“Do you hear him now?” Josh asks, not suggesting I might have imagined it.
I try to focus, but I hear nothing but the rustle of the trees and the wind. “No, but I think I know what’s causing it.” I touch my neck, where Hector had cut me with his tail. The cut has long healed by now, but between hearing voices and experiencing those vivid and horrible nightmares, I’m left with little doubt. “Hector cut me with his tail right before he let me go. Whatever has been happening since then, I think it’s in my blood.”
“In your…” Josh shakes his head. “Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe it’s an infection or a virus. You just need the right treatment. We can ask around for a doctor.”
I’m doubtful that any doctor can help with something like this, but what other option do I have? “Okay. Worth a shot.”
“Hey!”
We turn to see half a dozen guards running toward us.
“What is it?” I ask.
The woman leading them is tall and thin like a long stick, her hair tied in a tight ponytail. “We caught suspicious movement from the south. We think someone is planning an attack.”
“Can anyone really attack this mountain?” Josh asks.
“Unlikly, but they seem to be going for an old platform we use to transport supplies to the caves below.” She glances at the palace in annoyance. “Too many of us are on duty because of that stupid ball. Will you join us to check what is happening, Defenders?”
I wonder if the appearance of the voice in my head is somehow connected to what is happening at the foot of the mountain. I exchange looks with Josh and Trey, who nod their approval. “We’ll come with you,” I say, “but send someone to the palace to let River and Lyla know what’s happening. They’ll want to join.”
The leader sends one of her men to do as I asked. We follow the rest down the road and into a narrow tunnel where the air is heavy and the old lamps are barely working. We emerge on the other side of the mountain about ten minutes later. The two guards on watch look at us nervously. There’s a platform behind them, much smaller than the ones we took yesterday to reach thecity. I walk to the edge and look down, but I can only see dark treetops swaying in the wind.
“We need more light,” I say. “I’m not going down there without seeing who I’m facing. At least here we have higher ground in case of an attack.”
“We can’t risk them storming our supply caves.”
“Do you have guards down there?”
“Well…”
I turn around to face her, Josh and Trey standing by my side. “If those supply caves were important, you would have put someone to guard them.”
The leader glances around, and when she gives a sharp nod, I reach for my rifle, but her men are faster.
“Drop them,” the leader orders. They have five rifles aiming at us.
I take a breath and do as she says. Josh and Trey follow my lead. With our eyes locked, I tell the leader, “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“I have my orders, Defender. Step on the platform.”
This isn’t about killing us, I tell myself. They could have done so already, which means we still have time to think of a way out.
They take a step toward us, forcing us to step onto the platform, which creaks under our weight. They’re smart enough to cuff our hands behind our backs. I glance at Josh, who seems pale in the dim light, but the hardness in his eyes indicates he’s ready to fight once we find an opening.
“What is this about?” Trey asks as we begin to descend. There’s barely enough room for all of us on the platform. “We’re on the same side here.”
“Shut up,” the leader says. “We’re on the side of the king.”
Then the king has chosen a different side. I think of Finn, still in the palace and unaware of what is happening, but he’s with River and Lyla, and they will protect him.
We reach the bottom with a loud thud. I can’t see shit until they turn on some lamps, spreading pale light between the thick vegetation. They push us forward as crickets chirp loudly all around us. I see shapes up ahead, then a group of people becomes visible. They have their own lamps and two buggies behind them. Those vehicles can be heard for miles, but we’re too far from the city.
I can easily tell when I’m facing Raiders. The stench of their unwashed skin doesn’t leave room for doubt.
“Took you long enough,” one of them says, a leaf stuck in his long, messy hair. A badly healed scar stretches from his temple to his lips, keeping the left side of his mouth slightly raised as if he’s smirking.
The leader of the guards says, “We told you we couldn’t be sure how long it would take him to leave the palace.”
