Knowing that she had no intention of being with me long term, it still felt real, good. And playing with her? It made me want to take lessons and level up so she didn’t have to baby down her playing for me. I wanted to take her on real dates, and real camping, and to hear real music together. I wanted us to be real, for the long haul. I wanted more than anything for her to leave her family for me, and to stop living according to her grandfather’s rules, to create her own happily ever-after and never mind the consequences.
She was so much more than a villain. If only she could see how beautiful and good she was.
I let her sleep on my shoulder until everyone settled down, Trixie finishing her round checking up vehicles, tuning and tweaking this and that while Jezebel checked on her animals and went over maps and stats. Nix meditated, but he had his earpiece in so he could talk to all the unseen talent that kept the show going.
Jezebel shot me a frown before she ducked into her tent, apparently allowing us time alone since we were married. Why had I thought it was a good idea to keep intimacy off the table? Ah, yes, so she didn’t feel bought and sold. That was extremely important, particularly when she trusted me to be a villain.
I finished the feed for the day’s races, polishing the highlight reels and finishing with the campfire closing. Watching me play with Daniela, our dueling banjos, made me hesitate. I looked happy, alive, and completely wrapped up in the moment. Because I had been. I turned to look at the head on my shoulder. Her roots were growing out, dark that contrasted with the pale pink. The lines of her profile were elegant refinement, beauty that matched the cello, serious perfection that made her seem untouchable, but she’d poisoned the city’s water with pink lemonade, and had written our theme song with Scooby Doo in it.
I kissed her hair, waiting for her to wake up, but she only rubbed her cheek against my shoulder and slid her hand around my waist, securing me to her. If she needed an anchor, I could be very heavy.
I needed to sleep at some point, but it was so pleasant to sit beside the fire with her. Horse texted me.
Any sign of sabotage today?
I’d just gone over the feed and hadn’t seen anything, but the second day was always the most dangerous. No one got through without some kind of damage.
I replied,Not today. Tomorrow…
Jezebel would be taking Mike, the vicious camel, through some dangerous territory where Daniela could not go, so she’d ride with Trixie. I’d be doing the tabletop fight with Nix and Jezebel against the other contenders, a basic brawl more or less, then come out of that to finish the last leg. Trix would be driving through the most lethal terrain, but it was still the safest thing for Daniela. Maybe it would be a better idea to lock her away in a tower instead of subjecting her to the desert and the violence. Too bad I wasn’t a real villain who believed in keeping beautiful things cut off from the rest of the world.
I kissed her hair and then shifted her carefully until she was more fully in my arms. I needed to sleep if I was going to keep things going tomorrow. I picked her up and carried her to her tent, struggled with the zipper until I got inside and put her in her bag. She snuggled down immediately, curling up into the cutest ball of pink-haired fluff I’d ever seen. I backed out and zipped her all up before I went to find Nix. He was still meditating, out in the darkness beyond the flames.
“How is she holding up?” he asked while I crouched next to him, letting my eyes adjust so I could search the landscape. The camp was very carefully guarded by tech and humans, but Nix would take a walk around the perimeter before he went to bed, and then probably check a few times during the night.
“To Jezebel’s driving? Moderately well.”
“To marriage, obviously. Not even Jezebel’s driving is as traumatic as that.” He grabbed my shoulder. “Tomorrow will be difficult. Trixie’s good, but there are always traps for the unwary. Make sure you keep the drones on her.”
“I always keep the drones on everyone. Are you trying to insult me?” I asked lightly.
He grunted. “I’m still not sure why you joined my team instead of Horse’s.”
“Do you want to know? You seem distinctly uninterested.”
“I don’t think that you know.” He met my eyes and studied me for three seconds of calculated consideration before he smiled slightly. “You think that you know, but you’re wrong. There’s nothing more dangerous than thinking that you know what you’re doing, walking with false confidence. You won’t even see the ground open up until it’s swallowed you.”
I shivered and pulled away from him. “That’s some pep talk, Nix. I can’t imagine why you don’t have more agreeable team members.”
“They’re not the most agreeable, just the best. When you have the best working for you, the only sensible thing to do is get out of their way.”
“You’ll have Tom following Trix?”
“And two other supports. Get some rest. That campfire bit, I think that was the most enjoyable time I’ve had not fighting in ages.”
I smiled at him. Daniela wasn’t the only one who thought it was real. I settled down in the tent next to Daniela’s, but I kept thinking about her face when she realized that it was a photo op. I had to make that up to her somehow. I could take her camping somewhere real, somewhere amazing, where she’d be safe, but how would that work?
I was drifting off while considering logistics when I heard a noise on the edge of my consciousness. Was it an animal? It was the sound an animal makes after it’s been shot, but hasn’t died yet. It was a terrible sound, but it wasn’t loud enough for me to be sure it was real.
The sharp scream brought up and out of my tent the next second. Something was attacking Daniela. I was in the tent with a gun in one hand, a knife in the other, but the only person in the tent was Daniela. I was still hazy, but when she screamed again, tossing and thrashing in her twisted sleeping bag, there were no doubts about the situation. She had night terrors, and this was one of them. What was I supposed to do? She’d doubtless woken up the rest of the camp already. Would she be more startled to be woken up, or would it be worse for her to keep dreaming?
“Stop! Don’t break my hands,” she whimpered and curled up in a ball, and then let out a piercing shriek, like someone really had smashed her precious, talented hands into pieces.
She screamed again, long, drawn out that ended in a gasp. I had a strong stomach for some things, but I couldn’t listen to her hurt, even if it wasn’t real.
“Hey, Daniela,” I said, patting her leg. “Wake up. It’s just a dream.”
She sobbed and shuddered and then begged. “Not my hands. Anything else, just not…” She screamed again, and that sound went through me like electricity.
