Rite of Redemption (Acceptance Book 3)

by Sarah Negovetich

  I climb down off Salty, and Eric follows suit.

  “Why don’t you two gather up some kindling sticks for the fire while I try to find us a rabbit?” Ethan marches over to a tree and hooks his reigns around a knot on the back without even looking. He catches me giving him a questioning glance. “Riders stop here all the time. There’s even a fire ring.” He points to a small circle of rocks surrounding a darkened pile of ashes.

  “Then I expect you’ll know just where to find us a rabbit for dinner.” I give him a wink before heading into the brush with Eric for kindling.

  There are plenty of small sticks nearby, but a recent rain has left most of it damp. Eric leads us further away from the clearing to find some wood that might have been protected enough to stay dry. The forest is eerily quiet around us. Ethan headed in the opposite direction in search of food, and he can be as silent as the wind on the occasional times he needs to be.

  My mind wanders to what Daniel and the others are doing right now. Moving in groups of twenty or so, they’ll travel a lot slower than us, and every stop along the way will eat up more time. There’s no way they’ll make it to another village for at least a few more days. Daniel and Elizabeth will be fine sleeping in the open, but what about the others? Does Nellie still think this is all a fun adventure?

  A flash of red pulls me out of my thoughts. I freeze my feet and drop down into a crouch as if the leafless branches will hide me. Eric matches my actions, but shoots me a questioning look. I don’t know how to tell him what I saw without speaking, and making any noise is the last thing I want to do. I motion for him to pull his bow out, and he does what I ask, aiming at the clump of bushes I point to. He draws back the arrow and nods to show he’s ready. Moving as few muscles as possible, I bend down and scrabble around the leafy forest ground. My fingers stumble over a rock just the right size, and I grasp it in my sweaty palm. Flicking just my wrist, I lob it into the bushes.

  The branches and leaves bristle at the disturbance, and a bright red bird flies out into the trees.

  I let out the breath I was holding to stay as quiet as possible and sink down to the ground. Eric walks over and offers a hand to help me up. I stare up at the cardinal, mocking me from his perch on the branch overhead.

  “Sorry.” I let Eric help me up and then bend back over to pick up my dropped kindling.

  “Don’t apologize for acting on your instincts. It’s reasonable to think we could run into guards while we’re out here. But I do think we have some work to do.”

  I straighten up and head back toward the clearing. “What work?”

  “You need to learn how to use the bow.”

  He’s right. The attack yesterday proved that I’m useless in defending myself or anyone else. And he’s right that it wouldn’t be crazy to think we could run into trouble out here.

  “Where did you learn?”

  “Ethan taught me when we rode together to find Ana’s medicine.”

  Back at the clearing, I drop my stack of twigs into the fire ring. “Okay, teach me.”

  “Teach you what?” Ethan strides out of the forest, holding a fat rabbit out in front of him.

  “Eric is going to teach me how to use the bow and arrow.” I neglect to mention I need lessons after letting a bird scare the daylights out of me.

  “Sounds good. Why don’t you make use of what’s left of the sun and get in a first lesson while I get dinner ready.” Ethan doesn’t wait for our response and heads over to his bag to pull out what he needs to clean his catch.

  “Okay, what’s first?”

  Eric leads me over a little way from the fire and shows me how to hold the bow and nock the arrow. It doesn’t seem difficult until I have to draw back the bow. Everyone else makes it look easy, but the string is tighter than I expected.

  “You’ll have to build up those muscles, but it will get easier over time. Point it down while I set up a target.” Eric grabs a thick log, the length of his arm, and sets it on top of what’s left of a tree stump. It’s about the same height as a person. “Now, draw back and release.”

  I lift the bow up again and pull back on the arrow until my muscles strain. I let my fingers fly out the way Eric showed me, and the arrow flies all of two feet before nose diving to the ground.

  Ethan has the decency not to laugh out loud, but there’s no hiding the smirk.

  “I’m sure you did so much better your first time.” I wave an arrow at him, which is much less intimidating than I had thought it would be.

