Honor

By Blood or Fire

Luna sank to the ground pressing her back against the cool legs of the table. The spell was broken by the sound of her page ringing. She stared out into the rows and rows of plants. How many times had she been here? Hiding somewhere in the dark, pretending not to feel things she shouldn't be feeling.

Captain Frey was right, frustratingly so. She had a weakness, and it was a weakness she needed to kill before it killed her. Her wristband glowed orange, a message waiting to be heard. She sighed and pressed the thin button along the side of the band. Immediately Jael's voice filled the room.

"I know you, so I won't waste my breath telling you to let this go, but- Let yourself off the hook Luna."

She chuckled, "That's the same thing."

"I heard Captain Frey took you out. Whatever he said, let it go. He means well, but the man has tunnel vision. He doesn't get it. You're special, and he's here with the rest of us in the black and white. Anyway, it doesn't matter. You have one hour. You hear me, Denari? You have one hour to feel sorry for yourself, then you better be at my house ready to help me finish this dinner."

The orange light blinked as the voice message ended, and Luna pressed her hands into the wet soil beneath her. A smile flitted across her lips as she imagined showing up at Jael's place covered in mud. She'd lose her mind. It was just what Luna needed.

One hour. She thought to herself. Should be enough time to make it to the farmer's post. Hitch a ride, and I'm home free.

The chill outside the garden house bit Luna's skin, and she instantly began to rethink her hitchhiking plan. The farmer's post was at least five kilometers out, and the sky was already nearing blackout. She sped up her steps, glancing nervously up at the darkening sky. It was a cloudy day. On an average day, the sky would reach black with only a tiny amount of moonlight forcing its way through, but on a day like this, it would black out. There would be no light; there would be nothing.

She stopped, inhaled deeply, and squatted down to tie her shoes. A run will do me good anyway, she thought. Then, just as she stood to run, headlights moved alongside the gate of the gardens. She paused, blinking at the strange lights; though they appeared to be headlights, they moved oddly, not like one vehicle but two. As they came closer, the rough sound of two engines registered suddenly, and she dove behind a processor to hide. Motorbikes! Those were motorbikes' headlights, which meant they were not Nation Eremus.

The bikes sped past the first row of garden houses; two people dressed head to toe in black sat on each bike. Four, Luna counted in her head. I can handle them.

She crept along the edge of the garden house. Her fingers made quick work of her watch, removing it as she quickly pressed an emergency signal to alert the nearest soldiers. She set the watch on the flat on the lid of a processor, hoping to hide the faint light shining from the signal. On a night like this, when the sky would blackout, any light would be seen by the outliers nearby.

She reached for her gun only to find it wasn't there, then cursed herself, realizing she'd left her belt and pack in the captain's car.

She could hear their voices now. At least two males. One spoke quickly, handing out orders to the small group. They weren't here for the element, she realized. They were looking for something else.

"We do this quick. In and out. Ky, you have the location of the package. Ellis, you watch the gate; if anything goes wrong, you sound the alarm."

Luna crept forward, tucking her small frame between a set of barrels and the garden house wall. It was already too dark to see clearly, but she could hear them shuffling around.