Chapter 11
Eleven
Kalyndi
My fingers worked frantically in the dim light of our cottage, crushing dried bitterroot between mortar and pestle. The pungent aroma stung my nostrils as I added three drops of nightshade extract, turning the mixture into a potent defensive powder.
"This should temporarily blind anyone who gets it in their eyes," I explained to Selene, who sat across from me, filling small cloth pouches with dried herbs. "Just make sure you're upwind when you throw it."
Redmon entered from the bedroom, carrying a pack stuffed with essentials. His expression was grim as he set it beside the two others by the door.
"How much longer?" he asked, his voice low and urgent.
I glanced at the window where the first hint of dawn painted the sky in muted lavender. "Ten minutes for this batch. Then we're ready."
The warning from Marok's grandson still echoed in my mind.
Dawn tomorrow. Magnus Terra forces with both human and tribal authority.
Quarantine for me. Sedition charges for Redmon.
The knowledge that others like us were being used to create a special breed of children who could survive in radiation zones.
Sleep had been impossible. Instead, we'd spent the night preparing by packing supplies, creating defensive concoctions, mapping our escape route. We planned to leave before midnight, but Redmon insisted on waiting for one last tribal contact who might provide documents to help us pass checkpoints.
The contact never arrived.
"We should have left hours ago," I muttered, scraping the finished powder into a final pouch.
"We leave at first light," Redmon said firmly. "The northern trail is too dangerous in full darkness, even for me."
I tied off the last pouch and added it to my belt. "There. That's everything I can make with what we have."
Selene stood, her young face set with determination that made my heart ache. "What about me? I should come with you."
"No." Redmon and I spoke in unison.
I moved to my sister, taking her hands in mine. "You'll be safer here. If we both disappear, they'll hunt you down immediately. This way, you can claim ignorance."
"They won't believe me," she protested.
"They don't need to," Redmon interjected. "They just need to have no proof you helped us. Marok's people will come for you in three days if we don't return. They'll get you to safety."
I pulled her into a fierce hug, breathing in her familiar scent. "We'll find you. I promise."
A sharp knock at the door froze us all in place.
Redmon moved instantly to the window, peering carefully through a gap in the curtains. His body tensed, fur bristling along his massive shoulders.
"Magnus Terra," he growled. "Four officials. Armed guards."
My stomach dropped. "They're early."
"Or someone warned them," Selene whispered.
Another knock, more insistent this time. "Commander Razak? Kalyndi? This is Administrator Verek. Open the door for a routine follow-up."
Redmon moved silently to us, his voice barely audible. "Greenhouse exit. Now."
I nodded, grabbing my pack and slinging it over my shoulder. For weeks, I'd been cultivating dense vines along the back wall of the greenhouse, creating a living curtain that concealed the small door I'd built into the glass panels.
"Commander?" Verek called again. "We know you're inside. Please open the door."
Selene squeezed my hand once before I slipped into the greenhouse, Redmon close behind me. Through the glass walls, I could see shadowy figures moving around the cottage perimeter.
"They're surrounding us," I whispered, ducking behind a tall shelf of plants.
Redmon nodded grimly. "Stay low."
We crept toward the back wall where my green escape route waited.
I'd tested it twice before, a narrow opening just wide enough for me to slip through, hidden behind cascading jasmine vines.
Redmon would have to break through more panels to follow, but the noise would only matter after I was safely away.
The sound of the front door splintering echoed through the cottage. They'd forced their way in.
"Hurry," Redmon urged, his massive hand gentle on my back.
I reached the vine wall and carefully parted the thick greenery, revealing my secret exit. With trembling fingers, I unlatched the small door and pushed it open, cool morning air rushing in.
"Go," Redmon whispered. "I'll be right behind you."
I slipped through the opening, dropping silently to the soft earth outside. Freedom beckoned just twenty yards away from where the dense forest began. I took two steps before glancing back to ensure Redmon was following.
That's when everything went wrong.
The greenhouse door burst open. Light flooded the space as armed guards poured in, weapons trained on Redmon.
"Stop right there!" one shouted.
Redmon roared, the sound shaking the glass walls as he charged toward my exit. One guard fired something, not bullets, but darts that embedded in Redmon's shoulder. He staggered but kept moving.
