“You’d send Rex out into the wilderness? That’s the same as executing him. He doesn’t have the skills to survive.” The words burst out before I could stop them, showing the colonel that she had me exactly where she wanted me.
It didn’t matter what I thought of this task, or the relative worth of the information she wanted me to retrieve. Momma Oaks would be heartbroken if anything happened to her sole surviving son, especially after the sack and pillage of Salvation. She was clinging to the tatters of faith that a rough life had left her, and I’d do anything to keep her cheerful spirit as bright as it could be. I bit down on my lower lip against the curses that sprang to mind, some I’d learned from Gary Miles and his cohorts, but somehow I doubted I would succeed in shocking the colonel, now watching me with a faint smile.
“That’s up to you,” she said softly. “I won’t risk my own people, and I need that data.”
Fade growled, taking a step toward her. I threw out a hand, not touching him but keeping him from going after her. He wasn’t altogether rational when people threatened me, and this qualified. But it was more emotional duress than physical danger, and he knew it, which was probably why he stood down at my gesture. By his look, he was furious, however—and so was I.
“Don’t expect me ever to join your military,” I said in a low, lethal tone. “You’ll get this one job out of me, and nothing more, ever. Plus, I have some terms.”
Her mouth twitched. “I can’t wait to hear this.”
“Clear the room.”
“My advisors are privy to anything you—”
I drew a knife and spun it in my palm, a habit that had unnerved the men in Salvation. “I said, clear the room. I won’t ask twice.”
She appeared to come to a rapid decision. “Everyone out. Give us five minutes.”
“But, Colonel,” one of the men protested, and she waved away his concern.
“If I can’t keep one girl from killing me, then you need someone else leading your armed forces. Post a guard at the door and see that we’re not disturbed.”
“I’ll do your dirty work willingly,” I said, once we were alone, “under one condition.”
“What’s that?” she asked with a faint smile.
“You let me make my pitch to your men. I intend to raise an army that owes its allegiance to no town. It’ll be full of humanity’s best and brightest, and we’ll eventually take the battle to the horde. Your part is simple”—I mimicked her brisk tone from earlier, using almost the same words—“you let me speak and you don’t deny anyone who wants to march with me. They go, free and clear, when I leave Soldier’s Pond. And finally, you leave my family alone. No more threats against them, or so help me, I’ll find a way to cut your throat as you sleep.”
Colonel Park actually looked shaken by my ferocity. Then, to my surprise, she inclined her head in a terse nod. “That’s fair, especially since my men will laugh their arses off at the idea of joining an army raised by a little girl. So you’re welcome to anyone crazy enough to follow you, so long as you complete the mission first.”
Her mockery burned, but I’d known worse. And maybe, just maybe, I’d surprise her. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had underestimated me.
“Deal,” I said, offering my hand.
We shook, then she tried to execute a restraint maneuver, probably to humble me, but Stalker had drilled me on that move in Salvation. I blocked and twisted her arm, so that she had to drop to her knees, or I would’ve broken it. My gray eyes must’ve looked cold as dirty ice as I stared down at her.
“I made that gesture in good faith. Now swear on something you hold sacred that you’ll keep your word.”
“I promise,” she gasped.
I relented just before I did permanent damage and she sprang to her feet, stumbling backward. There was a new wariness in her gaze; and I saw she’d take me seriously from now on. That might not be a good thing, but it meant I wasn’t a tool to be used anymore, either.
In an easy movement, I slid my blade into its sheath. Fade stood at my shoulder, ready in case she decided to pursue the conflict. Eventually, her shoulders relaxed. She needed us for the mission; therefore, we couldn’t be executed or even punished. Soon enough I’d find out whether her pledge meant anything.
“Show me on the map where we’re going,” I said, smiling. “There are plans to make.”
Misdirection
Fade and I slipped out of town early the next morning. The colonel was running a drill with mandatory attendance for all, creating enough commotion that nobody would notice our absence until it was too late. Fade was worried about letting Edmund down in the shop, and I felt guilty not telling my family about the assignment, but they would only fret longer if they knew, plus I’d have to deal with another emotional good-bye. Sometimes it was more expedient to get on with your work and apologize later.
Not since we first came Topside had Fade and I taken a journey alone. Though I didn’t say so out loud, it was nice having him to myself. There was no one to note how often I admired his sure strides or the strength of his broad shoulders. At once I chastened myself for such thoughts. They had no place outside the safety of town limits; in the wilderness, an instant’s distraction could have disastrous consequences.
“According to the maps, it’s a three-day run,” I said.
“You think we can do it faster?”
