Chapter 13. Homecoming

“Well, that wheel is fucked,” Pod announced from behind, breaking her concentration. “We’ll have to get a new wagon for the return journey. That axle has a crack going right down the middle. We’ll be lucky if we even make it down these cliffs.”

“You can’t fix it?” Ramsey asked.

“Fix it? Lad, you’re not seein’ what I’m seein’. Get down here and have a closer look.”

Ramsey kneeled to look, then bit his lip and sucked air between his teeth when he saw it.

“Exactly,” Pod seemed to appreciate the reaction. “If we hit any serious bumps in the road, that shaft is gonna’ bust to pieces like we made it out of kindling and horse paste.”

“We’ll have to take it very slow ‘til we get inside the city,” Ramsey said.

“With any luck, they’ll oblige us with a new carriage to make our way back to the North.”

“You aren’t staying?” Manie whipped back. “I thought you were our drivers?”

“This is a one-way journey, little miss,” Ramsey told her. “We aren’t meant to return unless Jared orders us to.”

“But…what if we need to leave? Quickly?”

Ramsey raised his hands and looked at Pod. “I suppose we could stick around for a few days if she feels it’s necessary.”

“Absolutely not,” Pod said, waving an arm. “I’m no fucking soldier. If these boys decide to get frisky, I’ll be up shit river without an oar. You can stay if you want, but I’m going back as soon as we make our delivery.”

The old familiar sting bit Manie in the back of the throat. “This is more than just a delivery. We’ve come to find a cure to the Gray Death.”

“And I don’t doubt that you’ll succeed for half a second, Manie, but I’m still not staying. Now, load up.” Pod slapped the wagon. “Let’s get going before these clouds start to piss down on us.”

Manie shook her head, anger burning through her veins. “What are we doing here?”

Shawn came up beside her and grabbed her shoulder. “We’re here to save Talmoria...”

“Right, for a moment I almost forgot I wasn’t just a package to be delivered.”

Pod’s eyebrows squished together like they were trying to shake hands.

“Ever since I was a child," Manie said. "I’ve been sacrificing my life to do the right thing. Listen to yourself. I’m just glad Jarod isn’t here to hear this.”

Ramsey looked at Pod and frowned.

“You’ve got a mound on your plate, that’s certain,” Pod said, waving his arm. “I know your story, Manie. You’ve got stones coming back here, girl–and I mean that as a compliment.” He reached out and slapped her behind the shoulder. “But don’t lose your head. Let that anger boil inside you for too long and it's bound to steam over. We need that head of yours to be as sharp as a needle if we’re going to drag ourselves out of this bloody nightmare.”

Manie allowed her brow to soften as she absorbed the bitter advice.

“Now get in the damn wagon. It's time to go.”

Immediately her frustration returned. Manie shook away the words of wisdom like a swarm of bothersome flies. “As you wish.” She climbed into the wagon and sat on the furs as Ramsey and Pod mounted the front. The closeness of the cloth walls made her feel dizzy.

Shawn climbed in and sat beside her. Pod snapped the reigns and the wagon rolled again, rumbling as the broken wheel turned. Shawn pulled handcuffs out of his coat pocket and set them in his lap. The sight made Manie’s heart throb in her chest.

“Now comes the fun part,” Shawn said, looking into Manie’s eyes.

“I’m really having a hard time with this. I’m beginning to doubt this is a good idea.”

“Oh, it’s definitely not a good idea,” Shawn told her. “But what else are we going to do?” He played with the handcuffs, bouncing them together and stretching the chain. “It’s not too late to turn back, though. We can just go back to the North and tell Jarod to send someone else.”

“Who?” Manie asked, the question as painful as a knife between her ribs.

Shawn shook his head. “Yeah... I guess no one…”

Manie shoved out her wrists. “Just get it over with.”

Shawn closed the wrist cuffs around Manie’s arms and squeezed them until they snapped shut. Manie had to bite her lip to keep from crying. It all felt so unfair. “I can’t believe I’m really doing this. The last time I was here, I asked myself if I would ever see this place again, and back then, it seemed like I wouldn’t.”

