New Bloods Boxset

by Michelle Bryan

  I shake my head again. “No, Grada and the others, they lived in Rivercross, well, their whole lives I guess. Same as me. If he had known, he would have told me of this evil.”

  Tater’s “hmph” bothers me.

  “What do you mean by that?” I say.

  He shrugs. “I didn’t take you for a fool, girl.”

  “I ain’t no fool,” I growl back.

  “Then why are you acting the part?”

  I open my mouth to argue, my cheeks burning hot from my anger, but he cuts me off.

  “Your Grada sent you to Littlepass for a reason. He knew of the place. He even knew of someone who resides there. It just goes to show that he was very aware of the outside world and of the Prezedant. And any village, no matter how remote, that has had traders pass through would most certainly have been told of the news from the other side of the mountains. No, trust me, your Grada and all the other old folk of your village, they knew of the dangers. They had just fooled themselves into believing they had gone far enough into the sand lands. That they would be unnoticed and passed over. That they would be safe. Seems now, nowhere is safe,” he says these last words almost to himself and takes another drink.

  I don’t want to believe what he’s saying. There ain’t no way Grada and the others had known about this danger and not warned us, not prepared us. But in the back of my mind, I hear Molly’s words as she was running from the dust cloud.

  “They found us,” she had said, and Grada telling me, “They cain’t be stopped.” I think of all the times us young’uns had been sent away from the campfires while a trader was visiting ‘cause the old folk wanted to “talk,” and I know deep down in my heart Tater is speaking the truth. They had known.

  The anger and resentment grows in me along with this new realization. How dare they not warn us, not protect us from this Prezedant? They’d known everything, yet had in no way prepared us, and now, Ben, Jane, and young Thomas were in the hands of a madman. I don’t even want to think of what they may be going through right now, what they may be suffering. I take my anger out on Tater.

  “Why don’t he kill you lot then? You traders? Why do you get to live and travel the sand lands free from his punishment?” My voice is getting louder, and Finn stirs in his sleep. I stop talking. I don’t want to wake him, but I’m simmering mad. Tater stays quiet for so long I don’t think he’s ever going to answer me.

  Finally he says, “I am not proud to admit this, but I assume we provide a service to him. We are his harbingers of death. Nothing creates more fear, more obedience in the populace than tales of the villages and people he has destroyed. Through us, his legend grows, so the people become more afraid of him. They stay. They obey. They serve and give everything they grow and produce to the Prezedant. They live in fear and despair while he and his elite live like kings. But they live.”

  I mull his words over in my head, truly speechless at what I’ve just heard. I never could have imagined such an evil existed. My anger at Grada and the old folk for keeping us in the dark ain’t lessening any, but I think I kind of understand what they had tried to do now. They’d tried to give us a normal life … a happy life free from the fear that the people on the other side of those mountains seemed to live in constantly. Like Tater said, I guess they figured they would never be looked for or found. They were so wrong and had paid a high price for their ignorance.

  “You said the Prezedant ain’t never come on this side of the mountains before. Why now do you think?”

  He shrugs. “I could only guess. As far as I know, his armies have never made the trek through the mountains. It is a hard journey indeed, and as you well know, the sand lands do not have much to offer. He has in the past left the exploring of the sand lands to us, the traders. The few brave souls who have decided to try and eke out a living in these barren, desolate lands he has never shown much interest in. But with these vehicles of his apparently more mobile now, he must have a reason for venturing into the sand lands. The man may be evil incarnate, but he never does anything without a reason.”

  What kind of reason could he have to just up and kill innocent people? I think. And why would Grada send me to Littlepass? Toward this Prezadent? Into his lands? It don’t make a lick of sense to me.

  Grada’s words on that day play over in my head. “Find Lily; tell her she was right.” Right about what? “Tell her I should have sent word long ago.”

  Should have sent word to her, Lily. Tater’s words make more sense to me the more I think about it. Grada had certainly known of Lily and Littlepass. But why had he never spoke of her ‘til then? And was she able to help me get Ben and the young’uns back?

