Horde r-3

by Ann Aguirre

  A bit later, John Kelley came back with news. “There are two girls that could be who you’re looking for. Should I send for them?”

  “If you don’t mind.”

  Confluence

  One look, and I recognized the child from Szarok’s memory, so I dismissed the other. She seemed nervous when I did so. She was a year younger than I was, with long black hair and eyes like the heart of a flower. Before I could stop her, she dropped to one knee, like I was a princess from one of Morrow’s stories. Wide-eyed, I glanced at Gavin, who shrugged. He had spent too much time smelling me on the road to think I was special.

  A number of Otterburn folk lingered to hear what I wanted from her, and I ignored them. When I pulled her to her feet, the girl was shaking. She kept her gaze turned down.

  “What’s your name?” I asked gently.

  “Millie, ma’am.”

  I debated inwardly whether I should tell her in private, but then I decided such recognition would probably raise her status in town—and she deserved it. “Do you recall tending an injured creature in the woods when you were small?”

  Her head jerked up. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “She’s always dragging home some wounded thing and doctoring it,” a man volunteered.

  “But this wasn’t a rabbit or a squirrel, was it, Millie?”

  She paled. “No. Am I in trouble? I never brought it near the village.”

  “The exact opposite,” I assured her. “I’ve actually come to thank you. Because what you did when you were a little girl saved our lives.”

  By the look on her face, she had no idea what I was talking about … and she suspected I was crazy. So I explained what Szarok had told me—omitting the part where he shared the memory directly—and by the time I finished, everyone in Otterburn was staring at her as if she were the biggest hero they’d ever seen.

  “So he remembered me?” she asked in a tiny voice.

  “He did. And he told his son how kind you were. It’s what made the Uroch decide to ally with us instead of fighting alongside their kin. You first gave them hope that we could be persuaded to make peace.”

  “I did that?”

  I smiled at her. “Never underestimate your importance, Millie. You’re a hero, same as anybody who fought at the river … and maybe more. Because it takes more courage to heal the world’s hurts than to inflict them.”

  They threw a party in Otterburn that night in Millie’s honor—and in celebration of the permanent end to the tithes. Gavin and I crept away while she basked in the attention, and we got half a day down the road before I was too tired to continue, and we made camp by moonlight. In the morning, we walked on, and a few days later, we made Winterville, where I repeated the tidings with the same results that I’d received in all the towns.

  Dr. Wilson hadn’t lost anyone but he came out to see me before we left. “Is Tegan well?”

  I laughed. “She is. Tending the wounded in Rosemere, last I heard.”

  The scientist nodded. “Good. You remind her she promised she’d study with me if she made it through your mad war.”

  “I will.”

  “Are we done here?” Gavin demanded.

  He had been patient, but the days were cooling off, and I was weary of wandering. We caught a ride with a trader I didn’t know on his way to Soldier’s Pond—and though the mules were slow, I didn’t complain. That night, I dreamed of Longshot; it was the shortest dream I ever had, but one I would cherish until the day I died. We stood in a field of gold, the sun shining down. He was hale and whole as he walked with me.

  For a little while he said nothing, then: “I’m proud of you, girl.”

  Then he turned, melting into the light, until I could see only his face. He offered me one final two-fingered salute, and I woke smiling. Gavin was staring at me because I didn’t usually awaken in such a cheerful mood. The mules were flatulent too, so there was precious little to be happy about, crammed in the back of a wagon amid crates of trade goods. Yet I was.

  “We’re almost there,” he said.

  I hadn’t asked if he wanted to stay in Winterville. No doubt he didn’t, as he’d lost both his parents, and he’d seemed truly eager to get away. At this point I didn’t know what to do with him, but I’d figure it out. A few hours later, Soldier’s Pond appeared in the distance. It took forever for the wagons to reach the fences. They don’t need them anymore, I thought. The security measures were unhinged for the first time in my memory, and the guards rushed to greet us. I thought they were eager to check out the supplies, but instead, they pulled me out of the wagon and tossed me up on their shoulders. Other towns had welcomed me, but never like this.

