“We’ll find her," he assures me. As I climb in next to him on the front seat, he faces me and opens his arms. I lean into him though I'm still shaking with adrenaline. His embrace is comforting and reassuring. I breathe his familiar scent in as I tuck my face into his chest. “It’s important that we get to Toledo Lake as soon as possible. I’ll send Trudi and Kwan ahead, while we look for Jenna. We will find her,” he says the last part with conviction. “They won’t kill her. She’s too valuable to marauders. We just need to go to their camp. I know the way. It's not far.”
I reluctantly pull away so that I’m staring into his earthy brown eyes. “You need to go with them. You’re too important to the people there. They’ll need you there. And Trudi and Kwan will need you to help them find the village. Besides, it's a waste of trained fighters, for two of us to hang back here.”
“No, Mena. She’s my friend too. I want to help, and there are Exalted there with the marauders. It will be dangerous.”
“Ryker, I can do this. I'll sneak her out. Trust me. You know the villagers need you more.” I can see conflict in his eyes. I can also see that my argument is making sense to him.
He cups my cheek in his hand. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this . . . you’re right. I know you can handle yourself. I trust you.” A forced grin spreads across his lips.
“Good.”
Before leaving on my own, I instinctively re-check my knife belt and boot daggers. I think I’m ready—just in time for sunrise.
"There are old silos due north of here. It's only about ten miles. Their camp is there. The leaders and Exalted live in the silos and the others are in tents. With luck, the Exalted will be sleeping after their raid on us. Once you leave there, the village is to the east. Just head east. We'll keep a look out for you." Ryker pauses, looking into my eyes. Then he kisses me goodbye with a passion so strong it reminds me of our first kiss in the barn. I’m so in the moment that I don’t even care that Trudi and Kwan are staring at us with those creepy blank expressions. I know they’ve never seen anything like our kiss before, but I'm not taking the time to explain it.
“See you soon,” I tell Ryker.
“See you soon,” he says in return.
I head into the woods where the fleeing marauders and Exalted vanished only an hour ago. Hopefully they left a trail that’ll be easy to track. Behind me, I hear our Humvee start up. The rumble echoes through the trees. It lasts for several minutes and then disappears as the distance between us grows.
It takes me no time to pick up footprints on the forest floor—heading north just like Ryker said. Leaves are pushed aside from all the marauders that ran this way. They obviously aren’t concerned about being followed. That’s good for me.
Something else that’s good for me . . . I run fast. They won't expect anyone to reach them so soon, if they even expect us to go after them at all. Citizens aren't valuable after all.
Chapter 20 / Ryker
Letting Mena go was difficult. It's always difficult to see her in harm's way, but she's right. She can handle it.
Trudi has taken the passenger seat while Kwan remains in the back. The windows are still rolled down to help ease their queasy stomachs. By now, they should be starting to have the Pump withdrawal symptoms. It won't be long before they're hanging out of those windows being sick.
I don't modify my driving for them or their rolling stomachs. I'm worried for Mena and anxious to get to Toledo Lake. I can't help but take my raw emotions out on these rough roads. It's like driving the four-wheelers again. I drive on the old cracked highway when I can, but I don't mind going off road. The tall grasses whip at the wing mirrors as we blow over them.
Trudi is the first to vomit out of an open window. Kwan is sweating profusely in the backseat, trying desperately to keep it in. He doesn't keep his stomach down long though.
It's disgusting and just makes me want to go faster.
"We'll be there soon," I tell my two moaning passengers.
On the way we pass a lone man walking east. Normally I'd stop and direct him to Toledo Lake, but I suspect that's where he's headed anyway. They all head that way eventually—unless they're like the marauders and Exalted that Mena went after.
"Ugh!" I slam my hands down on the steering wheel. I should've gone with her. What was I thinking? She can't take on that many rogue Exalted by herself. I hope she stays out of view as she promised.
"What's wrong?" Trudi asks.
