“Okay.” He reached into the barrel and pulled out the largest piece lying on top and handed it to the little girl. She giggled and wrapped both hands around it.
Her big brown eyes now filled with joy. “Mine.”
Aapeli nodded. “Certainly is.” He picked her up and stood, telling Shatter, “Come on out to Airus and get your apples and honey.”
The little girl held the jerky out to show Shatter. “Mine.”
Shatter grinned. “You certainly got the hang of that word, but do you know your name?”
He tapped the center of his chest. “Shatter,” he said then reached over and tapped the center of her chest. “What’s your name?” He tapped his chest once more and repeated, “Shatter.”
She giggled but instead of answering tried to put the end of the jerky in Aapeli’s mouth.
Aapeli laughed. “That’s yours.” He pointed at the shop owner, “Shatter,” then patted his own chest. “Aapeli.”
She sucked on the jerky but then said, “Api,” and giggled.
Aapeli shook his head. “No. Not Api. Aapeli.”
“Api.”
Seeing it was a lost cause, he pointed at himself. “Api.” He then tapped the end of her nose. “So, what’s your name?”
She again tried to poke the jerky in his mouth.
Shatter laughed. “You might as well forget it. She ain’t got no idea what her name is.”
She giggled and held the jerky in the air. “Mine. Mine. Mine. Liberty’s got mine.”
Aapeli looked over at Shatter. “Did she say ‘Liberty’?”
The little girl giggled and tried to poke the jerky into Aapeli’s mouth yet again. “Api want mine?”
Her quizzical expression made him laugh. “No thank you. Liberty, the jerky belongs to you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. “Mine.”
Oh, hell. Was he in trouble now.
Shatter laughed. “It looks like she’s made the decision for you.” He spat on the floor. “Now, let’s go get those apples and honey.”
Chapter Three
Even though he was well behind schedule, Aapeli took the time to stand still and look around at the tranquil scenery. Little Lake was in a beautiful, green valley. The setting was so serene, he could see why Tinker and Mary has chosen to live here. It was just far enough away from the caves that there was little reason to fear the mountain men, and it had plenty of wildlife and edible plants to sustain the couple.
It was so peaceful standing here, Aapeli might have stayed a while longer but there was too much to be done before he could head over to Tinker and Mary’s to see if they knew anything about Liberty’s parents.
The moment the water hoses were onboard and stored away, Aapeli scooped Liberty off the captain’s chair. “Let’s go see what you look like under all of this dirt.”
He pried the soggy stick of jerky out of her hands and almost lost the hearing in his left ear when she squealed in protest, “Mine! Mine!”
Liberty lunged and would have tumbled out of Aapeli’s arms if he hadn’t been prepared. He had been around a few children over the years and knew how possessive they could be.
“Damn it, girl. You’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t settle down.” He placed the stick of deer jerky on the captain’s chair and then hitched Liberty into a tighter hold, so she wouldn’t squirm out of his arms and break her neck on the way down the ladder.
Fortunately, it didn’t take Liberty long to settle. The moment they started down she popped her thumb back into her mouth and swiveled her head around, trying to see everything at once.
When Aapeli reached the ground, he headed over to the lake where it only took a second for the sight of swimming ducks to catch Liberty’s attention. She stared wide-eyed and enthralled, her eyes growing larger with each quack.
“I take it you’ve never seen a duck before. I don’t doubt it. I guess, if they ever dared land anywhere near the valley, the mountain men would have them cooked before their first quack.”
Near the water’s edge he sat her down so she could watch the ducks before traumatizing her with her first bath. She giggled when the ducks flapped their wings as if to take off, but when they didn’t, she pointed at them and looked over at him, as if to see what he thought about it.
Her eyes were filled with so much trust he couldn’t breathe for a moment. He couldn’t understand what he had done to deserve it, but it touched him deeply. Everyone he had ever run across in his travels had made him earn such trust. Not that he blamed them. The world was a dangerous place. Liberty was just too young to understand that yet. She needed someone who could teach her enough to stay alive in the unforgiving world they had inherited from their ancestors.
