by Amy Braun
“It’s the engine,” Sawyer answered grimly.
I turned my attention to him. He glanced longingly at the engine, then detached the ladder from its gears.
“Your engineer can’t fix it?” I asked. “Where’s the rest of your crew?”
Sawyer put the ladder against the “wall” as best as he could, then faced me. The frustration in his eyes almost hid the pain I spotted.
“Did you forget who I am? How easily I can be recognized by anyone with experience on a ship before The Storm? That most of the people who could help me are probably dead?” He sighed. “I’m alone, Nash. This is my family’s ship. I’m the captain, the first mate, the bo’sun, the rigger.” He scoffed. “I’m even the swabbie.”
The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Sawyer would have been a boy when The Storm shattered his world. Even if he watched the crew run the Dauntless Wanderer, even if he learned how the ship operated and what was required of every man on board, he had never been a captain. Now that the Dauntless was torn from the sky and the Wanderers were dead, Sawyer struggled to maintain the ship. To do every job by himself, because no one could stand to be near him. Not when the memories were so fresh. Not when it was assumed that the Kendrics and their Wanderer Clan were partly responsible for bringing the Hellions into Aon and to begin their massacre of Westraven. Eight years had passed since that those terrible days began, but people rarely forgot. These days, they almost never forgave, either.
“Then why stay?” I whispered. Sawyer said nothing. I nodded to the broken engine. “It doesn’t look like that will ever be fixed. Even if it were, you can’t let it sail again. The Hellions would shoot it down in an instant, and this time there wouldn’t be any scraps left.”
Sawyer’s eyes flashed with anger. “I know. Just like I know I have to fight off scavengers and vandals at every turn. Nobody can resist taking a shot at the Dauntless.”
“So why are you still here? You’re a hell of a fighter, Sawyer. There must be a marauder Clan or a colony that could use you.”
He shook his head and turned away. His hand went to the wall like he needed to brace it.
No. Not to brace it. To remember it. To know it’s real.
After a long, quiet moment, Sawyer said, “I’m not proud of my family’s history. Never have been, never will be. The only thing I hate more than remembering the things my father and brother did is everyone assuming that we were all like that.”
He must have sensed my quizzical look, because he glanced at me and sighed heavily.
“I had another brother. A younger one. Micah. Thought he was invincible, that he would be the king of the skies one day. If he wasn’t getting into trouble, he was looking for it.”
Sawyer smiled to himself, recalling a memory that seemed to both warm and pain him at the same time.
“Father never spent much time with him, and Davin scared him, so he stayed close to me.” Sawyer stifled a laugh. “He was all but welded to my side. Followed me everywhere, saying I was a better pirate than Davin, boasting that he would be just like me.”
There were no smiles this time. No mask to cover up his heartache.
“After he died in The Storm, I wandered around the city. I tried to find a place to live, but no one wanted another mouth to feed. No one trusted me. Even if they didn’t realize who I was, they shunned me. I didn’t contribute as much as I wanted to. All I could think about was Micah and the promise I never got to fulfill for him.
“A few months later, I found the Dauntless. I don’t know how or why I didn’t walk away. Maybe I just missed the damn ship. I grew up on it. All I could think about was the wind in my hair, the smell of the sky, the sights you could see when you were in the clouds…” He gazed ahead, seeing something I couldn’t.
“There were some scavengers taking pieces of the Dauntless. Supplies. I don’t know if they were trying to survive or looking to sell the parts for loot. But I snapped. I attacked them. Barely let them live.”
Sawyer shoved a rough hand through his hair and gripped it tightly. “After that, I realized how much like my father and brother I was becoming. That I was dishonoring Micah’s memory. And I refused to do that.” He let go of his hair and glanced up at the charred roof of the Dauntless. “So I came back home. Decided that the least I could do was look after the ship.”
