Horde (Razorland #3)(30)

“Do you need something?” Edmund asked.

“I’ve been asked to fetch the girl and her friend to the colonel.”

I couldn’t imagine why, but I dusted my hands on my thighs, then called to Fade, “Can you pause for a bit?”

He said something to Rex, then stepped out into the main room. “What’s going on?”

“The colonel needs you,” the messenger said.

Fade shrugged. “Let’s go see what she wants.”

Soldiers were running as usual. Others practiced with melee weapons. From the perimeter, the sentries kept calling the all clear. It wasn’t too far, distance-wise, so the silence from the enemy troubled me. If Stalker wasn’t so mad at me, I’d ask for an update on the horde’s position; and it wasn’t his anger that prevented me from inquiring, only the surety he’d snarl and refuse to reply.

I figured the town leader had a job for us. There was no other reason for such a summons. Fade was quiet until we reached headquarters, then he said, “How bad do you suppose it’ll be?”

“If she had anybody who could do whatever it is, she wouldn’t need us,” I answered.

He nodded as we passed into the staging room. If anything it was messier than before with documents and papers spread all over. There was a huge map laid on a battered table and it had markers on it, spread in no pattern I could detect, some red, some black. Morgan cleared his throat to draw the colonel’s attention, and she managed a weary smile. That told me things were dire. People in power only smiled when they wanted something.

“Good, you got my message. How much do you know about our preparations?”

“Nothing,” I muttered. “They wouldn’t let me join up.”

“We’re trying to avoid involving a generation of children … but we might not have a choice down the line. If we lower the enlistment age, you’ll be the first to know.” She paused, looking us over in way that made Fade bristle. “But I can make an exception for covert and special operations.”

That sounded like a fancy way of breaking the rules, just like they had done for Edmund, because they needed new boots. The government of Soldier’s Pond would do whatever it wanted and then come up with an explanation to justify the decision later. I folded my arms and waited, giving her nothing. My silence set her to pacing, which told me she was worried. I had no interest in going to fetch help, if that was on her mind. It hadn’t saved Salvation, and that tactic wouldn’t work here, either. The Freaks outnumbered us, plain and simple; we needed a new strategy to defeat them.

The devil if I know what, though.

“What’s that?” Fade asked, when it became clear I was keeping quiet.

“Special ops are initiatives undertaken for the good of the town, but not common knowledge to the other soldiers.”

“A dirty secret then,” I said.

“Not exactly, but I could see how it would sound that way. First, how familiar are you with what we’ve laid out here?” She indicated the map and all its markers.

I shrugged. “I can see what it is, but I don’t know what those wood pieces mean.”

“The black ones stand for settlements,” she explained. “And the red represents all the Mutie movements scouts have spotted in the vicinity.”

“Has the horde broken into smaller groups?” I asked.

“No. This is it.” The colonel touched the biggest red piece on the map.

It covered what looked like impressive ground in the middle of the territory, plus there were all the smaller forces to contend with as well. I had no idea it was this dire. Stalker probably did. And he didn’t tell you. And there was nothing I could do about it. I curled my hands into fists. My knives were paltry against such a threat.

“What do you want?” Fade asked. “It’s fine to show us how bad things are, but that’s not why you summoned us.”

“No. After talking to some of my men and hearing stories, some of which I don’t entirely believe, I’ve come to the conclusion that the two of you might be the best suited to undertake a mission for me.”

“Let me guess—” I started.

The colonel held up a hand. “Don’t waste my time with sarcasm. Hear me out. It’s a simple yes or no. We need info from a settlement to the northwest … and it’ll help us combat the Muties. But getting through enemy lines won’t be easy, and I need someone who’s used to traveling quick and quiet. Your mission is simple—avoid detection whenever possible, find Dr. Wilson, retrieve the scientific data, and get back here fast.”

Fade arched a brow. “Is he a medical doctor?”

Good question. If so, Tegan would want to meet him for sure. Now that her patients were better, she was currently working with the doctor in Soldier’s Pond, but she didn’t think highly of his skills. So maybe we could persuade Wilson to come to Soldier’s Pond. If he wasn’t used to travel, that might make the return journey difficult, but it’d be worth it to see her smile again.

But the colonel shook her head. “Not exactly. He’s a scientist, and he’s been studying the Muties for twenty years. Last contact we had, he was close to finding a weakness, something we can exploit to counter their greater numbers.”

“That won’t be enough,” I said. “You need an army, not facts and figures.”