There are a few stragglers, but Jude dismisses them as unimportant. Mostly drunk men and women.
“Cannon fodder,” he says quietly. “They won’t know where Marika is.”
Until, finally, he recognizes someone. He gestures toward a man who is leaving the camp to take a piss on the rocks. He’s a middle-aged man with a beard and a shaved head.
Jude’s smile turns predatory as he walks in the shadows to reach his prey. But I have a feeling that he’ll kill the man before we can ask him questions, so I step forward.
The man turns as he hears my footsteps, but he doesn’t pull his gun fast enough. My hand finds skin just above the collar of his dirty shirt, and I send a quick but loaded electric shock. He convulses and falls to the ground.
Jude glares at me.
“He’s just unconscious,” I say.
We drag him to theFireflyand downriver, a good distance away from the dam, where no one will hear his screams.
After an hour, our new friend is still unconscious. Jude gives me a pointed look.
“I might have overdone it a little bit,” I say.
Jude chuckles. “You think?”
“I usually aim to kill.”
“Yes, I remember,” he says. He has fern-like scars that attest to it.
Right on cue, the man stirs. We tied him with the shackles that were used on me previously. He groans and jolts awake when he realizes that he’s in chains. Then he focuses his attention on Jude, whose face is illuminated by the pale glow of our solar lamp.
“You…” he starts.
“Me, the prodigal son. What’s up, Bernie?”
“You can’t do this,” Bernie says.
“Oh, but I can.”
Jude is crouching in front of him, but I’m on my feet behind his back. That seems to make our guest uncomfortable.
“Who’s that?” he asks, eyeing me suspiciously. He smells like bitter fear.
“That is none of your business,” says Jude. “And it’s not him you should be worried about.” He has his army knife in hand.
“I’m not working for your parents anymore,” says Bernie. “They’re not here to protect you. And—”
“Yeah, about that,” Jude cuts him off. “How come you didn’t end up dead like my parents? I thought you were one of my father’s best friends.”
The man is smart enough to look sheepish. “Come on, man. Their reign was over. Did you want me to die with them?”
“Yes,” Jude says, his voice cold. “You know my dad would have died for you.”
“Well, I’m not your dad. And I’m still fucking alive.”
“Not for long.”
“You can’t kill me. I’m important!” Bernie shouts. “She made me one of her commanders. She’ll hunt you down. She’ll—”
Jude slaps the man so hard his head snaps to the side. Bernie blinks a few times, taken aback. Having been at the receiving end of his slaps, I know their effect.
“Tell me more about that new master of yours,” says Jude. “She’s a mutant, right?”