Aapeli knelt so he was eye level with Liberty. She slipped her thumb into her mouth. “From the looks of you I’m almost certain you’ve never had a bath before. This will go better for the both of us if you just trust me enough to know I’m not going to drown you.”
In one swift movement he slipped out of his jacket and shirt and threw them to the ground. They had no more landed when Liberty stepped into the middle of them and jumped up and down, as if discovering a new plaything.
Not certain whether to laugh or grimace, Aapeli pointed a finger and said, “Just don’t pee on them.”
Aapeli sat and pulled off his boots before gathering Liberty in his arm and wading out into the water until waist deep. At first Liberty was fascinated by the water until he dipped her head back into it. Her expression flickered between shock, confusion and outrage. Knowing he only had seconds before she settled on outrage, Aapeli furiously scrubbed her face and hair. Fortunately, she was too startled to react.
Liberty’s raggedy shift was so fragile it shredded apart in his hands, so he pulled it off and threw it over his shoulder. Aapeli was going to wrap her in his own shirt when they got out and figure out later what he could rig up to fit her from storage. There was some extra material left over from Airus’ balloon. It was stored below deck just in case the balloon needed repair. Fortunately, his mother had taught him to be handy with a needle and thread.
“Are you trying to get that child clean or drown ‘em?”
Aapeli stopped in mid scrub. Damn. He prided himself on never letting anyone sneak up on him. With Liberty still head first in the water, he looked toward the banks and was relieved to see it was only Tinker. Of course that didn’t slow his pounding heart.
He pulled Liberty out and held her against his chest. Her face was red from the hard scrubbing, and rivers of water trailed down her face from her now clean hair. The much needed bath had uncovered surprisingly delicate white skin that had a faint splattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks.
Liberty looked to Aapeli to see what he thought about this unexpected visitor. When he smiled his reassurance, she relaxed and slipped her thumb into her mouth. In unison they stared at the newcomer.
Aapeli shifted his weight and lowered Liberty onto his hip. “I was coming to look for you as soon I had Liberty presentable enough for visiting.”
Tinker sat down, cross legged, by Aapeli’s discarded clothes and grinned. “Where on earth did you find the little girl?” He stared through his squint. “She don’t look a thing like you.”
“Not mine. I found her earlier near Big Lake. I stopped by Shatter’s to see if he knew who she belonged to. He didn’t but said you and Mary might.”
Tinker shook his head. “I’ve never seen the child before.” He stared at her a moment longer before adding, “Red hair, um,” then stared off into space. “An uncommon color in these parts, but…” He scratched at his chin. “A young couple came through here a few years back.”
He pointed at Liberty. “The man had red hair like the girl there. Said they were heading to the Forbidden Lands.” He shrugged. “Some crazy talk about hearing there was a settlement out that way. I tried to tell them you’d been out there many a time and never mentioned seeing any folks in that part
of the country. But you know how young people are, once they’ve set their minds to something, you can’t talk them out of it.”
Aapeli waded out of the lake. The weight of water pulled at his pants and he had to fight to hold onto Liberty as he kept them from slipping down.
“If you want, I can ask around to see if anyone’s missing a child.”
“I would appreciate it if you would.” As soon as Aapeli reached his discarded clothes, he wrapped his shirt around Liberty. He sat next to Tinker, cradling her against his chest.
Liberty patted his face. “Api.”
Aapeli didn’t bother correcting her, but asked Tinker, “What are the chances her parents are still alive.”
“All the stories I’ve heard told, those mountain men eat the weak. That’s one of the reasons I’ve never traveled out that way.” He looked at Liberty with a hint of sadness overshadowing his kind face. “No. I’m afraid I don’t think you’ll find them alive or dead.”
