Rebel Heart Read online

  Rebel Heart

  Christine Young

  Published by Rogue Phoenix Press

  Copyright © 2012

  ISBN: 978-1-936403-82-0

  Electronic rights reserved by Rogue Phoenix Press, all other rights reserved by the author. The reproduction or other use of any part of this publication without the prior written consent of the rights holder is an infringement of the copyright law. This is a work of fiction. People and locations, even those with real names, have been fictionalized for the purposes of this story.

  Early summer, 2585

  Victoria

  She loved to come to the lake. Nowhere else on earth was so beautiful and cool. Sunlight shimmered on the water and played chase with the golden ripples that dipped behind the shadows cast by stately redwood trees, only to emerge a heartbeat later and begin its game once again. The trees surrounding the lake were ancient now, born before the two thousand year wars.

  Perhaps it was her father who made this place seem special, who created the magic. He was wonderful and good. He cared deeply for his family and his friends. But more than that, he worked hard to uphold the laws of the cities and to bring understanding between the City Dwellers and the outsiders.

  He had promised her, had obtained the passes needed to go outside the perimeter of the virus-free bubble that protected them. She had been so proud when he handed her the permit.

  "Victoria, I'm giving you this for safe keeping," he'd told her. "Now, don't lose the pass. Without this little piece of paper both you and Vanessa will have to stay home and I'll be forced to swim alone."

  But her father was a busy and important man. Minutes before they meant to depart for the lake, he was called away on something vital, matters of state that had to be taken care of immediately.

  She and Vanessa watched him leave. Yet they had the treasured passes in hand. There was no reason Tori could think of that she and her twin should stay home. They left the sterile confines of the City to swim and play, just as they had planned.

  Oh, and it was such a beautiful day. Vanessa's giggle slipped across the deep blue surface and seemed to dive beneath, as if following her twin in a careless display of frivolity. Nessa's dark blond curls broke the surface of the water. She shook her head. Droplets flew into the air then shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. They caught rainbows of light and melded with their source. Laughter rippled again.

  Tori dove then quickly emerged from the mysterious depths; with strokes synchronized perfectly, they swam to the farthest point of land. Reaching shallow water, they waded ashore, oblivious to everything except the beauty of the day.

  "I wish father had been here." Nessa's small breathy voice lost itself in the towering trees and thick foliage.

  "He had important business." Something was about to happen. Tori sensed it--some sudden stillness in the air, something that warned her.

  Nessa DeMontville cast an exasperated glance at her twin who moved past her toward a huge granite rock that loomed almost ten feet above the earth. Another boulder soared higher.

  "He promised us, and it has been so long."

  "Sometimes he doesn't have a choice." To Tori, the forest had suddenly turned quiet--too quiet.

  "Are you sure it was alright for us to come without him?"

  "We have the passes," Tori said, scarcely able to breathe.

  Nessa shook her head. "Yes, but..."

  "I rest my case." She crossed her arms in front of her.

  "But father..."

  Tori patted the rock next to her. "I promise as soon as we dry off, we'll go home. Come on, join me."

  Nessa looked from her clothes to the sun-warmed rock. After a few seconds, her gaze drifted back to her sister. Nessa trembled, and Tori knew her sister was afraid.

  "I suppose we'll have to sneak in through the tower window," Nessa said.

  "Only because it's so much fun," Tori replied.

  The tower she spoke of stood guard over Tower City, an ancient reminder of a time long past. It looked over a larger arm of the lake they now enjoyed. A small, hidden door located at the tower's base enabled the girls to escape the stifling confines of the City.

  No one had the freedom to come and go from the City, as they pleased; no one except physicians. Since the last outbreak of the deadly signe virus, most travel was forbidden and permits were given only to a chosen few.

  Tori lifted her face to the sun, intent on the precious moments she had left.

  "I'm sorry Nessa, truly I am. If I'd realized you didn't want to go, I wouldn't have asked. Now that you're here, you have two choices; go up the ladder or walk through the gates. But then Father will know within minutes."

  "So he will be angry?" Nessa asked.

  "I don't know. Why did you agree to come with me?"

  Nessa's head shot up. Her grey eyes clouded. "I couldn't let you go alone. What if something happened to you?"

  Tori smiled tenderly then just as suddenly sobered. "You worry too much. Remember, we have passes and Father did approve this outing."

  "But that's because he planned to be here."

  Out of the corner of one eye, Tori watched her sister slip out of her swimsuit and struggle into her clothes. Nessa pulled on the form-fitting black body suit, wriggling to get into it. After that, she tugged at the bodice until the material flattened all her newly blossomed curves. Her dark blue tunic slithered over her head and rested an inch above her knees. Nessa buckled the wide silver belt she always wore before she buttoned the two remaining buttons, fastening them securely below her chin.

