Duplicities (Imaginations Book 2) Read online

  I knew their thirst, the kind they had not known existed until this very moment. I knew they would drink until they threw up and then they would drink again.

  It brought a smile to my lips to see them so animated and excited. It was a great experience to see something so simple bring such joy to a stricken face.

  My father finished drinking and plopped onto the gravel next to me, grinning like a fool. “This is not what I expected it to be.”

  “You thought it would be easier?”

  “Barren.” He shook his head. “I feared there was nothing left and it was a dead world, like we had always been taught.”

  I nodded. “The lies we have been told could wrap around the world.”

  “You are not how I imagined either.”

  I grinned back at him, matching our faces. “Imaginations are a dangerous toy an idle mind plays with.”

  “My mind has not been idle ever.” He snorted.

  I laughed, a true chuckle, drawing the eyes of the people on the banks of the creek. Murphy gave me an odd look, like he wanted to sit next to me but out of respect for my father’s hatred of him, he resisted.

  A slow smile crept across my lips as I saw something on the horizon, a figure. I jumped up, running and splashing across the creek. “MICHAEL!”

  He let go of the horse he was walking and ran for me too. We hugged, an intense gesture for us both but he was the only person here who knew where I had been or who I really was. He knew me. He wrapped himself around me, spinning me in a circle. “I thought for sure you were dead.”

  I shook my head, instantly remembering the smell of being on the road as it wafted off of him. It was the stench of freedom.

  He pulled me back, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you finally came.”

  “I can’t either. We got a bit delayed.” I didn't want to explain the entire thing. It was a story worthy of a roaring fire and some of the ale the kingdom had in large supply.

  His eyes, no—his entire face, fell from joyous to pained.

  “What is it?”

  He swallowed hard, as if he were taking his words and the truth down with his spit.

  “Tell me.”

  He nodded, lowering his blue eyes so as to avoid mine. “The kingdom is gone. They came in the night, in droves, killing and burning and taking.”

  My entire body tightened into a solid cramp. I gagged a little, not sure how to respond without starting the entirety of my party turning into a sea of anguish. Finally, three words fell from my lips, splattering onto the rocks, “Amber, my brother?”

  He shook his head. “People ran for the forest but I imagine they were caught, taken back to The Undead City.”

  Chills rocked me as I dropped to my knees, again cutting them on the rocks but I didn't feel it. “This is all my fault.” I knew that.

  He dropped in front of me, looking like he might lie but he didn't. He nodded. He knew. “They came in droves, numbers the king didn't even know they had. A wave far bigger than he had ever prepared for. I was on the outskirts of the kingdom, eating food Helena had snuck me when I heard them coming.”

  I was about to sob or cry out or even scream, but the image of his horse came into view, and I didn't think of anything but getting them back. “Can I take that?”

  He glanced back at the horse, shaking his head. “I’m returning to the river people. I need her. Sorry, Gwyn.”

  “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  A grim grin crossed his lips. “I have heard that from you before and it was months, not days when you returned.” He slapped me on the arm. “Though I will say, I never imagined you would return.”

  “I will be back tomorrow. I can’t leave these people for longer than that.” Again the responsibility of others ate at me. “But I need something to go and get them with.”

  His blue eyes burned. “You can’t be serious?”

  “I mean to rescue all three of the people I am responsible for.”

  He sighed. “You going to get Lyle?”

  I nodded.

  “Why did you leave him there in the first place?” A disapproving stare narrowed his gaze and opinion of me. “And where’s his cousin you were so anxious to be with again? Is that him there, eyeballing me?”

  “No.” I flinched, not realizing Michael had seen my excitement to be with Bran again. “They wanted to stay and make sure the city didn't end in violence before they came to the kingdom, but I had to leave.” I glanced back at Murphy and my parents huddled on the banks. “My father had to leave the city.”

  “Who’s that lad then? You traded in already?”

  “He’s—he’s a friend of Bran’s.” I shook my head, shaken by the way he assumed there was a relationship. “It doesn't matter. I need them to help me save my family though. Lyle and Bran will come with me.”

  “You would actually ask them to risk their lives because you need them to protect you?”

  I nodded.

  “This is why I don't believe in love.” He shook his head, sighing and wiping away sweat from his brow. “You have until first light tomorrow to fetch your fiancé.” His eyes darted to Murphy, who I was certain was staring right at Michael and me. His words took a second to sink in. I had heard that word before, fiancé. It was a word from the old times. It meant betrothed or paired. It was then I realized he was right—Lyle was my pairing. I had agreed to marry him, when we were at the kingdom. He had asked me, in the old tradition and I said yes. Just like in the books in the library.

  The image of us lying on the bed in the kingdom made me smile. I had felt like a different girl than the one who was standing in the middle of nowhere, preparing to ride back to the city. I felt stronger then. I think I was stronger in my naivety. Knowing things hadn’t improved me, at all. Knowing somewhere in the world, or in the air, or somewhere else altogether, there lived a girl like me, a copy of me, made me twitchy. She was a version of me, or I her. Either way it was wrong, against the natural order. Information such as that had made me weaker, smaller. My own insignificance was apparent.

