by Amy Richie
“Then?”
“The states have secluded themselves from the rest of the world. Therefore, we don’t get a lot of the technical devices. Like porters and autos. Only the militia have autos and only a few along the border.”
They still hadn’t answered my question. “Will we have to walk?” I asked sarcastically.
“We’ll go by horseback,” Marcus finally answered.
“You mean like on the back of a horse?” Dominick chuckled until I glared at him; then he laughed outright.
“Don’t you know how to ride Eva?” Elizabeth asked innocently.
“Eva has never ridden before,” David told her.
“Oh, but brother,” Dominick contradicted him, “she has.” He winked at me.
I sighed heavily. “There has to be another way.”
“It’s the fastest way.”
“Do they have horses in the city?” David asked.
“About three miles outside of the boundaries. There’s a saddle man.”
“Eva?” All eyes turned to me.
I chewed nervously on the inside of my cheek. “I could carry you,” Dominick offered. “I’d probably be just as efficient as the horse.”
“I can ride on a horse,” I said through clenched teeth.
Dominick laughed again. “Ha, now you shall see what my Eva is made of.”
“I’m not your anything,” I muttered.
The saddle men, I learned, were a group of horse owners spread out from village to village. They had up to thirty horses at different stables along the way. For a small fee, a person could rent the horses to ride to the next stable and so on until they reached their destination. The saddle men provided the only transportation across the states.
“Are you going to be laughing like that the whole way to the stables?” I snapped at Dominick.
My anger only made it more amusing for him. Soon Elizabeth joined in with him, even though she didn’t know why he was laughing. Or maybe she did. One thing I was sure of, I would be able to ride a horse.
My confidence started to waiver some when we actually made it to the stable. The horses all stood in a line, swatting their tales and stomping their feet. “How many horses you need?” the saddle man asked.
“Seven.”
“Can we ride in the same saddle?” I whispered to David.
“Stables are twenty-five miles apart,” the man continued.
“If we ride double, it takes longer,” David whispered back.
“Ok.” I nodded several times. The saddle man named his price. “I didn’t do so well last time I tried to ride a horse.”
“What happened?”
“I fell off.” He looked at me quickly to see if I was kidding. I wasn’t.
“I’ll ask if we can ride double.”
“No.” I put my hand on his arm to stop him. “We need to hurry.”
“You’ll be ok.” He stepped away from me to join Marcus and Claudia. The three of them exclaimed happily over the beasts.
“Nervous?” Dominick appeared at my side.
“No.” Did I answer too quickly? “You?”
“I will save you if the need arises.” He let his fingers brush lightly against my arm.
“Eva,” Claudia called. “This will be your horse.” She led a large grey colored horse to where I stood. “Her name is Princess,” Claudia grinned.
“Princess? Someone named this beast Princess?”
“This is a beautiful horse.” Claudia patiently helped me onto the horse and explained how to use the reigns.
“You look like a pro up there,” Elizabeth said with a smile.
I could barely look at her. “We should go.” Why did my voice have to sound so breathless?
“She is right. Sunrise will be here before we know it,” Marcus came up beside me on a light brown horse.
I tried to breathe as little as possible as we rode along. Although I never completely relaxed on the reigns, I was able to remain in the saddle all the way to the first stop.
I didn’t want to ask for help down so I just slid down the back of Princess and landed in a heap on the ground. “What are you doing down there?” Dominick asked with amusement.
“Collecting rocks.” His laughter belted out, making me roll my eyes.
“Are you making my brother laugh again?”
“What can I say Elizabeth, I am just an amusing person.”
Dominick helped me up, keeping a hold of my hand even after I was on my feet. Almost like we were friends, Dominick and I walked hand in hand to where the others stood.
“At least I let go this time,” I laughed.
“Yeah, before you hit the ground even,” his laughter joined my own.
“Eva?” I looked up guiltily. The others were all staring at us in shocked silence.
Reluctantly but quickly, I dropped Dominick’s hand. “When do we leave?”
“We…um…” Claudia giggled. “We better leave right away.”
“Nadia is waiting for us,” David brought us all back down to reality.
Claudia once again helped me into the saddle. This time my horse was a huge black animal that stomped a lot. I sat stiffly in the saddle, teeth clenched.
We made several similar stops throughout the day, rarely resting. David promised that it would get easier for me, but he was wrong.
Night was setting in again by the time we reached the final stable. With shaking legs and numb hands, I gladly gave up the reigns to the saddle man. “Where do we go from here?” I asked with an equally shaking voice.
“Alcatraz is less than ten miles from here,” Marcus said.
“We will find a place to camp tonight,” Claudia added, “And figure out what to do next.”
“Couldn’t we go tonight?”
“You can barely stand up,” Dominick teased.
“I am…”
“We will rest tonight,” Marcus’s deep tone left little room for further argument.
When it was clear that I would considerably slow down the group, Dominick hoisted me onto his back and carried me along. It wasn’t long before we stopped at a place declared perfect by Marcus.
