Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
SLOAN
All through the night and into the following day, Sloan and Ashley aided families in readying for their journey to Term. Neither woman was comfortable with the task, but both understood that right now this was where they could help the most.
Swords sheathed, vampire super soldier and the undead woman aided residents in packing, loading, and even held children while their parents got their belongings together.
The staging area for the departure was the road leading out from the west side of Term.
Most of the town had accepted the call to flee.
Only a few of the most stubborn remained behind.
Sloan hadn’t eaten or slept all day, and neither had she felt the need to. The changes still happening to her body so far were ones she could live with. Sloan’s mind was already running wild with the idea of how much she could accomplish if she didn’t have to sleep.
“Kristen! Kristen!” a man in his mid-thirties called after his young daughter as she ran over to Sloan, brown eyes large. “Leave the nice lady alone, Kristen.”
“Are you a fighter? A real-life warrior?” The girl ignored her father, looking up at Sloan with awe. “Everyone says you’re going to protect us. Well, after they said that you’re the reason we all have to go.”
Sloan squatted down. She still wasn’t eye level with the girl. “I’m going to make sure you and your dad have enough time to get to Azra, where you’ll be safe.”
“I’m sorry.” Kristen’s father ran up to his daughter and lifted her into his arms. “I don’t know where she gets some of these ideas.”
Sloan was about to respond with a sarcastic response, when Kimberly’s booming voice filled the staging area.
“All right, humans, gargoyles, shifters, and other members of the paranormal race, we’re heading to Azra.
I have runners already informing the city of our arrival.
My men and I will act as our caravan’s guards.
If we push hard, we’ll reach Azra in four, maybe five, days’ time. ”
Sloan took a moment to gauge the gathered groups’ reaction to Kimberly’s words.
There were more people making the pilgrimage than Sloan had initially thought.
It seemed like the city of Term was surprisingly populated.
Families stood side-by-side, squinting in the day’s setting sun.
Thick ropes and cords strapped overloaded carts holding everything from desks to rugs.
The horses and donkeys harnessed to the carts and wagons pawed at the ground, sensing the nervous energy in the air.
All together, Sloan guessed there were more than a thousand people making the journey to Azra. So many people forced to leave their homes. How many more would find themselves in similar positions when the queen descended on the Outland in force?
Aareth sided up next to Sloan, wrestling her from her thoughts. “Ashley and I are leaving. You should leave, too.”
“I can’t, but I wanted to say I’m sorry.” Sloan forced the words from her mouth. Not because she wasn’t sincere, but because it had been so long since she had apologized to anyone. “You’re right. You deserve to be happy with your wife. You’ve done and sacrificed enough in the name of the crown.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Aareth held her gaze, his dark brown eyes searching her own for words that didn’t exist. “I was out of line for bringing up Oliver. I deserved that beating and more. If I thought I could talk you out of staying, I would.”
Sloan nodded along with Aareth’s words. She extended her right hand. “Aareth Emerson, I hope you and your wife find peace.”
Sloan felt Aareth grip her hand, strong but not crushing.
“Edison and Elwood won’t leave with us.” Aareth released Sloan’s hand. “I know your plate is full, but if you can … ?”
“I’ll look out for them.” Sloan nodded to Aareth’s request.
Already a lump was forming in Sloan’s throat.
She wasn’t going to cry, but neither could she deny the weight of the moment.
Why did she care so much? Aareth and Ashley had done their duty.
In a way, Sloan was even happy to see them go.
They would be away from all of the killing, from all of the dying.
A rogue idea entered Sloan’s mind as Aareth gave her one last smile and turned to leave. She cared, because he and Ashley were among the few people she could call friends. That was a short list, and seemed to be getting shorter by the day.
Kimberly’s voice droned on as she gave final instructions to the caravan. The words that interrupted Sloan from her train of thought were: “Okay, everyone ready? Let’s move!”
Sloan shook her mind free of friends, found and lost. If she was going to stand a chance against the enemy vampires who would come with the night, then she had to be of one mind, focused and ready to do whatever was needed to survive.
She made her way back through the deserted town. The sun was just lowering past the horizon. In a few hours, night would come. Term had never been the hub of commerce, but it was especially dead now. The handful of people too stubborn to leave had barricaded themselves in their homes.
Sloan hoped they would eventually run, as well, once they realized they had no chance against the vampire soldiers. Like her, like Aareth, that was a choice they had to make for themselves.
Sloan positioned herself in the middle of the main street leading into Term. Her boots kicked up lonely puffs of dirt as she chose where she was going to make a stand. Whether by random coincidence or some underlying subliminal thought, the place she chose was in front of The Shifter.
She pushed back thoughts of Kade. She had looked for him in the gathered crowd, to no avail. He had most likely gone ahead, or she had missed him in the throng. Either way, he was part of her past now, a fond memory and nothing more.
“Well, girl,” Sloan said aloud to herself. “Here we go again.”