12.

Leap of Faith

No more secrets. I’ll tell Vin everything once we get to York.

This is the silent vow I make as I pause to catch my breath. The crisp air smells of pine trees and loam. We’ve been climbing a rugged trail for more than three hours now, through sloping meadow and conifer forest, and are finally approaching our destination: the rocky outcropping of Academy Peak. It’s hard to miss with its jagged profile and crown of wind turbines gleaming in the midday sun.

Up ahead, Ferro and Astrid are approaching the sheer cliff wall. Normally, Vin would be fighting for the lead, but he’s hanging back with Brenne. Judging from the sound of her laughter, they’re having a good time.

“How are we supposed to get to the top?” he calls out, voice echoing into the valley below.

“You mean you’ve never done this before?” Brenne teases as I drop back to join them.

“What? Climb up a ridiculously steep rock for no apparent reason?” Vin turns to me for support. “Call me soft, but this’ll be the first time.”

She gives him a reassuring pat on the back. “Don’t worry. You’re doing great. We’re almost –”

Her words cut off with a yelp. When I spin around to see what happened, she’s clutching her right ankle and leaning into Vin.

“Loose rock.” She gasps as we help her hop downhill to a flatter section of trail. “Can’t believe I was so clumsy!”

Vin grimaces as if he can feel her pain. “It’s my fault for distracting you. Here…” He picks her up and gently sits her on top of an anvil-shaped boulder. “Keep the weight off that ankle while I find the med kit.”

I shout for Astrid and Ferro to come back down, then explain what happened as Vin retrieves an ice wrap from his backpack. Despite the tense situation, it’s hard not to grin as he fusses over Brenne’s ankle, which doesn’t look too swollen.

Astrid rubs her friend’s shoulder. “How bad is it?”

“Just a sprain, I think.” Brenne turns her foot and winces. “Once it’s wrapped, I should be all set. I’ll just wait here for you to finish the climb. Then we’ll go back down together.”

Astrid frowns at that idea. “What if it’s worse than it looks? We should get you to the infirmary now.”

“No,” Brenne says. “Finish the climb first.” She turns from me to Vin. “You’ve never been to the top. It’s really beautiful up there.”

 “The view’s fine right here,” Vin replies, gaze fixed on her instead of the dazzling vista of forest and sky behind us.  “I don’t need to go any higher. Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

Ferro, who has been ignoring us all day, picks this moment to break his silence. “There’s no point in everyone going,” he gripes to Astrid. “The path’s too narrow for us to crowd around Brenne anyway. The two of us should finish the climb, then catch up to them on the way down.”

Astrid shakes her head. “Wil and Vin don’t know this trail. One of us should go with them. You can finish the climb with Wil if you’d like.”

Ferro scoffs at the suggestion.

“Fine.” Astrid matches his scowl. “Then give Wil your pack. I’ll take him to the top while you help Brenne and Vin down.”

They exchange a tense look – the kind of loaded expression that makes me wish Guardians could sift one another. Have they been fighting? As if in answer, Ferro throws his pack at my feet and storms off without a word.

What in flames was that about?

“Take care of him,” Astrid murmurs to Brenne before turning back to face me. “Well?” She tilts her chin toward Academy Peak. “Are you coming?”

“Go ahead,” Vin chimes in. “Don’t let us ruin your fun.”

“It’s easier than it looks,” Brenne says as I stare at the black slab of rock towering above us. “There’s a ladder cut into the cliff face. All you have to do is remember one thing.”

“What’s that?” I ask, already suspecting the answer.

“Never look down.”

Brenne grins up at me and I realize that despite some initial misgivings, I’m definitely starting to like her.

Now if only I could feel the same way about her best friend.

*

I follow Brenne’s advice as I climb after Astrid, trying to focus only on the metal rungs in front of me. Tunnel-visioned. With each step, I tell myself I’m only a few feet off the ground. It’s an illusion that falls apart as the wind starts to pick up near the top. Why am I not wearing a safety harness? As soon as the thought enters my mind, a violent gust almost rips me from the ladder.  I cling to the rung so hard my knuckles turn white.

Keep moving. Astrid did this. You can do this.

The last few yards of the ladder squeeze through a crevice, forcing us to climb sideways. When we finally reach the top, it’s like stepping into a hurricane. No wonder there’s a wind farm up here. Fortunately, the concrete foundation of the closest turbine serves as an effective wind break. I join Astrid there, stopping to catch my breath.

“Finally,” she says. “I thought you were supposed to be in good shape.”

“Now what?” I ask, ignoring the jab.

 She points to the turbine tower. “We’re going up there to discuss some things in private.”

