Page 34 of Barbarian Daddies

I affix the hook onto the trunk and wrap the rope around once, just to be sure, then throw the rest of it over the wall—now only a few feet away. Beyond it, I see the agitated waters of the Crimson Sea, I hear the waves crashing furiously against the rocks, and I feel my heart beating faster than ever before.

Glancing down again, I see the old man heading back across the courtyard and assume he must’ve contemplated leaving as well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had this rope ready. Maybe his daughters are still in that breeding center, and he can’t bring himself to leave them behind even though he can’t see them. Mina told me the girls are completely isolated from the rest of the city as soon as they’re deemed fit for reproduction. The words hit me like a kick to the gut. We need to do something about this.

These are women, not cattle.

I climb over the thick wall and stand on top of it for a hot second, just to get one last look at the city before I turn around and glance down. It would be a deadly fall without the rope.

“Here goes fucking nothing,” I say to spur myself on, then use the rope to get down.

Slowly but surely, I reach the first of the jagged rocks, the sea splashing and washing over me with each wave. At least the water is warm. I lost my shoes the minute I got up the tree, but they’d be of no use here. There’s a thick coat of algae on these rocks, and I’m better off barefoot as I hop my way north until I reach a strip of black sand.

From there on, I’m running like the wind. I run as fast as I can, the adrenaline pumping red-hot through me as I leave the city behind. I don’t stop until I reach the white cliffs.

I’m panting and struggling to catch my breath. I’m crying and laughing at the same time, my chest suddenly too small for this wrangling heart of mine. My throat burns. My feet hurt. My thighs and calves are sore as hell. But I made it this far.

A cluster of drones approaches from behind, so I hide inside a crevice, keeping to the dark shadows as I wait for the fuckers to fly overhead. I can stay here for a while, if only to recover some strength before I make my way to the mountains. It’ll be cold there, especially since I’m still drenched from my race along the sea.

I wait, and once the drones are gone, I slip out of the crevice and trek upward until I reach the top of the cliffs. My soles are slashed and bleeding from the sharp rocks. The sting is nearly too much to bear, and I’m forced to sit down and cry my heart out while I evaluate my options. These feet won’t take me across the mountains.

Hopelessness quickly sets in, and this certainly isn’t the time for it. I’m alone, I’m scared, and I’m already worn out. I couldn’t take any provisions with me, either. My prissy dress is ruined and torn pretty much everywhere. It may keep me warm if I add a layer of leaves and branches on top while I sleep, but I can’t sleep on the ground in the mountain woods either.

There are predators lurking, and I’d make one hell of a dinner.

Movement catches my eye off to the right.

I’m still, barely breathing as I see two shadows moving between the trees at the mountain’s base. Tall men. Stealthy men. I’m ready to bolt again as they come out, but instant relief washes over me as I recognize Kai and Maur, of all people.

“Oh, God,” I mumble.

They stare at me in sheer disbelief, their crimson eyes wide as they take cautious steps toward me. “Cynthia, is that really you?” Maur asks.

“It’s me. And you’re alive,” I manage.

Within seconds, they’re both with me, holding me close and checking my injuries and showering me with loving kisses while I revel in the heat of their bodies. I cannot believe this is happening as I wrap my arms around them and hug my men with what is left of my strength. I’m crying tears of happiness as I lose myself in their love, but the bliss of our reunion is cut short by the incessant buzzing of drones.

“Come on, we need to get out of here,” Kai says.

He turns around and kneels so I can climb on his back. I hold on for dear life, my legs locked around his waist as he runs to the trees. He’s holding one arm protectively against his body. Maur stays close, constantly looking over his shoulder and blinking more than he should. Only now do I see the burns around his eyes, but there’s no time for us to properly assess each other’s injuries. We need to get out of sight and away from this place.

“We’ll lose them in the forest,” Maur grunts as he jumps over a gnarly tree root.

“The old man said their drones don’t have range up here,” I say.

“What old man?” Kai asks.

I can’t help but smile as I hide my nose in his rich, black hair, breathing him in. “The old man from the slums. He gave me the rope I needed to climb over the wall. He said you still have friends in Sapphire City.”

Maur scoffs. “We should’ve known those who are the most oppressed would be our best allies.”

“You know now,” I tell him.

We know more now than we did before we tried to infiltrate Sapphire City. We’re wiser as we run up the mountain than we were when we came down the mountain, determined to fulfill a mission we didn’t know had already been sabotaged.

We meet with Dahlen at the last campsite in the purple hills. Kai and Maur had him stash food and supplies there before we continued our journey toward Sapphire City several days ago. All the stuff in those satchels comes in handy. Stale bread never tasted as good. Dried fruits. Clean water. Bandages and some ointments for our wounds and Maur’s burns. Clothes and blankets. Dahlen is quiet and avoiding any eye contact, but Kai says it’s because of shell shock.

“We lost him for a couple of days,” he adds when we’re settled around a small campfire, hidden beneath giant blackwood trees.

Tomorrow, we head home. By evening, we should reach the Sun River Plateau. The closer I get to my house, the safer I feel. My house. Why, yes, it is my house. I have accepted that, much to my surprise.

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