by Casey Hays
Before Jesse has time to react, a jailer slams into his back, tumbling them both to the ground. I have just enough time to leap out of the way before I’m towed down with them. Three more jailers bound toward us, holding various weapons. I duck out of the way and spring toward the cages. I grasp at Ian’s hands reaching for me through the bars. It’s over, and I’m desperate. I connect with his eyes in the dark.
“Ian! I love you, too. I need you to know that before—”
“No, Kate!” He cuts me off. “You tell me later. Later, Kate!”
I don’t feel the massive hands that jerk me from behind and toss me away from the cage, but I’m suddenly flying through the air. I hit the ground with a heavy thud, knocking the air out if me. I gasp a choking breath.
“Kate!” Ian’s desperate scream rings in my ears. “Leave her alone!” His fists beat against the bars fiercely.
The jailer ignores him and hauls me up. She half-carries, half-drags me to an empty cave and pitilessly tosses me in. I fall like a rag doll into the dirt, but once the queasy feeling stops, I’m on my feet, pressing my face into the bamboo bars.
“Ian!”
It’s too dark to see his face, but I see his silhouette habitually run a hand through his hair. I look for Jesse. Four jailers have him pinned, but he is thrashing his big body against them, yelling. Every once in awhile, he flings one off, but then another moves in to take her place. Ian yells something I don’t quite make out. Max, in the cage next to Ian, yells out in a deep, thunderous voice, beating against the bars, fearing for his friend. And the only other sound is Jesse’s grunts and the jailers’ hollers.
Another jailer appears, carrying a torch. She moves with a noticeable arrogance as she pulls a long rod from her belt, casually walks over, and holds it up.
“Stand back,” she bellows to the others. They let go of Jesse, and he springs to his feet, ready for the next wave. But this challenge is too much even for him. The jailer steps up with her strange rod and presses it against his chest.
In that instant, Jesse’s body turns rigid and he flails, screaming and writhing under the brutal instrument. His body convulses in grotesque gyrations. His screams intensify as the jailer presses deeper with her instrument of pain. My insides turn to liquid watching him fall to his knees, crumpling beneath his own strength in the torchlight. He’s an animal in the wild being tortured to death. How can this be happening? He’s so strong, so fast.
He can heal!
He screams, twisting unnaturally, and tears gush down my cheeks. I can’t bear another second of his agony. I move to the back wall, and drop to the dirt floor. I bury my head in my lap, cover my ears, rock back and forth, and try to drown it out.
And his screams continue to pierce me with cold, sharp points.
Chapter 31
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and a honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathens who do not know God.” I Thessalonians 4:3-5
Years seem to pass before the silence takes hold. It is too dark to see anything. I haul up my sore body and clutch the bamboo bars between shaking fingers. I can’t see in the piercing darkness. I can’t stop shaking. I wonder if Jesse is dead. At any rate, he’s gone. All I hear now is one jailer’s big, fumbling feet pacing back and forth in front of the cages.
Furiously, I crash my hands against the gate and let out an angry yell. Pain vibrates up both my arms, but I ignore it. I settle back against the far wall, rubbing my temples.
I will die for sure. Mona will not think twice about destiny this time. How many rules have I broken? How many acts of treason against her village? The Archer has spoken, but she won’t heed him. Not this time. Her pride will stand in the way, and she will take the shears from Atropos—as she has so many times before—and cut the thread herself.
In her mind, it is true; this is her village, and I have disrespected her rule. In my attempts to change my Fate, I have undermined her at every turn, and she has been adamant. We cannot change what has been ordained by the Moirai. And since I can’t be taught by her, she will hand me off to Atropos in the morning whether it is my time to die or not.
I can’t fault her for trying. She’s attempted to rein me in, to take hold of my life and squeeze it into the mold Fate designed just for me. But with each rebellious move I make, some unintentionally at that, she loses ground.
And I believe she is afraid.
It doesn’t matter now, I suppose. She will be done with me soon.
But a cool hand of defiance shakes me to the core, and my resolve flares up like a red-hot fire. I will not be resigning to death today. Oh, I may die, but not without a fight. No. I’ll leave this world with flames of rebellion licking at my feet. I narrow my eyes and make this my solemn promise.
I don’t believe in Fate.
Ian is mere yards away, but it feels as if an eternity separates his cage from mine. I move to the gate and peer into the night. I can see nothing, and I fear that next time I see Ian may very well be the moment just before Mona cuts his throat. I close my eyes and slink to the floor. I am so weary of death.
I’m thirsty, but I see no water in the cell. It’s as empty and dry as my scratchy throat. My swollen cheek throbs, reminding me that I’m still alive for the moment. I lower my heavy lids and sit very still until the pounding ache passes.
Voices in the distance—female voices—interrupt my wandering mind, and I press my face against the bars once again. One voice is distinct above the rest. I inhale, hold it, wait for the Council to come into view.
Mona’s sneering face flashes in the glow of the torch she carries. The flame flickers red-orange and hot against her skin. She looks victorious, as if she’s just won a major battle. She stops in front of my gate and holds the torch up to eye level. My heart flutters like a wild bird in a trap, but I jut my chin out stubbornly and meet her glare.