I crane my neck skyward, head spinning. Does she seriously expect me to climb to the top of that thing?

“And we can’t discuss them down here?”

“No,” she answers, voice dripping acid.  “We can’t. Let’s go.”

Before I can object, she’s already opened a door in the foundation and ducked inside.  So this is how it’s going to be: Princess Astrid giving the orders and me following. I consider digging my heels in to make a point, but curiosity wins out.  

What could she possibly have to say that can’t be shared with the others?

The turbine tower is little more than a hollow tube with a narrow access ladder running down the center. No safety lighting. Nothing to break a fall. When I step into the near-darkness, Astrid’s already climbing, her footsteps clanging off metal above me.

“We’re really doing this?” I call out, hoisting Ferro’s pack back onto my shoulders.

No answer.

Reluctantly, I start climbing after her.

Within a minute, it’s so dark I can barely see the ladder.  There’s a narrow cone of light up above, flickering and darting off the walls, and it takes a moment to register that it’s coming from Astrid. She has a flashlight! Nice of her to share.

The rungs are spaced closely enough to allow me to get into a rhythm, so I pick up my pace. One slip and I’ll plummet to a bone-shattering death, but I can’t think about that now. All I’m focused on is the light dancing above me, getting brighter with each step until I can trace it to Astrid’s backpack. By the time we reach the top of the ladder, I’m right at her heels.

I follow her into the generator nacelle – a claustrophobic capsule crammed with all sorts of noisy machinery. Gears spin and grind overhead, powering a generator that takes up half of the compartment. I can’t see the three massive turbine blades outside, but their rhythmic swooshing fills the air.

Astrid couldn’t have picked a worse spot to have a quiet conversation.

Then it hits me: that’s the point. Just like with the greenhouse, she’s picked a place where our words can’t easily be monitored.

She’s sitting with her back to the humming generator, long legs crossed. When I join her, she leans in so close I can feel her breath tickling my ear. There’s nothing romantic about the gesture, but a warm current still flows through me.

“You need to tell me everything,” she says.

“I –” I pull back so that I can see her eyes, startled by their intensity.

“No games,” she warns.

“I don’t know what you want.”

“You spent more than twenty-four hours in Gant’s custody. I want to know what he said to you.”

“He –” I look away, scrambling for a safe answer. “He wanted to know about the girl we were tracking in Washton. The Gamma. He wanted her identity.”

“And?”

“Her name’s Liv,” I tell her, figuring this isn’t exactly a secret anymore. “I knew her when we were kids, back in Camp Wilmingon. She…” I close my eyes, picturing the sunny girl I once knew. The girl who was taken away. The girl I’ve already betrayed. “She was a good friend.”

“So you gave her up, just like that?”

I recoil, stung by the accusation. “Are you saying I should’ve lied to the Prime Enforcer?”

Astrid lips twitch with a comeback, but she checks herself. “No. I’m just questioning your loyalty.”

That hits the mark. I can almost feel myself shrinking beneath her hostile gaze.

“It’s not that simple,” I say. “Gant has… leverage.”

“What kind of leverage?”

I stay silent, suddenly wishing I could tell her the truth. All of it. But then what? How can I trust a girl I barely know? Someone who’s made a point of letting me know just how little she thinks of me.

“Tell me,” she presses. “It’s okay.”

“I — ” My shoulders slump forward. “I can’t, Astrid. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, you are.” She shakes her head, sounding more disgusted than angry. “This isn’t just about you, Wil. In two days, we’re being deployed to York. My friends have chosen to go with me rather than let me face that nightmare alone, which means…”

Her voice suddenly cracks with emotion. “I’m responsible for their safety. We may all die there, and I want to know why. So I’ll ask you one last time.”

She leans in, lips brushing against my ear as she whispers, “Why is the Prime Enforcer sending me to York?”

“I…” I close my eyes and picture the girl who may be my sister, cobalt eyes rolled back in pain. Then I imagine Vin strapped to a chair, screaming as the first jolt of electricity rips through him. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? Or you won’t tell me.”

“I don’t know.”

Astrid weighs my answer, her face an emotionless mask. Then she stands abruptly and hoists her pack over a shoulder.

“You think I look down on you because you were born in a Camp, right?”

I blink up at her, thrown by the sudden change of subject.

“Well, you’re wrong. I’ve never had a problem with where you come from, Wil. It’s always been about your attitude. The way you carry that huge chip on your shoulder, like it’s our fault you were born a bleeding Settler. But now I realize that’s not really it.”

 She stares down at me, eyes frosting over.  “I’ve never liked you because on some level, I must have always known you’re a coward.”

