“The newest fad,” I said and pointed to their guns. “We’re all friends here.”
Alex raised his gun again and just as he did, I heard the whiz of an arrow flying by. It hit the ground in front of him, and he snapped his head up and scanned the trees. “You have heathens with you?”
“Three of the men the recruiters took were from their Nation,” I said. Deliberately, I lowered my hood to let him see my red hair. Maybe he didn’t recognize me. “And as you know, they have Jack too. We’re all searching for the same people.”
Alex half grinned when he saw my hair but didn’t tell his men to lower their weapons.
Another group of soldiers rounded the bend behind Alex. They broke into a run as soon as they saw us. Alex turned around, saw them, and immediately whispered stand down to his men.
“What’s going on?” one of the approaching soldiers called to us. I recognized Hayley’s voice.
“We found another search party,” Alex called back.
“Hey, it’s Jack’s girl,” Hayley said as she came closer. She stopped alongside Alex.
“Wife,” I corrected her.
Her lips curved into an indulgent smile, but as her gaze swept over the three of us, her pretty features transformed into a confused expression of distaste. “What are you guys wearing? Was there a sale? Did I miss it?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah.”
“Why is there an arrow sticking out of the ground?” she asked.
I directed my answer at Alex. “I guess our friends were getting a little concerned for our safety.”
Ignoring me, Alex said, “They have heathens with them. Not sure how many.”
Hayley immediately scanned the forest. “Are they friendly?”
“Friendlier than the present company,” I said.
Hayley looked from me to Alex. “What’s she talking about?”
Alex looked a little sheepish. “We were just being careful. You know, with the rumors that have been circulating lately.”
Hayley’s forehead creased. “Didn’t you recognize her?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Not until you said who she was.”
My gut told me he was lying. And Jack’s wife or not, he had no quarrel with anyone from the Pit and absolutely no reason to hold a gun on us. I tried to remember what, if anything, Jack had told me about him. Although the first time I had ever met Alex was on the range—the shooting range where the bourge sent troublemaking urchins to be hunted like game. I later learned that Alex belonged to Liberty back before the Dome was liberated. What I didn’t know was if he was a member of the Alliance. Not every member of Liberty had embraced the principles of the Alliance: freedom, equality, and democracy for all, including the Pit. The more affluent, traditional members of Liberty had been focused on ridding the Dome of the Holt dictatorship and reestablishing a democratic government only. Those people were still in favor of a strict caste system, and some were even still in favor of slavery.
Turning back to Alex, I asked, “What rumors have been circulating?”
“That the urchins deliberately staged the riot at the Employment Center last week to provoke another uprising,” Alex said.
Hayley shook her head. “And rumors are all they are—”
“Lies,” Reyes cut in, staring at Alex. “Lies spread by you people so the ugly truth doesn’t stick to you.”
Alex tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at Reyes. “Yeah, and what truth is that, boy?”
Reyes’ nostrils flared in anger, and he took a step toward Alex. I made no move to stop him. If Reyes punched him square in the face, Alex deserved it. But Hayley stepped in between them and, aware of the damage Reyes could do to her, especially in his exoskeleton, I grabbed his arm with both my hands to hold him back.
He yanked away from me.
“Reyes, stop!” He was strong, and it took both my arms to hold back his one. Finally, he stood down.
Once Hayley was satisfied Reyes was under control, she turned on Alex. “That was out of line,” she admonished him. “I was at the Employment Center the day of the riot. My team and I were sent to help get the crowd under control.” Her gaze swung back to Reyes. “And I understand why everyone from the Pit was angry.”
She looked at him with an apologetic expression, and he stared back, the moment stretching out as some unspoken thing passed between them.
“You were there,” he finally said.
I thought it was an odd statement considering she had just said so. Yet, she nodded as if it wasn’t strange at all.
Alex plastered a smile on his face. “Well, it looks like we have a credible eyewitness account,” he said, holding out his hand for Reyes to shake. “My bad for putting stock in rumors.”
