Prophecy's Child (Broken Throne Book 2) Read online

  Mr. Gunderson leaned close to Artos and whispered, “Where are they taking us, Mr. Merrilyn?”

  “To the estate, Mr. Gunderson. That is all. Nothing to worry about. This is a small setback. We’ll work through it like always.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  So much hinged on the next few days. Winnie had come into her power and needed direction if she was to become what the world had been waiting for. Most people thought prophecies were written in stone, that they couldn’t be broken, bent, or altered in any way. But that was only partly true. Prophecy predicted an individual’s potential to impact change. It used that person’s decisions to ensure the prophecy’s truth.

  The drive to his estate was quiet. He chose to sit up front with Mr. Gunderson, both of them needing the reassurance of each other’s company. Another car followed their limo. Artos didn’t care about being imprisoned in his home. He had plenty of creature comforts and a full communications center. He’d be able to reach out to Winnie and a few others to make sure he kept his fingers on Baltimore’s pulse.

  “Mr. Gunderson, I would like for you to try and locate Winnie Durham. She is still the key to everything. We must not lose sight of the prize, despite our setbacks.” Artos patted Gunderson on the back. “Find me Winnie and we might just save the world.”

  CHAPTER 33

  Winnie lay back and sighed, her ecstasy draining.

  Danny rolled over with a satisfied chuckle. “Is it just me, or are we getting good at this?”

  Winnie laughed and poked him in the ribs. He flinched, fending off her attempt to tickle him. She didn’t disagree. Their time in Danny’s apartment these last few days had drawn them closer than expected. She needed to be close to him, in every possible way. Winnie didn’t worry why her need was so strong, or how Danny’s proximity seemed to feed it.

  She hadn’t left the apartment since her arrival. She was afraid to go out and get recognized by the crowds that spilled from the buildings whenever the tremors returned. She’d rather take her chances with a potential building collapse.

  Danny went out every day to get them food. He’d come back and tell her what was happening outside, beyond what she could see from the flat’s only window. She’d used the alone time to tidy up and make herself more comfortable. She still worried about her mother but refused to go back and talk things out. Every part of her being drew her to stay beside Danny, exactly where she needed to be.

  Her last conversation with Elaine had been a disaster. She’d called her mom to let her know she was safe.

  “I promise, I’m fine. I just can’t be with you right now. You don’t understand what I’m going through.”

  “You don’t understand what you’re going through right now, either. Your place is here with me, where I can help you work through this. I’m your mother. No one knows you better than I do.”

  “No, Mom. You don’t. Everything is different. There’s so much I’ve done, so much I’ve grown into. You can’t understand how I’ve changed.”

  “I know one thing, Winnie. You’re with that boy again. I can tell in the way you talk about need and want. I know how that feels and I know how that fades. He’s not as important as family, as our relationship. That boy isn’t even a chanter. How can he possibly understand you the way I do?”

  “You didn’t stop and think about that when you fooled around and got pregnant with me. You thought a middling was just fine for you. Danny is different: he isn’t already married and he cares about me. He needs me. And we’re good for each other.”

  “Look, Winnie. I don’t really care what you think he means to you. Come home and we can work through this together. He can’t give you the support and advice that I can.”

  “I don’t want your advice or your support, Mom. Besides, who’s supporting who here? I’ve been supporting you for years, paying the rent, paying your medical bills. You want me back for security. But I don’t have to be home for that. I understand my obligations. You’ll be taken care of, if that’s what you’re so worried about.”

  “I can’t believe you’d throw that back in my face. This isn’t how I raised you.”

  “Well, believe it. I’m going to stay where I am and you won’t stop me.”

  Then she’d killed the connection. Her hand cramped from gripping the phone. That had been two days ago, and Winnie hadn’t called or texted her mother since, despite constant messages and voicemails that Winnie didn’t bother to read or listen to. Her mother was being selfish and could never care for Winnie as much as Danny did. Right now, he was the only one she could trust to keep her best interests at heart.

  Winnie stood and pulled on her clothes. She was hungry and Danny had brought back a small box of delicious looking pastries from market. She noticed the orange dust he’d tracked in from outside. The storms had returned, fueling public concerns about the tremors and widespread public works failures.

  Tris had been working almost non-stop with her fellow techs to repair the city’s failing systems. That didn’t stop Tris from expressing her own concerns about Winnie’s estrangement from her mother. That phone call hadn’t ended well, either. It was like all her friends failed to recognize Danny’s importance.

  Winnie was surprised by a knock on the door. No one had called on them since Winnie had arrived, and only Danny had gone through the door.

  “You in there?” Winnie heard from the hallway outside. “It’s Cait.”

  Somewhere, deep in her mind, Winnie was afraid that Cait would take her away from Danny.

  He stepped past her and opened the door. “Hey, Cait. Good to see you. Come on in.”

  “Hi, Danny. I wondered where Winnie had disappeared to. I should’ve figured that she’d be here with you.” Cait looked around the tiny apartment with a smirk. “You’ve quite the little love nest, Win. Don’t you think it’s time to come back? There’s a lot that needs doing.”

