Shadows of Glass (27 page)

And then his head flies back and I see Levi behind him. He grips the rover’s hair
in his hand and draws his knife across his throat. Blood flies in every direction
and I turn my head. Levi pulls the body off me and lowers him quietly onto the ground.
His body jerks a few times, but he is silent because Levi is thorough. The cut is
so deep that the rover is nearly decapitated.

Levi clamps his hand over my mouth as I try to backpedal away from the blood that
covers me. I look at him in shock, and he puts the hand that holds the knife to his
mouth with his finger extended over his lips to tell me to be quiet. I nod in agreement,
and he takes his hand from my mouth and pulls me to my feet. I swipe at the blood
on my face with my sleeve. I am trembling and Levi pulls me against his chest in a
bone-crushing hug. The buttons on his jacket gouge my skin, but I don’t care. I cling
to him in desperation. I know the rover would have shown no mercy. Levi saved me.

“You’re okay,” he murmurs against my hair.
Okay.
What a simple word for the fact that my life is still mine. He lets go a bit so that
I am not smashed against him, and I marvel at the fact that he can treat me with such
tenderness yet kill without mercy. My heart stops pounding in my ears, and around
me I hear the sounds of the forest as the creatures realize there is no longer a threat
among them. I hear Levi’s heart beating in unison with mine. He is a fascinating enigma
and I am suddenly aware of the fact that I am nearly naked against him. The thought
of his bare skin and the scars on his chest replace the horror of the previous moment.

“We still have work to do,” Levi says. “I need you to be with me, Wren.”

“I’m here.” My voice is strong, which surprises me. Levi releases me. His warm brown
eyes search my face and his pupils flare as he looks at the blood splattered on the
bare skin over my breasts and upon the fine silk of Zan’s camisole. With tender hands
he pulls my shirt together.

“The buttons are gone,” I say.

“I wish I could kill him again.” Levi pulls the shirttail from my pants and knots
it together. Then he pulls my jacket together. It fared better than the shirt as it
has a double row of buttons on the front. Levi’s hands are sure as he buttons me up.
“I should have made sure you weren’t splattered,” he says. “I hate to admit I wasn’t
quite thinking right when I saw him on you.”

“I’m just glad you came when you did,” I say. Levi nods in affirmation, but I can
tell that he’s thinking that he shouldn’t have brought me out here. “I knew what I
was getting into,” I say, answering his unspoken thoughts. “I would rather be here
doing something than sitting behind and worrying.”

Levi runs his hand through his hair. He picks up his knife that he dropped when he
hugged me and wipes it on the pant leg of the dead rover. He sees the other rover,
who must be dead, as he hasn’t moved from the spot where he dropped. Still he nudges
the body with his toe and then flips him over with his foot. The man’s face is purple
and his tongue hangs from his mouth. His eyes are wide open and stare up at the moon.
“I see you put your bow to good use,” he says.

“I’m thinking I should probably train with another weapon.” I’ve killed again. Levi
was right. When your life is at stake you are capable of anything. I am determined
not to have any regrets. Not over this or these men.

He grins at me. “I think you are probably right.” He gathers up his weapons. “Let’s
see about getting everyone out of here.”

I leave my bow as I follow him, but I do gather up the bundle of arrows. Just because
I am useless with it doesn’t mean everyone else is.

19

We station ourselves
behind the fallen log once more. “We should be able to cover them from here,” Levi
explains. “They can make their escape on the cycles, and we’ll shoot the rovers as
they expose themselves.”

“How will they know it’s us?” I ask.

“Easy.” His grin flashes and then he whistles loudly, a much different call than I’ve
ever heard before. Apparently it’s quite common for men from all walks to whistle
to each other as a signal. I shake my head at the thought and watch for Lyon’s reaction.
He turns immediately to where we sit and puts a hand over his mouth. Instead of whistling,
he emits a
caw-caw
sound. Levi answers with something else and Lyon, Pace, and Dr. Stewart put their
heads together. Lyon talks to the two remaining guards.

“They’ll have to leave one cycle behind,” Levi says. “It will take too much time to
right it.”

“With only two cycles that means someone will be left behind,” I realize.

“That’s what they are deciding now,” Levi informs me.

