Battle for the Valley

by C. R. Pugh

  Brock and Tallon had been sleeping side by side. They jolted awake at my warning, weapons in hand before they’d managed to gain their footing – something Thorne had ingrained in them, no doubt. Kaelem grasped his crossbow and rose to his feet. Camellia took a few seconds longer than the rest of us to rise from her pallet on the ground, but she scrambled up to her feet and grabbed her crossbow.

  “What’s wrong?” Tallon asked, nocking an arrow and searching the shadows around us.

  “I’m not sure,” I replied, glancing around the clearing. The moonlight glimmered off the glassy pond. All was silent except for the wind whipping through the trees and shrubs. “No one was keeping watch … and I sense something.”

  Everyone instinctively took a step backward to create a circle. Each of us faced a different direction.

  Kaelem sidestepped closer to me, his crossbow snug against his shoulder, ready to shoot. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I must have fallen asleep. I haven’t been sleeping well since …”

  “Hush,” I said, cutting my hand through the air to halt his excuses. Part of me wanted to believe that he wasn’t playing us false. He had been damaged by Laelynn’s death more than any of us, but the other part of me still wondered if he had been playing us for fools all along – punishing us for her death.

  It doesn’t make sense. He knows it’s not our fault … doesn’t he?

  A snap of a branch in the distance signaled that someone was marching this way and not bothering to be quiet about it.

  “There,” Tallon said, nodding toward the south.

  “What is it?” Camellia asked in a shaky whisper. Her hands were shaking.

  I turned to Kaelem and narrowed my eyes. He would know who or what was coming. But would he tell us?

  He scowled back at me. “It’s people. Their thoughts are … all the same. They’re hunting someone. That’s all they seem to be focused on.”

  “Their thoughts aren’t focused on me?” I asked.

  “No,” Kaelem confirmed. “Just … a signal of some kind.”

  “Are they coming this way?” Brock asked him, still staring south, his rifle in his hands.

  Kaelem’s brows pinched together, concentrating on their thoughts. “They seem to be moving in this direction, but they don’t know we’re here.”

  “That’s not very comforting,” I hissed.

  Kaelem shrugged. “It’s all I got.”

  I’m not so sure I believe you.

  The muscle in his jaw ticked with growing fury, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes, not while Camellia was here with us.

  “Let’s spread out and hide behind the trees,” I suggested.

  “Should we hide our things?” Camellia asked.

  “No,” Tallon interjected. “Whoever it is, our stuff will confuse and distract them while we figure out who they are.”

  “What if they’re soldiers?” Camellia asked.

  “Then we take them all out,” I answered.

  Brock and Tallon nodded their agreement, but Camellia’s eyes went wide.

  “You’re going to kill them all?” she gasped.

  “If it is soldiers, they’ll be here for you and me,” I said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep us out of the General’s hands. Now come on.”

  I grasped Camellia’s arm and dragged her into the trees to our left, pulling her down to a crouch beside me.

  “When the fighting starts, stay here,” I instructed my sister.

  “No, I can help,” she hissed. “I can shoot -”

  “I know, and you can do that from here. Take your first shot, maybe a second one if you’re able and in no danger of hitting one of us. But stay hidden,” I urged her.

  Camellia reluctantly nodded. To our right, thirty feet away, Kaelem had hidden behind the trunk of a tree. Across the camp, Tallon and Brock had hunkered down behind some brush near the pond to await the signal to attack.

  Not a minute later, a man appeared through the brush and stepped into our camp. Even in the dark I recognized the compound soldier’s uniform. He carried a rifle over his shoulder and some sort of device in his hands that I’d never seen before. A large group of soldiers joined him with rifles in their hands. I didn’t recognize any of them in the dark, but there were at least fifteen. Just as Tallon predicted, they skidded to a halt when they spotted our camp.

  “What is this?” a male soldier asked, examining the pallets on the ground and the campfire still flickering in the dark. His voice was flat and lifeless, like all the soldiers that had been brainwashed by General Wolfe.

