Breeder: An Arrow's Flight Novel

by Casey Hays

  “Kate?”

  My name echoes inside my head, and I squeeze the bars more tightly. Their coolness penetrates my heat, and the combination of the two chills me straight through to my bones. I inhale a deep breath.

  The easiest answer is to do what he suggests. It’s that simple. Any other breeder would not hesitate. What does it matter . . . if it saves my life? It’s a small sacrifice.

  But I’m not any other breeder. I’ve done everything I can to keep from becoming one. In Eden, Ian can make a choice like this, but not here. Here, there are rules that I cannot deny, conditions that cannot be thwarted, lives that are never considered. What he suggests compromises all of this—and myself—to save my life. To save his. But I can’t.

  Ian is as still as night behind me. He stares through the darkness, waiting for my answer. I’d saved him once, and that should have been the end of it. But he had to come back. He couldn’t simply forget me and stay in Eden where he belongs. No, he felt some overwhelming need to save me when I didn’t need saving at all. And now, he thinks we have only one option.

  And we do.

  I face him.

  “No, Ian,” I quickly kneel beside him, taking both his hands. “I will not let Mona ruin me. If we do this, I become what she wants. I don’t want to be just one of her breeders. I won’t.”

  Ian blinks back tears, but he nods with complete understanding. And then, he pulls me into his lap, enfolding me in his strong arms. I give in, losing myself in him, and we cry together, our tears mingling in a salty sea of regret . . . of sorrow. But our sobs dissolve into a healing balm as we melt into each other, refreshing us in a sweet flood of peace. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the guard. She’s a still shadow fixed on us, ready to report what she sees here tonight. I don’t care.

  “I know what breeders have to do in my village,” I whisper after a moment. “But my body should be mine to give or keep as I see fit. And there must be a deeper reason to give it than a breeder’s desire to please a ruler or a goddess in the sky . . . or to save your own life. Some of us give in to Fate too easily. And when we do, we miss a piece of something more, something Fate doesn’t offer. I want to find that piece.”

  Ian is quiet. I lean into him.

  “Besides, would you want your child to fall into Mona’s hands?”

  His eyes change dangerously, and he sighs, wiping a hand across his eyes. “I’m sorry, Kate. I never should have . . . .” His voice trails, cracking. I take his hand, weaving my fingers into his, our palms flat against each other.

  “No, don’t. I understand, and if this were just about us, perhaps my answer would be different. But there is another dynamic to consider: a part of us that would suffer from our decision. And a whole village would know I was a coward. We can’t buckle to Mona’s threats because we are afraid to die. What would we be if we did?”

  Ian’s arms tighten around me.

  “If we had met in another life where things were different,” he says, “Do you know what I would do?”

  I shake my head.

  “I would sweep you away where no one could touch us. I would marry you and promise to be yours forever, and then you would know it was safe to give yourself to me—your whole self—unafraid.” He pauses, and his voice fills with sadness. “That’s always been our problem, Kate. You live in a place where your defenses always have to be ready.” He sighs. “I wish I could give you that other world.”

  I feel tears, and I brush at them. Even if we could find his world, it’s far too late. We won’t survive to see it.

  “I’m not afraid, Ian. I will gladly face tomorrow with you.”

  He runs his hand under my chin and lifts my head, kissing me. It’s sweet and tender, and it fills me with a sudden calm. I snuggle closer to his chest. For a little while, I’ll pretend everything is perfect, and we aren’t prisoners pending death. Mona has unknowingly given me a final gift.

  I will cherish it.

  Chapter 32

  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23: 4

  For the first time in a long time, I sleep soundlessly. And on the night before my execution, I dream. I’m cradled in the arms of Fate. It rocks me back and forth, gently at first, and then more forcefully, until the rocking becomes so violent I’m thrown. I crash to my hands and knees, and when I raise my eyes, the Archer stands strong and proud before me. I try to get up, but an invisible hand keeps me in submission, bowed before the ruler of my destiny. I am a slave, and I have no escape.

