by Shay Savage
“Pants, too,” Ava says. “You’re filthy.”
I wink at her as I slowly unbutton my jeans, dancing side to side and humming what I hope passes for a sexy tune.
“You are too much!” Ava laughs as I add my pants to the pile and join her on the edge of the bed.
“Want a bite?” Ava asks, offering the apple.
“All for you, love.”
“I haven’t had one of these since I was a girl,” she says. “My father made the trek over the eastern mountains, all the way to the old capital. He was gone all summer, but when he came back, he had apples, pears, and a whole basket of blueberries.”
“He planted the blueberry bushes in the valley to the south, didn’t he?”
“Yes. He tried to get apple and pear trees to grow, but they never made it past saplings. The blueberries did well, at least.”
Ava finishes her treat, eating every last bit of apple flesh before carefully placing the seeds in a small, tightly woven basket.
“Do you think they’ll grow?” she asks.
“No idea,” I reply. “I don’t know a lot about horticulture. I’ve never even seen an apple tree.”
It’s a lie, but if she catches it, she doesn’t say anything.
We crawl under the blankets together, and Ava yawns as I wrap my arms around her and pull her close to my chest. I close my eyes and sigh as the warmth of the bed and her body starts to relieve the deep chill in my bones.
Lying on an actual bed instead of the cold ground is a relief to my tired and overworked muscles. I stretch and settle into the comfort as my mind recounts the events of the day.
“I saw that girl,” I say.
“What girl?” Ava asks.
“The one with the sick little brother.”
“Layshell?”
“Yeah, her.”
“Is she okay?” Ava sits up slightly, turning toward me.
“She’s fine. I made sure she got some decent food.”
“And what are you getting out of it?” Ava’s tone is somewhat harsh.
“Just a sleeping mat,” I say softly. “Her baskets looked nice.”
“She’s an excellent weaver.” Ava looks over at the basket where she placed the apple seeds. “It’s not enough for her and her brother though. She’ll never make enough staying in Plastictown. She needs to travel, but her brother isn’t strong enough, and he’s too young to be on his own.”
“I can see about getting her some coin for it,” I say, wondering why my usual bartering seems to be upsetting her. “It was a good trade though.”
“It’s fine,” Ava says softly. “I just don’t want anyone taking advantage of her.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“I know.”
“Are you going to tell me why you’re so obsessed with her?” I ask as Ava settles down once again with her back to me.
“I’m not obsessed.” Ava snorts and shakes her head. “I just…I didn’t like the questions she was asking me.”
“Didn’t want her to join the harlot sewing circle?”
“Not funny.”
I stroke her arm, hoping my badly timed joke didn’t really upset her.
“We all do what we have to to survive,” I finally say. “There isn’t any shame in that.”
“Isn’t there?”
“No,” I say more insistently, “there is not. Do you think I’m ashamed of finding lost items in the homes of the Thaves?”
I tighten my grip around her, push my body up close, and run my nose up her neck to her ear.
“Besides,” I whisper, “I know your secret.”
“Oh, do you now?” She giggles softly. “And what’s that, then?”
“You like girls.”
She stiffens for a moment but recovers quickly. I hear her take in a long breath before she responds.
“What makes you say that?”
“I’m very observant.”
Ava turns over, scowling at me.
“I don’t know why you keep it a secret,” I say. “It’s not like anyone really cares.”
“For the most part, no,” she says, “they don’t. However, my customers might. Even if they don’t really object, the knowledge would cut into my profits.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way.” I furrow my brow, considering what she’s said. “But you have women clients, too.”
“I do,” she says, “but not many. I make a living off the men.”
“We do like to spend money on our baser desires.”
“You’re a horny lot, you mean.”
“Something like that.” I chuckle. “We also like our drink and our weed.”
“I should have been a weed merchant.” Ava shakes her head once more before settling down against the pillow.
“Don’t you still get money from the blueberries?” I ask.
“My cousin isn’t one to share.” Ava sighs. “My father and his father had a falling out over the whole business and rarely spoke again afterward. Once my father died, my uncle pushed me out of the business and eventually out of town altogether. It’s all right, though. I don’t miss it, and I make more money now anyway.”
