by Bobby Adair
It was then that she realized something.
She’d seen this mountain before, on her way from Davenport to Brighton to become Ethan’s bride. The sight hit her with a wave of nostalgia, and her eyes watered. She looked over at William. His mouth hung open, and his eyes danced around the steep slope.
Bray stopped them with an upturned hand, and she was wrenched from her memory. “If we run into anyone, I’ll do the talking,” he said.
Ella and William nodded.
Bray resumed hiking, navigating the slope with practiced ease. Ella and William struggled to keep up. As they made their ascent, Ella listened for noises from other travelers—some sign that they weren’t alone—but heard only the gleeful chirps of birds. Aside from the three demons and the deer they’d encountered the day before, their journey had been quiet, and Ella was grateful. More human contact would lead to more questions, and questions would lead to getting caught.
Bray remained quiet. The setting sun seemed to have dampened his mood, and Ella understood his sentiment. Out in the wild, there were no barriers to separate men from monster, and loss of visibility often meant loss of life. They’d been lucky to pass the previous night safely in the Ancient room. She hoped they’d have similar luck at Wanderer’s Peak.
They passed out of the trees as green vegetation gave way to roots and rocks. Ella mimicked the moves of the experienced man ahead of them. She saw several paths worn into the side of the mountain, but she noticed Bray was skirting around them, as if he was trying to elude some unseen enemy. The rapid ascension had her breathless, and she fought the urge to stop and rest. She could still hear Bray’s words in her head.
A lot of townsfolk aren’t used to the exercise.
Even a day later, the comment still bothered her, and Ella felt the need to prove her worth. She pushed harder. She glanced behind her, peering at the wall of trees that they’d left behind, thinking she’d hear shouts in the distance. But the landscape remained quiet and still.
She’d just taken another step when William stumbled on a pile of loose gravel, and his hand slipped from hers.
“Wait!” she hissed to Bray.
The Warden paused and turned. His eyes were dark and piercing, and he scoured the trees behind them, his hand on his scabbard. William was breathing fiercely. Ella rubbed his back. Evidently, he was as winded as she. For a second, she had the nervous feeling that his condition was a result of his sickness.
But that couldn’t be possible.
She’d seen the unclean in town, and their limbs had been strong. Even when they were brought to the pyre, their muscles stretched and shook as they fought against the ropes.
“I’m okay,” William said, as if reading her mind.
He wriggled from her grasp and resumed the climb, as if he had something to prove to himself. Bray nodded and turned back to the mountain. Ella picked up the rear.
As their altitude increased, Bray’s path continued to wind, and soon they were traveling sideways, battling against the rocky ground. The sun sank lower, obscuring their view, and Ella strained to see. Although she’d passed by the mountain in her journey twelve years ago, she’d never climbed it. They’d stayed in the settlement villages.
If her trip had been planned, Ella would’ve arranged similar accommodations.
But there was no way she could’ve known William was infected, no way she could’ve known about the guards. No way she could’ve predicted any of this, least of all planned for it.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t notice that Bray had stopped in front of them. He halted them with a gesture, his body tense. She clung to her knife.
What is it? She didn’t dare speak the question out loud.
Two large outcroppings had sprung up in front of them, jutting out from the side of the slope. Bray was staring at the larger of the two. It took Ella a second to determine what he was looking at.
There was someone underneath it.
She caught a glimpse of clothing, then the outline of a face. A person was sitting upright, resting against one of the rocks. The three of them remained still. Waiting. After a few seconds, she heard the rhythmic sound of the person breathing. She felt Bray’s hand on her arm. He put his finger to his lips, urging silence, and the three of them continued up the slope.
When they’d gained some distance, he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“That was a Warden. There’ll probably be more resting up ahead, so stay quiet.”
She nodded, hoping that the fading light masked the fear in her eyes.
Chapter 21: Ella
They passed several more Wardens on the way. Each time, Bray led Ella and William silently past them, keeping a buffer zone from the Wardens’ makeshift camps. At one point, a Warden sat upright and called out to them, but Bray quietly announced himself, defusing a confrontation.
They were more than halfway up the mountain when Bray stopped again. The sun had disappeared, and the world was grainy and unclear. Bray was little more than an outline, his features indiscernible. He raised his hand and pointed at a jagged rock that protruded from the side of the mountain.
“We’ll rest here,” he said.
“Why here?” Ella asked.
Bray didn’t answer. She furrowed her brow as Bray scurried toward the rock. She watched as he traced the side with his hands, feeling his way around the edges, and suddenly he was gone, as if the darkness had swallowed him up.
Was it some sort of cave?
A minute passed. Ella’s panic grew as she glanced around the mountainside. What if Bray chose to leave them? For almost an entire day, she and William had been at the Warden’s side, trusting his guidance, and he was gone. She grabbed William’s arm, keeping him close while she waited for Bray to reappear.
