The tea also helped with my shoulder and other injuries I’d sustained. It was an effort, though, not to comment on the fact I might have been running by now had they given me this before. But I understood; they weren’t doing it to help me now. It was to benefit them. Family first, something I knew all too well.

  With nothing to do but sit around and wait to heal, I was stuck tending to the camp while the others checked the tunnels and secured them the best they could.

  “A few won’t hold for long. They could come tumbling down if someone just leaned on them,” Theo had said when he returned.

  The forest outside had gone quiet, eerily so. The first few days after the explosion were filled with screams and the sounds of the Reeks… but now… Nothing. My fear was there was no one else out there to scream. Thousands of kids… gone within the week. I knew my fears were now my reality.

  If the tens of thousands of Reeks didn’t take them down, they’d likely been dissolved without access to any artifacts. I couldn’t see anyone surviving out there, not with that many Reeks.

  “You should rest,” I told Theo; his eyes were heavy.

  “Just for a few hours,” he mumbled, stifling a yawn as he lay back on the small bed we’d created around the fire. Tynan and Petra were already asleep.

  Theo was out before I had a chance to say goodnight.

  In the quiet space under the mountain, I found it hard to sleep. The crackling fire startled me with each pop. My eyes darted constantly to the tunnels, but in the dark my sight was useless. I wouldn’t see anything hiding in the shadows. Outside of our campfire, it was empty and dark down here.

  My mind drifted to the whole reason we ended up here in the first place, to find Vic. The rumors she was alive had long since passed. No one was left to spread such rumors. We were possibly the last living souls in the forest.

  Tears prickled my eyes, but I blinked them back. Theo was right; there was no use pouting or feeling sorry for myself. I would find a time to mourn Vic, to grieve her, but not now. Because if I did, I didn’t think I could pull myself out of it. And I knew as soon as my leg was healed, we would be leaving this mountain. We had enough food and water to last about a month; then we’d have to leave this place if we wanted to live. Where we’d go, I had no idea, but all four of us had agreed it would be worse to stay here waiting for our deaths than to go out there and at least give us a fighting chance. We’d survived the Reeks in Venzier, more than I’d ever seen in the forest. We could survive this, too.

  A small sound from the back of the cavern reached me, almost like a small breath of air escaping someone’s nose. My eyes flickered to the dark corners of the shadowed tunnels but nothing moved. I glanced back to the fire, which was fading and tossed another log on. As the embers took over the dry log, it caught fire quickly and burst into bright orange and yellow flames. It danced off the dark cave walls, moving across the black stone like the shadow of a wolf, smooth and graceful, and—

  Bright yellow eyes blinked back from the shadows. Its mouth opened, and I could smell the metallic tang of blood and death.

  My heart paused.

  I froze. Unable to move. Unable to speak.

  My throat went dry, and my mouth moved but no sound escaped. The low growl shook the entire camp.

  Finally, the fear ensnaring me disappeared and I screamed, “Wulf!”

  JAYLA

  It was dark by the time we left Eres. The shuttle was quiet. Nerves and the swift moving ground outside the shuttle window caused my stomach to lurch. Em sat at the front with Logan, sharpening her knives. Simon and I were at the back of the shuttle, directing Logan based on Gustov’s intel.

  We’d given him access to the tracking system we put on the transport shuttles in Cytos before we left, and now we were relying on his accuracy and his men. We had twenty-one shuttles heading out, along with forty men none of us knew. If they had training, if they’d be a liability or an aid, we weren’t sure.

  “I’ve been told that nerves help you focus,” Simon said.

  I was busy fiddling with my gun, checking and rechecking it to avoid glancing out the windows and risk being sick. “Then it’d seem we’re all mighty focused right now.”

  Simon chuckled. He let out a long sigh. “When we get in there, focus on the kids. I’ll look for Reyes.” I knew why he’d want to be the one to find her, and I would not deny him his right to make sure she was okay, to see it first hand with his own eyes. If I was certain I’d find Caspian somewhere in there, I’d be doing the same thing. Don’t think about him now, not here, I told myself. I had to stay focused.