  Nessa waited and tapped her foot impatiently. To Tori, it looked as if Nessa waited for her to climb from the rock and dress, but Tori didn't want to leave.

  "Are you coming?" Nessa asked finally.

  "Another minute. The sun feels so warm and..."

  "Tori."

  "What?"

  Thunder boomed in the mountains far to the east and instantly the sky sizzled, turning the air sultry. Clouds billowed over the mountains and formed huge dark figures. The noise from the burgeoning summer storm eclipsed all other sounds.

  Something awful was about to happen. Suddenly anxious to be home, Tori rose.

  She slid off her sunny perch and scrambled into her clothes. Loose fitting breeches and a lightweight cotton shirt slipped over clean fresh skin, a sharp contrast to her sister's attire. She quickly tugged on her boots, hobbling on one foot then the other. When she finished, she straightened, brushing dusty hands on her pants.

  "Race you to the cross roads." Tori started across the stream. One foot landed in the bubbling creek with a loud splash, the other landed squarely on the other side. The exhilaration left her breathless, and she gave no heed to the racket she caused, racing across the summer-dried forest.

  A sharp cry pierced the woods. The scream was followed by the sharp report of a bullet. Both girls fell to the ground and froze. After several terrifying seconds passed without another shot, they raced for cover.

  Lightning scorched across the sky. Rain threatened. Black clouds filled the horizon, blocking out the sun.

  "Tori...what?"

  "Hush!" she said sharply.

  "But..." Nessa's voice whispered through the shrubbery.

  A terrified cry sounded an alarm in the forest. Nessa huddled closer to her sister.

  "Stay here. I'm going to see for myself." Guilt swept through Tori. She had caused this--her sister's fear. Nessa shouldn't be here.

  Nessa stiffened. "No, I..."

  "We can't stay huddled in fear. One of us has to go."

  "Don't you dare leave me."

  Tori studied her sister carefully. "Are you sure?"

  After a hesitant nod from Nessa, Tori rose on all fours. She peeked over the decaying log they hid behind then l
ooked back at her twin. Nessa's hands were clenched in tight little fists, and she had an unusually stubborn look about her, her chin slanting a little higher than usual.

  "All's clear." Crouched low, Tori moved swiftly along a narrow winding trail toward the crossroads. Nessa followed. And despite her apparent fear, she managed to stay on Tori's heels.

  Before she could warn Nessa, even before she could stop herself, Tori stumbled onto the road.

  One man, dressed in the stately gold and purple robes of a councilman, an advisor of the City, stood with his back to her. Two other men, hands shackled behind them, stood in front of the Advisor.

  Thieves.

  Behind the thieves stood five thieftakers. The golden red emblem emblazoned on their uniforms designated them as such. Then Tori's gaze caught and held the eye of one of the thieftakers. He was younger than the other four, but she knew first-hand he was twice as deadly. Quentin Morray.

  Tori felt the cool, arrogant stare down to the tips of her toes. She rubbed her arms in a futile attempt to ward off the cold that enveloped her. She'd known him for a long time, known him as long as she could remember. Every time they met, Morray made her skin crawl.

  Tori put him from her mind, her attention riveted to the Advisor who slowly turned toward her. Too late, she realized who he was. Her body shuddered and her heart slammed against her chest.

  The Advisor's fists held tight at his side and the scowl creasing his brow were the only indication of his anger. She watched horrified. Their eyes met for one second before she looked away thoroughly penitent. The forest was as silent as death itself. Then...

  "Father," Tori choked on the words.

  "Daddy," Nessa whispered softly.

  Tori froze.

  Yet it wasn't the fear that caused the sudden and deep chill sweeping through her, or her hatred of Morray. Nor was it the unexpected sight of her father that frightened Tori so very much. Even though his expression was hard and unrelenting, she'd seen that look before.

  What terrified her were the thieftakers. One already prepared a hangman's rope for the thieves. It was a cold-blooded group she'd run across, and she knew her father was here with his one guard for the sole purpose of stopping the lynching.

  The two thieves were barbarians, a hated group, reviled by most City Dwellers. The thieftakers were circling the thieves, pushing and shoving, taunting the men who had no means to defend themselves.

  The thieves were helpless. Their only hope lay in Advisor DeMontville's ability to hold the angry thieftakers back, on his ability to negotiate. But now his attention was focused on her.

  "What are you two doing here?" DeMontville's voice rose above the others. "Go to my glider. Now!" His harsh tone sent the girls scurrying.

  Even as her father shouted his warning, the scene erupted in chaos and angry cursing. Tori stopped mid-stride and watched as a bolt of lightning hit a tree nearby, saw the swift flight of a knife, a glint of silver.

  A roll of thunder drowned the terrible agonized scream. One of the thieves dropped to the ground, a knife protruding from his back.

