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“Wreckers,” she whispered.
He grew very still.
A moment later, wrecker
s broke through to the bedroom and a series of explosions, one after the other, no doubt blew her bed apart and maybe even took out the wall as well.
Time to get the hell out. Take us to the forest, she sent.
A wrecker appeared in the doorway of the bathroom just as Duncan folded her a few feet into the edge of the forest. She then folded the quilt from the guest room straight into her arms. Duncan took it from her and wrapped them both up.
“The guns,” he whispered. “Where did you leave them?”
She held out both hands and they appeared in her arms along with the ammo. He took them from her and settled everything on the ground, once more embracing her and holding her close.
The wreckers never stopped firing. She watched her house slowly being demolished, as explosions took out wall after wall.
An alarm sounded over the entire colony.
“We’ll never be safe,” she murmured.
“Actually, I think there’s something I can do.” He told her about the mind-link and his learned ability to control it. “I believe Yolanthe has been using it to locate me through the darkening grid. I thought maybe I would be able to manipulate the situation by keeping the link intact in order to get more information about Chustaffus. But I see now that she’s used the connection to find us, or more particularly you with the intention of taking you out. I’m going to destroy the link right now.”
Rachel watched him close his eyes. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing, or how he intended to disrupt a link only the creator, according to Endelle, could break.
But she also experienced the exact moment he succeeded because his whole body tensed then he dropped to his knees, taking her with him.
“Pain,” he murmured.
“I can tell.”
“It … will be … all right. It’s over.”
As the roof of her house began to cave in, the explosions finally stopped.
Duncan eventually rose to his feet and she joined him. “What happens now?”
“We go after the bitch.”
“How? The woman lives on Third Earth.”
“But she’s the key to saving Second Earth. From this point forward, we go on the offensive.” He turned toward her, “The question is, will you be joining us?”
She searched his eyes. “Do you want me to, Duncan? Because I can promise you, if I join up, we’ll be getting closer whether you like it or not, and at some point you’re going to have to start talking, like you did just a few minutes ago.”
He looked confused. “What do you mean a few minutes ago?”
For the first time since she’d known Duncan, Rachel saw a hint of daylight. “You told me Carlyon had said your mother never wanted to see you again.”
He narrowed his gaze, frowning slightly. “I did, didn’t I? But I swear, until I spoke the words out loud, I’d never previously recalled him saying that. I was very young when my mother left.”
“I’m sure you purposely forgot a lot of what happened.”
“I must have. Carlyon was a brute.”
Rachel stared at the man she’d come to know so well over the years. She didn’t exactly understand why this was the moment to make her decision, but it was. “I’m joining the team, Duncan.”
“What?” He looked shocked all over again.
