Flight (23 page)

My mind shifts to David, and conjuring up his face hurts so much. His light auburn hair always ridiculously spiked, and paired with a determined smile. In my mind he’s looking off into the sunset, grass dancing in the wind while his cornflower blue eyes fill up with hope and light. I don’t want to remember the way he denounced me for my relationship with Asher, some of his last words to me filled with such spite. If he knew what we know now, would he be proud of me? Would he accept me?

“I have to do it for David,” I reply, nodding my head with gumption. But is it even possible to throw down an entire organization?

“Myra’s still on our side, just so you know. She’s playing to the Corp that she had no idea we’d ever even spoken,” he says. Myra. I feel like I’ll never know which side she’s really on.

“Whose bright idea was it, anyway to put us in the same city together?” I muse.

Ash chuckles lightly. “I would have found you, either way. Even little robots in my blood can’t erase you from me,” he says.

I smile and grab his hand tightly, fingers weaved through his. The sound of footsteps up ahead startles me, my body shooting up in reflex.

“It’s Sandy,” Asher says, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. Sure enough, Sandy trudges into the clearing, followed closely by Shelley, proudly sporting hot pink Rad gear. When she sees me she bolts over, wrapping me up in her trademark massive hugs.

“I’m so sorry for not telling you,” I whisper.

“I absolutely understand why you didn’t. I probably would have clobbered you. No offense, Asher,” she says pointedly, glancing at Ash apologetically.

“None taken,” he mutters, stifling a laugh.

“Grier explained it all to us,” Sandy offers to me, then turns to face Asher seriously. “I’ve got the co-ordinates you wanted, though it took me a while to find. I’m going to try to get Myra to give them a heads up, so they’ll expect you. I don’t think they’ll attack if you’re with Piper.”

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“We’re going to Valhalla,” Ash says.

My eyes widen in confusion while my eyebrows rise in question.

“It’s where the extradited hunters live. We kind of stole the name for our own branch of the resistance,” Sandy continues. He points it out on the map he has with him. The tiny x is buried deep in the high mountains to the north of us. I look up and note it’s now snowing with intensity.

“I brought you my latest collection. It’s wind-proof,” Shelley says, reading my mind. She pulls out a slender backpack and offers me a sleek jumpsuit, thankfully in a more subdued purple. I hug her again quickly after I tug it on.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“This isn’t forever. You’ll see me again before you know it,” she replies.

I hug and thank Sandy for always being there, then turn to face Asher with a deep breath.

“Let’s go.”

Cold permeates my head like a nose bleed. My body is unresponsive and my vision shows only a blur of pale light. I feel like I’ve been unconscious for days, and I groan through the pain as the sensation tickles itself back into my skin.

“Piper? Are you awake?” The voice echoes like it’s miles away, and I try to nod, but fail. Warmth. His body is pressed against me and the heat slowly defrosts my face and hands and lips. I’m grateful in this moment for the Hunter gene. Without it I’d probably be dead. As I peel my eyes open I see Asher’s eyes boring into mine as he cradles me tightly. Behind him, the walls are piled logs with rustic photographs, and a fire crackles in the background.

“Where are we?” I force out through jittering teeth. The last thing I remember is taking off into the night sky. Even with Shelley’s newest piece of gear, I must have half frozen.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how cold it must have been for you,” he says, eyes lined with pain.

“It’s okay,” I whisper, nestling further into him, sucking up his warmth. My skin no longer tingles painfully, but feels as though it’s being licked back to life by a fuzzy kitten. A figure enters the room, standing over Ash with hands pinned at the hips. I squint and notice it’s an older woman, pretty even though her face is lined with fine wrinkles. Her hair is braided tightly down her back and she’s glaring down at me.

“You’re damn lucky you didn’t kill that girl, Harpy boy,” she spits gruffly. Asher ignores her, stroking my hair gently.

“Where are we?” I ask.

