Her chin jerked as if she’d just woken from a dream, and Laurette began pacing across the room with long strides. The animal under the table moved, standing so one heavy paw pressed against Tobias’s foot. “If what you say is true, you’ve come in advance to aid us against this enemy. Refusing to abandon a fight does seem very like my sister.”
A shuddering breath left him as his heart started to return to its normal rhythm. “Precisely. She said her presence was more necessary there—”
“But it is very unusual that she would send you alone. You—a man. More than that, a man with at best the barest knowledge of our location.” Though her face remained impassive, Tobias felt the leverage he’d gained slipping away. “Still. If you spoke any truth, it would not behoove me to keep you from your search. You will be under guard at all times and, as a precautionary measure until I receive confirmation of your story, you will spend all time beyond your search in the prison here.”
She turned toward the door and motioned with her hand. As Tobias stood, the animal under the table padded to her side.
“What in the name of God?” He stepped backward and fell into the chair again, his eyes wide.
Laurette twisted her head toward him, her hand resting on the scarred shoulder of the puma standing by her side. “Cyclops is not the product of your God. She is what happens when fools who do not understand nature seek to control it.”
She strode to the door, but the cat stared at him, the clockwork ocular affixed to its head swiveling as it focused. Though he managed to suppress a shiver of dread, the way the animal chuffed at him sounded altogether too much like laughter, and Tobias knew it could smell his fear.
As it followed Laurette out the door, Tobias thought of all the hours he’d spent in Senator Mason’s lab. All the experiments—including the cat itself—he’d had a hand in. He could only hope the animal hadn’t recognized him as the one who had held the lamp steady while Mason cut into its skull.
* * *
On the slope in front of Henri, Ever held up a hand, calling for them to halt. Ignoring the motion, Henri trotted up next to her. “What is it?”
“Next time I tell you to stop, you should stop.”
Henri swept a hand over her forehead, wiping off sweat and clinging strands of hair. “Or what, Ever? You’ll kill me?”
Few things irritated her more than the expression Ever routinely wore in her presence that said she’d like very much to do just that. “Not today. However, one of our lines was tripped when your friend rode through here. If you had continued, the explosives set on the path would have done a fair job of it for me.” She swung from the saddle, gathered her supplies and, after turning her mount around, swatted it on the ass. The horse took off down the mountainside at a run. “The signs are too difficult to see from horseback. We walk from here.”
The mountain loomed in front of them, and Henri swallowed hard. “But the fortress is at the top.”
“Get off the horse, Henrietta. You brought this madness here. You can certainly hike part of a mountain to remedy the problem.” Ever stalked into the trees at the side of the path.
Alone with her mount, Henri couldn’t help but wonder how real the threat was. She wouldn’t put it past Ever to make her trudge up the Rockies as punishment or some warped test. Sliding from the saddle, she made sure the clockworks were safely tucked under her corset. They pinched there, but at least they remained hidden.
“I am glad we reached an understanding so quickly,” Ever said as the other horse trotted away. “Since you are not accustomed to climbing, the path is our best option. Which means we have much ground to cover. Try to keep up.”
With a mental curse that damned every man she knew—including the one she couldn’t stop thinking about—to an unknown circle of hell, Henri began numbering her steps up the side of the mountain. It didn’t take long until she not only lost count but stopped caring. Ever would halt their progress periodically to disengage sprung traps, allowing her to rest. The peaks never seemed any closer.
When Ever returned this time, Henri wanted to ask how much farther but knew it would only lose her what little respect she’d earned by not complaining on the trek thus far. They had been on the path for another ten thousand or so steps when Ever said, “We will have to make camp soon, but we should reach the fortress by tomorrow.”
“I wish we could have gone the other way.” Henri cursed her lack of mountaineering skills. Had they been able to go through the woods like Ever wanted, they probably would have reached the fortress by now.
“And I wish we did not have to go at all. I wish for a time when you cease to bring the Union and its greed to our land.”
Henri clenched her hands into fists and spun on the warrior, tired of the hostility, tired of shouldering the blame for what her father had done. If Ever wanted her to shrug off that guilt, she might as well start now. “I’m trying to help your people.”
“Yes, please aid us against the menace you led here.” The scowl on Ever’s face melted into something less angry, more pleading. “You once said you did not truly belong on the Dark Hawk, that you were bred for more than that. Perhaps it is time for you to give the ship to Spencer as you promised and make a home for yourself in the Union.”
The dismissal stung, but the suggestion of doing exactly what Henri had been planning and giving up her role with Spencer and the crew hurt worse. Especially since it might be for the best. Thoughts of Carson sprang to mind, and any secret hope she’d had that a life out here might be one he could become part of evaporated with the image. She belonged nowhere, with no one. Her family, her passions, her own foolish mistakes... They’d taken everything from her and left nothing behind.
She didn’t care about resting anymore, only about reaching the fortress and being done with everything—the Dark Hawk, the Badlands, the clockworks. She’d have no choice but to build a life in the Union. With thoughts of a loveless marriage to some stuffy politician suffocating her, she shoved Ever with all her might, spun on her heel and stalked up the mountain.
