by J. K. Holt
It felt like hours had passed. Tess’s movements had become less fluid, her body beginning to feel jerky and rigid. She stumbled, catching herself. She felt a hand on her arm and then Fish yelled, “Don’t touch her!” Tess jerked her arm away as Loren hissed, “I was helping her up, Edric.”
Or using the opportunity to search her for a weapon he could use. Tess straightened, grimacing. “How much further?”
“It’s just up ahead.” Fish pointed. “The light down the way, beyond the farmhouse.”
Tess followed his line of sight, noting the light in the distance. “Alright.” Tess’s feet were beginning to go numb, and a fear slid up her stomach that the nearness of the light was an illusion. She stood, planted in her place, and took a deep breath to calm the growing unease.
A hand touched her, gently, and she turned to see Fish. “You’re fine, Tess. Let’s just keep moving, we’ll be there soon.”
Loren cleared his throat. “I’ll go first. You follow me, Fish, since you’re determined to be the one to kill me. Tess can follow behind or walk beside me.”
He started walking, but Fish threw out an arm. “Oh, enough already!” Loren said. “We’re freezing. Much longer out here and you won’t have to kill me, because we’ll all be ice.”
“He’s right,” Tess said. “I’m sorry, I know we have to keep moving.”
“I can carry you on my back,” Fish said. It was sincerely offered, but he too looked tired and close to dropping.
“No, let’s go.” She forced her foot to move, and then another. It seemed like she was barely moving, but she was moving. She was almost sure of it.
Loren grabbed her beneath the elbow with his hands, both still tied in front of him, and pushed her onward. Fish yelled, “Oi!” and Tess glared at Loren. “I don’t need your help.”
“I’m not helping you, I’m helping me,” he answered, keeping his hands where they were. “I don’t want to die out here in this frozen muck with you two, and since I can’t go on without the both of you, I’m going to make sure we all get there. So save your energy and stop complaining.”
Tess would have fought more, but the hand helped and the ease of movement was considerably better. She looked back at Fish, who nodded. They kept trodding forward.
After another lifetime, they passed the dark farmhouse, and the barn seemed within their grasp. They moved off the road, following the trodden grass that crunched underfoot, and passed through a fence that Fish opened, closing behind them. They arrived at the low-lying building, and Fish banged with his fist upon the tremendous wooden door. It slid open almost immediately to a relieved and red-faced Rosie.
“Snails, you two! I was beginning to think I’d have to come out and look for you. What took so long?” She ushered them inside, careful to ignore Loren’s presence. Tess considered a sarcastic reply but decided it would take too much energy and remained silent.
The barn was lit by lanterns hung at even intervals along the beams, and the sweet smell of alfalfa hay mingled with the scents and sounds of horses, nickering softy in their stalls as the travelers passed by. The warmth that their large bodies created, along with the lack of wind, was an immediate improvement, though Tess did not remove her extra layers- she’d need to keep them on if she had any hope of staying warm enough to sleep tonight. She counted near on twenty horses as they walked, eventually stopping at a large open stall filled with fresh hay and, blessedly, devoid of farm animals.
“We’ll bed here and leave in the morning, once we’re rested,” Rosie said. She motioned to a corner where a chain attached itself to a floor board. “You can tie him up there.”
Before Fish could shove him in that direction, Loren objected. “At least let me relieve myself first.”
Rosie glared, but Fish held up a hand. “It’s fine, I’ll take him.” He still held his knife. “We won’t be leaving the barn. He can piss in a corner down the way. We’ll be right back.”
With that, he and Loren retreated the way from which they’d come. The girls, both anxious to keep them in their sights, stood watch. Tess’s hands were beginning to hurt as the feeling returned to them- it reminded her immediately of the night Fish and Dray had saved her from the Blackbird, warming her up on Fish’s dingy as they’d rowed back toward town. She was growing seriously tired of this cloying cold and her close brushes with hypothermia.
She stomped her feet to get the circulation going. “So, your uncle?’
Rosie crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. “He’s agreed to lend us six horses and lodging at several inns along the way that do business with him.”
Tess gaped, surprised. “That’s incredibly generous. And- I mean, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, no pun intended- but, why?”
“Because he’s a decent man is why.” Rosie frowned. “I told him I needed to escape for a while, to get away from everything that reminded me of Russ, and he understood. He’s plenty of money, from the days when travel across Alitura wasn’t so rare and the town wasn’t so isolated. But since the plague, we’ve become less of a destination, as you might have gathered. He’s no need for all these horses to let out anymore. Truth told, I think he’s grateful they’ll get the exercise. Though we’ll need to board them south of the Misties- they can’t traverse the mountain.”
“I understand. Thank you for arranging all this.”
“Yeah.” Rosie said. She squinted. “They’re coming back.”
She moved to return to the stall, then stopped beside Tess, a slight grin twitching her lip. “I’ll say this, I didn’t know if you’d get him out.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Tess said dryly.
“Eh, you’ve yet to impress me,” Rosie replied. “But I supposed there’s still time.”
