Long grass flicks into our faces, slicing across our arms as we run. It feels like wading through water. The thick, heavy tall grass constantly blocks our path, and the sludgy, soft ground sucks our feet down. High-pitched cackles sail after us, chilling me to the bone. A couple of miles of the grassland still stretches before us. But the mountain-like trees of the forest erupt from the earth on the lip of the horizon, calling our name.
"We need to make it to the forest!" I yell, my heart pounding.
I drive my legs into the uneven ground and shove my way through the grass. But the strange people, who remind of sirens, let out shriller cackles, reminding us they are gaining up. My hand flies to my dagger.
"You guys run ahead!" I shout. "I've got this."
Ruben whips his head over his shoulder and glares. "No, Elle. It's too dangerous."
"I said go! Look after Ajax. I'll catch up."
Then I whirl around, and stop, pulling a dagger from my belt. The wind ruffles the grass like ripples in the lake as I stand within its throng. I spin the hilt of my dagger as the sirens fall silent. My breathing falls erratically from my open lips and the hairs on my arms prickle. I wait, and I wait.
Then they strike.
The first siren launches itself from the depths of the grass, screeching like some demon from hell. Its head stretched out further behind it, like an egg. Red, soulless eyes lock with my own and I gasp. A warm liquid trickles down my face. From my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. I dab it with my finger and stumble at the crimson blood staining my skin. A haze forms across my vision and my muscles tremble. I grunt, tossing the blade. It slices through the air and slams into their head. With a quick shriek, they fall to the ground. My vision returns and the blood stops dripping from all the points on my face. I yank the dagger from the siren's head, flick the gooey, purple blood from the blade and stick it back into my belt. Then I pull out my sword. As the sirens lurch at me from the folds of the grass, I swing my blade, slicing into the throats, jabbing it into their ribs, and opening their guts. Intestines and purple blood spill and splatter the grasslands and my grunts mix their death screams, billowing into the air like smoke. Finally, the last siren thuds face-first into the grass.
I heave breaths, grimacing at my clothes, covered in purple blood like one of the obscure paintings in Edward's headquarters. A putrid, rotten stench clouds me. I wish for nothing more than to wash off in the river. But I turn around, tuck my sword back into the scabbard across my back, and run. Sweat coats my face, mixing with the streaks of my own blood, and the siren blood.
Exhaustion washes through my muscles in waves as I push my way through the thicket of grass. A heaviness tugs at my eyes. But I give my head a small shake and keep moving forward until the forest welcomes me into its shadows.
"Elle!" Ruben darts out from behind an enormous tree trunk. His eyes shift back to the grasslands and his face pales. "You didn't kill them?"
"What?" I spin around, craning my neck over the grass. "I did kill them. All of them."
"Are you sure?" He points to the dozens of heads bobbing out above the grass. Even from the distance, I recognise their faces and the purple blood covering them where my blade did enter their flesh.
"What the hell?" My voice trails off as fear grazes its claws up and down my spine. "Did they just resurrect from the dead?"
Ruben shakes his head. "I don't know. But I do know we need to hide." He gestures for me to join them behind the wide tree with thick plates of reddish bark. Its trunk shoots hundreds of metres into the air before air branches splay over, creating a lush canopy, cruel to the passage of sunlight. I'm acutely aware of how dark this forest is. And the sun across the grasslands has only just begun to wane towards the mouth of the horizon.
Ruben hands me a cloth. "If we head towards the Untamed tribe, I think we will come across a stream you can bathe in."
"Thanks," I mumble, grabbing the cloth and wiping off the blood from my face.
"What the hell were those things?" Ajax asks, his face pallid. "They sang and put me in a trance. And then they just rose from the dead?"
"And I know I killed them," I say. "They were dead. Not to mention, one of them made me bleed from every opening in my head."
"So, everything we once knew about our world, is about to change," Aston says.
I lean against the tree, blowing out a deep breath. "I suppose the myths of the sirens had to come from somewhere."
"You think they were sirens?" Ajax arches a brow. Then he snatches a leaf from the forest floor and holds it up. A red leaf.
"I'm not sure what else to call them." I shrug, shaking my head at the leaf in his hand.
Aston hauls himself to his feet. "Do you know where the Untamed tribe might be, Ruben?"
He nods, digging into his pocket and pulling out a small compass. "Yes. They are camped in the direction of the Red Movement." The tiny hand on the compass flicks north. "We head south. But we will have to move through the forest. I think it's best we stay hidden within the trees."
Ajax also stands, adjusting his backpack. "I miss my bed."
Aston chuckles as we fall into step, following Ruben. "You can just snuggle up with me, my friend."
"I suppose any human interaction is vital since Edward will probably execute us all upon our return," Ajax says.
I press my lips together, trying my best to block out the putrid stench attached to me. "I think Edward wants to redeem himself."
Ruben stiffens but does not speak. Ajax scoffs and pushes a set of ferns out of the way as he moves through. "That may be so. But he shouldn't be taken. After he took over the walls, he continues to prove how unstable he is."
