“They’re starting to
move!”
“ Are they in any kind of formation?” Sawyer asked.
“ No, they’re all still bunched together. It almost looks like
the whole lot of them is out for an afternoon stroll.”
“ Keep your weapons down. Nobody fire unless I say so.” Sawyer
said.
“ What are you talking about? They’ll slaughter us if we don’t
defend ourselves!” the mayor yelled.
“ I don’t think they’re going to attack,” Sawyer argued. “Ask
yourself this—what are they waiting for? You can bet at least one
of them out there has a pair of binoculars. They know we’re
undermanned right now. Why would they wait? They’re hungry and
desperate, but they’re not stupid. This is not an
attack.”
“ It doesn’t matter what you say, Forager. I’m not lowering my
rifle,” the mayor said. “I’ve got a town to protect.”
“ If you want to protect this town and the people in it, don’t
shoot at the Scavengers,” Sawyer said.
I could hear by tightness in his voice Sawyer was losing his
patience. For once, I agreed with the mayor. If we weren’t ready
for the Scavengers, we’d be annihilated.
“ Three riders are breaking away from the rest of the group,”
Craig called from the window. Looking up, I saw the binoculars
glued to his eyes.
“ Wait…the last horse…it’s carrying two riders. I can’t tell
much, they’re still too far away. The bulk of the group is hanging
back.”
Sawyer sighed and his body relaxed in relief. “They’re not
attacking. I’m not sure what they are doing, but nobody attacks
with four riders.” Sawyer turned to the mayor. “Put that gun
down.”
The mayor grudgingly lowered his rifle, a frown wrinkling his
face.
“ What’s going on?” I asked.
Sawyer shook his head.
“ The riders are about half a mile out!” Craig called. “There
waving a towel, a white towel.”
“ So that’s it,” Sawyer said. “They want to parley.”
“ Huh?” I asked.
“ They want to talk.”
“ What about?”
“ I don’t have a clue. Maybe they’ve got something they want to
trade. Who knows, maybe they want to reform and come live here. It
could be anything.”
The mayor looked over at us. “Somebody get me a horse. I won’t
be the only one out there on foot. I suppose you better come along
too, Sawyer. You are a Forager, after all. Leave the boy. He might
try and shoot one of them.”
Would he ever let me forget about the deer? He didn’t seem to
have a problem with the townsfolk killing Scavengers. Why was
killing a deer worse?
Sawyer reached in one of his saddlebags and pulled out his
wide-brimmed green hat. The silver clover on the front of the crown
gleamed in the bright sunlight. “Dillon’s just fine where he is. It
never hurts to have an extra pair of ears when your enemy is
talking.”
The mayor shook his head in frustration
Was Sawyer intentionally using me to aggravate him? I decided
I didn’t care. As long as Sawyer was offering me a chance to do
something important, I wasn’t going to question his
motives.
The mayor climbed on the back of a gray workhorse one of our
defenders had ridden. I watched in dismay as Jason climbed on
behind him. The mayor gave an irritating smile. “As you said,
Sawyer, it never hurts to have an extra pair of ears.”
What made the males in that family such tyrants? I wondered if
the mayor knew that his sons tormented me. Was that why he was
bringing Jason along? I didn’t dwell on it. Jason was coming. The
four of us set off.
“ Wait! We’re coming too!” Kurt and another Bull rode up next to
us on a pair of horses. “We have to protect the mayor.”
Sawyer held Fred to a slow walk, forcing the mayor and the
Bulls to do the same. I ran through Sawyer’s suggestions about why
the Scavengers wanted to talk. He mentioned them having something
to trade. That made more sense to me than them wanting to reform.
I’d never heard of one that had. Not only that, but I was pretty
sure there was no way
move!”
“ Are they in any kind of formation?” Sawyer asked.
“ No, they’re all still bunched together. It almost looks like
the whole lot of them is out for an afternoon stroll.”
“ Keep your weapons down. Nobody fire unless I say so.” Sawyer
said.
“ What are you talking about? They’ll slaughter us if we don’t
defend ourselves!” the mayor yelled.
“ I don’t think they’re going to attack,” Sawyer argued. “Ask
yourself this—what are they waiting for? You can bet at least one
of them out there has a pair of binoculars. They know we’re
undermanned right now. Why would they wait? They’re hungry and
desperate, but they’re not stupid. This is not an
attack.”
“ It doesn’t matter what you say, Forager. I’m not lowering my
rifle,” the mayor said. “I’ve got a town to protect.”
“ If you want to protect this town and the people in it, don’t
shoot at the Scavengers,” Sawyer said.
I could hear by tightness in his voice Sawyer was losing his
patience. For once, I agreed with the mayor. If we weren’t ready
for the Scavengers, we’d be annihilated.
“ Three riders are breaking away from the rest of the group,”
Craig called from the window. Looking up, I saw the binoculars
glued to his eyes.
“ Wait…the last horse…it’s carrying two riders. I can’t tell
much, they’re still too far away. The bulk of the group is hanging
back.”
Sawyer sighed and his body relaxed in relief. “They’re not
attacking. I’m not sure what they are doing, but nobody attacks
with four riders.” Sawyer turned to the mayor. “Put that gun
down.”
The mayor grudgingly lowered his rifle, a frown wrinkling his
face.
“ What’s going on?” I asked.
Sawyer shook his head.
“ The riders are about half a mile out!” Craig called. “There
waving a towel, a white towel.”
“ So that’s it,” Sawyer said. “They want to parley.”
“ Huh?” I asked.
“ They want to talk.”
“ What about?”
“ I don’t have a clue. Maybe they’ve got something they want to
trade. Who knows, maybe they want to reform and come live here. It
could be anything.”
The mayor looked over at us. “Somebody get me a horse. I won’t
be the only one out there on foot. I suppose you better come along
too, Sawyer. You are a Forager, after all. Leave the boy. He might
try and shoot one of them.”
Would he ever let me forget about the deer? He didn’t seem to
have a problem with the townsfolk killing Scavengers. Why was
killing a deer worse?
Sawyer reached in one of his saddlebags and pulled out his
wide-brimmed green hat. The silver clover on the front of the crown
gleamed in the bright sunlight. “Dillon’s just fine where he is. It
never hurts to have an extra pair of ears when your enemy is
talking.”
The mayor shook his head in frustration
Was Sawyer intentionally using me to aggravate him? I decided
I didn’t care. As long as Sawyer was offering me a chance to do
something important, I wasn’t going to question his
motives.
The mayor climbed on the back of a gray workhorse one of our
defenders had ridden. I watched in dismay as Jason climbed on
behind him. The mayor gave an irritating smile. “As you said,
Sawyer, it never hurts to have an extra pair of ears.”
What made the males in that family such tyrants? I wondered if
the mayor knew that his sons tormented me. Was that why he was
bringing Jason along? I didn’t dwell on it. Jason was coming. The
four of us set off.
“ Wait! We’re coming too!” Kurt and another Bull rode up next to
us on a pair of horses. “We have to protect the mayor.”
Sawyer held Fred to a slow walk, forcing the mayor and the
Bulls to do the same. I ran through Sawyer’s suggestions about why
the Scavengers wanted to talk. He mentioned them having something
to trade. That made more sense to me than them wanting to reform.
I’d never heard of one that had. Not only that, but I was pretty
sure there was no way
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