The “camp” was only a small fire. I was the only one who needed sleep or warmth so I curled into a tight ball as close to the blaze as possible. Dominick settled himself close to me.
“Do you remember when you were shocked that I would start a fire inside my house?” he asked fondly.
I smiled at the memory. “Your whole house was made of wood. It just seemed foolish.”
He laughed and shook his head. “It’s easier for me to laugh when I am with you, Eva.”
I couldn’t help but think of all the terrible things he had done since those few fateful days in the woods. “Did you…” I hesitated, “did you watch me…while I was growing up?”
“I started to.” His expression became pained. “But when Neleh began treating you badly it was difficult for me to listen without interfering, so I left.”
“Where did you go?”
“I went back to Hilgar for a while, although it is now known as Noir Valley. It has been Noir Valley for a very long time.”
“Do you still have your wooden house?” I grinned.
“I do, but much has changed in that area.” His eyes became clouded and I longed to ask him why. What were the changes? Were the wolves still there?
I looked over to see that Elizabeth was staring at us with a peculiar expression on her face. What was I doing anyways? Sitting here chatting about a time long gone. It was pathetic how much Nickolas had meant to me and how little I meant to Dominick. Sure, I was his property, but nothing more. I tucked my head further into my arms and tried to sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I was surprised when I woke up and it was light around me. I had slept through the entire night. My heart thrilled to see that Dominick was still beside me. He smiled tenderly at me, making me forget how to breathe. I pushed my hair out of my face, smiling shyly.
But then I
caught myself and steeled my expression. This was Dominick Letrell. Nickolas was dead, but worse. He had never really existed.
I stood up and brushed the dirt from my pants. It took all the restraint I had not to look back when I walked away from Dominick to rejoin the others. They all wore similar masks of anxiety.
“What’s wrong?” I asked David.
“We can hear Nadia.”
“But?”
“But she is very weak. We need to act quickly if we want to save her.”
“Alright, let’s go.” I tried to brush past them but was pulled back by Dominick. I shook his hand off my arm with a scowl. “What are we waiting for?”
“We have to decide how to proceed.” Claudia chewed on her bottom lip. “I think it would be best for Marcus and I to head to the border and make a path of escape. Nadia won’t be able to handle much more and the VC will be chasing you. Achilles could come with us.”
“That leaves Dominick and Elizabeth,” Marcus stated what was already clear.
“I’ll go,” Elizabeth offered with a shrug, as if it were simple. It sounded logical to me. She was a warrior after all.
“Neither Elizabeth nor Dominick should go; or Achilles — for the same reasons.”
“Why?”
“They…don’t care about Nadia. She is not in good shape.” Claudia looked only at me.
Even though any of the others could easily get to Nadia, they wouldn’t really care if she lived or died. “So it’s only you, Marcus, David…and me.”
“That’s what I figure.”
“You two need to go ahead so we can escape once we have Nadia.” My mind spun quickly through our options. “I’m going.”
“David, it has to be me. You’re no fighter. Besides, I have my shield.” I turned then to Marcus, who seemed anxious to be doing something.
“Do you have any blades?” I wasn’t trained to use modern weapons. Without a word he produced two solid looking knives. I put them in the tops of my boots and flexed to make sure I could still run.
“Wait,” Dominick held up his hand. “I’ll go.”
“Dominick…”
“I am going, it has already been decided.” I looked at David, waiting for him to back me up.
“Her heart rate is down to seventy.” My heart sped up in response.
“You guys go.” Everyone seemed so undecided, but it was all very clear to me.
“David and Elizabeth should come with us,” at least Claudia seemed ready for action. “That would leave Dominick to carry you, Eva, and Achilles to carry Nadia. They are the fastest,” she continued to explain even though I didn’t care what her reasons were. I trusted Claudia to do what was needed. “And Marcus may need Elizabeth’s help.”
“Her scent would be easy to follow,” Achilles commented. Claudia nodded.
“Ok,” I brought my hands together. “It’s all figured out.”
“I should stay here with Eva.” I knew why David really wanted to stay.
“Dominick will take care of Eva. You will just slow them down. You won’t let anything happen to her, will you Dom?” He only grunted in response. Was that supposed to mean yes? It didn’t matter; I could take care of myself.
“Will the child be able to hold on or will I be expected to carry her?” Achilles asked with a raised brow.
Marcus and Claudia exchanged a look. Marcus dug around in the bag until he found a small syringe with a purple cap. I regarded it with suspicion. “What’s that?”
“An injection for Nadia.” He was inches away from me in a swift motion. He pulled my pant leg up and taped the small tube to my leg with a piece of white tape. “You need to give her this right when you are ready to run with Dominick and Achilles. It will give her the strength she needs.”
“Within an hour, the pain will cripple her.” Claudia’s eyes had turned very solemn.
“What pain?” Did they mean the pain she was in now?
“David, Elizabeth, are you ready?”
“Wait,” Dominick interrupted again. I saw the vein in his head popping and his jaw flexed. He was obviously angry. Would he try to stop me? He shot me a dark look before turning it on his brother. “She is human.”
