“Dr. Fredericks has been talking to you about having me infiltrate the citizens soon? When?” I ask. My stomach twists at the thought of being expected to turn citizens over to that snake of a man. Plus, I’m not ready to be confined to their routines. I like leaving the Republic and helping people.
“He just said soon.” He shrugs.
“What am I supposed to do? I’m not going to turn anyone in.”
“We’ll figure something out,” he answers.
I hate when he says that. I need more concrete answers. What hasn’t he told me yet? I can’t plan if I don’t know everything there is to know. “You’re right. I will figure it out, since it will be me holding lives in my hands—not you,” I snap at him, though I don’t mean to. I instantly regret it.
My partner stops looking up into the tree. He drops his face so that he can meet my stare. “Mena, I am on your side. I am going to help you. I just don’t know the answer to that right now.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m sorry. I keep forgetting that you don’t know everything about what’s going on. But I can’t help wondering if there are secrets left that you haven’t told me.”
“I’ve told you everything you need to know. The only thing I’ve left out is that I have parents that are still alive in this Republic. I’ve been thinking about them a lot today.” Ryker pulls himself off the ground and dusts off the seat of his black pants. “It’s time to go.”
I feel ashamed that I never considered Ryker having left behind parents. He sacrificed being with them to find out more about the Pump and the secrets of the Republics. He is truly selfless. I hope that I can be as brave as him when the time comes for me to prove myself.
After checking over my knife belt and slipping on a long-sleeved, black shirt—to hide my pale arms—we slip deeper into the woods. I’m careful to watch my step so that we may go undetected. Ryker appears to be sure about where he’s headed. I follow him with confidence. But eventually he slows when we reach the edge of the forest.
“The wheat fields are just out there,” Ryker says as he points in front of him. We duck behind a tree to spy on his former home. “Can you see the watchtower?”
“Yes,” I answer. “It’s just like ours.”
“My father works in that tower. If I had stayed, I would be up there too.”
Beyond the watchtower is a wall surrounding this other Republic. Lights shine in certain spots around the wall. Sometimes an Exalted guard passes in front of them and the light will blink out for a second. Lights shine in the tall buildings behind the wall as well. This city appears to be a little smaller than ours. “You said there were less Exalted here than back in our Republic, right?” I ask my partner.
“Yes.”
We watch the dark scene before us even though we can’t see much. I gaze out onto the fields of another Republic with vigor. Sitting here feels like a step in the right direction. I guess we aren’t actually making any kind of a difference by being here, but I had to see it . . . And Ryker had to see it again. Now, I realize that I’m not only fighting for the people in my Republic, but I’m also fighting for these people and the people of the third Republic. We’re fighting for Ryker’s parents, my parent’s, our friends, and people like Lily, Tom, and Francis. We’re fighting for the free people of Toledo Lake to be able to stay free.
After about two hours, we head back to our camp. “We’ll take another peek before we leave in the morning. We can head over there just before sunrise,” Ryker relays his plan to me.
“That sounds good. I want to see it in daylight.” I make my way over to my little, one-person tent. “Thanks for taking me to see this. It means a lot to me. And thanks for taking me to see Lily. I’m glad that you’re taking care of her. She seemed happy.”
Ryker seems a little taken aback. “Uh. You’re welcome. You don’t need to thank me, Mena. I’m doing all of this because it’s the right thing to do. I want to do it. All of it.”
“I know. I just think that it should be acknowledged,” I say with subtle hint of a smile.
Ryker nods. “Thank you,” he says.
I nod in return and crawl into my tent for the night. Because we are out in the open, I leave my knife belt on. I lie on my back and look up at the peak of the tent. The seam is sewn crooked in one spot. It draws my eyes to it and seems to keep them locked there. As I stare at the insignificant flaw in the fabric, I think about what we can do to cure our people. Do we rally the free people and fight? No, that would end in too much bloodshed. And I know it would be to the free people’s detriment. They don’t stand a chance against an army of Exalted. Should Ryker and I try to form our own army of Exalted? Could that work? Maybe. It would be risky. Killing Dr. Fredericks won’t make a difference. I’m sure there are two others like him in each of the other Republics. There are numerous Ambassadors that could step in his shoes. A cure. We need a cure.