  “It doesn’t matter,” another answered, a female this time. She stepped forward and looked around, keeping her rifle tucked into her shoulder pocket as she turned in a circle. “Are we close?”

  The soldier with the device replied, “Very close. Another fifty yards and we’ll be on top of him.”

  Him? They’re not looking for me?

  “Kieron,” I whispered. He was close by.

  But how do they know where he is?

  It didn’t matter. We weren’t going to give them the chance to locate Kieron.

  I peered at Kaelem and quirked an eyebrow at him, silently commanding him to be ready to take the first shot. He nodded back at me, leaned against the trunk for support, and took aim with his crossbow.

  Keeping my eyes fixed on the group of soldiers, I whispered my orders to Camellia once more. “No matter what, you stay hidden here. If you have a good shot, take it. Do not come out.”

  I left my rifle behind. It was bulky and required both of my hands in a fight. I wanted my hands free while I maneuvered through the brush, and if I did need a gun, I still had my pistols. Sliding my dagger free from its sheath, I circled around behind the soldiers. My footsteps were silent as I prowled through the shadows. Pausing behind a thick oak tree, I sent a silent message to Kaelem that I was ready. A bolt whistled into the camp, straight into the leader’s chest.

  “We’re under attack!” the female soldier shouted. She crouched down over the leader’s body while the others aimed their rifles into the trees.

  An arrow whizzed into the camp from the direction of the pond and slammed into another soldier. The man’s body jerked on impact, causing the rifle to fire into the air. The remaining soldiers panicked and fired off rounds in every direction. I ducked down to avoid getting hit by a stray bullet and hoped everyone else was doing the same. Wolfe’s soldiers were not great shooters but they could get lucky from time to time.

  “Hold your fire!” the female screamed. The shooting ceased.

  I peeked around the tree trunk. The remaining soldiers stood in a circle, shifting nervously, their rifles pointing out at the trees surrounding our camp. The forest was silent except for the distant cries of Howlers who had heard the commotion.

  “Are they gone?” a male soldier asked.

  On cue, more arrows zipped into the camp. Two more soldiers went down and another one screamed in agony. Five had been killed or wounded.

  “There are three shooters!” the female soldier shouted at them. “Find them before they kill us all!”

  Four soldiers stayed in the camp while the others paired off and headed in different directions, toward Tallon, Kaelem, and Camellia. Tallon and Kaelem had more arrows. Brock had likely blended into the forest, waiting for his chance to strike, but Camellia …

  Keeping out of sight, I slipped into the shadows to trail the two men headed toward my sister’s hiding place. I tightened the grip on my blade, preparing to bring them down before they sensed my presence.

  I was almost on top of them when rifles fired behind me. Soldiers were shooting into the trees at Tallon and Kaelem. There wasn’t an opportunity to warn them or worry. The soldiers I’d been tracking whipped around at the sound of gunfire, ready to return fire. They spotted me. We stared at each other for a split second before I charged. I planted a kick into one soldier’s chest, knocking him to the ground. The other lifted his rifle but his draw was slow.
I lunged forward, knocking the gun away with my forearm and shoving my blade up under his ribcage with the other. The soldier shrieked and fell to the ground. Another shot boomed behind me and I heard a scream echo through the trees.

  Camellia! I thought wildly, biting back a curse. She’s been shot.

  The skin on the side of my neck began to burn and a warmth seeped down onto my shoulder and down my back. I couldn’t worry about that. The first soldier I’d kicked away had gained his footing and his rifle was aimed at me.

  He hesitated, his eyes widening in recognition. “TS1,” he muttered.

  A flash of blonde hair darted out of the shadows to my right. It had to be Camellia. Why had she come out of hiding? I clenched my teeth together to keep from crying out and drawing attention to her.

  “So?” I said.

  Keeping his rifle pressed against his shoulder, he said, “You will be coming with us, along with TS2.”

