Sacred Tenets

by Beth Reason

  Chapter 8

  Tenet was in his new country for a full two weeks and still everything felt new, everywhere they went seemed strange, everyone they talked to was foreign and different. He wondered if he'd ever get used to it, or if they would get used to him. He was friendly and open and full of interest and questions for their new countrymen. He annoyed Scarab to no end when they'd stop at a town or inn for the night, something Fratz insisted they do no matter how much Scarab begged otherwise.

  Fratz hated sleeping outdoors. He claimed he'd done enough of it to last a lifetime. Scarab would beg and plead, have a tantrum and stomp, but the big man wouldn't be swayed.

  "If I have to take the incessant chatter one more night, I'm going to explode," Scarab told him as a last ditch plea.

  "Then 'splode if'na gotta, missy. My ass is sleepin' on a mattress this night, and that's that."

  Tenet loved the inns. They were everywhere, which surprised him. For whatever reason, he had pictured the Borderlands as primitive. Backwards. Uneducated with no modern conveniences. It's certainly how Scarab sold it. And to some extent, it was. The gaps in technologies fascinated Tenet. Though the large towns had electricity, only some rural towns along the way did. Some of the inns had lights, some used fire. When he asked about it, people shrugged. Electricity was simply not a priority. Some people wanted it, some did not.

  "We want electricity," he said that night to Scarab.

  "Yes," Scarab agreed.

  "What if we don't have it?"

  "Then we'll put it on the list to figure out down the road."

  "I've never lived without electricity."

  Scarab sighed. "You've been living without electricity for months now."

  "Oh. Right."

  "Tenet?"

  "Yes?"

  "Go to sleep."

  Another thing that was puzzling to Tenet was transportation. Certainly he'd seen a wide variety of mechanical transporters. There were different sizes, styles, and types, some beautiful examples of craftsmanship, other slapped together scraps that looked ready to fall apart. But the majority of people used animals. The man at the bar on that night explained to him that it came down to simple personal preference. There were pros and cons to both types of transportation. "If it gets you there, what do you care?"

  "Are we always going to use horses?" he asked of his wife that evening.

  "I don't know. I like to go fast."

  "Good. Me too. Then we'll put something mechanical on the list."

  "If there are roads up in Nortaberg for a machine."

  "Oh, good point. Okay, if there are, we're definitely getting something mechanical."

  Scarab sighed. "Tenet?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Go to sleep."

  Overall, people were friendlier than he expected. He was clearly a stranger, clearly from the Southland, but no one asked. No one pried. He did, and he only felt bad about it when Scarab would chastise him. Her words didn't have that effect for very long, and the next day he'd be asking strangers everything he could think of about their new land.

  "I told you to leave people alone," Scarab told him. "You're starting to get looks."

  Tenet sighed and shut the light off in their inn room. "I'm not asking anything personal," he defended.

  "It doesn't matter. I'm telling you, you shouldn't pry. People don't like it."

  "If they didn't like it, they wouldn't answer." He pointed out. When she only sighed heavily, Tenet shook his head. "I know, I know. Go to sleep."

  Tenet was correct on that point, though. If the new people he came across minded his questions, they didn't have to answer. Some didn't, and he took the hint without offense and moved on to speak with someone else. He never asked anything personal. He didn't ask their names, where they were from, where they were going, what they were doing. He just chatted. Mingled. He got the feeling that Scarab was only annoyed because she didn't know how to do that. She didn't know how to walk up to someone and strike up a conversation. He was finally glad to know all those parties and events he attended as a child had some merit after all. He was learning far more about his new home through everyday conversations with locals than he had from reading that entire history book.

  "I just can't believe all of this has been here, and I had no idea. None." It was the sentiment he kept coming back to over and over, his surprise that an entire world could exist so close, and yet so far away. Usually the night wouldn't really end until he'd made the same comment over and over. It seemed to please Fratz whenever Tenet would say something like that to him.

  "Best kept secret on the planet," Fratz would reply with patriotic pride.

  Scarab appreciated the sentiment. She honestly could put herself in his mindset to a degree and look at their new situation with the surprise and thrill of discovery...for all of about a minute. And then, then she'd remember, and the hopeful excitement would fade back to painful memories. Tenet's habit of chatting up the locals wasn't really helping in that regard, especially when they started moving deeper inland, and began running into people so familiar to her childhood that she could have sworn they were related.

  Scarab was sick of people. After the fifth night in a surprisingly crowded inn, she was glad they would live in the mountains. She always missed people until she had to be around them for any length of time. They'd check into the inn and she would head for the bar and glare at Tenet while he had the whole room wrapped around his little finger. It was so easy for him. He was a natural charmer. She'd drink a couple drinks with Fratz, then call Tenet away from whatever group he was in and head to bed. By the time they'd been on the road nearly two weeks, she was sick of the routine. She wasn't kidding. If she had to watch Tenet hobnob with those backwoods bitches...

  The thought stopped Scarab and she looked down at her empty cup. Three drinks down and look where her thoughts were heading. Time to call it a night before she got out of control. She placed the glass down and nodded to Fratz.

  "Nighty, missy," he said with a friendly wave.

  Scarab walked up to Tenet, ignoring the woman that was almost hanging on him. "Time for bed, husband," she said, stressing the word specifically for the slutty woman to hear.

  Tenet quirked an eyebrow, but didn't argue. "It was nice meeting you, Bonny," he said to the young woman. She gave him a smile and giggle.

  "Maybe you could have breakfast with me before you hit the road in the morning?" Bonny asked, twirling a curl around her finger.

  Scarab was outraged. "I'm standing right here."

  Tenet sighed. "Sorry, no. We'll be heading out early."

  "And he's married," Scarab said to stress the main point.

  Bonny shot Scarab a glare, then batted her eyes at Tenet again before bouncing off in Fratz's direction.

  Scarab considered her options. Three drinks made it easy for her to picture Bonny dying in any number of interesting and satisfying ways. It would feel so damn good to pop the hussy right there. She doubted the innkeep would appreciate that. So, she turned to Tenet. The damn fool was looking at Bonny's ass as she flounced off! Though she didn't want it to, that knowledge hurt. Before she could stop herself, she landed a solid punch in his stomach and stormed off to go to their room. She ignored his sputtering and Fratz's deep laugh as she stalked off.

  Scarab went into their room and heard Tenet's footsteps up the stairs. The idiot was following her! Didn't he know she needed to cool down? The bathroom was her only option, and she cursed the fact that it didn't have a lock. When she could hear him moving in the living area of their rented room, she quickly turned on the shower, hoping he'd take a hint.

  "Scarab! What the hell was that?"

  "I'm taking a shower!" Scarab bellowed back. She held her breath to see if he would continue, but he obviously decided to give her space and time. She undressed and got in the shower, grateful for the reprieve. What the hell was that?

  Jealousy. That's what it was, plain and simple. She'd never been jealous before. Of things, yes. Of li
ves she couldn't have and fancy toys and plenty of food and...all the silly things she wanted on a cold night. But those things, they were simply things. The jealousy over those items was trite and meaningless. This was different. This was jealousy over a person, over a man. Over her man. Scarab groaned and leaned her forehead against the wall under the shower head, letting the hot water cascade over her as if she could wash away the feeling.

  She hated Bonny. Sure, there were very few people in this world she actually liked. Overall, she felt a mild distaste and general nausea about everyone else. True hatred was rare for her, but she hated Bonny. She would have killed the woman if she so much as touched Tenet. One finger and honestly, that's all it would have taken. Scarab didn't like that feeling. And then, she punched Tenet. Though she didn't feel guilty because he totally had it coming, she knew she'd have to apologize to keep the peace, something she hated to do and would truly regret. The water started to run cold, and when Tenet knocked again, she knew her time of miserable solitude was over.

  "Why don't you go to bed already?" she yelled.

  "Not until you come out here and explain what the hell it was I did to deserve a gut shot!"

  Scarab rolled her eyes and began to shiver. Out of hot water, out of time, she shut off the faucet and stepped out. "Don't be so dramatic," she called as she toweled off and got dressed. "It was just a little punch."

  "You could have damaged my spleen!"

  It was so absurd that Scarab couldn't help the laugh.

  "Oh. That's great," Tenet sputtered on the other side of the door. "Nice. Beat me up and then laugh at me."

  Scarab sighed and opened the door. "I'm sorry I damaged your spleen. Now let's go to bed."

  He caught her arm. "Oh no, not this time! I believe our marriage agreement allows me to demand an explanation for what just happened."

  Scarab's eyes narrowed at him. "And I believe I'm allowed to say that I don't want to talk about it." She tugged her arm free and turned toward the bed.

  Tenet crossed his arms over his chest. "No."

  "No what?"

  "No you do not get to cop out. Not this time. We agreed that I had the right to know why you're being a bitch to me. You punched me. I think that qualifies as you being a bitch."

  "You're not making me feel any friendlier, that's for sure."

  Tenet threw his hands in the air. "Why do you have to be so difficult? Forget why you punched me and just answer that. Why do you have to make everything so difficult?" Hurt flashed through Scarab's eyes and it shocked Tenet. His anger immediately dissolved into confusion. "Scarab, talk to me." He stepped closer and gently put his hands on her arms. "Please. Talk to me. Just once."

