Embattlement: The Undergrounders Series Book Two (A Young Adult Science Fiction Dystopian Novel) by Hinkens Norma

Author:Hinkens, Norma [Hinkens, Norma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dunecadia Publishing
Published: 2016-02-21T08:00:00+00:00

21

Half-blinded by a cloud of dust kicked up by the spooked horses, I stumble around, calling out frantically for the others.

“Jump up!” Jody yells, riding up alongside me. She thrusts out a hand, a look of grim determination on her face.

I hesitate, my eyes tearing up from the grit. “What about the others?”

“They’re coming. Grab my hand!”

I throw a glance back at the whinnying dust cloud behind us, then grip Jody’s glove and swing myself up behind her. Before I’m fully seated, Condor rockets out of the clearing, ears flattened. I dig in my thighs and cling to Jody’s waist as we gallop madly through the forest, tree limbs scratching at us like ravenous claws.

My thoughts swirl in a dark cloud of disbelief and despair. I’m sick to the pit of my stomach at what just happened. We promised Brock we’d get him safely to the city. I can only imagine how terrified he must feel strapped inside a Hovermedes. We have to reach the Craniopolis and save him before it’s too late. There’s no time to waste training the Undergrounders. Either Jerome agrees to leave right away, or I leave without him.

We ride hard, for a boneshaking hour, until Jody finally slows Condor to a trot. “That’s the city up ahead,” she says.

I peer through the trees and squint into the sun, now rising on the horizon like a flaming hot air balloon. A citrus-colored wash spills over the granite peaks. In the distance I can make out the steel girder and barbed-wire barricade wrapped around Shoshane City like a sleeping anaconda. Tears prickle my nose. It’s a bittersweet sight. Brock should have been here with us.

We cover another quarter mile or so before Jody brings Condor to an abrupt halt in a small copse of trees. I squeeze my knees together to avoid sliding off. “Why are we stopping?” I ask, as the rest of the group trots up alongside us.

She reaches into a saddle bag and pulls out a pair of binoculars. “Red flag’s up by the entry.”

“What does that mean?” Trout asks.

“Hostiles spotted,” Jody answers in a grim tone. She lets the reins go slack and twists her torso slowly as she pans the barricade.

I frown. “Maybe the Rogues have come back for Blade.”

“Now what?” Jakob asks, scratching his brow. “Are we stuck here?”

“We’ll skirt around to the north side of the barricade,” Jody replies. “If there’s no red flag hanging on that side, it’s safe to go in that way.”

“I thought there was only one entry gate,” Trout says.

“There is.” Jody slips the binoculars back into her saddle bag, and throws him a knowing look. “Trust me on this.” She makes a clicking sound, pulses once with her legs, and we’re off again. I lean forward, my stomach muscles clenching into a familiar, burning knot as we pick up speed. We keep to the cover of the trees, cutting a steady line north to the outskirts of the city.

Minutes later, we slow our pace again and make a ninety degree turn toward the barricade.

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