by Beth Reason
Chapter 8
Scarab woke with straw sticking in her back and Tenet snoring in her ear. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings. "Violet!" she hissed, bolting up.
Wren quirked an eyebrow from his spot across the fire where he tended the rabbit Takar had snared as it roasted for their dinner. "Easy, Mrs. Lorne," he said carefully.
Scarab blinked, then blinked again. "I...we need to get Violet." The fog of sleep hung around her and she struggled to get her mind working properly.
"The others are still asleep," Wren said. He placed the stick he was using to poke the fire around on the dirt floor next to him and reached over for Mrs. Lorne's clothes. He handed them to her. "These have dried."
Scarab glanced down and noticed she was naked, then swore as she yanked on the clothes. Wren was greatly amused, but kept his features schooled. He'd hunted with Mrs. Lorne enough to know that she did not wake up well from sleep. She got dressed then sat with a humph on the bale of hay beside Wren.
"I don't suppose any of you brought coffee," she muttered.
"I have tea," he said. He moved to his bag and brought out a sack of tea and a pot. After getting water from Tenet's flask, he put the pot on the fire to heat. They sat and waited for the tea while the other three men snored in the barn around them. The rabbit smelled delicious and Scarab's stomach rumbled.
"When was your last meal?" Wren asked casually. When Scarab only lifted a shoulder, Wren let it drop. If she wanted to speak of her ordeal, she would. The tea bubbled and Wren pulled the pot off the fire with the poker stick. He took a cup from Tenet's pack and with practiced ease, used the poker stick to tip the teapot just the right way to allow the hot liquid to fill the cup without spilling. Scarab nodded her thanks and barely blew on the hot elixir before she sucked it down. Her stomach threatened to rebel and she had to take a few deep breaths to keep from losing the tea.
"When you don't eat for days, your stomach forgets how," Wren said.
Scarab knew damn well she should have sipped the tea. It wasn't like this was her first run, and didn't need the likes of some stupid warrior telling her what to do like she was some... She stopped her grumbling thoughts and looked at Wren. She wasn't mad at him. He didn't deserve her anger, and she would not use him as a punching bag to vent her frustrations, even it was only in her head. "Thank you for coming for us."
Wren gave a small nod before he looked away. Though he considered Mrs. Lorne a friend, and a very worthy warrior, he was always uncomfortable when she assessed him so openly. "It is my sworn duty."
Tenet snorted and rolled, drawing Scarab's attention. She watched as his hand groped the straw around him before he bolted up in his own panic. The past days had taken their toll on him, as well, and Scarab felt her own failure again. "I'm here," she said to assure him she was safe.
Tenet blinked and rubbed his eyes, willing his heart to calm back down. She was there. She was safe. "What time is it?"
"It is evening," said Wren. "And almost dinner." He got up to wake the warriors from their nap while Scarab brought Tenet his shirt.
She refilled the cup with some tea for Tenet, then sat next to him while he woke. "You drugged me," she accused.
"Yes," he said, not even caring that she'd be pissed. "You needed rest."
"I know," she admitted.
Tenet slid his hand over hers on her knee and sipped his bitter tea. They watched the warriors wake and stretch and join them at the fire. Lendyl had a large straw sticking out of his hair, but he was trying so hard to be an accomplished warrior that Tenet didn't have the heart to risk embarrassing him.
Wren sectioned the roasted rabbit and passed it around, along with a sack of raisins. Overall it was a filling meal, and everyone sat, warm, dry, and sated in the glow of the fire.
Scarab cleared her throat. "I would like to offer my thanks for the rescue," she told the warriors. Wren nodded, Lendyl beamed with pride, and Takar rudely sucked meat from his teeth. Scarab turned to Lendyl. "And I thank you again for the use of your bow. It was an honor to slay my enemy with such a weapon."
While Lendyl all but preened under the praise, Takar snorted and shook his head. Wren frowned and reached behind Lendyl to cuff Takar on the back of his head. "Your rudeness is unforgivable," he told his younger brother.
Takar knew he was being rude to Mrs. Lorne and offered a hasty apology. Like Lendyl, he, too, had been uncomfortable with the way the kill went down, and he was expressing it in the wrong way.
Scarab watched him carefully. He apologized, but there was something more, something under the surface, some kind of question or resentment. "If you have something to say to me, Mr. McKay, then get it out in the open right now."
Takar nodded. "If you were an Ogden warrior, there would have been no pleasure in your kill."
"I am not an Ogden warrior," Scarab said in response.
Takar pointed at her. "Then you admit you enjoyed the kill."
