Hunted in the Valley (Old Sequoia Valley Book 1) Read online

  Hunted

  in the

  Valley

  C.R. PUGH

  Copyright © 2018 C.R. Pugh

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-13: 978-1981777600

  ISBN-10: 1981777601

  TO MOM

  You never pushed me to banish my dreams…

  Instead you taught me to harness them,

  and give them a happy ending.

  1

  Ravyn

  The house was finally silent for the night; everyone asleep in their beds. All except me.

  Just five more minutes, I thought as I lay there, staring at the ceiling. It was starting to sink in, what I must do tonight, the eve of my ninth birthday.

  I was running away; making the long walk into the Old Sequoia Valley.

  I’d thought of that ancient forest many times. The thought of actually journeying into it had my teeth nearly chattering from fear. A young girl like me had little chance of surviving out there.

  Dinner earlier this evening was more subdued than usual. Everyone stared into their soup, trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence and the fact that I was supposed to be banished by the Elders tomorrow evening. Of course, they weren’t aware I knew this information.

  Pretending that everything was normal at that last evening meal was one of the most difficult things I’d ever done, but I was accustomed to lying. Though I’d wanted to scream at them, at the unfairness of it all, I kept my silence. It would do me no good. I was different, and I had secrets that would never be accepted here.

  As I looked around the table, studying each of them, I wondered what they were thinking or if they had any feelings at all concerning my fate. Every so often, Father’s spoon paused halfway to his mouth and his jaw clenched. Then his shoulders would slump in a deep sigh of resignation before continuing to eat again. Mother looked up only once. Her eyes lingered on my face but for a moment. That was all I’d needed to see; the unshed tears glistening in her eyes. When Father cleared his throat, she’d quickly ducked her head again as if she’d been caught doing something illegal. Perhaps she wasn’t as indifferent to me as I’d always thought.

  My sister, Camellia, seemed to be playing with her soup rather than eating it and refused to make eye contact with me. Though we were twins, Camellia and I were not identical. She was the spitting image of our mother, with hair the color of wheat and a perfect, porcelain complexion. Everyone in Terran loved her; her obvious beauty and gentle nature. Camellia was content to stay indoors, sew pretty dresses, and help Mother manage the household. The Elders had deemed her the perfect example of what a young lady ought to be. She would undoubtedly have suitors lining up for her when she turned sixteen.

  Then there was me, the total opposite. My hair was pitch-black like my father’s with skin that freckled from the sunshine. Keeping a home, cooking, and sewing didn’t interest me at all, even though I’d learned how to. My amusement came from playing outside, climbing trees, and running amuck, as the neighbors so plainly put it. The only thing Camellia and I shared was the color of our eyes: a vivid turquoise we inherited from our father.

  It’s true that I didn’t set much store by the rules. Father was constantly scolding me for saying the wrong thing and inadvertently insulting someone. I asked questions about what lay beyond the fields and forests of Terran, beyond the electric fence that had been built around our quiet city. No one in Terran seemed curious about the Valley like I was. My teachers dealt out punishments for questions and said I was being impertinent.

  “The fences were built by our ancestors to keep us safe from what lies within the Old Sequoia Valley,” my teacher had informed me. But this only led to more questions.

  What was out in the Valley that was so dangerous?

  The adults looked down their noses at me or ignored me, and the other parents had forbidden their children from playing with me from an early age. They claimed that my behavior was peculiar and worried that it would rub off on their children, even though I was not the only overactive child in Terran. If anyone in the clan knew about my real peculiarity, I would have been banished long ago.

  Surely there were people in the world beyond the fence that had strange abilities like mine? Or at least people who wouldn’t condemn them? There had to be some place out there where I didn’t have to hide who I was or what I could do.

  It was a secret I had never let a soul know about. But that wasn’t the only reason I was running away from home.

  There was a law in Terran that prevented overpopulation within our isolated city. Each family was allowed only two children: one boy and one girl. If a family already had a son, and ended up giving birth to another son, the second boy was to be given over to the Elders. It was the same for girls. No one knew what the Elders did with the infants, and if they knew they wouldn’t say.

  I believed it was cruel. Infants should stay with their mothers, no matter what. Where did they take the babies? Did they die? I’d probably never know.

  But this law had been broken for Camellia and me. One of us should have been taken when we were born. I finally found out the reason why four days ago.

  Sliding out from under the covers and placing my socked feet on the floor, I stared across the room at my sister. The rise and fall of her shoulders held me mesmerized for a moment. She was sound asleep, unaware of what I was about to do.

  I removed the nightgown I had donned that evening to hide the shirt and trousers I wore underneath, then reached under the bed and pulled out my hidden rucksack. I’d been stealing food and supplies over the last four days; anything that might be of use to me in the forest. My stomach clenched with dread and hunger. I needed to eat but I feared that anything I consumed would come right back up.

  Careful not to wake Camellia, I grabbed my bag and boots and padded softly to the door. A sense of familiarity washed over me. Was it just four days ago that I’d been doing this very same thing? I had only been heading to the kitchen, but it was the night that had changed everything for me.