  Scarab swallowed hard, pain and anger driven by fear threatening to make her say things she didn't mean and didn't want to utter. "You..." she started, only to find her mouth suddenly go dry. She tried to swallow again, mustering up her courage. "You married me." Her eyes searched for something to focus on. The lamp. The floor. The chair...anything but Tenet. Her face was already burning in humiliation and if she looked at him she'd never finish. "You can't keep talking to all these...people without making that absolutely clear. If you don't want to be my husband then don't, but don't make me look like an idiot in front of everyone else."

  The words rushed out in a great burst and Tenet felt like he'd been punched again. He blinked, then blinked again with no idea what to say. The gears in his brain were turning overtime to figure out what should have been obvious. When the reason finally dawned, he was blindsided. "You're jealous," he said quietly.

  Scarab huffed and pulled away, angry that he so succinctly named what she was trying hard to deny. She was jealous. And she hated it. Without any thought other than the need to get away as fast as possible, she pushed past him and strode out the door.

  "Wait! Come back so we can talk about this," he called after her.

  "You chase me and so help me you'll live to regret it!" Scarab bellowed over her shoulder. She heard his feet stop dead on the stairs and kept going right through the common room and out the door of the inn. She needed to get away from everyone. She needed space. She needed air. She needed to run and have the world leave her alone again.

  The night was warm, but the breeze from the north had an icy crispness to it that signaled an early winter. As she strode down the main road blindly, she tried to focus on that, on survival, and not on the ball of confusion whirling inside her. She tried to make a list of the rest of supplies they needed, tried to consider the few more days of travel ahead, tried to think about what they'd need to do when they got to their new house. She tried, she really did. But her mind would not hold any of those thoughts. She reached a bend in the road that curved away from a noisy stream. It was a quiet, peaceful little place and her racing mind needed the serenity. She stepped off the road, over a few small bushes, and then sank down on the bank and stared at the water that glittered in the sliver of moonlight. What the hell am I doing, she asked herself as she felt the first sting of tears that badly wanted to fall.

  She heard Fratz's familiar lumbering. Great. Just what she needed. "Go away, Fratz," she called over her shoulder.

  He was huffing by the time he sat next to her. "You run too fast, missy."

  "I said go away."

  "I figure you be needin' a little somethin'."

  She rolled her eyes. "Aw hell. Let me guess. You chased me down to offer me some deep, meaningful advice, right? Thanks, but I don't need it."

  Fratz laughed. "Now I do'na about advice, but I got ya gun." He held out the butt of a weapon. "Tenet say you ran off without, and there's a powerful many cats in the dark up'na here."

  Scarab's face burned again and she quickly took the gun. Great. She ran out of there unarmed. When was the last time she did that? These distractions were ruining her. Life was ruining her.

  "You sure look to be thinkin' hard. If ya need the advice, I'll give it a best go."

  "I don't need advice. Thank you for the gun. I'll be back later."

  Fratz quirked an eyebrow at her. No one dismisses Fratz. No one. She must be really hurting if she didn't know that already. He sat in silence and studied her for a minute before completely ignoring her order. "At home I got me a wife."

  "Good for you."

  "She's like you."

  Scarab scoffed. "Hunters aren't allowed up here."

  "I did'na mean a hunter. I meant a tough nut that don't know when she lost."

  Scarab's gaze flew to his. "You don't take a hint, do you?"

  "No. Do'na take orders from an illegal hunter, either, so you can stop yer sputterin' and listen. Or don't. Do'na matter to me anyways you pick. But I gotta ride with ya, and I got eyes that work, so I got somethin' ta say."

  The challenge in his eyes was clear even in the thin light the tiny bit of moon offered. Scarab clenched her jaw and held her tongue. Let him say what he wanted. Then he'd go away. She crossed her arms and waited.

  Fratz took her silence as the only permission he'd get. "I like that boy. I think he's tougher than he look, smarter than he seem, and nicer than you an' me put together. I do'na get why he married ya, but he did and he seem happy to be yer mate."

  Scarab couldn't help her scoff. "He married me because he had to."

  "Ah," he said, nodding. "That settles that."

  "What?"

  "Why yer spittin' snakes. Yer runnin' scared that he'll leave you for the likes of a bouncy ass."

  Scarab looked away and felt her heart pick up. She was that transparent? She clenched her jaw so tight it began to ache.

  "I do'na blame ya. She was pretty and nice, a helluva lot nicer than you." Fratz studied her profile. She was upset. Good. Maybe then she'd be in a place to actually listen. "Ice and venom won't keep him, missy. Ice and venom most like to send him packin'."

  "Maybe that's what he should do."

  "He do'na think so."

  "He doesn't know any better. You have no idea how he lived, all tucked away in some litt
le bubble." She shook her head, half of her wanting to shut up, the other half wanting to get it out. "He doesn't know any different. Of course he thinks he likes me because we've been stuck together alone for so long." She turned to him then, actually feeling good about speaking her mind. It was so much easier to talk to someone who already thought so little of her. If his opinion went lower, did it really matter?

  "You've seen battle, Fratz. You know that you develop a bond with your fellow soldiers."

  "So you see you two as bein' soldiers?"

  She gave a shrug. "How else would you see it? We've been hunted for months. You can figure out what that entailed. We almost starved, we almost died, we faced wraiths and raptors and bots..." she put her hands up. "What else would you call that?"

  "A long first date," he said. Then he flashed a wide grin.

  Scarab sighed. She thought he would understand. "Forget it."

  "You underestimate him," Fratz said more seriously. "Okay, so he did'na know much about life before. Now he does, right? And he's in there worried about yer ass gettin' tore by a wildcat."

  "Of course he cares right now. He needs me to see him to Nortaberg."

  Fratz nodded slowly. "Ah, and when he don't na'more, you think he'll cut and go."

  She bit her lip and looked away.

  Now they were getting somewhere, Fratz thought. "My woman, she's hard. If'na for the law, she'd be a hunter. Or assassin," he said with a laugh. "But she can also be the woman who loves me through the long night. Does it make her weak to do the both? To have both sides?"

  Scarab sighed. "I can't do that. I watched my father destroy lives because he...he gave too much to my mother." She stopped talking, but Fratz just sat quietly, knowing enough hardened soldiers to understand that telling sometimes took a long time. He waited her out, and eventually she did start talking again. "My father did everything for my mother. Everything. He...he used to tell us that someday we'd be lucky to love someone so much."

  Fratz knew he was hearing information that Krupkie would need to know. They figured her for an ex-patriot, and now he had a feeling that was being confirmed. He also knew that if he pushed too hard, he'd never get the whole story. "We?"

  "Me and my sister."

  "Sound to me like he was lucky to have a woman who..."

  "Lucky?" she cut in with a bitter laugh. "Lucky, yeah. Right. Lucky that he was too blinded by her to see the stupidity of..." her words cut off quickly, and Fratz waited. She knew she was saying too much to a soldier who would, no doubt, inform his superiors. Let's see if this country really has changed like they said, she thought to herself. Let me put them to the test for once. "My father stole a cow from a neighbor. My mother hated goat meat and got tired of game. To please her, he stole a dairy cow, slaughtered it, and tanned the hide. We ate beef that winter and then my mother made a stupid skirt out of the hide, and he made a belt. They flaunted their theft."

  "That was'na smart," he said quietly.

  "No," she agreed, venom in her tone. "It wasn't. By spring when an investigation could be launched, it wasn't necessary, since everyone in the village knew where that missing cow went. We were turned away by a people who swore they'd never do just that, then shoved out to beg for a life down south. My sister died first. She was always little and soft and bright and..." Scarab swallowed hard. "Her body gave up. I don't even remember if she made it out of the country. My mother couldn't take the guilt, so," Scarab dragged her finger across her throat. "Now we were two. The only ones left were my father and I. The one who got us into the mess in the first place, the weak man who let his emotions override common sense, and a child who had nothing to do with it at all. That's who was left to serve out the punishment."

  Fratz wanted to tell her he was sorry she was treated so poorly, but knew it would sound hollow and trite. His country was a hard place to live, especially back then. She was lucky any of them lived. "Sounds like they were both ta blame."

  "They were both foolish. I won't be that person, Fratz. I won't be the one to get Tenet killed because I can't say no to him." There. It was out. She said it out loud to someone else. The moments ticked by with only the babbling of the creek and the chirp of crickets for any response. She took that to mean he agreed with her. Part of her was actually disappointed in that thought, as if she was secretly hoping for a reprieve. "We should get back," she muttered eventually, feeling a heaviness settling inside her.

  "Now hold a minute, missy. You can't go sayin' somethin' like that and not wait for what I gotta say on it." Fratz waited for her to settle back down on the bank. "I would do anythin' my woman asked me. If'na she want the moon, I'da get me a rope and pull it down for her. And though she's a tough bird, she be right there doin' the same if I want it. But she would'na ask it of me, and I would'na ask it if her."

  "Why not?"

  Fratz couldn't stop his laugh. And Scarab thought Tenet was naive? "Because that's not what love is, missy. I love my wife. I would'na ever put her in that spot. Ever." He shook his head. "You keep thinkin' yer da was foolish in love. No, yer da and yer ma was just done." He chopped his hand through the air.

