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He kissed my forehead and added the seeds to the bag.
Infected calls echoed around us as we made our way back to where we started.
“Now what?” Roni asked. “They’ve spread out enough that it won’t take them long to spot us even if we go down another tree.”
Molev walked out onto one of the thinner branches. I followed, wanting to see for myself. However, I didn’t have the courage to lean forward and look until I found an offshoot I could hold onto. What I saw below us wasn’t good.
Thousands of infected milled around below. And as Roni said, they weren’t all grouped together. A hundred or so wandered between the bases of the nearby trees. Another few hundred were stealthily hiding in the fields. And more were disappearing off in the other direction.
“What’s that way?” I asked softly.
“The place where we train, the resurrection pool, and our water source,” he said absently.
“Are you thinking of jumping down there and thinning their numbers?” I asked.
He shook his head. “There are many here but more may be in the caves, coming this way now. If we fight these, the others in the caves may decide to wait until we are more vulnerable."
"You mean until the humans with you are more vulnerable,” I said.
He grunted.
“So then we bait them all here,” I said.
His frown deepened, and he nodded after a moment.
“Talk, Molev. What are you thinking?”
“I knew there would be dangers here. Just as I knew there would be dangers on the surface if you remained. If we stay here any longer, more infected will come, and those we left behind in Tolerance, Unity, and Tenacity will die. We need to go to the crystal while the rest stay here to distract the infected.”
I looked back at the people with us. Although Molev spoke quietly so the infected below wouldn’t hear, the fey had. One by one, they nodded to Molev. Brog and Ben were the last to do so, each looking at the female who stood near them.
“After all our weeks together, I know that’s not your happy face, Andie,” Steve said.
I left the branch and went to Sid, removing my backpack and offering it to him.
“We need to switch,” I said. “And don’t worry. I know not to drop yours.”
Sid slowly handed over his bag filled with the explosives then pulled me in for a spontaneous hug.
“I don’t like this,” he said softly. “It should be me.”
“Trust Molev. He knows what he’s doing. The world will be a different place when we see each other again topside.”
Sid released me, and I looked at Roland.
“Everyone has a role,” Roland said. “You have yours. Do it well.”
“Go kick some ass,” Roni said. Katie nodded beside her.
“We’ll see you topside,” Brandon said.
“We’ll keep count and let you know who has the top score,” Steve said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
I nodded and stepped back toward Molev.
“We will move quickly,” Molev said. “As soon as you can, leave. We will not wait.”
The other fey grunted, and Molev picked me up. I didn’t look over his shoulder as he sprinted away on the branch. Not even when Roni started howling with laughter, yelling, “I got one! Did you see that shit?”
