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CHAPTER 5

C alla

W e’ve been traveling most of the day. Further away from Haven North. Closer to our mysterious destination—The Outpost. Frank recently convinced the others it was time to stop for the night. It’s been relatively peaceful, outside of ominous sounds emanating from The Tangle. Until we stopped, at least. Things are a little tense right now.

“What the hell just happened out there?” Carl yells, aiming his rifle at The Tangle. “Sounded like a fucking war.”

“It was too far away for us to worry about it,” Frank replies calmly, continuing to set up the campsite for the evening. “There’s no scent in the wind. You probably heard a hunter catching its prey. That’s life in The Tangle, you know?”

“I really, really wish we had taken the other way to The Outpost,” Jeb mutters. I’ve learned to tell them apart now. Jeb has an edge to his tone, likely because of the small scar near his trachea.

Carl doesn’t lower his rifle right away. His eyes dart through the underbrush, hunting for movement. “That wasn’t just a kill. That was a fight. Something big— somethings big.”

Frank doesn’t look up. He moves some supplies next to their sleeping area and shrugs. “Plenty of big things in The Tangle. If it was coming for us, it would already be here by now.”

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” Carl barks.

“You want comfort or survival?” Frank asks, raising a brow. “You hired me to get you to The Outpost without losing any of your cargo—or your lives. Everyone is still accounted for, and we’ll get there tomorrow around midday.”

Carl curses under his breath and finally lowers his rifle. He barks an order at Jed, and they continue setting up the campsite.

“I think it’s over,” I whisper to my companions. “For now.”

I lean against the cage, watching our captors, ears tuned more to the forest than their bickering. The growls and crashes we heard earlier weren’t like anything I’ve ever heard before. It sounded a lot more violent than what we heard last night. And the howls—they carried emotion. I could almost feel their fury. Then I felt pain.

Tansy shifts closer to me, her lip trembling as she dries her tears. “Do you think they’ll come back?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, my fingers wrapping around the fabric concealing the key that was in my hand when I woke up. “But if it does, we’ll be ready.”

“I think we’re safer in this cage than outside of it,” Brenna says. “Not that we have any way to get out, if we had to.”

“We wait for them to open the door,” Nara states, reminding everyone of the plan. “And we only make our move if Frank isn’t around.”

Earlier, after Jeb grabbed Brenna through the bars and put his hand up her shirt while threatening to do more, we agreed that we’d rather fight the three slavers than spend our lives as slaves. Brenna seems to finally grasp that we’re not going to be Brides.

But I haven’t told them about the key. Not yet. I don’t even know how I would explain it. I woke up with vines in my hand. Vines still pulsing with life, and I’ve never seen any plant do that. Not even the ones we grow for medicine in Haven North. I put it in my pocket, and I can feel every pulse. Like I’m somehow connected to it, and it beats with the same rhythm of my heart.

I’m not sure if that should scare me or give me some strange glimmer of hope. The key didn’t appear there out of thin air. Something put it there. And I’m starting to think the vine I saw last night wasn’t exactly a dream.

“I-I’ll fight, Nurse Calla,” Fiona whispers, looking up and blinking. “I will. Even if I’m scared. I’d rather fight than let men… have their way with me.”

“I know you will, Fiona,” I say, squeezing her hand, then making eye contact with Tansy. She’s on the verge of tears again. Tansy has cried more than two canteens of tears since this morning. I have no idea where it’s coming from. The reservoir should be dry. “And you too, Tansy. You need to turn those tears into rage. Listen, I’m a nurse. We have something inside of us. Something scientists struggled to understand, even before the Great War. A mother could lift heavy beams to save her child. A coal miner could balance a mineshaft on his back while dozens made it to safety. They weren’t just legends… When we’re backed into a corner?—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Jed roars, pounding his canteen against the bars. “The only thing you bitches do is whisper and cry. You won’t be talking much longer. You’ll be too busy sucking what’s in your mouth.”

Jed laughs, smirks, and winks at us before walking back to the campsite.

