Fi stepped to the front of the group, her .22 ready. “We’re friendly,” she shouted. “We mean you no harm, so long as you mean the same.”
“How can we know that for sure?” the man who’d shouted at the boy responded. “You could kill us from there and we have no such weapon.”
Fi squinted. They were too far away for her to be sure that he wasn’t lying. Hmm, she thought. They were kind of at an impasse. “Ok,” she said. “I’ll tell you what. If my gun is what frightens you, I’ll send one of my party forward, unarmed, to speak with you while I cover him. If you move to harm him in any way, you’ll be killed. Can you agree to these terms?” The man tilted his head.
“Jack,” the boy turned and whined. “They’re the Seeders! See! The man has the sword.”
The man…Jack…took a deep breath and nodded. “The terms are agreeable. Send your man.”
“You’re up, Sean,” Fi said. “I think they’re friendlies, but believe me, I won’t let them hurt you.”
“I know that, Fi,” Sean scoffed.
He walked forward with his hands in the air. Fi moved carefully to ensure that she had a good vantage point to cover him. Jack hustled forward and sent the boy back to the group. The men met halfway between. They were far enough away that Fi couldn’t hear all of their conversation, but Jack broke into a wide grin within about thirty seconds, and Fi exhaled.
After another minute, Sean turned and waved them forward. “It’s all right,” he nodded. “They’ve heard of us and are excited that we’re really the Seeders.”
The others put away their weapons and walked to join him. As they approached, Sean turned and gestured to the other man. He appeared to be a little older than Asher, with reddish brown hair and brown eyes. His face was cautious.
“This is Jack Conklin,” Sean said. “He’s the Leader of his group. And,” he added, “you’re not going to believe how big that group is.”
Fi’s brow knitted. Big groups didn’t seem like a good prospect after the morning’s encounter. Jack’s companions stared at them with eyes like saucers. At first she thought that they were awed to meet the Seeders, but as she glanced at her companions, she grimaced. All of them were covered in cuts and bruises, but what had the Topsiders staring was the blood. Fi knew that she had a lot of blood on her, and Sara was absolutely covered in a crackling, brown crust.
“Jack,” Sean continued, “this is our leader, Fi.” He chuckled at Jack’s expression as Fi reached out to shake.
“He gives me too much credit,” she demurred.
Jack’s handshake was firm, but his face was still unsure. His eyes searched hers and flitted between Asher and Sara behind her. “It seems that we’ve caught you at an awkward time,” he said, curiosity in his voice. “Are you all right? What happened?”
“We were ambushed earlier, but we’re all fine. I apologize for our grisly appearance, but I assure you,” she smiled, “none of this blood is ours.” Jack’s eyes widened and he took a small step backward, much to Fi’s amusement. Maybe that was taking it a little far, she thought, for a first introduction. She rushed to put Jack at ease. “Despite the way we look, we are friendly and we’re here to Seed, if you’re interested. Obviously you’ve heard of us somehow. And Sean’s statement makes me equally intrigued to hear about your group.”
“We have a lot to discuss,” Jack agreed with a nod. Eyeing Asher and Sara once more, he narrowed his eyes. “My suggestion would be to have you come with us, but I’m responsible for the safety of my people. I don’t know that I can allow you to bring your weapons to our home.”
Fi frowned. Though she understood, she wasn’t taking any chances. “Don’t you have warriors in your group? Or guards or sentries or whatever? Why not have an initial meeting offsite, and include your guards so that you can feel safe, before letting us near your home. Once we determine that we can trust one another, then we can take the next step.”
“We do have guards,” Jack said, “but not amongst those present. We were just fishing and gathering and we haven’t had trouble in so long that we didn’t include a guard with this party. Though given your recent encounter, I think we’ve been too hasty in reducing our security.”
“So what do you suggest, Jack, since this is your land?”
“There’s a large dust zone about a quarter mile from here with a rock outcropping at its edge. I suggest that you camp there for the evening and we’ll join you at nightfall to discuss next steps.” It was a reasonable suggestion, and Fi agreed.