Scarab shook her head. "I didn't enjoy it."
"You were smiling," said Lendyl, leaning forward in spite of Wren's fierce, warning glare.
Scarab turned to Tenet. "Was I?"
Tenet shrugged. In truth, in that moment, he only watched Jace, desperately wanting to see the man die. He took pleasure in the kill. It clawed at him, it ate him inside to admit, but he did. He'd replay that moment over and over in his mind, and no matter how sick it would make him feel, he'd enjoy the memory.
Scarab turned her attention back to Takar. "He was a very bad person, Mr. McKay, and now he's gone from the earth. I enjoy that. I take pride and pleasure in the fact that a piece of shit won't be able to hurt other people, and that it was my hand that made that happen. I wasn't blood thirsty. I was just relieved to finally dole out the justice he deserved."
Takar crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head. She made sense and he could see her point of view. The man should have died, of that there was no question and that wasn't his issue with it all. He'd accept her answer, and ask for clarity from the Mother. But there was still one large confusion, and he doubted there was any amount of meditation that would clear it up for him. He decided to push forward and ask his last question. "Would you have really shot his belly?"
"Yes."
Wren saw the look of horror that crossed Lendyl's face. Even Takar was taken aback. Wren looked to Tenet, but his friend wouldn't meet his gaze. Was it possible that Tenet would have let the man suffer, as well? Not Tenet. Surely not his gentle friend. Yet, Tenet was intentionally refusing to look them in the eye, as if he was hiding a shameful thought. All of the warriors squirmed until Wren cleared his throat. "But that did not happen," he assured his subordinates. "And now we shall offer evening meditations and sleep."
Scarab frowned. "We're staying the night?"
"It's pouring. Our horses need more rest. Our bodies need replenishment and our souls need commune." Wren stood and motioned his men toward the loft. "We will set out for Miss Violet in the morning."
Tenet shook his head. "I can't let you do that, Wren."
Wren spun around and quirked an eyebrow. "Do what?"
Tenet looked to Scarab to make sure she was on the same page. When she nodded her consent, he continued. "We'll have to go into Southland. I think...I think you should all head home."
Wren's fury was clear on his face. He stood to his full height and crossed his arms slowly over his chest. "I take orders from no one."
Tenet quickly stood, holding his hand up. "Now hold on, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm just saying..." He had to put it carefully. "Look, what we're going to face down there...it's not like anything you've ever come up against."
Wren was more shocked than angry. "You think me afraid?"
"No!" Tenet said quickly. "That's not it at all. They've got bots. Electromagnets. Invisible fences and mechanical soldiers." When Tenet saw Wren's uncompromising stance, he turned to Scarab for help.
"He's right," Scarab said to Wren, backing Tenet up. "It would be suicide."
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Wren tried hard to calm the bristly offense he felt inside. He knew what the Lornes were saying came from a good place, one of caring and concern and not from a desire to insult. He took a few calming breaths as he told himself that over and over. "I have sworn an oath to protect those in my septad."
Tenet felt a sinking feeling of dread. He'd already endangered enough lives. It would kill him if anything happened to anyone else. "Wren, think. Your arrows will do nothing against them."
"There is nothing I cannot kill."
"They're machines!"
Wren waved a hand of dismissal. "And who controls these machines? Men. Are these men so much bigger and better than an Ogden warrior?"
Tenet was on a slippery slope. If he lied and said yes, then Wren would carry the offense with him forever. If he told the truth, then Wren would not give up. "It's not a matter of that. You'd have to get through the machines, and..."
"Then we get through the machines."
"It's suicide," Scarab said quietly. "Tenet and I, we know what we're doing. We'll slip in and blend."
Wren thumped his chest. "And have I not proven I can be a deer when I hunt? Or a moose? Or a bear or wild cat?"
Scarab had to admit he had. His skill at mimicry was almost legendary. "It's more than that, Mr. McKay."
Wren had enough. While it was kind of them to consider his life, they still did not understand that he had no choice. "I am a warrior of Ogden. I live and breathe to keep the children of the Mother safe. This is my calling, my life, and my choice. I will return to Ogden with my septad, my whole septad, or not at all!"
"Same here!" echoed Lendyl. Takar joined them, and even though he didn't speak, his message was clear.
Tenet felt an odd mix of guilt and acceptance, and he turned to Scarab for guidance. Scarab knew the warriors would not yield, even if it meant their lives. She stood and placed her hand on Tenet's arm. "Then once again, you have our thanks."