  My eyes flutter open, but the dream, so real in my mind, lurks on the edges of consciousness. I reach into the darkness. Ian is here, and he is very real. The dream fades.

  He gazes at me, and even in the dark, his eyes seem to ripple with the colors of the ocean. They’re comforting, and while I should feel terror, I feel no fear, no anxiety. I’m floating on a sea of peace. I press closer into his safety.

  “Hi, Sleeping Beauty,” he whispers, and his lips brush against my cheek. I shiver.

  “Sleeping Beauty?” He has quite an imagination if he can see a beauty through all my swelling.

  “Yeah. Didn’t you ever come across that fairy tale in all the books you’ve read?”

  “I suppose not, although I do remember one about a girl who gets poisoned with an apple.”

  “Ohhh. Snow White. Well, I guess that makes sense. It fits you better.”

  I lean back to peer up at him. “How?”

  “Because it has an evil step-mother for a queen who hates the beautiful princess who will one day rule the kingdom. But remember, a handsome prince saves the day.” He smiles and points a thumb at his chest. “That’s where I come in.”

  I laugh, but it fades quickly. “Will you?”

  “Will I what?”

  “Save the day.”

  “I wish I knew.” His sigh is ominous. “I’ve got it in me, but Mona? She’s always one step ahead. She actually used nets braided with titanium threading to capture us. Unbreakable. And those stupid cattle prods. I’d like to break those over my knee one by one.”

  I rub a hand across his chest hoping to ease the scowl from his face.

  “Mona is going to really let us have it, but I think we have a chance,” he whispers after a minute. “The four of us together? We can pull this off.”

  I pull away and look him straight in the eyes. “If you can’t save us today, I’m grateful I got to spend my last hours with you—even if we’re locked in a cage.”

  “Yeah,” Ian laughs softly. “We seem to end up locked in together every time we meet. When you make it out of this, promise me something?”

  “What?”

  “Get away from here. For good, okay?”

  I frown. “What makes you think I will survive?”

  “Because I think her attention is going to be pretty focused on the four of us. You might be overlooked.”

  “That is very doubtful, Ian. Mona never overlooks me. I have a strong premonition I won’t be alive by the end of this day.”

  “How do you know? You’ve made it so far.”

  “Yes, but eventually, it ends for all of us. I’ve watched Mona take the lives of two of my friends, and I am no better than they were.”

  He frowns. “But you’re the next leader. She won’t kill you.”

  “This time it’s different. You are what she’s been after, and she has you now. She’ll be done with me once you’re dead. Besides, if I did survive where would I go? This is all I know.”

  “Kate, there are villages everywhere. You don’t have to stay in this one. The closest one is a ten days’ walk east.”

  “Ten days? And what will I do for food? And water?”

  Ian’s face crinkles into an exasperated smile. “You think too much.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing I do. You’d send me to my death with your planning.”

  Ian laughs and squeezes me to him.

>   “Really, Ian, I don’t want to leave. Not without you.”

  “So are you saying you’d come with me, if I get myself out of this mess?”

  I chew on my lip. My chances of surviving Mona now are beyond slim. It seems ridiculous to consider it. But if I come through this day alive, will I go?

  I hesitate. Could I leave my people? These women who monotonously walk through each day, each year, without a thought of any other way of life, serving in their destined duties to the end? How could I leave them? If there is any chance of my survival, there’s still a chance I will lead.

  I shake my head at my futile thinking. Mona has guaranteed my life under one condition and one condition only. And it has not been met. I sigh.

  “I don’t think it matters if I say yes or no. I see no hope today.”

  “Such little faith, Kate? Come on. Anything could happen.” One of his eyebrows lifts slightly. “If we get out of this, I need you to come with me.”

  “I thought you were finished with asking me to leave.”

  “Clearly, the circumstances have changed. If I get out of this alive, I should leave and never look back. But I know myself too well. I’ll never stop coming back for you.”

  His eyes burn with the promise.

