Page 17 of Rebel
I had a fucked-up plan. “Are there weapons and lamps at the base?”
“Yes,” Xavier puffed.
“Then get some weapons, new lamps, and come back and find me.”
“What?”
“I can see them, you can’t. I’m faster than you guys. I can divert them and give you a chance to get to base.”
“Like hell,” Vex growled. “I’m coming with you.”
“You’re powerful, but you’re too big. You’ll just slow me down.”
“I won’t,” Tide said.
He was lithe and faster than the others, and honestly, the thought of not doing this alone had appeal.
I handed Vex my pack, never breaking stride, then squeezed Tide’s hand. “Fine. Ready? On the count of three.”
“Rogue …” Vex sounded torn, but this was the way it had to be.
“One. Two. Three.” Tide and I broke away from the others and veered to the right.
The creatures howled, and the sound bounced between them, and then all three were hot on our tail.
* * *
Tide and I sprinted, hands linked, me leading the way. The terrain up ahead was hilly and rocky. Yes. We could climb. Maybe it would deter the creatures, maybe they couldn’t climb? God, please make them unable to climb. It would waste some of their time and hopefully give the others a chance to cover serious ground.
“Rocks up ahead. We have to climb.” I tugged Tide. He was fast, but not as fast as me. Shit, I should have done this alone.
And then he tripped and fell.
I lost my grip on him, my momentum taking me several feet before my brain caught up and had me swerving back toward him.
“Tide!”
One of the monsters was almost on him. Claws slashed, and Tide’s bellow lit up the night. There was no time to think. As the beast went in for a chomp, I brought my fist down and smashed it in the head. Its neck snapped to the side, and it swayed, stunned. I hauled Tide up, and we ran. But he was limping. He was hurt.
“Where did it get you?”
“My leg.”
The rock face loomed. “Get on my back.”
“What?”
I shoved my back to his chest. “Do it, or we both die.”
He locked on, his weight dragging me down for a moment, but then a surge of adrenaline shot through me, and I began to climb. Thank you, arsehole Jamie, for the rock-climbing lessons. My boyfriend had sold me to the Tradacyh, but he’d given me this extra survival skill.
“Shit.” Tide said another few words in his language, probably curses. “I’m too heavy.”
“You’re heavier when you talk.”
The monsters were at the base of the rise. I glanced down to see them leap up and then slide, leap up and slide again. The scrape of claws on the rocks was like nails on a chalkboard, like fuel to my fluttery pulse. Fear and desperation needed to take a backseat right now. I had a job to do.
From my vantage point, it was clear they were reptilian creatures, not big cats. Not accustomed to climbing at this angle. They looked like a cross between a crocodile and a chameleon, but faster than both. Still, fast wasn’t getting them up the rock face.
