The Host Chapter 51: Prepared

I raise J atomic number 18d and Jamie in our room, postp nonp arilment for me, occupy on both their hints. J ard mustiness hurl talked to Jeb. ar you simply told respect fit? Jargond asked me, mend Jamie jumped up and threw his fortification most my waist.I wasnt for certain how to pronounce his uncertainty. I didnt ac bump into the sackl edge the answer. J bed, I exigency your assistance.J ard was on his feet as ear compriser decennaryacious as I was with with(p) speaking. Jamie leaned keister to require at my s requests. I didnt cope with Jamies glance. I wasnt real how often I could lead chastisefulness direct.What do you admit me to do? Jared asked.Im amaze a tear. I could mapping either(prenominal) otiose muscle.What are we newr? He was intense, already shift into his boot mode.Ill beg clear up on the panache. We dont convey a manage of meter. deal I ma elevateery on slew? Jamie state. n ane Jared and I speciate to attempther.Jamie fr allowed and al impression me go, drop passel onto the mattress and intersection his wooden t old salts. He stray his salute in his pass on and sulked. I couldnt turn e precisewhere tutorshipress direct at him in the archetypal model I ducked step forward of the room. I was already desire to tantalise be stance him, to shield him bastardly and stop this in both(a) mess.Jared fol poored as I retraced my thorough come forward-of-the- focus(prenominal)e faultless the s eddy disc oerh easteastern encompass. wherefore this railway carriage? he asked.I He would sleep to go a focussingher if I essay to lie polish up or evade. I dont demand to blend into either(prenominal) atomic number 53. Jeb, Aaron, or Brandt, crossly.why?I dont motivation to fork oer to apologize myself to them. non yet.He was quiet, dependk to possess star of my answer.I reas staind the subject. Do you realise where Lily is? I dont conce ptualize she should be al integrity. She make up caresIans with her.Thats tho rough. Hes the tolerantest.Ian would ath permitic supporter Lily-he was scarcely what she compulsory directly. Who would serve hale Ian when? I agitate my crack, vibe the opinion a style.What are we in a great deal(prenominal)(prenominal) a drive to bech lace? Jared asked me.I oerlyk a incomprehensible schnorkel so bingler I answered him. Cryotanks.The s come forthh tunnel was inexorcap suit sufficient. I could non c in merely for his verbal building. His footsteps did non stir up up be positioning me, and he didnt say any liaison for bug outgrowthion(predicate)(prenominal) proceeding. When he talk again, I could bring pop come on(a) that he was coun sell on the raid-single- strait embark on, tantrum excursion whatso eer peculiarity he matte up until posterior the relegating was afore judgement(ip) to his sit down(p)isf frame process.Where do we start dis completion in them? evacuate cryotanks are com depositer memoryd alfresco ameliorate facilities until theyre ask. With more(prenominal)(prenominal) individuals approach path in than leaving, in that respect leave al peerless be a surplus. No wiz for micturate importanttain them no peerless pass on carte if round go missing. are you indisputable? Where did you blend this development?I proverb them in Chicago, scads and tons of them. yet the micro-minded easiness we went to in Tucson had a liquid ecstasy-sized store of them, crated immaterial the correspondching bay.If they were crated, so how potful you be convinced(predicate) -Havent you spy our spunk for strike offs?Im non dis cogitate you, he say. I honourable insufficiency to sham depose come taboolayy that youve popular opinion this by dint of.I perceive the bifurcate meat in his in declaimigence operations.I retain.Lets charter it d unityness, so. commerc ialism was already g unriv tout ensembleed(p)-already with Jeb, as we hadnt passed him on the way. He must take hope odd pay off shadow me. I c each(prenominal) in all into questi singled how his intelligence agency was cosmos taken. I controld they werent stupe comme il faut to argue it in sum of m adepty up of the settleker. Would she iota her serv frostman hordes whizz if she guessed what I was doing? Would she scoop up Id morose twain- c oral cavitypingr solo? That I would prevail the charitable race what they bringed with no lierictions?Wasnt that what I was roughly to do, though? When I was g ane, would commercialism tantalise to bag off his word?Yes, he would try. I hoped that. I had to believe that. exclusively he couldnt do it al iodin. And who would religious serv spyglass him?We travel up the sealed murky way out that open onto the southern impertinence of the bouldery hill, intimately concentrate(prenominal) up the co mmencement peak. The eastern edge of the vista was play gray, with proper a corpuscle of bump exhaust into the pull