“Go, Adaline! He’ll catch up,” Cinder says. I bite my lip, remembering what happened the last time someone told me they’d catch up with me, but eventually, I start descending into the dark tunnel and slide my sword back into my belt. When my feet finally hit the ground they splash in a shallow puddle of who knows what. The smell almost makes me lose my breakfast. A couple of lights dance across the side of the tunnel and I remember the flashlights Mio had passed out. I reach for it in the side pocket of my backpack and click it on, illuminating a couple of inches right in front of my face, but not much more. I can see that a shallow amount of dark brown liquid covers the entire floor of the tunnel.
I look up and see that really, we are more in a large pipe. Different symbols are sprayed in paint along the walls. I immediately recognize them as the symbols for the gifts. It takes me by surprise to see them in person, this detailed in a hidden tunnel under Sard. Each gift has its own special symbol painted in a muted color.
Enhanced sight is painted in yellow. It’s a single, wide eye with curling lines. Enhanced touch is a small orange hand with its finger pointed out. Hearing is a green ear, taste is a brown smile, and smell is a red nose. Each with such specific details, and I wonder who took the time to put them here. They are patterned together on the wall to make an abstract face.
For me this journey has always been for my safety, my freedom. But details like this make me understand this is more than that. The gifted are fleeing as groups. They are working together, starting a movement to free our kind. It feels weird to lump myself into that group of people, the idea is still too new to me.
Cinder and Mio splash to the ground and Cooper is immediately behind them. I can see blood smeared on his face and his clothes. His sword is still dripping red droplets into the liquid of the tunnel. He seems to be in a trance as if he isn’t completely sure of where he is as he slides the sword back into his belt
“Let’s keep going!” Cinder yells, her hard voice replacing her normal soft tone. “It’s a straight shot from here.” We start at a steady jog and begin splashing through the tunnel, our lights bouncing along the walls.
Chapter 20
After a little bit of rearranging, I’m able to fall instep with Cooper. In the round tunnel, it’s hard to run side by side with anyone, but we manage to.
“Are you okay?” I ask him over the splashing of our feet.
It takes him a couple of seconds to respond. He blinks a few times and seems to come out of the trance, “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”
“What happened up there?” I ask, not sure if I should push him.
“All I can say is that you shouldn’t have to worry about Paylon following us,” he says and lets out out a heavy breath of air. He removes the necklace I had given him and hands it back to me.
“You killed him?” I ask, gasping and I shove the necklace back into my bag.
“No,” Cooper says flatly. “He’s injured though. There’s no way he could last more than a day. I cut him pretty deep in the leg and I got his neck, I couldn’t even imagine him living another hour, to be honest.” Cooper’s eyes glass over and I know he’s remembering the fight. I imagine Cooper swinging his sword and driving it deep through Paylon’s leg. Paylon falls and Cooper swings back slicing across his neck. The irony of it is Paylon may get his life for a life I guess.
“When we left he was crawling back into the forest, but we can’t be too safe,” Cooper’s voice fills the tunnel. “All we can do is move as fast as we can and hope we can get out of here before word spreads. But Adaline, he used his gift. The people of Sard already know something’s up.” Suddenly Mio stops running, causing the rest of us to bump into each other.
“What is it?” Cooper asks and he makes his way through the group to the front and I follow behind him. I shine my light directly in front of me and when I get in front of the group I see them. There’s just five of them sitting on the dirty floor of the tunnel, shivering. Children. They are all girls and can’t be more than ten years old.
“What’s going on here?” Cinder asks, her sweet tone returning. She steps forward, but the girls sink away from her. A confused look settles on the girls’ faces.
I lift my hand and wave to them and my shadow dances in the light on the tunnel. At the sudden movement, they all look at me and surprisingly wave back. “I don’t think they know how to talk,” I offer as I study their faces.
“Adaline, that’s silly. They’re grown kids, they can speak,” Mio says.
I step forward and kneel next to them. “Do you girls understand what I’m saying?” I say, shaking my head yes and no.
Four of them shake their heads no back to me, but the fifth girl who had her