The woman squints at me and raises her eyebrows. “So you’re awake. Welcome to Valhalla, refuge of the outcasts. Your boyfriend here carried you through a blizzard to get here, nearly froze you to death,” she says. She sounds like an ogre, voice scratchy and hoarse. She’s also obviously strong, physically and mentally. I nearly cry when she brings me a mug filled with steaming milk.

“Sit up, drink it slowly,” she mutters. Asher helps pull me upright, and I hold the cherished mug in my hands before gently sipping. The milk is deliciously warm and coats my throat in thick froth.

“Thank you,” I murmur. She reaches a hand toward Ash, and at first I think she’s going to smack him upside the head, but instead she places it gently on his shoulder.

“She’s going to be okay, but she needs to rest. I’ll come get you when dinner’s ready,” she says, then retreats and leaves the room, footsteps echoing on the hardwood floors. Asher guides me back to the bed, and I let my face sink into the fluffy pillow.

“I’m going to sleep now,” I whisper, my eyes shutting of their own accord. Asher holds me closely and kisses me lightly on the nose. I fall asleep as he slowly rocks me back and forth.

The sweet scent of cinnamon lulls me out of a deep sleep, and I yawn deeply. My body hurts, my head hurts, and above all my stomach is growling. I roll over and nudge Asher, who’s sleeping quietly on a chair next to the bed.

“Is dinner ready?” I ask.

He blinks a few times before he responds. “Sorry, I must have nodded off. Are you okay to get up?” he asks.

I wiggle my fingers and toes, and decide I’m more than capable of trucking myself around. “Yeah, and I’m starving. Now, where’s the bathroom?” I say. There’s only so long a girl can hold it for. After I’ve relieved myself and splashed my face with warm water, the woman from earlier comes into the room. Now that I’m actually conscious I can see her weather-beaten skin and determined attitude, and I immediately know who she is.

“You’re Gamma,” I whisper, eyes aglow like I’m a child meeting Santa Claus. I swear the legendary woman blushes a little, but tries to cover it up with a stern grunt.

“What kind of stories is Central throwing around about me now?” she mutters. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d run up to shake her hand.

“Only that you were the most bad-ass hunter ever, but that you died in some freak radiation accident,” I spurt out. No one back home would ever believe me, but seeing her with my own eyes just proves how many lies the Corp is hiding. Home. Will I ever be able to go back now?

“They would say that. Suffice it to say that I came upon some disturbing secrets about our lovely Corporation, and I wouldn’t stand for it. I took some Hunters with me and started a resistance out here. But enough about that, dinner’s ready if you are,” she says.

I nod gratefully and Asher and I follow her through a corridor with doors leading to rooms probably identical to the one where I’ve been. It looks like an old wood cabin, sparsely decorated but homey just the same. We stop at a large dining table where five sets of plates and cutlery are set up, a large roast and bowls of vegetables surrounding it.

“Sit,” Gamma orders, then turns to Asher, “Will this satisfy your appetite, Harpy boy?”

“I fed a few days ago, so the meat will be enough to tide me over,” he replies awkwardly. He takes a seat beside me and grasps my hand under the table. I can feel him trembling. It must be concerning to be sitting in a room dining with soldiers whose main focus is to kill you. I squeeze his hand tightly as two more ex-hunters enter the room.

“Ah, fresh meat,” says the first, a skinny man with scars covering his face and a badly styled Mohawk.

“Shut it, Slingjack,” Gamma snaps. The second Hunter remains silent as she takes a seat across from me. Her caramel skin almost glows in the soft light of the room, illuminating the ranking tattoos lining her left arm. Though her skin is darker, her eyes are a pale green, her hair cropped short to her head.

“I’m Sari,” she says, her voice soft. To look at you’d think she’d be a gentle and timid girl, but her tattoos prove her ruthlessness in the field. She doesn’t seem proud of it.

“A Harpy? Gamma, you didn’t tell us a Harpy was joining us for dinner. I would have brushed my hair,” Slingjack says sarcastically as he pulls up a seat, digging into the roast as soon as he hits the chair.

“This one isn’t just any Harpy, am I right? You’re the inherent, aren’t you?” Sari pipes up.

