The Reckless Oath We Made

by Bryn Greenwood

  “What’s to stop me from shooting the both of you and taking it?” Scanlon was still pointing his gun at me, and I hoped I didn’t look as terrified as I felt.

  “Because if you shoot me, my friend up on the hill is gonna put a couple arrows in you, and burn this place to the ground.”

  Scanlon laughed, so I handed the phone to Gentry. He put it to his ear and said, “Prove thy aim is true, Sir Edrard.”

  About twenty seconds later a flaming arrow dropped out of the sky and hit the dirt in the space between the cabin and the barn. Even though I knew it was coming, it made me jump. The second arrow landed ten feet closer to the cabin. Scanlon stopped laughing. Gentry handed me the phone and went over to stamp out the flames from the arrows. He was grinning when he walked back to me.

  “So like I was saying. I’m offering you fifty thousand dollars for my sister. Here’s how it works. You bring her out here. She and one of your friends walk back up the hill with us. We give your friend the money, he walks back down here, and we drive away.”

  “Shit, I guess it’s true, all them rumors about your daddy ending up with that bank money,” Scanlon said. It didn’t surprise me there were rumors at the prison. Everybody liked to think somebody had succeeded where the rest of them had failed. I wondered again if that was why they’d picked LaReigne. Had they thought they might be able to ransom her? If I’d waited, would they have come to me or Uncle Alva eventually?

  “Oh, you think we’re gonna let you walk away and call the cops?” Ligett said.

  “If I wanted to call the cops I’d have done it an hour ago, and my friend with the bow and arrows can call them right now. Except I want my sister back alive, and I don’t think the cops can help me with that. If she’s here, let me see her.”

  “Well, I’ll say this: you’re a helluva a lot smarter than your sister, but I bet this is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done,” Scanlon said.

  “It’s really simple. You want the money? Let me see my sister.”

  “I don’t—” Ligett started to say, but Scanlon cut him off.

  “All right. You come on inside, but your boy stays out here.”

  “It me liketh not, my lady.” When I looked at Gentry, he was scratching the back of his neck with both hands. He could draw his sword from that position, and I wasn’t sure if that made me less nervous or more nervous.

  “It’s okay. I have the phone. If I need help I’ll tell Edrard and he’ll let you know.”

  Gentry lowered his hands and nodded.

  I went up the stairs like an old lady, because my hip was so tight I could barely get my foot up each riser. The steps creaked under me and, when I got to the top, Ligett reached out like he meant to frisk me.

  “Don’t fucking touch me,” I said. “You got a gun. I got a gun. Let’s play nice.”

  For a minute, I thought that was going to be the deal breaker, but Scanlon shook his head at Ligett and said, “It’s okay if the lady wants to bring a gun. She’s not gonna shoot the place up.”

  Inside, the cabin smelled like stale cigarettes and mildew and onions.

  “Go on ahead. Door on the right.” Scanlon pointed for me to go down the hall ahead of him. When I stopped at the door he’d indicated, he said, “Go on in.”

  The sun was coming down fast, and it was dim in the hallway, so that when I opened the bedroom door, all the light coming through the curtains made me squint. I stepped inside, Scanlon closed the door behind me, and there was LaReigne. She was lying on the bed with her shoes off. When she saw me, she sat up, and the book she’d been reading fell out of her hands. The cover had a shirtless man in a kilt on it.

  “Oh my god! Zee!” she said. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to get you. Let’s go.”

  “What do you mean you’re here to get me? Did you bring Marcus?”

  “No. I didn’t bring Marcus,” I said. “Come on, put your shoes on so we can go.”

  She got up off the bed, but she was staring at me like she couldn’t believe I was there. It hit me, then. She was safe. I grabbed her and held on to her as tight as I could, and for a minute, she didn’t do anything, because she must have been in shock. Then she laughed and put her arms around me. Most of my life, I’d felt like an ugly giant next to her, but right then I felt strong. Strong enough to protect her. We held on to each other, until I remembered Gentry was outside waiting for me. I let go of her and looked around the room for her shoes. They were on the floor next to a chair covered in clothes. Just like at our house.

