by Kass Morgan
She knew he was right, but hearing the tenderness in his voice was enough to make that weight disappear, if only for a moment. “Yes, if you can forgive me.”
He let out a long sigh. “I haven’t really been myself lately. You were right to be cautious.”
She stopped walking and turned to look up at him. “I love all of you, Bellamy Blake.”
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair.
The others were waiting anxiously for them when they returned. Clarke told them about Cooper, and then went to hold a shaking Vale, who’d collapsed into tears.
“He didn’t have to come,” Vale said in between sobs. “He volunteered because that’s the kind of person he is… was…”
“And we’re sure as hell going to make sure he didn’t die in vain,” Bellamy said, pacing over to some bags by the fire. “We’re going to rescue our people, and then we’re going to make the bastards pay. For Cooper. For our camp. For god knows what else they’ve destroyed, and think they can get away with it.” He reached into one of the bags and pulled out a gun.
“We got them from our enemy’s armory,” Luke explained to Clarke. “We emptied the whole thing out. We carried what we could here, before we heard you scream, and we hid the rest of it in the woods. I also had the opportunity to look at the structure itself. It looks impregnable from a distance, but when you get close, you discover fissures running all along the foundations, probably caused by the blasts from the Cataclysm and natural erosion over time. All it would take is careful placement of even a handful of these explosives and those outer walls would come tumbling down.”
Luke nodded to Bellamy. He stepped forward and picked up the thread.
“During the chaos, the raiders will run for their arsenal—and they’ll find it emptied out. Some of them will already have weapons on hand, of course. We’ll focus on those people, disarm them first, then head to the armory, where the rest of them will be gathered together in a tight space.”
“Sitting ducks,” Felix said, smiling weakly.
Clarke’s heart clenched a little. Bellamy had used those same words when he’d confronted Clarke about his suspicions before the Harvest Feast. He must’ve sensed her pain, because he lowered his gun and walked over to take her hand.
“Once they’ve been neutralized, we’ll find our friends and lead them home,” he went on. “Maybe we’ll even take back some of the food and supplies they stole from us on the way out.”
Paul snorted. “Three problems. This is a sophisticated enemy, their fortress is a death trap, and… oh yeah, you’re all going to die.”
“Funny how you keep saying you like you’re not coming with us,” Jessa said, nudging her gun at him. Paul’s face went bone white.
“Clarke, you know this is insane, right?” Paul looked at her imploringly.
“Well,” she said slowly. “It’s brash and reckless and a little bit impulsive…” Bellamy started to flush slightly. “But it’s also clever and brave. All the things I love most.” She smiled at him. “Lead the way, Councilor.”
CHAPTER 27
Wells
As Wells walked through the halls of the Stone, the Protectors looked at him, their heads turning in a slow wave. But instead of suspicion, their eyes shone with approval.
Word had traveled fast. Oak had made sure of it. Anger pulsed through Wells’s veins.
On their way back to the barracks, Oak steered Wells into the mess hall. “Dinner’s over, but Soren knows you missed your meal, so we’ve saved some for you.”
Wells was surprised to see Octavia waiting for them there, carrying a silver platter. “I was sent to bring food to…” She nodded toward Wells.
“Eat, son,” Oak said, guiding him to a table. He patted Wells on the back and then ambled off to go talk to a few Protectors in the corner of the room, giving Wells and Octavia a blessed moment of alone time—another sign that they trusted him.
“Glass asked me to find you,” Octavia said quickly and quietly, glancing to the corner. No one was watching them. “She found some things out about this Pairing Ceremony. It’s bad, Wells. We need to get out of here. I hate to admit it, but I’m—I’m scared.”
“I know,” Wells said. “These people are monsters. But look, I have a plan. They’re going to put all of the recruits together for the Pairing Ceremony, right?”
Octavia nodded, slowly placing his meal in front of him. “Right. Glass said we’d be in the Heart of the Stone.”
“But not all of the actual Protectors will be there,” Wells continued. “Some will have to be guarding the building. So I’d bet there are going to be more recruits than Protectors present at the ceremony.”
Octavia cast her gaze around the room. “You’re saying… you think we’ll outnumber them?”
Wells nodded. “I’m betting on it. If we can convince all the other recruits to rise up against the Protectors—”
“We’d have an actual shot of getting out,” Octavia cut in, her eyes ablaze, her face flushed with hope.
“Spread the word to the girls you trust. Tell them to get ready to run, but make sure they don’t act suspicious. I’m going to do the same with the guys. We don’t want the Protectors to have their guard up during the Pairing Ceremony, we want them to think we’re all going along with it happily.” He paused, thinking. “Get word to Glass too, if you can. What’s the latest with the boats? Will we know what to do when we get to them?”
“Oh, I think we’ll be fine. I’ve been practicing rowing.”
Wells’s jaw dropped. “What? When?”
“I convinced the Protector that oversees my laundry shift that we also needed to be cleaning the boats, since they were touching the precious river. She’s had me on boat-cleaning duty ever since, and whenever the Protectors look away, I grab a paddle and have at it.”
He shook his head with a smile. “You’re amazing, O.”
