Clanless (Nameless #2)(29)
Hadn’t she said those words to him already? In another time? Another life?
Tess’s bright greenish-blue eyes were slightly different in color but identical to Zo’s in shape. The little girl leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Gryphon’s forehead. “You. Are. Good,” she whispered.
Then everything fell away. The dying men, Gabe, the Gate Master, Barnabas, Tess, and even the blackness. A different pain replaced the throbbing in his head.
A pain in his chest.
He looked down and saw the knife an inch deep in his own flesh. His biceps cramped with the effort of killing himself.
With great difficulty, Gryphon forced his muscles to relax. The knife Sani gave him clattered to the wooden floor of the tree hut. He dropped to his knees, bloodstained hands grasping his chest where the knife penetrated. The wound wasn’t deep enough to cause serious damage. Just enough to prove how close he’d come to killing himself. The smoke in the room was gone and a few slivers of light fought their way into the wooden dungeon.
The trap door in the center of the room fell open and Sani peeked his head over the floorboards. “We’re saved.” The normally reserved boy pumped the air with his fist before cupping his hands around his mouth. He crowed using varying pitches down to the people below before turning back to smile at Gryphon. “The Ram are here. It’s time to get off this island.”
Stone held Eva’s hand in two of his and they all sat around a fire to eat a meal of boiled venison and wildroot. Zo had spent the last hour explaining how to find the Allied Camp using a map of twigs, grass, and small rocks.
She leaned in to adjust the two twigs that represented a slot canyon. “The final stretch is narrow and will not be easy for someone your size to cross, but you can do it.” She looked up to see Stone bring Eva’s hand to his lips.
“We’re going to make it, love,” he said.
Zo blushed and looked away. The dozens of fires that dotted the clearing drew her attention. Many of these people wore nothing but rags to fight the chilling nights on the mountain. They ate what food the land provided and, according to Stone, had sometimes gone whole days without a morsel to eat. Still, the people smiled and laughed around their fires. Perhaps still in shock from the trauma of escaping their slavery.
Freedom. It was such a peculiar thing. You could give a person food, water, and shelter, but take away their free will and they could never truly be happy. “If we die on this mountain,” Stone had said, “then we die free. And I can live with that.” He’d smiled his crazy smile, where his eyes turned to saucers and his grin reached his ears.
Zo remembered the first time she met Stone up in the treetop hideout—a headquarters for the Nameless insurrection. Stone had ordered her capture. They dangled her over the edge of a platform high in the trees (some Raven construction) to get her to disclose her work as a spy for the Allies. She hadn’t exactly liked the man, but his passion for freedom could not be questioned.
As Eva and Zo rinsed their dinner bowls in a nearby stream, Stone shouted orders to “Circle up!” This sparked a flurry of movement among the people. They gathered their supplies and arranged the company so that the men slept on the outer rim of the circle, protecting their women, children, and supplies within. Zo noticed that every man also slept with a stick sharpened to a point like a spear. A Ram weapon.
Several men reported to Stone and received orders for night watches. Joshua turned to Zo. “This guy’s a good leader. The Nameless follow his orders without question.”
“We resent the term ‘Nameless,’ boy.” Joshua startled when Stone appeared behind him. “We have names and we’ll never be forced to live without them again.”
“Stone,” said Eva, taking the Nameless leader’s hand. “Joshua didn’t mean any harm.”
Stone didn’t look so sure as he eyed the boy. “I just don’t love the idea of a Ram in my camp.”
Eva threw her head back and laughed, drawing the attention of many of the company. “And here I thought I’d be sharing your bedroll tonight.” She made as if to walk away, but he snatched her around the waist. “Point taken.” He turned to Joshua. “You’re welcome here, boy. But you’ll refer to us as ‘Freemen’ from now on. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir,” Joshua said.
Zo kept Tess close as they lay under the dark sky. The wind died, leaving them to enjoy the charcoal night dotted with stars in peace. Tess smelled like campfire, sweat, and salted venison. Zo committed to scrubbing the girl for a solid hour once they reached the Allies. She could use the bath herself.
Thoughts of warm water heated over a fire, her straw-stuffed mattress, and the protection of Commander Laden’s men carried her into a dreamless sleep.
Until a man’s cry of pain startled her awake.
Chapter 11
By the time Gryphon and Sani reached the bottom of the tree stairs, the entire Raven Clan was in chaos. People ran in all directions, preparing to leave their homes, while others shouted warnings that the boats would be leaving within the hour. Some Raven looked to Gryphon as if he were a hero, while others—mostly the older set—scowled in his direction.
“What did you do to me up there?” Gryphon stumbled over an exposed root but still managed to keep pace with Sani. “Why did I see those things?”