Sprawled within the forest around the mountain range were multiple little dots, all with numbers beside them… the Camps. A thick black line circled the Void, the wall, and about fourteen dots outside of the wall with question marks and blank names on them.

  “What’s here?” I asked, pointing to one of the spots on the wall.

  “One of The Six locations, possibly,” Gunner answered.

  “We haven’t been able to find their exact locations, just where we think they are. It’s too risky for my people to get too close, and they have it heavily guarded to outsiders,” Tynan said. The Guardians had remained hidden and unknown for almost twenty-five years inside the wall. If The Six knew of their existence, the Guardians would surely be used as weapons, or worse.

  “Where are we headed first?” I asked, scanning the map again.

  “Your friend was last seen here,” Tynan said, pointing to Camp Fifty-Three. “But we’ve heard word she’s no longer there. There’s whispers near the borders to the north, near Camp Twenty-Seven, so we’ll lead you that way.”

  I followed the map, noting the only route under the mountain would take us through the city of Venzier.

  Tynan followed my gaze. “I will take you there, past the city and as north as I can get you inside the tunnels.”

  I glanced up to him. “Thank you.”

  Tynan shuffled on his feet and began rolling up the map. “I understand what it is like to lose someone you care about… to lose family. I just hope for your sake this journey is worth it. You risk much by going north.”

  “It is worth it.” I nodded.

  “Then let’s go,” Gunner said, a cocky grin on his face.

  The tunnel system was more confusing than I first imagined. So many choices to go left or right, and sometimes the tunnel went up just to go down on the other side. It was a twisted turn back and forth leaving me dizzy just thinking about it.

  “How were these tunnels made?” I asked.

  “By Carbons,” Tynan said. His voice was low and I matched it. “Many years ago, after the war was over, several of the Carbons could not live with what they had done to so many people. It is a heavy burden to be used against your own will and to be aware of it the entire time, but unable to stop it. So they found this mountain, and they used their abilities to carve out the middle and create a city for their people to live in.”

  “I thought the Carbons lived among humans…”

  “Most did, but a large group felt it was too much of a reminder of what they had done to be around the humans. They thought if they hid away from them, the guilt would lessen, and they could live with what they’d been forced to do.” Tynan glanced over his shoulder to where I followed him. “But you cannot hide from everything, as they soon found out.”

  “The Reeks,” I said. They were former Carbons. And they came from this forest, but I didn’t understand how they actually came to be.

  “There was only one at first, near the crash site north of Venzier. The Guardians killed it, scoured through the crash site, and burned everything inside. But they knew the virus was seeping into the forest, though we didn’t know if it had come from the crash site, or had somehow come from the city under the mountain. We tried to warn the citizens of Venzier.” Tynan’s shoulders dropped, and he stepped up a large rock into a tunnel a few feet above us. He extended his hand to me and pulled me up with ease. Theo and Gunner followed behind. “They did not listen to us… thought they were invincible and safe in their city under the mountain. The virus had spread before, and they had been given a cure, but that cure couldn’t protect them all, not forever. One day a Reek was discovered inside the city, and though it was killed on sight, the virus had already spread. The moment that thing stepped foot under the mountain it was already too late, and no cure would save them this time.”

  Tynan released a shuddered breath and his back tensed.

  “A cure?” I asked.

  “Long ago, the first Carbon ever created carried something in her blood that was a cure to the virus, but the cure no longer exists—she no longer exists—and even the Carbons who were saved before were no longer immune. Their bodies were built to evolve and adapt.”

  Another steep drop led down the tunnel, and Theo helped me navigate before we continued our steady pace north.

  “Only a handful of Carbons made it out alive. And many of the Guardians were killed trying to save them. So they sealed the city, trapping what was left of them inside…”

  I sucked in a breath. I didn’t have to see his face to know the pain written across it. I understood the sorrow Tynan felt for a decision he didn’t make but his ancestors did. They sealed the city… while Carbons were still alive inside of it.

  “The Carbons who escaped said they would get word out to all those in the continent of Armestes. Instead of sending help, they built the wall and told the people outside that it was to keep safe a memory of defeat and victory, but it was to keep the dark secret they didn’t know how to deal with out of sight.”

  “Your people were still inside when they built the wall?” I asked quietly.

  Tynan nodded. “This was our home, and we couldn’t leave, but the forest was no longer safe for even us. We tried to move on, living beside the thing that had destroyed our way of life…” His fists balled up against his side as we moved farther down the narrow tunnel. “We thought the Carbons would come back. We thought they would fix the problem they had created… but they left us. For decades we lived in this forest until too many of them escaped the city—small holes in the barriers that were set up, some that we’ve managed to reseal, but others we couldn’t. They swept out in droves, hundreds of them entering the forest daily, and we could do nothing about it. When they did send in help, they only ended up multiplying the problem, and soon we were overrun with Reeks. So we went to the only place we knew was still safe, under the mountain in these tunnels that we had sealed off.”

  “They didn’t come back for you guys, try to get you out?” I whispered.

