The Blood Racer (The Blood Racer Trilogy Book 1)

by Winchester, Matthew

  “Two in the back for my thrusters!” I shouted, already running away from the Kicker. I didn’t even thank him for helping me, or for letting me know I’d be getting free fuel. I was glad for it. My tank was mostly empty, as it was, but I was too busy trying to find Audra among the sudden crowd of people that was beginning to gather along the outer edge of the docks.

  As I drew nearer to them, I noticed that the citizens of this city all wore very subdued colors, various greens and browns. There was an occasional blue shirt or overcoat, but they were mostly calmer, like the colors of trees and soil. Despite the tones, the clothing was all very well made, custom-tailored, by the look of some. These people were just the common townsfolk here, but they would have appeared as royalty to the citizens of the Gap.

  I felt odd as I ran past them. I could see their faces lighting up, their smiles widening at the sight of me. Did they know who I was? Or were they just excited that the race had come to their city? There were no signs here, no ribbons or confetti, no flags, nothing of the sort. There was a lively spirit, but they hadn’t sullied their city’s appearance with race memorabilia. I admired that. I even managed to wave to a few of them as I passed by, which sent many of them - the teenage boys, especially - into fits of laughter and cheering.

  Ahead of me, I was able to see Audra just up the street ahead of me, dashing around the edge of a large, rectangular building, which was just as white as the rest of the city. As I got closer, though, I could see the slight wear on the façade. Dirt stains, streaks from a recent rain, even small cracks where the white paint was beginning to falter. If I hadn’t been so focused on the details, I might have noticed the long, slender arm that shot out from the back corner of the building and slammed across my chest.

  The impact was impressive. My upper body was stopped instantly, but my legs had tried to keep running, which resulted in me slamming down hard on my back, feeling the air burst out of my lungs as I landed. I also felt the back of my head bounce off the ground like a piece of old rubber. My throat let out a choked, raspy groan and I blinked my eyes repeatedly, trying to keep the blackness in my vision at bay. Before I could even ponder what had happened, Audra Carina was looming down over me, her face just inches from mine. I felt her slender fingers clench around my jaw like a vice, holding my head to make sure I was looking at her.

  She was sweating, and her dark eyes were wild, burning with cold fury. “Always watch your corners, kid. And stop!” she spat, waiting a moment before calmly adding, “following me. This race is so dangerous, Silver. Unless you want to end up like mum and dad, you will stay off my tail!”

  I could feel her sweet perfume wafting over my face. Or was it her breath? I couldn’t tell in my dazed state. Either way, it didn’t seem right, smelling something so pleasant while staring at a woman so malicious. She was beautiful, but she was dark. I didn’t enjoy having her so close to me. Thankfully, in a flash, she was gone, taking her sickeningly sweet scent with her.

  Finally able to draw a steady breath, I coughed and slowly rolled onto my side, breathing deeply a few more times before slowly pushing myself to my feet. I suddenly felt weaker than ever. She had caught me off guard and had completely incapacitated me with one hit. I suddenly despised her more than I had ever despised anyone. And that was saying something. As I spun around in a circle, however, I realized that she was gone. I had lost her.

  “Oh, no,” I breathed. Which way had she run? I closed my eyes, trying to remember, but I found nothing. I couldn’t even recall hearing her footsteps as she left. I cursed to myself and took off at a wobbly run, rubbing a hand over the throbbing spot on the back of my head. There wasn’t a lump, but it sure did hurt. I would have loved to have given her an identical sore spot, but I truly had no idea where she had gone. The streets of the city were relatively empty. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the race, but there didn’t seem to be much going on. Maybe everyone was just down at the docks.

  As I stumbled through the perfectly straight, symmetrical streets, I did encounter a few people. They stared at me in awe, but kept to themselves. I wanted to ask them where I was supposed to go - or even ask for a drink of water - but I knew as well as they did that assisting the contestants was strictly forbidden in the race. All I could do was toddle my way through streets and alleys that looked identical. Even the buildings blurred together, white on white, a blank maze that gave no hint of direction. The only thing I could use to orient myself was the periodic roar of the crowd in the distance, cheering as each new racer landed on the docks.

