by Ivy Baum
Sol sighed. “There was a lot going on, and honestly? I didn’t think it was worth your time.”
Even Junie looked pissed. “Well, we have plenty of time to hear about it now.”
And so, as we barreled down the highway, Sol filled us in.
Back in White Falls, Nev had heard rumors of a new half-blood revolutionary group—one that was aggressively recruiting in the old Treaty Zones.
“When they started feeling up Nev as a potential recruit, I told her to give them a little encouragement. You know, just to see who they were and what their deal was. Unfortunately, they turned out to be nuttier than the usual malcontents. When it became clear that Nev wasn’t about to join up, they got…pushy.”
Deo bristled. “What they did at Sanctuary was a little more than pushy.”
There was another awkward silence.
Junie said, “What else do you know?”
“I kept hearing rumors about some guy named Tacitus. One of the guys today mentioned him, too. I think that’s their leader.”
Junie frowned. “Is that his real name?”
“Let’s hope not.”
There was another long silence.
Junie said, “We still don’t know what happened to the people at Sanctuary. Deo, you said you found some bodies—”
“But not nearly enough.”
“Could they still be alive?”
Sol said. “It’s possible…” He didn’t sound hopeful.
I pointed out, “We never did see the lower levels.”
Junie nodded. “Zero is Central Security. There are holding cells down there, aren’t there?”
Sol nodded. “But not enough for the entire population of Sanctuary.”
The silence was grim this time. It was obvious that everyone was imagining the worst.
Finally, Sol said, “For now, we keep driving.”
“And then what?” Junie folded her arms. “We can’t drive around forever. For one thing, this van gets terrible gas mileage. We’ll run out of money.”
Something seemed to pass between the others. A silent conversation—one that didn’t include me.
Finally, Sol asked in a clipped voice, “What are you suggesting?”
Junie said, “I think we have to consider other options.”
“You mean other than dying? I agree.”
Deo said, “You know what she’s talking about, Sol. And I think I agree with her.”
Sol was silent—and clearly unhappy.
He said, “Whatever happened to just getting on the road and surviving?”
Junie grimaced. “That was before I knew there were a bunch of trigger-happy assholes running around.”
Sol sighed. “Fine. But first we stop and rest. Get some real food—and a little sleep. Then we can decide what the hell we’re going to do about all of this.”
It was an answered that seemed to satisfy no one—least of all Sol. But for the moment, it was all we had.
Chapter 29
“We are not going to Outlaw City.”
Sol paced the small motel room like a caged animal.
Junie looked up from her pizza. “If you’ve got a better idea that doesn’t involve us dying in a Motel Six…”
Sol muttered something under his breath. Everyone else went back to their pizza, which had been procured from a gas-station take-out counter.
It was easily the best meal of my life.
Could it really be that only two weeks had passed since I’d walked out of Sydney’s party and taken that ride from Sol?
It seemed as though it should have been longer. A million years, maybe.
But I knew it hadn’t been a million years. I knew exactly how much time had passed, because today was my eighteenth birthday.
Sol finally seemed to notice the trio of pizza boxes, which were piled atop the television console. The first one was nearly empty.
Grabbing a slice, he grumbled, “I don’t care if we have to hide out in fleabag motels until these Blood Right guys nuke the Council of Elders or whatever. Going to Outlaw City is a bad idea.”
Sol demolished the piece of pizza in two bites—then went back for more.
Deo observed, “If Blood Right and the Capitol go to war, I won’t complain. But as long as one of them survives, we’re still going to have a problem.”
Junie gave a mirthless chuckle. “We’ve had a problem ever since the Council of Elders decided not to renew the Armistice.”
Sol sighed. “No, we’ve had a problem ever since we were born half-bloods, instead of Marked sons of nobility.”
The room fell silent.
Where would I be, in another life? Probably in the Sothebys’ dining room, blowing out the candles on a cake that read, “Happy Birthday Syd & Kes!”
The thought brought unexpected pain—like a jagged fragment digging at me from the inside.
I was tired of being in the dark. I set aside an unfinished slice of pizza. “What’s Outlaw City?”
Everyone turned to look at me.
I’d been listening to the four of them argue for the past half-hour, and I still had no idea what Outlaw City was.
Or why we should go there.
Sol made an aggravated noise. “First of all, don’t call it that.”
I gave him a confused look.
“Don’t call it Outlaw City. That makes it sound much cooler than it actually is.”
Junie laughed. “Give her a break, Sol. Every time there’s a new gang in power, they change the name. I don’t even know what it’s called anymore.”
“But…there are half-bloods there? Like Sanctuary?”
Sol muttered something inaudible.
Junie ignored him. “To be honest? It’s more like the anti-Sanctuary.”
I stared, uncomprehending. Maybe it was just that I was seriously sleep-deprived. I’d slept on and off in the van, but it was a fitful, hunted sleep.
I had awoken to find the lush, mountainous landscape replaced by gentle, rolling hills and farmer’s fields.
