Rebel of Scars and Ruin (The Evolved Book 1)

by Veronica Sommers

  "You're the only one with money," I tell him. "I'll see that my father pays you back, with extra."

  Alik's blue eyes meet mine, and there's ice in them I haven't seen before. "You keep promising us rewards, but I've yet to see any proof that your father wants you back, or that he'll pay us for helping you."

  It hurts because it's true, and for a minute I can't speak.

  "Take it easy," says Rak, eyeing Alik.

  "That's right, defend your lover, Maraj boy. She's got you charmed and fooled so you're not thinking straight. You can't see that this is going nowhere. If her people ever do come for her, they'll either shoot you the second they see you, or they'll turn you over to the Peace-Keepers. You'll end up in a jail overrun with scourgelings if you're lucky. She's using you. Using all of us."

  Rak twists in his seat, fist clenching, but I interject. "As if you haven't been using us all along for your own protection, Alik."

  He doesn't back down. "It takes a user to know one."

  "I will keep my promises to all of you, no matter what I have to do to make it happen," I say. "And I won't let them shoot Rak, or throw him in jail."

  Cold fear clutches my heart as I say it, because I'm not sure how to prevent harm from coming to him. Once I'm safely home, the danger will only get worse for him. The Fray, the Vilor, the Peace-Keepers, Unity—he's got something to fear from all of them. The only power I have to protect him is through my father, and I'm not sure the Magnate will be cooperative.

  "In the meantime, I have to spend my valuable resources to house and feed you all?" Alik is still glaring.

  "Quiet!" says Safi. "Look up, you idiots."

  We all stare at her.

  "What?" I'm confused.

  "Look up. At the roof of this—thing."

  "Safi, there's nothing to see except the chargers and the guns—oh."

  She smiles. "Now you're getting it."

  "We can sell them," I say. "We can pay for everything that way. Look at all this—there must be people here who will buy it."

  "Always a market for weapons," says Alik, his tone softening. "I can get a good price if you leave the selling to me."

  "Trust the thief with our merchandise? Not likely," says Rak. "I'll come with you."

  Alik doesn't look happy about it, but in the end, he and Rak head for the village while Safi and I wait in the vehicle. It's stifling hot inside, so we open all the doors, and I try to sleep.

  After a while Safi rises stiffly from the back seat. "I have to pee."

  "Thanks for the newsline."

  "Shut up." She slides out of the vehicle and disappears out of my sight. Lying across the front seats, I stare at the empty gun holders and try not to think about the glaze of dried blood and sweat and who knows what else that encrusts the leather under me.

  When Safi comes back, she stretches across the back seat again. "I hate this vehicle."

  "So do I. It's the smell."

  "Yes! And the blood on the doors." She sighs. "I miss my Cranky Old Bastard. He was magnificent."

  "He was butt-ugly. But he served us well."

  She chuckles.

  "You'll make another someday," I say. "A better one."

  "Where?"

  "I don't know—wherever you want to go. Do you have a town in mind?"

  "I was thinking about one of the border towns, like Ryeni. They have Peace-Keepers, but no supply stations or weapons stockpiles, so they're not as likely to be hit by Fray or Vilor. Might be a safe place to set up."

  Alone. She's going to be alone in the new town.

  "I hate to think of you there all by yourself," I say, even though I know she'll scoff at my concern.

  "I've been alone most of my life," she says. "I'm used to it. I'm good at it. You don't need to worry. Why should you? You don't know me."

  I sit up to look at her. She's lying on the seat, one hand resting above her bandaged stomach, her legs bent to fit the confines of the vehicle. "Safi, you're my friend."

  "I'm not." She turns her head, staring at me, strands of black hair falling over her perfect face. Those dark-rimmed, pale-green eyes are as mesmerizing as ever. I understand why Alik calls her "Sky-born"—she looks otherworldly. Too beautiful to be a mere human. A twinge of jealousy flicks through me, the way it usually does when I see a girl who's prettier than me. But I don't hate her for it. In this snake-pit of a country, her looks probably make life more dangerous.

  "I'm your friend whether you like it or not," I say. "You don't have a choice."

  "No?"

