“I shouldn’t have hit you. My Chi coulda hurt you.”
“Like I said, grief causes us to do funny things.”
“Why are you so good to me?”
He smiles then. “Because I love you.”
I stare into his face, taking solace in the pure emotion it radiates. I know he ain’t lying to me. I trace a finger over his lips, down his neck, and to the tip of the scar peeking outta his tunic.
“What happened?” I ask, my voice still ragged with emotion.
“It doesn’t matter,” he says as he twines my fingers in his. “A story for another time.”
“No, I wanna know. I wanna know everything about you, Jax.”
“Really? You wanna know right now?” he asks, skeptical, and I nod. “Fine,” he sighs. “It happened when we were kids. Jenna and I were playing some silly child’s game, can’t even remember now what it was, but she was kicking my butt, and I got angry like only a young boy could. I told her she was cheating because of her freak powers, and she showed me what those powers were capable of when she was annoyed. The twig she hurled through my shoulder was a bitch to get out and left quite the hole. I never called her a freak ever again.”
His last words come across as a joke, but they start a twinge of doubt and guilt gnawing at my brain and I frown. “Jenna’s New Blood power did this to you?”
As if he knows where my mind is going, he places his hands on either side of my face and leans in until his forehead touches mine. “Jenna was a child and unable to control the power within. She was nothing like you. You aren’t going to hurt me.”
“You don’t know that,” I whisper, but he cuts me off with a finger to my lips.
“I do know that, Tara. I trust you with my life.”
I pull him close, so he cain’t see the tears in my eyes at his words. I hold onto him tight, trying to make myself forget everything but this wonderful man. I know he was right, calling a stop when he did. This ain’t the right time or place. Just being with him is enough. I know that now. I close my eyes and let his presence chase my fears away. Wishing for this moment to never end and trying to enjoy it for as long as I can, for who knows what tomorrow will bring.
21
Back To Reality
“Tara, wake up.”
The sound of the engine echoing across the sand lands is so distant at first, I reckon I’m still dreaming, but it gets louder the more my senses gather around me. Someone is coming. I bolt to my feet, surprised that I even fell asleep. I reckon the exhaustion and shock had been more than my body could handle after all. I glance over at Jax, as the whole craziness of last night comes flooding back, but the quick smile and the slight touch of his hand on my cheek tells me all is forgiven.
The early morning sun dancing at the mouth of the cave and cold embers of the fire tell me we slept away the whole night. I know we ain’t got time to talk about it since whoever is coming can very well be the Army, but it don’t stop the heat that fills my cheeks, and I try to hide it under a gruff exterior.
“You think it’s Ben and Belle?” I ask, and he drops a quick kiss on my surprised mouth.
“Let’s go find out.”
He puts an arm around me to help me walk, but my Chi kicked in overnight and started the healing process. My thigh barely even twinges as I tentatively place my weight on it, but I accept his help anyway. It feels real good to have his arm around me as we make our way to the cave entrance.
Crawling out on the cave’s overhang on our stomachs so as not to be seen in case it is Army, we scan the horizon. Dread fills my gut as the shimmering shadow moving our way finally takes the shape of a truck. As it gets closer, I see the familiar ash star painted on the front of it. The dread mixes with hope that we’ll finally have answers about the battle outcome, even if maybe we ain’t gonna like what we hear.
“It’s them,” I say as I attempt to get to my feet, but Jax pulls me back down.
“Let’s just wait a moment.”
I know what he ain’t saying. It may be our truck, but let’s just wait and see who emerges. We don’t gotta wait long. The truck heads right towards us and slows down directly underneath the overhang. Before it even pulls to a complete stop, a familiar redhead jumps from the back and starts yelling my name.
“Tara.”
Finn. He’s soon accompanied by the black beast and young Thomas, and I let out a sigh of relief as tears prick my eyes. They’re okay. Another familiar face crawls outta the back of the truck as well, and even from the distance, I can see the look of sorrow on Talbert’s face. I know I ain’t gonna see his shadow following him anytime soon. Beanie ain’t with ‘em. Neither is Mack or Tater or Jane or Conner, and my heart falls to the pit of my stomach, as Belle and Ben are the last to emerge.
