Deathwatch (The Faded Earth Book 1)(56)

Eshton blinked. “Oh. Well, now I feel like an asshole.”

“You’re in the Deathwatch,” Andres said. “You are an asshole. But Fisher made good points before you sent him away. I can’t think of any reason someone from the Watch would come here other than in genuine need unless you’re trying to find our home base.”

Eshton shook his head. “I promise you, I’m not. I don’t want to know anything about it. Not where it is, not how many people live there, nothing. Truth is, pretty much no one in the Protectorate cares if you live out in the wilds. Certainly not the Watch. Hell, the Scouts only keep an eye on you on the off chance you decide to raid us. No one expects it, but we’re trained to consider every possible angle.”

Andres chuckled, gesturing at the space around them. “Why would we need to risk our lives doing that when there’s a whole world out here for us to use?”

He was completely serious, and Eshton conceded that he had a point. The post these three occupied was set up in an ancient airplane, a huge craft at least two hundred feet long. It was renovated, if fairly primitively, to serve as a base. It was safe from dust, had multiple large sleeping chambers, even ventilation to allow for a small fire to cook on and keep the place warm. Eshton knew there were countless examples of old world technology and infrastructure out here just waiting to be used in some way, though he had no idea anything as large as a plane was so close to Brighton.

“The thing your people forget about us,” Andres continued, “is that we’re not just savages. We don’t live out here because we’re anarchists or stupid. If you’re telling the truth about steps toward curing the Fade, then it’s in our best interests to at least go home and talk to our people about it. I can’t make promises, but I’ll argue for you. At least that the idea should be considered.”

Eshton eyed the dogs. “Am I going to have to stay here until you come back with an answer?”

Scott, who had sidled up not far away to watch this exchange, laughed. “No, man. You go back to your people and tell them we’ll think about it. Tell them you’re our contact. We speak to you only, for now. The three of us decided that we’ll take the shifts here for the near future just in case this is a trick and you mean to kill us. Won’t put any more of our people at risk for our decisions.”

Eshton glanced around for Karen, but didn’t spot her. When had she vanished?

Scott took notice. “She’s getting ready to head home. Andres will go with her. I’ll stay here in case you need to get in touch. You don’t seem like a monster, son. I hope that’s not just my wishful thinking.”

*

Karen reappeared a few minutes later and whistled for the dogs. The beasts leaped up, which should have been awkward but somehow wasn’t. Eshton had rarely seen dogs, but he found himself oddly charmed by these despite the threat they posed to him. Andres and Scott left to see to housekeeping matters, and Karen walked over to help Eshton to his feet.

“Do you know why we’re even considering helping you?” she asked.

Eshton shrugged. “Because it’s mutually beneficial?”

“Maybe a little,” Karen said. “If you fail, it doesn’t change anything for us, but if you succeed it might be...disruptive. Good, but it would definitely shake things up. No, that’s the rationale. I’m asking if you know what convinced us you were sincere.”

“Probably my good looks,” Eshton said. “They had to come in handy for something.”

Karen smiled, and it was a beautiful thing. Sunny. Full of joy in a way people inside the walls rarely seemed to show. She reached up and patted his cheek. “You poor thing. Do they make you take a vow of celibacy as well?”

Eshton flushed. “They absolutely do not do that. I have, uh...”

Karen threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, that’s priceless. I may be the only person outside the walls to see a Watchman blush. I can die happy.” She wiped away a few tears. “Anyway, the reason we’re giving you the benefit of the doubt is because you were straightforward about admitting to problems inside the Watch. That’s almost blasphemy, from what I understand.”

“It’s just the truth,” Eshton said. “And I don’t want to hurt my case here, but who are you going to tell?”

Karen’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? You can’t honestly tell me many in your organization would think it’s a good idea to admit such systemic weakness to an enemy, can you?”

“Maybe not,” Eshton said. “But then I don’t consider you an enemy.”

She reached out and tapped the tip of his nose with a finger. “That, my son, is exactly the right answer.”

*

Eshton was ravenous when he returned to the chapterhouse, but he didn’t stop to eat. He instead reported to Stein at once. The walk back had taken long enough that she would be up and in her office. He had moved past the point of exhaustion where sleep was likely, a second wind carrying him forward with an inevitable crash once it finally gave out.

“Enter,” Stein said at his knock. She looked up from her desk with a haunted expression on her face.

“What happened?” he asked.

She told him.

“Fucking blooms,” Eshton said, standing with his hands gripping the back of the chair in front of him tightly. He didn’t quite trust himself to sit. He might get drowsy.