Page 68 of Ember Rising
Panic claws at my throat as I look around, finding just open ground. There are trees in the distance, but they’re so far away.
Evander grabs my waist and swings me off Raisin’s back. I snap back to reality and see that Thunder and Jane are gone, the supplies Jane was carrying on the ground. Evander quickly releases Raisin’s harness and smacks her flank hard.
“Get out of here!” he says.
“What are you—”
He puts his hands on my shoulders. “You have to run. Find a place to hide, even if it’s just lying flat on the ground.”
“But the horses—”
“I’m not watching these assholes slaughter our horses. I read up on intel back at the base and I think I know who’s coming. There’s no time, Amira. I wish we had met in a different time and place. You have to stay hidden. Please. The ILF needs you.”
I step closer, putting a palm on his chest. “They need you more. We have to stay together. I can fight.”
Twin lights pop out of nowhere and we both turn. Headlights—of a semi, driving right at us.
“Run,” Evander pleads. “Hide yourself. I know you don’t want to, but ... for me. I’m asking you to do it for me.”
I’ve never seen so much emotion swirling in his eyes. I turn, tears blurring my vision as I race away from him. I don’t even pay attention to where I’m going. I run through grass, weeds, and gravel, going about a hundred feet before I crouch down and pull my takedown recurve bow from my back.
The ILF had endless bows to choose from, so I left the one I made behind in favor of something better. And it’s a good thing, because at this distance, and in the dark, I need to give myself the best possible chance of hitting my target.
The semi has an open flatbed, flames and skulls painted on the cab. There are people on the flatbed jumping and flailing near a bonfire.
I gag with revulsion when I realize they’re burning human bodies. There are five men and two women, their faces covered in paint. I squint, realizing their bodies are covered in paint, too. They’re all wearing just pants or shorts.
One of the men is on his knees, and he throws his head back and howls. Black paint circles his eyes and his hair is spiked and soaked with what looks like blood.
The driver puts the vehicle in park. A few seconds later, a door slams closed, then another. Two more men emerge from the cab.
Seven men, two women. My pulse pounds in my ears as I watch, frozen.
The people on the flatbed jump off, one of the women laughing like a crazed hyena.
“Look at the size of him! I want him while he’s still warm.”
They’re all walking toward Evander, who has the machine gun leveled at them. The semi’s headlights illuminate him. When he flinches slightly and taps the bottom of the magazine, I know something’s wrong. He racks it, kicking out the round.
“What’s the matter, big boy?” a big man with a wild blond beard taunts. “Your gun don’t work?”
Evander drops the rifle and switches to his pistol, the group descending on him. I nock an arrow and fire at the man closest to him, hitting him in the side of the head.
One of the women howls and turns. She takes off toward me, two men coming with her.
They’ll be here in seconds. I already have another arrow in hand. As I nock it, there’s a bang, followed by another. Then another.
I look toward Evander and see he’s on his knees, a hand on his stomach. Two men are on the ground in front of him, motionless. He fires again and another man drops, the woman kicking his gun from his hand.
“Evander!” I scream.
I fire an arrow at one man’s face, hitting him in the eye. He drops to one knee. The woman is rushing at me with a crazed smile, her face not covered in paint, but blood. It’s even on her teeth.
“You’ll burn!” she cries gleefully.
Another arrow hits her in the throat. She clutches at it, her smile dropping away.
One man left. I get my arrow nocked and aim for his chest. He’s so close that he falls into me, knocking me to the ground.