"Run!" he bellowed to me.
I should have run. I should have disappeared into the trees while they focused on him. But I couldn't leave him.
I reached for one of my powder pouches, ready to create a diversion, when strong arms grabbed me from behind. I hadn't noticed the guards circling around the greenhouse exterior.
"Target secured," a voice called as I struggled against the iron grip.
"Let me go!" I screamed, kicking backward and connecting with something solid. The grip loosened just enough for me to reach my belt, grabbing a pouch of blinding powder.
I twisted, throwing the contents directly into my captor's face. He screamed, releasing me as he clawed at his eyes. I spun toward the forest, freedom just steps away.
Another guard tackled me from the side, driving me to the ground with crushing force. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs as my face pressed into the dirt.
"Restrain her!" someone shouted. "She's armed with chemical agents!"
Cold metal closed around my wrists. Through the chaos, I caught glimpses of the greenhouse where Redmon fought like a cornered animal, his massive form throwing guards aside despite the multiple darts now protruding from his body. Glass shattered as he smashed through displays, roaring my name.
"Kalyndi!" His voice contained fear.
"Redmon!" I screamed back as they dragged me to my feet.
Administrator Verek appeared beside me, his thin face triumphant. "Quite the dramatic morning, isn't it? And all unnecessary. We only came for a medical examination."
"Liar," I spat, struggling against my restraints. "We know what you're doing. The breeding program, the children in the radiation zones."
His expression flickered briefly before smoothing into practiced neutrality. "I see we have much to discuss. Take her to the transport."
"No!" I thrashed wildly as they dragged me toward a waiting vehicle. "Redmon!"
Through the greenhouse glass, I saw him still fighting, but his movements were slowing as more darts found their mark. Four guards lay unmoving on the ground, testament to his strength, but more kept coming. They were using some kind of sedative, powerful enough to affect even his massive body.
The last thing I saw before they forced me into the transport was Redmon crashing to his knees, reaching toward me as darkness claimed him.
The transport vehicle hummed quietly as we sped away from the cottage. Through the tinted windows, I watched familiar landmarks disappear, replaced by the sterile buildings of the Administrative Zone. Two guards flanked me, while a third sat opposite, weapon ready.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, but received only silence in response.
My mind raced, cataloging everything I knew about Magnus Terra facilities. Following protocol, they would send me to a medical center for the fabricated quarantine. But something told me this went far beyond standard procedures.
After thirty minutes, the transport slowed, turning onto a private road that led to a nondescript white building with no windows. A chill ran down my spine as we passed through multiple security checkpoints before stopping at a loading bay.
"Exit the vehicle," one guard ordered, unfastening my restraints from the seat, but leaving my wrists bound.
I stepped out into a sterile corridor where Administrator Verek waited, flanked by white-coated staff.
"Welcome to the Reproductive Sciences Division," he said smoothly. "I apologize for the dramatic extraction, but we had intelligence suggesting you planned to flee. We couldn't risk losing our most promising subject."
"Subject?" I repeated, the word bitter on my tongue. "Is that what I am to you?"
"You're much more than that, Kalyndi." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "You're the future."
They marched me through endless white corridors, each identical to the last. Through doorways, I caught glimpses of laboratories, examination rooms, and what looked disturbingly like nurseries.
But it was the people that truly chilled my blood.
In one room, a young woman sat on an examination table, her pregnant belly prominently displayed.
Her eyes were vacant, face expressionless.
In another, a human woman and a monster I didn't recognize stood perfectly still while scientists measured and recorded data.
All matched pairs. All with the same empty look in their eyes.
"What have you done to them?" I whispered.
Verek followed my gaze. "Nothing harmful, I assure you. Cooperative subjects receive comfort medication to ease anxiety. Those who resist..." He shrugged. "Well, compliance can be encouraged through various methods."
We stopped at a door marked "Intake Processing." Inside, a team of medical staff waited with trays of equipment.
"Standard procedure," Verek explained as they surrounded me. "Full medical workup, genetic sequencing, hormone panel, and fertility assessment."
"I won't cooperate," I warned, backing against the wall.