There it is: the same brutal judgment she made when we were children on the playing fields. It’s taken eight years, but I’m finally ready to defend myself.

“You know nothing about me, Princess.” I rise to face her. “Where do you get off calling me a coward? And what do you know about courage anyway? So your daddy’s the Prime Founder and you always get what you want. That doesn’t make you brave. It makes you a spoiled brat!”

Judging from Astrid’s stunned expression, I might have just pushed things too far. But then, after a few tense beats of silence, she does something truly unexpected.

She smiles.

“Nice to finally know what’s on your mind, Wil,” she says sweetly. “Anything else you’d like to share?”

“Um…” I stammer, totally disarmed. “No. That’s pretty much it for now.”

“Good. Then why don’t you follow me?” She reaches down to retrieve Ferro’s pack and tosses it at my feet. “Take that with you.”

Before I can object, she’s climbing yet another ladder, this one suspended from the ceiling. When she reaches the top, she opens a small hatch and pushes it outward, flooding the room with sunlight.

“Coming?” She squints as she secures a harness around her waist.

Do I have any choice?

I let out a deep sigh, then take Ferro’s pack and scramble after her. What in Founders’ blood is she up to now? And what’s with the mind games?

When I reach the top, there’s another harness waiting for me, tethered to the ceiling. I tug on the cord, my heart leaping when I grasp its purpose. It’s a lifeline, to keep me from plummeting to my death.

We’re going outside.

Astrid’s already squeezing through the open hatch, legs propelling her upward and out.

The sane part of me wants nothing to do with this, but that doesn’t stop me from clambering after her. Once my harness is secured, I pop my head outside, half expecting it to be blown right off. Surprisingly, it’s calmer up here than at the base of the tower, but that’s only because I’ve emerged behind a wind break. When I stand up, the full force of the wind hits me, pulling my tether taut as a kite string. The roar is deafening.  I turn my back to the gale, looking for Astrid.

She’s standing way too close to the edge, entranced by the view, and I can’t say I blame her. It’s a breathtaking panorama of blue and green, stretching out as far as the eye can see. I turn downwind of the spinning turbine blades, getting a bird’s eye view of the GA, which lies in the valley below. From this vantage point, it looks like a toy fortress, surrounded by recently installed electrified fencing and frag gun turrets – a grim reminder of the growing terrorist threat. There’s a black access road snaking its way to the horizon, and beyond that, no sign of civilization.

We’re completely isolated. Guardians, being guarded from the people we’ve sworn to protect. From those who are supposed to love us. What’s wrong with that picture?

“It’s worth the climb, right?”

I turn to face Astrid, who’s snuck up behind me. She has one of those voices that carry well, even in a crowd. Or in this case, hurricane-force wind.

“The view’s unbelievable!” I point toward the Academy. “Did you know about all those new fortifications?”

“Yeah. My dad told me they were adding them for our protection. They put up the fences months before Washton even happened.”

“But why? We’re winning the war. The Sinovoss are routed. What changed?”

She bites her lower lip, blue eyes challenging me. “You tell me.”

“I would if I could.”

“Is that right?”

Amazingly, her mouth twitches into a smile, and I can’t help but join her. It’s alarming how easily she can melt away my anger with just one look.

“We don’t have to be enemies,” I say, suddenly wanting more than anything for this to be true.

“I know.” Her smile fades. “But if I can’t trust you, that’s how it’s going to be.”

“I’d tell you everything if I could.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“Well, it’s all I can offer right now.”

“So… you don’t trust me?”

“No.” I shrug out an apology. “Not yet.”

“Fine!” She reaches for her harness.  “Then good luck finding your way down.”

Before I can grasp what she’s doing, she’s unhooked the tether. 

“No!” I lunge for her, but it’s too late. The wind sweeps her body up and over the edge like a blown leaf.

In a daze, I let out the slack in my tether, rappelling to the spot where she fell.

That’s when I catch a flash of red, blossoming up through the air like a flower.

A chute.

Perfectly deployed.

Gracefully spiraling downward.

I grit my teeth, muttering curses as Astrid circles in for her perfect landing in a meadow below. Three hours of strenuous hiking, undone in less than twenty seconds.

Twenty seconds. I do the math, realizing in horror that she only had a split-second window in which to deploy the chute. Release too early and she would have risked crashing into one of the turbines or getting swept up in their blades. Too late and she would have slammed into the ground.

The stunt she just pulled was way beyond reckless. It was totally insane. And she did it just to prove a point.

Psycho. I pull myself back toward the exit hatch. Unfortunately, that means going against the wind. When I finally reach my destination, my arms feel like they’ve been wrenched from their sockets. I wrap numb fingers around the metal latch and pull.

