Two

Baen led the way. Deryn hadn't said "yes" to Baen but she figured she'd go along with him until she could actually make a decision. Everything was disjointed and she felt like she couldn't think straight.

    "Why a sword?" Baen asked, turning his head slightly toward her as they walked.

    "It's as good a weapon as any."

    "I suppose."

    Deryn slowed her pace as the forest began to grow noticeably denser. She had always been careful to avoid these areas. Some people took shelter there but she knew of too many surprise attacks amongst the trees to trust its safety. In the open she could spot anything unusual and plan her escape route. The woods were an obstacle course of death, a trap for those foolish enough to attempt a quick navigation of its pathless landscape.

    "What's wrong?" Baen asked once he noticed her slower gait.

    "Nothing."

    When Baen explained their destination it only made sense to cut through the forest. It was a two day journey and traveling around the forest would take much longer. Despite Deryn's misgivings she could not argue the logic. It made sense.

    By her estimate they had been walking through the wooded area for over an hour. To Deryn it was an hour too long. She carefully sidestepped rock and brush while pushing long, thin branch out of her way. Her eyes darted from shadow to shadow, expecting at any moment for something horrible to materialize from the shade.

    Baen appeared calm as he trudged along, constantly checking a small device he held in his hand.

    "What is that?" She asked.

    Baen stopped walking and motioned for Deryn to stand beside him. He held up the small device.

    "These 'creatures' emit a certain pulse. These were developed to detect those signatures. It's the only way I've managed to survive out here."

    Deryn looked at the small screen. She didn't understand what she was looking at other than some lines and numbers and letters on a white screen.

    "If anything is nearby it shows up as a black spot on the screen. The closer the signal, the darker it will be."

    Deryn was relieved to know that this sort of technology would keep them safe but she was also angry that while she and countless others struggled to avoid those creatures, there were fancy devices keeping people like Baen alive.

    "And you hoard this life-saving equipment while the rest of us fight to survive."

    She turned from Baen and kept walking. Usually she tried not to think about the more fortunate people who were safe and out of harm's way. She remembered a time when people would flock to Ochrana, and similar safe areas, hoping to seek refuge. Droves of people migrated toward the cities but after a few months they began to return, tired and defeated. There was no entry into Ochrana for the wretches and the survivors.

    "I stole this," Baen said, following behind her. "There are only three and I took one."

    Deryn stopped. "Why?"

    "To find you."

    "Are you even supposed to be here?"

    "Not officially."

    Deryn threw her hands up in the air.

    "Are you taking me to Ochrana or is this some sick joke? 'Not officially'? Why are you really here?"

    Baen sighed and tapped the device against his palm. "I wasn't authorized to comme get you. Someone else was and their methods of persuasion are significantly more forceful than mine."

    "So someone else was going to throw a bag over my head and drag me away?"

    "More or less. If necessary."

    Deryn scoffed. "What kind of people are you?"

    "Desperate."

    "And what makes you think I'm going to come with you now, knowing that I was going to be forced?"

    "Because you're desperate too.

    Baen returned his attention to the device and continued walking. Deryn turned toward the direction they came in and stared into the dense collection of trees. She'd be stupid to try and leave the woods on her own. She followed after Baen.

    "Am I that convincing?" He asked without turning around.

    "You're an idiot."

    "I've been called worse."

    They continued and as they trudged along Deryn kept looking toward the sky, trying to keep track of time. The sky had yet to open up and begin to rain, but the dark clouds continued to obscure the sun making it difficult for her. Inclement weather was dangerous. Without view of the sun, night came as a surprise.

    After what seemed like hours, Baen suggested they stop for the night. They found a small gathering of trees that would provide some shelter and cover.

    "I don't like this," Deryn commented as she sat her backpack on the ground.

    "What would you suggest?" Baen asked.

    "Not being here."

    Baen chuckled, kneeling on the ground and digging into the dirt with a stick. "We'll be fine."

    "You seem to have an acute understanding of how things work out here."

    "I found you and I'm still breathing. I'm confident we'll make it back the same."

    "Your confidence will get you killed."

    "Your confidence has helped you survive."

    "It's not confidence. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to die. Are you building a fire?"

    "Yes, I..."

    "I'll get some wood."

    Deryn stopped from their makeshift camp and began to gather dry branches from the ground. She wanted to argue with herself as to why she was still there, but it was pointless. Despite his lack of concern over the dangers lurking in the wild, Baen had the doo-jiggy that could warn them of potential dangers. She was smart enough not to venture back on her own.

    Baen emerged from the shelter.

    "Are you...?"

    Deryn quickly raised her hand, her head tilted to the left. The sound was faint but recognizable. It was the rustling of brush and the crackling of breaking twigs. Something was approaching.

    "What...?"

    Deryn pulled her sword from the scabbard. "Something's coming."

    "Nothing's shown up on..."

    "Shut up!" Deryn hissed. She stood defensively, her legs positioned in line with her shoulders, her knees slightly bent. She scanned the forest, prepared for an attack.

