The Network ( Book One of the Grounders Series )

34

For some reason the citizens living in the city stopped attacking us and we have a few minutes of slack.

"That's where Arosi lives?" Cicada says pointing at the waterfall, her voice trembling.

"We can't all go," Jonah says.

Cicada and I both look at him, confused.

"We can't all continue to find Arosi. Someone has to go back and tell the Network that the war is almost over."

"What if we don't defeat Arosi."

"Then someone will return to the Network to inform the Grounders that we all gave the ultimate sacrifice to save ourselves, and it wasn't enough to defeat this ancient...thing." Jonah says. "I'll go. I'll escape back to the tunnel where you and Joss got in a fight and retrace my steps back to the Network."

"Where is no way that'll work, Jonah," Cicada says, "we fell down two pits and jumped off a cliff."

"Watch this," Jonah says, holding out his hands. A golden locket appears out of nowhere in his cupped hands.

Cicada gasps, but I already have the answer

"You have it to?" I ask.

"Yes," I can create things with my mind. I can get out of here."

"Imagine yourself back at the Strip in Arocule. Can you? I doesn't make your head hurt does it?" I ask

"No," he says with his eyes closed.

"Okay, now do what you did to make the locket appear."

He opens his eyes. "First," he says. He raises he hands to Cicada's head and let's the chain fall around her neck. She pulls her black hair up so its not tucked into the chain.

"That you so much, Jonah," she say, wrapping him in an embrace, "for everything."

He hugs her back and a tear breaks from his eye and flows down his cheek. "Thank you," he says back, his voice cracking.

She lets him go and I hug him. "Stay alive," I say. At first I consider saying "safe" but I and everyone who was ever on this quest knows how impossible that is. Rox and Joss knew before they died, and Cicada, Jonah, and I know still.

I let him go right as I catch the sound of footsteps coming out way from deeper in the city.

"Go," I say.

Jonah closes his eyes. "Goodbye," he says.

"Goodbye," Cicada and I say in unison.

And then he fades out of existence, and we are left alone.

"Go," I say placing a hand on Cicada's shoulder as we duck through the waterfall.

"They can't follow us," Cicada says.

I nod and close my eyes. I'm back in the city, looking at the fountain. It's hole again, and the tiny teethlike stones with letters on them are gone. The water flows naturally.
I open my eyes and see that there is no longer and opening in this dark tunnel to the city. Just black wall where it used to be.

Now there's no going back. We must face what we came here to do.

We must face the Dragon.