  “When he takes the young folk, where does he keep ‘em?” I ask, knowing that this now must be my focus. I ain’t prepared for the harsh laughter that comes from the little man. It’s so unlike his normal, cheerful sound that I cain’t help but be shocked by it. He leans over and stares at me so intently it’s like he’s staring into my very soul. He points a stubby finger my way.

  “I’m only going to say this once, girl, so pay close attention. Forget about finding your young kin ever again. They are as good as dead. As we speak, they have already been sold into slavery, put to work in the iron mines, or a dozen other possibilities, but they are gone, understand? Forget about them. My advice to you: Go find your Lily. Maybe she can keep you and the boy safe and give you a home. Keep you from ending up like your kin.”

  “Shut. Your. Mouth,” I hiss, through gritted teeth. “They ain’t dead. Don’t you ever say those words to me ever again!”

  Fuming mad, my blood pounding through my veins, I want to lash out at the little man for his terrible words. How dare he tell me to forget about them? I want to smack that smug, know-it-all look right from his face. But I don’t get a chance to do anything before Tater recoils, and his eyes open wide like I really did hit him. But I ain’t touched him. I was only thinking it. Why is he looking at me like that? Are my thoughts that obvious? Angry, confused, and not wanting to look at his face anymore, I turn my back to him and lay down on my bedroll. I’m done with the conversation. I don’t want to hear another word from the half-man. I can feel his eyes boring into my back, but I don’t acknowledge him at all. I wrap my hand around my flower, my gift from Ben, hoping to get some comfort from it. I feel such overwhelming hopelessness … all I want to do is cry. But I don’t. I ain’t giving him the satisfaction of hearing me cry. Instead, I focus on the faces of Ben and Jane and young Thomas. I try to picture in my mind what they look like, what they sound like, ‘cause as angry as I am at Tater for his terrible words, there’s this small, nagging part of me that fears he may be right. If the only way to get them back means going up against this Prezedant and his Army, then I’ve lost before I’ve even begun.

  It has been days of traveling through these damn strangling woods, but the trees are finally starting to thin out. The tangled web of branches and leaves are giving way to golden beams of sunlight filtering through up ahead. Cat takes off, eager to get back out into the open lands, and I can feel the same anticipation. Just knowing we’re almost through the woods must have put Tater in a jubilant mood ‘cause he starts singing a tune I ain’t heard before, but Finn knows of it and soon joins in. Usually, hearing the two of them singing is enough to raise a smile outta me but not this time. My mood is somber, has been since my conversation with Tater. Our arguing ain’t affected him at all. Other than the occasional times I’ve caught him staring oddly at me, he has been acting like nuthin’ even happened. Me, I ain’t done much talking these past few days, but I have done a lot of thinking.

  I have decided to keep on going to Littlepass, to try and find Lily like Grada wanted me to do. There must have been a reason for his wanting me to. I need to know at least why. I ain’t given up on the idea of her being able to help me find my kin. I refuse to believe that Tater is right. They were not gone like he says. But he is right about one thing. It’s way too dangerous for the boy to be accompanying me.
I’m hoping this Lily can help me with that. Look after him perhaps, give him a home. Keep him alive. More than I can offer him. As for Cat, well, she’s a wild animal after all; she can survive on her own. It will break Finn’s heart to let her go, but it’s either that or probably have her get killed. Finn doesn’t have much of a choice. As for me, well, I won’t be staying in Littlepass. I can’t. Once Finn is settled, I’ll be moving on. As dangerous as Skytown seems, it’s where I have to go. I don’t care what Tater says; I am going to find Ben or at least die trying.

  By mid-morning, we’re finally out of the woods. After so many days of being in dim light, the sun is almost blinding. My eyes ain’t used to so much light no more. I close them to give them time to adjust and just stand there with my face turned up to the sun, enjoying its warmth. I notice right away there ain’t no smell of rot no more. The air is fresh smelling, like sunshine and grass and sage. It’s real nice, and I breathe it in deep.

  “Tara. Look!” Finn’s voice is just quivering with excitement, breaking my tranquility. He tugs on my arm, trying to get my attention. I open my eyes to see what has him so riled up.

