Awaken (37 page)

“
I take it you have not
imparted to them...to the girl, how their miraculous escape came to
be then?” he says shakily to Lily but he’s still looking guardedly
at me.

She bows her head. “My apologies
Tater...in all the excitement I am afraid I have forgotten to tell
them who their savior was.”

What were they talking about? I look at
Jax who seems just as confused as I am.

“
Do you two know each
other?” Jax asks.

“
Only as of yesterday.” Lily
is the one to answer. Tater by now is, I’m assuming, realizing how
much of a close call he had just had and was making his way to the
nearest chair on wobbly legs.

“
Imagine my shock and dismay
when this gentleman shows up on my doorstep yesterday with
information of your capture. I had no idea you were so close. When
Po lost track of you after your escape from the raiders we had been
searching high and low for you. But it was like you had all
disappeared from the face of the earth. Po couldn’t sense you at
all.”

Tater had come to Lily?

“
But you said you didn’t
know Lily. You lied to us ‘bout that too?” I say crossly ‘cause I’m
still very angry at him.

“
I did not.” The half man
answers haughtily, picking up the cloth Lily had wrapped my finger
in earlier and holding it at his neck. “I did not know of your
Lily, persay but I did know of sanctuary. You had told me Lily was
a healer, I just put two and two together. Imagine my surprise when
this lovely lady here had already heard of me and my association
with you from the mutie. And my even greater surprise at learning
she was the brains behind the much rumored rebellion.”

“
But you turned us over to
the army.” I’m glad Jax is questioning all this ‘cause I still
cain’t wrap my head ‘round what they are saying. “Why would you
turn us in then get us rescued?”

“
Ah yes, well that move was
born out of necessity I’m afraid. We were surrounded, captured,
with no chance of escape. If I had not done what I did we would all
be on our way to Skytown right now, under the watchful eyes of the
Prezedants elite guard. I saw a chance for one of us to be free and
I made my choice. Luckily for us all, it worked.”

Lily picks up the story. “Tater
informed us of your capture and of the location where you were
being kept. If it wasn’t for him we would have never known to
rescue you.”

“
You are quite welcome by
the way,” he says sarcastically as he dabs at his bleeding
neck.

“
However, my reward for my
heroism has definitely been a disappointment, I must
say.”

He keeps dabbing at his neck and
staring daggers at me like I was the one who had done the
betraying.

“
I knew it! I knew you
wouldn’t betray us Tater!” Finn says, grinning from ear to
ear.

“
Tara, Tater saved us! Ain’t
you glad you didn’t kill him?”

“
I ain’t decided yet,” I
say, torn between what I was hearing and the hurt I’d been carrying
round since yesterday. I keep staring at him, still not convinced
of his innocence. Yesterday, at our capture, he had been so
cold....so callous. Had he just been pretending that or was that
really his true colors?

“
Why did you help us?” I
say. “You ain’t got no loyalty to us. You could have taken your
reward and walked away....washed your hands of us. Why did you come
here looking for Lily?”

He sighs and drops the cloth back on
the table. He stays quiet for a bit like he don’t have an answer
for me, but then finally...

“
To be quite honest, I’m not
sure myself. The reward was indeed enticing. Riches like
that...they can indubitably turn a man’s head. Maybe I’m just as
crazy as those poor wretches we left back in the dead city but....I
think there is hope yet.” His voice is tinged with disbelief, like
he cain’t believe he’s actually saying these words.

“
I think that maybe you are
the one they’ve all been waiting for and that these dark days will
indeed come to an end. Maybe it’s just the wishful thinking of an
old man who’s soon to meet his gods, but I think I have regained my
faith.”

Whatever I was expecting to hear Tater
say it surely wasn’t that. Was he being truthful? Or was this just
another act?

