Defiance Rising (Book I of the Rising Trilogy) Page 8

  Zahra steps back as I cover myself and tucks into Eamon’s side, completing our dysfunctional circle.

  “I think it’s time to tell us what happened last night.” All eyes are on me as Toren waits for my response to his request, but mine are firmly planted on the floor. I clear my throat, my thoughts scattered as I rush to create a highly edited version of events.

  Chapter 8

  There is only silence when I finish. I shift, awkwardly rocking my weight from one foot to the other as I wait for the news to sink in. I managed to leave out my harrowing escape from Commander Drakon and my confrontation with Kyan while still revealing the Caldonian’s plans. Mentioning spending much of the night with Bastien was enough to visibly raise Eamon’s blood pressure through the roof.

  I know I fumbled through my cover up though. I can tell Eamon’s not buying it, nor is Aminah, and Zahra looks irritated that I’m getting so much attention. I wish she’d just head back to the kitchen to finish prepping lunch.

  Toren clenches and unclenches his fists at his sides. When he finally speaks, he sounds as if something is strangling his voice. “So, you’re saying the aliens are digging their way toward us?”

  I nod, nibbling on the broken edge of my fingernail. “I can’t tell how far they’ve reached, but judging by the increase in tremors I’d say it won’t be long until they find us. I can rest up a bit tonight and head out tomorrow to take a closer look.”

  “No! No way!” Eamon instantly protests. “You barely made it out alive this time. There’s no way I’m letting you go anywhere near that place again.”

  I can tell by the tilt of Zahra’s head that she’s contemplating siding with me on this one. I suppose a normal person would be thankful, but I’m not.

  “Look, I know what I’m doing now. I can get in and out without being detected. Bastien showed me the subway and I can just follow that to the other side of the city. I won’t even have to come up to the surface until I reach the dig site.”

  “What makes you think the aliens don’t know about the tunnels?” Aminah asks, curling her finger around a small clump of hair. Her heart shaped face is pinched with worry, her rosy lips pursed tightly. She cuddles into Toren’s side, naturally leaning into him.

  Aminah is the most fragile member of our group. Her big heart and delicate emotions are endearing, but poorly suited for this life. Maybe that’s why we’re best friends. Maybe opposites really do attract.

  “I say let her go. She thinks she can do it, so let her.”

  Eamon scowls at Zahra, pushing her away from his side. “Well don’t hold back how you really feel, Zahra.”

  “What?” She raises her shoulders in an indifferent shrug. “She’s the one with a death wish, not me.”

  “And you’re happy to stay behind, all fat, dumb and happy.” I snap at her, my patience having fled completely by this point.

  Her eyes blaze with anger as she lunges toward me. Toren catches her around the waist and spins her away. “Your cat fighting really is getting old,” he growls at both of us. I plant my hands on my hips but say nothing. We elected Toren as leader for a reason after our parents went missing. I’m not about to buck his authority over something this small.

  “Tomorrow Eamon and Illyria will both scout out the area and report back before nightfall.”

  Toren’s tone resonates with finality as he releases Zahra. She huffs, smoothing the wrinkles from her shirt. I’m not really sure where she came up with the idea for her ensemblea patchwork of colorful fabrics sewn together to create an ankle length skirt and tan cotton shirt knotted at her hip to reduce the bagginess of itbut it’s obvious she spent a lot of time pressing it with a hot rock. Judging by the way that she watches Eamon from the corner of her eye, her efforts were meant solely for him.

  “Aminah, please see to the children and reassure them everything is ok. Zahra, you may return to the kitchen fires to finish preparing the meal. Illyria, why don’t you go get cleaned up? We can’t risk your wounds festering.”

  “What’s Eamon supposed to do?” Zahra pouts.

  His wicked grin forms immediately. “I’m going to help Illyria take a shower.”

  I laugh and shove him away. “If you come within a hundred feet of that waterfall, I won’t think twice about tossing you over the side.”