  “Actually, yes. Archery is one of the few skills that come naturally to me. I’m not quick with the right words or able to evaluate and remedy a problem the way you can. And I don’t have Eric’s understanding of science or the way our bodies work. I’m a horrible cook, sorry in advance for dinner, and I’ve killed every plant I ever tried to keep. Vincent is the only animal who doesn’t show signs of wanting to eat me or smother me in my sleep. But I can shoot an arrow straight for a hundred yards, and I’m really good with directions. It’s what makes me an excellent rider, if I do say so myself. Now, do it again.”

  I line the arrow up on top of my fist and pull the bow back exactly the way Eric showed me. This time the arrow flies off to the right a few feet before flopping uselessly to the ground.

  “Well, this is a smashing success. Wait ‘til the Cardinal guards see me coming. Never mind the army. Let’s head to the capital now.”

  Ethan sets his knife down and walks over, this time not even bothering to hold back his laughter. “I have to say, it’s refreshing to see you struggle with something for a change.”

  Eric laughs, and I whip my head at him with narrow eyes and tight lips. “I’m so glad you’re both enjoying this.”

  “You’re overthinking it, Rebecca. There’s no such thing as the perfect release, and the longer you keep striving for it, the longer it’ll be until you actually fire an arrow instead letting it limp out of your bow.”

  I grab another arrow. “Do you think it’ll do any damage if I just throw it at you?”

  “Okay, okay.” Ethan moves behind me with his hands up. “Truce. Look, line it up again, and this time, don’t stop pulling back on the string. Just keep going until you can’t hold it anymore.”

  I point the arrow at his nose as a warning that laughter is not going to be tolerated. Ethan nods, so I do as he asks, setting the arrow in place and resting the feathers between my fingers grasped on the string. Ethan nudges my stationary fist up a bit and straightens my elbow. I pull the string back to my cheek, exactly where I’ve been pulling it each time before.

  “Keep going.”

  The wiry string cuts against my fingers as I inch it back further, past the corner of my mouth and to the edge of my ear.

  “Further.”

  Ignoring the bead of sweat on my forehead despite the chilly temperatures, I pull back a bit more. Just as my fingers hit the outer edge of my ear, they give out, unable to hold the string back any longer. I’m so stunned by the surprise release, I almost miss the arrow flying straight out of my bow and deep into the woods.

  It missed the target by several yards, but at least it flew.

  Ethan pats my shoulder and shoots me a huge grin. “Come on, let’s get dinner finished so we can get to Longview. You’re getting there, but I still think we need an army. You know, just in case.”

  The three of us move in comfortable silence getting dinner ready and then finally eating. The rabbit is just as bland as Ethan promised, but it’s food and still leaps and bounds better than anything we ate in the PIT.

  Ethan takes the plates to the river to wash up while Eric and I put out the fire and get the horses ready to keep moving.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  I nod at Eric as he packs the flint back into the saddle bags.

  “Why did you ask me to come with you?”

  “Oh.” I guess Elizabeth never said anything to him. “Well, at first, because Elizabeth asked me to bring you. She came to see me yesterday befor
e the attack.”

  Eric winces and ducks his head away from me.

  “But that wouldn’t have been enough.” I reach into my bag and pull out an extra sweater for the chill. “I mean, your sister is used to ordering everyone else around, but she doesn’t intimidate me anymore. The real reason I asked you to come is because you deserve it.”

  I catch Eric’s eye and make sure he knows I’m not just trying to make him feel better.

  “I saw how much you’ve changed since we came to Allmore. I saw the way you drew Patrice out of her dark shell, and I saw how much everyone meant to you when we saved Arbor Glen.”

  “I feel like,” Eric rubs a hand over the blond hair he’s kept short, “like being out here is a way to prove that I was worthy of Patrice. You know, she’s probably the first person who has ever loved me who didn’t have to. And I guess, I decided that before all this, I wasn’t really worthy of that kind of love. Patrice changed that. She changed me. Being out here makes me feel like her life had meaning.”

