Savage Lands

by Stacey Marie Brown

  This would be my last opportunity. And giving them a big fuck you by going after something of theirs would be even better. Nothing to really hurt them, but enough to give back to the people they were abusing. Enough to notice. And I couldn’t deny my curiosity about what they were exporting out of here. What would make them more powerful than Ukraine?

  “You said ask you anything?” I watched the train pull away from the fae stop, heading off to its destination. I knew at four forty-five a.m., the last night train would be traveling back across the same bridge, stuffed full of cargo.

  “No.” Caden followed my eye line. “No, I told you, not again.”

  “You said anything, unless you changed your mind about kissing me.” I hoped he would choose that option instead, lay me down and let me feel the stars explode inside.

  Caden didn’t respond, his gaze still on the tracks. He wouldn’t give in. He was far too stubborn. Once he decided on something, he locked down on it. Crossing that line was a no-go for him. But this was still a maybe.

  “Last time.” I nudged him. “You know everything changes after this night. Let’s have one last time being crazy. Being us. The Robin Hoods of Budapest.”

  He snorted, shaking his head. After a few beats, he let out a sigh, his shoulders dropping in surrender. “I can never say no to you.”

  Only when it came to having me as his.

  “Last adventure.” I held out my hand.

  He clasped my hand in his, lacing our fingers, sorrow crinkling his eyebrows. “Last adventure.”

  Whatever lay in our future, we had this last night together. Caden and Brexley.

  Our last night of being free.

  Chapter 7

  “I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Caden shifted beside me, tugging on the black beanie covering his ears. Every day it was getting warmer, but with the chilly breeze whipping off the Danube, it was hard to believe summer was close.

  “You are graduating in a few weeks, and I’m…” I broke off, my throat strangling on the thought. I doubted they would even wait until I graduated to marry me off to Sergiu. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were planning a summer wedding. The sooner they could merge our countries, the better for them.

  And whatever was on the train leaving Budapest this morning would apparently create an even stronger bond of power.

  I couldn’t deny it was more my curiosity that brought me here, the desire to see what they were doing. How dirty was the world I was stepping into? It was only fair I understood what I was getting into since they were making this my circus. If Istvan wanted me to be the powerful one in this union, I needed to know everything going on.

  Yes, I could have asked him. But I doubted he would have told me, and he fully deserved this hit. They both did for using their kids as chess pieces for their own power. The two leaders were about to make my life hell. It was time for a little payback.

  “Two minutes.” Caden glanced down at his watch, pulling his hat down around his face, his dark eyes glistening from the eyeholes. Both of us dressed in black, blending into the dark, but the air was crystal clear, which made us a little easier to see.

  The vibration of the train coming down the tracks hummed beneath my feet. Right on time.

  “Stay on point. Last time you cut it far too close.” He moved closer to me, his body pressing against mine.

  I nodded, pulling my mask over my face, nerves dancing along my limbs. Every breath, every beat of my heart, made me feel alive. Caden teased that I was an adrenaline junkie, getting off on the high. I couldn’t argue. There was something about walking the line between right and wrong. Life and death. Getting caught or escaping.

  Headlights from the train came into view, and my pulse pumped faster. The outline of the conductor became more solid the closer he got.

  My ears thumped, my bones vibrating as the train passed us, slowing as the lead car turned for the bridge.

  “Shit,” Caden muttered under his breath. I didn’t need to ask what he was looking at because my eyes were already on the guards lining a few of the doorways along the train, rifles at their sides. This was new. “We can’t, Brex. It’s too dangerous.”

  “No.” I gritted my teeth; my resolve to go forward fought against any logic. Seeing the guards only made me want this more. Whatever they were shipping out was more than their normal trade. Istvan had involved me, my life. I would not be blind or ignorant to what was going on around me.

  Darting forward to the final car, I heard Caden hiss my name. Ignoring him, I leaped on the steps of the last carriage. Silent. Keeping low, I scrambled up to the platform, my head snapping around.

