Chapter 10
‘Where’s Samuel, our other man?’ I ask the guard escorting us to our horses.
‘He’s been removed.’ He points to the dirt road we took to get here.
I stare at the six long whiskers making up this guy’s goatee. They kicked Sam out – and nobody died? ‘Did you at least give him back his weapons?’
He nods. ‘We’ve also been watching him on the entrance road. Don’t worry. He’s protected.’ His hand lifts to shake mine. ‘I’m Fitzgerald. I’ll take you back to your camp to retrieve your friend’s things.’
As Fitzgerald leads, I try to think. The whole situation is a mess.
It would have been nice going in to know that the Commander had the temperament of an infected plague sore.
But what I mostly regret is how I handled her.
I should have had more finesse. Less attack. Now she’s going to get us kicked out.
Levi rides up to me. ‘So … that was interesting,’ he says, voice lowered.
I glance ahead at Fitzgerald, who’s a ways in front of us.
‘You want to talk about what happened back there in the creepy room? Looks like you had quite the’ – he half covers his mouth – ‘awakening.’
My head jerks in his direction.
He smirks. ‘You know who I’m talking about. You were staring at her. A lot.’
I clench my jaw at the reminder of Marian. She looked even smaller without that hood and those oversized rags covering her. How in the world did she take down me and two other men like we were nothing more than a bunch of mindless sheep? Honestly, I can’t help but be … impressed.
Until I remember she’s a thief.
‘Come on, man. Give me something. You flat-out asked who she was in the middle of a business meeting.’
My lips tighten as I study Fitzgerald for signs of listening.
Now isn’t the time to explain that Marian’s the raider from last night.
Or that the reason she wants us gone is that I know her secret.
She’s going to be a problem. She could cost us this coal deal and our lives if the Commander believes her accusations.
Although, I do have the upper hand. I just don’t know how I want to use it. Turning her in could easily backfire. But using her secret to get what we want isn’t really my style. I don’t deal in threats.
Yet, I can’t take anything off the table.
Levi wags a brow. ‘You can say it – she’s a total siren.’
I nudge Duke to walk faster.
Levi does the same to his horse, catching up. ‘Come on, you don’t think so?’
Those large, defiant eyes definitely held me for a moment. ‘I’m not sure it matters.’
Levi chuckles, irritatingly.
I squint, looking as far as I can down the road. ‘Just so you know, you’re gonna have to leave with Samuel.’
‘What?!’ he demands.
Fitzgerald angles his ear towards us, so I lower my voice and speak quickly.
‘You and Sam should search for coal at the next two settlements on the map. They’re a couple of days’ ride east of here.
’ The Commander seemed adamant he holds the monopoly, but he could be lying.
In fact, he’s probably lying. And when he inevitably tries to screw us over on a terrible deal, we’ll need leverage to negotiate a better one. ‘We have to know our options.’
‘Me and Samuel?’ Levi repeats slowly. ‘Together?’ He shakes his head. ‘No no no no no. New plan.’
‘Like what? Levi, I can’t leave, and Samuel will be killed out there alone. Not to mention, we’re pressed for time.’
Levi laughs without humour. ‘I – respectfully – think the cheese has slid off your toast here, man. Samuel’s need for violence vastly surpasses my will to live. If you force us together, I’m not making it home.’
‘Okay, then tell me a better plan.’ The truth is Levi’s smart enough to survive a couple of weeks with anyone. It’s just going to require him to grow up.
He’s silent as we pass the precarious homes of the people here – the Dresden, they call them.
I haven’t seen poverty like this in a long time.
The shacks are connected, almost forming a ring.
Some have multiple floors, built on to the trees.
We veer west into the forest, and not long after, I’m pleasantly surprised to find our tents and the food we suspended high up between two trees still there.
Between the people and wildlife, I wasn’t holding my breath.
It’s the reason weapons and valuables usually go with us.
‘So what’s it going to be?’ I ask Levi as I open Sam’s tent to pack it up. ‘You come up with a different plan?’
He drops his head, then his eyes glint with something mischievous.
‘I’ll go with Samuel on one condition …’ He turns to Fitzgerald, who’s staring at our old-world tents like they’re a puzzle.
We probably should have found some animal-hide ones before we left Kingsland.
‘You got anywhere around here to take a swim?’
I remove my shirt and toss it on to some rocks by the shore. ‘Samuel’s not going to be happy about waiting.’
Levi shucks his trousers. ‘But he will be happy that he doesn’t have to smell me for the next week.’ Levi hops around on one foot, pulling off a sock. ‘I wish he’d extend me the same courtesy.’
I’m not sure that’s our top priority right now, but siphoning more information about how things work here from Fitzgerald is. Anything to help us come up with a much-needed plan.
After grabbing the piece of soap I tucked in my pocket, I strip off the rest of my clothes and wade into the water.
Levi does the same. The small pond is fed by a waterfall across the way, and the water temperature is mostly freezing.
I do a shallow dive, dunking completely, then stand and push the water back from my hair.
Fitzgerald remains on the shore, and he’s … laughing?
‘What?’ This better not be where they dump their sewage.
‘You know this is for swimming.’ He crosses one leg over the other, making himself comfortable against a tree. ‘For everyone … including our women.’
Levi’s head jerks up. His hands dive into the water, covering for modesty.
‘Well,’ Fitzgerald corrects, ‘for anyone who’s not Dresden. Us guards have wash houses with bucket showers across from the barracks and a few tubs inside if a bath is your thing. But you said swimming … so.’
I scan the shoreline and trees. The waterfall spills from the middle of a small cliff, suggesting a channel back there.
I don’t spot another person anywhere, but that doesn’t stop the feeling that somebody is watching – and imagining it’s a certain guard with long, dark hair does get my heart pumping.
Should I be expecting an arrow to the back? ‘Why can’t the Dresden come here?’
Fitzgerald shrugs. ‘Because they’re … usually dirty from the mine. And … I don’t know, the Commander likes to separate us.’
‘You’re not allowed to go swimming if you’re dirty?’ Levi asks.
At least Fitzgerald has the class to cringe. ‘Look, I don’t make the rules, and it’s obviously not about race.’ He gestures to his brown skin. ‘It’s just – if you want to stay in Notting, you do what they tell you. What the Commander tells you. Simple.’
I slap a floating leaf away from me. The Commander does seem to rule with the charm of a rabid goat. Which means he won’t let me get away with not answering his questions for long.
‘We’re constantly told that the people we take in for the mine are not the best people,’ Fitzgerald continues.
‘The Dresden come with problems. They’re prone to disorder.
Violence. That’s why we preventatively keep them on a short leash.
Half my job is to make sure they don’t steal coal from the mine. ’
My jaw tightens as Levi and I share a look. It all sounds a little heavy-handed.
When he doesn’t say more, I dunk and scrub my hair. Ironic that the Commander keeps the Dresden on a short leash because they’re prone to theft – but it’s Marian, his daughter, who’s stealing from them all.
Unless I stop her.