exit and her heart thudded.
“You think I’m stupid as well as ugly.” Raw glowered. “I leave you alone and you’ll be gone when I get back.”
Wren glared.
“Give me the wings.” Raw held out his hands, as if she would just take them off and hand them over.
Wren shook her head. “I can’t give wings to a Grounder! I’m going to find my brothers. You can’t stop me.”
“Watch me.” Raw stepped closer, his bulk filling the hut. “Women don’t Run. You said so yourself. It’s sacrilege.”
As he reached for her, Wren retreated behind an empty stand. Swiftly she grabbed the heavy tripod and hefted it in front of her. Raw paused long enough for Wren to give the wood a swing. The stand whistled past his face and it was his turn to take a step backwards.
“I hate you,” he hissed. “I hate your family.”
The wooden stand felt as heavy as a tree under the weight of his hatred. “But you helped me before, why?”
Raw sneered. “I wasn’t thinking straight. Give me the damned wings.”
“No!” Wren gripped the stand tighter. “Why do you hate me so much?”
He made no answer, but his eyes glittered in a shaft of light.
Wren blinked. “I’ve done nothing to you.”
Raw’s sudden laugh made her scuttle backwards. She stumbled against a low shelf and almost fell. At the last second she remembered to raise the stand and caught Raw in the ribs as he lunged. The impact shuddered along her arm.
He stopped his advance. “You’ve done nothing to me?” He turned his face so that his scarred cheeks caught the light.
Wren flinched. “ I didn’t do that.”
“ Runners did it,” Raw spat.
“Did not.” Wren’s denial was immediate, but Raw simply looked at her until her defiance faded.
“Five years ago my mother was ill, remember Caro’s disease?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Your father was having a dispute with the Council. He wouldn’t Run for the cure until they agreed payment terms. We thought she was going to die. So I came up here …”
Wren gasped. “You tried to steal some wings. That’s … that’s …”
“I had no choice .” Spittle spattered her wings like beads.
“But if we lose wings they can’t be replaced. Every time a Runner goes down, another wing-set gets lost and there can be fewer trades, fewer messages.” Wren shuddered.
Raw gestured at the straps over her chest. “You’re doing it.”
Wren opened her mouth then closed it. She’d heard her brother’s lessons, she was better prepared than Raw, but really, was what she was planning any different?
Raw saw her face and snorted. “Your father beat me and kicked me out, then he Ran for the medicine. Gave us enough for my mother … but nothing for me. That was my punishment.”
“You got the cure.” Web frowned. “You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“He relented … eventually. But not before this .” Raw ignored the wavering stand and leaned so he could hold his scarred face close to Wren’s. She winced as he pointed, unable to take her gaze from the pocked landscape that was his left side. Her hand with the stand in it began to sag.
“You want to know the worst thing?” Raw’s fists clenched. “It isn’t that my mother nearly died because of your family. It isn’t that I’ll never be able to take my turn on the Council, because no-one will deal with me. It isn’t that I’ve been forced into an apprenticeship engineering airlocks and maintaining solar panels, so no-one will see me in the Dome. It’s that I’m now so ugly and so useless , that the Women’s Sector won’t even consider my application for the choosing. I’ll never have a partner.”
Wren’s eyes widened as the truth of his words crushed her heart like a fist.
“That’s right.” Finally he reached for her. “Why should you get to save your mother when I had to wait for your father to save mine?”
Wren used the stand to knock him sideways. “Get away from me.”
His hands clawed at her
“You think I’m stupid as well as ugly.” Raw glowered. “I leave you alone and you’ll be gone when I get back.”
Wren glared.
“Give me the wings.” Raw held out his hands, as if she would just take them off and hand them over.
Wren shook her head. “I can’t give wings to a Grounder! I’m going to find my brothers. You can’t stop me.”
“Watch me.” Raw stepped closer, his bulk filling the hut. “Women don’t Run. You said so yourself. It’s sacrilege.”
As he reached for her, Wren retreated behind an empty stand. Swiftly she grabbed the heavy tripod and hefted it in front of her. Raw paused long enough for Wren to give the wood a swing. The stand whistled past his face and it was his turn to take a step backwards.
“I hate you,” he hissed. “I hate your family.”
The wooden stand felt as heavy as a tree under the weight of his hatred. “But you helped me before, why?”
Raw sneered. “I wasn’t thinking straight. Give me the damned wings.”
“No!” Wren gripped the stand tighter. “Why do you hate me so much?”
He made no answer, but his eyes glittered in a shaft of light.
Wren blinked. “I’ve done nothing to you.”
Raw’s sudden laugh made her scuttle backwards. She stumbled against a low shelf and almost fell. At the last second she remembered to raise the stand and caught Raw in the ribs as he lunged. The impact shuddered along her arm.
He stopped his advance. “You’ve done nothing to me?” He turned his face so that his scarred cheeks caught the light.
Wren flinched. “ I didn’t do that.”
“ Runners did it,” Raw spat.
“Did not.” Wren’s denial was immediate, but Raw simply looked at her until her defiance faded.
“Five years ago my mother was ill, remember Caro’s disease?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Your father was having a dispute with the Council. He wouldn’t Run for the cure until they agreed payment terms. We thought she was going to die. So I came up here …”
Wren gasped. “You tried to steal some wings. That’s … that’s …”
“I had no choice .” Spittle spattered her wings like beads.
“But if we lose wings they can’t be replaced. Every time a Runner goes down, another wing-set gets lost and there can be fewer trades, fewer messages.” Wren shuddered.
Raw gestured at the straps over her chest. “You’re doing it.”
Wren opened her mouth then closed it. She’d heard her brother’s lessons, she was better prepared than Raw, but really, was what she was planning any different?
Raw saw her face and snorted. “Your father beat me and kicked me out, then he Ran for the medicine. Gave us enough for my mother … but nothing for me. That was my punishment.”
“You got the cure.” Web frowned. “You wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“He relented … eventually. But not before this .” Raw ignored the wavering stand and leaned so he could hold his scarred face close to Wren’s. She winced as he pointed, unable to take her gaze from the pocked landscape that was his left side. Her hand with the stand in it began to sag.
“You want to know the worst thing?” Raw’s fists clenched. “It isn’t that my mother nearly died because of your family. It isn’t that I’ll never be able to take my turn on the Council, because no-one will deal with me. It isn’t that I’ve been forced into an apprenticeship engineering airlocks and maintaining solar panels, so no-one will see me in the Dome. It’s that I’m now so ugly and so useless , that the Women’s Sector won’t even consider my application for the choosing. I’ll never have a partner.”
Wren’s eyes widened as the truth of his words crushed her heart like a fist.
“That’s right.” Finally he reached for her. “Why should you get to save your mother when I had to wait for your father to save mine?”
Wren used the stand to knock him sideways. “Get away from me.”
His hands clawed at her
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