Reyes didn’t accept his handshake or respond to the peace offering in any way.
I eyed Alex warily. “No, my bad for coming here thinking you might want to work together on the search. We’ll be on our way.”
“Wait,” Hayley said, putting up a hand. “You might want to see this before you go.”
Chapter Eleven
Jack
The sun was high when we broke out of the forest onto a flat, treeless plain. Only the infrequent tufts of dead grass showed that any life grew there at all. It was hard to see around the rumps of the beasts pulling us, but I could make out a long fence about a mile away. A thick stone chimney stood tall above the fence, curls of white smoke billowing out and dissolving in the wind. Although the breeze was at our backs, the occasional whiff of wood smoke came wafting our way.
The rig captains waved a greeting. I squinted to get a better look, finally making out three figures just above the top of the fence. It appeared Ryder’s city was more of a compound, and I wondered if the guarded fence was to keep people in or to keep them out. The doors to the gates opened, and six archers emerged. Hollywood jeered at them good-naturedly, and one of the men heckled back.
I caught Naoki’s eye, and we communicated a wary sentiment. Neither one of us had been expecting a compound. It would make escaping more complicated. Talon was watching both of us with barely concealed fear, and it occurred to me that the younger man was most likely counting on us to get him out of this. But this was beyond our control. My eyes skidded away from the question in his and returned to the fence, examining it for a weak point.
The nearer we approached, the more figures appeared at the gates. The excitement was palpable, both inside the city boundaries and out here among the recruiters. Children came to the gates trying to sneak out but were pulled back by feminine figures. Our captors waved, smiling broadly. This was a happy homecoming for them. We recruits were less enthusiastic. The only thing we were about to meet was our fate.
As we passed through the gates and into the compound, Naoki and I sat up as straight as our plastic ties would allow us to get a better view. The houses that lined either side of the well-worn rutted street were the oddest I had ever seen. They were crudely constructed of logs with mud and straw used to fill the cracks, and pitched roofs made of plastic sheeting that was swirled with random streaks of color. A few roofs looked melted where the rock chimneys and plastic sheeting joined, and other houses had framed the chimney with what looked like slate to prevent melting.
People filed out of their homes, waving at our passing caravan, sending up whoops of delight. Small children ran out and hugged their fathers, and the women, who I presumed were the wives and mothers, kept a respectable distance. It was a more densely populated city than I had anticipated, especially when I thought of the hundreds of miles we’d covered and barely had seen another living soul.
As we continued, the narrow street we traveled opened up into a village square. To our right was a single large dwelling with a front veranda made of roughly hewn lumber. To our left were smaller houses built side by side, their doors and shutters open and displaying animal skins, bolts of cloth and boots. It looked to be a marketplace. In the center of the village square was a large area enclosed by a rect
angular waist-high picket fence. Two men were opening up the gates and waving their arms in a come on motion at us. As each wagon filed through the gates, the rig captains were directed where to park. There was a big firepit to one side, wisps of smoke curling up as the burning wood snapped and hissed. A metal rod leaned against the side of the pit with one end buried in the hot coals.
The front door of the big house banged open and two men came out carrying a table and a chair. Hollywood rushed forward to help them. One of the men looked annoyed by his enthusiasm. As they went past our wagon, I heard Hollywood say to the man, “I found something real special this time out. You be sure to tell Father Ryder that.”
"Yeah, yeah," the man said in a dismissive tone.
“Hollywood is kissing up,” I said to Naoki in a low voice.
Naoki looked around to see if anyone had heard me. No one seemed to notice. “Only two sentries on the front gate,” he whispered.
“If I can get my rifle back, there soon won’t be any,” I said.
Naoki snorted. “And assuming we can’t get your rifle or my bow?”
“Did they take your blowgun?” I asked.