I glance at the others. No one says a word. Fiona reaches out and grips my arm. Tansy curls tighter into herself. Nara’s eyes are locked on the slavers like she’s studying every move. Even Brenna looks shaken. The key pulses differently now. Like my emotions are coiled into the vines, and it feels what I do.

“Fuck,” I say, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. “We fight. That’s what we do.”

If The Tangle has given me a key, then I’m going to use it, but I’m still afraid of what is out there in the darkness. Things that cause Frank to tense up. We won’t survive if beasts like that hunt us. That leaves The Outpost. A lawless place, I’m assuming. Nothing like the safety Haven North’s walls provided—were supposed to provide. But it’s our only option.

From what we’ve overheard, we’ll arrive tomorrow. They have to open the cage at some point, even if it’s to pull one of us out. That’s when we are planning to fight, if we have to. We will not be taken willingly. But with this key, we may be able to avoid a fight. If we make it to The Outpost, the second they are distracted, we can escape. I’m assuming the key will open this cage. I haven’t tried it yet.

“I’ll take first watch tonight,” Carl announces, stretching his arms. “That way I can rest up for tomorrow. I’ve got business to attend to. By this time tomorrow, we’ll have some gold in our pockets, instead of silver.”

“And we’ll have some time to spend it before we have to make this trip again, right?” Jeb asks.

“That’s up to the buyers,” Carl chuckles, glaring at us for a moment before lowering his voice.

We can’t hear what they’re saying, but they seem to agree with Carl taking first watch. Jed and Jeb go to sleep fairly quickly. Frank takes a while to sit down, and it doesn’t look like he’s fully asleep. His ears twitch every time a branch snaps.

I’m taking first watch inside the cage, so I help the others get settled. I’m not tired tonight. I should be, but the way the key pulses seems to give me energy. I’m scared to say I like the way it feels.

Carl doesn’t say anything or even look at us for most of his watch. Toward the end of it, he gets up, and based on his stagger, it’s not water in the canteen he’s been sipping from. He looks like he’s going to walk our way, but veers toward Frank and gives him a shake.

“Your turn, I’m going to bed,” Carl announces, stumbling to his makeshift bunk and collapsing. Not his most graceful moment.

Frank is on his feet in a snap. He raises his head like he’s inhaling everything around him before peering into the darkness. After a few pulses of the key pass, he lowers his head and turns his attention to the cage. I don’t tense up when he approaches, despite the fact I’m positive he could dismember me before I could blink.

“I’ll get you some more rations,” Frank growls, putting a canteen of water down inside the cage.

As Frank counts the rations, I feel the key radiating with a different kind of energy. Like it is connecting me to… something else. Frank’s pain. Just like last night. His longing. His loss. Everything that makes his heart continue beating.

He puts the rations in the cage, and my hand lunges for him before I even know what is happening. My hand has a green tint. It catches his armor, and I somehow pull the behemoth toward the cage. It feels like moving a mountain with my bare hands.

Then words flow out of my mouth that are not my own.

“You are not the last. There is another Pride. A Pride without a king,” I chant, green flickers in the air appearing and disappearing against Frank’s startled emerald gaze. “The outskirts of New Chicago. They’re waiting for you.”

I gasp, choke on the air I’m trying to breathe, and cough. I let go of Frank and he staggers backwards before catching himself. He rushes the cage and grabs the bars. I jump back, just as confused and startled as he is.

“What did you say?” he snarls, his fangs bared.

“I-I don’t know!” I squeal, the exchange waking the others huddled near me.

Frank lets go of the bars, his gaze glassy and distant. Then he turns away, walks to the campsite, and kicks Jeb.

“You’re up,” Frank growls, taking a few steps to a tree and slumping against it, sliding to the ground with a thud.

“What happened?” Nara asks, hiding the rations and stashing the canteen behind her.

“I have to tell you something.” I turn to her but keep Jeb in the corner of my eye.

The others are awake, but they might as well all hear it. I can’t hide this any longer. I tell them about the dream, the vine, and show them the key. I try to pass it to Nara, but it blisters her hand when she tries to take it. I cautiously pick it back up and tuck it back into my pocket.

“It channeled something through me,” I whisper. “It told Frank about a Pride. That he’s not the last of his kind.”