  “Oh my god, Zee. How are you here?” she said.

  “It’s a long story, and we have a long drive home, so I’ll tell you all about it.”

  She sat back on the edge of the bed and I squatted down to put her shoes on her, like she was Marcus.

  “But how?” she said, while I tied her shoes. “How did you even know where we were?”

  “I promise, I’ll tell you everything, but we need to go.”

  “It’s not like we can just walk out of here. They have guns. There are more of them than us.”

  “How many are there?” I said.

  “Four.”

  “Okay, well, there’s five of us.”

  “Who’s with you?” She was still sitting on the bed, looking at me like I was crazy. Had they drugged her? She was acting like she was drugged.

  “Gentry, a friend of his, and our cousin Dirk,” I said. “I have money to pay them, so we need to get the hell out of here, okay?”

  “I need to talk to Tague first. He—”

  “The fuck you do.”

  I grabbed her hand and pulled her up to standing.

  That was when we heard the first gunshot.

  CHAPTER 42

  Gentry

  The sword upon thy back is no child’s baton,” the black knight said.

  I spake not but gave him my accord. I knew well ’twas no trifle.

  “They aren not noble men. The one called Ligett, he meaneth to harm thee.”

  The black knight was aright, for tho Scanlon would speak of money, Ligett was full of malice. In his shoulders he held ill intent, where he paced upon the stoop before me. The two knaves whispered one to the other. Tho I heard them not, I kenned well enough what they spake of, for Ligett looked to where Sir Edrard’s arrows had fallen, and thence toward the woods, as tho to seek the place my brother held.

  Scanlon entered the house and Ligett alighted from the porch and strode toward the woods. As he passed me, he said, “You stay right fucking there, pal.”

  I stayed, but soon the trees would hide him from Sir Edrard’s sight, and so I raised my hand to warn him.

  “’Tis nigh dark,” the black knight said. “Soon thou shalt lose thine advantage. Now is the time to leave, for Scanlon is ill-prepared to fight.”

  I mounted the stairs and approached the door to look within, but the sinking sun made havoc of shadow and light. As I laid my hand upon the door to open it, the sounding of a gun came behind me. Another came soon after, certs from the woods, but the echo and resound left me hard-pressed to ken the very place.

  I stepped free of the door, drew my sword, and was at the ready. Aside the door, I squatted and, ere I had been there a nonce, a man burst from the barn door and ran toward the woods, carrying with him a long gun. From above, Sir Edrard dropped three arrows to the path, and ’twas only by hap that the man was missed by the bolts.

  Within the cabin, I heard the footsteps of Scanlon. He ran to the door, loudly and without caution. Mayhap he meant only to fright me, but he thrust the door open with his foot and fired his gun. When he rushed out, I heaved up from where I squatted and struck full force my shoulder upon his flank. The blow sent him to the ground.

  “He means to kill thee if he is able,” the black knight said.

  Sooth, as quick as he landed, Scanlon gained his feet
and raised his gun to fire once more. ’Twas but a breath betwixt us and I hastened it to close.

  “You fucking idiot. You really brought a knife to a gunfight.” From pride, Scanlon scorned against me. ’Twas misguided boldness, for he might have wounded me, had he forborne to speak, and fired his gun. Ere he did, I swung my blade and smote his arm with enough might that he dropped the weapon. Scanlon cried out and blood flowed forth.

  I made to subdue him, and grappled his neck to cut his breath, and with it his will to fight. I might have mastered him, but from the trees there came more gunshots, and from the barn came the fourth man, the one called Tague Barnwell. He carried not a long gun, but a pistol. I struck Scanlon upon his temple with my pommel, and twisted his wounded arm that I might use him as a shield.

  There was naught to be gained by retreating and so I advanced, Scanlon before me til we came to the rail of the porch where Barnwell approached.

  “This be no tournament. Thy rules aren for naught,” the black knight said. “If thou fightest not for thy life, certs thou wilt it lose.”

