The Tainted

by Frost Kay

  She stumbled and latched onto the sagebrush to keep from falling. The sick feeling hadn’t left her. Her breath came in hard pants as she stared down at the shale-covered earth.

  “You’re slowing us down.”

  Her teeth gnashed together. “If I had my shoes, maybe I wouldn’t.”

  Something rustled and her makeshift shoes landed at her feet.

  “Put them on. We’re wasting time.”

  “Then just leave me,” she growled. That’s all she really wanted.

  “I don’t think so. Move, or I’ll make you move.”

  Hazel scowled at the Tainted’s back as she tried to brush the sand off her feet, but only managed to smear it with the blood. She gave up and slipped her make-shift moccasins on. Bliss. She sighed as the leather encased her torn feet. With one last glare at the Tainted, she continued to climb. Between failed escape attempts, she’d badgered the girl constantly about why she was taking her and where they were going. The only answer she received was that she was valuable.

  Frustration had her fingers curling into fists. Each step took her further away from Harbor and her family. A warm breeze ruffled her hair, and she turned her face toward it. Standing on top of Harbor’s wall was exhilarating, but it didn’t compare to the view the mountainside offered. From this high, she could see the entire valley. She squinted, just barely making out a corner of Harbor. Her heart sank. Her home wavered. It seemed so close, and yet so far. One fat tear slipped out of her eye and plopped onto the dry ground. She’d been holding on to the hope she could make it home. But there were miles of wilds and Tainted between her and home. Even if she escaped, something would kill her along the way back. She needed to heal, needed supplies and weapons. None were within her grasp.

  “Pining for your hellhole?”

  Helplessness and fear of her future caused her to snap. “What is your problem?” Hazel swung back around. “What have I ever done to you?”

  The Tainted planted her hands on her hips. “You exist and that’s enough.”

  It was some sort of prejudice, then. “If my existence offends you, let me go. I don’t like you, you don’t like me. The simple solution is to free me.”

  “You’re free. Are you in chains?”

  Hazel stared. “I may not be wearing physical chains, but they’re there all the same. Every time I run, you drag me back.”

  “I do what I must.”

  “And what’s that?” She held her breath. Maybe she’d answer this time.

  “My duty to my people.”

  “Your people have tasked you to kidnap and torture innocent people?”

  Something flashed across her captor’s face before it disappeared. It resembled guilt.

  “You know nothing about duty and honor.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I know everything about duty, honor, and the meaning of sacrifice.” Did she ever. She studied the Tainted girl. Her posture screamed aggression. Time to try a different tactic. “I think we might have more in common than you think.”

  “We are nothing alike. You destroy, kill, and maim. I heal, defend, and protect.”

  Hazel frowned. Her captor’s words were biting and bitter. They reeked of pain. “Has someone like me hurt you before?” she asked softly. Pain and bitterness were her constant companions these days. That was something she could understand and empathize with.

  Silence.

  “I promise, I’m nothing like the person you described. Please let me go. Help me.”

  “I’ve helped you,” the Tainted said woodenly.

  Well, she’d bandaged her to continue her torture. “I thank you for taking care of my wounds, but you and I both know you didn’t do it to help me.”

  Her captor shifted and glanced away. “I’ve also clothed and fed you, not that you’ve been grateful.” Her alien gaze skittered back to Hazel and away. “You’d feel better if you ate something.”

  Hunger gnawed at her stomach. Her captor offered her meat every day and Hazel always declined, despite her hollow belly. Rule number two: never eat tainted meat. She’d get infected if she did. She’d resorted to eating cactus that looked normal-ish, but it wasn’t enough to hold her. She needed protein, and soon. As for the clothing… “You took my shoes away,” she said flatly. “My feet are still bleeding.” They throbbed with her words.

  “Because you were trying to run away!” Color rushed into her captor’s bronzed cheeks.

  Because she had kidnapped her. Hazel kept those thoughts locked inside. “Please, just let me go,” she pleaded. “You need never to tell your people you even found me.”