We were in Idaho now, heading southwest. Beyond that, I had no idea what was going on.
“So it’s not like Sanctuary?”
Sol sighed theatrically. “Ever wonder why all purebloods are assholes?”
“Uh—” Was that a trick question?
“Well, they’re not.” Sol balled up his napkin and tossed it in the trash. Suddenly, he seemed energized. “Once upon a time, there were two Aristoi of exceptionally noble bloodlines who were not complete assholes. They got fed up with the Capitol’s bullshit and decided to start their own damn society. Which would have been a death sentence, except that they were very powerful and once they joined forces, the Capitol couldn’t touch them. And so Outlaw City was born.”
Junie quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t like to call it that.”
Sol shrugged. “Yeah, but last time I checked it was called something very long and Latin and I’m not going to waste my time.”
Junie rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, for a hundred years or so, this place was exactly what it had promised to be—a wonderful, lawless refuge for magical outcasts. Eventually, half-bloods got wind of the place, and to everyone’s utter shock, the purebloods there treated them decently.
“And everyone lived happily ever after…until the two founders had a falling out.”
Deo snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.” He turned to me. “For all intents and purposes, they went to war. And that meant that the city was a war zone—for a very long time.”
“Yes, and unfortunately, the bad guy won.”
I raised a questioning eyebrow, and Sol smiled grimly.
“Liberatus Sforza. Asshole extraordinaire.”
Junie said, “Officially, neither of them controls the city.”
Sol raised an eyebrow. “And since when did you believe anything they officially say?” He caught my eye. “Every gang that’s been in power since then has been under Sforza’s thumb.”
“That sounds
pretty bad.”
Clover said, “Yeah, why would we want to go there again?”
Deo spoke through a mouthful of pizza. “Because Sol left out one very important detail. The Capitol won’t touch the place.”
I perked up. “So it’s safe from Hunters?”
Junie said, “Calling it ‘safe’ would be a bit of an overstatement. Technically, no one’s going to come after you because you’re a half-blood.
Clover raised an eyebrow. “Technically?”
Sol was pacing again. “Look, the bottom line is that Outlaw City used to live up to its name. Now it’s a glorified trailer park full of assholes.”
An ominous silence settled over the room.
I looked around at the others. Their expressions hadn’t changed. But the energy in the room had.
Sol said, “You guys want to put yourselves at the mercy of those assholes? Fine. Be my guest. But don’t expect me to do the same.”
With that, he stalked out of the room.
I stared after him, trying to figure out what had just happened.
Clover said, “Did I miss something?”
Junie sighed. “Sort of.” She exchanged a look with Deo.
Deo nodded.
Junie caught my eye, then Clover’s. “Sol’s had dealings with the leadership there. It didn’t end well.”
Deo nodded. “If we do go to Outlaw City, it will be his life in danger most of all.”
I asked what seemed like the obvious question. “So why are we going?”
Junie gave a humorless laugh. “Truthfully? Because at this point, it’s the only option we have left.”
Chapter 30
I heard the footsteps and tensed.
After everything I’d been through, it would’ve been stupid to get taken out in a motel in Idaho.
But I had to be alone.
And so I was sitting outside in a cheap plastic chair, bathed in the glow of the vending machines. Freezing my butt off.
I should’ve been sleeping. Junie was already passed out cold atop the scratchy brown comforter.
I told myself that I had come out here for some fresh air. To get away from the smell of old smoke and mildew.
But part of me couldn’t sleep—not while Sol was still out wandering around.
“He’ll be back,” Deo had assured me. “He just needs to walk it off.”
Now the footsteps grew closer, and I held my breath.
A shadow appeared around the corner. I tensed—until I saw who it was.
By way of greeting, he tossed something in my lap. His leather jacket.
I looked up—and my breath hitched in my throat.
How was it that I had never noticed the smooth, aristocratic planes of his face?
Sol pointed to the jacket. “Put it on. You’ll catch a cold.” He took the plastic seat next to mine.
I spent a minute fumbling to put on his jacket, which was heavy and several sizes too big. It was surprisingly warm, and I thanked him.
He smiled.
“I know it’s your birthday Kes.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone—and I hadn’t counted on anyone knowing about it.
He raised an eyebrow. “Want to talk about it?”
“About what? My birthday?”
“You’re turning eighteen. That’s a big deal in human culture—or so I’m told.”
I grinned. “Yeah, but I bet it’s nothing by half-blood standards. When exactly do you turn two hundred and one?”
He made a show of taking offense. “If you’re trying to get me to reveal my age, it won’t work.”
He smiled, and warmth bloomed in my chest.
Remember what happened the last time you got friendly.
Time to get on a safer topic.
“Why do you hate Outlaw City?”
“Because it’s full of assholes.”
“Something happened to you there.”
He smiled faintly. “Let’s just say I pissed off some very powerful people.”
“What happened?”
He hesitated. “I took something that didn’t belong to me.”
