Elemental Rush

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven:

I didn’t hear from Davison, and I knew he was the one who could really lead a rebellion. I figured he was probably still dealing with the aftermath of chaos in his own city, but I couldn’t simply wait outside the dormant wall of Castleton. I had barely a day’s worth of food remaining, and as I set my feet northward, I struggled to remember my geography lessons.

I’d never had occasion to travel this far from Tarpulin, and my geography classes were complete by age ten, when I was deemed worthy to learn how to throw knives. Somehow, working out and killing people had come before the physical location of cities in the northern half of the United Territories.

I skirted by the villages I came across, only daring to venture into them if the night was dark and deep. I found a few scraps in trashcans, but nothing of substance. I avoided the cities completely, fearing Felix, Alex, or the other sentries had beaten me to them, turned the Councilman against me, and were about to destroy the Elemental schools just so I couldn’t enroll.

Minutes became hours became days. I slept. I walked. I ate anything I could find. It was never enough. Never enough rest. Never enough miles covered. Never enough to eat.

On top of that, I feared I’d gone in circles, though I never passed anything familiar. The terrain became more rugged, the landscape rockier with dense patches of evergreen trees, aspens, and maples. I trudged on through the forests blanketing the earth. There was surprisingly little to eat in the trees. I resorted to sucking on leaves and coaching myself to keep going.

Mental strength was important, I knew. If I believed I would survive, I could. By day nine, though, I was beginning to doubt. My vision blurred. I’d given up walking only at night. The sparseness of cities and villages this far north didn’t present the same threat.

The fall sun felt cooler here, but it was still harsh and blinding, even through the trees. My mouth felt sticky. It has been too long since I’d last had a drink. I couldn’t even remember when that was. I tripped over something I didn’t see and fell to the ground. I struggled to get up again, but my body would not cooperate. I rolled onto my back, looking up into dappled sunlight.

My chest heaved, my mind felt soft, my eyes wouldn’t open. I drifted into the sea of unconsciousness.

#

I woke to the scent of food, and my stomach roared for it. I sat up straight, not caring where I was or who had found me. I simply needed to eat. Now.

Darkness filled the shack where I was, but I could still see clearly enough to find the flicker of orange flames coming from under the door. I stumbled toward it, crashing into a cot and a chair before I found the exit.

A tall, broad man met me outside. He held a bowl toward me, and though it steamed, I couldn’t shovel the food into my mouth fast enough. When I finished, the man led me to the fire, where he handed me a slab of dark bread.

He waited while I ate it, and the silence and calm assurance he radiated unnerved me. He wore a chain of ivory teeth around his neck, his feet were bare, his skin brown. His hair was black as pitch, and long, tied back into a low ponytail.

He watched me with golden eyes that held absolutely no fear. I detected a hint of wariness, which made him smart.

“Thank you,” I finally said to break the silence.

He nodded back to me, and I wondered if he spoke English. Of course he does, I chided myself. I hadn’t left the country.

“Who are you?” he asked, his voice deep and full, and clearly not used often. “What brings you to my settlement?”