With a warm smile, Adam asked, “I don’t believe we’ve officially met, my lady?”
“We have now. I’m Livi. And I’m deeply in your debt.”
Adam smiled and gave her a bob of his head.
“That was an impressive gambit,” said Nash. “You almost had me convinced we were all part of the same crew.”
Adam said, “There is no Islander I don’t know. Only ones I haven’t met yet.” With a gracious incline of his head toward Livi, he said, “Madam, I’m Adam.”
“Aha!” exclaimed Srenners. “Madam I’m Adam!” The footman looked as if he’d just won a lottery.
“This is Nash, Ahab, and Srenners,” said Livi. “You won’t get anything from Srenners but palindromes. Ahab keeps rather to himself, and as you saw, if Nash ever found himself in hell, he’d propose the devil give him air conditioning.” All the men shook hands. She looked closer at Nash and didn’t see any sign of the red speckling. “Hold on,” said Livi, “how are you even on your feet? And how did your eye heal so fast? Ten minutes ago it had a million pinpricks in and around it.”
Nash shrugged and said, “I’m fine. Must have been something in your vision.”
Livi thought back to the fight and wondered if having her head inside of a jet engine had made her think she saw things that she didn’t actually see. He had changed his shirt and seemed to be moving his arms just fine. Maybe she had imagined the blow from the sword as well. Maybe the Sound Storm had hallucinogenic effects.
Nash turned to Adam. “We’re fortunate you showed up.”
“God moves in mysterious ways,” answered Adam meekly. “I wish I could have come along earlier to save more of my children. I count nine dead and there were half a dozen or more wounded. That’s quite a feat for one Ranger, a Vamp, and two servants against a full mutiny of Marauders.”
Livi grinned and the movement of her jaw amplified the persistent pain in her ears. Nash opened his mouth, but Livi cut him off. “He may look like he’s twelve, but Nash is one of the toughest guys on Hollow Island.”
Nash didn’t speak, but his blush said plenty.
“A good man to have by your side, to be sure,” said Adam.
Sliding her arm into the crook of Nash’s elbow, she said, “You have no idea.” The deeper blush on his rosy cheeks was predictable, yet satisfying. She was confident that those red specks had not been imaginary. For some reason, Nash didn’t want to talk about it.
“There’s something I never really got about you, Nash,” said Livi. If he wasn’t feeling the pressure yet, he would soon. “For a guy with a … tender stomach, you really have no problem killing people dead.”
Instantly, his jaw muscles become more prominent, his eyebrows dipped slightly, and his eyes become focused. From one second to the next, he looked five years older. There was nothing boyish about him now. Behind his eyes shone a glimmer of wisdom, though she wasn’t sure how much of it he would share. He pulled his arm free and slowly retrieved his flatpack from the coach. “It’s something I should have learned before I came to the Island, but it ended up being my first lesson here. Don’t hesitate when it matters. I won’t hurt anyone who doesn’t try to hurt someone else. I also don’t want to live in a world where the strong feel like they can prey on the weak.”
Apparently that was the end of his speech because he went over to Ahab and had him sit. She really needed to teach him the value of drawing out those moments for the sake of the hollow viewers. If he learned how to give a proper speech, he’d have women all over the world swooning and little boys all over the world dressing up like him for Halloween.
Using one servant sash as a sling and the other as a swathe, he bound Ahab’s left arm. Ahab got up and went to inspect the broken wheel. To his credit, the goodman did his job unaffected by the injured arm and recent near-death experience.
Nash had taken some serious blows too and he carried on like he was fresh as an ocean breeze. As she opened her mouth to ask about his injuries, Adam interrupted her. “What takes you to the checkpoint? Are you headed for Ponce?”
How would Nash react if she just told the truth? Only one way to find out. “Boy Ranger and I are after that serial killer. The worst monster Hollow Island has ever seen.” Nash’s expression didn’t change. What a disappointment.
“A monster in black, with a guadaña?” he asked.
