Chapter 20
Flames climbed above a fire pit made to cook meat. A few Scavs had brought down prey before night descended on the clearing. After the week they’d spent under the ground, freshly cooked meat was something they all yearned for. Ari found herself salivating.
Sitting at the foot of Sawyer’s seat, she watched as he returned from the fire with a plate full of roasted vegetables and meat. Though the vegetables were pitifully small and looked as if scavenged from a debris heap, the meat was plentiful. Most of the men had slaves or wives collecting food. Sawyer probably thought she’d poison him.
If she could have, yes...
He was biting into the meat on a bone when Zarr roared an announcement from where he perched on a rock he’d presumably decided was his throne. From the slurring of words, he’d found something to drink. The glint of a bottle he waved above his head confirmed that. The liquid within it reflected gold as it sloshed about.
“I need a fight! I choose Saw and Dayne. We never saw the true end to the last one.”
People nudged Sawyer, urged him to stand. Slowly he did so. “Here. Doesn’t look as if I’ll get to eat the rest. Take care of her, Keera.”
The name Keera was familiar. She took the thin metal plate. Though the smell tempted her, she set it before her feet. Someone else settled into the ancient chair Sawyer had been using and she glanced up. Oh. That Keera – the woman who spoke up and saved her that day when three warriors had thought to rape her.
“I’ll be guarding you from the wild things tomorrow.” Keera grinned. “Hurt my foot getting here, so I’ll rest while you do whatever it is you want to do to that mech.”
From her other side, Sassik leaned in. “She’s a good warrior. You’ll be fine with her.”
Wide-eyed, almost dreading tomorrow, Ari nodded then pretended to be interested in the fight.
“I hope they manage to do this without anyone getting killed,” Sassik added, eyes on the area where Dayne and Sawyer had stripped to their pants.
No weapons again. At least. No swords. She gulped, remembering. She had nothing to worry about. Neither man concerned her if he died. Really.
“How could they die?” she ventured.
“Wrestling here,” Keera said quietly. “Accidents happen, and Zarr is in a mood to get them to do this until they are both exhausted. Stupid, but this happens.”
Ages passed, blows were exchanged, the men and women between her and the fight rose to their feet, and Keera refused to let her do so. She could only follow the fight by the sounds of blows and the cheers and screams of people.
“He should stop this.” Sassik said, grunting at the end. He was standing and could no doubt see more. “It’s too much. We have to walk a long way tomorrow.”
A second later a roar went up.
“Ah! He’s down. That hold could kill if... Yes! Good! He yields.”
Words were shouted, by Zarr, from the tone. The crowd grumbled fiercely.
“No!”
“No!”
Keera frowned and looked down at her. “Zarr wants your man to finish the fight. He has Dayne down. Killing him is so dumb we may have a new leader next warband meeting.”
“Hey, yeah. Agreed. Done. He’s helped Dayne up and basically given the thumb to Zarr. The man is angry.” Sassik slumped.
“Bad.” Keera also sat.
“Yes.”
Looking from one to the other, Ari was still contemplating what this might mean when Sawyer forged his way through the crowd with Dayne, arm over arm. She wasn’t sure who supported who.
“Your chair, sir.” Keera rose.
“No. His.” Sawyer gulped. “Fuck. Just fuck.” He helped Dayne sit in the chair then instead sat on the ground between her and Sassik.
She nearly missed the next words when Sassik bent down and picked up the plate of meat, as if to hand it to Sawyer. “Later, we talk. Okay?”
“Sure.” The plate was exchanged, and Sawyer poked the food then lowered it to his lap.
This talking sounded like a secret meeting. She might not get a seat at it, but she’d bet they planned to discuss Zarr.
The night aged; the food was eaten. People fooled about as if the fight had been nothing, laughing, talking, most drifted away. Zarr was nowhere visible.