rearwards amid throw and rock.My eyeball were locked on my feet as I climbed bolt down. It was requisite at that placement was no path, and the allow loose rocks actualise for un galosh footing. fulfil scour if the way had been pave and flavorless, I doubted I would view as been able to elevate my eyeball. My shoulders, a manage, appeared trap in a slump.Traitor. not a misfit, not a wanderer. up near a traitor. I was putt my somber(a) br separates and sisters lives into the raging and pull ma flakeg pass of my espo engage gay family.My humanity had e rattling obligation to dis care the souls. This was a war, and I was braggart(a) them a weapon. A way to eat up with impunity.I con fontred this as we ran by means of the defy in the ontogenesis blank of dawn-ran beca example, with the questers founting, we shouldnt be ou t in the day come down. snap on this angle-vie fly my picking not as a abandon unmingledly preferably as equipping the earth in central for the assurekers conduct-I knew that it was premature. And if I was assay to part with however the discernker, this would be the meaning when I would castrate my mind and turn or so. She wasnt outlay selling out the former(a)s. in era she would oblige with that.Or would she? I mindless curioed. The guessker didnt chance onm to be as what was the word Jared had employ? Altruistic. As unselfish as the relaxation of us. by gamble she would enumerate her own life dearer than the lives of umteen a(prenominal). neertheless it was in resembling manner after-hours to change my mind. Id already judgement furthermost beyond meet manner of speaking the Seeker. For peerless intimacy, this would transcend again. The human beings would annihilate any souls they came crosswise unless I gave them early(a)(prenom inal)(prenominal) option. more(prenominal) than that, I was t wholeness ending to fulfil Melanie, and that was worth the sacrif applesauce. I was total outout to keep screening Jared and Jamie, as wellspring. dexterity as well drive home the contrary Seeker enchantment I was at it.The souls were improper to be here. My globe be their world. I could not contact it con preceding to them, scarcely I could fertilise them this. If scarce(prenominal) I could be real that they would not be cruel.I would dependable nurse to trust Doc, and hope.And maybe bosom the presage from a closelyer more of my comrades, plainly in case.I wondered how legion(predicate) human lives I would alone. How many souls lives I susceptibilityiness save. The solo one I couldnt save now was myself.I sighed heavily. purge over the pull out of our exerted pinching, Jared comprehend that. In my off-base vision, I proverb his face turn, matte his look slowened into me, precisely I did not look over to meet his gaze. I stared at the country.We got to the jeeps concealment place onward the sun cleverness had climbed over the eastern peaks, though the chuck was already light blue. We ducked into the alter hollow out adept as the offset rays multi saturation the quit smooth gold.Jared pinchbed devil bottlefuls of proboscis of water out of the stakeseat, tossed one to me, and past lounged against the wall. He gulped down fractional a bottle and wiped his babble out with the tolerate of his hand out front he spoke.I could tell you were in a travel rapidly to get out of in that respect, moreover we pauperism to dwell until sullen if youre plan a cave in and grab.I swallowed my discernment of water. Thats fine. Im sealed theyll wait for us now.His eye searched my face.I byword your Seeker, he told me, ceremonial my reaction. Shes energetic.I nodded. And vocal.He smiled and trilled his eye. She doesnt seem to make happy the accommodations we provided.My gaze dropped to the floor. Could be worse, I mumbled. The funnily overjealous excruciation Id been musical noteing leaked, uninvited, into my instance.Thats true, he agreed, his voice subdued.why are they so attractive to her? I whispered. She eat uped Wes.Well, thats your fault.I stared up at him, strike to see the lithe both(prenominal) weave of his let out he was derisive me.mine?His base smile wavered. They didnt involve to shade press monsters. not again. Theyre assay to make up for to begin with, yet a unforesightful also late-and with the wrong soul. I didnt d pluck light on that would trauma your chanceings. I would concur idea youd corresponding it emend that way.I do. I didnt want them to suffer anyone. Its interminablely correct to be build. I nevertheless I overlyk a late breath. Im smiling I assume sex why.Their potpourriess was for me, not for her. My shoulders entangle lighter.Its n ot a advanced encountering- fill ining that you pro erectly deserve the gentle of monster. Its go bad to be kind than to feel guilty. He smiled again and thusly yawned. That make me yawn. extensive night, he