A chill runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the cool air making its way
beneath my jacket and torn shirt. As if he can read my mind, Levi adds, “It won’t
be Pace. It will be one of the guards. Whichever one is fastest.” He sounds so casual
about it that I look at him in surprise. “They knew what they were getting into when
they signed on with us,” he explains. “There are no guarantees with this job. None
of them has family but they do have a sense of adventure, which is required. Lyon
will not risk Pace as he invited him on the expedition.”

“You talk as if quite a few have died,” I say.

“It happens,” he shrugs. “I don’t mean to sound callous, it’s just the way it is.
We go into dangerous places where we are not always welcome. The ones who survive
retire with a lot of wealth, so they find it is worth it.”

I could not imagine living the type of life Levi just explained, but this new world
is full of many things that I never imagined.

“Do you think you can drive one of the cycles?” Levi asks. “Did you see how to start
it?”

“I was watching,” I said.

“Good. I need you to go back to the cycle and start it. Then wait for me. I will be
right behind them.”

“What are you going to do?”

Levi picks up one of his rifles. “I’m going to cover their escape,” he says. “Go now.”
He smiles encouragingly. “It will all be okay.”

I nod. I remember the importance of doing what he says, and I realize that time is
of the essence now, but I also have the feeling that he is protecting me. Perhaps
he does not think Lyon and Pace’s escape will go as easily as he wants me to think.

Shots ring out as I run down the incline and back up the other side. I am familiar
enough with them now to know the difference between the newer guns that the Hatfields
have and the older ones that the rovers carry. I hear the sounds of the steam cycles
starting and shouts ring out in the distance behind me. I am suddenly filled with
a sense of urgency, and I run harder and faster until I get to the cycle. The noise
behind me is loud: gunfire, the roar of the cycles, and the pops and cracks of the
forest. A loud squawk sounds above me, and I instinctively duck my head as a large
bird swoops a few inches over me. I run to the steam cycle and straddle it. I am suddenly
nervous. What if I can’t start it? I push the button on the bar, twist the handle,
and kick the pedal down hard. The cycle roars to life, and it surprises me that I
was able to do it so easily. I pull the lever next to the handle, but it doesn’t move.
Something won’t let it move. Something that I don’t know about. I look around, hoping
the answer is obvious, but I don’t see anything and I’m afraid to try the different
buttons and levers I see because I am afraid I’ll do more harm than good.

I hear the roar of another cycle and look behind me. One comes over the ridge, flying
in the air, before it lands hard on the ground. It’s Lyon with Dr. Stewart clinging
to his back. Another one comes right behind it and I realize its Pace. He sees me
and his eyes widen in surprise. One of Lyon’s security guards rides with him, and
I see a dark trail of blood on his back. Pace stops the cycle.

“GO! GO! GO!” Levi yells as he runs over the ridge. Pace isn’t happy, but he does
as he is told and the cycle roars away. “Move!” Levi yells at me. I slide back and
he jumps on. He does something with his foot and the cycle takes off. I grab onto
his waist. It’s hard for me to hold on as he has his rifles, his crossbow, and the
two knives on his back. I hear a noise behind me and realize the rovers are right
behind us. All I can do is hold on as the cycle jumps and bucks across the terrain.
I flinch, certain that a bullet will hit my back at any second, but thankfully none
does. Still I don’t relax until we leave the forest and come to the field we first
crossed. I see the tower from the ruins against the night sky along with Adam, Alcide
and two of Lyon’s men standing at the marker Levi left for them.

I tap Levi’s shoulder and point to the marker. He sees what I am looking at, nods,
and heads the cycle that way. Lyon and Pace see his intent and head in that direction
also. The cycles all pull to a stop and I slide off on trembling legs. Before I can
turn around, Pace grabs me to him in a shaky embrace.

“What happened? You’re covered with blood. Are you hurt?” He pulls away for a moment
to search my face.

“I’m not hurt. It’s not my blood.”

“Then whose is it?”

“A rover’s,” I say. “He was on…” I begin to explain but before I can, Pace whirls
and punches Levi in the jaw.

