by V. L. Dreyer
She thought about it for a second, then nodded. "I think I’d like to help Skye. I like Skye. She's very… outspoken."
I laughed and nodded my agreement. "She is definitely that. Come on, let's go home. I'll deal with this stuff another day. We've got all the time in the world."
Together, we headed out of the house and closed up behind us, then hurried to catch up with the rest of our group. Isabelle complained the whole way about the rain and the cold, but I took it with good grace and didn't say a word. We made it back just in time to see Charu and the others manhandling the bed into the stairwell.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?" I called. "You can just leave that down here until the elevators are working, you know. That's why all this other stuff is down here."
They ignored me, with the exception of Charu. He looked at me and tried to say something, but all that came out was garbled gibberish.
"Sorry, I can't understand you," I admitted, hurrying over to help them. As soon as I got close they waved me away.
"He said 'no'," Warren snapped, sounding disgruntled – but he always sounded disgruntled so I couldn't tell if this was a different mood to usual or not. "Leave off. We've got this."
None of them seemed inclined to tell me what they were doing, so I just held my hands up in defeat and stood back. "Fine, but I'm just saying that you don't have to do that."
"Yes, we do," Warren replied, but he offered nothing in the way of an explanation.
I decided not to press him. I understood his type better than most: if he wasn't in the mood to talk, then trying to force him to would just annoy him.
"Can I at least get the door for you?" I offered. "I feel bad standing here not doing anything to help."
"Yeah, all right," Warren said. He and Quentin shoved the mattress hard up against the wall, giving me just enough room to squeeze by. I did so, then repeated the process with Charu and Karl's bed base. It was a tight fit, but I made it. Isabelle stayed behind, watching from the bottom of the stairs.
I stayed a few steps ahead of them as the lugged the bed up, waiting silently for the instruction to open the door. They passed the first level without saying a word, and the second as well. Just as we were about to reach the third floor landing, Charu grunted something incomprehensible and jerked his chin towards me. I took the hint and shoved the heavy door open for them.
The four men lugged their burden out into the hallway of level three, and down the passage leading towards the north-western corner of the building. I followed curiously, ready to lend my aid if there was another door that needed opening, but where they stopped took me completely by surprise: they stopped right outside my quarters.
Charu jerked his chin towards my door, and this time I managed to make out what he was saying. "Open."
"But… that's my room," I protested. "Why…?"
"Open!" he repeated, a little more clearly this time. His clipped tongue made it hard to understand what he was saying most of the time, but there was no mistaking his tone. I hurried past them and opened the door.
The men lugged the bed inside without another word, and carried it into the side-room that we'd already decided to use as our bedroom. My jaw fell open as I watched them drag the thin mattress we'd slept on the night before out of the way, then they set the new bed up beneath the windows. Once they were done, they turned and left without another word, all except for Warren.
Warren lingered in the doorway a second longer, watching me with an unreadable expression. I looked at him, fighting the unreasonable urge to cry. "But why me? Any one of you deserves that bed as much as I do."
Warren shrugged and glanced away. "It was Charu's idea. You've been good to us. Better than we deserve. And it ain't right for a lady to sleep on the floor."
Then he was gone, leaving me in shock.
Chapter Twelve
After nearly three months on the road, our new bed felt like sleeping on a cloud. We slept deeply each night, and woke up feeling refreshed and energetic. We and the other new citizens of Tumanako spent the next week getting settled in and working on the various tasks that would eventually turn an office block into a home fit to live in. There was always something to do, never a moment to be bored, and there was certainly no time to miss the freedom of travelling.
Though I’d spent the last decade living the nomad’s life, I was not a traveller by nature. Having a place to settle down and call my own was a dream come true. Every day, when Michael and I retired to our beds, we'd have a few little things to add to our apartment. Some days it was something practical, like new sheets for our bed or a pillow. Other days, it was something beautiful and useless, such as a painting to hang on the wall. For the first time, we had the opportunity to really nest together. We'd tried to do it in Ohaupo, but fate had intervened. Tumanako was our second chance, our opportunity to indulge our nesting instincts, and we were both happier for it.
As the days passed, I found myself needing to give commands less and less. People began to find their own niches, and were generally content to trundle off and do their own thing without guidance from anyone. That left me and the other members of the council with more time on our hands, which we all used wisely.
On the fifth morning, I was just leaving for the day when I almost tripped over a colourful gift that someone had left in my doorway: it was a bouquet of artificial flowers, artfully arranged in a porcelain vase. There was no card or tag on the flowers, but the arrangement was beautiful. I accepted the gift for what it was, and set it on our coffee table so that it could bring a little colour to an otherwise bland room.
The next few days passed without incident. Occasionally a new face would drift in or something interesting happen, but mostly I spent my time scavenging. Around mid-morning on the seventh day after our arrival, I was leading my little group of loners back in from another mission with an armload full of small, useful things. I was still working with the same group, minus Isabelle of course, but I hadn't said anything about the bed. It felt strange, but a part of me instinctively knew that they didn't want me to thank them. I knew they appreciated just being understood, both by me and by each other. Slowly, my loners were becoming friends – or at least whatever passed for friends amongst people that didn't really speak unless it was vital.
