I glanced over my shoulder at Fawke, his face serious, then back at the monitor in front of me. While we’d found other refugees from Soriah in the tunnels surrounding our underground compound, it surprised me to see a healthy someone out in the open. The young man wore simple but clean clothes and didn’t appear to carry a weapon.
“Widen the view.” I peered closer as the drone footage widened.
Fawke Newton leaned over my shoulder smelling of soap from his recent shower. “Crynn Dayholt, those buildings look lived in.” He pointed to a cluster of structures where clothing flapped from a line, chickens roamed the streets, and a child dashed from one building to another.
“They don’t seem to be afraid of malignants at all.” How could that be? To be out in the open was a death sentence as many of Soriah’s soldiers were finding out. As I’d found out my first day outside the white walls as leader of the Stalkers, a fate chosen for me on my eighteenth birthday. A day that seemed much further back than a year ago.
“That’s why.” He drew my attention to a deep trench around the perimeter of the “city.” “Not even a malignant can jump that. They have a drawbridge.”
The city was more like a town or a village considering the few buildings. How many residents? A hundred?
As the drone continued its flight, gardens appeared, a few pens of livestock, and a man who looked very much in charge. He marched to the side of the young man we’d spotted first and stared up at the drone. For several minutes his features remained hard, impassive, then they spread into a smile as he waved for us to come.
“Bring the drone back.” Until we knew whether we could trust this group, we didn’t need them following the drone we’d sent out to scout for nests of malignants.
The survivors we’d discovered in the tunnels had joined us. Our group grew in number but still wasn’t large enough to take on the city of Soriah. Perhaps this new group could also be trusted.
“What are you thinking?” Fawke straightened.
“Do we pay them a visit? The trip would take two days at the least. Three if we run into trouble.”
“We haven’t been out of the compound in a few weeks. A searching trip might do us good.” He crossed his arms and perched against the edge of the desk. “We still need fighters for the upcoming war. That means we have to ask the people we find to join us.”
“True.” I turned from the now dark monitor. Truth be told, I could use a day outside. Perhaps I’d get the chance to kill a malignant or two. No matter how many we killed, there always seemed to be more. We’d spent our time lately keeping up with our training, so heading out wouldn’t be a great danger.
How had this new group kept the creatures away long enough to dig a trench as deep and wide as the one the drone revealed? I cast a sideways glance at Fawke. “What if they can’t be trusted?”
“We keep the location of this compound secret until we know. If we don’t feel as if we can trust them, we’ll simply leave them be.” With a smile, he cupped my cheeks. “You’ve never been this hesitant before.”
“Something in that man’s eyes bothered me. Like a shark’s eyes I’d seen in a book once.”
He chuckled. “I’ll be with you the whole time. Come on.” He straightened. “Let’s find the others and get their input. It’s time for the midday meal anyway.”
Nodding, I followed him to the dining room where our original group sat around the same table. Despite the months we’d lived in the compound, they still preferred each other’s company to that of the other residents. The new exception was sixteen-year-old, Jerome, who refused to not be a part of the group. The teen considered himself a seasoned warrior.
“You guys aren’t ones for mingling.” I headed for the food line where I received a sandwich of bread, mystery meat, and some kind of spread. “Anyone tasted this yet?” I asked, taking my seat.
“I’ve had worse.” Dante wrinkled his nose. “I think it’s rat. We’ve plenty of them around.”
Ezra took a big bite of his sandwich. “Can’t be too picky while living underground, folks.” His gaze searched both my and Fawke’s face. “What’s up?”
I explained about what the drone had found. “We’re thinking of heading out.”
“You say they’re living there with livestock and such?” Dante’s dark forehead creased. “In the open? What about Soriah?”
I shrugged. “That’s a question we can ask once we get there. Who’s willing?”
Everyone nodded.
“The infirmary is empty.” Kira wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Nothing keeping me here right now. It’ll be good to take the old group out.”
“And me.” Jerome frowned. “No way I’m staying behind. I’m one of you now.”
Fawke rubbed the boy’s head. “Wouldn’t dream of leaving you behind. You’ve become quite the fighter.” He met my gaze and smiled.
“Of course, we couldn’t.” Jerome had proven himself time and again. The boy was more skilled at fighting at the age of sixteen than I’d been at eighteen. Still, the group did their best to keep him away from heavy fighting. “Can everyone be ready to leave at dark? Once we approach the edge of their city, we’ll hole up until light. Lars can guide us using the drone.”
