Near Faenella, Eganene

Thick clouds gathered above him, brought in by new, heavier currents from the south and west. They covered Wul, leaving her hidden within a clumpy shroud of grey and black. He checked twice, worried he’d misread the skies, but he wasn’t wrong. The wind had become sharper, stinging his nose and eyes.

Beneath him, the horse moved on, the air around her muzzle hazy in the low light. He counted his blessings, grateful that he found the animal. There was no way that he and the child would have been able to walk the whole way back.

Veri rode in front of him, and he wrapped his arms about her body. She was almost invisible, her little limbs hidden within his coat. Carl swayed in the saddle, the winds beating against his back like enormous frozen hands. There was no mercy in their touch. They did not care for the losses suffered nor how tired he was.

Long strands of pale hair darted around his face like eels. He had seen winds like these before. They came every few years, and he knew what they meant. Perhaps it was good news for him and his men, if the timing was right. He hugged the girl tightly, hoping they had enough time to make it back to the village and beneath Sally’s roof.

“It will be a big storm,” Veri murmured, her voice emerging from his coat. Carl felt her shift and held her steady on the saddle. They were still at least another hour away, possibly two. He could tell by the few twinkling spots of brightness that were visible down the mountainside. Carl watched them flicker.

“How do you know?” he asked her. It was usually only Hunters and farmers that could read the skies.

She snuggled against him, “I can smell it.”

Carl repressed a shudder.

“Veri,” he admonished. “You can’t talk like that. People, most people, wouldn’t like it.”

She sighed.

“You are not wrong, girl. That isn’t it. But, in town you have got to be careful, especially careful of what you say. We are going to stay with some of my friends until this storm blows itself out. You can’t be talking like that there, they won’t understand it. You hear me?”

“Mmm, hmm.”

“And no healing headaches or anything,” he chided, hearing the raw sound in his voice. “You are just a kid. That’s it. Just a kid.”

She nodded and fell back asleep, snoring softly against his chest. Her hot, little jets of breath warming his hands.

The horse was calm now, and Carl was able to hold the reins loosely. The beast had been terrified, snorting and lunging. What with the explosion and the fighting, he could certainly understand why. The beast was a farm animal, not a warhorse.

When Charlie’s basement exploded, the horse had tried to run back to town. It hadn’t gotten far. Snagged to a tree-limb by its bridle, it had been unable to get away. Long scratches marred its flanks, signs that the horse had fought to free itself.

Carl squinted into the darkening light. The wind whipped at him, raking his eyes with her cold fingers. Faenella couldn’t come soon enough. Shivering, he struggled to remain upright and awake. He was battered and bruised, pushed too far. The past few weeks had taken too much out of him and far too much from him.

More than just his body ached. His mind was filled with Veri’s explosion, his lost friends, and the men he had killed.

The horse swayed gently, and Carl’s eyes tracked the passage of trees and rocks, unconsciously searching for a place to sleep. The lumps of black and grey smeared into one another, each looking more and more inviting. He wasn’t foolish enough to actually stop, not now, but he couldn’t help himself from imagining lying down with a hot fire and a soft pack for a pillow.

He pinched himself harshly, the quick burst of pain helping him focus on the woods. This wasn’t the time to let his guard down. The six men at Charlie’s were only a small number of the guards who would pursue them. Malachi had split with him only a few miles from Charlie’s cottage. If they hadn’t already, the Dogs would find his tracks and head into Faenella.

Carl’s stomach twisted at the thought. Malachi and Sam would be keeping an eye on the area around Sally’s. Hopefully, they would also send some men to check the forest around town. There was no telling how many Dogs there were in the woods or how many had already made it to town. The thought was a sobering one.

He was exhausted beyond anything he had ever imagined, far past even the limb-deadening struggle of getting Charlie home. He hadn’t given himself time to rest or heal and his body was paying the cost. His overtaxed muscles seized periodically, his arms and legs quivering. The horse pranced beneath him every time his thigh twitched, but he couldn’t help himself.

Despite his caution, exhaustion took him.

He woke when the horse stopped, his eyes glassy and confused. There wasn’t time to look around. He had one arm around the girl, his other holding the reins.

Before he understood what was happening, gravity changed, and he was falling backward. Carl saw the flash of a face and realized there a man was pulling them from their mount. Carl hit the ground hard, cradling Veri. The snowy ground padded his fall.

He scrambled up, pushing the girl behind him. “Run, child. Run for the woods,” he whispered fiercely. His heart pounded, driving blood into his sleeping limbs.

