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  “Just one more swing!” Kai replies as his arms extend, every muscle flexed.

  The razor-sharp blade of the ax connects. A loud pop sounds and the tree leans. Several more cracks and snaps echo. Kai drops the ax and rushes toward the trunk. Shoulder dropped, he rams into it. The tree yields to his might, falling across the road with a thump.

  Everyone making his or her way to the truck stops mid-movement. Thunderous cheers and applause erupts.

  “Hurry! In the truck! Everyone, let’s go!” I shout.

  As we’re climbing in, the first Urthman vehicle arrives. Smaller than any I’ve ever seen, it’s low to the ground and has four doors. A uniform-clad Urthman, opens the driver’s side door. He exits, looks down at the felled tree then to us. He shouts a series of curse words as the other three in the car get out and join him. “Human cowards! Keep running away!” Another vehicle pulls up beside them. Similar in appearance but darker in color, two Urthmen exit the car.

  I climb into the back of the truck last and take a final look over my shoulder. All six Urthmen are screaming and yelling. Promising us that we’ll all die horrible deaths, just as every human does at their hands. I think of my parents. I think of kohl. I think of every human being who’s lost his or her life to these murderous creatures. And in a moment that’s a blend of anger, adrenaline and impulse, I grab the bow from my brother’s back and slip an arrow from his quiver. I turn back to the open door and fire the arrow, watching as it lodges in the throat of the loudest Urthman. Pike, who was just a few steps ahead of me, taps Ara. She’s beside him and immediately loads her bow. Firing at the Urthmen, she hits another in the eye. The remaining four flee, scrambling for shelter in their vehicles. Pike wedges himself between Ara and me and shoots an arrow at them. They’ve already turned and his shot is not deadly. It imbeds in the left buttock of an Urthman, who grabs at the injured area, howling out in pain as he flails about. All who witnessed his shot laugh. The odd flapping and hopping it garners makes us laugh even harder.

  “Run, Urthmen cowards!” Garan shouts to them. He’s just behind me, watching over my shoulder. His comment draws hysterical laughter.

  We remain as we are for a few moments before the urgent need to leave beckons. “We need to get moving,” I turn to Garan and say.

  “Alright, everyone. Take your seats.” Garan claps his hands. “We’re off to Sinsity.”

  Ara, Pike, Reyna, Aaron, Kai, Xan, Micah, Aiden and Lark sit. I slip into the passenger seat and Garan takes the wheel. With the tree blocking the road and six Urthmen on the other side of it—two dead, three alive and one injured—and enough gasoline to take us through Uganna territory and the desert to Sinsity, I should be excited. But in the dark recesses of my mind, I can’t help but think we have yet to face our biggest challenges.

  Chapter 7

  Garan drives in silence. I’m grateful for the quiet. I am so tired I doubt I could form a coherent sentence at the moment. I simply stare out the window at the palette of colors late day has offered. The sun dips toward the horizon, streaking the pale-blue sky with brilliant breadths of lavender and fiery orange that fade to salmon and gold. Staring at it in wonder, my eyes lose focus. I’m lulled by the motion of the truck and the hum of tires rolling over pavement. My limbs are suddenly heavy. I feel as if I’m sinking into the passenger seat, my mind finally losing the battle to keep me awake. My eyelids flutter then close. I open them a few times, tuning in to a burst of laughter or a voice raised as a conversation becomes animated. But before long, the noise of the truck grows distant. Voices fade. Sleep beckons, welcoming me in its warm, dark embrace.

  I don’t know how long I’ve slept when my eyes snap open at the sound of Reyna’s voice at my ear, but guess it isn’t long judging from the angle of the sun, which isn’t that much different than the last time I saw it. Perched precariously at the very edge of the horizon, only a crescent of it is visible. Pale blue and lavender expanses have deepened to navy and violet, encroaching on the others. Night is laying claim to day. “Hey,” she says and nudges me over. She sits beside me in my seat. “Sorry, did I wake you?” she asks.