“You will come with me.” Sawyer stood and stretched, groaning, rotating his shoulder. Though his wounds no longer bled, she’d bet he had many new bruises. “Do it.”
He handed her the leash, and she fumbled and attached it to her collar. Not locked on but she supposed he thought it adequate. She wasn’t going anywhere, here, tonight.
The meeting turned out to be between Sassik, Dayne, and Sawyer. On the far side of the clearing, the warriors sat on the ground and eyed each other for several minutes in silence. Then Keera materialized from the darkness. The moons overhead played silvery tones on the fine grass and their hair.
“All is clear,” Keera said. “I found no one.”
“Good.” Dayne spoke so quietly. “Sound may travel so we must be soft in tone. Do we all agree Zarr is not fit to be our leader?”
They all assented. Being behind Sawyer and at his back, not everything said came to her clearly.
“Then here is one important thing Sassik and I must tell you. We have never truly been a part of this warband. We are here to watch, on Osta’s orders.”
“Okay,” Sawyer said, noncommittal.
“Osta returns. Soon I hope. We send out trained Vikans to him with messages, and they fly back to us, but not since the last clearing have we had word. All we know is soon, and that he brings a war machine dug up from a base and revived.”
“DRAC missiles?” Sawyer cut in.
“No. Not those. I can say this. He is a good thinker, our Osta. He would love you with your way of talking to the JI-mech and this girl who sees inside mechs. Okay? You have to stay alive and well until we can reunite with our real leader.”
“How many do you think will go with Osta from this warband?” Keera asked.
“Half?” Sassik said.
“Yes, maybe more than half. We asked you here, Keera and Sawyer, as we trust you. And we know you, Sawyer, are likely to be demoted soon by Zarr unless a miracle happens.”
“Demoted meaning?”
“He’ll make you a slave again. Give her to someone else. If he does, don’t despair. You’re a worthy addition for any warband. We will free you once we can.”
By her, Dayne meant her, Ari. This conversation revolved mostly around Sawyer. They’d probably forget to save her if things became chaotic. Besides, there was no mention of freedom for her.
“Okay.” Sawyer shifted. “I understand, just if he tries, I’m not sure I will sit still to be made a slave again. You know, it’s going to hit a nerve.”
“Do not react rashly.” Sassik put a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. “You must not. Must. Not.”
“I will try; this is all I can tell you.”
“Good. Try. Zarr is not a man who understands justice or honesty. Osta is. He also wants to take down a Mekker swathe. It’s worth waiting, even as a slave.”
Sawyer rocked back and forth, buried his head in his hands. “I see. Yes. I want that. Need it.”
It was...interesting to see him at a weak point. That he could show weakness, at all, was fascinating to her.
“What did you want me to do?” Keera said.
“You have a lot of friends in this warband. We hoped you’d spread the word, discreetly, about Osta. I think many would flock to him if they knew he was coming.”
“You’re correct. They would. Osta plans to take the fight to the Mekkers again? That didn’t end well the last time we tried in earnest.”
“I can’t say exactly his plans but yes, he hopes to. He wouldn’t try unless we had a good chance of striking a great blow,” Dayne replied. His face was turned into fine crags and ravines by the light washing down. His eyes were dark pits, his hair a silvered lawn, and his eyebrows were equally pretty. When she studied the small scene, all of them seemed ethereal.
The moment became solid – as if this were a time that should be remembered, when a decision of note was made.
She scoffed at her interpretation. The moonlight had frizzled her brain.
Elbows on his thighs, head bowed, Sawyer was still flexing his hands on his head, that scruffy lopsided head of doom-black hair. The light from stars and moons seemed to have embedded themselves in there this night. Stars in his hair, the roll and shine of his arm muscles as he wrestled with whatever thoughts kept him silent, and he cared so much about his sister. There must be some good in him. Trust her to fall in lust with him.
If only...she could think if only forever.
She closed her eyes. Leaving tomorrow. None of this would matter soon.