The Harvesting (20 page)

“
Ah, here we have more
newcomers. Welcome,” she said as she greeted us.

“
Now that’s what I’m
talking about,” Jeff whispered as Pastor Frank introduced
himself.

I noticed that the pastor had extended
his hand to the woman, but she had not taken it. Instead, she
simply nodded.

Ethel, Summer, and then Jeff rose to
introduce themselves. I could feel the eyes of the people of
Hamletville on me. They knew my concerns, and they wondered about
my next move.

“
Ahh, look at this,” she
said when she approached me. She looked me over.

Jamie and I had risen to meet
her.

“
It must have been so hard
for you out there, eh? So many weapons.”

I had gone to the party fully
equipped. The guns had become so familiar a part of my wardrobe I
had not thought to exclude them—especially in light of the fact
that I expected, well, anything at any moment.

“
What is your name?” she
asked me.

“
Layla,” I
replied.

She turned then and looked at Finn.
They exchanged a glance. Again, I heard a sort of strange murmuring
in my head just as I had the night Finn and Corbin had arrived in
Hamletville.

“
Layla,” she said,
considering, “Layla what?”

Lie, my instincts screamed.
Lie.

“
Layla
Campbell.”

I saw Jamie tense a little and prayed
Jeff would keep his mouth shut. No one said anything.

“
Well, Layla, you are safe
in my house. Leave your guns in your room. I don’t like them. There
is nothing to fear in this place. I’ll not see those guns again,”
she said. Then she spotted the shashka. “Now, I have not seen one
of those for many years. This is yours?”

“
Yeah, I found it in an
antique store. I think it’s a katana,” I replied.

I could feel Jamie’s eyes on
me.

She gave me a smug look. “That is
called shashka,” she said and then turned her attention to Jamie.
“And this must be your lover.”

“
I’m Jamie,” he told
her.

“
Ah, James,” she said and
looked him over. “Handsome,” she added.

She nodded to us and then headed to
the chairs set out in the front of the room. She took the tall,
ornately designed seat at the center.

“
Welcome, all of you, to
the HarpWind. I am called Rumor. This is my hotel. It is my wish
that you have all been brought here. We continue, every day, to
seek for more survivors of this terrible disease that has killed so
many. But here we are safe. We shall build a new future here.
Everyone please welcome the newcomers from—where was it,” she
asked, turning to Finn.

He whispered in her ear.

“
Ah, yes, from
Hamletville. So many survived there; they must be extraordinary
people. We welcome them and shall make them part of our family.
Tonight, I want you to eat your fill and feel relief. You are safe
now. You are home,” she said.

The crowd broke out into polite
applause.

With that, someone started playing a
cheerful tune on the grand piano.

“
When did we get married?”
Jamie whispered in my ear.

“
You don’t remember?” I
teased.

“
Well, I think I would
remember my wedding night at least,” he said and gave my knee a
squeeze. “A katana. Seriously?”

“
I liked
Kill Bill
, didn’t
you?”

Jamie laughed.

The crowd seemed to be enjoying
themselves. Everyone was eating and drinking wine. Many of the
Hamletville citizens looked relaxed, yet I noted some eyes were
carefully taking in the scene. Buddie leaned against the bar
watching every move our hosts made. I noticed that he had not eaten
or drunk either. Will had come to sit near Ethel and Summer, and
something in his posture seemed protective. Kiki’s dark eyes roved
the room suspiciously. On the other hand, Jeff had approached
Matilda. He was already half drunk. He was trying to offer her a
drink; he had a glass of some honey colored liquor in his hand he
tried to press at her. She looked at him like she was starting at
road-kill.

After awhile, Rumor and her blonde
companion rose and crossed the room. They were chatting in a Slavic
language when they passed us. I heard Rumor call the girl
Katya.

“
Have you taken out the
garbage?” Rumor asked.

