Clanless (Nameless #2)(46)

Zo chewed and chewed on a stringy leaf that, even boiled, didn’t want to be broken down. “Delicious.”

Joshua sat down next to them after meeting with Stone and the other men in camp. Zo felt like the term “man” was used a little generously in Joshua’s case, but didn’t want to argue with him anymore.

“What did Stone say?” Tess asked before Zo had the chance.

Joshua picked up his wooden bowl and served himself a big helping of stew, wrinkling his nose a bit at the smell. “He’s divided us into five groups with ten men to a group. Each group has a leader and the leader will report to Stone.”

“Smart,” said Tess as she chewed.

There was a lot of chewing going on around their little cook fire.

“I’m not a unit leader,” said Joshua, “but the men in my unit are happy to have me at their side. Said at least they had someone who knew how to fight.” Joshua’s grin turned goofy, revealing his age, until it rested on Zo. He dropped his gaze to his humble meal and chewed.

He was happy. Validated. And he couldn’t share his excitement with Zo because she had made him feel weak when he wanted to be strong. Tess reached her little hand out to touch Joshua’s leg. He flinched at first but Tess wouldn’t be avoided. She scooted next to him, this time touching his arm.

After whispering a blessing of comfort Zo had taught her, Tess said, “You can be brave and miss him too.” She dropped her hand and went back to focusing on her food.

That night, Zo only asked Joshua once if he would give up his watch. “I could talk to Stone. He’d release you from your position. No one would think less of you for it.” The idea of him sitting on the perimeter of the camp—with Boar’s men waiting to strike—made her ill.

But Joshua shook his head and walked away from Zo and their dying fire to take up his watch.

Eva also took a watch shift, much to Stone’s grumblings. She clutched her two favorite daggers and calmly waited for the Clanless like one might wait for a pie to bake.

Every moment of Joshua’s watch was agony for Zo. She kept seeing Boar carelessly order one of his men to drag a knife across that Nameless woman’s throat. And worse still, she kept imagining men wild and hungry enough to eat another human being. The Ram had some savage customs, but even they didn’t resort to that level of inhumanity. And Joshua was out there on the fringe of the camp with only a makeshift spear for protection.

When he returned to sit on the blanket to remove his shoes for bed, Zo pretended to be asleep.

“I know you’re up. You don’t have a watch shift, Zo. You should be sleeping.”

She kept her eyes closed and mumbled what she hoped was a convincing, “I am.”

“Liar.” He didn’t sound mad. Just tired.

Before Zo could properly apologize for hurting the boy’s feelings, a number of the torches surrounding the camp went out at exactly the same time. Dark figures retreated back into the woods.

Men shouted and a cry sliced through the night like a dagger. Then other cries joined the first and chaos broke out in the camp.

“Please, heaven. Not again!” cried Zo.

Joshua sprinted toward the perimeter of the small encampment barefooted. Zo moved to follow him when a pair of hands clamped on her shoulders. “You’re no fighter, healer,” said Eva. “You’re too valuable to go and get yourself captured.”

“But these people. I should help them.” In a twisted sort of way, it was her fault the Nameless suffered tonight. How many families would be ruined before Boar left them alone? How valuable could one person be?

I’m not even a real healer anymore.

With the torches extinguished, it was impossible to tell by the shouts and clamoring of weapons exactly how deadly the attack was. With every clang and cry, Zo held Tess more fiercely to her. After the initial attack, others followed. They never engaged the Nameless for more than a few minutes before pulling back again. Fear and anticipation, their greatest weapon; darkness, their battle color.

Helpless whimpers of children and worried mothers filled the camp throughout the night. Zo wanted to grab Tess and Joshua and run, but he hadn’t come back yet. And even if he had, the fight was on the perimeter, and leaving the protection of the circle meant capture, if not death.

“Why are they doing this?” Tess whimpered in between attacks. “What do they want?”

Zo kissed the top of her head, but couldn’t find a voice to answer.

This madness had to end. The Nameless had endured too much already. But could Zo tear what remained of her little family apart again? Could she do that to Tess and Joshua?

Did peace always demand sacrifice?

Dawn came with the charcoal smoke of dead fires blended with the haze of fog. Joshua’s wiry form cut through the morning veil and only Tess asleep in Zo’s arms kept Zo from jumping up to embrace him.

He slumped wordlessly into an exhausted heap at her side and curled into a ball. The cries of the Nameless were a white noise to Zo’s ears—no more noticeable than the wind brushing past her ears in subtle gusts.

Tess stirred in her arms. “Joshua?” she asked, as though her little spirit could sense his.

Letting her sister slide from her hands, Zo said, “Help me, Tess.” They rolled him onto his back so they could look after his wounds. “I’ll stoke the fire, if you’ll start on these scratches.” Zo pointed to a few shallow scrapes on his arms that were practically nothing.