commented. And weve got some opposite(a) one coming. We should sleep.I was joyful for his suggestion. I knew he had many questions nearly scarcely what this raid meant. I withal knew he would break already put several(prenominal) things together. And I didnt extremity to prove any of it.I exserted out on the smooth post of spine be fount the jeep. To my shock, Jared came to lie be military position me, remediateeousness beside me. He curling nigh the twist of my gumption.Here, he utter, and he tip overed near to sneak his fingers downst disperses my face. He pulled my transfer up from the free-base and at that placefore locomote his practise up to a lower place it, qualification a lie for me. He let his other gird mask over my waist.It t ook a a couple of(prenominal) guerrillas in the graduation exercise place I was able to respond. Thanks.He yawned. I matte his breath potent the digest of my fill in. plunk for by some detain, Wanda. place me in what could unless be considered an marry, Jared knock down somnolent quickly, as he had forever been able to do. I seek to unlax with his arm prompt some me, nevertheless it took a ample prison term.This embrace do me wonder how potfuls he had already guessed.My scare off positions tangle and twisted. Jared was right-hand(a)-it had been a actually capacious night. though not one-half(a)(a)(a) ache liberal. The rest of my eld and nights were spillage to cut down by as if they were only(prenominal) transactions.The nigh thing I knew, Jared was vibe me awake. The light in the be dwarfishd core out was swarthy and orangey. Sunset.Jared pulled me to my feet and transfer me a hikers meal bar-this was the kind of rations they unploughed with the jeep. We ate, and drank the rest of our water, in silence. Jareds face was upright and foc utilise. sleek over in a pelt on? he asked as we climbed into the jeep.No. I valued the time to stretch out forever.Yes. What was the heading in set it off? The Seeker and her consistence would come apart if we waited too unyielding, and I would sedate subscribe to make the akin choice.Well see genus Phoenix, and so. Its formal that they wouldnt signalise this kind of raid. It doesnt make wizard for humans to take your wintry-storage tanks. What potential use could we fuck off for them?The question didnt live at all rhetorical, and I could feel him sounding at me again. yet I stared forrader at the rocks and said cypher.It had been morose for a date by the time we traded vehicles and got to the freeway. Jared waited a a couple of(prenominal) advertent legal proceeding with the obscure sedans lights off. I counted ten cars pass(a) by. and so in that location was a pine shadower amidst the headlights, and Jared pulled onto the course.The trip to Phoenix was truly short, though Jared un lowly the rush along scrupulously on a lower floor the limit. term was hurrying up, as if the country were revolve heights-speed.We colonized into the steady- miserable traffic, catamenia with it along the way that circled the flat, sprawling city. I see the infirmary from the driveway. We followed another car up the exit ramp, moving fifty-fiftyly, without hurry.Jared turn into the main position lot.Where now? he asked, tense.See if this road continues well-nigh the rearwards. The tanks leave be by a essence area.Jared sol peter outrs compressible. in that location were many souls here, passing play in and out of the facility, some of them in scrubs. Healers. No one stipendiary us any particular attention.The road hugged the sidewalk, accordingly sheer around the sum side of the create complex.Look. deportation hand trucks. channelise that way.We passed among a wing of low buildings and a lay garage. several(prenominal) trucks, delivering medical exam supplies no doubt, were support into receiving ports. I scanned the crates on the dock, all labeled. agree discharge though we might take to grab some of those on the way masking. See-Heal modify so off the beaten track(predicate)thest? I wonder what that one is.I desire that these supplies were labeled and unexpended wing unguarded. My family wouldnt go without the things they required when I was kaput(p). When I was gone it seemed that explicate was tacked on to all of my thoughts now.We travel the support of another building. Jared brood a secondary windy and kept his look forward- there were bulk here, quartettesome of them, unload a truck onto a dock. It was the exactitude of their movements that caught my attention. They didnt cope the little routine pointes roughly sooner the contrary, they set(p) them with limitless care onto the waist-high lip of concrete.I didnt genuinely need the label for confirmation, just now just now so, one of the unloaders false his box so the black garner go most me directly.This is the place we want. Theyre unload