Rite of Revelation (Acceptance Book 2) Read online

  The satin feels like silk against my suntanned skin. Thin straps hold the dress up over my shoulders, but leave my arms, neck, and upper chest bare. A delicate lace overlay adds dimension to the cream dress, and a silk ribbon around the waist creates a final finishing touch. I don’t know what Constance would have created, but I can’t see how it could have topped this.

  Halfway down the aisle, Daniel catches my eye, winks, and smiles even wider, though I didn’t think that was possible. Help me, that man could charm the Cardinal himself with that smile. Mere mortals like myself are completely helpless against it.

  Elizabeth and I had been walking fairly slowly, in time to the beautiful music, but enough of that. I tug on her arm a bit and pick up the pace. No more waiting. I want the world to know that this man is the one I’ll love forever.

  At the end of the aisle, I’m breathless, but not from the quick walk. I will never get tired of staring into his dark eyes or seeing his face split in half with a smile that just can’t be faked. Maybe for the first time ever, I fully understand just how wrong the Machine was when it Rejected me. Because there’s no way someone that bad could earn the love of a man this good.

  Elizabeth drops my hand and pulls Daniel into a bone crunching hug. He doesn’t hesitate a second to wrap those arms around her and love her back. They’ve been together through so much, and we’re both lucky to have Elizabeth in our lives. Even if she does still call me princess. At this point, I kinda like it.

  They pull apart, and Elizabeth takes my hand again. This time she sets it in Daniel’s and cups our joined hands between both of hers. “I don’t like a whole lot of people. I love even fewer.” She pumps our hands once and deliberately avoids eye contact with either of us. “Be good to each other.”

  If I thought she wouldn’t punch me, I’d pull her into a big hug of my own. But I’ve seen her right hook, so instead I nod and smile as she takes her seat in the front row.

  Liam steps between our joined hands, and everyone on the benches takes their seat.

  “Today is a happy day,” Liam says in a strong voice that carries through the crowd. “Not just for Daniel and Rebecca, but for all of us.”

  A murmur of agreement ripples from the sea of people behind us, their heads nodding like the undulation of a wave. Back in the PIT, the ocean was supposed to be our ticket to freedom. I know better now, looking out over the ocean of love surrounding us on this special day. Freedom isn’t found in a place; it’s how you choose to live your life every day and the people who fill that life with you.

  “I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know both of these amazing individuals over the past several months. I could stand here and tell you all about Daniel. He’s the guy you have to thank for getting so many of the legacy systems back up and running around here. He’s too modest to say anything about it, but thanks to his keen eye, he found and fixed a broken circuit board from last winter’s storms that would have taken down the heating system in the dining room just as the weather turned cold.”

  Daniel shakes Liam’s hand and the two of them share of moment.

  “And then there’s Rebecca, looking gorgeous as ever in Ana’s wedding dress.” Liam plasters a fake smile on his face, but I don’t miss him wiping a tear away while everyone’s attention is focused on the wedding gown. “Ana spoke often of you, always pointing out how determined you were to figure everything out. She was convinced that in the next ten years you’d have the Pony Express running so well it could run itself.”

  Everyone laughs, and Liam manages to smile off the melancholy that fell over his face for half a second.

  “But I didn’t need to spend more than a few minutes with you to know exactly how devoted you are to each other.”

  I turn my focus back to Daniel and the faces in the crowd blur into the background.

  “In your short lives, you’ve faced more trials than most of us here could ever imagine. And while it would be understandable if those experiences had left you bitter or guarded; it’s almost beyond comprehension to see the exact opposite. Where there could be fear, there is trust. Where there should be apathy, there is empathy. And where we might see anger, there is love. Love for each other and for the people you call family.”

  Liam holds one hand out to Patrice and the other to Thomas. They both hand him the simple bands that Thomas crafted from an alloy of bits of leftover wiring and parts from machines that couldn’t be salvaged. Daniel wanted to find something fancier, but I actually prefer this.