Asher holds his face neutral as the room falls silent. “I guess that’s what you would call me,” he answers regally.

Slingjack nearly spits out his mouthful of cud. “By the skin of Roger Elder, the goddamn Harpy Prince sitting right at our dining table. Now that’s some heavy artillery,” he mutters, voice mottled by the food still jammed in his mouth.

“They’re here to join us,” Gamma says simply. It looks like Slingjack wants to say more, but it’s clear that Gamma’s top dog here and he’s about to cross the line. Sari remains quiet but steals the occasional glance at us as she serves herself a plate of only vegetables.

“Is it just the three of you here?” I ask. The table looks like it can seat twenty or more, and the cabin itself has sleeping quarters for at least that many.

“This is the main hub, but our members come and go. Most are  doing recon right now. The Corporation’s a circus right now over you two,” Gamma replies.

I nod and serve myself a hearty plate, watching Asher as he settles on a few slices of the roast, making sure he’s okay.

“That meat to your liking?” Slingjack asks as Asher chews silently.

“Bit overcooked,” Ash comments with a grin, and a great sigh seems to envelope the room.

“I apologize, inherent. I’ll remember to cook some more to your taste next time. Rare?” Sari asks, her eyes remaining on her food.

“Raw would actually be fine. I don’t really need to eat every meal, or I could just hunt. There are probably lots of elk up here?” Asher asks.

“Bring us back a moose and we’ll have meat for a week,” Slingjack says, “and don’t mind the way this one talks either.” He points to Sari as if she’s not there. “She was a member of the Temple Tribe.”

That would explain the tattoos, at least. I don’t know much about it, I’ve only been told it’s some cult that sprouted from the Temple that kills more Harpies per year than every chapter of the Corp combined. The girl remains silent and eats her food slowly, thoroughly chewing each bite.

Gamma sighs, and I get the impression Slingjack isn’t the most popular member of the resistance. But I’m more interested in the woman herself, and how Valhalla works. I’m about to start asking questions when Gamma raises her hand.

“Tomorrow, Madden. I’ll answer any of your questions tomorrow, when you’ve rested up a bit more,” she says firmly.

I notice she hasn’t touched a bite of her food, instead her focus is on Slingjack, eyes remaining narrow. We finish dinner in silence, and immediately I regret how much I’ve eaten. Too much, too fast, and exhaustion creeps its way up my shoulders and onto my drooping eyelids.

“Is it alright if I go back to bed?” I ask, shattering the pattern of chewing and sipping from cups of cider. Gamma nods as Asher helps me back up and to our room. I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.

“Wake up!” I force my eyes open to the sweet face of Sari standing over my bed. She ushers me up and tosses my Rad gear at me. I look around but can’t see Asher anywhere in the room. The window’s open a crack, so he probably went out to scout the area.

“What’s going on?” I say, voice hoarse and groggy.

Sari brings a finger to her lips to silence me. “Slingjack called the Corp for your bounty. They’re on their way here now, you have to run!” she whispers vehemently. Panic begins to rise in my chest.

“Where’s Asher?” I ask, just as he slides in through the window, wings still extended. Sari helps me zip up my gear as Ash rushes over to us.

“They’re close. I don’t know if we’re going to make it,” he says, his face grim.

“Let’s go, now,” I say, pushing him back toward the window.

“Go where? There’s nowhere we can go!” he grunts.

I’m trying not to hyperventilate. We can’t just be nomads in the middle of the forest, they’d catch us in no time, and I don’t want to have to run for the rest of my life, but what other choice do we have?

Sari clears her throat for our attention. “I’m bound not to lie. There were Nano-machines in your drinks. Rupert Elder got to Slingjack before you even arrived. Slingjack goes back to work for the Corp in return for the two of you. They won’t work as quickly as when injected, but in a few hours you won’t remember each other. I suggest you spend it wisely and with each other. Now go, before it’s too late,” she says.

I look at Asher and he nods, knowing exactly where we need to go. Back to where it all began. He grips me tightly as we exit out the window and into the cold night, flying with immense speed back to the one place that was always ours.