Thin Lines (The Child Thief #3)(54)

“He’s given us the address of his second-in-command,” he said quietly. “I only know Corona by name, but I know she’s important, and I know she knows almost everything about Nathan’s operation. She’s the one he’s kept secret all this time. The one he’s hidden even from his own people. And he did it for exactly this situation.”

“So she would be safe if the Authority found out about him,” I said, my voice as quiet as his. “So she could offer safe harbor.” I shook my head, clearing it of the surprise that came with Jace’s statement, and jumped right to the next topic. “So, when do we leave?”

“First thing tomorrow,” Jace said. “I don’t want to travel in the dark. But I want to be on the road by the time the sun comes up. The longer we’re here, the greater the risk of getting caught. If we can get to Corona’s without the Authority catching on…”

“We might actually be safe,” I breathed.

I could only hope he was right. Because I was more than tired of running.





21





An hour later, we gathered in the cave again, Ant, Abe, Jackie, Nelson, and I were sitting close enough to the fire that we could feel its warmth, but far enough away that we weren’t in danger of random sparks.

Jace had given us our plan for the next day, and we’d taken the hour after that to try to rest ourselves, savoring the peace while we had it. We had no idea whether we’d be able to find Corona or run into another dead end, and whether we’d end up back in this cave, or running from the Authority again. We all needed a moment to sit and stop thinking.

I hadn’t had enough blankets for everyone, so the guys had voted that the girls got the blankets and then had taken the sheets and moved a bit closer to the fire themselves. We were now picnicking on what food we had brought with us and taking turns sipping water from a hollowed-out branch that Jace had found.

Luckily it was summertime, which meant it was both lighter out than it would have been during the winter, and warmer. I wasn’t sure what we would have done if we’d wound up in this situation during the winter. Frozen to death, most likely. Although, Jace seemed intent on proving to all of us how handy he could be when it came to getting us safely through this outdoor living experience, with Kory acting as his sidekick.

The two of them had just come back with more firewood and kindling when Ant asked the obvious question—and the one that Jace, Kory, and I probably should have all known was coming.

“So how exactly do you two know so much about making fires and all that?” he asked, gesturing vaguely toward the fire. “Leaves as cups. Hollowed-out branches. Leeches.” He gave Jace a narrow-eyed look, and then turned it on Kory. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed how comfortable you are out here. What’s the deal?”

Jace glanced at me, and I moved toward the fire to help him with the wood. It wasn’t the first time I’d built fires by hand either—my small cottage had gotten most of its heat from the fireplace—and though I wasn’t as comfortable in the woods as he was, the environment didn’t bother me nearly as much as it seemed to disturb Ant and Abe. Then again, I also knew we were there with people who had lived in the woods for their entire lives, up until about four months ago.

Maybe it was time to let the others in on the secret as well. It was providing comfort for me in the midst of a truly horrible situation. It would do the same for everyone else. And was it really fair to keep that from them?

Jace sighed and came to sit down next to me, sharing the blanket I’d laid out over the floor and then pulling an extra length of my sheet over his legs. “Well, it’s hardly the time to sit around telling stories, but I have to say that if we’re stuck here for the night—and safe—I guess it’s as good a time as any.”

“Not like we can go anywhere right now. Not safely, at least,” Jackie said.

My shoulders grew tense at the thought, and I turned worried eyes to the mouth of the cave. The wolves were out there, I knew—but so was the Authority. And though I hoped the wolves would make a noise if the soldiers got too close, we were also sitting in a cave. Sitting in a literal dead end.

Jace, noticing my tension, reached out and took my hand, bringing my attention back to the conversation within the cave.

“Be that as it may,” he said, referring to Jackie’s comment, “we’ve been through… well, more than a lot, together, and it feels…” His voice drifted off as he seemed to think about what he was about to say, and then he nodded to himself. “It feels right that you guys should know who I am, really. I want you to know.”

I could feel the ripple of tension run around the circle and forced myself to smile to dispel the nervousness in the cave.

“You don’t have to be so dramatic,” I teased, shoving him a bit with my shoulder. “The way you say it, it sounds like you’re about to admit to being a spy for the bad guys or something.”

He laughed and dipped his shoulder to touch mine in thanks, then started again. “Nothing like that. You asked me who I actually am, and the truth is that until four months ago, I lived in a cave.” He stopped to allow the others to take that in, then continued, laughing at the looks on their faces. “You heard right. I was part of a small commune that escaped society. Escaped the CRAS, specifically. My parents and their friends knew that they wouldn’t be allowed to keep their children, thanks to their incomes, and they weren’t willing to accept it. So they ran.” He left the story there, awaiting the questions he must have known would come, and after a moment of silence, several shot through the air.