Hotter on the Edge

by Erin Kellison

  Lake nodded, but hadn't wanted to go. Guests were a rare treat and so was hearing of the latest news from Portal City. But these three men weren't ordinary travelers. With their camouflaged uniforms and large guns strapped to their backs, Lake knew they were soldiers—Rebels.

  Lake tucked Vonn into the bed that they shared, and then pressed her ear to the thin wall.

  "The manufacturing of microbiotics does not belong to the Elders alone," said one of the men. The fierce looking one with the bright blue eyes? Maybe. He seemed like the leader with his greying hair and chiseled look of a man long on the run.

  "The Way is clear on this matter," her father answered. "A simple life leads to God, and the Elders forge the path. To go outside this arrangement tempts God's displeasure."

  Someone pounded on the table—the younger man with the scar on his cheek? He had seemed angrier, the more impetuous of the three. "And what about God's displeasure when hundreds of men die from infection? What about God's displeasure then, old man?"

  "If those men were followers of The Way, then they wouldn't have to die. They'd get the medicine," her father shouted back.

  "That's not true. The supplies of microbiotics are dwindling as we speak."

  "Who's to say that their deaths aren't God's way of dealing with wrong doers?" her father said.

  There were more shouts and curses. Arguments that went long into the night until finally Lake gave up and crawled into bed alongside Vonn. She wrapped her body around his small frame, letting his heat warm her chilled bones.

  Lake could've told the Rebels her father would never help the Rebellion. How many times had she fought with him over the very same thing? How many times had she told her father that the Elders were corrupt and could no longer lead them in the Path?

  But her father was loyal to The Way. He was one of the lucky ones. He'd been able to afford a wife and now had a daughter to sell. Her father had made a nice living for himself under the Elders' rule. He would never risk his future even if he was fearful of the Elder's cruel swift justice. Her father would never risk his family by throwing his lot in with the Rebels, who were mostly poor men with nothing to lose.

  There was a chance that Vonn could follow in their father's footsteps and become a chemist for the Elders, but Lake didn't think so. Beyond the basics, Vonn had no aptitude for learning. He'd rather play at make-believe and spend his days watching the animals in the forest. Lake wrapped her finger around the white-capped curls of Vonn's hair. More than likely he'd become a field hand, never able to afford a family of his own.

  The shocking cold of the water brought Lake back to the present as she passed through the small stream, the rocks slippery with moss under her feet. The landscape had changed. The barren expanse of the desert was now marked with a few sparse trees. Small thistly bushes lined the bank. The mountains still loomed in the distance, but no more than a few hours walk away. This journey across the valley shouldn't have taken so long, but the months she'd spent in prison in a dark, wet cell had taken their toll.

  If the Elders had known it was her who'd crept out that night and chased down the Rebels—if they'd have known it was her, and not her father, who had brought a computer into their home to work on the formula, she would've been executed right alongside her parents.

  An owl's hoot drifted on the night air. Fear clawed in her throat as she tried to decipher the call. Real or fake? Real or fake? She unsheathed her sword, startling the large bird of prey from his perch above her. She watched its flight across the sky and remembered another call, part raven, part owl that had awakened her from her sleep.

  "Hurry, children," her father had whispered as he roused them from bed. "Run to the forest. The Elders have come."

  Panic spiked through her blood, racing her heart, freezing her muscles. Had they come for her? Had she been found out? "Why, Dad? What's happened?"

  "Nothing child, I'm sure it's just a raid. But go anyway, no use inciting men with a glimpse of a beautiful girl." He winked at her and then was gone.

  Her heart pounded, and her palms were wet as she dragged a disorientated Vonn out of bed and toward the bedroom door.

  "Lakie, what's going on?" He'd grabbed his white tattered blanket and was holding it up to one eye.

  "Hush, Vonn, you need to listen. You have to go to the safe place. You remember where I showed you to hide? Good. I'll be right behind you. No, just go. Quickly now."