  "Not a bit." Then I smirk. "I think Alik wants to be your friend, too. More than a friend, if I'm reading the signs right."

  She groans, putting a hand to her forehead. "He's a thief with a price on his head."

  "He's also good-looking. Nice body, too, I bet, under that shirt."

  "Maybe. Though if we're talking muscle, Rak wins."

  My stupid heart actually flutters at the thought of Rak without a shirt. I'm surprised I haven't seen him shirtless before now—but in the desert, a layer of protection between skin and sun is essential.

  "We should get them to take their shirts off," Safi says dreamily. "Maybe when we buy fresh clothes, we can persuade them to change while we watch."

  "Alik won't take much persuading," I say. "Rak, though—"

  "Oh, he'd do it for you." Her green eyes sparkle as she mimics Rak's low voice. " 'Zilara. My religion says I shouldn't—but if you insist.' "

  I burst into nervous laughter.

  "You know I'm right," she says. "He'll do anything you say. That boy is stars and skies crazy for you, and you know it."

  "But the way we met—it's too weird." I shake my head.

  "People meet in weird ways all the time."

  "There's nowhere to go with it." I gaze out the front windshield of the machine at the sandy dirt and stunted trees and prickly bushes. "He's staying here. I'm leaving."

  "Ask him to go with you."

  "Safi." I whirl and stare at her like she's crazy, because she is. "He would never come with me. And how would that look—taking one of my captors back to Ceanna? Everyone would think I'm insane."

  "I don't care what you do," she says. "I know that if it were me, and I had the kind of connection that you two seem to have, I'd give it a try. Who cares what people think?"

  "I'm the Magnate's daughter," I say quietly. "I have to care."

  "Think of it this way. Who gave up everything to help you stay alive and safe? Your father, or Rak?"

  My cheeks burn.

  Safi nods, triumphant. "So who really loves you? Chew on that."

  Rak loves me? That's not possible. Attracted to me, yes—honor-bound to help me, for some reason—maybe. But he can't possibly love me.

  A howl shakes me out of my daze. Safi sits upright again, wincing and touching her stomach.

  "What is that?" I'm shaking, eyes darting around the wilderness for the source of the sound.

  Another howl, ferocious and guttural, ending in a loud whimper. Whatever it is, it's close by.

  I reach for one of the guns that Rak and Alik left behind for us. The molded grip feels solid and comforting under my fingers. Before this, before Emsalis, I hated guns. Never touched them. Now, they give me a sense of power and security. And that change in myself frightens me more than the howling outside.

  The sound rips through the still, hot air again, coming from somewhere behind our vehicle.

  I pull on the door closest to me, closing it. Then I crawl over and do the same with the driver's side door.

  "Good idea," Safi whispers, closing the door by her head.

  But before she can close the last door, and yowling streak of fur shoots from the undergrowth and leaps halfway into the vehicle, back legs on the ground, front paws scrabbling at the metal floor near Safi's pack. A black-and-yellow, hulking, snapping creature. A jacanal.

  Safi gasps. "Deathspawn?"

  The jacanal snarls at her, but it doesn't bite.

  "Down," she ord
ers, and the creature whimpers and pulls its front paws back out of the vehicle, sinking to its haunches on the ground.

  "Skies and stars above," Safi whispers. "He followed me."

  My mouth is hanging open, the gun loose in my hand. "How—"

  "They're excellent trackers," she says. "Most people don't take the time to learn about jacanals—they only see a threat to their livestock, their children, themselves—"

  "I wonder why."

  She throws me an annoyed look. "They're incredible animals. And apparently much more loyal than anyone ever realized." She fumbles among our supplies and quickly fills a pan with water. The instant she sets it on the ground, Deathspawn begins lapping, his ears pinned back and his baleful eyes angling at me from time to time.

  "Do we have to bring him along now?" I don't try to hide the reluctance in my voice.

  "I don't think we have a choice. He's going to follow me anyway." There's pride in the set of her shoulders. "Who knew I had such a loyal friend?"

  "A friend who would bite your ears off if he thought they looked tasty enough. A friend who would rip out your other friends' throats without a second's hesitation."

  "Sounds like some people I've known. Look, I'll keep an eye on him. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone."

