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Deviation meant death

Chapter 7

Chills of pure terror rippled the skin of her forear she could see, but she only heard the snick and snap of her traps As if he sensed the absolute need for stillness and silence, Boy23 snuggled to her chest, knuckles in his ht sense theair As long as she heard Stone running, it wasn’t over He was so much braver than she’d known

His footsteps bounded around, over, faster than the hungry Freaks slavering in his wake Metal clanged and the Freaks screa The noises disturbed the brat in her ar in little hiccups He had to be beyond hungry and exhausted, but he could sense the danger Otherwise he would’ve been wailing at the top of his lungs, as choleric young so his back “Your sire will be back He’s not leaving us”

The wait see with a hand on her ar, but apart from the sweat, he appeared to be intact Snarls and led in their snares; others had been killed outright She heardprey

“I should put therie that Freaks fed on their own dead, but they didn’t attack live ones So the injured could suffer for a long tih her pack to find a knife She was grateful he had the nerve; for all her ability to create instruments of pain, Thimble didn’t know if she could sink a blade into flesh That had never been her role, and so long as the enclave functioned, she’d only needed to craft Now, that had to change

One by one, the ominous sounds fell silent while she comforted Boy23, and when Stone returned with the torch, his blue eyes held a hard light In that moment, Thier in hand, large and inti shadows

“This should earn us soet away,” she said

“If we can” But he didn’t sound as hopeless as he had before “We didn’t kill them all”

“That would be io”

For the first time in her life, Thi Her heart thundered in her ears, but she ignored the fear After taking Boy23, Stone helped her clamber over, and then they were out in the tunnels Where the Freaks lived

She sed her fear The pack felt reassuring on her shoulders, filled with things she’d s that could save them The traps worked, she told herself You can do this

Here, it was so dark There ca for the exit as well, perhaps, but she didn’t call out It would take all her ingenuity to save Stone and Boy23 Nothing compelled her to rescue those who had cowered while they laid the traps

Though she’d never taken visual deprivation training like a Huntress, she closed her eyes and turned her face to either side of the tunnel Stone waited beside her in patient silence That was the thing she liked best about him—he never questioned her competence Thimble didn’t doubt he believed she’d lead them to safety And therefore she was detered so fast Once, Stone had been so far beyond her Builders didn’t socialize much with Breeders once they left the brat dorm She’d noticed that he’d had less ti ceremony, if not less affection, and it had cut her deeper than the three scars she bore on her arood of the enclave Stone only wore onestock She’d known for ages that she cared more for his in the dark with other Breeders That hurt, too, because she could never have more than his careless arm about her shoulders And maybe he didn’t even want to do what he did, but the elders set the schedule for reproduction, and it was his lot to follow their orders

It had been hers, too

But not any that way,” she said at last “Can you carry a weapon as well as Boy23?”

“I have to, don’t I?” His voice was cold

He wasn’t the sier These days had changed him forever He’d killed Maybe he wasn’t a Hunter, but he wasn’t a Breeder either Circu And she loved hiles She had since he first balled up a fast and hit the boy as taunting her

Stone accepted the weapon she’d designed: a long wood haft with a metal spike attached The Hunters had preferred knives and clubs They said this weapon was too long to work in the tunnels, particularly in close quarters—and it was too likely to inflict collateral da hands, it looked right She wondered if he knehat to do with it, or if he’d be insulted if she explained

Probably not, she decided He’d always accepted that she was cleverest of what had been their inseparable trio Their third—Deuce—had been gone what seemed like forever, and now the enclave was broken entirely So there was no reason to iine he’d mind an explanation

“You don’t slice with that,” she whispered “It’s meant to impale, throat or chest”

Stone nodded “I don’t have to be fancy with it, then I can brace for their charge”

“You need to be quick to disengage,” she warned