Son of Sun, page 13
“It does.” Nola stepped out from behind Jeremy. “He gave me a dose, too. Everything I feel is the same as before. My body is just stronger.”
“Don’t happen to have any extra doses of Graylock around?” A man stepped forward to lean against a tree.
Nola had seen him in the domes too, but his time on the outside had affected him more than it had Stokes. The only color left on his face were the dark circles under his eyes and red patches where the sun had attacked his skin.
“Not enough to change you,” Jeremy said, “and we aren’t sure how to make more.”
“Figures.” The man shrugged.
A crashing carried through the trees.
Stokes, the guards, and Rebecca all spun toward the sound, their weapons raised.
Nola followed their gaze, leveling her own weapon. Instinct told her to step away and let the former Dome Guard fight whatever demon they had brought down on themselves.
I’m stronger than they are. They know more, but I’m stronger.
“Get me a string,” a voice shouted.
“Neelan.” The female guard ran toward the man who puffed into view.
“They’re behind me. I tried to meet Cass, but they were already coming,” Neelan said. “I caught sight of them a mile back. I don’t know how fast they’re heading this way.” He opened his palm, displaying a tiny square of metal.
Stokes grabbed the square, passing it to the sickly guard who stuck it to the end of a string hanging down from the branch of a decaying tree.
“That’s a tracker,” Nola said. “Why do you have a dome tracker?”
“We’ve got more than one.” Rebecca pointed at the tiny bits of metal glittering through the trees.
More than a dozen trackers hung from the branches, twisting in the foul breeze.
“The Outer Guard are coming after the trackers?” Nola said.
“We didn’t expect them for another hour,” the sickly guard said. “Cass should have had more time.”
“Shit we can do about it. Take your posts,” Stokes ordered, every bit the captain he had been inside the domes. He hurried to the northern side of the trees as quickly as his bad leg allowed.
“What do we do?” Nola turned to Jeremy.
“Come with me.” Rebecca beckoned them farther east.
Nola wove between the trackers, keeping close on Rebecca’s heels.
“You found the trackers in the water bottles?” Nola said.
Rebecca ducked under a pile of fallen trees. “You don’t think we were smart enough to notice that everywhere a cluster of refugees settled, the spider’s men came swooping in to rain down hell?”
Nola stooped under the tree, expecting to continue on but finding herself in an enclosed space instead. The downed trees looked to have collapsed in on themselves as the ground beneath them sagged. But the dip in the earth had been hollowed out, allowing room for Rebecca, Nola, Jeremy, and Julian to all duck into the shadows. Gaps had been made between the rotting branches of the trees, creating sight lines in every direction.
“When we kept finding groups of dead, the only thing they all had in common were the bottles,” Rebecca continued in a whisper. “Didn’t take long to find the false bottom and the beacons.”
“Why did you hang them out there?” Jeremy leaned toward the gap in the northern part of their hiding place, peering in the direction Neelan had appeared.
“To make a dent,” Rebecca said. “We can’t attack the domes, but we’re stronger than they are out here.”
“You’re leading them toward your home,” Jeremy said.
“We’re far enough away,” Rebecca said. “One skill they never thought to pass on to your glass soldiers: tracking.”
The dull thump of heavy boots caught Nola’s ear.
“They’re here.” Nola inched toward Jeremy to peer out into the woods.
The thumping of the boots slowed.
Nola scanned the trees, waiting for fire and death to surge toward their hiding place.
The thumping came closer, bringing the Outer Guard into view. Their black uniforms blared against the dull brown of the trees. They approached slowly, their faces hidden in their helmets. The one in front kept looking at something in his hand.
Nola wished she could see their eyes so she could know if they’d spotted the trackers in the trees or the people hiding around them.
Rebecca nudged Nola out of the way, claiming a spot at the gap and nocking an arrow.
Nola stooped, peering over Jeremy’s head while the Outer Guard drew closer still.
Have I met you before? Or are you very far from home? Were you paired with Lilly?
The rifles in the Outer Guard’s hands kept her from calling out.
