Breeder: An Arrow's Flight Novel

by Casey Hays

  “You don’t.”

  My eyes widen. His statement is so blunt, expressionless.

  “But I’m not going to hurt you,” he says after a minute.

  He stares through his puffy eyes, waiting patiently, and as huge as he is, he doesn’t appear to be a threat. In fact, he is surprisingly calm for all that he’s suffered, and at the moment he looks helpless. I take a step. He doesn’t move.

  We stare each other down for a few minutes more before I take another step.

  “Come on, Kate. You can trust me.”

  I realize that if I want be free from here to stop Mona, I truly have no other choice. I have to trust him. And he is Ian’s friend. Surely, Ian would never bring anyone to my village who would harm me.

  And so I tug at the ropes twisted over his right wrist. They glisten with a silvery sheen, as if they are laced with some kind of metal fibers, and I lean in to examine them. What are they? I keep working at the knots, but it’s useless, and soon my fingertips are streaked with ugly rope burns and a little bit of blood. I sit back exhausted from the effort.

  “I can’t get them.” I suck on the end of one finger through my swollen lips. “They’re full of metal threads.”

  “Figures.” Jesse yanks up and the arm of the chair creaks dangerously, but it traps him still. It’s a sturdy chair, bolted to the floor with heavy wooden pegs.

  I hoist myself up onto my knees for a second attempt, fighting the angry rope burns and the tiny, slicing bites of the fibers. Eventually, I get his hand free. He immediately begins on his other arm while I work to free his ankles.

  Soon, both hands are free, and he bends to finish his ankles, while I sit back, my hands throbbing in my lap.

  “A-ha-ha-ha!” He yells, ripping the last of the ropes free and holding them above his head in triumph. He stands too quickly, sways slightly, and I scramble out of the way. He steadies himself. I balk at his frame, looming gigantic over me. I’m a quarter of his size!

  I squeeze myself against the wall. He could crush me with one fist. He’s easily over six and a half feet tall—bigger than Ian by far. Bigger than John, and John is not small!

  I stare up at him in awe. Who are these strange boys from Eden?

  Once Jesse gains his balance, he moves toward the window. His swollen eyes scan the outdoors. With one yank, he breaks a bamboo stalk like a twig. One by one, he does the same with all of them until the small window stands naked before us. My mouth drops in shock.

  “You think you can fit through there? Unlock the door from the other side?”

  He thumbs at the tiny square, and I assess the size.

  “I think can manage.” I stand, and nausea slams into me. I hold my hands out to steady myself.

  “Okay, I’ll hike you up.”

  He bends and laces his fingers together to form a step. I place a hesitant hand on his shoulder and push myself onto the ledge, head throbbing still. It’s just large enough for me to ease through, and after a moment, I’m standing on the ground just below the window. I survey the area for guards or Council members first. There is no one in sight, and it surprises me that they’ve left us unattended. It crosses my mind that this could be a trap, so I quickly skirt the building to the door—and my heart sinks. A solid metal lock blocks Jesse’s escape. I return to the window.

  “We need a key,” I say despondently.

  Jesse nods.

  “I guess I could go find some help. Maybe Ian—”

  “Stand back.”

  “What?”

  Jesse’s face disappears from the window.

  “Jesse! What are you—”

  “I mean it, Kate. You better stand back.”

  I step back at the urgency in his voice, and then . . . it’s replaced by the sound of splintering wood and cracking boards. I squeal and duck, covering my head with my hands. And Jesse bounds through the air, slivers of wood flying out all around him and raining down on both of us. I fall to my knees. He lands with a tremendous thud just three feet from me, kicking up a whirlwind of dust into my face. I cough and rub fiercely at my eyes. When the dust clears, I’m shocked at what I see. The window, as well as half the wall of the shack, is gone, and a large, gaping hole stares at me.

  My mouth drops open once again. Jesse flashes a white smile through his swollen face and stands to his full monstrous height.

  “You weren’t supposed to see that.” He cracks his knuckles. “But I had no choice.”

