Kora (Kora Series Book 1)

by Marina Epley

  Half way back to the village, I hear a noise coming from the brush. I freeze, turning to the source of the sound. Another wolf? I don’t think so. I realize that somebody must have been following me.

  “I know you are there,” I say sternly, pulling my trophy knife.

  I remember Ace’s threat to break my legs and feed me to the wild animals. I’m more than willing to fight, should he and his friends attack me a second time.

  “Come out from there!” I order, listening intently.

  Silence. I pick up a pinecone and throw it into the brush.

  “Ouch! Dang it, Kora! You’re so brutal.”

  I recognize Wreck’s voice, and my panic increases. I feel an urge to run because I don’t know what he has on his mind. He walks out of the brush, grinning like a fool, a few small leaves stuck in his hair.

  “Seriously?” he smirks, glancing at my knife. “Come on, you know me better than that.”

  Does he mean that the knife isn’t a real threat to him? Or is he pretending to be my friend again? I lower the blade, watching him suspiciously. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Stalking you.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Well, I’m just perfecting my stalking techniques. We sometimes stalk strangers to learn what kinda weapons they carry and whether they’re dangerous. It’s a necessary skill to develop. Now that you’re a ranger, you’ll need to learn and practice it as well.”

  He pauses, flashing a wide grin. I have no comment to offer on his nonsense.

  “Honestly,” he continues. “I came to apologize. You were right. You and I should avenge our relatives.”

  Hallelujah, I think. But what I say is, “I don’t need your help, Kris.”

  “Come on. You definitely need my skills on this venture.”

  “Not so much as you think,” I smirk. “Maxine has agreed to help me.”

  “Maxie!” he groans. “Well, I guess it’s my turn to say that I’ll do anything you want if you let me join you.” He smiles, looking straight into my eyes. “And I do mean… anything.”

  Embarrassed, I glare at him, remaining quiet.

  “C’mon, just agree to take me along.” He pauses, grinning. “Please say yes. It’s a real easy word to say. Or if you don’t want to speak it out loud, you can just nod. Or wink and I’ll understand. Look, it ain’t hard. Just like this.”

  He begins winking at me in an exaggerated manner, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I recognize the guy who showed me magic tricks and once soothed me at night. Part of me truly missed him.

  “Oh all right,” I sigh. “You can help.”

  “Great.” He stretches out a hand. “Friends?”

  “Partners in crime,” I smile, shaking his hand.

  We head back toward the village, walking side by side. The sky is slowly growing lighter. Once again, I’ve managed to stay awake the entire night.

  “Why did you change your mind?” I ask to break the silence.

  “Well, after you left I had no idea what to do. So I sat there thinking and then thinking some more… And finally heard voices telling me that I needed to follow you. So here I am.”

  I stare at him, frowning. “Please don’t tell me that you hear voices.”

  “Relax. It’s nothing serious.”

  “You’re just joking, right? Please say that you’re just joking.”

  “I’m not joking. What? Why are you staring at me like that? It’s perfectly normal to hear voices when you’re under stress. Everybody hears them.”

  “I don’t!”

  “Well, I’m really sorry about that. You’re missing out.”

  He maintains a serious expression a few more moments before bursting out laughing, and I decide to believe that the voices were just a joke.

  Walking, I stare straight ahead of me, but still manage to watch him in my peripheral vision. He whistles as usual, keeping his hands in his pockets, his expression carefree. I feel uneasy. My thoughts keep coming back to what happened between us a few hours earlier. Should I talk to him about it? Or should I just try to forget everything? I know for sure I won’t forget. I can’t stop replaying the same images inside my head.

  “You all right?” he asks.

  I draw in a breath, steadying myself, collecting my thoughts. “Kris. You don’t think anything bad of me, do you? I mean… after what I offered earlier.”

  I shut my eyes for a second, cringing inside. Why do I even care what he thinks about me? Why do I always care what others think?

