“I should be the one doing that, since I don’t need sleep,” Timothy says.
“Thank you.” I pour myself a cup of tea. “Where’s Caden?”
“He went to speak with the local defense force,” Timothy says. “Or what’s left of it.”
Josh slides the tray toward me. “Eat.”
“We should leave soon,” River says as I chew on soft cheese. “Lyla said the king is expecting us.”
“You can hear her from such a distance?” I ask.
“No, but I can hear Mother, and she can speak with Lyla. It’s easier for my people to communicate now that Mother is strong again, but some of Father’s satellites were corrupted during his downfall.”
I remember how worried he was about Mother not surviving Father’s attacks. It took me a while to understand what she meant to him and the rest of his people.
“Oh!” River calls. “I forgot to show you.” He grabs his bag and pulls out a book.
I take it and ask, “Another Moomins book? With my name?” The title reads,Finn Family Moomintroll.
“The Finn part is because of the language it was originally written in,” Josh says. “There isn’t a character called Finn.”
“The language is called Finnish,” Timothy says. “It was spoken in a country called Finland.”
The concept of different languages sounds alien to me, but I know there used to be many, and maybe there still are somewhere. We don’t know how Doomsday affected other regions of the world, but we do know the war involved multiple countries and spread over different continents. “How did you find this book?”
“Josh did,” River says. “We came across an old library, and he saw it.” He kisses Josh’s cheek. “Very brave.”
“I just picked it up from a pile.”
“Yes, bravely.”
“I’d like to read it later,” I say and return the book to River. During our months of searching for the Kansas lab, I practiced my reading with a different Moomins book and Josh’s help.
I glance out the window, wondering if Caden is close by.
“You should go find him,” Josh says, because I’m clearly being obvious.
I nod and stand up. “I’ll see you guys later.”
The day is about to get much warmer by the feel of it, but the low clouds should make the heat more bearable. People walk along the main street, but underneath the cloak of normality, I can sense their tension. Each of them must have lost someone when the Raiders took over, and I hope that those who escaped will eventually return.
I spot a group of people standing by the gate, facing Caden. I walk closer until I hear him say, “If you only spot threats when they’re at your doorstep, you’re already fucked. Establish small lookout points around the valley to pass on warnings in advance. Give the town enough time to get ready.”
“What sort of lookout points are we talking about?” an old man asks.
“Nothing fancy, and nothing that will stand out. It can be someone sitting on a chair with good visibility of the area around him. Make sure to have walkie-talkies or a quiet radio transceiver device.”
“We used to have some of those, but the fucking Raiders broke them!”
Caden points at me. “It just so happens you have an official representative of Unity here. Maybe he can help you out with supplies.”
I have a second to send daggers with my eyes before the group moves to talk to me, listing out the many supplies they’re lacking. I don’t have the authority to approve anything, but I listen patiently and make a mental note of the items we might be able to spare. Strengthening these sorts of towns across Colorado is in Unity’s best interest, but they are not our strategic partners like the Free Cities are. After a few minutes of back and forth, the group finally moves on.
Caden, who is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, says, “Sorry about that. I needed a break.”
I walk over to face him. “I can’t get half of what they asked for.”
“Then don’t. Places like this need to learn how to take care of themselves.”