  “You’re burning daylight, kid.”

  I glanced over at Michael, nodding. “Right. So you’ll stay with them, keep them safe?”

  He winced, definitely thinking up ways to not have to do it, but when he saw the worry in my eyes he sighed, shrugging, “I guess.”

  I hugged him once more, nodding against him. “Don’t let them die, or get captured.”

  “Are you kidding? It’ll only mean more work for me if they do get caught. You think I don't know I’m going to be roped into that suicide mission?”

  I scowled. “Suicide?” The word was familiar but not a memory.

  He shook his head. “Get going. It’s not important.”

  I turned but he grabbed my arm, muttering softly, “And stop the nonsense you’ve already started with that one over there. You can’t string them all on and hope they’ll all be there when you need them. You can’t expect loyalty from any one of them if you don't give it to them.” He released me with a burning scowl and a slight shove. I tried to pretend I didn't know what he was referring to as I sauntered back to my parents, contemplating how I would explain who he was and where I was going. But Murphy walked to me first. “What’s going on?”

  “The kingdom’s gone, burned and ruined. My brother and my friends have been taken by the slavers.”

  He clenched his jaw. “Not our worry. We have to stay safe and protect these people.”

  “I am going to get my brother and my friends.” Tears filled my eyes but they were filled with rage, not sorrow. “This is entirely my fault. I helped burn their city; I made this happen. I will be back in the morning with Bran and Lyle.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  I shook my head. “No. I’ll ride faster without you.”

  He scoffed. “It wasn't up for debate, Gwynie.” His tone mocked me. He walked to the horse, introducing himself to Michael. I growled a sigh and stalked to my parents to explain.

 
Home sweet home

  The water splashed at my eyes as we approached the wall and the place where there was a missing section. It was under the water so not visible but it definitely worked to get in and out of the city.

  “You sure there’s a gap in the wall?” I asked again.

  “Yeah, I am sure. I have used it before.” He sounded like he was getting annoyed until he looked back, grinning. “You swim well, better than I expected.”

  I nodded, swimming like he was. “I swam all right before we left the city, but the river people swim all the time. I got much better there.”

  “A matter of survival?” Murphy asked, swimming with precision.

  “Yes. They live on a raging river with a slow section that's perfect for bathing and cooling off. But you have to be able to swim against the slight current even there.”

  “I can’t believe that man gave you his swords and his horse.” He sounded funny when he said it so I looked back, wondering what he was getting at.

  “What?”

  “He just seemed awfully interested in you.”

  I scoffed. “He’s a man who owes me for a betrayal he committed against me and my friends. He was one of us, came from a different city than us. He’s a man who will do what is best for himself, make no mistake. You must have noticed he escaped the slavers, heard them coming, and yet let them take the kingdom in the night? He did it to save his own neck. He has always had memories and when he got to the river folk, they let him stay, but on the agreement that he found more of us for the slavers.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “No. He did it. He gathered us, made us feel safe. Then when the slavers came he looked the other way, protecting himself and the river folk above all else.”

  “What an ass.” He held his breath and swam under to get through the gap. I held mine and followed him, enjoying the feeling of submerging completely. When I surfaced he was right there, in my face. I tried to back up but the giant wall was there. He moved in with me, following me with his intense stare. He cupped my face, pressing his wet lips against mine. The heat of the kiss wasn't lost in the cold water. I closed my eyes and pretended we were back in that little cottage in the forest, surrounded by apples and pears and birds. I wished in a small place in my heart that we could have been that couple who lived and worked in the orchard, out of the reach of the engineers and planners. Out of the reach of anything but the two of us and the life we might one day have.

  Our wet lips, slipping against each other brought a slight moan from me. It was a delightful fantasy for the whole two minutes we kissed, there hidden away in the darkest corner of the city.

  When it was over I regretted it and everything else I had ever felt. It was impossible to care for three men all at once, but entirely possible none of my feelings were genuinely my own. Not to mention, Michael might have been rude, but he was right. None of them would ever care for me if they realized how conflicted I was about all three of them.

  I swam around him, hoping my heart would return to a regular pace before I landed on the shore.

  “Do you want to know why I kissed you?”

  I shook my head, swimming for the shoreline.

  “I did it because I know this is the last time I’ll ever kiss you again.”

  That caught my attention. I glanced back, confused. “Why?”

  “Because Bran and Lyle are both in love with you. You don't need to add another person to the waiting list of men who are expecting an answer from your heart.” He swam closer to me, looking passionate but not in the way I would have wanted. “Michael mentioned you already accepted Lyle’s hand too. Now that you have your memories, you need to honor that agreement.” He swam past me, leaving me to feel dirty.

  I was about to tell him I was glad he wasn't interested because his kisses were akin to sticking my face under the tap at home for a drink. But something caught my eye. Many somethings in fact.

  The sky was no longer clear and pristine with dotted clouds and soft sunlight. Instead, there was billowing smoke coming from many places. Buildings appeared to be on fire and chaos had taken the streets we could see. People were running in every direction.

  “That doesn't look good.”

