Jonas’ soft chuckle hits my ears. "I apologize for my sister's behavior. She is also honored to meet you."
Their behavior startles me but don't baffle me no more like it used to. I guess I'm becoming accustomed to people's reaction to my New Blood curse.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us," Jonas says, looking at all of us with genuine relief. "When Peter told me they had finally found you today and that you had agreed to a meet, well, it was almost more than we could have hoped for."
"Your men said you may be able to help us. That is the only reason we are here. Is this true?" Mack, not one to mince words, interrupts my admirers.
"Ah, Captain Mackenzie," Jonas says as he smiles in Mack's direction. "You could have knocked us over with a feather when we found out you were a rebel spy."
"Cut the small talk," Mack fires back. "Can you help us get out of the city or not?"
Jonas and his men look between each other as if assessing how they should answer. Their unease bothers me.
"Easier said than done, I'm afraid," Jonas says, as he returns his gaze back to us and Busher snorts at the answer.
"I told you this would be a waste of time," he says in disgust. “We don’t have time for this.” He starts toward the door, but the girl's words stop him in his tracks.
"Meela sends her love."
Busher looks gobsmacked as he turns to stare at her in shock. Suddenly, he snarls and moves at the girl, causing all the others of her group to stand in front of her, shielding her from the giant's approach. I ain't sure at first what has him so riled, but then I remember. Meela. That was the name of the raider girl I had beaten to a pulp: Busher's daughter.
"What do you know of my daughter?" he growls as he flexes his meaty fists, but the girl don't seem to be the least bit afraid of his wrath. Instead, her grin grows bigger, showing more teeth if that were even possible.
"So you are Busher. I figured as much since giants are a rarity in Skytown. Meela has been scouring outside the wall for weeks now waiting for news of you. She asked me to help find you. She will be quite happy to find out you are still alive."
He drops his fists in confusion.
"Meela is here?" he says, and she nods back.
"She's alive." He chokes out as his face contorts into a grimace of relief and happiness, the meaty hands now wiping away the tears sliding down his cheeks. As much as the scrawny girl's words please Busher, they just confuse me.
"How is it you've meet Busher's daughter? You said she is outside the wall? You have access to outside the wall? I thought this place was a prison." I don’t try to hide my suspicion. Just what is this group up to?
Jonas puts a restraining hand on his sister's arm to stop the flow of words I can tell are about to spill out. The girl reminds me of an older version of Finn for some reason.
"Let me explain. Sometimes, Belle gets ahead of herself." Jonas smiles at her in indulgence, but Mack shows no such patience.
"You people better start talking fast because from what I've heard so far, seems like this has been a waste of our time. If we do not hear something worthwhile in the next two minutes, this meeting is over."
Jonas holds his hands out to us palms up in a pleading gesture. "Please, just hear us out. My sister, as so many other women and children of Skytown, do have access to outside the walls. They are the harvesters. The ones chosen to work in the fields on the outskirts of the city. They choose the weaker and the young to do this since there is less chance of them rebelling against the soldiers who accompany them into the fields. Less chance of them trying to escape. Less chance of them fighting back when they are pulled aside by the soldiers for other … duties as well."
Belle's scrawny shoulders hunch unconsciously at her brother's words, and she crosses her arms across her chest in a defensive posture. Even if we were to question the validity of what he’s saying, Belle's reaction to his words tell me every bit of it is true. Her pain and shame roll offa her in waves, and it makes me physically stomach sick. But at Jonas's questioning, "Belle?" she straightens her back and nods at him to continue. It pleases me to see the girl's spirit ain't broken by the brutal treatment she’s obviously suffered at the hands of these soldiers and their "duties."
"It was on one of those days a few weeks ago when Belle had been left alone to pull herself together … after another attack...," Jonas's words harden, and a vein throbs at his temple, but he continues on, "Someone called to her through the corn field. It was a young girl."
