Out Of Orbit

Chapter 30

JARRYD

"Look out! There's someone coming around the corner!" Michael's hiss reached through Jarryd's worries. He sped back around the wall Michael and Naytan were keeping watch behind. Two seconds later, a man rounded the corner, sword glinting against his hip.

"That was close."

Jarryd nodded, his heart still beating double-time. They'd managed to make it into the camp easily enough but here, closer to the centre, there were more guards. Unfamiliar with the layout of war-camps, they were relying on Naytan to get them to the commander's tent. They assumed that was the most likely place to find Rebecca.

Jarryd had been terrified that they might have hurt her, but Michael had reminded him that they were more likely to try and find a way to harness her powers than simply kill her. They needed all the help they could get.

"I think we're clear. The commander's tent should be right in the centre of camp. We should be nearly there."

They crept around the wall and slipped along one side of the closest tent. Peeking around the corner, Jarryd spotted a tent much larger than the others, it's sides dyed blue.

"That should be it," Naytan confirmed when Jarryd pointed it out.

Five minutes and three close calls later, they reached the blue canvas walls.

"We need to try find a doorway," Naytan whispered.

"Or we could just go in the back door," Michael grinned. Slowly, a couple of tent pegs unscrewed themselves. The bottom of the tent lifted up at Jarryd's feet.

"Thanks, Mike." Jarryd smiled and ducked underneath, quickly checking out the tented hallway they found themselves in while the others entered the same way.

"We probably should have brought Brian with," Michael whispered as they ducked into another room when someone rounded the corner.

"He could have gotten in, but I'm not sure if he'd be able to get Rebecca out," Jarryd reminded him, peeking out to check the person was gone.

Creeping down the hallway, they passed various rooms within the tent before finding what looked like the entrance to the main section. Naytan took a look around the edge and drew in a quick breath.

"What is it?" Jarryd asked impatiently.

"Rebecca," Naytan replied. "With some guy."

"What's he doing to her?" Michael put out a hand to stop Jarryd from barging right in.

"They're just talking."

Jarryd frowned. Maybe she really was convincing them not to fight. They probably shouldn't interrupt that conversation. And running in with swords drawn wouldn't help with peace negotiations.

"We watch until we see exactly what the situation is," Jarryd ordered. Michael gave him a nod. Slowly, Jarryd edged toward the entrance, wanting to see Rebecca for himself.

She stood in the centre of the room with a man. He looked to be in his early twenties. Then again, if he was Dysantene Jarryd had no idea how old he could be. The man had his hand on Rebecca's arm. Jarryd frowned. That didn't seem right.

As he watched, the man pulled her closer. Jarryd felt his hand tense on his sword. But Rebecca didn't try to pull away. She was...smiling. Smiling? The man bent to whisper something in her ear. Then he kissed her.

He kissed her.

The image imprinted itself in his mind. Jarryd pulled back and turned to face the others, but all he could see was Rebecca in that man's arms.

"Jarryd? Do we need to go in? Is he hurting her?"

"We need to go." His words felt like they were coming from someone else's mouth. Had Victoria been right? Had Rebecca been meeting with someone from the other side?

"What do you mean, we need to go?"

Jarryd shook his head, not wanting to say the words out loud. Somehow saying his suspicions out loud made them all too real.

"Jarryd!" Michael's gaze was aimed over Jarryd's shoulder, his eyes wide. Jarryd spun on his heel. The man had emerged from the room, Rebecca at his side. His cold blue eyes flashed angrily.

Naytan's sword was in the air before he could saw a word.

"Let Rebecca go!" he ordered. Jarryd swallowed hard, unable to pull his eyes away from Rebecca's face. Her face was expressionless, her eyes glazed. She didn't even seem to recognise them.

"Rebecca's exactly where she wants to be," the man replied calmly. Dropping one arm around her shoulders, he smiled slyly. "Isn't that right, Becca? You don't want to leave."

Naytan's mouth hung open. He shot Jarryd a confused look but didn't put down his sword.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to get rid of our visitors, Rebecca. Three less warmongers to deal with later." The man gave them a nod of farewell and headed off in the opposite direction, leaving Rebecca standing in front of them.

"Rebecca?" Jarryd hazarded, taking a single step towards her.

The blast of energy carried sent them crashing into each other, Michael landing at the bottom of the pile on the hard floor.

"What's going on?" Naytan shouted, struggling to get up before Rebecca reached them again. She walked sedately down the corridor, her eyes cold and impassive.

"He's done something to her," Jarryd muttered. "She wouldn't do this. She would never hurt us."

The second blast left them lying at the other end of the tent, spitting dirt from their mouths. Rebecca kept coming.

"How do we stop her?" Michael asked, pulling the others up and heading down the corridor they'd entered in.

"I don't think we can," Naytan answered. "Not before she blasts us again."

"We can't just leave her here!" Jarryd argued, almost drowning in the sea of helplessness. They couldn't hurt her, they couldn't beat her, they couldn't stop her from attacking...and he couldn't leave her.

"I think we're going to have to, Jarryd!" Michael shot back, lifting the tent wall just as Rebecca rounded the corner.

"What if..." Jarryd paused, an idea forming. Rebecca was in there somewhere. And no matter what that man had done to her, she was still Rebecca. After all, he'd told her to kill them but she didn't seem to be in too much of a rush about it. Maybe...maybe she was fighting back – inside, maybe the real Rebecca was trying to take control. They just had to find a way to help her. If he stood up to her, tried to get her to remember who she was...

"Whatever you're thinking, it's not gonna work," Naytan warned, pulling Jarryd out the tent.

"How do you know?" Jarryd shot back. "He told her to kill us but she hasn't done that yet. Maybe there's a chance she's still in there somewhere, fighting back. I can help her remember!"

"I think you'll find he told her to 'get rid' of us," Michael broke in, dragging Jarryd towards the edge of the camp. "And if you go get yourself killed there's no way we're getting out of this alive either."

Jarryd looked back to see Rebecca stepping outside the blue tent. Placing her hands in front of her, she let out one final blast of energy that sent the three tumbling all the way out of the camp. Dusting themselves off, Michael and Naytan set off for the battlefield at full speed. Now that Rebecca was fighting for the other side, they needed a better plan.

It took Jarryd a little longer to drag himself away, hoping against hope that Rebecca would appear – telling him it was all part of her plan to stop the war.

She never did.