That’s it! The drug. We need to stop the drug—stop the source of our illness. The Ego Sum Creator from the map—Is that what the island is? Do they make the Pump there? Why didn’t I think of this before?
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I had a difficult time falling asleep last night, but I managed to get in about five hours. Once we get up and stretch away the stiffness from sleeping on the hard ground, Ryker and I quickly pack up our things. We leave everything in a pile that we plan to pick up on our way back to the truck. First we need to take one last look at the other Republic. We each eat a dry bagel as we trek through the woods. In between bites, I relay my thoughts to Ryker about the E.S.C. and getting the Exalted to stop taking the Pump. He is impressed.
“I must admit this never crossed my mind,” he says as he steps over a large tree limb. “Well, I’ve thought about getting the other Exalted to stop taking the pills, but more on a one at a time level. But that could work, Mena, if the Ego Sum Creator is, in fact, manufacturing the pills. We definitely need to get you back in that library. Would you really be up for it?” Ryker asks. He comes to a halt next to a pine tree. He’s waiting for me to answer.
I stop next to him and say, “Absolutely. I’m so excited to have a plan that could work. There’s so much to do though. We still need to warn Toledo Lake.” My head is spinning with schedules and plans. It keeps my mind off things of a romantic nature, and I’m happy for that. I can keep focused on our plan right up until the United Ceremony—until I’ll have to deal with it.
My partner begins walking again. I follow after him. The landscape is becoming more familiar now. We both slow when we reach the place we watched the walled city from last night. We duck behind the same tree and spy on the Exalted making their rounds. They are dressed like we dress, in black clothes and black boots. I would imagine that they also wear purple armbands, but I can’t see that far to know for sure. The watchtower is looming over the wheat fields. Inside, there will be two Exalted strapped with rifles. They’ll be looking out for anything suspicious . . . like us.
Ryker and I watch the ordinary scene in silence for a good hour. I don’t take my eyes off the other Republic for all that time, until I feel something crawling on my arm. When I look down, I discover a tree cockroach skittering over my skin. I try to shake it off without causing too much of a commotion. It holds tight, so I slam my forearm into the tree and smash the dirty bug. When I pull my arm away from the tree trunk, I see that I probably should’ve taken another approach to getting rid of the unwanted roach. There are tiny legs, some yellow gunk, and flakes of brown stuff smeared across my skin. “Gross.”
Ryker chuckles at my misfortune.
I bring my arm toward him, so that I can rub some of the gunk onto his shirt. He loses his footing and falls back, laughing the whole time. I find myself giggling and falling down with him.
Suddenly, there’s a loud pop as a bullet imbeds itself into the tree truck behind me. It missed my head by mere inches. Ryker and I both jump to our feet and run. The other Republic’s siren wails as we make our way through the forest. We weave between
the trees, jumping over fallen limbs and scraggly bushes. It’s only a matter of minutes before a group of guards burst into the woods after us.
We reach our camp. “Our things?” I shout.
“Grab them! We don’t want to be identified as anything other than marauders,” my partners answers.
We each grab a backpack. Ryker grabs the extra bag that holds our tents. Then we run again. We run as fast as we can for the truck. I am in the lead, but Ryker isn’t far behind. I’m impressed that he can keep up with me.
After twelve minutes, we reach the truck. We left it parked off to the side of a two-lane highway. There are tree branches thrown on top of the vehicle to provide a little camouflage. Ryker doesn’t even bother to clear the limbs away. He and I both throw open our doors and climb in, throwing our bags on the floor of the truck.
Thankfully, the engine starts without trouble, and we are able to head back to our Republic. But not without more trouble. The same black jeep as yesterday shows up in our rearview mirror.