  Our shuttle would be the only one going near the base until we had the kids secure. We didn’t want to risk setting off any alarms before we’d gotten inside, so only Simon, Em, and I would head in. Logan would drop us in before meeting with Gustov and the others a few miles from our destination and wait for word from us.

  “We’re five minutes out, get ready,” Em shouted, and I gave a sharp nod.

  This was the part of the plan I was worried most about. Not because I was afraid of heights, I’d jumped from higher than this, but because we weren’t sure what defences they’d set up around the perimeter, nor did we know how many men to expect or what weapons they had. We had to enter in stealth mode, unable to bring the shuttle too close until Em disabled their weapons system, so we knew little about what we were getting into. Too much was unknown, and it went against all my training and every instinct inside of me, reminding me of all the things that could go wrong.

  Last time we’d been here, our view of the location was limited. This time we weren’t at much more of an advantage. We had a location and a plan, but to execute it and succeed, we had to be perfect.

  I pulled at the straps around me, and the parachute pack tightened against my back. Then I tucked my gun in its holster at my hip, along with three more guns, four knives, and enough explosives to take down an entire city block.

  Em stood from her spot beside Logan, putting her chute on her back and giving me a wicked grin. “Ready to have a little fun?”

  “You and I have different views of fun, Em,” I retorted.

  “Do we?” She smirked. “Last I remembered, you and Caspian were enjoying my style of fun just as much as I do… from the sounds of it, anyway.”

  I rolled my eyes. Logan’s brows popped up in surprise before a faint pink blush bloomed on his cheeks. “Oh, that style of fun we’re experts in, trust me. It’s this sick version of fun I’m not so keen on.” I winked.

  “Hah, I’m pretty sure you just watched the master at work and picked up a few of my tips along the way,” Em purred, tracking her hand down Logan’s arm, and his face went a brighter shade of red.

  “Really?” Simon glanced between us with disgust on his face. “You two are talking about sex at a time like this?”

  Em shrugged and moved on to securing her twin blades at her side and a few more daggers along with them.

  I grinned at Simon. “It calms the nerves, if you know what I mean.”

  Em nearly choked on a laugh, and I didn’t hide my smile, glad for the distraction, glad Em knew I needed it. Because to go in there tonight with the weight of everything pulling down on me would do none of us any good and she knew it. Teasing each other was always my favorite way of forgetting what we were about to do and focusing on one single thing… getting home.

  That was always the focus, our only promise, that we’d get home when it was all said and done, and we’d go right back to the teasing and banter.

  I swallowed back the weeks it’d been since we were all home together.

  Soon, I told myself. Soon I’d know… if there would be three people coming home or just two.

  “Um… we’re here,” Logan said, the shuttle’s speed slowing before it stopped and hovered over a spot I couldn’t see.

  The clouds were heavy tonight. Cold wind pushed through the door Simon slid open. I checked my pack once more before I stepped to the open door and peered over the edge. Through the clouds moving swiftly below us, you could just barely see dots of lights.

  “See you in a few,” Em said to Logan before she locked her lips around his and kissed him so passionately I had to turn away.

  Simon gaped at them the entire time until Em stepped towards the open door, a grin planted on her face, as she pulled her goggles down over her eyes to protect them from the fierce wind.

  “If we succeed tonight, and you don’t die, Simon, you might get one of those from me, too.” Em winked before she stepped off the edge and disappeared into the clouds and darkness.

  “I almost hope I don’t make it back if that’s what’s waiting for me.” Simon scowled, pulling his goggles down and scarf up over his face. Logan only got out a “hey” before Simon jumped into the night sky.

  I turned back to Logan. “We’ll radio you when we’re ready,” I said, as I pulled my goggles over my eyes and jumped out the shuttle doors.

  My stomach was in my lungs as I fell through the sky. I moved so fast I was through the clouds and plummeting to earth before I had a chance to take a gasped breath.

