Page 63

I walk over to Raisin, untie her, and walk her over to where Evander’s untying the other horses.

“I shouldn’t have said the thing about the concrete block. I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t look at me as he says, “I’m sorry, too. Let’s get moving.”

I mount my horse and wait for him. He’s beside me a few seconds later, his gaze on the horizon in the direction we’re heading.

“There should be a safe house in the next ten to twenty miles,” he says. “We’ll stop there for the day.”

He nudges Thunder to start walking, Jane reluctantly following when the rope between them is pulled taut. I follow, my mind still reeling with all the things he just said.

20

“People keep asking me to rename our capital Whitman City. I didn’t want to do it, but I’ve gotten so many requests that I’m humbly and officially changing the name of our beautiful, strong city from Carson City to Whitman City, effective immediately.” – written communication from New America President Soren Whitman to the capital’s residents, announced by 2,500 leaflets dropped by plane over the city

Briar

I take a few sips of water, but it doesn’t help. A faint campfire smell a few days ago was the first sign of the raging wildfires, and it’s gotten worse since.

A dingy yellow haze clouds the view in every direction, our throats scratchy and eyes burning. It brings back memories of the volcano eruption on the island. Our friend Niran saved my life. If not for him and Amira, I don’t think I would have made it.

I somehow felt the collective agony of the plants and trees on the island as lava and ash destroyed them. It was worse than any physical pain; their screams reached every cell of my body. Finally passing out was a relief.

I’m doing my best not to let on to Marcus that I feel that again. It’s fainter, but as we draw closer to the fires, it grows more intense. More than once, I’ve considered asking him to remove my aromium implant to make it stop.

But I can’t do that. Aromium gives me an edge I’ll need to rescue Mae. I don’t know yet if I can call on plants for protection and help like I did on the island, but I can feel them. I may be incapacitated by the time we get there, but I’m keeping my aromium.

The ground is cracked with dryness; nothing thriving here but weeds. Massive brown rock formations break up an otherwise bleak landscape. We pass a lot of people heading away from the wildfires, but never any going toward them, like we are.

We move aside on the dirt path we’re walking on to let a caravan of people going in the opposite direction pass us. Marcus keeps a machine gun in hand when people are anywhere near us. It’s pointed at the ground, but it still sends a message.

There are lots of women and children in this group of about two dozen people, everyone’s faces covered by makeshift bandannas to help filter the smoke in the air. Big, wary eyes watch us as they pass, several men pulling a wagon of supplies.

I wish we had something to give them. But we’re traveling light, and we don’t need much food thanks to aromium, so we hardly have any.

The dull roar of the trees and plants swims through my veins, making it hard to think about anything else. I lean against Marcus and close my eyes, getting a brief reprieve from the burning sensation.

“I wouldn’t go this way,” a man from the group calls to us. “Wildfires are getting worse. People are dying and food is scarce.”

“We have to go this way,” Marcus says. “But we appreciate the warning. Have you guys been close to Carson City recently?”

“No.” He turns his gaze on me, and then back to Marcus. “Cover up her hands if you go there.”

Marcus nods.

There’s a woman near the back of the group, a toddler’s arms and legs wrapped around her. The child’s head and face are covered, and the woman is so thin it hurts my heart.

“Give her our food,” I murmur.

Marcus furrows his brow as I look up at him.

“The woman with the child,” I say. “She needs it more than we do.”

He says nothing, but passes me the gun and gets into his bag, finding the bags of nuts, dried meat and fruit. When he approaches the woman, he keeps the food out in front of him and walks slowly.

She gives the woman beside her a wary look, stopping.

“This is all we have,” he says. “I hope it helps.”