The warriors nodded and turned without further talk. They filed silently up the ladder to the loft and Tenet heard them settle in for their meditating prayers. He turned to Scarab and sighed. "They should go home. What could I ever tell Mrs. McKay if something happened to Wren?"
"That he died honorably," she said simply.
Tenet turned to her in surprise. "How can you say that? You just backed me up!"
Scarab shrugged. "And I meant it. I don't want anything to happen to them, either." Scarab looked uncomfortably into the tea mug she held. "Aside from you and Violet, they're my only...family. They let me pretend to be one of them and..." She shook her head and jumped up, suddenly needing to move.
"Then let's go."
Scarab stopped her pacing and spun around. "Go?"
"Yes. Right now. Give them the slip like old times."
It was tempting. It was so very, very tempting. They could take the horses and beat it out of there and go get Violet.
With no weapons.
Or money.
And alienate every single friend they had in the process.
Scarab dropped to the hay bale. The look on Tenet's face said he, too, knew it wasn't possible. Scarab scooted closer and they sat together staring into the fire.
"I wish..." Tenet began, then faltered. He wished so many things had gone differently that if he began to make that list, he'd never stop. The guilt and anger and fear were threatening to overwhelm him again.
"Me, too." There were a million things Scarab could have done, and as she sat staring into the fire, she couldn't stop that old familiar voice of condescension from berating her for each and every way she screwed up. She should have paid better attention. She should have listened to Violet. She should have been a more conscientious mother and listened to Tenet instead of telling him he was babying her. Babying her? She was a baby! The self-hatred clutched inside and Scarab wasn't sure if she would keep her dinner down.
Tenet let out a shaky breath, then slid his hand into Scarab's. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. What could he say? That they were shitty parents? That they both failed? That there were a billion things they should have done differently? He tightened his hold on her hand and she responded in kind, as if he were the lifeline keeping her sane. He almost laughed at that thought, and then almost cried. In the end, they sat and stared at the fire, both lost in their shared anguish until they knew they had to at least try to sleep through the night.
The night was spent in a hell of torturous self-reproach for the Lornes. Wren could see the guilt and pain in their faces when he rose. They were already awake and Tenet sat looking much like a lost child himself while Scarab rekindled the fire. Wren frowned. This was no good. They needed to be alert, aware, sharp. He tried a few times through the morning to get them talking, but neither would be shaken from their stupors. In the end, he decided just to ride hard and let them meditate privately. Perhaps the Mother would take pity on them and ease their pain, even though they were not technically Celtists.
They all rode uncomfortably through morning. The rain had eased from a driving downpour to an almost worse annoying mist that clung like icy cobwebs to their faces as they pushed on. It was as if the Mother gave them the weather to match the Lornes' moods, and Wren spent most of the time pleading for a reprieve from both.
Late into the afternoon, Takar whistled to Wren. Wren pulled in his reins and turned around. The two warriors had a brief conversation with their warrior sign language before Wren ordered everyone to dismount.
"What's happening?" Tenet asked Scarab in the low voice Wren taught him to use.
"Riders. Coming up on our flank."
Tenet followed her eyes but could see nothing.
"Get the horses in that thick grove and tether them," Wren ordered Lendyl, then crouched behind the trees with Takar.
Scarab followed suit and Tenet copied her motions, taking up a position behind a bush and squinting through the thin forest. He couldn't see anything.
"How far out?" Scarab asked Takar. When Takar answered with hand signals, Tenet realized Scarab's speech was for his benefit. "Three miles, maybe four," she told him, interpreting the warrior sign language. She then communicated with her hands, and Tenet shook his head. After almost six years together, his wife never ceased to surprise him. He waited quietly, knowing she would fill him in. "They've been following all morning. There are several riders on horseback."
"More warriors?"
Scarab shook her head. "Not Celtist."
"How can he tell?"
"The way they move."
Tenet frowned. "You think my father hired locals?"
Scarab wanted to say that no self-respecting Borderlander would help the likes of a Southlander with something like that, but she knew there were plenty of Borderlanders with no self respect who certainly would. She shook her head and shrugged, then glanced up the tree above them.
Tenet didn't have to know warrior sign language to figure out her hand gestures to Wren. "No," he said, knowing she was heading up the tree no matter what he said. "You're not going up there." Scarab was already starting to scale the branches when Tenet hissed again. "We don't have the right supplies to patch you up if you fall!"
"Then I won't fall," she said, knowing he would be stewing the whole time she was up the tree.
"You're a lot older than you were last time you did this, you know!"
Scarab couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I did it last time I hunted with Wren. Now zip it before they hear you."
