“Oh, come on!” I laughed. “I have a dagger. It's just a smaller version.” The smile never left my face as I motioned for him to come closer. I waited for him to approach me, expected an arm, and raised mine to block only to feel myself flat on my back, my feet pulled out from under me.
“All's fair in love and war, dear,” Joshua teased, offering me a hand to help me to my feet. “For the record, I never fight you with your dagger. In case you haven't noticed.”
“Scared?” I taunted him. Joshua laughed. “No, I just don't have a death wish.” I didn't argue. “You want to go again?” he asked.
“Give me a few to recover?” I still felt out of breath as he'd caught me off guard, knocking the wind out of me. I went to grab some water, surprised when I heard all the commotion outside. I couldn't quite make out what was going on. I jogged out of the gymnasium into the hallway, making a sharp right where the panel window lit the halls. I wiped the dirt and grime away with my hand, getting a better look.
“What do you see?” Joshua asked, coming to stand beside me. I hadn't heard him follow me out of the gymnasium.
“Looks like they're back,” I said, seeing the vehicle with Mason and a few others I didn't recognize. “Where's Margo and Jaxon?” I felt even more confused seeing visitors they'd brought with them. “Are they allowed to do that?” I glanced at Joshua and saw Hazel was already outside. She must have used the gymnasium exit to see what was going on.
I eyed Joshua, my stomach flip-flopping in confusion. “I thought visitors weren't allowed?” Though I knew we'd rescued our allies from Thena, it still felt like a different situation not knowing the people of Torv and Spade and knowing even less if we could trust them. “Should we go out there?” I asked Joshua as Hazel approached the new guests. Why had they brought back people from the rebel cities? Would the Chancellor have been against it? It was a huge risk to the town and its people.
I didn't waste another minute waiting for an answer as I moved away from the window and headed for the main door, curious as to what was going on. “Where's Margo and Jaxon?” I asked as we slowly moved towards the vehicle. My stomach tensed and I felt the color drain from my face as I saw a small urn in the backseat. Someone hadn't survived.
Mason's face was pale, somber as he let out a heavy sigh. “We ran into an ambush. Margo and I drove to Spade while Jaxon was discussing particulars with the high council.” His eyes glassed over, holding back his tears as he trained his stare down on the ground in front of him. “We didn't even come close to reaching the front gate before we were attacked. Guards stood at their posts and without so much as a warning shot, arrows started whizzing by our heads. Three pierced Margo's chest. I turned the vehicle around and high-tailed it out of there. No sense in both of us coming back in urns.” I could see the pain behind his eyes as he did his best to act tough, unaffected. “I drove her back to Torv for help but it was too late. By the time we got there,” he shook his head, “she'd already bled out too much. They couldn't save her.”
I moved closer, wrapping my arms around Mason, giving him a hug. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered, knowing it must have been awful to witness such a horrific event. Just hearing about it made me want to cry. Margo had been a good friend during training: she challenged me and made me stronger. She'd been one of the few recruits I could actually rely on. I paused, almost afraid to ask. “And Jaxon?”
“He stayed in Torv for the time being. He felt he'd be more help there than in Shadow.” Mason finally caught my stare. “I think he wasn't ready to say goodbye to Margo.”
I nodded faintly, understanding. No one was ready and driving back would have made it all the more real. “I'm not sure any of us are ready,” I whispered, pulling back as I chewed my bottom lip. I felt Joshua's hand find mine and I glanced at him with a weak smile. He didn't have to say it: he was grateful we hadn't been the ones to go.
Mason turned to look back at the three he'd brought with him. None of them said a word. His attention didn't stay on them for long as he cleared his throat, trying to sound calm. “This afternoon I think we should have a ceremony to remember her by.”
“Of course,” Joshua agreed. “That would be nice.”
Three unfamiliar faces stood outside the car. One woman and two men. Neither had introduced themselves to us. They seemed awkward and uncomfortable. The woman waited until we were done talking. “I'm Chloe, and this is Beckett and Asher,” she introduced them. “We're from Torv.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled politely, shaking their hands.
“We're sorry for your loss,” Chloe offered, giving a sad smile. I wondered if she'd met Margo at all in Torv. Mason swallowed the lump in his throat. “Chloe is a reproductive specialist. We invited her to Shadow to help Elsa in the lab.” I nodded, slowly beginning to understand why she'd been given an invitation.
“And Beckett and Asher?” I asked. I wasn't afraid of digging where I didn't belong.
Mason glanced at the two young men he'd brought along. They looked to be in their mid-twenties, not much older. “They're engineers. They study electronics and have hacked the power grid twice. With some tech we've found over the years through the Gravelands, I was hoping they might be able help us anticipate Cabal's next attack.”
Joshua grinned. “Oh we can do better than that since you've been gone.” He patted Mason's shoulder. “I'm happy to have their assistance.”
From the far end of the street, Elsa approached.
“You guys are back!” She smiled, throwing her arms around Mason. “You look good. I see you got a little sun, even in the middle of winter.” She must have been joking. They both looked pale and her face whitened when she saw the urn in the backseat. “Oh no.” The cheerful grin quickly faded. “Who—” She paused, unable to find the words as they caught in her throat.
Mason's brow furrowed as he tried to keep his emotions in check. “Jaxon's back in Torv. Margo—” He let out a heavy sigh as he reached for the urn from the backseat. “Didn't make it.” Mason didn't have to say anything more. Carrying the urn, he walked across the caked dirt towards Chancellor Collins’ office.
Elsa sighed, shifting on her feet. I could see the pain behind her eyes as she tried to focus. “We haven't properly met.” Elsa held out her hand as she introduced herself. “I'm Elsa.”
“Chloe.” She smiled weakly, shaking her hand. “I'm here to help go over your research with you,” Chloe admitted. “The boys told me back in Torv that a woman named Olivia is here. She's the last woman we've found capable of bearing a child.”
“That we know of,” I acknowledged. It was possible there were others out there like me, right? I was surprised they'd confided in these strangers about who I was, but I had to trust them. They wouldn't betray me, would they?
Chloe smiled weakly. “In Torv we've managed to help impregnate women without the government's knowledge. We've been at it for decades but there have been some complications…” Her words trailed off and she sighed. “The process does something to the mothers, causing hemorrhaging in seventy percent of cases and is almost always fatal for those mothers.”
“That's terrible,” I gasped. I couldn't imagine a woman signing up and knowingly risking her life in order to have a child.
Chloe frowned. “We've tried every inoculation and therapy we could think of to increase the chance of a successful pregnancy. The reality is we can't figure out where we're going wrong and we have no idea how the government has zero percent mortality.”
Elsa nodded. “We haven't even begun to look at DNA. Most of the tests and comparisons we've made in the lab are between reproductive scans that show no physical differences between Olivia and the women who can't conceive.”
“Well I'm here to help in any way I can,” Chloe offered. “I'm sure you have a lot of data that needs analyzing. I was hoping,” she glanced from Elsa to me, “that in return you might join me back in Torv to help with the pregnant women.”
Elsa paused, considering Chloe's request. “We'd be happy to try. Olivia would be a lifesaver if she came along.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow. “You're Olivia?” she asked, astonished. I hadn't properly introduced myself, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. I felt as though I was being scrutinized for not saying so sooner.
“I am,” I finally admitted, not entirely comfortable with this woman knowing who I was. I also didn't know how I could be of any help in Torv. Did they want me to join them as a human specimen that could offer a blood