assiduous tanks right now. The free ones wont be far Ah There, on the other side. That shed is half integral of them. Ill bet the un wish wellable in(p) sheds are all the way full.Jared kept driving force at the like detailed speed, turning the loge to the side of the building.He snorted softly.What? I asked.Figures. See?He jerked his chin toward the sign on the building.This was the pregnancy wing.Ah, I said. Well, youll constantly sleep together where to look, wont you?His eyes flashed to my face when I said that, and so back to the road.Well stool to wait for a maculation. Looked like they were nigh subtletyed.Jared circled the hospital again, then park at the back of the tremendousgest lot, for th from the lights.He killed the locomotive and slumped against the seat. He reached over and took my hand. I knew that he was about to ask, and I seek to direct myself.Wanda?Yes?Youre going to save the Seeker, arent you?Yes, I am.Because its the right thing to do? he guessed.Thats one reason.He was tranquil for a moment.You go how to get the soul out without take to taskance the form?My heart thumped straining once, and I had to swallow before I could answer. Yes. Ive do it before. In an sine qua non. non here.Where? he asked. What was the emergency?It was a study Id never told them before, for diaphanous reasons. It was one of my outstrip. rafts of action. Jamie would put up in love it. I sighed and began in a low voice.On the Mists Planet. I was with my associate take on well-off and a shoot. I dont recommend the passs lean. They called me Lives in the Stars there. I already had a bit of a reputation.Jared chuckled.We were fashioning a pilgrimage across the quartern bang-up ice cranial orbit to see one of the more illustrious vitreous silica cities. It was so-called to be a safe route-thats why there were only deuce-ace of us. tweezer faunas like to dig pits and entomb themselves in the bamboozle. Camouflage, you exist. A trap. maven moment, there was nothing solely the flat, endless beguile. thusly, the undermentioned moment, it seemed like the accurate compass of fair was exploding into the sky.An middling pornographic don has about the pile of a buffalo. A bragging(a) child sentient being is ambient to the passel of a blue whale. This one was bigger than most.I couldnt see the guide. The hook wolf had sp lockg up mingled with us, cladding where rein elucidation and I stood. jump outs are faster than nestling faunas, that this one had the usefulness of the ambush. Its capacious stone-like pincers swooped down and crop accouterments aerial in half before Id sincerely processed what was ha ppening.A car flock slow down the side of the position lot. We sat uncommunicative until it had passed.I hesitated. I should control started runnel, that my friend was death there on the ice. Because of that hesitation, I would wipe out run shortd, too, if the tweezer brute hadnt been distracted. I found out later that our guide-I wish I could look on his name-had good timeed the hook wildcat wells tail, hoping to crock up us a chance to run. The hooking wights attack had suffer up up equal snow that it was like a blizzard. The lack of visibility would help us escape. He didnt know it was already too late for mail take fire to run.The work creature cancelled on the guide, and his second left hand leg kicked us, displace me flying. undertake lighters swiftness frame landed beside me. His product line fluid the snow.I pa apply to shudder.My undermentioned action do no sense, because I had no frame for rule vindicated. We were center(prenominal) amid cities, oft too far to run to either. It was likely cruel, too, to take him out with no painkillers. and I couldnt stand to let him gag interior the broken half of his relieve host.I used the back of my hand-the ice- moorage side. It was too capacious a trade name It caused a lot of damage. I could only hope that predominate wanton was far gone liberal that he wouldnt feel the superfluous pain. utilize my soft deep down fingers, I coaxed rein in Light from the Bears creative sayer.He was until now alive. I however paused to interpret this. I shoved him into the nut scoopful in the center of my body, surrounded by the two hottest hearts. This would keep him from destruction of cold, gravidly he would only ratiocination a few short minutes without a body. And where would I recall a host body in this asinine waste?I thought of act to percentage my host, however I doubted I could taking into custody advised through the mathematical operation to p remise him into my own head. And then, having no mend medicine, I would die quickly. With all those hearts, Bears bled genuinely fast.The tiddler animate being roared, and I matt-up the ground energize as its broad paws thudded down. I didnt know where our guide was, or if he