The People always had a blowgun attached to their belts. It was a tube of hollowed-out wood used for many purposes, one of them being to blow out quills dipped in a plant sedative. They had used the weapon on a Dome soldier once, and Sunny had been falsely accused of killing the man. The incident had become the catalyst that led to our coalition with the People and ultimately to conquering General Powell’s troops.
“They took the gun, but they didn’t find the darts,” Naoki said. He yanked against his binds. “Unfortunately I can’t get at them.”
“I still have mine too,” Talon said.
“They won’t do you a lot of good here. Too many people,” I said, taking a look around. Only the wagons, their crews, and people from the big house were inside the fence. Outside the fence, people were showing up in droves.
A murmuring went through the gathering crowd as the doors to the big house opened again and a man stepped out. The applause that went up was almost deafening. Hollywood banged his hands together, his face cracked in the biggest smile I had ever seen on him, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he may have curtsied.
So that must be Father Ryder.
I had to admit he was nothing like the old shriveled-up crazy-eyed man I had imagined him to be. Ryder was a tall, strapping figure with ebony skin that shone wherever sunlight touched it. He waved to the crowd and descended the four steps down to the common area. His shirt was made of woven fabric, the sleeves rolled up and straining against his large, taut biceps. Beige animal-skin pants, belted low against a flat stomach, were tucked into soft black leather boots that came up almost to his knees. His short-cropped black Afro was sprinkled with only a few gray hairs, and I guessed his age to be around forty. He wore an easy smile, showing remarkably straight white teeth.
On his way toward the table, he stopped to shake the hand of a rig captain and chat with him for a few minutes. Judging by the red creeping into Hollywood’s face, he was pissed. I knew we were valuable to Hollywood, but it wasn’t until that moment that I realized just how important we were to him. I got the impression that this was going to be his finest hour, standing before the crowd and presenting me, or my rifle, to Father Ryder.
One of the men by the table shooed Hollywood away as Ryder approached the first wagon, the one full of men and boys. The captain of that rig already had his recruits unhooked, off the wagon, and standing ready for inspection. Hollywood returned to us, his mouth set in an angry line. He stared down at the captain Ryder had stopped to talk to and muttered, “Asshole.”
We were third in line to be appraised, so I had some time to look around the compound. The big smokestack we saw on the way into the compound was the tallest, most prominent feature, but I couldn’t see the base of the structure from where I was sitting. As far as I could tell, all of the outlying buildings that ran along the fence were residences. It looked like the important buildings, like Father Ryder’s house, were in the center. That was good information to have because if we couldn’t escape through the gates, we would need to go either under or over that fence.
A commotion from the first cart caught my attention as the recruits were sent to stand in an orderly fashion by the firepit. I looked at the cheeks of the recruiters, and every other person in the compound whose face was visible, and it clicked. We were going to be branded.
Ryder moved to the next wagon, the one full of women and girls. They were offloaded and ready for inspection, just like the first cart. I wondered why Hollywood wasn’t getting us ready. I observed the man who was constantly at Ryder’s side, a crude sort of clipboard in his hand and a... pencil? Pen? He was obviously Ryder’s aid, taking inventory or keeping track of payments or something.
Ryder greeted the captain warmly and listened intently to everything the captain had to say. He instructed his aid to write a few notes, and then the female recruits were sent to stand with the others by the firepit. A few of the women and children dissolved into tears when they were able to touch their menfolk for the first time since their capture. They stood huddled, arms around each other. No one stopped them.
Our turn, and Hollywood still didn’t have us offloaded and ready. Ryder looked a little perplexed, but still greeted Hollywood like a long-absent son. Hollywood looked as though he was about to explode with pride. I nudged Naoki with my foot and flicked my chin in Hollywood’s direction, and we shared a silent laugh.
Ryder extended his hand to Hollywood, and the short little man practically swooned. “Ralph, it’s good to see you again,” Ryder said, clasping his hand and slapping his shoulder. Ryder looked in our direction, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. “Are your people unable to stand?”