  Her captor’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “I’ve told you before, you’re too dangerous and too valuable to let escape. Stop playing the innocent.”

  Hazel barked out a laugh and gestured to her body. “Do I look dangerous to you?”

  Snake eyes settled on her face. “That’s what makes you such a threat. You’re the enemy.”

  “That’s the first truthful thing to come out of your mouth in three days,” Hazel said.

  The Tainted turned on her heel and marched up the mountain without answering.

  “Wench.”

  “Hurry up, or I’ll drag you by your hair,” the Tainted called.

  She forced her legs to move and continued the climb from hell. An evil smile spread across her face as she thought about what was hidden away in her empty leg holster. It had taken some finagling, but she’d managed to steal one of the darts that her captor was so fond of using. When the moment was right, she’d use it.

  She amused herself by imagining the look on the Tainted’s face when she darted her. Maybe she was as demented as the Tainted accused her of. Her brows slashed together at the thought occurring to her.

  “Hey,” she called, a little breathless, her lungs burning.

  Her captor ignored her, black and red hair swaying in the dry breeze.

  “What’s your name?”

  The Tainted missed a step but recovered. “Why do you want to know?”

  Time for a new angle. If she couldn’t get away, she’d need a friend wherever they were going. “You’ve bound my wounds, given me shoes, and protected me from beasts I couldn’t even see,” Hazel puffed. The ache in her legs lessened as they crested a saddle in the mountain. “I would like your name, so I can thank you properly.”

  No response.

  She needed to try harder. “I’m tired of referring to you as my captor or Tainted…”

  Her captor stilled and whispered, “What did you say?”

  Confusion wrinkled her brow. She hadn’t said anything rude. “I said—”

  Her captor stormed back to her, rage clinging to her like a cloak. Hazel leaned away as the girl bared her fangs in a hiss. She didn’t relish getting bitten.

  “Don’t you dare use that slur!”

  Slur? “I meant no offense,” she rushed out. “May I ask what offended you?”

  Her captor scoffed. “Like you don’t know.”

  “I don’t.”

  “I am not Tainted,” the girl spat, her fangs slurring her speech. “If anyone’s tainted this world by their presence, it’s you.”

  She nodded and backed away, getting out of range of the sharp teeth. Those fangs were really scary. “My apologies. I won’t use that word again.” Out loud.

  “I’d watch what you say from here on out. Others would kill for such an offense.” Her captor scanned her face and her lips pulled back. “You’re lucky I’m so tolerant of your heritage.”

  Her eyes widened when a hiccupping sound escaped her. Oh hell, she was going to laugh. She patted her chest and coughed through the hysteria. Now was not the time to laugh at the dangerous snake girl.

  With a last harrumph, the vexing Tainted pulled back and stomped away.

  Hazel coughed a few more times and swallowed to wet her dry throat. That was a close one. There was no telling what the girl would do if she thought Hazel was laughing at her.

  “Get moving, Chica. I
won’t tell you again.”

  The nickname was new.

  She grumbled under her breath about prickly captors while she trudged up the last bit of the mountain, the scratches on her back itching all the while. A smile lifted the corners of her mouth as the strain on her thighs lessened. Boy, did it feel good to walk on flat ground. But her joy was short-lived.

  “Oh, come on,” she groaned, well past caring if her captor heard her. The Tainted girl was already descending the mountain. Panic tugged at her chest. This was the end for her. Once she descended, Harbor would disappear completely.

  She scanned the area around her, making a mental note of the position of the sun and her surroundings. If she could leave a piece of her shirt, it would make an excellent landmark. She eyed her ripped blue tank. It had seen better days. She’d been leaving breadcrumbs the entire time in the hopes that someone would find her, or she could use it as a map to get home. Home. Even thinking the word hurt.

  “My name is Hazel, not Chica,” she said. She stole one last peek over her shoulder. I love you. I promise I’ll be back.

  “You’ve told me before.”