“Well, Kate. You’ve caused our people a lot of trouble today.”
I hold my gaze steady.
“It’s becoming a nasty habit,” she continues. “One that I am getting extremely tired of attempting to break.”
I narrow my eyes at her, hoping to appear as menacing as she.
“I didn’t ask these boys to come here for me. I can’t help what they decide to do of their own free will. But since they’re here, I will help them.”
“I see. You won’t be much help now, will you?” Mona passes the torch to another Council member. She wraps long bronze fingers around the bamboo bars and leans her head slightly. “I see it’s captured you, too.
“What?”
“Love, Kate.”
My jaw tightens.
“Love. It’s more destructive than any Fall.” It’s the first time I’ve ever heard her refer to the destruction as the Fall.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying it has you in its clutches, Kate,” she hisses. Angrily she pushes herself away from the gate to pace in front of it. “You let this stranger—this dog who was only meant to be your mate—fall in love with you. And he has been trouble to us ever since.” She stops, laughing softly. “Ah, yes. But this is what love does. It blinds reason and does not consider the consequences.”
I frown. How could she know? She loves nothing!
She slides in close again.
“Now do you see how you are to blame? If you had done your duty and been loyal to our cause, we would not be here.”
I clench my jaw angrily.
“I didn’t ask for that, either.”
Mona stares, green eyes hardened, but I don’t flinch. She motions to the jailer, who unlocks the gate. Before I have a chance to move out of her reach, Mona wrenches my arm and tugs me across the Pit toward the cages. Another jailer stands just outside Ian’s cell. She whips out a key and unlocks it. Mona shoves me inside and straight into Ian’s arms. He instinctively turns his body to shield me from those o
utside the cage as the metal gate clinks shut. I sink against him, exhausted, broken. He glares at Mona over his shoulder.
“I’m giving you one more chance, Kate.” Mona’s words penetrate my useless mind. “One. Not that you deserve it. If you mate, you, of course, have the possibility of producing a child. And with that chance, I will delay your death . . . and possibly Ian’s.” I dare to peer around Ian at Mona’s smirking expression. “If you still choose not to comply, you will die in the morning along with him. Make your decision, Kate. And do what needs to be done. It’s somewhat private in this cell. At least you have the cover of darkness for a few more hours.”
Enraged, I rush around Ian and charge the gate, bashing my fists against it.
“Why does this matter so much to you? Why, Mona?”
She crosses her arms and leans in until her eyes are inches away from mine. Ian moves protectively to my side. We hear her whispered words together.
“Ian’s baby will be special, just like he is.” Her eyes flit toward him. “Only it will belong to us. If you care about Ian’s life, you will fulfill your duty once and for all.”
She turns her back.
“If this was your plan all along, why did you waste your time pairing me with John?” I yell as loud as I can.
She spins and moves in until I feel her breath on my face. “That dog was a test! Your test to prove your loyalty to this village. You failed! Don’t fail again!”
She stalks away without another word. The others slowly break away and straggle along behind her. I lean my head against the cool bars and close my eyes. I want to wake up from this nightmare.
Ian’s strong hands on my shoulders prove I’m awake. He lays his cheek against the top of my head, and we stay unmoving, until I turn. His eyes smile down at me.
“Kate.”
He whispers my name, holding me close—too tightly—to his chest until I gasp. He slackens his grip.
“Sorry. I forget how strong I am now.”
“Yes,” I wriggle free. “I don’t remember that about you.”
He frowns playfully. “Are you saying I was a weakling? I’m insulted.”
I see the sarcastic twinkle in his eye even in the dark. It makes me smile, despite this impossible situation, and I wince as the pain in my face races over me again. I shake my head and sit down against the back of the cage.
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” I sigh. Jesse’s quickly-healing bruises flash through my mind. “Where’s Jesse?”
I search Ian’s face. His expression is grim.
“They put him in the empty cage.”
“Is he—” I can’t say the word “dead” even though death is commonplace in my village. I cannot bring myself to think that Ian’s friend—who in a very short time I have come to consider a friend, too—might be dead because of me. Ian only shakes his head.
“He’s in pretty bad shape, but he’s not dead. They shocked him good. He’ll be out for awhile, at least.”
“Shocked him?”
He sits beside me, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
“That contraption they had was some kind of cattle prod. It sends out electric shocks. You know, like what gives my village artificial light at night, remember?” He shakes his head. “I have no idea how she got hold of batteries. Mona must know a lot more about technology than she’s ever let on.”
His words confuse me, but I can’t argue. Mona knows much.
“But what does this shock do to a body? Ian, did you see him?”
Ian nods. “It’s excruciating. Enough volts can electrocute someone.”
I raise a brow in confusion, and Ian explains.
“Kill him with an electrical current that runs through the body. Jesse’s strong. He’s stronger than all the rest of us. He’ll pull through.”
Just in time for Mona to kill him.
I’m shocked that we would have such advancements in my village. Sticks full of electricity. Cages built of metal. Mona has kept so much from us. Where did she learn such secrets of Eden, and what others could she be hiding? I face Ian.