  He turned and looked as he stopped swimming altogether. “Oh good.” I could tell he was being sarcastic but I didn't understand the timing. He was mocking the situation fearlessly, while I was certain we would die before we even reached my friends.

  He started to swim hard for the shore, using his arms in a way that I copied, pulling myself through the water. When he landed he waited for me, grabbing and dragging me to the shore. We ran, sopping wet and completely out of place in the city and yet fitting into the scene we found when we rounded the corner from the pier. Women and men ran about, people screamed, and children cried. A boom shot into the air, sounding like gunfire. Murphy didn't hesitate like I did. He grabbed my hand and ran, dragging me through the streets with him. I ducked as the sound came again. He ran for the tram but smoke billowed from there.

  A woman stood in the middle of the chaos, blood dripping from a cut on her cheek and a burn on her eyebrow. He shook her but she didn't move. I grabbed her hand, spinning her to look at me. “What’s happened?”

  She stammered, “F-fire and more fire but a different kind. It made a boom and shot pieces of the city everywhere.” Her eyes glistened. “I think I remember yesterday and maybe I remember the yesterday before that. I can see things.” She sobbed and I realized Lyle’s father had gotten his wish.

  Murphy didn't wait for more explanation. He dragged me to the building where I had lived with Lyle. Where I had seen my clone. Where I had lost my belief that we could save the city.

  When we got to the elevator he used his thumb but it made a noise. So he grabbed my hand, pressing my thumb on the scanner. It flashed and the doors to the elevator opened. We both stopped, staring down at the face of my friend, the dead face of Tyler. He had been a lot of things, but cruel was never one of them. He didn't deserve the fate he had been given. The pool of blood behind his head made attempts at trying to describe his death to me but I looked away. Murphy dragged me into the elevator with my dead friend, pressing a button and waiting for the door to close.

  A soft sob escaped my lips. He wrapped an arm around me, holding me close and letting my face tuck into his chest. We didn't speak of it, mostly because I didn't want to cry. I wanted to be strong, but my entire body was racked with fear that we might find Lyle and Bran in the exact situation. “They never should have stayed here. They should have left with us.”

  When the elevator landed on the floor he had picked, he pulled me off, leaving Tyler there. I wanted to run back to him. I had known him my entire life. I knew everything, every detail that made him who he was and now that light was snuffed out. My hand lifted to my back where the harness sat. I dragged a wide-bladed sword from the holster, passing it to Murphy. He narrowed his gaze, still pulling me along. “You sure you want to bring these out?”

  I nodded, instead of pointing out that we had just walked over my dead friend like it was nothing. Like he was nothing. I dragged the other wide blade out, feeling my hands flex around the hilt. Ferocity flowed in my veins; I just needed a reason to unleash it. The fear I felt for Lyle and Bran was enough.

  A bang filled the air, followed by a boom. More explosions from that fire perhaps? The building shook slightly as the last boom hit. He ran us directly to the library, pausing and looking around. I didn't know what he was looking for until he dragged us to the hallway that led to the sleeping lady. He pulled me in there, stopping instantly when he got inside. I walked directly behind his back, pausing and letting him decide if we should keep walking or not.

  “Murphy? Gwyn?” Lyle’s voice filled the air. I breathed for the first time in minutes. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply into Murphy’s back. When I was composed I peeked around him to see Bran and Lyle both standing in the room with the sleeping lady. The blue light from her bed mad
e their faces appear sharper. “I thought you left. I thought we agreed she shouldn't be here and we would meet in the kingdom after we finished this.”

  I nodded. “We came back for you.”

  “Missed me already?” He grinned bitterly.

  It lasted until the next sentence left my lips. “The kingdom is gone and my brother and Amber have been taken by the slavers.”

  Then his jaw dropped. “No.”

  “Yeah.” Murphy looked back at me. “We met your pal, Michael. He said the kingdom was gone, invaded and burned by the slavers.”

  Lyle closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose like he did sometimes when I annoyed him. Bran gave me an intense stare. “Are you going to go free them?”

  I nodded.

  “I take it you came back to get a bit of help with that?”

  I didn't have to nod again. They both knew I needed to free them.

  Lyle looked back at Bran. “We should take one of the trucks.”

  Murphy chuckled. “Sounds better than riding that horse with four of us.”

  Bran looked confused but Lyle laughed bitterly as he fought with his breath and emotions.

  I pointed as the building shook again with another boom. “What is going on?”

  “Rebellion. The people now see the planners and engineers have brainwashed them and made them slaves. They are not in fact grateful to know the truth, not at all.” Bran rolled his eyes.

  “I think we all guessed that would happen.” A scowl crossed my brow.

  Lyle looked conflicted and upset but Bran just sighed. “My uncle responded terribly when they watched the recording of the clone that looked like you. Called us all abominations. He left the room after disowning us.” He glanced at Lyle whose face was a pale color.

  “Was it him that killed Tyler?”

  Bran’s eyes darted to mine. “What?” The intense green stare was haunting in the eerie blue light.

  “He’s dead in the elevator.”

  Bran instantly ran past us, bolting from the room and down the hallway.