Sparrows & Sacrifice

by Nellie K Neves

  “So, you left on your own,” I finished for her.

  She shrugged, as if it didn’t matter at all. “She was already dead when I got here, but I was in too deep the second they laid hands on me.”

  “Who was Rico?”

  “Another mistake of mine.” Her frustrated tone reminded me of her father. “He was Deidra’s ex-boyfriend. He lost contact with her and insisted on joining me. I never could have imagined it was this bad. If I had, I wouldn’t have brought him.”

  “But you told your father Rico was your—”

  Her grin tilted but only on the left side. Rebellion sparked in her eyes. “I know, I said Rico was my boyfriend. I was feeling dad out for some information.” A snide laugh tightened her chest. “And if I got a rise out of him while I was there, all the better.”

  Tasha’s tough act didn’t fool me. “You wanted to know if it would bother him, his only child wandering off into the woods with her bohemian boyfriend. You wanted to see if he cared at all.”

  The lantern flickered, but I saw the tension pull tight at her cheeks as she pursed her lips. “A lot of good it did me. It wasn’t like he cared.”

  If I’d been a different person, I might have assured her that he not only cared, but was distraught over her disappearance. But I didn’t have time for her personal issues.

  “So what? Rico couldn’t cut it?”

  “Once we stumbled on to Eden’s Haven property, it wasn’t like we could ask where Deidra had gone.” Her jaw went slack as she remembered that time. “Rico claimed me, but we never had chemistry. Once we knew Deidra died, Rico lost it. Not that he was worth much before then, but Cyrus saw him as a liability and assigned him to a special mission. I knew he wouldn’t come back, so I stuffed that paper in the bottom of his shoe in hopes that it would find my father.”

  “Why are you in the house? How do you have rights that no other woman does?”

  She wore her arrogance like a medal of honor. “The answers were in the house, so I became what Cyrus wanted, even before Rico disappeared. I could feel myself weakening every day in the women’s camp. The food, the evidence, freedom, everything was in the main house.” Her left eyebrow twitched upward. “Now I’m his favorite, and that gives me more liberty than most.”

  She’d likely gotten Rico killed. She saw her endgame and, once he was no longer useful, she left him to the wolves.

  Tasha sensed my thoughts and said, “I never said I was a good person, Sparrow.”

  A final question burned in my mind. “How did Deidra die?”

  Her lip trembled once. She bit down so hard I thought she might draw blood.

  “They said sickness, a fever they couldn’t calm, but Lavender served with her in the house. She said she heard screaming in the night and then a horrible sound, choking or gasping, and then it was silent.” Two tears rolled down Tasha’s face. She made no move to wipe them away or apologize. “Cyrus made Lavender dump the body in the pit the next day. He strangled Deidra to death.”

  Rage crept across her features. Though silent, her fury was built from abuse and torment. She’d endured months in the house, and I dared not ask what that meant. Her skin wore no scars, but they were there, hidden in plain sight. The night filtered in around us, the soft patter of rain on the tin, crickets singing their evening song, a couple of children cried in the night. Tasha was as much a prisoner as I was.

  “Can you trust anyone?” she asked after a moment.

  “Ryder,” I answered.

  “I mean on your side. No one walks out of this place. I’ve seen them gun down deserters without hesitation. I can make contact with your partner relatively easily, but I need to be able to get information to you if we’re going to escape.”

  “Harmony.” I surprised myself with my quick response. “Or Genesis, but Harmony moves between both sides with ease. She’s a part of the rebellion so it makes sense to involve her…” I trailed off when her eyes widened. I realized she didn’t know.

  “There are people here who want to overthrow Cyrus and his men. They’re building some sort of plan. For all I know, they’ve done it on this mission.”

  “They’re going to get themselves killed.” It wasn’t an opinion. Tasha’s mind raced with options, allies she never knew she had were appearing from the woodwork. “If they make it back, we can make this work. I have almost everything I need. Cyrus is dealing in illegal weapons, drugs, all of it. DEA will have a field day with him.”

