“I did it a long time ago,” he says sheepishly upon catching me looking. “I was just being stupid.”
“I wasn’t thinking anything bad,” I say. “Why did you do it?”
“I don’t really remember,” he answers vaguely. “And as you can see, it obviously didn’t work. My mentor found me before I bled to death.”
“I didn’t know you had a mentor,” I say.
“All rangers have mentors.”
“Who is yours?”
“A great warrior who taught me almost everything I know.” He pauses, glancing at me. “Anyway, what was it like to live in the Recycling village? I heard life was kinda tough there.”
“Yeah, but the people are really nice. I had a lot of friends,” I say, wondering why I’m bothering to lie. “I was the leader of a group of girls. And plenty of guys were interested in me too.”
“I’m sure,” he nods.
We finally arrive at a large open space strewn with large rocks and fallen trees, and Wreck pulls the axe from his pack. My heart rate accelerates for a moment, and then an odd calmness envelops me. I’ve never been in this place before but it seems familiar.
“Ready to have some fun?” Wreck asks.
I take a deep breath and nod, remembering running from chimeras. I can still hear Topaz’s scream.
“Stay back behind me,” Wreck commands, walking toward the rocks.
“Wait,” I say and he stops, turning to face me. “I have a better plan. You wait here and I’ll bring a chimera to you.”
His expression becomes astonished.
“Seriously? You want to act as bait?”
“Don’t worry,” I smile. “I’ve done it before. I’m really good at being the bait.”
Wreck looks me over, assessing, and slowly returns my smile.
“All right then,” he says.
CHAPTER 27
Why am I doing this? Why am I walking alone toward a chimera cavern offering myself as bait? Why not have Wreck take all the risk?
Well, I guess partly I’m just showing off, trying to maintain an image of a strong, tough girl. It’s an attempt to prove to Wreck that I’m worth something. But even as I’m thinking it, I know that’s not my only reason. The truth is, I want to prove something to myself, become something more than just a helpless victim.
So I make my way between the rocks and fallen trees, stopping in front of a large cavern at the bottom of a hill. I stand unmoving, steadying my nerves, then take a deep slow breath and proceed inside. Entering the dark cave, I stop again just long enough to wait until my eyes adjust to the dim light. The air smells murky, which brings a flashback of Dimitri carrying me through the underground tunnel. I feel a twinge of sadness as my eyes begin to water. I wipe my face, remaining still and listening attentively. There’s no growling or any other sounds indicating a chimera. My hands tremble slightly and I’m anxious but not really frightened yet. I’ve never been scared of animals, no matter how big and dangerous they may be.
I proceed further, coming to a widening of the cave. I can make out a massive shadow in front of a small underground stream. Drops of sweat roll down my face. The shadow moves, turning toward me, and I suddenly see a giant chimera only several yards away. It’s much larger than any other chimeras I’ve encountered. For an instant I verge on panic, and can almost hear Topaz’s desperate screams. But the chimera neither attacks nor moves closer.
Blood, I think. Last time I was smudged in blood. I smelled like a wounded animal.
I feel like an intruder. This chimera apparently doesn’t intend to hurt me. It’s me who is the aggressor. I consider walking away, but then remember the roamers will kill Tanya if I fail my test.
I pick up a small stone and throw it at the animal. An image of Samantha and her friends throwing rocks at me pops up in my head. I turn and run, not waiting around to see what happens. I sprint as fast as I can toward the entrance of the cavern, and hear a furious roar behind me.
I break outside, running over the rough terrain. The chimera gives chase. My legs ache, and I immediately realize that I’m already in worse shape than while training. The chimera is closing fast, and I can’t move any quicker. I dive down flat on my stomach, squeezing myself in between two boulders. The animal lunges at me, clawing my bare arm. I scream, rolling onto my back. The beast’s huge head gets lodged between the rocks. I pull my knife, slicing it across the nose. The animal pulls back and leaps away, snarling in fury. I take the opportunity to rise to my feet, leaving the relative safety of my cover. The chimera immediately starts after me again.
I race toward the brush where Wreck hopefully waits in ambush, putting all my energy into the effort. Running past, I feel myself losing vision and blacking out from all the exertion. A second later I find myself lying on the ground on my side, and turn just in time to see the furious chimera charging at me. I brandish my knife, understanding it won’t really do any good.
Wreck suddenly leaps from the brush, swinging his axe and connecting with the neck of the chimera. The animal roars, crashing to the ground. I roll away to not get smashed. I’m certain that he would have killed a smaller chimera with such a blow. But this particular animal is too large and strong, as it spins around slamming him
