minutes please? Then we can go. I just need a minute to get myself together.”
Tora and Kim nodded, returning to the truck.
“Should I go?” Zen asked. His large eyes were close with concern.
“No. Stay with me,” she said.
They walked along the ridge until the truck was out of earshot but still within view. London sat down on the ground and curled her knees into her chest. She let her gaze sweep out over the long, steady arms of the wind turbines turning in the distance. An army of cold, white soldiers always at the ready. The harvest of bones.
Zen sat down next to her. He was quiet for a bit before he asked, “Who do you think it was?”
London shook her head. She didn’t want to say, but she had to. She wouldn’t keep this from them, in case it was true and they needed to defend themselves. “I saw Roanyk.”
Zen punched at the ground. “Dammit!”
London rocked in place. “Zen, what’s going on with Rye? Just tell me.”
“How would I know?” he said, evading her question.
London sighed. Was he ever going to be straight with her? “I think I saw him anyway. I can’t be sure,” she amended.
Zen drug his fingers through his pale, disheveled hair. His t-shirt was tight across his chest and shoulders. London looked away.
“No more Astral travel alone, got it? From now on, we always go in pairs,” Zen said.
She didn’t like the commanding tone in his voice, but she knew he was right. Still, it would mean he could be with her almost round the clock. She really didn’t want that. She’d have to get Tora away from Kim once in a while so she could have a break. Her insides were a maelstrom of feelings that desperately needed sorting.
“There was something else,” London said, remembering how she’d at last defeated the fog. “It was powerful, whoever it was. Strong. But I was stronger.”
Zen grinned and reached over to pull her hair away from her face. “Of course you were. That’s my girl.”
London quavered at his touch but was careful not to show it. He didn’t need encouraging. “I’m not your girl,” she said coyly. “I’m no one’s
girl
.”
He laughed. “Whatever you say, London.”
Chapter 10
----
The Mesa
SOMETHING WASN’T ADDING up. London drug her eyes slowly over the rising, flat-topped rock formations surrounding them, any number of them large enough and flat enough to host an Outroader camp, but they were all empty.
She turned to Zen. “I see mesas, but I don’t see camps. What gives, loverboy?”
Zen shrugged. “Don’t know. This is exactly how Maggs described it.”
Kim scratched at his head. “Did she describe the camp? Or just the area?”
Zen peered off in the distance as if thinking. “She never said much about the camp, just that she was sick of all the same old faces. That is was as bad as being a Waller in her mind. She told me about how beautiful the area was, though, and she described this perfectly. I know it’s somewhere nearby.”
London watched a lone cloud drift lazily across the open sky, its shadow traceable on the rocks below. “Is it just me, or did the sky get bigger?” she asked no one in particular.
“Why would she say it was as bad as being a Waller?” Tora asked, ignoring London’s question. “Outroaders pride themselves on living a better, freer life than the Wallers. It’s the only thing that makes the struggle for survival feel worth it. I’ve never heard an Outroader complain that their camp was as suffocating as being inside city walls.”
Zen shrugged again. “What can I say? Maggs is one in a million.”
London rolled her eyes. “Oh, gag me.”
Zen chuckled. “I didn’t know you were the jealous sort, London.”
London hauled back and punched him square in the chest, which she didn’t expect to faze him one bit but it was better than letting everyone see the blush heating her face. To her surprise, Zen stumbled back a step or two.
“Whoa! You been working out?” He peered at her with a strange
Tora and Kim nodded, returning to the truck.
“Should I go?” Zen asked. His large eyes were close with concern.
“No. Stay with me,” she said.
They walked along the ridge until the truck was out of earshot but still within view. London sat down on the ground and curled her knees into her chest. She let her gaze sweep out over the long, steady arms of the wind turbines turning in the distance. An army of cold, white soldiers always at the ready. The harvest of bones.
Zen sat down next to her. He was quiet for a bit before he asked, “Who do you think it was?”
London shook her head. She didn’t want to say, but she had to. She wouldn’t keep this from them, in case it was true and they needed to defend themselves. “I saw Roanyk.”
Zen punched at the ground. “Dammit!”
London rocked in place. “Zen, what’s going on with Rye? Just tell me.”
“How would I know?” he said, evading her question.
London sighed. Was he ever going to be straight with her? “I think I saw him anyway. I can’t be sure,” she amended.
Zen drug his fingers through his pale, disheveled hair. His t-shirt was tight across his chest and shoulders. London looked away.
“No more Astral travel alone, got it? From now on, we always go in pairs,” Zen said.
She didn’t like the commanding tone in his voice, but she knew he was right. Still, it would mean he could be with her almost round the clock. She really didn’t want that. She’d have to get Tora away from Kim once in a while so she could have a break. Her insides were a maelstrom of feelings that desperately needed sorting.
“There was something else,” London said, remembering how she’d at last defeated the fog. “It was powerful, whoever it was. Strong. But I was stronger.”
Zen grinned and reached over to pull her hair away from her face. “Of course you were. That’s my girl.”
London quavered at his touch but was careful not to show it. He didn’t need encouraging. “I’m not your girl,” she said coyly. “I’m no one’s
girl
.”
He laughed. “Whatever you say, London.”
Chapter 10
----
The Mesa
SOMETHING WASN’T ADDING up. London drug her eyes slowly over the rising, flat-topped rock formations surrounding them, any number of them large enough and flat enough to host an Outroader camp, but they were all empty.
She turned to Zen. “I see mesas, but I don’t see camps. What gives, loverboy?”
Zen shrugged. “Don’t know. This is exactly how Maggs described it.”
Kim scratched at his head. “Did she describe the camp? Or just the area?”
Zen peered off in the distance as if thinking. “She never said much about the camp, just that she was sick of all the same old faces. That is was as bad as being a Waller in her mind. She told me about how beautiful the area was, though, and she described this perfectly. I know it’s somewhere nearby.”
London watched a lone cloud drift lazily across the open sky, its shadow traceable on the rocks below. “Is it just me, or did the sky get bigger?” she asked no one in particular.
“Why would she say it was as bad as being a Waller?” Tora asked, ignoring London’s question. “Outroaders pride themselves on living a better, freer life than the Wallers. It’s the only thing that makes the struggle for survival feel worth it. I’ve never heard an Outroader complain that their camp was as suffocating as being inside city walls.”
Zen shrugged again. “What can I say? Maggs is one in a million.”
London rolled her eyes. “Oh, gag me.”
Zen chuckled. “I didn’t know you were the jealous sort, London.”
London hauled back and punched him square in the chest, which she didn’t expect to faze him one bit but it was better than letting everyone see the blush heating her face. To her surprise, Zen stumbled back a step or two.
“Whoa! You been working out?” He peered at her with a strange
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