Clanless (36 page)

Jennifer has three children who are experts at naming her characters, one loving, supportive husband, a dog with little-man syndrome, and three chickens (of whom she is secretly afraid). Visit her online at
www.jajenkins.com

NAMELESS

Praise for NAMELESS

“Jenkins brings edge-of-your-seat adventure to this intriguing new world. I can’t wait to read more!” - Jessica Day George,
Tuesdays at the Castle

“Solid worldbuilding draws readers in … Readers will be cheering for the underdogs and begging for the second volume.” -
Kirkus Reviews

“Electrifying and intense and instantly and completely captivating, NAMELESS is one of those reads that will make you race through the pages to find out what’s going to happen next.” -
Fiktshun

“Amazing fantasy read that will leave you breathless and with the worst book hangover! If you are a YA fantasy lover you need to pick this one up!” -
Dark Faerie Tales

“Wow … WOW, WOW, WOW! I have no words to describe how much I love this book. Jenkins writes characters who are just so easy to love, and when you love a character it makes the book so much better. And I loved all the characters. Zo, Tess, Joshua and Gryphon. Gryphon is definitely my favorite - but who wouldn’t love Gryphon? Of course I do have a soft spot for our heroine, Zo.” - Bri,
Once Upon A Twilight

“NAMELESS is epic storytelling at its best. My mind is still reeling from the world that I have just been immersed in and I don’t want to leave it. Can I please have the sequel NOW? Because I need to know what happens next but in the meantime I’m just going to re-read it again and again. Is it that good, you may ask? Hell yes!!! And you will think so too. Trust me.” - Nancy,
Tales of A Ravenous Reader

“To say that I love this book is an understatement. It completely blew me away! I am so happy that I took a chance on it. NAMELESS is one book that you can re-read over and over again and it will still feel fresh! I cannot wait for the world to read it and fall under the NAMELESS spell. Because that’s what I feel like I am under, a spell that has me trapped in Zo’s world and won’t let me out! I don’t want out!” - Damaris,
Good Choice Reading

“Wow this one was addictive!! For fans of
An Ember in the Ashes
,
Under the Never Sky
, and
The Winner’s Curse, Nameless
captured my attention and held it until the very end. Quick read. Slowburn romance. Great world-buildling. Awesome plot.” - Rachel,
A Perfection Called Books

“From the start of the story until the very last page, Jennifer Jenkins took me on an emotional ride. Through action, and heartbreak, and healing and relationships forming out of hatred and mistrust, she has created a story of hope and faith and choosing how you want to live your life, and the beliefs that you want to hold, regardless of others around you.” - Jaime,
The Best Books Ever

“Fantasy fans, do not miss out on this epic new series. It’s got everything that you could ever possibly want out of a all-consuming fantasy book: fierce characters, twisty plot, stunning world building, captivating prose and my favorite, a romance that will make you want to shout out your love for the couple at the top of your lungs. Do yourself a favor, and buy this book right away.” - Nick,
Nick’s Book Blog

Chapter 1

Zo couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t fear the Ram. Even after the raid, when so much of her fear had turned to hate, the fear still existed beneath. It was a foundation that she came to rely upon. A constant.

Sleeping under a fir tree so close to Ram’s Gate went against her very nature. While her body revolted, she couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to be. Zo choked down the beastly fear clawing its way up her throat and smiled like this was just another assignment. “It’s time, Gabe.”

Her guard, Gabe, rested on soggy pine needles beside her. His hands were tucked behind his shaggy blond head, eyes closed in feigned sleep. He used to lay like that, with his arms arrogantly thrown back and his chest puffed out like he owned the world, when they were kids. The river would rush by carrying rumors of starving clans and battles lost—heartache that pulled tight strings of tension throughout Zo’s body—while Gabe just laid back and chewed on a grass root.

Today, Gabe’s pretend-sleep didn’t fool Zo any more than it ever had. They both knew he hadn’t slept soundly since they’d left the Allied Camp a week ago. With eyes still closed, Gabe frowned as Zo left the protection of his side to bundle her bedroll. She crawled out from under the skirt of the enormous fir tree. Its sweeping limbs that kissed the uneven ground had kept them as safe as one could be in this godforsaken region. Behind her, Gabe growled impatiently as he gathered his things to follow.

“There’s no need to rush this.” He pushed the branch aside and threw out his pack with more force than necessary. Zo flinched, not used to seeing her childhood friend angry.

“You didn’t wake me for my watch again,” said Zo, unsurprised. Ever since they’d left the Allies, Gabe had been insanely overprotective.

“You need your sleep.”

“And you don’t?”

Gabe sighed and scooped a blob of mud from the newly thawed earth. He frowned and smeared it along the curved planes of Zo’s face and neck. The cool mud felt surprisingly comforting, but it could have just been Gabe’s touch. His capable hands shook while lines of worry deepened across his brow.