“Is that why he pushed you out? Didn’t like the business you were running?”
“In a nutshell, yes. I’m not sure if he really had any objection to the business itself or just someone in his family doing it. If he found out one of my customers was trying to buy his blueberries, he refused to sell to them. Eventually, business went bad for me, so I left. He died a year later, but my cousin still kept the blueberry business all for himself.”
I knew Ava hadn’t been in Plastictown all her life, but I’d never asked her much about it before. Asking about someone tends to lead to them asking about me, so I quickly change the subject before she gets any ideas.
“You like that Layshell girl from the edge of town, don’t you?” I bend my arm to place my elbow on the mattress, holding my head up so I can look down at her. “That’s why you wanted me to help her out.”
Ava shrugs and quickly diverts attention from herself.
“And what about you?” she asks. “Where’s the love of your life?”
“Well, there’s the lesbian that lets me share her bed but won’t give it up unless I pay her…”
We both laugh, and Ava reaches up to stroke the side of my face.
“I’ve never even seen you in the company of a woman,” she says, “or a man—whatever you prefer.”
“It has been a while, I must confess.”
“How long?”
“A while.” I shrug, and Ava purses her lips at me. “I did have a girlfriend when I was young, but most of the women here look up to me as some kind of hero, and that’s not a good basis for a relationship. Think of the pressure I’d be under!”
I laugh, but Ava just shakes her head at me.
“You’re too pretty not to have a girl on every street, begging for your attention.”
“Pretty?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yes, pretty.” She reaches up and strokes my jaw. “When was the last time you looked at yourself?”
“Last night, actually. I will admit it had been a while before then.”
“Was it in a mirror?” Ava asks quietly. “A real mirror?”
“A big one, too.”
“Were you in Hilltop?”
“Yes. It’s the closest Thaves community.”
“How do you even get inside?”
“Trade secret,” I say with a chuckle.
“Don’t you think they’re going to notice their things going missing?”
“I’m very careful.”
We fall into a comfortable silence, basking in the shared warmth of each other’s bodies and company. After a few minutes, her breathing becomes deep and regular. A short time later, I follow her into a dreamless slumber.
I wake at dusk and slip out of Ava’s arms and bed. With a shiver, I make my way outside the tent and walk quickly to the river to bathe. The water is frigid, so I
wash quickly before racing back to the tent.
When I return, Ava is up and greets me with a towel and a warm cup of herbal tea.
“Where did you get this?” I ask, holding up the cup.
“There was a tea merchant here from the east about a month ago,” she says. “It cost a bit, so I only bring it out on special occasions.”
“I’m honored!” I sip the tea, not caring for the taste but appreciating the warmth. I take another sip before pulling my clothes back on.
“I could have warmed up some water for you to wash,” Ava says. “You didn’t have to freeze in the river.”
“You are the one who said I was filthy,” I say. “I didn’t want to wait, and I’m used to the cold. Besides, I wasn’t sure how much hospitality I get for one apple.”
“Quite a lot, really. How long are you staying?”
“A day or two.” Ava raises an eyebrow at me, clearly unimpressed with my noncommittal reply. “Lots of lost things out there waiting to be found.”
“Lost.” She snorts and shakes her head. “You could stick around a little longer. I mean, that apple was worth quite a bit. I can even sell the seeds, so I’m pretty sure I still owe you.”
Something in her voice makes me examine her body language more closely. She’s turned herself away to keep me from looking directly into her face, but I can see the tension in her back and shoulders through her sheer robe.
“What’s going on?” I ask her sternly. “If you say nothing, I’m going to get pissed.”
Ava huffs a long breath out of her nose before turning to face me.
“I just have some problems with clients on occasion,” she says. “Nothing I can’t handle, usually…”
“Usually? So, there’s an exception. Who is he?”
“He’s…he’s not from around here.”
“Who is he?” I ask forcefully, reaching out and grabbing her arm to make her face me.
“He comes from the other side of the river,” she says. “He’s come here the last couple of Fridays—you know, the day the plastic workers are paid.”
“And?”
“And tomorrow is Friday.”