A minute later, Ever yelled, “Henri! Stop.”
“No. No more of your authoritarian...bullshit.” The curse felt so good rolling off her tongue that she didn’t notice herself trip or hear the footsteps rushing up behind her. The weight of Ever’s body slammed into hers, forcing them both to the ground in a tumble. Just as they hit, she heard a muffled boom in the distance.
That wasn’t so horrible.
The thought had barely entered her brain before Ever was dragging her to her feet. “Run!”
Only then did she hear the low rumble and look toward the side of the mountain at the wall of rock hurtling toward them. “We’ll never make it.”
Ever shoved her. “Not if you do not move.”
Henri’s legs and lungs burned by the time the first pebbles began to rain on them. Panicked, she glanced up at the rockslide. “Ever...”
“There. Keep going.” Ever pointed at an opening in the hillside a few hundred yards ahead of them.
Henri knew in her heart they wouldn’t make it; she’d seen how close the rocks were. With the choice of run or die, she pushed on, every bit of energy she had left pumping her legs as the rumbling turned into the crashing and groaning of trees snapping under the barrage.
Ever grabbed her by the arm and flung her bodily the last few yards into the cave, diving in herself as a boulder hit the ground outside the opening.
Scrapes and scratches and aching muscles plagued her, but Henri let out a deep breath, happy to just be alive. Whatever the stupidity earlier, she still had time to figure out her life. “We made it.”
The entrance was blocked by rocks of every size. Ever pushed herself partway up, her voice tight with a tremor Henri had never heard before. “Yes.”
The sound, so unlike the warrior she knew, sent an icy chill coursing
through Henri’s veins. “Ever, we did make it, didn’t we?”
“We’re alive.” She rolled over, bracing her back against the cave wall. “For now.”
Henri ducked under a low-hanging rock and made her way to the warrior woman’s hazy form. Debris blocked most of the cave opening, but thin slivers of light shone through cracks between the rocks. Enough to make out shapes but not see clearly. She found Ever’s pack and dug through it, searching by touch for the fire-sticks she knew Laurette forced all her troops to carry. “What happened?”
Just as Ever responded through gritted teeth, Henri found the torch and scraped it on the ground. “A boulder hit as I entered.”
In the sudden flare of light, off-white bone punched the air. It had speared through Ever’s fitted pants, the end of the femur jagged and bloody. More blood stained the tan breeches. Henrietta swallowed hard, thinking of all her medical supplies on the Dark Hawk—the ones she had neglected to grab when she rushed from the infirmary to escape Carson and his kiss. The ship was probably close, but not close enough to matter. With what she had on hand, she might be able to keep Ever from bleeding to death, but she couldn’t do anything to mend the break or even stabilize it enough for them to make it the rest of the way up the mountain.
And knowing that, she also had to accept the fact they might well die in the cave, and no one would ever find them.
Chapter Thirteen
“Capo? There’s an encampment ahead.” Marco rubbed a hand over his eyes. Tiredness was clearly setting in. Marco would never complain, but he had fewer implants than most of Gambini’s soldiers, and the others had more chance to rest in the back.
As much as he disliked the idea of stopping when they were this close, Gambini said, “Then it looks as if the Badlands has provided us the perfect location to sleep for the night.”
Marco drew the transport to a stop and disengaged the engine.
“Men? It seems we get to have a bit of fun. The only one we need alive is Mason’s daughter. If she’s here, she lives. Otherwise—” he motioned toward the small circle of tents ahead where women were already rushing forth, weapons drawn, “—take care of them.”
Amid yelling and exhilarated hoots, his soldiers leaped, guns blazing as they dove into the mass of women. Gambini stepped nimbly from the transport, his feet swishing through the tall prairie grass as he strode into the camp. Soon he came upon the first body.
Bullet to the brain. Nice. Clean. Quick.
The next wasn’t so lucky. A close range shot to the gut. In other circumstances, she could have yelled for help. Here it didn’t matter.
Messy, boys. Too messy.
That’s what practice was for though. They’d learn.
The next woman he came upon made him smile with pride. Sure, this one could scream as well, but the beauty of it made up for the risk. Both kneecaps had been shot out, the mass of tendons in her wrists sliced so her weapons were useless. Blood slowly soaked into the ground as she spat the curses of the dying at him.
Gambini would have to compliment her killer. She would die slowly and in pain.
At the central fire, his men stood in a circle, their wounds oozing blood.
“Good work. Now, get yourselves patched up.”
None of the men moved from their places, though a few removed caps and held them solemnly. As Gambini neared, he saw the body kneeling in their midst. Marco. He held his hands in front of his face, the young man’s one and only implant cupped inside them as blood and other, less natural fluids leaked from the hole where an eye had once been.
“What happened?”
Marco looked up at him with his one good eye. “She got me with a knife before I could finish with her wrists. I did her up good for you, Capo, but she got me.”
Gambini glanced around. One of his youngest soldiers lay at the edge of the circle of tents and didn’t stir. Unnerved, Gambini twitched. None of the women had survived the massacre by his people but, artful as he was, Marco had let one get the upper hand. He stepped closer to the boy. “It was beautiful work.”