“You aren’t alone this time,” Shawn said, taking her hands.

Manie felt her eyes grow hot as a tear escaped and fell down her cheek. “I guess I’m not...” The red and blue of their eyes mingled into one purple glow that danced across the cloth walls of the wagon, shimmering through Manie’s tears.

“Before we go down there,” Shawn said, staring into Manie’s eyes. “I need you to do something for me. I never thought I’d say this to anyone, but you have to promise me, Manie, that no matter what happens to me, you have to keep yourself safe in there. Your life is more important than mine, by a lot.” He squeezed her hands. “I can’t live in this world without you. I don’t want to.”

Manie had to bite her lip to hold back the tears. “And you mean everything to me,” she whispered back. “Which is why I can’t make that promise.”

“Manie, you have to promise, please. I can’t go in there knowing something bad might happen to you.”

“A promise isn’t going to save us, Shawn.”

“It might,” he said back, looking into her eyes.

“Okay,” Manie said, showing a false smile. “I promise.” Though inside she knew she could never hold true to those words. She’d taken enough from Shawn. If giving her life meant keeping him from losing him, she knew she’d offer it in an instant.

Shawn brought up Manie’s wrists and kissed her hands. “Thank you.”

“We’ll be okay,” Manie said. “We’ll find my mother’s lab, get the cure, and leave this horrible place forever.” Manie felt her breath steady as her heartbeat slowed.

The wagon snaked down the hill at the pace of cold honey, and Denengear grew closer and closer over the rocks behind the cloth. Whenever she looked at the city, she felt her heartbeat grow faster. The anxiety was like acid in her veins. “Don’t lose your head,” Manie whispered to herself. “You’ve been through worse.”

Within an hour they’d arrived at the Rims, and the city now loomed over them like a maze of titanic headstones encircled within an iron and stone fence, the Teeth of the Earth rising behind them like the open jaws of a Renjin. The rain was falling now, mist peppering the mud and gravel around their wagon and boring little rivers, melting what little snow remained. Manie and Shawn sat in silence, watching the world bounce by through cracks in the cloth hood of the wagon.

Manie felt safe in here, hidden among the cargo and supplies, just her and Shawn. She almost wished the journey south could have lasted forever. If only there was a Crystal somewhere out there that could grant her the power to stop time so she could just exist in this moment forever, in this calm before the storm.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Manie turned back and looked through the front, beneath the driver’s bench. Most of the towers in Denengear held darkness behind their windows, lit only from outside and below by dozens of torches and braziers burning among the city streets. A stone and metal fence guarded the perimeter, different from the one Manie remembered from her childhood. It was taller, broader, and reinforced with stone and clay.

Many people were in the city, both inside and out, hovering around shops and stalls along the road to the front gates like crocodiles stalking a swamp, some trading gold for leather pouches or sharpening swords, others smoking pipes and drinking ale while they played games with crude wooden pegs and knives. The people along the road watched Pod’s wagon approach with hungry eyes, whispering, muttering, planning. Guards were present here, Shawn saw, but too few to control a crowd of this size. Some seemed part of the Royal Army, while others did not.

As the wagon groaned and bounced up to the front gates then lurched to a halt, a group of four soldiers approached the wagon from both sides of the road and raised their arms to calm the horses.

“Woah now,” Pod said as he pulled back the reins. “Easy there.” He let out a throaty cough, then cleared his throat and spat. “Hello, fine gentleman. How are you lot holding out on this dark and stormy night?”

The sound of voices around the wagon made Manie’s stomach tighten. A tall man with black hair and no helmet stared at Pod from beside the horses as rain and sweat dripped down his face. He fixed his eyes on Ramsey for a long moment, then turned his attention back on Pod. “Is there something you need here, old man? You look lost.”

Pod guffawed at the response. “Well yes, and no. First things first, introductions should be in line. My name’s Pod. This gentle fellow here beside me is my traveling partner Ramsey. We’ve had quite the struggle getting here. We come from the North, behind the Broken Beacons, just outside a little port town called Blue Gulls Folly. We’ve faced bandits, disease, horrid weather, wolves and–

“Get to the point old man,” The tall man said, impatient.

