I woke up, instantly alert. Once more, the sounds of the forest had fallen silent, alerting my brain to some imminent danger. It was daytime, or as close to day as it could be in The Green. Muted rays of light trying to penetrate the dense canopy cast the forest in deep dark shadows, bisected by small slivers of light.

I shivered, peering out of my shelter. I looked around slowly, trying to draw as little attention to myself as possible. There was less mist today, so I could see further than normal, but nothing moved. It was like the entire forest was holding its breath.

Then came a long keening sound, soft and low. It was difficult to pinpoint the direction it came from. I slowly reached into my bag, and pulled out the gun. My heart was pounding, but I was in better control of my emotional state than yesterday. It seemed that the Benuxupane had finally worn off.

I gripped the gun tightly, just like Ms. Dale had once shown me, and continued to scan the undergrowth, my eyes trying to pierce the gloom, looking for any telltale sign of danger.

The groan came again, long and urgent, replacing the silence of the forest with its haunting song. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Adjusting my grip on the gun, I used my free hand to help myself up. The bite on my thigh throbbed, but I ignored it. I rested my hip against the trunk of the tree, and continued to scan the forest. Whatever it was, it was well hidden.

I took an experimental step forward, my muscles tense in anticipation. A tree branch snapped under my foot.

A flurry of movement exploded from the undergrowth to my left, and I dropped to one knee, my gun up. I heard the sound of cracking branches and leaves being pushed out of the way. It took me a moment to realize that whatever it was, it was moving away from me.

I exhaled the breath I had been holding, my muscles sagging in relief. I hadn’t been able to make out what it was, but I was surprised that it chose to flee instead of attack. Given how the forest had fallen silent at its presence, I had expected something predatory, like the red flies.

Maybe I had scared it. Humans weren’t common in The Green, and if it hadn’t encountered them before, it could have fled as an act of self-preservation. It was a puzzle, but for the meantime, I was safe.

I couldn’t be sure how much time had passed since I’d fallen asleep. I lowered myself back down into a sitting position, and began going through the bag.

Now that my adrenaline was fading, I became aware of how much pain I was actually in. My ribs ached with each breath I took, and I had an acute headache. All of my joints were throbbing, and, in spite of the humid heat, I was shivering, which meant I had a fever.

A fever was bad. I needed to re-evaluate my plans on rescuing my brother. Chances were that I would die trying to make it to him. I needed help.

I forced myself to drink six long gulps of water from the canteen, then opened one of the cans of food, using my fingers to eat the green gel inside. I recognized what it was: It was a protein gel, filled with vitamins and nutrients, but basically tasteless. Which was good—my stomach was already heaving from the water.

After I finished, I started sorting through what I had left. It was hard to focus. Nausea coursed through me, forcing me to stop a couple times, sucking in air to try and calm it down. I concentrated on sifting through my supplies while I considered my next move. Getting organized helped me focus.

I strung the key to the egg on a piece of fabric and tied it around my neck. I put the gun into one of my pockets, and slipped the clips into my back pocket.

Then I started to put everything back in the bag, but paused when I picked up Lee’s letter, my eyes reading his words again, considering them.

Lee talked about us being pawns, and maybe I had been one. But even a pawn could capture a queen. Maybe there was a way I could do everything I wanted, using the egg. I breathed out, letting the thought roll around in my head.

Then the dizziness was back, and my stomach writhed. I couldn’t hold it in. Leaning over, I had the good sense to rip off my mask before my stomach started heaving, pushing out all the food and water in my stomach onto the mossy ground of the forest. It took several minutes before my stomach was empty, and when I finished, I wiped my face off, and pulled the mask back on, sucking air through the filter. I leaned back heavily on my knees, ignoring the compulsion to lie down.

With shaking hands, I untied my makeshift belt and slid Lee’s pants down over my hip until my bandage came into view. I untied it, removing it from the bite.

The skin around the bite was red and inflamed. Looking at it, I felt the wound throb, sending tendrils of pain up and down my leg. I touched the skin around the wound. It was hot. I pushed down a little bit, and bright yellow fluid leaked from the puncture marks.

A wave of disgust coursed through me, and I had to turn my head to keep from vomiting again.

It was definitely venomous. All of my symptoms were clear indications and it had become obvious to me now that I had two options, both of them equally dangerous for different reasons.

I needed medicine. I might be forced to make a sharp change of plan.

