Chapter 7
“I understand your anger. Know that we are working toward something bigger than you can see. We want the same things, but it takes time. We can save five women today, or all of them when the time is right.” - Decoded message from ILF handler Hiro Tanaka to ILF undercover operative Nightingale
Briar
The brush of awareness I’ve been feeling since my aromium was reactivated becomes a roar.
Power surges through me like an overwhelming current, shorting out my senses.
For a few seconds, I’m drowning in it. An earthy, sappy sensation invades my mouth and nose.
The stirring of thousands of leaves and tendrils rumbles through me, the ground somehow swelling beneath my feet without moving.
I stagger, dizzy. Marcus puts a steadying arm around me so I don’t hit the ground.
“Cut the shit,” Theron growls at me. “All of you, move. Pax is waiting.”
He moves the knife away from Amira and shoves her forward. She hits the ground, immediately bounding back onto her feet.
The current inside me subsides, but there’s still a twisting sensation beneath my feet. The leaves on the trees are swaying, the motion slowing along with my heartbeat.
I look down as we walk, shaking out of Marcus’s hold.
“Can you feel that?” I ask him, my voice barely a whisper.
His brows pinch together with worry. “No.”
“The ground is moving.”
His eyes lose their focus for a few seconds as he silently concentrates, then shakes his head. “I don’t know. There’s something, but I’m not sure what—”
The click of a gun safety being turned off right behind us makes me inhale sharply.
“Every word you speak is a bullet in someone’s head,” Theron says.
I don’t even dare a look at Marcus. A warm, fluid sensation washes over me and I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nervous system.
My connection to plant life is singing in my veins, but I can’t let it show.
The warmth sliding through me is the coil of vines, rapidly lengthening and gathering to defend me if I need them.
We’re here.
It’s not just the vines anymore. Plants and trees are pouring themselves into me, their power like nothing I’ve ever felt before. If vines were a single melody, an entire symphony is playing inside me now.
The ground itself isn’t moving; its roots are spreading beneath us and moving closer to me. I have no idea how I know that, but I’ve never been so certain of anything.
We were getting close to Rising Tide, so it will only take us a few minutes to reach the perimeter of the camp. A wave of disgust rises inside me as I remember the last time I made this walk into camp—with Pax, after he “rescued” me on the beach.
I’m embarrassed by how well his bullshit worked on me. I thought he was looking out for me, but without Olin, I don’t think I would have survived Rising Tide.
The leaves scattered on the ground to keep mud at bay are browning and curling at the edges. When I see Tiders gathered in small groups at the center of the camp, a knot tightens in my stomach.
They’re all collarbones and sunken cheeks, like Marcelle was on the beach. Theron is three times the size of some of the women here. Their clothes are ragged, filthy, and torn.
The hatred that burns for us in their eyes is molten. Many of the gazes are locked onto me. I’m a traitor in their eyes because they don’t know the truth.
“So nice of you guys to drop by.”
Pax walks out from behind a group of people, his voice dripping with malice. Even he looks like a shadow of his former self, his cheeks sunken and his pants hanging on his too-lean frame.
“Where is she?” Nova demands.
A corner of Pax’s mouth lifts as he nods toward a group of fours, the highest level the prisoners here can reach. They’re the strongest and most ruthless of everyone, and this group looks like a pack of desperate wolves, ready to attack.
A man emerges from the group with Ellison, his hand locked around her upper arm. Her hair is wild, her eyes frantically searching until they land on Nova.
Nova lunges forward.
“Nova,” Marcus snaps.
She stops, and that’s when I spot the arrow arcing through the air toward her. It lands at her feet, only because she stopped in time.
I take a slow breath in and release it, trying to calm the raging storm inside me. My vines have come to my rescue many times; if they come now, my people could be killed over it.
Theron goes over to Ellison, holding the same blade to her throat he held at Amira’s. Nova silently seethes, tension radiating off her.
Pax’s expression is smug as he walks over to Marcus. He stands in front of him for a full second, then pulls his arm back and punches Marcus in the stomach.
I flinch. Marcus bends slightly, cringing. Pax is strong, his aromium giving him enough strength to easily kill Marcus with his hands. Marcus’s pride makes him straighten and hold Pax’s gaze. I know that blow had to hurt like hell.
“Not so tough without your weapons, are you?” Pax drawls, looking around at the faces of the gathered Tiders. “This is what suffering tastes like, Marcus. We taste it every goddamn day. ’Bout time you had a turn.”
He throws a punch at Marcus’s face this time, and I swear I can feel the vibration of the impact to his bones in his face from beside him. Marcus grunts and drops to his knees.
Stay on your knees, I silently beg him. Let Pax have his win.
Marcus spits out a mouthful of blood, looking up at Pax. “You’re a lot tougher with your goon holding a hostage.”
He gets back on his feet and I exhale softly.
“I can do this all day.” Pax’s smile is bright.
He pulls his arm back again, preparing to strike, and I blurt, “What do you want, Pax? We wouldn’t be alive if you wanted us dead.”