He fell silent for a long time, then suddenly recalled everything he told me, a stranger who fought him, helped him escape, and nearly died for him. He frowned, like he didn’t know what to do with me now. Glad I wasn’t the only one who seemed to be having that problem.
“You’ll be safe here,” Sawyer said after a long minute. “The good stuff has already been looted from the Dauntless, but I’ve been recollecting it. I’ll come back and look after your wound. The bullet probably went through, but we have to clean it and stitch it up before it gets infected.”
I nodded, pressing my back to the ruined wall as he shuffled past me. Sawyer reached the door at the end of the hall, leaning awkwardly to the side to pull it open from its new angle.
“Sawyer.”
He glanced over his shoulder at me. I opened my mouth to speak, but words escaped me. What would I say? What could I say? Nothing I’d ever experienced was quite like his life. I wasn’t sure if I had it better or worse than he did. I’d lost my family too. A mother, a father, two siblings. I was taken and thrown into a life I didn’t want, one that nearly killed me.
But I was still alive. Despite it all, I continued to survive.
“Thank you,” was all I could manage.
Sawyer nodded, then turned and left the engine room. Gratitude seemed to be enough for him.
Chapter 10
It was a miracle that I didn’t die in the days that followed my escape. Medical equipment and kits were among the first things Sawyer had collected, as he informed me before he stitched my wound closed. He said that he used to do this for the other Wanderers more often than not, since it was the only thing they wanted him to do. They didn’t seem to notice or care that he spent the rest of his time training with swords, knives, and pistols.
Still, it was touch-and-go for a long time. I fought off fevers and felt every bruise on my skin as though the fists were colliding with it again. But Sawyer kept me company. He brought food, water, clean clothes, anything I needed. We shared stories and talked as though we were old friends. He was the first person since Sonya that I felt I could actually have a conversation without being immediately pummelled after.
I told him I had to find Sonya and make sure she was all right. I had to see if I could make it over the barricade.
A week after my recovery, Sawyer agreed it was time to return to Davy’s farm.
The walk was long and arduous, but it felt good to be out of the Dauntless’s charred interior. Though I had to admit that I glanced over my shoulder at the ship a couple times, wondering what it would look like if Sawyer did manage to restore it like he told me he would. It would be a long, strenuous job, but at least he would have something to do with his time.
Me… I was just going to do my best to survive in another part of the world.
By the time we made it to the outskirts of Westraven to Davy’s farm, the sun was starting to set. The sky was a much darker grey than before. It would be a treacherous walk through the night in unknown territory past the barricade, but I would just have to keep going until I found some kind of shelter to rest in.
We saw some Hellion skiffs rise back to the Behemoth on our journey, giving us no reason to be careless. Especially since I could have sworn there were some human corpses impaled on the spikes at the bow of the ships.
There was little the monsters couldn’t see, and they would need little motivation to return to the city for a late night hunt. Or if they decided to get some payback for the two Hellions that Sawyer had killed.
The young marauder captain glanced out from the shelter of the decomposing apartments. His head swivelled back and forth for a couple se
conds before he bolted out of cover and sprinted for the farm. I followed close to his heels, grateful for the week of rest I’d gotten before we agreed it was time for me to move on. My left shoulder was stiff, but I was moving it every day determined to make it stronger than before.
Sawyer stopped at the fence’s gate. He glanced at the metal box beside the lock and gingerly plucked out two wires from the bottom. I tensed, hoping he knew what he was doing. Sawyer claimed to be many things, but he said nothing about being an engineer.
He finished tying the wires together and stepped back. He caught my wary eye and smirked.
“Davy showed me the trick. Hasn’t failed me yet.”
I was about to point out the “yet” in that sentence when Sawyer grabbed the handle of the door and pulled it open. He wasn’t electrocuted on the spot, so I hurried and followed him past the metal fence.