  I’m frozen. I gawk at the broken wall.

  “Someone probably heard me. We need to get outta here.”

  He doesn’t wait for me, and he’s reached the tree line before I’ve had time to blink. He ducks out of sight, then pokes his head back through the brush.

  “Kate! Are you coming or staying?”

  I glance at the shack once more. I should go back inside and pretend I saw nothing when Mona reappears. And she will reappear as she always does. And she will be furious.

  And since there is no guarantee now that I will be safe, I choose to go.

  >--->

  We push through the underbrush moving toward the campsite. Jesse knows exactly where he is going, and he moves so fast I can’t keep up, especially not in my bruised condition. Every once in a while he glances back to make sure I’m here, and even slows his pace a time or two.

  By the time we reach the tents, I’m gasping. Jesse waits for me, just outside the campsite, and he holds up a hand in warning. His eyes scan the area. There is no sun yet, but light paints the sky just enough for us to see. I hold my breath, shifting nervously.

  After a minute, Jesse takes a step forward and looks around. He glances my way.

  “You can come on now. They aren’t here.”

  I bend at the waist, trying to catch my breath. Jesse moves a little closer, nearly knocking me over in his search for whatever he’s decided to look for. I can see into the nearest tent. The food has not been touched; there’s been no fight. In fact, it’s evident no one has been here for hours. Jesse scrounges around in another tent. He pokes his head out.

  “Perhaps they went back to Eden,” I say.

  I don’t sound convincing, and Jesse doesn’t respond. I can’t imagine they would leave all this behind and head back to Eden with no shelter or food. And I can’t imagine them leaving Jesse. Ian wouldn’t. I raise a nervous hand to my throat and look up at Jesse. And what I see defies nature itself.

  The purplish swelling of his face is shrinking. His eyes are open, and only a slight yellow bruising—that quickly fades, even as I watch—proves he was ever beaten at all. I blink and stand upright.

  “Your face!”

  “What?” He lifts his hands and presses them against his cheeks. “Oh, that. Yeah, I heal kind of fast. It’s nothing.”

  “Nothing?” I stare in disbelief. “It’s not humanly possible. It should take days—weeks!—for that kind of healing. Not hours.”

  He shrugs. “Sorry, missy. That’s just the way it is.”

  He walks to a pack and pulls out a bottle with water in it while I continue to gawk at him. He tosses the water, and I catch it, staring at the unusual object. He takes another, twists the top until it cracks and pops open. He gulps half the contents down and then pours the rest over his head. It washes away most of the blood. He shakes out his wet curls, and . . . he doesn’t have a mark on him! He’s completely healed! I raise my hand to my face. Ouch! Still painfully swollen.

  “You weren’t supposed to see this, either.” He indicates his face. “So keep quiet about it, okay?”

  He walks around, examining the area. He stops suddenly, reaches inside a pack again, pulls out a blue cap and adjusts it onto his head, all the while mumbling about a red cap he’ll probably never see again.

  “What are you thinking?” I finally ask, still grasping the untouched bottle of water.

  Jesse exits the other side of the campsite and examines the dirt carefully. I join him. There are tracks in the dirt.

  “Do you think Mona foun
d them?”

  He looks at me. “That’s her name, huh?”

  He examines the tracks again.

  “There are only three sets of footprints here, so the guys left together . . . and alone. It doesn’t look like anyone found the campsite. But—”

  “What?”

  “They left everything here. They’ve never come back. It’s not looking good. And if she caught me, she could have them. Especially if she used that big net.”

  Net?

  “Which way did they go?” I dread what he might say.

  “I think,” Jesse scans the ground, his eyes tracing some pattern I’m not seeing. “they went that way.” He points toward the east—the direction of the Pit.

  The bottle I’m holding slips from my hand and hits the ground. Water splatters against my bare leg as it breaks.

  “No,” I whisper.

  And I’m running as best as my bruised body can manage, dashing straight toward the Pit. My mind is reeling. Mona has them—I couldn’t be more certain. Ian is locked in the Pit again! There are plenty of empty cells to use as prisons. I crash through branches, ignoring the harsh scratches that dig at my bruised and swollen face.