    Baen tapped the device with his hand and shook it. Nothing came up on the screen.

    "I think you're hearing things."

    "Can you climb?" Deryn asked.

    "Yes."

    "Good." She pointed to a large tree. "Climb."

    "I don't think..."

    Deryn lowered her sword and grabbed Baen by the shoulder, pushing him toward the tree.

    "Climb, idiot!"

    Baen moved quickly toward the tree and climbed with an impressive measure of speed and grace. Deryn sheathed the sword and followed, pulling herself up onto the lowest branch. Baen stopped climbing and reached down to help Deryn. Once they reached the highest branch that could support their weight, Deryn pushed herself against the large trunk.

    "Are you okay?" Baen asked.

    "I have an issue with heights," she responded, gripping the branch tightly. She struggled to control her breathing.

    "I don't understand," Baen whispered, holding onto the device. "This hasn't detected anything."

    "You can't rely on junk technology."

    Baen's eyes widened and he held his finger to his lips.

    Deryn stared straight ahead, only forcing her eyes to the ground briefly then quickly averting them when she did. She clenched her teeth together when she saw Baen take a sharp breath and heard the loud crunch and crackle of something heavy walking along the ground.

    She watched as Baen peered down toward the noise. His expression of fear quickly changed as his mouth formed a lopsided grin. He chuckled.

    "Look," he said, tapping her leg then pointing to the ground. "It's a bear."

    "A what?"

    Deryn looked down. A great, furry, lumbering animals was passing by, its nose close to the ground.

    "A bear. You've..." Baen paused. "You've never seen a bear?"

    "And you have?"

    "In books."

    "Not a lot of those out here in the real world."

    Deryn watched the bear, amazed. She had never seen something so big move so slowly...so, non-threateningly.

    "So you've never crossed a bear's path?"

    "I tend not to cross anything's path. What's it doing?"

    "Rooting for food."

    "On the ground? What does it eat?"

    "Berries, plants, stuff like that."

    "They don't hunt?"

    "Not that I know of."

    Deryn couldn't wrap her head around the fact that such a large creature, with the potential to be menacing, was a herbivore.

    "Things are not always what they seem," said Baen as they watched the bear plod away.

    Once the animal was out of sight, Baen began to climb down. Deryn took a deep breath and followed. They continued gathering what they needed for a fire.

    Part of Deryn felt ridiculous for getting so worked up over a bear. However, it was unquestioned vigilance that kept her alive. She was sure the bear could have torn them to shreds if it felt it had to. Everything was fighting to survive.

    After the fire burned down and only the coals remained, Baen stretched out on the ground and was softly snoring in a matter of minutes. Deryn continued chewing on the piece of dried meat he had given her. It had been weeks since she had any sort of meat. Small edible animals were hard to come by.

    Eventually Deryn leaned against a tree and closed her eyes. The soft patter of rain surrounded the small shelter. Luckily only a wet haze penetrated the area. Nevertheless, Deryn pulled her coat tighter around her body.

    She couldn't deny that there was a certain sense of calm deep in the forest, when all was quiet save the chirping of the crickets and the rain. Deryn drifted into a light sleep, enough to energize her body but never enough to completely shut off her senses from the world.

    She had not had a decent sleep in years.

   

    The next day they continued on, Baen assuring Deryn they would reach their destination in half a day's walk. The light drizzle had shifted into a downpour overnight. Even the canopy of foliage was not enough to prevent the large drops of rain from drenching them as they walked. Baen pulled his jacket over his head but Deryn didn't bother. She was soaked to the skin anyway. The wet didn't bother her.

    A couple of hours passed without incident until Baen stopped walking and held up his hand. Deryn did not question his motion for silence and quickly freed her sword. Baen showed her the device, pointing to a black spot that was quickly growing darker and larger in size.  He then pointed two fingers to his left, indicating the direction it was coming from.

    Before either could move toward the nearest tree a large being crashed through the brush. It wasn't as lithe and calculated as the other creatures but it was just as terrifying.

    It had the same pale skin but the texture was rough and rock-like. Its huge body balanced on thin limbs that bent inwards at the joints. Its large jaw expanded to create a crater-sized mouth framed with sharp and ragged teeth. Some teeth protruded outside its mouth through its chin. It was as large as the bear but moved with surprising swiftness.

    Deryn pushed Baen back and sliced at the creature with her blade. It pushed past the attack, knocking her to the ground. Baen produced a long blade from under his coat and charged toward the creature. As it turned to defend itself, Deryn leapt toward it and sunk her sword into its back.

    The creature howled but it was not enough to bring it down. She pulled the blade free and rolled as it swung once of its limbs toward her. it turned its attention back to Baen, who attempted to push his knife through the creature's neck. He got too close and the creature sunk its teeth into Baen's shoulder and whipped him around.

    As Baen screamed and struggled against its grip, Dern dropped her sword and leapt onto the creature's back. She pulled out her two daggers and began to drive them into the creature's head. It roared and let go of Baen, who landed with a heavy thud onto the ground. Deryn held onto the dagger rooted in its flesh and continued to stab with the other. It bucked and swung its body and Deryn struggled to maintain her grip.

