AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We lay there in comfortable silence despite the traumas of the day. My mind drifts back to past Races. Some years, Max and I fought against the elements; other years, we fought large, aggressive creatures. This year, it would seem our most significant threat is other humans.
Other humans, and me.
I reach over to stroke Max’s hair from her eyes as she begins to drift to sleep, but my hand stops in midair, an involuntary response to the crashing sound of someone falling through the trees around our clearing. We both sit up swiftly to see a young girl, clearly in her Ascension year, with wild, terrified eyes and pieces of the forest in her hair. Her pants, previously what looks to have been an off-white color, are now brown with mud and have cuts and slashes in the legs. Her pack looks mostly empty, and scratches cover both of her bare arms. She looks at us, and her shoulders droop, relief sweeping through her body.
“Hi, hi, wow, I am really glad I found someone. I… I’m on my own in here, and I have no idea what I’m doing or where I’m going, and I just…” She starts to cry, fat tears sliding down her chin and pooling in her shirt collar.
Max is on her feet quickly, wrapping an arm around the girl and bringing her over to the logs to sit down and rest. “Honey, what’s going on?” She coos, her voice a study in gentleness and maternal comfort.
The girl sniffles and rubs the back of her dirty hand across her nose. “My brother and I, it’s our Ascension year, we’re twins, yeah? And we were doing this together. He’s always been a planner, Twig has, oh Twig, that’s my brother’s name, and well, he’s the planner... I said that, right?”
She is disjointed, distraught, and making hardly a lick of sense. Still, Max nods reassuringly and hands the strange girl one of our canteens. She takes a greedy pull from it and then hands it back, pulling her shirt up to wipe her mouth with the inside of her dirty collar. “I’m Tulip, by the way.”
I feel myself losing patience with this interloper and trusting her less by the minute. Rationally, I know this is not fair to the girl, but after the encounter with Amio, my body is humming and on edge. “Get on with it, then.” Max shoots me an icy glare that makes me wither a bit, and I cough, adjusting my voice as I say, “I just mean, tell us what happened, Tulip.”
She nods, her eyes fogging with tears as she speaks. “We were doing okay, really. Our parents are dead, so it’s just us, you know? And the thunderstorm came, and we thought, what’s the harm? It’s just a little thunderstorm, yeah? So, we kept going. Twig said there was a path we could take over some hills that would cut us up right to the side of Gallant and help us get there that much faster. And we were doing fine, really. Until we were on one of the hills - and why is it called a hill, by the way? It feels like it’s just a pile of rocks, and shouldn’t a hill be green? I just think that if it’s a hill, it should be soft, with grasses and flowers and...”
Max rubs her hand between Tulip’s shoulder blades. “I think you’re a bit hysterical, dear. Take a deep breath and tell us what happened.”
With a shuddering inhale, Tulip continues. “We were on the hill, and lightning struck right in front of us. It sent debris flying, and we slipped, sliding down the side of it. I managed to stop myself from going too far, catching myself on some rocks that were jutting out, but Twig didn’t. He just couldn’t get a good handhold. So, I watched him slide, his body getting beat black and blue, ya know? But I thought he’d be fine. He was, really. But when he stood, he was face to face with a seps.”
My jaw goes slack. I knew there were dangerous creatures here in the Summit, I’d fought my fair share of them, but a seps? Max’s face was a mask of confusion. “What’s a seps?” she says, looking at me.
Of all the books my parents had to prepare me for entering Gallant Summit, “Creatures of Krillium” gave me the most nightmares. “A seps is a type of serpent. It’s not very large, but it’s quite aggressive, it’s known for...”
“Liquifying its victims with its poison, yep.” Tulip finishes solemnly. It hits me that she must have seen that happen to her brother. The way seps consume their prey is brutal to think about, much less see.
One bite from a seps and its venom courses through its victims’ veins. It completely liquifies bones and muscles, allowing the serpent to easily consume the entirety of its victim without so much as a chew. I suppress an involuntary shudder.
My eyes rake across the young woman’s slight figure, from her shaking shoulders to the way she twists her fingers within each other. The image of her brother being consumed by a seps will live with her for the rest of her life, and that thought shoots a pang of grief into my chest for Tulip.
Max’s eyes widen, and she places a hand between Tulip’s shoulder blades, rubbing smooth circles. “I am so sorry to hear that, Tulip. That’s just awful.”
Tulip nods, sniffling back some of her snot and tears in an attempt to regain a modicum of composure. “Yeah, it was a nightmare. But I can’t just give up, you know? I had to keep going. So, I did. And I got all kind of turned around trying to get back going, and I think I’ve been going in circles, so seeing you two here is just the best thing I could have hoped for. I am so relieved it’s two women and not…”
I shudder, knowing exactly what could have happened to her if it wasn’t us she stumbled upon.
Still, my hackles are raised because I know what is about to be asked of me. I cannot let Tulip join Max and me. For one, it’s always been just us - that’s the plan. Secondly, Tulip is, without a doubt, going to slow us down. Even though something within me recoils at the thought of leaving this girl alone, some things must be done in the name of self-preservation.
I look at Max with wide eyes, and she jerks her head to the side of the clearing. “Tulip dear, give us a moment,” she says while standing. I follow her slowly, and Max speaks first as we reach an area just out of earshot.
“We’re going to let her stay with us tonight. Let her rest, share some of that meat you obviously stole from Jaz, get her some water, and then we’ll go our separate ways in the morning.”
“Absolutely not, Max. We cannot trust her. This could be some elaborate ruse. I say we kick her out, threaten her so she does not return.” My words, while firm, taste like lies on my tongue. My instincts battle my rational mind, but my instincts haven’t been wrong yet.
Max’s eyes narrow, and she grits her teeth. There is a fire in them that could rival the sun, and I steel myself in preparation for what she is bound to decree. “You want to show me that business with Amio isn’t who you really are? I know there is good in you, and you’re in survival mode right now, so I’m going to give you a pass for not immediately jumping at the opportunity to help someone who was left to fend for herself. Considering what happened to you, I would think you’d have more sympathy for her situation.”
That low blow from Max has the desired effect. When I woke up to find my parents gone all those years ago, I allowed myself a moment to mourn the loss of the relationship I thought I had with them, and I gathered my things and continued, more aware than ever of the dangers that lurk within the Summit. I’m sure had I stumbled across someone as Tulip had, I would’ve asked for help. My resolve weakens, and I nod.
“You’re right, as always, Max,” I say, casting my eyes down in the appearance of shame. I turn and head back to where Tulip waits for us, gnawing absentmindedly on a piece of the dried meat that was still out. I grit my teeth at her intrusion on our supplies but push past it. “Hey, Tulip,” I began.
“Oh, sorry, I helped myself, I’m so sorry, I haven’t eaten since last night, and it was...”
I hold up a hand to stop her. “It’s no problem, really. We’d like to have you rest up with us for a bit, and we’ll get you on your way at first light.” Her face lights up, and I can see, beneath the dirt and tears, that she is quite cute with her straw-colored hair and wide mouth.
“You mean it? Oh, that’s wonderful, thank you.”
Max beams at me, nodding enthusiastically. “Sure thing, honey. Go ahead and drink up from that canteen there and get comfortable. Viola here will take the first watch. I’m Max, by the way.” Tulip shakes Max’s hand and scoots into the grass to get comfortable. Max stretches out as well, and very quickly, they both drift off to sleep.