“
Well I hate to disappoint
you old man but your faith is put in the wrong person,” I say.
“Ain’t nuthin I can do about the Prezedant. All I’m fixing on doing
is freeing Ben from the iron mines, finding my other kin and
getting the hell away from Littlepass and Skytown. Hell, I don’t
even wanna speak those two names ever again.”

I can tell Tater is genuinely surprised
by this. “Your young man, he is here.... in the iron mines? Are you
certain?”

“
Aye, we seen him while we
were being held there,” I say.

“
Well that is wonderful news
indeed! To find him alive and well, that has to be of
prophetic
significance,” Tater
says excitedly. “It is a good omen Tara. It is destiny telling you
that you are where you should be...in Littlepass with Lily and her
rebels.”

Did Tater get dropped on
his head since the last time we had seen him? Or had he been in the
ale already this morning?

“
What if we can
help you free your kin Tara?” Lily picks up on what Tater is
saying. “Would you be willing to listen to us then? To at least
listen to what we have planned, what we believe you can be capable
of?”

I know she is just
using Ben as bait for her own purposes, but at the thought of them
helping to free him...I cain
’t resist the
offer.

“
Can your
people do that? Can they help me get him out of there?” I say,
fearing to raise too much hope.

She nods
slightly.
“It will not be easy. Zoe
informs me that our ruse has worked and that our decoys seen
leaving the city walls were indeed believed to be the three of you,
but they will not be as easily fooled the second time around.
Security will be tightened...you will probably have to go into
hiding for quite a while...”

“
I don’t care!”
I say, cutting off her words. “I will do whatever it takes to free
Ben. I will listen to you ‘til I turn blue in the face if you help
me get him out of there!”

“
So be it. I
will send the word, gather our forces together. Develop a
plan.”

She waves her hand and Zoe
gives a curt little nod and quickly leaves the room.

I can feel my heart
fluttering with excitement. They were going to help me get Ben out
of that hell hole! I was going to see him soon...possibly tonight!
I can feel the smile spreading cross my face, I
cain
’t help it. I look up to find Finn
and Jax watching me and the smile drops right away. Shizen! I had
forgot about them. They cain’t be here when all this happens. They
cain’t be caught in the city with me....hiding with me and Ben.
They need to get out of here. I need to know they are somewhere
safe. I take a deep breath.

“
Jax, I am
gonna ask you for a great favour,” I say. “I need you to take Finn
and Cat with you when you leave today. Take them back to Grey
Valley....keep them safe. They won’t be no trouble to you. Cat is a
real good hunter...Finn too. They’ll earn their keep.”

I ignore Finns cry of
protest...I was expecting that. It is Jax who surprises
me.

“
I didn’t
realize I was going back to Grey Valley today,” he says calmly and
I look at him in confusion.

“
But we found
Lily...she’s gonna help me get Ben back...your job is done. Just
promise me you will keep Finn safe,” I say.

“
And what good
is my promise if I don’t keep it?” he says.

“
I don’t get
what you’re talking ‘bout...?” I say but he interrupts
me.

“
I promised you
I would help you free Ben...last night when you were too mule
headed to take the damn rope. I made a promise to you and I’m
aiming to keep it.”

“
But you don’t
have to,” I say slowly, like he was too dimwitted to understand.
“Lily and the others...they are going to help me. I just need you
to look after Finn. The two of you cain’t be here in the city when
this happens, it’s too dangerous.”

“
I ain’t going
nowhere!” says Finn and sits his butt down on a chair, arms folded
and staring me down all defiant like.

Oh gods...not now! I
think.

“
Look I know
you want to help but I cain’t have anything happen to you. The both
of you get out of the city while you still can. Don’t worry ‘bout
me, I’ll be fine with Lily’s people. We’ll be in and out of that
iron mine in a split second. They won’t know what hit ‘em.” I say
smiling at Finn, trying to assure him everything would be
okay.

“
Tara is
right,” Lily says and I nod, happy she’s agreeing with me. “You
should take the boy and leave. I will have one of my men take you
out the back way just to be safe. And if it’s Tara you are worried
about, have no fear. She will not be accompanying my people into
the mines...it is far too dangerous.”