Rebecca shook her head, working her lips against each other but not saying anything.
The seven Outer Guard stopped just shy of the cluster of trees where the trackers hung.
They know something’s wrong.
Nola gripped Jeremy’s shoulder, leaning down to whisper in his ear.
But a buzz and a thwap cut through the air before she could speak.
The Outer Guard at the front of the formation stumbled back as an arrow hit him square in the chest.
“We’re under attack!” a voice shouted from the guards’ ranks.
A pop sounded from the trees to the right, and one of the Outer Guard fell. Another pop brought a third guard down, but the guard that had been hit by the arrow had already pushed himself to his feet. His heavy Guard vest did more than block the weather and sun—the armor within the fabric had shielded him from Rebecca’s blow. He leveled his gun, shooting into the trees to his right, while another guard fired toward the left.
Rebecca let another arrow fly, hitting one of the Outer Guard in the shoulder. The man cried out in pain.
Another pop from an unseen weapon sounded as Rebecca let loose another arrow. Two of the guards started toward the downed trees where Nola hid.
Rebecca shot another arrow, hitting one in the thigh. The other moved his finger to pull his trigger.
Jeremy knocked Nola backwards. She listened while she fell, waiting for the burst of pops that would try to kill them, wondering if the chemicals on the deadly darts would be strong enough to kill her and Jeremy.
But a swoosh and a bang came before the pops. The ground beneath Nola shook, and the dead trees above her sent a cascade of rot onto her face.
Rebecca let another arrow fly as a string of pops filled the air.
The stench of burning reached Nola’s nose just before a triumphant whoop carried from the trees.
“Went smoother than last time.” Rebecca looped her bow over her shoulder and ducked back out of their hiding place.
“What just happened?” Nola squirmed out from under Jeremy.
“I’m impressed.” Julian followed Rebecca.
“Impressed by what?” Nola crawled after them.
The stench of burning was stronger outside the shelter of the trees.
Stokes and his guards had already crept out from wherever they’d been hiding, all heading toward the downed Outer Guard.
Wisps of smoke drifted up from a crater that had appeared in the earth. On the far side, three of the guards lay still on the ground.
“The boom should have been bigger.” Rebecca pulled her arrow out of the thigh of one of the guards.
He lay still, not flinching as the arrow left his flesh. The sun caught a tiny piece of silver metal sticking out of his neck.
“Helmets off.” Stokes knelt next to the first guard who had fallen and yanked their helmet free.
A face Nola didn’t recognize emerged. A tiny hitch of panic tightened in her chest as the woman knelt beside the next Outer Guard.
Nola felt Jeremy next to her and reached for his hand without looking.
The next Outer Guard she recognized. She had seen him in the corridor of the Outer Guard barracks.
Nola ran her thumb along the ridges of Jeremy’s palm, needing to feel the texture of his skin against hers.
A woman in her forties was next.
“Hmm.” Stokes pushed himself to his feet. “Take what we need and dump them all into the pit.”
“Dump them into the pit?” Nola stepped forward to stare down into the ditch.
The pit had been dug before the explosion had gone off. Singe marks from whatever the explosive had been lapped the top foot of the dirt. Four Outer Guard lay at the bottom, their clothes charred and bodies twisted.
“I had hoped my arrows would all make it through.” Rebecca frowned at the burned bit of wood sticking out of one of the guard’s shoulders.
“We can’t just drop them down there,” Nola said. “They could wake up.”
“None of them are waking up,” Stokes said. “I left behind the flaccid Dome Guard tranq darts when I took my men and ran. We only carry ammunition that kills now. Neelan, strip the bodies.”
“But what about the one with Graylock?” Nola pointed to the man she recognized.
“We stab him through the heart,” Rebecca said. “Want the pleasure, Julian? It might be a nice change for a nightwalker.”
“You can’t just stab him,” Jeremy said. “He could have information. He could just be trying to get back to his family that’s trapped in the domes.”