  I felt the urgency rising within me. Several people had landed since I had been searching, and I was no closer to finding where I needed to be. What was I even looking for? Audra? Some other contestant that I could follow? Every second that passed brought me more frustration, more panic. Was I going to do this the entire race? Follow other people? As I poked my head out of an alley onto a wider, more populated street, I emerged right in front of another woman, who had to stop short to keep from plowing into me.

  “Elana!” Darby shouted, a smile lighting up the pale skin of her face. The first thing I noticed was the lack of falcons on her. Apart from that, I saw that she was breathing heavily, just as I was, and looked just as lost. I knew she was my competition, but at that moment, I was unbelievably glad to see her.

  “Darby!” I shouted back, resisting the strange urge to hug her.

  “Did you figure out that silly clue?” she asked, sounding desperate.

  I shook my head. “I didn’t. I was gonna ask you the same thing.”

  She deflated. “Foxtrot. I didn’t understand it!” From the belt around her waist, she pulled a small piece of paper similar to the one I’d received, and began reading it. “A bushel would take all day to collect, but a bucket is all you need. Gather them fast, try not be last, for some will trade clues for these seeds.”

  “Trust me, I read it plenty of times,” I told her. “It still doesn’t make any sense to me.”

  Darby stuffed the paper back into her belt, letting out a slow breath. “Well, maybe…if we work together, we can figure it out.”

  I looked at her intently, trying to judge the sincerity of her words. Alliances weren’t uncommon in the race, but as always, there could only be one winner at the end. Darby, however, looked to be nothing but genuine. She actually wanted to team up. Besides, I was totally lost. An alliance would be very beneficial to me right now.

  “All right,” I said. Together, we turned and began striding along the roadway. “But I don’t think I’ll be much help.”

  Darby grinned as we walked. “We can do it!” she said excitedly. “Thanks a lot. I lost track of Killian right from the start.”

  I looked over at her and smiled. “No problem. I’m sure he’s okay.”

  “Yeah,” she nodded, seeming to take comfort in my weak assurance.

  As my stomach gave a sudden growl, I felt a new wave of hunger wash over me. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything to eat, would you?”

  Darby stopped walking and opened one of the pouches on her leather belt, producing a handful of jam tarts and offering them to me. “Here you go.”

  “Are these the ones from yesterday?” I asked, accepting them from her.

  “Sure are!”

  I would have thanked her, but I was already stuffing the cookies into my face, grunting and chomping like a dog. They were delicious. I wasn’t often able to afford cookies, and even when I did, the money would usually go to something more pressing, like shoes for Echo or some seeds for Zanna. These cookies, however, were soft and buttery, and filled with berry-flavored jam…all of which was heavenly in my famished state. Darby could only stare at me with a look of slight concern in her blue eyes. I finished the last of the tarts and used the back of my hand to wipe my cookie-crumbled lips, now wishing even more that I had some water. As if reading my mind, Darby produced a thin, metallic flask, and held it out to me. I swiped it from her and popped the cap immediately, tipping it back into my mou
th and letting the water cascade into my mouth. It was warm, but it did the trick.

  “Better?” she asked.

  “Yes, thank you…thank you very much,” I muttered, smacking my lips, handing her the empty flask. Now that I’d been temporarily sated, we began walking once more, ignoring the glances from townspeople that passed by us.

  “So about that clue,” Darby said, steering us back on course. “Okay. From what I was able to understand, it sounds like we need to gather some seeds.”

  “In a bucket,” I added, remembering the first line.

  Darby nodded. “And then trade them for a clue.”

  “To whom?” I asked, knowing that she had no idea either.

  “I really don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve never been here.”

  “Me either.”

  Darby cupped her chin with her hand as she thought. “Hmm…do you wanna just ask someone who lives here?”

  I frowned. “We’re not allowed,” I said wistfully.