“You need to throw that key away,” Nara gasps, rubbing her hand. “We’ve seen plenty we don’t understand, but that… that’s dangerous, Calla.”

“What if it opens the door?” I question. “When we get to The Outpost, we don’t have to fight them. We just have to wait for the right opportunity.”

“You were keeping that to yourself?” Brenna tilts her head slightly. “Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to scare you, but now I’m scared. Really scared,” I sigh. “But I don’t think throwing it away is the answer. Not until we use it.”

“I’m with Nurse Calla,” Fiona whispers. “I don’t want to fight unless we have to.”

“I’d prefer not to fight,” Tansy says, her hands trembling.

“Yeah, alright,” Nara relents. “Just keep that thing in your pocket.”

“Wait,” I say, glancing back toward the campsite. “Did Jeb fall asleep again?”

Nara moves closer to the bars and nods. “Yeah, he’s out.”

“Then let’s test the key,” I say, scooting over to the cage door.

I carefully pull the key out of my pocket and move it close to the lock. The vine pulses and tendrils flow out, twisting into the metal. I turn the key, and the door opens with a creak. As soon as I do, the key returns to its previous shape and easily slips out of the lock.

The five of us pour out of the cage. It feels tremendous to stretch our legs and arms. But we have to be careful. One of us will definitely get whipped if they wake up—possibly worse.

“Let’s look for things we can use,” I whisper. “Weapons we can easily conceal they may not miss. But be quick about it.”

“We should get Carl’s rifle,” Brenna says, motioning toward the slavers.

“They’ll miss it, and there’s no way we can hide something that big,” I say. “We still need them to get us to The Outpost. It’s too risky. Let’s find small things we can hide in our clothes.”

The disfigured oxen snort when we get close, but don’t seem to care that we’re scurrying around, searching for something we can use when we get the chance. I open the box with the rations and stash a few more into my shirt. Then my eyes light up. I see a silver case at the bottom. I pull it out, open it, and see four syringes full of what I assume was injected into our neck. I look at them closely and even in the darkness, I can make out the words Academic Medical Center.

“Someone gave this to the slavers… Was it Clyde?” I shake my head and stuff the case in my pocket.

We meet back at the wagon. Nara has a small hammer. Brenna has a belt with a heavy buckle. Tansy has a piece of broken wood. Fiona—Fiona has a knife .

“Where did you get that from?” I ask, my eyes getting wide.

“I took it from Jeb’s belt,” she whispers.

“What?” I jolt and look toward the sleeping men. “Back in the cage, quickly. We can’t risk them waking up.”

I wanted them to take things that wouldn’t be missed. Jeb will miss his knife. I wait until the other four are in the cage, then I grab the knife and turn back toward the campsite. I have to put it back.

“Just throw it near him,” Nara whispers. “He’ll think he dropped it when he got up for his watch and fell asleep.”

“Good idea,” I whisper back, creeping toward Jeb’s sleeping form.

Scared little Fiona was the bravest of all, it seems. I’m not angry with her, but we can’t keep Jeb’s knife, just like we couldn’t go for Carl’s gun. I slowly creep close to where Jeb is sleeping. He snores and turns, which causes me to hold my breath, but then he settles again. I get as close as I dare and place the knife beside him. I hope he’ll believe it fell out of his belt.

“Okay, that should do it,” I whisper, turning back to the cage.

My heart pounds in my ears and the vine matches every beat as I return to the cage. I take a deep breath before hoisting myself back inside. With trembling hands, I pull the door closed and use my key to secure the lock.

“Alright, let’s work on our plan,” I whisper, scooting close to the others.

Nara seems comfortable with the small hammer she found. It isn’t big enough to cause much damage, but it has some weight to it.

“When you swing this, aim for the head. Around the temple if you can,” I tell her, pointing out the location even though I’m sure Nara is familiar with it. “But most important, if you can, don’t stop swinging until they go down.”

“That’s the plan,” Nara says, gripping the hammer in her hand for a moment before hiding it underneath her shirt.

Once she’s set, I turn to Brenna.