Sawyer crossed the distance of the property and bounded up the steps of Davy’s home. He closed his fist and beat on the door. I stayed close to his back, looking over my shoulder and scanning the growing darkness. The shadow of night cast a slate grey tone to the dust-white buildings. Silence drifted through the city. Not even the barest whisper could be heard. All of Westraven had become a smashed, haunted ruin.
My eyes trailed up to where the Behemoth lingered like a spider in its web. What I wouldn’t have given to watch it blasted from the clouds, like it had done to so many airships before it. But eight years of unpredictable slaughters had broken most of our defiant spirits. I didn’t think there was anyone alive who was capable of destroying the Behemoth. Sawyer was probably the only person in recent history that had managed to kill any Hellions, at least as far as I knew.
Sawyer pounded on the door again. It was pulled open before he reached his third knock. I turned around, and watched Sonya come into view.
I almost didn’t recognize her. Her blonde hair and pale skin were free of dirt, her shape plumper and healthier, her clothes big but comfortable on her body. Though the biggest change was her eyes. There was no longer pain in their dark brown depths. No more despair or fear. They were illuminated, lively. When she saw me and smiled, it was a real smile. The most beautiful I’d ever seen on her.
“Nash,” she breathed. Sonya hurried out of the door and nudged past Sawyer, throwing her arms around my chest and hugging me tight. I winced a little at the pain she sent through my new scar, but I didn’t try to dislodge her. This might be the last time I saw her. I wanted to remember her happiness.
“I thought you were dead,” Sonya muttered into my chest. “When you were shot, I...”
My arms circled her shoulders so I could push her back. I smiled.
“We ran into some trouble, but I’m fine.” I looked at the man at my side. “Sawyer looked after me.”
The young marauder shrugged, like it was no big deal. Like he did it on a daily basis.
Sonya looked at him and removed herself from my arms. She was a little shorter than him, so she had to arch on her toes to kiss the corner of his mouth.
“Thank you,” I heard her breathe.
Sawyer grinned roguishly before cupping her chin and pressing a kiss to her mouth. Sonya startled a little bit, but quickly melted into his embrace. It was the only reason I didn’t pull Sawyer away from her and give him a solid smack in the face.
They finally parted, Sawyer grinning at the red flush Sonya’s cheeks had taken. He caught my glare and looked at me, shrugging again.
“What can I say?” he teased. “I like blondes.”
I blinked, then turned my attention back to Sonya. “How have you been? Are you all right?”
She nodded. “Davy’s treated me wonderfully. He hasn’t laid a hand on me.”
Relief swelled in my chest. Sensing Davy in my peripherals, I lifted my gaze and nodded gratefully to him.
“Sonya’s a wonderful worker,” the old man said. He looked at her affectionately, like a father would look at a daughter he was proud of. “Great with the plants. Didn’t know how much I was doing wrong until she showed me some tricks.”
Sonya glanced over her shoulder and smiled brightly at the elderly farmer. At that moment, I knew she would be safe. I didn’t need to worry about her anymore.
As though she caught my line of thought, Sonya turned her head back to me and bit her lip. “Are you still going to cross the barricade?”
I raised my hands from my sides. “What else is here for me? Ryland will be looking for Stanner and Dylan. When they don’t come back, he’ll start looking for me.” I dropped my hands. “He might even skip the search for them and come straight after us.”
I glanced at Sawyer apologetically. To my surprise, he looked like he was assessing me rather than taking offense. Not sure what his expression meant, I brushed it off and looked at Sonya.
“Besides, I’m free now. I’ve never been past the barricade. It would be nice to see what else is out there.”
Sonya looked like she disagreed, but chose not to comment. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me one last time. Her gentle lips pressed against my cheek.
“I wish I loved you, Nash,” she whispered. “Then I would convince you to stay.”
I chuckled. “Probably.”
Giving her body one last gentle squeeze, I let Sonya go. Part of me wished that I loved her, too. But I knew we weren’t meant to be together. Maybe there was a survivor beyond the barricade that I would fall in love with. I knew Sonya would find someone to make her happy. I just hoped it wasn’t Sawyer. He seemed to be generally honest and noble, but he was still a marauder. Virtue wasn’t exactly his strongest suit.
