The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew

Author:Jill Tew [Tew, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780593710371
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2024-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

19

LIV

“LIV. LIV, WAKE UP.” ADRIAN’S hand rests on my shoulder, shaking me gently. I groan and nestle deeper into the blanket’s warmth. The rain has quieted, but it’s chilly outside my woolly cocoon. Adrian jostles my shoulder again.

“Liv.” His voice is more insistent this time.

“Ten more minutes won’t hurt.”

“It might,” says another man’s voice, deep and harsh. I bolt upright so quickly that my head hits the top of the lean-to. That gets a laugh out of the stranger, and three or four other men I can also hear. Adrian’s staring at me with wide, apologetic eyes. All I can see of the men are their worn leather boots, and the drooping muzzle of a long-range blaster. My stomach drops. These are the raiders Adrian warned me about.

“Wakey, wakey,” the man with the blaster—their leader, I assume—says. “Out you come.”

We step into the damp dawn as the men call out jokes. I tremble with fear as much as cold, and Adrian wraps his arm around me.

“Ah, little brisk, isn’t it? But I bet you two couldn’t feel a thing in your little love nest there,” one of the men jokes crudely.

“What, with him?” another says, gesturing to Adrian. “He couldn’t do much, there’s hardly anything to him!”

“It’s not about muscle, Harcourt. It’s about finesse.”

“That’s enough,” their leader clips. He’s tall, and handsomer than I’d like to admit, with amber skin and a wide nose. The sleeves of his linen shirt are rolled up to his forearms, and though he’s lean, his muscles are well defined. He can’t be much older than twenty. When he sees me, his full lips break into a devilish grin. My heart stops cold as he takes a step toward me. Adrian’s grip on my shoulder tightens, and he moves to step between us. The man gives him a single cold glare that stuns him midstride.

“I wouldn’t, if I were you.” He almost sounds bored, but the intensity in his eyes conveys the threat. Adrian takes his hand off my shoulder, and the sudden coolness makes me shiver. The man continues to stare him down. Why? I’m confused until I hear something behind me click. Adrian’s taken his blaster out of the holster, and he hands it over silently.

The handsome raider steps closer. His eyes rake over my body dispassionately, until they catch on something. “Quit shaking. I need to see…” Carefully, he lifts my damp braids to reveal the neurochip underneath. My skin prickles at his delicate touch. One side of his mouth ticks up. “Well, hot damn,” he whispers to himself. Then, loudly to his men: “Grab their packs. We’re taking them back to the village.”

“Are you going to kill us?” I ask him, my voice shrill.

“Why? Because that’s what you two would do, right?” he sneers. “Shoot first, then spread lies to cover your tracks? That’s your kind’s answer for everything.”

What’s he talking about? I search for answers in the four men’s faces but find only hatred.

The head raider’s eyes narrow with disdain. “No, we’re not going to kill you.

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