“I’ll climb.”
I brush past him and grab onto a jutting boulder. Ender’s jaw tightens, his brows pinch together.
“Don’t be tough, Warrick,” he says. “Let me?—”
“No,” I snap. “You’ve done enough.”
Rock crumbles beneath my boot, but my hold stays firm. Ender steps forward, arms outstretched, prepared to catch me if I fall.
“Warrick,” he says, voice tangled with something raw. “Come down. We’ll find another way.”
I ignore him and keep climbing. Sunlight bleeds through the opening, and I squint at the blinding pool.
The stone beneath my boot suddenly gives way. I gasp as my footing slips. My nails bite hard into the ledge, fingertips aching as I force myself to hold on.
Pain flares down my side, the cut stretching under the strain.
“Haven!” Ender shouts.
I swing my legs wildly until my boot catches on a jagged edge.
“I’m fine,” I choke out.
“Come down,” he pleads. “We’ll find another way.”
“I’m almost there.”
I haul myself upward, ignoring the curses from down below. When I reach the opening, I push my head through and suck in a deep breath. Fresh air pours down my lungs. The scent of acorns and wet earth fills the air.
I drag myself out, scraping my knees on the spiked rock. I then slide down the outer slope until I hit solid ground.
“Warrick,” Ender calls. “You good?”
“I’m out,” I say. “I’ll scout ahead and get backup.”
I wipe the sweat from my brow and head toward where we parked the trucks. It takes nearly thirty minutes to reach them. The unit is scattered. Ender rarely shares his location during missions, so they couldn’t locate us. Paranoid bastard. He presumes there is a traitor among us, working with the rebels, who will give away his site. I mean, he’s not wrong, but I know better than to use him as bait. It’s too dangerous.
Clover marches toward me, her fair hair shimmering like shards of ice.
“Where is he?” she demands.
Her tone makes my hackles rise. She peers past me, already expecting him to appear behind me. Clover grabs my shoulders, fingers pinching my skin.
“I asked you a question, recruit.”
“Relax,” I say tightly, stepping out of her grip. “I’ll take you to him.”
Her brows lift, suspicion flashing across her eyes. Clover doesn’t like me. I’ve seen the way she looks at me like I don’t belong. At first, I assumed her hostility came from my status asa Common, that she saw me as someone beneath her. But now I know it has to do with her infatuation with Ender.
Rei did mention that the Ashfords wanted Clover to wed Ender. She must feel like she was snubbed by my sister.
Spider barrels out of the crowd and wraps his strong arms around me. Flint and Rei are close behind him.
“You’re safe,” Spider murmurs. “What a relief!”
“Take us to the Commandant,” Clover snaps. “Now.”
“Are you okay?” Knox asks.
