It had been nearly two lifetimes ago that he sat in the common room with his father when he asked Colin to help that group escape the dome. During his imprisonment, he’d carried so much resentment against his parents for getting him arrested, all for nothing. Now he knew with certainty that they had been right to do what they had done. He felt proud to be their son, yet deeply ashamed of his actions at the same time.
He wished, with everything in him, he could speak to his parents one last time. He wished they could tell him all the things they never dared to say. Why didn’t they leave the dome? Why didn’t they tell him more? How was his mom’s best friend a State House worker?
Most of all, he wanted to apologize. He was sorry for ever doubting them, for cutting them out of his life. He was sorry he felt he had to choose between them and Freya. He was sorry that he never pushed to have Freya meet them when they were coupled. There was so much he wished he could take back.
He used to think his parents ruined his life, that he was sent on the colony project because of their indiscretions. Now, their actions were about to save his life, and the life he held dearest.
Chapter 8
Freya
Freya peered at the stretch of land ahead of them, assessing her pain level versus Colin’s perspiration.
He wiped his brow. “Let’s get back to it then.”
She shook her head. “I think I’ll walk this one.”
“I’ll take that offer,” Gita chimed in.
“Yeah, take Gita. I’ll be fine on my own soon.”
“Maybe another time, Gita.” His eyes narrowed when he turned to Freya. “Yes. Soon you’ll be fine, but you’re not yet. Just because you’re feeling better doesn’t mean you’re out of danger. Besides, I don’t trust you. You’ll push harder than you should, then you’ll end up sick or injuring yourself worse.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she deadpanned.
He reached his hand toward her. “Come on. You walked the last stretch; get on.”
She sighed theatrically, immediately regretting the gesture. A stitch of pain caught just under her lung.
“See. Told you. Now get on.”
Just then. There was a commotion coming from up ahead. Colin instantly drew his bow, ready for whatever danger lay ahead.
She squinted, trying to better understand the movement at the hilltop. There was some kind of large, dark-colored animal. She froze. Even though she couldn’t lift a sword with her injury, she wished she was armed. She knew Colin and his bow wasn’t enough to save them from another attack.
Another animal came into view. It turned to the side, and she realized this wasn’t something to fear, as it carried a rider on its back.
“Are those the scouts?”
Colin lowered his bow. “They must be. That was fast.”
Her heart lifted. It had only been two days since Colin and Aakil had made contact on the radio. She never expected them to arrive so quickly.
Will we have a roof over our heads and hot meals to eat in only two days?
One rider broke from the others and headed straight for them. Once she closed the distance between them, a woman with yellow hair dismounted her animal, keeping hold of the leather straps in one hand. “Hello there. My names’ Gwen.”
“Gwen?” Colin perked up. “I spoke to you on the radio.”
She smiled warmly, displaying a chipped front tooth. “Colin, right?” She offered a gloved hand to him for a firm handshake before looking between Freya and Gita. “And I hear one of you has broken ribs?”
Freya grinned sheepishly. “Unfortunately. I’ve been making this trip much longer than it should be for everyone.”
Gwen lifted her hat and pushed her fine, fly-away hairs away from her face. “Well, not anymore.”
Freya looked at Gwen and the animal. Her face fell. “You don’t expect me to get on that thing, do you?”
Gwen guffawed. “Nope. If I had broken ribs, the last thing I’d want to do is ride. What I meant was, we have broken up your group. I’m sticking with you until we get there. But the faster groups can walk ahead of us. It will be easier back home if not everyone arrives at once.”
Gita’s shoulders slumped. “Darn. I was hoping for a ride.”
Gwen’s light blue eyes twinkled. “You may get your chance. We rode hard to find you, so we’re all walking for the rest of the day to give our horses a rest.”
“Well, not everyone is walking.” Colin leaned down and tapped the sled again. “Come on, Freya.”
“When we get to the next hill. I’m fine right now.”
“You’re turning down a ride from him?” Gwen asked. “Not what I expected. I hear you’re some kind of royalty.”
Freya gave a half laugh, then quickly grabbed her side, regretting the movement.
“Yes, she is.” Colin answered. “She’s just not used to anyone calling her that.”
“Oh, is this a new Monarchy?”
Freya wrinkled her nose. “Brand new to me.”
“It’s complicated and a long story,” Colin began. “Basically, Freya was once the Head of State inside the dome. But I was the rebellion’s leader and made arrangements to abduct her and bring her with us. Then there is a long bit I’ll have to fill you in on later where we decided she was our Queen while she was unconscious.”
Gwen looked between them a few times before her gaze landed on Colin. “You’ve got to be messing with me.”
