The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)(42)

“I’m still going to make you stop if you push yourself too hard,” I warned her as we stepped onto the damp grass.

She shot me a mischievous smile. “At least I’m letting you help me.” She smirked, and I looked away, my face heating. I knew she was just kidding, but the fact I had chased her off during my recuperation after my own heart surgery still speared me with feelings of regret. It was not one of my prouder moments, and she’d already reminded me of it more than once.

“I’m just glad you aren’t being as pigheaded as I was,” I muttered. “I’m glad you’re letting me help you.”

She chuckled, leaning into me. “Well, that’s just because I’m clearly better than you. You are so lucky to have a girl like me.” Her eyes twinkled with humor.

“Well, that might be true,” I agreed with a laugh, guiding her toward the barn.

The camp had been set up efficiently—Ms. Dale had taken care of that. The narrow yard had been sectioned off. Tents were erected in twin lines against the forest on either side, leaving plenty of room around the small dirt road for vehicles to pass through—and close enough to the woods that they would be harder to spot from the air. The barn was off to the right, built close to the tree line, and the vehicles we had procured, most of which wouldn’t fit inside it, were parked beside it, opposite to the road.

As we walked, I explained that most of the equipment and weapons from Ashabee’s estate had been placed in the barn. We were up to fifty-three recruits in our small army, but hadn’t yet found any more refugees to recruit—if there were any more refugees. Ms. Dale had managed to raid one of the weapons storehouses that Ashabee and the king had identified for us, so we were set in that regard. Yet now we had more weapons than soldiers to carry them, which was problematic, as there was no way fifty men and women could stand up against the entire might of Elena’s wardens.

I hid nothing from Violet, and she listened carefully as we walked, her head nodding here and there as I outlined all our problems one by one. When I got to the issue of food, she paused, cocking her head.

“There was a ton of food at Ashabee’s,” she said, her voice questioning.

I shook my head. “Yes, there was, but fifty people eat a lot. We’re going to be out of food in a matter of days, not weeks. But we’re brainstorming solutions. Somehow, we’ll make it work.”

She nodded thoughtfully, then sighed, shifting her weight. “I’m getting tired,” she admitted.

Looking around, I spotted a small hill between the house and the barn with a tree growing atop it—well, it was more of a mound than a hill—and nodded toward it. “Let’s go sit down.”

Violet began hobbling toward it, her expression stiff with determination. I hesitated, then scooped her up in my arms. She gave me an exasperated look, but didn’t protest as I carried her over to our destination. I sat her down gently, then dropped to the ground next to her.

She leaned against the tree, pulling her borrowed jacket tighter around her body. It was a beautiful day, with high clouds sailing in a blue late afternoon sky; the tree above us swayed in the breeze, and long, soft grass grew beneath it, making a wonderfully cushioned seat for us to take our breather. Still, there was a chill in the air, and I could see some of the green of the trees beginning to drain away, leaving leaves trained with red and gold. Fall was coming, with winter right around the corner.

As if reading my thoughts, Violet looked around the camp and asked, “What are we going to do if we can’t stop Elena before winter?”

“Ms. Dale has been scouting around, but right now, we don’t have a plan. We’re looking into it.”

She nodded. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. It might be a good idea, once we get our people trained, to start embedding them in the city instead of hiding out here.”

I smiled. Ms. Dale and I had already discussed that, and had both argued for other ideas before reluctantly deciding it might be the best way forward. Violet may have had a broken skull, but her mind was as sharp as ever.

She sighed, tugging the rough woolen cap that covered her bandages down farther on her forehead. I cocked my head at her. “Feeling self-conscious?”

She shrugged. “It’s stupid,” she said. “It’s just hair, and it’ll grow back, but I can’t help imagining that I look like a… a giant baby.”

I laughed before I could stop myself, and she gave me a sharp look. “Sorry,” I said. “But… seeing as I was the one who shaved your head, I can safely say you do not look like an infant without your hair.”

Her features softened, a smile sneaking onto her lips. “I noticed you haven’t caught me up on the actual news from the city and any of the plans you have going on.”

“Well, that’s just because you haven’t asked. I’ve been waiting for you to tell me you’re ready.”

“I’m ready. So what’s been going on?”

Reaching into my pocket, I met her gaze. “I’d much rather you hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Jeff’s been waiting for me to contact him, and I figured you’d want to sit in.”

“Should we get Owen and the others?”

I shook my head as I pulled out my handheld. “There’s too much going on to stop and have a meeting every ten minutes. We’ll meet in the morning to get everyone up to speed. Sometimes it’s my job to talk to Jeff, sometimes someone else’s. I asked for the job today.”