I sat in the hospital waiting room, listening to the motion of the people around me: the chatter of nurses, the little boy snapping gum. Esther was going to live. While her condition was still serious, she was stable. There were severe lacerations to her upper chest, and she’d broken a few bones, so they were keeping her sedated for the time being.
Leon lurked at the other end of the room, silent and brooding. He was keeping a specific distance, it seemed to me. Not close enough that he’d have to communicate, not far enough that he wouldn’t see it if some Harrower crawled up and tried to drag me Beneath. He was there, at the end of the tether, I thought—our Guardian bond acting as a leash. Well, we’d been warned about that. We were stuck together, regardless of what either of us wished. And right now he clearly didn’t wish it.
Mom arrived shortly after midnight. She’d changed out of her Morning Star hoodie, replacing it with a tank top I was pretty sure belonged to me. She must’ve fished it out of my room at Esther’s, I decided, since she also dropped my phone and my purse in my lap. She’d exchanged her black pants for jeans. She’d showered, too; her hair was damp, and there didn’t appear to be even a drop of blood on her. When I asked what had happened to Shane, she grimaced.
“You killed him?” I breathed.
She shook her head. “He escaped. I’m not sure I even injured him. He’s more powerful than we ever gave him credit for.”
Or the Beneath itself was gaining strength.
Mom stationed herself at the hospital, in case Shane decided to go after Esther again. She’d spoken with the other Guardians, including the reinforcements from the other Circles. Every leader and elder among the Kin was researching the situation. They were trying to come up with a plan, she said, but at the moment they had nothing.
We spent the night in the hospital waiting room. I slept intermittently, curled up on one of the couches with my head tucked against the arm. I wondered where we were supposed to go. Mom wouldn’t let me return to our house. And the house in St. Paul was no longer safe, either. I doubted she’d pack me up and send me to Leon’s little apartment, if he would have even agreed to that.
I learned the answer the following morning.
There had been three additional attacks during the night while Mom was at the hospital keeping watch over Esther. Three disappearances. None of them had even had time to contact the Guardians assigned to protect them.
“I’ve discussed it with the Guardians and a few members of the Kin already,” Mom said, coming to sit beside me in the waiting room. “It’s time to consider next steps. I’ve come to a decision.”
“What does that mean?”
“At this point,” she said, “it’s clear that Shane is strong enough to breach the Circle just about anywhere within the Cities that he chooses. And we can’t protect every member of the Kin every hour of the day.”
I stared at her. “Then what are we going to do?”
Her face was grim. “Evacuate.”
Evacuations only took place under extreme circumstances. Though the Kin population in the Cities was relatively small—only a few hundred people—it was no minor thing to ask them to pack up and leave their homes and their jobs for an indeterminate amount of time. Some of them might refuse. And it wasn’t a command so much as a strongly worded suggestion.
Mom told me she expected most of the Kin to take this suggestion.
Her reasoning in ordering the evacuation was twofold, she said: to protect the Kin, and to minimize the number of targets. “If it wants the Kin, it will have to go after the Guardians,” she said. “And we’ll be ready. We’re preparing to counter if it launches an attack.”
The details of the evacuation would be left up to the individuals. They could decide where they would go, and when they would leave—though soon to immediately would be best. They would be asked to check in with the Guardians once they’d relocated, and to give contact information where they could be reached. If they wished, accommodations would be made for them at one of the other Circles.
The Guardians would remain. They would handle the situation. They would let the Kin know when it was safe to return.
If it was safe to return.
Esther would have to stay behind until it was safe for her to leave the hospital, Mom said. Charles would remain with her and Elspeth.
I listened in silence, imagining word being spread: phone calls and meetings, somber voices that uttered warnings and directions, the chill of fear that followed. By evening, most of the Kin would know. Decisions would need to be made, bags packed. Planning would go well into the night. Then, slowly, windows in Kin neighborhoods would go dark. Parents would gather their children, slip out to their cars and minivans in the hushed predawn light. Houses would stand empty. Mail would pile up.
Some had left already, Mom said. When the killings first began, a few members of the Kin who weren’t tied to jobs or houses had decided to take extended vacations. A few would stay. For others, leaving simply wasn’t a possibility. That was why it didn’t happen often.
There had been only one other evacuation in living memory.
I knew it without asking. The Harrowing begun by Verrick seventeen years ago.
Finally, sitting with my hands curled on my knees, I said, “What about me?”
“I’m sending you away from the Circle,” Mom answered.
I’d been anticipating that, and preparing my argument, however useless it might be. But first I asked: “And Leon?”
“He’s a Guardian, but he’s your Guardian. He goes with you.”
I nodded. Leon had left earlier, and Mom and I were alone in the waiting room. “Is that your decision or his?” I asked.
“It’s the way it works. I need you not to argue with me on this.”
“I’m not a liability anymore,” I said. “I’m an asset. I’m not weak, even if I’m not a Guardian. I can amplify. Leon and I can help fight. I want to help fight.” And as long as I was in the Cities, there was still a chance I’d find a way to help Gideon. To stop him without killing him.
“You were never a liability, honey. And I’ve never thought you were weak. But you are my daughter. I need to know that you’re safe. That’s what I’m fighting for. That’s what’s most important to me. Not the Kin. Not myself. You.”
A lump formed in my throat, and my eyes were moist, but I had to keep trying. “I’m needed here. You can’t send me away.”
“Audrey—”
“You can’t. Iris told me the reason the Beneath is awake is because of Gideon. He’s connected to the Astral Circle, the same way I am. She said I have to find a way to sever the connection.”
“Iris can’t be trusted,” Mom said. “You know that better than anyone.”
“She told the truth about the Beneath, though. And Daniel said the same thing earlier. He said I’m the one that causes Val’s vision. Not Brooke.”
Mom sighed. “I know you want to help, but you can’t take this all on your shoulders. The best thing you can do is get out of the Cities and stay safe. Okay?”
“Where are we even supposed to go?”
“To the cabin, for now.” Her voice was firm, and the look she gave me told me she would probably tie me up in the trunk if I didn’t agree. “Stop by the house and pack a bag, but do it quickly. I’ll call you as often as I can.”
Our family cabin was in the outskirts of Nevis, a small town some three hours north of the Cities. We’d gone there often when I was little, usually just Gram and me, though sometimes we brought Gideon. Mom had considered selling it or renting it out, since we didn’t use it often, but she’d never gotten around to it.