Chapter 29

Ash had worked herself into a fit of snarling and barking. Having seen some pretty nasty dogs, Mario was not all that scared of the she-wolf. Most of the time. Now, however, with her fangs bared and her haunches raised, ready to kill, Mario was uneasy. More than that, Mario was shocked at what he had just seen. More accurately, what he no longer was seeing. Just like that, Danny had disappeared.

He was now certain that this was a setup. Letting your guard down was the one cardinal sin Mario believed in— everything else was flexible— and he had committed it. Danny’s naive enthusiasm had lulled him into a false sense of security, and now he would pay for it. Once again, Mario prepared himself for an ambush. However, even he was taken aback when the disembodied head of Danny popped into view.

“This place is pretty nice. Come on!” It said.

Mario barely kept himself from blasting the talking head into cinders. As quick as it came it disappeared again. Apparently reassured, Ash ceased her growling and sniffed the air. She must have liked whatever she smelled because she walked straight into the brambles and, like Danny and the masked man, vanished. Danny’s pet fox bounded into the brambles after her.

Mario was now left by himself. He stared at the wall of thorns. Tepidly, he approached. The thorns had to each be as long as his index finger. They reminded him of needles, and not the kind that lead to fun times. Mario extended his hand and bracing himself for the pain. But it never came. Instead, his hand had disappeared, but he could clearly feel a distinct lack of sharp objects poking into his skin. He took a deep breath and forced himself into the thorns.

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The first, and most notable, thing was the sound. Construction. Hammering and sawing and various other sounds of industry rang in the clearing that had been disguised by the brambles. Dozens of people hurried about the place, carrying wood or other supplies. They conversed comfortably with each other as they worked. Recently chopped tree stumps indicated the effort the Scouts had taken to carve out this small piece of nature for themselves.

All of this resulted in the construction of treehouses. Some were merely platforms of hand-hewn planks. Others had a wall or two up, and a notable few were fully completed. They resembled something you might find in someone’s backyard, only bigger. Rope ladders hung from above to provide access.

Danny was taken aback by the progress they had made. The Tutorial had only been over for a few days, yet the Scouts were erecting permanent structures at a rapid pace.

“Damn,” Mario said. Sam snorted, but it was evident from the way he stood a little straighter that he took pride in what they were building. Ash reclaimed her place beside Danny, this time standing a little closer as if he might disappear again. Indy also pulled in. His hobbling had become much more subtle as time passed. If you hadn’t seen the way he moved before, you might even be tricked into thinking he was perfectly fine. Danny wasn’t.

Making a good impression on the Scouts was important. There was no chance that the four of them could survive if the full might of the Brotherhood descended upon them. That fact had been made clear from his brief encounter with Chris. Looking around at the Scouts, Danny wondered if they could turn the tables. The more he thought about it though, the more it troubled him.

“Why would anyone stay with the Brotherhood if they could live in a place like this?” Danny asked. To him, it seemed like a no-brainer. Sam breathed in like he was about to answer, but Mario spoke first.

“They don’t tell them.” Mario said. “Even I didn’t know it was like this. I’d always heard that the Scouts lived in trees, dirty and disgusting. We were told that even the worst among us lived better than the Scouts. Guess they got the living in trees part right.”

“We?” Sam snarled. Any goodwill left from Mario’s statement of awe was gone. “They? You act like you had no part in it, in the lies. But we know you, Walter.” Sam jabbed a finger toward him. “You were the one who started those rumors about us. So many we could have freed, but you couldn’t let that happen, could you?” A few of the workers nearby paused to listen.

“That was the info I had to work with! What was I supposed to do? From what my guys said, you weren’t going to survive a week! Should I have just sent those people to their deaths?” Mario fired back.

“Look around! Do we look dead to you? Certainly this is closer to living than being packed like sardines into filthy tents. We all know why the non-members are left on the outskirts of your camp: so they die first. A buffer. Don’t you dare act like you care about the lives of the people you ‘protect.’” It was clear that this conversation had struck a nerve for Sam. Each word was hurled at Mario. Danny was about to step in to deescalate when…

“You’re right. We didn— I didn’t care. But I can see that I was wrong now. That I had no idea what we could do if we banded together. The world I grew up in was harsh and violent, so that’s how I thought it would be now.” As he spoke his eyes were locked intently on the grass beneath his feet. “I was prepared for the worst. I was prepared to do the worst, if that’s what it took.” Mario paused. He raised his head and locked eyes with Sam. Then he turned his gaze to each of the workers that had slowly gathered, it had gone from a few to a handful, and said, “I’m sorry.”

A stunned silence ensued. “Pssht.” Sam retorted. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

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“I know,” Mario said quietly.

Sam seemed uncertain what to say next. So he said nothing. He simply jerked his head, indicating the direction they were heading next and led the way to the Scout camp proper.

As they walked through the camp, the occupants stopped and stared. Most did a double take upon seeing Mario. A few tossed out colorful epithets. Others smiled as Indy pranced around, begging for attention. The treehouses transitioned from works-in-progress to completed buildings. One of the completed treehouses stood out. It was larger than the others, more elaborate. A small railed terrace faced toward the center of the clearing. Upon the terrace was another masked individual. They were dressed in a green hooded poncho made from some sort of fabric.

“Maxwell!” Sam bellowed to the terrace. “Here is Danny, like you asked.” He called to mind a royal attendant, announcing the name and allegiance of the court’s guests. Danny wondered who had decided on all the pomp and circumstance. “And… Walter. From the Brotherhood.” Murmurs of disapproval and gasping pulled Danny’s attention to the crowd that had been gathering.

