Awaken (17 page)

“
She’ll be fine Finn,” I
whisper to the boy as we watch the raiders leave in search of Cat.
“She’s smart, and she will smell ‘em approaching well before they
can get anywhere near her.”

“
Tara is right Finn,” Tater
adds and Finn’s fearful gaze darts back and forth between us ‘til
finally he seems to accept our words as truth and settles back
uneasily against the tree trunk.

“
And no need to apologize my
dear.” This is directed to me I think, though he’s still looking at
Finn. “Maybe a little joviality and whimsy is what we all need at
the moment to keep our minds off of the severity of our situation.
As my dear mother would say we are indeed between a rock and a hard
place. But I have been in many strange predicaments during my years
of travel...sometimes the unexplainable happens when you least
expect it eh?”

As scared as the boy was for his beast
he cain’t contain his gasp of wonder as Tater’s tied hands deftly
reach for his head and seemingly pull a white feather out of his
ear. It truly surprises me that Tater seemed to care enough to try
and distract the boy from his fear.

“
How did you do that Tater?”
Finn says, mystified. Tater merely winks and whispers “Magic,” as
he tickles the boy’s chin with the feather, causing him to
giggle.

“
Well maybe you can use some
of that magic old man and get us out of here. Our time is running
short. Instead of a feather from the boy’s ear can you pull a knife
from thin air?”

The amount of talking coming out of our
moody companion surprises me. He ain’t said more than two words in
the past two days, and I expect Tater to be upset at his harsh
tone, but he merely sighs quietly.

“
Ah.... I’m sorry to say
that I cannot do,” and Jax just grunts at Tater’s answer. But his
words have unsettled me some.

“
What do you mean our time
is running short? What do you know that we don’t?” For the first
time since I have known him the light blue eyes look at me with
more than utter contempt and disgust. If I had to guess I would say
he looks more...defeated than anything.

“
We’re getting close to
coming out of the mountains. Closer to his lands. I would guess we
don’t have no more than a day...possibly two before the Army will
be here to collect us,” he says.

“
How do you know that?” I
question what he is saying.

“
I know this area....it’s on
route to my own village. Gray Valley is maybe only four, five days
ride north of here.”

This interests me some.

“
You came from a village? So
there are others...your family who know you’re missing? Will they
be searching for you then?” I feel a little hope at his words but
the flat look on his face destroys any expectations of a
rescue.

“
Nah..... no one’s gonna
come looking anytime soon. I don’t have no other family besides my
ma and she’s used to me disappearing for days at a time. I was on a
hunting trip, sometimes I can be gone for as much as two weeks
....she’s not gonna start worrying for a bit yet,” he
says.

We all fall quiet at this, Jax’s words
extinguishing any spark of hope for a rescue party. If we were
going to get away it was going to have to be of our own doing. And
we ain’t got nuthin remotely close to an escape plan. Frustrated
with myself and the whole situation I give a hard tug on the ropes
binding my hands and have to bite my lip to stop from crying out at
the pain it causes me.

How the hell had we ended up in this
situation! I think. How the hell had everything gone so wrong? Find
Lily in Littlepass...that was all I had to do, yet here we were.
Prisoners and on our way to see a madman. And Finn...he don’t
deserve to be involved in this! Why hadn’t I left him back where I
found him. At least he had been safe there. What was I thinking
dragging him into this mess? As if he could hear what I was
thinking he looks up at me and smiles that gap toothed grin of his
like he was trying to reassure me, and I feel the guilt envelope me
twofold. I’m almost glad for the distraction of our raider guards
as they bring us each a tin cup of hot broth, our only meal of the
day.

“
Broth again,” Finn mutters
in disgust as soon as the guards walk away, but it don’t stop him
from downing his broth hungrily, almost in one gulp and then start
licking the cup. I take a sip of my own, watching him try to get
every last drop, then pass him my cup.

