Everland(61)

“Searching for me?” I ask with some apprehension as I slip my gloves back on. “How did she know I existed? I’ve just found out myself that I’m immune.”

Lily brings her supplies over to Pete’s bedside. “The Marauders were bringing children to her lab daily. Even though she could escape at any time, the Professor has remained here as a prisoner, believing that there was only one child who was truly invulnerable to the virus. One person who she swore would be resistant. She refused to leave until she found the Immune whose blood contained the antidote to the Horologia virus. I think it was you she must have been speaking of,” Lily says. She peers at me, excitement in her dark eyes. “For nearly six months now I’ve been sneaking around Everland rescuing kids, bringing them here for treatment, and then sending them away to safer lands, along with medication.” She spins on the heels of her boots, rushes to me, and grips my arms. “With you here, we could all leave Everland for good. If you really are the Immune she is looking for, we can have a true antidote. Not just medicine to treat the symptoms. A real cure!”

The weight of her words settles on my already tight shoulders. Inching backward, I move closer to Pete. Detecting my uneasiness, he grips my hand. The warmth of his fingers intertwined with mine brings a wave of calm over me.

“How has the Professor been able to save the kids without getting caught?” Doc asks. “Hook has been taking children off the street for the last year. What does he think she does with them? Certainly he must suspect her?”

“Hook insisted that once it was decided that the captured children were not immune, they were to be euthanized. Their bodies were to be incinerated so that the virus would not spread,” Lily says. “The Professor led Hook to believe that they had been cremated; meanwhile, she treated them until they could safely travel. My job was to take the children away. I was one of the Professor’s first patients. When Hook brought me to the palace, I was sure I was going to die, but the Professor saved me.” Lily shrugs. “Since then we’ve been a team.”

“How many others have you saved?” Pickpocket asks.

“You mean how many others has the Professor saved,” Lily says. “She is the one who treats them. There are many. Granted, none of us are cured of the Horologia virus, but she has kept us alive, treating the symptoms and supplying medicines to other survivors.”

“Where are the other survivors?” Pete asks.

“Northumberland,” Lily says. “The Queen of England escaped through the royal tunnels when the bombs dropped. One of the steam railway tunnels leads to Alnwick Castle. The Duchess of Northumberland has taken Her Majesty in, along with survivors who escaped with her. Together they are treating the survivors of not only England, but all citizens of the United Kingdom, and are preparing to strike back to reclaim Everland as their own.”

“The Queen is alive?” I breathe. “How many survivors are there? Can they help us now?” I ask with urgency.

“As far as those who escaped with the Queen: a few workers, family, the Royal Guard, some military. I’m unsure how many have gathered there from the rest of the United Kingdom,” Lily says.

“Military? Guard?” Pete asks, rage spitting from his lips. “Why haven’t they come to fight the Marauders?”

Lily frowns and slowly shakes her head. “Only a handful of the Queen’s military and guard escaped, a few dozen at the most, not nearly enough to stage a counterattack. Even if they had the numbers to attack, the priority is to treat the sick and dying. They are not prepared to strike yet.”

I reach for the metal tags and my fingers graze across cloth and skin where the necklace once rested. I jerk my hand away, sickened by the empty space that held the only item I had left of my father’s.

I blink, trying to hide the tears burning my eyes.

Lily ties off the bandage on Pete’s arm. “There you go,” she says. She presses two fingers to her pink lips, kisses them, and places them on the bandage. “Healed with a kiss. You should feel much better soon. The bullet merely grazed you.”

“Lucky for me,” Pete replies with a quirky grin.

Annoyed, I drop my gaze to the floor. Something glitters beneath the lamplight, catching my eye. Bending, I run a finger across the hint of gold dust sprinkled on the floor.

A small cough breaks the silence from behind one of the curtains. Pete’s surprised eyes shift from the noise to Lily.

“Who is that?” Pete asks sternly.

“Another rescue,” Lily says, removing her gloves and dropping them in a rubbish bin.

The patient says something so weakly that I barely hear her voice. I dart across the room and rip open the sheet dividing the two cots. With a glassy gaze she peers up, dark circles puffy beneath her eyes. Her face is pale and her breathing is quick and shallow.

“Bella!” I shout, tears threatening to fall.

The young girl’s eyelids flutter before her eyes roll back and she plunges into unconsciousness.





The hallway rumbles with the chatter of soldiers discussing the arrival of the newest female as they peer beyond the bulletproof window. Inside the Professor’s lab, I inspect the unconscious girl, awed by the condition she is in. Although her fingers show signs of infection, for the most part she appears to be extraordinarily healthy. Compared with the other children that have been found, she is nearly perfect.