“
No, not yet. There was
only one load, but Madala was there all night,” Katya, the blonde
woman, replied in the same language.

“
Ahh, well, I shall see
about it myself and decide. But get rid of the extra cloth,” Rumor
ordered.

Nodding affirmatively, the girl
followed behind. “And the bogatyrka?” Katya asked with a laugh as
she shot a glance back at me.

I pretended not to see.

Rumor joined her laughter. They turned
then and exited the room.

I did not hear her answer.

“
What is it?” Jamie
whispered.

I shook my head, uncertain.

“
Were they speaking
Russian?” he asked.

“
Some Slavic language,” I
replied.

“
That’s why you lied. What
were they talking about? She looked at you and said something,
bogat--?”

“
They said, ‘bogatyrka.’
It’s a very old term for a kind of female warrior.”

“
Layla Campbell, the
bogatyrka,” Jamie whispered.

I smiled wryly and wondered what Rumor
had answered. I noticed then that Jamie looked pensive.

“
What is it?” I
asked.

“
Ian.”

I nodded. “Let’s make one round then
go.”

As we circled the room, we found
almost everyone talking about one thing: Rumor. Her beauty was
remarkable and everyone seemed entranced. Jamie was checking in
with Mrs. Finch and Fred. I approached Buddie who was still propped
against the bar.

I stood beside him. His drink was
still untouched.

“
Not drinking?”

Buddie inhaled deeply then turned and
looked at me. “I brought my bow. I also brought several handguns
and as much ammo as I could fit into a gym bag.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

Buddie nodded his chin toward the far
side of the room where the piano sat.

I scanned the room. Jeff was still
working on Matilda. Ambrosio had joined them. After exchanging a
few words, Ambrosio and Matilda walked away from Jeff who now
looked angry. Jeff tossed back his drink and sauntered over to the
piano player. The piano was perched in the corner of the room near
the wall. When he neared the wall, I noticed Jeff’s reflection; the
wall on the far end of the room was mirrored. I could also see mine
and Buddie’s reflections at a distance. As well, I spotted Jamie
and the others. Then I saw it. Matilda and Ambrosio were crossing
the room toward the door. When I looked at the mirror, however, I
saw only shadows reflected there—dark, wispy shapes. I had seen
those shadows before.

I looked back at Buddie.

“
Now we wait,” he
said.

I nodded. “Now we wait.”

Jamie led me down a twisting hallway
of narrow corridors until we reached room 195. To our surprise,
Rumor, Katya, and an unknown man were leaning over Ian. They all
turned when we entered.

“
Ah, here is Ms. Katana,”
Rumor said with a condescending smile.

The man leaning over Ian stood up. He
turned and looked piercingly at us. His pale blue eyes were bulging
behind thick glasses; a stethoscope hung from his neck. The three
of them looked at us inquisitively.

“
He’s my brother,” Jamie
explained, motioning to Ian.

At the sound of Jamie’s voice, Ian
woke. “Jamie?” he called.

Jamie passed the others and took Ian’s
hand. Rumor sat down on the bed beside Ian. So close to her, I
could smell Rumor’s heavy perfume. She smelled as nice as she
looked.

“
How are you feeling?”
Jamie asked.

Ian looked confused. “Where is Dr.
Madala?”

“
It’s very late, Ian. He’s
gone to bed. I’m Dr. Rostov,” the man answered.

Ian looked at Katya and then at Rumor.
I could see his eyes widen as he took her in.

“
These are our hosts,” I
explained to Ian. I was leaning against the door frame.

“
Layla? Are you
there?”

“
Yes, I’m
here.”

“
You are Ian, eh?” Rumor
said, taking his hand. “Oh, so strong,” she added, stroking his
hand. “What is the matter here?” Rumor asked Dr. Rostov.

“
Cancer,” he
replied.

Rumor then caught sight of Ian’s
tattoo. “This is very unique. What does it mean?” she
asked.