Carl didn’t turn around to see if she complied, but pulled his sword from his scabbard. Crouched in a defensive posture, he assessed his attacker. Two different colored eyes glared back, one blue, one gold, and a terrible scar split his face in two. The man stood over him, almost close enough to strike.

“Jeremy,” he croaked, finding his balance.

The man laughed, flecks of foam landing on Carl’s jacket, “You remember me.” Sword arm extended, the tip wavered a foot in front of Carl’s chest.

Carl fingers twitched. Desperately, he resisted the urge to smack the man’s blade away. His own arm quivered lightly, the weight of his sword dragging it down.

“I…” Carl began, confusion making him slow to understand. Mentally, he berated himself for falling asleep. He knew better than this! “What are you doing here?” he managed.

Jeremy lashed out with the flat of his blade, catching Carl’s horse high on the rump. The animal reared, showing the whites of its eyes and dashed away, fear sending its hooves into a fury.

“What?” the scarred man asked, sarcasm bleeding through his words. “You thought that I wouldn’t come for you? You left me out there.””

“You followed me…” Carl stuttered, thinking furiously. Had those been his footprints around Charlie’s home? Had he been waiting for Carl to return?

The man ran a hand across the top of his bald head, “You left me.”

“I didn’t want to …” Carl began, edging to the left, his eyes on Jeremy’s sword.

A light snow began to fall, the dusting of white landing on the man’s shoulders. Jeremy didn’t notice. Anger twisted his face, “You left me bound!”

“That was not what...” Carl tried, taking a cautious step back, his sword in both his hands.

“Don’t bother,” Jeremy hissed, swiping at Carl’s face. “You killed my man and left me! Left me for the wolves!”

Carl stumbled backwards, his feet heavy beneath him. Righting himself, he kept his sword between them. Here on the forest path, the snow was decently compacted. It made for decent footing. However, Carl was exhausted, his arms already throbbing from holding the sword up. If it started snowing in earnest or if this fight lasted more than a few minutes, he didn’t think he’d stand much of a chance. “Listen to me, Jeremy. I didn’t…”

“What's that?” the bald man grumbled. “You didn’t think I’d survive? Didn’t think I’d make it out of the woods?”

Jeremy hadn’t just come back to kill him. The man could have finished him just as easily as he’d pulled him from his horse. The man wanted to talk to Carl as much as Carl needed him to keep talking. Whatever it took, he had to give Veri time to escape.

Jeremy’s sword jabbed towards Carl chest, “We had a deal.”

Carl shook his head, trying to put his thoughts together, to find something to calm the man down.

A thick blood vessel ran along the side of Jeremy’s skull. It stood out prominently on his hairless head, running directly to his temple, almost to the point where his ragged scar started. “I told you what you wanted to know, Carl. And you gave me your word.”

Carl realized he was losing the light, the clouds thickening above them so that Wul was no longer visible. He nodded slowly, trying to hear if the girl was at his back, “I…”

“You didn’t ask me where I was from,” Jeremy interrupted, pacing forward. “You didn’t care who I was.”

“I don’t under…”

“Is that not your job, Hunter?”

Carl inhaled deeply, confused at the man’s words. If he could keep him talking for a few more moments, perhaps he’d recover some of his strength.

“Where are you from?” he asked. The wind was kicking-up, snowflakes starting to fall upon them. It drove the temperature down by ten degrees. He wasn’t exactly sure where they were. He prayed that they were close enough to Faenella for Veri to make it back.

“I grew up here,” Jeremy said, the accusation flying off his tongue like a dart. “Perhaps not for long, but I was born in Faenella.”

Carl took a deep breath, trying to make his words as reasonable as possible. “I didn’t know. You were with Family. What was I supposed to think? I let you live.”

Jeremy spat, the wad of phlegm passing inches from Carl’s face. His burnished boots slid across the ground, the tops white now from the falling snow. “I’ve been living in the woods for years, Carl. Did you think you could leave me out there to die? Did you think that rope would hold me? That I would wait for the wolves?”

“What of those women?” Carl countered with his own question. “We saw them there. Heard their torture and their cries. How can you be part of that?”

Jeremy’s lips twitched. “You know I don’t have a choice. If you don’t do as they say, they kill you.”

“There is always a choice,” Carl disagreed.

Jeremy laughed, a harsh bark into the night. “You believe that?”

Carl frowned, “Yes.”

“Not everyone has had so much fortune. I have made decisions, done what was necessary to survive. You judged me harshly.” The man jabbed his sword at him, “You left me to die.”

