“You’re next, Luce.” I pushed her toward the chute. “I’ll be right behind, so get out of the way.”
Lucy took a deep breath and climbed in. Then she was gone.
My turn and I was a little claustrophobic.
I reminded myself: it was this or prison.
Moving closer, I shut my eyes tightly. No way could I get in with my eyes open. Hands out in front, I felt for the opening. Misjudging the distance, I found myself tumbling forward before plunging headfirst down the chute, my heavy pack powering me even faster. I screamed the entire way. Bracing myself, I managed to force a hand over the top of my head as the slide tapered off and I plunged out. Tumbling a few times, I ended up face down, my pack thrown to the side.
I stayed like that for a moment of reflection – and to determine what was broken – something sure felt broken. My pride, I think.
Strong hands gripped my arms and pulled me up effortlessly.
“Are you okay?” Brace asked, his eyes wrinkled in concern and amusement.
Lucy, on the other hand, had collapsed in laughter. “That was hands down the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” she managed to gasp out.
Brace set me back on my feet before handing me my pack. His lips twitched, but he saved himself an ass-handing by changing the subject.
“Since we are trying to avoid the guard, I suggest we move from here.”
I scraped Lucy up off the ground as she continued to let out snorts of laughter.
“Stop replaying it or I will kill you and hide the body somewhere in the forest.” I gestured to the masses of greenery around us. “No one will find you.”
The laughter subsided for a moment, before she lost it again. I shook my head. Brace was already moving along the path, so, dragging Lucy with me, I hauled it to catch up.
Chapter 7
We walked in silence for a while. Except for the occasional chuckle from Lucy that made it clear – I was never living that entrance down.
Even with my bumpy start, I was relieved to be free. And back in nature. This area of the forest was different: less dense and more traveled.
And whilst we had a little more information, there were still so many questions.
Why was Grandier’s nickname First World? I couldn’t help but wonder. Was this an old world, much older than Earth?
Lucy broke the silence.
“What are those hugely round trees everywhere?” She pointed to the bulbous tree trunks surrounding us.
She was a little breathless, her shorter legs struggling with our pace.
Brace flicked his eyes toward to the tree-line. “The sycaim tree?” He shrugged. “Don’t tell me there are no ‘thud trees’ where you’re from?”
I wondered what he would think if he knew that, before yesterday, I’d seen about five trees, and not one was healthy or green.
We shook our heads.
He gave me a half-smile, before he answered drily, “They’re First World’s native trees.”
Whoops.
He stopped suddenly and I almost collided with his bulk, but managed to avoid him at the last moment.
“They’ve been around First World since the beginning.” Reaching down, he gathered a few loose stones.
Without any warning, he flung them into the trunk of the closest tree. As they connected, a loud thud echoed. Nearby, birds screeched before evacuating the treetops. I stared for a moment, fascinated by the huge animals as they flew out of sight. They were so bright, two blue and yellow, and one dark pink.
Brace distracted me by throwing another set of stones. He seemed to enjoy the noise.
I smiled at him. “They’re hollow?”
He nodded. “When I was young, Father carved me a tree house in the hollow of a large trunk. They’ll still continue to grow, even after that.”
As we started along the path again, I realized I was enjoying having Brace as our guide, and my instincts urged me to confess our secret. We needed someone on our side; we needed answers. I continued to observe him as he led us through the forest.
For a big guy, Brace moved almost silently – his strength was clear – and my traitorous heart already trusted him. I shook my head.
You don’t know him, Abby, I reminded myself for the tenth time that day.
“So, Deralick mentioned yesterday that things have been pretty rough around here lately.” Lucy had her innocent face on. She was digging for information.
Brace nodded as he continued ploughing through. “The last twenty years have seen changes I never expected from First World. Of course, after a hundred-year peace during the rule of Emperor Christian and Empress Elisnarra, it’s been extra hard to adjust.” He paused to move a large branch off the path.
I took that moment’s pause to contemplate how anyone ruled for a hundred years.