  With her hand still on her chin, Darby lifted her eyes and began scanning the townspeople that were strolling by us. I had no idea what she was looking for, but it only seemed to take her a minute to find it.

  “There!” she squawked, nodding to one girl in particular. The girl looked to be about my age, probably a bit older, but she was definitely distinctive amongst the regular citizens.

  Her hair was flaming red, which stood out like a beacon in contrast to the whiteness of New Eden, and it had been carelessly crammed together in a very loose bun on the side of her head. She wore a simple beige shirt, but it was very low cut, even hanging off of one of her slant shoulders. Her pants were black, but around her middle, she wore a leather corset that had been painted to look like flowers. Before I could protest, Darby had taken me by the arm and was practically dragging me across the street.

  As we bounded toward her, the red-haired girl stopped in her tracks and raised her eyebrows, obviously taken aback by the two of us suddenly accosting her in the street. She looked at us silently, but with obvious confusion.

  “Hi there,” Darby said cheerfully. “What’s your name?”

  The girl blinked a few times, but there were hints of a smile already forming on her mouth. “Ivy Canewood,” she said. Her voice was deeper than I would have expected. It was still feminine, but it sounded like it should have come from someone older.

  Darby stuck out her hand, which Ivy shook gingerly. “Hello, Ivy,” Darby said. “We were wondering if you knew anyone in your city that was trading seeds for clues.”

  Ivy looked at us, her bright green eyes flitting back and forth between Darby and me. Her smile widened, though, as she finally understood what was happening. “Oh,” she said nodding. “They told us we weren’t supposed to talk to you.”

  “They told us the same thing,” I said, glaring over at my new colleague.

  Ivy nodded slowly. “Well…then I guess it’s lucky for you that I don’t really care what they say.”

  “I knew it!” Darby exclaimed, giving a small excited hop.

  Ivy chuckled. “I don’t know about clues, or whatever, but the last few days, they’ve been sectioning off parts of the arboretum. I’d say that’s where you need to go.”

  “Thank you, Ivy!” Darby chirped. She made to break into a run, but I held onto her elbow, jerking her back toward me.

  “Can you tell us how to get there?” I asked.

  Ivy nodded, turning around to point behind her. “Take this road all the way to the big intersection down there. Then go left until you hit an even bigger intersection. Then take a right. That’s Main Street, and it goes all the way to the arboretum.”

  “Thank you!” I said. I almost had to shout, as Darby was already dragging me down the street.

  “I hope you guys make it! Good luck, Elana!” Ivy called back to me. I looked back at her in confusion as I went, wondering just how she knew who I was. Even if the radio had been talking about me all day, which it probably had been, she had never met me. Had she seen a news sketch of me from three years ago? If so, it was impressive that she recognized me now. Either way, I had more important things to think about at the moment.

  Together, Darby and I took off at a sprint, making our way through the citizens that were going about their daily lives. The evening sun was on the verge of setting, and these people probably had some last minute errands to run before the daylight died. Many of them pointed and whispered to one another as Darby and I passed by, obviously excited about seeing the racers in their city. As they were formally forbidden to talk to us, though, they basically ignored us.

  We reached the first intersection from Ivy’s instructions and took a left, continuing at a run despite our ragged panting and gasping. In front of us, we saw another contestant running in the opposite direction. He faltered for a moment as he saw us, but he didn’t turn around. Darby and I didn’t say anything to him, but from his giant, metallic left hand, I recognized him as John Deseo. I had seen him this morning on the Rainier docks. Part of me wanted to warn him that he was going the wrong way, but I kept silent.

  A few seconds after we passed him, Darby and I had reached Main Street, and we promptly turned right. This route was much more populated than the other roads we’d taken. As much as we wanted to go buster, we had to slow down just to keep from slamming into innocent bystanders. Somewhere in the back of my head, I wondered just how many people lived in this city. So far, Ivy Canewood was the only one I’d seen that had looked different than the rest. That must have been what Darby had meant when she’d said that she knew Ivy would help them. Her bright red hair, her different style of dress, she had obviously been a girl that didn’t care for rules. Hopefully, I’d be able to run across her again in the future.