She shrugged and grinned. “I have my moments.” Then she grabbed the tray up and walked quickly out of the room.
After Wells finished eating, Oak came back to escort him to his quarters. As they walked, the older man droned on incessantly. “Mother says we’re going to put roots here,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean our work stops. We’re going to go up and down the coast. There may be other settlements in the area, and we’ll find them. We’re going to set up more fortresses like this one until there’s no one left but us, if Earth wills it.”
“If Earth wills it.” Wells’s tone was dripping with sarcasm, but Oak didn’t notice.
The Protector clasped Wells’s shoulder as they rounded the corner. “You’re going to be a part of that, boy. You’ve proven yourself now. You’ll be real useful, I can tell.”
“I appreciate that, Oak,” Wells said darkly.
When they reached the barracks, Wells saw the two Protectors who had dragged him into the basement only hours earlier to be interrogated. They grinned at him now, clapping him on the arm.
“We heard you made your first sacrifice tonight,” one said, eyebrows raised. “Earth be good. Welcome to the fold.”
Wells forced a “thank you” past clenched lips. Was that what these people called the murders they committed? A sacrifice?
Oak held the door to the sleeping quarters open for Wells, then led him to his cage. All of the other guys were already in their cages, asleep.
“Get some rest, son,” Oak said, locking him in. “At sunrise tomorrow, you officially become a Protector—and you’re going to want all of your energy for that. We’ll be back to get you soon.”
When Oak had left the room, Wells curled up on the mat in his cage. “Eric,” he whispered to the cot next to him.
Eric didn’t respond. From the steady pattern of his heavy breaths, it was clear he was fast asleep.
A pit formed in Wells’s stomach. If he couldn’t talk to the guys tonight, he’d have to try to get to them all in the morning. He hoped it’d be enough.
Th
e door to their sleeping quarters slammed open. “Rise and shine, recruits,” Oak shouted cheerily. He walked up and down the row of cages, unlocking them all. “It’s almost sunrise. Get dressed, and we’ll be back to collect you soon. You’ll become Protectors today, if Earth wills it.”
As Oak strolled back out of the room, all of the guys crawled out of their cages. Wells tried to make eye contact with Eric and Kit, but they both looked quickly away.
The young recruit who’d been with him at the farm site glanced over at Wells. “We heard you killed Graham.”
So this was why their eyes were all shuttered. They weren’t sure if they could trust him.
“I didn’t,” Wells answered bluntly. “Graham killed himself to save the rest of us.”
He held his breath as a ripple of murmurs passed through the crowded room.
Wells strode forward. “All Graham wanted was to get home to his people, but he died a hero instead.”
His shoulders taut as bowstrings, Wells watched the dozen or so recruits that were not from their camp, checking each of their reactions. They were exchanging nervous glances, but underneath that knee-jerk response, Wells could see vulnerability.
He could see them starting to hope.
He walked up to the young recruit from the farm. “What’s your name?” Wells asked.
“Cob,” the boy said, eyes wide with apprehension.
“Cob,” Wells repeated, smiling. “It’s good to meet you. I’m Wells. Where are you from, Cob?”
The room drew in a scattered gasp at the question. Wells knew the question was taboo; they were supposed to have washed away their pasts in the river.
“I’m from… from here,” Cob sputtered. “I’m from the Stone.”
Wells shook his head, patient. “Before that.”
Cob paled, but he drew a deep breath. “I’m… from the mountains.”
“Tell me about it.”
“It’s a small…” His head sank. “Was a small village in a mountain valley, a week’s journey from here. The Protectors found us and recruited me as they made their way to the Stone. We kept sheep and goats. My mom worked the wool and my pa… my pa…” His voice dwindled, choked by the memories of all he’d lost. He shook his head, his eyes filling up.
Wells pressed a hand to his shoulder, then moved down the row to a heavyset recruit a little older than the others. “How about you?”
“We washed all that away in the river,” the recruit said brusquely, his expression closed off.
Wells nodded, considering. Either this guy was a true believer or he thought this was a test. There was so much fear rippling through the room, Wells could practically feel it. The older recruit was watching him with suspicion.
“My home,” Wells said, his voice rising, “is a few days west of here. It’s a camp that a hundred of us built with our hands and our sweat and our blood after crash-landing on the planet. We fought hard to make a home there… and I will be damned if I’m going to wash the memory of it away, just because a bunch of murderers told me ‘Earth wills it.’” He raised his hands to make air quotes, rewarded by the sound of a few tentative laughs.
“I wake up every morning thinking that I’m there,” Wells went on, his heart pounding. “And when I remember what happened to the place I love, the people I love, the only thing that gets me out of that”—he pointed to his empty cage—“is revenge.”
Several of the men were nodding now. Eric glanced at Kit, their eyes shining with quiet hope.
“Your minds are your own,” Wells said, his voice rising as he paced up and down the row. “But I’m going to tell you what I think. I think that river washed nothing away. I think you’re still there, all of you, strong and angry as ever.” He pointed to the closed door. “I don’t know if they’re human anymore. But we are. Our memories matter. Our homes matter. Our people matter.”
The men stood up now, one after another, their faces bright as torches, burning with rage.
