BooksBarbecue
Back Rapture
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. 1.
  5. 2.
  6. 3.
  7. 4.
  8. 5.
  9. 6.
  10. 7.
  11. 8.
  12. 9.
  13. 10.
  14. 11.
  15. 12.
  16. 13.
  17. 14.
  18. 15.
  19. 16.
  20. 17.
  21. 18.
  22. 19.
  23. 20.
  24. 21.
  25. 22.
  26. 23.
  27. 24.
  28. 25.
  29. 26.
  30. 27.
  31. 28.
  32. 29.
  33. 30.
  34. 31.
  35. 32.
  36. 33.
  37. 34.
  38. 35.
  39. 36.
  40. 37.
  41. 38.
  42. 39.
  43. 40.
  44. 41.
  45. 42.
  46. 43.
  47. 44.
  48. 45.
  49. 46.
  50. 47.
  51. 48.
  52. 49.
  53. 50.
  54. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Safiyah smiled. “Well, you know, I would have had to trek all the way back to Nasheen to enter, then pop out here. Easier to get over the Wall where we were.”

“Catshit,” Nyx said. “Who the fuck are you?”

“I recommend we address that concern at another venture,” Safiyah said. “I am losing their scent. You want to find Raine, or you want a pretty story? I, for one, am interested to see this through.”

Rhys watched Nyx mull that over. What more did she have to lose? He certainly had nothing. Rhys glanced back at Ahmed and Isabet. He wondered which of them would run off first. Isabet, most likely. How had she ended up here with Nyx in the first place?

“Go on,” Nyx said. “Get us to wherever Raine is. Then I want some answers.”

“Answers just lead to more questions,” Safiyah said. “But, as you like.”

She clapped her hands, and the wall next to her parted. A perfect, oily cavern opened up—a portal to God alone knew where.

Safiyah stepped inside. Nyx went after her.

Rhys looked back. The red desert and dead arthropods, or something unknown? Anything will be better than here, he thought, and stepped through.

40.

Nyx stepped into humid air. The world was awash in blue-gray dusk—or dawn?—and all around her, massive, twisted trees clawed at the sky. Their monstrous leaves dripped great globs of water onto her face and shoulders. If it wasn’t so fucking cold, she would have been grateful for it after so long in the desert.

Ahead, Safiyah was struggling to get over a mossy dead tree half as tall as she was. “Hurry!” she said. “They’re just ahead!” Nyx saw lights through the trees.

She ran after Safiyah, pausing to help the others over the tree trunk. Isabet was pulling leaves from the trees and dumping the water on her head.

Nyx slogged after Safiyah. Bracken and sticky flowers clung to Nyx’s burnous. She batted them away, hoping none of them were poisonous. She broke through the forest cover a few minutes after Safiyah, and found herself staring over a lush, rolling valley. After so long in the desert, it was like stepping onto some alien world. A city spread below them, protected by a shimmering filter that flickered and flared like some dying thing. Someone had infected it. Nyx expected they would find great black patches of rot on it if they got closer.

“Where the fuck are we?” Nyx asked.

“Ras Tieg,” Isabet said, from behind her.