I wasn’t sure how long Owls had been gone when I opened my eyes. No one guarded us in the unchanged room. Jazz was looking at me through a swollen brow.

“How ya doing, kid? Haven’t heard you say her name in a while.”

“What do you mean? Who’s name?”

Jazz gave me a measured look. “You called to your sister when you were out. You haven’t done that in years. Are you ok?”

Tucking the dream and memory away, I adjusted my aching body. “I’m not dead yet. You?” I answered.

Hesitating, then decisively, he shook his head. “A few scratches, but mostly I’m fine. These fools ain’t that tough.”

“How did they catch you? I saw your Bi-wheel, thought you had joined Titan’s Wrath.”

“You really?”

“No, but I was planning to find out.”

“Cragg gave me up with that idiot from the road. Got me all drunk during the rains. Next thing I knew, I was in the back of a Humvee with a white spear up my ass.”

Since when did outcast betray other outcast to the faith? “He sold you. For what?” It made little sense. Cragg and his camp raided the perpetual harvesters in their fields, taking what they needed directly. He occasionally traded us for items we found in bunkers for brew. Mostly he just lived, for lack of a better description.

Jazz shrugged. “No clue, he literally fed me drink till I was out cold. Those fools of Titans Wrath have a lot of gear, though. Maybe he’s getting brave and wants some? I’ma kill him.”

There was so much information swirling in my thoughts I tried to set into order. Giving up, I filed it away for later.

“They looked rough. You got the better of a few of them.”

Jazz shook his head, “Nah, I never threw a punch at the pricks. That was her,” he nodded to my right. Over my shoulder, two new prisoners were with us. First, a familiar young-looking man. Topless and bootless, and far more haggard than I had left him. There was a pinch of guilt at the sight. With the next prisoner, my breath caught.

She sat in a chair bound as the rest of us. Her eyes are orange? I couldn’t resist looking closer. She stared ahead, unblinking. Green hair weaved into a rope down her back. Her face was soft but angular. The clothes she wore, just as striking. Blue, like reflector armor, but thin and appeared malleable. The suit clung tight to her body. Hands, arms, everything neck down covered in the material except for knee high heavy looking boots. Her gaze fell to me briefly, then returned in front of her. Her appearance was incredible.

“Hey Ex, you there?” Jazz said.

“What group is she from?” I asked, my cheeks feeling oddly hot as I looked away.

“I dunno man, never seen that gear before. Something that nice, I’d say Titans’ Wrath.”

“Well, that can’t be. They’re helping Owls. Which is unheard of.”

“She ain’t buying his garbage?”

“That still makes little sense, but none of this makes much.”

“Yeah, good point. It was the craziest thing though. She kicked a dude so hard his armor broke. Ended his life function. She made it a hundred meters from the Humvee, then one of the Titan’s Wrath creeps hit her with a dart.” Jazz eyed her as he spoke. “I’m not sure how they caught her to begin with, she a nasty lady.”

So, the suit isn’t reflector gear, or a poison dart wouldn’t have pierced. I looked at the female prisoner again. Through the material, I could see lines of defined muscle. She wasn’t soft wasted and ample chested like settlement dwellers often were. There were curves. But they were streamlined, and purposeful. She seemed capable, but kicking someone to death? Could I break reflector gear, maybe with the HAGs help? Where is she from? It’s insane. Her eyes are so.

“So how did they get you?” Jazz’s question drew my attention. I blinked rapidly to align my thoughts.

“Jazz, I think she is from another settlement.”

“I uh, said she could be Titans Wrath.”

“No, I mean from past the sacred land. That’s the only thing that makes sense, right? No one we’ve encountered is that strong or has that equipment. And her eyes.”

“Damn it, kid, we don’t have time for that. Now focus. Where did they get you?

“I don’t know, they jumped me in a dwelling. Then Owls-,” the words felt sticky with reality, bringing a sinking feeling. “He did something to the HAG. He called it by the actual name, I think.” I looked at Jazz, my throat tight. “I can’t believe he has been studying the ancient knowledge. He knows more than you! That’s always been against the faiths fundamentals.”

Jazz nodded. “Yeah, fool had issues before they made him pontifex. Guess Grail didn’t pay close attention and appointed an actual crazy. Guess they all kinda are.”

The mention of Grail brought back Owls' revelation. “My parents are dead. Grail killed them, so Owls says.”

“Damn, I’m sorry Ex.”

“Honestly, I’m not surprised. I think I kind of suspected it. Inside, you know?”

My gaze drifted to the other captives. The woman still stared forward, her face blank. I couldn’t wrap my brain around her appearance. It was a needed distraction.

Some heathens and outcast changed their hair color with concoctions. It was splotchy and obvious. This girl’s hair appeared natural. Thin green eyebrows rested over the orange eyes. She was beautiful. What the hell? I shook my head. Taken aback at my own thoughts. She shifted, her stare suddenly piercing.