Carl looked into Jeremy’s mismatched eyes, holding on to his resolve. He didn’t regret his choice.

“Where were you?” Jeremy yelled. “Where were you, when they took me?” The man’s hand shook, the point of the sword bouncing.

Carl thought they were the same age. How could he be responsible for Jeremy’s misfortunes? He shook his head.

“I was a child!” Jeremy said. One of the branches behind him snapped in the wind, the limb careening to the ground.

“I wasn’t a Hunter when…”

Jeremy spat on the ground. “Always an excuse. You hold me responsible for my actions as a guide, but you are absolved?”

“I let you live.”

The tip of Jeremy’s sword dipped an inch. “Is that what you tell yourself?”

“I’ve never met you before,” Carl argued, finding his voice over the increasing wind. “I moved to Faenella long after you’d already gone.” He needed find an opening, a chance for surprise. He wouldn’t survive a head on battle, not now.

“You are supposed to care for people around here, Carl.”

He took another deep breath trying to make his voice calm and soothing. “Jeremy. Please. I’m sorry. Let’s talk about this.”

“You want to talk? We could have talked in the woods. It was just the two of us there.”

“It is just the two of us, now!”

“No,” Jeremy growled, staring down his narrow nose. “You think I didn’t see that kid.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The man swung, and Carl dodged out of the way, fighting the rage he felt at the implied threat to Veri. The bald man didn’t pursue, only stared at Carl, the skin at his temple pulsing, his sword still pointed towards Carl’s chest.

The wind and snow was growing heavier now. No longer single flakes, the wind brought sheets of white every few moments.

Carl shook his head, stepping slowly to the side, “Jeremy, listen. There wasn’t time. I needed to get back to town. I had to help those women.” His own sword was pointed at the smaller man’s stomach, but his hand was trembling. Jeremy was thin, but he was healthy and angry and rested.

“You judged me harshly,” the man in black argued. “I was a guide. Nothing more.” Above him, the branches were creaking, the last leaves thrown to the wind as it began to howl.

“You were helping them,” Carl yelled over the noise. “Do you know what they do there? To those women and children? We heard their screams.”

“I didn’t have a choice! How would I know?”

“They are killing people,” Carl answered over the keening wind. “Torturing women and children. My job is to protect the innocent.”

“You believe that I deserve to die for guiding a man through the woods?” Jeremy asked, the timbre of his voice changing slightly. His sword point followed Carl’s slow movements.

“The men you work for…”

“Shut up!”

“You chose the wrong path.”

He regretted the words the instant they were out of his mouth.

Jeremy’s face closed. His eyebrow drew down towards his nose, making his face seem even more severe. His thin lips drew back in a snarl. The man’s voice rasped from his throat, “You left me Carl, after I told you what you needed to know.”

The snow was falling heavier now. Carl threw his free arm out to block the worst from his eyes. He couldn’t lose track of Jeremy, even one moment of weakness might be enough to finish him.

“I couldn’t bring you with me,” Carl said. “You work for the them. The same people that....”

The man’s eyes blazed, anger and pain warring for control.

Carl looked left and right searching for Veri, but he couldn’t see her. “I…” he tried, but didn’t really have an excuse. He had made a decision, left the man out in the woods to die. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t killed him outright.

He should have, he thought sadly. That would have been the smarter thing to do.

“You’re no Hunter!” Jeremy yelled again, bringing Carl back. Blood rushed to the man’s face, turning it purple in the night, the white line of his scar cutting its way across his cheek.

Carl let his vision blur, unfocusing his gaze, searching for something that could help him. He hoped the girl was long gone. The last thing she needed was to watch another man die tonight. Especially, if that man was him.

Jeremy took a step closer. Another tree limb struck the ground. It had been dead, a hallowed piece of wood still attached to the tree. It broke on impact, the dark chunks of rotted wood peppering the snowy path.

Carl open his mouth to speak, but closed it, letting his gaze drop. Beneath his lashes, his eyes were glued to Jeremy’s blade.

“You’re a liar!”

On the final word, Carl lunged, slamming his shoulder into the smaller man’s body, his sword arm blocking his opponent’s blade. Jeremy had no room to swing and less time to react. Like lovers locked in an embrace, their bodies molded.

Jeremy hit the ground hard, Carl’s weight following him down, over two hundred pounds crushing Jeremy’s shoulder against the ground. Carl heard a pop and a snap and then Jeremy was screaming.