“She’s worth saving.”
“Are you talking about Nadia?” No one answered. I pushed Dominick’s shoulder to try to make him look at me. He obliged. “Are you?”
“She is not worth getting killed over.”
“I’m not planning on getting killed.”
“What happens when something goes wrong?”
I shrugged. “You’ll storm the colony and save me.”
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. I couldn’t stop my own lips from turning up. “True,” he acknowledged with a shrug of his own. “Alright.” Everyone seemed to let their held breaths out at one time. “But come brother, let us at least take a minute to see what the situation is. To at least give her a chance at success.”
Marcus’s look was torn with indecision but Claudia made the decision for him. “You go. It might actually help if she has a plan of what to do.” As the two men started to walk away Claudia called out to them, “No more than ten minutes.”
Claudia sank gracefully to the ground and tucked her shapely legs under her. She patted the ground beside her. “Sit.” My first reaction was to resist but I smiled and sat — less gracefully — beside her. Elizabeth squatted on her knees to look at me.
“You certainly know how to handle him.” I pretended to not know who she was talking about. “I haven’t seen him smile so much in a very long time.” I worked hard not to glare at her.
“It’s hard to think that Dominick is in love,” Claudia cooed. I ground my teeth together. “Oh Eva,” she scolded happily, “don’t you find it romantic?”
Romantic? I refused to answer. He had killed and tortured. Elizabeth could think he did it in the name of love, but I knew better.
David got all of our attention when he let out an exasperated sound. He began pacing and wringing his hands together. “Is that what love looks like?” I asked to no one.
“No,” Elizabeth answered first, “That is what David looks like. He worries too much.” I had never seen David this emotional.
“If you are asking if David loves Nadia; I would say yes,” Claudia responded.
“Is it selfish for me to not want him to love her?”
“Do you love David? Dom would never…”
“No,” I cut her off abruptly, “not that I care what Dominick thinks, but no, I don’t love David. I just don’t want him to leave me.”
“Then yes, that would be very selfish.” She winked to show that she was teasing but I wasn’t sure. Claudia was right, I was being selfish. Why shouldn’t David have someone to love?
I was still thinking about love when Dominick and Marcus came back. Dominick looked at me curiously. Even though I should have been used to him invading my thoughts, it still irritated me.
“Is it bad?” Claudia asked nervously.
“It’s not impossible,” Marcus turned his attention to me. “The colony is enclosed by a wall. Not as high as the border but at least eight or nine feet. It looks really solid, with some sort of sensor at the top. Speed will be the only way. Nadia may still be sedated. Her heart rate is low and she hasn’t moved since last night.”
“But she is still alive.”
“She is.”
“Then the plans haven’t changed.” I was ready to go.
“Once you get over the wall, look for building three. Nadia will be in there. And if…” he swallowed nervously, “if you can’t save her…”
Claudia took my hand and finished for him. “Don’t put yourself into danger. If you can’t save Nadia, at least get yourself out.”
“And don’t feel bad about it.”
“I’ll get her.” I smiled to reassure him but Marcus still looked undecided. He looked past me to where David and Dominick were deep in conversation. “What is he saying?”
“H
e’s trying to talk David into making you go with us and David goes to get Nadia.”
“The plan is already set.” I clenched my fists. “David needs to stick to the plan.” Fresh anger washed over me. How dare he try to make David feel guilty? David was not a warrior.
“Eva, stay out of this,” Dominick warned before I even had a chance to say anything.
“No, you stay out of this,” I flared back. “You leave him alone.” I pushed Dominick’s chest, to try to make him move back. It didn’t work as well as I would have liked.
Dominick started laughing and soon had everyone else laughing too. I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed loudly. “Are you guys ready yet?” I asked angrily.
“It seems as if I am outnumbered,” Dominick began soberly, “but there is something I want to do first. Something that will help you.”
I let my arms fall to my sides, immediately on guard. Dominick wouldn’t really be willing to help. “What?”
“I want us to exchange blood.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “That won’t be necessary,” I assured him.
“If everyone insists that you go,” he shot a dark look at David, “then I must insist that you are at least prepared.”
“I am prepared.”
“I would be more comfortable if we could be in contact.”
“I don’t care what would make you more comfortable,” I turned to David. “David, tell him.”
“Eva, if you exchanged blood with him…”
“No! Out of the question.” I crossed my arms over my chest. I knew I had lost, but it wasn’t in my nature to give up easily. Dominick crossed his arms and leaned against the tree, mocking me. In another life I would have pushed him off balance and he would have chased me around… I shook my head and pulled my mouth down in a frown, mad at myself for having such thoughts.
David, misunderstanding my anger, frowned too. “Eva, the benefits are enormous. You would be faster and stronger. Your perceptive senses would be considerably intensified.”
“And the communication abilities would most certainly help,” Claudia added.
“What communication abilities?” I didn’t relax my stance, no need for them to think they won. I didn’t miss Dominick’s chuckle. I glared at him before turning back to Claudia.
