Token (Token Chronicles) (18 page)

“Here. I think it’s this hall,” Nayze says.

He turns down the hall and briskly walks to the end. I see nothing special about this hall. I have been down it before. Just more rooms and a dead end.

“Why are you taking me here Nayze, I have already been here.”

“Ah, but you may have overlooked something. I almost did myself.”

We pass by all the rooms and reach the dead end. We are both just staring at the red-stoned wall that leads to nowhere.

“Do you notice something different about this wall?”

I examine the wall closely, but it looks the same as all of the others.

“No.”

“Come closer.”

As I near the wall, I feel a light cold breeze flowing in from the outside.

“Whoa, where is it coming from?” I ask.

“This is the highest point in the entire base. Notice how this hall slopes upward. No other halls in the base do this.”

“What does it mean?”

“I think we are at ground level. I think this may be a way out of here. I am not sure how it opens, but this may be a door to the outside.”

I walk up closer to the wall carefully patting it down with my hands. The red stone is particularly cold. I can now see there is water trickling down through the cracks at the top of the wall. This must be some sort of door. An exit to the outside. I need this. I need to get out of here, if only for a few hours. As my left hand strokes the edge of the wall, I feel an inconsistency in the normally identical smooth walls of the base. I slip my fingers into the breach in the wall and feel a handle. I look back to Nayze with the thrill of the discovery.

“I think I found something,” I say.

“What?”

I click the handle behind the wall, and the door opens to the outside. Nayze and I both stare in astonishment at the sight. Cold winds harshly push at our bodies through the opening. The outside is completely covered in white fluff. The same fluff continues to fall from the sky as if it were rain.

“What is this?” Nayze asks as he begins to venture outside. His hands are extended out letting the precipitation fall into them.

“I think it is snow. I heard Hadley talk of it before.”

“Where are we?” Nayze asks in admiration.

It was a good question. I have never seen such a magnificent landscape in my life. As I venture outside, I lean my head all the way back, and the mountain seems to never end. I cannot even see the summit. The clouds are too low today. The snow continues to drizzle melting as it touches my skin.

Our entire base is located in a cavernous sub-structure beneath a mountain. I can now see the entrance of an old mine shaft not too far off. It must be where the hover transports enter and exit. Off in the distance is a forest of green trees with no end in sight. Exactly where I belong. I must retreat to it. Maybe I can come back with some clarity. More importantly, I can come back with a plan no matter how the Melee ends.

“Nayze. Do you think you could cover for me for a few hours? I just need to get away.”

“Sure Kincaid, but don’t you think your mother is going to be wondering where you are? Why you didn’t stay to watch the end?”

“Just tell her I was not feeling well and went to my room. I needed to be alone and don’t want to be disturbed.”

“I will do my best, but don’t stay gone too long. They might send the entire army out looking for you if you do not come back,” he says with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Although he said it jokingly, they might actually do that very thing if I did not return. They have made it abundantly clear how important I am to their cause.

“I will be back in no time at all,” I promise. “Go back inside before they become suspicious as to where we both are.”

His face is riddled with disappointment. I can tell he wanted to explore outside just as much as I do. We are both not meant to stay stuffed inside for so long.

“I will cover for you tomorrow if you can cover for me today,” I promise.

“Sure. Just be careful, alright.”