  Camellia crept up behind the soldier. My stomach dropped when I noticed her hands were empty. Where was her crossbow? It would have been an easy shot.

  “I don’t think so,” I said with a derisive snort, keeping the soldier’s eyes trained on me. “I’ll die first.”

  The soldier took aim, but he was bluffing. He’d been ordered to bring me in alive.

  Camellia’s hands clamped down on the man’s shoulders. His eyes pinched shut and he began to howl. In the throes of agony, his hands clenched up and squeezed off another round right at me. I flinched backward to avoid being shot and landed hard on my back. The burning on my neck had spread to my skull.

  I’ve been shot.

  I blinked up at the night sky and took a breath. The cries of the soldier suddenly ceased.

  Camellia. Where’s my sister? I have to get up.

  The side of my head was on fire, but I dug my fingers into the dirt and groaned, willing myself to my knees. Blood trickled down into my right eye, but out of my left I saw a fuzzy image of a person with blonde hair racing toward me. Behind her was another large dark shadow.

  “Camellia,” I croaked, barely getting the words past my lips. “Watch out!”

  I staggered to my feet and somehow managed to slip my pistol from its holster. Why hadn’t I shot those two men to begin with? I’d been shot twice for my mistake.

  “Ravyn!” Camellia cried out. “You’re bleeding!”

  I raised my pistol to the man sneaking up on her. “Behind you, Camellia!”

  “No, don’t shoot him!” Camellia wailed, holding up her hands to stop me. “It’s Kieron.”

  “Kieron,” I whispered. I blinked a couple of times, trying to bring them both into focus. A strong muscled arm caught me around my shoulders and waist and eased me to the ground.

  “I’ve got you,” Kieron said in his baritone voice.

  “I’m fine,” I said.

  “You’re not fine,” he replied. “You’ve been shot twice.”

  “Tallon … Brock …” I managed to choke out. My head and neck were on fire where the bullets had torn across my flesh.

  “They’re alive,” Camellia assured me.

  A cloth was pressed to my neck to staunch the flow of blood. Another compress was placed on the side of my forehead where the second bullet had grazed me.

  “Soldiers …” I said on an exhale. “Dead?”

  “Yes,” Kieron replied. “Now sit still so you can stop bleeding. You’re lucky those soldiers can’t shoot straight. They’re only flesh wounds.”

  Camellia’s soft fingers gripped my hand. “It’s alright, Ravyn. We’re safe.”

  ***

  An hour later we’d found a new place to camp, but we were all too restless to sleep. A fire was blazing, keeping the chill in the air at bay. Everyone had eaten more of the roasted turkey that Tallon had caught, and Camellia had brewed some pine needle tea.

  Brock and Tallon sat side by side across from me, cleaning the blood from their blades and salvaging any arrows that hadn’t been broken during the fight. Camellia slept curled up under a blanket to my right. Kaelem rested with his back against a tree about thirty feet away from everyone, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

  Kieron sat on a large stone to my left, his eyes fixed on the ground. His shirt was torn in several places. The hair on his head had grown out some, and dark facial hair covered his chin and upper lip, making him look older than eighteen.

  Feeling the weight of my stare, Kieron met my gaze. “Feeling better?”

  I rubbed where the bullet had grazed my temple. The skin had healed over perfectly, as usual. “Seems to be. How did you find us?”

  Kieron shrugged. “Rifles are pretty loud.”

  “You came back to help us?”

  “I saw that soldier shoot you,” he said. “It didn’t even phase you, but I could see the blood pouring down your shoulder. Your sister … she’d been hiding in the brush … she was trying to load another bolt into her crossbow. She gave up and charged out to help you. Did something to paralyze the guy. When his rifle went off and you went down …” Kieron shook his head. “… I lost it. I shoved your sister to the side and …” He turned his eyes to the ground again. “I don’t like seeing you get hurt. I never did at the compound either.” Kieron turned his gaze back to me. His dark eyes held a warmth that I recognized from our time at the compound.