  My free hand wraps around the simple silver knot pendant that I still wear. I never wanted a life of pomp and splendor. My only desire was to find love, and I don’t need a rare gemstone or elaborate design to confirm that Daniel is exactly what I always wanted.

  “These rings will be an outward symbol of a dedication that you already hold in your hearts. A confirmation of the love you created long before arriving here.”

  He hands a ring to each of us. It weighs nothing in my hand, but it carries the weight of the whole world as far as I’m concerned.

  “Daniel and Rebecca have chosen to recite their own vows. Daniel.”

  I stare into Daniel’s eyes and my mind flashes back to the last time we recited vows. Everything around us was falling apart, but that night, none of it mattered.

  This time, everything is exactly as it should be. The Cardinal is still out there, but he’s not our problem. My only problem is keeping it together while I put into words just how much I love the amazing man standing in front of me.

  “Rebecca,” Daniel takes my hand and everyone around us disappears. “When I first met you, you were naive and completely uninitiated in the way the world really works. I worried that you wouldn’t last a day in the PIT, let alone a lifetime.”

  I lift my eyebrows and give him a look I hope he reads as, ‘You’re pushing it.’

  “Don’t worry, I’m getting to the good part.” He squeezes my hands and winks. “Since that day, I’ve seen you grow into the person you were always meant to be. You’ve learned what it is that you want, and you’re willing to go after it. But even through those changes, you’re still the girl who would give her only slice of bread to a hungry, little boy. You think of others in everything you do, even if it means putting yourself at risk. You make me want to be a better person, and I’ll spend the rest of my life working to deserve you. I love you.”

  Daniel slips the little band of metal on my left hand. Such a simple action and yet it feels like everything right now. I glance out at the crowd, and there isn’t a dry eye to be seen, including Elizabeth. For a brief moment, I wish Cheryl and my parents were here to see this. Or, at least my father. He would want to know that I’m happy. And I am. I really am.

  “Your turn, Rebecca.”

  “Daniel—”

  Several shouts ring out from the back of the group. A woman rides into the crowd on horseback, though she’s slumped over the horse’s neck and barely in control. A few men jump up and grab the reins to keep anyone from being trampled. Doc is there in an instant, pulling the woman down off the horse.

  “Liam, get over here now.”

  The crowd splits down the middle, and Liam takes off for the back. Daniel and I both freeze for a second, but only a second, and then we are running on Liam’s heels.

  “Mary, what’s going on?”

  Liam kneels at the head of the woman lying on the ground. Someone hands her a glass of water and she gulps it greedily.

  Mary…the woman who saw us off from Arbor Glen. It feels like another lifetime ago when she slipped the braided bracelet on my wrist and wished us luck. But what is she doing here?

  “Liam,” she hands the cup back and grabs at Liam’s shirt. “You have to come back. We need your help. You have to come.”

  “Hey, slow down.” Liam wraps his hands around her and gently pulls them down. “I’m here, and you’re safe. Take some slow breaths, and then tell me what’s going on.”

  “Cardinal guards attacked last night. They cam
e into the village with guns and took all the men away. I managed to sneak out, but everyone else is back there in danger.”

  “Why did they come? They’ve never even come close to the villages before.”

  “They’re looking for Rebecca Collins.”

  Every head turns in one fluid motion to find me as all the air is sucked out of the world. I choke trying to get air down my windpipe. Daniel grabs me around the waist and carries me over to a now empty bench.

  The Cardinal is attacking people, and it’s all my fault. I’ll never breathe again.

  “Rebecca,” Daniel squats down in front of me. He pushes his hands against my face and forces me to look right into his eyes. “I need you to focus and breathe. You can’t shut down on me. I need you.”

  Something inside my head snaps. I open my mouth and suck in a huge gasp of air. Daniel may think he needs me, but he doesn’t. Those people back at Mary’s village need me.

  Mary sits up and grabs Liam’s shirt again. “You have to help. Alan needs you.”