“Ex-Brotherhood.” Mario corrected. The crowd didn’t seem to care.

A hand shot up from the balcony. The crowd went silent. A dark ponytail tumbled out of the green hood with the movement. The style on the mask, Danny realized it looked familiar. Ash stoically bore the attention, but Indy shrunk behind Danny’s legs. At first, he had drunk it in, hopping around and enjoying the smiles as he passed the workers by. Now, he seemed overwhelmed.

“We meet again, Danny.” The woman overhead called down. “Why don’t you and your… associate climb on up. We have some things to discuss.” She turned her back to them and entered the treehouse. It seemed that it served as a dismissal for the workers as well. Each of them returned to their various tasks, leaving Danny and company standing awkwardly.

“That seemed overdramatic,” Mario muttered. Nevertheless, he followed along as Sam escorted them to the rope ladder. There were stone weights on the end to keep it from swinging wildly, but it was still a tricky climb. Even getting onto the ladder was a trial for Danny. Ash did not seem to like the idea of him climbing off to where she could not follow. Indy had no such qualms, having set off in chase of a fly that had flown too close. Danny was finally able to reassure Ash. He was the last one up the rope ladder.

Danny didn’t know what he was expecting, but the treehouse seemed empty. There wasn’t any furniture. No mattress or table. Or chairs. Just an empty central room. He did notice a doorway off to the side with a curtain of some kind providing privacy. The masked woman from the balcony walked forward to greet them. She pulled her hood off, revealing the long black ponytail that Danny had gotten a glimpse of before.

“I take it your rescue mission was successful?” She asked.

“Yeah. Well… kinda.” The ache of losing the Wyrmlings was still present. Not just an emotional ache either. While he did feel bad about basically leading them to their deaths, he was feeling physical effects as well. Everything felt a little muted. His head would occasionally throb if he moved too quickly. Danny felt exhausted. It was reminiscent of the day after an all-nighter playing video games with his friend, except the circumstances leading up to his suffering were much less enjoyable.

The masked woman, Maxwell, tilted her head in question, but did not probe. “I asked someone to monitor your stunt, and I have to say, well done. When we first met, I thought you were marching to your death.”

“You had me watched?” Danny asked.

“In an interested-in-a-future-partnership kind of way. Not a creepy-spying kind of way.”Danny did not feel very reassured. “I understand you have some sort of power over monsters, you have a couple of animal companions, and you launched a successful attack on the Brotherhood.” Maxwell continued, “What I don’t understand is how you ended up in the company of Chris’ right-hand man, potentially one of the worst offenders among the Brotherhood.”

Danny was a little worried that Mario might start something after that comment, especially after the bickering between him and Sam, but he held his tongue. “He was actually the first person I met,” Danny said. “After the Tutorial,” he quickly added. Danny then recounted the circumstances around their meeting. How he had abandoned the Brotherhood and was beaten for it. That night Mario was kidnapped and Danny was forced to flee to lick his wounds. Then the rescue mission, which brought them to the present day.

“You saw how they treated their people. They call them ‘civilians,’ or ‘civvys,’ and offer protection from the monsters. The only price is your pride and indentured servitude. Is that the kind of person you want to associate yourself with?” Maxwell had adopted that same dark tone that she had the last time the topic of the Brotherhood had come up. Even though he was pretty sure that there were no hidden soldiers ready to release an arrow if she gave the word like before, Danny was intimidated. Her hatred for the Brotherhood was evident.

This exact question had been needling Danny as well. It was clear that Mario wasn’t a “good guy.” He had been complicit in some bad stuff, even admitted he had done some of it himself, but he also had endured multiple beatings to leave that life behind. Danny had also heard something sincere in his voice when Sam had confronted him. He was pretty sure that something had been remorse. Everyone deserves a second chance… right?

“No.” Danny said. “But I don’t think Mario is that kind of guy anymore. Just look at him. He has been through a lot to try and separate himself from the Brotherhood. Maybe he has a lot to pay for, but isn’t the best way for him to redeem himself to help take the Brotherhood down?” Danny felt like he was on a roll now. “You said it yourself, he was the right-hand man. Surely someone like that will have valuable information.”

Maxwell stared straight ahead. Danny couldn’t glean much from her body language. Those masks were one hell of a negotiating technique. “What about the other people from your Tutorial?” She asked.

“What?” Danny was caught off guard by the change in topic.

“You said he was the first person you met after the Tutorial. I assume that means that you were not in the same Tutorial as we were. So, are there any other groups we should be aware of? Like the Brotherhood, or anyone that might ally with us?”

“No, I was— I’m the only one.”

Maxwell straightened when he said that. “Oh… I’m sorry.” She said. “Well, you have given me some things to think about. I’ll have Samuel here take you to a place you can sleep. I hope you don’t mind if we have someone keep watch. You know, just in case.”

“I guess that’s fine.” Danny was pretty sure it wasn’t a real question. He felt like she might have the wrong idea about his Tutorial, but she had already retreated behind the curtain entrance into the other room. He assumed that must be her bedroom, so Danny made extra sure not to try to look inside. That felt… creepy.

Ash and Indy waited for them below. Indy was his usual self. Hopping and jumping around in greeting. Ash was reserved, but the swishing of her tail gave away her true emotions. As Sam led them to where they would be spending the night, Danny couldn’t help but think one thing. Who names their daughter Maxwell?