  I'm not convinced. "When the others get back, we'll vote on it."

  "Vote?"

  "Yes. You have that here in Emsalis, right? A means of deciding a problematic question by majority opinion?"

  "I know what it means," Safi says, frowning. "But I don't see why my word can't be enough."

  "We're a team. And a team has to work together."

  The chill in her gaze reminds me of the icy look Alik gave me earlier, when he goaded me with my father's indifference. "We're not a team," she says. "Stop trying to make this into something it's not, Zil. We're all here for different reasons, and for me, it's simply a way out, and the money to make a new start. I'm not looking for friends, or a ramshackle family."

  "I'm not trying to—I do have friends and family back home, you know. People who care about me. It's not like I need you."

  That came out wrong.

  Safi narrows her eyes. "So you didn't need me when I shot that Vilor through the head and kept him from blasting a hole in you, or Rak?"

  "I didn't mean—"

  "I'm so glad you have people in your life back in Ceanna. Too bad none of those people cared enough to do anything to help you. You've been here for days. You do realize that if they really wanted you back, they could have made it happen?"

  Of course I know that. It's the shard of broken glass that's been twisting deeper and deeper into my heart since the conversation with my father back in Ankerja.

  My pain must show in my face, because Safi's cold green eyes thaw a little.

  "It doesn't mean you're not worth it," she says. "I'm saying, quit valuing yourself by what others think of you. If I did that, I'd have killed myself years ago. Instead, I learned to not give a rancid lump of dung what anyone else thinks of me." She digs into the supplies again and throws Deathspawn a few strips of dried meat. The jacanal mouths them and looks up at her, completely offended.

  "What?" she says to him. "That's all I have. If you want fresh meat, go hunt or something."

  He braces his feet and snarls, tongue licking from his jaws.

  "Go!" she orders, and after a minute, he bounds away.

  "Do you think he understood you?"

  "No idea. And if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep till the boys come back."

  22

  When Alik and Rak return, they have a finance card and news of a place where we can spend the night.

  "But we can't walk into the inn wearing these," Alik says, gesturing to our sweat-soaked, blood-stained clothes. "We tried to buy new outfits for everyone, but the man at the clothing shop wouldn't let us through the door."

  "Apparently Saghir has standards." Rak snorts derisively. "They want you to take a shower before you can get into the inn that has the shower."

  "So we have a plan."

  "Alik's plan," says Rak.

  "Yes, Rak. My plan." Alik rolls his eyes. "We'll use the water we have, and we'll each take a shower, right here. And the water won't be wasted, because Rak can pull it back out of the ground and the air again, and it will be clean as ever for the next person." He's beaming at his own cleverness.

  "You'll have your clothes on, of course," says Rak quickly. "They have to get clean too. They'll dry fast in the heat."

  "Seems like you boys have thought of everything," Safi says, her eyelashes fluttering. "What do you think of this plan to get us all hot and wet, Zilara?"

  "Doesn't sound dirty at all," I say dryly. "And if we're going to be ready by dark, we should start now. Alik, you're first, since it's your brilliant idea."

  First, we pour as much water as we can spare into several pots and pans, set in a line in front of Rak. He lifts the liquid, molding it into a glimmering sphere.

  Alik steps forward, barefoot, licking his lips nervously as the shining ball of water moves over his head.

  "Ready?" Rak is frowning, concentrating.

  "Ready."

  The water starts to fall, but not in a uniform cascade, like in a standard shower. This is an unpredictable avalanche—small drops, large blobs, splashes, and gushes. Alik chokes and sputters.

  "Easy!" he gurgles.

  "Sorry. It's harder than it looks." Rak's water globe keeps shedding liquid over Alik until he's thoroughly drenched.

  "That's enough!" he yells.

  "You're not clean yet." Rak draws some of the water back up from the ground and adds it to the sphere again. Then he releases the entire thing in a giant splash over Alik's head.

  Alik stands, hair lank and dripping, rivulets running from his clothes. He swipes a hand across his face and shakes his wet hair out of his eyes.

  "Thank you." His tone means exactly the opposite. "Next!"

