Shatter_The Children of Man by Elizabeth C. Mock

Author:Elizabeth C. Mock [Mock, Elizabeth C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-06-24T04:00:00+00:00

Faela grabbed a low-lying branch of the elm and pulled herself up. Levering off of her torso, she brought her feet under herself to stand on the branch. Just as she reached for the next branch, she saw someone jogging below her. She swung her knee over the branch and lifted herself up to sit on it. She rotated her back to rest against the trunk. The man stopped under the tree and pivoted scouting in every direction.

Faela's nose tickled and she sneezed. Alerted by the sound, Kade found her and lay his hand on the first branch. She waved halfheartedly before she stared through the canopy of the forest out to the stars above, ignoring him.

"Can I come up?"

Without looking back down, she beckoned for him to join her. Kade swayed holding the branch as he brought a foot to meet his hands and stepped up into the tree. He slung his arms over the branch Faela used for her seat.

"You always look for somewhere to run?" Kade asked looking out into the forest from their high vantage point.

Faela finally tore her gaze away from the sky to glare at him. The leaves shuddered in the wind, which cut through Faela’s shirt. She leaned forward to tuck her bulky overcoat closer around her body.

"It's a better alternative to what I would have done had I stayed," Faela admitted, her voice still had a sharp edge.

"He's not a traitor, Faela." Kade finally turned back to her. "I was there, in Stantreath. He wouldn't let me testify."

Faela’s face fell slack, the anger diffusing around her like steam. "You were there?"

Kade nodded. "Your brother saved my life. It wasn't the first time." Kade snorted. "This was different though. I didn't think any of us were going to make it out."

Faela held her breath as he continued. Laying her head back against the tree’s ridged bark, she played with the fraying cuffs of her coat.

"They weren't supposed to be there. We were supposed to be walking into friendly territory. Did you know that? It's why they got so many of us in the first attack. But a moment before the ambush, Caleb got this odd look on his face and shoved me to the ground. He was fast, just not fast enough. That’s how he got the scar on his face. He was protecting me. Your brother would have gladly died to save his men, Faela."

Faela's eyes shone with tears.

Smiling with regrets about events he could never change, Kade grabbed for her hand. "He betrayed no one."

Faela returned the pressure. "I know he didn't. It’s just that a lot happened today and I couldn't, I just couldn't brush off what that horrible woman said."

"She's not horrible," Kade objected. "Eve is just a little tactless regarding what she views as the truth. To her, it's irrational to be offended by what she considers a statement of fact or truth. She's a little single-minded sometimes and she just lost someone very close to her. Just give her a chance.

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