Pod coughed and rolled a grumble over his words. “Well-well we come bearing mighty gifts is the tip of the spear, I suppose. I’ve got a prisoner back there: a girl with a hefty bounty on her neck. The one who captured her is back there with her, and well, he would like to collect his reward. Twenty-five thousand gold pieces is what I believe she’s worth if my memory is still as sticky as it once was.”

“Is that so,” the tall man asked, sounding slightly more enthused but no less hostile. “Just twenty-five thousand gold pieces is all you want?” He looked back at the armed men and women behind him and smiled. A few chuckled, but their enjoyment didn’t last long. The tall man turned back to Pod. “She’s in the back?”

“Well, yes–cuffed and under armed guard but–well, you see–.”

“I hear you, old man. Twenty-five-thousand gold pieces.” The tall man turned back to the soldiers who were with him and said, “Get her out of the wagon.”

The armed guards flooded in and hustled towards the back.

“Now, wait just a minute, sir. That's King Dukemot's daughter back there, and I was tasked with delivering her to the king directly. I’ve got obligations to see the job done right.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” the tall man said.

“Well, can your boys take a look at my wagon at the least? My axle is hangin’ on by a splinter’s arse hair, and the back right wheel is badly damaged along with it. I’m afraid I won’t make it north without repairs–or perhaps if you’ve got a fresh wagon I can commandeer for the journey…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll sort you out.”

Manie heard boots come up to the back of the wagon. The cloth flap tore away, letting in a wave of cold mist. “Is that really her?” someone whispered. “Her hair looks different.” Another added, “So she isn’t dead after all...”

Manie felt their eyes crawling all over her like maggots on rotten meat. This was a different kind of fame than what she’d encountered in the North. But still, she was no less an object here than she was there. A vessel of god-like power. A currency in some sort of strange transaction of fate. An item with no true free will of its own.

The tall man came around and looked into the back of the wagon, staring into Manie’s eyes, his fierce expression softening into a hint of disbelief the moment he saw her. “Hello, Manie.”

For an instant, Manie failed to recognize him, but once her sight adjusted, and she saw the man’s eyes, it became obvious who he was. “Markus?” she asked. The sight of his face was like witnessing time turn backward. A burst of hope exploded inside her heart as she realized he was no different looking than the man who’d thrown her sister aside that day in the forest seventy years ago. The blood flashed before her eyes, and Manie saw her sister’s face. If Markus hadn’t aged, that could mean her father hadn’t either…

“I’m glad to see you’re alright,” Markus said. “Your father will be happy to see you as well.”

Tears stung Manie’s eyes, and she had to swallow to bring her voice back to life. “My father… He’s really alive?” It was overwhelming to believe.

Markus nodded. “He is. He’s been trying to find you for a very long time, Manie.”

She had endless questions, but her tongue couldn’t find a single one. All she could do was try to keep herself from losing consciousness. Seven decades later, and her father was still breathing. It didn’t seem possible, like she’d found herself in some long-forgotten dream. “He’s not angry at me for what I did?”

“Not at all,” Markus said back, almost sounding surprised himself. He climbed up into the back of the wagon and reached out. “Come with me. I’ll take you to him.”

Manie looked at Shawn, who seemed as stunned as she was. “She’s my prisoner, I’ll take her to King Dukemot.”

“Keep quiet,” Markus said. “You’re coming, too.”

Shawn flicked his eyes to Manie as she raised up her wrists to Markus. She let him grab her arms and lead her down out of the wagon. A woman came over with a canvas parasol almost before even a single drop had touched Manie’s shoulders. No one gave Shawn any help. When he emerged from the wagon, Markus approached with one hand on his sword’s hilt and the other flat and open in front of him. “Key.”

Shawn looked around at all the guards, then back to Markus. Manie could tell what he was thinking without even hearing him say it: this is not part of the plan.