Both Patrus and Matrus would likely have what I need, but they wouldn’t just give it to me. The instant I turned up in either place, I would be seized as either a terrorist or a murderer.

I thought of the egg. That was potentially my ticket. Both sides wanted it, and I had it. I could use it to barter for treatment, and possibly immunity. I just had to decide which place to make my deal with.

If I chose Patrus, I ran the risk of them not honoring their deal. In fact, I doubted very much that King Maxen would take kindly to a woman having anything over him. He was a proud Patrian male. If I showed up and demanded treatment in exchange for the egg, he would likely take it from me, and kill me anyway.

Then again, if I went to Patrus, maybe I could locate Viggo and ask him to help me. If he was still alive…

I pushed the thought of Viggo being dead from my mind. But even if I did find him, there was no guarantee he’d help me. Depending on how many holes Patrus had discovered in Lee’s and my tracks, Viggo might be in prison, soon to be executed.

If that was the case, maybe I could use the egg to save him and me. I pulled the object out of the bag, watching the light reflect on its silver surface.

I wanted to hope that would be the case, but I knew in reality that it would never happen. King Maxen wouldn’t allow me or Viggo to go free, nor would he lift a finger to help me.

Returning to Matrus made sense. The Matrians would be more reasonable with me since I was a woman, and would likely honor their deal. Not to mention, the only evidence that they had on me was from when I touched Queen Rina’s shoulder in the office, after her death.

I had Lee’s letter of confession—that would help to exonerate my name. And I still had the egg, which I could barter. If I was smart about it, I could clear my name and claim my brother, and maybe get transport down south of Veil River to The Outlands in search of somewhere for both of us to live.

I shuddered as a quiver of fear raced down my spine. That was a desperate thought.

No one knew what was in The Outlands. Several expeditions had been sent throughout history, with not a single person making it back. There had even been an unprecedented cooperative effort made with King Maxen’s father, King Patrick, and Queen Rina, to send a group comprised of both Matrians and Patrians. They had been given the most powerful transmitter both countries could produce, enough food and water for months, and weapons. For a week, transmissions were coming through regularly, and reports were printed for citizens to track. Then transmissions went dead, with no more reports coming in.

Eventually, both sides had given up hope of return. Some believed that the Patrians had turned on the Matrians, killed them, and wound up dying themselves. Then again, I was certain that the Patrians were sure that it was the reverse. Either way, it didn’t matter. No one returned from The Outlands.

Still, I had limited options. Given the time I’d already spent in The Green, it was clear that this place was death. The Outlands were an uncertainty. What was certain, was that I could never again live in Matrus or Patrus. As a pawn, I was a liability—they couldn’t let me live long enough to potentially expose them, even if I didn’t know the full extent of the egg’s purpose and intended use. Not to mention, they had physical evidence that I was present at the crime. Combined with Lee’s dead body, it would be rather condemning to the Matrian government that I, alone, was responsible.

However, given that no one returned from The Outlands, it was an option that I was sure the Matrians would accept, since it certainly meant death for me and my brother. Still—a slim opportunity for survival was better than none.

I put the egg back in the bag. The best, obvious first destination was Matrus. I would hide the egg somewhere in The Green, find a warden, and introduce myself. I would explain that I had something that the queen wanted, and that I wouldn’t give her the location until I had been treated, my brother returned to me, and provided transport to The Outlands.

If the new queen wanted the egg, it would work out. Perhaps I could even give them Lee’s letter as evidence clearing my name. I wasn’t sure if they’d believe me, but it was worth a shot.

I retrieved Lee’s letter, folded it up, and tucked it into one of my pockets. I stood up slowly and then picked up the bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

I used my knife to cut a branch off a tree. Stripping the smaller branches off, I weighed the stick in my hand. It was almost as tall as I was, which was good. I was going to need a walking stick for this hike. Resting against it, I realized I was already sweating from that small bit of exertion. I was running out of time.

I pulled out the compass, spinning it until the needle pointed north. Then I oriented myself in the opposite direction, and began heading south. I was going to have to move quickly or I would die out here. Taking a deep breath, I began to walk, doing my best to ignore my aches and pains with each step I took. With a little luck, Matrus was only a day away. I could travel that far in a day, I thought, as I pushed into the forest.

A tiny voice inside me whispered that I could also die before the day was over.

I ignored it.