Again, multiple heads bobbed, excitement shining on every face. It appeared as if Fawke and I weren’t the only ones with cabin fever. “I’ll go say goodbye to my mother and meet up with all of you in the supply room an hour before nightfall.”
“I’ll let the kitchen know we’ll need supplies.” Gage headed in the direction of the food line.
I found Mom where she usually spent her time—in the infirmary. She glanced up from rolling bandages and grinned, then her smile faded. “You’re going out, Crynn, aren’t you?”
“How do you always know what I’m thinking?” I gave her a quick hug before sitting in a nearby chair.
“Because I’m your mother.” She stashed the bandages in a cupboard. “I’m guessing Kira is going with you?” At my nod, she started pulling items from storage. “You’ll need supplies. Tell me where you’re going.”
I again explained what the drone had shown us. “I agree with Fawke that we can’t ignore potential fighters.”
“Why hasn’t Soriah attacked them?”
“Maybe for the same reason the malignants are kept out. That moat is pretty impressive.”
“Hmm.” She faced me. “I haven’t been gone from Soriah for long. It doesn’t seem possible they’d leave people alone. If they found this place, they’d destroy each and every one of us.”
“Yes, but maybe they don’t see these others as a threat. We’re rebels, Mom. We’ve killed Soriah soldiers, taken others captive. They should be worried about us.” We were bringing a war to their doorsteps.
Mom handed me a backpack full of medical supplies. “Do you want me to have the kitchen pack food?”
“That’s being taken care of. Thanks.”
A sad smile graced her face. “What happened to my little girl who loved nothing more than to bury her nose in a book?”
“She turned eighteen and had to spin the wheel.” I planted a kiss on her cheek. “See you in a few days.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” I smiled and strolled back into the hall, hoping, praying I could keep my promise.
Mom had already undertaken a lot by fleeing Soriah. After witnessing her friends torn apart by the monsters who roamed the streets outside, she didn’t need to lose her only child.
My next stop was the room I shared with Fawke. There, I packed a bag for a few days’ travel before heading to the storage room for weapons. By the time I arrived, the others were gathering. It seemed everyone wanted to get a head start so as to be prepared for nightfall.
“Sword is sharpened.” Moses tossed me the one that felt like an extension of myself. “Take your pick of guns. All are ready to go.”
Although I preferred the sword, I grabbed a holster with a handgun, shoved a rifle into my pack, and stuffed a dagger into each boot. “Ready as I can be.”
Lars entered the room with earpieces for everyone. “Keep these in and on. I can’t communicate with you unless you do.” He handed each of us one. “The monitors will be running. There will be a drone leading you and another patrolling the area. If danger comes too close, you’ll know in plenty of time to be prepared. Except—” He sighed. “There are parts of this city where we still haven’t installed cameras, and we don’t have good reception for the drones. Move carefully.”
I nodded, knowing of the areas he spoke about. We’d traveled through them any times. “We’ll be on constant guard. Any news on Soriah’s army?”
“You’ll run across some patrols, but nothing major. The malignants keep them close to camp. Since we’ve not caused them any trouble lately, they seem to have stopped searching for us.”
“Which will make our journey easier.” Fawke strapped on a double-holster belt, then he chose a military-style rifle.
Ezra joined us. “Food supplies and riot gear are waiting by the entrance. We’ll all be loaded. Seems like too much stuff for only a couple of days.”
“We might need something to soften the mood of those we’re going to see.” Fawke grinned. “Food is always a good thing to have too much of.”
“Yeah, give them the mystery meat.” Jerome grinned, choosing a sword. “Maybe they’ll give us some pork. Plus, it’s past time for the kitchen to butcher some chickens.”
“They’re still laying eggs.” Ezra frowned. “Don’t be ungrateful. You aren’t starving.”
“Speak for yourself.”
I chuckled and headed for the main entrance to take stock of our supplies. It was always better to have more than we thought we’d need. Experience had taught me to be prepared for anything. The new city looked to be at least a three-day hike, maybe more.
What if we were tied up and couldn’t return as soon as we thought? What if one of us was injured preventing that person from travel for a day or two? The possibility of things that could go wrong was endless.
I’d make sure someone detained Jerome before we set out. I wasn’t going to risk his young life for the unknown.