The Deathless Trilogy

3.33. Petra

Daniel and I crowd the window of the jet, squeezed into the second passenger seat. His warm arms wrap around my waist, and I smooth my hands over his legs on either side of mine. Even though the seatbelt couldn't fit over us both, I feel secure with Daniel wrapped around me.

"Our first international vacation," he whispers in my ear, punctuating the sentence with a kiss on my cheek.

"Below us is the Atlantic Ocean," Raviv tells us over his shoulder. I watch the blanket of blue span beneath us, seemingly still from up here, though striped with white foam waves. It reminds me of Nina's arms. Of Nina. She would have loved to see this.

I think of all those we've lost, and try to mentally capture the beauty beneath us for them.

Ben, Dr. Patel, Nate, General Sato, Alexander, Hugh, Nina, Flynn, Meg, General Kazemi, Phoebe, Winston.

I pull each of their faces into my mind, as if I could show them everything through my eyes. I imagine seeing them all again, my welcomed ghosts:

Ben and Nina have never been this high up before, and they watch the water pass beneath us with fearful awe. Nate makes fun of me for being so emotional right now, and Phoebe whispers for me not to listen to him. Winston wraps his arm around Phoebe, smiling as he used to. Dr. Patel shares a fact about the medicinal properties of seaweed, and Hugh is genuinely interested enough to share another about the biodiversity of the ocean. Flynn plays Nina's song, and she sings along. Ben wraps his arms around Daniel and me. I can almost actually feel his warmth. Meg nods her head along to the rhythm, and Alexander silently bobs his head too. General Sato and General Kazemi exchange looks. "The Deathless sure know how to travel in style," General Sato jokes.

I open my eyes and smile. It's still only me, Daniel, and Raviv in the jet, but somehow it feels full. There will be times when I am alone, but my life will never be lonely. I am surrounded by the deathless.

The fleet of jets touches down in a rocky, mountainous desert. Ahead of us is a crashed airplane, the one Ian must have flown. Raviv and his men help us out of the jets. Ava, Daniel, Jacob, the Nomad representative (whose name I've learned is Sandra), and I have all come for the first international meeting of the World Alliance.

"Is this Petra?" Ava asks, looking around the barren desert.

"No," Raviv laughs. "This way."

We follow him and his men through a narrow canyon passageway they call "the Siq" for about a mile, until the canyon walls widen. I see a columned entrance first, and then, as I continue forward, I take in the entire façade.

"This is Petra," Raviv says, welcoming us into the open space before the carved façade he calls "the treasury." The ornate rose-colored rock formation looks like a palace, and we enter through an open doorway guarded by some of Raviv's men.

"Shalom, As-salam alaykom," he greets the two armed guards on either side of the entrance, and I bow my head to them as I pass.

"This is incredible," Daniel whispers to me, but I'm too awestruck to respond.

Inside, we follow Raviv into a chamber to the right of the entry way. Deeper into the building, I see more modern materials and buildings have been installed inside as we approach a large glass box filled with medical equipment. A dark-haired, pale-skinned boy lies in bandages on one of the beds. Ian.

Raviv types a passcode onto a screen beside the door, which opens with a hiss. "This way to your friend," he says, holding the door open for us.

Ava grabs my arm. "I'm nervous," she admits. "To him, I'm coming back from the dead." I've never seen her so vulnerable.