Cade and Devin circled each other as the inmates cheered and clapped.
Over the last few days, Cade had made sure to stay close to Devin, watching out for any sign of abnormal behavior, but as far as he could tell, he was his regular self. To be sure though, he hadn’t left his side much and even found himself lying awake some nights, staring up at the bunk above him, wondering if Devin might switch.
Deep down, he felt guilty to admit that he didn’t hate the idea of Devin acting out of character if it meant that he might have a chance to report back to Deianira. To just talk to her. He didn’t like how things were left the last time they spoke and he feared that even if he could speak to her, there wouldn’t be much he could do to earn her favor.
Cade considered the current dilemma a good distraction from what he’d recently learned too. He hadn’t been in the Dome for long and didn’t think that he’d made any serious enemies so when he wasn’t keeping an eye on Devin, he was racking his mind, trying to work out who would want him dead. He briefly thought that Crew might have had something to do with it but quickly erased the thought. Crew was showy and arrogant. Poison didn’t seem like his touch.
It also had to have been someone with the credentials to have access to the kitchen. A warlock perhaps? Their range of abilities was the widest and alchemy wasn’t uncommon in their skill set. They could not only create various elixirs, but they could turn something seemingly harmless into something dangerous.
There were too many possibilities and Cade knew that there was no way he could figure it out on his own, so he focused his attention on current matters.
“Can’t we just sit this one out? We all know you’re just gonna drop my ass,” Devin whined, fists up.
This morning, the inmates were escorted to the training gym for an indoor drill. The first lesson was disarming. Cade found the activity quite difficult. Due to his size, he wasn’t as fast as Devin so his moves were easier to predict and more conspicuous. Devin, on the other hand, breezed through the exercise. He was quick, fast thinking, and surprisingly agile.
Sparring, however, was Cade’s forte. In the short time that he had been in the training program, he had excelled in that area. He wasn’t necessarily timid when he lived on the outside, but since his training began, he had changed. After years and years of taking hits, he was finally able to give it back in an environment where he was encouraged to. And he loved it. The adrenaline high, the calculation, even the pain.
Given how well he was doing in the program, Cade was advised to pick a partner on his own skill level but he insisted on sparring with Devin. It wasn’t just because he needed to keep him close for the time being. Devin was his friend and he enjoyed training with him.
“Nope. Practice makes perfect, kid.” Cade shifted his weight to and from his front leg.
Devin rolled his eyes. “You only picked me to boost your ego. You should be ashamed of yourself,” Devin quipped as he feigned annoyance. “And don’t call me kid. It makes you sound old.”
Cade smiled, shaking his head.
Hewn stood off to the side of the square with his hand up. Silence fell upon the room. Raising his hand slightly before slicing it down through the air, he yelled, “Go!”
Hoping to catch Devin off guard, Cade quickly advanced on him, aiming to disable his left leg. To his surprise, Devin pivoted and sidestepped his advance, simultaneously elbowing him in the side.
Nice one, Cade thought proudly. He’d taught him that.
Instincts kicking in, Cade dove for the ground into a roll to save his fall. Quickly getting to his feet, he attempted to right his stance but by the time he looked up, Devin was already there.
Cade swerved the arm he threw out, grabbing it and twisting himself around so that his back was to Devin’s front. Cade lowered his hips and bent forward in an attempt to flip him.
But then, Devin was gone. The arm Cade was holding disappeared. After grabbing at the air behind him, utterly dumbfounded, he quickly spun in a circle looking at the other inmates with the same expression of shock on his face. But no Devin. In the next second, Devin reappeared out of the air and Cade didn’t even have time to startle as Devin’s arms locked onto his shoulders and pulled down, bringing his knee to Cade’s gut. Doubled over and trying to comprehend what was happening, Cade’s face was quickly met with Devin’s fist.
Fuck, that hurt. Devin wasn’t pulling his punches. So, Cade didn’t either. Taking advantage of Devin‘s position, he got up on one knee and used his hand to drag Devin’s right leg from beneath him, sending him flat on his back. Before he could advance on him again though, Devin rolled out from beneath him. Damn, he’s quick.
Kicking up while pushing off of his hands, Devin sprung up and landed on Cade’s right. Cade only had time to get to his feet before Devin was on him again. Still reeling from the speed of Devin’s recovery, all Cade could do was deflect as Devin sent a spinning kick to the side of his head. That one caught his arm, pulling a grunt out of Cade, but he pushed the pain down as Devin sent another. Then a fist.
Cade knew that he was fast, but not this fast. His moves were all in quick succession to one another, barely giving Cade time to take a breath.
Contrary to his actions, Devin’s face was a show of serenity. His moves were effortless, his face was impassive, calm as if he was exerting no energy while Cade was heaving, struggling to keep up.
Arms up to cover his face, Cade kept shuffling back in defense of the onslaught. The aim of the activity was to get your opponent to tap out or step outside of the square. They were a long way out of the lines but Devin kept on. If Cade kept backing up, he’d soon run into the wall. That was enough.
“Devin!” he called as he brought an arm up to block Devin’s left hook.
But Devin didn’t stop. He sped up.
He jumped several feet in the air to kick Cade but ended up kneeing his shoulder. Cade had to drop a hand to clutch his shoulder as he felt his muscle pulse.
“Devin, enough!” Cade panted before Devin sent a fist into his cheek. He wasn’t given even a moment of reprieve but Devin didn’t even seem to break a sweat. Cade noticed then that all the shouts and cheers around them had stopped. He didn’t know whether they were impressed or as scared as him.