  Lake turned around, her mind a disoriented jumble. Think, Lake, where did you put it? Where? Last night the wind had beaten against the walls. Inside she'd been warm and safe in her bed, her computer propped up on her lap. After she was done she would’ve gotten up, put on her coat and shoes and taken the contraband outside. She would've hidden it like she had every night over the past few months. But she hadn't. Just this once, she'd thought it would be all right. Just this once, she'd slipped her computer under the bed instead of taking it outside to the safe place the Rebels had made for her.

  She dived toward the bed, her fingernails clawing on the hard-packed dirt floor. The door banged open. Rough hands captured her from behind and hauled her out the bedroom door. Most of the men had clubs or swords—some had guns. Someone grabbed her hair and pulled, she fell—didn't matter—she was dragged outside.

  "We have nothing. Nothing! " her mother sobbed over and over again.

  Lake ran to her, wrapping her arms around her mother's trembling frame. "It's alright, Mom. Everything will be alright. Dad will make them see. We have nothing to hide."

  Then there was a shout—a battle cry of sorts. It trembled the ground, entered her body, making her head snap up, her back arch. COMPUTER!!

  It happened so fast. Fire came out of nowhere. Flames licked at the thatch roof of her home. Men ripped her mother out of her arms, dragged her parents before the head Elder and forced them to kneel.

  "No! No! It's mine. Please! " Lake fought, just like her father had taught her, but she had no weapon. No chance. A fist came out of the inky blackness and got her across her face. She opened her eyes. A dark pool had formed under her nose. She pushed herself up from the ground, but there was nowhere to go—for her. But Vonn?

  Run, Vonn! Run!

  A cloaked man stood before her parents—his robe thicker and of better quality than the men around him, face hidden deep within his hood. He spoke some words—a judgment? But Lake couldn't hear over the roar of the flames. A sword, flashing orange from the fire, rose. Light caught two flat red stones that peered out at her like eyes on the hilt. Then the sword fell. Once. Twice. Two heads in the dirt. The grass shiny with blood. And Lake all alone.

  Chapter Four

  The sun was high and beating down hard from a white sky. All of Lake's water was gone, and her head throbbed to the pulsing of her heart. But she'd made it to the base of the mountain. All she had to do was climb up.

  Lake allowed her gaze to trace the winding trail and would've cried if she'd had any energy left. She thought of sitting, taking a break, closing her eyes.

  Did they have Vonn?

  One foot in front of the other. There was no other option.

  Lake had no idea how long she'd walked, but by the time she'd ducked into the cool darkness of the cave, the sun was low and tired in the sky, sinking like an old man into his bed.

  Inside, large smooth boulders were arranged around an ashy fire pit. The ceiling rounded up into an uneven dome. Faded images of men with arrows chasing animals, long gone from this world, danced across the walls. Near the back, natural depressions in the cave lead to small slits in the rock, but as far as she knew there was only one way in and one way out. She stuck her hand behind a rock ledge and pulled out a water jug and some dried meat. Every time she'd been here the provisions had been replaced and were somewhat fresh.

  She ripped off the cap and downed the water, spilling just as much down her neck as she did her throat, wetting her shirt.

  "Careful or you'll throw it all back up."

  Lake startled. She'd thou
ght she was alone. Turning, she reached for the hilt of her sword. Behind her, where the sunlight didn't dare shine, Lake watched a shadow separate itself from the surrounding darkness. A hooded, cloaked figure stepped forward on silent feet.

  Elder. Lake dropped the jug and unsheathed her sword. Her skill with the weapon was nowhere near that of an Elder. They were trained masters, but she might be able to buy herself enough time to run.

  "Easy, White Fox. You're among friends," he said, and lowered his deep hood, exposing a smooth expanse of scalp.

  Grey Owl. She'd never been so grateful to see a balding head in her life. If he'd ever had hair, she couldn't have guessed. Even his eyebrows were only raised pink ridges. He'd been with the Rebels the night they visited her father. He had come back with the computer and taught her how to use it. He had made the safe place, had been her contact since she'd joined the Rebellion. Grey Owl was her last and only friend.