Levi staggers back a step. He puts his hand to his jaw, and I see the anger flare
in his eyes. He is still covered with weapons, and I’ve seen firsthand what he is
capable of. I jump in front of Pace before something else happens.

“What was that for?” Levi doesn’t yell, but his voice is loud enough that I cringe.

“For bringing her out here.” Pace does yell and crowds against me. I stand my ground.
“For exposing Wren to danger.”

“I chose to come,” I say. “And it is no different than the danger you were just in.”
I punctuate my statement with a finger jab to his chest.

“I for one am most glad you showed up when you did,” Dr. Stewart says. “Our situation
was most dire.”

“We lost another man,” Lyon says. “We lost Stone and Bradley.”

“Both good men,” one of the guards says. I should learn his name. I should learn all
their names since they are dying in their efforts to help us, but at the moment I
am so angry with Pace. Yet I am relieved that he isn’t hurt.

Meanwhile the man that rides with him is. He is trying to be strong, but he suddenly
slumps over on the cycle.

“We need to get back,” Lyon says as the two guards move to help him. “The going will
be slow but we should all pile up on the cycles. We don’t want to lose anyone else.”

I am confused for a moment. Who should I ride with? Pace or Levi? Pace answers the
question for me. He goes back to his cycle. The wounded man is propped up behind him
and another guard sits behind him, facing backward. Lyon, Dr. Stewart, and the remaining
guard do the same. Levi returns to our cycle, and I climb on behind. Adam and Alcide,
who have been quietly watching everything, jump on behind, both facing backward also.
The cycles move out slowly and carefully to the road that takes us back to the camp.
I cannot help but wonder what additional trouble will await us when we get there.

*   *   *

Finally the lights of the camp shine in the distance, like a beacon at the end of
one of our tunnels in the mines. The trip back took three times as long as the trip
out. The cycles move much more slowly because of their heavy loads, and there is no
conversation. I know Adam and Alcide are desperate to know what happened. I’ve put
that part behind me. I am more concerned about what will happen. I am worried over
our friends inside. Did Jon and Peter discover anything while we were gone? I use
those thoughts to distract me from my main concern over Pace and his reaction to the
blood on me. A part of me is thrilled that he reacted with such passion, while another
part of me feels aligned with Levi, who saved my life. Pace might argue that if I
had not have gone my life would not have been in danger. I refuse to believe there
is a difference between me going compared to Adam, James, or Alcide going. We are
all a part of this and we must all work together, using our best assets, whether they
be male or female, to survive.

A group waits to greet us in the circle of light around the Quest: Jane, Zan, James,
George, Rosalyn, Sally, Freddy, and Nancy. I see no sign of Jon or Peter, which means
they have not returned yet. Jane throws her arms around Lyon’s neck as soon as he
dismounts, while Zan waits to give her own relieved welcome. The injured guard is
carried into the Quest by his friends, and Jane and Dr. Stewart follow to tend to
his wound.

“Oh my goodness, are you hurt too?” Zan asks when she sees the blood on my face. Jonah
runs to me with an inquisitive meow and sniffs at my boots.

“No,” I reply wearily. “But I do need to wash up and change.” I follow Zan to her
room with Jonah trailing after me. Levi follows us to go to his room for the same
purpose. I did not speak to Pace before I left. Right now I am not certain of what
I should say to him. “Any news from Peter and Jon?” I ask.

“Nothing,” Zan replies. “It’s been a long evening for those of us left behind. But
it looks as if yours has been even longer.”

“Levi saved my life.” I look in the mirror in the washroom. Blood splatters my face
and neck. My eyes seem bigger in my face, especially with my hair pulled back. I take
off the goggles, which are also blood splattered, and remove my kerchief from around
my hair. I turn on the water and, with a cloth and a bit of Zan’s lovely scented soap,
wash my face. Jonah jumps onto the rim of the tub, then onto the sink and bats a paw
at the running water.

“Levi is good at that sort of thing,” Zan says matter of factly from her room. “But
there are those here who might argue that if you had not have gone, then your life
would not have been in danger.”

“Would you have stayed behind, given a choice and under these circumstances?” I unbutton
Zan’s jacket and work on the knot in the shirt. Zan walks in and sees what I’m doing.
A look of shock fills her face and then she shakes her head.