  “Hey,” Jesse hollers from behind. “Kate!”

  Soon he’s nearly passing me. With one sweep of his arm, he scoops me up and cradles me against his chest, still running. I stare wide-eyed.

  “Where’re we headed?”

  He smiles at my astonished expression, and I all can do is point.

  “That way.”

  And Jesse lurches forward and races for the Pit.

  Chapter 29

  “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” Luke 21: 14-15

  The sun has not quite peeked over the mountain when we reach the outskirts of the Pit. But in the shadows, I see the mob of Council members gathered at the edge, and my worst fear becomes reality. Jesse drops me to my feet, and we crouch together in the brush. I search for Mona. I can’t see her, but this only heightens my escalating fears. My heart pounds so loudly I’m sure it will give us away. I place a shaking hand against my chest and glance at Jesse. He is calm and collected, as if he’s been lounging in this very spot all day instead of running through the trees at full speed. He isn’t even out of breath.

  “What now?” he whispers, his eyes alert and watchful. He waits for my cue.

  “Shhh. Let me think.”

  “What is this place?”

  “It’s the Pit,” I say bluntly, hoping this will satisfy him for now.

  “Oh.” He nods as if in complete understanding. Then he raises a brow. “What’s the Pit?”

  So Ian was telling me the truth. He hasn’t told anyone but Justin about the Village. I hesitate.

  “It’s—” I stop, shake my head. “It’s a long story. Too long. At the moment, we need to see if Ian and the others are here.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know just yet.”

  I sift through the group of Council members again. Tara isn’t here, either, which does not bode well. She is Mona’s lethal weapon. I stiffen with anxiety at the thought of the kind of pain Tara can inflict.

  Suddenly, at the top of the ladder, a woman appears, and I bolt upright. It’s one of the breeders. She’s followed by another woman, and then another as they slowly climb out of the Pit. The last one to step off the ladder is Mia. I sigh with relief. I’m so grateful she is in the habit of coming to the Pit early. I scramble to my feet, motioning for Jesse to stay hidden.

  Several yards down the tree line, I find a hiding spot in the bushes near the edge of the path and wait.

  The women bustle by, speaking in nervously hushed voices. I can’t make out their words, and that only fuels my panic. Mia’s face is stricken with worry. I move in just as she reaches me and tug her sleeve. She screeches, jerking away, but then she sees me. With a quick glance behind her, she plunges into the bushes and squats beside me.

  “Oh, Kate!” Her eyes are wild with fear, but she gasps when she sees me. “What happened to your face?”

  “Never mind. Have you seen Mona?”

  She nods. “She and Tara are in the Pit. They have prisoners locked up—in metal cages. I’ve never seen anything like it. Where did they get them?”

  “Metal?”

  Mia’s eyes are wide. “What’s happening?”

  “She has Ian.”

  “Ian?”

  “Yes. He came back. With others.”

  “With others? Why?”

  “For me.” Our eyes meet, hers lined with shock. I lean in, grasping her arm. “Did you hear what Mona is planning to do with them?”

  “No. But it can’t be good. They’re intruders, Kate. We’ve never had intruders. I can’t imagine this going well.”

  I know this, and it’s a grave possibility my own chances with Mona are slim as well. She’s nearly washed her hands of me. I lick my swollen lip as a reminder.

  “Kate, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before.” Mia squeezes my arm. “When you tried to tell me about Ian and his village. I believe you now.”

  I smile gratefully and return her squeeze, but my focus is elsewhere. I have to get to Ian. And more than likely, he isn’t going to be left unattended this time. I bite my lip and grasp Mia’s shoulder.

  “I need you to do something for me.”

  Mia looks skeptical, like she does every time I ask for her help, but she’s listening.

  “Go back to the Village. You don’t need to be more involved in this than necessary. But I need you to find out anything you can about what Mona’s plans are. You’ll have to be a spy.” I squeeze her arm hopefully. “Can you?”