As Devin threw his hand out again, a stinging sensation brushed the side of Cade’s face. Taking his eyes off Devin for only a second to investigate, he was greeted by a burst of flames shooting past his head. His wide eyes whipped back to Devin and noticed something different about him. His eyes. They were orange.
Glowing orange. What the…
“JACOBS!” Cade heard from the other side of the room just as his back hit the wall.
There stood Officer Hewn, gun pointed at Devin. Finally, the attack stopped. Thank the Gods.
Devin blinked a few times, shook his head, and blinked again. Looking around the room, he only then appeared to notice that all eyes were on him. Some with horror, some with awe.
Looking at Cade, his face fell.
“Shit. I’m so sorry. I got carried away.”
If he were anyone else, Cade would have thought he was lying but he didn’t need to read Devin to know that it wasn’t on purpose.
The restoration.
Hewn held his gun steady.
“You are out of line. This was supposed to be a clean fight. No abilities! Take the bench!”
Devin cast his eyes to the ground, embarrassed, as he made his way to the bench and activity gradually started to resume. Flicking his eyes to Hewn, Cade gave him a subtle nod, indicating that he was okay. After catching his breath, he went over to the bench and sat next to Devin, taking a swig of water.
Touching the left side of his face, he winced at the sting. At Devin’s apologetic look, he tried to assuage his guilt.
“I’m okay. Don’t worry about it,” he said. And he meant it.
“I don’t know what happened. I swear I didn’t mean to go at you like that,” Devin sputtered.
Cade shook his head. “I know. Seriously, it’s fine. Only a scratch.”
Devin nodded, his eyes returning to the ground.
Deianira
“Last week he couldn’t throw a punch without sending himself spinning to the ground. The moves he used, he’d merely seen and he replicated them flawlessly. And that was before the fire show. His file says he wasn’t schooled in magic but if I hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve grilled Alden,” Hewn explained, but something about his tone suggested that he was more impressed than anything.
Deianira didn’t look at anyone in the room. She knew that if she lifted her head, she would be met with Jude’s look of disapproval. She already knew this was her fault and didn’t need him reminding her.
“Is he exhibiting any behavioral abnormalities or was it just the combat training?” she asked, head down.
“Just the combat training? You speak as if that isn’t reason enough to…”
Deianira’s sharp glare had Jude shutting up. She turned back to Hewn for his response.
“Not that I’ve seen,” Hewn told her.
Salem chose that moment to speak up.
“Perhaps it’s not a change in his personality. It could’ve just been a response to over-stimulation.” She looked over to Hewn. “You said he doesn’t usually perform well in combat training. Maybe it was an instinctive response? Self-preservation?”
Hewn nodded his agreement.
“And what of the other one?”
Deianira finally looked at Jude. She knew who he was talking about.
Without thinking to dial back her defensiveness, she spoke up before Hewn could.
“This has nothing to do with him.”
“Oh, I think it has everything to do with him. There is a reason restoration isn’t practiced anymore. It is dangerous and reckless…”
A biting pain on the side of her head had Deianira clasping her temples. It was just like the one she’d felt the other day. She tried to breathe through it but the pain only increased, and apparently no one else in the room had noticed because Jude continued his rant.
“…you have no idea what he could do. Disturbing the balance is…”
“I know, fuck!“ she yelled, her hands running through her hair. “I know,” she repeated under her breath, blinking rapidly as her vision began to blur. She could feel her heartbeat in her head.
After a beat of silence, Jude met Deianira’s eyes.
“Hewn, can you give us a second, please?”
Hewn nodded and left the room.
As the bite gradually faded to a sting, Deianira took a deep breath, thankful for the ease. She was the overstimulated one.
Salem spoke quietly to Deianira. It was her way of being gentle when she feared her words may be blunt.
“Whether it was the right thing to do or not, there’s nothing we can do about it except damage control. We will limit his training to less taxing activities and take him out of the dorms. That way, we can observe him in a controlled environment and simultaneously hone his more intellectual abilities. I’ll arrange for him to have a tutor and upon release, he’ll be given a less daunting position. He’s smart, perhaps in defense administration.”
See? Pragmatic.
“You don’t think that isolating him would only make matters worse? Given the wrong circumstances, anything can happen,” Jude argued.
“And what would you suggest I do?” Deianira retorted.
“What you have to do. What you have always done. Cut the problem at the root…”
“No,” she responded before he could finish his sentence.
“Deianira,” Jude’s tone was slightly less aggressive now, more reasoning. “He’s a bomb waiting to go off. Whether he’s in the dorms or miles away, he’s still a threat.” He shot Salem a disapproving look when he said, “Tutoring him would only mean that when he does flip, which he will, he’ll be harder to contain. Smarter. We’d be aiding our own downfall.”
Deianira thought for a moment. What Jude had said held some truth. If her actions created a problem for the Dome, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. But at the same time, a small part of her felt that this might be a good thing. Devin’s shift could make him a major asset.
Her sentinel took the seat beside her, eyeing her. “Deianira, plenty of people have lived and died in your lifetime and you’ve never toyed with the balance of nature. What is the real reason you restored Jacobs?”
She had a feeling Salem already knew the answer, but she wasn’t going to validate her suspicions, so she pulled rank.
“Taboo as it may be, I acted within the law,” she said as evenly as she could, rising from her seat. “I am your Queen before I am your friend and I don’t need to explain my motives to either of you.” She took a step back from the table. “You shouldn’t make a habit of questioning me. It hasn’t worked out well for others.”
Deianira felt a slight tug of guilt for the last thing she said. She may have been angry, but threatening her council wasn’t something she usually did or thought to be acceptable. She just needed space. A second to breathe.
Sparing them a final glance, Deianira stepped around the table and left the room.