Tinker motioned toward Liberty. “Mary would love keeping the child until we find out for certain about her folks.” He glanced away toward the lake before adding, “We always wanted children but never could have any of our own.”
This was an easy way out of a complication Aapeli never wanted and certainly didn’t need, so why didn’t he hand Liberty over to Tinker and get on with his trip to The Forbidden Lands? Aapeli stared at the little girl in his arms and sighed. The top of her head was now settled into the curve of his neck, as if she belonged there. She was already fast asleep. His gut clenched in fear, but his heart opened just enough to let Liberty inside.
The one thing his father had always told him was never to make a decision with his heart, but always with his head. It was a good thing his father wasn’t alive, because Aapeli was going to do something really stupid.
He slowly patted Liberty’s back, careful not to wake her. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll just take her with me. I’ll stop by on my way back east in a couple of months to see if you’ve discovered anything about her parents.”
It was strange, but as soon as those words were spoken, Aapeli felt at peace. Maybe his world needed to be shook up a little. He had gotten too set in his ways and opinions.
Chapter Four
Liberty
“Why can’t I come with you?” Liberty kicked the base of the captain’s chair just in case her father didn’t know how annoyed she was.
Instead of answering Aapeli asked, “Why aren’t you below deck as you’ve been instructed?”
Damn. Why couldn’t he see that she was now as tall as him and quite capable of taking care of herself? She had already proven over and over that she was a better shot. She could certainly out run him. That had been proven the day they had been helping Polly steal honey from the hives and things had gone horribly wrong. Why was Big Lake the only place in their travels he refused to let her join him?
Liberty opened her mouth to argue but the steely look in his eyes forced her to see that this was one of those times he wasn’t going to bend and let her have her way.
She bowed her head and only gave the briefest of nods before heading below deck.
“Damn. Damn. Damn.” Liberty made certain to say “damn” with each downward step, but was smart enough to keep the words low so her father wouldn’t hear. Even though he himself used a curse word in almost every sentence, he didn’t like hearing them come from her.
Still muttering under her breath Liberty absentmindedly rearranged the rows of jars, rolls of wire and the other bits and pieces her father had salvaged from The Forbidden Lands.
“How am I supposed to remember all of Father’s rules?” She smacked the top of a nearby crate. “Damn it. I’m almost grown. I don’t understand why this is the only place he won’t let me go overboard with him.” She smacked the top of the crate again even though her palm still stung from the last time. “Damn it. Damn it.”
Liberty sank to the floor and drew her knees up to her chest. “There are too many damn rules: I can’t do this; I can’t do that; I can’t go off ship while we’re here.”
She bit at her thumb nail. “And what’s this shit about love?”
Liberty kicked at the crate. “I’m supposed to remember that love leads to hate. What kind of nonsense is that? Like I’m going to fall in love with some guy.” She looked around the cluttered room. “Like, what guy?”
She swiped her nose and laughed. “Shit. I’m certainly not going to fall in love with Shatter. His chin is covered in spit and his hair with bugs.” As soon as those words were out, she felt bad, because even though the outpost owner wasn’t the cleanest person she had ever met, he had a kind heart under all of that dirt and greasy hair.
She leaned her forehead on top of her knees. This time she lowered her voice just in case the walls had ears. “Let’s not forget the best rule of all. No one’s allowed on Airus, and we’re supposed to be back onboard before it turns dark.”
A wave of frustration forced Liberty to her feet. She kicked the crate, nearly sending the jars on top flying. “What good are all of these damn rules?” She held her arms out and turned in a circle. “I’m going to die on this ship one day and who’s going to know or care?” She angrily wiped at her eyes, trying to stop the threatened tears from emerging. “I hate my life.” She kicked the crate again. “Hate it.”
“What are you carrying on about down here?”
Liberty’s heart almost seized up when her father stomped down the steps. Each thump sounded loud and angry in the quietness of the storeroom. Even though he seldom showed his temper to her, she had seen it a few times over the years and didn’t want to be the reason for it now.
