Diego returned the glasses to Luke. “You’ve never come across them before, have you?” Lark shook her head. “They’d as soon put us on that spit and roast us as any game from the forest. They’re barbarians. Whoever can defeat contenders in combat gets to make the rules and tell the rest what to do.”
“They treat their women like slaves,” Skye added in disapproval. “They’re too primitive to be reasoned with.”
“But why?” A knot twisted in Lark’s stomach, a sick feeling rising as she watched two children chase each other, laughing.
“Who knows how they got to be like that?” Luke ventured. “Desperation does things to folks. They descend to their basest nature without a civilized society to keep them accountable.”
“We’ve had run-ins with raiders, and they aren’t like that.” Lark didn’t want to kill these people. But if they wouldn’t let them have the medicine …I’ve got to get the antibiotics for Tommy, or he’ll die.
“Raiders are just criminals,” Wes answered. “As civilized and smart as you and me, only they’d rather steal than work. The wildlings are like mutants with tan skin whose eyes don’t glow. You can’t equate them with regular humans.”
“I have to wonder if our scout saw these guys,” Skye commented, “and that’s why we were sent to secure the location.”
The captain shook his head. “Queen Frost would have told me if our intelligence reported this infestation. I know it’s unpleasant, but remember how deadly these savages are. They stand between us and our goal.”
“We couldtrytalking first.” Lark felt sick, the pressure of conflict within her chest.
Harlan shook his head. “We’d lose the element of surprise, and there are too many of them. Surprise is our biggest advantage.”
“Harlan’s right,” Luke declared. “If we can run them off, that’s great. But I know wildlings, and they’ll fight. Nelanta needs what’s in that building. Saltmarsh Reach needs it too. I don’t think you understand the situation our kingdom faces. Gaining those supplies is critical. I’m the one giving the orders, so if your conscience bothers you, blame me.”
The captain’s steely gaze bore into Lark’s until she lowered her chin, looking away. She nodded. “Yes, sir.” Either she killed unfortunates, or Tommy would die. Then Milena would be heartbroken—a fate Lark couldn’t allow.
“We need to plan this to avoid further destruction of the hospital,” Luke explained, glancing at Diego. “Explosives would be like attacking a fly with a sledgehammer. But smoke canisters or flashbangs are OK.” Diego nodded and dug through his pack for the right grenades.
“Harlan, you see that balcony on the third floor?” Harlan’s gaze followed Luke’s finger. He nodded. “I want you to set up there before they know we’re coming. Lark, can you scale the outside walls?”
“I’d need a closer look, but, if not, I could shoot a rope through a window and climb it.”
“You and Harlan will make your way around to the backside without being seen,” Luke laid out. “Get him to that third-floor balcony, then find a nest for yourself. When you’re both in position, Diego will lay down fire while the rest of us get close.”
Lark wasn’t looking forward to this fight, but she didn’t have a choice. She and Harlan slunk around the edge of the overgrown parking lot with a few rusty old cars and broken light poles. Crouching in some bushes, they faced the backside of the hospital and scanned for prowling wildlings. They all seemed to be hanging out in front or inside. She spied a back door, but it was too risky.
Leaving the cover, they slunk through tall grass until reaching the wall. Lark tugged at a vine, testing its strength. It seemed secure, and she wasn’t heavy. Gloves on, weapons strapped, she gripped the vine and climbed.
It remained firm until halfway past the second floor. By then, the plant’s growth was newer and less substantial. A chipped brick formed a handhold, a missing one to slide her foot in. Window frame. Strip of trim. Lark reachedcarefully through the hole in the window’s pane, unlocked it, and pushed it up, wiggling in with feline ease. This had been a patient’s room. Now, leaves scattered the floor, and a moldy stench oozed from the walls, thick in her throat. The sheets must have been white long before she was born.
The bed was the most substantial thing in the room. Ensuring its wheels were locked, Lark secured the rope to it and tossed the coil out the window. In seconds, Harlan joined her. Silently, she rewound the rope and pushed it into Harlan’s backpack. Weapons in hand, they crept into the hallway. Ceiling tiles littered the floor, others hanging by threads. Light filtering from windows allowed them to pick their way down the hall to a vending area with a door onto the balcony across the way. A faded sign read, “Smoking.”
Harlan nodded, turned the handle, and pushed. Lark cringed when the door made a loud creak. Harlan shrugged and crouched on the balcony, readied his rifle. Noticing a similar balcony flanking this one, past the collapsed canopy, she nimbly hot-footed it back down the hallway and around the bend. It seemed as if nobody bothered coming up here.
A nurse’s station. A medicine cabinet. Her eyes flashed, and her heart thumped in her chest. But this wasn’t the time to start gathering. At least she knew something of value was here.
Gliding onto her balcony, Lark detected grunts, growls, and gruff voices below. The brawny, bearded man with the wolf mantle grabbed a reluctant woman by her hair and yanked. “Me. Now.” He shook a staff adorned with a diamondback’s rattles and squirrel skulls dangling above a fur strip. He glared at her resistance. Others were eating or engaged in tossing rocks at a can. The two hunters busied themselves cleaning the deer, which now hung from a sprawling oak near the breezeway.
Harlan made a two-fingered salute toward where Luke and the others waited. She copied his action, readying her longbow—better range.
Gunfire tore through the gathering, spraying dirt and sparks, sending the wildlings into disarray. Lark let her arrow fly, targeting the leader. He moved faster. Screams split the air as their foes raced for shelter or to snatch their weapons. A smoke canister exploded in their midst, and Lark saw Skye, Luke,Wes, and Diego charge across the parking lot. Diego’s machine gun spat fire. Skye paused behind a rusted vehicle to discharge her pistol. Several of the wildlings lay on the ground, writhing or still. The rest poured into the hospital. No targets remained.
Lark slung her bow, snapped her crossbow into place, and stepped inside. She searched for the stairwell. Harlan met her in the hall and shook his head, pointing at the elevators. She returned a puzzled expression.
“The stairs could be trapped,” he whispered. “If not, they’ll hear us coming.” Digging his fingers into the elevator doors, he tried to pry them open. Lark held out the knife from her calf sheath. He grinned and worked it in the crack, jimmying it agape. They both pulled. Doors opened. One car hung at the top floor, the other stuck on second. Harlan tested his weight, then stepped onto the elevator car’s roof. “We’ll take that service ladder.”
Lark followed him, holding tight, shooting nervous glances at the car above them. Metal creaked. Shots cracked. Voices bellowed. Their weight on the ladder made the rickety thing rattle. The shaft moaned. Lark’s every nerve stood on end as she feared that car would plummet down onto them in a second.Give me a straight-up fight any day.Her brain ticked through escape routes. Harlan braced his boots on the outside of the ladder, sliding the rest of the way. Lark followed. Sliding. More scraping. Sparks and metal shavings showered her. Harlan rushed under the other car. Lark’s feet hit the bottom. And down it came.
Instinctual reflexes took over, driving her to safety a split second before the tremendous crash shook the shaft, pelting them with shards of rust and dust. “So much for surprise,” Harlan moaned.
When they pried open the door, three wildlings pushed in, bone necklaces rattling along with spears and clubs. The potent stench of their unwashed bodies stole Lark’s breath. A wiry man with black tufts of hair wielded a six-inch-round club at her head. She dropped to the floor as it bashed into the wall behind her. Harlan had her knife, dueling the other two in the close quarters. Lark rolled between her attacker’s legs, springing up behind him. He swung again. Lark lunged to the left, landing two powerful punches to his side.The momentum of his swing slammed his club into one of the others attacking Harlan. Stunned him.