  As the soldiers carried me, the crowd beyond the gates chanted, “Huntress! Huntress!” until I couldn’t hear anything but that. The wild nature of the greeting was unsettling, as if in their eagerness they might pull me apart, like dogs too hungry for the same bone. I tolerated the attention until we got some distance into town, then I shouted, “Put me down!”

  “Give the heroine some room,” the colonel ordered.

  Colonel Park pushed through the mob toward me, gesturing so that everyone backed off. I appreciated that, even as I said, “I don’t want a party. Tell me something of substance.”

  “I’ve received word from Appleton … your Szarok wants to draft permanent peace treaties … and trade agreements. As part of the accord, they’re offering to share some new technology with us. They’ve apparently found some fascinating things in the ruins and they’re working out how to use them.”

  I remembered the exploding sticks Szarok and I had used in signaling each other, and I nodded. “It would be a mistake to underestimate them … or to treat the Uroch with anything less than absolute courtesy.”

  They had done a brave and awful thing by killing their brethren. If my elders all went mad, I didn’t know whether I could ally with the enemy to end the threat, no matter how much they deserved it. Just thinking about it turned my stomach.

  “It’s a new world, Deuce.” The colonel smiled.

  I leveled a hard look on her. “I can trust you with this, right?”

  Colonel Park didn’t take offense at the implication. “I’ll offer fair terms and respect their customs. Nobody wants the hostilities to resume.”

  Satisfied, I figured it was time to leave the details to other people. Councilmen and mayors in towns all over the territories could sign documents and make promises. To my mind, I had done enough.

  “I thought your hands were tied,” I said then. “Your power limited.”

  She shrugged. “I ignored them. They blustered for a while, but the men demanded to march, especially when Vince Howe started yelling about how we’d never see a single wagon load of anything if we were such yellow cowards that we’d let you die.”

  “Sounds like quite a speech. Where’s my family?” I rose on tiptoe and peered through the milling crowd. These men had known me for a while, but they all seemed unduly impressed, like I was about to be amazing while starving, cranky, and covered in road dust. My back was sore, too, from the wagon.

  “Here,” Momma Oaks called.

  I swear she pushed two men down in her haste to reach me. Her face bore heavier lines, but her eyes were warm and calm. When her arms wrapped around me, I breathed her in so deep. I clung and clung to her, promising myself that I’d never worry her so again.

  “Did Rex get back safe?” I asked, stepping back.

  “He sure did. Fade, too, and that poor boy, Spence.” By her soft tone, I could tell she’d claimed him, too, so the mothering would never end. It might even be enough to save him.

  Gavin peeped around my shoulder, catching my mother’s attention. I grinned. “Then I have a surprise for you. I marched one son off to war, but I brought back two.”

  Both her brows shot up. “It’s not nice to tease, Deuce.”

  “I’m not,” I told her. “Gavin lost his mum and dad, and he needs a place to stay. Do you think Edmund could use ano
ther assistant in the shop?”

  With sharp eyes, she catalogued how badly he needed a bath, all the rips in his clothing, then she put an arm about him. “I’m sure he could. And we have plenty of bunks.”

  Though I was eager to see them, I was glad the others hadn’t come to the gate. I didn’t want to greet Fade with so many witnesses and Edmund might cry, but he’d pretend he had dirt in his eyes. Momma Oaks shouldered people out of her way, and if they complained, she fixed them with her sternest look. It worked incredibly well, so that she cleared a path in no time.

  First thing, I saw Fade waiting outside, well enough to stand. Forgetting my exhaustion, I ran to him and he caught me with an arm around my waist. In front of my family, he kissed the life out of me, as if it had been longer than a month. When we broke apart, Edmund was tapping his foot.

  “Is there something you want to say to me, son?”