  I can only nod and flash him a teary smile. I saw it, too. They really did bring out the best in each other.

  “Slight change of plans, kids.” Ethan comes banging back to the horses, half his shirt and the bottom of his pants soaked from the stream. “I did a little scouting, and there’s been some kind of storm just to the west of here. Trees are down all over the place, making it impossible to pass through. We’ll have to detour south a bit and then head west once we pass the destruction. That’s gonna add some serious travel time, so no way do we make it to Longview tonight. I say we camp here and head out first thing in the morning.”

  There’s no point in arguing. I pull my saddle bags back off and unpack the blankets. Ethan brushes off the dirt we kicked over the fire and relights it to give us some warmth while we sleep.

  “I’ll take first watch.” Eric grabs his bow and settles his back against a tree. “You guys get some sleep.”

  Ethan grabs a single blanket and crashes next to the fire. I rush to Eric and give him a quick hug before rolling into my blankets. Patrice’s life did have meaning, even if it was cut too short. Tomorrow, we go make use of the time she didn’t get.

  Ten

  At first light we each grab a quick breakfast and pack up in record time. I’m ready to be out of here and at Longview, even if I have no idea what I’m going to say once I get there.

  Ethan guides us expertly around the path of the storm. Thank goodness he’s here. He might be a little chatty, but as the best rider, there’s no one I feel safer with.

  The sun is still shy of noon when the first signs of Longview slide into view.

  “Hail, friends.” The call rings out high above us, but Ethan doesn’t seem surprised.

  He lifts his wrist to show an identical bracelet to the one Mary gave me. “Hail, friends.”

  “Ethan of Allmore, is that you?”

  “Asher!”

  A young woman about our age lands not five feet in front of us as if she floated down out of the trees. Ethan dismounts and rushes over to wrap her in a huge hug.

  “Ethan, I haven’t seen you in ages. I was starting to believe you got started on an interesting conversation somewhere and just never finished.”

  “Oh, real funny, Asher. I’m just such a good rider they send me out on the long-distance trips and leave these little sprints to the old guys.”

  “Still humble, I see. And who are your friends?”

  I climb down from my horse, and Eric does the same.

  “This is Rebecca and Eric, and we’re here to see Whitney.”

  Asher gives me a good once over and nods, though I’m not sure what it is she’s seen or decided on.

  “Alright, Mister I’m-such-an-amazing-rider, let’s go find her.”

  Asher leads us through a village similar to Allmore. The layout is different, with shorter streets all connecting in a maze-like path, but the buildings look to be in the same condition. And the streets are filled with people going about a variety of tasks. One big difference is the children everywhere. Chasing each other down the streets and in and out of the buildings, laughing and shouting. Nellie would love it here.

  Asher stops at a building and gives the door a single knock before pushing inside. The brightly lit room is separated by a chest-high counter that runs the whole width of the room. On our side by the door, there’s nothing more than a few mismatched chairs, but the other side is a different story. Shelves are lined up one after the other, stacked with various supplies, all neatly sorted and labeled. My fingers twitch to get a closer look at their system.

  An older woman with brown skin like leather and silvery white hair steps around a shelf. Her face is crinkled like an accordion, but piercing blue eyes shine bright and clear.

  “Ethan, what a pleasant surprise.” The woman steps around the counter in a practiced move that reminds me of a dancer from the city. “We’re running low on dandelion ale, and I was beginning to think we’d have to wait until spring to get more.”

  “Whitney, it’s good to see you, too.” Ethan gives her a warm hug. “But I’m afraid I don’t have any ale today, and it will probably be a while before anyone has more to bring. We aren’t here for a trade run.”

  “Serious business, then. Why don’t you come back so we can chat? Asher, will you see if there’s any tea for our guests?”

  “Of course.” Asher gives Ethan a squeeze on the arm before heading back out.

