A mysterious past, an unrequited love, and a desperate need to find himself, fifteen-year-old Kalyn has enough to occupy him without being on the verge of a massive societal upheaval. Join Kalyn and his friends as they explore what it means to come...
Ohna and I circle the high wall, searching for weak points until the sun grows low and the shadows long. It is clear that Dager has fortified the village, since last I saw it. I search everywhere for signs of the others and find none. I hear shouts, occasionally, from the other side of the wall, but otherwise, there is nothing. Even the animals seem to have been driven from this spot. It is barren. Hostile.
If the others made it this far, they are here no longer. Either they were driven from the village or stolen into it. I can't decide which is worse.
We make a small camp, forgoing a fire in order to avoid drawing attention. Ohna can sense my defeat and seeks to bolster me in spite of our now awkward relationship. She tells me quiet stories until we fall asleep beneath the stars.
I had hoped sleep would improve my prospects, but, by morning, I still have no answers. Wart could easily make it past the fortress, but I worry what would await him on the other side. I am loathe to send him into such danger, unknowing. What, even, would he accomplish on his own?
He could burn the wall, but then all hope of secrecy would be lost. Within minutes, we would have the full force of the wolves on us. I don't fear for myself, but, in order to put Ohna into such a position, I need to have a plan.
That my cleverness alone is the sole thing standing between us and misfortune is no consolation. Agan was always the bright one, Köv the strong one. On my own, I felt like nothing at all.
Still, I have to try. For all I know, they are imprisoned. Or dead. The same goes for Corsa, Enos, and the twins, though I can hardly bear to think of it. Everyone I have ever known is in danger. I can no longer afford to do nothing. No amount of hope or denial will help them. Action alone can. Even if we are on our own, we have to do what is right. The consequences of doing nothing, are too much.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I attempt and fail several times to scale the uneven surface. Wart begins to burrow beneath it before hitting impenetrable stone. I try to pry the logs apart only to find cement. My nails are ripped and bleeding when I return to Ohna, who has been considering our situation in thoughtful silence. She heals my fingers with a frown.
"What happened here?" she wants to know. Her words are somber, and I sense something heavier beneath them.
"I don't know," I am forced to admit.
"It wasn't like this when you left?"
"No. Not at all." The aged trees immediately surrounding the border are chopped down to stumps. The acrid scent of burning leaves tinges the air. No longer does the twitter of birds color the morning. This place is desolate. Eerie. If not for the noises over the wall, I would have believed us the only ones in existence.
"I sense a great sorrow. People had their lives taken. Many people. Those that are left are... hollow. Somehow."
Ohna approaches the wall and places her hand gently where mine have scraped and clawed.
"Do you have a knife?" I hand mine to her warily, and she carves a foothold into the log. "If we had many more of these..."
"Halt!"
The command sends an immediate chill down my spine, and I hold my shivering limbs as still as I can manage as a wolf snuffles at my boots, fearing that any unexpected movements will mean the end of us. Undaunted, Ohna wields the knife at our attacker. It isn't until I register that the voice has come from behind us that my mind begins to question the obvious conclusion that we have been caught.
"The two of you have been making an awful lot of noise," Köv disapproves. "It's almost as if you want to get caught."
Never have I been happier to see his horrid face. Brushing the knife out of the way, I rush toward my former nemesis and embrace him. He's here. He's alive. That means...
"Stop being such a sap," he says in spite of his smile. We face one another with renewed defenses. "I am surprised to see you here."
"I had to come."
"Yeah, well... Some of us had hoped it would be a lot sooner." I look over his shoulder for the others, but the forest is just as empty as it was moments prior. "Not me... But some of us."
"Where are the others?"
"Not out in the open like a couple of fools."
"So, they're still..."
"Everyone is fine. We've just been... strategizing." He eyes the wall warily, then something seems to register.
"We should get out of here. I'll tell you everything when we get back to camp."
The reason behind this is apparent, and Ohna and I make haste to follow. The sun has vanished by the time we arrive, but this far into the forest, my friends have ventured a fire.
"Find anything?" Mab demands of Köv as she hears our approach.
"Actually... Yes."
"Oh, my skies," Mab mutters when she sees me. In spite of his assurances, nothing calms me until I find her whole and unharmed. Teak crushes me in genial embrace, and I imagine I see the faint glimmer of a smile lighten Agan's thin lips.
"You're okay," Mab says breathlessly. "I'm so... I'm so glad you're here."
I am unsure what help I will be, but I am glad to be here too. At least, if we are in this, we are in this together.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