  “Well,” he smirks, looking at me. “How can I blame you for trying to seduce me? You’re just one more victim of my irresistible charm. I told you how most girls lose self-control and act completely crazy around me. So I’m kinda used to that.”

  “Wreck, I’m being serious!”

  “Come on,” he sighs. “Why would I think anything bad of you? I actually thought it was kinda brave. You know, in a selfless kind of way. You were ready to sacrifice yourself in order to rescue your friends. That is… noble.”

  “You won’t tell anybody, will you?”

  “No worries.” He winks. “I’ll take it with me to my grave.”

  I believe him, feeling relieved. He’s a very easy-going guy after all.

  “Kora,” he adds quietly, turning to face me. “I want to apologize for kissing you in that situation. I realize that was wrong. I should have stopped you right away. I made a bad decision and fully understand that.”

  I glance at him in surprise. How confident do you need to be to say something like that? He could have just blamed me for everything. But he didn’t.

  “Well,” I mutter, shrugging. “We were both kind of… confused. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

  “I think you’re right. It wasn’t our fault. We should blame Samuel. It’s all his doing.”

  I nod in agreement, because I really like the logic.

  “By the way,” Wreck grins. “Is your offer still open?”

  My face feels warm. “No, it expired.”

  “Darn!” he laughs. “That sure was a short-term offer. I should have agreed while I had the chance. What was I thinking? Now I have to risk my life for nothing.”

  I smile, because this time I do know he’s just joking. Or maybe not. Whatever.

  “You won’t be risking your life for nothing,” I say. “I promise I’ll see you as the high master of Central Settlement. We’ll finish what Jingfay and your parents started.”

  Wreck thinks, his eyes flickering.

  “Kora,” he says in a solemn voice. “You know what? Let’s make an oath. Let’s swear in blood to avenge our families and follow Jingfay’s legacy.”

  He stops, pulling a knife, and I readily stretch my hand toward him.

  “This is gonna hurt a little,” he warns, and I shrug.

  He makes a small cut across my palm, then slices his own. We press our hands together, interlocking our fingers, and I watch as our mingled blood drips to the ground. For a moment it feels to me as if we’re the two closest people in the world, although I never really believed in rituals or blood oaths. But what I do believe is that Wreck is my partner in fulfilling my destiny. He’s Prince Christopher, the true high master of Central Settlement, and people across our land will follow him. The thought makes me dizzy. Did my mother tell me the truth during my spiritual journey or was it just a hallucination? What’s real and what’s not? I don’t know if I care.

  Looking into each other’s eyes, we whisper an oath to kill Samuel and free all the servants across our land.

  We then continue walking toward the village. He glances at his hand, frowning, and says, “Kora, I forgot to ask… You don’t have any blood transmitted diseases, do you?”

  “No,” I look him over. “What about you?”

  “Nah, I’m good,” he laughs. “But we might have thought about that before slicing our hands.”

  I don’t comment. I wonder whether we actually followed some sort of tradition by cutting our hands,
or Wreck just made everything up.

  ***

  Back inside his shack we stretch out on blankets in opposite corners of the room. I fall instantly asleep. I see no dreams this time around and when I awaken, it’s already evening. Wreck sits on the floor across the room, crushing dry leaves into powder and pouring it into a metal flask.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

  “Mixing alcohol with sleep meds,” he says. “If Tartis learns we’ve gone to Central Settlement, we’ll have big trouble. So I’m not fighting the guards watching the vehicles. Too much racket. I’m just gonna have them drink this.” He raises the flask, winking. “Four hours of sleep guaranteed.”

  “I want to paint my face,” I say.

  Wreck provides two jars of paint and a small cracked mirror. I whiten my face and smudge black paint around my eyes and on my lips.

  “You look frightening,” Wreck says, smiling, after I finish. I smile back because I definitely hope to look frightening tonight.

  The door swings open and Maxine marches in, carrying a shotgun and rifle. I guess she knew exactly where to find me.

  “Go back home, Maxie,” Wreck says. “We won’t be needing your help.”