  “I … can’t … I … don’t want to go back out there. You didn’t see it, Cait. People know who I am. They begged me to make it stop: the tremors, the dust storms, the power failures. I can’t do it. I don’t know how I did what I did.”

  “Hey, Winnie, I get it. I was standing right there, watching you. I couldn’t figure out what you did either. You didn’t stitch the magic to hold it together like everyone does. You somehow moved it without touching it. Less like a seamstress and more like a conductor.”

  “Then you know why I can’t come out with you. I can’t face all those people who think I can do something I can’t.”

  Cait looked around the apartment again. “You can’t stay here the rest of your life, Winnie. You’ll have to leave at some point. And what about your mom? I’ve been to see her, Win. She’s sick with worry. You know what that does to her arthritis. Flare-ups are always worse when she’s stressed.”

  “We’re not talking. She’s trying to tell me what I can and can’t do when I’m the one who’s been running the household for years.”

  “Suit yourself, Winnie. I wanted to find you and make sure you were alright. I’ve done that. You don’t need our help. Just don’t forget that there are people out there who need yours.”

  Cait nodded to Danny, then left without saying goodbye to Winnie. The glimmer of hurt wasn’t enough to overcome her deep need to stay with Danny.

  He closed the door behind Cait, then came over and stood looking down at Winnie sitting on the worn old couch. “What’s going on? It’s not like you to treat your friends like that. She came looking for you because she was worried, and you blew her off like she didn’t matter to you at all.”

  “She doesn’t. All that matters to me now is you.”

  “Believe me, I’m flattered. This is the first week in what feels like forever when I haven’t had any headaches at all. The moment I feel the first tickle, you sense it and make it go away. I don’t know how you do what you’re doing, but I appreciate it.”

  He sat down beside her and gently took her hands.

  “You ca
n’t hide here forever, Winnie. You have things you’re supposed to do. I know that and so do you. Something is happening out there, and you have a part to play. Hiding here won’t make that go away.”

  “It’s not only that, Danny. It’s you, too. If I’m out there, I’m not here with you. And I feel … empty when we’re apart. Lost. I can’t think straight. All I want to do is find a way to get back and be close to you.”

  She leaned over and tried to kiss him, but Danny pulled away and stood.

  “You have to get help. It worries me, how long you’ve been here. Cait is right. There are things that need doing and you’re not the type to run from responsibilities. I don’t know what’s happening, but I don’t think you should be suffering alone.”

  “I don’t need help, Danny, I just need you.”

  “I’m not sure that’s true. Something is … wrong about you staying here. I don’t understand magic or how it all works. It would be foolish of me to tell you how you do what you do. But I think you should talk to someone who does.”

  “Like who?”

  “Artos offered to help, didn’t he? I remember what you told me about your last meeting. He said there would be problems if you didn’t get assistance. This might be what he was talking about. You’re not the sort of girl to stay cooped up in an apartment all day, especially not a dump like this. That alone is enough to tell me that something is wrong.”

  “Artos can’t show me anything that I can’t figure out on my own, right here with you.”

  Danny crossed the apartment and stared out the windows at something Winnie couldn’t see. He turned and met her eyes. They seemed to shine more than usual. Slowly, she realized they were brimming with tears.

  “I think you need to move out. I want you here more than ever, but I’m afraid this is breaking you. We can meet somewhere else and hang out, but I don’t think we should stay together this much anymore, at least not until you figure this out.”

  “But what about your headaches?”

  “I’ll have to live with them, just like I did before. Hell, I’m getting a nasty one now.”

  Winnie went to him, her healing hands extended.

  Danny flinched and ducked to one side. “I think you need to finish getting dressed and go. Tell Artos what’s been happening. And be honest. He only wants to help you.”

  Tears welled in Winnie’s eyes. Damn it. Everyone was telling her what to do, trying to get her to accept help she didn’t even need.

  She needed Danny. He was important. If she had to prove him and the others wrong, then fine. After that, she could return to his side.

  “If that’s what you want, then I’ll do it. But I want an apology when it doesn’t work.”

  “You make a genuine attempt and really listen to what Artos tells you to do, then I’ll apologize while standing on my head if you want.”

  Danny held out his arms and Winnie collapsed into the comforting strength of his embrace. They stood there holding each other for a long moment before they finally parted. Winnie went to gather her things.

  She’d go to Artos and tell him to teach her. Then she could come home.

  CHAPTER 34

  Winnie felt like she was starting to die the moment the door closed behind her. An anchor had taken hold of her soul and was dragging her down to unknown depths. The joy and elation of knowing he was nearby had gone, and in its place, a nagging thought, whispering on repeat that she wasn’t supposed to feel this way.

  She shoved the ridiculous thought into the back of her mind, inhaled a bottomless breath, and headed downstairs to the street.

  Dust storms had returned with a near constant haze of tangerine. For the first time, Winnie was thankful for the storms; with a scarf wrapped around her face, no one would be able to tell who she was.

  People wandered the streets wrapped as tightly as Winnie, physically and emotionally. Tension was thick, as if the crowd believed that they might have to fight for their survival at any moment. It was probably because of the frequent blackouts, water pressure failures, dust storms, and other changes in life’s usual reliability. Without the assurance that the sun would rise tomorrow, normality was something to protect at all costs.