  Caden jumped up after me, his lids narrowed on me. “Brexley, don’t be stupid.”

  “Too late.” My words were almost lost between the wind and the squeal of the carriage curving along the track. We were on the bridge. The clock was on.

  Crouching, I opened the door with my device, the lock unlatching with a click. My pulse and breath marked off the seconds, dragging more panic through my chest.

  My eyes adjusted to the darkness, the magic-infused fire-bulbs on the bridge casting a dim glow through the windows. Many of the carriages utilized for cargo were once old passenger cars, the seats torn out to make room. Nothing in Budapest was trashed because products were a lot harder to get or make. We reused and adjusted things of old. New items cost money, and we were dependent on the fae for items fitting into this new world.

  When the walls between the Otherworld and Earth fell, magic flooded in, crushing a lot of human-made objects that were not able to hold up against the weight of magic. Everything from bridges to laptops had to be redesigned for the new world, which was why so much of the old items had been pushed out. The king of the Unified Nations (UN) was constantly updating and changing technology, making the Seattle area of the United States the most advanced and prosperous place in the world.

  Hungary lived decades behind the rest of the world and was not up on the latest gadgets. Our separation from the rest of the UN left us far in the dust. Only the uber-wealthy had luxurious items like computers or mobile devices.

  The thick waves in the sky were normal to me, but anyone older than twenty told stories of when Earth held no magic, when fae hid in the shadows. A world with no fire lightbulbs, magical herbs, or fae doors was a result of the stress on Earth as the two worlds merged and caused thousands of tears in the atmosphere. I had never seen one, but I heard soldiers talk about them being out on the field. We lost people to them. A fae door, which was invisible to human eyes, was easy to step in by accident and never be seen again.

  Making my way to the large crates, the tool was ready in my hand to rip them open. I peeled off the cover, but stuffing concealed the top layer. Tearing through it, my fingers hit metal.

  Guns.

  Sadly, it didn’t surprise me—guns, drugs, and money were heavily trafficked through the country. A train full of rifles would not make Markos and Lazar invincible. Confused, I dug deeper, hitting another layer of guns before I found stacks of cash.

  Bribe money?

  This was nothing new either in the shady world I lived in. Stuffing the cash into my bag with one hand, I dug even deeper with the other, my knuckles rapping against a thin layer of plywood six inches from the bottom.

  It was set to divide the contents or appear at a glance as the bottom.

  A false bottom.

  “Brex,” Caden yelled, tapping his watch. “Thirty seconds!”

  Forgoing any plans to move on to another box, I tore at the thin lumber, the wood ripping through my flesh as I dug deeper, landing on the product contained below.

  I knew it.

  In my gut, I knew this was the product Istvan was talking about. You didn’t put guns and cash on top if you weren’t trying to hide something more important underneath.

  Picking up a clear baggie, my bloody grip smeared over the plastic. My gaze narrowed. This was different from anything I had ever seen. I flipped the bag fil
led with neon blue pills; it was almost like they were glowing. My eyes searched for a label, but it was blank—no medical instruction or ingredients.

  “Brexley,” Caden snapped, anxiety coiled through my name. Time was up, but I couldn’t move, taking in the thousands of pills stuffed in the hundreds of bags at the bottom, all jammed in the long container.

  Drugs. But what kind?

  These hummed with magic, more than any I had ever felt, almost like each one had a pulse. Glowing blue powder swirled in the transparent pill cases. I plucked one out, cracking it open, sampling a bit with my tongue.

  I couldn’t taste anything, but I could feel the buzz of magic coat my tongue.

  I knew this was not the ordinary cocaine, fairy dust, heroin, or meth that traveled through our walls.

  What the hell were they? What made these different from the normal fae drugs snuck across borders?

  “Brexley!”

  My gaze drifted to another dozen or more crates stacked in the room, all identical to this one. Were they all packed the same?