  Scarab frowned. "What do you mean 'done'?"

  "They took food from another's mouth. Big no-no, ya? Most people would hide that cow and toss the leathers, no?" Scarab nodded. "They stole, then pranced around sayin' they stole. They was lookin' ta get out and that's the truth of it."

  Scarab turned away and looked into the water. Was that what happened? She remembered her mother as tired, whenever she let herself remember her at all. Tired and always complaining. It's why her sister spent so much time escaping to float in the water whenever the weather was even remotely warm enough, and why Scarab herself was content to guard the girl from the banks all day if it made their parents forget about them. Her father was always ranting about the government. He hated the govers. He blamed them for their poorness. He blamed them for his profession, which he chose. He blamed them for their little house and little yard and sad little chickens and... Was Fratz right? Had they just given up?

  Scarab shivered and drew her knees up to hug them to her. If they had just given up, then that made it all the worse, didn't it? What kind of people gave up when they had children who needed them? "I hate thinking about this stuff," she admitted bitterly.

  Fratz gave her back a thump. Any other woman would have considered the action rude. Scarab knew he was being sympathetic. "It's not'na easiest thing comin' home and facin' yer past."

  Scarab looked down at the rippling water below. "Enna used to tell me that there would be a time to face everything and heal," she said quietly.

  Fratz nodded. "Yup. Seems about right."

  "I don't want to."

  Scarab sounded so much like his little daughter having a temper tantrum that Fratz threw his head back and laughed. "Seems about right there, too!"

  Scarab wanted to be mad at him, but she couldn't muster up the comfortable emotion. He made too much sense for her to get pissed.

  "It's okay to have a lot goin' on up in here," he said quietly, tapping her head. "But don't let it close off everythin' here," he finished, tapping her chest.

  Her eyes narrowed and she groaned. "Now you're crossing the line," she said in her best warning tone. "You get that out of some lady movie or something?"

  He gave a shrug, completely unmoved by the threat in her voice. "What I say might be mushy gunk, but it don't make it less true. If'na wants the boy to love you, ya gotta let him."

  Scarab's frown deepened and she clenched her knees tighter to her chest. Was that what she wanted? That was insane. "You're awful sappy for a soldier."

  Fratz seemed to consider this for a minute. "Bein' a soldier don't really take away from the other parts. You spend all your energy on one part of yourself, the other parts, they get mad and one day stop helpin'. I know you think ya gotta be a tough guy, an' maybe you had ta if'na wanted survival. But yer in yer new life now, missy. Yer not a hunter."

  "Then what am I?" sh
e asked softly.

  "I can't decide for ya. I can say I saw the moony eyes from you ta him more times than not. Yer more than just a hunter."

  Scarab didn't get angry or try to deny that. She knew she cast "moony" eyes his way. She hadn't been able to get the memory of their kiss out of her head. She also couldn't get the knowledge that Tenet had pulled away to stop eating at her, either. Or that he hadn't so much as attempted a repeat. Every night he'd chatter, then hold her, like they had out under the stars. And then, he'd simply fall asleep. There were many moments where she felt a pull towards him, an urge to kiss him again. It was such a new sensation, unfamiliar, scary, and mortifying. It was distracting her. And yet, she couldn't stop it from happening. It built a tension inside that was driving her mad.

  "Life gets too complicated when there are other people involved," she said to offer herself comfort.

  "Yep. Pretty much," Fratz agreed. "Ah, but what fun the complications get ta bein'!"

  Fun. She snorted. How was any of this fun?

  He waggled his eyebrows at her. "An' just think of the thrill in the sheets, eh?"

  Scarab scoffed and shoved at his arm.

  He laughed loudly again and jumped up. "I knew that would get ya outta yer funk! Come on. Time to face yer husband."

  "I think I'll sit out here for awhile longer and..."

  He reached down and easily pulled her up by her arm. "You be a chicken about the silliest things, missy." He didn't let her arm go as he turned and started walking up the road back to the inn. Resigned, Scarab let him lead.

  "He's probably in bed by now," she said hopefully.

  Fratz nodded his head towards the inn. "Nah, he's pacin' on the stoop."

  Scarab looked up toward the inn and saw that Fratz was correct. "I don't know what to say," she blurted out, trying hard to keep her feet moving forward.

  "Start with sorry an' take it from there." Fratz released her arm and took the steps two at a time. He gave Tenet a quick nod, then went into the inn to leave them alone.

  "I'm not sorry," she said quickly as Tenet approached. Her frown deepened. That's not how she meant it to come out.

  Tenet looked both frustrated and amused at the same time. "I'm not sorry, either, then."

  Scarab sighed heavily. "That's not what I meant. I'm sorry I hit you. I'm not sorry I got mad. I'm sorry I'm difficult. I'm not sorry I'm not that nice, though, because being nice all the time is dangerous and if you expect me to change everything, then... what are you doing?"

  Tenet had taken her hand and brought it to his mouth for a soft kiss. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I didn't mean to make you jealous."

  Though her cheeks burned, she didn't bother to try and justify herself or deny the root of her outburst. "You can't be throwing yourself at people. We're supposed to be a married couple. You want that to fly, you can't be warming up to every hussy we come across."

  Tenet bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. Smiling at this moment would most likely be lethal. It would definitely be painful. So he bit down, hard, and hoped she couldn't see the buoyant relief and excitement he was feeling. She was jealous. No one had ever been jealous of anything he said or did with someone else. He never, ever would have thought he'd see that emotion from Scarab. Since their one kiss, he'd done as he promised himself and kept things as she wanted. He was determined that if they moved forward, if the relationship deepened, he wouldn't give her any reason to put it on him, to resent him for it. He wouldn't press. He'd wait. Off the widow weed, she hadn't so much as taken his hand of her own volition. He held her at night, and she let him, but it was merely habit for her that they'd developed on the trail together.

  At least, that's what he thought.

  And now, she was jealous. And she was not pulling her hand away. It may have been small, but it was enough.

  "I'm truly sorry," Tenet said again. "I was just chatting. That's all."

  Scarab couldn't help the scoff. "Chatting. Right. I didn't know boobs and asses could 'chat'."

  Jealousy. She was seething with it. Tenet couldn't help the bubble of laughter. When she pulled her hand away, he didn't stop her, but he didn't step back, either. "If either her boobs or her ass were talking, I didn't even notice." Her eyebrow quirked. She didn't believe him. It was more than jealousy. It was insecurity. The thought sobered Tenet. "I guarantee I was not interested in anything she had to offer."

  He hoped she'd believe his sincerity. Truth be told, he wouldn't have been able to describe what the woman looked like. If she was thrusting anything in his direction, he didn't even notice. He honestly was asking about the road up ahead.

  Scarab believed him and for a second felt like jumping in his arms. Instead, she gave a curt nod. "In the future, just remember if we want to sell our story, we need to live it."The thought intrigued Tenet, and a slow half smile spread. Before it could make her do something she'd regret, she stepped away and went inside. "Come on. It's late and we need to cover a lot of ground tomorrow."

  Tenet couldn't wipe the grin off his face as he followed her inside. They went through their usual evening routine, only that night, Tenet didn't babble like an idiot. Scarab was both glad and sorry for that. He did, however, pull her close to him and anchor his arm around her waist in a possessive action that should have pissed her off. Instead she felt a relief shiver through her.

  The morning dawned sunny and clear in more ways than one. Though nothing was really settled, and they both had insecurities and unanswered questions inside, something happened the night before, something shifted. A tension that had been building between them was lifted. While neither knew where to go or what to do next with each other, they both realized that the other one wasn't repulsed by what happened between them on the widow weed.

  Tenet didn't even mind climbing back on his horse. His good mood carried him up into his saddle and he almost forgot how much he hated that particular mode of travel. Almost.

  Halfway through the morning, Tenet's horse decided to slow down and nibble grass. He squeezed his legs against the beast and pulled on the rein, clicking his tongue. "I'm telling you this one's broken," he grumbled.

  Fratz leaned over and repositioned the reins in Tenet's hands. "You just gotta be bossy."

  "I don't want to hurt him."

  "Do he look hurt? Pull."

  Tenet held the reins more firmly and the horse lifted its head. It snorted in consternation, but it moved forward.

  "See? Firm hand. That's all it takes."

  "I really am doing a lot better," Tenet defended. The first week of travel on the backs of horses had been painful and humiliating. The horse knew that Tenet didn't feel right about sitting on it and bucked as much as possible. It took Scarab and Fratz constantly issuing orders before Tenet overcame guilt and tried to take control.

  "True. You been keepin' yer seat at least."

  He hadn't given it much thought, but Fratz was right. He hadn't been thrown in days. He patted the animal affectionately, then looked up when he heard a noise ahead. Scarab was ducking branches. Their road had turned to more of a foot path, and half over grown at that.

  "Watch the branches," she called back over her shoulder.

  A smile spread across Tenet's face as he stared ahead at Scarab. She'd ridden point that day, and he couldn't say he minded being able to watch her without her knowing.

