He continued to row with his powerful arms, the tips of the linen visible from underneath his sleeves when he leaned forward, the red drops of blood stark on the cloth. “As long as we can eat it, I don’t care what color it is.”
5
MORCO
We returned to the island in the center of the lake and walked down the path of torches to the center of the forest that we’d claimed as our new home. I knew Hanne was tired, but she did her best not to show it—and that made me respect her. “Caius. Krull. Liam.”
Caius sat on one of the logs around the bonfire, the fire we almost always burned to illuminate the Gathering, to show the cabins and the pathway that led farther into the city we had built from whatever resources we could find.
We’d had to rebuild so many times, I’d lost count at this point.
The others were seated at the tables, passing the time because there was nothing else to do. They got up when their names were called, looking to me for direction. Caius got to his feet and glanced at Hanne beside me before he looked at me again. “What do you need, Morco?”
“There’s meat in the boat,” I said. “Help me carry it.”
“Meat?” Liam asked, having the enthusiasm of a boy. “You speak the truth?”
“Yes,” I said. “And there’s too much for me to carry alone.” The weight left my shoulders. Most of the time, that relief was temporary, but this might be different. Now that we’d found crops we could grow and harvest, it could change everything for us. We could finally stop being hungry all the time—a reality I couldn’t even imagine.
Liam looked at Caius, and they exchanged a look of shock and joy mixed into one.
Caius grinned and even released a chuckle. “It’s gonna be a good night.”
Krull didn’t seem nearly as excited, and all he did was stare at Hanne.
When I glanced at Hanne, her stare was elsewhere, and it seemed intentional.
Caius and Liam jogged to the boat because they were too excited to walk.
Krull’s stare lingered for another second before he followed the other two.
When he left, Hanne’s attention was back on me. “They’re excited.”
“They’re hungry.” I studied her face, seeing the fatigue around her eyes, her hair having become unkempt over the course of our journey. Even for a woman, she was small, but she held her own, regardless. She was in a new place with no allies, but she served the tribe like it was her own. “You said you know how to garden?”
“Yes. I used to work in the garden sometimes.”
“Can you harvest the seeds and plant them?”
She nodded. “I think we’re far enough away from the waterline. It should work.”
“Can we still eat what we’ve found?”
“Yes,” she said. “I should be able to separate them. These will go well in a stew. But…you want my opinion?”
My eyes had been on her face this entire time, but now my focus sharpened. She had a couple freckles around her eyes, something I hadn’t noticed before. Now that we stood in the blaze of the bonfire, her eyes appeared deeper in color.
“You risked your life to get all of this. I think you should keep some of it for yourself.” She reached into the pack and pulled out one of the potatoes. “It’s hearty and filling. It’ll complement a seared steak perfectly.”
My eyes didn’t leave her face.
“It’s fair, Morco. No one is working as hard as you.”
“But I’m the chief—and that’s my burden. Once the meat and vegetables are prepared, we’ll all eat well. No one will be hungry for a while.” The relief I felt at providing and protecting my people was far more fulfilling than a hot meal anyway. “My attention is required elsewhere. Let me know how the planting goes.”
She didn’t press her argument further, let it die.
“None of this would have come to pass without you, so thank you.” We’d turned over a new leaf, had a new resource we didn’t have before. If theapricumchanged to a new bud close by, we would have seeds to take with us when we started over…again.
