WALL MEN: A Vow Broken (The Wall Men 2)

But for me, this news of my parents is another shock to my system. I married the man who’s responsible for their deaths. I know he didn’t kill them himself, but it was his decision to summon my mom for a Blood Battle rematch against Benicio. I just don’t know how to feel about this, other than none of this feels right. None of it.

“Where are we?” I ask, waking in the dark next to Master. Both of us are lying on the ground in not-so-soft dirt. Above us is a darkest sky I’ve ever seen, like an abyss of nothingness. A red shooting star blazes overhead, leaving a purple trail. It’s a haunting light show.

I look over to my side, and dozens of bonfires are lit all over the grassy hillside where we’re camped. The giants are sitting, roasting meat on sticks and talking about how good the food is. Delicious! And Mmmm… Better than my mother’s cooking.

“Hungry?” Tiago asks from the nearest bonfire about ten feet away.

“Yes, but I can’t eat Flier meat. And I really need clean water to drink—none of the disgusting nectar.”

“You will eat what we eat. Or the people will see it as an insult.”

No. God no. “What are we eating?”

“A delicacy. Baby snails.”

I’ve tried escargot before. Not my favorite, but it was edible. Definitely better than Flier eggs, which taste like rotting pus mixed with burnt popcorn and mustard. “How about clean water?”

“I have sweet water.”

“No, Tiago. No more animal semen. I’d rather drink my own piss.”

He chuckles. “I will keep that in mind. However, sweet water is the juice from the serpent tuber.”

I crinkle my nose. Tubers are okay. Yams, potatoes, ginger. “Does this tuber happen to be made of serpent?”

“It merely looks like one. Long. Sort of squiggly. I promise you will like it.” He hands me a large hollowed-out nutshell the size of a crockpot.

I take it and sniff. Smells like honey and lemon. I take a sip, and I’m not at all disappointed. “That’s pretty good.”

“Now try the baby snail.” He passes me a chunk of dark meat from a skewer roasting over his fire. The serving is about the size of my head.

I give it a sniff. Smells kind of like chicken.

I look up at him, doubting if this is truly edible.

“Go ahead, Lake Norfolk. Try it.”

Hungry, I go in for a taste. I take the tiniest bite, ready to spit out whatever this is. But immediately I’m reminded of roasted turkey on Thanksgiving Day. “Wow. This is good. Why didn’t you give it to me before?”

“We were not on Shell People land.”

“So?”

“So these are delicacies only found here.”

“Like a black truffle?” I ask.

“I do not know what a truffle is.”

“A sort of mushroom that grows underground.” It’s more than that, but I don’t know how else to describe it.

I take another bite of the snail and swallow it. I’m not joking when I say I’ve never eaten such tender, juicy meat. I wash it down with more tuber juice.

“I am pleased you like it, Lake. Especially considering very few in our world are lucky enough to ever taste it.”

I gulp down the contents in my mouth. “Why?”

“The meat can only be found on Shell People burial grounds.”

“Oh God.” I cover my mouth.

“The tender baby snail only comes from a Shell Woman who has yet to give birth. So one must harvest the fetus within hours of her death. Thus, it is a delicacy.”

“You. Nasty. SOB!” I turn and gag, releasing everything in my stomach. I swear I’ll kill him the first chance I get. Of course, I don’t say it out loud. That’s not a vow I’m willing to put down in writing or die for.

He chuckles. “Oh…come on. You enjoyed the food until I told you what it was.”

I can’t believe him. “You’ll pay for this.”

“Already have. Because while you slept, I did get you water. I had to climb to the caves of the Shell King to access the aquifer. And I traded my prized beard trimmings for this.” He flashes a plastic bag of beef jerky in his hand. “But do not let the others see.”

“Where did you get that?” I whisper.

“Every society has a black market. Where do you think Bard got his dark roast coffee?”

My jaw drops. “You mean his special beans?”

“They came straight from our own fields. He paid dearly to have them smuggled to him every few months.”

I loved his coffee. But now I know he was cheating! His brew was always better than mine. “And where is this cave you went to for the water?” I want to know because if it’s drinkable, I might need to find it myself.

He points to the ground under his feet. “The crevasse is several miles back, but the water is directly below us.”