  Finally, after weaving our way through Main Street, the two of us entered under the enormous glass dome that covered the arboretum. Instantly, the rise in temperature was obvious. The dome, which was made of hundreds of glass panels, all linked with metal framework, provided a greenhouse effect, which helped the plant life to thrive at an altitude that wasn’t ideal for their growth. Aside from that, the trees and bushes had been genetically modified way back before the Ascension, which allowed them to bloom and produce food all year round. Some specimens had even been modified to grow as many as 40 different fruits, all on one tree. I had never seen any of them in person, and I couldn’t stop gawking at them. They were even bigger than I’d imagined.

  “Ooh, look!” Darby said, directing me to the left. Sitting just inside the entrance to the dome was a stack of worn, metal buckets. Clearly, they were intended for the contestants. We each grabbed one and made our way further into the arboretum, searching for any other racers that could tell us where we were supposed to go. In the failing light, though, it was difficult to recognize anyone. There were plenty of workers milling about, dressed in grey coveralls, shuffling back and forth between rows of crops. In the distance, large machines were slowly cruising through the makeshift fields, plowing and threshing.

  “Check your bucket,” Darby said, pulling a small slip of paper from the bottom of hers. Peering down into my own, I saw an identical note inside it. Reaching in, I plucked it out as Darby began to read it aloud. “Must be all the same variety. Take full bucket to Willow Timbre for a clue.”

  “Willow Timbre,” I repeated. “Is that a person?”

  She groaned. “I wish I knew.”

  “Any ideas?” I asked.

  Darby sighed and turned in a circle. “Well, we could ask someone again.”

  I gave a small wince. “I doubt that would work twice. But…you can give it a shot, if you’d like.”

  With a nod, she shuffled forward, joining the closest worker as he strolled by. I didn’t go with her this time. Instead, I chose to hold my bucket against me and tap my fingers nervously on the bottom of it, creating a terrible rhythm. I wasn’t Rigel. He could tap his fingers on anything and make it sound like an intricate, rehearsed song beat. As I stood there, I began to
wonder where Rigel was. Had he made it here to New Eden? Or was he lost somewhere? It bothered me that I didn’t know. If he was lost, he’d surely be sorry about missing this place. New Eden was where all of his precious hazelnuts came from, after all. He would have loved the chance to pocket a few straight from the source. As that thought wandered through my mind, my jaw began to fall open, and I almost dropped my bucket as the realization hit me.

  “Darby!” I shrieked, feeling my giddiness rising.

  In an instant, she was at my side, breathing heavily. “What is it?” she asked frantically.

  “The seeds,” I told her. “It’s nuts! We need to gather a bucket of nuts!”

  Darby furrowed her brows. “Nuts? Are you sure?”

  “Yes!” I shouted. “Nuts are just the seeds of trees!”

  Immediately, a huge smile broke out across Darby’s face. “Holy foxtrot! Yes! Let’s go get some nuts!”

  At once, we pushed off into a dead sprint again, heading for the trees that stood in rows to our left. Together, we dodged around workers and plants alike, barreling straight for the orchards. The employees clearly had known ahead of time that we’d be coming. They nary lifted an eye to glance at us as we passed. I felt a little bad that they hadn’t been dismissed from work for the race. Instead, they’d have to work around every contestant that came through. I didn’t dwell on it, though. I was too busy trying to keep a grip on my bucket as I ran. After just a couple of minutes, we had made it to the towering orchards.

  The fruit trees were easy to spot, so we made our way past those and toward the thinner, nut bearing trees. As we approached, Audra Carina was running in the opposite direction, her metal bucket full to the brim with large, green nuts that I didn’t recognize.

  “Silver!” she called, grinning smugly. “Found someone else to follow, have you?”

  Before I could say anything in retaliation, Darby spoke up first. “No!” she shouted at Audra. “We’re friends, for your information!”