  I steadied my frantic free fall and pulled my first chute. It slowed down my momentum enough I could direct myself towards the spots of lights in the distance growing closer. A large building was hidden just inside the enormous wall around the Void.

  I noted the moonlight bouncing off the second, thick wall made of glass surrounding the building and grounds around it.

  A shuttle sat in the open space beside the building unloading crates—the shuttle we’d followed here. At least I knew Gustov’s intel had been true. He’d held up the first half of our bargain; I hoped he succeeded in the second, as well.

  Below me, Em and Simon drifted towards the building. If I didn’t know they were there, I would never have seen them, both covered head to toe in black, the small chute slowing us down also matched the night sky.

  I watched as both Simon and Em pulled their main cord, and the chute shot open, yanking them up with the force of the wind pushing against us. Seconds later my own alarm beeped, and I pulled my main chute.

  The slow feeling of floating through the air was almost calming. The wind still roared in my ears, but there was hardly a sound in the night outside of a few distant howls.

  I glanced around us. To one side was the white sand of the Wastelands, to the other side the dense forest of the Void. Glowing in the moonlight, nearly sparkling in the distance, was the large mountain. A crater dented in the side of its once flawless exterior.

  It seemed almost peaceful from up here. Beautiful even.

  A picturesque lie.

  We were nearing the rooftop of the building. I pulled on the handles, slowing my momentum a bit more as I lifted my feet, bending my knees and preparing to land. My feet didn’t make a sound as I touched down. Em and Simon had landed a few feet ahead of me and were already pulling off their chutes.

  Within seconds of landing, I had the pack, my exterior black jacket, and wind resistant pants off. Simon and Em followed suit. We were all now clad in pale white attire, recalling the halls of this place and the bare, stark white walls and floors. We had more places to hide outside of the building, but once we got inside, we had to stay hidden against the pristine canvas.

  I pulled up my hood then the tight scarf around my neck to conceal most of my face.

  I glanced to Em; she was nearly a ghost with her blood red lips hidden. Her striking gold eyes narrowed on me and with a sharp nod, we took a step forward.

  We made it two more steps before the sirens began to blare.

  CASPIAN

  We ran through the day and into the next night before we reached the glass wall separating the Void from the base Dr. Merinda had led us to. We didn’t dare stop, even when the sun set, not trusting the Reek blood alone to cover our smell.

  My feet were throbbing, and I was certain blisters covered my toes. I could hardly keep upright from exhaustion and dehydration when we finally reached the wall, but we’d made it. Vic was just as tired, but she held her head high the entire time and kept that determined look in her eyes, never wavering. I stared at her in awe and wondered how someone who appeared so soft and fragile could survive for so long out here alone.

  The glass wall slid open for us, slamming shut quickly so nothing besides us snuck through. We couldn’t see anyone; it was pitch black except for the interior lights of the building shining through the frosted windows. The blinking red light of a camera bot high overhead followed our every move as soon as we passed the glass wall.

  When we reached the building, the glass box room filled with steam unlocked. Tentatively, we walked in.

  “Remove all your clothing,” a familiar voice said through the speakers.

  I glanced to Vic, whose eyes widened, and her body began shaking. I was ready to object, but with a subtle shake of her head she silently told me it was okay. She just turned her back to us and began removing the Reek-covered clothing. Gunner and I did the same.

  The steam thickened, and then a heavy hot splash of water came down from the roof, covering all of us as we gasped and adjusted to the heat. The water was laced in soap, and we quickly scrubbed at the caked-on blood and filth clinging to us.

  “Step forward, one at a time,” the voice said once we were all clean. I recognized it immediately: Dr. Allard.

  I motioned for Vic to go first, happy for the steam covering her along with her hair and hands.

  To my right, Gunner was rummaging through his soiled clothes. He pulled something out and tossed it between his hands. It was shiny and made of metal. No larger than the size of my fist with one flat side while the rest curved into a dome. It was an artifact. Whatever this thing was, I’d never seen anything like it before.