Ella and William remained still. The sounds of daytime had been replaced by newer, foreign sounds—sounds Ella couldn’t identify, and she found herself glancing every which direction, trying to pinpoint the sources.
After another minute, Ella took a step toward the rock. William followed. She reached out and touched the outcropping, running her hands along the edge, trying to decipher where Bray had gone. She followed the contour of the stone until she’d found a small opening. She quickly retracted her hand.
“Bray?” she hissed.
No answer.
Had something happened to him?
“Bray?” she repeated.
Her words echoed and died, as if she were nothing more than a specter, and the words she whispered were those of a ghost. There was no response from the dark hole. She envisioned Bray crawling through the cave, making his way toward some hidden exit, laughing as he left them behind. Was this some sort of trick? Had he ushered them up the mountain just to abandon them? Why wouldn’t he have abandoned them at the Ancient room?
The longer she waited, the more Ella was certain that he’d left, and her fear turned to anger. She should’ve known better than to trust him. He was just a Skin-Seller, after all. She’d been warned about his ilk. And yet she’d followed him like a child.
What a fool she’d been.
Ella turned around, and was ready to collect her son and find safety, when a voice sprang from the darkness.
“Ella? It’s safe. Come on in.”
She hesitated, still in the throes of anger. When she looked back at William, she could hardly see his face.
“Let’s go,” she whispered.
She and William dropped to hands and knees, their elbows and knees scraping against the floor of the cave. Ella couldn’t see anything in front of her, but every once in a while she heard Bray’s hushed voice guiding her onward. The first ten feet were narrow, but suddenly the cave opened up, and she was able to straighten her back and lift her head.
“That’s far enou
gh,” Bray said.
She felt around in the black and found William’s arm. He startled as she took hold of it. She glanced back in the direction from which they’d come, but could see only a pinprick of light in the distance. The cave reeked of animal urine.
“I can’t see, Mom.”
“It’ll be okay.”
Ella settled into place. She grabbed hold of her son and held him tight against her. The cave was cold. Her arms goose bumped, and she felt drafts coming from unseen places. Even though it was early autumn, it felt like the cave had preserved the last remains of the dead winter before.
“Why didn’t you answer us?” Ella asked.
“I’m sorry. I was checking the other side. There’s another opening letting out about ten feet further along the mountain. I had to make sure no one else had gotten in. Don’t worry—we should be safe.”
“It’s cold in here.”
“There’s not much I can do,” Bray explained. “It’s too confined an area to risk a fire tonight. Besides, someone might see the light shining from the cave entrance.”
“Do the other Wardens know about this cave?” Ella asked.
“I don’t think so. I’ve never seen anyone else here, and I’ve been careful not to share the location.”
“How’d you find it?”
“My father showed me.” Bray went quiet. He rubbed his hands together, and she heard him adjust his pack. A minute later, he stretched out on the floor. “We’re going to be here a while,” he said into the darkness. “So you might want to close your eyes and pretend you’re back at home.”
Ella remained in a sitting position, her mind aflutter. Ever since she’d left Brighton, she’d been unable to relax, and she doubted she’d be able to relax now. Even her night in the ancient room had been restless. But at least there they’d had a fire. She heard the scuff of boots and hands next to her. William removed his pack, but he didn’t lay it down. It sounded like he was waiting for permission. Either that, or his mind was as preoccupied as hers.
“Why don’t you get some rest, honey?” she urged.
“Okay.”
William took off his pack and dropped it to the floor. He adjusted and laid down. Ella remained upright, listening to the din of insects and animals outside the cave. Although she didn’t like their situation, it was better than being out there. She held her breath for seconds at a time, trying to convince herself that nothing was crawling in after them, that no one had seen them enter. After several minutes of silence, she finally laid down.
Ella held her hands up in front of her eyes, but could see nothing—not a shape, not an outline. The walls and the ceiling were black. Even in her darkest dreams, there’d always been some measure of illumination. If it weren’t for the nervous breath of her son beside her, she’d have been certain she was in Hell.
She didn’t know what Hell was like, exactly. She’d heard Father Winthrop’s stories and rhetoric, but she’d never been able to get a clear vision. Could anything be worse than a town that burned its citizens alive? A town where even the thickest of blood was betrayed? Even on her happiest days, Ella had always lived under a cloud of fear, a sobering knowledge that everything she had could be taken away in an instant.
Losing Ethan had proven that. And now they’d want William.
But all that is behind you now. You’ve made it out.
She tried hard to convince herself, but found little comfort.
Still cold, she held her arms to her chest and did her best to keep warm. She’d packed a few blankets, but she hadn’t thought she’d need them. Not this soon. Winter was still months away. She could hear the thin breathing of William beside her.
