"So we're now back to square one," I said. "Currently, the big guy, named Tobias, is trying to get positioned so he can 'earn' that code. Once he has it, we will save him and his wife, and destroy the rest. Once he has it, we will be able to stop the Moles forever! So do not kill that man. I don't care if you hurt him. I don't give a shit if you want to punch him a few times. Do not wound him in a way that will kill him without medicine!"
"Can we all agree to that?" Eriska asked, finally speaking up. "The Dragons are the ones who've been dealing with this for generations. They never begrudged us our safety, so what sort of allies are we if the moment our lives get hard, we try to turn it on them?"
There were a few murmurs as her words sank in. Some nodded, but that didn't mean the anger was gone. I understood that, because I'd felt the same rage when Tasult had been killed. Yet when she nodded to let me know I could keep going, I no longer knew what to say.
We needed to stop this, or at least delay it. Granted, maybe asking for ideas would let these people feel like they were contributing?
"What we need," I said, "is a way to buy ourselves some time. According to Tobias, they no longer have a schedule. The elders - which is what they call their leaders - decided the night before they left that this would happen."
Ayla stood. "Tobias also said the elders claim the wild men - Reapers - are beasts of the Devil, thus good for food. Not people!Worse, the hunters were told to capture any woman who looks like us so she can be saved from eternal damnation.Thoseare the ones who were taken back. Currently, they're safe. Scared, confused, and blinded by darkness, I'm sure, but safe - for now."
"Can he get them out?" the angry man asked.
"If he gets the code," Ayla said. "The way things work in there, a code should be required to open the door - from either side. But what none of you realize is that something has changed. No longer are they just hunting for food. They'vechanged- and for Moles, that's never a good thing. It means they have a reason, that they're planning something!"
"Ayla?" I heard the question, but had to scan the crowd to find Xav with his dog beside him. "Would feeding them slow them down?"
She looked surprised. "Yeah, probably. If nothing else, it would be hard to say they need food. Why? What are you thinking?"
"We..." and Xav gestured at the Dragons he'd come with, "are some of the best hunters in Lorsa. I'm going to assume quite a few of these Reapers can claim that title for here. So how much meat would it take to feed those people in there?"
"A lot," she said. "There are hundreds upon hundreds of people. I don't know the exact number, but between the children, the women, and the men? It would be more meat than the people here would require."
"Shit..." someone breathed near me.
"But we could do it," Xav said. "There's deer in the forest. Birds, rabbits, and more. I heard you didn't eat meat when you came, so I'm wondering if showing them what real food is might be enough to help that rebellion inside."
"But we'd have to hunt it," I pointed out.
"We can do that!" the angry man said. "If it'll spark a rebellion? I know where there's elk, too."
"Before we do that," Lansin called out, "we need Ayla to show us her new command for her dog. We can practice while we hunt. That way, when the Moles come back..."
Eriska finished, "We'll be ready this time!"
Forty-Two
Kanik
The camp meeting went on far too long. Rymar did a good job of managing it, but Reapers were not Dragons. They didn't know the same pain we'd been suffering through for decades now. To them, this was new. It was painful and immediate. For us, this was typical, and that changed our reactions more than I'd realized.
I hadn'texpectedto become used to death. I'd never thought I would grow numb to the horrors the Moles inflicted on us so very often. And yet, while the Reapers had worked out what to do next, I'd found myself thinking they were naive, and they'd get used to it.
They shouldn't.
By the time the sun set, everyone was exhausted. In truth, my abs were aching again, but I didn't want to complain about it. Instead, I headed back to our cabin and began building a comfortable little fire in the ring out front. Yes, we had a fireplace inside, but I didn't trust it.
The Reaper lifestyle was more primitive than ours. They didn't have heating lines that ran through the house from a single external fire. They certainly didn't use subterranean cool air to keep their homes from overheating in the summer.Instead, they relied on a good breeze, an open flame, or a better camp for the season.
Rymar returned first, carrying a tray of food. It was too much for himself, so I had a feeling he'd picked up some for Ayla as well. But when he set it down beside me and gestured for me to take my fill, I realized I hadn't given him enough credit.
"Thanks," I said, grabbing some bread to start with. "Where's Ayla and Zasen?"
"Ayla is with Lansin," he said. "That man offered to feed Holly, and she wanted to pet the puppies again. Zasen's talking to Eriska to get a list of their good hunters. More than just the angry ones."
"No, makes sense," I said, then saw movement.
My lips curled into a smile, because I'd recognize that brindle coat anywhere. Holly was sleek and fit, but compared to the dogs here, she also looked a little out of shape. Still, where she went, I knew Ayla wouldn't be far behind.