  Mia swallows. I know I ask much of her, but what choice do I have? I can’t go back myself. Mona will learn that I’ve escaped soon enough. I can’t be seen again without some kind of a plan to protect myself and save Ian.

  Finally, Mia nods. “All right.”

  I sigh in relief.

  “Thank you, Mia. I’ll be here—somewhere. This will be the best hiding place. I don’t think Mona will suspect that I’d come this close to the Pit. Come as soon as you know anything.”

  She nods. “Be careful, Kate.

  “I will.”

  I hug her tightly before she slips out of the bushes and scampers up the path.

  >--->

  Jesse and I stay hidden near the Pit the whole day. Several different areas offer good cover and some shade. We watch the Council head back to the Village after the women leave, including Mona and Tara. No one comes back. No breeders, no Mona, no one. But Jesse has us move locations often. He doesn’t want us getting so comfortable in one spot that we let our guards down.

  It doesn’t take long for me to come to the conclusion that Jesse is smart. Very smart. It’s clear that he’s spent much of his life outdoors. He is stealthy and sure, and even with as big as he is, I’m certain anybody would have a difficult time tracking him if he didn’t want to be found.

  I wonder if Mona and the Council have gone back to the shack. Someone has to have noticed the hole in its side—compliments of Jesse. A search party has surely been organized by now. The thought makes yet another layer of sweat break out across my upper lip. This life of rebellion is not easy. I am beginning to grow weary of it.

  Close to noon, when we’ve seen and heard nothing, I take a chance and crawl to the edge of the Pit. I see the cages, but I still have no plan for reaching them. Jailers mill around the area. There is no getting past them.

  And as the hours roll by, I grow more and more frustrated.

  It must be a trap, and Ian and the others are the bait. There is no other explanation. Mona suspects me to come eventually.

  Jesse returns to the campsite once and brings a pack full of water and food. I gulp the warm liquid this time without hesitation and eat some dried fruit out of a paper packet.

  “Did you s
ee anything?” I ask Jesse as he settles in next to me and rips open a package that contains some kind of oat bar. He munches on it a few seconds and nods.

  “They’ve been there. Took some stuff, too.” He scowls and takes another bite.

  “So, are—are they looking for us?” I finally ask when he doesn’t offer anymore information.

  “Oh, they’re looking. Looks like they’ve combed the entire woods trying to find me, at least. I guess your boss lady probably wasn’t too happy with the demolition job I did on her shack.” He smiles mischievously.

  “True.” I study him closely. “How did you do it?”

  Jesse glances at me, and I detect mistrust in his eyes. He shifts and pops the rest of his oat bar into his mouth. He chews slowly, as if he’s deliberately trying to avoid answering my question.

  I assess this boy who’s come all this way because his friend needed reinforcements. He didn’t ask questions. He loyally followed Ian all the way here just to fetch a girl with no idea what trouble he might stumble over. Who does such things? I think it over. Jesse isn’t overly talkative. He can move faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. He is strong, and he heals at an unnatural rate. Who is he?

  And what about Ian? Can he do this? No. Of course, he can’t. If so, a bamboo gate would have never kept him in the cave.

  “Jesse?” I bend my head to catch his eyes. He looks away.

  “I’m not supposed to talk about it. Like I said, you weren’t supposed to see what you did.”

  “Are all of you like this?”

  He doesn’t say anything. He just looks at me sidelong, and I know. Ian can do the same extraordinary things I’ve seen Jesse do today. I crease my brow, confused.

  Jesse grows silent after this. He turns away to munch on another oat bar. So my thoughts turn to Mona and her metal cages, and the coils in my brain churn rapidly at the realization.

  She knows about these boys from Eden. She knows what they can do. And she was prepared for Ian’s return. Clever to the last, Mona has outsmarted everyone again.

  “You know, Ian was different when he got back to Eden.” Jesse’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I turn. He’s watching the Pit, his eyes surveying the area like an expert marksman. “We could tell he’d been through something close to awful.”