"Meela," Busher says, and Jonas nods.
"She and your people, they followed you all here after they got news of your capture," Belle jumps in, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "They’ve been watching the city. Trying to figure out a way to get you a message. To find out if you are still alive. I've managed to talk to her a few times while the soldiers are busy elsewhere."
"So my people are outside the wall? You can get them a message?" I can see the plan forming already in Busher's mind, and Jax's eyes catch mine with the same excitement. The raiders are on the other side of the wall.
"Aye, should be able to in some form or other."
"Yes!" Busher roars as he beats his meaty fist into his other hand. "This changes everything, Captain," he says to Mack. "With my people just outside the walls, getting out of here should be a breeze. This changes the whole dynamic of that damned wall."
Busher's words thrill me to no end, but Mack ain't looking as pleased as the rest of us.
"And what's in it for you," he says to the group in front of us. "Why put yourselves in danger for people you don't know?"
"You promise to take us with you," Jonas says abruptly.
No beating around the bush for him. I kinda already knew the answer, though, since the two young'uns from today had basically told us the same thing.
"We cannot promise you anything." Mack says quietly. "We, ourselves, do not have anywhere to go once we escape this city. Our safe houses have already been found out, most of our allies captured or killed. We have no way to assure any of your safety."
"Doesn't matter," Belle says, and her words catch on a sob as tears fill her eyes. "I would rather face the unknown in freedom than face one more day at the hands of his men—"
Her brother lays a gentle hand on her arm to stop her.
"It's okay, Belle," he says, and she nods, biting her lip to keep the tears from falling. Jonas averts his eyes from his sister back to us, and his look is void of the gentleness he had just shown her.
"We ask only of you to help us escape the city and set us on the right path to a better land. We do not expect for you to shelter, feed, or protect us. We can fend for ourselves. But we can't do this on our own. You lot are our only hope of getting out alive. Together, we can get out of this city alive."
There was that word again. Hope. Only this time, I feel real optimistic about it. Like this time, there is some light at the end of the tunnel—for all of us.
Mack runs a hand through his graying hair and flashes an unexpected grin.
"Kell, run and tell the others everything is okay, but that we will be here for a while yet. We have much to discuss."
14
The Attack
Clouds move idly across the moon, casting the city in swirling shadows of purple and black. The darkness works in our favor. It’s a good night for an escape and not a moment too soon. A restlessness was growing in the city and amongst Kell's people. As much as they insisted the Prezedant was just as much their enemy as ours, looks were starting to fly and insinuations that what was happening in the city was our fault. The Prezedant had tried to terrorize his people into ratting us out with public executions. Men and women were being plucked offa the streets for no reason other than to frighten the few they knew had to be hiding us.
Unfortunately, it was working. The deaths and the promise of more to follow if the people did not give us up was having the desired effect. The murmurings of unrest in Kell's group were getting louder, and we knew it was reason enough
to move on. As much as they had helped us, their allegiance was swaying. We knew it wouldn’t take long before someone gave us up to save a loved one, and I truly wouldn’t blamed 'em if they did, so a decision had been made. In the dead of night, we had up and moved ourselves to the garbage house under Canal Bridge. Kell alone had been informed of our intent. He had wished us gods speed on our journey but had chosen to stay with his own people in the city instead of escaping with us.
Needless to say, our people were not happy at seeing our new lodgings. Duchess had fainted on the spot, and Tater had retched up his supper. Even Cat had howled in dismay as the wretched smell hit her, but we ain't got much choice. It would have to do 'til we could make our escape.
Jonas and Belle are true to their word. Belle delivers the message to Meela and the raiders about Busher being very much alive and needing their assistance. As dangerous as it must be and as scared as she must be, she gets every message through: theirs and ours. I cain't help but grow a healthy respect for the spunky young woman. She don't talk no more about what she and the others endure from the soldiers in the fields, but it shows in her eyes and face as visible as any scar. I know without a doubt she wishes for this escape just as much or more as the rest of us.