  “No.” Tynan’s voice filled with anger. “They left us here to die, for this forest to die. And it wasn’t until ten years ago when they started sending kids into the forest that we realized they had no way to save us, no way to even save themselves.”

  “Did they try bombs or nukes to destroy the Reeks?” Theo asked.

  Tynan nodded. “That only made the virus air born and more were infected residing in The Sixes’ base. From what I understand, it’s the reason they now have humans working there, not Carbons.”

  I dropped my head. “I’m sorry for what they put you through.”

  Tynan glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes softened a bit. “You are as much a victim as we are.”

  We were all just pawns in their game. A test to see who could survive the longest, and who could defeat the Reeks.

  We reached a dead end after hours of walking up and down, round and round. My legs burned, but I knew it was not over. Now, we had to enter the forest.

  “I hope to see you again someday. May the stars keep you safe,” Tynan said. He pushed against a thick, heavy boulder at the end of the tunnel, and it slid open only enough for the three of us to slip out. “Good luck,” he said before the boulder moved back into place.

  The three of us were silent as we ran through the forest. I couldn’t help but think about all these people who didn’t deserve this fate, who did nothing to warrant being stuck with these monsters. The Marked kids, the Guardians, all forced to be pawns in someone else’s war. Yet, here we were. And there was no way out.

  Tynan’s people had been here from the beginning, much longer than the Marked kids, and still they hadn’t found a way out. I would die in this forest, with no one on the outside to mourn me.

  Leaves crunched under boots not far away and we all stopped. Silence, then another crunch, closer. Gunner pulled us behind a large tree.

  The wind pushed against us with a cold autumn breeze, and as the air hit my lungs, I knew whoever was nearby wasn’t a Reek. Only dirt and pine and dry leaves moved on the soft wind.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” That voice made my throat go dry. Blane.

  I looked to Gunner; he always knew what to do. He was surveying around us, and I noted the same thing he did. The mountain we’d just come from was in the distance, but it was too far to get to without Blane and whoever he had with him seeing us. To the left was a clearing that would leave us exposed, and to the right I saw more shadows closing in on us. No way out except through Blane.

  Theo shifted beside me, and I grabbed his arm before he could move any farther.

  “No,” I mouthed.

  “Get Vic. Find her.” He tried to pull his arm away but I held tight.

  “No!” I hissed. “We stick together.”

  Theo’s lips were a thin line, and his gaze dropped to my hand wrapped around his arm. He placed his own on top of mine. The warmth seeped through me, and he squeezed it gently before pulling my hand away.

  “I love you,” was all he said before he stood and walked into view of Blane, who was now only a few feet away.

  I reached for him, swiping at the empty air where he’d just been, and Gunner wrapped both arms around me, holding me tight against his body and covering my mouth with his hand. His glare told me to keep quiet.

  “Theo, didn’t expect to see you out here,” Blane said, smirking. “Where’s your fiery girlfriend? And that annoying nomad?”

  “Dead,” Theo said.

  “Dead? Really? Well, that’s a shame.” Blane stepped closer and Theo froze, his body ridged as he watched Blane circle. More men stepped out of the shadows. “Would you like to join them?”

  Theo went utterly still, and I again pushed against Gunner’s hold, but he jabbed me in the ribs hard enough I stopped struggling.

  “Not particularly.” Theo shrugged.

  “So then, what do you have to offer me if I keep you alive?” Blane waved an impatient hand. “Do you know where that little bitch, Victoria, is?” Blane’s hand moved to the bloody eye patch before he dropped his arm and balled his fists.

  “No,” Theo said.

  “Then what?”

  Theo was silent for a moment before he said, “The tunnels.”

  “What tunnels?” Blane paused.

  “The ones under the mountain.” Theo inclined his head to the large black mountain nearly blocking the sun.

  “And how exactly do you know about these tunnels? How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

  Theo shrugged. “You don’t. But if you want to know how Gunner survived for so long, the answer is in those tunnels.”

  Blane considered this for a moment, and everything inside of me screamed, No, don’t take them there. Anywhere but there!

  “Okay, show us the tunnels,” Blane said, and Theo took a step forward, but Blane stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Not so fast, we need to ensure you aren’t going to shoot us in the back the first chance you get.”

  Blane nodded to one of his men, who took a steel rod with two round clasps at the ends out of his bag. It looked haphazardly put together with rope and tape, but the steel was strong. He placed the clasps on Theo’s wrist, the steel rod between them making it impossible for him to bring his fists together and release his weapons.

  “What if the Reeks attack?” Theo asked between clenched teeth.

  “That’s your problem, not mine.” Blane shrugged. One of his men attached a chain to the rod and yanked Theo forward with a jerk. He nearly stumbled onto his knees. The men chuckled. “Lead the way.”

  Theo didn’t dare risk turning around as he walked out of view.

  “We have to go after them,” I hissed at Gunner once he finally removed his hand from my mouth.

  “No, we don’t. We have to get as far away from here as we can.” Gunner kept his grip firm on my arm, so I couldn’t break away.

  “They’ll kill him,” I growled.

