by C. R. Pugh
“He put up a hell of a fight,” Kaelem mumbled. “Brought down five soldiers before they got him.”
“He died all alone,” I whispered.
“Kieron died a hero,” Thorne replied, his voice gruff with his own grief. “Protecting Camellia.”
After another failed search, the Warriors returned looking grim.
“We didn’t see her, Thorne,” Tallon said. “She’s not in these woods.”
“Maybe she ran to the village?” Brock suggested. “If Camellia was out here, she would have heard us.”
Thorne shook his head. “She’s gone. Captured.”
“You think there were more soldiers who took her?” Pierce asked, staring north in the direction of the compound.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Wolfe sent them to take her.”
Pierce glared at me. “You don’t know that!”
I jumped to my feet and snapped, “I do know.”
“How?” Tallon asked, slapping her hands to her hips.
“Because this is how he tortures me,” I answered, wiping the dirt and tears from my face. “He’s taken her to draw me back, just like he did with Laelynn.”
“How would he even know we were here?” Archer asked.
“It doesn’t matter how he knew.” I brushed past Pierce and Archer and marched back to where Pierce and Camellia had hidden our packs. There wasn’t any more time to waste standing here arguing.
“Ravyn, wait,” Thorne called out, following right on my heels. “Where are you going?”
I didn’t stop and didn’t answer. Thorne wasn’t going to like my plan at all.
“It had to be that scientist,” Brock said, piecing things together.
“You’re right,” Tallon agreed. “He snitched on us to that General.”
I halted at her accusation and pointed a finger at them. “Audrick wouldn’t willingly give me away. He risked his life to save mine. Twice. He was probably tortured for the information.” And it was another burden I would have to carry with me until I died.
Thorne glanced at each of us, his brows knitted together in confusion. “What scientist?”
“Audrick,” I told him. “He was the scientist who helped me escape … both times. He came to find us while we were on our way here.” I quickly explained about the tracking chips Wolfe had given us and how Audrick had located us near the cave.
“But Kieron had his chip removed by Audrick,” Brock said, rubbing his chin. “It doesn’t make sense how the soldiers found us here.”
“We forgot about the third chip,” I mumbled. “The bullet that he put in my knee … it was right here in Ahern.”
“The bullet?” Thorne asked, running his fingers through his blonde curls. “Why would it be here?”
Tallon gave me a knowing look. “If Thorne didn’t take it, then it was Nash.”
“It still doesn’t explain how they knew Kieron and Camellia were right here in these woods,” Pierce growled. “If they were searching for that bullet, they would have come straight into the city.”
“They didn’t have to go into the city,” I stated. “Audrick told us a group of soldiers had already been here. They probably didn’t know what to do once you were inside the village, so they waited around. If Wolfe tortured Audrick for information, then he sent another contingent of soldiers to follow us here.”
“And doubled their numbers,” Archer added.
“They wouldn’t have been that far behind us,” Tallon confirmed.
Brock added, “And all they needed to do was wait for Ravyn to leave Camellia alone. They didn’t want a fight with all of us. We would have destroyed them.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Pierce shouted. “We need to go after her.”
“No,” I said, staring straight at Thorne.
Thorne narrowed his ice-blue eyes at me. “What?”
Pierce glared at me. “You can’t let them -”
“I’m going alone.” Turning my back on their stunned expressions, I walked to the packs and rummaged through them until I’d collected every weapon and extra magazine I could carry. Once I’d finished arming myself, a dagger had been strapped to each thigh and a blade had been hidden in each of my boots. Two fully-loaded pistols were holstered at my waist. The rest of the ammunition was stuffed into the smallest of the bags. I needed to travel light.
“Ravyn, stop and think about this,” Thorne pleaded from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder at my Warrior. My heart ached knowing that I had to leave him again, but this was something I had to do on my own.
“I have thought about it,” I said, looping the small bag over my shoulder.
Thorne stepped closer and turned me around to face him. “I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not,” I said firmly, shaking my head at him. The mixture of love and determination in his eyes almost had me caving in to his pleas, but I had to stand my ground. “Wolfe wants me to go alone.”
Thorne ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “You can’t do this alone, little warrior.”
“I can. I must.”
Bending down and rifling through the packs once more, I found our last vial of serum. I approached Kaelem and held it out to him. “I made a promise. Now I want you to promise me something in return.”
“Anything,” Kaelem said.
“Give Kieron a proper burial.” I looked around at the fallen soldiers. “Burn the rest, but please … bury Kieron … somewhere I can come back and see him, if …” My words trailed off. I couldn’t bring myself to say ‘if I lived through this’ out loud for everyone’s ears – especially Thorne’s. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him turn his back to me and run both hands over his head. Maybe it was a foolish plan, but I had to try. For Camellia. For all of us. I wasn’t allowing anyone else to go back and be tortured.
Kaelem nodded his head, understanding my thoughts completely. He stared down at me, his brown eyes filled with anguish over both of my losses. He didn’t try to stop me or talk me out of it. Kaelem had known all along – I would do anything for my sister.
“Of course,” Kaelem finally replied. “We have a cemetery east of the village.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, handing him the serum.