Tenet turned angry eyes at Wren who suddenly had somewhere else to look. He shook his head and crouched back down, hoping his wife wouldn't slip. He hated it when she climbed trees.
Scarab shimmied up the pine tree with ease. It was young and the sap running in the cool spring air gave her plenty of grip on the bark. She reached high enough to get a good look around. The forest they were in was thin, with frequent grassy glens and many areas of scrub brush instead of trees. She searched the rear horizon, and after a few intense moments she caught
sight of movement. She looked down and signaled to Wren that she had a visual, then turned back to watch.
The movement was much closer than three miles. Whoever followed them was gaining ground at an alarming rate. Scarab was torn for a second, considering whether to run now or to stay and get an idea of their enemy's identity. She determined that it was most important to know who was after them, and motioned for Wren to get the horses ready for a fast flight if necessary.
The movement through the forest seemed to indicate a party of several people, just as Takar had said. They moved quickly and Scarab's eyes scanned ahead of their location, settling on a field she believed they'd have to cross. She watched as the trees closer to the field moved and swayed, and held her breath waiting for whoever was coming to cross into the open field. When the first person broke through the undergrowth, she blinked and squinted, then blinked again. More men followed and she shook her head, not believing what she was seeing. The waving flag the last man carried was the proof she needed and she gave a little whoop before hurrying down the tree.
"What's going on?" asked Tenet, holding his hands out in case he had to catch her.
"The calvary's here!" She thumped Tenet on the chest. "Come on!"
The warriors were just as confused as Tenet and they all hurried to catch up to Scarab as she ran through the forest. They broke from the trees into a glen and Scarab stood watching the far side, waiting. Tenet pulled in ragged breaths and stared where she was looking. "Who is it?"
Just at that moment, Fratz burst into the glen on an enormous horse, a small troop of soldiers hot on his heels. Tenet whooped and waved his hands and the warriors drew their bows. Fratz waved and grinned when he saw them, then pulled and held his hand high to call his men to a halt. The Celtist warriors stood in an attack stance, and Fratz knew if his men took one more step, all hell would break loose.
"Hold 'em up," he called to his men. "Call off the guard, if'na want us to get a step closer," he shouted across the field.
"Stand down," Scarab said firmly to Wren as she stepped forward to greet their old friend.
Wren's bowstring was taught, the arrow ready to fly. He knew the man who lead the troops. He was the one the army sent to check on the Lornes every year. But that didn't mean he trusted him. He wore a uniform. He worked for the same government that wanted to take Celtist land and resources. And he found it very suspicious that the man found them so easily. "I do not trust this one," he said quietly to Tenet.
"He's a friend," Tenet insisted.
"Are you certain? You may be risking your life on your answer."
Tenet knew the tensions that existed between the Celtists and the military forces of the Borderlands. He knew Fratz wouldn't trust Wren any more than the warrior trusted the soldier. And he had to admit, that from Wren's perspective, he had a good point. But he knew Fratz. He trusted Fratz. And that would just have to be enough for Wren. "Yes, I'm certain."
Wren clenched his jaw but lowered his bow. Takar followed suit, but young Lendyl needed a stern look before he'd put his weapon down. He watched the Lornes cross the field and saw Tenet embrace the enormous soldier who had dismounted.
"You be much better this time at runnin'," Fratz said, thumping his friend hard on the back.
"I have a better reason," Tenet said, his throat clogging with emotion.
Fratz nodded. "I reached Last Inn with Phyllis and we got us emergency orders to double time it to Ogden." Scarab frowned, and Fratz laughed. "Krupkie, she always know what's what. I be tellin' you that for years."
"How did Krupkie know?" Tenet asked with a frown.
"The old..." Fratz was about to say "witch", but caught himself in time. The three Celtist warriors had dropped their weapons, but they had advanced in formation to close the distance between the forest and the troops. Dealing with them was going to be trial of diplomacy, but Fratz was up to the challenge. "The priestess, she be callin' down to Krupkie to move mountains right quick." Fratz's horse snorted and tossed its head. He thumped the war beast on the neck to offer comfort. "We be chasin' since."
"Don't tell me you left Phyllis in Last Inn," Tenet said with a smirk, thinking about the aptly named run down hotel on the edge of the Midland mountain range, the last real bit of civilization for a good fifty miles until the hill villages.
Fratz gave a broad smile and a helpless little shrug. "She did'na wanna be ridin', so she be stayin'."
"She'll take care of herself just fine," Scarab said, looking over the other troops. "You have been riding hard," she said, noticing that all the horses were panting and covered in a sheen of sweat.