“This buckle won’t do much unless you get a clean shot,” I say, testing the weight and examining the buckle. “Here, try to wrap it around your hand so that the prong is between your knuckles.” I tighten it around my fist and show her how to hold the belt. “The leather will protect your hand, and you should try to gouge them. Their eyes, preferably.”

“Got it,” Brenna says, almost like she’s eager to use it. I hand it over and she replicates what I did perfectly, getting the prong ready to strike.

“I didn’t get a good weapon,” Tansy whimpers, looking down at the piece of broken wood.

“Better than me,” Fiona sighs. “I didn’t even get to keep mine.”

“I have something better,” I whisper, reaching into my pocket and removing the silver case. I open it and show them the syringes. “This is what they used to knock us out at Haven North. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but based on how I felt waking up, and the Academic Medical Center logo, I believe it’s one of the stronger sedatives we use for surgery.”

I give one syringe to Tansy and another to Fiona. That leaves us with two. I take one for myself and Nara motions for the other, so I pass it to her.

“Just in case,” Nara whispers, hiding the syringe in her clothes.

“When I woke up the first time, I heard them say something about this being strong enough to stop a hybrid.” I motion to the syringes. “If we have to fight Frank, prioritize the syringes. If you don’t have a syringe, run.” I glance at Brenna to make sure she understands.

Everyone seems to agree. After the plan is set, we rest, but none of us sleep. I’m still not sure what to make of my exchange with Frank. I turn over and remove the key from my pocket, studying it as it pulses with every beat of my heart.

“You spoke to him, but you won’t speak to me?” I murmur, squeezing the key in my hand.

Everything stays quiet until first light. Jed wakes with a snort, blinking at the sky, and immediately realizes no one’s on watch. His barked curses jolt the others awake. Carl and Jeb scramble up. Frank is slower, groggy, and off balance. I’m not used to seeing him like that. His face is etched with something that looks like concern. He doesn’t say a word to the others. Just walks to the edge of the clearing, eyes locked on The Tangle for a moment before he glances at me.

“It’s fine,” Frank growls finally. “We made it through the night. Let’s break camp and get an early start.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Carl mutters, rubbing his eyes. “But this is your fault, Jeb. Frank woke you up. You were supposed to wake your brother.”

“Sorry, boss,” Jeb sighs. Then he pauses. “Wait… where the fuck is my knife?”

I freeze. So does everyone else in the cage. Jeb rustles through his things, muttering. Jed is the one who finds it.

“Here. You dropped it.” He holds it out to his brother. “Probably fell when you passed out instead of doing your job.”

“I don’t even remember pulling it out,” Jeb grumbles, taking the knife.

As the slavers start tearing down camp, Frank stays removed from them, standing sentry at the edge of the woods, glancing back at me now and then with something almost like grief in his eyes.

“Goddamn it,” Carl yells. “Who’s been sneaking rations? We’re low!”

“Not me,” Jed calls out. “I’ve been so careful I’m losing weight. I need to take my belt in another notch—but fuck, I can’t even find it.”

“We’ll stock up at The Outpost,” Carl mutters. “Not like we’ll be eating rations after we cash in on the girls.”

“Wait,” Jeb says slowly. “My knife… Jed’s belt… missing food… You think something got into our camp last night?”

“It’s possible,” Frank says, circling the perimeter. “I wasn’t as alert as usual. But there are no tracks—not that everything in The Tangle leaves them.”

Carl looks around, suspicious, then unhooks the key from his belt. “Get the girls out. Something’s not right.”

“Oh, fuck,” Brenna whispers.

“You’re the only one with a key,” Jeb says. “They couldn’t’ve picked it.”

“We’re going to search them anyway,” Carl says, stomping toward us.

“What do we do?” Fiona whispers.

“If they find anything, they’ll whip us,” I say. “We have to fight. Focus on the slavers. I’ll deal with Frank.”

It was a decent plan in theory. Now, with Frank watching and Carl bearing down, it feels flimsy. Even if we win… we’ll be alone. Alone in The Tangle, without a lion hybrid to keep the monsters at bay.

Carl jams the key into the lock and turns it. The cage door groans open.