A humorless note of laughter rumbles out of his chest. “Now you’re humble? It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”
He moves in front of me. From nearby, someone’s breath hitches.
“You touch her and I’ll kill you,” Marcus says, his tone lethal.
The ground rumbles beneath us, my lips parting with surprise. Marcus hasn’t connected with endoliths since the night I killed Virginia, and his aromium was on then.
“You’re killing all of us, anyway,” Pax says to Marcus. “Might as well take you guys with us.”
“Your choice,” Marcus says levelly. “Put so much as a finger on her and you’re a dead man.”
Pax turns his attention back to me. “Never saw you as the spineless sort, Briar. He manipulated you and lied to you, and you’re still bobbing his knob?”
Sweat rolls down my face, a second of silence passing when I refuse to answer.
“Enough of your shit,” Nova snaps. “We’re here for Ellison.”
Pax sighs dramatically and turns. “What a fucking lovefest you guys have going over there. Just so you know, we haven’t hurt her, and we won’t, as long as we get what we want.
” He pauses, enjoying the spotlight. “It’s only three things.
” He puts a finger up and counts off each one.
“Your supplies, your weapons, and Briar.”
I keep my breathing steady even though my pulse is pounding. Tiders shuffle and whisper, apparently just learning about Pax’s master plan. I have to admit, I didn’t see this coming. I wonder if Theron is the real mastermind, though.
“Half our supplies,” Marcus counters. “That’s it.”
Theron lowers the knife from Ellison’s throat to her arm, where he uses the razor-sharp tip to open a cut down the length of her arm. She doesn’t react as blood blooms out of the line, but Nova’s guttural wail guts me. Chance and Wyatt are holding her back, Chance saying something in her ear.
Ellison’s eyes stay locked on her wife as Theron shoves her to the ground and kicks her in the side. She cries out and curls up.
Nova lets out a roar that makes my blood run cold. Rage burns in her eyes, sweat gleaming on the dark skin over the corded muscles in her neck and back. That kick hurt her as much as it hurt Ellison.
“What the fuck was that for?” Marcus demands. “This is a negotiation.”
Pax shrugs. “My people don’t like seeing me insulted.”
“You can have half of our supplies,” Marcus repeats. “I’ll give you half of our fresh produce and livestock, too.”
The Tiders murmur at the mention of the food. Pax glares at Marcus, his aggravation evident.
“You want your doctor back, you give me what I want,” he snaps. “It’s not a negotiation. You can walk out of here with her dead or alive; it’s your choice. Your supplies, your weapons, and Briar.”
“Don’t, Marcus!” Ellison cries from the ground.
Theron picks her up by her hair, lifting her upper body from the ground like she’s nothing more than a rag doll. Blood trails from her fingertips to the ground. He drives a knee into her stomach and I cringe.
“Marcus!” Nova yells. “They’ll kill her!”
Marcus’s gaze stays locked onto Pax. He raises his voice so everyone can hear him.
“What do you gain if we walk out of here with Ellison’s body? Your people are starving to death and I’m offering enough grain, produce, and meat to keep you fed for months. You’ll have seeds for your own garden. Chickens and cows to breed.”
“I want all of it.” Pax sneers at him. “And your weapons, and her.”
“No. I’m not giving you any of my people. Half our supplies and half our weapons. That’s my final offer.”
Pax feigns amazement, looking at Nova. “Damn. That’s gotta be a tit punch. He’ll kill me if I touch his girlfriend, but he’s okay with your girlfriend dying.”
Nova’s looking at Marcus with simmering rage that could boil over at any moment. She’s reacting exactly the way Pax wanted her to. He’s shrewder than we gave him credit for.
“It’s a fair offer,” Marcus says.
“Or”—Pax points at him—“we kill all of you now and go take everything.”
Marcus nods slightly, staying stone cold. “Do what you need to do.”
Nova swears, turning away. I regret bringing her; she’s too close to this situation.
It’s all I can do to keep my breathing steady. Controlling my emotions is the only way to keep the plants at bay. It wouldn’t help anything if they came to my rescue, and it could very well hurt us.
Vibrations rumble through the soles of my boots as the ground gives away Marcus’s irritation. His expression remains unbothered, but he’s telling Pax if they kill us, they’re going down, too.
“Okay,” Pax says, relenting. “We’ll end this battle because I’ve got a whole war planned, and I enjoy watching you guys squirm. Theron’s coming to your camp to make sure we get half of everything.”
“As long as he’s unarmed,” Marcus says. “And if he threatens my people in any way, don’t expect him back.”
Pax nods his agreement. I don’t love that Marcus agreed to let Theron into our camp. He’s proved himself capable of doing a lot of damage.
But I understand. Marcus was right—Theron doesn’t have aromium. That’s why he’s the only one Pax can send to our camp. His threat to kill us and take everything was a bluff, because only Theron can survive our shield, and he’d be slaughtered on arrival.
We can’t expect Pax to trust that we’re giving half of everything. We’re getting off easier than I expected.
They caught us off guard. Theron never should have been able to get into our camp and escape with Ellison like he did. Next time, we’ll be ready.