Horde (Enclave Series) by Ann Aguirre Page A

patrols brought in. Unlike theirs, his was high quality and butter soft. Somebody here knew the rudiments of a cobbler’s trade, but his work was shoddy and poor. Once the soldiers were all outfitted in better gear, though, I feared my family might be asked to move along.
    “How long do you see us staying?”
    Fade shrugged. “It doesn’t seem like home, but Salvation didn’t, either. I’m used to making the best of things.”
    “What does make a place feel like home?”
    “You,” he said quietly.
    “So you weren’t at home in the enclave until you got to know me?”
    “I never was, there. But you made things better.” He changed the subject then. “Have you seen much of Soldier’s Pond?”
    “Mostly just the field hospital.” That was what the soldiers called it. “And the mess, of course. I’m awfully familiar with the ground in between the two buildings.”
    “If you think Tegan could manage for a while, I could show you around.”
    “I’d like that … and I think she can. We only have eight people left.”
    “Is that good or bad?”
    “Mostly, it’s good. But we lost a number of patients, and Tegan’s taking it hard.”
    He nodded. “She feels like Doc Tuttle would do a better job if he were here because she didn’t complete her training with him.”
    “He might know about treatments but there’s no way he could care more.” I finished my meal, then said, “Let me tell her, so she doesn’t worry.”
    “She’s already eaten?”
    “I always send her first. She won’t leave unless I make her.”
    “Then let’s go,” he said.
    Since I had Fade with me, despite my weariness, I ran the distance to the granary and darted inside. Today, it smelled less of putrid wounds and more of antiseptic. The scent of blood had dissipated days past. Two of the pallets were empty, so I hoped that meant they were moving around, not dead. I didn’t ask since Tegan wasn’t crying; I decided to assume the best.
    She actually smiled when she saw me enter, Fade behind me. “Let me guess, you want some time off.”
    “Just a little while. Will you be all right?”
    “Of course. You’ve been more help than I could’ve asked. Go.” She made a shooing motion with both hands.
    This time I took her at her word. As we stepped outside, Fade stilled me with a look. Once he was sure he had my attention, he reached out and laced our fingers together. Heat curled up my hand all the way to my forearm, but I was afraid to move, afraid I was dreaming. I could feel the difference in his fingertips, new calluses from working with Edmund. He rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand and I shivered in pleasure.
    “You’re better?” I breathed.
    “Not wholly. But I’ve been doing what you suggested, picturing the happy moments when it gets bad. I don’t like being grabbed unexpectedly—” From his expression, that was awful. “But I … can manage when I’m the one reaching out, and it’s even easier with you.”
    “The memories will fade.” I sounded more sure than I felt, but it seemed like a reasonable guess. After all, I couldn’t remember much about going hungry as a brat, but during lean times, we all ate less than we wanted. Time had a way of smoothing out the rough edges.
    “I suspect you’re right,” he said, surprising me.
    He led me toward the town gate; apparently we would start the explorations at the beginning. In daylight things looked even more forbidding. I would’ve been able to tell that a military force was responsible for this settlement, even if nobody had told me. From the fortifications to the hidden defenses, Soldier’s Pond appeared more ready for war than Salvation, despite the lack of wooden walls. To my mind, now that the Freaks had fire, that might prove an advantage. Deep into the grass beyond the gate, I glimpsed defensive countermeasures: unnatural bulges in the ground and hidden pits, stands of wire, wrapped around devices I couldn’t identify.
    In the distance I