“Do you really want me to let an Outer Guard who’s had Graylock wake up?” Stokes said. “What kind of fool do you take me for? Neelan, get to work.”
“Neelan.” The female guard turned toward the trees. “Neelan?”
The sickly guard ran faster than Nola had thought possible toward a subtle rise in the dirt. “Dammit.” He hopped down on the far side of the mound. “Neelan’s dead, Captain. Two darts to the face.”
“Shit.” Stokes scrubbed his filthy hands over his chin. “Shit.”
The woman let the Outer Guard helmet fall from her hands as she moved toward the mound. “We’re carrying him back to camp. He should be burned.”
“We can’t move anyone until we take care of these demons.” Rebecca knelt next to one of the Outer Guard, unfastening his belt and pulling the weapons free.
“We can carry Rivers back to camp, too,” Jeremy said.
Rivers. I should have known his name.
“No,” Rebecca said.
“I’ll carry him myself,” Jeremy said.
“You’ll carry him and what?” Stokes said. “Do you have chains strong enough to hold him? Are the Woodlands people supposed to dig a prison? If we carry him back to camp and he wakes up, he could hurt people. If he gets free, he could lead Salinger to the forest. Do you want that kind of blood on your hands? I already have to tell Neelan’s damned wife her husband is dead. Don’t try and make my day worse by getting more innocent people killed.”
“We can’t just kill a man in cold blood. We’re not the—” A crackling cut Jeremy off.
“Report in.” The tinny voice carried from the Outer Guard helmet at Stokes’ feet. “North team, what’s your status?” Captain Ridgeway’s voice asked.
Chapter Seventeen
Nola placed a hand on Jeremy’s chest, stopping him from stepping closer to the helmet.
“North team, report immediately.”
“We knew they’d start watching more closely,” Rebecca said.
“North team, report.” There was no anger in Captain Ridgeway’s voice. No panic either.
“How many times have you done this?” Jeremy asked.
“This?” Rebecca said. “None. Dented their numbers? A few.”
“North team, report.”
“How many Outer Guard have you killed?” Jeremy stepped forward.
Nola pushed against him. He looked down, his gaze finding Nola’s hand on his chest.
“Not as many as Salinger killed in the city.” Stokes rolled the female guard into the pit.
“North team, status report now.” The resignation in Captain Ridgeway’s voice pulled at parts of Nola’s heart she hadn’t known existed anymore.
The guard who had traveled with them from the forest pulled a sack from his pocket, holding it open as Stokes and Rebecca filled it with weapons, boots, and first aid pouches. She opened Rivers’ vest, searching his pockets with a practiced motion.
“Wait,” Jeremy said as Rebecca pulled a black case free from Rivers’ belt. “Can I have that?”
“Can I kill him?” Rebecca said.
“I need the case.” Jeremy lifted Nola’s hand away from his chest.
“And I need to not haul a traitor home,” Rebecca said.
“North team,” Captain Ridgeway said. “We are instituting Beta Protocol. Get the hell out.”
Each of them froze as Ridgeway’s voice crackled through the trees.
“What’s Beta Protocol?” Nola said.
“Time to get the hell out.” Stokes kicked an Outer Guard into the pit, leaving only Rivers still above the dirt.
“We don’t have time to bury them,” the female guard said.
“Blame that on the spider,” Rebecca said. “Cut the beacons down.”
The female guard darted from tree to tree, tearing the trackers from their strings.
“Rivers might know what Beta Protocol is,” Nola said.
“So we carry him, ask him, then kill him?” Rebecca said.
“We don’t have time to argue,” Jeremy said. “I’ll carry him, and if it comes to it, I’ll kill him.”
“We need to move.” Rebecca grabbed the sack of weapons and ran, not the way they’d come but farther east, away from the woods.
“I can’t let you do that,” Stokes said.
Nola didn’t see the steel in Stokes’ hand until he’d already plunged the blade into Rivers’ heart.
“You bastard,” Jeremy growled.
“You’ll thank me for that someday.” Stokes ran after Rebecca. The other guards stayed close behind, two of them carrying Neelan’s corpse.