  “No, they won’t. Your boyfriend’s a lot smarter than I thought,” Gunner said, an amused smirk on his face. I glared at him, knowing very well Theo was more than smart enough to keep himself alive, but not seeing what Gunner implied. He rolled his eyes at my ignorance. “He’s taking them north.” I waited for Gunner to explain. He just sighed and shook his head. “Do you not pay attention at all?” Gunner pulled me to my feet. “What is north of the mountain, of Venzier?”

  I scrunched my brow, thinking back to the map I’d seen briefly this morning. I recalled the red X covering the location he was referring to now. “The space station that crashed in the forest.”

  “Correct.” Gunner gave me a dramatic check mark in the air. “And what resides in that space station?”

  “The Reeks,” I whispered, my heart now pounding again.

  “Exactly. So why would it be a good thing if your brooding boyfriend were to take those guys north?”

  The air caught in my lungs. “But… they tied up his arms. If those Reeks attack them, he’ll have no way to defend himself.” I clung onto Gunner’s arm for support as my knees weakened under me.

  “He’s a fast runner.” Gunner shrugged, and I fixed him with a sharp glare. He tipped his head back with a long sigh. “It seems you were too busy last night swooning over your alone time with your boy toy to really listen to what we were told. Tynan and his people practically spelled it out for you.”

  “Just get to the point, Gunner,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “A lot of the Reeks are near the crash site because it’s closest to the few entrances into Venzier that they’ve broken through. The majority of them, if not all of them, are the former citizens of Venzier.” Gunner once again waited for me to understand what he wasn’t directly saying. I crossed my arms. “Theo is taking them north because he knows that’s where the Reeks are… and the Guardians. Stationed at each entrance from inside the tunnels and poised to kill anyone and anything that tries to break in.”

  “That ‘anyone’ includes Theo,” I argued.

  “True,” Gunner said. “But we’ve got an inside man with a deadly aim.”

  I sighed and cocked my head to the side, sick of Gunner’s run around answers.

  “Tynan, you idiot. We’re going to tell Tynan.”

  JAYLA

  “Think he’ll be ready?” I asked to no one in particular.

  Simon, Em, and I had just left another meeting with Gustov. He was securing every shuttle in Cytos he could, but I still wasn’t sure about him. We had less than three weeks before we were certain one of Governor Grayson’s transports would have to leave for the Void to deliver supplies, but we still needed enough shuttles to get everyone out safely.

  “Yes,” Simon said, nodding. “He’s a proud man, and an ambitious one at that, so he’ll make sure we get what we want, so he can get what he wants.”

  “He’s scum,” Em said. “Profiting off people already at the end of their rope.” I had taken Em with us this time to send a message to Gustov. Despite his sincere words, I wasn’t taking any chances, and I wasn’t about to blindly trust him.

  Em had been keen on meeting Gustov when we’d explained his role within Cytos. Gustov had set up a circle of power within the streets to the North, one of the poorer areas of Cytos, where those who lived there often went unnoticed. The residents paid him taxes to keep them off the streets, fed, and unharmed. Most were junkies, too high to realize their money was going to a crook. Others had debts to pay or secrets to hide; Gustov provided a safe place to do as they pleased under his protection.

  “Don’t they realize he’s just tying the noose for them? A day will come when they can’t pay and then what? Who will help them then?” Em continued.

  “These people are junkies, gamblers, and filth. Why do you care what happens to them, anyways?” Simon asked.

  “Because it’s my job,” Em snarled. “Unlike you, I don’t turn my back on those in need. I don’t run away from anyone no matter what kind of scum they may be… yourself included.”

  “A kindness you thrill at rubbing in my face any chance you get. Very heroic of you,” Simon drawled.

  “And you,” Em said, turning a cold eye to me, ignoring Simon’s quip. “You want to give him more? Give him the city?”

  “He’ll take it with or without our help, Em,” I said. “This way we get a chance to set some rules before handing him the keys.”

  “They don’t realize that what they are living in is no better than those kids in the DEZ. It’s a larger prison, but they’re bound to him with or without a contract,” Em said.

  I nodded. They were basically selling their souls to the devil for a little freedom and feigned safety, but what would happen to Gustov and his men now that Wallace was no longer watching out for them? What would happen to the citizens of the North when Grayson found out?

  “Doesn’t matter now, this city will be in chaos soon enough,” Simon said, a few steps behind us, as we turned another corner.

  The sun was still waking up. Grey, orange, and pink shimmered across the mist-covered grass in front of tall buildings. The crisp smell of autumn leaves changing color and the promise of colder weather to come lingered.

  Em paused and I instantly froze with her, taking the cue something was out of place.

  We both stopped so quickly Simon nearly ran into us. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but I shot a hand up.

  Em pulled out her twin blades. Only the metal softly sliding from their sheaths at her hip sounded. Her eyes darted left and right down the alley. I followed where she looked, not hearing what she had heard, but knowing someone was nearby.

  Em turned, and I followed her movement to where a small, cloaked figure walked towards us. The figure paused, then pulled off the hood.

  “Not here, you’re being followed,” Commander Reyes hissed and glanced over her shoulder.

  At the end of the alley, I just barely caught a glimpse of the long legs and high heels of the Carbon before she slid past.