“Cali…leave it,” Graff said, placing a hand on her shoulder. They shared a look before her eyes traveled to her feet as she struggled to compose herself. When she gave a sharp nod, he dropped his arm. Without a word, she climbed on one of the other ATVs parked near the jeep, revved up the engine, and took off. Through all of this, I could only stand there and watch in complete confusion. I’d never evoked such a negative response from someone before. Then I quickly remembered how Graff reacted to me in the tavern a moment ago. I looked over to Rafe with a question in my eyes.
“That’s Cali,” he explained. When I continued to stare at him, he shrugged and added, “She takes some getting used to.”
The redhead made her way over to introduce herself. She was short, maybe five foot three with a round face and big green eyes that reminded me of a pixie from one of those children’s bedtime stories. “I’m Dera,” she said, voice gentle; kind, as if trying to compensate for her friend’s recent actions. “And you must be Henley.”
“That’s right.” I smiled a little hesitantly.
“Great,” she responded and returned my smile. “So Graff says you’re coming with us.”
“It looks that way,” I whispered, briefly glancing at Graff to find him scowling over at me. Was he kidding me? What was with these people?
“That’s awesome,” Dera said a little too excitedly, causing my attention to swing back to her. “I’ll ride in the jeep with you guys then. Rafe,” she chirped as she turned to where he and Graff stood strapping their bags onto the jeep’s rack, “you won’t mind riding Graff’s ATV instead of me, will you? He insists on driving the jeep now, and I think Henley would prefer it if I went along with them as well.” She winked when both men scowled at her, and without waiting for an actual response, grabbed my arm to steer me into the backseat. After jumping into the front passenger seat herself, she turned and whispered conspiratorially, “Trust me, you do not want to be sitting up here in the line of fire when Graff’s in one of his moods.”
I started to ask her what had made everyone so angry—hoping it wasn’t because of me—but before I got a word out, the driver’s side door opened and Graff climbed in. He turned slightly in his seat to meet my gaze and I was hurt to find his expression full of disdain…just like with Cali, and it was all for me. Seriously, what was going on?
I broke is stare, busying myself searching for the seemingly nonexistent seatbelt, which I was starting to think was just in line with my luck lately. Frustrated, I swung my head back up to see Graff’s face in the rearview mirror, and just as he started the engine, a half-grin formed on his lips. I might have even heard a small chuckle. What, now he was laughing at me? I had a feeling this was going to be a long trip.
A few seconds later, Rafe pulled up on the ATV, waved a hand in the air, and took off in the same direction as Cali.
Graff flipped on the headlights and followed behind him, driving us around the building and slowly down the dirt road I’d walked in on and waiting until the tavern was completely out of view to speed up.
When we reached the main road, Rafe and Cali were parked waiting for us to approach. As we did, Graff and Rafe’s eyes met in some sort of silent conversation. Graff stopped the jeep and turned in his seat to address me. “So the main part of our Sector is quite a ways out from the village here—about half a day’s ride. I’d like to take the back roads which will shave off a few hours from the drive, but it’s a bit rough; especially in this jeep and in the dark. As in…back trails and crossing creeks rough. I need to know if you’re up for it. No worries if you’re not.” He waited patiently for my reply.
“Sure,” I said, “Whatever gets us there the fastest.”
“I’m in,” Dera told him.
He looked between us and nodded once to Rafe and Cali, who took off riding top speed through the soggy marsh next to us. “Seatbelt pulls from the middle rest right there. Put it on. You’ll need it.”
A slight smile passed over Graff’s lips as he shifted the jeep into gear, skipping first and second altogether and landing in third while pressing the gas all the way down to the floor. The engine skipped out, jumped once, and then we were racing after them, hitting every hole, puddle, and bump in our way. I did the only thing I could think of with very little warning: grabbed the overhead handle and hung on for dear life.
