milk and cheese for the brats, or how we’d hunted creatures in the tunnels, kept them clear of Freaks. The life I’d known in the enclave seemed as if it belonged to someone else.
“It wasn’t. We didn’t live long,” I said softly. “Not like people do up here.”
“Tully.” Spence evidently noted my discomfort with the topic. “Less talking, more eating. Thornton won’t let us sit idle.”
He was right about that. Just as soon as the last bite vanished, our leader barked, “On your feet, soldiers. There are more battles ahead.”
Along with the others, I struggled upright. My stomach was full, but the rest of me ached. And I’d thought Silk was tough.
Sanctuary
An endless night of combat and bloodshed followed. At its end, my knives were crusted with dried blood, my fingers sore on the hilts. I had three new wounds in addition to my scars, and two of them needed attention from Tegan. The light of Soldier’s Pond glimmered in the distance, a promise of sanctuary after the torment of the last few days.
My eyes burned as I picked up the pace without waiting for Thornton to give the word. For the first time in my life, I had no fight left in me. I had to know whether the refugees had arrived safely. The others caught my urgency, and soon we were all running, footfalls thudding over damp ground. I heard Freaks snarling in the distance behind us, but they were too far; they wouldn’t find us before we reached the town perimeter.
As we approached, Thornton shouted the password and the guards went to work disarming the traps. In the moonlight I glimpsed spikes and weights, all manner of death waiting for unwary Freaks to charge. The fence wasn’t solid like the one in Salvation. Instead, this one was made of metal, rusted, but still functional, and you could see right through the gate with a ramp leading to the town’s heart. This had been a different kind of town once, clean and homey like Salvation, but the fortifications took away all the charm, making it clear the people who lived here were ready to fight for their lives. The people of Soldier’s Pond understood the stakes and the penalty for failure.
“We made it,” Fade breathed beside me.
He looked as tired as I felt. Breathing hard from that last burst, I followed the others into town and then the guards on duty secured the entry again. They all had rifles and other weapons, some of which I’d never seen before. Before I could ask about the others, our leader did.
“Status on the rest of the groups?”
“The scouts came in hours ago,” the man on duty said.
“And the refugees?”
“Made it an hour past. Some of them are in bad shape. The colonel has set up a med center in the old granary at the edge of town.”
“Where’s that?” I cut in.
I didn’t care if it was impolite; I needed to see Tegan and my family. Though Thornton offered me a sharp look, he did give me directions. I jogged off. I’d gone a good distance when I realized Fade was behind me, but I didn’t stop to question him. It was enough that he didn’t want me running off alone. I have your back. Not when it’s easy. All the time. At least those words still held true. Everything else could be rebuilt with time and patience.
Here, houses were constructed of uniformly sawed timbers with faded, peeling whitewash, addendums to the odd uniform structures in the center of town. The granary was a long, raised building made of old stones. From the outside, I couldn’t tell that it was being used for anything until I drew closer. Lights glimmered in the windows. I rapped twice, not wanting to alarm the occupants within. Momma Oaks flung the door open at once and I could tell by her expression that she had been waiting for me.
“You made it,” she gasped, then she hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe.
“Edmund and Rex?” I asked.
“We’re here,” my father said.
His lined, dirty face was a welcome sight, so I hugged him too. I teetered on the verge of
“It wasn’t. We didn’t live long,” I said softly. “Not like people do up here.”
“Tully.” Spence evidently noted my discomfort with the topic. “Less talking, more eating. Thornton won’t let us sit idle.”
He was right about that. Just as soon as the last bite vanished, our leader barked, “On your feet, soldiers. There are more battles ahead.”
Along with the others, I struggled upright. My stomach was full, but the rest of me ached. And I’d thought Silk was tough.
Sanctuary
An endless night of combat and bloodshed followed. At its end, my knives were crusted with dried blood, my fingers sore on the hilts. I had three new wounds in addition to my scars, and two of them needed attention from Tegan. The light of Soldier’s Pond glimmered in the distance, a promise of sanctuary after the torment of the last few days.
My eyes burned as I picked up the pace without waiting for Thornton to give the word. For the first time in my life, I had no fight left in me. I had to know whether the refugees had arrived safely. The others caught my urgency, and soon we were all running, footfalls thudding over damp ground. I heard Freaks snarling in the distance behind us, but they were too far; they wouldn’t find us before we reached the town perimeter.
As we approached, Thornton shouted the password and the guards went to work disarming the traps. In the moonlight I glimpsed spikes and weights, all manner of death waiting for unwary Freaks to charge. The fence wasn’t solid like the one in Salvation. Instead, this one was made of metal, rusted, but still functional, and you could see right through the gate with a ramp leading to the town’s heart. This had been a different kind of town once, clean and homey like Salvation, but the fortifications took away all the charm, making it clear the people who lived here were ready to fight for their lives. The people of Soldier’s Pond understood the stakes and the penalty for failure.
“We made it,” Fade breathed beside me.
He looked as tired as I felt. Breathing hard from that last burst, I followed the others into town and then the guards on duty secured the entry again. They all had rifles and other weapons, some of which I’d never seen before. Before I could ask about the others, our leader did.
“Status on the rest of the groups?”
“The scouts came in hours ago,” the man on duty said.
“And the refugees?”
“Made it an hour past. Some of them are in bad shape. The colonel has set up a med center in the old granary at the edge of town.”
“Where’s that?” I cut in.
I didn’t care if it was impolite; I needed to see Tegan and my family. Though Thornton offered me a sharp look, he did give me directions. I jogged off. I’d gone a good distance when I realized Fade was behind me, but I didn’t stop to question him. It was enough that he didn’t want me running off alone. I have your back. Not when it’s easy. All the time. At least those words still held true. Everything else could be rebuilt with time and patience.
Here, houses were constructed of uniformly sawed timbers with faded, peeling whitewash, addendums to the odd uniform structures in the center of town. The granary was a long, raised building made of old stones. From the outside, I couldn’t tell that it was being used for anything until I drew closer. Lights glimmered in the windows. I rapped twice, not wanting to alarm the occupants within. Momma Oaks flung the door open at once and I could tell by her expression that she had been waiting for me.
“You made it,” she gasped, then she hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe.
“Edmund and Rex?” I asked.
“We’re here,” my father said.
His lined, dirty face was a welcome sight, so I hugged him too. I teetered on the verge of
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