  My cheeks went hot, and I started to protest. Luckily Momma Oaks intervened by introducing Gavin, then she pointed out how poor the boy’s shoes were. Nothing ever motivated my father like the sight of a child in torn footwear, and he was off to his workshop like a shot. For a moment, I frowned because I hadn’t gotten a hug from him or a pat on the shoulder, even.

  Momma Oaks winked at me. “You have to expect that sort of thing. You’re not an only child anymore.”

  I laughed and put away my mild annoyance because it was so good to be back with them. Rex gave me the tight squeeze I had been looking for and he spun me, planting a noisy kiss on top of my head. “It’s so good to see you. I was starting to worry.”

  “It’s not dangerous anymore,” I said. “Well. Just the normal road hazards.”

  After that, I broke away from Fade, reluctantly, for a bath. Then Momma Oaks did my hair. For the first time in longer than I could recall, I put on a dress, not because someone was making me, but because I wanted to look pretty, as much as I could, anyway. Life in the field had pared me down, so I didn’t look womanly or even strong but Fade lit up when he saw me.

  I hope he never stops looking at me that way.

  Whether I wanted one or not, they threw me a party. It was a wild night with piping, drums, and dancing. I sat out because Fade wasn’t up to such acrobatics. The worst thing about this town was the lack of privacy. Late that evening, we crept away and couldn’t find a quiet corner to save our souls. The empty houses had been filled with men who had come from other towns and traveled to Soldier’s Pond with the survivors from Company D. All told, it was probably a good thing, as I hadn’t spoken with Momma Oaks yet about certain private matters. So we came back to the party and nestled close, content just being together.

  The days soon fell into a routine with Fade recovering, Gavin and Rex working with Edmund at the workshop, and Momma Oaks keeping busy as best she could. But she wasn’t happy in Soldier’s Pond; and it was time for me to offer a gift in return for those she’d given me.

  So two weeks after I arrived, I sat down with her for breakfast. It was late morning—she’d let me sleep in—so there were few people around. The movements outside were so familiar, men running in formation and soldiers sparring. For some people, this probably felt like home, but to me, it was only a place that sheltered us for a while.

  First, however …

  “I was wondering if you’d tell me the best way to keep from making any brats?”

  She startled me by providing the information in detail. By the time she finished, I was bright red, but considerably enlightened. Her eyes twinkled at my expression. This woman never stopped delighting me, so I kissed her cheek and thanked her.

  “I don’t want to stay here,” I added quietly.

  Her chin lifted in surprise, and I suspected she was braced for me to name some other crazy job that needed doing, which would end with me tired and hurt and her with more gray hair from sitting at home, worried. “Where are you going?”

  There were never any complaints from her, no arguments or attempts to change my mind. I teased her a little, though. “A town called Rosemere.”

  “Tell me about it?”

  So I did. With eloquence I seldom owned, I described the village in detail. Her face softened as she listened and a smile formed. Momma Oaks covered me in questions about the people, the customs, the boats, and the market. She seemed half in love with the place before I concluded my account, and she didn’t even know what I had in mind.

  “But I’m not the only one moving,” I said at last. “You and Edmund should pack your things. Soldier’s Pond is a worthy place, but it’s not for us.”

  “Will they let us in? Is there enough space?”

  She was still thinking like a refugee, like someone who had lived her whole life bound by Salvation’s restrictions. I put my hand over hers. “Momma, there are no walls. Evergreen Isle is huge, and the village has lots of room for new houses. You’ll love it. Trust me.”

  “I do,” she said with teary eyes. “I’m sure it’s everything you say.”

  “I don’t plan to winter here. If we hurry, we can get there before the first snow. And we might be able to build before the ground freezes.”

  With those words it was like I lit a fire under her. “You’d be surprised how fast I can pack when I’m driven.”

  “Nothing good about you would surprise me at all,” I whispered, but she was already out the door, ready to uproot their lives on my word.

  I don’t deserve to be this lucky.