“This won’t work.” He stopped and cupped his muddy hand at the base of her neck, his blue eyes pleading. “You’re too pretty. A little mud can’t change that.”

Zo yanked on the sleeve of her shirt until the seam split then ripped and frayed the cuff of her pant legs. Young, unarmed women just didn’t go on casual strolls through the perilous hills of the Ram. Commander Laden said she needed to look desperate if she wanted them to believe her story. Her lie.

As if looking desperate is hard,
Zo thought.

Gabe stood a full head taller than Zo. Despite his large frame, he could outrun a jackrabbit and his mind was just as quick. A valuable weapon for the Allies. But with all of his abilities, he was not the one walking into the lion’s den this morning.

He untwisted the strap of Zo’s medical satchel and let out a long breath before dropping his hands to his sides.

“I’ll miss you,” said Zo. Her voice carried the mechanical cadence she’d adopted several years ago. A small part of her—the part that wasn’t dead—hated disappointing Gabe. He’d done so much for her and her little sister, Tess, since they’d journeyed from the Valley of Wolves to live with Commander Laden and the Allies.

Thinking of her wild, eight-year-old sister brought a temporary smile to Zo’s muddied face. She couldn’t think of Tess and not imagine her tromping through the forest trying to catch squirrels and sneak up on rabbits. It was her second favorite thing to do, next to following Zo around the Allied Camp. The little tick wouldn’t take her absence well. Zo had left a note and arranged for her care, but that didn’t mean the kid wouldn’t be furious.

Gabe pressed his cold hands to Zo’s face and forced her to look at him. “Come back with me, Zo. Let Commander Laden send someone else. Someone with less to lose.”

“We’re not doing this again.” Zo pulled away. She had begged for this mission, and she would see it through. No matter what the cost. The Allies desperately needed information that only she could provide, if they hoped to defeat the most powerful military force in the region.

Gabe’s hands curled into fists. His voice rose to carry over the wind that whipped his unruly hair. “Entering Ram’s Gate is suicide! We don’t even know if you can get the information Laden’s after.”

The truth was far worse than Gabe could possibly know. He hadn’t heard what life would be like inside the Gate. They would eventually discover her, and once they did, they’d kill her. Plain and simple.

There were worse things a person could endure.

She’d do anything for the Cause.

“Goodbye, Gabe.” She kissed his frozen, whiskered cheek.

His hand clamped down on Zo’s wrist and he yanked her into a fierce embrace. “I’ll be close, waiting to help you escape the minute you send word.” He smoothed down her wild, dark hair. “I’ll find a way to keep you safe, Zo. I swear it.”

Zo forced a hollow smile, for Gabe’s sake. “Look after Tess. Tell her I’m doing this for her. Tell her I’m doing it for our parents.”

She left Gabe standing frozen in the low light of morning.

After a hard climb, Zo reached the towering wall of Ram’s Gate. The wall was comprised of redwood logs at least four feet in diameter and fifty feet tall, bound together with heavy rope and shaved to a point at the top. Black tar and broken glass glimmered along the high rim of the wall to discourage clans foolish enough to attack, and souls brave enough to dare escape.

Zo looked right and left and saw no end to the wall through the thick maze of aspen and evergreens. From her training with Commander Laden, she knew the giant wall ran for miles in each direction until it reached the cliffs that dropped off to the freezing ocean below. Inside the wall were hundreds of acres of farmlands, mountainous forests, and enough homes to house thousands of Ram and the slaves they called “Nameless.”

Calmer than a sane person should be, Zo dropped to her knees in the shadow of the ominous wall. Knowing these might be the last free moments of her life, she allowed herself to think about things that were normally buried deep within her. The memory of her mother’s soft skin. The safety of her father’s smile. Tess’ dimples and her eagerness to please, despite her stubborn ways.

The moment was as sweet as it was brief. But it was hers.

Deep-voiced drums boomed and the enormous gate rose inch by inch. Men shouted orders and whips cracked. Through the gap of the slow-rising gate she saw at least forty men in tattered animal hides with harnesses on their backs. They slipped through mud while struggling to turn a giant wheel connected to a thick chain to raise the gate.

The Nameless. The Ram had kept slaves for hundreds of years, some were captured, others came willingly, while most were born into the lowly title.

Instinct told her to run, but fear and determination kept her frozen in place. She locked the people she loved back into the cage that was her heart and prepared to face her enemy.

Zo pressed her nose into the icy mud in a show of submission. The drums ceased and the silence echoed in her chest like a painful heartbeat.

The metal of short swords clinked against armor as men approached. She peeked up to sight of a bald leader walking ahead of a wall of six soldiers. His cold eyes seemed too big for his head, protuberant like those of a frog.

“Get up,” the leader commanded.

Zo climbed to her feet but kept her gaze focused on the man’s fur-lined boots.

“State your name and clan,” he ordered.