Carl hurried to his feet, jumping away. He needn’t have worried. Sword forgotten, the man writhed on the ground, his shoulder bent at an impossible angle, a piece of his collar bone jutting out the front of his chest. Jeremy wouldn’t be using his sword arm again.

Carl glanced towards the woods, searching for the girl. He kicked Jeremy’s sword out of reach and regarded his attacker. He shouldn’t have felt bad for the man, but he did. The things he said had been so wrong, such a twisted version of the truth.

“You xia!” Jeremy screamed at his feet. “You x…”

Carl put his sword point through the man’s neck. He turned towards Faenella and the way Veri had run. He didn’t look back. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

“Veri! Veri, girl!” he called into the howling wind. “Come back!”

She hadn’t gone far. She appeared in moments, her eyes bright white in the darkness. When she stepped out of the brush, he pulled her to him in a giant hug, crushing her against him, feeling the warmth of her little body emanating from his coat.

“I’m so happy you’re alive,” he whispered.

“He was another bad man,” she murmured against his neck, her dark hair wreathed in snow. “There are so many bad men. I wanted to help you.”

Carl swallowed roughly, an idea bursting to life in his mind. He took the girl by her hand, hurrying towards Faenella. It would take longer without the horse, but perhaps the animal had stopped running before it reached town.

The child passed out two miles from the forest’s border and he carried her the rest of the way. Had she not been skin and bones, he wouldn’t have made it. He walked into Faenella at dawn, but he couldn’t tell it from the sky. Black clouds covered the horizon as far as he could see, and the snow was as constant as the wind.

Carrying the child into Sally’s house, he followed the scent of wood smoke and baking bread. Neither Caetlyn or Kilynn were about, but another girl showed him to a room. He asked her to tell Malachi and Sam that he was back and to ask them to post guards in town. She looked nervous and unsure, but promised to relay his message. He never asked her name.

Once he tucked Veri into bed, he lay down beside her, too tired to even pull off his boots. Seconds after his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

He slept past noon.

It was the child who woke him. She was sitting up, looking at him seriously. She was still in his jacket, her little head popping out of the neck opening. Carl swiped at her hair, trying to dislodge some of the leaves. “What is it, girl?”

She patted her stomach. “I’m hungry. Soooo hungry. And I need to make water.”

Reluctantly, he got out of bed and handed her the chamber pot. “You go in there. I’ll be back in a few minutes with something to eat. Stay here. You understand? Do not leave this room.”

He found several girls in the common area, every one of them bustling about with serious looks. Some carried armfuls of blankets and foodstuffs, while others were shuttering the windows. All the children were helping.

The young boys and girls pulled in load after load of firewood, stacking it along the walls. They timed their run outside so that the door was open for only a short amount of time. Fresh white flakes covered their shoulders when they returned. It had well and truly begun.

Many of the girls he did not know, but he recognized Kilynn by her mop of strawberry blond hair. This morning, the long locks did not fall in an artful array. Instead, they were piled on top of her head in a crazy mess that he found decidedly attractive. She wasn’t wearing her white silk dress anymore, her body covered by a simple wool frock.

“Are you prepared for the storm?” he asked her.

She nodded. “And also gathering what you asked. Caetlyn is in town with a few of the girls right now.”

“You have my thanks.”

She smiled. “And your money. A few of the your friends arrived last night. We have given them rooms. Their supplies are piled in the dry cellar. We put a few men in each room, since we didn’t know how many to expect.”

“Thank you.”

“I have to say,” she continued, “we didn’t expect you back so soon.”

Carl swallowed, choking down the wave of sadness that swept over him. “Things didn’t go as I had hoped.”

She seemed to sense his mood. “Anyway, I heard you came in with a child. My mother didn’t know you had children.”

“I don’t. She was the daughter of a friend of mine.”

“I see. You need food and clothes?”

Carl nodded gratefully.

“Help yourself in the kitchen. Whoever is in there knows you have provided enough coin for meat and mead. As for the clothes, I will have someone bring garments for the child and something for you.”

She looked at him critically. “You’ll want new leathers, I expected. And the child? How old is she?”

Carl shrugged, embarrassed. He had no idea how old Veri was. “To be honest, I don’t know much about her at all,” he confided. “Can you have one of the kids measure her or something?”

“Of course. You plan on keeping her?”

“I do.”

Kilynn’s eyebrows rose. “Interesting. I wouldn’t have suspected you would be the child-rearing type.”

“She doesn’t have anyone else,” Carl replied.

