quickly,” Silas said, glancing at the sun. “It’s almost dark, and we need to put out the fire.”
Jesse knew why. They never lit a fire after sundown. Anyone passing by could see it from a distance, although the rocky terrain worked in their favor. Silas suggested never starting a fire at all, but when the others objected that raw fish were not very appetizing, he settled for making the fire as small as possible.
As soon as they finished eating, Silas poured water on the fire, making the coals hiss and sputter. He started to throw dirt on them to smother them.
“Can’t we keep the fire going?” Jesse protested. “I’m still wet!”
“I’m sorry,” Silas said, not sounding sorry at all, “but I value our safety over your comfort.”
“And you deserved that trip into the river anyway,” Rae added bluntly. Jesse just shook his head, sprinkling her with water and earning a look of disgust.
“Well, the good news is, I patched your shoes,” Parvel interrupted, holding them up.
Jesse took them and turned them over. There, stuffed into the holes, were two rocks.
Jesse threw one of the shoes at Parvel’s head, but for being so burly, Parvel could move quickly. He ducked, and the shoe plunked into the river.
“Next time, I’m throwing the rock,” Jesse threatened, limping over to the river as quickly as he could to fish the shoe out.
“With your aim, I doubt I should worry.”
“Thanks a lot,” Jesse grumbled, but Parvel’s deep, rumbling laughter drowned him out.
He marched back and dropped the shoe, rock and all, next to the dying fire. “Goodnight,” he proclaimed, making a show of shivering as he lay on the ground, covered only by his blanket. They had lost their tents long ago, back in the Rebellion headquarters. “Wake me up for my shift on watch.”
“Oh, I will,” Rae said. He always followed her during the night watch. “Maybe even a little early tonight.” She gave a loud yawn that was clearly fake. “I’m very tired, and I know I can count on you to be a gentleman, Jesse.”
Jesse just moaned and wrapped his blanket tighter against his damp clothes. “Nice to know I’m falling asleep among friends.”
And, though he wouldn’t have believed it a month before, it really was true.
Chapter 3
The next night, Jesse remained exiled from fishing duties; however, that didn’t stop Silas and Parvel from borrowing Jesse’s net. They had gone a distance down the river to use it. Silas said it was because the river was too fast where they had made camp. Jesse suspected Silas didn’t want him to watch and taunt him if he missed his first few tries.
“He’s so used to being perfect at everything he can’t stand making a mistake like every other human,” he muttered to himself.
He had to admit, though, that the four of them made a good team. We might even be the best squad in Youth Guard history, he thought. How else could we have stayed alive for so long?
“Come on,” Rae said, jerking him away from his thoughts. “Time to prepare the fire. We want to be ready when Silas and Parvel come back.”
“Even with my net, they might not be able to catch anything,” Jesse said.
“Don’t be cocky,” Rae shot back. “You’re not the only one who can use that contraption.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Jesse said, pointing to the angry storm clouds gathering above them. “Looks like rain. Even if Silas and Parvel come back with fish, we may not be able to make a fire to cook them.”
“I’ve eaten raw fish before,” Rae said, shrugging. “In training. It can be done.”
Jesse wondered if she was saying that to impress him, or if she really would eat raw fish. Just the thought of it made him sick.
“It’s your turn to gather firewood,” Jesse reminded Rae, who had sat down on the grass. She was whittling the bark off a stick with her dagger.
“Here’s a deal for you. You get the firewood. I’ll patch your boots.”
“Can you do that?” he asked doubtfully.
Her eyes flashed, and the dagger moved even quicker over the wood, slicing longer strips of bark. Jesse was afraid she was going to cut one of her fingers off. “Why? Do you think all I can do is fight?”
Jesse shook his head quickly. “No. It’s just that mending things seems so….” He searched for a word that wouldn’t make Rae angry and couldn’t find one.
“My mother taught me a few things, thank you,” Rae said, rolling her eyes.
Jesse took off his boots and handed them to her without any more comments.
Today, unlike the previous night, it was an easy task for Jesse to find wood. As the day wore on, they had finally left the rugged terrain behind. Now, in place of jagged rock, groves of trees dotted the riverside. Silas had promised them that they would reach the swamp soon.
When Jesse came back with a bundle of wood a quarter of an hour later, Rae already had rags fitted into the hole of one shoe and was cutting cloth to fit the second.
Jesse watched her for a while, then set down the wood and started arranging stones to form a firepit. Stones are one thing we have plenty of in this district. “Thank you,” he said to Rae when she handed him the boots.
“My back was sore from gathering firewood every night,” Rae said with a shrug.
Jesse knew that was a lie. Rae never got sore or tired or hurt. At least, that’s how it seemed to Jesse. He guessed she just wanted an excuse to help him.
He sat and put the boots on. “There’s a thin layer of bark to keep water out,” Rae told him.
“Good idea,” Jesse said.
Rae just shrugged again, but Jesse could tell she was proud of her handiwork.
“Greetings,” a low voice said. Rae gave a short gasp of surprise.
Jesse whirled around. Walking casually out of a grove of trees, was a young man with black hair and tanned skin. He was dressed in a tunic with a strange, circular design dyed in it. Jesse had the feeling he had seen it somewhere before.
“Good day,” Jesse said, forcing himself to sound cheerful.
The stranger looked them over carefully, raising his eyebrows. Jesse didn’t like the suspicious cast in his eyes. He seems…oily, somehow. Yes, that’s a good word. Like the grease slicking back his hair.
“What are you doing alone in these parts, so far away from the main road?”
“My brother and I were fishing,” Rae blurted.
Jesse groaned inside. Rae was not a very good liar. They didn’t
