Chapter 11 #3
I wonder if the appearance of the voice in my head is somehow connected to what is happening at the foot of the mountain.
I exchange looks with Josh and Trey, who nod their approval.
“We’ll come with you,” I say, “but send someone to the palace to let River and Lyla know what’s happening. They’ll want to join.”
The leader sends one of her men to do as I asked.
We follow the rest down the road and into a narrow tunnel where the air is heavy and the old lamps are barely working.
We emerge on the other side of the mountain about ten minutes later.
The two guards on watch look at us nervously.
There’s a platform behind them, much smaller than the ones we took yesterday to reach the city.
I walk to the edge and look down, but I can only see dark treetops swaying in the wind.
“We need more light,” I say. “I’m not going down there without seeing who I’m facing. At least here we have higher ground in case of an attack.”
“We can’t risk them storming our supply caves.”
“Do you have guards down there?”
“Well…”
I turn around to face her, Josh and Trey standing by my side. “If those supply caves were important, you would have put someone to guard them.”
The leader glances around, and when she gives a sharp nod, I reach for my rifle, but her men are faster.
“Drop them,” the leader orders. They have five rifles aiming at us.
I take a breath and do as she says. Josh and Trey follow my lead. With our eyes locked, I tell the leader, “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“I have my orders, Defender. Step on the platform.”
This isn’t about killing us, I tell myself. They could have done so already, which means we still have time to think of a way out.
They take a step toward us, forcing us to step onto the platform, which creaks under our weight. They’re smart enough to cuff our hands behind our backs. I glance at Josh, who seems pale in the dim light, but the hardness in his eyes indicates he’s ready to fight once we find an opening.
“What is this about?” Trey asks as we begin to descend. There’s barely enough room for all of us on the platform. “We’re on the same side here.”
“Shut up,” the leader says. “We’re on the side of the king.”
Then the king has chosen a different side. I think of Finn, still in the palace and unaware of what is happening, but he’s with River and Lyla, and they will protect him.
We reach the bottom with a loud thud. I can’t see shit until they turn on some lamps, spreading pale light between the thick vegetation.
They push us forward as crickets chirp loudly all around us.
I see shapes up ahead, then a group of people becomes visible.
They have their own lamps and two buggies behind them.
Those vehicles can be heard for miles, but we’re too far from the city.
I can easily tell when I’m facing Raiders. The stench of their unwashed skin doesn’t leave room for doubt.
“Took you long enough,” one of them says, a leaf stuck in his long, messy hair. A badly healed scar stretches from his temple to his lips, keeping the left side of his mouth slightly raised as if he’s smirking.
The leader of the guards says, “We told you we couldn’t be sure how long it would take him to leave the palace.”
Him. Not them.
The Raider with the scar takes a step forward and holds my chin. “Are you the special one?”
“There’s nothing special about me, but there is something special about those who will be coming to hunt you down.”
He snorts. “We’ll be long gone by then, and you’ll have other things to worry about in Denver.”
The word hits like a blow. “You came all this way to take me to Denver?” None of this makes sense.
“That’s what I said.”
“If this is about me, then let these two go. I’ll come peacefully.”
“Yeah, like you can come unpeacefully.” He glances between Josh and Trey, my stomach tightening at his nasty glare. “Why’d you bring these two?”
“They were with him,” the leader of the guards says. “We couldn’t ask him to come alone.”
The Raider shrugs. “I’m not here for them. Take them back.”
“We’re not taking anyone back.”
I see where this is going, and my blood grows hot like lava. Before I can charge, two of the Raiders raise their weapons at me.
I compose myself, though it’s difficult to think straight knowing where things are heading. “Take them with you to Denver. Giving up on a chance to bring in two more Defenders is crazy.”
The Raider narrows his eyes. “Yeah, that’s true, but we don’t have room for all three of you.” His smile is the ugliest sight I’ve ever seen.
“Then leave one of your men behind,” I say, trying hard not to panic. “One of us is worth more than one of you.”
The rest grumble angrily, but I don’t fucking care. All three of us must stay together—the alternative is unacceptable.
The scarred Raider shakes his head. “Nah, my men stick together. Go ahead and choose which one of your friends gets to come with us and who dies here.”
“The fuck I will!”
The butt of a rifle hits the back of my head. I lose my footing and drop to my knees. They lower Josh and Trey on either side of me.
“You better do what he says,” the leader of the guards says, but I can barely hear her through the ringing in my ears.
“Hey, I’m fine with killing both,” the scarred Raider says. “Less of a hassle.”
“Caden.”
I turn to look at Trey. He tries to smile, but it’s the saddest smile in the world. “It’s okay.”
“Shut up. Help! Help!”
The fuckers laugh, and the scarred Raider says, “Choose one or I’m getting rid of both.”
“Caden.”
“I’m not—”
“You’re never going to pick Josh. It’s fine, brother. When you get the chance, kill these motherfuckers for me.”
My throat is too tight to speak. I’m never going to forgive myself for this, but Trey is right—it can’t happen any other way.
“Do we have a decision?” the Raider asks impatiently.
No. “Yes.”
Josh sobs quietly next to me.
“Is it the redhead?”
I force the word out. “Yes.”
A horrible thought crosses my mind: It’s a trick. He wanted to know who I was willing to lose so he could kill the other one. Before I can scream for him to stop, he shoots Trey in the head. His body slumps to the side, and I have a sick moment of relief before remorse and grief overwhelm me.
“You better split before someone starts looking for them,” the leader of the guards says.
I don’t look at Trey’s body so I won’t remember him as a corpse. I knew him for most of my life, and I’m determined to get my revenge. Starting right fucking now.
I meet the scarred Raider’s gaze. “You’re about to have Semi-Humans on your tail.”
“The fuck you’re talking about?”
“They didn’t tell you? Maybe I wasn’t the only one who got set up.”
“You’ll be fine,” the leader of the guards says, but the worry in her voice is clear. “Leave now, and no one will come after you.”
“If you want to make sure of that, best not leave any loose threads,” I say.
“The Semis will know something’s off the second the guards return,” Josh says. “They can read minds.”
Smart boy. Almost no one knows what the Semi-Humans are capable of, and reading minds is just one of the rumors that has been circling around for decades.
“They’re trying to mess with your head,” the leader says, almost shouting.
I hope this is about to turn into an all-out shooting spree where both sides go down, but I only get half my wish. The Raiders are quicker, and the silence of the night is replaced by gunshots and screams of death. The thick smell of gunpowder slips through my nose and into my brain.
This is for Trey, I tell myself, but my revenge is far from finished.
They pull Josh and me up and shove each of us into a different buggy. I have a second to catch his eyes and convey to him that he better survive this, or I’ll chase him to the afterlife and kick his ass.
With the smell of death still lingering in the air, they drive us off into the night.