  Four days ago, I’d been sent to my room without supper, so I had gone to bed hungry. When I was certain it was late enough, I had decided to sneak down to the kitchen and steal something out of the pantry. I felt sure mother and father had gone to bed as well, so I slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the door. Careful not to make even the smallest sound, I turned the knob. The door groaned as I inched it open.

  I froze and pinched my eyes shut, straining my ears for any sign that someone had heard me. Over my shoulder, Camellia slept soundly. My stomach churned as I waited for father to barrel out of his room, which was next to ours. If he caught me, I wasn’t sure what he would do, and I didn’t want to find out.

  Once I was certain no one was coming, I let out the breath I’d been holding and crept down the hall. As I neared the kitchen, I heard voices. Mother and father were still up, talking. I held my breath again, sure that I was about to be discovered. Anxiously gritting my teeth together, I took a tiny step back, preparing to make a silent escape, when I heard father mention my name.

  “Sona, it won’t be much longer until Ravyn is gone and things can … go back to normal.”

  Curiosity getting the better of me, I peered around the corner to see father pacing back and forth across the kitchen floor. Mother sat at our dining table, hands gripping a cup of tea.

  “Perry, she is still just a child.” Mother set down her tea and rested her weary head in her hands. “This isn’t right.”

  “We’ve been over this before. You know why Elder Dagan insisted we wait. A case of twins had never been seen before and the Elders told us we couldn’t keep them both – not forever.�
� Father sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “This is the only way. We must be strong.”

  “Yes, I know you’re right.” Mother paused to take another sip of tea. Her shoulders sagged and there were shadows beneath her eyes, as if she hadn’t been sleeping. “When is he coming for her? Did you talk to Dagan about the details?”

  “He told me to expect him on the evening before their birthday …”

  I heard no more. A loud rushing sound had filled my ears and my heart had shattered into a million pieces. The Elders were going to take me away, even after all this time. I’d assumed, since we’d grown older, we were exempt from their awful rules.

  After the initial shock had subsided, I began making my plans. Elder Dagan would come, but I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t let them throw me away like those other children.

  My heart began racing again as I looked back at Camellia’s still form on the bed. It was better this way. If I didn’t go now, I never would. Just as I had done four days ago, I crept down the hall, avoiding the floorboards that creaked. I took one last glance into my mother’s well-kept kitchen. Everything was just as it should be. The counters were cleared. The pots and pans hung neatly above the stove. Dainty little flowers lined the window sill and the entire house smelled of the rose-scented candles she’d made earlier this week. My eyes pricked with unshed tears. I blinked them back and took a deep breath, resigned to my fate.

  With a quiet sigh, I turned on my heel and stepped into the foyer. After pulling on my boots, I stood frozen for several minutes, just staring at the doorknob. There was a tight feeling in my chest now and a lump in my throat that I couldn’t seem to swallow. I wouldn’t know what to expect beyond the fence, but I didn’t have any other choice.

  With that thought, I turned the knob and walked out the door, vowing never again to return.

  2

  Thorne

  8 years later

  “For the last time, Tallon, you cannot go with us on the hunt.”

  She had found me before dawn and had been badgering me relentlessly. Now inside the village’s large stable, Tallon continued to plead her case. Her efforts were futile. I continued to saddle my stallion while she paced back and forth in front of the stall.

  “But I’m ready, Thorne. It’s not fair! You went on your first hunt with Commander Hawke when you turned fifteen.”

  “At fifteen, I had completed five years of training, not two. And if Commander Hawke had declared me unfit or unqualified, I would not have argued.”

  I clenched my jaw at her impertinence. Being her big brother and her commander had become complicated. She could not continue to think of me as family when we were training with the Warriors. As a Warrior she must respect my command. When we returned to Peton, perhaps I would place her under another Warrior. Surely that would temper her childish ways.

  “You’re pouting like a little girl. For that reason, and many others, you will not be going.”

  Grabbing the reins, I led my horse out of the stall. Tallon had folded her arms across her chest and was leaning against the stall door. Ignoring her sullen expression, I strode past and exited the stables. She followed in hot pursuit.

  It was just a short walk through the pine trees to the main road of Peton. The other five Warriors who made up the hunting party were already there. The main road was basically a clearing that meandered through the trees. It ran from the front gates of Peton all the way to the Council Building, the epicenter of our great village. Peton had been constructed around this wide pathway long ago, just on the foothills of Mount Asa. Homes and shops had been built within the thin wooded area all along the road.

  Just ahead, the road came into view. Villagers were milling about, doing business or simply wishing the Warriors a safe journey. Two horse-drawn wagons were already lined up on the road. Archer and Max, the Warriors assigned to drive them, circled around them to make certain they were fully stocked and ready to go. Gunter, Pierce, and Brock stood close by, preparing their own mounts.