“Ryker! Look!” I shout.
Ryker presses his foot down on the gas pedal. The truck lurches forward as it picks up speed. We barrel down the highway, weaving between abandoned vehicles and bouncing off of cracked blacktop. We are desperately trying to out race our pursuer.
I notice that the jeep chasing us doesn’t open fire on us today like they did yesterday. Az must be in the jeep. I start to get my hopes up, but then I am suddenly jolted to the side as our truck spins out of control. I hit the side of the door so hard that it flies open. Momentum takes over and I am airborne. As I’m hurtled out of the vehicle, I can see Ryker’s outstretched hand reaching for me. He and the truck spin away from me, and then I slam into the ground. The impact is tremendous, but I force my body to roll away from the spinning tires so that they don’t roll over me.
I’m breathing heavily when I come to a stop. My head is spinning and my body aches, but not enough to keep me on the ground. I jump to my feet and run back toward the truck, which is now stopped on the weed infested road. One of the tires is flat. The rubber is shredded beyond repair. I look around and see a spike strip on the highway. I guess we’re lucky Ryker saw it in time for it to only puncture one tire.
Az’s jeep is already here. It stops beside me. I stand my ground, hands on my knives. Ryker jumps out of our vehicle with his rifle lifted toward to driver’s side of the jeep. He stands next to me as we wait for what will happen next.
The driver’s door opens and Az steps out. His chest is puffed out and he carries his ax over his shoulder. He walks toward us with a casual pace, but I know this is not a casual encounter.
“I have to bring you two in with me. I talked to my head gate guard and he was not informed that you would be coming in our territory,” Az says to us.
“We told you Az, we have permission to be here. Maybe Dr. Fredericks didn’t inform you because he didn’t think it would be an issue,” I tell him.
“Doesn’t matter. You’re both coming with me. Those are my orders. Drop your weapons and get in the jeep now, or I will make you get in!” he commands.
Beside me, Ryker drops his rifle to his feet. It hits the concrete with a smack. What is he doing? He reaches down to his belt as if to remove it, but instead reaches behind his back and pulls out a handgun.
“No!” I scream as he fires at Az’s chest.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
What hits Az’s chest is not a bullet; it’s a dart with a feathered top. Az looks down at the dart and then back up at the two of us. He yells out as he swings his mighty ax at my partner’s head. Ryker easily dodges the labored attack and makes room for Az to fall. Az loses consciousness mid-swing. He hits the pavement with a thud.
“What was that?” I scream at my deranged partner.
“That was me saving our lives!” he yells back. “We couldn’t let him take us in. What choice did I have? I didn’t want to kill him.”
“What are you planning on doing with him?” I ask. I have no idea what Ryker is planning, but I hope it doesn’t involve putting Az in danger.
“Ugh!” Ryker grunts as he wrestles with Az’s limp body. “Man, he’s big and awkward. Can you open the door to the truck?” Once Ryker gets Az in the correct position, he easily tosses him over his shoulder and walks toward our vehicle.
“Why?” I move in front of the truck’s door. I am going to stand my ground until I get some form of an answer.
“We’re going to take him to some people I know.”
“What people?”
“People that can take him to Toledo Lake. We can also warn them about the Republic’s plan. The only problem is that it’ll set us back a day,” he says as he gives me a look of impatience.
“Why don’t we just leave him here?”
“We could use him. They’ll take him back and get him off the Pump. He’s a strong fighter, right?”
“You’re right,” I agree. “We could use him on our side. He could help protect them. But that’s if he doesn’t kill them when he wakes up. And that’s assuming he feels like helping us once he’s off the drug. He could be like Ethan and want things to stay the way they are.”
“I think we should take the chance. What do you think?”