  Fratz looked at the boy and shook his head. Boy had it bad. He was glad they were only a few days off from the end of the journey. He hoped the kid could keep his head in the game. The terrain was about to get steep and cold and if he spent the whole time mooning after his wife, Fratz would have to work double time to keep him from walking himself right over a cliff. He decided it was time to say something. "You best watch them branches instead of a particular ass."

  Tenet's grin widened even though his face turned red again. "Don't worry about me, Fratz. We've already been through worse. At least now I'm looking at the ass and not worrying about her gun!"


  Fratz's bellowing laughter echoed in the forest around them. Scarab glared back at them, making him laugh harder. "I'm bettin' it got to be close calls, eh?"

  "You have no idea how many!"

  "An yer ready to throw yer hat with hers for a long winter?" He winked at Tenet. "You sure you know what you in for, boy?"

  "As far as living through a winter? Haven't got a clue. As far as keeping on the right side of her gun? Let's hope so!"

  The trail narrowed, and they could no longer ride two abreast. They rode the rest of the morning in peaceful silence. Tenet closed his eyes in the warmth of the morning light. The late summer bugs hummed around him, the hooves of their horses made a soothingly rhythmic clopping melody on the packed trail dirt, and he could smell some wonderful flower he'd never encountered before on the gentle morning breeze. It suddenly occurred to him that he was happy. Ridiculously, foolishly happy.

  They pulled up for a hasty lunch next to a stream. It was small and fast and when Tenet dipped his hand in and splashed his sweaty face, he was shocked at how cold it was.

  "Mountain water," Fratz told him. "Melt out from the snow."

  "There's snow up there already?"

  "There's snow up there always." Fratz knelt on the edge, took a bracing breath, then bent down and plunged his whole head underwater. He came up and shook his head, giving a whoop. "Now that's home ta me!"

  "You are insane."

  Scarab gave a little laugh. "Best get used to it, Tenet."

  "Are we living up in the year-round snow?" Snow as a novelty was one thing. Snow all year round was another entirely.

  Scarab's eyebrow went up. "Losing your nerve?"

  "I'm not losing my nerve," Tenet said defensively. He took the jerky she offered. He gave it a sniff and was glad that it seemed to be beef. He could handle the beef. He did not have as much luck stomaching the venison jerky she tried to feed him, and the mutton jerky was beyond disgusting. He bit off a hunk and chewed and chewed. "I just want to know what I'm in for."

  "I tried to tell you to think it over," Scarab said with a tone of condescension.

  "I don't know what room you were sitting in, but from where I sat, we didn't have too much of a choice."

  "Yer not in year snow," Fratz said quickly, hoping to diffuse the situation before it turned into another day of sniping between these two. He had hoped their obvious new level of closeness would keep them pleasant. Apparently not.

  "Good," Tenet said firmly.

  "I could handle it even if we were," Scarab shot back in a haughty tone.

  Fratz sighed, but couldn't help feel a little jealousy. He missed sniping with his wife like this. He wanted to go home. "If'na want to reach a good camp by night, we best move. I'm on point now."

  Scarab easily let him take the lead. He was familiar with the terrain and she was not. Tenet took his place in the middle. He knew it was because he was not the best horseman. They needed one person in front to call back dangers he wouldn't even consider were important, and one behind him to watch and make sure he could handle those spots. He had given up being embarrassed by his lacks a long time ago and simply accepted it for what it was.

  In late afternoon, they reached the end of the forest they had been traveling and reined in to camp at the base of a tall, craggy mountain. Tenet got off his horse and walked the stiffness out of his legs, looking up at the peak the whole time. Indeed, it was covered in snow. Snow! In the summer. "I'm really beginning to hate the mountains," he grumbled.

  Fratz gave his back a thump. "We don't go over that one. We go around."

  The relief in Tenet made his sore body sag. "Finally some good news!"

  Scarab smiled to herself as she unrolled the tent. Back in Carlton, they sold half of their seeds for the supplies to travel. Though they did get a better price than either would have thought, especially so late in the season, almost all of that money was gone. Horses weren't cheap, and the cost of feed and boarding for them at each inn was even more expensive. They were necessary, though, especially for the last leg of the trip into mostly uninhabited land. There were no roads smooth enough for motorized transport options, and the winter was too close to risk hiking it on foot. Fratz had reasoned that they could always sell the horses on the other end if they didn't want to keep them. The same for tents. Many people chose to leave the harsh mountains for the winter season and would be looking for inexpensive travel and shelter options. Though lugging the heavy tents was a pain, the bitterness in the late afternoon breeze made her glad she listened to Fratz's advice. They'd need cover that night, not just a bedroll under the stars. She bet there would be frost in the morning.

  As she set up the tent, Tenet broke out the pans and dishes. He hadn't had to cook anything for a few weeks and was looking forward to trying the wild herbs Fratz had been gathering through the trip. He got out the jerky, a bag of dried potatoes, and some dehydrated onions. Following the growing seasons, he'd never used dried vegetables before. There was always something fresh available. After he got over the novelty of it, he asked the man back at the store in Carlton for instructions on using them. The man gave him a funny look, as if he couldn't believe anyone wouldn't already know the information, but gave him a brief run down anyway.

  "Cook them in water until they soften."

  And that had been the sum of the instructions. Tenet got the fire going with wood Fratz gathered, then filled a pan with water from a little spring. It was also cold, even though it bubbled from deep in the earth, and Tenet wondered if everything in his new life was going to be cold. He was already wearing a heavy jacket lined with animal fur. He'd argued against it at the store, but now he knew how right Scarab was. Though he did feel guilt for the animal that died, he was more grateful for the warmth. He didn't feel good about it, but he did have to accept another fact of life in this land. If he wanted to live, he had to do what he had to.

  When the water in the pan bubbled, he tossed in the onions and potatoes, a handful of Fratz's herbs that smelled like they'd work well together, and some jerky he'd pulled into small pieces. In a half hour, the stew had thickened slightly and smelled delicious. Fratz and Scarab were sitting close to the fire, both tents set up and the horses tied, brushed, and fed for the night.

  "Don't never tell my woman you do the cookin', else I'll be on the hook!"

  Tenet smiled and dished up the stew. "Now, I've never cooked with dried foods before, so I hope I did it right."

  Scarab ate down the stew without even tasting it. She was freezing and wanted the warmth as quickly as she could get it. Tenet saw her shiver and put his bowl down. He went into their tent and came back out with her fur lined jacket. Scarab sighed. "I'm fine."

  "You're shivering."

  She gave a nod. "And I'll get used to it."

  Tenet scoffed. "You bought this for when you get cold. You're cold." He thrust it towards her. "Put it on before you freeze your ass off."

  Scarab was annoyed with him. She needed to condition herself. It's how she handled every off winter. She knew she needed to make her body remember how to handle the cold. There was no way Tenet could know this, and yet his actions annoyed her anyway. "I don't need you telling me when I should and shouldn't wear a jacket. Have you ever lived through a winter?" When he didn't answer, she gave a nod. "I've spent my whole life taking care of myself. I think I know what I need to do." Her tone made even herself cringe with it's harshness, and she instantly regretted the hurt look on Tenet's face.

  "Fine," he said, tossing the coat down. "Freeze. You're so hell bent on making yourself as miserable as possible, don't let me stop you." He dumped the rest of his stew in the pot and stomped off for the tent. Long moments of silence ticked by. Fratz stared into his stew, Scarab glared at the fire. Finally, Fratz cleared his throat. "If'na plan on being dragony every night, I'm gonna start goin' ta bed with the sun."

  Scarab was near tears and didn't feel like listening to another lecture or any of his mountain man advice. She threw her own bowl n
ext to Tenet's on the ground and stormed to the tent.

  "It's not about being stubborn or making myself miserable," she said as soon as she had the flap untied and opened.

  "I said it's up to you," he grumbled, rolling over and refusing to look at her.

  She stepped in and yanked the ties closed. "Every year your body gets used to warm. You have to make it used to cold."

  "And I'm supposed to automatically know that?"

  "No. But you're also supposed to remember that I did a whole lot of surviving before I met you!"

  He sputtered at the ridiculousness and sat up, turning on her. "It was a damn jacket, Scarab. I saw you shiver, I got you a coat. Most women would appreciate the consideration!"

  "I'm not most women!" she roared.

  "No shit!"

  She took a breath trying to calm herself. All of her internal arguments were bubbling over and she knew she wasn't making sense to him. "Look," she said more calmly. "Just because we're married doesn't mean you have the right to control me."

  Tenet's eyes went wide. "I never thought it did."

  "You can't tell me what to do. You have to let me be myself."

  He just blinked at her blankly for a minute, then shook his head slowly. "You have issues, lady."

  Scarab snorted. Like she didn't know that already.

  "I offered you a coat. I saw you were cold, and I offered you a coat. That's it. Same as I did last week, same as I'll do next. I'm not trying to control you. I'd never even think to try and run your life. Of course I want you to be yourself."

  "I don't want to rely on you," she said quickly.

  Ah, the real problem. It was still ridiculous, but at least she was talking about it. Though frustrating, Tenet knew it was a good sign. Something had changed last night: she trusted him. Even if she didn't know it, she trusted him. And of course that emotion wouldn't sit well with her. If he had lived the life she did, he didn't know if he'd ever be able to trust anyone. "Scarab," he said in a calm tone. "We're in this together. We have been since the start. If I was shaking, you'd tell me to put on a coat."