  “There are photographs in his office, evidence from deaths. It may not be much, but it would give you something to chase,” I said.

  “That was you?” she asked. I nodded and her same eyebrow arched up again. “They assumed it was a house girl. Coral took a beating for you.”

  I felt horrible, but I knew my guilt would get me nowhere with Tasha. “I did what I had to do.”

  “I know the feeling.” Tasha pushed herself back to her feet. “A new delivery of guns should come in next week. If we can get our hands on them before the rest of the compound, we might actually stand a chance at overthrowing this place.” She paused. “How were you planning on getting me out anyway?”

  Fishing into my shirt I pulled out the sparrow medallion. “If I press this twice it triggers an SOS. I can have Ryder alert your father and pass on any information we want—time, location, even ask him to reach out to the FBI.”

  Tasha nodded, obviously buoyed up by our prior planning. “If he comes back.” Her hand extended to me. I let her help me to my feet. I wobbled but she steadied me. Maybe she felt responsible for locking me in the shed in the first place.

  “Go back to your cabin tonight. Business as usual. Talk to Harmony, see if she’ll run information between us.” The door creaked as she swung it open with her free hand. “Next week, we’ll get out of this nightmare.”

  “Won’t anyone notice that I’m not in the shed anymore?”

  “No.” Stress swept over her features. “The children are sick, some virus that they can’t shake. A little girl died last night. There’ll be more if we can’t get them some help.”

  I stalled on her words. A little girl died last night.

  My legs received strength on adrenaline alone. Her name hummed on my lips, the little girl who once told me her real name was Chloe.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Light still streamed from the cabin. Lanterns late at night meant trouble. Deep coughing bounced off the walls as I pulled open the door. I ignored their shouts of surprise. I had to know.

  My eyes scanned the bunks until I found Fern’s and a soft exhale escaped my chest. Fern fussed over Moonlight, a damp rag in her hand to cool her daughter’s fervid brow, but the fever wouldn’t break.

  Ignoring the insistence of others that I should sleep or change or eat, I offered up my services to help the ill. I’d helped Willow, and I felt confident I could replicate it. I worked with Genesis and Fern through the late hours and into the next morning. While most of the children had some variation of the virus, fifteen children showed the most severe symptoms. Rasping coughs, blistering fevers accompanied by body aches, some so pale I feared every breath was their last.

  I found Harmony in the makeshift kitchen. She threw her arms around me while simultaneously adoring and admonishing me for my stupidity. Though we were both tired, though we were in no shape to deal with any of it, I knew I had no choice but to tell Harmony the real reason I was at Eden’s Haven. She and Genesis had been my allies and my instincts told me to trust them.

  If we were going to survive, it was time that I started trusting my instincts again.

  Chapter 31

  As dawn broke, I felt assured that everyone had survived. Harmony and Genesis took the truth pretty well, all things considered. Though we had to act as though nothing had changed, overnight everything had.

  I gathered up a basket of apples to carry to those women who still went about their jobs. I tried to focus on my duties, but at the same time I felt as though I saw the compound for the first time. I spo
tted three good lookout points, two other places we could set up a stronghold to keep the enemy separated from the innocents. I knew the first priority would have to be getting the innocent women and children into the woods despite panic. My gut wrenched at the thought of the future. Casualties were inevitable.

  A scream pierced the air. My grasp slipped. Apples scattered on the ground beneath me. My eyes darted around to find the source, but found nothing more than a blur of skirts and crying women.

  The men were back.

  It dawned on me at once as I spotted Thomas on the hillside. Liam. Then Gabe. I ran before I had a chance to process any of it. His arms caught my waist. I clung to Ryder, coughing and sputtering gibberish as I kissed his cheek, his neck, and finally his lips.

  His chest rose and fell with deep breaths. Had he run to me as well? Whispers flooded my ear, hot and flecked with the moisture of his spit, unintelligible at first, until I made out the words.

  “Be ready. I did something. They don’t know it was me yet, but we might have to run. Be ready if we do.”

