I need to get out of here.
I lean down and swipe his weapon before sprinting away from the camp and back toward the cave. My shoulder aches, but I force myself to pump my arms faster, jumping over fallen trees and rocks.
I can’t lead them anywhere near Korzyn. I backtrack, heading toward the water, and then hunker down behind a bush, waiting for my breath to steady as I plan out my next move.
Korzyn
I find myself unable to sleep while the hellion is away from the cave.
It’s incredibly inconvenient.
At this point, it’s crucial I recover, and yet each time I close my eyes, I see Sarissa, her lips trembling as the Dokhalls drag her into a cage. Sometimes, she’s screaming, begging for help.
All while I’m lying here, useless.
She’s an untrustworthy liability. So why does this terror make me desperate to go after her?
I managed to get up today, practically crawling toward the cave entrance and finding a spot to relieve my bladder behind a tree nearby.
Unfortunately, while I made it back to the cave, I passed out in front of it, and I’ve been lying here ever since—unable to sleep but also unable to drag myself inside.
I grit my teeth and again attempt to move back into the cave. If Sarissa finds me here, I’ll never hear the end of—
“What the hell are you doing out here?”
I turn my head, finding her out of breath, a scowl on her face. She has a shallow scratch along her forehead, and she’s covered in dirt, but she’s furiously alive.
I ignore the relief that washes through me.
“I wanted some fresh air.”
She takes one look at me, lying in the dirt near the mishua, and a smile plays around her lips. I frown. It’s more difficult to ignore her beauty when she isn’t scowling at me.
I manage to sit up, leaning against a rock. “What happened?
“It’s not good.” She raises her hand, waving one of the Dokhalls’ weapons, and bile burns at the back of my throat at the sight. “I was stupid and got too close.” Her lips twist, and she sighs. “I had to kill one of them and haul ass back here. They’ll be looking for whoever did it.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t killed.”
She sniffs. “Luck had nothing to do with it. I should’ve been paying more attention though. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied by the shitshow in front of me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Dokhalls are gathering an army. And they’re doing it under cover of the forest. They’ve set up a huge net above the trees, and it’s covered in dirt and poop so they can hide their scents from Dragix. There were hundreds of them, and from what I saw, they were getting ready to march.”
I close my eyes. “They’ll send scouts ahead.”
Sarissa nods. “Yes. And they’ll likely be moving fast. They’ll spread them out in all directions, and unless they’re stupid, they’ll leave more groups in key places, blocking off anyone who thinks to help.”
I once again curse my weakness. “We need to leave.”
She rolls her eyes. “Sure, get on your feet, and let’s go.”
I scowl at her sarcasm, and she scowls back.
“I have the beginning of a plan.”
Chapter Seven
Sarissa
To say Korzyn is unimpressed with my plan is putting it lightly.
We argued most of the night before I forced more of the disgusting water down him and we both fell asleep. Thankfully, the cave is warm enough if we huddle together, but this morning, the air was colder than it has been so far, and I found myself fantasizing about crawling on top of the commander.
To steal his heat, of course.
“Look,” I say. “We have to do something. We’re running out of nuts and berries, and they’re just not cutting it. We need meat, and while I’m good at many, many things, hunting and trapping and skinning animals are not any of those things.”
Korzyn tilts his head, raising one eyebrow, and I shove a few berries in my mouth.
Sometimes, Korzyn seems to be doing better. He made it outside the cave again last night. Other times—like right now—it appears as if he’s still on the path to death.
His blinks are slow, and it seems to cost him energy just to open his eyes again.
“You are desperate to get that chip to your friends. It’s clouding your thoughts.”
“It’s driving me toward my goal,” I argue, and he snorts.
“Your obsession will get you killed.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t need your approval.”
“Explain to me why this must happen so quickly.”
“You mean other than the army of Dokhalls who are definitely sending out scouts to find us?”
He nods, sighing at whatever he sees on my face. “Please.”
I turn away, gathering my weapons.
“Imagine the worst thing that could happen to you,” I say. “Imagine it comes out of nowhere. And imagine it doesn’t only happen to you, but it also happens to a group of other women who are just as scared as you. Some of them are younger, some of them older, but all of them need to believe in something.”
The commander clears his throat. “So you gave them something to believe in.”
I nod. “I made promises I shouldn’t have. I promised we’d get through that trip on the ship, that we’d survive, and that we’d get revenge. I promised no one would ever hurt us again and that we would thrive. I promised anything and everything under the sun. I threw out hope like I was throwing candy at a group of children at a birthday party. I said whatever it took. Now I have to deliver.”
“That doesn’t explain why your urgency is so great.”
“One of the other women, Clara, accused me of shirking my responsibilities when I traveled with Vivian,” I murmur. “She said I was a leader who was happy to risk her life but not her heart and it wasn’t fair for me to leave when the