  “Let’s concentrate on surviving first,” I say, avoiding his eyes. “We can discuss the rest after.”

  He smiles “Okay. Deal.”

  We sit together, saying nothing more.

  I’ve just begun to doze again, when the sun begins to show its face, leaking light through the bars of the cage. It feels warm on my toes. I press myself closer into Ian to ward off the cool air. If only I could become a part of him, just sink right into his side and settle there within. Then perhaps this day wouldn’t hurt so much. We could fade away as one. It has to be better than the agony of watching him die. Mona has promised it, and she never breaks a promise.

  “Ian?”

  “Mm-huh?” His voice is sleepy, and I marvel at how calm we both are.

  “How did you find your way back to Eden?”

  He peeks at me through one sleepy eye.

  “It took a long time. I went the wrong direction twice. I went south first for a few days, and when nothing looked familiar, I came back here.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah, but I couldn’t actually get close to the Village. The guards had been doubled.”

  I remember Mona’s order just after Ian’s escape. She’d kept extra guards on the perimeter for over a month.

  “Anyway, I went north the next time, and after about ten days, I came to a village. Smaller than yours but more advanced. They travel and know of the other villages. They had a map. Eden was east of them, and that’s how I finally made it home.”

  Behind us, the metal wall rattles. I jump. Ian laughs.

  “And that would be Justin.” He thumps three times on the wall with his fist.

  “Dude!” Justin’s muffled voice reverberates off the metal. “I’m starving. You think we could call for room service?”

  Ian throws his head back and laughs.

  “You do realize Mona is going to kill you today.” I say, alarmed at their easy banter.

  “No.” He shakes his head and taps the end of my nose with his fingertip. Connecting with his friend has rejuvenated him. “Mona is going to try to kill us. That’s pretty hard to do, actually.”

  I smile at his sudden confidence. “Is that so?”

  “Oh yeah. You know, Max fell out of a ten-story window six months ago. He was pretty banged up, and he wasn’t worth much for about a week, but he healed up real nice by the next one. You see, we’re pretty indestructible. We aren’t even sure how we can be killed, which means Mona probably doesn’t know, either.”

  I don’t believe my eyes could grow any wider. “So . . . you can’t die?”

  “Well, sure we can die. We aren’t immortal. We just aren’t sure how someone can kill us. It will be interesting to see what she tries.” His eyes light up with enthusiasm. I stare unbelievably.

  “She could cut off your head,” I say in the most sincere voice I can muster. He laughs.

  “It’s been tried. And it’s harder than you think.”

  My mouth falls open slightly.

  “So Ian?” Another voice echoes through the metal. It’s deeper, and I assume it’s Max. “What’s the plan? You got it figured out?”

  “I think so. The main thing is to keep away from the electricity. That stuff really does us in.”

  He proceeds to tell them his plan he apparently devised in his sleep. Whoever Mona releases from the cage first is to comply, let her put him in the net or threaten him with the cattle prod. But the last person is to put up a fight—distract the Council, the guards, the jailers, whoever else is there. This will give the others an upper hand. While the Council is ruffled, they’ll move in and strike.

  They’re confident—more confident than they should be. Mona cannot be easily distracted. She’d captured them with very little effort. Super-human strength or not, they forget Mona’s ability to create the scenario she wants in order to get her way. And she will place them where she wants them and display them with utter humiliation. And then . . . she’ll “dispose” of them.

  “Hey Jesse,” Ian calls, leaning a hand against the metal wall. “You okay over there?”

  Jesse’s muffled reply is barely audible from the far side of the cages, but I release a sigh of relief at his voice.

  “Yeah, I’m good. A little sore, but I’m already feeling better.”

  Satisfied, as if he expected no other answer, Ian glances at me, his smile wide.

  “See, Kate. We have this. So guys, what we have to remember is—”

  “Uh, Ian,” Justin cuts him off. “Incoming.”

  Ian falls silent and braces himself. I tense and move closer to him, slowly easing my hand into his.