"Oh. Nothing. We just need to hurry. Sorry the ride is so rough," I lie. "We'll be there in about an hour."
"Will they have medicine?" Kwan asks. I steal a quick glance at him in the backseat. He's sweating but he's also shivering, and his normally golden skin is ashen.
"They won't have medicine like the Republic has but they'll have natural remedies for the nausea."
Trudi moans next to me. Like her friend, her skin is paler than normal and her red hair is matted with sweat.
A little guilt starts to trickle in, so I slow the vehicle a little. I know they feel like they're dying. It's awful. I don't have to make it worse.
When we hit about five miles out from Toledo Lake, I stop the Humvee, lean out my window, and whistle four times—two quick whistles and then two long whistles. I wait for a few minutes and whistle again. Still nothing.
After shifting back into drive, I go another mile and try again. This time four whistles sound in answer. I roll up my window and head into the village. It's pretty quiet, which is odd. There are usually people roaming the dusty footpaths, going about their daily chores. Children play by the lake or climb trees. There is one busy area though. As I jump down from the vehicle, I can hear the hammering and clanging of the blacksmiths working on new weapons.
Cap and Tommy are hanging around the blacksmiths' little shack. Cap is making sure everything is in order, and Tommy is at his side like always. Once Cap notices us, he rushes over. "Ryker!" he calls with a broad smile. He spreads his arms wide, wraps them around me, and pounds my back—a friendly hug that he always gives me when I return.
"Hey Cap. Tommy. How are things going here?" I ask.
Cap laughs. "Not great to be honest, but I got that boy to come around. He's over in the field helping Dixie out with training. I wasn't sure about him at first, but he seems okay . . . Almost killed Tommy." He laughs harder.
"Sorry about that. He'll be a good asset if he wants to be. He's a strong one."
"You got that right. He pulled a tree right out of the ground." Cap leans around me, noticing my two passengers who are slowly making their way out of the Humvee. "Who have you got there?"
"Kwan and Trudi. They were in Mena's training year," I answer.
"And where is Mena?" Cap asks.
I tromp over to the Humvee and throw open the back door. "We got ambushed by the silos. Stole one of our people. She went to get her back." I grab a black duffle bag filled with weapons and throw it over my shoulder. "She'll be here soon. Make sure the scouts taking over later know to keep an eye out for her."
"Sure thing," Cap responds.
"Those two are going through withdrawals, Tommy. Can you get them something for that? And some water too?" I march off before he answers. I need to get my mind off of Mena. The best remedy right now, for my problem, is to help with training.
Chapter 21 / AZ
For the first few hours of the day, no one could concentrate on his or her work. They all stared at the scorched earth where the bomb-builder lost his life and took with him in the fire all of the new arrows that the volunteers made.
Today, they are starting over, collecting more sticks. Thankfully, they were able to salvage the arrowheads after the fire was put out and the ash cooled. And though they mourn over the loss of a villager, Cap still feels the dangerous weapon is necessary. The remaining bomb-builders are back to work today making up for lost time as well.
As I work with John on his target practice, I get an odd feeling. It’s as if someone's here that doesn’t belong here or wa
sn’t here before. I can sense their movement behind me. "Wait," I tell John.
I turn and see him. The last time I saw him, I was trying to kill him. And then . . .
Red.
All I can see is red. I charge. He drops his black duffle bag and smiles. He crouches down and opens his arms, readying for the blow.
He obviously has no idea what I can do.
I tuck my head down and turn slightly so that my shoulder slams into his chest. The lanky Exalted comes off his feet, but instead of falling to the side or getting trampled, he's wrapped his arms around me. He swings around me with ease and digs his knees into my back while pulling back on my shirt.
I try to shake him off.
"Whoa, calm down, Az," he tells me.
"You shot me!" I shout.
Beside us, I can hear John yelling, "That's Ryker. He's a good guy. He was trying to help you."
"Get off me," I demand of the person on my back.
He jumps off, landing beside me. "He's right,” Ryker says. “I was helping, and I suppose I should thank you for helping us too."