I led the men down the corridor towards the cluster of rooms we'd converted into a storage facility. The door was open, and I could see Skylar talking to a strange woman with a baby in her arms and a toddler clinging to her skirt. Skye spotted me before the newcomer did and waved a greeting.
"Good morning," I said, keeping my tone as light and friendly as I could manage. Despite my best efforts to appear non-threatening, the woman fearfully clutched her children closer and edged away from the door. I sensed that the last thing she needed was more unfamiliar faces, so I stepped back out to address my scavenging party. "Hey guys, can you please just leave the stuff out here and head back out for another load? I'll catch up later."
They nodded, piled their sacks up beside the door, then headed out without a word of protest. This wasn’t the first skittish survivor to arrive on our doorstep.
"Hey sis, this is Tala Navarro," Skye said, gesturing towards the petite woman. She hesitated and looked at Tala. "Sorry, what were the names of your daughters?"
"The big one is Nenita," Tala said softly, hugging her baby tightly as if she was afraid I'd try to take the child away. "The baby doesn't have a name yet. She only came a few days ago."
"You delivered her all by yourself?" I asked, suddenly understanding why she was so afraid; that had to have been a special kind of trauma. "You're very brave. I couldn't even imagine going through that on my own. You're welcome here, Tala – you and your girls. My name is Sandy."
"I know who you are," she replied. She drew a deep breath and held it for a second, then I could see her force herself to relax a little bit. "It was… hard, yes. My man vanished not so long ago. I had no choice."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said. I put the sac
k I was carrying down beside the door and took a couple of steps towards them. Tala didn't flinch this time, but Nenita did. She ducked behind her mother's leg and hid from me. I eased myself down into a crouch that put me at eye level with the little girl and waved to her. "Hi Nenita. You're a very brave little girl to travel with your mummy, aren't you? How old are you, sweetheart?"
Nenita just stared at me with huge eyes and didn’t say a word.
Tala smiled and looked down at her daughter with obvious affection. "She does not talk much. Losing her father has been hard on her… on both of us. Nenita will be three years old come springtime."
"You're both very brave," I told her, shoving myself back up again. Even though my own child was still so tiny that I often forgot she was there, the hormonal changes in my body left my joints aching from the slightest exercise. I stretched my back for a second, then looked at Skye. "Have you fed them yet?"
"Not yet," she replied. "They just got here. Why don't you go feed them while I sort out a room and bedding?"
"Sure," I agreed. I looked at Tala and gave her a smile. "Would you care for some lunch? You look like you haven't had a proper meal in way too long."
"We've been doing the best we can, but it's hard," she said, her eyes dropping to the baby in her arms. "I can't leave the two little ones alone while I hunt. We were okay before, when Franco was still with us, because there was always one of us to stay with Nenita. When I got too big with the baby, then Franco could go and I'd stay with her. Except one day he didn't come home."
"What happened to him?" I asked, gently reaching out to her, both to comfort her and to guide her towards the kitchen.
"I don't know," she replied, her eyes filling with tears. "He just didn't come home. I waited, but then the baby came and… and I didn't know what else to do. I saw you on the television, so I decided to come here." She glanced back at me, studying me with eyes as deep and fathomless as the ocean. "You seemed kind."
"I try to be," I said. I paused for a second as we entered the dining room, then I asked a question as subtly as I could. "Where were you staying before this, Tala?"
"Bodhinyanarama," she replied.
I shot her a bewildered look. "Bodhinwhatawhata?"
"Oh." Tala glanced at me, her expression a little sheepish. "Sorry. Bodhinyanarama was a Buddhist monastery in Stokes Valley. Franco loved it up there…"
I saw the first tear break loose and roll down her cheek. A second later, I had my arm around her shoulders and held her while she silently wept. I led her over to one of the couches and sat down with her. "I know, honey. I know it hurts. But at least you and your babies are safe now. I won't let anything happen to them."
Tala nodded miserably and wiped her eyes. "I know. It's just… so hard."
"You don't have to do it alone anymore," I told her gently, feeling a surge of sympathy towards the woman that I wouldn't have been able to explain in words. "Wait here and rest, I'll go get your food. Is there anything that you or Nenita can't have? Any allergies?"
"No… no." Tala took a deep breath and shook her head. "We appreciate anything that you offer us."
"You're part of our family now," I said, easing myself up to my feet again. "Our food is your food. I'll be back in a minute, okay?"
Tala nodded her understanding, so I left her and her children and went into the kitchen. There, I found Elly and Isabelle puttering around starting preparations for lunch. I waved a greeting to them, but didn't stop and say hello just yet. By the time the door had swung closed behind me, I had my radio out of my pocket.
"Michael?" I said into the receiver.
A few seconds passed, then his voice came on the line. "I'm here. What's up?"
"We may have a wounded man out there in need of our help," I told him. I quickly conveyed Tala's story, and he grunted his understanding.
"You want to send out a search party," he translated without further prompting. "How many people?"
"Six," I said. "You, me, and one of the nurses. Please round up three more people, preferably the best trackers we have, and get the horses ready. I'll meet you down there in a few minutes."