“Yes, a gadanha. That means scythe for those of you who are a little less Latin than some of us.” She had suspected Adam was tracking the monster since seeing him in Troy. With a smug look added for Nash, she added, “And if Adam is headed there, it seems the monster is in Ponce, as I predicted. Sometimes I amaze even myself.”
“Just the four of you are after that monster. Chacho, but your confidence must be longer than the hope of a poor man.”
“That sounds like a bad translation of one of Nash’s cute sayings,” she said.
Nash’s face turned curious. “Did you see … another Ranger back there on the road?” He pointed to where Robles had been.
Adam shook his head. “Haven’t seen anyone for miles.”
Livi was still confident Robles had shot the two fleeing Marauders. She must have lured them away from the road first.
“Hmm,” said Nash. “Well, we’ll take help where we can find it. But if it’s just the two of us we’ll do the best we can.”
Adam rubbed his chin and peered into the night toward the checkpoint. The faint drum beat marked time as Adam considered. “I’ve been following. Investigating in a way, and finding out nothing helpful.” His lips pursed again and Livi was curious what was going through his head. To himself, but loud enough for all to hear, he recited, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear. But of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
“Power, love, and a sound mind?” asked Livi. “Nash has power covered and my mind’s pretty sound, but I’m not so big on the love thing. It sounds perfect for you, though.” Talking as if a man had already made up his mind was another great way to get him to do what you wanted him to. If the Pirate captain’s reaction had been any indication, Adam was a more powerful ally than she had assumed and she wasn’t about to let him get away.
Even in the moonlight, a twinkle was obvious in Adam’s eyes when he smiled at her. “I may be like the ham in a sandwich, or fifth wheel as they say, but I’ll go along for a while. I’m not a fighter like Nash, but I’ll do what I can to protect my children.”
“That makes us a regular posse,” said Livi, and though her tone was scoffing, being part of a group seeking justice and all that other noble crap actually felt satisfying.
Nash smiled and that boyish sense of wonder was back, only for a second. “Ahab. Is there any chance of repairing that wheel?”
“No, sir,” said Ahab immediately. “Not without a shop and plenty of parts.”
“Figging Marauders,” said Nash. “Okay, without a carriage it’s going to be trickier getting you through the gate.”
“Trickier?” asked Livi. “But still possible?”
“Yyyes,” he said.
“Real easy for you to make promises when I’m the one who is going to end up as the decoration on the end of some Hoplite’s spear.”
“We don’t have time to go back to Krete,” said Nash. “We’ve already lost too much moonlight.” He waved an arm toward the horizon where the sun had gone down.
“I could lose a lot more than time,” said Livi. “You think you can escort me across, in your custody or something?”
“Yeah. I think so,” said Nash.
“Pardon me for not trusting the opinion of someone who still doesn’t know how to use miles and feet.”
“I know how to, I just forget. Also, I outrank Legionnaires when push comes to shove, why not Hoplites? If they don’t let you cross, then they don’t let you cross. You can get a nap at the checkpoint and catch a ride back to Krete in the morning.”
Could it really hurt to try?
Nash turned to Adam. “What do you think? You must�
�ve crossed a thousand times.”
“I have,” said Adam. “But to be honest, I don’t know what they do to Level 3s who try to cross.”
“There are only five laws here, or three depending on how you count. Will they let us ignore this one?”
Adam said, “More than ten years I’ve been here, and I’ve seen all the laws broken.”
“You’ve seen Level 2 and 3 Jennies on the Cold side?” asked Nash.
“Both. Rangers for one, walk around in the open, obviously. I know a Wizard who has lived in the mountains there for over five years. And I believe this Grim Reaper is there now.”
“Rangers are different,” said Nash. “We’re supposed to be peacekeepers for both sides of the island.”
“Every situation is different,” said Adam.
“What about that Wizard?” asked Nash. “Why does Hollow Image Projections let that Wizard stay there?”