* * *
The back roads turned out to be nothing more than narrow, unkempt hunting trails just wide enough for an ATV. As if the bumpy ride wasn’t bad enough, I had to hold my arms over my head to block the continuous onslaught of branches slashing against the sides of the jeep.
Graff slowed to a stop as we reached a fork in the road. Ahead of us, Rafe and Cali took a worn down trail that veered off to the left.
“That’s the trail we always take with our ATVs,” Graff explained, “but I’ve never driven the jeep out here before.” He pointed to the path directly in front of us. “I think we’ll take the other trail since it’s wider. I’m sure they’ll meet up at some point.”
He radioed Rafe to let him know of our new route and then drove forward, taking us down the unknown trail. At first it was pretty wide and smooth, almost as comfortable as a paved road, but after a while the terrain became rough, overgrown, and swampy. However, Graff never slowed down, and at some point we all started getting splattered with mud and clumps of grass as the tires spun out and slid around with all the bends and slopes.
Holding on tight, I used my sleeve to wipe my face and turned to Graff. His body was rigid, knuckles white on the steering wheel, but he was grinning. He didn’t seem to notice or care that we were all covered in mud.
Dera was on the edge of her seat with an equally big smile plastered across her face.
Taking her lead, I released the seatbelt I’d finally found, stood up, and used both hands to grip the roll bar.
The jeep briefly went airborne and I let out a shaky laugh, looking up to find the landscape ahead of us had changed to dense woods and not much of a road. We weaved in and out of the trees and brush on what could barely be described as a walking trail. From what I’d just witnessed, Graff was an extremely skilled driver, but we were headed up a hill and in the dark, none of us were able to see what lay beyond. His focus was so intent and I didn’t want to interfere, especially not knowing which Graff I would bring out. It seemed to mostly be angry Graff who liked to engage with me.
Instead, I concentrated on listening to the landscape around me; there was no sign of wildlife and no noises other than us and the jeep. The air felt thick and damp. Grabbing hold of the top of Graff’s seat, I raised myself up for a better view.
A rushing, almost thrashing sound filtered through the wind to my ears and immediately grabbed my attention. An image of a river came to mind and from the sound of it, I pictured a lot of white water—maybe even a chute.
“Drop off ahead!” I screamed, violently shaking Graff’s shoulder at the same time.
He nodded and yelled, “Hold on!” Then he slammed on the brakes, making a hard right. The jeep screeched to a halt a few feet from the edge of a huge rocky weir.
As we stopped, I was thrown forward, flipping over the roll bar where my head collided with the dash board’s hard upper panel before my entire body landed in Graff’s lap. As leverage, I grabbed both of his shoulders to keep my back from slamming into the steering wheel, but instead it caused us to bump heads.
“Good instincts. Are you all right, sweetheart?” Graff asked, actually sounding concerned.
“Uh, yeah. I…think so.” I leaned back a bit to see his face.
“Well, in that case, as much as I like you right where you are, we’d better get you back to your seat,” he replied softly, the edges of his lips curving.
Was Graff flirting with me? I chose to ignore his words and sat back further, leaning against the steering wheel and rubbing my forehead as we continued to stare at each other.
“You okay, Henley?” Dera asked and my cheeks heated, having momentarily forg
otten she was there.
“Yeah, you?” I looked over to see her climbing out of the jeep so I reluctantly disengaged myself from Graff to do the same. He followed suit.
We made our way around the front of the jeep and over to where several strategically placed boulders redirected the raging river below.
“Nice maneuvering by the way,” I told Graff, who simply nodded as we all looked out over what could have been our watery grave. The boulders that blocked most of the river had cracked at some point, allowing some of the water to seep through. The excess formed a small creek that continued to run in the direction we’d been heading.
“From what I can see, this place is pretty amazing,” Dera said.
“Yeah, once you get over the fact that we almost died,” I added dryly.
“Well there is that.” Graff smirked. “All right, why don’t you two take a break? Maybe get some water while I figure out a better route to get us back to the original trail? I grew up around here and know most of the area so it shouldn’t take long but this happens to be one of the few I’m unfamiliar with.”