Shawn dug into his pocket and brought out the key, slapping the iron teeth into Markus’s hand. “Don’t forget about my gold. I didn’t come all this way to go back empty-handed.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get what’s coming to you,” Markus said as he went back to Manie and unlocked her cuffs, letting them drop onto the muddy road. He flicked the key off into a stone ditch where a little stream was trickling through moss and green slime. The water carried the key into a metal drain and swallowed it, and the key clanged and clattered, bouncing all the way down into the depths beneath Denengear. “Better now?”

“Better,” Manie said, rubbing her wrists as if the cuffs had been on her for a very long time. Marcus tried to hide a smile as he shook his head and put a hand behind her shoulder. “Come on, Manie. Let’s get you back home.” He went up the road, urging Manie to follow; and she played along perfectly, as if this had been the welcome home she had expected all along. Even Shawn was surprising her with his devotion to his role. Shawn quickly closed the distance and stuck close to Manie’s back.

“What about us,” Pod complained from behind on the wagon. “I gotta get this axle fixed. That wheel isn’t gonna repair itself.”

Markus glared back at Pod and Ramsey. “Of course. Head around to the lower gates on the North side of the city. There’s a repair shop by the river. Leo, go with them. Make sure those two are taken care of.”

A man jumped on the side of the wagon and wrapped his elbow through the iron handle on the driver’s seat, smiling up at Pod. Pod looked down at the man, then back to Markus, bearing an odd look in his eyes. Ramsey soon looked the same. They looked like animal’s who’d just been caught in a snare.

“Oh, I see,” Pod said, nodding in understanding. “Thank you for your help, sir. You are most kind. I hope that one day someone returns the generosity you showed to us in turn.”

Half a smile curved up Markus’s face. “I’m sure you do.”

Pod tipped his brow, then looked at Manie. “Now you be safe in there, little princess. Remember, a lot depends on you. A lot of gold!” He smiled at her and Shawn, then chuckled. “You just remember what I told you, and everything will be alright. It’s been a real honor to travel with you. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” Pod tipped his head again. “And give your father a nod from old Pod and Ramsey when you see him!” He elbowed Ramsey and laughed, making Ramsey smile, but his eyes stayed sharp and on edge. “Farewell to you both,” Pod said with a wave. “May the future be bright for us all.”

And with that, he snapped the reins, and the horses began to turn, circling off into the darkness away from the main gates. One of the guards jumped into the back of the wagon and held up the furs Manie and Shawn had slept under. He inspected them like a prize.

“Farewell,” Manie said back with a whisper.

“They’ll be fine,” Markus said down to her. “They’ll fix his wagon and send him on his way north before the rain stops.”

The words didn’t inspire confidence. But there was nothing she or Shawn could do now. She could only hope that Ramsey’s sword was sharpened and leave the rest to fate.

“Dinner’s waiting inside,” Markus said. “We’ve got a feast lined up to welcome you home.”

“You knew I was coming?” Manie asked, biting her tongue. “I mean to say, you knew they were bringing me?” Silvan didn’t… He wouldn’t.

“Yes, we knew,” Markus said. “You were spotted in Market Town. Word travels fast in a dying kingdom. We didn’t know the exact moment you’d arrive, but we knew you’d be coming. Especially with a bounty like that on your shoulders. Isn’t that right, Shawn?”

“Sure, I guess,” Shawn replied. “How do you know my name?”

“Like I said, word travels fast... You know, one of the rules of that bounty poster required no aid be given to the outlaw, elsewise the rule breaker would be hanged by the neck until dead.”

Shawn stopped in place, and Markus did the same when he realized Shawn had stopped following. Soon all the guards came to a halt, and Manie stumbled to keep from falling into the next person. The entire group turned to look at Shawn.

“Don’t worry, though,” Markus said. “I’m not going to hang you. It’s been seven decades since that poster was made.”

Shawn grabbed his collar and tugged it away from his chest. “Good one, guys. Really had me going there.”

Markus smiled, then turned away and continued walking, and all the guards did, too, herding Manie along like a crowd of shepherds.

“But the king might,” Markus said to finish.