  ***

  My nose twitches as I breathe in a tantalizing aroma. I open my eyes and find a piece of warm meat dangling over me. “Rise and shine.” Eamon grins.

  I bolt upright and snatch the meat from his grasp, sinking my teeth into the juicy animal flesh. Despite my aversion to the gamey taste of wolf meat, I devour the chunk in two large bites. Eamon leans back against the wall with a knowing smirk tugging at his lips.

  “Oh, get over yourself. I’m hungry,” I say, pushing back the tattered blanket to rise from the floor. A longing, for the soft couch in the abandoned home flits through my mind as I twist the kinks from my back.

  I lift my hands high overhead and stretch toward the ceiling, arching my back. My fingers just graze the rock as I groan and sink back to the flats of my feet. “So what’s with breakfast in bed?”

  “One of the scouts found something.”

  My fidgeting ceases as I stare hard at him. “Have they found a real supply line this time?”

  I would give props to Eamon for his calm demeanor, but the glow in his eyes doesn’t fool me. He’s just as anxious behind that stony façade as I am. I poke him in the stomach and race off, ducking low for the last thirty feet of the tunnel before I slide into the Temple.

  “I see you got the good news,” Toren says as he snatches up a sniper rifle from the altar beside him and crosses the room toward us. “You might want to keep it down a bit though. The kids are still asleep.”

  “Really?” I frown. It’s impossible to tell what time it is from this deep within the cave system.

  “You slept like the dead last night. Snored so loud I thought the whole mountain would fall in on us,” Eamon taunts as he ducks out of the tunnel. He stands upright, reminding me of how much height he’s added over the past year. His face has lost the childhood baby fat I used to love to tease him over. The lines on his face betray his maturity. By all intents and purposes, he’s a man now. How did I fail to notice that?

  “Ha-ha.” I stick out my tongue at him over my shoulder before turning back toward Toren. “So are you sending us on another wild goose chase? I thought we were going to track the tremors today.”

  Toren shakes his head. “That can wait a day. Right now, our top priority has to be food, clothes and ammo.”

  I frown. “What about all of those supplies I brought back with me?”

  Eamon scoffs as he stops at my side. “Zahra can’t figure out what half that stuff is. She certainly didn’t seem too impressed with your soda.”

  I grin back at him. Images of Zahra covered in sticky foam will keep me occupied for quite some time. Toren hands Eamon the rifle and motions for me to follow him to the map he was staring at the night before. On it is a grid of red x’s and check marks. I recognize many of them as locations our parents hit before they died. The others have been faulty guesses of where the Caldonians might run the next supply line. We’ve been wrong four times in the past six months.

  After the Assault began, our parents fled into the mountains with a small group of survivors. Not long after the smoke lifted they discovered a Caldonian base set up less than five miles away, an alien hub for transporting enough firepower to control the Midwest. The rebellion was born out of duty and honor. Our small group tried to hold off the Caldonians in the forest, to give America a chance to get back on its feet.

  That never happened.

  When the last of our parents died, many of us wanted to make a mass exodus right out of this region and leave behind the painful memories, but Toren convinced us to stay behind and honor our parent’s legacy. To keep fighting. That was the day I renewed my oath to the rebellion, knowing that my place was right here.

  “
Antone stumbled across a group of Caldonians last night while on patrol. Apparently, there’s some discourse among the soldiers about changing the route at the last minute. I think many still fear our attacks.” Toren says, running his finger along a red line that runs near the base of our mountain.

  “We haven’t attacked in six months,” Eamon says, rubbing the light stubble along his chin. I can tell he’s just as frustrated as I am about this fact.

  “I don’t like it.” I chew on my lower lip as I point to the ravine just beyond Toren’s finger. “There’s plenty of tree cover to hide in on either side. Why risk an ambush this far from their base unless it’s a trap?”

  Toren nods, withdrawing his hand from the map as he straightens his shoulders. “That’s what I’m thinking. It’s too easy.”

  “But can we risk not going?” Eamon asks.