  “Brexley! Now!” Caden’s hand came down on my arm, yanking me toward the door. Brakes squealed as the train slowed, preparing to stop. My head whipped around, watching the bridge recede in the distance as the train rolled into the fae station, stopping.

  Oh. Holy. Shit.

  I barely managed to stuff the evidence into my bag as Caden hauled me out. He paused at the platform and peered around. At least eight fae soldiers stepped up to the train, weapons hanging over their shoulders.

  “Fuck. Fuck.” Panic radiated from both of us. My heart slammed against my ribs.

  Fuck was right. I had taken too long, pushed our escape past the brink.

  “Dammit, Brex.” Blame drenched every syllable. “I yelled at you over and over that it was time, but you had to push it, didn’t you?”

  Voices traveled down to us, guards from both sides conversing.

  “Carriage three, clear,” a voice yelled.

  “Passenger car, check,” another called out.

  “Az istenit!” Caden’s head darted back to the bridge and then to the fae moving closer to us, checking each carriage.

  “We run for it.” Hands shaking, I put my arms through the straps of my bag, securing it to me.

  “Run?” He spat, motioning to the bridge. The water, where we could have jumped before and swam, was now at least a block behind us. A long way to run in the open without any place to hide. “We’ll be killed before we even get halfway!”

  “What else do you suggest?” I volleyed. “There is no alliance between the sides. You get caught, and it will be like Christmas to them. A normal thief is dead, but what do you think they’d do with the son of their enemy?”

  “You don’t think I fucking know that?” He gritted his teeth. His fear turned into fury at me, which I fully deserved. “We’re gonna die here tonight.”

  “Guess you should have just kissed me earlier instead, huh?”

  He glared at me.

  “We run. And we don’t stop until we make it.” I tipped my chin up, challenging him. “You with me, Markos?”

  He gritted his jaw but nodded as the voices grew closer to us.

  “On my call.” He peeked around the side, holding up his hand. The sound of boots banging up metal steps echoed in the air.

  My pulse twitched at my throat, my toes ready to push off on his mark.

  His hand swished down. “Go!”

  We sprang off the top step, instantly leaping into a sprint. My focus locked on our destination, my legs stretching, my arms pumping, running faster than I ever had. Caden’s long legs easily overtook mine.

  “Hey! Stop!” a voice hollered.

  Shiiiitt!

  There was no second notice. Shots rang out from behind, the bullets outracing me, pinging off the poles and ground close to my boots. A yelp caught in my throat, my feet stumbling. Years of instruction kicked in, making me zigzag so they couldn’t get a clear shot.

  Caden’s head swiveled around, searching for me.

  “Come on! Hurry!” He waved me forward, slowing down.

  Waiting for me.

  “Don’t stop!” I screamed as hollers and gunfire exploded close behind me, drowning my voice. “Go!” He was just a few yards away from being able to jump. To escape. If Caden was caught, the fae leader would hold him hostage. He’d use the only son of the HDF leader to shred the human side.

  Or he would be killed and left on display for Istvan to see.

  “Go!” I yelled again. “I’m right behind you.”

  He nodded, turned, and ran.

  POP!

  Like a blade through my back, excruciating pain spread across every nerve. My ribs felt as if they were bursting open, freezing my lungs in a stuttered gasp. My legs stumbled.

  Oh no.

  “Brexley!” Caden’s cry sounded far away, like he was speaking through glass.

  A cough hiccupped up my throat, blood sputtering down my chin onto the ground. I felt nothing as I stared at the dark liquid in utter horror. My limbs gave out, feeling what I could not, and I crashed to the ground, my sight hazing at the edges. Footsteps pounded the concrete, reaching me in a blink. Fae were faster than humans, and it took them only a few seconds to catch up with me.

  “I got her. Go get the other one,” a woman ordered. A set of boots rushed across my vision, yelling after Caden.

  Hands grabbed for my weapon, holding down my arms. Lifting my head, my gaze landed on Caden, our eyes locking for a moment. He stared back at me in horror, fear, and love, his figure set on me, not his exit.