  Fade met me outside the bunkhouse. “I hear we’re moving to Rosemere.”

  “Is that all right?”

  “It’s a little late to be asking my thoughts, isn’t it?” In the morning light, I couldn’t read his expression. Sometimes I worried that things were different between us, but I hoped it was because we slept in a room with my parents, not because he was mad that I’d left him to heal up alone while I did my duty to the families of the fallen.

  “We were so happy there,” I whispered.

  Then he smiled, assuaging my anxiety. “I can’t conceive of anything I’d like more. I loved everything about it.”

  “Tegan’s still there with Morrow. Maybe she’ll stay.” That would please me mightily, as I’d have all my friends and loved ones close by.

  “I hope so,” Fade said.

  It occurred to me then that he might be wondering, but feeling too shy to ask. So I whispered, “I’m not breeding, by the way.”

  Fade hunched his shoulders. “I think Edmund knows. He keeps staring at me.”

  “That only works if you have a guilty conscience, son.” My father’s comment made both of us jump. He stood on the path with his arms folded, tapping one foot. “I thought you said your intentions were honorable.”

  I might die of this, not in battle.

  “They are,” Fade said quietly.

  “Then it’s time to make good on those promises, if you mean to build a life together.”

  “What are you talking about?” I demanded.

  But Edmund was already calling for Momma Oaks. “You need two witnesses.”

  I stared at Fade, wondering what was going on. My mother came out with a bolt of fabric in her hands, looking annoyed at the interruption. “What’s all the bother?”

  Edmund studied me with sweetness in his eyes. So whatever he was about, he didn’t have bad intentions. “Fade, do you promise to be hers, always?”

  “I do,” he answered.

  “And, Deuce, do you swear to be his, forever?”

  “Yes,” I said, annoyed. “He’s already mine, and I’m already his.”

  Edmund muttered, “Thought so. That’s why you needed to make it official.”

  “You have no sense,” Momma Oaks chided him.

  Fade and I traded bewildered looks and I asked, “What just happened?”

  “You didn’t tell them they were plighting their troth?” my mother demanded.

  “They knew.” Edmund showed no remorse.

  “A wedding should have more ceremony. She should be wearing
her best dress, and there should be food and guests, music, a cake—”

  “Did you want any of that?” my father asked.

  I shook my head. I’d only ever wanted Fade, and from what I could tell, this didn’t change anything. I’d already promised him forever, just not in front of witnesses, which seemed to be the crucial part. So if Edmund wanted me to tell everyone in Soldier’s Pond, I would.

  Fade was mine, and I was never letting him go. As I’d told him once, and as I’d proven time and again, I’d fight for him.

  And I’d never stop.

  Adieu

  Two days later, Soldier’s Pond didn’t want us to leave.

  In the end, I talked Colonel Park into it by promising to send letters with the traders when they came to Rosemere. She clutched my hands, more personal than she’d ever been with me. “You’ll advise me if I need it? You’ve dealt more with the Uroch than anyone. I’m worried about offending them.”

  “Treat them like people,” I said. “You can’t go wrong like that. But, yes, I’ll help if you need me to.”

  I hoped there would be no pleas, no emergencies. The world should sort out its own business, so far as I was concerned. I saluted her and left HQ for the last time to join my family at the gate. The guards had loaded a wagon for us, full of fabrics Momma Oaks had begged or borrowed, Edmund’s supplies, and the few personal effects the rest of us had accrued. Rex snapped the lines and the mules trotted forward. Spence was a reluctant companion on this journey, but we agreed he couldn’t be left on his own. Fade sat in the back with Momma Oaks while Edmund perched up front beside his son. Gavin and I walked alongside because I had rested long enough, and I’d traveled by wagon often enough to be sure I didn’t want to do it more than necessary.

  As we drove away, the sentries shouted, “Huntress,” like I wasn’t tired of hearing it.

  Rex cast a look over his shoulder. “Doesn’t that get wearisome?”

  “You have no idea,” I muttered.