I nod. "You're right. He wants friends and loyalty, but he doesn't know how to earn it in a genuine way."
Aston, who traipses alongside me, glances at me from the corner of his eyes. "It isn't your responsibility to teach him."
My shoulders sag. "I know." I resist the urge to tell him everything that happened up until the point of his release from Edward's prison. The memories are too painful to utter aloud. "He's had a lonely life. If we can find this Devil's Ivy, perhaps Edward will have a shot at redeeming himself."
"He did heal the blight in the Convex farms," Ajax chimes in, glancing back at us.
We step over a fallen, dead tree and I sigh. "I'm afraid the effort will be in vain given the effects of the shadowteeth blood on the human psyche. There wasn't any information in the book."
"There's a stream," Ruben says from up the front.
Sure enough, the burbling and splashing of running water catch my attention. We quicken our pace and emerge from the tight-knit trees to a stream cutting through the forest, home to a school of trout moving lazily through the current.
"Is this where we set up camp for the night?" Ajax asks, sticking his dirty, blood-stained hands into the water.
"Yes." I peer at the sky through the teardrop gap in the canopy. "It will get dark here faster than out there."
I step behind a tree, kick off my boots, and peel my smelly clothes off, leaving my underwear on. Sending a prayer to the Gods asking them to steer away any sirens, I wade into the water. I shudder at the icy change in temperature touching my skin. The water is so clear I can see my toes and the various coloured stones and sand swishing around my feet as I move. Red and purple blood seep into the water around me as it washes from my skin. I dunk my head and rub my face. As I plunge back into the surface and wipe the water from my eyes, I frown at Ruben as he steps into the water, wearing only his trunks.
"What are you doing?" I cross my arms.
"Getting clean, same as you." He moves deeper and sinks to his broad shoulders.
I roll my eyes and float on my back. "You couldn't have waited for me to get out?"
"Aston and Ajax are trying to light a fire so they can cook the food we brought. Now is a good time."
"Perfect." And I curse under my breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch him duck under the water and then launch back out, shaking the water from his head. His skin glistens with the water cascading from his broad shoulders and chiseled chest. My insides dance.
"Do you think you'll be able to convince more Convex to join Edward's army now?" I ask, lifting my head.
He swims closer to me. A couple of birds swoop over the stream and perch on the rocks dotting the other side. "I think my chances are better now. They will want to protect the farms and what we have."
I nod, untangling the braids from my hair. "How has it been living in the Convex Sector?"
"I've learned a lot," he says. "I'm living with Aston. A far cry from the palace but I'm happy to be away from my father's ghost and in the comfort of a friend."
The conversation trails off and we stare at each other for a beat. Our kiss flashes across my mind and tickles my lips.
I sigh and climb out of the stream.
--
The next morning, none of us speak much as we gather ourselves together and continue our journey south. A point in my skull throbs, as if there's a stone in there. My clothes are still damp from yesterday's cleaning, but I don't have any other options. I hope they will dry throughout the day. But as the morning transitions into midday, the skies break apart. Rain hammers through the slits in the canopy, dripping down our faces and soaking our clothes. But we keep moving.
Eventually, train tracks emerge from the forest floor, and we pace alongside it, reassured we are heading in the right direction.
When the rain finally stops, and the thunder rumbles away, a fiery hue jumps into view in the distance. Smoke billows through the trees.
"Is that a forest fire?" Aston asks.
I furrow my brow, looking closely. "No," I say. "That's the train."
We jog a hundred metres to the carcass of the train, swathed in hungry, cackling flames as if the universe is laughing at us. Carriages and carriages stretch and wind through the forest but the fire bursts from their shattered windows.
I clench my fists and curse, hanging my head.
"Who did this?" Ruben says, gesturing to the sky. "It's been raining. So, it can't have been natural."
"We did," a voice from behind makes my heart almost jump out of my mouth.
We snap around. I yank my sword from the scabbard. The man before me has charred, red flesh almost melting from his face as if he just emerged from the flames himself. The crazed glint in his eyes tell-tale of his infected status. "You are Elle Fallon," he croaks. His eyes slide across to Ruben and his lips, covered in boils from the burns, lift, showing his yellow and black teeth. "And Lord Sneya's second son. Now, this is a day."
"Who are you?" I step forward, holding out my sword, letting the blade tickle the man's throat.
"Remember the note we sent Edward about wanting his head on a stick?" he says, pacing back and forth before us. But his eyes never leave mine. Meanwhile, the fire roars and crashes fill the air as parts of the train structure collapse.
"Yes." My voice is wary. "A few of them infiltrated our underground tunnels and I dispatched them."
"Those guys were simply our first move. A little scare if you will." Spit dribbles down the man's chin and the fire makes his wounds glow. "Well, my friends and I are still coming for him. I hope he is busy building his army nice and strong. For the storm is coming."