“I think I’m not going to live another second as one of them,” Wells shouted, the others roaring back in agreement. “When they take us to the Heart of the Stone, we will fight back. Our captivity ends today. Who’s—?”
A colossal, deafening bang echoed through the walls, the floor, into his very bones. Wells careened to the side. Plaster fell from the ceiling. The rest of the rebels rose slowly from where they’d fallen, getting their balance as they looked frantically around.
“What’s happening?” Eric shouted.
Someone’s blowing down the freaking walls, Wells thought, but before he could voice that theory, there came another boom, this one closer. It felt as if the walls around them were going to crumble. Wells struggled upward and staggered to the door.
“Let’s move!” he shouted to the others, waiting to wave them through the doorway.
“Where are we going?” asked Cob, grabbing Wells’s arm as he passed.
Another explosion rocked the floor, the sound of screams joining with the clattering din, so loud that Wells had to shout to be heard.
“How does home sound?” he yelled.
Cob shot him a wild grin. “It sounds just about perfect!”
CHAPTER 28
Glass
It was the darkest hour before the sunrise, and it was about to happen.
The Pairing Ceremony.
Margot had shaken Glass awake a few minutes ago, and instructed her to go get the other female recruits. To lead them to their fates. Glass’s knees trembled as she got out of her bed and pulled on her white dress, braiding her hair back.
This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Wells was supposed to have figured out an escape plan by now. Was it possible that Octavia hadn’t been able to find him? Or maybe her friends left without her. Her stomach felt leaden, filled with dread.
Half in a daze, Glass moved throughout the dark corridors of the Stone, Margot trailing behind her. When they reached the women’s den, Margot unlocked the door. Glass stepped in, hands shaking.
All the girls were awake already, sitting on their mats, tidily made up for the Ceremony. Glass caught Octavia’s eye, but Octavia kept her face schooled, giving away nothing.
“It’s time,” Glass told them. The girls filed past her and out the door, Octavia quickly squeezing her hand.
Margot led the front of the line, Glass following in the back. She kept her step steady, but her eyes darted everywhere—the crumbling alley to the left, the jagged path past a heap of rubble to the right, searching frantically for a way out of here, away from this.
It wasn’t too late. Instead of continuing to walk to the Heart of the Stone, she could grab her friends and lead them in the opposite direction. She could keep them going until they reached the outer gates. But then what?
Could they possibly fight their way past the Protectors posted at every exit? And even if they did make it out, was she strong enough to make sure they could all escape and survive out there, with winter looming and god knew what other dangers lying in wait?
Glass stopped walking, closing her eyes. She drew a determined breath, ready to warn the white-clad young women about what lay ahead. But before she could speak a single word, Octavia darted back to her and gripped her arm, her eyes flashing a warning. Far ahead at the front of the line, Margot was oblivious.
“Not yet,” Octavia hissed into Glass’s ear. “Wells has a plan. It’s happening soon. We just need to be ready to run.”
Octavia slunk forward to take her place in the tidy line. Stunned, Glass scanned the rest of them and saw a grim line to their mouths, a fearful but steely glint in their eyes. They all knew.
Glass blinked at Octavia. Octavia nodded once, then lifted her chin and stared blankly ahead.
Onward, then.
Glass kept them moving, her own heart flailing in her chest, all the way to the Heart of the Stone.
It wasn’t until they walked in that her step faltered. This couldn’t be it. She must have made a wrong turn. Glass knew every inch of this place b
y now, mapped in her mind as if etched there permanently, so she was sure she’d taken them to the right place. But no… this was impossible.
In the center of the orchard was a grotesque construction: a carefully erected gazebo made of bones—human bones. And on it stood the High Protector, looking beatific, like a priestess waiting to bless her flock.
Peering down at the line of girls, Soren’s eyes landed on Glass and she gave her that loving smile, the one that had previously made Glass feel warm, like she belonged, like she was special. But now Glass saw the truth behind that smile: Her sweet, maternal nature hid the fact that she was brainwashing all her people. Convincing them with her gentleness that something as awful as this Pairing Ceremony was good and natural.
Glass turned, searching desperately for Wells, as Soren began to speak. So far, only the female recruits had been brought into the Heart of the Stone.
“My children. Welcome. Today, I stand upon bones that were once buried in the Earth, bones of the selfish takers whose greed brought on the Cataclysm. As Protectors, it is our duty to take pollutants like this out of our beloved Earth. The Pairing Ceremony is our promise to Earth, so we perform it standing on these bones as a reminder that we have formed a better, more thoughtful society. As Earth has brought you to us, now we must give back to Earth, planting seeds that will…”
Glass could hardly hear her through the pounding of her own heart. She glanced right to see Octavia perched on the balls of her feet, ready to run.
Glass closed her eyes, picturing the best way out of here. West and then south and then straight through the narrow, jagged alley and out to the fields… she just needed to wait for the—
A great, shattering boom drowned out Glass’s thoughts and Soren’s speech.
By the time Glass opened her eyes again, the ground was lurching beneath her feet. She knew only too well what this was. An explosion… the kind that destroyed everything in its path. Just like the explosions that had rocked her camp.