  Safi and I are laughing too hard to answer. Slowly Rak collects the water again, drawing it from the earth, from the air, even from Alik's clothes. Within minutes, Alik is almost dry—and though he's still tattered and blood-stained, he's much cleaner than he was.

  "I'll go next." Safi walks forward.

  "Check the nano-patches and make sure they're tight over your incision," says Rak. "We don't want water getting in there."

  She lifts the ragged remains of her shirt and checks the wound. From what I can see, the worrisome bruising has faded. She's mottled with marks from the boots of the Vilor, but she's alive. She's healing. Rak has better control over the water now, and he manages to give her a decent shower.

  As Rak collects the water again, a low yowl shatters the peaceful evening stillness. Alik tenses.

  "It's Deathspawn," Safi says. "He's back."

  Alik stares. "You're joking."

  "No." Her grin spreads wide, lighting her eyes. "He found me."

  "Cursed jacanal," mutters Alik. "Can we shoot him?"

  "No! We have to let him stay. I can control him, I promise."

  "I don't like it either," I say, wincing at Alik. "I told her we'd vote on it."

  "And I said I don't see why we need a vote at all. I make my own decisions, and none of you have the right to overrule them."

  "Of course, Sky-born, we wouldn't dream of it," says Alik. "Except when your decisions involve bringing a maniacal flesh-tearing monster on our little journey. I think we have the right to protest, or at least weigh in on the decision."

  "I suppose we can try it." Safi leans against the gigantic tire of the Vilor vehicle. "So who agrees to Deathspawn coming along?"

  "If you can control it—or him, then I'll vote yes," says Rak. "It's incredible that he followed you."

  "Isn't it?" Safi's eyes shine at him. "Thank you. And I'm a 'yes,' of course. Alik?"

  He crosses his arms. "No. I don't want that man-eating mutt anywhere near me."

  Safi turns to me. "Zil?

  "Oh, I don't know. I—
"

  She raises her eyebrows. "You what, friend?"

  I shake my head at her. "Yes, then, friend."

  "Yes!" She bounces away from the vehicle and gives me a joyful smack on the lips.

  Alik roars his approval, clapping. "Again! Kiss her again! Slower this time, with tongue."

  "You're disgusting," I tell him.

  "I know, I really am." His eyes sparkle at me, then at Safi.

  Another yelp and a growl, from the bushes on the other side of the big rock.

  "What is going on with him?" mutters Safi. "I'd better check on it. Alik, come with me, and bring your weapon, but set it to stun and don't use it unless I tell you to. Hold it behind your back. I'd bring mine, but if he sees me carrying a gun, he'll be gone in a second."

  "Wouldn't that be a shame," Alik drawls, pulling the gun from his belt.

  "Only stun, understand?" She fixes him with a look.

  "Yes, mistress."

  They skirt the vehicle and disappear out of sight.

  I'm left with Rak, and the warm quiet of the wilderness. The light of the setting sun shines across the trees, glancing through the ball of water he holds and turning it to glittering gold.

  "You'd better hurry," he says. "I haven't used my power for this long, ever, and I can feel it starting to give out."

  "Then we should shower together." I step close to him. "Can you—can you do that?"

  "I think so."

  I slip off my shoes and kick them aside. Dry, hard-packed earth under my feet, spindly grass pricking my blistered toes.

  "Do you mind taking off my boots for me? If I do it, I'll lose control of this." He nods to the water.

  Kneeling in front of him, I loosen the buckles of each boot in turn and pull them off. "Your feet smell awful."

  He laughs. "So do yours, Princess."

  "Stop." I rise and lay a finger on his lips. "Only Safi and Alik get to call me that."

  "Oh? And what do I call you?"

  "I like it when you say my name the way you do."

  My chest is nearly touching his; his hands are on either side of me, palms up, holding the sphere of water over our heads.

  "Zilara," he says softly.

  "Yes," I whisper. "Just like that."

  A soft rain breaks over us, droplets coursing through my hair, over my face, down my neck and body. I watch the drops run over Rak's features and linger like glittering diamonds in his shaggy dark hair. He catches the rain as it falls and breaks it into mist. Then the mist rises, coalescing into a transparent globe overhead and showering us one more time.