  “No.” Toren shakes his head. “I’m only sending you two. No one else knows about this and I expect it to remain that way.”

  Everything about this mission makes me nervous and very suspicious. “You know this can’t be a coincidence.”

  Eamon’s stares hard me. “You think this is because of your little adventure into the City?”

  I refuse to be baited by him as I grip the edge of the stone. “Bastien and I saw stuff we weren’t supposed to see. It only makes sense that this Drakon would come looking for us. Maybe they think we’re stupid enough to lead them right up to our front door. He can’t possibly know that Bastien and I are strangers.”

  Rubbing his temples, I can tell Eamon is beginning to suffer from yet another headache. He’s been having those frequently over the past couple weeks. I joked that it was just birthday jitters, but he brushed me off.

  I’ve often wondered why I’m the only one who seems amused by the fact that our birthdays are all within a week of each other. Aminah says I have too much time on my hands to think up crazy fantasies, but Eamon has always claimed his belief that it is fate, or something equally ludicrous.

  “I want you both to observe for now. Do not engage the aliens or give them any reason to sense your presence. I want to know what they’re planning before we make our move.”

  I stuff my hands into my pockets and bite down on the sharp remark that pops into my head. Toren’s right, whether I want to admit that or not. My gut tells me Eamon and I are walking into a trap. Better to get in and out alive.

  Toren is a great leader, a million times better than I could ever be, but I don’t always agree with his decisions. He moves with caution where I tend to be more adventurous.

  I lean over the map and tap the weathered paper with my index finger as I survey the terrain. “If they come down this gully then we can watch from above. Eamon and I can split up, stake claim to a couple of pine trees and watch the parade without the Caldonians being any the wiser.”

  “Eamon?”

  “It’s a good plan.” He winks at me before stabbing his finger near one of the x’s upon a small elevation. “We’ll set up here and here. If we’re not back by sundown…” he lets his words trail off.

  No one leaves the cave to find you after dusk and risks the safety of the entire commune. That’s the number one law and we live according to it.

  Toren gives us a curt nod. “Go on then. Just make sure you’re back in time.”

  Eamon turns and heads across the Temple toward our dwindling armory. Toren snags my arm as I step away. I pause and look back over my shoulder. “Aminah will never forgive me if something happens to you.”

  “I know.” And I do. It has taken Aminah nearly six months to reach the point where she can say her parent’s names without bursting into tears. “We’ll be fine.”

  A smirk pulls at the corners of Toren’s lips. “It’s not Eamon that I’m worried about.”

  I grin. “I can follow orders, you know.”

  “Can and will are two completely different things.”

  My laugh echoes around the domed room. “Don’t I know it!”

  Chapter 9

  The scent of pine surrounds me as I clamber up a large evergreen. Thick, bushy, boughs obscure me from sight as I settle into a crook and wait. Eamon should be in position by now but I can’t see any sign of him. Norththat’s the only guide I have for his direction.

  I sink back against the tree trunk and blow out a breath. It hangs in the air like a wispy cloud before me. I swipe my hand to disperse it and tie a wide strip of cloth over my mouth and nose. I tuck my hands into my armpits for warmth and settle in for what I fear will be a very long day.

  The days are getting shorter and the winds more brutal. Winter has officially shoved autumn out the back door and locked away the heat, leaving little time for the leaves to decay properly. More snow fell overnight and, judging by the low hanging gray clouds and the rising winds, the sky is ready to unleash round two right on top of us.

  “Perfect.” I huddle into my sweater, smirking over how furious Zahra will be to find me swaddled in one of Eamon’s shirts when I return. “Three layers of clothes and I’m still gonna be a popsicle by tonight.”

  The morning hike was enough to keep me warm but, now that I’ve found my hiding spot, the cold has begun to seep in, nipping at any exposed skin. As the minutes drag out into hours, I struggle to keep my extremities from falling asleep. I can’t help but wonder if all of this is a ruse to waste my time instead of capture me.