  Winnie hadn’t realized how things had gotten in the city. She’d insulated herself by staying in the apartment. Danny made the occasional comment, but she discounted the severity. Things were coming apart at the seams and Winnie wondered if she could possibly stabilize the magic like she had in the Enclave. She would ask Artos, work with him to refine her skills until she could figure out how to fix the problem once and for all.

  Soon, she stood outside the Mender’s Hall, looking up at the tall building before going inside. Artos represented many things in her life: an employer, a mentor, a community leader, and, Winnie reluctantly had to admit, a father figure. Maybe that was why she resisted his offers for aid. Her own father had been around but not a strong presence in her life growing up. She and her mother had always made a point to make it on their own without him. It had dulled her need for a male mentor in her life. Winnie now realized that it might have kept her from learning what she needed from Artos sooner.

  She rode the elevator to the top floor but stopped when she didn’t recognize the receptionist, curious as to why Mr. Gunderson wasn’t puttering around in the outer office like always.

  She brushed it off and pointed to the door. “Is he in?”

  The receptionist seemed startled. “Uh, yes, but … ”

  “Never mind, I’m sure he’s expecting me. He always seems to know when I’m coming.”

  Winnie opened the door open and entered despite the woman’s objections. She seemed to have interrupted some sort of meeting. She thought about turning around but pushed forward instead. The sooner she got started, the sooner she would be back by Danny’s side.

  A trio of men stood in front of Artos’s desk, and as they turned toward the interruption, Winnie realized that something was wrong.

  “Well, isn’t this a surprise,” Cricket said from behind the desk. “We’ve been looking for you.”

  “What are you doing here? Where’s Artos?”

  “Cleaver told you this would happen. You can’t disappear for a week and expect life to keep on waiting. Artos is out. Baltimore belongs to Cleaver now, just like he said.”

  “Oh, my God. You didn’t … ?”

  Cricket laughed. “Kill Artos? No, nothing so drastic. Cleaver seems to think the old man will be useful, though we’re not sure why. No, Artos is alive and well, holed up in an estate on the edge of the city. I guess you could say he’s under house arrest.”

  Winnie stopped talking, considering her options. She still didn’t want to work for Cleaver, but showing up here could be seen as an opportunity to recruit her.

  “I didn’t know you would move in so completely. So fast. But it doesn’t change anything, at least not for me. I’ll still never work for Cleaver.”

  “Gentlemen, can you give Miss Durham and I a few moments alone?” Cricket gestured towards the door. The three men turned and left. Winnie assumed they were businessmen from around the city, here to pay respects to the city’s new boss.

  The final man left and Cricket closed the door. He smiled at Winnie and offered her a seat opposite him.

  She shook her head. “I’ll stand, thank you.”

  “So be it.” Cricket sat behind the desk. “Do you mind if I ask where you’ve been? A lot of folks have been looking.”

  “I’ve been with a friend. I had to lay low.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re alright and that some other gang didn’t snap you up for their crew. You need to be careful, Winnie. Word has spread. Your talents will make you very popular in certain circles.”

  “That’s why I need to talk with Artos. He has information I need. Can you tell me where he is?”

  Cricket watched Winnie for a moment before he continued.

  “I can do better than that. I’ll give you a ride. I have a few guys watching his place
to make sure he stays put. He’s been a good boy, so we’ve no reason to make an example. I have Garraldi going out soon. He can drop you off, if you want.”

  “Why help me? You know I’m with Artos.”

  “Because you need to make up your own mind about who you should be working for. And when you see that Artos no longer wields any power in this town, you’ll realize where your allegiance should be.”

  Winnie didn’t want to take a favor from Cricket or any of Cleaver’s men. But it would be a lot easier to find Artos if she accepted a ride with Garraldi rather than trying to find him on her own. Every minute not training with Artos was exile from Danny.

  “Alright, I’ll take the ride.”

  “Excellent. I’ll tell Garraldi to wait for you out front. I assume you would like to go immediately?”

  Winnie nodded, unaccustomed to such deference from men in this position. She thought about what had changed since their first meeting. Cricket had always been a polite sort of fellow, but this was different.

  “I see you’re perplexed.” Cricket smiled. “I just want you to see that we’re not the bad guys here.”

  “I’m not sure what I see, Cricket, but thanks for the ride. I guess I’ll see you around?”

  “You know where to find me.”

  Winnie left the office confused. Cleaver’s guys were offering to help, and despite Cricket’s insistence to the contrary, it didn’t make sense.

  She wondered all the way across town, barely saying a word to Garraldi. After a long drive, he pulled up to a tree-lined avenue with giant homes on walled lots lining both sides of the street. This was where the elite lived. People who were even richer than the Barbers. People with all the influence. She was surprised Artos was even allowed to buy a place.

  Garraldi stopped in front of a gated compound. “This is it.” He pointed. “Artos is there. You can ring the buzzer and see if he’ll let you in.”

  Winnie climbed out of the car and went to push the buzzer. But there wasn’t any need. The gate opened with a hum and a familiar voice sounded over the speaker.