The Gender Game 2 by Bella Forrest (audio ebook reader .TXT) 📕

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.

9

Viggo

I woke up to the feeling of a heavy weight on my chest. Ungluing my eyelids, I was met with Samuel’s brown eyes. The dog had been a bag of nerves since we had entered The Green. His fur had been standing on edge for half a day, and each sound of the forest caused him to whine and move closer to me. Now he seemed calmer, although that could be because he had burrowed in close to me. It was too hot to have a dog sleeping next to me, but every time I tried to move him, he would just get up and return to his original position. Eventually, I had given up.

We had traveled as late as possible last night, setting up camp last minute. I knew from Alejandro that the most dangerous creatures in The Green were nocturnal. It was risky to move at that time and would attract a lot of unwanted attention.

I sat up, pushing Samuel off me. The polymer blanket I had strung up was still undisturbed, but I didn’t know what might be waiting for me on the other side. I pulled it aside slowly. The area around the campsite was clear.

I quickly broke everything down, taking only a few minutes to eat a cold breakfast and drink some water. I offered some food to Samuel, who ate greedily.

“Better fill up,” I murmured, patting his head. “We won’t be resting again for a while.” The dog seemed to understand, and finished everything I put in front of him. I’d make sure to give him water when we moved, but I didn’t want to stop at all, if possible.

I pulled out my handheld. Violet’s dot had frozen last night, but now it was moving again. I studied it for a few minutes, analyzing the direction she was heading in. It was clear she was making a beeline south, in a straight line. If I cut east fast enough, I would be able to intercept her by tomorrow morning. I’d have to check in a few times to confirm that she maintained her direction, but until then, I needed to preserve the handheld’s battery.

Standing up, I checked my gun and shouldered the backpack.

“Come on, boy,” I said to the dog, patting my thigh. He immediately sprang up from where he was lying and began to follow.

Hiking through The Green was challenging, and heading in a straight line instead of picking a path was particularly dangerous as there were creatures that were easily disturbed hidden in the foliage. The forest was alive with sounds, which was a good sign. It was when everything went silent that signaled a predator in the area.

As I hiked, I found my thoughts returning to Violet—the woman who continued to haunt me, even after I’d learned of her deceit.

Tomorrow morning was closer than I liked. I was both ready to see her, but also not. She had lied to me, betrayed me, and tried to set me up to cover her crimes. But she had also kissed me, enveloped herself around my body and held me like I was the only thing she needed in the world. She made me feel unsteady, not in control of myself, and I hated it.

I was angry. That much was certain. A part of me wanted to shake her for using me. Throw her in a prison so I would never see her face again.

But I couldn’t deny that I was also worried. Violet was a tough, resourceful woman. However, The Green was dangerous, with any number of things that could kill her in an instant. I was certain she had some skills in surviving the dangers out here, but even Alejandro wouldn’t tempt his luck by remaining here too long, and