Between the raiders' ideas and ours, a plan is made. It is simple enough. The patrol tanks that roam the city every night pass by the gates on the exact hour. At a quarter past the hour twelve, the raiders on the outside would begin their attack on the wall, taking out any guards posted out there. Their attack would be the diversion we would need to sneak up on them from the inside. The wall was designed to protect the guards from an outside attack, but here on the inside, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. With the guards concentrating on the outside attack, we should be able to pick 'em offa the walls easy enough. The idea of taking so many lives still sits in my gut like a rock, but I know we have no choice. It’s us or them. And given the opportunity, I know they would not hesitate to kill any of my crew. It truly is kill or be killed.
We would have to move quick. That would only leave us with a forty-five minute timeframe to take out the guards at the wall, the ones at the gate, get the gate open, and get everyone out before the next Army patrol showed up. The tunnel that they considered their greatest asset would then become ours. The raiders on the other side had told us they had the means to blow the underground tunnel. With the Army's only passage in and out of the city blocked, they won't have the ability to follow us, at least not right away. We would have time to get away before they would be on our heels. A full-out attack crazy enough it just might work. At least we were all hoping so in our hearts. Time would tell.
Jonas and his crew had not been whittling away their time while we’d been making this plan. The plan hinged on all of us being near enough to the gate to make our escape. Unfortunately for us, the closest building to the gated tunnel was the brothel. I don't know what Jonas had used for bargaining, or why he believed he could even trust the women that lived in this building, but he had gained us access to their lower levels. A crumbling, tiny cellar underneath the brothel had become our assembly point. All evening long, our little band of escapees had been showing up a few at a time so as not to draw attention. Getting Cat here had been the hardest. Not like we coulda just walked her through the heart of the city. May as well have waved a red flag at the guards at the gate and said, "Here we are, come get us." Jonas had come up with the idea to smuggle her in a garbage cart. No soldier in his right mind would stop anyone and rifle through that slop. She wasn't happy about it, but she had let us do it. She still reeks of the disgusting filth she’d been covered in on her journey here. The smell don't stop Finn from holding on tight to her as he kneels by her side, keeping her calm in the now crowded room.
Earlier in the day, the room had hummed with an excited energy. Every one of us was eager to finally get outta this hellhole. Now, the closer we get to the hour of our plan, an uneasy silence has fallen over our group; the severity of what we are about to do looms like a swinging axe above our heads. I ain't gonna lie; fear is coursing through my own veins, and a cold, clammy sweat covers my entire body. Thoughts and doubts flit through my head faster than I can keep track of. Will this work? Will we make it out alive? Will the raiders truly be able to blow the tunnel and keep the Army from following us? The more I think about it, the more scared I become.
I pace the room, trying hard to keep in my doubts about our plan. I study the faces of the people standing before me. Some of 'em I consider my kin now, some of 'em I just met for the first time today, but feels like I carry the burden of all their futures on my shoulders. I don't like it. Will I be able to summon my Chi to help, or will it fail me? It makes my innards ball up into a knot as I keep circling the little room, anxiously waiting for Jax and Zoe to return from their watch on the gate.
Finn's frightened eyes watch me pace as he clings to Cat, and I swallow my fear. I can tell I'm having an effect on the boy, and I don't wanna scare him any more than he already is. I approach him with a forced grin and kneel down to his level. Out of all of 'em, him being here bothers me the most. He is just an innocent young'un, only in this situation 'cause of me. If something should happen to him …
"You remember what I said?" I say, my words coming out a little harsher than intended. "Once those gates are open, you and Cat follow the others and run. Don't turn back for nuthin'. You mindin' me?"
His chin quivers a bit, but his red head nods bravely at my words. Suddenly, he lets go of Cat and throws his scrawny arms ‘round my neck, almost choking me.