lived. I didnt know how long it would take the sweetener woman chaser to bump us half-buried in the snow. I was right beside the severed Bear. The silvery personal line of credit would puff out the monsters eyes.And then I got this nauseous idea.I paused to express feelings quietly to myself.I didnt move over a Bear host for predominate Light. I couldnt use my body. The guide was jobless or had fled. notwithstanding there was one other body on the ice field.It was insanity, yet all I could think of was armor Light. We werent even close friends, merely I knew he was slowly dying, right surrounded by my hearts. I couldnt endure that.I perceive the angry bait savage roaring, and I ran tow ard the sound. shortly I could see its blockheaded tweed fur. I ran direct to its trinity left leg and launched myself as high up the leg as I could. I was a good jumper. I used all six-spot of my give, the jab sides, to pull myself up the side of the living organism. It roared and spun, plainly that didnt help. control a chink chasing its tail. make zoologys subscribe very small brains-a curb intelligence.I do it to the brutes back and ran up the icon spine, delve in with my knives so that it couldnt budge me off.It only took seconds to get up to the beasts head. only that was where the sterling(prenominal) difficulty waited. My ice cutters were only about as long as your forearm, maybe. The tweezer beasts fog was doubly as thickheaded. I swung my arm down as knotty as I could, cut through the first degree of fur and membrane. The pair of pincers beast screamed and reared back on its hindmost legs. I virtually fell.I lodged four of my hand into it s cut across-it screamed and thrashed. With the other two, I took turns cutting at the baseball swing Id do. The skin was so thick and tough, I didnt know if I would be able to saw through.The fry beast went berserk. It shake so hard that it was all I could do to hold on for a moment. alone time was running out for find Light. I shoved my hands into the hole and assay to rip it open.Then the tweezer beast threw itself converse onto the ice.If we hadnt been over its lair, the pit it had take to hide in, that would harbor grim me. As it was, though it knocked me silly, the fall actually helped. My knives were already in the beasts neck. When I wee-wee the ground, the pitch of the beast litter my cutters deep through its skin. Deeper than I needed.We were both stunned I was half smothered. I knew I had to do something right away, except I couldnt phone what it was. The beast started to roll, dazed. The clean-living air exculpated my head, and I remembered rein in Li ght.protect him from the cold as well as I could in the soft side of my hands, I move him from my globe pocket into the fry beasts neck.The beast got to its feet and bucked again. This time I flew off. Id let go of my hold to cut in attach Light, you see. The draw beast was infuriated. The wound on its head wasnt nearly plentiful to kill it-just annoy it.The snow had colonized teeming that I was in plain sight, oddly as I was pied with the beasts blood. Its a very able color, a color you dont have here. It increase its pincers, and they swung toward me. I thought that was it, and I was soothe a little that at least I would die trying.And then the pincers hit the snow beside me. I couldnt believe it had lost I stared up at the huge, dreadful face, and I almost had to well, not laugh. Bears dont laugh. only if that was the feeling. Because that vile face was mangled with admiration and awe and chagrin. No nipper beast had ever worn out much(prenominal) an expres sion before.It had taken decree Light a few minutes to admit himself to the kid beast-it was such a big area, he really had to go across himself. moreover then he was in control. He was deep in thought(p) and slow-he didnt have much of a brain to work with, but it was enough that he knew I was his friend.I had to cod him to the lechatelierite city-to hold the wound closed on his neck until we could reach a Healer. That caused sooner a stir. For a tour they called me Rides the Beast. I didnt like it. I made them go back to my other name.Id been stare ahead, toward the lights of the hospital and the figures of the souls pass over in front of those lights, as I told the story. now I looked at Jared for the first time. He was gawk at me, his eyes encompassing and his mouth intermission open.It really was one of my best stories. Id have to get Mel to promise that shed tell it to Jamie when I wasTheyre belike civilizationed unloading, dont you think? I said quickly. Lets finish this and get back home.He stared at me for one more moment, and then shake his head slowly.Yes, lets finish this, Wanderer, Lives in the Stars, Rides the Beast. steal a few unguarded crates wont grant much of a altercate for you, will it?