“Um, wha-, what group are you from?” I stammered.

The girl’s face hardened, then she spoke.

“Quid intuemini,” she said. Her voice was musical, but sharp. Her expression grew more aggressive, and I turned away.

“The hell she say?” Jazz asked, raising his eyebrows.

“I, I, Don’t know. I’ve never heard that before.”

Ignoring my burning cheeks and focusing. As a standard, all from settlements spoke the same language the faith taught. Heathens were the only ones fluent in other forms of speech, for obvious reasons. I knew enough to try at least one alternative dialect.

“Tu groupo,” I said, pointing at the beaten man sitting closer to her. I think that means what’s your group. Close, I hoped. The girl looked at me, her eyes still narrow.

“Ok, so she weird. Well, let’s get out of here,” Jazz said. rolling awkwardly out of his seat. He scooted towards the wall and slammed his bound hands against the edge of a low shelf.

A thought came to me. “What if she’s from the Solarr?” I asked.

“Ex, we don’t have time for that shit right now,” Jazz’s voice hardened as he continued his struggle.

“Uh. Yeah.” He’s right, we need to get loose. I wiggled my leg. A familiar taping against my calve made one corner of my mouth pull up. “They didn’t get my knife.”

Jazz wormed his way over and, with a few awkward bends, snagged the weapon and commenced to work.

I couldn’t help but shoot glances towards the mysterious girl as Jazz finished his escape. Once free, he grabbed my contender from where it lay, then started in on my restraints. The girl’s eye looked us over, scrutinizing every move. She must be from somewhere else. She glanced away when our eyes met.

“You’re loose kid,” Jazz said, handing me back my knife and gun. He rummaged around in the open cabinets, tossing me his findings. I whipped on my belts, bandolier, then shoved my pistol and blaster in their holsters. A welcome relief to have them back. Jazz continued to loot the room for other weapons.

The heathen from the road had a deep wound across his forehead and blood seeped from his left ear. Gently lifting his eyelids, his retinas stared blankly. “I’m truly sorry,” I whispered. Moving past him, the female eyed my approach. Growing more rigid.

“Te ayudare,” I said, stepping closer. There was no sign of understanding. Must not be the language she was speaking. Unlike Jazz and I, the girl’s chair had thick metal arms that her wrists were bound to. I drug the blade across the wrapped bands once, noting the feel of the suit when a finger grazed it. Scaly. A dark hand clamped around my wrist.

“The hell are you doing Ex,” Jazz asked, his retinas ablaze. A bead of sweat ran down his bald head. “We need to get out of here now.”

“We can’t just leave her. They’ll kill her. She isn’t from any of the heathen groups or settlements! We could get her to take us where she is from, get away from this crap and Owls and all of it. Besides, if she is that tough, we need her.”

“We can’t go there because there is nowhere! She an odd one, sure, but she is just another person. And she probably try to kill us.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. We be fine.”

My jaw set, I pulled free of his grip. “I’m not leaving her here to be burned. I’m still leaving the sacred land, Jazz.”

He grabbed my shoulder and squeezed hard, his face a flurry of emotions. Then jamming a long finger in my chest. “Why are you so hung up on this? I should’a just left you tied up and carried you out. Get yourself killed. I don’t care. Damn you.”

“Come on Jazz-,” he spun and jogged out the door, a blaster in each hand.

Damn it! Whatever. I shifted back to the girl.

“Discedite captivum,” she spoke, her expression still hard.

I shook my head. The words were so bizarre. I’d never heard them spoke. “Look, I’m just going to help.” I held my hands flat up, trying to convey no harm intended. Her edge didn’t fade.

Jazz couldn’t take down everyone he encountered in his escape. Eventually, one would come for us. I ran the knife over the girl’s left restraint. Once loose, moved to her right. Before the blade met the second binding, something gripped my hair and forced my face hard to her knee. Coughing as my mouth refilled with the copper taste of blood and falling to my side, I tried focusing.

She was removing her binds with my knife, shooting nervous glances my way. Looking to the H.A.G, then to me as she hastily worked. Why would she do that? Does she think I’m an enemy?

I staggered to my feet as the girl bolted to the exit. Her orange eyes glared over her shoulder. “Why?” I wailed. Fresh pain from my jaw blended with the accumulating aches over my body.

Taking a clumsy step, I attempted to follow. Before she reached the door, it slid open. Two Inquisitors and a male from Titan’s Wrath burst into the room. In an instant, the green-haired escapee sunk my knife into the chest of the closest enemy. In the same stride she kicked out, the heel of her heavy boot bending the heathen’s leg unnaturally. He cried and collapsed. She hurled two hard fists into the face of the remaining inquisitor. Then jumped, driving her left knee into his chin. Without slowing, she vanished around the corner, her opponents piled on the ground.

How was that even possible?