“
Here, have mine....I’m not
hungry,” I say, lying through my teeth but his licking of the cup
and his obvious hunger bothers me some.

“
You sure?” he says with big
hopeful eyes and my grunted ‘aye’ is all it takes for him to
eagerly lap up mine as well.

“
What I wouldn’t give for my
ma’s wolfling stew right now,” Jax sighs wistfully as he tosses his
own empty cup aside. “Or a big platter of her sweet corn and boiled
snips.”

My stomach rumbles loudly at Jax’s
mention of his ma’s cooking and I snap at him irritably.

“
Really?” I say. “You
suddenly choose to talk to us and you talk ‘bout food to a bunch of
starving people? Were you dropped on your head as a baby or were
you just born stupid?”

His light blue eyes narrow angrily at
me and I’m sure Finn’s muffled snicker don’t help matters none, but
Tater intervenes smoothly and turns the conversation before he can
respond.

“
Gray Valley was it you said
Jax? That is where you are from? I have never been there in my
travels surprisingly. What is it like?”

At first I don’t think he is going to
answer Tater....his eyes are still regarding me with hot fury and I
almost look forward to his angry outburst. At least it would be
something to take my mind off of my stomach eating itself. But just
like that he dismisses me and turns to overlook the raider’s
campfire.

“
It was a good place to
live....once,” he says finally, quietly, almost to
himself.

“
And it is not anymore?”
Tater questions again. “Why is that?”

“
Why is any place not a good
place to live anymore,” Jax says in contempt. “It belongs to the
Prezedant now. What little we are able to grow or hunt, the
majority of it goes to him and his lot. Same as anywhere I guess.
We may not live in his strongholds but we are under his oppression
just the same.”

Finn, done his second cup of broth,
belches loudly and joins in on the conversation.

“
Is Gray Valley a big place
Jax? Is it as big as Littlepass? Tater says a multitod....a
multitad.....Tater says a lot of people live there, more then he
even knows. Is Gray Valley the same?”

I’m shocked to see the corner of his
mouth twitch in almost, but not quite, a smile.

“
No, not that many. There
are maybe a hundred or so. There were more but we had....an
incident a few years back and some of our people died....my pa
included.” Any trace of his earlier smile disappears almost
instantly at his own words and the steely eyes rake over me like it
was my fault. Why was he looking at me like that? What did I
do?

“
I’m real sorry about your
pa Jax....my pa died too…and so did my ma...” Finn says but trails
off, his voice quivering with emotion and, unbelievably, I think I
can see compassion in the sky blue eyes as he looks at the boy’s
downcast face. So he did possess a heart after all!

“
Everybody I ever knowed
died except Cat....but then Tara found us....and we found Tater.
And now we’re on a mission to find Tara’s kin.”

Jax turns away from the boy and gives
his usual scornful snort at this. So much for any compassion, any
chink in his shell I thought I had witnessed.

“
The only mission you all
are on right now is to survive the Army. And good luck with
that...I have never heard of anybody tangling with the Army and
living to tell the tale,” he says.

“
Aye then.... thanks for
that little tidbit Jax...we all needed to hear that,” I say, angry
at him again for the fear showing on Finn’s face at his words. Why
was he always such a mule turd?

“
I’m just speaking the
truth,” he grunts. “It’s not looking good for any of
us.”

“
Yes, well, as much as I
hate to admit it Tara, Jax is right,” Tater says. “We do have a bit
of a problem on our hands. We are indeed in a tight spot. I suggest
girl if you have any use of your powers what so ever this would be
the time to use them.”

“
You think I ain’t tried!” I
snap back at Tater, then clamp my lips shut as a couple of the
guards glance over at my heated words. Once they see we ain’t going
nowhere though they go back to their meal.

“
I got nuthin,” I say, a
little lower this time so as not to draw attention. We don’t need
them watching our every move.

“
A useless new blood...as if
there’s any other kind,” Jax mutters and the grunt of pain I get
from kicking him in the shin don’t give me near enough
satisfaction.