Dera and I grabbed bottles of water from the back and sat along the outer rocks while Graff scouted the area. After taking a few sips, we used the rest to clean some of the mud off our faces.
Lying back, I closed my eyes while we listened to the rapids below. My eyelids started to grow heavy just as Graff returned to tell us it was time to leave.
We all hopped back in the jeep and Graff took it slower this time, skirting along the ridge that followed the flow of the creek. The terrain was still rough with low-lying brush but it didn’t take long before the landscape leveled out. Graff turned right, grinning as he headed toward a nicely cleared path.
“Almost there, ladies,” he yelled, and true to his word, a few minutes later we were pulling onto a main trail like the one we’d veered off of earlier.
We turned onto a new road that eventually led us straight into the mountains where we followed a wide trail north. Spruce trees and Aspens thickened the mountainside and the higher we went, the more picturesque it became. It made me even more thankful for my advanced Gunari eye sight.
As I embraced the scenery around me, I started to wonder what Councilman Montgomery’s reaction would be when we reached his sector and I asked him for help getting my brother back. Then there was Graff. I knew from what Keegan and my father had told me that he had a lot of pull with the Council’s decisions. Keegan had always spoken as if they were great friends but I guessed only time and his actions would tell if Graff felt the same way.
The jeep slowed and Graff rolled his window down as he pulled up next to a waiting Rafe and Cali.
“You guys run into trouble?” Rafe asked, eyes moving between the three of us. I noticed Cali only acknowledged Graff.
“Just had a slight detour,” Graff answered. “Everything go all right on your end?”
“Of course,” Cali answered, forcing me to glance her way. The girl still looked mad and I was starting to wonder if that just might be her normal expression.
“We’re going to ride up to the top of that ridge there,” Graff looked back at me as he pointed up ahead, “and then around the reservoir to gain entrance to the compound where we all live. It’s about another forty-five minutes out. You all right, or do we need to stop for a while?”
“I’m fine,” I said, anxious to get there.
We took off again, and a few minutes later, reached its highest point. Below I could see lights from several large towns interconnecting with one another, a few sites that might have been factories, and what looked like sections of land for farming. However, it was all modern right down to the massive lighted cement wall that ran around its perimeter. It was nothing like the smaller towns around where I’d grown up. This place was gigantic and a little disconcerting. My emotions must have been all over my face because I glanced over to find Graff staring at me with mild concern.
“So this is probably a little overwhelming for you,” he said. “I heard you were sheltered, but I guess I just didn’t realize the extent of it.” When I didn’t answer, just resumed staring down to all the lights below, he added, “Okay. Well, don’t worry. I’m sure Aunt Marta will help you get more comfortable with everything while you’re here.”
And with that, he drove the jeep forward around the edge of the ridge, skirting all the towns’ limits until we reached the gate at the entrance of the compound.
The sentry waved Graff in and we continued through the large heavily guarded gate. We traveled down a long road that seemed to go on forever. I couldn’t help but wonder how I was going to fit in here. Or where I would stay—hopefully not anywhere near Cali. Of course, that was assuming I’d be welcome at all. It didn’t matter. All I needed was enough time to make these people understand that one way or another, I would be getting my brother back and hopefully my father, too. I just needed their help to do it.
Chapter Seven
The compound was huge; much larger than I initially thought. Since entering through the gate only a few moments ago, we’d already passed a two story building, eight different sets of barracks, a massive training field with what looked like an infirmary on its far side, before driving down a one-lane road toward a massive log cabin surrounded by multiple smaller cabins.
Graff came to a stop when we reached the end of the road; switching off the ignition. I turned my head to watch Rafe and Cali pull up beside us and do the same. Dera jumped out of the passenger side, moved the seat forward and helped me out of the vehicle. I grabbed my backpack in order to follow her over to where the others now stood, but Graff grabbed my wrist to halt me. I gave him a questioning look but he ignored it and started to address his team.