“Tell me about Eden.”
Ian flinches and looks away.
“I know there’s more, Ian. And Mona does, too. Tell me.”
He purses his lips and only looks at me. He is silent, just as Jesse was silent. I scowl in frustration. So, everyone has a secret, it seems. My village is full of breeders; Ian and his friends are some strange fancy of nature. And what do I know? I’ve been confined to one village my entire life. Perhaps every village on Earth has issues. Perhaps this very thing is what caused the Fall in the first place, and nothing’s changed at all. Humanity fails again, and Mona’s faulty method for keeping us from destroying each other is futile. We all lose.
“Ian,” I place both my hands on the sides of his face and make him look at me. “I know something is different about you—all of you. I watched Jesse heal before my eyes—after he tore through a solid wall without a scratch. If you were trying to keep something from me, it’s too late. I simply know too much.”
He sighs and lowers his eyes, and it’s quiet for the longest time. His expression changes, the twinkle of humor gone. In its place something darkly solemn invades. I don’t like it. He takes my hand and entwines his fingers into mine.
“Everyone in Eden is different,” he says quietly, hesitant. “We all grow bigger, taller, and faster than people living in other places. It’s been this way for as long as I can remember.”
“But you weren’t like this when I met you. You seemed . . . normal then. Not that you aren’t normal.”
He laughs sadly. “Yes, I know. Our abilities don’t kick in until we’re completely finished growing. It’s different for everyone, but usually hits us between ages seventeen and twenty. And then we can do things . . . like Jesse.”
I stare at him in wonder.
“I’m fast, Kate.” His voice lights up a bit, excited and full of pride. “It’s like I’m flying with the wind when I run. Jesse’s the strongest, but he has nothing on me in speed.”
“When did it happen to you?”
“It started about three weeks after I got home. I had been expecting it, seen other people go through it already, but it’s really something when it starts. A little bit painful, but that doesn’t last long. Then you’re like this super-human machine. It’s awesome.”
“But why does it happen?”
“I—I don’t—really know.”
His hesitation gives away the lie, but I don’t press him. I’m not in the habit of easily revealing my own secrets. He’ll tell me what he thinks I should know.
“Our scientists,” he begins, “they say that it—it was caused by something that was released during the Fall, you know? It’s in the air and the water, and this is the result. I don’t really understand it all.”
“There’s a whole village of you?” I can’t wrap my mind around the concept.
“No. There’s a whole city of us—and the only one as far as I know.”
My mind is reeling. Eden not only exists, but it’s home to thousands of people who can kill with a simple hug and outrun a cougar.
It is special.
And what does Mona want with it?
I’m frightened by this new information. It’s overwhelming, and I instinctively pull away from Ian. He sees me tense and smiles in an attempt to relax me.
“I wanted to take you there, Kate.” I study the ground until he gently nudges me with his shoulder. “Eden—we—are a secret. Outsiders don’t know what we can do. You’re the only person I’ve ever told.”
“I’m familiar with secrets, if you haven’t forgotten. We have a few of our own here.”
“Oh, that’s right.” He smiles. “So I guess, since I know yours, and you know mine, we’re doomed after all.”
I sigh, nodding. “We’re doomed. So you can’t get out of this cage? As strong as you are?”
“No. These bars are titanium. It’s the strongest metal and the only
one we can’t break. Mona must have known. She had these cages ready.”
“I’m beginning to think Mona knows more than I ever imagined.”
Jesse couldn’t break free from the ropes with the shiny metal fibers, either. Titanium. Mona was ready for them long before they came here. She may have even had these things prepared for when Ian came of age. She must have known the cave in the Pit would not keep him for long.
“Mona says Eden is special.” I glance at him. “Why would she think that? It seems that your people could do a lot of damage in a war, and Mona hates war above all else.”
Ian shrugs before his head swings around quickly as if he’s heard something.
“What?” I ask
His face is serious. He tips his head.
“Look.”
Just outside the cage and to the side, a guard peeks at us out of the dark. We see only her silhouette in the moonlight, the outline of her sword at her side.
“Mona’s got a spy on us tonight,” he whispers.
I crease my brows, and my heart quickens a little. “She’s never done that before.”
“Yeah. I guess she really wants this thing to happen for sure this time.”
I stare at him. He smiles and squeezes my hand. The guard moves out of sight.
“You know,” he whispers. “Mona wants a baby from Eden. She may know a lot, but she doesn’t know one thing.” He pauses and leans in for emphasis. His breath tickles my neck. “The baby has to be raised in Eden, or it will just be an ordinary baby.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “That’s the way it works.”
I don’t flinch, keeping my eyes steady on his face. And I’m uncertain whether he’s merely sharing information . . . or if this is about us. My blood heats, flushing my face, and I suddenly feel the urge to put space between us, but I can’t move. I’m hypnotized.
“I love you,” he says. “You know that. And . . . you love me. If you want to, we could . . . do what Mona wants. It would save your life. And more than anything I want to make sure that happens.”
Panic closes in around my heart. Untangling my hand from his, I stand and walk to the far end of the cage. It’s hard to breathe, and I squeeze the bars, sucking in the fresh air.