“Tara,” Finn yells again as he starts climbing up the slope to the cave, and I get to my feet to meet him. He throws himself into my arms as soon as he hits the top, and I stumble back into Jax, the only thing stopping us both from landing on our arses.
“Finn,” I say as I hug the boy tight, not wanting to let go now that I finally have him here. He starts shaking in my arms, and I think he’s laughing at first until the first quiet sob hits my ears.
“I’m sorry about your pa,” is all he says. My heart breaks all over again as the boy’s grief for me overwhelms me.
“I know,” I whisper, comforting him like Jax had done for me only hours ago. “It’s okay. He’s with my ma now, in the stars.”
Finally, his body stops shaking, and he takes a deep breath.
“I’m real sorry I failed ya.” I can barely hear the quiet words, and I pull him gently away from my chest, holding him at arm’s length as I wipe his wet cheeks. “I didn’t keep everyone safe.”
“What are you talkin’ about. You did good. You got everyone away.”
He wipes at his tears with his fists, his sorrow replaced by anger. “I didn’t do good enough. The soldiers followed us. We started runnin’, and I tried to keep us all together, but we got separated in the hills and—"
“Hey, you kept Cat and Thomas safe. I’m proud of ya. Tater always said you were smarter than me.”
His sigh is a mixture of sadness and laughter, but it’s better than letting him beat himself up over something he got no control over.
By now the others have all joined us on the overhang. I release Finn and give Thomas a quick hug of reassurance before I even dare to face Ben and Belle. Like I’m trying to put off any more bad news. But I cain’t put ‘em off much longer, and I turn to face ‘em. They both look exhausted, and I feel real guilty at having slept the night away while they were out searching for survivors and in danger.
“Thank you,” I say to both of ‘em as I walk their way. “Thank you for bringin’ my kin to me. And for helpin’ to save my life.”
Ben shrugs. “They’re our kin too, as are you. There ain’t nuthin’ I wouldn’t do for any of you.”
I nod because I know he’s speaking the truth. I stumble over the next words, not wanting to ask but knowing I gotta. “The others?”
They don’t get a chance to answer. Talbert intervenes, his red rimmed eyes almost bugging outta his head. “’e took ‘em, Mistress. Da devil ‘imself. ‘e took ‘em an whoever else ‘ad da misfortune to fall in ‘is path. I tried to stop ‘em but I couldna. I got knocked down an lost track of ‘em.”
I close my eyes briefly at the news and breathe through my nose. Talbert looks devastated by his admission, and I realize I ain’t the only one dealing with issues of failure. I grip his shoulder.
“You did what you could. You helped keep the Army from capturin’ me. You ain’t got no reason to believe you failed at anythin’. You and Bean and Mack and Tater are the true heroes. Now, I need your help in gettin’ ‘em back. You up for this?”
I think he’s gonna cry at my words, but instead he nods curt and squares his shoulders.
I turn my attention back to Ben. “What about the villagers?”
He shakes h
is head. “A lot of casualties, mostly the men. But we didn’t find nobody wanderin’ outside. I think Talbert’s right. He captured what was left and took ‘em away.”
I let all the information sink in for a bit. Sorrow and hopelessness threaten to overwhelm me, but I swallow it down. “Okay, bad news, the Prezedant is still alive. Good news, so are our people as far as we know. That means there’s still a chance we can get ’em back.”
“It won’t be easy,” Jax says. “We lost good people last night. Strong allies and not to mention our commander was taken. Mack was the brains behind the attack on Skytown. He was the only one who knew what he was doing.”
“The plan still stands, Jax.” I stand straighter and stare him in the eye. The weak, sniveling Tara from last night had showed her face for a moment, but she ain’t around no more. After last night, I finally realize that there’s a lot more to fight for now. So fight we will. “We did lose a lot. Even people we loved. But we stand to lose a hell of a lot more if we back off now. We cain’t run away from this. This needs to end.”
