again.”
Ebony
looked at his anguished face, and almost felt sorry for him. “So...you are
responsible for the destruction of this town, too, aren’t you?”
His eyes
seemed glazed as he looked away at something only he could see. “I accept
responsibility for it. Go inside, Ebony.”
She
paused for just a moment, trying to study his face; but he only looked at the
ground and stood waiting for her to go in. Ebony turned away and then walked
into the house.
There was
only one room, but it was a large one. Inside were the seven other women and
Fallon’s seven men, along with Damon. Under Damon’s watchful eye, three of the
other women worked inside the dim and shadowy single room and did their best to
clear the earthen floor of the leaves and sticks and dead underbrush which had
accumulated since the abandonment. There was a hearth at one end of the room
and shelves along one wall, and the room had broken and overturned furniture
scattered all through it.
“Are we
making camp here tonight?” Damon asked Fallon.
“I think
it’s safe enough for one night,” Fallon said. “We’ve done well in keeping
ahead of any trackers. I think we would have known by now if we were being
followed.”
Damon
looked worried. “The king might not want them back. If he doesn’t, where does
that leave us?” he asked, in a quiet voice that Ebony could just barely hear.
She
pretended she couldn’t hear them and made herself useful by righting a table
and chairs and brushing the tabletop clean with her hands. She felt Fallon’s
gaze glance over her, and saw him look with the corner of her eye.
“If the
king doesn’t want them, then we’ve just procured ourselves some mates.” Fallon
touched Damon’s shoulder. “Fear not. All will be well with the plan. The
next phase will go smoothly if we can all keep the faith.”
“I’d like
some fresh meat,” one of the men spoke up. “Can we build a fire in the
hearth?”
“That’s a
good idea. I’ve grown weary of the jerk,” said Fallon. “Ryan--you, Dev,
Jerel, and Brenzir go out on the hunt. You two--Percy and Vin--” he motioned
to two others--“get firewood for a meal and for the night. Kye, you stay here
to guard the women.”
The men
nodded, and those who’d been set a new task left the house. The fortunate Kye
sat down on the floor very near the women, with his silver pistol at his hip.
Ebony
debated on whether she should sit with the other women or not. On one hand,
her place was with them. On the other, her curiosity screamed at her not to
bow down and accept her fate. She wanted to demand that Fallon, or Damon, or
someone, give her the information that she craved!
She
simply could not give up the fight.
Fallon
and Damon sat down in the chairs that Ebony had righted and placed around the
table. Damon removed a deck of brightly colored cards from his pocket and
began shuffling them. The two remaining men stepped outside the hut on either
side of the door--keeping watch, she presumed. That left one chair empty and
available.
Ebony
promptly sat down in it and watched Damon deal numbered cards between him and
Fallon. Fallon picked up his hand he’d been dealt, and gave Ebony a look.
“You’re
mighty presumptuous to take a seat beside us, little one.”
“I’m not
a child,” she said. “I do have a mind of my own.”
“And what
of the captor/captive situation? You shouldn’t want to be this close to us,”
Damon said, stacking his cards and eyeing her.
She
shrugged. “You haven’t beaten any of us yet. And I’m tired of sitting on the
floor.”
Fallon
raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think we would beat you?”
Ebony
propped her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table. “I just figured that
since you kept threatening me with consequences if I ran away again, it’d
Ebony
looked at his anguished face, and almost felt sorry for him. “So...you are
responsible for the destruction of this town, too, aren’t you?”
His eyes
seemed glazed as he looked away at something only he could see. “I accept
responsibility for it. Go inside, Ebony.”
She
paused for just a moment, trying to study his face; but he only looked at the
ground and stood waiting for her to go in. Ebony turned away and then walked
into the house.
There was
only one room, but it was a large one. Inside were the seven other women and
Fallon’s seven men, along with Damon. Under Damon’s watchful eye, three of the
other women worked inside the dim and shadowy single room and did their best to
clear the earthen floor of the leaves and sticks and dead underbrush which had
accumulated since the abandonment. There was a hearth at one end of the room
and shelves along one wall, and the room had broken and overturned furniture
scattered all through it.
“Are we
making camp here tonight?” Damon asked Fallon.
“I think
it’s safe enough for one night,” Fallon said. “We’ve done well in keeping
ahead of any trackers. I think we would have known by now if we were being
followed.”
Damon
looked worried. “The king might not want them back. If he doesn’t, where does
that leave us?” he asked, in a quiet voice that Ebony could just barely hear.
She
pretended she couldn’t hear them and made herself useful by righting a table
and chairs and brushing the tabletop clean with her hands. She felt Fallon’s
gaze glance over her, and saw him look with the corner of her eye.
“If the
king doesn’t want them, then we’ve just procured ourselves some mates.” Fallon
touched Damon’s shoulder. “Fear not. All will be well with the plan. The
next phase will go smoothly if we can all keep the faith.”
“I’d like
some fresh meat,” one of the men spoke up. “Can we build a fire in the
hearth?”
“That’s a
good idea. I’ve grown weary of the jerk,” said Fallon. “Ryan--you, Dev,
Jerel, and Brenzir go out on the hunt. You two--Percy and Vin--” he motioned
to two others--“get firewood for a meal and for the night. Kye, you stay here
to guard the women.”
The men
nodded, and those who’d been set a new task left the house. The fortunate Kye
sat down on the floor very near the women, with his silver pistol at his hip.
Ebony
debated on whether she should sit with the other women or not. On one hand,
her place was with them. On the other, her curiosity screamed at her not to
bow down and accept her fate. She wanted to demand that Fallon, or Damon, or
someone, give her the information that she craved!
She
simply could not give up the fight.
Fallon
and Damon sat down in the chairs that Ebony had righted and placed around the
table. Damon removed a deck of brightly colored cards from his pocket and
began shuffling them. The two remaining men stepped outside the hut on either
side of the door--keeping watch, she presumed. That left one chair empty and
available.
Ebony
promptly sat down in it and watched Damon deal numbered cards between him and
Fallon. Fallon picked up his hand he’d been dealt, and gave Ebony a look.
“You’re
mighty presumptuous to take a seat beside us, little one.”
“I’m not
a child,” she said. “I do have a mind of my own.”
“And what
of the captor/captive situation? You shouldn’t want to be this close to us,”
Damon said, stacking his cards and eyeing her.
She
shrugged. “You haven’t beaten any of us yet. And I’m tired of sitting on the
floor.”
Fallon
raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think we would beat you?”
Ebony
propped her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table. “I just figured that
since you kept threatening me with consequences if I ran away again, it’d
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