“Enough, let’s talk of the future, not the past,” Bear says.
He’s had a few cups of their home-brewed alcohol, and he’s jolly, almost happy. I can see how close he is to Mordecai.
I almost feel sorry that I’m going to be taking him away.
I let everyone else talk of other things, content to sit back and listen. Mia murmurs to me every now and then, but it’s just nice to be with her again.
“How did they find this place?” Jarek asks.
“This place has always belonged to the Resistance. They found it years and years ago. It’s our utopia. Bear’s parents were part of the Resistance and told him how to find it. He ended up here and fought his way up to the top and has been leading us for the last ten years,” Mia whispers.
“How old is he?” I ask because, looking at him, he could be twenty-one or forty.
“He’s twenty-eight.”
So, he’s been in charge of the Resistance since he was eighteen. He must have done a lot to earn their trust. They would be like family to him. No wonder he wants to save them.
“How did you all get caught?” I ask and take another sip of my drink. I’ve still got an almost full glass. But drinking reminds me of Taryn and the promise that we would be friends.
Her death in Foreen feels so long ago.
“We didn’t all get caught, just most of us. Some of us went down to rescue some people who were caught, then we got caught. The people who went to rescue us got caught. It was a disaster. We don’t all live here. A lot of us lived in the cities and were rounded up. But we’d heard rumours, andBear decided he was going to enact his plan this year, so those that could went in and started preparing.”
Bear waves his arms and he, Theo, Mordecai, Cadel, and Jarek laugh like it’s the funniest thing in the world. Legion drains his cup and pours another one.
Mia leans in to me. “The Warden is the one who came for me. He caught us on the road and brought us straight to Foreen.” She pauses, licking her lips and glancing at Bear. “He didn’t seem evil.”
That catches my attention. “What do you mean? You were caught?”
“Yes, while I was doing a run into the city.”
“No, I mean what do you mean about the Warden?” I say, trying to puzzle through her intoxicated murmurs.
“I don’t know; he just doesn’t seem like an evil person. He seemed like he was just doing what he had to do. He kept his hands to himself; he was gentle; he spoke politely.”
“He doesn’t have to do it, though. He’s got no reason to. That’s the point, he chooses to,” I say, not liking the fact that she’s defending him.
“He saw me and let me go,” Sophie says. “When I was on the streets in Foreen, he had an easy shot, but he just turned and rode away. I’m telling you, he’s not that bad. It’s bizarre. I’m not saying he’s innocent, just not the worst.”
“One good deed doesn’t negate a lifetime of bad ones,” I say through my teeth.
“I’m not saying he’s a good person, Kaida, but he doesn’t take pleasure in it like the Beta’s Fang does, and he’s not fanatical like the Beta’s Claw. He just seems to be doing it. It’s strange.”
“Please do not try to approach him and try to convert him, he won’t,” I say in alarm.
Sophie and Mia exchange looks and laugh, but I get a cold chill because I think they were thinking about doing exactly that.
“He’s just interesting,” Sophie murmurs.
“He’s deadly and without remorse. Stay away from him,” I say again through my teeth.
Jarek runs a hand down my back, sensing my unease no doubt through the bonds I’m still getting used to. I hate that we’re all wearing scent-suppressing patches, and our scents are almost nonexistent, but I can understand why it would be important for the camp. There are too many people here; it would be an uncomfortable soup of different smells.
I sit back and go return to staring at the fire.
“He looks happier to have you back here,” Mia says, jerking her head in Legion’s direction.
I glance at him staring morosely into the fire. “Was he more upset than he is now?” The bite of sarcasm isn’t entirely without worry.