  Ignoring his longing look, I turned to Brock. “Did the soldiers have any serum?”

  “We didn’t find any,” Brock replied.

  “We still have the one Thorne gave us before we split up,” said Tallon. “It’s in my bag.”

  Brock squeezed Tallon’s knee. She smiled at him and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

  “It used to be like that between us,” Kieron murmured to me.

  “We’re not talking about that, Kieron,” I snapped. “It was too long ago.”

  Disappointment filled his gaze. “I swear I didn’t betray you, Ravyn. No matter what you believe.”

  “You were the only one who knew about me. Who else could have told him?”

  “I don’t know, but it wasn’t me,” he barked.

  I swallowed and stared at my old friend. It was still strange, seeing Kieron in his right mind again. His eyes had softened, and instead of a scowl, his lips naturally curved into a slight smile.

  “It doesn’t matter now, Kieron.”

  “It does matter,” he insisted. “It changes everything! Whatever happened this last year … I don’t remember any of it. I’m still the guy who loves you.”

  “Things have changed for me,” I explained, a lump forming in my throat. “I love Thorne now.”

  Kieron’s shoulders sagged. “Then what are you doing here? Why were you following me?”

  “We thought the General might be looking for you, and we were right.”

  “Why would he even care what happens to me?” Kieron asked.

  “He’s not hunting you to make sure you’re safe, Kieron. He’s determined to make you his mind-slave again.”

  “I won’t let that happen again, he can’t …”

  “He can and he will. If we hadn’t been here …” I shook my head and ran my hands through my hair. “They were tracking you. One of the soldiers had a device that pinpointed your exact location. They knew you were nearby.”

  Kieron turned away from me for a second. “You mean this?” He turned back to me and held out what looked like a tiny, hand-held computer.

  “Yes,” I answered, taking the device from him. I turned it over and over in my hands and then pressed the large button on the front. The screen came to life, glowing green. A small map showed on the screen, revealing a blinking red dot. At the top of the screen it read Target within 10 feet. “This is you.”

  “How could they know my exact location?” he asked, his voice filled with skepticism.

  I looked him up and down. “They’ve traced you somehow.”

  Back to Map

  Table of Contents

  17

  Thorne

 
The guard escorted us to a smaller home along the outer edge of the village and, according to him, it had been standing empty for over six months. The former occupants had died or moved to different housing. Regardless, I didn’t ask questions and was grateful that we had some shelter from the wintry chill of the night air.

  The tiny mud-brick structure was even smaller than Hawke’s cabin, and the ceilings were a few inches above our heads at seven feet in height. It was a simple home - no walls or separate rooms. One chamber held the living room, dining area, and bedroom. It would be sufficient for our short stay.

  Before the guard returned to his duties at the dome, he pointed out a small stream that flowed fifty yards behind the house. The narrow channel of water ran east into the lake we had travelled around only a few hours ago.

  The next morning, washed and wearing clean clothes, we headed to the north end of town where the market was located.

  “It’s ridiculous to tote our packs into the market,” Pierce growled as we meandered through the crowd down the north road. “Except for that Saber fur, we don’t have anything worth stealing.”

  “Humph.”

  “Don’t grunt at me, Thorne,” Pierce grumbled, rolling his eyes. “I hate when you do that.”

  Archer chuckled. “I didn’t get a good vibe from the Governor. It’s best to be prepared to make a quick escape if we must.”

  Pierce quirked an eyebrow. “Even without all our weapons?”

  I halted and faced my brother. “We don’t have much choice. We can get replacements for our weapons back in Peton.”

  “With only one blade each to get us back home?”

  “We’ll manage,” I said.

  “Yeah,” he drawled. “But this time it’s different.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. “Let’s get our business done and then we can go.”

  “What about our plan of finding allies?” Archer murmured. “Are we ditching that idea?”

  I shrugged, keeping my focus on the crowd. “One thing at a time.”