  I turn my body to face her, and to give her more room. “No. Not at all,” I reply. The hoarseness of my voice betrays me. I try to clear my throat. Garan cocks his head to one side, a quizzical expression on his face. “What’s up?” I hear my voice. It sounds cheerful. Overly so perhaps. I wonder whether Reyna noticed. My eyes dart from her face to the windshield. When they link with hers, she offers a wide smile. I haven’t seen her smile like that since she splashed about in the river when we were on our way to the bred human compound.

  “Nothing,” she replies, but can’t contain the grin rounding her cheeks.

  I can’t help but smile. “What?” I shift, trying to give her more space.

  “Sorry.” A faint blush creeps across her cheeks. “There isn’t really room for two.” She moves to stand.

  I gently stop her, gripping her hand. “Stay. I don’t mind at all.” In truth, I love having her this close to me.

  Garan looks from our joined hands to my face. He smirks. “Should I leave?”

  “Huh?” I ask without the slightest idea of what he’s talking about.

  “Never mind.” Garan chuckles and shakes his head.

  Reyna quirks a brow at him. She mouths the word “okay” then returns her attention to me. “Are you excited?” she asks.

  I feel heat snap up my neck to my cheeks. She’s sitting beside me, her arm and leg resting against mine. She hasn’t moved her hand. It still rests in mine. I’m thrilled. Is it that obvious? Can she hear my heart pounding? “Uh, yeah,” I answer.

  “Me, too. Sinsity…” She sighs. “It’ll be nice to be somewhere we’re safe. For sure,” she quickly adds.

  Oh, duh! Sinsity! Of course that’s what she meant. My heart is sprinting at her proximity. I’m more excited about that at the moment than the prospect of Sinsity. I allowed myself to believe she felt as I do. I’m such a dope. “Yeah, it will for sure.” I try to match her enthusiasm but it sounds anemic by comparison.

  She turns her head toward Garan. I catch her scent. She smells of sweet grass and something else. Something that’s uniquely hers. It could be sweat for all I know. But I don’t care. It’s Reyna’s and that’s all that matters. “How many people live in Sinsity?” she asks.

  Garan bobs his shoulder. “Maybe thirty thousand.”

  “Wow,” Reyna breathes.

  “That’s enough to fight back,” I think out loud.

  “You’re right.” Reyna faces me, drilling me with eyes as blue as ice over water.

  I absently rub my chin with my free hand, imagining all of the possibilities. “We could move on an Urthman city.”

  “You could rally them. If anyone can inspire people it’s you, Lucas.” Reyna’s words are as kind as her tone. I steal a glimpse of her from the corner of my eye. She gives my hand a gentle squeeze. Her pale skin flushes slightly.

  “Whoa, whoa, you two have got this all wrong,” Garan interrupts.

  Leaning forward, I look around Reyna at Garan. “What do we have wrong?” I ask, genuinely confused.

  “First of all, you can’t move the entire population of Sinsity against the Urthmen for the same reason they can’t move against Sinsity: there aren’t enough vehicles,” Garan starts.

  “We can come up with a way.” I shrug as visions of storming every Urthman stronghold and reclaiming the planet fills me with hope so full I doubt the truck can contain it.

  “No. You can’t.” Garan’s reply is sharp.

  “Why’re you being so negative? What’s your problem?” Reyna snaps.

  “My problem is you guys have the wrong idea about Sinsity,” he huffs. “You aren’t going there to lead a rebellion. You won’t have a say there at all. Volac runs Sinsity. No once crosses him. Or his law.”

  “So we’re going to be ruled by someone else?” I ask. “Is he human?”

  “Yes, he’s human.” Garan looks from the
road to me then back to the road. “Not that it matters.”

  “He’s right. It doesn’t matter one way or the other. Lucas, the people will listen to you. Trust me. You were born to lead.” Reyna’s warm breath fans my face as she leans toward me. An odd flare of emotion swirls through my body at her nearness. I attempt to ignore the blood that suddenly pounds through my veins but she grips my hand tightly and looks into my eyes. My pulse quickens, speeding dangerously. For a moment, I forget where I am.

  Garan jerks the wheel to the right hard, pulling off the road abruptly.

  “What the heck!” I protest.

  “What’s going on up there?” Xan shouts. “Do we need to kill him?” He refers to Garan, his comment only meant in a half-joking manner.