  Gunner clutched it in his hand and gave me smug smile. “Wouldn’t want to forget the merchandise.”

  I shook my head with a scowl. “What did you sacrifice to make this deal?” I asked, knowing no one would be let in here, artifact or not, if there wasn’t a damn good reason behind it. Something held over his head? Did he know something valuable to The Six? Or had he also been given a promise we all knew they wouldn’t keep, in exchange for doing their dirty work.

  Gunner’s eyes went surprisingly distant, as he whispered, “Too much.”

  I wanted to ask more, but Dr. Allard called for the next person, and Gunner greedily stepped forward.

  I waited, in the mist, considering taking one of my weapons with me. But given I had nowhere to hide it, I knew it wasn’t a good idea. So when I was called forward, I took nothing with me but my pride.

  On the other side of the glass window was the large lab I’d seen once before. Allard stood a few feet away with a towel and clean clothes in his hands. He passed both to me without a word.

  I quickly dried and shoved on the clothes, white linen pants and a cotton shirt, before Allard directed us to follow him.

  Vic hovered at my side, and I gripped her hand. She gave it a little squeeze as thanks and I squeezed back.

  Allard directed us into a room lined with four beds. Each had their own tray and utensils, each with their own tablet.

  In the fourth one was a woman. I blinked twice, just to make sure what I was seeing was real, but I knew who she was. Speckles of red blood stained the front of her white shirt, and both eyes had black rings around them, one was nearly swollen shut.

  I moved towards Commander Reyes, but Dr. Allard stood in my way.

  “Not yet,” he said smoothly and pointed to the three empty beds. I took the one beside Reyes, her weak eyes following my movements, and they flashed with recognition, but she didn’t say a word. Or couldn’t, I wasn’t sure.

  The three of us sat down in silence, and Allard moved to each bed, securing one of our arms to the bedposts before he turned to leave.

  “When will we see Dr. Merinda?” I asked.

  Allard turned to me with a little smirk. “If I were you, I’d be praying that day never came.”

  “We had a deal,” I said through clenched teeth.

  Allard shrugged. “Deals can be broken. Promises aren’t always kept… it’s a fact of life, boy. One you should get used to.”

  I shifted forward, the chain at my wrist stopping me from moving any farther. My breath was ragged. “Where the hell is she?” I growled.

  Dr. Allard just moved to the door and said over his shoulder, “She’ll come when she’s good and ready. Until then, sit tight… I wouldn’t want you to get any ideas of breaking out of those chains or anything.” He winked and gave a subtle nod to the tray beside me then left.

  I blinked, staring at the closed door with stunned confusion. Had Allard just helped us?

  I glanced to the tray beside my table within reach and supplied with a few tools. I looked at Vic’s and Gunner’s trays; both were empty, only mine still had anything on it.

  “Did he just…” Gunner mumbled and I nodded.

  I acted fast, not knowing how much time we had, or how long this generous offer of help would last. I grabbed the long pinchers then a needle and placed the latter in the lock of the cuff on my wrist. I dug and twisted, using the pinchers to steady the needle until I heard the click of the lock, and the cuff sprang from my wrist.

  I moved to Vic next, then Gunner, and finally Reyes.

  The skin under her cuff was red and chafed. I wondered how long she’d been locked in here, chained to this bed.

  “Can you stand?” I asked her.

  She nodded.

  Vic took her other side, and we moved her to her feet.

  “We’ve got a little problem, guys,” Gunner said. He turned the knob of the door but it didn’t budge.

  “Shit,” I muttered and let Reyes sit down.

  I turned the knob and pulled, as if it would open for me.

  “Really? You didn’t believe me?” Gunner snorted.

  I paced around the room. “There has to be another way out.”

  My eyes roved the walls, the roof. No visible vents, just a thin opening around the roof line letting air in; it was no wider than my pinkie. This room had no windows or other doors. No way out but the way we came in. And no lock on the inside to pick.