Chapter 1

Margaret’s feet throbbed as she, Kariss and Beno struggled through the boulder field at the edge of the Merid Mountains. It had been a long day of hiking through the plains and it was shaping up to be an even longer night. They had to get to the little mountain village soon so they could find more supplies before morning light. Moving at night was the only way to avoid being spotted and they could not afford to be seen. Not when they were smuggling one of the National Party of Kryon’s most wanted prisoners out of the country.

Out of breath from exertion, Kariss said “We should be close, I see lights up ahead.”

And sure enough, there were lights ahead. But as Margaret looked closer, she realized that they did not look like the lights of a village. There were four of them, bobbing up and down, and they were moving closer to them at an alarming pace. Under his breath, Beno whispered “S**t”

Whirling around, Margaret spotted the dark outline of a boulder nearby and said “Quick, behind here.”

      They ducked behind the boulder to wait breathlessly. There was no way of telling where the lights were without coming out from behind the boulder so they simply waited in silence, their hearts pounding in their heads.

Beno grabbed Margaret’s shoulder and pointed. The people with the lights had circled around the boulder and were now standing only ten feet in front of them. They were completely exposed. One of the men holding a lantern prodded his companion and pointed to their boulder. Slowly the figures walked towards them until Margaret could make out the dark green uniforms of four NPK soldiers.

      The leader of the group stepped forward and roughly pulled Margaret, Beno, and Kariss to their feet. “Who are you? Show me your papers.” He demanded. Falling back on their cover story, Kariss feigned confusion. “We are geologists, here to study the Yellow Plains.”

The soldier was not having any of it. “Studying rocks in the middle of the night? Show me your papers.”

Now Kariss was getting into character, acting as offended and disgruntled as possible. “We have just as much right to be out as night as you do. I say, what is this all about? Why are you harassing us like this?” Of course Kariss conveniently skipped over the subject of papers. If the soldiers insisted on seeing them it would be disastrous considering the group had no papers to speak of.

      Turning to the other soldiers, the leader said “Tie their wrists, we’re taking them back to base.”

“What do you mean back to base? You're not taking us anywhere. This is a disgrace!” Kariss protested. The soldiers resolutely ignored him.

Some rough cord was produced and all three of them had their wrists lashed together painfully tight. They were motioned to walk forward, and Margaret realized with a start that she could feel the tip of a riffle prodding her in the back, sending cold fear radiating up her spine.

      As they marched on through the darkness, Margaret’s head spun with all the whispers she had heard about the NPK. Ever since President Mikal, the leader of the NPK, snuck his way into office a few years ago, there had been a growing sense of disease in Kryon. Stories about the NPK were passed along quietly, for everyone was afraid to talk about them outloud, of politicians gone missing or people who talked too loud about women's rights or racial equality being dragged out of their houses in the middle of the night never to be seen again. For a long time, Margaret couldn't bring herself to believe that these things could be true, but by now she suspected that they were. After all, Beno’s own village had been the site of a massacre initiated by the NPK because the villagers had refused to surrender their land for coal mining. And now here she was, trudging along with a gun to her back, wondering if she was about to become another story.

       As they came over a rise, Margaret caught her breath at the sight below. The military camp was huge, with rows and rows of tents, and Margaret couldn't help noticing how suspicious it was that there should be a military camp only 10 miles away from the border of Cisilon. They were led through endless rows of tents, quiet at this time of night, to a large rectangular tent near the center of the camp. Inside, the tent was supported by posts with numerous crates stacked around the edges. Apparently singling Kariss out as the leader, one of the soldiers tied him with his back against the post while Beno and Margaret were thrust onto the floor between some crates. The soldiers filed out but Margaret could see the outline of someone standing guard outside the tent.

      Quietly, Beno said “I’m glad we left Alistar at the rendezvous point, at least they didn’t get him.”

Kariss tried for a weak smile. “Yes, at least the NPK dosen’t have their fugitive. Just us.”

The tent flap fluttered open and one of the soldiers entered followed by a tall, dark haired man who moved in the efficient, confident way of someone high on the chain of command. There was something familiar about him, almost as if- but it couldn't be. Beno shifted in front of Margaret to protectively shield her from view. The man surveyed the prisoners coldly. As he turned his head to look at Kariss, the light from a lantern caught his face and Margarete caught her breath. Her head was spinning. She knew this man. In fact, she knew him very well. Here he was, the last person she ever expected to see again, standing in front of her. Here he was, with the same fierce cheekbones, same wavy black hair, same deep eyes, but his eyes were colder now, sad like a lost boy who wandered off and didn't like where he had found himself. Apparently he hadn't noticed her because he walked over to stand in front of Kariss.

With a smirk he said “So, you're the criminals my men found in the boulder field?”

Margaret’s heart lurched. That voice, echoing back to her from what felt like a millennium ago.

“We're hardly criminals, sir,” Kariss spat out the sir with a touch of irony. “ just geologist’s on an expedition to study the Yellow Plains.”

“Just geologists who happened to have a man wanted by the NPK in their company.”

“Sir I'm afraid I don't-”

“Don't bother denying it. We know all about you. That you started in Beair and came across the Yellow Plains with the intent of smuggling Alistair Karotski across the border. But now Alistar has mysteriously disappeared. And we need to know where he is.”

Margaret’s heart sank. They knew everything. There was no way they would be let go now, even if Kariss did say where Alistar was.

Kariss stared stonily ahead.

The man’s lips tightened in frustration. “Where is he?”

Kariss stayed resolutely silent. With a sickeningly casual movement the man slapped Kariss hard across the face. His hand was already raised for another blow but before she could stop herself Margaret yelled “JOUMON STOP”

His hand froze only centimeters from Kariss’s cheek and he whirled around to see who had spoken.

“What are you doing?” Beno hissed, but she touched his shoulder with her bound hands and awkwardly rose to her feet, meeting Joumon’s incredulous gaze.

“Margaret?” he said wonderingly, then fell silent, processing her presence. For a moment she thought she saw the tenderness she had known so well flash across his face, but then his jaw clenched and his eyes glittered with bitterness.

“I told you you were on the wrong side Margaret.” He said softly “and look where it's gotten you, look at all the pain you've caused” he gestured at Kariss who was staring at them in confusion, an angry welt already growing below his eye.

Margaret refused to break eye contact. “And I told you, I fail to see how hurting innocent people will solve anything.”

“So that's it then, you still won't see reason?” Joumon said in a hard voice.

“I could say the same for you, Joumon.”

It might have been Margaret’s imagination, but Joumon almost looked disappointed at her answer. As if he could be deranged enough to expect her to drop all morals and follow him into the abyss known as the NPK. Then his face was hard again. He stared at her furiously for a moment, then turned away in disgust. Looking at the guard he said “Bring the prisoner on the post” the guard untied Kariss from the post and prodded him out of the tent. As Joumon was leaving, he turned and gave Margaret a nasty look that made her stomach turn cold with fear for Kariss.

Author's Note

Let me know what you think! Any reviews are appreciated.

Reviews

[SRMarx]

This is a really intriguing start. I'd like to read more!

[Wølfy]

Not bad, I noticed a few grammar mistakes but they are not that big.

[Annie Rachele]

This was just the first chapter, but this was AMAZING! I loved that it introduced you to people, kept you reading, and showed a really interesting plot. I cannot wait to read more!

[Starlightdreaming]

Thanks so much!