“
If you insist on being a
part of this conversation Jax then at least make your contribution
worthwhile.” Even Tater was vexed with his constant insulting me.
It somehow makes me feel better.

“
And as my dear mother would
suggest, ‘If you have nothing good to say then don’t say anything
at all.”

Jax rubs his shin and glares daggers at
me but as if he’s heeding Taters words he don’t say anything else.
I guess we all know where he stood on that wise saying.

We stay quiet for a bit, the gravity of
our situation enveloping us like some cold fog. Then, hesitantly,
quietly, I speak to Tater.

“
Do you think you all could
be wrong ‘bout me Tater? I don’t think I’m no new blood....I cain’t
bring forth no power, no...Chi. Maybe you all imagined what you
thought you saw. Maybe I was just so angry and that’s why I was so
strong. Being red hot mad can do that you know. Gra’da used to say
sometimes he was so mad he could chew nails. I think now I kind of
know what he meant...”

“
As much as I know you do
not wish to believe it child we all saw your incandescence.” Tater
interrupts me with a half smile, though I don’t believe he found
anything to be funny at all.

“
There is something special
about you, that much is undeniable. I wish I could give you more
answers but I’m afraid I do not know much else about
your...uniqueness. Stories of New Bloods, though once abundant,
have since been delegated to whispers in the wind. No one dares say
those words out loud for fear any of the Prezedant’s numerous spies
will overhear and then have the Army drag them off for questioning
never to be seen again. You, my dear, are truly a rare commodity.
The raider leader is quite right...you will indeed bring him a
fortune.”

“
Aye and our deaths along
with it most likely,” says Jax with such cold hatred I cringe from
his words. I want to lash out at him, to yell at him, to tell him
he is wrong, but his words scare me more than anything. If
something happened to Finn...to Tater...hell even to Jax ‘cause of
me, I would never be able to forgive myself...ever. I shake my head
incredulously, the reality of our situation crashing in on me like
some flash flood. How can any of this be happening...be real? All I
had wanted to do was find Ben! I didn’t ask for any of this other
stuff!

I pull my knees up and lay my head on
them, overwhelmed with hopelessness. I shut out the rest of ‘em...
and everything else around me. I don’t want to deal with it or with
them. I cain’t deal with any of it. I just want to be back in
Rivercross, in my bed, listening to gra’da snoring....feeling safe.
Maybe that’s where I really am, I think. Maybe I am in my bed and
this ain’t all nuthin but a bad dream. Trying to convince myself
that this was indeed truly what was happening I bash my head on my
knees...hard, in an attempt to wake myself up. Besides the shooting
pain I feel in my head, I also hear Finn’s gasp of “Tara!” and I
know it ain’t no dream. It was real all right...all of it. And
there wasn’t no way out of it... unless I created one. I had to
think of some way to get us out of this mess.

Shizen! The thought of it being up to
me...of me being the only hope of us getting out of here...well it
kinda makes me stomach sick. I cain’t even make corn biscuits
right! How was I ever going to save the four of us from the
Prezedant? I hope you were right gra’da when you said that the gods
will always provide, I think, ‘cause the way things are going right
now, I needed all the help I can get.

******************************************************************************

Day four of our capture is almost done
and we still ain’t any closer to any mastermind escape plan from
the raiders. All day, walking in the merciless heat, my mind had
been working overtime trying to come up with a plan...any sort of
plan, but I had nuthin! None of us say a word as we are tied and
bound again for another long night, but our guards are barely out
of earshot before Tater starts whispering urgently.

“
Bad news I am afraid my
dears. I overheard the colossal leader speaking with one of his men
earlier today. It looks like we have until possibly morning before
the Army will be here to collect us. It has, as my dear mother
would have said, come to the final countdown. We have but mere
hours to make our escape. Have any of you managed to concoct an
infallible plan to get us out of our current situation? Please, I
encourage you to lay any ideas on the table for
consideration.”