Kaelem stared down at the magic liquid in his hand. “I promise we won’t let you down again.”
Turning back to Thorne, a lump formed in my throat. I almost couldn’t bear to walk away from him. “Go, Thorne,” I said with a firm voice. “Get out of here, all of you. Mount your horses.” I gave each of them a stern look. None of them moved. Stubborn Warriors!
A muscle in Thorne’s jaw ticked. He marched forward and gripped both of my shoulders. “We’re not leaving you to go back and be held prisoner for the rest of your life.”
I placed my hand against his chest. “You have to. You all must go back to Peton and gather your Warriors, remember? The plan was for you to lead your Warriors back and draw out his soldiers. I still need you to do that.”
“Pierce can do it.”
“If you go with me, Wolfe will know something isn’t right and he’ll use you against me.”
“And I’m supposed to just let you go and turn yourself over to him?” Thorne said through gritted teeth.
“I’m not running from him again!” I shouted. “No more running. I have to finish this, Thorne. I’m the only one who can get close to him.”
Thorne dropped his chin to his chest and squeezed my shoulders in a painful hold. I knew it was killing him to let me go, knowing I might not make it out this time.
After a few minutes of silence, Thorne dropped his hands, looked over his shoulder, and barked, “Get to your horses.”
Kaelem nodded to me one last time and started piling up the soldiers’ bodies.
Archer approached and handed me his rifle. “You might be needing this,” he said. He reached into his pack and pulled out a few more magazines. “And these.”
“Thanks,” I said with a nod, stuffing the
ammunition in my pack and throwing the rifle over my shoulder.
Archer placed a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve come a long way. Good luck, Ravyn.”
While Tallon, Brock, and Archer all jogged toward their horses, Pierce lingered. He stared at me with a scowl on his face.
“Swear you’ll get her out of there,” he said in his usual gruff demeanor.
I strode toward him and threw my arms around his neck. “I swear on my life, Pierce. I’ll make sure she’s safe if it’s the only thing I do.”
Pierce squeezed my torso. “Bring yourself out of there safely too. I don’t think I’ll be able to live with Thorne if you die.”
A sob hitched in my throat when I tried to giggle at his teasing. “I’ll do my best,” I whispered.
Not one for sentimental moments, Pierce gave me a curt nod and walked away.
Thorne and I were the only ones left in the Aspen forest. I stared up at him and blinked back tears I could feel stinging my eyes.
Taking a step toward my Warrior, I whispered, “Will you trust me … in all things?”
Thorne’s hands curled into fists at his side and the muscle in his jaw ticked again. “You know I do, Ravyn, but this -”
I didn’t allow him to finish before I was asking, “And do you accept my protection, as I’ve accepted yours?”
Thorne’s head tilted slightly, realization finally hitting him. “Ravyn,” he choked.
“Say the words to me, Thorne.”
His brows pinched together in frustration, but he nodded his head.
“And do you accept me as your partner, your warrior, and your life-mate?”
“Forever and always, Ravyn.”
“Now kiss me,” I whispered.
Thorne’s eyes burned with desire and desperation as he drew near. He cupped my face with his hands and crushed his lips to mine. Closing my eyes, I soaked it all in: his warmth, his earthy scent, and the strength in his hands as he held me against him.
Easing out of my embrace, he gripped my arms and rested his forehead against mine. “You promised me once that you wouldn’t die. Promise me again. Swear to me that won’t be our last kiss.”
I lifted my eyes up to Thorne’s. My fingers trailed down the scars on his cheek. “I swear.”
Raising up on my tiptoes, I kissed him one final time. Without another word, I spun on my heel and walked away. If I didn’t leave now, I never would. Tears trickled down my face long after I’d hiked out of the Aspen forest, across the prairie, and back toward the Old Sequoia Valley.
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Table of Contents
28
Thorne
Riding hard, we followed the mountains north along the coast of the Fairuza sea, only stopping to rest and water our horses. Tallon had never spent so much time in the saddle, but she held up well under the circumstances. Everyone sensed the urgency. We could not fail Ravyn.
Two days later, we stopped one more time to rest the horses. We were an hour from Peton. The bitter north wind gusted hard into our faces, leaving us all chilled to the bone.
Ravyn was likely already inside the Old Sequoia Valley. My heart twisted inside my chest every time I pictured her tormented face as she walked away from me. She had been terrified, but still refused to back down from what she knew she must do. Her courage gave me renewed strength as we grew closer to home. It had not been my intention to return except to sneak the rest of my family away. Facing the Elders and pleading our case against the General had my stomach in knots.
“Thorne,” Pierce barked at me. “You won’t be facing them all by yourself this time.”
“Yeah,” I drawled. “And what are you going to do if they decide to throw us all in jail?”
“They won’t,” he assured me. “There aren’t enough Warriors to overcome all of us plus our friends we left behind.”
Brock nodded. “Max and Tameron.”
“Luken is still there,” Archer pointed out.
Luken had been Hawke’s second in command, but there was no guarantee he was still alive. He might have been assassinated like Hawke while we’d been gone.
“Don’t forget some of the older ones who were loyal to Hawke,” Pierce added.
