The Girl In The Meadow

Chapter 40

Tiv

Wednesday 30th September, 828 AUC

We drew straws, and I ended up being the diversion, entering through the front door. Joran rushed past me, his boots kicking up heavy dust that shrouded the air. His strained grunts echoed through the halls as he dashed towards an assailant's shadow. Tala, her dark braid flying behind her like a whip, chased Kairen closely.

Our intelligence on this base was minimal due to tight security. We knew there were at least thirteen main members, rarely all present at once. Marcan claimed Father's spy had assured him they'd all be here tonight. We had them trapped.

I futilely tried to follow Kairen but was thrown against a wall by a woman who snapped my wrist back and wrenched my rifle away effortlessly. I had trained with that weapon for months. To have it wrenched away so effortlessly diminished me in ways I hadn't anticipated. She hurled the gun to another rebel who dashed off before snapping her hand towards my throat.

They're trained fighters. Bloody perfect.

Instinctively, I caught her wrist mid-strike, twisted it viciously, and drove my fist into her stomach. She doubled over, and a second punch to her cheekbone sent her crumpling to the floor. Binding her arms behind her back, I brought my boot down on her head without pausing–knocking her out cold would perhaps keep Marcan from killing her. He had been ruthless in his pursuit to destroy every group we came up against. In a moment of deja vu, I almost felt like I recognised the woman, though at this point every sorry Scab we came up against looked the same... Broken and weak. At least she didn't beg.

The thick cloud of dust from our explosion obscured everything, making each step feel like navigating fog. That was the plan—disorient them. However, the place was a labyrinth; the building was so old there were no blueprints for it. We'd made makeshift maps based on what Father's spy had gathered, but being in the midst of it was entirely different. I had warned Marcan we were not prepared–we didn't even know who their leader was–yet he refused to listen.

Regan found me amidst the chaos as Joran barrelled into another combatant with bone-jarring force behind us. We rounded a corridor's bend, and another rebel came into view, his face twisted with rage, hands outstretched towards Jakori. The air around him shimmered with droplets of moisture that evaporated before they could settle on Jakori's parched and withered skin.

A familiar.

Before Regan or I could react, lightning crackled down the corridor, forcing us into a rough dive. She landed heavily on top of me, the acrid smell of burning flesh filling our nostrils.

Two familiars, apparently.

And we had none.

"We aren't going to win this," I hissed at Regan, dragging her up. "Get out now."

Her eyes darted between the entrance and the debris ahead of us before she sprinted back into the chaos, ignoring me. I grunted, running forward after her as another lightning bolt flashed by. It barely struck my skin, catching my little finger yet still searing the flesh and causing me to fall back to the ground, the feeling of being tasered flashed through my body. I barely gathered myself when a man slammed a gun into my face. Despite the balaclava, it felt like a solid punch. Peculiarly, his features stirred another flicker of memory within me. There was no time to focus on this before instinct overrode contemplation as my body reacted. My hand shot up, twisting his wrist back. The resulting crack of his bones broke through the uproar and his pained outcry filled the space as he dropped the firearm.

But he was resilient, pulling a knife from his belt, and slashing wildly. I twisted away from most of his attacks however with the last slash, he sliced across my arm and shoulder, missing my armour and hitting the skin. Pain arced down to my arm as blood began dripping to my fingertips. In that fleeting moment when he overextended; I circled behind him, securing my hold around his neck. A quick, harsh twist and another ominous snap. His body flopped to the ground. Another life ended. I clenched my jaw, not looking down; there was no time for distractions. My gaze darted around. Regan was gone.