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She tilts the vial up and down, staring at the liquid for a long moment. With a shaky breath, she uncorks it, sniffs it, and throws the liquid back into her mouth. She swallows, and her body relaxes muscle by muscle.

“Thank you,” she sighs, her eyes falling closed.

I work on cleaning and stitching the wound on her forehead. While I admit I’m not nearly as proficient as Marge is, I stitchher skin closed, at least. “Sorry, the scar might not be as pretty as if Marge were to—”

A thunderous roar sparks to life somewhere outside, and we both startle. An alarm rings out over the outpost in warning.

“They’ve come for me,” the rebel woman whispers.

forty

REBELS

I don’t have to ask her to know who.

Rebels.

“Then let’s get you to them.” I link my arm with hers and help lift her to her feet.

We burst out of the healer’s quadrant into chaos. Archie is nowhere to be found, nor the soldiers who were assigned to stand guard outside of the healer’s quadrant. Cries and screams mix with the roar of metal on metal. Flashes of silver glimmer in the night, soldiers dash by us as they race toward the thickening mob near the northern part of the outpost. My heart skips to a gallop, my skin unbearably hot as I scan the throng.All I can think about is the terrifying possibility of someone I know dying.

I lead the rebel woman toward the western part of camp toward the wall, ducking under the cover of tents and tables as we make our way there.

“If you’re near the outpost, Daeja, retreat closer to the lake. We are being attacked!”

“What! And where are you?”

“Making my way…” I glance at the rebel woman. Drops of blood trail in her wake with each limp. I pull her tighter into my side, trying to tug her into a faster pace. “I’m moving a little slow—”

“Doesn’t surprise me. I’m coming to get you.”

“No! Don’t you dare—”

“I’m much faster than your two little legs,”she snorts.

“Technically, right now, I have four.”

“Huh?”

The woman stumbles forward, and I catch her before she can fall. Her breath is heavy, despite the noisy chaos swimming around us.

She glances over to me. “You have to let me go. Leave me. I’m slowing you down—”

“No. If I leave you, you’ll die.” I tug her again.

“Why do you feel the need to save me? You don’t even know me.”

“It doesn’t matter—”

“Listen, you stubborn girl.” She rips her arm out of mine. “We can’t afford for you to die. Leave me. I’ll tell the rest of them to fall back. You can meet us north near the river.”

I scan the cloud of bodies surging in battle. My heart sinks as I pick out Cole’s flame red hair against the darkness. He swings against another rebel armed with a club. Surveying the rest of the throng, I recognize Melaina struggling against two men.

We areseverelyoutnumbered.

I nod, a shaky breath escaping my lips. Taking my dagger out of my thigh sheath, I place it into her hands. “Okay. Take this. Just in case.”

She meets my panicked stare with a dip of her head and hobbles off, edging dangerously close to the thick of the battle.