  He pushed back and two men I didn’t recognize escorted him up the hill. I watched him leave, my mouth agape, my world crashing around me as I desperately tried to understand what he could’ve done.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  I waited all day for a sound, for a warning that he needed me, or that we needed to flee, but the compound lay silent, unbearably silent. I busied myself with the children, spread from one side of the east end to the other, each worse every time I saw them. I’d been given a spark of hope in that shed and in less than a day it had been snuffed out.

  Push the button, I thought over and over, just push it. Who cares what happens? Ryder is all that matters. Get him out of here.

  “Sparrow!”

  The name brought my head around. I ran as fast as I could, skirt tangling and tripping me along the way. The voice belonged to Genesis, but the emergency remained unknown.

  Ryder?

  Moonlight?

  Too many lives in peril.

  Genesis’ nose bled over her hand where she cowered on the ground near the center square. Thomas stood over her, gun pointed down to keep her in her place. But that wasn’t what everyone watched. They weren’t circled around Genesis.

  As I saw him, I couldn’t comprehend what my eyes showed me. Raife’s lip snarled up as he forced Ryder to his knees in the mud. My heart raced as I saw the gun, my gun, whip free from its hiding place and jam against Ryder’s temple. I shoved Fern aside as Ryder drew in a deep, shuddering breath.

  “You’ve been found guilty, Brother Ryder, and the sentence is death. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  My eyes widened. I’d stumbled into his execution. Everyone gathered to watch an innocent man murdered right in front of them.

  “He didn’t do anything wrong!” Gabe stepped forward to put himself in the way.

  The gun released from Ryder’s temple and shifted to point at Gabe’s heart. “Then how did the cops get there so fast? He was the only one out of range, the only one with access to a phone.” Raife gripped Ryder’s shoulder and pushed the gun to the base of his skull, forcing his head forward.

  Time stopped. I knew what he’d done. One call, 911, or Shane, that’s all he had to do to alert the police and stop the robbery. But Ryder’s plan backfired, and they’d escaped anyway. His head turned slightly, just enough to look into my eyes and mouth the words, “Don’t move.”

  He’d asked me to stay subordinate before, so we could find Tasha, but he couldn’t expect me to let him die. Fern pulled at my wrist to hold me back, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t let him sacrifice himself for me.

  “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you.” Raife asked, but the decision had already been made. He’d been waiting for this exact opportunity since we’d arrived in Eden’s Haven. Despite Ryder’s pending sacrifice, my days were numbered as well.

  “He’s a doctor,” I shouted. Every head turned to look at me. I stood alone, apart from the crowd. One bullet would take me out. No one would stop him. No one would object to another body in the pit.

  Raife’s dark eyes found me in an instant. Fear clutched my chest as his face twisted in hate.

  “You dare to—”

  “Your daughter is sick, very sick, and you need a doctor.” I pointed to Ryder. “He’s a doctor. You murdered your last healer, are you going to do away with another?”

  Chatter exploded behind me.

  “Willow was transitioned.”

  “How dare she speak like this!”

  “Did they kill Willow?”

  I stood my ground, unwilling to drop my stare; no longer would I play their part. With my shoulders squared, I dared him to challenge me.

  “She’s right,” Fern said from behind me. “Moonlight is very sick, Raife.”

  The madman faltered slightly, the conflict I’d seen before waged in his features. “How sick?”

  Fern’s fingers laced with mine, and her voice cracked. “She can’t even hold up her head.”

  Harmony moved in next to me, taking my other hand. “All the children are sick. They need a doctor.”

  “We need justice!” Thomas moved to take the gun from Raife. His body tumbled back as Raife shoved him away.

  Recoiling the gun, Raife slammed it against Ryder’s head. I smothered my scream with my shaking hand. Ryder squeezed his eyes shut from the pain and curled into a ball. Raife crouched over him. If I hadn’t been close, I never would have heard his words.

  “If I come across you again, I will kill you. If you don’t save her life, I will hunt you down and slit you like a pig.”