“
What?” I ain’t
sure I heard her right.

“
My people will
do this without you. We cannot risk you being captured
again.”

I can only stare at her in
disbelief.

“
Dangerous? You
want me to go up against the Prezedant yet you call this
dangerous?”

“
You need
proper training...you are not ready for battle yet. My people know
what they are doing,” she says in her serene voice, but it
irritates me to no end.

“
Aye? And do
they know who to look for when they go in? What are they going to
do take the time to go round and ask every poor soul in there if
their name is Ben? “

“
She has a
point there,” Tater interjects, leaning over on his chair. He
quickly shuts up at her withering look.

“
I can go with
them,” Jax says and I groan in frustration. Not him too. Good gods
why are they all being so mule headed.

“
I saw him
yesterday...I know who to look for. And Tara gets to stay here out
of harm’s way.”

“
Well if Jax
gets to stay so do I!” Finn says stubbornly. “I can help
too.”

“
Stop it! All
of you! I will be the one to go and that’s that. Ain’t no use in
arguing. Jax, you take Finn and go back to Gray Valley...I thank
you but I don’t need your help no more.” My tone is firm. This
conversation was done and my decision was final.

“
Tara,” Lily’s
voice is composed and calm, like she was talking to an irate
young’un. “Think about what you are saying. My people, they can’t
be worried about protecting you from the army. If you wish Ben to
be free then you have to let them do their part. Jax is right, he
can go. He has seen Ben’s face, he knows who to look for. You would
just be a liability and endanger them all.”

Dammit! I know what
she
’s saying is making sense but I cain’t
stand the thought of not going. Of not being there to make sure it
all goes right and they get Ben out of there
safe.

“
Fine!” I say,
consenting angrily ‘cause I don’t like it...not one little bit. But
if it meant seeing Ben in front of me safe and sound, then I would
do whatever it takes.

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

Over the course of
the evening Lily
’s people had begun
showing up. Not all at once so as to draw attention but one or two,
spaced apart like they were just people coming to seek treatment
from the healer. I had to admit it was a real smart setup she had
going on to avoid suspicion. I was surprised to see what her little
band of rebels consisted of. There were men, women, young’uns not
even as old as me, even muties who had arrived faces covered with
wrappers so as not to be detected. But whether man woman or mutie,
everyone of them greets me warmly. Like they were all so happy to
see me. I ask Lily about their strange behaviour but she says it
ain’t strange at all. I was a new blood of the light, they were
honored to meet me. I don’t like it.

I am happy to see Po
in amongst them though, to see that he was alive and well after
having saved us. He greets me with hands on my forearms and I feel
that tingling again which Lily had informed me was a common
response between our kind. We were blood connected, she says. I
would get used to it, she says. She seemed to be
forge
tting that I ain’t sticking ‘round
long enough to get used to anything, but I don’t say
nuthin.

They gather at the
huge table we had had breakfast on earlier, so many of them that
there ain
’t even enough chairs for them
all to sit. I watch from off to the side, partially ‘cause I ain’t
sure how to be involved in hatching an escape plan but mostly
‘cause I cain’t stand to have them stare at me anymore. After
confirming with Zoe that there were indeed guards posted all around
Sanctuary to stop any unwelcome guests from walking in, Lily begins
talking in earnest. She does most of the talking...well her and one
other. He was a tall, sturdily built man with graying hair. He
wears a patch on his right eye....covering the eye but not the
jagged raised scar that runs from his eyebrow, down his cheek. I
find myself wondering who he is and what had happened to him. As if
he is suddenly aware of my scrutiny he looks up and catches my
gaze. I redden instantly, caught at staring at his wound but he
don’t take offence. He merely grins at me and winks his good eye
before he turns his attention back to the group. I find myself
liking him right away. I hear Lily call him Mack. The name is
fitting somehow.