  "For the love of God. Go, now!" her father yelled again, but Tori froze to the spot. She could feel her sister's body tremble beside her. She stared at the thieftakers, sure Morray threw the knife. But she had not seen him do it.

  "What is this? You murder a man without benefit of trial," her father called out as he turned his attention to the immediate problem. "I would have seen to them." He looked to the other prisoner who frantically dodged the thieftakers, desperate for his own life, his eyes wild with fear and hate. "Stop him!"

  The thief stumbled. One man took Advisor DeMontville's command to heart.

  A bullet was fired. The report echoed through the forest as the thief dropped to the ground, silent in death.

  DeMontville could have done nothing to prevent the murders. The thieftakers had every right according to the law to kill an accused thief.

  "They would have stood trial for their crimes," Tori's father said.

  Morray stepped forward. "And what about your daughters? Will they stand trial for their crimes? It is against the law to leave the City without a pass."

  DeMontville's sharply indrawn breath frightened her. They did have passes. She reached into her pocket to show them. But the passes were gone.

  Both prisoners had fallen in the once green grass. Blood flowed from their wounds. And her father, trusted representative of the people, stood before the thieftakers, challenged to a point beyond thinking.

  "I will see to their punishment."

  "A slap on the hands again, DeMontville?" Morray said before he sighed heavily and shook his head, a sneer forming on his lips. With long slim fingers, he picked a piece of lint from his sleeve

  As if by unspoken command, the thieftakers suddenly drew their weapons, pointing them at DeMontville.

  "If necessary there will be a trial by their peers, but I believe my punishment will be thorough enough."

  Morray stepped forward and a hush fell over those gathered. "Those men deserved to die. And your daughters need severe punishment, not some trial by their peers. They are incorrigible, flaunting the laws to their own purpose."

  "You have no say in this. None!" her father shouted above the roar that followed Morray's proclamation. In one swift gesture, he motioned the girls to the van. "I will see to them."

  "Father!" Tori cried out, though she knew he couldn't hear. The thieftakers surrounded him. He was outnumbered.

  "Advisor DeMontville!" Morray challenged again. "Would you jeopardize the entire treaty between the barbarians and the City Dwellers? But of course you would. You'd risk everything for your daughters, wouldn't you? Perhaps even your reputation."

  Quentin Morray motioned to his men and yelled out for justice. As the intimidating group surged forward, a strange whistling sound pierced the air. A silencer gun had been fired at the thieftakers. Quentin Morray suddenly stopped and fell to the ground, stunned but not dead. His men met the same fate.

  "In the name of all that is holy," her father whispered.

  The clearing was quiet.

  "Father, be careful!" Alarm rose as she watched her father hurry toward the downed thieftakers.

  "It's all right. I know it is," he told her softly. He bent over the leader, searching for a pulse along the man's neck. The man groaned and his body shuddered slightly. He lay still once more. "Ah, he will recover in record time," her father said before he looked sternly at his daughter. "Your behavior will not be excused. This time you have tied my hands. I don't dare show mercy. You will have to be sent away."

  Mortified, Tori hadn't realized the direction his punishment would take. Her teeth chattered, and she could scarcely breathe at the thought. Sent away. No!

  Then she found strength. "You gave us passes."

  "Produce them."

  "I cannot. They are lost, atop the boulder by the lake." She pushed aside her fears in order to comfort her twin.

  Together they would find the courage to survive this separation, and she prayed her father intended the banishment for her alone. Nessa's tears flowed, and she was afraid for her sister, for sweet gentle Nessa.

  Showing an uncharacteristic strength, Nessa managed to dry her eyes. Her tears stained the beautiful material of her tunic to a deep blue, yet, for the first time, she met her twin as an equal. "Tori, we have to be strong."

  Their father led them to the glider, leaving the thieftakers to recuperate on their own. "You realize the danger you've put the City in--ah, but you don't--I can read it in your eyes. Foolish pranks! Childish whims! Was the day's fun and games worth another war?" Her father's voice, deceptively soft, made Tori's heart beat furiously. She thought he'd been angry before, but now...

  Now she wanted to melt back into the forest, wanted to beg his forgiveness. The laws were wrong. It had been so long since she'd seen the forests and the lake, and she craved the freedom, the wind in her hair and the warm sunshine against her face. And there was still the matte
r of the passes.

  "You cannot believe this was done on a whim."

  "Your excursion will cause strife and treaties will have to be renegotiated. You can count on Morray to raise as much support against me as possible. They will cry out injustice. Perhaps even treason." He paused. "If you could have produced the pass--"

  "But father," she said. "he's an evil man and what does it matter that he's angry?" Tori asked her father.

  "You truly don't understand, do you?"

  The silence between them seemed to last an eternity.

  He sent Nessa off to the City with his attendant and directions for the guard to come back immediately.