  “Hush, coward,” she snaps. “You’re the one who should be staying at home.”

  I roll my eyes, shifting into a more comfortable position, anticipating a wrestling match. But somebody knocks quietly at the door, so Wreck leaves his sister to go outside.

  He returns with Tanya in tow. She’s dressed in a black t-shirt along with camo pants, and holds a hunting knife.

  “Tanya!” I stare at her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I followed Maxie. I know you’re planning to kill Samuel. I want to help.”

  “Nice stalking technique,” Wreck comments.

  “I’m sorry, but you can’t go with us,” I sigh. “It’s too dangerous.”

  She shrugs. “I’m not scared of Samuel and his guards. Please, let me come with you. He killed my family too.”

  “Sure,” Wreck says. “Of course you can come with us.”

  “Wreck,” I groan. “She’s only ten years old.”

  “So what? She needs to avenge her family too. And she certainly has a warrior’s spirit!”

  “I also know the mansion from the inside,” Tanya says. “And I can shoot. I killed wolves and birds before coming here.”

  “You see!?” Wreck grins excitedly. “She’ll prove real helpful on this trip.”

  I hesitate.

  Do I have the right to prohibit Tanya from taking revenge for her family? How can I tell her what to do when she’s a free person?

  “All right then,” I give in. “You’ll be helping to lead them out of the training facility.”

  Laughing, Tanya runs toward me and wraps her thin arms around my shoulders. I hug her tightly, wondering whether I’m making a big mistake in allowing her to risk her life. But Tanya and I have gone through a lot together, haven’t we? So how can we leave her behind?

  Wreck picks up three flasks from the floor, winks at me and leaves.

  He returns thirty minutes later, looking completely sober, although I can smell alcohol on his breath. We walk outside, heading toward the edge of the village where all the vehicles are parked.

  “Nice job,” Maxie says upon seeing four unconscious guards stretched out beside a pickup truck.

  “Well, I am good at what I do,” Wreck answers proudly.

  We choose two military style trucks with enough room to carry all the racers. Wreck and I climb inside one vehicle, while Maxine and Tanya take the other.

  A few minutes later we leave the village behind, driving along a broken road and toward Central Settlement.

  I think Samuel’s days are numbered.

  CHAPTER 38

  I wake up feeling suffocated, my hand clutching the knife. But I’m not lying on the floor in the basement and Gabriel isn’t really choking me. He’s dead and I’m inside the truck, heading toward Central Settlement.

  “Bad dream?” Wreck asks, his eyes trained on the road.

  We’ve been traveling for several hours. It’s getting dark again, and I’ve no idea how Wreck manages to stay awake. He doesn’t even appear tired.

  “Just my usual dream,” I sigh, relaxing and leaning back in the seat. “How soon till we get there?”

  “In a couple more hours, I’d say.”

  I close my eyes again, willing myself to sleep, but remain awake in spite of my best efforts. The disturbing dream along with the realization that I’m getting close to Central Settlement cause my muscles to tighten. My jaw aches and I wonder whether I’ve been grinding my teeth again in my sleep. I reopen my eyes and stare out the half open window, mesmerized by the palm trees drifting by. The salty air tickles my nose, reminding me of Amethyst and ocean waves. I have to distract myself, because I already feel anxiety rising in my chest. It’s always present, hidden away inside like a little monster ready to eat me alive.

  “Prepared to meet Samuel?” Wreck asks.

  I mutter something incoherent. I don’t want to meet Samuel. I just need to rescue my friends and avenge my mother. Although I do wonder whether these are my only reasons for returning to Central Settlement. Maybe I’m also trying to prove something to myself. Maybe I’m doing what I’ve been wanting to do all my life, be somebody different.

  “Kora,” Wreck says calmly. “We gotta work out a little problem. I guess we both want to kill Samuel. But we can’t do it twice. So who’s gonna take care of him? I’ll let you decide.”

  I have to think. Do I really want to kill Samuel by my own hands?

  “He’s all yours,” I answer.