  Stubborn wench. Her brothers would love her captor. The thought slapped her in the face and she shook her head. The heat was getting to her. She turned her back on her only home and hiked down the hill. “What’s your name?”

  Silence.

  They were back to that. “I won’t stop asking until you answer me.”

  “It’s Remy,” the Tainted girl muttered, reaching the rocks Hazel had been eyeing.

  “Remy…” she said. “That’s a nice name.”

  “Un huh,” Remy muttered. “Hurry up.”

  “I’m coming.” An embarrassing scream burst out of her as her foot slipped and she wobbled, narrowly avoiding a huge cactus with wicked-looking spines. Man, that would’ve hurt.

  Hazel edged around the evil-looking plant and picked her way down to Remy. She bent over and attempted to calm her breathing. “Can we please take a rest? I don’t think I can go on much further.” Her legs were practically jelly.

  “Your fatigue is making you sloppy. You almost became that cactus’ pincushion.”

  Was that a joke? She peeked at Remy, but the girl had turned her back and strode toward the giant pile of rocks. Her jaw dropped when her captor grabbed part of the rock and pulled. It wasn’t rock at all, but a camouflaged entrance. She eyed the black opening. “What’s that?”

  “Your break.”

  Curious, she straightened and hobbled over to Remy’s side and peeked into the inky darkness. “Where does it lead?”

  “None of your business.”

  Remy shoved her inside, and she stumbled into the darkness, blinking repeatedly, trying to see around her. It was a small cave with some sort of vehicle inside. Remy yanked the curtain closed, cutting out the only source of light.

  Darkness settled over her. Her hand snuck toward the dart, unease running up her spine. A click broke the silence, and a beam of light shone from Remy’s hand, melting some of her fear. She hadn’t always feared the dark, but after being in the wilds she now understood why her brothers insisted on sleeping with a lit lantern in the house.

  Hazel squinted at the flashlight and snuck a glance at the vehicle. It looked similar to the side-by-sides in Harbor, except old and rusted. She could drive it. An idea formed quickly in her mind as Remy strode around the vehicle and ran her hand along one of the wheel-wells.

  A triumphant smile lit her captor’s face as she pulled out a key. “It’s time to go.”

  She couldn’t agree more. Her moment had finally come. That vehicle was the key to getting home unscathed.

  She schooled her expression. “I’m not getting in that thing.”

  The Tainted took a step toward her. “Yes, you are.”

  “Let me go.”

  Remy took another step. “I can’t do that. Don’t make this harder than it is.”

  Shoulders hunched forward and head hanging, Hazel shuffled forward. All she needed was a bit of bare skin and her freedom would be in her grasp. She moved past the front end of the side-by-side.

  Just a little closer.

  “I hate you for this,” she whispered, pausing next to Remy. “You’re turning into the very thing you claim is evil.”

  Remy’s shoulders stiffened, and she stepped into Hazel’s space. Checkmate.

  A flick of the wrist is all it took. Remy’s foreign eyes widened a second before her legs folded underneath her. Hazel wrapped her arm around her captor’s middle and lowered her to the ground. She avoided Remy’s angry gaze as she pried the key from her hand.

  “This isn’t personal,” she said, forcing herself to look the girl in the eye. “I’m sorry it came to this. I’m sure this is a safe place if you’re willing to leave a vehicle here. I wouldn’t leave you if I thought it was dangerous.” Why was she explaining herself? “I have to go home. My family needs me, and…” Her jaw clenched, and she swallowed as Aaron’s face flashed through her mind. “You were right. There are some dangerous, evil people in Harbor, but I will rid my home of them.”

  She pulled a jacket from Remy’s pack and put it under her former captor’s head. “Find peace, Remy.” She patted the girl’s head and clambered to her feet. Her heart pounded in her chest as she rounded the vehicle and painfully climbed in.

  She glanced back at Remy and down to the key nestled in her fingers. “She’ll survive,” she whispered to herself. She would have sold you … or worse.

  With a shaking hand, she thrust the key into the ignition and turned it over. Nothing.