Tess rolled her eyes at Rosie’s back. Once Loren and Fish had reentered, she helped Fish tie Loren to the chain. “I’m a light sleeper,” Rosie said. “Always have been.” She settled her bed roll down directly next to Loren, careful to leave her knife beside her bed but out of Loren’s reach. Tess assumed he took her meaning.
They’d need to be more careful with him in the future- she knew that. But they were all so exhausted that having someone keep watch felt cruel. And they’d each need all their strength to start on this journey, which felt ever so slightly like a fool’s errand. But at least it was movement- Tess couldn’t stand not doing something any longer.
She needn’t have worried- each one of them was asleep within moments of lying down.
∞ ∞ ∞
Tess woke to the sound of footfalls and the soft nickering of horses. Groggy, she pushed herself to sitting position, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her back was sore from multiple kinks, likely acquired from a long night sleeping on a hard surface. She squinted against the harsh light that suddenly flooded in from outside the stall. Rosie led a horse past, noticing Tess.
“She wakes! I was about to come and give you a nice hard kick to get you up. Get dressed, and eat something. We leave shortly.” She disappeared, and the horse followed willingly, head bobbing as it was led through what must be a door at this end to the outside.
Tess turned her head slowly to stretch it. Her mouth felt like cotton- she needed something to drink. Her clothes had kept her warm through the night, but she felt dirty beneath them. She was desperate for a hot shower- one of the few luxuries she missed from her old world.
She finally noticed Loren, still tied but sitting, back against the wall as he ate a hard biscuit. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said, his predatory dark eyes slanting, voice teasing. “So glad you decided to join the land of the living.”
“Oh, don’t feel bad,” Tess said. “You gave it your best go to remedy that situation. Not your fault it didn’t take. Though it is quite possibly your fault that you hire such useless goons to follow your directions.”
At the reminder of their encounter on the ship, Loren cocked his head. “Yes. Quite interesting that my attempt failed, isn’t it?”
Tess cursed her stupidity in reminding Loren of her uniqueness. She’d have to watch her mouth more. Before she was forced to respond, Fish entered the stall.
“Hullo then,” he said, tossing Tess a hard biscuit. “Rosie said you were awake. I wanted to let you sleep as long as possible, but I’m afraid we need to get a move on soon.”
“You could have woken me up,” Tess said, sheepish. “You ended up doing all the work.”
“Not much to be done, really, other than get the horses ready. The provisions were already packed.” Fish squatted down beside her, cocking his head. “You feeling okay? You look a bit… unsteady.”
Tess shook off his concern. “I’ve been awake for two minutes is all.” And Loren has that effect on me.
Fish appeared unconvinced, but didn’t pry. “Alright. Well, we’ve only five hours of riding today, but it’s best we leave soon. Dray knows about Russ and Rosie’s uncle, and if he has a mind to come after us he could be on his way out here already. We’d best be gone by then.”
At the mention of Dray, Tess felt her gut clench and a wave of guilt ripple through her. She shook it off, but used to momentum to rise. Fish nodded. “Good lass. Now, go find Rosie while I deal with-” he gestured in Loren’s direction.
Tess stepped outside as she ate her roll, grateful for the light and the somewhat tepid warmth of the distant rising sun. The wind had stopped sometime overnight, and without it, the weather felt almost bearable.
Rosie was tossing a few last-minute items into the rucksack of a nearby horse. Six were tied along the outside of the barn- four had been equipped to ride, while the other two carried large sacks slung across their backs. A long rope connected their two halters, as well as to the bridle of the next horse. Rosie finished fastening the strap and called to Tess-
“Oi! Come meet your horse.”
Tess followed her to the fourth horse in the line, a bay with a large white star on his forehead. “This is Tommy,” Rosie said. “I’ve ridden him for years. He’s a good horse,” she said, rubbing his neck.
Fish emerged from the barn with Loren, hands still tied in front of him, and Rosie groaned. “I’d best go put the fear in him now, before he tries anything.” She stalked off.
Tess turned her attention back to Tommy. He regarded her with light brown eyes, snuffing her hands as he searched for the bit of bread she still held there.
“Not so fast, sweet boy,” Tess said. She dug in her pocket, finally finding the small piece of candy she’d hidden there the day before. Peppermint. She held it in her open palm and Tommy found it quickly, brushing his soft lips against her skin. He crunched it quickly, rocking his head up and down as if to approve. “I’ll tell you a secret. I haven’t ridden a horse in years. Be easy on me, okay?”
Tommy leaned his head down as he searched Tess’s body for more contraband. She laughed. “That’s all for now. Play your cards right and I’ll see what I can rustle up later.”
She wiped her hand, and then walked to the other side of the barn to relieve herself. When she reappeared, the others had mounted their horses.
“Need help?” Fish offered from his perch on top of a dappled gray horse.
“No, thanks,” Tess said, sending a quick prayer to whoever was listening. She stuck a foot in the stirrup and grabbed the horn with both hands, heaving herself up and over in one fluid motion. “Like riding a bike,” she muttered to herself, grabbing the reins and a bit of Tommy’s mane, which she held lightly. She nodded to Rosie, and they were off.