Adam gave a little shrug. “It’s up to Hoplites to keep him out, and Rangers, sheriffs, and the like to move him at this point, and none of them have ever sent him home. I don’t think many official people officially know he’s there.”
“What about the other laws?” asked Livi.
“I’ve seen people get exceptions and emigrate, though it’s rare, and the use of electricity isn’t as taboo as we pretend.”
Nash leaned closer, whispering for some reason. “Are there people with generators and stuff like that?”
“Any generator or steam engine I know of has been confiscated,” explained Adam. “But that eye of yours doesn’t run on gears and springs. Hoplites use electricity for their scanners. Mayors input information somewhere so Rangers can see bounties.”
Livi shouldn’t have been surprised about the fallibility of the laws, but she was. They preached that the laws were inviolable, but the last few weeks had made her doubt everything she knew about living on Hollow Island. Even more than surprise, Livi had been struck with a mix of jealousy and anger. Why should some other high level Jennie get to prance around over on the Cold side while she was stuck here?
“I’m going,” she said.
Both men looked at her. Adam seemed pleased and Nash was a bit taken back. He said, “It’s gotta be your choice, obviously.”
“We’re burning moonlight,” said Livi. “Come on.”
“I can’t guarantee—” started Nash.
“I know, I know. I promise I won’t sue you if they poke me full of spears.”
“It’s the arrows you have to worry about,” said Adam. “The whole checkpoint is covered from all angles.”
“Do you think it will work?” asked Livi.
Adam looked up to the stars in thought for a few seconds. When he finally looked her in the eyes, he had all the confidence she could ever hope to hear from her own grandfather. “God will provide a way.”
The words were not what she wanted to hear. She had been raised Catholic, but hadn’t had much reason to believe in a higher power since Vitória had been killed.
“I want to know if you think I can cross,” said Livi. “Adam, not Adam’s god.”
His lips widened in a kind smile. “I cannot separate who I am from who He is. I do believe the plan will work, and you may take that as you will.”
It was enough. After hearing what he’d said about other Jennies being there, the Cold side was calling to her. If the Hoplites turned her away at the gate, they could come up with a new plan. “Okay, team. Let’s go.”
“Looks like we’ll be taking Don Fernando’s car,” said Adam, looking at the carriage.
Livi looked at Nash, who shrugged, and they both turned back to Adam.
“Sorry, there’s an old Puerto Rican saying. Vamos en el carro de Don Fernando. Un ratito a pie, y otro andando. It means we’ll go partway on foot and the other part walking.”
Livi remembered why she preferred solitude. Between Srenners’ palindromes and all the clever sayings, this group was going to put her serenity to the test.
Apparently Nash already had the trip planned out. “We’ll send someone to get the carriage in the morning. For now, we carry what we can. I doubt the Pirates will leave much for us to gather tomorrow.”
“Look at you playing leader,” said Livi, patting Nash’s cheek.
He rolled his eyes and the group set out scavenging the most essential and valuable items. After repacking her rucksack and totes, she saw she’d still have to abandon more than half of her luggage, including almost a dozen dresses. Few Islanders could afford dresses like the ones Livi wore. The cost didn’t concern her, it was the time and effort of replacing them.
Nash stuffed food into his face as he packed.
“You going to carry all of our food in your stomach?” asked Livi.
Nash tore a huge bite of beef jerky with his teeth. “As long as I got you to buy me more, I’ll keep stuffing my face.”
Even after cramming what he could into two manageable packs, his trunk of things to leave behind was still half full. He hefted the packs and tested their weight.
“That’s fine,” Livi said, struggling to lift one of her packs. In a sarcastic tone she added, “Don’t help a lady or anything. I’m sure I can manage it by myself.”
“If your footman and goodman aren’t enough, then you’ve packed too much junk. My lady.”
She was glad he had figured out how to hold his own with her; it was no fun punching down. Still, she was going to have to find a way to get through his calluses.
“I always travel light,” said Adam. “Allow me.” He reached for the rucksack. Livi glared at Nash as she handed it over. Nash didn’t react, but his frustrated expression betrayed his false apathy.