Nothing. I may as well be trying to lift the whole tower.

“Oh, come on!” I growl, but it doesn’t matter how hard I try. The hatch remains fixed in place.

Locked.

One glance confirms there’s no way to open it from the outside. It probably locked automatically when closed.

I tug at Ferro’s pack, wondering if it contains anything useful. Maybe a transmitter to call for help. As I fumble with the zipper, Astrid’s words come back to me, this time sounding more like a taunt: “So you don’t trust me? Then good luck finding your way down.”

That’s when it hits me: the pack contains a parachute.

She wants me to jump.

Despite my rage, I can’t help but laugh out loud. The move is so Astrid. If she can’t earn my trust, then she’ll just force it out of me.

I lift a seam in the pack, fingertips confirming there’s folded nylon inside.  No way to tell if the chute’s been packed properly though.

All Guardians train for basic jumps, but this hardly fits that description. I’ve never jumped from a fixed object. This might well be a suicide leap.

Unzipping the side compartments, I unpack the harness. Astrid must have secured hers over the safety tether when I wasn’t looking, so I do the same, hoping it will hold. My hands move mechanically, securing the necessary straps, then locating the rip cord. Now all that’s left to do is release the tether. My fingers reach for the metal buckle, then freeze.

Maybe I should consider my options. If I stay where I am, Vin will eventually send help. And it’s hard to imagine that Astrid’s prepared to let me die up here, but then again…

I really should stay put. That would be the logical move. Problem is, I’m itching to jump after Astrid. Crazy as that may seem, I’d rather tumble to my death than give her the satisfaction of knowing I had to crawl back down.

I’m downwind of the spinning blades, but still move as far away from them as possible.

Exhale slowly. Now reach for the buckle. Take one last deep breath, and…

Release.

No way am I prepared for the wind that slams into me. It hits like a breaking wave, ripping my feet out from under me and sending me tumbling through the air.

Sky. Ground. Sky. Tower!

I twist my body, legs kicking out against metal just in time to prevent a fatal collision, and then suddenly I’m clear.

Freefalling.

One second.

Two.

Have I missed my window?

Panicking, I fumble for the rip cord.

Pull.

The pilot chute releases smoothly, soaring like a flare, and seconds later, a bright orange canopy unfurls overhead, jerking me skyward.

The turbulence dies down, but now I’m oscillating back and forth. Wildly. If I can’t gain control, I’ll crash into the cliff wall.

I bank hard to the right just in time, boots grazing against rock.

I’m clear again, but now the ground’s rushing up at me. Coming much too fast.

I pull down hard on both steering toggles, struggling to brake my fall, but it’s too late.

Something crashes into me, knocking the wind from my lungs.

A branch. Followed nanoseconds later by the rest of the tree, its limbs cracking and folding to engulf me. Tearing at my harness. Scratching my skin.

I cover my face and tuck in my legs, bracing for impact with the ground.

But it never comes.

Instead, I jerk to a sudden stop.

Fabric rips loudly overhead.

When I open my eyes, I’m hanging from the lower branches of a sprawling oak tree, feet practically touching the ground. Not an elegant landing, but I’ll take it.

It takes forever to free myself from the harness, but I finally drop to the forest floor.

Where in flames am I?

Lost in the woods.

I glance at my time stamp, discovering I have less than two hours to curfew. To my right, orange sunlight filters through the forest canopy, marking due west. If I head in that direction, I might be able to reach the GA in time, but only if the terrain gets a whole lot easier.

Cursing under my breath, I set out through thick underbrush. Within minutes, I’m sweat-soaked and covered with scratches and mosquito bites. The discomfort only fuels my anger.

Who gave Princess Astrid the right to toy with my life? If it weren’t for instinct and, let’s face it, plenty of dumb luck, I’d be a red smudge on the side of Academy Peak right now. And she thinks I’m going to trust her?

“What a psycho!” I shout at the trees.

But you didn’t have to jump, my conscience points out. She didn’t force you.

I have no come-back for that. Already, I can feel my anger fading, giving way to something else. Relief. Exhilaration. Maybe even a touch of pride.

I just free-jumped off a wind turbine. From the top of Academy Peak. Relying on a parachute packed by Ferro Rhone, of all people.

If Astrid’s crazy, then I must be crazy times ten. And now she knows it.

Fired up by that thought, I pick up my pace, and a few minutes later, the forest thins into a clearing. Up ahead, tall grass slopes downward to a dark ribbon of asphalt.

The access road! I’ve stumbled onto a shortcut back to the GA.

I pump my fist triumphantly and break into a jog, picturing the look on Astrid’s face when she finds me waiting for her at the gate.

***

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