  Surely, if this is a trap, it’s been laid for me. I don’t really think Commander Drakon will let me slip through his fingers that easily. From the moment Toren pointed out the location of this ridge, I knew I was the intended target.

  When I bend to smack life back into my toes, pain in my side flares and I’m forced to bite down on my lip to stifle a cry. Pulling up the frayed hem of Eamon’s shirt I can just barely glimpse the red gash raked across my pale skin. I did my best to wash the wounds last night but I fear the heat radiating from my right side. An infection has begun to linger in the area and that can be deadly out here if not treated properly.

  All thoughts of my wound vanish when a sudden jolt makes me grasp the tree for stability. The pine needles tremble as another vibration rises through the tree bark.

  What the heck was that? An earthquake?

  I shove the boughs out of my way and cast a quick glance up at the sun to calculate it’s general location in the sky. My best estimate is that there’s only about an hour until sundown. Considering we have an hour hike back up the mountain, we’re running too close for comfort.

  Eamon should have sent the signal by now. It’s his job to watch the sun.

  Fear worms its way into my stomach as I look to the north. The vibrations through the branches come faster and harder. As I rise up onto my toes, teetering precariously on the branch, I realize the Caldonians are coming, but they aren’t alone.

  A large group of Squaddies scours the ravine below. Just beyond them is a sight that makes my skin tingle with trepidation and my stomach drop to the ground.

  Three large metal orbs crash through the forest, splintering hundred-year-old pines into kindling. Their hulls are oil slick black with a triple barrel laser cannon perched atop the bulbous body of the eight-legged monstrosities. I’ve had my fair share of nasty run-ins with spiders in these woods but these are by far the scariest I’ve ever seen.

  I didn’t know the Caldonian’s built those spiders. I’ve only seen the Sky Ships before. Maybe these are the Droners Bastien spoke about. I gulp back my terror as I realize this isn’t a new supply route, it’s an interstate.

  I frantically descend from the tree; my only thought is to get to Eamon. He would never have missed the signal unless he was in trouble.

  My legs tingle as my boots slam into the snow. I wince, pausing only a second to sling my rifle around to the front before I dash through the woods, weaving through the trees with far less grace than usual.

  I hadn’t realized how bitterly cold the air had grown while I sat in my insulated hiding spot. The winds whip my hair into a tangled f
renzy about my face as the first drops of freezing rain begin to pelt down from the sky. I yank my hair back and stuff it into my shirt as visibility quickly narrows and my pace slows. Each step becomes precarious as the icy mixture creates a slick glaze over the sloping ground.

  My finger is poised just over the trigger, ready to fire the instant my position is discovered. My ammo is limited; I have to make every shot count until I find Eamon and get us out of here.

  I cry out as a wide laser beam slams into a tree less than ten feet away and blasts me backward. I shake my head, ears ringing loudly as I scramble to my feet. The tree just ahead creaks as it plummets to the ground.

  The metallic groan of the giant spider alerts me to the Droner’s position. I dive behind a tree and clutch my rifle to my chest, fighting back against my rising fear as I realize there’s no way I can compete with that thing’s firepower.

  Black clad figures disappear behind trees faster than I can take aim. I know I’m being surrounded and there is nothing I can do about it.

  Looking at the trees around me, I notice that most are tall and barren. A variety of evergreens dot the landscape but even those can’t hide me forever.

  “Get the girl!”

  The shout echoes through the ravine and immediately I’m on my feet and dashing back the way I came. The Squaddie’s pursuit is loud and cumbersome as they tussle with tangled bushes that seem to appear out of nowhere in the fading light. The grinding gears of a drone send me flailing to the south, away from Eamon and parallel with the mountain. I don’t know this section of the forest well enough to know of any hiding spots so I run as far and as fast as I can.

  The trees narrow around me, herding me through a briar patch. I ignore the stitch in my side as I sprint along the uneven terrain. Liquid fire smolders in my chest, stealing away each breath.