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Chapter 47
“We are down to six missing men and nine women,” Peach announced, coming into the command center. The Mother had a satisfied look on her face, as if that were good news. Mother White did not think so. Neither did President Violet.
Violet hadn’t moved from the command center since her arrival, days ago. White was fairly certain the woman hadn’t even closed her eyes for more than a few seconds, though it’s possible she could’ve slept when White was catching a quick nap here and there. She studied her old friend as she took in the news, watched one dark eyebrow twitch for a moment before she asked, “Does that include the three women and four men we believe made it south of our border?”
Peach’s resilience was shaken as she realized her news was not as pleasant as she’d hoped. “N-no, President Violet. I meant completely unaccounted for.”
Violet’s
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Rain's Rebellion Chapter 48
The sound of fabric being yanked back woke Rain, causing her to sit bolt upright on the makeshift bed. Her hand automatically reached for a weapon that wasn’t there. Thankfully, it was Mist’s familiar face that met her eye, which made the pounding of her heart soften slightly.“We need to get going,” her friend said, entering the room, her hand extended. Rain reached up, palm open, and Mist dropped a capsule into her hand before offering the same to Adam. “I expect Dal will or Cla will be here soon to get us. We should be ready to go. I don’t want to overstay our welcome.”Rain looked at the pill in her hand and realized it was an energy pill. She’d definitely be needing that. Even though she’d gone back to sleep after visiting the restroom, it hadn’t been restful; the conversation she’d had with Adam hadn’t left her mind, even when she’d closed her eyes and t
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The pace Crit kept was impressive, especially since Rain had to assume he hadn’t taken any energy pills. As he moved along, taking the most direct route possible, even when doing so meant climbing mountains of debris instead of simply walking around them, he kept a running commentary about most of the things they passed, the history of Dafo, and why he hoped the Mothers showed up soon so he could blast, “Every one of dem bitches back into the hell they escaped from.”Rain had to assume he didn’t mean Michaelanburg. He must’ve thought they came from a different sort of hell.Out in the sun, it was a lot warmer than it had been when they were in the forest. The heat of the day bore down on them, the asphalt they frequently traversed soaking it in and using it to bake the bottom of their boots. Each step seemed heavier here than it had in the woods, especially after days of moving nonstop.&l
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“Dis is where I leave you,” Crit said about two hours later when they finally came to a stop in an area devoid of any signs of life, save the partially visible road beneath their feet. “If you follow dis path due north, you will run into the River Red in about a day, day and a half.” He pointed straight ahead, in the direction they’d been traveling all day.They’d made good time, that was for certain. The sun wasn’t even beginning to sink below the horizon. If they continued at the same pace, they might actually make it to River Red before the expected time. Rain wasn’t sure how much longer she could basically run at top speed, even though she was well aware by now that their lives depended upon it.“We can’t thank you enough,” Mist said, offering him her hand.Crit looked at her extended palm and then back at Mist’s face. “You are better tha
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The heavens opened up just as Mother White’s heliobird reached the outer boundaries of their front line. She could see the transport vehicles coming up the roads to the far east and west of her current location, but with nothing but forest beneath them, the pilot reminded her she would not be able to touch down here. “With these winds, I think we should turn back,” the woman, Mother Robin, said through the headset.“That won’t be necessary. We’ll take a wire down.” Mother White was already preparing to do just that, ignoring the looks of fear on the faces of the other Mothers who had accompanied her from headquarters out to the front, including one of President Violet’s closest advisors, an older woman named Mother Willow. Even with helmets and visors on, it was evident the Mother didn’t want to use a guide wire to deposit herself hundreds of yards beneath where she was currently sitting, dodging betw
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The rain continued to come down in sheets for hours, drenching them completely, save their waterproof backpacks. After the road Crit had pointed out to them became more dirt and grass than asphalt, splatters of mud from the impact of missile-like raindrops sent splashes of mud up their legs so that despite being drenched, Rain found herself coated in muck and mire.Uneven terrain also had them sliding down patches of earth, practically rolling down some of the steeper hills. How she could be caught in a torrential downpour and end up caked in dirt was a notion Rain couldn’t quite conceive of, but by the time it finally stopped raining, as the sun was disappearing behind the tops of the trees, all of them were filthy and exhausted.“How much further do you think it is to the river?” Walt asked. It was the first question anyone had asked that wasn’t a necessity in hours.Mist slowed slightly to ga
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The river wasn’t moving quickly at all, and the water was so clear, standing on the tree-lined shore, Rain could see all the way to the bottom. It didn’t look that deep, maybe three or four feet. The water was so inviting, she was ready to jump in with her clothes on.But she wasn’t in charge.“All right. Walt and I will go first,” Mist said, taking her backpack off. “We’ll head down there around the bend a little bit so you guys can keep an eye out for anyone coming from Dafo without any distractions.”“Like we won’t be able to hear you,” Adam teased.Mist shot him a dirty look. “We’ll try not to be too long,” she said, unzipping her pack and pulling out a small bottle of what Rain assumed was some sort of soap--either shampoo or body wash, or both.As she and Walt headed off, Rain realized what this
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Rain stayed buried in the water up to her neck, her mind wandering back to the night before as she went over every word that had come out of her mouth and still had no idea what it was that she’d said to make Adam react the way that he had. She’d been trying to be nice, to pay him a compliment, to let him know how much she cared about his happiness, but he had seemed to think her words were rude or meant to hurt him, and she had no idea why.“All right. Ready to get out of this glacial fjord?” Adam asked with a soft chuckle, bringing Rain out of her thoughts.“Huh? Oh, yeah. Definitely.”“Cool. You wanna go first, or do you want me to?”Thinking it would take her forever to get her feet moving on the slippery rocks when they were so cold, she muttered, “You can go ahead.”“All right. But no peeking. I mean it, Rain. If
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The steady pop pop of gunfire, peppered with the louder, less routine sound of blasts going off and bombs whizzing through the air before they crashed into the buildings in front of them was invigorating to White in a way she couldn’t put into words. The sting of smoke hit her nostrils the way florals enticed most women; the battle raging in front of her was as comforting to her as a warm blanket to a babe on a harsh winter night. She’d been born to wage war; it was in her blood. Though she hadn’t had nearly enough opportunities to stand across the battlefield from a foreign aggressor in her forty-five years, she was here now, having finally talked President Violet in to allowing her to go, and the idea that Dal’s forces would crumble before them so that they could continue in pursuit of the rebels had her full of energy, despite the fact that she hadn’t slept in days.The helios were staying far back from the line, their on
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