She smiled, hoping to forestall a tongue lashing, but it slipped a tad when her father reached the bottom of the staircase and leveled his harshest expression at her.
“I can hear you all the way up on deck. Do I need to put you to washing the decks when I return? Because it suddenly occurs to me that I’ve given you too much free time if all you can do is bitch and moan about how bitterly you’ve been treated.” Aapeli planted both fists on his hips and sucked in a deep breath.
“No, Sir.” Liberty slipped her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers. She hated mopping. It was the most tedious chore in the world.
Aapeli pointed a finger. “I don’t ask much of you, Daughter, so when I do, I expect you to do as you’re told without all of this whining.” Her father stood to his full height and absentmindedly rubbed the old pocket watch he usually kept in his pocket.
Liberty took that as a good sign. Her father only did that for good luck or when he was in deep thought. It was a wonder he hadn’t already rubbed off the features of the lady etched on its cover.
He slipped the watch back into his pocket. “As soon as I’ve filled the tanks, I’ll fill the tub with hot water for you to have a nice bath.” He walked over and patted her arm. “It’s the best I can do to make up for you being stuck in here all afternoon, but one day you’ll understand I’m only doing this for your own safety.”
He turned to leave but then looked back. “This world’s a dangerous place, Liberty. I’ve tried to prepare you for it as best I can.” Aapeli slipped his hand into his jacket pocket before adding, “I won’t be with you forever, so you’ll do best to remember everything I’ve taught you. It will serve you long after I’m gone and maybe save your life one day.”
It wasn’t until her father was out sight that she dared breathe deeply again. His words seemed to bounce around the storeroom long after he’d left, making her feel awful for being such a brat. He was right. He didn’t ask much of her. After he returned she would mop the deck to try and make up for acting like a child. It was the least she could do.
Chapter Five
“Carry this below deck. I’m going to make one more trip to the old jar factory before it turns dark.” Aapeli glanced up at the sky.
Liberty took the box of jars. She couldn’t help but look skyward too. It was worrying to see how fast d
usk was settling in. “It’s awful late. Maybe we should just stop for the night. Besides, you’ve always said we shouldn’t go into Forbidden after sunset.”
“The great thing about being me is I can break my own rules.” He flicked the end of her nose and grinned. “My rules are meant to keep you safe.”
“But who’ll keep you safe?” She looked at the sky again. Worry filled her voice. “The jars will still be there tomorrow. We’re both tired and hungry. Let’s stop for the night.”
Aapeli laughed and headed back down the ladder. “I won’t be long. Carry those to the storeroom and by the time you clean up and fix us a meal, I’ll be back.”
Liberty sighed and shrugged. There was nothing to do but what he said. Once her father set his mind on something, come hell or high water, he was going to do it.
Once the jars were in the store room, Liberty took extra time to scrub her arms, legs and face with a wet cloth and change into a clean shift. She was looking forward to the return trip and having the water tanks full again. Since they were running low, they were making do with a cursory scrub. Maybe if she didn’t whine, and she explained to her father all the reasons she would be more useful off the airship with him at Big Lake, she could talk him into letting her swim there. Why not? She was already a better shot and could keep a lookout while he refilled the tanks. Such sound reasoning made her hopeful. There was no way her father could argue against such solid facts. He might even be impressed with how she had reasoned it all out.
If he agreed, she could wash her hair in the lake. Liberty had taken to running her fingers through the dirty, tangled curls every morning and braiding it so it wouldn’t hang in her eyes.
Liberty laughed out loud. Hell, what did it matter if she had dirty hair or not? They had never seen anyone else in The Forbidden Lands in her entire life, and probably wouldn’t see anyone until they dropped in at Shatter’s to trade. He certainly wouldn’t notice a little dirt on anyone.
The Liberty Series Page 2