Page 45 of Ember Rising

Then I see the blink of a green light. It’s not good, but it’s better than a drone that would open fire on the man I never want to be apart from again.

“Surveillance,” I say softly. “Time to go.”

The drone nonchalantly whizzes away, our location already reported back to the cartel. Shooting it down wouldn’t help, and we can’t spare the ammo. I hate those drones.

There are multiple cartels in this region, all fighting each other and everyone else they think is invading their territory. It’s so wild how society could be restored back to the way it was—be better, even—if everyone would get along and value other humans as they value themselves.

Marcus gets to his feet and reaches a hand down to help me up. He takes a compass from a side pocket of his bag, checking our direction.

“Another footrace,” he says, tightening the straps of his bag so it won’t bounce.

I do the same, my adrenaline rising in anticipation. Our ability to run much faster than most people, thanks to our aromium, is how we’re eluding the cartels when their drones find us. I worry that our luck will run out, but for now, it’s our only option.

“Winner gets his dick sucked?” Marcus quips, grinning.

He’s much faster than I am, so there’s no question about who would win if we were having a race.

I shrug, smiling back. “If the winner can get the loser in the mood, it’s possible.”

“I was joking. Our prize is staying alive. Let’s hit it.”

We don’t have the luxury of starting at a jog. Taking off at full speed, we quickly pass through a forest, weaving in and out of trees, and into an open area where the road has been overtaken by weeds and blackberry vines. When my gaze lands on a kudzu vine, covering every inch of a power pole in its invasive, twining strands and leaves, I feel a tug in my chest.

It has to be the rush of adrenaline. When we left the base almost two weeks ago, I didn’t feel any connection at all to plants. It was as severed as it was on the sub that brought us to the mainland.

Within the past few days, though, I’ve been sensing ... something. It’s the same velvety brush against my senses I used to get on the island when I connected with plants, but it’s duller now.

Could the plants on Blue Arrow Island be in range at times? I can’t only consider what I thought was scientifically possible before I knew about aromium. The compound in my blood, created with the DNA of my mom and the other scientists on her research team, links me to plants that also have aromium.

On the island, Dr. Randall McClain, the team’s leader, put aromium in not only people but also animals and plants. It leached into the earth from rainwater on those plants and gave Marcus his connection to endoliths.

We don’t know whether aromium made it to the mainland. There could be other experiments from other islands. It’s all unknown.

What I do know is that Mae is in Carson City, and I have to get her away from Lochlan. I thought our whole group would be on this mission—me, Marcus, Amira, Pax, Olin, and Evander.

I hope the others are safe. When I thought I’d lost my entire family to the virus, I never thought the hole in my heart could be filled. Now, not only can I get my sister back, but I have friends who have become family.

Amira was still kind of mad at me when I left, and I think about her all the time. I should have fought harder to keep her with us. If anything happens to her, I won’t be able to forgive myself.

She’s never wavered in her loyalty to me. There aren’t many people Marcus completely trusts, but he trusts Amira. I let her down.

We pass a group of wild hogs, some of them squealing and jogging away. My legs just keep pumping, my breathing and heart rate slower than they should be at this speed.

Marcus leads me into a lightly wooded area, providing us some cover. I can’t hear as well over the sound of my own footsteps, but I feel the pull on my senses again.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

I feel the warning, though it’s not strong. I reach for Marcus’s arm, telling him to stop. He slows to a halt, giving me a confused look.

“We need to go a different way,” I say, still catching my breath.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

He pushes his brows together. “You feel something.”

“I don’t know. I might?”