  “Don’t worry, Kate,” he whispers. “You’ll live to see another day. I’ll make sure of it.” He winks and squeezes my hand before dropping it to move toward the bars. Clutching them, he waits to see which cage Mona will come to first. I already know.

  Mona stops inches from where Ian stands, her entourage of Council members crowding around her. Tara, as usual, looks horribly cantankerous. Her arms crossed stiffly, she wears the familiar grimace that I’ve come to know so well. The Council members, intent on seeing some horrendous exhibition, wait for Mona’s lead.

  “Kate,” Mona nods. Her voice is even, emotionless. Her eyes move past Ian and rest on me. I stiffen as chills race down my spine. “Are you still bent on rebelling against your destiny? Or do you get to live?”

  I stare back at her in silence, but Ian’s brow is hard-set with anger. His fingers rise slightly off the bars, as if he plans to thrash at Mona right through them. But then he relaxes and, to my surprise, flashes his most beautiful smile at the onlookers.

  “As a matter of fact,” he says, stepping back to place a firm hand at my waist. “We’ve decided Kate gets to live no matter what happened in here last night. And I guess you’ll never know, will you?”

  Mona purses her lips. She glances at the guard who spied on us all night, and the woman shakes her head. Mona’s eyes flicker and settle on me.

  “So you’ve made your choice yet again.” She shakes her head sadly. “Of course you have. You’ve refused time and again to fulfill your duty. I expected nothing else.”

  She sighs heavily and takes hold of the bars. For once, she looks dejected.

  “I had hoped,” she continues, “your affections for this boy would have possibly persuaded you.”

  “No,” I say. She raises her eyes. I raise a defiant chin. “I will never be a breeder, Mona.”

  “What a shame.” She steps away from the bars and crosses her arms. “You would have had a future in the Village, as I’ve told you. I regret that I will have to disregard your potential. Your rebellion cannot be ignored this time.”

  For one brief second, I see something in Mona I�
��ve never seen: fear. A wave of satisfaction washes over me.

  Mona’s fear stems only from one concern, and it has everything to do with me. She contrives to kill me—the next chosen leader. Did she consult with the Moirai about her decision? Is it truly Fate that will cut my life short today, or is it only Mona?

  My instinct tells me this is strictly Mona’s doing. She has conferred with no one, and the fear I see is her weakness. She is terrified of her choice.

  Mona motions to a large jailer, and the woman moves forward with a set of metal keys. She unlocks the gate, and swings it back. Mona steps inside and faces Ian, her eyes hard as flint.

  “We’ll take him first,” she says over her shoulder. The jailer places a glinting rope into her hand and backs away. “I hope you plan to cooperate, Ian. I wouldn’t want to have to use this on you again.”

  She withdraws a cattle prod from her belt and presses a button. It hisses once. I jump and clutch my throat.

  Ian simply holds out his wrists. He keeps his eyes honed on me as Mona tightly fastens the ropes into expert knots. She wraps the remainder of the rope around his body until his arms are crushed up against his chest, and he can’t move them at all. She tosses the short, left-over end of the rope to the closest guard and steps out of the cage. The guard ties the end securely to her belt, tugs once, and Ian, keeping in step with the plan, obeys.

  “Come along, Kate.” Mona waves a hand at me. “We made a bargain. You didn’t keep your end of it, so I must keep mine.”

  I stand still, staring straight back at her pinched, angry face. So it will happen. After so many narrow escapes, my day has finally come. I feel my body stiffen defensively and fight the urge to run. Mona’s piercing eyes bore into me.

  At this moment, as so many emotions scramble within me, I make a decision. I have two choices: I can crumble at Mona’s feet and beg for Ian’s life and for my own life, and humiliate myself in the process, or I can face the day with dignity, my chin held high and my pride intact.

  All eyes are on me now as I continue to stand in the middle of the cage weighing my options. No one speaks. Ian is calm, a confident gleam in his blue eyes. He smiles, and it’s all I need to see. I lift my chin, straighten my shoulders, and march out into the sunlight.