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Chapter 16

A woman's scream splits the air, then suddenly stops. It brings back bad memories, and I panic, crashing through the underbrush in desperation.
"Ash!" Stone is calling, maybe ten feet away. I'm dazed by the kiss, and floundering through the vines and bushes, trying to sort myself out, while freaking out on a billion different levels. The Beast has him, it's killing him in some horrible way, I just know it. I try to suppress them, but a flow of gory images flash past my eyes, and my heart is pounding in my throat, my breathing heavy.
"Ash!" He calls again, obviously distressed. Why did he have to go and be a big idiot, charging out at the monster? Who does that!
"Come here!" I want to scream 'You idiot! Where do you think I'm going?!' But I decide against it. A cover of silence might be helpful, and I can't do that if I go around shouting.
I burst through a thick wall of interwoven vines, now in a small clearing, a narrow path of sunlight reaching the ground through the gap in the canopy far above. It illuminates the scene laid out before me.
My eyes first find Stone... Who is not lying in two or more pieces all over the ground, but standing and grinning over at me, eyes sparkling. My gaze travels over to the "Beast".
I had been right about the 'more than one' theory. A woman and her two children were standing huddled together, eyes wide in confusion and concern. Suddenly I double over laughing as well, my chest shaking uncontrollably, and I'm not really sure why.
My heart seems to lighten suddenly, and I realize I had been terrified something had happened to Stone. I'll have to have a talk with that kid about his running off deal. Now that I saw there was no, or very little, threat, I was laughing hysterically, probably scaring the poor people worse than I had been.
The mother has her arms wrapped around her children, slowly pulling them away from us, like we're crazy. We might be. They appear normal enough- all three of them have strangely flat faces, with smooth, almost transparent skin, and flattened noses, They're olive skinned, with dark, short, wiry hair, and small beady eyes. They're ears are large and hairless, sticking out of their hairline, much larger than me and Stone's together. They appear almost... bat-like.
"No, no, I'm sorry," I gasp, laughing even more at their expressions.
"It's fine, it's cool..." Stone chuckles, blinking hard to clear his eyes.
"Who- who are you?" The woman says, her voice a harsh, suspicious whisper. When she opens her mouth, she reveals long, sharp incisors, much longer than mine, or Stone's. But that's not unusual- in fact, it's more normal than regular sized teeth.
I've stopped laughing, and I glance at Stone. He nods, so I guess it's okay to tell them our names.
"I'm Ash, and that's Stone." I say lightly. "You?" I narrow my eyes, but I don't feel the trio is a threat.
"I'm Gust, that's Cord," She nods to the boy, "And Trips." The girl. Pretty normal names, nothing out of the ordinary in this date and time.
"Where are you going?" The woman narrows her already small, black eyes, so they almost disappear. The boy, Cord, wriggles out of her grip, and runs almost up to Stone, staring in awe at his swords.
"Where are you going?" I shoot back, but Stone sighs, and shrugs.
"The mountains. Um, sorry, you can't have those." He adds, looking unsurely at the little boy, who's jumping and snatching at the swords.
"Cord, leave him alone. Why the mountains?:" Gust says suspiciously, ushering Cord away from Stone, who looks traumatized.
"There's-" I glance at Stone for reassurance. "There's supposed to be a rebel army there." I spit out the last part really fast, realizing how much self-confidence Stone must have had to have to say that to me. But I had fallen for it... Of course, he had had his shirt off then, which might have persuaded me more..."
Gust is silent for a moment, and then she sighs. "That's where we're going as well." My eyes widen to the size of dinner plates (My dinner plate usually isn't that big, just for reference, because food is scarce in the Wold) and I find myself smiling slightly.
"The kids?" Stone says, as Cord plans his next assault on his swords, creeping up behind him in what's obviously supposed to be a subtle advancement.
"Mine. Their father was... Killed, in the Exams. I seek vengeance on the City, who also took the life of my sister. I heard there's sanctuary there for those who might not fight, like the kids. They might be safe there." Gust wipes her dark eyes, and I grimace, knowing this tragic story is not the only one. The City- even more, the Order, had ruined the lives of so many, abandoning entire families to the Wold, since they had no hope of entering even the Shelter. Often times the man of the house would attempt to enter as a Worker or Predator, sending food and supplies to his family outside of the town, no doubt as this story had gone.
"We also want to rebel against the Order." I say. Stone has suddenly gotten very quiet, and is edging away from Cord.
"Many do..." Gust whispers, rubbing the girl- Trips'- head.
"I'm amazed you've made it this far with the kids, no offense," I add as Trips' eyes widen. "We've been attacked twice, and we haven't even reached the main trail yet."
"We just got off the main trail, you aren't too far. No, there's supposed to be a small trading post, not far from here. We need to stock up on supplies." Gust pulls a large pack off her back, shaking it. A couple items bang around inside, but not many.
"Oh, we just got back from it. You'll reach a big cliff, and if you walk along that, you'll find some stone steps leading up it. The post is on top." I say helpfully. I don't mention that it's owned by Stone's grandfather. I think that if Stone hasn't said it, I shouldn't.
"Really? Thanks. We'll be on our way." Gust nods, gesturing to Cord, who's attacking Stone's swords again.
"Cord!" She says sternly. The small boy gives up and begins to walk away towards his mother.
"Wait," Stone stops him. He shrugs off his pack, which is strapped over the sheaths of his swords, and rummages around inside. At last, he pulls out a small dagger in it's sheath. The haft is tempered leather, and a red tassel dangles from the end.
"Here," He kneels and presses the knife into the boy's hands. Cord's dark eyes are wide. "Take this, and protect your family. Keep them safe." He mutters, and swings his pack over his shoulder, standing.
Stone and the boy hold each other's gaze for a moment, and then Cord nods, turning and running over to his mother. I wave to them in farewell, and turn, me and Stone heading toward the main trail, and the small family toward the trading post, which I hoped with all my heart they would reach.