Resurgence Read Free Page A

all week, so he could do with getting some strength back.’ He notices the confused look on my face. ‘Oh,
don’t worry about food, we found a patch of woods on the edge of the lake where there are all sorts of things to eat. There’ll be plenty to get us through the rest of winter.’
    The idea of plentiful amounts of food sets off a chain of growls in my stomach which I feel sure Evan can hear. If he does, then he doesn’t say anything. He removes the skewer from the
fire and slices the meat onto a circular piece of metal which looks like it has come from one of the cars. The first bite tastes as if it is from a juicy, succulent cut of beef. Suddenly I am
famished, tearing, licking, chewing and swallowing until there is nothing left.
    Evan looks awkwardly at me, a mix of surprise and relief that his culinary skills are adequate. He nods towards the two remaining creatures. ‘You can have one of these if you want?
We’ve got more.’
    I don’t need to think. ‘Okay . . .’
    After two more squirrels and a selection of leaves courtesy of Jela, I am feeling wonderfully unlike myself. For the first time in ages, my belly is grumbling from being full, not hungry. Opie
and Hart have also eaten, with the story of Hart’s recovery, Faith’s death and Imrin’s capture now common knowledge. Opie’s mother, Iris, is devastated that Faith has not
made it back. They bonded on our final day in camp and she eyes us with a mixture of betrayal and bewilderment, wondering how we let it happen.
    The kids are as brilliant as ever. Opie’s youngest brother, Imp, races around my feet telling me stories he has made up about the soft tortoise I gave him. Apparently the toy has magic
powers and they go on adventures each night. His imagination and enthusiasm is wonderful given everything he has been through. Despite only having it a week, his tortoise is not in such a good
state. When I gave it to him the toy was clean; now it is mottled with sand and there is a small tear around its mouth with soft yellow foam spewing out, making it look as if it is smiling. Its
battered nature makes it look more like something Imp would own.
    After everyone has said their hellos, and I’ve spent a few minutes assuring my brother Colt that I’m fine, Opie and I head outside, weaving in between the vehicle wrecks until we are
on our own. The morning is cold but the towering hunks of metal provide a solid cover from the breeze.
    ‘How well do you know the area?’ I ask.
    Opie was here for weeks before I arrived, leading our families away from danger after I first escaped Windsor. He shrugs, refusing to commit either way, but I suspect he is doing himself a
disservice. ‘I need a list of items,’ I add, reading them to him from the notes on my thinkwatch. ‘I’ll be able to find a few around the main site but can you take one of
your brothers to find the harder things?’
    I take another moment to glance at my thinkwatch. The face is orange with the gentle imprint of a lightning bolt to symbolise industry and productivity. Every sixteen-year-old has to take the
Reckoning, which divides us into classes. Elites are the highest-ranked, with black watch faces and all sorts of other benefits. I am the next level down, a Member, but most become Intermediates.
No one wants to be a Trog.
    ‘What are you building?’
    ‘I’m hoping to use Xyalis’ design for the teleporter. The theory isn’t that difficult, it’s the precision that makes it awkward. A lot of the technology is the same
type of thing I was working with at Windsor. After he finished going on about Scotland and Hadrian’s Wall, Xyalis admitted that you didn’t need two doors to get from one place to
another – he just hadn’t got around to experimenting with the technology. The danger was jumping into a space already occupied by something else, but we’ve got the perfect place
to practise here because it is so open.’
    Opie looks at me quizzically. Usually I’m