forget about the boy and return to The House!"

Dante brushes a hand against mine and in an instant I am smoke. He swirls around me, trapping me within his cloud form so that I can't escape. Below me the other House members burst into mist and rocket up into the clouds. The last thing I see before the marble halls of The House is Noah staring up at me, lost and alone, on the edge of a cliff.

"Amara, Watcher of The House," Dante announces to the audience of Leaders. "You have been found guilty of the highest form of treason."

I stand in the Court Room before the Leaders of The House, my hands tied behind my back with a length of rope. Shifting my weight to my uninjured knee, I hold my head high and respond. "What treason are you talking about? What have I done other than try to save us all from a terrible prophecy?"

"You killed a Harbinger. The event was reported by a Seer. She described the whole scene in detail."

"That's why you came to Earth? To sentence me for killing that ... thing?"

"It's not a thing, Amara. It has a vital role to play in The House. Without Harbingers universes would be left to grow and recede in their own time. There would be no control over the expansion of worlds."

"It tried to kill me," I say. "Both me and Noah."

"Silly stories dreamt up by a delusional little girl!" Dante announces to the audience. "Why would a Harbinger attack you, let alone a lower life form like that of the boy?"

I purse my lips, wanting to answer but knowing I can't. I want to defend myself but then questions about Noah will arise, and I can't let anyone know how important he is. Diverting my eyes to the corner of the room, I see Nim hunched against a wall. Tears flow freely from her eyes; she dabs at her cheeks with a handkerchief.

Choosing my words carefully, I answer with a hint of frustration threaded through my voice. "It's important you let me go. Things are happening in The House. Things no one else can stop but me. Someone is bent on destroying all we hold dear-"

"That someone is you, Amara," Dante says. "The evidence is overwhelming. And it's time for you to receive punishment for your actions."

I open my mouth, ready to deny it, but he shoots me a look of pure disdain and I know nothing I can argue will change his mind. "So what now?" I ask. "What becomes of me?"

Dante turns away as if I'm a patch of dirt on the ground unworthy of his gaze. He proclaims my sentence to the audience, and as the words leave his mouth Nim collapses to the ground, moaning, and the blood runs cold in my veins.

"It's a unanimous decision. Amara, Watcher of The House-you are to be cast into the void."

Chapter Twenty-One.

The Court Room is empty but for Dante and me. The audience filed out with their heads hanging low, none of them meeting my eyes as they pa.s.sed. Even Nim didn't muster the courage to say anything-no goodbye or pleading words on my behalf. She just left with all the others, stifling sobs while trailing out the door, and now I am alone with a Leader who hates me.

Dante walks across the cool marble floor, shooting me an amused look that curls his lip. I want to lash out, claw at his face and rip out his hair, but my hands are still bound behind me and he is twice my size. I don't stand a chance against him-not now, not ever.

He comes to the wall behind me and presses his palms flat against the surface. The marble slides back and reveals a set of spiraling stairs leading down into darkness. Torches are mounted in sconces along the way, burning at half-light as embers spark out and dwindle down to ash.

Wordlessly, Dante grabs my arm and drags me into the pa.s.sageway.

"You won't get away with this," I say, my voice echoing back through the hollow s.p.a.ce.

"I have, and I will," he replies, not bothering to meet my gaze. "It's a great thing to see someone like you finally punished for her insolence."