  “You think we won’t find any exiles on the first day, huh?” I overheard Gunter ask Brock. “I think you underestimate Thorne’s tenacity. I’m betting we’ll reach our quota by lunchtime tomorrow,” he chuckled.

  “That’s a foolish expectation,” Archer chimed in. “The Valley is much too large an area to search in such a short time.”

  “What’s your wager then?” Brock challenged.

  Archer paused in his task and replied, “Day three.” Then he smirked at Gunter. “I’ll also wager that Gunter will be complaining about sleeping on the ground before breakfast tomorrow.” Brock and Max guffawed even as Gunter snorted and muttered something indecipherable.

  If I had not been irritated with Tallon I would have laughed out loud. He had definitely pegged Gunter correctly.

  “And I’m betting that we won’t make it into the Valley before dark if you don’t finish packing,” growled Pierce.

  They continued muttering amongst themselves even as Tallon and I approached them. I continued to quietly lecture her. “Tallon, you have three more years of training to complete. Until then, you’ll stay behind.”

  “But, Thorne …”

  Halting at once, I loomed over her, narrowing my eyes at her second attempt to argue. “If you want to be treated like a Warrior, then you must start acting like one. A Warrior would not question their commander’s orders. The Valley is no place for one who has not completed their training. I suggest you get back to it immediately.”

  Color rushed to Tallon’s cheeks as she received her set-down. Pressing her lips together for a moment, she nodded and replied, “Yes, sir … Commander.”

  She turned on her heel and stomped away, back down the road toward the Council Building and the Warriors’ training center like a spoiled brat. I gritted my teeth to keep from shouting at her. I hated to rebuke her all the time, but how else was she going to learn? If she were any other Warrior in our clan, there would have been severe consequences for her constant arguments and sarcasm.

  I suppose there was no one else to blame. We didn’t have a mother and our father, an Elder, was too wrapped up in Peton’s politics to raise his own family. It had been left up to me and my older sister to see to my family’s discipline.

  “Big brother strikes again, huh?” Gunter, having snuck up behind me, pounded my shoulder in brotherly affection and grinned like a fool.

  “I was just thinking how I’ve been too easy on Tallon all these years. She does not see that she is unfit to join us. Were we as quick to rush into the dangers of battle at that age?”

  Gunter laughed outright at my question. “Of course we were. We were foolish boys then, and many would say we are still foolhardy. The Valley isn’t called the Warrior’s Playground for nothing. We wanted to play with the big boys at her age, too.”

  “Was that only four years ago?” I murmured, fingering the vicious scars on my right cheek. “She will never be ready to ride off to battle in my eyes.”

  “That is only because she’s your little sister. It’s normal to feel protective. And it’s not exactly a battle we’re heading off to, you know,” he pointed out.

  “Each time we leave the safety of Peton, there’s a chance of meeting danger.”

  Gunter nodded. “True. I know you don’t want to hear it, but she is much like you.”

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I peered over my shoulder at Tallon, who was still angrily marching down the road through the village. A moment later she was swallowed up by the crowd. “I do not see that.”

  “She is petite, like her mother, but strong and cunning like you. That’s your stubbornness you see walking away from you.” Gunter laughed a bit too much at that last remark. “Look, she came to you as family, but you were expecting her to act like one of the male Warriors. They never question orders because they know their place.”

  “Humph. Like you?”

  Gunter chuckled. “Why don’t you just marry her off? Then you wouldn’t have to be the bad guy anym
ore. Some other man will have the privilege … uh, I mean duty to yell at her.”

  Placing my fists on my hips, I glared at him. “And who do you suggest I give her to when she comes of age? I doubt anyone would take her off my hands with that attitude. Anyone stronger than her would get fed up with her sharp tongue and send her back to me. Anyone weaker than her would be dead in a week.”

  Gunter threw back his head and bellowed with laughter. “Thorne, you always take life too seriously. I have taken it upon myself to try to loosen you up! And speaking of suitors, my friend -”

  “We are not having this conversation again,” I interrupted instantly, turning my attention back to my stallion and supplies.

  “- I think it’s about time you started thinking about a potential suitor. There are many fine women who have had their eye on you. Some have even approached me about it.”

  “I don’t have the time or temperament for a life-mate,” I muttered, mostly to myself.

  "Your sister, Kemena, certainly enjoys being married. I don’t believe her husband thinks she is the burden you believe a wife would be.”

  “Well, Kemena was always meant to be a wife, and Aaron is not a Warrior,” I pointed out. “It’s only a burden when your woman sits at home and frets about you all the time.” Not only that, but I did not want to constantly worry that I would die out in the Valley and leave a family behind.

  Gunter rubbed his smooth chin with his hand while he speculated. “You need a woman who would fight alongside you. There are many females who are training to be Warriors.”

  It would be better to have a woman who understood the life I had chosen. But I knew every female Warrior, and none of them had ever sparked my interest. They acted more like brothers-in-arms, which was the way it should be.

  “You know they don’t suit me.”

  “Well, you, my friend, are not getting any younger. You’ll need someone to take care of you as you get into your old age.”