“What has he done to you?” I drop my hand from her arm and ball it into a fist, trying to keep my growing anger out of my voice.
“He’s gotten a little rough,” she says quietly. “I’m usually okay with that, but some of the things he says…he just sets me on edge. I don’t like him.”
“Then don’t let him in.”
“It’s not that easy,” Ava says. “If I refuse clients from the Plant, word gets around. If they don’t visit me, I only get paid in barter. I have to pay for the rent on this place with actual coin. I need money, too.”
“Rent.” I growl at the very thought. “How can someone charge you coins just for being where you are?”
“Greyson built the tent area,” Ava says. “You know that. There’s a price to pay for living in luxury. If it was all about me, I wouldn’t care, but my clients…they expect it, don’t they?”
“I’m sure they do.” I know Ava’s past, and I know there is more to it than catering to clients, but I say nothing. She looks like she’s on the verge of tears, and I don’t want to make her cry. I touch the side of her face gently. “I’ll be here tomorrow night. If he comes, I’ll make sure he does nothing to hurt you.”
Ava sighs and nods, and her shoulders slump in relief.
“Thank you, Talen.” She hugs me tightly. “Sometimes I think you are the only person in this world I can actually trust.”
“I am.” I hug her for a moment before taking a step back. “That said—don’t trust me, either.”
Chapter 3
In the woods behind the merchants’ carts, I find the tracks of the spy.
The man was obviously not trying to hide his movements, and the trail is easy to follow. I carefully navigate up the hill to the plateau above and then head southwest along the wall. I’m not surprised when the trail leads right up to the guarded front gate of the Thaves community.
By the time I reach the entrance, the sun is beginning to set. I press myself against the wall and watch to see if anyone is about, but the gate is closed, and the residents of the community are locked in for the night. In theory, everyone else is locked out.
Hilltop is an Initiation Construct Town, or ICT. Thaves started building them about thirty years ago when a lot of scientists got together and decided the earthquakes couldn’t last forever, and it was time to start rebuilding. ICTs were supposed to be the first stage of the project and were built on the mountain plateaus with road access to monitor seismic activity and ash flow across the western mountaintops. Ultimately, it didn’t work out. Quakes continued to break roads apart, and reliable traffic couldn’t be maintained. Very little ever came of the whole idea. Though dozens of these communities were built, Hilltop is one of the last still standing.
What work actually goes on inside the walls is a mystery even to me, and I get over the walls on a regular basis. Moving past the residential areas near the wall and into the main part of the community is too risky for my taste, so I’ve never ventured far enough to get an idea of what the residents are doing other than living relatively luxurious lives. What I do know is that every few months someone from Hilltop, posing as a Naught, comes down to gather information on the valley dwellers. If any useful information is collected, I have no idea what they do with it. Any guess I might have doesn’t bode well for those Naughts trying to survive in the valley.
I sigh to myself as I head north along the wall where I know I can climb over. I doubt I will be able to pick up the trail of the spy again. It’s too dark, and trying to get close enough to the front gate to find his tracks is virtually suicidal.
Besides, now I know what I wanted to determine—the fake merchant came from Hilltop. If I had been able to track him inside the wall, I might have learned who he is and who told him to pose as a Naught to get information. I’m sure he isn’t working alone, which means others will try where he failed. At some point, I’m going to have to get ahead of them and figure out what they are trying to accomplish, but that won’t be today.
Still, I don’t want to waste the trip, and with the night comes my hunting time.
I run my fingertips over the low edge of the wall to help me maintain both my footing and direction in the dark, smiling as I go along. Maybe I’ll find a place tonight with tools to spare.
As my feet carry me forward, my mind wanders back to my conversation with Ava and the need for her friend Layshell to travel. I wonder if I should consider moving on as well. I’ve spent nearly two years in Plastictown—the longest time I’ve stayed in one place since leaving my childhood home.
I’m not entirely sure why I’ve stayed as long as I have. The people are friendly and grateful for the items I find, and the Thaves community isn’t particularly well-guarded, which is helpful, but there isn’t a significant difference from other places I’ve visited but not remained as long. I usually trade what I can and move along quickly.