  Whitney walks around the counter again and past the stacks of shelves. I scan the labels as we walk further back. This must be the supply house for the whole village. Everything is cataloged by purpose, just like the department stores back home. And little inventory cards hang next to each item, indicating last delivery dates and quantities. A system like this would make orders for our trade runs a hundred times easier. I can only hope someday I’ll have a chance to put something like this in place.

  I grab Ethan’s arm and hold him back for a second. “Why are we talking to the PE organizer?”

  Ethan smiles and looks back at Whitney. “Because Longview doesn’t have a Liam and a Rebecca. They have one Whitney Tidwell who does it all.”

  I nod and scurry to catch up. This woman is a powerhouse.

  At the back of the building, Whitney steps through a door into a small but tidy office. There are only two chairs on our side of the desk, so Eric slides into the corner, while Ethan and I take a seat.

  Whitney sinks into her rickety chair behind her desk. Perfectly organized stacks of paper cover every square inch of the rich wood. It should look cluttered, but each little pile is straight as an arrow with not a piece out of place. My esteem for Whitney grows by the minute. This woman is an organizational marvel.

  She rests her elbows on the edge of the desk and folds her hands in front of her mouth while her eyes study each of us in turn. We sit in an awkward silence for several minutes. I almost launch into the speech I’ve been practicing in my head, but a gut instinct holds me back. Whitney doesn’t strike me as the type to waste time.

  There’s a sharp rap at the door, followed by Asher nudging her way into the office with a tray of mugs and a tea kettle. She sets it down on a stack of papers, gives Ethan another squeeze on the arm, and leaves the four of us alone.

  Whitney sets to work immediately, pouring the steaming water into the mugs and handing them out. I’ve never been a big tea drinker, but the scent is intoxicating, like crisp apples and fresh mint.

  “People come to ask me for favors all the time.” Whitney launches into the conversation without preamble or niceties. “I’ve often found that those unwilling to wait the few minutes to serve a cup of tea are those who come with the most self-serving favors to ask.”

  New life goal: grow up to be just like Whitney. The fiery woman takes a sip and smiles over her cup. “Ethan, why don’t you introduce me to your friends?”

  “This is Eric and Rebecca. There were Rejected, but escaped from the PIT and joined us in Allmore a few months back.�
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  Whitney studies me over her steaming mug. “Any chance you’re the Rebecca who has the Cardinal’s underpants in a wad?”

  I nearly spit out the sip of tea in my mouth. Instead, I swallow hard against the scalding liquid and nod my head. “Yes, ma’am. That’s me.”

  “Well, this little visit is getting more interesting by the minute. Why don’t you tell me why you’ve come here today?”

  I glance to Ethan, but he holds out his hand as if to give me the floor. Every word I practiced on the way here flies out of my head the second I open my mouth.

  “We want to do more than bunch up the Cardinal’s skivvies.”

  Whitney’s mouth gapes open and a loud guffaw of laughter flies out. She sets her mug down and claps her hands in delight. “Oh, Ethan. I like her.” She contains her laughter and picks back up her mug. “Go on, dear.”

  With the tension eased a bit, I explain the attack on Arbor Glen and what we found in Berry Hill. I tell her about the attack on Allmore and the good people we lost there. It seems crazy that it was only two days ago. “We think it’s time for the Freemen to take action and put the Cardinal in his place. There are a lot of us out there, and if we all work together we can storm the capital and force the Cardinal out of power. We’d like for Longview to join us.”

  Whitney is quiet once again, and I can tell she’s really thinking about what I just told her. “So basically, you’re trying to form a Freemen army. That’s quite the undertaking. Just how do you plan to coordinate all of this?”

  I reach into the bag at my feet and pull out one of the chips Daniel gave me. With no place to set it on the desk, I simply hand it to Whitney. “This is a masking chip. We’ve figured out a way to use the communication functions on our Noteboards while hiding our signal from the Cardinal.”

  “Did you make this?”

  “No. My husband, Daniel, developed the tech. We can also access the news feed stations without being seen.”