Fratz was scanning the group in front of him for one little, dark haired girl who held his heart. Though he already figured she was still missing when he found the dead hunter and tracks leading south, he had held out a small hope. It was not so. Little Violet was still in danger. "Shoulda run harder," Fratz said, turning his guilty eyes to Tenet. "I shoulda been up ta ya faster. If'na got there in time..."
"No," said Tenet firmly. "Don't do that. You got here at all, and that's what matters."
"Are we breaking for a meal then?" Wren asked.
Scarab heard the edge in the warrior's voice and hoped there wouldn't be trouble between the two groups. The soldiers eyed the warriors with fear, the warriors shot back glares of hatred. She hoped it wouldn't build and come to blows, but she realized that was a distinct possibility. She would pull Tenet aside and see if he could smooth things over with both groups. He was far better with people than she was and if anyone could get them to play nice, it was Tenet.
"We break for a meal and a rest," Tenet said to Wren. "It will give us a chance to catch the troops up on the plan."
Wren did not like the situation. However, he was pragmatic. The soldiers were heavily armed and even pulled extra horses behind them. Their supplies and weapons would be invaluable. It was a wise strategic move to allow them to join, and all in the party would benefit. It would be very difficult to get his warriors to see it that way, though. He sighed, wondering if he could do enough to rein in Takar's bitterness and young Lendyl's exuberance. Without a word, he turned his back, showing his men that he trusted the troops enough to be vulnerable. Takar held his ground for a moment before turning and following back to their own horses, but Lendyl walked backwards until they were in the protection of the forest.
"This goin' ta be a problem," Fratz said quietly.
"It best not be," Scarab warned him fiercely. "You keep your men in line and we'll worry about ours." She turned and strode after the warriors.
"Still spittin' fire," Fratz said to Tenet as he watched Scarab leave the field.
Tenet flashed a smile. "Wouldn't want her any other way."
Fratz thumped a large hand on Tenet's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I'll be cuttin' mama bear a little slack. Don't worry 'bout my men. I'll be threatenin' the very lightning itself on their asses if'na be bringin' troubles. I ain't stoppin' till we get that cub back."
Tenet couldn't say thank you. It simply wasn't enough. He nodded as he choked up. "We've, uh, stopped up ahead. Let's go."
A small stream was quickly located using one of the army's maps, and the horses all got a good watering while Fratz directed his men to set up a quick camp and cook up rations. Tenet knew Fratz was a soldier. He even knew that the man had received a promotion a few years back to Captain. He knew Fratz had a troop of men that relied on him, that he lead. He knew all these things in an abstract way, yet, he'd never seen it for himself. Fratz was large and jovial and loved to laugh and have a good time. Though he questioned Tenet yearly, and did so in a very professional manner, the business part of their relationship took so little time that it was easy to forget about in the rest of the two week long visits every spring. Tenet watched Fratz bark orders at his men, and he was blown away. His laughing, joking friend transformed into a hard-as-nails soldier and not a single one of his men dared do anything but jump at his every command.
"I never pegge
d you for the leadership type," Tenet commented when he was sure Fratz's men couldn't hear him.
Fratz grinned at his friend. "That be the result of Phyllis hen peckin' me in front of ya. If'na seen me more on a field of battle, ya wouldn't have surprises." Fratz looked over Tenet's shoulder. "You be droppin' them rations again, it be the scrub duty for ya, Henrik!"
"Yes, sir," came the quick reply from the young soldier.
Fratz shook his head. "Green as can be. Feisty lot, though, I promise ya."
They did seem young, but Fratz's assessment about their eagerness was spot on. They got a quick camp put together and in no time, everyone was eating. Everyone but the warriors. They refused the army food, choosing to chew on their own supply of dried meat instead. After they ate, Fratz introduced the troops.
"Stenan, Octavio, Kanto, Henrik, and Olaf, all privates."
Tenet nodded to them, then introduced the Celtist warriors. "Wren, Takar, and Lendyl."
Fratz nodded in return. "I know they all be itchin' ta be friends," he said, casting a warning glare at his soldiers.
"You'll get no troubles from this side," Wren insisted, giving the same look to his men.
"Now that we're done with touchy-feely time," Scarab said sarcastically, "let's get down to business. I don't believe for a minute that Major Krupkie gave any troops under her command permission to cross the border."
Fratz gave her a wry smile. "She did'na. She gave orders ta be draggin' you back ta base."
"We're not going that way."