I watch as Nayze walks back inside the camp and shuts our secret exit. The force of the stone door shutting causes snow to drop from the ledge of rocks above. I turn away from the mountain and begin to sprint towards the woods feeling free for the first time in my life. Although I have supposedly had my freedom for weeks now, the further I get away from the mountain, the base, my mother, the freer I feel. My relationship with my mother has not improved since she told me what had happened. I know she was just trying to protect me, but I have not been able to stay around her long. We are just not comfortable with each other yet. We are not able to connect. We do not even know what to call each other. Here she is known as Lo, but I learned her name used to be Rhetta Maddox. I have tried to call her Mom, but it doesn’t feel right. She has tried calling me son, but it feels forced, as well. But it’s not our faults. After all, she isn’t used to being my mother, and I am certainly not used to being anyone’s son. Maybe after we spend more time with each other, things will improve. I just don’t see it happening. I think we both see each other as a means to an end. We both want Cromus and the Grodarian Federation removed from power. We want to create a new Knav. I can give her victory, and she can give me Hadley and the manpower to accomplish both of our goals. If we both go our separate ways after the Rebellion, I don’t believe I would care much. I remember so many times back on our Island being envious of Hadley’s stories of her mother. I wanted the same relationship with mine too. But it has been too long now. I don’t think it’s possible to mend ours.

But there is one thing I cannot seem to shake from my mind. It is one of the reasons I had to leave from the room they were all watching the Melee in. Many of the people who were invited to watch the Melee were the commanders of the Rebellion, former Tokens. Some of them were past champions, some fresh off the Islands as I was. But for the most part, everyone looked on with disgust as innocent people were murdered right in front of our eyes. The worse part of it all was realizing we were watching men lose their purity as they were forced to spill blood for their own survival. To watch Benja go from a kind and gentle friend to murdering a man who was begging for his own life is quite a transformation I don’t wish upon anyone else to witness. The Elitists made it seem as if the Tokens’ lives were all insignificant. The most disturbing thing, however, was my mother’s reaction. She seemed indifferent to it all. Even the past champions who were there watching showed an emotion. I could tell they were sympathizing with those in the ring. They have been there before in person, and it was still hard for them to watch. My mother just looked on as if she did not care what happened. She seemed as if Benja or Nash dying would not affect her either way. Perhaps losing my father, having to give me up to the very people she despised, spending so many years underground has hardened her. I am sure she has had to see these gruesome acts for years. Maybe she learned if she can shut it all out, the pain would not be so bad.

The exhilarating rush continues to drive me as I fly through the woods swiftly dodging trees as I make my way deeper into the forest. I have no idea how long I have been running. I just kept going and going until I finally ran out of breath. I look back and the mountain is barely visible anymore. It just looks like one of the old dormant volcanoes back on the Island except for it being covered in snow. I did not notice when we first exited from the base, but the snow is quite cold and seems to be falling more rapidly. I am not used to this sharp difference in temperature. I wish I had put more clothes on before I left now. Nevertheless, I would not trade this freedom I am finally feeling. To temporarily have some pressure eased off of my shoulders. To be back in my element. I stop to rest against the stump of a recently cut tree. I cannot help but think of Benja. He was probably the only other person who enjoyed the woods of the Island more than myself. Now, he could very well be dead at the hands of one of the men I am working with. One of the men who is fighting to free Tokens like Benja and Yency so no one else would ever have to go through the Melee again. My mother told me there is no victory without sacrifice. I do not believe her. How can we really achieve victory if we have to sacrifice the ones we love?

Regardless, either Benja or Hadley could be on their way back to our camp right now. I desperately want to see both of them again, but at what cost? My mother promised Nayze and me if Benja won, we would recruit him as well. But she made sure to explain to me, recruiting past champions takes time. Many of them prefer to fall off of the radar with their newly earned freedom. As long as Benja does not remain a visible champion or do anything foolish, recruiting him to our cause should be easy if we could find him, especially with me and Nayze already here. It would be helpful to have someone who has been inside the Silon camp before. As far as I know, no one here has been in their camp before except for General Ridian for social functions. Benja would be a vital asset for the intel we would need to rescue Hadley and Yency from Silon. Time is something we unfortunately don’t have the luxury of possessing.

The more I think about the Melee, Benja, Yency, and Hadley, the more upset I become. It just isn’t fair. The world we have been forced to live in is unjust. Good people endure grave injustices while the bad people get richer directly because of our suffering. If I could just get my abilities, I could stop this all. I could have Hadley back. I could save my friends. I could save the country. I could have it all.