“He’s not,” Gita said.
“And you’re holding hands?”
While Freya fumbled for an answer, Colin gave Gwen an arrogant smirk. She soon gave up on trying to find an explanation and changed the topic instead. “I feel like I could just sit and listen to you for days. I want to hear your version of history, about the war, how you survived, everything.”
Gwen tilted her head back in a full bellied laugh, exposing deep lines around her eyes and lips. “Ha. You want to hear about my people? I can’t wait to hear more about you. The pair of you. How do you go from being their leader to running from them?”
Freya nodded. “I think you should do the talking until I heal.”
Gwen slowed her pace. “Actually, with broken ribs, if you can’t talk then you’re pushing too hard. If pneumonia gets into your lungs, you’re done. I’m supposed to keep your pace, and I intend to. You’ve got my bow to protect you when we lag behind.”
Freya knew Gwen was right, although she didn’t like it. Freya could already tell Gwen had a strong personality; she was someone used to calling the shots. It would be an adjustment to surrender leadership to this stranger, but this stranger would ensure they lived through the winter.
“How about we take turns then? Where do you live? How have you remained hidden from the State all these years?”
Gwen shrugged. “Our story isn’t that complicated. Once the grid shut down, people banded together to survive. Our lands were sparsely populated which made it easy for us to hide. The State destroyed some of the larger groups after the war, but those were the groups who didn’t try to disguise their homesteads.”
“Do you still live in hiding now?” Colin asked.
“You’ll understand better when we get there. We still hole up, but not to the extent of the people near the dome.”
Freya shook her head. “You still have to hide after all these years? That sounds awful.”
Gwen licked at her chapped lips. “It could be worse. But still, we’ve really got to destroy those bastards. Someday.”
Freya was almost afraid to ask. “And what’s the plan in that department?”
Gwen shrugged. “No clue. The plan we worked on for generations failed. We sent our men off to fight and they never made it. We don’t know why, and we don’t expect to ever find out either.”
“Do you think they’re lost?” Colin asked. “How can you be certain they died?”
Gwen pursed her lips. “Because it was over two decades ago. They had a clear route to take, a plan to meet up with th
e community by the dome and a decent sized army. They never made it there and never came back.”
Colin stopped walking and turned to Gwen. “Are you saying we can’t travel there? To the community near the dome?”
“We don’t know, not for certain. It could have been the State, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe they were killed by something unforeseeable. The thing is, it could take us three or more generations to rebuild our population enough to try again. Then again, you people coming sure helps. Especially if you can get more to come.”
Freya’s stomach churned. Even with the help of this new community, how could they ever think they could harm the State? They didn’t have the firepower.
“My turn.” Gwen lifted the cloth around her neck, dabbing perspiration off her caramel skin. “How did you fall in love with your captor?”
Freya looked over at Colin, trying to contain her smile. “I know I’m supposed to keep talking, but I think Colin should tell this story.”
“Yes, I should. Freya will skip all the good parts.” He beamed. “The first thing you need to know about our story is Freya hated me long before I abducted her. In fact, the day we met she called me a babbling idiot.”
Gita laughed. “Even I’m excited to hear about this. I can’t believe Freya ever got coupled.”
“Coupled?”
“Yes. That’s when a man and woman are paired together,” Freya said. “When people become adults and start their assigned civil duty, a permanent companion is also provided.”
Gwen looked at her for a moment before she responded. “Well, one thing I have to say about this trip is, it’s sure to be interesting.”
“Yes,” Colin answered. “I’m sure it will be for all of us.”
Chapter 9
Freya
Colin abruptly came to a halt. “Are you serious?”
“Yep,” Gwen answered. “This is home.”
“This is it?” Freya peered around. “I don’t get it.”
Gwen laughed. “That’s the whole point. We don’t want anyone to see us from a distance. We build our homes above ground, but we keep them concealed. I’m sure it feels anticlimactic to finally arrive here.”
Freya raised a hand to block out the sun as she peered around, seeing nothing but trees and undisrupted vegetation.
“You’ll see it soon enough. Look at the hills, all the lumps, and for any shapes that stand out.”
Gwen had stayed by their side the entire journey, as promised. She even walked alongside them most of the way, leading her horse by its reins with Gita on its back.
With her feet firmly planted on the ground, Freya searched for patterns in the rolling hills, or any evidence of a disrupted landscape. The more she looked, the more grateful she felt that Gwen and the other scouts guided them. They never would have found this place, no matter how many times they spoke to Gwen on the radio.
“Keep walking,” Gwen said. “Tell me when you see it.”