“I hope so. If we’re gone for a week, Momma Oaks will have a conniption.” That was a new word, one I loved. When I’d asked what it meant, Edmund described it in such an exaggerated way that I didn’t want to see such a fit for myself, in case he was telling the truth.
“Times like this, I miss my folks most,” Fade said softly.
“Because you want to be in trouble too?”
“No. I wish I had somebody to worry about me.”
“You do,” I told him. “I fret over you all the time. I just don’t say anything because it doesn’t seem like something you’d want to hear from me.”
He flashed me a smile as we put Soldier’s Pond behind us. “Feel free to fuss a little. I wouldn’t mind.”
It occurred to me then that his life had been bereft of small kindnesses, like when he put his head in my lap, and I stroked his hair. For me, it wasn’t such a large matter; I hadn’t even known I was supposed to want such things, until I met Fade. But with his desire to be touched struggling against the weight of bad memories, however, I wasn’t sure he could bear it, and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt or trouble him, even with the best intentions. But maybe this trip could reassure him that he was strong and competent—that the Freaks hadn’t changed anything.
The sun was just creeping above the horizon as I broke into a run. It felt good to be away from the settlement, even if it also carried risk. I was used to that, less prepared for the pain and exhaustion that nursing left behind. Fade jogged alongside me and I remembered our desperate journey to Nassau down below. Topside, the light was better, and the air was clean. I smelled the dying leaves and broken blades of grass beneath my feet, faint musk of animal droppings and the honeyed purr of clover in the air. In a few more months, the snow would come; my family needed to be settled before that time.
Toward the end of that first day, we dodged Freak patrols like it was our reason for living. They were only hours away from Soldier’s Pond, but I guessed the military settlement had given them reason to fear a direct attack. I’d rather fight and clear the area, but I had been instructed to get there undetected, and I had to admit, it would only complicate our mission if we had monsters chasing us. With only two of us on the move, our scent shouldn’t be strong enough to attract a big hunting party. Chills crawled over my body when I caught the rare scent of the Freaks on the wind—not the old, rotten reek, but the new, meaty animal smell. It told me that these creatures had changed for good, and if we couldn’t work out how and why, then we might not survive the coming conflict.
Fear might have paralyzed me if not for Fade. He beckoned with a determined look, then guided me around the danger zone. I kept my footfalls light and soft while we passed through; and in the distance, I heard it—the rustling foliage and cracking branches that said we had company. The Freaks called to one another in a whuffing, growling tongue—what dogs might sound like if they could speak. I could hardly hold the question until we were out of range.
“Do you think they have their own language?” I whispered.
“I think so.” His voice was low and grave. “I’m pretty sure they spoke to one another while they held me. But I don’t care to stick around to ask.”
I shivered. “Me, either.”
There was no way to tell how many were lurking nearby without a scout. For the first time, I wished Stalker had come with us. If anyone could give us the lay of the land and warn us of dangers ahead without being spotted, it was him. But Fade and I would manage. We had before, though the stakes had never been this high.
“This way. The air smells clean.”
That was no longer a foolproof system, but we didn’t have a better option. My heart thudding like mad, I followed Fade. As he moved, he kept to the shadow of the trees, as the forest grew thick and uncut to the northwest of Soldier’s Pond with the river glimmering in the distance like a silver snake. The day warmed as it wore on, one of those perfect fall mornings with the sky so blue that it looked like a painting, yet the sun wasn’t so bright that it hurt my eyes. For that reason, I preferred this season to all others, even spring planting.
When the sun hit its zenith, Fade found a shaded spot beneath the red-tinged canopy. I broke out the bread, dried meat, and water, then we ate with efficient speed. There were so many things I wanted to say to him, but we had at least four more hours of running ahead of us. Town life had softened me; I noticed the burn as I wouldn’t have before. I’d put on weight, too, softening in ways that were occasionally inconvenient, though I hadn’t minded when Fade examined those curves.
By nightfall, we had dodged four Freak patrols and outrun the trees, leaving us only open ground upon which to make camp. We could do without a fire, but it would get colder as the night wore on. I ate only a little of our packed food, thinking we might need it before the trip ended; things seldom went according to plan. The water, I downed generously, as I heard the river burbling nearby. We weren’t encamped on its banks—that would be asking for trouble since Freaks had to stop to drink—but it was close enough to be reassuring. Clean water was always a concern in the wilderness.
“Can I see the map?”
I handed it to him. “How did we do?”
“We shaved some time off the estimate. If we maintain this pace, though, we’ll be burnt to nubs when we arrive in Winterville.”
“The alternative is stretching this out. Sooner we get there, find this Dr. Wilson, and get back with his data, the faster we can put Soldier’s Pond behind us.”