  No. Goooo... I mouthed to him, my eyes pleading. Save yourself. There was no hope for me, but he could still get away.

  I knew he understood me. The years of knowing each other, the bond of best friends, always linked us. Grief tore over his features, an unexpressed cry pinching his lips together.

  A bullet nicked close to his temple, jolting him awake. His eyes met mine one last time before I watched him swivel around and leap over the railing, dropping into the watery darkness below. I knew they wouldn’t be able to get him now. He was safe.

  Relief heaved from my lungs, and my head dropped to the pavement.

  The woman spoke to me, but I couldn’t make out her words as darkness crept around me. Death beckoned me into its bed.

  And my last thought was: At least I won’t have to marry Sergiu now.

  Chapter 8

  “Wake up.”

  A sting zapped through my nerves like a thunderbolt, light crackling across my dark world. Recoiling, instinct told me to bury myself deeper into the blackness. The light was a trick. A sparkling lure dangling in the deep depths, and if I grabbed on, it would only lead me to death.

  Wait. Wasn’t I already dead?

  Another surge of pain lit up the space around me, no longer letting me hide.

  “I said wake up,” someone ordered. The voice was sultry and alluring, but the intention was not. Weakly, I followed the order, not able to fight the demand.

  Flinching at the glaring light in the room, I scrunched my lids back together, allowing one eye to partially open.

  A woman who appeared to be in her twenties stared down at me. She was dressed in purple scrubs, which complemented her lavender eyes and long white-blonde hair. With high cheekbones and full lips, her expression resembled the bored, pouting models on the covers of magazines in the Unified Nations. A fairy, or fay, was the “highest” breed of fae if you still went by the old ideals, and one stood over me.

  Fae was the umbrella term for all those with magic. But there were hundreds if not thousands of species, races, and types under that umbrella.

  Fae weren’t the sweet, tiny, winged creatures you saw in books from long past. Not even close. Full of lust, greed, wrath, and pride, some used their looks for hunting humans—a buffet the fae could feed on. They didn’t even need to use their glamour because most fae were humanlike and so stunning you got caught in their web.

  “S
it up.” Her perfect upturned nose wrinkled, pushing down the railing that kept me in the bed.

  “Where am I?” My voice barely came out a whisper, my brain swimming in confusion, groggy and slow. My gaze danced around the space. It was some kind of “healing” room with a handful of medical beds spaced evenly around the room. “What happened?”

  “You were shot,” she responded, her bluntness stirring a few memories of brown eyes staring into mine—pleading and heartbroken.

  Fuck. Caden…

  My head jerked up, lids squinted, trying to make out the forms in the beds across from me. Only two of them were filled. What looked like a troll and a human woman were chained to the beds, sound asleep. No Caden.

  A gust of relief sighed from my lungs. Please say he made it home. He’s safe.

  My gaze drifted over the rest of the room, noticing some Western human medical equipment on the far wall and another wall full of shelves—magical serums and antidotes. The potions and healing techniques were a few of the fae things humans accepted without a problem. Funny, if it benefited us, we were fine with it, but if it didn’t, then it was from the “vile fae” set out to destroy humankind.

  “Get up.” She grabbed my legs, swinging them over the side and sitting me up abruptly. I tried to move my arms, but they were yanked back with a metallic sound. My gaze shifted down to my hands, my brain slowly acknowledging the pair of handcuffs chaining me to the bed.

  “Against all logic, you lived, healing faster than us healers thought.” She picked up a needle, filling it with liquid. “That gunshot should have killed you in an instant.” Her sculpted eyebrows curved up. “Too bad.”

  I looked down at my torso and touched my sternum, feeling the bandage under the gown’s thin fabric. The memory of the bullet going through me dotted sweat along my brow. I had been fatally shot. How was I alive?

  “How long have I been here?” I croaked, my throat dry and wobbly.

  “Six days.”

  “What?” Six days? Since I had been shot in the back? Shouldn’t it take months to heal? “How?”