“I guess we don’t really have a choice,” I say as I come to the realization that he could turn us in if we leave him here. Reluctantly, I move out of the way, pulling the door open as I move. “Don’t you think one of us should go back? Dr. Fredericks will suspect something is up if at least one of us doesn’t go back. You know where to take him, so you take him in the truck. I’ll drive back on the 4-wheeler and tell Dr. Fredericks you’re in the infirmary. Do you have a token I can take back to him? If you’re hurt, it needs to be for good reason. It would be good if I could prove to him that we caught a group of vicious marauders.”
“Let’s check his jeep,” Ryker suggests. He dumps Az into the truck and heads toward the abandoned jeep.
I dig around on the passenger side of Az’s truck while Ryker checks out the driver’s side. He finds a handgun under the seat, and I find a compass in the box under the dashboard. There’s not much else, some food and a couple bottles of water. Ryker takes them to give his Toledo Lake friends.
We make our way back to our truck. I reach over to shut Az’s door, when I notice that he is slouched in the seat. He won’t be sitting like that for long once they head out. With all the bumping they will be doing, he would probably end up on the floor of the truck. “Seatbelt?” I ask. Ryker nods yes, so I reach over and buckle Az into place. Then I shut the door, closing him in for his trip to become a real person. I look forward to seeing what Az is like off the Pump.
Ryker runs around to the back of the truck and starts unstrapping the 4-wheeler. “You need to hurry. It’s going to take you longer to get back on this than in the truck.”
“What about the tire?” I ask.
“There’s a spare under the bed. I’ll change it after you take off.”
I help him lower the ramp for the 4-wheeler. We work as a team without words or effort. He loads the gun into a pack on the back of the small vehicle and I stuff the compass in after it. I hop on and start the engine while my partner stands next to me, his expression strained. “What is it?” I ask.
“I just don’t want to send you back there to his office alone,” he admits.
“I’ll be fine. It’s you that has the more complicated task. Tell them that Az is lethal. He’s strong, Ryker. He really is,” I stress the point.
“I know. Oh, I almost forgot,” he says as he reaches into his pocket. “Here’s the map. You’ll have to burn something on the way back—something big. In case they are going behind us. Then mark the map.”
“Okay,” I answer and take the folded piece of paper and pencil. “Wait, what about Lily? Isn’t she expecting you back tonight?”
“Yes!” Ryker kicks the truck’s flat tire. “I hate to ask you, but do you think you can sneak over there. Use the underground passages an
d when you get in the building, act like you’re supposed to be there. Our doors don’t have locks, just like yours.”
I nod. “Okay. I’ll try.” My heart is pounding. I have a lot to pull off today. “I’ll try to pass by the infirmary too, so I can tell Jenna to cover for you if anyone asks.”
“Only if you can. Don’t worry so much about me. I’ll figure it out.”
“Stop saying that!” I shout. “We’ll figure it out. We’re partners now, right? I’m in this now too!”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Mena. I’m so used to working alone. It’s just been me for the past year or so.”
“Just be safe and hurry back.” I wrench the accelerator on the handle back and the 4-wheeler jolts forward. I leave my partner behind to fulfill his half of the plan.
The ride home is long and painful. The longer I travel and am jostled around, the achier my body becomes. Being thrown from a moving vehicle was bound to do some damage; I’m just grateful it isn’t worse. I keep a lookout for something to burn—somewhere a group of marauders would live. Aggravation sets in when I get about halfway home and nothing has proved adequate.
I finally decide on an area that has a couple of ruined concrete buildings. The 4-wheeler throws me up a few inches off the seat when I steer it off the somewhat paved highway. I pull up next to the chunks of concrete that were once grocery stores or gas stations. Two walls of one of the buildings still stand. So, I decide on creating a shelter of some sort against these walls. I heft slabs of concrete over to the two walls, stand them upright, and create new walls. It takes me 30 minutes to make a small structure with pieces of metal strewn on top as the roof.
As I stand there staring at my creation, I realize that I can’t burn concrete. I gather up tree limbs and anything that will burn, throw it in the structure, and then set it on fire.
Denounced (Exalted Trilogy: Book 2) Page 11