  "But..."

  "No buts. If you don't want to wear a jacket, just tell me why. I'm not trying to control you. I would never, ever do that." He let out a laugh. "I'd worry too much about what would happen to me if I tried!"

  Scarab felt the corner of her mouth twitch. Tenet patted the blanket next to him and she reluctantly sat down.

  He took her hand gently. "But I also don't want to see you cold or hurting, and I'm not going to promise that I won't say anything about it. That doesn't mean I'm controlling. That just means I care. And if that's unacceptable to you, well that's just too damn bad."

  He sounded cocky. It should annoy the hell out of her. For some reason, it made her feel a little better. "I don't want to lose my edge," she admitted.

  "I can't ever see that happening."

  "I don't want to get so comfortable with life that I ignore or miss a threat."

  He could understand that even as his heart hurt for the life that would make her so scared of everything. "Is that what you were thinking about all quiet up on the trail?"

  She gave a little shrug. Yes that, and a multitude of other things she'd never admit to even under torture. She felt the heat of a blush creep up her neck. "I hate feeling distracted."

  His lazy smile slowly spread, his eyes twinkling. "I distract you?"

  She pressed her lips together. "Don't let it go to your head."

  "How about this. I'll promise to try and make myself as resistible as possible. I'll shave my beard and get a stupid hair cut and walk around making my best grumpy face." He twisted his features into a deep scowl. "I'll be utterly serious like this all day and you won't even think twice about my hot ass."

  "Tenet!" Scarab warred inside between anger at his lighthearted treatment of something that was really a serious fear for her, and outright amusement.

  He smiled and kissed her hand. "Or we could just realize that two heads can be better than one if you'll let them. You don't think much of your talents, do you?"

  Scarab was stunned silent. How in the hell could he know that?

  "It's a good thing that one of us realizes that no amount of 'distraction' could make you anything less than amazing."

  Her cheeks burned. "I'm not..."

  Tenet jumped up. If he stayed in the closed tent with her another second, he wouldn't be able to hold back. He wasn't ready to risk taking an enormous step backwards. "Now let's go finish our dinner." His voice sounded tight and squeaky to his ears as he fumbled with the tent ties. Finally he felt the cool rush of air over his heated body and he breathed deep with relief.

  Fratz had taken himself to bed, leaving the stew and dirty dishes. Tenet picked up a bowl and filled it with stew, then dumped the remainder in Scarab's bowl. When she joined him, she wasn't wearing her jacket. He didn't want to start the fight up again, but he was honestly curious. He decided to risk her wrath again. "Do you really have to condition your body to the cold?"

  Did they have to? Not in the strictest sense, no. Many didn't. Many relied on the suits to keep them warm. One winter off-season taught her that the suit wasn't always enough. "I always did." He ate and looked at her, waiting for her to explain.

  "When I said your body gets used to the warm, I was serious," she explained when she realized he actually wanted to know."Your blood is thinner, your body is geared up for sweating instead of shivering, cooling instead of heating."

  He swallowed a bite. "But bodies are bodies. They're designed to do both."

  "Right. But you can push yourself to make that transition easier, make yourself tougher."

  "Should I take my coat off?" He wasn't a fan of the idea, but he hated the cold. Hated it. If there was any way to make it easier on himself, he should do it.

  Scarab considered for a second, then shook her head. "I don't think so. I think for now you should stay as warm as you can. It's not like you'll be hunting in blizzards or anything. No need to get you as tough as I had to be."

  Tenet studied her in the firelight.

  "What?" she asked, suddenly self conscious.

  He tilted his head. "You don't have to hunt in blizzards anymore, either."

  Scarab met his gaze and wondered why his simple words made her feel so unsure. She looked back at her bowl and poked at the food. "No, I don't. But my body feels the cold and I've got to prepare."

  They ate the rest of their meal in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Tenet ached once again for her, felt the weight in her words she tried to hide. He couldn't imagine the utter loneliness of being surrounded by a blizzard and knowing you'd just have to do it again and again and again... He knew nothing about hunters. Did they retire? How many years would she have kept hunting if he hadn't come along?

  Scarab's thoughts ran down a remarkably similar track. Eight winters by herself. It was her life, it was habit, it was just what she did. She didn't know how to face a winter with someone else. She didn't know how to lose the hunter part and just be. She had no idea if she could do it. Tenet was right. She didn't need to condition her body. And yet, she couldn't help it. She needed to shiver and let her body remember. As painful as it was, that's what she knew. That's what she did. That's who she was.

  After they ate, Scarab took her flashlight and went to the spring to rinse off the dishes while Tenet banked the fire for the night. Neither was all that tired, so they sat close and watched the flames leap into the night air. Tenet watched his breath form in front of him. He'd been in cold before. He'd even touched snow. Every once in awhile the weather would sneak up on them, and they'd have to scramble to migrate. He'd never lived it, though. There was always an out, always an escape from the inborn panic the cold brought in him. For the first time, he really thought about what it was going to mean to stay as the snow deepened. They'd walk through it. They'd be surrounded by it. There'd be no reprieve. He swallowed hard.

  "What the hell are we going to do?" he whispe
red.

  "About what?"

  "Winter."

  His voice sounded so lost and forlorn that Scarab bit back the sarcastic reply that almost rushed out automatically. "We'll get through it."

  "How?"

  "Preparation."

  He scoffed and shivered. "We've got almost nothing."

  "Right now. But we'll sell the rest of our stuff when we reach Nortaberg."

  Tenet knew the plan. He just suddenly had to hear it, and he needed her to say it like she actually believed it would work. "You think they'll pay us enough?"

  "They will," Scarab said firmly.

  "You know how much food we need?"

  "Yes."

  "Are you sure?"

  No, of course she wasn't. But there was no way she'd admit that to him right now. "Yes, I'm sure. I've spent far worse winters than what we're facing. I'll prepare us for the worst and we'll be living fancy when it turns out to be a mild winter."

  He gave the small laugh he knew she was expecting.

  "Trust me," she insisted. "We'll get through. In a few days we'll be at Nortaberg and we'll sell our seeds for great piles of gold that we'll use to buy heaps of food and be safe and snug in our mansion all winter long."

  Tenet's personality was starting to rub off on her. Whether she realized it or not, Scarab was taking a page out of his book. Though he knew she was bluffing to make him feel better, he appreciated her attempt at levity and hugged her close. When the call of an unfamiliar animal echoed through the night, he pulled her even closer.

  "That's our cue to go to bed," Scarab said as casually as possible. Tenet didn't miss how tense she became.

  He jumped up. "Is that a wildcat?"

  She nodded. "Easy, Tenet. You've beaten wraiths, right?"

  "Are cats as bad as wraiths?"

  "No."

  He didn't really feel any better about the situation when he heard another call ring out through the night. He kept his eyes to the mountain ahead and sidestepped to the tent. He added wildcats to the forming list of dangers ahead of them, and tied the knots that closed the tent flap as tightly as he could. They both slept in their clothing, just in case, and once again, a nice night was ruined by things he couldn't control.

  There were wildcat tracks right through the camp in the morning. Fratz frowned and studied them, Scarab swore and checked her weapons, and Tenet swallowed hard.

  "Scarab said they aren't as bad as wraiths," he mumbled, looking at the paw prints that were wider than his own hands.

  "Not as smart, no. And they don't kill justa kill. They eat if'na hungry, but don't have a vendetta. But that don't make 'em cuddly."

  "It got right up to my tent," Tenet said, his eyes wide and his face pale.

  "Yep, sure did at that, eh?" Fratz stood and thumped Tenet. "Good thing it weren't one a the big ones." He strode off towards his own tent. "Best get a move on things so we can have us a productive day."

  Tenet took their tent down and rolled it up as quickly as possible, always looking over he shoulder in case the cat decided it really was hungry. He jumped at every noise and almost had a heart attack when Scarab sneaked up on him.

  "I did not sneak up on you," she insisted, giving him a bland look. "Don't let a little kitty get to you. It didn't linger. It obviously wasn't looking for anything but a path to that spring. Ease up, Tenet. I'll let you know when something wants you dead."

  Tenet was glad for the sarcastic tone of voice. She seemed better that morning, more like herself. Good. He rolled his eyes at her, since that's what she expected and since he knew full well he really was being too jumpy. They packed up and chewed jerky as they rode instead of sticking around in cat territory for a leisurely breakfast.

  Fratz knew a path around the base of the mountain that cut through a gulch made by some long dried up river. It was difficult traveling over the old, smooth river stones. They had to lead the horses on foot while trying to pick out their own safe route across the tops of the wiggling stones. At times it felt to Tenet as if they were getting nowhere. But by evening, they were safely on the other side of the mountain. As they ate, Fratz pointed to a glowing aura shining on the base of another mountain.

  "See that on the other side the vale?"

  "Nortaberg?" asked Scarab.

  Fratz grinned. "Sure be, missy."

  Home. Tenet stood and squinted, as if the miles between them and their new home would melt away and the dusk would lift and he'd be able to actually see anything. Home. There it was, so close. Their journey was almost over. Home! He gave a little whoop and pulled Scarab up for a quick kiss. She never showed affection in front of Fratz. Tenet knew he risked getting another sock in the gut. He didn't care. Home!