  "Sorry about the robes," Grey Owl said. "Slipping back and forth through the Portal is easier when you don't look like a Rebel."

  "I thought I was alone." Lake's hand trembled as she tried to sheath her sword, but Grey Owl was kind enough not to mention her unsteadiness.

  There was an uneasy moment of silence. For months the question of Vonn's fate had burned in her gut, but now that the answer was before her, she couldn't seem to form the words. Lake's arms folded over her belly. Either way, it all ended here. "Do you have Vonn? Do you know if the Elders found him? Is he alive?"

  Grey Owl stepped forward, concern making deep ridges in his forehead. "At ease, White Fox. He's doing well. Missing his sister, asking about his parents, but for the most part loving at playing soldier."

  Lake heard the words, but she needed to be absolutely sure. Needed to make sure there was no misunderstanding. "So you have him? He—Vonn is alive?"

  Grey Owl's pink ridges rose. "Yes. I'm so sorry. I wish there had been a way to tell you, but I couldn't take the risk."

  Lake shook her head, and then drew the first full breath she had in months. The rush of oxygen made her dizzy. She lowered herself onto a rock, placing her head between her knees.

  Vonn was alive!

  "I heard what happened to your family," Grey Owl said. "The Elders are tightening their grip and increasing their raids. The word in the camp is that it's The Face of Ram who's been spearheading the movement."

  She straightened to look at Grey Owl. "The Face of Ram? Who's that?"

  Grey Owl shrugged. "We know nothing, except the sword he carries has the image of a ram etched in the hilt with rubies for eyes." He came over and squeezed her shoulder. "There's nothing we can do for your parents, but your brother is safe. When I heard about the raid I went to see if anything could be salvaged. I checked the safe place and found Vonn hidden inside. I took him with me when I went through to Dark Planet."

  Maybe God didn't hate her. Could it be that she hadn't fallen into disfavor? Something cool tickled her cheeks. Wet splotches marked the dust by her feet.

  There was an awkward clearing of his throat. Apparently dealing with weeping females wasn't high on his list of duties. "White Fox, we need to know, do you have the formula?"

  The computer, the microbiotics, the night of the raid, all of it came back and rested like a heavy cloak around her shoulders. She looked up and nodded. "I figured out the organic compound the night of the raid."

  Grey Owl looked surprised. Only a few deep wrinkles marked the corners of his outer eyes, yet he carried himself as a man who should have many. Lake wondered how many years he'd devoted to the Rebellion. "I had no idea you had figured it out so quickly, but this is good. Very good. Did you bring the formula with you?"

  Lake tapped her temple. "It's all right here. I can set up a lab once I'm at the Rebel camp."

  She trusted Grey Owl, but she wasn't reunited with Vonn yet, and the formula was her only bargaining advantage.

  "You're coming with me?"

  "Yes, of course, that's where Vonn is. We'll be safe on Dark Planet."

  He narrowed his eyes and stepped closer, using his height to loom over her. "I heard that you were married, that your 'bride price' was paid by some stupid farmer. I also heard that you were with child. Are you a free woman to come and go as you choose?"

  "I thought all men and women were free according to the Rebellion."

  "Don't be coy with me, gal. We still have to contend with Elder law. So tell me do you have a husband who is hunting you down as we speak?"

  Hudson. It grated her on so many levels that he had rights to her. He would chase after her. She remembered the determined look in his eye, the stubborn tic in his jaw. There was no place on earth she could go that Hudson wouldn't follow. He'd hunt her down, of that she was sure.

  A nervous tingle started in her belly when she noticed night had fallen. He'd threatened before to chain her to his bed. Even if she went back right now, his trust would be broken. He would never allow her to be out of his sight again. She'd be useless to the Rebellion.

  Besides, would he allow Vonn to stay with them? Take on another mouth to feed? She couldn't take the chance of him saying no. If she went to Dark Planet she could choose her own path, have a crucial part in the Rebellion, and Vonn would be with her.

  This wrestling of conscience was ridiculous. She'd made her decision even before she'd spoken the words to Hudson. Lake shook her head, already seeing where Grey Owl was leading to. "No, I escaped from prison. Other than being a criminal under Elder law, I'm a free woman."