  Scanlon ceased his bemoaning, and I felt in his back that he meant to fight. Where before his shoulder was drawn tight to protect his injured limb, he lowered it, for he meant to lunge right. Had I followed the black knight’s entreaty, I might have spared myself all harm, but as I forced Scanlon from me, I felt a burning wound upon my thigh. I heard it not, nor anything, aside the black knight’s admonishment and mine own breath. I ought have done it sooner, but the deed lay clear before me, once I was wounded.

  I swung my blade and cleaved Scanlon’s bared neck. His blood was as a warm bath upon my arm and, as he fell at my feet, I leapt down upon Barnwell, ere he could fire his gun.

  On the ground, breast-to-breast with me, his gun was of no use, but my blade found his foot, and I drove my head into his chin. ’Twas well for me the wound to my leg was a distant thing, for pain made Barnwell a fool. He grasped my sword with his hand to draw it from his foot, thereby wounding himself a second time. He cried out, I knew not what, and seeing how poorly he fared, he ceased his futile defense and attacked. He hit his arm hard upon my elbow so that I must release him, and ere I regained my hold, he pushed me hence. To free his gun, he meant, but he was unready when the moment came.

  I was ready. The movement of his arm as he made to steady his gun twisted his trunk all unarmored toward me, and I thrust my sword into him. Under his ribs, through to his back, until my hilt pressed flush against him. His arms dropped, the gun with them, and I held him up til the weight upon my blade was too much. He fell upon the ground, and when I drew my sword from his body, blood poured into the soil. His mouth opened in a cry, and tho I would hear his last words, none came, only the sound of pain.

  I tossed his gun from his reach, but left him lie in peace, for he could no more menace me. Tho Barnwell still had breath, certs I had killed two men. I knew not how I lived while their lifeblood drained away.

  “’Twas well done,” the black knight said.

  “’Twas necessary,” the Witch said.

  “If thou wert as steady with the thrust of thine other blade,” Gawen said.

  Hildegard said naught but a prayer:

  God that is mightful

  Speed all rightful

  Help all needful

  Have mercy on all sinful

  I echoed it that I might remember these fallen men had souls as frail as mine. Then I lifted my hand to signal Sir Edrard but there came no arrow in answer. All round me was a great pall of silence that set my raised hand atremble, but the hand that held my sword remained resolute. I turned to the cabin and mounted the steps to find Lady Zhorzha and her sister.

  CHAPTER 43

  Zee

  The scary thing was how the gunshot came from two places at the same time—outside and the open phone line in my pocket. One loud, one quiet, like a firecracker and a pop gun going off at the same time. I fumbled the phone out of my pocket and almost dropped it.

  “Edrard? What’s going on?” I said, but he didn’t answer.

  There was another gunshot, and with the phone to my ear, the secondary pop was louder. I wondered if it was closer to Edrard.

  I said his name again and heard a bunch of scrambling noises.

  “I don’t know,” he said, breathing hard. “It’s too dark to see anything. I’m going up to bring one of the trucks down the main road. Hang on.”

  I was going to tell him to wait, but before I could, there was another gunshot, so close it sounded like it was inside the cabin. I pulled LaReigne down next to me in front of the dresser. It wouldn’t be much protection but it was something.

  “We can’t go out there,” LaReigne said.

  I hadn’t come all that way to get her shot, so we stayed where we were. Edrard must have put the phone in his pocket, because I couldn’t hear anything.

  Three more gunshots came right together. Or maybe more than three. I couldn’t keep track anymore. Someone started screaming. A man screaming, which I’d never heard in my life. I told myself it didn’t sound like Gentry, but would I recognize anybody I knew from the sound of them screaming in pain?

  After a few minutes, the screaming stopped and there was nothing but silence. I pulled myself up with the edge of the dresser and went to open the bedroom door. The hallway was empty. I took the gun out of my waistband and flicked the safety off, because if I was ever going to need a gun, it was then.