“Thank you, Capo.”
Nodding benevolently, Gambini swept his gun from its holster, placed the barrel in Marco’s empty eye socket and pulled the trigger. The women of the Badlands had cost him two men. That would never do.
* * *
“We have to try to set your leg.” Henri stared at the offending bone as if saying the words would put it right again.
“Do what you must.”
“It’s going to hurt.”
“You say that as if it does not hurt now,” Ever said through clenched teeth. “I am accustomed to pain, Henrietta, but I am also accustomed to the use of my legs. Whatever you need to do to repair it, you might as well start.”
The simple fact that Ever remained conscious made Henri forget for a moment how much agony the warrior woman had to be in. “Without proper facilities and supplies, it’s also dang—”
“Shut up and do it. I know leaving it open has dangers as well.”
Henri squeezed her eyes shut. There was no good answer. Without medical supplies of any sort, there was no safe path. Squaring her shoulders, she blew out a slow breath to calm her nerves. “I know screaming is unlike you, but just in case, I’m going to remove your weapon belt so you have something to bite down on. I need to be able to concentrate.”
The feeble light peeking between the rocks had begun to wane, and already the fire-stick was burning down. Ever’s face, damp with sweat, gleamed in its glow and gave her a maniacal air. “You are delaying the inevitable.”
And losing light. After removing the weapons, Henri handed Ever the belt. “Keep your back against the wall and try to hold still.”
After positioning herself, Ever folded the belt, slid it between her teeth and nodded.
Henri wished she felt as calm, but one glance at the swelling in Ever’s leg told her she didn’t have time to waste on mental preparation. She crouched near Ever’s foot, took hold of her leg just above the knee and pulled. Ever moaned past the leather in her mouth, but without someone to hold her steady, all Henrietta managed was to pull her away from the wall.
Sitting back on her heels, Henri scrubbed at her face. This would never work. Someone had to brace her body and leg from the opposite direction.
Ever yanked the belt free, panting. “What are you waiting for? Do it again.”
“There’s no point. I can’t get the proper leverage.” Henri stared at the injury, trying to find a solution. She blinked and shifted her gaze to her patient’s face. If it was anyone else, I would never consider it, but Ever doesn’t feel pain quite like the rest of us. It was worth a try. Henri crawled to Ever and stuffed the leather between her teeth again, then placed her hands on the warrior’s leg. “You need to pull on your thigh. Keep it as stable and tight to your body as you can.”
Brow furrowed, Ever nodded and gripped her muscles. Judging by the sweat pouring down her face, she would pass out soon enough. She’d lasted far longer than any normal person. Hopefully, she’d stay conscious long enough for this. Henri worked one foot behind Ever’s hands and used it to pin the other woman’s body against the wall of the cave. Fingers trembling, she gripped the leg again and pulled.
Even biting on the belt, Ever’s scream echoed in the cave, bouncing from one surface to another until a symphony of pain surrounded them. Still, she held her leg steady. Blinking back tears of frustration, Henri kept pulling.
Please. Please just go back into place.
Then, with a jerk, the bone did just that. Henri didn’t even have time to breathe before thick, hot fluid spurted from the wound. Without thinking, she yanked the belt from Ever’s mouth and wrapped it around her leg, cinching it tight.
Ever’s head lolled to the side and she blinked slowly. “Thank you, Doctor.” Then her eyes drifte
d shut and didn’t open again.
Henri collapsed to the floor of the cave and held her head as more tears fell. At least Ever wouldn’t see her break down. By morning, she’d have to regain her composure enough to mention the torn artery. And that removing the tourniquet would cost Ever her life. Too bad leaving it on could cost her the leg.
Backing to the wall, Henri wrapped an arm around her, pillowing the other woman’s head on her shoulder. A sob wracked her body as she thought of all the pain she’d brought on the Badlands. It was no wonder Ever loathed her; she was starting to hate herself.
In the confines of the cave, night came and went with little more than the shifting of light through the cracks in the rock. Ever woke when Henrietta moved away. “It is quite cold this morning.”
While not summer hot, the cave was far from chilly. The heat radiating from Ever, however, did little to warm Henrietta. Infection had already set in somewhere. If she didn’t get Ever to the fortress soon...
How are you going to do that? The entrance is blocked. The horses are gone. And, even if you could carry her, there are more traps between here and the top of the mountain.
No. She had to try. The family had suffered too much death because of her already. “I’ll light a fire-stick for you.”
The stick would do little to help Ever, but it wouldn’t hurt at this point either. With that done, Henri turned to the rocks blocking the entrance. If they could see daylight, the layer of stone couldn’t be that thick. She flexed her hands into fists. The prospect of what she was considering frightened her as she felt the softness of her skin and the filthy bandage around her hand, but the rocks wouldn’t disappear simply because she wished it.
Knowing if she thought too long she’d give in to the despair, she climbed as high as she dared and shoved against a rock the size of a child’s head. It rolled free, but Henri jumped out of the way as gravel rained down through the hole. Her heart pounded as she waited for something to fall in place and cover the opening she’d made.
Seleste deLaney - [Badlands 02] Page 13