The Iron Cliffs: A Dystopian Novel by Rachel McClellan

Author:Rachel McClellan [McClellan, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-02-22T00:00:00+00:00

17

When we find Genesis, she has a fire going and sits so close to the flames I can see them dancing in her blue eyes. A thin girl with long blonde hair sits with her further back from the fire at a safer distance. Her clothes are nicer than Genesis’s, free of rips and stains, much like several of the officers, but there isn’t a Windland insignia anywhere on her, so she’s got to be a soldier like us, maybe from Zone 1.

At our approach, Genesis looks up at me. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”

“I had to hear what you know.” I drop to the ground opposite her.

“How’s your back?” she asks point-blankly.

“It’s doing fine. Why? Have you heard otherwise?” It wouldn’t surprise me if Torrent didn’t just tell the Commander about my wounds but also anyone else who would listen—anything to taint my name.

Her eyes lower to the flickering flames. “No, I was just wondering.”

Loch sits next to me. “Who’s your friend?”

Genesis turns to the girl, who looks a year or two older than her. “This is Ivy. We made friends on my first day here. Ivy, this is Talon and…”

“Loch,” he finishes for her.

Genesis’s cheeks redden. “Sorry. I couldn’t remember.”

“I don’t think I told you.”

“What region are you from?” I ask.

Ivy lifts her sharp chin a little. “None. I grew up in Windland.”

Loch and I share a surprised glance.

“You did?” Loch asks. “Why the hell are you here then?”

Her expression darkens, and she takes on the same air the other officers carry, like she’s better than us. “That’s my business.”

Loch lifts his hands in surrender and looks away from her.

To fill the uncomfortable space, I turn to Genesis. “So tell us what you know about the Narrows.”

She tenses, looks to the edge of camp, and scans the dark horizon, separated only by the dull light of the torches. Whatever she sees or doesn’t see puts her at ease, and her shoulders relax. She pushes to her feet, taking a bag next to her.

“Follow me.”

Loch and I do as she says while Ivy stays behind without a glance in our direction. We walk away and into the cold darkness that feels every bit as suffocating as the desert’s afternoon sun.

Loch glances behind us nervously. “How far are we going?”

Genesis keeps walking in silence. I try to watch her, wishing I could read her thoughts, but only her dark silhouette is visible.

Eventually, she stops when the desert floor turns to large rocks. “If you keep going, you’ll enter the Rift, the name of the widest path through the Narrows. It’s not the easiest walk to get there. The terrain is rocky and broken up by huge boulders.”

“I can’t see anything,” Loch complains.

Genesis squats on the ground and opens the bag in her hands. She removes something that looks like binoculars. They are much bigger, however, and made of rare hard plastic.

“What are those?” I ask.

“Night vision goggles.” She holds them up to her eyes and scans the horizon.

My mouth falls open.

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