Horde (Razorland #3)(80)

Heart heavy, I signaled for the men to bring the bodies. We put them in the ground ourselves while I worried about the Freaks returning. We buried our dead together, and anger warred with grief inside me. I didn’t call the minister to offer more soft words. Instead I asked the survivors to speak on behalf of the fallen. That lasted until mid-morning with quiet reminiscences and comments on the everyday things that had made these men happy. Afterward, I asked those who’d known them best whether they left family behind. And six of them had.

That cut even deeper.

“It’s not your fault,” Fade said softly.

I couldn’t accept his comfort until I cleared my conscience. The look of those fresh graves lingered fresh in my mind as I strode through the silent town. When I arrived at the Meriwether house, I hammered on the door with both fists. To her credit, the mayor looked as if she hadn’t slept all night when she answered.

There was no greeting for an occasion like this, and I didn’t bother being polite. “The way I see it, you have two choices. You can form a militia or you can seek refuge in a town willing to take you in. I can’t guarantee we’ll get here next time. This is twice, and it’s time Winterville started saving itself.” I got up in her face. “No more awful potions, no more miracle solutions cooked up in Dr. Wilson’s lab. You don’t ask him for help again. Understand?”

“Not even in normal ways?” she asked, horrified.

I wasn’t trying to tell them how to run their town. “Anything to do with defense.” She offered a sorrowful nod, but all her sad looks wouldn’t bring my men back. So I went on, “We’re moving out, so whatever you intend to do, you’d best get to it. Hiding in your houses won’t do the job forever.”

“I understand. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. We won’t forget. I don’t know yet if we’ll have to abandon the town, but we’ll have a meeting to decide today.”

“As you like.”

Whirling, I ran toward the rest of the company. Fade snagged my shoulder and spun me to face him. “Not this way.”

“What?” I snapped.

“You can’t let them see you like this, Deuce. Later, you can fall apart and I’ll pick up the pieces, but right now, you have to be strong.”

Taking a deep breath, I realized he was right. So I held still until I could fix my face in a more suitable expression. The men would rightly read my pain as weakness; I had no business leading troops into battle if I couldn’t handle what came next. It was another hard lesson, but by the time we got back to the others, I had mastered it.


“Let’s head out,” I called.

Company D formed up, following me to where the Lorraine traders had bunked down beneath their wagons. “Did you get any business done?”

The lead driver nodded. “We took care of it last night, before the attack.”

“Then the wagons are loaded and ready to go?”

He nodded. “Did you need something?”

“No, but if I guess right, you’ll have a dangerous trip back to Lorraine. My men and I will make sure you get there safely.”

“Why?” one of the traders asked.

“If the trade routes shut down due to Mutie attacks, all towns will suffer. I’ve seen what happens when a settlement becomes too isolated.”

Salvation had been a good place, full of warmhearted people, but they didn’t trust outsiders much, and they hadn’t encouraged traders like these to come into town. From what my family had told me and I’d observed, Longshot handled all of that outside the town gates, allegedly preventing bad morals from getting in. But in the end, that seclusion didn’t save them.

“Then we’d appreciate the escort. We can spare some provisions once we arrive, and I’ll help you find a place in town to rest up for a night or two.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I don’t know if you caught my name last night amid all the revelry. I’m Vince Howe.”

“Deuce Oaks.” That was the first time I’d offered two names, and Fade shot me a surprised look, but he smiled. I needed to tell him that Momma Oaks had given her blessing for him to use their name too.

“Pleasure, ma’am. I guess you know, but you run a right remarkable group. I’m sorry for your losses, but I don’t know when I saw more impressive battle.” I acknowledged that with an inclination of my head, and he continued, “We’ll be ready to go in less than an hour.”

I took that opportunity to use the sanitary facilities one last time, so I jogged over to the lab and banged until the scientist appeared. Dr. Wilson was happy to let me in, and for a minute, I thought he might follow me all the way to the wash closet. He stopped in the hall, fortunately, and said, “Come see me before you depart, all right?”

With a distracted gesture, I agreed and then washed up. It felt wrong to start a new journey with grave dirt still smeared on my skin, embedded beneath my nails. When I came out, damp and clean, I felt renewed. For a few moments, I considered ducking out because I was in no mood to chat with the scientist. But in the end, I kept my promise and headed to the lab to speak with the old man.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked.

He had two cups of tea steaming on the table, along with some buttered toast, so I joined him. On the road, I missed bread, and while this wasn’t fresh, the melted butter made up for the rest. The drink was pale but strong with a medicinal scent. It tasted better than it smelled, however, with a gentle tang of mint. I drank mine because it was wet and hot, pleasant in a dry throat, and then I devoured the food.