Soon, small disruptions of color and odd shapes jumped out at her. There were geometric patterns under the trees, and it appeared as though the hillside was bulging unnaturally forward.
“I think I see something. Are those houses built into a hill?”
“Yes, but there’s more. We dig in and hollow out enough space inside the hill for a home, leaving only the door visible. But there are more structures you haven’t seen yet. Everything we build, we think about how it will look from above. If you could find it without knowing where to look, then we don’t build it.”
“Your houses have no windows?” Freya disrupted. “How can they see? You don’t have electricity, do you?”
Gwen laughed. “Every building has electricity, weather pending, of course.”
“That’s incredible.” Colin shook his head. “It’s been practically two decades since we’ve been at our colony, and only a handful of buildings have electricity.”
Gwen walked over to a large fence covered in green moss, unlatched the gate, and walked her horse inside. “Go on ahead. I’ve got to get this fine girl here something to eat.”
Gwen stroked her horse’s nose and it leaned in, nuzzling her hand. She looked up at Freya. “Why don’t you come over here.”
Freya realized Gwen intended to acquaint her and the horse, something Freya had successfully steered clear of. Previously, all her knowledge of animals came from one-dimensional images in the database.
Along their journey, she had listened to the heavy footfalls clipping into the ground, smelled the foul stench of the animal’s sweat and excrement, and felt its hair tickle her ear as it flitted toward her in the breeze.
The experience was nothing like the pictures. This creature could bite her with its massive human-shaped teeth or trample her with its strong legs. Pictures made her curious; reality made her cautious.
“It’s okay. She won’t hurt you. Just come and give her a little scratch.”
Freya timidly reached up. The horse seemed to assess her for a time before it dipped its head slightly, as though granting permission for Freya’s touch. As her fingers traveled down the long snout, an oily coating clung to her skin.
A scream snapped her attention away from the horse. Her hand tensed until the sound of laughter quickly followed.
“Don’t mind them. Just some kids on recess playing tag.”
Freya shook her head. “I understand the word kids.”
Gwen laughed. “I know we speak the same language, but there are some things you guys say that make me give my head a shake.”
A group of women seemed to capture Colin’s attention as they walked by. His gaze followed them for an interminable length of time. “I wonder where Aakil is.”
“Why?” Freya asked a little too abruptly.
“He never found a partner since we reached the colony. We’ve always had more men than women.” He turned to Gwen. “But it sounds like you have the opposite problem here.”
“We’ve got a lot of women here who would be mighty happy to have a new influx of men around here. We’re hoping that regardless of what your group does, some of your men will stay here, or at least impregnate some women before they leave. We need fresh blood in this group, or in a generation or two everyone will marry their first cousins or half siblings.”
“Well, I’m glad we could be of use to you,” Colin said. “We really appreciate you coming for us and giving us a place to stay. It’s nice to know we can help you. I hope we aren’t too much of a burden.”
An immense weight slammed into Freya’s core.
Gwen shook her head. “That’s not how we do things out here. Either you’re one of us or one of them. You’re outside the dome and the State wants you dead, that makes you one of us. It doesn’t matter how you got out here. We’re on the same side, which means our home is now yours.”
Gwen looked past them, waving someone down beyond them. “Hey, I got the last of them. This is the royal couple. Can you show them where they’ll be staying?”
“Sure!” The younger woman closed the gap between them. “I got your place set up last night.”
“This is Zoey. She’ll take you from here and show you around.”
Gwen tipped her hat to them and led her horse away.
Zoey was a short, curvaceous girl with bright, optimistic eyes. She walked along, excitedly making small talk with them as they neared the hill. “I’ve put you next to your friend, Aakil.”
Freya couldn’t help but notice Zoey glow from simply saying his name. She was young, Freya would think far too young for Aakil. “You’ve gotten acquainted with Aakil then?”
A slight giggle escaped Zoey’s lips. “I think just about every woman here has met him.” She looked down, her cheeks flushing rosy pink. “It’s amazing you’ve got some perfectly fine men without a wife.”
Freya repressed a grin. She hadn’t known Aakil for long yet doubted any women in the colony would blush from acknowledging him. Freya was still getting to know him and hoped that eventually, he’d grow on her. Maybe it was
the political climate of the colony, but Aakil didn’t seem to be popular with anyone except Colin. Yet here, he seemed to have already hit some kind of celebrity status.
He may not be as tall or broad as some men in their community, but he was smart, and all the years of manual labor had put some muscle on his wiry frame. She could see why these women may see him as a good mate.
Delivered: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 7) Page 6