  The lines around his eyes grew deeper as he stared her down. "You wouldn't be lying to me? I've been around a long time and have seen everything under the sun. If I took a married woman with me to Dark Planet it would be nothing short of wife-stealing. If the people got wind that the Rebels were taking wives, all public sympathy would cease. We'd be no better than the Elders, who kidnap daughters and wives for their own use. This is the people's rebellion, and I'd be willing to jeopardize the Cause about as much as I'd be willing to stop breathing."

  Grey Owl was a good Rebel, but he was also old-fashioned. He believed public opinion mattered, but the Elders had been in power despite public opinion for years. It was the microbiotics that would win this war. The fickle sway of the people's loyalty was a small price to pay to be free of her husband. Lake stared him in the eye and nodded. She'd become rather good at lying.

  "Good, so then before we go any further, show me your back."

  Apparently not that good.

  Lake swallowed. The low of a woman's back was the most intimate place on a female. A virgin only uncovered her back to her husband, and then only on her wedding night. To show Grey Owl that spot was to break with all modesty. But so far she'd broken all the rules, why should this time be any different?

  Lake couldn't help the flush of heat to her face as she turned and lifted her shirt to expose the smallest sliver of skin. Even when she'd kissed Hudson she hadn't felt this exposed. Between the auction and their arrangement there hadn't been time for the wedding night and the subsequent Marking. Lake was glad that she'd demanded to have her side of the bargain fulfilled first.

  "That shows me nothing, gal. Pull down your waistband. Your husband could be poor and only have the smallest name to Mark you with. Lower or I'll pull your pants down myself."

  Let me die. But Lake had prayed for that before and nothing had happened. She closed her eyes and pulled on the drawstring of her pants to expose the small of her back.

  "There's no Mark. You're clean. We'll rest here tonight and be on our way first thing tomorrow morning."

  "No, we need to be off now," Lake said, already grabbing her pack, desperately wanting to put more space between her and her husband.

  "Why? Is there something you aren't telling me? I hate to close my eyes tonight only to not wake with someone's knife in my back."

  He was too wily for an old man—years under Elder law did that to a person. But she needed him. There was no way she'd make it through the Portal on her own. "No,
but the Elders could be tracking me. I'm a wanted criminal."

  Grey Owl shook his head. "Elders wouldn't track you this far into no-man's land. Why bother when they know where you're headed."

  "And that is?"

  "Where all the criminals go—Portal City."

  ***

  The day had been unbearable to Hudson. Every hour had stretched as if it were doubled. Every minute forward on the clock gave way to two that stood still. But Hudson had borne it. He bore the sly glances from his men. The looks that said if they'd had a wife they wouldn't have let her go into the night with no protection. They wouldn't have gambled all of their livelihoods on the fickle words of one woman. Everyone knew women couldn't be trusted.

  Yet, there was an epic difference between could and should.

  No, he should be able to trust his wife. She'd given her word, made a promise. A woman who courted death fighting for a cause wasn't without honor. Besides, he had saved her life. That had to be worth something.

  And…and damn himself, but if he was being truthful the promise of oil had the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up.

  Hudson waited. He was a man of his word. Whether his wife was honorable or not, he wouldn't go back on his promise. So he waited. He waited as the sun beat down hard from directly overhead. He waited as the shadows stretched long and dark across his land and his horse was saddled. He waited as he watched the sky turn from blue to purple and the dogs were released from their kennels. But still Hudson waited, still hoped. It wasn't until the pink sunset faded to muted gray. Not until each man was on his horse, dogs straining and braying at their leashes, the scent of his wife's gown fresh in their nostrils. No, not until the last ray of light faded to darkness did Hudson raise his arm…then drop it.

  The hunt was on. He had a disobedient wife to capture.

  The dogs were let loose, barking and snarling as they took the lead. Hudson and his men followed. Cold anger had him riding the horse harder than he should have. Someone had taken his wife or, more likely, she'd lied to him and ran away.