The Network ( Book One of the Grounders Series )

29

"Where the hell are we?" Joss says looking around at the trees and nature that surrounds us.

"How could this possibly survive down here?" Cicada wonders, touching the wood of the nearest tree gingerly with her palm.

"We can't keep moving tonight. We need to rest. Only for four hours. We'll have someone keep watch and switch every hour. Hopefully all this will start making sense soon," I say. My brain hurts to much from the lack of oxygen to be trying to figure all this out right now.

"This has to be alive the same way Aroculan's fields grew," Jonah notes.

We all stay in the tiny clearing, but I stay at least two feet away from the patch of quicksand at the edge of the glade. We strip the trees of their lowest limbs and through then into a pile in the center of a clearing. Joss goes back into the mouth of the tunnel to grab two stones.

He slides the two stones across each other's surface until there's a spark and then he does the same thing but closer to the pile of branches so they'll catch the spark. When the fire is finally built, we all sit around it a make ourself meat sandwiches for dinner. The taste of the delicious roast slices makes me miss Kalin and Dax more than I already do. Somehow I feel homesick for Arocule despite what happened when we were there.

Nonetheless I inhale the sandwich as if I'd never seen food. After dinner argue about who will keep watch first.

"Al you almost suffocated today," Cicada points out, "I think you should go last."

We lay out a sleeping bag next to the fire and Cicada and I slip into it together as Jonah gets his own and Joss stays up to keep watch.

Cicada and I remain close. After coming that close to death, I am not ready to be away from her. I could've lost her for good not even an hour ago.

She drapes her hand over my back from behind me and rubs my shoulder, soothing me to sleep.

I dream that I am standing in the Hearth, which is nothing more that a massive stone bowl of charred wood and scattered ashes. Only in some places embers glow dull red. The Hearth is dying. The light of the Network is dying. Arosi is rising, nearly free from whatever prison he's trapped in.

The doors the the clans are all close. The Artery is still littered with bodies from the battle on the day of my execution.

A scorching wind blows through the Artery and I fall to my knees as my skin burns from the heat.

I will rise soon, Alaric. You aren't even close to finding me. Within seven days I will be at the doorstep of the Network, tearing apart each and every one of the remaining Councilmen with my bare claws. And then after that I will find you and your so called friends and kill all of you.

I force myself to stand. Refusing to show Arosi that I'm weak. He may not be able to get into my mind since I had The Dream, but I know he can see me.

I need to wake up. I need to take my turn as lookout so we can get on with this. We only have seven more days to find wherever Arosi is trapped.

The hot coals burn through the soles of my shoes.

I charge across the hot coal toward the edge of the Hearth. I can feel my skin radiating with warm. I watch is a detached way as my body runs without my control. My skin is turning bright white.

This time when I hear the voice I know it's Alvus Constantine. You are the last shred of light the Network has, Alaric.

I leap over the edge of the bowl, turning into a ball of blinding white light as I fall to the stone below and disappearing into thin air.

You have the power to save your people. Do not fail me.