The Warden.
My mind trembles as we stare at each other; the weight of seven hundred years of hatred has led us here. He is a product of their world, and I am a product of mine. We stand on opposite sides of the fence. Enemies forever.
For an eternity, we’re stuck, tethered together as the world slows and freezes around us. Memories slam up into me, unwanted, unwelcome, and bitterly sharp, cutting me with a thousand bites. Time speeds up, and I hear the scream of his horse, the scent of its body, and the dirt that has disturbed into the air.
I throw myself sideways, racing away.
Barely a second together, and it was enough. I fear him almost more than I fear anyone else because the Warden does not give up. Once he’s on a hunt, he can’t let it go.
I’ve heard rumours that he’s been hunting me for the better part of six months now. Which would explain why no exhaustion or tricks has been able to throw them off my scent. I can hear the thunderous drumming of those hooves behind me.
I dive through a window, ignoring the pain as my hand snags on something sharp. The scent of blood fills the air, and I rip a scrap of material off my long top, wrapping my hand. I don’t know if they can track blood, but I wouldn’t put it past them.
The buildings become my advantage, while the streets that are so familiar to him are his. After a while, it becomes evident that they are driving me back towards the center of the city, where that pus-filled citadel sits waiting to swallow me whole.
No matter how I try to break free, the net closes tighter and tighter. So, I do the only thing I can. I run, and I hope that there’s a chance. I just need one.
“Kaida!”
My name on his lips brings back memories, and I slam my hand across my mouth, refusing to answer him.
I shudder, hunching deeper in my cowl and dive into a filthy corner as he passes me by. He never hides his hair, but I have hidden mine since I presented as an omega. The snow-white locks that name him and him alone as the Warden is also mine. And his infamy has bolstered mine. We’re as entwined as two people can get.
We’re not related, but I curse the gods for making us so similar. My hair brings fear and distrust among my own kind. Even as an outsider, I am reviled and feared because I might be like him. They think of me as a curse.
I tuck tighter and wait as the clomp of that giant war beast disappears.
Only then do I slip out, turning back the way I came and slipping over a tall fence before anyone can see me. I press against the fence, listening for sounds of my discovery.
Waiting.
When there’s no call or shout, I turn, ready to make my escape from this city.
The garden was hidden. I take a few faltering steps, looking around with my mouth agape.
“What is this?”
I reach out, running my hand over the slippery coolness of long leaves. There are plants I’ve never seen before, and with each unconscious step in, I uncover more unimaginable sights. I didn’t think the world had pretty places left. Everything is death and misery, but this garden is something else. It’s wild and lush, the leaves gleaming in the low light, appearing silver. I can see dancing white flowers on a bed of the softest grass I’ve ever seen.
What is this place? Why is it hidden?
The scent of something wild rises from the very earth, as if it’s soaked into the ground. It’s disturbing and alluring. Something I recognise from wild dreams I’ve long since forgotten.
My mouth waters, and I edge deeper into the garden, where I find a massive rock punching up from the ground. At the top, I can see chains flowing over the edges. As I watch, they shift slightly.
Something’s up there.
I need to know what it is. It’s not a thought, it’s a compulsion. My heart’s beating too fast, my mouth is dry, and not even an army of the black-robed Path could stop me climbing this rock.
I put a hand on the stone, stare upwards, then with a push, I drag myself up.
Chapter 4
Someone that I used to know
The rock is easy to climb but higher than it looks. Even so, the trees tower above us, and there are vines on all the walls, making it feel like we’re alone in the world. The city has vanished; there is just this tiny little world and whatever is on that rock.
With a grunt, I pull myself up over the edge of the rock and roll onto my back, letting out a tiny chuckle. I hate the cities, and I have missed being out in the wild. All that world is open and ready to be explored. A place where I understand the rules. Hardly anyone lives out there now because of the Ravage. It’s said that the virus still lingers in the air. That it can still grab hold of a person and reshape their bones and remake the core of who they are until the person is a rabid dog lusting for flesh and killing indiscriminately, but I’ve never seen any sign of that.