  Raife’s boot cracked against Ryder’s face. Blood gushed from his nose. The crowd dispersed as I rushed to Ryder’s side. Pressing the hem on my skirt against his nose, I tried to see any other injuries he might have sustained. Bruising formed at his temple. Blood tinged his mouth and cheek where his lip split. Ryder moved as though his entire body ached.

  “You’re so stupid,” I whispered as I ran my fingers over his skin. “Why did you do something so reckless?”

  His weak smile spoke of his pain. “I learned from you, Huckleberry.”

  The women helped me pull him to his feet. Fern’s apologies tumbled one over the other. “He’s worried. He’s stressed about the children. Raife isn’t like this—”

  I had enough of her excuses and wringing hands. “When are you going to figure out that this is exactly what he’s like, Mary?” She flinched at the sound of her given name. “He may love you, but not enough. People don’t beat the women they love. They don’t threaten them and make them live like servants. Ryder would never hurt me. He risked his life to save me. Can you say the same for your husband?”

  The truth slammed against her. Denial can only hold so much weight, and she crumbled beneath the pressure. I left her there with Genesis and Harmony because I couldn’t take another moment.

  With his arm over my shoulders, I helped Ryder from the square toward the children.

  “Why’d you tell them I’m a doctor? I’m not a doctor, Lindy.”

  I sighed out my frustration. “No, but you’re not a guy with a gun to his head anymore, are you? Make it up as you go along. Just stay alive.”

  He never said thank you, but I could feel it, every part of him clinging to me, needing me, and I was happy to give it.

  Chapter 32

  Ryder didn’t go back to the men’s camp. Once he saw the children, there was no question in his mind. The diagnosis was fast and decisive.

  “Pneumonia,” he whispered after he listened to Moonlight’s chest.

  Iris held the small child, weak and lethargic, such a contrast to her normal carefree spunk. “What can you do?” the matriarch asked.

  “Do we need antibiotics?” I asked, hopeful that someone might be able to procure them.

  “No.” A groan escaped him as he pushed up from the bunk. “If it’s spreading this fast, this is a virus. Antibiotics won’t help.”

/>   Fern stopped in the doorway, her face streaked with tears and mud. “You can’t do anything? You’re going to let her—”

  “No,” Ryder moved to take her by the shoulders, “I’m going to do everything I can to save her, and the rest of the children.”

  I wasn’t sure if he said it to calm her or to ensure that she didn’t fetch her husband to finish his original plan out of spite.

  “Seabreeze didn’t make it.” Fern’s reminder hovered in the air like a vulture waiting for its next meal.

  I hadn’t heard which child had died while I was in the shed. I thought of the long legged eleven-year-old I’d seen guarding the perimeter from the trees. She’d appeared stronger than the other children. If she couldn’t make it, what were the chances?

  “We need to create quarantined areas,” Ryder said. “These children need steam to help clear their lungs. Do we have any medication to help with the fever?”

  Genesis moved in behind Fern. “Yes, I have some in the schoolhouse for emergencies.”

  “Willow had something she used in—” Fern’s voice choked off and tears overtook her. I felt bad for laying into her when so much had already gone wrong in her life.

  “I’ll show you.” I escorted Ryder from the cabin.

  I waited until we were in open air, the rain falling softly like a mist, before I asked, “Will Moonlight make it?”

  Ryder glanced toward me, refusing to answer. Apprehension tightened his features, concern not only for the children, but for our lives as well.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Iris gave him full clearance to the female half of the compound. Ryder triaged the cases. The sixteen beds in my cabin took the most serious. The schoolhouse held children who exhibited symptoms but still had energy to eat. Finally, those children who showed symptoms, but were still relatively healthy were placed on the old school bus. Quilts lined the windows to insulate the space.

  Ryder insisted I stay by his side at all times, all hours of the night without question. Iris hesitated but relented. Iris thought he needed an assistant, or maybe my comfort, but I knew better. Ryder knew we stood on tenuous ground. If any part of our plan fell through, we needed to run. Our close proximity gave me a chance to tell him about Tasha and everything I’d learned. One final request had to be made of the matriarch.