“I wouldn’t underestimate Kemena and Aaron,” said Tallon. “Just because they aren’t Warriors doesn’t mean they won’t fight for you. And if Gunter gets in the way, I’ll knock his teeth out,” Tallon said with a shrug.
“Enough,” I snapped. “So … do we sneak in through the hills?”
“I think another direct approach would be wise,” Archer suggested. “We’ll have to slow our pace if we go through the hills.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, mounting my stallion. “To the gates we go. Let’s get moving.”
I was about to kick my stallion into a gallop when Brock held up his hand to halt us. “Wait, do you smell that?” He lifted his chin.
“I smell it too,” Tallon said, sniffing the air. “Smoke.”
I inhaled deeply, taking in the new air blowing down from the north. Sure enough, the scent of ash and burning leaves filled my nostrils. “There are forests all around us. Forest fires happen occasionally.”
“But there haven’t been any lightning storms lately,” Archer pointed out.
“Not that we know of,” Pierce replied, staring off to the north, toward Peton.
“Forests don’t … spontaneously burst into flames, do they?” Tallon asked.
I had only ever heard of one instance of the meadow catching fire simply because we’d had a dry spell one summer. The entire field had gone up in flames, burning for miles and miles. It was only because of our stone wall and the Warriors dousing our gates with water for days that our city hadn’t been ravaged.
If a bolt of lightning, or another instance of spontaneous combustion, hadn’t started the fire, then it was manmade. The only village north of us was Peton.
Another feeling of dread ran through me as I kicked my stallion into a gallop.
***
Black smoke billowed into the sky as the walls of Peton came into view. I urged my stallion to move faster. Our horses were breathing heavily. I’d pushed them harder than I ever had before.
Just get us to the gates. Please, I silently prayed.
The gates were open. Peton citizens were fleeing into the meadow, evacuating the village. Horses were being led out of Peton’s gates in twos and threes by Warriors. Once we reached the crowd, we pulled on the reins, bringing our horses to a halt. Several of the citizens recognized us and began shouting our names. I ignored them, searching for Kemena, Aaron, and Lenna.
“Do you see them, Thorne?” Tallon called out, instinctively searching for our sisters as well.
“They must still be inside,” I replied, jumping down off my stallion.
Leaving the horses behind to rest, we all sprinted into the city. Citizens were still pouring out of the gates, screaming in terror or coughing from the smoke.
We fought our way through the horde of frightened people, observing the chaos all around. Flames were licking up the sides of Peton’s barn where the Warriors’ horses were usually stabled. Some of the trees around the barn had caught fire as well. A chain of men had formed to pass buckets of water toward the flames, but their efforts were useless. Nothing was going to stop this fire except time or a heavy rain shower, and no rain clouds were in sight.
“Look for any of our Warriors!” I commanded Pierce and the other Warriors. “Find your families! Help them evacuate! I’m going to look for my family.”
Pierce, Archer, and Brock sprinted south down the main road toward the Council building. I raced toward Kemena’s home to see if she was still there. Something had to be terribly wrong if she hadn’t snatched Lenna up and evacuated immediately.
“I’m coming with you,” Tallon said, right on my heels.
“Stay close,” I said. “I don’t want to lose you in the crowd.”
We were within fifty feet of Kemena and Aaron’s home when two men in Wol
fe’s dark green uniforms ran toward us out of the smoke. Their eyes were glazed in their brainwashed state. One gripped a sword from Peton’s armory and the other held a battle ax.
“Tallon, take the one with the ax,” I said, quickly pulling out my own blades.
The soldiers raised their weapons as they charged. Tallon drew an arrow and shot her opponent dead in a few seconds. The other man swung his sword at me. I ducked under the blade and plunged my dagger into his gut.
“There are more soldiers fighting,” Tallon said, pointing to the clearing near the Council building.
Through the haze, Warriors were battling against Wolfe’s soldiers. I also spotted Max and Gunter fighting back to back.
“Is that Gunter fighting against other Warriors?” Tallon asked.
“And Max too.”
They fought against Ryelle, Dorsey, and a few Warriors I’d never fully trusted. The corpses of several Warriors and soldiers were scattered around the village. Pierce, Archer, and Brock joined the battle.
“Let’s keep going. We need to find Kemena. She must be at the hospital,” I told Tallon. “We’ll check her home, too.”
“Thorne!” I heard a woman scream. Kemena was dashing toward us out of the trees near her house, holding her skirts up to her knees as she ran. “Thorne! Tallon!”
“Kemena!” I met her halfway and grabbed her up in a hug. “What’s happening? Where are Aaron and Lenna?”
“I can’t find Lenna anywhere,” Kemena wailed. Her face was streaked by soot and tears. “She’s not in the house or at the hospital. I don’t know where she could be!”
“Stay calm. You said she wasn’t at the hospital?”
“Aaron is searching the house again,” Kemena sobbed. “Where else would she go?”
Running my fingers through my hair, I looked around at the different buildings, possible places she could be hiding. My eyes settled on the burning barn and my stomach churned in dread. Biting back a curse, I started running.
“Thorne!” Tallon called out behind me. “You think she’s in the stables?”