Chapter 9

CLAUDIA. “Don’t shoot me,” I mutter, and I cringe when I hear the fear in my voice. I hate that I faced that single Rogue like a boss only to fold like this. “I’m not a danger to anyone. I’m a local here. I just moved for work at the palace…” I stop when I realize I’m about to ramble. I just drop the knife. As soon as it clatters on the floor, I feel the muzzle of the gun easing off my back. I take this as a cue to turn around, and I come face to face with a young man about my age, with straw-colored hair and brown eyes. He’s carrying a massive silver shotgun with rounds of big silver bullets around his body. He’s studying me closely, fixing his flannel shirt. “Who are you?” “Claudia Hale,” I say shakily. I even bow, which is dumb, but I guess it’s not so stupid if it stops him from shooting me. “I just came here to visit my parents.” At first, he doesn’t say anything. My nerves are starting to act up and I find myself basically skipping in my spot. But finally, he asks, “Hale, huh? Do you happen to be related to Ruth?” My eyes go wide. “Yes! Ruth is my cousin.” The man’s shoulders relax. He cracks a smile, and suddenly he doesn’t seem so scary anymore. “You must be the cousin she talks about a lot. The singer. I’m Max, by the way. Follow me.” We shake hands, and I can’t help but feel giddy. My cousin Ruth is here. I can’t believe it. We were very close as kids, even though we only saw each other over the summers. She left Nightshade Springs when we were both eighteen, and the last thing I heard about her was that she got married to a mason from the nearby village. We saw each other at my dad’s funeral, but we didn’t get to talk much because of my own grief. But now, I’m going to see her. I wonder if she has kids now. The thought of little babies running around makes me so excited, so much so that I almost forget to follow Max as he leads me out of the cemetery through an unfamiliar path. I quickly pick up the knife and run after him. I frown as I pull level with Max. "Why are we using this path?" The moment the question leaves my lips, the answer comes to me when we turn a corner. For the first time, I come face to face with the aftermath of the Rogue infestation. The village is now completely deserted. The houses are dilapidated, empty and broken. The smell of Rogues is present, but distant, which tells me that the place is visited frequently but they're not actually here. Dried blood is scattered all over the ground like paint. "That's animal blood," Max explains, following the direction of my gaze. "We vacated this place a long time ago. We still live in this area, but we decided to stick close together to protect ourselves from the Rogues. We figured that it would be best if we show them a strong front. The Kingdom doesn't really do much for us, so we have to take matters into our own hands." I swallow hard, averting my gaze as we turn another corner, a hidden path behind a small hill. "Does the Kingdom not visit the villages at all?" I ask. Max shakes his head. "Nope. Not at all. They send guards from time to time, but you see how many Rogues there are. You know how violent they can be. We needed weapons to protect ourselves, but they just won't provide that. I think they keep it to themselves, leave everyone else defenseless." I keep quiet. I don't know what to say. Part of me wants to defend the palace. I mean, I know they have it hard, and Achilles is doing his best. But then again, who am I to dismiss their suffering? I open my mouth to ask where they got their weapons, but then we arrive at a fenced part of the village. Barbed wires are set on tall metal walls, behind which small compact buildings stand proud. He opens the gate carefully, and we both enter. There are a couple of villages standing watch, carrying guns similar to his. They stare at me, and I have to lower my head to avoid the intensity of their looks. I want to tell Max that I just want to see Ruth, but before I can get the question out, I see two people running towards me. I look up and my heart nearly gives out when I see that it's Ruth, together with a tall bearded man who must be her husband. "Claudia!" she squeals, and before I can even drop my bags, she scoops me up into a big hug. "You're home! It's been so long!" I blink the tears away when she lets me go. "I figured it was time to retire and just stay here." I feel guilty. I lied to Maia and now I'm lying to Ruth. “You loved that job, but I do understand,” she says, and I can’t help but be thankful that she didn’t press me for more details. “This is my husband, Henry. We live in one of the apartments. You can stay with us if you like, but I think it would be best if you get your own room.” “It’s nice to meet you,” Henry says, taking my bags from me. “I will take these up to your room.” I smile. “Thank you so much.” He and Max leave, and Ruth takes my arm, steering me into a small structure at the foot of one of the buildings. I can hear cheers and smell food from outside, and I find myself relaxing when I see that it’s a pub. Men and women alike are laughing and talking, downing jugs of beer and eating fried food. It’s quite fascinating to see so much life and joy in a single space in this lost land, but I can’t help but feel grateful. Ruth and I sit on the counter. The bartender slides two jugs of beer and a platter of steaming chips. I grab the chips even though they’re hot, stuffing them all in my mouth and drinking the beer. Everything is strangely fresh, and I can’t help but gobble it all up. Ruth watches me with amusement as she sips her drink. “Do they not feed you up there?” she jokes, shaking her head. “Honestly, I don’t blame you for going home. It must have been hell there.” My appetite suddenly vanishes. “Well, it’s not so bad. But nothing like home, yes.” I clear my throat, desperate for a change of topic. “So, Max found me in the cemetery. He’s… an interesting character.” “I know, he mind-linked it to me.” She shrugs. “Max is kind of an asshole, but I get why. He had to step up as our leader when the palace guards left us. He looted all those guns that we use now, so the only thing we have to forge are bullets. Screw the Kingdom and that deaf-mute idiot who rules it.” My face goes hot. I want to defend Achilles. I want to tell Ruth not to call him that, but then again, he kicked me out for defending him. “Is everyone doing the same?” I start to ask, but then a small commotion breaks out in the corner of the pub where the entrance is. “Hey, keep that bastard out!” I hear some of the men yelling. “He barged right in and demanded entry!” “It’s one of those palace fuckers!” I freeze. Ruth and I both slide out of our stools, looking over at the chaos. My heart jumps right into my throat when I see Gamma Kiernan trying to force his way inside the pub. “Bring me Claudia Hale, and we will not have any problems.”