Burning Gold

Part 6

Jayla

I'm in the dark woods by myself. I'm alone. I'm scared. I'm cold. I want Rue. I trek through the burnt trees. The fires during the day are bad enough where they can kill humans, but the trees stay alive. They are able to heal just in time for dawn each day. I lay my hand on the trunk of a nearby tree. This one is newer. There is still charred bark clinging to its home. I start peeling it away. In endless hopes that secrets were kept behind the death. But no. I stood there for hours destructing. The tree died and I wasted time.

I am near the cave. There is no sign of Skylark. Strangely, everything seems the same. I move to the edge of the cliff and duck under the fire proof tarp. My boots click on the cave. Floor. I hold my torch higher. It sends rays of light into the first hallway. The lantern on the wall has gone out which means Zina hasn't come home in the few days I've been gone. It's weird because Zina told me she would be here when we came the first time. Then she wasn't, but the lantern was on. The lantern means that she is home and that the house is safe for Rebels to take shelter.

Now the lantern is out. Zina's not home. I don't know what lies behind the green door in the wall. I cross the cave to the other side, my torch casting shadows that remind me of wraiths, on the walls and ground. My heart is racing. I know Skylark could be here. I know this could be a suicide mission. But I also know I need Rue. If there is a chance she is here I will take any risk to find her. Even if that means sacrificing my own life to see her one last time.

I put my hand up to the door knob. I hold my breath. I listen for movement in the house. Nothing. I put my hand on the doorknob. It is stone cold. Another sign that Zina isn't home. All I feel is a fierce and strong will to find Rue, no matter what happens, I make a promise to myself that I have to lay my eyes on her again.

I take a deep breath. I hold it in. The door knob slowly turns underneath my fingers. I gasp at the scene before me. The cavern is dark. Rue is still on the ground. Right where I left her, but this time she is bound. Bound with wraiths. I scream. Rue isn't moving. Is she dead? Is she just knocked out? I start to run to her. But I hear a sound coming from the other side of the room in the shadows. The black orb slithers near me again. I hold up my torch in hopes to stop it, but it is no use. Nothing can fight a wraith. My heart is pounding.

The wraith on Rue lets go to come after me. I am glad. I won't let anything else hurt Rue. Even if it means it has to hurt me instead.

I jump side to side trying to confuse the wraiths. I throw fire at them. Nothing works. I need to get out before they catch me. I dart to Rue. She is breathing, but otherwise there are no signs of life on her blank pale face. Quickly I gathered her up in my arms. The wraiths have almost caught up to me. I jumped out of the way. I look over my shoulder and bolt for the door. I make it out alive and kick the green door in the wraiths faces with the heel of my boot.

I spin around to the entrance of the cave. It is dark, but I can see the silhouette of a person in front of the tarp. I act like I don't notice the person and put Rue's crumpled body on the ground. I grab an unlit torch on the wall and hurl it at the figure. They never saw it coming. They crumple to the ground. I don't think they are dead but should be knocked out for at least a little while. I gather Rue backup and run to the cave entrance. I stop beside the body and kick it with the toe of my boot to make sure it'll stay like that for a while. I flip the man's head over and gasp in horror as I realize who it is. Reagan.

Skylark

I stare in disbelief at the paper laid out in front of me. If I could cry this room would be flooded in salty liquid. My bones shake under my skin. My eyes sting and my heart aches.

This book is a lie, I try to tell myself. But I know it's not. In my hands lay the records of the Rebels. Deaths, health, births, arrivals, attacks. Everything. One name is burning so bright I can't take my eyes off of it.

Arya: died of a Lykos attack 4 years after arrival.

Killed by my Lykos. I wanted to be as strong and powerful as I am now and used to follow Blaze's commands like my life depended on them, well I guess it sort of did. I didnt think about Arya when I made the Lykos. Now she's dead.

Ayra is gone.

Rue

"Ok, you're gonna have to explain again," I say to Jayla who is crouching beside the cot I'm laying on. I just woke up a few hours ago and I can't really grasp what happened.

"I may have kinda sorta maybe killed Reagan," Jalya says again with a sheepish grin on her face. I laugh. I'd die to see that weak minion getting knocked out by a torch. I lean back on the pillow against the wall. I still feel pretty horrible after the wraiths had me for who knows how long. I let out a sigh. I just hope there is no permanent damage. My head is killing me and I don't know if the wounds on my wrist and ankles will ever fully heal. I glance down at them. My skin a deep shade of purple where the wraiths bound me.

"So, what are we going to do?" I ask Jayla.

"About what?"

"I don't think that we can really stay in one place for long anymore. I think we need to destroy the Capitol now," I say. Jalya looks back at me. I know she sees the spark catching fire in my eyes.

"I know we need to do something about it, but how. We have no way to fight them. We don't even have an army. There are only a few Rebels left." Jayla adds.

"I know, but we don't need an army. After I was changed, Skylark let me do whatever I wanted while I waited to be told to leave and capture you." I stumble on the word. I wait to see how Jayla reacts. She holds our gaze steady. I keep talking. "But there was a locked room. I was able to sneak in the night before I left. There was a bomb. It was huge. I know she is starting to build a city under the ground so I think she plans to wipe out the whole world. That's how she'll get rid of us once and for all. But the bomb is multipurpose. It can kill, but it also has the power, if we redo it right, to kill the nanos in the Officials brains."

Jayla has a look of shock on her face. "How?" Jayla stammers.

"This is the end, Jayla, we need to act now."

"But, what do we do?" Jayla asks.

"I know the code of the room with the bomb. I can deactivate it. We just need to get back into the Capitol."

Jaylas eyes suddenly gleamed. She has always loved risks and challenges, "when?"

"As soon as we get ready."

A/N--

sorry for the short chapter, but the next chapter is the beginning of the end!