Ian looked toward me.

I looked at the ground, tapping the
toe of my boot on the floor.

“
Ian?” Rumor asked
again.

He pulled his hand out from under his
blanket and traced the lines of the tattoo for her. “This symbol
represents a wolf,” he said, tracing the shape near his shoulder.
“And this shape is a doe,” he then explained, tracing the shape on
the lower part of the upper arm. “You see, they are entwined
together. And this,” he said, motioning toward the middle, “is a
symbol for eternity.”

“
Very romantic,” Rumor
said thoughtfully, “the wolf and the doe.”

Jamie looked at me. I could not meet
his gaze.

“
You will feel better
soon,” she told Ian and then rose.

I stepped aside, clearing the door for
her. She paused as she exited.

“
Sergi, how does it look?”
she asked the doctor in dialect. Her eyes were on Ian.

“
Bad,” he replied in the
same.

“
Fix it. I want this one,”
she said again in dialect.

“
Da,” he replied, nodding
affirmatively.

She turned and looked at me. Her eyes
held mine. She smiled softly, one corner of her mouth pulling into
a sardonic little grin, then walked away, Katya following her. Her
perfume hung in the air long after she had gone.

Chapter 26

On the way back to our room, we
stopped to check in on Frenchie.

“
You were right, Layla,”
she whispered once we were inside.

“
What happened?” I scanned
the room. The girls were lying in bed, but they were not yet
sleeping. They looked exhausted and scared.

She shook her head. “Nothing, but
every eye here is on my children. There are no other kids here.
We’ve made a terrible mistake. We need to go back.”

“
Something tells me they
won’t be inclined to allow that,” Jamie told her.

Frenchie looked horrified.

I hugged her tightly and then sat down
on the bed beside the little girls. “Not sleeping?” I asked,
tucking them in.

They shook their heads.

“
Tell us a story, Layla,”
Kira said.

“
Layla is busy, honey,”
Frenchie said.

“
It’s okay,” I said, “I
know a good story. It is a very old story. My grandmother used to
tell it to me. Far, far away there is a city called Kiev. Once,
long ago, a Prince lived there; his name was Vladimir. The Prince
put a man named Stvar in jail. Stvar was a rash man who made hasty
decisions and talked too much. When his wife, a strong and wise
woman, a bogatyrka, named Vasilisa Nikulichna heard about it, she
knew she had to save the one she loved. She dressed like a man and
put on all of her weapons. Once she got to court, she told Prince
Vladimir she was a foreign prince, Vasily. She demanded his dearest
object, his daughter. The Prince did not realize Vasilisa was a
woman. He devised tests for her. He asked her to best his warriors
in strength. She fought hand-to-hand against the soldiers,
defeating them in turn. He tested her precision. She shot her small
bow longer and farther than the others. The Prince’s daughter
suspected Vasilisa was a woman so asked the Prince to invite
Vasilisa to steam in the bathhouse. Vasilisa, however, had wit. She
rushed inside the bathhouse, wet her head, and finished the bath
before the Prince arrived so he never saw her body. Thereafter the
Prince agreed to give his daughter in marriage. Later, at the
celebration, Vasilisa asked the Prince for a harp player, but the
only harp player he had was Stvar. The Prince released Stvar from
prison. Once Vasilisa’s husband was free, she revealed the true
identity. Ashamed, the Prince let the couple go free.”

By the time I had finished the tale,
the girls had gone to sleep. I scanned the room, finding the
mini-fridge. I rose from the side of the bed. As quietly as
possible, not wanting to wake the girls, I raided the
fridge.

“
That stuff is long dead,”
Frenchie whispered as I dug around inside.

I found what I was searching for:
salt. There was a small travel shaker hidden on the door. I popped
it open and dumped a line of salt in front of the door leading to
the hallway. Frenchie’s room also had a sliding glass door that led
to a balcony. I poured salt all along the entrance.