  We’re standing in a valley spread out about half a league across. The whole floor of the valley is grassland. It’s brown and stubbly, but it’s plentiful; there ain’t a bit of cracked soil to be seen. Surrounding us on both sides are high, sloping hills dotted with gray trees and big, red boulders creating almost walls through the valley. But it’s what’s on the other end that has Finn all wide-eyed.

  They hover on the horizon like blue-gray giants, so massive it seems like they’re actually touching the sky. The tips of them are hidden by puffy, gray clouds, making you believe that if you were to climb to the top, you could just hop on a passing cloud and float away. Like Finn, I’m awestruck at this sight. I ain’t ever thought I’d see such a thing in my lifetime. They’re breathtaking and scary all at the same time.

  “That’s them ain’t it, Tater?” Finn’s question is filled with breathless excitement. “The mountains you was talkin’ about?”

  Tater nods. “Yes. Are they not magnificent? I never tire of seeing their majestic beauty. They truly are some of the gods’ most impressive handiwork.”

  “Do we gotta go over ‘em?” Finn is sounding all worried now, but I’m glad he’s asking ‘cause I’m fearing the same. There ain’t no way we’re going to be able to climb those giants.

  “Oh, dear me, no. No, no silly boy; that would be impossible.” Tater slaps Finn on the back, laughing as if that were the funniest thing he had ever heard. “You do amuse me so. No, we will go through them. Yes, indeed. You see, there is a gulch, a pass through them, almost impossible to find unless you are aware of its existence. Which lucky for you both, I am. As my dear mother would have said, our meeting was indeed a most fortunate throw of the dice.”

  I shake my head. After days of being in Tater’s company, I’m starting to believe he speaks just for the sheer joy of hearing himself talk. I cain’t understand half of what he says, and if his ma truly said all those things he says she said, well, she must have been a real odd fish. I guess the branch didn’t fall far from the tree.

  Winnie by now has gotten the scent of the grass, and she’s itching to feed. Tater lets her go, and she wanders off to a particularly tasty-looking patch. Cat is way off on the valley floor, running and jumping. Looks like she’s maybe chasing some sort of small critter though she’s too far away to tell. The open land, the sun, the fresh air, it fills me with a sense of wellbeing. Something I ain’t felt for a long time. I don’t know why, but I start smiling. Then I look at the others. They’re smiling, too. We’re all just standing, smiling, looking ‘round like we’re a bunch of wide-eyed young’uns.

  “It’s so pretty here.” Finn’s quiet observation breaks the silence.

  I’m thinking the same. It is pretty … peaceful almost. Like nuthin’ bad could ever happen here. Like a madman never existed just on the other side of those mountains, but Tater quickly crushes that illusion.

  “Indeed,” he says. “But do not be lulled into a false sense of security. There are hidden dangers we must be aware of.”

  He reaches into his jacket and pulls something out. At first I think it’s his musical flute, but then he holds it to his eye. It’s made of a shiny, light-colored metal. He pulls on it with his other hand, and it gets longer. He looks through the narrow end, and I can now see there’s a circle of glass at the wider end. Finn had been standing hands on his hips and looking out over the valley, but at this new object of Tater’s, his eyes grow all big and round.

  “Shizen. What is that?” he says in wonder.

  “Finn!” I say, scolding him. “Stop your cussin’.”

  But I’m sure as shizen wondering the same. What is it?

  “Ah yes, this little beauty is called a spyglass,” Tater answers, but he don’t take it from his eye. He just keeps sweeping the valley. “Got this off of a real friendly lady in the sand lands by the name of Glenalda. She was a lovely lady. Traded her a bottle of whiskey and a silk dress of my mother’s.” His smile is filled with sadness. “Yes, she was quite the woman indeed.” He clears his throat and looks up at us in surprise like he forgot we were even here. “But I’m rambling again, aren’t I? This, my young friends, helps you to see far off in the distance. Very handy for scouring the vicinity for any sign of danger or threat.”

  He does another sweep then takes it down from his eye. “And it appears we are good.”

  I forget all my hostility and anger towards Tater and nearly run Finn over in my haste to reach the little man and his curious object.

  “Let me see!”

  “Can I try?”

  We’re trying to yell over each other, to be the first to get a look at this wonder, but Tater holds the spyglass away from us.