Fratz eyed Scarab and decided he much preferred the woman he had gotten to know over the years to the cold hunter she used to be that sat before him now. He didn't fault her, but he knew it would be one hell of a bad trip trying to get her to see reason. "If'na army say you be goin' that way..."
"The army can piss off." Scarab dropped her plate and stood. "Come on," she told the warriors. They all jumped up with her.
"Hold on, now," Tenet said, jumping up.
"We are not going to Krupkie's base," Scarab said firmly.
"I'm not saying we are, but let's hear Fratz out."
Scarab's eyes flashed with anger and the muscle in her jaw twitched. Tenet knew she was close to blowing, but Fratz didn't come all the way for nothing. After a tense second she nodded her head. "I'm listening."
"Krupkie got the call from Ogden. She scrambled her men an' the board, they decide it be the kick in the ass they been waitin' for ta call up'na war."
Tenet frowned. "A war on who?"
"Southland."
Tenet turned to Scarab, but she looked just as confused as he was. He turned back to Fratz. "A war? I don't understand."
"Them tensions, they can only build for so long. It be comin' for ages, an' Krupkie an' the board, they see the time to fight."
It didn't make any sense. The Borderlands had no reason to want to go to war with Southland. "Because of my daughter?"
Fratz shook his head. "Not in the whole, but on paper, ya. Yer old pop there, he be dealin' up'na here for years. Every time we think we got'na good an' shut down, he finds himself another way in. We say, 'Just leave us be.' And he say, 'I want money.'" Fratz spread his hands wide. "So Krupkie, she had just about enough, and she holds this big meeting with some big muck mucks in the gover's offices down in Leonsburg."
"That must be what Jace meant," Scarab said.
Tenet felt his heart plummet. "So the meeting already happened?" His daughter wouldn't be there. It was a very long shot anyway, one he never put much hope in, but hearing Fratz's confirmation was still like a blow. For a fleeting moment, Scarab let her hand rest on his shoulder. Just one tiny comfort before she pulled away, but it was enough to keep him on track.
"Stenan," Fratz said to one of his men. "Gimme the com from Krupkie we got yesterday."
"Yes, sir." The young soldier dashed to his horse and removed a hand held com dock. He brought it over to Fratz and loaded the communication.
"Got this last night," Fratz explained. He handed over the device and Scarab read Krupkie's summation over Tenet's shoulder.
Leonsburg was a diversion. It has been determined that war is no longer avoidable. All borders will be closed. Retrieve the Lornes and bring them to Carlton STAT.
"No," Scarab said again.
Tenet handed the com back to Fratz, trying to wrap his head around it. "How can there be a war? People down there don't even know we exist!"
Fratz shook his head. "Then it be a quick war, eh?"
Scarab crouched down to get Tenet's attention. "Screw the war. We are going to keep riding in that direction," she pointed southeast, "until we reach our daughter."
"The borders, they be closed, manned with them big guns, missy."
Scarab turned to Fratz. "That won't stop me."
He didn't think it would. If anyone could run through a militarized zone, he fully believed it could be Scarab. But, he didn't want her to try. "I got me my orders ta bring ya ta Carlton, and that's what I gotta do."
Wren stood and reached for his bow. "You have no authority over the citizens of Ogden, soldier, and it is my duty to see my people safely on this mission." The other warriors stood and drew their bows, and within seconds Fratz's young troops jumped up and drew their guns.
"Are you threatening me, barbarian?" asked one of the soldiers.
"Private Octavio!" Fratz shouted jumping up. "That be enough!"
Tenet stood and turned to Wren. "Hey, let's calm down."
"He's right," Scarab said, nodding to Wren.
Tenet turned to Scarab with his eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"
Scarab moved to stand with the warriors. "You heard me. He's right. We're citizens of a septad. We don't fall under governmental rule."
Fratz spun around. "Listen here, desert bug. You live in Borderlands, ya? Then you be followin' the same rules I be followin'."
Wren's eyes burned with open hatred. "So I see once again your armed soldiers are ignoring a treaty..."
"We have every authority under article..."
"I said silence, Private!" Fratz bellowed at Octavio. Stenan raised his weapon, and Fratz could hear the creak of one of the warrior bows drawing tighter. He turned to Tenet. "Please, brother."
Tenet put his hands up. "Everyone, just calm down. Let's just talk this out."
Scarab scoffed. "Don't tell me you're thinking of going with them?"
Tenet felt a stab of pain at her tone of voice. "No!"
"You best rethink," muttered one of the soldiers.
"I mean," Tenet hurried to say, "that we at least need to hear him out and then weigh our options."
