Page 7 of Silver Elite

Another scream rips out, one laced with terror and agony. My heart flies to my throat, pulse careening. Across the clearing, the boy is on his back now, the white coyote on top of him. The animal ishuge.

“Robbie!” a woman screams. It’s Rachel, a teacher at the schoolhouse. Which means the boy in peril is her eight-year-old son.

It’s too shadowy to tell from this angle, but it doesn’t look like the animal’s teeth are on the boy’s neck. I think they’re gnawing into Robbie’s arm and—holy shit, it’s starting to drag the boy away.

I don’t hesitate whipping up my rifle.

“Wren!”

Despite Tana’s cry of protest, I take several steps forward, getting Robbie and the white coyote in my sights. Several men run across the grass. They’re halfway to the boy, but he’ll be dead by the time they reach him.

“No! Stop her,” a panicked Rachel yells.

I take aim, rifle propped on my shoulder.

“Stop it, Wren! You’re gonna hit my baby!”

I ignore her and take the shot.

Chapter 2

A feeling of foreboding shivers through me at the tall, bearded man’s approach. Controller Fletcher was the first to reach the boy after I shot the predator. Several other men tail the controller, one of them cradling Rachel’s son.

“Give him to me!” She lunges at the group, reaching for the boy whose clothing is soaked with blood. “Where’s Betta? Someone needs to find Betta!” Tears stream down Rachel’s cheeks.

“Nina already ran to wake her,” her sister Elsie assures her. “It’s okay, sweetling. Take a breath. Betta will be able to help him.”

Betta is our doctor. Rachel is damn lucky she’s nearby, because not every village has one. The citizens in our neighboring town have to come to Hamlett for medical treatment.

Tana and I push forward to take a closer look at the sobbing boy. The fact that he’s awake and able to feel enough pain to cry is a good sign. Despite the copious amount of blood, it seems most of the damage is isolated to his left arm. Tana winces when she notices the ragged teeth marks and a flap of flesh hanging off the gaping wound.

“Is he going to be all right?” she asks urgently.

Elsie is now pressing a rag to the young boy’s arm. “The bleeding seems to be slowing down. He’ll need quite a lot of stitches, though.”

Rachel starts crying again when she notices me standing there. “You saved him, Wren. Thank you.”

I touch her arm, then gently stroke my hand over Robbie’s head and his tight black curls. “I’m just glad he’s okay.”

The group hurries toward the long strip of one- and two-story buildings that make up the north side of the town square. The people of Hamlett have everything they’ll ever need here. The rations store, pub, schoolhouse, dance hall, media house, medical clinic. Our entire lives reduced to a handful of square miles. What we don’t have are the politicians or police forces we used to learn about in school. Unlike generations before us, our villages and cities are policed by soldiers and run by controllers. The controllers answer to the ward chairmen, who answer to General Merrick Redden, our benevolent leader. Redden’s Company is a highly efficient military machine. He has no need for politics or superfluous job titles.

The controller of Hamlett remains put, raising his eyebrows at me. “Your bullet went through its eye,” Fletcher remarks. “Nice.”

I shrug. I’m painfully aware of Jordan’s gaze on me.

“Don’t shrug it off,” Fletcher says. “You saved that boy, Wren.”

I resist the urge to lift my shoulders again. “Well, you know. I have plenty of experience with predators going after my cattle. I just acted on instinct.”

“Damn good instincts, then. Tell your uncle he taught you well.”

I’ll be telling him no such thing. Jim would be horrified if he knew I fired my weapon in town, even if a kid’s life was at stake.

I suddenly feel itchy with the need to flee. My legs carry me away before I’ve even bid Fletcher goodbye. Both Tana and Jordan follow me, the latter not as welcome. Fuck. I want to get out of here.

“You okay?” Tana frets, grabbing my hand to stop me.

“I’m fine. But seriously, I need to get home.” I squeeze her hand and continue walking across the dirt lot. “Come visit us this week. We’ll go for a ride.”

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