“Do you need a blanket, William?”
The boy paused. “Yes.”
Ella shifted in the darkness, locating the drawstring on her bag. She loosened it by memory, untangling the knot she’d tied. She dug through her belongings and pulled out a thin blanket. The fabric felt strange in her hands. It’d been her aunt’s. She’d never envisioned using it in a place like this. She handed it to William. Bray shifted from somewhere beside them.
“Bray?” William asked, after a pause.
“Yeah?”
“How’d your father find this place?”
“My father was a wise man. He knew lots of things others didn’t.”
“Was he a Warden?”
“Yes. He was like me, only stronger. I have no doubt he sold two thousand scalps in his lifetime.”
“Really?”
“Yes. He was well revered in the wild.”
“What was his name?”
“Edward Atkins. But everyone called him Fuller. He was the toughest man I’ve ever known. If he hadn’t taught me the way he did, I would’ve died a long time ago.”
“Why’d they call him Fuller and not Edward?”
Bray cleared his throat. “According to legend, he was fighting a band of demons by himself, close to the mountains, when his sword snapped. Most men would’ve run. But not my father. Rather than flee, he fought the entire swarm with a broken blade, and he didn’t stop until he’d defeated them.”
“How many did he kill?”
“Eight of them.”
“With only half a weapon?”
“Yes.”
“So why do they call him Fuller?”
“The Fuller is the middle of the blade, between the point and the shoulder. That’s where his sword snapped, according to the tale.”
“How’d he do it? How’d he defeat them?”
“My father never spoke of it. The only way we knew was because of the blacksmith. He told the town after my father brought the sword in to be melted down. Word quickly spread. For years, my father wouldn’t respond to the nickname, but he finally gave in. Fuller was a tough man, but he was also humble.”
“Is he still alive?”
Bray went silent for a second. “Not anymore.”
“Did the demons get him?”
“William!” Ella warned. “That’s not polite.”
“It’s okay,” Bray said, clearing his throat. “He died in combat. He was part of Blackthorn’s army during the Great War.”
Ella’s heart thumped.
“Blackthorn? General Blackthorn from Brighton?”
“Yes, but not the Blackthorn you know. Blackthorn’s father. Fuller was promised a small fortune to join the man’s army, and he agreed so that he could provide a better life for us. Unfortunately, he never came home.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” William said, regret in his voice.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. My father died with honor. That’s more than I can say for a lot of people nowadays.”
The cave went silent, filled only with the subtle chatter of insects outside. Ella heard the scuff of a boot, then the sound of her son turning over. She could tell William was getting tired.
“My father was brave, too,” he said, after a pause.
“Was he a soldier?” Bray asked.
“No. He was a farmer. But he was a great man, and everyone respected him. They were all upset when he was taken to the pyre.”
“He was infected?”
“Yes, but he turned himself in. He was a courageous man. The only thing he cared about was that we were safe.”
“He certainly sounds brave,” Bray agreed.
“He was.”
William stifled a yawn, and Ella reached over and fixed his blankets. “Why don’t you get some rest, honey?” she coaxed.
“Okay, I’ll try,” he said.
Within a few seconds, she heard the soft sounds of William sleeping. Ella lay awake for a while longer, contemplating the things her son had said about Ethan. William was right. Ethan had been brave, and up unti
l the end, all he’d thought of was his family.
She held onto that thought as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 22: Minister Beck
Beck sat at the ancient table, alone. According to Blackthorn family legend, it was salvaged from some ancient building when The People numbered less than five hundred. The table was intricately constructed with various wood grains and colors, and the edges were cut in beautifully pleasing curves. The feet were carved into animals’ ornate legs that curved up to support the massive table, and each side seated a dozen. Beck knew of no such piece of furniture ever having been made in Brighton. The legend had to be true.
At the moment, it was just Beck and Evan.
The door to the kitchen opened, and through it came a woman with a single glass of water on a tray. It was an actual glass, not a carved, wooden cup that stank of all the soaked-in soup grease and wines it had once held. Beck knew from dinners and celebrations in Blackthorn’s dining room that Blackthorn had enough glasses to set one in front of every man at a full table. Such was the opulence of Blackthorn’s home.
Beck knew that many merchants were wealthy enough to own glass cups, and even porcelain plates, but few had matched sets, and fewer still could feed two dozen with matching pieces.
The girl sat the glass in front of Beck. “I can bring you a snack while you wait on the others, if you’d like.”
Beck smiled. “No. That won’t be necessary.”
With a nod, she pointed to a little silver bell halfway across the table. “If you need anything, just ring.”
“Of course.” Beck had been here enough times that he didn’t need that instruction. The girl must be new. He smiled at her again and she walked back to the kitchen.