“I need you guys to stay close,” he said. “Unload the gear, get some dinner, whatever. Just stay where I can find you. We’ll regroup after I hear what Henley has to say to my uncle.” He threw his duffle to Rafe, who slung it over his shoulder. “Drop that off at my place, will you?”
“Sure thing,” Rafe replied before walking off with Cali, who turned to give me one last glare. Graff reached back to grab something out of the jeep, so I walked over to Dera.
“What is that girl’s problem with me?” I whispered.
“Oh, that’s just Cali’s way,” Dera replied, passing it off as nothing.
“Yeah, well. It doesn’t seem like nothing,” I replied, sighing long and hard to expel some of my anxiety.
Dera unloaded her own duffle and backed up a few feet. “Hey, so I was meaning to tell you I’ve got a spare bed in my cabin. If you end up staying the night, you’re more than welcome to use it.”
“Thanks,” I said, shifting my backpack strap so it wasn’t digging into my shoulder. “I mean, I guess we’ll see what Councilman Montgomery says but…”
“It’s late. You’ll definitely be staying until the morning,” Graff interrupted as he came to stand between the two of us.
“Well, then that settles it. I’ll see you later, roomie.” Dera gave me a little wave before walking off in the direction Cali and Rafe had gone.
Graff and I both stared after her for several long seconds. A knot formed in my stomach as an awkward silence ensued but he finally motioned with his hand to the walkway on the other side of the jeep. “Let’s get you to Uncle Jonas, shall we?”
***
A few minutes later, I found myself walking up a flagstone path that led to the main house. The front door opened as we reached its end and a man with graying chin-length hair, about my father’s age, walked toward us.
“Graff,” the man said, relief in his voice, “I’m glad to see you’re back. Quinn just received some unsettling news from his so—,” he cut himself off as his eyes moved from his nephew over to me. “Oh, my apologies. I’ve just realized you brought someone with you,” He glanced back and forth between the two of us, obviously waiting for Graff to give an introduction.
“Uncle, this is Henley Brooks. We found her in the Radnor Village. She
said Keegan sent her. Alone.”
Jonas stared at me for the longest time, his expression unreadable. “I see,” he finally said, clearing his throat several times before continuing. “Well, Henley, I’m not sure if you remember me but I’m a friend of your father’s. Jonas Montgomery.” Giving me a small smile, he spread one arm out and opened the door for us. “Why don’t the two of you come inside so we can talk?”
Graff nudged me through the cabin door and guided me into a large open room filled with comfortable looking furniture. Two sofas sat facing each other in the middle of the sitting room. A bench made from logs not unlike the cabin itself was anchored to the side wall with a beautifully handmade cushion running its length and a low wooden table to its side. Jonas, coming up behind us, took a seat on one of the sofas while Graff and I sat on the bench closest to the window.
A boy a few years younger than me sat behind a desk in the corner of the room. “Sir,” he said, tucking his shaggy brown hair behind his ears as he stood.
“Henley, this is Ben,” Councilman Montgomery said. “He’s the one who keeps me organized around here,”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I told him, softly.
“You can go ahead and wrap things up for the day,” Councilman Montgomery told him. “Please inform Quinn of Graff’s arrival on your way out.”
“Yes, sir,” he said and gathered up some papers, promptly leaving the room.
“There’s a pitcher of water on the table next to you if either of you would like a drink,” Councilman Montgomery began. I shook my head. Graff stayed silent, but I could feel his eyes drilling into the side of my head. He had been waiting for the explanation of my arrival and I think his patience had run its course.
“Well, it’s there if you change your mind.” He paused, peering down to pick a piece of non-existent lint off his knee. “I’m almost afraid to ask, yet I find it of little surprise that you showed up on my doorstep shortly after we received information of an attack on the Southern Sector—“
The Outerlands - Sedition Page 4