The Fifth City by Liz Delton Page A

before attempting to hurry her way northward.
She was armed with the blade that Sylvia had loaned her, and she sincerely hoped she would have the chance to return it to the Rider some day.
    Her only option now was to try and find Meadowcity, and tell them about what was going on in Seascape; about what Sylvia was risking for the sake of the Four Cities.
    Returning home to Lightcity now would be pointless, they were still blinded by Greyling’s lies.  Besides, Meadowcity was closer, and it was the heart of the Four Cities right now, actively working to find a solution instead of bowing down to the enemy.  She certainly wasn’t about to break her promise to Sylvia either; the girl had released her from Lightcity’s corruption.
    And Neve had amends to make.
    She desperately worried for the young Rider; Seascape seemed vicious and strange, and who knew what sort of tasks those “Trials” would entail.  But Sylvia was brave and cunning, and she had easily overtaken that wolf and saved Neve when she had frozen like an idiot.
    And she had forgiven Neve for creating the weapon that had wreaked terror throughout the cities.  Sylvia would be okay.
    She kept the sun on her right, heading north, and kept a constant watch on her surroundings.  She progressed slowly through the woods, which were heavy with brush, for several hours. It was a struggle to walk in a straight line, and her clothes snagged constantly on the thorns and branches.
    The wilds were silent, with only the occasional breeze weaving through the bare branches to make a sound, so she made her footsteps silent as well.
    It was unexpectedly peaceful walking through the wilds alone; a place she had feared since she could remember, the place that had claimed her father in his travels as a Rider long ago.  She had never dreamed she would set foot here, much less unaccompanied.
    Eventually she emerged into a less dense part of the forest, where she wove in and out of the widely spaced trees, reveling in the feeling of the sun on her face.  Leaves laid a blanket over the forest floor, damp from decomposition and the snows that had melted only a few weeks ago.
    Neve spied a good sized branch that would make a great walking stick, and an even better weapon against wolves, so she veered toward it.  As she bent down to pick it up, she heard a low groan.
    A human groan.
    She swiftly crouched down and froze, her eyes darting wildly around the trees.
    Who else would be out here but the Scouts?
    She silently slipped the knife out of its sheath.
    Lady Blackwater hadn’t exactly said what she’d done with the Scouts she’d captured.  Had she released them back into the wilds?
    Neve was rooted to the spot, her breath halted.
    Again, the groan.
    This time she was ready for it, and listened for its location.  Her eyes darted ahead to the right.
    Among the dead leaves was an unusual brown lump, covered in splotches of deep red in some places.
    Someone was hurt.
    But what if it was a Scout?
    She looked around again, and saw no one else in sight.
    What if it was a trap?
    She carefully reached out to grab the branch she had wanted and stood up, holding it across her body, knife in the other hand.
    With one last look around, she approached the lumpy mound, circling around to get a better view.
    Matted, bronze hair poked out from underneath the dirty cloak, and as Neve bent down to pull it away she whispered in disbelief, “Falcon?”
     
    *   *   *
     
    It took a while before Falcon came around, and Neve fought with herself the entire time, silently pacing the small clearing.
    Why shouldn’t I just leave him here?
    He betrayed the Four Cities, carrying out Greyling’s plans.  Lying to Lightcity.  Lying to her.
    But something in her wouldn’t let her walk away.
    He was clearly wounded, but it didn’t look like an attack from a beast—there was a great purple and black bruise swelling up over one of his eyes, and his shirt was cut in some places revealing slashed and