The Exo Project by Andrew DeYoung

Author:Andrew DeYoung
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Published: 2017-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

They tramped silently through the grass for a long stretch. Kiva used the time to read everyone’s thoughts. Thruss and Rehal were on edge, still afraid of the Strangers and nervous about what would happen when they got to the village; Po and the Forsaken were alert, ready to attack the Strangers at the first sign of provocation; and Quint—well, Quint seemed to think this was all a great adventure.

Kiva couldn’t read the minds of the Strangers quite as clearly. From the one Matthew called Dunne she sensed excitement and curiosity at what she might find once Kiva led them to the village. The boy who’d attacked them—Matthew called him Sam—was a mystery. When Kiva reached into his mind with hers, all she found was a yawning absence, a dark void that made her shiver every time she looked at his face.

But Matthew’s thoughts she could read clearly—so clearly it was almost as though he was speaking aloud as he walked at Kiva’s side.

How did she do that?

Kiva glanced sideways. Matthew was feeling gingerly at the spot on his ribs where Po had shot him—where Kiva had daubed her blood to heal him.

“I didn’t do it,” Kiva said. “The Ancestors did.”

Matthew looked at her. “What’s that?”

“You were wondering how I healed you,” Kiva said. “But I didn’t. The Ancestors did.”

“The Ancestors?” Matthew said. He blinked and gave his head a little shake. “But I didn’t say anything.”

“I heard your thoughts,” Kiva said. “That’s another thing the Ancestors do.”

“Are they the ones helping us communicate with each other?” Matthew asked.

“I think so.”

“So they healed me, they let you read other people’s thoughts, and they’re allowing us to communicate with each other even though we don’t speak the same language. But how?”

Kiva looked forward. “They just are. In our village, the Ancestors come to girls and speak to them, show them visions, or allow them to hear the minds of others. After that, the girls join the women as the leaders of our people. The Sisters.”

“The Sisters,” Matthew repeated. “And you’re one of the Sisters, then?”

Kiva shook her head. “No. Not just one of the Sisters. The Ancestors are stronger with some than with others—and they’re stronger with me than with anyone in my village. I am the Vagra.”

“So the Sisters lead the village, but you’re the leader of the Sisters. The Vagra. Is that right?”

Kiva nodded.

Matthew retreated into his own thoughts, and Kiva let him be. They walked in silence once more. Soon, they came to the place just outside the village where Kiva always went to listen for the voice of the Ancestors. This was where she’d first seen her vision of the Strangers, where she’d first seen Matthew’s face.

Kiva slowed.

“Matthew,” she said.

He turned to her.

“Do you remember this place?” she asked.

He looked around. Kiva held her breath as his eyes passed over the hillock where, just a day ago, he’d come upon her from within a shared vision. But his eyes only grazed the spot, and when his gaze came back to her his face wore a befuddled look.

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