"Hey, it's okay. I know you're scared, but once we get outside the city, everything will be okay. You just gotta run," I say, my words a little softer now as I hug him back. He feels so breakable in my arms.
"I ain't scared of what we're doin', I ain't! Me and Cat can run swift like the wind." His arms twine tighter. "What I'm scared of is losin' you or Tater or Jax for good. I don't wanna lose anybody else that I love."
He sobs then, and it feels like my heart is being torn outta my chest. Tears swim in my own tears as I bury my lips in his hair.
"I love you, too, you little stink turd," I whisper, finally admitting what I know now to be true. This annoying little pest has wormed his way into my heart just as much as any of my other kin, and the thought of possibly losing him fills me with the darkest of despair. We just hug each other tight, neither of us wanting to be the first to let go. We stay like this for a bit before Cat's big head forces its way between us. Her smell makes me wrinkle my nose, but I don't push her away.
"Speakin' of stink turds," I say as I kiss the top of her cold nose, and Finn lets loose this sound that's part sob, part laughter. He rubs her ears to appease her, and she purrs loudly.
"I'll be right behind you. I promise. You won't lose any of us. See ya on the other side, kiddo," I say as I finally let him go and stand up. Tater was watching the exchange, and he gives me a halfhearted smile as he and Duchess hold each other's hands tightly. I search for the right words to convey how I feel.
"Tater, Duchess, I'm sorry—"
"No need for maudlin apologies, girl. The hand of fate will weave our destiny this evening, and the indisputable fact is we are incapable of molding the outcome no matter what you say or do. As my dear mother would have said, 'What will be, will be.'"
His words jumble in my head as usual, and I try to filter through 'em. I think he’s actually trying to tell me no matter what happens tonight, it ain't my fault. I think. But it still don't lessen the wave of guilt that flows over me at the obvious fear on their faces. They all have that same look, right down to Jonas's group all huddling in the corner with their meager bags of possessions.
As if sensing my agitation, Ben steps in fronta me, blocking all their fearful faces. He takes both my hands in his.
"Hey, it's gonna be just fine," he says, and I nod adamantly, trying to convince myself.
"They all look so scared though," I whisper, my attempt to convince myself f
ailing miserably.
"Aye," he says. "You'd be a fool not to be. What we're attempting tonight is damn scary. But you know what else I see in their faces? I see hope and promise. None of 'em know what their futures are gonna hold or even if they're gonna live through the night, but they all carry the hope that whatever is gonna happen to 'em is better than livin' here under his rule. You gave 'em that hope, Tara."
I shake my head at him. "No, you're wrong, Ben. I don't give 'em hope. If it weren't for me, none of you would be in this situation right now, on the run for your lives."
He drops my hands, grabs my shoulders instead, and gives me a little shake.
"If it weren't for you, I'd still be a prisoner in the Prezedant's dungeon along with Busher and Kell. If it weren't for you, Jonas and Belle and the rest of 'em would be still living every day as his slaves with no hope of escape. And as for Finn and Cat, well, I ain't sure what woulda happened to them if you hadn't found 'em, but I bet ya the boy would agree that he's damn thankful you did come along. So stop beating yourself up, okay?"
He smiles at me then and touches my necklace lightly, trying to distract me.
"Still cain't believe you have this. If only we knew what that day was gonna bring..."
"Of course I still have it." My nervous laugh sounds a little unbalanced even to my own ears. "I wasn't about to let anything happen to this. Was all I had left of you and Grada and Rivercross." I break off as my words catch in my throat. He pulls me tight against his chest and rests his chin on toppa my head.
"Whatever happens tonight, Tara, know this. None of what happened was your fault. It was destiny, and none of us can stop that. I am just so grateful that you came for me and that I didn't die in that hell hole. And you are gonna get us out of here just the same. I believe in you. Few days from now, we are all gonna be together, you and me and Jane and Thomas and Finn. Just keep believin' that, okay?"
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