“Our deal still stands?”
I glanced at Sawyer, who’d been speaking to Davy. The old farmer looked at his business partner and nodded. “Not sure how much pressure the Stray Dogs will put on me now that the Hellions are out in the daylight. Somethin’ I said would happen, as I recall.”
Sawyer rolled his eyes, but didn’t make any other kind of reply.
“Then I’ll be seein’ ya, Sawyer.”
Davy put his hand on Sonya’s shoulder gently, and started leading her back into the house. She followed, her warm brown eyes lingering on me for the last time. I would miss her, but I knew this was for the best. She’d wanted this kind of happiness for years. After all she’d done for me, showing me how to keep my morals and sanity intact, the least I could do was wish her well on her new life. I realized then that I didn’t need to be in it. Sonya believed there was someone out there for me, and it would only be a matter of time before I found her.
It was a search I looked forward to.
I gave her a small, sincere smile. A final promise that I would be all right. I didn’t think it would be true, given how little I knew about the world beyond the Westraven barricade. I knew there were dozens of other provinces in Aon, but I’d never seen them. I barely remembered what they were called.
But I could move on knowing that Sonya would be taken care of. She wouldn’t be cold or starved, and would never suffer abuse at the hands of a cruel man. That was enough.
Sawyer walked down the porch steps with me. We rounded the farm’s water tower and stared at the barricade a hundred feet in the distance. I gauged the tall, jagged wall. Behind it, I could see the faintest tint of amber in the sky. The sun setting under the weight of a dark grey dusk. I gaze at the shrouded sun, its light so faint I was sure it would be snuffed out with the slightest wind.
What would happen if I traveled beyond that barricade and found nothing? Aon was a huge country, and I didn’t have a map or transportation. Even if I went back to Davy and asked for supplies, they wouldn’t last long. This was assuming the Hellions didn’t spot me wandering aimlessly in the open and pick me up for a quick snack.
“Can I offer some advice?”
I glanced at Sawyer but didn’t reply. I figured he would give me his opinion whether I wanted it or not. I didn’t have to wait long to be proven right.
&nbs
p; “The Hellions won’t be interested in any other part of Aon. They’re targeting Westraven specifically,” he stabbed a finger at the Behemoth, but didn’t look at it. “That said, if they see anyone getting over their little barricade, they won’t be kind to them. You’ll have no one to help you if you get into trouble, which is something you seem to do very well.”
“Don’t suppose you’re offering to come with me for a change of scenery?” I said in a bland tone, as I knew my answer.
Sawyer’s smile was mischievous, clashing with his sad eyes. “Nah. Westraven’s not what it used to be, but I’ve got some good setups around here, Davy aside. Besides,” he glanced at the fractured city at his back. “It’s home.”
I grunted in response. I didn’t have a whole lot of reason to stay. Yet when I looked at the ominous barricade and the dying light beyond it, I couldn’t find the will to move my feet.
“Maybe it’s for the best,” I remarked. “You seem to get into more trouble than I do.”
Sawyer chuckled. “Can’t escape it, really. I don’t have a voice of reason to talk me down from doing something reckless.” He paused, then said, “Though I’m not so high-and-mighty that I can’t ask for a helping hand.”
I turned to face him. Sawyer’s eyes were as serious as they’d been when he’d squared off with Ryland, yet I could see a glint of hopefulness in them.
“I’ve been trying to put a crew together since I found the Dauntless,” he confessed. “I can’t repair the ship on my own. I need other men and women to do it.”
“Why? You can’t fly it. The Hellions own the sky and they won’t give it up.”
“I didn’t say anything about flying it. I said I wanted to repair it. I might have found a way to move the ship to the ports.”
“The cursed ports? The ones that the Hellions bombed to all but oblivion in The Storm?”