“Perhaps she could stay here.”

He shook his head. “No, the girl stays with me.” He changed the topic. “Who came in last night?”

“Men from town,” she replied, biting her lower lip. “Not your limping old man or the horse-boy’s father, though.”

Carl grimaced. “Can you let me know as soon as they get here?”

“Of course, but wait. After you and your child get some food, my mother and brother want to speak with you.”

Carl’s shoulder’s jerked, “Is there trouble? Where’s Malachi?”

Kilynn put her hand against his arm. “No, no. Nothing like that. They wish to make plans with you. For your trip.”

“Of course,” he answered, enjoying the warmth of her fingers through his shirt. She let her hand linger too long, and he didn’t make an effort to leave. Eventually though the moment ended and they both moved off. There was too much to do and no time for pleasure.

One of the boys in the kitchen agreed to bring Veri some food while Carl helped himself to an enormous plate of ham-steak and eggs. They were the cold leftovers from the morning’s breakfast, but he didn’t care. He filled the hole in his stomach, thinking about his dead friends.

Only after he was finished did he realize that everyone had left him alone, giving him the room to himself. He wiped the tears off his cheeks and set out to find Sally and her son, self-conscious of displaying any more emotion than he already had.

The pair was in the master bedroom, almost as if Carl had never left. Richard was dressed. He wore new leathers and a sword at his hip. His face was set in a frown. Carl thought he looked older.

“We are glad you are back,” he said in way of greeting, pointing to a chair beside his mother. “And we are sorry for the ill luck that returned you so quickly.”

Carl nodded, taking the offered chair and Sally’s hand. She was paler than usual, the red around her eyes evidence of her grief. Still, she squeezed his hand like a friend, and Carl brought it to his lips for a kiss.

“Madame,” he said.

Richard took a seat on the edge of the bed. “We have twelve of your men within our walls. They tell us more are coming. I have to tell you, Carl. I didn’t truly believe you.”

“It is Nadine’s work.”

“Yes, but they come for you. You and the Bounty Master. They heard you speak when the smith and his wife were killed. They heard you when you spoke of their boys. They want revenge.”

“And safety,” Sally added, wringing her hands together. “The mothers and daughters, they all want safety.”

Carl looked at her sad eyes. “Some will die. Probably many.”

She didn’t look away. “But we will be free.”

“Yes,” he declared, “We will be free.”

Richard stood and paced to the window. It was shuttered and reinforced with several boards, but he put his hand on it anyway. “I will be coming along. For Anthony. And for Faenella.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

Sally shook her head. “No, you can’t, but I can. It is time Carl. Time for this madness to stop. Anthony was not the first life lost and he won’t be the last. But, I have other children under this roof. Richard has younger brothers and sisters to think about. We need to do something. And we need to do it now.”

“The men here,” Richard continued, “they believe, Carl. They think we can destroy that place, that we can put an end to the monsters killing and enslaving our women and children. They think this is the single best chance we have had in years to be free of those monsters.”

“I agree,” Carl said, thinking how little this Richard resembled the light-hearted young man who had journeyed to the Facility. “We have numbers and knowledge. And we have the storm.”

Sally’s fine eyebrows drew downward. “How does that help us?”

Carl smiled, feeling the cold air chill his teeth. Sally’s home was built well, but it couldn’t keep out the winds of the helstrom.

“The men, however many there were that chased us from the Facility, who search for us now, will be caught in these winds,” he said.

“It’s just a storm…” Richard replied.

“No. Not just a storm, friend. A helstrom. You remember the last one?”

The boy’s eyes had gotten very wide. “Yes, but how can you be sure?”

“I know,” Carl said and left it at that.

Sally smiled, meeting his eyes. “If the guards are outside in this, they will die.”

“Gods be praised,” Richard murmured. “How many do you think? How many will die?”

“I don’t know,” Carl admitted. “My guess is that they are all over the mountainside. Unless they are truly fortunate, there will be no shelter for them.”

“We should put word out,” Richard suggested, “while we still can. Let people know that if the Dogs try and shelter in their homes, they should kill them.”

Sally didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know, darling. Most people won’t kill a man that takes shelter in their home.”

“They aren’t men!” her son seethed. “People know what happened. They all lost someone when those monsters took power. Every one of them. It is time, Mama. They know it as well as we do. And if need be, we will remind them.”

“I don’t think it will come to that,” Carl said. “Faenella is sending its husbands and brothers to fight. The people won’t shy away from doing their part.”

“Not everyone can do what you do,” Sally said, her eyes searching his face.