“Come here, bitch,” he snarls, grabbing Nara’s ankle and yanking her forward.

She responds immediately by swinging the hammer. It lands on his shoulder with a dull crack. He jerks back with a shout, giving her room to kick him hard in the chest. It barely fazes him through the leather armor.

“Fucking bitch has a hammer!” Jeb yells, lunging forward.

Fiona follows Nara out, syringe in hand. She jabs toward Jeb, but he catches her wrist and throws her. She crashes to the dirt and the syringe goes skittering.

“They’re armed,” Carl snarls. “Careful! Watch for needles!”

I hurl myself out of the cage next, no weapon ready, just momentum. I slam into Carl, sending him stumbling. Jed comes at me fast, but the chaos gives Tansy and Brenna an opening. Brenna smacks Jed across the face with the belt, the prong slicing his cheek.

“Frank! Deal with these bitches!” Carl roars.

But Tansy is already in motion. She slams a syringe into Carl’s neck. The needle snaps off under his skin.

“Damn it!” Carl stumbles, gagging as the sedative rushes through his veins.

Frank advances with a low growl, gaze locked on me. I raise a syringe in one hand, the other hidden.

“Don’t kill them,” Frank snarls to the others. “Just get their weapons.”

He sees my right hand and hesitates. My heart should be pounding, but it’s not. I’m calm. Collected. Ready for a fight that I probably can’t win. But I have to try.

“Put it down,” Frank says. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Better to lose an arm than be sold,” I say, and lunge.

He blocks me easily, but he pulls the punch. That’s all I need. I strike with my left, but he launches over me, rebounds off the wagon, and slams into my chest shoulder-first. I fly through the air and hit a tree. The impact blasts the air from my lungs.

“I warned you,” Frank growls, turning away.

I gasp and try to sit up, but I can’t. I watch helplessly as Frank, Jed, and Jeb subdue the others. Clothes are ripped away, leaving them bare and vulnerable with no weapons to defend themselves with.

“We’ll whip every one of them,” Jeb snarls, hauling out the whip.

“Damn right,” Jed agrees, ushering the girls toward the cart and wiping the blood from his cheek. He narrows his eyes at Brenna. “Especially you.”

Frank checks Carl. He’s out cold, twitching from the sedative. The girls cry out as Jed and Jeb line them up, naked and trembling.

“W-wait,” I gasp, forcing myself to my feet. “It was me. I opened the cage. Whip me. Not them.”

“She has a key,” Frank snaps. “Search her.”

Jeb grabs me. I don’t resist. The key pulses and suddenly it moves, slithering out of my pocket, up my side, and wraps itself like a vine bracelet around my wrist.

Jeb curses as he strips me. I stand there, exposed, heat burning my skin, but I keep my chin high.

“I can’t find a damn key. Maybe Carl just left the cage unlocked,” Jeb sighs, his hands roaming across my breasts so much I can’t help but squirm.

“You’re going to have scars when we’re done,” Jed sneers, yanking out rope. “Tie her to the cage.”

Jed and Jeb each take an arm. The other girls look horrified, but I keep my head held high. If I have to take a beating to save them from one, I’ll take every lash the bastards give me. Jed slams my right arm to one of the bars and coils the rope around my wrist.

“Stop,” Frank says, rising. “We meet the buyers today. If she’s bloodied, we’ll get less. Get their weapons. Search the cage. Then let’s get moving.”

Frank lifts Carl into the cart. Jed and Jeb grumble, but don’t object.

“You’re a lucky bitch,” Jeb mutters, tearing the rope away and shoving me back into the cage. “All of you are.”

They throw our clothes in after us and slam the door. I scramble to the girls. Nara’s ribs are cracked. Fiona is dazed. Brenna has a fresh bruise forming on her cheek. Tansy seems unharmed, except for minor scrapes. She’s not crying for once.

Frank crouches outside the cage, watching me. His eyes glow faintly.

“I don’t know what you are,” he growls. “But you’ve got the spirit of a warrior. That won’t serve you well where you’re going.”

He slams the cage shut, locks it, and walks away.