“Keep your eyes and hands where they belong or you’ll be missing one or two.”
“I like my women feisty.”
Fawke joined us, adding his glare to mine. “This one belongs to me.”
The man shrugged. “There are others.” He stepped a few feet away.
“I can handle myself,” I said.
“I know, but as our leader…”
“Still keeping with your assignment?” I arched a brow.
“Hard habit to break.”
“You’re her bodyguard?” Lloyd glanced back. “Never heard of such a thing out here.”
“He isn’t.” I shook my head. Fawke needed to stop putting himself between me and trouble. Doing so could have severe consequences to him. “Stop. You might be putting a target on your back.”
“We’re here.” Lloyd led us into a large clearing full of wood houses similar to what I’d lived in with my mother.
A worn dirt path cut the community in two. At the end sat a house twice the size of the others.
“Wait here.” Lloyd left us under the curious gazes of a large number of men, women, and children.
I glanced around not seeing any expressions on their faces to alarm me. They merely stared, no doubt waiting to see what their leader would do.
A few minutes later, a man around Ezra’s age, with gray hair and broad shoulders, approached us. He smiled. “I’m Jenkins, the leader of this group.”
I stepped forward. “Crynn Dayholt, leader of this group.”
Surprise flickered across his face. “Bad turn of the wheel, huh? Welcome to Rebel Village.”
“Are we welcome here? It doesn’t look that way to me, since our hands have been tied since we were captured.” I lifted my chin to meet his gaze.
“Of course. Please untie her and the others. Provide them with food and water. We aren’t barbarians. If you’d come with me Miss Dayholt.” He turned and entered the house he’d exited.
I motioned for Fawke to come with me, only to have him stopped by Lloyd.
“The boss will see you alone.”
I took a deep breath and entered the building. A fire burned in a rock fireplace. On a small table sat a loaf of bread and a dented metal pitcher. A mouth-watering aroma came from a covered dish.
“Please, have something to eat.” He handed me a bowl and lifted the lid.
“You have vegetables?” I widened my eyes. “I haven’t seen any for a long time.”
“I’ll show you around. You’ll be quite surprised by what we’ve accomplished away from Soriah.” He filled the bowl with stew and handed it to me.
I almost moaned in ecstasy at the rich taste. “What kind of meat is this?” It didn’t look like the manufactured stuff we got back home.
“Venison.” He grinned. “Those monsters in the city would have a field day if they learned deer still roamed this mountain. We eat wild birds, rodents if we have to. The forest is coming back to life, Miss Dayholt.”
“If Soriah finds out…” I dipped a piece of bread into my soup.
“We can’t let that happen. That’s why Lloyd cut the chips from your arms.”
“I planned on it anyway.” I glanced up from my meal. “I’d given my people the choice. Cut out their chips and come with me here or stay behind. Lloyd made that decision for all of us.”
“Why did you want to come here?” He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
“Same reason you’re here. Freedom. Is this part of my test?”
“A small part.” Something in his eyes made me squirm. “I see you have several young women of child-bearing years. I sincerely hope everyone passes the test.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s not talk of such things today. It will keep until tomorrow. Are you an educated woman?”
I nodded. “I read everything I can.”
“Then you’ll be even more surprised by what we’ve accomplished here.” He stood as I finished eating. “Let’s take that tour and have the cut on your arm cleaned.”
“Our member, Kira, has some medical knowledge if she can be of help.”
“We’ll see.”
A look of relief crossed Fawke’s face as I stepped outside. I nodded to let him know I was fine.
Jenkins led me to a corral of deer. I’d seen something similar for cows and horses. A covered pen held pigeons, the only thing I’d actually seen in Soriah that wasn’t a picture. Another building with slats for the roof held a garden.
“I am impressed. What about the rain?”
“The trees filter out the poison. Nature adapts, Miss Dayholt, much as humans can.”
“You don’t need to protect your skin?”
“Not here. I’m sure you saw how we’re thriving, the amount of children we have. Rebel City is as close to paradise as one can find on this earth.” His chest swelled.
“How did you do this?”
“Fifty years ago, my father and mother escaped Soriah. They were scavengers. They cut the chips from their arms and came to the mountain. Over time, they brought others here, same as Lloyd brought you. He had them pass a series of tests to prove their worthiness. You’ll rarely find a scar now where a chip once was.”
“What if a person doesn’t pass the test?”
He shrugged. “We can’t let them go back.”
So, failure meant death.
21
After sleeping on a mattress stuffed with dry grass and eating more for breakfast than I normally ate in a full day, I stepped from the shack I shared with the other women in my group. In the center of the community, men erected what looked like an arena of some kind. Part of the testing, no doubt.
Jenkins strolled toward me, a smile on his face. “I trust you slept well.”
“Better than I have in a long time.”
“Wonderful. Please bring all members of your