Nash started walking up the road, and his group followed. Druid drums sounded faintly through the night and as the moon rose higher into the sky, the drums grew louder. Nearby coquís responded vociferously to Adam’s whistles. A tiny light appeared off to the right. Nash dropped his rucksack and raised his gun.
“Did you see that?” he barked, moving to separate Livi from the light.
“You mean that?” asked Livi, pointing behind them where a pair of lightning bugs flirted through the trees.
“What the…?” Nash still had his gun up.
“You are so precious, Nash.” Livi couldn’t help giggling at him. Sometimes it was just too easy to mess with him. “Thank you for protecting us from the terrible fireflies.”
“Those are fireflies? I guess I expected them to be … I don’t know what I expected.”
A firefly flickered into view within Livi’s reach. Trapping it between two fingers, she squished it and applied the glowing bug juice like war paint under Nash’s eyes. Being a good sport, he didn’t pull away. “Now we won’t lose you.”
He smiled and it was like all was fine in the world for now.
Livi said, “A light in the darkness, Nash. Just like you.”
Nash’s head swiveled to catch sight of every lightning bug, like a kid at Carnival.
“Isn’t there something in the Bible about acting like a child?” she asked Adam.
“When I was a child I spoke as a child and understood as a child. But when I became a man, I put off childish things. How’s that?” The old man looked pleased.
“Perfect,” she said. “Did you hear that Nash? Your new motto.”
Their fearless, child-like leader gave an acquiescent thumbs up and continued to goggle at the fireflies.
10
Gate Crasher
<< Top exports from Hollow Island (excluding media):
#1 – Personal effects consigned out by individuals
#2 – Hand-carved miniatures
Top imports to Hollow Island:
By weight – Toilets
By volume – Toilet paper >>
Nash tossed another handful of banana chips into his mouth, partly out of boredom, mostly out of hunger.
Livi was sprawled on the gravel road, using one of the packs as a pillow. The first two miles, she had done just fine, t
hen she hit a wall. To her credit, she said it was the furthest she’d walked since immigrating, and the fight had been rough on them all. Nash had known for a while that endurance was not her strong point.
Adam, on the other hand, was as fresh as any of the younger men, even though he carried his own pack and Livi’s heaviest bag. He reminded Nash of an older version of a guy named Benigno he’d met in the H.I.P. Immigration Center in New York City. Benny was Puerto Rican as well, and had a Puerto Rican flag as a tattooth spanning his two front teeth. They both had square faces, eyes that hinted at a smile, and the easiest personalities to become friends with.
Nash popped some more banana chips into his mouth. The night was wasting away and he didn’t feel safe out here exposed on the Hot side.
“Ready?” he asked Livi.
She looked up at him with tired eyes but didn’t answer.
“Com certeza,” she muttered. “Beats putting up with your smirks and comments.”
Nash held out a hand to help her up. He knew the talk about comments and smirks was just more of her taunting. Like a child who was reluctant to perform a chore, she made it harder than she had to for him to pull her to her feet.
“Ahab, you good?” asked Nash. He wasn’t sure if the arm was broken or if it had just been dislocated, but the goodman hadn’t complained once.
“Good as gold, sir.”
Slowly, they continued down the road. They hadn’t gone fifty feet when Livi said, “I’m ready for another break.”
“Do we need to go into the trees and make camp or something?” asked Nash.
“You’ll be glad to hear,” said Adam, “the checkpoint is around the next bend.”
Nash looked and saw the glow of fires over the trees, maybe half a half mile away.
Livi let out a long, relieved sigh. “How do the scanners work?” she asked. “As long as I keep this cloak up to hide my face, then they won’t know I’m Level 3?”
Nash shook his head. “If their scanners are like … Well, I don’t think it’s like the depo. I bet that with the checkpoint scanners, you could wear five cloaks and not have an inch of skin showing and they’d still ID you.”
A Mutiny of Marauders Page 13