  “Our father made his choice when he refused to let Ana stay.” Liam stands up and addresses the crowd. “Arbor Glen is under attack by guards looking for Rebecca. I need some volunteer riders to escort Rebecca out of here and to another village. When the guards realize she isn’t there, they are going to come looking for her, and we need to keep her safe. The rest of you, get into the storage rooms under the dining hall. Take what you need and stay there until we get back.”

  Liam turns back to Mary, and everyone around us springs into action. Alan is Liam’s father. Our hostile relationship with Arbor Glen makes so much sense now. But, he isn’t going to help him and wants me to run and hide. While those people back at Arbor Glen are possibly losing their lives.

  They don’t deserve this. Arbor Glen wasn’t the safe haven we hoped it would be, but they did help us. And they led us to Allmore.

  “No.” I stand up and then climb onto the bench so Liam can hear me. “We can’t just run away while there are people out there who need our help.”

  “This isn’t a time to play hero.” Liam walks over and pulls me down off the bench. “I’m not going to let you risk your life.”

  “But you’ll ask all those people to give theirs just because I spent a night there. And how long before someone tells them I passed through? How long before the guards come here and start killing them?” I throw my hands out at the crowd still gathered around us. “We waited to save the people in the PIT, and now they’re dead. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.”

  Daniel pulls me into a quick kiss and then puts an arm around my shoulder. “Still giving her bread away. Where she goes, I go.”

  “Sign me up, too.” Thomas moves to join our conversation. “But Constance stays here.”

  “No way is the princess going to have all the fun on her own.” Elizabeth walks over and puts her arm around my shoulders from the other side. “The Dunstans are absolutely going on this little party.”

  “This isn’t a social call.” Even I’m surprised at how steady my voice sounds. “We need as many bodies as we have horses. This is a rescue mission.”

  Liam stares at us, his mouth opening and closing with no sound. I stare into his eyes so he knows I’m as serious as they come. This is happening with or without his approval.

  “Okay.” He nods and the confidence seeps back into his words. “Okay, change of plans. Everyone willing and able, go get a horse and a weapon. We have a village to save.”

  A small cheer lifts up from the group, and everyone springs back into action.

  “You might be the craziest woman I’ve ever met,” Liam says, staring at me like he’s really seeing me for the first time. “And I was married to Ana.”

  Married. “Wait.” I grab Patrice and Thomas before they run off. “I know we’ve got to go, but I’m not leaving here until we finish what we started.”

  In the midst of swirling chaos, the people I love most in the world form a little circle around me and Daniel. The big crowd and fancy flowers were wonderful. And I’m sure the banquet that will now go mostly to waste would have been delicious. But this little ring of people is all I ever really needed.

  “Daniel,” I grab his hands and take a deep breath to calm the chaos from within and without. “You’ve been there for me from the beginning. At first, you saved me from myself when I was too foolish to know better. Then you allowed me to make my own mistakes and worked tirelessly for my happiness, even when that happiness didn’t include you. You were a silent supporter through it all.

  “It took me way too long to realize just how much I needed you in my life and I almost waited until too late to let you in. I’m grateful every day that I got another chance, and I’ll spend every day from here until eternity loving you with everything I am. I spent the first sixteen years of my life doing everything in my power to avoid the PIT. Now I can say, going there was the best thing that ever happened because it brought me to you. I love you.”

  I slip the little band on Daniel’s finger and even though nothing has really changed, I love him even more.

  “Daniel and Rebecca, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Daniel pulls me in and kisses me hard and fast. Our arms pulling each other closer than should be possible. Much too soon, the kiss ends and for a second no one moves. And then we all move, because there is work to be done.

  Just like last time, our wedding vow kiss is a prelude to battle with the Cardinal. But this time everything is different.

  Last time it was just me and Daniel alone against the most powerful man in the United Territories. We had a plan, but fully expected complete failure. I never thought I’d live to be Daniel’s wife.