  "It's right there!"

  Scarab couldn't help but feel the tug of his enthusiasm. "We've still got miles to go," she said, trying to make sure at least one of them had their feet on the ground and their head out of the clouds. So much could happen in those miles ahead, especially if they let themselves get carried away.

  Tenet knew Scarab couldn't help it. She wasn't trying to kill his buzz, it's just who she was. He refused to be daunted. He picked her up and swung her around. "I'll be a worrywart tomorrow. Tonight I am going to annoy you with my excitement until you get so frustrated you threaten my life, and there isn't a thing you can do about it!"

  By the time he was done, Scarab was dizzy and trying very hard not to laugh. Fratz had no problems with admitting his amusement, and his deep chuckle echoed down the dried riverbed through the valley below.

  "Don't you do that again," Scarab said in as firm a tone as she could.

  "Yes, ma'am," Tenet said, not the least bit contrite.

  "Anything could happen between here and there," she pointed out.

  "Absolutely."

  "A horse could pull up lame, or throw you on your head instead of your ass."

  Tenet nodded, still grinning his fool head off. "That is a definite possibility."

  "Or that wildcat could decide he's hungry and make a meal of you."

  "That would be tragic." He gave her a wink.

  "I mean it," Scarab insisted. "We're not there yet. Anything could happen."

  As it turned out, nothing bad did happen. As if the Fates themselves decided to finally throw them a bone, the last ten miles of their journey were traveled in quick, easy comfort. The valley was largely cultivated for farming, with smooth, easy roads to follow right up into town. A few people worked the land, though Tenet couldn't tell what type of plants they tended. Those they passed were as friendly and welcoming as the gentle land itself. The sun was shining, Fratz was whistling a happy little song, and Tenet just felt it was right. It was right, all of it. This was home.

  Fratz guided them into the town. Though not as large as Cartlon, Nortaberg wasn't what Scarab was expecting of a small town in the mountains. It was bigger and more in tune with modern life than the village where she was raised. She noticed several stores, three inns, and even a couple restaurants. To Scarab, there were signs everywhere that Nortaberg was some sort of hub. They obviously had a lot of through traffic. Perhaps it was a trade town? She wouldn't relax until they had their stores in their house before the snow fell, but she did feel hopeful about the prospects of making that actually happen.

  They rode up and stopped at some sort of large, plain building. "This is the town house," Fratz explained. "Meeting hall, civic workers, that sort, for business. You gotta ask about yours, and I gotta check in with mine." He lead them inside, then spoke with someone at a large desk in the middle of the hall. The person welcomed Fratz, eyed Scarab, and directed Tenet down the hall.

  "I'll meet you outside if'na officer says I'm free ta go."

  They thanked him and went to the room with a sign that said "Housing". They waited until the receptionist there stopped eating a sandwich and noticed them. "What you need?" His accent was similar to Fratz's, only much thicker.

  Scarab and Tenet had both agreed that Tenet should be the one
to do the talking with any officials in Nortaberg. His mellow manner would put them at ease, where Scarab would only increase their discomfort with the outsiders. "Good afternoon," Tenet said, taking the lead with the receptionist. "I'm here about a position the major at Carlton recommended to me."

  The receptionist looked puzzled for a second, before smacking his head. "The medic! That's right. If'na wanna follow me I'll take ya both ta the ward chief and he'll get ya started on citizen papers." The man moved quickly and waved for them to follow.

  They went down a small hallway into another office room, this one with four identical desks with four very similar men bent over paperwork at each. It was an unexpected familiarity for Tenet. He didn't expect to find a fully functioning office in the wildernesses of the mountain region. Though not in suits, the workers did all wear matching clothing. The room smelled like paper and ink, and there was even a coffee maker with dirty, well used cups on a little stand in the corner. It reminded Tenet of the academy, of the hours spent in offices very similar to this while his father had meetings. It instantly set him at ease.

  The room couldn't have had a more opposite effect on Scarab. Everything around them was clean and tidy. It even smelled clean to her. She hadn't had a bath since their last stop at an inn. Neither of them had changed clothes the last two days. She was overly aware of the cold of the gun and knives against her skin, and felt that everyone was looking at her.

  The receptionist ushered them to one of the desks. The man behind looked up. "Yes?"

  "The medic for the Celties."

  The man's annoyed demeanor instantly changed and he stood quickly, sticking his hand out. "You actually came!"

  Tenet shook it. "Of course we did."

  "Of course you did!" The man seemed overly thrilled, and Scarab frowned. "Of course! I'm ward chief Jarvis Dalton, just Jarvis if you please. It's nice to meet you, yes it is!" He pumped Tenet's hand up and down over and over. "Look at you, actually here! Wilson, get these two some coffee." He suddenly remembered his hand and pulled it away. "Please. Sit."

  Tenet looked to Scarab. She was not going to sit. In fact, she looked ready to bolt. He sat, and she stepped to stand behind him. Jarvis looked at her expectantly. When she simply stared back, he cleared his throat, resisting the urge to pull at his tight collar. He turned back to Tenet.

  "I understand you are a new citizen in our community? I can't tell you how fortunate it is for us. My ward's been without any sort of trained medic for nearly two years. We'd about given up hope."

  "What happened to the last medic?" Scarab demanded.

  Jarvis held his smile, but the sincerity of it faded. "We'll call it ah...a...misunderstanding."

  Tenet wished Scarab would back down, but he could feel her tension and knew she wouldn't. He jumped in to get Jarvis's attention. "Misunderstandings happen," he said, waving his hand. "We certainly understand that, don't we, dear?" He didn't expect Scarab to answer and she didn't. "Surely we've all had our own misunderstandings in life. Though, I admit...I am a bit curious."

  The man thought for a second, and Scarab's hackles raised. If Jarvis was thinking, that meant he was trying to come up with a lie. The little voice inside urged her to run before they'd regret it. They couldn't, though. They had no time to get anywhere else safe for the winter. She'd listen to whatever he said, then read between the lines to figure out the reality. They'd figure out where to go from there.

  "I suppose I must tell you that the locals have been a little...reticent to have the armed forces here. Before we got here, this place was as backwoods as it gets. We brought money and good roads and opportunity. It's been a bit of a struggle to get them to accept our ways." He sighed heavily. "Look. I'm just going to say it. They're a suspicious, superstitious, barbaric lot. We need this outpost. It's become an absolutely necessary strategic stronghold and we can't cede it back. We leave them alone, and all we ask is that they do the same. I didn't order the medic to interfere with their ways. He took that upon himself. In fact, I told him the opposite." Scarab tensed more at the defensive tone. "I cannot be expected to sit idly by and watch good people have to resort to witchcraft and sorcery for their medicines. I just can't do it."

  "I see," Tenet said slowly. "So I'm here to be an option to the people?"

  "Precisely."

  "And you're not trying to shut down their ways?"

  "Good gracious no!"

  Scarab knew that was utter bullshit. Her hand that gripped the back of Tenet's chair tightened.

  "What would I gain by that? Further distrust? Greater headaches? No. They can be as insane as they want. It's their choice. This is a free society after all."

  "Then what happened to the last medic?"

  Jarvis sat back and shook his head. "He was young and idealistic in all the wrong ways. He wouldn't leave it alone. Butted in where he wasn't wanted."

  "You didn't stop him?"

  "He was a renegade, Mr..."

  "Lorne," Tenet said automatically.

  If Krupkie had told Jarvis any different, Tenet couldn't read it in his face. "Mr. Lorne," he repeated. "A renegade. Came to me absolutely disgusted by a ceremony he'd accidentally witnessed. I sent him home with some back up, just in case the tensions turned violent. They are a violent people, you know."

  Tenet frowned. "Who?"

  "The Celties, of course. Surely you've been warned."

  "We are aware of the Celtists," Scarab said coldly.

  "Major Krupkie gave us a brief rundown of their society," Tenet rushed to say, trying to keep Jarvis's attention off his wife. He didn't like the attitude of the man any more than she did, but they needed to tow the line for now. "I understand that they've got alternative opinions."

  Jarvis turned his glare off Scarab and his look got friendlier when he focused on Tenet. "Alternative opinions? You're a very diplomatic sort, Mr. Lorne. You'll probably do very well here."

  "I sure hope so." Tenet gave the man he was really starting to dislike his best attempt at a friendly smile. He felt his stomach tense at the knowledge that some things up in this new world didn't just look like those he'd left behind.

  The receptionist brought over the coffees. "Get the papers for residence," Jarvis ordered of the man. "Anyway. Rule number one, keep your nose out of their business. Anything else you need to know regarding them, you come see me and we'll get it sorted."

  Tenet gave Scarab a confused look. "Am I working for the government?"

  Jarvis snorted. "Don't I wish! If I had the full backing of the government, the things I could accomplish..." he sighed and shook his head. "No. You work for yourself. I was merely extending a hand of friendship. I have a feeling as an outsider in more ways than one, you may just need it." He gave Tenet a knowing wink. "I just posted the position on behalf of the citizens of the area, since none of the other ward chiefs felt it a priority." He called the last bit loudly across the room. One of the other men made a snuffle noise, but didn't even look up from his paperwork.