Hollywood shook his head vigorously. “I won’t let them stand,” he said gravely. “You may have heard already how dangerous they are. They’re skilled warriors. The best I’ve ever seen.” His face fell into an expression of repentance and he clasped his hands together as if seeking forgiveness. “I captured four, but I had to kill one of them when he escaped from me and seriously injured five men.”
Ryder’s mouth cracked into a huge smile. “Five men?” he asked. Slowly his smile faded, and he never took his eyes off Hollywood. “I heard it was one man, and it wasn’t you who shot him down.”
Hollywood’s eyes shifted away from the good Father, beads of sweat breaking out on his red face. Sanjay and Phillip stood just behind him, silently looking down at their feet. “Yes... well... it depends on who’s telling the story,” Hollywood said. He clenched his jaw, turned on his heel, took the few steps to the back of our wagon, and retrieved my rifle from the crate. He held it aloft in a triumphant manner. “Made from steel and still working.”
Barely concealed laughter came from the other recruiters. I couldn’t see Hollywood’s face because his back was to me, but I could see Ryder’s. He studied the rifle for a moment before he reached out and took it from Hollywood. As he tested its weight, his eyebrows rose, and the corners of his mouth turned down as if to say not bad. Running a hand along the barrel, he turned it upside down and examined the trigger. Turning it upright, he pointed and tried to shoot. Hollywood jumped out of the way. By now I knew it was locked and so wasn’t surprised when it didn’t go off.
“It doesn’t work,” Ryder said. He didn’t hand it back to Hollywood, though. He passed it to his aid. “But we might be able to use it to make a mold for a working gun. Good find, Ralph. I’ll ensure you’re fairly compensated.”
Hollywood bobbed his head up and down, and then turned back around to the wagon. His eyes were bright with glee. “I think you’ll find this one’s clothes to be of interest too.” He climbed into the wagon, unhooked me, and pulled me up. My legs didn’t want to support me after a week of barely using them. Hollywood yanked me to the edge of the cart, and I almost fell over. Digging my nails into the heel of my hand, I willed my legs to move properly.
I didn’t want to look weak in front of these people. I jumped down from the back of the wagon and just as my knees buckled, Hollywood grabbed me by the shirt and hauled me up to put me face-to-face with Father Ryder.
Ryder was slightly taller than me and broader, especially after my week of malnourishment. The whites of his eyes stood out in sharp contrast to the deep rich brown of his irises and skin. There was no mistaking the intelligence that lurked there. His eyes raked over my hair, my clothes, and my boots. Hollywood, who had stolen my jacket and worn it during the trip, had taken it off that morning and tucked it away in the crate. He brought it out now and presented it to Father Ryder. Ryder waved his hand toward his aid, and Hollywood gave it to him.
Taking the hem of my short-sleeved t-shirt between his thumb and two fingers, he rubbed the material. “It is finely woven.” He looked directly in my eyes, a kind expression on his face. “Did you find it, or were you able to weave this yourself?”
I didn’t hesitate to lie. “Found it.”
“Where?”
I shrugged, trying to give myself a little time to think. “In...an old city.”
Ryder narrowed his eyes slightly as he peered into mine. I held his gaze, unwavering. “Ralph. Where did you find him?”
“North, in an old town. We searched the entire area and didn’t find anything.”
“North,” Ryder repeated. “Are you Daemon’s men?”
Dena had told me about someone named Daemon. If I remembered correctly, Ryder and Daemon weren’t on friendly terms. “I don’t even know who Daemon is,” I said truthfully.
He nudged my boot with the toe of his. “So where’d you get the clothes? And the rifle?”
“I can’t remember exactly. I travel around a lot.”
One side of Ryder’s mouth turned up in a grin. I could tell he didn’t believe me. “Okay,” he said and motioned with his head for us to go over to the firepit.
Naoki and Talon were unhooked, dragged down off the wagon, and appraised. We were taken to stand with the others, all huddled together and waiting to be branded like a herd of animals.
New World Order Page 10
