The Wastelands (Part II of the Runner Series)

Chapter 15

Luca grabs my arm and gently tugs me beneath the water. I hold my breath as I slide under, taking care to make as small a movement as possible.

I exhale out my nose so that I sink lower, easing my eyes open beneath the clear pool and catching sight of Luca doing the same. We wait in tense silence as a shadow passes over our heads, darkening the blue water. A cold shiver runs up my spine and I feel Luca's fingers dig more deeply into my flesh.

The shadow seems endless. A low burn constricts my lungs and I pray fervently that the ship will pass soon. I wonder if the airships occupants have seen us already; it's possible that we could emerge and already be surrounded. From the grip Luca has on my arm I can tell that he has assumed the ship is manned by Will and the soldiers but a prophetic sinking feeling in my stomach makes me suspect something else. Something ominous.

Finally, mercifully the water brightens again. We wait another full minute until I feel as though my lungs will burst before Luca pulls us to the surface.

I gasp and suck in low, careful lungfuls, trying to remain silent as Luca shields his eyes from the sun and watches the tail end of the ship disappear behind a dune. I get my breathing back under control just as he turns around to face me.

"That's not the ship I came in on." I say before he has a chance to speak.

"Are those your people?" I recognize the flicker of distrust crossing his features.

"I don't know." I tell him honestly. "I don't see how they could be. Our ship would be patched on the left side and this one was not. Even if Will was able to repair Phoenix and get word back to the Palace to send another ship, they wouldn't be able to make it this far into the Wastelands already."

Luca nods, his eyes tracing the path the ship just took. "We should see where it is headed."

"If we hurry we might still be able to see it from the top of the dune." I tell him, turning and striding hurriedly back towards the shore.

We dress quickly. I pull on my boots and check that my dagger is within easy reach before jogging towards the base of the dune after Luca, scrambling up it and leaving the pristine oasis at our backs.

We near the top of the dune and slow down, crawling up the last few feet carefully as we peek over the top of the hill. I peer down the ridge, taking care to keep my shoulders pressed low to the sand. The airship has landed on a flat patch of land and I watch as someone tosses a length of rope over the side. The lower hatch opens and a figure clad in dark clothing jumps the few feet to the ground, grabbing hold of the loosed rope and tethering it to the earth.

I squint, shielding my eyes in an effort to see clearly. A ramp is lowered through the open hatch and several people file out. I count quickly, estimating at least four dozen soldiers on the ground and an unknown number still inside the ship.

Their clothes are unfamiliar, dark and glinting in the morning sunlight. They wear heavy scarves wrapped fully around their heads and carry some sort of narrow weapon, possibly a sword, attached to their hips.

The ship is undoubtedly one of the City's but I don't recognize any of the people gathered in the desert below. I wonder briefly if Meg could have dispatched another airship after Phoenix but the style and dress of these people is all wrong. My gut twists in warning and I duck back behind the dune.

Luca lowers his head and slides down a little ways so that he is level with me.

"What do you make of it?" He keeps his voice low but I can sense the lingering doubt in his tone.

"I don't think they're from the City." I wrinkle my brow, trying to think. "I don't recognize anyone and I have never seen those weapons or uniforms before."