“Did you give it back?”
A shadow passed over his face. “No.”
Silence gathered between us. I knew, without asking, that whatever it was, he would speak no more of it.
He shifted restlessly on the bench. I thought he was getting ready to head back to the room.
But when he turned to look at me, his expression had changed. It was more open, more vulnerable than I’d ever seen it.
“Kes, what would you say to the idea of just leaving?”
“Leaving?”
A beat passed. “Yes. With me.”
I went very still. “What do you mean?”
“I mean just packing up and getting out of here. Going some place quiet. Some place no one will find us.”
“What about Outlaw City?”
“Forget about that place.” He took a deep breath. “Look, I wasn’t kidding when I said it was full of assholes. It may be safe from the Capitol, but it’s dangerous in ways you can’t possibly imagine.”
“I don’t understand. Where would we go?”
His gaze grew distant. “There are places off the grid…places where no one would bother us.”
“And then what?”
The question seemed to surprise him. “We live our lives. In peace. Away from all this.”
I gave him a questioning look.
He sighed. “There’s going to be war, and I’m afraid humans are going to be dragged into the middle of it.”
“Junie and Deo and Clover—I don’t think you’d be able to convince them to come.”
“I know. It would just be us.”
At the word us, I my insides seemed to turn upside down.
I was falling for Sol. How had I not noticed it before?
No. I wasn’t ready for that. Not now. Not with everything else going on.
When I looked back at him, he was watching me carefully.
“We could bring your mom, of course—once she’s well enough to travel.”
“But—we’d be out in the open. Sitting ducks.”
“I could protect you.”
But I’m useless. I’d be at the mercy of anyone who came across us.
He flashed a grin. “I suppose I could just kill anyone who gets within a hundred yards of us.”
I tried to match his smile—but I suddenly felt small and fragile. And powerless.
It’s not safe out there. Not for you.
I shook my head. “I’m staying with the group. I want to go to Outlaw City.”
His disappointment was palpable. But he only said, “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
He stood, and I saw him dig something out of his pocket.
When he held it up to the light, I gasped.
A cell phone. Not a smart phone, just a basic flip-phone. Like the kind I’d had in middle school.
He presented it to me with a flourish. He was grinning—the same grin I remembered from White Falls High.
Only now I knew that behind the charm, there were things he didn’t want me to see.
“Happy birthday.” He nodded. “Go ahead. Look at the contacts.”
I did—and found four names. Sol. Junie. Deo. Clover.
I beamed. I knew what this meant. I was part of the team now.
“Thank you.”
He winked. “Please don’t call anyone who wants to kill us.” His expression grew sober. “We really do need to get some sleep. Outlaw City isn’t the kind of place you want to visit half-cocked.”
“You’re coming too?”
“Yes.” He didn’t look particularly happy about it.
He was going to Outlaw City because I was going. I didn’t know how that made me feel.
Was I doing the right thing?
It occurred to me that Sol’s proposal was nearly identical to the one my mother had made, way back in White Falls.
&nb
sp; Going off the grid. Surviving on our own.
“Are you scared?”
He raised an eyebrow.
I flushed. “I mean, are you worried?”
“I never worry. It’s a useless pastime. Let’s just hope that the assholes in Outlaw City have short memories and don’t hold a grudge.”
Chapter 31
Outlaw City was in New Mexico—deep in the southwest corner of the Chihuahua Desert.
It was two days’ drive under the best of circumstances—and it was not the best of circumstances.
Sol now insisted that we avoid all former Treaty Zones, and any time Deo caught so much as a whiff of magic, we had to hop off the interstate and travel along the backroads.
The farmers’ fields had long since given way to brown, scrubby terrain. To me, it was completely alien. We might as well have been on the surface of Mars.
By the time we finally pushed from the southwest corner of Arizona into New Mexico, we’d been driving for three days straight.
The last stop was Red Springs, about thirty miles east of Outlaw City.
We still had half a tank of gas, but Sol insisted that we stop.
“Let’s have as close to a full tank as possible,” he said.
No one argued. We were all weary of the van, and Junie was complaining that we’d run out of Diet Doctor Pepper.
I caught her eye and she gave an embarrassed shrug.
“What can I say? Hanging out with Sydney so much, I kind of got a taste for it.”
When we pulled into the Rest Area, Sol didn’t bark his usual ten-minute warning.
In fact, he’d grown progressively more withdrawn the closer we got to Outlaw City.
Outside, the sky was a brilliant, sunlit blue. I got out of the van, expecting warmth—only to find a biting wind.
Deo told us to be back at the van in fifteen minutes.
With that, everyone else immediately headed for the pueblo-style buildings. Prominent signs pointed the way toward “Vending” and “Tourist Information.”
I stayed behind to dig out a sweatshirt.
I couldn’t shake my sense of disquiet. Something had changed in the last few days.
Our drive to Sanctuary had been frightening. But it had also been exhilarating. And above all—it had felt right.
This was different.