The snow begins to quit drizzling all around. The skies have darkened and all traces of sunlight have disappeared in the depths of the forest. I stand up quickly. I do not want to be caught out here in a storm. Finding my way back should not be too hard. All I have to do is head back towards the mountain. But judging by the distance, it may take quite a while. I do not have the energy I did before. Coming out here didn’t help one bit. I just know when I come back, all that awaits me is bad news. Either Benja or Nash will be dead. If Nash dies, Hadley will continue to suffer as a prisoner of Silon. The thoughts I so desperately try to keep out of my mind creep in. Hadley being harmed by Silon. I have to release some of my aggression. I rear back and punch a tree as hard as I can. I let out a cry of anger and frustration. The boisterous sound of thunder drowns out my futile cries. Lightning bolts begin striking the ground all around me. I do not care. I continue my howls. A bright white flash then blinds my eyes as the most excruciating jolt of pain is propelled through every inch of my body. I fall to the ground with an uneasy feeling. My eyes are closing, but I am not sure if they will ever open again. I feel my life leaving my body.

Chapter 12

My eyelids are resisting the strong urge to open. I am barely able to see through the clashing of my eyelashes. I cannot fully open them no matter how hard I try. Someone is here with me though. I can feel them. All I can make out is the long dark brown hair of a woman lying on my chest. Her ear is placed directly over my heart. She begins to move towards my face. Before I know it, her lips are locked with mine. She is blowing air in my mouth. I feel my chest rise with each breath she exhales into me. I watch as she goes back to my chest and places her palms over it and begins to pump in a steady tempo. My breath suddenly flies into my body, and my eyes open fully now. I sit up in a state of shock. What just happened?

Her hands are placed firmly on my shoulders. I can see her lips moving, but I cannot comprehend her words. I cannot hear anything. I am lost in her eyes. They are a deep and smoky aqua outlined by her long dark eyelashes. Her long hair runs all the way down to her legs. She continues to say something to me, but I can only stare at her in amazement.

The sound around begins to slowly fade back into my awareness. Her words are starting to gain volume.

“Are you okay? Are you okay?” she repeatedly asks.

I am not sure how to even respond. I don’t know what happened. Something doesn’t feel right. My entire body is throbbing in pain.

“Yeah…” I begin to cough harshly. “I think so. What happened?”

“I think you may have been struck by lightning. I have never seen anything like that before. There were lightning bolts striking the ground all over the place. I heard someone so I came over as quickly as I could. Are you sure you are okay?”

I try to stand up, but a sharp pain shoots through my right abdomen, and I fall back to the ground. I immediately clutch my side hoping it will provide some instant relief only to find my hand is now drenched in my own blood.

“Oh, no,” she exclaims.

She quickly jerks my blood-stained shirt up to discover the deep wound that is bleeding profusely.

“We have to find a way to stop the bleeding.”

She whips out her bag strapped around her shoulders and pulls out a wad of white gauze and roughly shoves it deep into my wound.

“Hold it there. Got it? Stay with me, now,” she orders as she lightly taps my face forcing me to stay alert.

“It will hold for now, but I have got to get you some more help.”

She looks torn about what she should do. As if she is deciding whether or not to leave me here. Well, I will help with this decision.

“No,” I force out. “I have to get going. They will start to worry about me.”

“Who? Is there someone else out here with you?” She begins to worriedly look around searching for another person.

“No,” I respond, “they are that way.” I turn around to point in the direction of the Ridian camp, but everything begins to get blurry as my head starts to spin.

“We do not have time for this. I will not leave you out here alone to bleed to death. There is a blizzard coming.”

She stands up and makes a loud high-pitched whistle noise in three evenly separated intervals. Out of nowhere, a large beast of an animal comes hurdling towards us. Right as I begin to fear we are both in trouble of being stampeded, the animal halts right at her feet. She gives the animal gentle pats on his black mane of hair to calm him down. She moves towards me and kneels next to my injured side.