Carl felt himself flush. Was that what he was now? A killer? A man without a conscience?

He was someone who did what others could not. He had been a Hunter before, a provider. Those days seemed a lifetime ago, like the memories of another man.

“Either way,” Richard said, his full lips pressed tightly. “The streets should still be passable tonight. I will take some of the men downstairs and assist our good neighbors in ridding themselves of any unwanted visitors.”

“What about the Inn?” Sally asked. “Nadine will tell you who is in her rooms, won’t she?”

“I can’t imagine her not,” he answered. “But we should take care of them the same time as we check the houses. I don’t want the Inn to be a rallying point.”

Carl scratched at his beard, thinking. “Where are Malachi and Sam?”

“On watch. Both of them,” Richard replied, tapping his foot against the floor in a rapid staccato. The boy was nervous and impatient. Carl didn’t want him heading the group checking people’s homes. He would need to keep the boy close.

“Send a couple of the townsmen out on watch and find Malachi and Sam. We will wait until Faenella is asleep.”

“But…”

“No, buts, Richard. It is better if the Dogs are sleeping when we cut their throats. They are less likely to bite you.”

“What he says is true, darling,” the boy’s mother agreed. “A sleeping man is always better.”

“I need to get myself ready and see to the girl. You’ll excuse me?”

“Of course,” Sally said, combing her fingers through her red curls. “You need a bath, Carl. And more food. You look all but wasted away.”

“I will see to it. My thanks again, Sally.”

It took her some effort, but she managed a grim smile, “I will take my thanks in blood. See to Anthony’s memory and make us safe, Carl.”

He paused, his hand on the door. “I know what you want of me, Madame. I want it, too. I will do my best.”

She pulled the knit shawl more tightly about her shoulders. “I know, Carl. I will pray for you all.”

He left her there with her son. The lines on her face were deeper now, the sadness and fear in her heart weighed on her heavily. He didn’t want it to be there, didn’t want to know the pain he caused. He hoped he would be able to bring Richard home for her. She didn’t deserve to lose another son.

The child was sitting on the bed when he arrived, munching on a plate of cookies and sweet treats. She was still wearing his jacket, the spotted leather seeming out of place against the lace mattress cover.

“They didn’t give you any real food?” he asked, irritated.

“I ate that part already,” she replied, pointing at an empty plate on the dresser. “This is dessert!”

“Well, it looks good,” he admitted, checking the other plates. The kitchen had left him food, but he was still full from the eggs and ham. He would leave it for later. “Did anyone bring clothes?”

“Umm, hmm,” she smiled, crumbs falling from her mouth. “On the chair.”

He went to see, gingerly touching the new leathers. They were oiled and fine, and they slid beneath his fingers. Carl shuddered.

His skin itched to be clean. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had a proper bath. He picked up the clothes, “I’m going down to the boy’s wing to bathe. I’ll send a girl to show you where to go.”

He didn’t even care if the water was warm. Right now, he just wanted to pull off his rags and scrub himself clean, wash off the stink of the Facility and rinse away the blood of his dearest friends.

“I don’t want to take a bath,” Veri answered, her voice tight.

“Oh?” he asked, surprised. He stopped and stared at her, holding his things in his arms.

“No baths,” she repeated.

Carl swallowed the laughter that threatened to bubble and made his expression serious. “Well, if I am going to be clean, so are you. Especially since we are sharing a bunk. You don’t want to be the stinky kid, do you?”

“I don’t smell!”

“Of course you do. Everyone smells. Either you take a bath or you are the stinky kid.”

She crossed her arms, a fierce expression on her face.

“We are going to be sharing this room for a couple of nights, Veri. Probably more than a week. I am not sleeping next to a stinky kid.”

“But…”

“And if you want to come with me when it is time to go, you better start listening. Where we are going, there will be no room for misbehavior.”

Hope sparked in her eyes and she scrambled out of bed. “You will take me with you.”

He nodded, feeling a sinking sensation in his gut, “I will. But it will be dangerous. People will die, Veri. Maybe even me. I can’t have you misbehaving. Not at all. Not even once.”

“I can do that,” she whispered, fervently.

“It will be dangerous.”

She shrugged, the movement an unconscious agreement. “You said that already. It doesn’t matter. People are always dying. I want to be with you.”

He choked and pointed at the bed. “Then clean up the mess you just made and wait for the girl to take you to the bath. You need to be clean.”

He closed the door without looking back. He didn’t want to give himself a chance to change his mind.