Black Stars - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 34 - Answers

"Does Brenton know what the Device really is?"

"No," Danny said, his brow furrowing. "It's lucky that he doesn't, though. He was part of the S.I.S when he was younger."

Leah turned to Danny, her eyes wide. "What?"

"I know," Danny said, "you wouldn't believe it considering what he's become, but our grandparents adopted him when he was fifteen. He had... problems at home. His father was a police officer who worked with the S.I.S occasionally, but he was violent. So, the S.I.S took Brenton in.

But after a few years, Dad realised Brenton didn't want to protect the Mors Mortis Device, the way the rest of S.I.S did. Instead, he'd spend hours talking about all the benefits of destroying it."

"But Dad was the device, wasn't he?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, he was, but Brenton hadn't been told that yet. The S.I.S always takes things slow when bringing in new people in case someone, like Brenton, wants to know about it for the wrong reasons. Dad told the S.I.S what Brenton had been saying and that sealed his fate. He went to bed one night and when he woke up, the entire S.I.S had vanished."

"What?" Leah exclaimed, something disturbingly akin to sympathy rising inside her. "That's... that's um..."

"It's rough, I know," Danny said. "I'd feel sorry for him if he wasn't such a maniac."

Leah looked up at Danny, eyeing him curiously. "Did I know all this before?"

"Most of it."

Leah fell quiet, watching the small beam from her flashlight travel across the dirt as her fist slowly tightened against it.

"Why can't I remember it then?" she grunted in frustration.

"It's alright, Leah," Danny said. "You have plenty of time to —"

"No. I don't!" Leah interrupted. "I'm going back there in the next few hours and I don't know anything. I couldn't even remember that one of my brothers is the Mors Mortis Device!"

There was a pressure building in Leah's chest that made her breath quicken.

She'd never actually expected to get this far. Killing Jared had seemed so impossible she hadn't really thought past it and she felt disturbingly lost now that he wasn't there to guide her.

"I don't even know where the rebels are keeping me!" she exclaimed, her voice rising. "How am I meant to escape? I'm just going to die again. I'm never even going to reach Seth!"

Cassandra appeared in front of Leah suddenly, bringing her rant to an abrupt halt.

"Calm down," Cassandra said. "Having a panic attack isn't going to help anything. Danny and I have a plan."

"But —"

Cassandra gave her a look that silenced any protest.

"The S.I.S keeps a crypt of dead members in case anyone chooses to come back with information," Cassandra explained, watching Leah carefully. "Before you go through the whirlpools, Danny's going to go back to his body and tell them you're coming. As you're fighting your way out of the rebels' base, the S.I.S will be fighting their way in."

Leah whirled on Danny, expecting him to deny it, but he just stared at her blankly.

"No," Leah growled. "You're not doing that."

"Yes, I am," he said. "It's the only way we can let the S.I.S know you're coming."

Leah glared at him, wracking her brain for an alternative solution.

"I'm not going to let —"

"It'll be quick," Danny said. "They always have someone on duty. They'll send me back the moment I tell them."

"But —"

"It's happening, Leah," Danny interrupted sternly. "I don't need your permission."

Leah bit her lip and glared at him.

"Even if you tell them I'm coming through, they won't know where to find me," she argued. "I don't know where the rebels are keeping me."

"Well, I do," Danny said smugly. "Your body's in an abandoned World War Two fortification on George's Head in Sydney Harbour. There's only one way out, and no habitation for a kilometre radius. It's where Cassandra was kept."

Leah glared at him for a moment longer, but then she sighed.

"I don't have any choice in this, do I?"

Danny smirked. "No."

"Okay, fine," Leah said, looking away and biting her lip against the guilt that was rising within her.

She couldn't help but think Danny's sacrifice was going to be for nothing. Even if the S.I.S found her, it wasn't going to be enough. She wasn't enough. She'd probably die within five minutes of returning.

A stick cracked off to her right and she glanced over at the shadows around them, her heart pounding.

"Stop worrying, Leah."

Danny's voice was soft and her gaze swung back to find him watching her knowingly.

"You're going to be fine," he said. "The rebels won't expect you without Jared's warning. Once you take one of them down, just grab their gun. You handled Jared, and he's one of the best they've got. The others will be easy pickings."

Danny's grin was lopsided and Leah smiled back, pushing the uncertainty from her face.

She didn't need to burden Danny with her worries. He didn't need to know that Jared's back had been turned. And that she had a gun he'd known nothing about. He didn't need to know that the only reason she'd won was because Jared thought he could trust her.