His smile makes me angry. I don't like him.
"Come on, John. Let's get back to training." When I turn to face the field, I see that everyone has been watching. My face burns, but I'm not sure why.
I don't like him.
"Hey. Where's Mena?" I turn back to him.
"She's coming." His grin slips from his face. He throws his duffle back over his shoulder and storms past me, further onto the training field.
He had better be telling the truth about Mena. For now, I don’t press the issue. I shrug it off and head back to help John and the others.
Chapter 22 / Ethan
“We should be there any time now,” I say as I run beside Val. I’ve decided that I don’t mind running at her slightly slower pace. She makes good company—always smiling and talking. She takes my mind off the reason we are running.
It finally rained during the night, giving us plenty to drink. But since we don’t have time or weapons, we still have yet to eat. My stomach rumbles at the thought. I’m anxious to get there.
As if hearing my thoughts, Val asks, “What do you think the people at Toledo Lake are like? Do you think they are like the marauders we’ve learned about? I didn’t run into any on my Third Trial, did you?”
She asks so many questions without taking a breath. It makes me smile, but as always along with my happiness concerning Val, comes guilt. “The only marauder I ran into was the girl, Lily, and a starving man. I left him alone. He wasn’t a threat to me . . . But these villagers—I don’t know what they’ll be like. We’ll find out soon enough.”
“Do you think they’ll have food to share? I’m so hungry.”
“Well, Ryker speaks highly of them. So yes, I think they will.”
“I bet they have guards around the perimeter. Don’t you think? I haven’t seen anything yet though to confirm that suspicion,” Val says.
As if on cue, a voice booms within the forest. “Stop at once! Are you friend or foe and how have you come to be here?” The voice is masculine in nature and seems to be coming from above.
After failing to find the source in the treetops around us, I answer, “Is this Toledo Lake? We are friends. Ryker sent us.”
“Ryker?” the voice questions.
“Yes,” I answer once more. If Ryker lied about his ties to this place, I am going to kill him. I reach beside me and grab Val’s hand. She squeezes mine in return.
We wait in silence for what seems like an eternity. Finally, tree limbs to our left begin to rustle, and I can see a youth dressed in camouflage shimmy down the trunk. Once he hits the ground and stands, my mouth falls open. “What are you?” I stammer.
Val yanks on my hand, warning me to keep my words to myself.
The boy approaches. Strapped on his back is a small backpack, and in his hand is a rifle. He holds the firearm with a firm grip, but doesn't aim it at us. He’s only a few years younger than I am. His chest and arms are huge and muscled like an Exalted, but his legs are short and thin like a citizen, but he's not a citizen . . . or an Exalted. He’s something in between. It's disgusting—Exalted shouldn't breed with citizens.
“I’m a guard for this section of Toledo Lake,” he answers me without acknowledging intent of the question I accidentally asked out loud. “So Ryker sent you? He told us you’d start trickling in. Well, you two are welcome in our villages.”
“Villages?” Val asks. “There’s more than one?”
“Yes, we have many small villages that surround the lake, and one large one where most of us live. If you head southeast of here, you’ll hit our main village where Ryker stays. Cap is there too. It’s only about a thirty minute walk,” the youth says.
“Uh, thanks,” I mutter. I’m still confused about what he is, and it doesn’t sit well with me.
As I pull Val along after me and away from the strange male guard, I try to convince myself that he’s telling the truth. Behind us, I can hear him climbing back up the tree with his powerful upper body. He returns to his perch to keep watch over his territory, like a silent owl on the lookout for mice.
Once we’re at a safe distance, I turn to Val, “Do you think he’s telling the truth? What was he? Did you see him?” Now I’m the one with all the excessive questions.
“I don’t know. Do you think the Exalted that left the Republic are Uniting with the villagers and reproducing? That would make sense, right?”
“Gross,” is all I can say.
“Yes, it is strange.”