Scarab could not believe what she was hearing. "There is only one option," she said coldly. "One I thought you cared very much about. Maybe you're just like..." she bit her words off. They were said in anger and frustration and fear, and she honestly didn't mean them. They just slipped out before she could stop them.
Tenet dropped his hands, absolutely stunned by his wife's words. She didn't have to finish the thought to know what she meant. She meant he was like his father. "Is that what you really think?"
"You shouldn't have stopped for me," she blurted out. "You should have kept going for her."
Tenet shook his head. "And what would that do, huh? I can't run down a plane."
Fratz glared at his men until they dropped their weapons. He then turned to Scarab. "Missy, listen. Ain't no better a Da than Tenet and you're jus' all worked up. Don't be fightin' and tearin' yourselves ta pieces."
Scarab ignored the big man, her gaze never shifting from Tenet's. "You didn't even try."
Wren lowered his bow, feeling very bad for his friend. He had been with him, seen how driven he was, how hard he pushed himself to reach them in time. He had no doubt that Tenet spent the last two days tearing himself up inside over being too late to save them both. However, he also knew that Scarab was probably doing just as bad a number on herself. He would in her shoes. He nudged Takar and Lendyl and they let their bows point to th
e ground as well.
Tenet knew his wife. He knew how guilty she felt. He knew she was torturing herself because she felt so weak and powerless while he daughter was taken. He knew these things logically. But knowing them did not make the icy ache inside go away. "I didn't try? You really think I didn't try?"
Scarab squeezed her fist tight. She couldn't do this. She couldn't keep pushing and pushing like she used to and feel so much. It used to be so easy for her to shut off, to keep everything locked down. If she had stayed in that mode, Violet would be with them. If she had been able to remain the bounty hunter she used to be, then they wouldn't be in this situation. She let herself get soft over the years, and the self loathing she felt was nearly all-consuming over the last few days. She was useless and helpless and she hated herself for it.
Tenet watched the war in her eyes and sighed heavily, trying to tamp down his pain. He took another deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "When I discovered..." he choked up and had to swallow before starting again. "Violet told me she had met her grandfather. I should have listened to her, given her the chance to explain that she wasn't talking about Mordin. Instead, I went on one of my lectures and...as as result, she was taken. You were taken. It was the worst moment of my life, realizing what I had done." He refused to look away from Scarab's eyes. "I don't think a person can hate themselves any more than I do."
"Tenet," Scarab began.
"I didn't listen, and now my daughter is gone. I accept the similarities between my father and I."
"No," Fratz said firmly. "Don't be..."
"But," Tenet continued as if Fratz never spoke. "I am going to do everything in my power to get her back. Not because I hate her, not because she knows too much, but because I love her and will die without her. That's how I'm different from my father. I will get her back because I love her, just like I got you back because I love you!"
Before Scarab could respond, Tenet rushed on. "And then I am going to make sure my father will never be a problem again. If we need the help of the army to do this, then that is the path we will take. I am going to sit down and listen to Fratz, and then, yes, I will weigh our options. I'm not just going to run off without listening again because I've learned just how much worse that can be in the end."
By the time he was finished, Tenet was almost yelling, and Scarab had no idea what to say. She should apologize. She was sorry even before the words were out. She wasn't angry at him. It was her fault, not his. She should have seen to Bradwin's demise a long time ago. She shouldn't have let herself get soft and weak. She should have listened to Tenet when he wanted to keep walking Violet to school and back instead of letting her go with her friends. The list of "should haves" on her part was so much longer than Tenet's that it was ridiculous for him to take the blame.
But what could she say? "Sorry" had always choked in her throat. She could count the number of times she actually said the words out loud on one hand. She always apologized through actions. It was so much easier for her to do than it was for her to say. She had years and years of being alone, and while the six years with Tenet had opened her up in many ways, talking through feelings would never come easily, especially in front of other people. She just couldn't get past that wall. Instead of answering, she stepped forward and sat back down at the fire, hoping Tenet would be able to know what that meant.
Tenet stared at Scarab's back for a minute, before turning and dropping back in his seat. He looked at Fratz. "What is Krupkie offering?"
Scarab watched Fratz look between the two before he joined them. He explained his orders again, then took careful pains to detail all of the bonuses the army had to offer. "Weapons, men, tanks and planes and guns. You got yourselves a fine passel of warriors," he said, nodding to the Celtists who still stood guard behind the Lornes. "But one of them arrows won't do no good if'na run up against guns."
"We are excellent marksmen," Wren said defensively.