  This time, we are surrounded by a whole family of people who are willing to follow us into battle. This time there is no plan, but I’m counting on success.

  Because this man here next to me is everything. This wasn’t a ceremony because we didn’t have anything better to do. I meant every word I said and I don’t even have to wonder if Daniel did as well. I want to spend years loving him and that all starts here, with showing the Cardinal I’m not his pawn anymore.

  I grab Daniel’s hand, my husband’s hand, and squeeze hard. “Let’s go.”

  Thirty

  In less than an hour, we have two dozen horses saddled and ready to go. Constance and the other villagers packed up the wedding feast and other supplies into the storage rooms under the dining hall. It won’t be comfortable, but if the Cardinal attacks before we get back, at least they’ll be safe.

  “I think that’s everything and everyone.” Daniel cinches up the saddle on the last horse.

  “Not everyone.” Patrice runs over to the group loading up. “I don’t have a horse yet.”

  “Patrice.” Daniel grabs her hand and leads her back toward the dining hall. “We’ve been over this. You can’t go with us.”

  She pulls out of his grasp and plants her feet in the loose dirt and gravel. “So you expect me to sit here and wait while one of the last members of my family runs out and gets himself killed.”

  “No,” Eric catches up to us. “I expect you to wait for me so I can concentrate out there knowing you’re safe.”

  “What do you care? I’m not your wife.”

  Eric pulls her into his arms and kisses her hard. I turn away to give them some privacy, but Daniel stands there staring open-mouthed. “Maybe we fix that when I get back.”

  “Now, wait just a minute—”

  I grab Daniel’s arm and pull him back toward the horses. “Let’s save that battle for another day.”

  Daniel doesn’t fight back. He helps me up onto my horse and gets situated on his own. Eric runs over, without Patrice, and saddles up. He won’t meet Daniel’s hard-mouthed glare and at least has the decency to look embarrassed. I use the reigns the way Daniel showed me to move my horse around to Elizabeth and find Thomas and Constance.

  There’s no argument here. Constance
can’t put herself or the baby at risk. The ride alone would be bad enough, but we have no idea what we’ll face once we hit Arbor Glen.

  The two of them stand inches apart, their eyes closed and foreheads touching. Thomas grips Constance’s hands like they are his only source of air. They don’t say anything, but the moment is so intimate I have to turn away.

  Liam pulls his horse around so everyone can see him and all thoughts of kisses and promises disappear. Mary rides at his side, against Doc’s orders. She rode into town only an hour ago completely exhausted, starving, and with early signs of dehydration. She could really use a full day of rest, but she threw a fit loud enough to raise the dead when Doc even suggested she stay with the rest of the villagers in the storage room. Liam finally stepped in and said she could go. He glances at her now as if he’s regretting that decision.

  “If we ride hard, we can get to Arbor Glen by nightfall. I have no idea what we’ll find there. I’m trying to stay hopeful, but I can’t help but fear for the worst. You all have my gratitude for this, and we’ll be busting out the dandelion ale when we get back. So let’s hurry up and do this.”

  I’m sure he meant for the speech to be inspiring, but I’m too everything for that. I’m a mixture of a million different emotions. Nerves about taking on the Cardinal. Fear of what we’ll find. Excitement that we’re finally taking action instead of running away. Gratitude that I don’t have to do it alone. Everything bubbles around inside my head and it’s all I can do to concentrate on not falling off my horse.

  I’ve never been anywhere near a real battle. There was plenty of violence in the PIT. But that was always separate from me, like I didn’t belong to that part of the PIT. This isn’t separate. I can’t pretend this is happening to someone else. It’s real, and the people I love could die.

  Mary rides up next to me, her body slumped over in exhaustion, but her face showing nothing but determination. “Thank you.” She squeezes the reigns in both hands. “You don’t owe anything to Arbor Glen.” She doesn’t elaborate, but we both know she’s talking about the way they treated us like criminals and kicked us out.