    Eventually her efforts paid off and the creature slumped to the ground motionless. Baen was struggling to stand as Deryn gathered her blade. She hooked her arm behind his back and dragged him away fro the beast.

    "Deryn..." He gasped. "Wait...stop..."

    "We need to put distance between ourselves and that thing. More will come."

    "I can't..."

    "Yes, you can. You're not dead."

    They reached a steep decline and Deryn helped Baen down to where the thick roots of a large tree formed a sort of shelter. She sat him down.

    His jacket was torn, revealing the shredded flesh of his shoulder. He winced and grunted as he tried to pull the ripped cloth away from the wound.

    "In my pack, there's a med kit."

    Deryn pulled the bag from his back and found the kit. she had never seen such a sophisticated collection of first aid materials. She looked to Baen for instruction.

    "There's a...a red can with a nozzle on top. Shake it then...spray it onto..."

    As Deryn searched the kit for the can she noticed that Baen's skin was significantly paler and his eyes were fixed on some unknown object in the distance. He was visibly trembling.

    "What's happening?" Deryn asked as she shook the can.

    "It's fine. I'm just going...into shock."

    Deryn sprayed the wound, a thick foam covering the torn flesh. It seemed to seal the tear and stop the bleeding.

    "What can I do for the shock?" Deryn asked.

    "Well..." Baen began. "My body is going to begin to lose...heat and put me at risk of...of hypothermia."

    Deryn looked around. "I can't build a fire."

    "No...I know. And everything is wet. If I go hypo...hypothermic I'll never make it back. You have to help me."

    "How?"

    "I need your body heat."

    Deryn paused. "My what?"

    "I need you to strip down...and put your body against mine."

    Deryn's eyes widened and she sat frozen. Before she could even muster an excuse or some other way to help Baen he began to laugh.

    "Or you can give me the container...with the red pills." He began to cough and shake. "It'll bring my core temperature up."

    Deryn threw the container at him. "You're an a*****e."

    "And I'm dying so can you please open this for me?"

    Deryn ripped the container open and shoved one of the red pills into his hand before standing up and walking away. She didn't intend to go far in the rain but at the moment she needed some space.

    "How's it looking out there?" Baen tried to call after her. His voice was weak but she still heard him.

    "Clear."

    Baen rested his head against the damp earth of the shelter and pulled the tracking device from his pocket.

    "This didn't do me much good," he said as Deryn rejoined him. "If it wasn't for you I'd have had my a*s kicked."

    "You did have your a*s kicked."

    "Here," Baen passed the device to Deryn. "Have you ever seen one of those before?"

    "A long time ago. I didn't engage it. I ran away."

    Deryn turned the device over in her hands.

    "If it wasn't for you I'd be dead."

    "Let's just call it even."

    Baen reached over to the med kit and pulled out some white cloth. He struggled to half sit and attempted to wrap the would.

    Deryn sighed and sat the device on the ground. "Here, you'll make a mess of it."

    She pushed him into a sitting position and pulled the rest of his shirt away from the wound. As she wrapped the cloth around his shoulder and chest she noticed various scars about his abdomen and back. They were not the leftovers of precise incisions. These were jagged scars.

    "Not the first time you've been torn apart, is it?" She asked, tying off the cloth.

    Baen pulled what was left of his shirt over his shoulder and wiggled back into his coat. "You may find this surprising, but not all Ochrana brats play it safe and follow the rules."

    "Why do you come out here if you don't have to?"

    "Don't I? I was raised to feel obligated to help."

    "And how do you help people out here?" Deryn asked, picking up the device and handing it to Baen.

    He waved his hand. "Hang on to it. I do what I can. The laws of Ochrana are very restrictive when it comes to providing aid to outsiders and that's only because they feel obliged to provide for those who have found sanctuary there. It's hard to sneak out extra rations and supplies."

    "An idiot and a philanthropist. You may just be more dangerous to yourself than anything out here."

    Baen smiled. "I don't live in fear."

    "And you think this experiment you mentioned will end all this?"

    "I have faith."

    "Don't talk to me about faith. Talk to me about probability."

    "The lab results look promising but we haven't done any field experiments yet."

    "Do you even know where these things came from?"

    "We've studied as many as we could. We know hunting patterns and some weaknesses."

    "That's not what I asked."

    Baen sighed. "No. All this science and technology and we can't figure out what started this whole damn thing. Those in charge felt it more important to focus resources on eradication instead of origin."

    "What is this experiment?"

    "It would be easier if I showed you."

    Deryn looked out into the dismal haze. The rain had begun to lift and fog settled itself along the ground.

    Baen had certainly proved that he was not just a protected, over-privileged moron bumbling around in the wilds. He had risked his life to find her. After feeling the loss of Dion and Fynn, Deryn felt like she had nothing else to lose. She was ready to take a leap of faith.

    "Then show me."