  “Thanks. I’m gonna make sure he suffers a lot and realizes why his life is ending.”

  I don’t offer a reply.

  “You know, Gabriel wasn’t the only child Samuel had,” Wreck continues. “He also has a daughter, Stella. A real sweet girl around your age. And he has a wife, Agatha.” He pauses, offering me a crooked smile. “I’m gonna do to Samuel the same thing he did to my family. I’m killing my cousin and aunt too.”

  “You don’t really mean that, do you?

  “The hell I don’t. I’m gonna take their heads.”

  I glance over at him, feeling shaky. “That’s just plain wrong. They didn’t kill your family. Samuel did.”

  “So what? You really think I give a damn about what’s right or wrong after everything that’s happened?”

  I don’t know what to say. Would he really do it? I imagine he has killed many times before, including some innocent travelers.

  Should I try and talk him out of killing Samuel’s wife and daughter? Do I really care about Samuel’s relatives?

  “Tonight, all the rumors about roamers will become true,” Wreck says. “We’re going to butcher the high master and his family.”

  I remain silent.

  I don’t want to continue the conversation, so I think of Trent to distract myself. My heart begins to beat a little faster in a pleasant way. I can’t believe I’ll soon get to see him. Will he be happy to see me? Has he missed me? Well, I seriously doubt that. But I can’t really blame Trent for not being too interested in me, because I do realize I wasn’t somebody easy to fall in love with. But I have changed recently, haven’t I? So I wonder whether I might win Trent’s heart by rescuing him.

  “Thinking of killing Samuel?” Wreck asks upon noticing my smile.

  I nod, happy that he can’t read my mind. My thoughts aren’t any of his business.

  ***

  The streets of Central Settlement are dark and empty. It’s a gloomy and moonless night, similar to the one when I killed Gabriel. We park our trucks a safe distance away from the high master’s residence and begin walking toward the brick wall. My hands shake and I bite my lips, tasting the black paint. I remember running through the city at night, feeling lost and desperate, clothes covered in my master’s blood. I look sideways at Wreck, tr
ying to read his face, but can’t get past his war paint and glossy eyes. Tanya and Maxine walk behind us. We all stop in front of the wall surrounding the residence. Everybody carries a gun, except me. I haven’t yet learned to shoot. But I have my trophy knife.

  “Did your family live in this place?” Maxine whispers, glancing at her brother.

  “Yes,” he nods.

  I wonder what it’s like to be born and raised in the high master’s family. What would it feel like to lose all your relatives, your name, your wealth?

  We quickly climb over the wall, trying to attract as little attention as possible, and walk across the garden. I realize my muscles aren’t as strong as they were while I was a racer. Perhaps I should start doing exercises to maintain my strength after we return. If I survive this night, of course.

  Wreck and I lead because we both know this place. Tanya and Maxine continue to follow. We conceal ourselves behind the exotic plants and trees, picking our way slowly but steadily toward the mansion. I will myself to concentrate on the task at hand, but my thoughts keep floating back to my first night spent in the training facility. I remember missing my mother, and Amethyst comforting me. My throat clenches and I feel myself reverting back into the girl I used to be, the one who was full of naive dreams and whose hands were clean of blood. I touch Gabriel’s knife inside my pocket, reminding myself of who I am now. I shouldn’t cry over the past but look toward the future.

  Somebody’s footsteps make us freeze in place and drop low behind the bushes. Two guards come into sight. Wreck and Maxine exchange glances. I draw my knife, but Wreck shake his head no. I decide to let them deal with the guards. I’m not here to take lives. I’ve come to save them.

  Leaving our cover, Wreck and Maxine simultaneously approach the guards from behind. They cover their mouths and slit their throats, moving quietly like two shadows. Their black clothes make them almost undistinguishable in the darkness. They quickly drag the bodies back into the bushes and collect their rifles. I watch in silence, kneeling on the grass beside Tanya. I feel nervous, but some violent part of me is thrilled at seeing them work.