Val and I keep our hands linked as we continue forward. I don’t like putting her at risk like this. But I have to remember that Mena trusted Ryker, and I trust Mena.
The sound of pine needles crunching under our feet can be heard as we quickly walk through the forest. The bright clear sky pushes its way through the forest, lighting up the natural world around us like I’ve never seen before. What’s that? Now I hear something that I’ve NEVER heard before. My hand tenses on Val’s as we stall at the brink of the busy village. Children are running and laughing, while the adults hurry about on their way. The sounds of joy and freedom are strange to my ears.
Several women pass, hurrying the children along. Oddly, not one of them seems to be frightened by us; they even offer Val and I smiles. I’m not sure what I expected, but this isn’t it.
I glance over to Val. She has a huge smile spreading across her mouth. As her lips pull back, her white teeth appear. Her smile is infectious. It crushes my previous uncertainty about this place. I smile too.
Chapter 23 / Dr. Fredericks
“Can I go with them and watch?” Dr. Fredericks asks his pudgy colleague, Dr. Leon. The several day wait has taken forever, and Dr. Fredericks is anxious to get a little revenge on Mena and her treacherous friends. It’s not enough to have her mother and father locked away in this other Republic’s prison—he wants someone to hurt . . . bad.
“Do whatever you must, just get out of my office,” Dr. Leon says. He folds his arms across his chest and leans back in his desk chair, as he waits for Dr. Fredericks to leave him in peace. The man is completely insane and annoying. It’s a wonder he has held his position as long as he has . . . but it won’t be for too much longer. The scout that was sent to South America should return in a week’s time. As far as Dr. Leon is concerned, hopefully his scout will bring word that Dr. Fredericks is to be removed.
Dr. Fredericks peers at the man across from him with suspicion. Does he really mean whatever? He figures he shouldn’t push his luck and just says, “Really?”
The other man groans. “Yes. Really. Just get out. I have work to do, and since you arrived I haven’t gotten anything done.” His eyebrows lift and he gives Dr. Fredericks a pointed look.
Dr. Fredericks grins. Dr. Leon may not want him to do what he plans to do, but he did say to do whatever you must. The lunatic leader nearly skips out of the office. He’s filled with twisted joy as he hurries to where the prisoners are
kept.
Once he arrives outside of the cell where Mena’s parents are kept, he giggles. “They’re coming with us. Escort them to the vehicles at once,” he commands the silent guards on duty.
The guards don’t question the leader’s demands. They can’t. They simply do as they're told, and so, the prisoners are escorted to the caravan of Jeeps that are parked above ground. A dozen Exalted stand waiting, including Mena’s nemesis, Kinah.
“Load these two up in separate vehicles,” Dr. Fredericks instructs the guards. “Let’s go!” He squeals and claps his skeletal hands before jumping into the second Jeep in line. Dr. Fredericks wiggles in his seat with anticipation. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” he yells again. It's urgent that they leave immediately, before Dr. Leon realizes Dr. Fredericks stole his prisoners.
The engines rev to life. Now that the revenge mission is actually underway, Dr. Fredericks can hardly control himself. He turns toward the two Exalted in his cab. “Shoot that one," he points to his intended victim, "when they try to help the villagers or attempt to escape."
“Yes, sir,” they answer as one.
Chapter 24 / Mena
The tracks of the marauders are easy to follow as I run. Some of the prints were made by shoes and others were made by bare feet. They all head in the same direction—toward the silos that Ryker mentioned.
As I surge deeper into the forest, I think about Lily. Could these be the same group of marauders that she was with when I found her? I hope not for Jenna’s sake.
I pump my legs faster and faster. The movement feels amazing. I feel powerful as I leap over fallen branches and thorny bushes. The adrenaline prepares me for what is to come. I build it up inside of me with each stride.
After running for about four miles, I start to hear signs of life. I slow and ready my knives in my hands. Each step I take is soft and precise, so I don’t alert the marauders and rogue Exalted to my presence.
United (Exalted Trilogy: Book 3) Page 6