  “Careful. It’s a very delicate object.”

  He hesitates for a bit, looks from me to his spyglass. I can tell he don’t wanna part with it, but finally he relents and hands it over.

  “You promise to be careful?”

  “Aye,” I say, taking it eagerly.

  I hold it to one eye and squint the other like Tater had done. All of a sudden, the mountains that seemed so far away before loom in front of me, and I cain’t help but step back in shocked astonishment. I can see every rocky ledge and tree valley perfectly clear like I could reach out and touch them.

  “Holy Shizen,” I say, pulling it away for a moment just to make sure my eyes weren’t playing a trick on me. Nope, the mountains are just as far away as before. I quickly put it back to my eye again. How is this little thing making this possible?

  Finn is yanking at my tunic impatiently. “My turn! My turn!”

  I don’t want to let it go. It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen, but it ain’t fair not to let Finn try so I reluctantly hand it over. I cain’t help but laugh when his mouth falls open at what he sees. His hand goes up in front of him, and he’s reaching like he thinks he can touch what’s in the spyglass. At hearing my laugh, he turns the spyglass to me.

  “Hey, Tara, you got a hanger in your nose.”

  “What?” My hand goes to cover my nose, but Finn cracks up laughing.

  “No, there ain’t, you mule turd,” I yell at him, but it makes me laugh, too.

  Finn hands the spyglass carefully back to Tater. “That was amazing, Tater,” he says, bouncing up and down. “You got anything else to show us?”

  “Another time perhaps,” Tater says, putting it away. “But I think it is best we head out. A word of advice though before we proceed through the valley, yes?”

  His tone is light, but I get the feeling he ain’t telling us everything and my gut clenches, chasing away my earlier feeling of peacefulness.

  “What is it?” I ask. “Did you see something in that spyglass of yours?”

  “No, no. Everything was clear. No sign of any threat. But I suggest we move through the valley quickly. Not make camp until we get to the base of the mou
ntains. If we make haste, we should be there before nightfall.”

  Tater’s words are not easing my worries none.

  “Why? Thought you said everything was clear? Why do we gotta hurry? Are there critters or such we should watch out for?” I say.

  He chuckles as if the idea of such a thing is ridiculous. “No, not ‘critters’ really. But beyond that third rise, there is a village I am familiar with. I have done some trading there in the past. They … tolerate my presence. But they are—how shall I put this—very unfriendly towards strangers of any sort. You two, being so young and … innocent, let’s just say you do not want to make their acquaintance. And as for Cat, as extraordinary as she is, they would only see meat and a fur cloak. Do you understand?”

  I understand. I understand that the world is a lot darker and dismal than I had ever thought possible. But I just nod.

  “Aye. We need to go through unnoticed. Let’s move then,” I say.

  But Finn, as always, is more concerned about his beast than us.

  “So if we get to the mountains, Tater, will Cat be safe from the villagers then? Won’t they just follow us into the mountains?” he says, his face a mask of anxiety.

  “Oh no, dear boy, do not worry about your she-devil. The villagers, they do not venture into the mountains. They avoid the mountains at all costs.” He grins his toothy smile, and I see Finn visibly relax. “They are too afraid of encountering the raiders, you see.”

  Finn gasps at this, and Tater’s smile dies away.

  “Oh, dear, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”

  This just keeps getting better and better, I think.

  We don’t talk. We don’t stop. We walk as fast as we can. Tater don’t come right out and say what the villagers would do to us, but my mind keeps filling in the gaps with all kinds of horrible thoughts. I find myself looking over my shoulder every few steps and jumping at every noise. I swear I catch a glimpse of movement behind us at times, like someone is following us, but it never amounts to anything. I know it’s just my mind playing tricks on me, but it don’t ease my rattled nerves none. It only makes me pick up the pace and have Finn and Tater struggle to keep up with me. But by sundown, we’re at the base of the mountain and without incident. We decide not to attempt the gulch at this late hour but wait for the morning light. A small grove of trees halfway up a side slope looks to be our best bet for a protected campsite though we’ll have to do without a fire tonight. After making it through the valley unnoticed, there ain’t no need to draw attention now.