  Garan ignores me. He ignores Xan as well. He stomps down on the brakes. Slamming the gearshift into park, he turns in his seat and drills Reyna and me with his gaze. “Look, if you think I’m taking you to Sinsity so you can lead a rebellion, if that’s your plan, then I’m out.” He throws his hands in the air, palms out at chest height. “You can find your own way there.” His hands land against his thighs with a slap.

  “Why’re are you being like this?” Reyna’s brow is low and her eyes are hard. Much to my chagrin, she releases my hand, folding her arms across her chest.

  Garan rubs his forehead. “Because you’ll get us all killed if you go there even talking like this. You have to follow the laws of the city.” He enunciates each word to punctuate his point.

  “So basically we’ll still be slaves.” Reyna’s words echo my thoughts exactly.

  “No.” Garan shakes his head. “You won’t. You’ll live. You’ll be free. But you have to follow the laws. It’s called living in a society.” He looks from Reyna to me. “I don’t always agree with Volac and the way he runs things, but when I get tired of it, I leave.” His words flow from him so offhandedly, as if he can come and go whenever he wants. Maybe he can. Maybe all of us can. I wouldn’t know what that feels like. What it means to have freedom in general. Much less what it feels like to have freedom to roam, always with the option to return to some kind of home base. Still, the way Garan speaks of Volac makes me question whether Sinsity is what Reyna hopes it’ll be. What all of us hope it’ll be.

  “So it isn’t some great place?” Reyna’s voice is so soft it sounds almost childlike. My heart aches at the sound.

  Garan lets out a sigh. “It isn’t some paradise for humans. For anyone, for that matter. But it’s far better than anywhere else. You’ll be able to live. To have a life. But you need to follow the laws. You can’t cause problems.” He keeps stressing the same point over and over. I get it. Reyna gets it. There are rules and laws to follow in Sinsity. Volac is in charge. “Will you be able to do that?”

  “Yes.” I allow some of my annoyance to creep into my tone. “We’ll be able to do that.”

  “Reyna?” Garan looks at her the way a parent of a petulant child does when hopeful for better behavior. Hopeful but worried at the same time.

  “Fine,” she huffs back at him. “Okay! You don’t need to talk to me like I’m a kid.”

  “You’re both sure?” he asks for good measure.

  “Yes,” I reply through my teeth, feeling a spark of temper.

  “Yes,” Reyna says.

  “Alright then.” Garan smiles. He pays no attention to our anger. He shifts gears and pulls back on to the road. “And that goes for everyone back there, too.” He calls out to the rest of our group, realizing how quiet it became once we pulled off.

  Replies roll toward us, the word “yes” repeatedly said.

  “I’ll behave, I promise,” Xan pitches his voice higher to mimic a little girl. His comment evokes laughter.

  “I won’t make any trouble and upset Volac, I swear,” Micah attempts to do the same but ends up sounding far creepier than Xan did.

  Garan can’t help but laugh, too. “I’m serious,” he tries to warn but doing so through laughter robs his words of any and all authority.

  I glance at Reyna. She’s smiling again, which makes me happy, and she’s unfolded her arms. Her hands rest on her lap. I place mine in my lap, too. The hope is that her pinky will graze mine and we’ll hold hands again. But her pinky never grazes mine. And she doesn’t take my hand again either. Not for a long time. Severals hour pass, in fact, before either Reyna or Garan speaks. We simply stare out beyond the windshield at the now-dark stretch beyond it.

  “So tell me about your life? Lucas…do you have an interesting story?” Garan finally breaks the silence and asks.

  “Doesn’t everyone?” I mumble.

  “I’m sure.” Garan nods. “So let’s hear it.”

  I tell Garan of my life, how simple and peaceful it was before our camp was discovered. I tell him about the Urthmen raid. I tell him about my parents’ murder, about our capture and how we escaped. I tell him everything. He listens intently.

  When I finish speaking, he pauses thoughtfully. “That’s pretty impressive.” He looks at me. A strange blend of respect and sympathy flickers across his features before he turns his attention to Reyna. “How about you?” he asks her. “What’s your story?”