  “Come on. We need to go.” I snapped my fingers at LaReigne.

  “Lady Zhorzha! Art’ou well?” Gentry shouted from outside.

  “Oh, thank fuck, Gentry. Yes. We’re okay.” Hearing his voice, hearing that he was okay, made me so shaky I had to put the safety back on the gun.

  I took LaReigne’s hand and pulled her after me, down the hall and across the front room to the door. When we got there, Gentry came up the stairs, his sword in his hand, and stepped over the body lying on the porch.

  The body.

  Lying.

  On the porch.

  I think the only thing that kept me from freaking out was the weed. Whatever LaReigne was on, it did not help her. She started saying, “Oh my god! Oh my god!” and then: “Where’s Tague?”

  The body was the guy they’d called Scanlon, with a huge gash in the side of his neck. He was very dead.

  “We musten go, my lady, and swiftly.” Gentry held out his hand, but I didn’t take it, because he was covered in blood—his hands, his sword—of course, he’d killed Scanlon. There was a hole in the left thigh of his pants, with blood seeping out of it.

  “Oh, Jesus Christ. Did you get shot?” I said. That’s how stupid I was. I’d brought him to that place and gotten him shot, and I was surprised?

  “’Tis not horrible, but we musten go.”

  With the gun still in my right hand, I put my left arm around LaReigne’s waist, and lifted her over Scanlon’s body. Then I stepped over him and pushed her toward the porch steps.

  Once I had her moving, I thought we were going to be okay, but she kept turning and looking around. We only made it a few feet from the cabin before LaReigne came to a dead stop and started shrieking from the bottom of her lungs.

  “Tague! Tague! Tague!” That’s what she was screaming, and that’s how I knew who was lying in the grass next to the cabin. LaReigne twisted her arm out of my grip and ran back to him. He was such a bloody mess, I couldn’t even tell what was wrong with him. LaReigne got on her knees beside him, still screaming his name.

  Gentry was ten feet ahead, waiting for us to catch up. I stuffed the gun into my jeans and went to get LaReigne. I was strong enough to lift her, but she started swinging and kicking, so I ended up dropping her, practically on top of Tague, who moaned.

  “We have to go,” I said. “We have to go now!”

  “I’m not leaving him!” LaReigne said.

 
“What did you do, sissy?” I said. My stomach bottomed out, the same way it did right before I laid that motorcycle down on my leg, when I realized I was going to wreck. When I knew there was no going back and maybe no going forward either. “Did you help them? What did you do?”

  “I didn’t do anything. But Tague says this is a chance for us to start over. Leave his past behind. Leave my past behind.” She was crying, but she said it in this dreamy, faraway voice.

  “Leave what behind? Marcus?” Anger was always safer than fear. I knew what to do with anger. I smacked the side of her head, hard enough to make her pay attention to me.

  “No,” she said. “Tague promised. Molly’s going to bring Marcus to me.”

  “How? How is Molly going to bring him to you?”

  “She was supposed to pick him up and bring him to me that night, but when she got to the apartment, you weren’t there. She’s going to try again next—”

  “No, she isn’t, because Molly’s dead. Somebody murdered Molly.”

  “No, she stayed behind in Nebraska. Conrad’s going to go meet her.”

  “Nobody’s going to meet her!” I yelled. “One of your boyfriend’s buddies murdered her. Or maybe he murdered her. Maybe you’re next. And did you think I would hand Marcus over to some stranger? Because fuck that really fucking hard.”

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” LaReigne whispered to Tague. Where she had her hands pressed to his side, blood was seeping out between her fingers.

  “We’re leaving now. Right now.”

  “No, I can’t. We’ll figure out a way. You don’t understand, Zee. Loudon is going to get paroled and as soon as he does, I’ll have to share custody with him. I can’t do that.”

  “You won’t be sharing custody with anybody, if you don’t come with me right fucking now. We can still figure something out, but only if we go,” I said.

  “I can’t leave him.” She was crying and looking down at Tague, so I grabbed a handful of her hair to turn her head and make her look at me.