  The receptionist handed over a folder, and Jarvis passed it to Tenet and Scarab. "These are your citizenship forms. They're pretty self-explanatory, standard stuff for the official ward records and all. You might not work for the government, but I do." He rolled his eyes and gave a little shrug. "They want to know everything. What are you going to do, hm? So if you could follow Wilson back out, he'll be sure to help you from there..."

  And with that, Jarvis went back to his paperwork. Tenet felt like laughing at the rudeness, but stood and followed Wilson. Back down the little hall they went, then Wilson turned and brought them to an empty office. "You be fillin' that out if'na could, and I'll be gettin' yer keys for yer house." He seemed friendly enough, and Tenet thanked him.

  Scarab was seething. Tenet could feel it radiate off her. "Let's just get this filled out and get out of here," he said gently, hoping to diffuse the ticking time bomb of his wife's temper.

  She gave a curt nod and took the papers Tenet handed her. They filled out their informat
ion, creating a new pair of people that were an amalgamation of their true selves and their fake Lorne selves. The government clearly knew they weren't really the Lornes, but Tenet didn't want to use his real last name and Scarab was determined not to so much as utter hers. It made Tenet remember just how little he really knew about her for a second before suggesting they best just stick with Lorne. He noticed that she wrote Angel as her first name. He'd never answer to Archibald, and stuck with Tenet. It was a common enough first name in Southland and New Canada that it alone wouldn't mean anything to anyone they'd encounter. They each wrote their real ages, but made up birthdays.

  "I don't have one, anyway," said Scarab. She chose a date in April, and Tenet silently repeated it to himself over and over so he wouldn't forget. They listed Carlton as their point of entry, and Nortaberg as their destination, though Scarab thought that should already be obvious.

  "It's just how bureaucracies work," Tenet assured her, secretly happy that he had the upper hand in this department. "Just fill out what they want and some little gover monkey somewhere who's not paid enough will stamp 'approved' on it without ever reading."

  "Then all this is pointless."

  "Fairly," he conceded. "Now write."

  It was all standard basic information for the most part. Height, weight, physical description, known illness or syndromes, risk of contamination... "Have we been anywhere the 'flatine plague' is common?"

  "No," she said, hoping she was right.

  "What's the flatine plague?"

  "Similar to yellow fever."

  "Ah. Well, I didn't see anyone with those symptoms, so 'no' it is."

  The tricky part for Scarab was the section on education, training, and skills. "What the hell do they need to know that for? Nosy bastards are getting just as bad as..."

  "I'll go ask," Tenet said, knowing she wouldn't let that one drop. He went back out and asked Wilson, then came back. "It's in case the armed forces need to call up people to fight."

  "Are they at war?"

  Tenet turned right back around, then came back a few minutes later. "No, they aren't. But the Con fighting made them restructure the military and they realized they needed to be better prepared in case. Or something like that."

  "Oh." She still didn't know what to write. She glanced at Tenet's answer. The list of things he could do filled the entire space provided and ran down the side of the page. She watched as he flipped the sheet over and kept writing. She felt even more out of place than she had in the clean room with the stuffed shirts.

  Tenet noticed that she wasn't writing. He stopped and glanced over. He tapped the spot on her paper with the end of her pencil. "That's easy. Education preliminary completion..." He looked up at her. "Come on. Write what I say."

  Scarab picked up her pencil, acting annoyed, yet secretly relieved. She wrote what he told her.

  "Highly trained survivalist, scout, and tracker, with a storied history of working closely with local and national law enforcement."

  She snorted. "That's stretching it, don't you think?"

  He shrugged. "Is it untrue? No. Then write it."

  Tenet was being overly kind and really reaching with how he classified her qualifications, but she felt immensely better having so much written in the blank space. They finished up and brought the forms back out to Wilson.

  "Just a formality," he told Tenet again, stamping his seal on the first line at the bottom of the last page. Scarab shook her head. Poor little gover monkey. "If'na expectin' to hear back, it'll be past spring. But if you got past Carlton, it's foregone that yer one of us now." He handed over a key. "This be yers now." He then handed over a map with something circled. "Follow up'na trail and you'll get ta Ogden. That be yer village proper, the X right here." He pointed to the X on the map. "They'll help yer find the place if'na yer lost."

  Wilson was friendly, even if his accent made it difficult to understand what he was saying, and Tenet thanked him sincerely. "Next time I'm in town, I'll pop in and let you know how we're doing."

  "Good luck with the Celties," Wilson said. "An watch yer back. I hope ta see yers both in'a spring, so keep yer nose ta home, eh?"

  After they met Fratz and had lunch at a surprisingly nice restaurant, they made plans. The first thing to do was to locate their house. It was getting late in the day for sellers and dealers, especially with fresh crops coming in. Fratz explained that morning would be their best bet for good food deals, and their likeliest chance to sell their travel kits to people looking for last minute bargains before they headed out. Also, they'd need to see what the house had and if it absolutely needed anything. The houses up in the mountains were made of wood, not the manufactured materials Tenet was used to, and Fratz made no bones about the fact that if it truly had been unoccupied for two years, then it was probably in sorry shape.

  Since everyone agreed with the plan, they headed out and asked how to get to the trail to Ogden. The soldier they asked whistled low and deep, gave them directions, then wished them well. Tenet couldn't help but pick up the sympathy in the soldier's voice. He smiled, thanked him, and they were on the way.

  The road to Ogden started out wide and paved. It snaked up and over the mountain, and Fratz told him it was an army built road. "They get supplied easy straight up an' over with the transports," he explained. They didn't stay on that part of road very long before the little map told them to turn. They turned on to what was barely more than a path. It lead into the woods, and in the low sun of the afternoon, they sat on their horses and stared at the dark entrance through the undergrowth.

  Scarab clicked her tongue and urged her horse forward. It was eerie. It was spooky. It was dark and creepy and ominous. But most of all, it was entirely familiar. All mountain Celtists lived in deep forests. They did it for the deep connection to nature, of course, but also for the intimidation factor. People tended to steer clear of deep, dark, gnarled forests. The forest itself was usually the only defense a Celtist community needed.

  Tenet and Fratz followed. As they got deeper and the light got dimmer, Fratz began to feel uncomfortable. His childhood was filled with stories of witches and the evils in dark places like this. He was grown. He was well traveled. Though his interactions with Celtists had been limited, he did know the old stories about them being witches were just that; stories. And yet, somewhere inside, the little boy shook and shivered and told him to run away before the elves and fairies and witches could eat him.

  "How much further does that little map say we goin'?" he asked, unable to hide the discomfort from his voice.

  "I don't know. It's not a very good map," said Tenet, straining to see the hand drawn map in the fading light.

  "We'll get to a clearing in a minute," Scarab said over her shoulder.

  "How do you know?"

  Because all Celtists lived the same. It was part of the lore, the religion, the code. "Just trust me."

  Just as she had said, within five more minutes, they did reach a clearing. It was a small, perfect circle in the middle of the forest, with seven paths converging in the center and leading off into the forest. It was another level of defense. Anyone who did not intimately know the layout would get lost and wander for days before finding their way out.

  Scarab studied the map, then turned to take in the trees surrounding the path they had just traveled. She stared hard, trying to memorize every knot and bump. If she wasn't in a Celtist village, she would have notched the tree with her knife to mark a clear sign as to which path would lead them down to Nortaberg. But she was in a Celtist village, and to start off their new life with such disrespect would not be a smart idea. When she was certain she'd be able to find the right path out, she looked at the map again. The map did not indicate seven paths, only one. Of course. She doubted Jarvis had ever bothered to set foot up here himself, and anyone allowed to enter and live would have learned quickly to keep their mouth shut.

  "So which way?" Tenet asked, trying to get his antsy horse to stand still.

/>   Scarab narrowed her eyes and studied each path. She'd have to rely on her training as a hunter more than the faded memories of childhood. Some of the paths were used frequently. One was nearly completely clear of weeds, and she knew that would lead to the heart of Ogden. There was no way any outsider would have been accepted there, so that was not the way to travel. All of the rest had weed growth, to some degree. There was only one, though, that had grown up thick and untouched for at least a full season. That would have to be the way. She nudged her horse forward and they slowly went through the waist high weeds.

  "I don't know about this," said Fratz, feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. He kept looking over his shoulder, wondering if he could find his way out if he had to.

  Tenet felt apprehensive as well, though for a different reason. He knew without a doubt that Scarab was leading them the right way. He simply trusted her to do so. But he felt odd, somehow. He felt almost as if they were being watched. As their journey continued, the forest closed in, narrowing the path and making Tenet feel like they were being lead into some sort of trap. Just when he was about to say something, they cleared the trees completely and stood in front of a small house in the center of another perfectly round clearing. He let out a deep breath of relief.

  "Stay here," Scarab ordered. Neither man even thought of arguing.

  Tenet watched as Scarab trotted off to the right and began to circle the house. She was looking into the forest around them, and he figured she was just making sure all was clear. He turned his attention to his new home.

  He'd never seen a house quite like it. It was short and wide, made of rough, dark wood, and topped by what looked like nothing more than grass.

  "It be thatch," Fratz said when Tenet asked.

