Vanished Read Online Free Page B

the muck, pulling her forward. The icy water splashed around her. Face dripping with silt-gritty liquid, she considered not getting up.
    A nasty voice in her head spoke up. Yeah, quit. Prove that a woman can’t make it through the physical trials. One person can’t turn the tide of a body of people.
    Anger surged through her blood, and she got to her feet. Mud rained off her and coursed down the stained bodysuit. The once white material, bloody and torn, seemed symbolic somehow but between the agony and exhaustion, she couldn’t draw the connection.
    Her powder-white skin, now stained a musty red-brown, almost seemed like it belonged to someone else. Though she’d hated being tormented as an albino, right now the sense of self would have been a comfort.
    The horizon beckoned her gaze, and she studied the moon slipping up into the star-clad sky. Her chin quivered while icy wind crashed over her in droves. Grasses flattened, offering her a clear view of her goal. Bright sparks flashed orange, flickering in the moonlit ebony darkness.
    Suspicious of the small favor, she pushed forward, drawing her pistol. Resting her left wrist on her right forearm – careful to avoid the swollen, angry injury – she blinked rapidly and crept forward. Each step ached through her very core. Mud sucked at her feet; wind tugged her, then pushed against her frame.
    She reached the edge of the little camp and hesitated. The men were silent, as if reminiscing the events of their day.
    “I can’t believe we left Zoltan behind.” The speaker stared into his cup, his dark head bowed.  Papria tensed. The burly men were typical military stock, powerful boys with plenty of brawn and even more dangerous brains.
    The other spoke. “I’ll never forget his face, man. We fucked up.” Both nodded, their hunched shoulders drooping in harmony.
    The first took a deep pull of his drink, his eyes flicking to hers. In an instant, he was on his feet, gun drawn. His partner followed suit. Pushing forward into the camp, Papria spoke.
    “I’m on your side, boys.”
    The males, different as the sun and the moon, glared at her. Dark hair and eyes on one, light on the other, focused on her with more than a hint of suspicion. Unsure how to prove herself she lifted her gun to the side, aiming it at the sky. With a slow motion, she put it in the holster, keeping her eyes on theirs.
    “You’re our backup?” The dark one eyed her.
    “Yes. You are Dax and Kred.” She waited for them to respond to their names. The dark one’s gaze shot to her first, affirming he was Dax.
    “They sent a woman?” Two sets of expectant, incredulous eyes locked on her face, studying her. Refusing to falter under their scrutiny, she straightened up and squared her shoulders. Tilting her chin up, she watched them.
    The dark one relented first, dropping his pistol to its holster in a smooth, practiced move while straightening up. He settled his feet shoulder-width apart, flashing her a charming smile while Kred followed suit.
    “Well, you look like hell, but we’re glad to see you.” Dax settled back to his spot alongside the fire. Tugging her rifle off her chest, she placed it on a log alongside Dax.
    The small camp boasted several safe spots to sit on fallen, decaying logs. Pops and crackles of the fire threw acrid smoke into the air, and something nagged her. Something wasn’t right. Why weren’t they healing her?
    They should have been tripping all over themselves to coddle her as men did. Why was the need to protect her absent from their reactions? They should have been crippled by her pain. 
    A bit of joy surged through her. The trials were acting as if she were an equal . The men saw her as one of them, not as a weak woman to be guarded and treated as a pet. Through the blinding relief of being measured, pound by pound, as powerful as these creatures, something else tickled the edges of her thoughts. Why would they have a fire, a clear beacon of their whereabouts for all