Ben smiles through his weary grief. “I reckoned you’d feel that way. That’s why we made a detour before heading back here.”
I glance his way, confused, but Belle picks up the conversation. “Ben said you’d wanna keep going. He said you’d never let your pa and the other villagers die in vain, and that you’d never leave Mack and the others to rot in the Prezedant’s prison. Not as long as you had breath in your body. So, we found the closest raider camp and told them about the attack on the village. We sent them off with the message to band here, and to spread the message across the sand lands and to the out lands that the war is still on.”
Her hard smile matches the steel in her eyes, and I can see she ain’t let the attack on our village deter her in any way. Belle is still very much up for this. So is Ben, obviously. I turn my attention to Jax and Talbert. “You feel the same? You both ready for this?”
“I ain’t ever been more ready fer anythin’, Mistress.” Talbert says along with Jax’s nod of affirmation.
I guess we’re doing this then.
“Then let’s get started. We got a lot to discuss while we wait for our army to arrive.”
The rumble of the engines grows as the ground shakes under our feet. There had to be more than one truck approaching. There’s way too much commotion for just one veacal. We cain’t see nuthin’ through the cloud of dust hovering over the western sand lands like some heavy fog.
We’ve waited impatiently for days. Days of worrying and fearing for our captured kin. Days of wondering if our army would still show. Days that seem so long I reckoned we’d all go mad under the pressure. We each passed the hours in our own way. Anything to try and wait out the time.
Ben and Belle had spent most of it out hunting and providing for us. Finn and Thomas had used their time making up and playing silly games like only young’uns can do. Talbert spent his time whittling away at some figurine he’s been carving outta a piece of dried kindlin’, lost in his own morose thoughts. Me? I spent most of the time trying to heal, emotionally and physically, with Jax’s help. It seemed to work. Maybe a little too much, since my mind is now filled with nuthin’ but the need for revenge and ending this once and for all.
Now, the wait is over, regardless of whatever is approaching. We can only hope it’s friends and not enemies.
We stand on the overhang, watching in apprehension. The sun burns something fierce, and sweat trickles down the back of my neck, mingling with the trepidation. No sense in hiding. The dust cloud approaches with intent. Whoever it is knows we’re here. The cloud billows high in the air, kicking about sand and rubble, as the black shadows within start to take shape in the plume. I pull my neck wrapper over my nose as the debris whips about my face, and glance over at Jax as he takes my other hand in his. He’s covered his mouth as well, and his blue gaze over the wrapper and his strong hand gripping mine calms my raw nerves.
The trucks emerge from the cloud and stop one by one underneath the overhang. The silence surrounding us is huge without the roar of the engines to fill it. Finally, after the dust settles, the door of the truck closest to us opens, and a giant figure emerges. One I know well, and a smile lights my face as I pull the neck wrapper back down.
“Busher,” I call out as the raider leader raises a hand in greeting. He lets out an echoing whoop, and the trucks soon empty of their human cargo. Raiders of all shapes and sizes spill out onto the hot sands bringing with them a sense of relief. They answered my call like promised.
Busher and a couple of his men make their way to us on the overhang, and before I can speak, I’m torn from Jax’s grip and lifted high in the air in a bear hug.
“New Blood. We meet again. I’m so pleased to see you and your people safe and sound after the attack on your village. I was not happy to hear of the events that occurred, especially after Meela told me of your help extended to those of our clan.”
I wait until he sets me back on my feet before answering. “Thank you, but not all of us made it. Mack and most of the others were taken prisoner. A lot of villagers died—including my pa.” My voice cracks, but I resist tears. My time for crying is over.
The giant truly looks upset by the news. “I’m sorry to hear of your loss. Your father was a true ally. Did he die an honorable death?”
My nod is curt. “He did.”
“Then the gods will allow him easy access into Valhalla. You will meet your father again someday, little one. Do not grieve, for life incessantly moves on, and this period is merely a tiny moment in the grand scheme of time.”