“We should follow,” Julian said.
“Follow murderers?” Jeremy shook his head.
“We’re all murderers,” Julian said. “The world has become too ruthless to leave any of us innocent.”
Blood seeped from the wound in Rivers’ chest. The same red that had painted the halls of the domes, had been spilt in the tunnels of Nightland, had coated the streets of the city.
“Come on.” Nola grabbed Jeremy’s hand, dragging him away from the clearing. “Whatever your—whatever Beta Protocol is, we can’t be here for it.”
Jeremy followed her, though his gaze didn’t leave Rivers until the trees blocked his body from view.
Rebecca and the guards wove through the trees ahead of them, slipping in and out of sight.
“He wasn’t a great guy,” Jeremy said. “I punched him once.”
“Why?” Nola kept her eyes on the trees as they ran, catching up to the guards.
“He made a joke about you,” Jeremy said.
“What kind of joke?” Nola asked.
“He said I was lucky to have a girl who wasn’t dome prim. Something about you learning to sneak into dark corners from the Vampers in Nightland,” Jeremy said. “I broke his cheekbone.”
“Seems fair,” the female guard said.
“He’d already had Graylock. His face healed before I was called to be reprimanded. Dad said...” Jeremy’s voice faded away. “He said if Rivers didn’t talk so much, maybe he wouldn’t end up accidentally banging his face into a wall.”
“Ha.” Sweat slicked the female guard’s brow. “I didn’t know Captain Ridgeway had a sense of humor.”
“He doesn’t,” Jeremy said.
“What’s your name?” Nola asked.
“Alice,” she said. “Jude is the splotchy one.”
“Thanks, Al,” Jude puffed.
“Preston.” Al nodded toward the guard who had come with them from the woods.
No one tried to say who Neelan had been.
They reached a rocky patch where the twisted trees hadn’t even attempted to grow. The rocks slipped out from under Stokes’ feet as he tried to make his way across.
“We need to move faster,” Julian said, only loud enough for Nola and Jeremy’s Graylock-enhanced ears to hear. “If Beta Protocol involves fire packs, I don’t want to be anywhere near here.”
Al and Preston slid on the rocky terrain, trying to keep Neelan’s weight balanced between them.
“Let me take him,” Jeremy said.
“We can take care of our own.” Preston spoke through gritted teeth.
“Leave him or pass him over.” Rebecca leapt from rock to rock, quickly overtaking Stokes. “If the Outer Guard catch us in the open, we’ll all be dead and there won’t be anyone to carry Neelan back to the woods.”
“Let me help,” Jeremy said.
“Okay.” Al stopped, not flinching under Preston’s glare.
Jeremy lifted Neelan, draping him carefully over his shoulder.
“We need to run,” Julian said.
A cold dread settled in Nola’s stomach. She searched the trees and ground for whatever had made Julian’s tone so crisp.
“Not all of us are Vampers.” Jude gasped for breath as he moved barely faster than a jog.
The rocky patch sloped up, leading to rolling hills covered in scrub brush.
A hum shook the air.
Jude glanced up toward the sky. His foot slipped out from under him.
Nola leapt forward, catching him before his face hit the stone, lifting him back up to his feet, and keeping her arm around him as they ran up the slope.
The hum in the air had developed texture in the few seconds it had taken to get Jude running again, a thumping that dug into Nola’s ear with every beat.
“Damn,” Julian said.
Nola glanced back, following Julian’s gaze. A black dot appeared in the sky to the south, heading straight for the point where they’d left the guards.
“I suppose Beta Protocol involves Salinger’s helicopter,” Julian said.
“Get up here.” Rebecca stood at the edge of the bushes on the hill, holding back the thick branches for Al and Preston, who dove beneath the dying leaves and crawled out of sight.
Stokes reached the bushes a moment later. He stopped at the edge, looking back toward the rest. Jeremy stayed behind Nola with Julian, and Nola fought with every step to keep Jude from tumbling out of her grasp.