  “No,” she whispered and tried again. Still nothing. “Come on,” she urged, trying again while pumping the gas a few times. This time, she earned a few sputters. “That’s it,” she crooned, petting the dashboard. “Please start for me.”

  Hazel revved the gas and tried again. Relief flooded her when the side-by-side coughed a few times and then started. “Thank goodness.” She puffed out a breath and stroked the dash one last time for good luck. This was her ticket home. She shifted into reverse and angled it toward the opening.

  A pinch.

  Hazel stilled and glanced down to her arm. Damn. A dart.

  She lifted her chin and stared across the passenger side at Remy. The girl smiled at her, all fangs.

  “How?” Had she given her the wrong one? There were a couple different colors, but she’d chosen the one Remy had used on her. The room spun, and her head lulled to the side.

  Fingers clenched her chin and tugged upwards, forcing her to look at one angry snake girl. Remy leaned closer and whispered, “You can’t use my own venom against me. My body burns through it within seconds.”

  Hazel zeroed in on Remy’s wicked-looking fangs and it clicked. Snake. Fangs. Venom. “I’m an idiot,” she slurred as darkness claimed her.

  Twelve

  Hazel

  They say third time’s the charm. Whoever they were, they didn’t know what they were talking about. The third time being drugged sucked the most.

  Sharp needles of pain stabbed behind her eyes, threatening to crack her head wide open. She pinched the bridge of her nose and moaned, “Just kill me now.”

  “I’ve put too much effort into keeping you alive.”

  It took a moment for the voice to register, and to remember why it filled her with fury.

  Darting Remy. Almost getting away. Being drugged. Burning. Dizziness. Darkness.

  She gasped at the memory and forced her eyes open. The dark sky was in full bloom overhead, chasing the last vestiges of the sun away. How many hours had she lost to sleep? Head pounding, Hazel lifted her head to peek at her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar. Her valley was long gone. Even the terrain looked alien. She’d never seen plants or trees that were so green.

  “You’ve been sleeping for almost two days.”

  Her heart picked up. Two days. She desperately scanned the land for anything that looked like home. Nothing. The full extent of her despair and panic s
eized her. Her mind whispered the insidious word she’d been avoiding. Lost. She was hopelessly lost.

  Escape had been within her grasp and she’d failed. Carefully, she lowered her throbbing head and stared at the ripped ceiling of the ATV. Tears squeezed out of the corners of her eyes and dripped down her face. A silent sob racked her body, followed by another. It was too much. The blending, Aaron, the beasts, the Tainted men, the death march, Remy … the tears flowed harder.

  She’d always believed her mama’s grit flowed through her veins, but today proved it did not. Her papa’s words floated to her through a haze of pain and tears. You’re nothing like her.

  “Are you … crying?” It was the first time Remy had sounded unsure, hesitant.

  Hazel choked back a sob, hating that she couldn’t even cry for what she had lost. Never let them see you weak, Colton had said. She closed her eyes and swallowed down her pain and a broken heart. Self-pity had no place among survival. If she wanted to survive whatever was to come, it was time to hide deep within herself and become a cold-hearted witch.

  She wiped her damp cheek on her bandaged shoulder and inhaled deeply. Emotions would ruin her. If she’d been thinking with her head, not her heart, she would’ve knocked Remy out and left her there without a backward glance. It was a mistake, and it cost her everything.

  Her home. Her family.

  She blocked out her pain and sat up slowly. Her ribs cried out at their abuse, along with every other abused body part, but she ignored all of them. She felt Remy’s gaze on her, but she didn’t look her way. Foreign land rushed past as they bumped along in silence. Jo had told her that her compassion was the best thing about her, but that wasn’t the truth. It was her innate ability to adapt to life and blend in.

  Something rose in the distance, stark against the fading sky. She stared harder. Towers jutted from the top of the bluff. An immense curved wall made of stone and metal wound around a town and connected to the bluff on either side, forming a half-moon. Crops spread out in a half-circle from the metal monstrosity that would keep her prisoner.