Before they parted ways, Jack looked back over his shoulder at her and grinned. “You four might want to consider cleaning up now,” he chuckled, and gestured toward the beckoning lake.
Surprised by his sudden playfulness, Fi laughed as well. “Yes, we’ll make ourselves less frightening for the meeting, I promise.”
Jack’s companions seemed to relax a little at this, though Fi still saw wariness in their eyes. They parted ways and as Jack’s group disappeared around the corner, Fi strolled to the lake’s edge. Her feet sank into the soft shoreline almost immediately “Ugh.” She pulled her shoes out of the sucking mud. “Let’s go farther down to see if we can’t find a better entry.”
The others agreed and they continued down the gravel road, following the path taken by Jack’s group. After about ten minutes of walking, the forest opened up to their left, and the late afternoon sun gleamed off the small wind swells on the lake’s surface. The shoreline was flat and sandy for a good thirty yards, where it rose quickly into a tumble of rocks and junipers that overhung the lake.
“Oh!” Sara pointed at the rock ledge. “I wonder if we can jump off of that into the water.” She trotted ahead.
Fi shook her head. Sara always wanted to put the crazy on top of things, like her version of the cherry. Sean followed her, of course. Sara scaled the rocks and scrambled out onto the overhang.
She called down. “Yes, it’s a clear shot from here. You don’t even have to jump out that far.” Her ebony braid fell forward over her shoulder as she leaned over the edge. “C’mon, Fi, I know you want to try it.”
Fi blanched. Of course Sara and Sean would expect her to jump. They knew that she wasn’t afraid of heights…that she wasn’t afraid of much of anything. But she couldn’t take that risk now. What was she going to tell them? Her heart pounded as she struggled to respond. She was so lost in thought that Asher’s hand on her shoulder startled her.
“Don’t you think that someone needs to test the depth first, crazy woman?” Asher called up to Sara, who by the looks of it, was also being held back by Sean’s good sense, and his iron grip on her wrist.
Fi exchanged a relieved glance with Asher. “Give me a minute,” she kicked off her shoes and socks. She trotted to the water’s edge and put her feet in. “Oh, it feels awesome.” She stripped off her cargo pants and made a rude gesture at Sara, who whistled at her. In two strides, she was waist deep, and she closed her eyes and dove the rest of the way underwater.
Her slide into the lake brought back hundreds of memories of summer camp afternoons. The top three inches of the water were nearly as warm as the air, while the spring-fed water beneath bubbled up achingly cold and fresh. She dove into the icy depths, confident. She had always been a strong swimmer. Her parents started her on lessons too early for her to even remember. She surfaced and saw Asher striding into the water behind her.
She looked up at Sara. “Ok, I’m going to try to find the bottom just to be sure.” She kicked down and swam around the area beneath the jump. When her ears popped and she still hadn’t reached bottom, she had her answer. A tug on her foot scared her half to death and she sucked water. Her lungs burning, she kicked for the surface and gasped as she hit the air. Asher was treading water beside her and laughing so hard that he was nearly going under. She wanted to climb on top of him and force his head under, but she was too busy catching her breath.
“Oh God, Fi,” he gasped. “You kicked so hard I thought you might actually knock me out!”
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Fi splashed water at Asher in frustration. “You’ll pay for that later,” she coughed. She bobbed as she recovered herself.
He swam to her and put his arms around her. “I’m sorry,” he kissed her cheek. “I didn’t mean to scare you that badly.” He lay back, floating, and kicked away.
“Sara, it seems safe.” Fi called up. “Just don’t go headfirst, ok? Ok, Sara? Sara, no!”
Sara took two steps backward and launched off the edge with a whoop. She jumped with such force that she actually gained height before she grabbed her knees into a cannonball. Fi turned and drove her arms and legs hard, knifing through the water. Seconds later, Sara hit the water like a bomb and a mini-tsunami splashed Fi and a very startled Asher, who had been floating with his eyes closed. Another whoop from the ledge sent Fi and Asher both swimming farther away as Sean hit the water.