Rosie took the lead, followed by the two pack horses. She eased them back onto the main road, which turned northwest. Tess was next, then Loren, with Fish in the rear. A glance behind her assured Tess that Loren’s hands were tied and attached tightly to the horn of his saddle. He could push the horse into a gallop if he wanted, but wouldn’t be able to control its direction, making escape unlikely- he’d be more likely to be thrown from the horse during any attempted escape than anything else.
The morning was quiet, and the road gently sloped upward for a mile or more. Then they crested the hill and Rosie shot a longing glance back. Tess followed her gaze and was surprised to see Wharfton in the distance, a jumble of humble gray buildings and the bright sea beyond. Tess allowed herself one pang of longing to return, back to all she knew in this world.
Then they rode down the ridge and it was gone.
Chapter Six
The day passed with little fanfare, which suited Tess just fine after the stress of the last few days. The group followed a small road that meandered through farmland for several miles before entering a flat grassy expanse beyond. Modest cottages were scattered here and there, with small, often unkept fences marking boundaries. A few streams ran across the land, and here and there the horses would cross one, though the water was shallow enough that it offered little resistance to their path.
Small copses of oak, maple, and cottonwood clung to the cold earth, their branches barren and stoic against the restless sky. All around, the ground was brown, fissures torn in the packed earth from ice that had melted only to freeze again, unforgiving in its slow rending of the dirt and rocks.
A few other riders crossed their path, all heading the other way, south towards Wharfton. Each time, Tess would tense, an unnatural smile crossing her face as she waited for them to pass, or for the other shoe to drop. Loren, however, remained silent, never indicating his predicament or attempting to secure help. If the other travelers noted his bound hands, they did not comment. Out here, much like in town, it seemed that the motto was “don’t get involved”- in Wharfton, it had been maddening to Tess, but now she was grateful for their indifference.
Loren was biding his time, Tess knew that. Though, she wondered if he wasn’t more than happy to be traveling this way. She wasn’t certain how much he remembered of their encounters in his mind, in which she’d suggested he meet her at the exact location they were now heading towards. She was, however, secure in the knowledge that he was, as of yet, unaware of the fact that it had indeed been she in his head. And if he did remember, it was likely that he felt no great need to escape, at least not yet. It was safer to travel in groups than alone, especially if they were hunting him. And it was clear that they were not planning on killing him, given that it had not happened yet. Moving north took Loren closer to Green Springs, which was where he might feel pulled, even if he didn’t fully remember their interaction in his subconscious.
While this meant that he might prove less difficult to manage for a bit, Tess was not entirely certain that Rosie wouldn’t choose to kill him soon. Tess had persuaded her not to, with the hope that Loren might still divulge additional information that could aid them in their search for the cabin, but Rosie might choose sooner rather than later to test that theory. This would both tip their hand by telling Loren exactly where they were heading (and why), but also likely result in Rosie killing Loren when he refused to tell her anything else. From her brief stints in Loren’s head, Tess had no doubt that he would be resistant to pressure, both psychological and physical. He would be tortured, and then killed, with the group no closer to their final destination.
Tess did consider, however, that she might be able to once again sneak into Loren’s head, though she was not certain how. Possibly while he was asleep, though she didn’t know if that would be similar enough to his previous catatonic state that she could replicate the process. Maybe she could have Fish knock him unconscious again, though of course that came with its own risks.
Tess would be grateful for a sounding board to help her sift through all the competing ideas in her head. She tried to imagine Maggie’s thoughts, but her mother’s ghost was no help today. It came down to her current companions, if only she could talk with them about it. Rosie would be shrewd, clever, and calculating. Fish would be the voice of reason, willing to state the obvious when no one else would. They would be on this journey together, if all went well, for at least several weeks before reaching their destination- enough time to formulate and
test numerous hypotheses for how to extract more information from Loren. But only if she told them everything.
She’d made up her mind before leaving, when in her foresight she realized the problems that would occur once they’d left the town behind, traveling with two people who had a history, and emotions, tied to their prisoner. The truce forged to get through the first bit would crack, unless Tess provided additional information. She’d decided that she would talk with them, as soon as possible. Now, to only find the time, and the courage, needed.
They’d been forced to go slower than the frenzied pace Rosie had tried to set, and what should have taken five hours by her standards took seven, including breaks to eat and relieve themselves. It was mid-afternoon when they came upon their first stop, little more than a ramshackled cottage with an adjoining stable and a modest wooden sign that hung from a post at the road. Rosie dismounted, grabbing the reins and tying her horse off at the post while the others remained mounted.
“Wait a moment,” she instructed. She disappeared through the doors, emerging a minute later. “We can stay. They’ve two adjoining rooms upstairs that are available. Not a lot of commerce this time of year, especially not this early in the day. Most people would keep going this early, as there’s a larger town about five miles north, but I’d rather stop now. This is one of the places that does business with my uncle, and free lodging is not something I’d soon turn up my nose at.”
Tess nodded her assent, turning back on her horse to look at Loren. “We’ll stay here, and you’ll have a bed to sleep in tonight. But one whiff of you trying to escape, or make anyone else aware of your situation, and that can change.”
Loren rolled his eyes but otherwise remained indifferent to her threat.