  Reyna’s gaze toggles from Garan to me. “I don’t want to talk about it. She stands, turning on her heel before disappearing down the aisle to the rear of the truck. The warmth of her body next to mine is gone. Just seconds ago, she leaned against me comfortably. Now cold is left in her wake. I follow her, not seeing her right away. My eyes scan the faces of our group. I don’t see her flaxen hair. Not right away at least. But after a few seconds, I spot her. She sits all the way in back, past the seats and close to the fuel reserve.

  I approach her. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” She doesn’t look up. Her legs are tucked to her chest, her arms encircling them.

  “Mind if I sit?” I point to the floor right beside her.

  “Not at all.” She glances up at me then pats the hard surface beside her. “Sit.” She smiles weakly.

  Several beats pass. We sit side by side quietly. “You never told me about your life before the arena,” I say softly.

  “I know.” Reyna rests her forehead on her knees.

  I place a hand on her shoulder. She lifts her head. I withdraw my hand at the immediacy of her movement. I swear I see a small frown bend the corners of her lips. But I don’t dare allow myself to believe it was a response to me moving my hand. Could it have been? I wonder. I have to consciously will myself to focus on the words I want to speak rather than preoccupying myself with whether or not she wanted my hand on her shoulder. “I want to know about your life. I want to know everything about you.” I swallow hard and summon my courage to add, “I care about you.”

  Reyna dips her chin, looking at me through her lashes. She gives me the smallest of nods. “My life…where do I begin?” She shakes her head. “Just before the arena, I lived with three others. Two girls and a boy. All of them were around my age. Though I’m not sure lived is really the right word. Survived is more like it.”

  “I know what you mean.” The faint glow of the lights lining the back of the truck illuminate Reyna’s eyes.

  “You lived in a village. You saw the stars at night. You saw the sun in the day.” She wraps her arms around her legs a little tighter. “I did, too, for a time. I lived in a tiny village. About ten of us did.” She releases a harsh sound similar to a laugh but utterly devoid of humor. “It’s funny. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was there.” She pauses and collects her thoughts. “Urthmen raided the village. They killed everyone except me and three others, all of them were around my age. We happened to be away from camp, hunting.”

  I listen intently, concentrating on her features and the sound of her voice.

  “Jane, Jack, Elise and I heard the screams. We didn’t see what was happening but we knew.” Reyna’s gaze leaves me and grows distant, unfocused. “We ran. We ran as hard and fast as we could. We ran until there weren’t any trees. Just concrete.”
r />   I tilt my head to one side slightly. “Weren’t any trees? What do you mean?”

  “We ran to the edge of the woods.” Her eyes connect with mine. “First there were houses and streets. We thought about hiding out in one. But we saw Urthmen everywhere, that it was a neighborhood, so we dropped that idea.” Her eyes widen and she bobs her head derisively.

  “I bet you did,” I say. “Though I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to be neighbors with an Urthman,” I add sarcastically.

  “Oh yeah, who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by a species who murders yours?” She arcs an eyebrow and shakes her head.

  “It’s called living the dream, Reyna.” She pauses, the look on her face unreadable. I flash a nervous smile, wondering if I’ve gone too far and feeling as if every ounce of blood has drained from me and is now pooled at my feet. The last thing I wanted to do was offend her. I want her to share with me. I want to know her. To know everything there is to know, in fact.

  When she smiles back at me I feel blood return to my extremities then the rest of my body. “That was cute,” she says softly as she looks away. I breathe a silent sigh of relief and feel my heart stutter before it takes off at a gallop. “Anyway,” she goes on. “We bypassed the houses and kept going. We thought we’d reach another wooded area to hide out in, but we never did. We ended up in an area that was like an unending labyrinth of streets. As far as I looked in each direction, all that surrounded us was concrete.

  “We realized there was no place to go. Nowhere to run. All we could do was hide. And that’s exactly what we did. We hid in the basement of the tallest building of them all. Down there, it was like drowning in a sea of gray. And when the animal fat we used to burn our makeshift lanterns ran out, it was like drowning in a sea of black.”

  I watch as memories seep from her, haunting her features. Making them weary and vulnerable. I imagine what it was like. “You only left to hunt?”