“Ha!” He swam to Sara. “I told you I would get more distance than you,” he crowed, and she grabbed him and pulled him under. “Ow,” he protested when they both resurfaced, and he pried her arms from his neck. They settled, like Fi and Asher, into a relaxed, bobbing embrace in the cool water.
“Puppy love,” Asher whispered, and Fi smiled.
She released herself from his embrace and headed for shore. She was looking forward to washing her clothes again. This lake country stuff was pretty nice, she thought, if you didn’t count the near-death experience of the day. She shivered as she emerged, glad that the water had washed away the sweat and blood…if not the fear.
“Hey, Fi,” Sara pointed to the ledge as she followed Fi out of the water. “I’m going to have another go. I know you want to come with me.” She grabbed Fi’s hand. “I bet we both can beat Sean’s distance.”
“I don’t know, Sara,” she shook her head as her mind searched for a good excuse. Sara’s face fell and Fi sighed. She hadn’t meant to make Sara feel guilty for wanting to have fun. “I’m sorry Sara, the truth is that I’m just not sure I’m up for it, ok?”
“I’m in, Sara!” Asher called, and Fi shot him a grateful smile.
“Great!” Sara replied, and she and Asher headed to the rocks.
Sean took off his wet shirt and cargos as he got out of the water. He grabbed a handful of sand like Fi, and crouched at the water’s edge to wash his clothes with her. For a moment they worked in silence while Sara and Asher joked and called to each other on their way up the ledge.
“You ok?” Sean broke the silence. He did not look at her while he swirled his shirt in the water.
Fi didn’t look at him either. “I’m fine, Sean,” she said, and then sat down on the sand, her legs finally weak as the events of the day hit her.
Sean sat down as well, and searched her face. “Like really fine? Or like how you used to say you were fine all the time when you really weren’t?”
Fi nodded. That was a fair question. She wished she could be completely honest, but she wasn’t ready. It was hard for her to even think through her feelings right now with the attack still fresh in her mind. “I’m really fine, Sean, just a little shaken is all.”
This was as much truth as she could give him. She was shaken, and much more than she would have been if only her life had been on the line. The sounds of Asher and Sara hitting the water drew them both out of their serious mood.
Sean laughed when Sara climbed on Asher’s back and dunked him. “Good girl!” he cheered. “Show him who’s boss.”
Fi chuckled and turned back to her laundry. After all of them had changed into dry clothes and finished their laundry, they set out to find the spot for their rendezvous with Jack later that evening.
“Sean,” Fi said, “what do you think about the plan for tonight? Are you worried about them knowing exactly where we’ll be waiting?”
She wanted advice from her strategist. Though the plan had seemed good at first, time had added to her misgivings. It would be dark when Jack’s group arrived, and they would have the element of surprise, if they chose to use it.
“Yes, of course it would worry me, if we were going to do that,” Sean said. “But we’re not going to do that. We’d be sitting ducks.”
“What do you propose then?” Asher asked.
“I suggest that there only be two of us there when they arrive. The other two will wait at a given distance for a safety call. No call, the hidden pair attacks.”
Asher reflected. “So Fi and I will meet them, and you and Sara will wait and cover us if needed?”
“No, Fi and I will wait for them. You and Sara will wait and cover us.” Asher and Sara both started to protest when Sean interrupted. “Look, Fi’s weapon has the most range, so she has to be there. I can’t leave Fi in there alone, so I will be with her, but you two are the deadly ones. If you two aren’t there, they’ll be very worried, as they should be.”
Fi saw Sara suppress a smile and bite her lip. She knew that Sara was pleased that Sean would rather use her skills than insist that she be with him at every moment. It was a sign of Sean’s trust in her, and his own personal bravery as well.
Asher nodded with reluctance. “As long as we’re not too far away.”
“We’ll figure out the set-up when we get there,” Sean reassured him.
Luckily, they found the location several hours before nightfall, giving them time to scout. Jack wasn’t kidding that the rocks were located at the border of a very large Dead Zone. There was a large tumble of rocks, at least a story high, with a few scrubby bushes clinging to life at its base. Otherwise there was a clear ten-yard or wider gap between the rocks and any other cover. There was a nice nook in the rocks that would serve as a good overnight campsite as Jack suggested, but there was no view of the forest from that side of the rocks.