Busher’s words remind me of Tater somewhat and inexplicably comfort me. I bite my lip and swallow the lump in my throat.
“Thank you for answerin’ our call. I was afraid after the loss of our village, no one would still offer support in our fight.”
Busher appears surprised at my words. “A raider never backs down from a promise. I’m in this with you until the end. As well as most of my people, and there are more on the way. As we speak, Meela is out gathering more forces. We will not abandon you in your time of need, New Blood. Like you we aim for an end to this. After all there’s only room for one group of bandits to terrorize the sand lands, and the Prezedant is really cramping our style.”
His words stun me at first before he starts laughing, and I realize he’s joking. And just like that, the band that had been constricting my chest ever since Ernst’s death lets loose, and I start laughing along with him. I also realize it’s okay to laugh. I ain’t being disrespectful to my pa or the villagers. Busher is right. Life moves on, no matter what happens. The others must come to the same realization since a few more sniggers fill the air.
I wait until everybody’s laughter dies off before I ask Busher the question picking at my brain since his earlier remark. “You said ‘most’ of your people. How many will back us? For this attack to work, we need to have numbers at our backs, else we’re gonna be walkin’ straight into the Prezedant’s hands.”
Busher nods, his smile disappearing as his heavy features settle into a more serious look. “I can’t rightly say. We have possibly two hundred with us right now. Meela will probably scrounge up a couple hundred more. But the Army put a scare into a lot of people. The burning of villagers and the deaths in the sand lands have not gone unnoticed. People are running scared, including some of my own.”
I sigh deeply as I look out over the raiders below already setting up camp and settling in to wait for reinforcements. Maybe four or five hundred in total? Not the numbers promised by any means, but I understand them running scared. My only hope now is that the muties come through for us.
“Well, I still thank you for believin’ in me. And I’m glad you’re here. With Mack taken captive, I’m in need of a battle advisor, and I cain’t think of anyone better than you.”
He bows at my words, holding a hand to his heart. “I’m deeply honored, New Blood. You have my word I will guide you with all my experience and wi
sdom.”
“Good. That’s settled. Maybe we should settle down and discuss—”
“Busher.”
The cry comes from below us along with some uneasy murmuring, and I turn to see what the commotion is about. The raider leader had thought to post lookouts on toppa the trucks, and all are standing at attention, pointing off into the sand lands. I follow their attention to a wave of darkness on the northern horizon. I squint into the distance, trying to make sense in my brain of what my eyes see. I step closer to the edge of the overhang, Jax right at my side as he shades his eyes with his hand.
“Can you see what it is?” I ask him, trying to hide the uneasiness in my voice. He answers with a quiet, “No.” Then the sound finally hits as it carries across the still air. It’s the sound of thousands of feet moving across the arid lands.
“Is it raiders, Busher?” I ask, turning to the dark giant looming at my back. He pulls something outta his pocket, and I recognize the gold cylinder I’d first seen so long ago. Tater’s spyglass. I’d forgotten Busher had claimed it when he first captured us. He extends the cylinder and peers toward the north. His expression gives nuthin’ away; he merely hands the spyglass to me and says, “Look.”
I do just that, my heart hammering in my throat, terrified I’m gonna see a sea of brown robes. It ain’t. Instead, a tiny spark of hope chases the fear away as a welcoming sight meets my eyes.
“Tara, what is it?” Finn says, chewing nervously on his fingers, and I lower the spyglass to send him a comforting grin.
“It’s our army, Finn,” I say as I raise the spyglass once more to watch the muties trudge across the cracked lands, with Maya in her white flowing robes leading them like the Maven she is.
22
Skytown
At first glance I think they’ve added a new layer of reinforcement around the already huge wall of Skytown. The shiny barrier of metal sparkles bright in the afternoon sun, but the top of the wall appears to be capped with a dark layer of some sort, making it even higher. I cain’t quite figure out what they’ve done to it.
New Bloods Boxset Page 76