"I'm on it," he replied, then he was gone. Both Elly and Isabelle were watching me, obviously waiting for instructions. They didn't have to wait for long.
"Elly, can you please prepare travel rations for six people?" I asked. "We should be back by dark, but better safe than sorry. Make it a day's worth." Elly just nodded and hurried off without bothering to reply. I looked at Isabelle, and gave her a smile. "Can you please go talk to Skylar for me? I need her to get weapons out of storage for us."
"Okay," she agreed, nervously folding her hands in front of her. She started towards the door, then hesitated and looked back at me. "Anything else…?"
"Yes, if you wouldn't mind," I replied. "Can you please visit the infirmary, and ask one of the nurses to come along? It doesn't matter which one – I'd feel better having someone with medical training on hand."
"Sure," she said, and then she was out the door.
I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart, then turned my attention towards getting Tala's babies fed. I grabbed a couple of plates off a drying rack and went into the cooler to see what was left over from dinner the night before. I found a big bowl of cold stew covered with cling wrap, and some boiled vegetables. It probably wasn't very tasty, but they looked half-starved and food was food when you were hungry. A cold, tasteless meal was better than no meal at all.
Sure enough, when I brought the food out to them, Tala and Nenita set to it without a word of complaint. I sat with them while they ate, until Elly appeared with the rations I'd asked her to prepare. I introduced them, and then I left Tala in Elly's very capable care and excused myself.
Skylar was waiting for me in the hallway, burdened with an armload of guns and bottled water. Once we'd settled in and secured the fence around Tumanako, we’d taken to only carrying weapons when on guard duty or when going outside the fence for long periods of time. I took my favourite shotgun, put it over my shoulder, and stuffed a handful of spare cartridges into my pocket.
"Do you need to go back to your room?" Skye asked. "I can take those rations downstairs with me, if you like."
"Are you sure? You barely have a spare hand," I commented dryly.
Skye just laughed and grabbed the bag out of my hand, then she was off at a rapid clip. I went the opposite direction and climbed the stairs to the third floor to go retrieve my travel gear from my room. Most of it was already on my person, but I’d fallen out of the habit of carrying my GPS unit when I was just visiting the local township.
I quickly found it, checked that it was charged, and tucked it into my pocket, then I wrapped my coat around me and put on my backpack. Michael's backpack sat nearby; I knew him well enough to pack what he needed without a second thought. As soon as I was done, I raced out the door and down the stairs to the lobby.
Michael and Skylar were waiting by the front door, talking softly. Just outside the door, I could see Tane, Iorangi, Warren, and Aaron standing by the horses. I hurried over and gave Michael his backpack, then we divided up the rations, water, and guns between us.
"Be careful," Skye said quietly. "Remember what happened when you decided to play the hero for Anahera's clan. You almost didn't come home."
"What, you still haven't forgiven me for that?" I teased.
She laughed and shook her head. "Nope, and I'm going to keep reminding you about it so that you take better care of yourself in the future. Got it?"
"Got it," I agreed. I yanked her into a hug and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry, little sis. I have a reason to live these days."
"God, you are so depressing," she answered, giving me a light shove. "Get off me, slobber-puss. You've got work to do."
I released her, then I waved and raced out the door to where Aaron was holding my horse. I put my backpack back on, took Boudicca’s reins, and vaulted expertly up into the saddle; if nothing else, the weeks that we'd spent
on the road had turned all of us into expert riders. Boudicca pranced and nickered, but I stilled her with a firm hand on the reins and a touch of my heel.
While the others were putting on their gear and mounting up, I pulled my GPS out of my pocket and programmed in the location. Michael drew his horse up beside me and gave me a quizzical look.
"It's a little over eight kilometres away, if we follow the roads," I said, glancing up to study the skyline. "I don't think we'll be able to cut across country. Too many hills."
"The roads are safer," he said. "And eight kilometres isn't far, without a convoy slowing us down. We should be there before midday."
"Agreed," I said, tucking my GPS unit into an easily-accessible pocket. "Everyone ready?"
Everyone called out that they were. I touched Boudicca's sides with my heels and guided her up to a trot, then a canter. If there was even the slightest chance that Franco was still alive, then seconds could prove precious. All our horses were fit and healthy, and seemed to enjoy the chance to stretch their legs.
The gates were open before we even reached them, and the guards shut them behind us before we were out of sight. I led the group down towards the river, then swung northwards and followed the old highway. A surge of excitement rose in my breast as a breeze off the river struck me. It was cold, but there was something exhilarating about it. We rarely had the opportunity to travel at speed unless lives were at stake, and this was the first time that I wasn't worried about wasting precious petrol in the process.
It took all of my willpower to fight down the urge to push Boudicca a little faster, ride her a little harder, but I knew if I did that then she'd end up exhausted before we got there. No, as fun as it was, I had to pace us for the journey ahead. A flock of birds exploded out of the long grass beside the river and up into the sky, leaving me wondering what it felt like to fly. The freedom. The absolute freedom. Riding a horse at speed was probably the closest we’d ever get to feeling like that, and it was glorious in its own way.