“We shouldn’t have agreed to a site without seeing it first,” Sean shook his head, frustrated. “This is very difficult to secure in any way.” He scanned the borders of the forest and then pointed. “Ok, there. The main break in the trees is there, where we approached. I bet that’s where they’ll approach as well. Sara and Asher, I want you two to position yourselves on either side of that gap. That way, you can close in behind Jack’s group as they approach Fi’s position.”
He circled behind the rocks and stepped out to the right side by five yards. His body was still positioned behind a waist-high boulder. “Fi, come here. Would you have a clear shot?”
She crouched behind the boulder and squinted along the path of his arm toward the forest. “Yes,” she nodded. “I would have a clear shot here, even from behind the boulder. I think that this is a good plan, Sean, as usual.” She squinted again and nodded. It felt pretty safe having that boulder between her and any attack. Between the baby and attack, her mind whispered, before she pushed the thought aside.
Sean folded his arms and sighed. “It’ll have to do. I also suggest that we build our fire behind Fi’s position. That way Jack’s group will be visible as soon as they leave the forest, and Fi will just be a shadow against the light. They won’t have a clear view of her. And they won’t see me at all.”
From her position behind the boulder, Fi imagined their approach one more time. Yes, this would work.
“So what now?” Sara asked.
“Now, we wait,” Sean said grimly.
Sara and Asher discussed scenarios based on different possible numbers in Jack’s group. As dusk crept over the dusty landscape, they went to take their posts in the forest. The fire was small, but on the overcast night it stood out like a spotlight. Fi leaned on the boulder in the flickering light, her aim ready. It was comforting to know that Asher and Sara waited, invisible sentries in the darkness. As the night deepened, Fi alternated between nervous shots of adrenaline at every sound, and insufferable boredom and stiffness.
After two hours, she stretched her aching neck. C’mon, she thought. Where are they?
Meeting of the Minds
------------Fi------------
A branch cracked and Fi was instantly alert. Her instincts kicked in, and she set her
aim and slowed her breathing. Sean tensed beside her. Three figures melted from the darkness, weapons drawn. Jack led, bearing a club in his left hand, and a long knife in his right. Behind him, a dark-skinned man with a heavy beard carried a machete. Fi felt a shudder go through her at the sight of the weapon, but she held her aim.
At Jack’s left was a tall African-American woman with long grey dreadlocks. Her stance as she walked left no question as to her weapon, a large handgun that mirrored Fi’s own, its sight set on her head. As the woman entered Fi’s line of vision, Asher and Sara slipped soundlessly into step behind her.
“Stop!” Fi commanded and the three froze. The man with the machete whirled and cursed when he saw Asher and Sara. “Hello, Jack,” she called.
“This is hardly a way to say hello,” he protested.
“Sorry, Jack, desperate times and all. Can’t be too cautious. After all, you knew where we would be, but we didn’t know the same.”
“You seem to have guessed well enough. So what now, Fi?”
“Well, Jack, it appears that there are only two long-range weapons present,” she began, when the woman interrupted her.
“Depends how good your little friend is with her daggers,” she growled.
“Fair enough. On the count of three you, my little friend with the daggers, and I will all set down our weapons. Agreed?”
The woman nodded and though she was scowling, Sara muttered her agreement as well. Fi counted and on “three,” all of the women laid down their weapons.
Fi exhaled. “You see? If we wanted you dead, Jack, we obviously could’ve killed you. But we are the Seeders, and we’re here to help you and your people. Can we all lay down the rest of our arms?”
Jack exchanged glances with his companions, who nodded. Weapons were sheathed and Fi beckoned the visitors to join them at the fireside. They took up seats on and around the boulders of the rock fall. The air was still tense. Fi could that the truce was frail, but it was still early. She wasn’t sure how much she trusted the Lakelanders either at this point.
Seeds of War Page 25