  "Doesn't it get wet inside when it rains?"

  Fratz shook his head. "It works better than you'd think."

  Tenet doubted that. It was just grass. Maybe there was something underneath? He frowned. There couldn't possibly be something underneath because the house just wasn't tall enough. The roof was pitched and rose fairly high in the center, but he knew he'd have to duck to get in the door. How would he even stand up inside?

  He swallowed hard. This was his home. This was it. He'd simply have to make the best of it. It was obviously better than sleeping outdoors. It had sturdy looking walls, even if they were short. There were windows, and even though moss and vines climbed and twined over most of the building, he could tell that with a little work, they'd be able to get a lot of sunlight inside. He didn't see any windmills or solar collection trays, so he doubted there was electricity. The forest was thick around them, though. They wouldn't lack for wood to burn. All in all, it could have been so much worse. He turned to Fratz and smiled. "I suppose I'm now a home owner, hm?"

  Fratz didn't know what the damn fool was smiling about. He assessed the home as someone who had grown up in one very similar and could see for himself the massive amount of work that needed to be done. Not only had no one lived here, but no one cared to keep it up. It was completely neglected for at least two winters, if not three. There were probably coonskunks and squirrels living inside, and definitely spiders and mice. Thatch was good, but it had to be kept up. He wondered if the inside would be a moldy, flooded mess. It would be amazing if there was anything left inside. An abandoned house contained excellent loot for the desperately poor, and that's the one thing this area of the country had in spades. And yet, the boy looked so excited. Fratz sighed and gave him a smile. "Could be worse," he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Poor sap.

  "There's a lean-to for the horses out back," Scarab said coming around the other side of the house. "No feed of course but we can stake them and let them mow the lawn for us."

  "We do have free weeds, don't we?" Tenet grinned at her and followed as she lead them to the back side of the house. Aside from the lean-to and a small shed, the back looked very much like the front. They tied the horses off with the ropes they used on the trail. "I don't see any water for them."

  "There will be a well inside. We can draw water up from there for now. If we decide to keep either horse we can rig up a trough." Scarab waded through the tall weeds and lead them back to the front door.

  "A well inside?"

  "Yes." She didn't explain further. He'd see it in a minute for himself. "Key?"

  Tenet dug the key out of his pocket and handed it over, unwilling to admit he'd never used one. All the locks and security he'd ever used were digital, opened by either a code from and omni tool or a magnetic card. He silently watched her slide the key in a slot and turn. There was a click and she turned the knob and pushed. The door didn't move and she wiggled the key, then slammed her shoulder into the door. It gave with a groan and a pop, then swung open.

  "Duck and step down," she said, then disappeared inside the very dark room.

  Tenet followed, but neither ducked nor stepped down in his excitement and ended up hitting his head and tripping forward at the same time. Fratz's hand on his shoulder kept him from completely falling.

  "I warned you," said Scarab. She took out her flashlight and shined it around the room. It was impossible to really make anything out in the quick sweep of the thin beam of light. She stopped when her light landed on what looked like a glass bowl. She walked towards it and took out her flint. After a few sparks, the bowl began to glow and light flooded the room. "Still has oil!" she said, looking for another lamp.

  As she lit the lamps around the room one by one, it was like a treasure being slowly unveiled. Tenet watched in amazement as his new home became visible around them. The first thing that struck Tenet was the fact that it was much larger than it appeared from outside. He was not hunched over, but standing straight up with the pitched roof high above them. He looked at the door, then understood. The house was built partly in the ground. "Why is it sunk in like this?" he asked of Fratz.

  "Makes a house stand up better to snow an' ice."

  The second thing Tenet noticed was the odd mix of furnishings. There was a wooden table, and a long wooden bench. These things looked like they belonged with the rough walls and the very natural feeling of the house itself, as if they were all simply an extension of the world outside the door. However, there was also a very modern looking metal counter, some sort of food box, perhaps even refrigerated, and a com deck at a terminal station.

  "They didn't take anything," Scarab said, frowning deeply.

  "Then that's good news for us!" Tenet said, clapping his hands together and feeling immensely better about their situation.

  Fratz and Scarab exchanged uncomfortable looks. No, it was not good news. The house had been left completely untouched. They both knew everything inside should have been gutted. No one even siphoned the oil from the lamps. The fact that it was intact meant that the locals considered this a bad place, a tainted house, a cursed lot. By some unspoken understanding, they both silently agreed to keep that bit of information to themselves.

  "What's this?" Tenet asked, playing with a large metal handle in what appeared to be a kitchen area.

  "That's the well," Scarab explained. She walked over and pumped a few times. There were a few sputters and belches as the water was pulled from deep within the earth, and then it flowed clear and strong. "Now that is good for us," she said. She took a handful and sipped. It tasted sweet and clean. "Very good."

  Tenet was absolutely fascinated by the contraption. He pumped again and stuck his own hand under the water. "This is brilliant!"

  Fratz laughed. "Let's see if'na be thinkin' so when it's winter and yer freezing yer ass off dyin' for a hot shower."

  Tenet pumped a few more times, watching the water pour out into the basin and swirl down the drain. He went for a fourth when he suddenly had a worrying thought. "Will it run out?"

  Scarab shook her head. "Shouldn't. I've heard of them working for a hundred years or more. They pull the water up from below the water table."

  A light went on in Tenet'
s head. "Like an irrigation system."

  "Exactly like that."

  Tenet had to laugh at that. They would be irrigated like plants. It was incredibly funny to a farmer, but his companions did not seem to get the joke and he had to let it go. They poked around the other things in the room. The food container was designed to keep things cool, but Tenet could see that the refrigeration part of it wasn't wired. Still, it was metal and had a good seal. The cupboards held several plates, a few cups, and some old spices. Scarab said they'd ditch most of them but the salt and sugar, and Fratz said it was a good sign there was any food left untouched. Less chance of a rodent infestation.

  They moved into what Tenet thought of as a living area. The table and long bench were against one wall, and a matching bench with cushions was against another. In the center was the terminal station, but none of them could see any way for it to be powered. "Battery," said Scarab.

  "Musta been," agreed Fratz.

  "Think I can get one in town?"

  Fratz shrugged. "Worth tryin' at the town house. Could also try the AP on base." The appropriations department at any base would surely carry either a battery or a portable generator that could power the station. Now, whether or not the AP officer would trade with a civilian, that was another story. "I'll put a word in, if'na want."

  Scarab nodded. "Thanks." It would help pass the long winter if they could have an actual com terminal for entertainment. It would also help her keep tabs. She suddenly felt better about their prospects in the cursed house.

  There were three rooms that lead off the main living area. One was a bathroom, though not like any Tenet had seen. There was another pump that drained into a large basin. This would be their bath, and a quick check confirmed that Fratz was right; the water was cold as hell. The toilet ran. That was clear. There was water in the bowl, and a pipe lead to what appeared to be a large box. He stared at the toilet, then back at the box.

  "It's a gravity toilet," Scarab said behind him. "There's a collection tank on the outside of the house that collects rain water. You pull that little handle and it floods the bowl. Weight and gravity pull it deep down into a pit way below the ground."

  It was a fascinating concept. He'd never seen anything like it. "What happens if it doesn't rain?"

  "Then you can just fill a bucket from the well water and dump it down. Or draw straws to see who gets to manually fill the tank from above."

  The next room was small and empty, though it had a closet. Tenet guessed it was some kind of unused bedroom. The final door was another bedroom, this one with a large bed, a dresser, a mirror, and a large closet. They poked in every drawer and around the closet and found everything empty.

  "Well he probably wasn't killed," she said when they were back in the living room, not really meaning for her words to be out loud.

  "You thought he was?"

  She shrugged. "It was definitely a possibility. That asshole Jarvis was being awful slippery, but it seems like whoever lived here before had time to pack up before shipping out."

  "Army don't much like the Celtists," Fratz said, sitting next to Tenet on the couch. "An' they return the sentiments."

  Tenet turned a searching look to Scarab. She suddenly seemed uncomfortable, as if she knew he was looking for a little peace of mind but couldn't give it. "Well, then," he said with a heavy tone. "I suppose we need to make it abundantly clear that we don't work for the army."

  It might not be enough. Just living in a cursed home would be a huge mark against them. Scarab needed to get the com working no matter what. She needed to formulate an escape plan for them in case they weren't accepted. She knew they'd be left alone through the winter, if they made it that long. Winter was the time of inner reflection and guarding against outside demons for the Celtists. The Celtists would hibernate, hole up in their inner sanctums and allow their bodies to replenish with the serenity of the quiet season. If she and Tenet could just get to winter, then she'd have the time to make a new plan.

  "We need to come up with our list of what needs doing," Scarab said to get their minds occupied. "Let's go around again and really look at the house. Fratz, point out to Tenet what needs repair in the rooms. I'll go outside and have a look out there, then we'll meet back here for dinner and discussion. Agreed?"

  Tenet knew what she was doing, and was grateful. He wanted this to work. They needed this to work. And if he allowed himself to dwell on the hell the former medic faced, he'd make himself go crazy. First things first. He'd assess his new home. They'd eat dinner. Tomorrow they'd travel back to Nortaberg and sell and spend all they could. And then? Then they'd just have to wait and see.