"And what you be markin' with?" Fratz asked, raising his eyebrow. He knew that Celtist warriors were a fierce lot, but they were very poorly equipped for the type of battle they'd find across the border. "I'm not puttin' ya down, but I don't see no gats up'na saddles of yours."
It was a damn good point, and one Scarab could not ignore. "We will buy weapons," she said.
"With them pretty brown eyes? Might get ya a handful of ammo, but..." Fratz spread his hands, letting the rest of the statement hang in the air.
"I have some tech that might be valuable."
"And where ya gonna sell it, missy? If'na ain't with me, you ain't gonna cross no border."
Scarab's jaw muscle twitched and she looked to Tenet for help. He refused to look her way. She couldn't blame him, but felt let down all the same. "Then take us. You said you were our friend."
Fratz frowned. "Oh no ya don't, ya sneaky little desert bug. Don't be twistin' it. I am the best friend you got right now if'na want a real chance at gettin' yer little flower back!"
"We're going with them," Tenet said quietly.
Scarab scoffed. "Just like that? We need to discuss this." Scarab asked with a frown.
Tenet turned to look at her. "We just did."
Scarab snorted. "You're always so quick to trust the army."
"Yep." He pointed his finger at her, completely fed up. "And you've already decided it's the only way we can really help Violet. You've already made up your mind, too, and the only reason you're still going on and on with the questions is because you don't want that to be the only way. Well tough shit, Scarab. We've had to put our lives in their hands before, and we have to now. You don't trust them, even after all these year, that's fine. I actually like that about you, that you stick to your guns. But I had hoped that you would have learned to trust me." He stood and started kicking dirt on the fire. "Pack up. We're rolling out."
Every other man around the fire was speechless. Those who knew Scarab honestly wondered if Tenet just signed a death warrant. Even the new soldiers who didn't know her personally had learned enough to realize Tenet might have just made a huge mistake with his wife. They all watched Tenet as he started packing up, and watched Scarab as she numbly stared after him, clearly trying to decide what to do.
"And us?" Wren asked tentatively.
Tenet made a motion around his head. "All of us. You swore to get my daughter back, let's do it."
"We can't ride with barbarians," Olaf hissed.
"You will ride with whoever I damn well say, Private!" Fratz said, deciding he liked this new bossy side of Tenet. He turned and looked at his soldiers. "What you be waitin' on? Get packed! Move out!"
Tenet was right. He was one hundred percent correct, as much as it galled Scarab. When had he taken the reins? She should be the one barking orders. She should be the one making decisions. She always had in the past and she suddenly felt at a loss. She numbly rose and helped pack up the dishes from the meal. In just a few minutes, the whole party was ready to mount and ride out. Fratz counted the horses on the Celtist side and called for a horse to be saddled for Scarab.
"I have a ride," she said curtly to Fratz and strode over to Tenet's horse. Without anything else said, she mounted and simply waited for him to get in position behind her.
Tenet stared up at his wife with a mix of anger, annoyance, and love. He wanted to have his own horse so he could distance himself and have a good long time alone to stew. And yet, part of him was afraid that she would take Fratz up on his offer and he'd be alone with his own thoughts. He hesitated only a moment before hooking his foot in the stirrup and taking his position in the saddle behind Scarab.
Scarab felt a flood of relief pour through her. "I always trust you," she said quietly.
Tenet reached around and grabbed the reins. "Yeah. Sure," he said. He knew that was her way of apologizing, but it wasn't enough. Not this time. Her words echoed his own self-reproach and hit far too close to home. He would let her ride with him, because he did love her and he did need her with him. And he would forgive her as he
always did. He would forgive and forget and move on. But he just couldn't shake it off when he was already feeling so miserable. Not yet.
Still, no matter how firm Tenet sounded when he made up his mind to go with Fratz to Carlton, changing course to ride away from his daughter ripped at him inside. Within a mile, Tenet needed to share the pain and fear with Scarab. He let his hand rest on her leg and moved forward, just enough to feel her solid heat, just enough to let them both be soothed by the familiar contact. Scarab leaned back into him slightly, thankful for the silent support. Everything in her screamed to turn around and keep going straight for their daughter, even though she knew they needed help. They had to go with Fratz because that was the best option. But that didn't make it any easier, and she actually felt comforted by the knowledge that Tenet was torn up about it, too.
"Be thinking of a plan B if Krupkie is a bust," Tenet said tightly.
"I already am," Scarab assured him.
Tenet's hand held her leg more firmly and Scarab knew in that moment that they would be all right. Fratz called for the pace to increase as soon as they turned on the field, and there was no time for talking. They rode hard through the day, silently hoping that they made the right call.